"London and the United Kingdom"'s topics - tribe.net

Visiting England and the UK

somethingwyqued — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 05:52:29 GMT

So, I want to surprise my honey with a trip (either 2 weeks, or a month) to England. I'm thinking in April or May, since April 23rd is our anniversary, and I'm trying to plan out some stuff to do. What are the "must see" cities of the UK, England especially, and what should be done there? We're both writers, he is also a big graphic novel and video game guy. We both love England, and have even kinda talked about moving there, so I wanted to take him to several cities and see the real life (not just the touristy crap).
Any suggestions?
-Emilie

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 3 replies

What going Nowhere is all about...

Cara — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:38:18 GMT

Nowhere is a 5 day event in Northern Spain, based upon the principles of Burning Man in Nevada, it is an experiment in participatory creation where everyone holds a piece of the puzzle.

A place where you cease to exist as you do in the default world, where your relationships with those around are based not on "What can you do for me?" but "What can we do together?", a place where Radical Self-Expression and Radical Self-Reliance become Radical Realities.

We truly are a Leave No Trace event. You must bring everything you need to survive in a harsh desert environment. There is no commerce at Nowhere. No money. No shopping. If You need something, You make it happen.. And everything you bring you are responsible for taking away.

Nowhere explodes into existence for 5 amazing days, it's participants bringing art, music, life, love, chaos and adventure into a world that has lost sense of the primal reasons for existence... then it fades back to the dust from which it blossomed.

A gift economy, radical self expression, radical self reliance, leave no trace and no spectators.... these guiding lights, and the natural filter of
the desert, mean that Nowhere is not for everyone. But if you are one of those who value human interaction over financial exchange, who love to create just for the sheer joy of creating, who are one of "... the mad ones, the ones mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn like fabulous roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars..."

then maybe Nowhere is for you

Go to http://www.goingnowhere.org to find out more

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

No Chance Saloon Fundraiser!

DontTellJosh — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:09:00 GMT

Saddle up Partners!

On Saturday the 31st of May we will be throwing a kick ass fundraiser for the No Chance Saloon camp for Nowhere 2008 (what's Nowhere? www.goingnowhere.org) at The George, (send me a message if you need the address).

It will run from 9pm with some live music in keeping with the theme and descend into a dirty mess of hedonistic excess until the following afternoon in which we plan on showing a Wild West Movie Double Bill (starting around midday).

The theme is Wild West and dress up is encouraged, though not mandatory.

We will be running a bar and there is a suggested donation of £5 on the door.

We pledge to spend 80% of the money we make from this fundraiser on the purchasing of booze to be served at the No Chance Saloon. So it’s almost like a 2 for 1 deal, but you just have to get to Nowhere to get the free drink.

A little bit of info on our camp –

At Nowhere our saloon will incorporate an all day bar serving whiskey and tequila in the cool shade of the saloon structure, a Bucking Bronco to test your Rodeo skills on and a host of Wild West characters to drink with, play with, fight with and in all probability love with. We’ll also host a party on an undetermined night.

Hope to see you there,

No Chance Salooners.

PS. Arrive early, the past few parties at The George, we've had to turn people away once we've reached capacity.

PPS. Be kind to our neighbours and be sneaky quiet on your to and from The George.

PPPS. Are you an awesome Bluegrass band? Country singer? Cowboy/girl stripper? If anyone has an act that could be deemed relevant to a Wild West Saloon and is interested in performing at the fundraiser, please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you.

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

Meet Up 10th May

Charles — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:49:16 GMT

Hi everyone

The next monthly meet-up is on Saturday 10th May starting at 7.30. It will be at the Spice of Life in Moor Street just off Charing Cross Road. It’s a short walk from both Tottenham Court Road (Central line) and Leicester Square (Piccadilly). I very much hope you will be able to come along.

http://www.spiceoflifesoho.com/

We had 29 people come to the Portrhouse earlier this month. Let me know if you will be able to make it on the 10th

Thanks

Charles

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 4 replies

Great event in London on May 10th - Reverend Zero's Medicine Show

twinklebeezz — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:32:48 GMT

The medicine show is back! Our next show will be on Saturday May the 10th at the Ivy House in Peckham Rye!
This show will be fundraising to help get the Burrow Theme Camp back to Nowhere.

You can buy your tickets cheaper in advance; find out show times, and location at our very own website http//:www.medicineshow.org.uk

So come to the show, it promises to be a spectacular spectacular live action Victorian vaudeville, mad neo punk cabaret!

We have Mad bad bands, Naughty moustached strippers, UFO Space adventures, Howling Beauty’s, Circus Freaks and many more for your entertainment.

This is a Dress Up event so come in your best sideshow, carnie, circus, cabaret or burlesque or burner outfits.

Don’t forget to Buy you Tickets for this one off night at http://www.medicineshow.org.uk

Look forward to seeing you there!
Twink
Producer to the Medicine Show Production Company

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

Happy 60th Birthday

bobs — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:53:36 GMT

To the Polo Mint!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/7348287.stm

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

Walk For Life- please sponsor me, any amount ok!

purrverse — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:28:39 GMT

Hello, folks- I'm doing the Walk for Life here in London under the place I volunteer for, the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard. The Walk for Life is for HIV/AIDS charity Cruisaid, and when you sponsor me you also raise money for the Switchboard, which helps gay, lesbian, bi and trans people get the emotional support they need on topics ranging from coming out to safer sex.

I'm hoping to raise at least 50 quid for my group, even better if I can manage more! So I'm asking all the Londoners I know- will you sponsor me, even a little bit? 5 quid? A tenner? Every little bit would mean worlds!

Just to give you an idea-

£15 could pay for a personal carer to help someone who is very ill with HIV with washing, cooking and other basic tasks that they could not manage on their own

£25 could help to save the lives of young people in Africa by providing community leaders with HIV prevention training packs and fund one-to-one training sessions

£40 could provide one family in Benoni, South Africa with practical and emotional help for a year, including transport to hospital, nursing care, counselling and essential food and school books

£100 could buy a fridge/freezer to help prevent treatment failure for someone who is living in poverty and unable to store their antiretroviral drugs at the correct temperature

And, even better-
If you are a UK taxpayer, the Government will pay Crusaid an additional 28p for every £1 you give if you tick the Gift Aid box when sponsoring me and fill in your name, residential address and postcode. Your residential address is a requirement for a valid Gift Aid claim, so please provide this!

http://www.walkforlife.co.uk/public_individual_sponsorship.php?ID=808

And, hey, pass it around your work, email lists, whatever. It's always the season to try to help control and vanquish HIV!

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

The Porterhouse

Charles — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:49:47 GMT

I've had 9 positive replies so far from orkut and facebook communities today so it would be good to meet people from tribe too

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 2 replies

Famous parents and children

Charles — Mon, 05 Jan 2004 18:09:56 GMT

Another game:

The idea is to name two well-known people with the same surname and with a roughly realistic parent-child age difference but who are far apart in other respects.

see example below

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 55 replies

Coming to UK

wapiunited@yahoo.com — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:03:25 GMT

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=16500179

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 1 reply

V&A Late Friday (29/3/08)

Bobster — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:07:26 GMT

Dear All,

I'm heading to the V&A for it's monthly late-night event. The night is titled Subterreanea and includes readings, a DJ set by St Etienne (but more than likely just Bob Stanley) and a Film screening of Jacques Tati's 'Play Time' (1967), famous for its enormous, specially constructed set depicting a futuristic glass and steel Paris. Preceded by a discussion with photography expert David Campany examining architectural artifice and Tati's fictionalised view of modernist Paris.

I'll be there at the front at 6pm. Let me know if you're interested.

Link:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/events/friday_evenings/friday_late/events/friday_late_mar08/index.html

All the best,

Bobster

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

Active members

Charles — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:57:43 GMT

Are there any here? I've been inactive for a couple of years and want to see whether it is worth reviving the tribe.

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 11 replies

Tribe Pictures

Charles — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 09:23:01 GMT

A thank you to everyone who has contributed to the pictures we now have. Please keep them coming in. More pics of other parts of the UK would be great! If you live there or have visited you will know what has significance more than I. For instance I have only been to Northern Ireland briefly on two occasions. Other pics related to the UK (look through, we have some) are also welcome. Thanks again.

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 135 replies

Pillow Fight Club, March 22nd

purrverse — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:18:16 GMT

On Saturday, in the afternoon- Pillow Fight Club!
http://www.mobile-clubbing.com/eventsweb/public/mobileclubbing/default.aspx
It's going to be way fun, guys.
Anyone going? I'll be in bunny gear!

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 4 replies

I recently saw the movie SICKO...

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:53:20 GMT

Pretty much it counts down to everyone having free healthcare. Is that true? Honestly, are there any hidden features??? I'm just a desperate american wanting to know,maybe even planning to move if all my fact are in place. thanks.

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 3 replies

The Big World Gathering - Take Your Power Back

michael_irving — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 01:05:55 GMT

THE BIG WORLD GATHERING
http://www.worldgathering.net

What is The Big World Gathering?
The Big World Gathering is happening now wherever you are by you sharing with others what you really feel and think about life today, and by distributing information you believe is important. At a later stage, perhaps soon to happen, all our individual actions may help lead to something quite surprising; a major world change.

"Awake, awake, the world is young,
For all its weary years of thought.
The starkest fights must still be fought,
The most surprising songs be sung."
~ James E Flecker

Surprising Songs for The Big World Gathering ...
The Big World Gathering Theme Tune 1 ~ (5+ mins):
http://www.worldgathering.net/wwwmp3/wg1.mp3
The Big World Gathering Theme Tune 1 ~ (1+ mins):
http://www.worldgathering.net/wwwmp3/wg2.mp3
Big World Gathering Love Song ~ Time ~ (2+ mins):
http://www.worldgathering.net/wwwmp3/time.mp3
World-Action Big Gathering Theme Tune ~ (1+ mins):
http://www.worldgathering.net/wwwmp3/wa18.mp3

Special Images for The Big World Gathering:
http://www.worldgathering.net/logos.html

Subscribe to the BWG NEWS List at Google:
http://groups.google.com/group/worldgathering

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'THE GATHERING' by Sitting Bull

It is very important that as many people as possible, in different places, should take part in the Gathering. Decide where and when and how to gather. Your participation is needed.

This is the beginning of the break we are all waiting for; for you all on Earth and ourselves out here. This is the beginning of the turn around. We have waited so long for the change. It is time. This is the beginning of the end of the old ways; the turning of the tide.

State what you believe is true. Courage is the ability to go beyond the familiar. Exchange the information and hopes you have. Always in the world, a change starts with a few people. These few speak the feelings and thoughts of a multitude. They speak the heart of humanity's soul.

The people and ETs who will come together shall ring in a return, a turn around. There will come a flow on Earth which will burst the dark energies surrounding you and your planet. That which you believe is true must be stated. The truth is the key.

May strength and vision be yours as you establish the new. Follow your hearts. Let your inner light be your guide. Realise the beauty and greatness you have within yourself and step ahead. This is the time so many have waited so long for. Never doubt it has started.

The young of all nations are looking for a new direction. It is time to light a beacon to show the way for all humanity. Let your feelings, thoughts and beliefs be your guiding light. The power of the moment. The wishes of the people. The good times ahead.

It is time for the gathering.

Tatanka Yotanka - The Sitting Bull
(This message is through a clairvoyant in Holland, Europe, in recent years)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special Words for The Big World Gathering:
~ The Rainbow Dream Vision of Hope: "This prophecy is a dream and vision that is a potential reality for mankind. It is not an ultimatum. But it is ours to behold and to create if we only dare to create it together." ~
~ A Central American Mayan Elder: "Human beings must come together in support of life. At present, each person and group is going his or her own way. There is hope if people can come together and unite." ~
~ E F Schumacher: "We must do what we conceive to be the right thing and not bother our heads or burden our souls with whether we will be successful. Because if we don't do the right thing, we will be doing the wrong thing and we will just be a part of the disease and not a part of the cure." ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'The Gathering' by Matthew

Last night I had a gathering for all my departed friends
I asked Jim Morrison where he'd been
He just laughed and smiled,
Spoke of what he'd seen

He said "I've been to the end of the rainbow"
He said "I've seen supernovae burst"
But before I could ask a question,
He said "Let me finish first"

He said "I have something to tell you",
This really is the MASTER KEY
ONLY! ONLY LOVE!
Will set this planet free

He then spoke ok Atlantis,
And what has come to pass
In an alien war of genocide,
He and his friends escaped the blast

* * *
Now these ones are returning,
They see our hearts are burning
The Universe is yearning,
For us to break on through

Well now you see here is my request,
The letter to your heart
Will you join us now,
Let the healing start

First there came THE question,
Then I found THE door
Now I have come through it,
A stronger man for sure

I will ask you the same question,
I can lead you to this door
If you will walk through it,
You will be Wiser than before

Yes now I have this question to put to you
Are you going to resist,
Will you break on through?
Will you break on through?

I am waiting for you...

The Gathering

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special Images for The Big World Gathering:
http://www.worldgathering.net/logos.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subscribe to the BWG NEWS List at Google:
http://groups.google.com/group/worldgathering
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Big World Gathering is happening now wherever you are by you sharing with others what you really feel and think about life today, and by distributing information you believe is important. At a later stage, perhaps soon to happen, all our individual actions may help lead to something quite surprising; a major world change.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Big World Gathering ~ http://www.worldgathering.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

listen to this

LEA — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:20:17 GMT

http://asx.ljcentral.net/mp3/eir/tls/2008/tls080301_en_hi.mp3

http://www.schillerinstitute.org/economy/phys_econ/2008/lym_inflation_art.html

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

Turning of the Tide - WGFT

michael_irving — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:34:31 GMT

http://www.worldgathering.net/news24.html

Turning of the tide …
By Matthew,
Warrior-Poet from the Isle of Man, UK

We say we have it tough
But we always have enough
We say we are trying but the children are still dying
We read the news - got to get our daily blues... ohhhh

But we are ready
Ready for tomorrow
We got each other
From me you can borrow
They say you can never change a leopards spots
But they can’t see how we rearrange the dots

We are the power in everyone
We are the dance of the moon and the sun
We are the hope that will never hide
We are the turning of the tide

We will look to the stars and we will see the light
WE are powerful because we know what is right
We are ready
Ready for tomorrow
Sinking the ships of jealousy and sorrow

We are the power in everyone
We are the celestial dance of the moon and sun
We are the hope that refuses to hide
We are the turning of the tide

In your eyes a vision
In my heart a fire
We will unite our powers
To expose the Liar

We will not swallow any more excuses
We will not be party to your war on humanity
We have heard all your delusions
We are sated with your profanity...Liar

We are the power in everyone
We are the celestial dance of the moon and sun
We are the hope that refuses to hide
We are the turning of the tide

http://www.worldgathering.net/news24.html

---------

WORLD GATHERING FOR TRUTH
http://www.worldgathering.net

Subscribe to WGFT Newsletter at Google:
http://groups.google.com/group/worldgathering

Guide and index to all resources at WGFT website:
http://www.worldgathering.net/menu.html

WORLD-ACTION: http://www.worldgathering.net/world

STOP CHEMTRAILS: http://www.worldgathering.net/stop

INSPIRING TIMES: http://www.worldgathering.net/times

WORDS WAKEN WORLD: http://www.worldgathering.net/words

WINDS OF TRUTH: http://www.worldgathering.net/winds

CELTIC ISLAND: http://www.worldgathering.net/celtic

WORLD-ACTION 2: http://www.worldgathering.net/world2

Slideshow Videos:
http://www.worldgathering.net/menu.html#video

Sounds and Music:
http://www.worldgathering.net/menu.html#audio

Spacecraft in Scotland:
http://www.worldgathering.net/scotland

"We must do what we conceive to be the right thing and not
bother our heads or burden our souls with whether we will be
successful. Because if we don’t do the right thing, we will be
doing the wrong thing and we will just be a part of the disease
and not a part of the cure." - E F Schumacher

Subscribe to WGFT Newsletter at Google:
http://groups.google.com/group/worldgathering

The Rainbow Dream Vision: This prophecy is a dream
and vision that is a potential reality for mankind. It is not
an ultimatum. But it is ours to behold and to create
if we only dare to dream it together.

Central American Mayan Elder: "Human beings must
come together in support of life. At present, each person
and group is going his or her own way. There is hope
if people can come together and unite."

World Gathering For Truth
http://www.worldgathering.net

Please send to friends and contacts and groups

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

5.3 mag Earthquake hits northern England!

bobs — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:23:31 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7266136.stm

Anyone feel it??????????

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 1 reply

Business networking and Events

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:43:07 GMT

i would like to invite my Tribe network to join me on www.connectture.com - its a social business network based in Europe with a growing base of users from all over the world. Easy way of keeping track of your Business Network.

Cheers

Sarah

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

Mobile Chai Cafe and Puppet Theatre, based in Amsterdam

lizz Daniels — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:51:27 GMT

Hello we are a collective seeking like minded individuals who are interested in living a creative life and would love to travel. Please visit our tribe to find out more about us http://tribes.tribe.net/cosyconnection

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

Role Call!

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 22:29:12 GMT

Come on then, lets see who is actually paying attention, who's here and where are you from?

I'm here, obviously, and I'm in London ...

Next!

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 35 replies

UK visa extension?

Eli — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:29:47 GMT

I'm American and my visitors visa expires on March 13th, and I really really want to stay until end of May. Apparently it costs £395 to get it extended and even then you still need emergency reasons. Any experiences with going to continent and back to get re-stamped, espec. when you've already done that twice? Or what would happen if I just stayed longer and violated the expiration? Any thoughts?

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 4 replies

SAMBA DE RAINHA - a 8 women samba group directly from São Paulo playing in London

nanaspogis — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:30:54 GMT

05 february 2008

Tuesday is the peak of Brazil’s carnival week and will be one of the most overwhelming nights of Guanabara’s carnival as well.

All the way from Brazil comes SAMBA DE RAINHA, an 8-piece female band that plays the most authentic and powerful rootsy samba, mixing charisma, talent, beauty and sensuality.

They started playing at home, then at parties and small bars. Suddenly everyone was conquered by their talent and exuberance. A contagious, vibrant live performance, making our 5th day of carnival a very special and unique one.

To keep up with the party mood, DJ LIMÃO will be on the pick ups, playing lots of great carnivalesque tunes.

Parker Street, Corner Drury Lane, London - WC2B 5PW

0207 242 8600

www.myspace.com/sambaderainha

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

An American question (band new to this tribe)

JimJ — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:31:39 GMT

More of a poll, really.

Through one thing and another, I've found that I've had a chameleon-like way around accents that are different from my own, and I not only pick it up when in the presence of the accent-speaking speaker, but I often find myself parroting it back. Mind, this is not to offend the person, but actually an unconscious flattery on my part, to better connect with the speaker-of-the-accent-which-is-different-from-mine. I've had vocal training for accents, and I've found a particular affinity for British accents.

I have learned, however, to pay attention to my vocal mannerisms, as many times this *has been* viewed as an insult from me to the speaker, a mocking-ness, making fun of the speaker's accent (it isn't. Really, it isn't). So for years now I've making sure to keep my own Northern East Coast American accent going, while keeping my predilection for copying someone else's in check.

Okay, my point is: If someone with a accent outside of your own were to do this around you--morph from their own accent into yours--would you be insulted, flattered, intrigued, or would it make no difference to you? or would context also play a factor?

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 11 replies

Need Couch in Scotland

Shawnda — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:40:24 GMT

theres two of us, both girls. will be in glasgow and or edinburgh from the 28th-31st of this month. need a place to stay. please let me know. thank you

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

b&b's or hotels

Maharaja Tajeshwar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:00:02 GMT

Anyone know of any dirt cheap hotels or b&b's in central london?

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 4 replies

Coming Home

Anouska — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:44:14 GMT

Hello my fellow country men and women!

I was born in Glasgow and raised there for 10 years. English (Londoner) Ma and a German Pa - been living in Australia for the last 17 years...I married an Aussie and now finally...possibly....we are coming to live next year woohoo!!!!

Will be moving to the midlands area - husband is in IT I am in healthcare - anyone got any info or tips for us????

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 2 replies

Britishness?

bobs — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 20:25:18 GMT

Being British is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian
beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on
the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese
TV.

And the most British thing of all? Suspicion of all things foreign!

Only in Britain can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

Only in Britain do supermarkets make sick people walk all the way to the
back of the shop to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy
cigarettes at the front.

Only in Britain do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a DIET
coke. Only in Britain do banks leave both doors open and chain the pens to
the counters Only in Britain do we leave cars worth thousands of pounds on
the drive and lock our junk and cheap lawn mower in the garage.

Only in Britain do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have
call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to
in the first place.

Only in Britain are there disabled parking places in front of a skating
rink.

NOT TO MENTION..

3 Brits die each year testing if a 9v battery works on their tongue.

142 Brits were injured in 1999 by not removing all pins from new shirts.

58 Brits are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of
screwdrivers.

31 Brits have died since 1996 by watering their Christmas tree while the
fairy lights were plugged in.

19 Brits have died in the last 3 years believing that Christmas decorations
were chocolate British Hospitals reported 4 broken arms last year after Xmas
cracker-pulling accidents.

18 Brits had serious burns in 2000 trying on a new jumper with a lit
cigarette in their mouth.

A massive 543 Brits were admitted to A&E in the last two years after trying
to open bottles of beer with their teeth.

5 Brits were injured last year in accidents involving out-of-control
Scalextric cars.

And finally...

In 2000 eight Brits were admitted to hospital with fractured skulls incurred
whilst throwing up into the toilet.

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 13 replies

NCEF! Media sabotaged! Hijacked by lone wingnut! Accused of fraud and embezzlement!

White Rabbit — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 04:15:11 GMT

NCEF! Media in Humboldt County, Ca. is accused of fraud and donation embezzlement. Caution! Do not support this lone wingnut's scam! Other legitamate groups exist in the area. Caution! Do not be fooled by NCEF! Media and his fraudulent outreach. Shunka Wakan exists completely seperate from any active affinity group. Read about how he perpetuated a lawsuit under the guise of EF! against a legitamate environmental nonprofit:

Dog Days
From: http://northcoastjournal.com/100407/cover1004.html
October 4, 2007
Money On Trees

Big cash nearly fell into Shunka Wakan's lap. Other Earth First!ers are kinda happy it didn't.

by Heidi Walters

As the jury trial for the civil suit Kathryn Miller v. the Trees Foundation puttered to a start last week inside Courtroom 3 at the Humboldt County Courthouse, Shunka Wakan — a key witness for the plaintiff — spent mornings sitting on the hard wooden benches in the long hallway outside the courtroom. During breaks, Miller's attorney Linda Mitlyng, would come out of the courtroom to join him. But otherwise, as other people and their legal affairs swirled around him in a warm, odiferous bath of humanity, Shunka sat alone. Or, sometimes, he stood alone, straight-spined, his small, stocky body swallowed by the huge, stiff blue suit out of which his newly shorn, razor-scraped bald head poked vulnerably — as if, at any moment, the suit could gulp once more and he'd disappear completely. Always, he clutched a paper folder with a wolf's face on its cover.

The North Coast Earth First! Media guru had shaved off his woolly rust-tinged brown hair and beard the night before jury selection started, after discussing it with attorney Mitlyng. Now, it took an uncertain moment to recognize him. Then, of course: Shunka's light blue eyes in the pink-pale face, Shunka's closed-lip smile, Shunka's trademark husky murmur, "Mm-hmm, for sure," in response to a comment.

In Courtroom 3, the amiable but no-nonsense Judge Christopher Wilson's domain, the fate of a $185,000 donation dangled. Would the plaintiff, donor Kathryn Miller, prevail in her claim that the defendant, the Trees Foundation, was not in fact the intended recipient of her generous gift? That Shunka Wakan's NCEF! Media Center and the treesitters were? Or would the Trees Foundation convince the jury that, in fact, the money was intended all along for Trees, with no instructions attached for funneling it elsewhere?

Richard Idell, left, who is defending the Trees Foundation against a lawsuit filed by Kathryn Miller, confers with Doug Wallace, community support coordinator for Trees. Photo by David Lawlor.

In her opening arguments, Miller's attorney, Mitlyng, said the case came down to "fraud and broken promises." "She believed [Trees] would hold [the money] in trust, for the benefit of North Coast Earth First!" said Mitlyng. The defense's attorney, Richard Idell, countered in his opening argument that the donation was an unconditional gift and Miller never wrote letters of instruction — as Miller claims she did. "Ms. Miller ... didn't do anything. She took the check [from her mother's estate] and flipped it over and wrote on the back, 'Payable to the Trees Foundation,'" said Idell.

Miller's claim sought the return of her $185,000, plus interest.

Out in the hallway, Shunka waited to tell his side of the story. Maybe he thought about the magical donation that never materialized, and now probably never would. Maybe he thought about the other times he'd been in this courthouse — dozens of times, along with other activists, often before Judge Wilson, answering to charges of trespassing and other forms of civil disobedience in the woods. Likely, he wondered when they were finally going to call him in to testify — it was taking forever in there. He'd even sent out an e-mail prematurely to the several hundred subscribers to his NCEF! online group erroneously announcing he would be first up to testify.

By the end of Friday's court session, Miller was still on the stand. Perhaps Monday it would be Shunka's turn. Whenever it was, he would be testifying on Miller's behalf; but he wasn't a party to the lawsuit. And in the end, after hearing all of the evidence, the jury would be determining who was telling the truth about intentions and letters of instructions. Shunka was just there to provide context and evidence in a contract dispute.

But to a number of forest activists, including a half dozen or so who appeared in the audience last Friday to watch the trial unfold, that context matters more to them than the legal questions. They say this lawsuit has placed a strain on the environmental community that could do as much damage as an ill-felled redwood that takes down other giants in its descent. They disapprove of the lawsuit, and they blame Shunka for it. And, they say, it's just another example of how Shunka has commandeered the North Coast Earth First! identity and used it for purposes that nobody else in the amorphous but consensus-driven local Earth First! movement has agreed to.

"For a lot of us, when we read about the lawsuit, this is kind of like Shunka on trial," said long-time forest activist Deane Rimerman last Friday, calling from Olympia, Wash. "And, to what extent is he worthy of that money?"

Kathryn Miller wanted her money to go toward saving trees, she said on the witness stand last Thursday. The slender 59-year-old was dressed in a pink print skirt and white sweater, with her gray-streaked dark hair pulled back into a neat, thin braid tinted slightly green. (Little did the jury know that Miller had spent the night in jail, in blue jail duds, and then had been "dressed out," in court lingo, in her street clothes before being escorted into the court by the bailiff. Miller had been arrested the week before, on Sept. 17, when she arrived in civil court for the pre-trial readiness hearing; according to the misdemeanor criminal charges filed against her, Miller allegedly had made annoying phonecalls to Barbara Ristow of the Trees Foundation all hours of the day and night.)

On the stand, Miller described how she became an activist. She remembered how, when she was a child in Orinda, her mother decided to stop spraying the beautiful oak trees on their property after reading Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. "And then, when my son was 9, we were watching the news on TV about the Chernobyl nuclear power plant meltdown. And my son said to me, 'I wish I'd never been born. I don't think I'll get to live a full life.'"

She protested the building of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. She started a peace action group in the late 1980s in San Jose. She did nonviolent protests at the Nevada Test Site. And in 1990, she came up with some of her fellow protestors to help set up the camp for Redwood Summer, and to take part in demonstrations. She's been on and off involved in Earth First! actions in Humboldt ever since, she said, including huffing in supplies for treesitters and huffing out their garbage. She'd also, at one point, bought a condo in Arcata.

In 2004, Miller sold her condo and bought an acre of farmland, already planted with coffee, in Guatemala. She put in fruit trees to shade the coffee. That same year, her mother, who lived in Sonoma, died. "The last time I saw her was in 2003," said Miller. "She told me when she died, she was going to leave me some money. I told her I'd use it to further my work for the forest. And she was pleased, because she loved the treesitters and the forest."

Shortly after learning of her mother's death, Kathryn Miller sought out Shunka Wakan in front of the food co-op in Arcata, where he "tabled" to raise funds for the North Coast Earth First! Media office — selling T-shirts, and stickers, offering pamphlets, accepting donations. She'd known Shunka for about five years, she said.

"I said to him, I was going to inherit some money: What was the best way to get that to the North Coast Earth First!?"

In the spring of 2005, Shunka Wakan was floating above the treetops. "I was so excited," the 32-year-old said in an interview a few weeks ago, sitting inside his tiny but colorful North Coast Earth First! Media office in Arcata, walls covered in art and topo maps — including one of Buckeye Mountain, where in 2000-2001, during the "Mattole Free State" action, Shunka and others hiked 14 miles through waist-high snowdrifts to save trees.

Kathryn Miller, he recalled, had come up to him excitedly as he walked along the sidewalk outside the Arcata Co-op and said, "I just donated $185,000 to North Coast Earth First!'"

She'd talked to him the year before about making the donation — she'd said she was anticipating an inheritance from her mother's estate, and she wanted to make a big donation to his group. He'd told her to make it through the Trees Foundation, which handled the NCEF! Media office's finances through an arrangement that had been established years ago. (The Trees Foundation is an umbrella organization formed in 1991 to assist smaller environmental groups. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, it can accept large, tax-deductible donations on behalf of affiliates, and provide professional resources. And it can lead large campaigns, like the one to save the Headwaters Forest back in the '90s.)

Well, now she'd finally done it.

Miller and Shunka agreed to meet at Fiesta Café in Sunny Brae, so she could tell him how she wanted the money spent: She wanted, straight away, for someone to organize a mediated workshop for the local Earth First! activists on ageism and sexism, issues she thought were fracturing the movement. And, she wanted the bulk of the donation to help support the forest activists who blockade logging roads and hunker up in ancient redwoods to fend off loggers' saws.

Not long after, Shunka was on his way to have lunch with some folks from the Trees Foundation, where they'd talk about Miller's wishes.

"Our media outreach was going to get a big boost," Shunka said. "The donation would keep the EF! office going for many years. So I walked into the Wildflower Café feeling elated, thinking we got all this money."

Barbara Ristow and Doug Wallace of the Trees Foundation were there. "I was super excited," Shunka said, "and I said, 'This is great, this big donation. Isn't it wonderful?' We ordered food, and still I'm all excited, talking about the money, but I notice they're looking nervously at each other. [Finally], they said, 'Well, we're just shocked that you think this money was for you.' And I was like, 'I just met with the donor, and that's what she said.' And they're like, 'Well, let's go ahead and plan the workshop and deal with that later.' I remember that, because it put me at ease."

After that, Shunka said he gave Trees a list of people he thought might benefit from the mediator-run workshop. "Some were people I knew had beefs with me, but I was willing to bring 'em into the circle and talk about it."

According to some vague accounts, the workshop was a disaster. One person who was there claims that Shunka, at one point, pounded his fists on the floor, blustered, then got up and stormed out, yelling as he walked away. Shunka says that's overblown.

"The letter from Kathryn Miller to Barbara Bristow said she wanted the mediation to be a safe place, safe to be emotional," he said. "And I think people are saying 'I freaked out.' The freak-out reports are exaggerated. It's just part of this ongoing character assassination. People say I was 'red-faced.' But my face is naturally red."

In late 2005, while Shunka was in Seattle, a friend called him from Arcata to say a woman had come by asking for the office key. She had a list of equipment she wanted to take away. The friend didn't give her the key.

When Shunka got back from Seattle, he discovered his reimbursement funds from Trees had been "frozen." He also learned about a letter someone in the NCEF! movement had circulated for signatures and then sent to Mark Knipper, who handled the Trees Foundation transactions for the NCEF! Media office. It said, in essence, "We don't want Shunka running EF!"

"I called the Trees Foundation," Shunka recalled. "I was sick, it was the middle of the winter, I'm trying to table, it's raining, it's cold. And Barbara Ristow told me, 'You just need to have a meeting [with the other Earth First!ers] and come to a group consensus on what the Trees Foundation funding should be used for."

The meeting never happened — nobody could agree to meet, said Mark Knipper, also in an interview last week. Knipper is a social worker and a long-time activist who had been the contact person between Trees and NCEF! Media. "So it ate itself," Knipper said. "And although I'm former Navy, a mariner, I said I'm not going down with this ship. So I divorced myself from it ... and signed it all back to Trees."

The NCEF! Media office was dropped from the Trees Foundation altogether.

Shunka and the NCEF! Media office never did see any of the big donation. Miller didn't even know that, he said, until she phoned him up in the summer of 2006, more than a year after she made the donation, to ask about a guy named "Jungle," who had been reported as missing on the NCEF! hotline. Miller was spending much of her time in Guatemala now, where she was raising fruit trees; after she'd made her big donation, Hurricane Stan had struck — she spent the ensuing year mopping up the mess.

First, Shunka told her Jungle was still missing. Then he told her about the money.

"I said, 'Yeah, they told me it wasn't for us,'" said Shunka. "And she said, 'I meant for all of it to go to you guys.' She sounded real upset. And I was like, 'I knew it! I knew it!'"

Shunka tried to sue Trees in small claims court, but it went nowhere.

Miller filed a claim against the Trees Foundation on Oct. 5, 2006, in Humboldt County Superior Court, seeking the return of the $185,000 plus interest so she could distribute the money herself.

And if she wins? "She may just spread it out more," said Shunka. "She's got tree planting ideas. Maybe she could buy a grove. She'd maybe not give it all to Earth First! this time. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Trees blew for us."

On an uncomfortably hot afternoon last week, four forest activists who'd agreed to an interview for this story — Jeff, Shaggy, Sparrow and Farmer — sat on the ground at the Arcata Marsh next to a log bench on which a teeming crew of red ants worked a splintered notch. Someone had come along here in 1999 and carved a grouping of faces — bearded, grimacing, possibly mourning faces — onto the log and signed it Daniel. The carving had been drenched in red paint, and burnished by years of sitters.

"It kind of reminds me of the memorial for Gypsy," said one of them. "With the red paint."

Gypsy was the forest name of David Nathan Chain, who in September 1998, during an Earth First! action at Grizzly Creek, was crushed to death by a tree felled by an enraged logger. Farmer, actually, was there — he was just 16, but had a year of activism already under his belt. And Shunka was there — it was Shunka's first forest action.

Farmer, Shag, Sparrow and Jeff first made it clear that they spoke for themselves alone, although they participate in various forest defense affinity groups: Farmer works for the Mattole Wildlands Defense Group now, watchdogging the California Department of Forestry for new timber harvest plans, and keeping an eye on a Pacific Lumber Co. watershed analysis. Shag, who saw his first redwood about five years ago, helps keep the Fern Gully treesit village in Freshwater functioning. Jeff, who grew up in the high desert, and fell in love with the woods, works with the Nanning Creek treesit just outside of Scotia, as well as other groups. Sparrow, who was drawn to forest action because the cultural landscape was "like a folktale" he couldn't resist, is with the Fern Gully affinity group. These groups are all part of the Humboldt Forest Defense Association, a collective with a website but no formal structure.

The HFDA sprang into being six years ago — about the time the entity called North Coast Earth First! had essentially dissolved. It would take a book to describe that drawn-out dissolution — a book of lost causes, won causes, waning media interest, Judi Bari's death, Gypsy's death, ego-spurred squabbles, interpersonal catastrophes, a war overseas, hurricanes. And while the HFDA activists might still cherish the Earth First! name — the movement — in their hearts, it's now been further complicated by what you might call the Shunka effect.

"I still feel in many ways solidarity with the greater Earth First! movement abroad," said Farmer. "But in this county, in this climate, if you say you're with the North Coast Earth First!, many people associate you with North Coast Earth First! Media."

Shunka revived the North Coast Earth First! office around 2002. And he did what previous office managers had done — tabled, put out news releases, wrote articles for other publications. But it wasn't like the old days, in the '90s, when hundreds of people were getting arrested in forest actions and the jail support phone and legal resources were in constant use.

Shunka first worked in an office in Eureka, then later moved to Arcata. He called his outfit the NCEF! Media Center. For a time, he and other "affinity groups" tried to work together. But he alienated some people. He took over the North Coast Earth First! website. He controlled the North Coast Earth First! email list of 300 or more subscribers to the news alerts. He sent out press releases on his own.

"I felt the North Coast Earth First! Media Center was a unilateral effort on Shunka's part," said Farmer. Whereas, in the old days, "spokespeople were decided on by the group. And if you wrote an article it was passed by everyone. I feel Shunka appointed himself spokesperson at some point."

Many also claim they've been subject to a lashing anger from Shunka.

"I won't work with him because I pledge nonviolence in my actions," said Shag. "I don't believe he pledges the same thing. He has exhibited violent behavior towards me and towards other activists in my presence."

"He's a bear," said Jeff, making claw-fists with his hands.

But the sad thing is, all of this infighting probably has done nothing to help the actual trees. And the mediation workshop Kathryn Miller wanted didn't fix matters. Now, there was her lawsuit.

"When I heard about this lawsuit, I thought, the Trees Foundation does not deserve to be attacked in that way," said Farmer. "There's much bigger issues that need to be dealt with — with Maxxam and old-growth logging. ...If you look at Fern Gully and Nanning Creek (the Bonanza timber harvest plan), there's hundreds of old growth acres still standing whose fate is unclear."

Shag put it more bluntly: "If [Miller] knew Shunka and wanted to get the money to North Coast Earth First! Media, she should've given it to Shunka. But if she was trying to get it to treesits and forest defense, then the money went to the right place.

"My problem is this whole representation thing. There's people in the trees — how do you know who to get the money to, to help them?"

Shunka knows that a lot of fellow activists aren't happy with his role in the donation dispute. He also knows how some people talk about him and say he's hard to get along with. "I'm just standing up for the truth," he said. "And people don't like it. To me, it feels like a small clique of people who don't like me. I feel a lot of love and support in this community."

He certainly doesn't come off right away as someone who's angry, or who lashes out, or who locks the office and doesn't let people in. Why, recently, he helped a young woman hook up with the treesitters so she could learn the ropes. (Shaggy said that's proof Shunka doesn't have direct connections with the people doing direct action; but you can't deny it's a connection.)

It's probably a bad idea to ask Darryl Cherney, one of the founders of the local Earth First! movement, what he thinks of Shunka Wakan, whose real name is Jason Wilson. (Shunka tells a story of how he was named by a Lakota medicine man on the banks of the Cheyenne River in South Dakota in 1995. "Shunka Wakan," meaning "great dog," is only part of it. There's a secret part after that — altogether, his name means "the humble man called horse.")

"Shunka's a wingnut," Cherney said over the phone last Friday, sounding cheerfully vitriolic. "I have a 10-verse song about Shunka."

Here are the last few verses:

Who's at the co-op spanging a donation
Shunka, Shunka
Who's got a lawsuit 'gainst the Trees Foundation
Shunka, Shunka
Shunka, Shunka
Who's gonna keep on fighting the fight
Shunka, Shunka
With four of his friends at swimmers delight
Shunka, Shunka
Shunka, Shunka (Shunka voice: It's the last of the revolution)

There's no other word for it but "mean." But Cherney and Shunka have history — not all of it sour. Cherney said Shunka laughed when he heard the song, at least the first time.

"I met Shunka in 1998," Cherney said. "And I know he knew Julia ["Butterfly" Hill, whom Shunka had come west to find]. That was a good thing, helping Julia. That was good Shunka."

Cherney had even pushed for Shunka to go to Houston to talk with Charles Hurwitz, whose Maxxam Corp. bought out the old Pacific Lumber company back in 1985 and quickly became the forest activists' number one villain. Shunka went.

But now? "The current status of Shunka and me," Cherney said, "is that Shunka has sent me five or eight or nine e-mails threatening to sue me. Shunka is a joke."

Cherney can talk for hours about the problems he's had with Shunka over the years. His main point, though, is what has Shunka done for the trees lately?

"My question is, where's your topo maps?" he asked. "Where's your wilderness preservation proposal? Where's your lobbyist team in Sacramento?"

It has to be that, on some level, even the people in the movement who don't like Shunka understand somewhat where he's coming from. So he's emotional. Passionate. Perhaps he's caught up so completely in the cause he can't let go. Or, who knows — maybe he's a phony, like he accused Knipper of being back in 2005.

But being a forest activist comes with perils beyond the obvious physical ones.

"I'm really trying to have compassion for Shunka, even though he's kind of attacked us," said Susy Barsotti by phone from Laytonville a couple of weeks ago. Barsotti is president of the Trees Foundation board, and she says the lawsuit has held Trees hostage, unable to function fully. "I've been mystified and dismayed that he's participated like this in the suit. But Shunka witnessed Gypsy's death. And I think he may have post-traumatic stress syndrome. I don't think he's recovered from it. And that can affect your behavior."

A number of people mentioned this, actually, about Shunka. And he often refers to Gypsy's death himself. In an article titled "What Luna has taught me," posted on the website of Julia "Butterfly" Hill's organization, Circle of Life, Shunka writes: "I decided to commit to doing ground support after witnessing the death of David Nathan "Gypsy" Chain on September 17, 1998 ... I remember looking across the valley as we hiked up that day, seeing the rolling hills of forests and clear-cuts, and thinking out loud, "That's why we're here!" Seeing Gypsy's life taken from him, and then seeing the corruption and lies of the Humboldt County Sheriffs ... really opened my eyes to the situation our old-growth forests face."

Later, he did ground support for Hill in her second year in Luna. And in the same article on her website, something else Shunka writes indicates how ready he was to devote himself to a cause: "Being on the support team was the top priority in my life, and I was happy knowing that everything else revolved around when I'd be needed for the next supply run. I never felt lost because I knew what I was doing. That was a feeling I had not felt in years, between feeling dissatisfaction with life in college, and then more dissatisfaction with life as a minimum-wage worker after college. Before joining Julia's ground support team I was unhappy, even to the point of tears, wondering if my entire life was going to be a minimum-wage nightmare ...."

Pure devotion, without benefit of a little hypocrisy, could drive anyone batty. Deane Rimerman, the activist from Olympia who said it is Shunka who is on trial, said it's not uncommon for intense, stressful movements like Earth First! to produce an army of walking wounded. And he's been around, in forest actions up and down the coast, for long enough to know; he was the one, in fact, who "got the maps and led the first hikers up to the hill" to the Gypsy Mountain campaign and Luna treesit.

"In the forest activist movement, there's very little that's rewarding," Rimerman said. "There's a lot of post traumatic stress syndrome. All of us get it. Once you've been through the court process, and the jail process, and seen 1,000-year-old trees get cut down that you really cared about and thought you could save — it's devastating."

That alone, setting aside the troubles with Shunka, could explain the many rifts that have occurred within the local EF! ranks over the years. Josh Brown, who moved to Humboldt in 1995 right before the peak of the Headwaters campaign, said one of the unique qualities of Earth First! is that it "is primarily a youth movement."

"A lot of people that come through are young, are passionate — and it's a wonderful thing," he said. They get thrown into leadership positions quickly — and then they get burned out. Many move quickly on to other things. Brown stayed in longer than most. "When I left [in 2001], I was 30 years old. And I'd been a full-time activist since I was 18."

Paradoxically, said Brown, the youthful draw and the departure of seasoned activists leaves the movement with "no elders to kind of sit around and coach the [new kids]."

The movement also draws strong personalities, he said. Tenacious ones, too, like Shunka's.

"Shunka, I think he really does have a big heart," said Brown. "And I think he does care for the forest."

Last Friday, following the morning session of Miller v. Trees, a group of the Humboldt Forest Defense Association activists stood on the courthouse steps talking. The door opened, and Shunka walked out and down the steps toward the group. They didn't greet him. After a time, he tried to talk to one of them, Jeff. Jeff walked away. Shunka followed him, then stopped and talked to another guy. Then he stood alone again.

From: http://northcoastjournal.com/101107/news1011.html

Trees Foundation Wins

October 11th, 2007

The jury in the civil case Kathryn Miller v. the Trees Foundation decided in favor of Trees, after deliberating all day Tuesday. (See "Money on Trees," Oct. 4).

Miller is the long-time forest activist who inherited a bundle from her mother and then signed $185,000 over to the Trees Foundation. In her lawsuit, she claimed she had intended the money to be passed through Trees to one of its affiliates, North Coast Earth First! Media, run by Shunka Wakan. She claimed she had made her intentions clear, verbally and in writing, and that Trees had agreed to the conditions, then broken its promise and kept the money. Trees denied making such promises, and said it had never seen any letters or heard of instructions to give the money to NCEF! Media. (Also, somewhat relatedly, in criminal court on Tuesday Miller pleaded no contest to charges that she had made annoying phonecalls to Barbara Ristow of the Trees Foundation.)

So, that's that. Now, there are only the pieces to pick up.

For Shunka Wakan — featured in last week's Journal as a central figure in a messy nest of infighting that has fractured the current ranks of local Earth First!ians — it could be a long, lonely patching together of lost friends and broken alliances. Not only did he and Miller lose their attempt to retrieve her donation, but now he's been banned from the North Coast Co-op.

Yes, that happened last week. It was Thursday, around 4:15 in the evening, and two activists with the Humboldt Forest Defense Association were tabling — hawking brochures and such — outside the Co-op. It's an activity Shunka himself has spent many a day doing in that very same spot, raising cash to pay for his NCEF!Media outreach work and other causes. And, well, these two fellows, Jeff and Farmer, were on Shunka's shit list, now. They'd spoken gently, but unfavorably, about Shunka's doings in the North Coast Earth First! arena — said he lashed out at people, said he commandeered NCEF! resources, and so forth. Here's a snippet of Jeff's account of what happened, which he sent to the NCJ in an e-mail on Friday:

"Shunka was removed from the Arcata Co-op yesterday after a scuffle with myself and another activist around 5 p.m. Well, he wasn't exactly removed, but APD was called. He was asked to leave after threatening to flip over the HFD donation table while stating he was 'like Jesus in the marketplace ...'"

Sue Coulter, manager of the Arcata Co-op, recounted on Friday how an employee walking by heard the argument and went inside to get her. "So I went out to talk to [Shunka], because it's not the first time we've had problems," she said. "Most of the time, he's fine. Most of the time, I stick up for him." One time, she said, she even called the police to protect Shunka after someone had threatened him. "But he gets into arguments. I tried to talk to him. I told him to leave. ... He was causing a scene, right by the door, and I can't have it. He refused to leave. ... I said, fine. I went into the store. He followed me into the store, and he was still yelling at me, 'Oh, now you're going to call the police on me.'" Coulter called the police, but Shunka left before they arrived.

Shunka, waiting in the courthouse for the jury verdict Tuesday, said Coulter did indeed ask him to leave and he did, indeed, refuse to. As for the HFD tablers, he said he merely asked them why they had Trees Foundation literature on their table. "I said, 'Why do you want to represent these people?'" And then, he said, "Jeff accused me of embezzling — he said this in public. He said, 'You've embezzled thousands of dollars from the Earth First! movement through the years.' And I complained to one of the employees who was walking by. Because that's serious, accusing someone of embezzling."

But Shunka said the whole thing's yet another attack on him. "I don't consider I was yelling. We were talking. I'm an emotional person, I concede to that. I speak from my heart. I don't scream at people. I would love to — but I don't."

In his email, Jeff with HFD predicted Shunka would leave town within weeks, if not sooner. But at the courthouse, even before the verdict, Shunka said he wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm just going to continue to run the Earth First! office and continue to call Humboldt County home," he said. He's also going to write a letter to the Co-op, complaining about how he gets scapegoated and booted out of there even when other people, he says, are the culprits. And, as for the Miller v. Trees case, he said, he and Miller may now take their complaint to another venue.

-- Heidi Walters

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 2 replies

who wants to get married?

alex — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:23:46 GMT

i'm serious. i've been living in london for a year and a half. i want to stay because i LOVE the uk and don't particularly love the USA. i grew up around nyc, am 25, and am in music. help a sister out!

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 3 replies

big party in october!! nudity, music, art, drunken spelling bee etcetera!!!

emily — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:54:38 GMT

yeah! heres the press release!! i'll be heading the Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge performances, if you're interested in learning more, or performing let me know!
Blender Press Release

For over 7 years the Forest (3 Bristo Place) has provided an egalitarian art space, free internet access, free events, inexpensive veggie grub, and, according to The List, “the most bohemian environment in Edinburgh.” During that time The Forest has fostered such artistic talent as Aberfeldy, The Very, St. Jude’s Infirmary and The Abdominal Showmen.

“Now,” says Dan Seizure— control freak, local musician, political Svengali —“We want to take it to the next level. We’ve cleared the baddie on level 3, and now, we just want to freak out and f-ing party!”

On the weekend of October. 11th – 14th the Forest will be getting a liquor license (usually it’s BYOB), staying up late (3am) and housing events in their majestic church hall. Things kick off on Thursday (Oct. 11th) with our tribute for John Peel Day. Festivities start at 7pm and include a documentary, hot new live acts from the emerging Scottish scene, as well as Djs spinning tunes at the incorrect speed. Adam Neil, the event’s curator says, “We, like Peel, just want to see people loving the music we like while exposing people to new sounds.”

Friday (12th) is a puree of the Forest’s best. Forest regularly provides free workshops to the community so from 4pm we are offering a relentless sampler. There will be a bevvey of craft workshops: mask making, badge making, eco-bag construction, free massage and whatever else can fit into the family friendly cafe.

This will glide into the evening’s entertainment, beginning at 8pm with astounding acoustic pop-punk from our favorite Billy Liar who has toured with punk legends Oi-Polloi. From there we’ll be riding The Black Diamond Express: a rollicking, swing alt. country combo with impeccable stage flair, followed by the unstoppable Asazi Space Funk Explosion -a mixture of African rhythms, ska and electric folk that is guaranteed to shake booty. We’ll also have free dramatic performances, a program of accoustic Anti-Folk and plenty of mysterious and Julianna surprises.

Saturday (13th), from 2pm, we’re throwing a Rumble in the Jumble Sale where you’ll be able to find amazing bargains and buy other people’s junk! During this time, internationally renowned artist, Mike Bowdidge, will be putting together a site specific art piece with all the furniture and Danny Mullins and Free Loadin’ Frank will be performing acoustic randomomitry all the while.

In the evening we’ve got the launch of Forest Record’s new 10 inch featuring John Crave (via Satellite in New York), The Hemulen (via satellite in Berlin), Kyon and Dyems, and The Pendulums as well as the bring-down-the-house klezmer party-jams of Black Cat. In between sets there will be a “sex Slave Auction” so bring some disposable cash. Upstairs, in The Hall, from 9pm will be a patented freak out featuring Silk, Pandacetamol, short art films, and many shocking and inflatable treats.

Sunday features the return of the World Famous “Open Mike and Terry’s Dirty Caberet”: a open mike style cabaret of infinite proportions featuring a pseudo-scatological performance art piece entitled “Let Them Be Cake.” There will be nudity, singing and songwriting, black lights and bubbles. Meanwhile upstairs the joy of your 1980s birthday party is recreated with a swinging, sliding, spraining, thudding into the walls Roller Disco. International DJ Lo-Fi Hi-Fi will be helping the boys and girls twirl with magical musical mash-ups the whole night. While the Forest will be able to supply a well-lubed floor and a few skates, punters are encouraged to bring their own.

“We’ve done this a few times,” gushes Jane Flett, Forest Secretary General, “We’ve thrown amazing parties, gotten drunk, and ridden the Festival beast, but we have never attempted something like this. Four sustained days of complete carnage. For this weekend the party will definitely be at the Forest.”

-Take a galaxy of mashed pop-indie-folk-jazz-ska-punk; add face-painting, mask-making, free badges, jumble sales, sex slaves, massage, Dadaist party games; toss in liberal amounts of ball crunching toe-tapping live music, throw in a roller disco and puree for four days of Par-tay.

Thurs, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Oct 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th. All day. Till 3am.

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

The Green Note - November 30 and December 1st

jenga — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:53:24 GMT

I'm flying over from New York city the last weekend of November to catch a side project of the band String Cheese Incident called Honkytonk Homeslice at the Green Note near Camden Town. If you like your music folksy and bluegrassy -- come check it out!

www.honkytonkhomeslice.com

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

searching for free or cheap magazines, fasion or anything with pretty pictures...

moondrop — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:56:32 GMT

oh hi everyone,
basically I need magazines to slice up for collages and inspiry pictures and that sort of thing. Fashion magazines are my 1st choice, as that's what I'm studying, but really anything with interesting pictures of other design stuff, nature, stuff from countries that are far away, etc....

Buying loads of new ones all the time doens't really work with my current money situation. So I'm wondering if anyone knows where I could get my hands on some for cheaper.

For example if you have loads you have read and don't need anymore,
or if you know where the magazines that shops don't sell, and send back to the publishers, go. If I find out where they go that would be perfect actually.

Any tips appreciated!
Thanks,
Meta

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

Affordable Hotels In London?

jenga — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:06:41 GMT

I'm heading across "the Pond" for some music in November and with exchange rate, hotels seem crazy expensive. Anyone have any suggestions .. preferably in the city limits, and not a hostel. Thanks!

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 3 replies

London's First Vegetable Oil Powered Event

synnovemathe — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:00:22 GMT

London's First Vegetable Oil Powered Event!

***** The 4th Annual Festival of Life *****

Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd September
11am to 7pm@ St Paul's Steiner Project
1 St Paul's Road, Islington, London N1 2QH [how to get there]

Day tickets £8 (concessions £5) Weekend ticket £12, Under 16s Free
All tickets on the door. Advance booking not required
No additional charges for talks, workshops and performances

Grand Opening Saturday 12.30pm - Sacred Sound Ceremony
Conscious Dance Party Sa turday 6pm -10pm - £3 in advance £5 on the door
Drum Circle - Guided Dance - Tribal Rhythms from DJ Charlie (Sacred Sound Collective)
Uplifting Trance with Anima - Live World Beats with Maha-Ra

Celebrating Compassionate Lifestyles, Sustainable Living, Raw/Live Food and Holistic Health. Over 40 talks and workshops including:
World renowned scientist and social-activist Dr Mae-Wan Ho, Nutritionist Dr Gina Shaw, Veggie-oil power entrepreneurs: Chris Kennett and Mat Bulba, Sustainability Consultant Steve Charter, Raw life-coach Jess Michael, Angela Stokes, Matt Monarch, Rima Morrell PhD. Hugh Newman, Guy Gladstone…and many more

Huge festival market place:
Gourmet Raw Food Cuisine, Organic Clothing, Raw Chocolate, Juicers and Blenders, Books,
Raw Superfoods, Information stalls, Therapies and more

Life affirming activities and performances for all the family:
Yoga, Laughter Workshops, Ecstatic Dance, Rawfood Masterclasses, Holistic Therapies, Kid's Space, Clowns, Music, Storytellers, Alternative Technology Demos, Meditation, Permaculture [more]

Full Details including how to get there at:
www.festivaloflife.net

The Festival is a smoke and alcohol free zone
We are a not-for-profit organisation affiliated to the Permaculture Association Part Sponsored by :
Jess Michael www.totalrawfood.com, Living Earth Europe MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "www.living-earth.co.uk" claiming to be www.livingearth.co.uk , the Raw Chocolate Company www.therawchocolatecompany.com and Lifescape Magazine www.lifescapemag.com. Veg Oil Power supplied by Blooming Futures www.bloomingfutures.com. Going out on the Web courtesy of Veggie Vision www.veggievision.co.uk

Contact Us: 0870 7344 888 info@festivaloflife.net
Help Steward the Festival, see website for details or contact above
Traders contact fol_chris@hotmail.com 02392 611607 or see Traders Information on website http://www.festivaloflife.net/

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

It makes me so proud, 95% of Britons have urinated, vomited or defecated in public

Abhorsen — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 18:20:02 GMT

" Others take more drastic steps. Research by ENCAMS, an environmental charity, showed 95 percent of Britons had urinated, vomited or defecated in public because no toilet was available.

Public urination ``is one of the unfortunate aspects of London,'' said Aidan Onn, 36, who runs a toyshop called Playlounge in Soho. ``The streets always stink.'' "

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=akPWXasbGxbo&refer=exclusive

I mean really what is this country comeing to? Even china has better toilets than us,

"In Beijing, where the average salary is a 10th of London's, there are 7,700 toilets, or one for every 1,948 people. China's capital plans to renovate 3,700 in time for the 2008 Olympics. London, which will host the 2012 games and has one toilet per 18,000 residents, has no such plans."

I love the wounderfull excuse's as well, but what type of country do we live in where are local councils would rather sell off toilets than spend the cash to upgrade them so the disabled can use them?

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 4 replies

England what has become of you ?

chilambalam2013 — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:37:52 GMT

this is a MUST see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUHgfN0VZfE

*LD

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 4 replies

free and easy way to help homeless children

beckeyla — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:37:57 GMT

Please use www.railwaychildren-friends.com/email.asp as a search engine for your internet searches and you'll raise a massive 10p per search! please set it as your homepage for ease of use and start raising money today ;)

You can have a snoop on the charities efforts at www.railwaychildren.org.uk

They are mainly a preventative charity which in terms of being a street child can mean the difference between a world of pain and heartache and a life worth living. Railway children endeavour to meet runaway children before pimps, pushers or abusers do. They are even getting to help the kids in Siberia who are living in the sewers.

80% of their money goes straight to the projects, 17% fundraising, 3% admin etc, so they are a 'fair-enough-trade' charity.

10p a search is phenomenal and it means that the average amount spent per child -£44- will take 440 searches...its fairly usual for me to search 20 items per evening, so that means in 22 evenings that ground level support for a child is reached. www.railwaychildren-friends.com/email.asp

There is a snag with the search page which is that on entering a search it automatically redirects to a normal search page for the results. So inorder that you keep raising money for the charity you have to go back to the root page with the picture of the child and the green bits for each new search subject to raise another all important 10p.

Thanks very much for your efforts and please do enjoy your days. Also if there are any forums that you can forward this message or indeed your own personal email contacts please do send this on, more the better. ;) *

Has an email ever changed your life? Lets do that help for the ones who don't have internet access or in alot of cases protection or food

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

George Melly RIP

bobs — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:41:03 GMT

Obituary: George Melly

With his flamboyant suits, oversize hats and Havana cigars, George Melly was a good-time Renaissance man who indulged, often over-indulged, his passions for jazz, film, art, fishing, writing, drink and sex.
He was born in Liverpool in 1926 and educated at the ultra-liberal Stowe public school in Buckinghamshire, where he pursued his interests with vigour and without inhibition.

At school, he first became interested in art, particularly Surrealism.

He served as an able-seaman in the Royal Navy towards the end of World War II, where he got into trouble for distributing anarchist literature.

He moved to London in 1948 to work in an art gallery run by Belgian artist ELT Mesens, a leading light in the International Surrealist movement.

Melly became recognised as an authority on the subject and later wrote a book, Paris and the Surrealists.

According to his memoirs, it was at this time that he augmented the promiscuous homosexuality of his schooldays, indulging in a series of menages a trois, initially with Mesens and his wife Sybil.

He had also developed a love of jazz, and started singing with Mick Mulligan's band in 1949. His voice was described by John Mortimer as possessing "the raucous charm of an old negress".

A fan of Bessie Smith and Fats Waller, he was to become famous for his routine of singing jazz numbers from the 1920s, interspersed with ribald jokes and saucy asides.

'Too respectable'

The band's drink and sex-fuelled wild adventures were recalled in Melly's first book, Owning Up.

His first venture into journalism came in 1956, when he started writing the captions for the Flook newspaper strip cartoon, a job which continued for 15 years and inspired two books.

In 1965, he joined The Observer as pop music critic, and, over the next eight years, graduated to television and film.

But he returned to jazz singing because he thought the Observer work was making him too respectable. He joined John Chilton's Feetwarmers whose clarinettist, Wally Fawkes, had drawn the Trog cartoons.

With his loud hat and suits, modelled on the old gangster movies of the 1930s and 40s, he became a favourite on the Dixieland jazz circuit.

His love of fly-fishing, which began in childhood, never left him. In later life, he sold several important paintings to enable him to buy a mile of the River Usk in Wales.

George Melly suffered from arthritis, psoriasis and a condition which precluded his drinking wine.

The latter did not hold him back, however, and his seemingly endless stream of amusing anecdotes made George Melly one of British showbusiness's most colourful and sought-after personalities

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3493375.stm

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

All the Way from Cali

Eli — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:21:49 GMT

Well, I'm visiting from CA (starting a year-long adventure in Europe), but I'd be honored to call this great city my home. Just joined this tribe and wanted to say hi. I'm looking for musicians, open mics, music scenes, new friends, interesting art, zen-esque satsongs and meditation groups, and tips on busking on the London streets. I also stilt walk, so I may be looking for a miracle in the way of a wood shop to make some new stilts. Anyway, talk ta me! (and check me at elisalzman.com if ya like).

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 7 replies

Police avert car bomb 'carnage' in London

revo101 — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:39:07 GMT

Phew!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6252276.stm

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 3 replies

Floods

bobs — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 08:28:21 GMT

Hope you're all OK.

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 7 replies

Looking for space to crash in London on June 27 to july 27.

Sat, 09 Jun 2007 07:10:30 GMT

I am coming to London On June 21 till august 20. I will
be attending festivals(doing workshops), deffinatly
swing over to Amsterdam and so on during this time and
i would love to rent/sublet your place/room/floor space for a part of that
time..

I have been to London a couple of times before and it
is still my most favorite cities in the world.

A little bit about me=0) I was born in Latvia during
the Soviet regime, immigrated to US at 16.
Currently I live in Alameda, California. It is an
Island next to
Oakland and very close to San Francisco.
I am pursuing a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology.
I yoga, run, and meditate, most days.=0) I've traveled
all around the world in the last ten years, looking for other
alternatives to the current social structures. Hoping
to find the ones that afford more dignity to the
humanity and this beautiful planet.
I've been to places like; India for Maha Kumba Mela,
Australia for the First International Rainbow Gathering, Oshos
community in Puna, Burning Man 8 Times, and so on...
I am clean, considerate,honest to the bone, good
conversationalist, and easy to get along with,
and all I really need is a shower and some floor space.

My regards, Valera.

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 2 replies

Hello!

Sat, 09 Jun 2007 21:42:59 GMT

Hello everyone, I'm new to the Tribe and wanted to say hi! I'm Caz and I live and work in London :)

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 16 replies

UK photos? want to share? come aboard...

Isis — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:03:30 GMT

@

http://tribes.tribe.net/flickring

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

Acro Yoga ...taking London by storm....

Jesse — Tue, 29 May 2007 10:28:32 GMT

There is a new form of yoga about and its incredibly fun!

There were some demonstrations at the Mind Body Spirit festival in victoira, and there are regular classes and workshops in Finsbury Prk and London Bridge.

If you want to trust and connect with people in a playful environment, this is definately worth checking out! If you dont, its still probably worth checking out some of the photos that are about. Some people can do amazing things together!

For details of classes in london go to http://www.bodyenergetics.eu/acroyoga.htm
For more information, pics and stuff go to http://www.acroyoga.org

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

World Gathering - 25 & 26 August 2007

michael_irving — Sat, 26 May 2007 06:01:33 GMT

World Gathering - 25 & 26 August 2007

http://tribes.tribe.net/worldgathering
--------------------------------------------

Please forward to friends, contacts and mailing lists.
---

World Gathering
- 25 & 26 August 2007
- Saturday and Sunday
http://www.worldgathering.net
http://www.michael-irving.com
(These 2 websites are mirror images of each other.)

http://tribes.tribe.net/worldgathering

- WORLD GATHERING 25 & 26 AUGUST 2007
- All Night Gathering On Hilltops Worldwide
- Use Powerful Flashlights To Signal Other Hilltops
- Time For The Gathering - New Dawn Coming
- Truth For The World - Peace For The World
- Global Meetings - Global Powwows
- The Truth Is Coming
- 25 & 26 AUGUST 2007 WORLD GATHERING
- HILLTOPS WORLDWIDE - BE THERE!

------------------
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." - Goethe
------------------
"A very great vision is needed and the person who
has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest
blue of the sky." - Chief Crazy Horse
------------------

WORLD GATHERING - August 2007
Saturday August 25 and Sunday August 26
Three Events In One .....
(1) Saturday - DAY: Meet with friends and
contacts and discuss the world situation.
(2) Saturday - NIGHT: Meet on a hilltop and
shine a beacon of hope through the night.
(3) Sunday - DAY: Meet with friends and
contacts and discuss the world situation.

The main details for the World Gathering are here:
http://www.worldgathering.net/gathering.html
http://www.michael-irving.com/gathering.html

Arrange Meetings, Powwows, and Hilltop 'Beacon'
vigils for Saturday and Sunday, 25th & 26th August.
Then, send your event details to the email on this page:
http://www.worldgathering.net/contact.html
http://www.michael-irving.com/contact.html

Details of LOCAL 'World Gatherings' will be displayed
under fourteen 'World Regions'; then by Country/Nation;
then by area, state, etc. The main index for the details
of LOCAL 'World Gatherings' is on this webpage:
http://www.worldgathering.net/events.html
http://www.michael-irving.com/events.html

The World Gathering is being launched at the end of
May, 2007, so there may not be many details at our
websites for Local Events until the end of June.

'What should I organise in my area for the World
Gathering?' - Ideas and suggestions on this webpage:
http://www.worldgathering.net/yourevent.html
http://www.michael-irving.com/yourevent.html

Join our Google and/or Yahoo Newsletter lists:
http://groups.google.com/group/worldgathering
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/worldgathering

Discussion and Planning at TRIBE:
http://tribes.tribe.net/worldgathering

Watch a short, 'World Gathering' slideshow video at
either Google Video or YouTube. Search at Google
Video or YouTube for: 'WORLD GATHERING'.

Please help publicise this unusual and unique global
linkup. Print out posters; place a WG banner on your
website; forward our Update mailings to your friends,
contacts, and mailing lists; and tell friends about the
World Gathering video at Google and YouTube.
Ideas and materials for WG promotion here:
http://www.worldgathering.net/publicity.html
http://www.michael-irving.com/publicity.html

------------------
"Use every letter you write, every conversation
you have, every meeting you attend, to express your
fundamental beliefs and dreams. Affirm to others
the vision of the world you want."
- Dr Robert Muller, formerly of the U.N.
------------------
“We are at the final stages now… so as our prophecy
says. Then it must be up to the people with pure hearts
that will not be afraid to help us to fulfil our destiny in
peace for this world.” - Dan Evehema, Hopi Nation
------------------

Additional 'World Gathering' inspiration here:
http://www.worldgathering.net/worldgathering.html
http://www.michael-irving.com/worldgathering.html

- WORLD GATHERING 25 & 26 AUGUST 2007
- All Night Gathering On Hilltops Worldwide
- Use Powerful Flashlights To Signal Other Hilltops
- Time For The Gathering - New Dawn Coming
- Truth For The World - Peace For The World
- Global Meetings - Global Powwows
- The Truth Is Coming
- 25 & 26 AUGUST 2007 WORLD GATHERING
- HILLTOPS WORLDWIDE - BE THERE!

World Gathering
25 & 26 August 2007
http://www.worldgathering.net
http://www.michael-irving.com
(These 2 websites are mirror images of each other.)

http://tribes.tribe.net/worldgathering

Please forward to friends, contacts and mailing lists.

Thank you. World Gathering.

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

I love London and England.......

faeriebud — Sun, 20 May 2007 17:56:24 GMT

my first trip to England was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I loved London though I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of people. I enjoyed evensong at Westminster Abbey. I particularly admired all those who spoke out against what is happening in the world with Iraq as well as the committed few who showed enough pluck to demonstrate outside the Palace of Westminster! Everyone was warm and friendly. It was fun sharing a laugh with everyone on the Tube when we were leaving London on the day of the Marathon!

Can you imagine? When we arrived in Eastbourne and asked directions, we were escorted on the bus by a local woman who took us home served tea and biscuits. She, then, drove us to our Hotel!

The Pier Hotel in Eastbourne gave us a wonderful room for a good price. My partner and I were greeted and welcomed as though we were family. Windsor was a thrill, Oxford was awe inspiring and Brighton amusing. I love the British and I send you all warmth and good wishes!

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 2 replies

Alan 'Fluff' Freeman 1927-2006 RIP

bobs — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 19:33:01 GMT

Obituary: Alan 'Fluff' Freeman

With his familiar welcome of "Greetings, pop pickers" and triumphant, brassy theme tune, Alan "Fluff" Freeman was an institution in British radio.
He spent more than 40 years in broadcasting, but his enthusiasm never waned.

Freeman's unbreakably sunny personality, gift for intimacy with his listeners, as well as an ear for a good tune, all established him as one of the UK's leading disc jockeys.

Despite working into his 70s, Freeman's enduring good humour and ability to laugh at himself meant he stayed a favourite with his youthful audiences, long after younger DJs had moved away from the microphone.

Even when he was satirised by Harry Enfield in his famous Smashy and Nicey sketches - based on a pair of ageing disc jockeys - Freeman laughed along, and shared the joke by appearing in a cameo role.

Fluffy jumper

Born in 1927 and brought up in Melbourne, Australia, Freeman originally wanted to be an opera singer. Two years of training convinced him otherwise, and he became a disc jockey in Tasmania.

The nickname Fluff, earned by a favourite jumper he wore until it was covered in fluff balls and made him look like a sheep, came with him to London in 1957.

After a brief period with Radio Luxembourg, Freeman joined the BBC in 1960. His American-style energy and insistence on playing the Pick of the Pops chart in reverse order soon made his Sunday afternoon show required listening.

The show ran on the Light Programme and Radio 1 until 1972, when Freeman transferred to an afternoon slot, adding the Saturday night rock show to his portfolio the following year.

Presenting Top of the Pops, advertising soap powder and Brentford Nylons on television all helped establish his celebrity.

Freeman's career continued to flourish into his 40s, transferring to London's Capital Radio in 1979, where he was named radio personality of the year.

'Tireless dedication'

He returned to Radio 1 a decade later for a revival of Pick of the Pops. After a spell at Virgin Radio he brought the programme to Radio 2 in 1997, as well as hosting a classic cuts programme, Their Greatest Bits.

Arthritis and increasing problems with asthma forced Freeman to move into a residential home in 2000. Nevertheless, for a while he continued to make the journey to Broadcasting House to record his two weekly shows, before handing Pick of the Pops over to Dale Winton.

The same year, Freeman was honoured with a lifetime achievement award for "tireless dedication to UK radio" - presented by Winton.

But Freeman had always considered himself fortunate, rather than talented. He had found a profession he excelled in, one that brought him the pleasure and satisfaction to carry on long after he could afford to retire.

Single all his life, and nervous of any lasting attachments, he called his own radio "my friend, my lover, my everything for most of my life".

By the time of his retirement, Freeman's love for radio was reciprocated by his peers.

Presenting Freeman with his lifetime achivement award, Winton said he was "a man who has served, and is held in the highest affection by, quite literally, every sector of our industry".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2940413.stm

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 3 replies

poly in the UK ?

elo_celtic_moore — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 19:36:05 GMT

is there anybody polyamorous in the UK or are we all prudes here ? I was wondering if there is enough interest to start a poly uk tribe ? for those not sure what poly is, check out this tribe

http://polyamory.tribe.net/?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Tribe%5Bfd4b6257-b172-45c4-8007-87ed19a40b43%5D

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 9 replies

Art Goes Beyond Borders : LA to the UK

Common — Thu, 10 May 2007 17:13:51 GMT

Hi…I’m new here…hoping to make some friends. My primary interests are art, new media and environmental stewardship. I’m looking to connect with Digital Artists, to include them in an international touring art exhibition called Common Ground www.commonground2008.com. The theme for each piece in the collection will be about the Environment. We launch our exhibition in Beijing to coincide with the Olympics in 2008, then on to cities in Europe and the Americas in 2009 and 2010. Would love to hear from you and support you any way that I can. Please join my community of friends and our tribe, Common Ground 2008. Peace.

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies

The Butlins Phenomenon

Rusty — Sun, 06 May 2007 00:43:08 GMT

I have just set up a tribe dedicated to this. I'd be excited and interested from some input...cheers.

The Butlins Phenomenon is for fans, critics, anthropologists, would-be anthropologists, and anyone who has an interest, idea or opinion, to make observations and express ideas about what Butlins is, was, and could be. Subjects range from Butlins Anthropology, Politics, Business, Culture, Entertainment, Imagineering, Retail, Accommodation, Catering, History & Trend Prediction, what you love and hate about Butlins, and the changes you would like to see.
http://tribes.tribe.net/thebutlinsphenomenon

posted in "London and the United Kingdom&quot - 0 replies