C.H. Clepitt's Blog, page 31
November 21, 2016
Monday Mystery Mime
It is once again time for the mystery mime, brought to you by our friends at Feathers and Toast.
Every week, life saving chef and sandwich aficionado, Tallulah Grace will perform a mime, and your challenge, Nibblers, is to guess what that mime is supposed to represent. The winner will be chosen at random from all the correct entries, and will win the honour of a shout out on Tallulah’s latest vlog (it’s like a blog, but with videos so “vlog” – it’s an actual thing, we didn’t make it up) and the opportunity to suggest one of Tallulah’s next mime topics.*
And congratulations to last week’s winner; Jamie Morrison, who correctly guessed super moon rising, and a special mention to Richard Goldman for moon rising as was so v close..
*To enter go to the Youtube page where the mime originated and post your answer in the comments section. If commenting on Youtube is too complicated you can post a comment here, but Youtube comments will get priority. The winner will be chosen at random from all of the correct entries. Any obscene entries or suggestions will be disqualified and the user blocked. Newsnibbles and Feathers and Toast reserve the right to disqualify any entry they deem unsuitable, without explanation. The closing date for entries is Friday 25th November 2016, 00:00 EST.
November 20, 2016
Starbucks Trumps it’s “War on Christmas”
Approach with caution.
Trump Cups
Those of you who have been living in a box may not know, that the apocalypse has begun, 2016 is officially the year the world as we know it ended. Not only did Brexit happen, but it failed to serve as a warning to America, who seem to have inexplicably elected Donald Trump as their president. No, really.
The oppressed white male majority have since found the strength to speak out about the oppression they have been suffering over the years, most recently at the hands of Starbucks, allegedly…
According to CNN, a video of a Trump supporter shouting at a barista, went viral. On the website it states that the man claimed racial discrimination, and that the barista refused to serve him because he supported Trump. If you are feeling his pain though, fear not. The Trump supporting side of the Twitterverse has found the most ingenious way to fight back. #TrumpCups. They are protesting Starbucks, by asking for the name Trump to be written on their cups. That’s right, the are protesting them by buying their product. It is utter genius. If anyone would like to protest my books in a similar vein, please do so, I am happy to inscribe the inside cover “to dear Donald, with best wishes” if that’s what floats your boat. I’m told I have lovely penmanship, and the general sway of the stories is quite left wing, so it would be the perfect protest for you, really.
The one problem they may (if they haven’t already) encounter, is that if there is more than one of them protesting at the same time, how will they know whose coffee’s whose? Maybe they don’t even care, it’s the principle, after all.
The CNN report also states that:
Starbucks has responded to the protest by clarifying that it doesn’t require its partners to write or call out names.
“Over the years, writing customer names on cups and calling out their names has been a fun ritual in our stores,” a Starbucks spokesperson said. “Rarely has it been abused or taken advantage of. We hope and trust that our customers will continue to honor that tradition.”
Damn, foiled again. If you thought the whole Starbucks “war on Christmas” was hilarious, this is even better.
What’s the Starbucks war on Christmas, we hear you cry (because apparently, whilst we noticed it, we failed to publish it). Basically, at Christmas Starbucks changed it’s cup from white to red, but this wasn’t festive enough for some people, who seemed to feel that anything less than a full blown Nativity scene on their cup was a war on Christmas. We could be simplifying, or not. However, Starbucks did attempt to make the cup more festive by turning it into a tree decoration. There’s just no pleasing some people…
November 14, 2016
Monday Mystery Mime
It is once again time for the mystery mime, brought to you by our friends at Feathers and Toast.
Every week, life saving chef and sandwich aficionado, Tallulah Grace will perform a mime, and your challenge, Nibblers, is to guess what that mime is supposed to represent. The winner will be chosen at random from all the correct entries, and will win the honour of a shout out on Tallulah’s latest vlog (it’s like a blog, but with videos so “vlog” – it’s an actual thing, we didn’t make it up) and the opportunity to suggest one of Tallulah’s next mime topics.*
And congratulations to last week’s winner; Melissa Spors Hubbard and Shawn Morrell, who both correctly guessed penguin looking for her lost love on last week’s mime. Watch out for your mention soon.
*To enter go to the Youtube page where the mime originated and post your answer in the comments section. If commenting on Youtube is too complicated you can post a comment here, but Youtube comments will get priority. The winner will be chosen at random from all of the correct entries. Any obscene entries or suggestions will be disqualified and the user blocked. Newsnibbles and Feathers and Toast reserve the right to disqualify any entry they deem unsuitable, without explanation. The closing date for entries is Friday 19th November 2016, 00:00 EST.
November 7, 2016
Monday Mystery Mime
It is once again time for the mystery mime, brought to you by our friends at Feathers and Toast.
Every week, life saving chef and sandwich aficionado, Tallulah Grace will perform a mime, and your challenge, Nibblers, is to guess what that mime is supposed to represent. The winner will be chosen at random from all the correct entries, and will win the honour of a shout out on Tallulah’s latest vlog (it’s like a blog, but with videos so “vlog” – it’s an actual thing, we didn’t make it up) and the opportunity to suggest one of Tallulah’s next mime topics.*
And congratulations to last week’s winner; Melissa Spors Hubbard who correctly guessed umbrella opening. Watch out for your mention soon.
*To enter go to the Youtube page where the mime originated and post your answer in the comments section. If commenting on Youtube is too complicated you can post a comment here, but Youtube comments will get priority. The winner will be chosen at random from all of the correct entries. Any obscene entries or suggestions will be disqualified and the user blocked. Newsnibbles and Feathers and Toast reserve the right to disqualify any entry they deem unsuitable, without explanation. The closing date for entries is Friday 11th November 2016, 00:00 EST.
November 3, 2016
Donald P*ssed off the Wrong Pussy!
Apart from the occasional witty meme (brought to you in association with our friend Angelika Rust) we have stayed out of reporting on the American Election. This is because, much like Brexit, all this seems to have done is brought out of the woodwork all the bigots, who are now allowed to speak their mind, and somehow feel validated in their small minded views. There are enough tirades on both sides, without us stepping in and giving our 2 Pennyworth. The fact is that people are happy making excuses for sexual assault, so trying to open their minds with reasoned arguments are quite frankly, pointless.
However, Pussy Riot has released a video of how they see the future under Trump. As we like to keep you informed on what Pussy Riot are up to, and since it was quite topical, we thought we’d share it below, and leave you with this final thought.
Seriously, America? Seriously? Sort your sh*t out!
October 31, 2016
Monday Mystery Mime
Tallulah is back from the desert, and the Mystery Mime is back on Newsnibbles.
Every week, life saving chef and sandwich aficionado, Tallulah Grace will perform a mime, and your challenge, Nibblers, is to guess what that mime is supposed to represent. The winner will be chosen at random from all the correct entries, and will win the honour of a shout out on Tallulah’s latest vlog (it’s like a blog, but with videos so “vlog” – it’s an actual thing, we didn’t make it up) and the opportunity to suggest one of Tallulah’s next mime topics.*
It’s been a while since the last mime, so if you want to know who won last time the tweet Tallulah she’d probably like the company anyway. Badger certainly would, she often tweets to no response, but none of you care about that, do you? No, you only care about yourselves….
*To enter go to the Youtube page where the mime originated and post your answer in the comments section. If commenting on Youtube is too complicated you can post a comment here, but Youtube comments will get priority. The winner will be chosen at random from all of the correct entries. Any obscene entries or suggestions will be disqualified and the user blocked. Newsnibbles and Feathers and Toast reserve the right to disqualify any entry they deem unsuitable, without explanation. The closing date for entries is Friday 4th November 2016, 00:00 EST.
October 29, 2016
7 Questions
1. As a vet you must have an opinion on pet couture, right?
But only at Halloween!
2. Vampires, you can kill them with a pencil, how is that scary?
Anybody can be killed with a pencil… now that’s a scary thought!
October 26, 2016
7 Questions
Today’s 7 Questions is with Louise Leigh, who works for a small charity based in Bristol, providing therapeutic horse riding to people with disabilities. Louise is a woman on a mission, and that mission is to win £25,000 for her charity, so of course, with our tens of readers from all over the globe, where better than Newnibbles to promote her cause?
1. What is your favourite part of your job?
The people. I’m terrified of the horses. They’re really big and they
have danger at both ends. Plus they smell a bit funny. But they help our clients have an amazing time, going out into the woods, getting physically stronger and learning so much and generally hanging out somewhere where nobody looks at them funny or ignores them or patronises them.
2. Why should people vote, and how can they do it?
Here’s the deal: in Bristol, pretty much everyone rates their quality of life as being at least 6-7/10. But people with disabilities rate theirs at just 4/10. Some of that is about living standards, poverty and so forth. But quite a lot of it is just about not being able to stretch themselves, not getting outside enough, feeling that they’re never achieving anything at school or college and some of it is just not having any fun. When you spend time at the Avon Riding Centre, you see only smiles. So for an hour a week, our riders rate their lives at 10/10. That’s pretty important!You can vote by clicking here:
https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/16-1674
You register, verify an email in your inbox and Pop whizz bang you’ve voted. It’s 90 seconds of your life and you could give a properly life-changing amount to the Avon Riding Centre for the Disabled.
3. Does pet couture apply to horses? Where do you stand on this contentious issue?
Horses are the originators of pet couture! They have all that cool leather gear to wear and smart blankets in various fleecy fabrics that they can wear in the winter. Where horses go, other animals follow. Never dress up a cat. Never. It’s humiliating. Would you dress up a lion? Don’t do that. Dogs love it, though*, especially those outfits that make their fore legs look like human legs and the front of them look like a person and they have a hat.
*they don’t. Don’t dress animals. Except chinchillas.
4. What are the benefits of horse riding?
Where do I start?
Physical: It’s incredible for your core strength and the strength of your bum and thigh muscles. But it’s not weight-bearing, so you can do it even if your body doesn’t work as well as it could. Lots of our rid
ers have the sensory problems associated with autism. Riding is amazing because it gives vestibular and proprioceptory stimulation, which helps with that. For some riders, whose bodies are in spasm, just the warmth and movement of the horse’s body is enough to help them relax.Psychological: It’s a great way to get outside into nature, which is massively important and can be harder for people with disabilities. Getting to sit up high is pretty special if you’re in a wheelchair. Many of our riders compete at regional and national level, which is a huge boost. And even if you’re not doing that, just being in charge of these big animals (of which some people are rather terrified, actually) is massively beneficial.
5. Who is your favourite horse?
Don’t ask me that! I hate having to choose favourites. OOoh, but Roddy… or Bunty… or Frankie… or Harry… or Tic Tac.. or Spike.. .or Warrior… or Leaf… or Albert… and then there’s Bella and Barney… and I like oh for goodness sake!
6. What could £25,000 buy, apart from serious quantities of oats?
So, as you can gather, even though I find them terrifying, our horses are pretty special. And some of them are getting very long in the tooth (that expression actually comes from horses, whose teeth just grow and grow all their lives and that’s how you can tell they are old). Anyway, where was I – yes, long in the tooth. And as they go to the stables in the sky, we need to replace them with the right horses.
We need a real variety. From ponies like Charlie and Choco who are pretty much bombproof, to horses that can work with adults with MS and respond to the lightest of touches, we need as much variety in our horses as we have in our riders. So we can’t get just any old horse and expect it to do the workload we’re asking for. Once we get our sticky mitts on them, it can take a year to train them to be as brilliant and fabulous as we need them to be. Often we find ourselves competing with private individuals with deep pockets for the most suitable horses. So, £25k would buy 3 horses of the type we need. AND it would pay for us to keep them and train them for the year it takes to get them up to standard.
Our waiting list is 18 months long, with around 100 disabled people waiting for equine therapy. 3 horses would allow us to get 36 of those riders into our system and getting all those marvellous benefits I talked about up there.
7. What is your motto?
My personal motto: “Don’t fish for dace in a bucket of bream” When I say it, I stroke my beard and look wise. I also like: “Socks in shoes, pants in pocket.” That’s the best advice I have for people in swimming changing rooms, and I want it to be my epitaph.
The centre’s motto: Therapy, Achievement, Fun!
October 4, 2016
FiSahara Film Festival: Making a Difference Through Film
The Sahrawi are a nomadic people who traditionally roamed the African desert. What is fascinating is that they are a matriarchal society, and women and men are treated as equals. According to people interviewed in Sons of Clouds (2008) domestic violence is unheard of in this society, and if a husband and wife are no longer getting on, they separate amicably, within the bounds of their law (1). There is also a Wikipedia article, which refers to the “privileged position of women” within this society, although currently the neutrality of the article has been questioned. (2)
The number of Sahrawi refugees living in camps along the Western Sahara is currently disputed. (3) In 2010 Sahrawi families camped out in tent cities in the form of a peaceful protest to demand social and human rights improvements. There are mixed reports on what exactly happened in these camps, but at the very least there seem to have been clashes between security forces and the protesters.
Read more in The Guardian.
About the festival
Since 2003 the FiSahara Film Festival has brought together film makers and visitors from around the world. It is unique in the fact that it is the only film festival to be held in a refugee camp.
Created as a collaborative effort between the Sahrawi Refugee Community, The Spanish Solidarity Movement and Spanish film makers, it is a human rights festival that includes:
Film screenings
Roundtables and thematic haimas
Film and media workshops
Children’s programming
Concerts featuring international and Sahrawi musicians
A Sahrawi traditional cultural fair and parade known as LeFrig
Camel races
An international football match
(4)
The aim of the festival is to draw attention to the plight of the Sahrawi people, half of whom have been exiled to a refugee camp in the Sahara desert, separated from their families by a huge wall, protected by soldiers and mines, whilst the rest live under Moroccan occupation.
A Forgotten People
The Sahrawi people have been living in refugee camps for thirty-seven years. What they have created out of nothing is truly inspirational, but the world has failed them.
In the 1870s, Africa was divided amongst European colonies (5) and the Western Sahara was given to Spanish rule (6). According to a documentary by Candescent Films, the Sahrawi lived reasonably harmoniously with the Spanish, even intermarrying.
As early as the 1950s Europe had begun to decolonise Africa (7). By the 1970s Spain, met by resistance against their rule by the newly formed Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro) (9) was getting ready to leave Western Sahara. It was at this time that Morocco staked it’s claim in the territory, and in 1975 the area was annexed: (10)
The Spanish colonial rule de facto terminated over the Western Sahara (then Rio de Oro), when the territory was passed on to and partitioned between Mauritania and Morocco (which annexed the entire territory in 1979), rendering the declared independence of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic ineffective to the present day
(8)
In 1975, Spain signed a treaty with Morocco and Mauritania, which stated:
On 14 November 1975, the delegations lawfully representing the Governments of Spain, Morocco and Mauritania, meeting in Madrid, stated that they had agreed in order on the following principles: 1. Spain confirms its resolve, repeatedly stated in the United Nations, to decolonize the Territory of Western Sahara by terminating the responsibilities and powers which it possesses over that Territory as administering Power. 2. In conformity with the aforementioned determination and in accordance with the negotiations advocated by the United Nations with the affected parties, Spain will proceed forthwith to institute a temporary administration in the Territory, in which Morocco and Mauritania will participate in collaboration with the Yema’a and to which will be transferred all the responsibilities and powers referred to in the preceding paragraph. It is accordingly agreed that two Deputy Governors nominated by Morocco and Mauritania shall be appointed to assist the Governor-General of the Territory in the performance of his functions. The termination of the Spanish presence in the Territory will be completed by 28 February 1976 at the latest. 3. The views of the Saharan population, expressed through the Yema’a, will be respected. 4. The three countries will inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the terms set down in this instrument as a result of the negotiations entered into in accordance with Article 33 of the Charter of the United Nations. 5. The three countries involved declare that they arrived at the foregoing conclu sions in the highest spirit of understanding and brotherhood, with due respect for the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and as the best possible contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security. 6. This instrument shall enter into force on the date of publication in the Boletin Oficial (Official Gazette) of the State of the “Sahara Decolonization Act” authorizing the Spanish Government to assume the commitments conditionally set forth in this instrument.
According to CulturalSurvival.org
This arrangement violated standard practice on decolonization and prevented any chance for a self-determination referendum, which the United Nations had been calling for since 1966 and to which Spain finally had agreed in 1974.
Attempts to subdue the Sahrawi people by Moroccan and Mauritanian authorities were met with fierce resistance by POLISARIO guerrillas. During the height of the cold war, this battle gained political interest, and, according to Sons of Clouds Algeria armed the POLISARIO, France and the US armed Morocco, as their ally against the USSR. (11)
In 1979 Mauritania withdrew, and signed peace accords with the POLISARIO. (14)
In 1980, with no sign of a resolution, the Moroccans built a wall, separating the occupied area and the Western Sahara. (12) Those who remained in Moroccan occupied territory were subject to Moroccan rule, whilst those on the other side of the wall were refugees, living in camps.
What is being done?
A fascinating documentary by Candescent Films called Sons of Clouds (2008) documents a history of these events, and alleged human rights abuses against the Sahrawi people, including disappearings, torture, police brutality amongst others. In 1991 the UN called for a referendum for the Sahrawi people, to be able to choose self determination. So far this referendum has still not taken place. (15)
During the documentary the film makers raised a petition calling upon the Spanish government to act on behalf of the Sahrawi people, and presented it to the president at the end of the film. (16)
To date there are still an estimated 200,000 refugees still in camps, and the wall is still in place. (17)
Saving the World, sans Sandwiches
Actress and comedian, Mhairi Morrison (Best Actress – Webseries Magazine), best known for portraying the ever fabulous Tallulah in hilarious webseries Feathers and Toast is a passionate advocate of the Sahrawi cause. She will be travelling out to the festival to experience for herself what it is to live amongst the refugees. Speaking exclusively to Newsnibbles she said:
I was inspired to go to the festival because I have always grappled with understanding whether or not my art, what I’ve chosen to do with my life, has value to society as a whole. As much value as per say a doctor. To have the opportunity of visiting a festival where I can see first hand the value of art and the impact it can have on people, is incredible. When I was 14 a family of refugees came to live with us from Bosnia, during the war. Having a family arrive with 2 suitcases and a few words of English in a completely foreign land was extremely humbling.
http://www.newsnibbles.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Fisahara.mp4
The festival is a way of providing hope to these abandoned people, and the international attention it garners will hopefully serve as a reminder to them that they are not alone. However, the only way people can get involved and help, is if they know about it. We are fortunate enough to live in a world of social media, where it is easy for you to do your part. Please share.
Useful Links:
FiSahara Film Festival Website (4)
Human Rights Film Work
Cultural Survival
Watch Sons of Clouds on Vimeo (1) (6) (11) (16) (17)
The Madrid Accords 14th November 1975
40 Years of Exile (Oxfam Briefing Paper)
Wikipedia Entry on Sahrawi People (2)
Sahrawi Refugee Camps – Wikipedia (3)
Africana Age (5)
Decolonization of Africa (7) (8)
Polisario Front (9) (15)
Western Sahara Profile (10)
Moroccan Western Sahara Wall (12)
Global Security
United Nations (14)
October 3, 2016
Monday Mystery Mime
The Newsnibbles Quiz is back by popular demand, and now we have partnered with our friends at Feathers and Toast to bring you the Monday Mystery Mime. Every week, life saving chef and sandwich aficionado, Tallulah Grace will perform a mime, and your challenge, Nibblers, is to guess what that mime is supposed to represent. The winner will be chosen at random from all the correct entries, and will win the honour of a shout out on Tallulah’s latest vlog (it’s like a blog, but with videos so “vlog” – it’s an actual thing, we didn’t make it up) and the opportunity to suggest one of Tallulah’s next mime topics.*
And last week’s winners were Richard Goldman, Paul Uhler, Michele Morrison, Jamie Morrison and for the 5th time Joe Hunter with leaf falling (and various embellishments to leaf falling). Sadly still no picture though. What do we have to do to make that happen, people?
*To enter go to the Youtube page where the mime originated and post your answer in the comments section. If commenting on Youtube is too complicated you can post a comment here, but Youtube comments will get priority. The winner will be chosen at random from all of the correct entries. Any obscene entries or suggestions will be disqualified and the user blocked. Newsnibbles and Feathers and Toast reserve the right to disqualify any entry they deem unsuitable, without explanation. The closing date for entries is Thursday 6th October 2016, 00:00 EST.
