As I write, I’m in the Norwegian far north on the Finnish/Russian border, at the tail end of an incredible journey on the Hurtigruten route from Bergen to the village of Kirkenes.
(photo: Katrina Allen)
It’s been a lifelong dream for me to go to the Arctic Circle in high summer, where between midnight and 2.00 am it’s been an amalgam of sunset and sunrise, travelling around the horizon before the sun pops up again.
(Photo: Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA.)
Last week Channel Four broadcast a remarkable investigative documentary, which has provoked a powerful reaction. “Undercover: Sexual Harassment – The Truth” presents us with an experiment. Ellie Flynn, an undercover journalist, goes out at night, pretending to be drunk and separated from her friends. With a feeling of dread, viewers watch what happens next.
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Photo: Lonka_Korzybrodska
David Herman reviewed the photographic exhibition “Seeing Auschwitz” here last week. I too have been to the show at 81 Brompton Road in South Kensington, London. It was a powerful experience.
The mood in the room was sombre and few people talked, so intent was their concentration onthe images which were, to say the least, disturbing. The quiet background piano music was slow, deep and chilling.
I went to Auschwitz and Birkenau a number of years ago. Auschwitz is a former Polish Garrison, a row of orderly brick buildings. Birkenau, however, felt like a wasteland, which made the end of the railway track seem even more bleak on that cold and misty November afternoon.
Read MorePromotional Content Marketing piece for Harley Therapy Ltd.
Most of us have heard of Gay Pride. But how many of us have considered the issue of “gay shame”? And how is it related to internalised homophobia? Writer Katrina Allen reports.
WHAT IS INTERNALISED HOMOPHOBIA?
“A 1998 study on gay and bisexual men in New York city described it as: “The gay person’s direction of negative social attitudes toward the self. Leading to a devaluation of the self and resultant internal conflicts and poor self-regard.”
In other words, internalised homophobia happens when we absorb social prejudice, leading to negative feelings about our sexual identity or orientation.
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Peng Shuai (Photo: Robbie Mendelson)
On 2nd November, the former tennis star and two times Grand Slam doubles champion, 35-year-old Peng Shuai, dropped a bombshell via the Chinese Twitter-style platform, Weibo, in a social media post in which she accuses former Vice Premier, 75-year-old Zhang Gaoli, of coercing her into having sex “about three years ago”.
Read MoreThis year is the summer of “staycations” and prices have rocketed in response to huge demand. A two-bedroom park lodge in Devon, for instance, can command £1,500 per week, perhaps even more for one with a sea view.
(photo: Steve Daniels)
So, an obvious question is, why not invest in a park lodge? Rent it out for the high season to cover costs and you get the rest of the year to enjoy what should essentially be a free holiday. And you can always sell up further down the line.
I first came across the world of park lodges when my friend Kirstie (not her real name) rang me to say she’d come across one with “an incredible sea view” in Devon. “The salesman is so helpful and charming. It’s really quick and easy to buy. He says I don’t need to use a lawyer as it’s just a chattel, like buying a car.” “How much?” I asked. “£225,000 for a 37-year-licence. But he’s really pushing me. He says someone else is interested.” Kirstie can be rather impulsive and this was worrying me. “Let me do some research,” I said.
Read MoreJamie Oliver has recently employed his former PA, Danny McCubbin, as his Culture Manager.
But what exactly is Culture Management?
“It’s a fairly new concept in the UK,” Danny explains. “Big business used to be just about profit but employees want to feel more connected. Companies are now realising that if they just continue to base their success purely on finances, they won’t succeed. The role of the Culture Manager is to make everyone, from the receptionist to senior management, feel they’re part of the organisation.”
“Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best”
by Katrina Allen
The Gay Gam
es, a huge sporting event, is held, like the Olympics, every four years.
It first took place in San Francisco in 1982, featuring 17 sports, 12 nations and 1,350 participants. It was a huge success and it was clear that this LGBT+ sporting celebration would continue.
Since then, the event has been held in cities such as Vancouver, New York, Amsterdam, Sydney and Cologne. Each time the numbers have increased. By 2006 there were 30 sports and cultural events, 70 nations and 11,700 participants.
This year, the sporting extravaganza is to be held in Paris from 4th -11th August.
The Gay Games was initially known as the Gay Olympics but objections were raised by the Olympic Committee and the name was changed. It was a reasonable request since the whole ethos of the Gay Games is about inclusion, not just within the community but also across various standards, which go from beginner to expert. The Olympics, of course, is all about excellence, world-class athletes within their sport.
From synchronised swimming to pétanque to wrestling – you name it … The full list of sports can be found at https://www.paris2018.com/sports-list/ Read More
We get beyond our 50’s and start to collect injuries: bad backs, tennis elbow, dodgy knees, and then the eyes start to go. That bit has only hit me in the last few years and it’s depressing. Read More
I recently went back to the Calais Jungle as a volunteer for the third time within the last twelve months.
(photograph by Katrina Allen)
So, what’s changed during that time?
Well, when I was first there last October, there were an estimated 5,000 migrants at the camp. According to a census a couple of weeks ago, conducted by two of the charities helping out, the numbers have now reached 9,000, with a 29% increase in just one month and around 70 new arrivals every day.
The LGBT community has a far higher incidence of mental health issues than the heterosexual one. Why?
(Photograph by Katrina Allen)
WHEN ANDY MURRAY HIRED LESBIAN TENNIS CHAMP AMELIE MAURESMO TO BE HIS COACH, THE SEXIST AND HOMOPHOBIC RESPONSE RECALLED THE REACTION WHEN MAURESMO CAME OUT 15 YEARS AGO. HAS ANYTHING CHANGED IN TENNIS?
It seems ludicrous to penalise people who fish perfectly edible food out of the likes of Iceland’s bins. Surely the main problem is that the supermarkets have so much waste in the first place. Read More
There’s been so much press recently about the dangers of London cycling. Many years ago, in my twenties, I cycled everywhere in London. I covered about a hundred miles a week. I must have been very fit but I’m just amazed I never had an accident.
I thought I’d do something different last Christmas – the idea of slobbing around and eating too much, watching The Snowman and the Queen’s Speech yet again, didn’t appeal. Read More
