Russell Brand To Release New Book On Politics

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Frostie

Comedian, actor and political activist (or non-politics activist, whichever you prefer) Russell Brand is to bring out another book. Ben Dunn, Publishing Director of Century has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to the new book.

The book will tackle Russell’s views on ecology, inequality, rioting, financial meltdown, and the total mistrust of politicians. Told with humour and passion, the book will act as a provocation; urging its readers to discard apathy and challenge the status quo.

Russell Brand said ‘People keep asking me how The Revolution will work? “We all want to bring down the government and establish a personal and global utopia but how?” They ask. Well in this book, I’m going to explain it. Having accrued the greatest wisdom known to man (by conducting interviews, watching DVDs, reading books, thinking and looking at the sky) I am now able to put in a simple, accessible book(y wook) the solution to internal and external turmoil. And about time too.’

Ben Dunn said ‘Like the rest of the world, I have been avidly following Russell’s writing and stand up and have been inspired by his passionate call to arms. This book will be a massive extension of that and I can’t wait to publish his brilliant words later this year.’

Century will publish in hardback in October 2014 with an Arrow paperback the following year.

Russell Brand is an acclaimed, comedian, presenter, author and actor. Beginning his career as a stand-up comedian, Brand rose to fame in 2003 for his appearances on MTV and on Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother’s Big Mouth. His career really took off with his first nationwide stand-up tour, Shame, in 2006; which was released on DVD as Russell Brand: Live. Brand launched his second nationwide tour in 2007, Russell Brand: Only Joking ; released on DVD as Russell Brand: Doin’ Life and in 2009 he brought his stand-up comedy tour to the United States with Russell Brand: Scandalous. At this time, Brand also hosted countless award shows including the 2006 NME Awards, 2007 Brit Awards and he has hosted the MTV Video Music Awards three times in 2008, 2009 and 2012. After his phenomenal success as a stand-up Brand turned his attentions to Hollywood where in 2008 he was seen as rocker ‘Aldous Snow’ in the Judd Apatow-produced box office hit comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Since then Brand has starred in several films including Rock Of Ages, Arthur, Hop, Get Him To The Greek, Bedtime Stories, The Tempest, Paradise and the voice of ‘Dr. Nefario’ in the hugely successful Despicable Me series. Brand is also an acclaimed author, and has written two books, My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs and Stand-Up, and the follow up, Booky Wook 2: This Time It’s Personal. Currently Brand is touring his new stand-up show Messiah Complex around the globe, a DVD of which was released in December 2013.

Gemma Chan Calls For The End Of Page 3

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Frostie

Actress Gemma Chan labels Page 3 ‘a disgrace’ and throws her weight behind the No More Page 3 campaign.

Gemma Chan is currently starring in the film Jack Reacher: Shadow Recruit, later this year she stars in London Fields with Johnny Depp and new BBC TV show, The Game, with Brian Cox. She is the partner of comedian Jack Whitehall and has appeared in TV shows including Fresh Meat, Dr Who, Sherlock and Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

In a front page interview with The London Magazine, March issue, out now. Gemma said

“A picture of a naked woman isn’t in itself a sexist thing, but it’s the context of having those pictures in the most ubiquitous newspaper and the culture that creates. This campaign is saying that it is sexist and it’s not harmless: it influences boys and girls growing up as to how they view a woman’s place in society. You have a newspaper where all the men are decision makers, the managers, the sports people etc, and as a woman there is page 3 telling you that the most important thing is that you’re viewed as sexually desirable, and in quite a limited way.” The campaigners also point out that page 3 is usually the largest image of a woman in any newspaper on any given day, “which is a disgrace,” says Chan.“Imagine if it was a picture of a teenage guy with his balls out every day; the arguments against it would seem completely self-evident.”

The No More Page 3 campaign was started by Lucy Holmes when she bought a copy of the Sun during the 2012 Olympics and found that she couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that the largest female image was the Page 3 image even though Jessica Ennis had just gold. Lucy said

‘We are thrilled to have Gemma on board. She’s a really energetic supporter who often tweets us and wears her No More Page 3 T-shirt! The pressure really is building now on David Dinsmore, editor of The Sun, he can’t choose to stay stuck in the sexist 1970s for much longer!’

No More Page 3 is supported by

Girlguiding UK (over 500,000 young members)
Mumsnet (Mumsnet is the UK’s largest website for parents, with 4.3 million monthly unique visitors)
The British Youth Council (over 220 youth organisations)
UK Youth (working with approx. 1 million young people, and 11,000 youth clubs)
Members of the Girls’ Brigade England and Wales (just under 20,000 members)
The NUT, ATL, NAHT and NASUWT (combining over 780,000 teachers, lecturers and Head Teachers)
Unison (our largest union, 1.3 million members)
The National Assembly of Wales
The Scottish Parliament
The Royal College of Midwives
The Royal College of Nursing
28 universites and 6 Oxford University Colleges have voted to stop selling The Sun until it drops the page 3 topless images
Rape Crisis
Woman’s Aid
End Violence Against Women’s Coalition

CARE International’s Walk In Her Shoes Led by Helen & Laura Pankhurst

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Frostie

Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of suffragette Emmeline, and daughter Laura invite UK women to join her in London on Saturday 8 March (International Women’s Day) to ‘walk in the shoes’ of women and girls across the developing world who must walk for many miles every day to collect water for their families. The walk launches CARE International’s nationwide campaign, Walk In Her Shoes.

The walk will begin at the Tate Britain and end at the Southbank Centre’s ‘Women of the World’ festival. It aims to raise awareness of CARE’s wider Walk In Her Shoes campaign, which encourages women and men here in the UK to walk 10,000 steps a day for one week from 24-30 March and raise money for CARE. The charity’s work includes building wells in poor communities, allowing girls and women more time to go to school or work.

Helen Pankhurst said: “Join me on International Women’s Day to walk in solidarity with women and girls around the world who are denied the rights to live, learn, earn and thrive simply because they were born female. Walk In Her Shoes so girls can go to school and women can do paid work instead of walking for miles every day.”

Seventy per cent of the world’s poorest billion people are women, many millions of whom walk more than six kilometres a day in search of water and firewood, carrying loads of up to 20kg.

CARE will provide fundraising support to all who participate. To join Helen on 8 March or take part in the Walk In Her Shoes campaign, visit www.careinternational.org.uk/iwd2014 or call 020 7091 6111.

Benefits Street: Good TV, and Fair

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Frostie

Amongst people who have actually watched Benefits Street, most say that it is good TV and that it fairly portrays life in impoverished communities

A new YouGov survey finds the programme is a big hit with viewers, and amongst those who have actually watched it, the majority do not think it is unfair or in bad taste.

Channel 4 commissions Benefits Street live

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Frostie

After only one episode Benefits Street became one of the most controversial television shows, sparking debate and a slew of articles. After the controversy (which included a petition for Channel 4 to stop broadcasting the show attracting 17,000 signatures after only one episode, so much for free speech), Channel 4 has commissioned a live debate.

Channel 4’s Head of Special Programmes, Ed Havard, has commissioned Mentorn Media to produce a 1 x 60 live debate around the issues brought to the fore by the observational documentary series Benefits Street. This series, filmed over the course of 12 months, documents the reality of life on a street in Birmingham where the majority of households are dependent on benefits and in an area of Birmingham that has had the highest rate of unemployment in the country for the last eight years. It has attracted a great deal of attention – generating tens of thousands of responses on Twitter, press headlines and questions raised in parliament.

Channel 4 Head of Factual, Ralph Lee, says: “This is a series which reflects the reality of day-to-day life for some of the residents of a single street who, for the most part, rely on benefits to survive. It does not and never has set out to reflect the experiences of every person who receives benefits yet it has triggered a national debate about state welfare at a time in which further welfare reforms are being proposed. We feel it is timely to provide a forum in which these issues can be raised and discussed.”

The programme will be live and interactive allowing viewers to submit questions; it will be chaired by broadcaster Richard Bacon. The panellists will be confirmed closer to transmission but will represent the views across the political spectrum – and crucially those who claim benefits.

It will be broadcast at 10pm on Monday 10^th February, directly after the final episode of the five-part documentary series airs. The Executive Producer is Mentorn Media’s Director of Current Affairs Hayley Valentine, she says: “It is vital that voices on all sides are heard, and we are pleased to be providing a forum for both public figures and viewers to debate the series that has brought a pertinent political issue to life so vividly.”

Hazardous Chemicals Revealed In Children’s Clothing

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Frostie

Children’s clothing and shoes by brands including Disney, Burberry and adidas have been shown to contain hazardous chemicals which could pose risks to adults and children when released into the environment, as revealed in a study released today by Greenpeace East Asia. [1]

Tests were carried out on 82 items sold by leading clothing brands including adidas, American Apparel, C&A, GAP, H&M, Li-Ning, Nike, Primark, Puma and Uniqlo and the findings revealed in the the report entitled “A Little Story About the Monsters in Your Closet”.

Chih An Lee, Toxics Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia said:.

“As the starting point of the global clothing supply chain, the world needs to be aware of the dangerous corners being cut in manufacturing processes in regions like East Asia. Parents in particular should know the risks these brands are posing to future generations as they use and release these toxic hazardous monsters into our environment.”

More than half of the products tested contained nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), a group of chemicals that break down in the environment to form toxic, hormone disrupting nonylphenol (NP). High levels were found in products made by brands including Burberry, Disney and American Apparel. Meanwhile, every item tested specifically for per / polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs) was found to contain one or more examples from this group of chemicals. [2] For example, an adidas swimsuit contained the highly persistent, PFOA at a concentration higher than the brand’s own limit in its Restricted Substance List. [3]

Though all products tested were intended for children and infants – a group particularly vulnerable to exposure to hazardous chemicals in the environment [4] – there was no significant difference between the range and levels of hazardous chemicals found in this study and those in previous studies looking at adults clothes [5].

“We need the brands to take a good hard look at their supply chain and the monsters they are using to make our children’s clothing. We also need people to recognise the power they have in bringing about change, by joining the growing movement making the industry Detox its supply chain and clean out clothes”, said An Lee

China remains the world’s largest textile producer and chemicals consumer and Greenpeace is calling on the government to help stop the use of hazardous chemicals in the textile industry. It is critical they publish a chemical blacklist to be acted upon immediately and urge factories to disclose chemical information, in order to facilitate chemical elimination and supply chain transparency and create a level playing field for the industry.

2013 In Brief

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Frostie

January

Rail fares rise by 4.3 per cent in the UK, It is revealed that Jimmy Savile is the UK’s most prolific sex offender, making a scandal that rumbles on for the rest of the year. Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and Iceland are forced to remove ‘beef’ products that are contaminated by horse meat. Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term as US president.

February

The skeleton of King Richard III is discovered under a Leicester car park. He promptly wins hide and seek winner of 1485, Pope Benedict XVI resigns, the first ever pontiff to do so, The House of Commons votes in favour of legislation to introduce same-sex marriage by 400 votes to 175, Oscar Pistorius is charged with murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria. He says he shot her because he thought she was a burglar. Daniel Day-Lewis and Jennifer Lawrence win Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the Oscars. Argo wins best film.

March

After having cancer for over a year, Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, dies at the age of 58, After a nuclear test, UN Security Council passes strict new sanctions against North Korea, 76-year-old Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio becomes the 266th pontiff, Amanda Knox is acquitted of the murder of Meridith Kercher on appeal by Italy’s supreme court.

April

Margaret Thatcher dies aged 87 after a stroke. She was prime minister from 1979 to 1990 and is still the UK’s only female prime minister, Nicolas Maduro becomes Venezuelan president. He is a former bus driver and remains down-to-earth, the 117 Boston marathon is bombed, killing five people and injuring a further 264. An eight-storey building collapses in Bangladesh. It kills 1,129 people and injures another 2,515. Primark and Walmart, are just two of the big brands it produced clothes for.

May

James McCormick is sent to prison for selling fake bomb detectors. The UN and Iraqi security forces were just two of his buyers, Amanda Berry escapes the clutches of Ariel Castro who had held her captive in his home in Cleveland, Ohio, since 2003 along with two other women and a child, Sir Alex Ferguson retires, Angelina Jolie reveals that she had a double mastectomy, A 295mph tornado strikes Moore, Oklahoma, killing 23 people, Lee Rigby, who was a Drummer of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, is murdered near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, Southeast London, creating shockwaves around the world at the brutality of his murder. His killers are later shot by the police but survive to be charged.

June

Details of the NSA surveillance programme are leaked and published. They show that Apple, Google, and Microsoft all allow the NSA direct access to their servers. The papers are published by The Guardian and The Washington Post. Edward Snowden later reveals himself as the source and takes refuge in Hong Kong, Charles Saatchi is photographed with his hands around wife Nigella Lawson’s throat, they separate and their divorce turns ugly, Australia’s first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, is forced to step down, Protests across Egypt call for the resignation of President Mohamed Morsi.

July

Mark Carney becomes the new Governor of the Bank of England, President Mohamed Morsi is deposed in a military coup, Andy Murray becomes the first British man to win Wimbledon since 1936, George Zimmerman is acquitted over the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, Same-sex marriage becomes legal in England and Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcome their first child, Prince George of Cambridge.

August

Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos buys The Washington Post for $250m, Edward Snowden is temporarily granted asylum in Russia, Physiologist Mark Post creates the first bovine stem cells lab-grown burger, Supporters of disposed President Morsi are massacred by the security services In what the Human Rights Watch describe as “the most serious incident of mass unlawful killings in modern Egyptian history”, Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning is sentenced for giving confidential government information to WikiLeaks, he gets 35 years imprisonment, The badger cull begins in Somerset and Gloucestershire, Over 1,429 people are killed in chemical attacks in Damascus. Secretary of State John Kerry calls it a “moral obscenity”

September

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee backs military action against Syria, Greenpeace activists are arrested by Russian authorities in the Barents Sea. They become known as The Arctic 30 and a campaign for their release begins, Sixty-two people are killed and another 170 are wounded when Al-Shabaab militants attack the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi, Ed Miliband goes to war against the Daily Mail after it describes his late father as “the man who hated Britain”.

October

A boat carrying migrants from Libya sinks off the Italian island of Lampedusa killing 359 people, The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons win the The Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to Peter Higgs and Francois Englert for their discovery of the Higgs boson, otherwise known as the God Particle, There is a breakthrough in the cure for Alzheimer’s disease after the discovery of a drug-like compound which halts brain cell death in mice, The Royal Mail floats and shares are oversubscribed.

November

Storms cause damage all over the UK, Typhoon Haiyan hits the Philippines, killing over 6000 people, Former chairman of the Co-operative Bank, Paul Flowers, is caught in a sting buying crystal meth and crack cocaine by a newspaper, First members of the Arctic 30 are released, Lostprophets lead singer Ian Watkins pleads guilty to child sex charges. Ten people are killed after a helicopter crashes into the Clutha bar in Glasgow.

December

Nelson Mandela dies aged 95, Jang Song-Thaek, uncle of Kim Jong-un is executed, The UN makes a £4bn aid appeal for Syria its biggest ever appeal, Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs dies aged 84, The ceiling of the London’s Apollo Theatre collapses, injuring 92 people. The acting world mourns as Peter O’Toole and Joan Fontaine die. The Pussy Riots are released.

Call For Entries: The International Nelson Mandela Poetry Tribute

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Frostie

Credit: Wikipedia Commons

To mourn his death and celebrate his life, Poetry Zone have opened the International Nelson Mandela Poetry Tribute, as a fitting way to gather poetic tributes from around the world in an online collection – accessible to all. They welcome all contributions and would appreciate your support in alerting people to this global poetry initiative.

Nelson Mandela was a man to whom poetry and the poetry of words mattered. There’s the legend of his reading of Invictus to his fellow prisoners on Robben Island, but in every speech Mandela worked language to leverage its impact. He may not have formally published poetry, but Mandela was a poet.

On his death, the US State Department issued a poem by Maya Angelou in memory of Nelson Mandela and there have been earlier tributes by Thabo Mbeki and Tupac Shakur. At his memorial on Tuesday his Grandchildren showed the power of poetry, rousing the crowd with short electric stabs in a call and response tribute to Mandela’s modesty and power.

For the many people who write poetry around the world, an opportunity now exists to contribute their own poetry; to write a poetic tribute on the passing of a great historical figure. Sorrow, Gratitude, Appreciation, Love, Respect… You don’t need to be a poet laureate to take part – and it’s not a competition. It’s about personal responses. What did Nelson Mandela mean to you? How did his message affect the world? What do you feel on learning of his death? What are your personal memories and reflections? Did he inspire you? Maybe you took part, in any small way, to help end apartheid. Or you played an important role… How do you think his legacy will endure?

Nelson Mandela was a global figure who brought a message of reconciliation rather than retribution, despite his own suffering and the nature of the apartheid regime which he’d opposed. It was this that made Nelson Mandela a true inspiration to millions around the world, a man who was prepared to lay down his own life to affect the change needed to rectify the glaring abomination of apartheid.

It is free to post poems at www.PoetryZoo.com, or simply email poems to Mandela@poetryzoo.com and they will be included in the anthology .

As the world reacts, we are glad to be able to provide a fitting international tribute in poetry to Nelson Mandela: Madiba, Tata.

Frost Magazine

Books and Lifestyle

Category Archives: Politics

Russell Brand To Release New Book On Politics

Gemma Chan Calls For The End Of Page 3

CARE International’s Walk In Her Shoes Led by Helen & Laura Pankhurst

Benefits Street: Good TV, and Fair

Hazardous Chemicals Revealed In Children’s Clothing

2013 In Brief

Call For Entries: The International Nelson Mandela Poetry Tribute

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