h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's odd the connections one makes.

In my last Journal I mentioned Govanhill Pool. Hold that thought.

A few weeks back, we were having a clear out. I decided to dith a perfecly decent but surplus to requirements CD player (Sherwood) that was cluttering the place up. Only the charity shop was closed. But on the way back to the car, I passed the guy from Oddbins who'd popped out for a smoke. 'Nice CD player!' he said. So I gave it to him in return for a promised donation to a charity of his choice. He said he was needing one for his music studio.

So...I was on my way to Oddbins yesterday, via the charity shops on a "ns and book run. (aren't I always? ?) and he was smoking outside again. He turned out to be a big fanof Calvin & Hobbes, which I'd just bought, he'd read http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=s4FeZmuBAqsC&dq=reefer+madness+schlosser&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=CWrOrcWDsg&sig=22hpOdFRkR-ZqOiux8oUFGlEnEk&hl=en&ei=S7C9SsqbJo_bjQf4z5Ex&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2 ... but he hadn't heard of this local hero: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anarchists-Story-Life-Ethel-MacDonald/dp/1841586854 ...but he recommended the Oxfam in Govanhill for cool books. I said it was no surprise because there's lots of cool, politically-engaged people in the area and mentioned that I'd ben at the Govanhill Pool last week. 'So was I!' he said. So we chatted about The Great Pineapple Riot of '01, the squatters the roof, the regeneration scheme, Sikh Lungas, Asian Dub Foundation, Throbbing Gristle and the Anti Fascist Alliance. As one does. And then he got onto one of the pool's art projects that he's doing the music for. Which looks waaaaay cool:

www.85a.org.uk

And it just happens that he's talking to someone who knows shedloads of ex-RN submariners and also has a meeting next week with the head aof a university Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Dept...a contact he got via a colleague of Polish heritage.

So guess who's now been roped in to the project?

Eek! Typing on a netbook, so spelling even worse than usual.

Of the more incomprehensible ones:

dith -> ditch

"ns and -> 2nd hand

Oh...and http://www.85a.org.uk

Acthually, I underthtood everything you thaid

I´m glad for you Ed.
In the link about the book of Ethel, there appear two titles associated, HOmage to Caledonia and one of Paul Preston about Spain. More books to my reading-wishing list!
I understand why there´s a statue of La Pasionaria in Glasgow. I have to visit that town.
YOu know I have a very soft spot for the people who came to fight fascism in Spain.

Enjoy your new friend! Keep us informed.

Well, Mar...Glasgow *is* a Lonely Planet Top Ten World City. Come on up. Easyjet fly from Madrid. (I have friends who are back and forth).

And here's another antifascista connection:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Granny-Made-Anarchist-Stuart-Christie/dp/0743263561

Glasgow sent more Brigadistas than any other city. 'Red Clydeside'.

What a small and interesting world!

Sounds like another potentially fun project for you, Ed. Now I'd better go and check out all of these links. I'll have learned something new well before breakfast today!

Do I detect an entry?

I'll never get my to-do list done with all the amazing information here, there and everywhere.

"Glasgow sent more Brigadistas than any other city."

Interesting fact - although it's not a surprise. There's a little sculpture here honouring the Brigadistas. Sometimes when you pass it, you notice that someone's left a little spur-of-the-moment tribute beside it. There are the usual ones at May Day, or ones left by unions - but sometimes you find something left there by someone who happened to be passing by. It seems to strike a chord with Glasgee yins in particular.

Well when Mar and I visit it (hint hint ), obviously we'll leave a flower.

It get's better and better. We're tourists in our own city at the moment. Today w were in my favourite, the coolest part of the city for The Merchant City festival.
http://www.merchantcityfestival.com/

First we stumbled across an excellent exhibition of photos at 103 Trongate.
http://www.trongate103.com/
http://www.trongate103.com/128,138,181/whats_on/exhibitions/taking_liberties/
Photos of The Beatles, The Stones, Allen Ginsberg, Bertrand Russell, Brother Malcolm, James Baldwin...what's not to like?

We wandered around the French and Italian markets, nibbling stuff, practicing our French on stallholders and watching street theatre. Then we when to the fantastic, hilarious surreal Memory Projector, deep in the bowels of Merchant Square. (I never knew it was there!)

We came out from there, and as we sauntered pst the Children's Panel offices, we saw someone waving from a window. It was a friend of C's, a retired policeman who runs the Police Museum next door.
http://www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/member/glasgow-police-museum.

So we wnt up and talked to him. C told him about the book about the Suffragettes I recently bought because he'd previously told her about the time Emmilline Pankhurst and her supporters held te police at bay for four hours. With menace. And...get this!...he's got the police report on her! He's promised to photocopy it for me and I'll collect it next week. I'll scan it and post it somewhere.

Then we sat down, drank green tea, listened to some bands, watched more street theatre.

Then we went for Borscht, Zakuski and vodka (coke for the kids!) here:
http://www.cossachok.com/

They were playing some fantastic music and one of the slim, tasty Russian waitresses (I could eat a handful of them on toast for breakfast! wrote down the name of the singer for me. If I've got my Cyrillic right - Peloreya. (but I can't find anything googling that. I'll need to find someone with a Russian keyboard and googe.ru)

And *then*...as we came out, there was a *fabtatic* jazz band from Rostov playing on an outdoor stage. Incredibly, they're aged 13-18. The singer was so versatile, slipping from Bessie Smith to Astrud Gilberto to Flora Purim.
http://www.merchantcityfestival.com/index.php?action=cms.event&id=524&orderby=genre&orderkey=3

I way well be on the website soon myself. The woman from the Russian Cultural Centre (who we know slightly) photographed me because I was watching them with such evident pleasure.

And the Paisley-based 'Kings of Macumba' gave me a mass cheer for my John Peel t-shirt, for which I have Christopher to thank.

I'm going back sans kids tomorrow...and ending by Undying shame by seeing The Godfather at the cinema.

Jaysus, I love urbanism. I love my city.




T

Phew- that's quite a day!! Sounds like lots of fun. I love finding all those neat little things around the city.

I also really like Borscht. I have to make some this autumn. I think I will grab a cabbage and some beets at the farmer's market tomorrow...

http://english.pelagea.ru/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmffXf1G_co

Oh, excellent, Sol. Saves me having to ask you. (I was going to - my guess is you'd know better than my terminally unhip b-in-law).

Did you already know her?

Yes, I see now. It was her handwriting. The Hangman looks like a P. If you see what I mean.

hint taken. I can´t think of a better cicerone than you

This afternoon I went back into town, ostensibly to see a film (all will be revealed which one)...only to discover that it doesn't start until tomorrow. (I've pre-booked).

So I wandered off and had some felafel, which I ordered in Turkish. Then I found tht next door there was a tiny Classical music shop, so I bought a Naxos Ligeti disk, to add to the Schoenberg, Tippett, Britten and Taverner I bought on Friday. Plus spoken word Daljit Nagra (the book's fantastic!) and Simon Armitage's translation of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) First CDs I've bought in years.

So I wandered back over to Merchant City. First thing I saw was a Samba Band playing (appropriately enough) 'Brazil'. Glasgow has some world-class Samba bands - good enough to open proceedings at the World (football) Cup.

Then I stopped for a beer at The Brunswick Hotel's 'Brutti ma Buoni' bar - one of my fabourites. Flirted with the lovely barman and stood outside and watched a rather good T Rex tribute band.

Then I wandered over to 103 Trongate. It was shut. But on the way I stopped to lie on a mattress and take in a 3D-Movie projected on the ceiling of a naked woman doing acrobatics suspended also from a ceiling. She had one well fit bod!

Then I went to one of my pubs, Blackfriars, had another drink and watched a solo guitarist do an excellent cover of 'Voodoo Chile'.

Then I went back to the Brunswick, tried my Swedish out on some Swedes and saw a Bowie tribute band. Sang along. Danced with a nice young lady to 'Heroes'. I like to dance. We got a round of applause.

And then...I came home. After X Factor, the plan is to drink Martell and watch Che Pt 2.

I *love* my city!

cicerone? Translate?

Cicerone? A guide.

Ah. I got confused with Madonna Cicerone.