Thursday, February 28, 2013

Sparked at the View Tube - With Grenville Davey

Emdad Rahman: Sparked is a new ehxibition at the View Tube, an exhibition/cafe/learning space overlooking the Olympic Park. It's free to visit and take part in and is designed to help people find out about the local, national and international artists that have made permanent artworks in the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The current exhibition is with Turner Prize-winning artist and sculptor, Grenville Davey, who created the eye-catching work Inter Alia for a wall in the London 2012 Gardens. This piece was developed through collaborations with local residents. Since then Grenville Davey has also been working with students and parents at Bow Boys School as part of the Sparked programme and will also be leading a workshop for families of all ages at the View Tube this month.

Exclusively for View Tube and its visitors, Davey has installed the maquettes that are the original models he made for this fantastic artwork. He has also developed a new series of works which are also about being playful and disruptive. These include some very distinctive installations of eyes, a specially customised set of playing cards and a card table where you can sit and play games.
Come to our free family workshop at View Tube on Sunday 24th February, play some games, learn more about Inter Alia and meet the artist himself, Grenville Davey. You don’t need to book, just turn up at any time between 11am and 3pm. For more information click here.
There will be two more Sparked exhibitions in 2013 taking place between April-August. Keep checking the website for regular updates on more free family workshops over the coming weeks and months. If you have questions about Sparked you can email vtsparked@gmail.com
Sparked is funded by The Legacy List, a charity set up in 2011 to help make creative connections between people and the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic park and supported by Leaside Regeneration who manage the View Tube.
www.theviewtube.co.uk



Sunday, February 24, 2013

Bobby Moore - All English hero

Queen Elizabeth met football royalty
Hair and face scrub amidst the melee
Captain Fantastic lifts the Jules Rimet trophy
Bobby Moore - He swapped shirts with Pele

Lionheart blocked Overath and Beckenbauer
Geoff Hurst's boots started to thrill
Wingless wonders stormed Uwe Seeler
At Wembley are words that ring true still:

"Immaculate footballer", is carve fixed
"Imperial defender" rings a chime
"Immortal hero of 1966"
Bobby Moore, "Gentleman of all time."

Number7
(C) Emdad Rahman
www.football-poems.com

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Natural History Museum

I believe the Natural History Museum is one of London's top 10 Attractions.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable day visiting. The Museum in South Kensington is home to over 70 million natural history specimens, from spiders and giant squid to dinosaur bones, mosses and meteorites.

Visitors can explore what goes on behind the scenes, as curators preserve some of the weird and wonderful creatures that arrive at the Museum each day.

The Museum is open every day except 24-26 December. Last admission is at 17.30.

Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5000

Wednesday, February 06, 2013

England v Brazil match preview

Emdad Rahman: Several players are missing for England’s glamour friendly against Brazil. The game at Wembley which heralds 150 years for the FA has already seen Daniel Sturridge, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe pull out of the 24 man squad.

No such worries for Ashley Cole though, and the Chelsea left back has been assured by Roy Hodgson that he will win his 100th cap against the seleção tonight. The England Manager announced: "If Ashley is fit he will play on Wednesday and get his 100th cap."

Referring to the exclusion of the in form Leighton Baines the Hodgson added: "But there will come a time when both are fit for an important match and I will have to disappoint one of them.

"They will just have to fight it out and I'm sure the competition between them will be fierce.

"Then I'll have to make a decision."

Captain Steven Gerrard welcome his team mate to the century club and singled out Cole as one of England’s outstanding performers during the time he has played for his country. "He deserves to be on the list,” said Gerrard. "If I look at players throughout my career he has been the most consistent players in an England shirt and at times has proved he is one of the best left-backs in the world."

Brazil dominate in games against England, with a mere three losses from 23 amongst a run of internationals stretching back to 1956. The first game was witnessed by 97,000, cheering the Three Lions to an overwhelming 4-2 win at Wembley. Brazilians used to the subtle and intricate play of Garrincha, Pele, Tostao, Jairzinho and Zico watched in sheer awe as John Barnes ran rings whilst performing his exclusive Samba show in the Maracana during a 2-0 win in 1984. I watched a 1-0 win six years later in 1990 when Gary Lineker scored the winner at Wembley. By beating Taffarel with a poacher’s diving header Lineker equalled the 30 goal England goal scoring totals of football giants Nat Lofthouse and Tom Finney. There has not been a victory in the 23 years since, despite games in the US Cup, Umbro Cup, Le Tournoi De France and the 2002 World Cup cliff hanger in Shizuoka.

At Wembley, ex Chelsea Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari starts his second spell with the Samba Boys and the 64 year old has mixed old with new, with the recall of Ronaldinho surprising quite a few. "It is obviously a special occasion, and a game between two big footballing nations," said the ex Barcelona star.

"But the thing that matters is that I am back in the Brazil squad. I need to show I can play a big part in the next World Cup."

Roy Hodgson named a 24 man squad last Thursday and is looking forward to a double header against the five time world cup winners. There is a rematch taking place between the two nations in June. He said: “It is a game I am really looking forward to. It is always a momentous occasion when you play Brazil.

Jack Wilshere is likely to start and Theo Walcott may pair up with Wayne Rooney in attack. David Luiz will have a calf scan. Others in the fray to start the game are Chelsea’s Oscar and Ramires. Queen’s Park Rangers Julio Cesar is also in the squad.

England squad:
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Joe Hart.
Defenders: Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Phil Jagielka, Glen Johnson, Joleon Lescott, Chris Smalling, Kyle Walker.

Midfielders: Tom Cleverley, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Leon Osman, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere.

Strikers: Wayne Rooney, Daniel Welbeck.

Munich 1958

It's February 6, 1958
Gloom on the doomsday set
3:04 and it's getting so late
Football fans can never forget

Return from a Champions League tie
With Red Star of Belgrade
At Munich Riem they take to the sky
Tragedy rears from the fade

Edwards, Pegg, Whelan, Bent,
Byrne, Colman, Jones, Taylor
Not all lost with the descent
Gregg, Charlton, Viollet, Blanchflower

Busby's Babes, these bright stars shine
The pendulum beat of the Munich clock
For European Airways, Flight 609
Old Trafford still beats tick tock

Number 7
(C) Emdad Rahman
www.football-poems.com

Saturday, February 02, 2013

Young Diver Wins Canary Wharf Sports Personality of the Year Accolade


11-year old Scarlett Mew Jensen was named Canary Wharf Sports Personality of the Year at a glittering ceremony at the East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf, last night.

Mew Jensen, who lives in Tower Hamlets and attends Bonner Primary School in Bethnal Green, won two gold medals for   her age group on 1 metre and 3 metre boards at the Great Britain National Diving Championships last year. She also won two silver medals at her first international diving event in Lund, Sweden.

The achievement is more remarkable considering Mew Jensen took up diving just three years ago, at which point she was unable to dive off the pool edge, let alone a 10m high platform. She juggles her studies with over 14 hours of training per week at the Crystal Palace Diving Club.

The twelfth annual Canary Wharf Sports Awards were organised by Canary Wharf Group, which for over 20 years has invested in sport to foster social and economic development in the local area.

The awards encourage sporting excellence and participation in the East End of London and were attended by 340 local sports people and administrators and a range of local dignitaries, including former MP and recent Dancing on Ice performer Baroness King of Bow; Tower Hamlets Speaker of the Council Rajib Ahmed; Councillors Gloria Theinel, Oliur Rahman and Peter Golds; and Chair of the Association of Island Communities Rita Bensley.

Winners on the evening included:

• Sports Personality of the Year: Scarlett Mew Jensen, Diving
• Junior Team of the Year: Tower Hamlets’ Girls Football Club, which won the London Youth Games Girls Football title and the MTG Champions Cup. The side also defeated the West Ham United women’s team and represented the UK in the MTG International tournament, where they narrowly lost the final to a club from Sweden
• Senior Team of the Year: Helvecia Futsal Club have been Futsal English National Champions since 2008 and holders of the FA Futsal Cup. In 2012 they represented England in the UEFA Futsal Tournament, where they were ranked in the top 25 clubs in Europe
• Group Achievement Award: Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre, which supports young people from all backgrounds into sailing and other watersports. In 2012, thanks to external funding the Centre acquired a new fleet of boats for competitions and training at its facilities on the Isle of Dogs. The Centre is consistently used by the Royal Yachting Association, the national governing body for sailing, as an example of how sailing can be accessible to all.

John Garwood, Group Company Secretary at Canary Wharf Group plc, said: “Having attended these awards for many years, I am consistently impressed by the quality and achievements of young sports people from the East End of London. 2012 was an amazing year with the East End earning well deserved plaudits for hosting the greatest sports event in the world. The challenge for the next generation of local athletes is to harness the spirit of 2012 and carry it with them as they strive to become the best. Special congratulations to Scarlett Mew Jensen for becoming the Canary Wharf Sports Personality of the Year. We will follow her diving career with much interest.”