Innholdsfortegnelse for 11-02-19 i The Big Issue

01 GO Andy Warhol Polaroid Pictures From David Hockney to Jane Fonda, John Lennon and Debbie Harry, artist Andy Warhol’s great celebrity mates were manifold, and he snapped many of them with his handy Polaroid camera as they drifted through the Factory scene in Seventies and Eighties New York. A series of 60 such impromptu instant lo-fi portraits feature in this revealing exhibition, which also includes several intimate proto-selfies of Warhol himself – ever the subject as well as the spectator in the new visual culture he pioneered. Until April 13; bastian-gallery.com 02 LIVE Bill Ryder-Jones One of the quiet triumphs of last year, former Coral member Bill Ryder-Jones’ latest solo album Yawn is a desolately beautiful and deeply personal exploration of life, death, grief and coping, couched…

Paul McNamee’s editor’s letter [Let them eat crisps, January 28-February 3] is of interest to an oldie like me, especially on the subject of crisps. My memory of crisps as a child in the late Fifties/ early Sixties is that Smiths’ plain crisps ruled supreme. The pack always included a wee blue sachet of salt. My family often went to Ireland for holidays (granddad came from West Cork). HB choc ices were delicious, but here brother, sister and I first ate cheese and onion crisps. We really liked them. My sister Jos wanted to buy these novelty crisps in the UK. She wrote to Smiths’ crisps with this worthwhile suggestion. Smiths’ replied to Jos’s letter promptly saying, “There is no call for cheese and onion crisps in this country.” With…

@Emily_Heath Spot on @BigIssue article [Kids will work on their vocabulary with shoe-fitting staff]. The gov is so into promoting commercial partnerships & cutting public sector jobs that it thinks the rushed, noisy & often stressful experience of buying pricey shoes for small kids is the time to help children’s speech! @Ms_NicolaMarie Nearly 130 libraries were closed across Britain in 2018. An ultimately futile wheeze involving a number of shops will not make up for this. It will not provide the start and the scaffold millions of Britons need to build a future of opportunity. @NikVenkatesh Smashed the @BigIssue crossword, v proud of myself…

Food chain Pret a Manger are going to be able to offer more than sandwiches to rough sleepers with the launch of a new initiative to provide a home and a job. The high-street sandwich firm has been giving unsold food to homeless people since the first shop opened in 1986 but now it is teaming up with homelessness charity West London Mission St Luke’s (WLM) to open The Pret House. The new accommodation in the English capital will offer a vital pathway off the streets with space for 13 people. The aim is to accommodate 20 by the end of the year. And to ensure that their residents have the best chance of making the move into a privately rented home, Pret is boosting its offering with a spot…

Fighting as a pastime in a region that wrestles with conflict might seem counter-intuitive. But the women involved are throwing punches for their right to lives lived beyond rudimentary refugee camps. From London, Taban Shoresh founded The Lotus Flower, a charity supporting women displaced by violence in north Iraq. “The ‘why’ was so strong in me that I didn’t even worry about the ‘how’,” she says, reflecting on the 2016 launch. The charity gives women an education and lessons in sewing, hairdressing, human rights. And boxing. “Some of the women there lost family to the violence; many are victims of rape, sexual slavery and abduction,” says Shoresh, 35. “Their freedom of movement is restricted and they have next to no protection against sexual violence.” The former digital marketing manager shares…

When most writers sit down to write a new story, they start with a character or plot. Mine started with a whale who wouldn’t let me go. In 2015 I learned about the 52 hertz whale, also known as ‘The Lonely Whale’ and ‘52 Blue’. He sings at a frequency unlike other whales – 52 hertz instead of 10-20 hertz. He’s been out there for decades. How was it possible I hadn’t heard of him? I wondered what life was like for this whale who sang like no other. We’re able to hear the song of 52 Blue, and all whales, because of an ocean-wide system of hydrophones, originally used by the US military to detect Soviet submarines. With the thawing of the Cold War in the 1980s, the military…

Music is often credited with an ability to break down barriers and transcend social and political boundaries. But the metaphorical aspect of this tagline relies on the realisation of the literal: musicians actually need to physically travel to reach audiences. As Brexit negotiations go on (and on), the industry is becoming increasingly itchy about the implications of a no-deal exit from the EU. The British mezzo- soprano Dame Sarah Connolly has been among musicians campaigning on the front line against the end of freedom of movement, reminding MPs that, as reported by the Incorporated Society of Musicians, a third of instrumentalists and singers rely on work in the EU for at least half their income. Jacob Rees-Mogg had a textbook epic fail when he recently used the example of Handel…

Sixteen years old, in V-neck and cords, I stood alone and edgy outside an inauspicious door in Leicester Square. I was waiting for The Comedy Store to open. It was my first night at a comedy club. I would see The Joan Collins Fan Club (later to become Julian Clary) , Kit Hollerbach and Jeremy Hardy. Jeremy Hardy immediately became my new favourite thing. He was my first favourite live comedian. He lacked the showiness of showbusiness, he was neither exaggerated nor minimalist. He had the vague air of being flummoxed by human behaviour, though never feeling the need to fall headlong into existential anxiety. He could have been a dispirited attaché in a Graham Greene novel. Within this frame, was one of the sharpest comedy minds you could experience…

THIS WEEK WE ASKED YOU... It has emerged that 600 people a day are being forced to quit their job to care for a sick or elderly relative, saving the government millions of pounds a year. But can it be right for carers to pushed into such drastic action? Worth considering universal basic income as well as flexible work policies so that work alongside caring is sufficient to support people juggling responsibilities to facilitate rather than compete. @practicematters, Twitter And to top it off the gov’t will still put them down as employed in order to fudge the employment stats in their favour. Daniel McElhatton, Facebook I was lucky that whilst I was a #carer I had a sympathetic employer @StephensScown, sadly that’s not always the case... good to see…

Direct Debit works fine for many people and can save a bit of money. However, those of us on a four-week (28-day) rota for income via wages, benefits or pensions have a problem keeping DD in line with our income. Pensions, for example, paid on the first of the month one month are not paid on the same day every month. DDs set up in line with the first pension soon get out of line, and are eventually requested in the days before the pension is paid in. Missed payments of DDs often result in an extra payment being requested to ‘cover costs’. The algorithms used to pay money into an account on a four-weekly basis could surely be used to pay out DD and other regular payments. Of all…

There are many positives to Brexit. People who make fabric gazebos to cover journalists reporting from outside Westminster have never had it so good. We’re all allowed to talk about the domestic implications of international trade arrangements with the authority of veteran economists without anybody really challenging us. And, most pointedly, we are paying attention to what happens in Parliament much more closely than in normal times. For a week or two at the turn of the year regular 7pm votes on backbenchers’ amendments were on par with The One Show for viewer popularity. The knock-on effect is that it’s not just politics geeks who keep watching when the Brexit arc light is switched off. This isn’t about behaviour in the Commons bars. Usefully, because of our increased focus on…

At 16 I was living in a homeless hostel in Nottingham – it was called an independence unit but basically it was a dumping ground for kids who had to leave care. We were just forgotten about really, with no support or follow-up. The people who ran the unit were great, they were as helpful as they could be with helping you get your money or applying for college. But it was a very tough time. I felt a lot of anger when I was a teenager. I’d been in care since I was a baby, so it had been a massive part of my life. I was angry at the system, the state, for failing to take care of me in the most basic common-sense way. Why was I…

“I cannot be part of a decision that will do so much damage.” These were the words of John Mustard, head of Moray Council’s music tuition service, after he resigned last week to protest at the 85 per cent rise approved by the local authority in lesson fees for school pupils. Families will now have to fork out nearly £700 a year for lessons. This is a story echoing across the UK. More than 40 per cent of low-income families told the Musicians’ Union that music lessons are well beyond their budgets. The same research found that children with families earning £48,000 or more are twice as likely to learn an instrument as those whose parents earn £28,000 or less. Last year councils warned that school music tuition in England…

I usually try to link the books I review thematically, but what could possibly connect a collection of modern Chinese science-fction short stories and a group of Scottish essays on art and literature going back over half a century? Very little, to be honest, except for the breadth of creativity and imagination on show in both books, and that’s no bad thing. First up we have the wonderful Broken Stars edited by Ken Liu. Chinese sci-fi has garnered a good amount of attention in the West over the last few years. The editor of this collection has won just about every science-fiction prize going, while Barack Obama famously recommended Liu Cixin’s award-winning novel The Three-Body Problem, with Amazon currently planning to turn it into a colossally budgeted series. Broken Stars…

There was a time when Baroque music played on a piano rather than a harpsichord was risqué; now we have music by Bach, Purcell and Handel arranged for saxophone. The Ferio Saxophone Quartet has released Revive (Chandos: CHAN 10999), a brilliant collection of pieces cleverly reworked by Iain Farrington. The quartet – Shevaughan Beere (baritone), Huw Wiggin (soprano), José Bañuls (tenor) and Ellie McMurray (alto) – use various techniques to ensure the distinctive saxophone sound works as though it was one instrument.…

Cast an eye over the marketing campaign for Instant Family and it gives off the same glossy cookie-cutter vibe as a dozen other commercially minded Hollywood comedies. If you had to guess from the poster of Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne beaming alongside a nonplussed trio of Latino kids, you might put money on it being the usual patchwork of shouting, slapstick and crammed-in pop culture references, all shot in an appealingly bright colour palette yet directed with apparent indifference. Instant Family turns out to be all those things while also somehow being a deeply personal passion project. Director and co-writer Sean Anders, previously responsible for semi-hits like Horrible Bosses 2 and the Wahlberg-starring Daddy’s Home franchise, wielded whatever industry clout he had accrued to create…

01 Why I like living in Philadelphia Everything is right here As soon as you walk out of your door there is something there for you to do. Reading Terminal Market is the best place to go. That’s where I sell my homeless paper. I meet a lot of people from across the world. They might have struggles with homelessness or addiction. The struggle is real right now. The food stamps are about to be cut. Reading Terminal Market is free to explore and inexpensive if you want something to eat. I also like to go to the waterfront. You can look out of the windows and see the water. You can window-shop around there too. You can meet people and talk to people. 02 My favourite cafe/restaurant Ruby Tuesday…

A hand up, not a handout... Our sellers BUY every copy of the magazine for £1.25 and sell it for £2.50. Trade, not aid… Which is why we ask you to ALWAYS take your copy of the magazine. Our sellers are working and need your custom. Poverty is indiscriminate… That is why we provide ANYONE whose life is blighted by poverty with the opportunity to earn a LEGITIMATE income. The right to citizenship… The Big Issue Foundation, our charitable arm, helps sellers tackle social and financial exclusion. Prevention… Big Issue Invest offers backing and investments to social enterprises, charities and businesses which deliver social value to communities.…

John Bird’s suggestions [In times of crisis, look to beauty, January 28-February 3] could provide answers to reduce the swelling number of homeless in this country. During the last war millions of servicemen from abroad came to this country in a matter of a few years. Transit camps were quickly provided. These camps were comfortable and clean places to live in. When the servicemen moved on others took their places. A more permanent solution would be to build prefabricated houses. They did a remarkable job in bombed-out Britain and most of the inhabitants extolled their virtues rather than complained of their defects. Maybe these are not the answers. But at least John Bird is looking at ways to minimise the number of homeless people, and rough sleepers. There is at…

On a cold, wet day I was feeling a bit down and more than a bit chilly. I took myself into a local coffee shop and when I went to pay for my coffee I was told that “the gentleman at the end of the row was treating me today”. There was Robert our Big Issue vendor, having just paid for my coffee. He was in the right place at the right time and recognised that I was not my usual self. A BIG thank you to Robert who, despite his poor health, patiently stands in the High Street in Perth, come hail or shine. He is a quiet man, but notices everything that goes on and has a cheery word and a chat with so many people whether they…

Truro vendor Dai has been hailed a hero after he stopped a break-in at a sweet shop. The seller, 56, heard two people smash a window at Pennyworths sweet shop in Truro at around 11pm on January 27. Quick-thinking vendor Dai disturbed the alleged crooks who scarpered with only a large box of candy cables and a few other sweets. Dai, known to his regulars as ‘The Fish’ due to his former job as a fisherman, said: “I got out of my sleeping bag and went to have a look and saw two boys who ran away. “There were two dog walkers who stopped too so they called the police while I stood guard for about 35 minutes until the police arrived. “The boys who broke in came back with…

A recent attendee at Davos, oft described as the sublimely self-indulgent beanfeast for among others the obscenely wealthy of the world, wondered about two things: if the really wealthy just paid their taxes rather than tax-avoid then there would be no need to have beanfeasts about philanthropy and all that stuff. And, why were 1,500 private jets flying into Davos to be the audience for David Attenborough’s talk about climate change and human-caused disaster? I have never been invited to Davos. But some bloke who helped me set up The Big Issue Mark 3 was invited. How do you get on the list for these blowouts? Where everyone must be viewed as important, else no invite. Of course the real problem is leadership. Or so it would seem. You have…

STONESTAIRWAY BY RAPHAEL KELLETT “My name is Raphael and in the past I have slept rough while struggling with alcoholism as well as mental health issues. I have now sobered up and live in a supported housing project in north London. I wanted to draw a picture representing my upward journey from despair to hope. In Stonestairway I also wanted to show that anyone with a biro can create a piece of artwork.” Street Art is created by people who are marginalised. Contact street.lights@bigissue.com to see your art here. To see more and buy prints: bigissueshop.com At least half the proft goes to the artist.…

01 The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark In the current climate of dark female comedies, this Spark novel written in 1970 will not disappoint. The bold heroine – Lise – is both unpredictable, rude and dangerous. She leaves her job to find her inner dark side… Hilarious and err… dark. 02 Excellent Women by Barbara Pym Mildred is a ‘spinster’ in a world full of couples. A delicious social comedy set in the 1950s, where Mildred triumphs over convention. This offers a rather ruthless and witty take on the constraints of English society and the beginnings of a new feminism. 03 How To Be Famous by Caitlin Moran This is a fast-paced delight. The plot makes good work of pretentiousness, immorality and our obsession with fame. The clever asides and…

Rosamund Pike gives a towering central performance as dauntless real-life war correspondent Marie Colvin in the downbeat A Private War, a well-intentioned but fractured biopic that never quite coalesces around its strident, chain-smoking subject. It does a decent job of evoking countries shattered by war but you suspect Colvin herself might have preferred Under The Wire , a harrowing but gripping doc about her fnal assignment in Syria. A Private War is in cinemas from February 15…

Bridge Street, Haverfordwest Monday-Friday, 7am until 5pm I’ve just been given a council flat, after being homeless on and off for 29 years. I’m only 38! I lost my dad to a heart attack, got put into care, and just kicked against the system from then on, started running away from kids’ homes and was on the streets of London by the time I was 14. I was pretty much a drunk for a long, long time, and there were drugs involved too. I moved out of my home town of Southampton to Haverfordwest in 2017 – I just threw a pin on a map and ended up here. I was literally the only homeless person in the town for a long, long time. I was being woken up by…