Dear Karen Buck,

As you will know Dub Vendor record shack Ladbroke Grove is closing this Wednesday 25th June after over 28 years of business. Dub Vendor was key in bringing Jamaican and Carribean music to London and has played a central role in the Ladbroke Grove community.

Whilst we must accept the closing of the store I am extremely concerned that we may lose the mural on the side of the store, one of the finest in London. I would urge you to take the steps necessary to protect this local, national and international icon.

Yours sincerely,

Dub Vendor is world famous as is the mural that has featured in many films and music videos, as well as being a local landmark. There is a facebook group if you wish to support this campaign - however the best course of action is to email Ms Buck directly at k.buck@rpkn-labour.co.uk

If Metblogs is a city, hub.metblogs is the playground. We kept hearing from people that one of their favorite parts of Metblogs was meeting and interacting with readers and writers from other parts of the world, as well as getting requests for more ways that readers could be involved besides just posting comments. We thought about this for a while and decided that with a network like this, a giant community area where folks from all over the world could hang out, post photos and videos, talk with each other, form groups, play games, send messages, and do about a million other things was probably a pretty fun idea. The Hub is that.

If you have any tech ideas or suggestions join this group and speak up. See you on hub.metblogs!

Living in Westminster, I get to see a lot of homeless people. It is the policy of our Borough to discourage giving cash. They might be scamming. They might use it to buy smack. I don’t know. If people feel that they have spare cash to give, then maybe they should just do what their hearts tell them to do.

I don’t give cash. I can’t spare it. Not one pence. But, I can give other stuff. Socks, for example. Sometimes I leave socks with the sleeping man down the block. Or a t-shirt that is just hanging around the flat not doing anyone any good. Sometimes I will buy some food or orange juice. One time I got yelled at by one of our local homeless for offering her orange juice. Apparently, she only wanted cash. I wanted to give her the two fingers as she was yelling at me, but I tried to remind myself that something, not the orange juice, sent her off the rails maybe years ago.

San Francisco is doing a thing called “Replate.” Leave your leftover food in a doggie bag on top of a bin. I kinda like it. There is the sanitary question, but I guess it’s better than actually eating out of the bin.

Speaking of which, I was having a chat with one of the security blokes behind Marks and Sparks on Long Acre. I asked him if a lot of food gets thrown away. “A shameless amount,” he said. I’ve heard of urban foragers who bin dive for food. It’s perfectly good food. My question is why grocers don’t do what Pret do. They give away their food for free at the end of the day.

You can’t bin dive at Long Acre, though. I’ve already checked. They’ve got security measures in place to protect all of that free food on its way to the land fill. How can we expect to save the planet and all those children starving in Africa if we are throwing away perfectly good food? Why can’t I have the free, not-even-barely-out-of-date food and then send the money that I would otherwise spend on food to Oxfam or something.

Sorry, this is such a rambling post. So stressed with the move that I can’t think clearly to edit.

For those of you who pray, say a little one tonight for Ms. Clio, the rat catcher of our estate. Jim told me today that she was struck down by a car. Both of her back legs are broken. They won’t let Juanita the owner in to see her. They are asking that Juanita sign a “do not resuscitate” order.

Ms. Clio is our estate cat. She has kept our estate clean from rats and mice for years now, which is a big deal in Covent Garden. Always greeting everyone with a friendly “meow” as she does her rounds, Ms. Clio is the bomb. If you don’t pray, then some good vibrations, please. And, if you are a cynic, then you have lost hope anyway.

I know it’s a small thing in such a world of hate and war, but small things need good vibrations as well.

Been drinking cheap Fosters, so forgive the drunken request. I don’t even have a picture of her, but, if she makes it out of the hospital alive, I’ll post one here.

Just got back from L.A. and have been bitching and moaning about the weather since I stepped off the plane. I was actually wearing a spaghetti strapped dress three days ago…without a jumper on top. But, Spring is springing in London as well. “Spring Renaissance” will begin in Covent Garden on the 23rd of April. Horticultural events and celebrations will abound. Look out for the two giant 25 foot peacocks (I think maybe they are made of flowers and now real), return of the flower market, weekend workshops, hanging baskets and fun for the kiddies. Men were at work today planting stuff, so check it out! As a resident of Covent Garden, might I remind you to take your rubbish with you and don’t drink too much and vomit in the Piazza. It’s not a good look for anyone.

FixMyStreet is another wonderful, simple app from MySociety. Use it to quickly report graffiti, fly-tipping, broken streetlighting, or whatever blights your morning stroll.

All you have to do is enter your postcode, click a map to locate the issue, and even upload photos of your favourite eyesores. I reported a burned out scooter that brightens up my daily commute.

I also had a jolly time looking at posts from other complainers; very satisfying curtain-twitching.

Photo courtesy of El Freddy via Flickr

The Independent Asylum Commission has released its report of the state of our asylum system, and they call it ’shameful’ and ’seriously below the standards to be expected of a humane and civilised society.’

Please let this be a wake-up to the fact that refugees are suffering in this country. Listening to the news, which helpfully points out any crime or allegation that involves an asylum seeker, you would think that they are the source of all of our problems. In fact, they suffering in a system that ‘combines incredible complexity with systemic incompetence.’ I’m talking about unlawful incarceration of families, children and torture survivors, combined with the hell of endless, fathomless court dates.

Humane treatment is simply what is needed.

Photo courtesy Independent Asylum Commission

That a new law or bylaw (whatever) was passed so that those IDIOTS on the buses and tubes get fined for they’re atrocious tastes in music.

Its like the one about not being able to smoke in a three walled bustop - unenforcable.

BRING BACK THE CONDUCTOR!!! And while you are at it the route masters too please!!!!

Me and the Boys tactic is to sit there and sing along whilst dancing as stupidly as possible….. it works….

this is funny

I haven’t been posting about the recent bomb scares in London. These are valid news items for the serious press, but I don’t want to contribute to a climate of ill-thought-out analysis or vaguely racist rumour, a la Sky News and free tube papers.

Instead, I’d like to suggest smile at a woman in a veil and hug a foreign doctor today.

You can also extend this to all foreigners, all people different from yourself, or even just everyone.

Please note, smiles and hugs should be nice and not creepy. Saying “psst psst psst” is not recommended. Try a ‘man-style’ hug, with plenty of back-thumping and pelvic distance.

You may be interested in reading Muslim voices on the bomb attacks for a reminder that our neighbours are regular people who should not be made to feel unsafe because of looking, or dressing, a certain way.