Wasi has something to share

the past week seems to have zoomed by faster than the speed of neutrinos on uppers!  i wish this analogy could be applied to me also, but unfortunately, I seemed to have compensated by sinking into a go-slow, overloaded with: - work-work (i leave my current job in a week, and there suddenly seem to be way too many loose-ends that need securing),  -home-work (visitors from liverpool; a naming ceremony; packing to go to nigeria, and more importantly, getting my mum off yesterday morning...we arrived at the airport at 5.40am...i dozed my way through work),  and life-work (um, well, i say 'work' - tweeting, readingarticles, being in touch with friends and going to see John Osborne's brilliant 'John Peel's Shed' have hardly been taxing - they just take time). my eager blogging of the week before has fallen by the way side this week, but maybe in part because there's been so much going on, it's been a bit much fitting in the part where i sit down and rel...

Today: - the catherdal issued this statement which basically can be summed up by the following excerpt from the Dean's open letter to OccupyLSX: " With a heavy heart I have to tell you that St Paul’s Cathedral has to be closed today until further notice, because of the legal requirements placed upon us by fire, health and safety issues." - a statement was issued by OccupyLSX in return, basically stating that the camp feels it has met the requirements placed by the London Fire Brigade, and Health & Safety officials. The conclusion of an emergency meeting held this afternoon was a consensus that the camp will stay in place for now, and continue to pursue a positive dialogue with the church, in terms of finding out what exactly are the issues to health & safety, given the above all-clear. I took a BBC reporter to task for  In other news, tomorrow there will be celebrations of the camp's first week anniversary; there will be a public assembly at 1pm; and th...

Few words today, as I am falling down tired.  Realised that my enthusiasm and need to get to the camp every day, and determination to blog every night is meaning even less sleep than I usually get.  Still, probably more sleep (and definitely more comfortable) than those sleeping out on the cobbles, with just a a few pieces of canvas and zotefoam (new word, learnt tonight - thanks AG) as a pretence at shelter. Tonight at camp, the projector showed pictures of occupy groups around the world.  I was open-mouth stunned at the sea of people in so many of the places shown.  The solidarity of this movement is such an important element - feeling, seeing, knowing it is not just us, we are not alone in this struggle, in these feelings of discontentment.  This is truly a global movement, and I hope it is true that it is 'too big to fail'. Over by the sukkah, a Jewish service was held for the festival of succot (please, please correct me if I have this detail wrong!)....

there is rarely ever dignity in the end for the cornered oppresor, fleeing fluttering freefall from self-imposed pedestals, more so this truth and many rejoice toss words like 'comeuppance' 'good riddance' as though in that time of meting out oppression they stood at the front line of opposition voices echo loud now raised in victory while boots sink in to flesh not yet cold the world watching, a sympathetic nod at this indecency there's rarely ever dignity in the end, for the cornered oppressor more so this truth but the indignities beyond death they paint no pretty pictures either not for those once oppressed nor the onlookers, grinning sympathy, wolfishly watching

The news this morning (especially that around the brutal eviction of Dale Farm) had me start the day feeling fed up and more than a litle hopeless.  What I see at Occupy LSX, and hear from the Occupy Movement in general, restored the hope that things can be different. Today I got to spend a good few hours at the camp.  Every day I note this, but... every day, it seems, in between my visits, there is growth and there is progress.  Talks, workshops and working groups continue - having attended a working group myself for the first time since Saturday, and also signing up to the Indy Media team, I find still a great level of incusion, real listening, and a welcoming of various ideas and opinions. General Assembly - rumours that the Cathedral have asked Occupy LSX to leave were officially quashed.  It seems The Times and the Evening Standard have got their facts wrong (great journalism as usual, then!) - a good inidcation, perhaps, that the initial positive reportin...

Only ended up being able to spend a v brief time at occupy lsx this evening.  While there, though, I was struck by the number of visitors it seems to be receiving.  Tourists streamed through, taking photos, marvelling at the efficiency of something that apparently is just 'a bunch of benefit scroungers'... Hmmmm.  Well, if that's the level of organisation, cooperation and true democracy that results from benefit scrounger, maybe we need a few more in power... oh wait, maybe that's what the expenses scandal was all about... A man asked another to film him beneath the 'Tahrir Square' sign, as he spoke in Arabic about what was happening around him.  A group of German high school students were led through, and an American couple were shown around, commenting on how great it was that the camp got the backing of the church. As usual (is it already 'usual'? I guess it is), walking round, I encountered a number of meetings, talks and people chatting - about th...