CWA Awards and London Fun

Annamaria on Monday

I am in London, where I travelled for the CWA banquet and a chance to meet up with some friends.  But the huge highlight of the trip was attending the CWA Dagger awards ceremony with Leye Adenle, one of Sunshine Noir's two (out of the six!!!) nominees for best short story.

Stan warned us that the affair was very posh, so Leye and I did our best to make a good impression.

The tables were set with place cards that put us pals opposite each other.  

When I picked up my phone to snap this picture through the candles..

I found Leye taking the same photo of me.

The competition for the our category was stiff, and the award went to LC Tyler, but we agreed that our Sunshine hotties snagging two of the six spots was a huge honour. (This spelling courtesy of my laptop knowing that I am in the UK at the moment.)

I noted that of the six nominees for the International dagger...

...the only Nordic entry won,...

...but I was encouraged to note that four of the six nominees were hot clime writers--two Italians and two Spaniards.

A huge THANK YOU to the delightful Ali Karim for the picture of
 Leye and me above.

I spent the ensuing two days in my usual guise, as a Nerd in Paradise, researching at the British Library:

A few of the front page images that grace the walls of the Newsroom in the library

Three of the four volumes of bound copies of British East African newspapers
that were at my disposal.

You know you're a nerd when you look at a huge book full of these and say,
"Yum."

A Fourth of July Call to Action

––Jeff

Having watched the films "Spotlight," "Trumbo," and "Selma" on my trans-Atlantic flight this past Monday, I think it’s fair to say that I’m rather short on patience when it comes to the subject of ruthless dark souls willing to destroy the lives of innocents as a means for advancing their insidious political agendas.  Which I think is an appropriate way for one to feel over this 4th of July weekend celebrating the birth of our nation of immigrants and refugees.

The subject of intolerance is not new to me, for I’ve spoken out several times before against Greece’s neo-Nazi political party, Chrysi Avgi aka Golden Dawn and its use of violence against those it considers less than Greek. (“Greece Cannot Allow That to Happen,” August 11, 2012, and “I Will Not be Silent,” June 30, 2012).

Nor is immigrant-directed violence elsewhere in Europe a surprise.  It’s been on the uptick for years, fueled by the intolerant preaching of agenda-laden demagogues warning communities to band together to protect themselves from the invading foreign hordes.  Undoubtedly, the recent flood of immigrants into Europe has made those communities far more susceptible to such messages of intolerance, giving false credence to the demagogues’ claims that people cannot trust their governments to be there for them.

Precisely how to accomplish the promised protection is left purposely vague, for the real goal of such faux populist saviors is always the same: gaining personal power at any cost.

They offer catchy buzzwords and blame, subtly directed at those of a different color, religion, national origin or sexual orientation.  It is a longstanding favorite ruse, one used to generate that feeding frenzy of emotion demagogues rely upon to drive wedges between their proffered solutions and a principled civilized society.

Too often the technique works, especially when those who truly disagree with the message still find excuses for doing nothing to oppose it, or, worse still, see its success as a sort of retributive gesture to those in power.  All one need do to see that awesome angry force in action is watch its march west from the Philippines elections, through the Brexit vote, and on into the US Presidential campaign.

Philippine President

For those who say, it could never happen here—wherever here may be—I commend you to this post by a British friend of mine, Ali Karim, with whom I sit on the Board of Bouchercon.  I first saw it on Facebook and at Ali’s request Stan posted it here on Murder is Everywhere in his Thursday slot. Ali is an educated, thoroughly engaging, native born British family man and successful businessman who happens to possess the sort of permanent tan I spend far too much time in the Mykonos sun trying to emulate.

That's Ali, second from left.

I defy you to read his words without wondering how you would cope with what Ali and his family must face each day.  And then ask yourself, how can I not speak up?  Act up?

There is a hideous poisonous growth out there, spreading, taking root, and flourishing.  Nothing we can do will ever stamp it out. Nothing. But we can cut it way back through vigilance and hard work.  It will not be easy, for it grows tendrils far too easily, but fight it we must. If not, we have no one to blame but ourselves for the horrific consequences.

Yes, do not think you can blame the demagogues, for they are doing only what comes naturally to them.

Blame yourselves, because those who find convenient excuses for doing nothing in the face of obvious impending horror have only themselves to blame for the consequences.

These are truly times that try one’s soul, and we must stand up and be counted for the sake of those like Ali, for the sake of our nations, our world, ourselves.

––This is Saturday, my name is Jeffrey Siger, and I approved this message.

A plea from a friend

Stanley - Thursday

Annamaria contacted me about posting a Facebook piece from a friend of mine and of so many crime writers everywhere. 
 Ali Karim is legendary in our circles as someone who has an immense knowledge of mysteries, an immense stamina for enjoying himself, and an amazing ability, it seems, to go for weeks on end without sleep, while at the same time holding down a high-powered job as a businessman and scientist.

Ali Karim: reader and reviewer

Ali and his mathematician daughter Sophia

Ali with Lee Child

Ali in party mode

Ever since the Brexit vote was announced, Ali lobbied against it, arguing not only what he believed to be its disastrous economic consequences, but also what he thought would happen to civil society. 
 After the vote was in, and the UK was out, just what he predicted started to happen.  The louts came out in droves, threatening and abusing people who weren't white or English.  Here are three examples, the first from the Financial Times, the second from The Guardian, and the third from the Express & Star.

What has happened has reminded Ali of his own youth, so he penned and posted what appears below - a plea to us all._________________________________________

Warning to all my Family, Friends and Colleagues:

We are witnessing an alarming rise in hate in the UK, including violence, against people who don't fit in with the Aryan Dream from White Racist Thugs - directed at people like me.The Black Shirts are Back, so can I please ask my Friends who are Aryan, and not Racist, to please speak up, and help anyone being verbally or physically abused, because they are not Aryan.

This nostalgia of my youth, I thought had been defeated, but it is back, and this time it is very dangerous, for we have unlocked the door that kept The Kraken imprisoned, for it feeds on Economic Turmoil, which is about to get very serious, and is part of the dark side of human nature.

I recall being a seven year old, holding my head and crouched in a ball as a gang of youths, cornered me in the school playground, kicking me, calling me many names "Wog, Nigger, Coon, get out of our Country", but as I was so badly winded, I thought I was dying, as I couldn't breath, trying desperately to reason with them, to say 'sorry I'm from Epsom' as I didn't understand why they wanted to hurt me.

This was not an isolated incident from my youth, far from it.

Please help us, as we have helped rebuild your country after the last War, please intervene if you see hate, and violence as it will spread as we haven't seen anything yet, I fear, as the economy destroyed will fuel the chaos that the Nazis and their Kraken need to emerge from the slime where they hide.

Thank you,

Ali Karim

_________________________________________

And we must do the same everywhere, particularly in the USA for the next four months.

Thank you, Ali, for reminding us of our duty as believers in a civil society.

Ali and friends

books...we'll always have books

I first saw this on a poster in a bookstore in NYC, think it was the great Strand bookstore.
This was one poster I wanted but never got around to bringing it home on the plane. Recently I
discovered it online and some history behind it. This was taken at Holland House in London after a bombing during the Blitz. Holland House was built in 1605, in the 19th century hosted literary types as Byron, Thomas Macaulay, Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Dickens and Sir Walter Scott.
Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother and King George VI attended the last great ball held at the house a few weeks before the outbreak of World War II. In September 1940, the building was badly hit during a ten hour bombing raid. Today the remains form a backdrop for the open air Holland Park Theatre, home of Opera Holland Park. A youth hostel is now located in the house. The Orangery is now an exhibition and function space, with the adjoining former Summer Ballroom, The Belvedere, now a restaurant. The former Icehouse is now a gallery space.
Here's a clip from British Pathé newsreel that shows the library. http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=75191

HOLLAND HOUSE DAMAGED

The remains of Holland House were left in ruins until 1952 when it was partially restored, leaving some ruined areas to remember, and thrives today. But this photo says so much; what people go to in adversity, the strength of reading, the refuge books provide and so much. I posted the photo on Facebook and received so many, many comments I'd like to share some here. It touched a chord for many.

" It's good to know you'll be surrounded by friends when you die."

"I still think there is nothing like a REAL book to read ... not Kindle or Barnes & Noble's Nook. Just bought Murder in the Marais today ... a real book!"

"If we have a power outage I guess people might have to ...read!"

"Surreal"

"The British ethos of "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON" when confronted by adversity"

"My parents were in London during the blitz, my father designed radar, my mother was a red cross nurse - but they went to the theatre."

"Oh my gosh. I'm a librarian and absolutely love this!"

From our UK friend Ali Karim "My elderly Aunt from North London was a Nurse in London. She is German and came to London just after WW2. She came with my Uncle who was a pilot, and like me of Indian origin. My aunt Klara due to her German background suffered terrible racial abuse from the other London nurses, because due to terrible London Blitz, many had lost relatives and seen many terrible results on the people of London. At that time she could not tell them about the equally terrible bombing of German cities such as Dresden, or where she was a child, and witnessed for herself, with her own eyes, the horrific damage those bombers did during those dark days. She was a great reader, loved music. Well into her 90's she is in a nursing home with a destroyed short-term memory, but her long-term memory is intact, complete with sounds of aircraft engines, bomb blasts and the screams they brought."

Cara - Tuesday