Bulletin

We asked two Londonewcastle employees who will remain anonymous about the much debated “North-South Divide” & why they felt their side of the river was better

-Anonymous, Sales & Marketing, South Londoner-

You get considerably more for your money in South London & the people are far less arrogant and more down to earth.

Greenwich (home of Greenwich Mean Time) is one of my favourite areas. It has a quaint maritime feel to it and has some amazing pubs, restaurants and bars. The Royal Observatory houses London’s only planetarium and is great for stargazing.

I also love wondering around Borough Market on weekends sampling delicious chocolates, wines and cheeses and discovering London’s newest culinary trends.

Brixton is also a Mecca for nightlife with live venues such as Ritzy, Electric Brixton & Brixton Academy attracting some of the best known international artists. By contrast Camden is full of sweaty gothic pimpled teenagers.

South Londoners frequently bemoan the transportation but with everything South London has to offer I seldom need to go North of the River.

–Anonymous, Development Manager, North Londoner-

I once tried to visit South London back in 2006 but it took me two hours to get back home. The District Line wasn’t working and the replacement buses were delayed. I didn’t bother taking a taxi because the roads were congested and the people on foot were moving faster than the traffic.

Not that there’s anything wrong with South London (besides the transport links) however there is nothing South of the river that we don’t already have in North London that is better.

Take our parks as an example, Clapham Common is nice but it doesn’t command the same views across London as Hampstead Heath does. North London also has better restaurants, Caravan in Kings Cross which serves a sumptuous grilled octopus and chorizo dish is a favourite of mine. Even the football teams here are better!

Brit Awards this Wed night.

Not much point guessing who will win the best female solo artist this year but the best male is a much more interesting contest. First of all, 4 out of the 5 are dance artists. Brilliant that legend Aphex Twin made the list of nominees.The running though is really between pretty boys (and hair-a-likes!) Jamie XX and Mark Ronson. We're kinda rooting for old mate, MR, who smashed it big time in the US. But both are well deserving. Good luck to all.

Winter is officially over as yesterday marked the equinox, the day in which the sun passed the celestial equator and transitioned from North to South. On Sunday March 27th clocks will go forward in the UK meaning there will be an additional hour of daylight for us all although this is of course a matter of preference rather than one of astrological significance.

Below are some of the ways that different cultures celebrate the start of spring

Hindu’s celebrate the festival of Holi, which signifies good triumphing over evil. During the festival it is customary to light a bonfire the night before where families gather together, and chuck a load of paint over each other the following day in which you prepare by rubbing “gulal” and “abeer” into people’s faces. A traditional snack eaten during festivities is Dhali Bala, a spongy lentil dumpling served with a creamy yogurt and topped with tamarind and coriander chutney.

In Japan, spring is marked by the blossoming en masse of the Sakura (cherry blossom tree), the national flower and a metaphor for the transitory nature of life. Meteorologists provide a televised cherry blossom forecast providing a petal by petal analysis of when blossoming will be due. This ubiquitous flower beautifies the surroundings when opened.

Germans celebrate “Fruhlingsfest”, a scaled down version of “Oktoberfest”. During the celebrations copious amount of bier is consumed in oversized “biersteins” or giant beer mugs. If this sounds like fun but don’t take my word for it, take the word of Wasenhasi, Stuttgarts official mascot.

“let me introduce myself? I’m Wasenhasi, the mascot of the Cannstatter Wasen in Stuttgart. I’ve been living here since 2007 and I can certainly say that life is never boring here. Festivals, shows, circuses, concerts, exhibitions – there’s something happening throughout the year.”

There you go.