Poems by Paula

Paula shares with us THREE of her beautiful poems and the philosophy behind her writing:

MRCF has made a positive difference to many people's lives and continues to do so. It makes you feel so hopeful, like it's possible to create change. The social aspects of life have always interested me. Why is the world the way it is, for good or for bad? Is a human being strictly limited by his or her circumstances, flaws or conditions? The clearest thing to me is that society is a reflection of every human being.  It's kinda true, you have to be the change you wish to see. Sometimes it is easy to underestimate our impact on our world and to each other but every act of kindness goes a long way. Nothing is ever lost by sharing. Every defeat, every tragedy and disappointment is, in my opinion, a gift so that we can strengthen and renew the human spirit of love, forgiveness, compassion and kindness.

Fresh Bread

London Elections 2012

Do you care about the next Mayor of London? Or do you perceive local politics as a distant sphere with little connection to your everyday life?

On May 3, 2012 Londoners aged 18 or over will elect the new Mayor of this town and the 25 members of the London Assembly. The Mayor’s job ranges from housing, transport, environment, policing, health, culture, (emergency) planning and development, all the way to economic development and regeneration. The Assembly Members hold the Mayor accountable by examining his/her decisions and making sure the Mayor delivers given promises to Londoners.

In order to vote you need to register where you live before April 18 but also have to know where, when and how to vote. Answers to these questions can be found at the London Elects webpage. 

However, a more important question is why vote in the first place? The answer to that question was given by Kristina Hemon in a new post: Why should migrants care about the Mayor of London?

Still, if you have any doubts, then join us on March 27 at MRCF and find out more how the Mayor can improve the quality of our lives and communities, but also how you can influence this year’s elections!

Let your voice be heard!

DO try this at home!

Sofi shares with us how to make some delicious sounding and looking Ethiopian specialties!

The lentil dish Mesir Wot is a sauce that is especially popular during the Lent period. It's a healthy dish that can be eaten hot or cold and is easy to cook. 

Ingredients:

2 cups of lentils

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon salt

4-5 garlic cloves (peeled and finely chopped or mashed)

1/2 cup of cooking oil (your preferred oil - I use corn oil)

2-3 tablespoons of bebere (red chili powder - this is very spicy and hot with a strong flavour so don't put too much of this)

1 can chopped tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes boiled for about 2-3 minutes so it will be easy to peel the skin, and chopped)

Directions:

Food Stories: Submissions Wanted

Food is essential for our survival, but it is so much more - our food stories are often our most personal and most beautiful stories.

Shazea Quraishi, a visiting writer from English PEN, is putting together a booklet of recipes and food stories, for a sharing of memories and favourite food at MRCF.

She is looking for recipes for food close to your heart – perhaps something your mother or grandmother made, or something you make for yourself or friends.   
To accompany the recipe, please write a short piece - perhaps a memory of eating that food, or how it makes you feel.

Send to: shazea.q@gmail.com by April 1st, 2012     

     

*Entries received before March 14 will also be submitted to the PEN anthology unless you indicate you’d prefer not to