http://www.thefirstpint.co.uk The First Stop and Last Call for Students Abroad in London Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:11:08 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_4357" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The Chap Olympiad, a return to the UK's elegant past? Photo credit: Maja Kucova"][/caption] We Russians, angry or not, have a rather funny perception of England and its dwellers. It's largely formed of 19th and early 20th century novels – Dickens, PG Wodehouse, Agatha Christie etc, all ... http://www.thefirstpint.co.uk/2010/07/23/the-angry-russian-on-chavs-and-the-chap-olympiad/ [caption id="attachment_4292" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Avenue Q is at Wyndham's Theatre in Charing Cross. Photo credit: AndyRob/Flickr"][/caption] “If you have to watch a musical you might as well watch Avenue Q”. Praise indeed from a theatre hating friend of mine who had recently seen the musical comedy at West End’s Wyndham’s Theatre. ... http://www.thefirstpint.co.uk/2010/07/21/grade-a-puppetry/ [caption id="attachment_4301" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Swiss-born Noémie Ducimetière wooed the crowd with her French songs. Photo credit: Kathrine Anker"][/caption] “Do I have to sing the same song again…? For fuck’s sake!” Those were the words with which a baffled Noémie Ducimetière stumbled on stage after winning the 2010 Rhythm of London Busking ... http://www.thefirstpint.co.uk/2010/07/20/swiss-wins-rhythm-of-london-busking-competition/ [caption id="attachment_4277" align="alignright" width="300" caption="When the penis is mightier than the sword. Photo credit: Alexey Plutser"][/caption] Life in Russia, as you might have already guessed from my rants, is no walk in the park, at least for the common man. Even when we're not fighting the bloodiest war in history or ... http://www.thefirstpint.co.uk/2010/07/19/the-angry-russian-on-his-artistic-angry-compatriots/ [caption id="attachment_3204" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The 1-2-3-4 Festival 2009"][/caption] Just in case you missed the new indie bands getting Pitchfork in a frenzy at Camden Crawl—1-2-3-4 is here to save the day. July will herald in the third annual 1-2-3-4 Shoreditch Festival. The one day festival on 24 July will present the best ... http://www.thefirstpint.co.uk/2010/07/06/the-1-2-3-4-festival-shoreditch-24-july/ Another great product from Cincopa Send Files. Cincopa video hosting solution for your website. document.getElementById("_cp_widget_4c5359e574449").innerHTML=''; cp_load_widget("%5Bcincopa+10658224%5D", "_cp_widget_4c5359e574449"); The first Saturday of July saw people of all sizes, age and nationalities come out in support of the 40th year of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), painting the streets of central London in vibrant rainbow ... http://www.thefirstpint.co.uk/2010/07/05/pride-london-parade/ [caption id="attachment_4287" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Happy Canada Day everybody! Photo credit: Ian Muttoo"][/caption] Canadians! Yeah, all you ex-pat Canucks (and friends)...remember epic Molson commercial from a few years back? Best beer commercial ever composed, that is. Enough to bring a tear to the eye and pull the heart strings toward the True North ... http://www.thefirstpint.co.uk/2010/07/01/canada-day-in-mother-england/ By Emma Nilsson and Aoife Yourell [caption id="attachment_4183" align="alignleft" width="230" caption="London's financial sector fear a cap will damage the economy. Photo: Dimitry B"][/caption] The coalition government have finally rolled out details of the Conservative cap on immigration with a temporary limit to be put in place from July 16th. From mid-July, ... http://www.thefirstpint.co.uk/2010/06/30/the-immigration-cap/ [caption id="attachment_3199" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Shoreditch Festival 2010 will be held in Shoreditch Park all weekend"][/caption] This year will mark the Shoreditch Trust's ninth annual Shoreditch Festival from July 16-18. The free, cultural festival is designed to highlight the arts in East London in a family-friendly atmosphere. Taking place in Shoreditch Park, the ... http://www.thefirstpint.co.uk/2010/06/30/shoreditch-festival-2010/ [caption id="attachment_4098" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Crocodile Spring roll anyone? Photo: Deus Florida"]South African Food[/caption] There are an estimated three hundred thousand South Africans living in London and like most ex-pat communities they have made their own cultural contribution to the city. There are several South African bars, restaurants and shops dotted across ... http://www.thefirstpint.co.uk/2010/06/28/a-south-african-feast/