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Across the pond, American businesses like to offer freebies to their returning troops; turn up in uniform at a bar, bowling alley, or, er, brothel, and you're likely to be welcomed with a smile and a drink on the house. In Britain, you're more likely to be turned away: soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Rifles who trooped up to Tiger Tiger in Croydon were sent packing because their dress was too untidy.
The soldiers had previously been cheered as they marched through the streets of Croydon, having been invited by the Borough in honour of local lad Danny Simpson, one of thirteen the 19 LIght Brigade have lost in Afghanistan this year. After the march they retired to Tiger Tiger for a bit of R & R, but come 8pm bar staff told them to scram, as their fatigues weren't in line with the club's strict dress code. Some went home, while some went to a nearby Primark to buy cheap civilian clobber and returned later to the bar.
An over-reaction by an officious bar manager who should have bent the rules this one time? Not according to the general manager of Tiger Tiger. "it is our dress code that on Thursday nights people must come dressed in smart casual clothes", he droned. "We understand that they have just returned from Afghanistan but that is our policy".
Resented by many of the Afghans they're trying to help, and treated disgracefully upon their return to Blighty; who'd be a soldier?
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Around 3000 people gathered last night in Trafalgar Square for a vigil prompted by the homophobic attack in that same square on Ian Baynham on 25 September. Ian died of his injuries a few weeks later. A month later, to the day, James Parkes was set upon by a mob of 20 youths in the gay quarter of Liverpool.
Ian and James are sadly not alone. In London only, 1,192 homophobic offences were reported in the year to September 09, up from 1,008 the previous year - a rise of 18.3% and an average of almost 3 per day. Most attacks go unreported.
Speakers at the 2 hour vigil hosted by Sandi Toksvig included friends and relatives of Ian, Richard Barnes (Deputy Mayor of London), a female priest at St Martins in the Field who was vicar of Soho at the time of the 1999 bombings, Chris Bryant MP (Minister for Europe) and Maria Eagle MP (Minister of State for Equalities and twin of the only out lesbian MP) who read a message from Gordon Brown, and comedian Stephen K Amos. Sue Perkins read the names of some of the victims of homophobic violence over the last 10 years after the 2 min silence at 9pm.
The event also had an international angle with people being invited to take part in the moment of silence wherever they were. A lettre from Stuart Milk, Harvey Milk's nephew, was read out by the director of the newly open LGBT tourist office.
There were also musical contributions from a mass choir bringing together members of the LGBT choirs of London, Brighton and Hove, Birmingham and Reading as well as the London Gay Symphonic Winds.
More photos of the event can be viewed on flickr here. Images by the author.
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Song Que is one of the most popular Vietnamese restaurants along Pho Mile (Kingsland Road near Old Street) and on most days, you're likely to have to join a queue for a table. But that wait is worth it for the food that'll come your way. Start with tender beef wrapped in betel leaves, looking as black as beetles, each morsel just big enough to pop whole into your mouth. Or how about a plateful of crispy yet juicy soft shell crabs? Then move on to big bowlfuls of pho or bun - Londonist is a fan of the big and beefy pho broth. And the best part? Big portions of excellent food for bargain prices.
You might think this a good place to hide from the ghouls and goblins out tonight but watch out for the giant lobsters hanging on the wall! Happy Halloween!
Song Que
134 Kingsland Road
London E2 8DY
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In the first of a new series of urban walks, we take a look at the colours of the Regent's canal, beginning at Paddington Basin, through to Little Venice then on through Maida Vale, Regent's Park and finishing in Camden Town.
An industrial era waterway tagged with a royal name, Regent's Canal still flows quietly through some of the busiest parts of London, its towpath improbably stringing together some of the most different places you could think of. Walking down the towpath, layers of London's development unfold before your eyes. This is an opportunity to see London almost like a film reel, with new tableau opening round each bend. The railway lines form a rhythm. Every time you pass under one, the environment completely changes.
A stroll along the Regent's Canal teaches you how cities are made. There are different ways of addressing water - green slopes or concrete banks, boathouses or public houses, fenced off or open to influences. Bridges over the towpath seem to mark the passing of time, and recite something of history in street names - Royal College Street, York Way, Roman Road or Salmon Lane. Most of all, the canal experience teaches you to value melancholic industrial landscapes. People regularly find happiness and leisure in them - canal boats, cyclists, and walkers.
Click through the image gallery to learn more about the first stretch, from Paddington Basin to Camden Town. Total distance, 2.8 miles.
By Shibani Bose and M@
View Weekend Walks in a larger map
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A series celebrating the talent of our friends over in the Londonist Flickr pool. Here, they introduce themselves and share their favourite London shots.
My name is DOYLE and I live,work and play in South East London. That's not Croydon, Cheam or Morden, it is Camberwell, close enough to the River to hear Big Ben on a quiet evening. I work in rock and roll, looking after bands, travelling the world and sometimes taking photos. I used to be a freelance music photographer in the 80s, having my own darkroom which was a great passion, being able to play in there for hours, retouching and re-dodging prints. But I soon got bored (a habit of mine) of taking mugshots of musicians, so left the business altogether to run a vintage clothing shop with my wife in the now defunct Kensington Market.
One evening I went to see a friend's band play at the 100 Club in Oxford Street and the singer asked me if I would like to help out with band's gear as they were going to a gig in France in a transit van. That was 1992 and I am still on the road. I have all the opportunity to take photos of these bands at gigs and festivals but you know what? I leave that to all the budding rock photographers out there to massage the egos of the privileged!
London, to me, is being able to be free to wander the streets, meet new people, share their cultures, food, festivals and feel relatively safe doing it. Believe me, we have it good here! The City never bores me as she always throws up new images and is ever changing. But it has its drawbacks too. Just as you make friends with someone they decide London is not the place they want to live forever! That's a bummer but made up by the fact you meet so many different people. Being able to go on benders at night knowing there is a night bus home and a garage open for milk, bread and sundries is also a treat for those not living in the City too.
I love Ansel Adams, O Winston Link, Karsh,Bresson but, then again, I do love a good print!! As for gear, well in the past I have used everything from my own pinhole cameras to large format cameras but I think anything that records "The Decisive Moment" is fine. It's not always about quality is it? I have a Canon 350D which is fine for me at the moment as it's light, small,and fits in with travel although I would love to roam London with a lovely wooden large frame camera one day so, if anyone would like to help out with this....
Check out DOYLE's Flickrstream for more
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 Set in the appropriately spooky location of the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, this Halloween-themed Beer festival features a spine-tinglingly good selection of real ales from all corners of the UK. Hosted by bar/restaurant Le Gothique, the festival concentrates on dark and winter ales, although there is also a good range of lighter beer as well as a token cider. Although sampling the full selection was a task for greater men than we, Londonist did particularly enjoy the fragrant 'Honey Blonde' from Downton in Wiltshire, as well as the delicious 'Salem Porter' from Bateman's in Lincolnshire: a smooth blend of chocolate and aniseed flavours with a golden hint of caramel streaking through it. Befitting the spirit of the occasion, every ale sports an appropriately macabre name, with 'Last Porter Call' from the Titanic brewery probably winning the prize for best or worst effort, depending on how many pints you've had.
Despite seeing a few gentle giants slain by copious amounts of barley wine (coming in at 10% the 'Thomas Sykes' beer was a bit too acidic for our palette but evidently appreciated by more than a few) Londonist enjoyed the friendly atmosphere that so often occurs when you stick a lot of people passionate about beer into one room, or, in this case, into an eerie 19th century gothic courtyard. The festival continues until tonight, and, although pre-booking is no longer an option, tickets are still available on the door if you don't mind a short wait. Given that a reasonably priced BBQ selection and live music will be on offer during the evening it's definitely worth investigating, and we're sure there are worse places in London that you could lose your head this Halloween...
The Wandsworth Common Halloween Beer Festival takes place at Le Gothique, SW18 3SX, from 1pm today.
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