Mouth-defying Burgers at The Star by Hackney Downs

We all know what a burger is, right? A bun, a meat patty, some veggies and ketchup - cheese too, if you’re lucky.

Flickr/Nick Perrone

Well think again. 

The Yeah! Burger pop-up at The Star by Hackney Downs, Queensdown Road, offers a different mind-boggling burger-creations every week. Once you try its unusual offerings, you'll never eat a plain old McDonald's again. 

The food... 

Tobias Lawrence, The Star’s supervisor, told us about this week’s crazy creation: the ‘Frankie Boyle’. 

Named after the infamously acerbic Scottish comic, this burger really is one hell of a mouthful. Lawrence said: “They’ve made their own scotch eggs, which they cut in half and use as buns, then stack more meat in the middle.

“It really fills your protein quota for the week”. 

Our taste-tester struggled to pick up the “over the top and messy” burger, let alone finish it. 

Yeah! Burger’s past offerings include the Ramen Burger - which substitutes a burger bun for ramen noodles - and an Asian-inspired burger packed with deep-fried oysters.

More conservative burgers, such as your standard American cheese burger, can be found on the regular menu, but with so much choice on offer it’d almost be a sin to stick to your old faithfuls. 

The Star...

If the food is surprising, the venue is extraordinary. 

From the outside, The Star looks like a run-down, local dive. Inside, it’s a hipster’s haven - complete with candle-lit tables, up-cycled furniture and toilets with saloon doors. 

The Star’s laid-back, anything-goes atmosphere will put diners at ease as they tuck into wacky culinary creations. 

“It’s a very friendly, nice crowd’, Mr Lawrence said: “there’s always a good vibe”.    

The future...

The burger bounty at The Star won’t be running dry anytime soon, as Mr Lawrence told us that Christmas-themed burgers could be on the horizon. 

Ten Things To Do in Hackney in Autumn

The days are getting colder, the nights are getting darker and people keep telling you how many days there are ‘till Christmas. Yes, that’s right, we’re officially in ‘Autumn’. Here at Hackney Post we’ve compiled a lovely list of things to keep you and your family busy during the season; so dust off the cobwebs, don your hats and scarves and get exploring Hackney! 

  1. Broadway Market. Broadway Market is a Hackney institution, so if you haven’t visited yet now’s your chance. Browse the stalls selling quality fruit and veg, fresh fish, bread, cakes and cheese – and maybe try some samples too. Autumn means harvest-time, so the fare is sure to be extra delicious. The Broadway Market takes place from 9am – 5pm every Saturday, and runs from London Fields park to the Regent’s Canal. 

Flickr/Matthew Black

  2. Gone Girl at Hackney Picturehouse. This domestic thriller based on Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel is bound to keep you entertained on a nippy Autumn evening. Hackney Picturehouse - a relatively small, local cinema - is the perfect setting for such an intimate film. Visit Picturehouse Cinemas’ website for dates and times. 

  3. Hackney fireworks display. On Saturday 8 November you can enjoy a ‘spectacular show of fireworks set to music’ at Clissold Park, Stoke Newington. There will be illuminated stilt-walkers, an aerialist and stalls selling traditional bonfire-night fare. This is the first fireworks display in Hackney in over 10 years; here’s hoping it goes off with a bang. Gates open at 5pm and the display starts at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £7.50 for adults and £2.50 for children and must be bought in advance from the Hackney Empire box office. 

  4. Walkabout in Hackney. The weather’s getting grimmer, but that doesn’t mean fitness should go on the back-burner. This free walking tour will meet at noon every Thursday from 8 October – 18 December at St Joseph’s Café. The walkabout is a great opportunity to explore the local area, meet new people and burn a few calories. The tour is open for those aged 18-80. For more information email Charlotte Griffin.

  5. A Gothic and Ghostly Gathering - a night at The Geffrye Museum. Get geared up for Halloween with an evening of spine-tingling live music, readings, anecdotes and ballads from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries at The Geffrye Museum. The event takes at 7pm on 6 November. Tickets cost £16 and £13 for concessions and the price includes a glass of wine. 

  6. Hackney Flashers Exposed - photography exhibition. On their 40th anniversary this feminist photo-collective will discuss their work and the importance of groups like themselves. In the 1970s their exhibitions ‘Women and Work’ and ‘Who’s Holding the Baby?’ broke the mold, and art-lovers will get a chance to see them again on the day. The free talk takes place on the 12 October at 2pm at Chats Palace Arts Centre, Homerton.

  7. Luminous Lanterns workshop Looking for something to keep the kids occupied over half-term? Try the Luminous Lanterns workshop at The Geffrye Museum. Kids aged 11 and over will get the chance to create their own atmospheric lantern inspired by patterns in the museum’s collection. The workshop takes place from 2 – 4pm on 29 October. To book contact The Geffrye Museum.

  8. Verden cheese and wine bar. Enjoy some fine wine, fresh cheese and cured meat at this newly-opened bar/restaurant. Food and drink is affordable, but the decor oozes sophistication. Verden is a perfect venue for a relaxed evening with friends or a partner. You can find it on Clarence Road, Clapton. 

  9. Ghost-sign walking tour. On 2 November ‘Mr Ghostsigns’ Sam Roberts will lead a tour around Stoke Newington exploring the relics of advertisements past. This is one for the history-lover...or the advertising exec! Tickets cost £12.50 and must be booked in advance. 

Flickr/David Holt London

  10. Hot Yoga Warm yourself up this Autumn with some hot yoga. Classes are held in a room heated to 40 degrees, so you’re guaranteed to get extra sweaty as you stretch. Hotpod Yoga runs morning and evening classes at its all-new ‘Roofpod’ in London Fields. Single class passes start at £12.

The Meowvement: Parody Twitter Account Helps ISIS Recruit Teens

Pro-Islamists are recruiting teens to the jihadist militant group ISIS via a Twitter account that shares pictures of cats.

‘Islamic State of Cat’ (@ISILcats) is ISIS’s latest propaganda tactic, and aims to show prospective jihadis its more benevolent side. The parody twitter account features pictures of fully-armed jihadi fighters posing with cats, kittens and puppies, handing out food to local children during Ramadan and eating pancakes.

The unidentified owner of the account has social media savvy, adopting the seemingly innocuous internet language ‘Lolcat’, which was made popular by picture-sharing website icanhas.cheezburger.com. Islamic State of Cat’s ‘twitter bio’ reads ‘I Can Haz Islamic State Plz :)’, while the jihadi fighters pictured are referred to as ‘Mewjahid’ – a catlike take on the Arabic word Mujahid, meaning one who struggles for the state of Allah or Islam.

The account has gained 3,721 followers since it was created on the 25^th of June, and its popularity is growing rapidly. Follower @MyWhatNinja urged people to ‘go follow @ISILcats because islam + cats = world peace’, while @OccupyMyCat said Islamic State of Cat ‘have this social media thing nailed’.

Islamic State of Cat’s first tweet - ‘Bismillah, we start in the name of Allah’ - makes its owner’s religious leaning clear. The account holder also retweeted a tweet by user @RadioRome, labelling ‘USA’ ‘The biggest oppressor […] rapist […] [and] slanderer’ ‘on earth’.

Islamic State of Cat blends aggression with cuteness; ‘most important thing to put in your ammunition vest and bring to battle is a kitten’ reads the caption to a picture of a ginger moggy. The cats pictured have been named after notorious Islamic extremists Abu Abdullah al-Rashid al-Baghdadi and Abu Hamza al-Masri, who was extradited to the US last October. ISIS jihadi Abu Muhammad al Amkiri – who lived in the US for 10 years before joining the cause – is shown ‘hugging’ a lamb in a picture the Islamic State of Cat describes as ‘Cuteness Defined’.

The parody account has a serious aim: recruiting young Muslims from the West to fight in Syria and elsewhere. Islamic State of Cat retweeted a video of secretive ISIS leader Caliph Ibrahim (Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi)’s speech, in which he demands Muslims to ‘obey’ and ‘assist’ him. Bizarrely, Islamic State of Cat also extended their appeal for ISIS recruits to Muslim One Direction boy-band member Zayn Malik, claiming he ‘needs to join jihad, not be another dumb sissy celebrity’.

The plea to Malik may have been a joke but there may be many young extremists who see the site as a call, or meow, to arms. 

Pre-School Proms Turning Toddlers Into Tiara Tyrants

Forget naptime, there’s a hot new event at nurseries around the country: the ‘pre-school prom’.

Recently the MailOnline ran a story on Beth Woolley, an 11-year-old from Tipton whose mother Aimee splashed out £1000 on clothes, transport and beauty procedures to prepare her for her ‘primary school prom’. Shockingly, Beth won’t be the youngest child decking herself out this summer; tots aged three to four will be glamming up for their own lavish events.

When the trend for proms began in the US, they were typically only held when a teenager graduated from high school aged 16 or 17. Now, children as young as three may find themselves invited to a prom.

At a ‘preschool prom’ a tot may be encouraged to arrive in a swanky car or limo, walk down a red carpet and have professional photographs taken with his or her tiny pals. After the event, parents might be asked to purchase a DVD 'movie' of the prom. 

Another feature of the American high school prom that has been co-opted by preschools is the practice of handing out awards, such as ‘Friendliest Toddler’ and ‘Best Tidy-Upper’. On one hand, it could be suggested that encouraging competition in children from an early age is ‘healthy’ and will prepare them for challenges in life – specifically the first-come-first-serve climate of the primary school playground. On the other hand, they’re only toddlers. These tots will learn enough about competition later on, when they have to compete for jobs and partners. Toddlers should be running around making sandcastles, not vying for various titles.

Yet, unfortunately, awards aren’t the most discomfiting part of the preschool prom. The difference between a school disco and a prom is that at the former children are generally encouraged to wear inexpensive clothes that they can boogie in. At the latter, appearance is key. Like Beth Woolley’s mother, parents of preschoolers will feel under pressure to doll their children up in tiered, diamante dresses and sharp three-piece suits – which, as the kids are so little, are likely only to be worn once. High street department store Debenhams is cashing in on the prom phenomenon, and has launched an expensive range of prom dresses for ‘Little Ladies’ and suits for ‘Miniature Gents’ created by designers such as John Rocha. One of the primary reasons school uniforms exist is so that children are equal. Uniforms ensure kids don’t experience feelings of inadequacy and/or bullying if their families can’t afford new trainers or brand-name t-shirts. As the Woolley’s story shows, these events can often escalate into ridiculous displays of wealth which, more often than not, leave one or several less-moneyed children feeling embarrassed or unworthy.

There’s another troubling aspect of the toddler ball that can’t go unrecognized: pre-sexualisation. There is simply no need for a three-year old to be wearing make-up, applying fake nails or having a spray tan: they should be focused on developing the content of their character, not the quality of their appearance. I am sure not all parents whose children have attended preschool proms have trussed them up like dolls but, unfortunately, a quick google search returns examples of those who have. But those those parents should not be treated too harshly. The word ‘prom’ conjures up ideas about glamour; misguided guardians may think they need to enhance their children in this way, and that they and their child will be judged if they don’t. Proms create bubbles; attention and energy is poured into the event, and practices that would seem ridiculous in the ‘outside world’ suddenly become permissible.

Finally, need we mention the glaring issues concerning gender that surround these baby balls? Proms encourage kids to conform to gender norms. A boy must be a dashing ‘Prom King’, and a girl a sweet ‘Prom Queen’; males in suits, females in dresses. Rather than teaching tots to wear what they like and be comfortable in their own skin, 'preschool proms' reinforce the belief that clothing defines who you are.

Society has a slight obsession with all things mini – the ‘travel size’ sections of pharmacies are ever-expanding and Tesco makes a mint off bite-size pizzas. Toddlers may look adorable in little suits and tiny prom dresses, but the ‘aww-factor’ doesn’t make up for the ‘ugh’ moments incurred along the way. ‘Preschool proms’ are only likely to cause stress, expense and jealousy – bring back the cheesy DJs, play-clothes and jelly and ice-cream which characterised school leaving parties of yore. 

Singapore Takes A Step Back With Gay Book Ban

Children’s stories trumping inclusivity are to be scrapped by a traditionalist book board in Singapore.

The National Library Board (NLB)  has not only banned but will destroy copies of three children’s books featuring portrayals of ‘unconventional’ families following complaints from a handful of members of the general public.

The move seems to mimic Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ban on the distribution of ‘gay propaganda’ in Russia earlier this year. Both rulings effectively curtail freedom of expression and freedom of press, as pro-LGBT writers are less likely produce said materials if it is illegal to distribute them. The bans also limit each country’s citizens’ freedom of choice when it comes to reading material.

The banned books in question are And Tango Makes Three, a story (based on real events) about two male penguins raising a penguin chick; Who’s In My Family: All About Our Families, a book which describes and depicts ‘unconventional’ family set-ups; The White Swan Express: A Story About Adoption, a tale concerning a lesbian couple’s attempt to adopt.

Singapore’s Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim showed his support for NLB’s decision in a statement on Facebook. ‘‘NLB’s approach is to reflect existing social norms, and not to challenge or seek to change them’’, he said.

In the UK gay and lesbian families are, increasingly, considered to be part of the social norm, but in Singapore it is a different story. The Southeast Asian country has strict and specific laws on homosexuality. Lesbian women are allowed to engage in sexual activity, serve in the military and gain access to IVF services. Meanwhile, it is illegal for gay men to have sexual relations, serve in the forces or hire a surrogate: the penalty for any of these ‘crimes’ is up to two years in prison. Same-sex marriage is illegal for both women and men.

In spite of these laws, there is a thriving, underground LGBT community in the country. Gay citizens make use of the anonymity the internet affords, and use portals such as ‘Blowing Wind Gay Forums’ to discuss the challenges they face. Pengali Pride Centre is a centre for sexual minorities in Singapore which holds a variety of events and has an extensive library of gay literature.

The dissemination of the aforementioned children’s books in public libraries was a step in the right direction for the LGBT movement in Singapore - a step that might have helped the community come into the light. Sadly, the NLB has chosen to privilege ‘tradition’ over progression, and helped to hurtle Singapore even further back into the dark ages.  

Loom Bands: The Crafty Craze Keeping Kids Off Computers

In the twenty-first century it is typical to see a preteen’s head bent in concentration as they pore over the latest app or video game…or maybe not. A new ‘toy’ has been selling like crazy and preoccupying kids for hours: Loom Bands.

Loom Bands are small, multi-coloured elastic bands which can be stretched and manipulated to form pretty bracelets. One industrious crafter even made a Loom Band dress, which is selling for over £153,900 on eBay. 126 users have bid in the hope of owning the item.

While the intricate creations can sell for big bucks, the bands themselves are relatively inexpensive. Packets of bands cost around £2.50, and have been flying off toy-shop shelves worldwide. Over three million Rainbow Looms – the tool used to make the bracelets – have been sold so far.

The bracelets are not just popular with kids. Retired footballer David Beckham and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, have both been spotted wearing the colourful creations. 

Yet, the cheap, fun and popular hobby is not without its perils. Seven-year-old Kyle Lawrence of Cleethorpes has been left blind in one eye after his older brother accidentally pinged a band in his direction. After the mishap Kyle was violently ill and suffered a blood clot. The bands also pose a danger to circulation. A GP from Bristol has shared a picture of a child whose fingers turned blue after he wrapped loom bands around them before going to sleep.

Noting Loom Bands’ health dangers many primary schools have banned children from bringing the kits to class and wearing the bracelets. Loom Bands are also said to be having repercussions on social relationships, as schoolchildren argue and fall out when making and trading the jewellery.

Not all schools have imposed a ban on the bands. Some institutions have noted that making the bracelets teaches children about the importance of industry and enterprised, and have encouraged them to sell their carefully-crafted trinkets at school fetes. Money raised can be donated to charity or used to buy more bands.

Overall, I believe we should see the craze as a positive thing. In 2014, the majority of children’s ‘games’ are computerised, and children as young as two have their own Apple products. 36 percent of children get the majority of their entertainment from the screen compared to just eight percent twenty years ago, a survey by Co-operative Childcare reveals. Arguably, any activity that minimizes the time kids spend goggle-eyed should be welcomed.

Making bracelets is a fun activity which keeps children off computers and teaches them that they can make beautiful things if they work hard. As long as kids are closely supervised and taught to trade with each other fairly the practice should be allowed to continue. Toy fads only stick around for a short while, anyway…in a few weeks time Loom Bands will probably be as outdated as Alien Babies and Pogs.