You might love this picture or you might hate it, but I was very honored to meet former First Lady, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, now running for the nomination to be the candidate for the Democratic Party in hopes of being for the first female president of this great country.
In my research I found that she was far from a passive First Lady. During her husband’s tenure in the White House, she worked tirelessly to get things done including, in her first major policy initiative, spearheading the Clinton health care plan of 1993, which failed to reach a vote in Congress. In 1997 and 1999, she played a leading role in advocating the creation of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Adoption and Safe Families Act and the Foster Care Independence Act. Her work is never stopped.
Please allow me to share a personal story. While sharing a tiny flat in west Kensington a friend and I were upset about the violence in Northern Ireland at the time. We were especially concerned for the children. We knew we needed a big name to get in there to see what was going on. So we thought we should write Hillary a letter, expressing that we feel a caring voice like hers could make things better, and perhaps she should go visit to see for herself the plight of these kids. Two days later we got a fax reply, signed by Hillary herself, thanking us for bringing this to light and adding that she was coming over in the next two weeks to meet with Mo Mowlem and other dignitaries to see what could be done. She didn’t need to do that, but it was the first (but not the last) time that she has shown me how big her heart is. This country needs love and kindness. However you vote, if you can, perhaps look at all the policies on the table and vote with your head and your heart.
But anyway back to us…..we’ve got lots going this week. Let’s talk Coachella. The fabulous festival out in the desert will host so much incredible talent this weekend, including Ellie Goulding, The Kills, Mavis Staples, Underworld, Ice Cube and those legendary LA rockers Guns N’ Roses….
Last week’s pub quiz at the Pikey on Sunset Boulevard was a sell out, with MC Sandro Monetti doing a fabulous job. $5 gets you in to play and we often have great raffle tickets too.
The next one on the docket is scheduled for April 26th, with surprise guests, waiting to be announced…
I also helped out fellow Brit and all-round talented guy, the London-born actor Jimmy Akingbola, with his casting sessions for the MonologueSlam event in May. Also in attendance were talented Brits Tehmina Sunney and Darren Darnborough. Thank you all for coming out and showing us your talents. So many remarkable people, vying for only 20 spots. It’s going to be difficult to choose. They event itself takes place on May 3rd. So join us. Check out Facebook under events for all the ticket info.
UKares Foundation are having a fun night at theatre this Thursday to see the British and funny musical “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder”, playing until the end of the month at the Ahmanson downtown. For all details find us on Facebook.
And if that were not enough, BritWeek 2016 is almost upon us, with plenty of fabulous events throughout the city in April and May showcasing the best of British arts and culture. So stay tuned for some of the great events….and I look forward to seeing you in the weeks ahead.
Cheers!
Craig Young
