Mmm!

Greed

A short story by

Greed- “the selfish desire for our pursuit of money, wealth, power, food, or other possessions, especially when this denies the same goods to others. It is one of the seven deadly sins.”

Bread, Pounds, Dollars, Euros and Dough. These are but a few words that mean money. All the above are referred to differently by many nations but the one thing they have in common is that they all speak the same language, money talks!

From when I was young, I was told go to school, get an education, be someone important in life. Be a doctor, lawyer or even a pilot. The reason, you ask? To make money. So why not just become a drug dealer, I ask?

Dealing drugs is a profitable business, you start small and work your way up a ladder as such but there are a lot of snakes on the way. Let’s start from the first step. You’re just a pawn on a chess board, you’re doing all the work but you’re still the most important piece. It’s you making the money while protecting your king. Effectively all you’re doing is looking out, making sure your friends on the street are not being watched by police. A simple job for sure, but you’re getting chump change. You now see where this is going? You start to ask yourself why can’t I be selling the drugs? Still pawns in the game but you move up one, to the person that is selling the drugs, your title a drug dealer.

You have now earned your right to sell, prove you can be trusted and warned what the consequences will be, failing to deliver the product or money. Imagine standing outside on a dark winter’s night, waiting on a street corner with a flickering florescent orange light, glass littered on the floor, with the ambient noise of a dog howling. A blue soft top BMW (Black Man’s Wheels as it is sometimes referred to) pulls up with black tinted windows, shiny 20” rims, the passenger window slowly winds down with a thick smoke escaping to give you the silhouette of a male. After the smoke disperses you see a well dressed man in an Armani suit not a black man but white and who says society does not stereotype? He then asks with a husky voice “give me an eighth of weed”. This is a small clear plastic bag that a set of earrings would come in but not filled with earrings but weed. He then hands over a tattered £20 note with white residue on it, not all yours to keep as there is still a hierarchy you report to, that gets a percentage of your intake.

By this time you’re still making small change. The hours spent standing on the street corner in the freezing cold is having a lethargic effect on you. Putting up with the lingering smell of vagrants while they are begging for you to give them their next fix, their hands as dark as coal like they have seen war holding out shrapnel to pay you. The ladies of the night occupy the same corner as you, a symbiotic relationship where they provide you more revenue and you provide a hallucinated world, where dirty old men are not committing adultery on their estranged wives.

This is still a business. You move up by making a profit and taking out your competition, while giving your consumer a product that is superior quality. Best for less is the motto but is it less money? No it’s less drugs. Having this knowledge you make it to be a Queen, The King has married you into this title, no coronation. The board is open, you answer to no one but one. Every part of the business is discussed with you.

The management level, holding board meetings will always seem like a chore to the common society but for drug dealers it was a time to sit in a desolate building and discuss current events. Who was taking over territory; who did not give part of their intake and finally how they would be disciplined. The general consensus of the meetings all led to one end result, maximising financial status.

The king still makes the most money, one word comes to mind, treason. Should the king be killed, so his throne can be taken? The king can only make one move at a time, always watching his back making sure that the system doesn’t have him in check. Scared to leave his domicile, fearing another drug dealer will de –throne him. Using pawns to protect him and conduct his business, this won’t last forever as the pawns go down the board they want to get promoted. No turning back, only going forward.

Hear ye, hear ye...

A simple pay rise will suffice. It’s not your time to be king, you decide. Soon all the bad points of being king seem to not worry you anymore. The good points outweigh all the bad ones. The parties you go to, women flocking to you, letting go of all their inhibitions, having the power to control people a role reversal of Adam and Eve, only the apple being drugs. You finally step up to be king, first thing on the agenda your palace.

A palace fit for a king, more rooms than you alone can sleep in, and each room has an en suite toilet. Your security is the best in the world, you have large security gates to make sure no one enters. All over the premises you have security cameras for your safety with guard dogs posted around. What more could you ask for? You have your palace and you’re now king. What more could you ask for? You want your freedom! A palace fit for a king, prison. Sure you have had your house warming by now.

So why not just become a drug dealer I ask? I was, but I am now known as prisoner LG5238.

With thanks for the use of images to - BMW, Chess black and white, Chess King, factory, belmarsh

The Diploma Roadshow

Can you explain how Lewisham College were selected to host the Diploma Roadshow?

The Diploma Roadshow is organised by The London Borough of Lewisham and The Department for Children, Schools and Families. Lewisham College were asked to host the event, due to us running quite a few of the diplomas at the college from September 2009.

Which other organisations will Lewisham College be working in conjunction with and what roles will they play in promoting these Diplomas?

We will mainly be working in conjunction with The London Borough of Lewisham. Other schools involved in the roadshow are Christ the King and Bonus Pastor Catholic College, who will be present to promote the diplomas on offer in their establishment.



Is this the first Diploma Roadshow at Lewisham College?
This will be the first Diploma Roadshow at Lewisham College, as diplomas are a fairly new qualification. However, there was previously a Diploma Roadshow in the London Borough of Greenwich and in many other boroughs across London.

How many schools do you propose, shall be in attendance at this event?

Secondary schools from across Lewisham Borough were invited to attend the roadshow, and over 200 students are expected to attend.

As this event is aimed towards secondary schoolsm, is there a specific age group that the Diplomas are targeted at?

Diplomas are targeted at 14-19 year olds

Which Diplomas are Lewisham College showcasing?

Lewisham College began offering diplomas in September 2008. This is the Higher Diploma in IT in conjunction with Bonus Pastor Catholic College. Lewisham College will be promoting the new diplomas that will start in September 2009: Advanced Diploma in IT in conjunction with Bonus Pastor and Higher Diploma in Hospitality in conjunction with Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College.

What are the benefits for students undertaking these Diplomas and what other diplomas already exist?

Students who study for a diploma qualification benefit from a mix of theoretical and practical study and learn about the industry they have chosen. They also have the option to study other subjects alongside the diploma. Students will also study functional skills in English, maths and ICT, and will gain at least 10 days work experience.

There are diplomas in a variety of subjects including Creative and Media, Hospitality, IT, Society, Health and Development, and Engineering.

How are the Diplomas structured and what is the length of these courses?

The Diploma is available at three different levels:

Foundation – equivalent to 5 GCSEs at grades D to G
Higher – equivalent to 7 GCSEs at grades A* to C
Advanced – equivalent to 3.5 A levels

Diplomas are recognised by universities and employers and can be a route into either.

If someone wishes to find out more about these Diplomas, can you advise what the entry requirements are for applicants and how would they apply to undertake this course?

There are no entry requirements to take the Diploma qualification. Students can apply via the school where the diplomas will be carried out.

It's Snow Fun!

A wonderful snowman, created by Nick Linford, the Director of Planning and Performance at Lewisham College. It looks great in the day - and the evening too!

Sharon Muncie, Acting PAL in the School of Business and Computing saw the amazing snowman below under construction near the Ranger's Hut in Greenwich Park.

Not all Lewisham College students stay in Lewisham. Darrell Stroud, who did the Introduction to Computing course eight years ago sent in the picture below from near his home on Bodmin Moor. Darrell is now a professional e-Bay seller and is hoping to set up his own bespoke website in the near future.

Please send us your snow pics! use the submit button at the top of the home page! Thanks!

Another Chance to Learn

Am I too old to learn?

It is never too late learn. Going back to study is a great opportunity for everyone. Once you make your first step you are there and the world is open to you.

English is not my first language so what can I do?

To speak another language is not easy, especially if you have to pick it up at an older age. Everything seems to be twice as hard, but my determination keeps me going. With the help and support of my teacher, I have learnt from word to word, and then slowly merged it all together to make a sentence. It is a joy to learn something new every day and it gives me great pleasure to discover myself and other people.

What course should I take to work in an office?

My ambition is to work in an office and it seemed like it was far away, but the NVQ Business and Administration course makes it feel closer to me. From this course, I have learnt how to send emails, write out memos, type a document and operate office equipment. We also had help to build our confidence, telephone communication skills and many more other things………..

Do I get any training from the course?

So far I have been involved in several activities. I have helped the College with packing the goody bags for skill London 2008 Exhibition where over 1500 people visited I have escorted ESOL students to assessments rooms. I also experienced working in the Finance Department. It was lovely to meet people from different back ground and ages. This was a brilliant experience for me and this is only the beginning……………

NVQ Business and Administration Students Display their Culinary Skills on their Enrichment Programme

Mark’s cooking adventure

Hello I am doing a NVQ Level 1 in Business administration at Lewisham College. I am enjoying the course so far and hope to gain a qualification at the end of my course.

Recently I took part in an enrichment class doing cooking at the college and that involved cutting up onions, carrots, preparing vegetable, browning the mince and doing a bowl of spaghetti bolognaise.

I found it quite easy to do because I do cooking at home and I like doing spaghetti bolognaise when I am hungry and also it is good for your health and gives you a lot of energy. Also it is better then going out and getting a take away every time which it is bad for your health.

It was my first time doing cooking it at my college and it was a worthy and good experience because I learnt how to cook with different Ingredients and which I had never done before.

Also I feel that the college should do these types of experiment for younger students and foreign students in the college because it will help them in the future to cook different types of food. It will also give you more confidence cooking different types of food and using different ingredients. It only takes practice the more practice you have the better cooker you will be and also you will be able to cook for family and friends.

Becky’s Cooking Adventure

In our Business Administration class there is a group called the Enrichment class which consists of a mixture of boys and girls aged 16 to 18. We had a cooking adventure to do. Our adventure was to cook a bowl of spaghetti bolognaise from scratch as you can see in the pictures.

All the ingredients were bought by our tutor Sue and we had to pick out what ingredients we wanted to use. We were not allowed to use the sauce mixture that you get from the shops.

At first we chopped and cooked the vegetables, we added the garlic and mince meat. We then made the sauce which was tomato puree and water, including peppers and onion if we wished to. We then cooked the spaghetti once that was done, put the mince and spaghetti into a container and added parmesan cheese.

For me, the cooking experience was strange as I have never cooked a meal in my life - so it was a great way of learning how to cook because I had all my friends around me to help and now know how to cook spaghetti bolognaise!

Dispose of the weapons and let’s live our lives

Life was once sweet and smooth
In everyone’s neighbourhood
When youths were all nice and cool
When there was peace between the chicks and the dudes

When children use to be happy doing their chores
When they would not be disciplined by force
It was so till a bad idea came to us
And when it came it extended like a curse

Every youth used to be delightful in one’s eyes
But nowadays they form a web of lies
Some of the good ones are merely in disguise
And now they find the need to defend themselves with knives

When the first person was killed
We hoped for a better tomorrow
But all our hopes were dismissed
When we saw the beginning of an era of sorrow

War use to be “dogs against dogs”
Fangs against fangs
But now the war is “youths against youths”
Gangs against gangs

The fight for respect and territory use to be between animals
Horns against horns
But now the battle is between us humans
Guns against guns

I wonder if some people really want a good life
But then I also wonder if the choices are theirs to decide
The pleasure of sin has captured so many minds
And made it uneasy for one to act right

The news of a dead youth makes my heart mourn
But the news of a murdered youth itches to the marrow of my bones
Respect is never earned by being vile and ruthless
Criminals and thugs always end up fruitless

No living man has power over life and death
So separate the thought of evil from yourself
Because such things one will always regret
The result of using a weapon is worse than the weapon itself

If inside your keep weapons are concealed
Then a terrible act of evil is guaranteed
To resolve a problem, one does not have to bleed
In shootings and stabbings I do not see the need

Put yourself in the shoes of your victim
Point the gun again and see if you can shoot him
Ending another man’s life is not as simple as it seems
We all have the same coloured fluid in our bloodstreams

How much time will it take you to realize
That so much is expected from the chicks and the guys
That they have to be smart and organised
And contribute to the progress of all our lives

How long will it take you to realise
That your limit is beyond the sky
That your task is to touch people’s lives
To turn a sad face to a high smile

To place happiness in people’s faces
And love them whatever their race is
To extend your good works across the earth
And to love people as much as you love yourself

We should not be hunting our fellow man
Let’s not take laws into our hands
Dispose of your guns and your knives now
And detach yourself from those fruitless gangs

Ask yourself “what has this gang done for me?”
“And what success has it made me achieve?”
In alliance with evil, success is not guaranteed
And you may spend the rest of your life paying for your deeds

Stop walking on the wrong path
Use your energy positively on the right track
And when you do, never look back
Life is forwards ever, backwards never

The energy of our bodies and minds
Should be dedicated to the people of our time
So snap and wake up from your empty dreams
It is time to arise and shine

Let us shine like fire
Not hide in the dark like cowards
Let us live long to the farthest future
Not die in the streets like fowls

Let us now concentrate on the good
Let us work hard today and be honoured tomorrow
Let us develop ourselves more
So that in the future, we shall never have to borrow.

If you are evil, then have a change of mind
And say to yourself “criminals are no friends of mine”
Do not let worthless friends waste your time
Turn to the right path and dispose your knives

The world of the youths is still so long
The distance of your journey is still so long
Turn away from crime and live a life of fun
Have a conscience and dispose of your guns

Leave the dark and come to the light
Although the decision to be good is a big fight
Firmly stand for what is right
Dispose your weapons and let us live our lives


BY NOSA IGUNBOR

A Tutor's View

You must be mad! These, to be perfectly honest, were my first thoughts when my mind registered that I had just said yes to helping to accompany a group of students on a study visit to Disneyland Paris. Before those of you reading this who know me think well you are mad, anyway (too late probably!), let me explain a little! Thoughts ran wildly through my head like great big wild runny things. Images of lost passports, mislaid money, roller coasters going off the rails and plunging us all, limbs flaying, to an early demise, French Accident & Emergency departments at dawn – all that and more!

A candid shot of Lewisham College at the time we had to leave. Yes, it was a little dark!

I think the furthest away I had been on a study visit with Lewisham College before had been Brighton so the thought of going to France for three days was a little disconcerting. I needn’t have worried! I have actually had more go wrong during a ninety minute class (much, much more!) than happened during the entire seventy two hours we were away!

The first moment I realized that things were going to be OK was when our students sorted out the other College with which we were travelling. To put it bluntly, several of their students had a ‘Prince Harry Moment’ – if you know what I mean! Rather than this resulting in all out bus warfare, a kind of Armageddon on wheels, our students treated the incident with maturity and articulacy with the result that peace broke out before war was declared - and they had helped educate a number of young people about how to speak about people who may not look the same as you! It was really heartening to see them deal with a potentially explosive situation so rationally and calmly.

It's the West - the wild wild west! Jane takes in her new surroundings!

On arrival we soon realised that the hotel we were staying in had a Western motif. I had sat through (possibly) thousands of John Wayne films with my father and my first thought was that he would have been in his element in this place and enjoyed it much more than me!

Daniel and Shahul, ready for some Disney action!

The enthusiasm of our students won the day and I very quickly began to enjoy our environment! With everyone settled in their rooms we had a quick decision to make. There were several hours between our checking in and the meal and first lecture of the day. What should we do? Hit the Park?! Oh yes!

The wheels on the bus go round and round. Or, if you are from Lewisham College and it's your first trip to the theme park, round and round and round and round - oh - and round!

You can take the folks out of Lewisham, but can you take Lewisham out of the folks? We boarded the bus to the theme park, expecting quite a long journey. We got to the first stop and blithely remained in our seats - after all we are used to buses taking forever to get anywhere in London! It was only when the bus turned and we noticed the rides that we realized that the park had been in front of us all the time and we were on our way back to the hotel. Ooops! Fortunately, the bus took very little time to get back and, well, get back as it were!

With a joy approaching hysteria, Tascha and Robert realise that they don't have to do any teaching for three days!

The first lecture was that very evening. The huge cinema used for the event made the four hundred or so students sitting in the auditorium look like a small group! I have to admit that I rested my eyes for about five minutes during that first lecture – whatever Tascha and Paul say, I was not asleep! It was a hugely interesting take on the park and the rides from the perspective of IT. After its conclusion we worried a little as all tutors on the Higher Diploma were called down to the front. We were told – to our surprise – that the next morning’s lecture had only been booked by two groups. That was Lewisham College and one other – and that the other group had dropped out, opting for the theme park instead!

The organizers insisted they were ready and din't mind performing for one group, so the next morning it was only our Lewisham College students who attended the lecture. I felt a pang of guilt because, after all, all of the other young people on this study trip were already howling their way up the Tower of Terror or screaming their lungs out on Space Mountain, while ours were stuck in a learning environment! I anticipated some grumbling about that at the very least!

On the stage, the auditions for the third film in the Twenty Eight Days Later trilogy were going quite well!

Again, maybe I worry too much! OK, there is no maybe about that! The initial feedback on this session was by far the best of the three lectures we attended. It was obvious that the organizers had pulled out all the stops when it came to putting the ‘show’ together and, in terms of our mantra at Lewisham (Communication Skills! Communication Skills! Communication Skills!), this fitted in perfectly. Plus we got to do what NONE of the other groups did - and that was get up on the stage and have a group picture taken! Say fromage!

Twenty one people, funny money, limited French.... Lovin' It? Well, yes, actually!

After this lecture we were already hungry – with eight hours to go to the evening meal! So, we all decamped to the nearby McDonalds. Placing twenty one orders was going to be a challenge for my rusty A’Level French! Fortunately, one of the McDonalds staff had seen us outside, writing down what everyone was having and when we got in there she took the order and sorted everything out for us! Considering the previous lecture had emphasized the importance of service to a place like Disneyland, this was a perfect demonstration of how IT and human interaction can make something that, on paper seems difficult if not impossible to get right, quite a smooth transaction.

My car! My Car! MY CAR!!! Paul wants a new vehicle!

Post McDonalds, it was off to the park and our various (but not ‘final’) destinations! The place was truly enormous and it was to my continual surprise that we kept bumping in to people from the group. The rides were great but I have to admit that my own personal favourite was the pageant at four o'clock. The site of all my childhood favourites dancing through the streets choked me up a little! Fortunately, at that point there were no students in the near vicinity to poke fun at the old uns getting all sentimental! The day was wonderful and I assumed that by the time the students had had their fun at the park that they would have their evening meal and surely be ready for bed!

If there was a crime that took place, it was what Kerrie and Daniella did to Felix's hair!

Not! Taking our continual exhortation to heart (‘make the most of your short time here!’) the bulk of the students stayed up all night, chilling (as I believe the yoof of today refer to time spent chatting with each other in an informal manner!) altogether in a single room. I have to say here, that the behavior and general decorum of the Lewisham Lot put most of the other students staying at the hotel to shame.

A number of teachers were pacing the corridor all night making sure that their students were behaving. They must have wished that they were Bagpuss, no doubt! We had none of those issues whatsoever! Guys, you were fantastic!

Group Hug! Group Hug!

As tutors, we also got to have two of the longest and most unusual course team meetings ever!

So, If Shahul is Tarzan and Jane is, well, Jane - what does that make Tascha?!?

And so home to Dear Old Blighty the next morning. Safe to say, most of us were bleary eyed and sleepy (if not unconscious!) but that led to a quiet journey! My memories of this study trip are overwhelmingly positive. A lot was learned and people (students and staff) had a great deal of fun in to the bargain. Plus we missed the first day of the OFSTED inspection – what more can you ask? Well, can I ask this?

Can we do it again next week? Please? PLEASE?

Submit Something to Your Lewisham College

We welcome contributions here at Your Lewisham College from students and staff, old and new. You do not have to be currently at the College to contribute, as you may want to tell us about how you are doing!

What are we looking for? You can submit anything that will go on a website that is about the College, or you or you think will be of interest to FE students. You may have written an article, drawn or taken pictures, created a video, found a great link. We will consider anything for publication. It can be serious, fun, frivolous or sad - but most of all we would like it to appeal to our growing community of past, present and future students.

We would like you to use this site to keep in touch with what is going on at the College right now, but we are also very interested in finding out how you are doing down the line! So, let us know!

When you contribute something, please don't forget to include your full name, the course you are on (or were on) and your student number (if you were here twenty years ago, then don't worry if you can't remember it!).

Below are the people you can submit work to. Please attach the files you wish to submit in an email to them. Thanks!

Robert Evans
EMAIL Robert if you want to post anything to the site.

or

Priscilla Cotterill
EMAIL Priscilla if you want to post anything to the site.


Andy Wicks
EMAIL Andy if you want to post anything to the site.



Jack Butler
EMAIL Jack if you want to post anything to the site.



Please feel free to ask questions and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Danni @ Disney!

To make the journey to Paris, we had to be outside the college at half five in the morning to catch the coach! We shared the coach with welsh students who were still attending at school.

This is our actual hotel!

When we got to Paris we were booked into a lovely hotel called hotel Cheyenne. The hotel had a cowboy theme. Once we had all settled in our rooms we were given passes which allowed us to go into the theme park itself and go on as many rides as we could possible want.

When Pluto arrives at your hotel, you know its photo opportunity time! Daniella and Kerrie jump right in! Who cares if you are the oldest having your pictures taken with him by about ten years!

We all had to attend a study meeting at 7.00pm on Monday – the first day. This was held in a huge cinema auditorium. There was one lady giving the lecture and going through presentations on how the theme park uses computers and IT. For examples most of the rides used graphics and we were taken through their production. After the presentation we got the bus from outside the park which would then take us straight to our hotel. We could either go back to our rooms, play games and chat with the teachers or there was an arcade in the hotel lobby itself. At eight in the evening we had dinner in the lobby. There were all different types of food to suit everyone’s taste buds.

Healthy eating was very important on the trip. That's mineral water in those cans! Honest! Pictured from left, Cavell, Lesley, Kerrie, Jesse, Daniella and Raman.

In the hotel there were numbers of colleges staying, all younger than us. As they were their sharing the same experiences as us, we had to behave and show them how to behave by example. The hotel also had other guest staying too, mostly families from other European countries.

When you wish upon a star!

Breakfast was served at eight the next morning, just through the main lobby. We had to be at the cinema which was in the theme park to attend another study presentation - the first one was at 11.20 and the next session was at 7.00pm. These sessions were taken by a man, and were about communications and how important they are when working in the Paris resort. They were also about networking and distributed software systems. We learned some amazing facts. There are 49,000 jobs at Disneyland Paris and 12,300 are cast members, which involves a lot of IT! He also mentioned the dates of when each park was opened. For example in 1992 Euro Disney opened this was then re launched to Disney land Paris in 1995. Disney land Tokyo opened in 1983 and in 1971 Walt Disney America opened. He took us through how technology developed through the decades.

Get the sick bag ready! Front row Damien and Kerrie, second Jesse and Raman, third Olumide and Jesse. Here we gooooooooooooooooooo!

Disneyland isn’t just about rides and attractions – much more goes on behind the scenes. The presentation included the history of the place and the park, and the man behind Disney land, Mr Walt Disney. A lot of time and effort has to go into each and every ride and huge amounts of Information Technology are used. In one of the presentations we went behind the scene of one of the main attractions - a 360 degree ride based on the music of Aerosmith, the Rock And Roller Coaster. They showed us how IT is used and how computers are used, for example in creating the lighting and the sound effects.

Planning what to do when Queen!

After the first sessions of the second day our wonderful teachers took everyone to lunch at McDonalds as a thank you for our good behaviour. After that we all spilt up, some of us stayed in the park, others went back to the hotel to catch up with their sleep and others went actually into Paris itself.

Jesse, Raman and Cavell ignore the parade and pose for the camera

We all meet up at 8.00pm for dinner in the hotel restaurant. We all went into the arcade for a few hours then all the students stayed up all night in one room watching telly and talking about the trip.

So, here is some of the parade without them!

At 6.30 we all left the room we were in and went back into our own rooms, to make sure we were all packed and ready to board the coach at 8.15 along with the other group which was on our coach on the way to the resort. We all had breakfast at 7.00 and got ready for the long journey back to Lewisham College.

A completely natural and unposed picture! Daniella and Kerrie get friendly with a hippo made from plant life!

From the trip we all got different things out of it, we all communicated more and made new friends, we know what its like to go behind the scenes of the Paris rides and find out how each part of the park uses IT and computers. It also gave us lots of ideas about the things we can do for careers in the future.

To finish, here is a quote from one of the lectures. It is a good one to remember!

“Nobody is good at everything, but everybody is good at something.”

Article written by Daniella Guest