The Samurai culture has been captured in many films over the years but in my opinion film that best captures the spirit and culture of the Samurai is without a doubt, “Ghost Dog” starring the excellent Forest Whitakker. The film accurately reflects the cultural ways of the Samurai but transposes them from Japan to the urban environment that is modern day New York. The character Ghost Dog reflects the value the Samurai placed on education, honesty, sincerity and humility and even reads passages from the Hagakure. Moreover, the film is underscored by music from the eclectic Rza from the Wu-Tang Clan whose meeting with Whittaker’s character reflects the crossing of paths of two master warriors who respect each other’s skills and abilities.

The Samurai originally began as a dedicated warrior class, living a very disciplined life style and soon became a way of life that influences the country of Japan to this day.  The samurai followed a set of rules that came to be known as Bushidō (“the way of the warrior”). These Samurai teachings continue to exist in everyday life and can be found in martial arts such as Kendō, meaning the way of the sword.  Strongly Confucian in nature, Bushido stressed concepts such as loyalty to one’s master, self-discipline and respectful, ethical behaviour. After a defeat, samurai would often choose to commit ritual suicide (seppuku) by cutting their abdomen rather than being captured or dying a dishonorable death.
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Aspecks would like to introduce our affiliation with I AM LDN Magazine, an enterprise focused on celebrating the vibrant arts, music, lifestyle, fashion, poetry and comedy that makes up London culture. The synergies with our own ethos here at Aspecks are obvious so keep an eye out for future collaborative events. I AM LDN is a trendsetter, an independent arts magazine, a philosophy, a fashion guru and a lifestyle, The magazine encourages a lifestyle based on knowledge, passion, humour and one that is deeply rooted in London’s style. I AM LDN documents observations of London Life and sometimes brings other cultures, arts and ideas to it’s readers attention. A magazine for urbanites; I AM LDN seeks to offer a fresh voice amongst all the corporate pillaging and celebrity madness. Consequently they offer creative people the opportunity to interact with an arts focused media publication that is not focused on the money. I AM LDN does it for the fun and for the love of it.

Look them up and check their website where you can find digital copies of their current issue and back-catalogue for your reading pleasure. Oh and as you can see above if you check out page 26 you will be able to see a nice feature on the Aspecks Global Citizen Campaign Competition.

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Depending on who you are; when you are hungry a penis restaurant may not feature very high up on your list of places to go to satisfy your cravings. In fact, for large number of people it would not even make the list at all, however in China eating sexual organs is seen as a treatment for the libido, one that helps to increase virility rather than test of the strength of one’s stomach.

Indeed the Chinese believe that the penises from different animals can be good for different parts of the body, something that is echoed in many cultures where the use of unusual parts of animals or plants are an entrenched part of traditional medicine. However, the Chinese are far from the only people eating “exotic” and wonderful foods, the Japanese of course have Fugu the infamous pufferfish that is highly poisonous unless cooked with extreme care. In El Salvador people eat Iguana meat which like frogs (infamously a delicacy in France) tastes like chicken, only tougher. The French themselves have until recently gorged on an endangered songbird know as an Orlotan, which is swallowed whole, bones and all. In Lancashire, a county well known in the UK for the variety of its traditional dishes,you can buy lamb testicles that have been peeled, bread-crumbed and fried, whilst throughout Southern Africa, worms that look similar to caterpillars found in mopani trees, are and can be eaten alive, or fried and are an important source of nutrition.

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Anthropologists most commonly use the term “culture” to refer to the universal human capacity to classify, codify and communicate their experiences symbolically.  It is the way we cook our food, the way we dress, the music we listen to, it is the blueprint that shapes the way we see the world.  It has different meanings in different aspecks of our lives; hence we can talk about a Hip Hop culture, a Hindu culture, corporate culture, a gang culture etc. etc.

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