Things To Do In London Today: Monday 15 April 2013

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GIVE BLOOD: Today’s opportunities to donate blood are at Brewers Hall in the City of London, Highgate Road Chapel and the West End Donor Centre. Free, just turn up, see site for times and conditions

#SMILEON: If you spot a bright yellow post card on your tube seat this week, please disregard your instincts to sweep it to the floor in total disregard. Instead, take a look at what’s on it, as #SmileOn is a campaign designed to bring smiles to the surliest of customers: Londoners.

BOOK SALE: Conway Hall is selling copies of their ex-library stock, and items donated to them over the years. A fantastic chance to pick up a new read, there will be hundreds of novels, non-fiction, biographies and factual books on offer.

ALCHEMY: The Southbank Centre’s annual festival of music, dance, literature, design and debate from India, the UK and South Asia continues this week. Today there is Yoga Jam (yoga to a fusion of contemporary beats and ancient Sanskrit mantras) and Dishaa State of the Nation, a panel discussion on the accelerating UK/India relationship from a political, economical and social perspective. Check the website for full details.

CARTOONS: Adrian Teal talks about his new book The Gin Lane Gazette, a fictional cartoon tabloid covering 18th century scandals, today at Benjamin Franklin House. There will be free gin too. Free, just turn up, 12pm

SCREEN PRINTING: Join artists Heather Martin and Jessica Shattock at Drink, Shop, Do to learn how to screen print. Paper stencils and visual imagery will be supplied and you can take home your very own creation on a tote bag. £13, just turn up, two sessions at 6.30pm and 8.30pm

IT'S ALL GREEK: Simon Armitage, Simon Mundy and Bettany Hughes are looking at characters from Greek mythology, at Kings Place. £9.50, prebook, 7pm

NIGHTINGALES: Richard Mabey talks about nightingales in literature, at the Royal Society of Literature, £8/£5, prebook, 7pm

COMEDY: Comedy podcast producers, Laugh Out London, return to the Old Queen's Head in Islington to mark their second birthday. So alongside the line-up of Tony Law, Stuart Lee, Ben Target and John Kearn, there will also be party games, jelly and ice cream. £6, prebook, 8pm

MORE COMEDY: A new alternative comedy night in Waterloo, The Hotchpotch Comedy Club presents tonight Two Episodes of Mash, Holly Burn, Rosie Wilby, Rayguns Look Real Enough and Fraser Millward. £5, prebook, 8.15pm

Send any tips or suggestions for the following sections to matt@londonist.com.

Random London Fact of the Day
The RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean 101 years ago today after colliding with an iceberg, resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 people. Monuments and memorials associated with the event exist all over the world, so it's no surprise that there are a few in London. A small and slightly odd Titanic Memorial Garden exists at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, which was opened in 1995 by Edith Haisman — at the time one of the oldest living survivors of the tragedy. You can also find a plaque hanging inside the Institute of Marine Engineers headquarters in Aldgate, to commemorate the 35 engineers who lost their lives. The Chadwell Heath Wetherspoon pub is named after Eva Hart, a survivor of the disaster who lived locally until her death in 1996. Finally, a plaque resides in the Royal Albert Hall dedicated to the musicians on board the ship, who were subsequently hailed as heroes for keeping playing as the ship sank, in order to provide relief and calm other passengers.

Good Cause of the Day
A bunch of regulars at The Watermans Arms Pub in Brentford, plus the landlord, are running a 10km fun run in aid of Cancer Research and Help for Heroes on Saturday 27 April. The endeavour, named 10k for 10k, aims to raise £5,000 for each charity and judging by last year's photos, they take their fancy dress very seriously. After the run there will be a barbecue, live music and karaoke. Donations for both charities can be made via their webpage.

London Weather
Spring, why art thou so coy? A washout Saturday, a breezy-bright Sunday, but now we're back to cloud again. As people say in comics, but never in real life: "Harumph".  Still, with highs of 16°C today, and a fickle-fackle sun, we might yet biosynthesise some more vitamin D.