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Listings
BLOOD: Today’s opportunities to donate blood are at St Olave Parish Hall on Fenchurch Street and The Hop Exchange on Southwark Street. Free, see site for terms and conditions.
TOWER TWILIGHT TOUR: Wander the Tower of London after dark as a series of exclusive tours begin today, which allow you to see the Tower at its most tranquil (and creepy). £25, prebook, until March 2014
POISED DOGS: Swedish born artist Agnetha Sjögren brings “well behaved and poised sculptural dogs” to Curious Duke Gallery, exploring our fascination with our canine friends. Free, just turn up, until 6 December
COLLIDER: The Science Museum's new exhibition, Collider, opens today. It uses theatre, video and sound art to recreate the Large Hadron Collider. £10, prebook, till 6 May 2014
CODEBREAKERS: An Insight talk at King's College London (a key institution in the discovery of DNA) explores the rich content of Codebreakers, a major research resource into the history of genetics. Free, prebook, 3pm
LIVE WRITING: What happens when you take the process of writing and turn it into a performance? Author Joe Dunthorne creates new work completely live at the Jewish Museum tonight as part of the Live Writing Series. Free, just turn up.
AGEING: Find out about one of the molecular basis of ageing, with a talk on telomeres at Imperial College. Free, just turn up, 5.30pm
COOKBOOK: Researched, written and designed by CoolTan Arts’ participants, Food for Mood is a new cookbook that suggests recipes from all over the globe. CoolTan patron and celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager will be at CoolTan Arts on Walworth Road to sign copies. Free (book costs £9.99), just turn up, 6-8pm
DOCTOR WATSON: Sherlock's sidekick gets his own evening, with a film screening and talk from author Robert Ryan. It's at Bart's Pathology Museum, part of the same hospital complex where Holmes and Watson first met. £6.50, prebook, 6.30pm
SCREEN SOCIAL: The music-based and motion design winners and nominees from the Van d’Or Official Selection 2013 showcase at The Book Club in Shoreditch. £4/£3, prebook, 7-11.30pm
YOUTH MUSIC: Schools Prom at the Royal Albert Hall sees 3,000 of the UK’s best young musicians take to the stage over three days, with a different theme each evening. Tonight, it’s ‘Innovation’. £5-£28.75, prebook, 7pm
TODAY’S GIGS: Today’s music tips (we have them for each day this week), as recommended by our friends at LondonGigGuide, is Young Kato at Dingwalls in Camden (£10, prebook, 7pm) and London-based singer-songwriter Tom Hyatt at The Music Box in Shoreditch (£3, just turn up, 8pm).
WOODKID: Or for a music performance on a larger scale, there still seem to be tickets left to see Woodkid at O2 Academy Brixton tonight. £28.12, prebook, 7pm
COMEDY: Uncle Henry’s Happy Hour, once you get past the twee name, has the sharply observed silliness of Robin and Partridge, Lee Griffiths of Late Night Gimp Fight and Brian Demoy. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm
POLARI PRIZE: The winner of Polari’s First Book Prize 2013 is announced tonight at the Southbank Centre, with guests Charlotte Mendelson, Dean Atta, Rosie Garland, Patrick Flanery, Helen Lederer and singer Dee Chanelle. £5, prebook, 7.45pm
REMEMBRANCE: Liam Hogan, Cherry Potts, Emily Bullock, Nicolas Ridley and Joan Taylor-Rowan tell Armistice Tales of war, peace and remembrance at the Ivy House in Nunhead. Free, just turn up, 8pm
Good Causes of the Day
There are a whopping four good causes taking place today for you to take part in:
Christmas Fair
A Christmas Fair in aid of Cancer Research UK takes place today and tomorrow at the Bank of England Sports Club in Roehampton. There'll be over 70 stores selling a range of jewellery, toys and festive treats. £12 today (5-9pm and includes a glass of wine) or £5 tomorrow (9am-3pm), just turn up
Penguin Dash
Earn your own Guinness World Record (as a penguin) at Wood Wharf, where The Richard House Children's Hospice is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as penguins. Don't have a costume handy? Don't worry, you can get one for £15 (minimum £100 sponsorship). Register online, 6.30pm
Art Auction
Freedom from Torture hosts a fundraising art auction at Studio Spaces in Wapping, featuring pieces from artists such as Edmund de Waal, Jake and Dinos Chapman and Cornelia Parker. Free, RSVP online, 6-10.30pm
Discovery Night
You may have heard of MoonWalk London, where thousands of women and men walk through the streets of London in brightly decorated bras to raise money and awareness for breast cancer, but did you know breast cancer charity Walk the Walk also organises an Arctic Marathon and Inca Trail fundraising walks? Find out more tonight at Waterstones Piccadilly. Free, RSVP online, 6.30pm
London Connection Puzzle
Yesterday's clue was KEMPT. Today's is SLYE. Can you work out the London connection (without googling)? EDIT: We have a winner, so no need to email in. A third clue tomorrow.
From the Archive
On this day last year, we took a look at London through a fish-eye lens, and in 2011 we saw what lies beneath at West Norwood Cemetery.
London Weather by Inclement Attlee
To the tune of "The Sun Has Got His Hat On":
The sun has got his hat on, hip hip hip hooray. The sun has got his hat on and it's rapidly combusting thanks to surface temperatures approaching, or in excess of, 5500ºC, prompting questions about the procurement process for such a large millenary item, specifically whether the squandered hat was bought with taxpayer money, and why nobody foresaw the obvious flaw in placing a cotton-based accoutrement on top of a G Type star.
In summary, a bright sunny day, but watch out for falling hat embers.
