WEMBLEY MATTERS
The proceedings of the madhouse committee
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Offshore tax-dodging makes a farce of austerity
Michael Meacher MP » Blog Archive
"A Land Registry inventory of title deeds, just published... [shows that] in just two central London boroughs the ownership of property worth £88.5bn has been transferred offshore to escape payment of stamp duty and inheritance tax. It is estimated that this costs the Exchequer about £1.7bn a year in tax evaded."
Let them eat cake.
"A Land Registry inventory of title deeds, just published... [shows that] in just two central London boroughs the ownership of property worth £88.5bn has been transferred offshore to escape payment of stamp duty and inheritance tax. It is estimated that this costs the Exchequer about £1.7bn a year in tax evaded."
Let them eat cake.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Competition update, January 2012
I should have a short list to send to the judge by the end of January. I got knocked sideways a bit when my old dog was ill and died before Christmas. All is now back on track. A lot of formalities have to be gone through before the short list can be announced and the short-listed writers contacted. As usual there will then be a gap while the anthology is prepared. The prizewinning entries will be announced at a special event in spring.
There were over 380 entries, not counting a few test ones. You might as well know that I read them in the order received and I have 93 left to read. At present I have four yeses and 15 maybes*. I'm confident that there will be more yeses in the last 93 received. I will re-read the yeses and maybes anyway and reshuffle if need be. That's how it goes.
Still finding great stories and still appreciating every single one I read, all but one or two showing great signs of craftsmanship, ambition and dedication. As we only take one entry per writer, that means there are hundreds of gifted and hardworking writers, mostly working in their spare time to create outstanding new short stories. Thanks for sending them in and entrusting us with them.
Steve
* Update Jan 15th: Yes: 6. Maybe: 23. Remaining: 63.
There were over 380 entries, not counting a few test ones. You might as well know that I read them in the order received and I have 93 left to read. At present I have four yeses and 15 maybes*. I'm confident that there will be more yeses in the last 93 received. I will re-read the yeses and maybes anyway and reshuffle if need be. That's how it goes.
Still finding great stories and still appreciating every single one I read, all but one or two showing great signs of craftsmanship, ambition and dedication. As we only take one entry per writer, that means there are hundreds of gifted and hardworking writers, mostly working in their spare time to create outstanding new short stories. Thanks for sending them in and entrusting us with them.
Steve
* Update Jan 15th: Yes: 6. Maybe: 23. Remaining: 63.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Sunday afternoon
It was cool but sunny. The clouds formed a striped pattern. Two football games were underway in the park with seven-a-side nets. Some familiar dog walkers and their dogs reappearing with the sun. There was a man with great joy in his face, teaching his son how to ride a new bike. The bike was big but the boy was whistling a tune as he passed us by. When he went back the other way, his father stood in the way and taught him how to stop by blocking the way. Caught the bike before it flipped. Use the back brake, see...
Willesden Green redevelopment - what do you think?
WEMBLEY MATTERS
"The very tight timetable that envisages work starting in September has the planning application down for April 2012 and consultation obviously has to take place before then."
An interesting and informative article by Martin Francis of Brent Green party. Willesden Old Library, a "locally listed building" will also be demolished. The car park will go and there will be "a maximum of eight designated parking spaces" in the new development. There are fair words about recreating the cultural facilities but don't let your parsnips go cold waiting for that butter.
As guessed by the Willesden Herald, it is all sewn up with a single developer who will do the whole thing "at zero cost" to the council. Not at zero cost to Willesden though. The council will now have to decide on a planning application from Galliford Try but the whole schedule is setup already, so what independence can there possibly be about the planning application?
There is no question but that the existing building has been deliberately run down, the car park made unusable, the cinema and café wilfully allowed to fall into dereliction. The whole process stinks to high heaven and calls for an independent investigation into the decisions involved. Cui bono?
From the same shower who brought you the closure of six out of twelve local libraries in a year, the sort of people who cut down hardwood forests that have taken hundreds of years to grow for paltry and transient financial expediency.
Ed
"The very tight timetable that envisages work starting in September has the planning application down for April 2012 and consultation obviously has to take place before then."
An interesting and informative article by Martin Francis of Brent Green party. Willesden Old Library, a "locally listed building" will also be demolished. The car park will go and there will be "a maximum of eight designated parking spaces" in the new development. There are fair words about recreating the cultural facilities but don't let your parsnips go cold waiting for that butter.
As guessed by the Willesden Herald, it is all sewn up with a single developer who will do the whole thing "at zero cost" to the council. Not at zero cost to Willesden though. The council will now have to decide on a planning application from Galliford Try but the whole schedule is setup already, so what independence can there possibly be about the planning application?
There is no question but that the existing building has been deliberately run down, the car park made unusable, the cinema and café wilfully allowed to fall into dereliction. The whole process stinks to high heaven and calls for an independent investigation into the decisions involved. Cui bono?
From the same shower who brought you the closure of six out of twelve local libraries in a year, the sort of people who cut down hardwood forests that have taken hundreds of years to grow for paltry and transient financial expediency.
Ed
Friday, January 06, 2012
The days we left behind
After Robert Burns
Should old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot
And the days we left behind?
It's been a long, long time, my dear,
It's been a long, long time.
So drink a toast to absent friends
And the days we left behind.
Go buy yourself a pint old pal
And I will raise you mine.
Let's drink a toast to absent friends
Cos' it's been a long, long time.
Oh you and I have run round town,
Pulled flowers from the vine,
And many weary paths we've walked
Since the days we left behind.
It's been a long, long time, my dear,
It's been a long, long time.
So drink a toast to absent friends
And the days we left behind.
We both have paddled in these streams
From dawn till closing time,
But stormy seas have rowed between
Since the days we left behind.
Stick out your hand there good old pal,
And I will put out mine,
Let's drink a proper good old toast
Cos' it's been a long, long time.
It's been a long, long time, my dear,
It's been a long, long time.
Let's drink a toast to absent friends
And the days we left behind.
Ogden Ganache
Should old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot
And the days we left behind?
It's been a long, long time, my dear,
It's been a long, long time.
So drink a toast to absent friends
And the days we left behind.
Go buy yourself a pint old pal
And I will raise you mine.
Let's drink a toast to absent friends
Cos' it's been a long, long time.
Oh you and I have run round town,
Pulled flowers from the vine,
And many weary paths we've walked
Since the days we left behind.
It's been a long, long time, my dear,
It's been a long, long time.
So drink a toast to absent friends
And the days we left behind.
We both have paddled in these streams
From dawn till closing time,
But stormy seas have rowed between
Since the days we left behind.
Stick out your hand there good old pal,
And I will put out mine,
Let's drink a proper good old toast
Cos' it's been a long, long time.
It's been a long, long time, my dear,
It's been a long, long time.
Let's drink a toast to absent friends
And the days we left behind.
Ogden Ganache
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
On the conviction of two Eltham racists at the Old Bailey
"Nearly 20 years after he was murdered in cold blood, Stephen Lawrence's family get justice. Their courage & dignity inspirational." Diane Abbott on Twitter
Sunday, January 01, 2012
The Vatican in high resolution
The Sistine Chapel
A marvellous page that lets you pan in three dimensions and zoom in and out on the details. It has choral music playing, which you can turn off if preferred.
A marvellous page that lets you pan in three dimensions and zoom in and out on the details. It has choral music playing, which you can turn off if preferred.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Merry Christmas and Hanukkah!
Red, Feargal, Mona, Steve, Simon, Carmencita, Kronk, Mavis, Malachy, Noël, Harry, Ogden, Zoz, Nick, Ossian, Bartell, Jacintha and all the gang.
Competition update, December 2011
There are over 380 entries. I'm miles behind with the reading but looking forward to catching up over the holidays. Thanks to everyone who entered. The art of the short story is alive and well.
More news of former finalists
Jenny Barden's novel Mistress of the Sea is set to be published by Ebury Press in September 2012.
A.N. Wilson, writing in The Financial Times, named The Coward's Tale by Vanessa Gebbie as his novel of the year for 2011. Vanessa was also photographed and interviewed in this week's Telegraph.
James Lawless, whose story "Jolt" was a highlight of New Short Stories 1, and who has published the novels "The Avenue", "For Love of Anna" and "Peeling Oranges" is also a poet. His poem "Christmas Eve" is in this week's Sunday Independent (Ireland).
Steve
More news of former finalists
Jenny Barden's novel Mistress of the Sea is set to be published by Ebury Press in September 2012.
A.N. Wilson, writing in The Financial Times, named The Coward's Tale by Vanessa Gebbie as his novel of the year for 2011. Vanessa was also photographed and interviewed in this week's Telegraph.
James Lawless, whose story "Jolt" was a highlight of New Short Stories 1, and who has published the novels "The Avenue", "For Love of Anna" and "Peeling Oranges" is also a poet. His poem "Christmas Eve" is in this week's Sunday Independent (Ireland).
Steve
Friday, December 23, 2011
While we sail the ship that never goes to sea...
In memory of Zoltan (1998-2011), the guard dog of Herald House
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Short story competition deadline Friday 16th
A reminder that the closing date for entries to the short story competition is this Friday December 16th, 2011. Please send your best.
Monday, December 12, 2011
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