Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
Breaking through the silence
Posted by: melissabenn on: June 18, 2009
Please come to a special event, Breaking Through the Silence, put on by the English PEN Writers in Prison Committee and JAM, an organisation set up to nurture, promote and perform new music in the UK, in support of imprisoned and persecuted writers throughout the world, but particularly highlighting the situation of Aung San Suu [...]
The conundrum of Caroline Flint
Posted by: melissabenn on: June 7, 2009
For the moment, I am only going to set out a couple of questions currently buzzing round my brain about the Caroline Flint affair, in particular the matter of those photos coupled with her angry comment that Gordon Brown used her and other women in the Cabinet as ‘window dressing.’ Yesterday I had at least [...]
Jaw dropping tales.
Posted by: melissabenn on: June 6, 2009
- In: Events | Musings
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The political world may be in free fall but so was I, for a brief moment last week, and here’s something I learned in the process. Last Wednesday night, when leaving the Orange Prize Party at the Royal Festival Hall. I tripped and fell, taking almost the entire impact on my chin and jaw. ( [...]
Thoughts of a non swine kind….
Posted by: melissabenn on: May 20, 2009
- In: Events | Musings | News
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For the past few days I have been ill with spring flu of the non swine variety, the illness that has affected so many in recent weeks, including, so I read in today’s coverage of the Cannes film festival, the actress Penelope Cruz whom I find it impossible to imagine looking anything other than gorgeous. [...]
Crisis time.
Posted by: melissabenn on: May 15, 2009
- In: Events | Musings | News
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For the first time in my life, I am worried for the future of our democracy. As the expenses crisis deepens, here are a few observations. * while MP’s from all parties have been ‘ caught out’ by careless accounting and unjustified claims, I was particularly outraged by money claimed to dredge a moat, fix [...]
Saturday Live……
Posted by: melissabenn on: May 9, 2009
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Listen to Melissa, guest on Radio Four’s Saturday Live, this morning, Saturday May 9th. ( Happy birthday Joshua!)
And the winners are…………
Posted by: melissabenn on: April 29, 2009
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…………….the parents of Queens Park Community School for our brilliant writers’ project, honoured today, at a special ceremony at the House of Commons, as an outstanding achievement in terms of ‘changing the life of a school.’ Given the incredibly high standard of all the entries for these annual gold star awards, we feel particularly pleased. [...]
Meeting Mr Balls.
Posted by: melissabenn on: April 23, 2009
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I am very much hoping that today, at around one thirty pm at the House of Commons, I will get to shake the hand of schools secretary Ed Balls and even receive a generous cheque from him. How and why? Well, the parent body of our local school, Queens Park Community School (which my two [...]
The death of Ian Tomlinson, Jane Austen, and how to raise children……..thoughts on the week’s stories.
Posted by: melissabenn on: April 11, 2009
- In: Events | Guardian article | Musings | News
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Two stories this week, both in the Guardian, have refreshed my faith in journalism, firstly the unfolding tale of the tragic death of Ian Tomlinson, the newspaper seller who collapsed during the G20 protests in London; the other a feature in today’s Guardian about two different organisations helping troubled kids. The extraordinary Ian Tomlinson story [...]
An Inspector shouts, an audience giggles………….
Posted by: melissabenn on: March 29, 2009
- In: Events | Musings | Reviews
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Now feels like a particularly good time to revisit J B Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, a classic piece of polemical theatre that held me spellbound me when I first saw it a very long time ago. It was inevitably less thrilling (for me) this time round, because it’s a play that relies on mystery style [...]
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