Nigel Gordon

It depends on what basis the competition is encouraged. At the school I attended, and it was a working-class secondary modern school in a poorer part of the Black Country, only twenty percent of House points in the year could come from sporting achievement. They were split ten percent for team sports and ten percent for individual achievements. Ten percent came from academic achievement in each of the core subjects, English, English Lit., Maths, Science, History, Geography. Ten percent of the House points came from attendance, the final ten percent were for what would now be called social interaction. Basically, how polite you were in school, the after-school activities you took part in and your participation in out of school groups and activities. Although one house could and usually did dominate the sporting activities between houses, they generally failed to win the House Competition because they spent so much time on their sporting activities that they failed on the academic and social side of things.

I am very much in agreement with Merkin on this.

A major problem in the modern educational system is the size of the schools. I went to a school where there were under four hundred pupils. Yes, there were bullies but the teachers knew who they were and kept things fairly well under control. A friend has just retired from teaching at a modern comprehensive school. They had over two thousand students and she readily admits that she hardly knew any of them. She was aware that there was quite a bit of bullying in the school but, as she put it, 'we never knew the students well enough to know what was going on'. The thing is that school was in the town where I went to school. In my day there were three 'state' secondary school, one Catholic secondary school, one Church of England secondary school and two grammar schools. Now there is only a single comprehensive school for the whole area. All right, the students have a much broader curriculum that they can follow and they have much better facilities but all this has come at a cost. There is no longer the close interaction between staff and pupils that there was in the smaller schools. As my friend told me if a student did not take her particular subject, she was highly unlikely ever to learn the student's name, let alone anything about them. Yes, large schools are a lot cheaper to run and can offer a wider range of subjects than smaller schools. However, would it not be better to put more money into the system and have smaller safer schools.

A Ghost for Christmas Present By Nigel Gordon Even through the heavy bed curtains, Scrooge was aware that there was a change in the room. It reminded him of all those years ago when the Spirits of Christmas had visited him, that night so long ago that had been filled with fear, emotion and joy as he had found the true spirit of Christmas. Now, he had no doubt, the Spirits were back. “Scrooge,” an eldritch voice screeched through the dank night air, “Ebenezer Scrooge.” Scrooge sat up in his four-poster and threw back the curtains. “Yes, spirit, I am here, Ebenezer Scrooge.” His manner and voice being that of one who has faced the spirits of the night and triumphed over them. “Why come you to me now, do I not keep Christmas better than all other men.” “Indeed you do,” wailed the ethereal voice. A sense of despair and loss filling the room as the sepulcher tones echoed where no echo should be. “Maybe you keep it too well.” “Too well spirit, and how can that be?” “Did you not yesterday go down to the market and buy up all the geese as gifts to the poor of the parish?” “Yes.” “So now there is no pressure on them to work at a pittance to get sustenance for the feast. Those who rely upon such services must pay more, which beggars them, and they must go elsewhere for their fowl at increased costs. The merchants, bankers, tradesmen and clerks, suffer increased costs for your generosity.” “It would be better if they paid a decent wage to their employees.” “As you do Bob Cratchett? A wage far more than what he deserves now that he is crippled with arthritis and can hardly work.” “A condition for which I am to blame, having made him work so many years in an office without heat and for hours beyond those reasonable,” stated Scrooge in justification of his generosity, “what should I do, turn him out without means or support?” “Aye, maybe that you should, for no man can be as generous as you. Did you not give Tiny Tim, though he is no longer so tiny these ten years past, a new suit plus five guineas for his term at Oxford?” Scrooge nodded, getting Tiny Tim educated and into that University had been one of the great redemptions of his life. “And your nephew, have you not paid his debts and granted him an income, though he has no way to earn sufficient to pay his way and support his wife and family?” “It is right that I do, for he is my sister's son.” “And what of the poor of the parish who feast upon your largess? Know you that all the poor of the City know of your generosity and flock to this parish, that they may partake of your bounty?” Scrooge nodded and smiled. In ten years he had done so much good work, given so much charity, he felt happy. Who was this spirit that had come to criticise him so? “Yes, spirit, I have done all you said and much more. Only this evening I drew a cheque upon my bank to give a dress to each poor women and a jacket to each poor man. Tomorrow, on Christmas day I shall celebrate the season in all joy and with no consideration to the cost.” “Aye Scrooge that is true. In ten years you have spent lavishly in celebration of the season with no consideration to the cost. You have set an example of Christmas extravagance that many will follow, giving not care or consideration to money and the preservation or prosperity. Therefore, I have come to you.” “What spirit of Christmas be you, to be so miserly about my spending?” “No spirit of Christmas Ebenezer, for that you keep well and they will not disturb you. I am the Spirit of Insolvency! You have spent too well without consideration Ebenezer Scrooge, the bank will not honor your cheque and the poor women will go without their dresses and the men without their jackets. Ebenezer Scrooge, you are BANKRUPT.”

I do wish Cynus would write more short stories. They are always entertaining and also intriguing. This has story has intrigue, history, mystery and philosophy all mixed together. Well worth reading.

There is a place for sex in novels, there is even a place for nasty sex in novels, however, that place is limited. It must be contextual within the story, not pushed in for the gratification of the reader. It should also be reasonable in both the level of its description, remember the reader probably has a better imagination than you have descriptive powers, and in length. Unfortunately, too many gay-themed novels fail on both these counts, especially on Kindle. Well written sex can improve a novel, badly written sex can destroy it.

This was definitely one of the first Chris James stories that I ever read. It is certainly one of those that got me hooked on his writing. The only thing I can say about it now is that the 'tweaked' version for AD is a lot better than the original. Am really enjoying it, even though I know what is going to happen.

I was surprised to read that Mark Foster had just come out as gay. I thought this had been known for some years.

All you will have to do now is have a campaign to stop establishments charging more for a gay marriage than they do for a straight marriage. This has happened over here recently. Went to a wedding in August and the brides mother told me that the £15K they had forked out for the wedding had left them somewhat financially strapped. I was surprised because I had been there a few weeks earlier for the wedding of a gay couple I know, and they had basically the same wedding package but were charged £22K.

This story by Geron Kees is set in Norway towards the end of the second world war. It is about two boys who one afternoon find themselves deciding to take action to help the resistance and the events that come from that decision. It is extremely well written and evokes a feeling of Norway in its description of things. I had the privilege to meeting and knowing a number of members of the Norwegian resistance when I was working in Scandinavia and this story has the touch of somebody who knows or has know those people. It is published on IOMFATS and you can find it here: http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/geron-kees/shorts/the-frost-covered-marker.html

Unfortunately they do not appear to be available on the Amazon UK Kindle Store.

There are some stories which are good, there are some which are great. Then there are some like Notes which can only be called sublime. They work perfectly, capturing the feeling of time, place and events. To write such a story takes great skill and in Notes Cole has demonstrated that skill perfectly. Probably one of the best short stories I have ever read and certainly the best I have read on the internet.

Cole, the absolute facts stated in Dodger are correct. Pratchett did a lot of research to make sure he got the details right. Even the positioning of the sewers is correct for the period when it is set. Pratchett is following the same rule that Ian Fleming set out. Whenever you have a checkable fact make sure it is right, then when you make a fictional statement it will be believed. I met Fleming on a couple of occasions and he always emphasised getting the facts right. Once they were in place you could mix in fiction to your hearts content.

May be a long wait. Tied down in a lot or research. Learning that writing a linked series of novel where the key novel is set around real events gives rise to all sorts of problems.

Came across this when doing some research into the Berlin Cabaret scene in the 1920s. Maybe it should be revived big time: I am putting two links up for it in English and one in German, there are plenty more on YouTube. Personally I think the English words are better than the original German - they fit better. And here is the original German recording from 1921: This is the original German version from 1921 sung by Marek Weber:

Came across this when doing some research into the Berlin Cabaret scene in the 1920s. Maybe it should be revived big time: I am putting two links up for it in English and one in German, there are plenty more on YouTube. Personally I think the English words are better than the original German - they fit better. And here is the original German recording from 1921:

Just arrived on my Kindle, will enjoy reading it.

Well it's come to an end. Just have to hope we hear more about the boys in the future. I am sure they are going to have an eventful life one way or another. Sequels are hard to do and more often than not don't work. This one did and I throughly enjoyed it. Thanks Cole.

I agree with Cynus.

I am just enjoying this, will leave comments till the end.

Cole, ninety-nine percent of all laws are routinely ignored. If they weren't life would be impossible. For a start I can't remember the last time I saw a London Hackney Cab carrying a bale of hay to feed the horse. Not sure if that is still the law but it was still a legal requirement when I was living in London. By the way the shape of the London Hackney Cab is defined by the legal requirement to have sufficient room for a gentleman to sit in it wearing a top hat. I doubt very much if your average American male over the age of sixteen and under forty is going out on a Sunday afternoon to practice with a long bow. That is one of those laws which you have inherited from us and so far as I know you have never repealed it. We only got round to repealing it this century. There are a lot of old laws and even more old regulations which exist and are routinely ignored. Unfortunately every now and again they turn up and bite you. I was with an officer of one of our teacher unions this morning and asked them about the rule. From what he said there is no specific rule on the use of names there is though advice from both the teacher's professional body and the Department of Education which states that teachers may refer to students either by their family name, their given name or any acceptable diminutive of the given name provided the the diminutive form is not considered offensive. Under that rule to call somebody called Thomas Tom would be alright, however, to use a nickname like Tich would not be acceptable, even if the student asked to be known by that name.

Actually Cole I think you might find it is one of your laws. The legal principle that the instruction was based on came from case law in the early 17th century. As such it is part of Common Law prior to the Declaration of Independence, so part of US Common Law.

Actually Cole I suspect there may be a legal objection. I am not certain if the instruction applies in education but suspect it does. There is a standing order from a number of government departments that people must be referred to at all times by their officially registered name. I know this applies in the prison service and in social services. This caused major problems for my ex-boyfriend who had changed his name by deed poll but found himself in a situation where he did not have proof of the deed poll and social services would not use that name for him. This caused all sorts of problems as they could not find half his records. I do know that in the late 1990s a teacher was suspended and later dismissed after an allegation that the teacher used a nickname for a student which the student found offensive. Apparently the name Paddy was used for him by most of the students at the school, the situation resulted in him attacking the teacher which resulted in an inquiry. The report of the inquiry specifically stated that all government employees should make use only of official names.

From what I have heard of the case, the report cited above is rather biased, it seems to be one of those Catch 22 situations which catch everybody out. First, so far as I have been able to establish Leo had not changed his name by Deed Poll or Statutory Declaration. Until he had the school was legally obliged to use his original name. Unfortunately until he was sixteen he was unable to do this in his own right. To do it under the age of sixteen required the consent of both his parents, which appeared to be unobtainable. There was a way around this problem but it would have required an application to the High Court and taken some time to sort out. As it was Leo would probably been of age before the case got to court. There is a further complication in that under present legislation in the UK you can only legal change your gender on your birth certificate if you are over 18 years of age. The current legislation does not allow a person under 18 to get their gender officially changed or allow the parents or guardians of a minor to change the legal gender of a minor. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule but they require very expensive legal actions and also require that you show an 'error of attribution' at the time of birth. This legislation is currently under review but given everything that is going on in the legislative process of the country at the moment it is unlikely that any change will be made prior to the next general election. A further complication is that the school in question is a girls school as such is not allowed to accept boys as pupils. I am not certain but it may well be a charter school and governed in this by the charitable charter that established the school. As such if they had formally recognised the gender change they would have been required to ask Leo to leave. Although not involved directly I am aware of a case where quite a lot of counselling and support was given to a school and a pupil in the last year where a boy who was starting to trans to female was required to leave an all boys school. The problem is that there is insufficient support of young people who are transgender. Until that support is in place scenarios like this will keep cropping up with all their tragic consequences. I don't think the school handled this very well but at the same time I believe they were trapped by a series of legal and regulatory requirements that had unintended consequences. Fortunately there is a movement in English school to make most public schools gender neutral. Unfortunately it is going to take a long time for this process to be completed.

Really enjoyed Book 1, can't wait for Book 2.