How much does Alex Ross get paid?

Someone found my blog searching for the above subject. I can only assume they want to know how much the artist Alex Ross gets paid, or the writer for the New Yorker, as opposed to little ol’ me.

The answer to the above question for those who are interested, is of course, ‘not enough!’

Something to think about when bankers bleat about driving talent abroad

More comments from financiers about how the Government’s proposed super-tax on the banks will drive talent abroad on the Sky News website tonight.

I was having this conversation with a friend who has a degree in economics today.

He scoffed at the idea of bankers going abroad. Why?

“There are 150,000 unemployed investment bankers desperate for jobs.”

Good point, well made?

More embarassment for Bradford Council as German Market packs up after two weeks

Ouch.

As a symbol of how Bradford has struggled to keep pace with Leeds over the last ten years, seeing the attempt to imitate cities like Leeds (and elsewhere, such as York) in having a German market for Christmas end in utter failure as the traders packed up and went back home to Germany after only two weeks of a month-long contract is pretty potent.

Although the promoter was contracted for a month there was little they could do as traders literally left the stalls as they were and went back to Germany.

He blamed bad weather and the public for not supporting the stalls, which allegedly had little in the way of traditional German fare.

I have to admit to not having visited the German market, though I would have liked to go before Christmas, as I usually do at least once in Leeds – if only to have a hot dog!

Part of the problem though is that I work in Leeds – as do many others who live in the Bradford region, and by the time you leave work and get into Bradford all the shops have closed, leaving little to do unless you’re going for a drink or a meal.

Naturally the Bradford Chamber of Trade are disappointed by the whole affair but I remember last year myself and my girlfrien were being shooed out of the shops before 5:30pm in the run up to Christmas. Needless to say we don’t do much Christmas shopping midweek in Bradford, because we can’t even when we wanted to.

It seems to me that the Council need to work more closely with businesses in the city centre, and the Chamber of Trade, to create a ‘package’ to encourage people into the city centre. One-off, piecemeal events won’t work to create a sustained incentive to visit the city centre.

The German Market was a nice idea, but needed to be supported perhaps by a late night shopping night for the shops, heavily advertised. Restaurants could be encouraged to work with the Alhambra and St George’s Hall and offer discounts for those attending similar to how Wagamamma’s did a Buy One Get One Free deal for all who attended Opera in the Park in Leeds a couple of years ago.

Back to the drawing board then, for the council, and more humiliation for Bradford.