Wojciech Kilar: Award-winning writer of film score for 'The Pianist' who had a gift for creating visual images in sound

Obituary of Wojciech Kilar in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Colin Wilson - Writer and philosopher whose work, beginning with ‘The Outsider’, searched for the meaning of man’s existence

Obituary of Colin Wilson in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Alex Calderwood: Hotelier and self-styled ‘cultural engineer’ who gave his Ace chain a distinctively unconventional and offbeat style

Obituary of Alex Calderwood in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Grace Jones: Britain's oldest person, who worked as a seamstress and a civil servant until her retirement in the 1960s

Obituary of Grace Jones in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Jack Alexander: Singer and pianist who with his brother Tom formed one of the best-loved Scottish musical acts of the last 50 years

Obituary of Jack Alexander in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Noel Harrison: Actor and singer best known for 'The Windmills of your Mind'

Obituary of Noel Harrison in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Sean Edwards: England's first winner of the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race

Obituary of Sean Edwards in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Harry Goodwin: Photographer acclaimed for his pictures of the stars of the 1960s and '70s

Obituary of Harry Goodwin in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Hiroshi Yamauchi: Computing pioneer who turned Nintendo into a global gaming giant

Obituary of Hiroshi Yamauchi in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Salustiano Sanchez-Blazquez: The world's oldest man

Obituary of Salustiano Sanchez-Blazquez in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Ray Dolby: Inventor whose noise-reduction technology transformed sound reproduction

Obituary of Ray Dolby in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

John Bellany: Painter acclaimed for his fusion of mythology and everyday life

Obituary of John Bellany in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Russell Twisk: Editor of The Listener and Reader's Digest

Obituary of Russell Twisk in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Jacques Vergès: Lawyer whose notorious clients included Pol Pot, Klaus Barbie and Carlos the Jackal

Obituary of Jacques Vergès in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Red Bull backs down in trademark fight with British brewer

The energy drink giant, Red Bull, has today confirmed that it has backed down over its trademark fight with the small-scale British beer manufacturer, Redwell Brewing. Red Bull had claimed that the name "Redwell" could confuse its customers. A letter to the brewery from the company's brand enforcement manager, Hansjorg Jeserznik, suggested that Redwell's trademark was "highly similar" to Red Bull.

In a statement received today, a Red Bull UK spokesman said:

"There is no dispute here. Red Bull has long been willing to allow Redwell to maintain its mark for beer so long as they do not use it for energy drinks. Redwell's solicitor has agreed to this."

Patrick Fisher, the owner of Redwell Brewing, had previously commented "Our name is different, our branding is different. We don't make energy drinks and we're not planning to move into Formula One or send a man skydiving from space very soon."

Redwell Brewing, which has been established for just five months, is named after Redwell Street in Norwich, the firm's home town. It brews around 5000 pints of beer per week.

by Marcus Williamson
Freelance journalist
15 August 2013
E-mail: marcus@connectotel.com

[Please credit the author if you use this article as a source of information for your own writing or broadcasting]

New pay charter for charities - proposal to Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO)

To: Stephen Bubb (stephen.bubb@acevo.org.uk)
Subject: New pay charter for charities
From: Marcus Williamson (marcus@connectotel.com)
Date: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 12:24:32

Mr Bubb

I have read this news report:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10224104/30-charity-chiefs-paid-more-than-100000.html

I would like to propose a new and simple pay and conditions charter for charities:

* No directors or staff to be paid more than the Prime Minister
* Maximum pay ratio between the highest and lowest paid staff of 10:1
* No use of zero hour contracts
* No use of unpaid interns or other staff, except for genuine volunteers
* No use of "workfare" or any similar forced labour schemes
* No use of business or first class travel
* No bonuses
* No termination payments
* Publication of CEO pay details on every charity website in a standard format

Would ACEVO be prepared to support such proposals, which could immediately make millions of pounds available for charitable purposes by bringing senior pay at charities back to a reasonable level?

It would also demonstrate responsible leadership to the wider public and private sectors, showing that it is possible for CEO pay to fall, rather than forever increasing.

I have copied Christopher Hope at the Telegraph and William Shawcross at the Charity Commission and will be sending a copy to the CEOs of each of the members of the DEC.

My interest is as a technologist, journalist and editor of the website www.ceoemail.com

Look forward to hearing from you.

best wishes
Marcus Williamson

John Amis: Music critic and broadcaster who graced radio’s ‘My Music’ for two decades

Obituary of John Amis in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Ilya Segalovich: Computer pioneer whose internet search company predated Google

Obituary of Ilya Segalovich in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Barnaby Jack: Ethical hacker and expert on security for computers

Obituary of Barnaby Jack in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

John Casablancas: Agent whose company, Elite, ushered in the era of the supermodel

Obituary of John Casablancas in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Paul Bhattacharjee: Actor whose work took in the RSC, the Royal Court and 'EastEnders'

Obituary of Paul Bhattacharjee in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

David Collins: Designer of some of London's finest bars and restaurants

Obituary of David Collins in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Doug Engelbart: Inventor of the computer mouse

Obituary of Doug Engelbart in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Dr James Martin: Technology guru and philanthropist who predicted the rise of the internet

Obituary of Dr James Martin in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Mick Aston: Archaeologist who found television fame on 'Time Team'

Obituary of Mick Aston in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Michael Hastings: Journalist who brought down an American general

Obituary of Michael Hastings in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Michael Baigent: Renaissance man who questioned Christian history in his quest for truths

Obituary of Michael Baigent in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

David Wall: Dancer who became the Royal Ballet's Principal at the age of 21

Obituary of David Wall in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Tom Sharpe: Comic novelist and satirist who created the Wilt series and Porterhouse Blue

Obituary of Tom Sharpe in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Jack Vance: Celebrated author of fantasy and science fiction

Obituary of Jack Vance in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Mick McManus: Wrestler who revelled in his status as the man the British public loved to hate

Obituary of Mick McManus in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Arnold Peters: The voice of Jack Woolley in 'The Archers'

Obituary of Arnold Peters in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Andrew Simpson: Sailor who won gold at the Beijing Olympics

Obituary of Andrew Simpson in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Anne Williams: Hillsborough activist who fought to uncover the truth about the disaster

Obituary of Anne Williams in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Zao Wou-Ki: Artist whose work combined Oriental landscapes and Western abstraction

Obituary of Zao Wou-Ki in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Lee Halpin: Newcastle film-maker and magazine editor

Obituary of Lee Halpin in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Sir Robert Edwards: Co-pioneer of the IVF technique whose work led to the first test-tube baby

Obituary of Sir Robert Edwards in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Boris Berezovsky: Businessman who profited from communism's fall but made an enemy of Putin

Obituary of Boris Berezovsky in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Sybil Christopher: Actress, theatre producer and first wife of Richard Burton

Obituary of Sybil Christopher in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Norman Collier: Comedian famed for his 'broken microphone'

Obituary of Norman Collier in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Raymond Cusick: Designer whose greatest creation was Dr Who's biggest foes, The Daleks

Obituary of Raymond Cusick in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Richard Briers: Much-loved actor of stage and screen who rose to prominence as a pioneering suburban spirit in The Good Life

Obituary of Richard Briers in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Professor Ronald Dworkin: Legal philosopher acclaimed as the finest of his generation

Obituary of Ronald Dworkin in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Zhuang Zedong: The accidental architect of 'ping-pong diplomacy'

Obituary of Zhuang Zedong in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Andre Cassagnes: Electrician who invented the perennially popular toy Etch A Sketch

Obituary of André Cassagnes in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Dr Acer Nethercott: Olympic rowing cox and noted academic

Obituary of Dr Acer Nethercott in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Toyo Shibata: Poet who published her first collection at the age of 98

Obituary of Toyo Shibata in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Aaron Swartz: Campaigner for internet freedom

Obituary of Aaron Swartz in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

Nagisa Oshima: Film director best known for the controversial 'In the Realm of the Senses'

Obituary of Nagisa Oshima in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

David R Ellis: Stuntman who went on to direct 'Snakes on a Plane'

Obituary of David R Ellis in The Independent by Marcus Williamson

N Joseph Woodland: Inventor of the barcode

Obituary of N Joseph Woodland in The Independent by Marcus Williamson