MY BETTER HALF...

This woman is cleverer, funnier and stronger than I am. So she can certainly kick YOUR ass...

LEAST ACTION HERO...

So many deadlines and dinosaur incursions, so little time...

JOURNEYMAN...

Lay back and think of the air-miles I'm earning...

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Archive for April 2010

IT'S GOOD TO TALK...

So. Hopefully - after hours on the phone, I'll now be on my way to Iowa on Sunday. Technically I'll leave here Saturday night and train across to Manchester and wait through the early hours until my flight leaves (first via Paris CDG) just after 6:00am Sunday. Right now, it all looks good with 95% + of all flights now back in operation, but given recent events I'm not counting on anything until I'm en route to Iowa. Even then I'll be keeping an eye out for mavericky plumes and getting all hopey that there's no changey.

I've managed to get a big chunk of Impact work out of the way, so that'll all be in the hands of the designer. As long as I get regular PDFs of the pages sent through, I think we'll all be okay. There will be some reviews to get done before the end of the month, but I should be able to manage that.

On the rant front, I couldn't help noticing the news-story about an employee of communications giant Geico and the US Tea Party that's currently circulating. You can get a more specific run-down of at least one side of the argument from the blog of the man involved D C Douglas (http://www.myvoiceoverguy.com/voice-over/freedomworks-geico-tortious-interference/ ) but essentially - even according to Fox News - what happened was that Douglas, perhaps inadvisedly left a pointed message on the voice-mail of Tea Party party FreedomWorks USA. Annoyed at some of their own attitudes he casually enquired how many mentally-retarded worked there and how long before someone got killed because of their actions. The wording may have been stupid and perhaps leaving his phone-number was even more ill-advised. But what FreedomWorks did next is... troublesome.

They called him back, established his identity, found his Facebook page, realised he was involved in doing voice-work for Geico and then put Douglas' message on their own website, published his contact details and told people to ring Douglas AND his employee and to complain about his attitude.  A lot of people did. Subsequently, Geico decided to not employ Douglas any more. Douglas is suing for what is called Tortious Interference (essentially his professional life being hit unfairly). 

A top FreedomWorks rep just appeared on Fox News (with bright and breezy Megyn Kelly burbling that Douglas must have some nerve to sue people he insulted) and the rep refuted that Douglas has any case he can bring. The rep also says that they make no apologies for publicising Douglas's details and that future employers have a right to know about the leanings of a person they want to hire.

Really? Because... no. The the last time I checked, this the selfsame Tea Party that complains that they are being unfairly targetted by the media, that say they have a right to express their opinions and believe its unAmerican to be penalised, harrassed or brow-beaten for doing so.  Douglas may have proven himself a bit of an idiot for doing what he did - but unless Douglas called from Geico's building or he himself explicitly brought them into the complaint against FreedomWorks, then as far as I can see Douglas has an excellent case for harrassment.  FreedomWorks, on the other hand, looks like hate other people going after them personally, but are more than happy to release the hounds to destroy someone's unconnected career when it suits.

It's good to talk. It's good to fly. Both should be done without a great big honkin' shadow hanging over your head because of what you do in your spare time.

[CLICK ENTRY TITLE TO READ FULL POST] - Posted by JOHN MOSBY
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JM Vs. THE VOLCANO

After accumulating around 2hrs on a 10p a minute line to Expedia, I tried the old fallback postion of simply hitting the unmentioned '0' at every option and almost instantly got through to someone.  Take that, Mount St Unpronouncable...

The news is not great - and as expected, no flights for the next few days at least, though they say conditions are slowly improving ever so slightly (So....I guess BBC, SKY, CNN and NATS are wrong that it's actually getting worse and could last months...). So it's pretty sure I won't be going anywhere until at least next weekend. The volcano probably won't stop spewing its guts, but we simply need the winds to change direction and at the moment they're simply not.

However, the woman I spoke to did say that once people who are stuck abroad are dealt with, people like myself will be prioritised ahea dof any 'new' bookings. Essentially, if flights were to be re-instated around Friday/Saturday, I could feasibly be onboard an aircraft by this time next week. Hmmmm. But right now, they can't take a new booking so I have to sit tight and keep an eye on the helpful BBC website.

I'm not the only one with locations problems. Paul Simpson and Andy Diggle are supposed to be in LA, Dina is stuck in Madeira, Molly's still in Crotia and I'm pretty sure several hundred thousand people are in Birmingham.

In the meantime, Jilly and Tasha have agreed to blow up Iceland on my behalf if it helps. Ain't love grand?

[CLICK ENTRY TITLE TO READ FULL POST] - Posted by JOHN MOSBY
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IRRITABLE VOWEL SYNDROME...

On what is, ironically, an absolutely lovely sunny day in Leeds, what really irks is that my long-laid travel plans have actually been scuppered by a smouldering mountain with a name that's halfway between a great hand at Scrablle and a particularly bad Bjork lyric ( Eyjafjallajoekull - say it fast three times).

Yes, as some of you know I'm supposed to be flying off to the US early next week - however that's all in flux at the moment due to... and I can't believe I'm actually typing this... a volcano.  Yes, Iceland is getting its own back for the financial crisis by billowing tons of smoke and ash into the atmosphere. Apparently there's more hot air hitting the northern hemisphere than a Glenn Beck love-in. And there's another image I could live without.

The annoying thing is that at the moment I have a ton of writing work to get out of the way and simultaneously there's no way to assess what the next few days will bring with regards to the travel situation  changing and what the actual obligations of the airline to my travel thereafter will be. I preume if the actual flight is cancelled they are obliged under terms to put me on another flight, however with an extensive back-log to deal with I'm not sure quite how much this could impact how long I'm away. Right now the air restructions are at least in palce until tomorrow and all phone lines are either down or busy, so there's no real information except what comes through the TV.

Everything is in the lap of the gods - most expecially Vulcan. 

Most illogical.

[CLICK ENTRY TITLE TO READ FULL POST] - Posted by JOHN MOSBY
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TOLERATE THIS!

Wow. Is it me or are we all getting just a bit angrier, just a bit more literally outraged, a little less tolerant? Or too tolerant? Or less tolerant at more tolerance or... well... there you are. It's that kind of time. Doesn't it make you want to scream?

In recent months there's been a ton of controversies in the press. Some relatively small scale stoies, some decidedly bigger, some totally manufactured, some more organic. But in a lot of cases it feels like rather than the issues being debated, discussed and any common ground even being attempted, it's more like a boxing ring or school playground where particpants call each other names and then return to the corners bloody and unbowed. It's not what you say, it's how loud you shout. It's telling people what to think rather than giving ALL the information with which to do so. No discussions... more pre-emptive strikes, snarks, indignancy and buzzwords designed not to engage but to carve a niche for those already convinced. We just seem to all be more... angry and more inclined to rage rather than engage.

For example.....

In the US the health bill has created the kind of fervour that defies logic. Wherever you are on the actual issue itself, it's almost impossible to have missed the fact that any dicussion comes down to some ridiculous accusations. If you're for the Health Bill, then be prepared to be a socialist, marxist, baby-killing nigger-loving progressive liberal who should move to Russia. If you think the Bill shouldn't have been passed you're an Ivy-League elitist, gun-hording, CEO, bank-bonus hogging TEA-partying redneck whoring yourself to the insurance companies.  I'm sure there are plenty of people in the middle who think there are flaws and successes in the Bill, but they are all too often drowned out by the loud, more rabid voices.  It has to be said, those voices have mainly been Republican... the likes of Rush (' I'm not being racist, but what race will the President be putting on his census?') Limbaugh, Glenn ('It's all the fault of the Progressives who are trying to DESTROY this country with their secret agenda!') Beck and Sarah ('Hopey-Changey') Palin.  The Left isn't guiltless, but the average person is finding harder and harder to separate fact from sound-bytes that are repeated across the air-waves that want a controversy, not a compromise. To hell with rationality, let's strike fear into people!

The latest UK headlines today are screaming about Chris Grayling (Conservative MP) and the "disgraceful" opinions he has over another recent story. Background: A couple of weeks ago a gay couple arrived at a Brighton B&B and when the owner found they were homosexual she said that as a devout Christian she felt she couldn't let them stay in the same bed under her roof. The owner was immediately called a bigot and has been the subject of a hate-campaign.  Now Grayling has said - in an audio tape secretly recorded by a Sunday paper without his knowledge - that he has some sympathies with the B&B owners as, while he has no problem with gay marriages etc, he does think a person has the right to decide what happens in their home without government interference.

Personally, I'm conflicted on this one. Certainly this story does demonstrate an anti-gay prejudice and clear homophobia. Denying someone a room simply because they were black would be astonishing in this day and age and I'd hoped that the subject of someone's sexuality behind a closed door would be just as non-issue. I feel sympathy for the two men who had done nothing wrong and had their holiday ruined by someone who, I feel, is probably rather selective about what they take away from the Bible. ( I love Christians but even with the 'devout' variety there does seem to a big pick-and-choose when it comes to its literal meaning, lessons and teachings when its in/convenient).  I don't think they should have been turned away and if I was them I'd be rightly furious. THEN AGAIN, I also value highly the notion that goverment has NO place in the privacy of one's home and that should stay out of the kitchen, bedroom, hallway or closet when only consenting adults are involved. Like anyone I have the right to decide what I want under my own roof. I might criticise others extreme or stupid choices or lack of tolerance, but its their house and their rules. 

The problem here is that the private home was ALSO a small place of business. I think when you open a business, you have to abide by the laws of the land - including those relating to discrimination. However, this incident does create an inherrent conflict and I think Chris Grayling, rather than being stunningly vilified, has simply put his finger on the nub of the problem.  It's clear from his record and interviews that he has no 'anti gay' agenda and has been happy to vote for same-sex marriage etc, but sees this particular issue as a layered one given both the faith/rights angle. Instead, SKY and the likes are talking about the other parties howling for his resignation and about his innate bigotry. C'mon guys... he isn't a stupid BNP supporter out to cause trouble...he's a politician who - and this is a rarity - is stating this can't be reduced to a simple sound-byte or headline, so let's discuss that rather than merely lynch the messenger. Equally, the woman who runs the B&B isn't a rabid Klu Klux Klan or BNP member, she apparently she just felt the one-bed arrangement conflicted with her religious beliefs and felt she'd bea hypocrite to allow it under hr own roof.  Debatable logic aside, to polarise it even more actually does more to help the bigots rather than the devout.

These are just two examples of where the media is alsmost dictating the rules of engagement rather than the argument. Both situations would benefit from people acknowleding the real conflicts involved even if they can't agree.

So, perhaps here's a rule of thumb: just for a second, however passionate you are about where you already stand and how confident you are in that... don't merely trash those who disagree with you. Disagree the position but don't disrespect the person.  Convince, rather than annihilate. The world is not black and white. The truth about anything is never as brief as a sound-byte and there's no point of view that can't be strengthened by questioning it, accepting not everyone thinks the same and genuinely enagaging those who disagree.

And anyone who disagrees with that is an idiot.

[CLICK ENTRY TITLE TO READ FULL POST] - Posted by JOHN MOSBY
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