I was going to bolt this on to the blog earlier about the hoo-haa coverage following Dear Leader's 'I'm not going to stop flying, but you should' inspirational post-holiday, pre-lecture circuit speech. But I think it deserves its own post.
Newsnight weighed in last night, and I've just watched it online ( a very fine facility I must say).
First up we had the 'we're all doomed' with a junior reporter who was allowed as far as Kew, with suitable irony about the planes flying overhead noted, along with a comment about complaints made that they could have sited it better (in 18whenever.. ha-ha!).
Then we had big-gun Jezza being very polite (I thought) to Lord Stern, who even so managed to look very uncomfortable AND say nothing, despite the guy who commissioned him shooting most of what he'd come up with recently down in flames (a few mixed flying metaphors in there, sorry).
Then we had a senior reporter, Roger Harrabin, do a very interesting Tomorrow's World-styly (it's coming back... yaaaay!) report on inventions to get rid of, reusee and all round make more of our re:sources. Solar ovens in India. PVs in California. Gas storage in Algeria. Eco-architecture in Watford. Cloud sprays in Scotland.
And some good points were made. One being - and I support the Governemnt bod saying it, and who was none too keen on funding the guy who came up with a notion that was on the latter basis: 'it's better to cut not mask'.
But....
I recently saw a BBC 'ad' that was making the claim that Aunty had more folk on the ground in more places than anyone.
So why, in heaven's name, was it necessary to fly Mr. H (and crew?) to India, and Algeria (at least, that I could see) to stand next to a bit of kit for 30 seconds' worth of vox-pop?
I know it's all in the name of entertainment, but really, didn't this just shoot the earlier pieces in the foot a bit?
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
How Un-PC can I be?
As I stare at the screen of my Mac, as we are setting examples this is not comforting reading: Greenpeace slams Apple’s lack of ‘green’ credentials
But then as I look across at the Windows effort we have and think of this 'Dell unveils 'plant a tree for me', and I feel... better. Shame it's in the US and I can't raise a peep from the UK PR guys.
Also, is slamming a fir in the firmament really doing much? I have my doubts. It has a slight whiff of something green, and it ain't pine essence.
But then as I look across at the Windows effort we have and think of this 'Dell unveils 'plant a tree for me', and I feel... better. Shame it's in the US and I can't raise a peep from the UK PR guys.
Also, is slamming a fir in the firmament really doing much? I have my doubts. It has a slight whiff of something green, and it ain't pine essence.
DMlemma for the pols, too
The other day I got a leaflet through my door from the Lib Dems.
As it was in Pol-speek and Am-design I didn't even bother reading or looking at it much, as there were pictures of the MP doing nothing but gurn in front of a thing. But I must now seek it out in the bin.
Because of this: LibDem 'breaks party waste policy'
I may, once, have gone on a list, but it would have had an e-mail if given the option. Now how how do I find out?
As they said on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in... 'Interesting, but..'
As it was in Pol-speek and Am-design I didn't even bother reading or looking at it much, as there were pictures of the MP doing nothing but gurn in front of a thing. But I must now seek it out in the bin.
Because of this: LibDem 'breaks party waste policy'
I may, once, have gone on a list, but it would have had an e-mail if given the option. Now how how do I find out?
As they said on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in... 'Interesting, but..'
Oh, B*gnor!
A rich seam:
Indy - Blair tries to offset fury over flights policy
An open letter to the prime minister
Newsdesk notes for Tuesday January 9
Blair flies in to a flood of protest
Blair, Monday: I'm not offsetting carbon. Blair, yesterday: Er, I've had a rethink
The top 10 political hypocrites
I replied to one:
'I pop what I write here on my blog on http://www.junkk.com (always worth pitching a mention), so even though no one is going to ever wade through 100+ posts (I have to say I gave up halfway) to read it, it's worth doing anyway.
Most of all I see here the hypocrisy mantra being chanted, both at TB and GM, in almost equal measure.
Fair enough, actually. Speaking personally, I doubt I'll be flying much over the next few years, mainly because I have too much to do here and can't afford it anyway. That would make me a fairly good example setter, should I take it upon myself to tell other folk what to do, or worse try and scold them for not doing what I say (if not do). For obvious reasons, I try no to.
But I have to say, as an ordinary Joe, if the government and eco-media* can't lead by example, it's hard to see why anyone else should.
As to the rest, as my 10-year-olds now seem to have appreciated: 'two wrongs don't make a right'. Or, for that matter, secure the future.
*I merely note, but still find it a tad ironic, that in the blog headed 'Blair flies in to a flood of protest' http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1986570,00.html, there seems to be a lovely (in rotation) ad for a Guardian travel promo, and I don't think the beach is at Bognor.'
Indy - Blair tries to offset fury over flights policy
An open letter to the prime minister
Newsdesk notes for Tuesday January 9
Blair flies in to a flood of protest
Blair, Monday: I'm not offsetting carbon. Blair, yesterday: Er, I've had a rethink
The top 10 political hypocrites
I replied to one:
'I pop what I write here on my blog on http://www.junkk.com (always worth pitching a mention), so even though no one is going to ever wade through 100+ posts (I have to say I gave up halfway) to read it, it's worth doing anyway.
Most of all I see here the hypocrisy mantra being chanted, both at TB and GM, in almost equal measure.
Fair enough, actually. Speaking personally, I doubt I'll be flying much over the next few years, mainly because I have too much to do here and can't afford it anyway. That would make me a fairly good example setter, should I take it upon myself to tell other folk what to do, or worse try and scold them for not doing what I say (if not do). For obvious reasons, I try no to.
But I have to say, as an ordinary Joe, if the government and eco-media* can't lead by example, it's hard to see why anyone else should.
As to the rest, as my 10-year-olds now seem to have appreciated: 'two wrongs don't make a right'. Or, for that matter, secure the future.
*I merely note, but still find it a tad ironic, that in the blog headed 'Blair flies in to a flood of protest' http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1986570,00.html, there seems to be a lovely (in rotation) ad for a Guardian travel promo, and I don't think the beach is at Bognor.'
Not so full of beans
This is not, on the face of it, anything to do with Junkk's area, but as it does encapsulate a political and management culture in this country that certainly exists with matters environmental, I feel it's worth including.
I watched a very depressing programme, where a biz guru tried to fix the NHS. It was partly depressing that such a flip notion was taken seriously by so many (he managed a few turnarounds... nothing like a full film crew to swing that! Try mano-a-mano to a dude that is gold-plated and unfireable) in the pursuit of ratings, but mainly because in amonst the nonsense and editing a lot was laid bare. And it wasn't pretty.
A guru close to despair
I felt the urge to pitch in:
‘Daily Mail reader would know what to conclude from the programme.’
‘For the Guardian reader, it's harder. ‘
I am in a quandary: how to react? I read both. And the Times. And the Indy. Often the Sun, Mirror, too. Not because I enjoy them particularly, and especially not because I feel I will be informed objectively by any of them.
But there is the slim hope that, as with blogs such as this and the replies they garner, I may acquire enough information to make a reasoned judgement on an issue.
Of course, like most, in this case I also have personal experience to fall back on as well. And I dread taking my Mum to hospital today as a consequence (case in point: two posters in the waiting room. One says 'Help us by asking a friend or relative to bring you'. The other says 'Priority is given to those using hospital transport'). If there was an alternative I'd use it.
I come from the private sector. All I know is that if what you can earn is based on fewer and fewer people who provide a function the 'customer' pays for, the solution is not, at best, piling on a huge % more to 'manage' or ‘administer’ them, or at worst cut them back to fund ever more managers/administrators.
If you lose the bean makers and stop making beans, there is nothing left to count... or report on... or meet targets with.
And then they will stop voting for you as well.'
I watched a very depressing programme, where a biz guru tried to fix the NHS. It was partly depressing that such a flip notion was taken seriously by so many (he managed a few turnarounds... nothing like a full film crew to swing that! Try mano-a-mano to a dude that is gold-plated and unfireable) in the pursuit of ratings, but mainly because in amonst the nonsense and editing a lot was laid bare. And it wasn't pretty.
A guru close to despair
I felt the urge to pitch in:
‘Daily Mail reader would know what to conclude from the programme.’
‘For the Guardian reader, it's harder. ‘
I am in a quandary: how to react? I read both. And the Times. And the Indy. Often the Sun, Mirror, too. Not because I enjoy them particularly, and especially not because I feel I will be informed objectively by any of them.
But there is the slim hope that, as with blogs such as this and the replies they garner, I may acquire enough information to make a reasoned judgement on an issue.
Of course, like most, in this case I also have personal experience to fall back on as well. And I dread taking my Mum to hospital today as a consequence (case in point: two posters in the waiting room. One says 'Help us by asking a friend or relative to bring you'. The other says 'Priority is given to those using hospital transport'). If there was an alternative I'd use it.
I come from the private sector. All I know is that if what you can earn is based on fewer and fewer people who provide a function the 'customer' pays for, the solution is not, at best, piling on a huge % more to 'manage' or ‘administer’ them, or at worst cut them back to fund ever more managers/administrators.
If you lose the bean makers and stop making beans, there is nothing left to count... or report on... or meet targets with.
And then they will stop voting for you as well.'
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