And when he's finished his run, he heads for the water and does a few 360's and drop knees and finishes off with a hang ten.
Click on Flag or Select Language to Translate
Kangaroo
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
57. Christmas Down Under
In Australia, Christmas comes in the middle of a very hot summer so when Santa Claus delivers his presents, he's not taken around by reindeer because they can't stand the terrible heat - he's taken around by six big, white, old man kangaroos called the six white boomers.
And when he's finished his run, he heads for the water and does a few 360's and drop knees and finishes off with a hang ten.
Above: Cooling off Down Under
And when he's finished his run, he heads for the water and does a few 360's and drop knees and finishes off with a hang ten.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Rude Rudd Strikes Again
"Just finished doing Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott's makeup for the People's Forum at the Broncos Leagues Club.
One of them was absolutely lovely, engaged in genuine conversation with me, acknowledge that I had a job to do and was very appreciative. The other did the exact opposite! Oh boy, I have ever had anyone treat me so badly whilst trying to do my job. Political opinions aside...from one human being to another...Mr. Abbott, you win hands down."
So wrote make-up artist Lily Fontana on her facebook page.
Ms Fontana has since removed the post writing: "Didn't think my personal page/opinion of my day would get so much attention. What a lesson to learn. I've removed the post and regret making the comments I did."
Source
One would think that Kevin Rudd ought to have learned some lessons along the way, especially with the Federal election so close. Still being rude, or just his natural self?
Remember the curious case of the flight attendant back in April 2009? The one he lost his temper with when he didn't get the meal he wanted? Rudd abuses flight attendant over flight meal
There was Kevin Rudd’s claims that his family was evicted from the family farm by owner Aubrey Low. He didn't want that story published.
March 31, 2007 - Revealed: The family that disputes Kevin Rudd's version of childhood eviction.
Academic Peter van Onselenm the author of Howard's End says Kevin Rudd is a foul-mouthed MP who lets go a string of expletive-ridden rants in his office when things go wrong.
July 13, 2008 - The swearing Kevin Rudd voters won't see
May 8, 2009 - Kevin Rudd throws hairdryer temper tantrum in Afghanistan Kevin chucks a wobbly when he couldn't get a hair dryer for a photo op.
(Photo: Gary Ramage)
Says Mister Rudd, "All of us are human. I'm human - I'm not perfect, you know." Yeah, but when you're the Prime Minister, you don't act like a spoilt brat who didn't get his own way.
One of them was absolutely lovely, engaged in genuine conversation with me, acknowledge that I had a job to do and was very appreciative. The other did the exact opposite! Oh boy, I have ever had anyone treat me so badly whilst trying to do my job. Political opinions aside...from one human being to another...Mr. Abbott, you win hands down."
So wrote make-up artist Lily Fontana on her facebook page.
Ms Fontana has since removed the post writing: "Didn't think my personal page/opinion of my day would get so much attention. What a lesson to learn. I've removed the post and regret making the comments I did."
Source
One would think that Kevin Rudd ought to have learned some lessons along the way, especially with the Federal election so close. Still being rude, or just his natural self?
Remember the curious case of the flight attendant back in April 2009? The one he lost his temper with when he didn't get the meal he wanted? Rudd abuses flight attendant over flight meal
There was Kevin Rudd’s claims that his family was evicted from the family farm by owner Aubrey Low. He didn't want that story published.
March 31, 2007 - Revealed: The family that disputes Kevin Rudd's version of childhood eviction.
Academic Peter van Onselenm the author of Howard's End says Kevin Rudd is a foul-mouthed MP who lets go a string of expletive-ridden rants in his office when things go wrong.
July 13, 2008 - The swearing Kevin Rudd voters won't see
May 8, 2009 - Kevin Rudd throws hairdryer temper tantrum in Afghanistan Kevin chucks a wobbly when he couldn't get a hair dryer for a photo op.
Says Mister Rudd, "All of us are human. I'm human - I'm not perfect, you know." Yeah, but when you're the Prime Minister, you don't act like a spoilt brat who didn't get his own way.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
55. The Face of a Killer
Above: Adrian Ernest Bayley
Picture Herald Sun
Adrian Ernest Bayley the man charged with the rape and murder of Jill Meagher was on parole for other rapes when he (allegedly) raped and murdered Jill and has been twice gaoled for rape previously.
What was the parole board thinking? Had he still been in gaol, Jill would not have died that night.
Adrian Bayley had a short fuse
Colleague Shaun Smith said Bayley was temperamental and argumentative. "He had a very short fuse and didn't like to be told he was wrong," his statement read.
Adrian Ernest Bayley was known as Adrian Edwards before he legally changed his name 12 years ago.
Adrian Bayley had history of violent sex attacks
A court has heard Melbourne man Adrian Bayley who has pleaded guilty to murdering Jill Meagher has a long history of violent attacks on women and has admitted faking his way through a sex offenders' program.
Despite being convicted of assault, he was allowed to continue parole. Bayley faced a pre-sentencing hearing in the Victorian Supreme Court today, his lawyers said he accepted he should be given a life sentence for the killing of Ms Meagher. Justice Geoffrey Nettle has lifted a suppression order allowing details of Bayley's history to be revealed.
He has an extensive history of violence and rape. The Victorian Parole Board failed to cancel his parole after a violent assault and a judge's warning that the public needed to be protected from him. The court was told Bayley's history of violent attacks on women spanned more than two decades.
At age 19 - he raped two teenagers in separate attacks. One was a 16-year-old family friend. He also attempted to rape a 16-year-old hitchhiker.
June 1991 - he was sentenced to his first stint behind bars.
He served a mere 22 months of a five-year sentence for sexual assault, and later admitted he faked his way through a sex offenders' program to get early release.
September 2000 - he began what Judge Tony Duckett described as a horrendous wave of crimes against St Kilda sex workers, raping five prostitutes over a six-month period. Bayley was jailed for a minimum of eight years for trapping his victims in his vehicle and repeatedly raping them.
The crime spree prompted the judge to give the ominous warning that society needed to be protected from him.
"You used an array of threats and violence to force your victims to satisfy your gross sexual appetite. You forced your victims to accept a series of sexual acts that caused them horrifying distress".
Out on parole when he murdered Jill Meagher
Bayley was on parole having served his sentence for the St Kilda rapes. However in February 2012, the Parole Board did not revoke his parole when he pleaded guilty to punching a man unconscious outside a Geelong cafe. Bayley appealed against his sentence and was free to walk the streets and meet Ms Meagher. Source
Jill Meagher
The Government is introducing legislation to ensure people who reoffend while on parole will automatically have their parole cancelled or reassessed.
There will be a mandatory cancellation of parole for sex and violent offenders who are convicted of the same type of offence while on release.
Well whoopdee do - not before time.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
54. Black Saturday - the Fourth Anniversary
Hell Unleashed Its' Fury
Hell hath no fury like a bushfire raging across hectares of grassland, farms and countryside, moving with the speed of lightning so fast that people who tried to outrun the fires were burnt in their cars. Cars littered the countryside bodies incinerated
Today is the fourth anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires. On Saturday 7th February, 2009, my state, the state of Victoria burned. There had been bushfires burning but this day was the worst in Australian history with the largest loss of life - 173 people lost their life and 414 were injured due to the fires.
Above: Black Saturday Bushfires
I remember that day clearly - early in the morning, the sun was a bright orange ball and we knew that that day would be terrible. the temperatures in Melbourne were 46.4ºC (115.52ºF) and in other areas it was 49ºC - (120.2ºF). The hot northerlies raged through my state with speeds of 80-100km. - the wind was ferocious, when I stood on my verandah it was 48º - in the shade and the wind was so hot it burnt our legs. You could hear it howling and there was a noise in the distance - a thunderous, rumbling noise - it sounded like huge jets, only there were no jets. I have never heard winds like that before, and I hoped to God I never hear them again. It was a most awful, awful sound. And it went on for hours.
Black Saturday was Victoria's darkest nightmare and the worst in our history.
Above: Marysville
Marysville - beautiful Marysville. It was Victoria's "Camelot" A very pretty little town with English Oaks lining the streets, with quaint, old-fashioned shops and homes, and an aura of yesteryear, a truly beautiful and serene hamlet set in magnificent forest. The Murrindindi/Marysville fire took 40 lives ad destroyed 536 homes.
Above: Marysville - In remembrance
There were 12 bushfires burning out of control across Victoria and 26 blazes in total.
In total, more than 700 homes had been confirmed destroyed.
Beechworth, Brittania Creek, Bunyip Park, Bendigo, Kilmore, Walhalla, Gippsland, Horsham
The blazes grew to more than 210,000 hectares and were burning towards Taggerty, Crystal Creek, Connollys Creek, Glenburn, and Rubicon.
They had already burnt through Kinglake, Marysville, Buxton and Narbethong.
Above: Kinglake NP - Denuded, blackened hills of the Black Saturday bushfires
We sat and listened to the appalling news on that day with a heavy heart knowing that there would be many who would never see another sunrise. Hundreds of homes had been burnt to the ground - razed, the scene looking like something out of a futuristic nightmare. Whole communities were wiped out - not a single stone left standing.
Above: Bushfires - Steel Creek Road, Yarra Glen
Hell hath no fury like a bushfire raging across hectares of grassland, farms and countryside, moving with the speed of lightning so fast that people who tried to outrun the fires were burnt in their cars. Cars littered the countryside bodies incinerated
Today is the fourth anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires. On Saturday 7th February, 2009, my state, the state of Victoria burned. There had been bushfires burning but this day was the worst in Australian history with the largest loss of life - 173 people lost their life and 414 were injured due to the fires.
I remember that day clearly - early in the morning, the sun was a bright orange ball and we knew that that day would be terrible. the temperatures in Melbourne were 46.4ºC (115.52ºF) and in other areas it was 49ºC - (120.2ºF). The hot northerlies raged through my state with speeds of 80-100km. - the wind was ferocious, when I stood on my verandah it was 48º - in the shade and the wind was so hot it burnt our legs. You could hear it howling and there was a noise in the distance - a thunderous, rumbling noise - it sounded like huge jets, only there were no jets. I have never heard winds like that before, and I hoped to God I never hear them again. It was a most awful, awful sound. And it went on for hours.
Black Saturday was Victoria's darkest nightmare and the worst in our history.
Marysville - beautiful Marysville. It was Victoria's "Camelot" A very pretty little town with English Oaks lining the streets, with quaint, old-fashioned shops and homes, and an aura of yesteryear, a truly beautiful and serene hamlet set in magnificent forest. The Murrindindi/Marysville fire took 40 lives ad destroyed 536 homes.
There were 12 bushfires burning out of control across Victoria and 26 blazes in total.
In total, more than 700 homes had been confirmed destroyed.
Beechworth, Brittania Creek, Bunyip Park, Bendigo, Kilmore, Walhalla, Gippsland, Horsham
The blazes grew to more than 210,000 hectares and were burning towards Taggerty, Crystal Creek, Connollys Creek, Glenburn, and Rubicon.
They had already burnt through Kinglake, Marysville, Buxton and Narbethong.
We sat and listened to the appalling news on that day with a heavy heart knowing that there would be many who would never see another sunrise. Hundreds of homes had been burnt to the ground - razed, the scene looking like something out of a futuristic nightmare. Whole communities were wiped out - not a single stone left standing.
Monday, January 28, 2013
53. Why is Australia called "OZ" by some people?
This is something that I have often wondered about. Many times on travel forums, I see threads and posts in which the poster asks questions about Oz. Some even call it "Aussie" - as in "I'm going to Aussie". I mean Oz I can understand in a way, but Aussie? Who would call Australia "Aussie"? The word Aussie is used by some people in reference to Australians - One might say I am an Australian or I am an Aussie. Aussie is an adjective, not a noun.
The short version of a person from Australia is "Aussie" which is pronounced "Ozzie" and it's mostly British people who use "Oz". Kiwi's (New Zealanders) tend to call Australia "Aussie" - no idea why. Back until 1901, we were still a British colony - the Brits filed us under "the colonies" or "the antipodes" !
Anyway, I recently came upon this poem -
Is 'e an Aussie, is 'e Lizzy?
Is 'e an Aussie, is 'e eh?
Is it because 'e is an Aussie
That 'e makes you dizzy Lizzy
'as 'e jazzy ways an' does 'e
Make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Is 'e an Aussie, is 'e Lizzy?
Is 'e an Aussie eh?
Not having heard it before, a search was in order. It was sung by a duo called Flotsam and Jetsam. Mr Flotsam and Mr Jetsam were a comedy duo in the 1920's and 30's. Flotsam was Bentley Collingwood Hilliam, the songwriter, pianist and tenor voice, 1890–1968 and Jetsam was Malcolm McEachern, bass voice, 1883–1945 from New Zealand.
Above: Mr Flotsam & Mr Jetsam
I found the complete lyrics and the youtube video, you can sing along the the video - enjoy.
Is 'E an Aussie, Is 'E Lizzie?
Learn how Lizzie met an Aussie
Told her girlfriend Mary-Anne
"Mary-Anne I've met a man who says he's an Austray-ee-an"
"Falling for him have your Lizzie?"
Lizzie blushing shook her head
Said Mary-Anne "don't think you can fool me" and then she said:
"Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?
Is it 'cos he is an Aussie that he keeps you busy Lizzie?
'as he jazzy ways and does he make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Got you dizzy, 'as he Lizzie?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?"
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?
Is it because he is an Aussie that he keeps you busy Lizzie?
Has he jazzy ways and does he make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Got you dizzy, 'as he Lizzie?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?"
"Seems this digger likes my figure"
Lizzie then told Mary-Anne
"Likes my ways and claims to think-U'm what these Aussies call fair-dinkum"
"Throws a fond eye, talks of Bondi
And he's tried to kiss me twice
When I said 'No' he said 'Good-oh'"
Said Mary-Anne "How nice"
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?
Is it because he is an Aussie that he keeps you busy Lizzie?
Has he jazzy ways and does he make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Got you dizzy, 'as he Lizzie?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?"
Soon this wonder from Down Under
Got himself right down to biz
Lost no time in coaxing Liz
To promise that she would be his
He being well-born, lived in Mel-bourne
So they sailed at once for there
Poor Mary-Anne without a man
Repeats this maiden's prayer:
"Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?
Is it because he is an Aussie that he keeps you busy Lizzie?
Has he jazzy ways and does he make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Got you dizzy, 'as he Lizzie?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?"
(he's a bonza bloke)
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?
Is it because he is an Aussie that he keeps you busy Lizzie?
Has he jazzy ways and does he make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Got you dizzy, 'as he Lizzie?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?"
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he, eh?
The short version of a person from Australia is "Aussie" which is pronounced "Ozzie" and it's mostly British people who use "Oz". Kiwi's (New Zealanders) tend to call Australia "Aussie" - no idea why. Back until 1901, we were still a British colony - the Brits filed us under "the colonies" or "the antipodes" !
Anyway, I recently came upon this poem -
Is 'e an Aussie, is 'e Lizzy?
Is 'e an Aussie, is 'e eh?
Is it because 'e is an Aussie
That 'e makes you dizzy Lizzy
'as 'e jazzy ways an' does 'e
Make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Is 'e an Aussie, is 'e Lizzy?
Is 'e an Aussie eh?
Not having heard it before, a search was in order. It was sung by a duo called Flotsam and Jetsam. Mr Flotsam and Mr Jetsam were a comedy duo in the 1920's and 30's. Flotsam was Bentley Collingwood Hilliam, the songwriter, pianist and tenor voice, 1890–1968 and Jetsam was Malcolm McEachern, bass voice, 1883–1945 from New Zealand.
I found the complete lyrics and the youtube video, you can sing along the the video - enjoy.
Is 'E an Aussie, Is 'E Lizzie?
Learn how Lizzie met an Aussie
Told her girlfriend Mary-Anne
"Mary-Anne I've met a man who says he's an Austray-ee-an"
"Falling for him have your Lizzie?"
Lizzie blushing shook her head
Said Mary-Anne "don't think you can fool me" and then she said:
"Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?
Is it 'cos he is an Aussie that he keeps you busy Lizzie?
'as he jazzy ways and does he make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Got you dizzy, 'as he Lizzie?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?"
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?
Is it because he is an Aussie that he keeps you busy Lizzie?
Has he jazzy ways and does he make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Got you dizzy, 'as he Lizzie?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?"
"Seems this digger likes my figure"
Lizzie then told Mary-Anne
"Likes my ways and claims to think-U'm what these Aussies call fair-dinkum"
"Throws a fond eye, talks of Bondi
And he's tried to kiss me twice
When I said 'No' he said 'Good-oh'"
Said Mary-Anne "How nice"
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?
Is it because he is an Aussie that he keeps you busy Lizzie?
Has he jazzy ways and does he make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Got you dizzy, 'as he Lizzie?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?"
Soon this wonder from Down Under
Got himself right down to biz
Lost no time in coaxing Liz
To promise that she would be his
He being well-born, lived in Mel-bourne
So they sailed at once for there
Poor Mary-Anne without a man
Repeats this maiden's prayer:
"Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?
Is it because he is an Aussie that he keeps you busy Lizzie?
Has he jazzy ways and does he make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Got you dizzy, 'as he Lizzie?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?"
(he's a bonza bloke)
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?
Is it because he is an Aussie that he keeps you busy Lizzie?
Has he jazzy ways and does he make you go all fuzzy wuzzy?
Got you dizzy, 'as he Lizzie?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, eh?"
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he?
Is he an Aussie, Lizzie, is he, eh?
Saturday, January 26, 2013
52. LONELY PLANET UP FOR GRABS!
Report dated 10 January 2013, 8:30am:
The BBC is understood to be selling the travel brand.
After the excitement of Christmas and ringing in the New Year, returning to work and an empty social calendar is enough to lower anyone's spirits, with many people's thoughts turning to a 2013 getaway to beat the post-festive-season blues.
Lonely Planet, dubbed the 'backpackers' bible', was founded in 1972 and is one of the world's best-known publishers of travel guide books. Now owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the Corporation, it was last month reported to be up for sale.
This could result in a deal estimated to be worth about £85m, considerably less than BBC Worldwide paid for the business in two stages, in 2007 and 2011. The Corporation is also thought to be looking at other strategic options for the brand, including securing outside investment.
Since BBC Worldwide acquired the business, it has grown Lonely Planet's digital operations, its presence in magazines, and improved its standing in the US and Asian markets. While Lonely Planet is best known for its guide books, it is thought that any sale will focus on strengthening the value of the brand across broadcasting, internet and social-media channels.
With this in mind, if a sale or outside investment comes to fruition, how can the brand continue to build on its digital and social offering in the fiercely competitive travel sector?
We asked Peter Fiennes, publisher at Brave New World and the former managing director of Lonely Planet rival Time Out Guides, and Gary Robinson, executive creative director at Inferno, and previously founder and creative director at Farm, which held the lastminute.com advertising account.
LONELY PLANET STATS
£85m - Potential value of sale of the Lonely Planet division
The BBC paid a total of £130m for Lonely Planet in two stages, in 2007 and 2011
Source: BBC Trust
RAND BUILDER DIAGNOSIS
From PETER FIENNES, PUBLISHER, BRAVE NEW WORLD (and former managing director of Time Out Guides):
t's good news that the BBC may soon offload Lonely Planet. This is not just because the Corporation should never have been allowed to over-pay its way into the guide-book market in the first place, but also that this knock-down sale is good for the brand itself.
True, it faces the same challenges it did before it was owned by the BBC. The print market is shrinking; the digital market vast and formless, full of low-cost, low-content competitors, as well as some giants (Google is the owner of Frommers, an LP rival).
Furthermore, the argument about how a content company is supposed to make money through digital channels remains unresolved.
Nonetheless, this should be a liberating change. It has the chance to remind itself that it is an (Aussie) content company with attitude. There is global affection for it, and it is one of a handful of brands that could dominate the travel market.
The plan
The brand should love its content.
- Remember print - and make friends in digital.
- Enjoy itself - it was not born to be part of a Corporation.
From GARY ROBINSON, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, INFERNO (and former founder of Farm, which held the lastminute.com ad account)
As Lonely Planet ventures further into the digital space, it will be competing with apps and services that recommend content, experiences, locations and activities. Moreover, it will all be based on users' interests, their friends' recommendations and the views of the wider masses or niche curators: all available through mobile devices.
However, I'd bet being an 'explorer' is at the heart of the Lonely Planet brand and if it applies the same passion and curiosity it has for exploring the real world and uses it to explore the digital and social landscapes of students, it will continue to do well.
A product-led strategy will work brilliantly, but it needs to focus on a few world-class services and market the hell out of them.
The plan
- A location-based augmented reality app might be a start. Nokia does this brilliantly with its City Lens app.
- Embrace the user-generated space, especially if it allows a platform to share innovative '360' apps such as Photosynth or Bubblepix.
- If it is bought by TripAdvisor, it will of course have an army of 'virtual postcard' writers to call upon. Source
The BBC is understood to be selling the travel brand.
After the excitement of Christmas and ringing in the New Year, returning to work and an empty social calendar is enough to lower anyone's spirits, with many people's thoughts turning to a 2013 getaway to beat the post-festive-season blues.
Lonely Planet, dubbed the 'backpackers' bible', was founded in 1972 and is one of the world's best-known publishers of travel guide books. Now owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the Corporation, it was last month reported to be up for sale.
This could result in a deal estimated to be worth about £85m, considerably less than BBC Worldwide paid for the business in two stages, in 2007 and 2011. The Corporation is also thought to be looking at other strategic options for the brand, including securing outside investment.
Since BBC Worldwide acquired the business, it has grown Lonely Planet's digital operations, its presence in magazines, and improved its standing in the US and Asian markets. While Lonely Planet is best known for its guide books, it is thought that any sale will focus on strengthening the value of the brand across broadcasting, internet and social-media channels.
With this in mind, if a sale or outside investment comes to fruition, how can the brand continue to build on its digital and social offering in the fiercely competitive travel sector?
We asked Peter Fiennes, publisher at Brave New World and the former managing director of Lonely Planet rival Time Out Guides, and Gary Robinson, executive creative director at Inferno, and previously founder and creative director at Farm, which held the lastminute.com advertising account.
LONELY PLANET STATS
£85m - Potential value of sale of the Lonely Planet division
The BBC paid a total of £130m for Lonely Planet in two stages, in 2007 and 2011
Source: BBC Trust
RAND BUILDER DIAGNOSIS
From PETER FIENNES, PUBLISHER, BRAVE NEW WORLD (and former managing director of Time Out Guides):
t's good news that the BBC may soon offload Lonely Planet. This is not just because the Corporation should never have been allowed to over-pay its way into the guide-book market in the first place, but also that this knock-down sale is good for the brand itself.
True, it faces the same challenges it did before it was owned by the BBC. The print market is shrinking; the digital market vast and formless, full of low-cost, low-content competitors, as well as some giants (Google is the owner of Frommers, an LP rival).
Furthermore, the argument about how a content company is supposed to make money through digital channels remains unresolved.
Nonetheless, this should be a liberating change. It has the chance to remind itself that it is an (Aussie) content company with attitude. There is global affection for it, and it is one of a handful of brands that could dominate the travel market.
The plan
The brand should love its content.
- Remember print - and make friends in digital.
- Enjoy itself - it was not born to be part of a Corporation.
From GARY ROBINSON, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, INFERNO (and former founder of Farm, which held the lastminute.com ad account)
As Lonely Planet ventures further into the digital space, it will be competing with apps and services that recommend content, experiences, locations and activities. Moreover, it will all be based on users' interests, their friends' recommendations and the views of the wider masses or niche curators: all available through mobile devices.
However, I'd bet being an 'explorer' is at the heart of the Lonely Planet brand and if it applies the same passion and curiosity it has for exploring the real world and uses it to explore the digital and social landscapes of students, it will continue to do well.
A product-led strategy will work brilliantly, but it needs to focus on a few world-class services and market the hell out of them.
The plan
- A location-based augmented reality app might be a start. Nokia does this brilliantly with its City Lens app.
- Embrace the user-generated space, especially if it allows a platform to share innovative '360' apps such as Photosynth or Bubblepix.
- If it is bought by TripAdvisor, it will of course have an army of 'virtual postcard' writers to call upon. Source
51. From Virtual Tourist - LONELY PLANET THORN TREE FORUM SHUT DOWN
The person calling himself Airbender, sent these links:
Virtual Tourist see page 5
Troonz
Reply #49 Today (Wed 23 Jan) at 11:37am by Airbender:
You can find most of what you might want to know concerning the reasons for closing the TT forum on this other forum, starting with page 5:
Virtual Tourist see page 5
At this point, only Kevin May of Tnooz has seen all the e-mails that were exchanged regarding the problems discovered on the TT forum. Whether he wants to pursue a follow article to this one linked below is yet to be seen:
Troonz
A wise person will simply ignore Gogo’s comments because she hasn’t a clue about what she’s talking about. At worst she regularly engages in out right lies and at best, deliberate distortions of the truth. Just one example of an outright lie from her, “depsite Airhead's assertion that I'm banned from TT, my recent postings there have gone straight through…” Ask her to provide the exact quote where I asserted she was banned from TT. She won’t because she can’t. If you prefer to associate yourself and believe borderline sociopaths like her, be my guest.
I agree with you that the BBC and LP did not go about resolving their issues in the best possible manner. Obviously, they were the ones to make those decisions. Some of this is discussed in the VT link provided above.
You write, “It is curious that you have posted here as a guest but not a member.”
Quite simply, this forum seems to be to be temporary by its nature, and I haven’t any expectations of contributing to it for any length of time. If you’re less inclined to believe a post written by a guest as opposed to written by a member, again, be my guest.
The motives behind the journalist’s decision to write to acting director Tim Davie of the BBC before submitting their article to the NY Times is moot. What isn’t moot, and what is salient is that the BBC obviously took the report and information provided by that journalist very seriously, and obviously, they checked into to accuracy of the facts provided in that report and e-mails.
It appears that Airbender is Ubudian on Virtual Tourist (VT)
Re: Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum Shut Down:
Posted: Tue January 8, 2013 01:06 AM UTC by Ubudian
“From what i understand, the main reason why they had to close the TT for a while was because of the Saville case and they suddenly realised that because of their zero moderation policy some members had formed groups for sex tourists on TT including some who were discussing how to find underage sex around the globe and they are now going through all the posts since the site started to make sure they wipe that out.”
Concerns about pedophilia, or the Jimmy Saville scandal at BBC had nothing to do with TT being shut down despite how the UK and OZ press ran amok with that speculation.
The reason BBC/LP made these changes (still ongoing) to the Thorn Tree forum are best summed up in this article by Kevin May on tnooz:
http://www.tnooz.com/2013/01/05/news/lonely-planet-closure-of-thorn-tree-triggered-by-letter-to-acting-bbc-director-general/
The meat is specifically found in the “reports elsewhere” link.
Whether or not any of the former activities and off travel topic branches return is yet to be seen, but the infamous YC branch (Your Choice) is gone for good. A great many of those addicted users have since migrated to the political stew forum where they carry on in the exact manner they used to on the YC branch.
Regarding the OP’s original question, I personally found the destination branches of TT to be generally excellent and current, especially if the poster asked specific questions. The forum did tend to lend itself more useful to young and budget minded travelers, but that’s the whole origin of Lonely Planet.
Hopefully once fully restored and with the common sense revisions made to it, the TT forum will rejoin those pre-eminent travel forums, like VT.
Wed January 9, 2013 03:39 AM UTC by Ubudian
Hey Fergy, I love your travel style…“where’s the bar?”
And for sure, as you surmise, VT is right at the top of the list of the best “all encompassing” travel forums; all encompassing being simple terminology to distinguish such forums from country, area, city specific travel forums and expatriate living forums.
Some of the features that set VT ahead of the others is the lavish use of photography, far less commercialism, a broad base of knowledgeable and experienced travelers, a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, consistent and fair moderation, etc.
The article for the NY Times Sunday travel section evolved from specific research being done by a small group of consultants for the Indonesian Travel Ministry. I don’t know whether or not the article will be published, as there is some discussion that it might evolve further into a dot org web site.
Keep up your good work! I really enjoyed having a read of your work here and on your blog.
Benny, I think it will only be a matter of little time before all the country specific destinations will be restored to TT. SEA is also currently absent, and incidentally, so is India. One could easily speculate about the reason for this, and IMHO one reasonable speculation is that the areas currently still absent are those where the sex trade, including under age sex trade, is more prevalent.
Understandably, Lonely Planet’s somewhat still new owners, the BBC, are particularly sensitive to pedophilia and that sensitivity must surely have been heightened with all the press coverage that falsely linked TT’s temporary closure to the Jimmy Savile scandal. I suspect that virtually every single archived post covering those countries currently absent from TT are being thoroughly scrutinized…and for good reason IMHO.
I can quote from one e-mail sent by a LP executive to the author of the planned NY Times article:
“I very much appreciate you raising your Thorn Tree concerns: it was a timely
reminder to review thoroughly our content and moderation policy and
practices.”
One can only ask, shouldn’t that thorough review been done before the BBC handed over 130 million GBP for what was a controversial purchase of Lonely Planet? The question is of course rhetorical.
This past July, (2012) the BBC downgraded the value of LP to 85 million pounds, or about 45 million pounds less than its total acquisition cost. Obviously it remains to be seen if this latest fiasco results in any further devaluation of Lonely Planet. Time will tell, as it always does.
Fri January 18, 2013 03:52 AM UTC by Ubudian:
It seems to me that TT (Lonely Planet) is doing a pretty good job of restoring its travel forum, albeit an agonizingly slow process.
Benny, from what I am hearing, even those older posts on area specific boards will eventually be restored, early February being the target date.
Most of the YC (previously the Your Choice Board) regulars who assured the ultimate demise of the reputation of both the BBC and Lonely Planet have migrated to this forum (URL below) where they all seem content and happy with their new home:
http://www.politicalstew.com/bb/viewforum.php?f=5&sid=9aa3d89455be2e058e107a63f41af77a
Sat January 19, 2013 07:28 AM UTC by Ubudian:
“Leaning towards redneck” is in my opinion a very kind or soft way of describing the activity on that particular forum.
And no, I wouldn’t worry a bit about any migration and continuance of the old TT forum, Your Choice branch, or the current Political Stew forum ever being a potential problem here.
Mr. “G” aside, it’s pretty obvious to me that the community here would never allow that to happen.
Why this was allowed to happen with a forum owned by a prestigious company such as the BBC, and a trusted travel advisor as Lonely Planet remains a mystery.
But one thing remain certain…that being, the lessons learned.
Sun January 20, 2013 01:12 AM UTC by Ubudian:
What a nice compliment Kate! There are some of us still lingering about, and without thinking, will continue to open a door for a lady. ;<)
While Thorn Tree is back and open for business, there are some major issues yet to be resolved.
In recent past days I’ve tried to sign on using my past active moniker, but to no avail, so I re-opened a new account and resumed activity posting about the country I know best, which is Indonesia, specifically, Bali.
It was only a day before that new moniker, as well as what I’d like to think were very useful posts, were nuked.
Is this retribution for my role in what happened to TT, or does Lonely Planet really not care about the accuracy of the information posted on its forums? Could it be that one of the most trusted names in journalism, the BBC, has abdicated its responsibility as a venue of truth and accuracy?
The most currently active string on the reincarnated TT forum is under Community FAQs:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2287614
Now 49 pages in length, Zabba buries himself in a quagmire of relentless and repetitive posts by a small minority of discontented past TT users. Obviously young and inexperienced, it is true that when LP initially turned the forum back on, his forum profile did indeed read:
"This member's profile has been removed as it contains content which is deemed inappropriate."
I saw this for myself, and I retained it as a screen save.
One can only wonder what reaction to that faux pas would have been forthcoming from BBC executives like Philip Fleming, or acting chairman, Tim Davie if they were aware.
The most successful forums, be they travel related or otherwise, are not operated as democracies. They are successful because they operate with clear guidelines and rules, and their integrity and reputation is maintained by this consistency, as well as through its community of contributors who are willing and happy to contribute in the spirit and comradery established by the forum’s owner.
It’s all rather simple actually, and therein is the irony of the BBC still tripping over its own feet as the Thorn Tree forum continues to rise like a Phoenix…albeit a bird with clipped wings.
Interesting Information
Well there is a piece of interesting fact in that last post. So Zabba, the "Community Manager" is Mr. Tom Hall and is the editorial director for Lonely Planet. Quite a high position..
A Strange Co-incidence?:
According to Ubudian's profile, he is an American expatriate whose name is Roy and he is married to a Balinese woman, they have three sons and live in Bali in a place called Ubud.
In the link in my previous post (50. Reason For Thorn Tree Shutdown?), Home in Bali written by Ubudian, he states in his third paragraph, "This entire event was initiated by an e-mail dated December 16 to acting Director-General of the BBC, Mr. Tim Davie by a well known writer living on Bali who was preparing an article for the New York Times Sunday travel section."
Ubudian lives in Bali with his Balinese wife and children. The travel writer lives in Bali .....
Virtual Tourist see page 5
Troonz
Reply #49 Today (Wed 23 Jan) at 11:37am by Airbender:
You can find most of what you might want to know concerning the reasons for closing the TT forum on this other forum, starting with page 5:
Virtual Tourist see page 5
At this point, only Kevin May of Tnooz has seen all the e-mails that were exchanged regarding the problems discovered on the TT forum. Whether he wants to pursue a follow article to this one linked below is yet to be seen:
Troonz
A wise person will simply ignore Gogo’s comments because she hasn’t a clue about what she’s talking about. At worst she regularly engages in out right lies and at best, deliberate distortions of the truth. Just one example of an outright lie from her, “depsite Airhead's assertion that I'm banned from TT, my recent postings there have gone straight through…” Ask her to provide the exact quote where I asserted she was banned from TT. She won’t because she can’t. If you prefer to associate yourself and believe borderline sociopaths like her, be my guest.
I agree with you that the BBC and LP did not go about resolving their issues in the best possible manner. Obviously, they were the ones to make those decisions. Some of this is discussed in the VT link provided above.
You write, “It is curious that you have posted here as a guest but not a member.”
Quite simply, this forum seems to be to be temporary by its nature, and I haven’t any expectations of contributing to it for any length of time. If you’re less inclined to believe a post written by a guest as opposed to written by a member, again, be my guest.
The motives behind the journalist’s decision to write to acting director Tim Davie of the BBC before submitting their article to the NY Times is moot. What isn’t moot, and what is salient is that the BBC obviously took the report and information provided by that journalist very seriously, and obviously, they checked into to accuracy of the facts provided in that report and e-mails.
It appears that Airbender is Ubudian on Virtual Tourist (VT)
Re: Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum Shut Down:
Posted: Tue January 8, 2013 01:06 AM UTC by Ubudian
“From what i understand, the main reason why they had to close the TT for a while was because of the Saville case and they suddenly realised that because of their zero moderation policy some members had formed groups for sex tourists on TT including some who were discussing how to find underage sex around the globe and they are now going through all the posts since the site started to make sure they wipe that out.”
Concerns about pedophilia, or the Jimmy Saville scandal at BBC had nothing to do with TT being shut down despite how the UK and OZ press ran amok with that speculation.
The reason BBC/LP made these changes (still ongoing) to the Thorn Tree forum are best summed up in this article by Kevin May on tnooz:
http://www.tnooz.com/2013/01/05/news/lonely-planet-closure-of-thorn-tree-triggered-by-letter-to-acting-bbc-director-general/
The meat is specifically found in the “reports elsewhere” link.
Whether or not any of the former activities and off travel topic branches return is yet to be seen, but the infamous YC branch (Your Choice) is gone for good. A great many of those addicted users have since migrated to the political stew forum where they carry on in the exact manner they used to on the YC branch.
Regarding the OP’s original question, I personally found the destination branches of TT to be generally excellent and current, especially if the poster asked specific questions. The forum did tend to lend itself more useful to young and budget minded travelers, but that’s the whole origin of Lonely Planet.
Hopefully once fully restored and with the common sense revisions made to it, the TT forum will rejoin those pre-eminent travel forums, like VT.
Wed January 9, 2013 03:39 AM UTC by Ubudian
Hey Fergy, I love your travel style…“where’s the bar?”
And for sure, as you surmise, VT is right at the top of the list of the best “all encompassing” travel forums; all encompassing being simple terminology to distinguish such forums from country, area, city specific travel forums and expatriate living forums.
Some of the features that set VT ahead of the others is the lavish use of photography, far less commercialism, a broad base of knowledgeable and experienced travelers, a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, consistent and fair moderation, etc.
The article for the NY Times Sunday travel section evolved from specific research being done by a small group of consultants for the Indonesian Travel Ministry. I don’t know whether or not the article will be published, as there is some discussion that it might evolve further into a dot org web site.
Keep up your good work! I really enjoyed having a read of your work here and on your blog.
Benny, I think it will only be a matter of little time before all the country specific destinations will be restored to TT. SEA is also currently absent, and incidentally, so is India. One could easily speculate about the reason for this, and IMHO one reasonable speculation is that the areas currently still absent are those where the sex trade, including under age sex trade, is more prevalent.
Understandably, Lonely Planet’s somewhat still new owners, the BBC, are particularly sensitive to pedophilia and that sensitivity must surely have been heightened with all the press coverage that falsely linked TT’s temporary closure to the Jimmy Savile scandal. I suspect that virtually every single archived post covering those countries currently absent from TT are being thoroughly scrutinized…and for good reason IMHO.
I can quote from one e-mail sent by a LP executive to the author of the planned NY Times article:
“I very much appreciate you raising your Thorn Tree concerns: it was a timely
reminder to review thoroughly our content and moderation policy and
practices.”
One can only ask, shouldn’t that thorough review been done before the BBC handed over 130 million GBP for what was a controversial purchase of Lonely Planet? The question is of course rhetorical.
This past July, (2012) the BBC downgraded the value of LP to 85 million pounds, or about 45 million pounds less than its total acquisition cost. Obviously it remains to be seen if this latest fiasco results in any further devaluation of Lonely Planet. Time will tell, as it always does.
Fri January 18, 2013 03:52 AM UTC by Ubudian:
It seems to me that TT (Lonely Planet) is doing a pretty good job of restoring its travel forum, albeit an agonizingly slow process.
Benny, from what I am hearing, even those older posts on area specific boards will eventually be restored, early February being the target date.
Most of the YC (previously the Your Choice Board) regulars who assured the ultimate demise of the reputation of both the BBC and Lonely Planet have migrated to this forum (URL below) where they all seem content and happy with their new home:
http://www.politicalstew.com/bb/viewforum.php?f=5&sid=9aa3d89455be2e058e107a63f41af77a
Sat January 19, 2013 07:28 AM UTC by Ubudian:
“Leaning towards redneck” is in my opinion a very kind or soft way of describing the activity on that particular forum.
And no, I wouldn’t worry a bit about any migration and continuance of the old TT forum, Your Choice branch, or the current Political Stew forum ever being a potential problem here.
Mr. “G” aside, it’s pretty obvious to me that the community here would never allow that to happen.
Why this was allowed to happen with a forum owned by a prestigious company such as the BBC, and a trusted travel advisor as Lonely Planet remains a mystery.
But one thing remain certain…that being, the lessons learned.
Sun January 20, 2013 01:12 AM UTC by Ubudian:
What a nice compliment Kate! There are some of us still lingering about, and without thinking, will continue to open a door for a lady. ;<)
While Thorn Tree is back and open for business, there are some major issues yet to be resolved.
In recent past days I’ve tried to sign on using my past active moniker, but to no avail, so I re-opened a new account and resumed activity posting about the country I know best, which is Indonesia, specifically, Bali.
It was only a day before that new moniker, as well as what I’d like to think were very useful posts, were nuked.
Is this retribution for my role in what happened to TT, or does Lonely Planet really not care about the accuracy of the information posted on its forums? Could it be that one of the most trusted names in journalism, the BBC, has abdicated its responsibility as a venue of truth and accuracy?
The most currently active string on the reincarnated TT forum is under Community FAQs:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2287614
Now 49 pages in length, Zabba buries himself in a quagmire of relentless and repetitive posts by a small minority of discontented past TT users. Obviously young and inexperienced, it is true that when LP initially turned the forum back on, his forum profile did indeed read:
"This member's profile has been removed as it contains content which is deemed inappropriate."
I saw this for myself, and I retained it as a screen save.
One can only wonder what reaction to that faux pas would have been forthcoming from BBC executives like Philip Fleming, or acting chairman, Tim Davie if they were aware.
The most successful forums, be they travel related or otherwise, are not operated as democracies. They are successful because they operate with clear guidelines and rules, and their integrity and reputation is maintained by this consistency, as well as through its community of contributors who are willing and happy to contribute in the spirit and comradery established by the forum’s owner.
It’s all rather simple actually, and therein is the irony of the BBC still tripping over its own feet as the Thorn Tree forum continues to rise like a Phoenix…albeit a bird with clipped wings.
Interesting Information
Well there is a piece of interesting fact in that last post. So Zabba, the "Community Manager" is Mr. Tom Hall and is the editorial director for Lonely Planet. Quite a high position..
A Strange Co-incidence?:
According to Ubudian's profile, he is an American expatriate whose name is Roy and he is married to a Balinese woman, they have three sons and live in Bali in a place called Ubud.
In the link in my previous post (50. Reason For Thorn Tree Shutdown?), Home in Bali written by Ubudian, he states in his third paragraph, "This entire event was initiated by an e-mail dated December 16 to acting Director-General of the BBC, Mr. Tim Davie by a well known writer living on Bali who was preparing an article for the New York Times Sunday travel section."
Ubudian lives in Bali with his Balinese wife and children. The travel writer lives in Bali .....
50. Reason For Thorn Tree Shutdown?
From an online forum:
(Note: Airbender posted as a Guest, he is not a member)
Dec 31, 2012, 8:09pm, Airbender wrote:
The reason the forum has been temporarily closed is because some adults had a good look at it:
Home in Bali
Jan 1, 2013, 6:58pm, Airbender wrote:
And Gogo, since I can’t use the edit function here, let me just add that resorting to name calling, innuendo and vitriol is not the way an intelligent and mature person handles a discussion. There are plenty of ways to conduct a debate and offer opposing views without resorting to tactics and behavior that should have been left behind in junior high school.
Although we have yet to see what sort of new LP forum emerges after house keeping, it’s likely a safe bet that it will be precisely the kind of conduct you insist upon engaging that will no longer be tolerated. In short, it is very likely that you, and quite a lot of others, will have to find a new venue to host your discussions. In other words, find a new playground, or learn to adapt to the standards that the BBC will clearly insist upon. It’s really rather simple.
If you or anyone else has a problem with any of this, then write to the “powers that be” at the BBC or LP. There is no point in running amok with me to vent your frustration, as quite frankly, I could care less.
Response:
Airbender, it isn't only those who posted on YC that are "frustrated", many regulars are not happy either. I didn't do YC, it wasn't my cup of tea, but the way this whole affair has been handled was a disaster from the start.
The "powers that be" could have closed the YC branch as they did WoS. But no - they didn't do that.
I find it rather strange that this well known writer living on Bali who was preparing an article for the New York Times Sunday travel section. acted solely in the interests of LPTT from the goodness of his heart. Methinks he acted out of self-interest.
Jan 3, 2013, 7:22am, Airbender wrote:
do you honestly think the BBC/LP would temporarily shut down the TT forum without doing their homework and checking the facts relayed in the report?
Response:
Yes.
Jan 4, 2013, 10:12am, Airbender wrote:
As my final post on this worthless forum, I’ll gladly pass on some advice to both you, bystander, and your bonded at the hip twin, gogo.
From where I sit, I don’t give a damn whatever you, or the old dried up hag on steroids and Prozac thinks about anyone involved in writing the article for the NY Times, the report to BBC/LP, or the link which reveals the truth on the home in Bali forum.
When it re-immerges, I suspect that TT will no longer be a bastion for mindless twits and pit bull grandmums amongst a host of other useless trolls out for nothing aside from their own self gratification and their insatiable appetite to connect to other trolls.
Response:
Airbender, you stated this was your final post, yet you made 6 more posts. It is curious that you have posted here as a guest but not a member.
Having now read through this entire thread it does appear to have spiralled into an ignominious fiasco. A pity adults cannot behave in an adult manner instead of acting like a group of 10 year olds.
In my opinion the complete shutdown of the LPTT forum was the wrong decision. The BBC could have closed YC and then taken a look at the other non-travel branches. Why the need to close (for example) On your bike and Older travellers? I didn't post on either of them, they didn't interest me, but there were plenty of other members who did. Same for most of the non-travel branches.
Admittedly the loudest and angriest members are/were the YCers and the WTers, at least at the beginning when TT came back online, but let's not forget, there are many, many posters who did not post on either of those branches and are just as angry, just as frustrated and fed up with not just the way it was handled but the new heavy handed moderation - "You post will have to be approved by a moderator"!? I mean really, people are being treated like children and people do not like being treated like children.
While you are now able to post on a travel branch and it goes through, any post made on the "Welcome back to Thorn Tree" started by Zabba and that other equally useless "Report bugs here" both of which currently have 731 and 217 posts respectively has to be "moderated".
If your post is deemed to be "unsuitable" it will not get posted. And I am not talking about using offensive language, name calling or smut. I asked a question about post counts and why the count was suddenly changing rapidly, but that is deemed "unsuitable".
There are those who believe that TT should not have any chat branches and should be solely travel related, but it was having all those other branches which defined the tree and made it what it was. Sadly because of some pedantic little travel writer with an axe to grind, the whole community is in jeopardy. I do not believe for one minute this writer person acted for the benefit of the LPTT forum - no; he/she acted out of self-interest and for their own selfishness.
Airbender himself "resorted to name calling, innuendo and vitriol" which is not "not the way an intelligent and mature person handles a discussion".
Pot calling the kettle black!
(Note: Airbender posted as a Guest, he is not a member)
Dec 31, 2012, 8:09pm, Airbender wrote:
The reason the forum has been temporarily closed is because some adults had a good look at it:
Home in Bali
Jan 1, 2013, 6:58pm, Airbender wrote:
And Gogo, since I can’t use the edit function here, let me just add that resorting to name calling, innuendo and vitriol is not the way an intelligent and mature person handles a discussion. There are plenty of ways to conduct a debate and offer opposing views without resorting to tactics and behavior that should have been left behind in junior high school.
Although we have yet to see what sort of new LP forum emerges after house keeping, it’s likely a safe bet that it will be precisely the kind of conduct you insist upon engaging that will no longer be tolerated. In short, it is very likely that you, and quite a lot of others, will have to find a new venue to host your discussions. In other words, find a new playground, or learn to adapt to the standards that the BBC will clearly insist upon. It’s really rather simple.
If you or anyone else has a problem with any of this, then write to the “powers that be” at the BBC or LP. There is no point in running amok with me to vent your frustration, as quite frankly, I could care less.
Response:
Airbender, it isn't only those who posted on YC that are "frustrated", many regulars are not happy either. I didn't do YC, it wasn't my cup of tea, but the way this whole affair has been handled was a disaster from the start.
The "powers that be" could have closed the YC branch as they did WoS. But no - they didn't do that.
I find it rather strange that this well known writer living on Bali who was preparing an article for the New York Times Sunday travel section. acted solely in the interests of LPTT from the goodness of his heart. Methinks he acted out of self-interest.
Jan 3, 2013, 7:22am, Airbender wrote:
do you honestly think the BBC/LP would temporarily shut down the TT forum without doing their homework and checking the facts relayed in the report?
Response:
Yes.
Jan 4, 2013, 10:12am, Airbender wrote:
As my final post on this worthless forum, I’ll gladly pass on some advice to both you, bystander, and your bonded at the hip twin, gogo.
From where I sit, I don’t give a damn whatever you, or the old dried up hag on steroids and Prozac thinks about anyone involved in writing the article for the NY Times, the report to BBC/LP, or the link which reveals the truth on the home in Bali forum.
When it re-immerges, I suspect that TT will no longer be a bastion for mindless twits and pit bull grandmums amongst a host of other useless trolls out for nothing aside from their own self gratification and their insatiable appetite to connect to other trolls.
Response:
Airbender, you stated this was your final post, yet you made 6 more posts. It is curious that you have posted here as a guest but not a member.
Having now read through this entire thread it does appear to have spiralled into an ignominious fiasco. A pity adults cannot behave in an adult manner instead of acting like a group of 10 year olds.
In my opinion the complete shutdown of the LPTT forum was the wrong decision. The BBC could have closed YC and then taken a look at the other non-travel branches. Why the need to close (for example) On your bike and Older travellers? I didn't post on either of them, they didn't interest me, but there were plenty of other members who did. Same for most of the non-travel branches.
Admittedly the loudest and angriest members are/were the YCers and the WTers, at least at the beginning when TT came back online, but let's not forget, there are many, many posters who did not post on either of those branches and are just as angry, just as frustrated and fed up with not just the way it was handled but the new heavy handed moderation - "You post will have to be approved by a moderator"!? I mean really, people are being treated like children and people do not like being treated like children.
While you are now able to post on a travel branch and it goes through, any post made on the "Welcome back to Thorn Tree" started by Zabba and that other equally useless "Report bugs here" both of which currently have 731 and 217 posts respectively has to be "moderated".
If your post is deemed to be "unsuitable" it will not get posted. And I am not talking about using offensive language, name calling or smut. I asked a question about post counts and why the count was suddenly changing rapidly, but that is deemed "unsuitable".
There are those who believe that TT should not have any chat branches and should be solely travel related, but it was having all those other branches which defined the tree and made it what it was. Sadly because of some pedantic little travel writer with an axe to grind, the whole community is in jeopardy. I do not believe for one minute this writer person acted for the benefit of the LPTT forum - no; he/she acted out of self-interest and for their own selfishness.
Airbender himself "resorted to name calling, innuendo and vitriol" which is not "not the way an intelligent and mature person handles a discussion".
Pot calling the kettle black!
Monday, January 14, 2013
49. Welcome Back To Lonely Planet
This was the subject thread in the Community FAQ's when Thorn Tree came back online on 6 January after having been shut down unceremoniously by the BBC. It was posted by Zabba, the community manager. There are other moderators too of course.
I was surprised to see 432 posts on that thread after not having had access to a computer for three days. Sadly, regardless of how many posts are made there, I doubt it will have any affect on management's decision, nor will it lead to an outcome that is satisfactory.
I also highly doubt the answer to the question, "Why did the BBC shut down Thorn Tree"? will ever be known. (They will give their version of course), but let's not forget, bs walks and money talks!
There are a number of people who are very angry because certain threads and posts which meant a lot to them have now gone and they no longer have access to them. Why didn't they do a C&P I can hear you ask? Simple - because they thought they would always be there. There's a lot of posts I whish I had saved - informative posts about travel plans and trips I was planning and other stuff as well.
White-washed, clean and very polite may be angelic, but it is also very boring. Ho um. I feel like I'm at a tea party where no-one ever says what they really mean and the greatest excitement is shall we have fruit cake or lamingtons. If there are to be no chat branches then my work will always get done, I'll have the cleanest house on the planet and I'll be looking for alternatives.
This whole thing has been very badly handled from the start and the over-moderation is akin to living in a country with a totalitarian government.
From A to Z - Andreas to Zabba and those (mods) in between, they are not to blame for the lack of information they give. Their hands are tied and are in a frustrating position. They are expected to scroll back through thousands and thousands of posts going back months? years? - no words can describe the un-believability of this.
Transparency, moderation practices and consistency are not the realm of the moderators - maybe it was once, but not now. Posts which are "approved" and published are (sometimes) then found to be un-acceptable and deleted - I know this for a fact because I posted a post on Henning's thread (Saturday 12) and it was "approved" by a moderator and published, but I see today (Sunday 13) it has been deleted. And do you want to know why? Because I had the temerity to write un-flattering remarks about the BBC and they don't want the truth. They can't handle the truth because they have their heads so far up they ride roughshod over everybody to save their own necks.
Allowing only un-critical posts towards the BBC seems to be a high priority. Abiding by guidelines and standards does not and should not mean restricting a person's right to have an opinion. After all, the BBC is in London no? And London is in England which the last time I looked was a democracy - unless of course that has now changed and England is now communist.
What is a democracy? A democracy means the right to freedom of speech without fear of reprisal, it means having the right to voice your discontent, to voice your opinion even if it is the opposite of what you hold dear. It means knowing that your voice will be heard. But here on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree, that is not the case. Those freedoms which we are used to are no longer available. There is to be no dissenting voice, no dissatisfaction - in short, you may say only that which certain people's want to be known.
I was surprised to see 432 posts on that thread after not having had access to a computer for three days. Sadly, regardless of how many posts are made there, I doubt it will have any affect on management's decision, nor will it lead to an outcome that is satisfactory.
I also highly doubt the answer to the question, "Why did the BBC shut down Thorn Tree"? will ever be known. (They will give their version of course), but let's not forget, bs walks and money talks!
There are a number of people who are very angry because certain threads and posts which meant a lot to them have now gone and they no longer have access to them. Why didn't they do a C&P I can hear you ask? Simple - because they thought they would always be there. There's a lot of posts I whish I had saved - informative posts about travel plans and trips I was planning and other stuff as well.
White-washed, clean and very polite may be angelic, but it is also very boring. Ho um. I feel like I'm at a tea party where no-one ever says what they really mean and the greatest excitement is shall we have fruit cake or lamingtons. If there are to be no chat branches then my work will always get done, I'll have the cleanest house on the planet and I'll be looking for alternatives.
This whole thing has been very badly handled from the start and the over-moderation is akin to living in a country with a totalitarian government.
From A to Z - Andreas to Zabba and those (mods) in between, they are not to blame for the lack of information they give. Their hands are tied and are in a frustrating position. They are expected to scroll back through thousands and thousands of posts going back months? years? - no words can describe the un-believability of this.
Transparency, moderation practices and consistency are not the realm of the moderators - maybe it was once, but not now. Posts which are "approved" and published are (sometimes) then found to be un-acceptable and deleted - I know this for a fact because I posted a post on Henning's thread (Saturday 12) and it was "approved" by a moderator and published, but I see today (Sunday 13) it has been deleted. And do you want to know why? Because I had the temerity to write un-flattering remarks about the BBC and they don't want the truth. They can't handle the truth because they have their heads so far up they ride roughshod over everybody to save their own necks.
Allowing only un-critical posts towards the BBC seems to be a high priority. Abiding by guidelines and standards does not and should not mean restricting a person's right to have an opinion. After all, the BBC is in London no? And London is in England which the last time I looked was a democracy - unless of course that has now changed and England is now communist.
What is a democracy? A democracy means the right to freedom of speech without fear of reprisal, it means having the right to voice your discontent, to voice your opinion even if it is the opposite of what you hold dear. It means knowing that your voice will be heard. But here on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree, that is not the case. Those freedoms which we are used to are no longer available. There is to be no dissenting voice, no dissatisfaction - in short, you may say only that which certain people's want to be known.
Monday, January 7, 2013
48. The "New" Thorn Tree
Possibly, these posts about the Thorn Tree and the BBC may not be of great interest to readers of this blog, but as I am a member of LPTT (Lonely Planet Thorn Tree) and an Australian, this is where I put my thoughts.
Well, the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree website is back up again as from the weekend but oh the trials and tribulations of actually getting anything posted. So far only some of the Travel Branches are back - SEA is absent as is the Thailand branch. Forget about asking any question about Malaysia, or Laos, or Cambodia, or Vietnam, or Thailand - for all that you see it's as if they don't exist.
Although they will probably re-appear some time later in the highly sanitised form we are now faced with.
The 11th Commandment:
Thou Shalt Not Participate In Chit-Chat
No chit-chat is permitted, no non-travel posts allowed and definitely no words or "themes" that are designated as "inappropriate content" ! What the hell are "themes"?!?
Thou Must Be Approved
If you post a reply it does not get published but must be "approved" by a moderator. This could take some time, depending on which time zone you live in and what time you make your post. No threads (topics) may be posted either without moderator approval. Talk about a PITA! Oops, dearie me, that would never be allowed on the new, sanitised version of Thorn Tree. Mustn't say antyhing or allude to anything that could be construed for something else and definitely no word or phrases in places of certain .. ah.. words. Ergo, one can not say "khyber pass".
Thou Shalt Not Swear
Not permitting foul language I agree with, posting four letter words is un-necessary and offensive. With this I agree. But the rest? Oh gee, it's like the CIA has gone in and cleaned and sanitised the area to ensure no sign of anything remains.
Now, I understand up to a point about posts or threads needing moderation before being published - this could be because the BBC fears there may be a plethora of abusive posts by certain posters hell bent on destruction, BUT, even a post which does not fall into this category they delightfully dismiss.
Do Not Wish Anybody Happy New Year
ON a previous thread which I must have posted on last year, but which now only showed four or five posts (none of which were mine) I tried posting happy new year - that didn't go through (remember I spoke about needing to be "approved")? So I then posted - "Just as I thought - it isn't posted". And Lo and Behold, there on the thread it was "approved" but the one saying happy new year? Huh! Fuggedaboutit! Not published. So clever me, decides to try again, only this time not only did I wish my mates Merry New Year but also gave some information about Melbourne (The thread title was Why I Love Melbourne) , but that too was not approved. What a lousy bunch of snots! I is really pissed off is what I am. It's just so petty.
Well, the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree website is back up again as from the weekend but oh the trials and tribulations of actually getting anything posted. So far only some of the Travel Branches are back - SEA is absent as is the Thailand branch. Forget about asking any question about Malaysia, or Laos, or Cambodia, or Vietnam, or Thailand - for all that you see it's as if they don't exist.
Although they will probably re-appear some time later in the highly sanitised form we are now faced with.
The 11th Commandment:
Thou Shalt Not Participate In Chit-Chat
No chit-chat is permitted, no non-travel posts allowed and definitely no words or "themes" that are designated as "inappropriate content" ! What the hell are "themes"?!?
Thou Must Be Approved
If you post a reply it does not get published but must be "approved" by a moderator. This could take some time, depending on which time zone you live in and what time you make your post. No threads (topics) may be posted either without moderator approval. Talk about a PITA! Oops, dearie me, that would never be allowed on the new, sanitised version of Thorn Tree. Mustn't say antyhing or allude to anything that could be construed for something else and definitely no word or phrases in places of certain .. ah.. words. Ergo, one can not say "khyber pass".
Thou Shalt Not Swear
Not permitting foul language I agree with, posting four letter words is un-necessary and offensive. With this I agree. But the rest? Oh gee, it's like the CIA has gone in and cleaned and sanitised the area to ensure no sign of anything remains.
Now, I understand up to a point about posts or threads needing moderation before being published - this could be because the BBC fears there may be a plethora of abusive posts by certain posters hell bent on destruction, BUT, even a post which does not fall into this category they delightfully dismiss.
Do Not Wish Anybody Happy New Year
ON a previous thread which I must have posted on last year, but which now only showed four or five posts (none of which were mine) I tried posting happy new year - that didn't go through (remember I spoke about needing to be "approved")? So I then posted - "Just as I thought - it isn't posted". And Lo and Behold, there on the thread it was "approved" but the one saying happy new year? Huh! Fuggedaboutit! Not published. So clever me, decides to try again, only this time not only did I wish my mates Merry New Year but also gave some information about Melbourne (The thread title was Why I Love Melbourne) , but that too was not approved. What a lousy bunch of snots! I is really pissed off is what I am. It's just so petty.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
47. BBC Weilds Its Power
The BBC now have an "updated" image for those attempting to logon to Thorn Tree.
One has to question the validity of the BBC's reason for shutting down one of the most popular and longest running travel forums. Was it done because there were posts that did not meet Lonely Planet standards, or merely to save their own skin? Considering the flak they received over their handling of the Jimmy Savile 'situation', one has to wonder. Back in October this year, An inquiry began into BBC culture over the Jimmy Savile scandal. A BBC poll has suggested its reputation as a trusted organisation has been damaged amid the scandal.
Shocked
When asked why no action had been taken against the DJ and TV presenter (BBC's Jimmy Savile) for almost 50 years, the police commissioner said people had relied too much on Savile's reputation, and his word that he had "done nothing."
A celebrity who was a serial rapist and molester operated at the BBC for years, was revered, and knighted. After he died, the BBC bungled its own efforts to investigate and expose him.
Here is a Transcript from NPR's Philip Reeves report from an investigation into the scandal.
From the Huffington Post "Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Closed: Travel Forum Shut Down After BBC Discovers 'Inappropriate Languages And Themes' "
Inappropriate languages? Inappropriate themes? What on earth is an "inappropriate theme"? A discussion that someone doesn't like? Maybe a few someones from the BBC? There will always be opinions that some disagree with, but is this a reason for closing it from the public? Is the BBC following China's lead - is there now The Great Firewall of London where monitoring and censorship is the order of the day?
Thorn Tree
The Thorn Tree is the online travel forum of Lonely Planet, with several different "Branches". There are the Destination branches, South East Asia which comprises several countries, the Thailand branch, North East Asia (also comprising several countries). The Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica branch, European branches, the Americas etc.
In addition to the Destination Branches, there are others. For example, The Cooking and Food branch, known as GS (Get Stuffed), the Women's branch - WT (Women Travellers), Language and Grammar, called SiT (Speaking in Tongues).
There is also that den of iniquity called YC - Your Choice. While there are threads on YC that are presentable, there are many that are befitting a sewer - known colloquially as "poo" threads. Had this branch been cleaned up a long time ago, it would have been far better, sifting though them is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack!
Their Politics branch closed several years ago and the Sports branch was shutdown earlier this year. It was in the past a good place to discuss sport but alas, was taken over be certain types posting their smutty thoughts. They in turn have gone over the YC.
It is my understanding that the BBC have been running scared ever since the Jimmy Savile scandal broke and they have received a lot of flak over it, so what do they do? Shut down the whole Thorn Tree forum. This of course has made news and has attracted discussions on various internet sites which puts them (BBC) in an ever worse light, whereas had they just closed the YC branch, it wouldn't have attracted much more than a battered eyelid.
Why is it taking them so long to re-open the Thorn Tree? Perhaps they don't want to spoil their brandy and cigars and are just running ramrod over things like has been done in the past by the chinless wonders of the aristocracy.
All I can say is thank God I'm an Aussie!
One has to question the validity of the BBC's reason for shutting down one of the most popular and longest running travel forums. Was it done because there were posts that did not meet Lonely Planet standards, or merely to save their own skin? Considering the flak they received over their handling of the Jimmy Savile 'situation', one has to wonder. Back in October this year, An inquiry began into BBC culture over the Jimmy Savile scandal. A BBC poll has suggested its reputation as a trusted organisation has been damaged amid the scandal.
Shocked
When asked why no action had been taken against the DJ and TV presenter (BBC's Jimmy Savile) for almost 50 years, the police commissioner said people had relied too much on Savile's reputation, and his word that he had "done nothing."
A celebrity who was a serial rapist and molester operated at the BBC for years, was revered, and knighted. After he died, the BBC bungled its own efforts to investigate and expose him.
Here is a Transcript from NPR's Philip Reeves report from an investigation into the scandal.
From the Huffington Post "Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Closed: Travel Forum Shut Down After BBC Discovers 'Inappropriate Languages And Themes' "
Inappropriate languages? Inappropriate themes? What on earth is an "inappropriate theme"? A discussion that someone doesn't like? Maybe a few someones from the BBC? There will always be opinions that some disagree with, but is this a reason for closing it from the public? Is the BBC following China's lead - is there now The Great Firewall of London where monitoring and censorship is the order of the day?
Thorn Tree
The Thorn Tree is the online travel forum of Lonely Planet, with several different "Branches". There are the Destination branches, South East Asia which comprises several countries, the Thailand branch, North East Asia (also comprising several countries). The Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica branch, European branches, the Americas etc.
In addition to the Destination Branches, there are others. For example, The Cooking and Food branch, known as GS (Get Stuffed), the Women's branch - WT (Women Travellers), Language and Grammar, called SiT (Speaking in Tongues).
There is also that den of iniquity called YC - Your Choice. While there are threads on YC that are presentable, there are many that are befitting a sewer - known colloquially as "poo" threads. Had this branch been cleaned up a long time ago, it would have been far better, sifting though them is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack!
Their Politics branch closed several years ago and the Sports branch was shutdown earlier this year. It was in the past a good place to discuss sport but alas, was taken over be certain types posting their smutty thoughts. They in turn have gone over the YC.
It is my understanding that the BBC have been running scared ever since the Jimmy Savile scandal broke and they have received a lot of flak over it, so what do they do? Shut down the whole Thorn Tree forum. This of course has made news and has attracted discussions on various internet sites which puts them (BBC) in an ever worse light, whereas had they just closed the YC branch, it wouldn't have attracted much more than a battered eyelid.
Why is it taking them so long to re-open the Thorn Tree? Perhaps they don't want to spoil their brandy and cigars and are just running ramrod over things like has been done in the past by the chinless wonders of the aristocracy.
All I can say is thank God I'm an Aussie!
Friday, December 28, 2012
46. The BBC and The Night(s) Before Christmas
(An ode to the BBC by yours truly)
T’was a few nights before Christmas and at BBC
They’d just settled down for a nice cup of tea.
With bone china cups, they chatted so nicely,
Their pinkies raised slightly and oh so politely.
When all of a sudden there arose such a clatter
They blinked and they wondered what on earth was the matter
The Head Mod rushed in, red-faced with alarm
The boss said I say old chap do remain calm.
He took a few breaths and then said the Mod
There’s a salacious email from that nasty old sod!
He’s made accusations, oh what shall we do?
Since that big Savile row we really are in the poo!
If we don’t “fix” this it might cause a confaddle
We’ll be up you know what creek without a paddle.
So the suits put their heads together as one
And wondered and thought about what could be done.
Out comes the brandy and port and cigars
For this called for deep thinking to save one’s Khyber Pass.
Now Thread posts! now Spam posts! Now Edit and Fixit!
On Data! on Branches! on Flag and Delete-it!
Christmas was nigh, there was snow and much ice
And visions of Christmas Pud danced passed their eyes.
A decision was made that’s called passing the buck
To close down the Thorn Tree and with any luck
They could go home for Christmas with no-one the wiser
And just shrug it off with a can of Budweiser.
T’was a few nights before Christmas and at BBC
They’d just settled down for a nice cup of tea.
With bone china cups, they chatted so nicely,
Their pinkies raised slightly and oh so politely.
When all of a sudden there arose such a clatter
They blinked and they wondered what on earth was the matter
The Head Mod rushed in, red-faced with alarm
The boss said I say old chap do remain calm.
He took a few breaths and then said the Mod
There’s a salacious email from that nasty old sod!
He’s made accusations, oh what shall we do?
Since that big Savile row we really are in the poo!
If we don’t “fix” this it might cause a confaddle
We’ll be up you know what creek without a paddle.
So the suits put their heads together as one
And wondered and thought about what could be done.
Out comes the brandy and port and cigars
For this called for deep thinking to save one’s Khyber Pass.
Now Thread posts! now Spam posts! Now Edit and Fixit!
On Data! on Branches! on Flag and Delete-it!
Christmas was nigh, there was snow and much ice
And visions of Christmas Pud danced passed their eyes.
A decision was made that’s called passing the buck
To close down the Thorn Tree and with any luck
They could go home for Christmas with no-one the wiser
And just shrug it off with a can of Budweiser.
45. BBC Shuts Down Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree Forum
BBC SHUTS DOWN THORN TREE TRAVEL FORUM
Disgruntled user banned several times for trolling?
Lonely Planet's popular online travel forum, Thorn Tree, has been temporarily shut down by owner BBC, reportedly after the discovery of paedophilia-related posts.
A source said that BBC executives, still smarting from the Jimmy Savile scandal, went into "panic attack mode" after a disgruntled user alerted them to swearing and posts that discussed topics related to paedophilia
The site has not officially revealed why it was necessary to close the entire forum without warning except that "a number of posts" did not conform with the site's "standards". A message on the Thorn Tree page said the forum was closed "temporarily" so the site could apply "necessary editorial and technical updates".
The founder of Lonely Planet, Tony Wheeler, who no longer owns the publisher but contributes to it, told Fairfax that he was amazed the forum was still offline four days after the shutdown and criticised the BBC for not offering a more detailed explanation.
The Thorn Tree is around 16 years old, making it the oldest travel community on the web. It has become a staple for avid travellers looking for tips, advice and a connection with other globetrotters.
A source with links to Lonely Planet management said the decision to shut the forum was "all about Jimmy Savile".
The source said a disgruntled user, who had been banned several times for trolling and harassment, emailed BBC executives asking if they were aware that Thorn Tree was full of porn and swearing.
"They discovered that if you looked for terms like 'paedophile' or 'child prostitution', you got Thorn Tree hits," the source said.
"The hits are mostly discussions of current events or pointless stuff that would have been moderated, like 'Barney the dinosaur is a big purple paedophile'. However, someone found a thread about 'what's the age of consent in Mexico?' That really set them off.
"They went into full, freak out, panic attack mode."
The source said other posts the BBC executives found objectionable were related to child prostitution in Thailand.
Long-time Thorn Tree users are distressed that they got no warning of the shutdown and didn't have a chance to say goodbye. It is not clear when the site will be back online.
In the past, some have labelled Thorn Tree "scorntree" after experiences with abusive trolls on the site.
Lonely Planet was started in Melbourne by Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 1972. The pair sold a 75 per cent stake to BBC Worldwide in 2007 and the final 25 per cent in February 2011.
Tony Wheeler told Fairfax he received a phone call on December 22 to say they might have to shut down Thorn Tree and within the next 24 hours it was taken offline. He said he was "amazed" it hadn't been re-opened yet and he was still trying to find out the reason why it was shut down.
"There are always some areas which are live wires - Israel and Palestine for example - and if you don't keep a constant eye on them it can quickly go haywire," he said.
"I'm sure the BBC at the moment are extremely sensitive to anything questionable going out which could account for the current shutdown. Why it hasn't been sorted after 4 days I have no idea."
Wheeler said he was "not particularly surprised" at reports the forum was shut down due to objectionable content and criticised the BBC for not explaining why it took the forum offline beyond a "bland" statement. "OK it's Christmas but that's hardly an excuse," he said.
Several hours after this story was published BBC Worldwide spokesman Philip Fleming said BBC had found no evidence of discussions concerning paedophilia on Thorn Tree "but we have discovered instances of inappropriate language and themes".
"Until we are confident that all these rogue posts can be identified and deleted, we feel we have no option but to temporarily close the site as a precautionary measure," Fleming said.
Source: BBC Shuts Down Thorn Tree
Stay tuned for further updates.
Disgruntled user banned several times for trolling?
Lonely Planet's popular online travel forum, Thorn Tree, has been temporarily shut down by owner BBC, reportedly after the discovery of paedophilia-related posts.
A source said that BBC executives, still smarting from the Jimmy Savile scandal, went into "panic attack mode" after a disgruntled user alerted them to swearing and posts that discussed topics related to paedophilia
The site has not officially revealed why it was necessary to close the entire forum without warning except that "a number of posts" did not conform with the site's "standards". A message on the Thorn Tree page said the forum was closed "temporarily" so the site could apply "necessary editorial and technical updates".
The founder of Lonely Planet, Tony Wheeler, who no longer owns the publisher but contributes to it, told Fairfax that he was amazed the forum was still offline four days after the shutdown and criticised the BBC for not offering a more detailed explanation.
The Thorn Tree is around 16 years old, making it the oldest travel community on the web. It has become a staple for avid travellers looking for tips, advice and a connection with other globetrotters.
A source with links to Lonely Planet management said the decision to shut the forum was "all about Jimmy Savile".
The source said a disgruntled user, who had been banned several times for trolling and harassment, emailed BBC executives asking if they were aware that Thorn Tree was full of porn and swearing.
"They discovered that if you looked for terms like 'paedophile' or 'child prostitution', you got Thorn Tree hits," the source said.
"The hits are mostly discussions of current events or pointless stuff that would have been moderated, like 'Barney the dinosaur is a big purple paedophile'. However, someone found a thread about 'what's the age of consent in Mexico?' That really set them off.
"They went into full, freak out, panic attack mode."
The source said other posts the BBC executives found objectionable were related to child prostitution in Thailand.
Long-time Thorn Tree users are distressed that they got no warning of the shutdown and didn't have a chance to say goodbye. It is not clear when the site will be back online.
In the past, some have labelled Thorn Tree "scorntree" after experiences with abusive trolls on the site.
Lonely Planet was started in Melbourne by Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 1972. The pair sold a 75 per cent stake to BBC Worldwide in 2007 and the final 25 per cent in February 2011.
Tony Wheeler told Fairfax he received a phone call on December 22 to say they might have to shut down Thorn Tree and within the next 24 hours it was taken offline. He said he was "amazed" it hadn't been re-opened yet and he was still trying to find out the reason why it was shut down.
"There are always some areas which are live wires - Israel and Palestine for example - and if you don't keep a constant eye on them it can quickly go haywire," he said.
"I'm sure the BBC at the moment are extremely sensitive to anything questionable going out which could account for the current shutdown. Why it hasn't been sorted after 4 days I have no idea."
Wheeler said he was "not particularly surprised" at reports the forum was shut down due to objectionable content and criticised the BBC for not explaining why it took the forum offline beyond a "bland" statement. "OK it's Christmas but that's hardly an excuse," he said.
Several hours after this story was published BBC Worldwide spokesman Philip Fleming said BBC had found no evidence of discussions concerning paedophilia on Thorn Tree "but we have discovered instances of inappropriate language and themes".
"Until we are confident that all these rogue posts can be identified and deleted, we feel we have no option but to temporarily close the site as a precautionary measure," Fleming said.
Source: BBC Shuts Down Thorn Tree
Stay tuned for further updates.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
44. Derryn Hinch - His Response
From 3AW, Derryn Hinch, 28 August 2012 - 4:13 PM
Well, there’s a song called ‘What a Difference a Day Makes’. And boy is it true in my case today.
I walked out of this studio after yesterday’s program and felt pretty good about things. And why not? We’d had a touch of nostalgia by playing some of my broadcast from 43 years ago when I reported from Cape Kennedy as Apollo 11 blasted off for the moon.
And then yesterday I scored an exclusive interview with Buzz Aldrin who had walked on the moon with Neil Armstrong, and we reminisced about that trail-blazing astronaut who died suddenly at the weekend.
As far as radio programs go it was pretty good.
But I was then called into a meeting with the station’s General Manager, Shane Healy and Program Director Clark Forbes and – I can’t be much of an investigative reporter – because they sacked me and I didn’t see it coming.
In their managerial parlance and before the real spin kicked in, they said they were not renewing my contract next year.
READ: Statement from 3AW Management on the decision to not renew Derryn Hinch’s contract
It was all very civil. I asked why and was told ‘we’re taking the station in a different direction’. I pointed out that my Drive program was rating No. 1 in Melbourne and so the only different direction they could take it was down.
I didn’t get a real explanation for why I was being terminated, and still haven’t. I thought that was owed to me and – even more importantly – to you, the listeners.
Healy was going on Mitchell’s program to explain but then declined. And, a short time ago, turned down an invitation to come on this program.
One senior executive did say that they planned to ‘push the boundaries’. Jeez, if you pushed the boundaries any further than I have on radio and television, you’d fall off the edge. I have been to jail for causes, been fined, done community service, and done five months under house arrest for causes. And I think AW probably got tired of my causes. One exec did tell me when I came back here he hoped I wouldn’t ‘go on and on about the paedophile thing’, as if there’s a quota on stories when you are talking about protecting children.
In his press release, Shane Healy said 3AW could not afford to stand still in the midst of the ‘immense challenges of the digital revolution’ and the station must position itself to take advantage of the exciting possibilities opening up in the digital world and changing audience expectations.’
That’s funny. I’m probably the most accomplished person in social media of anybody at 3AW. I started the first internet site called Hinchwebradio twelve years ago, have more than 30,000 followers on Twitter, and my own HumanHeadline website, so that can’t be it. But I’m not going to plead my case. I don’t beg. I said during an earlier sacking on television, you can’t legislate against stupidity. And this is stupid.
Your tweets, emails and on-air reactions have been amazing and I thank you. You have followed me through a lot of ups and downs –professional, personal and physical over the years, especially the last year.
What intrigues me, in Mr Healy’s absence, is the quote about ‘changing audience expectations’. I thought your expectations included a host who tried to tell the truth, championed your causes, challenged politicians and even challenged my bosses when I thought they were wrong.
[In fairness, I should point out that this dismissal has nothing to do with my comments last week about Steve Vizard. I’ve discovered this decision was made months ago.]
It’s funny you know, radio and televisions stations have hired me for who I am and what I say. Then, they fire me for who I am and what I say.
But let’s put this into perspective. A lot of people have lost their jobs lately, my sackings just happen very publicly.
Last night having a subdued dinner with my wife Chanel, my visiting sister Barbara and brother-in-law, Les Swanson, and Shannon Reid, my stalwart producer, I told them to keep one thing in mind.
A year ago I didn’t think I’d even be alive for 12 months down the track to even get fired.
At management’s request, this is my last day on air for a while. I’ll be back late next month to fulfil my contract. I’ll do it to the best of my ability, you wouldn’t expect anything less of me and I wouldn’t accept anything less.
So let’s use the corny signature line… ‘That’s life’ and let’s get on with it.
FOOTNOTE: I said I mustn’t be much of an investigative reporter because I didn’t see it coming, I was blindsided. Should not have been, in retrospect. Earlier this year, without even telling me, management cancelled our annual 3AW Variety Bike-a-thon. Guess that’s part of the ‘change of direction’, even though we’ve given away 10,000 bikes to needy kids over the Christmases. I protested and it will be on next month on the Drive program, only.
That lack of respect should have told me something. Also I heard that my able fill-in, Tom Elliott, had been overheard telling someone at Channel Ten several months ago that ‘this is Hinch’s last year’ and he was replacing me.
I dismissed it as the wishful thinking of an ambitious young man. I was wrong. The decision to sack me was made in June.
Final point: A former director of 3AW’s owners [not former radio chief Graham Mott] told me today that he had always believed 3AW could never be destroyed from the outside; Any destruction would come from within.
Maybe he was right. As I said: You can’t legislate against stupidity.
The man who is the replacement
Above: Tom Elliott
HEALYGATE
I am shocked and saddened and yes angry to hear of Derryn's sacking.
I can see no good coming from the Healy decision but what can we expect from one who sprouts such rigmarole as, "3AW, Melbourne's most successful radio station of the modern era, must position itself to take advantage of the exciting possibilities opening up in the digital world and changing audience expectations"?
Healy is bringing a once proud radio station down through his and others bombastic stupidity. How he ever reached the position he has is quite beyond my understanding. I have heard Elliott before when he was a fill-in and always switched off because I think he's pathetic and terribly, terribly boring - I didn't like listening to him before or the way he "ran" the program when he was on in the past filling in and I won't be listening him this time around. Derryn's absence will create a big void in my weekly afternoons - I finish work at 4.00PM and always enjoyed listening to him on the way home, then I'd race inside and switch on the radio.
While I don't always agree with Derryn's views, I admire his stand and the way he stood up for the underdog and kept pounding away where lesser mortals would have thrown in the towel.
Not only do I not understand Healy & Co, now I hear today is Hinch's last programme. What - they don't have the decency to even let him continue until the end of the year? What are they afraid of? Too many people ringing 3AW with support which makes them look bad? As my youngest son would say, "What a bunch of wankers!"
Is this 3AW's Healygate?
Shame, shame, shame.
Well, there’s a song called ‘What a Difference a Day Makes’. And boy is it true in my case today.
I walked out of this studio after yesterday’s program and felt pretty good about things. And why not? We’d had a touch of nostalgia by playing some of my broadcast from 43 years ago when I reported from Cape Kennedy as Apollo 11 blasted off for the moon.
And then yesterday I scored an exclusive interview with Buzz Aldrin who had walked on the moon with Neil Armstrong, and we reminisced about that trail-blazing astronaut who died suddenly at the weekend.
As far as radio programs go it was pretty good.
But I was then called into a meeting with the station’s General Manager, Shane Healy and Program Director Clark Forbes and – I can’t be much of an investigative reporter – because they sacked me and I didn’t see it coming.
In their managerial parlance and before the real spin kicked in, they said they were not renewing my contract next year.
READ: Statement from 3AW Management on the decision to not renew Derryn Hinch’s contract
It was all very civil. I asked why and was told ‘we’re taking the station in a different direction’. I pointed out that my Drive program was rating No. 1 in Melbourne and so the only different direction they could take it was down.
I didn’t get a real explanation for why I was being terminated, and still haven’t. I thought that was owed to me and – even more importantly – to you, the listeners.
Healy was going on Mitchell’s program to explain but then declined. And, a short time ago, turned down an invitation to come on this program.
One senior executive did say that they planned to ‘push the boundaries’. Jeez, if you pushed the boundaries any further than I have on radio and television, you’d fall off the edge. I have been to jail for causes, been fined, done community service, and done five months under house arrest for causes. And I think AW probably got tired of my causes. One exec did tell me when I came back here he hoped I wouldn’t ‘go on and on about the paedophile thing’, as if there’s a quota on stories when you are talking about protecting children.
In his press release, Shane Healy said 3AW could not afford to stand still in the midst of the ‘immense challenges of the digital revolution’ and the station must position itself to take advantage of the exciting possibilities opening up in the digital world and changing audience expectations.’
That’s funny. I’m probably the most accomplished person in social media of anybody at 3AW. I started the first internet site called Hinchwebradio twelve years ago, have more than 30,000 followers on Twitter, and my own HumanHeadline website, so that can’t be it. But I’m not going to plead my case. I don’t beg. I said during an earlier sacking on television, you can’t legislate against stupidity. And this is stupid.
Your tweets, emails and on-air reactions have been amazing and I thank you. You have followed me through a lot of ups and downs –professional, personal and physical over the years, especially the last year.
What intrigues me, in Mr Healy’s absence, is the quote about ‘changing audience expectations’. I thought your expectations included a host who tried to tell the truth, championed your causes, challenged politicians and even challenged my bosses when I thought they were wrong.
[In fairness, I should point out that this dismissal has nothing to do with my comments last week about Steve Vizard. I’ve discovered this decision was made months ago.]
It’s funny you know, radio and televisions stations have hired me for who I am and what I say. Then, they fire me for who I am and what I say.
But let’s put this into perspective. A lot of people have lost their jobs lately, my sackings just happen very publicly.
Last night having a subdued dinner with my wife Chanel, my visiting sister Barbara and brother-in-law, Les Swanson, and Shannon Reid, my stalwart producer, I told them to keep one thing in mind.
A year ago I didn’t think I’d even be alive for 12 months down the track to even get fired.
At management’s request, this is my last day on air for a while. I’ll be back late next month to fulfil my contract. I’ll do it to the best of my ability, you wouldn’t expect anything less of me and I wouldn’t accept anything less.
So let’s use the corny signature line… ‘That’s life’ and let’s get on with it.
FOOTNOTE: I said I mustn’t be much of an investigative reporter because I didn’t see it coming, I was blindsided. Should not have been, in retrospect. Earlier this year, without even telling me, management cancelled our annual 3AW Variety Bike-a-thon. Guess that’s part of the ‘change of direction’, even though we’ve given away 10,000 bikes to needy kids over the Christmases. I protested and it will be on next month on the Drive program, only.
That lack of respect should have told me something. Also I heard that my able fill-in, Tom Elliott, had been overheard telling someone at Channel Ten several months ago that ‘this is Hinch’s last year’ and he was replacing me.
I dismissed it as the wishful thinking of an ambitious young man. I was wrong. The decision to sack me was made in June.
Final point: A former director of 3AW’s owners [not former radio chief Graham Mott] told me today that he had always believed 3AW could never be destroyed from the outside; Any destruction would come from within.
Maybe he was right. As I said: You can’t legislate against stupidity.
The man who is the replacement
HEALYGATE
I am shocked and saddened and yes angry to hear of Derryn's sacking.
I can see no good coming from the Healy decision but what can we expect from one who sprouts such rigmarole as, "3AW, Melbourne's most successful radio station of the modern era, must position itself to take advantage of the exciting possibilities opening up in the digital world and changing audience expectations"?
Healy is bringing a once proud radio station down through his and others bombastic stupidity. How he ever reached the position he has is quite beyond my understanding. I have heard Elliott before when he was a fill-in and always switched off because I think he's pathetic and terribly, terribly boring - I didn't like listening to him before or the way he "ran" the program when he was on in the past filling in and I won't be listening him this time around. Derryn's absence will create a big void in my weekly afternoons - I finish work at 4.00PM and always enjoyed listening to him on the way home, then I'd race inside and switch on the radio.
While I don't always agree with Derryn's views, I admire his stand and the way he stood up for the underdog and kept pounding away where lesser mortals would have thrown in the towel.
Not only do I not understand Healy & Co, now I hear today is Hinch's last programme. What - they don't have the decency to even let him continue until the end of the year? What are they afraid of? Too many people ringing 3AW with support which makes them look bad? As my youngest son would say, "What a bunch of wankers!"
Is this 3AW's Healygate?
Shame, shame, shame.
43. 3AW Sacks Derryn Hinch
From 3AW Radio, 27 August 2012 - 6:44 PM.
3AW has decided not to renew the contract of drive-time presenter Derryn Hinch.
Derryn's one-year contract was set to expire at the end of this year.
The drive host was told of the decision not to renew his contract at a meeting with station management when he came off air Monday night (27 August).
The Man they sacked
Above: Derryn Hinch after being told of his sacking
While Derryn will not reappear behind the drive microphone after December, 3AW hopes to explore other opportunities with the respected broadcaster to enable him to remain in the Fairfax Radio fold.
The station expects to make an announcement on Derryn's replacement in the next few days.
3AW general manager Shane Healy paid tribute to Derryn's "fantastic" contribution to the station over the past 10 years.
"Derryn has been part of the fabric of Melbourne's No.1 radio station for many years and we are immensely proud and grateful for his efforts over this time," Mr Healy said.
"However, like all branches of the media it is impossible to stand still in a world of ever-accelerating change, " he said.
"Radio has withstood the immense challenges of the digital revolution much better than any other traditional media but we, like print and television, cannot afford to stand still.
"3AW, Melbourne's most successful radio station of the modern era, must position itself to take advantage of the exciting possibilities opening up in the digital world and changing audience expectations."
The man who did the sacking
Above: Shane Healy
Mr Healy said he hoped Derryn would consider the options that could be available to enable him to still play a role in broadcasting at Fairfax Radio.
It is unclear whether Derryn will return to the microphone this week. The drive presenter was due to take two weeks' holiday from next week.
Derryn has had two stints at 3AW. He established his broadcasting reputation on the station in the 1980s before he leaving for television current affairs.
In the past 10 years 3AW has stood behind the broadcaster through a series of controversies. Only last Friday 3AW gave the broadcaster the day off to fight in court a charge of failure to vote.
"Life will not be the same without Derryn around but we believe listeners will react more than favorably to the changes we have in mind," Mr Healy said.
What a complete stuff-up - SNAFU
3AW has decided not to renew the contract of drive-time presenter Derryn Hinch.
Derryn's one-year contract was set to expire at the end of this year.
The drive host was told of the decision not to renew his contract at a meeting with station management when he came off air Monday night (27 August).
The Man they sacked
While Derryn will not reappear behind the drive microphone after December, 3AW hopes to explore other opportunities with the respected broadcaster to enable him to remain in the Fairfax Radio fold.
The station expects to make an announcement on Derryn's replacement in the next few days.
3AW general manager Shane Healy paid tribute to Derryn's "fantastic" contribution to the station over the past 10 years.
"Derryn has been part of the fabric of Melbourne's No.1 radio station for many years and we are immensely proud and grateful for his efforts over this time," Mr Healy said.
"However, like all branches of the media it is impossible to stand still in a world of ever-accelerating change, " he said.
"Radio has withstood the immense challenges of the digital revolution much better than any other traditional media but we, like print and television, cannot afford to stand still.
"3AW, Melbourne's most successful radio station of the modern era, must position itself to take advantage of the exciting possibilities opening up in the digital world and changing audience expectations."
The man who did the sacking
Mr Healy said he hoped Derryn would consider the options that could be available to enable him to still play a role in broadcasting at Fairfax Radio.
It is unclear whether Derryn will return to the microphone this week. The drive presenter was due to take two weeks' holiday from next week.
Derryn has had two stints at 3AW. He established his broadcasting reputation on the station in the 1980s before he leaving for television current affairs.
In the past 10 years 3AW has stood behind the broadcaster through a series of controversies. Only last Friday 3AW gave the broadcaster the day off to fight in court a charge of failure to vote.
"Life will not be the same without Derryn around but we believe listeners will react more than favorably to the changes we have in mind," Mr Healy said.
What a complete stuff-up - SNAFU
Thursday, May 10, 2012
42. Revenge and Violence
Remember child killer Robert Farquharson, the bloke who murdered his three children? Well he's back in the news again wanting yet another trial, this time for a jury to shorten his sentence!
The Verdict
In October 2007, the jury found Robert Farquharson guilty of murdering his three sons, that on Fathers' Day 2005, he deliberately drove his car into a dam and killed his three boys to punish his ex-wife, Cindy Gambino. Jai, who was 10, Tyler, who was seven, and Bailey, who was just two years old drowned, but not Farquharson - he swam away. He was sentenced to three terms of life imprisonment without parole. Farquharson announced his attention to appeal his convictions.
Appeal, bail & retrial
On 17 December 2009, Farquharson's conviction was overturned by the three appeal judges. They were critical of the trial judge, the prosecution and the evidence of key prosecution witness Greg King.
Guilty!
On 4 May 2010, the re-trial began before Justice Lex Lasry. On 22 July, the second jury again found him guilty of murder. He was sentenced on October 15, 2010 to life with a 33 year minimum.
Another Appeal?!
In another bid to reduce his sentence, he wants a jury to decide if he was negligent in driving his three sons to their deaths and drowning them.
According to the latest, his barrister Peter Morrissey, will initially argue that Farquharson should be acquitted for the murder of his three sons and freed and that a charge of manslaughter should have been left for jurors to consider.
Manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 25 years' gaol.
Above: The murdered boys - Jai, 10, Bailey, 2 and Tyler, 7.
JusticeWA
A justice group fronted by Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton and US boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter is preparing to battle to free triple child killer Robert Farquharson.
A new arm of JusticeWA, which fights to free convicted criminals it believes could be innocent, is setting up in Victoria and plans to give Farquharson's case top priority.
The Verdict
In October 2007, the jury found Robert Farquharson guilty of murdering his three sons, that on Fathers' Day 2005, he deliberately drove his car into a dam and killed his three boys to punish his ex-wife, Cindy Gambino. Jai, who was 10, Tyler, who was seven, and Bailey, who was just two years old drowned, but not Farquharson - he swam away. He was sentenced to three terms of life imprisonment without parole. Farquharson announced his attention to appeal his convictions.
Appeal, bail & retrial
On 17 December 2009, Farquharson's conviction was overturned by the three appeal judges. They were critical of the trial judge, the prosecution and the evidence of key prosecution witness Greg King.
Guilty!
On 4 May 2010, the re-trial began before Justice Lex Lasry. On 22 July, the second jury again found him guilty of murder. He was sentenced on October 15, 2010 to life with a 33 year minimum.
Another Appeal?!
In another bid to reduce his sentence, he wants a jury to decide if he was negligent in driving his three sons to their deaths and drowning them.
According to the latest, his barrister Peter Morrissey, will initially argue that Farquharson should be acquitted for the murder of his three sons and freed and that a charge of manslaughter should have been left for jurors to consider.
Manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 25 years' gaol.
JusticeWA
A justice group fronted by Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton and US boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter is preparing to battle to free triple child killer Robert Farquharson.
A new arm of JusticeWA, which fights to free convicted criminals it believes could be innocent, is setting up in Victoria and plans to give Farquharson's case top priority.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
41. ANZAC Day
His phrase, indeed, sums up the attraction of the truce; it is the human dimension which means that this relatively obscure event in the fifth month of a fifty two month war is still remembered and will continue to catch the imagination. In a century in which our conception of war has been on the Exocet, the Cruise Missile and the Neutron Bomb, the fact that in 1914 some thousands of the fighting men of the belligerent nations met and shook hands between their trenches strikes a powerful and appealing note. It is perhaps the best and most heartening Christmas story of modern times.
A young German voice was heard singing "Stille Nacht" and it floated over No Man's Land. Then an English voice sent back "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and soon the night was filled with voices of men, some of them as young as 16 or 17. Over the stretch of land which separated both sides appeared a white flag as a young German soldier held it high and slowly approached. And from the British side came a soldier who walked forward to meet him. Then the others followed.
These men met on a battlefield as friends and equals. They shared cigarettes, some chocolate and a rare camaraderie, they looked at photos of sweethearts, mothers and loved ones. They sang Christmas carols together. They even played a game of football. And for a short time, they were ordinary people meeting in friendship.
But time does not stand still, and as the first rays of morning light came and the sun peeked its faint pale rays, they shook hands for the last time. And went back to the business of war.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
40. St. Patrick's Day
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh
Well now, today is March the 17th - Saint Patrick's Day and as there are many Australians with an Irish background, here's a bit of Irish humour.
Above: Paddy's Irish Bar
(Photo take in Kalgoorlie)
Why did the Irishman wear 2 condoms? " To be sure, to be sure "
Paddy and Murphy are on a cruise ship.
Paddy says "It's awfully quiet on deck tonight".
Murphy says "Everyone will be watching the band".
Paddy says "There isn't a band playing tonight".
Murphy says "I definitely heard some fellow say "A band on ship"!
Paddy Murphy arrived at Tullamarine airport and wandered about the terminal with tears streaming down his cheeks. An old Aussie bloke asked him if he was homesick.
"No", replied the Irishman. "It's worse, I have I've lost all me luggage"
"That's terrible, how did that happen?"
"The cork fell out of me bottle" Said Paddy
"How far is it to the next village?" asked the American tourist. "It's about seven miles," guessed the farmer. "But it's only five if you run"
Into a Belfast pub comes Paddy Murphy, looking like he'd just been run over by a train. His arm is in a sling, his nose is broken, his face is cut and bruised and he's walking with a limp.
"What happened to you?" asks Sean, the bartender. "Jamie O'Conner and me had a fight," says Paddy.
"That little shit, O'Conner," says Sean, "He couldn't do that to you, he must have had something in his hand."
"That he did," says Paddy, "a shovel is what he had, and a terrible lickin' he gave me with it."
"Well," says Sean, "you should have defended yourself, didn't you have something in your hand?"
"That I did," said Paddy. "Mrs. O'Conner's breast, and a thing of beauty it was, but useless in a fight."
Well now, today is March the 17th - Saint Patrick's Day and as there are many Australians with an Irish background, here's a bit of Irish humour.
(Photo take in Kalgoorlie)
Why did the Irishman wear 2 condoms? " To be sure, to be sure "
Paddy and Murphy are on a cruise ship.
Paddy says "It's awfully quiet on deck tonight".
Murphy says "Everyone will be watching the band".
Paddy says "There isn't a band playing tonight".
Murphy says "I definitely heard some fellow say "A band on ship"!
Paddy Murphy arrived at Tullamarine airport and wandered about the terminal with tears streaming down his cheeks. An old Aussie bloke asked him if he was homesick.
"No", replied the Irishman. "It's worse, I have I've lost all me luggage"
"That's terrible, how did that happen?"
"The cork fell out of me bottle" Said Paddy
"How far is it to the next village?" asked the American tourist. "It's about seven miles," guessed the farmer. "But it's only five if you run"
Into a Belfast pub comes Paddy Murphy, looking like he'd just been run over by a train. His arm is in a sling, his nose is broken, his face is cut and bruised and he's walking with a limp.
"What happened to you?" asks Sean, the bartender. "Jamie O'Conner and me had a fight," says Paddy.
"That little shit, O'Conner," says Sean, "He couldn't do that to you, he must have had something in his hand."
"That he did," says Paddy, "a shovel is what he had, and a terrible lickin' he gave me with it."
"Well," says Sean, "you should have defended yourself, didn't you have something in your hand?"
"That I did," said Paddy. "Mrs. O'Conner's breast, and a thing of beauty it was, but useless in a fight."
Thursday, January 26, 2012
39. Australia Day 2012
Australia Day
Today is Australia Day - our national day and a public holiday.
I am proud to be an Australian, I love my country. It is where I was born and there is a great deal of good and beauty here.
I love the endless red dust of the desert, the changing landscapes, the smell of the bush and the tall towering gums that fill the nostrils and delight the senses.
I love the informality of sitting under a blazing sun in the outback and just being one with the land, the kaleidoscope of a million stars under a cloudless sky in
Central Australia, hearing a lone didgerdoo emitting it's wistful sound.
But most of all, I feel an affinity with this land we call Australia.
Scenes from around Australia
These are some of my travel photos which I have put together as a collage. (Click on the photo to enlarge)
Above: Agnes and I
Taken on Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu.
Today is Australia Day - our national day and a public holiday.
I am proud to be an Australian, I love my country. It is where I was born and there is a great deal of good and beauty here.
I love the endless red dust of the desert, the changing landscapes, the smell of the bush and the tall towering gums that fill the nostrils and delight the senses.
I love the informality of sitting under a blazing sun in the outback and just being one with the land, the kaleidoscope of a million stars under a cloudless sky in
Central Australia, hearing a lone didgerdoo emitting it's wistful sound.
But most of all, I feel an affinity with this land we call Australia.
Scenes from around Australia
Taken on Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
38. Business Software Alliance supports SOPA
Do large giants like Microsoft and Apple support the SOPA bill? Chicago-based writer Alex Wilhelm believes so. I came across an article written by Mr. Wilhelm in which he said "After writing a rather lengthy and somewhat firey post on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) yesterday, I realized this morning that I didn’t know Microsoft’s position on the matter. As I edit our Microsoft channel, I immediately sent off a query to the company concerning the Act."
"To my surprise it took some time to hear back, and when I did get word the response was ‘no comment.’ Obviously intrigued, I dug into the issue. As it turns out, ‘no comment’ is Microsoft’s official position on SOPA. The company has made no noise at all on the issue, other than what I would wager is a rather conspicuous silence.
But Microsoft did support the pre-SOPA Protect IP Act, something that SOPA did draw on heavily for its roots. To quote the official page on the House website: “The Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261) builds on the Pro IP Act of 2008 and the Senate’s Protect IP Act introduced earlier this year.” So we have Microsoft supporting the intellectual ancestor of SOPA, but that’s certainly not enough to say that the company supports SOPA outright.
We can, however, show that it does. And somewhat disingenuously, if I may. You see, Microsoft is a major player in the Business Software Alliance, along with Apple and 27 other companies. And the BSA supports SOPA. This is from a recent BSA bulletin:
The Business Software Alliance today commended House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) for introducing the “Stop Online Piracy Act” (H.R. 3261) to curb the growing rash of software piracy and other forms of intellectual property theft that are being perpetrated by illicit websites.
Mr. Wilhelm then goes on to say Microsoft is using a front group to throw its support behind SOPA, (while publicly saying and doing nothing) - in other words, pretending in the face of the public but all the time doing/thinking the opposite.
He then lists every member of the BSA. SOURCE - TNW Insider
"To my surprise it took some time to hear back, and when I did get word the response was ‘no comment.’ Obviously intrigued, I dug into the issue. As it turns out, ‘no comment’ is Microsoft’s official position on SOPA. The company has made no noise at all on the issue, other than what I would wager is a rather conspicuous silence.
But Microsoft did support the pre-SOPA Protect IP Act, something that SOPA did draw on heavily for its roots. To quote the official page on the House website: “The Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261) builds on the Pro IP Act of 2008 and the Senate’s Protect IP Act introduced earlier this year.” So we have Microsoft supporting the intellectual ancestor of SOPA, but that’s certainly not enough to say that the company supports SOPA outright.
We can, however, show that it does. And somewhat disingenuously, if I may. You see, Microsoft is a major player in the Business Software Alliance, along with Apple and 27 other companies. And the BSA supports SOPA. This is from a recent BSA bulletin:
The Business Software Alliance today commended House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) for introducing the “Stop Online Piracy Act” (H.R. 3261) to curb the growing rash of software piracy and other forms of intellectual property theft that are being perpetrated by illicit websites.
Mr. Wilhelm then goes on to say Microsoft is using a front group to throw its support behind SOPA, (while publicly saying and doing nothing) - in other words, pretending in the face of the public but all the time doing/thinking the opposite.
He then lists every member of the BSA. SOURCE - TNW Insider
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