Comment: Great God Of Gossip - LIVES!

Oh, my joy! Oh great God of Tediousness, You who birthed our modern media, isn't this great?
(I checked this out with Pat, or Padraig as he is today, and Nat_Chez, and they saw it too, so yea be it) – the village gossip is dead!

Long live, the village gossip!

Let me explain – back in "the olden days" we'd have, a small village, complete with inbreeding, rape and homophobia condemning the same among themselves yea most fiercely, while yet most of those actions were permitted to the masters who took the rent.

But it was, The Way Things Be.

Back then, in a small town, a LOCAL town, we'd have gossip, which "kept you in your place" – yes, securely owned by the community, but also securely OWNED by the community. Mercy to their whims.

At mercy of their stares, their speculation, their innermost "issues" projected/transferred, onto your sweet furry little arse.

RightWhingers

And now, oh how the right-whingers moan about lack of family values, lack of societal cohesion (ignoring it was that ultimate "righty" MaggieT who brought it about – but, I don't take sides, right and left both suck and the middle is grimmer still in the face of 2007's growing insane authoritarianism) – oh, but how they moan still, how much easier it is to look out upon this beautiful planet and make a horrible "them", and blame it for sacred "us."

So, we seem to some people, to have lost societal cohesion, family values – also known to those who have experienced tham as: grassing; bitching; bullying; ostracising; and, control via social pressures.

Fair enough.

Oh, but wait a moment – because upon yonder ridge I do see - - gossip magazines, that do pray and betray ("a source close to her, said" - not to mention the unmentionable mothers, exes, who sell out and speak up) -- and moan, and gripe, and WHINE - and: sit upon the pedestal of perfection no human is fit to sit upon until - -!

Behold! (gasps)

Yeah, and so behold, I do now see a larger village than before, and it's streets are paved in gossip, and despair. And yea, it is pleasing unto little piggy eyes which cannot behold something they do not have without crying tears of sheer pure acid hate.

I see strangers in Northumbria judging ye little Victoria Beckham from Leyton, and behold, if I was the God Of Smallmindedness, if I was The God OF Societal Control:
I do see people despairing and a wailing, and agnashing of teeth that models do not speak of the highest aspirations of soul, mind and intellect, and that vicars do shag:
if I alone was to be, your petty reason for mourning that tragic idea that humans are best left passing judgement upon each other, rather than getting peaceably on with their own lives – then yes, I’d rejoice in this stupid global village of paparazzi and candid cellulite shots.

God, can we never escape them!? Bummer!

(Next week - why it's okay to burn women if GOSSIP says they eat more/less/spend more on handbags than YOU. And just when you love yourself enough - here come the peasants with pitchforks!)

Charity Scrabble Tournament

Hi there,

this from the excellent Fiona Harrold's website:

"Fiona's friend Monica Garnsey tells us about a charity event to raise funds that will help rebuild a young boy's life.

On April 21st, at the Frontline Club, 9 Norfolk Place, Paddington, I'm having the latest of what has become an annual event, a charity party and scrabble tournament to raise money for Facing the World charity.

The parties are attended by lots of journalists as befits the Frontline, which is a members club for foreign correspondents, but also architects, telly people, bankers, fashion designers, entrepreneurs, all sorts.

You'd be surprised at the party people who adore Scrabble on the sly, and this is a chance for them to come clean about their obsession! There's room for all standards of players, from "I only play at Christmas" to life-long addicts.

Ali's Story

I'm a documentary maker and have made programmes for Channel 4 and the BBC in Iran, Iraq, Gaza, Russia, Bosnia, Thailand and Venezuala.

In 2003, just after the Allied Forces took over Iraq, I made a documentary film about two of the child casualties of the war, Ali Abbas (the little boy who lost his arms in a bomb attack, and is now living in the UK), and his hospital friend Ali Hussein, then 7, whose face was very badly hurt by a bombing attack that also killed many members of his family.

The documentary was called "The Tale of Two Alis", transmitted on Channel 4.

After the documentary, generous friends made it possible for the wonderful Facing the World charity, www.facingtheworld.net) which specialises in life-changing facial surgery for children, to give little Ali Hussein the new face he needed.

You can read a little about Ali's operation in 2004 here, on Facing the World's website.

Tickets for the tournament are £35, which goes straight to the charity, and available from me at monica.garnsey@gmail.com."

You can read more about this at fionaharrold.com or drop a line to Monica direct - monica.garnsey@gmail.com.

I'll be there and it looks like a fun evening - and for a worthwhile cause.

Online Writing Courses

Just a little note before our next proper update: this may be of interest to anyone looking to improve their blogging skills (yes, I've signed up for it too!) - NewsU Journalism Training.

"A project of The Poynter Institute for Media Studies funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, NewsU is committed to providing interactive, inexpensive courses that appeal to journalists at all levels of experience and in all types of media." (From their mission statement.)

The online courses are free right now if you register (also free - to do them you'll need Flash) and the "Writer's Workbench" course is very, very good indeed.