Mind The Gap

Many of you would heard the story about a lady with the wonderful speaking voice who was sacked by London Underground. OK, perhaps she was unwise to "have a dig" but to sack her?

Smacks of the same sort of management thinking I wrote about a few weeks ago.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Facebook Ban (2)

Flipchart Fairytales has posted a beautiful post about the subject I raised last week.

Did you hear about this? Kent County Council have banned their *32000 employees from using the social utility Facebook.

Employers are great at disciplining staff aren't they? If they spent as much time getting people to "buy-in" to the culture (I know it isn't easy in the public sector) of their organization, valued them more their staff just might do a better and more committed job. Perhaps then they wouldn't feel the need to spend time at Facebook or going outside for a fag.

This sort of thing is so typical of British management. Minimalist, narrow-minded, old-fashioned and unnecessary.

What are the seven [7] best things you did this past year?

From James Higham........and these are mine

1] Bought a new computer and started blogging.
2] Agreed to trek in Feb 2007 for Breast Cancer Campaign (see my other blog)
3] Got involved in Blogpower with many of you.
4] Moved up the "meedja" ladder.
5] Didn't get another 3 points on my licence.
6] Had a fantastic weekend in Bordeaux in October and survived the Pyrennes in June!
7] Glad I didn't go to the World Cup.

Tags:
Eastcliffe Richard
Frances Oapen
Dr Simon Moores
Lucy Mail/Ramsgate Tourettes
Julia Buckley

Sashinka
Stephen Pollard
Tim Worstall
JohnnyB
Ellee Seymour
Barrybeelzebub
Pillage Idiot
Peter Wells' Coffin End Blog
Men are better than women
Onyx Stone
Chase me
Michelle Malkin
Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe
Gates of Vienna
Bel is thinking
The Spine
Strumpette
Petite Anglaise

Broadcaster dies in car crash

(From the BBC News website)Talksport phone-in host Mike Dickin, known to listeners as "The King", has died in a car crash.

The presenter, who was in his 60s, was involved in a six car pile-up on the A30 on Monday. He was airlifted to hospital but was pronounced dead.

Dickin started his broadcasting career at BBC Radio Oxford in the 1970s, where he was the first presenter on the air.

He also broadcast on Radio 4 and LBC, and won an award for his coverage of the Lockerbie disaster in 1988.

The presenter, who broadcast from his home studio in Bodmin Moor, was known for his passionate, outspoken views.

Listeners dubbed him Britain's angriest man, but he was also known as "The King" because of his supposed resemblance to Henry VIII.

Last month, BBC's The World at One presenter Nick Clarke passed away from cancer.

Clarke presented The World at One, the BBC's flagship politics programme, for 12 years, taking the reins in February 1994. He resumed his work this summer after a nine-month absence to fight a soft tissue sarcoma, a cancer that cost him his left leg.

That's two great "radio voices" we've lost in recent weeks.

Top Tips for Sports Broadcasting on Radio (3)

As you'll be likely to work for long stretches at a time, ensure that

1. You've had a good night's sleep beforehand, and

2. Eat properly.

Remember, you are a performer. Think and act like such.

Top Tips for Sports Broadcasting on Radio (2)

Earlier I mentioned that having a great voice for radio is important. Well, there are many great radio voices out there. The best "voices" are those that talk with variety, enthusiasm and clarity.

More information can be found at the British Voice Association - BVA

(This article has been reproduced on my Masaai trek Blog)

The FA Cup with the BBC following Margate.

The FA Cup with the BBC following Margate is exactly what it says on the tin. Yesterday's exciting local derby with the Kent League leaders, Whitstable, would have been a brilliant match to watch for the neutral.

Assisted by my BBC colleagues, Mike Green and Peter Guise, I was able to chuck in my "two-bobsworth" on every occasion I was prompted to do so. In six years of commentating and reporting on football matches, I'd never had to suffer such "highs and lows" over a 90-minute period. But that, as no doubt many of you would say, is the magic of the FA Cup. BBC Kent's radio and internet listeners must have chuckled as my blood pressure and general frustration increased as Margate failed to convert their goal scoring opportunities into goals. Ten clear cut chances in the first half but the only goal that came was from pluckly little Whistable.

The last time Margate played the Oystermen in a competitive game was nearly 50 years ago with Margate winning by a handsome margin. No chance of that yesterday. Eventually though, the 600 or so away fans smiled as two late goals gave the 'Gate a deserved 2-1 victory. The photo above shows James Pinnock thumping the winner home from 12 yards.

The match at the Belmont was a far cry from the Cup-ties I grew up with Margate when we were pitted against the likes of Aldershot, Peterborough United and Swansea as underdogs. On the other hand there were those matches against Deal Town, Eastbourne Town and others where Margate were the professionals and expected to slaughter the opposition. We did just that at Eastbourne Town in 1967. The 9-0 scoreline still remains Margate's biggest ever away winning margin in a cup competition.

Yesterday's game reminded my pal Geoff Pay of the Fulham match in 1997. On that occasion, we lost 2-1 to Mohammed El-Fayed's team at Hartsdown Park in front of millions of viewers on Sky and over 5000 at the match itself.

Margate fans hope to avoid a tie against Dover in the next round. We'll see.