In the past 48 hours I've managed less than four hours sleep. I've only eaten a mouthful of tender beef too. So as you can probably gather it's not been the most glorious weekend.
Saturday sucked big time. I mean stinkingly huge, big time. Sunday was spent trying to work out how Saturday went so bad - I still have no idea. And now it's almost Monday morning and I'm ploughing through work, albeit very tiredly.
But the funny thing about days that really suck, there's always some positive that you know wouldn't have happened without the sucking - not that it makes up for it, but it helps. Still, Saturday sucked.
Gotta roll with the punches I say!
Monday, 7 July 2008
Saturday, 22 March 2008
The Lord is my Shepherd. Am I a sheep?
The Archbishop of Wales says faith is more important than the truth. Should we therefore stop asking questions and follow the pack?
The resurrection of Jesus is fulcrum to the Christian faith. Before his crucifixion - while he was certainly revered by his followers - Jesus of Nazareth was no more than a wise teacher, perhaps even today what we call a guru.
But while he seems to have had a small though loyal following, it is not until his death and subsequent alleged rising that Jesus of Nazareth appears to have fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy. That is, he became the Messiah - a long awaited figure it was believed would rule the Jewish people and bring peace. His ascension to Heaven Christians say, is proof that Jesus was indeed the living son of God. So according to such, it is imperative for them to believe that the resurrection occurred.
Yet in his Easter sermon, the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, is to tell his congregation that there is no proof this event happened. Instead, he will say it is faith in the reality of the resurrection which of greater importance. In effect, he is asking his audience and the wider community to believe in an ‘apparent truth’ and subtly demanding they not question the validity of the Gospel accounts.
Like all large institutions, the Church wants us to believe in its doctrine, without examination. And Dr Morgan appears happy to have blind followers, rather than those that seek the truth. However, given that this week we have also commemorated the fifth anniversary of the invasion into Iraq, his message falls flat.
In the months leading up to the start of the war, the Government repeatedly claimed that Saddam Hussein was hiding Weapons of Mass Destruction. We were told that he would use these to launch an attack on the Western world. That we were close to losing what we valued most – our freedom.
History now shows us that this was not true. And while millions did protest against the war, the movement was not strong enough to deter the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, from deploying British troops. The movement was also largely ignored by the UK media. It was chiefly in support of Blair’s decision and failed miserably to check the evidence brandished for WMD’s.
This incredible lack of journalistic rigour was widespread. Fleet Street consumed press releases and churned them out for the wider public. The data seemed concrete and to top it all, Saddam was evil. To add to this, Blair appealed to our compassion and guilt in his arguments. He told us it was ‘the right thing to do’. Morally while many disagreed with war, they also knew the regime of Saddam was not a fair one for the people of Iraq. And so five years ago the bombs fell on Baghdad and the tanks rolled in.
The media showed faith in the Government, faith that was in hindsight misplaced. What Dr Morgan forgets this Easter is that while faith is important, proof in many cases is imperative.
The resurrection of Jesus is fulcrum to the Christian faith. Before his crucifixion - while he was certainly revered by his followers - Jesus of Nazareth was no more than a wise teacher, perhaps even today what we call a guru.
But while he seems to have had a small though loyal following, it is not until his death and subsequent alleged rising that Jesus of Nazareth appears to have fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy. That is, he became the Messiah - a long awaited figure it was believed would rule the Jewish people and bring peace. His ascension to Heaven Christians say, is proof that Jesus was indeed the living son of God. So according to such, it is imperative for them to believe that the resurrection occurred.
Yet in his Easter sermon, the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, is to tell his congregation that there is no proof this event happened. Instead, he will say it is faith in the reality of the resurrection which of greater importance. In effect, he is asking his audience and the wider community to believe in an ‘apparent truth’ and subtly demanding they not question the validity of the Gospel accounts.
Like all large institutions, the Church wants us to believe in its doctrine, without examination. And Dr Morgan appears happy to have blind followers, rather than those that seek the truth. However, given that this week we have also commemorated the fifth anniversary of the invasion into Iraq, his message falls flat.
In the months leading up to the start of the war, the Government repeatedly claimed that Saddam Hussein was hiding Weapons of Mass Destruction. We were told that he would use these to launch an attack on the Western world. That we were close to losing what we valued most – our freedom.
History now shows us that this was not true. And while millions did protest against the war, the movement was not strong enough to deter the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, from deploying British troops. The movement was also largely ignored by the UK media. It was chiefly in support of Blair’s decision and failed miserably to check the evidence brandished for WMD’s.
This incredible lack of journalistic rigour was widespread. Fleet Street consumed press releases and churned them out for the wider public. The data seemed concrete and to top it all, Saddam was evil. To add to this, Blair appealed to our compassion and guilt in his arguments. He told us it was ‘the right thing to do’. Morally while many disagreed with war, they also knew the regime of Saddam was not a fair one for the people of Iraq. And so five years ago the bombs fell on Baghdad and the tanks rolled in.
The media showed faith in the Government, faith that was in hindsight misplaced. What Dr Morgan forgets this Easter is that while faith is important, proof in many cases is imperative.
Monday, 18 February 2008
Pack your bags - the Welsh are still anti-English
This week backers of a new Welsh daily, Y Byd, accused the Assembly Government of pulling the financial rug from underneath them. In doing so, the paper which had been due to be launched next month, has been killed off before it had chance to breath. Dyddiol Cyf, the company behind Y Byd, have wasted no time in pointing the finger at whom it believes was chief knife wielder - Heritage Minister and Plaid Cymru AM, Rhodri Glyn Thomas.
In a statement, Dyddiol Cyf's chairman, Ned Thomas, claimed the recent announcement on funding of the Welsh press, made it impossible for it to establish a Welsh-language daily paper. Not content with throwing a few stones, Mr Thomas went all out hurling a big fat boulder at Plaid Cymru's part in the current coalition government with Labour. When Mr Thomas said that the Ministers decision surmounted to breaking a commitment as set out in the One Wales document, he was in effect, telling Plaid they were no longer representing the needs of the Welsh speaking community.
The document, which paved the way for the Labour-Plaid coalition, clearly sets out a number of promises, one of which is to "expand the funding and support for Welsh-medium magazines and newspapers, including the establishment of a Welsh-language daily newspaper." Mr Thomas felt that the extra money announced to support a Welsh print publication was not sufficient. That money fell three times (£400,000) lower than Dyddiol Cyf had demanded.
However, given the lack of support the company had gathered from the Welsh speaking community, it could be argued that supply would have far out numbered demand for such a paper. In its original plans, Dyddiol Cyf aimed to attract 5,000 subscribers, a month before it was due to launch it had just 700. Furthermore, Y Byd's backers were not in any shape ever to be the sole recipients of such money.
The extra £200,000 a year offered already has other potential companies sniffing around. It appears that Trinity Mirror, Parent group to Media Wales who own the Western Mail, are one.
When the apparent interest by Trinity Mirror was highlighted to one of Y Byd's backers, Hywel Teifi Edwards, on BBC Radio Wales' morning news programme, Mr Edwards spat the proverbial dummy. He exclaimed that there was a huge difference between having control here in Wales compared to a Welsh daily being controlled "in the hands of a foreign body," who would, he said, "pull the plug," at the first signs of economic weakness. That body of course, being a company based in England.
For all his passion - which is to be admired, Mr Edwards' interview left a nasty taste in the mouth. The sort that brings up memories of holiday homes in Wales owned by English people being burnt. His utter distain for the possibility that a paper he so badly desires to "fulfil a democratic need in Wales," to exist in control other than that of the Welsh, bordered on racial hatred.
While Welsh speakers have every right to wish and even have a daily paper printed in their mother tongue, it shouldn't be a burden for the rest of us. As other Welsh-medium magazines have proven* there is not enough demand from the Welsh speaking public to sustain such publications and keep them afloat economically, without huge subsidies. Until that point, having a company, English based or not, that may take up the offer to pursue publishing solely in Welsh shouldn't be defecated on. A welsh daily, may like many other ventures when they are emerging from the womb, garner support as they mature. At which point, a Welsh paper controlled by the Welsh may be more than just a whim - it could become a reality.
Dyddiol Cyf say they are already considering a number of other positive ideas which could give a much-needed boost to the Welsh Press, this is to be applauded. Perhaps in future it needs to also consider more carefully the fanatical element it attracts in the mould of Mr Edwards.
* Each copy of 'Barn,' a Welsh magazine is subsidised to the tune of £9 per copy
In a statement, Dyddiol Cyf's chairman, Ned Thomas, claimed the recent announcement on funding of the Welsh press, made it impossible for it to establish a Welsh-language daily paper. Not content with throwing a few stones, Mr Thomas went all out hurling a big fat boulder at Plaid Cymru's part in the current coalition government with Labour. When Mr Thomas said that the Ministers decision surmounted to breaking a commitment as set out in the One Wales document, he was in effect, telling Plaid they were no longer representing the needs of the Welsh speaking community.
The document, which paved the way for the Labour-Plaid coalition, clearly sets out a number of promises, one of which is to "expand the funding and support for Welsh-medium magazines and newspapers, including the establishment of a Welsh-language daily newspaper." Mr Thomas felt that the extra money announced to support a Welsh print publication was not sufficient. That money fell three times (£400,000) lower than Dyddiol Cyf had demanded.
However, given the lack of support the company had gathered from the Welsh speaking community, it could be argued that supply would have far out numbered demand for such a paper. In its original plans, Dyddiol Cyf aimed to attract 5,000 subscribers, a month before it was due to launch it had just 700. Furthermore, Y Byd's backers were not in any shape ever to be the sole recipients of such money.
The extra £200,000 a year offered already has other potential companies sniffing around. It appears that Trinity Mirror, Parent group to Media Wales who own the Western Mail, are one.
When the apparent interest by Trinity Mirror was highlighted to one of Y Byd's backers, Hywel Teifi Edwards, on BBC Radio Wales' morning news programme, Mr Edwards spat the proverbial dummy. He exclaimed that there was a huge difference between having control here in Wales compared to a Welsh daily being controlled "in the hands of a foreign body," who would, he said, "pull the plug," at the first signs of economic weakness. That body of course, being a company based in England.
For all his passion - which is to be admired, Mr Edwards' interview left a nasty taste in the mouth. The sort that brings up memories of holiday homes in Wales owned by English people being burnt. His utter distain for the possibility that a paper he so badly desires to "fulfil a democratic need in Wales," to exist in control other than that of the Welsh, bordered on racial hatred.
While Welsh speakers have every right to wish and even have a daily paper printed in their mother tongue, it shouldn't be a burden for the rest of us. As other Welsh-medium magazines have proven* there is not enough demand from the Welsh speaking public to sustain such publications and keep them afloat economically, without huge subsidies. Until that point, having a company, English based or not, that may take up the offer to pursue publishing solely in Welsh shouldn't be defecated on. A welsh daily, may like many other ventures when they are emerging from the womb, garner support as they mature. At which point, a Welsh paper controlled by the Welsh may be more than just a whim - it could become a reality.
Dyddiol Cyf say they are already considering a number of other positive ideas which could give a much-needed boost to the Welsh Press, this is to be applauded. Perhaps in future it needs to also consider more carefully the fanatical element it attracts in the mould of Mr Edwards.
* Each copy of 'Barn,' a Welsh magazine is subsidised to the tune of £9 per copy
Thursday, 27 September 2007
Almost done
It's the last day of our shoot in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. All our interviews are done and with the exception of one where it was impossible with the equipment we have to sort out the audio (he sounds like he's growling occasionally into the mike)- I'm relatively happy with them.
We're using this last day to shoot some opening scenes in the countryside around the city - to show a different feel of Cambodia - one most people would be more familiar with and just to tie up loose ends. I've been able to check through the most important tapes, though I'm still a little aprehensive about the work I have ahead of me in the editing suite to make it all flow. If we've missed anything - there's no going back.
Let's hope I did cover all bases...
We're using this last day to shoot some opening scenes in the countryside around the city - to show a different feel of Cambodia - one most people would be more familiar with and just to tie up loose ends. I've been able to check through the most important tapes, though I'm still a little aprehensive about the work I have ahead of me in the editing suite to make it all flow. If we've missed anything - there's no going back.
Let's hope I did cover all bases...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
