Ed Dowding

Murdoch is like a redneck with an AK-47 shooting wildly into a herd of BBC elephants. “These slow good for nothing beasts! Stomp all the grass for my cattle! HAHAHA!! BANG! BANG!! Take that, Dumbo!”

But that’s all just opinions and metaphor. Numbers, let’s look at numbers. These put some perspective to Murdoch’s power grab.

So to recap:

1. Murdoch makes more money, has lower costs, and makes crappier programmes.
2. The BBC is owned by the public and run in the public interest, creates plenty of creative employment opportunities, raises the statesman-like esteem of the UK internationally, and costs considerably less.

Hmm. Pipe down, James. Grow up and stop trying to undermine the value of what we have built so that you and your barrow-boy friends can pedal more mediocre banalities and stuff your already overflowing pockets with just that little bit more cash.

Sources: BBC HYS, Today Programme, 2 Mar 2010, Yahoo Finance

It you don’t already know the amazing phenomenon that is the TED event (Technology, Education, Design) you’re in for a two treats. Firstly TED ranks up there with Skype as one of the best things to happen for communication of ideas across the world. Secondly, it’s supporting local events, too.

What happens at a TEDx event?

What happens at each TEDx event depends greatly on the individual organizers. Events can be held in homes, workplaces, schools, universities or public theaters. Events may last just an hour or extend to a full day, consisting of a dozen people or several hundred. Some TEDx events will focus solely on recorded TEDTalks. Others will include short talks from live speakers.

What all TEDx events have in common:

+ TED’s format of short, carefully-prepared talks on a wide range of subjects to foster learning, inspiration and wonder — and to provoke conversations that matter
+ Inclusion of at least two recorded TED talks
+ Lack of a commercial, religious or political agenda
+ Free admission (although a small contribution toward costs is permitted)
+ A short introductory video in which TED Curator Chris Anderson explains the TEDx program (see below)

http://www.ted.com/tedx

This is going to mean a lot of GREAT ideas being talked about!

A friend was recently saying he was “puzzled by this Susan Boyle thing. Why all the hoo ha? She can sing but is not young and attractive? It’s just patronising.”

On the one hand it is patronising. The look on Piers Morgans face had prejudiced moron written all over it. And what he said at the end? “When you stood there and said [..] you wanted to be like Elaine Page, everyone was laughing at you.” That was a HORRIBLE thing to say to someone. It was not true, and it is remiss of him to project his bitter emotions onto the rest of us; and even if it were true, that’s just not something you say to anyone – most of all a woman who appears to be loving, kind, and generous; and whom many people would love to see find good fortune, especially if it is the product of her efforts.

But on the other hand it could also be a turning point. It could be the moment when meritocracy is reborn into the entertainment sphere. And the seed of empathy which is nourished in the media – especially social media – can blossom into a flower of renewed pride in public life.

A renaissance in which quality counts more than appearance, ability is more important than age, experience is recognised and appreciated, and the oxygen of authenticity is restored to our gasping souls.

Organic vegetables led the way, and entertainment can follow. We are seeing that our perfect models come at too high a price: they fail to nourish us, do not enrich or stabilise the soil in which they grow, take too much feeding, and leave the other perfectly good specimens which somehow fail to invoke a Platonic ideal to be treated like rubbish.

Piers Morgan was utterly wrong. Through Susan Boyle we see that we want to see everyone succeed, we want to help each other grow, and we don’t have a problem with including everyone in our world.