Representative Expression

This morning I learnt the sad news that Len Sassaman sadly passed away having taken his own life in an apparent suicide at his home in Leuven, Belgium.

Len was a major advocate for privacy and a great influence on some of my earlier work.  He leaves a great legacy but an even greater void in so many lives.  My thoughts go out to his wife Meredith (L. Patterson), may she have strength and courage through these difficult times.

Depression is the silent killer.

I'm coming to understand that "battle with depression" is sometimes very close in meaning to "battle with cancer."

@maryadydd 04 July 2011

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Len Sassaman (1980-2011)
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Updated: 15th April 2008
This is a heavily edited version of the original post I made on the 6th April.
Usually, I don't completely edit a post, but then usually I don't write a post which completely slams someone when I've based the facts on something I read from one single source (in this case the BBC).

To be fair to the BBC, it was probably my interpretation of the article that was skewed in addition to the BBC not giving the 'complete' story.

Normally, this is just a personal blog full of "nothing" that no-one actually reads, it's just somewhere I can "let go", where I don't have to concentrate on as much as my commercial/business blogs.
Somehow I let my guard slip too far. I created this post in a few minutes and published it without due regard for the persons concerned.  The person mentioned below has since contacted me and given me the full story.  Now I know some of your will say, it's still only his side of the story, but the fact is, I made a rash post without the full facts, and that was entirely wrong for that reason alone.
I will publish his full story (with his approval) and I'll think you'll agree that (1) I was entirely wrong in judging him the way I did and (2) the story as presented by the British media did not give the full picture.

So first and foremost, before I make the edits, I offer my sincere apologies to Chris Miller and for any further problems this may have caused.

PLANS TO MARK THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE LONDON BOMBINGS

The second anniversary of the attacks will be marked by a public act of remembrance and opportunities for private reflection.  Tessa Jowell, the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy will formally mark the second anniversary of the atrocity by laying flowers at Kings Cross station at the time of the bombings.

7th July Assistance Site

There will be no national 2 minutes silence this year, but that shouldn't stop each one of us from reflecting on past events and ensuring that we do something to help prevent this from happening again.

A Southampton licensee is hoping to get round the smoking ban by declaring his pub is ‘foreign soil’.

Source: http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news_detail.asp...

This article made me laugh, quite a novel idea to try and get round the upcoming smoking ban.

By declaring his pub as an Embassy, it would be classed as foreign soil, and therefore not covered by UK law.  Does that mean that all his drinks would be tax free too?

 A later article does quote a British Foreign Office official as saying:

Redonda is a territory of Antigua and Barbuda, and so is not entitled to an embassy.

Shame... Apparently he does have some other tricks up his sleeve.

http://www.antigua-barbuda.org/

 I just might and find some space on the beach in Antigua and smoke instead. Not sure if it would be legal though ;)  (And I'm not talking about a law forbidding smoking in public places either).

TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has been criticized by the media watchdog Ofcom for using a term which was "capable of giving offence to homosexual people".

Ofcom said there was "no justification for using the word in this way".

Last year, he was cleared of making a racist slur about Germany because this was adjudged to be amusing rather than offensive.

From: Clarkson rapped over 'gay' jibe | BBC News

Now Ok, let me get this right...
You can't make jokes about homosexual people, because that is offensive.
But you can make jokes about the Germans, because that is funny?

Now I know some homosexuals would have found his comment funny.
I also know some Germans who would have found his comments offensive.

So just how did Ofcom determine which was right and which was wrong...
Either you allow some people to be offended or none at all.
You can't have one rule for one lot, and another rule for the others.

Do you think it has something to do with the fact that the head of OfCom is called "Manfred Von PenisTrappen" ?
Ok, maybe not... but please... let's have it one way or the other..
Plus, it's Jeremy Bloody Clarkson for godsake, you can't take anything he says seriously unless it's the technical specs of a car he's describing...

There must be a lot of gay people in the Green party that objected just for the fact it was Mr. Clarkson, and I guess that also means there can't be many Germans.

PC gone mad...

I don't care either way.  Personally I don't take offense at either remark (because funnily enough, I'm not gay and I'm not German).

Homophobia = bad.
Racism = good.

So I can't say "that car handled a tadge limp-wristed", but I can say "it had more holes in it that the German Army at Dunkirk and the 1966 German World Cup Squad defense"....

I should start a petition to get all Germans to contact Ofcom and complain.
Bloody ridiculous and a waste of bloody money.

http://findmadeleine.com/ went live today to help with the hunt to find Madeleine McCann.

Pass the site link around to those you know.