Disqus - Latest Comments for Wordsmith_for_Hire

Re: Review: London Road Fire Station Tour, Manchester

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Sat, 13 Aug 2016 05:31:21 -0000

It was actually saved by campaign group Friends of London Road Fire Station. Without them, Allied London would never have been able to acquire the building. Credit where it's due...

Re: Bank of England cuts base rate to 0.25% - what it means for you

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 11:48:26 -0000

Can you please add Britannia to the table? Thanks.

Re: What was in the Government’s Self-Employment Review?

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 07:31:52 -0000

Can you supply a link to the full report?

Re: 10 pampering bath and body products | Beauty | Mother & Baby

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 12:43:37 -0000

Great suggestions - I love trying new bath products and these all look gorgeous.

Re: 'Earth shatteringly stupid?' - Ed Miliband apologises for being pictured with a copy of The Sun

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 11:43:30 -0000

This is the same Ed Miliband who says he never reads the papers, right?

Re: “I knocked a cyclist off his bike. I have right of way, he doesn’t even pay road tax”

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Tue, 21 May 2013 06:16:35 -0000

I'm following this story with a great deal of interest after a friend posted it on Facebook. He's a cyclist so understandably also enraged.

Me, I'm an ex-cyclist (also an ex-driver) - medical reasons mean I'm not safe for myself, and if driving not for others either (the DVLA holds my licence, possibly forever). However, before I accepted I'm a permanent user of public transport I lived in the Netherlands and cycled every day for the 9 years I was there. I'm posting not because the Netherlands is awash with cycle lanes and bicycle racks but because of the insurance issue.

Over there, the law regarding car insurance is weighted in favour of cyclists. Basically, if there is a collision between a vehicle and bicycle the law presumes the driver is at fault and that of course affects them in terms of payouts, loss of no-claims bonuses and higher premiums. Now, it's fair to say that the vast majority of Dutch drivers are also cyclists so are automatically attuned to actually seeing cyclists (over here, cyclists tend to be invisible to many drivers) and are therefore unlikely to hit them. But the insurance weighting also forces them to be that bit more responsible. In big cities like Amsterdam, where there are tens of thousands of cyclists on the streets at all hours, cycling is very safe even though many streets in the most built-up areas do not have bike lanes. Out in the countryside where bike lanes abound, you are still at times going to be cycling at times on unlaned roads (the only roads there banned to cyclists are the motorways, for obvious reasons). So there is still a risk of collision. But it's a far smaller one because of the insurance weighting.

We could take a leaf out of their book.

Re: It’s 2013, where’s my 60-minute online booze delivery service?

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 10:42:57 -0000

I order takeaway food through Just Eat - a small (very small) number of traders that deliver to my postcode sell alcohol as well as food but they tend to be restaurants rather than pure takeaway outlets. A small handful of online-only off-licences based in my city also deliver alcohol, snacks and cigarettes but only after 11pm and only in large quantity for wine and beer - fine if you're having a party, not so if you just want one bottle of red. And it's expensive - a delivered standard bottle (70cl) of vodka will set you back £25-30 just for a common or garden brand. The model is sort of there but needs refining! Great article - lots of, er, food for thought there.

Re: Issue one of Press Gazette – Journalism Weekly

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:58:19 -0000

Yes, I did - on 8 May. Will forward.

Re: Issue one of Press Gazette – Journalism Weekly

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:30:49 -0000

I signed up when this was first announced but haven't received it...

Re: Is Facebook 'plundering' the new phone-hacking? - Press Gazette

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:12:29 -0000

Why does the Manchester Evening News think taking a photo off Facebook, uncaptioned, without permission is ok but the Daily Mail doing the same plus text off Facebook is not? Picture theft is picture theft. I don't think it makes any difference whether someone's Facebook is visible to the entire world - it doesn't make it ok to breach copyright by lifting stuff.

Re: To enlight Hanukah, fire those apps! [and a few promo codes for you]

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 04:05:02 -0000

Have used 9MM6LJTTT3N6

Re: To enlight Hanukah, fire those apps! [and a few promo codes for you]

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 04:04:53 -0000

Have used 9MM6LJTTT3N6

Re: Phone hacking: David Cameron is not out of the sewer yet

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 04:52:08 -0000

How long before the government itself is brought down by this scandal? Not very long, I reckon...

Re: Joan Smith: It was right to question Milly's father in court

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 04:17:47 -0000

Not since Jan Moir's disgusting piece on the sad death of Stephen Gately has a column raking over the ashes of a tragedy angered me so much. The speculation into Bob Dowler's sexuality is shocking in both its amount as well as its inaccuracies, given Smith has no evidence on which to base her horrible remarks. Leave the poor man alone, he has suffered enough. And ownership of legal porn and/or indulgence in legal BDSM activities should absolutely be a private matter - keep the state out of people's bedrooms.

Re: Journalist Michael Hewitt dies aged 51 - Press Gazette

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 07:17:07 -0000

And now it has mysteriously reappeared...

Re: Journalist Michael Hewitt dies aged 51 - Press Gazette

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 07:13:17 -0000

Where has my comment* gone? It was here and now it's not, although it still shows on my Disqus profile. Why is Press Gazette removing comments? That's the second one today of mine that appears to have been censored.

* I left a nice memory of Michael here earlier

Re: Journalist Michael Hewitt dies aged 51 - Press Gazette

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 06:53:53 -0000

Farewell to a very much adored colleague and friend. I was gutted and shocked when I heard of his untimely departure last week. I was one of those who eagerly looked forward to his Journobiz musings - he was always witty, grouchy and entertaining and yes, generous too - to a fault. I shall miss him as a remote flirting partner too (there was never any suggestion we'd ever get together but we did like to flirt explicitly with each other - one such encounter ran to over 150 posts on a thread on my Facebook) and also as a rival cook - I never had the pleasure of tasting Michael's cooking, more's the pity, but we swapped many a recipe or tip. RIP to a true one-off.

Re: Privacy row footballer Giggs hit by 2nd affair claim - Press Gazette

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 06:08:06 -0000

Can still see a hideous typo in first par...

Re: New look BBC News website divides readers - Press Gazette

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:46:26 -0000

Shame you didn't report on the high number of complaints, on both Twitter and the BBC News site itself, about the inaccessibility for disabled users. Apparently, accessibility tools will only be rolled out "later in the year", leaving millions of disabled licence-fee payers unable to use the site in the meantime.

Re: Jan Moir hits out at 'mischeivous' online 'campaign' - Press Gazette

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:27:50 -0000

No doubt when I drop dead unexpectedly from SUDEP (go ahead, look it up, I'm at risk from it) some other hack somewhere will attribute it to my lifestyle even though I'm not famous and they don't have a clue about my private life...

People do just drop dead, whether it's from SADS or SUDEP or some other underlying cause - some may be gay, or have had a bit to drink, or enjoyed a spliff but none of those will have contributed to the death.

Jan Moir is a disgraceful apology for a journalist, How she has the nerve to call herself one is beyond comprehension, or the vile rag she writes for to claim it's a newspaper.

Re: Press Gazette October issue preview: Sub now £40 for students

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:54:31 -0000

Press Gazette is still heavily overpriced for working hacks. OK, with the current offer, the price has dropped from the previously outrageous £9.70 an issue to a slightly more manageable £7.50 but that's still far too expensive for a 72-page monthly. And throwing in a 2-gb flash drive is an insult - they are worth no more than a fiver. You'll need to offer a far better incentive to get most of your lost subscribers coughing up again. I won't be rushing to renew until the price for a year drops to £70 or lower...

Re: NUJ shortlists eight for Journalist magazine editorship - Press Gazette

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:14:27 -0000

Michael Cross has his manifesto up on Facebook if anyone wants to know what his proposals are: http://www.facebook.com/hom...

Re: Follow Giles Coren’s every, er, movement on Twitter

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:51:13 -0000

That would never do. The word "them" is an unstressed syllable and we all know Giles never ends on one of those. Except, perhaps, on Twitter...

Re: Follow Giles Coren’s every, er, movement on Twitter

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:29:55 -0000

Sadly, Coren doesn't reply to people who tweet him. I asked him why he was ending his tweets on an unstressed syllable and was met with a resounding fucking silence...

Re: Deputy editor to leave London Evening Standard - Press Gazette

Wordsmith_for_Hire — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:20:19 -0000

Bordiss was my boss 20 years ago when I was a freelance sub at Auto Express and he was the editor. A real gent. I'll never forget his generosity when my partner died unexpectedly and Bordiss not only kept my shift open for me for 2 weeks while I dealt with the police and a funeral, he also arranged for me to be paid for those 10 shifts even though I wasn't entitled to them. I've love to see that happen now. He's without doubt one of the nicest people I ever worked for, even setting my bereavement aside.