Why I have never used their site I do not know - I stumbled upon it quite by accident and spent several hours tracing through the links and resources they have.

You can find the site here.

The link is to the media resources for the London freelancers part of the site, but this itself is only a small taste of what is on offer.

As a research resource it is brilliant and I particularly liked the help it gave on how to handle using translation engines.  I frequently use Babelfish  (Babel from the biblical tower where different languages were spoken and Babel Fish from the Douglas Adams invention in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy).  I speak rusty French and Jurassic Russian, and use the site when I’m writing or reading material in either language as a check on my own understanding.  The advice the NUJ site gives is to use more than one translation engine so you are able to comprehend better the “shadow of meaning” that the words convey.  I like that phrase “shadow of meaning” and the advice is sound.

You will find here press and media outlets by the bucket load, home and foreign, with some fantastic resources to gain perspective and help from around the globe.  The information is not restricted to simply media with links to political and government organisations as well as others.

Try out the light relief section too for some journalist in-jokes:

“I just wake up in the morning and tell myself, “There’s been a military coup”. An then it all makes sense.”

Unnamed US Department of State official

Of particular note for those wanting a grin, check out the Daily Mail headline generator

Does teenage sex tax your house?

Will Ken Livingstone affect your house price with AIDS?

Could Tony Blair strip the middle class of all dignity?

I could just keep going but I’d better stop and behave myself.

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Sunday has arrived but my oil delivery did not which means I have a smokey coal fire going but can’t get any heat out of it.  Still, as a northerner esconced in the balmy south, I don’t feel the cold so much and in any event I can always throw another dog on the fire if I get desperate. 

I spent the last few days soaking up Switzerland and France while dealing with some personal affairs but at least hotels understand that their guests do need an internet connection so I have been able to maintain my output for the most part.  This job really does allow you to work on the move provided you can get that all important internet connection to download assignments and email them back once complete.  Have laptop, will work is the motto.

The week ahead is looking fairly busy with an eBook that needs to be completed for Tuesday for an American client.  The joys of researching about real estate and how to avoid foreclosure given the existing US recession which has particularly hit the middle class homeowners.  This makes a nice change from bashing out thousands of words each day on sedation dentistry which has become something of a yawn.  Wednesday I expect to be travelling and won’t get much done, but I do have to complete a technical document dealing with insurance regulation and th new European Union directive that is being promulgated at the moment.  By the time I’ve finished that I think I’ll be ready for a weekend of sedation whether it is at the dentist or not.

It looks like I’ll be heading back to Switzerland on Wednesday as well which is fine by me as the food is great though the weather distinctly chilly.  Not quite having a jet set lifestyle s becoming wearing.  I have the aggravation of the travelling and getting put up in a decent hotel, but I am a homebody and miss my own space and especially my family.  Still, the work I have set out to attract is filtering in and my rate has been maintained, if not improved upon.  As it is the end of a month (or at least it was yesterday) I am busy with sorting my invoices out and sending them off which is always a nice feeling when you have had a busy month.  Once that chore is out of the way, I think it will be time to give the keyboard a rest and enjoy what remains of the day not least because I have one of those rare instances of no kids running riot around the place - thank you Mothers Day!

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I know when I’m striking a chord with someone, even a discordant one when they leave a comment that doesn’t say anything constructive.

Churchill once said. “Minds are like parachutes, if they are not open they don’t work” and he was right - a parachute will not work unless it is open but he was also wrong - a mind can be closed yet the results can still be successful and gain the owner credibility, kudos and success. 

I think the reason is because as human beings, we are fallible and imperfect - which accounts for why McDonalds is so popular amongst many other things in this world.

Writing reflects yourself so who you are is realistically mirrored with whatever you write - I have posted previously on how I put my “James Bond” hat on in order to write an eBook on dating that would appeal to spotty oiks and sad gits that wanted to date “chicks”, but irrespective of the mental subterfuge, something of that piece reflected me personally.

If you don’t like it - tough.  It’s who I am.

On the other hand, I have posted on how taking a position with your writing, unambiguous and unequivocal will help you convey your message and ideas.

This applies even when you are dead wrong. 

Ask Dr Goebbels or any ad man about that point and you’ll see what I mean.

What personally ticks me off is I am by no means a good writer - I know that.  I’m unlikely to win critical acclaim for a writing a novel or two but I do have an open mind.  Again as Churchill quipped, “I’m always ready to learn but not to be taught.” and that perfectly describes me too unless I respect my teacher.

My point is this - if you have something to say about my writing, then say it - don’t hide behind an anonymous comment and pretend you have some upper hand or inside track on how to be a better writer.  Writing is something for all of us, not just the “hoi-poloi” and and I may not listen to what you have to say, but then you don’t have to read what I have to write.

Where is brawling Norman Mailer when you need him?

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I didn’t realise 2008 was a leap year until the day arrived.  Friends of mine have had a baby at 2 minutes past midnight which makes him a “leapling” and the choice of ageing at a quarter of the rate allowed us normal mortals as well as sharing his birthday with Superman.  Superman’s birthday was chosen to be the 29th because it made it easier to justify his youthfulness over time and the disparity between Earth years and Kryptonite ones.

For me, leap years meant that women could propose and the history behind it is a fascinating insight into the workings of the male and female mind.  The guys sought to restirct the ability of a woman to propose by firstly, claiming getting married in a leap year was bad luck and then when this failed as a deterrent, restricting the tradition to the leap day i.e. the 29th February.  A few other adjustments also were introduced, not least that a woman intent on proposing had to wear a red petticoat to give the poor chap fair warning of what was to come. 

Personally, I follow Dr Samuel Johnson’s advice to a young man contemplating marriage - “Don’t!” - I think the framers of this tradition perhaps came to the same conclusion over time thus leading to the phrase “Ruhn, Forrest, ruhn!”

The poor chaps could always refuse the proposal but that would lead to a fine or compensation ranging from a simple kiss, a pound of twelve pairs of gloves depending on whether you were in England, Norway or Greece.  Either way, the proposing strumpets couldn’t lose.  Nice to see that the same principles continue to apply

The reason for a leap year is to straighten out some of the irregularity with the man made, Julian calendar that does not exactly match the solar year.  This leads to a drift of the months from the seasons and is especially significant in religious celebrations no matter what the religion.  The only exception is with Islam which forbids the addition or removal of time from the calendar given to the Muslim world by Mohammed while the Hebrew and Chinese calendars don’t add a day - they add an entire month.

What has this to do with writing - absolutely nothing, it’s just for fun

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Copyright exists in anything you create, as soon as you write something down or record it in some manner, you have copyright.  The work must be your own, so plagiarised material is excluded.  If you are employed or have a contract which stipulates that copyright passes to whoever has commissioned your work, then copyright vests with your employer.

In the UK and European Union, copyright lasts for 70 years after the death of the writer, or if the work is published after death of the writer, for 70 years after publication.

A general rule is not to surrender copyright unless you have negotiated suitable compensation.  Retaining copyright gives you the right to be rewarded for your work and if successful, may continue to benefit your family for decades after your death.  Look at the estate of JRR Tolkien, the author of “Lord of the Rings” and consider the royalties paid the owners of the copyright from the movies that have been made.

You don’t have to actually assert copyright on your work but adopting a “belt and braces” approach does no harm and will help to deter those who may seek to infringe your rights.  I tend to follow this myself whenever copyright is not passed on with my work, and the usual form is (c) My Name 200X which is the year it is published or created if not published.

There are exceptions to what is subject to copyright.  For instance, there is no copyright in a title so you are free to use someone else’s title for your own work.  You need to take care as you may fall foul of what is known as “the tort of passing off”; in other words, you can be sued if you are attempting to benefit from naming your own work after someone else’s popular title in an attempt to make money by trading off the title. 

There is also no copyright in ideas unless you have documented in fine detail what that idea is and the idea is 100% genuinely original.

If you use photographs in your work, then copyright will vest in whoever took them, even if you have commissioned them yourself.  If you want copyright to vest in you, you must ensurethat the commissioning agreement stipulates this.

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