tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746Thu, 13 Mar 2025 19:29:41 +0000Facebookcitizen journalismjournalismTwitterbreast cancerhyperlocallocal newspaperslovesocial mediasuicideDignitasGuardianJapandepressiondigitalearthquakefeminismheadingsletting gomastectomymental healthpublishingsubbing#NotYourAsianSidekick#ritp#rubyinthepubABCeAC JapanAOP forumAdam WestbrookAfghanistanAlistair DarlingAmanda HoldenAndrew WoolnerAnn MackminAnn SummersAnthony ThorntonAshleigh HallAsianAsian AmericansAsian stereotypesBFONGBarbara EhrenreichBig SocietyBlack WatchBrian FrielBuddhismCamila BatmanghelidjhCatherine SandersonCharlotte RavenDHDSLRDaily MailDan SleeDecca AitkenheadEXITEduardo GaleanoEnglish languageExpressFox NewsFuture of NewsGoogleGreg HadfieldGuardian LocalGuy LiebenbergHedda GablerHelp Me InvestigateHenrik IbsenHuntingtonIbsenIcelandIcesaveInternational Women's DayInternetInternet abbreviationsJALJacqui JanesJade GoodyJames BallJapaneseJo WadsworthJoanna GearyJoanna MoncrieffJohn KehoeJosh HallidayKateKate MiddletonKaupthingLandsbankiLewes Skeptics in the PubLichfield BlogLiz JonesMark Williams-ThomasMartha MedeirosMary HamiltonMax CliffordMind PowerMoshi MonstersMySpaceNALCNatasha RichardsonNavratilovaNews:RewiredNikonOHOld VicPema ChödrönPeter ChapmanPetite Anglaise privacyPhilip NitschkePrince WilliamPrivate ElliottProzacRandall MunroeRay LewisRobin WilliamsSOSarah HartleySecond LifeSheridan SmithStreet ViewSuey ParkSunday ExpressSuzanne MooreTalkAboutLocalTelegraphThe ArgusThe Media BlogThe Northern EchoThe SunThe TimesUrban DictionaryVirgin AirlinesWall of ShameWannabehacksWhen Things Fall ApartWill PerrinWilliamWise KidsYPDWacupunctureadvertisementagonal gaspamnesiaantidepressantsanxietyapostropheassisted suicideblindnessblindsightblogging blog privacy twitter facebookbook marketingbrandsbreast cancer awarenessbreast reconstructionbroadsheetscamerascancercharitieschemical imbalancechoice of wordscommercialcommunicationcommunitiescommunity managerconfessionalconfessional bloggingcouncilscreditcrunchcultural stereotypescybersexdan jamesdatadatingdear husbanddeath nirvana mortality dogs lifedebbie purdydentistsdogdog foulingdr deathdrugse-bookseconomyeroticaeuthanasiafantasyflight attendantsforgettinggratitude appreciation gratefulness lifegreetinggriefhackershackshaikuhappinesshappy pillsheadlineshealthhydrotherapyiPadinvestigative journalismjournalistslosslumpectomymake-believemammogrammannersmediamental disordermoneymoshlingsmummy pornnewspapersnirvanaonline datingother halfpaidContentparentingpeacepetphotographypositive thinkingpotholepower of wordsprivacypsychiatrypsychologyracismrecessionrelationshipsroyal babyroyal familyroyalsself-helpsexualitysignificant othersocial caresocial issuesocial networking sitesstrokesubssurrendersurrenderingtabloidstechnolgoyterms of endearmenttheatreuniformvetvirtual realityvulnerable childrenwarwomenwordsyouth centrehttp://madamedotty.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)Blogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-2953744795738749397Sun, 17 Aug 2014 07:02:00 +00002014-08-17T08:02:39.182+01:00anxietycommunicationdepressionFacebookMary Hamiltonmental healthRobin Williamssocial mediasuicideTwitter CC image courtesy of Penelope's Loom on Flickr It is amazing the ripples that news of a celebrity suicide can trigger in social media circles. Since the first reports of Robin William's death started circulating earlier this week, half a dozen friends and colleagues "came out" on blogs or social networking sites about their own depression and accounts of suicide attempts. Mary Hamilton, from http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2014/08/depression-and-social-media-trap.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-7294501955101748235Mon, 26 May 2014 22:32:00 +00002014-05-29T02:29:50.272+01:00camerasDSLRNikonphotography Photo credit: Sara Denise  For my birthday this year I indulged and bought myself a present I had long been lusting after: a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera. I learned photography some 20 years ago with an all-manual film camera, a Nikon FM2, a beauty to hold and to behold, but who takes pictures with film these days? It was time for an upgrade. Of course the new camera wasn'thttp://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2014/05/photography-why-your-camera-can-make.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-3132700135472367977Thu, 08 May 2014 07:05:00 +00002014-05-08T21:02:26.204+01:00Buddhismdentistsletting gonirvanaPema ChödrönsurrenderWhen Things Fall Apart Photo by Alen Vlahovic / CC BY-SA 3.0 If you thought meditating regularly and studying Buddhism were the only way to achieving enlightenment, you may be amused to hear I recently reached nirvana on my dentist's chair. For dramatic effect, I could have bellowed something along the lines of "Eureka", as Archimedes did in his bathtub, except I was undergoing a root canal treatment at the time,http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2014/05/my-root-canal-treatment-enlightened-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-7389524483233972089Sun, 13 Apr 2014 23:07:00 +00002014-04-14T10:18:39.517+01:00amnesiaEduardo GaleanoforgettingMartha Medeirossurrendering 'Compulsory amnesia' is a term I first came across while reading a Martha Medeiros' book. Medeiros is a well-known author and newspaper columnist in Brazil, who writes insightful short essays on daily life topics.  I have been a Medeiros fan for years and often draw inspiration for my blogs from her writing. Sadly, her books are not available in translation in the UK,http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2014/04/compulsory-amnesia-cowardly-art-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-7276924724671825313Sun, 05 Jan 2014 22:39:00 +00002014-01-06T21:15:08.956+00:00dear husbandDHInternet abbreviationsOHother halfsignificant otherSOterms of endearmentUrban DictionaryI first started blogging, on MySpace, in the days when one had to learn a bit of HTML in order to perform the most elementary of tasks, such as changing fonts, or inserting photos or videos, for which there is now a one-click button in all blogging platforms. Compared to my non-blogging friends, I thought I was an übergeek. It turns out I am also a relative old hand on Twitter. According to http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2014/01/oh-so-dh-why-internet-abbreviations-do.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-1386770747708633451Tue, 17 Dec 2013 14:41:00 +00002013-12-17T14:41:23.454+00:00#NotYourAsianSidekickAsianAsian AmericansAsian stereotypescultural stereotypesfeminismracismSuey Park ©Connie J. Sun On Sunday evening a Twitter friend called my attention to the hashtag #NotYourAsianSidekick originated by freelance writer Suey Park. The tweets kickstarted an ongoing conversation on feminism, sexism, racism and stereotypes faced by the Asian-American community, and, according to AlJazeera, the hashtag was tweeted nearly 50,000 times in the space of one day. Even the BBC http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-notyourasiansidekick-hashtag-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-653625583485952916Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:12:00 +00002012-11-12T16:55:48.339+00:00Ann MackminBrian FrielHedda GablerHenrik IbsenIbsenOld VicSheridan Smiththeatre Hedda Gabler is one of my favourite plays of all times. I have read the original Ibsen play and seen it performed many times in different countries. I simply can't get enough of Hedda for reasons I will explain in a later post. When I last saw it in a small theatre in Tokyo with the stunning Japanese actress Rei Asami in the lead role, I was so overcome with emotion, I could not move for a few http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2012/11/hedda-gabler-at-old-vic-great.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-496810902838502061Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:33:00 +00002012-07-23T14:33:15.863+01:00apostropheExpressheadingsKateKate MiddletonPrince Williamroyal babyroyal familyroyalssubbingSunday ExpressWilliam Hats off to the The Sunday Express for their front page headline in yesterday's edition, with one very cleverly placed apostrophe, which, if unnoticed, would have given the story a an entirely new meaning: Kate & Will's Hope for Children. At first glance, the heading sounds like an official confirmation, by Kate and William, that they are indeed trying to start a family – news which would http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-apostrophe-that-nearly-made-kate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-1060930035662670963Mon, 09 Jul 2012 00:03:00 +00002012-07-26T22:40:34.426+01:00Ann SummerscybersexdatingeroticaFacebookfantasyInternetlovemake-believeMoshi Monstersmoshlingsmummy pornMySpaceonline datingrelationshipsSecond LifeSuzanne Moorevirtual realityThe Guardian Weekend Magazine published an interesting compilation of stories last week (The way we love now, 30.06.12) of couples who started their relationship online. This is the 21st century. Relationships that start on social media sites are no longer a novelty. Among my Facebook "friends", at least two whom I have never personally met, met their other halves on MySpace, before http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2012/07/fifty-shades-of-cyberlove-future-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-2013254329733694691Fri, 06 Jul 2012 04:00:00 +00002012-07-06T05:00:06.355+01:00antidepressantschemical imbalancedepressiondrugshappy pillsJoanna MoncrieffLewes Skeptics in the Pubmental disordermental healthProzacpsychiatry Could psychiatric drugs, such a antidepressants, cause rather than cure mental disorders? Is chemical cure a myth? This was the topic of Joanna Moncrieff's talk at the Lewes Skeptics in the Pub's monthly event this week. Dr. Moncrieff is a clinical lecturer in the department of mental health sciences at University College of London. Her book The Myth of Chemical Cure is published by Palgrave http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2012/07/dr-moncrieff-on-depression-and-drugs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-5041856636352936753Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:07:00 +00002012-06-13T14:08:12.607+01:00haikuloveBrowsing through a book called Haiku for the SIngle Girl (Penguin), which I found on a colleague's desk, I came across a verse that made me smile.  "He makes me happy.  If he also makes me sad,  Then I'll know it's love." My colleague snorted and thought this was meant to be cynical, I disagree. If you have ever been in love – really in love – you know the above is true.  http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2012/06/haiku-on-real-love.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-23176027541268604Tue, 01 May 2012 08:41:00 +00002012-05-01T09:41:37.716+01:00griefletting golosslove I am sure I have written before about letting go, but I will write about it again. Because for me it is a recurring theme. And no one has as yet discovered an easy way to do it. In less than a week we are moving house – from a three-bedroom house, with plenty of storage room, to a two-bedroom flat with a small second bedroom – which means a brutal clear-out has become necessary. For a natural http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2012/05/on-love-and-letting-go-revisited.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-3937760568790040974Fri, 20 May 2011 21:47:00 +00002011-05-22T07:15:38.443+01:00dog foulingGuardian LocalhyperlocalJames Balljournalismlocal newspapersWannabehacksWill Perrin Photo courtesy of Matt Callow "I don't care about local news." The bold statement 'The Chancer', one of the journalist graduates from The Wannabe Hacks blog, made in a post about local journalism failing to engage young people attracted a string of of angry comments from several journalists, who called his argument "parochial", "naive", "ridiculous and lazy". Knowing the power of the Internethttp://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2011/05/pot-holes-and-dog-poo-is-this-future-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-8896217265469229194Thu, 21 Apr 2011 02:47:00 +00002011-04-21T03:47:28.961+01:00AC JapanadvertisementcommercialearthquakegreetingJapanJapanesemannersThe story of the Japanese blog that made the nation laugh so hard it caused a major stir in the Japanese blogosphere, and allegedly shot up to first place in their FC2 blog ranking last week, is too good not to be shared. Since the magnitude 9.0 earthquake in the northeast of Japan last month, much has been written in the Western media about the dignified and selfless manner the Japanese conducthttp://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2011/04/man-who-was-arrested-for-greeting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-2152429756411016745Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:13:00 +00002011-03-26T00:13:56.929+00:00Andrew WoolnerearthquakeFox NewsJapanjournalismRandall MunroeWall of Shame Last week I wrote a piece for The Media Blog about Fox News' hilarious blunder in having included a trendy night club in central Tokyo on a map of nuclear reactors in Japan.  But examples of poor journalistic practice may not always amuse, especially when they can dramatically influence the public's sense of vulnerability or distort perception of a delicate reality, as in the http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2011/03/japan-quake-wall-of-shameful-journalism.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-7820298841918939836Tue, 15 Feb 2011 01:35:00 +00002011-02-15T01:35:07.195+00:00(This post was also published in the Help Me Investigate blog.) Freedom of Information requests should be "applicant blind" and "motive blind" but they are often not treated as such – David Higgerson, head of multimedia for Trinity Mirror Regional, points out in his blog post FOI FAQ. This means that FOI rules are being breached if a press officer, to whom your request has been passedhttp://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2011/02/foi-why-who-is-requesting-shouldnt-but.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-8554053260511289577Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:51:00 +00002011-01-20T01:40:43.890+00:00BFONGFuture of NewsGreg HadfieldGuardianJosh Hallidayjournalism Josh Halliday at Brighton Future of News Group (photo by Sarah Booker) The Brighton Future of News Group (BFONG)'s 10th meetup registered record attendance last Monday when around 35 members gathered in the function room at The Eagle in Brighton. There was a buzz of anticipation in the air. They had come to listen to much hyped young journalist Josh Halliday talk http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2011/01/from-blogger-to-guardian-reporter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-4656298613058778968Sat, 15 Jan 2011 23:24:00 +00002011-01-15T23:24:11.635+00:00[This post first appeared in The Help Me Investigate blog] The National Health Service is about to undergo a major overhaul, with strategic health authorities and primary care trusts being abolished and GPs gaining control of the NHS budget and responsibility to commission healthcare services. Some GPs are not happy about the pressure imposed by their additional administrativehttp://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-freedom-of-information-act-makes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-7623597063812889131Wed, 05 Jan 2011 02:47:00 +00002011-01-05T02:47:53.781+00:00Anthony Thorntonbook marketingbrandscommunitiescommunity managerdigitale-booksJoanna GearyNews:Rewiredpublishingsocial mediaThe TimesSince its launch in January this year, I have been a 'serial' delegate at the News Rewired events (hashtag #newsrw  on Twitter) aimed at online journalists and anyone working in the digital field. Last December I went to event no.3, which was about building a brand and digital products to support and share content. A link-by-link coverage can be found here, including reactions http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2011/01/newsrewired-valuable-digital-lessons.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-8256599992785516956Sun, 07 Nov 2010 23:15:00 +00002010-11-08T23:06:04.515+00:00agonal gaspchoice of wordsEnglish languagepower of wordswordsBizarrely, the death of my dog last month made me reflect on how a simple choice of words can make someone's day, or ruin it. Death words The first shock came a few seconds after the vet had injected our dog with the anaesthetic that would stop his heart. Even though he was physically supposed to be dead, Binks stretched his head and let out a long long breath, which totally freaked me, as it http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2010/11/whats-in-word.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-4892701078880241206Sun, 26 Sep 2010 02:20:00 +00002010-09-26T23:01:32.241+01:00death nirvana mortality dogs lifeBinks reminds me everyday of my own mortality. He is 112 years old. Or, he would be if he were human rather than a four-legged mutt. It amuses me to think that, had he been an old age pensioner, he might have received a birthday card or two from the Queen by now. In fact, his survival record as a starving dog in the streets of Germany, and more recently, as a victim of a string of serious http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-dog-my-shepherd-mortality-revisited.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-5886427676391516736Sun, 30 May 2010 22:29:00 +00002010-05-31T20:52:28.303+01:00#ritp#rubyinthepubBig Societycitizen journalismdatadigitalhackershacksinvestigative journalismiPadtechnolgoy('Today We're Social' cartoon by Oliver Wibber - Geek and Poke) On Friday the iPad finally arrived in the UK. If the frenzy of excitement among journalists on Twitter on the day of Apple's product announcement, and the number of hacks suffering from iPad-delivery anxiety last Thursday are anything to go by, it is possible the entire UK media community now owns Apple's new wonder gadget. As if http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2010/05/why-camerons-open-data-big-society-will.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-7818592539886771040Fri, 09 Apr 2010 22:00:00 +00002010-04-11T17:52:07.782+01:00breast cancercancerheadingsheadlinesjournalismmammogrammediaNavratilovanewspaperssubbingsubsThe announcement this week that legendary tennis champion Martina Navratilova is undergoing treatment for breast cancer has made headlines in practically every newspaper and website. On checking the front pages of the national newspapers and web-based reportage yesterday I couldn't help noticing almost all of them used cliched words such as "battle", "struggle", "suffer". This is exactly the http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2010/04/navratilovas-cancer-why-media-failed-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-6129872862647766752Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:20:00 +00002010-03-15T17:00:48.027+00:00Ashleigh HallDaily MailFacebookMark Williams-ThomasPeter ChapmanWise KidsYPDWThe Daily Mail published an apology in its print edition today over an article, which originally appeared with the headline "I posed as a 14-year-old girl on Facebook. What followed will sicken you." What followed did sicken me but not for the same reasons that it did most people.Not FacebookThe hoo-ha was about an account written by Mark Williams-Thomas, a former police detective working as a http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2010/03/ashleigh-daily-mail-and-facebook.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670843524780597746.post-7970061516844024084Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:26:00 +00002010-03-08T17:20:10.416+00:00citizen journalismfeminismflight attendantsInternational Women's DayJALpublishinguniformVirgin AirlineswomenToday is International Women’s Day, a day for remembering and celebrating the achievements of women past, present and future. The fact that there isn’t an International Man’s Day seems like an indication that women have always had it much harder than men to get to the same places. Men certainly seem to dominate the upper echelons of print and broadcast journalism and although some of my http://madamedotty.blogspot.com/2010/03/international-womens-day-some-random.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Madame Dotty)2