JUST A RAMBLE

I woke up in a “funny” mood today, and to be honest can’t find anything interesting in the news, it seems to be the “same old, same old” so I thought I would bore you with a bit on inane chat, well, inane isn’t quite the word it’s more like reflective.

I don’t consider myself experienced enough in this blogging thing to “review” other blog sites, but I do have a bit of experience of “life’s university” to form some sort of opinion.

So here goes, and I am not being sycophantic, just giving my personal views.

I seem to have built up a small band of regular readers, god knows why but there you are, and in what I consider to be good manners I return the compliment by following certain blogs.

I would like to start with the lady who leaves me a comment most days- Cherie's Place : CherryP seems to me to write interesting, intelligent and cogent blogs, interspersed with wit and an affinity with the “human race” the site design is calm and inviting, there is no ranting or bad language, and it tends to make you want to read more, and rudely I seldom leave comments for Cherrypie, but I enjoy her articles immensely and I am sure she knows I visit everyday.

Noclue: Still at the vet’s :( or “Devonshire Dumpling” makes me laugh, she carries on despite all the “mishaps” and still smiles at the end of it, her everyday writings about her “everyday life” make me realise what good people there are in the “blogosphere”.

Militant Medical Nurse is a blog I recently discovered, but enjoy reading; the articles are definitely “down to earth” the language can be “rich” but it explains the frustrations and “crap” that nurses have to endure just to do their jobs. Thoroughly enjoyable to read, and gives you a reality check almost every time you read it.

Madsadgirl is another recent “discovery”, open, honest and endearing, interesting and intelligent. It gives me a peek into the life of another person, and I find it satisfying to see someone growing in confidence in spite of “life”.


The next one (this is not a league table by the way, but I have been brought up in the Ladies First school) is The Jobbing Doctor, I wish he were my GP, his blog is again intelligent, down to earth, interesting, and gives the reader (or me at least) an insight into the “mysterious” world of a General Practitioner, the ups and downs, the frustration and the pleasure of doing what he obviously enjoys doing.



His blog on Sunday Things ain't what they used to be....... explains the reason why I enjoy his writing so much, he is an ordinary bloke like me, who has made his way up his career path to the job that he always wanted, and is not afraid to tell it as it is.

nourishing obscurity-James Higham, eclectic, interesting, intelligent, some times confusing, but very readable, keeps me coming back just to see what is there.

The Junior Doctor is a blog I also enjoy immensely, his descriptions of life as a “junior doctor” bring the world of hospitals to my desktop, and his interpretation of being a doctor is something I think should be included in the training of medics.

Dr Grumble what can you say? Excellent, the same with Dr Rant.

There are quite a few others (I am surprised) but if I go through them all you would be reading this for hours, and I know how boring that will be so I will end with the NHS Exposed bloggers.

Henry North London knows how I feel about his writings, James Landon, who writes occasionally, with wit and honesty, Simon J Ford, does the same, and last but certainly not least DR RITA PAL who doesn’t follow my “Angus” blogs, nor leave comments, but has sustained me through the last six months or so, with her determination and help, I have managed to produce some “OK” articles for NHS Exposed and Angus (I hope).

To any bloggers I haven’t mentioned I send my apologies, but you never know, if I get good enough, I may do a round up on a regular basis, I just hope it is as good as JD’s.

Late addition-a creeping apology to Liz Miller http://www.doctorbloggs.blogspot.com/, I reely, reely love your blog!

“Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.” Buddha

Angus

NHS Behind the headlines

Angus Dei politico

DO I NEED TO RETHINK?

My stats are way down, people are not visiting Angus, I have obviously done something wrong but. I don’t know what it is.

Blogs are a personal thing, some are like a diary, others cover the latest news, and there are surreal writers out there.

I try to inject some humour into Angus; I find that the news is fairly negative and a bit depressing, so I like to lift the mood.

I have tried to feature the “today” topics; I have tried to expand the range of topics, but no takers.

I could feature my “life” a bit more, but it is difficult when not a lot happens that is out of the ordinary, or maybe that’s the problem.

Or maybe it’s that we are all under enormous pressure from life in general and don’t have the time to surf the billions of blogs that are in the ether.

I will sit and think for a while, and peruse various blogs, to get an angle on “popular” formats.

I don’t really want to change “Angus Dei”, when I first started I said that it doesn’t matter if no one reads it, but deep down it does, we all like to think that what we say is interesting to others, it isn’t an ego thing it is a need to be “wanted” to be “included”, I have a core of “faithfuls” to whom I extend my thanks for their interest and loyalty, which I try to return.

Perhaps a few guest bloggers would help, and I extend an invite to anyone who wants to contribute, it may be that I have too many “projects” on the go, too many blogs to write for, and I am neglecting the most important one-Angus.

Do I need to rethink?

“To believe in yourself and to follow your dreams, to have goals in life and a drive to succeed, and to surround yourself with the things and the people that make you happy - this is success!” Sasha Azevedo



Angus

NHS Behind the headlines

Angus Dei politico

Online Journalists Now The Most Jailed

Something more serious today, we are under threat.

From WebProNews

“As of December 1 there are 125 journalists behind bars, a decrease of two from 2007. China tops the list as the worst offender, a position it has held for the last 10 years. Cuba, Burma, Eritrea, and Uzbekistan round out the top five from among the 29 nations that imprison journalists.

There are at least 56 online journalists jailed globally. The number of online journalists jailed has steadily risen since the CPJ recorded the first imprisoned Internet writer in 1997”
.
"Online journalism has changed the media landscape and the way we communicate with each other," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "But the power and influence of this new generation of online journalists has captured the attention of repressive governments around the world, and they have accelerated their counterattack."

“Most of the online journalists that are jailed are freelancers with no legal resources or political connection that could help them get out of prison.
"The image of the solitary blogger working at home in pajamas may be appealing, but when the knock comes on the door they are alone and vulnerable," said CPJ's Simon.”

This is happening abroad at the moment, but if the EU gets their way who knows?

Oddly enough I have just had a blog posted on NHS Behind the headlines (which I think of as my “Other blog”) entitled the censored-state. Concerning the erosion of our rights to free speech and human rights.

It seems to be creeping up on us, and we don’t know it, how long will it be before WE get the “knock on the door”?

It has already begun with the opposition MP, arrested under terrorism laws.

Not a blogger, but someone who thought he was safe in the UK going about his business.

I suppose that the fact that this is happening shows us the power of bloggers, if we can manage to frighten so many Governments, that they imprison “writers”, shades of the Third Reich maybe, or the USSR, both totalitarian states that imprisoned people who didn’t agree with their “idea” of government.

Angus