Blurred Keys

JNLR 2007 results on Irish radio released

The latest TNS mrbi Joint National Listenership Research results, covering the whole of 2007, into radio in Ireland have been released. The can be viewed here (pdf).

More on Irish newspapers blogging

Adam thinks the Irish Times are set to start blogging. As we said a few days ago, both the Times and the Irish Independent are risking more then they think by hiding their websites behind firewalls (paid subscription and free registration, respectively).

If any of them are to start blogging, subscription or registration barriers should not be placed on the blogs – if kept in place the Irish newspapers will have missed the point more the Blurred Keys would have thought possible.

Meanwhile, the Media Guardian today has an interesting bit (free reg req) on moves in the UK by the Sun and (Channel) Five News to invite readers to summit content, and they’ll pay them if used. . While there’s nothing new about tabloids paying for stories, this is the most upfront campaign so-far.

Photo: Friday's sun

A view of the Ox Mountains from League graveyard in Ballina.

Western People & the otter blunder

Our local paper, the Western People, was kind enough to republish one of our photos of an otter. However, the photo went with a rather different story then the one told by the person who asked us to send the photos to the Western.

The otter in the photo had managed to it make over land from the river Moy in Ballina to part of the Killala Road more then ten minutes from the river. After it ended up in our back garden, we were told it was earlier spotted coming in this direction. An otter, possible another, was also spotted near St Patrick’s church, and returned to the river. We were told that their home on a bank of the Moy was interrupted by some kind of construction.

In the Western, the story most likely followed another otter, which was seen on the other side of Ballina and the river, at Riverside Drive, on the Quay Road. The story (image not published online) centred on “Ollie the otter” biting a man as he was “coming back from town when the otter ran out in front of him. After a time he realised it was not a cat and he got his camera”.

Sorry, now, that’s just not on. Who would an innocent reader think had taken the accompanying photo? Without any photo credits, obviously the person who was bit.

We have little interest in being credited; we sent the image to the newspaper unaccredited on request of a third party. But publishing the photo with this story is downright misleading. It’s not an amazingly important story, but if one can’t get it right at a simple level…

Let’s get this clear, the photo in question was taken in our back garden by this writer (not the person who got bitten), with three of our dogs in the back ground, and not on the other side of town from where the “Ollie the otter” apparently bit someone.

The above image, differs from the one published in the newspaper, we have the original images of the otter and used a slightly different close-up section here then what we sent them.

An otter in our backyard

Dogs, say hello to Mr Otter... now, say good bye...

Wasn’t going to publish this, but…

…someone said ‘was I?’, so, I have.

My broadband speed

Nearly sure I’m paying for 1Mbps broadband from Eircom, this test says the line is getting 1.75Mbps (image, below, click on it!) - I guess it’s because the connection is so close to the exchange. Also highlighted is the stupidly low upload speed of 216kps!!! The bit telling how long it will actually take to download something is subject to the server that stores the files.

When I went down to the woods today...

Above, the main path in Belleek woods. Below, the concrete ship the 'SS Creteboom' in the river Moy, at the Quay, Ballina.

The ship was built at the time of time of WW1 when there was a lack of steel, and was later sold to the Ballina Harbour Commission for use as a sand-stop.

And just for good measure, my Christmas tree...

Can Shell be trusted?

In 1995, protesters were executed by the Nigerian Government. The protesters’ high-crimes were their part in protests directed at Shell’s activities at the time causing environmental damage in Nigeria. Last week saw protesters in north Mayo jailed for blocking trucks; the protesters in this case had similar concerns – environmental and safety issues, although Shell has claimed the protesters have other motives.

Bertie Ahern has stated “It’s a decision for the courts. The Government doesn’t lock up anybody”. Bertie, since when did the courts start giving out Compulsory Purchase Orders to private companies for private projects that have nothing to do with the state? Since when did the courts totally sign away the states’ rights to any benefits of oil and gas found in the state?

Shell are currently doing preparation work in north-west Mayo for a gas refinery, and on the route of the gas pipeline which will link the refinery and the Corbid gas field offshore. The protesters claim best practice of refining the gas offshore is being ignored, and they say this cupped with the linking pipeline being of too high of presser in relation to how close houses and roads are to the pipe, raises environmental and safety concerns. Secondary issues include the mass movement of bog, and apparent safety issues arising from small roads the trucks travel on. Shell claims the pipeline is perfectly safe and the pipe will not run at full pressure. But can Shell be trusted?...

In March, The Observer published pictures that appeared to show sub-contractors installing the world's most expensive pipeline were causing waste from the project to slide into freshwater salmon spawning grounds, putting the island's fishing industry at risk. Shell was earlier forced to change the route of a pipeline to ensure the survival of a rare breed of whales. >>>

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has now frozen Shell’s loan for a pipeline of the east coast of Russia for the actions of their subcontractors.

Shell escaped criminal charges in the US today after a federal prosecutor decided that bringing the Anglo-Dutch oil giant to court over last year's reserves scandal would not be in the public interest.

US lawyer David Kelley said yesterday that the world's third-largest publicly traded oil company had cooperated with an investigation after admitting to an overstatement of its proven oil and natural gas reserves by 4.47bn barrels, or about 23%, from 1997 to 2002.

The prosecutor also cited Shell's payment of a $120m (£66.9m) fine imposed by the securities and exchange commission (SEC), the US financial watchdog, for accounting fraud.

Under the SEC settlement, Shell also agreed to spend $5m on an internal compliance program. Any further penalties "would likely have a severe and unintended disproportionate economic impact upon thousands of innocent Shell employees," Mr Kelley said. >>>

Over estimating their reserves by ‘about 23%’, paying the SEC $120m for accounting fraud, is this a company you would trust?

In the past the company was heavily criticized for their link to human rights abuses in Nigeria...

The corporation was now implicated in a human rights outrage, was shown to have tried to suppress the Ogoni movement for environmental justice and had admitted causing pollution. There were worldwide vigils, boycotts and parliamentary questions. A hundred years of brand-building was in jeopardy....

Since Nigeria, it has spent many millions wooing environmentalists and human rights groups, has invested hundreds of millions in renewable energy and has picked partners carefully. >>>

...The latter paragraph is what is now known as 'green washing'. And last year activists said they think that's just what it is…

Shell's battered reputation took another pounding yesterday when Friends of the Earth and activists from around the world accused the Anglo-Dutch energy group of polluting communities, damaging wildlife and endangering human health. Tony Juniper, FoE's executive director, said Shell - a self-styled pioneer in sustainable development - had exaggerated its social and environmental performance in the same way as it had overstated its oil and gas reserves. >>>

Can they be trusted?