Bakker Bugle Blog » administrative

SOPA/PIPA blackout today

Will — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:42:38 +0000

We shy away from politics here at the Bugle Blog, although our editors are quite politically active. Today, we must speak out here, because too many members of the US Congress want to give control of the internet to copyright lawyers and those who stand against free speech.

This boring, little, family-friendly blog has been harassed, repeatedly, under the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998. Big copyright-holders like Viacom and FOX have issued unilateral takedown notices against our homespun videos. For example, the Bugle is forever considered suspect by YouTube due to our legally legitimate use of a snippet of TV coverage of the 2008 Olympics, simply because the IOC issued an indiscriminate legal action against tens of thousands of ordinary people.

We have also had our content — photos and text — stolen by businesses that made money from our work. (Yes, we have a hard time believing it, too.) Illegitimate use of copyrighted material is a problem for some people who earn their daily bread by creating things that are easily duplicated. Those people make some wonderful things, and we should do what we can to protect their hard work.

But there are two bills in the US Congress (SOPA and PIPA, in the House and Senate respectively) that are, as The Oatmeal puts it, “like dealing with a lion that escaped from the zoo by blasting some kittens with a flamethrower.” These bills take the most abused aspects of the DMCA and enlarge them a thousand-fold. The impact of these bills are astonishingly broad. For more information, we recommend:

A great summary of the issues from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Another summary, in video form, from Fight for the Future.
A more academic account from Marvin Ammori
A much less academic take, in animated form, from The Oatmeal.

So today we join the Strike against SOPA. We will resume our usual tripe tomorrow.

Begging your patience

Will — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:35:37 +0000

We beg your patience once again. It has been a busy month at the BBB&B.

Incidentally, we have a new policy regarding maximum occupancy at the BBB&B. Without prior arrangements, we can accommodate two (2) adult guests at one time. Children under a parent’s care do not count against this limit. Any pet over 30 kg — whether horse, dog, cat or honey badger — counts as two (2) adult guests.

In the near future, the Bugle will celebrate Halloween, visit an ancient spa in the southeast of Luxembourg, and taste test the baked goods of many lands and most prominently the Low Countries.

In the meantime, we’ll offer a special bonus for past BBB&B guests who can identify the location of each of the photos below!

Not so prompt these days

Will — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:35:42 +0000

Rest assured, friends. We will have a blog again — soon.

In the meantime, some photos, without descriptions, for your pleasure.
Click to enlarge!

Most popular posts of 2010

Will — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 13:36:49 +0000

It’s the time of the year for lazy posts based on data from website analysis. Yay! Here are our ten most popular posts from 2010, according to Google. Enjoy the old content…

Will’s attempt to keep up with the mountain bikers of Luxembourg.
A brief description of a violent storm named Xynthia, from March.
Anita’s plea to vindicate her troubles with the local entrances and exits.
Lovely photos of the Keukenhof springtime bulbs display, by Anita. (It’s especially nice to see flowers this time of year, too!)

The first Flat Stanley of 2010. The final results of our second visitor are coming soon!
The best shopping day of 2010, from late October. Wine! Wood! Highly organized shopping bags!
Will’s broadcast debut, from the Tour de France.
The Bugle’s recommendation for a podcast about European History.
Sharon’s guest post on her stay at the BBB&B
Anita’s adventure in Baden-Baden, with more meteorological content.

Finally, from the Bugle Department of Analytic Curiosities: The Bakker Bugle Blog had the most traffic of the year on December 4th, when hundreds of people from the UK googled “milky bar kid” (and variations thereof) — and landed on Anita’s lovingly written post from 2008. Hello, you crazy white-chocolate-craving tommies!

The Best of… lots of things

Will — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:05:24 +0000

The staff would like to call your attention to exciting features of the Bugle Blog that you may have missed. We also propose some remarkable news items for your perlustration.

First, the Bakker Bugle Blog has a new service. Our email reminder service will ensure that you never miss a new post! Visit the About This Blog link — also in the tabs above — and you’ll see a section entitled “Subscribe via email”. Submit your email address, follow the link that you receive in a confirmation email, and voilà: you’re a member of the Bugle élite! You’re always welcome to ask for tech support.

By the way, the cool kids prefer to keep track of their favorite websites using RSS feeds, rather than email subscriptions. The staff prefer to use Google Reader to keep track of their feeds. Google has a video to get you started, as well as a more traditional webpage. You can find a variety of Bugle-specific RSS feeds at the bottom of the right column of any blog post.

And, if you’re truly elite, you’ll find us on Twitter — although we’re not really making the most of that one.

We’re sure that you’ll want to subscribe to the RSS feed for our Tumblr. We’ve started using an “On this date” excuse to write mini-posts about all kinds of things: Great Leaders from History, art, fascinating aspects of Luxembourgish nobility, local customs and even disasters.

Then, there’s the category of awesome. Enjoy.

Finally, we need to catch up with recent news from Luxembourg, provided as usual by the extraordinary people at ARA City Radio (with just a few unauthorized additions by the Bugle staff). The headlines are our own.

Feline immigrants may be unwelcome in Germany: A pressure group has formed in Trier in a bid to stop the police shooting panthers dead. Environmental activists say the policy of shoot to kill isn’t justified because any immigrant panthers have clearly made an effort to integrate in the Palatinate, given that no locals have actually been mauled in the last year. The order to get the panther, dead or alive, was given to Trier police on Wednesday. Local hunters have also been encouraged to shoot first and ask questions later, should they find the beast in the forest.; German police have been out hunting the panther [in late October]. They sent a team of officers out to the village of Holzerath after a walker spotted what he thought was the ferocious carnivore in the woods. The police were able to able to find it too, and managed to shoot it, with one of mobile phones. The pictures revealed that it was nothing more than a domestic cat, which had gone feral, out hunting for mice.
The ongoing doctors’ strike: [The last week of October brought] the start of the national doctors’ strike. Patients can expect cancellations and delays as doctors start their work-to-rule over proposed reforms to the health system. They are angry that Health Minister Mars di Bartolomeo wants to create what they call a “national health service”. The doctors union, the AMMD, say this will reduce patient choice. Mr di Bartolomeo wants patients to always visit their GP in the first instance for referral if necessary, instead of the popular local habit of self-diagnosing and heading straight to a costly specialist. The union says it believes the bulk of its 1700 members will join the work to rule. The work-to-rule is indefinite – the union says it will go on until Mr di Bartolomeo backs down.; [...later...] The Doctors union, the AMMD, has sent a letter to its members outlining how they must conduct themselves in the forthcoming industrial action. Starting this Friday, all Luxembourg’s doctors and dentists will only be working a maximum 35 hour week, in a work-to-rule protest against proposed reforms to the health service. Specialists will only be opening their consulting rooms for 20 hours. Non-emergency operations will be cancelled. Doctors will only provide emergency cover, and the AMMD has told them to be wary of patients trying to use emergency services for non-emergency problems.; [...and the latest...] The Doctors Union, the AMMD, has refused to comment on talks its held with LSAP ministers. The meeting was the first between health minister Mars di Bartolomeo and AMMD representatives since doctors started a work to rule in protest at changes to the health system. Earlier this week the AMMD said it would only meet for talks if an independent arbiter was appointed. The AMMD will review whether to continue the work-to-rule next Tuesday.
Wacky terbacky: Lux still anti: Health minister Mars di Bartolomeo says cannabis will remain illegal here. There has been pressure recently to legalise the drug for medicinal purposes. But the minister says that medicinal cannabis use is against the law in in every country. Legalizing its use here would mean Luxembourg breaking international treaties it had signed. The minister added that all medicines used in the EU need to pass stringent safety tests, and none of these have been carried out on cannabis.
Creationist films also unwelcome: LSAP councillors in Luxembourg City have demanded to know why a Limpertsberg cultural centre is showing a film supporting the idea of Creationism. The film, called “Creation” is being shown at the Tramschapp Cultural Centre today. Ben Fayot, one of the LSAP councillors, has called on Mayor Paul Helminger to reveal who is behind the screening of the film. Mr Fayot points to the advice from the council of Europe, warning governments against supporting creationist views.
Still dealing with the last war: Hundreds of homes in Trier are being evacuated following the discovery of a giant bomb. The 250 kilogramme device was unearthed yesterday by builders working on the goods yard near the main station. The bomb was dropped by the British in the Second World War. Every home within 500 meters of the bomb will be evacuated today and this evening a bomb disposal unit will try to defuse it. The main station will be closed while the work is carried out.
Gender and nationality: Luxembourg has made good progress towards improving gender equality over the last year. According to a survey for the World Economic Forum, the Grand Duchy has climbed from 63rd place to 26th in a survey of 134 nations. Scandinavian nations, as usual, topped the table. According to the survey, discrimination against women in Luxembourg exists almost exclusively in the workplace.; [Editor's Note: Ireland ranked 6th and the United States ranked 19th -- up from 31st last year and the first time in the top twenty. That's some rapid improvement!]
Fast & furious: Cross-Border Drift: Belgian police broke up illegal street-racing on the N81 at Messancy on Friday night. Hot-rodders have been gathering every second Friday in the month to hold races on the public roads. As many as 300 people normally show up to watch cars racing between two roundabouts. This time the police were on hand to stop any racing. They handed out several speeding tickets in the process.
Facebook in Luxembourg: Nearly half the population here have registered themselves on Facebook. The social networking site is most popular with people aged between 25 and 29. The site is more popular in Luxembourg than it is in neighbouring countries, although over 40% of people in France and Belgium use. It is much less popular in Germany, where only 18% of the population interested in online networking.
LuxLait [the new destination nonpareil for BBB&B visitors]: Luxlait world opened its doors at the week-end at the company’s new dairy in Roodt. The striking gold visitor centre gives an insight into the world of dairy products in 45 interactive exhibits. The history of milk production since the 19th century is covered. Luxlait says the exhibition isn’t just for kids, and that it was developed by the same company who did visitor centres for Mercedes Benz, Airbus and the European Space Agency.
On the roads of Luxembourg: Volkswagen is the most popular brand of car in Luxembourg this year so far. Figures for car sales in the year to date show that 3300 more new cars were registered as during the same period in 2009. The total number of new vehicles registered is just under 37000, and VW have a 12% share of the market. They’re followed by Renault with a 10% share, then Audi, BMW and Peugeot making up the rest of the top 5. At the specialist end of the market, there are an extra 23 Ferraris, 22 Aston Martins, 19 Maseratis, 10 Bentleys, 4 Rolls Royces, a Lamborghini and a Bugatti on the Grand Duchy’s roads since the start of the year.
The Bold and the Luxembourgish: RTL and the Luxembourg Film Fund are getting together to fill a gaping hole in the country’s cultural heritage. They plan to make the first ever Soap Opera in Luxembourgish about local people. The show will be required to run for a minimum of 12 episodes, and it’s expected to be more of a light hearted series in the mould of the hit French programme Camera Café. The budget is expected to be over a million euros. At the moment the sponsors are reviewing pitches for the series.
Sightseeing 2009: 2009 was not a good year for the local tourist industry. A Statec survey published yesterday that tourist numbers fell by 8% in comparison with 2008. Hotels suffered the largest drop in bookings as companies continued to scale back travel in the face of the recession. In terms of leisure tourists, Luxembourg remains a popular destination for visitors from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.; The lone bright spot in the 2009 Luxembourgish tourism scene was the establishment of the Bakker Bugle Bed and Breakfast. Without its guests and the knock-on effects on Luxembourg’s reputation and glamour, some experts estimate that numbers would have fallen by as much as 15%.
Stop harassing us, America!: Police are asking people who’ve been victims of a telephone hoax to get in touch. The hoaxers are telling people they’ve won a lottery in the United States. They then ask them to hand over their credit card numbers as well as the security code on the back. The police here have now set up a hotline for people who have handed over their details. But they’re asking people who’ve received one of the hoax calls, but ignored it, not to get in touch so the hotline does not become too stretched.
Okay, maybe we deserve it, America.: Two Cargolux managers have been charged in the United States with trying to manuipulate jet fuel prices. Cargolux boss Ulrich Ogiermann and another senior colleague have been charged by a jury in Miami. Cargolux is one of the air freight businesses fined over 100 million dollars last year for colluding to fix prices. The new charges stem from this investigation.
The world’s best magician is Luxembourgish: Local Magician David Goldrake has won a prestigious award. The Golden Mandrake has in the past been awarded to such famous conjurers as David Copperfield and Siegfried and Roy. The winning magician is selected by the French Illusionists Academy every year after they’ve performed in the four day Paris festival of magic. Only the world’s leading magicians are invited to perform. David Goldrake himself said he was thrilled to be honoured with the award and thanked all his fans for their support.
Civil surveillance: arguments versus action: The Society of Criminologists has come down against the use of surveillance cameras. In a new report they say that cameras don’t really help prevent crime. They collected data on the number of crimes committed before cameras were installed and compared the number committed afterwards. The results are broadly similar. The report is published as the legislation allowing the use of surveillance cameras in public places comes up for renewal next week.; [...and a few days later...] Interior Minister Jean-Marie Halsdorf has extended the permit for CCTV in the city centre. He told parliament he had taken the decision after consulting with the chief of police, the attorney general and the city crime prevention committee. Last week the national association of criminologists published a report saying the cameras had had no impact on crime levels in the area. The minister yesterday accused the association of unhelpfully confusing the debate.
Boxing Day for workers?: The OGBL Union says it is angry that some shops are hoping to open their doors on the 26th December. This falls on a Sunday this year. There are rumours that the 5 major supermarket chains here are all planning to open in a bid to maximise their Christmas takings. The Union says Christmas Day and Boxing Day are as important to shop workers as they are to anyone else. Last night the retail association said none of their members would be open on Boxing Day unless there was agreement with staff and unions.
Painting the town red: A man has been charged in connection with a range of offenses on Friday night. He first came to the attention of the police when he stopped his car on the A13 motorway and got into a fight with a prostitute he’d hired. He fled in his car when the police arrived to help the woman. He then tried to ram a police car which set off in pursuit. When he was finally stopped he tried to attack the police with his fists. He finally taken to the police station to sober up, where it transpired that he had caused two other accidents earlier the same evening.
Little Luxembourg stops Giant Google, for now: Google has had to suspend its programme of putting the Grand Duchy on Streetview. The local data commission withdrew permission to film after Google refused to allow individuals to petition the commission to have photographs of their property removed. Google has agreed to allow citizens to block publication of pictures of their property in Germany. But it is refusing to extend the rule to citizens here. According to Google, Germany is a special exception and it won’t be making any more. The data protection commission, the CNPD, has published a form on its website which you can use to suppress and Google Streetview pictures you don’t like.
Christmas spending, by nation: Families here will fork out €1200 euros each on average celebrating Christmas here. Just under €800 of this will be on presents, with the rest being spent mainly on food and drink. The figures come from a survey of Christmas spending in 19 different European countries by accountants Deloitte. It will come as no surprise that Christmas spending in Luxembourg is higher than all the other countries surveyed, and is twice the average. But there were some surprises in the survey. People in Ireland are the second heaviest spenders at Christmas despite the difficult economic situation there. And 22% of French people buy presents using the points on the supermarket loyalty cards.

Sneak Peek: Comparative Timeline

Will — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:26:50 +0000

The Bugle staff have been working on an exciting new project that will give you a new way of looking at the world.

Our guests in Ireland would sometimes visit, in the same day or two, three important Irish sites: Kilmainham Gaol (1796-1923 CE), Newgrange at Brú na Bóinne (3500-3200 BCE), and the Guinness Storehouse (2000-present).

Even the most historically aware tourists had trouble grasping the time periods involved: what was going on other places, how long monuments were originally used, and how long it took civilizations to change.

To help visualize the things we talk about on this blog (and in person at the B&B), we are proud to announce the beta version of our timeline.

It has some unusual technical requirements, so it lives on its own page. You can find it at http://bakkerbugle.com/timeline/timelineParallels.html.

Comments are warmly welcomed, and we’ll be tweaking it over the next few weeks. Also, we’d really appreciate a snappy name for the thing.

Danger Will Robinson!

Will — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:37:56 +0000

The usually-reliable Bugle Content-Generating Computing Unit 3000 collapsed Monday morning. We apologize for the absence of exciting and entertaining news from Luxembourg while the staff bring it back up to full capacity.

In the meantime, perhaps you could entertain yourself with a long-dormant contest: Captions! (Hint, hint.)

Thank you, dear readers, for your patience.

Regarding my unwarranted skepticism

Anita — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:11:00 +0000

To Whom It May Concern:

At several social functions during our recent visit to the US, my spouse Will told a somewhat humorous story involving the shooting of a movie in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland. I would like to address my remarks on those occasions.

In the course of his story, Will sometimes speculated that the movie being shot may have been Leap Year and cited evidence to support that guess. In most cases, I ridiculed this conjecture, claiming that the timing was impossible.

Recently, ads promoting Leap Year have appeared on local television. In response, I indulged my curiosity regarding the movie and its making.

I discovered that Will’s adventure in County Wicklow did, indeed correspond with some dates that filming occured in Ireland, generally. Thus, it is at least possible that Will’s hypothesis was correct.

I regret any impression of implausibility that I may have generated regarding that hypothesis. I also have deep regret for having deprived Will’s listeners of the pleasure of a story untainted by my commentary.

In all good faith,
Anita

Happy New Year! Now behave yourselves.

Will — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:52:37 +0000

Happy New Year from Bugle Enterprises! Our executive staff celebrated the arrival of the new year in a 767, high above the Atlantic Ocean. To be honest, we slept through the whole thing, waking to a smooth landing in a slightly snowy northern Europe.

After much thought, we decided to try a new policy regarding comments. We will now hide comments as we deem necessary. We won’t have explicit standards for acceptability, but if you followed the comment threads through 2009, you’ll know what to expect.

One more thing: You don’t need to use your real name in the comments, but do pick one name and stick with it. We do appreciate a good pun now and again, but one or two of our regular commenters have gotten carried away.

We’ll try the new policy for about three months, so feel free to make suggestions as we go — being constructive and respectful, of course. If you think that your contributions are being unfairly expurgated, please contact our moderators via the Bugle contact form.

Tous nos meilleurs voeux pour la nouvelle année!

Bakker Bugle B&B booked to the brim

Will — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:23:49 +0000

We announce, with both pride and sadness, that the Bakker Bugle B&B is fully booked through the end of its presence in Ireland. We will begin taking bookings for our new location in mid-summer 2009.

Here are two photos of the new location:

The building is under construction, so there’s not much more to show. For geographiliacs, it is in the Belair neighbourhood of Luxembourg City, not far from Parc du Merl.

Until the Bakker Bugle B&B re-opens on the Continent, whet your appetite at the outstanding Luxembourg City Tourist Office. Be sure to take a look at few of their gorgeous pamphlets and leaflets.

To a new country, to find new adventures

Anita — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:51:54 +0000

The staff had some fun on the first of this month, but our move to Luxembourg is no April Fool.

My work will take us from Dublin to Luxembourg City later this year. We will take the Bakker Bugle with us, and our beloved readers, of course. We’re excited about the move and, in the next month or two, we’ll find out more about where and when we’ll take up residence.

Will and I will be learning a new city and new languages. You’ll read about our adventures at our new home and all over Europe. Plus, the BBB&B will be open and accepting reservations as soon as possible.

This change is no fault of Ireland, of course. We have a long list of things we love about this island and its inhabitants, and an even longer list of things we’d like to do before we go. It is simply time to take new opportunities elsewhere. Thank you, Ireland, for your hospitality, for your good graces, and for letting us be part of this exciting place.

And thank you, dear friends, for being our patient audience for the past two years. Your support means the world to us. We are so glad that we can take you with us!

Bugle to move corporate HQ

staff — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:40:57 +0000

DUBLIN, 1 April 2009 — The Bakker Bugle, an Irish B&B and internet services company, said today that it would relocate its corporate headquarters to Luxembourg.

Although the announcement took many by surprise, Bugle officials said that the move was part of a plan announced in mid-2007 to grow the Bugle brand throughout Europe. Also part of that plan is the today’s acquisition of The Bakker Bugle by the Luxembourgish edutainment giant, Bastelengebläers SARL.

In a brief teleconference before the opening of European markets today, Bastelengebläers officials announced the change of ownership and predicted a bright future for the beloved Bugle website and tourist destination.

Also speaking on the call were spokespersons for Bakker Bugle Holdings, which will soon be renamed Ewing Shelf Corp to reflect its change in focus. Ewing Shelf Corp will retain one lone Bugle property, the copyrights and film-options for the Bugle PI oeuvre.

During a short question-and-answer period, Sidd Finch of Bastelengebläers addressed legal concerns related to the company’s role in the attempted Flemish secession of three years ago.

“Our embrace of The Bakker Bugle brand is not related to that unfortunate period,” Finch said. “Today, more than ever, our leadership of the content-based industry comes from the value-rich expansion of our suite of market-oriented solutions.”

The move of jobs and assets out of Ireland leaves some industry observers with questions. Isaac Bickerstaff of London’s “Eye on Hibernia’s Business” said, “It is hard to see what The Bakker Bugle and Bastelengebläers have in common, beyond the first letters of their names. I am afraid that the merging of corporate DNA may be a rocky road. And The Bakker Bugle, as a corporation, has not offered good value for money since San Serriffe.”

Eight months ago, the Bugle’s corporate directors were embroiled in a public-relations nightmare regarding the San Serriffe offices of one of its subsidiaries. Two international business newsletters carried stories by Janet Cooke that alleged that company executives opened the offices in the idyllic haven in order to entertain friends and potentially friendly politicians. The company’s spokespersons immediately called parts of the stories “fabrications,” and both newsletters ran partial retractions within weeks.

“The Bugle can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube,” says industry expert Kazuo Uzuki, “but the larger narrative of being acquired and moving a corporate headquarters is likely to divert attention from the San Serriffe fiasco.”

At the end of the teleconference, Masal Bugduv of The Bakker Bugle said, “Many of the executives that held roles in both the Holdings company and The Bakker Bugle have decided to spend more time with their families.

After the announcement, Bakker Bugle Holdings director Henri Mensonge commented from his office in San Serriffe, “I’m rich, b****! That’s all there is to it. Those Liechtensteinian thugs can have their intellectual property. I’ve got beach-front property and plenty of booze.”

In a separate press release, Bastelengebläers announced that all staff in Ireland will be offered attractive relocation packages.

Links:

Bastelengebläers Press Release: Bugle Acquisition
Bastelengebläers Press Release: Bakker Bugle HQ to move to Luxembourg City

This Week in the Tumblr

Will — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:46:09 +0000

Alert readers have noticed the regular updates to this blog’s sidebar: daily photos, news stories from Ireland and all over the world, and other items of general interest. If you’d like to see Tumblr entries in full (or subscribe to their RSS feed), go to the website, bugle.tumblr.com.

This week’s tumblr included these items, and more:

Ireland’s national rugby team beat France in an upset, at Croke Park in Dublin. Ireland’s team “punches well above its weight,” in the Six Nations Championship, in part due to its strong professional rugby clubs. France is a reliable powerhouse. Last year, Anita and I watched them pick apart Ireland, looking superior in every way. This year, we went to a friend’s for dinner, so we didn’t watch the game. But we’ve heard about it!
Taxi drivers mounted a series of protests around Dublin, with the largest on Monday near our home at Fitzwilliam Square. Since taxi licensing was deregulated in 2000, the number of taxis on the streets of Dublin has exploded. The startling fact is that Dublin has more taxis than New York City. (The protesting drivers cite this fact regularly.) The drivers want a means of appealing decisions by the Taxi Regulator, and a moratorium on new licenses.
Ireland’s national soccer authority hired Giovanni Trapattoni as the coach of the national team. Trapattoni is one of the greatest Italian coaches of all time, and hopes are high for Ireland’s bid for the 2010 World Cup. On Wednesday, Ireland beat Georgia, 2-1, to strengthen their position in the European qualifying round.
The “Pepper Canister” is the unofficial name of St Stephen’s Church, a prominent landmark just a few blocks from our home. Some part of the church has been surrounded by scaffolding since we arrived in Dublin (and well before). Restorers recently discovered that the columns that support the copper dome of the Pepper Canister — the most unique parts of the building — are structurally unsound. St Stephen’s Church does not presently have the funds to repair the problem, so the present scaffolding will hold the dome in place for the foreseeable future.

Hating and Haters: A Conversation

Will — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:12:51 +0000

As the steward of this blog, I unilaterally decided to draw attention to an ongoing discussion about international enmity that’s occupied the comments for a few old posts. Most of the discussion occurs in response to two posts: Do You Hate the British Too? and Now I do hate the British.

The word “hate” was excessive in both titles, but it did generate some worthwhile discussion (and a whole lot of traffic from the Google search engines). I ask that those who want to continue the discussion make comments on this post from now on. Feel free to link to old comments, or quote them, if you want to make specific references to the comments to date.

I’ll contribute by writing the following in this post, rather than in a comment on an old post. If you’d like to contribute, please read the old comments first!

M. Bucceri and M. Pickling:

I’m glad for the chance to discuss this topic with you. But I’m not sure why my words from April — to Ryan Kennedy — aren’t an adequate response:

I don’t think anyone intended to mean “everyone living in the UK or descended from such” when they said “the British”. On the contrary, most people in Ireland (and in the rest of the English-speaking world) respect and even emulate their favorite part of British society. You’re right, it’d be foolish to hate everyone in a nation!

Now, what if “the British” means the power structures (or willful individuals or cultural norms) that oppressed peoples in Ireland and elsewhere? Then, it might be appropriate to hate the British. It might even be a moral obligation.

But even then, I don’t hate the British. I have a great distaste for the arrogance of the British Empire in the 19th Century and a great sorrow for the lives and opportunities wasted at that time. But I don’t feel hate for it in the way that I do for other things. Still, I can respect Irish people who do feel that intense emotion due to their particular connections.

When taken in this spirit, the references to “the British” in this blog are not hateful, in my opinion.

I, too, am opposed to Hate — blinkered and with a capital “H” — as M. Pickling uses the word. But I do not see where Anita or I expressed bigotry, anger, or intolerance. Instead, the two posts in question were intended to be self-deprecating and playful. At worst, smart-alecky.

The best example of Hate that I can find on the bakkerbugle.com website is WAKE UP’s comment, which also links to an organ of the BNP. I will not dignify that nastiness with a link here.

As far as asking M. Pickling to leave the party: well, I don’t think Anita did that. Her intent was merely to set some boundaries for the comments on this blog. If you’ve spent time reading comments on more popular blogs than this one, you know that there is a type of person who acts as a troll, repeatedly posting inappropriate and hateful comments. Some of the people who commented before M. Pickling seem to be trolling: Alex, William and selia. (Feel free to redeem yourselves, drive-by commenters.)

As Anita said, M. Pickling has been thoughtful, and hardly a troll. But comments like the following are a different matter:

Maybe the fact that you call yourself a “house husband” is an indication that you have too much time on you hands to conjure up these banalities in your odd mind.

But the crux is: what if this article started with the statement “now I do hate the Irish”, or “now I do hate the Americans”?

I only read this site because it’s so banal and silly.

That is cause for offence, as is “why you don’t stop your childish blablabla”.

As for the crux: I can’t speak for Anita on this, but I have been tempted to write an article entitled “Now I hate the Irish too” and another one on “hating America.” I sometimes feel this urge after an unusually exasperating episode of a continual annoyance. In this context, the phrase, “I hate the Irish” would mean little more than, “As I write this, I loathe a way of acting that seems, to me, especially prevalent in Ireland.” In other words, I would be trying to express roughly what M. Pickling felt toward Parisian, Russian, and US border control staff.

This is a blog, and blogs allow for a casual, short-lived, and somewhat sensational way of writing. Some posts may cross into the grey territory of the banal; after all, I post too often for this stuff to represent my considered — and copy-edited — thoughts.

I’m willing to clarify (when challenged) that I don’t hate Irish people, in the sense that M. Pickling talks about. So I don’t think that the word should be excised from my vocabulary for this blog. I believe that “hate” is a word that I can write with my tongue in my cheek. An example of tongue-in-cheek is the following comment I made in August:

As far as I can tell, it’s okay to enjoy British things. After all, most of the Irish heroes, particularly writers, spent lots of time in England.

One condition: you must temper your admiration as follows: “I like the scones I had in Windsor, and I can’t find an Irish producer. Feckin’ bastards, those Englishmen.”

For the record, I do not believe that Englishmen are all sexually-active progeny of unwed parents. The comment was silly, and probably banal, but hopefully entertaining to a few people. If you don’t like my sense of humour, feel free to crack your own jokes. If you grant that those two posts were light-hearted, then calling me hateful is a red herring.

I see that “hate” is a powerful word. Maybe I’m wrong about the word, and one should not use the word “hate” so casually. If that’s the crux of the issue, let’s talk about that. That topic sounds interesting to me.

The Caption Contest Rules

Will — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:41:57 +0000

The Bakker Bugle is proud to announce another contest for its beloved readers!

BuglePoints™ for your captions!: For the next few weeks, you can earn BuglePoints™ by making up funny, wry, tendentious, or otherwise pleasing captions for the photos that the Bugle staff post in special CaptionPosts™. Be sure to include your name with your caption, so we can award you the BuglePoints™ you’ve earned!; A few days after a CaptionPost™ appears, the Bugle staff will add its own comment to that CaptionPost™, letting each of you know how many BuglePoints™ you’ve earned on that CaptionPost™.; If you’re looking for an example, check out the Coming Soon: foto di Roma post. Although some people have earned points already, you’re welcome to add your own captions and get your BuglePoints™ total started!
The goal: Earn 1000 BuglePoints™ to receive The Very Special Prize. Bugle staff will award BuglePoints™ to those who post comments that contain captions. The awarded BuglePoints™ will appear as comments in the respective blog-posts. Bugle staff will also keep the official total for each commenter and occasionally post these totals. Those who reach the goal must send an email address to editor a t bakkerbugle.com to receive The Very Special Prize.; BuglePoints™ will be awarded according to the whims of the Bugle staff. The Bugle staff may not deduct BuglePoints™, so you always keep the BuglePoints™ you earn — although the small print below takes legal precedence, as always. There’s no limit on the number of winners, so it’s a good idea to cooperate with your fellow readers!
The prize: Unlimited access to the Bugle’s Private Exhibition of Holiday Photos. Warning: The Private Exhibition contains exclusive photos of sites and scenes that may be inappropriate for younger audiences, and are certainly NSFW. If that doesn’t sell you on the prize, I don’t know what will.

Additional Rules:

You may comment with multiple captions, or add captions after your first comment. You may or may not receive additional BuglePoints™ for those captions. In most cases, you will receive BuglePoints™ for the best caption that you comment on a given image.
You can also earn BuglePoints™ by nominating images for the contest. Nominated images must be drawn from the Bugle’s flickr photos.

The fine print:

Only the beautiful people can participate

Staff of the Bakker Bugle and all direct competitors in the B&B-and-Blog-and-Courier market, and each of their affiliates, subsidiaries, sales representatives are not eligible to participate. The immediate families (spouse, child, parents, siblings and their spouses) of the aforementioned persons are eligible to participate, because we make the rules, dammit.

In addition, individuals in any country, or any national or resident thereof, that the Irish Government determines from time to time is a country to which export, re-export, diverting, transfer or disclosure of any goods is restricted directly or indirectly without obtaining the prior written authorization of the applicable Irish Government agency, are not eligible to participate in this hokey little contest. We suspect these individuals have better things to do anyway..

This contest is open to individuals worldwide; however, the contest is void where prohibited or otherwise restricted by law, and we feel very sorry for you if your locality bans something as mind-bendingly fun as this. Participants are responsible for complying with all laws and regulations of their country, province, or state in connection with their participation in this contest. Participants must be the legal age of majority in their country, province or state of legal residence at the time of Contest entry and must be legal residents of such country, province, or state. After all, even ancient Roman wing-wangs sculpted in marble are wing-wangs nonetheless.

Winners don’t win everything!

Winners may be required to affirm their eligibility and compliance with these rules and regulations. By submitting each entry, each entrant agrees to and is deemed to have accepted all of the terms, conditions, and regulations contained herein. No cash equivalents are permitted. Prizes may not be redeemed, exchanged or otherwise substituted. PRIZES ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE.

By participating, you agree:
· to be bound by these Rules and the decisions of the Bugle staff (or their designated representative), which are final and binding in all respects and to waive any right to claim ambiguity with the Rules;
· to waive any right to claim ambiguity with these Rules;
· to indemnify and hold harmless the Bugle from any and all liability resulting or arising from the Contest;
· to release all right to bring a claim, action, or proceeding against the Bugle;
· to acknowledge that Bugle has neither made nor is in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize and does not warrant, guarantee or in any way assure, vouch for or underwrite the work or any product associated with a prize including, but not limited to, merchantability, material, manufacture, workmanship, design, fitness for any particular purpose, value, condition, operation or performance;
· that the Bugle shall have no responsibility or liability in connection with disputes over procedures or with respect to use of any prizes (including property loss, damage, personal injury, or death — DEATH!!!);
· that any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with this Contest will be ineligible for prizes and may be prosecuted to the full extent of the Irish law, which is to say a stern talking-to;
· that Bugle is not responsible for multiple entries, entries that are entered by other than human means or by other mechanical means or for entries that are late (including delayed data transmissions), tampered with, illegible, mutilated, forged, mechanically duplicated, mass machine printed, postage due, misdirected, incomplete, destroyed, lost, photocopied entries or entries otherwise not in compliance with these Rules and such entries will be disqualified;
· that if, for any reason, the online portion of the Contest is not capable of running as originally planned, such as tampering or infection by computer virus, the Bugle at its sole discretion, reserves the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the Internet portion of the Contest and conduct any or all processes from all salvageable eligible entries received;
· that the Bugle is not responsible or liable for any injury or damage to an entrant’s or third person’s computer and/or its contents, related to or resulting from any part of this Contest; and
· that in no event shall Bugle be liable for any special, incidental or consequential damages associated with the Contest.

Prizes are awarded “as-is” without warranty of any kind from Bugle, express or implied. Any potential winner who does not claim the prize within 15 days of attempted first notification will forfeit his/her prize. Potential prize winner(s) may be required to sign and return an Affidavit or Declaration of Eligibility/Liability & Publicity Release within 30 days following the date of first attempted notification. Failure to comply within this time period may result in disqualification.

In the event a winner/potential winner’s employer has a policy that prohibits the awarding of a prize to an employee, the prize will be forfeited. Yes, your employer can interfere in something as trivial as this. We’re a capitalist society, dontcha know?

We make the rules — did we mention that before?

Submission of entry into this contest deems that participants agree to be bound by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of Bugle staff, no matter how egregious, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this contest.

Decisions of Bugle staff with respect to this Contest shall be final in all regards. The Bugle reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to change, alter and/or modify these rules at any time, including the substitution of a prize of equal, greater, or lesser value. Such change, alteration and/or modification shall become effective upon the decision of the same by Bugle, and no indication of this change is owed to the participants.

The Bugle reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend this contest for any reason in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion, including Will’s inability to complete projects. In case of a dispute over the identity of the entrant who submitted a selected Internet entry (if applicable), the Bugle reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to deem anyone it likes to be the official participant, including pets, houses, and alien lifeforms.

Participants certify and warrant that their submission is original and that they are the sole and exclusive owner and right holder of the submission and that they have the right to submit the submission in the contest. Each participant agrees not to submit any submission that (1) infringes any third party proprietary, intellectual property, industrial property, personal rights or other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or confidentiality obligation or (2) otherwise violates applicable law in any countries in the world, including the crazy laws in failed states. Beyond the maximum extent permitted by law, each participant shall indemnify, agree to keep indemnified, and hold the Bugle its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, agents, directors, officers, employees, and representatives and assigns harmless at all times from and against any liability, claims, demands, losses, damages, costs and expenses resulting from any act, default or omission of the participant or a breach of any warranty set forth herein. Further, to the maximum extent permitted by law and beyond, each participant shall indemnify, agree to keep indemnified, and hold the Bugle, its parent, subsidiaries, agents, directors, officers, employees, and representatives and assigns harmless at all times from and against any liability, actions, claims, demands, losses, damages, costs and expenses for or in respect of which the Sponsor will or may become liable by reason of or related or incidental to any act, default or omission by a participant under these Official Rules including without limitation resulting from or in relation to any breach, non-observance, act or omission whether negligent or otherwise, pursuant to these Official Rules by a participant.

Any false information provided within the context of the contest by any participant concerning identity, postal address, telephone number, marital status, number of offspring and pets, net worth, gross income, sexual orientation, favorite colour, ownership of right or non-compliance with these Official Rules or the like may result in the immediate elimination of the participant from the contest. The Bugle further reserves the right to disqualify any submission that it believes in its sole discretion infringes upon or violates the rights of any third party or otherwise does not comply with these Official Rules.

If for any reason the contest is compromised due to causes including infection by computer virus, defects, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this contest, to the extent that this contest has any fairness or integrity, the Bugle reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. The Bugle further reserves the right to disqualify any individual who tampers with the submission process. Any attempt by an individual to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, the Bugle reserves the right to seek damages from any such individual to the fullest extent of the law.

A participant may be prohibited from participating in this contest if, in the Bugle’s sole discretion, it reasonably believes that the participant has attempted to undermine the legitimate operation of this contest by cheating, deception, or other unfair playing practices or annoys, abuses, threatens or harasses any other participants, the Sponsor, the judges, or associated agencies.

Ours, it’s all our ours, mwah ha ha ha ha!

The Bugle has the right to modify, use in perpetuity on any media, assign to any third parties and or dispose of entries. Once submitted, entries become the sole property of the Bugle and will not be returned. By participating in this Contest, you grant Bugle and its designees permission to use your name, picture, likeness, biographical information, statements, address (city and state) and/or voice in any manner for any marketing, advertising or promotions, whether telecast, published, or used in other medium (including but not limited to posting on the web), and to maintain such name, picture, likeness and/or voice in a database for future use, all without additional remuneration, all to the fullest extent permitted by Irish law, which is to say not at all, but you just try navigating the Irish judiciary to stop us.

By submitting an entry, entrant gives permission (and warrants and represents that he/she has obtained all rights necessary to give such permission) to the Bugle to post his/her entry and entry information on any or all Tubes of the Interweb and any other media, and to otherwise use his/her entry and entry information in accordance with the requirements of this contest and Official Rules, and further warrants and represents that his/her entry does not violate any law or regulation, or right, of any third party, including but not limited to intellectual property rights, such as but not limited to, rights of copyright, trademark, or patent, or rights of publicity and/or privacy, and is not defamatory, slanderous or libellous, that entry is his/her own original work, the content is true and can be verified, has not been accepted for previous publication or submitted in any competition, and that he/she has followed these Official Rules.

By entering, entrant and entrant’s employer agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Bugle from any action or liability resulting from the publishing of his/her entry. The Bugle reserves the right in its sole discretion to decide if an entry is appropriate for judging, posting, or publication and may disqualify any entry at any time in the event it is determined, in the Bugle’s sole discretion that the entry is not appropriate, or, that the contestant has not complied with these Official Rules.

Entry and finalist materials will be deemed a Work Made For Hire under the copyright laws of Ireland, Iran, and all countries whose convention name begins with the letter “I” but if any winner’s entry and/or finalist materials cannot be so deemed, then that winner and winner’s employer agrees to irrevocably assign and transfer to Bugle all of his/her rights, title and interest in and to the materials, including all copyrights (including but not limited to renewal, derivative rights), in Iran and worldwide, for valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged. Each winner hereby waives in favor of the Bugle, all rights of “Droit Moral” or “Moral Rights of Authors” or any similar rights or principles of law that the winner may now or later have in the entry and finalist materials.

The Bugle reserves the right to alter, change or modify any of the winning stated materials, indeed any of the submissions at all, in its sole discretion. Ha! Upon the request of Sponsor, each winner shall execute and deliver such additional instrument of assignment, in a form deemed necessary and as may be solely determined by Bugle. Evil LOL! The Bugles failure to request such an assignment shall not be deemed a waiver of the right to request the assignment at any time. Ha ha ha ha cough!

It’s not our fault, we didn’t do it! (And the Bugle-didn’t-do-it dancers.)

Neither the Bugle nor its agents and representatives shall be responsible for: any technical difficulties including, but not limited to lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, garbled phone calls, limited calling, dropped lines, busy phone lines, computer error or any technical malfunctions of the telephone network, illegible or mutilated correspondence, inability to access the contest via the Internet due to hardware, software compatibility, general idiocy, user error, or deliberate evil intent;or, the inability of the online portion of the contest to run as originally planned, including tampering or infection by computer virus. Sponsor at its sole discretion, reserves the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the Internet portion of the contest and conduct any or all drawings from all salvageable eligible entries received.

The Bugle is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the contest, or in the announcement of the prize.

The Bugle is not responsible for electronic transmission errors resulting in omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations, or transmission. The Bugle is not responsible for theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of Submission materials, or for technical, network, telephone equipment, electronic, computer, hardware or software malfunctions or limitations of any kind. The Bugle is not responsible for inaccurate transmissions of or failure to receive submissions by The Bugle on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site or any combination thereof. The Bugle is not responsible for inaccurate transmissions of or failure to receive submissions by The Bugle on account of sheer incompetence or willful neglect. The Bugle is also not responsible for mistakes caused by telephone, electronic, hardware or software program, network, Internet or computer malfunction, Original Sin, technical errors or by any human error which may occur in the processing of entries, or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information, or the failure to capture, or loss of, any such information; failed, incomplete, garbled, corrupted or delayed computer transmissions; the fundamentally flawed nature of humanity; or any condition caused by events that may cause the contest to be disrupted or corrupted.

IN NO EVENT WILL THE BUGLE BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF INTERNET SITE BAKKERBUGLE.COM OR THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM SAID SITE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING ON THIS SITE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

THIS PART IS SO IMPORTANT THAT OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT WROTE IT IN ALL-CAPS, OR MAYBE ED IN LEGAL ACCIDENTALLY TOUCHED HIS CAPS-LOCK KEY AGAIN. WE’VE TOLD HIM ABOUT CAPS-LOCK, AND OUR IT DEPARTMENT EVEN DISABLED IT A FEW MONTHS AGO, BUT HE SEEMS TO HAVE A SUPERNATURAL ABILITY TO WRITE THINGS IN ALL-CAPS DESPITE OUR BEST EFFORTS.

Participants agree that (a) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this contest, or any prize awarded, or the determination of the winners, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by arbitration pursuant to the Rules of the Bakker Bugle Arbitration Committee, as then effective, (b) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this contest, and LEGAL FEES SHALL BE PAID DIRECTLY TO ED IN LEGAL IN A TIMELY FASHION BY BOTH PARTIES; and (c) under no circumstances will participant be permitted to obtain awards for and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of participant and/or the Bugle in connection with the contest shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Kiribati, without regard for conflicts of law doctrine, and all proceedings shall take place in Barcelona, Spain, with all travel and accommodations at the participants’s expense.

For winner names or Official Rules, send your request with a self-addressed, stamped envelope postmarked specifying “Pain-in-the-Butt Legal Technicality” care of ED IN LEGAL, Secret Hideaway #481, Tabontebike, Kiribati.

Bit of Business: Bugle Tumblr

Will — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:38:31 +0000

Hi there, Bugle readers!

For a long time, I’ve wanted an easy way to share tidbits of text, web links, and photos with you. I also didn’t want to crowd out the more substantial posts of the blog with such nonsense. I think I found the solution in a Tumblr feed, which you can now find in the sidebar to the right.

For several months, there’s been a “Recommended Reads” link in the sidebar of the blog — but that only handles bookmarks. I really want to share photos with you the day that they are taken, so you get some sense of the rhythm of life around here. The Tumblr service allows me to post all kinds of things in the sidebar. (If you want to retrieve one of the old bookmarks, go directly to the Bugle’s Ma.gnolia bookmarks page.)

So if you’re looking for more Bugle content, scroll past the perpetually popular weather report and the recent comments, and take a look at what’s new in our world. The photos you see are typically taken the same day they appear. If you want more information, or a better look at a photo, just click on the entry. As always, suggestions and comments are welcome.

Oh, and the Bugle staff are diligently working on the Official Rules for the caption contest. They had to call Legal to get everything sorted. Thank you for your entries in the meantime!

Coming soon: foto di Roma

Will — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:40:45 +0000

Anita and I spent all last week in Rome — on vacation no less! There will be lots of photos on Flickr soon.

To get us started on the right foot, the Bugle is delighted to announce a new contest with a Very Special Prize. The specific rules for this contest will appear in a later post. For now, here’s the idea: This photo needs a caption. (Click on the photo to see the large size.)

Let’s see your captions in the comments to this post. We’ll start awarding BuglePoints™ immediately!

Visual Aids are neat!

Will — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:55:17 +0000

The stories of the Bugle P.I. are getting complicated, and the long periods between posts do not help the situation of the poor reader of the blog. So I present the following Visual Aid in the spirit of penitence. Click on the thumbnail below to see the PDF version in all its glory.

With this Visual Aid, I hope to clarify the nested worlds of the Bakker Bugle Stories, with the characters separated into two parts. The innermost world is the main story, labeled “Bugle P.I. Story” in the Visual Aid. This story involves an event in Fitzwilliam Square, a private investigator travelling from Dublin to Chicago, and a fictional Irish developer.

The other world of the Bakker Bugle Stories is the metafiction — a little yarn I recently introduced to explain the long hiatus in the Bugle P.I. Story. This yarn includes the Bakker Bugle Corp’s intention to make a profit off the main story and a tribute to the main story in the Judge Parker comic strip.

Bugle P.I. — More Legal Trouble

Will — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:52:23 +0000

The Bugle would like to apologize for the delay in further episodes of Bugle P.I. due to circumstances beyond our control.

The Bugle was placed under a gag order pursuant to a libel suit filed in courts in both the United States and Ireland. These gag orders prevented Bugle staff from publishing episodes and from explaining the delay. That order expired as of June 15, and no further legal hindrances are anticipated.

The second reason for the delay is a happier one. The Bugle is currently under negotiations for a book deal arising from the Bugle P.I. series. Our legal advisors suggested that we halt progress on the story until some fundamental issues in the negotiations were resolved. The status of those negotiations must remain confidential for the time being, but we are now in a position to recommence the story.

You can look forward to several episodes in quick succession, so please review the story so far in the next week or so. Cheers!

Temporary Staff Re-assignment

Will — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:06:09 +0000

The Bugle B&B is currently enjoying unprecedented success. Bugle management accurately predicted a major increase in the B&B sector, but due to the overall business climate, it also opted for a conservative approach to headcount and staff overtime during the Early Summer period.

The delightful weather of the past few weeks (together with Bugle’s world-class service) proved a boon for B&B guests, but behind the scenes, the ballooning business became troublingly busy. So, Bugle brass bounced Blog labourers to Beds and to Breakfasts. The bountiful beams and balmy breezes were a mixed blessing, because they built a brand-new burden for our Blog staff.

The Bugle is happy to report the capable employees of our blog division are helping keep our B&B operations at a 100% level of satisfaction. Unfortunately, customers of our blog have experienced reduced posting frequency and a mitigation of post noteworthiness metrics. We appreciate your loyalty during this time.

Today’s expatraveltainment industry requires adaptability. The Blog division of the Bugle family is confident that this period will grow a versatile knowledgebase that will serve all our stakeholders very well in the near future.