GadgetVicar

ZoomZoomZim

My friends, Véronique and Ben Nicholson, have recently moved to Zimbabwe to head up Tearfund's operations. Véro is blogging here. It's worth checking out, as the joys and vagaries of life in Africa are shared. 

What Goes Around Comes Around

Long term readers might remember that this blog had a run in with the person in the following news story. Sounds like one or two of his 'victims' have decided to thoroughly check him out and have uncovered a little bit more than he would have bargained for........Mr Mackie is in my prayers.

Full story here and more detail here.

'Honeypot' photographer admits benefit fraud

A photographer, who sued anyone using his images for breach of copyright, has admitted to fraudulently claiming £24,000 in benefits at the same time.

According to The Herald, photographer Alan Mackie raised 30 civil actions against companies which used his images, while also receiving £24,368.31 in benefits that he was not entitled too.

During the hearing at Ayr Sheriff Court yesterday, depute fiscal Erin Campbell, who was prosecuting Mackie, claimed that several witnesses spoke to the Department of Work and Pensions, which launched an investigation following an anonymous tip-off into Mackie’s work.

One witness claimed that Mackie attempted to sue his company for £3,000 for using his images, describing the photographers tactics as a ‘honeypot’ in which people would use the images from the website, not realising that they were doing anything wrong.

Mackie eventually received a lesser amount in compensation.

Sentence following Mackie’s admission of receiving benefits fraudulently, was deferred for reports by Sheriff Desmond Leslie.

Faith, Films & Fishing

The mighty Malcolm Round, Rector of St Mungo's, Balerno (and another friend of mine) is blogging at Faith, Films & Fishing. I think he got the title from the preacher's penchant for having three points all beginning with the same letter! Go visit.

Alan Ervine Continues Blogging

Alan Ervine is home after the first round of chemotherapy. His personal blogs will continue here, so if you have found them helpful, you'll want to bookmark his page.

Alan Ervine

Alan Ervine has been blogging (very quietly!). He's a person of deep faith, gentle humour and he's a constant source of encouragement. He writes about relationship with Jesus in a simple but profund way. In the last few weeks he has begun to write about serious illness. As treatment begins today, please pray for him, his wife, Liz and their son, Paul.

World Cup Competition

Peter Ould is running a World Cup Competition. It involves predicting the results. You need to register on his site. I predict that my predictions will be, in the main, completely wrong.

YMMV

YMMV - I've just seen this for the first time and my first thought was that it meant "You make me vomit"! I'm a little out-of-touch with internet culture......

New Blogger

Lou Talbot is blogging from Uganda at Go Therefore...

Mentioned

See Florence's blog.

Unwanted Comments

I have noticed that, on some blogs, the authors don't publish my comments. Over the last few months, this has happened several times. I've been putting it down to the comments getting somehow lost in the wilds of the interweb. It has now happened too many times to be that. After taking time to make a considered response, surely it would be polite to publish it? Or maybe there is a little too much truth in my comments and their readers might be exposed to a different point of view. We can't have that can we?  I suppose that these bloggers have every right to ignore any comment they don't like.

I perceive some unwillingness to listen in those who disagree with or even strongly disapprove of my views on all sorts of things. Some might say there was intolerance at work.

Let it be known that all publishable comments which are not rude, libelous, or personal attacks will continue to be published here. I have no fear of opposing views being aired to the wee band of GV readers. I'm a true liberal that way, you see.