Thanks to Phillipe for this one:

Republicans Urge Minorities To Get Out And Vote On Nov. 3

Beautifully done. The tenth paragraph is a killer.

The new iPod Photo is out. Sex in a sleek white podule. I don't just crave it, I need it.

The iPod Special Edition: U2, on the other hand, can just sod off.

Oh - it's a terrific marketing move, for both the band and for Apple. And yes, I'm a fan (of both).

But the sound of Bono and the boys so shamelessly whoring for Mammon just grates on my nerves.

“We want our audience to have a more intimate online relationship with the band, and Apple can help us do that,” said U2 lead singer Bono.

And shouldn't the earbuds be black, anyway...?

Caught the news earlier this morning that John Peel, one of the most important formative influences throughout my teens and beyond, died suddenly of a heart attack while on holiday in Peru. So very sad.

Peel's late night radio show was a huge influence on me and so many of my friends throughout the 70s and 80s. I think even my Mum ended up a fan - after so many nights listening to Peel's gruff, quiet voice drifting downstairs from her teenage sons' bedrooms.

Unquestionably cool, without ever trying to be, and with a phenomenal appetite for all kinds of music from anywhere and everywhere; Peel introduced me and generations of kids like me to so much of the music that defined our adolescence.

I remember listening the night Peel played the Undertones' Teenage Kicks - then flipped the needle back to the start and played the darn thing all the way through again - commenting that it was possibly the best pop song ever recorded. I couldn't argue then, and I still can't disagree now.

As my friend Mark said, in email this morning - remembering this feels like yesterday but also a very long time ago.

I thought he'd always be there. I remember thinking how cool it was going to be to introduce my own kids to Peel at some point, assuming he'd still be on the radio into his 70s and beyond. It's like losing a friend.

Revealed! My secret plot to make the leader of the free world look like an incompetent, drooling baboon:

Those fine blokes at Corante have invited me to set up a new weblog as part of their stable of "Industry Insiders". As both a PR guy and a blogger, they thought I might have something interesting to say about how weblogs are blurring the lines of influence that formerly separated mainstream news from individual views...

After months of intense study and probing research into this complex area, I've arrived at a single, absolutely clear conclusion: the most important difference between blogs and old school media is that blogs make for lousy fishwrap. (The paper in most laser printers just doesn't have that pulpy, newsprint absorbency so essential for vinegar retention).

Having achieved this startling epiphany, I'm not quite sure what else I have left to blog about at Flackster; so if you have any good ideas, let me know.

I guess it might help you to have some idea of the “official” mission statement. Here it is:

Flackster explores, through the voices of PR professionals, journalists, cultural commentators and others, how the rapid rise of social media and participatory journalism is impacting both the business of news reporting and the role of public relations.


Sounds almost interesting, doesn’t it?

Continue reading, here.

Discussing the launch by email with Marc Canter, he wanted to know if this meant I'd be wearing a virtual strapless black evening gown. As a long-time fluffy PR bunny, I'm pleased to be able to reassure Mr. Canter that there is nothing virtual about my little strapless number.

Been a long time coming, but it will all be worth the wait.

I know this durn thing's been lying fallow for a while.

>Insert stock blog hiatus excuse #4 here<

Sometimes you want to blog every hour, sometimes you just can't be bothered at all. Tis the nature of the beast.

But I'm about to leap back into the saddle soon, with lots to talk about. In process: a major cosmetic makeover of this site (way overdue), plus a brand new blog project I'm quite inappropriately excited about.

Net net: normal service will be resumed just as soon as we figure out whether we really care about being considered normal any more...