It's Grim Up North

"This is Radio Frio. AlcudiaPollensa.Blogspot.com, also known as It's Grim Up North.com, further known as the Unjustified Invasions of Kopyright.
"This is what APB is about, those photos and designs that are, how does one put it, borrowed."

I don't mind the fact that my time is spent, going out of my way, hanging about, taking photos, for which I am rarely expressly paid, as they (the photos) form part "of the service", and then maybe having to return because the weather is not right, the terrace has too few people, the sun is not shining. Actually, I do fucking mind. When, that is, I have to keep going back or someone has forgotten that I was coming. But normally I say nothing, because they're clients or friends or whatever, but the deal here is that people do not appreciate that elsewhere, in the UK for example, all that time and travel should be paid for. Typical for here. Let's try and avoid paying anything. Cheapskates. Should be a local place name. Like Blubberhouses or Loggerheads. That's Cheapskates, sorry Blubberhouses, near Harrogate and Loggerheads in Shropshire. It's grim up north.

It costs, this going to take photos and perhaps not being able to take them, and so does the design side. But you go along with it, until you find that someone has taken the piss. Either the photos or the whole design can appear somewhere - without my damn permission. How many discs of photos have I ever given out? Loads. I give them out, so they (clients) have a record not so they can be used, without permission, by those who have not had to go to the time and expense as I have. Intellectual property. Some don't even need discs originals; they just take what I have done, scan it or take their own photo and then reproduce it, in the process making it look really shit. Why don't they just ask? Does it never occur to them? Who gives a damn here? And I put these "courtesy of" notes onto designs, only to find they are not there when the final print version appears. What happens there, do you suppose? I know. It's taking the piss. We don't care that you have gone to time and trouble and actually done work that we either could not do ourselves or would not do, but from which we are quite prepared to extract a financial advantage.

You know something. I have a whole list of where these photos or designs have appeared, and whether permissions had been granted or not. And one of these days ... Just thought I'd let you know.


Meanwhile. Don't forget that Alcúdia now has by-laws which allow for the fining not only of street (and bar sellers) but also of those who buy from them. These laws have been designed mainly to stamp out the lucky-lucky men and their trade. We'll see, but it is noticeable that some bars have put up notices which say that selling is not permitted and that if it is done, it can result in a fine. 400 euros says the notice in The Smugglers. I think I might actually be 500, and that's just for the one who does the buying. So, think of this as the second warning of today's entry.


And returning to a theme of a few days ago - that of newspapers, internet and all that. This morning there were precisely no British newspapers at the nearest place selling papers, bar one paper, while at another there were no broadsheets. So I shall happily forego parting with five euros and look at the "Sunday Times" online. Maybe it's the grim rain, maybe the boys didn't get up because of the clocks changing, or maybe it's just because it's crap. A lot here actually is down to the fact that it is crap, whatever crap it is and whatever some might say. Anyway, sorry, Rupert, you ain't got my fiver today. And that one British newspaper that was available? Good old "Daily Bulletin", the J.R. Hartley of the newspaper world.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Vivian Stanshall. And here is something very fine indeed - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSRJvq4Wd48. Today's title - of course.

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