FIFA Gambled Sports Hacks can't Hack Hard News... Blatter Matters

Julian Bray says: FIFA Gambled Sports Hacks can't Hack Hard News... Blatter Matters

Perhaps I'm just getting wise after the event but the FIFA news conference in Switzerland today, had me screaming at the television and we media types all fell for it (writes media commentator Julian Bray). During my years of running and owning London PR Agencies, the times I've media coached, briefed clients, scripted dozens of dummy runs, rehearsed the set pieces and also  'the swatter moments' ( if it gets difficult sidetrack onto this issue and like a fly swatter just swat the issue away...)  

It was never going to be easy but some of the tricks pulled by the old Svengali  Mr Blatter really came out of the media spinners handbook, he even made Max Clifford look like a crass beginner in the black arts... Blatter would only answer one question per journalist, no follow ups:  "Vitch question vould you laike me to ansa ?  The affable swiss PR man hovering on hand, did the choosing, no chance of getting the UK's finest in with the questions. No chance at all.....and we were all too meek to do any table thumping or even walk out.

The roving mic for the questioners took a very,very long time to reached the pre-selected journalist, deliberately in my book, Blatter who speaks and understands perfect English took just as long and slowly played with the translators earphones precisely taking them off when he'd had heard enough even although the translation was still in full flow.

He even employing the odd visual joke to belittle some of the more serious attempts. Slowly looking at his expensive gold  wristwatch dripping off his 75 year old wrinkled wrist, when a brave German hack dared to even suggest that something had gone wrong on Blatters watch.  Mein Gott!

The old stager, in a 5,000 euro suit,  then slowly turned on his heels to leave and only then did we see the mask drop just for a fleeting moment, telling the media crowd in carefully hushed well moderated tones, that he too was a journalist and it was really all about respect and better understanding and better communications (How many millions did the UK blow on the World Cup Bid?)  but then  during this nano second we nearly got to see the real Blatter, it would have been time to take this 'dog and pony show' to the cleaners.

But perhaps News Editors the world over should have seen what was coming, this is no longer a story full of 'clinches' and 'in off the 'ead'. It long ago became a story of massive deception, eye watering greed, theft, corruption, intimidation, smoke and mirrors on a worldwide scale. For the assembled international media, a really tough international assignment, but for S. Blatter another stroll in the park.

Before we spend another penny (take that anyway you like) Governments behind the 280 delegates should now step in and ban any association or co-operation with Blatter and Co, possibly putting a special super tax on all FIFA tournaments, at least we might get some of the bid money back....who knows?    

Contributor: Media, Aviation, Politics & Travel Expert, Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio) G722/APT-X Dual Codecs Glensound C5

Flight recorder shows that Air France Airbus A330 in 2009 crashed into Ocean nose up, 228 killed.

Pilots strugggled with the controls of an Air France Airbus A330 for more than four minutes before it dived into the Atlantic Ocean in a nose up anti stall position, killing all 228 people on board according to French investigators. 

Reuters in Paris says the French investigation, has recovered one of the cockpit flight recorders, began with a stall warning two and a half hours into the Rio-Paris flight and shortly after the captain briefly left the cockpit at the start of a routine rest period.  The Airbus A330 jet climbed to 38,000 feet and then began a three and a half minute descent, rolling from left to right, with the youngest of three pilots handing control to the second most senior pilot one minute before the crash.

The timeline was given in a note by France's BEA crash investigation authority, which said it was too early to give the causes of the crash ahead of a fuller report in the summer. Investigators obtained the information from one of the two flight recorders. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), from the Rio-Paris Air France flight which crashed in 2009,  was shown  as recovered and unexamined to the media before a news conference at the BEA headquarters in Le Bourget, northern Paris, earlier this month.

Julian Bray, Aviation Expert comments: "This is just the starting point for a detailed investigation as to what did happen, and how 228 people perished on board..  the Airbus A330 is a virtual fly by wire aircraft and computer technology will enable the aircraft to fly at very slow speed and in the stall position which is nose up. It is very difficult to ditch, unless the computer systems are manually overridden.  This still needs to be established by the investigators, so far the aircraft type has not been grounded, and no new modifications have been ordered as a result of this investigation, which has to be a small but positive move forward.






Contributor: Media, Aviation, Politics & Travel Expert, Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio) G722/APT-X Dual Codecs Glensound C5

ASH CLOUD from Iceland, alternative travel arrangements and refund advice from Julian Bray

The latest Volcanic ash cloud from Iceland, heading towards mainland UK  has already caused flight cancellations to and from Scottish hubs and will continue to do so, the problem is that not only are airports being shut down but when the cloud has passed, aircraft will need to be first repositioned in order to run advertised schedules.

Those passengers already holding air tickets or self generated boarding cards will find they need to re-confirm bookings and in many cases the tickets/boarding cards will have to be exchanged or refunded. This time round, the airlines have greater flexibility as to their willingness to fly in ash conditions.

There is no blanket ban as last time, but airlines need to decide based on their own information if they are indeed willing to fly, have the appropriate pilot expertise and the ash cloud specification guidelines from aircraft manufacturers are within scope.

Whatever the level of volcanic ash contamination, some damage will be caused to aircraft systems and the cost of repair or rectification needs to be taken into account.   The civil aviation authority will however retain the final say in the matter and if they issue a prohibition then simply the airlines will not be allowed to operate until the CAA gives full clearance.

The ash cloud will also have an effect on long term financial viability, as many shareholders immediately on news of the pending ash cloud  have already issued sell orders to divest themselves of airline and aviation stocks and shares. Prices generally have drifted down knocking five per cent off the value of the aviation sector.

But for the the majority of airline passengers, the first consideration will be in the event of any cancellation or delay the prospect of an early refund or new tickets. This is our understanding of the latest position:

Helpful advice from Aviation & Media Expert Julian Bray:

Already on holiday? Relax, enjoy your holiday. The ATOL bond through the CAA will get you home at the end of your holiday. Other forms of transport possibly sea ferries, cruise ships and trains may also be offered. The offer should be accepted or any obligation under ATOL would be considered fully discharged.

Everyone else read on:

NON AIR HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS such as hotels only, are not covered by ATOL scheme ensure you have paid your invoice part or full (but over £100 by Credit Card) to claim under Section 75 Consumer Credit Act.

Booked but yet to travel? You may be able to claim the cost back through the ATOL bond. See www.atol.org.uk for details.

Also see if your travel agent will change your arrangements and accept the ATOL promise ie refund when it eventually comes as part or full payment and if they will defer their charges, although they are not obliged to do so.


Not ATOL protected...accommodation only arrangements are not covered and if flights cancelled, you will still have to pay hotel charges. If the transaction includes a bundled in flight then ATOL is invoked, and you are protected.

ATOL protected and yet to travel? Check your confirmation if you contracted directly with your holiday firm, you are entitled to make a claim. The process will take several months and may take as long as two years (exceptional cases)

I booked with a Travel Agent... Talk to them about a claim and possible alternative arrangements. As a member of ABTA -[Association of British Travel Agents] (however not all travel agents or resellers are!) remind the Agent they operate subject to the ABTA Code of Professional Conduct and therefore morally (if not legally) bound to assist you to either recover your money or find an alternative holiday or resolution. Many agents will try to fob off customers, but they are the initial legal focus for any dispute resolution.
Credit Cards? If you booked through an Agent using a credit card claim through the CAA.

If you paid a Holiday Company directly using a Credit card for at least £100 of the total invoice you may be entitled to make a claim under the UK Consumer Credit Act DIRECTLY against the Credit Card company for the full amount.

If you used a Debit Card, Cash or Cheque then claim from the CAA
I just booked a room, can I claim? Doubtful but talk to your credit card company,bank or travel insurer.
Can I claim through Travel Insurance? Some policies may be valid, but not all read small print.

Will insurance premiums be refunded? No but could be transferred to any new replacement holiday contact the broker or insurance company.

Generally: Carefully preserve in a folder all paperwork in date order. note all telephone calls and keep in constant touch with your travel agent.

Contributor: Media, Aviation, Politics & Travel Expert, Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio) G722/APT-X Dual Codecs Glensound C5

Coalition heading for a Brick Wall... whilst Newspaper boy Heads for Garage



Victory in Europe celebrations in 1945....


Coalition heading for a Brick Wall... whilst Newspaperboy Heads for Garage

If we don't have a new Government (of any colour, style or party)  by next April then I'm a Banana! Not really an original thought, the little chap from Private Eye said it first,  but as the utilities are already softening us all up by promising price rises of 15% to 20%, the increasing number of povertyline old age pensioners who will be carried out of their freezing homes in coffins this Winter will also put the lid on this Coalition.

Don't get me wrong, in the circumstances Cameron and Co have done a reasonable job but they just don't connect with the man in the street. Sitting on piles of private family wealth and sporting deep sun tans (Clegg excepted), how on earth can they be expected to?

The Sunday Times Rich List  shows the upper quartile getting richer and now in a position to cherry pick the best properties ready for the time when the market shoots back up. My neighbour just moving a few hundred yards away, to a larger property, had a confirmed mortgage offer on the table within AN HOUR!  Still think he shoud wait a few months when property will have dropped by another 25% but there again as he rightly points out that particular property may well have gone.

The banksters continue to live on the Planet ZOG, HSBC says it aims to shave costs by up to $3.5 bn in three years.... why wait until now? The good news is that the self important spinner for the banksters,, former MP. Angela Knight of the BBA ( a sort of trade association for banksters, paid for ultimately by us customers) may well be seeking pastures new. Not a moment too soon!

Taxpayers Bankrolling Bankers Trade Association and Tony Blairs Former Spin Doctor redux

Taxpayers Bankrolling Bankers Trade Association and Tony Blairs Former Spin Doctor reduxJulian Bray Media/ Finance Expert comments:  I make no apology for running the following post again, I have warned whoever would listen over the last few years that the few remaining responsible bankers should rapidly distance themselves from the dire unjustifed nonsense uttered all over the media, for  many years. by former Tory MP Angela Knight, the self styled champion of big bonus banksters that it would all end in tears.




How dare the bailed out banks then further bankroll a shoddy collection of debunked political spin doctors, when the Grande Dame was just too precious to do her own crooked spinning!  In the end, she was found out....

Time to leave the BBA sinking ship before it takes all the Banksters with it!
Ironically I snapped this in the Port of Gibraltar,
at the time failed Tory MP Angela Knight was at her most strident....

Original Post

Taxpayers Bankrolling Bankers Trade Association and Tony Blairs Former Spin Doctor

Former Tory MP Angela Knight who these days styles herself as the chief executive of the Bankers own cosy back street trade association (?) the grandly named British Bankers (aka Banksters) Association [BBA] and sports a line of floral suits that would put Max Jaffa out of business and upstage the loose covers on my dear departed Grannys sofa, has tired of telling whopping media porkies on behalf of poor downtrodden banksters and roped in Tim Allen, Tony Blairs former very expensive spin doctor and his outfit Portland (not the cement mind, although, a few bags and a couple of chains could plant the entire banking fraternity 'Soprano style' on the bed of the River Thames just out of fingertip reach of their massive bonuses...)


The irony is that UK taxpayer owned banks such as RBS and TSB LLoyds are in part funding this upscale mega spin operation and the target of the spinners? The coalition government back bench numpties, who may enjoy a few discreet lunches, trips to the races, facility visits (Davos in the ski season - natch!) they may then have conveniently forgotten that UK taxpayers bailed out the banking money train in the first place and is now indirectly funding the spinners from Portland.....and Ms Knights own stipend to boot..'Nice Job' as David Letterman would say...

julianbray@aol.com Julian Bray MCIPR at Sunday, February 06, 2011


Contributor: Media, Aviation, Politics & Travel Expert, Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio) G722/APT-X Dual Codecs Glensound C5

Osama bin Laden Backlash will hit Aviation, Travel and Holiday Sectors

Osama bin Laden Backlash will hit Aviation, Travel and Holiday Sectors

Julian Bray on ITV NEWS



Volcanic ash may seem like a minor peril in the wake of an
expected backlast from the killing of  Osama bin Laden

 Julian Bray Aviation Expert writes:

I have deliberately held back from comment on the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden, until the position became clearer but unfortunately politics have again interfered with what should have been a fairly well structured mission for the US Navy Seals and their subsequent debrief. I do however wonder if this would have been carried out differently by our own UK SAS military experts. Conflicting accounts of what actually happened were released in a series of bumbling almost leaked presentations rather than a considered, well structured fully document supported report on what actually happened.

The subsequent burial at sea was probably carried out with all due protocol, rather than the body being dropped at a great height from a helicopter as one excited commentator suggested. But where does that leave the rest of us? Simply, a vacuum has now been created and a new generation of Jihad centred activity will emerged as potential 'leaders' jockey for postion. In reality the power exercised by bin Laden in later years was on the wane but as a style icon he still held a special place in some impressionable young peoples hearts and minds.

My understanding from senior industry sources is that airport and aviation security is still not operating as a fully joined up international process as demonstrated at a recent conference in Hanover. The reason is simple, cost and the speed of turnaround of aircraft at hubs demanded by low cost and holiday airlines. The air cargo sector has a different set of problems, as only a small percentage of air freight and cargo carried ever gets fully examined before loading. In some remote locations, no examination is ever carried out. The airport staff are at some important hubs paid little more than subsistence wages and accordingly have no real incentive to Reliance is made on the documentation and the standing of the organisations putting the original consignment together.

So where does this leave the international traveller? Essentially it is now down to the individual to maintian a high state of awareness and being prepared to report event the slightest suspicion, this will not be appreciated by the politcal lobby and a greater degree of political and racial profiling can be expected.  Delays will increase substantially and expect the cost of hold carried luggage to escalate to astronomical proportions.

We all have to get used to the idea of a carry-on bag limit and for holidaymakers possibly buying beach and holiday wear at the destination and leaving it there at the end of the stay is now an economic proposition. Shunning air travel  is probably an option for holidaymaking families but for the business traveller, it also has implications. Cost cutting generally has introduced alternative ways of holding meetings and exchanging documents; video conferencing and the use of email have all contributed but there are still times when face to face contact is a prime consideration.

The experienced air traveller will naturally cast an eye over his/her fellow travellers prior to departure but then has to weigh up the economic cost of reporting any suspicion and just hoping the authorities will do the job for us.  No one really likes to get involved, the delay and possibly the police /court process of being a witness in a foreign country does not help. Organisations like Crimestoppers where information can be left anonymously on a untraced telephone connection ( in the UK it is 0800 555 111 )  could be the way forward  together with security tip off boxes (on the lines of a suggestion box but checked on a minute by minute basis, the ones I have seen are a development of the vacuum tube, but simply a gravity fed downpipe that drops a discreet note, written by the traveller, onto a manned desk on the floor below the departure area. The best ideas are sometimes the most simple.

In future we can expect to see changes to aircraft type and design, Ryanair are to experiment with 'No washroom' facility on short haul flights,  greater use of security cameras on board, with individial cameras for each and every seat and a greater use of pre-boarding intelligence which inter alia  will impact on all areas of Human Rights conventions. So the future looks as if the air time advantage will be further eroded, but all forms of transport and crowed places are easy targets for the dedicated terrorist or just deranged misguided individuals with evil intent, as the time honoured TV Cop series 'Hill Street Blues' officer would say "You be careful out there.."  perhaps this is a good time to take the advice and repeat it often.   [end]

  

Contributor: Media, Aviation, Politics & Travel Expert, Broadcaster Julian Bray SKYPE: Julian.Bray.UK UK Landline: 01733 345581 Mobile: 07944 217476 ISDN2 downline +44(0)1733 555 319 (B'cast ISDN Remote Studio) G722/APT-X Dual Codecs Glensound C5