How confident are publishers, really?

I can’t figure out what to make of the strangely inconsistent findings in a pair of new polls measuring the degree of confidence that publishers have in the future of newspapers. Can you? Here is what we know:




On the bullish side of the ledger, a survey released recently by the University of Missouri found that two out of three publishers are “optimistic” about the future of the newspaper

Is there a tomorrow for USA Today?

USA Today celebrated its 30th anniversary last week with a plump commemorative edition and a meh facelift, but can it survive another 30 years? As a digital brand, potentially.  As a print publication, probably not.  

The third-largest newspaper in the country by circulation, USA Today admittedly is in a class by itself, as the only general-interest national newspaper.  Its weekday distribution

Do I Not Like Mushy Peas

Prompted by a post written by Marianne over on her "Like A Sponge" blog about pulse discrimination, this post is about mushy peas.

Mushy peas are essentially soaked marrowfat peas which are then cooked. The end result is a thick, lumpy, green splodge. And yes, that is the technical term for them.....

They are traditionally served with the great British fish and chips, which regular readers will know I am a fan of. However, there is no way, no how, I will eat fish and chips with mushy peas. They are vile. Foul. By far, mushy peas are my most loathed food. The most disgusting monstrous green mess that has ever passed my lips. They turn my stomach. Mushy peas are in fact evil green mush.

Mushy Peas in all their glory
Photo: Carol (Flickr) (Creative Commons)

And that green? It's not real. It's an artificial colouring to make them greener than green. Artificial green mush.

And whilst I am on the subject of peas, I don't think much of parched peas either. Also known as black peas, this is a traditional Lancashire dish. A good friend introduced me to them in Preston. She bought them from a food stand in town and then tried to force feed them to me. Their evilness was one step below mushy peas on the food evilness scale.

Reading Marianne's post and being forced to conjure up images of mushy peas, I was hastily reminded to never, ever be diminutive of the mashed up meals that constitutes Dutch cuisine. At least the Dutch do not do mushy peas.

What food from your home country do you NOT miss? Have you ever had the misfortune to eat mushy peas?

Nomination for Expatica's Expat Blog Competition

I am delighted and flabbergasted to announce that my newest blog, "Expat Life with a Double Buggy" has been nominated for Expatica's "i am not a tourist" Expat Blog Competition. The fact that I am sitting in a list with the most amazing expat bloggers that the Netherlands has to offer is an honour in itself. Added to the fact that my second blog is a new venture that I started at the beginning of this year, I am truly delighted that "Expat Life with a Double Buggy" is already striking a chord with other expat parents out there. This blog is still in its infancy, and I'm still finding my feet with it so I'm chuffed to bits.

Writing a blog (let alone two) whilst being a full time mum to three small children is a challenge. But this kind of recognition certainly makes it all worth while.

As part of the competition I had to nominate my favourite post, and I found it tough. I eventually chose What If My Kids Had Been Born in England? A recent holiday (spurred on by my own childhood vacations) to Cornwall got us thinking about a move there in a few years. Which in turn got me to thinking about how different life would be had I not moved to the Netherlands; if my kids had been born in England. It's fascinating how a birth country can mould the formative years of a child. So that's why I wrote the post, and why I chose it as my favourite.

The Expat Blog Competition is open until the 7th October, the same day as the Expat Fair of the same day. Want to cast your vote for an expat blogger in the Netherlands? You can submit your vote by visiting http://www.expatica.com/iamnotatourist/blog_vote.php

Print ads fell 25x faster than digital grew

Print advertising revenues at newspapers in the first half of this year fell 25 times faster than digital sales grew, demonstrating the feebleness of the industry’s response to the shifting (shifted?) media landscape. 

In the fist six months of 2012, the aggregate print sales of the nation’s papers fell by $796.8 million, or 8.0%, from the prior year, according to data released last week by the

'How did L.A. Times get a grant when I can’t?'

Second of two parts. This first part is here. 


For 24 years, hundreds of Los Angeles high school journalists have learned about reporting, writing and life itself by volunteering at L.A. Youth, a free newspaper read by an estimated 350,000 teens a year. 



But the non-profit publication may not live to celebrate its 25th birthday, says founder Donna Myrow, because she can’t raise enough

Does L.A. Times qualify as a charity case?

Of all the troubled news organizations in all the land, the Ford Foundation recently gave the Los Angeles Times $1 million to hire four reporters, even though the newspaper’s parent company amassed nearly $2.4 billion in cash during its 3½-year bankruptcy.



While there can be no doubt that the foundation has the best of intentions – or that the Times will endeavor to make good journalistic

Newspapers getting outsmarted on mobile

Apple and Google, the two biggest powerhouses in Silicon Valley, have stepped up the battle to make their smart phones smarter so they can grab ever-larger shares of the local advertising market. 

Their efforts are a major threat to newspapers hoping to capitalize on the enviable power of their local franchises to become significant players in the vigorously growing mobile space. Unfortunately,

Part Me, Part Expat: Authenticity and Expat Life

Many years ago I read an article in the Dutch daily newspaper, the NRC, about how people wear 'masks' according to the situation they find themselves in and who they are with.

In essence, people are only really one hundred percent themselves when they are alone. With a partner most, if not all, of the facades come down. However, when people are amongst strangers a wall goes up, or a mask goes on. We adapt to the group we are with.

It is an article that struck me at the time because I can relate to that idea. I'm an introvert. I'm uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations and that means there are very few people on this planet that know the real me. Becoming an expat made the idea of wearing a mask in some situations even more poignant. I have a British mask, my expat mask, my mother mask, my daughter-in-law mask, my writer mask....... and I'm sure this is just a selection of my mask collection.

It's a topic I have touched upon before in an article for Expat Harem. The very nature of being an expat means adapting. It often means communicating in a foreign language. It means hanging with people you don't know. It means following a steep learning curve. It means starting again. It means taking on parts of a new culture. It means reshaping everything you know and moulding it into a new daily life.

How many masks then does an expat wear? How many versions of ourselves are there? Do expats hide a part of themselves away to blend in with their surroundings? Can we really be truly ourselves and let our personality shine though when we are communicating in a foreign language and wrestling with cultural quirks that feel alien and uncomfortable? Does leaving our friends and family behind mean we leave a little part of who we are elsewhere?

“Authentic human interactions become impossible when you lose yourself in a role.” said Eckhart Tolle. Is expat life at the expense of our own authenticity?

What do you think? Is a part of yourself hidden because you live in a foreign country? Do you feel that you are only part of the person you were back in your home country?