Are you A BAD TWEETER ? – A Tale of a Tweeters Christmas Carol
ALL BAD TWEETERS BEWARE – CHANGE YOUR WAYS
Twas the Night before christmas and @Ebonezertweeter , a crotchety old lawyer was hard at work in his law office.
His office was cold.
It was devoid of any festive cheer and not a drop of tinsel could be seen.
He had every gadget going. He had an Ipad3, iPhone,windows phone ,tablet,PC and Mac.
He used twitter and Facebook. He blogged and tweeted for business of course.
He was a lonely and tortured soul with not a friend in the world and very few followers and no-one subscribed to his blog.
He huddled over his ipad3 with his eyes transfixed at the stream of tweets before him.
Excitement shone from his eyes as he scrolled down the many tweeters wishing each other festive greetings and he grew furious at the lack of links and tweets to blogs (especially HIS blog) about his law firm.
What on earth was happening this night of nights he thought. It was Christmas eve and the first year after the demise of his business partner and he knew how important new business was for the firm @Ebonezertweeter top law firm.
His trusted assistant @legaleaglemhm had shuffled through asking for permission to go home to her littleuns and Ebonezertweeter grumbled and snapped that she had been paid till the end of the day and was still on the clock.
All around merry staff closed their offices, wrapped presents and hugged their families, yet @Ebonezertweeter screwed up his face as his folded his ipad under his arm after locking up and scuttled into his Audi TT and headed for home.
The roads were very quiet and he relished the peace and quiet thinking that this time of the evening served him well for composing his blog.
The blue lights behind him served as an inconvenience as he realised that he was being pulled over by the police . Where can I find a road traffic lawyer at this time of night he thought and on Christmas eve of all nights. He reached for his iphone and did a search on twitter and sent a DM to @roadtrafficlaw.
Alas a reply to that DM would never come as he had never actually engaged with that fellow tweeter.
Tired and now weary he arrived back at his apartment and his mind wandered back to his blog and how he could make more money, after all that was why everyone used twitter and Blogs for ,was it not ?
He mulled over the next article in his mind too as he opened the door to his penthouse apartment and pinged on the microwave for a simple Morrison’s frozen dinner for one.
Taking his ipad3 with him to bed he settled down to scroll through the evenings tweets when to his surprise the ping of an alert broke the silence.
He had a DM.
It was the first DM of the day, in fact it was the first DM of the week and with trepid anticipation he clicked on it the message read.
@tweeterpast - I am the ghost of Tweeters past.
That is very strange thought @Ebonezertweeter as he was not even following a @tweeterpast how could they send him a DM if he wasn’t following them
PING – another DM arrived.
I am the ghost of tweeters past and you must mend your ways @Ebonezertweeter for you have become a BAD TWEETER.
@tweeterpast said , you will receive 3 DMs before the night is out and you will be visited by 3 avatars.
Not scared @Ebonezertweeter promptly blocked @tweeterpast
He logged off twitter all together and promptly signed into linkedin instead.
His plasma TV mounted on the wall began to flicked and his blackberry , iphone5 and smartphone all began to vibrate. On the screen of his 26 inch imac the words appeared via Hootsuite
Come with me @Ebonezertweeter and we shall visit the past.
The room transformed around him and he became aware of a young boy sitting in front of an old black and white tv.
The screen was black and across it a white dot was ping ponging , it was the old game he remembered from his childhood. At first he smiled, with a fond memory of playing it after watching crackerjack and news round. Do you remember this game you played alone Eboneezer?
He could see the kids outside on their chopper bikes racing up and down and yet he sat alone playing ping and pong on his black and white set.
How sad thought @Eboneezertweeter - I had no one to play it with.
The room changed again and a solitary boy sat with again a screen in front of him .
The bleeps of the Sega mega drive echoed around the room as he watched the young chap blank out the world around him deep in concentration as to the conquering of the next round.
Again outside he saw children on roller skates and skate boards zooming up and down.
The room changed again and he saw the lecture halls at his University where he studied Law. Ah that had been the good days he thought.
All those friends, it would be impossible for the @tweeterpast ghost to scare or haunt him now.
There he was sitting in the front row with @legaleaglemhm and @Gavward and @Alistair_Sloan – Gosh it seemed like such a long time ago. How could this make him feel sad ?
Bleep Bleep , vibrate , vibrate the sounds of texts bouncing between the students was off-putting for @Ebonezertweeter-
Poppycock! he thought scribbling furiously and trying not to wonder who they could be texting or why no-one sent him a text.
OK, Ok he typed as a reply on his twitter stream- so perhaps I wasn’t very popular, I was a solitary tweeter in all shapes and forms now return me to my bed I need to charge my iphone.
At that he noticed the room around him return to normal and he felt the cold floor beneath his feet.
Shaking his head and plugging in his charger he thought that a cold beer might do the trick and shake off this horrible waking dream he was having.
As he lifted the beer from the fridge he heard his blackberry vibrate.
Oh, his spirits lifted perhaps someone has RT his tweet from earlier. He shuffled across the plush leather sofa and reached for the iphone.
A tweet had indeed been RT’d but he did not recall sending that one – It read ‘Merry Christmas’, he was puzzled.
Has someone been changing his tweets?
Did he not have copyright on his tweets .
Has my account been Hacked?
He frowned, this was not good he would make a note that he will write an email to @philip_Hannah to ask about his intellectual property rights subsisting in his tweets
Then the DM came, just as predicted.
@tweeterpresent the ghost of tweeters present appeared.
I am the ghost of tweeters present- come with me and see what is really happening on twitter just now it said.
@Ebonezertweeter watched again as the room transformed.
There were lots of people standing around chatting.
He screwed up his eyes to see if he could recognise them but he didn’t know anyone.
It was a tweetup.
They were all there @legaleaglemhm @gillianoneil @kevoneil @29studios @Brianinkster @spacechelle @Alistair_Sloan @Charonqc @Lordsugar @Duncanbannatyne @Ladygaga
Chatting and laughing and telling their twitter stories. It looked like they were all in a secret club.
Why had he not been invited he thought.
@legaleaglemhm mentioned @ebonezertweeter by name and recalled stories that horrid fellow who never RT’s anything.
He doesn’t speak or tweet or reply, how rude. I’ve not listed him on any of my lists. The others agreed nodding their heads whilst sipping their beverages.
The room morphed back into the solitary @Ebonezertweeter just a few days prior. Late night in the office with his tweetdeck open , his ipad on and his blackberry vibrating on his desk.
He gleefully scrolled down his list of following and hit the unfollow button pausing randomly only to block anyone that he remotely did not like.
It made him grin.
He liked to follow business people so he could suck all of their information without giving anything back. @gavward was his favourite.
He lurked in the shadows watching and reading the many links posted by @charonqc and @Brianinkster and revelled in the fact that he was too important to make time to reply to these tweeters.
The room changed again as @tweeterpresent the ghost of the now showed his loyal assistant @legaleaglemhm tucking in her littleuns for the evening and firing up her old blackberry to send some tweets for the company.
Her little cat ‘tiny Alfie’ lay poorly in the corner whimperingand she worried that she would not have enough money for a powercard the next day.
Still when she opened her twitter stream @Ebonezertweeter was shocked to her bleep , bleep, bleep, as all the replies and DM’s and RT flooded in.
He was puzzled, how did that happen. Do people actually reply to others? Did they really send DM’s?
The realisation started to sink in- ah , was it because he didn’t interact with them? Was it because he had never interacted with anyone?
How selfish he thought.
A final tweet came form the @tweeterpresent the ghost of now I will leave you now for the worst tweets , the ones of the future.
No , No, No he cried banging his keyboard furiously.
This cant be so ! he wept. I haven’t done anything wrong surely?
It’s what everyone does.
Just then an email landed in his intray- you have new tweets. You have a new follower.
You are now being followed by the future tweeters – no twitter account has at this time been set up and all that exists is the promise of what is to come.
Oh no he thought, how bad can this get.
He looked down at his ipad and ping a new tweet had been sent by @Highlandlawyer and it had been RT’d by @legaleaglemhm.and @TheFirmonline
It read
@Ebonezertweeter is dead – RT if you like this tweet.
His screen started to flash and bleep furiously, his 30 followers started to go down and the 14000 people he followed started to flicker. Every one on his twitter stream was RT ing it- It was going viral
@Ebonezertweeter is Dead
No, No, No, he shouted and hit the off button on all his devises.
He pulled the plug from his mac and PC and he jumped under the covers of his bed. The sun was just coming up as he realised it was the end of that horrible night on twitter.
Rushing to pull open his blinds he noticed a young man on his ipod with his earphone in just below on the street.
What day is it he shouted?
Looking up the lad replied ‘ why its Christmas day’
It’s not too late he thought rushing to switch on his blackberry, ipad, iphone , PC and Mac and logging on to twitter he beamed from ear to ear. I shall remedy this he thought.
Clicking on each of the people he followed he typed furiously @Ebonezertweeter- Good morning, how are you today? The first to reply was @Dogslovecouture -Woof Woof merry christmas returned
He composed DM after DM to each of the people he followed and thanked them for their wonderful tweets and then he sat and made a list and compose a wonder ff list recommending all the followers to everyone.
He sent a tweet that indeed go viral and that was @Ebonezertweeter Merry Christmas 2012 everyone.
Within seconds he saw all the DM’s, RT’s, replies flooding in and he smiled the biggest smile had every felt.
His followers started to go up rapidly from 5 to 50 to 500 to 15000 and be lunchtime he broke the 20000 limit he never thought was possible.
The best DM he sent that day was to his trusty and loyal assistant @legaleaglmhm and here is what is said
Merry Christmas your Brand new ipad3 is on your desk, have two weeks off and you now have a pay rise and buy some treats for your littleuns and tiny Alfi too.
For the rest of Christmas and beyond @Ebonezertweeter was a changed man and a changed tweeter.
I hope you have enjoyed this Tale of the Tweeters Christmas Carol If you have please reply, DM, and of course RT
It’s what makes us all good tweeters.
A very Merry Christmas 2012
And God Bless, us everyone
BE A GOOD TWEETER AND RT this x
@Legaleaglemhm aka Michelle L.Hynes
UKBlawg Roundup 12 – Christmas Edition: There once was a Lady who lived in a Shoe
Merry Christmas from legaleaglemhm and the lil eagles
UK Blawg Round Up Christmas 2012
HO HO HO
Merry Christmas
The Twelve Law Blogs of Christmas and the story of an unfortunate Lady who lives in a shoe she has so many children she doesn’t know what to do.
I was delighted to have been invited to host this years UKBR12 and I have been giving the round-up much deliberation whilst travelling to Lapland to visit Santa with my lil eagles.
In what style should I write? How light-hearted could I make it? How serious should it be?It is Christmas after all.
Tis the season of goodwill, of sharing and caring and of stuffing your face with mince pies.
Along side this merry image we have of Christmas though there is of course a dark side to Christmas that is often forgotten. Families in turmoil, children neglected, road traffic accidents, arrests, and disputes and of course New Years resolutions and plans for the future and New Year to come.
After the most amazing year and one which has found me travelling around the world on a journey of discovery and recovery. It has been a pleasure to review some of the most wonderful and inspiring Law blogs around in the UK.
What is the purpose of Blogging? To inform, to advertise, to share or is it just to engage? No matter what the reason it is safe to say that Blogs or (Blawgs) make me smile. They make me question current affairs, they give me ideas and the inspire me.
It has been debated, argued and defended yet despite the critics I actually just enjoy reading Blogs by lawyers aspiring, new and old about areas of Law that I wouldn’t normal have time in my day to study in any great detail.
Exactly 12 months ago I had major Open-heart surgery and I have spent the whole year enjoying my second chance at life.
Whilst I did return to law briefly to start a traineeship with Cloch Solicitors in August my health had not fully recovered and I realized that I would be better to be back to full health before I continued.
At present I am loving life ,researching Law and spending time as a Business Angel whilst helping my lil eagle launch her first business venture Dogs Love Couture.
(Apologies for the plug there but I could not help myself)
I hope you enjoy my very special Christmas 2012 UK Blog Round up. I hope that it makes you smile and if it does then pass it on
Legal Notice
Disclaimer; All of the characters in the story of the unfortunately Lady who lives in a shoe with her children are fictional and any references to people alive or dead should be disregarded No culpa is apportioned to any living person as at date of writing and I accept no liability for any de(farm)ation should you happen to be a farmer, who likes cavorting with milk maids or a farmer who oils the wheels of your tractor on a dance floor whilst entertaining 9 ladies dancing to the slosh . Nor will I accept any liability from any advise given henceforth within the story as always remember that Legal advice should be sought if these scenarios apply to events that transpire within your own life.
Michelle. L. Hynes LL.B (Hons) Dip LP Copyright 2012 All Rights Reserved @Legaleaglemhm
There once was a Lady who lived in a shoe
Her name was Flora. She was single. She met her partner William on-line and he was a farmer with assets of some considerable sums. They co-habited for a period before marrying and producing tree beautiful children of the relationship.
This tale is one of woe and heartbreak mixed with joy and laughter. Sit back and read and watch the tale unravel. (You can hum the tune to the twelve days of Christmas if you like – here is a link if you don’t know it)
On the First Day of Christmas my true love gave to me …………a partridge in a pear tree.
Flora was entitled to the partridge. It was her Human Right! Or was it????
A great Blog, which addresses current Human Rights issues, is The UK Human Rights Blog.
http://ukhumanrightsblog.com/about/
Adam Wagner, Rosalind English and Angus McCulloch QC write the Blog.
With articles ranging from the Peaceful enjoyment of property’ to Article 8 | Right to private and family life
Adam is the founding and commissioning editor of the UK Human Rights Blog. He was long listed for the 2011 Orwell Prize for blogging. He is a practicing barrister and tenant at 1 Crown Office Row, specializing in public law, human rights and medical law. He has been appointed to the Attorney General’s ‘C’ Panel of Counsel and is ranked in Chambers and Partners 2013 as a leader in his field for civil liberties and human rights.
Twitter: @adamwagner1
Rosalind is a former academic who now edits the Human Rights and Public Law Update online Journal and undertakes comparative and public law research for members of chambers. She also records and edits audio streamed seminars for the resources section of the Chambers website. She edits and contributes to the National Health Legal Service’s Authority’s Human Rights Newsletter.
Twitter: @rosalindenglish
Angus McCullough has a practice, which covers public law (including human rights), professional negligence, and regulatory and disciplinary law. He has particular expertise in the fields of health and the environment, and frequently appears in inquests. In 1997 he was appointed by the Attorney General to the panel of Counsel to the Crown and in 2002 was appointed to the ‘A’ List of this panel. He was appointed a QC in 2012
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me……….two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
After a period of courtship Flora and William began cohabiting in a property owned solely by William . Flora needed some advice about terminating her tenancy with her landlord for her current bachelorette pad. She instantly looked up a brilliant blog by Tessa Shepperson the landlord’s blog and started to read about rights and obligations of landlords and tenants
http://www.landlordlawblog.co.uk/
Tessa Shepperson, a solicitor and specialist in residential landlord and tenant law. Originally from London, now living in Norwich in Norfolk, England UK.
On the Third day of Christmas my true love gave to me 4 French hens.
William was of course a very wealthy farmer and had a second farm in France .What a catch thought Flora. Yes ! this is a UK Roundup but I cannot miss the wonderful Clarinette a French legal eagle and IP Law specialist. .
http://clarinettesblog.wordpress.com/about/
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me 4 Colly birds?
But did he own the Colly birds? Were they his to give away? Now that we have had a dispute (I can’t stand him any more he is trying to get them back. Help? what should I do? – Mediation is it the answer ? Lets ask Charon QC what he thinks! The witty wise man who likes to watch ducks and drink wine will no doubt offer a few words of wisdom to our damsel in distress. If not he will no doubt know someone who will. CharonQCs blog provides hours of endless humour, debate and of course fantastic drawings and artwork. No blog round-up would be the same without his input. I hope for a good read in the New Year and I do hope to be able to meet Mike in person in 2013.
http://charonqc.wordpress.com/
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me 5 Gold rings.
Yes, you got it we have made up.
The romance is back on and he has bought me gold. Do you think we should get a pre nuptial agreement going? He’s asked me for my hand in marriage. He wants to get married in the Caribbean. Do we need a license? Can we get married on the beach? Help I need a lawyer.Jump over to twitter and you will find hundreds of them all typing away on their iPads and on their phones at all hours day and night.
Signing on to Gavin Wards Blawg about Family law will direct our Flora to some fantastic articles and tips about all areas of family law. Gavin is a star in blogging and tweeting circles. Follow him on twitter @Gavward. Whilst Gavin is not practising Law he is of course a solicitor and wonderful social media guru with tips covering all areas of law. These articles assist professionals and clients too and he is a constant source of knowledge for law students. He is also a top bloke.
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me 6 Geese a lying.
Actually never mind ‘geese a laying’ it’s me who will be nesting soon as I am having triplets!!!! What am I entitled to? Can I get maternity pay from the mill?
Does he have to pay maintenance, as we have fallen out AGAIN. the saga continues….Does this sound familiar?
On the seventh day of Christmas our Flora was driving her horse and cart in an (allegedly) somewhat careless manner when she spotted two gentlemen in reflective clothing hiding in the bushes just in front of her. Waving a speed gun then motioned for her to stop, which she did and now they tell her that she was in fact doing 40 mph in a 30 Zone. How on earth can she deal with this matter? Logging on to her trusty blogs she found a really interesting road traffic blogs.
http://roadtrafficlaw.com/road-traffic-law-scotland/.
Fantastic she thought as she called Graham Walker to sort out her speeding ticket.
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me 8 Maids a milking.
The scoundrel, the cad! I’ve just found out he’s been prancing around with those milkmaids again. Is this ground for divorce? I want the farm for the bairns and me. The maids are living in the barn and I am suffering from lack of martial rights. Who can I turn to? I need a friend.
A favorite blog of mine is My divorcing friend by Fiona Sasan of Morton Fraser which offers inspiring and informative posts about divorce – The ‘who to go to’ with the personal touch.
http://mydivorcingfriend.com/blog/
http://mydivorcingfriend.com/stereotyping-the-adulterer/
Can you stereotype the adulterer!!! Interesting posts, frequent updates and a friend for aggrieved spouses – where else would you go. I will bear this in mind if I ever take the plunge again and throw off my ice maiden persona as that of the Lady in the shoe with so many children she doesn’t know what to do.
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me 9 ladies dancing.
Yes , Im single again the girls and me are off on a Christmas night out.
It’s a barn dance. The negligent farmer who owns the barn must have been oiling his tractor wheel on the dance floor. We were all up doing the barn dance when I slipped and hurt my neck. I had to be taken by horse and cart to the infirmary in the big city and I now have a cast on my arm, how am I going to hold and feed the triplets? My boss won’t give me wages and I’ve cried myself to sleep at night with worry and shock. It all keeps coming back to me in slow motion. What should I do?
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me 10 Lords a leaping.
I am now here at the Supreme Court in London after my case was thrown out in Edinburgh High Court. My advocate tells me we have a good case for an appeal. She is Hot and wow you should hear her on her feet. She has the ear of the court. These Lords should really stop that leaping it is quite off-putting.
The Supreme court blog offers a wealth of interesting articles spanning all areas of law and is a must read.
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me 11 pipers piping
Woooohooooooo we won our appeal. But what is that noise all about.
On the twelve day of Christmas my true love gave to me 12 drummers drumming.
I’ve started a band with these twelve handsome drummers. My manager wants our drummers to sign a contract but hey ho I can’t even read the 125 pages of terms and conditions let alone sign my name after all I still have a sore arm from the fall. I need some help in reviewing the contract terms. How do I protect the band’s name? What about our image and logo can I get copyright? How does it all work.
A brilliant blog and one which always features on my reading list is http://www.shireensmith.com/
After all this drama in the last twelve days I’ve decided to buy the triples and I a nice new croft so we can live peacefully ever after. I need to know what the law is for crofters?
For this area you need specialist advice and the team at Inkster’s pride themselves on exactly that.
http://www.inksters.com/croftinglaw.aspx
And finally now my triplets have grown I would like them to go to a really good University. Can you suggest some good Law schools? Fran and Anna and Harry all want to study law. They have been so impressed with all the lawyers we have met over last 12 months that they would like to walk in their footsteps. They are all signed up on twitter and follow all of the following Law blogs, which they think are all great. Have a look and if you agree then pass this story on.
One inspiring law student is Alistair Sloan. Law students are the future backbone of the profession . Have a heart this Christmas and follow them on twitter and read their blogs. They are your colleagues of the future and need as much help as the profession can give.
http://lifeofascotslawstudent.wordpress.com/
One final review encapsulates all of the blogs of the year and that is The Time Blawg. A supernova blog which links lawyer types, students and professionals to discuss current issues surrounding the new emerging use of technology and social media. Presented by An award winning team headed up by Brian Inkster and with a forward thinking outlook their blogging sets the pace for all bloggers in the profession. Have a look at some of the posts this year .
The most recent post discusses why lawyers can take breaks from twitter and yes this is close to my heart as I have interrupted my blogging and tweeting over the course of 2012 to focus on something even more important than law, my health, my family and Life in general.
I cannot end this round-up with out giving a mention to some of the fantastic law blogs that have made me smile, made me question and made me go back to my books and re-read you are all wonderful – Happy Blogging for 2013
Jobsworth Employment Law Explained http://michaelscutt.co.uk/
Az Rights IP Brand Blog http://ip-brands.com/blog/
Baby Barista Blog at The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/baby-barista-blog/2011/apr/01/1
Hampshire Lawyer http://gtk399.wordpress.com/
LegalBrat Blog http://legalbratblawg.com/
Legal Futures Blog http://www.legalfutures.co.uk/blog
Whilst Law , Blogging and tweeting is an important part of being a lawyer today it is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all and lose sight of that very important work life balance.
This Roundup is intended to be in the spirit of Christmas , light-hearted and of course slightly tongue in cheek.
The Scottish Legaleagle is back , rested , well-travelled and with a working heart.
Merry Christmas from the Lady who lives in a shoe and her many litteuns aka Legaleaglemhm and the Lil eagles.
Follow legaleaglemhm on twitter.
God Bless you everyone.
“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my axe.” — Abraham Lincoln
“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my axe.”
“Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you’re ready or not, to put this plan into action.”
The Edge of Gobi – Think BIG, act small and Do it NOW
The Edge of Gobi
When I first told my family and friends that I was planning on heading out on an expedition to the Gobi desert in Mongolia they shrieked no! You can’t do that.
Excuse after excuse reason after reason , you’ve just had open heart surgery, what if something goes wrong, you are not fit enough were the usual ones and to be honest probably exactly what I would have said to my daughters too.
However , as a determined kinda lass I checked with my doctors, packed my meds and my rucksack and headed off with a spring in my step and my sister Gillian racing towards adventure, the unknown and a couple of weeks of new experiences.
What would I learn? What adventures would I have and how would the Gobi take me to the edge and leave me yearning for another adventure?
People say that in order to grow you have to take yourself out of your comfort zone. To challenge your own ideas and beliefs and to allow a new way of existence to be absorbed. The Zen saying of ‘empty your cup if you want to fill it up’ ran through my mind many times whilst I was in Mongolia.
I have spent many years filling my cup with my own ideas, beliefs and motivations yet now in the wild and dry Mongolian desert I had no choice than to let go , to dispose of my own ideals and to gel into a group of wonderful people from all walks of life from Australian kids from a Christian school, university students and academics from Cardiff University, a dynamic team from the Coca cola science space centre in USA , NASA trainer and NASA astronaut , an inventor and an explorer and magistrate . You might think what a weird mix of people but the dynamics of the group were extraordinary. We all shared one thing in common – a love of life , adventure and expectation.
I learned many things on the trip which will stay with me as I journey along my own path. My favourite thing is ‘Think Big, act small and do it now ‘
I have been thinking about this deeply since Ken Ham ( NASA astronaut) and I discussed leadership whilst walking down from the ruins of a Buddhist monestary . What is more important , to think or to do?
Great leaders need to think big in order to lead their people but thinking big is just not enough , it’s the doing that speaks volumes . We are defined by what we do . We are courageous only if we act with courage. We are leaders only if we lead .
So with that in mind my goal for my adventure was to lead with passion , to motivate and give to my group a piece of what it is that keeps me going , what makes me get up every day and embrace every fresh dawn as a present . A gift that should be adored . A present that we should wonder at and marvel at its wrapping and not be in a rush to open. We should ( and I try to) feel to energy of the day and savour every moment. My mission during my trip was to try to pass this excitement on to my team.
Leaving the security of my family and my little eagles ( who adore me) was challenging in itself but I wanted to do this for them . To bring back tales of adventure and inspire them that when they grow and become adults they too can have exciting adventures.
I will write about my adventures in a series of stories over the course of the next few weeks. I hope you will enjoy them.
Despite the fears there were NO Camelspiders . But we did have fun terrifying ourselves every night as we slept out in the Gobi ( what a wonderfully quiet and extraordinary place
And we experienced the whole of the transit of Venus as it passed directly in front of the sun .
Tonight I shall Think big! As I ponder over all of the experiences out in Gobi . I will act small as I realise I am but a small member of a wonderful group of amazing people who all shared and contributed to my experience and I will do it now. ( my first post in the Edge of Gobi blog)
Thankyou for following my journey
Legaleaglemhm
Michelle Hynes
TOP SECRET ADVICE FOR LAW STUDENTS AND NEW LAWYERS : EVERY LAW student needs to do this NOW
A Secret Guide for All New lawyers: What you will wish you knew.
The life of a Law student is never easy.
From day one you will be reading cases, planning arguments, learning advocacy skills and yet somewhere amidst the hours of reading in the library you will be expected to ‘market’ yourself.
What on earth does this mean?How Will I learn how to do this?Who will teach me ? Surely as a law graduate you will be able to move swiftly from life as a student into the professional world of business equipped with all the skills you learn at University? NOT
On graduation you will have: A Degree ( Bachelor of Laws) Great time management skills The ability to work as a team. The ability to critically analyse a set of facts. The ability to find the law and apply it to the case at hand . THIS IS IT ………………………..This is what will take you into the REAL world of law WRONG.
There is something far amiss in this line of thinking. Once you’ve handed back your gown and had the family photographs and the graduation celebration and once you have undertaken the Diploma in Legal Practice or PEAT1 or LPC – you will learn very quickly that YOU’VE MISSED SOMETHING.
YES- YOU HAVE MISSED SOMETHING THAT YOU NEEDED FROM THE FIRST DAY AT LAW SCHOOL You will wish you could rewind your degree and go back to-day one because here is what you are not taught at Law school. HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF and GET COMMERIAL REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE
I KNOW this because as I embark on the world of real law in the real world I look around me and see many law students who might have first class honours degrees but have focussed only on law for the last 5 years. I want to give you a quick secret guide. Its my own tips that you can use from TODAY.
1. Set up a twitter account.
2. Link Twitter to your Facebook.
3. Set up a Linkedin Account.
4. Set up at least one blog – I have a few
5. Set up a Digg Account
6. Set up a YOUTUBE channel
7. Set up a Moviecom.tv channel
8. START connecting with lawyers ALL OVER THE WORLD.
9. Subscribe to on-line journals
10. Write for on-line journals
11. Talk to your Law Society
12. Enter Competitions
13. Join a mooting club and learn advocacy skills.
14. BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET
15. Google yourself –what do you find ? If you cant find you no one else will either.
16. Connect with other students around the world and learn HOW they study law.
17. BE an innovator in YOUR law school- get involved.
18. Write on areas of the law that interest you.
19. Make short video clips and post on your channels
20. Network both on-line and real life – Take every opportunity to meet lawyers.
21. Talk to people you know who might one day become your clients – what do they want from a lawyer and listen, really listen.
GET COMMERCIAL EXPERIENCE NOW – Don’t wait for your training contract. You will not learn any of these things at LAW school.
No one will show you how to do it until you find your self hunting for a traineeship and realise that if you had started 5 years ago you might have had a better chance.
I will be posting tips on all of these topics to help.
Do it and start today – It’s YOUR career.
You can reach me by email legaleaglehynes@yahoo.co.uk On twitter legaleaglemhm
3 days to go – Here is our schedule for our adventure in Mongolia and China
Mongolia 3rd to 10th June 2012
Beijing Extension 10th to 13th June 2012
“If a picture is worth a thousand words then reality is worth a thousand pictures.”
John R Noe author of ‘Peak Performance Principals for High Achievers’
1. The Gobi Desert Programme
The Astronaut Leadership Experience has the aim of developing leadership and team building skills in remote environments. It has been inspired by the training that NASA arranges for astronaut crews and teams. Whilst the Astronaut Leadership Experience replicates aspects of the astronaut training it aims to make the programme enjoyable and culturally insightful.
The programme balances activity with being able to tour the region and see as many highlights as possible.
Mongolia
Sunday, 3rd June
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar.
Meet our guides and drivers to transfer to the Palace Hotel A four star hotel that is situated in Ulaanbaatar near to sites such as the Bogd Khaan Palace Museum, Naadam Stadium and Zaisan Hill.
Check-in to rooms, rest and relax followed by a City Tour with an expert guide.
The tour will include: Sukhbaatar Square, the Museum of National History, Gandantegchilen Main Monastery Complex with Megjidjanraisag Buddha statue, a traditional nomads lunch and downtown Ulaanbaatar.
There will be a shopping opportunity and an evening dinner with Khuumii folk music and shamanism ritual dancing.
Monday, 4th June
After Breakfast we will be transferred to Chinggis Khaan airport to fly to Dalanzadgad in the Gobi desert. The journey will take 1.5 hours. We will then take a 40 minute drive to Yolyn Am to the Juulchin Khanbogd tourist camp and have lunch. Yolyn Am is a deep and narrow gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains of southern Mongolia and is often translated to Valley of the Vultures or Valley of the Eagles. It is notable for a deep ice field which reaches several meters thick by the end of winter, and is several kilometers long. After lunch there, we will take a 20 minute drive to Yolyn Am Gorge to explore the valley on horse back – here it may be possible to see wild goats in the valley (journey time is estimated at 2 hours). The valley is in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park.
After that we drive back to Khanbogd tourist camp for dinner and stay overnight.
Tuesday, 5th June
After breakfast we drive to Khongoryn Els (4 hours) and check in to the Juulchin Gobi tourist camp. Following lunch, we take a camel ride around the Khongoryn Gol Oasis for 2 hours.
After dinner we will climb to the Sand dunes which can be up to 200 metres high. Khongoryn Els or the ‘Singing Sands’, because of the noise of the wind on the sand are like a movie depiction of a desert.
Wednesday, 6th June
An early morning wake up to observe the Transit of Venus, never again to be seen in our lifetimes. We will take breakfast and lunch during the Transit which will last from around 6 am until 1 pm. We then drive to Bayanzag (2 hours) and check in to the Gobi Tour tourist camp. Bayanzag is known as the Flaming Cliffs site and is famous for fossil finds dating from the 1920’s, including the first discovery of dinosaur eggs, specimens of Velociraptor, small mammals and primates. The area is rich in saxaul (thorny bushes) forests.
Thursday, 7th June
Start with breakfast followed by a drive to the Ongi monastery ruins (4 hours) in the Ongi endless steppe. We will stay at the Secret of Ongi tourist camp. After lunch here we will explore Ongi monastery – ruins of two huge monasteries that were destroyed in 1939 by the Communist Government. We will hike and climb up Delger mountain to view the surrounding spectacular countryside.
Friday, 8th June
Following breakfast we drive to Karakorum (5 hours) the ancient capital of the Mongolian Empire. We will explore the nearby Palaeolithic cave drawings and rock paintings, visit a nomadic family and have lunch in picnic and check in to Munkhtenger tourist camp. In the afternoon we will visit Erdene Zuu monastery complex which is probably the most ancient surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia and is part of a World Heritage Site.
Saturday, 9th June
After breakfast we drive to Khustai National park (4 hours). We then check in to Khustai Centre and have lunch. In the afternoon we will hike in the National Park in the Khustai Mountain range. The park is a reserve for takhi, Mongolian wild horses. In addition there are maral, Asiatic red deer, steppe gazelle, boar, manul (small wild cats), wolves and lynx.
Sunday, 10th June
After breakfast we will take a 1 hour drive to Chinggis Khaan International Airport, Ulaanbaatar.
The ISSET Team will be departing at 1150 on Sunday, 3rd June 2012 from Ulaanbaatar on Air Chinaand arriving at Beijing at 1400
Beijing Extension
Sunday, 10th June.
Arrive in Beijing: Be met by our guide and transfer to the Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U Town which is located at Beijings Central Business District and 24km from Beijing Capital International Airport. The hotel is close to the city’s newest shopping mall, restaurants, bars and shopping.
Monday, 11th June
After breakfast we will visit the 8th Wonder of the World, the Great Wall at the Mutianyu. There will be a round trip cable car for getting around. After the visit, we will have lunch at a local Jade Gallery.
In the afternoon we will visit the Ming Dynasty Tombs which includes a visit to the first tomb of the13 Ming Dynasty Emperors area and the Sacred Way.
On the way back to the city we will stop at the Olympic villages, the Beijing National Olympic Stadium – Bird’s Nest and the Beijing 2008 National Swimming Centre – Watercube.
Evening: Visit Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics followed by dinner.
Tuesday, 12th June
After breakfast we will set off for a full day tour to the Temple of Heaven. On the way it may be possible to see the local people taking morning exercises and possibly join them in Tai Chi, Ball Room Dancing, Singing or even playing a game of cards.
We will visit the Lama Temple and lunch will be arranged at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon we will visit the Forbidden City, which served as the home of emperors for almost 500 years.
Evening: Visit Beijing elementary school followed by dinner.
Wednesday, 13th June
Departure transfer for the flight home.
Thankyou for following my journey. I will be keeping a hand written journal and Gillian and i will also be filming regulat video blogs.
3 days till we leave Glasgow now and I am very excited.
Legaleaglemhm
Michelle L.Hynes
T minus 9 Days and Counting – I would walk 6000 miles ( not a song by the Proclaimers) though we are Scottish
T minus 9 Days and Counting – I would walk 6000 miles ( not a song by the Proclaimers) though we are Scottish
My back pack looks bigger every day. My hiking boots are getting well worn on the school run every morning. The locals think I am mad, well that is the one’s who actually believe that I am going to Mongolia to the Gobi desert.
http://isset.org/astronomy_meets_adventure/transit_of_venus.php
In 9 days now @gillianoneil will leave Glasgow on a journey of a life time.
Ok , here is where we are at now.
All our kit has been purchased.
Our passports have been sent and now returned from the Mongolian and Chinese embassy and we have approved visas for our travels in both countries. We have had all of our vaccinations .
I still have to decide on which clothes I will take for China ( we will be visiting some great places and I think I might need some nice clothes for the dinners we have planned)
I have bought some small gifts for our hosts and the Mongolian children. I decided that I would ask my little girl aged 8 to choose. We now have yo-yos, whistles, cards, pencils, sweets and lip glosses.
I am taking Edinburgh rock and shortbread too for our hosts.
The next thing for us to do before we go is exchange our currency and I will do that in the next few days.
So ahead of target I find that we are nearly ready for our adventure.
Now, I would walk 6000 miles ( sounds like a proclaimers song)
Follow us out to Eagle valley
Thanks for following my journey
Michelle Hynes @legaleaglemhm
The World of “Things That Cannot be seen” – It’s Law but not as we know it.
As a new lawyer now recovered from heart surgery I am about to venture over 6000 miles on an Astronaut leadership course in 9 days.Have a look at the adventure details http://isset.org/astronomy_meets_adventure/transit_of_venus.php
What’s this got to do with Law ?
EVERYTHING !!!!!!!!!
You know, we often look to the past, through history to help us prepare for the future: in all walks of life and law is no exception.
History gives us a ‘road map’ that we can refer to when we need to prepare for a new journey.
But sometimes, just sometimes we cannot look to history. Sometimes we need to do exactly what astronauts train for. We need to prepare for a new landscape. A new world where there is no history and no Law.
A world where the Law hasn’t been determined. Where there is no precedent.
As we reach the half way mark of 2012 more and more emphasis in everyday life is placed on the internet, on virtual world, and even on virtual laws the law governing ‘those THINGS that cannot be seen’.
Intellectual Property law is an exciting area of law which until now was generally left to those artist, film makers , authors and commercial developers and inventors. Now with the growth of the virtual world, Intellectual property (IP) has come to everyone.
Ordinary people now wonder about their Intellectual Property Rights in in their own blogs, Facebook and twiiter accounts.
Privacy and Rights are now rising from the mubblings of some academics and legal fraternity to coming from the mouths of the ordinary man in the street.
Even ‘Bettys Hotpot’ on last nights episode of Corination street sparks inquiries regarding this ‘thing that cannot been seen’ Intellectual property.
Technology , inventions and medical advancements now rest upon not just a tangible world but a virtual one where the law is often foggy and undetermined. Tweets and Facebook posts, blogs and emails, more and more people search for answers to their questions about their on-line activity. Who will answer them and guide them ?
As I embark on my career as a trainee solicitor in the field of Intellectual Property I need to prepare myself with more skills than just my LL.B (Hons) and my Diploma in Legal practice – I need to ‘boldly go where no woman has gone before’ – out with the astronauts of NASA to prepare for the new world.
To be able to take those skills of leadership, navigation and determination and give them back to my clients and help businesses, entrepreneurs,digital and creative companies navigate through the new world of `things that can’t be seen’ A new world of life on-line.
Follow my journey – It will be one of discovery.
@legaleaglemhm
Twitter you are magical !Next Stop – The Gobi Desert
Hi everyone thanks for continuing to follow my journey.You might be wondering why on earth I am heading out to the Gobi desert in Mongolia? How did this happen and what’s it all about.
Well I shall keep this post relatively short but to be honest Twitter brought this all together for me .
I have been following a wonderful adventurous lady on twitter for some time Hazel Richards @snowbirdie.( If you aren’t following her then now is the time)
Whilst I was in hospital before my heart operation( I had a triple cardiac bypass 20 weeks ago) I spent time reading lots of blogs and hers stood out more than anyone elses.
I was so in awe of the fact that she has been to the Antarctic that I read lots of her posts and vowed that If I made it through surgery I too would follow my dream and become an adventurer.
Well, I made it through surgery and blogged about my recovery and can you imnagine @snowbirdie told me of her next adventure, a trek to the Gobi desert on an astronaut leadership program with International Space School Educational Trust and NASA astronaut and NASA trainer Ken Ham and Michelle Ham. Would I like to go along ? Would I ever!!!!
After receiving some shocked responses from my nearest and dearest I visited my doctor who gave me the thumbs up to go and the ball started rolling.
A late night phone call to my sister @gillianoneil confirmed that I would be travelling with my best buddy and fellow adventurer Gillian to The Gobi desert.
Here is a link to what its all about .http://www.isset.org/astronomy_meets_adventure/transit_of_venus.php
We will be witnessing the last ever transit of Venus of our lifetime (next one is not until 2117)
our itinery http://isset.org/astronomy_meets_adventure/tov_itinerary.php
Its now 18 days till we go and I am very excited.
So thanks to magical twitter, a wonderful adventurous lady and a brilliant heart surgeon Mr Butler who fixed my heart Im off !! To be continued………….
Thankyou for following my journey.
You can also follow Gillian and I whilst we are out there on our video blog here at http://www.moviecom.tv/transitofvenus2012
Michelle Hynes @legaleaglemhm
