John mJun 30, 2025
TheBossRoss

High time for my #introduction

Homebased in Germany. Education in Iowa before it was fashionable πŸ˜‰ & Scotland before it was dragged out of the EU. Brexit exilee (don't get me started).

Interests: news & travel, political cartoons & science, migration & immigration.

Fmr officer in lots of things, among them Australian migration, int. exchange/education programs & govt consultancy.

Unapologetically pro people, coffee, freedom of movement, empathy, migration, knitting & facts (the real ones).

Nov 26, 2022 at 6:44amWeb
Show threadComrade Pangloss πŸ«–πŸ₯ƒNov 26, 2022
@TheBossRoss I knew you were interesting ..
Show threadTheBossRossNov 26, 2022
@ComradePangloss Thank you. I do try. πŸ˜‰
Show threadComrade Pangloss πŸ«–πŸ₯ƒNov 28, 2022

@TheBossRoss
I have found a brexit benefit.

Brexit has brought a lot of like minded people together on social mediA.

Some of who I actually regard as friends, even although I will never meet them.

Tim Berners-Lee created a means for like minded people to communicate without ever actually meeting..

Show threadLiz NeedhamNov 28, 2022

@ComradePangloss @TheBossRoss

Uninteresting fact of the day - Tim B-L's brother is one of my constituents!

Show threadComrade Pangloss πŸ«–πŸ₯ƒNov 28, 2022

@lizneedhamSTAR @TheBossRoss Wow. Well done you ..

I reckon they have to live somewhere lol.

They are an interesting family, their mum and dad were mathematicians.

It figures he would live in a Lib Dem area lol ..

Show threadComrade Pangloss πŸ«–πŸ₯ƒNov 28, 2022

@lizneedhamSTAR @TheBossRoss As an addendum. I read your profile.

I loved your 'woke as a woke thing'

Show threadLiz NeedhamNov 28, 2022
@ComradePangloss @TheBossRoss Thank you!
Show threadLiz NeedhamNov 28, 2022

@ComradePangloss @TheBossRoss

He is a big supporter of asylum seekers and refugees which ties in with the charity that I chair, St Albans for Refugees.

Show threadComrade Pangloss πŸ«–πŸ₯ƒNov 28, 2022

@lizneedhamSTAR @TheBossRoss it gives me a nice feeling when facets of English life emerge that are not to do with nostalgia driven exceptionalism.

You are indeed as woke as a woke thing.

Show threadLiz NeedhamNov 28, 2022
@ComradePangloss @TheBossRoss Just FYI, I'm Irish! 🀣
Show threadComrade Pangloss πŸ«–πŸ₯ƒNov 28, 2022

@lizneedhamSTAR @TheBossRoss like me you are a facet of Englishness. okay we are the superior race being Woke celts..lol

Of course St Albans need Lizzie Needham rockin in the Dail for us..

note： Lizzie is needed to fit in with the tune

https://youtu.be/EYg2IX0OdY0

Michael D rockin' in the DΓ‘il - Saw Doctors

YouTube
Show threadComrade Pangloss πŸ«–πŸ₯ƒNov 28, 2022

@lizneedhamSTAR @TheBossRoss And of course you realise Barak Obama is Irish

https://youtu.be/DerVmiZeUDw

Corrigan Brothers - There's No One As Irish As Barack Obama

YouTube
Show threadLiz NeedhamNov 28, 2022
@ComradePangloss @TheBossRoss Absolutely! The purest of Irish men!
Show threadLiz NeedhamNov 29, 2022
@ComradePangloss @TheBossRoss You're lucky that you gave me an explanation because I would mostly thump anyone who called me Lizzie!
Show threadComrade Pangloss πŸ«–πŸ₯ƒNov 29, 2022
@lizneedhamSTAR @TheBossRoss I figured that lol.
Show threadAndrew ChadwickNov 26, 2022
@TheBossRoss It seems forward to 'like' an introduction. But thanks! This is a great improvement on the anonymity, brevity and hence polarisation of the 'other place'!
Show threadTheBossRossNov 26, 2022
@chadatom I find you can (must?) make every place your own. On Twitter, I learned what's important to me on social media: respect & decency. Then I learned you can make that happen. I ruthlessly blocked every divisive & disrespectful account - that's not debate. I didn't amplify strong language, you can make your point without. Ultimately, it created a safe space for all. So for me, it never was a toxic place. It was a place of friends. And I hope I can find a space to continue this elsewhere.
Show threadVicmeldrewNov 27, 2022

@TheBossRoss Great to see you on here.

Words of the day and your observation and.comments are most welcome. Nice to see you have built a healthy following already.

Show threadTheBossRossNov 27, 2022

@Vicmeldrew Good morning, Paul, lovely to connect! πŸ€—

Like on Twitter, I didn't do much, people are just kind & good enough to find me.

Show threadVicmeldrewNov 27, 2022
@TheBossRoss Good morning to you πŸ‘πŸ˜„ The question of content warnings is a strange one. For example images of nature. Now the poster may think 'its only', well yes it is, but when users have to shuffle down so many it can be a little frustrating however beautiful they are. I'm of an opinion that you do or you don't. I think they can be positive in that the people who do open and look will be the people who are actually interested in that subject so more chance of an interaction.πŸ‘
Show threadTheBossRossNov 27, 2022
@Vicmeldrew The idea to hide posts on social media because others might not be interested seems somewhat absurd to me, and contrary to its idea. By that logic, we'd have to hide every message as there will always be someone not particularly interested. So while I appreciate your balanced argument, I personally prefer CW to be reserved for likely upsetting / drastic content, as defined by my sysadmin. Over on Twitter, I believe I've been able to always maintain a civil, respectful & decent tone.
Show threadthe roamerNov 27, 2022

@TheBossRoss @Vicmeldrew

I see CWs as a useful structuring device that helps the reader decide whether they want to go further.

For those interested in the topic, the CW serves as an invitation to read on, a teaser. For those who find certain topics troubling, the CW help avoid these items. This can be done elegantly and with humour, it need not be a pedantic classification exercise.

More like an extended subhead in a newspaper article. I find 30-50 characters works well.

Show threadJanet MacKenzieNov 28, 2022
@the_roamer @TheBossRoss @Vicmeldrew So many excellent points here, thank you all so much. I must admit, as an ignorant newcomer it initially never occurred to me to apply CWs to everyday, widely discussed topics such as politics, but I'm starting to appreciate how they - ideally together with succinct and meaningful headers - can save time and space, separate subject areas within a single account and help to maintain the refreshingly civil tone here. 😊
Show threadthe roamerNov 28, 2022

@Janmakarta @TheBossRoss @Vicmeldrew

In my 3 weeks on mastodon I have learnt so much about communication and how a bunch of simple conventions combine into an effective culture of civility.

In isolation, each convention may seem odd, but in combination they bring about a different attitude. We can of course be civilised without these conventions, but they mark out the shared effort.

I recognise Bettina's arguments against CWs and appreciate her case for spontaneity!

Show threadJanet MacKenzieNov 28, 2022
@the_roamer @TheBossRoss @Vicmeldrew It has really all been very positive and encouraging.
To be fair, I personally have had very few problems with the Other Place/Birdsite (another little convention I quickly learned) but then I always apply Bettina's Golden Rule to my tweets: "Would Bettina say it like that?" If the answer is No, it gets red-pencilled and the uncivilised bits re-written. ☝️ πŸ˜‰ 😊
Show threadSmileyRach3 πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊπŸŸπŸ»Nov 28, 2022
@TheBossRoss @Vicmeldrew GREAT to see you Paul. You are a bonus on here πŸ’šπŸ‘πŸ‘
Show threadVicmeldrewNov 28, 2022
@smileyrach3 @TheBossRoss Thank you so much that's very nice of you to say.
Show threadSmileyRach3 πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊπŸŸπŸ»Nov 28, 2022
@Vicmeldrew @TheBossRoss@mas. @Vicmeldrew @TheBossRoss Don’t think we said it enough on the bird. Different feeling about here. Kinder and gentler. Enjoy Paul πŸ’š
Show threadG. KnowlesNov 29, 2022
@TheBossRoss thank you ❀️ you are now less of an enigma to me, but I now know why you are so well informed on so many things!