Deprivations - and yet I was Promised things - Too Many People Have Been Promised as Well...

On the morning of Friday 6th Oct. I impulsively went to the Mega Speaker Manchester , sat with 50+ people and found I became deeply suspicious.

First of all there was an introductory talk/speech by a Reggie Batts.

No criticism of him.  He was very good and informative.  One of the things he was talking about was how important having a brand is.  And that it can take years to develop but seconds to destroy.

I have brands according to my work areas.

For my pro--Diversity and anti-hate crime campaigns I use the Eye image below which the Greater Manchester Police have supported.

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This above giant art piece (called ERI) is connected with my pro-environmental artwork and the image associated with that.

Here is my art piece 'Orca', which has been my brand image for my creative work.

It has been used not only to display at my art exhibitions but also as an image for children (and young adults) to colour.

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These images all are visual summaries of different aspects of my creativity. 

Now I got diverted from my talking about Mega Speaker Manchester.  (I do that!)  So back on track.

After the good talk by Reggie Batts, he introduced us to another speaker who was talking mainly about business issues.

You noticed there?  I don't remember his name.  In fact, unlike Reggie Batts, he didn't put his name on a PowerPoint statement immediately behind him,

I wasn't bothered to find out his name.  I wasn't bothered to actually listen to what he was talking about.

So I was quite glad when he finished his presentation.

Then it got even stranger.  Reggie Batts then introduced a video playing on the screen of Mr J T Foxx.

It was images of him posing various celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger and an image of this Boeing 747 (I think it was a 747) with the words Mega Enterprises along its side. 

And then Reggie Batts proclaimed Mega Manchester was being visited by J T Foxx.

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Everyone stood up.  I was a little bit puzzled by this.  After all I've never heard of J T Foxx before.  So why should I be impressed?  And why these other people in the audience stand up and applaud him?  In actual fact I think the audience had 'plants' - people who posed as members of the audience who then stood up and applauded to trigger other members of the audience to stand up as well and applaud.  Well, eventually I did stand up but God knows I didn't applaud (largely because I was using my walking stick).

So he started his presentation and I realised not only was he American, he was presenting as though we were American as well.  He showed pictures on the PowerPoint screen of various American celebrities he's allegedly interacted with.  

But you know, he showed NOTHING about British people. 

Nothing about meeting British celebrities.  (If he'd met the Queen I'd have been very impressed and I'm not a Royalist - although I do respect her grandsons who've done a lot of good things.)

J T Foxx was expecting we would be blown over by his American show biz.  Well, seemingly some were but I was getting suspicious and bored.  Let's face it, I do get fed up of someone saying how good they are again again plus meeting celebrities again and again.  Especially if the presenter isn't actually that good.

Now I will express I respect Foxx's success and obviously his American standpoint has been very effective in USA.

But when his talk was getting close to lunchtime he should've been winding down for the break but he just kept going on, even more intensely.   Was he thinking people would agree to anything because they wanted lunch?

Well, I was able to get online with my computer there and checked him while he was talking.

Effectively it's alleging  he's a scam merchant.

That uncertainty about being a scam merchant was enough to make me go away even though one of the positive things Batts and Foxx were more or less saying is 'think global act local'.  Now that's a good standpoint but J T Foxx wasn't showing that in his presentation.  I think it's just a regurgitation of a routine he's done so many times.

You have been warned.  And so has he.

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So how does this lot connect with my work?

Well, I'm not going to suggest J T Foxx is the Devil.

But I am expressing most of the events in my novel are in the present-day USA with others in the mid 1800s and mid 1900s USA. 

I'm not American but I made sure my descriptions in my writing about America were accurate.  As well of course of being readable and exciting.

That is more effort and respect than J T Foxx seemed to show in his presentation to British people in Manchester, UK.

 This lacking of respect and understanding is shown in other recent problems around the world. 

Look at events in the UK -  think about WHY Theresa May called a General Election last year but also about how the Tories in the Conservative Conference were whispering about replacing May as their leader MORE than the benefits for the country.

Now I'm not expressing support more for any other party because I don't really trust any of them!

 This lacking of respect and understanding is shown with various worldwide problems notably the hurricanes and the terror expressed in Rohingya.

I know many people around the world feel powerless about these problems. 

Just do good things near you.

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