Two movies in 2 days - but oh so different! Gran Torino is a really good movie, political incorrectness yes, but ultimately it has a good heart. Clint Eastwood's best ever performance/direction? Maybe?
Revolutionary Road - superb performances from all! Di Caprio & Winslet - amazing(of course), but every single character shone , the neighbours, the office chums, Mr Pollack, Michael Shannon as the Giving's mentally unstable son... brilliant!
But it was so sad, so so dark, depressing! I did something I never did before - I left the cinema before the movie ended. When Mrs Wheeler ran out of the house and into the woods I contemplated leaving except I was sitting in a middle seat and didn't want to trample over everybody on the way out, but when she started to abort her baby I couldn't take anymore and left the Cinema(in tears). Don't know what the ending was? Maybe I will read Richard Yate's novel on which the movie was based! Maybe I shouldn't?
Still, it shows the amazing power of cinema. Now lets see, para manana - what else is showing in Cineworld in Parnell Street? Hotel For Dogs, The Pink Panther, Confessions Of A Shopaholic... ouch...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
politicians presidents and royalty
While waiting at the traffic lights today for the lights to change to green I heard loud sirens and saw flashing blue lights approaching from behind. Almost immediately a Garda motorcyclist came speeding towards the junction and gestured to myself and others waiting at the lights to move over. He looked agitated and angry when some cars couldn't move over quick enough and he shouted and roared at them. So we all assumed it was an emergency, something really serious - maybe he was making way for an ambulance or fire brigade to speed through?
But "rambo" cop was not. His motorcyclist colleague also arrived at high speed just then and blocked the traffic coming from the other direction. Then a Garda car sped through the red lights, followed by - a LIMOUSINE!
That's what I hate about this little corrupt bankrupt banana republic. These people, be they politicians, presidents, kings or queens, think they are better that the rest of us mortals. I think it's an abuse of power! I firmly believe they should sit in gridlocked traffic like the rest of us - and maybe then they would sort things out.
THE PROBLEM WITH THESE PEOPLE IS THAT THEY DON'T LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD.
So I turned to face the Limousine with those VERY important people in it and gave them a "one finger salute".
I still remember the words of a poem I learned at school, "Sceptre and crown must tumble down and in the dust be equal made, with the poor crooked scythe and spade."
But "rambo" cop was not. His motorcyclist colleague also arrived at high speed just then and blocked the traffic coming from the other direction. Then a Garda car sped through the red lights, followed by - a LIMOUSINE!
That's what I hate about this little corrupt bankrupt banana republic. These people, be they politicians, presidents, kings or queens, think they are better that the rest of us mortals. I think it's an abuse of power! I firmly believe they should sit in gridlocked traffic like the rest of us - and maybe then they would sort things out.
THE PROBLEM WITH THESE PEOPLE IS THAT THEY DON'T LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD.
So I turned to face the Limousine with those VERY important people in it and gave them a "one finger salute".
I still remember the words of a poem I learned at school, "Sceptre and crown must tumble down and in the dust be equal made, with the poor crooked scythe and spade."
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Noel O'Flynn, TD and Ned O'Keefe, TD
Driving back to BÁC from the country late tonight I happened on a repeat of the morning's Eamon Keane show on Newstalk 106-108 and was disgusted to hear a Fianna Fáil TD from Cork ranting and raving about restricting immigration into Ireland because of the current economic climate (ironically a lot of our present woes were caused by Fianna Fáil's disastrous policies in government).
Noel O'Flynn, TD was echoeing similar calls made by fellow Cork TD, Ned O'Keefe. These two idiots are only looking for attention, they obviously have nothing better to do with their time and are trying to stir up resentment towards our immigrant workers by playing to the lowest common denominator. It is gutter politics. O'Flynn claimed that we have plenty of Irish and EU workers who need jobs and more or less told our immigrants to go back to where they came from, that we don't want them anymore. These are the people who toiled and sweated to make the Celtic Tiger years the great years that the were! They were often exploited and worked for low wages in jobs that Irish people turned up their noses at. They are the unsung heroes of the boom years. Amadán O'Flynn mentioned the nurses from the Philippines in particular. The Philippine health workers actually deserve special praise for the fantastic contribution they have made to our Hospitals and Nursing Homes - in fact if our President was any good she would be bestowing honours on them.
Newstalk also had Denise Charlton, a representative from the Immigrant Council of Ireland on the programme and she calmly and articulately demolished O'Flynns arguments. When he realized that he was beginning to look a little stupid he started behaving like a spoiled brat and interrupting the other speaker. One texter to the programme suggested that Newstalk get "that man from the National Front off the radio" and I couldn't agree more. Before he departed he had the temerity to tell another texter to have some "cop on" - talk about the kettle calling the pot black!
Our Immigrants (along with Polish, Latvians and others) have made a massive contribution to this country and I am sure the vast majority of decent people want them to stay to help get our country moving again. I am also sure that O'Flynn and O'Keefe are in a very small minority and I wish they would take a long holiday somewhere - like Kazakhstan.. or Outer Mongolia.
I also wish Newstalk would stop stooping so low. If this is the sort of journalism they wish to promote they will be losing a lot of listeners I suspect.
Noel O'Flynn, TD was echoeing similar calls made by fellow Cork TD, Ned O'Keefe. These two idiots are only looking for attention, they obviously have nothing better to do with their time and are trying to stir up resentment towards our immigrant workers by playing to the lowest common denominator. It is gutter politics. O'Flynn claimed that we have plenty of Irish and EU workers who need jobs and more or less told our immigrants to go back to where they came from, that we don't want them anymore. These are the people who toiled and sweated to make the Celtic Tiger years the great years that the were! They were often exploited and worked for low wages in jobs that Irish people turned up their noses at. They are the unsung heroes of the boom years. Amadán O'Flynn mentioned the nurses from the Philippines in particular. The Philippine health workers actually deserve special praise for the fantastic contribution they have made to our Hospitals and Nursing Homes - in fact if our President was any good she would be bestowing honours on them.
Newstalk also had Denise Charlton, a representative from the Immigrant Council of Ireland on the programme and she calmly and articulately demolished O'Flynns arguments. When he realized that he was beginning to look a little stupid he started behaving like a spoiled brat and interrupting the other speaker. One texter to the programme suggested that Newstalk get "that man from the National Front off the radio" and I couldn't agree more. Before he departed he had the temerity to tell another texter to have some "cop on" - talk about the kettle calling the pot black!
Our Immigrants (along with Polish, Latvians and others) have made a massive contribution to this country and I am sure the vast majority of decent people want them to stay to help get our country moving again. I am also sure that O'Flynn and O'Keefe are in a very small minority and I wish they would take a long holiday somewhere - like Kazakhstan.. or Outer Mongolia.
I also wish Newstalk would stop stooping so low. If this is the sort of journalism they wish to promote they will be losing a lot of listeners I suspect.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Leonard Peltier
While spring-cleaning today I came across an article that I had cut out of "Daily Ireland"(sadly now no more) dated May 10 2005. It told the story of Native American Indian Leonard Peltier who was accused and convicted of murder in 1976. Most people believe that he did not get a fair trial and that he was in fact framed for political reasons. There followed a huge International campaign for his release and I remember signing a petition back in 2005.
I was curious to know if he had been freed so I Googled Leonard Peltier and was shocked and horrified to find out that he was still a prisoner in USP Canaan, Pennsylvania. The Daily Ireland article stated that he was nearly 30 years in prison - it is now 33 years, and he was recently moved to a different jail where he was assaulted. This is a cruel and inhumane incarceration of an innocent man and the sooner he is released the sooner America can start earning some respect in the world again. Hopefully Obama will do something as soon as possible to set this man free.
Visit his official website at - www.leonardpeltier.org and also his Wikipedia entry.
Write to this innocent man in jail. Write to Obama. Write to the American Ambassador. Write to Ted Kennedy and other American politicians. Don't waste a stamp writing to our Ministers Dermot Ahern or Mícheal Martin because they are useless.
Do everything you can help Leonard Peltier and tell more people about him.
I was curious to know if he had been freed so I Googled Leonard Peltier and was shocked and horrified to find out that he was still a prisoner in USP Canaan, Pennsylvania. The Daily Ireland article stated that he was nearly 30 years in prison - it is now 33 years, and he was recently moved to a different jail where he was assaulted. This is a cruel and inhumane incarceration of an innocent man and the sooner he is released the sooner America can start earning some respect in the world again. Hopefully Obama will do something as soon as possible to set this man free.
Visit his official website at - www.leonardpeltier.org and also his Wikipedia entry.
Write to this innocent man in jail. Write to Obama. Write to the American Ambassador. Write to Ted Kennedy and other American politicians. Don't waste a stamp writing to our Ministers Dermot Ahern or Mícheal Martin because they are useless.
Do everything you can help Leonard Peltier and tell more people about him.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Men at War
Went for a drink in a late bar in BÁC 7. Sipping my pint I noticed 3 barstaff, male, all glued to the TV - Setanta Sports...think it was called UFC (Ultimate Fight ...). It's a particularly vicious "sport", which involves boxing, wrestling and kicking. Opponents wear boxing gloves but are barefoot.
In the ring, 2 men, fighting... bigger man winning... smaller man trying to hang on...bleeding, blood everywhere... hand-prints of blood on the fighting ring floor. Bell goes at the end of a round and losing man is cleaned up and psyched up to go back out and fight again...
He doe's - and is battered into bloody submission!
Then I observe a woman waiting to get served at the Bar. She is looking at the TV, and her face says - "OMG". She looks horrified. There are 4 more customers, all male - glued to the TV, grinning... happy... enjoying... egging on the combatants...
Then it came to me - all the wars, all the suffering, guns, bombs, Gaza, etc.
It's just men!
In the ring, 2 men, fighting... bigger man winning... smaller man trying to hang on...bleeding, blood everywhere... hand-prints of blood on the fighting ring floor. Bell goes at the end of a round and losing man is cleaned up and psyched up to go back out and fight again...
He doe's - and is battered into bloody submission!
Then I observe a woman waiting to get served at the Bar. She is looking at the TV, and her face says - "OMG". She looks horrified. There are 4 more customers, all male - glued to the TV, grinning... happy... enjoying... egging on the combatants...
Then it came to me - all the wars, all the suffering, guns, bombs, Gaza, etc.
It's just men!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Financial Crisis - What Crisis?
It's January, it's wet, it's cold, it's stormy.... I'm GRUMPY
As the financial crisis deepens and the State's coffers empty there IS light at the end of the tunnel for our beleaguered Government!
Because they literally have a license to print money.
Here's how it works.
I recently got a letter from the Garda Traffic Corps telling me that I had broken the speed limit in my car and that I had to pay a fine of €80 (along with penalty points on my driving license). The offence took place on the dual carriage, 3 and 4 lane Dublin Airport road, at the lead-in to the M1 motorway - which has a speed limit of 120 kph. Only this stretch of 3 and 4 lane dual road has a speed limit of 80kph. So a lot of people THINK they are on the start of the Motorway and after leaving the frustrating gridlock of the city behind at Whitehall "put the boot down". OK, it IS signposted as 80kph, but nonetheless a lot of people are caught out. How many?
500 PER DAY TO BE EXACT.
I know this because I met a man who knows one of the Gardai who operates a speed camera on this road. This Garda goes to the airport road every day, sits in an unmarked car with his camera and stays there long enough to "capture" 500 cars. (It's also known as "shooting fish in a barrel"). I estimate that he catches 10 cars every minute at a busy time of day, so therefore in less than an hour he will reach his target. It's as easy as taking candy from a child.
Do the maths.
That's €40,000 per day. Let's give our hard-working, crime-fighting, Police officer a day off every week. In 6 days he will still rake in €240,000 - that a quarter of a million to you or me, give or take a few coins. In a month it's a cool €1 Million. Multiply this scenario by ten... by twenty cameras and you can see that it's a nice little earner.
OK, so where does this money go? Road improvements, road safety, crime prevention? Don't be silly. It goes into the Governments coffers to help balance the books because our leaders have blown our wealth and we are officially skint.
Our Gardai are therefore being used to collect taxes for the State, instead of fighting real crime which is what they are supposed to be doing. But maybe tax collection is more important that 2 men being executed in a car in Summerhill?
P.S. In England I am told that the Police position a "dummy" Police car on busy roads to frighten people into slowing down. This is also known as road safety!
As the financial crisis deepens and the State's coffers empty there IS light at the end of the tunnel for our beleaguered Government!
Because they literally have a license to print money.
Here's how it works.
I recently got a letter from the Garda Traffic Corps telling me that I had broken the speed limit in my car and that I had to pay a fine of €80 (along with penalty points on my driving license). The offence took place on the dual carriage, 3 and 4 lane Dublin Airport road, at the lead-in to the M1 motorway - which has a speed limit of 120 kph. Only this stretch of 3 and 4 lane dual road has a speed limit of 80kph. So a lot of people THINK they are on the start of the Motorway and after leaving the frustrating gridlock of the city behind at Whitehall "put the boot down". OK, it IS signposted as 80kph, but nonetheless a lot of people are caught out. How many?
500 PER DAY TO BE EXACT.
I know this because I met a man who knows one of the Gardai who operates a speed camera on this road. This Garda goes to the airport road every day, sits in an unmarked car with his camera and stays there long enough to "capture" 500 cars. (It's also known as "shooting fish in a barrel"). I estimate that he catches 10 cars every minute at a busy time of day, so therefore in less than an hour he will reach his target. It's as easy as taking candy from a child.
Do the maths.
That's €40,000 per day. Let's give our hard-working, crime-fighting, Police officer a day off every week. In 6 days he will still rake in €240,000 - that a quarter of a million to you or me, give or take a few coins. In a month it's a cool €1 Million. Multiply this scenario by ten... by twenty cameras and you can see that it's a nice little earner.
OK, so where does this money go? Road improvements, road safety, crime prevention? Don't be silly. It goes into the Governments coffers to help balance the books because our leaders have blown our wealth and we are officially skint.
Our Gardai are therefore being used to collect taxes for the State, instead of fighting real crime which is what they are supposed to be doing. But maybe tax collection is more important that 2 men being executed in a car in Summerhill?
P.S. In England I am told that the Police position a "dummy" Police car on busy roads to frighten people into slowing down. This is also known as road safety!
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