From the Balcony, A Publisher's Blog
I came across this interesting piece on Máirtín Ó Muilleoir's Blog
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place..
Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform
parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Common Sense (Part Two)
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Two Movies In Two Days
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...
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...
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.
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