Good News Thursday

We had a lovely night out last night, marred only by a major bitching session about some people we all have in common (I hesitate to use the word “friends” in this context) On the way home Mr BB remarked how easy it was to get caught up and focused on, the negative in life. Instead of chatting about the many great things we all have happening in our lives right now, we all focused on the things that annoyed us.

I maintain that a satisfying bitch can be a great thing, and a joy to the soul; it relieves the blood pressure and frankly the knowledge that I can let rip later is the only thing that allows me to be in company with some people. But he had a point - it is too easy to get caught up in the negative.

So I hereby declare today Good News Thursday; and I’m off in search of good news, heartwarming tales of life and love, and failing that anything that makes me laugh like a drain.

Early forays have yielded, in no particular order, Rejected Newborn Red Panda Adopted by Cat ; Beagle Returns to Family ; Classroom Proposal of Marriage ; Golf Club ends 113 year ban on socks and this

Remote Tribe Takes On Mining Giant which would be brilliant if they succeeded.

Not exactly over whelmed byt the happy news out there but still, worth spending the time; sometimes choosing to be happy is what’s important.

Word of warning though…googling “good news” brings up a lot of religious freakery so be wary where you click

Why Kevin Myers is no longer a journalist

Not that Mr Myers ever was much of one; but this latest article from him “Africa is giving nothing to anyone - apart from AIDS” has put the last nail in the clichéd coffin of his ramblings.

A long time ago (using the word Knackers as he went) this cynical excuse for a writer copped to a very simple rule of Lowest Common Denominator journalism; if you can court outrage, you can sell copy. Since then Our Kev has merrily prattled away in his little corner of the press world, and when he feels either his crown as “Mr. Controversial” or his readership slipping away from him he produces a column of such breath taking bigotry that A) he gets publicity and B) because he goes so far out, so often, he is less likely to be fired than a less “controversial” colleague.

But in his latest article  he scrapes bottom with comments about dying children, children left to die in the wake of both Western colonialism (past) and Western Commercial Imperialism (present) I’ve read few sentences that are as simply offensive and as deeply ignorant as this example:  The wide-eyed boy-child we saved, 20 years or so ago, is now a priapic, Kalashnikov-bearing hearty, siring children whenever the whim takes him. With every sentence Myers displays (quite proudly) his absolute lack of knowledge of Africa, the history of the continent or the various nations thereon, the cause of economic and financial instabilities and the causes of interracial, international and tribal unrest. And he overlooks both Africa’s historic contribution to mankind and it’s huge potential to contribute.

And most offensive of all, he does this not because he believes this rubbish; but because it gives him scope to puff up his own vanity. Just as he hurt and belittled thousands of women and their children by raging against “bastards” a few years ago, he now hurts, belittles and endangers both innocents in Africa and here in Ireland, our friends and colleagues and neighbours. If he could genuinely say this was a considered opinion I would in turn consider him an ill-informed idiot but at least he wouldn’t be both a bigot and a hypocrite.

Don’t be fooled by his bleating that this is a debate we need to have. The debate we need to have is the one John O’Shea from GOAL has been trying to start; we don’t need this kind of drivel crowding out the real issues.

I’d ask why a once great newspaper allows Myers to shoot his mouth off within its pages but sadly the answer must be, it sells newspapers. Publicity hounds like Myers provide an occasional transfusion of interest to newspapers in an over-serviced media market. But hey! Why not? Who cares if he feeds the bigotry and racism of the small minded, or deeply offends or cruelly hurts - as long as it sells.

Well this is one subscription they’ve lost. I won’t be buying any more of Myers’ painful trumpeting. It’s just a pity that they’ll be accepted by the unreflecting as corroboration of their own, dark fears.

Three Sisters, Checkov at the Abbey

Wednesday night I went to the Abbey for the first time in years; the theatre itself looks good and is still o dramne the best venues in Dublin. For no better reason than it was on, and the alternative was Riverdance at the gaiety we choose to see Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov - in a version by Brian Friel. The latter part of the poster is what decided me; I expect anything Mr Friel touches to be at least worth the look.

Three Sisters certainly is worth the look, but it’s a flawed offering. Firstly in fairness to the cast they are by and large very good. The sisters - Derbhla Crotty, Justine Mitchell and Emily Taaffe were good, especially Masha (Derbhla Crotty) and Olga (Justine Mitchell). Irina (Emily Taaffe) was a little overshadowed by them. “Masha” provided some of the only real moments of honest emotion especially in her final scene with her erstwhile lover (Lorcan Cranitch) while the actress playing Olga excelled. The best scene of the play was between her and “Natasha” (Fiona Bell)arguing over Nanny’s (Stella McCluskey) fate.

Lorcan Cranitch also excelled, and Brian Doherty deserves special mention. But by and large the cast were good. The problem lay elsewhere.

Chekhov is often described as a master wordsmith whose beautiful language delineates the sufferings of life. The theme of the play, the stifling year by year of the spirit and ambitions of three young women is filled with pathos and pain. It’s hardly a cheery offering and Friel’s version should be praised for getting some genuine humour from the original. But the pain and suffering was lost in the translation.

Modern audiences find it hard to sympathize with the inertia of the three women and their lack of choice needs to be rooted in some sense of the historical or alternatively, universalized into something that transcends time and place. The language was modernized but the bridge between modern sensibilities and modern relevance was never completed. Nothing in this version conveys sufficiently the fact that the women are trapped. I wondered half way through if, having tampered with the language the production shouldn’t have gone the whole hog and made the entire play relevant to Ireland. Or found some way to awaken our sympathies by modern or local references.

In the end, we just don’t get why they need to toil, toil, and stay where they are. I’m familiar with social history of women and the lack of choices that were obvious to me eluded several of my companions. I ended up explaining the context in the pub later. The last five minutes lacked the emotional punch one could have expected. From the Baron’s death to the sisters’ last declaration seemed almost farcical - the last lines lacked conviction. I know they are constrained by the original play but if you feel free to tamper with the earlier language maybe don’t stop now.

Go see it it’s relatively good and the acting is above par. But don;t blame me if like the elderly gentleman in the row in front of us, you let loose an involuntary snort of derision during the final moments or leave feeling as though you would have bought the girls a ticket to Moscow yourself and been done with it! Tantalisingly close but no proverbial.

Open Season on Learner Drivers ?

The bleating and moaning have already started; those of my acquaintance who are still driving on provisional licences are bewailing the advent next Tuesday of the stricter laws and the crackdown on offenders.
Of course it seems to escape their notice that it has always been illegal to drive on your first or third Provisional licences and that the second provisional licensees were given an extension and lots of warning about the new law. So why are they up in arms?

There is a condition prevalent on Irish roads that contributes more to the spiraling death rate than drink driving or speeding, though it is the cause of both of those breaches of the law as well as many others. It’s the underlying cause, the malaise that enables idiots to get behind the wheel of a car tanked up on beer or lane hop on the dual carriageway in white knuckle rides of aggression. It enables silly people to chatter vacantly on their mobiles or apply hair-and-makeup while driving with their knees. It fuels the sloppy, angry, careless, childish driving on our roads and it kills.

It’s the “But I’m Special…” syndrome.

Speed laws? They don’t really apply because Mr. Special is late for a meeting or has a big fast car or needs to be somewhere, like, yesterday! Drink Driving? well obviously it’s bad - like, technically - but he actually drives better with a few pints in him, he knows the road, it’s not like anyone else driving drunk cos, like, he’s special. Mobile phones? Well, come on, Mrs. Special needs hers, it’s not like everyone else out there. She needs to make sure Daphne and Tarquin are on schedule for their baby tennis course and how can she do that without the phone? What, miss her hair appointment? don’t be stupid, she’s Mrs. Special. And Ms. Special agrees - she has to phone work three times an hour while driving cos like, she’s terribly important and well - special.

The law applies to everyone else. Learner driver who hasn’t sat a test? Driving without a license? It’s not like all those other idiots doing it - everyone you speak to has a reason why they’re in a completely different situation and shouldn’t be held accountable. There’s too long a wait for tests (actually if you’d applied after the extension to second provisionals was granted even in Dublin you’d have sat a test by now). They failed cos the examiner was unfair (news flash! they’ve always been unfair - we all managed to get past it.) They “have” to use their car (as opposed to every other effer in the country who needs to get to work or drop the kids off?)

The bottom line is, the free ride is over. Get the L plates off the road. Stop half assed drivers causing mayhem in rush hour traffic and most of all, get them off the damn motorways. It’s illegal and always has been to drive on the motorway with a provisional licence, any provisional, including a second one. Spare the rest of us from boy racers in Daddy’s car tearing up the roads late at night and on Sunday afternoons.

When the new laws were first mooted outraged learner drivers rang into Joe Duffy and other pundits with their tales of woe; and were highly offended when qualified drivers suggested that as learners they were not fit to be on the roads. But if they are unable to pass their driving test, that’s exactly what they are, unfit. So when they strap in their children, whom one presumes they love, an unfit, unqualified driver will be taking the lives of their children in their hands. When they drive on our roads, they take our lives and our children’s lives in their hands. That’s the harsh reality, guys, they are not fit to drive and not qualified to do so. And until they pass a test that will remain the reality.

Get them off the roads. Then maybe we could turn our attention to all the other “special” drivers out there. Consider it a warning shot across their bows.

Woman starves her child, escapes jail.

The headline of tonight’s national edition of the Evening Herald is not for the fainthearted; Mum left boy (5) to starve. Last September, according to news reports, a 25 year old woman let her 5 year old starve. The boy’s father has no interest in him and this woman was described as having ” a massive inability to cope.” However, the same reports say that the abuse began to come to light when the mother presented the child at a local health care clinic but failed to follow up with either doctor or hospital. So she could manage to go to the clinic - and presumably recognised that there was something wrong with the health of her unfortunate child.  Workers at the clinic described her as “laid back” about the state of her child.

Am I alone in wondering why no custodial sentence was passed?

She fell out with her parents, news reports say and was isolated. But she wasn’t starving herself was she? She managed to feed and clothe herself. So how come she couldn’t throw some food across to her son? What this translates to is wilful neglect - not inability to cope. I find it amazing that she escaped sentencing - I would love to know what exactly qualifies her for this leniency? I can understand the case of someone unable to mind even themselves, not being able to cope with their child; but if you can walk and talk and feed and dress your very own self then there is no excuse that I can fathom for starving your child. I cannot reconcile it with “inability to cope” - it smacks of resentment, hatred, abuse.

Her defence counsel Mr Sean Guerin is reported as highlighting “her inability to empathise with the child’s developmental or emotional needs.” Now there’s a difference to my mind between inability to empathise with developmental needs and not feeding your child. She fed herself. Why didn;t she make the simple gesture of passing food to her child?

As an aside I also wonder what sentence a man would have received? Not long enough, certainly but I find it hard to believe a father foudn guility of the same neglect would have entirely escaped jail!

 

 

When Rape is a Weapon

In todays blog Nick has highlighted the decision of the UN Security Council to classify rape as a weapon of war.

In many conflicts mass rape is used by military and paramilitary groups as a weapon - in some cultures the fact of rape literally “ruins” a woman or girl, and she will be held responsible for the assault. Some religions preach that virgins have automatic access to heaven and that sex outside marriage invalidates a woman’s right to enter heaven regardless of whether the sex is consensual or rape. In all cases, regardless of the response of her community to the assault, the victim suffers immense physical and psychological harm.

World governments have treated it as a petty issue, largely ignoring the phenomenon and adding greatly to the perception of it as a woman’s shame, rather than an act of aggression and war perpetrated on a civilian population. A war crime in fact. In European conflicts, such as Bosnia, or in the Lebanon, or in Liberia and across Africa, the same evil is visited on innocent women and children with very little hope of justice or redress for the victim.

The UN security council’s decision is an important one and a first step on the road to dealing efectively with this situation. the BBc reports that “UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said violence against women had reached “unspeakable proportions” in some societies recovering from conflict.” Inquiries will now be made into the extent of the problem and ways of preventing or dealing with it.

The US senate will also consider the problemand hopefully be influenced by the unanimous decision of the Un.

 

Many thanks to Nick  and before him Nicole for flagging this issue!

 

 

Incredible Hulk!

Last night we went to the late showing of Incredible Hulk in Vue, Liffey Valley; one of those spur of the moment decisions that sometimes work out so well. I loved the old series, and Ang Lee’s awful hamfisted offering   upset me a lot. An awful lot. The story was clunky and the “hulk” was a cartoon that the 80s might have thought well executed.

But the new offering boasts America’s most underrated and accomplished actor, Edward Norton and that swayed me; plus I really wanted to enjoy the memory of Hulk again, not think of the last movie. I wanted something that treated the story with affection, nodded to the classic TV series, delivered top class action, had some heart to it and made me care about the monstrous green man.

The Incredible Hulk did all that and more with bells on. And then some. The story is well thought out, and well executed; there are moments of humour, intelligent reasoning and above all fun. The Incredible Hulk should be fun, I feel. Liv Tyler as Betty Ross was beautiful if a little underutilised, but she brought grit and pathos to the one dimensional “lost love/faithful girlfriend” role. Edward Norton was both convincing as Banner and brought a nicely vulnerable touch to the role - pushed, pursued, betrayed, worn out. Lou Ferrigno, the original Hulk, appeared in a great little cameo as did Stan Lee himself. Lou also voices the Hulk.

But the real star is the Hulk, monstrous, ragefilled but somehow childlike and lost. Initially only Banner’s love for Betty seems to have survived the transformation but the Hulk has feelings, and fears and pain and that’s what makes Incredible Hulk a great Superhero movie.

Oh that and the fight scenes..lots of great set pieces, amazing effects, noise and bangs and explosions and a true villainous pairing in William Hurt (General Ross) and Tim Roth (EmilBlonsky). Great fun, a movie that doesn’t bother with labourious back story but rightly assumes the audience will be able to work it out as they go; providing thrills and spills.

Those wanting commentary on the dark nature of mankind might be disappointed. This is a fun, summer movie, not a treatise on the dark night of the soul.

 Those wanting to reclaim and enjoy the Hulk, with a nod to those themes and a good heart to the story, will be delighted.

Discord in Cork

Parents object to school of music cuts - so less than one year after the €62m school building - yes you read that right, 62 million euro - was opened, plans are afoot to cut 2,000 teaching hours for budgetary reasons, which will have the inevitable knock-on effect of lower enrollments in September.

Now, I don’t think that Cork should have got a €62 million building in the first place, it’s a ridiculous folly. When many primary and secondary school children take their essential, mainstream lessons in prefabs, and unheated hovels across our nation, this was unwarranted in my opinion. Certainly the wisdom of doing so in a provincial city was questionable. But build it they did, and no one can deny the interest and involvement in music in Cork - indeed all around the country especially from younger students (who incidentally make up nearly half of the Cork School’s student body.)

Having built the damn thing, surely it would be more sensible, less idiotic, to actually utilisethe building? Cutting 2000 teaching hours seems a surreal action given that so much money was thrown at the project in the first place! Who was the bright spark who approved it when in less than a year they cannot maintain it? There are some questions here that need to be answered, and hopefully parents will get at least some satisfaction from tonight’s public meeting - they deserve our support in ensuring that this flagship building is not allowed to become the white elephant of the Cork Institute of Technology.

If money was found to build, money should be found to pay teachers to teach in it.

Food, Drink and Doldrums…

The Clearblue monitor finally came through for us and showed a lovely “high fertility” signal and that while i was laid out with an allergic reaction and Mr BB was sick; so we’re sort of hoping if we ever get ourselves fit and healthy there’ll be stopping us at all. To that end I made all sort of resolutions last week about weight, the loss of and food, the non consumption of. Then we had a dinner party, a BBQ, a Bloomsday lunch and now we’re out to dinner tonight (a belated Father’s Day gift.)

This is not good, folks. I was listening to Derren Brown  the other day as he illustrated the evils of negative thinking; so I started saying “I will lose weight and be healthy” rather than “I’ll stop eating.” Sadly this has not impacted noticeably on my food intake. The pursuit of pregnancy has cut the alcohol consumption down to nil right now, which I would congratulate myself about if again, it seemed to make any noticeable difference on the figure!

So here’s the plan, we’re going to go back to walking in and out of work. We’re not ordering takeaway unless one or both of us in actual pain, and self inflcted pain doesn’t count. No more snacks and no more treats, unless they come disguised as humus and raw carrots. And if anyone sees me reaching for a packet of crisps, you have my permission to beat me.

OTOH - well, we’re off to Galway this weekend and it’s the summer solstice so obviously we’re starting on Monday!

Lisbon-bon

Oh it’s referendum time and apart from the horror of seeing our beloved politicians’ faces plastered across every lamp-post in the city there is the added joy of listening to the increasingly paranoiac  ”no” vote camp.
A few weeks ago i was utterly undecided but thanks to the wonders of newspapers, the Internet, the EU forum and other sources - take note, those who claim to be confused, if you actually get up and go research it you might be in danger of forming an opinion - I’ve come to two conclusions. The first is that the Lisbon treaty while a badly written and flawed document is not the work of Satan attempting to coerce us into enforced abortions, gay marriages for every singleton in Ireland and conscription into a new EU super army and the second is that the No vote campaign is sinister.

I hate seeing the Three Monkey posters for one simple reason - not a single tagline or credit to tell us who posted them. I can’t stand people who don’t have the courage of their convictions; if you care enough to urge a No vote, and litter my city with these posters have the common courtesy to tell me who you are!

I don’t like or trust “Libertas”: nor do I like their sophistry in replying to direct enquiries regarding their finding of the No vote. Simply say you support it - don’ t try to wriggle out of it with verbal gymnastics worthy of Sinn “we’re only the political wing of the IRA” Fein. Though considering their bed fellows in the “no” vote is Sinn Fein maybe they’ve been taking lessons? At any rate once again, have the common courtesy to tell me who you are and what your agenda is if you want my vote!

And I dislike the scaremongering. Rule of thumb in political issues - if they resort to lies and scaremongering, not to mention deliberate misinformation they are morally and politically bankrupt. The other morning I listened to a woman who sounded normal right up to the point where she insisted the Lisbon Treaty would definitely and undeniably bring Gay marriage to Ireland. She said this with complete confidence not only in her idiocy but in the reaction of the audience, that this would inspire horror sufficient to justify a “no” vote. And what is even more depressing is that noone, including the presenter challenged her either on the source of her information or her assumption that Gay marriage would be a Bad Thing. Same with half a dozen other boogeyman issues touted by the No campaign.

So a few weeks ago i had a Vote up for grabs and today it belongs to the Yes campaign. Because I won’t be bullied, and certainly not by a bunch of faceless, bigoted cowards.