A DEFINITE sign of the times...

Ok I am a bit of a lurker on the politcal parties websites, however I think this is a first for me. The main government party, Fianna Fáil has a translation service not in the first or second language of the country but rather in Polski. I don't speak Polish so I cannot vouch for its reliability but I am sure they have a well paid translator. However if I thought this was a fluke, I was slyly bemused to see a similar Polski translation service on the main opposition party, Fine Gael. However the Greens do not have one, nor the PDs( its ok nobody judges you).

However, the FF site does not allow for the whole site to be translated into Polski but rather specific stories related to the Polish card carrying FF members. Similarily the FG site does the same but also has provision for Lithuanian and Russian. Now initially I would have assumed this is to do with the Local and European Elections next year and incresing both parties vote in Europe by appealing to those EU nationals residing here. I still assume that is the case. However I am scared by Enda's pose in his Russian application form. Its proabably because I cannot read Russian and my language skills in general are quiet shite. However I am quiet impressed by both parties, in a little way for identifying these voters and bringing them into the loop of the Irish democratic system. Now if only we would open up our National elections to the same level of equity, we might have a truly representative democracy.

Why I love the Irish Times Letters Page

How I love the Irish Times Letter page, first thing in the morning. If I had my way, I would extend he letters page into at least two pages and scrap the Crossword, give sudoko another two games and add horoscopes, but thats just me being lazy and not wanting to have to go online and find my horoscope every day. Anyway in todays' Letters pages two delightful contributers are writing in about the Civil Marriage debate. Anybody who has been reading here, or knows me personally will be aware of my opinion on this issue [if it hasn't already been stuffed down your throats enough. :-) ]. I particularly enjoyed the first of these letters from Brian Connolly of Birmingham, MI, USA and his rebuttle of Prof. Casey's assertations regarding the raising of children is ideal in a family of one father and one mother...oh wait sorry I misquoted, a "married father and mother", god forbid we would include anybody outside the box. A stable caring family unit provides the best option for a child. It does not matter if they are gay or straight. A child eventually grows up to be an adult, and personally (yes I am biased, but i'll acknowledge that) I would much prefer to see families of all kinds recognized under Irish law but more importantly that these families be protected under Irish Law.

• Irish Times Letters Page
• MarriagEquality
• Real Families (UK)

Singing Kittens..!

How cool is this like! kittens who sing a song about you for you! , its deffo time to get offline and do some thesis work. You can make your own here

Update:

the embedded vers doesn't seem to work so the link for my vers is here. Click on the image to proceed.

Accessability

In an attempt to improve accessability to the site and also to open up the audience of the blog to as many people as possible, I have included the Altavista Babelfish translation service to the side so it can be viewed in 8 different languages-French, Porteugeuse, German, Spanish, Italian, Korean, Chinese and Japanese. I am working on finding software which will allow the text size to be increased for those who have trouble reading the text at the current font size. Also as of this afternoon, I have applied for Odigo.com to review the site and give me the code for reading out text within the posts. This I hope allow those of us who are lazy and want to listen to my posts to do so, but it will also allow persons who have visual issues a capability to have the post read out, within the site. ISL for vids is always hard to come by but I will find endeveour to use subtitles where possible. :-)

National Duvet Day

Rather Snazzy reports that this Friday, the 29th of February is National Duvet Day.......Sweet, now I can legitimately stay in bed all day on Friday and not feel one bit guilty! Also this Friday is the day that women traditionally propose to men, Also another great reason to stay in bed all day on Friday. ;-)

Was that you darling or did the Earth move again?

erm apparenlty, well theres no apparently in it, there was an Earthquake in the UK tonight measuring 4.7 on the Ricter Scale. Now before that Israeli MP gets all excited again, will somebody please tell him that no the gays did not cause the Earthquake this time, it was merely a glitch in the new time-machine that Britain is building with Norway in order to return the world to its original state, which they were getting help from Dr. Who who accidently dropped his sonic screwdriver and pressed it around the Hull area and well kinda set off the whole chain reaction.....

The Oireachtas now has an RSS feed

For those junkies of politics out there, the eDemocracy unit of Leinster House has started an RSS feed of the Agenda of the week within the houses of the Oireachtas. Now whilst it is still in its "experimental stages", it is great to see that I can now put the RSS feed for the agenda for the week in my Google Reader and view it, without having to go to the Oireachtas site-Yes I am that lazy but there are times when I forget to go and check, so at least this way I know I have no excuse considering it will be in my Google reader. You can subscribe to the RSS feed via here and they are looking for feedback from the public about expansion of the service.

Grief Tourism....

Photos

I took some photos on the way back up to Dublin yesterday and I was espicially intriqued that the rainbow image I took, well I could see both ends just over the other side of the fence......I couldn't stop tho to find the pot of gold, being on the motorway does not lend very well to hoping over a fence....

Eurosong 2008: That song.

As I write this, I am a little Irate so forgive the rant. I don't care right now but im going to rant anyway. The turkey won Eurosong 2008. He will represent the Republic of Ireland, and all of its 5m peoples in a Song Contest that I truly love and enjoy. He will be the sole representative of our country and our republic on a stage, that is beamed into the homes of some 5bn people worldwide as well as every European Union member state. To say I am very very pissed off, is a very major understatement. I am ashamed that song will be representing us in Europe. I do not care if it wins in Europe, which it will not as I stand here on this the 23rd February 2008, the fact is we are now sending a puppet to sing in a European wide songcontest which we have the distinction of being the seven time champion, annoys me very very much. I do not like the fact that we shall be a laughing stock of Europe.

The Eurovision has had the piss taken out of it for the last number of years and now it will continue to have it taken again. I was glad to see that I was not the only one embrassed by this win as there was members of the audience who booed and hissed when he was announced as winner. I cannot and will not support this entry into Eurovision 2008 in Belgrade. I shall be looking for a surrogate Eurovision entry to hide my burning shame of this entry. If anybody has any suggestions at this stage, leave a comment and we will investigate.

Rolling on a River..

I am in this kinda mood and I am not ashamed! So stand up and get those hands in motion...and we're rolling....

Eurosong 2008.

I may not get a chance to blog between now and Eurosong 2008(RTE 1, 7pm, Sat!), I shall be at Queerbash and Baby Blue Training over the course of the next two days. I have already made my opinions known about that song, so I figured I would give y'all the run down of the rest of the contestants(and also whom I would like to see win!).

"Double Cross My Heart" performed by Donal Skehan composed by Joel Humlén, Oscar Gorres and Charlie Mason.- Heard a clip of this on the afternoon show on RTE, I like it...I also like him-isn't he cute? I'd like to see him represent the country and not a bleeding turkey!

"Time to Rise" performed by Maya. Music by Maja Slatinsek and Ziga Pirnat. Lyrics by Ziga Pirnat. I also think she would be another great entry to send ie she's not a TURKEY (is anybody seeing a pattern?)

Not Crazy After All" performed by Leona Daly, composed by Leona Daly and Steve Booker.-Again, not a Turkey...

"Sometimes" performed by Liam Geddes and written by Susan Hewitt - we also like him, because a)he's not a turkey but also he is the youngest entrant.

"Chances" written and performed Marc Roberts- Finally and yes you guessed it...He is not a TURKEY!

Those avid Eurosong viewers will notice I have not included that song in this list. I will refuse to recognise it! I will go and support Switzerland or something if the youth of Ireland put it through! Best of Luck to all the contestants. for more information go to http://www.rte.ie/tv/eurovision/biogs.html

The Eclipse

Goodness I am finding a hell of alot of photos which I took in the last 24 hours! Final ones I promise; this is the tail end of the eclipse that happened last night at roughly 4am when I was coming in home from Vincent's-don't ask long story!.

Progression Works on the new Motorway..

Again as I was driving home, I took some snaps of the progression works outside Nenagh for the new motorway... I may have been driving (SLOWLY) at the time so they maybe a little out of focus....

Graffatti

As much as i am loathed to encourage or display any flouting of the law, I found this Spraycan image on the Royal Canal as I was driving home today of An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern most amusing.

Feminists Are Funny at Trinity’s New Players Theatre

Feminists Are Funny

Trinity’s New Players Theatre

Trinity College Dublin is pleased to announce that Guerrilla Girls On Tour, an internationally acclaimed anonymous theatre collective, will be performing on Monday, February 25 at 6.30pm and 9 pm, at the New Players Theatre, in Trinity College. Guerrilla Girls on Tour will bring to Dublin a live performance entitled Feminists Are Funny, which addresses the lack of opportunities for women and people of colour and explores the combination of performance and visual art. Guerrilla Girls On Tour will develop a site specific version of the work, exploring the history of feminism in Ireland and highlighting some female leaders of the Irish women’s movement. In order to put the focus of their work on the issues they address each member works under the name of a dead woman and performs wearing a gorilla mask.The 90-minute play is an energetic romp through their herstory; an up-to-date account of their latest actions in politics, the performing arts and the media; a recreation of some of their street theatre protests and a look at some of the funniest female activists and their accomplishments. The performance ends with a lively discussion with the audience and will serve to educate the community about the current state of sexism at the same time proving that feminists are funny.

The group will also facilitate two of their renowned workshops, for 30 Trinity students each, on Saturday Feb 23rd (from 10am to 1pm) and on Tuesday Feb 26th (from 3 to 6pm) as part of their visit. Centred around the groups' experience in activism and performance, the Guerrilla Girls On Tour's workshops, on Saturday in Poster Making, and on Tuesday, in Street Theatre Tactics, are perfect for anyone who wishes to explore developing their creative potential and learning about using performance behaviour and communication as a way to build a bridge between communities. reserve your place at
ggot@csc.tcd. ie, or pop along on the day and see if you can get a spot!Guerrilla Girl on Tour member Aphra Behn commented on the history of women in Irish theatre: “Like women in theatre history in the US you really have to dig into the back pages and footnotes of theatre history books to find out anything about women in Irish Theatre history. Yes we all know about Beckett, O'Neill and Joyce but what about Lady Augusta Gregory, Charlotte Cushman and Anna Brenko? It's time for women in theatre history to have their own place in the front pages of the history books.”Guerrilla Girls On Tour creates original plays, street actions, visual work and residency programs that dramatise women’s history and advocate on behalf of women and artists of colour. The 26-member troupe has toured through 30 states and 7 countries, including southern Georgia (U.S.), Eastern Europe and South America. GGOT is a diverse company of theatre artists and comediennes and they have been featured by the Village Voice, The New York Times, i-D Magazine, and the BBC. They can be reached through www.guerrillagirlso ntour.com, or enquiries can be forwarded to them through the Press Manager at mychajlm@tcd. ie

MORECONT’D Anonymous feminist theatre troupe Guerrilla Girls On Tour perform Feminists Are Funny at Trinity’s New Players TheatreDetails:Time: 2 Performances on Monday, February 25th, at 7 pm and 9 pm.

Location: New Players Theatre, Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity CollegeTickets: €8 ggot@csc.tcd. ie

The Road not Taken by Robert Frost.

I'm going through a real poetry splurge of late. Perhaps nostlagia but meh the old favourites of my youth will never fade. I do like this poem. I like it even more than Jenny Johnson's 'When I am Old I will wear a Purple Hat.' because it describes life and nostaligia of life, Looking back to look forward.

-------------------

The Road not Taken
Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

and sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller, long I stood

and looked down one as far as I could

to where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

and having perhaps the better claim

because it was grassy and wanted wear;

though as for that, the passing there

had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally

layin leaves no feet had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood,

and I --I took the one less travelled by,

and that has made all the difference

Can you resist? the Three Campaign.

I saw this on a Bus stop...as much as I will not be changing over to three I love the advert... and it is sooo something everybody who has a car wants to do!

A Marriage in Belfield.....

The sun shone brightly whilst the birds stayed reverently silent as they swam across the Belfield lake in a non-interrupted fashion. A crowd gathered around the steps of that lake as two brides to be prepared to take their vows, and quiet a big crowd at that. Some well wishers, Some curious onlookers, Some Secondary School children for good measure. In the words of Agnes Brown, a 'Beutiful daay faar a weddin'.

However, the point behind this mock wedding was to highlight the lack of recognition of same sex relationships. Minister, if you are reading, be warned All spectrums of society are behind the call for Gay Civil Marriage, the youths included.

Lesbian Mothers - Challenging or Copying Conventional Parenting?

Women’s Studies School of Social Justice Research Seminar Series

Resource Room (A201), WERRC,

Hannah Sheehy-Skeffington Building

21st Feb; 3.00pm-4.15pm

Hazel O’Brien, Women’s Studies, School of Social Justice, UCD

Lesbian Mothers - Challenging or Copying Conventional Parenting?

ALL WELCOME

Via Women's Studies.

“Championing Equality”, Zappone & Gilligan

============
Via Equal-L
============

“Championing Equality”,
Zappone & Gilligan to speak in the
University College Dublin (Belfield)
on the 28th February 2008 at 7.30pm.

The Equality Society (University College Dublin), will be hosting their inaugural public “Championing Equality” lecture on the 28th February 2008 at 7.30pm, with guest speakers Katherine Zappone & Ann Louise Gilligan, who will speak about their own experiences of inequalities and how they are challenging inequality in Ireland. The public lecture will be chaired by Judy Walsh, Barrister of Law & Head of the Equality Studies Centre in U.C.D.


Katherine and Ann Louise are currently waiting to hear when their appeal to the High Court decision not to recognise their marriage will be heard in the Supreme Court. It is expected that this appeal will be heard late this year or early in 2009.



The UCD Equality Society has among its aims to increase awareness, as well as generating discussion about equality issues, both on campus and nationally. ISL interpretation will be provided for at the public lecture.



For further information, please contact:

Genevieve Murray,
Public Relations Officer,
Equality Society.
Email: genevieve.murray@ucdconnect.ie

Report Finds Problems With NJ Gay Unions

Just came across this online. Similarities indeed with our own Colley report here in Ireland.


Report Finds Problems With NJ Gay Unions
By GEOFF MULVIHILL

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (AP) — A commission established to study same-sex civil unions in New Jersey has found in its first report that civil unions create a "second-class status" for gay couples, rather than giving them equality.

The report stops short of recommending that the state allow gay marriage. But it does find that gay couples in Massachusetts, the only state that now allows same-sex marriage, do not experience some of the legal complications that those in New Jersey do.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the initial report, which was scheduled to be made public Tuesday, the first anniversary of the state's first civil unions.

State lawmakers made New Jersey the third state to offer civil unions with a law adopted in 2006 in reaction to a state Supreme Court ruling that year that found gay couples were entitled to the same legal protections as married couples.

The civil union law sought to give gay couples those benefits, but not the title of marriage. As a part of the same law, the review commission was created to look into whether it was working.

Gay rights advocates say the civil unions do not deliver and have pledged to push lawmakers to vote to allow marriage. Gov. Jon S. Corzine has said he would be willing to sign such a bill into law but doesn't want the issue to be taken up before the presidential election in November.

The activists say civil unions, in practice, do not offer the legal protections that marriage does. The commission largely agreed with them.

Source & Cont'd:
Associated Press

The University of Limerick Strikes again...

I do love a good underdog story. I love it even more when it is my Alma mater! muhahaha. The Limerick Post is reporting that as of this arvo UL will be recieving a 12.5m eur grant for the establishment of a National Centre of Excellence in Maths & Sciences.


UL receives grant of 12.5million euro


PROFESSOR Don Barry, President of the University of Limerick (UL) has welcomed today's announcement by the Minister for Education and Science awarding UL a substantial Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) grant of 12.5 million euro and sanctioning the establishment of a National Centre for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning as well as a range of Access initiatives and innovative educational projects.

UL, as the over-all coordinator of the Shannon Consortium, an education partnership between UL, LIT, MIC and IT Tralee, has been granted over 12 million to build on the achievements already accomplished by the Consortium, which was founded in 2006. One of the new initiatives the Consortium can now establish is the National Centre for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning to promote and develop mathematics and science teaching at all levels with the ultimate objective of raising national achievement in these subjects from primary school to third level.
Source & Cont'd:

Limerick Post.ie

The Launch of Marriagequality

OK this is going to be a quick post, Mainly because I am tired but also because I am in the middle of a thesis proposal for my masters that is due for tomorrow...(it's only a draft mom, don't worry!). I went to the launch of MarriagEquality today in the Mansion House-Yes I skipped class to go. However I am quiet glad that I did. Sometimes in your life there are moments where you feel that a movement or that something has arrived that you feel will go on and change the world and more importantly change the World which you exist in. I firmly believe that this movement has become embodied in MarriagEquality and it will achieve its aims.

*

I walked into the Oak Room this morning and was thinking God I hope they get enough people in to fill all the seats. I guess an empty room always seems harder to fill when nobody is around. I need not have worried though because as the 11am start time approached, not only was all the rows of seats filled, but the spillover was going out into the lobby. The speeches were great and very affirming, as one would expect at the launch of a new initiative such as this. However it was the Rev. Chris Hudson, whose call for those of the Christain tradition not to slink off in the night to have the laws of inequality strengthened. I do have the utmost of respect for this man. I guess it is the fact he is a Unitarian Christian minister who is against inequality, both church and state and is not afriad to speak out. Even though I may still be Roman Catholic and my faith is quiet strong, his message speaks volumes to me.

*

I have been part of many movements/groups in the last couple of years-not to the same extent as the level of involvement that was in that room this morning- I can honestly say, today I felt that I was apart of something very very special. Listening to the endorsements and empassioned pleas of the National Women's Council, the Lone Parents Network (ONE), Labour LGBT, Dublin Pride I felt a strange and unexpected sense of pride welling up inside me. I was moved to near tears on a couple of occassions during this morning, I guess that is how emotional the whole event felt for me. It was as if, like I said earlier, that you could feel the ground swell of support for something that is directly affecting people's lives.

*

I want Civil Marriage for one reason and one reason only. I do not want to be a second class citizen in my own Republic. I do not want no provision or protections by the Irish state, which comes with marriage, ignored whilst I am offered a seperate but equal 'dog license' proposal. Seperate but equal is not equal. Civil Partnership is not Marriage. I want the oppourtunity to go to my local registery office either in Nenagh or Limerick with my partner. I want to be married in the eyes of the law, the eyes of my family, the eyes of my friends and the eyes of the state. I want that because marriage is stability. Marriage is recognized as a stable unit. I also want the oppourtunity to celebrate my 25th Anniversary like my parents have done this wkd with my partner. I don't think it is a big ask. I don't pay my taxes to have lawmakers lie behind Bunreacht na hÉireann. If you claim the law is incompatible, change the law. If you do not, I will be reconsidering my vote and I will bring my family with me, they will bring their families and so on and you will not be in Government. I will continue to do this until whoever is in Government gives me my basic rights. Besides if Catholic Spain can do it, surely Catholic Ireland should have no excuse.

*

The time has come. The time is now. No more excuses.

Its Funny.

Its Funny I laughed and that is all that matters.

Nations of the World, I bid you arise and welcome the Republic of Kosovo

Welcome to the Republic of Kosovo
-------------------------------------
Kosovo declares independence
The move to become an “independent and democratic state” is backed by the US and key European allies but bitterly contested by Serbia and Russia.“Kosovo is a republic – an independent, democratic and sovereign state,” parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi said as the chamber burst into applause.Across the capital, Pristina, revellers fired guns into the air, waved red and black Albanian flags and honked car horns in jubilation at the birth of the world’s newest country.
Krasniqi, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and President Fatmir Sejdiu signed the declaration, which was scripted on parchment.The declaration was carefully orchestrated with the US and key European powers, and Kosovo was counting on swift international recognition that could come as early as tomorrow, when EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels, Belgium.
Source & Cont'd: Breakingnews.ie
--------
ALSO
------
Ireland to recognise independent Kosovo
Ireland will recognise an independent Kosovo as the world’s newest country, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern declared today.Dermot Ahern said Serbia lost the Balkan province through its own actions in the 1990s.Celebrations are already under way in the Kosovan capital Pristina as it was poised to formally declare its independence.Ahern, who held lengthy talks with all sides in the western Balkans last November, insisted the new state must be embraced.“We are faced with a decision to recognise Kosovo. My intention is to do so,” he said.“Serbia effectively lost Kosovo through its own actions in the 1990s.

Source & Cont'd: Breakingnews.ie

Ireland: Banúlacht International Women's Day Conference: Reimagining Women’s Human Rights

Banúlacht International Women's Day Conference
Reimagining Women’s Human Rights

Friday, March 7th 2008
9.00 to 5.30 p.m.
Axis Centre, Ballymun, Dublin

International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day, March 8th, is a day when women throughout the world come together to celebrate women, the gains and achievements made by women through the years in their fight against oppression, prejudice and inequality. Banúlacht conferences aim to celebrate activism and link local and global aspects of the women’s movement and feminist activism. Banúlacht holds an annual conference to celebrate International Women’s Day.
The theme for this year’s conference is Reimagining Women's Human Rights. The conference is for women from community development and community education organisations, non-governmental organisations, national organisations, as well as individual women, feminist activists and all those interested in feminism and development from a local and a global perspective.

The conference will address the questions:
· What are the key women’s human rights issues today for women in Ireland and globally?
· What are the links between community development and human rights?
· What can women in Ireland do to promote and fulfil women's human rights in solidarity with women in the South?

Key note speakers:
Valerie O’Carroll—Comunity activist in the women’s sector, currently working with the National Women’s Council of Ireland as a campaign development worker.
Amanda Khozi Mukwashi—Head of External Relations with Skillshare International and Vice Chair of Akina Mama wa Afrika.
Sarah Mukasa—Ugandan feminist activist who currently works as programme manager with the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF).
Anne Marlborough is a feminist human rights activist, currently working as CEO of Doras Luimni, an NGO which supports migrants in the mid-west.

See our website www.banulacht.ie for:
A full-colour conference leaflet
Conference information in MS Word format
A Booking Form in MS Word format
Directions to the conference venue.

UCD Rainbow Week TimeTable.

Just recieved this from UCDLGBT via Email.
-------------------------------------------------

MONDAY:Coffee morning, 12-3pm in the Blue Room in the student centre with speakers from the Queer Archives giving a talk on the history of the UCD LGBT society and UCD.David Norris will be speaking in the Blue Room at 4pm.

TUESDAY:Gay wedding at 1pm at the Lake, with members of LGBT noise in attendence. Reception in the Forum Bar afterwards.With the forthcoming student sabbitcal elections, there will be Pink Hustings with all the candidates in Th.C in the Science building at 6pm.This will be followed by cocktails in The Dragon, leaving from Theatre C at 7.30pm.

WEDNESDAY:Coming Out Workshop and how to support a friend talk at 1pm in the Blue Room.18th Birthday Party of UCD LGBT society (The society has unoffically been in existance for 30 years, but we are celebrating the birthday of its official recognition). This party will be held upstairs in the Forum Bar (Centre Club) from 6pm, followed by a night out in the George.

THURSDAY:Transgender awareness talk, 3pm in the Blue Room.Drag Workshop, Blue Room at 6pm. Night out in the George.

FRIDAY:Recovery Morning (Coffee Morning) in the Blue Room from 12-3pm, sponsored by O'Briens Sandwich Bar.Hope to see you all throughout the week, its going to be a great one! Attend as many events as possible, you won't want to miss anything!!

The Evolution of Dance

I just across this on a friend's bebo flashbox. I am now stealing it & I am posting it because it has cheered me up no end on a Friday night, when all I have been doing is cleaning my room.

LGBT Noise Event: Give Some Love to Bertie.

I went along to LGBT Noise's event this afternoon outside Government buildings on Kildare Street. Initially I thought I was going mad because there was a second protest going on there as well and well I didn't recognise anybody in that group as being apart of the Noise team! However, we found the team just past the gates an they were just bringing over the very very tall Card, which you can see here. Tv3 arrived and did some filming and the guys and gals were on Pat Kenny's Today Show, this morning at 10.25 (I tried to find a link for a podcast but so far nothing is showing on the RTE Radio 1 site). They played a blinder on that and gave a very good interview relating their own experiences and why they are very much behind the Gay Civil Marriage campaign.

But back to this afternoon. lots of photos taken with lots and lots of photographers-I did end up jumping for picture, however i was wearing formal shoes(ie clicky pavement shoes) & I might add that formal shoes are not designed for jumping high in the air and landing on a hard footpath. It's not good for the feet! Anyways. we waited for somebody to come out to collect the card. Unfortunately, there was no member of the Dail or the Seanad available to collect the card in person from the gates of Leinster House. Thankfully [sic] a member from the Taoiseach's department arrived at 2pm to collect the card from the Noise team and we watched as he brought the card through security and up into Government Buildings. It was quiet amusing see a 5'3" Card with lots of personal messages of love for An Taoiseach being brought into the house.

The crowd dispersed after that, and it was quiet a nice turnout-As always it would be nice if there was more people were available to actual partake. I mean surely to goodness, if you are able to come to a Pride Parade and Pride nights' out in June, you are able to spend 20 minutes of your time in support of something that will help both you in the long run but also those who need this recognition of their love now. Nobody ever gets anything handed to them in life, Sometimes you actually have to go out and be proactive. Yes it can be quiet daunting but all new experiences are daunting and scary and it is all the more so when you are challenging a discriminatory policy of the State. I mean it is the State after all, that being which is all knowing and never makes mistakes and dictates how the lives of its citizens should be, usually without consulting those citizens who its all knowing policies affect the most. Getting involved in a campaign of any nature does not mean you have to be in the front line-and that can be quiet an issue when it comes to LGBT campaigns, I know, I've been there. I remember five years ago being too scared to sign a petition on the Blood Ban by the IBTS, "just in case". However the background operations are just as important as frontline operations. It ensures that the workload does not become too intense for all concerned and a couple of hours of your time helps a campaign overall. Besides, its not like you won't be able to see the ombnibus of Hollyoaks or Corrie at the weekend anyway.

Anyway for those of you who will be in Dublin this evening, there will be a debate in the Front Lounge, Parliament Street discussing Gay Civil Marriage with Neil Watkins as MC. Should be interesting and I hope to get along tonight.

Valentine's Day.

Well its Valentine's Day. Apparently as a singleton, I am supposed to be bitter, twisted, scowling, and jealous at the love that is seething out of every Card store, Newspaper shop, & guys walking down the street with a smug grin on their face because they managed to get a really gorgeous bouquet of flowers for the one they love. Well here's the shocker. Im not bitter and twisted at being a singleton on Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day feelings are infectious, almost on a par with the run up to Christmas time. Yes it is over commercilaized, Yes we should of course celebrate our love for our partners all year round and Yes it is another Holiday that Hallmark invented to sell more cards [sic] Yes there is pressure to actually get the dozen roses and the box of chocolates and the dinner. But ya know what, why the hell not?! There's enough bitterness and jealousy in this world, and I most assuredly will not be contributing to it by begruding those who are lucky enough to be with someone they care about and expressing that on this day. So to all those Couples out there, Happy Valentine's Day, I hope you have a lovely evening and it is not too stressful. And to all those singletons, Remember there is as many of us out there in the same situation. Also remember that being single on Valentine's Night is the best night in the year for going out and finding somebody-be that Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now.

Just a quick reminder: LGBT Noise Valentine's Day Protest

====================
Just as I get this in the auld email, I said I'd give a quick reminder from the Noise gang.
=====================

*"Roses are red,**Violets are blue,**Give us a chance,**To say "I do".**

'Show Bertie Some Love' -

14th February 2008, Dail Eireann,

1.10pm (PhotoCall; 1:30pm and Presentation at Government Buildings to his Private Secretary;2pm)*

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern hasn't exactly been feeling the love recently, so hemight be surprised when Noise turns up at the Dáil with a 6 foot Valentine'scard containing hundreds of poems and messages that have been collected over the past few weeks. Noise volunteers will also be dressing as a humanbouquet and handing out flowers to TD's and passers-by. Please come and make your feelings known to our government.*Public Debate: 'Why the state should sanction civil marriage' - 14thFebruary, Front Lounge, Parliament Street, 8.45pm.

**Public Debate: 'Why the state should sanction civil marriage' - 14thFebruary, Front Lounge, Parliament Street, 8.45pm.*

Noise will be taking part in a debate in the Front Lounge, with Neil Watkins as MC. The subject of the debate will be whether or not the state should sanction gay marriage. Please make your voice heard at this debate.

Hedgehogs & spring

The Hedgehog in our apartment has been exploring the new flowers in the apartment.......As I see the Daffodils, I am reminded that the Annual Daffodil day will be happening some time in early March-I think it might be the 7th of March and I believe they are looking for Volunteers. See the Irish Cancer Society's website for more details on this very very worthy cause Cancer.ie.

Some football thing.

Ok I may be slightly late in doing a post on this- However funnily enough I don't really care too much about football, to be worried about it. Anyway Mr. Giovanni Trappattoni is the new Republic of Ireland football manager, and whilst my sources have informed me (ie my housemates) he is a fantasic coup for the FAI and will be great for the team etc etc. Anyway here's a vid of the man himself in action during a press conference in 1998. now did anybody see the programme for the GAA league lying around, some changes abound. Apparently they can get a crowd, 1000 strong, out in Patrick street,Cork for a Hurling strike but not for an Independence movement...

Poem: When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple - Jenny Joseph

When I was doing my junior certificate, I remember learning this poem by Jenny Joseph. Whilst most of it I have forgotten, I have always remembered about the excentricities of the poem and in particular the line title of the poem 'When I am an Old Woman I shall Wear Purple". Whilst on many levels it plays to a certain theme of the lack of cares of the elderly but ultimatley I think that it highlights more the responsibilities of youth and conforming to the norms of what a person should do at a given time in their lives i.e. not wear purple and a red hat together. Not spending excess money when rent has to be paid. I think I like this poem more though because of its final lines : "But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple. ". In my book it justifies being excentric in youth but aso using youth to be youthful and experiencing youth, whilst acknowledging the events you should do whilst growing up.
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When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple - Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me,

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick the flowers in other people's gardens

And learn to spit. You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go

Or only bread and a pickle for a week

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our rent and not swear in the street.

And set a good example for the children.

We will have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple.

UCD Rainbow Week: '30 Years of Gays on Campus'

Equal-L: Aiming for Maternal Survival: Promoting the Rights and Health of Women and Girls

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The Irish Forum for Global Health Invites you to attend their international conference marking
International Women's Day:

Aiming for Maternal Survival: Promoting the Rights and Health of Women and Girls
Date: Saturday March 8th 2008

Time: 9.30 am - 4.30 pm

Venue: Irish Aid Volunteering & Information Centre, 27-31 Upper O’Connell Street Dublin 1

An international panel of speakers will discuss the conditions that underlie ‘the global emergency of maternal mortality.’

International Centre for Research on Women
Rohini Pande “Women Deliver for Development summary - Maternal mortality: the global emergency”

United Nations Population Fund
Azza Karam “Culture, religion and the health of girls and women.”

The Foundation for Women’s Health, Research and Development (FORWARD)
Naana Otoo-Oyoryet “Child marriage”

Girl Child Network Zimbabwe
Hazviperi Betty Makoni “Girl’s empowerment”

International Initiative for Maternal Mortality & Human Rights
Gunilla Backman “Developing an Action Plan”

WHO World Health Organisation
Mario Merialdi “ Inequity and the need for social research”

Options UK
Kirstan Hawkins “Paticipatory ethnographic research in sexual, reproductive and maternal health programs”

NUI Galway and the University of Zambia
Mary Manandhar “Researching socio-cultural and gender contexts of maternal survival in Zambia ”

Speakers from Irish NGOs including AkiDwA, Banúlacht and others to be confirmed.

The event will also host painting from the WHO Exhibition Entitled “ART FOR HEALTH!”

If you would like to register please rsvp by email to info@globalhealth.ie or for more information download the attached invitation and registration form.
Note there is no fee to attend this event
This conference was organised in conjunction with : Irish Aid, The Women's Health Council and Options UK

The New Ford Focus advert.

This is possibly one of 'the' coolest ads I have ever seen. 21 Instruments, all made from parts of the New Ford Focus and all operational insturments, as they are played by professional musicians during the advert. Clean. Crisp. Modern. Elegance with more than just a touch of class. Nicely done Ford, I hope ye paid the PR company handsomely for this, because it is well worth it.

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An Ode to the demands of a young Teacher......

I just found this from a friends email and it made me smile, so I figured I would share:

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An Ode to the demands of a young Teacher......

"Let me see if I've got this right."

"You want me to go into that room with all those kids and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning. And I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits."

"You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self-esteem."

"You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, and fair play, how and where to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job."I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, offer advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and scholarships, encourage respect for their elders and future employers."

"And I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card."

"All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few books and a big smile!!"

Aer Lingus Petition to reinstate the Irish Language

Following on from this post on Aerlingus, there is now a petition set up on foot of the facebook profile and is available here. Good luck to Darragh with the petition.

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Ar fud an post seo , tá iarratas ar fáil anseo. Go n-eíri le Darragh leis an iarratas.

Derry: Elderly gay couple 'being forced out of Derry home'

So here we are again, homophobes raise their ugly heads in Derry and this is not the first time I have heard of this from that city. The Irish Independent reports that an Elderly gay couple have been the victims of attacks, physical and verbal on their properties in the last number of months. I am truly sickened by this behavior. Every time, its a case of one step forward, 15 back. For crying out loud, those little sick shits who are doing these attacks need to be stopped. Nobody, gay or straight deserves the level of abuse that this couple has faced up to this point and it certainly does not fit in with the plight of the civil rights marches in the 1960s & 70s. For Christ sake, it is sickening to think that up to 10-15 years ago, these same shits were either quaking at their mothers boots for fear of reprisals against their respective communities. Now they are doing the same to those who are as vulnerable as our children, the elderly. I hope to christ that something does get done and done fast for all concerned. However the only way to sort the rampant homophobia in North and South, is to tackle the root problems across the board. Education & Legal recognition of the status of same-sex relationships will go along way to attempting to deal with the institutional & societal homophobia which exists.

(ps, cheers to Oz for reminding me about this story-I saw it this morning and wasn't reminded about it until he emailed it on to me)

Equal-L: GLEN - Share Your Story to Make a Difference

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GLEN - Share Your Story to Make a Difference
GLEN needs gay, lesbian and
bisexual individuals, couples, their families or friends to join us in talking
to the media over the coming weeks and months to promote awareness of the issues
arising from the lack of legal recognition of same-sex
relationships.

Would you be willing to join our campaign? If not do
you know someone who would and will you forward this to them?

The
Government have committed to the Heads of a Bill by the end of March, therefore
the next 2 months will be crucial.

If you would like to get
involved or get more information please contact Odhrán Allen on 086-3405654 odhranallen@glen.ie Sandra Gowran 087
7960615 sandragowran@glen.ie or Davin
Roche on 087-1319519 davinroche@glen.ie or visit our website at www.glen.ie

Irish Times Letter: Texting in the Dáil

I havent seen a good letter in the Times that has brought a smile to my face in a while so this one popped out of my Google Reader like a pen to paper when an assignment is due the following day. And while we are on the subject of the Dáíl, can somebody tell the TD's that they really need to be sitting in on all debates in order to make an informed decision.....OH WAIT sorry thats right we have the whip system.... its ok...my bad...

TEXTING INTHE DáIL

Madam, - Would someone tell Olwyn Enright of Fine Gael to stop texting
while on the front bench in the Dáil? It looks very bad - and I have never seen
any other TD do this.
The camera caught Ms Enright texting twice during the
course of the Oireachtas Reports I have seen since Christmas. Even children in
school are not allowed to use mobile phones during class! - Yours,
etc,
FLORENCE CRAVEN, Maynooth, Co Kildare.

Source & Cont'd: Irish Times (No sub required)

Egypt 'torturing HIV sufferers' :

Egypt 'torturing HIV sufferers' :

HIV-positive Egyptian men are tortured and chained to hospital beds while awaiting unfair homosexuality trials, a human rights group has claimed.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) decried the "ignorance and injustice" of a case in which a group of arrested men were given HIV tests without their consent.
They were also subjected to anal tests to "prove" their homosexual conduct.
Two of the men tested HIV-positive and are now handcuffed to hospital beds for 23 hours a day, HRW said.
"These men have been subjected to anal examination without their consent which amounts to torture," Gasser Abdel-Razek, HRW's acting director of regional relations in the Middle East, told the BBC on Wednesday.
"Egypt should release the men unconditionally and put a system in place that does not deal with HIV-positive individuals as criminals but as patients who require medical care and attention."
Egypt's Interior Ministry had no immediate comment on the case.

Source & Cont'd: BBC.co.uk

Captain Planet et d'Nord d'Irlande

Now here is something you don't see everyday. God this brings me back to my childhood and friday afternoons after school with my dinner & a glass of milk, and shouting at people to keep quiet coz the good Captain was on.

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UK: Ad 'likely to offend gay people'

Just on a little asside note, and more of a note to self for future reference, Double check the Accroynm before we commit fully to a name......Surely they would have seen the novelty factor that would go with a name and its accroymn being 'CCTV'. I mean seriously!

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Ad 'likely to offend gay people'

A poster claiming that gay people want to "abolish the family" has been criticised by the advertising watchdog. The Christian Congress for Traditional Values (CCTV) advert showed a man, woman, boy and girl with the statement "Gay aim: abolish the family". The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the organisation could not stand up the claim that was likely to cause serious or widespread offence. CCTV defended its concerns about a perceived threat to Christian values.

Modern family

The ASA upheld complaints against the ad, ruling that it could be inflammatory.
The poster broke advertising rules on social responsibility, decency, matters of opinion and truthfulness, the ASA said.
A complainant had said the advert did not accurately represent gay people's views and was offensive.

Source & Cont'd: BBC.co.uk

National Library of Ireland: February Events:

Just got this in the maibox. Personally I will be attending the NPA's new exbo when it opens in Templebar: "Beyond the Pale, featuring images of provincial life in Ireland between the 1850s and the 1980s"-opens the 27th February and runs until May. I also like the Genealogy seminar they are doing for library week which I may visit, depending on the schedule.

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February e-bulletin

Theatre Revival at the National Library
Deirdre’s Sorrows: Two Versions by W.B Yeats and Ulick O’Connor will open at the National Library of Ireland on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 for a series of seven evening performances. This unique production directed by Caroline FitzGerald, with a distinguished cast to include Geraldine Plunkett, Janet Moran and Brian McGrath, will set Yeats’ finest play Deirdre alongside the play of the same name written by Ulick O’Connor in the Japanese Noh form, using mask, music and dance.


Deirdre’s Sorrows: Two Versions will be performed at the National Library on Thursday 14, Monday 18, Tuesday 19, Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 February. The performance will begin at 7pm and last approximately 90 minutes. Tickets cost €15 (concessions €10) and can be reserved by calling (01) 6030277.


Family activities this February mid-term …free events to keep all the family entertained

Coats of Arms workshop - Wednesday 13 February (11.30 – 1pm)
At this workshop children aged 7+ (and their parents!) can find out more about the ancient art of heraldry and the drawing up of coats of arms. After examining some of the coats of arms on display in the
Strangers to Citizens exhibition, participants will have the chance to design a coat of arms for themselves or their community.

Make a model theatre workshop – Friday 15 February (11.30 - 1pm)
Younger children (5 – 7) and their parents are invited to come to our ‘Make a model theatre’ workshop and to learn about some of the characters that inspired Yeats’ plays before making a model theatre of their own to take home.

As capacity for both workshops is limited, early booking is recommended. To reserve your place please contact our education department at (01) 6030277.

My Yeats
Mid-term is also a great time for families to explore the Yeats exhibition and to find out more about the poet, his friends and family. To help younger families to get the most out of their visit, we have devised the My Yeats family trail, a colourful and fun guide for families to complete as they go around the exhibition and which is available free of charge. More information about the trail can be found on our website:
www.nli.ie/yeats


Last chance to see In Search of Ireland at the NPA … popular exhibition ends soon
In Search of Ireland 1913, the National Photographic Archive’s current exhibition, will end on Monday 11 February. The exhibition puts on display 50 of the first colour photographs to be taken in Ireland in the early years of the last century. The photographs were originally taken as part of the ‘Archives of the Planet’ project and are on loan from the Musée Albert Kahn in Paris.
For more information:

http://www.nli.ie/en/udlist/current-exhibitions.aspx?article=77367c9f-891d-45be-925e-4df63c7d1ee5

The NPA’s new exhibition Beyond the Pale, featuring images of provincial life in Ireland between the 1850s and the 1980s, will open on Wednesday 27 February and run until the end of May.


Strangers to Citizens … free guided tours of Library’s acclaimed new exhibition
Our guided tours of the Library’s new exhibition give an overview of Irish immigration to Europe between 1600 and 1800 and highlight some of the treasures on display. Tours take place every Monday at 2.30 pm and last approximately 40 minutes. Admission is free of charge and booking is not necessary.



Annual JJ O’Meara lecture … ‘Latin and the mass’
The National Library of Ireland Society’s annual JJ O’Meara lecture will take place on Wednesday 6 February at 7pm. This year’s speaker is Prof. Eamon Duffy and his paper is entitled ‘Latin and the mass: should we mind and does it matter?’. This lecture is open to society members and the public alike but booking is necessary. Please ring (01) 6030259 to reserve your place.
For more information:
http://www.nli.ie/en/list/current-events.aspx?article=0f33bc39-0ae7-4967-a7eb-0469f40d41af


Library Ireland Week – week-long celebration of Irish libraries to be launched at the National Library

On Thursday 28 February, the writer Joseph O’Connor will launch Library Ireland Week (3–9 March) at the National Library of Ireland. This event will begin at 6.30pm and is open to the public – if you would like to attend, please contact Marian Keyes at mkeyes@libraryassociation.ie.
For more information: www.libraryirelandweek.ie


‘The Stapleton Collection’ nominated for prestigious Berger art history prize
Conor Lucey’s book, The Stapleton Collection; designs for the Irish neo-classical interior, which examines the Library’s collection of designs by the eighteenth-century Irish stuccodor Michael Stapleton, has been nominated for the Berger Prize for British Art History, 2007. It is published by Churchill House Press in association with the National Library of Ireland.

For more information: http://www.nli.ie/en/list/latest-news.aspx?article=0162503b-56c1-4279-b0bd-f41053409057

Read All About It!
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Newsplan Ireland, the co-operative preservation project for newspapers in Ireland and the National Library of Ireland will celebrate with a series of events and publications.

Library Late: The Spring season of Library Late will focus on news media and journalism with lively debate and conversation with Irish and International media participating. The new Library Late programme will be posted on the NLI website shortly, with the series running from the end of February to April.

NLI NEWS: The Spring issue of NLI NEWS will be dedicated to newspapers, the most heavily used Library collection. It will look at the Newsplan project itself and include articles on changing trends in print and online Irish newspapers, 18th century Irish papers and the value of newspapers as a research source.

Genealogy and Local Studies Group (LAI) seminar: The National Library, in association with the Genealogy and Local Studies Group of the Library Association of Ireland, is pleased to host a one-day seminar on Newspapers – Past, Present and Future.
For more information: http://www.libraryirelandweek.ie

Ds-Spd: Understanding mobility, settlement and environment in eastern Africa: the Omo Valley

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David Anderson,

Professor of African Studies

University of Oxford

will give a lecture on:

"Understanding mobility, settlement and environment in eastern Africa: the Omo Valley"

February 19th at 5:30 pm

Museum Building, Room M4

Trinity College Dublin.

Professor Anderson is a leading world authority in the field. His personal webpage is: http://www.africanstudies.ox.ac.uk/david_anderson.htm

All are welcome.

Equal-L:Campaign Against the EU Constitution: Launch of No To Lisbon Campaign

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Campaign Against the EU Constitution Launch of No To Lisbon Campaign:

The Campaign Against the EU Constitution will formally launch their campaign against the Lisbon Treaty on Thursday, February 7th at 7.30 pm in the Central Hotel in Exchequer Street, Dublin.The launch meeting will be addressed by speakers from the Campaign and invited speakers including Jimmy Kelly, Regional Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union section of Unite, and Raquel Garrido from the national executive of the French Socialist Party. Unite is one of the largest unions in the EU. The French Socialist Party is the second largest political party in France, and although it formally supported the EU Constitution during the 2005 referendum campaign many of its members worked for a No vote. Raquel, who is one of these, will explain why she and millions of other progressive French citizens rejected the EU Constitution.The CAEUC’s detailed analysis of the Lisbon Treaty will be officially launched at their public meeting on Thursday evening.Unite regional secretary Jimmy Kelly said today:"Our role is to look out for the rights of our members. This government is full of empty promises and sleight of hand when it comes to dealing with the issues that matter to workers. Rejecting the treaty will make it crystal clear that we need to see concrete evidence on workers' rights, not just empty promises". The Campaign Against the EU Constitution, which was formed in 2005, is a broad coalition of progressive and left political parties, organisations, trade unionists and individuals committed to democracy, peace, justice, Irish neutrality and equality. Unlike the government we are not going to engage in a negative campaign but promote information and awareness of the implications of this treaty for Ireland and the wider world.
We are not anti-European – many of us have worked on European issues or in the EU for decades. We are deeply concerned, however, at the EU’s current direction and believe an alternative path is not only possible but also urgently required.As we collectively assess its scope and purpose, the key question for our campaign is: What values do we want to see reflected in Europe in the 21st century?We want health, education and water supplies provided equally to all. We will not watch the deterioration of essential public services along with increasing private provision where those who can, pay for a better quality service and the rest make do.We want a foreign policy that seeks to resolve conflicts without military action or support for despotic regimes. There is no need for increased military spending, to send Irish soldiers into EU battle groups and to be party to US foreign and military policy abroad. The use of Shannon by US troops and torture flights should stop now. We want economic policies geared to full employment, decent wages and sustainable development, here and elsewhere. We do not want a policy of “price stability” prioritised above all else where restrictions on state borrowing or public spending determine everything, even if the outcome is unemployment and cuts in public services.We want an end to an increasingly remote way of law making and acting at a European level. We do not want more decisions affecting our lives to be made in a way over which we have little or no control, by people who are unaccountable, and enshrined in laws we cannot revise. Remember, over 80% of domestic law already comes from EU decisions. The Lisbon Treaty – the same in substance as the previous EU Constitution – will take us in the direction of more privatisation, more right-wing economic policy, more militarisation, less neutrality and less democratic control. This is why French and Dutch voters rejected it in 2005 and that’s why we should reject it here in Ireland when the referendum is called.

See http://www.caeuc.org/

Aer Lingus(again)

So you would imagine that the national airline would do as much as possible to stay out of the headlines....not so. Apparently they have stopped, no wait RTE says they "ban[ned]"-(yes that is more sensational, let's go with that word)- their staff from using Irish during flights from their Belfast hub. Now this may seem slightly pedantic but erm what is the difference of using English only on these flights? Well lets see, 23% of Aer Lingus is owned by the Government of Ireland, and as such is a vested interest within the affairs of the Irish state. So maybe this is a strategy to boost sales or something considering the disastorous trading in the first couple of months of their operation in Belfast. Yas know how it goes, the first thing to go is the chocolates, then the other little luxuries etc. and then it is the dual-language. Of course nobody is suggesting that Mr. Dermot Mannion has not done a relatively good job in turning the fortunes of the company after the skethy international setting. He has, the problem is, he is the CEO of a Government of Ireland who has a policy of implementing and supporting the Irish language. It took long enough for the language to be recognised properly. Tá an Gaelige mo teanga agus an teanga níos fearr i mo thuaraim. Agus Ba bhfear liom ag caint i Gaelige má bíonn seans agam ach is duine réadúil mé agus labhraíonn mé i mBearla gach lá mar níl bród mór ag duine leis a teanga. Fós níl dochas ag daoine chun seirbhisí a fháil i Gaelige ina saol. Mar sin, tá sé ró-tabhatchta gach cinneach míhasta thart ar an teanga, triod a chur ar an cinneach. Sin é cén fáth tá an cinneach seo míhasta, mar; inniu tá Aer Lingus cros ar croisc ar an teanga agus amárach beidh a lán comhlachtaí na Stát ag cur amach an teanga.

Besides its always fun listening to the health and safety instuctions on the planes (*cue* the prop box-Your exits are here *points down the plane* here *points to the wings* and here *points behind*) however its more fun when its in a different language. :-)

Dublin: LESBIAN LIVES XV: 'Writing Lesbian Culture: Theories and Praxis'

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Just got this in an email this morning:
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LESBIAN LIVES XV

'Writing Lesbian Culture: Theories and Praxis’

Women’s Studies,

School of Soical Justice,

UCDVenue - Hannah Sheehy Skeffington Building (HSS)UCD

- see campus map at http://www.ucd.ie/maps/index.html - the building is marked no. 44FRIDAY 15th FEBRUARY

The conference programme for lesbian Lives XV is now available at

https://www.eventznet.ie/ev/ac/womensstudies/lesbianlivesxv/

The social event for this conference is theLesbian Lives Party in association with Affinity @ Oslo Bar, Connolly Station.

Door Open 10pm, late bar- Dj Paris

€10 entry / men welcome as guests

For the Love of Standards!

Ok I was going to be very lazy today & not post anything, however I needed (yet another) distraction from doing college work low and behold I came across this from the breakingnews.ie website: Dustin The Turkey in running for Eurovision . For my Irish readers, no introduction is needed. For the Internationals heres the wikipedia article! Those of you who know me personally, know of my somewhat erratic musical tastes. Those same people also know that most of that erratic musical taste is sourced from the Eurovision Song Contest. Who could possibly match Scooch-Flying the Flag (UK, 2007) or Vera Serduchka-Dancing Lasha Dubai(Ukraine, 2007) or the memorable pink shoe on the stage from Iceland in Eurovision Semi-Finals 2006, Sylvia Night-Congratulations. (We will forgive her little outburst after she didn't get through: For those of you wish to view it, well I'm not a tabloid gossip column-I'm a classier burd than that- but if you search"Silvia Night goes crazy" in Youtube you will find it. [:-) ).

Anyway back to the topic at hand. Right Dustin and the Eurovision. Now call me old fashioned but I like to see my Eurovision performers on stage using their legs, arms & whatever implements they are legally allowed bring into the host country! Dustin is a puppet. It is bad enough that our record of SEVEN Eurovision wins-in 1970, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996- has not been added to in the last couple of years. I don't blame Dervish for coming last in 2007 for the record. I did enjoy the song, it just needed a little tweaking before it went to Europe. I do not however want to see a puppet representing my country in a European wide Song Contest watched by some whatever million people across the world! Dustin is fine for Children's daytime television but most assuredly not for Eurovision. They are trying to keep Kosovo within the borders of Serbia remember-if we send a Turkey, Kosovo will laugh itself into independence from Serbia, while it laughs the other way! I find Mr. Bill Huges', (chair of the Judging Panel) comment that "each and every one of these six acts would do us proud on the Eurovision stage"(via breakingnews.ie) slightly annoying considering the panel has allowed a puppet Turkey go forward as a possible act for Eurovision. I mean somebody must be surely taking the piss somewhere...right?


Eurosong goes out on RTE 1 during this month and will be broadcast by Ray D’Arcy from University Concert Hall Limerick, with viewers voting by phone and text for the winning song that will be performed in the first semi-final on Tuesday, May 20. Score one for Limerick at least.

Sites:
RTE Eurosong 2008
Eurovision Website

10 Years of EMU and here is the prize..

Wow 10 years eh. God it seems like only yesterday when I started secondary school and we started talking about the Economic and Monetary Union in Business studies class with our teacher. Back then, all of 1998, I don't know if I really appreciated how important this little acronym would come to be. Some 2000 years of a European idea of having a common currency in order to reinforce either imperial ideals of the Roman Empire or the lustings of a Middle-European country dominated Holy Roman Empire. Finally realised with the downfall of the former-Soviet Union and the integration of Western & Middle Europe more wholly, economically & socially. I certainly do remember the changeover from 1999 onwards of dual-currency bank statements, then dual pricing in the stores and learning the changeover rate (IR£1= €0.787564), before the eventual realization of actually using the new currency in my local stores, with a certain sense of nostalgia as I handed over my Irish pound notes & coins and received my Euro change-rampant nationalism dies hard in the face of the European dream.

Anyway what has brought on this sudden realization of 10 years of EMU I hear you ask!?!, Well it would appear that our lovely administrative staff within the European Central Bank, have decided to mark this 10 year anniversary by allowing us, the gracious citizens of the European Union to decide on what the new logo for the €2 coin should be. So here are the designs....



However is it just me or do they all look like something which would appear in a Museum of Modern Art. They are all very interpretative pieces but I would love if the ECB would elaborate on what each design is meant to signify, at least then it wouldn't be a case of a simple "which one do you like citizen?", but rather an informed decision. Trivial perhaps but not a big ask. A currency is something which represents its citizens and should embody the ideals of that citizenry. In Ireland, it used to be Lady Lavery within our notes and the Harp on our coins. In France, the use of the slogan of the French Republic, "Liberty, Equality & Fraternity" was on their coins. But then again the interpretative nature of these designs is perhaps what some within the European Union would sieze upon as somewhat ironic. ie a Europe that is exactly what you want it to be as long as you toe the line. For those of you who wish to vote for the new design its availble here. Only open to European citizens and residents I am afraid, so all those non-European citizens/residents peeps apologies but I think you will forgive us if we try and sort out what exactly we stand for and what we want our coins to embody.

Limerick: Queerbash V

As this used to be one of my babies, that has now become a little surrogate child I have no qualms whatsoever in blatant promotion of what is one of the most premier LGBT events in the Mid-West in the year.

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OUT IN UL-The University of Limerick’s Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Society presents ‘QUEERBASH V’

Out In UL, the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Society in the University of Limerick, will be hosting the 5^th Annual Queerbash event on Friday 22^nd February 2008 in Baker’s Place & Underground, Limerick. ‘Queerbash’ is a fundraising and social event for the LGBT community in Limerick and the Mid-West.

Queerbash 5 is geared up to be another success, as it has been for the previous 4 years. It will build on these achievements by continuing to use the event as a means for Outreach within the Lesbian, Gay & Bi-Sexual Community in the Mid-West, but also to those who are straight who just want to come along for a fantastic evening of fun in a safe and controlled environment. There will be 2 DJ’s downstairs battling it out, whilst a Charity Auction will take place, with all proceeds going to Rainbow Support Services-an LGBT resource Centre in Limerick City.

Out In UL, provides support for the LGB students on the campus of UL, as well as an active awareness program of LGB issues, chief among which lies the concept of Violence towards the Gay community. The title of the event, "Queerbash", represents a recognition of this violence, which is still ongoing within our society-Some 41% of people in a 2006 survey on Hate Crimes claimed to be a victim. Of that group, nearly 50% suffered a Physical Attack. (Source: Johnny, Hate Crimes Report 2006, Dublin: 2006). Queerbash is about raising the profile of such attacks and reneging the victim status which becomes attached to a person who has been attacked because of their sexual orientation.

The Society is also involved with other LGBT's across the country, many of whom will be in attendance at this event which is one of the longest run & premier student-run LGBT events in the country.

The Event will be run this year in conjunction with “Baby Blue Training” Conference, which is another LGBT event being hosted by Out In UL, with support from NUI Maynooth and Kildare LGBT this year. This Conference will feature workshops, discussions on various LGBT issues arising in Ireland including city vs country life, Civil Marriage Rights and Health Issues.

Tickets cost 5EUR before 11pm and 8EUR after. For further information contact outinul@yahoo.ieThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or see http://heaven.skynet.ie

Key Facts:

• Date: 22^nd February 2008.
• Venue: Baker Place/Underground, Limerick.
• 5^th Anniversary of ‘Queerbash’ which grows more successful and bigger every year.
• Event is for all persons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual or Straight, of an open mindset.
• Being run as part of ‘Baby Blue Training’, an LGBT Conference with NUIM & Kildare LGBT.