Professor Martha Fineman: Vulnerability and Equality

Vulnerability and Equality
Public Lecture
Professor Martha Fineman
(Robert W Woodruff Professor of Law, Emory Law School)
Thursday July 3rd 2008 5pm
Room A003 Health Sciences Building, University
College Dublin

Hosted by UCD Equality Studies Centre, School of Social
Justice and the UCD School of Law
All Welcome
Martha Albertson Fineman is the newest Woodruff Professor, the highest honour Emory can
bestow on a faculty member. An internationally recognized law and society scholar, Fineman is
a leading authority on family law and feminist jurisprudence. Her Major books include The
AutonomyMyth:ATheory of Dependency, The New Press(2003) and The NeuteredMother, and
The Sexual Family and other Twentieth Century Tragedies, Routledge (1995). She is the author
of multiple articles in leading law and public policy journals.
www.ucd. ie/social justice

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The Pomegranate

The Pomegranate

The only legend I have ever loved is

the story of a daughter lost in hell.

And found and rescued there.

Love and blackmail are the gist of it.

Ceres and Persephone the names.

And the best thing about the legend is

I can enter it anywhere.And have.

As a child in exile ina city of fogs and strange consonants,

I read it first and at first I was

an exiled child in the crackling dusk of

the underworld, the stars blighted.

LaterI walked out in a summer twilight

searching for my daughter at bed-time.

When she came running I was ready

to make any bargain to keep her.

I carried her back past whitebeams

and wasps and honey-scented buddleias.

But I was Ceres then and I knew

winter was in store for every leaf

on every tree on that road.

Was inescapable for each one we passed.

And for me.

It is winterand the stars are hidden.

I climb the stairs and stand where I can see

my child asleep beside her teen magazines,

her can of Coke, her plate of uncut fruit.

The pomegranate!How did I forget it?

She could have come home and been safe

and ended the story and all

our heart-broken searching but she reached

out a hand and plucked a pomegranate.

She put out her hand and pulled down

the French sound for apple and the noise of stone and the proof

that even in the place of death,

at the heart of legend, in the midstof rocks full of unshed tears

ready to be diamonds by the time

the story was told, a child can be

hungry.I could warn her.

There is still a chance.

The rain is cold.The road is flint-coloured.

The suburb has cars and cable television.

The veiled stars are above ground.

It is another world.But what else

can a mother give her daughter but such

beautiful rifts in time?

If I defer the grief I will diminish the gift.

The legend will be hers as well as mine.

She will enter it.As I have.

She will wake up.She will hold

the papery flushed skin in her hand.

And to her lips.I will say nothing.

Eavan Boland

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Just Wow

Just Breathtaking.......

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=AbndgwfG22k

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LGBT Noise Ralley, Saturday 28th May 2008, Gaity Theatre

With Regards the Civil Partnerships Bill LGBT Noise will be organising a rally on Saturday protesting against the move which they argue does not go far enough.

LGBT Noise are holding a Rally for Equality this Saturday to tell the government
we don't want civil partnership. We demand civil marriage. Come and let your
voice be heard. Saturday at 2pm opposite the Gaiety Theatre near Stephens Green Shopping Centre.Tell one, tell all!!

Below is a copy of their Press release on the CPB Heads.

Dear Noisey people,
Below is the text of the press release provided by Noise in response to the sudden publication of the 'Heads of Bill' of the new Civil Partnership Bill 2008. The Heads of Bill can be examined ; http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/General_Scheme_of_Civil_Partnership_Bill
(BEWARE; A convoluted 172 pages in order to to create an up-graded second-class
citizenship)NOISE is disappointed that the government has decided to ignore repeated calls for the lifting of the ban on same-sex marriage and haspressed on with its decision to offer only limited civil partnershiprights to gay and lesbian people.
Says Communications Officer, Eloise Mc Inerney, 'Civil partnershipwill create an unequal and apartheid institution for gay and lesbianpeople. It will continue to treat their relationships as separate andinferior in the eyes of the law and it will not protect the rights ofthe children they are raising. Neither will it offer the constitutional guarantees granted to the family based on marriage. In offering this pale substitute for full marriage, the government are basically saying that gay and lesbian people, and their families, are not full citizens of the Irish republic.'
Over the past 2 years, there has been consistent majority support forlifting the ban on same-sex marriage in Ireland, with recent pollsplacing this support at around
60%. In addition, 86% of people agreethat children raised by gay and lesbian
parents should have the samerights and protections as children raised by
heterosexual parents.Even the government's own Colley report found in 2006 that
marriagewas the only equality option for gay and lesbian families.
The government has been hiding behind a claim that same-sex marriage will
beunconstitutional, but nowhere in the constitution is marriage definedas being
between a man and a woman. It is for the Supreme Court, and not the government,
to decide on matters of constitutionality. Noise calls on the government to lift the ban on same-sex marriagenow, and give gay and lesbian couples and families the same rights asother Irish citizens.

VIA: Noise Press Release 25/6/2008.

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Her Majesty & Robert Muggabe

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth proves once again that she has more stamina that any of HER Prime Minister's put together-including Blair and Brown(would not be hard). In the last couple of hours She has, on foot of advice from HER Foriegn Affairs Minister, stripped Robert Muggabe of his Honary Knighthood which he was awarded in 1994. Muggabe was made a Knight Commander in Order of the Bath-(FYI that is the one with the glorious Pink robes & sashes)- and is currently in the middle of crushing opposition in the upcoming Elections-which are a run off of the February elections. One can only hope that Mr. Muggabe steps aside sooner rather than later. Such a man has disgraced his fellow man and is not fit to rule -either by decree or otherwise. He has a litenany of broken promises and it is now time for him to face up in whatever guise that will come. Personally his actions are treachary against Zimbabwe and life imprisonment is the only option and not being moved to a safe haven like SA with his pal/Family relation, Tablo Mbeki.

Also recieved the following email from Aavaaz.org in the last 48 hours:

Dear friends,

On Friday, 27th June, Zimbabwe will hold a cruel sham of a vote for President.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change has just withdrawn from the
run-off -- not in concession of victory, rather in recognition that Mugabe's
campaign of violence and terror has erased any hope for a democratic
election.
But against the odds, hope survives. Amidst growing international
pressure, Mugabe's ZANU-PF party and the opposition have entered private talks.
A unity government may be possible yet.
The United Nations Security Council
unanimously held on Monday that free and fair elections are now impossible in
Zimbabwe. The UN Secretary-General spoke out. But it is African leaders, most of
all Thabo Mbeki, who hold the key. Even Mugabe cannot cling to power without
their cooperation. Today, we're launching an emergency campaign, petitioning
these leaders to call an immediate summit, isolate Mugabe, and broker a
legitimate government for Zimbabwe. Our call will be published in big newspaper
advertisements in South Africa, Tanzania, Angola, and Mozambique this week --
click here to see the ads and endorse their message:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_zimbabwe/11.php?cl=101931806
Zimbabwe's neighbours supply its electricity and goods, and control the
borders. Many Southern African leaders are already calling for the postponement
of the election -- but there's a real danger that they will end up accepting
this charade. This would be a grave miscalculation: if Mugabe succeeds in his de
facto coup, Zimbabwe's implosion will accelerate, and chaos could spread
throughout the region.
So our campaign will publicly name those African
leaders who hold Mugabe's last remaining lifeline. If these leaders step up
strongly now, they can convince enough of Mugabe's officials that change is
coming one way or another -- and set the stage for Morgan Tsvangirai to lead a
unity government to pull Zimbabwe back together.
Robert Mugabe saved Zimbabwe
from colonialism. Now it's time for African leaders to save Zimbabwe from
him.
Help us raise 250,000 voices this week, including a great roar from
every country in Africa, to be delivered in an immediate multi-country ad
campaign. Click to see the ads, sign, and then forward this to friends:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_zimbabwe/11.php?cl=101931806
With hope and determination,
Ben, Alice, Paul, Graziela, Mark, Ricken,
Iain, Veronique, Pascal, and Milena -- the Avaaz.org team
PS: For more
information and sources for the facts above, see:
Thabo Mbeki and the
emergency talks for a settlement:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article4200177.ece
United
Nations Security Council declares free and fair elections "impossible":http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL2026827820080624
Elections
going ahead despite MDC pull-out: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7468849.stm
Mugabe: "Only God will remove me!"http://www.thetimes.co.za/SpecialReports/Zimbabwe/Article.aspx?id=788598
Regional leaders criticizing Mugabe:Tanzania's Kikwete - http://allafrica.com/stories/200806200336.html
Rwanda's Kagame - http://allafrica.com/stories/200806190003.html
Kenya's Odinga - http://allafrica.com/stories/200806190949.html
Uganda's Museveni - http://allafrica.com/stories/200806120016.html

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A completion of a request

I have been requested (Apparently that is the correct term, though I still unsure...) to share this linky with the world. [Anybody feeling used and abused lately-Well it is Day 2 of the Recession so perhaps not just yet ;-)]. Anyway the link, http://www.stationerymovies.com/ . Basically. Try and guess the movie. And to be fair it is not as easy as it sounds.

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Heads of the Civil Partnerships Bill 2008

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Alright most of you will be aware at this stage within the LGBT circles at least that this afternoon a certain Heads of Bill was published. Those of you who are regular readers of this particular blog(1. Whining you say, 2. A Plea for the extension of Civil Marriage, 3. Launch of MarriagEquality) will be aware of my own opinions on this issue. I believe that there should be a plethora of relationship type recognitions, including Civil marriage, Civil Partnership, Civil unions. I further believe that this should be extended to all members of Irish society, Heterosexual or Homosexual or Trans.

On a First glance, the Heads of the CP Bill appear to cover everything which I expected it to cover.

• registration,
• Head 50: Declarations as to civil partnership status.
  Provide that:
  “(1) The court may, on application to it in that behalf by either of the civil partners concerned or by any other person who, in the opinion of the court, has a sufficient interest in the matter, by order make one or more of the following declarations in relation to a civil partnership, that is to say:
  ( a ) a declaration that the civil partnership was at its inception a valid civil partnership,
  ( b ) a declaration that the civil partnership subsisted on a date specified in the application,
  ( c ) a declaration that the civil partnership did not subsist on a date so specified, not being the date of the inception of the civil partnership,
  (d ) a declaration that the validity of a dissolution of a civil partnership, annulment or legal separation obtained under the civil law of any other country or jurisdiction in respect of the civil partnership is not entitled to recognition in the State.
  
• recognition of equivalent relationships from abroad
• Head 52: Recognition of foreign relationships
  Provide that:
  “(1) The Minister may, by order, declare that a class of legal relationship entered by two parties of the same sex shall be entitled to be recognised as a civil partnership if under the law of the jurisdiction in which the legal relationship was entered –
  (a)
  the legal relationship is exclusive in nature,
  (b)
  the relationship is permanent unless the parties dissolve the relationship through the courts,
  (c)
  the legal relationship is confined to couples of the same sex or of the opposite sex, and couples of the same sex entering the legal relationship may not be within the forbidden degrees of relationship to each other,
  (d)
  the rights and obligations attendant on the relationship, in the opinion of the Minister, are sufficient to indicate that the relationship is of a comparable status with a civil partnership.
  (2) The Minister shall consult with An tArd-Chláraitheoir prior to making an order under subsection (1).
  (3) An order under subsection (1) shall entitle and oblige the parties to such a legal relationship to be treated as civil partners under the law of the State from
  (a) the date of making of the order, or
  (b) the date of entering the relationship,
  whichever is the later.
  (4) Notice of an order under subsection (1) shall be provided to the Oireachtas in the usual way, and shall also be provided to –
  (a) an tArd-Chláraitheoir,
  (b) INIS,
  (c) the Revenue Commissioners, and
  (d) the Department of Social and Family Affairs.”
  
• immigration:
  

• Head 28: Immigration
  Provide that for the purposes of the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2008,
  “member of the family” and “dependent”, in relation to a person, includes a person with whom the first named person is registered in a civil partnership, provided that the civil partnership subsists at the relevant time.
  The relevant provisions are in sections 36 and 50 of that Bill.
  Provide for
  the making of provisions paralleling those relating to marriage of foreign nationals [in section 123 of the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2008] in relation to registering civil partnerships.

• Succession:

• Head 29: Succession
  Provide that the Succession Act is amended:
  (1)
  in section 3 (1) after the definition of “administrator” by the insertion of “civil partner” has the meaning assigned to it by Head 2 of the Civil Partnership Act [2008];
  (2)
  in section 3(1) by the substitution of the definition of “legal right” with the following:
  “legal right” means
  a.
  the right of a spouse under section 111 to a share in the estate of a deceased person;
  b.
  the right of a civil partner under section 111A to a share in the estate of a deceased person
  (3)
  By the insertion in section 56 after each occurrence of the word “spouse” of the words “or civil partner”, and cognate expressions to be construed accordingly;
  (4)
  By the insertion in section 58 (6) after the word “spouse” of “or civil partner”.
  (5)
  By the insertion after section 67 of a provision conferring on a civil partner of a deceased who dies intestate the same share as a spouse of an intestate deceased subject to the rights of a former spouse and ensuring that the rights of children of the deceased are respected;
  (6)
  By the insertion in section 68 of “nor civil partner” after “spouse”;
  (7)
  By the insertion in section 69 of “nor civil partner” after each occurrence of the word “spouse”;
  (8)
  By the insertion in section 70 of “nor civil partner” after “spouse”;
  (9)
  By the insertion in section 82 of “or civil partner” after “spouse”;
  (10)
  By the insertion in section 83 of “or civil partner” after “spouse”;
  (11)
  By the insertion in section 85 of “or registration in a civil partnership” after each occurrence of “marriage”;
  (12)
  By the insertion in the title of Part IX of “, or civil partner” after “spouse”;
  (13)
  By the insertion in section 109 (1) of “or civil partner” after each occurrence of the word “spouse”;
  (14)
  By the insertion after section 111 of a new section 111A conferring on a civil partner of a testator a right to the estate of the deceased the same as the right of a spouse subject to the rights of a former spouse and ensuring that the rights of children of the deceased are respected;
  (15)
  By the insertion in section 112 after the words “section 111” of “or the right of a civil partner under section 111A”;
  (16)
  By the insertion of a new section 113A:
  “The legal right of a civil partner may be renounced in an ante-registration contract made in writing between the parties to an intended civil partnership or may be renounced in writing by the civil partner after registration in a civil partnership and during the lifetime of the testator.”
  (17)
  By the insertion in section 114 of “or civil partner” after each occurrence of the word “spouse”;
  (18)
  By the insertion in section 115 other than in subsection (6) of that section of “or civil partner” after each occurrence of the word “spouse”;
  (19)
  By the insertion after subsection (2) of section 120 of a new subsection 2A:
  40
  “(2A) Where a civil partner has deserted his or her civil partner for two years or more and that desertion has continued up to the death of the deceased, the first-named civil partner shall be precluded from taking any share in the estate of the deceased as a legal right or on intestacy”;
  (20)
  By the insertion in section 120(4) of “or the civil partner” after the word “spouse”;
  (21)
  By the insertion in section 121 of “or civil partner” after each occurrence of the word “spouse”.
  
  

  
  
• dissolution

• Head 14: Registration of decrees of dissolution.
  Provide along the following lines:
  “(1) When a court grants a decree of dissolution, an officer of the Courts Service authorised in that behalf by the Courts Service, shall, as soon as may be, enter or cause to be entered in the register of decrees of dissolution the particulars in relation to the matter specified in Part 6A of the First Schedule as inserted by Head 22.
  (2) When a court grants a decree of nullity, an officer of the Courts Service, authorised in that behalf by the Courts Service, shall, as soon as may be, enter or cause to be entered in the register of decrees of nullity the particulars in relation to the matter specified in Part 7A of the First Schedule as inserted by Head 22.
  (3) An officer of the Courts Service, authorised in that behalf by the Courts Service, may amend or cancel or cause to be amended or cancelled an entry in a register referred to in subsection (1) or (2).
  (4) The Courts Service shall notify an tArd-Chláraitheoir of an amendment or cancellation under subsection (3).
  (5) This section shall have effect notwithstanding any statutory provision that conflicts with it.”

  
  
• maintenance, support and shared homes

• Head 26: Pensions
  Provide that where a contingent or survivor’s benefit or pension is provided by an employer or by a pension scheme for the spouse of a person, equivalent benefits must be provided for a registered civil partner.

• Head 34: Shared Home
  Provide that:
  “(1) In this Act "shared home" means, primarily, a dwelling in which registered civil partners ordinarily reside. The expression comprises, in addition, a dwelling in which a civil partner whose protection is in issue ordinarily resides or, if that civil partner has left the other civil partner, ordinarily resided before so leaving.
  (2) In subsection (1), 'dwelling' means any building or part of a building occupied as a separate dwelling and includes any garden or other land usually occupied with the dwelling, being land that is subsidiary and ancillary to it, is required for amenity or convenience and is not being used or developed primarily for commercial purposes, and includes a structure that is not permanently attached to the ground and a vehicle, or vessel, whether mobile or not, occupied as a separate dwelling.”
  

Ok well the obvious ones which it does not deal with is Adoption and Children. As this is a Any Sex document there will be parents entering into these CP's and their Children will not have as much protections as those children in a married relationship. Will this be dealt with it in the forthcoming Adoptions Bill 2008? I don't believe so.

Second point: Instead of producing a 175 page heads of Bill, which lists amendments to every significant piece of Irish legislation which deals with relationships, a simple amendment to the Civil Registrations Act 2004, to allow for a gender neutral version of marriage would have been just as easily done.

Am I happy with it. No. Is it a start.Yes. Just like a lot of things, "Could do better" does apply. It does not mean however I will be giving up a campaign for the lifting of the ban on same-sex marriage. But they had better hurry the *bleep* on and push it through the house before they forget about it....or the yogurt will get the better of them....

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Bleeding Trains.

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WELL this place has been a little quiet for the last couple of weeks. First off apologies for that. Such is the joys of starting a new full time job and attempting to complete a Thesis for the round up of my Masters. Needless to say, I will not be discussing what or where exactly I am currently working on this particular forum both for my privacy and also to have a distinction between my two roles; that of my own Commentator, with my own opinions on this forum and my new Position which I am enjoying immensely.

With regards the thesis, chapter 1 has been completed and it was less of an ordeal than I had expected-who would have guessed. I am currently in the midst of dealing with Chapter 2 and I am up to my eyes in Sylvia Walbie, TH Marshall and Iris Marion Young and the topic of citizenship. In case you didn’t get the hint, the thesis revolves around the theme of Citizenship but more particularly the complicated nature of what and how citizenship values come about, by whom they are ascribed and why they are an effective tool of control for the management of a nation-state, in my case Ireland. There will be more about this over the course of the summer as my thoughts become even more focused and I need a sounding board for them! J Be advised any and all input will be graciously received.

As I write this, I am currently on a train from Limerick to Dublin on my pre-booked train seat. (FYI you can now book a student return ticket online AND reserve your seat. This is quite novel as it was not the case for the four years I was in the University of Limerick! The CIE representative did not share my enthusiasm for this information but nevertheless It is marvellous news!) . So what is my post about today. Well there has been many stories floating around the nation in the last number of weeks; “Lisbon”, Mobile Phone usage, the new Coke Cola Ad campaign in Dublin-if you have not seen the adverts See here for “the Coke side of Dublin” campaign.

All of the above, whilst worthy topics to discuss in their own right do not grab any ire from me right now. Instead let us focus on public transport etiquette. As I speak today I have already had run-ins with people’s lack of etiquette on trains. Can I just say now loud and clear, that I really do not want to a party to a Conference call that you are having between you, the person opposite you and the person who is on the phone. Nor does the rest of the carriage. I honestly do not care about what you did last night, nor do I care that you left your t-shirt behind or that you have no idea where Earlsfort terrace is. I really don’t care. Why you think I care is beyond me because it is an incredibly boring mundane conversation that I am perfectly able to make myself with my friend that does not involve discussing and involving the whole train carriage!

Secondly; There are reserved tickets over the seats for a reason. No I am not a snob, I am just that organised. In these frugal times, one is able to avail of a certain amount of limited saving by booking online and reserving a seat. Do not judge me because I ask you to move from the seat I have reserved!

So that is all at the moment. Yes I am sure I will be accused of glass houses etc. I really don’t care because when you do public transport, you accept that some of your private space is somewhat impinged upon by the actions of other private actors also availing of the public amenity. However as we all have to engage with each other on the train, please have a certain amount of respect and know that there is an etiquette for a reason.

Thankfully we are nearly near Dublin so I will not have to endure much more of this Conversation….That is until I get on the LUAS........

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RTE's New 24 Hour News Service

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Ok a 24 hour news service would suggest to me, that it is news 24 hours a day. However in true Irish style, RTE's new 24 hour News service is rather a re-run of the previous news bulletin! That is not a Digitial 24 hour news channel! Putting a ticker underneath the news bulletin also does not make it a Digital 24 hour news channel! Somebody get them onto the BBC and show them what a proper Public Broadcaster does with a Digital 24 hour news channel!

Watch RTE News Now! here.

See Mulley here:

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'LGBT - A Silent T?' : 18th June 2008

***Apologies for cross posting. We kindly request your assistance in distributing this email and details of this event widely, as it did not make it into the official Dublin Pride programme. Please see our full colour flier attached!!! See you there!***

Please join us in celebrating Dublin PRIDE 2008 and its 25th anniversary! UCD's Women's Education Research and Resource Centre (WERRC) is joining with Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) to host a Pride Forum on transgender inclusion in Ireland's wider LGBT community.

'LGBT - A Silent T?' :

WERRC Pride Forum in conjunction with TENI,

Temple Bar Hotel, Fleet Street, Dublin 2- (wheelchair accessible)

Wednesday, 18th June 2008

7-9pm

Free of charge

A panel forum followed by a community round table discussion on transgender inclusion in LGBT politics, activism and spaces.

Participants include representatives from TENI, Outhouse, LGBT Noise, BeLonG To, Dublin Pride, Garda LGBT Liaison Officer, Labour LGBT, the USI LGBT Rights Officer and Dublin's transgender community.

For more information, contact the forum organiser:

Leslie Sherlock WERRC

Tel : (01)7168567 Fax : (01)7161195

Email : leslie.sherlock@ucd.ie

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Irish Seminar 2008.

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=====
Via Equal-L

========

This year's Irish Seminar begins on Bloomsday, 16 June, and runs until 4 July. To mark its first decade, the Irish Seminar has invited three very distinguished international intellectuals to offer free public lectures at the National Gallery of Ireland, (entry Merrion Street West entrance), over three successive Tuesdays at 8pm.

On Tuesday 17 June, Professor Jacqueline Rose, will deliver a lecture on "Partition, Proust and Palestine." An internationally distinguished feminist and literary critic, Rose has in recent years also become one of Britain's most outspoken critics of Zionism and has written widely on that topic. Her many publications include /The Haunting of Sylvia Plath/ (1992), /Why War?—Psychoanalysis, Politics, and the Return to Melanie Klein/ (1993), States of Fantasy (1996), /Sexuality in the Field of Vision/ (1996, reissued 2006), The Question of Zion (2005); and The Last Resistance (2007).

On 24 June, the renowned economic historian Giovanni Arrighi, author of The Long Twentieth Century and Adam Smith in Beijing, will discuss the economic decline of American empire and the Rise of Asia. Arrighi is Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University and, with Fernand Braudel and Immanuel Wallerstein, one of the leading international theorists in the field of world systems analysis. /The Long Twentieth Century: Money, Power, and the Origins of Our Times/ (1994) /Adam Smith in Beijing: Lineages of the Twenty-First Century/ (2007) are widely recognised as classic studies of the history and economics of European and American imperialism.

On 1 July, Perry Anderson, whose family comes from the south of Ireland, will discuss the current collapse of American global hegemony and the situation of the contemporary left in a now rapidly-changing international arena. A founder-editor of the /New Left Review /and a polymath intellectual historian of enormous range and ambition, Anderson has been one of the most influential figures on the intellectual left for decades. He teaches at UCLA (where he has a joint appointment in History and Sociology) and is the author of numerous works including Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism (1974); /Lineages of the Absolutist State /(1974); Considerations on Western Marxism (1979); In the Tracks of Historical Materialism (1983);/English Questions/ (1992); A Zone of Engagement (1992); /The Question of Europe/ (1997); The Origins of Postmodernity (1998); and Spectrum (2005).

This year's Seminar also features a number of lecture series: Clair Wills will discuss women's writing and culture in twentieth-century Ireland; Seamus Deane will survey the intellectual history of Irish republicanism from Toland and Hutcheson through Tone and Mitchel to Davitt and Connolly; Luke Gibbons will consider issues of race, spectrality and Irishness; Chris Morash will track the development of modern Irish theatre 1900-1950; and Joe Cleary will review the careers of some influential twentieth-century Irish cultural critics. Other highlights include a forum on The Novel in the New Ireland led by Patrick McCabe and Barry McCrea, a Symposium on the works of Thomas Moore to mark the bi-centenary of his /Irish Melodies/, and lectures on a range of leading contemporary Irish writers and artists from Edna O'Brien to Sinead O'Connor. For full details of the programme, see http://irishsem.googlepages.com <http://irishsem.googlepages.com/>

Best wishes,

Joe


Professor Joe Cleary
Executive Director, Irish Seminar
Keough Notre Dame Centre
O'Connell House
58 Merrion Square South
Dublin 2, Ireland
Tel: 353-1-708-3765 or 353-1-611-0611

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A Gay Pride Message

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Pride Season, Irish Style kicked off with a bang last weekend with Cork being the first of th Irish cities to host their Pride parade & events. Dublin Pride will be next followed by Galway, Belfast and finally Limerick(No website as yet) will finish off the summer's festivities. However whilst all are postitive events I want to bring a sense of reality for those of us gearing up for our Pride events here in Ireland and how despite all the crap we all deal with on a daily basis, it pales in comparison to another event which occured at the weekend-Riga Pride.

The First Video is from Cork Pride Parade 2008-yes it is short but you get the idea. Great day, Good Atmosphere(on the most part-see here for a slight negative)

Cork Pride Parade 1st June 2008




Riga Pride Parade 31st May 2008

So while we remember our own battles here in this fair little island, the struggle for further acceptance, the struggle for relationship rights to be accepted, the struggle for our partners to be legally allowed to work here, we also remember that Our Battles are Somebody else's battles also. It links us and provides solidarity for those times when we get disheartened. So Go out, enjoy Pride but remember why we march. It's not just a piss Up. It has a very serious message and one which will constantly need to be reinforced. Considering the week that is in it, with that article, We can see that reinforcing the message of acceptance is still needed.

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Update: The "Perverts"

Well in relation to this and the controversy with which it has generated (See the Mayo Echo's response here-opens as a PDF) I just wished to bring the fact that Castlebar.ie has been shut down as a result of legal threats-the full story of which is available here at Castlebar.ie. I would just like to remind commentators about the Disclaimer which is here. The trend in the last couple of months to threaten Websites (See here for example about the Politics.ie issue two months ago) to remove content (which is fine if it is defaming of a person) but also to demand IP addresses etc. (again see the Castlebar.ie site for further information) is quiet a scary turn around.

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The Spectatular British Army

"Designed for Operations in Northern Europe": Classic. Bremner Bird & Fortune a british TV program interviews a fictional general who talks about real facts.

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Celine Dion in Croker

Image via Wikipedia

Ok well most of you know I was at Celine Dion in Croke Park; Well here is some Vid clips from the show. :-) . Also Ignore the Screeching-that would be me and most of the crowd singing out of key rather than Ms. Dion. :-)

The Opening Numbers


Midway Through the Show.


"Look back Before you leave my Life"

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