An Irishman in Vancouver

I'm finally Canadian (symbolically speaking).

2011-10-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

I've symbolically integrated fully in to North American Culture. I have just bought my first two boxes of Girl Guides' Cookies!

BC Hydro can't fix a Power Cut

2011-09-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

BC Hydro (The main electricity provider for British Columbia) suffered a power cut today at one of its offices, in Glenlyon, near Burnaby today. Six hours later they told staff to go home. This office in particular masterminded and implements the new 'Power Smart' metering programme, designed to smartly power the province. But it seems they can't even power their own offices.

Oh the irony of it all...

BC Hydro Glenlyon:

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Top tips for visiting Dublin

2011-09-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

So one of the managers in work today told me his 71 year old father from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, would be travelling to Dublin to play golf with his mates. I said I'd give him a few tips to get him set on the right track. He was only going to be in Dublin for a short break so below is a copy of the email exchange we had where I gave some of my top tips:

From: One of my Managers
Sent: 2011, September 01 11:54 AM
To: Me
Subject: RE: Dublin info

Thanks Craig, this is awesome! Now I want to go!

From: Me
Sent: 2011, September 01 11:50 AM
To: One of my Managers
Subject: Dublin info

Hi J****y,

Here are some tips and places to consider for your Dad’s trip to

Ireland

Pubs in Dublin City (some of my favourites):

O’Donoghues on Baggott Street (near Merrion Square)
The Long Hall on Georges Street
Keohes on South Anne Street
Johnny Foxes (not in the City, up the Dublin Mountains). It’s the highest pub in Ireland and is great for some trad music, good food and atmosphere.
Donnehy’s and Nesbits (Baggott Street)
Ron Black’s on Dawson Street (smallest pub in Dublin)

Restaurants: (I’m always anxious recommending food, but I’ll thrown in a few names)

Tip:

Ireland

has tonnes of ‘early bird’ options in restaurants. One of the perks of the Credit Crunch. Generally they’re served until 7pm and the majority are three courses for 20 Euro, or in fancier places 30 euro. A lot of Pubs have great food…from Bangers and Mash, Guinness Steak Pie and Irish Stew to the usual pastas and burgers etc. They’re always a good place to go for a soup and sandwich during the day too. Food and drink revolves around the pubs, so you really can’t go wrong if you find a pub you like.

The Chatham Brasserie on Chatham Street.
Gourmet Burger Kitchen, there’s a few, but there’s a nice one on South William Street.
Pebloes on St. Stephen’s Green
Shanahan’s on the Green (St. Stephen’s Green). Very fancy, but amazing steaks. Bill Clinton’s favourite Steak.
Roly’s in Ballsbridge. Home made food with silver service. Can be pricey but the early bird is a great deal. 4 courses for 30 Euro.
L’Escargot on George’s Street.
The Original Dublin Chipper: Leo Burdocks, just off Dame Street near Dublin Castle. Best Fish and Chips in the City. Eat them on the street and head for a pint of Guinness afterwards. It is a must do.
Avoca Handweavers. The original is in Wicklow (he’ll find it easily – it’s off the main road going down to Wicklow and is in a nice spot with great food). Or there’s a small store and food hall in the City Centre on Suffolk Street.

Places to tick off the list:

Glendalough in Wicklow. Early Christian Monastic site with a Round Tower, ancient ruins, beautiful valley setting with a couple of lakes.
Killiney, Wicklow. (You can see the bays around Dublin and Enya’s and Bobo’s mansions). It’s the Beverly Hills of Dublin down there.
If in Greystones in Wicklow, go in to Homestyle Country Cooking café and get a pot of tea with a fresh made scone with Irish Cream and Jam.
Powerscourt House and Golf Club down in Wicklow, followed by a pint or preceded with a tea or coffee in nearby village Enniskerry.
Go to Sandycove and walk to Dun Laoghaire…this is where Leo Bloom’s journey starts in Ulysses and the Martello Tower is still there. (Also you can jump off the ’40 foot’. A classic spot for skinny dippers back in the day, but now it’s for non skinny dippers too to take a dip in the sea).
Bewley’s on Grafton Street for coffee and cake. Joyce wrote some work here while sipping on coffee.
Trinity College and the Book of Kells.
The Guinness Store House.
Newgrange (if they can). Oldest building in the world. Old Stone Age burial Chamber where the sun lights up the tombs via a small box at the entrance on the Winter and Summer Solstice. Very cool place and only an hour from Dublin.
Viking Tour of old Dublin.
City Bus Tour is good to catch all the sites and brings you out to the Phoenix Park. Europe’s biggest Urban Park. The President resides there.
The Irish National Gallery has a fantastic modern collection of paintings if your Dad is in to art. There is also a great Caravaggio there. It’s on Merrion Square so not far from where he’ll be staying.
Head out to Howth, Malahide and Portmarnock…great seafood and golf out there (by the beach).

That’s off the top of my head, but if your Dad has any specific interests and schedule to stick to let me know and I can help out.

Cheers,

Craig.

--
Images of recommended places:

The 40 Foot, Dun Laoghaire with Howth headland in North Dublin in the distance.

Martello Tower, Sandycove

The Round Tower at Glendalough.

Steve Jobs steps down as CEO of Apple

2011-08-24T17:33:00.001-07:00

The end of an era. In some ways, this marks the end of the Golden Age of home computing. Bill and Steve the contentious creators are still around, but they're leaving behind an incredible legacy that is not only responsible in a big way for the development of the communications age, but also for spawning the creation of hundreds and thousands of companies and jobs for employees who service, provide and develop for their creations. I wonder what guise Steve Jobs will assume now...Godfather to Apple innovation? Mentor to the incoming CEO or remain a personification for the ubiquitous brand.

The following is the resignation letter from Steve Jobs to the Apple board:

Steve Jobs - now Chairman of the Board at Apple

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know.

Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve.

Steve Jobs Best Quotes

Skyping with an 85 year old.

2011-08-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

I just Skyped my 85 year old Nana back in Dublin all the way from Vancouver. It's at times like this that I really get to appreciate this kind of technology by explaining to my elderly Nana how exactly she's seeing my face in a different country and at an entirely different time of day. The ease at which we can communicate these days is taken for granted and often just expected. But for a brief moment, I was grateful and in awe at where technology is taking us.

My Nana is in a geriatric home in a small suburb of Dublin, eight hours ahead of me. As we chatted, the music to the credits of 'Eastenders' was audible in the background and I could hear the jostle of the tea trolley as the nurses go around dispensing the pills for the evening to the other old folks. As I sat in the small privacy booth on the floor of my office building in Vancouver, just about to finish my morning coffee, I found myself looking at the small screen on my iPhone looking at my Nana's gorgeous face as she blew kisses at me for about 10 minutes. She left me beaming with smiles and it made my day. How amazing is it that I could have a video chat with my 85 year old Nana halfway around the world, for free and not only hear her voice but see her face also? The distance between us was cut in half and the precious time we share together was heightened just for a moment.

Sometimes technology and expectations shift so fast that we forget how far we've come. I now see why Microsoft over valued this magnificent tool. It is invaluable.

A trip down memory lane: La Belle France

2011-08-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

In my life to date, the most memorable and formative snippets of time have been spent in France. For some reason France and its many cities, towns and villages has captured me and inspired from a young age. Well, young being 15 or 16 years old and formative being all the things that teenage boys do for the first time away from the watchful eye of their parents. Such liberation lead to many things: the conquering of girls, beer and Pastis amongst others.

The Bridge and the Mairie, in Brassac, France.

It all started in Brassac, a small village in the midi-Pyrenees, where I'd visit my sister over three summers during my last years in high school. This place will forever hold a place in my heart and mind that will never be replaced. I guess the trapping of nostalgia will always render this time and place a fond memory where my misguided youth and wholly well spent summer days were passed splashing in the river, to splashing through my first beers in the local cafes for the village summer fete. I revisited this place with Google Street View. It was a weird sensation. It gave me all I needed to feel like I was back there except for being there. The sights were the same, exactly the same. Things in my life have changed so massively; yet when I look at the familiar streets that I only knew for a few weeks at a time, over ten years ago, it is like I was there all my life and never left. This kind of technology halts nostalgia somewhat. It stops us day dreaming and allows us tap back in to a place and time that is stuck in our minds. A place that we know still exists, but when we're not there, it's impossible to imagine it existing. But, low and behold, it's still there, as quaint and glorious as ever.

One day I'll go back. This time camera in hand and I will take an abundance of pictures and idealize a romantic vision of rural France to frame on a wall in some room of my house that will undoubtedly be far away from Brassac.

How wonderful it is to have these memories and how wonderful it is to be able to see these places again. Nostalgia has been put in to context...Brassac is still there. It still exists. I can go back, and that makes me happy.

This song seemed fitting with my mood this morning as I took a trip down memory lane.

The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall

2011-08-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Something about the Berlin Wall still fascinates me. The more years that trickle away, the m,ore fascinating its existence and the historical context surrounding its conceptions enthrall me. As the years pass, the event is likely to feel distant and more like 'history', but it is still so recent and still so amazing.

Check out these great pictures that document the less documented side of the rise of the wall.

PHOTOS: The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall from Time Magazine. August 10th, 2011.

The Speech that prompted the fall of the Wall

Vancouver lights up like a Firework.

2011-08-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

'Fire Shower'. Fireworks display for the Celebration of Light, Vancouver, 2011. View from Kitsilano towards English Bay.

Celebration of Light - Vancouver, August 2011.

When Summer hits Vancouver, it lights up like a firework. Literally. The infectious atmosphere that is embellished by the beaches, the sun, the people and that irrepressible stark summer sunlight lifts a city that is drowned for so much of the year, by more that its fair share of rain. The Fireworks display this week have been phenomenal, but even more so was the strong turn out of people, families, children and old friends gathering on picnic rugs, munching on snacks and sipping on drinks looking at the show.

Well done Vancouver. Very well played. Tip of the cap to you.

The Earth may have had two moons.

2011-08-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Interesting little development on the Moon. All this talk of the creation of planets and the elements whirring around space has me dreaming of a life in astrophysics. Maybe the childhood dream job at NASA isn't out of the question after all!

From BBC News and the Irish Times, August 3, 2011.

A new theory suggests the Earth once had a small second moon that perished in a slow motion collision with its "big sister".

Researchers suggest the collision may explain the mysterious mountains on the far side of our Moon.

The scientists say the relatively slow speed of the crash was crucial in adding material to the rarely-seen lunar hemisphere.

For decades, scientists have been trying to understand why the near side of the Moon - the one visible from Earth - is flat and cratered while the rarely-seen far side is heavily cratered and has mountain ranges higher than 3,000m.

The researchers argue that the Earth was struck about four billion years ago by another planet about the size of Mars. This is known as the global-impact hypothesis. The resulting debris eventually coalesced to form our Moon.

Slow-motion impact

But the scientists say that another, smaller lunar body may have formed from the same material and become stuck in a gravitational tug of war between the Earth and the Moon.

Moons colliding?

"And one outcome of our research is that the new theory goes very well with the global impact idea."Dr Martin Jutzi from the University of Bern, Switzerland, is one of the authors of the paper. He explained: "When we look at the current theory there is no real reason why there was only one moon.

After spending millions of years "stuck", the smaller moon embarked on a collision course with its big sister, slowly crashing into it at a velocity of less than three kilometres per second - slower than the speed of sound in rocks.

Dr Jutzi says it was a low velocity crash: "It was a rather gentle collision at around 2.4km per second; lower than the speed of sound - that's important because it means no huge shocks or melting was produced.

At the time of the smash, the bigger moon would have had a "magma ocean" with a thin crust on top.

The scientists argue that the impact would have led to the build-up of material on the lunar crust and would also have redistributed the underlying magma to the near side of the moon, an idea backed up by observations from Nasa's Lunar Prospector spacecraft.

In a commentary, Dr Maria Zuber from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, US, suggests that while the new study "demonstrates plausibility rather than proof", the authors "raise the legitimate possibility that after the giant impact our Earth perhaps fleetingly possessed more than one moon".

"Hopefully in future, a sample return or a manned mission would certainly help to say more about which theory is more probable."

The Far Side of the Moon

It takes the Moon about the same amount of time to rotate on its axis as it does to complete an orbit of the Earth
This is known as "synchronous rotation" and explains why the Moon always presents its familiar near side to Earth
The near side is covered in smooth, dark lunarmaria (Latin for "seas") created by magma erupting on the surface
The far side is more rugged, with a thicker crust pock-marked by impact craters; the highest point on the Moon is located on the far side.

When will Facebook make it easier to filter our audience?

2011-08-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

It's happened to us all. We post something on Facebook intended for the circle of friends we spend most of our time with, unaware of the eyes of the 300 plus 'friends' we have collected over the years, some of whom you hardly know anymore. Included in that bunch are colleagues that have added you as a friend, a request that you haven't been able to ignore, so you accepted reluctantly. The floodgates get weaker with each reluctant add and then the inevitable happens. One day you go in to work and you have the typical Monday morning conversation with a colleague who says 'oh I know all about your weekend, I saw your Facebook post.' Immediately you realize that you need to lock down your Facebook page...again.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO. Playing catch up?

I have made my page private numerous times. I have re-worked the security settings to my liking, I have followed Facebook's advisory updates over the years, I even started privatizing individual posts with the help of the little padlock which proved to be just too finicky. I have created groups, edited groups and managed my limited profile over and over again, but still the same problem still emerges. That same colleague who said a few weeks previous: 'Hey, Craig, why can't I comment on your wall or your photos? Do you have me on private or something?' Then the awkward response, knowing full well that they know what you've done. 'Eh, no, I haven't. That's weird, maybe it's like that by default. I'll check it out later and change it.'

The lie stinks and they know it. Facebook lacks tact in this regard. As a friend it lacks subtlety. If Facebook doesn't want you in on the conversation, you're gonna know about it. The absence of a comment box or a profile with 'no pictures' is like a door slammed in your face. It's says I don't want to be your friend, but I'll let you want to be my friend. No one likes being ignored or excluded, and it doesn't help the awkward situation when Facebook draws it to your attention that you're clearly on a restricted 'list'.

We do need privacy, but it shouldn't be at the cost of someone's pride by explicitly excluding them from your Facebook world. Surely discretion can be achieved with Social Media? You'd think that after all this time, money and popularity, Facebook would have innovated a bit and cracked down on this a bit more by now. It's probably coming, but only in catch up to Google+. Google did the research and saw that just like the way we wouldn't have the same way of talking to our colleagues as we do our girlfriend, younger cousin or foreign friends, we wouldn't want to share the same information with everyone.

Simply put, we all have 'circles' Different circles of friends with who different things matter and different things count. We need to be able to filter out our audience as we like, and be able to do it easily without ostracizing our friends. Come on Facebook....get to it!

Enda Kenny: "This is a Republic, not the Vatican."

2011-07-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Enda Kenny, Taoiseach (Premier) of Ireland, has just strapped on a massive pair of balls. For the first time in the history of the Irish State, one that has been ravaged by the control, hypocrisy and sex crimes against children by representatives of the Church for decades, the leader of the Irish State has irrevocably slaughtered, denied and criticized the Vatican (The Holy See) in its role, response and attitude to the rape and torture of children in Ireland by its Clergy.

Enda Kenny, Taoiseach of Ireland.

I have been dipping in and out of the revelations of the Cloyne Report and my initial response was to think: here we go, another sex abuse scandal with the Church that I wasn't prepared to expose myself to. I thought that nothing of value would ever come from it, that those victimized and abused would never be recognized fully or have their shattered lives restored. I was wrong. For the first time ever, Ireland's leaders have responded with strength, authority and conviction in facing the self righteous and elitist attitude of the Church towards the abuse of children carried out by its representatives. Not only that, but the Vatican is culpable in these crimes by contributing to a cover up only three years ago. I'm not hugely political, but I have to admit, I am impressed by Enda Kenny. Verging on inspired. It is rare to hear a leader speak with decisive clarity, honesty and with such compassion. This is his next term in office probably secured. I am happy to have this to post and I am happy that the innocent little voices, that have been smothered for so long, will finally have a chance to be heard.

Transcript of Enda Kenny's Speech in Dublin, July 20, 2011.

"THE REVELATIONS of the Cloyne report have brought the Government, Irish Catholics and the Vatican to an unprecedented juncture. It’s fair to say that after the Ryan and Murphy reports Ireland is, perhaps, unshockable when it comes to the abuse of children.

But Cloyne has proved to be of a different order.

Because for the first time in Ireland, a report into child sexual abuse exposes an attempt by the Holy See, to frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic – as little as three years ago, not three decades ago.

And in doing so, the Cloyne report excavates the dysfunction, disconnection, elitism – the narcissism – that dominate the culture of the Vatican to this day. The rape and torture of children were downplayed or “managed” to uphold instead, the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and “reputation”.

Far from listening to evidence of humiliation and betrayal with St Benedict’s “ear of the heart”, the Vatican’s reaction was to parse and analyse it with the gimlet eye of a canon lawyer. This calculated, withering position being the polar opposite of the radicalism, humility and compassion upon which the Roman Church was founded.

The radicalism, humility and compassion which are the very essence of its foundation and purpose. The behaviour being a case of Roma locuta est: causa finita est.

Except in this instance, nothing could be further from the truth.

Cloyne’s revelations are heart-breaking. It describes how many victims continued to live in the small towns and parishes in which they were reared and in which they were abused. Their abuser often still in the area and still held in high regard by their families and the community. The abusers continued to officiate at family weddings and funerals. In one case, the abuser even officiated at the victim’s own wedding.

There is little I or anyone else in this House can say to comfort that victim or others, however much we want to. But we can and do recognise the bravery of all of the victims who told their stories to the commission.

While it will take a long time for Cloyne to recover from the horrors uncovered, it could take the victims and their families a lifetime to pick up the pieces of their shattered existence.

A DAY POST publication, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade met with the papal nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza. The Tánaiste left the archbishop clear on two things:

The gravity of the actions and attitude of the Holy See;

and Ireland’s complete rejection and abhorrence of same.

The Papal Nuncio undertook to present the Cloyne report to the Vatican. The Government awaits the considered response of the Holy See.

I believe that the Irish people, including the very many faithful Catholics who – like me – have been shocked and dismayed by the repeated failings of church authorities to face up to what is required, deserve and require confirmation from the Vatican that they do accept, endorse and require compliance by all church authorities here with, the obligations to report all cases of suspected abuse, whether current or historical, to the State’s authorities in line with the Children First national guidance which will have the force of law.

Clericalism has rendered some of Ireland’s brightest, most privileged and powerful men, either unwilling or unable to address the horrors cited in the Ryan and Murphy reports.

This Roman clericalism must be devastating for good priests, some of them old; others struggling to keep their humanity, even their sanity, as they work so hard to be the keepers of the church’s light and goodness within their parishes, [their] communities [and within] the human heart.

But thankfully for them, and for us, this is not Rome.

Nor is it industrial-school or Magdalene Ireland, where the swish of a soutane smothered conscience and humanity and the swing of a thurible ruled the Irish-Catholic world.

This is the Republic of Ireland 2011.

A republic of laws, of rights and responsibilities; of proper civic order; where the delinquency and arrogance of a particular version, of a particular kind of “morality”, will no longer be tolerated or ignored.

As a practising Catholic, I don’t say any of this easily.

Growing up, many of us in here learned we were part of a pilgrim church. Today, that church needs to be a penitent church. A church, truly and deeply penitent for the horrors it perpetrated, hid and denied. In the name of God. But for the good of the institution. When I say that through our legislation, through our Government’s action to put children first, those who have been abused can take some small comfort in knowing that they belong to a nation, to a democracy where humanity, power, rights, responsibility are enshrined and enacted – always, always for their good. Where the law – their law – as citizens of this country, will always supersede canon laws that have neither legitimacy nor place in the affairs of this country.

This report tells us a tale of a frankly brazen disregard for protecting children. If we do not respond swiftly and appropriately as a State, we will have to prepare ourselves for more reports like this.

I agree with Archbishop Martin that the church needs to publish any other and all other reports like this as soon as possible.

I must note the commission is very positive about the work of the National Board for Safeguarding Children, established by the church to oversee the operation by dioceses and religious orders. The commission notes that all church authorities were required to sign a contract with the national board agreeing to implement the relevant standards and that those refusing to sign would be named in the board’s annual report.

Progress has been in no small measure [due] to the commitment of Ian Elliott and others. There is some small comfort to be drawn by the people of Cloyne from the fact that the commission is complimentary of the efforts made by the diocese since 2008, in training, in vetting personnel and in the risk management of priests against whom allegations have been made.

Nevertheless, the behaviour of Bishop Magee and Monsignor O’Callaghan show how fragile even good standards and policies are to the weakness and wilful disregard of those who fail to give the right priority to safeguarding our children.

BUT IF THE Vatican needs to get its house in order, so does this State. The report of the commission is rightly critical of the entirely unsatisfactory position which the last government allowed to persist over many years.

The unseemly bickering between the minister for children and the HSE over the statutory powers to deal with extra-familial abuse, the failure to produce legislation to enable the exchange of soft information as promised after the Ferns inquiry, and the long period of confusion and disjointed responsibility for child protection within the HSE, as reported by the commission, are simply not acceptable in a society which values children and their safety.

For too long Ireland has neglected its children.

Just last week we saw a case of the torture of children, within the family, come before the courts. Just two days ago, we were repulsed by the case of a Donegal registered sex offender and school caretaker – children and young adults reduced to human wreckage – raising questions and issues of serious import for State agencies.

We are set to embark on a course of action to ensure the State is doing all it can to safeguard our children.

Minister [for Justice Alan] Shatter is bringing forward two pieces of legislation – firstly, to make it an offence to withhold information relating to crimes against children and vulnerable adults; and secondly, at long last, to allow for the exchange of “soft information” on abusers.

As Taoiseach, I want to do all I can to protect the sacred space of childhood and to restore its innocence, especially our young teenagers, whom I believe to be children, because regardless of our current economic crisis, the children of this country are, and always will be, our most precious possession of all.

Safeguarding their integrity and innocence must be a national priority. This is why I undertook to create a Cabinet ministry for children and youth affairs. The legislation Children First proposes to give our children maximum protection and security without intruding on the hectic, magical business of being a child.

Cardinal Josef Ratzinger [the current Pope Benedict] said: “Standards of conduct appropriate to civil society or the workings of a democracy cannot be purely and simply applied to the church.”

As the Holy See prepares its considered response to the Cloyne report, as Taoiseach, I am making it absolutely clear, that when it comes to the protection of the children of this State, the standards of conduct which the church deems appropriate to itself, cannot and will not, be applied to the workings of democracy and civil society in this republic.

Not purely, or simply or otherwise.

Children . . . First."

The Irish Presidency

2011-07-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

This is why Irish President Mary McAleese will be missed when she leaves Office. Maybe as Ireland grows, a Second Republic will emerge and the role of the President become more for the people and by the people, rather than just of the people. For the first time in the history of the State, the need for a moral, cultural and ethical guide for a country in its political youth is becoming more and more apparent. It's an exciting thing to look at unfold...

From the Irish Times, Tuesday, May 10, 2011.

The importance of the [Irish] presidency

Áras an Uachtaráin

Agreement now exists between the major parties that the Seanad should be abolished and a referendum is likely to be put to the people next year. At a time when the Oireachtas is being restructured in such a fundamental fashion, the role of the presidency in articulating the aims and aspirations of the Irish people and in encouraging social solidarity is likely to become more important. In spite of that, a planned constitutional commission will only be asked to consider reducing the term in office from seven to five years. It should also review existing constraints. Under the Constitution the Government may confer additional functions by law. THE PRESIDENCY remains one of a small number of trusted institutions in Irish life. That has not happened by accident but as a result of the hard work and dedication of successive presidents, most significantly by Mary Robinson and by the present incumbent Mary McAleese. Their contributions at national and international levels have raised the profile and the status of the office to where it generates a quiet public pride. It would be intolerable if that good work is damaged in any way by party political machinations.

President Mary McAleese

During previous presidential election campaigns, candidates spoke of a need to expand the role of the office and to bring it closer to the people. As with Seanad reform, however, governments did not agree and declined to take legislative action. In spite of that reluctance, Mrs Robinson and Mrs McAleese reinvigorated the presidency through their personal commitment and imagination. Next week, President McAleese will host the first visit of a British monarch since the foundation of the State. That is appropriate in view of her dedication – and that of her husband, Martin – to the promotion of peace and reconciliation on this island and the normalisation of relations with Britain. In addition to high-profile support for the peace process in Northern Ireland, she has also championed community development and offered support to self-help groups and young activists.

The announcement by Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin that party councillors will be free to nominate Independent candidates, in order to provide the electorate with the widest possible choice, flatters to deceive. The reality is that Fianna Fáil no longer controls a sufficient number of councils to ensure a nomination. The initiative may have been designed to embarrass Fine Gael, which has attempted to block the nomination of Senator David Norris and to prepare the ground for an unprecedented situation where Fianna Fáil may not put forward a candidate.

Whatever about Mr Martin’s motivation, few would argue against the benefits of offering the electorate a wide choice of substantial candidates, irrespective of their political affiliations. Fine Gael and the Labour Party are committed to contesting the election. So should Fianna Fáil. It is, arguably, more important now that Ireland has a Head of State of national standing to represent us among the nations of the world than at any other time in history.

Watch out for Mosquitoes!

2011-07-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

So today we had one of our Monthly Team Meetings in work. The two hour meeting this morning was Hawaiian themed. This was in lieu of having not won the lotto syndicate and being able to actually go to Hawaii, and as always, the meeting consisted of the firm favourite: ‘Safety Talk’. Today we learned that driving when sober may considerably increase your chances of safety on the road. (I know, don't believe it either.) The main slideshow however, was about the eponymous Mosquito. It turns out that Canada is keeping a big dirty secret behind it's seemingly 'Developed Nation' veneer…Lyme Disease and the Nile Virus is rampant in Canada and, by all accounts, it's only going to get worse. This is because of the growing swell of Mosquitoes around the recently flooded areas of Manitoba. (The woman who spoke is from there, so she likes to talk about it a lot. Eh.).

With the imminent hot weather in August and September approaching Vancouver, we were given some top tips on how to avoid Mosquito bites and not contract life threatening diseases. That’s right folks, Vancouver can be as lethal as sub-Saharan Africa in terms of Mosquito Transmitted diseases. In addition to the Hawaiian themed meeting where we each wore a decorated head dress, enjoyed fruit salad, Danishes, chocolate covered Macadamias, Jelly Dolphins and fruit punch, we were all presented with very helpful factsheets on how to deal with the flying terrorists, care of the Woman’s Weekly Magazine.

This is my job.

Cheers,

Craig.

Nostalgia: the past's greatest stumbling block.

2011-06-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

Nostalgia is a crippling thing. It makes us appreciate us our past in a way that hinders our enjoyment of the present. How can we resist this urge to reminisce on times gone by that seem so much better than our current lives? Is it a simple human condition to always want what we can't have and to dream of the greener fields on the other side? I would argue that Nostalgia is a dangerous vice that lures us in to believing that a past time was a happier time. Nostalgia seems to stunt our growth and limit our contentment with our present condition. It has an ability to negatively affect our present as we gaze constantly backwards in to the past. Believing that the past was better than your present and future can have hazardous effects on the steps we take towards growing as individuals.

No matter how advanced, happy, progressive or accomplished we are, the allure of a 'simpler' time, a purer state of being, or a fond remembrance of our childhood always seems to tempt our thoughts. We always hear people say 'when I was young I remember the summers being so hot...' or 'there was always snow in the winter when I was a kid.' Were summers ever hotter than now, or are we just hot-wired to always view the past optimistically, or through the rosy tinted glass of nostalgia? It probably rained as much as it does now, and the sun probably shone as bright as it does now and life was probably as complicated and as seemingly uninspired as nowadays, but for some reason we are pre-conditioned to only remember the happy memories and the good times. This gives strength to the negativity that nostalgia imposes on our current reality. That's the crux of it, nostalgia is not real. It is a collection of biased memories, romantic imaginations of a time gone by that we once knew, or even more fantastical: an era that we never experienced. Nostalgia is like a form of hypnosis: we view our past as nostalgia wants us to.

Nostalgia is a bit like Impressionism. It blurs the edges to give an ethereal, more beautiful interpretation of a scene.

The inclination to be romantic and to imagine a time that we were not a part of, that was perfect in every way, is not only absurd, but renders a great injustice to our existence now. Art, literature, music and human expression has always endeavored to add value or concrete meaning to the 'now', to the seemingly very un-concrete and fluid state of our present existence. Why is it so hard for us to fully grasp, appreciate and live our present realities, our collective 'Now'? The more Nostalgia is ousted, the more it becomes a culprit in divorcing us from our present. It is responsible for tempting us with idealised memories of the past that stops us from embracing and engaging with our present.

Our ability as people to make decisions and effect change in our own lives is real and wonderfully limitless. We should not let Nostalgia trick us in to thinking that the past was a better, easier or a happier place. Our best days are not behind us, or in front of us. The past is gone and cannot change. Right now the present was once the future and right now, it has just become the past. While the past informs, it should not control. The present, our present tense and our reality is infinitely more powerful, once it breaks free from nostalgia.

Our ambitions and dreams, whatever they may be, should not be restricted by the past through the prism of a romanticised nostalgia. Our realities and futures should not be controlled by the past. Sure we can learn from the past and for sure, certain past experiences inform our character and our approach towards life, but we should not let Nostalgia limit our happiness and our present experiences. The past had as many negative moments as it did happy moments. The summers are just as hot, and the winters just as cold now as they ever were. Our childhoods had as many problems as our adult lives do, except we can't remember them. If only we could be hot-wired to view our present realities as positively as nostalgia allows us to view the past. At some point in your life, you'll probably reminisce on where you're at right now as the best time of your life. You know what? It probably is.

Release the past and in doing so nostalgia becomes less of a hobby and more of a foe. Nostalgia is only as great and as powerful as you let it interpret the past you are nostalgic over. Where you are right now is in your control. Try not be tempted by the past, no matter how perfect you imagine it to have been. Your present is magnificent and is worth appreciating.

Inspirations:

'Midnight in Paris', 2011. Directed by Woody Allen. USA: Sony Pictures Classics.

Tali, Sharot. 'The Optimism Bias'. May 28, 2011. Time.

Tolle, Eckhart. 2004. 'The Power of Now'.
Barack Obama, Speech in Dublin, Ireland. May 23, 2011.

Gypsy Musicians Amsterdam Style!

2011-05-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

Well maybe that would be offensive to them if they weren't gypsies, but in fairness, they were going for that whole look to get a bit of shrapnel, so no harm; no foul.

Amsterdam at Centraal, May 2011.

Jonathan Sexton: he's our hero.

2011-05-25T04:56:00.000-07:00

This week Ireland became a Royalist nation. Everyone is a fan of the Queen and her triumphant State Visit to the country, that was soon to be followed by US President Obama. It took an American, born in Honalulu with a Great Grandfather from Kenya to inspire the Irish to be proud to be Irish. The country was furthermore instilled with pride with the dignified modesty of a very humble but very brilliant Jonathan Sexton, who brought Leinster to an undisputed victory at the Heineken Cup Final. You couldn't have written the script on how that game transpired. Ireland has turned a page. No more will we talk about Bank Bailouts and the IMF. The great nation of craic, pints and banter is back in full swing. Long may it live.

Jonathan Sexton takes Leinster to Heineken Cup win over Northampton

Leinster 33-22 Northampton

From The Guardian, Monday 23 May 2011.

Some games defy description. There have, statistically, been bigger second-half comebacks in rugby union but there have been none in which a team have undergone the extreme makeover which propelled Leinster to a second European title in three years. Lazarus, it would seem, has a Ballsbridge postcode.

It all made for the most memorable of Heineken Cup finals. As well as scoring 28 points, including two tries in a remarkable flurry in which Leinster scored 27 unanswered points from 22-6 down, Sexton was also a keynote speaker at half-time, invoking the memory of Liverpool's famous 2005 European Cup comeback against Milan in Istanbul. His coach, Joe Schmidt, weighed in, telling his players they would be remembered forever if they regrouped and dug deep. For someone like Brian O'Driscoll, such tests of character are second nature. "When you say, 'Go to the well, boys,' he's 200ft down," said Schmidt. "He can dig pretty deep when the going gets tough."

Sexton's mentality, it would seem, contains similar flecks of granite. "I told the lads that you see this type of thing in sport all the time," he said, "teams just bouncing back from adversity, like Liverpool a few years ago." For a 25-year-old to transform a game of such significance, though, is far from commonplace. The 6ft 2in Sexton looks to be the best No10 in Europe, and there were echoes of Dan Carter in the surgical confidence with which he sliced up the tiring Saints. There can be no higher praise. The Lions have found their Test fly-half for 2013.

It also helped that Shane Jennings came on to replace Kevin McLaughlin, with Sean O'Brien switching across to the blindside flank. Leinster knew they had to pick up the tempo and accelerate away from the coils of the Northampton scrum. Greg Feek, their former All Black scrum coach, had a few urgent words about the need to lock down Saints' front row, whose penchant for driving through and upwards was causing mayhem, even with Brian Mujati in the sin-bin. "There was also a realisation that we'd worked for nine months and given it all away," said Sexton. "We said that if we could get the next score it would really rattle them."

The facts are stark: Irish teams have won four of the past six Heineken Cups (helping to qualify Connacht for next year's tournament for the first time) and England were royally thumped in Dublin two months ago. "We've just got to deal better with pressure when it comes on," said Lawes. "We need to learn from this."

An Irish winner of the Magners League is guaranteed, with Leinster due to face Munster in the final in Limerick on Saturday. It will be interesting, among other things, to see how the Munster No10, Ronan O'Gara, responds to Sexton's fast-rising profile. It is only a few months since Sexton was under fire after struggling, ironically, against Wales in Cardiff. On this occasion, beneath the Millennium Stadium roof, he displayed a sniper's accuracy to trump his opposite number, Stephen Myler, who had enjoyed an inspired first half. Of the game's 55 points, 49 were scored at one end.

The Red Rum-style finish was also a notable personal triumph for Leo Cullen, Leinster's underrated captain. Only four clubs have won more than one Heineken Cup and they all have been led by second-row forwards. Coincidence? Maybe not. Cullen and O'Driscoll will not be around forever but, given the age profile of the Leinster squad, Europe's blue period could last for some time yet.

I love Berlin! Where East met West.

2011-05-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

East Berlin, May 2011.

A sight that would not have been seen a mere 22 years ago. Advertising and the Western Capitalist world pasted on to the grey and uniform Socialist Architecture of East Berlin...love this City!

Vancouver at dusk...with a partially blood red sky.

2011-05-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a delicious BBQ topped off with a nice sunset...A great end to a Sunday.

The Harbour Centre, Vancouver, Canada, May 2011