The Little Green Bug

Don't look back...

2012-01-05T19:51:00.001Z

So, the government of the "Little Green Island" just announced that the inner city centre will be mainly for those on foot (also called pedestrians), cyclists and public transportation - no private vehicles anymore!

At first it sounds very "green" - and surely is if it was not nonsense! Not allowing cars into inner city centre of Dublin would demand a much - far, far, far much - better public transportation infrastructure than we have today! Areas like the north-west of Dublin are totally abandoned at their own fate, either in terms of buses or trains.

Dublin Bus is very well-known by the disservices they offer from long time, where buses have a no-show policy which Dublin Bus seems to not care at all! Drivers who skip stops at their wish, leaving people at the mercy of the weather! The Nitelink service which, in some routes, runs every 30 minutes Friday and Saturday, from 00:00 to 04:00 and costs ONLY €5!!! No services Monday to Thursday, so you have to get your bus by 11:30PM!

Trains towards the city HAVE to go through a unique hub - Connolly Station. They get there easy and quick... then they have to "wait their turn" (!) to serve the platform - yes, I know... it's hilarious!!! The timetable? For the west link, for instance, in the middle of the day you have to wait one hour to get into a train, not to mention they finish serving at 11PM and the first train on Sundays and bank holidays is 10AM! Buses as well!!!

"Oh, but it might be good for bikers", one may say. Not so fast, buddy! There are not enough corridors for bikes, and they are not that safe at all! Drivers don't really respect bikers, you'll quick learn that!

The government should care about the infrastructure first, and then come with this preposterous ideas...

Children's day!

2011-12-23T11:08:00.000Z

Today's is children's day in the office. Almost everybody brings their children and they play around with each other, they freely run among the desks, happy, shouting, singing...

I love children! Everybody can tell just looking at me interacting with then, but having them running around your desk, shouting and screaming and playing their toys is not an ideal work environment!

Mainly when they play with your toys!

What will be?

2011-12-20T21:27:00.000Z

Believe it or not, some people just don't clearly see the "interjunction" of their lives! Call it 3-way junction, Y-intersection, T-junction, it doesn't matter... you will clearly face this dilemma at some stage... the sooner the better!

Some people are so skeptic that they can't see the big steps in every little decisions they make... in other hand, some of them just think every little decision, no matter how little, is part of a bigger plan!

How to achieve the right balance?

Easy as it seems to be, this can get really complicated if we start with a simple question: are you a believer? This question probably triggers another one: in what? From there, we had open a whole world of possibilities... pretty predictable, isn't it?

Talking about predictability, isn't it the most extraordinary thing about the universe? To write down equations to describe the unseen from the seen? Yes, and I have to concur with my determinist friends: mathematics is simply beautiful!

But... what else? As my determinist friends believe, is maths the new God (if any)? Is determinism just an excuse to exempt one-self from any responsibility from their acts? Perhaps... but perhaps it's just uncertainty! Or even worse, the new faith! An irrational desire of ending up with an explanation for the unexplained!

I still sustain the free-will approach, and will, eventually, take the memorable way to my life, while the determinists, sadly don't know yet, as the way they will take is already determined, but they will only know after they've take it!

Just another lazy, drunken journalist!

2011-11-24T19:38:00.000Z

Sometimes you need a good argument to bend someone's opinion, but sometimes you just need a stereotype... that's exactly what made me think I shouldn't watch Depp's new movie, The Rum Diary.

People is talking about. People usually talk about things. Cool things... even they are not really cool. Sometimes, looking cool is cool enough. That's the case with The Rum Diary. People are saying they want to watch, they have to watch, and even that someone else has watched and it's great!

Really?!? I doubt! Not because I watched, but just because it didn't sound right! I don't known if was only the advertisement, or a combination of the advertisement and the trailer, but "great" is an adjective which doesn't goes well with the whole thing... and I was right!

Apart from my own stereotype - and I don't know from where in hell I got it - I just needed a review to endorse what my impressions were, and that's it... I have a good reason to NOT waste 120 minutes in a "cliché" movie! FOMO-free!!! As was said in The Sunday Times, "... at times, the film is The Hangover for people who think they are edgy outsiders."

Dunnes Stores. The difference is we are irish!

2011-10-20T00:04:00.000+01:00

Dunnes Stores. The difference is we're Irish! What's that supposed to mean? An "irish quality label"? Dunnes Stores claim they are irish, but they act as germans - nothing against the german people... it's supermarkets we are talking about!

Last weekend doing my regular shop - I'm not particularly loyal to any supermarket. Usually I buy certain things here, other things there... and last Saturday, while buying some stuff in Dunnes, an image of Lidl came to my mind... all the fruits and vegetables were still in their delivery boxes! A very known practice for Lidl and Audi, the so called low-budget markets. In this way they save some money as they don't need anyone organizing their shelves...

So... what's the difference again?

110911

2011-09-11T14:31:00.000+01:00

Ten years ago today, I recall, I was in Citibank's datacentre in Paulista Avenue, São Paulo, Brazil, and around noon, 1 pm, we got the news about the attacks. We were all in the operating room watching the images, almost unbelievable, in a small TV set. We were sent back home that day, as Citibank, like all other American companies around the world, closed its doors fearing terrorist attacks... this would be the first sign of terrorism's victory over the free world!

The theme was so explored since that it seems nothing was left to be said. The change of paradigms, the split of the world, the end of individual freedom... there were many speculations, some real and some sensational, like everything else in the press. At the time I did not have a blog - a technology still blooming - but I remember the heated discussions over the subject... even an colleague, friend of a friend of mine, poet, believed to have written "the definitive poem" on the 911. Needless to say, only he and perhaps his girlfriend of the time found the poem great. An advertising people's thing...

Grudges aside, write about the 911 in 110911 seemed, at first, opportunism. Even more considering all the hoopla american media - and to some extent european as well - around the date: Ground Zero visit by President Obama and former president W. Bush, debates about Arabic-American situation, large media coverage - written, spoken and warched. It's just too much!

Reading an article this week, by Conor O'Clery, the Irish Times foreign correspondent who lived in Manhattan at the time, he said something about remember the little things... the little things! I already knew Manhattan and the Twin Towers from my first visit to New York in 1995. I revisited the Twin Towers again in 1998 and 1999, then I visit the remains of them in 2002, during a training course I was attending in New York, near to Ground Zero site... and be there with no towers was at least weird. Besides the obvious - the horror of the act and its consequences - those little things people who lived in the area miss the most, the immense shopping and service concourse, the numerous newsagents, cafes, from Starbucks to run family-run shops, with freshly baked bagels every morning, not to mention barbers, hairdressers, key-cutters, shoes-repair, deli's, restaurants... a piece of history for each daily frequenter of that World Trade Center... and me, I just experienced for few weeks during sparse visits!

So, buddy, during this 110911, instead of consuming all that super-produced material that media will push down your throats on TV, radio and newspapers, try to remember the little things... those apparently irrelevant, or meaningless, or insignificant, that in the end make a difference, simply by reminding you that you are alive to watch them!

It's been a hard time

2011-09-06T22:02:00.000+01:00

It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright

I've been working hard, alright, but not like a dog! So many new things going on that it's almos impossible to find spare time to spend blogging... pity!

I'm trying to get back, though...

Shop! Shop! Shop!

2011-06-24T12:54:00.000+01:00

Yes, now it's official: the government has declared it's time to buy! The one's who can afford to buy have the responsibility to save the economy in their shoulders!

Michael Noonan, the Fine Gael politician who has been the Minister for Finance since March 2011, is encouraging Irish people to "go shopping"! Well, you might be asking "but buy what?", in which return the minister might turn to you saying "don't ask silly questions, boy! Just buy, buy and buy!"

We all can guess where such technical advises might bring us, can't we?

Is é Eamonn Ó Mhuireann do fíor?

2011-06-20T20:05:00.002+01:00

Someone's questioned
the veracity of Eamonn Ó Mhuireann...
Who the hell are they to doubt
about Eamonn Ó Mhuireann?

Eamonn Ó Mhuireann, son of
the Great King of the North
From the lands where no one stands
more than a moment in heresy...

Who the hell art thou, Whale of Stones?
Art thou stoned enough to stores'f holder
or carry thou too much stones on thy shoulder?
Níl uisce-beatha ar bith fágtha sa bhuidéal ar do shon...

Eamonn Ó Mhuireann,
yeah, that's me!

Hum... me pergunto se seria do fíor or ag fíor, sendo ag não o presente contínuo, é óbvio, mas sim a substantização verbal de fíor...

Where's Wally?

2011-06-03T12:21:00.001+01:00

Wally will be in Dublin from 16 to 19 of June, as part of the Street Performance World Championship.

Details:

The new children's playground

2011-05-11T15:45:00.000+01:00

Even most parents believed that kids under 18 should not be able to keep their accounts private and among them, about one-third monitor their children's usage of social media, some parents still tend to allow their 10 to 12 years old children to have a Facebook or MySpace account and keep it private, says a recent study.

The www is a wild, wild world, as Yusuf Islam (or Steven Demetre Georgiou, aka Cat Stevens) used to say! All kind of people out there, from good to psycho, and really bad people as well, so better you look after your children... or someone else will be doing that for you...

All you need is love

2011-03-24T20:03:00.000Z

OED, the Oxford English Dictionary is launching a new revised version today. First in it's online version, and later-on on the paper. Among the new words, "wags", for "wife's and girlfriends"; an annoying modern usage of “heart” as an ironic verbal expression of the non-verbal design used to represent “love” on T-shirt and car-sticker slogans; “tinfoil hat” – referring to a type of headwear believed by some to protect the wearer from covert surveillance.

The most interesting thing though, was the patterns noticed among online users. The single most searched-for word is “dictionary” itself, but the second-most popular search was “love”...

Yeah, people are still looking for it!

I am unsuccessful man!

2011-03-18T15:23:00.000Z

Someone came to me today saying that I look more successful when I'm on my suite... but it's Friday, the official casual day, so, that's OK!

This situation made me recall a text I posted (in portuguese) for the 2010 New Year's occasion. In that text I said that instead of wishing people happiness and prosperity, I'd like to wish LUXURY. What determines the concept of luxury is its shortage... So I want lots and lots of those things we lack... as SIMPLICITY, HUMILITY and SOLIDARITY, this, the noblest sense a person can have, along with COMPASSION, which I also want in large quantities...

Irishness

2011-03-16T13:40:00.002Z

It's Paddy's day tomorrow, time to show up all the "irishness" people have been hiding the whole year!

Things start in the morning... It will be people all around on their Paddy's costumes: greens high hats, with the shamrock stamped in the top, green t-shirts, red fake beards... even Celtic t-shirts will do the job of bringing all that restrained "irishness" out.

Of course there will be people with much more restrained "irishness" than others. And those would be the ones still thinking in the last election pool, or in how Enda Kelly will run the country, the ones just worried about their own jobs, their mortgages, their taxes rising, their money shrinking - money now has been taken by something called Universal Social Charge.

For those who can't forget the bank's bailout, the corporate taxes, the richer people's tax privileges... for all of those, (including myself, even I'm not officially irish), they just need to push all that irishness out in a very well-known way: DRINKING THEMSELVES TO DEATH!!!

Long Live Paddy!

What a Dissimulator!

2011-02-23T12:37:00.001Z

I got some feedback from friends about my "birthday poem" posted yesterday, and they were concerned about the darkness and the bitterness of the poem. I'd say this is the way I write, most of the time! And the beauty of writing is that you don't need to write the true... this is why is called fiction!

To recall Fernando Pessoa which wisely said:

The poet is a mere dissimulator
 His dissimulation seems so real 
That he dissimulates to be dolor 
The dolor which he can really feel.

And those who read his writes, 
In the pain chore feels well, 
Not both the pains he delights, 
But the one which no one tells.

Thus in the gutters of the funny wheel, 
Spin, spin, to put my mind apart 
This convoy of hope made of steel 
This convoy of rope called heart.

Translated by myself...

guess who is getting older?

2011-02-22T09:37:00.001Z

older, older and older,
the burden on your shoulder
everything you've ever done
with your youth now is gone
and you're older, older and older

wiser, wiser and wiser
your lore overflows like a geyser
the wisdom you'd like to share
finds no one who really cares
and you getting wiser, wiser and wiser

skeptical, skeptical and skeptical
can't decide if a coffin or a receptacle
doesn't matter, get your things on time
whether you fall whether you climb
and keep skeptical, skeptical and skeptical

you're a clown, a clown, and a clown
spent your life trying to be by your own
so that you couldn't see your beloved ones
crying over your dust, over your bones
and you're still a clown, a clown, a clown.

Old School

2011-02-17T17:42:00.000Z

BIMM is comming to Ireland. The Brighton Institute of Modern Music have announced that they will be opening a new college in Dublin in association with the DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology). They already have the backing of Sir Bob Geldof, who says in BIMM's website that he is aware of BIMM’s track record as the leading provider of modern music training in the UK, and the success of their graduates and their employment in all areas of the music industry, plus many hit record successes.

Hummm... he sounds like a business man, doesn't he? This is all about money, investment and employment. It's just another business, don't get exited about it... What were you expecting for? To be taught how to be an artist? No! They can teach you some music theory and pratice, OK, but art itself they can't!

Ah, the old days where all the music came from the heart...

the clowns are on air!

2011-02-08T22:23:00.000Z

Without Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, TV3 first leaders' debate was a success... as entertainment. What was the difference between Xfactor, Big Brother and The Debate? None, as it is all television! The Debate probably will be bored faster, as nobody can sing nor dance! And who was that saying it was a great debate?!? Terry Prone or the other guy? I can't tell, as I was only listening, not watching...

Eamon Gilmore and Micheál Martin were worried about their images only. Empty words merely to cause impact, mutual attacks to old problems... and in the mean time, Enda Kenny was going solo, in Carrick, Shannon.

No winner in the Eamon Gilmore vs. Micheál Martin debate, but surprinsingly, Enda Kenny didn't win either!

I'm not rich!

2011-02-06T19:42:00.001Z

Chardonnay is most closely associated with France's Burgundy region and California's Norther. Chardonnay is a popular grape and with good reason: made in styles that range from steely, mineral laced wines with crisp green apple fruit to wines that are buttery, rich, and laden with tropical fruits, there is a Chardonnay that will appeal to every palate. And this is the problem!

There's an article in the Sunday Times' Style Magazine today - Alone Home. It's about spouses of successful men, which got it all: rich husbands, perfect houses, lovely kids... and an alcohol problem. They are in a such state that anything is an excuse to drink: a bad day, a good day, pre-lunch, lunch, after lunch... everything is toasted with a glass of something.

Well... at least I'm not rich...

The non-optional misery

2011-01-15T18:38:00.001Z

Driving all my way back home last night, listening to "Radio na Life", the DJ just said something on air which really touched me. He said "Happiness is something you grow inside you. Misery is optional". It made me think about life a bit... and then I thought he was probably talking about psychological misery, not physical misery.

He probably doesn't know what physical misery is. How it is to agonize in pain, because of starvation... in such state, is not the hungry which matters anymore, at least not your hungry... all your guts are fighting against each other in search of something to consume, anything possibly left, any drop of water, mineral, or even protein - the walls of your stomach... the mucosas, submucosas, and anything else!

Agreed: Misery is optional. And happiness is something you grow inside, because you have the choice to grow it. Physical misery doesn't give you any option...

A Lazy Day

2010-11-19T13:27:00.001Z

Just a lazy day, drinking coffee and eating chocolate in the park after lunch, and then back to the office and type in these random words in this blog... I feel like all my problems are left alone, while the weekenders - as myself - are all on our own. Oh... such fun!

Yeah, these lazy days, when you make me forget myself and think I'm someone else, someone good... Oh it's such a lazy day, and I'd be glad if I could spend it with you. In such a lazy day, you'd keep me hanging on... oh yeah!

But we're going to reap just what we sow...

We Did It!

2010-09-07T13:08:00.001+01:00

Sunday morning, exactly 26 hours and 57 minutes after the start, we arrived in Calingford under a warm cheering from our support crew and all the Oxfam staff who were around the finish lane.

Yeah, congratulations to all of us, to our enormous determination under extreme weather conditions! The 5 months of training covering roughly 500Km surely paid off.

A special thanks to our support crew who made this possible: Anna, Teresa, Julie, Bianca and Owne, thanks for everything - the smiles and words of encouragement at every checkpoint, the logistics, the help with our walking gear, the lovely sandwiches and food, the weather reports, the foot-reviving massages, the rock'n'roll soundtrack and the sheer commitment to make it happen.

We were 23rd overall, out of 108 teams, and 15th among the teams who completed with all 4 members - not bad at all, I'd say!

We didn't manage to have the champagne, but we sure need to celebrate this achievement with a glass or two...

Check the results here.

Everything has a reason...

2010-08-08T22:06:00.012+01:00

I grabbed a photo of a Castle from the internet and got this email:

It has come to my attention that you have made an unauthorized use of my copyrighted work, a photo entitled Castelul Hunanzilor, which will from hereon be referred to as the Work.

I have reserved all rights in the Work, first published in 2004, [and have registered copyright therein].

Your work, http://eduardomiranda-plog.blogspot.com/ , is using, without authorization, my Work. - for photo infringement

As you failed to receive permission to use the Work within Castelul Hunanziolor and did not receive permission to make or distribute copies, [including electronic copies,] you have infringed my rights under 17 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq. and could be liable for statutory damages as high as $150,000 as set forth in Section 504(c)(2).

Such an Artist, uh? This is what I call a copyrighted mind ! Well, I have to thank this person. His/her attitude made me search for another illustration of a castle - but not any castle. I deliberately searched for the same castle, and guess what? I ended up finding a better work, from an artist who is more interested in spread the art than trying to make a profit by threatening people. Check it out!

Yes, the Internet is a vast world... wide... web. Some people should just stay away from it.

Aesop's fable

2010-08-03T21:51:00.001+01:00

Tells Aesop in his fables that one day his master - Xanthus - asked him to go to the market and buy the best that he could find to serve as a meal for some guests. Aesop went out and bought a bunch of hog's tongues. Asked why tongues, Aesop justified:

Is there anything better than the tongue? It is the bond of life, reason, and through what the cities are built and policed. Thanks to it people are not only educated, persuaded and convinced in the assemblies, but also fulfill the first of all duties, which is to praise God.

Xanthus, willing to embarrass Aesop, asked him to go back the day after and buy the worst he could find. The next day Aesop brought hog's tongues again. Without understanding anything, Xanthus asked for an explanation:

The tongue is the mother of all questions, the origin of all cases, the source of discord and war. On one hand if it is the organ of truth, is also another error, and worse yet, slander and infamy, because if at some point it praises the gods, on the other is used for blasphemy and impiety.

Where ones read tongue, read word. The word - especially the written word - is a powerful instrument. And it must be used properly and with discretion. Because of these and others I always say: Do not imbecilize yourself! Avoid the temptation of abbreviations and simplified spelling (of words sic). MSN, Twitter, Facebook, email... they all are tools that came to aid communication, not to deteriorate languages.

Call out this manifesto, whatever the language you write!

Fat is fact

2010-07-29T08:24:00.001+01:00

Who is obese and who is fat? It should be a clear rule: if your BMI (body mass index) is greater than 25,01 and 29,99 you are obese. From 30, you are fat. Seriously fat! Thanks to the north-americans - here they go again! - and their introduction of politically correctness, everybody overweight had to be called obese, otherwise they could be offended - and prosecute you!

It seems that these days are gone, at least in UK. England's public health minister Anne Milton says the term fat was more likely to motivate people into losing weight, and has said that GPs and other health professionals should tell people they are fat rather than obese.

for a better life

2010-07-26T21:25:00.001+01:00

After the announcement of reductions in the overall budget programme to €39 billion (from the original €75 billion) for infrastructure, plus the possible call for privatisation of particular state companies and agencies (ESB, CIE, DAA, Bord Bia, RTE, etc), comes to light what everybody already knew but pretended not to know: the crisis is not financial but about values. Surely privatisation can improve competition in areas like transport, but in the energy sector, would be better to keep the assets and clean the bills by other meanings, such as efficiency and private investment.

The solidarity is down, distorted by all those "tigers" - Celtic Tiger, the Four Asian Tigers, Gulf Tiger, Baltic Tiger, etc. People are busy making money, while they are lobotomized to believe that their happiness is all about consumption: we have to buy more in order to keep the economy growing, without realising our needs are limited, the resources are limited, and we are coming to an inevitable explosion.

A brand new economic model is needed, based on community, solidarity, better values, justice, and sustainability. Live a simpler and better life, is all we need...

The Plastic Bags

2010-07-20T10:46:00.001+01:00

We were used to have plastic bags in the supermarkets to carry the goods. Now they say plastic bags are bad to the environment - polietilenos, polipropilenos and other highly pollutant substances. They've asked you to bring your own bag to the supermarket - Fair enough! The question is, may I still bring my PLASTIC bag to the supermarket? And the answer is YES, YOU CAN! They might not proliferate as before but still will be around, and could be inappropriately dumped into the environment.

If they - when I say they, I say those who decided to cut the FREE plastic bags from the supermarkets - If they were really worried about the environment, they would make the supermarkets replace their plastic bags to paper bags. Free paper bags, and no harm would be done to the environment. Instead, they applied this ridiculous fee to the plastic bag and keep producing and providing them. Still an exposure to the environment.

All that zeroes and ones...

2010-07-04T00:06:00.007+01:00

I must to confess that I started my IT carrer coding in BASIC, DBASE and Clipper! I was a Computer Operator back in the 80's, and more serious things only came with age... I was 'already' 24 when I became an OS/370 System Programmer Trainee, doing more interesting stuff like Assembler exits, and even OS installation - VM/370, MVS/XA - thanks to my guru Johnson Varella.

I have to agree with this article The Story of Mel when it says Real Programmer's writes in Fortran! I would not call myself a Real Programmer, but I wrote in Fortran (looks like this)! And I also wrote in Assembler in the glorious OS/370 and OS/390 IBM systems. I even wrote in C, when C became a language in these systems, but I also played with C and Assembly 8088/8086 in PCs, but it was a kid's toy, nothing serious could be done in that machines, even if my boss wanted! What kind of operating system is used by a Real Programmer? Definitely not Windows, nor Unix - which is good to write papers! Real Programmers use MVS!

Well, it was good times! We all had copies of the OS JCL manual and the Principles of Operation in our desks, open to some particularly interesting pages... but now the latest generation of computer programmers are not being brought up with the same outlook on life as their elders. They are soft-protected from the realities of programming by 'high level' languages, with fancy text editors that count parentheses, and "too user friendly" operating systems. Worst of all, some of these alleged "computer scientists" manage to get degrees without ever learning Assembler! Or C, or Fortran. They get their degrees by programming in Java...

What a World!!! Or in other 'words':
010101110110100001100001011101000010000001100001001000000101011101101111011100100110110001100100001000010010000100100001

Wow! It took some time, though...

An Irish Rendemption

2010-06-28T21:12:00.000+01:00

After a successful campaign against France, which got not only the sympathy of Irish supporters, but also other nationalities - the photo of a Mexican supporter holding a banner saying "Mexico vs. Ireland" during the Mexico x France match was an example how football supporters felt about France -, the England defeat to Germany sounded like the golden key to the Irish. Fair played to Ireland, which enrollment to the World Cup was denied due an unfair goal.

But one could ask if the Irish got upset when Maradona's hand of God Goal in 1986 World Cup left England out of the competition... Of course they enjoyed it! Isn't this what football is all about?

Wanted: Dead or Alive?

2010-06-25T08:24:00.000+01:00

One year after Michael Jackson's death, there are still several legal issues to solve. He left a bill of more than 300 million dollars to his beloved ones! And the family - not an easy one, we already know - has been fighting around... Latoya said Michael was murdered because he worth more dead than alive!

Well, before his death he was not selling as he used to sell and not getting media coverage as he used to get. After, he is a phenomenon again! One year after his death, the new king is selling more than the old king Elvis!

Elvis? The one who died in 1977, 33 years ago? When the world had 4.230 billion people against 6,790 billion today?

Yes, mam...

The Wicklow Way - parts 2 & 3

2010-06-08T20:37:00.000+01:00

As expected, the weather on Saturday was fantastic! The same could not be said about Sunday... but we walked anyway!

Starting from Knockree, near Enniskerry, we walked all the way to Laragh Village, a impressive 26km, in 8.5hrs (ascent of 630 mts).

The day after, we waited for the rain to stop then went for walk about 1pm. We walked the orange way (8Km) + almost the full white way (8 of 9Km) in 5hours (ascent of 400mts).

Next week, Wicklow Way part 4!

This weekend walking...

2010-06-04T15:44:00.000+01:00

After some days no walking (I know this is bad), I'm back to the road tomorrow. We will be walking 2 parts of The Wicklow Way - from Knockree to Roundwood and then from Roundwood to Glendalough on Saturday, and then another few kilometers in Glendalough on Sunday.

With this beautiful weather, it promises to be a nice, nice walking!

My "local" walk...

2010-05-27T14:02:00.000+01:00

Following the walking trainings, yesterday I walked what I could call "my local", in the same sense of local pubs - everyone has a pub to call "local" here in Ireland, right?

Yeah, so I have two "local" walkings - the Phoenix Park, really close to my place, and the Royal Canal Way, which is just next door, even a walk there sometimes can not be called "local"... it extends to Longford - considerable 145km! Yesterday I walked the already familiar Ashtown-Clonsilla-Astown route, a quiet 13Km covered in 2h20min.

Urbi et Orbi

2010-05-26T13:29:00.003+01:00

Who saw says that there were more than 100 people. Considering the size of the Whelan's (upstairs), I'd say the place was packed! From my point of view (literally from the stage) I couldn't see much because there was a spotlight targeting right in my face! When I mixed in the crowd I could clearly see ... The place was packed!

Full house, and full of energy, the recently named Wellfish caught the audience so well that, according to fervorous comments collected at the venue, they were elected the best performance of the night, despite the main attraction - The Shove.

Fair play to us, The Shove asked if we could open more gigs to them - and it seems they've been playing a lot! Now, what we need to do is wait - and pray! - for other concerts in Dublin, and who knows where else ...

A gig tonight...

2010-05-25T13:12:00.002+01:00

Today is the first official gig with the new formation. Although announced like The Buzz, we just heard this week about a Scottish band with the same name, so we changed... We are "The Wellfishes"!

The formation is Fergus McGovern (vocals), Trevor Cudden (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), Ciarán MacSamhrain (bass and backing vocals), Louis O'Donoghue (drums) and myself, Eduardo Miranda (lead guitar).

In the repertoire, cover songs from blues to rock, and a bit of country as well. The song list for tonight is:

I Want Everything - Cracker
Willin ' - Little Feat
Only Team Will Tell - Jimmy Norman
Buy in Bottles - Richard Ashcroft
Tupelo Honey - Van Morrison
True Love Tends you it Forget - Bob Dylan
Take Me Down To it The Infirmary - Cracker

Whelan's address is 25 Wexford Street, Dublin 2. Phone 01 4780766. We should start by 8:30 if no delays... And as As they say in show business "Break a leg"... we are going to break two!!!

The Wicklow Way

2010-05-24T12:57:00.000+01:00

Kepp Walking, as Johnny used to say! Last Saturday we walked the so called first part of "The Wicklow Way", the 132Km path through the Wicklow mountains - a remarkable spetacle of mother nature!

This first walking was from Marlay Park till Enniskerry and took us 5 hours to cover. 22Km made of uphills, downhills, rocky ways and a wonderful landscape! Experts say this is a wonderful mark!

And if you didn't donate yet, don't be ashemed... you can do it here!

Oxfam Trailtrekker - So far...

2010-05-17T20:16:00.003+01:00

Trying to get prepared to September's big challenge, the 100Km walking in 36 hours, it's better if one's practice regularly...

To give an idea what has been done so far:

27/03 - Ashtown-Connolly Station - 8Km
01/04 - Mulhuddart-Ashtown - 12Km
03/04 - Bray-Greystones-Bray-Bray Head - 14Km
10/04 - Howth-Connolly - 16Km
17/04 - Howth-Howth Head-Connolly - 25Km
24/04 - Greystones-Sandymount - 30Km
01/05 - Howth Head-Malahide - 25Km
06/05 - Phoenix Park round - 15Km
08/05 - Cooper Coast, Co. Waterford - 10Km
15/05 - Ashtown-Broomsbridge-Leixlip Louisa Bridge - 23Km
18/05 - Ashtown-Clonsilla-Ashtown - 14Km

Today's trail: Connolly-Maynooth

2010-05-15T19:28:00.000+01:00

Following the schedule for the OXFAM IRELAND TRAILTREKKER 2010 trainning (by the way, have you donated yet? No!? Well, then click here!), today we had planned a 30km walking, from Connolly Railway Station, walking along the banks of Royal Canal, which borders the train tracks, until Maynooth Railway Station, but eventually it didn't end up as planned.
I walked Astown-Broombridge (3 km), and then turned back towards Ashtown, till Leixlip Louisa Bridge Railway Station (approximately 19km). The remaining 7 or 8km were not possible due muscular pain...

Bailing out!

2010-05-14T09:12:00.000+01:00

They say we should help the banks. They say if the banks collapse, all the economy will fall down with them. They say it's vital to the world, to the country, to the people. They have keeping saying that for more than 100 years, and will be saying that for the next 100, then for the next 100, and then the next, the next...

We say "That's enough!" Here in Ire-land, the Taoiseach washed his hands speaking to a group of people, saying "the government" was giving/taking wrong advices. As he were not part of "the government".

Banks were irresponsible - aren't they meant to be? They are always trying - generally with success - to take advantage over everybody else (bankers would even sell their mothers for a good rate!). It is the government economists' dutty to regulate them, but regulation seems to be something evil, prohibited, old-fashion and outmoded - according to the liberals primer, of course. But now the government wants to pay the banker's bill with consumer's money. The same money which should go to education and health - to say the least.

No, sir, it doesn't sound right at all!

The Silver Swan

2010-04-30T14:20:00.001+01:00

by Orlando Gibbons

The silver Swan, who living had no Note,
when Death approached, unlocked her silent throat.
Leaning her breast against the reedy shore,
thus sang her first and last, and sang no more:
"Farewell, all joys! O Death, come close mine eyes!
"More Geese than Swans now live, more Fools than Wise."

we have our own volcano

2010-04-20T18:50:00.000+01:00

Lots of friends are asking me about the icelandic volcano... "Are you OK?", "Did the ashes affect you?"

No, no... we are OK here in green Ireland. Cold Iceland is dealing with some ashes - they even need to were masks to breathe! The only thing we suffered and are still suffering here is from the airport closure, that's all. And fortunately I was in Ireland when it happened, and have no travels booked in the near future... but today, looking from my balcony, how surprised I was when I realised we have our own volcano!

think global, get local

2010-04-15T16:49:00.001+01:00

The new globalisation is all about being local! When everybody seems to be most enjoying the (good?) effects of globalisation, it seems that the best turned to be the local... the local jamón in Spain, or the local mozzarella de búfala from Italy. Look in the supermarkets: they are proud to be Irish, to offer 100% Irish beef, or pork, or chicken.

The sense of the local has a built-in memory of childhood, of homeland. Few people would be interested in eating tomatoes from Cluj-Napoca in Romenia (supposing you are not from Romenia) or spring onions from Chenai in India.

So, one can ask me what about the "Think global" of the title?

Because is clearly more enjoyable and healthier to get things local, ignoring globalisation, it's not only about quality or even patriotism... As always, money will be your sentence!

the house effect

2010-04-07T14:39:00.001+01:00

They say houses prices are extremely down.
They say people are hungry because they can't sell their houses.
They say their houses don't value the price they paid.
They say they can't pay their mortgages.

This should really be the minority of the population. The simplest Paddy people would not buy a house to speculate the market... they would not put the money they don't have into the property bubble...

They say people are hungry because they can't sell their houses, which now don't value half the price they've paid...

To me, it sounds more like the process are at a reasonable level...

I used to say that...

2010-03-23T09:20:00.002Z

fly like a butterfly,
but sting like a bee.
through mohammed ali's mouth

"All of those who may
Forbid me to fly:
They will pass away
I'm passing by"
mário quintana, translated by myself

"I've bleed enough
I've cried a lot
I died last year
but this year I'll not"
Zé Limeira, translated by myself

check it out...

2010-03-23T08:00:00.001Z

I've updated this short tale... The Call. Give it another read...

a nice walk!

2010-03-22T16:05:00.003Z

Stunning sea cliffs, abundant wildlife and a fantastic walk - What more could you ask for! An invigorating walk taking in some clean sea air! This is the Bray to Greystones cliff walk.

We began our journey on Bray Promenade and moved on to the stunning cliff walk where the scenery is breathtaking! The coastal walk is about 6km in length of cliff-top paths, which snake their way south from the end of Bray esplanade to the charming and bustling town of Greystones, offering spectacular views of the Wicklow Mountains.

In our way back - another 6 km or so - we took the challenging Bray Head climb, which took my breathe away, literally!

Everything just a preparation for the great Oxfam Trailtrekker 2010!

In the meantime in Gotham City...

2010-03-08T09:49:00.003Z

Gotham City is getting older. And as an old city, needs more care... everywhere! The gothamcitians cannot provide their own welfare, the state has collapsed, the pensioners are asking about their money, the money they have been paying all their life and now the government says it can't afford paying everybody...

"Collect more taxes" said someone from the inner circles of power. "Increase the state pension age", said another one, "Bilked it to a certain extent", others. Suddenly, from the back of the room, someones shouted loudly, "Let the foreigners pay it!". First a silent, followed by a rumour, and then a chorus:

"Let the foreigners pay it!" "Let the foreigners pay it!" "Let the foreigners pay it!" "Let the foreigners pay it!"

The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) rose the acquiring an immigration card from free (yes, it was free till 2006!) to €100, and then to €150.

As the price hike doesn't affect the gothamcitians, ewverything is fine in the Gotham CVity Kingdom...

Dublin - the new Gotham City

2010-03-04T12:35:00.009Z

Here is some curio... Batman's first locale was set to Manhattan, but writer Bill Finger decided to change it to a fictional city because he didn't want anyone making any references and would give more freedom to criativity. He tried Capital City and Coast City before "Gotham City Civic City", which was shortened later on to Gotham City.

The meaning of the name Gotham is literally "homestead where goats are kept", from Old English gat (goat) and ham (home). In terms of atmosphere, according to Dennis O'Neil Gotham City is something like Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven past midnight on the coldest night in November. The architecture often shows Gothic, Art Deco and Art Nouveau, along with modern glass skyscrapers and buildings.

Gotham is more recalled as a no man's land due its rampant and recurring corruption within the city's civil authorities and infrastructure, and here is where Dublin comes through... it's becoming a no man's land! Drivers driving on bus lanes, doubling the speed limits, blocking crossroads, driving through red lights, parking on clearance areas, breaking clamp lockers... bus drivers not respecting bus stop signs, buses not satisfying their timetables, lawyers are for sale, blasphemer politicians all around...

What have we done?

P.S.: No, I'm not a Batman buff. All the curio info came from Wikipedia... 'course.

What a Language!

2010-02-26T13:25:00.005Z

If I had to say only one thing about the English language, I would say it is "absorbent". After we all have already degusted noums turning into verbs - like the glorious email, "I emailed you yesterday", fax, "Fax me this, pelase", and google (derived from the word googol, - a number represented in base-ten by a one with a hundred zeroes after it. The name was coined in 1938 by Milton Sirotta, the nine-year-old nephew of American mathematician, Edward Kasner), "You have to google this".

In my way to work this morning, listening to the radio, I was surprised when the reporter said "Which ones (hotels) will be NAMAed?", meaning which hotels would be choosen by NAMA to shutdown their activities due under performance.

You know, NAMA is the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA), which will operate as an independent commercial entity under the aegis of the National Treasury Management Agency here in Ireland...

In the Immigration Office...

2010-02-12T08:49:00.003Z

- What do you mean you can't give me the full Visa? Am I not entitled to a 2 years stamp?

- Yes, sir, you are, but your passport is expiring in eight months, so I'll give you an eight months Visa.

- And after that?

- After that you will have to come back with your new passport to stamp it.

- Do I have to pay again?

- Yes, sir, you do.

- Why should I have to pay again if the Visa is still valid for only 2 years?

- You have to pay to imprint...

- Wow, what's so expensive? The stamp? Stamp-pad? Ink? I can provide them if you make it easier...

No answer.

- Why don't you just stamp my 2 years Visa and when this passport expires I just carry it with me, along the new one?

- We can't do that!

- Other countries do...

- We are not other countries. This is Ireland!

- Never mind...

He took his passport with the 8 months Visa. The Immigrant agent typed in his profile: watch out - inquisitor, with an inclination to independent thinking.

The Call

2010-02-09T16:07:00.006Z

Telephone ringing incessantly. Finally, someone picks it up but says nothing.

“Hello?”

No reply yet. He persists:

“Hello, Mary….is that you?”

“There's no Mary here”. She hangs up.

He calls again, sounding more relaxed now:

Silence again.

“Mary, it’s me, Don”.

“Fuck you, Don, my name is Caroline. Mary’s dead”.

“You’re stoned Mary, you said…..”

“Fuck what I said, you viggo!”.

He sighs. She’d crossed a line but didn’t realise…

“Look, I’m not, okay? I’m just trying to be clean and keep you…”

“Don't fucking "keep-me", OK?”

“Look, Mary, I just…”

“I’M CAROLINE!”, she shouts, “Did you hear me? CAR-OL-INE!”

“That’s your hooker-name….are you on the game again?”

“FUCK YOU, YOU BASTARD!, YOU FUCKING PIG…. YOU…YOU…”

He sighs. She starts crying….silently initially….but then getting louder and louder….”

“It’s okay Mary, I’m here….I’m here Babe…”

Breathless crying.

“Look, it’s Saturday night, can I come over?”

“No”. She's crying and sniffling. "I’ve been spaced out for days and I don’t want ya seeing me looking like shit…”

“You don’t look like shit, Babe…you’re my girl, you know that, don’t ya?”

No answer. Crying and sniffling still…

“…and we’ll kick again, Baby, you and me together, you’ll see. So just let me come over…I’ll bring some whites and we can….”

“Fine, but I need some more brown stuff too, ya know?”

“Alright, Babe, for the very last time and we’re all done then, yeah?”

“Yeah, for good…”

Getting a bus in Dublin

2010-02-01T09:22:00.002Z

You have got to be kidding me. There's no services on Sunday for route 239. So, those who live in Blanchardstown and might think about going to Lucan in a nice Sunday morning, just can't. Oh, I'm sorry... yes they can! They just have to spend 40 minutes in a bus to city centre and another 40 minutes from city centre to Lucan...

No, I'm not kidding you!!!

flarfing around...

2010-01-29T17:23:00.005Z

I was flarfing
if to flarf is something
that flarf people
use to flarf about...

did you flarf me?

wine taste & finger food for a tenner

2010-01-19T14:43:00.006Z

Every wine lover should go for wine tastes in a regular basis. It's not just for the wine, but for the whole atmosphere. You meet a lot of people among the same interest, at least one: the love for the wine. And this is not enough, there is always other ways to go through, if you know what I mean...

The Hole in the wall pub is the venues for many wine events. They Yesterday I attended to the so called "Happy Mondays". The name should be because everybody is happy there, or even because everybody leaves happy! Anyway, the Happy Monday was a wine taste of 6 new zealander wines - 4 sauvignon blanc, 1 chardonay and 1 pinot noir. All sprinkled with a nice selection of finger food during the break time - so it will not spoil your palate! And the price? A mere tenner! Jezz...

It was not my first, but was my most enjoyable wine taste ever! And now I know my way - ok, I knew already, but was too lazy! - I'll do it more frequently... starting this 22nd of February (hum... the date recalls me something...), when Teresa and me will be attendind to he unique and innovative 5-in-5 series; over five nights, we will be sampling five grapes: shiraz, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc and merlot.

The Hole in the Wall is right there, in the Blackhorse Avenue, beside Phoenix Park, Dublin 7. Numbers are limited and payments may be made in the attendance. You can assure a place by calling them on 01 8389491.

Taking it easy ...

2010-01-15T10:08:00.005Z

... and going crazy!

And now that the snow season is over and we are not enforced to be watching stones drinking a nice cup of tea, is time to get out and enjoy! The cinemas are hungry fro people, the restaurants willing to populate their display windows, teathers, museums, cafes, shops... the entire life is back and we can go out... but if you don't want to, it's ok...

Taking it easy and going crazy!

The old fashion way

2010-01-13T09:11:00.002Z

Welcome to the "Frozen Pipes" club, as our heating is a boiler and it will not start if there's no pressure into the system - which is suppose to come via... the pipes!

Dublin is running out of water. The City Council is putting the system down a bit - they turn the water on in the mornings, for 2 hours, then turn it off again for the rest of the day, turning on again in the evening for another couple of hours... a disaster! Authorities are also asking people not to let their taps open during the night - to avoid the pipes to become frozen, but the problem is when there's no much water running, either the pipes can freeze or the boiler system can run out of pressure and consequently not burning the gas for hot water and the central heating...

At least we have a few electric heaters and hot water bottles, the old fashioned way. It was -11 yesterday morning...

What Agglutination!

2010-01-12T19:50:00.003Z

ed·u·tain·ment
n.
1. The act of learning through a medium that both educates and entertains.
2. Any of various media, such as computer software, that educate and entertain.
3. (Social Science / Education) the presentation of informative or educational material in an entertaining style.

When I first read this word in an email a friend sent me, I though he was kidding with my name - edu(ardo) + (enter)tainment. What agglutination!

In linguistics, agglutination is the morphological process of adding suffixes and/or prefixes to the base of a word. Here, it was taken from edu(cation) + (enter)tainment...

Icy Dublin

2010-01-06T20:54:00.000Z

Roads are frozen. Local authorities say they are doing everything they can to fix the problem - bring more salt to the country, pulverise the roads - as soon as possible. The Minister of Environment said it would be for the next day or so... How come?

Minister excuses started saying that main roads are OK (barely OK, I'd say), and they are the priority. Well, they may be the priority, but what about the traffic jam which in regular days, when all back roads are clean and unblocked, is already a chaos? What to say now with blocked back roads and main roads in icy conditions?

The Minister continues daying that if you watch the UK news you'll see that they have the same problem. My understanding - actually the first thing which comes to my mind - is that the Minister wants the british disgrace to act as consolation to us... jeez!

To be honest with you, I'm delighted with this weather! I'm brazilian! We have all the good weather there, and this is quite exotic to me! It's a shame the authorities don't provide people with the infrastructure they need to enjoy the season.

2o1o

2010-01-02T10:58:00.002Z

It's been a long (and winding) time I din't write anything here, in my english space... 2009 has gone, 2010 has come - I've wished (in portuguese) to everybody a lot of LUXURY. Once what defines luxury is the sense of scarcity, I wish you all loads of SIMPLICITY, HUMILITY, SOLIDARITY (the most noble felling of the human been) and COMPASSION!

Happy New Year!

M50 @ 60km/h

2009-11-22T22:01:00.003Z

Traffic planners must be kidding. The speed limits on M50 between N3 Blanchardstown and N2 Ballymun are set to 60km/h. To be fair, this is too much during the rush hours, when the maximum you can drive is 40km/h, but during the weekend... I did it myself today - drive at 60Km, and I was almost pushed out to the hard-shoulder! Literally nobody drives there at 60Km/h.

If the authorities really want drivers to keep their speed at 60, they should do something more efficient, or change the limits to something more realistic.

The Ryanair's Game

2009-09-02T11:29:00.002+01:00

Cheap flights around the world are becoming more and more popular nowadays. In Europe, there are some companies really competitive, and they are capable of doing anything to beat the prices of their competitors. They put their prices as down as €0,00 (zero euros, which may be different than US$0,00 - zero dollars) to catch customer's attention, but then they come with a lot of hidden fees, which the customer has to be careful. They are all there, in the so awfully called Terms and Conditions. I call this The Ryanair's Game, because to my own healthy and well being, Particularly regarding to Ryanair, which is one of most aggressive in terms of prices and one of the worst - not to say the worst - in terms of customer services.

Starting from the check-in process which can only be made by internet. If you don't have internet access and have to call their ticket desk, your ticket flight will aggregate an extra "ticket desk" fee. If you are not european, there in the terms and conditions is stated that you will need an extra stamp in your online boardind pass. For what? For nothing, as other non-budget companies don't have this rule. It's there just to catch the ones who don't have the habit of reading the tiny letters. The same with the "40 minutes before departing check-in closing rule", which only Ryanair (maybe other low-budget companies) has. Flying Aerlingus to the USA, for instance, I was directed to the plane mere 20 minutes before departing! By Ryanair, in other hands, I missed a flight in London Stansted Airport because I call the check-in desk 37 minutes before the departure. The boarding area was only 5 minutes walking fromn the security, so I was plenty of time to get the plane, but they are strictly irreducible: No boarding within 40 minutes to depart!

So, you have two options: pay more to fly a proper airline and be treated as an human being, or play the game of slyness.

An Eye on Brazil

2009-08-31T09:35:00.003+01:00

Brazil has weathered the recent global economic downturn better than many other countries. In fact, leading analyst firm IDC, predicts the IT market in Brazil will reach $32 billion USD this year alone, and grow nearly 10 percent through 2013. Much of this opportunity is found in faster growing industries such as telecommunications, financial services, healthcare and energy.

To help foster technology and skills growth in the region, IBM launched a Portuguese language version of IBM developerWorks, the world's largest online technical skills resource and community for developers, to support Brazil's growing ecosystem of 300,000 IT professionals. IBM also announced it is making developer instances of its Lotus software available at no-charge to accredited colleges and universities in IBM's Academic Initiative program across Latin America.

The IBM Innovation Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is part of a network of 43 centers in 30 countries globally, providing entrepreneurs, business partners, venture capitalists and academics with access to training, consulting services, a broad technical infrastructure, and hands-on assistance to help bring new technologies to market.

In 2008, more than 22,000 business partners attended workshops, seminars and architecture consultations to build their skills on IBM technologies, and over 7,000 new applications were enabled on IBM open standards-based technology at IBM Innovation Centers.

By cultivating and enabling the entire ecosystem -- from student to seasoned professional - we’re helping IBM Business Partners succeed and ensure the innovation of tomorrow.

It sounds like an exciting time for IBM in Brazil!

Borders' Shutdown

2009-08-10T16:47:00.004+01:00

The only branch of the UK's bookstore Borders has shutdown this weekend. The Blanchardstown branch started to sale everything 50% off 3 weekas ago. Last week they've dropped the prices even more, to 75% off, and last weekend - just before shutdown - every and any item was only 1 euro! The store was quite out of options, I tell you, but even that was not a problem to me to spend 91 euros there! It means 91 items (1 "Instant Russian" CD and 90 books!) more to keep...

NAMA Banana

2009-08-05T12:10:00.002+01:00

The squandering took place, the powerful and the richest people of this country have played their cards - and the governement is their partner: ordinary people have to pay the bill once again. But this time, the governement wants a blank check, because they don't even know the amount they have to bite yet!

Pixo

2009-07-22T09:53:00.005+01:00

Focusing on the life of the ex-"pichador" (person who writes or paints on public walls, often illegally) Djana Ivson, the photographer of the Folha de São Paulo newspaper, João Wainer and his brother Roberto Oliveira produced "Pixo", a documentary about "pichadores" in São Paulo city.

The documentary discusses wether graffiti is an artistic expression or a crime against property. The production records of different actions pichadores and unveils some of the codes of conduct of this tribe.

Watch an excerpt of Pixo here:

an extensive one here.

an Aoine

2009-07-17T11:30:00.013+01:00

I had my third Irish class and I could say I'm doing VERY WELL! And just 'cause today is friday - an Aoine! - and my daily email "irish word of the day" was domhan, meaning Planet Earth - Tá muid uilig inár gcónaí ar an domhan, or We all live on Earth - I offer this video with from Playing for Change featuring Granpa Elliot: "God Bless America", home of the most of the Irish people in the world!

In the golf court...

2009-07-16T15:36:00.001+01:00

Just as matter of having the right word in the right place!

whack to ya!

2009-07-08T10:14:00.003+01:00

Are we back to the Middle Ages, where capital punishments were entertainment? Hopefuly not! But listen to the radio we realise the increasing reports of random attacks in Dublin... how come? Is it the crisis? Is it the drugs? Is it just vandalism? Maybe all of them! Uneducated, unoccupied people, drug addictives, racistis... It's not about money - no! Usually there's no robbery involved in this assaults, just the need of being violent and beat someone.

Someone will accuse right wing parties increasing popularity by instigating intolerance and facist speeches - "britain for the british" or something like that. As always in history, anything which is different frightens. And the defence turns into attack.

There's no boundaries for the rage, ignorance and stupidity. When your weapons are more than your words, you far loose the battle.

freestreets - facebook

It's hard to believe in humanity. More and more. I believe in people. Few people, the individual. Walk with faith I will, because faith does not usually fail, and there will be a day we will look back at our history and say "Oh, how cruel we were!". Unfortunately I'll no longer be here to witness this...

And while this doesn't happen, everybody should engage this cause against social violence. Only those who were assaulted know that the physical effects heal relatively quickly, but the long-term psychological effects of an assault which are most disabling. Those who have been attacked usually have symptoms of being highly sensitive to possible dangers while going about their daily activities and this, to some extent, renders them as prisoners to perceived threats in their everyday lives. This means that the victim continues to be controlled by their assailant long after the actuality of the event. Such experiences happen more frequently than we would like to imagine.

If you or someone you know wishes to take part, visit their website or look for freestreets on facebook or send a mail to them.

Where is it? Where is it?

2009-07-06T16:05:00.004+01:00

You might be willing to know where to twit, ain't ya? Well, it's nothing particulary exciting, I'd tell you, but... nowadays we never know where and how this technologies will bring you!

Anyway... it's here: http://twitter.com/edotm/

Flash Fiction and Flarf, anyway...

Hey there! edotm is using Twitter!

2009-07-03T15:04:00.003+01:00

Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? Join today to start receiving edotm's updates.

This is what they say. I'll be using it for Flash Fiction....

Weather Forecasting...

2009-06-25T10:53:00.001+01:00

Definetely, the most efficient weather forecasting system in Ireland...

The Irish-Lisbon Treaty

2009-06-19T09:58:00.003+01:00

The government remains confident it can get agreement today on the Irish legal guarantees to the Lisbon Treaty, despite British objections which caused the postponement of a decision yesterday. What the irish are asking, basically is to sign the treaty now, but leave an open door so they can change their minds later...

Does anybody see a problem with that?

Six Polish Poets

2009-06-18T16:19:00.002+01:00

"6 Polish Poets: an Anthology" (part II) brings poets Dariusz Suska (born in 1968 in Złotoryja, 90 kilometres west of Wrocław) and Maciej Woźniak (born in 1969) among others. They will be reading the poetry as well... in English, I presume!

The old "Séimhiú "

2009-06-17T09:00:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I (re)started my Irish classes - yeah! Even the class is on an advanced stage and I'm an eternal beginner, I asked Ciaran - the múinteoir - if I could just be a fly on the wall. Among several things I missed, I got something... this curio about the origins of the Séimhiú, the "h" after a consonant in the middle of a word, that in Irish generally silences the consonant before it. If found at the start of a word, it is generally pronounced as a "H" instead of the first letter.

The curio is that the original Séimhiú was a "dot" ("a Buailte) over the letter. When typewriters came into fashion in the country, the specialized ones weren’t freely available, and they decided to put the "h" after the letter instead!

pride... in the name of love!

2009-06-15T10:45:00.003+01:00

The São Paulo Gay Parade is now the biggest one of its kind in the world. They say more than 3,000,000 people attended the Parade yesterday. One of the major tourist events in São Paulo, the event has official support from the city government of São Paulo. The Parade happens yearly in June; it is the beggining of Brazilian winter, when temperatures are lower, but rains are rare.

Unfortunately, homofobia still took place in the venue...

Official web site here.

The End of an Empire

2009-06-12T12:54:00.002+01:00

Bowing to European competition rules, Microsoft Windows 7 will ship without Internet Explorer.

The company said it would make it easy for PC makers and users to get at and install the web browsing program.

In response Brussels expressed scepticism over the move and whether it went far enough to ally accusations of it abusing its market position.

The Long Way Home

2009-06-08T12:56:00.004+01:00

I've finally applied for my Irish Citizenship (!) last Friday week. As a good disbeliever in anything related to governments and/or bureaucracy, I sent my papers by An Post as a registered post! You know, just to be in the safe side of the transaction. It is more to have a proof that they've received my package than to track it back, but An Post doesn't send you any confirmation - just a number which you have to look yourself in the web... so you are effectively tracking your item.

So I did. I got to the An Post website an give my track number to the "automatic search engine" which showed me the results: a receipt with not only my track number, but other 127! Assuming not every people register their posts, It's a lot for a single day!

Now I can imagine why they are processing applications from July 2006... and unfortunately - whith some luck - mine will take only 34 months to be processed!

Happy Red-Face Day!

2009-06-02T14:41:00.003+01:00

The summer is coming! Since Thursday last week we are experiencing something very unusual here in Ireland - Sun! And after a Bank Holiday weekend, lovely weather, lots of things happening in the city... what would you expect? Red faces, of course!

Even for those more prepared - like myself! - the sun can trap you... you may think it's not strong enough, or due the cold wind which helps to dissemble the warmth... don't be fooled! Whip out your sunblock with no shame and stain allover yourself ! You won't feel like a fish out the water...

Synecdoche, New York

2009-05-28T19:34:00.005+01:00

In one way or another, Charlie Kaufman scripts always end up talking about love, death, pain and suffering and their impact on the human mind. "Being John Malkovich", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Adaptation," "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," "Human Nature." The exploration of the psyche is there.

"Synecdoche, New York" marks his debut as a director, and is no exception - is a natural progression of Kaufman's obsession, and possibly his most complex and distressing work. A journey through their most neurotic and pessimistic nightmares, but with grace.

The movie introduces a theater writer and director (the brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman, from Capote, Doubt, Charlie Wilson's War) as the melancholic protagonist and naturally inclined to see the bad side of life. He seems to be always expecting his death.

"Synecdoche, New York" is a fascinating narrative, constructed in layers of complex structure - a shed in the shed in order to represent the simulacrum of simulacrum. A circle of many baffling dramatic representations of fiction - fiction of fiction of ficction. Mere co-stars in the universe, protagonists of our own lives... a great movie!

* Synecdoche - special kind of metonymy which uses a part for a whole or a whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special, as in “a Rockefeller” for a rich man or “wheels” for transportation.

Edgar Mueller

2009-05-15T09:37:00.002+01:00

He spent five days, working 12 hours a day, to create the 250 square metre image of the crevasse, which, viewed from the correct angle, appears to be 3D.
He then persuaded passers-by to complete the illusion by pretending the gaping hole was real.

Ask about his work, he said: 'I wanted to play with positives and negatives to encourage people to think twice about everything they see. It was a very scary scene, but when people saw it they had great fun playing on it and pretending to fall into the earth. I like to think that later, when they returned home, they might reflect more on what a frightening scenario it was and say, "Wow, that was actually pretty scary".'

Language & Open Source

2009-05-13T14:08:00.002+01:00

Installing some IBM eclipse-based softwares - yes, I am... an ICT consultant, I am... - I noticed something... at least funny!

During the initial preparation, the installation program prompts you to chosse the additional language - apart of the standard english - would you like to install. Among the options are italian, spanish, simplified chinese, japanese and Brazilian portuguese! Not just portuguese, but Brazilian portuguese...

This could mean two things: or Brazil is quite famous among the Open Source community (Linux, Eclipse), or we have a bad name on the english speaker community!

I think I'll stick with the first one...

Dylanttante

2009-05-12T21:02:00.007+01:00

I had the opportunity to attend to a Bob Dylan's concert. Yes, the Great Bob Dylan... godded for his brilliant lyrics and delightful melodies, accurate. But I tell you, Bob disappointed. Not artistically, but in his attitude. He arrived quite an left in silent. He didn't even say good evening, or thanks to the public: he only sang and played keyboard (!), three or four of harmonica solos and two songs on his guitar.

I, who despite not being a fan to know all the songs by heart, know his legacy and I can say ... I barely knew three or four songs he selected for the night - It seemed a "B side" show - which is not that bad, but I believe it would demand a little more interactivity... even more affection! And the songs (re)arrangements left many fans disappointed, just because the most of the songs were unrecognizable! Again, this is not that bad, but a little bit more... respect? Yes, that's it!

For those who consider him a god of folk music, a guru of poetry and literature, and now also a virtuoso because of his paintings, better know that his aura is less shiny now... unfortunately!

Radio conversation...

2009-05-02T09:00:00.002+01:00

Irish: - Mayday, mayday, please divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision...

British: - Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the North.

Irish: - Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision...

British: - This is the Captain of a British Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

Irish: - No. I say again, you divert YOUR course.

British: - This aircraft is part of The Grand Fleet of the British Royal Navy! We are accompanied by 8 Destroyers, 4 Cruiser Minelayers, 3 Minelayers and I don't know how many U-Class submarines... So, in the name of the Queen I demand that YOU change your course 15 degrees North, I say again, that's one five degrees North, Or countermeasures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship.

Irish: - We are a Lighthouse...

cultural overnight

2009-05-01T10:26:00.003+01:00

This is the fifth year of the Cultural Overnight. Performed by São Paulo's city hall, through the Municipal Department of Culture, it's a big uninterrupted 24 hours party spread over hundreds of attractions in 150 different venues.

Music is the most attraction: from samba-rock to electronica, from rock to romantic; circus performances, speeches, theater, movies, dancing, urban interventions, workshops. From May 2nd 6pm till the next day on 6pm, something around 800 attractions... It is estimated that more than 3.5 million people attending the event.

It's faaar too many people!

Monday, monday...

2009-04-27T14:35:00.002+01:00

Monday - "day of the moon" - has a similar meaning in many languages, but some of them prefer to eschew the pagan origin of the word. This is the case in chinese, 星期一 (xingqi yi), meaning "day one of the week". Also in Georgian, Greek and Syriac means "first day". For similar reasons the official liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church refers to Monday as "Feria II". The Portuguese name for Monday reflects this - the Portuguese word for Monday is segunda-feira. The Russian word for Monday is понедельник (poniediélnik), meaning "after holiday." In Hungarian (hétfő) means "head of seven"

As I don't do Mondays - even if I had a quite weekend - eitheir because of the metaphoric sense of the moon or the post-holiday role, doesn't matter...

doing the maths!

2009-04-21T13:22:00.006+01:00

This is not mine, but nice to make you think...

What makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions

If the letters were represented as numbers, like that:


A B C D E F G H I  J  K  L  M  
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 

 N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then:

HARD WORK = 8+1+18+4 + 23+15+18+11 = 98%

KNOWLEDGE = 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But:

ATTITUDE = 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And:

BULLSHIT = 2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

ASS KISSING = 1+19+19 + 11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

Rush Hours, a.m. - The Virtual Em3

2009-04-08T14:35:00.004+01:00

The Virtual Em3

- Rush Hours, a.m. -

To know more about The Virtual Em3, click here.

Capitalism, the big winner

2009-04-03T16:40:00.006+01:00

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the international organization of the United Nations system that assists in developing the world economy and were responsible for many of the countries in the 70's and 80's breakdown because of their extortionate interest rates, is back on business. If they were kind of out of fashion in the recent years, itr seems that they will have their revival now.

World Bank

The World Bank is not a “bank” in the common sense. It is another one of the United Nations’ specialized agencies, aka International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). Together these organizations provide high-interest loans, and grants to developing countries - at their coast, of course!

Both institutions - World Bank and IMF - are known collectively as the Bretton Woods Institutions after the remote village in New Hampshire, U.S.A., where they were founded in July 1944. The World Bank and the IMF are twin intergovernmental pillars responsible for the vast majority of the money borrowed by developing and developed countries. To the international community and to the rest of the world, the niceties of the division of labor are even more mysterious than are the activities of the two institutions... apart from exploiting poor countries.

Are we doing this again?

2009-04-02T02:00:00.002+01:00

All the eyes of the world seems to be on G20, looking for responses... Are we doinf this again? Relying on such people and organisations which have sunk us at this level of shitness? Yes, they are!

The European Central Bank is expected to cut eurozone interest rates by 50 basis points to 1 per cent on Thursday, but the key question is whether the ECB will follow the example of the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England in pumping more money into the economy via quantitative easing (QE).

The ECB seems sure that the eurozone recession is a normal cyclical downturn and appears unconvinced that the credit crunch will result in a severe and prolonged slump that would require “non-standard” measures as a response.

Until now the European Central Bank has resisted temptation for easing measures, like pumping more money into the economy, as the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England have done - they are such a sissy, arent't they? Buying back government bonds, however, remains a more complex and politically delicate issue - a more stinky bunch of shit, if you know what I mean!

They want to relax the collateral criteria.

Mr. Jennifer McKeown at Capital Economics presages that “The longer that it takes (the ECB) to come up with a plan, the greater the risk that the eurozone will experience a longer recession than elsewhere”. Sounds apocaliptic? Or too pushy? Well, here in Ireland we know how it works: they first throw you something nobody understands entirely and try to play a frind's fair game. When they loose, they will frighten you to dead before play the game again - viz. Lisbon Treaty. Others say there is a “high probability” that the ECB will embark at some stage into QE with purchases of private debt being more likely than buying of government bonds. No matter what they do, you know who will be paying the bill, don't you?

Ireland is doing its job already. Primer Minister Brain Cowen (yes, the one portrayed last week in some art galleries) has announced will be 5 years of "hard-times", and our life standard might be reduced at least in 10%.

I wish we could say that on our taxes, which seems to go all the other way round...

welcome to the world

2009-03-31T15:22:00.002+01:00

We've learned that the advent of the G20 Summit in Central London could cause some disruption. On 2nd April next, the G20 Summit - the annual convention for the world's Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governers, which in fact is composed of 42 countries as we learned in here - will be held at the ExCeL centre in London's Docklands. The venue is close to London's City Airport, and spans stations within the Jubilee Line and DLR.

The Metropolitan Police expect potential disruption to travel into and around Central London, the City (financial district), and Docklands on 1st & 2nd April. They also anticipate additional disruption caused by potential activities from several large protest groups.

Companies are like to advise its employees to not travel into London on 1st & 2nd April unless absolutely critical. Work from home.

Additional security will be in place in South Bank; you are asked to fully co-operate with all security identification checks.

THEY WANT TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE! THEY WANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU GO! THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU DO!

It's a brave, brave new world!

20 -1 - 4 + 27 = G20

2009-03-30T10:02:00.005+01:00

If you search the net for G-20 you'll find out they are composed of 19 countries + the EU. Among this 19 countries, are France, Germany, Italy and UK (all of them EU members). So, with world leaders gathering this week in London to plot a response to the gravest global economic downturn since World War II, they could start like...

Did you know G-20 is made of 42 countries?

G20 is Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United States of America (15 so far) and the EU - European Union, which is composed of 27 states itself, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

In the end, we are paying more for less... Who are these people trying to deceive?!?

our rioters are better...

2009-03-26T11:46:00.007Z

Last week, art-lovers in National Galery and Royal Hibernian Academy were delighted to see a brand new piece of work of the most fine taste: the primer minister Brian Cowen nude! The painting above were exposed at the Royal Hibernian Academy for a couple of days till they realise it wasn't "official". The other one bellow, survived only for 20 minutes...

It is a very creative way of protesting, indeed, but the brazilians, I'd say, are far more creative and inventive in the ways to protest against their leaders...

what we've learnt this week...

2009-03-15T15:19:00.003Z

The non-religious Americans are growing... Being an evangelical christian or a benedict catholic is not so "cool" as used to be, says The Sunday Times. It seems like the faithless are a growing force as the churches duck the challenges of the age!

The iraq journalist who hurled his shoes at President George Bush during a visit to Bagda last year has been jailed for 3 years! Bush is still free, after all...

The Pope Benedict XVI sent a message to everyone affected by the fires in Australia... he said "I am lighting a candle to you all!"

This year's EuroVision song context will be held in Moscow, and Georgia has a song called "I don't Wanna Put In" - Put In pronounced as Poot In"... But tell me something... Who wants to be Put In ?!?

single union, single currency

2009-03-06T08:59:00.002Z

Taking the chance the credit crunch, Europe, after embrassing Iceland, will change the crown of the Euro - instead of each country have your own, as today, they all will have the new "The Government and its People". Just to be sure everybody understand the relationship...

Are you interested? I'm NOT!

2009-01-27T16:20:00.005Z

I received this text below by email. Before this kind of fraud being a crime, this is an offense! An offense to everybody's intelligence! Under something that can look "innocent" - nobody is asking you to send money, your bank account or your credit card number; they ONLY ask you to CONFIRM your full name, phone, fax, mobile, company name, home address, profession, age and marital status. Harmless information, one nay think, as your friends also know that... But they are your friends and will not try to harm you.

Here is the email:

Gooday My Dear. 25 TH Jan 2009,

Please do not be offended for receiving this email from me Mr. Hassan M. Ahmed. I am the Chief secretary to the commissioner of works here in United Arab Emirates,U.A.E Abu Dhabi city. I have $12Million United State Dollars in a safe custody in Abu Dhabi National Bank for investment and I secured this fund through the advantage of my position in the government.

I am looking for a foreign partner who will be sincere with me as my partner, industrious in working with me and also capable in assisting me invest this fund into lucrative business ventures with little or no risk involved in his/her country or else where and still make good returns from the business in near future.

Please re-confirm to me the following:
(1) Your Full Name:
(2) Phone, Fax and Mobile Number:
(3) Company Name, Home Address
(4) Profession, Age and Marital status.

As soon as this information is received, i will be starting the processing of the fund to your end as soon as possible .

This Investment project has to be done in a confidential manner to avoid jeopardizing my job, although I will be going on my retirement by first part of next year to join you on the project and I need this investment project to commence as soon as possible for the betterment of my retirement future. If you are interested in assisting me as my partner on this project, get back to me as soon as possible to enable me give you more details.
Thank you.

God be with us as i wait for your reply fill free to email me your details.
Yours faithfully,

My Regards,

Mr. Ahmed.....Tel: +97......

Yes, there was the phone number there!!!

I was wondering if Mr. Ahmed is the guy pictured above...

They know how to do it...

2009-01-26T18:06:00.004Z

Totally in line with the United States's war against terror, the anti-bomb irish squad have found their way using a interesting technique - reliance. We've learned they believe that if they ask, gently, terrorists not to do bad things like planting a bomb inside a waste bin, they will not...

Although the disbelieve of lots of people, method has proofed as an efficient method...

What Now?

2009-01-24T23:00:00.004Z

We've learned that neo-liberal doutrine and free market haven't saved the world from poverty as they have promissed. Even worse, have thrown it away in a miserable state - ecologically and economicaly speaking.

From the ecological point of view, the earth's resources are finite and cannot be streched to accomodate the unlimited craves of an exponentially growing human population. Human progress should not transgress the limits imposed by nature. Unfortunately, since the Industrial Revolution this insight is lost, although neo-liberals still think that a global free market in conjunction with progress and technological development will bring a world of no shortage on necessites of life.

We are having a clear example of the opposite of that, with the geopolitical conflicts for the wealth of the earth. The war in the Gulf and in Iraq are not merely a war on terror, or in the name of the democracy, as USA want the world to believe. It's far more complicated and less noble.

Barack Obama emerges as a hope; a hope on a fairer world, where the USA interestingness should now move towards the world's sake. If they want to think globally as they claim, they have to understand once for all that the world is not made of western values only. And western values do not mean USA advantage over other countries.

It's a hard lesson to learn, Obama, but somehow, a lot of people are betting on you.

Rush Hours, p.m. - The Virtual Em3

2009-01-12T16:13:00.003Z

The Virtual Em3

- Rush Hours, p.m.

To know more about The Virtual EM3, click here.

a wonderful free world

2009-01-09T11:27:00.004Z

Free software has more and more triggered a vast number of people. There are some characteristics that make the phenomenon particularly attractive. For instance, they have an extensive impact on the economy and society, as they are free and they offer an alternative to oligopolies (microsoft, Apple, IBM). When free softwares are also open source softwares, they offer developers an unprecedented access to data. The community of open source software developers frequently engage in a dialog on its functioning. Open source software are a real demonstration of the power of collaboration, and I don't think they could be done any other way. They could have chosen to be commercial, and they would have sold five copies or so...

Give it a try! Go Linux - any flavor! Go OppenOffice for your office softwares, go Firefox for browser and email, go WInamp for music and movie player, go to the Internet and search for free software. Youĺl be surprise how many offers you can find.

The next challenge now is to bring the propose the open source software model to other areas than software, like goods and entertainment, and this would be a wonderful free world.

Freedom, everybody...

The Virtual em3

2008-12-11T04:33:00.006Z

Since last time (the interview) where we officially launched the band, a lot of things has happened. We are still trying to find out the best way to exchange information and all the enthusiasm, hundreds of new ideas, but no much organization and method...

As a first atempt, we can present one piece of song - lacking a bit on the mixing but still a result of such different way to work to all of us.

Here you are, a little piece of work... Please enjoy it sensibly (and use your headphones...).

http://www.garageband.com/artist/TheVirtualEM3

http://www.myspace.com/thevirtualem3