Today's trail: Connolly-Maynooth

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!

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

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

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

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!