Live 8

The cynical part of me thinks that Geldof & Bono are just being silly with their concerts. I had similar feelings 20 years ago about Live Aid.

I didn't see much of Live Aid back in 1985. A bunch of us were invited to a friend's house for an all day extravaganza of beer, Italian food and a big night at the hot spots of New Paltz on the day of Live Aid. I only caught little snippets of the action from London and Philadelphia in between badminton and horseshoes.

I've since seen most of the concert. It was a great day for music even if many of the acts were not to my liking. Queen, a band I never much liked, was simply great.

On Saturday night I watched a long documentary about Live Aid on the BBC. I couldn't help but admire Geldof for the manner in which he willed Live Aid to be a success, working hard, twisting arms and bluffing when he had to. I don't know how much genuine good Live Aid did, but I doubt it did any real harm. And, although I'm cynical about the coming concerts and their potential for changing things in Africa, I do hope they succeed.

One thing that does surprise me about the Live 8 concerts is that they're having only one in the US. I think a second concert with a country music theme in Nashville (or wherever) would have been a good idea.

Tweedledum & Tweedeldee

There is an interview with Bono, Geldof and screenwriter Richard Curtis in Time about Live-8. I like Geldof's description of himself and Bono:

Bono's in love with the world. He wants to embrace it. I want to punch its lights out. We're a psychotic Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

{Found throug The Corner.}

American Gulag

Pavel Litvinov was a 'prisoner of conscience' in the USSR. His column in today's Washington Post makes the case that Amnesty International is risking its own authority and allowing the Bush administration to dismiss "justified" criticisms through the use of hyperbole, such "American Gulag" to describe Guantanamo Bay.

By any standard, Guantanamo and similar American-run prisons elsewhere do not resemble, in their conditions of detention or their scale, the concentration camp system that was at the core of a totalitarian communist system.

. . . The most effective way to criticize U.S. behavior is to frankly acknowledge that this country should be held to a higher standard based on its own Constitution, laws and traditions. We cannot fulfill our responsibilities as the world's only superpower without being perceived as a moral authority. Despite the risks posed by terrorism, the United States cannot indefinitely detain people considered dangerous without appropriate safeguards for their conditions of detention and periodic review of their status.

This argument strikes me as sound. I'm open to being convinced that Guantanamo Bay is counter-productive, but I switch off when people make stupid comparisons and exaggerations.

Being green

Is it just my imagination or have shampoo bottles become much harder to rinse and recycle ever since the recycling kick took off? Nowadays I need a screwdriver to get the tops off those puppies.

On a related note, my family rejected my proposal to really up our "green-ness". I wanted to cut back on washing - both ourselves and our clothes - in an effort to save on water and to cut back the amount of soap, etc. we were pouring down the drain. I thought 4 showers per month, per person would suffice. The proposal was soundly rejected.

Back of my neck feeling dirty and gritty

Summer in the City.

Okay, it's probably a bit of a stretch to call this a "hot town", but it's pretty warm today and pretty sticky too. It's around 75^oF (24^oC) here today. I'm doing a little outside blogging. First time.

It pains me to say this, but . . .

So, a mere 3 days after the Mets new stadium plans were unveiled, the Yankees' intentions regarding a new stadium were announced.

Leave aside for the moment the folly of any public money going into building sports stadiums and lets focus on Yankee Stadium as it exists today. (This is the part that pains me.) It's fantastic. Sure there are probably bits of it that need a little renovation, but the Stadium is baseball's cathedral. There is no reason that makes sense to me that it should be replaced.

And, I don't care that they're going to do their damndest to recreate the 1923 feel of Yankee Stadium in the new one across the street. You and I both know that what they'll really do is try to make it seem like the old one all the while the very heart of the stadium will go and we'll have a shopping mall and luxury boxes and all that other nonsense that provide the rationale for this decision. The new stadium will have everything other than authenticity or soul. It will not be "the house the Ruth built". {I know this is essentially a new building since the mid 70s, but still the monuments and field are where baseball was saved by Ruth after the '19 scandals, where the greats played, where baseball was high art.}

Major League Baseball needs to step in and ask George Steinbrenner to come to his senses. They should offer to move the Hall of Fame from where it is now in Cooperstown, NY (lovely town, but so out of the way) and move it to the location for the proposed new stadium.

You want razzmatazz? You want money? The whole area could be developed as a baseball themed amusement-park/visitor-center. With all the traveling people do today and with baseball's continued growth internationally I have no doubt that this would be a huge hit. Yankee Stadium doesn't need to be torn down to make George richer.

Bayeux Tragedy

Is nothing sacred these days? A Western Michigan University Professor claims that the Bayeux Tapestry was made in France and not in Canterbury, England by a collection of 11th century seamstresses as has been believed for the past 900 years or so. The only saving grace for the Anglo Saxons from the disaster of 1066 has now been taken from them.

If you've never heard of the Bayeux Tapestry, don't worry about it. I hadn't either until I spent two weeks in Reading a few years ago. Reading's town museum has a gallery dedicated to the Tapestry and a Victorian era replica is on display. {Actually, if you happen to be in Reading, it's worth a visit.}

The Bayeux Tapestry is 20 inches high 230ft long and tells (through images) the story of the Battle of Hastings of 1066, when Anglo Saxon King Harold was killed and his army defeated by William (the Conqueror) Duke of Normandy. The death of King Harold is the most famous scene from the Tapestry.

Well, I find this very difficult to accept and want to know who exactly is this George Beech. The people of Reading will be crushed. It's a tragic day for them.

Congratulations!

I just got a phone call from a machine. The machine told me that I'd won an all expense paid cruise to the Caribbean. All I had to do was to press "9". I smelled a rat and hung up, but now I wish I'd done as asked just to see what I'd have to do to claim my prize. I had half understood that this sort of thing wasn't legal in Ireland.

Boys need a firmer hand

Article in the Irish Independent yesterday. Boys are not studying as diligently as girls. Girls will out-perform boys in Junior and Leaving Cert exams. Blah, blah, blah.

Look, I don't care what the "experts" say. If the experts only told us what our eyes and ears have been telling us for years they'd soon find their well paid research posts would be gone. Boys will NEVER – that's NOT EVER – do well in the type of "understanding", "caring" environment that too many of our schools/homes are today.

Sure there are exceptions. Some boys don't need the firm hand (I was probably one of those). Some girls do. But, overall, boys need a more structured, more disciplined school environment than girls do. And, boys need to be pestered more at home too, preferably by their father. This should start from the day they enter school.

You can talk to a 4 or 5 year old girl about why hitting another is bad and how that makes you "feel bad", but boys don't care about that. Unless they themselves suffer for their actions, they won't give a damn if you "feel bad". Okay, they may care, somewhat, but it will not change their behavior. Boys need rules AND they need to know they'll be punished if those rules are broken. Those rules should include performance measures on exams and in-school behavior. The rules may be adjusted over the dozen years of schooling, but they should probably remain until high school graduation.

One somewhat related problem is that more and more of the teachers that boys and girls see are women. There are virtually no men in primary education here, in Britain or in the US. I don't have any good ideas about how to address this problem, but I think that boys (& girls too) need to have men teach them at least some of the time.

Manchester Airport

Just wondering why flying Ryanair to Manchester incurs "taxes & charges" a third greater (€30 as opposed to €20) than flying to London's Stansted Airport? And, Stansted seems to be a little more expensive than the other UK airports that Ryanair flies to.

Why is flying in and out of Manchester Airport so expensive? I find it hard to believe the taxes are significantly different than at other airports in Britain. So, what charges does Ryanair incur at Manchester that they don't incur at other airports? Or is does Michael O'Leary just want to fleece Irish Manchester United fans?

Killing childhood

Year round school from 8am to 6pm. What a nightmare.

This is just plain wrong. Kids spend enough time in school already without making it into more than a full-time job. With these hours school children, if they do homework after school, will be violating the EU's working time directive (and, yes, I know the UK opts out - wisely - but still).

Kids need to be home. They need to play - outside with friends. They don't need to be cooped up in a school building or in a school yard where running is banned (does that happen in Britain too?)

And, here I was worried about forced labor camps in China when the UK is considering them its children.

Reagan in Budapest

President Reagan never went to Budapest during his 8 years in office. However, he's clearly something of a hero in Hungary. Budapest's mayor supports a proposal to erect a statue to Reagan in "City Park, a popular recreation site in the capital".

I'd love to ask all those people I met during my year as a student Trinity College what they think about that. They were so certain and so smug about "Ronnie Ray-gun". I know it's fashionable these days to try and imply that the sentiments regarding the US and President Bush are new in Ireland, but they are not. I've heard it all before. That generation of smug students are now the smug middle class Dubliners who deride Bush for his stupidity and who see the US as a uniquely malevolent force in the world.

Twins? again

First Dublin, now Belfast. I have to admit I'm surprised to read that Belfast has been twinned with Hefei in China.

Look, I understand the realistic approach to China. There's money to be made there. We're all a little greedy. Still, there should be some limits to how much kowtowing we'll do to eek out another buck from Chinese deals, no? Twinning our cities with Chinese cities should be unacceptable.

What do any of us know of Hefei? I know nothing, but a two minute google search led me to information about Hefei's labor camp. How is it Guantanamo Bay can raise so many voices in opposition here, but a city that has a labor camp where people of certain religious beliefs are detained, employed as slaves, even possibly brainwashed and/or killed is worthy of a twinning? And, nobody seems to protest.

Li Mei – tortured to death in 2000 in Hefei Labor Camp for practicing Falun Gong.

Haughey documentary

Fergus Finlay says "Haughey is already promising to be the most successful documentary series ever produced by RTE, with the potential to attract the same kind of audience as a major drama". I was watching it last night and I was enjoying it. It was interesting to see Haughey as a young man and to get some background on his life and Ireland. One remark that really struck me was when the narrator referred to Haughey's move from Minister for Justice to Minister for Agriculture as a "promotion". Times have changed.

So, I was watching and enjoying. Then came the first ad break and, like all men, I immediately began channel surfing. I happened upon Sky News where they were breathlessly awaiting the Jackson verdict and I forgot all about Haughey until now. That's life, I guess.

Ireland believes in Michael

I was watching Sky News around 10pm last night (before the verdict was read) and their camera was focusing on one guy standing in the crowd outside the courthouse with a green, white and orange sign that read, "Michael, Ireland believes in you". I felt so disloyal. I didn't really believe in Michael. Will I never really fit in here?

Jackson trial

Last night was the first time I paid any attention to the Michael Jackson trial. I knew nothing about it, but I still spent an hour watching the verdict and then listening to the jury's press conference. Somehow I found listening to the jury reassuring. They were just regular people rendering justice.

I have no idea what evidence was produced by the prosecution, but I got the idea from the jury that the accuser's mother was not credible at all. What reassured me, however, was the woman who asked something along the lines of, "What mother would allow their child to share a bed with Michael Jackson?". Michael Jackson is a freak, a creep and a weirdo, none of which is a criminal offense, but I wouldn't let my kids anywhere near him.

For me this is a complete contrast to the O.J. Simpson trial, which I was glued to. Andrew Sullivan says the relative lack of interest in the Jackson trial in America compared with other big media trials is because this case was about class and race – taboo subjects in America – and "the cold, heartless core of American celebrity".

I enjoy psycho-babble as much as anybody, but how can I take Sullivan seriously. This is ridiculous. The reason people didn't pay as much attention is because (a) the trial was not actually on t.v. – all that was available were reconstructions and (b) nobody was in any doubt that Jackson was a freak, a creep and a weirdo before these accusations became public – there was nothing shocking or titillating on show here.

Ratemyprofessors.ie

It's been a while since I was in college (19 years since I graduated - GOOD GOD!) so my memory may be a little hazy, but I cannot remember having one course where the teacher didn't hand out questionnaires at the end of the term. These questionnaires were for our "feedback" on the course and the lecturer's performance.

Don't they do this in Ireland? I was surprised by this front page Irish Times story describing the pending launch of RateMyProfessors.ie. It sounds as if students are never asked for their "feedback". Perhaps if third level education wasn't 100% taxpayer funded the colleges would have to pay more attention to the quality of the product they offer students. And, just as with RateMyTeachers.ie there are, apparently, some college lecturers who are worried about this development. At least there's Trinity's Sean Barrett, a voice of sanity:

If students want to do it, I certainly wouldn't stand in their way," he said. "Their views on the quality they get is of interest.

I imagine that the fact that questionnaires are always provided is one reason that the RateMyProfessors.com site for my college has so few posts. I would guess it's a similar story across the US. Irish colleges and universities should provide at least that minimal opportunity for students to offer their opinions on what they're getting from their college.

Mary Ellen Synon – back?

I've seen Mary Ellen Synon's by-line in the Sunday Business Post a couple of times in the past few months. I thought she had been banned for life from the Irish media after her remarks about the Paralympics in the Sunday Independent in 2000.

I winced when I read what she wrote about the Paralympics at the time. I thought she was wrong about the Paralympics, but not about the political correctness that led to them being on t.v. Anyone can organize whatever games they want and award medals to people as they choose. Whether the Paralympics should have been on t.v. is impossible to say as the only channels available that showed the Paralympics in Ireland were state-owned and taxpayer-funded (RTE & BBC). I'm skeptical that the market for the Paralympics was that great, but we don't have a free market in television.

I have to admit I was uncomfortable and uninterested whenever the Sydney Paralympics came on the t.v. I switched off every time. I know from asking around I wasn't the only one. So, I thought it was a little harsh the way she was hounded out of the media here for what was an ill-advised rant aimed, inaccurately, at political correctness.

Now that she's back, at least sort of, I'm glad to see that she hasn't lost her bite. She has been living and working in Brussels for the past year and didn't find the male Eurocrats much to her liking:

Here is another thing about the capital of Europe. The female fonctionnaires at the Commission are notably better looking than their male colleagues. I suspect it is because the kind of man who thinks a career in the Commission is a proper job for a man must lack testosterone. It makes for weak jaw-lines and narrow shoulders.

To a large extent, hubris was a big part of her downfall. If she can keep that in check without losing her edge as a journalist/columnist I'll be glad to see her back in print regularly.

No Olympics in NYC

Anyone who's been to Shea Stadium in Queens will know that the Olympics are not coming to NYC now despite Mayor Bloomberg's desperate ploy. That's good news for New York. The Olympics are for second tier cities, not cities like New York, London or Paris. They're also (generally) a waste of the taxpayer's money.

I've sat in Shea Stadium (admittedly, not often recently) when the winds and temperature are just right so that the fragrance of the Flushing River flows over the Stadium allowing day-dreaming fans to imagine that they've just landed in the middle of a fresh slurry pit. Of course, maybe cleaning the Flushing River is part of the $180m public money promised for infrastructure in the area, but I suspect it will cost more than that to make the river and its surrounds presentable for the IOC.

Portmarnock Golf Club

This morning Terry Prone, writing in the Irish Examiner, connects two situations that I've often wondered about. Why is there court action to compel Portmarnock to accept women as full members when there are women-only health clubs springing up all over the country?

To be honest, I don't know the legal ins and outs of the similarities and differences of the two situations, but if it's wrong to "exclude someone because of their gender" then it's wrong. Health club or golf club, it doesn't matter.

Personally, I don't think it's that wrong, but I'm certain it's not the business of the state to force these clubs to change their policies.