Oh dear. There are only a few places left where we can still be free from the aural nuisance of banal ringtones and inane, one-sided chit chat. Soon, even when we're zipping high above the clouds we'll have to tolerate the sounds associated with mobile phone-use up there too.
Pop tunes, rock tunes, R & B (ahem) "classics", and Crazy Frog have gone hand in hand with mobiles for a few years now and they have become part and parcel of everyday life.We love our mobiles. They have become a fixture - along with keys and wallets - of things that people never leave the house without (or curse that we've forgotten if already out).When mobiles became commonplace, comedian Dom Joly made a career out of ridiculing annoying people with his: "Hello? Yeah, I'm on the tube/on the bus/in a library.." sketch.Obviously, mobiles are dead handy but they can be even more infuriating. Well, it's not so much the phones that are annoying as people who use them when you'd rather they didn't.Some people deem themselves so important that they can't go and watch a movie at the cinema without being uncontactable for a couple of hours. The darkness of the movie theatre is often pierced by a series of mini-screens lighting up and distracting film fans from the big screen. But at least they have enough cop-on to put their phones on silent.Even at Mass it isn't surprising to hear a phone go off. The echoey sound of a ringtone in church is usually followed by a panicky-looking lady fumbling frantically in a handbag for a few seconds - or what must feel like hours to her - before the phone is silenced. It's hard not to feel sorry for them.And now another, and perhaps the final, haven of previous tranquility will soon be invaded and opened up to the chattering masses.Aer Lingus has said it plans to permit the use of mobiles on its planes in the future. Ryanair has said it will test mobile phone technology in June on 20 of its planes.Peter Sherrard, head of communications with Ryanair, said: "By June this year, passengers will be able to use their own mobile phones and we'll be encouraging them to make calls to their hearts' content."P
assengers should bear in mind that Ryanair aircraft have never been quiet places. We are constantly selling food, drink, perfumes and scratchcards, and we will be encouraging people to talk, text and talk."InterfereCurrently, mobile phone use is prohibited because there is evidence that they interfere with onboard communication and navigation systems. New technology has been designed which will allow mobile phones to work safely and effectively 3,000metres above sea level. Thank God for progress, eh?Ah well, there will be little hope of closing your eyes for a wee on-board doze in future when sounds of vibrations, text alerts, and ring tones fill the jet.Ryanair and Aer Lingus are simply giving customers what they want, and you can't blame them for that, but I don't understand the customers who would want mobile-use permitted on planes.It just seems a tad unnecessary.
For the sake of an hour or two and some peace and quiet, surely we could all do without.Even in the case of emergencies, once you’re thousands of feet up in the air there’s bugger all you can do until the plane has landed.I like to close my eyes on planes - especially during the taking off and landing bit - as it means I’m less likely to freak out and imagine some horrible, hellish death. Last week, I was on a flight which had to be re-routed from its intended destination of Derry to Belfast due to extreme weather conditions.
It was a bumpy enough ride and the plane attempted to land in Derry but was forced back up above the clouds again due to high winds, hail and snow. After ten minutes spent circling Eglinton, passengers were informed that the plane would be travelling to Belfast to land.I closed my eyes, thought ‘happy thoughts’ and did a sterling job in completely ignoring what was going on. I don’t fancy my chances of doing that in future when some goon sitting beside me decides to phone his buddy and shout: “Hello? Yeah, I’m on the plane!! It’s REALLY bumpy. We tried to land but the pilot said it’s far too dangerous. Wait a second, the fella beside me has started crying. What a loser! Hold on, I’ll take a picture of him on my phone and text it to you.”But, honestly, the possibility of that happening isn’t the real reason I don’t want to see mobiles on-board. I just hate annoying ring tones, ok?
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
When ignorance isn't bliss. 4th April 2008
We have all seen the horrendous adverts from the comfort of the sofa and they have obviously had a huge impact. If you've seen them before, it may even be necessary to grab the remote as quickly as possible and hold your breath until you've found another station.
The graphic images that pop up every now and then of untimely deaths, paralysis, brain trauma etc mean that only complete morons still believe that being drunk behind the wheel is an OK thing to do.There are anti-binge drinking adverts which state: "You don't have to be drunk to be doing real damage" and that ethos carries over to drink driving too. There is a degree of naivety regarding what is safe to drink when you are planning to get behind the wheel and safety campaigners are now appealing to the '1 - 3 pint' drivers.The PSNI arrested 69 drink-drivers over the Easter weekend. That figure is down from last year's 85 arrestsDavid Lyle, of Lyle Bailie International - which makes anti-drink drive ads - said the arrests were evidence that "the message is getting through".He said: "There has been a complete culture change in Northern Ireland over the past few years. I am delighted that the police have caught 69 people and that they are going to be put through the courts. It is important that people understand that if they drink and drive they are going to be caught."Nine out of 10 people in Northern Ireland believe that drink-driving is extremely shaming - so one out of 10 people don't."There is still this minority of nutters and that is why the police have to keep going to catch them."Some people are still unaware of what can happen if you are caught drink driving. I was until I started attending court on as part of my job here at the 'Journal'. There is a belief, which has no grounding in reality, that people will get away with it as long as they don't kill or maim someone. They can convince themselves that 'the worst case scenario' of killing som
eone is so unlikely that it will never happen to them.We are brilliant at deceiving ourselves - "Sure, I'm only up the road. I can drive home in two minutes" or "I only had a couple of pints with my lunch, the cops aren't gonna breathalyse me at two o'clock in the afternoon!"There may be a sneaky, attraction in the minds of some drivers to the belief that they are "getting away" with something - that if their exploits go unpunished or un-noticed, they have gained a small victory. But it's a very dangerous game to play.The problem is, there is no failsafe guide as to how to stay under the legal alcohol limit or how much you can drink and still drive safely.It depends on your weight, sex, age, metabolism, stress levels, an empty stomach and the amount and type of alcohol.Even if you are sober, those two or three pints can have an enormously negative impact on your life.
You don’t even need to crash into anything to feel the effects in months and years to come!The convenience of taking the car pales into insignificance when the reality of a drink drive conviction hits home.If you are caught, breathalysed and found to be over the legal limit the maximum penalty is 6 months imprisonment, or a fine of £5,000 or both, and you will be banned from driving for at least 12 months.The silly little things that drivers take for granted will be out the window - picking up the kids from school, nipping to the shops at the last minute, and if your job requires you to drive...then you can start looking for new employment.Unless you’re financially very well-off, you can forget about driving for quite some time after your ban has been lifted. You’ll have to do your test all over again and your new insurance fees will look remarkably similar to the GDP of a small African nation. And you won’t even have had to hit anything. It’s a terrifying prospect, but that’s the best it gets.If your drink driving c
auses death or grievous bodily injury, the maximum penalty is 14 years imprisonment and you’ll be banned from driving for at least 2 years. Think about that - fourteen years. In prison - for fourteen years, for the sake of a couple of jars.That’s a horrifying prospect and doesn’t even factor in the emotional trauma that your actions will inflict on you, your family, and your victim’s family.The law is the same for drug driving - the driver is taking the same risks if he/she substitute those pints for a spliff or two. It’s a horrible thought to have to try and comprehend and I was blissfully unaware until recently. Ignorance, in this case, is definitely not bliss.
The graphic images that pop up every now and then of untimely deaths, paralysis, brain trauma etc mean that only complete morons still believe that being drunk behind the wheel is an OK thing to do.There are anti-binge drinking adverts which state: "You don't have to be drunk to be doing real damage" and that ethos carries over to drink driving too. There is a degree of naivety regarding what is safe to drink when you are planning to get behind the wheel and safety campaigners are now appealing to the '1 - 3 pint' drivers.The PSNI arrested 69 drink-drivers over the Easter weekend. That figure is down from last year's 85 arrestsDavid Lyle, of Lyle Bailie International - which makes anti-drink drive ads - said the arrests were evidence that "the message is getting through".He said: "There has been a complete culture change in Northern Ireland over the past few years. I am delighted that the police have caught 69 people and that they are going to be put through the courts. It is important that people understand that if they drink and drive they are going to be caught."Nine out of 10 people in Northern Ireland believe that drink-driving is extremely shaming - so one out of 10 people don't."There is still this minority of nutters and that is why the police have to keep going to catch them."Some people are still unaware of what can happen if you are caught drink driving. I was until I started attending court on as part of my job here at the 'Journal'. There is a belief, which has no grounding in reality, that people will get away with it as long as they don't kill or maim someone. They can convince themselves that 'the worst case scenario' of killing som
eone is so unlikely that it will never happen to them.We are brilliant at deceiving ourselves - "Sure, I'm only up the road. I can drive home in two minutes" or "I only had a couple of pints with my lunch, the cops aren't gonna breathalyse me at two o'clock in the afternoon!"There may be a sneaky, attraction in the minds of some drivers to the belief that they are "getting away" with something - that if their exploits go unpunished or un-noticed, they have gained a small victory. But it's a very dangerous game to play.The problem is, there is no failsafe guide as to how to stay under the legal alcohol limit or how much you can drink and still drive safely.It depends on your weight, sex, age, metabolism, stress levels, an empty stomach and the amount and type of alcohol.Even if you are sober, those two or three pints can have an enormously negative impact on your life.
You don’t even need to crash into anything to feel the effects in months and years to come!The convenience of taking the car pales into insignificance when the reality of a drink drive conviction hits home.If you are caught, breathalysed and found to be over the legal limit the maximum penalty is 6 months imprisonment, or a fine of £5,000 or both, and you will be banned from driving for at least 12 months.The silly little things that drivers take for granted will be out the window - picking up the kids from school, nipping to the shops at the last minute, and if your job requires you to drive...then you can start looking for new employment.Unless you’re financially very well-off, you can forget about driving for quite some time after your ban has been lifted. You’ll have to do your test all over again and your new insurance fees will look remarkably similar to the GDP of a small African nation. And you won’t even have had to hit anything. It’s a terrifying prospect, but that’s the best it gets.If your drink driving c
auses death or grievous bodily injury, the maximum penalty is 14 years imprisonment and you’ll be banned from driving for at least 2 years. Think about that - fourteen years. In prison - for fourteen years, for the sake of a couple of jars.That’s a horrifying prospect and doesn’t even factor in the emotional trauma that your actions will inflict on you, your family, and your victim’s family.The law is the same for drug driving - the driver is taking the same risks if he/she substitute those pints for a spliff or two. It’s a horrible thought to have to try and comprehend and I was blissfully unaware until recently. Ignorance, in this case, is definitely not bliss.
If the Beer's in... 28th March 2008
There is no such thing as bad publicity. It's a cliché which has been proved true, time and time again. Despite the phrase's fame, its message seems to have been lost on the members of Derry's Civic Alcohol Forum.
Once again, the CAF has JD Wetherspoon in its sights and, once again, the CAF has only succeeded in promoting the pub chain's two local establishments.Twice in the last month members of the CAF have had a go at 'Spoons' for, allegedly, encouraging binge drinking in Derry. And twice, in the last month, the forum has given the pubs a series of headlines. Headlines the pubs would never have garnered, had the CAF not launched their attacks.The first attack was in relation to the 'Respect the Shamrock, Respect Yourself' initiative in the build-up to St Patrick's Day. Wetherspoon's representatives were barred from attending the launch and the chair of Derry Vintners Association Les Doherty said: "Some of the big hitters from Wetherspoons had flown in and when they arrived they were told that they would be very welcome the second we got the sense that they are ready to be responsible retailers."That ill-advised comment made it easy for Wetherspoon's to take the moral high ground, and use adjectives such as "small minded" and "churlish" when describing the decision to bar them from entry.In Derry, Wetherspoon's no longer even needs to advertise - they can simply wait until the CAF has a go at them and then use their 'right to reply' to advertise whatever promotions or deals they want.The CAF are probably well-meaning but drinkers in Derry do not want, or need, them to act as our moral compass. We can make up our own minds 'where', 'when' and 'how much' we drink, thank you very much.Wetherspoon's latest venture in town is its plans for a 19-day beer festival at its pubs in the Diamond and the Strand Road.The festival will feature cask-conditioned ales from around the world for sale from £1.29 a pint and a company spokesman insisted the festival would not encourage binge drinking.When speaking to the 'Journal', he said: "This is an event for people to enjoy and will offer cask conditioned ales not normally available in Derry. We are not encouraging people to mix their drinks and we are definitely not encouraging people to drink more."'Exorbitant prices'The Wetherspoon's spokesman said the CAF should be questioning why the average price of a pint in the city is £2.60."We believe that £1.29 is a reasonable price for a pint", he added. "You have to wonder why the average price of a pint in Derry is £2.60."That seems an exorbitant price to charge a pensioner looking for a quiet pint. If they can get a decent beer for £1.29, then why should they not be allowed to?"It's a perfectly fine argument which hints that the other establishments are ripping off the punters in Derry by charging too much for drinks. It also makes Derry vintners appear unable to cope with the competition from the pub chain.Instead of attacking Wetherspoon's and - by association - its customers, it might have been a better move for Derry vintners to say: "Here, we are smaller than Wetherspoon's and need to charge a bit more for drinks. If you drink in our establishments you will be supporting your local community and helping local businesses. Otherwise, we may have to close our doors." People in Derry are a rational and reasonable bunch and would be more receptive to such an approach. We don't respond well to being told where, or where not, to go.The 'Beer Festival' has been described as "irresponsible" by CAF member Helen Quigley.Colr Quigley said: "Once again Wetherspoon's is flying in the face of what the city is trying to do in addressing the whole issue of over consumption of alcohol by people of all ages."By selling pints for as little
as £1.29, they are offering drinks greatly below the normal price of £2.60 a pint. I would also question the health effects of encouraging people to mix their drinks. No matter what way you dress it up, it is going to lead to people drinking more."Well, frankly, it's not going to lead to me drinking more. There is already a tendency for a minority of people to drink as much as they possibly can on a Saturday night before unconsciousness, sickness or the police intervene. I don't think the Beer Festival will affect that minority one way or another.I would be greatly surprised if police figures for alcohol-related crime changed significantly over the 19-day period.Darren Niven, manager of The Diamond pub, said the festival would allow people in the city to try beers not normally available. That's only if we want to. Punters will not have their minds made up for them by the CAF.
Once again, the CAF has JD Wetherspoon in its sights and, once again, the CAF has only succeeded in promoting the pub chain's two local establishments.Twice in the last month members of the CAF have had a go at 'Spoons' for, allegedly, encouraging binge drinking in Derry. And twice, in the last month, the forum has given the pubs a series of headlines. Headlines the pubs would never have garnered, had the CAF not launched their attacks.The first attack was in relation to the 'Respect the Shamrock, Respect Yourself' initiative in the build-up to St Patrick's Day. Wetherspoon's representatives were barred from attending the launch and the chair of Derry Vintners Association Les Doherty said: "Some of the big hitters from Wetherspoons had flown in and when they arrived they were told that they would be very welcome the second we got the sense that they are ready to be responsible retailers."That ill-advised comment made it easy for Wetherspoon's to take the moral high ground, and use adjectives such as "small minded" and "churlish" when describing the decision to bar them from entry.In Derry, Wetherspoon's no longer even needs to advertise - they can simply wait until the CAF has a go at them and then use their 'right to reply' to advertise whatever promotions or deals they want.The CAF are probably well-meaning but drinkers in Derry do not want, or need, them to act as our moral compass. We can make up our own minds 'where', 'when' and 'how much' we drink, thank you very much.Wetherspoon's latest venture in town is its plans for a 19-day beer festival at its pubs in the Diamond and the Strand Road.The festival will feature cask-conditioned ales from around the world for sale from £1.29 a pint and a company spokesman insisted the festival would not encourage binge drinking.When speaking to the 'Journal', he said: "This is an event for people to enjoy and will offer cask conditioned ales not normally available in Derry. We are not encouraging people to mix their drinks and we are definitely not encouraging people to drink more."'Exorbitant prices'The Wetherspoon's spokesman said the CAF should be questioning why the average price of a pint in the city is £2.60."We believe that £1.29 is a reasonable price for a pint", he added. "You have to wonder why the average price of a pint in Derry is £2.60."That seems an exorbitant price to charge a pensioner looking for a quiet pint. If they can get a decent beer for £1.29, then why should they not be allowed to?"It's a perfectly fine argument which hints that the other establishments are ripping off the punters in Derry by charging too much for drinks. It also makes Derry vintners appear unable to cope with the competition from the pub chain.Instead of attacking Wetherspoon's and - by association - its customers, it might have been a better move for Derry vintners to say: "Here, we are smaller than Wetherspoon's and need to charge a bit more for drinks. If you drink in our establishments you will be supporting your local community and helping local businesses. Otherwise, we may have to close our doors." People in Derry are a rational and reasonable bunch and would be more receptive to such an approach. We don't respond well to being told where, or where not, to go.The 'Beer Festival' has been described as "irresponsible" by CAF member Helen Quigley.Colr Quigley said: "Once again Wetherspoon's is flying in the face of what the city is trying to do in addressing the whole issue of over consumption of alcohol by people of all ages."By selling pints for as little
as £1.29, they are offering drinks greatly below the normal price of £2.60 a pint. I would also question the health effects of encouraging people to mix their drinks. No matter what way you dress it up, it is going to lead to people drinking more."Well, frankly, it's not going to lead to me drinking more. There is already a tendency for a minority of people to drink as much as they possibly can on a Saturday night before unconsciousness, sickness or the police intervene. I don't think the Beer Festival will affect that minority one way or another.I would be greatly surprised if police figures for alcohol-related crime changed significantly over the 19-day period.Darren Niven, manager of The Diamond pub, said the festival would allow people in the city to try beers not normally available. That's only if we want to. Punters will not have their minds made up for them by the CAF.
Try colours other than green white and orange?You're having a laugh. 21st March 2008
There must be some ancient, tribal law which states that Irish people are duty bound to be off work on March 17.
Buried deep in the Book of Kells or as a footnote in the constitution, our forefathers must have had the good sense to stick it in somewhere. Alas, it has yet to be discovered and so we were in the office on Monday afternoon as the celebrations began in earnest in the city centre.By all reports, the day itself passed off without major incident. From the photographs it appeared that a good time was had by all those who took to the streets.It was a glorious day weather-wise and Derry was awash with many colours including, of course, green white and orange.I said "of course" because those three colours - in that order - are synonymous throughout the world with Ireland and St Patrick's Day. Or so I thought.Despite images being beamed here from London, Sydney, Hong Kong and Mexico with people wrapped in those colours, celebrating the feast of our patron saint and drinking Guinness aplenty, apparently word hasn't reached Limavady yet.I had to chuckle when I read the remarks of DUP Alderman George Robinson on Tuesday. Apparently, the town witnessed a marked increase in the number of tricolours on show in the lead up to St. Patrick's Day and George was baffled.He said he received complaints from the public about "the flag of a foreign country being used during the celebrations for St. Patrick's Day, thereby politicising St. Patrick."These complaints reportedly came from "every part of the community". I find THAT claim baffling, but I digress.George continued: "It is a mystery to me what the connection is between the tricolour and St. Patrick, especially as the flag does not represent or have anything to do with him. Indeed, it is seen by many of those who contacted me as reprehensible to connect the two at all."So, the flag of Ireland in no way represents the patron saint of Ireland. Or vice versa. Got it.As strange as it may seem, George has a point. St Patrick was "n
either born nor reared" in Ireland. The generally held belief is that he was brought here as a slave before escaping back to his homeland. Years later, he returned to these shores and spread the Christian faith. St. Patrick was probably born in France and so to truly celebrate his feast day maybe we should hoist up the 'red, white and blue' of his home country. I bet George would love that.Union JackBut where would it end? Could we reasonably expect the British to ditch the Union Jack in favour of the 'black, red and yellow' of Germany - after all, that's where the Windsors hail from.If we are going to be pedantic and take the debate to its logical conclusion, then we should ditch the tricolour on 'The seventeenth' and fly it on 'The Twelfth' instead. At The Battle of the Boyne an English King was defeated in Drogheda - you can't have much more of a link to Ireland than that.
Surely it would make sense that the Irish flag would be flown in any celebratory commemorations?I recently discovered that William of Orange's elite force - the Dutch Blue Guards - had the papal banner with them on the day itself. Many of the soldiers fighting for King Billy were Dutch Catholics. Perhaps Orangemen should sport a similar banner when they march this Summer.If it all seems preposterous, that’s because it is. I had my tongue firmly in my cheek when suggesting that Orangemen should wave the tricolour and sport a papal banner. It is equally ridiculous to try and deny that the Irish flag is inherently linked with its patron s
aint.Alderman Robinson suggested that the tricolour is being used to politicise St Patrick. That would be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic. People who celebrated St Patrick’s Day in Moscow, Madrid or Marrakech couldn’t give two hoots about politics here - everybody has their own problems to worry about.The linkIn the same way that ‘red, white and blue’ is inherently linked with the British monarchy, ‘green, white and orange’ is linked with Ireland, Irishness and St Patrick.Around the world, March 17 is an excuse to have a drink and a bit of a laugh. It doesn’t matter if those indulging in the craic are Irish, British or anything else for that matter. People dress up, wear silly hats and lark around. It’s a party - not politics. What’s disappointing is that Alderman Robinson can’t see that. If he did, he may even find it’s a lot of fun - assuming you have the day off work.
Buried deep in the Book of Kells or as a footnote in the constitution, our forefathers must have had the good sense to stick it in somewhere. Alas, it has yet to be discovered and so we were in the office on Monday afternoon as the celebrations began in earnest in the city centre.By all reports, the day itself passed off without major incident. From the photographs it appeared that a good time was had by all those who took to the streets.It was a glorious day weather-wise and Derry was awash with many colours including, of course, green white and orange.I said "of course" because those three colours - in that order - are synonymous throughout the world with Ireland and St Patrick's Day. Or so I thought.Despite images being beamed here from London, Sydney, Hong Kong and Mexico with people wrapped in those colours, celebrating the feast of our patron saint and drinking Guinness aplenty, apparently word hasn't reached Limavady yet.I had to chuckle when I read the remarks of DUP Alderman George Robinson on Tuesday. Apparently, the town witnessed a marked increase in the number of tricolours on show in the lead up to St. Patrick's Day and George was baffled.He said he received complaints from the public about "the flag of a foreign country being used during the celebrations for St. Patrick's Day, thereby politicising St. Patrick."These complaints reportedly came from "every part of the community". I find THAT claim baffling, but I digress.George continued: "It is a mystery to me what the connection is between the tricolour and St. Patrick, especially as the flag does not represent or have anything to do with him. Indeed, it is seen by many of those who contacted me as reprehensible to connect the two at all."So, the flag of Ireland in no way represents the patron saint of Ireland. Or vice versa. Got it.As strange as it may seem, George has a point. St Patrick was "n
either born nor reared" in Ireland. The generally held belief is that he was brought here as a slave before escaping back to his homeland. Years later, he returned to these shores and spread the Christian faith. St. Patrick was probably born in France and so to truly celebrate his feast day maybe we should hoist up the 'red, white and blue' of his home country. I bet George would love that.Union JackBut where would it end? Could we reasonably expect the British to ditch the Union Jack in favour of the 'black, red and yellow' of Germany - after all, that's where the Windsors hail from.If we are going to be pedantic and take the debate to its logical conclusion, then we should ditch the tricolour on 'The seventeenth' and fly it on 'The Twelfth' instead. At The Battle of the Boyne an English King was defeated in Drogheda - you can't have much more of a link to Ireland than that.
Surely it would make sense that the Irish flag would be flown in any celebratory commemorations?I recently discovered that William of Orange's elite force - the Dutch Blue Guards - had the papal banner with them on the day itself. Many of the soldiers fighting for King Billy were Dutch Catholics. Perhaps Orangemen should sport a similar banner when they march this Summer.If it all seems preposterous, that’s because it is. I had my tongue firmly in my cheek when suggesting that Orangemen should wave the tricolour and sport a papal banner. It is equally ridiculous to try and deny that the Irish flag is inherently linked with its patron s
aint.Alderman Robinson suggested that the tricolour is being used to politicise St Patrick. That would be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic. People who celebrated St Patrick’s Day in Moscow, Madrid or Marrakech couldn’t give two hoots about politics here - everybody has their own problems to worry about.The linkIn the same way that ‘red, white and blue’ is inherently linked with the British monarchy, ‘green, white and orange’ is linked with Ireland, Irishness and St Patrick.Around the world, March 17 is an excuse to have a drink and a bit of a laugh. It doesn’t matter if those indulging in the craic are Irish, British or anything else for that matter. People dress up, wear silly hats and lark around. It’s a party - not politics. What’s disappointing is that Alderman Robinson can’t see that. If he did, he may even find it’s a lot of fun - assuming you have the day off work.
Touts Out! The Billy Connolly saga - 14th March 2008
It took little over three hours until fans walked away, hung up their phone or threw their PCs out the nearest window in abject despair.
Those fortunate enough to bag tickets for Billy Connolly's show at the Millennium Forum will be noticable around town for the air of smugness enveloping them.Those who didn't manage to get sorted for tickets on Monday morning were left frustrated, disappointed and, in many cases, angry.There were complaints that staff at the Millennium Forum let the phones ring off the hook or that they were constantly engaged. Others complained about the website operating ever so slowly and the inability of Connolly enthusiasts to get tickets online.I find it hard to believe that staff at the Forum would simply let phones ring off the hook and that the 'curse of the unanswered phone' was due to staff dealing with customers in person. At least, I hope that was the situation.It is also unfortunate that the Forum's computer system was unable to deal with the sheer volume of traffic during that three hour period. A collegaue of mine was exasperated at the sheer number of times the website froze at the crucial moment - at one stage he even got as far as picking which seats he most wanted, only to be let down again. He toiled all morning - as well as continuing on with his work it must be added - but it was the same story time and time again'Take your oil'None of the above, however, are what annoyed people the most. The people of Derry are well used to coping with, and getting over, disappointment quickly. That is why the phrase 'Take your oil' is so popular. What we deal less well with is being exploited or held to ransom by grubby, little chancers. We can't stick that at all.So, while it's fair to say that those who got up the earliest and queued the longest deserve their tickets, those who gobbled up tickets with the sole intention of selling them on for substantial profit should be strung up.If somebody bought six tickets for family and friends and then somebody drops out, it is fair enough for them to sell on the remaining ticket. Personally, I would sell it on at market price and then hope somebody would have the decency to chuck an
extra tenner in my direction for doing them a favour.If somebody buys twenty or thirty tickets - in full knowledge that they only need a few for family/friends - and then proceed to sell on the surplus 25 at two or three times the market value, then that is pretty despicable.Some might say it's 'fair game', that 'we live in a capitalist society' and, 'if you don't like it then bugger off to communist China'.I'm not anti-capitalism or an overly 'trendy lefty' as I heard it eloquently put once, but those people are simply taking advantage of others' misfortune. And that's really low.The touts aren't using any skill to make their profits - they have neither created anything, nor worked hard at anything but they could soon be rolling in the money.It's a difficult situation to stop because it is now a seller's market and people will want to get their hands on the tickets.
But it would be a wonderful glorious thing if the general public refused to play ball and simply said; “Hold on a second, Connolly hasn’t been particulary funny in years and I already have his ‘Best of’ DVDs. Screw the touts - I’m not going”.A great wit on the ‘Journal’ website left a comment suggesting that you’re better off not going to see the show.He suggests that the Big Yin himself can’t believe that there are still people out there willing to pay money to watch him “mince around in black and give it the bigun about shipyards”.Ah, it’d be fantastic if the little chancers who paid up to £800 in advance for twenty tickets were left with eighteen they couldn’t sell.It would make my year but, unfortunately, I can’t see it happening.
Those fortunate enough to bag tickets for Billy Connolly's show at the Millennium Forum will be noticable around town for the air of smugness enveloping them.Those who didn't manage to get sorted for tickets on Monday morning were left frustrated, disappointed and, in many cases, angry.There were complaints that staff at the Millennium Forum let the phones ring off the hook or that they were constantly engaged. Others complained about the website operating ever so slowly and the inability of Connolly enthusiasts to get tickets online.I find it hard to believe that staff at the Forum would simply let phones ring off the hook and that the 'curse of the unanswered phone' was due to staff dealing with customers in person. At least, I hope that was the situation.It is also unfortunate that the Forum's computer system was unable to deal with the sheer volume of traffic during that three hour period. A collegaue of mine was exasperated at the sheer number of times the website froze at the crucial moment - at one stage he even got as far as picking which seats he most wanted, only to be let down again. He toiled all morning - as well as continuing on with his work it must be added - but it was the same story time and time again'Take your oil'None of the above, however, are what annoyed people the most. The people of Derry are well used to coping with, and getting over, disappointment quickly. That is why the phrase 'Take your oil' is so popular. What we deal less well with is being exploited or held to ransom by grubby, little chancers. We can't stick that at all.So, while it's fair to say that those who got up the earliest and queued the longest deserve their tickets, those who gobbled up tickets with the sole intention of selling them on for substantial profit should be strung up.If somebody bought six tickets for family and friends and then somebody drops out, it is fair enough for them to sell on the remaining ticket. Personally, I would sell it on at market price and then hope somebody would have the decency to chuck an
extra tenner in my direction for doing them a favour.If somebody buys twenty or thirty tickets - in full knowledge that they only need a few for family/friends - and then proceed to sell on the surplus 25 at two or three times the market value, then that is pretty despicable.Some might say it's 'fair game', that 'we live in a capitalist society' and, 'if you don't like it then bugger off to communist China'.I'm not anti-capitalism or an overly 'trendy lefty' as I heard it eloquently put once, but those people are simply taking advantage of others' misfortune. And that's really low.The touts aren't using any skill to make their profits - they have neither created anything, nor worked hard at anything but they could soon be rolling in the money.It's a difficult situation to stop because it is now a seller's market and people will want to get their hands on the tickets.
But it would be a wonderful glorious thing if the general public refused to play ball and simply said; “Hold on a second, Connolly hasn’t been particulary funny in years and I already have his ‘Best of’ DVDs. Screw the touts - I’m not going”.A great wit on the ‘Journal’ website left a comment suggesting that you’re better off not going to see the show.He suggests that the Big Yin himself can’t believe that there are still people out there willing to pay money to watch him “mince around in black and give it the bigun about shipyards”.Ah, it’d be fantastic if the little chancers who paid up to £800 in advance for twenty tickets were left with eighteen they couldn’t sell.It would make my year but, unfortunately, I can’t see it happening.
'You're welcome - as long as you're Irish'. 7th March 2008
Question: What kind of thoughtless scumbag throws three paint bombs at a family's house, just because that family are "foreign"?
Answer: An ignorant, thoughtless scumbag.An ignorant, thoughtless scumbag with no idea, not only of how to behave, but of the hypocrisy of his actions.On Sunday evening, a Romanian family's home in the Nelson Drive estate was attacked by paint bombers. The family have three young toddlers and one of them suffered cuts to his foot when their living room window was smashed.The family also discovered paint smeared across the front door spelling the word 'OUT'. I'm surprised the cretins who carried out the stupefyingly pointless, and dangerous attack, managed to spell 'OUT' correctly. A child could have been killed.Malin Rostas, his wife Elena and their three children were all at home when the attackers struck on Sunday evening.Mr Rostas told the 'Foyle News': "I just saw two guys in black but I didn't see their faces. They broke the windows and the three children were sitting on the sofa by the window when it happened. You can imagine they were terrified. I came out and they ran away. We have had nothing like this happen before, we have just moved here."The Rostas family only arrived in Derry last month to start a new life. What a welcome!? Cead mile failte indeed.Mr Rostas says he will have to think about moving if they are targeted again, and nobody could blame him."I have a few friends round here and they are ok so that is why we came. I got a job here and brought my family over. Derry people seem to be ok but if this happens again we will have to think about leaving. "I just want to know why someone would do this. They know there are children in the house and they shouldn't do this," he said.The Irish people pride themselves on being a jovial, welcoming bunch in whatever part of the world you meet them. We had to be - because we travelled all over the world to find work and raise families. We had to endear ourselves to the people of America, Canada, Australia, Europe, Africa, and beyond because we landed on their shores looking to thrive and prosper. IntegrateWe needed
to integrate into their societies in order to survive and they way we did it was by being nice, charming and jocular. It became a stereotype which is still prevalent today: "Ah, to be sure, to be sure - the craic'll be mighty so it will" etc etc.It is a pleasure to travel to other parts of the world as an Irish man because, for the most part, we are treated with affection and kindness. The same cannot be said of the English because they have a history spiked with imperialism and colonialism.If the poisonous seed of racism is allowed to take root here then we could soon be heading down the same road and our good name will be destroyed.As the Irish economy has been flourishing in the last decade it is no wonder that more and more people want to come here to live.Our ancestors left these shores and headed West to the Americas where there were no taxes nor tithes to pay.
How can we blame others for following suit a century or two later?Irish Americans number over 44 million, making them the second largest ethnic group in the country after German Americans.You would be hard pushed to find any country in the world that doesn’t have at least one Irish pub. Scratch that, you’d be hard pushed to find any CITY in the world that doesn’t have a Wild Rover, Blarney Stone, or - most likely - an O’Neill’s stuck away in some corner.Local politicians and clergy are falling over themselves to condemn the Nelson Drive attack but that isn’t going to stop a similar attack happening again.Righ Rev Ken Good, Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, said the actions of the attackers did not reflect what the majority of people think. He said: “Our
hearts go out to the Rostas family today. The citizens of this city want to assure this Romanian family that they are very welcome among us and that we deplore the attack on their home.”I hope he’s right, but I’m not entirely convinced. What we need is to educate children on ‘who they are’ and ‘where they came from’ - a society from which many had to leave, and go to a foreign country in order to survive.ActionWaterside Sinn Féin Councillor Lynn Fleming said: “The issue of hate crimes covering racism and sectarianism, is one of the major challenges facing our society today.” That’s all well and good but action is required - not political hyperbole.The most basic lesson of how to be a decent human being is all that needs to be remembered: treat others as you’d like them to treat you. It’s not rocket science and we, as Irish people, should never be allowed to forget it.
Answer: An ignorant, thoughtless scumbag.An ignorant, thoughtless scumbag with no idea, not only of how to behave, but of the hypocrisy of his actions.On Sunday evening, a Romanian family's home in the Nelson Drive estate was attacked by paint bombers. The family have three young toddlers and one of them suffered cuts to his foot when their living room window was smashed.The family also discovered paint smeared across the front door spelling the word 'OUT'. I'm surprised the cretins who carried out the stupefyingly pointless, and dangerous attack, managed to spell 'OUT' correctly. A child could have been killed.Malin Rostas, his wife Elena and their three children were all at home when the attackers struck on Sunday evening.Mr Rostas told the 'Foyle News': "I just saw two guys in black but I didn't see their faces. They broke the windows and the three children were sitting on the sofa by the window when it happened. You can imagine they were terrified. I came out and they ran away. We have had nothing like this happen before, we have just moved here."The Rostas family only arrived in Derry last month to start a new life. What a welcome!? Cead mile failte indeed.Mr Rostas says he will have to think about moving if they are targeted again, and nobody could blame him."I have a few friends round here and they are ok so that is why we came. I got a job here and brought my family over. Derry people seem to be ok but if this happens again we will have to think about leaving. "I just want to know why someone would do this. They know there are children in the house and they shouldn't do this," he said.The Irish people pride themselves on being a jovial, welcoming bunch in whatever part of the world you meet them. We had to be - because we travelled all over the world to find work and raise families. We had to endear ourselves to the people of America, Canada, Australia, Europe, Africa, and beyond because we landed on their shores looking to thrive and prosper. IntegrateWe needed
to integrate into their societies in order to survive and they way we did it was by being nice, charming and jocular. It became a stereotype which is still prevalent today: "Ah, to be sure, to be sure - the craic'll be mighty so it will" etc etc.It is a pleasure to travel to other parts of the world as an Irish man because, for the most part, we are treated with affection and kindness. The same cannot be said of the English because they have a history spiked with imperialism and colonialism.If the poisonous seed of racism is allowed to take root here then we could soon be heading down the same road and our good name will be destroyed.As the Irish economy has been flourishing in the last decade it is no wonder that more and more people want to come here to live.Our ancestors left these shores and headed West to the Americas where there were no taxes nor tithes to pay.
How can we blame others for following suit a century or two later?Irish Americans number over 44 million, making them the second largest ethnic group in the country after German Americans.You would be hard pushed to find any country in the world that doesn’t have at least one Irish pub. Scratch that, you’d be hard pushed to find any CITY in the world that doesn’t have a Wild Rover, Blarney Stone, or - most likely - an O’Neill’s stuck away in some corner.Local politicians and clergy are falling over themselves to condemn the Nelson Drive attack but that isn’t going to stop a similar attack happening again.Righ Rev Ken Good, Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, said the actions of the attackers did not reflect what the majority of people think. He said: “Our
hearts go out to the Rostas family today. The citizens of this city want to assure this Romanian family that they are very welcome among us and that we deplore the attack on their home.”I hope he’s right, but I’m not entirely convinced. What we need is to educate children on ‘who they are’ and ‘where they came from’ - a society from which many had to leave, and go to a foreign country in order to survive.ActionWaterside Sinn Féin Councillor Lynn Fleming said: “The issue of hate crimes covering racism and sectarianism, is one of the major challenges facing our society today.” That’s all well and good but action is required - not political hyperbole.The most basic lesson of how to be a decent human being is all that needs to be remembered: treat others as you’d like them to treat you. It’s not rocket science and we, as Irish people, should never be allowed to forget it.
Derry brain drain in full flow. 29th February 2008
The floodgates have opened and the Derry brain-drain is in full flow.
More and more young, talented and bright folk are packing their bags for excitement and wonder, but less and less are coming back for good.This week, a number of my friends are preparing for life away from the banks of the Foyle. I thought the strange gravitational pull that seems to draw Derry-heads homeward would maintain its grip over us. Not so, it seems. For some, it's not a grip - more of a stranglehold that needs to be escaped from.It's normal for young men and women to seek adventure away from their home town - whether that's trekking in South America, studying abroad, teaching English as a foreign language, living in Australia for a year, or "doing" Thailand and other parts of South East Asia.The idea (for the boys) is to get drunk on foreign beers, meet exotic women, and party all-night in different timezones - stumbling onto a make-shift bed/finding a space on the floor at six o'clock in the morning and slurring the words: 'Everybody at home is at work 'cos it's half three on Monday afternoon back there - Ha! Losers!"That's the same for some of the girls; for others it's more of a spiritual awakening/finding yourself melarkey which I don't think anybody really understands.When that's done, dusted and out of your system the next step, I thought, was to come home, settle down and carry on as before.In my own direct circle of friends, I have found, sadly, that this isn't the case. Quite a number of our group went off to explore, discover and sample the delights of the far-flung corners of the earth.Unfortunately, many have found that the only things keeping them in Derry when they return home are friends and family. Limited prospects, career-opportunities, and chances of making serious money mean they are forced to move on again.Already, in the first couple of months of 2008, the times they are a changing. In our group alone, one has just landed a really decent career-type job in Belfast. Derry visits will be strictly limited to weekends. Another chap is following a girl to New Zealand for, at least, a year and another has just returned from three months in Australia to announce he's going back there 'to live' as soon as possible,One couple is upping sticks and moving to Manchester to start a new life in the next fortnight and another couple, currently residing in Australia, have postponed their comeback. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was postponed at least one more time in the near future.This week, Sinn Fein's Martina Anderson insisted that more must be done to give Derry's young people the opportunity to make a life for themselves in Derry. She said: "No-one can deny that the young people of this city have been failed by decades of neglect and under-investment. Now is the time to act. There is a massive amount of planned investment for Derry in the coming years and we must ensure that it is used to its maximum potential to transform this city into the kind of place where our young people can build a future and where investors will want to locate and create high-quality employment."It is already too late for my generation. The fact remains that, for real differences to happen, it will take at least ten or fifteen years. By that time we will have hit (or be extremely close to hitting) 40. Most will be in fulltime work with a couple of kids running around - whether or not that life is happening in Derry is less than certain. There will be a new generation of 20-somethings having to decide whether or not Derry is where they want to remain.But at least the right noises are being made and it sounds hopeful for the future. Something has to be done because the status quo is driv
ing people away.Derry musician 'Wile Man' articulated the frustrations felt by many of our age group when he spoke to the 'Journal' in recent months. He said: "We have the highest exam results in the North which is among the highest in Europe yet our young people can't stay here unless they want to work in call centres. In terms of employment, what is there in Derry for the smart Derry man? We constantly sell ourselves short. Our hard work only serves to improve towns like Liverpool, Manchester and London."That's both annoying and true. You can't blame people for wanting to go on to bigger and better things but it's a Catch-22 situation. The people who are leaving Derry are the very ones we need to stay to affect real change. It's crucial we find a way to convince the next generation that Derry is a place worth staying in, because the battle seems to have been lost this time round.
More and more young, talented and bright folk are packing their bags for excitement and wonder, but less and less are coming back for good.This week, a number of my friends are preparing for life away from the banks of the Foyle. I thought the strange gravitational pull that seems to draw Derry-heads homeward would maintain its grip over us. Not so, it seems. For some, it's not a grip - more of a stranglehold that needs to be escaped from.It's normal for young men and women to seek adventure away from their home town - whether that's trekking in South America, studying abroad, teaching English as a foreign language, living in Australia for a year, or "doing" Thailand and other parts of South East Asia.The idea (for the boys) is to get drunk on foreign beers, meet exotic women, and party all-night in different timezones - stumbling onto a make-shift bed/finding a space on the floor at six o'clock in the morning and slurring the words: 'Everybody at home is at work 'cos it's half three on Monday afternoon back there - Ha! Losers!"That's the same for some of the girls; for others it's more of a spiritual awakening/finding yourself melarkey which I don't think anybody really understands.When that's done, dusted and out of your system the next step, I thought, was to come home, settle down and carry on as before.In my own direct circle of friends, I have found, sadly, that this isn't the case. Quite a number of our group went off to explore, discover and sample the delights of the far-flung corners of the earth.Unfortunately, many have found that the only things keeping them in Derry when they return home are friends and family. Limited prospects, career-opportunities, and chances of making serious money mean they are forced to move on again.Already, in the first couple of months of 2008, the times they are a changing. In our group alone, one has just landed a really decent career-type job in Belfast. Derry visits will be strictly limited to weekends. Another chap is following a girl to New Zealand for, at least, a year and another has just returned from three months in Australia to announce he's going back there 'to live' as soon as possible,One couple is upping sticks and moving to Manchester to start a new life in the next fortnight and another couple, currently residing in Australia, have postponed their comeback. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was postponed at least one more time in the near future.This week, Sinn Fein's Martina Anderson insisted that more must be done to give Derry's young people the opportunity to make a life for themselves in Derry. She said: "No-one can deny that the young people of this city have been failed by decades of neglect and under-investment. Now is the time to act. There is a massive amount of planned investment for Derry in the coming years and we must ensure that it is used to its maximum potential to transform this city into the kind of place where our young people can build a future and where investors will want to locate and create high-quality employment."It is already too late for my generation. The fact remains that, for real differences to happen, it will take at least ten or fifteen years. By that time we will have hit (or be extremely close to hitting) 40. Most will be in fulltime work with a couple of kids running around - whether or not that life is happening in Derry is less than certain. There will be a new generation of 20-somethings having to decide whether or not Derry is where they want to remain.But at least the right noises are being made and it sounds hopeful for the future. Something has to be done because the status quo is driv
ing people away.Derry musician 'Wile Man' articulated the frustrations felt by many of our age group when he spoke to the 'Journal' in recent months. He said: "We have the highest exam results in the North which is among the highest in Europe yet our young people can't stay here unless they want to work in call centres. In terms of employment, what is there in Derry for the smart Derry man? We constantly sell ourselves short. Our hard work only serves to improve towns like Liverpool, Manchester and London."That's both annoying and true. You can't blame people for wanting to go on to bigger and better things but it's a Catch-22 situation. The people who are leaving Derry are the very ones we need to stay to affect real change. It's crucial we find a way to convince the next generation that Derry is a place worth staying in, because the battle seems to have been lost this time round.
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