Michelle Crawley

2010-04-06T10:08:00.001-07:00

Hi folks,
I am working on updating my blogs, as I was overloaded with work and amateur dramatics for a few months, but now I am on hiatus and after I return from my travels down under, I will definitely be putting up lots of hot news and riveting tales, so watch this space :)

Save our Services - Summer 09'

2009-09-23T16:41:00.001-07:00

Headline: Save our services
By: Michelle Crawley

Stand-first: The northwest is the victim of a blatant attack by the HSE to reduce essential services due to financial constraints. The general consensus of the people of the northwest is that Brendan Drumm has turned his back on the people of Manorhamilton, where he was born, and the people of Sligo, where he was raised, in a bid to save the bacon of greedy politicians, bankers and developers, who led us into a massive national debt.

According to the Irish Nursing Organisation, 300 – 400 locum nursing contracts are to be lost in the northwest alone, with a knock-on effect on the level of care provided to patients. On top of that, there have been significant reductions in home help and carer's hours. Elderly people who once had a daily visit from their helper, are now waiting up to a week to obtain aid with activities, including; getting into the shower. To be victimized in this manner is despicable. The more the HSE pull from the northwest, the more people it will affect and ultimately more lives will be lost.

Last week, it emerged that the Stroke services in Sligo General Hospital were the latest victim of 'budget' cuts with a loss of 16 beds and 22 jobs, 15 of which are nursing posts. Sligo/ Leitrim Éirígí activist Gerry Casey has described the announcement as “deplorable”. While the HSE issued a statement that the services will be relocated, according to Northwest Xtra sources, the beds will be put into existing wards and existing general staff will now have to add these patients to their work load. “Claims by the HSE that front-line services will not be effected by these job losses are complete rubbish. This is set to have major repercussions for people in need of vital services as well patient safety”, voiced Gerry Casey. As it stands, the liklihood of strokes leading to death is much higher in Ireland than in other European countries. Ireland's recovery programme is behind that of the EU average. This move will only disimprove stroke recovery rates in Ireland.

Members in Sligo General have seen the numbers of nurses and midwives diminish over recent months with non-covering of maternity and other such leave combined with the incremental reduction in numbers, leaving staff concerned about their ability to provide a service, safely at current levels. Hard pressed staff in Sligo General are trying to hold together a demand-led service with fewer resources.

On top of this attack, the imminent transfer of cancer services from Sligo General to UCHG (University College Hospital Galway) has been viewed as a uni-lateral decision despite the fact it was blatantly obvious that Sligo provides a great cancer service, with outcomes comparable to the best in the world and that adding the number of patients to UCHG would make it difficult for Galway staff to cope and retain a centre of excellence. Moreover, it is unfair to expect people to travel up to five hours a day to get fifteen minutes of radiation therapy.

Sligo General has not been the only victim of the HSE cuts, Our Lady's Hospital in Manorhamilton lost Endoscopy services since February 2009 and now rheumatology services have come to a halt. Names of patients on a waiting list for endoscopy services have been transferred onto a thousand strong waiting list for Sligo General. “The downgrading of services at Manorhamilton is clear evidence of an administration that has repeatedly shown a callous disregard for the health and well being of the people of this region”, stated Éirígí Activist Gerry Casey.

After the consultant rheumatologist resigned at Our Lady's Hospital, it was believed that interviews were to take place for a replacement, but months later, there has been no replacement made. According to Northwest Xtra's source, there has been a temporary replacement medical officer appointed but no consultant rheumatologist with expertise in rheumatology. The rheumatology service provided services to Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal. There are now serious grounds for concern regarding its future in the hospital.

County Leitrim has also seen the Bank House shut down earlier this year. The last of the furniture was taken out of the former psychiatric illness community home last week. A number of residents lived under supervision at the Bank House for over 12 years and were widely viewed as part and parcel of the community. According to Cllr Michael Colreavy, “they had an excellent quality of life”. The residents who made good friends and enjoyed living together have now been split up and put wherever there is space for them in neighbouring towns and counties. For the family and residents, there was little consultation in the matter.

While there is still local concern for the future of Sacred Heart Hospital in Roscommon, RCH (Roscommon County Hospital) has witnessed the transfer of the Dermatological clinic to Portiuncula, Ballinasloe, “in order to provide a more comprehensive service”. It begs the question, how could a patient be better off traveling 100 miles extra for a dermatological appointment? Late last year, in-patient surgery at RCH pulled and the 24/7 consultant surgeon and consultant anaesthetists were removed, reducing the service to day surgery only. “The HSE and their political masters appear more intent on implementing right wing policies of privatization and two tier health services rather than creating a first class health service available and accessible to all”, exclaimed Gerry Casey.

The situation in Mayo General Hospital is abysmal, ranking bottom of the Irish Hospitals League Table. As the worst performing hospital in the state, Mayo General Hospital requires urgent attention in patient access, integration and resources. Mayo also has lost its cancer services in the transfer to the 'centre of excellence' in Galway.

Health care in Donegal has been at the centre of controversy in recent weeks, after it emerged that the HSE failed to utilize a €3 million centre in Gweedore, providing kidney and heart patients dialysis treatment. The brand new and fully equipped Owenie Centre in Derrybeg has been lying idle for more than 18 months. The Dialysis machines have been lying in boxes while patients travel to Letterkenny, Derry and Omagh for dialysis. The cost to the HSE for using Northern Ireland services and paying for taxi fares to and from the hospital has been enormous, at over €3,000 per week. If this isn't bad enough, Letterkenny hospital lost two wards in November 2008, including a 12-bed orthopedic unit.

Since the start of 2009, it has become apparent that hospitals all over the northwest have been attacked by cuts, losing vital funds and staff, thus reducing their ability to give quality care and an adequate front-line service. In a press statement made by Health Minister Mary Harney in relation to hospital cuts, she stated: “Remember we are not in a situation where the budget is unlimited. Times are more difficult, the economic circumstances are such that there isn't as much money for health that some people would wish”. Health and well being of people must take priority and must not be made suffer to pay for the greed of those that have put our country into the situation it is in today.

A passionate Cllr Colreavy is calling for the HSE Board and Minister for Health Mary Harney to be disbanded. “Their focus is money, not health”, he claimed. “Mary Harney is essentially looking to privatize the health care in Ireland under the pretense of reforming it, but she is destroying the health services. The sooner the HSE board and Mary Harney are consigned to the books of history, it will be for the better of the health system”, stated Cllr Colreavy.

Did we sit back and let him die?

2009-09-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Headline: Did we sit back and let him die?

We knew he was playing with fire. His fans knew he suffered from insecurities.The whole world was aware that he was a lonely man, yet we relished the headlines, stood agog when he sported crazy fashion moments and gossiped about his erratic behaviour.

The world watched Michael alter from a young precocious child in the 1960's to a mega pop star, a brand. Fans and critics alike became enthralled in the long, bizzare, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was a premier all-round performer, a uniter of black and white music , to an emotionally and mentally confused man, weighed down by the media, law suits and his financial woes. In hindsight, the public lingered in a morbid obsession, watching the trajectory of the king of pop's life.

Regardless of all the unsubstantiated rumors swirling around Michael Jackson's untimely death, it is clear that the same people that shielded him from the outside world, did very little to protect him.
The industry personnel that surrounded him had their best interests in mind, not his. Jacko is just one of a handful of celebrities who have fallen victim to their fame and the vultures that made up their inner circle.

This week it emerged, that just weeks before his death, Michael told his manager that he was flabbergasted when he was informed that he was to perform 50 shows at the London 02 Arena and not ten as he had requested. He doubted his own ability to do fifty shows and told his managers it would require him to put on weight, something he was losing in the run up to his death. However, pressures from the industry meant that his opinion meant nothing and ultimately he was forced into spending hours and hours toiling with a team of dancers for a performance he and his fans hoped would restore his tarnished legacy to its proper place in pop.

Had he not been tangled in the 'industry web', perhaps he could have salvaged and carved out a life for himself, but his life was never his own. It was always directed by publicity stunts, press statements, allegations, rumours which struck Michael where it hurt, his self-esteem.

Poor Michael battled throughout his life, from self-esteem issues to feelings of despondency
and suicidal thoughts. He also battled court cases through the past twenty years and took more than one slating in the press for the acquittals and allegations made against him regarding sexual molestation. In 2005, he was cleared of charges that he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behavior with other children.

His appearance also was a sure fire sign of a man in turmoil. He went from cute and precocious as a child in the 60's, to handsome and striking, to paler, to whiter, to thinner, to gaunter, to freakishly white and scary. While he claims to have had a skin disease, the mans image and his never ending need to change himself, showed a person who had no self-esteem. He suffered in vain at the hands of unethical plastic surgeons who, if they upheld their oath to “do no harm”, should not have proceeded with further surgeries once he exhibited what were probably signs of body dysmorphic disorder. Rumour has it, that Jacko was being fed pills, just like sweets, by his managers and team. Drugs that could may have been a major cause of his death.

He is arguably one of the world's best entertainers, an enigmatic figure, who was as big as the world's best performers. However, the higher up you are, the bigger the fall! While we can all look back on the heyday, when he made moon-walking sexy and crowned crotch-grabbing dance moves, nobody can conceal the dark clouds that shadowed his life. Michael truly was a victim and a frail instrument at the hands of the industry savages and his blood is now on their hands.

The day that shook the royal family

2009-09-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

Headline: 30th anniversary of Mountbatten

With the 30th anniversary of assassination of Lord Mountbatten. approaching on August 29th, Northwest Xtra spoke to Mountbatten's bodyguard on the day; Kevin Henry. He was just three weeks on the job as a bodyguard for Lord Mountbatten when the British royal and members of his family were assassinated.

Louis Mountbatten, the uncle to Prince Philip and most commonly known for his role as the last Viceroy of the British Indian Empire, was world famous and yet he often came on holidays to the sea-faring village of Mullaghmore in County Sligo, where he retreated in his own estate; Classiebawn Castle. Among Lord Louis Mountbatten's other titles were; the Admiral of the Fleet, The first Earl of Burma, The first Governor General of Independent India and Commander of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla on HMS Kelly and captain of HMS Illustrious.

On August 27th 1979, Mountbatten and members of his family went sailing in his 30 foot wooden boat, the Shadow V, which was moored in the small harbour at Mullaghmore, when the IRA set off a bomb planted underneath the boats engine, instantly killing Lord Louis Mountbatten, his grandson Nicholas, his eldest daughters Mother in law Lady Brabourne and a local teenager Paul Maxwell who had a summer job helping out on the boat.

At 9.30pm on the morning in question, Mountbatten informed his young bodyguard, Kevin Henry, that he was going out on his fishing boat with members of his family. Kevin recalled asking Mountbatten on one of his first days on the job if he wished for him to accompany him on the boat as security and Mountbatten replied that he did not wish for it. Louis Mountbatten was on holiday and wanted to be free to take his family out on the boat at his own leisure.

Kevin explained to Northwest Xtra that there were plenty of opportunities to assassinate Mountbatten. “He would drive a green peugeot estate down to his boat, which was well known by locals. His boat was left in Mullaghmore unaccompanied day and night and it was all to easy for someone to plant a bomb without anyone spotting them doing so”, Kevin recollected. Kevin remembers how often Mountbatten regularly walked the sand dunes of Mullaghmore, making it very difficult for his security team to spot him on binoculars. However, as he was not long in the job, it was not his place to question Mountbatten on his security wishes.

“Usually there were two security guards on duty during the day at the castle and a few more at night time” explained Kevin. However in hindsight, he feels there should have been more guards on duty securing the castle during the day time.

“On August 27th 1979, Mountbatten was wearing white sand shoes, beige cords and a blue naval sweater with the words HMS Kelly emblazoned on it. He was very proud of being a commander of that ship and often wore that sweater”, he described vividly. “Mountbatten was on the wheel that day with the younger members of the crew in the centre of the boat”.

“As regards, how it was planned, nobody could know exactly what time Mountbatten would leave on the boat. He informed me at half past nine, but did not leave until after 11 in the morning. I can remember there was low tide and helping them down at the boat. My feet were standing just a foot away from the 50 pound of gelignite planted under the boat engine”, voiced the former Garda calmly.

Mountbatten steered the boat towards his lobster pots along the indented coastline. As the boat was heading for the lobster pots, there was a sudden bang. The boat split down the middle and dissipated, as shards of debris were flung through the air. “Flames of different colours could be seen and the sea was dancing” commented Kevin. “The blast was so loud that people heard it from Bundoran Road in Sligo”.

“I just thought, My God this cannot be happening, but I knew it was happening” remarked Kevin sadly. Kevin informed Northwest Xtra about how he remained calm, amidst the chaos.
“I quickly tried to get a signal on the car radio and walkie talkie. I failed to connect to Bundoran or Ballyshannon station, but managed to get through to Pat Lyons at Kinlough Station. I remember I swung the car around to head for Mullaghmore to get help and I hit a drain. In Mullaghmore, people were busy carrying out their business as usual”.

Kevin explained that he organised for help to head out to the scene. He had a tough job on his hands, trying to stop anxious locals trying to get into boats and head out to help at the scene. However, Kevin was worried that too many people scurrying out to sea in their boats, could hinder the search and rescue. “I was worried that boats would go over bodies that couldn't be seen in the water from the human eye” says Kevin.

“I wanted to ring the chief in Sligo to inform him. I remember getting to the phone box in Mullaghmore and there were two women inside them”. Kevin remembers that one women was not to happy to be booted out of the box. Needless to say, she was oblivious to the catastrophe happening beyond in the bay. “I then went to the castle, where I informed Hugh Tunney and ordered that no phone calls be taken”, recalled Kevin about the events of the day.

Paul Maxwell was the first body to be recovered from the water. Dr. Richard Wallace and Dr. Brian Best were at the scene to pronounce his death. They were on holidays in Mullaghmore from Northern Ireland. Kevin recalls how his own family were sick with worry for him, as he did not get to contact them to tell them he was alive. His family presumed the worst when they heard about the attack on the boat. It was hours later that evening, before Kevin managed to send word to his worried girlfriend at the time (Fiona) and his parents.

“I remember driving Lady Pamela to Sligo General Hospital that evening. She was stiff upper lip and I remember telling her to ignore me and cry if she needs to. We passed Ben Bulben, which at the time had a sign saying “Brits Out” on it. She put down her head and sobbed”, he said retrospectively.

Kevin explained to Northwest Xtra that he was shook after the event which unfolded before his eyes on that day. He never spoke about what happened on that day publicly for 25 years. Instead he blanked it from his mind and went back to work. However the bombing coupled with the Warren Point ambush that day, put the troubles on the world stage, as well as causing the cancellation of Pope John Paul's proposed visit to Armagh over fears for his safety. Its significance meant that Mullaghmore was stigmatized for years as the place where Mountbatten was brutally assassinated and not remembered for its long sea-faring tradition.

The terrorist attack three decades ago led to one of the biggest police investigations in Irish history.
At the time of the explosion, IRA members; Thomas McMahon and Francis McGirl were 70 miles away, in Garda custody after getting stopped at a traffic checkpoint. Those lads never expected to be stopped at a traffic checkpoint. It was only when they failed to open the boot and acted
suspiciously, that the Gardai took them into custody” remarked Kevin. “However, the connection between that car stopped at the traffic checkpoint and the assassination was not made at first, because they were stopped before the bomb went off. However, the forensics later showed up that the paint traces found on McMahon's clothes, had flakes of green paint from the Shadow V and that the sand discovered in the car was that of Mullaghmore sand”, described Kevin meticulously. McGirl later was acquitted of his charges, due to insufficient evidence, however Thomas McMahon was jailed until August 1998, where he was released as part of the Good Friday peace agreement.

A sixty minute documentary entitled; 'Return to Mullaghmore' will be aired on RTÉ 1 at 9.35am on Monday August 17th. 'Below the Radar' has been commissioned by RTÉ and the History Channel
to make a documentary exploring the events surrounding the IRA's assassination of Lord Mountbatten. The program aims to give a personal as well as political overview and will have particular appeal for a significant group of Sligo people who remember the event.

A book titled; 'From a Clear Blue Sky' will be published on August 27th and soon after, will be available to purchase in shops. It tells the story of the terrible tragedy which tore the Knatchbull family apart. The book by Timothy Knatchbull, the brother of victim Nicholas Knatchbull's brother and grandson of Lord Mountbatten is a personal journey of healing and reconciliation for him.

The trouble with social networking

2009-09-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

Headline: The trouble with social networking sites

I doubt I am the first person to notice the crazed hype surrounding; 'Facebook', 'LinkedIn', 'Twitter' and other online social networks that are allegedly; “taking over our lives”. Not mine!
I realise that people swear by it, but people also swear by dodgy scams, 'Lifeline' hangover defence and by nail polish to fix ladders in tights – it does not mean it is a guarantee. I can see the addictive charm and it does not take a genius to figure out that it is the predecessor of 'Bebo', not to mention the latest vogue online. As much as I love being able to keep up with family abroad and friends who live far away, I loathe being bombarded by invitations to events, that I have no interest in attending or from people who have not had an actual conversation with me in years.

I view social networking sites as essentially a platform, to show off to people; where you have been, what your up to and how popular you are. The latter annoys me, as to be honest, a copious number of the 'friends' are people you know, not people you would call close friends. They say you can count your close friends on one hand, well according to these sites, you would need 5 pairs of hands, if not more to list out your best buds.

Social networking sites can bring out the worst in people. I know I have been a culprit of checking out who's dating who, who's working where and what people I know are up to – it is that voyeuristic tendency that humans possess - better known by the term being a 'nosey parker'. There is an increasing number of parents of tweens and teens logging onto their offsprings pages or taking it a step further and creating fake profiles so that they can spy on their childrens; 'Nimble' or 'Bebo' pages and see who they are talking to and what they are talking about. As harmless as many of the pages prove to be, often parents get a shock to see that their children have interests that they didn't even know about.

Due to the hectic nature of the average twenty-somethings life, I will admit, being able to keep up with my real friends (not just cyber-mates) is a great asset and it means that I can keep in contact with people all over the world. However I do not appreciate being bombarded with event invitations and date offers from old class mates that I have not spoken to since 6th class and probably wouldn't speak to me even if we were in the same location. Furthermore, do we really need to know 25 random things about someone who you went to school with 15 years ago and have not seen since then? People want to know everything about your personal life and tell everyone about theirs. Do I really need to kept up-to-date with frequent postings about the unsavory habits of strangers?

All too often, frequent posts and messages show us more than we bargain for. Last week while I was scrolling down the home page of a social networking site, my eyes caught sight of a picture of a naked friend. Worse, he was in a compromising position – something I really did not need to see! Living freely and transparently is a good thing, but somethings should be kept private. Then suddenly I was asking; “Why? Why put these racy pictures up online for hundreds of his contacts to see. What does it serve?, does it make him seem cool?” If anything I have lost respect for him and I am pretty sure the next time I see him in reality, I will be reverting back to that crude image in my head. The fact I was subjected to this material bothered me. I was just so happy that I don't have younger siblings adding my friends as their friends, as so many of my friends would have and I can imagine they would be livid, if they knew that there little sister saw their male friend in the nip.

My friend Lisa was horrified to see her ex-boyfriend of only 6 months have “I am going to be a daddy”, as his status. When she clicked on his page, pictures of his new girlfriends bump were emblazoned all over it. She did not deserve to find out in this way. Another mate was in tears after finding out that her slovak friend had been killed in a tragic accident. She found out via his profile page, before she received a phone call from his family.

I have heard more than a few people cry bloody murder when 'colourful' pictures of themselves showed up on 'Faceparty', 'MySpace' or 'Flickr', 'kindly' tagged to them by friends. They applied for jobs and their prospective employer now knows they enjoy soft drugs and wild nights out. Web pages containing risque pictures, snide remarks and provocative comments about drinking and hook ups may make you look immature to employers.

Perhaps the next time you think about posting information about yourself online, consider if it is 'grandmother safe'... meaning if if is okay for your grandmother to view, your safe and if it is not, then think again. A lesson for the clueless, think before you lie to someone. These websites make it all too easy for people to find out the truth. Remember corporate spying has never been easier. It never ceases to amaze me how many people complain about being caught out, because their boss has found out that they were hung-over from a wild night on the town as opposed to having the flu. Writing a status message such as; “Loving Ibiza“ is a crucial mistake if you have sent texts to the boss, that you are in bed with a dose. You will get caught!

The problem is that information could well be there in years to come, and what may seem cool now, may not look cool when your children look it up online in fifteen years time. 'Facebook' found itself the subject of much controversy when they negated any rights users might have to permanently remove their content from social site and also admitted that they are selling data about users to advertising agencies. Despite thinking that once you leave the site, your out of the 'digital' community, your information is still very much at large on the web.

Regardless of all the intrusion to privacy, there is something fascinating and attractive about social networking. After all, why would 175 million users sign up to 'Facebook' if there was not something alluring about the social networking site.

If life was a soap opera

2008-12-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

Headline: If Life was a Soap Opera...

Stand-first: Could anyone have predicted that our beloved Celtic Tiger would go as far as to eat us up? Now that the feisty tiger has begun to bite back, it is becoming increasingly apparent that for some, we are at the end of the road and got nowhere to go!

Over the past few weeks, people in general have been on a serious downer, as the fat cats of our local area file for bankruptcy and those who we perceived as the height of success, have called for liquidators to come and assess their assets. Nobody realised that those who were held up so high, were sitting on such a breakable thread!

I find it utterly disheartening to watch my friends lose their jobs, watch family leave the country in the hope of a better future down under and to look around at all the shut up shops and businesses, who have failed to survive the beginning of the credit crunch. It is truly a sad state of affairs to see this nation, which was a Mecca for the X-generation, suddenly become fallow. We have started to move from weekly shopping in Marks and Spencers, to settling for a cheap can of beans from Aldi. The economy seems to be sinking to new lows and the worst news of all, is that we have not scraped the bottom of the barrel just yet!

In light of all this doom and gloom, the increasing number of my friends who are comparing their suddenly altered lives to a Soap Opera, is a tad over the top. Trust me, just because your home town has no chain stores or restaurants and they are owned by your family and friends, does not mean you live in a soap opera!

After all, if life really was like a soap opera, we would be in a much worse position. After all the poor residents of Erinsborough or Summer Bay have been putting up with the most tragic and surreal events for years. If life was like a soap opera, we could die and then miraculously resurface months later. If this happened in real life, where we witnessed someone die, attended the funeral and then the person re-emerged months later, you would be spooked. Yet in the land of the Soaps, there is always a valid excuse; “I was under witness protection” or “It was my twin brother”.
If you were in a soap opera, you would have been convicted of numerous crimes already, and if you happened to commit one, you would probably attend prison for a few weeks but sit a retrial and walk away scott free. Isn't it ironic that Morag Bellingham in Home and Away never loses a single legal case?

If your life was a soap opera, you would probably be dating your best-friends ex boyfriend and would proclaim your love just weeks after meeting each other. You and your neghbours would be drop dead gorgeous (Lets not complain about that!) You would have children show up at your door, looking to be fostered or worse informing you they are your long lost daughter!
Friends and relatives would be allowed to stand outside the operating room, looking through the window as they surgeon is in process of carrying out the operation. Your village would be hit by storms, fires, earthquakes and landslides within months of the other, and more people would die in the village in the space of one year than the number that are born. And lest the soap runs out of people, there is always a multitude of new people arriving, solely to wreak havoc!

So do you really think your life is comparable to a soap opera? We are all in this economic mess together and as tough as we are going to get it, we will recover. It just may not be today, tomorrow or even next year, but like all good soaps, there will and always be a happy ending.

Adjusting to the simple life

2008-11-21T07:12:00.000-08:00

Headline: Adjusting to the simple life

The boom years were some of the best this country ever saw, it bore a highly skilled workforce, ambitious entrepreneurs, zealous career women and a wave of materialism. It meant bigger houses, upgrades of mobile phones and cars, like they were throw-away commodities, three holidays a year and a copious number of weekend breaks in the capitals of Europe. We really took the upturn for granted? And now the big 'R' has rocked our comfortable and luxurious existence and sent us into a tizzy. How are we going to re-adjust?

Well for some there will be no re-orientation , just plain old acclimatizing to the downturn. Millenials has been on a technology-propelled ride which has dumped us into the first recession of our working lives. We twenty-somethings have only seen the
good times and now we are in for a fall from grace.

So say goodbye to skinny mocha frapuuchino's and mid week shopping spree's to River Island and BT2, because the tiger has bitten back and has left a mark that is visible to see by all. Speaking about the road ahead, with my father, who set up a business in the last recession, he with an air of wisdom told me if he could ride out the 1980's, this recession shouldn't be a major ordeal. But of course, this my debut to Ireland in financial turmoil. Ever since I was born in the late 80's, I have been exposed to a ever- improving economy, where money was never an obstacle to getting what we wanted, whether it be education or material possessions. Millenials have had an easy time of it, and all the more reason why we are in for a shock. And there will be no soft landing!

People today spend a ridiculous sum of money on things they do not need. We are the greatest generation for buying for the sake of buying and being as good as the neighbour up the road, or the sister in New York. We have to have a laminator in our home. Why? Just in case we need something laminated. We have to have a Play Station Three, because the PS2 is a few years old and therefore dated, you have to have Sky TV because any one can have terrestial TV these days and most of all we have to have something so it can be an indicator of 'how well we are doing' to others. To be honest we could do without a lot of our possessions. We do not need three bathrooms in our homes, or four televisions but we seem to have these nonetheless. I know I can live without my new jacket, but I purchased it anyway and that dress I got for an upcoming party, I know I could have spruced up the several others I have that are getting mouldy in the wardrobe.

Are we willing to buy more expensive items in a attempt to keep up with the Jones's? What difference does it make if you have a imitation leather bag that you picked up in Spain or the latest 'Guess' bag? Both serve a purpose, the only difference is the €200 price tag. Now, when I go shopping I ask myself, 'Do I really need that?' I loathe having to justify the spend, but it does curtail me from 'consumeritis', as I call it.

With cigarettes at almost €8 per packet, they are one of the biggest expenditure in young peoples budgets. €100 a week easily could be spent on cancer sticks, while rent could be less than that for a week. So is the vice essential? While my female friends are still staunch advocates of their nicotine addiction, some of my male associates have attempted to cut down and abandon them due to the cost they impose. “If I lived in Poland, my poor lungs would be destroyed, from how many I could smoke for the price I do here!” exclaimed one of my male friends. Even if you are not a smoker, a few good nights out, at €60 a pop – you could easily see €200 more out the window and then there is eating out and take-aways when your too lazy to go to the shop or put the oven on. Our social lives and social habits are costing us a small fortune. A trip to the cinema needn't be a costly affair and yet twenty quid could easily be blown on the ticket, popcorn and a drink.

A bit of panic has set in and we are now hearing the fears of the twenty something and the disappointment that thirty-somethings houses are worth less now than they paid for them, yet their mortgage is crippling them. When the economy was booming, I never heard my friends discuss money, now it is all we talk about. Most of my friends are worried about their employment opportunities. I count myself very lucky to have gained employment in a lucrative industry, when a large number of my fellow university chums are on social welfare. It can be excruciating and soul destroying when you slog and finance yourself through third level education oly to find out there is no career or job for you at the end of it all. Unfortunately many Irish twenty-somethings are finding themselves in this situation. Now is indeed the time for millennials to pump cash into their current accounts to stay afloat if their job disappears.

Hordes of youngsters are applying for visas and hoping to start afresh in places like; Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Some of my friends are waiting till Christmas, hoping that they might get a job in the meantime, others are playing with the idea of jetting off and some are not wasting any time in making a mass exodus out of the nation. The CAO are advising young people to pick a course that will have job prospects. The numbers entering teaching and engineering have soared, while business and humanities have fallen in number. People are beginning to realise that they need to put fantasies of becoming a celebrity, a multi-millionaire or a successful writer aside and focus on the practical side of life: a good pensionable and stable job. Many of the older generation think that youngsters are over-reacting to the economic climate, but I do not think we are verbosely reciprocating, we are just alarmed and in a state of consternation. This is a cloudy time for those who thought they could have all their hopes and dreams and now have been demoted to the simple life. Alas, perhaps it will take some time to adapt to a life without material wealth, but maybe then we can relax, knowing that the 'simple life' will keep you out of debt, and that the old belief of "keeping up with the neighbors" is finally put to rest.

Can Men and Women really be 'just friends'

2008-10-20T15:22:00.000-07:00

Headline: CAN MEN AND WOMEN REALLY BE 'JUST' FRIENDS?

Stand-first:
The age old question that has been pondered by more academic and philosophical brains than mine. Please excuse me for sounding like Carrie Bradshaw, but are cross-sex friendship really platonic?

Society has long singled out romance as the prototypical male-female relationships. We no longer polarize the sexes. Twenty-first century men and women follow their passions inside and outside the home and stand shoulder to shoulder as equals in most situations. Men and women draw parallelism through their shared interests. Despite all this, one thing baffles me, I don't watch soccer, I don't play pool very well and I know nothing about cars, so why do my best-friends happen to be men?

According to a female acquaintance of mine; “men do not hang out with women, they do not have female friends. If a man spends time with a woman it is because ultimately they want to be physical with the woman in question”. I take her comment on board, but with a pinch of salt. I have long been a firm believer that men and women can be best of mates and sex has nothing to do with it!
I used to think I was drawn to be friends with men because I wanted to be protected and feel like they were an older brother looking out for me. But of this I am not convinced anymore. I have three close female friends and at-least ten close male friends – I do not think I need all that security and protection, so why do I engage in amicable fellowship with them?

If I need advise, if I need a shoulder to cry on, or simply need to be cheered up, I go to my male friends- my sole confidantes in this world. The thing I cherish about my male companions is that they do not tongue lash, they are incredibly loyal and they are always there when you need them. When I was younger, other males called me a tease, they were baffled why I had so many male friends and why they liked hanging out with me. I am sure I was called all sorts of profane titles, but words never held me down, nor suppressed me from doing what I wanted.

My camaraderie with guys was so well known, that in my last year in Secondary school, we were given a name of a close friend to write about. Most people got a name of the same gender, I received the name of one of my male friends. This highlighted the fact that even the teachers could see that I was 'one of the boys'. It appears to me that my male friends enjoy sharing details of their personal life and feelings with me, something they cannot do with members of their own sex.

Several years ago, I went away on a University Canoe Club trip to Bundoran. I was the only girl going on the trip, but that would never stop me. I had a hoodie on me, I seemed to camouflage in with the rest of the gang. The woman we were renting the house off, came out to give us the key. She was mid way through conversation when she jumped; “Oh my God you are a girl”. I went so red, I nearly died of embarrassment, I was crying from laughing so hard. Did I look like a man?
What a compliment, something every girl wants to hear!

The owner of the house as generous and lovely as she was, insisted that I stay in her house. No way could I be left with the boys in her head. I could not conjure what was going through her head, but the boys did little to quash her fears. She was adamant, I should come and stay with her and get a lift down to the beach for surf in the morning. I declined the offer politely. The lads lifting me up on their shoulders, howling at the top of their voices and falling over with laughter. Now don't get me wrong, I don't wear baggy trousers, I don't have a boy-cut nor am I muscular! Truth is, I have an affinity with them, a rapport that I am unable to have with female counterparts.

Being cordial with men, as rewarding as the friendship is, it can be a tricky, potentially explosive experience, which can have a destructive and bitter end. I think every young woman can identify with this. There is always sexual tension to contend with. Cross sex companionships are all about drawing the line and more importantly who gets to draw the line.

The new century has brought a host of rules in the interaction between the sexes, some which are superfluous, but one thing is clear, there needs to be boundaries. We have to stick to the no go areas, such as: you cannot go to a 'chic flic' with a heterosexual male acquaintance, you cannot go to dinner with them, you cannot under no circumstance sleep-over in his bedroom as it spells trouble with a capital T. The problem with some male- female relationships is they often are in danger of verging on the unrequited love syndrome.

It is utter disparity that leaves the love stricken chum hanging on to the relationship, attempting at best to change or woo the others heart. Lets be black and white, there is no magical moment when background music starts to play and two friends embrace – realizing they have been living a lie. More over reality bites! Usually feelings are felt by one person, and normally they fear rejection and keep it quiet, in absolute fear of the plethora of lines like; “It is not you, it is me”, “I like you a lot, just not in that way”, “I really don't want to lose your friendship”. No recipient wants to be put in that position like a deer caught in headlights! The playing fields in these kinds of friendships may be bumpy but that doesn't mean that the friendship can't run smoothly.

The biggest factor in this dynamic is respect, a seven letter word which carries incredible power. If you have respect for someone, you will treat them accordingly. While there is always the danger of cupids arrow striking, under the laws of attraction you have the same chance of a female friends growing those sentiments as much as a male!

More than just a pretty face

2008-10-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

Headline: THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE

Stand-first: “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art”, an apt description made by Eleanor Roosevelt.

For ageing D4 Debbies that Brendan O'Connor of the Sunday Independent loves to loath, the perfect christmas gift could be a cosmetic surgery gift voucher. Despite the big 'R' (recession), it is unlikely that the current economic downturn will deter the continuous growth of the cosmetic surgery industry, as it is becoming more socially acceptable and the price is decreasing, meaning Irish people can now get more bang for their buck, in playing GOD. After all if you can find plastic surgery on the Late Late, then you know times are changing. Even 'Twink' proclaimed that she would love some work done on the television last week.

Nowadays consumers have no qualms about taking out personal loans, financing houses or using their SSIA money to pay for their self adornment and the myth has now long been dispelled that cosmetic surgery is only for celebrities and the super rich. In a world where size 0 is hailed, it makes sense that hordes of women and men are undergoing procedures to meet the sleek and sculpted standards of beauty that Hollywood has imposed on us all. Cosmetic surgery sounds too good to be true? Possibly. When it comes to the methods of self-perfection, women fall hook, line and sinker for ways to improve our frame, especially if it means we will look more attractive.

The vogue for stretching and tightening gives way to a more baby-face look, the Y-lift is the creme of the crop, the must have this christmas, giving women and men a plusher face and well defined cheekbones. Lets face it people do not mind getting older as long as they don't look it.
Among the top treatments that Irish Women are splashing the cash on are; Face Lifts, Tummy Tucks, Nose Reshaping, Breast Augmentation and Liposculpture. I do not think there is any woman that would refuse help when it comes to reducing wrinkles and rejuvenating their appearance, but the extent to which we are now going to gain the 'youthful' look is becoming ridiculous. Certain groups of women seem to opt for an identikit look just through the way they dye their hair, pluck their eyebrows and dress. Some go further and have their faces surgically altered to achieve a particular look. It seems that the look over rides every thing else that might be of significance about them or they feel the look is more important than anything they might think, say or do. So is it really such a big leap then to having a face transplant? In the future will women queue at the morgue to get the pick of the freshest faces? Will they jostle like they do at the winter sales?

Lest us forget the biblical phrase, “Who can straighten what God hath made crooked?”
Alas we are tampering with mother nature and every time we are under the knife, we are risking our lives. The tragic case of mother of six, Bernadette Reid, who died after undergoing gastric band surgery, is a lesson for everyone. The hideous outcome of Joceyln Wildenstein numerous surgeries are almost enough to put anyone off making the change.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that not one snowflake is the same, so why do we want become mirror images of other women and advocate celebrities? We have been made, the way we are and as much as we try to alter our image, you cannot alter the image within as easily.

End: We could spend years obsessing over our 'look', wishing to compete with the millions of gorgeous stunners out there, but where has natural beauty gone? It is brilliant that we can all now be reshaped, resized and revamped, but the natural beauty lies within, after all, who cares what you look like, if you have a horrid personality or an ugly attitude. We spend millions on our exterior, but really we should be looking within. We can only be truly happy when we are content with ourselves, not our plastic shell.

More than just a pretty face

2008-10-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

The enigma of a modern relationship

2008-09-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

Headline: THE ENIGMA OF HAVING A MODERN RELATIONSHIP

Stand-first: Maintaining a modern relationship is like trying to navigate your way out a maze; there are dead ends, wrong directions and obstacles that lead to frustration.

For anyone trying to get back into the 'dating game', you have my sympathy. Nowadays it is difficult to find out where you stand in terms of relationship status, as the rise of 'playing hard to get', 'open relationships', 'reverse psychology' and 'mixed signals' leaves heads spinning.

The onset of technology use in relationships has led to a fragmentation in the communication process between the sexes. Nowadays communication among singles is usually through text messages, as phone conversation is seen as uncool and beyond societal norms. Speaking with my female friends, they hate to be rung by a fella, because it seems too eager and they would be worried about him being an obsessive and controlling person. Likewise, they wouldn't dare ring a guy, as it would be seen as desperate. In fact, girls rarely let men know they like them, instead they hope the man can pick up on the signals and jump through hoops to get them on a date. As my friends say; “A mans pursuit to woo a woman, must not appear needy or eager, instead he must appear in control and relaxed”. He has got to make the girl think that its not a big deal if she wants to go for a drink with him. He has to make the girl feel privileged to be on a date with him, only then has he exerted his macho alpha male status. Women expect this and they try their best not to give away their feelings. They must stay composed, aloof and most of all try the 'hard to get' approach.

If the impersonal nature of texting is not enough, it is the codes and symbols of text messages that are most perplexing. I am always flummoxed by what the 'X' at the end of a text means? Is it an endearing symbol or does it mean a kiss? If I put more than one X at the end, does it appear flirtatious? Moreover, I have always been afraid of using the cheeky smile too liberally, lest I get termed a tease. If it is not mobile phones, its Bebo and its hearts. I personally give hearts every time I am online, so the first three friends to leave me a comment, will get hearts in return, but again it is all open to interpretation and the lines of communication are not clear, in fact they are opaque.

Recently a friend of mine was texting a guy she met in a Dublin nightclub. He mentioned that he was busy spending the day with his two boys. She nearly had an aneurism. She was flabbergasted, he never mentioned that he had children. I was angry with him for leading her on. Then after a delayed response, she text back. She told him she was not interested in baggage and he replied; I was talking about my pet turtles. We nearly died laughing, she could have left a perfectly could opportunity out of mixed communication.

As a metaphor for our times, Internet friendship couldn't be more apt. Faceless; voiceless, it is possible for us to manipulate our identity, for the other person is unlikely to know which parts of us are authentic and which not. It is friendship without risk or intimacy. A virtual friendship, an illusion of one.

I often find myself listening to friends, asking me what does he mean? is he interested or not?
and I often spend hours wondering if these fellas are actually interested in my friends or interested in one night stands. Women are terrors for pretending to be nonchalant, but in reality they spend hours obsessing over text messages, wondering if there is a secret code in the messages. My friends are dying to text back but won't in fear of being seen as too eager. There is no such thing as being blunt anymore. If he texts back straight away, he is too interested and if not, he is a waste of space – the men don't stand a chance.

Men complain about women being over-confident and 'full of themselves' but in truth most of these women are insecure and putting on an act in order to hide their self-esteem issues, however reverse psychology – the cover, the facade, its all used and all confusing to members of the opposite sex.

Modern relationship has been further stifled by the social acceptance of 'open relationships', where the partners have made an agreement not to be exclusive and are free to date others. Recently I have grown worried for two of my friends who have started dating and whom I will call 'Brian' and Kate for the purpose of this article. They have as they call a ' open relationship' yet the female has no intention of meeting any other guys, and has become love struck, entering into the terms of an open relationship out of fear of losing him and desperately hoping that he will fall in love with her and be compelled by his moral conscience to stay faithful.

I am caught in the dilemma of saying too little and too much to either of them. I know for a fact that 'Brian' has been playing the field, yet he says he could love Kate but has 'commitment issues' - a sloppy excuse for wanting to play 'Jack the plough'. Unfortunately some of his friends are indifferent, almost impressed at his pulling power and then others are not as amused, but won't dare air their views with him. I get very irked by this, as if a woman carries on in this manner she is called a profane title and a man gets praise for how many he can score. The current impasse in relationships is further cemented by the fragmentation of social structures. Recently Sienna miller's affair with a married man with children, got extensive media attention. Sienna was branded a home-wrecker and the man got off scot free, having left his wife and children for the actress. Is this fair? Does it not take two to tango. I bit the bullet and had a 'conversation' with him, even though I knew it wasn't any of my business. His response was comical; “'Kate' has agreed to the terms, so all is fair in love and war”.

Modern relationships are all too perplexing and the road it is taking is leading to an enigma.
The only consolation is that not all people are adopting the modern psyche and there is still some old fashioned people entering relationships based on truth and open communication.
But finding these people may be like trying to find a needle in a haystack!

Hedonism and Intemperance - the new fashion

2008-09-23T06:03:00.000-07:00

Headline: HEDONISM AND INTEMPERANCE – THE NEW FASHION

Stand-first: Women may be victims to fashion but what if the new fashion is to be inebriated and act like boozer role models: Pete Doherty, Amy Winehouse, Peaches Geldof and Calum Best? Irish women are becoming slaves to the new fashion that is Hedonism and Intemperance.

It may not seem like breaking news, but overt displays of intoxication has become common place in every town and village in the country. In a modern society, where I am one of the children of the Celtic Tiger, female drunkenness is no longer frowned upon, instead sightings of Irish women vomiting at the side of the street are prevalent.

It is ironic that there is a constant palaver made by women about the toxicity of synthetic chemicals, when we do not even qualm about consuming large quantities of poison, AKA alcohol.

The 'cannot wait till Saturday night' syndrome has been superseded by the 'living for the weekend', where Friday, Saturday, Sunday night and Monday for the cure has become all too common as social outings for Ireland's twenty-somethings.

For most college students, they like to be treated by parents as grown ups and live independent lives, however are they acting like grown ups when they are falling off chairs, staggering across the road in the early hours of the morning, shouting at the top of their lungs that they are 'merry', needing help to get unlock their front doors and finding themselves sprawled across the bed, fully dressed at 12am on Sunday morning, with a throbbing head-ache.

I received a text last Sunday; “I am dying with a hangover” exclaimed my friend, which I will call Donna for the purpose of this article. Another text rolled in “ I got sick multiple times last night. I had two drinks today, for the cure. It was no use. At-least I have not got sick in ages”. I retorted; “Didn't you decorate the local taxi a fortnight ago?”, to which the reply was a giggle. Vomiting on regular occasions is now a societal norm. Moreover I have often heard girls telling their peers on a night out to vomit so they will feel better and be able to start drinking again!”.

These are not little teeny – boppers but twenty-somethings that are; post university status and in their careers. Furthermore these nights out were not special occasions, the bingeing for hen parties and holidays consists of quadruple the amount of the normal drinking consumption.

The pre- hen party talk consists of how sloshed such a one will be and how much craic the hen will be, because everyone will be stupefied. If you are ever sober and out socialising and a hen party arrives in, the atmosphere of the pub changes and mayhem and anarchy breaks out. Grown women wear hideous accessories; fairy wings, devil horns, cheeky outfits to name a few, they fall all over the bar, pinch mens behind and flaunt themselves – all in the name of “mighty craic”. These are the young women of our society, the future mothers of Irelands children. They are a disgrace to the female gender and mankind.

If it is not Hen parties, it is booze holidays and I am not just harping on about the teeny boppers who are attempting to blow off steam after the slog of the leaving cert, but young women who jet off to Ibiza to soak up the sun and the cheap grog. Lest I forget, they make sure they are inebriated by the time they are on the plane, just to start the holiday as they mean to go on. Then as if that is not enough liver damage, they make it their mission to spare enough coins to cover the 10 litres of spirits they can bring home on the plane, or the 20 litres of wine or the 110 litres of beer.

The morning of the Oxegen festival, I was commuting to work and I spotted a crowd in the main street of the town, some were the sweet 16's, others were college students and a few even graduates, and all of them with tins in their hand. 7.52 am and already setting the pace for a four day booze-athon as I call it. All I managed to utter was; “Their poor livers”. I gave a second glance to see 2litre Coca Cola bottles filled up with vodka and be assured it was not just one or two bottles, but five or six topped up with crates upon crates of beer.

I dread to think about all the alcohol related problems and crapulence the women of this nation will endure in years to come. Despite sobriety rearing its head in Vogue and Celebrity Land, women in modern Ireland are not just tippling their fancy with a glass of wine, but knocking it back like it was an anti-ageing potion. Too much of anything is not good, but too much of alcohol is catastrophic! Intemperance is the fashion today, and very few women do not follow fashion. Many most women are slaves to fashion and ultimately they will be slaves to the grave.

Girl Power: Breaking through the glass ceiling

2008-09-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

Headline: GIRL POWER: BREAKING THROUGH THE GLASS CEILING

Stand-first: After years of soldiering for women's rights, from Fanny Parnells rallying of the suffragette movement to obtain a women's right to vote, to the UN's women's rights movements and women's liberation movements – reformers have been victorious in establishing females as equal to men. But in recent times, it is evident that women are climbing the social ladder, striving for equality in the form of reversing these roles ,and breaking through that 'glass ceiling' that had held the down.

For years now we have heard women's rights activists claim that 'you can't hold us down'
and sing the Christina Aguilera lyrics; 'Never can never will' , but now men are shuddering, wondering how they can keep women at all? Women are challenging their stereotypical role and are beginning to close the gap between the divide between the gender roles.

A survey in Women's Way magazine in 2007, highlighted that two out of five women surveyed were not satisfied by their partner and were eager for more. Rumours have sparked in recent weeks that a growing number of young Irish men are taking viagra in order to satisfy their girlfriends and partners. This begs the question whether they will play away from home in order to feed their selfish ways?

From my own observations on the north west of Ireland social scene, men are not the only players. It appears women give as good as they get. This might seem like a shocking statement but it does seem credible when on the national press, you see images of Women rising their champagne glasses to divorce or read a post on an Irish women's website from a middle aged woman, rejoicing that she had got a DIY divorce and could help others to get a quick fix for cheap.

Recently at West Kent College in Tonbridge, female students were warned that harassing and wolf whistling at builders was totally unacceptable and anyone caught committing this offense would face disciplinary action. This is the loutish behaviour that is happening with young girls, who start as they mean to go on.

One time we would slate men for their lack of fidelity, however it appears that its level peggings these days, for both genders. The number of Irish women who are out for the craic, looking for toy boys, sugar daddies and holiday romances to keep them entertained without real commitment is startling. These five day romps in sunny locations are all the rage, in fact women's magazines love when readers send them in the juicy details of their mills and boons style flings on tropical beaches, as it makes for a great read and entertaining drinks speech in the pub with the girlies.

It is a sad state of affairs when a well known female columnist for the Sunday Independent boasts about her 300 lovers, like notches in the bed post are something to be admired. Give the women a medal? I would as soon give her a profane title. Worse still it was a Sunday edition, a holy day, a day to praise the maker and instead I sat reading in disgust about her many sins and abominations being described as liberating and empowering.

Most women maintain that they won't be a stay at home mom/wife or tied to the kitchen sink, it should be a shared job. I vehemently agree but I do not condone the rise of modern Irish women who think they should be treated like princesses and not have to do a tap.
Are Irish women taking 'girl power' to the extreme – bossing men about, making them subservient, having them wait on them hand on foot?

Just because times in the past were good and an Irish household could afford to pay for the services of a cleaner, laundry service and a gardener, it does not mean that it is a societal norm for women to feel like they should be a kept women. The desperate housewife generation, without the household chores. Media and television shows have ingrained into our heads the glorified lifestyle that simply cannot exist on our island. My friends maintain that the reason so many Irish men are linked with the arm of a foreign national is because they are more understanding and less high maintenance than Irish women.

So are we really high maintenance? Next will be the rise of the stay at home dads and the female breadwinner, making traditional roles redundant. Will patriarchal society diminish? Will gender roles reverse? or will we strive for a woman dominant society? Men are from Mars, Women from Venus so the phrase goes, but really we are all from the same planet. After-all, we all have avacarious, lustful and flawed tendencies. What will separate the men from the women in years to come? Alas very little other than biology.

Image Obsessed Nation

2008-07-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

Ireland – An Image Obsessed Nation

It appears we all have image issues, even if we choose to ignore it or pretend it doesn't exist. This may seem like a sweeping statement, but look around the streets and urban centres and you will find it difficult to find a young woman that is not orange, or groomed to the highest.

I would not call myself an image conscious woman, in fact I have no interest in make up, tanning, diets etc, but I am in minority and the more time I spend observing the women in Ireland, the more I realise we have become an image obsessed nation.

Now there is many a convoluted answer for this social situation that has arisen in modern ireland. Many a woman blames the increase in beautiful Polish girls residing on our Island, which has made it much more difficult for women in Ireland to feel good about their bodies, as they have to compete with the stiff competition of blonde and slender Polish and Baltic nationals. Others blame the mass media,and the very horse which has bolted from the stable and overwhelmed this country – none other than WAG sensationalism. I first came across this WAG following when I worked in an elite department store in Dublin, last summer. I worked for a British company who on several occasions told me to improve my image by dying my natural brown tresses to a sexier shade of blonde. They insisted I cake my face in make up and always had my nails pristine. I was informed that I should aim for the 'WAG' look and thats when I realised that we in Ireland are facing a serious problem. Eventually I was told I was ugly and did not have natural beauty therefore I needed the help from our french friends of rouge, blush and lipstick. Unsurprisingly I left the position and was all the happier for it. However in those four months, I experienced a bully, which scarred me emotionally. It took a lot of strength to persevere and to rise above their words. I would love to be naive and say it is a pure london thing and that is why this london based company treated me this way, but unfortunately it is a social must in Ireland today.

If I want to go out on a night out wearing a skirt or a dress, I simply have two options; A, to go and get a tan either by bottle or by sun bed or B, buy a damn good pair of tan tights. It seems to have white pasty legs now is like a woman having hairs under her arm pits, it is a socially unacceptable move by any woman in society.

Everywhere you look we are consuming the 'image' that is imposed on us by the mass media, advertisers and marketing companies. There is not a woman's magazine out there that does not begin with at least six to eight pages of pictures of celebrities in their bikini's, walking in the parks, out shopping, or out wining and dining. Why is this ladies? It is because the magazines know what readers want to see? or are these images serving as pin ups, icons, ones to both idolise and scorn at. If it is not Cameron's glowing complexion, it is geri Halliwell's notorious botched up streaky tan job that has the media and the readers in a frenzy!

TV shows, afternoon shows, internet sites are giving us top tips to prolong a summer glow. If you take a look down the street, you will see that the Irish are browner than the tourists. Kids as young as eleven are splashing on the orange stuff just to fit in, so that they will not be the only white face in their class or in the lecture hall.

The real down fall is that these young kids are just victims of advertising and peer pressure. Make up manufacturers are selling products to an increasingly younger audience. Disney is selling make up kits for tweens, L'oreal is making cleanses and soap washes for the tween age – anything to allure a younger audience with a disposable income.

I understand that wearing make up is a rite of passage for young girls, it is up there with having your first kiss, getting your period and going to your first disco. It is important to assist young girls in their self-expression but seriously how much is too much?

At the age of twelve girls enter secondary school, where they are exposed to older boys and girls and advertising plays a bigger role on the young brain. It is simply not right that a young girl should damage her skin at such a young age and scientific research shows that make up damages younger skin more than older skin. More importantly young girls do not get to develop a sense of natural beauty, which is one of the best lessons any young woman can learn.

It is a sad state of affairs when a nation such as ours turns to these extremes in order to fit in or feel good about themselves. So I ask you, what has happened to the farmer tan? The pale Irish face? the natural look? or the beauty of a pair of white skinny legs. Unfortunately it is all gone orange – because after-all orange is the new white.

Female Journalism - Its all a load of pap

2008-04-19T12:29:00.001-07:00

What is it about female journalists, that they have to write about handbags and gladrags?

Can you not be a woman, who wants to write about something other than fashion or
who in the celebrity world has had a boob job? After all why should such limitations be imposed on a writer, because of their sex.

Modern Ireland is supposed to be known for its equal opportunities, but look around at any of the newspaper and invariably you will find that the female journalists are confined to topics such as travel, fashion, lifestyle and celebrity gossip. I think that while these serve a purpose, we have been written into a corner.

N offence to my fellow female counterparts, but it begs the question whether it is the females who have chosen to write this pap in the first place? Ladies, please aim higher. I hear so many females associates speak of wanting to be an empowered and top notch journalist and then they show me their latest piece, 'Fashion to be Remembered; Trends in Clothing Found in Tri Pod on Thursday Night'. I mean is this mind blowing journalism? I think not!

A quick search online led me to a blog entitled; ‘Life of a Young Female Journalist’. It confirmed the above. I scanned through the content with nothing but abhorrent disgust at her meticulous details pertaining to her high heels and her endless remarks about her hair and a few quotes for our pleasure about her sex life and its deterioration now that she has to spent 9 to 5 in the office writing about serious issues such as make up and body image for teenage girls.

If this is the state of female journalism in Ireland, then its a sad affair indeed.

2007-04-17T04:59:00.000-07:00

For video footage of the national champiobships, check out this email address
Jackie's work captures the fun and excitement down in curraghgower. http://www.irishfreestyle.com/node/729

cork film festival

2007-04-17T04:55:00.000-07:00

The 52nd Cork Film Festival will runs from October 14th to 21st.
Entries are now invited in the following categories: short films, documentaries, feature films. They welcome all forms of film production - animation, experimental, student work, digital work, etc
so get working quick and pick up an online entry form.
The Closing Dates: International Entries: June 29thNational Entries: July 20th

7TH International DARKLIGHT Festival 2006

2007-03-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

7TH International DARKLIGHT Festival 2006 -

This year's Darklight programme includes short-films, animation, documentaries, feature films, workshops, experimental, innovative and artistically led works from all over the world plus public interviews & open debate with the international visiting artists.

This year the organisers are paying special attention to the wonders of animation, welcoming the Irish première of Jan Svankmajer's "Lunacy", a workshop and screening from Ben Fry of Processing.org, a p ublic interview with Electronic Arts Intermix John Thompson and selection of EAI catalogue including the late video artist Nam June Paik.

You will also be able check out a number of specially curated animation programme's featuring fresh new talent alongside work from celebrated animators such as David Shrigley and Run Wrake. Darklight are happy to be screening the particularly intense documentary "From Hell to Heaven" from Palestinian newcomer Khaled Abu Ajamia about a 17 year old girl suicide bomber who changes her mind.

This year will showcase the best from Krakow Film Festival, OneDotZero and Bangkok Experimental Film Festival, plus a special Children's Matinée Animation Programme in the IFI all weekend.

With many world and Irish premières included in the programme this year Darklight will be competitive for the first time, so join in and vote for your favourite film over the weekend. A spectacular awards ceremony & festival wrap up BBQ will take place in the IFI on Sunday 25 th June, special awards will be presented to categories sponsored by Nokia, The Lap Top Shop, Adobe, IFTN (Irish Film & TV Network), & Krombacher .

Promoting Screen Producers

2007-03-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

Screen Producers Ireland (SPI) is the representative body for Independent Film,Television and Animation Producers in Ireland. With over 200 companies in membership, SPI lobbies to represent their interests, provides services and information to members and promotes
the development of film and television production as a key industry in Ireland's economic development.

Screen Producers Ireland consists of four committees who work on a voluntary basis, dealing with issues which are of most importance to Irish independent producers. The Broadcasting committee, the Labour Relations committee, the Film committee and the Animation committee. The Board of SPI comprises some of the leading members of the Irish audio-visual industry.

for more info go to; http://www.screenproducersireland.com/

Kayak update - Wet n Wild DVD

2007-03-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

3rd place in Letterkenny Intervarsities
We floored it in 11 seconds and came 3rd overall in last weekend's Intervarsities in Letterkenny. It was a great weekend, 2nd in polo, great results in long distance including a DCU 1st 2nd 3rd in ladies short course, and great performances on the surf on Sunday. The party was well the usual madness!

Canoe Intervarsities
Letterkenny

It took a while to get the bus of competitors moving on Friday morning and it was afternoon by the time we hit the road. Yet we were right on time, and the polo team who had been training hard over the last few weeks, arrived in Letterkenny Leisure Centre minutes before their first game. The team played fantastically together, bringing them to the final match against MUCK.

They gave the MUCK team, with their international polo players and glitter-clad supporters, a run for their money during the first half. It was a tight game until the half-time whistle but unfortunately the Maynooth team bet our lot to first place with a string of goals met by some near misses from our side.

A brilliant atmosphere had built up on the pool side which transferred into a night of camaraderie in The Orchard Bar. The DCU boys and girls danced the night away with paddlers from 16 other colleges throughout Ireland, and tumbled home to bed for a few hours nap before Saturday’s competitions.

A 12 strong team of our 6 best men and our 6 most brilliant ladies headed off bright and early for the white-water race on the river Finn. There were three sections with a team of four on each, forming a relay race on grade 2 and 3 sections and a rapid race on a grade 4 section. Despite an early swim the team sailed through, but apart from a couple of appearances on Monday’s RTE news, didn’t achieve great success in this event.

It was a great wake-up exercise for the competitors and everybody was ready to go for gold in the long distance race. The ladies shone with Pauline Griffin taking 1st in the High Performance class, and Karen Campbell, Irene Hughes and Nora O’Keeffe taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the ladies’ short course. Campbell took to the front leaving the rest of the race far behind and inspiring her team mates to push on past the other competitors.

Our all female Canadian team came in 7th against some tough competitors and our boys didn’t do too badly at all, particularly Len Kelleher who took 2nd in the men’s short course race.

Before the final day we headed back to prepare for the fancy dress party and make ourselves into “Your Worst Nightmare”. While for some this was a possessed child, for others it was a bag of Lipton Tea (I wish I was a Barry’s tea bag!). We partied the night away with a spot of pole dancing, crowd surfing, and some of us taking to the stage to shake our booty. While we were cheated out of the fancy dress prize by UCC, we were all psyched up for the surf competition the following day.

Our four competitors and bus full of supporters were driven to Rossnowlagh in search of surf. There were no great waves but the fantastic four did their best with what they got. Irene Hughes was the last female left standing by the semi-final and joined Len Kelleher for their second round on the water. It was the best two waves that counted and while only Len made the final Irene won best female by a long shot.

The club finished 3rd overall and headed off home on Sunday evening satisfied with their hard work and a very enjoyable weekend, dreaming on the bus home of next year’s competition in Limerick.

WE FLOORED IT FINTAN!!!!

Watch out for the DCU Wet n Wild DVD directed by Niall!

Michelle Crawley

2007-03-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

Irish Whitewater Film Festival

15/03/2007

Following on from the festivals in 2004, 2005 and 2006, the 4th Irish Whitewater Shorts Film Festival will be held on March 23rd 2007, in the Linden Hall Arts Centre, in Castlebar, Co. Mayo.

Irish Whitewater Film Festival, Castlebar. Co. Mayo.
Watch a variety of short features introduced by their directors and get a real feel for what people have been up to for the last year or two. The international entrants to date are from Trip Jenning, (Epicocity crew), World Class Academy, Olaf Obsommer, Young Gun Productions, Lisa Utroni (b.East) and more to follow.

This festival has the unique feature of having both professional and amateur (or commercial and non commercial) films being show cased side by side. They are still currently looking for more entries and would encourage editors/film makers of all abilities to consider entering. The closing date for film submissions is the 25th of February.

The idea for this film festival grew out of a desire for people to see a wide selection of the latest footage of what people were at in whitewater kayaking within Ireland and abroad.

There has been a huge upsurge in interest in video kayaking and with cheaper, better equipment people have been putting together some great footage. With a great range of international venues for kayaking now established we have had some great shows in the past. It is interesting that some of the features on Irish Rivers have held their own in terms of content and professionalism.

There will be great variety of films, an introduction from the director and then a pint in the bar afterwards.

- Graham Clarke, Festival orgainser and founder.

The plan for the Saturday is to have a number of different sessions both on and off the water. The options will be for people to either go river-running, creeking or surfing with locals who know the area. Great Outdoors will also have a stall available on the Saturday.

Entries & queries to: graham@huckd.com
Closing date for entries: 25th February 2007
For more details see here: {http://www.irishwhitewater.com}