Rúin agus Guíonna Athbhliana!

New Year's Resolutions and Wishes!

by | 2017/04/04 | Personal, Opinion

New Year's Resolutions and Wishes!

"Have you made your new year's resolutions yet?" said the gentle ‘Séimí an Droichid’ to myself, down in the snug of the "Smugairle Róin", on that fateful night, New Year's Eve, as he took a nice good sip of the hard stuff from the glass he had carefully placed, on a small table, in front of him.

I realized, right away, that he wanted to give me his opinions on that same subject, and since I had nothing better to do at the time, I tried to elicit those opinions from him.

"Divil a resolution or bit of a resolution I’ve made, Séimí, but listen, have you made any resolutions yet for this new year which is racing towards us right now?"

Prayers instead of Resolutions

“Well! I have to admit to you, that I myself have given up on those same new year's resolutions, for some years now, as I paid little attention to them after they were made, but you know, I have found a new custom with it to fill that gap for me.”

"And what is that, Séimí?"

"I call them New Year's prayers, as instead of putting the burden of those resolutions on myself, I pick out a few things, which I would to see accomplished, during the new year."

"Fantastic altogether, and what prayers have you picked for this year, 2024."

"I have already chosen a donkey's load of prayers, but I don't want to lay them all before you, right now, but I will give you a few now."

"Go on, or I'd love to hear some of them."

Peace on Earth

First of all, I would like to see an end, during this year, to killing, mugging, violence, rape of all kinds, abuse, disorder and brutality of all kinds, and that people would once again return to peace, charity, and neighborliness. If such a thing were to be done, what difference would it make in the life of the common man? Yes, and really, can't it be said, wouldn't that just be a return to the laws that are embedded in our very nature?”

"Well, that prayer is not small or insignificant, Séimí, and because of that, you probably don't have any more for this year?"

Remember those on the edge

"I will lay before you only one more prayer, and that is that special attention be paid to those who are on the edge. What I mean here is those people who came to this country in search of work, or asylum - that they should be given space and heard during this year, in such a way that we can accept the majority of them as members of our community, instead of looking at them as foreigners who have no right to come among us. They are human beings and they are neighbors that we have yet to really get to know. I would also like to include a few others here and they are the travelers, the majority of whom we have marginalized for many years, and those who sleep outside, on the side of our streets, or on the side of our roads.

I would say now that I have said enough, for this round, but rest assured that I will have more to say on this subject, during the year 2024!”

Food for Thought

After my lovely Séimi had said "God bless you" with the bottom of his glass, he put it back on that table, bade me farewell, and went out the door himself. I have to say that it left me with food for thought and I have to say that I hope that Séimí's prayers will come true during the year, even partially!

My own reflections

Séimí speaks out with neither fear nor timidity, and I respect him for that. My new year's resolution is to express my opinions more directly, especially in my writings. That's very important today, with all kinds of rumors going around on the internet and social media. We have seen and still see the negative impact of falsehood on our society, as it is used by extremists and hostile countries, whose aim is to destabilize our government. My prayer for this year is that we all do our best to get rid of falsehood this year, and also not to spread it. I will have more to say on this subject before long!

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Na Meáin Sóisialta mar uirlisí troda!

Social Media as tools of war!

by | 2017/04/04 | Current Affairs

Social Media as tools of war!

Nearly all of us were complacent and were convinced that the chances of the alt-right or the likes emerging here were slim. Then, after a horrific stabbing outside Coláiste Mhuire Gaelscoil in East Parnell Square in the center of the capital, that shameful riot happened. Right-wing extremists drove the posting of many provocative messages on social media – including on X (Twitter), Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram. Some posts incorrectly referred to the attacker as an "illegal immigrant". It was reported on Facebook that it was a Romanian who stabbed the four in East Parnell Square. Some accounts were encouraging people to go to the city center and attack guards, immigrants and politicians. One voice note was widely shared on WhatsApp and Facebook encouraging people to kill any foreigner they encountered.

It is clear from what has happened that a small group of extremists is able to use social media as fighting tools to greatly influence the emotions of certain people. The alt-right had been spreading a lot of hateful messages, full of misogyny and harm, on social media for quite some time before the riot, and waves of them just before. It was clear that there would be trouble that night in the city, but no one in the security forces was monitoring those activities, or if they were, they didn't pay much attention to them. But, that riot was an eye-opener for the government, and there will be no excuse to ignore social media like that in the future. They are an early warning system that our government should use to keep us safe from harm.

Political influence is being exerted on us

The internet is a global technology, regardless of international borders. Therefore, people abroad can have all kinds of influences on us. In my opinion, political influence is the worst kind. It's not that the others aren't bad enough, because they are. For example, thieves can hack into computer systems and steal personal data, or organizations can restrict their access to their own sites and then blackmail them. But in comparison, look at what happened with the 2016 presidential election in the United States. It is now clear that the Russians were exerting political influence on that election. A company called 'Fancy Bear' carried out a phishing attack on the Democrats and especially on Hilary Clinton's team. 'Fancy Bear' had the support of the Russian government, and after they hacked into Clinton's email servers, the Russians had a powerful fighting tool. Third-party companies (Guccifer 2.0, WikiLeaks and DCLeaks) released more than 150,000 emails, which were stolen from a handful of Democratic representatives, including Hilary Clinton. As Hilary Clinton told an audience at a recent speech at Stanford University: "Even if Russian meddling had made only a small difference, that election would have been won by the smallest margin in the Electoral College." In my opinion, Trump did not win that election, let alone the 2020 election! And Trump's presidency has had disastrous consequences.

Another powerful fighting tool often used online is the widespread dissemination of inaccurate information on social media. Do you remember that decentralized political movement – QAnon, which is rooted in a baseless conspiracy theory that the world is controlled by the “Deep State,” a gang of Satan-worshiping pedophiles. Former President Donald Trump is the only person capable of defeating the forces of evil! Do you also remember that many who believed in that rumor were involved in the uprising at the Capitol in Washington DC, on January 6, 2021!

What does this have to do with me?

We cannot throw caution to the wind but we all need to be more vigilant, but especially our own government, regarding the use of social media as tools to fight against us. I mentioned just a few examples of what happens when social media is ignored. This is a global phenomenon, and no country is safe from this threat. I hope we have learned that now in Ireland.

The United States has warned the Irish Government that there is a high possibility that Russia will try to interfere with our upcoming elections. The warning says Russia is misusing social media, espionage and hybrid methods to interfere with and discredit elections in democratic countries. Ireland has come out strongly for Ukraine since 2022, so Ireland is definitely on Putin's "naughty list"! The government must address this issue immediately!

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Dírbheathaisnéis 6: An Ghaeltacht!

Autobiography 6: The Gaeltacht!

by | 2017/04/04 | Dírbheathaisnéis

Generative Artificial Intelligence

When I was still attending primary school, and I was only nine years old, I had the opportunity to go to the Gaeltacht for three months under a scheme that Gael Linn had at that time. I agreed, without thinking, and then a new adventure began for me. I had no fear – I think I had a love of adventure, which I never lost! This was the first time I left my family and my home. It is not surprising, then, that I remember that time well, even though it happened almost sixty years ago. Rosmuc I traveled to Rosmuc with another boy of the same age as me, a gentle, well-behaved boy. We took one train to Dublin, and the next day, another train to Galway. A Gael Linn representative was waiting for us in Dublin, and he guided us both to accommodation for the night. The next morning, after breakfast, we proceeded to Heuston Station with the representative. He helped us get our train, and we arrived in Galway around lunchtime. Another representative was there to help us get a bus to Rosmuc – our destination. A car was waiting for us in Rosmuc, and another representative was there to drive us to our homes. My house was in Kilbrickan, in Rosmuc. Kilbrickan The lady of the house Máire Bean Uí Ghriallais gave me a warm welcome, and my Gaeltacht adventure began immediately. Bean Uí Ghriallais first gave me a bowl of soup but unfortunately it was so hot that I burned my palate badly with it. It was very painful for a week or so! It was difficult to explain in Irish what happened to me!

After the long journey, I had to go to the toilet. Máire led me out of the house to the ‘donkey's house’ (toilet), but it was pitch black outside. Because of that, I hit my knee against a wall and I was injured again! Although I had a bad start, things got better after that - and I didn't injure myself again either.

This house was not like my house at home. The facilities were very basic. There was no electricity, or central heating or even a telephone. The small toilet was in a hut near the house. There was no bathroom at all. But those things are insignificant compared to the language. I didn't speak much Irish, and when Bean Uí Ghriallais first spoke to me, I didn't even understand a single word she was saying. After a while, my Irish improved, because I had no choice - only Irish was spoken in that area at that time. After a while, I got used to things and also to the way of life, and I was quite happy.

School and Friends

There was no school bus and I had to walk to and from school every day. The school was three miles away from home, and although it was difficult at first, that walk became easy after a while. Although it was difficult to understand the teacher and the students at first, after a month or so I had no problem, and I was as comfortable using Irish as I was with English. In fact, I don't remember much about my school days, because nothing significant happened there.

There were a few other families in the area with kids my age. Whenever I had a chance, I got permission from Bean Uí Ghriallais to go out and play with them. I also spent a lot of time in their homes. It was too quiet for me in my own house, with only Bean Uí Ghriallais herself there.

Music

There were musical instruments in the other houses, and I was fascinated by them. There was a music box (concertina or button accordion) in one house, and a tin whistle in another. The men of the house used to play music from time to time, especially when neighbors visited. I learned a lot of songs by watching and listening to them. It was traditional music, and I was like a sponge, absorbing the language and culture of the country - almost without knowing it!

Time to go home!!

I was so happy in the Gaeltacht that I almost forgot my own family! My period passed quickly, and it was difficult for me to return home. But I had no problem with Irish at school after that, and I had a lasting love for our language and our culture from then on, thanks to my father and Gael Linn.

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Léirmheas Scannáin: Oppenheimer!

Film Review: Oppenheimer!

by | 2017/04/04 | Reviews

Film Review: Oppenheimer!

I thought I would really like the movie 'Oppenheimer'. A rich source of talent participated in the film: the famous director and writer Christopher Nolan, the usual ensemble of actors – including Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr. 'Oppenheimer' was one of the films that brought in the most money last year - around a billion dollars, which put this film in third place, behind 'Barbie' and 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie'. The film is based on a book that Nolan read about Robert J. Oppenheimer, called 'American Prometheus'. Nolan studied Oppenheimer in depth and was deeply moved by his story.

“What I wanted to do was to put the audience into the mind and experience of the person who sat at the center of the biggest transition in history. J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived. He shaped the world we live in, be it good or bad,” Nolan said, explaining what he had in mind in the creative process.

Undoubtedly, Oppenheimer was an important person, who was the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during the development of the atomic bomb from 1943-1945, and is called "the father of the atomic bomb". Undoubtedly, as Oppenheimer himself said,, there was 'blood on his hands' when atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.

The Movie

At the beginning of the film, you see the title: "Prometheus stole from the gods and gave it to mankind. As a result, he was tied to a rock and tortured for eternity." This passage was taken from Greek mythology, and is a premonition of what would happen in Japan, as a consequence of the work done by Oppenheimer and his team in Los Alamos.

The advertising suggests that it is a film about Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos. Although we get glimpses of that story from time to time – mainly when they detonate the first atomic bomb in New Mexico in 1945, the emphasis is not strongly on the story of the bomb. Los Alamos is the backdrop in which the film's three main stories are told: Oppenheimer's romantic life, the attempts of Oppenheimer's enemies to revoke his security clearance after the war, and the United States Congressional hearings about Lewis Strauss's candidacy for the post of presidential joint secretary, and the impact that the connection between Strauss and Oppenheimer played on that process. I have to say that I was lured in expecting one thing but was given another, which I was not very interested in.

Because there were three stories told in the film, and they were told to us like a jigsaw puzzle, in terms of story, place and time, I suffered a sort of whiplash, and so I was sometimes confused about what was going on. Tempo and comprehensibility were consequently also lost. In my opinion, it would be much better to tell one story – the story of Oppenheimer and the development of the atomic bomb, and tell it in chronological order. Half the time, I had no clue what year it was, or who people were either. The film featured famous scientists whose identity we didn't know until later.

Conclusion

In my opinion, 'Oppenheimer' is not a great film but there is the occasional gem. It is a movie for movie makers, but it fails with the ordinary person. In addition to everything mentioned above, there was not enough respect or attention given to the thousands of innocent civilians who were vaporized by the bombs. Of course, many in Japan are still suffering from those bombs. All of those, both living and dead, are a big part of the story. Any film purporting to be about Oppenheimer, which contains only a passing reference to the poor people who were subjected to terrible, deadly violence, is a film short on truth.

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Boeing!

Boeing!

by | 2017/04/04 | Current Affairs, International News

Boeing

We were excited and I booked everything for our holiday, including the flights. This year, my wife and I made the decision to go to Hawaii to celebrate our birthdays. We love the big island as we have had great holidays there a few times before. The Island of Hawaii is not as crowded with people as the other islands in the State. Although we also like the island of Maui very much, unfortunately there are big problems to solve after the big fire that destroyed Lahaina, the historic Town of that island. Anyway, the ink wasn't even dry on our tickets when a Boeing 737 Max 9 plane had an accident.

It was a new plane that was traveling from Portland Oregon to Los Angeles California. The plane was taking off and at 5,000 meters when a piece of the fuselage tore off leaving a hole in the passenger cabin. There was a great draft of air from the cabin due to the air pressure being much greater inside than outside the plane. Fortunately, there were no passengers sitting near the hole, as in that case, there was a high chance that they would have been lost through the hole. The plane had not reached its cruising altitude - (usually at least 10,000 meters) - or things would have been much worse with the air pressure outside only half the amount at 10,000 meters as it is at 5,000 meters. All in all it is a miracle that not even one person was lost in the accident. The crew of the plane were great in dealing with the emergency and the pilot brought the aircraft back to the ground perfectly.

What the hell happened to the aircraft?

To tell the truth, this is not the first time the 737 MAX has been in the news. There were two plane crashes with the 737 MAX 8 in 2018 and 2019. No one survived those crashes and 648 souls were lost. At first Boeing said that pilot error was the cause of the accidents but after investigations by the governments of Ethiopia, France and the United States, it was very clear that there was a fundamental problem with the plane itself. Boeing was well aware of that problem and instead of solving it, they worked around it by using new software, but they didn't inform their customers - the airlines - about it at all. Unfortunately, a new problem was introduced with that software, which relied on input from only one angle-of-attack sensor - despite having two. When that one sensor failed, the software thought the plane was at the stall point and forced the plane nose down. The pilots did not know what was going on and were unable to correct matters in time to avoid the accidents. After the accidents, all Boeing MAX 8 type airplanes were kept on the ground until the end of 2020 when a long recertification process was completed.

Due to the major deficiencies in Boeing from the management point of view, Dennis Muilenburg, chief executive at the time, was fired. David Calhoun was then appointed chief executive of Boeing, a man who is still in the role. Boeing's board of directors said at the time that Calhoun was appointed to implement major changes in the safety of its products and services.

Step back

The latest crash is a devastating blow for Calhoun and Boeing. Boeing and its suppliers still have many difficult questions to answer regarding the manufacturing process and in particular about the tension of the bolts that failed to hold the panel in place as part of the plane. There is a good chance that Calhoun will be scapegoated and resign during the investigation. In my view, Boeing's pattern of bad behavior will continue, without significant changes in the oversight process.

Boeing is a profit making organization and without strong oversight from the regulatory authorities, especially the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in the United States and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in the EU, Boeing will put its own profit before the safety of passengers! I hope that these same authorities will be closely monitoring Boeing in relation to the manufacturing of their aircraft from now on. If that doesn't happen, Boeing and their aircraft will be back in the news before long.

We were very lucky with our own flight, because United changed the type of aircraft from the 737 Max 9 to an Airbus 320. We were very happy with that, because this amazing aircraft has a high standard of safety! From now on, we will be paying more attention to the type of aircraft we travel on and will avoid the Boeing 737 MAX, if possible!

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