03.28.07
Posted in Sunday Times Columns at 1:21 pm by Sarah
Though we are only here two years, we have swallows who nest annually in our pump-house. It’s pretty messy in there though – the bird poo lands on the oil burner. Yuck. So this year M was determined to keep them out – though I was sorry. He’s putting mesh up on the space at the top of the door where they were getting in. Then he took down the nests they had built – what was in one of the nests but two tiny little bird skeletons. Two poor little chicks who didn’t make it last year, curled up dead together. It was sooooooooooooo sad. And now we are barricading out their surviving siblings who will fly all the way from Africa to come home and nest. Oh dear.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 1:05 pm by Sarah
I took part in a discussion on Dave Fanning’s show last night about plastic surgery. I arrived with my usual Naomi Wolf inspired lines about women wasting time and energy on themselves instead of taking over the world. The producers had organised all kinds of contributors including a plastic surgeon in LA who told us that women were now having their toes shortened so they could fit into stilletos. This appalled me. But when they got the VET surgeon on who told us that dog owners who have had their male dogs neutered get little plastic balls inserted into the dogs to make them look intact – they are called “neuticals” – my jaw dropped and I couldn’t speak another word. All I could think was, we deserve global warming. Wipe us off the planet because we don’t deserve to inherit the earth. We deserve everything we get.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 12:59 pm by Sarah
The brother tells me a reader was frustrated with my description of the Shelbourne so I have to elaborate.
Well, MAINLY, it is exactly the same in look and feel except newer and fancier. The Shelbourne was just getting so shabby, it had to be done. But it’s still primarily thick carpets, thicker curtains, the wallpapers are fabric..everything is warm and muted. So the Lord Mayor’s Lounge ( the tea room on the right) looks the same and the Horseshoe Bar is practically identical to the previous one. The lobby has benefited from the removal of the lift and there seems to be extra and larger crystal chandeliers there. So think Shelbourne but just done up, and a bit grander.
The bar is the only bit that jars because it’s the bit that is more Morrison. I think it is carpeted, but the tables are granite or marble. There are some bar style high tables and then lower ones around the walls. A large curved marble top bar dominates the room. And the people are like the surfaces, hard and shiny. I can’t see myself relaxing in there.
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03.25.07
Posted in Sunday Times Columns at 5:29 pm by Sarah
Note: still no Irish stories on the ST website so you get the unedited version. But I think no libels in this so safe to publish!
Last Wednesday was the vernal equinox which means that Spring has officially begun. If you are unfamiliar with the astronomical calendar, you cannot have missed Mother Nature’s signals of the new season. The clichés have been unavoidable here in my rural idyll, or surreal midland’s nightmare, depending on which end of the mood spectrum I find myself. The lambs play with each other and are fattening up rather nicely. There are leaves on our whitethorn hedge, the birds are nest-building and as is typical of the season, the manic planning is in full swing.
I took off to the garden centre and bought thyme, oregano and rosemary. I will plant these and cook wonderful dinners with fresh herbs. I’ll get fruit trees and grow lettuce. I’ll get fit and get a tan. I’ll play with my children more and be a good mother. I’ll invite people down on long summer evenings and they will admire my cooking and compliment my herb garden. My life choices will thus be validated and I’ll be happy. Things will be better, definitely, this year.
Summer can be a bit tense as we wait for good weather which rarely materialises, Autumn brings the relief of old routines, Winter is for hibernation. Spring is the happiest of seasons because it’s so full of hope. Alas, while this annual bout of optimism is infectious I am dogged by doubt. I’ve read the research and know the truth. Optimists are technically insane; depressives are the ones who see life clearly.
Two psychologists, Lyn Abramson and Lauren Alloy, did a famous experiment in 1979 with two groups of people, one depressed and one normal. They set up a game where each person sat at a console with lights and a button, with instructions to make a particular light flash as often as possible. Afterwards they interviewed the subjects on the level of control they felt they had in the game. If the normal people did well, they said they had plenty of control; if they did poorly, very little. In other words, the happy people took credit for a high score and deflected the blame for a low score.
The depressed people saw things differently. Whether or not they had done well, they tended to believe that they had no control. They were right – there was no “game”, the flashing lights were completely random. Abramson and Alloy called this phenomenon “depressive realism,” or the “sadder but wiser” effect.
Good mental health is often associated with clear thinking, but it turns out that happiness is characterized by what another psychologist Shelley Taylor calls “positive illusions” : little lies we tell ourselves. As Alloy put it, “when they are not depressed, people are highly vulnerable to illusions, including unrealistic optimism, overestimation of themselves, and an exaggerated sense of their capacity to control events. The same research indicates that depressed people’s perceptions and judgments are often less biased.”
So in other words, in order to be happy, we need to be a little cracked. There’s more – and it’s worse. Taylor said that people who saw their abilities and chances realistically tended to be in a state of depression. But when other psychologists studied her research more closely they said that her depressives were actually too optimistic. Given the way things turn out for them, they were not pessimistic enough : the depressed people weren’t depressed enough. That’s pretty depressing.
So when I’m out in the garden, I feel I have a moral choice : will I indulge the Spring mood and focus on my little projects? Enjoy the lambs, spoil my wonderful children and form plans to make our lives more pleasurable? Or will I look outward and despair at the huge mass of human suffering in the world and the fear that my own children may witness the Armageddon of global warming? The immoral, if pragmatic option, is to put on the blinkers, shut the electric gates and focus on my own house and its occupants, where there is some hope of reaping the rewards of hard work. The moral choice of keeping myself informed of national and international misery isn’t practical, because I am in no position to relieve any of it. You can throw a few quid at a charity and turn your electrical appliances off at night, but other than that, you can’t really do much can you?
Convinced I was turning into a miserable cow, it turns out that my conflicting feelings are actually quite normal. Most people do feel that in their own back yards everything is fine but that globally the golden age is always behind us : never ahead. We all believe our own children are above average, but that they are growing into a world they’ll be lucky to survive.
The good news is that leaving aside its insanity and immorality, it appears that optimism is very beneficial. Optimists live longer than pessimists. Now, those lives may not be as good as they expected, but they’ve still got them long after the pessimists have kicked the bucket. The only conclusion one can draw from this is that optimism, for all its illusions, has some kind of Darwinian advantage : optimism helps you survive by helping people cope with adversity.
The current craze for life coaching also assures us that optimism is self-fulfilling. I can see the sense in goal setting : deciding you want something to happen and planning how you might it make it happen. Though I wouldn’t go as far as lending credibility to cosmic ordering despite the temptation. If you haven’t heard about it, I suppose its worth trying, Did you know you can have anything you want from the “cosmos” by simply writing it down and then asking the universe for it? Some people might call that prayer but I didn’t know I could pray for money and a new watch – which according to cosmic ordering systems I can! Now that really sounds insane, but those who claim success are also pretty happy.
All is not lost for the pessimists though. Other research shows that for thirty years, the people of Denmark have consistently scored higher on life-satisfaction than any other Western nation. Why? Because, say the authors, the Danes are perennial pessimists, assuming the worst will happen in the year to come. They then find themselves pleasantly surprised when things turn out rather better than expected. For my global warming obsession this is very good news. All that talk of Wexford being under the sea within fifty years might result in overwhelming gratitude if only Rosslare succumbs to the melting polar ice caps.
In the meantime, when choosing on a daily basis whether to be happy or sad, the Viennese satirist Karl Kraus came up with a formula nearly a century ago that remains the perfect blend of optimism and pessimism: Things are hopeless but not serious. Reading that cheered me up no end.
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03.24.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:09 pm by Sarah
So, can’t help wondering. If yer man was murdered and if there are all sorts of match fixing conspiracies going on, does that mean that there is a possibility that Ireland didn’t REALLY win but Pakistan threwthe match so that someone could make piles on a bet?
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03.23.07
Posted in Feminism at 2:49 pm by Sarah
has indeed sprung – be sure to buy the ST on Sunday to read first hand my thoughts on the subject 
Busy again this week. I spoke at the IIA gig on Wednesday in the Shelbourne. A most enjoyable and informative evening though I have mixed feelings about the redecoration of the hotel. The lobby is gorgeous and removing the lift is a great move. The Lord Mayor’s Lounge and the Horseshoe Bar (not that I ever drank in it anyway – 55+ rich loud wankers in it most of the time – and yes they are still there) look perfect but the bar the bar, oh woe. Remember the old bar that looked out on Kildare St? Well they punched through the wall into what was the No. 27 Restuarant so its now much bigger – which is good – but its all VERY shiny and black and crystal. The old place was a bit dingy. I feel like I couldn’t go into the new bar unless I was seriously dressed up whereas in the old bar you could wear jeans. Only question remains is what the bedrooms are like? I think I won’t get to see them. When M and I make rare overnight trips to town we stay in the Merrion and I love its cosy atmosphere. I can’t see myself jumping ship.
Anyway, the speeches. Funny thing was how Tom Murphy and I were talking about separate things (he on how blogging effects PR, me on how blogging effects journalism). We both came to two similiar conclusions: all talk of blogging being disruptive to either is bullshit. The mainstream media continues to drive the agenda and while PR and newspapers need to keep an eye on blogs, the old rules still fundamentally apply. Secondly, any attempt by either the corporates or the newspapers to muscle in on blogging will only work if they are willing to freely participate. The social dynamic of bloggging is key.
Richard Delevan made brilliant use of power point (I felt very antidiluvian by bringing a speech although several people did say afterwards it was nice to hear someone talk without having to look at a screen at the same time..but am not entirely convinced!) Anyway, he was talking about how de young people, while seen as wasters by their seniors because they’ve been reared on text messaging and Bebo, actually have excellent qualities that employers could use. He said that these digital natives have a gaming approach to life (thinking about strategy all the time), they are rankers and raters, they are authors and…something else…multitaskers? Anyway, it was a really interesting approach and most enjoyable.
TJ McIntyre in the confident style of the practised advocate which I love, scared the SHITE out of me and everyone else about all the innocent little ways we can get ourselves sued as a result of our online activities.
Oh and everyone referenced Twenty Major which was funny and thanks to Twenty, I got to use the word cunt in my speech. That’s a first.
Then last night I was out too (you know, I think I am developing a social life – its quite strange getting used to leaving the house in the evening) at a charity gig in Barberstown Castle. The tickets were €200 EACH so I was extremely relieved when the organiser promised that not one penny was going on administrative costs. It’s an organisation set up by Java Republic and O’Brien’s Sandwich Bars CEO’s David McKiernan and Fiachra Nagle, with other hobnobs like solicitor Philip Lee on board. The upshot is that when they were out buying coffee in Ethiopia they stayed over night at the village instead of flying in and out as is normal and when they saw the condition of the water supply they were appalled. The water is a mud rain water pond into which everything from dead animals to faeces is dumped. The result is that the people have all kinds of terrible diseases which clean water would save them from. The best water supply is 4 miles away so they are going try and get this village clean water. Fiachra is a friend of ours, which is how we heard about the event. Oh some of the coffee buyers I have spoken to are not all that gone on Fair Trade coffee. They reckon there is still a lot of middle management taking a generous slice and that the fixed price deal actually works against the growers when the price of coffee goes up. They think its better to buy direct and just be ethical about the source.
The thing about attending these events though is the shock at how much money some people have. The place was jammed – they’d had to turn away several tables and the auction on the night was robust and saw tens of thousands more raised. Plus there was a silent auction and plus there was a raffle – with tickets at €25 a go and most people bought two. For instance, one man bought a giant chocolate egg for 2k and was going to give it to a children’s hospital and his 2k went to the charity. I’d say they cleared €150k on the night – and that was a Thursday night. These events are going on every weekend. Some of them I despise because you know there are a lot of people making money out of them, but as I say this one had no costs attached.
And I got to re-wear a ball-dress I bought years ago. Fourth outing, all to different audiences. You see, it WAS an investment.
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03.21.07
Posted in Sunday Times Columns at 12:33 pm by Sarah
1. It’s wrecking my hair and skin
2. It’s wrecking my wallet – I have to walk by a particularly nice shop to go to the pool. I’ve bought 2 dresses and a top in the past week. All of which require warm weather to be worn. Which shows that a current theory I am developing – the insanity of optimism, is probably true.
However, I feel better already, mentally and physically. I’ll have to spend more on stuff for the hair and skin and less on the dresses which will hardly be worn because our summers will be shite. And if I get a tan the swimming will bleach it. (or more preciely the chlorine in the water).
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03.19.07
Posted in Feminism at 1:59 pm by Sarah
Note: published in the ST March 11th. Only posting now. To be honest, thought I didn’t do a great job on this but there is a good point here: the Cancer Society ads blatantly advertised their campaign. The BCI allowed the Trocaire ads to eventually go ahead (eeek!!!! split infinitive carry on Sarah) once the word campaign was taken out of the wording. Such bullshit. Seems to me like they insisted on the change so that the ad could go ahead and they could save face.
Cervical develops slowly. If caught in the early stages can be treated successfully. So a national screening programme, like Britain’s, would save a lot of lives in Ireland. Last year the Irish Cancer Society decided to make some radio advertisements urging the government to organise a free nationwide cervical-screening service. It submitted scripts to RTE which said they were too political. The final approved text included the lines “The Irish Cancer Society is campaigning for the urgent implementation of a free nationwide screening programme for cervical cancer. You can support our campaign by visiting www.cancer.ie”. The website hosted a petition which visitors were invited to sign which would eventually be sent to government.
The agreed ad mentioned a political campaign and invited listeners to support it. It ran on RTE and independent radio stations. The Trocaire ad which the BCI suspended last week never even mentioned its petition urging the government to implement UN Resolution 1325, aimed at the protection of women. Instead, against a soundtrack of crying babies, a voiceover explained that being a woman can result in deprivation and harm far more serious than having Aids or Malaria. The charity’s website address was given for more information or to make a donation.
Yet this ad was suspended by the BCI for being too political while RTE approved it.
Vistors to Trocaire’s website are invited to sign a petition urging the “Irsh and British governments to draw up viable national action plans that will prevent violence against women”. The Irish government has already signed up to that UN Resolution so Trocaire is simply asking for it to implement its own policies.
Trocaire’s ad was suspended by the BCI for being too political, while RTE approved it.
Why did the cancer society’s ad that mentioned a political campaign get aired while Trocaire’s, which didn’t, got banned? Indeed, why do the BCI and RTE have different rules?? The BCI, which regulates all commercial radio and television stations in Ireland operates under a 1988 Act thatt states “No advertisement shall be broadcast which is directed towards any religious or political end or has any relation to any industrial dispute.” RTE is governed by the 1960 Broadcasting Authority Act which says much the same thing. Yet the BCI says the Trocaire ad can’t run and RTE says it can.
What we have here is a bad law, interpreted and implemented in a random manner. When did charity ads become political? It seems like Trocaire and its Lenten campaign has been singled out. That the BCI defines the term “political” very broadly would be bad enough, but it compounds the problem with inconsistency.
It turns out that political does not mean Party Political. The law was designed to prevent Fianna Fail and Fine Gael or overt political organizations like the IFA from hogging the airwaves. However, charity has changed in the interim. It is no longer the benign and benevolent act of throwing money at little black babies. From Bono to John O’Shea we are learning that development work has moved far beyond financial donations. Whether it’s restructuring Third World debt or raising money for medical equipment at home, we no longer blindly accept that the poor will always be with us and nothing can be done. Something can be done and its politicians who must do it. This is the new message from charities, and yes it’s political.
The BCI and RTE can’t do much about the law, but they strike me as being a tad zealous in their application of it. The result is that advertising agencies and radio stations make it a practice to submit certain ads to each authority to check if they are acceptable. Last year, ads for a Make Poverty History concert in the Point Depot didn’t get approval and a Barnardos campaign appealing for a Children’s Referendum was banned. It’s going on all the time but like that tree falling in the forest, we didn’t see it, so we didn’t know it was happening. Thanks to the Trocaire incident, we do now.
Most of the time the two broadcasting organizations agree with each other, but they differ in one important respect. When RTE checks an ad, they examine only the text. The BCI examines the entire package behind the ad, including the advertiser’s website. While the Trocaire ad made no mention of their campaign, the regulators followed the trail of crumbs to the online petition.
As Trocaire subsequently argued, a substantial part of their mission has been its advocacy work. It has campaigned against child labour, child soldiers, and slavery. Why haven’t previous Lenten campaign ads been banned? The Trocaire website has a permanent “advocacy” section so why aren’t all their advertisements censored? The home page of GOAL, the John O’Shea led charity contains criticism of government policy. Why aren’t all GOAL ads suspended?
It’s because nobody asked the BCI about Trocaire’s Lenten ads before. The Commission doesn’t have enough staff to check every ad before its aired and depends on agencies and stations to send in items they think might cross the line. TodayFM sent in the Trocaire ads. Willie O’ Reilly the station’s chief executive has emphasised that it wasn’t complaining, just checking to avoid trouble later. If TodayFM hadn’t checked it, nothing would have happened The BCI might take a heavy hand when implementing the law, but only if someone invites them to.
It’s on this haphazard basis that the airwaves are being censored. Given that the BCI is implanting this aspect of its remit in such an unsatisfactory manner then you have to wonder how well it is doing the rest of its job.
They are supposed to control ownership of radio stations so that one person doesn’t gain a dominant position in the market. Yet Denis O’Brien seems to be picking up radio stations like some people collect sea shells.
The BCI should compel independent television stations, such as TV3 to produce Irish programming. A quick glance down that station’s listings shows there’s more UTV than Irish TV. TodayFM’s music dominated schedule bears no relation to the programmes promised at the licence application hearings when it was called Radio Ireland. Naturally, the government has washed its hands of any responsibility because the BCI is independent. But if a quango can’t carry out its functions, isn’t it time to give the job to someone who can?
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03.16.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:08 am by Sarah
Yes, I’ve been licking my wounds and channelling my time and energy into a new fitness regime. I joined the local health club and am determined to swim three times a week.
So I will start posting again properly next week but am also determined to manage my time better.
A big big thank you to everyone who emailed me over the last week or so to lend support. I really appreciated it. Honestly, one phone call and I crumble – pathetic. Especially as Dan has taken them on and you know what, he’s turning them round a little I think. So fair dues Dan.
Right, off for the swim. This summer DEFINITELY tanned and toned.
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03.09.07
Posted in Feminism at 2:02 pm by Sarah
Well, let’s see. I posted yesterday morning, full of anger and vindication that the garda evidence said that:
1. Both drivers were drunk
2. One car crossed the road, straigtened up and then both cars approached each other at high speed. One swerved at the very last second but too late.
The word chicken was not mentioned at the inquest. I said that the time had arrived for people to be truthful about driver behaviour and stop saying that “accidents” happen. Bad driving happens.
Around 3pm the Eircom’s broadband system in the entire 04 area went down.
Around 6pm a woman rang me on my mobile (my phone number isn’t listed in directory enquiries, I don’t know how she got my number) and shouted at me that they weren’t playing chicken.
I got upset and managed to contact Gavin, my blog angel, and he made the post private for me.
Finally, right now, the internet is back and I can write this.
So this is the situation. It was an accident. So let’s not talk about it. Let’s not do anything about it. Let’s not try and save any other lives. FINE! They weren’t playing chicken. And no one ever passes out on a bend, on a double line or breaks a traffic light. Car accidents are always the fault of the government, not the driver. I give up.
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