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Archive for September, 2008

Lois and Clark Quotes

Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was, of course, a most brilliant TV show. But just in case you’ve forgotten how good this programme of giants (which aired between 1993 and 1997) was, here are some quotes from the series… Oh, and yeah, these may not be exact quotes, as I’m just taking them from memory… But you gotta be impressed with my memory. Or my obsession. I LOVE SUPERMAN! AND TO A LESSER EXTENT TERI HATCHER!!

Zero Tolerance

But even setting aside the alienation this law will bring on moderate Muslims during an already difficult time, it seems to me that French legislators have missed entirely the point of public education. I have no problem with private colleges making their own rules as regards dress and so on. Private clubs can run their own shows (to a certain extent). But surely public education is about taking all children, as they are, and providing a learning environment for them, without saying ‘you must obey our dress code’. That’s why uniforms have no place in public schools. If parents want to raise their children according to their traditions, that is their choice, and it is not right for the State to implement laws preventing them from doing so. Rather than it being the responsibility of individuals to conform to what makes the State comfortable, it is the State’s responsibility to accept the diverse religious traditions of its citizens (provided they do not infringe on the freedoms of others). You cannot instil tolerance by telling people to camouflage their differences. Instead, we must ask our youth to embrace diversity.

No Smoking Ban without Fire

From January 1 2004, the Irish government plans to ban smoking in all workplaces – including pubs and restaurants. The idea behind the law, of course, is to protect non-smokers from the dangers of passive smoking. But hang on, I thought, don’t non-smokers have a choice as to whether they enter a smoking area or not? Don’t they give up their right to complain when they make that crucial choice to sit with smokers? It was only later that I realised this was a smokescreen of an argument.

A President’s Passing: Ronald Reagan, 1911-2004

‘You say you believe there is one love in life for each of us – this is just not true. Can you believe that God means for millions of really young people to go on through life alone because a war robbed them of their first loves?… The world is full of lonely people – people capable of happiness and of giving happiness and love is not a magic touch of cosmic dust that preordains two people and two people only for each other. Love can grow slowly out of warmth and companionship and none of us should be afraid to seek it.’

Left-Wing Love Buttons: Tony Blair’s Legacy

So what if the UN didn’t give the go-ahead for the invasion of Iraq? What is the UN? A group of countries. What was the American-led coalition which invaded Iraq? A group of countries – democracies, fighting against a brutal dictatorship. The 1999 Kosovo war was just as ‘illegal’ as the invasion of Iraq, but you didn’t have hordes of lefties going on and on about its ‘illegality’ to the extent that you still have over the Iraq conflict. Why? Because liberals supported the idea of stopping Milosevic’s campaign of ethnic cleansing. In that case, even for lefties, the end justified the means. But, by 2003, Saddam Hussein had done many, many things to rival the evil of Milosevic’s genocide. And yet, somehow, if the West decided to do anything about Saddam, it was being ‘illegal’.

Intensity

A DART rumbled up on the tracks, just below where Michael was sitting. He turned his attention to the ocean. It being the kind of day that it was, the grey waters faded against the skyline, the rippling waves mirrored the rolling clouds. Michael sighed and glanced at his watch. She was late. Her lateness gave him time to reflect, on the day they’d first met. A year ago today, in fact. But under very different circumstances…

Frilicky Farmyard Frolics

So, there they were – a ginger cat talking to a brown-feathered chicken in the middle of a chicken farm. But then this was no ordinary farm; this was Jacinta Kennel’s farm. The aforementioned cat is called Queen Rebecca, and the hen of which I speak named Poko. Queen Rebecca is supposedly the farm’s ‘guard cat’, and has been ordered by Jacinta to keep an eye on the chickens (it’s a free-range farm – anything is possible!). However, Rebecca has her own agenda. Sadly, this cat suffers from depression, and rather than take Prozac™ like everybody else, she insists on killing chickens to drown her misery. She especially likes killing fat ones. You see, Rebecca is also anorexic and hence has this pet hate of flab. Poor, poor pussy – when she sees those fat gay (um, as in happy) hens frilicking and frolicking about in their free-range-ness, she just has to pounce.

Bullying

It is said that the bullied later become bullies themselves, and I have done my best to live up to this cliché. It looked like so much fun – releasing all that anger, the feeling of power attained when somebody smaller than you bends to your will. One day, I just made the commitment: I decided to begin my bullying career. Unfortunately, though, I couldn’t find any human beings smaller than me to use as victims. So, I took to bullying sheep. I love sheep. They’re so fluffy and round and easy to bully. You can say whatever you like to them and all they’ll do is say ‘baaa’, if anything.

Wounded City: Live from Ground Zero

Travelling in a taxi from JFK International Airport to our rented apartment in Manhattan’s West Village, it becomes apparent that the people of New York City are still reeling from the attacks of September 11, 2001. Like blood from a wound, raw feelings always threaten to rise to the surface. Our cab driver speaks openly about his ‘9/11’ experiences. Business – the tourist market in particular – has not yet recovered, he says, though it is getting better. The world changed that day, he tells us, and a lot of pain was caused for a lot of people. As outsiders looking in, we don’t really know what to say, and so merely sit back and enjoy the manmade beauty – one of the most incredible skylines in the world, and liberal spatterings of carefully placed greenery. The evening sunlight twinkles in the leaves.

A Day in the Fair City: Soap Opera Exclusive!

Love it or hate it, RTE’s Fair City is Ireland’s most popular soap. Or should that be Ireland’s only soap? Either way, when Ben Doe gets the chance to become an extra, meet the cast and crew, get two free meals, and earn €63.74 just for walking behind some tables, he doesn’t turn it down. Well, not the first time, at least…

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