Berlin Wall down 30 years next month

A great piece. Lovely writing.

The Berlin Wall is down 30 years in November.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/1989/nov/10/germany.fromthearchive?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Humphrys moves from Brexit to Beethoven

Former BBC Radio 4 Today's anchor man John Humphrys is hosting an early morning programme on UK's 'Classic FM' all this week.

He has commented that he is delighted to move over from Brexit to Beethoven.

Humphrys retired in September having worked  32 years on the Today programme.

Comment on the late Hugh Fenning OP

A former Irish Dominican, Richard Campbell has added a comment to a post on this blog.

It concerns the late Hugh Fenning.

It is a comment on the post of July 26, 2018.

It's worth observing, Richard who is long gone from the province, signs himself 'br Richard'.

This blog sends its greetings and well wishes to Richard. And delighted you read this blog, whereever in the world you are living.

Bezos worth $112 billion keeps unions at bay

This week's Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane

Are you a regular user of the internet to buy goods, whether it be clothes, food, books, tools?

When Amazon first appeared I used it on a number of occasions. Some years ago I saw a programme on German television, which did not paint a pretty picture of how the company treated its workers, so I had second thoughts about using Amazon. Earlier this month a book was delivered to my door, not from Amazon. I was struck by the pressure the man delivering the book was under. 

He arrived in a non-marked white van, so obviously it was not an An Post delivery. But he was certainly in a hurry.

At this stage I imagine most people in Ireland have seen cyclists with Deliveroo logo winding their way through traffic, always in a hurry, delivering food to an address somewhere. I’ve been cycling on Irish roads a long time. I’m fairly well clued in to road safety and manners on the road. 

It’s clear Deliveroo cyclists are in a hurry. Every move they make is tracked and they earn a pittance.

It’s all part of the ‘Gig Economy’. It sounds cool and sexy. It’s great to get the book delivered to your door, the food on the table within minutes.

But what about those who pack and deliver the books and food? Are they in trade unions, are they paying into pension funds and what sort of social insurance is protecting them for the rainy day?

The ‘Gig Economy’ is all fine and dandy but is all the convenience and ease being paid for by the most vulnerable and the poorest in society?

The film ‘Sorry We Missed You’ will be released in Ireland on November 1. It is directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty. It’s about the ‘Gig Economy’ and the effects of zero hour contracts on hard-pressed people. It shows how risk is transferred from company to worker.

It is hard to credit that Amazon boss Jeff Bezos spends great energy keeping trade unions outside his warehouse doors.

In 2018 Forbes clocked Bezos as the wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $112 billion.

Bezos called his company after the South American river evoking the size of his new company, also because back then websites were listed alphabetically. It’s ironic that these days the word Amazon has become a synonym for inequality in the world. Also, right now in Rome there is a synod on the Amazon Catholic Church. The synod is receiving much publicity in church circles partly because of Pope Francis’s reforming approach.

Dominican bishop in Peru, David Martínez De Aguirre Guinea says on the synod:

‘We hope that the synod will raise awareness that the Amazon region is not just a pantry to be raided for its resources, but a space to protect. We are an Amazon church, with the Amazon at its heart. We have to ensure the peoples of the Amazon have a stronger participation in the church, and that their contribution shows us the face of Christ and can enrich us.’

While the quote is about the people of the Amazon it has undertones about our ‘Gig Economy’.

Statistics published earlier this month in the United States, the so-called ‘land of the free and home of the brave’ show that inequality is at its highest in 50 years. Why? 

There has to be something terribly wrong when eight men own as much as the poorest 3.5 billion on the planet.

The 'genius' of Donald Trump

The White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, replied to a comment made by White House former chief of staff, John Kelly: 

“I worked with John Kelly, and he was totally unequipped to handle the genius of our great President."

How Hitler's propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, spoke about his boss?

Far-right party make spectacular gains in Germany

Today's election in  the German state of Thuringia shows major gains for the far-right AfD party and diastrous showing for the CDU. It was also a dark day for the SPD

Thuringia lies in the former GDR. Its capital city is Erfurt. It includes the towns of Eisenach, Weimar and Jena.

Most likely the current minister president Bodo Ramelow of The Left will remain in his job. But the forming of a new coalition will prove difficult.

The Left improved their vote and the first time for the party to top the poll in any of the federal Länder or states.

The FDP crossed the five per cent mark and so are now in the parliament.

It was a disappointing day for The Greens, who won 5.1 per cent of the vote.

Russian Embassy suffering an indentity crisis

The Irish Times carried an interesting letter yesterday. The letter, written by the press-attaché of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, is in reply to a letter earlier in the week.

Why does the embassy insist in getting its address wrong?

But there is an improvement. Up to now they told us their address was in Dublin 6. But now they do the impossible and tell us it is in Rathgar, Dublin 14.

Not possible. But maybe that's akin to saying eastern Ukraine is in Russia.

The embassy is in Churchtown, Dublin 14. The River Dodder divides Dublin 6 from 14. Property prices are higher on the right side of the Dodder.

Double act of Alphonsus Cullinan and Vincent Twomey

If an anti-Catholic organisation set out to attempt to destroy the church could it find two better candidates/proponents to help them in their programme than Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Alphonsus Cullinan and Fr Dr Vincent Twomey?

It would be difficult to find two men more suited than Alphonsus Cullinan and Vincent Twomey. 

Both have that special ability to alienate and upset 'ordinary/decent' people, who live and struggle with their faith on a daily basis.

Self-defined certainties lead to emptiness

“A Catholicism of self-defined certainties will lead eventually to a doubt about all certainties and thus emptiness."

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at a Mass last Sunday at University Church in honour of Saint John Henry Newman

Twenty five years under the English Channel

The Channel Tunnel opened on May 6, 1994. the first freight trains rolled on June 1, 1994 and then on November 14 the first passenger trains went into service.

Next month the high-speed rail link will celebrate its 25th anniversary.

The piece below is from The Guardian. A great read.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/oct/23/eurostar-sex-celebrity-speed-45-metre-underground-club?CMP=share_btn_link

Law makers who break the law must be sanctioned

There is a notice at a Dublin City Council work depot warning workers that if they attempt to misuse the clock-in/out device they are liable to be dismissed.

If a citizen personates at an election it is a criminal offence and subjet to a severe penalty.

Many of our TDs have been misusing the electronic voting system in Dáil Éireann. They have been cheating.

A Dublin City Council worker spoke to this blog and expressed his outrage at what has been going on in the Dáil.

"If I did that where I clock in and out every day I would lose my job. What will happen this lot? Nothing. And they're all the same," he said.

Most time-card machines carry notices warning workers that it is a serious offence to interfere or tamper with a time-card and time-cards may only be used by the named person on the card.

It seems different rules apply to our elected representatives.

And then we wonder why so many people are alienated with the political system and want rid of  a 'political elite'.

For many Christianity is as out-moded as a typewriter

This week's Independent News & Media Irsh regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane

Half-listening to the radio some days ago I heard a young man say that he was a Christian. Later he said he did not believe in Christ. My ears popped when he said it.

The God/Christ question is a big one.

Some days after the radio programme, an elderly lady recalled how her mother once said to her that Irish priests should be sent to the missions. Her mother argued it would teach them what it meant to do a day’s work.

The previous day I was chatting with a 22-year-old student. I asked him did he believe in God. He wasn’t sure. I then asked him if he ever goes to Mass. He attends on big feasts.

Those encounters or experiences set me thinking about God, our relationship with God and the state of play of Christianity in Ireland today, with specific reference to the Catholic Church, the church into which I was born and am now a priest.

What have been the issues that have energised the institutional church over the last few decades? Contraception, divorce, same sex marriage, abortion.

Okay, the church has also spoken about justice, migration, homelessness. But the real clashing of cymbals, the place where the big rows have happened have been with issues concerning sexuality. 

You’ll hear of the priest who will refuse Communion to an unmarried mother but I have never heard of a priest refusing Communion to a tax defaulter.

Is it that my theology is not up to speed, is it that I’m missing something?

Is there any discussion, any intellectual or spiritual excitement about the presence of God in our lives? Why is it that the likes of the 22-year-old student, with whom I was speaking, is not interested in the God question?

Is it that the media concentrates on sensational stories and sex stories can be sensational.

After all, in the current homeless crisis isn’t it Sister Stan, Peter McVerry and Brother Kevin who have put their shoulders to the wheel?

In the October 12 issue of ‘The Tablet’, an English weekly Catholic magazine, English Dominican Timothy Radcliffe says that there is a falling away of faith everywhere. ‘For millions of young people Christianity - and perhaps especially Catholicism -means nothing at all.’ He admits that it is ‘as outmoded as a typewriter.’

When church leaders blame secularism I tend to scream in annoyance.

Might it be that part of the current phenomenon has something to do with priesthood, the training of priests, the role of the priest, relationship between non-ordained and ordained? Pope Francis keeps criticising clericalism.

I have worked as a teacher, a journalist and also in the health sector. In all those jobs I have had a line manager, to whom I was answerable.

Does it work like that in priesthood? It’s not been my experience. It seems a priest is fief in his fiefdom, that is of course unless he speaks on one of the taboo subjects. How often do we hear of zany rules made by priests in parishes? But if a priest opens discussion on one of the taboo subjects his bishop/provincial is on top of him before he is finished his breakfast.

Far too often there is no real communication between priests and their bosses.

And now a revisionism is setting in, which wants to go back to ‘old ways’.

What a shame. Being at the coal face, struggling with the mystery of God is exciting and challenging.

Radcliffe talks about rediscovering the ‘romance of Christianity’

  

An unequal United States of America

Inequality in the United States is at its highest in 50 years.

A wise and fine Dominican

This from the far-right Rorate Caeli blog.

Might be some hope for the Dominican Order after all.

What was it St John Henry Newman said about the Order? A great idea extinct.

It is worth noting how such far-right blogs as Rorate Caeli  have in the past spoken of the importance of obeying and respecting the pope. But once they disagree with the pope all their own fake rules are abandoned. 

The veil of piousity has disappeared and the real violence and hatred has appeared. The men who work in the dark are now showing their true colours. 

A quote from Bishop David Martínez De Aguirre Guinea on the synod:

We hope that the synod will raise awareness that the Amazon region is not just a pantry to be raided for its resources, but a space to protect. We are an Amazon church, with the Amazon at its heart. We have to ensure the peoples of the Amazon have a stronger participation in the church, and that their contribution shows us the face of Christ and can enrich us.

Rorate Caeli:

During the first press conference of the Amazonian synod Bishop David Martínez De Aguirre Guinea, O.P., one of the special secretaries appointed by Francis, gave a response that lends weight to reports that the shamanistic ritual conducted in the Vatican Gardens was, indeed, the worship of the pagan idol, Pachamama. Bishop Martínez said:

"Those who used this symbol wished it to reflect fertility, to women, to life, the life present among the Amazonian people and Amazonia as an entity full of life. I don’t think we need to make connections with the Virgin Mary or with a pagan element."

While Bishop Martínez makes it clear that it was not the Virgin Mary, (as had been suggested), his denial that the statues of the pregnant, naked women bearing tribal markings are connected with paganism doesn’t make sense. A shaman priestess led a circle of people in prostrating themselves numerous times in homage before these idols. Getty Images’s official press photograph of the ritual, included the caption: ‘Pope Francis and Cardinal Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, Archbishop Emeritus of São Paulo, President of the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM), stand in front of a statue representing Pachamama (Mother Earth)’. Pachamama is worshiped in Latin America as a ‘goddess’ of fertility, life and the harvest, originating in Inca mythology with its bloody history of human sacrifice, especially of young children. 

Erhard Eppler RIP

German politician Erhard Eppler died today.

He was born in Ulm in 1926.

Eppler was an SPD politician and government minister.

He once famously said the there was not a day in his life that he did not criticise his party.

Nice to hear. How many tell people who criticise to get out?

In his book Not much time for the Third World, Eppler was one of the first to point out the connection between the protection of the environment and international development.

At 16 he joined the NSDAP and later freely admitted that he joined Hitler's party. He was a soldier 1943 to 1945.

He died in Schwäbisch Hall, where he grew up and where his father was a teacher.

By profession Eppler was a teacher. He was active in the Protestant Church.

Mattis is the Meryl Streep of generals

This is funny, a good read. It's from CNN.

Interesting how the former defence secretary refers to Trump as a draft dodger.

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis on Thursday laughed off the news that President Donald Trump had called him "the world's most overrated general," joking that he's not just an overrated general, but the greatest overrated general.

"So I would just tell you, I'm honored to be considered that by Donald Trump because he also called Meryl Streep an overrated actress," Mattis said at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York. "So I guess I'm the Meryl Streep of generals and frankly that sounds pretty good to me."

"And, you do have to admit, between me and Meryl, at least we've had some victories," he added.Trump disparaged Mattis -- who resigned as defense secretary last year -- during a contentious White House meeting Wednesday with congressional Democratic leaders to discuss Trump's decision to pull US troops from Syria, according to a Democratic source familiar with the meeting. 

Trump has previously leveled criticism at Streep, considered one of the best actors of her generation, just before taking office after she used an acceptance speech at the Golden Globes to criticize the then-President elect. Streep referenced Trump's mocking of a disabled New York Times reporter in her speech and said Trump used his position to "bully others."

The following day Trump called Streep "one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood" and referred to her as "a Hillary flunky who lost big."

During his speech on Thursday, Mattis insisted that Trump's comments didn't bother him. Mattis riffed that he "earned my spurs at the battlefield" while Trump "earned his spurs from a letter from the doctor" in a pointed jab at his former boss' cited reason for avoiding the Vietnam War draft.

Mattis went on to joke that "the only person on the military that Mr. Trump doesn't think is overrated" is "Colonel Sanders," the founder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food restaurant chain.

Mattis resigned in December 2018 on the heels of Trump's announced plans to withdraw troops from Syria, citing irreconcilable policy differences in a move that took Washington by surprise at the time.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis wrote in his letter to the President.

The former defense secretary's comments Thursday night come as Trump faces bipartisan criticism over his decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. On Wednesday, the House overwhelmingly passed a resolution opposing the Trump administration's troop withdrawal.

Earlier in the day, retired four-star Admiral William McRaven, the architect of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, said Trump was working to "destroy" the country from "within" and "without."

CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Barbara Starr and Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.

Dangerous and arrogant cycling on our roads

There  were plans to introduce a law which requires drivers to allow one metre when passing cyclists on roads with a speed limit under 50 km/h.

The Road Safety Authority regularly runs a tv ad on the subject.

It is urgently required. But what is also most urgently needed is that fellow-cyclists when passing out other cyclists take a wide berth.

The behaviour of many cyclists at present is unacceptable, dangerous and arrogant too.

Wearing headphones/earplugs should be illegal while cycling. And appropriate lights are an essential.

But for it to work the Garda have to police cyclists.

A cycling disaster cannot be avoided if the current behaviour persists.

Popes who become gods

It is not good for a pope to live 20 years. It is an anomaly and bears no good fruit; he becomes a god, and has no one to contradict him, does not know facts, and does cruel things without meaning it.

Saint John Henry Newman commenting on his views on the 31-year papcy of Pius IX.

A problem on new platform at Limerick Junction

Irish Rail has built a new platform at Limerick Junction.

The platform is in service since September. It is a big addition to the station. It is for passengers boarding trains heading south.

On Monday afternoon the platform was closed to passengers. It meant the old system of up and down trains coming into the station on the same side was in operation. A delay either to up or down trains means a delay to both.

The new Platform 4 was closed because the lift was not in service.

How often are station lifts out of service?

Why did Irish Rail not build an underpass at Limerick Junction with escalators? Would it not have made more sense?

Managers need careful monitoring

This week's Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane
After the collapse of tour operator Thomas Cook Channel 4 aired a programme on the company and its demise. I only saw a short part of the programme but what I saw caught my attention.

It’s difficult to get one’s head around what happened at Thomas Cook. As the company collapsed, leaving staff and customers distraught, the CEO walked away with £8.3 million plus another £4.3 million in bonuses.

Another executive, Manny Fontenla-Novoa, who managed to build up a debt of £1 billion in acquisitions, earned £17 million in just over four years. And he then went on to earn bonuses by cutting the workforce by close to 3,000.

CEO Harriet Green earned £4.7 million in under three years. And she made another few million on bonuses plus an annual London hotel bill, costing Thomas Cook £80,000.

I thought a bonus had something to do with the economic success of the company where a person works.

The estimated cost of the bank bailout in Ireland to the taxpayer, that means you and me, is working out at €41.7 billion. And most likely every one of the managers who helped cause the catastrophe earned big bonuses.

It set me thinking about managers and the managing classes and how far too often they get away with behaviour that is simply unacceptable. It’s not just in industry, it’s everywhere, the State, the churches, in capitalist and communist systems. In other words, it happens everywhere.

Many years ago a fellow Dominican said to me that the biggest problem with the church was inefficiency and its incompetent leaders.

I have never been in a management position in any of the jobs where I have worked. Nor have I ever held a management position within the hierarchical church, where I have spent most of my adult life. 

But at this stage I consider it a badge of honour. Over the years I’ve seen some crass mismanagement, people in jobs to which they are completely unsuited. And then the arrogance and that attitude where they give the impression that they know it all. And what’s even more annoying is the sycophancy of those around them who constantly doff the cap.

Most likely, it’s human nature, the way of the world. But it can be so annoying and frustrating.

It would be interesting to carry out a survey or audit on the percentage of managers who prove successful.

At least in the private sector when people don’t workout they are on occasion sacked. But I did hear a story of an editor who was appointed to a Murdoch-owned paper holding on to her job when it was most evident that she was not up to the task. The reason that they held on to her was because if they got rid of her it might give the impression that Rupert Murdoch was after all fallible. I imagine that’s the way it works in many establishments.

I heard of a bishop, who was so incompetent that the priests in his diocese would try to organise important events and lectures while he was out of town so that he would not cause embarrassment by attending.

And then the money that is wasted in silly nonsensical projects. And nine times out of 10 the lowest paid worker is the victim.

It is easy to criticise but I can’t help thinking that managers of all shapes and sizes need constant and thorough monitoring. We pay them enough, and too much too often.

And then there’s John Delaney.

America's elite versus Trump

This is an excellent piece about the Trump era and who caused it to happen.

It is about the elite  class, who expect and believe it is their right to govern.

It's clever, very clever.

https://www.thenation.com/article/impeachment-trump-elites/?utm_medium=socialflow

'False claims' against US career diplomat

Former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was recalled from her post in May. She was removed from Kiev earlier than due by the state department.

Ms Yaovanovitch, a career diplomat, told lawmakers her removal was based on 'unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives'.

It is always considered a taboo subject to compare current politicians to Adolf Hitler.

But the comparison here is striking.

As soon as Hitler bacame German chancellor he began to remove career diplomats from their ambassadorial roles if he suspected they were in the slightest way not in sync with his ideas/plans.

The foreign ministry would quickly set in motion a series of lies and disinformation about German diplomats who they felt were not fully supporting the Nazi regime.

Hitler would call them traitors, non-patrtiots, and always in a mocking fashion.

Similar style to a current politician?

Appreciating what is right in front of our eyes

The 'Thinking Anew' column in The Irish Times today

Michael Commane

The parable of the Ten Lepers is one of those stories that every child heard in school, or at least, so was the case when I was young. Maybe such stories are a foreign language, a foreign land to children today. St Luke tells the story so well:

“On his way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity of us.’ "When he saw them he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed.” (Luke 17:11 – 14)

But only one came back to thank Jesus for this miracle of healing. And he was a foreigner, a Samaritan. He threw himself on the ground before Jesus, praising God in a loud voice. The other nine couldn’t be bothered. Jesus praised him and sent him on his way. Scripture scholars will point out that it was a Samaritan who had the grace, yes, the faith to say thank you. Samaritans were considered to be outsiders.

Like all great literature that passes down through the generations, there are many layers to this parable. It tells a universal tale. But this also is the transformative Word of God. And God’s words tell fabulous stories, stories that inspire and enliven us.

It is a great pity that the Bible is for so many people a closed book.

People often stand back in wonder, especially if they have seen some illness or tragedy in their family or circle of friends and ask if we really ever appreciate our good fortune.

There is a Norwegian saying that goes: if you want to find fault look in a mirror rather than through binoculars. Great advice to those of us who find it so easy to criticise the world about us. If only we could see and appreciate all that is good and great within our own orbit of living.

Anyone who works with ill people, people who have lost limbs, people who have been struck down with serious illness, learns very quickly how easy it is to take our good health for granted.

And so it is with everything in our lives. Maybe it is more pronounced in our capitalist society, a society that so easily dismisses or ignores the simple, everyday aspects of our lives. So often we reject or dismiss the wonder and beauty right in front of our eyes and run off chasing rainbows. Is it possible to argue that modern tourism has become some sort of frenetic chasing around the world, while we seem to forget or dismiss the beauty of our own place?

Have you ever noticed how people who are ill and those who care for them can be so positive and upbeat about their situation? And how our perspectives change. Last week I found myself talking to an elderly woman who was being discharged that day from hospital. Her daughter had come to collect her and they had a relatively long car journey ahead of them. She was so delighted that she was going home and looking forward to the journey ahead. 

Our conversation lasted about five minutes and I can still see her shining eyes as she was being discharged from hospital. But what she and her daughter will never know is how our conversation reminded me of a delightful car journey I made 50 years ago and I can still remember every detail of it.

The parables and stories of Jesus offer us an extraordinary insight into our lives. Their universal application is obvious. The story of the Ten Lepers offers so much to think about. We are told of the joy of the man who said thank you and we have no idea of the story of the other nine who couldn’t even be bothered to say thank you to Jesus.

And that in itself tells us a story. Let the good stories stand out, they are the memorable ones, the ones worth talking about.

Peter Handke wins Nobel Prize for Literature

Yesterday Polish writer Olga Torarczuk and German novelist and short story writer Peter Handke were awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Handke was born in Austria in 1942. He lived with his Carinthian mother for a short time in Pankow, which was then in the Soviet Zone of Berlin and later was the area of East Berlin where senior party functionaries lived.

Handke's first writing was published in his Catholic school newspaper in Austria.

He has lived in Düsseldorf, Berlin, Paris, Salzburg and spent a year in the US.

He spoke at the funeral of Slobodan Milošević. He is sympathetic towards the Serbian nationalists. And that brings him into difficulty with many writers.

Handke was nominated for the Heinrich Heine Prize but because of his political views the prize was withdrawn.

His Nobel award is sure to cause much controversy. In the past Handke expressed the view that there should not be a Nobel Prize for Literature.

Well worth heeding the wise words of Albino Luciani

Pope John Paul I, aka Albino Luciani, when Patriarch of  Venice (1969 - 1973) wrote a series of articles in the form of letters, each addressed to a character, real or fictional from the past. Among them were Dickens, Scott, Twain, Goethe and Bernard of Clairvaux.

In a letter to Charles Dickens he wrote:

"We are a single boat full of people who have now been brought together, but in a stormy sea. If we want to avoid serious clashes, this is the rule: all for one and one for all; press on with what unites us, forget what divides us."

The tricks of the pious pointing at the pope's 'errors'

Jesuit priest Richard Leonard has an interesting piece in the current issue of The Tablet.

He remembers how in previous pontificates being warned against the grave sin of 'scandalising and confusing the faithful' and now the pompous demands for Yes or No answers by dubious cardinals and the pious claims of theologians pointing to the pope's errors 'out of charity'.

Leonard quotes the famous line from Pope John XXIII: "In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity."

He compares that sentiment to those who petulantly oppose Pope Francis who seem to have as their motto: "In all matters, unity; in doubtful matters, hostility; in no things, charity."

Words matter

This week's Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane

The saying that goes: ‘Sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me’ was often quoted to children by their parents if other children called them names.

It seems it first appeared at the end of the 19th century advising children not to take the bait when they were being taunted.

That may be good advice but certainly names can hurt and hurt deeply.

Words are important and words matter.

On Sunday September, 29 I caught a glimpse of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson being interviewed on BBC’s ‘The Andrew Marr Show’. 

He proclaimed to Marr that he, Boris, was a model of restraint. 

I personally saw and heard him say that. This is the same man, who some few days earlier told a fellow parliamentarian that she was talking ‘humbug’ when she was speaking of the danger of using inflammatory language. She was instancing the death of her friend and Labour Party colleague Jo Cox. And the same Mr Johnson, before he unlawfully attempted to prorogue the British Parliament, called the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn a ‘great big girl’s blouse’.

Johnson is a ‘clever’ speaker. He constantly calls the Benn Act the Surrender Act. Keep saying something often enough and it sticks. He knows that. And he gets away with it. He well knows his crass military metaphors can easily inflame passions in the current climate.

The same day that Johnson said that he was a model of restraint, across the Atlantic at the White House, President Donald Trump said referring to the Democrats’ intentions of impeaching him: ‘This is the single greatest scam in the history of American politics... Our country is at stake like never before.’ He then went on to say that his opponents were out to get him because he was fighting for the individual US citizen and was going to continue ‘draining the swamp’.

The previous day Brexit MEP David Bull warned that the EU was turning into an ‘empire’. The EU is anything but an empire. It has been forged so as never again to allow another Holocaust, another Stalingrad to happen.

The German journalist, philosopher and political theorist Hannah Arendt in the 1970s wrote: ‘No one has ever counted truthfulness among the political virtues’ and that ‘lies have always been regarded as necessary and justifiable tools not only of the politician’s or the demagogue’s but also of the statesman’s trade’. 

Arendt, who was born into a Jewish family in Hanover in1906, covered the trial of former Nazi Adolf Eichmann in Israel in 1961 for ‘The New Yorker’ newspaper. Observing the ordinariness of Eichmann in the dock she saw him as a small bureaucrat and coined the now-famous phrase ‘The Banality of Evil’.

People, politicians, statesmen/women have always told lies but there seems to be something more ferocious about the deceit that is happening today. Or is it that we are simply hearing more about it and seeing and hearing it with our own eyes and ears?

Certainly, social media seems to bring the worst out in people. Dare one ask is there an underlying evil/darkness in the human psyche that can easily erupt?

Is it that I am biased and pointing the finger at those whom I oppose?

But I have not heard an intemperate word from Jeremy Corbyn in the current political furore.

Words are important and we need to use them to express our kindness and gentleness. History tells us what happens when we use words to threaten and frighten.

  

Geeky Greekery is part of the Boris brand

This is a great piece in The Guardian.

It might remind one of the spoof of those who quote Latin phrases to show their 'superiority' and  make those  with whom they are speaking think they are knowledgeable.

A con job as is the story of Boris Johnson.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/06/boris-johnson-classics-prime-minister-latin-greek?CMP=share_btn_link

Fr Peter McVerry's wise words on holiness

In the  October issue of The Sacred Heart Messenger Jesuit priest Peter McVerry writes a lovely piece about holiness.

He argues that holiness can be found in how we engage with the world around us. 

"If holiness means mystical experiences or even sweet thoughts or feelings of well-being and oneness with God, then holiness has pased me by'" he writes.

"If holiness means leaving behind the dirt and the mess and the chaos which is all around us in the world, to escape into a realm where my peace and contemplation need not be disturbed, then I do not want to be holy"

A touch of genius and reality.

All the nonsense and humbug that one hears on the topic.

In that same article he refers to that often-quoted line: 'All that is needed for evil to thrive is that good people do nothing'.

When one sees an organisation being destroyed by pious humbug, men working in the dark, surley it is time to speak out.

The far-right is causing untold damage across society at present. The churches are not exempt, religious congregations are not exempt.

The money we are paying for bank bailout

The estimated cost of the bailout to the Irish tax-payer, you and me, is €41.7 billion.

Counting on doctors

Doctors trained outside Ireland account for close to 43  per cent of those on the medical register.

There are 23,007 doctors on the register. Last year 1,453 doctors withdrew from the register, which is up  38 per cent on the previous year.

Day of German unity

On October 3, 1990 the German Democratic Republic was abolished and the territory became part of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 by the government of the GDR. Its purpose was to stop haemorrhaging of people from east to west, though the GDR authorities referred to it as a protection wall against capitalism.

It all came tumbling down in 1989.

With the reunification/unification of Germany Berlin became the capital city of a united Germany.

In many ways the two Berlins lost a certain charm. There was a uniqueness about BERLIN - Capital City of the GDR and WEST BERLIN.

The authorities in the GDR referred to BERLIN - Hauptstadt der DDR and then called the 'other part' BERLINWEST.

Authorities in the west called their sod WEST BERLIN and the eastern section EAST BERLIN.

West Berlin was considered not to be part pf the Federal Republic of Germany.

WEST BERLIN, because of its special status, attracted people with an alternative mindset to the city. BERLIN, capital city of the GDR, had a special pomp about it. And indeed, it was the geographical space that contained the historical Berlin Mitte. It also gave a hint or flavour of what life was like in the Soviet Union. A simple hop-step-and-jump at Friedrichstraße or somewhere such as Heinrich Heine Straße and one had moved from capitalism to communism. It was a great adventure.

Anyone who lived on either side of the Berlin Wall and then saw it fall is forced never to take seriously anyone who says 'that is not possible/that is not allowed'.

It is worth noting that during the time when Bonn was the German capital the country flourished in an open and altruistic manner.

Capital city Berlin has a history of pomp, capitalist and communist.

It so happens that the Fernsehturm (television tower) at Alexander Platz is 50 years old today.

Jeremy Corbyn promises to defend the oppressed

From the current issue of 'The Tablet'.

In all the current turmoil in The House of Common Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has never once said an intemperate word. He's a decent man.

How art enhances the welfare of patients

This week's Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane

Journalist Michael O’Regan has been writing and speaking about his encounter with cancer. He wrote an eloquent piece in the Weekend Review of ‘The Irish Times’ on Saturday, September 21 and the following Monday, Ryan Tubridy interviewed him on his morning programme.

In both newspaper and radio he came across as a person who is dealing with his diagnosis in an inspiring way.

When I went working for The Kerryman newspaper one of the first jobs I was given was to subedit Michael’s weekly column and place it on the page.

Every Monday morning, I looked forward to reading his column as it was lively and pertinent to the politics of the day. And of course there was the added bonus that it was perfectly written and there was never need for me to make any corrections.

So naturally when I heard of Michael’s illness I was both shocked and surprised. But talking to him, listening to him on radio and reading his newspaper piece on how he has dealt with his illness I have been greatly impressed with his attitude and indeed, his willingness to talk openly about it.

It is evident that he has been most appreciative of the excellent work of the medical teams who have treated him and the hospitals where he has been a patient.

Michael also mentioned the various services of which he has availed.

Most oncology hospitals employ psychologists, social workers, chaplains, beauticians, hair stylists and artists. All the services are provided to enhance the general welfare of patients.

St Luke’s Hospital in Rathgar has a putting green.

Just two weeks ago a wonderful exhibition of 14 sketches was launched in one of the hospitals where Michael received his treatment.

It is on display over the coming months and anyone visiting the hospital can’t miss it as it is on the main corridor leading from reception to the wards.

The hospital runs a vibrant Art Centre for its patients.

For the current exhibition 14 patients were selected. Some had no experience of art-making, some were returning to art and some had a background in art.

The patients were interviewed and during the interviews, a member of staff in the art room, sketched them.

What now appears on the wall in the hospital are 14 sketches of the 14 people interviewed with quotes from what each person said.

All the people who are quoted and sketched attended art sessions in the hospital.

The quotes are in a hand-writing font and the paper used is hand-made.

They are all anonymous.

To give a flavour of the exhibition, one woman says: ‘Mixing colours made me happy’ and ‘my mood lifted the moment I went into the art room’. Another patient remarks: ‘I felt I could breathe and keep my head above water. Treatment became less overwhelming and more of a side-line.’  And a male patient comments: ‘It felt great to be working on a project every day. I loved it. I started going all the time. I really looked forward to all the sessions.’ Another patient said: ‘I lost myself and found myself in the art sessions.’ A patient, who is a self-taught painter, said: ‘Painting takes away panic, you exist in the moment’.

All 14 paintings, with Perspex coverings, are mounted elegantly on the wall on the main corridor.

Accompanying the exhibition is a handout explaining the genesis of the paintings.

Exhibitions like this offer insightful reflections on the experiences of many people, including Michael O’Regan, who are undergoing cancer treatment.