If Millman Street Community Centre has to close...

There'll be no more dropping in to check emails with friends and acquaintances....chat over tea....learn new IT skills .....

Man and Nature

A week before Christmas 2010 I was in Miami with several hundred other people all trying to get home for the holidays. We were all grounded by the weather. Planes could take off in one part of the world but could not land in another. All was chaos. At the same time we were being told about floods, earthquakes, forest fires , pestilence and famine in other parts of the world.

None of this was under human control, we analyzed, discussed and speculated. When the snows melted and the waters receded we stopped praying, we stopped wondering and weeping. The sun will shine , memories will fade...till the next time.

What will it take for us to read the writing on the wall?

New year greetings ... Walter Vego

Wonderful technology

I am amazed at the fact that I am in Florida and can communicate with anyone worldwide.

Here in Florida conversation and the news is dominated by the weather. The prevailing temperature is about fifty degrees F and it is like deep winter for the citizens. Thick sweaters, central heating and general melancholy. Adding the gleeful news in the media is all part of living. There are deep snows in other parts of the US and this helps to cheer us up. When I point out that it is not really cold I am told that the temperature is usually eighty degres F and occasionally ninety.

This says to me that your experience of the universe depends on where you happen to be. Your experience is extended by modern technology which allows you to "SEE" and "HEAR" of events beyond your sight and hearing.

Do remind yourself that your view of the universe is moderated by the filter of technology and the voices of the reporters.

One lives in a small world. How big is your world?

Walter Vego

Euro and the Irish Economy

The financial problems of some Euro zone countries are causing enormous pressures on the common currency itself. Germany and France, who instigated the birth of these idealistic notions, did not think that unless all the joining members have similar convergence, and sound industrial and economic footings and bases, the burden of those aspiring countries to join the rich club would be futile. Now the problems have come home to roost.

Greece who started the problem by borrowing 14% of the GDP had to be bailed out by financial injections of billions of Euros, Dollars and Sterling by EEC and IMF. The economic woes of Ireland are worse as the Irish economic growth was fuelled by bankers' greed, constructions of millions of real estate properties and careless lending to NINJAS (No Income, No Jobs and Assets) and who failed to repay their loans. The Irish were borrowing nearly 15% of the GDP to keep the economy going and when the Irish Bond market borrowings dried up they had no option but to come for help. To protect the Euro, Germans, French, Britain and other EEC members have come up with the money with stringent conditions ie to cut in wages, benefits as well as the rise of income tax, VAT, but kept the Corporation tax at 12.50% to attract foreign and domestic investments. The riots and social unrest took place and they have no alternatives, they have to live within their means and with the debt reductions programme. By excessive imports from Germany (who has 200 billion euro surplus)France, Holland ,China, India, Thailand, Indonesia and other s have led to destruction of Irish Industrial base. How would they repay? What they would sell to earn and build capital to future growth and maintain the domestic employment, infrastructure, pay for front line services and social care and pensions? Successive Government with Dogma driven principles, rather than the economic realities and minimum wages, paying youth unemployment benefits, where there are jobs to be filled (Most of the Rumanians, Bulgarians and people from Poland are filling the vacancies) UK is also in a similar situations, but thanks to the size of the UK economy, it will ride out the storm. Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling believed in Macro economics and believed in spending your way out of recession, but it is wrong notion, and it worked after the World War II whose constructions and rations and borrowing led to the post war boom. But you cannot replicate the situation in modern times.

I sincerely hope that Irish economy can again be strong and dynamic. The Irish Government must carry popular support, as did the Canadians who accepted the austerity measures and came out as a strong economy once again. They have learnt a lesson that reckless profligate spending led to the economic ills. Hope the Irish and British and other well meaning but dogma driven politicians stop giving tax credits to middle classes and other benefits to youngsters. When the Irish economy recovers everyone will benefit with a lasting legacy of prosperity, pride and panacea.

The changing times

Have you noticed that Guy Fawkes is no longer with us? He has been replaced by "Bonfire night". Small boys collecting a penny for the guy have also disappeared. Halloween plus tricking and treating seems to have arrived from the US. Have we exported Guy Fawkes?

Are the peoples of these islands forgetting their history? Do we want to forget that someone wanted to burn down the Houses of Parliament? Is history no longer relevant?

Some time ago the Guardian promoted "Flunk-dwiling" or is it "Dwile-flunking". What will replace Morris dancing? Is binge drinking the future of recreation?

Walter Vego

Rabelais on marrow

Did you ever see a dog discover a marrow bone? If ever you did, you will have noticed how devotedly he eyes it, how carefully he guards it, how fervently he holds it, how circumspectly he begins to gnaw it, how lovingly he breaks it, and how digently he licks it, What induces him to do all this? What hope is there in his labour? What benefit does he expect? Nothing more than a little marrow. It is true that this little is more delicious than great quantities of any other meat.

Rabelais...translation 1955.

Funny to read

The train standing on platform six should be on the rails.

Announcement on the underground:
The next station is oval

Sign on building site
Danger : Men at work

Walter Vego