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articles has posted 7 times (0 in the last month).
IF
As this is now poetry corner, a piece of performance poetry which is almost prophetic (pathetic as well) Joe’s Bar, Exit 30, Interstate 4, FLA, USA, Date: 9 December 1999 Side by side in the liquor store sat George Dubya Bush and Big Al Gore. “Dubya ‘tween you an’ me an’ that swing [...] more »
London Olympics 2012: the countdown is over for us
My campaign to get some London Olympic 2012 tickets for NI fell at the first hurdle, see below http://sluggerotoole.com/2011/06/29/pt-brits-required And the last couple of days have seen the beginning of the countdown to London 2012. The BBC being unable to report on any tangible benefits for Norn Iron have rightly asked the question, several months [...] more »
Are we becoming more and more Italiano?
Last night’s late night television on BBC 2 was riveting. It began with “This World” http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mgxx at 11.20 in which reporter Mark Franchetti investigated Italy’s Camorra who operate in and around Naples. Its hold on the city is extensive. It was followed by “Gomorrah” http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wyqzs a film set in Naples which exposes the murky world [...] more »
P/T Brits required
Someone very close to me and three friends have just succeeded in getting tickets for court No 1 at Wimbledon today and will see Djokovic’s and Nadal’s quarter finals. True they had to queue overnight and pay £74 each for the privilege. £74 each is a lot of money to them as they are students [...] more »
Move on up
It’s competition time … It used to be a well-established principle that city status was only recommended in the case of towns of the first rank in population, size and importance, and having a distinctive character and identity of their own. Nowadays a city does not need a large number of inhabitants, St. David’s has [...] more »
Verse and Worse
I’m looking to illustrate the following prayers. All suggestions for illustrations welcome, one for each line perhaps eg a picture of Rupert and News Inc might follow Evil ‘s empire in the second verse; also suggestions for making the verse better (or worse and better if you get my drift) If any good should come [...] more »
Slugger Politics Award pitch: Building trust
Politics would be better if only politicians would …..begin re-building trust in politics, by trusting each other, by engendering trust between parties for the common good, by allowing and facilitating trust in themselves among the governed, and most of all by trusting the people, if given two paths, to choose the right one. Why is [...] more »
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articles has commented 723 times (42 in the last month).
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Total Politics: Top 20 NI Blogs…
Fair play to Iain, he managed to get over 2,200 people voting in his poll for the top Northern Irish blogs this year… We (just, I imagine) retained our top spot, with Splintered coming straight in at number 2, no doubt his pet subject du jour will have garnered him a lot of fans… I’ve [...] read our review »
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Debating the Churches’ Role in the Peace in Northern Ireland
This morning’s Sunday Sequence featured a substantial debate (about 35 minutes into the recorded programme) on a new book,Religion, Civil Society and Peace in Northern Ireland (Oxford University Press 2011), written by sociologists John Brewer, Gareth Higgins and Francis Teeney. The debate was framed in an opening vignette by presenter William Crawley in uncompromising terms, [...] read our review » -
“It was a trivial problem that… occurs every year”
Just your average family gathering at Christmas, with a bit of an argument about the seating cleaning arrangements… Scuffles have broken out between rival groups of Greek Orthodox and Armenian clerics over a turf war in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity. Bemused tourists looked on as about 100 priests fought with brooms while cleaning the [...] read our review »
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Comment on #Euro2020: Philosophy Fooball Solidarnosc Ireland tee shirts…
on 24 May 2012 at 11:44 am
Solidarnosc
Not far off anagram heaven, have fun lads.
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Comment on Grammar schools and social mobility: a Northern Ireland contribution to the debate
on 23 May 2012 at 11:43 pm
Ah BERA. I remember they came to Belfast some years ago and I attended a few sessions. The real conference was elsewhere and Belfast got the papers that didn’t make the cut or so it seemed .
Educationalists yes I know quite a few. Almost without exception their children attend or attended grammar schools. Can’t blame the political Lords and Masters for that.
but enough of the mud the eleven plus was and is flawed but as of now not sure as to its replacement, the Germans seem to have got it right
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Comment on Grammar schools and social mobility: a Northern Ireland contribution to the debate
on 23 May 2012 at 7:07 pm
The eleven plus requires a certain level of literacy and numeracy. At least twenty percent of the adult population could not even attempt it. Why because they do not have even basic levels of literacy and numeracy. If every child could complete the eleven plus before they left school , be it at 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 then we’ve cracked literacy and numeracy. Whatever your views on the eleven plus and its failings it has some value as a benchmark. As far as I am aware there are no other independent benchmarks before GCSEs.
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Comment on Grammar schools and social mobility: a Northern Ireland contribution to the debate
on 22 May 2012 at 6:56 am
Quote. Q1 “The highest ratio of acceptances to applications at Cambridge is from Northern Ireland.”
Quote. ANS: Because very few applied, and those that do have been ubergroomed by a class ridden and unjust system.
Not necessarily so, but it does help if you have someone who can identify a “chav” College which takes more State school youngsters, or can identify say an Irish or Welsh College.
Quote. Discuss: Is it really OK that well off middle class parents can pay tutors thousands of pounds to have their children jump the educational queue?
No of course not, but don’t kid yourself it ends at age eleven. It goes on to GCEs, A levels, university including Oxbridge.
Quote.Interesting interpretation – what are the numbers for private tuition for Oxbridge? And is there any evidence that it is affecting the outcome?
Someone close to me tutes kids for Oxbridge, it works.
Quote. When I hear about the grammar school debate, I would love to know what proportion of children get tutored. I am only 26 but I think I remember one girl in my primary school class getting tutored. Is it really so different now 15 years on or is it just a cliche?
When someone close to me was at primary someone close was the only one who didn’t end up having tutoring despite the denials of their parents.
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Comment on The withering of Irish Catholicism sees Sunday attendance plummet in the cities…
on 20 May 2012 at 7:25 pm
You do wonder what sort of corporate governance mechanisms are in place in the Catholic Church?
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Comment on Normality and rugby
on 20 May 2012 at 7:14 pm
There ‘s a good history of Irish football on RTE at the moment; the opening programme played on Wednesday last. Here’s the blurb
Episode 1: 1863 – 1929
From the invention of the game by a group of English public school men who put rules and structure on a chaotic and poorly defined pastime, to the establishment of the Irish Football Association, the gaining of a foothold in the public consciousness in Ireland and the eventual acrimonious split between North and South. The episode concludes with the successful fight for FIFA recognition for the new Association which would lead to their first professional international match against Italy.
This first match was an accommodation bewteen two catholic countries according to the Belfast Tele.
http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/greenisthecolour.html
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Comment on Brian McLaughlin: ‘Heineken Cup Final’ swan song
on 19 May 2012 at 2:12 pm
Mystery surrounds dioxin attack on Brian McLaughlin, chief suspect is Brian Spencer and his poisoned inks.
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Comment on A quick backward glance on European History…
on 16 May 2012 at 6:54 pm
Malcolm Redfellow
1hr 15 mins was the alloted time.
A beautifully constructed nutshell but could an alternative Marxist Leninist line be Ideology(ie the export of Marxist-Leninism) is synonomous with national interest but on occasion national interest has to be prioritised.
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Comment on A quick backward glance on European History…
on 16 May 2012 at 6:21 pm
Tonight’s homework
The aims of Soviet Foreign policy throughout the 20th century were identical only each Soviet leader pursued them using different methods. Evaluate.
Albeit it was only yesterday someone close to me cannot remember the exact wording of the 2012 CCEA A2 A level component on “The clash of ideologies in 20th Century Europe”.
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Comment on Ian Junior claimed £10,000 in postage in his six last months in office…
on 14 May 2012 at 2:15 pm
Someone close to me did a feature for the Uni Mag and approached the local parties, IPJ was by far the most helpful and the most considered in his responses and made a big impression.
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