MARCH 2011

Planet Bonkers

Noel Farrell

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Labour Days
March 2, 2011

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It's hard to take the smile off Eamon Gilmore's face in recent days. Despite the very best efforts of most of the mainstream to pit him as the weaker leader when compared to Enda Kenny, he came home with 37 seats in the new Dil. He now has a negotiation team together and one would feel that the programme for government will be completed by the end of the week. All that needs to be decided then is who gets what side of the be. In a years time Gilmore would have had the benet of John Gormley's autobiography, How to Ruin a Party in One Dil Term. But alas he won't have that foresight to gauge from and one could only hope that come the time when we must choose again, that the Labour Party won't be dealt the same fate. This is the trouble with coalition government and particularly ones that are made up with left/right alliances. The fractures could start early. How quick the split comes after that is anyone's guess. Make no mistake about it, Fine Gael will be as ruthless as the shower we have just relegated to the political wilderness. If Labour go along with them, this new found popularity will be short-lived. The mainstream media for the most part are Capitalist driven, pro-right and pro-European. So in an area where so much power is held when it comes to forming the view for the Individual, there is only one party going to cut most of the slack when it comes to being dished out. Fine Gael have already strongly voiced that they are coming after the margins of society. Doing a nixer will be a crime, but bankrupting a nation has six gure pensions attached. They will slash and burn further and blame the Filers for the need to do it. Labour should consider who they are and what and who they represent very carefully. Never before in the history of the state has Ireland had an opportunity to move toward a more socially driven model in all areas of governance, be that in economics or how we choose to get around the place. Shaping societies can and will be big business in the future. Most countries have not got that far yet and Ireland lags behind most. Yet an opportunity exists if people are willing to grab it. Failed politician Pat Carey's last act in the Dil was to sign off on the remaining construction of the Corrib pipeline - despite objection. It's a blatant abuse of power in my opinion given the timing. Corrib runs deeper than just a big oil company v ordinary folk. Why have successive Fianna Fil governments played into the hands of Shell by giving away our national resources, while austerity measures are forced down the throats of citizens? Citizens made pay for the crookery of developers, bankers and politicians. We have sat back and taken it. We won't address the future shaping of our country until we address those injustices rst. For these are not the type of people who should be giving us direction in any shape or form. They have bankrupted the country and the citizen while in the process of bankrupting themselves. Yet they are let off the hook, by those we elect to guide the well being of the land and the people. We chose wisely last week, but unfortunately in this realists mind, not wisely enough. But it has to take its natural course. It's just to bad we have to live through the live version of it.

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Thinking
March 6, 2011

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It can be a scourge sometimes. Most lives are just to busy to be able to put a bit of thinking into their daily routine. It denitely would be of benet to a few, but for others, it's not a great place to go. Over the past number of years and having a little more time on my hands, it would be fair to say I drifted off on a number of tangents, read accordingly, and tried to gure some things out. My ndings, for the most part, have led me to believe I really shouldn't have bothered at all. I didn't discover anything that is not there for anybody to look into, but the truth be known, most people wouldn't go looking. There is far more 'glamorous' subjects to be dwelling into should a spare hour or two need squandering. I know I'd sooner watch a good movie than read two hours of Nietzsche, which is, for the most part, a pretty grim place to go. Time spent thinking is time spent 'not doing,' and I guess the freedom writing gives people provides an opportunity to work at both at the same time. It can take you away from the realities around for a few hours a day, and sometimes where that leads, makes one think about what a real adrenaline rush would feel like. Pity I don't like heights, bounding head rst from an airplane sounds like a great way to send it rushing around your body. Imagine if the rst attempt at opening the shoot didn't work, but luckily the spare was submissive. It must feel like writing twenty novels in two minutes at. Ireland remains rmly up a creek without a paddle. It feels like we still have to be hit by a tsunami or two. The political situations is the greatest threat to progress, especially if we are talking about the island of Ireland. Labour and Fine Gael announced today that they will indeed sleep in the one bed for the foreseeable future. I personally think Labour have made a huge mistake. Should they nd governance, in times of austerity, not to their liking and they bail, Fianna Fil will prop up Fine Gael because not much is going to change. They could be doomed as a Party. Power over principals never works out in the long run. Ask any Green. All that damage done to Ireland under The Failers - yet the 'decisions' they took won't change. In fact, it seems they will all be implemented with vigor. Which is kind of a cheap sellout, isn't it? Perhaps not for the cronies looking to pick up some crumbs. But alas, that's how politics works in Ireland, a land ran into the ground, for the benet of a few, zero accountability. I feel in the next six months we are going to nd out what the people think. I rmly believe signicant political change and direction is possible in this country. But is the desire there?

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Arise, Mr. Taoiseach

March 9, 2011

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The 31st Dil rises tomorrow and the unveiling of the 15 new Ministers who will lead us toward prosperity again. From home some tears will be shed, but they won't be mine. Most likely the taps will open for those abandoned by the electorate, their dreams of serving the nation for up to ve years, now intertwined with the memories of failed campaigns. Most will get on with the task of living the high life pretty quickly, some may wonder what went wrong and others, well, you know... But with all new beginnings, it's only fair to give the incumbents a fair crack of the whip. Excuse the pun. I suggest that Europe's tough stance on the penal interest rate attached to the bailout is a shrewd little game, and when Enda comes home sometime within the rst 100 days having negotiated a slim reduction the plan will have gone down a treat and Enda and Angela will be bosom buddies again. Of course the Europeans could play hardball and really want to teach us a lesson. It seems unfair on those who don't really need the harshness of the lesson. Some of us didn't buy in, while others bought in on promises based on lies. If our fellow Europeans decide to play hardball, I guess we will see how patriotic our new governors will be. There's not much time to be screwing around. Not a word has been uttered in the past 3 months but scandal and election. Where's the country at? A slight monthly drop in the unemployment line more notable for those getting out when the going is still good. Word coming back from Australia is it's boom, boom, boom. Jobs a plenty, and a little sun. A more relaxed approach to life too. Seems like a lot of hassle, but it must be considered seriously now, especially if things get any worse here. The screw tightens with each passing month and they won't let you help yourself. Bafes me sometimes. Seems only tting, it being the day that's in it, that I'm picking up the print copies of Booker's World in the morning. 18 months. Let's hope the second one doesn't take as long once I start. And maybe it can be written here. Stranger things have happened. Enda Kenny became the country's 13th Taoiseach today. My favourite number. You will notice I have returned the capitalisation to the title, but it shall be removed quicker than Usain Bolt, should Enda not perform in the nations interests. He deserves the chance, its been a long and winding road, but it must be a proud day for any individual to become the leader of the country of their birth, especially having received an overwhelming mandate from the Irish people. Let's see how it goes. Enda deserves his moment, his plaudits - or lack of them, have yet to be written, but there is no sense in projection. Not today anyway. Let's hope election promises are not reneged on. So, arise, Mr. Taoiseach. A man from my Grandfathers hometown, and he, a life long Fianna Fil man. I'd love to know how he would have felt about that?

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Crazy Daze On Planet Bonkers

March 11, 2011

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I went to bed last night a happy man. Having nally realized the goal of having my rst novel in my hands in print, it felt like some form of justication for the effort. I had intended rising this morning and addressing the need to think of ways to get it out into the world, as there would be no point writing it if no-one would ever get to read it. Alas, the achievement had me feeling lazy, so I turned on the TV and enjoyed a breakfast in bed laid on by my signicant other. It didnt take long to realize that Japan had been rocked by an earthquake and tsunami. The TV screen and the computer screen were soon displayed with scenes of amazement and horror in equal measure as tsunami waves raced toward the land, wave after wave rising high from the depths for as far as the camera lens would allow. It tore through the land, ripping everything in its path to shreds, be it tanker or car. It was frightening to watch. The cost in human terms will only become apparent in the next few weeks, but for many Japanese people it is nothing less than cataclysmic. It put things into prospective for me anyway, and I'm sure Booker won't mind being put away for another few days. It wasn't long before other people's thoughts were coming to light via the world wide web. I've read a good many 'theories' today. The Mayans got their customary mention as they would, so close to 2012 and their forecast of a Doomsday scenario befalling us all. Some were blaming the Super Moon which radiates the night sky over the coming week. That's if one could see it through all the bleak clouds. That particular theory may hold more weight than some of the other reasoning's for today's events that people pull from their minds. One American Channel concentrated solely on the economic fallout of this. I mean, wtf? I came across a thread on Facebook where the question was of whether Ireland should send aid if required. Some argued we were not in a position to. Neither is the child starving to death in Africa, but what do you do? Why does everything always revolve around money? I mean come on, Nature can wipe us out whenever it decides, and for no reason, and we're worrying about whether we should aid people who have had there lives torn apart. Have we lost out humanity? I guess there's a gratitude tonight that one has a roof over the head and food on the table, despite how difcult things have become and are likely to get. One commenter said that the unemployed could be sent over to help on humanitarian grounds. Was probably the best idea I heard all day, and I'm pretty sure there would be no shortage of able and well-meaning volunteers, because for some, people will always be more important than money, even more so on this little island of ours. I think writers question a lot of things, life included. Whether they admit it or not, or whether indeed they are writers or not, I think there is an inquisitive tendency in all human beings. I've certainly done my share of it, my search for answers never reaching any logical conclusion. That was until I discovered a book on philosophy, and I came across The Absurd, and an interest in those who philosophized on the subject. To date, it offers me more answers than any other form of teaching I've ever had drummed into me, or drummed into myself.

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I've only touched on it for a few months, but it did come as a surprise to me that it was so close to the meaning I had for the absurd, without ever reading up on it. I guess if you live, you learn, and by seeking answers to questions, answers can be found that are not entirely based on systems which allow for little but a trust in the unknown. Its always been my opinion that only when we have a humanitarian approach to civilization can we save it in the long run. Planets are naturally angry and to think that we are anything other than fodder for nature's desires would be folly. For whatever reason people base their beliefs I do think events of this nature are on the increase. Only weeks ago, Christchurch was leveled. This earthquake today was 8,000 times stronger. Even a human cant imagine the power of that. Living only gives us things, as well as its experience, for an undetermined term. Who can honestly say after that? Perhaps answers will present themselves someday. Let's hope nature spares some of us until then. Humanity, for all its shame, has its graces. Graces worth preserving.

For me, all the good things in life at this time come free. For all its rain, I live in a pretty decent place. When that sun comes out its a land of wonder. It's also a world of wonder. One of the fathers of the absurd, Albert Camus, said 'it is the beauty which people encounter in life that makes it worth living. People may create meaning in their own lives, which may not be the meaning of life (if there is one), but can still provide something for which to strive.'

That won't mean a lot to those unfortunate people today, but when it comes to nding reasons to reason why these things happen, for me anyway, it's an important way of thinking sometimes.

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A Round of Sunday
March 13, 2011

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I never found watching Golf and writing to affect one another. Not when it comes to keeping a blog anyway. It may be why I like writing on a Sunday. I tend to wind down from the wind-up, as the week draws to an end. If that makes sense. I have got into the habit of living life that way for some time now, and one would hope some good weather might cast its shadows on us all some time this year. Like the week, the months become repetitive, and I wonder as people grow older does it indeed turn to years as well. That would be a shame. The sun does shine in parts of the World most days. The Canary Islands are noted for it, somewhere in between uncomfortable and unbearable dependent on which way the wind blows on a given days. I spent a summer in Florida a few years back and though some days were sticky, it was another world. There's something about blue skies and being able to sit outside at night. I think a sunny country is denitely on the agenda should the employment stars pass over my life horizon this year. Not that I believe any of that nonsense. Florida was a blast. It is the only place I have ever broke 90 on a golf course. No wind. No rain. Greens like magnets. Drinks on tap from vendors out shooting the breeze on their golf carts. Smiling too. Bets for a Dollar with elderly gentlemen riding out their latter days driven to distraction by a little white ball. Bliss. I returned on the 89th day of my 90 day stay. I didn't want to rule out the chance of going back someday. Upon my return I set about writing, and learning how to do it properly, and it nally paid off this week when i had my rst book in my hands in print. It's a start, but somehow when you live in Ireland in the present day, Florida still seems a long way away yet. Even for just a round of golf. Ever feel you could do with a moment of serendipity? They do happen, more common that people might think. Fleming stumbled across penicillin and saved lives. He nearly killed me...but that's another story.

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Bookers World
March 14, 2011

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I wanted to take the character Don Booker through a time in his life, where time for reection is in abundance, but where the future looked bleak. I probably write more about why over time, as its launch always was meant to be a call to action in my own career choices and I guess that work starts again today. I know times are hard, so I will say a cheaper downloadable ebook will be made available to the digital readers among us in about 4 weeks. Every statistic into addiction, depression and suicide in Ireland are among the worst in the world. Given the austerity that the previous government have placed on us all, a logical conclusion is that each of these will continue to rise on various graphs . Yet behind these lines, lie people, impacted for whatever reason by various injustices in society. As cuts take hold in essential services, people will have to help out in many areas if we are to reverse this sad statistic that blights Irish life sometimes. I have a bit more work to do to set the ball rolling and will have to touch base with the Establishment again to see if they'll allow me to pursue it by granting me the enterprise allowance and the freedom to explore what's possible. There is not a whole lot more I can do that I can see. The business plan is ready, the book is there in print and there's a will there to get involved in an area which, let's face it, needs the involvement of many. I think there is great ability in people when they are encouraged, and if Ireland is ever to get out of the mess we are in, then it's time to prove that encouragement in real terms. Image Source

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Its A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

March 15, 2011

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Back in the last century I used to spend Summers out in the country, a guest, whether wanted or not, to a host of relatives. One particular Uncle was the owner of not only an Atari game system, but also a Video Player. Among his collection were timeless classics recorded directly off the TV, and on rainy days it was a cool world to be in. One of my favourite lms when I was a kid was, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. It might not rank in many all-time favourite lists for the movie-buff among us, but even to this day, I watch it at least twice a year. I do that with lms sometimes. Indeed the World has moved on from such primitive technology, but I think it's fair to say the world is still a mad, mad, mad, mad old place. Regular readers know I have a fondness for the bizarre at times, and have discovered absurdity provides a 'structure' to a lot of the thinking I seem to do, especially when it comes to forming ideas about what to write about. Having spent nearly three months entirely commenting on the disgraceful way we have let Ireland slip from our grasp, absurdity, at every juncture, was the rst word I sought when looking to sum up the travesty that has been allowed to happen here in a short context. I promised I'd move away from politics - so I won't mention that another 25 billion may be needed to put in our saving graces, the great institutions of banking. Did you ever feel like a saddle? We don't have to look to far to see the frailty of human existence on the Planet today. The devastation of the Japanese earthquake and the resulting tsunami would be more than enough for any race of people to bear, but add in the panic involved in being in an area where nuclear reactors are threatening to melt and dangerous levels of radiation threaten the very air that should be free for us all to breath, it begins to touch on a Hollywood screenplay from the mind of some apocalyptic addict. It says a lot about people with power, and the lengths they will go to provide energy systems to us, energies that hold no sentiment for people but have the ability to wipe us out forever if we go to far with it. Branches of science, for all their worth, may very well be the thing that eventually sees us off as a civilization. Greed and mad men who continually plot to destroy something so beautiful as this planet. Take Ireland with it's 'important' people walking around having played the cards that bankrupted us, still living the high life and apparently not going to be held accountable, and the ordinary Joe-soap slopping out in the 'Joy' for not paying a ne. I'm sure parenting is something some among us are doing. What I'd like to know, is how or what way do you explain things like that to children, while trying to guide them in the right way. It's difcult to gure out sometimes. Meltdown of another kind also takes up large segments of the mainstream news feeds. Seems actor, fellow seeker of the truth and all round Mr. Bizarre, Charlie Sheen is going solo, having signed up for Twitter and gathering two million followers in a matter of days. Talk about adding fuel to a re. He announced two live shows to follow up on his online 'rants' which have people wondering about his state of mind. They sold out in minutes. To me, it's just Charlie Sheen being Charlie Sheen. 'Activism' is in his blood - his Father is noted for it. If it doesn't work out and he decides to go back on the box, it will be Charlie having a mental breakdown, much will be written about the man and little of the condition. It's how the media works in contemporary society.

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I get the feeling Sheen is tired of the mainstream for the time being and his 'tour' should be, as they say in Galway, Mad! Certainly doesn't take away from the encounter I have being having this past week. Still weak of will, I nd myself at times outside my back door sucking on a cigarette. Above, a marauding tree, still bare, offers a pleasant view on a clear night. But crows, trying to sing, as the early hours make their way toward the dawn somehow just doesn't t in with the peace the night can bring. They seem to be joined by other wannabes of ight and equally void of vocals. Very strange indeed. I've always liked my comedy dark, strange beings interest me, and science, which I hated as a student, is an area of fascination at times. Some of the complexities of people, life and existence can be found within some of its current nding and introducing elements of dark humour and 'strange beings' into some of my writing, has denitely added to the pleasure of being in its practice. It's certainly lled the gap left by a mis-spent youth, a lot of the twenties and the early days of thirties. What can I say, in a mad world, it's was hard to let go at times. Though testing at times, it's easier when I don' take life so seriously. That's easier said than done in a mad world, but I read this last night (below) on Facebook, and it's good to know that even in that mad world, people of greater, more profound, but very simple thinking still dwell among us. That's always good to know. The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered "Man....... Because he sacrices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived." To put Ireland's predicament into an economic prospective, the turmoil in Japan witnessed over the past week has resulted in damage in the region of $198 billion. Expected losses in bad loans is going to cost Ireland 100 billion, with the eventual cost of the debacle expected to cost in the region of 150 billion. When currency is converted it is difcult to comprehend that the greed and corruption of a small number of people on a tiny island in the North Atlantic will match the total amount of the devastation wrecked upon the Japanese by the cataclysmic events of the past 9 days. Of course in terms of human misery the similarity ends with economics, and it is only then people looking for some solace from nancial woe can maybe appreciate that no matter how bad it gets here, we can never imagine the suffering Mother Nature wrecked on the Japanese. With Enda in the White House for Paddy's Day and a few more chosen ones sent to other Irish outposts in the hunt for business, the Irish political week wrapped up early. There was the news that Obama is coming in May to save us all. He was supposed to do that for his own in 2008, but the facts don't lie. It becomes more and more apparent with each passing year that even the President of the United States does not possess the power, no matter who they are.

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Corpo's and banks rule the World and should they fail, well we bail them out. To see it any other way is foolish, the facts speak for themselves and they are there for all to see. Any politician of note is a puppet on a string, and let's be honest, who wouldn't mind being a puppet on a string with the perks available, no matter how bad you do. If money is the guiding force, the politics is the place to be. The World will wake up eventually, not that it will make a blind bit of difference in the end. We're all going the way of the Sun. Nice to see Seanie Fitzpatrick out enjoying a few rounds of golf lately. Shocking, isn't it? Bankrupt a country and free as a bird to enjoy some of the good things in life. When those who guide the moral fabric of a society allow that sort of carry-on, well you'd have to fear for the society. 'Cause it ain't heading no-where but down into the gutter. I'd expected better from the Irish, because I respect so much of the vision those who died for our freedom had for the country. That really should count for more than it does in the present day. Sadly, it doesn't, and from what I tell, it isn't going to change anytime soon.

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Green Day
March 17, 2011

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To people, Irish or otherwise, I hope you have had or are having a great St. Patrick's Day. To celebrate, in a writing sense as opposed to the more fun way, I've included a few quotes from people who spoke of Ireland or are from Irish stock, people who have helped make us a truly unique race on this little Planet of ours. Enjoy... Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university sties writers. My opinion is that they don't stie enough of them. There's many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher. - Flannery O'Connor I spent 90% of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted. - George Best We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English. - Winston Churchill Hugging trees has a calming effect on me. I'm talking about enormous trees that will be there when we are all dead and gone. I've hugged trees in every part of this little island. - Gerry Adams All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed. - Sean O'Casey This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever. - Sigmund Freud, speaking of the Irish. (allegedly) The most important thing to remember about drunks is that drunks are far more intelligent than non-drunks. They spend a lot of time talking in pubs, unlike workaholics who concentrate on their careers and ambitions, who never develop their higher spiritual values, who never explore the insides of their head like a drunk does. - Shane MacGowen Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious. - Brendan Gill I'm Irish. I think about death all the time. - Jack Nicholson and my own particular favourite ... I am a drinker with a writing problem. - Brendan Behan

Happy St.Patrick's Day!

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Oil - A Love Story

March 21, 2011

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What makes the world go around? It would be fair to say quite a bit has been written on the subject. Love and money have been suggested and a growing consensus among many that perhaps it's oil. Of course that's all nonsense, the forces that swirl us around are far more sustainable than any of the aforementioned. Love, even pure, is eventually broken by time, money is now stored in virtual reality with zero's pulled from the sky, formed from the misery of most. Oil, the black gold. The planets chief tormentor, bar none. As another coalition of the willing is pulled together and sanctioned to act with force with weapons of terror reigning down from night skies, it would seem that 'Mad Dog' Gadaf's days are numbered. He remains deant and attempting every ploy available to him in an effort to cling to power. Freedom from tyranny is the coalition call, but despite the way the world spins it, more and more people are aware that it has nothing to do with people and their human rights. Nope, this is about sustaining the elements of society that deal in war and oil to further their own agenda, no matter what the cost in human misery. One only has to read this article and it becomes pretty clear. It's oil, and it's a fact and no amount of spin can deect from that. That's where the mainstream media play there cards. Spin. It's pictures of explosions, burnt our wrecks and dismembered bodies that is selling the advertising space today. That's the marketplace. When intervention is selective, like it is time and again with 'the willing,' any objective view has to wonder why atrocities are allowed to go on in Bahrain and in Yemen and, yet there is no fear of the night sky in those countries to date. What has been done to the people of Gaza on a daily basis is shameful, yet 'the willing' stand idly by, at great expense I might add. Darfur? I certainly don't buy anything other than the oil card in Libya. Tomahawks into people don't go. It's a simplistic formula, but it makes it's point. It's tragic that human life is held in such low regard, so proteers of doom can continue on their path in bringing the world to its knees once again. What lies behind the reasoning and the logic dees any intellect I have. Perhaps that's why I'm unemployed, hey!

Freedom - a viscous liquid derived from petroleum, especially for use as a fuel or lubricant. Taken from Don Booker's alternative dictionary. Image Source

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The Curious Case Of A Mobile Licence

March 22, 2011

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Yesterday we saw Ireland's image as a place to do business go further down the drain with the unexpected reporting of The Moriarty Tribunal. Damming in its content, the tribunal found Former Fine Gael Minister Mick Lowry received nearly 900,000 from Denis O Brien through a series of transactions carried out through second parties using various offshore bank accounts. It must be nice to have a bank account...offshore! O'Brien won a mobile license from the then Fine Gael led government, of which, Lowry was Minister for Communication. O' Brien went on to sell the Esat Company, which beneted from the issuing of the licence, to BT for over 2 billion, personally gaining to the tune of almost 250 million. O' Brien went on to make a fortune dealing in the telecoms industry in the Caribbean and the South Pacic and is worth over 2.2 billion. The 'colourful' Lowry, no stranger to controversy, topped the poll in the recent general election in his Tippeary North constituency. Previously in trouble for allowing Ben Dunne to pay for an extension to his home, Lowry was one of the Independents who held the last government to ransom in return for supporting their austerity measures on the people of Ireland. What will happen? Knowing good old Ireland, not a whole lot might be a good bet. Tribunals are one thing, criminal law another. Fine Gael now nd their honeymoon period in ofce over, after the report suggested donations were made to them on behalf of O'Brien, some of which they attempted to bury. It's just another stain on the Irish political system. Watching in to the Dil at Mickey Martin using the platform to ask some awkward questions to new Taoiseach Enda Kenny was comical. I'm afraid Michel needs to get his own parties house in order after bankrupting this country before he can lecture anyone on ethics. New beginnings does not mean we can ever forget. Until people are held culpable and in proper terms, the past remains part of this economic nightmare. The episode further stains those held in high regard in Irish society. Top politicians, Business people and solicitors have slowly turned Ireland into a mecca for those who deal in corruption within the shady corridors of power on the Emerald Isle. Director of Corporate Enforcement, Paul Appleby, revealed his ofce has sent another le about Anglo Irish Bank to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The latest le concerns loans made by the bank to 10 of its customers to buy Sen Quinn's Anglo shares in 2008, which helped prop up Anglo's share price. The course of justice in white-collar crime in Ireland runs slow. No real deterrent has ever been set in this country when it comes to corporate crime or corruption. A few months here and there in jail is never going to change a culture of winks and nods as a desirable way to do business. I wish I had the money to do a documentary surrounding the ins and outs of all that has gone on here over the past 25 years. I'd get it done for 10k. But I could never see the lm board stumping up the money for that. Probably not part of their re-mit in enhancing the image of the country in positive ways whenever they can. And to cheap for them also, I imagine. There's never been change in denial.

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The Optimistic Pessimistic

March 23, 2011

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Booker's World was going to be the start of something for me. That was until my original plan were blown out of the water by those in the employment of the state, who choose what's worth supporting and what's not. I have to say the refusal by them to help in some way was a bitter blow, but on reection, should I not have been surprised. In hindsight, the answer is no. It made me think further about all that is wrong with modern day Ireland. Emigration is now on the cards, and trust me, it is not something I would even contemplate but for the fact that I tried to use my unemployment to do something worthwhile, but in this part of the country all the bodies I sought some assistance from slammed the door in my face. Government departments and educational bodies to name just two. When I was refused the back-to-work enterprise allowance a few months ago, i emailed the Department of Social Welfare ve times to see how to go about appealing the decision. No reply! I have them all, dated and saved and ready for use very soon. See, I think there is something wrong with preaching positivity and togetherness when it comes to addressing Ireland's woes, yet when you do, people are treated with such scant disregard. The past two years have been an eye-opener to me in so many way. I genuinely felt effort in this country would be worth something. To date, it means nothing. There would be nothing wrong with this country if the money at our disposal was used in a competent manner. I think we all know by now, this is not the case. Competence is not a word any rational thinker would use. As i mentioned before I got 50 copies of the book printed and am having a small launch on April 17 for people who helped me out in its writing and some family and friends. Then it's my intention to re-submit the actual book to some publishers to keep the other work in their slush piles warm. I tried before, but judgement can only be made on what is allowed to be submitted, I'm not sure if seeing it between a jacket will make any difference, but at the moment I feel like a guy in Guantanamo, being held back against my will, so I guess everything is worth a shot. I'll also be contacting some media outlets who are not in bed with the government in an attempt to highlight the wrongs i perceive in denying people a chance to get themselves out of the hole this damn recession has dug for them. I certainly didn't dig this whole for myself, yet as long as I'm here, I'll be paying for it. And for what... to lie on a hospital trolley or watch corruption being bailed out with no accountability. I nd great encouragement in the words of others from the past. When I want to discover something about a subject which I don't fully understand, away I go for looking for the wisdom of others to keep plugging away. It's an effective way to keep motivated. I've included a few below. People have often posted or wrote stuff that has resonated with me or impacted on my thinking. By quoting them they may do the same for others. Enjoy... First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they ght you, then you win. - Mahatma Gandhi If one advances condently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. - Henry David Thoreau

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A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm. - Charles Schwab To the question whether I am a pessimist or an optimist, I answer that my knowledge is pessimistic, but my willing and hoping are optimistic. - Albert Schweitzer History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats. - Bertie C. Forbes If you always think what you've always thought, You will always do what you've always done. If you always do what you've always done,You will always get what you've always got.If you always get what you've always got, You will always think what you've always thought - Unknown The only way to deal with an un-free world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. - Albert Camus

Albert Camus

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Future Bestsellers
March 25, 2011

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I was having a think earlier about some titles that may appear on the bookshelves over the next twelve months. Given that there is little accountability in Irish society at the top-tier, who's to say a few of these potential authors wouldn't be granted huge advances, tax exemptions and possibly awards for their powerful insights. Of course, it's all a little fun...

How to bankrupt a Country and Walk Away With Multi-Million Pay-Off. - Brian Cowen.

Charlatan - Ivor Callahy A Guide to Top Irish Golf Courses - Brian Cowen and Sean Fitzpatrick. How We Cost the Tax Payer 50 Million. - Dan Boyle & Don Booker The Sour Grape - Don Booker Irish Begrudger - Don Booker Busted - Denis O'Brien Scandalous - Michael Lowry The Age Of Austerity - Brian Lenihan Filthy Cash - John O'Donaghue The Nick Of Time - Bertie Ahern How I Destroyed The Greens. - John Gormley. How I failed to destroy Fianna Fail. - Brian Cowen The Comeback Kid - Michael Noonan How To Grow Your Own. - Ming Flanagan

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Why I'll be Taoiseach - Gerry Adams The Second Fiddler - Eamon Gilmore The Great Oil Giveaway - Various Contributions Cuticles - Mary Harney

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Inside Job
March 27, 2011

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Crazy old week out there in the big bad world, wasn't it? With Mickey Lowry getting found out...again, and Portugal's woes taking precedent over Fine Gael's attempt to get a 'better deal for Ireland' from the bailout. I wish them luck with that. The sharks are focused on Portugal now and there are even bigger ones beginning to circle further inland in Sunny Spain. The Euro is in a mess, and by most accounts the good Ol' USA isn't fairing out much better. Just south of Spain, Libya is in turmoil with Gadda followers being wiped out by bombing sortie's from some of the best jet ghters on the planet. Tom Cruise would be proud. The rebels march toward Tripoli aided by the 'no-y zone' where some are still allowed to y. Gadda looks doomed, the tyrant may soon be making his way into exile, for if he doesn't the images from the mainstream may shock us more than when they hung Saddam high. All the while the price of oil goes up and up. And up. Regimes in Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain continue to ght the protesters demanding change from the old guard, where freedom of speech practices often end with the ending of life. I watched yesterday as a woman, brutalized by Gadda's henchmen speaking out to the world. As she cried, terried, men tried to silence her, before eventually a coat was placed over her head and she was driven away as journalists demanded answers to where she was to be taken. In anyone's world that's wrong. As basic freedoms are sought and many die for the right of expression and the opportunity of a better tomorrow, the world seems on the edge of something we may not have seen before. A half a million people took to the streets of London yesterday protesting over the range of cuts to public services implemented by our neighbours fellow left-right coalition. That's an admirable turnout. The main body of the protest passed off peacefully, but there was an element among them that decided to take things into their own hands, wrecking havoc as they smashed windows in banks and business they insist are paying almost no taxes, while the ordinary person on the street is left with the bill of bailing out corruption of the highest form, corruption that goes largely unpunished at the top tiers of societies. It's a fairness issue, as it is here in Ireland, but alas, when did fairness ever come into equation? It was obvious where this elements rage was directed, as they rebelled at the establishment by defacing their places of business, before squaring off with riot police. There were over 220 arrests. This followed similar scenes at the meeting of EU Leaders for some ne dining and making decisions of the important kind earlier in the week. There's denitely a sniff of rebellion around the place. I didn't watch the Oscars this year. First time in many years. Just didn't seem relevant for some reason. Rambling last night, I came across the winner of Best Documentary, Inside Job and got to see it today. It's an impressive piece of work. Narrated by Matt Damon, it tells the story of the crash of 2008 which spun the world into recession. I have come across the documentaries main protagonists before, mainly in online material. But to have the story, and how all these shysters are in cahoots with one another in their own private little club. A world of privilege where anything goes, and ordinary people are made to pay. It makes one wonder how much of this have we put on ourselves, by time and time again selling out to the one who speaks the best of promise. Most false of course, but sure hasn't that always been the case?

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An interesting aspect to yesterdays March in London was the addressing to the crowd of new labour leader Ed Miliband. I went to a march pre-Christmas, ten times smaller and we got...David Begg. Sometimes I see Ireland's future as a truly depressing place and yet, a dreamer still partially exists, that says Ireland can still be all she should be. Getting to that point might be a difcult process, but nothing good ever came without some degree of difculty. There's power in people, but it must be done in the right way. Any other way and I think people are only playing into the hands of those who do still have the inuence. Be under no illusion, it's banks rst and governments seconds and third , a very small minority in the practice of politics for nobler reasons. Minorities have changed little throughout history, so I guess it's up to ordinary people to change that. Capitalism is corrupt to it's very core, but you won't be taught that in schools. You won't be taught to think about things for yourself by many. Anyone telling you that democracy in it's present form is evolving, is telling you lies. If anything, it's being eroding, one little treaty at a time. If it was a fair playing eld this planet would be in better shape. As long as it's not, and we allow people destroy it for money, the ride down the swanny will continue. Inside Job is worth the 90 minutes, if for nothing else it connects a lot of dots into what happened Stateside, and it might make one or two people go after the truth of what happened here, and especially in Anglo and AIB banks. Once that's done Ireland can begin the long climb back up. There's no place in an evolving society for robbery in broad daylight with absolutely no accountability. Not in any decent one anyway. I heard Olivia O'Leary a while back express a wish for philosophy to be introduced to education in the early teens. Doubt I've heard a better idea in the past six months. While we are at it, let's educate on the negative impacts of crony Capitalism on society. Oh sorry, I apologise, let's just stick with Olivia's plan. There's a majority out there now that don't need to learn about it. They are living it. So I guess it wouldn't do any harm to make them think about it too? And who knows, in a generation or twelve, we might actually come out the other side.

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Defense Most Fowl

March 29, 2011

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Once again it's scandals on the national front that are occupying the time of our esteemed members in Dil Eireann. Michael Lowry rose today and spoke for nearly an hour defending with vigor, and a disturbing level of afrmation, his reputation after the ndings of the Moriarty Tribunal last week. He said it was a witch hunt and that CAB and the Army could be sent in to investigate him, and they will nd nothing. I'm not sure why Lowry brought the Army into it, but he'll be glad to know The Criminal Assets Bureau are indeed on their way, with 15 investigators already appointed to the case. The Dil debate into the Moriarty ndings continues tomorrow. The subplot to this latest disgrace within the corridors of power is Fine Gael's receiving of donations from Denis O'Brien. Michael Martin bellows on about the fact half a dozen current Ministers were Ministers back in the time of the then offending administration. Unfortunately, it all rings hallow. Not the fact, but who's preaching from the fact sheet. That's going to take time to change. Anything under a generation will be a major surprise to me. The Mahon Tribunal is due to report in a few months time. It will give its ndings on Bertie and those horses. The cost of both have run into hundreds of millions, bulging the bank balances of the legal system. I assume that money is abroad, they are hardly daft enough to have them in Irish banks. With just a few token gestures of jail time, it's been a steep and expensive learning curve into how this nation address' corruption at the top-tier. I think its time that charade ended. Send what we know to the Gardai and CAB from Day 1 and let them do their job. Costs less, and there maybe the chance of a little satisfaction and equalization between the many tiers we now nd our society divided with. No let-up either later in the week with the results of the bank stress tests... Oh, the stress!

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Dumps
March 30, 2011

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I'd rise early most mornings. An old habit from my working days. This morning I made a visit to the bathroom and above my head, peering in from a skylight was a depressing sight. Bare branches, a window speckled with rain and a sky taken from some visual obituary to doom. I soon found myself back beneath the covers and didn't stir again until eleven. Unemployment affords you such luxuries some days. Days seem endless at the moment. Yet, when one looks for the time of year, it amazes how quick that other deviant of time, the month, seems to be whittling away. We are only a day and a bit away from fooling everyone once again. I wonder do Hallmark do a card for that? I spent the afternoon checking on some Volunteer opportunities that may make the house and I part for at least a few hours a week. I then started on another draft of my novella, Cripple, an old screenplay I've re-written. It's hard to nd the good news these days for some reason. The TV doesn't seem to be in that business any longer. Maybe that comes with recession and a feeling that there is no-way-out. On the national front, the debate into Michael Lowry will end tomorrow with a motion to censure him to be carried without a vote asking him to resign of his own accord. Lowry is not going to do that, so another few days wasted in Dil Eireann. The former tax-evader will hang his head high and promises that by the time he is done, he will lay the Moriarty Tribunal as 'a scandal of truly epic proportions.' If Lowry doesn't manage that, he should be jailed for arrogance alone. But alas, there is no law against that. Neck, I think they call it. I like the way Enda Kenny has handled himself in his rst few weeks in ofce. That is despite the claims of his party receiving political donations from Denis O'Brien. I think all political parties are guilty to receiving payments of this kind so its hard to single them out. The continuing bombardment on that front from Michael Martin is laughable. His time would be better spent rebuilding his own ranks on more credible grounds. They certainly will never be regarded as many people's saviour again. With the new Dil barely reconvened its been an interesting start to say the least. The most notable thing for me is watching the proceedings in a half empty chamber. It's good to see TD's getting back into the swing of things so early in their tenure. It's also a more casual affair in the fashion stakes. I never have a problem with that. Mick Wallace is certainly the loudest and who knows, may cash in as a catwalk model somewhere down the line. Other members have also decided the noose that is the necktie just doesn't cut it anymore. It's the person in the suit that always spoke to me. Never the suit. I've been impressed with Gerry Adams start, despite his suit colour, which is a little out of time. I was glad to see him later today with his jacket off and sleeves rolled up. That's the way to do business I believe. He may make a more credible opposition leader in the long term if Fianna Fail don't get off their ethical trip. They must think Irish people have short term memories. Maybe we do, but never that short Michael.

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Ireland's latest distress will be felt tomorrow with the publication of the results of the bank stress tests. What should be clear, after the 'shock' will be that Ireland's debt burden is unmanageable. The vultures are still circling Lisbon and the Euro is in deep trouble. There's talk of pulling more zero's from the sky to create a bigger bailout fund for troubled states. Here's one for them? Why don't you's all go home to your own countries and we'll go back to what we were before they implemented the second Lisbon Treaty against the will of the entire European population. The Irish had them dancing in the streets when we told Lisbon 1 to feck off, only to be feared into accepting it the second time round causing the dancing to cease and the protesting to start. Ever feel the world needs a new model to work from. The dark worlds of Huxley and Orwell, and other notable practitioners in the creation of futuristic draconian worlds, feels sometimes like they may have more truth in them than humankind would like to believe. Right, I better be off to prepare myself for tomorrows stress test results. See how much more debt me and everyone else are burdened with so we can bailout and spare the those who gambled away many futures and I'm sure lives. Sickening situation, however you look at it. It wouldn't be so bad if they'd help you get yourself into a position to start contributing in the pay back. But when they don't, you really have to begin to wonder. I think I'll nish my day the same way as i started it. I'm sure the view is better at this time of night. I may even have a little sit down. Bring the old laptop with me and write about the thing that are in my head at that very moment for the duration. Date them, write them over a year and publish the best of them in a book called 'Down In The Dumps.' Might be a bestseller!

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Billions
March 31, 2011

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'The cheapest bailout in history' Lenihan said. Today we found out the latest truth. The banks need another 24billion, taking the total up to 70 billion, not including the Anglo paw, which is still stretched out. So give or take a billion here and there, the total actually stands close to 100 billion. None of that includes our disastrous scal position. Which means only one thing. If you stay and you're out of the loop, you're screwed. It's just the latest bad day in recent Ireland history and one feels there are plenty more of them to come. The tax payer continues to be saddled with the debt of the bank guarantee and to add insult to injury, all the bondholders not covered by the greatest stroke in Irish history will get their just rewards as well. It's simple. It's robbery, gamblers lose and they get their money back from the people who suffer most from the calamity we have allowed to unfold before our eyes since 2008. Tonight, I'm stunned, because Ireland has sold herself out to banksters, backed up by governance at the expense of people's lives. It simply dees belief. Those with a few quid in any Irish bank should be worried. The Euro is a mess and Ireland is a pawn. The numbers are mind numbing, the consequence written daily but documented only by other numbers which are also slowly becoming mind numbing in social consequence stats buried at the bottom of pages dedicated to the latest gossip on Jedfu*kinedward. Merkel is under political pressure in Germany over bailing out countries who's banks ran them into the ground and in all fairness, who could blame people for not wanting to help out those who allowed this country be run like an out of control casino for nearly a decade. Portugal looks doomed. Could the Euro fall? Where does that leave Irish deposits then? I guess sometimes it's good to be broke. No need to worry about that one, not around here anyway. Ireland signed a warrant when we passed Lisbon the second time round. The nature of that warrant will only become apparent in the years to come. It's hard to make sense of it all, tonight anyway. The markets respond tomorrow, but it's safe to say any positive reaction will be soon be swept aside at this stage. We've come to expect a slow leaking of bad news over the past 30 months and who's to say with our new right leaning, austerity-driving ECB-IMF puppet government things won't be any different. Prepare yourself society, there are bad days ahead. We need a leader to stand with the people and against these gambling sharks. Enda?

100,000,000,000 and counting.

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MAR CH 2011

This ebook series is a comment on issues in Ireland and abroad. It is covered in real-time against the backdrop of what is really happening in Ireland at this time. The series cover events as they happen through the eyes of the ctional Don Booker, an unemployed recluse as he attempts to write himself through his personal woes and an Ireland in decline. The novel, Booker's World is separate from this series of ebooks, though both worlds do cross at certain juncture as the months go by. An ebook version of the novel is now available. All ebooks in this series may be used for reference and may be distributed freely once adhering to Creative Commons License and crediting the author.
With cuts to depression & addiction services being implemented in Ireland, please consider these when making a charitable donation in the future.

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Also in this series 5 Days in September Deathly Quotes November Nightmares Absurdities Purjurious Times Forgetful Directions Chill Dark The Loaded Taoiseach Independence International Mutha-F*ckrz The Cost of Living Last Daze The Artful Dodger 2011

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Also by Noel Farrell

Novel Bookers World

Sonny Strange

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Contact :jasepub@gmail.com
Noel Farrell 2012

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