Fiona McCann
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Forgive me
Please excuse my unnoticed absence. I've just been so busy lately dumping weapons. :p Only kidding. I'm not sure what I've been doing except running around in stationery circles, much like wee Oui does every night on her little plastic wheel. Oui, by the way, has discovered the joys of eating. Before, she was a disinterested gourmet. NOW she literally dives into her food bowl, throwing tidbits right and left in a frantic effort to find her favourites. I will look over from the computer desk, and her tiny back end will be sticking up in the air because she is standing upside down in her food! Bits and pieces will go flying out. Then she runs behind something to hunker down and eat. You would think I fought her for every crumb. I am glad to see her so excited about something. She loves the occasional tiny chunk of cat chow I give her the best. She knows her name and will wake up and run over to the side of the cage if you call her. She's really quite adorable. I have been working this summer as usual. For some reason I cannot get my bills to stop while I take a holiday. Now that I've bored your socks off, I will wish you a happy rest-of-the-summer and hope you are having a good time doing something nice. 
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2.8.05 00:00 |
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Suspect's tale of travel and torture
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2.8.05 17:38 |
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Stranger in a Strange Land
This weekend has been a kind of epiphany of sorts. I volunteered to care for my cousin's two small children while she worked. They came over to spend Friday night so that they wouldn't have to get up so early in the morning. Having them here made me realise just how out of the mainstream I am and how I am able to rationalise it and excuse it to some extent because I am alone. But this doesn't work as soon as any outside parties come into your world and see just how 'out of it' you really are. I myself then began to look at everything with a jaundiced eye, and it was a terrible feeling. First, I am not set up for kids or even company. There is no place to sleep. No one wants to brave the couch out in the livingroom because of the menagerie. In fact, it's the menagerie that causes all the problems. My life is geared entirely for them it seems with a bit of consideration for myself, but not much. Most of the time, even though I realise this and rue the day I became so overwhelmed with it, I know in my heart I could never be any different. Telling me to get rid of my animals is like telling someone else to give away their kids. I also know that when the situation was different and I had more resources and help, the animals were not a problem--so it CAN be done. You just have to be set up for it. I also know that most of my problems stem from an inability to keep a sense of hope about future events. I'm past the stage where I can fool myself into thinking everything will be all right someday. The older I get, the more I see that for many, many people, things never get any better--and then they die! Things you put off doing or caring for because you are in a funk and can't muster the motivation or energy to do them remain undone, and after awhile, the whole situation becomes rather hopeless. Being alone also means you don't get other feedback, so your own voice is all you hear telling you stuff. I suppose a lot of people reach certain points and just have a breakdown. I'm not sure how they do it though. They must feel that if they quit trying, someone else will step in and take over. I can't afford the luxury of that fallacious thought, and besides, nobody I know gives enough of a rat's ass to step in anyway. Somebody once said something to the effect that life is a tragedy to those who feel and a comedy to those who think. Only I'm not laughing. |
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7.8.05 17:42 |
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Motorcylists raise funds for sick kids
BreakingNews.ie 14/08/2005 - 11:56:01 Hundreds of motorbike enthusiasts are to gather in Dublin city centre today to raise funds for sick children. The 5th annual Motor Cycle Rideout is in aid of the Bubble Gum Club which organises trips and events for children with life threatening illnesses. Since it was set up in 1994 the group has looked after over five thousand children. Event organiser Jacqueline Rafter says the groups' trips are life-changing for the children. “Hospital consultants have basically said that it can add actually years onto these children’s lives,” she said. “They get to mingle with other children with the same illnesses as well, it doesn’t make them feel alien,” said Miss Rafter. “It’s a positive thing for everybody all-round,” she added. |
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14.8.05 17:29 |
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Animal rights group protests outside fur shop
BreakingNews.ie 17/08/2005 - 15:45:19  Animal rights activists today took their fight to have mink farms shut down to the doors of one of the country’s leading fur retailers. With the Government refusing to introduce an outright ban, Animal Rights Action Network took to the streets to highlight the trade in animals bred purely for their pelts. Protesters gathered outside Barnardo’s Furs on Dublin’s Grafton Street handing out pictures of dead skinned foxes and urging shoppers to boycott fur shops. John Carmody, ARAN spokesman, said the Government should be ashamed to oppose steps to end the fur farming industry. “We strongly believe that animals have rights. We don’t want them to be slaughtered. We are not looking for better conditions we are looking for the whole industry to be outlawed,” he said. The Government voted down a private member’s bill to outlaw fur farming last March. The Green Party, which put forward the bill, claimed 150,000 animals were being killed needlessly each year. But Caroline Barnardo, owner of Barnardo’s which has traded in Dublin since 1812, defended the industry and insisted animals on farms were well treated. “It’s not in the farmers’ interest to treat them poorly or let them die. What use are they without good quality furs?” she asked. Activists claimed thousands of mink are being reared in small, crowded cages with many baby animals dying. They also alleged they are electrocuted or gassed before pelts are ripped off them. Ministers at the Department of Agriculture have insisted they will keep the situation under review. Inspections by the Department have also indicated that the animals were well cared for and slaughter techniques complied with EU regulations. Five mink farms, and one farm with mink, silver and arctic fox export 2 million euro (£1.4m) worth of fur each year. Activists are eager to have an outright ban imposed similar to that in Northern Ireland and Britain. Mr Carmody vowed to continue to expose the bloody side of the fur industry at cities around the country during the rest of the year. Events are to be held in Belfast, Cork, Galway and Limerick. |
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17.8.05 18:29 |
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Cheering response to appeal for Ryan
This post is mainly for Carnagevisors as he made a comment to me about the other Ryan post I put up. I was going to post Ryan's pic, but I noticed Google puts pic up under my name, and I don't want it all over the net. Irelandclick.com A Poleglass mother is thrilled at the response of the West Belfast community to an Andersonstown News appeal for a much-needed wheelchair for her six-year-old son who suffers from Brittle Bone disease. Teresa Shannon believes that the appeal has already raised as much as £2,000 in cash, cheques and pledges since a story was run in last week’s Andersonstown News about brave Ryan. And the happy mother is so moved by the generosity of the community that she says she cries and smiles every time she receives a donation. “I can’t stop smiling,” says Teresa, “It’s great. I’ve just been tears and smiles the whole time. I can’t get over just how generous everyone has been. I’d like to thank them from the bottom of my heart and so would Ryan. He thinks that he will be getting the wheelchair for his Christmas present.” Readers moved by the front-page article set about donating money and organising fundraising nights. The largest single sum which Teresa has received so far is £200 from a businessman based in London. Other pledges have been made. At present three fundraising nights have been organised between September and November. The Turf Lodge Tenants’ Association (known locally as the Green-Hut Club) will host a night of music and draws to raise money on September 17. Such has the interest been that the Shannon family have already run out of ballots, and are currently organising more. The West Club on the Falls Road is hosting a fundraising night on October 13 and the Twinbrook Social Club will hold another on the November 4. Ryan was born with the debilitating disease that will confine him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He sustains injuries from everyday incidents – the first time he crawled as a toddler, he fractured his leg. In his short life, the bubbly child has endured the pain of 49 breaks to bones in his frail body. The new wheelchair Ryan needs is called a Permobile Koala and it can be raised and lowered, which would provide him with a new level of independence. With these features, Ryan would be able to move from the wheelchair to the settee or his bed, activities he currently needs help with. Unfortunately the wheelchair costs a whopping £9,000 and is not available from the NHS. Teresa is hoping to raise £10,000 in total to cover future repair costs as the warranty only lasts two years and the call-out fees for repair are £80. Donations towards a wheelchair for Ryan would be greatly appreciated and can be made by contacting Teresa Shannon at 07767428915. If the current level of fundraising continues in West Belfast, Teresa is hoping that Ryan’s Christmas wish will come true. Journalist:: Staff Reporter |
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21.8.05 19:46 |
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HOW RUDE!!
Not Found Not Found'The requested object does not exist on this server. The link you followed is either outdated, inaccurate, or the server has been instructed not to let you have it.' I was going through some old posts here because I'd had a hassle when I realized my tiny little computer at the top of the page was not showing due to Imageshack's server being offline I guess, so I replaced it. As I scanned the old posts, I saw that I had used some original image url's thinking the source was major enough that they wouldn't get wise. I noticed CNN had withdrawn Beckham's nativity photo, so I put the url into the address bar, and the above notice was given to me. Now I think CNN must have a lot of time on its hands to go round instructing their servers not to let Fiona McCann have that pic of Beckham!! How does the server know it's me anyway? Now I really want that picture, and I shall have it! Wish me luck. |
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21.8.05 20:50 |
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The Wallace Recollection
Guardian Mark Oliver witnesses a ceremony honouring a Scottish hero exactly 700 years after his death at the hands of a baying mob in London Tuesday August 23, 2005  William Wallace - photo from >>here As any Scottish nationalist will tell you, it was on August 23 1305 that the Scottish hero Sir William Wallace was dragged six miles through the streets by a horse to the City of London's Smithfield market. In front of a baying mob he was hanged, then, while barely still alive, drawn and quartered before being beheaded. But this afternoon, exactly 700 years ago since those horrific scenes, London hosted far kinder proceedings for Wallace with a "symbolic funeral" service in Smithfield which had an empty coffin as its centrepiece. Organisers said it was a fitting tribute to Wallace, whose story inspired the historically flawed 1995 Hollywood movie Braveheart. Back in 1305 there was nothing so decorous as a burial for the man whose army beat a far larger professional English army at Stirling Bridge on September 11 1297 and who evaded capture for more than seven years. After his execution, a day after being found guilty of treason at Westminster Hall, his head was put on a spike at London Bridge and the quarters of his body displayed as warnings in Stirling, Perth, Berwick and Newcastle. But at today's service at 3pm at Smithfield's Priory Church of Bartholomew the Great, there was far less gruesomeness as 300 people packed the aisles to commemorate Wallace. More than three times as many inquired in vain about tickets yesterday and the Scottish Nationalist party (SNP) hosted a short memorial service at Westminster Hall this morning. Wallace historian David Ross, a key organiser of the church service and convenor of the William Wallace Society, said the church service was to give the Scottish hero the proper "mourning he never had". Mr Ross, 47, arrived in London on Sunday after walking 450 miles on the same route English soldiers dragged Wallace along after his capture in Robroyston, Glasgow. Ahead of the service this morning in Smithfield, there was no Braveheart blue face paint in evidence, but a number of Scots, who arrived to leave tributes at the Wallace memorial plaque fixed to a wing of St Barts hospital, very close to the church. Among them were Anna Ward, 66, and her daughter Elizabeth, 40, whose family is from Hamilton, Lanarkshire. Anna Ward said: "We both live down here in London and Essex but wanted to come along today to pay our respects. "It is important to honour a man who fought for his beliefs, who was not an old man lying in his bed wishing about what he should have done ... he is a Scottish hero we should be proud of and did meet an awful end here." She said today was a special day but that Scots in London remembered Wallace the whole year round. "My husband was in hospital at St Barts and when I visited I would always see some flowers or a poem left at the plaque," she said. Among the tributes today was a poem from "Andy" which said: "Forever in our hearts and minds and souls. An inspiration to all who dare follow their goals." Ted Christopher, from Stirling, the singer of the Bannockburn Band, sang a specially written song, I'm Coming Home, at today's service. He said: "They are taking the service very seriously. Obviously the coffin is empty but it is going to be filled with tributes and letters for Wallace. The song is about his spirit finally coming home." After today the casket will be taken to Stirling, where there has been a 220ft high Wallace memorial since 1869, before ultimately being buried in Kentigerns in Lanark, where Wallace was married. The anniversary has prompted some debate in the Scottish media about what Wallace means for the country now and whether he is celebrated enough. Mr Ross told Scotland on Sunday at the weekend that Scottish children were not educated enough about Wallace and other aspects of their history. He said: "It is a very Scottish thing that we don't want to pay tribute about our past ... [at school] I learned about the Battle of Hastings ... I remember the date 1066 but I learned nothing about Wallace." Some commentators have suggested the inaccurate Hollywood schmaltz of Braveheart, which ends with Mel Gibson screaming "freeeddddoommmm", has not helped. The Scottish Tory MP Malcolm Rifkind noted in the Sunday Times recently that the film had been appropriated by the KKK and other extremist rightwing groups in the US and had caused problems. He added, however, that the wave of nationalism started by Braveheart had receded in Scotland, which, with its own devolved assembly, was now a more confident, forward looking-place. He claimed anti-Englishness had also waned and cited a poll that six out of 10 Scots even supported England in last year's European football championships in Portugal. In the article, written with the paper's Kenny Farquharson, Mr Rifkind says: "It is telling that this summer's Wallace 700 commemorations look rather insignificant when set alongside the extraordinary pomp of last month's anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, with its near-canonisation of Admiral Nelson ... but then, maybe Britain's need to celebrate a victory over the French is currently more pressing than Scotland's need to celebrate a victory over the English." Today in Smithfield, Mr Christopher noted that St Bartholomew's was London's oldest church, completed in 1123, and joked: "We [in Scotland] don't have many buildings that old - you [the English] burned them all down." But he and band road manager Robert "Ziggy" Walton, also from Stirling, were impressed by one card left among the tributes which said: "To the memory of a great Scotsman from a regretful Englishman." Useful links The National Wallace Monument William Wallace Society The Bannockburn Band Wikipedia: William Wallace Wallace 700 events Quotations from Braveheart |
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24.8.05 04:37 |
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Penguins cool off in heat wave
ON THIS DAY **This made me smile! 24 August 1967  Rockhopper penguins suffer in the heat more than other breeds Two penguins from Chessington Zoo have been taken on a day trip to a local ice-rink to cool off during London's sweltering temperatures. As temperatures in the London area reached nearly 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius), Rocky the Rockhopper penguin and his female companion, who did not have a name, joined skaters at Streatham ice-rink. Zoo-keepers at Chessington, concerned about the welfare of the two penguins in the sweltering heat, contacted the owners of the ice-rink who were only too happy to be of service. And the penguins, who are more used to the cooler temperatures of the Antarctic, seemed delighted with their new icy surroundings. 'It's cooler inside' They arrived at the Silver Blades ice-rink accompanied by their keepers Philip Gunstone and Jane Redding. Miss Redding said: "These are Rockhopper penguins from the Falkland Islands. "Rockhoppers are more bothered by the heat than our other kind - Humboldt penguins. "Humboldts don't mind the hot weather." As they were released from their box the pair waddled purposefully through the door of ice-rink which bore a sign reading "It's cooler inside." As they made their way towards the ice they appeared completely unphased by the other skaters and once on the slippery surface conducted themselves with dignity and grace. Staff at the ice-rink were so impressed they extended an invitation to the zoo's other 20 penguins and said the seals could even come along too! |
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24.8.05 05:19 |
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