As you may have noticed, I’ve been winding down That’s Ireland in recent weeks. During that time, I have been working on a new blog, which is now online.
MichaelNugent.com will be mostly about two issues that I’m very passionate about:
Understanding why and how people are happy, because happiness is the underlying reason that anybody wants anything, and
Promoting atheism, because I believe that the idea of gods is bad for society as it makes good people do bad things.
Ironically, my interest in happiness started when I wanted to be a success. I studied what very successful people have in common. Step one: to succeed in anything big, you must start with a passionate desire. So I did an exercise to help ignite that desire. For each aim, I asked ‘why do I want this?’ and for each answer, ‘why do I want that?’ I soon discovered my underlying motivation. Beneath all of the layers of sub-reasons, I wanted anything for exactly the same real reason: because I believed getting it would make me happier. But would it? Many people remain unhappy despite fabulous success. So I shifted my focus from seeking success to the reason I wanted it… happiness.
My interest in atheism is much simpler. I am an atheist because I reject the idea that gods exist, in the same way and for the same reasons that I reject the ideas that that the earth is balanced on the back of a sea turtle, that homeopathy is more useful than a heart transplant, that Rapunzel wove her hair into a ladder or Rumpelstiltskin wove straw into gold, that stepping on a pavement crack will break my mother’s back, that a deposed Nigerian prince wants to email me several million dollars, that Uri Geller can bend spoons with his mind, that I am in danger from vampires or zombies or broken mirrors, or that I am protected by angels or leprechauns or horseshoes.
Senator Eoghan Harris has taken an early lead in the race for Eejit of the Year 2008. His article in today’s Sunday Independent both borrows a tactic perfected by last year’s winning Eejit John Waters (the famous ‘I am crying, writing this’ theme) and also ventures into unparalleled realms of eejitry of his own.
Just read this, and I defy you not to laugh: >>>(more…)
A property developer telling a court that his brother sprayed him in the face with a water hose during an argument about painting a fence, while the brother counters that he was laughing at his hose.
A community activist telling a tribunal that a property developer kicked another property developer in the shins at a meeting, causing him to respond ‘Jesus, Owen, what are you kicking me for?’
Our Finance Minister telling the Dail that he has confidence in our Prime Minister, who has used political donations to their political party to help buy a house for himself, as has his girlfriend.
Plavsa are still selling their fishy slimming pills, promoting them with a printed poster on the front door of at least one Unicare pharmacy in Dublin.
Last year the Advertising Standards Authority banned their print ads because they failed to substantiate the claims that they made in it.
Plavsa responded by publishing the same ad with slightly different wording, but were told that that was not acceptable either.
Now they are using a poster that makes no claims for the product other than it is ‘the new fat fighter’, and that it is ‘new to Unicare’.
Amazingly, despite limiting themselves to just eight words, they still manage to make two misleading claims. Plavsa is not a ‘new fat fighter’ and Unicare was selling Plavsa last year, using a poster of the now-banned advert.
For some years, one of my cultural and political hobby horses has been wondering how many generations it will take before the 29 counties and five cities of the Republic of Ireland become accepted as the current counties of the State.
The traditional ‘32 counties of Ireland’ were gradually imposed, over several centuries, when the island of Ireland was under English rule. At any given time, the counties represented the areas under English rule, whereas the non-county parts of the island were still under Gaelic rule.
Since the Republic of Ireland became an independent State, the elected representatives of the Irish people have changed the counties of Ireland. Today, the Republic of Ireland has 29 counties and five cities that have the same status as counties. Here is a full list of them: >>>(more…)
I respect the initiative and hard work behind the Irish Blog Awards, and I am pleased that That’s Ireland is on two shortlists. However, the judges have removed Towleroad, an international gay news blog that includes Irish-related content, from the shortlist for Best News and Current Affairs Blog, with the needlessly offensive explanation: ‘Woah nelly. Not Irish by any definition.’ >>>(more…)
I have a bit of a toothache today, which is exacerbated by not being able to get that Girl Guides toothbrush song out of my head, to the tune of Darling Clementine:
Little Mary had a toothbrush, and she hung it on the wall.
Did she use it? Did she use it? Did she use it? Not at all.
Then one morning, at the table, she began to scream and shout:
‘Oh! my Mommy, I’ve a toothache! Will I have to get it out?’
Mommy took her to the dentist, and the dentist shook his head:
‘It’s too late for little Mary. She should have brushed her teeth instead.’
Feebee also has a book out next month, called Trying to Conceive, in which she gives advice to Irish couples who are trying to cope with infertility. Coping, she says, involves about 10% of going through the motions of treatment and 90% of dealing with the emotional side of it, and this advice is reflected in one of the most emotionally engaging personal blogs that I have ever read.
Feebee won the award against some strong competition. The other four blogs on the Digital media Awards shortlist were the appropriately-titled Head Rambles by Grandad, the ironically-titled Humble Housewife by Deborah Hadley, the appetising Ice Cream Ireland by chocoholic Kieran Murphy, and the informative Limerick Blogger by Paddy, Squid and Dead Battery Entertainments.
Here are links to, and summaries of, these four blogs. >>>(more…)
On the day that Martin McGuinness joined Ian Paisley in condemning the Real IRA for threatening a return to violence, Ding Dong Denny O’Reilly struck a blow for traditional Republicanism by winning the overall prize, and best animation, at last night’s Irish Digital Media Awards.
This morning an angry Ding Dong rejected allegations that he had sold out on his principles by attending the €250-a-plate awards dinner. ‘In some ways it wasn’t easy watching a film about the famine being celebrated by people stuffing their faces,’ he admitted. ‘But the British have illegally occupied far too much of cyberspace and, even though cyberspace doesn’t really exist, it is still our duty as Republicans to claim it back for Ireland. Also, it is nice, after so many centuries of struggle, to be able to have both a feast and a famine at the same time.’
Paul Woodfull, creator of the unreconstructed Republican balladeer, was more circumspect about his portrayal in animated form. ‘I’m still getting used to seeing myself represented in photographic form,’ he said. ‘So it was nice that Brown Bag films were able to tweak Ding Dong’s appearance.’
The winning entry was an animated version of Ding Dong explaining the history of Ireland in five minutes to a confused tourist. The animation is by Brown Bag Films in Dublin’s Smithfield Market. It used to be available on YouTube, but it has been removed, presumably by British securicrats. However, you can see it here on Brown Bag’s website. (Warning - this is a very slow connection, so you are probably better off downloading it from the link than watching it on the Brown Bag site.)
Here is the full list of all of the award-winners: >>>(more…)
The Irish Blog Awards 2008 are divided into twenty or so categories, and many blogs appear in more than one category. Here, in alphabetical order, are links to every blog that is on the long list of any of the categories. You can check them out by name, or just click at random somewhere on the list and you will find yourself on one of the 400 (and a bit) Best Irish Blogs of 2008.
Don’t forget that we are talking about the Eurovision. It’s fun, it’s kitsch and nobody takes it all that seriously.
In fairness, Waters has always described the Eurovision as part-kitsch. But he has also penned the following philosophical analyses of Eurovision as shifting cultural zeitgeist and pragmatic political project: >>>(more…)
The Irish Blog Awards 2008 are now underway. So far, blogs have been nominated onto long lists (some very long) in the categories below. These will soon be narrowed down into short lists, and the winners will be announced on the 1st of March. Here are the complete long lists, along with last year’s winners.
Thanks to all who nominated That’s Ireland in best blog, political blog, news/current affairs blog and newcomer; Bionic Bohs in best sport and recreation long list; and Fianna Fail’s 50 Ways to Laugh at Voters in best blog post.
The Emergent Events YouTube channel has some great promo clips of the finalists in last summer’s World Street Performance Championship, which was held in Merrion Square Park, Dublin. Here’s my favourite, and the winner of the championship, some dangerous juggling from the Space Cowboy.
There is only one female Methodist electrical trades worker in Ireland, only one single person aged 85 or over who has had eight children, and only one teenager who is married following dissolution of a previous marriage. Based on the latest official census figures, here are 25 endangered Irish species (although they could also be new species just evolving in Ireland): >>>(more…)
There are exactly 1,000 married people in Ireland aged 85 or over who have had eight children, and exactly 1,000 single people living in Prosperous, County Kildare. Based on the latest official census figures, here are fifteen exclusive Irish clubs with exactly 1,000 members: >>>(more…)
With Will Ferrell visiting Ireland this week, you’ve got to watch him being interviewed as President Bush warning us about global warming.
Update: This post originally featured the classic SNL More Cowbell sketch starring Ferrell and Christopher Walken. It’s a mockumentary behind-the-scenes look at the filming of Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear the Reaper. You can no longer embed the video of that sketch into blogs etc., but you can still…
Taghboy in County Roscommon is one of only four rural Irish places where everybody is a Roman Catholic, and there are seven more places where there is only one non-Catholic. Here are the top ten Catholic Rural Irish places, based on the recently-released Small Area Census Statistics. >>>(more…)
