26.2.04
Feels Like Montana
Well here it is 26 February 2004, and there is about 3 inches of snow outside. I feel like I have been transported to Montana. Its so odd, because the daffodils are peaking through the snow and you can tell Mother Nature did not expect this sudden surprise. However, I must admit it has been fun to throw a snow ball or two and walk outside and feel the crunch of the snow beneath my feet (ok so its not snow...its slush). I wish I had a digital camera so I could show all of you this amazing view and snow covered hills. I don't think I have really seen anything like it. Snow covered mountains, yes....snow covered hills in Ireland NO. So today I am grateful for God for giving me one more reason to love this country even more. There is something to be said for sunshine and snow all in the same day. I guess it just shows that God is good....All the time. Hopefully I will have a picture to share.
24.2.04
Business Idea
So lately I have been thinking and I am really really interested in this. I would like to start a business here in Ireland. Yes, I know I am insane...but here is my idea. In the past year I have been making Chocolate Chip Cookies, and other random desserts. And have received high praises from my Irish friends. So I have been thinking that maybe a "Clementine's Cookies" shop would sell over here. Kinda like the whole Mrs. Fields idea in the states. It is impossible to get fresh baked cookies here in this part of the world, and most people don't even know a recipe to make fresh cookies here. So that is where I would come in....not only would it be a cookie shop, but it would also be a place where people could order those ever creative cookie bouquets. I SERIOUSLY want to do this, but don't have a clue where to start, and how to do it being American. (why couldn't I be an EU citizen?!) What do you think? Again I would love my friends input. I know this is out of the blue, but I have really been thinking about this...and would like to see this become a reality. I think there is genuinely a market for it here. Maybe not in Derry, but definitely in Galway. I look forward to hearing your comments!
Health Hazard
I have decided that thinking is a health hazard. Lately I have had so much running through my mind, and as my thoughts continue my health seems to be getting worse. Actually I think its the change in the weather, but I like to blame it on all the hard work I am doing here. (or lack there of) This term has been absolutely crazy, and as I look at all the work I have done I realize I have done nothing of great importance. I have read a couple articles describing the Peace Making failures in recent times, and I have come to question the importance of a democratic government, or at least a democratic super power. So I guess one would say that my course is going well...making me question what is so natural for me to assume is right. Now its time to get that ever dreaded dissertation started. But that leads to another question...where do you start. I don't really have a specific peace related subject to start with. I was thinking about doing something on Latin America and justice, but as I said earlier...where to start. If any of you have suggestions please please please let me know. I am at such a loss. But I have nearly 11 months to figure it out, so its not all that bad. My biggest concern now is what to do with my life when May approaches. Where do I move and what field of Peace and Conflict to I want to enter into. And how do I apply and get a job when I am living in Ireland? I know it will all fall into place when it needs to, but I have this ever large debt to the American government for my education and don't know where to start to pay it back. Blech. Maybe I should fake my death then I would be able to have my loans forgiven and start debt free. OOOOOh, there is a good plan. hehehe. Well this is my mindless and bizarre ramblings for this week. Sorry to subject you all to the randomness that is my mind. :)
19.2.04
Relationships
I have come to notice that relationships here in the Emerald Isle are quite strange....pretty much a boy and girl meet the boy and girl kiss and then this goes on for a while until one day they are eventually boyfriend and girlfriend. Very odd if you ask me. I like the traditional dinner and a movie I think. However I have also noticed there is a casual nature in kissing here. It is not uncommon for a boy/girl to kiss more than one person in a night....and it isn't uncommon for those that they kiss to be friends and think nothing of it. Quite odd. Just a random observation I thought I would share.
9.2.04
The True Reason for the Iraq Invasion
I recieved this recently, and found it quite thought provoking. It's quite long....but worth the read and laugh. Oh the logics of American Politics...
Q: Daddy, why did we have to attack Iraq?
A: Because they had weapons of mass destruction honey
Q: But the inspectors didn't find any weapons of mass destruction
A: That's because they Iraqis were hiding them.
Q: And that's why we invaded Iraq?
A: Yup. Invasions always work better than inspections
Q: But after we invaded them, we STILL didn't find any weapons of mass destruction, did we?
A: That's because the weapons are so well hidden. Don't worry, we'll find something, probably right before the 2004 election.
Q: Why did Iraq want all those weapons of mass destruction?
A: To use them in a war, silly.
Q: I'm confused. If thy had all those weapons that they planned to use in war, then why didn't they use any of those weapons when we went to war with them?
A: Well, obviously they didn't want anyone to know they had those weapons, so they chose to die by the thousands rather than defend themselves.
Q: That doesn't make sense Daddy. Why would they choose to die if they had all those big weapons to fight us back with?
A: It's a different culture. It's not supposed to make sense.
Q: I don't know about you, bit I don't think they had any of those weapons our government said they did.
A: Well, you know, it doesn't matter whether or not they had those weapons. We had another good reason to invade them anyway.
Q: And what was that?
A: Even if Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein was a cruel dictator, which is another good reason to invade another country.
Q: Why? What does a cruel dictator do that makes it OK to invade his country?
A: Well, for one thing, he tortured his own people.
Q: Kind of like what they do in China?
A: Don't go comparing China to Iraq. China is a good economic competitor, where millions of people work for slave wages in sweatshops to make US corporations richer.
Q: So if a country lets its people be exploited for American corporate gain, it's a good country, even if that country tortures people?
A: Right
Q: Why were people in Iraq being tortured?
A: For political crimes, mostly, like criticizing their government. People who criticized the government in Iraq were sent to prison and tortured.
Q: Isn't that exactly what happens in China?
A: I told you, China is different
Q: What's the difference between China and Iraq?
A: Well, for one thing, Iraq was ruled by Ba'ath party, while China is Communist
Q: Didn't you one tell me Communists were bad?
A: No, just Cuban Communists are bad.
Q: How are the Cuban Communists bad?
A: Well, for one thing, people who criticize the government in Cuba are sent to prison and tortured.
Q: Like Iraq?
A: Exactly.
Q: And like in China, too?
A: I told you, China’s a good economic competitor. Cuba, on the other hand is not.
Q: How come Cuba isn’t a good economic competitor?
A: Well, you see, back in the 1960’s, our government passed some laws that made it illegal for Americans to trade or do any business with Cuba until they stopped being Communists and started being capitalists like us.
Q: But if we got rid of those laws, opened up trade with Cuba and started doing business with them, wouldn’t that help the Cubans become Capitalists?
A: Don’t be a smart-ass
Q: I didn’t think I was being one.
A: Well, anyway, they also don’t have freedom of religion in Cuba
Q: Kind of like China and the Falun Gong movement?
A: I told you, stop saying bad things about China. Anyway, Saddam Hussein came to power through a military coup, so he’s not really a legitimate leader anyway.
Q: What’s a military coup?
A: That’s when a military general takes over the government of a country by force, instead of holding free elections like we do in the United States
Q: Didn’t the ruler of Pakistan come to power by a military coup?
A: You mean General Pervez Musharraf? Uh, yeah, he did, but Pakistan is our friend.
Q: Why is Pakistan our friend if their leader is illegitimate?
A: I never said Pervez Musharraf was illegitimate.
Q: Didn’t you just say a military general who comes to power by forcibly overthrowing the legitimate government of a nation is an illegitimate leader?
A: Only Saddam Hussein. Pervez Musharraf is our friend, because he helped us invade Afghanistan.
Q: Why did we invade Afghanistan?
A: Because of what they did to us on September 11th.
Q: What did Afghanistan do to us on September 11th?
A: Well, on September 11th, nineteen men, fifteen of them Saudi Arabians, hijacked our four airplanes and flew three of them into buildings, killing over 3,000 Americans.
Q: So how did Afghanistan figure into all that?
A: Afghanistan was where those bad men trained, under the oppressive rule of the Taliban.
Q: Aren’t the Taliban those bad radical Islamics who chopped off people’s heads and hands?
A: Yes, that is exactly who they were. Not only did they chop off people’s heads and hands, but they oppressed women too.
Q: Didn’t the Bush administration give the Taliban 43 million dollars back in May of 2001?
A: Yes, but that money was a reward because they did such a good job fighting drugs.
Q: Fighting drugs?
A: Yes, the Taliban were very helpful in stopping people from growing opium poppies.
Q: How did they do such a good job?
A: Simple. If people were caught growing opium poppies, the Taliban would have their hands and heads cut off.
Q: So when the Taliban but off people’s heads and hands for growing flowers, that was OK. But, not if they cut people’s heads and hands off for other reasons?
A: Yes. It’s OK with us if radical Islamic fundamentalists cut off people’s hand for growing flowers, but it’s cruel if they cut of people’s hands for stealing bread.
Q: Don’t they also cut off people’s hands and heads in Saudi Arabia?
A: That’s different. Afghanistan was ruled by tyrannical patriarchy that oppressed women and forced them to wear burquas whenever they were in public, with death by stoning as the penalty for women who did not comply.
Q: Don’t Saudi women have to wear burqas in public, too?
A: No, Saudi women merely wear a tradition Islamic body covering
Q: What’s the difference?
A: The traditional Islamic covering worn by Saudi women is a modest yet fashionable garment that covers all of a woman’s body except for her eyes and fingers. The burqa on the other hand, is an evil tool of patriarchal oppression that covers all of a woman’s body except for her eyes and fingers.
Q: Is sounds like the same thing with a different name.
A: Now, don’t go comparing Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are our friends.
Q: But I thought you said 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11th were from Saudi Arabia.
A: Yes but they trained in Afghanistan
Q: Who trained them?
A: A very bad man, Osama bin Laden.
Q: Was he from Afghanistan?
A: Uh, no, he was from Saudi Arabia too. But he was a bad man, a very bad man.
Q: I seem to recall he was our friend once.
A: Only when we helped him and the mujahadeen repel the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan back in the 1980’s.
Q: Who are the Soviets? Was that the Evil Communist Empire Ronald Regan talked about?
A: There are no more Soviets. The Soviet Union broke up in 1990 or thereabouts, and now they have elections and capitalism like us. We call them Russians now.
Q: So the Soviets…I mean Russians are our friends?
A: Well, not really. You see they were our friends for many years after they stopped being Soviets, but then they decided no to support our invasion of Iraq, so we’re mad at them now. We’re also mad at the French and Germans because they didn’t help us invade Iraq either.
Q: So the French and Germans are evil too?
A: Not exactly evil, but just bad enough that we had to rename French fries and French toast to Freedom fries and Freedom toast.
Q: Do we always rename food whenever another country doesn’t do what we want them to do?
A: No, we just do that to our friends. Our enemies, we invade.
Q: But wasn’t Iraq one of our friends back in the 1980’s?
A: Well, yeah. For a while.
Q: Was Saddam Hussein ruler of Iraq back then?
A: Yes, but at the time he was fighting against Iran, which made him our friend, temporarily.
Q: Why did that make him our friend?
A: Because at the time, Iran was our enemy.
Q: Isn’t that when he gassed the Kurds?
A: Yeah, but since he was fighting against Iran at the time, we looked the other way, to show him that we were his friend.
Q: So anyone who fights against one of our enemies automatically becomes our friend?
A: Most of the time, yes.
Q: And anyone who fights against one of our friends is automatically an enemy?
A: Sometimes that’s true too. However, if American corporations can profit by selling weapons to both sides at the same time, all the better.
Q: Why?
A: Because was is good for the economy, which means war is good for America. Also, since God is on America’s side, anyone who opposes war is a godless un-American Communist. Do you understand why we attacked Iraq?
Q: I think so. We attacked them because God wanted us to, right?
A: Yes.
Q: But how did we know God wonted us to attack Iraq?
A: Well, you see, God personally speaks to George W. Bush and tells him what to do.
Q: So basically, what you’re saying is that we attacked Iraq because George W. Bush heard voices in his head?
A: Yes! You finally understand how the world works. Now close your eyes, make yourself comfortable, and go to sleep. Good Night.
Good night Daddy!
Q: Daddy, why did we have to attack Iraq?
A: Because they had weapons of mass destruction honey
Q: But the inspectors didn't find any weapons of mass destruction
A: That's because they Iraqis were hiding them.
Q: And that's why we invaded Iraq?
A: Yup. Invasions always work better than inspections
Q: But after we invaded them, we STILL didn't find any weapons of mass destruction, did we?
A: That's because the weapons are so well hidden. Don't worry, we'll find something, probably right before the 2004 election.
Q: Why did Iraq want all those weapons of mass destruction?
A: To use them in a war, silly.
Q: I'm confused. If thy had all those weapons that they planned to use in war, then why didn't they use any of those weapons when we went to war with them?
A: Well, obviously they didn't want anyone to know they had those weapons, so they chose to die by the thousands rather than defend themselves.
Q: That doesn't make sense Daddy. Why would they choose to die if they had all those big weapons to fight us back with?
A: It's a different culture. It's not supposed to make sense.
Q: I don't know about you, bit I don't think they had any of those weapons our government said they did.
A: Well, you know, it doesn't matter whether or not they had those weapons. We had another good reason to invade them anyway.
Q: And what was that?
A: Even if Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein was a cruel dictator, which is another good reason to invade another country.
Q: Why? What does a cruel dictator do that makes it OK to invade his country?
A: Well, for one thing, he tortured his own people.
Q: Kind of like what they do in China?
A: Don't go comparing China to Iraq. China is a good economic competitor, where millions of people work for slave wages in sweatshops to make US corporations richer.
Q: So if a country lets its people be exploited for American corporate gain, it's a good country, even if that country tortures people?
A: Right
Q: Why were people in Iraq being tortured?
A: For political crimes, mostly, like criticizing their government. People who criticized the government in Iraq were sent to prison and tortured.
Q: Isn't that exactly what happens in China?
A: I told you, China is different
Q: What's the difference between China and Iraq?
A: Well, for one thing, Iraq was ruled by Ba'ath party, while China is Communist
Q: Didn't you one tell me Communists were bad?
A: No, just Cuban Communists are bad.
Q: How are the Cuban Communists bad?
A: Well, for one thing, people who criticize the government in Cuba are sent to prison and tortured.
Q: Like Iraq?
A: Exactly.
Q: And like in China, too?
A: I told you, China’s a good economic competitor. Cuba, on the other hand is not.
Q: How come Cuba isn’t a good economic competitor?
A: Well, you see, back in the 1960’s, our government passed some laws that made it illegal for Americans to trade or do any business with Cuba until they stopped being Communists and started being capitalists like us.
Q: But if we got rid of those laws, opened up trade with Cuba and started doing business with them, wouldn’t that help the Cubans become Capitalists?
A: Don’t be a smart-ass
Q: I didn’t think I was being one.
A: Well, anyway, they also don’t have freedom of religion in Cuba
Q: Kind of like China and the Falun Gong movement?
A: I told you, stop saying bad things about China. Anyway, Saddam Hussein came to power through a military coup, so he’s not really a legitimate leader anyway.
Q: What’s a military coup?
A: That’s when a military general takes over the government of a country by force, instead of holding free elections like we do in the United States
Q: Didn’t the ruler of Pakistan come to power by a military coup?
A: You mean General Pervez Musharraf? Uh, yeah, he did, but Pakistan is our friend.
Q: Why is Pakistan our friend if their leader is illegitimate?
A: I never said Pervez Musharraf was illegitimate.
Q: Didn’t you just say a military general who comes to power by forcibly overthrowing the legitimate government of a nation is an illegitimate leader?
A: Only Saddam Hussein. Pervez Musharraf is our friend, because he helped us invade Afghanistan.
Q: Why did we invade Afghanistan?
A: Because of what they did to us on September 11th.
Q: What did Afghanistan do to us on September 11th?
A: Well, on September 11th, nineteen men, fifteen of them Saudi Arabians, hijacked our four airplanes and flew three of them into buildings, killing over 3,000 Americans.
Q: So how did Afghanistan figure into all that?
A: Afghanistan was where those bad men trained, under the oppressive rule of the Taliban.
Q: Aren’t the Taliban those bad radical Islamics who chopped off people’s heads and hands?
A: Yes, that is exactly who they were. Not only did they chop off people’s heads and hands, but they oppressed women too.
Q: Didn’t the Bush administration give the Taliban 43 million dollars back in May of 2001?
A: Yes, but that money was a reward because they did such a good job fighting drugs.
Q: Fighting drugs?
A: Yes, the Taliban were very helpful in stopping people from growing opium poppies.
Q: How did they do such a good job?
A: Simple. If people were caught growing opium poppies, the Taliban would have their hands and heads cut off.
Q: So when the Taliban but off people’s heads and hands for growing flowers, that was OK. But, not if they cut people’s heads and hands off for other reasons?
A: Yes. It’s OK with us if radical Islamic fundamentalists cut off people’s hand for growing flowers, but it’s cruel if they cut of people’s hands for stealing bread.
Q: Don’t they also cut off people’s hands and heads in Saudi Arabia?
A: That’s different. Afghanistan was ruled by tyrannical patriarchy that oppressed women and forced them to wear burquas whenever they were in public, with death by stoning as the penalty for women who did not comply.
Q: Don’t Saudi women have to wear burqas in public, too?
A: No, Saudi women merely wear a tradition Islamic body covering
Q: What’s the difference?
A: The traditional Islamic covering worn by Saudi women is a modest yet fashionable garment that covers all of a woman’s body except for her eyes and fingers. The burqa on the other hand, is an evil tool of patriarchal oppression that covers all of a woman’s body except for her eyes and fingers.
Q: Is sounds like the same thing with a different name.
A: Now, don’t go comparing Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are our friends.
Q: But I thought you said 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11th were from Saudi Arabia.
A: Yes but they trained in Afghanistan
Q: Who trained them?
A: A very bad man, Osama bin Laden.
Q: Was he from Afghanistan?
A: Uh, no, he was from Saudi Arabia too. But he was a bad man, a very bad man.
Q: I seem to recall he was our friend once.
A: Only when we helped him and the mujahadeen repel the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan back in the 1980’s.
Q: Who are the Soviets? Was that the Evil Communist Empire Ronald Regan talked about?
A: There are no more Soviets. The Soviet Union broke up in 1990 or thereabouts, and now they have elections and capitalism like us. We call them Russians now.
Q: So the Soviets…I mean Russians are our friends?
A: Well, not really. You see they were our friends for many years after they stopped being Soviets, but then they decided no to support our invasion of Iraq, so we’re mad at them now. We’re also mad at the French and Germans because they didn’t help us invade Iraq either.
Q: So the French and Germans are evil too?
A: Not exactly evil, but just bad enough that we had to rename French fries and French toast to Freedom fries and Freedom toast.
Q: Do we always rename food whenever another country doesn’t do what we want them to do?
A: No, we just do that to our friends. Our enemies, we invade.
Q: But wasn’t Iraq one of our friends back in the 1980’s?
A: Well, yeah. For a while.
Q: Was Saddam Hussein ruler of Iraq back then?
A: Yes, but at the time he was fighting against Iran, which made him our friend, temporarily.
Q: Why did that make him our friend?
A: Because at the time, Iran was our enemy.
Q: Isn’t that when he gassed the Kurds?
A: Yeah, but since he was fighting against Iran at the time, we looked the other way, to show him that we were his friend.
Q: So anyone who fights against one of our enemies automatically becomes our friend?
A: Most of the time, yes.
Q: And anyone who fights against one of our friends is automatically an enemy?
A: Sometimes that’s true too. However, if American corporations can profit by selling weapons to both sides at the same time, all the better.
Q: Why?
A: Because was is good for the economy, which means war is good for America. Also, since God is on America’s side, anyone who opposes war is a godless un-American Communist. Do you understand why we attacked Iraq?
Q: I think so. We attacked them because God wanted us to, right?
A: Yes.
Q: But how did we know God wonted us to attack Iraq?
A: Well, you see, God personally speaks to George W. Bush and tells him what to do.
Q: So basically, what you’re saying is that we attacked Iraq because George W. Bush heard voices in his head?
A: Yes! You finally understand how the world works. Now close your eyes, make yourself comfortable, and go to sleep. Good Night.
Good night Daddy!
2.2.04
When the time comes
Lately I have been talking to a few friends near and far and it has occurred to me that this twenty something time of life is hell. We all reach this point in our lives where we must make the choice to follow those dreams we have set since the age of 5, or do what seems practical and make a living to support a family...blah blah blah. We all have some sort of outline in our heads as to what we expect our life to be. But recently I realized that maybe what I always dreamed of as perfect and wonderful isn't really what will make me happy. Like most girls I have thought about the house I will live in when I am older and have a family, and the car I will drive when I haul that family around, and even the type of dress I want to wear at my wedding (seeing that there is a wedding in the future). But as I think of this perfect life I have created within my imagination, I recently realized it lacked something....substance. Not that all families that seem perfect are shallow, but there is something more there that I know I don't see, something that I know creates substance. Having the Cooper Mini, and living in a 4 bedroom house on a hill overlooking a body of water no longer appeals to me. Somewhere between graduating high school, and traveling the world I have discovered that I am no longer fearful of success (or lack there of). I no longer need to worry about getting an education to cover my immense debt I have acquired over the years. Rather I need to focus on being happy, and loving what I am doing and where I am. If I am alone doing this, so be it. However I never want to be so far away I can't see my family and friends, because that is what makes me happy as well. I no longer want to look for that special someone who has the right job or the right car, rather I want to find someone who has the right happiness. Is this possible, or am I just living in this delusion I call life. Possibly it is this simple form of thinking that will allow me prosper in life, perhaps it will set me up for doom....either way it will be an adventure no matter the course I take. I know this is the thought process of every twenty something, as I have had many talks with those twenty somethings in my life. But I feel that this confusing part of my life is only the beginning of an adventure that will take me to far away places to see far away things. If this is the adventure I get to take then I am willing and ready to take it! My only question is are you?
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