Tag Archives: life

Blah blah blah blah

Posted on February 19, 2012 by

Yesterday, a man called around to the door to do a job. As soon as he had set foot inside the doorway, he started talking. And talking. And talking. He spoke about the government, the police, the criminals, the immigrants, … Continue reading →

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Toastmasters – Why I’m still there

Posted on October 13, 2011 by

I must be the slowest person ever to join Toastmasters. My first meeting was in 1988, when I was a student in University College, Cork. I was terribly shy, somewhat socially inept and going through a very difficult period of … Continue reading →

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A hotel from another age

Posted on September 4, 2011 by

Walking into the hotel was like going backwards in time. The wood panelling, the cubist picture on the wall, the brown leather sofas. All perfect. All preserved like an ancient fly in amber. Here, the 1970′s were still alive. Little … Continue reading →

Posted in tours and trips | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

A strange man

Posted on September 2, 2011 by

The train came to a grinding halt just outside Aulendorf. I instinctively thought that someone had pulled the emergency brake. Two attendants ran past with somber looks on their faces; something very serious had taken place. In Ireland, a canned … Continue reading →

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Health, happiness and the dangers of condom eating

Posted on March 29, 2011 by

1) I had The Talk with my 11 year old son last night. I think I did well and I got some great questions from him. We talked about lots of stuff: DNA, puberty, the menstrual cycle, conception, contraception, XY … Continue reading →

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Clinging to beliefs

Posted on August 31, 2010 by

If there is one thing that defines humanity, it is our beliefs. We all have beliefs. Beliefs about God, health, death, the government or our purpose in life, among many others. Beliefs can rule our lives. They can be shared … Continue reading →

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A thought for the day

Posted on February 19, 2010 by

“I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. … Continue reading →

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Journey's end..

Posted on February 18, 2010 by

I’m finally back from my world travels, having flown a distance of 18,000 km in the past ten days. My travels took me to Texas and Germany with a short stop in London. It’s been quite an experience. I have … Continue reading →

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How will it turn out? Space

Posted on April 24, 2009 by

This is the second posting in my 2019 time capsule series, where I consider how the questions of the present will be viewed in 10 years time or afterwards. Today, I’m going to focus on space, and some of the … Continue reading →

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It was twenty years ago today..

Posted on March 26, 2009 by

   1989. What a year. Tiananmen Square. The Salman Rushdie affair. Exxon Valdez. Poll Tax in the UK. The Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Solidarity winning the Polish elections. The flight of people into the West from Hungary. The freeing of … Continue reading →

Posted in about me | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments