Yearly Archives: 2014

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A South African judge said Thursday that the state has not proven premeditated murder in the case of Oscar Pistorius, who shot his model girlfriend last year. She, however, hasn’t issued a verdict yet and the proceedings continue….

Oscar Pistorius trial: Judge rejects premeditated murder charge (CNN)

Previously: Paddywack

steven sharpe

Steven Sharpe – Uganda

Striking Galway singer songwriter stars in a just released, fiendishly-timelapsed, three minute gender-teasing makeover video by Marta Barcikowska.

Stephen’s make-up by Jade Walsh and Emma Doherty.

Steven Sharpe (Facebook)

Thanks Rob

RUTH

Ruth Dudley Edwards

Ahead of the referendum on Scotland’s independence.

Dublin-born writer Ruth Dudley Edwards writes:

“These days Scots, however, would do well to learn from the example of the island immediately to their west.
There, the people of the Republic of Ireland have mostly ignored the rest of the Celtic fringe, being obsessed instead with nurturing old grievances towards England (aka the Saxon, perfidious Albion, the old enemy and so on). Anti-Englishness was our identity: the evil country’s role was to take the blame for all our wrongs and accept our immigrants uncomplainingly. Ireland was thus a mean little country that I gladly quit in the Sixties – insular, sectarian and with a political class that allowed itself to be bossed about by a rigid and intolerant Roman Catholic hierarchy and drove out most of its writers and creative minds along with the jobless.
Such narrow-mindedness is a grim warning of what might await an independent Scotland.
In Ireland’s case, the narrowing stemmed from a revolution in 1916 that began the process of taking Ireland out of the United Kingdom, cutting off contact with the British Empire, silencing anyone who retained unionist sympathies and airbrushing out of history the 200,000 or so Irishmen who fought in the First World War. If they chose to stay, Protestants kept their heads down and said nothing about “Rome Rule”.

…For much of the 20th century, in its constitution Ireland claimed ownership of the entire island, ballads were sung about our divided nation and there was hero-worship of various members of the IRA who tried to bring about Irish unity by crossing the border and attacking police. This kind of aggressive, divisive republicanism should serve as another warning to Scotland. There will be a push to undermine institutions with unionist associations, and to foment a kind of class war. If the Scots Nationalists win next Thursday, how long will it be before they morph into republicans and call for a referendum on ditching the monarchy?

Scotland should heed a harsh lesson from across the Irish Sea (Ruth Dudley Edwards, Daily Telegraph)

Ruth Dudley Edwards

robstears.ie

Previously: Déjà News

Here’s My Number

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What you may need to know:

1. A bear from deepest darkest Peru with a passion for all things British arrives in London in search of a new home. He is discovered by the Brown family in Paddington Station and is offered temporary accommodation. His well meaning yet accident prone manner results in all kinds of hilarious banter and hi-jinks.

2. Put your coat on Paddington. Yeez.

3. Paddington Bear first arrived in London in 1958. His Peruvian name is Pastuso.

4. The first Paddington Bear stuffed toy was made by Shirley and Eddie Clarkson with the prototype given as a Christmas gift to their two children; one of whom grew up to be Jeremy.

5. Colin Firth was originally pegged to play Paddington but voluntarily moved aside for Ben Whishaw as he felt his voice was just not suited to the role.

6. Nicole Kidman plays the evil taxidermist who wants Paddington stuffed and put on display. She admitted that her two youngest are not allowed to see the film as her role is “too awful and vicious“.

7. Paddington Bear’s creator Michael Bond was a cameraman on Blue Peter.

8. Broadsheet Prognosis: May I look in to your bag please sir? The one with the secret compartment?

Release date: November 28

(Delboy is away)

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You may recall a post entitled No More Superman from last year – on September 10, 2013 – in which Adam wrote about the aftermath of his suicide attempt.

Last night, he wrote:

So it’s a year to the day that I wrote this. I’m still here. Things got worse, a fair bit worse actually but then so much better. Better in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to comprehend a year ago.

It wasn’t until I saw this post that I realised its a year since I tried to take my own life. It scares the hell out of me to even type that today. I’ve not been able to bring myself to read the post I wrote.

To anyone who is where I was, so low, alone and desperate for the pain to stop. Step one is to say I need help. That’s not the solution, then comes a lot of fighting for the help you need. Which is beyond hard when you’re not sure you even want help.

I’ve a new job, some new friends, and some brave old ones (who I owe my life to), there’s even the possibility of romance (although very early days, we haven’t even kissed yet). In other words I’m living.

For the first time in 28 years, I’m ok. I’m not singing every day, but I’m not crying everyday either. Life is mundane and manageable today, which feels like all kinds of wonderful compared to last year.

For me the solution was medication and therapy; I’m starting to come off the medication now, therapy will go on for a bit yet. This was my solution. My message is simple – find yours! We need you, think about those people coming after you who might be going through the same pain – who’s going to speak up for them if you don’t!? It can’t be me, I’m busy trying to reach out to you.

Take a deep breath, pick up the phone and tell someone.

Recovering from a suicide attempt (ADAM00013)