Alexia Blogs

Today’s Luas ride home was a happy one.. Loving these runs of long weekends. I want a four-day weekend next weekend! Have a great Easter.

Update: So Young Fine Gael are distancing themselves from threats of a lawsuit. Eoin has commented below to confirm this.

Legal salvos were bound to kick off in this incident. Blogger Eoin Brazil commented on Damien’s blog saying:

“Damien, I heard both sides of this particular story and I believe its you who is overreacting. I’d love to say that they’re members of YFG but as ever you’re facts are incorrect. I’d also like to say I’m not one of the two.

I’d like you to retract your comments about YFG and UL YFG in particular or you will see the legal side for libel for taking the good name of one of UL societies into another one of your paranoid rants.

Please feel free to moderate this comment. I believe information should be free, do you ?”

This comment appears to suggest that UL’s Fine Gael branch may be making the first move, by threatening Mr Mulley with legal action. Is this true? Are UL’s Young Fine Gael branch going legal on this? I’m confused.

Where does the truth lie? Legal remedy may be the only option as this stage. This will probably run and run. It’s a sad incident that will not doubt tarnish Irish Blogging Week. I hope that the air is clear by Saturday night.

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” is an oft-quoted line attributed to Voltaire, and it succinctly expresses how I feel today. Last evening Damien Mulley changed his Twitter updates to be protected in an attempt to stop people from allegedly harassing him. I say allegedly, as this incident may find its resolution through legal intervention.

One of final messages, before switching his account private made claims that certain members of the UL branch of Young Fine Gael were behind the harassment.

“With the continued harassment and stalking online and off I’m getting from members of Fine Gael in UL, I’m making this account private”

Now, I have no reason to disbelieve what Damien is saying, but I wonder what the Fine Gael party executive would make of certain members of its youth movement allegedly harassing a citizen practising his right to free speech.

The scary thing, is that trying to stamp on the right to free speech of one of us, is an attack on all of us. Every blogger in the country. How long is it before you say something that does not defame anyone, but rubs them up the wrong way so as to result in harassment?

There are many bloggers whose opinions I disagree with. People who challenge my views. They make me a better person and I hope I help them too.

Aside from this case, how long before one of us is next? How long before someone stamps on your right to free speech? How long before you are the object of harassment? Clamping on free speech is intolerable, and harassment to the point of outright stalking is unacceptable.

Note: If the allegations against members of Young Fine Gael are held up in a court of law, I would like to make the point that nowhere in this post, do I allege that this was an organised campaign sanctioned by the Young Fine Gael branch at UL.

Anyone else see the irony in having a national Work Life Balance Day on February 29th? I wonder who picked the date. What kind of message does it send?

One of the best parts of interacting in online communities is the way that people produce content and share it. Creative commons licensing of all sorts of digital media really does open doors to kicking off the idea juices of users.

I’ve changed my blog theme thanks to the sharing spirit of the Wordpress theme producers. Yes, I’ve added pieces here and there, but without the sharing process I’d probably still be tearing a little hair out.

So, why not have your designs with the community. Share your snaps on Flickr, your handcrafted Wordpress themes and anything else you’d like to produce. You’re enriching the community. And many more people will see your work.

Just like every other blogger on the island, I was livid listening to John Waters yesterday morning. I felt personally insulted. Some of the most intelligent, witty and erudite writers I read are via the media of blogs. I’ll not point them out as ego baiting is not my style and?there is enough narcissism inherent in blogging than one can shake a stick at.?Enough to say that every day I’m challenged and educated by these gifted writers. To hear blogs and blogging described as poison is an affront to these writers. A poison onto the face of this talented bunch. A ragged insult.

However, much as I disagree with Waters said, his expression is that of a frightened animal. And frightened animals bite. For as much as I respect the Irish Times, it’s not?the paper it was ten years ago. Online publications had siphoned off a fair degree of the traditional bridging readership of the Times. The Irish Times was the discounted paper I bought every day in college. Science on a Monday, Education (was it a Tuesday?) and Business on a Friday. It used to be 50 pence. Now, I can get comparable news online for free. I’m not the only one. You only have to look at the size of the Irish Times now to gauge how much less of paper it is compared to the heady days of late nineties.

John Waters’ beliefs represents a common enough opinion amongst those that view the enabling power of the Internet as the antithesis of order. To him, it seems, that the freedom of the Internet allows all of the shadowy vices of humanity peek through, pin us down and tempt us from good lives. Righteous paths.?

Freedom of information on the Internet is not societal anarchy, it’s democracy at it’s purest form. What he doesn’t seem to grasp is the stock of free will. Just because I can access virtually anything I want to read on the Internet, doesn’t mean that I necessarily choose to or wish to. Believing that the Internet is a poisoning influence on the morals of users belittles the fortitude of their judgement and their intelligence. Screaming it on national radio does nothing to further one’s case. Essentially, if we, as bloggers choose?to stone?John Waters for his opinions?are we any better than him?

Like everyone else, I’d like to see his stats on how much of the Internet is pornography. Isn’t that what real journalists do? Cite facts and not make numbers up? Bah, I’m off to read off the back of more public toilet doors.

The Limerick Blogger has published recommendations that the Limerick Chronicle printed about a vision document on the regeneration of parts of Limerick. It all seems to be about tracking people, knocking houses and rebuilding. It’s going to take more than tagging, bagging and rebuilding to change troubled parts of the city. Are the think-tankers serious?

First, it’s going to take more than a bunch of houses and parks to improve some areas of the cities.?The leaked recommendations are?mostly?about worldly?things like property. Just depending on tracking young people so they don’t fall into the cracks of society is a negative way to help improve the lot of those living in these blackspots. What? So, nurturing community involvement at current levels is seen as sufficient? I’m awaiting the report to dig into this further.

Second, assuming the correct policies and funding are in place, the push to improve areas of the city will most likely take decades. Decades. Regenerating these areas is not like doing a Lego project. People need to grow into their surrounds. Respect their living space?and neighbours. And more importantly, propagate these values onto their?kids.

There is much to do. Looking forward to reading the detail in the forthcoming report.

…is a barbaric process. Pounding flour, breaking eggs, skinning and chopping apples. Not to mind the skewing the pie and throwing it into a hot oven for?about 30 minutes. But, doesn’t it taste nice?

A few months ago, I surfaced the idea of organising a Limerick Tweetup. I helped to pull together the first Dublin one and organised the second one, so I know what’s involved. I believed that organising the first Limerick one would be similar.

Alas, no. After initial expressions of interest, only two people seemed seriously interested in attending. Seriously, two people. That’s a sad reflection on my home city. Yes, Limerick is a smaller city than Dublin. I don’t expect the same level of attendence at a Limerick Tweetup as I do for a Dublin one, but I’m not prepared to put the work into organising another one for the city if there are less than four locals who want to come along. Tough. You guys are well able to mobilise for OpenCoffees etc. If you want a Tweetup, be serious and do something about it.

EDIT: Just to make it very clear. I’m cancelling the planned Limerick Tweetup for this coming Sunday, January 6th.