Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Paul R. Irish provides a look at ...
Irish in Literature and Art
For an island with a relatively small population, Ireland has made a large contribution to world literature in all its branches, mainly in English. Poetry in Irish represents the oldest vernacular poetry in Europe with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century. Jonathan Swift, still often called the foremost satirist in the English language, was wildly popular in his day for works such as Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal, and he remains so in modern times.
More recently, Ireland has produced four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. Although not a Nobel Prize winner, James Joyce is widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century; Samuel Beckett himself refused to attend his own Nobel award ceremony, in protest of Joyce not having received the award. Joyce's 1922 novel Ulysses is considered one of the most important works of Modernist literature, and his life is celebrated annually on 16 June in Dublin as the Bloomsday celebrations.[72]
The story of art in Ireland begins with Stone Age carvings found at sites such as Newgrange.
It is traced through Bronze age artifacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the mediæval period. During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong indigenous tradition of painting emerged, including such figures as John Butler Yeats, William Orpen, Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy.Modern Irish literature is still often connected with its rural heritage, through writers like John McGahern and poets like Seamus Heaney.In the performing arts, playwrights such as Seán O'Casey, Brian Friel, Sebastian Barry, Conor McPherson and Billy Roche have placed Ireland on the world stage. There is a thriving performing arts culture all over the country, performing international as well as Irish plays. In addition, Galway has An Taibhdhearc, the Irish Language Theatre established in 1928.Music
The Irish tradition of folk music and dance is known worldwide, not least through the phenomenon of Riverdance.
In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was attempting to modernise, traditional music tended to fall out of favour, especially in urban areas.[79] During the 1960s, and inspired by the American folk music movement, there was a revival of interest in the Irish tradition. This revival was led by such groups as The Dubliners, The Chieftains, Emmet Spiceland, The Wolfe Tones, the Clancy Brothers, Sweeney's Men, and individuals like Seán Ó Riada and Christy Moore.[80]Before too long, groups and musicians including Horslips, Van Morrison, and Thin Lizzy were incorporating elements of traditional music into a rock idiom to form a unique new sound.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the distinction between traditional and rock musicians became blurred, with many individuals regularly crossing over between these styles of playing as a matter of course.
This trend can be seen more recently in the work of artists like U2, Enya, Flogging Molly, Moya Brennan, The Saw Doctors, Bell X1, Damien Rice, The Corrs, Aslan, Sinéad O'Connor, Clannad, The Cranberries, Rory Gallagher, Westlife, B*witched, BoyZone, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Black 47, VNV Nation, Rob Smith, Ash, The Thrills, Stars of Heaven, Something Happens, A House, Sharon Shannon, Damien Dempsey, Declan O' Rourke, The Frames and The Pogues.During the 1990s, a subgenre of folk metal emerged in Ireland that fused heavy metal music with Irish and Celtic music. The pioneers of this subgenre were Cruachan, Primordial and Waylander.Irish music has shown an immense increase in popularity with many attempting to return to their roots. Some contemporary music groups stick closer to a "traditional" sound, including Altan, Téada, Danú, Dervish, Lúnasa, and Solas. Others incorporate multiple cultures in a fusion of styles, such as Afro Celt Sound System and Kíla
For an island with a relatively small population, Ireland has made a large contribution to world literature in all its branches, mainly in English. Poetry in Irish represents the oldest vernacular poetry in Europe with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century. Jonathan Swift, still often called the foremost satirist in the English language, was wildly popular in his day for works such as Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal, and he remains so in modern times.
More recently, Ireland has produced four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. Although not a Nobel Prize winner, James Joyce is widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century; Samuel Beckett himself refused to attend his own Nobel award ceremony, in protest of Joyce not having received the award. Joyce's 1922 novel Ulysses is considered one of the most important works of Modernist literature, and his life is celebrated annually on 16 June in Dublin as the Bloomsday celebrations.[72]
The story of art in Ireland begins with Stone Age carvings found at sites such as Newgrange.
It is traced through Bronze age artifacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the mediæval period. During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong indigenous tradition of painting emerged, including such figures as John Butler Yeats, William Orpen, Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy.Modern Irish literature is still often connected with its rural heritage, through writers like John McGahern and poets like Seamus Heaney.In the performing arts, playwrights such as Seán O'Casey, Brian Friel, Sebastian Barry, Conor McPherson and Billy Roche have placed Ireland on the world stage. There is a thriving performing arts culture all over the country, performing international as well as Irish plays. In addition, Galway has An Taibhdhearc, the Irish Language Theatre established in 1928.Music
The Irish tradition of folk music and dance is known worldwide, not least through the phenomenon of Riverdance.
In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was attempting to modernise, traditional music tended to fall out of favour, especially in urban areas.[79] During the 1960s, and inspired by the American folk music movement, there was a revival of interest in the Irish tradition. This revival was led by such groups as The Dubliners, The Chieftains, Emmet Spiceland, The Wolfe Tones, the Clancy Brothers, Sweeney's Men, and individuals like Seán Ó Riada and Christy Moore.[80]Before too long, groups and musicians including Horslips, Van Morrison, and Thin Lizzy were incorporating elements of traditional music into a rock idiom to form a unique new sound.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the distinction between traditional and rock musicians became blurred, with many individuals regularly crossing over between these styles of playing as a matter of course.
This trend can be seen more recently in the work of artists like U2, Enya, Flogging Molly, Moya Brennan, The Saw Doctors, Bell X1, Damien Rice, The Corrs, Aslan, Sinéad O'Connor, Clannad, The Cranberries, Rory Gallagher, Westlife, B*witched, BoyZone, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Black 47, VNV Nation, Rob Smith, Ash, The Thrills, Stars of Heaven, Something Happens, A House, Sharon Shannon, Damien Dempsey, Declan O' Rourke, The Frames and The Pogues.During the 1990s, a subgenre of folk metal emerged in Ireland that fused heavy metal music with Irish and Celtic music. The pioneers of this subgenre were Cruachan, Primordial and Waylander.Irish music has shown an immense increase in popularity with many attempting to return to their roots. Some contemporary music groups stick closer to a "traditional" sound, including Altan, Téada, Danú, Dervish, Lúnasa, and Solas. Others incorporate multiple cultures in a fusion of styles, such as Afro Celt Sound System and Kíla
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
Due to the recent economic crisis, stock market mess, budget cuts and the rising cost of insurance, electricity, petroleum, housing, and taxes of all kinds, The Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Word has arrived from my favorite Irish Patriot! Who sends us all things Irish! We can hope that the "troubles" have not flamed again in N. Ireland
Here is the first of some Irish themes that I'll send around before St. Patrick's Day.
Paul R.Irish
The Irish in America
The diaspora (dispersion) of Irish to America was immortalized in the words of many songs including the famousIrish ballad, "The Green Fields of America":
So pack up your sea-stores,
consider no longer,
Ten dollars a week is not very bad pay,
With no taxes or tithes to devour up your wages,
When you're on the green fields of America.
The experience of Irish immigrants in America has not always been harmonious, however.
Irish newcomers were sometimes uneducated and often found themselves fighting Americans for manual labor jobs or, in the 1860s, being recruited off the docks by the U.S. Army to serve in the American Civil War.
This view of the Irish-American experience is depicted by another traditional song, "Paddy's Lamentation":
Hear me boys,
now take my advice,
To America I'll have ye's not be going,
There is nothing here but war,
where the murderin' cannons roar,
And I wish I was at home in dear old Dublin.
The classic image of an Irish immigrant is led occasionally by racist and anti-Catholic stereotypes.
In modern times, in the United States, the Irish are largely perceived as hard workers. Most notably they are associated with the positions of police officer, firefighter, Roman Catholic Church leaders and politicians in the larger Eastern-Seaboard metropolitan areas.
Irish Americans number over 44 million, making them the second largest ethnic group in the country, after German Americans.
The largest Irish American communities are in Chicago, Boston, New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Kansas City and Savannah, Georgia. Each city has an annual St Patrick's Day parade with Savannah having the largest one.
The parade in Boston is closely associated with Evacuation Day, when George Washington and his troops forced the British out of Boston during the Revolutionary War.
At state level, Texas has the largest number of Irish Americans.
According to the 1990 U.S. Census, Arkansas list 9.5% of the population as Irish descendent, primarily located in the southeast part of the state.
In percentage terms, Boston is the most Irish city in the United States and Massachusetts the most Irish state.Before the Great Hunger ("Irish Potato Famine") and the associated British policies resulted in over a million dead and more emigrated, there had been the Penal Laws which had already resulted in significant emigration from Ireland.
Another work in progress... Common Money Myths ... or Are They?
Money Myth No. 1: This is a Great Opportunity to Buy Stocks
If you believe that, I have some real estate in Florida (with just a little water on it) that's also a great buy. If your financial advisor is telling you that now is the time to buy, fire your broker. We know that you are desperate to make back some of your investment losses, but buying stocks in this environment isn't the way to do it. The bottom is nowhere in sight right now, and this is no time to invest new money -- don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Money Myth No. 2: Everyone Needs Life Insurance
Think the insurance agents are behind keeping this money myth alive? Here it is in a nutshell: If you have someone who really DEPENDS on your income -- then, yes, you likely may need life insurance to help them maintain their standard of living if you're gone.
If you're single, retired or part of a dual income household with no dependents, you may not need life insurance at all. And, please, don't count on life insurance as a savings plan or as a source of "emergency money" that you can cash in down the road.
Money Myth No. 3: Credit Counseling Will Hurt Your Credit Score
No, no, NO! We're going to scream this one from the rooftops till we get through! Credit counseling will not affect your credit score one iota.
In fact, Fair Isaac (the company that calculates credit scores) does not factor enrollment with a credit counseling service into their scoring criteria. However, some lenders will see that "in credit counseling" notation on your credit report as a red flag, so you may have trouble getting new credit while you are in counseling.
Money Myth No. 4: Money Markets are FDIC Insured
A money market mutual fund is most certainly NOT FDIC insured. However, a money market DEPOSIT account -- which earns interest at a rate set (and paid) by the bank -- IS FDIC insured.
The fact that the names of these two vehicles sound similar may be the source of the confusion. Just suffice it to say that, basically, any deposit-type of account where your bank pays you interest is probably insured (but double check!) That includes any traditional type of bank account -- from checking and savings to CDs and IRAs. All of these are insured by the FDIC up to the limit of $250,000 per qualifying account.
Money Myth No. 5: You Get What You Pay For
Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, this money myth won't die.
While it's true that sometimes there IS a link between price and quality, more often than not, you can get a great product at a great price if you shop around and/or know what to look for.
Take generic drugs, for example. They often use the exact same ingredients as their higher-priced name brand counterparts, and many are considered to be just as effective when stacked up against the big names. So why pay more?
Money Myth No. 6: Co-Signing a Loan is No Big Deal
Think co-signing a loan for a friend or relative is "not a big deal"? Think again.
Your signature is essentially telling the lender, "Sure, come after ME if my loved one defaults ... or even misses ONE payment. I'll take care of it!"
And, yes, this even applies to your own children. We know of one couple who co-signed a loan for their grown son -- one day, he just stopped making payments. Guess who's now making those car payments for him ... to avoid ruining their own credit?
Money Myth No. 7: You Don't Need a Will if You're Leaving Everything to Your Spouse
More than half of Americans die without leaving one. Big mistake.
Don't make the all-too-common assumption that your spouse will automatically get everything -- the house, the car, your investments -- upon your death. Without a will, there's no guarantee. That goes especially if you have children and/or surviving parents. The law in most states will award one-third to one-half of your property to your surviving spouse and divvy up the rest between your children and your parents, if they're still living.
Money Myth No. 8: Your Debts Will Be Wiped Out When You Die
It's a sad fact: Your debts may live on long after you do. Sure, some of your creditors may choose to forgive your debts, but more often than not, they'll try and collect from your estate.
If you have a trustee, that person is legally obligated to contact and pay off any debts before distributing money or property to your heirs. But, even if you don't have a trustee, your creditors can still stake a claim against your estate.
Money Myth No. 9: You Need a Certain Amount of Money to Start Investing
Don't let this money myth rob you from investing in your future. Even if you can only invest a few dollars every month, you still have plenty of options.
As a first step, you can open an online savings account that pays interest. Or you can buy stock directly from a company, though a Direct Stock Purchase plan. You can also pick up a low-cost mutual fund for as little as $50.
Money Myth No. 10: The Lower Your Insurance Deductible, the Better
This one is completely backwards! The lower your deductible, the higher your premium.
For MOST people, the odds of an accident or a house fire or a serious illness are actually quite small. So a higher deductible (in exchange for a lower monthly premium) should benefit more people than not.
For more truth about your money, visit Dolans.com, to learn simple proven strategies that can help you save more money, get out of debt and avoid common money mistakes.
If you believe that, I have some real estate in Florida (with just a little water on it) that's also a great buy. If your financial advisor is telling you that now is the time to buy, fire your broker. We know that you are desperate to make back some of your investment losses, but buying stocks in this environment isn't the way to do it. The bottom is nowhere in sight right now, and this is no time to invest new money -- don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Money Myth No. 2: Everyone Needs Life Insurance
Think the insurance agents are behind keeping this money myth alive? Here it is in a nutshell: If you have someone who really DEPENDS on your income -- then, yes, you likely may need life insurance to help them maintain their standard of living if you're gone.
If you're single, retired or part of a dual income household with no dependents, you may not need life insurance at all. And, please, don't count on life insurance as a savings plan or as a source of "emergency money" that you can cash in down the road.
Money Myth No. 3: Credit Counseling Will Hurt Your Credit Score
No, no, NO! We're going to scream this one from the rooftops till we get through! Credit counseling will not affect your credit score one iota.
In fact, Fair Isaac (the company that calculates credit scores) does not factor enrollment with a credit counseling service into their scoring criteria. However, some lenders will see that "in credit counseling" notation on your credit report as a red flag, so you may have trouble getting new credit while you are in counseling.
Money Myth No. 4: Money Markets are FDIC Insured
A money market mutual fund is most certainly NOT FDIC insured. However, a money market DEPOSIT account -- which earns interest at a rate set (and paid) by the bank -- IS FDIC insured.
The fact that the names of these two vehicles sound similar may be the source of the confusion. Just suffice it to say that, basically, any deposit-type of account where your bank pays you interest is probably insured (but double check!) That includes any traditional type of bank account -- from checking and savings to CDs and IRAs. All of these are insured by the FDIC up to the limit of $250,000 per qualifying account.
Money Myth No. 5: You Get What You Pay For
Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, this money myth won't die.
While it's true that sometimes there IS a link between price and quality, more often than not, you can get a great product at a great price if you shop around and/or know what to look for.
Take generic drugs, for example. They often use the exact same ingredients as their higher-priced name brand counterparts, and many are considered to be just as effective when stacked up against the big names. So why pay more?
Money Myth No. 6: Co-Signing a Loan is No Big Deal
Think co-signing a loan for a friend or relative is "not a big deal"? Think again.
Your signature is essentially telling the lender, "Sure, come after ME if my loved one defaults ... or even misses ONE payment. I'll take care of it!"
And, yes, this even applies to your own children. We know of one couple who co-signed a loan for their grown son -- one day, he just stopped making payments. Guess who's now making those car payments for him ... to avoid ruining their own credit?
Money Myth No. 7: You Don't Need a Will if You're Leaving Everything to Your Spouse
More than half of Americans die without leaving one. Big mistake.
Don't make the all-too-common assumption that your spouse will automatically get everything -- the house, the car, your investments -- upon your death. Without a will, there's no guarantee. That goes especially if you have children and/or surviving parents. The law in most states will award one-third to one-half of your property to your surviving spouse and divvy up the rest between your children and your parents, if they're still living.
Money Myth No. 8: Your Debts Will Be Wiped Out When You Die
It's a sad fact: Your debts may live on long after you do. Sure, some of your creditors may choose to forgive your debts, but more often than not, they'll try and collect from your estate.
If you have a trustee, that person is legally obligated to contact and pay off any debts before distributing money or property to your heirs. But, even if you don't have a trustee, your creditors can still stake a claim against your estate.
Money Myth No. 9: You Need a Certain Amount of Money to Start Investing
Don't let this money myth rob you from investing in your future. Even if you can only invest a few dollars every month, you still have plenty of options.
As a first step, you can open an online savings account that pays interest. Or you can buy stock directly from a company, though a Direct Stock Purchase plan. You can also pick up a low-cost mutual fund for as little as $50.
Money Myth No. 10: The Lower Your Insurance Deductible, the Better
This one is completely backwards! The lower your deductible, the higher your premium.
For MOST people, the odds of an accident or a house fire or a serious illness are actually quite small. So a higher deductible (in exchange for a lower monthly premium) should benefit more people than not.
For more truth about your money, visit Dolans.com, to learn simple proven strategies that can help you save more money, get out of debt and avoid common money mistakes.
Synthetic Biology Update: Man-made Designer Organisms (Bugs) ... like making methane natual gas for spent coal deposits... one cell chemical factories
Harvard University scientists are a step closer to creating synthetic forms of life, part of a drive to design man-made organisms that may one day be used to help produce new fuels and create biotechnology drugs.
Researchers led by George Church, whose findings helped spur the U.S. human genome project in the 1980s, have copied the part of a living cell that makes proteins, the building blocks of life. The finding overcomes a major roadblock in making synthetic self-replicating organisms, Church said today in a lecture at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The technology can be used to program cells to make virtually any protein, even some that don’t exist in nature, the scientists said. That may allow production of helpful new drugs, chemicals and organisms, including living bacteria. It also opens the door to ethical concerns about creation of processes that may be uncontrollable by life’s natural defenses.
“It’s the key component to making synthetic life,” Church said yesterday in a telephone call with reporters. “We haven’t made synthetic life and it’s not our primary goal, but this is a huge milestone in that direction.”
The work may be immediately helpful to companies such as Synthetic Genomics Inc., headed by J. Craig Venter, trying to make new organisms that perform specific tasks, such as converting buried coal into methane gas that’s easier to extract from the ground. Venter’s plan is to create man-made microbes that can help break down the coal in the earth, much as bacteria speed decomposing plant material.
In a conference for alumni today at Harvard, Church described how his team assembled a reconstituted ribosome, the first artificial version of the structure capable of remaking itself.
Naturally occurring ribosomes are used now when biotechnology companies genetically engineer cells to make the proteins for vaccines and drugs, such as Genentech Inc.’s Herceptin. Normal ribosomes make some drugs slowly, and others can’t be made at all, said Anthony Forster, a Vanderbilt University pharmacologist who has collaborated with Church on synthetic biology projects.
A man-made, or reconstituted, ribosome may be programmable to make all kinds of molecules, Forster said.
READ THE REST OF THE STORY:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aWNwdtOMONZ8&refer=home
I told my students that ribosomes were going to be important on the test.... but this NOT synthetic, man-made life. This is like installing an option on your computer or even your car. Tinkering with the engine.
FD
Researchers led by George Church, whose findings helped spur the U.S. human genome project in the 1980s, have copied the part of a living cell that makes proteins, the building blocks of life. The finding overcomes a major roadblock in making synthetic self-replicating organisms, Church said today in a lecture at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The technology can be used to program cells to make virtually any protein, even some that don’t exist in nature, the scientists said. That may allow production of helpful new drugs, chemicals and organisms, including living bacteria. It also opens the door to ethical concerns about creation of processes that may be uncontrollable by life’s natural defenses.
“It’s the key component to making synthetic life,” Church said yesterday in a telephone call with reporters. “We haven’t made synthetic life and it’s not our primary goal, but this is a huge milestone in that direction.”
The work may be immediately helpful to companies such as Synthetic Genomics Inc., headed by J. Craig Venter, trying to make new organisms that perform specific tasks, such as converting buried coal into methane gas that’s easier to extract from the ground. Venter’s plan is to create man-made microbes that can help break down the coal in the earth, much as bacteria speed decomposing plant material.
In a conference for alumni today at Harvard, Church described how his team assembled a reconstituted ribosome, the first artificial version of the structure capable of remaking itself.
Naturally occurring ribosomes are used now when biotechnology companies genetically engineer cells to make the proteins for vaccines and drugs, such as Genentech Inc.’s Herceptin. Normal ribosomes make some drugs slowly, and others can’t be made at all, said Anthony Forster, a Vanderbilt University pharmacologist who has collaborated with Church on synthetic biology projects.
A man-made, or reconstituted, ribosome may be programmable to make all kinds of molecules, Forster said.
READ THE REST OF THE STORY:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aWNwdtOMONZ8&refer=home
I told my students that ribosomes were going to be important on the test.... but this NOT synthetic, man-made life. This is like installing an option on your computer or even your car. Tinkering with the engine.
FD
Obama Day 60 - Stem Cell Research Funding Re-instated in USA
Supporters say it will open up a broad front of research to find better treatments for ailments from diabetes to Parkinson's disease; opponents saying destroying embryos for research is morally wrong. FOX NEWS Summary: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/09/obama-lift-restrictions-stem-cell-research-funding/
President Obama on Monday signed an order to lift restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, in a move he said rejects the "false choice" between science and morality.
The order would not fund the creation of new stem cell lines, but would allow federally funded scientists to conduct research on existing embryonic stem cells that under the Bush administration were off limits.
Obama said the full promise of such research "remains unknown" but that it should be explored because of the potential for scientists to find better treatments for ailments ranging from diabetes to Parkinson's disease to cancer. He warned of the risks of falling behind other countries in scientific research by keeping in place government restrictions on funding.
"When government fails to make these investments, opportunities are missed. Promising avenues go unexplored. Some of our best scientists leave for other countries that will sponsor their work. And those countries may surge ahead of ours in the advances that transform our lives," Obama said. "But in recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values. In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent."
Dr. Curt Civin, whose research allowed scientists to isolate stem cells and who now serves as the founding director of the University of Maryland Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, said that Right to Life rhetoric was not helpful. "This was already life that was going to be destroyed in clinics around the country," he said. "The choice is throw them away or use them for research."
President Obama on Monday signed an order to lift restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, in a move he said rejects the "false choice" between science and morality.
The order would not fund the creation of new stem cell lines, but would allow federally funded scientists to conduct research on existing embryonic stem cells that under the Bush administration were off limits.
Obama said the full promise of such research "remains unknown" but that it should be explored because of the potential for scientists to find better treatments for ailments ranging from diabetes to Parkinson's disease to cancer. He warned of the risks of falling behind other countries in scientific research by keeping in place government restrictions on funding.
"When government fails to make these investments, opportunities are missed. Promising avenues go unexplored. Some of our best scientists leave for other countries that will sponsor their work. And those countries may surge ahead of ours in the advances that transform our lives," Obama said. "But in recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values. In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent."
Dr. Curt Civin, whose research allowed scientists to isolate stem cells and who now serves as the founding director of the University of Maryland Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, said that Right to Life rhetoric was not helpful. "This was already life that was going to be destroyed in clinics around the country," he said. "The choice is throw them away or use them for research."
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