by Dani Mc Mahon
I am going to start by saying that I try to avoid reading the news too much. It is usually grim and really dulls all the positivity i try to havr around me. However, since last year I have been following the US election and subsequent inauguration of one Donald J. Trump. I am not going to get into how disgusted I was to see him become present (I've already done that in a separate blog piece). I want to write this piece today because while I was on my news feed this morning it was flooded with news stories about the wall Trump intends to construct as a border between the US and Mexico. I made the mistake of clicking in the comments on the article posted by RTE news. What I found were some horrible comments about Mexicans and their country, from people, might I add, who have probably never even been to Mexico!
Having lived in Mexico for almost three years, being married to a Mexican and having a huge extended family of in laws and friends in Mexico I was deeply saddened and offended by the comments.
Mexico is a spectacular country, with people who for the most part are humble, welcoming and big hearted. I hate to see Mexico being slated in the media and by people like Trump and all his white supremacist followers who have created this awful image on a global scale of Mexico as a place full of drug trafficking, job stealing, rapist good for nothings. As in every country there are awful people, look at the states and all the people who take up weapons and kill others needlessly in places such as schools...how would the people of the United States like to be branded as gun crazed psychos? I'm guessing they would not like it one bit!! I was surprised by these comments not only because they were expressed by irish people who understand the weight of oppression having lived under the thumb of Great Britain for so long with the issue of a border in our own country but because I thought we were a better people than that. I was obviously mistaken.
As trump prepares to build his wall I worry for the Mexican people. Mexico is a country in development with extreme gaps between the rich and poor with the majority of the Mexican population being classed as being impoverished. These people do not have the means to fight somebody like trump or a country like the states and I fear they will be trampled.
So before you comment on Mexico or the Mexican people the next time do some research, go to Mexico (I dare you!) and see if you still have the audacity to make your hurtful comments.
¡Viva México!
Friday 27 January 2017
Saturday 12 November 2016
A Note on Trump
by Dani Mc Mahon
It has been a very long time since my last post on The Overleaf. Life has been very busy of late. I started a new job about eight months ago and blogging was put on the back burner.
I have come out of hibernation and back to the world of blog because this week brought up many things which cannot be ignored.
As you all know by now, Donald Trump is now President-elect of the United Stated of America. When I woke to read this news the other morning I was dismayed. I could not believe that the country which currently holds the most power in the Western world had elected such a clown. This man has spent the entirety of his campaign slating women, muslims, people of colour, Mexicans and the LGBT community.
2015 and 2016 have been years which saw so much progress across the globe. With marriage equality being granted both here and in the US as well as other counties, feminism becoming something acceptable to mention again, parental leave becoming a feature in leading global companies such as Facebook and social media being used to unite people for all of these causes and harvest the power of the people.
I was so saddened to think of how all of these steps forward could be erased once Trump takes office. He election shows how much hate and discrimination still lives in the hearts of some people and made me fearful.
The letter issued by our leader here in Ireland congratulating Trump and his right hand man, Mike Pence made be furious. Enda Kenny has made many mistakes in his time as Taoiseach and I was so annoyed to read the letter which sent a message that portrayed Ireland as an island which accepted Trump and Pence (which is most definitely not true!). Today on Facebook I see that the County of Sligo is going to extend an invite to Pence to visit our fair Isle to celebrate his Irish ancestry. I was bothered by this as Pence is a big advocate for conversion therapy for homosexuals and personally I would be ashamed to say that he has anything to do with Ireland.
This week in work we took our worry at Trump's election and tried to see the silver lining. From this came jokes about such things as these conversion camps and the wall which Trump plans to build between the States and Mexico. We laughed as I told my manager not to worry if myself and my wife didn't return from our holiday to the US next year, we more than likely had been placed in a conversion camp, or maybe she had been put back over the wall into Mexico. I laughed and made this joke to mask the actual fear which I was feeling. I would hate to think that the opinions held by Trump and Pence about Mexicans, women, homosexuals and people of different religions and colour would diffuse across the globe. I would hate to see this world we have all played a part in creating and bettering become nothing but a battle ground for Mr Trump and his republican playmates.
I realise I have gone on an absolute rant here but I needed to express my fears in the hope that by saying all of these things it might take the power out of them. Maybe if enough people say these things out loud and express their opposition the universe might hear us and do us favour, not wishing any harm to Trump or Pence, obviously.
#yesequality #lovetrumpshate #stillwithher #loveislove #iloveagoodrant
It has been a very long time since my last post on The Overleaf. Life has been very busy of late. I started a new job about eight months ago and blogging was put on the back burner.
I have come out of hibernation and back to the world of blog because this week brought up many things which cannot be ignored.
As you all know by now, Donald Trump is now President-elect of the United Stated of America. When I woke to read this news the other morning I was dismayed. I could not believe that the country which currently holds the most power in the Western world had elected such a clown. This man has spent the entirety of his campaign slating women, muslims, people of colour, Mexicans and the LGBT community.
2015 and 2016 have been years which saw so much progress across the globe. With marriage equality being granted both here and in the US as well as other counties, feminism becoming something acceptable to mention again, parental leave becoming a feature in leading global companies such as Facebook and social media being used to unite people for all of these causes and harvest the power of the people.
I was so saddened to think of how all of these steps forward could be erased once Trump takes office. He election shows how much hate and discrimination still lives in the hearts of some people and made me fearful.
The letter issued by our leader here in Ireland congratulating Trump and his right hand man, Mike Pence made be furious. Enda Kenny has made many mistakes in his time as Taoiseach and I was so annoyed to read the letter which sent a message that portrayed Ireland as an island which accepted Trump and Pence (which is most definitely not true!). Today on Facebook I see that the County of Sligo is going to extend an invite to Pence to visit our fair Isle to celebrate his Irish ancestry. I was bothered by this as Pence is a big advocate for conversion therapy for homosexuals and personally I would be ashamed to say that he has anything to do with Ireland.
This week in work we took our worry at Trump's election and tried to see the silver lining. From this came jokes about such things as these conversion camps and the wall which Trump plans to build between the States and Mexico. We laughed as I told my manager not to worry if myself and my wife didn't return from our holiday to the US next year, we more than likely had been placed in a conversion camp, or maybe she had been put back over the wall into Mexico. I laughed and made this joke to mask the actual fear which I was feeling. I would hate to think that the opinions held by Trump and Pence about Mexicans, women, homosexuals and people of different religions and colour would diffuse across the globe. I would hate to see this world we have all played a part in creating and bettering become nothing but a battle ground for Mr Trump and his republican playmates.
I realise I have gone on an absolute rant here but I needed to express my fears in the hope that by saying all of these things it might take the power out of them. Maybe if enough people say these things out loud and express their opposition the universe might hear us and do us favour, not wishing any harm to Trump or Pence, obviously.
#yesequality #lovetrumpshate #stillwithher #loveislove #iloveagoodrant
Sunday 20 March 2016
TED: Ideas Worth Spreading
by Dani Mc Mahon
Some of you may have heard of TED talks before. I first heard of them through Grey's Anatomy, doctor's went to TED talks every year as it was the place to be for new ideas and a healthy dose of inspiration.
TED is basically a non-profit organisation and they are on a mission. They want to spread ideas and get the world thinking and they are doing so in quite the genius way. Each TED talk is usually somewhere between five and twenty minutes long. The variety of themes and sub categories are endless leaving you open to discovering things you would have never imagined in your wildest dreams.
Recently, my wife started her Post-Graduate diploma and part of one of her assignments was to watch a TED talk on the theme of creativity. We watched the video together (link below) and I was hooked. We followed it up with four or five more talks and I have been watching more and more ever since.
Sometimes sitting down to listen to academics, scientists, theorists, writers, artist, etc. talk about their fields of expertise or their ideas can feel like a chore. In today's fast-paced environment we are used to doing things in the shortest time possible and on the go. The only time we actually make an effort to sit down for a prolonged period of time is to catch up on your favourite TV shows, to watch a movie or read a book. By the time we reach this point in the day we are exhausted and just want to wind down. Our brains are entering sleep mode after a busy day.
The beauty of TED talks makes itself very apparent when you realise that the shortness of the talks and their accessibility mean that they do not interfere with your wind down time. In fact, if you download the app to your smart phone you can even have access to the talks whilst on the go. That's right, you can make use of your daily commute to work or college by listening to some of these inspiring talks, you might even feel all the better for it!
In recent times I found myself drifting further and further out of touch with topics which used to interest me due to lack of time and general laziness but in recent weeks I have reawakened my interests through a series of TED talks.
If you have some free time this weekend or during the week check out these TED talks and let yourself explore.
You never know what you might find!
Let us know what you think, our contact information is available through our 'Contact Us' tab :)
Do schools kill creativity? :https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity
My stroke of insight: https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight
Your elusive creative genius: https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius
Why some of us don't have one true calling: https://www.ted.com/talks/emilie_wapnick_why_some_of_us_don_t_have_one_true_calling
Fifty shades of gay: https://www.ted.com/talks/io_tillett_wright_fifty_shades_of_gay
Meet the dazzling flying machines of the future: https://www.ted.com/talks/raffaello_d_andrea_meet_the_dazzling_flying_machines_of_the_future
Some of you may have heard of TED talks before. I first heard of them through Grey's Anatomy, doctor's went to TED talks every year as it was the place to be for new ideas and a healthy dose of inspiration.
TED is basically a non-profit organisation and they are on a mission. They want to spread ideas and get the world thinking and they are doing so in quite the genius way. Each TED talk is usually somewhere between five and twenty minutes long. The variety of themes and sub categories are endless leaving you open to discovering things you would have never imagined in your wildest dreams.
Recently, my wife started her Post-Graduate diploma and part of one of her assignments was to watch a TED talk on the theme of creativity. We watched the video together (link below) and I was hooked. We followed it up with four or five more talks and I have been watching more and more ever since.
Sometimes sitting down to listen to academics, scientists, theorists, writers, artist, etc. talk about their fields of expertise or their ideas can feel like a chore. In today's fast-paced environment we are used to doing things in the shortest time possible and on the go. The only time we actually make an effort to sit down for a prolonged period of time is to catch up on your favourite TV shows, to watch a movie or read a book. By the time we reach this point in the day we are exhausted and just want to wind down. Our brains are entering sleep mode after a busy day.
The beauty of TED talks makes itself very apparent when you realise that the shortness of the talks and their accessibility mean that they do not interfere with your wind down time. In fact, if you download the app to your smart phone you can even have access to the talks whilst on the go. That's right, you can make use of your daily commute to work or college by listening to some of these inspiring talks, you might even feel all the better for it!
In recent times I found myself drifting further and further out of touch with topics which used to interest me due to lack of time and general laziness but in recent weeks I have reawakened my interests through a series of TED talks.
If you have some free time this weekend or during the week check out these TED talks and let yourself explore.
You never know what you might find!
Let us know what you think, our contact information is available through our 'Contact Us' tab :)
Do schools kill creativity? :https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity
My stroke of insight: https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight
Your elusive creative genius: https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius
Why some of us don't have one true calling: https://www.ted.com/talks/emilie_wapnick_why_some_of_us_don_t_have_one_true_calling
Fifty shades of gay: https://www.ted.com/talks/io_tillett_wright_fifty_shades_of_gay
Meet the dazzling flying machines of the future: https://www.ted.com/talks/raffaello_d_andrea_meet_the_dazzling_flying_machines_of_the_future
Thursday 17 March 2016
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!
by Dani Mc Mahon
I am not a huge fan of the St. Patrick's day and the festivities which it entails but the idea of celebrating our little country is a nice one.
Since I was a child I always found the day to be messy and too much fuss and the whole having to dress in green thing always drove me insane! This St. Patrick's day I am relaxing at home, listening to all of the fanfare outside as people celebrate, drink and be merry.
Being Irish is something unique, an identity which I think brings us all closer, no matter where we find ourselves in the world. Wherever you may be you are sure to find somebody who has at least a drop of Irish blood and they are always willing to welcome you.
The emerald isle has its drawbacks, sure, but on a day like today with the sun shining and clear blue skies as far as the eye can see it is definitely a day to celebrate our Irish heritage and feel proud!
I found this really nice post on Buzzed earlier and thought it was perfect for sharing on the day that is in it :)
Beautiful Irish Language Words Everyone Needs
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I am not a huge fan of the St. Patrick's day and the festivities which it entails but the idea of celebrating our little country is a nice one.
Since I was a child I always found the day to be messy and too much fuss and the whole having to dress in green thing always drove me insane! This St. Patrick's day I am relaxing at home, listening to all of the fanfare outside as people celebrate, drink and be merry.
Being Irish is something unique, an identity which I think brings us all closer, no matter where we find ourselves in the world. Wherever you may be you are sure to find somebody who has at least a drop of Irish blood and they are always willing to welcome you.
The emerald isle has its drawbacks, sure, but on a day like today with the sun shining and clear blue skies as far as the eye can see it is definitely a day to celebrate our Irish heritage and feel proud!
I found this really nice post on Buzzed earlier and thought it was perfect for sharing on the day that is in it :)
Beautiful Irish Language Words Everyone Needs
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Wednesday 16 March 2016
Happy Birthday, Gran!!
by Dani Mc Mahon
Today, one of my very best friends in the whole world turns eighty. You read me right, eighty. This spacial lady is not only one of my best friends but also my confidant, my inspiration, my advisor, my support, my companion in so many of life’s adventures and my Gran.
I met my Gran when she was 53 and we hit it off immediately. She took care of me while both my parents worked and played such a huge role in making me the person that I am today. A strong, fiercely independent woman my Gran has the hugest heart in the universe but can also be a force to be reckoned with! If you need good solid advice on anything from a fashion choice to politics to finances my Gran is the lady to go to! She has a mind that would challenge even the smartest of people out there and memory to match!
Most of my fondest childhood memories centre around my darling Gran. She showed immense levels of patience taking me to school every morning as I loaded my numerous imaginary friends into the car, making her say their names as they boarded her small hatch back. She spent hours sitting with me drawing stick figures to represent every person that I knew. She sat on the door step of her house and cut a pear into the slices, taking out the middle section which was ‘yucky’ and then piling the pear slices back up on top of each other so my pear looked like hers again. We took trips to the library on Friday afternoons and she opened my first savings account teaching me all about money and how to manage it. She made me the best scrambled eggs and waffles and always let me have two biscuits when ever I asked.
Gran and I spent every possible second together that we could and I can safely say I am privileged to call her my best friend. During the summer months we would hop on our bicycles and go for a cycle in our rural area. We would stop each time for a few minutes to visit a beautiful horse in a field we passed and make up possible names that we thought might suit it.
Every August we sat down together to watch the famous Irish contest ‘The Rose of Tralee’ making a ‘tick’ or an ‘x’ beside the pictures and profile of the girls which appeared in the television guide. We tried our best to guess which ‘Rose’ would win and celebrated when we guessed correctly. These stories are just a few which come from a huge catalogue of memories, ones that Gran and I remember so vividly and often speak about.
Her witty sense of humour has never been wasted on me she makes me laugh every single time I speak to her. Although time has slowed her down and restricted some of her activities when I sit with her and we chat about everything under the sun she is just the same Gran to me that she always has been. She will probably kill me for even writing this piece, she is not one for fuss! But I don’t care. The world needs to know what an incredible Gran I have! Not many girls get the opportunity to have a best friend who is really a friend for life, somebody who is a soul mate, completely loyal, a true love in many respects and wicked smart to boot. I am one of the lucky few and I just had to share this special lady with you.
Happy birthday Gran! I know you will pretend to dislike every minute of the fuss but inside you will be loving it! Always yours, Nange <3
Sunday 13 March 2016
Gilmore Girls are Go!
by Dani Mc Mahon
Darling people of the blogosphere, I have been shamefully quiet here for the last number of weeks. I can only blame a an all consuming addition to The Gilmore Girls. That is right ladies and gents I have been watching this TV show for the past three weeks non-stop and as I type I am preparing to sit down and take in the very last episode of the final season. I also finished up at my old job and started a new one which has been filling in the gaps between episode...I jest!
I remember watching the first three seasons of The Gilmore Girls when I was younger. It was actually aired on Irish television for a time and then it seemed to fall off the radar, something which happens quite a lot here. I never followed up with it after those three seasons, I was too young to be fully committed to the show and its characters and I didn't have access to a computer and much less to the internet. Recently, I saw a snippet of an episode and decided to catch myself up. The week I made this decision I also heard rumours of Netflix being in talks to release more episode of the hit show so I knew it was a solid idea.
I started from the very beginning, as I have heard it is an excellent please to start (shocking 'Sound of Music' play on words I know!) I was originally watching it by myself and then my lovely wife joined in too. Like me, she had seen the first couple of seasons and wanted to know how it had all turned out and so started watching it with me. The past two weeks have literally consisted of nothing other than work and The Gilmore Girls.
Today we are finishing the seventh season and I can feel the withdrawal symptoms coming on even now. What will I do with all of the free time once it is over? I suppose I could get back to living my normal life, blogging, reading and exercising have all been reducing drastically in importance over the past number of weeks so I am looking forward to getting back to all of those things but how will we survive without our daily dose of Stars Hollow?
Stay tuned and I will keep you posted!
I remember watching the first three seasons of The Gilmore Girls when I was younger. It was actually aired on Irish television for a time and then it seemed to fall off the radar, something which happens quite a lot here. I never followed up with it after those three seasons, I was too young to be fully committed to the show and its characters and I didn't have access to a computer and much less to the internet. Recently, I saw a snippet of an episode and decided to catch myself up. The week I made this decision I also heard rumours of Netflix being in talks to release more episode of the hit show so I knew it was a solid idea.
I started from the very beginning, as I have heard it is an excellent please to start (shocking 'Sound of Music' play on words I know!) I was originally watching it by myself and then my lovely wife joined in too. Like me, she had seen the first couple of seasons and wanted to know how it had all turned out and so started watching it with me. The past two weeks have literally consisted of nothing other than work and The Gilmore Girls.
Today we are finishing the seventh season and I can feel the withdrawal symptoms coming on even now. What will I do with all of the free time once it is over? I suppose I could get back to living my normal life, blogging, reading and exercising have all been reducing drastically in importance over the past number of weeks so I am looking forward to getting back to all of those things but how will we survive without our daily dose of Stars Hollow?
Stay tuned and I will keep you posted!
Wednesday 17 February 2016
#tolfotochallenge Days 23, 24 & 25: Night, Landscape & Mirror, Mirror
by Dani Mc Mahon
25 Day Photography Challenge - Days 23, 24 & 25: Night, Landscape & Mirror, Mirror
Sincerest apologies for the delay in posting the last photos of the 25 day challenge. I was sucked into a couple of books but I am pleased to report that I have once again resurfaced un-harmed feeling completely enlightened!
Days 23, 24 & 25 looked a little like this:
Day 23: Night
Ireland is a place where the skies can be cloudy and grey most days. However, living by the sea has huge advantages which help with this predicament. The sea breeze gently sweeps away the clouds so that for large periods of the day (and night) the sky which I view from our bedroom window is a cloudless one. The results are usually pretty gorgeous.
Day 24: Landscape
From the bedroom window we have a view which I feel is likened to the view seen in Van Gough's painting of the roofs of Paris. Of course I am embellishing our view slightly with this description, but it is a nice one none-the-less. We have a lovely view of roof-tops and of mountains which in recent weeks have been dusted with snow occasionally. The sky on the evening I took this picture was absolutely magnificent and you can see the outline of the landscape perfectly.
Day 25: Mirror, Mirror
On a recent trip to IKEA I was reminded of my first trip there some two years or more ago. It was a Sunday afternoon, there was oh-so-much to see and I was totally amazed at the sheer quantity of things and the endless decorating possibilities. As we made our way through the kids section I stopped to look at the stuffed animals and came across two gorgeous princesses who really did strike a resemblance to myself and my lovely wife. A mirror image one might say?
And so the 25 Day Photography Challenge comes to and end. Thanks for following it and reading my musings. Stay tuned, I have plenty of book reviews to come :)
#tolfotochallenge #catchup #moretofollow #staytuned
25 Day Photography Challenge - Days 23, 24 & 25: Night, Landscape & Mirror, Mirror
Sincerest apologies for the delay in posting the last photos of the 25 day challenge. I was sucked into a couple of books but I am pleased to report that I have once again resurfaced un-harmed feeling completely enlightened!
Days 23, 24 & 25 looked a little like this:
Day 23: Night
Ireland is a place where the skies can be cloudy and grey most days. However, living by the sea has huge advantages which help with this predicament. The sea breeze gently sweeps away the clouds so that for large periods of the day (and night) the sky which I view from our bedroom window is a cloudless one. The results are usually pretty gorgeous.Day 24: Landscape
Day 25: Mirror, Mirror
On a recent trip to IKEA I was reminded of my first trip there some two years or more ago. It was a Sunday afternoon, there was oh-so-much to see and I was totally amazed at the sheer quantity of things and the endless decorating possibilities. As we made our way through the kids section I stopped to look at the stuffed animals and came across two gorgeous princesses who really did strike a resemblance to myself and my lovely wife. A mirror image one might say?And so the 25 Day Photography Challenge comes to and end. Thanks for following it and reading my musings. Stay tuned, I have plenty of book reviews to come :)
#tolfotochallenge #catchup #moretofollow #staytuned
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