The Dublin Community Blog

We seldomly write about direct internet-related issues here at the Dublin Blog; however – I think it’s time to raise awareness about certain tendencies in the online world (and the real one as well) that are threatening our personal freedom.

After last year’s sueing of Eircom by four of the major record companies in this country and this April’s conviction of the Pirate Bay operators, I was shocked today to read a statement of the German minister for family affairs where she condems all internet users capable of using a search engine as “possible pedophiles”. This makes one thing clear: in times when most people are considered lucky in still having a job and have other things on their minds than worrying about the internet, menaces to what we consider guaranteed will crawl from whatever dark space their were inhabiting before. Either major record and gaming companies, like the online casino are unable to adjust their business models to reality (jaysus, they are still thinking there’s money to be made with CD’s), or governments who were unable to tighten their grip on their citizens with the fear of terror will come up with even more phoney reasons why the internet should be better “controlled” and made more “safe”.

Don’t get me wrong: in times when established local businesses such as Road Records are almost forced to close their doors because of filesharing and downloading (I’m skipping the word “illegal” here), there obviously is a negative side to this. But just think about it. And don’t take everything for granted – they may take it away from you sooner than you expect.

While everyone is talking, twittering and typing about the Budget 2009 that was announced today, and as the direct impact of it on Dublin itself is not yet measurable (and about Dublin this blog is, young Jedis) I’ll write about something more pleasant: One City, One Book.

Now in its fourth year, Dublin: One City, One Book is a project designed to encourage everyone in the city to read the same book during the month of April each year. The project promotes reading in a city which boasts one of the world’s greatest literary heritages including four Nobel Laureates.

And this year we are encouraged to read the one book that introduced that ebony-fanged count and expert impaler from Transylvania to Victorian readers, 60′s horror movies and our collective consciousness; all dreamed up by a theatre manager who used to live on Kildare Street here in Dublin. Of course I’m speaking about “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. You’ll find a list of activities linked to this project and the novel at the official website; events including several exhibitions and walks plus a screening of F. W. Murnau’s classic silent movie “Nosferatu” including musical accompaniment.

So I’ll see if I can find my old second hand copy of that fascinating book somewhere – and hey, who couldn’t use some escapism in these dire times. Especially when the real-life vampires are already circling our paychecks…

As last year, most major cities and landmarks all over the world will deliberately switch off as many lights as possible for one hour at 8.30 PM local time tonight.

This year Earth Hour is the biggest grassroots marketing campaign the world has seen. [...] Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the iconic ‘Change, Progress, Hope’ imagery for Barack Obama in the recent US Presidential Election, has created the artwork for WWF’s 2009 Earth Hour called ‘Vote Earth’.

[...]

The target WAS 1,000 cities and 1 billion people. Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Galway, Belfast and Dublin will mean 6 Irish cities have helped swell the numbers participating to 3934 cities.

John Gormley, Irish Minister for the Environment, is calling on all local authorities to support Earth Hour. The Office of Public work is going to darken Irish flood-lit national monuments – including the Rock of Cashel.

Via FIE. Astonishingly I could not find much information on Dublin buildings going dark tonight. But I assume the Customs House will again get “shut down” – and of course every private home can participate as well.

Funnily enough, Ireland is not even listed as participating on the official Earth Hour website.

I’ve been on holidays for 1,5 weeks, and after I was back online/read some news this week I was shocked by all the terrible things that happened – the horrible shootings in the North, the two killing sprees in the States and Germany and finally the collapse of the Historical Archive of my hometown Cologne, killing two people. The collapse of this building was seemingly caused by the construction of an underground railway. And even though experts carried out examinations of ground- and building-structure of the areas where the tunnel is build, it still collapsed out of the blue.

The new Dublin Metro North tunnels will be constructed beneath such historic landmarks as the GPO and the Rotunda Hospital/Ambassador Theatre – I hope that the ground examinations in Dublin are more exact than the ones made in Germany, especially as both cities share the same type of subsoil, a quite unstable type called “Loess” which is prevailing on river banks.

All quite fitting for Friday the 13th.

I’m quite sure that everyone has read about it or seen it on TV, and I know that the bus collided with a tree – but what we are really thinking is: how in the world did he manage to do that:

Thankfully no one was injured – all passengers were seated in the lower section.

PS: thanks to Joe Drumgoole and pix.ie for the pictures.

The official announcement goes like this:

This weekend (4,5 October) the Festival of World Food is taking place in Marlay Park in Rathfarnham. There will be food stalls from Palestine, Lebanon, Algeria, Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Mexico, USA, Japan, China, Thailand, Greece, Spain, Sri Lanka and India. The festival will also focus on the wonderful innovations taking place in this country at the farming and artisan levels, with priority being given to applicants from farming, growing and producing backgrounds.
From Ireland there will be bakeries, farm house cheeses, condiments, butchers, gluten free products, organic fruit and vegetables, beverages, hot-food and a selection of our best home produced products.

The admission is free.

UPDATE: Other photos, here.

Met Éireann / Irish Times report that we might see some more rain and flooding over the next days…and suddenly I don’t regret going on holiday tomorrow evening. Hopefully the M50 is still passable then…

PS: thanks to notionpics for the nice image of the Blanchardstown River, er…the N3.

Coffee used to be a common topic here in times past with conversations about where the best coffee was to be found around the city. Some of us have forced our bodies to the next stage in human evolution. Unfortunately that is the stage where caffeine is required to keep us alive and functioning just as much as air, food.

So it is with great pleasure that I send congratulations to fellow Dubliner Stephen Morrissey who has just won the World Barista Championship beating champions from 50 other countries.

Each competitor prepared 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos and 4 original signature drinks of their own creation to exacting standards using state of the art La Marzocco FB/80 espresso machines and Compak K-10 WBC coffee grinders for a panel of experienced WBC certified judges. Seven judges, including one head judge, 4 sensory judges and 2 technical judges evaluated the taste of beverages served, cleanliness, creativity, technical skill and overall presentation of the competitors.

I would bet those were some nice cups of coffee.

English Gents are the winners of Street Performance World Championships .

Take a look:

For the first time ever the Oireachtas (the Irish parliament) is to open its doors for a family day on Sunday, June 29th, from 10am to 6pm.

Among the attractions taking place on the fun day is a tour of Leinster House with visits to both the Dáil and Seanad chambers, a picnic on Leinster Lawn, gourmet food stalls, live music, entertainment, hot air balloon (commemorating the balloon flight that took place in 1785 from Leinster Lawn), great political speeches as performed by members of the Gaiety School of Acting and a series of brief lectures on the history of the parliament.

To find out more and book tickets check out the Family Day website.

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