Wednesday 26 May 2010

*How to speak Irish

Many of the words below are in daily use by most Irish.

The GAA is the Gaelic Athletic Association and is the governing body of Irish football and hurling. There is a club in every town.

Now that the season is getting into swing, the following might be useful...

GAA Phrases

Bollix: - The Referee

Mighty :- Very good

Hames :- A right shite, e.g. 'He made a hames of that chance'

Timber: - Intimidation of a hurling opponent, e.g. 'Show him some timber'

Lamp :- A good thump, e.g. 'I swung for the sliotar (the ball), missed by 3 feet and lamped the full back'

A Crowd :- A gathering of people who watch a match and hope for random acts
of violence, e.g. Waterford supporters

Schkelp: - To remove living tissue in the absence of surgical procedures,e.g. 'That shite from Tipp took a schkelp outta me leg'

Hatchet Man :- Mountainy type, uses hunter/gatherer instincts

Bullin': - Angry, e.g. 'The centre half was bullin' after I lamped him'

Bull Thick: - Very angry, e.g. 'The centre half was bull thick after I Iamped him again'


Joult: - A push, e.g. 'I gave him a joult and he has to wear a neck brace for 2 weeks'

The Comm-A-Teee: - Local GAA bullshitters in general

Bushted :- An undefined soreness, e.g. 'Jayz me arm is bushted'

The Bomber :- Popular name for a fat hairy GAA player

A Hang Sangwidge :- Consumed with 'tay' on the sides of roads after matches in Pairc Ui Chaoimh or Thurles, usually contains half a pound of butter

Rake: - A great amount of anything, usually pints of Guinness the night before an important match

Indanamajaysus (in-da-nama-Jaysus): - What was that for, referee?

Ya Bollix Ya :- Corner back's formal recognition of a score by his opponent

Leh-It-In-Ta-Fuck-Wud-Ya :- Full forwards appeal to a midfielder for a more timely delivery of the pass

Mullocker: - Untidy or awkward player released for matches

Burst The Bollix :- Instructions from the sideline to tackle your man

Row :- Disagreement involving four or more players

Shamozzle: - Disagreement involving both teams, including goalies, substitutes and supporters jumping fences

All-Hell-Broke-Loose :- A massive row that continues out in the parking area or dressing room areas, usually resolved by the Gardai - very popular in Wicklow

Tuesday 25 May 2010

"THE GREENS: AFTER WINNING BRIGHTON ARE TRYING TO WIN COLOMBIA"


From: MINKA NEWSMINKA NEWS
UK's Iberian American Newsletter:


THIS SUNDAY THOUSANDS OF COLOMBIANS IN THE UK ARE ENTITLED TO VOTE IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THEIR NATIONAL ELECTIONS. THE BIG SURPRISE IS ANTANAS MOCKUS' GREENS WHO MIGHT BE THE WORLD'S FIRST EVER GREEN PRESIDENT.

MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED COLOMBIAN GREEN ACTIVISTS HAVE BEEN CAMPAINGNING ALL OVER LONDON.
LAST SUNDAY THEY HAD A RALLY AT THE CAMDEN MARKET. NOEL LYNCH, JENNY JONES AND OTHER UK'S GREEN LEADERS HAD BEEN ATTENDED SOME OF THEIR LAST ENCOUNTERS.

Photo shows Mark Douglas (Green Party National Elections Committee and Noel Lynch (London Coordinator) with some of the London Columbian Green Party leaders.





Sunday 9 May 2010

*Support jailed 15 year old girl.

http://www.petitiononline.com/be1r1van/petition.html

To: Turkish Justice Ministry.
We, the undersigned, are shocked by the 8 year jail sentence given to a young Kurdish girl of 15 in Turkey.

We are deeply concerned at reports
(The Guardian, 1st Feb 2010) that a 15-year-old girl, a Turkish Kurd,
named Berivan, has been jailed in Turkey for nearly eight years after
being convicted of "terrorist" offences.

She was arrested at a demonstration in the south-eastern city of Batman in October 2009. The
13-and-a-half-year sentence originally imposed on her was later reduced
on appeal to seven years and nine months because of her age. She was
found guilty of "crimes on behalf of an illegal organisation" after
prosecutors alleged she had hurled stones and shouted slogans.

She was also convicted of attending "meetings and demonstrations in opposition
to the law" and "spreading propaganda for an illegal organisation".
There are substantial concerns as to the fairness of her trial and
conviction.

We understand that under counter-terrorism legislation
introduced in 2006, Turkey has been trying juveniles as adults, and
jailing them for up to 50 years. Recent official figures have revealed
that there are currently 2,622 minors in Turkish prisons. According to
the Diyarbakir Human Rights Association, some 737 minors have been
charged under the counter-terrorism legislation since its introduction.
Out of 267 tried in Diyarbakir last year, 78 were given extended jail terms.

According to the European Court of Human Rights, between 1959 and 2009
Turkey was the worst violator of the European Convention on Human
Rights, with almost 19% of all violations, and 2,295 judgements issued
against it. Turkey also had the highest proportion of violations in
2009, with 347 out of 1,625 negative rulings. The right most commonly
violated was the right to a fair trial. Turkey was also condemned in 30
cases of inhumane or degrading treatment.

Turkey ratified the UN¹s Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on
4 April 1995. Berivan is a ³child², whose rights are protected by this
Convention. Article 37 (c) of the CRC provides that

³(b) No child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or
arbitrarily. The arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child shall be
in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last
resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time;²

We consider that an 8 year sentence on conviction for the
crimes reported is grossly disproportionate, and appears to be a
violation of Turkey¹s treaty obligations under the CRC.

We call on the Turkish government to release Berivan and all Kurdish children held in Turkish jails without further delay under humanitarian law