Magpie

Saturday, December 4, 2004

No, we haven't forgotten you.

But that deadline we whined about a few days ago had a couple of children, which have been keeping us working instead of blogging. And our cruel employer wants us in Seattle on Monday, which means taking Amtrak up on Sunday. And we'll probably be leaving our laptop in Portland ...

Which is a roundabout way of saying that there'll be no blogging until Monday night at the earliest. In the meantime, visit Natasha and Mary over at Pacific Views or investigate some of the many fine blogs in our blogroll.

| | Posted by Magpie at 11:47 PM | Get permalink

Friday, December 3, 2004

Only 20 years late.

In 1984, a toxic gas leak from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India killed 7000 people and left hundreds of thousands needing long-term medical attention because of their exposure to the fumes. Neither Union Carbide nor Dow Chemical (who bought Union Carbide some years later) were willing to take responsibility for the leak and, in the eyes of survivors and human rights groups such as Amnesty International, the Indian government failed to press for a fair and just settlement on behalf of the victims of the disaster.

Finally, Dow Chemical is taking responsibility for Bhopal leak. Dow will sell off Union Carbide to fund a US $12 billion fund to compensate the victims of Bhopal.

Recent articles on the Bhopal leak and Union Carbide/Dow's long refusal to accept full responsibility for that leak are here and here.

Via Reuters.

| | Posted by Magpie at 2:55 AM | Get permalink

The times they had.

In March 2003, a building off Holloway Road in London was demolished to make room for the new stadium of the Arsenal football team. While the building didn't look like much, it had for years been the home of 'The Favourite,' a working-class Irish pub. From the mid-1960s until 1980, 'The Favourite' hosted an Irish music session led by Jimmy Power and Reg Hall that has a central place in the history of traditional Irish music.

Geoff Wallis recently talked about the session in an article about Jimmy Power he wrote for Irish Music Review:

In 1965 Jimmy and Reg began a session at Tom and Kathleen McManamon?s pub, The Mulberry Tree, in the somewhat insalubrious setting of Bromley-by-Bow. When the McManamon?s moved to The Favourite, just off the bottom end of Hornsey Road in Holloway, the musicians followed too, establishing what was to become probably London?s most famous traditional music session and one which endured until 1980.

To be frank, The Favourite was not exactly the most physically welcoming of pubs and sometimes the smell from the nearby Islington Council Refuse HQ was a little overpowering, but socially it was one of London?s friendliest bars and was advantageously placed not far from the Holloway Road tube station. That geographical position meant that it was easy for other musicians to reach and take part in what was not so much a session as a Sunday lunchtime show, choreographed by Jimmy Power from the pub?s small stage (constructed by Jimmy himself and equipped with a basic amplification system consisting of one microphone, an amplifier and a speaker hung on the far wall). He would perform originally with just Reg Hall on piano and additionally, from 1969 to 1973, with Westmeath-born Tony Ledwith on button accordion.

Jimmy?s knack lay in noting which musicians had turned up for this regular Sunday venture and in making sure that any unknown visiting musicians were also embraced by the event. As evidence, turn simply to the better known of the two recordings drawn from The Favourite?s resident and visiting musical personnel, Paddy in the Smoke, originally released on vinyl in 1968 and as a CD (with additional material) in 1997.

The album features the then cream of London?s Irish-born or Irish-descended fiddlers ? Martin Byrnes, Bobby Casey, a young Danny Meehan, Dennis MacMahon, Jimmy Dunleavy, Julia Clifford, Edmond Murphy, Seán O?Shea, Con Curtin and Andy Boyle, as well as Lucy Farr, who must have popped up the day from Essex ? as well as one of the city?s best-known music teachers, the Leitrim accordionist Tommy Maguire. Add to that brew a young Tony Mac Mahon who was just passing through London on his way to Morocco, and Paddy in the Smoke really does capture the feel of The Favourite. All it lacks is Jimmy?s fondly remembered closing time instruction to both musicians and audience to ?now go home to your dinners?. Licensing laws were very strict in those days and the pub was supposed to close after drinking-up time shortly after 2pm, but somehow it was often possible to squeeze in an extra pint.

This past Thursday, BBC Radio 4 broadcast Debbie Kilbride's documentary on 'The Favourite,' and on the music and people who made the pub what it was during the '60s, '70s, and '80s. We won't describe it — you should just click this link and listen.

[We're not sure how long the link will stay live, so the sooner you listen, the better. If anyone has downloaded the file, this magpie would love a copy.]

Topic Records has reissued 'Paddy in the Smoke' on CD. You can find more information here.

| | Posted by Magpie at 2:06 AM | Get permalink

Wednesday, December 1, 2004

Any reasonable person in the US already knew this.

But a study by the staff of US Representative Henry Waxman confirms it: 'abstinence-only'-based sex education programs tell lies to US kids and teens. [Waxman is a Democrat from California, by the way.]

According to the Waxman report, federally funded 'abstinence-only' programs have taught the following 'facts': that abortion can lead to sterility and suicide; that half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus; and that pregnancy can be caused by touching someone's genitals.

And it gets worse:

The report concluded that two of the curricula were accurate but the 11 others, used by 69 organizations in 25 states, contain unproved claims, subjective conclusions or outright falsehoods regarding reproductive health, gender traits and when life begins. [...]

Among the misconceptions cited by Waxman's investigators:

— A 43-day-old fetus is a "thinking person."

— HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be spread via sweat and tears.

— Condoms fail to prevent HIV transmission as often as 31 percent of the time in heterosexual intercourse. [The real figure is less than 3 percent.]

One curriculum, called "Me, My World, My Future," teaches that women who have an abortion "are more prone to suicide" and that as many as 10 percent of them become sterile. This contradicts the 2001 edition of a standard obstetrics textbook that says fertility is not affected by elective abortion, the Waxman report said. [...]

Some course materials cited in Waxman's report present as scientific fact notions about a man's need for "admiration" and "sexual fulfillment" compared with a woman's need for "financial support." One book in the "Choosing Best" series tells the story of a knight who married a village maiden instead of the princess because the princess offered so many tips on slaying the local dragon. "Moral of the story," notes the popular text: "Occasional suggestions and assistance may be alright, but too much of it will lessen a man's confidence or even turn him away from his princess."

And here's the crowning insult: Dubya wants to spend $270 million of US taxpayers' money on this 'abstinence' crap in the 2005 federal budget year.

Via Washington Post.

| | Posted by Magpie at 11:13 PM | Get permalink

Sunday, November 28, 2004

Deadline at work.

And, barring a miracle, no time for blogging until Wednesday (North America time). We'll be back as soon as we can.

| | Posted by Magpie at 10:33 AM | Get permalink