CPIR Statement on the Meaning of the British Legion Poppy

Once again, we have come to that time of year when we see our TV screens saturated with the blood red Poppy of the British Legion. Programmes aimed at young people, such as The X-Factor, are particularly targeted. Contestants, regardless of their origin, are forced to wear the symbol of the British Legion. And, because of the abject dependence of RTÉ on programming of British origin, Irish youths are just as subjected to this symbol as are their British contemporaries. And every year, we see, in the streets of Ireland, the results of this media saturation of young minds. More and more young Irish people think it is “cool” to wear a British Legion Poppy.

So, what is the British Legion? What is it’s poppy symbol? Is it a harmless fashion statement? A benign badge of belonging to the dominant tribe, a harmless mark of British nationalism? Is it a harmless remembrance of soldiers, fallen in long past wars? read full story / add a comment

***NATIONAL ANIMAL RIGHTS ASSOCIATION PRESS RELEASE***

ACTIVISTS TO PROTEST CHARLES RIVER & OVAGEN ANIMAL TESTING LABORATORIES IN MAYO

WHEN: Saturday 30th March, from 1pm - 3pm, outside Charles River & Ovagen in Carrentrila, Ballina.

Contact N.A.R.A. spokesperson: Laura Broxson - 086 8729 444 - www.naracampaigns.org read full story / add a comment

The US and the far right of thee opposition are trying to undermine and discredit the Venezuelan electoral system. Jimmy Carter described that system as the best in the World. Full Text at link.

The presidential candidate of the Bolivarian Revolution, Nicolas Maduro, yesterday counter-attacked the opposition’s campaign to discredit Venezuela’s electoral system ahead of the 14 April presidential election.

In recent days the Venezuelan opposition and allied media have been criticising the 14 April presidential election as not being held in “fair and transparent” conditions, in an apparent effort to discredit the Venezuelan electoral system ahead of the vote. This campaign appears to have intensified following comments made on Friday 15 March by the US’s Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, who said that it would be “a little difficult” for “open, fair, and transparent elections” to be held on 14 April. read full story / add a comment

Revisionists given a hammering by John Borgonovo . They are searching for an ouija board to contact Peter Hart for advice. Full text at link.

UCC historian John Borgonovo casts doubt on some claims made in the TV3 series ‘In The Name Of The Republic’
TV3’s TWO-PART documentary series, In the Name of the Republic has created a stir among historians, though perhaps not in the way the filmmakers intended. The programme illustrates the danger of accepting local folklore as historical fact, especially during this much-heralded “decade of centenaries”.

In the first episode, viewers met an aged Co Laois man who related his boyhood encounter with a neighbouring farmer, who claimed he had dug up a body while ploughing his field, one of three corpses supposedly buried there by the IRA. Series host Prof Eunan O’Halpin (of Trinity College Dublin) told the audience hisresearch had uncovered two civilians abducted by the Tipperary IRA and “never seen again”. The rest of the episode attempted to prove his theory that they were interred in this Laois field. The episode concluded with O’Halpin opening the sealed files, only to learn that both had survived the conflict. They were never killed by the IRA, much less secretly buried in Laois. The obvious lesson here is: Finish your research before you rent the JCB.

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Akbayan Partylist would like to express its extreme disappointment over the Supreme Court's decision to issue a status quo ante order against the Reproductive Health (RH) Law for a period of four months.
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Enda Kenny will be in waterford on Thursday the 28th of March to officially open the Medieval Museum in the city.
Is he welcome?

10:30 / 11:00 am read full story / add a comment

The regular Thursday's Bakery in Seomra, from 5pm will be serving Pistachio Rosewater Cupcakes. It's all Vegan, it's all delicious and the relaxing atmosphere is a nice transition to move towards the end of the week.
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The US House of Representatives quietly passed a last-minute addition to the Agricultural Appropriations Bill for 2013 last week - including a provision protecting genetically modified seeds from litigation in the face of health risks. read full story / add a comment

LEITRIM Thu 11th APRIL read full story / add a comment

LIMERICK Wed 10th APRIL read full story / add a comment

BELFAST Sat 13th, Mon 22nd, Tue 23rd, Wed 24th APRIL read full story / add a comment

Call to action of the Indonesian People's Movement Against Neocolonialism-Imperialism toward Bali WTO Ministerial meeting on 3-6 of December 2013
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From 'traitor' to Hero - whistleblower Bradley Manning is nominated for Nobel Peace Prize read full story / add a comment

Seomra Spraoi's Kitchen is hosting its second Vegan Bruch from 1 to 3 pm as part of a regular Sunday Brunch every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month. The space is open for a relaxing, friendly and all ages time.
Next menu will be : read full story / add a comment

GALWAY Fri 5th & Tue 9th APRIL - GORT Sun 7th APRIL read full story / add a comment

Protest on Thursday re “animal welfare" bill that protects...

Hare coursing and Fox hunting!

Peaceful protest: Location: Dail Eireann, Dublin. Date: Thursday, March 28th. Time. 12.30 to 2 pm.

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Free Walking Tour, visiting the main locations of the Easter Rising.
Meeting at Liberty Hall, 1pm on Good Friday.
All very welcome. read full story / add a comment

Tory Minister Ken Clarke is this week accused of lying to parliament, with disinformation to confuse British legislators, a few days ahead of the Tory government's plan, to introduce secret courts, before a backdoor critical vote in the House of Lords, to rubber stamp internment, without a proper trial. Currently with the internment of veteran Irish republicans, Marian Price and Martin Corey, the British have been conducting once again experiments, with Irish guinea pigs and the resulting public reaction , once again, in the backwater police state laboratory, that is British Occupied Ireland.
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A course for movement practitioners and community educators who want to deepen their own practice read full story / add a comment

The enthusiasm of people at a recent business offer presentation in the Dublin hotel was contagious. The queues for foreign jobs at a job fare was the opposite. A constant contagion of exploitation of those in need is evident in offers for opportunities offered. Job offers implied following training, the costs invested and the disappointment following discovering it to be not quite accurate have lead to increases in suffering and stress. The promise of cheap holidays and earnings from investing in this hope is growing tiresome. read full story / add a comment