Product Liability Class - Switch to New Professor

Without a doubt, my favorite class this term is EU Product Liability. The class is split between Professors Binchy and Schuster. Prof. Binchy teaches weeks 1-5 on Fridays from 12-2, Prof. Schuster weeks 6-10 on Tuesdays from 3-5, then week 11 is back to Prof. Binchy.

Prof. Binchy's lectures began with basically an introduction to the theory of product liability, starting with the early PL cases and showing how the law evolved over time. It was basically a tort law refresher, discussing theories of negligence, strict liability, joint and several liability, res ipsa loquitor, etc. One of the first cases we discussed with Prof. Binchy was the classic snail in a soda bottle case. (Law school friends, remember that?)

From there, we moved into current European product liability law.

This being week 6, Tuesday was our first class with Prof. Schuster. He's great! I had met him briefly at the LL.M. welcome reception last month.  Really nice guy, good sense of humor, very intelligent. He wrote Chapter 9 of this document (begins on p. 70 of the pdf) about consumer legislation.  He has written several articles and chapters on PL law, competition law as well as sport law. 

I appreciated the fact that he, like Prof. Binchy, gave handouts of cases and other class material. (I wish I could say the same for other lecturers... names withheld here...) Sitting in his lecture, I felt relaxed yet wanted to absord every word. I understood everything he was discussing and I felt comfortable enough to just sit back and listen rather than frantically take notes, which was a nice feeling. I undoubtedly have my wonderful boss and coworkers to thank for part of this.  One of my favorite parts of today's lecture was when he said, with eloquent Irish accent, "if you could cast your eyes for a moment to the 3rd paragraph from the bottom..." - it just made me smile. 

With Prof. Schuster, we will be learning a lot about the European Product Liability Directive. We even already have a homework assignment! Actually, this is the first class in which we've had homework. The assignment is entirely optional, but I will definitely do it as I'm sure it can only help me.  Our assignment is to do a case analysis of "Re A Faulty Baguette", an Austrian Supreme Court case from 2004. 
Faulty Baguette
We have a 1500 word limit, so it's not a huge assignment.  Would like to do a nice job and grease the ol' writing skills again.

Sushi Making Night!

Tonight the DU Food and Drink Society had a Sushi Making Night at Sushi King on Dawson Street.  I've not yet had sushi out here (oh how I miss my fave sushi spots back home...) and I've always wanted to try making my own sushi, so I figured this would be a good €10 experience.

The owners of this small chain are Irish, which is great but I must say also made me question if I'd walk away with that "real sushi" feel.  I didn't.  This is not a slam on Sushi King, for it was actually decent tasting and the fish (I'm thinking salmon, although i love it, is sadly the only option) was fresh.  It's just not the sushi I'm craving.  (Niko Niko, Mosun, Yen, Yuki's...oh how I miss thee!)  A for effort though.

Anyway, this was apparently a popular event, as the restaurant (which they kindly closed for just our group) was jam-packed.  We were all given plates such as this to start the evening:

Miso soup, eel sushi, veggie roll, seaweed salad. 

Ok, so I was wrong about salmon being the only fish.  At least they have eel - yummy!  Oh yes, and they did offer the exotic "crab with a K".

Miso was good.  (Then again, you really have to try hard to screw up on miso.)

Seaweed salad was quite tasty.

The restaurant owner then spoke with us about making sushi and rolls, then we went up in groups of 3 to test our skills.  I made a salmon and avocado roll, with rice on outside instead of inside.  Here are some pics that DU Food and Drink took of the process:

it's difficult to see here, but they included a bebe soy sauce bottle with each takeaway container!

I think this was my favorite part.  Super cute. 

(Curious now how this bebe bottle idea compares with the foil paks on the "green" scale.  Any thoughts?)

Our gracious host demonstrating how to prepare the salmon.

In all, it was worth the €10.  Apparently, DUFD subsidised the other €10 for each member, as it would normally cost €20 per person.  Thanks, DUFD; I surely would not pay €20 for this, so I'm glad you fronted half!

Tonight's sushi was fresh (duh, we made it); however, I'm told that this chain makes all of their rolls and sushi in the morning, then simply sells the takeaway containers from the refrigerator throughout the day, thus you're not getting that "sushi restaurant" experience in my opinion.  Considering this, I say it's a tad overpriced.  If I can park it at a sushi bar and watch the dude making my delicious sushi, then their price would be more acceptable.  I'm just not keen on paying higher-than-necessary € for refrigerator-sushi, ya know?  However, I might reconsider if they served it with Morry chopsticks! 

Must.find.real.sushi.  Must.find.real.sushi.  At least now I know how to make it.

DUISS Film Night: Ron Lola, Run

Each Tuesday during term, the International Students Society has a free film playing in either the Arts Block theatres or the Hamilton building theatres.  We usually get an email midday Monday telling us about 1) this week's film; 2) that weekend's DUISS activity (nearly every Saturday, usually somewhere local to explore); 3) any upcoming weekend trips; and/or 4) any upcoming campus activities that DUISS is taking part in, such as the upcoming Halloween party.

This week's movie was a German film called (in German) Lola Rennt, which means "Lola Runs"; the English version is titled Run Lola, Run.  Here is the DUISS email description of the movie:

For this week's International Film Showing, we're heading to Germany. "Run Lola Run", also known as "Lola Rennt", is a fast-paced and energetic tale of a young woman in Germany who has twenty minutes to find and bring 100,000 Deutschmarks to her boyfriend before he robs a supermarket.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0130827/
The film will take place in the Robert Emmet theatre, Arts Block, at 7.15pm on Tuesday 27th October. As usual, entry is free!
 
Have any of you seen this film?  Did you like it?  I liked it!  It was definitely not your typical film, but that's why I liked it.  It's very fast-paced, fast music, not a lot of script (not necessary) and takes you through various alternate endings.  It did make me think at first of Sliding Doors, but thankfully this was much better at the alt ending concept.  The overall theme of the film is basically that we all make choices in everything we do each day, our decisions and actions can affect lives of others, etc.  Check out a trailer here, and a longer 10 min clip here.
 
I noted some students get up in the middle and walk out.  I'm guessing this was because they didn't like the film but then again there was a Halloween party that night, so who knows.  Notably, this film was shown in one of the smaller classrooms as opposed to the usual lecture theatre (last minute change, not sure why), so perhaps DUISS expected the smaller crowd for this film for various reasons.
 
 

A little internet research told me that this film was Germany's highest grossing film in 1998 and it also won a Sundance award.  Have I been living under a rock in not hearing of this movie until now?  Must have been rather popular, as a google image search also took me to a photo of a girl who dressed as Lola for Halloween!  (check it out here)   
 
Anyway, it's a short film (less than 90 min?) that I'd definitely recommend checking out.  If you watch it, leave me a comment and let me know if you liked it!  If you have seen it, is it me or does Lola's father look like Hugo Weaving?!  (it's not him.  thanks, imdb, you're pretty handy for these things!)

Holy Care Package, Mommy!

Wowie. Check out this fantastic care package I received this week!

 
Thank you, Mommy!  I think I this is enough food to last me through my thesis!  You even remembered my favorite Power Bar flavor is peanut butter!  Ooh, and some Riiiiiii-colaaahh for my pesky cold - you rock!  Love you!

Dublin Marathon and O'Neill's pub

Yesterday was a Bank Holiday (which means virtually all businesses are closed...and also College is closed) as well as the Dublin Marathon.  Although I didn't run the race, I did go out and cheer on the runners.  It always gives me inspiration to watch a race; makes me realize I need to get off my lazy bum and start training again.


I woke up early to be at the start line, then walked back toward Trinity, where I knew the race route passed.  Saw lots of purple and green Team in Training jerseys - yay!  Also, a very inspirational racer:  a blind woman, led by the arm throughout the course.  How cool is that?!

I later walked to the finish line, also by Trinity.  I've never seen the winners cross the line, so this was loads of fun.  I'm so amazed by those speedy runners and especially in awe of the wheelchair marathoners.  I think the wheelchair winner finished around 2hrs?  The first place male runner winner finished in under 2:10 - is that crazy or what?  Here are pics of both:

1st place male runner, Feyisa Lelisa (Ethiopia)

Finish time:  2.09.12

He not only finished 5 seconds shy of the course record, but he is also the first Ethiopian to win the Dublin Marathon!

2nd place male runner, Alexsey Sokolov (Russia)

He holds the course record of 2:09:07

1st place female runner, Kateryna Stetsenko (Ukraine)

Finish time:  2.32.45

Adidas support staff were wonderful in helping many injured runners cross the finish line.

And now...this goes out to all of my male runner friends.  Please heed the advice regarding anti-chafing products!  Just buy the damn Body Glide, Nip Guards (gotta love the name), SportShield or Hydropel and get over it.  Or bandages if you're stubborn.  We all get a giggle at the topic at first, but perhaps you can use this guy as an example: 

Ouchie.

I ran the Dublin Marathon in 2006.  Best race ever.  Both then and now, my favorite aspect of the race is by far the different dialect of Irish when they cheer on runners:

"Well done!"

"Splendid!"

"Nearly there!"

"Excellent!"

The American "nice job" just isn't as appealing.

For all of my runner friends out there, which race is your favorite thus far?  And what international race do you want to run with me between now and August 2010?!  (Come on, Michelle W., you know you want to...;)

Later that evening, Audrey wanted to get together for some "traditional Irish music", so we went to O'Neill's pub just a block or so from Trinity.  Great place.  I had been there once before in 2007 with Jill and did not realize how ginormous the place is.  I was excited to go more because it was Marathon night, and I knew a lot of runners would be out celebrating.  I met a few runners, some from the States, some from other parts of Europe.  The music was great, I will definitely go back there again.  The group consisted of 3 musicians, 2 girls and one guy.  One girl played an Irish button accordion, the other girl played a violin; the guy played a guitar and sang.  They were quite fun to listen to and they knew nearly every request from the audience.  The most memorable moment was when he thanked everyone at the end - he commented that normally they play for a livelier crowd at O'Neill's...then pointed to our table and made a comment that we were so quiet that he thought we were "attending church".  We had a good laugh from that.

Here is a photo of the group:

...and of our delicious nachos...great pub food!

in case some of you are wondering...no, the "hot sauce" was not exactly "hot"

Weekend Recap

This was a busy weekend, indeed.  A combo of food, drink at a new pub, cooking demos and a trip to new Irish town!  Ooh yes, and my first car ride in over a month!  While I enjoy not having a car here, it was oddly refreshing to be transported somewhere via car. 


Friday I had Product Liability class from 12-2pm.  I then hit the gym and later met up with Jessica and Juliette at House 6 for cheese tasting evening hosted by the DU Food and Drink Society.  Of course, what better to pair with delicious cheeses than delicious wine?  They served 6 delicious cheeses from Sheridan's Cheesemongers and gave out a printed list with descriptions to educate us about each cheese.  Delish!


From there, we decided to go to The Bailey for a pint.  Juliette had to leave early to catch the last DART back to Blackrock.  Jessica and I stayed and chatted for a while, then called it a night.  I liked the Bailey.  A bit crowded tonight, but we found a comfortable table inside away from the crowd.  Aside from the couple across from us who took Public Displays of Affection to a whole new level, it was grand. 

The Bailey

Ideal Home Show at RDS

Saturday I met up with Juliette at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) in Ballsbridge.  I remembered the RDS was the venue that held the Dublin Marathon expo when I was here in 2006, so I knew it was walkable and decided to skip the train idea in favor of some exercise.  It's approx 3km (just under 2 miles) from College, and a straight shot down the road, nice and convenient.

The Ideal Home Show has all sorts of vendors such as home improvement, interior design, landscaping, household tools, cheesemongers, cheesemakers, wine vendors, holiday crafts, beer brewers, chocolatiers, and cooking schools.  Juliette's friend Sheona was doing a cooking demonstration for her cooking school.  I thought the cookbook from this Irish cooking school might make a good Christmas gift for a few of my friends, but then realized the postage alone for a heavy book might cost more than the book itself, so I didn't buy any.  Sorry, friends. 

I sampled delicous cheese from Co. Clare cheesemaker:  Bluebell Falls Goats Cheese.  They had about 5-6 different types of goats cheese for sampling.  I tried the Pegasus and the Orion, both of which were delicious and tasted quite different than your ordinary goats cheese.  I started chatting with the owner and she sent me home with 2 complimentary large wedges of Orion!  yummm.

I also sampled beer from Carlow Brewing Company, based in (you guessed it) Co. Carlow.  I liked both the Curim Ale and the O'Hara's Red and ended up buying a 4-pk of each.  This is the first beer I've purchased (outside a pub, obviously) since I've moved to Ireland!  I had been wanting to find a small Irish brewery, now I have found one.  Now I have something other than tea to serve potential guests.


We then drove back to Juliette's place in Blackrock and had a relaxing evening...watching television!  I realized that not only had I not been in a car in over a month, but I'd also not watched television!  I actually don't miss having a TV, but it would be nice to watch a DVD now and then.  This was when I learned of the show, "The X Factor" - and boy, was it awful! 

A few singers were good, but the most memorable was the most awful:  Jedward.  Have you heard of them in America?  They are clearly still on this show for the ratings because they are absolutely awful.  The show is a UK show; all the contestants (I think) are from the UK except for John and Edward (get it, Jedward?  ugh.), who are from Dublin.  Yet just because they are from here does not mean that they are good!  Matt, Lexi:  I dare say they are worse than our friend Georgie.  Maybe on equal par.  On second thought, I take that back - at least these guys have crowd appeal, even if only on account of their atrociousness. 

Are you kidding me?

Twin brothers singing "Opps I Did it Again"...

...just when you thought it couldn't get worse, here is this weekend's performance...

The Twins' rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs". 

My ears have been assaulted.

check out the nightmare videos here and here if you dare.

After a few more laughs at Jedward's expense, we all crashed at Juliette's.  I took the DART home the next morning and got some studying in.  I later got a text from Jessica asking if I wanted to join her and Audrey on a bus trip to Trim, Co. Meath.  It was only a 45-min bus trip, so I figured why not.  Trim Castle is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland and was featured in Braveheart.  We walked the grounds ourselves, then had a guided tour of the Keep.  I haven't gone through my photos yet, so I will post photos of our Trim trip later.  Until then, here is a photo of Trim Castle from this website:

Tomorrow is a Bank Holiday and also the Adidas Dublin Marathon!  Sadly, I'm not running it, but I do plan to wake up early to go cheer on the runners. 

Will post Trim photos soon.

Lecture on International Peace Studies ... followed by tasty beverages.

My friend Jessica invited me to a lecture she was attending last night as part of her M.Phil programme:  "U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East:  Peacemaker or Peacebreaker?", a presentation by Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he chairs the programme in Middle Eastern Studies.  I'm sure some of you recognize his name as an outspoken Bush critic.  Whatever your views are on this guy, it was an interesting lecture and I'm glad I attended.

I'll be the first to admit, I'm a bit uneducated on the details of this topic, thus this lecture interested me.  I'd really like to understand it in more detail, not for the purpose of discussing it with family/friends (politics, foreign policy, religion...usually high on my list of 'prefer not to discuss' topics), but just for my own understanding in keeping up with current events.  I'm glad I went and I understood almost everything discussed.  I give kudos to my friends getting their M.Phil in International Peace Studies - I'm quite sure that if I had to write a thesis on this topic, I'd fail miserably.

After the lecture, Jessica and I went for a quick pint at The Pav, where I ran into a few LLM classmates.  I had also been invited to meet up with Juliette and her friend, Flora, so I then headed to The Port House on South William Street.  This place is lovely - partly sub-terranean with very nice ambiance, lit with loads of candles.  A very affordable tapas restaurant.

After a glass of wine here, the three of us headed to Odessa, one of my favorite places in Dublin.  I probably shouldn't call it a favorite yet, as I have only been there once before, but it's really nice.  Very chill atmosphere.  The drinks here are a bit pricier than the pubs, so we kept it to a single pint.  We relaxed, ran into a friend of Flora's, hung out a bit more and then headed home.

The atmosphere alone makes the extra euro or two worth it.

Isn't it lovely?

The rooftop bar is nice as well - heat lamps and a fireplace!

Euthanasia Debate - TCD Historical Society

Both "The Hist" and "The Phil" (Historical Society and Philosophical Society, respectively) have weekly debates, usually on Wednesday and Thursday evenings around 7:30pm.  The Hist debates are sponsored by The Economist; the Phil debates are sponsored by AIB (Allied Irish Banks).  Debates feature student speakers and honored guest speakers, including politicians, judges, authors, religious clergy, corporate execs, professors and miscellaneous public figures.
The Phil's website describes the organisation, in part, as follows:  "Since its foundation in the 17th century, the Society, often referred to as 'The Phil', has concerned itself with the art of oratory, teaching young people the skills of public speaking and the value of free speech."

 

The Hist's website gives the following description, in part:  "The College Historical Society is the oldest student Society in the World. We were the first and original debating Society founded in College in 1770 with a heritage to 1747."  . . . "The members and their influence on Irish history have been incredible and the Hist has produced many of Ireland's greatest patriots, politicians, authors and orators."

Tonight, I attended my first Hist debate:  "That This House Would Legalise Euthanasia".  As it was my first debate, I didn't know exactly what to expect, other than (obviously) proponents and opponents speaking on the topic at hand. 

Here is The Hist's description of this week's topic:
"This week the Hist will be debating one of the most complex moral questions facing modern society. Does the 'right' to die give people more control over their life and well being? Or does it entrench the weakest in our society into a position of vulnerability in which they conceive their very existence as a burden?"

"Euthanasia is the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her benefit. Does an individual who has no hope of recovery have the right to decide how and when to end their life? The main arguments for euthanasia are that it provides a way to relieve extreme pain; it provides a way of relief when a person's quality of life is low, it frees up medical funds to help other people and it is case of freedom of choice. Those against the legalisation of euthanasia argue that euthanasia devalues human life and also, that physicians and other medical care people should not be involved in directly causing death. One of the main issues raised by both those for and against euthanasia is that of the dignity of the person. Does a person not have the right to die a dignified death? And does dependence need to mean indignity? Euthanasia is legal in some countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland." 


Location:
The debates take place in the Debating Chamber of the GMB (Graduates Memorial Building), a beautiful neo-gothic Victorian building near Front Square, next to the Dining Hall and across from the Book of Kells building ("The Old Library").

GMB front door

The sesssion begins with what I presume was a general recap of the prior week's events and a reading of the minutes from a meeting.  I couldn't understand a word this guy said, mainly because he was talking so fast, but also because he had a thick accent and seemed to laugh at his own jokes every 10 words.  The rest of the room apparently understood this chap, as the room filled with laughter several times.  I was lost.

The Debating Chamber is a large, high-ceiling room just inside the front door to the 2nd left.  The room contains large paintings of various esteemed alumni and other Irish historical figures.  During debates, there is a large table and a podium in the center, with rows of chairs on each side facing the debating table.  The layout looks like this:

Next, the debate began.  Although I don't know the exact rules of the Phil or Hist debates, it seems that the debate starts with students who signed up and planned ahead for this debate, then they have guest "expert" speakers from various organizations present their views, then the floor opens to anyone in the audience who may want to do an impromptu debate.  I was impressed by some of the students, unimpressed by others.  In all fairness, I can't see myself getting up there in front of 100 students, so kudos to those who had the courage, but some students just didn't come across as either articulate or professional or both.  Some were able to back up their arguments rationally, some just ranted and raved at how ridiculous the opposing point of view was without objectively justifying their own position.

Debate Rules - ?
I don't know the exact rules, but in general there are rules regarding timing and questions posed from the audience.  The speaker has the first minute or so to speak uninterrupted, then a bell rings, signaling that the floor may pose a question.  If there are questions from the floor, one must stand up and extend a hand outward.  The speaker then chooses to take the question or says "No, thank you".  One can also apparently stand up and say "Point of Information" - to which I think the speaker can accept or decline to answer.  When the floor opens to unscheduled speakers at the end of the debate, there are apparently certain rules that apply to "newbie" speakers, but I'm not 100% clear on how they operate.  I think they can choose to waive the question interruptions or preserve their right to no interruptions.  Tonight the impromptu speakers (I don't know what to call them, I'm sure there is an official term) both chose to waive their rights, to which the audience clapped and cheered.

What I Gained From This:
Whatever our personal views are on euthanasia, I enjoyed this debate.  It really made me think and appreciate the slippery slope of this topic, no matter what side your beliefs fall on.  I learned a lot about other countries' laws on the topic as well.  In Ireland, it is a crime to aid, abet, counsel or procure the suicide of another.  Dutch law was cited frequently during this debate; euthanasia and assisted suicide are no longer a crime in the Netherlands when it is carried out by a physician and certain criteria of due care have been fulfilled, and this criteria even allows for ending the lives of children.  It's definitely a controversial topic, thus it made for a very interesting and thought-provoking debate.

I look forward to going to additional Hist debates and also checking out some of The Phil's debates.

It's Official - I'm Registered with the GNIB. Later, wine and a film to celebrate.

Whew, one big check off my ever-growing to-do list!  Aside from waking up at 5:30am, it was a painless process. 

The INIS, where I registered with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).

Anticipating cold weather at 6am, I went to Dunne's last night and bought a thermos so I could keep hot chocolate in it (they call it a flask here).  I woke up nice and early, filled my flask with hot chocolate, packed a book, a granola bar and of course the required documents I needed to present to the Garda (Irish bank account statement, Trinity statement of fees paid in full), layered up with the clothing, and made my merry way to the INIS. 

In America:  Thermos

In Ireland:  Flask (also "Vacuum Flask")

Compare: 

 

In America:  Flask or Pocket Flask

In Ireland:  Hip Flask

When I got there around 6am, I was the 26th person in line (the queue).  Within the next hour, the line grew to over 100 people.  It was rainy but not unbearably cold.  I had plenty of layers on and I was actually warm!  The wait was not too bad, aside from the girl in front of me who was chain smoking and blowing smoke in my direction the entire time.  Yuck.  Oh, and the guy next to me didn't appreciate the concept of personal space, so that was a bit annoying, but all in all it was fine.

  

Oh yes, I almost forgot.  I learned that my flask really works quite well at keeping the liquids hot... I scalded my chin when I tried unsuccessfully to take a sip of the hot chocolate (I also learned that the "flask" here does not operate in the same manner as our "thermos" in the States).  Ouch.  It was scalding hot.  I now have a red stripe of burned skin down the middle of my chin.  It's really cute.

The Garda began moving the queue about 7:45 (they open at 8am), first checking that everyone had the required documents for whatever they were in line for, then distributing printed numbers to those that passed this initial document check.  A man in front of me had apparently tried his luck on the prior day, as the Garda recognized him and kindly yet forcibly told him to leave.  The man pleaded with the Garda, showed him his paperwork, but was told again (this time not so gently) that he did not have the correct documents.  It made me curious how many people are turned away, how many people try to scam the system, etc.

I was the 26th person in the queue, but the Garda gave me #121.  I had heard that the people who were turned away the prior day had priority the next morning, so perhaps that explains part of the #121.  Also, although the INIS opens at 8am, the GNIB does not begin registering students until 9am.

I had also done my homework and researched this task online to see if I could find other students' stories, good and bad, about the registration process.  I knew that it was sometimes a long wait, and I had read that if the Garda tells you to come back at a certain time, it's usually a conservative estimate and you might end up waiting 3 more hours.  Then again, if you're not there when your number is called, that's probably not so good.

The Garda told me to come back around 10:30am.  This was perfect, as I could now go back home and do laundry and still have plenty of time to make it back before 10:30am.  When I got back to the INIS around 10:15, they were not even at #60, so I went for a walk down the Liffey and explored some new streets toward the Docklands.

Returned at 11:45, not even at #90, so I went next door for breakfast to P. McCormack & Sons restaurant (aka The White Horse Inn).  This was perfect - from the windows of the restaurant, I could see into the INIS and could watch the # screens.  It was much more comfortable to sit in a quiet restaurant and enjoy my tea instead of sitting in the cold, uncomfortable, crowded INIS with unhappy crying children around.  (Lexi, this is reason # what?)

Breakfast spot on the left, where I could see right into the INIS to monitor for my #.  Nicely convenient.

I was finished by around 1:15pm, not too bad.  I then met up with Juliette, where we proceeded to a meeting on campus.  We then went to Olesya's Wine Bar to relax with a glass of wine.

After Olesya's, I decided to meet up with some friends for the weekly movie sponsored by the International Students Society.  This week's movie was Michael Collins, a film about some of the most important and controversial figures in Ireland's quest for independence from British rule.  I thought this was a fantastic film, with great performances by Liam Neeson (Michael Collins) and one of my faves, Alan Rickman (Eamon de Valera). 

If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. 

If you have seen it, what are your thoughts?

After the film ended, a few of us sat around debating various points of the film.  There is still debate over de Valera's political motives, whether he really set up Michael Collins' death, whether Michael Collins was depicted accurately, etc.  I think the majority agrees that Michael Collins was a hero in winning Irish independence, yet others argue his tactics caused too much violence.

Heart-skipping moment of the month:
We watched the film from the last row in the lecture theatre.  Because we debated the film for a bit, the 3 of us were the last students to leave the theatre.  As we stood up to leave, the security guard walked into the theatre - we presumed he was telling us that it's time to leave.  Not so!  He was speaking to a homeless woman who had tried to hide in a wall alcove directly behind our seats.  Holy hell, that was freaky.  He said to her, "Ma'am, if I catch you in here one more time, I'm going to have to call the Garda to arrest you."  She sheepishly emerged from the alcove and walked out.  It was a bit disconcerting to know that we were sitting there in a darkened lecture theatre with a strange woman hiding out less than 3ft away from us.  Spooky.  It's also a gentle reminder that our university is in a city centre and you always need to be conscious of your surroundings and belongings.

Swine Flu = Marketer's Dream

While I appreciate the need to be extra cautious regarding Swine Flu, I've been noticing the many companies are trying to capitalize on the frenzy. 

During my "northside" exploration today, I spotted this in a discount shop:

Swine Flu Wipes?  Seriously?

Do consumers really buy into the claim that these types of products will prevent transmission of the virus?

I know the U.S. FDA has addressed swine flu scams; I'm curious what the response will be to such marketing over here.