OUR KENNEDY MOMENT

They say every generation has it's "Kennedy Moment", that being able to recall with almost super-human clarity where you were and what you were doing at the exact time you heard about JFK's assassination. My own generation has had two "Kennedy Moments", those being Diana's death and 911.

The generation before was of course the Kennedy one, but there are some who may say Elvis's death was a "Kennedy Moment" too. Then the previous generation is rather harder to Clarify, Churchill's death maybe.

So where were you on September 11th 2oo1? Me, I was at my job with Bord Gais(Irish Gas Board) in their south county Dublin offices, manning the Emergency leak telephone lines, when we heard that a plane had crashed into one of the twin towers. No one knew what type of plane, so we assumed it was a small Cessna or something like that. But then people who were in the canteen downstairs came up and said it was a commercial plane and the building was on fire. It had been a busyish morning on the phones, but after the first plane went in the calls dried-up, everyone was glued to the TV news.

I went down to the canteen on my lunch and stood watching the sight on the TV in the corner..I got my meal and sat down facing the screen, as I was tucking into it, I watched the other plane hit. At first just like the newscasters, I thought we were seeing a rerun on the pictures coming from the American stations. But then it dawned on us that both towers were now burning.. I've never witnessed an execution. But that day along with millions of others I saw 59 innocent victims die right there infront of my eyes(this was akin to the German soldiers marching their victims into the gas chambers, there was no way out for those souls), I couldn't finish my meal.

Ok I can also say I watched the towers fall, so I again witnessed along with the rest of us 2,628 people lose their lives trying to escape. Before that day too I'd never seen a "Jumper", we saw a few of them. Poor desperate people trapped above the impact points to which there was no chance of rescue or escape.

This year is the 8th anniversary of the events of that day, in 2002 I wrote a poem in memory of all those who were killed in the twin towers, lest we forget the victims in the Pentagon and on united 93, it's for them too.

This is the first time it's been published, despite trying to get it onto poetry.com alongside a previous award winner of mine.

IT CAME FROM THE AIR


I crossed the marble flooring as ground beneath us shook,
There by elevators a phantom of my partner I mistook,
Then briefly in an instant they’d gone again from there,
Now where they stood, terror and panic filled the air air air….

Disfigured and tormented wraiths ran screaming from the stairs,
Outside the world was raining crimson and darkness filled the Air air air.

I dialled the phone upon my desk,
Mum I love you,
I said with despair despair despair….

Sam’s mobile rang out,
And with broken heart and tears,
I said to a recording, take care, care, care

Across the hall in my bosses’ office they did come,
Two frightened souls whose escape was in one last affair affair Affair….

The office now filled with tears, as we knew our plight,
By the window one young man looked back and said,
I’ll see you there, there, there

As smoke filled my lungs I made one final call, to see if they could help us,

but as I tried to dial my mind it went all numb,
For the number of the fire dept and date were all in,
Nine one one one one one one ………


Adrian Murphy (c) 2oo2

A TESTING TIME IN THE PAST

It's been one of those weeks, you know the ones where nothing goes right and it seems all your friends are having more fun then you are.

But I suppose I mustn't grumble... I have my health, I'm not exactly broke and my friends and those important in my life are keeping intouch with me. I was told recently that I'm a fine example of how to over come adversity and keep it together. I'd be the first to admit that there are others who have buckled under the strain of losing there jobs and trying come to terms with the endless let- downs and knock backs that is the job market these days. Only in February I attended the funeral of a work colleague who had taken his own life, he was 38.

Suicide is still a taboo subject in Ireland but studies show that it is on the rise among men aged 15–34 having increased from 11.6% in 1980 to 44.2% in 2003. Compared to other European countries, Ireland has a higher suicide rate among young men and less among older people. (Health Report Board Study- Irish Examiner 2007).

I could write a book on the crazy state of affairs that is job hunting in Ireland today. Only this week I attended an interview for a Reservations Sales Agent with a south county Dublin car hire firm.

The first thing that shocked me was, that in 2009!!! Someone still thinks an aptitude test is acceptable. Talk about the land that time forgot. I was advised I had 15 minutes to complete these 4 pages of questions.

The first page, which is included in the time was general information on me!!! Er these guys had already seen my CV, so they knew my name, where I lived... Ok so it asked how long I'd been driving and had I any convictions or points. But this could have been asked during the interview or during the application stage.

Next was maths or arithmetic for those of the "old school". Printed in bold across the top of the page was "NO CALCULATORS"!!! Yes like mobile phones, we have become slaves to technology. How many important phone numbers can you recite off the top of your head. I know people who don't even know their mobile number!!! I can recite my mobi and my home number, ok so I was around when we didn't have mobiles.(No I'm not showing my age)

But maths is not the strongest area for a lot of people. I can add, multiply, subtract... er yes but I was a little fuzzy on big numbers from small numbers. I could recite what I learned by rote, "six from zero you cannot take... Six from ten ... carry down the one..." That's what I remembered. Then there was percentages... Ah Jesus!!! I feared looking down the page for finding everyone's classroom nightmare, Algebra!!!! But percentages without a calculator? Ok 10% is one thing 25% of a price is divide by 4 then take it away. Supposedly I got it wrong. But I just checked on the calculator(for peace of mind)... I was right!!!

The only way you will be without a calculator in this day and age is if a) your stuck in the middle of the Gobi desert without any battery on your phone. What type of percentage are you trying to do then? You have greater things to worry about, if your trying to barter for water from a Nomad Just pay what he's asking.

b) Your at the office when a thermo-nuclear war is declared and some sort of Electro Magnet Pulse(EMP) device has been detonated near you. Again Fight or Flight reactions do not require you to work out a percentage of anything. As the saying goes "lets get the flock outta here.."

The next page was problem solving.... Oh Christ!! What relevance did this have to renting cars... questions like fill in the missing number from this sequence, or a watch loses this amount of time over 12 days how much does it lose in a day?... By this stage I was losing the will to live.

The final page was the Piece De Resistance... "Stupid Questions" as I call them, things like: Does England have a 4th of July? Or you have one match, and enter room with a oil lamp, gas lamp and kindling, which do you light first? Ha! Pass the Valium..

I didn't get the last page finished, because the interviewer walked back into the room, probably early but I wasn't going to quibble. She went down the answer sheet she had and ticked an X'd here and there. Then she started the interview. A few minutes later an older gentleman entered the room, he introduced himself as the MD. He then took up my CV and took over the interview, a classic "Good Cop, Bad Cop" scenario.

His first question was, are you working? There's 500,000 out of work at this moment. If I was in gainful employment I wouldn't be going after such a lowly paid job. So no.

His next barrage was where do you live? Who do you live with? Do you have family? Whoa!!! Stop the bus, firstly the address and town I live in was printed clearly at the top of my CV. As for who I live with and whether I have dependents or not comes under equality laws. You can't ask this question of a woman and the same applies to a man. In hindsight, I should have stopped the interview and corrected him. But I smiled sweetly and answered.

Just as quickly as he'd entered he left, saying something about the phone call he had to take. I didn't ask him to leave them on hold. His interruption was pointless as he seriously needs to go on an interviewing refresher course.

The original interviewer then wrapped up with a brief job description, shook my hand and made small talk as she walked to the front door. As I left I swear I saw an ark parked outside the door.

FLYING COMMENTS

I'm sitting here tossing a 20 cent coin, I always do this when someone makes a ridiculous complaint. Not that I don't complain myself, but having spent a good few years in various service industries, I can sympathise with the person on the other side of the counter, when there's a delay or breakdown which affects me. 95% of the time it's none of their fault, but being the face of the organisation they work for they have to smile sweetly and try explain the problem, usually with very little info on the exact cause.

I've just returned from a lovely weekend in London, where I attended a family birthday. There should be health warnings on these weekends. You leave fresh faced, touchdown meet and greet all the "rellies" you haven't seen in ages. Drink to every bloody thing going, from the French Revolution to Palin for president. Then the day after the event you're sapped of all energy. For this weekend, I was uptil 4am on Saturday morning then in bed by 12am on the Saturday night!!!! I'm bloody 39, if I was at home I'd be running to the doctor, if I was in bed that early(Swine-Flu...My Ass).

Anyway there I was yesterday on a Ryanair flight home that was delayed. Some people will say that's nothing new, to me and my experiences of this great airline, it's a rarity. No one complained about this openly, but when we had completed the mad tight fisted scramble for seats( no one pays for Priority Boarding, but they complain bitterly when we can't sit with their loved ones, some might say that's a god send). As I was settling into my seat the bloke opposite hails the stewardess and says, I'd like to complain. My eyes go towards heaven, he goes onto the say... wait for it, the Stairs to the plane were too wobbly and his daughter missed a step!!!!!

For the love of god, how anally repressed do you have to be. If he'd thought this through logically, Ryanair don't actually own the mobile steps we boarded on, it's BAA at Gatwick. So going to a foreign stewardess whose trying her best to get us seated and away in 25 minutes... this is entering funny farm territory. This guy is probably the same chap who complains to the bed company if he stubs his toe in the morning. There are people out there who find fault with anything, these are the people you just want to take outside and give em a good slap!!(I'm not condoning violence, but some idiots like this ask to be taken in hand and if not slapped hard then Sectioned).

So what did our nice Latvian stewardess do? Smiled sweetly and asked him to write a letter. He said he would... Coz he obviously has nothing better to do then keep the Ryanair Customer service dept. laughing, can you imagine how many of these letters they receive each week. A car hire firm I worked for previously used to post the best(or Stupidest, more appropriately) on the wall of the office for all to see. It was a real tonic, having a bad day, go on up to the CS Dept. and laugh your bloody socks off.

So to the idiotic chap on flight Fr117 from Gatwick to Dublin on Sunday 26th of July. Get a F***ing life... Better still go fly with an inordinately expensive competitor, coz their are plenty of others willing to pay the €5 return. Oh and from all your friends at Ryanair's Customer Service Dept. Thank you for making their Monday a little brighter.

The 20 cent? Is for you, to give someone a call who gives a bloody damn, although with the advent of mobile phones does it cost 20 cent?

THE BANK STOPS HERE

Did you hear this on the news over the weekend? The Manhattan Transport Authority(MTA) has sold the naming rights for one of it's subway stations to Barclay's bank for the next twenty years.

The station in question is Atlantic Avenue, which also serves Pacific Street and Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn. Shortly it will become the Barclay's, Atlantic Ave., Pacific St., Flatbush Ave. stop. I'll need a few drinks to get that out in one go...

It's not unusual for corporate companies to buy naming rights to stadiums and other large concert and event arenas. Take the 02 here in Dublin and London, formerly the Point Depot and the the Millennium Dome respectively. Then there's the the stadium which replaced Highbury as the home of Arsenal football club in London, it's called the Emirates stadium after the airline. Not forgetting for the rugby aficionados the new redeveloped Lansdowne Road in Dublin will from next year be known as the Aviva Stadium after the international Insurance firm bought the naming rights.

But as for naming stations, I suppose it's a logical step, originally most stations and airports where named geographically. Dublin Airport for example, is still referred to as Dublin, despite the calls to name it after such political and sporting luminaries as Jack Charlton or Charles Haughey. But in the past twenty years or so it's become fashionable to dedicate a station or airport to a political or sporting figure.

Here in Dublin most of the stations are named after those involved the 1916 rising. On the Southside we have Pearse Street - named after Padraig Pearse, who led the rising. There's Connolly Station on the Northside(originally called Amiens St. Because that's where it's situated) - named after James Connolly, another leader of the rising. Then up the river on the Southside we have Heuston Station - named after Sean Heuston also a member of rising. Going south from Dublin we have Dun Laoghaire DART station recently named Dun Laoghaire "Mallin" after Michael Mallin who was James Connolly's 2nd in command and in the town of Bray 13 miles south of Dublin the Station was also recently renamed Bray Daly after Edward Daly who again fought in the rising.

Going abroad we have Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, John Lennon airport in Liverpool and again the recently christened George Best international airport in Belfast. Not forgetting the more well known U.S. airports such JFK in New York, Chicago's O'Hare (named after after Lieutenant Commander Edward "Butch" O'Hare a WWII flying ace awarded the Medal Of Honor) and the Ronald Reagan international in Washington D.C.

D.C. also has its main airport Dulles, which was named after John Foster Dulles who was Sec. of State under Eisenhower.

So where to next? If Barclay's can buy a station name will we have Nike Grand Central or maybe they'd be happier with the Charles De Gaulle Nike Air-port. Think of the advertising slogans that could be used... "Swish in and out of the fashion capital".

I suppose Subway's options are limited or numerous whichever way your looking at it. but I'm perplexed as to why Barclay's had to go all the way to NYC to buy a station name. When you consider that there's a station on the London Underground called "Bank", wouldn't have been easier to rename that Barclay's bank... Maybe one of it's UK competitors will take it up...

One last thought is, if Barclays can buy the name of a station, whats stopping them buying the name of the underground or subway... It would give a new meaning to the phrases, "The buck stops here.." or "Money makes the train go round.."

FACEBOOK FAUX PAS

Technology is great, just think where we'd be if we didn't have washing machines, mobile phones, laptops etc, etc.

Yeah we'd probably still be using washboards, yoghurt cartons and string or carrier pidgeons. But along with these advances we also have to take into account the pitfalls we open ourselves up to by our over reliability and openness when using them, especially the modern tools of communication.

Take Facebook for example, a social networking site that has in excess of 200 million users across the globe. Everyday we go in and describe to an ever increasing audience what trivial impediments are affecting us that day.. Or how we're doing in the swings and roundabouts of life.

I'm as guilty as the next person of following the proverbial herd in this respect, almost daily I'll partake of the never ending stream of quizzes and social tests sent our way by well meaning friends, of which I now have over 100... Half of them I probably wouldn't say hello to If I saw them in the street. But social etiquette dictates that on Facebook even the one night stand you had 5 years ago is a confidante to your every whimsical thought.

But I've stood back when it comes to the amount of personal info I put up, like a lot of people. Not just to save me from having my identity stolen, but to stop a repeat of a funny incident that happened 2 years ago.

It's been that long since my last serious relationship, I'm glad to say that I'm back in a happy and loving relationship now. So what happened two years ago on Facebook? My then girlfriend updated her profile to announce to the world we were now an item(fairly innocent, and something people take great delight in doing). A couple of weeks later she gets a pang of guilt about the amount of personal info on the site and decides to cut it back a bit. In doing so she clears the relationship box too, which in this modern society has repercussions. After taking this action she goes into a meeting, while in there everyone of her friends was subsequently been emailed by the site to tell them she had just dumped me....

Her inbox and mobile where inundated with texts and emails expressing their utter shock at her totally out of the blue decision. When she got out of the meeting in which she had been constantly distracted by the vibration of her mobile, she irritatedly rang her sister who had been calling non stop. Her sister asked what happened and why she dumped such a nice chap? My then squeeze, said she hadn't but then checked the 200 emails from all over the globe, Asking the same question...(and realised what she'd done) Oh Shit!!! Had I seen it?

She rang me desperately hoping I hadn't, I was in a meeting too. but the terse almost tearful.... "Call me ASAP, don't look at Facebook.." message left me in no doubt that something dire had happened, luckily it hadn't been seen by my friends. This breakdown in electronic communication didn't kill it, it was the breakdown in her ability to verbalise a concern and my inability to read her mind... that sent that brief union to the knackers yard.

So this time round, I'm not going to indulge in the electronic roof shouting on Facebook, that I'm no longer single... If someone fancies me from a far and asks me out, I'll politely tell them I'm taken and bask in feel good feeling.

EMAILS FROM HEAVEN OR HELL...

I just got another funny email, not my first. I usually get about two or three a month. Always from well meaning friends or distant acquaintances. Yes you know the type of mails I mean. The ones that tell you've been sent a loving angel to rescue your soul and then requires you to send it on to five or ten others within 8 minutes, so that something that you've been waiting for can be visited upon you...

I've given up waiting on this manna from heaven to arrive... I usually hope it's lady Luck or in recent times a call about some job I applied for. If all else fails, I hope it's some distant ex calling me up say she's had an epiphany and wants to give it another go. But alas I'm still single and jobless.

But this doesn't stop us pestering our other friends with the same crap. The number of people who tell me to stop sending them this waste of time and energy, then a couple of weeks later I'll get a version from them.

Lets look at the one sent to me today, it's opening line was:

FATE DECIDES WHO ENTERS YOUR LIFE, BUT ACTIONS DECIDES WHO STAYS IN YOUR LIFE.

Well first is the grammatical error of the second "decides" it should read "decide", what happened to attention to detail. If you have the time to forward this junk to half the planet you can certainly run a spell checker over it...

True or false? Er I suppose to a point.. If you see a nice girl at the Bus Stop, are you entitled to start chatting her up without coming across as some sort of pest.

Next

This should probably be taped to your bathroom mirror where one could read it every day. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

Here's the hook line, were all suckers for this type of prose. The best motivation I ever need is the one in my head. "Everyday you can get out of bed is a good day".

Now the nitty gritty...

1.. There are at least two people in this world that you would die for.

Ok, here I can think of two, three If I count my mother... Awwwh

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

I don't have that many close friends, they probably love me because I owe the money. I hang with a heartless and greedy bunch.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.

I'm no George Clooney, I'm unemployed and a year left on the good side of forty and I share a house with my mother. If anyone wants this life, a large monetary sum will secure it...

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep

I wish they'd phone me before hand, because I'm hard pressed to think of anyone. If it's because they fancy me, I wished they do something about it... Being part of their fantasies is one thing. But I'd rather be part of their reality.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

Yes we all know these types of people it's usually Traffic Wardens, or the guy or girl now going out with your ex. I have another way of viewing this, he who laughs last laughs least.


Then they always end by pushing the mushy saccharine message down your throat...

Good friends are like stars.....You don't always see them, But you know they are always there.

How much of a good friend are if you don't see them that often, only when you need something or they do. I make sure to see my good friends at least once a week or talk to them by phone on a near daily basis. Some people may say thats smothering them...

Today's mail followed that previous nugget with this....

'Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another, Even Though Sometimes It's Hell in the Hallway.'

Yes it is "Hell in the Hallway". For me it's a hallway 6 months long and with a faint glimmer of light. So either the electricity is on the blink or the windows need cleaning.

Then there was this...


I would rather have one rose and a kind word from a friend while I'm here than a whole truck load when I'm gone.

and these...


Happiness keeps You Sweet, Trials keep You Strong, Sorrows keep You Human, Failures keeps You Humble, Success keeps You Glowing, But Only God keeps You Going

The old adage goes - Keep it simple stupid, these fools have obviously never heard of flogging a dead horse.

'Worry looks around, sorry looks back, Faith looks up.'

Of course she looks around and looks back, because the boss has just looked over Faith's shoulder and caught her reading a personal email... The reason she finally looks up is because he's standing there with her coat and bag.

DISTURBING MY SLEEP IN IRISH

There are some very inconsiderate people around, especially at 3am in the morning. There I was on Sunday morning dropping off to sleep, when I heard this commotion out on the street.

Two idiots where to all intents and purposes trying to re-enact the trooping of the colours outside my window and to make matters worse they were doing it in Irish!!!! One kept saying to the other "Ag Stompig... Ag stompig..., "(which is I think stepping in Irish, this is what it sounded like) the other twit was agreeing with him and every time they missed a step they'd go back to my gate and start again, what with being both heavily intoxicated, they missed the cue a few times.

I don't suppose the trooping of the colours, which was on last Saturday had a very big audience in Ireland that day... Despite what people say, it's still a touchy subject. But these two were quiet oblivious to the disturbance they were causing. okay so they didn't have a marching band with them, but believe me they didn't need it..

Now of course the source of their condition was alcohol, I'd been out the night before and had come home after a few drinks with a few friends and had walked home at that same hour, but I wasn't shouting or disturbing the neighbours slumber. So why do people shout louder after a few drinks, is it to do with having come out of a noisy bar or night club and not realizing they don't have to shout to be heard. Couldn't night club owners put on slow quiet low music before the night ends so that people can adjust to the quieter ambiance outside before going out the door.

Also why do couples choose the wee small hours to have the loudest arguments especially again on my street or outside my window. Can't they wait till they get in doors and do it in the privacy of their bedrooms or sitting-room. Ok I'm not completely guilt free, I once had a rip-roaring row with a friend outside my house, but I made sure it was in a car. Just because I don't have to get up in the morning it doesn't mean my neighbours don't.

So next time you decide to stumble down my street on your inebriated journey home could you kindly think of the lucky ones soundly slumbering above you...