The European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) have the pleasure to announce the launch of the Third Edition of the Sea of Words Literary Competition.

We encourage the production of short stories that portray the different realities of the Euro-Mediterranean region from the point of view of the young people who live there, through the organisation of a Euro-Med short story competition.

This year, the theme is justice, equality and inclusion in the Mediterranean and in Europe in line with the objectives of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.

Applicants must be under 30 years of age and residents in one of the forty three countries of the Union for the Mediterranean, and write in one of the languages of the countries of the Union for the Mediterranean.

The short-stories should be submitted by e-mail before midnight (Spain Local Time) 15 September 2010.

For more information, please visit the competition website. For further queries, please write to: concurso@iemed.org

Join Now and Become the Next Winner of the Sea of Words Competition.

Thank you for your involvement.

Kind regards,

European Institute of the Mediterranean

Anna Lindh Foundation

I agree fully with Scandelcentral of course who say:

However Labour is very suited to Fianna Fail. They stand for nothing. Together we would form a fine coalition. It would only plunges us into economic desolation. We wouldn’t see economic growth for decades, if we are lucky, as Labour halts Fianna Fail cutbacks while forcing them to increase spending widening our continued deficits. Apocalypse is the only word which rightly comes to mind

Of course this reminds me of the goings on after the UK elections on whether to do a deal with Labour if Gordon Brown was still there. Labour here will only work with FF without Cowen.

Labour won’t gain many transfers or 1st preferences from this ploy! It just proves that they will work with anyone to get into power. It smells of desperation to me!

I have noticed from talking to friends, customers and pharmacists that each pharmacy and even sometimes branches within them, are adopting slightly different policies on the sale of codeine products.

An example of this is when my mother went to one pharmacy and was told she could not be sold a product and was not referred to the pharmacist as the regulations set out.

This makes it quite confusing for patients. It also makes it harder for those of us on the counter to help patients as if they can’t get what they want in our pharmacy they say they will go to another one.

The Draft Guidance on the Codeine Products is available on the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland’s website (PDF) but that does not set out a uniform policy.

Codeine products need to be strongly regulated and from my experience of this regulation I think they would be better off putting those products on prescription, it will be the only way that it will be regulated considering the abuse and misuse associated with these products and their addictive nature.

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I know this blog has been very quiet over the last few months. There are various reasons for this. Mainly I have been involved in a few things which have kept me busy and of course work is there also.

One of the things that has kept me really busy in Freaks N’Gleeks (formerly Cork Glee Club). We are a bunch of friends who have come together and put on a show revolving around dancing and singing. Its great fun. With Freaks N’Gleeks I have danced in Cork and Waterford and last Wednesday we qualified for the Semi-finals of Chambers Got Xtra Talent. Heres a video of our performance! We danced to “Take it Off” by Kei$ha and “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga. We are currently working on something for the Semi’s! Should be fun!

We also took part in Waterford Pride this month, which was great fun. The weekend before Pride we performed for the Prideathon to raise money for Pride. We also performed after the Pride Parade. We did “Can’t Be Tamed” by Miley Cyrus, “Africa” by Toto and “Waka, Waka” by Shakria. That was an interesting performance as the video will show!

Im looking forward to performing again!

In the mean time check out Freaks N’Gleeks page on Facebook!

This is a question no one is asking after LGBT Noise’s  March For Marriage on Sunday. In 2009 Over 3,000 people took part in that Year’s March For Marriage. This year the number is down to 2000 (Figure from Irish Times). That is compared to the 5,000 22,000 people took part in Dublin Pride Parade and the 100,000 who lined the streets of Dublin for Pride.

Why is this?

Is it people are willing to give the Civil Partnership Bill a chance? (Despite its ignorance of children)

Is it due to the general confusion about what the bill does? (I know I have been asked questions on this)

Is LGBT Noise actually on the sidelines on Gay Public Opinion?

Are people fed up of the Marriage Debate and want a quite life for a bit?

Who knows the real answer. But it will be interesting to see how this goes on.

The Spanish Presidency of the European Union on Wednesday will begin an Intergovernmental Conference to amend the Governing Treaties of the European Union to allow 18 MEPs to take their seats in the European Parliament under the Lisbon Treaty as elections took place under Nice Treaty rules.

This new treaty will not greatly effect Ireland unless they decide to go changing other things.

The following countries will gain MEP’s under the new Treaty:

* Bulgaria 1
* Netherlands 1
* Spain 4
* Austria 2
* France 2
* Poland 1
* Italy 1
* Latvia 1
* Sweden 2
* Malta 1
* United Kingdom 1

We may not have to have a referendum if the treaty in Ireland if the Treaty does not transfer powers to the EU. That would respect the Crotty Judgement.

It will be interesting to see what emerges in the next few months.

Hattip Julien Frisch

Originally posted on The Political Gay

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As I write this the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party are meeting to discuss the motion of Confidence in Party Leader, Enda Kenny.

I have already set out why I think Enda should go, but is Richard Bruton the person that should lead instead?

I don’t think so.

After speaking with a few people, the same reservations about Enda crop up, age (he is only two years younger then Enda). length of time in Dáil (entered the Seanad in 1981 and the Dáil in 1982), and general lack of passion in the media.

It is hard to disagree with all those points.

If the motion of Confidence fails, there needs to be a competitive election.

Fine Gael needs a young leader, one who “gets” modern Ireland. Understands technology and can interact easily.

Fine Gael needs a David Cameron type figure. Will we get one? I hope so.

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Back in February I wrote this

Enda Kenny has been the leader of Fine Gael since 2002. In that time he has revitalised the party but he has failed to capitalise on the failures of Fianna Fail. Today’s resignation of George Lee is the final nail in the coffin for my support for Enda Kenny.

….

Its time for Enda to put up or move on. He can bring us so close, but he can not take us over the line. Its simple, there is not going to be a Fine Gael government under the leadership of Enda Kenny. I have come to that realisation now.

I call on Enda to resign the leadership for the good of the party.

With news circulating about Richard Bruton’s possible challenge at the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party tomorrow it is as relevant as ever.

I still think the same as I did in February. Enda needs to step aside for new leadership. A leadership who dosen’t launch the same policy four times. One that connects with the people. Because Enda dosen’t. This is a media age, and Enda is suitable for it. (Then again I don’t think Cowen is either!)

Enda has done too little to late on the last one. Yes his weekly message is quite interesting (I’m tempted to start a subsite on that but we shall see of he survives first), but he could do s much better. One only needs to look to the UK to see how its done. Events like Cameron Direct and WebCameron can be easily copied and will make any leader more accessible and more understood by the electorate. That is what will win someone an election. The weekly message is only going to party activists so it is wasted.

Yes I know as a party we were spooked by last Thursday’s opinion poll. But the canvass I did today was no different to canvass’s before Thursdays poll. The issues that came up? Local ones and leadership of Fine Gael.

I am fed up to the back teeth of defending him so I have stopped. I now just say, thats up to the Parliamentary Party. Lets see what they think tomorrow.

Author with Malte and Timo, from his time as an Au Pair in Germany

As with many of the Prides that are happening in Ireland this year, there is a common theme. The theme is “We Are Family Too”. As part of this, Dublin Pride have built a special site WRF2.com to find out what family means to people.

I think this is a great idea! This way even if you are not in Dublin you can still contribute!

You can send your message in two ways. Online through this form or by post to

WRF2 Project,
Outhouse,
105 Capel Street,
Dublin 1,
Ireland

This is my submission.

What does family mean to me? Well it entirely depends on the context of the word.

When people ask about my family, I know they are talking about my parents and my sister. Sometimes that family can be wider to include my Grandmother, but by and large it is static.

When I think of my family I think of the same.

When I think of the family I want, that is when my view changes.

The family I want looks something like this.

Me
My Partner
Children

Not so different to the one I grew up with, but with a few differences. My Partner is also male. And the family is not based on marriage, but on a Civil Partnership.

This family is as loving as the one I grew up in. It is as nurturing and inspiring as the one I grew up in.

Why can’t I have a family like that?

Do give your opinion!

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You may have seen posters about this around the city of Cork with the Lord Mayor holding a contract about this.

Click to Enlarge

The Danish Embassy has also agreed not to use the word and has asked all Danish Citizens not to use the word.

The Project is looking for suggestions of words to use instead of “Recession”.

I for one will try not to use the word recession next Thursday.

For more information on the project check out superflexcork.wordpress.com