Thomil's Random Ramblings

Ireland has come a long way, there's no other way to say it. From an impoverished state, nominally independent but actually little more than a lackey to the Roman Catholic Church, it has developed into a modern, pluralistic, and in many ways emancipated society. Great strides have been made, as last year's marriage referendum clearly shows that. However, much still needs to be done, for example in the education sector, where the church still gets its claws on unsuspecting young minds. However, at the moment, a bigger battlefield awaits, and that battlefield will be hotly contested.  What the hell is that idiot blabbering about, you ask? Well, lets look at the Irish constitution. Article 40 of the constitution lays out the fundamental rights of all citizens or residents of the Republic of Ireland. Section 3 of this article reads as follows: "The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees,

Recently, I took to Blogger to welcome a new author on this very blog. His output so far has been limited, but then that is to be expected when you've got your hands full dodging Grizzlies in the mountains of British Columbia. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Since yesterday, I've started another blog, and this one's all about the weather. Blame the Weather is my attempt to start blogging a little more regularly, even if it is Cork-centric, like.  Of course, this blog will still be kept up and running, I've got a few articles in the pipeline, but in the meantime, feel free to hop over to the new member in my blog family to have a look around. I mean, it can't be worse than the weather. As always, feedback is highly welcome :) 

As those who know me may already have noticed, I'm not blessed with the best of memories. This isn't just limited to the names of colleagues or superiors, but also to vital things, like the parent's birthdays, or whatever the hell it is that I originally wanted to write to finish this sentence. This has also cost me a number of items that were pretty dear to me, like my trusty old Motorola V3i Razr *sniffle*. In these days of iCloud, Apple Watch, and "Find my iPhone", the risk of losing those has diminished, however there are still items that I tend to forget, and they usually tend to be pretty important. Like my apartment keys, for example. Or my company ID badge. So, how can that issue be sorted out, or at least reduced? The answer came to me at a space not usually associated with memory issues: Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. I was on my way back to Ireland after a week of shore leave with the parents in Speyer. My new job pays rather well, so I ended up at the