Review: Michael Jackson "The Immortal World Tour" by Cirque du Soleil

I saw a bunch of advertisements for the Cirque Du Soleil Michael Jackson show, and I figured that my son, who is a big fan of Michael Jackson, and who may have even had his first experience with anyone's death when the superstar died some years ago, would likely appreciate this show.

            So I got tickets for it, and took him on Friday night.

            We arrived late, mostly because I was at fault. Yet, when we got there, the show had not yet started, so we caught a break.

            I did not know what to expect, truth be told. Was it going to be some guy that looked like Michael Jackson lip syncing while doing all sorts of vintage MJ moves and dances? Would it be more like a circus with the accompaniment of Michael Jackson's music? Would it be some mix of the two?

            It wound up being actually very good. It was a tribute show to Michael Jackson, but it certainly could not be considered in the category of a tribute band, or anything like that. It was also not quite like any Cirque du Soleil show that I have seen before, although you could definitely still tell that is what it was. It was just a very good show, and a tribute to Michael Jackson.

            My son enjoyed it immensely. He was taken by the pyrotechnics and the acrobatics, and of course by Jackson's music.  Even I was taken by it.

            Maybe I should explain something at this point. I remember the whole huge deal when his "Thriller" album was all the rage, and how his dancing was unlike anything that anybody had ever seen to that point. He was best known for his trademark "Moonwalk", and his songs dominated the radio waves. An argument could be made that he was the most popular recording artist since the Beatles, and it would not be laughable.

            I was taken by it, too. Just a small boy yet at the time, it was hard not to be impressed by the flashiness and all of the hoop la that seemed to surround him. The music was catchy, and his dance moves were amazing!

            Yet, he was never my type of musician, if you will. I grew up on many of the 60's British Invasion groups, and the Hippie and peace & love music of the later 60's and early 70's, although that was already largely seen as outdated. Later on, I got into heavy metal and punk, back in the mid-1980's. But since these were always kind of under the radar, there was a bit of resentment towards Michael Jackson and other pop stars, because they represented another reality to me, one filled with big money and over the top showmanship. Sure, he was talented. But did he deserve all of the attention and the headlines, and screaming fans?

            I was all in favor of the grunge revolution, if you will, or the rise of alternative music, which had suddenly, seemingly unexpectedly, thrust musicians like Michael Jackson and Madonna into the shadows. It felt at the time like people were actually starting to have good taste.

            Of course that did not last, but that matters little to me now. I understand that radio is not necessarily the best place to find or listen to good music.

            As for Michael Jackson? Well, it seemed clear that he had personal problems. In one of his shows, his hair caught on fire during a mishap with pyrotechnics. By the late 1980's, and certainly at latest by the early 1990's, jokes abounded about his skin appearing considerably lighter than in the past, not to mention a straighter hair style, and many people claimed he was trying to be more white. He spoke in a strange voice, and I still remember when Oprah asked him if he was still a virgin, and he responded by laughing embarrassed manner, and telling her that was such a personal question. He eventually got married to Lisa Marie Presley, and made a show of kissing her publicly. It always seemed that he went out of his way to prove his masculinity, that his image was taking a hit because he hardly seemed normal in most people's eyes.

            Of course, his largest problem with his image always seemed to center around children. Paradoxically, his focus on children was also perhaps the greatest enhancement to his image. He was praised for his care for children, and kids were allowed to swarm to the stage during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXVII.

            Yet, there were other kinds of headlines that Jackson had with children, including some that suggested that he was a pedophile. These were settled out of court, but some controversy remains regarding these charges. Some feel he did what he had to do, and that people were targeting him, which is a valid point, and certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Yet others feel that if he was as innocent as he said, he should have endured the trial in order to clear his name and prove his innocence before the world. From that point onwards, he always seemed to be plagued by new charges.

            There was also the time when he stood on a hotel balcony before screaming, adoring fans, and held a baby before him, then hung him over the banister, with nothing to prevent a long fall if something happened. The wrong kind of headlines again.

            There were financial concerns, as well. His Never-Never Land was elaborate and legendary in it's opulence, but apparently too much for him to afford. In fact, he lived a lifestyle that was beyond his means, and that of course is saying something, given that he was a very rich man. When he died in 2009 of a premature heart attack, another issue that he apparently had to face, as well as being severely underweight), he owed something of around $500 million dollars, which far from being a small sum, is actually quite a princely fee.

            My own feelings were mixed. I had long dismissed him as a money making machine, and thus a sellout, for all intents and purposes. His strange behavior made it hard for me, personally, to take him seriously. As catchy as his music was initially, his music was overplayed after a while, and I grew tired of even hearing him, generally speaking, and would switch the stations when he came on, more often than not.

            That said, he will always be remembered as "The King of Pop". I had largely forgotten about Michael Jackson until that summer day when news of his death spread like wildfire. My son took a strong interest and began to love his music and his videos, and perhaps rather ironically, I began to enjoy his music again, for the first time in a long time. The show last night was terrific, and recommended to me by someone else who was a bit skeptical about it all, but was won over. I enjoyed the show, like he predicted, and in fact found myself in the mood to listen to more of Michael Jackson's stuff. Funny how things work sometimes, isn't it? 

Tibet and the Self-Immolation of Buddhist Monks

There are some unbelievable protests in and around Tibet going on right now. Of course, Tibet has long been a center of attention and a point of criticism for the growing Chinese Superpower, ever since the invasion over sixty years ago. It remains a source of controversy to this day.

What marks these latest protests are the images of the self-immolation of monks in protest of the Chinese authority and of Chinese domination over Tibet.

Tibet is a land that used to be a Buddhist backwater, as has been described in some famous books and movies (such as "Seven Years in Tibet" and "Kundun", for example).

There are differing accounts of what Tibet was like prior to Chinese invasion (the Chinese call it the "liberation" of Tibet) and occupation. Listen to many Tibetan Buddhists, and it was almost a religious utopia, like a heavenly haven, literally among the clouds, as Tibet is mostly perched atop the Himalaya Mountains, and was the most isolated country on Earth.

The Chinese have another version. They claim that Tibet was a rural backwater lacking progress and the possibility of improving the lives of those inside the country. Michael Parenti wrote an interesting article, "Friendly Feudalism: The Tibet Myth" (see the link below), that delves into the subject of the popular imagination and perceptions of Tibet's mythic past, versus a more sober assessment of the reality, and explained that, in fact, far from being a spiritual utopia as if often portrayed and believed, Tibet was a country of crushing poverty, where religious rulers demanded high taxes from the people, in order to sustain their lives of opulence. The Dalai Lama had even admitted that it had been a backwards place, and that the toll placed upon the regular people was likely too high. He, and the Tibetan dilemma that he personifies in general, have become a cause célèbre for many around the world, and this, often highly idealized. This does not always mesh with reality. The Dalai Lama travels the world, and tries to keep pressure on China for greater Tibetan autonomy, and his government in exile hopes to someday return to a Tibet free of Chinese domination. That may not happen, but the Dalai Lama has come to represent an alternative to the militant and distorted propaganda of a notoriously self-serving Chinese approach, and moreover, a rejection of modern consumer-society values. He has become a much revered figure world wide, and is considered one of the noted elders. Still, all of that deification of the Dalai Lama and the has served to muddy the waters about Tibet's past, which was much less idyllic than many seem to assume.

Be that as it may, China came in with guns blazing against a much smaller, peaceful nation that did not even have a real army. Also, of course, China can hardly be trusted to actually tell the truth in such cases, so systematic is the propaganda machine, and their military takeover can hardly be considered a "liberation" in the strictest sense, since they subjugated what had been an independent nation and essentially annexed it. The native Tibetan population at the time have had to sit by and watch foreigners come and settle their land.

Protests against the Chinese occupation are nothing new, of course. But the protests had not been quite as attention grabbing as these. There is just something about this particular form of attention that grabs the attention of cameras and of headlines the world over.

This is not a new practice, of course. This form of protest became well-known back in the days of the Vietnam War. Yet, the shock value of this particular form of protest is more powerful than probably any other. Just the mere thought of being entirely consumed by flames is too horrifying for most of us to really imagine, yet here are some Buddhist monks willing to do just that! They obviously have to feel strongly enough about it to not only take their own lives in such a public way, but in such a painful way, on top of it! Hard to imagine! 

www.michaelparenti.org/Tibet.html 

Trayvon Martin

On the evening of February 26^th, a 17-year old by the name of Trayvon Martin, on a trip to Sanford, Florida, from his native Miami, was walking to the local shop to buy a couple of items. He never made it back alive.

There was an altercation, and there remains some ambiguity regarding the circumstances of the altercation that led to his death. The only person who knows for sure what exactly happened is George Zimmerman, a 28-year old neighborhood watchman, who was found with a bloody nose and other signs of a physical fight, and who would eventually pull a gun and shoot the young man to death.

Zimmerman claims that he killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense, citing a law in Florida that makes it lawful to shoot trespassers on one's property.

However, many people vehemently disagree with that account, and claim that there are double standards in how the case was handled. Also, it appears that Zimmerman might have used a racial slur, which if true, would likely make this a murder case and possibly even a hate crime, and certainly would severely damage Zimmerman's claim that this was self-defense, as he has been consistently claiming.

There are several aspects to this case, which has come to dominate the media headlines, in the age of the internet. Major media outlets were forced to pay closer attention to this case that seems to many to be a clear cut case of racial prejudice and double standards.

Trayvon Martin was walking back to “The Retreat at Twin Lakes ”, a gated community where he was staying. He had an Arizona Iced Tea and a pack of skittles on him, but no weapons. Also, he was on the phone with his girlfriend, and his girlfriend gives a radically different account of the events that unfolded from what she can tell, and she was on the phone with Trayvon, actually trying to tell him to get out of there as quickly as possible. The girlfriend was never questioned by police. Zimmerman, who shot Trayvon dead, never spent a night in jail, or anything. He remains free to do as he wishes to this point, and it seemed that the local police turned this into an open and shut case, presuming George Zimmerman's complete innocence automatically, and eliminating any possibility of exploring any wrong doing on his end.

In New York, there was a “Million Hoodie March”, to show solidarity with blacks who have been victimized by stereotypes, as well as to Trayvon's family. They essentially are talking about the double standards that a young black male would automatically be seen as suspicious and treated differently simply for wearing a type of clothing that is actually quite popular at the moment.

It appears that this case as not as open and shut as the Sanford Police Department, located in the outskirts of Orlando, Florida, seemed to have made it out to be. They accepted Zimmerman's account point blank, and did not appear to scrutinize this episode as much as perhaps they should have, which has subsequently served to discredit them and cast their findings into serious doubt. Whatever people's opinions are, a lot of people seem to agree that the police department could have handled the case a lot better. Zimmerman was taken into the back of a police car, but that was just about the extent of it. After killing a black kid, he did not spend a day in jail, and was essentially set free, presumed innocent beyond even having to be subjected to a serious inquiry, when there was a dead teenager involved.

A lot of people, mostly whites, claimed after the election of Barack Obama that marked the beginning of a post-racial America. When episodes like this occur, let alone the controversy to reactions to it, it seems clear that we still have a ways to go as a nation to reach that point. 

The Toulouse Shootings and Ramifications

International headlines were made in France earlier this week, when this mad shooter took the lives of Jewish children and their father near a school in Toulouse, and did so ruthlessly.

It was later determined that this man, Mohammed Merah, a 23 year old of Algerian Muslim descent, had also been responsible for earlier shooting deaths of some French troopers, answering an add in the paper from one of them, who was trying to sell a scooter.

The police made the link, noticing that the same gun was used, and that these crimes were likely the product of the same gun.

Suddenly, theories went wild. It was assumed that the shooter was likely a white supremacist, and that these were racial hate crimes from an extremist neo-Nazi type of guy, or perhaps even some group.

It wound up being another kind of extremist, and a hate crime of a different sort.  Mr. Merah was an Islamic extremist, having even trained in terrorist camps, and claimed these shooting to Al-Qaeda, which he claimed to be a member of. He committed the shootings in the name of Palestine. Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian Prime Minister, for his part, disavowed this, and condemned the shootings. This came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had proclaimed this to be an act of anti-Israel "propaganda".

It obviously generated considerable attention the world over, but it was used as a political football not just internationally, but domestically, as well. It is, after all, an election year in France, and thus, something that drew this much attention would obviously be noticed and commented on.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy, the current President who is facing a very tough election year which he has been trailing for quite a long time, and who has low approval ratings and is often blamed for not improving, and in some cases exacerbating, France's problems, has tried to maintain calm following the incident, aiming to avert an anti-Muslim backlash.

Another French politician, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the extreme rightist Front Nationale, had been quiet initially, when rumors swirled that it might be a white supremacist. It seemed at first that this was an embarrassment to the party that has often been associated with white supremacists, and so she quietly gave her condolences and showed her opposition to these crimes. However, once it was deemed that the shooter had been an Islamic extremist, Marine Le Pen gave voice to her traditionally anti-immigration stance, proclaiming that tougher measures are needed, and that this is a real problem that needs to be recognized. Having been pressured to silken initially, she was the first major French politician to speak out on the issue.

From my end, I had a sickening feeling, right away, that this would be used by many Americans to reaffirm their own prejudices towards France in general, no matter what the shooter's intentions.

Sure enough, those comments did not take long, either. A coworker of mine mentioned how he thought the French were "pussies" for not simply storming the house and forcing the surrender of the murderer, who opened fire and shot two officers in a shootout, and who later kept negotiating with police, and at some point expressed pride in his role in the shootings, claiming that he had brought France to it's knees, and that his only wish was that he could have had more victims.

It seems amazing to me that the senseless actions of a madman that everyone is trying to distance themselves from, albeit for various reasons, would end up being exploited by many prominent politicians to meet their own end, and to score political points

It cheapens the event and it's victims, and illustrates why politicians are often viewed as snakes. One might almost get the impression that these politicians were waiting around fro something to happen, for some headlines that would finally allow them to react to and possibly make headlines of their own. It did not take long. It shows that such stories are getting less and less shocking, which is to say, they are getting more and more accepted, frankly. Yes, it generates attention, but look at how quickly politicians, international and domestic, utilized this as an opportunity to forward their own propaganda, whatever position they were taking.

Add to that that common folk, such as my coworker, have to chime in and use this tragedy to confirm their own prejudices, disregarding that the shooter was acting out on his prejudices, and the whole thing was just an ugly and tragic event, from the actual actions, which were inexcusable, to the reactions, which were more often than not close to inexcusable themselves. 

The Cheapest Tickets in New Jersey

Took my son to another Nets game last evening, after an absolutely hellacious weekend, and a Monday that seemed almost to be the cherry to top it all off with. There was a point when I almost thought of not going.

But I do love to go to these events, and the Nets are not going to be in town for more than five or six weeks more, tops. No way that they are going to the playoffs, obviously. They are seven games out, with maybe fifteen or so games left. It is not mathematically impossible. But the way that they played last evening, it was clear that they are just not that good of a team.

They came out flat, allowing Cleveland to jump out and grab the early momentum, and they made good use of it, taking a double digit lead early and dictating the tempo of the game. New Jersey was clearly cold and looking completely lifeless.

It did not help, of course, that there were only a few thousand fans attending in a mostly empty arena. That has always been a perennial problem, of course, but this season, evidently, it has reached ridiculous proportions, as offended New Jerseyans, angry at the impending move to Brooklyn, have made a point of boycotting the games. Ticket prices have literally bottomed out. No joke, I paid a grand total of $2.10 for the pair of tickets yesterday. They were not the greatest seats, but really, how better to spend a couple of dollars, which amounts to basically spare change in most people's wallet? It's a joke.

Perhaps what is even more of a joke is that, given the prices, the games are still so empty and bereft of people, let alone enthusiastic support. It is a strange situation, of course.

I have never paid so little for tickets to a professional sporting event, and it was not a preseason game or anything! It was a regular season game, and late in this season, relatively speaking. I mean, tickets looked cheap, and I figured that it might be an opportune time to see a game. However, the cheapness of these tickets even took me by surprise! How do the people that actually bought these tickets make money, anyway? Is it really a protest against the move? When I mentioned it to a coworker, he almost screamed out that I overpaid! Overpaid!! At $1.05 a ticket, and he is claiming that I spent too much money. Apparently, on StubHub, tickets are on sale for – get this – 1 cent! I mean, what the hell? Granted, the Cleveland Cavaliers versus the New Jersey Nets in 2012 is hardly a marquee match up. Neither team is likely to qualify for the playoffs, let alone have a strong impact later in the season. But still, it is a professional basketball team at the truly elite level! When will I ever be able to get tickets to any such event for literally a couple of bucks and change again? It's 2012, after all, and that's less – significantly less – than what a gallon of gas presently sells for. So, yes, I loaded up on tickets, some good, some not so good (like last night), figuring it would not be a big deal if I paid a few bucks and then wound up not being able to attend the game or games. But no single game was as cheap as yesterday's, and just out of principal, I made a point of going to it. Even parking was cheap, at $5.00, which was more than double what I paid for the tickets, of course. Between that and gas, I paid probably far more on this stuff than the actual tickets!

Anyway, back to the game.

The Nets were being badly outplayed, and it became an uphill struggle for much of the rest of the game. They did claw their way back, and even had a lead at some points, after falling behind pretty badly in the first half, and largely staying there throughout that early part of the game. So, it seemed like they were going to pull it out when they had a lead with minutes to go.

However, perhaps they exerted so much energy on the comeback, that they had little left in the gas tank when the game was tight and the result on the line. Cleveland was able to regain control with a strong finish, and they showed the killer instinct that the Nets have not had in quite a few years now, ever since the days of at least Vince Carter, and perhaps more the days of Jason Kidd, and two consecutive Eastern Conference Championships and NBA Finals appearances.

Those days sometimes feel like ancient history, however, and perhaps never so much as last night. New Jersey has some talent, but they just cannot seem to put it all together. They have bad luck, true. Perhaps their biggest producer, Brook Lopez, is basically out for the entire season. This move, and the negative fan reaction, understandable in many ways as it might be, certainly could not help. A few days ago, the Nets seemed a shoe in to pick up Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic, which would likely have made them instant contenders. Instead, seemingly out of nowhere, he decided to finally end all of the drama by remaining in Orlando, but this meant that the drama in New Jersey continues until the team relocates to Brooklyn.

Who knows? Perhaps when the move finally takes place, and the team is solidly entrenched in their new home, they will have better luck for Brooklyn. Until then, however, the Nets are still in New Jersey, although clearly, they have one foot out the door, as they have these last three or four seasons in particular. 

Some Corporations to Avoid....

I am writing about corporations to avoid, because I just saw a list of the top 15 deadliest corporations to avoid, if you can, and it seemed to me that they were missing some corporations. I do understand a few of the choices, though, of course. Haliburton was not a surprise, and I have been trying to avoid that one since first hearing about it, it's no bid contracts in the Iraq war fiasco, and the company's association with our creepy ex-Vice president, Dick Cheney.

Exxon also came as no surprise, as did BP. Even Chevron, and any of the major oil companies. These days, that just seems a given, although sometimes, you have to get your gas somewhere. I specifically try to avoid Exxon and BP already, to the extent possible.

Pfizer also did not come as a surprise, because somewhere along the line (although I cannot remember precisely where), they seemed to pop up on a similar list, and I had heard a couple of things like that about it elsewhere, also.

I had also heard about Nestle, although admittedly, this is a company that I have not made such a strong point of boycotting, or anything. Yes, I have enjoyed a Nestle Crunch bar, or the occasional Butterfinger. But, since that stuff really is not good for you to begin with, maybe I should get a little more active, and health conscious along with that, and add this to my personal list.

Monsanto was no surprise, as well. Genetically modified food is a very controversial issue I the present day, and no company seems to represent this more clearly than Monsanto.

DeBeers, the diamond sellers, is not a real surprise, either. I first heard about the evils of the diamond industry back in the days of apartheid in South Africa (as an aside, perhaps we should remember some of the corporations that so willingly conducted highly lucrative business there during the days of legalized segregation and white domination), back when I was actively keeping up with that issue. But the evils remain, although apartheid does not. Anyone who watched "Blood Diamond" might be a bit familiar with how the diamond process works, and the unethical nature of this. So, DeBeers is hardly a surprise. That said, it is not everyday that I buy diamonds, and I don't know many people who recently have bought diamonds, either. When the time comes again, if the time comes again, then I will try to be more conscientious about my decision, and hopefully be more informed. But that was not a huge surprise, either.

There were some surprises, however. Not shockers, or anything, since corporations are corporations, after all, and in general, their interests are in making money and expanding and increasing profits at almost any expense. That said, some corporations you do not necessarily think of too much, until you find them one day on such a list. Coca Cola, for example. I did not see that one coming. Also, Ringling Barnum & Bailey Circus. Who knew? I am glad I did not purchase those tickets to the circus for my son, Sebastien, because I had been meaning to do that, in fact.

Some of the biggest surprises were in the corporations that did not make this particular list. I mean, I was expecting to see Walmart high on the list. This is a corporations that I have tried to go to great lengths to avoid like the plague. Now, I am hardly rich, and yes, the prices in Walmart are out of this world, simply fantastic. But my conscience bothered me every time that I would shop there, because as good as their prices are, their policies and practices are a reflection of the darker side of that. Hell, it has a whole movie targeting it, and it has come to represent the evils of corporate America more than almost any other corporation. It is, or recently was, anyway, the biggest corporation in the world. I first sotpped shopping there after hearing about one store in particular in Chicoutimi, Quebec, where the workers had finally won a long fought battle for union representation in the store. Within days, Walmart announced the closing of the store, claiming it was not profitable. Not much later, a similar story in Ste-Hyacinthe, Quebec, a town maybe forty minutes outside of Montreal. That angered me, and I tried to stop shopping there, and succeeded, fro maybe a year or so. Then I began shopping there, somewhere around 2007 until perhaps sometime in 2009, I think. It was a drop, and a major one, admittedly. I would buy stuff there, and literally feel guilty about it, until it proved too much. I have not shopped there since late September of 2009, and have no intention of going back.

McDonald's seems an obvious choice, as well. I am not entirely sure that there is a food chain that represents the excesses of corporate greed and disgusting practices as McDonald's. I mean, you think about strange food sources, not knowing exactly what you are eating, and McDonald's s almost a poster child for that. It was merely a few weeks ago that McDonald's made headlines by eliminating what has come to be known as "pink slime". Lovin' it? How about lovin' all of those countless acres of forest, most famously in the Amazon Rain Forest, in order to clear land so that more beef can be produced, so that more food can be produced cheaply, with very detrimental environmental consequences. I have tried to avoid McDonald's like the plague, and was largely successful for quite a few years, until a relapse in 2008 until 2009 (about the same time as my relapse with Walmart). But I have been Mickey D's free since, and it has been a few years since I last went into one of their stores and bought anything. Anyone who wants to learn more about the horrible health effects of such a fast food chain should watch "Supersize Me". I also try to avoid KFC, Taco Bell, and Burger king, personally. Increasingly, Wendy's is edging nearer to this list, as well. I still got here on occasion, because these places target children, and Sebastien, being a child, is attracted, understandably. I try and take him to Friendly's as a treat every now and again, or some other such place. Maybe Dairy Queen, for example. But he does ask why daddy does not go to McDonald's or Burger King, when mommy treats him to these places regularly. That kind of bothers me, but what can I do? I have spoken to her here and there about it, but old habits die hard. Eventually, when he is perhaps old enough and mature enough. I will explain my position to him more clearly, and hopefully, he can make his own decision about it, one way or the other.

In any case, let me wrap this list up, because I am running out of time, and it is starting to get long.  There are plenty of others (don't even get me started on banks, and other financial institutions, for example). It could go on and on, but in the interest of keeping this relatively brief, let me just add the specific link that got me writing on this particular subject, and let you, the reader, make up your own mind on this. Feel free to share any companies that you make a strong point of avoiding, as well. 

15 deadliest corporations:

http://worldtruth.tv/15-deadliest-corporations/

An Irish Tradition

So, another St. Patrick's Day has passed. A day to celebrate Irish heritage, something that the author of this piece does not actually have, but still nonetheless honors in his own small way each year.

Usually, my mom will make her once a year Irish dish of corned beef and cabbage, potatoes, carrots. We try to remember to wear green. I got myself a green bagel, and maybe would have gotten myself a green beer, if I had not been working. I have had one or two in my day, but not excessively or anything like that.

Mostly, it is in recognition of a country that is often viewed in almost magical terms. It really has a fascinating culture and history, and there is a certain lore about the place that is hard to dismiss.

I have never been there, but would love to go someday. A land of evidently numerous shades of green that you can really appreciate best as you are flying over it, from what I have heard, thus justifying it's nickname as "The Emerald Island". It is also a land of country fields spotted with the occasional cottage, some charming villages, old castles and ruins of castles, often covered in moss. It is a country of rich traditions and folklore, of music. Ireland is a land of ancient traditions dating back to the druids, to the Celts. It did more than any of the other nations in the British Isles of preserving their past culture and language, although it has not been easy. Gaelic is an official language, but it pales in comparison with English, spoken only by a tiny minority of the population. Still, efforts have been made, and are still being made, to keep it active, and these have been met with some measure of success, at that.

The history of Ireland has always been fascinating as well, if steeped in tragedy. It seems that it is dominated by stories of wars of conquest, of periodic famines, sometimes of epic proportions (a large part of the reason why there are so many people of Irish heritage in countries like the United States and Canada), and of crushing poverty (just read some of Frank McCourt's works, for example).

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, himself famously drove out all of the snakes from the Emerald Isle, and used the shamrock as a symbol that has now largely come to represent Ireland itself. These are not the only legends surrounding him, of course, but they are among the most famous, to be sure. They are the ones that people seem most familiar with.

Ireland has changed a great deal over the years. Dublin is a growing city, and very diverse. Like almost every western European nation, it has been greatly changed by immigration. Many Eastern Europeans have found a comfortable abode upon Irish shores, and the capital city is a huge reflection of that. It is supposed to be a very young city, where everything is new, in a land of ancient traditions and cultures. It is rather ironic.

What is also ironic is that this tiny island remains a symbol of division. Northern Ireland remains predominately Protestant, although it is hardly a wide majority. Yet, the society there remains often strictly divided, and thus, filled with tensions. A lot of people forget, but in the days just before September 11^th, when the terrorist attacks would obviously dominate international headlines for a good long while, the international news that was gaining the most attention prior to that came from northern Ireland, when attempts to integrate Catholics and Protestants into the same schools resulted in extreme violence and further division, and were compared with the violence and ugly scenes in the days of legalized segregation in the Jim Crow South, back in the fifties and early sixties. Nor is the controversy restricted to Ireland or Northern Ireland, for that matter. Every now and then, you will still see a 26+6= 1 bumper sticker, and there still exists many anti-British sentiments regarding this issue in particular. Proof that the charm that marks Ireland and it's traditional cultures does not make it immune from modern day political realities, ugly as they may be.

Ireland has punched harder than it's weight in terms of the impact on the world that this relatively tiny island nation has had. A huge portion of Americans, for one, can trace their heritage to the Irish, almost all of whom made their escape from the crushing poverty found in the place at the time. The United States had it's Irish Catholic President in John F. Kennedy, one of the most admired and famous of the Presidents. Irish musicians have enjoyed considerable success the world over, including Sinead O'Connor and, most obviously, U2. It is a land that produced some prominent literary figures, including the giant figure of James Joyce, especially.

So, St. Patrick's Day is over, at least for another year. Many are those who look forward to this traditional drinking holiday, whether they are, in fact, Irish or not. A few years ago, I saw in an Irish pub in Warwick, New York, a countdown clock. This was not for a New Year, in anticipation of some other momentous occasion. It was for the next St. Patrick's Day. I guess it's time to set the clock and begin the countdown all over again, right?