WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 55

The Working Genie

There once was a poor man who longed to be rich. He heard tell that a man in another village had a genie and decided to go and see how he could get one. When he got to the village and found the right person, he asked after his genie.

“I don’t mind letting you have him,” said the villager. “However if you take him it is on these conditions. The genie likes to be kept busy at all times and if he has nothing to do he gets very agitated. Also if you take him you have to keep him, I can’t take him back.”

The man was overjoyed. “Don’t worry, I won’t run out of jobs for him, I have great plans,” he said, “And why would I ever want to give him back?”

He couldn’t believe his luck. “Get me a gold carriage and four beautiful white horses to take me home” The genie snapped his fingers and there they were. “When I get home I want a huge palace full of beautiful furniture and a feast for all the village.” The genie snapped his fingers.

For a few weeks the man had everything his heart desired. He made his wish and with a snap of the genie’s fingers it came true.

After a while he ran out of desires, nothing pleased him anymore and he just wanted a bit of peace. But the genie kept asking “More Work! More Work!”

“I have nothing for you to do.” The genie got angrier and angrier. “Give me more work or I will kill you,” he shouted. The poor man got more and more stressed and eventually decided to go back to the village and ask for help.

“Well, I can’t take him back, but I’ll tell you what to do,” the wise man said. “Get a pole and put it in the garden. Tell the genie to go to the top and then when he reaches the top he has to go down to the bottom, when he reaches the bottom he has to go back to the top.”

This is what the man did and had no more trouble.

Our minds can be like the genie. It can help us get what we desire but its restlessness can drive us crazy. Keep a peaceful thought or mantra in the mind to control the mind.

5 MINUTES WITH - EMMA PORTER

Emma Porter lives in Desertagney with her parents Joe and Betty. Emma has run her company, Vivid Performances School of Speech and Drama for nine years and runs very popular classes all over Inishowen including Buncrana, Muff, Burnfoot and Letterkenny. Her classes cater for both adults and children building communication skills, self-confidence and self-esteem. Emma has just finished a very busy time where she was performing in the hugely successful Sound of the Musicals stage musical in Buncrana, directed by Donall Henderson of Greasepaint Productions.

You can still join Emma’s classes that are running at the moment and enrolment has also started for the new courses in September. Contact her on 086 360 1537

What music are you listening to at the moment?
BelX1. They released a new album in February of this year called Blue Lights on a Runway, which is very good. Damien Rice used to be the lead singer before he went solo. I am still listening to music from Joseph, Mama Mia, Les Miserables, Chicago, The Sound of Music and Wicked, all of the songs that were in The Sound of the Musicals.

What book are you reading?
I spend time reading scripts. We are putting on the Wizard of Oz soon so I will be rehearsing for that after a couple of weeks off. The last book I read was by Banana Yoshimoto called Kitchen. I really like her work; it’s real and touches people’s lives.

What was your favourite childhood game?
I was a bit of a tomboy and loved climbing trees and going really fast on my BMX bike, it didn’t have any brakes but that didn’t seem to matter.

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
I have been at the cinema at St Mary’s hall for the last month….It’s a great place and also does bingo, is a community centre and a playschool.

What section of the newspaper do you turn to first?
I read the front-page headlines first to see what’s going on.

What would you never throw away?
Things of sentimental value from my childhood and from family and friends. I have a few things belonging to my grandma that I got after her death that I wouldn’t part with. A scarf and some ornaments

Most embarrassing moment of your life?
I am constantly putting my foot in it. I ask questions like “When is it due?” to people who are not pregnant.

Favourite TV programme?
Shameless. It has new writers and is still very fresh. It covers real, gritty issues.


Favourite meal?
Anything with seafood in it, especially when I am on holiday. I like the Surf and Turf at the Laurentic in the parish too… fillet steak and sea bass….yummy.

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
I wanted to be an actress. I idolised some of the great screen stars, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Vivienne Leigh. I had my first chance of acting when Patricia Tinney asked me if I wanted to take part in a play called That’s all for now by the Clann le Cheile group, which was about the big band era in the 1950’s that played in the Plaza. We went on to do a short play about the famine, which was so popular that we toured New York and Boston. It was very exciting for a young girl.

Where was your best holiday and what made it special?
Seven of us girls, and one fella (Matthew, my cousin) went to Gran Canaria. We all loved it…Sun, sea and clubbing….

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
Steven Speilberg, he’s a fantastic director. I could grill him for directing tips. Brad Pitt could come to wear the marigolds and the apron.

What do you do for a special treat?
I go to Michelle’s Beauty and Injury Clinic in Buncrana for a facial and back massage every six weeks. I am always on the go so it’s lovely to relax and chill out for an hour or two.

Favourite animal?
I love dogs. We have always had one. We have a border collie crossed with a lab at the moment…. He’s huge, up to my waist…. and spoiled.

Biggest thrill?
Doing a bungee jump six years ago in Cyprus. We went into the sea after dropping 400 feet. We bobbed in and out of the water for ages until we were pulled ashore…once was enough.

Biggest Challenge?
Playing Nancy in Oliver last year. I hadn’t sung for ten years so I had lessons for four months to build up to the character.

What was the best present you ever got?
My accordion. When I was eight my parents took me to Henderson’s in Derry and bought me it. I played in the Buncrana marching band for 8 years with it.

What was the last thing you bought just for yourself?
A bottle of perfume called Ghost.

What charity would you support?
Bridgeen Harkin is a local woman who raises money for Africa by putting on trips. The last one was to the bowling alley.

The world’s most irritating/most useful invention?
The mobile phone for both….

Favourite past-time?
Taking part in plays and musicals. My full time job of teaching drama is also my favourite past time.

Which period in history would you most like to have lived through?
The swinging 60’s. It looked like mad fun and anything goes. You probably had to be in a big city to get the clothes and music.

What do you have for breakfast?
A cup of coffee, toast and butter and a vitamin C tablet to keep the immune system up.

Do you have a favourite cartoon character?
Danger Mouse. Every week was a new adventure and I loved his sidekick Penfold.

What was your first paid job?
Babysitting for my cousin Elizabeth. She was busy starting out the Ubiquitous Chip restaurant in Buncrana.

Best/worst household task?
Doing the dishes. Thankfully we have a dishwasher. I love clearing out wardrobes and drawers though to get them organised. Some might say it’s a bit obsessive but if your drawers are organised, so is your life.

What is the best/worst piece of advice you have been given?
Someone once said that my hair would suit me short. I was 11 years old and looked like a boy. I was devastated and cried for a month.

Personal philosophy?
Do whatever makes you happy in life…..

Hamburger Pizza

I heard on the internet of pizza with hamburgers on it, so I had to try it for myself. Other people might be suspicious that this kind of pizza is disgusting and gluttonous, but I had a feeling that it would taste great.

I got double cheeseburgers because I felt that the hamburgers were on the thin side anyway. I only used half of the burgers and fries I got on the actual pizza, the rest was eaten while it was baking.

[Pizza Ingredients]
[Pizza Construction]
[Pizza Unbaked]
[Pizza Baked]
[Pizza Sliced]

I think it turned out great - the fries ended up being like cheesy fries, which is awesome, and the hamburgers weren't as hard to eat as a pizza topping as I expected. The sauce was mushroom pasta sauce and at first felt like it would be a bit too runny on the pizza, but it turned out to not be a problem at all. One thing I might change when I try this again would be to remove the bottom of the hamburger, since it just ended up soaking up a bunch of sauce and getting mushy - not that I really minded anyway.

WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 54

Friends in the Desert

Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, he bent down and wrote in the sand:

"Today my best friend slapped me in the face."

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but his friend grabbed hold, pulling him out and saving him. After he recovered from the near drowning, the friend wrote on a stone:

"Today my best friend saved my life."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The friend replied, when someone hurts us we should write it down in sand, where the winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

Old tractor rally

The Irish Kidney Association held a tractor rally in Buncrana to raise funds and awareness

5 MINUTES WITH - KEENAN BARRETT

Keenan Barrett lives in Buncrana and is passionate about music. Originally from the Bogside in Derry, he now lives in Buncrana and teaches music through his own company Schoolyard Promotions. He also does work in Tullyarvan Mill in the town with the highly acclaimed music project, Simply Music. Keenan’s main instruments are the guitar, mandolin and tin whistle.


What music are you listening to at the moment?
The CD in the player in the car at the moment is Le Chéile by Anne Nelson, a local singer/songwriter. She is not long back from working in New Orleans.

What book are you reading?
I am reading Music Therapy for the Autistic Child written by Juliette Alvin and Auriel Warwick. It’s about teaching music to autistic children and is very interesting. This book was first published in 1978 and was the first of its kind to analyse the effect of music therapy on the development of the autistic child

What was your favourite childhood game?
Cowboys and Indians, Derry style. The good guys were the Indians and the baddies had the uniforms and guns.

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
I haven’t been to the cinema in a long time, as I prefer to go and see live performances. The last two performances I went to see were both Greasepaint Productions, Oliver and the Sound of the Musicals, they were top class.

What section of the newspaper do you turn to first?
I skim through the paper to check out all of the headlines first.

What would you never throw away?
My pink fluorescent golfing trousers with matching shirt and hat….Class!

Most embarrassing moment of your life?
It was both embarrassing and scary. I was at a fancy dress party at the Gateway and the person I was with was rushed into hospital. My partner, who became ill, was dressed as Dracula, and instead of drinking blood, had to give blood away for samples. I was left standing for hours in the waiting room, dressed as a tart, wearing fishnet stockings, short skirt and high heels.

Favourite TV programme?
M.A.S.H. I still play golf with Hawkeye, a character from the programme. Though he tells everyone he is a plumber……

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
I really wanted to be a bus driver or conductor. It was either the uniforms or the fact that my father was a driver for Ulsterbus in Derry.

Where was your best holiday and what made it special?
Waterford in the early 1970’s with the whole family. My late father, Bertie, and I went fishing for sea bass and caught a few if I recall.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
Stephen Fry. He’s clever, charming and funny. Maggie Thatcher. There are a few questions I would like to ask her. Mozart, just so I could absorb some of his creative genius and Johnny Cash. He was my childhood hero and broke all of the boundaries

Favourite animal?
My dog. “He’s getting on a bit, going a bit deaf, getting crabbit and he has a touch on halitosis.” I heard Helena saying that on the phone yesterday. I hope she was talking about the dog…

What do you do for a special treat?
That comes under the later question about Biggest Thrill….

Biggest thrill?
I already told you – But it’s only for a special treat.

Biggest Challenge?
Trying to teach the guitar to Gerry O’Neill, who played Fagin in the local Oliver production at St Mary’s hall recently. He’s still trying.

What was the best present you ever got?
My first guitar from my mother, Olive Barrett. It’s the one I learned to play on.

What was the last thing you bought just for yourself?
I recently bought myself a double bass. I practice on it every day.

What charity would you support?
iCare –Inishowen Children’s Autism Related Education. They are a remarkable bunch of parents who got together and set up the organisation without funding from the Government.

The world’s most irritating/most useful invention?
The most useful- Venetian blinds – without them it’s curtains for everyone. (The old ones are the best). Most irritating – the mobile phone.

Favourite past-time?
Golf. Tee to green. I am brilliant but the putting and the swinging of the clubs let me down a bit.

Which period in history would you like to live through?
The next forty years or so. If you go back much before my time then life always seemed to have been short and harsh here in Ireland.

What do you have for breakfast?
I am very health conscious so I eat only the best of Irish bacon; local free range eggs, Doherty’s sausages and fresh bread with a big slap of butter.

Do you have a favourite cartoon character?
Yosemite Sam from Looney Tunes. He’s the short-tempered Western American outlaw with a great big red moustache and an intense hatred of rabbits, especially Bugs Bunny.

What was your first paid job?
I had a paper round from the age of about seven or eight. I remember getting paid a shilling a week.

Best/worst household task?
I really enjoy cooking but detest cutting the grass. I have a useless Flymo to contend with.

What is the best/worst piece of advice you have been given?
The best- Don’t be afraid to show your emotions… It’s good to talk.
The worst- Children should be seen and not heard.

Personal philosophy?
If you stop trying to learn, then you are already dead……

RECYCLING IN CARNDONAGH

Like it or not the council have decided to charge for waste disposal on certain items brought into their centres. Let em know what you think. Is this good for the hedgerows?

Materials Accepted

Material How to Present Where to Place Free / Charge

Glass Wash Out Bottle Banks Free
Food Tins Wash & Squash Mixed Can Bank Free
Drink Cans Wash & Squash Mixed Can Bank Free
Aerosol Cans Remove Plastic Lid Mixed Can Bank Free
Textiles Textile Bank Free
Paper Not Shredded Paper Bank Charge
Plastic Containers Wash & Squash Plastic Bank Charge
Tetrapak (Juice Carton & Milk Cartons) Wash & Squash Tetra Pak Bank Charge
Cardboard Clean Card Only Compactor Charge
Batteries (Household) Battery Bin Free
Batteries (Car) Battery Containers Free
Fluorescent Light Bulbs Bulb Containers Free
Waste Engine Oil Engine Oil Tank Charge
Waste Catering Oil Cooking Oil Tank Charge
Print Cartridges Cartridge Bin Free
Mobile Phones Mobile Phone Bin Free
Scrap Metal Scrap Metal Skip Charge
Small Electrical Goods (Computers, Radios Etc) Cages Free
Large Electrical Goods (Fridges, Cookers Etc) Free Standing Area Free
Gas Bottles Designated Area Free





New Charges For All Civic Amenity Sites 2009
The following scale of charges is being introduced at ALL Civic Amenity Sites with effect from 16th April 2009

You should note that the following list may not cover all waste items accepted at the facility.
Items not otherwise specified will be charged on the basis of the nearest comparable item.
The decision of site staff will be final.



Recycling

•Free Recycling
The following recyclable items will be accepted Free of Charge:
◦Glass bottles/jars
◦Food and drink cans, aerosol cans
◦Textiles
◦Fluorescent Tubes
◦Household Batteries
◦Car Batteries
◦Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
◦Print Cartridges/Mobile Phones

•€10 & €20 Recycling
€10 will allow access for private vehicles (without trailers) and €20 for private vehicles with small car trailers (e.g. 6” by 4”) depositing a combination of the following waste items and materials:
◦Paper
◦Cardboard
◦Plastic
◦Milk & Drinks Cartons
◦Waste Engine Oil
◦Waste Cooking Oil
◦Mixed metals (e.g. steel sink, beer barrel, bicycle, bin, barbecue, radiator, water tank)
Bulky Items Charges

•€10 Charge:
A charge of €10 per item will apply for the deposit of the following bulky items:
◦Mattress (Single), Single Bed – excl. mattress, Crate
◦Kitchen/Dining Chair, Buggy, Bedside Locker
◦Garden Chair, Rocking Horse, Pram
◦High Chair, Slide, Large Toys
◦Ironing Board, Stepladder, Curtain/Blind
◦Toilet, Cistern, Bathroom Sink

•€20 Charge:
A charge of €20 per item will apply for the deposit of the following bulky items:
◦Double Bed – excl. mattress, Chest of Drawers, Table
◦Mattress (Double), Bath, Sofa
◦Armchair, Shower Tray, Door
◦Wardrobe, Cot, Linoleum (per room/roll)
◦Carpet (per room/roll)

Note
Vehicles with large, agricultural, silage or livestock trailers will not be allowed access to the Council’s Civic Amenity Sites.

Construction and demolition wastes, such as windows, fireplaces, ceramic tiles, slates, roof tiles and timber, will not be accepted at the Council’s Civic Amenity Sites.

Items not otherwise specified will be charged on the basis of the nearest comparable item. The decision of site staff will be final. It you are unsure whether an item will be accepted, you should contact,