An eclectic collage. Predominant colours are blue and purple. The word hello appears in the top left corner, spelled out in gold letters atop an effervescent backdrop. Next to it, a feather. The word carbolic on yellowed paper atop a velvety piece of fabric depicting part of a bird's wing. The jeopardy of life on yellowed paper draws the eye to a flash of shiny green and gold paper next to an eye that appears above the word power. Who has it? Who doesn't? A 1960s era man with his hands on his hips, perhaps - he has been cut off at the waist. The words "they're dynamic" on yellowed paper next to a hot air balloon on blue paper. Beauty. purple card, the sun, a goddess. Mushrooms. A purple pipe cleaner sculpture. You can always depend on bees. And googly eyes. A 1960s era white woman and child with a large X through them. Girl. War. I would be lost without.

I love an art break-out group. Had fun collaging at the UnConference on Reconceptualising Disability in Education, which took place @uniofgalway.bsky.social yesterday.

Not quite sure where my academic path takes me post-PhD, but hoping to integrate more creative methods as a means of inclusion.

The genderd nature of this cost of living clash is wild “growing men cry” “lorry men” etc what about our majority female carers who don’t have time to express emotion and when they do are ignored #ireland #speirghorm

"But Ireland's susceptibility to oil price disruption was because the Government has been unserious about taking the uncomfortable steps needed to move the country to powering itself by renewable energy."

In a nutshell.

Remember when they wouldn't pass the Occupied Territories Bill because it would violate EU rules? Was Israel violating international law and committing a genocide an insufficiently "acute" situation? #Spéirgorm

Since Nuremberg in 1945, international law has established that the "wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity" is a punishable war crime.

No serious international lawyer would deny that this is what Israel is doing in South Lebanon.

Article Link: The Blockade Is the Message, How a fuel price spike became a fascist audition

I’ve managed to string together my thoughts through the rage this week, please read & share 💭✍🏼
#Spéirghorm #IrishPolitics #Fascism

🔗 tinyurl.com/wak45j7d

Cannot help but feel agrieved at this tbh, the govt refused to give people with disabilities a €400 emergency payment, even prior to attacks on Iran, where disabled persons groups outlined disabled ppl were choosing between heating and eating. #Spéirgorm #speirgorm

The only way to durably protect hauliers - and the economy - against fossil fuel shocks is to support them to electrify trucks.

Sales of electric trucks in China outsold diesel trucks last December.

So far this year, only one electric HVG was newly registered in Ireland.
#fuelprotests #speirgorm

Who gets means tested and who doesn't when it comes to State supports is worth a study.

The only way out of this that doesn't empower the far-right is progressive social policies that lift people out of poverty, reduce inequality, and build the infrastructure needed for us to leave behind the destabilising influence of fossil fuels.
A rising tide lifts all ships.

Reflections on Government inaction...

Did they reckon they would be out of politics before the proverbial hit the fan regarding continued reliance on oil?

Oh, look: the consequences of inaction on a just transition to renewables and the unsustainable growth mentality in farming.

#speirghorm

Down having a look at the blockade on O'Connell street and what strikes me most is that this is in reality a very small protest that looks big because of the size of the vehicles involved.

There's a few dozen people standing around at most.

We import 84% of our fruit and veg. We can't live on meat and dairy alone. I'm fully in favour of better supports for Irish farmers and giving everything needed to help them to transition to actually putting food on our tables in a meaningful way, but we need to stop greenwashing our current system

This and selling milk powder in Asia is what goes through my head when I hear "no farmers, no food".

Maybe, if only we produced food we actually eat rather than exporting milk powder combined with vegetable oil to nations where most people are lactose intolerant.

Like I get what he's saying but Ireland actually mostly exports high value luxury items like dairy and meat and ingredients like milk powder. We actually import most of what people actually eat

Fuel price protests causing second day of disruption There are delays to public transport in Dublin city and fuel depots in Galway and Limerick have been blocked as fuel price protests cause a second day of disruption around the country.

There is something very bleak about the threat of annihilation of an entire country filtered disproportionately through the lens of the cost of petrol and diesel. The energy crisis is real and serious but so is the threat to our shared humanity.

www.rte.ie/news/ireland...

If you are travelling in Ireland today, check your route on the Transport Infrastructure Ireland page for delays from protests.

traffic.tii.ie/search/aroun...

How To Ban Conversion Therapy YouTube video by Philosophy Tube

The latest episode of Philosophy Tube is about conversion therapy, why it’s still legal in the UK, and the ways the British government is implicated in it making it NHS policy.
Proud to expose this stuff ✊

youtu.be/_S5w18sjYLk?...

The United States has always had a 'unique' approach to free speech.

Personally, I'm not a fan of forms of speech that have been shown to psychologically harm those who have been subject to them.

But, you know, the marketplace of ideas and all that /s.

They banned Twilight ....

Friends of the Earth Ireland have a handy template you can edit and sent to ministers calling for a moratorium on data centre development. Every action will count before we get to burning data centres out like the big houses in the 1920s:

friendsoftheearth.ie/act/data-cen...

A purple public‑consultation graphic from Ireland’s Department of Social Protection. White text reads: “Help us shape a new cost of disability payment. Share your views at gov.ie/COD.” The department’s bilingual logo appears at the bottom.

Disabled Women Ireland is preparing a submission on the new Cost of Disability payment, but your individual submission matters just as much. Public consultations rely on hearing directly from disabled people about the real costs they face. Adding your voice can help push for meaningful change.

'Ex-gay' Matthew Grech cleared of promoting gay conversion therapy Grech was facing the charges alongside two hosts of an online discussion programme

It is a truth universally acknowledged... that if a homophobic or transphobic interpretation of a law is possible, some lawyer will do it.

Imagine making the assumption that a law banning conversion practices exists for the protection of queer people. Imagine.

timesofmalta.com/article/exga...

Diary of an autistic prisoner: 'I only had two showers in four weeks' An autistic man spent 27 days in overcrowded Cork Prison after residential placement collapsed and bail was refused

Extraordinary reporting by Mick Clifford in the Examiner (although a little bit of infantilisation going on).

CW: pretty heartbreaking first-person account of an autistic person held on remand in Cork prison over Christmas.

share.google/aeZG7ynn69VQ...

Hey, @micheal-martin.bsky.social, look, it's apparently this easy.

Doing some work at the moment that requires me to read through the US Supreme Court filings in Chiles v Salazar and the degree to which the petitioner cites the Cass Review is depressing...

Data centres will take a third of power by 2030, but grid will have capacity to supply homes Ireland’s power network will remain strained for nearly three more years – but, according to EirGrid, the construction of as many as 300,000 new homes by 2030 will not overwhelm the system.

'Data centres will take a third of power by 2030'
Ireland's government wants to make us a digital slop farm.

And in the process, almost certainly miss climate targets.

Very few jobs or tangible benefits, but easily wowed and awed by big tech.
www.independent.ie/business/iri...

Thanks Devin!!! Spent the afternoon in Salthill to celebrate 😁

Took the afternoon off and felt like I was mitching off school 😂

Almost!!!!