The Irish have been seafarers for thousands of years. How else did people get to the island after the last ice age?
A company in Larne, Co.Antrim, Northern Ireland called B9 Shipping Ltd. is taking a step back and a step sideways in propulsion which may revolutionize the industry.
They are developing a cargo vessel that will be powered by wind and bio-gas methane.
The ship will have deployable and retractable sails without rope rigging. These sails will serve as the primary means of propulsion. Each individual sail is rectangular and can be controlled electronically from the bridge to respond to changing wind direction. The sails will rotate around the mast. They can be stowed when there is no wind or the wind is not favorable.
When wind isn't suitable for propulsion, methane from food waste will power a Rolls Royce engine to thrust the ship's movements. This will be particularly handy in docking, too.
The bunker fuel used to power most ships in open water has risen in cost 600 percent in the last 10 years. And in the near shore environment, low sulfur fuel, which is even more expensive than bunker fuel, must be used in North America.
If this mating of wind and bio-gas technologies works, it could both reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and save shipping companies much money.
You might enjoy their blog: http://b9energy.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label Northern Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Northern Ireland. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Expansion of Terror Murals in Belfast Undercuts Reconcilliation
Ivan Little of the Belfast Telegraph reports on Monday, 3 October 2011
"The UVF has raised tensions and angered community workers and residents in east Belfast by starting to paint another controversial mural of masked paramilitaries wielding guns."
He states it’s the third militaristic mural to go up in the Shankill Road area in recent months and that the new mural replaces a memorial to four of the UVF’s old and more recent leaders including Robert ‘Squeaky’ Seymour who was allegedly murdered by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at his shop in June 1988. But the prior mural didn’t have any guns. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland formed in early 1966.
Several Shankill Road leaders have been trying to re-brand murals in the area to reflect its cultural and sporting icons instead of lauding violence.
Near the new mural is a mural in tribute to "Chronicles of Narnia" author CS Lewis who was from East Belfast.
A loyalist source claimed the new UVF mural was a direct response to one which was unveiled in the Whiterock area of west Belfast in May depicting an IRA firing party at the 1981 funeral of hunger striker Bobby Sands.
Full Belfast Telegraph Article: "Return of terror murals to Belfast streets angers residents."
More on Peace and Reconcilliation in Ireland
"The UVF has raised tensions and angered community workers and residents in east Belfast by starting to paint another controversial mural of masked paramilitaries wielding guns."
He states it’s the third militaristic mural to go up in the Shankill Road area in recent months and that the new mural replaces a memorial to four of the UVF’s old and more recent leaders including Robert ‘Squeaky’ Seymour who was allegedly murdered by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at his shop in June 1988. But the prior mural didn’t have any guns. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland formed in early 1966.
Several Shankill Road leaders have been trying to re-brand murals in the area to reflect its cultural and sporting icons instead of lauding violence.
Near the new mural is a mural in tribute to "Chronicles of Narnia" author CS Lewis who was from East Belfast.
A loyalist source claimed the new UVF mural was a direct response to one which was unveiled in the Whiterock area of west Belfast in May depicting an IRA firing party at the 1981 funeral of hunger striker Bobby Sands.
Full Belfast Telegraph Article: "Return of terror murals to Belfast streets angers residents."
More on Peace and Reconcilliation in Ireland
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Event in Troy, NY: Peace and Reconciliation in Ireland
Rod Aldrich will relate his eight days in Northern Ireland on a United Methodist Church sponsored Volunteer In Mission trip to promote peace between the two faith-identified cultural communities. His eyes were opened to the daily and annual influences that prolong conflict and make reconciliation more difficult than most Americans assume. Join Rod on Thusday, April 28th at 7 PM in the Sanctuary of the Pawling Avenue United Methodist Church at 520 Pawling Avenue, Troy, NY. for a slide show. Listen to the stories forever written on his heart by the people and places he visited.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
I'll Text U From The Recreational Riot
On Monday our Volunteer In Missions group met at 1 pm with Researchers John Bell & Ulf Hanson, from the “Institute for Conflict Research” which focuses on conflict sources such as parading, segregated housing, segregated living, segregated education, and bonfires, and their alleviation.
This is the summary of the third portion of that meeting and this third portion concerns segregated living, recreational rioting, and parades, as well as general issues which knit all the discussed issues together.
Will the violence and sectarianism stay the same for 100 years now that relative peace has been attained? Can segregated living be ended. Should it be ended? Or is segregation OK as long as there is understanding and empathy?
Most are surprised at the degree of changes which have occurred in the recent years, such as there being a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein government.
Integrated education may erode divisions, but may not solve all problems of understanding. Some young Protestant young people go to school with Catholics and vice versa, but it doesn't stop all attitudes against the other side. The young people's neighborhood and family can have an overriding influence. But contact does tend to undercut the ability of the worst stereotyping from taking hold.
The government insisted there were only 44 interfaces (which they call peace walls), but an independent review has found 88 interfaces. Derry and other areas have physical interfaces as well. However, there are invisible lines of separation which are held to in living patterns which are just as firm as the physical interfaces. Some of these invisible interfaces are monitored by security cameras.
Some middle class neighborhoods claim they are untouched by sectarianism, yet people can describe the division lines which really exist.
Research was done in the Castle Dearg area. The researchers put a google map before people and asked individuals to explain the sectarian boundaries.
The researchers encountered a brother and sister around the same age, living with their nuclear family in the same house, and the maps from the brother and sister were very different. The brother had been beaten up several times. The sister thought areas were mixed and the brother felt the same area was unsafe for him. Perhaps woman are sometimes perceived as less of a threat and are allowed wider access.
Young people were surveyed about their informal means of overcoming residential segregation: they were asked where is a space where the two sides can hang out together. They identified some.
There are boyfriend and girlfriend relationships across the interfaces. A lot of the young people see no problem with that, but young guys from one side do not accept young guys from the other side.
There can be mixing in small groups of friends, but all it takes is one intolerant young person to bring up the old sectarianism.
What happens if there is intermarriage?
There was an area where mixed marriage people tended to live in Belfast. But couples of mixed marriages are spreading out. Protestants find it easier to live in predominantly Catholic areas, but not so much the reverse.
The Catholic Church used to insist the children needed to be raised as Catholic, which created problems in mixed marriages.
Recreational rioting, which is the hurling of insults, stones, or involves more direct violence, does occur now, perhaps augmented by texting between cellular phones. The Americans wondered is it a very common event coming from the young people who have nothing better to do? Or is it uncommon and organized by criminal elements?
The Belfast residents perceive a lack of legal ways for young people to get an adrenalin rush without rioting. The kids report getting a “buzz” from it. Recreational rioting can start small and almost innocuous but the sides can be drawn in and it can escalate to be very large.
Although having any recreational riots is undesirable, the number of riots has gone down since 2005 and 2006. Community worker influence has helped the reduction. Things have improved.
Most now assume the Troubles started in 1963, but one of the American leaders had a relative with photos of Orangemen marching in 1953 and rocks being thrown at them. Parade controversies have gone back as far as the 1820s. So although most observers at the time were surprised at the severity and number of deaths in the period of the troubles, violence surrounding parading has been around for a long time.
The Americans wondered if there are regulations preventing public assembly? Parade permits are issued by Parade Commission after review of an application made at least 28 days in advance, although the Parade Commission is being phased out. Since everyone hated the Parade Commission, that is both sides hated it, then the Parade Commission was probably managing the disputes correctly. If one side had liked them, then the Parade Commission would have been partial to one side. The Parade Commission will be replaced by a panel with a first minister on it.
There have been 4,000 applications for parades in Northern Ireland per year. Only about 30 of those were contentious. It is not like every parade is opposed by some group other than the organizers. A place in County of Donegal, not in Northern Ireland but in the Republic of Ireland, has about 3,000 Orangemen in a parade every year, with a Gardai presence, and without any trouble. Apprentice boys and bog side residents keep the controversies down.
Parades are not necessarily deemed to be acceptable on old routes when demographic distributions have changed.
A question was asked: Are the Northern Irish only managing the conflict or are they tackling the root issues that support and maintain the conflict.
Looking at the glass as half full, sharing of space between the communities is happening more than ever before: workplaces, and shopping are largely integrated. Legislation is stringently requiring workplaces over ten employees to not be segregated, although schools are exempt.
In the spirit of tackling the root of the issues which cause violence, the Forthspring Group is applying for a parade permit to celebrate peace and reconciliation on July 27th to coincide with their celebration at their Community Center. This type of parade should support people's transformation.
This is the summary of the third portion of that meeting and this third portion concerns segregated living, recreational rioting, and parades, as well as general issues which knit all the discussed issues together.
Will the violence and sectarianism stay the same for 100 years now that relative peace has been attained? Can segregated living be ended. Should it be ended? Or is segregation OK as long as there is understanding and empathy?
Most are surprised at the degree of changes which have occurred in the recent years, such as there being a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein government.
Integrated education may erode divisions, but may not solve all problems of understanding. Some young Protestant young people go to school with Catholics and vice versa, but it doesn't stop all attitudes against the other side. The young people's neighborhood and family can have an overriding influence. But contact does tend to undercut the ability of the worst stereotyping from taking hold.
The government insisted there were only 44 interfaces (which they call peace walls), but an independent review has found 88 interfaces. Derry and other areas have physical interfaces as well. However, there are invisible lines of separation which are held to in living patterns which are just as firm as the physical interfaces. Some of these invisible interfaces are monitored by security cameras.
Some middle class neighborhoods claim they are untouched by sectarianism, yet people can describe the division lines which really exist.
Research was done in the Castle Dearg area. The researchers put a google map before people and asked individuals to explain the sectarian boundaries.
The researchers encountered a brother and sister around the same age, living with their nuclear family in the same house, and the maps from the brother and sister were very different. The brother had been beaten up several times. The sister thought areas were mixed and the brother felt the same area was unsafe for him. Perhaps woman are sometimes perceived as less of a threat and are allowed wider access.
Young people were surveyed about their informal means of overcoming residential segregation: they were asked where is a space where the two sides can hang out together. They identified some.
There are boyfriend and girlfriend relationships across the interfaces. A lot of the young people see no problem with that, but young guys from one side do not accept young guys from the other side.
There can be mixing in small groups of friends, but all it takes is one intolerant young person to bring up the old sectarianism.
What happens if there is intermarriage?
There was an area where mixed marriage people tended to live in Belfast. But couples of mixed marriages are spreading out. Protestants find it easier to live in predominantly Catholic areas, but not so much the reverse.
The Catholic Church used to insist the children needed to be raised as Catholic, which created problems in mixed marriages.
Recreational rioting, which is the hurling of insults, stones, or involves more direct violence, does occur now, perhaps augmented by texting between cellular phones. The Americans wondered is it a very common event coming from the young people who have nothing better to do? Or is it uncommon and organized by criminal elements?
The Belfast residents perceive a lack of legal ways for young people to get an adrenalin rush without rioting. The kids report getting a “buzz” from it. Recreational rioting can start small and almost innocuous but the sides can be drawn in and it can escalate to be very large.
Although having any recreational riots is undesirable, the number of riots has gone down since 2005 and 2006. Community worker influence has helped the reduction. Things have improved.
Most now assume the Troubles started in 1963, but one of the American leaders had a relative with photos of Orangemen marching in 1953 and rocks being thrown at them. Parade controversies have gone back as far as the 1820s. So although most observers at the time were surprised at the severity and number of deaths in the period of the troubles, violence surrounding parading has been around for a long time.
The Americans wondered if there are regulations preventing public assembly? Parade permits are issued by Parade Commission after review of an application made at least 28 days in advance, although the Parade Commission is being phased out. Since everyone hated the Parade Commission, that is both sides hated it, then the Parade Commission was probably managing the disputes correctly. If one side had liked them, then the Parade Commission would have been partial to one side. The Parade Commission will be replaced by a panel with a first minister on it.
There have been 4,000 applications for parades in Northern Ireland per year. Only about 30 of those were contentious. It is not like every parade is opposed by some group other than the organizers. A place in County of Donegal, not in Northern Ireland but in the Republic of Ireland, has about 3,000 Orangemen in a parade every year, with a Gardai presence, and without any trouble. Apprentice boys and bog side residents keep the controversies down.
Parades are not necessarily deemed to be acceptable on old routes when demographic distributions have changed.
A question was asked: Are the Northern Irish only managing the conflict or are they tackling the root issues that support and maintain the conflict.
Looking at the glass as half full, sharing of space between the communities is happening more than ever before: workplaces, and shopping are largely integrated. Legislation is stringently requiring workplaces over ten employees to not be segregated, although schools are exempt.
In the spirit of tackling the root of the issues which cause violence, the Forthspring Group is applying for a parade permit to celebrate peace and reconciliation on July 27th to coincide with their celebration at their Community Center. This type of parade should support people's transformation.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Community Centers Versus Bombings in Northern Ireland Today
I haven't been to Belfast yet.
To transmit some of what it must be like, consider these words from some people who've been there, Mike and Pat, the leaders of this trip, who have said:
“What we expected and the reality of the trip were very different. We expected to do work and meet people and probably learn more about "The Troubles".
We were not aware of the extent of the continued division between the Protestants and Catholics. The so called "Peace Wall" is huge. There is over 27 miles of fortified wall/fence that is between 30 & 50 feet tall dividing the Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods.
Springfield Road Methodist Church straddles the Wall. It has been firebombed 4 times (2 times by each side) because it serves as a safe meeting place for people from both sides.
What we didn't expect was to meet some of the bravest people we have ever known:
The "Golden Girls" a group of Protestant and Catholic women have been meeting together since WWII because they are friends and it is the right thing to do. They have experienced violent altercations and had their lives and families threatened and killed because they continue to seek and live lives of peace for all sides.
Fr. Jerry Reynolds, a Catholic Priest, and Re. Dennis Cooke, Methodist Theologian, who risked their lives to visit with families on both sides who had family members killed during The Troubles.”
Unfortunately, despite the work of these heroes, others in Northern Ireland are still bent on violence. A group that calls itself the Real IRA has recently engaged in violent attacks. For instance:
Three injured in Armagh bomb attack
Friday, 23 April 2010 Belfast Telegraph
Three people were injured after a bomb exploded outside a police station in Northern Ireland, police said.
The blast happened at the Newtownhamilton police station in County Armagh at around 11.25pm on Thursday night.
Three people were taken to hospital in Newry, but their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Police were alerted by a call to a Belfast hospital that a vehicle had been abandoned in the area and were en route to the scene when the device exploded.
Homes in the area were evacuated and Newtownhamilton High School was opened up for residents.
A spokeswoman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: "Police were made aware that a vehicle had been abandoned in the area after a telephone call was received by a Belfast hospital at around 10.30pm.
"Police were en route to the scene at the time of the explosion."
Nearby properties were damaged in the blast and the town centre was cordoned off.
Ten days ago, a device inside a vehicle was defused outside Newtownhamilton police station.
It came soon after a Real IRA car bomb exploded outside the regional headquarters of M15 in Holywood, Co Down.
After that attack, this news came out:
Monday, 26 April 2010 Belfast Telegraph
Police officers intimidated out of their homes by republicans, police chiefs say
Over 20 police officers and their families in Northern Ireland have been intimidated into leaving their homes by dissident republicans since January, it has been revealed.
The policy of pushing ahead with downsized security despite the danger has seriously weakened the capability of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to respond, a group which represents rank and file officers said.
Last week a barracks at Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh, was attacked for the second time in a fortnight.
Police Federation chairman Terry Spence said: "The attacks reflect a growing confidence and competence among dissident republicans and that they are aware that the police are not responding sufficiently robustly to deter them.
"Unless there is a massive step change in the security response we will gradually sleepwalk into a renewal of a full-blown, murderous terrorist campaign."
Since January there have been 18 bomb and mortar attacks, 18 gun attacks, an officer seriously and permanently maimed, and 24 officers and their families intimidated from their homes, the vast majority by dissident republicans.
Mr Spence added: "The latest incident last week, when Newtownhamilton Police Station was attacked for the second time in two weeks, illustrates all too clearly the ineffectiveness of our response as a police service to protecting the community."
I am not meaning to take sides here. These just happen to be two recent news posts and I feel they show significant amounts of hatred, anger, and violence persist in Northern Ireland.
A church and a community center are important anywhere in America. They can be life savers to individual people and can provide critical guidance and connection to their communities. However in the backdrop of past and ongoing violence in Northern Ireland, the Springfield Road Methodist Church and the Forthspring Community Group are vital components to spread tolerance and grace among these separated communities who both worship the same God.
__________________________________________
For more about peace and reconciliation in Ireland, especially Northern Ireland, check out this talk by Reverend Harold Goode.
To transmit some of what it must be like, consider these words from some people who've been there, Mike and Pat, the leaders of this trip, who have said:
“What we expected and the reality of the trip were very different. We expected to do work and meet people and probably learn more about "The Troubles".
We were not aware of the extent of the continued division between the Protestants and Catholics. The so called "Peace Wall" is huge. There is over 27 miles of fortified wall/fence that is between 30 & 50 feet tall dividing the Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods.
Springfield Road Methodist Church straddles the Wall. It has been firebombed 4 times (2 times by each side) because it serves as a safe meeting place for people from both sides.
What we didn't expect was to meet some of the bravest people we have ever known:
The "Golden Girls" a group of Protestant and Catholic women have been meeting together since WWII because they are friends and it is the right thing to do. They have experienced violent altercations and had their lives and families threatened and killed because they continue to seek and live lives of peace for all sides.
Fr. Jerry Reynolds, a Catholic Priest, and Re. Dennis Cooke, Methodist Theologian, who risked their lives to visit with families on both sides who had family members killed during The Troubles.”
Unfortunately, despite the work of these heroes, others in Northern Ireland are still bent on violence. A group that calls itself the Real IRA has recently engaged in violent attacks. For instance:
Three injured in Armagh bomb attack
Friday, 23 April 2010 Belfast Telegraph
Three people were injured after a bomb exploded outside a police station in Northern Ireland, police said.
The blast happened at the Newtownhamilton police station in County Armagh at around 11.25pm on Thursday night.
Three people were taken to hospital in Newry, but their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Police were alerted by a call to a Belfast hospital that a vehicle had been abandoned in the area and were en route to the scene when the device exploded.
Homes in the area were evacuated and Newtownhamilton High School was opened up for residents.
A spokeswoman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: "Police were made aware that a vehicle had been abandoned in the area after a telephone call was received by a Belfast hospital at around 10.30pm.
"Police were en route to the scene at the time of the explosion."
Nearby properties were damaged in the blast and the town centre was cordoned off.
Ten days ago, a device inside a vehicle was defused outside Newtownhamilton police station.
It came soon after a Real IRA car bomb exploded outside the regional headquarters of M15 in Holywood, Co Down.
After that attack, this news came out:
Monday, 26 April 2010 Belfast Telegraph
Police officers intimidated out of their homes by republicans, police chiefs say
Over 20 police officers and their families in Northern Ireland have been intimidated into leaving their homes by dissident republicans since January, it has been revealed.
The policy of pushing ahead with downsized security despite the danger has seriously weakened the capability of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to respond, a group which represents rank and file officers said.
Last week a barracks at Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh, was attacked for the second time in a fortnight.
Police Federation chairman Terry Spence said: "The attacks reflect a growing confidence and competence among dissident republicans and that they are aware that the police are not responding sufficiently robustly to deter them.
"Unless there is a massive step change in the security response we will gradually sleepwalk into a renewal of a full-blown, murderous terrorist campaign."
Since January there have been 18 bomb and mortar attacks, 18 gun attacks, an officer seriously and permanently maimed, and 24 officers and their families intimidated from their homes, the vast majority by dissident republicans.
Mr Spence added: "The latest incident last week, when Newtownhamilton Police Station was attacked for the second time in two weeks, illustrates all too clearly the ineffectiveness of our response as a police service to protecting the community."
I am not meaning to take sides here. These just happen to be two recent news posts and I feel they show significant amounts of hatred, anger, and violence persist in Northern Ireland.
A church and a community center are important anywhere in America. They can be life savers to individual people and can provide critical guidance and connection to their communities. However in the backdrop of past and ongoing violence in Northern Ireland, the Springfield Road Methodist Church and the Forthspring Community Group are vital components to spread tolerance and grace among these separated communities who both worship the same God.
__________________________________________
For more about peace and reconciliation in Ireland, especially Northern Ireland, check out this talk by Reverend Harold Goode.
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