Writing for life

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“Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite”! It’s a phrase I heard all the time as a nipper. Mum used to routinely say it last thing at night as she tucked us up in bed – a light hearted and innocent reference to bygone days, when this tiny pest ran amok through households across the land.

Now, apparently, bedbugs are back with a vengeance. A report in the Irish Examiner last week revealed the pests are making something of a resurgence in Ireland, and indeed around the world. “Health fears as bedbug infestations rise 66%” screamed the headline in last Friday’s paper. Apparently entomology professor Michael F Potter says we’re currently in the middle of a “global epidemic”, and blames a whole host of criteria from a fertile second hand furniture market to increased travel and global warming for the rapid spread of these unwelcome guests.

The most common locations for outbreaks of the pests are hotels and hostels, where the bugs and their eggs are carried in and out on people’s clothing and luggage… moving from one place to another and setting up house in any likely looking piece of furniture.

Hospitals, too, can be prone to infestation. All admissions to a community hospital in Co. Kerry had to be suspended last week because of an outbreak of bedbugs. Some wards were closed and patients relocated in an attempt to eradicate the pests. Apparently it will take up to a fortnight for the hospital to become fully operational again.

I’m all for more wildlife – biodiversity is a wonderful thing… bring it on I say. But, by and large I tend to prefer that the flora and fauna stays outdoors where it belongs. Flies in the kitchen, mice under the floorboards and a thriving ecosystem of mites in my mattress are all things I can happily live without.

I quite often use the “sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite” line when I’m tucking the girls in at night – a throwback to my own childhood. Tonight though I think I’ll give it a miss… just thinking about it is making my skin crawl!

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Are we mad? We must be mad!

Less than a year after our last road trip to the continent, which regular readers will remember ended in disaster (crumpled car, officious French police, hospital, an early flight home and protracted wrangling with insurance companies), we’re about to do it again. We’re going to France… and we’re taking the car!

After last year’s debacle we were all set to spend a wonderful summer at home in West Cork: celebrate the fact that that we live in an area lots of people choose for their holidays. But events have conspired against us. My sister-in-law is getting married… in France, and so we’re ferry bound once more.

The ferry is absolutely the best option with the kids. Flying was always difficult, but it’s an absolute nonsense these days… particularly with the low-fares airlines, which are all as bad as each other. Stealth charges and phantom taxes levied on a per passenger basis, minuscule baggage allowances (which attract more charges), unallocated seating and the unholy scrum that ensues at the gate, lacklustre on board service and arrival at an airport miles away from your destination are all bad enough at the best of times… but when you’re travelling with children, my advice is forget it.

The ferry, on the other hand, is a veritable joy. For a start you can pack what you like – and with a roof-box fitted to the car there’s plenty of space for everything you might need. That means you pack too much… but that’s okay, because nobody’s nit-picking over the weight of your luggage. There’s also no problem with legroom… there’s plenty of freedom for the kids to run around and play, and loads of activities and amenities to make the voyage a pleasant experience for all the family. The best thing about travelling by ferry is that the journey becomes as much a part of the holiday as the destination.

The girls are as excited about the spending a night on the boat as they are about the trip itself. Ordinary things like having your own cabin, sleeping in bunks, and having a shower are transformed into a great adventure by virtue of the fact that they’re aboard ship. Then of course there are meal times – eating in the on-board restaurants as the ship pitches, rolls and yaws is a novel experience, and they love going “outside” on deck, watching the sea birds and looking for dolphins.

It’s not all plain sailing though… there are downsides to travelling by sea. First there’s the weather. Calm seas are great, but rough crossings can be difficult. A bit of movement is fine… it just adds to the excitement, but seasick children (and parents for that matter) doesn’t get the holiday off to an auspicious start.

Then there’s the fact that you end up on the north coast of France, which can mean a long drive on the wrong side of unfamiliar roads before you reach your ultimate destination. But then again, you are in your own car, the children have lots of familiar things to keep them occupied, and regular stops along the way can turn a tedious road-trip into an enjoyable part of the holiday.

There’s so much to like about France outside the big cities… especially the connection they have with food. Stopping en-route to eat in small rural restaurants is affordable, enjoyable and the quality is generally outstanding. The kids are really looking forward to the holiday… and so am I, despite a little trepidation in the wake of last year’s experience.

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Published as an opinion piece in The Evening Echo on the 06/02/2008

Take a human being and scratch away at the thin veneer of civility, and before long you’ll reveal the true nature of the beast beneath. For all our trappings of a sophisticated society, culture and civilization, at our very core we’re driven by a much more basic set of rules. The instinct to secure the resources we need to survive; to protect ourselves, our families and the members of our particular “tribe”.

Every now and then you’ll notice our thinly veiled tribal roots bubbling to the surface. It happened last week, when former Archbishop of Dublin, Cardinal Desmond Connell, secured a temporary injunction to prevent a State inquiry into clerical abuse from accessing Church documents. This was in spite of a promise by current Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, to allow the inquiry “open access” to church files.

To the layperson this turn of events is incomprehensible. It flies in the face of reason, but then the urge to protect members of one’s “tribe” is a base human instinct that can sometimes by-pass reason, common sense and even common decency.

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Apologies to anyone who tried to subscribe to this blog’s feed recently. I changed my FeedBurner account a while back to use the MyBrand feature, which means the feed for the blog retains the cjwriting.com domain. Something got screwed up in the process, and I only noticed that it wasn’t working properly last night.

It’s all sorted now though, so if you’ve been having any trouble subscribing to the feed, or if you were subscribed and noticed problems, please re-subscribe. Everything should be working normally now.

Again apologies for any inconvenience.

Cheers,

Calvin!

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"Working it" column published in the Career Moves section of The Evening Echo on 12/11/2007

A couple of months ago I wrote a column about a report that showed how Irish workers are dissatisfied with their paid holiday entitlement – and how other nations in Europe have much more generous levels of statutory leave. But despite that apparent dissatisfaction, a surprising 20% of Irish workers don’t even take the meagre holidays they already have.

While browsing the recruitment web sites recently I came across a report from May by RecruitIreland.com. They’d surveyed 500 workers, and found that 1 in 5 did not take their full holiday entitlement in any given year.

Come on people…. Why on earth wouldn’t you take time off that you’re a) entitled to and b) paid for?

Many claimed they were simply too busy at work to take the time off – which is of course nonsense. I don’t care who you are, work will carry on perfectly well without you for a couple of weeks. Trust me, you’re not indispensable. If you were hit by a bus tomorrow (perish the thought) your company might, if you are really popular, send a get-well card to the hospital. Then they’d get on with business as usual. If they can do without you in a medical emergency, they can do without you for a two week holiday!

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Apparently up to 100,000 households and workplaces across the country could be harbouring dangerously high levels of the radioactive gas radon, according to experts from the Irish Radiological Protection Institute.

A report in The Independent says that the offices of The Corkman newspaper in Mallow were found to have more than 60 times the acceptable level of this colourless, odourless, tasteless gas which occurs naturally from the decay of radioactive material in rocks and soils.

The institute said levels found would be equivalent to receiving 39 chest X-rays every day, or nearly 10,000 in a year.

Cork office has highest radon levels ever found in Ireland - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie

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The “Working It” column banished from last week’s Evening Echo has been granted a reprieve, and will now run in next Monday’s paper. While I’d like to believe that my logical arguments for including the piece is what swung it, deep down I think they were swayed more by the fact they were going to have to pay me for it even if they didn’t use it….

Anyway, whatever the reason it’s good news. It’s a worthwhile piece, and of course it means I don’t have to write another one this week… yipee!

I’m also starting a new “My Career Moves” piece from 01 October, which will be an interview piece featuring a different professional every week. The article will examine their career to date, the choices they’ve made and their outlook for the future. If you’d like to feature (free publicity in The Evening Echo — which, according to their advertising stats, reaches some 127,000 people in Cork, Limerick and surrounding areas) — simply get in touch and I’ll send you out a questionnaire once I finish putting it together.

Technorati Tags: Working It, careers, evening echo, writing

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NOT Published in the Career Moves section of the Evening Echo on 17/09/2007 — see next post

So, Ireland officially has some of the lowest paid holiday rates in the EU, and according to a recent survey by recruitment website Irishjobs.ie we’re way behind some of our European neighbours. Some countries are a full working week ahead of us in terms of statutory paid annual leave. Unsurprisingly Irish workers want more, and according to the survey they’re prepared to sacrifice pay in order to get it.

It’s not the first time that Irish employees have indicated that money isn’t the only factor being considered any more when it comes to choosing a job. Other things – particularly holidays, flexibility working hours and things that will help them juggle their work and personal lives – are proving just as compelling. People are looking for the overall package that will complement the lifestyle they want for themselves and their families, rather than just looking at the most attractive salary.

The workplace today is incredibly – and at times unrealistically – demanding. People are working longer hours and are under tremendous pressure to perform at work (which is fine), but often without the corresponding emphasis on quality time away from work (which is not).

Irish employers, and the multinationals that bolster our growing economy, need to realise that people are their most important asset by far. To work at their best people need time to recharge their batteries every now and again. Long working hours, unrealistic expectations and relentless pressure all damage rather than enhance productivity.

Far from eroding a company’s bottom line, nurturing employees, encouraging them to take the time they need to recuperate, and fostering a culture where people work less hours more productively can all have a positive impact on profits.

Giving people the support they need to find a healthy balance between work and life will pay dividends on all sorts of levels: commercial, corporate, social, economic, personal… you name it.

In the Irishjobs.ie survey people complained that they continue to experience work-related stress throughout their holidays, and were under pressure both to get ahead with their work before leaving and to catch up with things when they returned. Some were even fielding work related phone calls while they were away.

Ireland seems to be spiraling into an all-American modus operandi – a culture where work increasingly rules our lives. We’re crossing an invisible cultural line: making the painful and ultimately destructive transition from people who work to live into people who live to work.

We’re spending more of our time at work, and commuting to and from work, and less of our time really living our lives. Because were under so much pressure many of us choose to get in early, leave late and take shorter holidays. It’s a destructive, self perpetuating cycle that can only end badly.

But how do you stop it? Well, for a start the government could take the “radical” step of bringing our statutory annual leave up to at least the average EU level. Then they could highlight to employers the potential productivity benefits of a happy, enthusiastic and rejuvenated workforce. They could also do more to promote positive family-friendly working practices like flexible working hours and e-commuting.

At the end of the day, though, it’s the collective impact of individual decisions by individual workers that will make the difference. The rumblings of discontent from the Irish workforce are growing steadily louder – it’s only a matter of time before people are galvanised to take action. That’s when we’ll see a real change.

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It’s official — moderate consumption of full fat milk and milk derived dairy products can be beneficial to your health — at least according to a recent study by scientists in Wales it can.

…regular consumption of medium chain fatty acids found in full-fat milk and dairy products (cheese and yogurt) can have a positive effect on metabolic syndrome, a condition associated with Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes and obesity while reducing the risk of stroke and heart attack by two-thirds.

… said an article in today’s Independent.

All of which is good news — and means that full fat (AKA full flavoured) yoghurt, cheese, cream cakes, milkshakes and that double-strength full-fat latte can now be be enjoyed without the associated guilt.

It also reinforces a belief I’ve held for quite some time. Instead of chopping and changing your diet to stay in tune with what the latest studies say is good or bad for us, eat a little of what you want when you want and get a balanced diet eating fresh, locally produced food that you enjoy. Leave the science in the labs, and perhaps most importantly of all, leave the synthesised plastic excuse for nutrition on the supermarket shelf where it belongs.

Technorati Tags: full fat, dairy, diet, eating

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On Monday 16th April The Evening Echo in Cork launched a new weekly double page feature called Career Moves, and I was commissioned to supply all of the content for the first four weeks (after which it’s scheduled to be taken over by the Echo’s editorial team…).

Career Moves in The Evening Echo
(© 2007, The Evening Echo, all rights reserved)

The section features articles, news, hints and tips on careers, recruitment and training. If you’re in the Munster region, and are looking for a career boost, pick up a copy of the Echo on Mondays and take a look!

Technorati Tags: Evening Echo, Cork, Munster, Recruitment, Training, Careers

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