Moving on...

I started publishing this blog in the fall of 2005 after Hurricane Katrina drowned the City of New Orleans. Believing that the tragedy of New Orleans would quickly be forgotten by the mainstream media I hoped in a small way to keep the focus on the consequences of Katrina and other social issues. I continued to publish until last summer. A number of personal factors, including an operation for an aortic aneurysm, absorbed my energies.
With the election of Barack Obama and my relocation to Dublin, Ireland, I've decided to discontinue publication. I thank all who visited and contributed comments.
My focus now is on a memoir of my American odyssey. I've also launched a new blog with a particularly Irish focus. The URL is as follows:
www.SurvivingIrishRecession.blogspot.com

FYI: The number of posts published at this site between 2005 and 2008: 681.

Celebrating the 4th in Dublin...

A friend sent an email asking if it felt different celebrating July 4th outside the United States. The answer is a very definite "yes." I missed the Boston and DC concerts and the fireworks. Did get together with the "Democrats Abroad" group in Dublin for a barbeque. It may have been the rain that dampened our spirits!

The good news is that there was great tennis at Wimpledon for tennis fans. First there was the women's final on Saturday with Serena and Venus Williams. And the men's final on Sunday may have been the best game played a Wimpledon for many years. A most memorable weekend of tennis on television.

I managed to switch off on politics this weekend. I expect as the Democratic Convention approaches I'll start to become engaged again.

Last week I had a visitor from Massachusetts and she is a die-hard Hillary Clinton fan. For the first time I got a genuine sense of how Hillary supporters feel.

Congratulations to the Boston Celtics!!

I'm guessing there was lots of celebrating in Beantown last night. Didn't get to see the game because of the five-hour time difference between Boston and Dublin. Delighted to see that Paul Pierce got the MVP award. He is a class guy with a great attitude.

A small world...

On Tuesday night I attended a meeting of "Democrats Abroad" in a pub in the City Centre of Dublin. The first person I met was a woman I had advised 24 years ago when I served on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. A very pleasant supprise!

There was a lot of energy at the meeting around the challenge of getting as many ex-pats registered to be able to vote in the November Presidential election. Several at the meeting indicated they had not voted in a U.S. election for many years. George W. Bush has greatly contributed to motivating Democratic voters.

Out next meeting is a 4th of July picnic.

Very Sad News...

I have just heard the news about Ted Kennedy. A terrible prognosis. My thoughts and prayers are with Vicki and all the Kennedy family.

As far a I am concerned the poor had no greater champion in the United States Senate than Senator Kennedy. During the more than four decades I spent in the United States I considered Teddy to one of the select few I most admired.

This past weekend I finished moving into my new home in Dublin. One of the items I hung on the wall was a framed picture with Kennedy taken in 1980. I had worked with a group of friends in organizating a fundraiser for the Senator during his campaign for the Democratic Presidential nomination. A favorite picture.

May Day Holiday

I'm finally settled in Kilnamanagh, Dublin! The move from Haverhill, Massachusetts to Dublin, Ireland is now accomplished. It has been a somewhat exhausting experience and I'm glad I'm settled in a new home.

Today is a beautiful sunny day and a national holiday (May Day) here in Ireland.

One of the things I've noticed since arriving on Thursday it that everyone asks for my predictions about the American Presidential race. Generally the question is just a setup so they can tell me who is going to win! Most believe it will be McCain or Clinton. They watch a lot of Fox Cable News and CNN Cable News over here. Anyway, most seem surprised when I express the view that it will be Obama who will be the next President.

Now that I'm settled I hope to start posting commentary on a regulare basis. Comments are always welcome.

Not a good travel day...

Yesterday my return trip from Dublin to Boston was a less than enjoyable experience. To use up Frequent Flier miles I traveled with American Airlines which called for a trip by way of Chicago.

When I arrived in Chicago after an 8-hour flight I discovered my flight to Boston was one of the 1000 flights cancelled by American. After endless hours of delay and a detour to Pittsburg I arrived in Boston late at night to discover my luggage was lost.

I have no issue with American grounding planes for inspections. Like many passengers I was upset that I was not informed of the cancellation. When the agent issued me a boarding pass in Dublin I had no idea that the flight was already cancelled. I suspect the agent was not informed of the cancellations. Not a pleasant experience.

An update from Dublin...

Arrived here in Dublin early Wednesday morning. Already my house in the Kilnamanagh section of the City is beginning to feel like home.

A few quick observations. There continues to be great interest over here in the American Presidential election. In the last couple of days most media reports have been suggesting that Hillary drop out of the race. My guess is that she will hang in for at least another month.


This afternoon, courtesy of Skype, I was able to talk to a colleague in Massachusetts face-to-face. And our 30 minute transatlantic conversation was free!! I'm hoping this technology will help me stay in contact with friends and professional colleagues in the United States.

I'll be back in Massachusetts in a couple of weeks to arrange for the shipping of personal stuff. After May 1st I will be publishing regular posts from Dublin.

The Obama Speech...

It is not often that Maureen Dowd is full of praise for any politician...but this morning on the Op Ed page of the NYT she is full of praise for Barack Obama for the speech he delivered in Philadelphia yesterday. I agree with Dowd. It was an extraordinary speech.

The question is will the hate-mongers on cable tv let go of the race issue and move on. Not likely. Expect to see those comments by the preacher from Chicago played more than a thousand times between now and November if Obama is the Democratic candidate. One speech may not be enough to stop the media from exploiting the race issue.

Sen. Barack Obama rebounded from loses in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island on March 4 with a decisive win in a small but very excited Wyoming caucus.

I've been a little out-of-touch with American politics for the past month because of a trip to Dublin, Ireland. I understand that Obama will have a MAJORITY of pledged delegates by May 20th...and that he almost certainly will go into the convention with a three-digit lead in delegates. What I don't understand is why all these mainstream media pundits are insisting that Hillary is going to win. I know the Clintons have a sense of entitlement...but this would seem to be taking it too far. What do you think?

(Photo: Andy Carpenean / AP /
Laramie Boomerang)