University institute Celebrates a Family Multi-Cultural Christmas in Galway

A wonderful sharing of gifts, foods and festive traditions took place yesterday in Insight Centre for Data Analytics at NUI Galway as staff, students and their families celebrated Christmas together.

Bangladesh stand

With festive songs of good cheer, thematic digital imagery, balloons, streamers and other decorations  providing a Christmas atmosphere,  the location was populated by an array of exhibit stands overflowing with a mouth-watering selection of baked and cooked recipes of puddings, pies, buns, cakes, salads, meats and jams from the myriad of countries that make up the peoples of the institute.

The hall was dominated by a Christmas tree where a gregarious female Thai Santa and her giant Irish male elf handed out sacks of wrapped presents as part of the wonderful Chris Kindle swapping of gifts tradition.

Santa and the Chris Kindle team

The event was enjoyed by all participants that paid homage to the family of nations that is a such powerful characteristic of our institute.

Ireland

Germany

 

Vietnam & Nepal

 

Pakistan

Syria

Poland

 

Italy

Iran

China

Thailand

Santa handing out gifts to children

 

Tunisia

 

Spot the Irish in the crowd!

Insight is one of the leading global institutes involved in data analytics research. We live in a data rich world, where almost everything we do results in a data record being created and stored somewhere.  The centre’s vision is to create a healthier, safer, more productive world by empowering a data-driven society to enable better decisions by individuals, communities, business and governments. 

Its reputation has attracted young researchers from all over the world thus creating a dynamic technology innovative cosmopolitan hub in Ireland.   

Polish Eurovision Entry Promotes Sexual Exploitation of Women

The Poland entry into Eurovision 2014 was about the sexual exploitation of women. It wasn't even subtle in its message. As anyone that knows me will confirm, I am far from being conservative on issues of sex. 

But the message of the Polish entry particularly in its video objectified women and deliberately promoted young females in the role of sex slaves. Not exactly child-friendly television. Nor what one would expect from an egalitarian European society. 

In a month when teenage girls are being abducted, taken as war booty and used as sex slaves by armed men in Nigeria and the Central African Republic; when women are being kidnapped and gang raped by armed gangs in the south Sudan; when female children are being forced into marriage in Yemen, Egypt, Afghanistan and Pakistan; when girls are denied the right to an education by Islamic fundamentalists; when women are not allowed to vote, to drive a car and travel without the permission of a male relative in Saudi Arabia; when polygamy (for men) has been legalised in Kenya;when women are losing their former societal status as equals and being forced out of jobs in Libya and Syria; when the Internet is increasing the sexual enslavement of female teenagers; when child pornography(through the medium of the Web) is increasing in the Philippines; when we learn from ex-US President Jimmy Carter that c100,000 people are being trafficked annually into the United States to work as slaves mainly in the sex trade; this song, video and message is not appropriate. 

I love Poland and generally enjoy watching the Eurovision. But this year I have to say, Shame Poland! Shame Eurovision!

Click here to see my previous short article on the Web facilitating an upsurge in Female Exploitation & Slavery

Arab Uprisings Reminiscent of Eastern Europe

Is history repeating itself? The wave of popular revolutions sweeping across the Arab world is reminiscent of events in Europe over twenty years ago. A series of mass street protests and strikes across Poland ended the fifty-four year authoritarian rule of the Communist Party when the regime was forced to hold democratic elections in 1989. Like a game of dominoes, the success of Polish ‘people power’ caused a knock-on effect of uprisings across all of the one-party Stalinist countries of eastern Europe. The seemingly indestructible edifice of militaristic Soviet puppet governments imploded within a matter of months.

Violence though was lessened by the ground-breaking decision of the Soviet Union under a reformist Mikhail Gorbachev government not to intervene in its satellite states as it had done so often in the past.

But the struggle for liberty and democracy knows no boundaries. Within a few years the USSR itself, then the world’s second superpower, disintegrated as its own peoples finally unshackled their chains of bondage.

In 2011 the majority of the Arab states, reeling from mass popular protests, are mainly one party regimes kept in power this time by the economic and military support of the USA, the world’s number one superpower.

Egypt for instance has long being the second largest (after Israel) recipient of American aid. Yet these funds, totalling c$2bn annually, are not used to improve the quality of life of the poverty stricken Egyptian people but primarily to buy arsenals of sophisticated weaponry from American arms manufacturers to keep a hated elite in power and to help Israel maintain its illegal siege of Gaza.

Thankfully it is Barack Obama in the White House and not George Bush leading to the hope that the Arabs will be able to eject their rulers from Yemen, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. Of course the struggle for freedom and justice cannot be contained and inevitably it will be the turn of the Israeli colonists in the West Bank to face the wrath of both the enslaved and the exiled Palestinian peoples supported by the freed Arab populace of neighbouring countries. Peace in a war -ravaged Middle East will possibly then have a chance to blossom in a more fertile soil.

Walking Poles

With an estimated 7,000-8,000 living locally, Polish people form by far the biggest non-national group in Galway city. This translates to 1 in every 7 inhabitants! Yet in spite of the arrival of such a huge number in the space of a few short years, Poles have fitted in quite well into Irish society and there has been little or no antagonism which reflects well on all sides.
However, it is felt that this large Polish population has not yet translated into an effective cohesive community.
So some locally-based Poles have set up 'The Galway Irish – Polish Association' as a national cultural and social group. They are organising a 'get-to-know you' walk in the Oranmore area on Sunday 9th Sept.
Called the 'INTEGRATIONAL WALK' the meeting point will be at the Fountain in Eyre Square at 12.30pm with the start of the walk at 14.00 at the Oranmore Church Car park.
It is an attempt by the organisers to bring their people together socially and combat a 'Poles Apart' attitude (Sorry about the pun!).
If you want to participate in the walk: send a text to 0868072217 (Marta) to confirm your attendance.

'A Popular Polish Prayer'!?

I found this witty image on the Internet!
Stowarzyszenie Polsko – Irlandzkie w Galway zaprasza na SPACER INTEGRACYJNY który odbędzie się w niedzielę, 9 września 2007 roku Jeżeli chciałbyś poznać nowych ludzi, dowiedzieć się, czym zajmuje się nasze stowarzyszenie albo po prostu milo spędzić niedziele w międzynarodowym towarzystwie, przyłącz się do nas! Punk zbiorczy: fontanna na Eyre Square, Galway, g. 12:30 Miejsce startu: parking przy kosciele w Oranmore, g. 14:00 Koszty transportu z Galway do Oranmore pokrywają uczestnicy z własnej kieszeni (ok. 5 euro)

Zgłoś swoje uczestnictwo w spacerze, wysyłając SMSa na numer 0868072217 (Marta)

Focus on Poles in Galway- No. 1
Sebastian Kruk is a Project Manager with the Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) at National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and a leading authority on Semantic Digital Library research