Louise McSharry

Undercover police apparently.  I don’t usually enjoy that kind of launch and attack but in this case I really do.

Via @danhett on Twitter.

I’m having a hard time this morning.  When I fell asleep last night I was upset.  I was worried for my friends in London, I was worried for the city of London, and I was worried about what I would wake up to.

I woke up this morning and opened my computer and became worried for humanity.   Obviously looting is disgraceful, and the idea of how many businesses will suffer or cease to exist as a result of this is more than a little upsetting, but when they started attacking people’s homes things reached another level.  Last night, a Sky news reporter stood with a terrified woman on the street because she didn’t want to be alone after waking up to find a masked man dressed in black standing in her room, and the police were nowhere to be found.    This morning this video is spreading like wildfire:

Watching it makes me feel physically sick.  I cried reading the reports, because obviously the riots will end eventually, but how will we go on knowing that people like this are around us in such numbers?   People who are capable of setting buildings on fire while people sleep in them, who carelessly destroy businesses, who rob people as they lie injured on the street and LAUGH all the while?  How did these people come to be like this?!?

What is heartening are the displays of completely contrasting humanity within the madness.  You’re bound to have seen this by now:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gex_ya4-Oo&feature=related

And you’ve probably heard about the Turkish men turned vigilantes who were forced to defend their livelihoods because the police couldn’t/wouldn’t do anything about attacks on their shops.  The @riotcleanup campaign which kicked off this morning is also encouraging, it is good to see people taking back their power where they can.

They tweeted this morning “If they do it again.   We do this again tomorrow. Solidarity for our communities.   Show them they cannot win.”  Thank God for that, because otherwise I’d be completely hopeless.

One of the men defending his shop asked, “I’ve got a little kid – how I’m gonna grow this kid in this country?”  That’s the question I can’t get out of my head.  I’m worried about the future, and I’m worried about the past.  I’m worried about how things have gone so wrong, and what’s happened that so many people just don’t have any sense of right and wrong anymore.  How are people SO bitter, SO selfish and feeling SO entitled?  And what are we, as a society,  going to do about it?

I’m absolutely mortified on Alexandra and Fionnan’s behalf.

 

No seriously, please do, put me out of my misery, because I don’t know if I can take one more video of you being simultaneously ridey and lovely.

I mean, his dog’s name is GEORGE.  With anyone else that would be innocuous but with him it seems like the cutest dog name in the world.  And he’s feeding him apples…on Jimmy Kimmel…just, stop Ryan please…I can’t take any more.

It’s hard to get your head around the idea of people starving to death when you live in the first world.  I mean, my sister and I were just moaning that there was “no food in the house” five minutes ago.  From where I’m sitting I can see a large box of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, 7 apples, a full bottle of ketchup, a bottle of 7 up and some “Janet’s Country Fayre” Sweet Pepper Relish…I think it’s fair to say our perspective is skewed.  But the reality is, no matter what your perspective, there is no denying how bad things are at the moment in East Africa.

At this point, in Somalia alone, over 3 million people have been affected by a prolonged drought, and in the worst hit areas HALF the children are malnourished.  Half the children.  Get your head around that.  The only thing that will stop this UN declared famine from spreading is millions of euro worth of emergency aid, and the only place that’ll come from is us.  Whether it’s our governements or our own bank accounts.  I just made a donation through Unicef Ireland – it’s really easy, they take laser, and a small amount of money can make a big difference.  You can donate here.

According to Mary Robinson, “This is an extraordinarily serious crisis and it is much worse than people realise.”  We may not be able to get our heads around it, but we can make a small difference.

Celine Dion is a gas ticket.  She is.  She has more energy than any person I’ve ever encountered in real life and is more expressive with her face, voice and words than most I’ve encountered in unreal life.  Case in point:

However, it would appear she does not have a sense of humour.  Boo.  The owner of the Tumblr named “Ridiculous Pictures of Celine Dion” has had to shut the site down after Celine’s people got in touch threatening legal action.

 

It’s such a shame, and completely pointless.  Now everyone knows she makes ridiculous faces and that she simply doesn’t have a sense of humour.

I realize this happened months ago, but I missed it somehow and only came across it on my friend Josh’s Facebook page last night.  It is excruciating, but serves as an excellent reminder to me that I should never become a politician because it would probably lead to an appearance on Vincent Browne, which would undoubtedly result in this sort of humiliation.  The poor girl didn’t stand a chance.

A bit of Robyn.  GOD DAMN I LOVE THIS WOMAN.  I mean, really, I can’t think of any other artist (with the exception of my hero Dolly Parton) who I am so passionate about.  Here she is doing an impromptu performance of “Show Me Love” (stolen from the lovely Donal Mulligan’s Tumblr):

The only problem is that it’s too short, which can not be said for this meaty Jersey Shore trailer:

I love those guidos.  I really do.  Roll on April 4.  And finally, a bit of Justin Timberlake.  I’d almost forgotten about my fondness for him until he started doing the publicity for whatever film he has out that led to him and Mila “SUPERHOT” Kunis doing interviews and accepting dates with random Marines, but I have remembered.  And as part of this publicity drive he appeared on Jimmy Fallon, where he and the host performed a sequel to this magnificent 2010performance chronicling the history of rap:

BRILLIANT.  Check out the new effort here.