The Monday Retrospect

What is ‘The Monday Retrospect’?

This is a weekly collection of things that have caught my attention and imagination over the last week.  It is a chance to put into words what I have been doing, thoughts I have been processing, things that are happening.  It’s a bit of a mind dump really.

• The Monday Retrospect makes a glorious return.
• I would like this blog to become a bit more ‘unedited, unscripted and less perfect’.  But, part of me just won’t allow it.  I like to be quite meticulous and sure of things before hitting the ‘Publish’ button.  And, event when I do, the ‘Edit’ button looms over me.
• I love this series of ‘The 45 Most Powerful Images of 2011‘.  It’s incredible to think that this was our year…
• A Saudi Royal has ploughed $300M in to Twitter.  This has bought him a 3% stake valuing the company circa $10Bn.
• Facebook have finally rolled out their new timeline for everyone.  I have had access to it for a few months now because I cheated the system and registered as a developer.  But, it’s nice to see it on everyone else’s profile.  Personally, I love it.
• No man is rich enough to buy back his past. -Oscar Wilde
• The Toward Consulting Blog publish thought provoking material on a semi-regular basis.  I really liked their piece on the Quaker practice of ‘Clearness Committees’.
• Diggnation is coming to an end.  Sad times.
• David Cameron has caused a bit of a kerfuffle this week with his speech that suggested Britain was a Christian country.  This, in my opinion, is being blown out of all proportion by Christians who are falling hopelessly in love with him, and non-Christians who are pushing back – hard!  I like this approach.  It seems balanced and fairly in line with my own feelings.  It questions the validity of his assertions whilst also calling into questions some other important ramifications of Cameron’s religion and polity agenda.
• I had my 3 month review for my PhD program this week.  It went well, really well in fact.  My supervisors seem happy with the direction my research is going and happy with my progress so far.
• I only have one short piece of work left that is due before Christmas.  It’s a nice feeling.

That’s it for today.  What’s going on with you?

Where to begin…

Well.  We’re almost at the end of 2011 – which seems ridiculous!

I guess I’ll give a quick run down of things since I last posted…

• I finished my Master’s dissertation.  It came in at 13,030 words altogether and I think it was a pretty decent piece of work.
• Of course, the above bar which says 97% is now redundant as I am, in fact, 100% done.
• I finished up my contract with Muskoka Woods as Director of Senior High Programming.  I worked their from May – September.  It was my 4th year in the Muskoka region and I can honestly say that I leave a piece of my heart their every time I leave.  Moreso, however, I leave a piece of my heart with my colleagues.
• Cassie and I are now settled in Northern Ireland.  We’re living in Newtownabbey which is a town right on the edge of Belfast and loving life.
• I am working for FMPCI.  A church in North Belfast.  I’m currently working as their Youth and Community Development Worker and having a blast doing so.  It’s a fairly multi-faceted job and I am really enjoying it.
• I am officially a PhD student…Well, not officially I guess.  Really I am an undifferentiated postgraduate research student but it’s the same thing really.  I just need to pass a differentiation which is one of the many hurdles doctoral students must overcome.
• I am researching consociationalism in Northern Ireland with Prof. Rick Wilford, a world expert in the field, so I am delighted on all accounts.
• I am slowly beginning some consultancy work which is taking on various guises at present.  I am mostly consulting around skills development and change management but this, undoubtedly will morph over time.
• I will have a few exciting projects/partnerships to announce in 2012 hopefully. Stay tuned for more information.

Progress Update

It’s been quite some time since I have posted on here which is a little disappointing to me.

However, a lot has been going on and a lot has changed.

First and foremost I celebrated my 1 year wedding anniversary!!

I am currently working as Director of  Senior High Programs at Muskoka Woods in Canada. I have been doing that since the beginning of May and my contract will end mid-September. Alongside this demanding, but super cool job, I have been ploughing away at my MA dissertation which is due in September and a number of other personal projects.

After this, I will begin the process of relocating (from Birmingham – where we have lived, studied and worked the past year) back to Northern Ireland. I will once again be beginning the hunt for jobs, a car, a house, etc..

There are a few reasons behind this move, but one of the overwhelming reasons is that I will be beginning doctoral studies in Queen’s University Belfast in the school of Politics and International Studies. I am really excited to begin PhD studies and even more excited after have been accepted to be be supervised by Prof. Richard Wilford.

All in all, it’s a very exciting but very busy time and I love every minute of it. This blog will be revived. I will make it happen.

Where have I been?

I’ve been in a bit of a transition mode lately which is why things have been pretty quiet around here.  It’s likely to be that way for the next week or so.  I hope to get back to regular service soon.

The Monday Retrospect (Special Edition)

What is ‘The Monday Retrospect’?

This is a weekly collection of things that have caught my attention and imagination over the last week.  It is a chance to put into words what I have been doing, thoughts I have been processing, things that are happening.  It’s a bit of a mind dump really.

• You may notice it’s not actually a Monday.  If so, you are a shrewd individual and deserve to be congratulated.
• I didn’t post, as normal on Monday because the last few days have been a bit of blur as I have been writing, collating, reading and drinking coffee in order to hand in my final two essays of my Master’s program.  It’s been all systems go in.
• Anyone else loving all the bank holidays recently?
• The summer is in full swing.  I fly to Canada in one week and I still have no idea where I’ll be staying for the next month.
• Life itself is a quotation. - Jorge Luis
• Yes or No?
• I’ve still got some books available for sale on Amazon.  They’ll likely only be available for another week or so.  Click to go to my shop.
• Let’s connect on Facebook, Twitter, or Academia.edu.  Or, all of them.
• You get a lot more for your money in Belfast than your do in Birmingham in terms of real estate.
• Spotify is finally changing the availability of their free music.  I’ve been expecting this for a long time but it doesn’t make the news any more palatable.
• I think I’d like to launch a little side-hustle in September…been working on some ideas for a few months…

That’s it for today.  What’s going on in your life?

Academic Integrity

This post has been inspired by something I read over at the wonderful PhD2Published blog.  I seriously love this blog and the insight and wisdom that it so freely shares.  They run an ongoing series called Weekly Wisdom in which they share a short, snappy piece of advice.  The Weekly Wisdom this week really caught me off guard.  It’s number 40 in their ongoing series.  Here’s what is says:

Don’t give your ideas away and let someone publish before you; publicise the outline of your book, not the details!

On the face of it, that statement is not overly shocking.  But it really worried me.  Is there that little academic integrity that people would be willing to steal, claim and pillage the ideas of their colleagues in pursuit of some sort of fleeting fame?  It worries me that this could be the case.  As a young academic, just beginning my career and trying to forge my path is this what I have up ahead of me?  Is it really this ruthless?

I hope that the world that I am entering is in a better state that this.  I, for one, know that I could never blatantly steal the ideas of someone else and pass them off as my own.  I hope there is much more integrity in the world of academia that this.

I’m not even sure this is the sort of thing that Sarah from PhD2Published was hinting at or anticipating but it’s certainly what I took away from it.

The Monday Retrospect

What is ‘The Monday Retrospect’?

This is a weekly collection of things that have caught my attention and imagination over the last week.  It is a chance to put into words what I have been doing, thoughts I have been processing, things that are happening.  It’s a bit of a mind dump really.

• Happy Easter.  I hope everyone has had a lovely time.
• I have not posted one post since the last Monday Retrospect.  #fail.  It has been a busy week.
• It’s official.  From September onwards I will be living in Belfast.  I have got accepted to a PhD program at QUB.  I have another application in at TCD that I am waiting to hear about.  Either way it looks like I’ll be commencing PhD research and I’m pretty excited about it.
• The TEDxBelfast videos are finally online.  They’re being uploaded to the TEDx YouTube channel.  (AlanInBelfast has uploaded the available so far TEDxBelfast talks here).  They’re all great, but I especially recommend listening to Mark Dowds‘ talk embedded below.
• You don’t develop courage by being happy in your relationships and interactions everyday.  You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. - Epicurus
• I’m in the process of putting together an abstract for a conference that I’d like to present at on transitional and restorative justice.  I’m not brimming with confidence, and I’ve never done anything like this before.  But, I’ve got to start somewhere I guess.
• For those who don’t know already, Cassie and myself will be spending the summer in Canada.  I leave in about 2 weeks and Cassie will follow me out shortly after.  We’ll be working here!
• Let’s connect on Facebook, Twitter, or Academia.edu.  Or, all of them.
• TOWARD Consulting have put a new video up.  Head over to their homepage and have a look.
• Finally, I will leave you with this hilarious video from Los Whittaker.  He’s already put up one hilarious video that’s gone viral and this is just number two.  Enjoy.

That’s it for this week.  What’s going on with you?

The Monday Retrospect

What is ‘The Monday Retrospect’?

This is a weekly collection of things that have caught my attention and imagination over the last week.  It is a chance to put into words what I have been doing, thoughts I have been processing, things that are happening.  It’s a bit of a mind dump really.

• Want to succeed as a PhD researcher…Thesis Whisperer reckons you need to become best friends with the Librarian.
• The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland have put out their latest party political broadcast/party election broadcast.  I think it’s a visually stunning piece of work.  It uses all the right words, but for me, it lacks any tangible policy or plans.
• I’m currently working on a paper that is exploring whether or not justice is necessary for peace.  If you have any opinions feel free to share them.
• I was away at a wedding for the past few days.  It was nice to meet up with some friends that I haven’t seen for a while, and of course watch friends commit to each other in new ways.
• 22 days and I’m outta here.
• It is not the strongest of species that survives, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin.
• I love this display of creativity.  Check out AmpleSample which challenges people to come with abstract uses for carpet samples.
• Are we connected on Facebook?  Or Twitter?
• Currently doing some reading around the Sunningdale Agreement (1973) and the Belfast Agreement (1998) for my dissertation.
• And no, before you ask I am not relying on these Wikipedia articles!
• #fact: Academia is expensive.

Derailing Peace in Northern Ireland

This post has been inspired by the conversation that was started by good friend Nathan Erskine.

 

The heinous murder of newly qualified Police Constable, Ronan Kerr in the last week has simply served to highlight that Northern Ireland’s history is anything but history in the minds of some people.  And, in the minds of those who are trying to keep the events of the past where they belong it simply recalls to memory some painful times in the legacy of this beautiful but complex piece of earth.

The way I see it is that there are a number of possible explanations of this attack.

- It is an attempt to derail the Peace Process in Northern Ireland

- Is it a way of subverting a perceived dominant and unwelcome force by a violent minority?

The death, tragic as it is, is not an isolated incident but it is an attempt at something much larger.  It is an attempt to create chaos and derail the peace process in Northern Ireland.  The murder was a chance to corrode the already tenuous relationship between government and peace.

The timing of this event is significant at election time.  The plan here was much deeper than misery for one family, unfortunately OC Ronan Kerr’s life was being used as a catalyst to spur a larger political crisis in Northern Ireland.  On the whole this objective was unsuccessful, many leaders stood in unity and faced, with dignity and courage the difficultly of leading a country through this terrorism, unfortunately however a few of the political parties showed narrow-mindedness and unwilling to move away from a political game and point scoring.

Is this the litmus test for Sinn Fein as peaceful leaders of the Republican movement?

Sinn Fein have been almost unanimous in their condemnation of this attack and similar attacks in the last few years.  This, however seems to be their chance to really step up to the plate and prove their mettle as peaceful leaders of a nationalist movement.

———-

At the end of the day however, this attack is not simply affecting those in the political world.  Behind this carnage we must remember that Ronan Kerr was a real human bein, with hopes, aspirations and dreams.  It saddens me greatly that when we now talk about the ‘Omagh Bomb’ we will have to distinguish just what bombing we are referring to.

#notinmyname

The Monday Retrospect

What is ‘The Monday Retrospect’?

This is a weekly collection of things that have caught my attention and imagination over the last week.  It is a chance to put into words what I have been doing, thoughts I have been processing, things that are happening.  It’s a bit of a mind dump really.

• The Legislative Assembly and Local elections are well underway in Northern Ireland.  It certainly is a fascinating time in our country’s history.  Alan in Belfast has composed a list that ‘Charts the Assembly Elections‘ – it provides great insight into who’s who, what’s what, and where’s where!
• If you’re serious geek like me you’ll want to read about the different types of dashes to use and when to use them.
• The next month is going to be an absolute roller-coaster.  I love it.
• “Here is a test to find out whether you mission on earth is finished or not: if you’re still alive it isn’t.”
• Spring time weather does the soul good.  The essays not so much.
• A few other people are following along in the same vein as The Monday Retrospect.  There is now a Thursday Retrospect being run by Clamorous Voice and The Friday Retrospect being curated by MetaphoraMetaphora.
• I’ve just started reading ‘What the Dog Saw’ by Malcolm Gladwell.  It seems like a pretty fun book.
• I heard Gladwell speak this past year on the subject of Serendipity – what a truly fascinating dude.
• Yesterday I found my favourite pair of shorts.  I thought they were long gone but they were just hidden!  The summer is looking good!
• I’ve still got some books available for sale on Amazon.  They’ll likely be available for another 3 weeks or so.  Click to go to my shop.
• Rory McIlroy – I feel for him.  And, I’m not even that into golf.
• I’m currently researching the differences (if any) in representative governance and democracy.  if you’ve got any thoughts feel free to jump in.
• Do you guys often preorder books?  I think I’ve only ever done it once.  I preordered Tribes by Seth Godin.  What have you preordered and why?
• Check out this awesome looking home library.

That’s it for this week.  What’s going on with you?