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Welcome to what I hope will become one of the internet's popular blogs.

I hope to add content that is both informative and entertaining and I invite you to leave comments as you deem appropriate.

I have many interests, and thus will cover many topics including Music and Movies, Recipes, Ireland where I now live, and Bermuda where I was born.

This is my first attempt at building and operating a blog page, so please bear with me and feel free to volunteer any advice or suggestions you may have that will make it better for everyone.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to checkout the rest of the website.

Godspeed,

Gary

June 28, 2008 11:49 - Boys Do Cry

I was recently watching a movie when one of the characters said, "When I was a young boy I was told not to cry, to suck it up. In other words, they just didn't want to hear me crying."

What is it with our society that young men are told to ignore and suppress thier emotions? Is it in order to project a "manliness", or is it really because we as adults don't want to deal with children crying? I personally believe it's the latter, I have done so myself. But in doing so, what kind of future adults are we raising? The answer is easy, just look around you!

I had to question myself when I heard that remark, and have come to the conclusion that it is the most wrong thing we can do. To deny ourselves or others of our emotions is to reject and suppress our god-given humanity. The ability to experience a wealth of emotions is one of the most precious gifts life has to offer. It sets us apart from animals. Emotions, or rather the ability to embrace and allow ourselves to experience them, are building blocks of character.

The next time your son or nephew or grandson is crying, encourage them to do so with dignity and freedom, a well rounded and balanced, empathic adult is sure to be the result, something our society needs more of!

May 7, 2008 19:18 - Back - Handed Bullying

Bullying in the workplace has risen to the forefront of commonplace issues affecting today's workforce. But how many of us know exactly what constitutes bullying, and therefore, when we're being bullied.

There are the obvious ways of; being picked on constantly, being ridiculed and otherwise verbally abused and physically threatened, but bullying can take more subtle forms. Not recognizing these subtleties could lead to a person being bullied and not realizing it, left wondering why they feel intimidated and threatened. They wonder if perhaps they are a bit paronoid or insecure. this uneasiness leads to an unhappy and unproductive worker, and because these feelings may be contagious, and unhappy and unproductive team of workers.

One of the most common forms of "back-handed" or subtle bullying may come from the employee who enjoys some sort of closer connection or friendship with his or her boss than what the other workers do. I have had the experience of working with this sort and have also been the target of their bullying tactics. In this particular instance the person's spouse worked closely with our manager who was located in another building. We were left without direct supervision of any type, and this person made it quite clear that all they had to do was to mention something to their spouse, and it would inevitably get back to the boss. This same person took half days at their leisure, which reinforced the belief that he did enjoy a privlidged relationship with the manager. Everyone walked on eggshells around this person. There was an atmosphere of "big brother is watching you" in our team. Needless to say the atmosphere was both unpleasant, and unhealthy.

Much of the blame for this situation lies on management. The company was saving money by not having a paid supervisor over our team, and instead relied on these word of mouth reports from said employee and others in the building who were not even part of our team. Or our company for that matter.

Whenever employees are intimidated into doing their duties it is bullying. It is unhealthy and unethical. But it exists, and this particular type of bullying is so difficult to prove HR personnel, that not much can be done about it. One must basically learn to deal with it themselves. No, it's not fair, but it is reality. There are ways, however, that you can combat this type of bullying.

Something I found effective was to just keep doing my job as efficiently as possible, and to let as many people as possible know what I was doing. I eventually worked for another team, and the manager got glowing reports on me. I was doing nothing different than I had been all along, only different people were now reporting on me. People without malice or ulterior motive. Seeds of doubt as to the bully's integrity had been sown. If twenty people are saying you're a good worker, and one is saying different, a good manager will question the motives of the one.

March 13, 2008 18:39 - St. Patrick's day Recipes

I'm back after a long lay off, so I thought I'd re-introduce myself by putting up these delicious irish recipes for any of you who want to have some authentic Irish food this Paddie's Day. Hope you enjoy them. and remember to drink responsibly. Cheers and Happy St. Patrick's day!

Here's Some Great Irish Recipes for St. Patrick's Day STARTER Irish Recipes - Red Cabbage and Apples Recipe A delicious tart and tangy starter to stimulate the taste buds! Ingredients : 1 Full head of fresh garden picked, red cabbage, cored and shredded. 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar. 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar. (Adjust to taste). 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon. 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves. 1 teaspoon Sea salt. Freshly ground mixed colored peppercorns to taste. 1/2 cup of fresh spring or tap water. 3/4 pound McIntosh apples, washed, peeled, cored, and quartered. 1 each Red Delicious apple, washed, peeled, cored, and quartered. Method : In a large, deep "non-aluminum" heavy skillet or seasoned cast iron Dutch oven, combine the shredded cabbage, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, sea salt, and fresh water. Bring to a gentle boil. Place the quartered apples over the shredded red cabbage, cover the skillet, and cook this mixture gently for about 30 minutes, or until the red cabbage is tender and the apples have turned very soft into a pulp. After cooking 20 minutes, partially uncover the skillet, so most of the cooking liquid evaporates. Stir the delicious and tangy mixture, adjust the taste with seasoning. Add more salt and freshly ground pepper as per taste. MAIN COURSE Irish Recipes - Irish Lamb Stew with Dumplings Serves 8 Prep time: 30 minutes Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes Ingredients : 1 cup all-purpose flour Coarse salt and ground pepper 3 pounds boneless lamb stew meat (preferably shoulder), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes 3 tablespoons canola oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1-1/4 cups dark beer 1-2 pounds medium new potatoes, peeled and quartered 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut 1/4 inch thick diagonally 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Method : In a large bowl, season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge lamb in flour mixture, shaking off excess. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Working in batches, brown lamb on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Cook garlic quickly for 2 minutes, remove with lamb and transfer to a plate. Pour 1/4 cup water into pot, scraping up browned bits from bottom with a wooden spoon. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and onion is beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Return lamb and garlic to pot; stir in thyme, beer, and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover; simmer until lamb is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (can also be refrigarated, and taken later) Add potatoes, carrots, and 1/2 cup water. Cook, covered, until vegetables are tender and stew has thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely before storing. Stir in parsley just before serving. Dumplings Ingredients : 6 cups self-rising flour 1 cup fresh bread crumbs 1 tablespoon mixed herbs (parsley, thyme and oregano makes a good combination) 1/4 cup solid shortening 1 egg, beaten Broth or water Salt and pepper to taste Preparation : Mix dry ingredients, then add shortening and egg, mixing thoroughly. Divide mixture into small pieces, roll into even rounds between floured hands. Cook in boiling water or broth for 15 minutes. Add to stew 20 minutes before stew is done. DESSERT Irish Recipes - Irish Flag Cookies Ingredients : 1 cup butter 1 egg 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cream of tartar Method : Cream together butter and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Beat in vanilla and egg extract. Mix well. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Blend into the butter mixture. Divide dough into thirds and shape them into balls. Taking 1/3 of the dough at a time, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. With a knife, cut dough into rectangles about 2 inches high by 3 inches long. (6 x 8 cm). Place rectangles on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven until they turn light brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Frost cookies with Irish Flag Frosting. Make a 1 inch green stripe on the left side of the rectangles and a 1 inch orange strip on the right side, leaving the middle one inch unfrosted.