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July 2018WALKING TALKING. On the road in Ireland's wild west
by Helga Kaffke, Gabriele Berthel
In the art scene of Schwerin their names were as well known as the State Theater, the museum or the castle of that city – Helga Kaffke, painter; Gabriele Berthel, author. That was during the last quarter of the past century. In the cultural news of the current capital of the county their names can’t be found. Both artists haven’t lived in Germany for more than twenty years. First they looked for the centre of their lives in France – and then found it – since the millennium – on the North-West coast of Ireland, in Mayo. They settled there, got married, worked. “May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back.” This old Irish blessing didn’t always keep its promise: the wind was often a gale and shook “the old house that rose out of the rocks”. The two artists counteracted this with their passion: for life, for painting, for literature. They had their talents and a backpack full of knowledge and experience, gathered at the colleges in Leipzig – tied forever to their country of birth, from which they had become estranged. The painter Helga Kaffke died in the winter of 2017. Since her death her spouse Gabriele Berthel shares her life with thousands of pages. Watercolours, colour on paper, portraits of landscapes, people and animals, in Kaffke-style. Kaffke-style is a mark of quality. Nobody painted watercolours like her: falling lines, sloping verticals, seemingly so chaotic, one already imagines the fall of Carthage – and yet somewhere a glimpse of sky remains. Magnificent. Gabriele Berthel paints with words; equally magnificent and emotional until it hurts. She paints in prose and poetry, mixes fairytale and reality, and covers earthly realism with melancholy. Thus a book is created, in a remote place of the world where in comparison to sky and sea a person appears to be a dwarf. A book about love and life and the strength to endure it, for every place in world. “In this place her life was always blowing in the wind – jacket like trousers between two brittle poles. And she keeps still, facing the earth – she knows it well – it was her life worth.” Helga Kaffke. Gabriele Berthel. For a long time their names had vanished from the cultural news. This is about to change. In Schwerin and other places.
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Global warmingI want to live.
by James Kilcullen
Global warming has reached its peak; the area between the tropics of Cancer and Capriciorn is so hot it can no longer support human or animal life. People are dying or moving north and south to cooler climates, which have closed their borders as they cannot cope with increased populations. Violence is widespread. James Laffoy,earth scientist, has failed to persuade the powers to take drastic action before it's too late. He retreats to his late father's uninhabited island off the west coast of ireland and, over a number of years, with a small number of like minded people, prepares for the worst. Can they survive in a world that's closing down rapidly?
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Bankruptcy & insolvencySlaves to the Money Lenders.
by James Kilcullen
When the SW bank in Hibernia becomes insolvent its CEO S.W.A. Mullarkey persuades his old friend, Moxy O'Shea, Taoiseach, to guarantee its solvency. Mullarkey is delighted, having passed the problem to the taxpayers; Frank Carney, leader of the opposition, is furious and demands a general election. The EU demand an austerity budget. Frank wins the election and becomes Taoiseach, but how can he save his country?
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FantasyOctober 2014The West's Awake.
by James Kilcullen
The public representatives in the west of Ireland, tired of being ignored by Dublin, decide to set up a separate state within the EU which is now ruled by an autocratic dictator called Count Otto who insists on uniformity in all things. When the new Galway parliament refuses to abolish the pint of Guinness and replace it with half a litre, the big Count declares war. How can Dan/Ozzy and President Ulick Joyc save their people
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History of engineering & technologyDecember 2013The Contractors
The Story of British Civil Engineering Contractors
by Hugh Ferguson , Mike Chimes (Author)
Fully illustrated in colour, The Contractors, is the first history of the challenges and adventures faced by British civil engineering contractors from their emergence with canal construction in the late-eighteenth century to the present day. Extraordinarily ambitious, largely unrecognised men who built the world’s infrastructure – its roads and railways, canals and bridges, docks and harbours, lighthouses and breakwaters, sea works and flood defences, water supply and irrigation, urban drainage and sewerage, gas works and power stations, and buildings of all shapes and sizes – these contractors took considerable risks, many failed in the process but others thrived and developed into some of the most powerful and influential industrialists of their day. Including profiles of many of the key figures and organisations in the industry through the ages, The Contractors explains what the business is about and where it comes from, sharing with a wider audience the exploits of these adventurers, haracterised by their inspiring leadership, sheer hard work, a strong constitution and perseverance in the face of adversity. Over time, the contractor has changed: from the great Victorian contractors, towering men whose business was their personal affair, through the twentieth century which has seen the rise of the corporate contractor, specialist contractors and the blurring of the distinction between consulting engineers and contractors, to the larger firms of recent years becoming larger through merger and acquisition but, as the examples in this book demonstrate, there is still room for the entrepreneur with vision, leadership and drive to become a highly successful contractor. The Contractors is a compulsory read for all those working in the industry, including civil engineers, those interested in the industry and its impact on the world, and the wider public. Readers will experience the boom of the canal and railway eras, working at home and abroad, the difficulties and opportunities brought by wars, the equipment used and the specialists and sub-contractors of today, fully illustrated with unique material from ICE and the firms themselves. Following the success of The Civil Engineers, Hugh Ferguson BSc(Eng) CEng FICE MCIHT and Mike Chrimes MBE BA MLS MCLIP bring their extensive experience and unique insight and passion to civil engineering contractors.
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FantasyOctober 2014Midas Rex in Connemara.
by James Kilcullen
The world's richest man, with his entourage, checks into the Turla Lodge Hotel, in the heart of Connemara. He doesn't tell his staff why he has come to this desolate area; certainly not on vacation. He is seeking the one thing his money can't buy. Frank Carney, the Taoiseach is summoned to his presence and handed a note of his requirement. Frank absolutely refuses. "Do as I order or I'll have this damned country blown off the face of the map." Frank consults Ulick and Dan/Ozzy. If they give in to this autocrat - they're damned and if they don't - they're damned. What can they do?
