Slave Sailors

Here is a story I just heard on the news that really pisses me off. The International Transport Federation will attempt on Monday to secure $125,000 (€80,000) in owed wages and penalties from the owners of a Latvian ship currently detained in Cork harbour.

The Defender and its crew have been detained since Thursday after €45,000 worth of undeclared cigarettes was discovered. What makes anyone think they can smuggle that amount of cigarettes into a country when the port authorities check everything?

It was also found that the nine crew have not been paid since the start of the year. That pisses me off to hear this because they are basically slaves. It is understood one of the crew was arrested by Gardaí and customs yesterday afternoon in relation to the cigarettes find.


Earlier, the ITF claimed a representative of the ship’s owners, Forestry Shipping, came to Ireland to pay customs €15,000. The monies owed to the crew by their employers was initially thought to total $92,500 (€58,000). However, Ken Fleming of the transport federation now claims the outstanding wages is $100,000 (€63,500) and he wants $25,000 (€16,000) in breach of contract and overtime penalties. All the crew are supposed to have agreed federation minimum rates, but Mr Fleming said those contracts had been abandoned and new ones forced upon the crew. The ITF inspector said two of the crew had been paid in advance of sailing in January and one had received just $100 (€63.50) for 100 hours’ work. He has already been made power of attorney for four of the nine crew and hopes to secure several more over the weekend. A number of the seamen have asked to be repatriated once they have received their owed monies. In addition, Mr Fleming said he has secured an undertaking from the Port State Authority to stop the vessel from leaving Cork port over the weekend.

Yesterday, the crew was trying to rectify structural issues which the port authority had found on board the Defender. Mr Fleming says Forestry Shipping claims to have paid all monies owed to the crew, but a third party may have taken some of the payments. The ITF was monitoring the vessel for the past two weeks after colleagues in Russia tipped them off. The previous captain of the Defender had put in a wages claim for $15,000 (€9,500).

Fly To The US for 5 pounds

I wish I had heard this before now. I just heard this on the news.

Around 300 passengers, including Aer Lingus staff, seized on the airline’s offer to fly to the US in the luxury of business class for next to nothing. But the airline later cancelled all bookings, saying its website had wrongly sold seats normally costing €1,775 for just €5. Yesterday, Aer Lingus was forced to backtrack after intervention by the Government’s National Consumer Agency (NCA) and threats of legal action from passengers.

Aer Lingus is to allow the 300 passengers who bought cheap business-class seats to travel in economy class instead. Airline spokesman Niall Bradley said: “Aer Lingus announces that it will offer all customers who made bookings during the reservation error the option to travel in economy class at the price of their original booking.” Last night, the Consumers’ Association of Ireland (CAI), which is an independent charity, remained unhappy with the deal brokered by the government-run NCA. “Passengers have a legal contract to travel in business class and should seek legal advice,” said CAI chief executive Dermott Jewell. But the NCA said the deal offered by Aer Lingus was fair — although passengers still had the right to take the matter before the courts. On Thursday, Aer Lingus initially said 100 customers were affected by its cancellations but yesterday raised this number to 300.

Among them was Dublin computer worker Colm Byrne, aged 40, who had planned to take his wife Elaine, 39, to New York in June for their 10th wedding anniversary. “It is good news but Aer Lingus could have avoided a lot of trouble by honouring the bookings in the first place,” he said. The airline’s decision also gained worldwide media coverage with commentators accusing Aer Lingus of scoring a public relations own-goal. “It is regrettable that this technical error occurred and Aer Lingus recognises and accepts that customers were upset and inconvenienced,” said Mr Bradley. “Aer Lingus apologises unreservedly to all customers.”

The Weekend

I was out on a friends fishing boat the last two days. That is very hard work, but I had a great time. I'm going to be landlocked again this week as I continue to finish up some research for an upcoming project. Hopefully next week I will be able to get back on a ship and back to sea. When we came home last night and we we're dropping a few of the men off at home, we saw a fire at the Bracken Court hotel. It was huge fire. It lit up the night sky. The last I heard, no one was hurt, so that is a good thing.

I had another martial arts class today and my back is sore now. We did tons of kicks and I think I pulled a muscle in my back now. I could use a hot tub. My flat mate is going to work soon, so I will have the place to myself tonight. I think I will take a nice long, hot bath. Put some music on, light some candles, and just relax for the evening. I have some movies that came in the mail, but as usual I don't even know what movies I rented. Hopefully something good and I can be a couch potato tonight and just watch some movies and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

A Rugby Man

Japanese Dinner

I've been waiting for a friend to pick me up that I workout with and he said we are going to the beach to work out today because of all the people in Dublin for the protest. Works for me. I love the beach. It will be great to be outside and workout.

My friend is Asian, Japanese actually, and he has noticed I am always getting Asian takeout at least once or twice a week. I love rice. After we have a workout today, he said he is going to take me to his parents house for a real homemade Japanese dinner. I am looking forward to that. One more day til Friday and the weekend.

Dublin Farmer Protest

I was able to get out of work early today because an estimated 5,000 people have gathered in central Dublin for a protest by farmers against the current European proposals in negotiations on world trade.

Agri-businesses around the country are also closing this afternoon over their concerns about the trade talks, which coincide with a visit to Ireland by the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland, Irish Farmers Association President Padraig Walshe said the proposals would also have an impact on the Lisbon Treaty referendum.
Also on the programme, European Commission Director General for Trade David O'Sullivan defended the proposals.

He said that, if implemented, the deal would take effect over a number of years.
The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso says a deal at the Word Trade Organisation talks is in Ireland's interest.

Noting that Ireland has 4% of the global market in traded services, Mr Barroso said a deal that opened more markets to Irish exporters was a good thing.

He said getting a deal sooner rather than later would guarantee the reform of the Common Agriculture Policy agreed four years ago.

But he warned that delaying the deal could mean that a review of the CAP starting in the autumn could result in a less favourable outcome for farmers.

The Commission president said he was not in favour of harmonised corporate tax rates and said any changes to the EU tax regime will be decided by unanimity.

He stressed that Ireland has a veto over tax policy, and will retain this veto if the Lisbon Treaty is passed in the referndum on June 12.

Nothing can be decided without Ireland, he said.

Farmers are angry over the stance being taken by EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandleson in the current round of negotiations to liberalise the rules on world trade.

They say Ireland's livestock industry would be decimated, and there would be cuts the dairy, grain and other sectors.

This could result in 50,000 rural jobs being lost and 100,000 cattle farmers being made redundant.

The main farm groups are demonstrating at 1.15pm at the EU Building in Molesworth Street and then marching to Dublin Castle where Mr Barroso will address the Forum on Europe.
Many agri-businesses, including meat and dairy processors, are shutting down from midday till 3pm.

There is a major debate on world trade in the Dáil this morning, and fears have been expressed in recent days that many farmers will not support the Lisbon Referendum if there is a bad deal on WTO next month.

Relax

Sunburned

I had a nice surprise when I came home from work today. There was a video email from my man waiting for me in my in-box. His face is already sunburned and he looks really cute with a little bit of color to his face. He seems tired, but is in good spirits. He sends love to his friends and said he is almost done finalizing my trip and will email me with all the details in a few days. I can't wait for that.

Time to head out for a workout. Spring is here, I am so excited about that too. This was a long winter.

Irish Ass

Two of my favorite things, a naked man and the ocean.

Judson Manor

Robin Hood Stripped

Feck Me!

A Day For Movies

After I got home from my martial arts class earlier today, I have done nothing but watch movies and play on the internet between breaks. My friend Hamish came over and I made him and my roomie ham slices with pineapple chunks and green beans. MMM. I even have some left over to take to work tomorrow. I will be stuck in the office for another week to finish up a project I started when I hurt my hand. But I was assured I would be back on a ship after this next week. I can't wait to get back to sea. The weather is going to be getting nice and it will be awesome to be out on the water with the sun shining down.

Hamish and I watched No Country For Old Men tonight. It was a good movie, but not my type of movie. I don't like movies like this with all the killing sprees. But Javier Bardem who is a great actor, did a great job in this movie and deserved the Oscar he won.

I have to go to bed soon and I am not even tired. I can't believe its Monday and another week of work. These weekends go too fast.

Is It Wrong...

That I was watching No Country For Old Men tonight and there was a scene that had a lot of dead people in it. I didn't flinch. But they showed one dog that was wounded and limping and another shot dead and I flinched and thought aww poor doggies. I asked myself is it wrong to feel like that? But then my answer was the humans in the movie were drug smugglers and put themselves in that position to be harmed, whereas the animals don't expect to be harmed.

I asked my friend Hamish what he thought and he had the same feelings. He stated when we watch war movies or movies like Hotel Rhowanda we feel empathy for the people being hurt. But still there is something when people see animals being hurt on tv, their general reaction is typical to ours. Maybe its because we see animals as being more innocent than humans?

Arnaud Clement - French Tennis Player

Arnaud Clement - French Tennis Player