Well, we've made it to our third issue — and we've managed to keep all of our subscribers. That's very good news. Now for the bad news: there are a number of you whom I recognize from your e-mails as long-term members of the SIG, but you haven't sent in your registrations. I hate to be a nag, but as a result of not having the minimum number of members (whether Mensans or non-Mensans), it is now too late to get the SIG reactivated in time for the next listing of SIGs in The Mensa Bulletin. That means we will not be able to notify all those other SIG members, trapped in Shirley's old computer, that the SIG is once again active. You have condemned them to a Tron-like existence until next year.
All is not lost, however. As soon as we get a few more memberships, we can at least get listed on National's website. That should help, and we can expect a big surge in membership once that happens. So — send in your registration. It's not the same as a subscription and must be done separately, even though both are free.
Beannachtai!
Michael
DISCLAIMERS
Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of individual authors and may not reflect those of other SIG members or the SIG as a whole. Nothing in this newsletter should be taken as an official position of Mensa. Mensa as a whole has no opinions.
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CONTENTS
Announcements
Organization, Publication and Membership Information
Letters
News and Reports
Articles
Food
Reviews
The Fourth Page
ANNOUNCEMENTS
As a newsletter, we rely on you to tell us what's going on. If you have an announcement for an upcoming event, please let us know. Just keep in mind that we try to publish on the 17th of every month, so get your announcements in at least a few days before that. Otherwise, consider sending it in as a report or a news item for the subsequent month.
• Nagging time again. We still have a number of subscribers who are probably wondering why they're not getting the newsletter. It's because they haven't verified their subscriptions by clicking on the link in the e-mail Google sent to their specified e-mail address. If you subscribed but have not received the newsletter (which means you're visiting the blog and are reading this there), it's an easy matter to correct. Enter your e-mail address again, and Google will send you another verification e-mail. Come on. This isn't rocket surgery. Or brain science.
• Again with the nagging. Looking down the list of subscribers (we only have e-mails on the list, no names), we noticed one or two who appear to be previous SIG members, but who have not registered as such. Please do so — by not registering as a member, you're preventing us from getting officially reactivated.
• As always, feel free to forward this e-mail to your networks. If you haven't registered as a SIG member, please consider doing so.
• If you have any news items, announcements, letters, reports, or anything of Irish interest, please send them in. The alternative is to get a monologue each month consisting of my wit and wisdom — and you can see what that's like.
ORGANIZATION, PUBLICATION AND MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
What We Are
Litir Scéala an tSIG Gaelach is the newsletter of the Irish Special Interest Group of American Mensa, Ltd. More information about the SIG and this newsletter may be accessed by clicking on this link
Resources
We are preparing to put together a list of resources and organizations that might be useful to our members. Due to the global scope of our readership, we are trying to limit the list to organizations that extend beyond a purely local constituency. This is a matter of simple logistics, due to the immense number of organizations out there. If you're looking for a local group to get involved with — and we encourage that — do an internet search. You may be both amazed and pleased at what you will find. We expect to list resources as we rebuild our membership, but right now notifications are coming in at less than a snail's pace.
Who We Are
As we hinted rather broadly above, we have no new members this month, either. We have a significant number of visitors and casual readers, but that's not going to get the SIG reactivated officially, however gratifying it may be personally.
Anyway, here's this month's membership report:
5 Members of Mensa
2 Other
1 Institutional Member
24 Newsletter Subscribers
32 Total Circulation (This does not include forwarded newsletters or visitors to the website who have not signed up for the newsletter — approximately 500 to date.)
LETTERS
Our only letter this month was a brief note asking for the translation of Beannachd Dia dhuit. We thought it didn't look quite right, so we forwarded it to Shirley. As we suspected, "Beannachd" is actually "Beannacht." The phrase translates literally as "The blessing of God with you," or "God bless you" to be more in keeping with the English idiom.
NEWS AND REPORTS
Members of the Irish SIG don't usually belong only to the SIG, but to other groups with an Irish orientation as well. This is all to the good — the more society becomes more social, the better chance we have of influencing our institutions in a positive way and carrying out "acts of social justice" aimed at improving the common good for everybody. We want to encourage your community participation and then report on local events in which SIG members took part.
Possibly due to the summer slowdown, not too much has been happening with SIG members:
• SIG Coordinator Michael D. Greaney recently took a few days off to visit Lancaster County. While there he took an even shorter side trip to visit a friend about an hour north of Lancaster. It turned out that the copy of William Thomas Thornton's 1848 classic proposal to end the Great Famine in Ireland, A Plea for Peasant Proprietors, that Mike sent to her a while back was "borrowed" by her son-in-law and presented to Senator Robert Casey, who is running for reelection. As the senator is Irish-American on both sides of his family, he will no doubt find the book very interesting, especially the appendices that suggest how Thornton's proposal could be updated as a possible solution to today's economic woes. Of course, the next time Mike goes up to Pennsylvania he'll have to take a few more copies for all the other politicians looking for answers in November but not coming up with too many.
• Cards publicizing the SIG and the newsletter were left at The Celtic Shop near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
ARTICLES
Feature Article: The Coming Crash
By Michael D. Greaney, CPA, MBA
A short time ago someone referred me to a video about the upcoming financial crash (which, truth to tell, I rather expect myself unless Capital Homesteading is adopted soon). The problem is that there was just enough truth in the video to be misleading, and it ignores efforts such as "Connect Ireland." Two things in particular undermined the credibility of the presentation:
1. They used the wrong definition of money. Louis Kelso described it very well in Two-Factor Theory as a mere symbol, but it can be summarized even better by giving the legal and accounting definition: anything that can be accepted in settlement of a debt. The video commentators were using the standard Keynesian-Monetarist-Austrian understanding, which is 180 degrees from Kelso.
2. They were correct that in 1929 the private sector was creating money at a tremendous rate for speculation, and at a lesser, but still rapid rate for investment in new capital formation, while today the government is creating money at an even more tremendous rate for non-productive spending. The commentators made no distinction between good uses of credit, and bad uses of credit, however. They made it sound as if all credit is bad, per se, and all that is needed is to stimulate consumption.
The main difference between 1929 and the situation today is that money creation for both productive and non-productive purposes was going hand-in-hand. In the productive sector of the economy, this resulted in a temporary over-capacity, just as it had in 1873 and 1893. Had ownership of the new capital been widespread as Kelso advocated, there would have been no problem, as the expansion of productive capacity and the ability to consume would have grown at the same rate, and the Panics of 1873 and 1893 would likely never have happened, and the video's concern about the drop in consumption from 50 to death would not even be an issue.
Today, however, there is no expansion of productive capacity; demand is drying up as people lose their jobs and do not replace labor income with capital income. Instead, what demand there is comes from inflationary government spending and private sector money creation through expansion of consumer credit.
In 1929 after the Crash, banks stopped lending because the equity shares many businesses were using as collateral, and the market value of the businesses themselves (and thus their creditworthiness) had declined drastically. Again, Kelso's idea of capital credit insurance to replace traditional collateral would have prevented the slowdown in lending that led to the (second) Great Depression. Had not bank lending declined, there would have been no Great Depression simply because there was no other connection between the productive sector and the secondary market for equity.
Today's situation is more akin to what precipitated the Panic of 1825 than the Crash of 1929. In 1825 there was widespread speculation (they called it "investment," of course) in what is today known as "sovereign debt." As a result of new theories of money and credit and national sovereignty, private sector money (bills of exchange) was no longer considered money, only gold, silver, and government-emitted bills of credit. The money supply had become disconnected from the productive sector.
The new republics in Central and South America, including one fictional country, the "Republic of Poyais" ("The greatest fraud in history"), floated large amounts of sovereign debt to get their governments up and running. Since these debt issues were backed by tax bases that no longer existed in most cases, the crash was probably inevitable, and the Panic of 1825 is considered the start of the modern business cycle.
From a Kelsonian perspective, of course, there is no reason there should even be a "business cycle"; it is the result of separating money creation from production and allowing governments to monetize their deficits. The so-called Keynesian counter-cyclical approach is thus a contrived solution to an artificial (man-made) problem, and has the effect of pouring gasoline on the fire.
FOOD
This month we're taking a look at that traditional Irish vegetable . . . the eggplant. Not Irish, you say? Neither is the potato, and eggplant is more closely related to potatoes, both being members of the nightshade family, than potatoes are related to the Irish. Okay, so that's a little short on logic, but this is a food section, after all. What do you care, as long as it's food?
Eggplant Under Oil
I'm experimenting with two different methods on this one, one of which is easier on my hands as it doesn't involve contact of my lily whites with vinegar — which is an acid. It also doesn't take as long. Whichever method you use, you'll need the same ingredients: a couple of nice eggplants, olive oil, vinegar, and the not-so-secret spice mixture.
You'll also need a glass jar large enough to hold the eggplant. A pickle jar is perfect as it is intended to preserve food in corrosive liquid. You also need a glass dish or stainless steel bowl (even an enamel pan, if there are no cracks or chips) and something to cover the eggplant and weigh it down.
For Method 1 I use a pyrex baking dish with a plastic lid, but I cover the dish with a sheet of waxed paper before putting on the lid so that the plastic doesn't come into contact with the acid.
For Method 2 I use a stainless steel saucepan.
Spice Mixture
Pay attention, because I'm only going to say this once. One part salt, one part ground black pepper, one part garlic powder. I use this in the kitchen for a lot of things. It seems to cut down on some on the salt.
Peel the eggplant and cut it into pieces about 1/4 inch thick. You can get thicker, but you probably shouldn't get thinner. Don't bother with the salting and "disgorging." The vinegar will take care of the bitter eggplant "juice."
Method 1
Put the eggplant slices in a glass or stainless steel container. Cover with vinegar. I usually use a mixture of cider vinegar and red wine vinegar. You probably don't want white distilled vinegar, and balsamic vinegar would be like using caviar for fishing bait. Weigh down the eggplant with something so that it stays under the vinegar (I use the plastic top of the pyrex dish protected with a sheet of waxed paper). You can leave it for a couple hours or a couple of days.
When the spirit moves you, drain the eggplant (trust me, the vinegar isn't worth saving; it's got that bitter eggplant juice all through it), squeeze out the remaining vinegar (this might take a little practice and a lot of petroleum jelly or hand lotion after the job is done — again, vinegar is an acid and it just loves to make your hands crispy dry and crackling . . . and bleeding) and put it into a jar. Sprinkle the layers with the not-so-secret spice mixture (and I usually add extra garlic powder or even fresh minced garlic and minced green pepper on occasion). Cover the eggplant with olive oil and hide it in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 weeks. Check it occasionally to make certain the eggplant is still under the oil.
Method 2
Put an inch or two of vinegar into a stainless steel saucepan and bring to a boil. Put the eggplant pieces in a few at a time, for about 30-60 seconds per slice. Take them out and drain in a colander. I'm assuming you're using the tongs that I forgot to tell you about in the list of equipment. Put them (the eggplant slices, not the tongs) into the glass jar, sprinkle with the not-so-secret spice mixture, and cover with olive oil, hiding the result in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 weeks. I'm not kidding. If you like this stuff, you will have a hard time not "sampling" just "to make sure it's okay." Of course, if you don't like it, it makes a great snack for your mother-in-law.
This makes a good antipasto or a lunch on good bread. Use the oil for the next batch or for bruschetta.
Now . . . could you get any more Irish than that?
REVIEWS
Knute Rockne's The Four Winners: The Head, The Hands, The Foot, The Ball. 184 pp., $18.00.
The Four Winners is Knute Rockne's only novel. It embodies his philosophy of the role of sports and moral values in building character — a "young adult" novel at least three touchdowns ahead of the competition, at least with respect to moral tone. As Knute Rockne III stated, "The Four Winners was written by my grandfather for the expansion of the game of football, but most of all to show that it is a game of intelligence and not just pure muscle. I strongly recommend this book for anyone desiring an understanding of the game of football as played in the 1920s." Dr. Charles Rice, Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Notre Dame is even more explicit: "This enjoyable little book, by a great teacher of youth, evokes a positive and clean morality that is not a curiosity of the past but our hope for the future.
Is this a "great book"? No. It is a competently written effort that, in its assumption that common decency is a fundamental social value, will probably strike today's readers as "naïve." The novel takes for granted many of the values and virtues that the modern world has abandoned to its cost.
THE FOURTH PAGE
The Geraldines of Ireland, II: In-Fighting After the Invasion
THE BATTLE OF CALLANN MARKED A MAJOR REVERSAL OF NORMAN power in Desmond. For the next twenty years, until Shanid IV gained his majority, the native Irish would periodically overrun and lay waste to the area. There appears, however, to have been no attempt on the part of the Irish to capitalize on the situation and drive the Norman invaders out permanently.
We turn to Kildare for the origins of the northern branch of the FitzGerald family. Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald, first son of the Invader, inherited the major portion of the land granted to his father. He was made first Baron Offaly (Offaly I) by John, apparently for services rendered in advancing the conquest after he came of age. He died in 1205.
Offaly I's son, Maurice FitzGerald FitzGerald (Offaly II), was appointed Justiciar (Lord Justice) in 1232, succeeding Richard de Burgo. Almost immediately he began to alienate the head of what was now the chief family in Ireland by appointing a commission to audit de Burgo's accounts as Justiciar, and to require him to make amends for "all the trespasses he has committed against the king." Around 1238, Hugh de Lacy made a grant of Tir Connail to FitzGerald in return for the Justiciar's assistance in a quarrel between the O'Loughlins and the O'Neills over the kingship and in which de Lacy had "interested" himself, O'Neill being the Normans' choice.
After being Lord Justice for thirteen years, Maurice FitzGerald was replaced in November, 1245, by one John FitzGeoffrey, a connection of the de Lacys. In 1250 Offaly II allied himself with the O'Reillys of Breifne and invaded Cenel Eoghain, with extremely limited success (i.e., with virtually no gain). By 1252 he had rebuilt the castle of Cael Uisce, at or near Belleek, County Fermanagh, and in 1253 again raided Cenel Eoghain. In revenge, O'Neill raided South Down, destroying a number of castles. A few years later, Cael Uisce was destroyed by the O'Donnell, apparently soon after Maurice FitzGerald's death in 1256.
The bad blood with the de Burgos continued into the next generation. In 1264, the son of Offaly II, Maurice FitzMaurice FitzGerald (Offaly III), carrying on a fight whose cause and details seem more than a little obscure, assisted by his nephew of the same name, seized a connection of the de Burgos, Richard de la Rochelle, who had been appointed Lord Justice upon the death of William de Dene, the prior Justiciar, in 1261. Walter de Burgo seized FitzGerald's castles in Connaught in retaliation, and both sides proceeded to plunder each other's lands. Some historians have traced this apparently puzzling quarrel to the Barons' War raging in England at this time. The seizure of the Justiciar by the FitzGeralds would seemingly place them in the party of Simon de Montfort, the Earl of Leiscester, who managed to piece together a government in England about this time, but which fell soon after.
The native Irish seem to have taken little advantage of this virtual civil war among the Normans. The O'Donnell and friends burned a few castles and towns, but nothing much of any effect seems to have occurred. Maurice FitzGerald died in 1268. This left his nephew, John FitzThomas FitzGerald (the son of his brother Thomas, who never held the title), in a dominant position in Connaught. This was extended into other areas when John's cousin, Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald (the son of his father's elder brother Maurice), fourth Baron Offaly, died without issue in 1287 and left John FitzThomas FitzGerald the head of the Kildare branch of the family and Baron Offaly (Offaly V). This John FitzThomas FitzGerald, fifth Baron Offaly, would become first Earl of Kildare (Kildare I).
In 1290, Sir William de Vesci of Yorkshire was appointed Lord Justice of Ireland. He was a royal favorite who replaced Jean de Samford, Archbishop of Dublin, in administering the affairs of the colony. Almost immediately differences arose between Offaly V and the new Lord Justice.
Kildare I had apparently been building up a power base, and took part in the war between the O'Connor factions that was raging through Connaught at this time (1291). De Burgo, the "Earl of Connaught," attacked Magnus O'Connor, the successful claimant, who, apparently, submitted to him at once, essentially accepting the status of a puppet king of a client state. Magnus, however, died in 1293, and the Justiciar, de Vesci, "made" Aedh O'Connor king. Seizing his opportunity, FitzGerald took Aedh prisoner ten days later. De Vesci eventually managed to get him released and restored to power, but the move by FitzGerald could hardly have endeared the two men to each other.
In the summer of 1293 de Vesci exercised his power as Lord Justice and summoned all royal liege men to Kildare to "proceed against Offaly." Since FitzGerald was Baron Offaly this meant, obviously, proceeding against John FitzThomas FitzGerald, Baron Offaly. However, Edward I apparently did not think too much of whatever pretext de Vesci had managed to come up with, and took the unprecedented step of undercutting his own Justiciar's authority and canceled the summons.
Feeling against de Vesci throughout all of Norman Ireland was rising rapidly. FitzGerald and others registered a large number of complaints against the Lord Justice at Westminster during the Michaelmas Parliament of 1293 (i.e., the Parliamentary session that began September 29, 1293) by. That of FitzGerald appeared to be the most serious.
To settle the dispute, FitzGerald and de Vesci appeared before the Council in Dublin on April 1, 1294 and, according to Mary Frances Cusack's Illustrated History of Ireland, "used language which would scarcely be tolerated in Billingsgate." Before the earls of Gloucester and Ulster and other members of the Council, de Vesci accused FitzGerald of defaming him to the king and council in England. FitzGerald snapped back that de Vesci had told him that the king was, "the most perverse and dastardly knight of his kingdom," as well as other assertions "against our lord the king and his state." As one would expect, FitzGerald proposed to settle the matter by an appeal to arms, which de Vesci accepted. The king, probably getting very tired of the internecine strife among the Normans (when they should be using their utmost efforts against the native Irish), summoned both of them to Westminster to have their case tried before the Parliament.
#30#
