Category: Sin categoría

The lack of originality shown by the far-right condemns them to repeat the same slogans in different countries over and over. This clumsy insistence shows their lack of imagination. As the saying goes, these people cannot see beyond their noses.  The far-right in Italy, France, Hungary, England, and now Ireland insist on repeating the same…

Borders are physical barriers that establish separations between one place and another. For instance, territorial separations delimit access to goods, people and resources. Above all, borders set limits that, if transgressed, justify the use of violence between, for example, one country and another. In this sense, borders allow, facilitate and justify peace, and if one…

La crisis de COVID 19 nos enseñó muchas cosas. Aprendimos de virus, bacterias y gérmenes, pero también aprendimos a levantar la cabeza de nuestro metro cuadrado.  ¿Por qué? Porque aprendimos que todos estamos interconectados y dependíamos los unos de los otros para detener una pandemia mundial. Pero en términos prácticos tal vez lo más importante…

Caminaba hace un par de días por una calle y vi una fila de personas fuera de un edificio esperando entrar a una charla. La charla era gratuita así que me sumé a la multitud que se amontonaba en un pequeño cuarto.  El taller trataba de “empoderamiento e inspiración” y un grupo de personas se…

These are dark times. The war in Ukraine, the increased cost of living and the new outbreak of Covid 19 in China herald a not-very-encouraging outlook. The shadow of 2022 extends over the coming year and the lives of each of us and our families. In times of crisis, we tend to focus on caring…

Corren tiempos oscuros. La guerra en Ucrania, el aumento en el costo de la vida y el rebrote del Covid 19 en China, anuncian un panorama poco alentador. La sombra de este 2022 parece extenderse sobre el año que se inicia, pero también en la vida de cada uno de nosotros y nuestras familias. Es…

Originally posted on invisible borders: Ángel Marroquín Once the lights of Glasgow go out and COP 26 has ended with applause, handshakes and flashes, someone will wonder: Good stuff, but who will pay for all these good intentions? Obviously all gazes will point to big corporations, not only because they are the great generators of…

Originally posted on invisible borders: Angel Marroquin Another COP (Conference of the Parties) is beginning, and once again, the world prepares to face two weeks of the usual parade of appalling data, international pressure and silver bullets. In short, two weeks of planetary insomnia, whose epicentre is Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, Africa. After 30 years…

Originally posted on invisible borders: Angel Marroquin Rarely do tourist flows follow any other logic than that of the business one: maximising profits while avoiding risks. Naturally, therefore, all that is offered to tourists has to be comfortable and specially designed to please European tourists in search of relaxation, rest and controlled adventures without a…

Rara vez los flujos turísticos siguen otra lógica que la de la mercantil: maximizar los beneficios mientras se evitan riesgos. Todo muy confortable y especialmente pensado para agradar a los turistas europeos en busca de relajo, descanso y aventuras controladas y sin resaca. De alguna manera lo que estos turistas quieren es tener la comodidad…

Siempre me ha llamado la atención la manera en que los ciudadanos europeos comunes y corrientes evitan considerar que las cosas que consumen diariamente son producidas en países pobres por trabajadores mal pagados o explotados. No lo sé, tal vez se trata de una especie de ceguera selectiva la que les priva del entendimiento necesario…

After living abroad for a few years, I returned to my home country for a short time, an experience that forced me to reconsider certain things. This reflection can interest others who go through a similar situation. Upon returning, one of the first things that happened to me was that I saw my country differently,…

La triste repetición de conflictos armados en el mundo ha tornado trivial nuestra solidaridad hacia los refugiados. Cada noche en la televisión y los medios podemos verlos abandonando sus casas en ruinas y sus pueblos bombardeados, siempre en marcha, intentando encontrar un lugar seguro en el que esperar que la guerra termine. Y no es…

The sad repetition of wars in the world has made our solidarity with refugees something trivial. Yet, every night on television, we can watch them leaving their destroyed houses and their bombed-out villages, always on the move, trying to find a safe place to wait for the end of the war and maybe, peace. And…

Кілька місяців тому, коли ми розпочали цю групу розмовних занять англійською мовою в Дуліку, ми також почали подорож. Подорож з попутниками з різних країн – Ірландії, Бразилії, України. Але через місяці ми зрозуміли, що група не є сукупністю національностей чи країн, з яких ми прийшли. Ми були чимось більшим: ми є відносинами, які ми встановили…

Meses atrás, quando começamos esse grupo de aulas de conversação em Duleek, também começamos uma jornada. Uma viagem com companheiros de viagem de diferentes países – Irlanda, Brasil, Ucrânia. Mas com o passar dos meses, percebemos que o grupo não era a soma de nacionalidades ou países de onde viemos. Fomos algo mais: somos as…

Months ago, when we started this group of conversational English classes in Duleek, we also started a journey. A journey with fellow travellers from different countries – Ireland, Brazil, Ukraine. But as the months went by, we realised that the group was not the sum of nationalities or countries we came from. We were something…

Awareness is something that cannot be bought with money, but sometimes it is given to us for free. Some time ago, I met a man who showed great perseverance and dedication in helping migrants and refugees who needed support. Every week he was there to teach English with patience and kindness, always giving his best.…