Lyrics and Vocals: American singer-songwriter, the late Melanie Anne Safka Schekeryk, professionally known as Melanie or Melanie Safka, who sadly passed away on January 23rd, 2024.
The song, “Peace Will Come”, is a hope that all humans will to come together and embrace understanding in the face of worldwide conflict and adversity. The song addresses the universal longing for harmony and the belief that change is always possible if we attempt to unite as one.
The “please buy one” line, in the lyrics, is understood to refer to bracelets introduced in the late 1960’s, by a now-defunct organization, known as ‘Voices in Vital America’(VIVA), which bore the name of a prisoner of war (POW)or a person reported as missing in action (MIA). The wearer would also be seen as being totally anti-war.
Peace Will Come.
There’s a chance peace will come in your life, please buy one. There’s a chance peace will come in your life, please buy one. Well sometimes when I am feeling as big as the land, With the velvet hill in the small of our backs, And our hands are playing the sand. And my feet are swimming in all of the waters, All of the rivers are givers to the ocean, According to plan, according to man. Well sometimes when I am feeling so grand, And I become the world, And the world becomes the man, And my song becomes a part of the river, I cry out to keep me just the way I am, According to plan. According to man, according to plan.
Oh there’s a chance peace will come, in your life, please buy one. But sometimes when we have reached the end With our velvet hill in the small of our backs And our hands are clutching the sand. Will our blood become a part of the river? All of the rivers are givers to the ocean, According to plan, according to man. Oh there’s a chance peace will come in your life, please buy one. There’s a chance peace will come in your life, please buy one. There’s a chance peace will come in your life, please buy one. There’s a chance peace will come in your life, please buy one. There’s a chance peace will come in your life, please buy one.…
EPA announces funding of €14.3m for 33 new research projects to address climate and environmental challenges. This represents a 34 per cent increase in investment from the previous call in 2022.
EPA funding is building essential research capacity in Ireland with over 40 per cent of lead researcher applicants in 2023 new to the EPA Research Programme.
The funding covers research in the areas of climate change, the natural environment, the green & circular economy, and the environment & human health.
Reflecting the need for cross-sectoral research, the EPA is working in partnership with Met Éireann and Geological Survey Ireland to co-fund some of the research.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced new funding for Environmental and climate research in Ireland, with funding of €14.3 million awarded for 33 new research projects. This represents a significant increase over previous years and reflects the EPA’s ongoing commitment to funding environmental and climate research. These innovative projects will support the development and implementation of environmental policies in Ireland, as well as building research capacity in strategically important areas.
This funding will support more than 200 research staff across 13 organisations to conduct projects in innovative areas such as:
how blue light can affect human health and biodiversity.
societal transformation required to address climate, environmental and social challenges.
digital twins for coastal areas.
nature-based solutions for water quality and ecology.
the circular economy for batteries.
sustainable tourism.
air pollution in Irish towns.
Announcing the awards, Ms Laura Burke, (EPA Director General) said: “Scientific research and innovation are playing an increasingly important role in informing how governments and society can respond to the challenges posed by climate change and environmental degradation. The projects announced today will address knowledge gaps, both current and future, to provide robust evidence to support the implementation of effective environmental policies in Ireland. This EPA funding will also help to build transdisciplinary research capacity and talent in Ireland in key areas relating to sustainability transitions and societal transformations. These specialist skills and expertise are essential to enable Ireland to effectively leverage the full range of environmental, economic and societal opportunities offered by the green transition. I congratulate the successful research teams and look forward to seeing the project outputs making a positive contribution to environmental protection in the years ahead”.
The EPA places a high priority on promoting the uptake of funded research to inform policy and to maximise the impact of research and innovation. Reflecting the need for an integrated, cross-sectoral approach, the EPA is working in partnership with Met Éireann and Geological Survey Ireland to co-fund a number of projects.
Of the successful lead research applicants supported through the call, over 40% had not previously applied for funding to the EPA, broadening the base of the researchers and institutions engaging in research relevant to environmental policy.
University College Cork (UCC) received the highest number of successful research awards in 2023. Professor Mr John Cryan, (UCC Vice President for Research and Innovation) said: “I would like to thank the Environmental Protection Agency for continuing to award talented researchers. This allows them, through scientific research and innovation, to tackle critical environmental, climate, health, and sustainability issues. These awards will further strengthen UCC’s position as a recognised global leader in the field of Sustainability. Aligned to UCC Futures – Sustainability, these projects will enable UCC researchers to support environmental policies in Ireland, address key societal challenges caused by climate change, and help deliver a healthier environment for all”.
The list of Awards made under the EPA Research Call 2023 is available on the EPA website HERE.
The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative, funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The EPA Research Call 2024 will open for applications in April 2024. Details will be made available on the EPA website which can be viewed HERE.
A day to remind us of the importance of love in human relationships.
The Love Of Loving You
Lyrics and Vocals: American folk singer-songwriter Tom Paxton.
The Love Of Loving You
In an unexpected moment I beheld you, I’d never seen your face, I did not know your name, Then you came into my life from out of nowhere, And now absolutely nothing is the same.
Chorus
You are in my heart and in my mind, Now I’ve known your love, I want no other kind, I can feel your powers shining through, And I’m lost in the love of loving you.
It’s so strange the way we live our lives in sorrow, And the way we let the happiness slip by, For our eyes are always fixed upon the morrow, While today is in the corner of our eye.
Repeat Chorus
I was looking for tomorrow when you found me, My heart was anywhere but in today, Now the magic of the moment’s all around me, And I hear the words I always longed to say:
Lyrics and Vocals: American singer-songwriter, the late John Townes Van Zandt, (1944-1997).
The lyrics of a song can be sometimes difficult to interpret, and never more so than the lyrics of the song “Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel”. Personally, I believe “Miss Carousal” represents uncontrolled substance abuse and the author, Townes Van Zandt, is personifying his relationship with her. During much of Van Zandt’s own personal life he suffered from drug addiction and alcoholism. His singing tours saw him performing at various recognised disreputable public houses; while residing in cheap motel rooms, or, as in the 1970’s living in a simple shack, devoid of electricity or a telephone. The lyrics indicate that he possibly wants to quit his addiction, but he keeps being pulled back, making it seem like same addiction needs him. He possibly hopes for the day, sometime in the future, when he can fully control his addiction and not be totally at its mercy. Lines in his lyrics, appears to indicate this “You own his legs but his mind is free.Only you can tell, Miss Carousel, How long will he be crawling?”
Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel.
Well the drunken clown’s still hanging round, But it’s plain the laughter’s all died down. The tears you tried so hard to hide are flowin’. A blind man with his knife in hand, Has convinced himself that he understands, I wish him well, Miss Carousel, But I gotta be a-goin’.
Chorus. Won’t you come and get me when, You’re sure that you don’t need me then. I stand outside your window, And proudly call your name.
Well the ladies been told that all the gold, Is worth so much it can’t be sold, No time to weep she’ll need her sleep tomorrow. When she carries her face to the market place, And bets it on the opening race, She can ring her bells, Miss Carousel, But her singing brings me sorrow.
Repeat Chorus.
Well it’s always done every mother’s son, Is shown that grown men never run, And so they fight with all the might inside them. When the battle’s been fought and they all been taught, That the trick is just not being caught, Will you give them hell, Miss Carousel, When they’re begging you to hide them.
Repeat Chorus.
When the need arose your eyes fell closed, You clamped your fingers round your nose, Would you say that’s any way to judge him. Well you haven’t got the authority, To kill him in the first degree, But would you feel compelled, Miss Carousel, If you have something to begrudge him.
On a velvet beach far beneath the reach, Of those that come to pry and preach, The natural man who tries to stand is fallin. How long will it be before he sees, You own his legs but his mind is free. Only you can tell, Miss Carousel, How long will he be crawling?
Repeat Chorus.
The castle walls has grown so tall, Seem there ain’t no hope at all, To reach the top even though you stop for breathin’. But I ain’t gonna try to make you cry, The tear drops couldn’t find your eye, It’s all been swell, Miss Carousel, But the time has come for leavin’.
Statement from the Minister for Justice on publication of a ‘Request for Tender’ for Body Worn Cameras by An Garda Síochána.
Minister for Justice Mrs Helen McEntee has stated, “The government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána have the resources, the equipment and the technology necessary to build stronger, safer communities. This includes ensuring that Gardaí have body worn cameras, which has been a priority of mine for some time. This Request for Tender for the procurement of Body Worn Cameras (BWC) represents another important step forward in our fight against crime. Body cameras will be an important tool in An Garda Síochána’s armour as they fight crime, and the Recording Devices Bill, which I brought through the Houses last year, laid the groundwork for this announcement. Procuring cameras for these pilots now means that before the Summer there will be cameras on Gardaí in Limerick and Waterford, as well as two areas of Dublin City, ahead of a nation-wide roll-out. These trials will give Gardaí a chance to understand fully what the cameras can offer, and also allow the public to provide feedback, before we roll them out across the full organisation. The cameras will be small, lightweight, and visible and based on the experiences of other police services internationally, they will enhance accountability, reduce challenges around arrests and reduce complaints of Garda misconduct”.
Mrs McEntee continued, “We also expect they will save time in court preparation and appearances, lower costs for investigations and court appearances and improve An Garda Síochána’s ability to collect evidence for trial. All footage recorded by the cameras will be deleted after an agreed time period if not required as evidence. Most importantly, body worn cameras will better protect victims and improve safety for Gardaí”.
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