Padraic

CaryP

Senior Member
Messages
1,432
Padraic

Padraic,

Thanks for responding to my questions. SNL is "Saturday Night Live" a live comedy show on the NBC network. The show started in the mid-1970's but continues on to this day. It's broadcast from a studio in New York City. The early years were the funniest bringing us the comedic talents of Dan Akroyd, John Belusi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murrary, Gilda Radner, Lorraine Newman, Garret Morris, and Jane Curtain. They were called the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" as the show comes on at 10:30 p.m. central time (after Prime Time 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.). There have been other great comedic talents that have come from the show - Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Will Farrell, Dennis Miller, David Spade, Dana Carvey, Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, and Norm McDonald, come to mind.

BTW, as it will affect your career and industry, you might want to read "Conquer the Crash" by Prechter. Very enlightening given our current economic situation.

Thanks again,

Cary
 

Padraic

New Member
Messages
21
Padraic

I have read about how the arms race brought down the Soviet Union, but there seems to have been a certain mindset during that time, an "us against them" mentality that was part of some long going rivalry. I have heard people speak of a certain fear they had of a nuclear war, and it is that mindset that I feel I cannot relate to that well. What was it like living during that time? Was there really that pervading fear that I have read about, or is that a certain amount of exaggeration?
 

Padraic

New Member
Messages
21
Padraic

Grayson,

No hard feelings. My tale is one that is going to bring about a certain amount of understandable skepticism. If I were you, I would have serious doubts as well. Sometimes I wonder if the whole thing isn't some weird elaborately vivid dream and I will awake back in that infirmary sometime soon with the doctors asking me how my head feels. Most of the time, however, I discount that theory on the grounds that the technology I have witnessed here is so far beyond anything my mind could have conceived then.

Cary,

I do not believe I have ever watched the show you speak of. Most Saturday nights I am sitting on the couch with my nose in a book while my wife watches America's Most Wanted. She is convinced she will recognize someone on there one of these days. We do not stay up late enough for that other show, as it appears to come on rather late. We turn in rather early in our house on the nights that my wife isn't working and get up before the sun. Old habits die hard I suppose.
 

KiraSjon

Member
Messages
172
Padraic

Originally posted by Padraic@Aug 17 2004, 12:52 PM
What was it like living during that time? Was there really that pervading fear that I have read about, or is that a certain amount of exaggeration?

hi padriac! I haven't posted to you before (so nice to meet you :) ) but I do have a comment about this. I was in kindergarten during the early eighties and I can tell you it definately affect all ages of America. I'm half Soviet Georgian and came home crying one day because my teacher informed our class that all Soviets were evil and wrong. Grant it, she seems now to me to be a bit of an extremist, but at the time I was very affected. Children don't really understand grown-up wars.

incidently, which vegetables do you can? my great aunt still does that :D
 

Padraic

New Member
Messages
21
Padraic

Perhaps your teacher should have taken the perspective that the Soviet government was a bit off base, but that the people weren't the ones who were evil. In my day, we did not think kindly of the British government, but I served with some English deserters and they were quite fine fellows and right good seamen. I had no beef with the average Englishman, just his government and their policies. My perspective of the cold war is what I have read, that the Soviets were all evil ogres and America was the shining city on a hill, a regular paragon of virtue, goodness, and righteousness. It is good to hear the perspective of someone who was growing up at that time.

I can mostly beans, peas in the pod, and pickles. I take corn off the cob and freeze it. I don't can fruits because I prefer them fresh and not cooked. My system still has problems with many processed foods, so I can or freeze what I can and buy as little as possible from the stores. I have a large freezer and I buy what meat I can in large bulk from the local butchers. The additives in most of the food in the stores is not kind to me. Last night I was working on the green beans. I still have another bushel to put up tonight. I will do around 150 quarts of beans when all is said and done, which along with the corn and peas should be enough to last the better part of a year.
 

KiraSjon

Member
Messages
172
Padraic

Originally posted by Padraic@Aug 17 2004, 02:29 PM
My perspective of the cold war is what I have read, that the Soviets were all evil ogres and America was the shining city on a hill, a regular paragon of virtue, goodness, and righteousness.

precisely my point, padriac. you read about that perspective because it genuinely *was* the perspective of many patriotic adults. it's very sad.

hey! that's a *ton* of vegetables!! i'm making it a point to know you when the world starts completely breaking to pieces ;) least i'll still be healthy!
 

DadOf5

Member
Messages
292
Padraic

Originally posted by Padraic@Aug 17 2004, 01:52 PM
I have read about how the arms race brought down the Soviet Union, but there seems to have been a certain mindset during that time, an \"us against them\" mentality that was part of some long going rivalry. I have heard people speak of a certain fear they had of a nuclear war, and it is that mindset that I feel I cannot relate to that well. What was it like living during that time? Was there really that pervading fear that I have read about, or is that a certain amount of exaggeration?

There is and isn't a certain amount of exaggeration regarding the fear you speak of. Allow me to explain that somewhat confusing statement. According to the history I was taught in school, the fear you speak of was prevalent from the early 1950s, when the Soviets were first manufacturing nuclear weapons, until about 1962. The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 was probably the closest we ever came to a nuclear war. I remember a few years ago reading an interview with Castro where he stated that if the US had invaded Cuba that he would not have hesitated to use nuclear weapons against the US. I think after the crisis the fear started to subside. I was born in 1966, and while I remember the civil defense drills during my childhood, I don't remember anyone truly being afraid.

Really, the only time in my life that I remember being in fear of a nuclear war was during the collapse of the Soviet Union. I remember the reports of tanks in the streets of Moscow and being afraid that some hardline communist general would get a twitchy finger and order a launch to keep the communist government in power for a little longer.

Of course now we have the threat of nuclear terrorism, if not from traditional nuclear weapons then at least from so called dirty bombs. So the fear is still there somewhat, but its not an all pervading fear.
 

Padraic

New Member
Messages
21
Padraic

I am much obliged to you for the insight. I often hear people of my age group talk about the "good old days" of the cold war and I am at times at something of a loss in those conversations because what I know is from reading and their experience is first hand and based on personal memory. Someone will mention the Soviet Union falling and I will respond with something vague like, "I'll never forget that day", when in truth I do not remember that day, not having been around when it happened. That is what I like about this group of people here. I feel that I can ask you all questions that will help me blend in easier without you thinking I am completely out of my wits. If I were to approach someone who does not know my background, but who can see my receding hairline and developing paunch, (not in the shape I was in when I arrived) and ask him to tell me about the Gulf War or the downfall of the Soviets, he will think I have an extremely poor memory or I am not quite right in the head. If I then try to explain why I have no memory of those events, he will really think my wits have deserted me. So once again, thank you for the answers and the insights into this era. I asked a couple questions along those lines on the other board, but they pertty much got looked over in favor of all the questions folks kept asking me. It felt rather one sided at times.

Padraic
 

DadOf5

Member
Messages
292
Padraic

You're quite welcome, Padraic. :)

I can't remember if you said already exactly what your age group is, but from your description I can only guess that its around the same as mine. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. If I don't have the chance to address them, I'm sure that someone else will.
 

cerial

New Member
Messages
4
Padraic

? chara

The main question I have about Ireland is regarding the famine of the 1840s. I have done some reading about it and it seems to stick out as a major landmark event in the history of the Irish people. How well is it still remembered? Are there stories of it still passed down? Does the memory of it have much of an effect on attitudes about the English? I am curious, since the stories of it, for obvious reasons, were not to be heard during my childhood.

the famine is still remembered here, we are taught much about it in school but the main way it is handed down is thru song. there are quite a few sculptures arround the country also, some remarkably touching. as for attitudes towards our neighbours .. personally i don't mind the english .. but i've lived in england for a year so i got to see "real" english ppl ! its quite funny these days, Dublin is the main destination for english stag and hen nights.

i heard a funny converstaion during the Euro 2004 soccer comp that i think fits .. England were jus knocked out and there was a call-in show on .. a man from Tipperary rang in and the host asked him if he was supporting England since Ireland had been knocked out .. "ah no" was the reply .. and the host asked again .. "would you ever support england".. "no no .. sure i couldn't be doing that" .. so the hosted asked "hypotetically .. what team would england need to play for you support them" .. and he replyed " i supose if they were playing Kilkenny i'd give them a wee bit of a shout"

on the whole .. i think there is still a lot of mistrust felt by a lot of irish .. 400 years of oppression are hard to forget in some ppls minds ! its not so bad where i'm from .. Kildare (i was born in Donegal tho but moved here years ago).. i'm jus outside the pale you see ! but if you head west and south attitudes are much diferent .. i suppose those areas had it much worse back then !


Do you have any opinions or insights about the situation in Ulster?

i'll go into this in more detail next time i post .. there is much to tell on this .. but i will say it has got so much better than it was .. there is still much disquiet up there but ppl now are gettting sick of the violence and want an end of it .

anyways till the next time

sl?n go f?il

b
 

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