Ross Caputi, a Marine who served in the American occupation of Fallujah, Iraq, recently published in article in the Guardian which I found extremely powerful. Caputi was writing on the recent conviction of Tarek Mehanna, a Muslim American who was found guilty of conspiracy and giving material support for terrorism. He was sentenced to 17…… Continue reading Marine stands by Muslim American convicted of ‘terrorism’
There’s an obvious variable here – would Rubio even accept the invitation to be Romney’s running mate? Reports are already suggesting he wants no part, but it’s hard to imagine he’d pass it up (but you never know). Either way, Romney wanting Rubio to serve as his running mate makes sense for a number of reasons,…… Continue reading 10 reasons why Romney chooses Rubio
Baraka, a word which means ‘blessing’ in a multitude of languages (it’s also a Sufi word which means ‘breath of life’), is a film directed by Ron Fricke in 1992. Why do I like ‘Baraka’ so much? Perhaps it’s because it has absolutely no story line, or at least not an overt one. The film…… Continue reading One of my favourite films: ‘Baraka’
I just received an e-mail requesting that I stand by 60 Minutes, which is under attack for airing a report which was critical of Israel’s occupation and its persecution of Christians. The e-mail from a leader at Jewish Voices for Peace read as follows: This week, something rare happened: A major U.S. media outlet actually…… Continue reading Stand by 60 Minutes for report on Israel’s occupation and persecution of Christians
I’m excited that Metro Éireann is publishing my article on the story of my Pakistani friend here in Dublin. The article is set to be published on May 1st. Below is some information cut and pasted from Wikipedia. Metro Éireann is Ireland’s multicultural newspaper. It is published by Metro Publishing and Consultancy Limited. The tabloid-format paper was established by…… Continue reading My forthcoming publication in Metro Éireann
Have you ever met or had a conversation with someone and thought to yourself: ‘this person is a genius’? This happened to me during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan in 2011 at the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland (ICB), Massachusetts. One evening, while the largely South Asian community broke the fast, I found…… Continue reading The day I met a genius: a somber reflection
One of the many signs of a lackluster visionary and poor leader is when he or she exports propaganda in order to serve his or her own self-serving interests. In the circumstance of a politician, he or she may deceive their constituency with lies and rumours if he or she was confident that it would…… Continue reading The ghost of McCarthyism alive in West
Anders Behring Breivik, the man who went on a ruthless murder-spree which killed over 70 people (mostly youth) in Utoeya, Norway, has recently gone on trial. Breivik has justified his actions by claiming that those he killed were like ‘criminals’ for showing their support for a Norwegian political party, Labour, that promotes multicultural policies. The main…… Continue reading Commentary: Breivik and the relativity of insanity
Jealousy’s a form of love, though self-love; not love for you and I or others. Inferiority is what lights its fire. Low self-esteem keeps it fueled. Anger and hatred are its residue. © Craig Considine
‘Family is most important in life’. – my dad One of the rarities of our Western world today = two people sticking with the bond they made on their wedding day. I’m, however, so lucky and SO honoured to be the son of a couple that has stuck together through thick and thin, through the…… Continue reading Happy 37th anniversary to my parents!
In February, a journalist from TCD’s University Times asked me a few questions on Irish youth and their position towards sexuality. Rachel Levin paraphrased our conversation: Sociology Lecturer Craig Considine explains this silence. ‘Now that people are turning away from the Catholic Church, who is the authority on sex? Who has the credibility to advise?…… Continue reading New survey confirms quote on sexuality in University Times
A student in one of my tutorials, who happens to be a well-known journalist here in Ireland, just sent this nice message, which for me makes all the effort throughout the year well worth it. Hi Craig, Just wanted to extend a big thank you for your interesting tutorials during the year and for compiling…… Continue reading Praise for teaching
I’m heading tomorrow morning to meet with a Pakistani friend who I met back in January. This young man, whose name I’ll keep anonymous for security purposes, is a native of Islamabad, Pakistan. He arrived to Dublin via work visa over eight years ago. When his work visa ended he filed the necessary paperwork to live (legally) in Ireland. His…… Continue reading Wondering About Ireland’s Immigration System
Last week I was invited by Imran Ahmed, member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, Ireland and Dublin City Interfaith Forum, to the 6th Interfaith Peace Conference on April 28th in Lucan, County Dublin. The conference, titled ‘Purpose of Religion, will be attended by people and speakers from major religions to strive towards peace in Ireland.…… Continue reading Attending event with Ahmadiyya community in Dublin
At least this’s true as it concerns the two terms of teaching, which just finished as of yesterday here at Trinity College Dublin. It’s safe to say that it has been a successful academic year for me. I have accomplished things I never imagined I would carry out. I have grown not only as a student…… Continue reading Year 2 of Ph.D. complete!
Once upon a time, I was a pretty lethal striker on the soccer pitch. When I was about 9 or 10, I had something like 6 goals in one game. It’s a true story. You can ask my dad. He wouldn’t lie. I ‘retired’ from the game when I was about 13, right before I…… Continue reading Playing soccer back in the day
The troubled man, in stress, utters out, ‘Life is hard…’ ‘Life is hard?’, responding back. ‘Compared to what!?’, I ask. © Craig Considine
Today I’m being nominated by several of my superiors in the Department of Sociology for the 2011/2012 TCD Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award in the School of Social Science and Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin. This is obviously a tremendous honour for me. I’m very passionate about teaching and take my job seriously. This is…… Continue reading Personal: Nominated for Excellence in Teaching Award
Have you thought about who you are? About where you’ve been? Of what you’ve seen? If not, when will you start? Ever so gradually or now? And do you prepare yourself? Take stock of your soul? Do you know what drives you? Do you stray from that? Do you take shortcuts? And what about goals? Do…… Continue reading Successful minds in question
If you need reassurance in love, I suggest you walk away now. If you’re thinking about getting close to me, think again. Forget words like stability, security, and consistency. I’m restless and fidgety; don’t expect me to stand still. – If you want to be with me, prepare for impatience. If you’re sensitive, move away; keep…… Continue reading Warning
If you’re a Ph.D. student, like myself, you know how precious free time is, and you know how infrequently you find it. One of my adjustments for year two of the Ph.D. process is to find, and indeed make, time for myself away from the critical thinking, writing, and fieldwork. It hasn’t been easy, but…… Continue reading Doolin, Ireland as you’ve never seen it before
In case you haven’t noticed, I run another blog for an Introduction to Sociology course for first year students here at Trinity College Dublin. I try to post something 4 or 5 times per week to keep students engaged in current events and other academic insights. My latest post explores the question ‘Can President Obama…… Continue reading Questions about President Obama’s St Patrick’s Day 2012 speech
Just put together this short piece after a brief e-mail discussion with my dad. It’s called… ‘Inwards and out’ Be deep. Be introspective. Be happy when looking for yourself. – Carve yourself the right path. Work towards the peace. Commit yourself to understanding all the things around you. – Fine tune yourself. Embrace the personal…… Continue reading Courtesy of my dad
There is a young Dublin man who had been ‘lost’ for nearly 10 years. ‘I have seen it all, done it all, laughed harder than most, and definitely partied harder than all. I had all the pleasures in the world – beautiful women, a good physique, and charming looks’, he said. The young Dublin man…… Continue reading The mystery of faith for a young Dublin man
When I was growing up in Needham, Massachusetts, I remember seeing a picture on the wall near the front door of my home. The small squared frame had ‘Considine’ written at the very top in a nice and neat cursive. Below ‘Considine’ was the date – 1985 – which represents the year that we moved into the…… Continue reading Personal: Prayer in my home
There was an interesting article on Fox News by Connor Grennan as it concerns his father (born in Ireland) and his Irish identity. Connor grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY and hated the fact that his father had a thick Irish accent. He wanted to hide from the world because of it. Several times, Connor even said…… Continue reading When Being Irish Just Isn’t Enough
The 50th International Eucharist Congress is coming to Dublin starting on my birthday, June 10. The Pope, however, won’t be in attendance. Instead, he will make a televised address, according to Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin. This news comes after Martin was kind enough to give the Pope a bowl of shamrock. Pilgrims from all…… Continue reading Why the Pope’s snubbing Ireland
I stumbled across a video that is quite bothersome and, at least for me, bordering on the downright xenophobic. The video starts with a young, white European woman in an empty and run-down building. The woman looks suspicious and somewhat paranoid of her surroundings. Out of nowhere pops what appears to be a ninja. This…… Continue reading Controversial Video About Race in the European Union
A few weeks ago I posted about being quoted in the University Times Magazine at Trinity College Dublin. At the time I didn’t have a copy of the article. It has just been released online. Here is an interesting excerpt: There is a given code of conduct which everyone seems to unquestioningly abide to. As…… Continue reading Quoted in Teenage Kicks
I’m now nearly two months into the Dublin stage of my fieldwork. For purposes of anonymity and confidentiality, I will not give details on the nature of it. However, I will say that the experiences thus far have been extremely rewarding, both as a researcher and, more importantly, as a human being. The Pakistanis that…… Continue reading Fieldwork
I woke up this morning in Dublin to a knock on my front door. I opened my window, peaked my head down to the street, and saw a man wearing a Fed Ex uniform. There was a package. After the Fed Ex man butchered my name (it’s Con-sa-dine and not Con-se-deen), my hands got on…… Continue reading Happiness in paperback
Just received e-mail that my abstract on young Pakistanis in Dublin has been accepted to the Migration, Ethnicity and Identity: Perspectives from the Celtic Nations conference at Bangor University in Wales. The conference is in early April. I hope to make it considering teaching circumstances.
I am not a lecturer, as the article suggests, but nonetheless… I was interviewed by Ms. Rachel Lavin who was reporting on sexuality and the youth in Ireland. Here is what I had to say… Now that people are turning away from the Catholic Church, who is the authority on sex? Who has the credibility to advise? There’s…… Continue reading Quoted on sexuality in The University Times Magazine
I had the honour last week of being named Editor for Trinity College Dublin Journal of Postgraduate Resear (JPR), Volume 11. To support JPR I have created a blog (which you an find here). Read about it. There is also a note on the Graduate Students Union webpage. I am looking forward to taking on…… Continue reading Named Editor for JPR 11
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