Schlagwort: Texts in English

A belated fight

rutheisenreichHinterlasse einen Kommentar

Ireland has the EU’s strictest abortion laws. Now, resistance is growing.

(A translation of this piece for the German daily paper “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. The trip to Ireland was made possible through a grant by the Karl Gerold Foundation.)

Tara Flynn makes a living off being funny. She writes columns and books, she acts in comedy series, she’s being invited to radio shows. But at her most important public appearance in recent months, on a sunny autumn afternoon in a park in Dublin, her voice broke, and nobody laughed. It was the start of the March for Choice, a pro-choice demonstration. „I had an abortion“, Tara Flynn said. „I am not a murderer. I am not a criminal.“ With her appearance, she put herself at the forefront of a fight that has long been settled in most of Europe, yet is only just starting in Ireland.Weiterlesen »

A country hollowed out

rutheisenreichHinterlasse einen Kommentar

Ireland is said to have mastered the financial crisis well, but the country has lost a generation of young, creative people

(A translation of this piece for the German daily paper „Süddeutsche Zeitung“)

A few days ago, Joe Byrne had brunch with a few friends. They do that regularly – they used to meet up in Dublin, now they sit in front of their computers, their webcams turned on: Brenda in Canada, Luke in Hong Kong, Sinéad in Moldova, and Joe at home in Ireland. „About a third of my friends have left Ireland in the last five years“, Joe Byrne says.

Ireland is regarded as a country that has mastered the economic crisis well – as an example for how well the austerity policy prescribed by the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund works. The country’s economy has indeed recovered slightly after a dramatic slump. But since the crisis started in 2008, young people have been emigrating in droves – and not all of them will return. Weiterlesen »

The Year of Youth – did anyone notice?

rutheisenreichHinterlasse einen Kommentar

The International Year of Youth has come to an end…but what did it achieve?

2011 was declared by the United Nations to be the International Year of Youth. Because the 12 months covered by the declaration didn’t exactly match a calendar year, the official events have already ended. So what actually happened during that year, to back up the declaration? Ruth Eisenreich has set out to find out.

SBS Radio World News, 14/09/2011

Tasmanians volunteer to visit asylum seekers

rutheisenreichHinterlasse einen Kommentar

A support group in Tasmania says more than 100 people have volunteered to visit asylum seekers in a new detention centre.

An asylum seeker support group in Tasmania says more than 100 people have volunteered to visit detainees at the newly-opened Pontville Immigration Detention Centre near Hobart. The Tasmanian Asylum Seeker Support Network says it’s expecting to be given access to the detainees, who began arriving early this month. Network spokeswoman Clarissa Adriel spoke with Ruth Eisenreich.

SBS Radio World News, 12/09/2011