Apologies for absence yesterday, the day got away from me. The blog would have said something like, “really pleased Celtic pushed back so vocally against the illiberal and ill-conceived Offensive Behaviour Act”, but with less brevity.
Shortly before Christmas we launched the campaign to fund the construction of a school kitchen in Malawi through Mary’s Meals to mark the 10th anniversary of Celtic Quick News. The project would cost £7000 and to get us there we scheduled a St Patrick’s Day dinner dance for next Friday, 14 March.
8 days out I am delighted to inform you the target money has been raised, Mary’s Meals already have £7000 in their bank, the project is officially funded and construction plans are underway.
That the money was raised ahead of the event was a surprise, although after 10 years of watching Celtic fans go about their business in this manner, it shouldn’t have been.
We received a remarkable donation from Patrick Foley’s Irish Bar & Restaurant in Gent, and Barney Vallely’s Irish Pub in Cologne, who between them raised €2600.
You don’t think of Gent and Cologne as being big ‘Celtic towns’. I’m sure they are not, but there enough Celtic fans in each city to form a proper community. Their work has been incredible and a real inspiration. Thank you to Patrick, Charlie and their patrons. Special thanks to Kolncelt, who orgainsed the entire effort, but has had to cancel his trip to Glasgow next week.
This gave us a problem, of course, The Show is going ahead next week, but the kitchen at the Kholoni Primary School is already paid for, what will be our focus next week. Here is a remind of what that £7000 is going to achieve:
Mary’s Meals feed 822,142 kids each day across some of the most impoverished areas of the world. The global average annual cost per child is £10.70, and is only £7 in Malawi, where the Kholoni Primary School is.
Kitchens are brick constructed and fully stocked with stoves, pots, serving utensils, mugs and cutlery. They also have a wall-mounted blackboard, so the room can be used as a classroom outside of meal times.
The charity started in 2002 when founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow met a mother dying of AIDS, and her child, whose only ambition was to have enough food to eat.
93% of money raised goes directly to the needy and, where possible, the 65,000 volunteers who keep the project running are drawn from parents and relatives of the children being fed.
The impact in Malawi, 17th poorest country by UN measures, is significant. Mary’s Meals provide a daily meal to 20% of the countries primary school aged children. The impact is more than just feeding the hungry, two years after a Mary’s Meals project in Malawi starts, school enrolment is up an average of 30%, leading to higher educational achievements, and a better chance in life.
I’m open to ideas on what to focus on next week but my instinct is to get back onto Mary’s Meals and ask where they next need a kitchen.
A couple of pairs of tickets have become available for Friday’s CQteN St Patrick’s Day at the Kerrydale Suite, Celtic Park. £50 per ticket, dinner, dancing, two acts, Irish dancers; it is shaping up to be quite an event. Email Tony if you want to be there, cqnbooks@gmail.com
We have a donations page for CQN Mary’s Meals’ projects, if you would like to help out, you can do so here.
Seville, The Celtic Movement, launches this month.
Order yours below:
[calameo code=0003901714cb03d5d5808 lang=en page=114 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
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Kolncet,
Will take if that’s ok?
Would like to donate but also reimburse you.
HH
Livibhoy
Re your offering upgrades to existing supporters suggestion .
SLO says it is something they looked at before but it merits revisiting and he will raise it internally.
eddieinkirkmichael
14:47 on 6 March, 2014
Fans opinions on the Offensive Behaviour Act wanted, only takes a min to fill in.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7LVDFF6
———————————————————————————————————-
Thanks for those who have filled in the questionaire. I came across it on Facebook. Don’t know who is behind it but thought it worthwhile to post, you never know it may do some good if enough people repond.
Auldheid
Magic stuff. I think suggestions being looked at is an improvement on a direct no. Thanks for raising it. Hopefully the people who deserve it most will benefit if it is brought in.
LB
Margaret McGill
15:09 on 6 March, 2014
It all works out in the end. Harry Lauder’s daughter Estée moved on to bigger and better things.
——————————————–
Margaret McGill
Took me a second….OK, a minute.
Although I’m not a music hall fan, when I read that Harry Lauder wrote “Keep Right on to the End of the Road” in memory of his son who was killed in the trenches, I was deeply moved and hear the song in a completely differentway now.
……….oh, and I meant to say…………I’d probably boo the boul’ Andy now..due to his more recent ‘performances’….
HH
CentenaryBhoy, no need to reimburse me, just didn’t see the point of letting the room go to waste after it was paid in advance
can you mail me on
rc1888@t-online.de
Kolncelt.
Alasdair MacLean
15:20 on 6 March, 2014
‘I’m struggling to see what’s put you down this tack…’
######
An Tearmann
14:15 on 6 March, 2014
‘SFTB would you think that stereotyping of scots(shrek + Willie excepted lol) has its basis in English stereotyping of our nation? I do.’
Table 44 – give us a shout…
Paul67 et al
There is a Mary’s Meals charity shop in Troon – it opened about three(?) years ago.
Whenever I am home I have a wee clear out and take stuff round there. A wonderful charity.
HH!!
Greendreamz
Are you aware you appear to be holding two opposing views quite comfortably in your head?
I say comfortably because if they were uncomfortable to hold you would have to look at them.
Either Celtic are only interested in milking their support base but are doing all they can to reduce it and so are and have acted stupidly.
Or
They are truly opposed to the OBB as enacted and are acting sensibly to remove it because of the reasons they opposed it in the first place?
If it was only to get at the support but all they are interested is their money why would they want the bill?
They could be darksiders intent on damaging us but I find that idea incredible.
Alasdair
Get with the program.
One poster believes the stereotype comes from the English so Ernie is allowed to Ernieize the argument and give everyone else this opinion.
Geordie Munro
15:43 on 6 March, 2014
setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox
14:23 on 6 March, 2014
‘Some of the stereotyping can be laid at the door of English propagandist like Samuel Johnson’
Ernie,
OK, thanks. Told you I was slow.
Well, OK.
I agree that starting with the music halls at the end of the 19th century when professional entertainment gained the new mass audiences of industrialised Scotland, the first casualty was traditional music and culture.
The industry as well as needing to make people enjoy music, they needed to make them laugh.
Ridiculing ourselves is a pretty standard way of doing this. Laughing at ourselves. Billy Connolly deveoped this in his new era.
The fact that this original caricature was the first one to be published in the new age around the world – via commercial entertainment, followed by radio, followed by TV / Film ……has resulted in this unwanted and unloved stereotype.
How am I doing?
Oats: a food usually reserved for horses in England, in Scotland supports the people.
– Samuel Johnson (an Englishman).
Aye, which is why in England you’ll raise fine horses, while in Scotland we’ll raise fine people.
– Johnson’s biographer, James Boswell (a Scot).
Auldheid
Another one of mine that is a far bigger project than just a suggestion. This is massive and has been bouncing around in my head for many a year.
There was a poster yesterday who raised a great point about the interest of young people in Celtic and where their priorities lie these days regarding football matches. I think sometimes this is due to the much discussed bill passed by the Scottish government but there was a great comparison with music concerts and more directly T in The Park.
I think this is a great point. There was no TITP when I was growing up. I didn;t have much interest in music anyway. Not in a big way to go to concerts but with the birth of the internet bands are more likely to tour and play festivals than they were in the past. Maybe that isn’t strictly true and I am wrong on that one but I don’t remember as many acts visiting Scotland.
In any case TITP is a wonderful occassion. I have been a few times myself and it’s a great experience. It’s well organised and you can see a vast array of different genres in one place over the course of a weekend and some top notch acts. Their is now a festival circuit and the bands are in the British Isles for a month or so playing the various festvals in Britain, Ireland and central Europe.
Where am I going with this?
What about a Celtic festival? Sound crazy? Maybe it is.
My thoughts were on a celtic style fesitval at our ground. A day and night of festivities of all things Celtic and also some top acts thrown into the mix. We all know we have celebrity supporters. Celtic must have some of the best acts in the world who we can count as fans. Maybe not regulars at the ground but enough to get a concert of some sort organised. This would obviously be a charity event once costs were covered.
The Music world:
Rod
Paolo Nutini
Simple Minds
Noel Gallagher
Kasabian
Subo
Snoop Dogg
The Frattelis
Primal Scream
That’s just a snap shot.
There are also some of the best comedians around who could compere the event. If it were for charity then I think many would do it for free. Billy Connolly would be an obvious choice being the club ambassador.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_F.C._supporters#Famous_fans
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/celtic-star-studded-team-celebrity-fans-082738871.html
If this were to be a yearly event Celtic could invest in the correct staging to protect the pitch to allow people to stand and enjoy the performers. If not the pitch doesn’t have to be used and the attendance would be slightly lower but also the first couple of years could build to a bigger event.
I’m not sure if it is even possible but it’s been rattling about in my heid for so long I thought I would put it out there. Wouldn’t it be great to see some of these musicians belt out a few of there own songs and then a fans favourite before they signed off for the next musician to take the stage.
A big end of the evening number to round the night off would be incredible.
I don’t believe that things can’t be done. If there is a will for it to be done this can happen.
It sort of embraces a few loves in life for most Celtic supporters, music and the club they love. It also gives a musician the opportunity to play at a ground in front of the supporters.
There is a huge diversity of acts that declare a support of Celtic and it could be a real family occassion. Obviously held in the summer and would cover the bases of some of the other attractions that currently compete with Celtic for the punters cash. TITP or Celtic Festival? I know what I would prefer. Season ticket holders get priority and possibly even their own seat guaranteed depending on the stage area.
This I believe would be a world first in football. I don’t know if any other club currently or in the past have done this. Celtic have already had a great success with recent charity matches and this could be a huge charitable event added to the calendar.
Possibly just a dream of mine of something I believe we could pull off but it’s the ability to think of these types of events and make them happen that makes this club different.
LB
Ernie,
Do you disagree that some of the stereotyping comes from outside Scotland?
Some famous folk looking forward to the release of Seville – The Celtic Movement. Order your copy today – see the bottom of Paul’s blog for order details…
http://i674.photobucket.com/albums/vv109/241media/0001xQ_zpsedf59637.jpeg
Seen this on Twitter. How can this be sustainable ?
Secret Footballer@TSF·
I’ve read reports that QPR’s wage bill rose from £58.5m to £78m, higher than Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund – Astonishing
I haven’t caught a QPR game this year, but would have to ask if they are getting value for money?
They currently sit 4th, 9 points below 2nd place with a game in hand, chasing the riches of the EPL is a dangerous game, especially if you fail.
‘Flower of Scotland’was written by the wee man from the Corrie’s can’t remember his name: ( he is dead now).
Pretty sure that’s true.
The music is very good but the words are in dire need of being re-written!
Any takers?
Alasdair,
As Ernie just pointed out…
A poster says ‘SOME stereotyping’
Ernie now has carte blanche to make the claim that ALL posters think ALL stereotyping originated in England.
A relative of my wife was a music hall comic/singer and co-composer of “Hold your hand out you naughty boy” and “Has anybody here seen Kelly? Kelly from the Isle of Man”
Not a lot of people know that.
dombhoy67
I think Flower of Scotland is a good song. It is not an anthem though. It’s the type of song I would expect to hear in a boozer in the Royal Mile.
I think Scotland the Brave is a far better national anthem.
LB
Geordie Munro
15:53 on 6 March, 2014
‘Ernie,
Do you disagree that some of the stereotyping comes from outside Scotland?’
###
The reason the notion of Scottish stereotypes was raised (not by me) was to contradict the characteristically bombastic nationalist view of how Scots are regarded by the rest of the world.
The question isn’t one of reality but of perception ie not whether the Scots as a whole actually are mean, cantankerous and dour or friendly, generous and charitable but whether others see them as such.
I think it’s fair to say that rightly or wrongly if forced to chose between one caricature or the other most people outwith Scotland would probably opt for the first.
glasgowdave
We keep hearing that the crash is coming in England but where is it going to end? There were reports about Bolton being in debt to the tune of 160m! Most of that is not ‘bank debt’, or so they claim, but owed to the owner- however FFP rules still mean they cannot spend on transfers- so the club are effectively hamstrung for the forseeable future.
The crash can’t come soon enough down there.
HH
Bolton — the club £163m in debt who pay David N’Gog £35,000 per week
They speculated to accumulate under Owen Coyle — and now find themselves buried under a mountain of debt, writes Ian Herbert
====
http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/bolton-the-club-163m-in-debt-who-pay-david-ngog-35000-per-week-29893593.html
Flower of Scotland has to be a Nationalist song.
Anyone who doesn’t vote for independence surely can’t sing it with any great gusto or they would be being a tad hypocritical.
If Scotland don’t secure independence it has to be scrapped does it not?
O flower of Scotland
When will we see your like again
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill and glen
And stood against him
Proud Edward’s army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again
The hills are bare now
And autumn leaves lie thick and still
O’er land that is lost now
Which those so dearly held
And stood against him
Proud Edward’s army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again
Those days are passed now
And in the past they must remain
But we can still rise now
And be the nation again
That stood against him
Proud Edward’s army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again
Scotland the Brave
Hark, when the night is falling
Hear, hear the pipes are calling
Loudly and proudly calling down through the glen
There where the hills are sleeping
now feel the blood a leaping
high as the spirits of the old highland men
(Chorus)
Towering in gallant fame
Scotland my mountain hame
High may your proud standards gloriously wave
Land o’ the high endeavour
Land o’ the shining river
land o’ my heart forever
Scotland the brave
High in the Misty highlands,
out by the purple islands
brave are the hearts that beat beneath Scottish skies
wild are the winds to meet you
staunch are the friends that greet you
kind as the love that shines from fair maidens eyes.
(REPEAT CHORUS)
Scotland The Brave is more of a celebration of what Scotland is.
Have I started a song debate?
LB
Ernie Lynch said
“The question isn’t one of reality but of perception ie not whether the Scots as a whole actually are mean, cantankerous and dour or friendly, generous and charitable but whether others see them as such.
I think it’s fair to say that rightly or wrongly if forced to chose between one caricature or the other most people outwith Scotland would probably opt for the first.”
Dour and cantakerous….. it has been said of the wee frees and their like that they are dead against fornication as it may lead to dancing.
Survey completed encourage all to do the same only takes a few minutes
Another great effort Paul67,when it comes to helping others who are less fortunate Celtic supporters & CQN are in a league of there own. Feed the weans csc
traditionalist88
It really is frightening.. I would assume that this is bank debt ? and if so, after the last 6 years, why are they still lending ? It’s beyond me.
I would have thought that with BoS getting their fingers burned with the pevious Govan club, that bankers would be wary of being over exposed.
Also when set against Paul’s article and the good that can be done with just 7K, it shows what a mixed up crazy world we live in.
HH
My late Da hated Harry Lauder and held him mostly responsible for the Mean Scot image.
I’ve a pal who drives buses to the continent and he was telling me that the cheap fare on an Austrian bus is called a Scot
I saw whilst waiting for someone in the hospital cafe that the DR were apolgising for the loss of picture on their first venture into online single game purchase for on line broadcasting.
Now whilst they can be mocked for a technology failure beyond their control they should be given a thoughtful hmmmm followed by is this how the msm press regain audience?
Does the ability to broadcast single games picked up by one set of cameras but then delivered to the very audience that wants them and nothing else, chip away at the collective deal model?
If you think about it the old model of a clubs size that depended on its support and its support alone because geography was king, was broken when anybody could watch from anywhere. BUT they had no choice over what to watch, so money that came in through the gates under the old geographic model leaked out to other clubs whom many viewers do not support.
Is there a market for small broadcasting companies to spring up who supply the cameras and the technology to deliver the pictures to multi broadcast points like Celtic TV, who add their own brand and commentary but charge to watch on a PPV basis only and share with their opponents and pay a share of the camera crew?
As the cost of the cameras and hardware comes down as well as the cost of delivery is the technology that broke the old geographic model actually bringing about its return?
Think music. Think albums. Think DVDs. Think Ipods. Think buying only the one song you like instead of the whole album and downloading that song.
Think of what was 20 years ago. Think of accelerating change, accelerated by the previous technology. How far away is the customer chooses model?
I never thought I’d ever write this but did the Daily Record give us a glimpse of the future rather than reporting the past?
Well one must get ready for work, late shift always a chore to be done.
I’m at table nine next week, really looking forward to it, with the game on as well, should be just perfect.
Ayrshire is Green and White and has a Mary’s meals shop in Troon..
HH
Auldheid: ‘I never thought I’d ever write this but did the Daily Record give us a glimpse of the future rather than reporting the past?’
——————
The DR gave a glimpse, the people in the first row or the vip box had the full picture ;)
HH
glasgowdave
The positive spin is that it is not bank debt(owe bank 8m) and most of that 160m is owed to the owner.
They made a loss of ~50m for the year end June 2013 however and turnover is only 28m!
Madness.
HH
Any lurkers or posters at table 12 next week? At the moment only Mrs Hebcelt and I are known to me at this table. I was thinking of ordering some drinks but would like to offer the hand of friendship to my fellow table 12ers. Hail Hail Hebcelt
Survey completed.