Why I love football and love the Internet

by Michael Nugent on May 17, 2013

One of the most amazing twenty seconds in English football has been captured on video by fans, bringing to life the euphoria that sport at its best can bring.

In last week’s Championship Play Off Semi Final, Leicester City were awarded a penalty kick in the final minute of stoppage time against Watford. If they scored, they would win 3-2 on aggregate. If they missed, the tie would go to extra time.

It looked like an injustice that would be talked about for years, as Leicester City’s Anthony Knockaert seemed to have dived to win the penalty.

But Watford’s goalkeeper Manuel Almunia saved Knockaert’s penalty, and blocked a rebound attempt. Then Watford defenders cleared the ball upfield, leading to a winning goal from Troy Deeney just before the final whistle.

This is how television viewers saw that incredible twenty seconds.

However, with the proliferation of Internet videos, we can now experience that moment from the perspective of fans at the game. Here are four videos that show why I love football and love the Internet.

As a bonus, here is the reaction of Sky Sports commentator Johnny Phillips.

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Jane Donnelly and I wrote a chapter on secular education and human rights for the book ‘Towards Mutual Ground – Pluralism, Religious Education and Diversity in Irish Schools’ edited by Gareth Byrne and Patricia Kieran and published last week by Columba Press.

Other contributors to the book include Dermot Lane, Patricia Kieran, Robert Jackson, Terence Merrigan, Suzanne Dillon, Andrew McGrady, Marie Parker-Jenkins, Gavin D’Costa, Anne Looney, Elizabeth Osewska, Gareth Byrne, Niall Coll, Anne Hession, Jones Irwin, Rik Von Nieuwenhove and Michael Hayes.

Here is an extract from the chapter by Jane and me.

Only Secular Schools Respect Every Person’s Human Rights Equally

There is one fundamental question that informs all debate about pluralism and patronage in education. That question is posed here as an option:

1. Do you wish to bring about an education system that satisfies the desires of a majority of parents and children, (perhaps to satisfy the desires of those who happen to share your own personal religious beliefs) regardless of the wishes of minority groups?

2. Alternatively do you wish to bring about an education system that respects equally the human rights of all parents and all children, without sacrificing the human rights of a minority in order to satisfy the desires of a majority?

The manner in which a person answers these foundational questions determines what conclusions they arrive at.

It is understandable that many parents, and representatives of particular religions, have as their priority an education system that satisfies their own desires, and the desires of those who think like them. However the role of the state should be to counteract this self-centred approach, and to ensure that the education system respects equally the human rights of all parents and all children. In practice, the only way to ensure this is for the state to establish a secular education system.

A secular education system would be neutral on the question of religion and non-religion, and it would allow further educational options to develop as a supplement and not a replacement to that secular system. Religious schools or atheist schools should be an added extra for parents who want to avail of them, if they can afford them. However having religious schools as the foundation of the educational system creates only the illusion of choice.

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This is a response to Dick Spicer’s open letter to Atheist Ireland last week, followed by documentary evidence that the HAI does in fact promote the political cause of separation of church and state, contrary to the assertions made by the current HAI Board in order to sign up to the Civil Registration Act.

I respect the contributions that Dick Spicer and the current HAI Board members have made to the advancement of secularism in Ireland, and several of them are my personal friends. But I believe that they have lost perspective on this issue.

I have waited a week to respond, because I wanted to enable others to read Dick’s letter on its own merits, without me shifting the focus by immediately responding. I hope that we can tease out or differences reasonably.

Because Dick’s letter says very little about the Civil Registration Act itself, I have confined myself here to responding to the points that he made in his letter, which are largely about the political philosophies of Atheist Ireland and the HAI. These are important issues to discuss, as they go to the heart of this matter.

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This is my RTE Radio 1 Late Debate yesterday on the right to life and Marie Fleming’s Supreme Court ruling, with palliative care doctor Regina McQuillan, hosted by Audrey Carville.

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Supreme Court rejects appeal, but says Oireachtas can legislate on right to die

April 29, 2013

The Supreme Court has today upheld the High Court ruling that Marie Fleming does not have a constitutional right to be assisted to die by her partner Tom Curran. See full judgment here. But the Supreme Court has also said that it is open to the State, through the Oireachtas, to legislate to deal with [...]

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Right to Die Ireland website launched as Supreme Court to rule today on Marie Fleming appeal

April 29, 2013

The Irish Supreme Court is to rule today on Marie Fleming’s appeal to allow her to be assisted in dying peacefully, instead of being forced to live through the final stages of multiple sclerosis. She is appealing against a High Court decision that upheld the current ban on assisted suicide, because the legal right to [...]

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International protests to defend Bangladeshi bloggers, today and May 2nd

April 25, 2013

Some international protests scheduled for today, April 25th, to defend Bangladesh’s atheist bloggers and activists are going ahead as planned, and some have been rescheduled for next Thursday, May 2nd, due to the national day of mourning in Bangladesh today after the Savar building collapse. Here are the details of the protests that are going [...]

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Is teaching children religion as fact child abuse? Jen Keane and I on 98FM

April 24, 2013

I and Jen Keane (zenbuffy on Twitter) discussed teaching religion in Irish schools on 98FM, in light of Richard Dawkins comment that teaching children religion as fact is a form of child abuse. The host is Muireann O’Connell and the show is the Joan Lee show on Monday 22 April 2013.

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Register today for Dublin international conference on Empowering Women Through Secularism

April 21, 2013

Secularism protects freedom of conscience, and advances equal rights for women. And, whether you are a woman or a man, you can help to shape the future of secular activism and women’s rights around the world by coming to Dublin on the weekend of 29-30 June 2013. You will hear and meet and socialise with [...]

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The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading

April 17, 2013

The postman has just delivered The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading by Ian Rowland, which I ordered after Richard Saunders recommended it at last week’s Dublin Skeptics in the Pub event. So within weeks I will be able to tell you everything about yourself, including that you are considerate and kind yet sometimes understandably [...]

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