Advertise
-
Books
-
The peace process not such a good model after all
Which reminds me…. Platform for Change’s driving force Robin Wilson has produced a corrective to the notion that the lessons of the NI conflict are easily exportable. Like myself, Robin is associated with the Constitution Unit. He introduced his new book in a CU blog which I here reproduce. The water crisis in Northern Ireland [...] read our review »
-
The lost art of reading (or drowning in too much information)…
Here’s a great review of a fascinating book (H/T reader Rory) on how the Internet is destroying our capacity for intelligent, focused and critical thought. It opens thus: …here is the news that Ulin brings in this slim, meandering book: that reading is “an act of contemplation”; that such an act becomes more difficult in [...] read our review »
-
The Irish political journalist’s problem with partial disclosure…
The nod and wink politics of Ireland’s last two or three decades as practised par excellence by Bertie, Albert and Charlie is ultimately what has the Republic in the stew it’s in. Don’t get me wrong, the effective monitoring of those exercising of power does not demand full disclosure of everything all the time. But [...] read our review »
-
Comment on POTD – Portrait of a blockmaker
on 19 September 2011 at 4:12 pm
Oh people do the funniest things – live in the shadow of volcanoes, build in flood plains, farm in drought hit areas.
If you don’t have an earthquake very regularly, people tend to get down to the business of living normally and chasing all the things other people have.
Go to comment
Comment on POTD – Portrait of a blockmaker
on 19 September 2011 at 12:15 pm
I’ve seen a lot of fellas do this work and been on sites were we’ve tested a lot of these kind of blocks.
Its hard back breaking graft mixing the cement and sand, filling the mould, tapping the block out, carting them to customers.
The blocks may be sold after 2 days MP, but that doesn’t mean the curing happens faster in Haiti than elsewhere – it just means they are sold as fast as possible, and with no authority controlling the quality of these blocks, they are in the majority of cases not really of a good quality.
With no quality control and nobody to answer too, who’s going to notice if a block maker manages to get 50 blocks out of a bag of cement rather than 35? Who’s going to control if he’s using clean aggregates or just the dust brushed up from round the yard? Who’s going to notice if the block was allowed to dry rather than cure?
And who is going to sue him if their house falls on their head at the next inconvenience?
The guy in the picture is just doing his job, trying to make a few quid to keep going. And in most cases, if a few quid more can be made then what does it matter if a few corners are cut? If more blocks can be sold using less cement? If the quality isn’t really what it might be? You know the salt of the earth likes to make money as much as the next fella.
By the way, just from the photo, this fellas block look fairly good.
Go to comment
Comment on POTD – Schomberg House
on 16 September 2011 at 10:53 am
Strange that you seem ti find it ok for the OO to be portrayed as cartoon characters, but give them a power you don’t like and you get all snotty, Drumlins.
Maybe the superpower you need most of all is a sense of humour.
Go to comment
Comment on POTD – Corrected misspelling
on 15 September 2011 at 11:11 am
I preferred the “not a bullet, not a once” one down the falls back in the day, but this one’s not bad either.
Go to comment
Comment on POTD – Mount Vernon Welcomes You
on 13 September 2011 at 1:01 pm
I’m trying to work out why ranger has got his boxers in such a twist over a photograph. Are you embarassed by this picture ranger? What annoys you so much about it?
Go to comment
Comment on Charity distances itself from commemoration of IRA terrorist
on 10 August 2011 at 4:07 pm
Sub-human?
Yes thats a great idea – lets start calling everyone who is against us sub-human, and then lets start adopting Nazi names for our IDs here. Yeah thats a great way to advance things. Thats really progressive.
Just make sure we don’t scratch our knuckles as they drag along the floor of our cave.
Go to comment
Comment on Thoughts on the politics of the riots
on 10 August 2011 at 2:45 pm
Also a nice short analysis of what lies behind riots can be read here: http://pennyred.blogspot.com/2011/08/panic-on-streets-of-london.html
Go to comment
Comment on Charity distances itself from commemoration of IRA terrorist
on 10 August 2011 at 2:37 pm
One has to ask why? Why, do some posters here adopt the name of Nazi commanders when expressly promoting a unionist viewpoint? I always thought the nazis were the enemy back in the day? Any thoughts on that one Heinz?
But to get back to the point – I’d say Mark’s last paragraüh pretty much sums it up.
Go to comment
Comment on Charity distances itself from commemoration of IRA terrorist
on 10 August 2011 at 2:06 pm
“Jim Allister said Marie Curie was being “abused””.
Indeed somebody is abusing the name of the charity here to score political points. When MCCC make their logo freely available for fundraising activities and somebody then makes use of this to raise funds for them then where is the controversy?
Other than Jim Allister not liking who is doing the fund raising of course.
Go to comment
Comment on Kevin Lynch Memorial Parade, Dungiven, 31st July 2011…
on 5 August 2011 at 12:21 pm
west-east: You’re not going to get me caught up in some childish game of compare my apples to your pears. Equating the GAA to orange order marches is ridiculous. Have 2 GAA clubs ever insisted on holding a match in your street? Have you been barricaded into your house to ensure that a match has been able to be completed where you live? Has a GAA team ever stood at a point where a sectarian murder occurred and sang sectarian songs celebrating the killers?
I’m talking about antagonistic parades. If you’re interested in talking about that, I’d be interested in reading what you have to say. If you want to continue banging your GAA financing drum (which has nothing to do with this issue) and avoid talking about the offense these parades can cause to those not marching (either unionist, loyalist, nationalist or republican) then I’d say you’re posts are irrleevant here.
Still at least you’ve found your full stops and shift button.
Go to comment