Slugger O'Toole The threat of legal action against Vincent Browne’s Village magazine has resulted in a halt to the printing of this week’s issue [not that I buy it you understand *ahem*]. As the Irish Times reports, Eddie Hobbs, of Rip-Off Ireland fame, consulted his lawyers after being asked to comment on an article Village was planning to print on his role as a financial adviser with the Taylor Investment group from 1993 to 1994.. clearly Village recognised the potential danger or …
An interesting list [such things can happen] from Melvyn Bragg – Twelve Books that Changed the World. Although several reports mention the Anglo-centric and, indeed, eccentric nature of his choices it’s still an interesting consideration.. and the Daily Telegraph suggests an alternative list.. of course there’s a TV series behind it.. but that didn’t stop Lord Bragg[as he is now] from having a dig at his former LWT colleague Lord Birt, as the BBC gleefuly reported, “Perhaps he has joined …
I’m not big into on line petitions. It’s not clear what weight the carry with the petitionee. But this one is interesting. Daily Ireland has a petition going to get the British government to advertise with them. If you wish to support them you can sign up here. It will be interesting to hear the outcome. In particular, to hear exactly why the British are not choosing to place adverts with them. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily …
Newton Emerson is on great form in the Irish Times today. Since it deserves a much wider play on the Internet. I have permission from him to republish it on the net. It’s a rhetorical gem. By Newton Emerson As the full horror of Hurricane Katrina sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if this is the end of George Bush’s presidency. The answer is almost certainly yes, provided that every copy of the US Constitution was destroyed in …
The Irish government has formally announced 15m funding for a new visitor centre at the Battle of the Boyne site. There will be a visitor and exhibition centre, new walkways and a peace garden put in over the next three years, bringing total spending on the project to date to 30m. Talks have also been held with experts from world battle sites like Gettysburg, Waterloo and Flanders. “We can learn from their experience of developing these sites which, in a …
DAVID Gordon is proud to stand up for the Ulstermen, and takes Robin Livingstone to task for his rather bitter dig at Northern Irish football the other day. Leaving aside the politics of supporting the ‘national’ team, the truth of the matter is that Windsor Park internationals have changed immeasurably since the bad old days – which reached a nadir in 2001. It’s time people gave the IFA and NI fans the credit they deserve for turning things around. Stand …
The Press Gazette lauds the success of the Newsletter’s rise in circulation, which editor Austin Hunter puts down to a re-discovery of its political roots. Also it records a fall in the Irish News readership from ‘a steady 50,000 sale to a 3.6 per cent drop at 48,276’. That will no doubt provide some limited satisfaction on the part of Daily Ireland where most of those readers must have gone. But at 10,467 it faces a long haul before its …
A unionist friend, who has just returned to Northern Ireland after 25 years away, confessed that he would have done precisely what several of the Catholic residents of Ahoghill have decided to do – leave: “I would not stay where I was not wanted, or where I could not trust my neighbours”. That was three weeks ago and the drain of the Catholic population in that area continues. Ahoghill never had a large Catholic community, but in a village of …
Yep that’s right. Per capita, the Republic is now ahead of the US. It also has 15.2 per cent of its people living in poverty: “Only Italy and the US had a higher poverty rate among 18 industrialised countries surveyed. In addition, Ireland had the second highest rate of illiteracy, after Italy, with 22.6 per cent of the population lacking functional literacy skills”. However, the report also notes: When all factors were taken into account Ireland rose two places to …
The Guardian’s CultureVulture foolishly bravely posted their predictions before the short-list was announced.. and have a helping of humble pie as a reward. Both Sebastian Barry and John Banville are still in with a shout for the £50,000 Man Booker prize for their latest novels – John Banville with The Sea and Sebastian Barry for A Long Long Way – but there are plenty of other strong contenders among the short list of 6, from the 17 on the long-list, …
The committee appointed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to investigate the UN’s “Oil for Food” programme, and the role of Kofi Annan’s son Kojo, is released today, the preface to the report has already been released.. According to The Guardian, the report found “serious instances of illicit, unethical and corrupt behaviour within the United Nations”. You can read the preface to the report here[pdf file]. Kofi Annan last night, in perhaps the understatement of the day, said “I suspect …
After yesterday’s IMC ad hoc report on the non-existent cease-fires, and a meeting today with SDLP leader Mark Durkan, Peter Hain’s comments, no official press release yet, are reported by the BBC and more fully by the Press Association, “My concern is to stop the murder and this awful violence which has just stained communities in Belfast and elsewhere. You do not necessarily do that by quick procedural fixes.” – At the risk of repeating myself.. again.. a quick-fix??? Slugger …
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has again called for a complete evacuation of New Orleans. The move comes as the risk from fire and disease increases and while 60% of the city remains under water – which may take another 80 days to pump clear. This time, however, rather than relying on compliance from the citizens of the city, he has ordered the evacuation, by force if necessary, of the estimated 10,000 remaining residents. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for …
Reader Bob Wilson calls our attention to the launch of a freeview satellite service which will bring all of the BBC and UTV offerings to those parts of NI which currently can’t receive them. However, Bob argues that using satellite that the full, unencrypted, BBC digital service should also be available to anyone with the equipment to receive it. He believes the consequences may not be trivial: When BBC shifted to unencrypted in ‘these islands’ (ie unencrypted over ‘British Isles’ …
Interesting story arising from the BA Festival of Science gig in Dublin. Irish Times science writer Dick Ahlstrom notes that Elephant Grass (Miscanthus giganteus), which made a dramatic entry into Irish gardens in the 1970s, could provide an important source of Biomass energy. Indeed Prof Steve Long, of the University of Illinois argues that by putting 10% of Republic’s arable land under Elephant grass, it could produce as much as 30% of the country’s energy needs! We wonder if this …
NORTHERN Ireland have just beaten the English football team 1-0 in one of the biggest upsets I can remember – unbelievable! Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Interesting story arising from the BA Festival of Science gig in Dublin. Irish Times science writer Dick Ahlstrom notes that Elephant Grass (Miscanthus giganteus), which made a dramatic entry into Irish gardens in the 1970s, could provide an important source of Biomass energy. Indeed Prof Steve Long, of the University of Illinois argues that by putting 10% of Republic’s arable land under Elephant grass, it could produce as much as 30% of the country’s energy needs! We wonder if this …
Interesting figures from the IPPR think tank on the birth places of immigrants to Britain (ie, UK minus NI). The detail is here, complete with maps. The Top Five countries are as follows: Rep Ireland: 494,850 India: 466,416 Pakistan: 320,767 Germany: 262,276 Caribbean: 254,740 Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Langerland with the rap version of the return of the Colombia Three. The best is at the end: To commemorate the deal, Mr Adams gave his annual Wolfe Tone oration in Gaelic, English and Jive. The Colombia 3s eagerly awaited debut single, produced by Eminem and Dr Dre, is due out in Autumn. Entitled The Real Sinn Fein-y, it pays homage to Eminem with its catchy chorus: Will the Real IRA please stand down, please stand down, please stand down …
Local [chimpanzee] community representatives accused police of a heavy-handed response – “They didn’t shoot at the monkey!” Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.