Twenty’s not exactly gone, but it sounds like he’s had enough after four years and one day of blogging… Have sympathy with the long distance blogger… Some fairly sober valedictory remarks worth reading… He’s even set up a forum for those regulars who want to carry on without him… I think I met him once, at the bar at the second Irish Blog Awards, just after he’d clinched his book deal. Still don’t really know who he is… But he …
It might start off being a bit of fun, but.. And, speaking of artistic endeavours, at the Guardian’s Commentisfree blog Tim Footman has a modest proposal Perhaps those who enter a plea of “but it’s art, m’lud” ought to be tried, not by a conventional judge and jury, but by a panel of critics and academics. However, this must not be an easy option; these art courts would be able to impose sanctions as draconian as those available in the …
The trouble at Alitalia underlines just how powerful a departure Ryanair’s imitation of Southwest Airlines was for the European air industry. Yet, even as they take evasive action in the fuel crisis, they are surely taking risks with their ‘it’ll cost ya’ frills, espeically around their increasingly complex baggage allowance rates. My last two return flights with Ryanair (from Glasgow and Belfast) ended up costing us an extra twenty quid each time. You have to wonder just how sustainable this …
A reader sends in this snippet from one of a plethora of myth busting blog posts on the case of Sarah Palin. “Yes, it appears that she has a Big Dipper tattooed on her ankle. She lost a bet.” Ahem, Big Dipper = Starry Plough. Surely Máirtín should be told! Adds: It’s something to do with this flag, rather than that flag. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on …
There’s room for serious political discussion [and reporting] and there’s room for satire – just try not to confuse the two. Via the Prof again. Btw, probably not safe for work. Pete Baker
Just as Brian reckons there’s trouble brewing between church and state, Will Crawley notes a Ted-ish tendency in the Italian clergy.. Expect “secret sects, satanic groups and New Age movements” to be invoked.. again.. Pete Baker
In the Irish Times, Miriam Lord turns TV reviewer on the occasion of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern guest-presenting RTÉ’s The Road to Croker. The politician turned presenter stayed in his comfort zone throughout the show, with two stars of the great 1970s Dublin football team opening proceedings. You can’t go wrong with Paddy Cullen and Jimmy Keaveney – anecdotes at will. “We’ll be asking two Dublin legends where it all went wrong,” said Bertie to the camera. We’re all wondering …
Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the TV.. LANGERLAND.TV from LANGERLAND on Vimeo. Pete Baker
Time for a little levity.. and a little science. Via the Guardian’s Ian Sample who spotted it here. As I noted previously, the Guardian’s had some great articles on the Large Hadron Collider at Cern. And as Ian says, “Yes, it’s a rap about particle physics, yes it mentions antimatter and the Higgs boson, but you know what? I quite like it. There, I said it.” And you know what? So do I. Enjoy the Large Hadron Collider rap! Seriously. …
Some timely advice [*ahem* – Ed] from birthday boy Sir Mick Jagger. Happy Birthday, Mick! [That’s Mr Jagger to you – Ed] Update Replaced video. Pete Baker
As Sarah Carey says, “Peter Bradshaw’s review is a hoot.” So maybe it’s not just me.. There is something about a well written review of a bad movie. Particularly when that movie, complete with a very high-profile cast, has already been receiving free and uncritical publicity. From said review This is Planet Abba or Abbaworld. The characters are forever dancing and smiling and bursting into Abba songs like Stepford cyborgs when you flip the secret panel behind their heads and …
They never did apologise.. and quite rightly so. Almost a year after they arrived, and after being on display at the National Museum of Ireland, Havhingsten fra Glendalough (The Sea Stallion from Glendalough) will set sail for Roskilde, Denmark, tomorrow from Custom House Quay, Dublin, at 11.30am tomorrow, whatever the weather. But, as they say themeselves, “The ship has spent a few days moored in the ‘finer’ part of Dublin’s harbour.” As before, you’ll be able to track their journey …
On his blog, the BBC’s Mark Devenport tells us that they “had been given a heads up” for this afternoon’s Assembly debate. Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams was to warn of potential meltdown.. again. He is off to London.. again. But then the DUP’s Peter Weir intervened on a point of order.. Let’s hope they have the footage.. Then, as Gerry was about to get to his killer quote, Peter Weir jumped to his feet. Was the DUP member going …
It’s Bloomsday again, which is all the excuse I need to re-post this still brilliant short video. Those of a sensitive disposition are duly warned, again, that James Joyce enjoys the language in all its fecund nuttiness. Enjoy. Oh, and if you have a subscription, there’s a good digested read in the Irish Times. From Michael Parsons in the Irish Times “By yer man James Joyce isn’t it?” About a fellow called Leopold Bloom it all takes place on the …
Des Bishop’s ‘Léim thart’ seems to bomb with this audience in Armagh… They just seem to be stunned afterwards… into silence… H/T Alan Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
You’ll hardly pull £8k on this three year old with the familiar name, but it’s running in the last race at Epsom, has decent form, and is tipped by the Sporting Life. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Hearts and Minds was uncommonly good value last week. Newton Emerson picks up on a recent Interpol report confirming the veracity of three laptops seized after a late night bombing raid of a FARC camp two kilometres inside the Ecuadorian border. The contents are claimed by the Colombian government to show that the IRA was paid £28 million for ’14 terrorist training modules’. Then he asks just how the IRA matched individual rebels to which modules, without resorting to academic …
They can’t have been thinking of Slugger’s commenting zone, but it seems to me that this Enfield/Whitehouse sketch captures one of its little foibles reasonably well… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Terry Wogan [and his wig? – Ed] is probably content that RTE didn’t progress to the Eurovision 2008 final, but he’s been delivering his usual dry commentary anyway – “just cling to the wreckage”. If you weren’t watching the festival on TV you could follow the live-blogging at the Guardian.. or you could have done both.. or neither.. Possible suggested winners, 15 minutes of voting ahead, Armenia or Ukraine [or Greece – Ed].. although I did like the French entry …
Monaghan District Court Judge Sean Martin McBride has been making headlines again.. This time it’s Tyrone and not Londonderry that was the target of his judicial displeasure. Strange story all round, it should be said, with the wrong woman summonsed to court in the first place. Apparently required to pay 50 euro to have the case dismissed, the woman in court only had sterling.. This, according to the reports, resulted in Judge McBride telling her she was “showing the typical …
