Watch this first; it's about seven minutes long. Commentary after the break.I have to continuously remind myself that most people are so plugged into the television grid that they can no longer distinguish inside and outside. I have heard many excuses for this, "I only watch the good programmes" being one of the most common. Otherwise good friends have thought I was (almost literally) insane for not at least watching the news: "How will you know what's going on?" As though the news tells us that."But it's better than nothing" is the usual retort. Oh, is it? Television does not connect us with our world; it separates us from it. Appealing to specific instances of television programming as beneficial confuses the form with the content.On learning that I do not own a television set, the most...
BREAKING NEWSA man has been arrested following a serious incident in which a man was stabbed a number of times in Limerick City.The incident is believed to have happened near the Pennywell Road / Johnsgate area of the city this afternoon around 1pm. Gardai have arrested one man in relation to the attack and he is being questioned ay Henry Street Garda Station.The victim’s injuries are not said to be life threatening although no further details were...
I was channel surfing the other night and came across Has-been Big Brother. Will someone please fucking tell these people to fucking stop making these fucking things? I only recognised three people in the fucking thing. One was Ulrika Johnson - please Ulrika, your fifteen minutes is up. The second was Terry Christian who I only remember from the Word and haven’t seen since and then we have Latoya Jackson, who looks like a cast member from Planet of the Apes. Seriously! I mean just look at the woman. She’s famous for being the sister of Michael Jackson and for getting her kit off for playboy, which she’d never have been asked to do if she wasn’t the sister of Michael Jackson.
Look, there’s a reason why these people have agreed to go in to this fucking excuse...
Venus via [PYGMENT] January 5th, 2009 at 01:00
...
JournalSpace closed down a couple of days ago over a serious oversight with regard to their backup policy (read more here). The story seems to resolve around their use of a RAID array as their only backup. It failed completely and overwrote six years of bloggers data. They did keep backups of the code for the system but bizarrely overlooked the database content which was the images, comments, and posts that made up user's blogs. It prompted me to made a backup of my blog here, I doubt Google are going away today or tomorrow but who knows. I've always tried to keep update with my backups using SuperDuper (with an external HDD) and JungleDisk (it uses remote disk space on Amazon's S3). I remember reading "Disaster Recovery Planning" a few years ago and really seeing how serious you need to...
New Years day and it was a beautifully crisp, dry, evening there was no one around, and to add to the spooky feeling the local church bell rang out across the field of frosty grass, thistle and frozen cow......
In
day,
Evening,
Grass,
Bell,
Ireland,
Landscape,
night,
field,
sky,
Trees,
Leitrim,
Moon,
Stars
...
Gardai in Limerick are investigating an apparent petrol bomb attack on a car on Friday night.Gardai say car which was parked in the driveway of a house at Island View Terrace on the north side of the city, was set on fire around 8pm. The car was destroyed and a house was badly damaged in the attack.Gardai at Mayorstone station are searching for a motive for the...
We Must Tell HerTake me through your lovely meadowsTake me through your fields of cornLet me rest awhile, upon your haystacksLet me taste and greet your mornLet me see your ocean watersLet me hear them lap, on your sandy shore,Let the sun break through night’s darknessBringing morning to us once moreTruth is we take it all for grantedWe expect to see it when we awakeAnd if it rains instead of sunshineWe blame her for the mistakeTime keeps flashing by so quicklyThere is so little time to shareWe must thank old Mother NatureWe must tell her that we careMichael Christopher DalyDec. 9,...
The Car MorThe nineteen fifties saw me arriving In New Yorkthe Car Mor was my savior after workOn 207th street in the Inwood part of the Citylay this Irish bar that was never really prettyIt didn’t need to be as it was strictly a mans bara little rough and tumble if you went too farBut for most, it helped to get rid of ups and downsand changed heavy problems to just nagging frownsThere were characters galore, mostly from the auld sodone sticks out in my memory and deserves my head nodHis name was Mike Carmody, a carpenter by tradehe didn’t get along with work, he preferred to read in the shadeDuring sing song times he would close his eyesand push his head back as if looking at the skiesThe songs he chose were sad and quite longso one night we all left the bar in the middle of his...
Snow at Christmas TimeSnow at Christmas time just ends the season rightLooking out the window is just a wonderful sightThe Christmas tree stretches up to its greatest heightAnd a fire in the hearth, adds warmth throughout the nightOutside, the snow flakes trickle their way downTrying to find a resting place, somewhere in townThey bring a smile to ones face, while ridding a frownAnd magically clings on, like a glowing gownOne must watch in silence, what is happening outsidePull the children around you, with their eyes opened wideLooking up toward the heavens for Santa’s sleigh rideHoping he is bringing presents to where they abideNearly everything is perfect at this time of the yearYet remembering friends who passed on with a tearThey come into our thoughts without bringing a fearAnd a...
Snow at Christmas TimeSnow at Christmas time just ends the season rightLooking out the window is just a wonderful sightThe Christmas tree stretches up to its greatest heightAnd a fire in the hearth, adds warmth throughout the nightOutside, the snow flakes trickle their way downTrying to find a resting place, somewhere in townThey bring a smile to ones face, while ridding a frownAnd magically clings on, like a glowing gownOne must watch in silence, what is happening outsidePull the children around you, with their eyes opened wideLooking up toward the heavens for Santa’s sleigh rideHoping he is bringing presents to where they abideNearly everything is perfect at this time of the yearYet remembering friends who passed on with a tearThey come into our thoughts without bringing a fearAnd a...
An EmotionI’m strolling along the Canal Bank,by the River of my memories.There is nobody here to see me,as I go back to early nineteen fifties.Many changes have taken place,since the time that I’m recalling.And the width of the river has narrowed,ever since the tugs stopped hauling.I want to be here by myself, all alone, with no detractions.Mother Nature can surround me,with all her mystical attractions.It is here I found the scent in the air,to be at it’s very sweetest.It is here the birds sing a happy refrainwhile building their nest the neatestIt is here, beneath quiet waters,the fish play hide and seek.It is here the boys and girls meet,it is a place in loves technique.The river Shannon has many canals,as she makes her way to the ocean.But this one here in Limericks City,has...
Well the New Year, (or the anniversary of the invention of the calendar; which ever way you see it), is upon us. This is the time of year when everyone and their granny makes predictions for the coming year. I’ve done so before and I’m going to have another go. Okay, so I didn’t get too many right the last time but Tony Blair did postpone his resignation and George W. did continue to lose his grasp on reality but Donald Rumsfeld didn’t form a death metal band and unfortunately Ronan Keating wasn’t ordered to cease all crimes against music. Still, it was good to hope for a while. So here we go.
Sport
Liverpool will be forced to sell their entire squad to Yeovil Town due to their owners’ financial ineptitude. Yeovil will be relegated as a result.
Alex...
Gardai investigating the death of a man following a stabbing incident in Limerick yesterday have charged another man in relation to the attack.The 21 year old suspect has appeared this evening before a special sitting of the District Court charged in connection with the murder of another resident of the Sarsfield Bridge refugee center yesterday afternoon.The 17 year old victim died of his injuries in hospital following the altercation in which he was stabbed a number of times around 2pm...
BREAKING NEWSA teenager has died following a stabbing incident in Limerick city earlier today.The 17 year old, African born male, died of multiple stab wounds following the incident which occurred at a Hostel for Asylum Seekers on Sarsfield Street around 2pm.Gardai and three ambulances responded to the hostel, which houses foreign nationals seeking asylum, early this afternoon following reports of a fight between two residents of the center.An 18 year old male has been arrested in relation to the death and is being held at Henry Street Garda station and is being held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.The scene was sealed off and a forensic examination due to take...
Two men have been injured, one seriously, following a stabbing incident at the former Sarsfield Bridge Hotel in Limerick city.Gardai and ambulances responded to the hotel which is now a hostel for foreign nationals seeking asylum early this afternoon following reports of a fight between residents.One of the males, a foreign national living at the Inn was removed to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle where he is being treated for his injuries.The Limerick Leader newspaper reported a Garda source as saying,"The investigation is still at a very early stage and one of the first things we will be looking to do is speak with the two men involved once they have received medical treatment."The victim, a man in his mid 50’s, sustained serious injuries to his abdominal area.The...
BREAKING NEWSGardai investigating the fatal stabbing of a man in Co. Tipperary last night have arrested three men, including one man in Limerick.The 29-year-old Lithuanian national suffered multiple stab wounds during an altercation with a group of men at an apartment in Summerhill, Nenagh. He died at the scene.Its believed Gardai have arrested a 28-year-old man in Limerick along with a 31-year-old and a 26-year-old in the Nenagh area in relation with the...
I’d like to wish all who sail on the Thirsty Kipper and those who simply stop by a happy and peaceful Christmas. I’ve been a bit bah humbug of late but I’ve decided not to go into my nightmare Christmas shopping misadventure today and just post this simple post instead. I haven’t been very prolific on the old blogging front this year but I’ll try harder next year.
Have a cool yule people and a merry ol’ YYYYYYYYAAAAARRRRRRRRRR to one and all....
Well its a funny old Christmas this year with ups and downs in the economy. For a laugh or cynical look at the current situation, you could listen to Joseph O'Connor and his radio diary from yesterday's Drivetime on RTE Radio One, it goes nicely with Frank Nally's column in the IT today.On brighter news, 50% service has been returned to the Shannon-Heathrow route so maybe there are some minor Christmas presents. We'll ignore the loss of revenue to the region of the last number of months and the fact its only a partial return of the service and take it, however I'm sure the local Government politicans will do better in the New Year as its full service return or they're not fighting the case in my book. Hat tip to John and Nev for the SOS photos. Hat tip to Nev for the photo.On a more...
Two people were injured in a road traffic accident in Limerick Tuesday night.Emergency services were called to the two vehicle accident on the N24 Old Tipperary Road near O Shea’s pub around 10pm.Two men, in their 40’s and 20’s were removed from the scene and taken to the Mid Western Regional...
BREAKING NEWSLimerick Gardai have launched an investigation into the discovery of human remains in the Hyde Road area of Limerick City.Reports say the body which was discovered today may have been at the scene for some time.Gardai are on scene and a technical examination is being carried...
The BBC were likely mistaken in an advertising decision evident on their website earlier last week. A news clip concerning the rioting in Greece was preceded by an upbeat video promoting vacationing in that Mediterranean country. Naturally the advert included no shots of the type this Flickr photographer is documenting.This brought to mind a comment I made on a photography site recently. (Though by this juxtaposition I do not want to equate the two situations politically.)"The other way to combat terrorism is to ignore it completely. If terror isn't induced, if the state is not made to react in more oppressive ways, if fear is not put into the hearts of the citizenry, then terrorism has failed.Take your next holiday in Mumbai for instance."When I mentioned this idea in conversation the...
Steps via [PYGMENT] December 23rd, 2008 at 09:20
...
As the mainstream media continues to report the fallout of a likely Dell cut in jobs, there are more reports today of how thousands more jobs will be lost in wake of the cutbacks.Talk is beginning to emerge also about possible Government contingency plans for when D-day comes. The Examiner has comments from Limerick TD Willie O Dea on the matterOpposition TDs last night urged the Taoiseach to intervene in the crisis.However, even bleaker days could be ahead for the region as it is estimated that up to 15,000 people who are employed in subsidiary industries will be affected.Mr O’Dea said: “Whatever outfall takes place, the Government will have a strategy ready to deal with it immediately it happens and all those things will become very clear shortly.“We have been working very hard...
...
[This article is some months late. But in the interest of catching up and cleaning the closet, here it is.]In the first article Economics For Children I explained how loans work. I ended with the stark fact that household debt in the USA totals $14 trillion, an amount that equals $185,000 for each household of four people. Yet family after family going bankrupt attracted little interest until big business began to be affected. Now apparently we are in the middle of a crisis.This can be explained by starting with an important observation. Poor people make money by working, but rich people make money by gambling. A popular form of gambling is the stock market, where people try to guess which companies will do well and which will do poorly. They invest money in those companies, and if they...
Sorry to have abandoned my faithful readers. I've been somewhat busy this autumn...a) studying for a Masters degreeb) chasing the ineffablec) recording musicand...d) getting married!I'll be posting more over the holidays as I catch up on...
DEVELOPING NEWS2,000 jobs are to be cut at the Dell plant in Limerick when the company announces its intention to cut its manufacturing in Ireland in 2009, various media reports suggest.The Sunday Business Post newspaper published an article today on how Tánaiste Mary Coughlan and Limerick TD and Minister for Defence, Willie O’Dea, flew to the headquarters of Dell in Texas last week in a desperate bid to convince CEO Michael Dell to spare the Raheen plant in its upcoming restructuring.The paper reports the futile bid failed and its now reported up to 2,000 jobs will go at the plant in early 2009.The computer giant will transfer the bulk of its manufacturing to Eastern Europe and...
Panicked residents of a city apartment block were evacuated last night after smoke filled the building from a fire in the basement.Emergency services responded to reports of a fire at the Parkview House apartments adjacent to the Peoples Park on Edward Street around 12.15am last night where they discovered a car on fire in the parking basement of the apartment block. Residents were evacuated as smoke filled the building.Ambulances were called to the scene although it’s believed no one was injured and the blaze was brought quickly under control by the fire...