As a way of welcoming people to Ireland the good people of county Meath are offering English lessons, one night a week, free of charge, to their new neighbours.
It is part of a project called, 'Fáilte Isteach'.
I hate to be make jokes about a sincere effort...but come on!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
this is huge
George Bush Jnr. will be out of a job and out of the White House late next year. After that, they'll need a replacement. So the election will take place in just under two years. Despite this, American media is mental with news about this election. Surely this is misguided and takes coverage away from issues that would otherwise be deemed newsworthy. Anyway the political pantomine is under way. Check it out. Obama, osama, saddam hussein, a black man who only thinks about whites - that's when he's not SMOKING.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/02/22/fox-news-repeated-attemp_n_41841.html
Of course there is another election taking place - it happens this year. Starts in April in fact, in a country that former U.S secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, the bloke who goes hunting and shoots his own friends, calls home to a bunch of cheese-eating surrender monkeys - France. More imminent and of big importance vis-a-vis all the terrible conflicts in the world, and some in their own country, the French election pits soft-socialist Segleone Royal (try saying that while eating cheese) against American surrender monkey Nicolas Sarkozy, a man quite determined to clean the scum of the streets. Nasty Nic is in front at the moment, but Mama Royal is so close to him she's catching the spray from his hose. For some reason, this election isn't getting a lot of coverage over here, yet it's only two months away - and to think, a member of the Far-Right (! cue scary music) came second the last time out. Anyway, I'll have more on this as D-day approaches.
And one more thing, the italians are at it again. Prodi has resigned after losing a senate vote on Italy's involvement in Afghanistan (remember this place, nobody talks about it anymore but the Taliban - bad - are still loitering there). So yet another italian government hits the rocks. The average Italian govt lasts about 18 months. "We're a country of madmen," said Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema. And we love them for it!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/02/22/fox-news-repeated-attemp_n_41841.html
Of course there is another election taking place - it happens this year. Starts in April in fact, in a country that former U.S secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, the bloke who goes hunting and shoots his own friends, calls home to a bunch of cheese-eating surrender monkeys - France. More imminent and of big importance vis-a-vis all the terrible conflicts in the world, and some in their own country, the French election pits soft-socialist Segleone Royal (try saying that while eating cheese) against American surrender monkey Nicolas Sarkozy, a man quite determined to clean the scum of the streets. Nasty Nic is in front at the moment, but Mama Royal is so close to him she's catching the spray from his hose. For some reason, this election isn't getting a lot of coverage over here, yet it's only two months away - and to think, a member of the Far-Right (! cue scary music) came second the last time out. Anyway, I'll have more on this as D-day approaches.
And one more thing, the italians are at it again. Prodi has resigned after losing a senate vote on Italy's involvement in Afghanistan (remember this place, nobody talks about it anymore but the Taliban - bad - are still loitering there). So yet another italian government hits the rocks. The average Italian govt lasts about 18 months. "We're a country of madmen," said Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema. And we love them for it!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Cafe bars
The PDs were down in Wexford at the weekend for their pre-election conference and the media were with them, watching, listening, scribbling notes and scabbing free cups of tea and hot-cross buns.
We have a funny relationship with the PDs. Recent opinion polls show them drowning with anywhere between 1 and 3% support. Yet Monday's papers gave them as much, if not more, coverage than was given over to Labour's equivalent conference last week.
Of course, the PDs hold two of the most divisive posts in government so you could say that's why the media turns their amps up so loud. You could also ask why they have so much influence when they have such little support.
Anyway, McDowell was on tele sweating in front of the lights and being the authoratitve voice he undoubtably is. And his pledges were mostly economy based. No stamp duty for first time buyers. A new pensions scheme. Chopping of both tax rates. The type of stuff that will likely appeal to twenty somethings with jobs, cars and debts.
The tax thing is interesting. The PDs will cut high tax rate from 41 to 38% and the low tax rate from 20 to 18%. This means more euros for you and less for the government.
Depending on where you stand this can be a good or a bad thing. Low personal tax usually results in high public tax - bin charges, road tolls and high public transport costs, for example. Now if you have a lot of money and don't need to get the bus, this is great. But if you're an average worker, earning industrial wage, lower taxes will, overall, create the illusion of wealth - high public service costs will soon disolve this illusion. You will quickly learn what a sliced pan costs; people on higher rates still continue oblivious to it.
Looking at public services, it's hard to say that reducing taxes will be benficial. In general, they're not very good.
When they stopped throwing money at us, the PDs resurrected one of their better ideas. The cafe bar.
This McDowell baby has been doing the rounds for a while, but Fianna Fail, eager to keep those boys who pay for their tent at the Galway races happy, shot it down.
Michaeal wants to relax licensing laws so people who set up cafes can apply for alcohol licences. This is normal in European countries. It gives people an alternative to the pub.
Fianna Fail and their publican buds don't want an alternative to the pub. They want you to go to pubs and pay five euro for a drink.
Publicans are smart. They offer everything the continental cafe offers, in general (food, music, tv, waiter services). But they do it badly. Food in pubs is ok but limited and expensive. Music is dodgy, often played by middle-aged men for middle-aged people. Most of the time it's too loud and people are forced to resort to sign language. And tv either can't be seen, can't be heard or annoys everybody who doesn't want to watch.
The cafe-bar (have to add in the bar, don't want to frighten us too much) will do all these things better. For both consumer and community they are a good thing. It's about time we had a chance to talk, eat and drink in moderate ways for moderate prices.
We have a funny relationship with the PDs. Recent opinion polls show them drowning with anywhere between 1 and 3% support. Yet Monday's papers gave them as much, if not more, coverage than was given over to Labour's equivalent conference last week.
Of course, the PDs hold two of the most divisive posts in government so you could say that's why the media turns their amps up so loud. You could also ask why they have so much influence when they have such little support.
Anyway, McDowell was on tele sweating in front of the lights and being the authoratitve voice he undoubtably is. And his pledges were mostly economy based. No stamp duty for first time buyers. A new pensions scheme. Chopping of both tax rates. The type of stuff that will likely appeal to twenty somethings with jobs, cars and debts.
The tax thing is interesting. The PDs will cut high tax rate from 41 to 38% and the low tax rate from 20 to 18%. This means more euros for you and less for the government.
Depending on where you stand this can be a good or a bad thing. Low personal tax usually results in high public tax - bin charges, road tolls and high public transport costs, for example. Now if you have a lot of money and don't need to get the bus, this is great. But if you're an average worker, earning industrial wage, lower taxes will, overall, create the illusion of wealth - high public service costs will soon disolve this illusion. You will quickly learn what a sliced pan costs; people on higher rates still continue oblivious to it.
Looking at public services, it's hard to say that reducing taxes will be benficial. In general, they're not very good.
When they stopped throwing money at us, the PDs resurrected one of their better ideas. The cafe bar.
This McDowell baby has been doing the rounds for a while, but Fianna Fail, eager to keep those boys who pay for their tent at the Galway races happy, shot it down.
Michaeal wants to relax licensing laws so people who set up cafes can apply for alcohol licences. This is normal in European countries. It gives people an alternative to the pub.
Fianna Fail and their publican buds don't want an alternative to the pub. They want you to go to pubs and pay five euro for a drink.
Publicans are smart. They offer everything the continental cafe offers, in general (food, music, tv, waiter services). But they do it badly. Food in pubs is ok but limited and expensive. Music is dodgy, often played by middle-aged men for middle-aged people. Most of the time it's too loud and people are forced to resort to sign language. And tv either can't be seen, can't be heard or annoys everybody who doesn't want to watch.
The cafe-bar (have to add in the bar, don't want to frighten us too much) will do all these things better. For both consumer and community they are a good thing. It's about time we had a chance to talk, eat and drink in moderate ways for moderate prices.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
My wealth
Budget Travel have an ad on bus-stops at the moment. It is written in WARNING! yellow and red. And it says:
"Not booking a Budget travel holiday will seriously damage your wealth. "
I don't get it.
If I book a holiday, of any sort, I will have to hand over some cash. Then, I will have less cash, or - if you like to use big words when small ones will do - wealth.
If I do NOT book a holiday, my wealth will be the same. I will not have less of it; it will not be damaged.
Of course the ad is meant to render feelings of panic and anxiety in people who get buses to work; that if they don't book two weeks in the baking sun surrounded by whingey kids, horny teens and two-for-one beer promos, their health will suffer drastically. The stress of your normal, working life will kill you. Get away from it all, or something.
Booking a Budget Travel holiday will seriously damage your wealth.
"Not booking a Budget travel holiday will seriously damage your wealth. "
I don't get it.
If I book a holiday, of any sort, I will have to hand over some cash. Then, I will have less cash, or - if you like to use big words when small ones will do - wealth.
If I do NOT book a holiday, my wealth will be the same. I will not have less of it; it will not be damaged.
Of course the ad is meant to render feelings of panic and anxiety in people who get buses to work; that if they don't book two weeks in the baking sun surrounded by whingey kids, horny teens and two-for-one beer promos, their health will suffer drastically. The stress of your normal, working life will kill you. Get away from it all, or something.
Booking a Budget Travel holiday will seriously damage your wealth.
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