Taken on Kildare Street this afternoon.

Denis Reid, head barman at the Dail bar, who served his last pint/stiff whiskey at Leinster House this afternoon.

(Photocall Ireland)

Philip O’Sullivan

Ailing Irish Banks Need Another 24 Billion Euros (Guardian)

Via Brian M Lucey

WHERE THE TRUTH LIES DEEP

What wondrous lies I heard them spin like music playing from a violin

reaching notes with grasping hands, sliding backs and sneaky grins.

The rising price of landed wealth belied the truth with crooked stealth.

The market rose, the price went up for fools who drank from sovereign’s cup.

But, there was a place that lay concealed – underwater and not revealed

There lived a truth that dare not speak; losses hidden from the balance sheet.

Checks and audits did not disclose, those reefs that shred the onward bow

And when the tide began to wane – ‘The Rock‘ exposed the financial drain.

Louis LeFronde, March 31, 2011.

Louis LeFronde

“Please be assured that the full resource of the UNITE trade union will be put behind a strong campaign to ensure that workers in the banking sector are not forced to be the only ones to pay the price for management mistakes.”

The only ones, eh?

The ONLY ones.

THE ONLY ONES!

(Thud)

RTE Stress Test LIVE

“In states lacking major hydrocarbon reserves, tactics vary, typically keeping to a standard game plan when a favored dictator is in trouble: support him as long as possible, and when that cannot be done, issue ringing declarations of love of democracy and human rights — and then try to salvage as much of the regime as possible.

The scenario is boringly familiar: Marcos, Duvalier, Chun, Ceasescu, Mobutu, Suharto, and many others.  And today, Tunisia and Egypt.  Syria is a tough nut to crack and there is no clear alternative to the dictatorship that would support U.S. goals.  Yemen is a morass where direct intervention would probably create even greater problems for Washington.  So there state violence elicits only pious declarations.

Libya is a different case.  Libya is rich in oil, and though the US and UK have often given quite remarkable support to its cruel dictator, right to the present, he is not reliable.  They would much prefer a more obedient client.  Furthermore, the vast territory of Libya is mostly unexplored, and oil specialists believe it may have rich untapped resources, which a more dependable government might open to Western exploitation.”

Chompsky’s near-namesake Noam Chomsky – unsurprisingly – casts doubt over Western intervention in Libya.

Chomsky: On Libya And The Unfolding Crises (ZCommunications)

Quentin Tarantino turned 48 last Sunday, celebrating the day by hosting the inaugural screening of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair – both movies assembled to form one (as the director had always envisaged).

Since there’s still no DVD release date for the combined Kill Bill movie, artist, Tyler Stout created the rather excellent poster above for the cinema release.

awesomerobot via

The Dubliner

Day and Night

Faisal Islam On Twitter

Cough. Splutter.

Earlier: TD Who Wanted His Salary Cut Employs Half His family

Could a man look more uncomfortable?

Taken literally this morning at the launch of An Taisce’s National Spring Clean Campaign.

Fine Gael’s Phil Hogan with from left, Rebecca Kenny, Dearbhla Devlin, Noah Mullen Clarke and Bobby Amadi.

Meanwhile, in the Dail, Lowry was on his feet.

An irony not lost on young Bobby, who literally fell out of his bin.

(Photocall Ireland)

“Let me say, it is my view that the kind of posturing that was taken up by the new leader of Fianna Fáil, Deputy Martin, em,  you know, with this clean-cut Steve Silvermint image. It won’t be long for the wraps to come offa that.

“I’m sure we won’t have to wait too long before there’ll be some other reports or issues before the House, and when the wraps come off, I don’t think it’ll be smelling of mint for Deputy Martin or any of his colleagues in the party who are so anxious to condemn me.”

Michael Lowry responding to Micheál Martin in Leinster House this morning

And for younger readers:

Previously: Slide Show: Dublin Zoo’s New Baby Gorilla

Aaron Chalke

Via Mushy Pea 007

Monorail.net

OK. You don’t have to be so smug about it.

When will they ever Kop on?

Lol.

The Kop.

Never mind.

Thanks Brian