Yearly Archives: 2013

903039499030394790303950Fran Kane and her son JJ outside the Dail today protesting the Government’s decision to proceed with an almost 20 per cent cut to the Respite Care Grant.

Nice Tayto tee.

90303959Fran, JJ and others from the Carers Association gather to lobby members entering Leinster House for  the first sitting following Dail recess.

(Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)

TkULpqrFrom top: Bolton Street, Christchurch, George’s St, Gardiner Street, Parnell Street and Aungier Street

Brendan O’Dowd writes:

More bikes vs cars arguing misses the fact that many cycle lanes are painted on top of car lanes

FIGHT!

dogAnd it’s been great.

But It’s time he moved on.

Dave Darcy writes:

I realise you don’t normally do this but we found this little guy late on Sunday June 9th outside the NCR [North Circular Road] entrance to Phoenix Park [Dublin]. He really wants to go home.
Male, Terrier, Brown & Black with some grey, he’s very well behaved and really friendly. He’s staying very close to where we found him on Infirmary road. He has no tags or chips and all the relevant authorities are informed and the good folks at lostandfoundpets.ie are on the case too. If you can help please contact us through Broadsheet.

Tree-of-Life-Kenya-01-634x422 Tree-of-Life-Kenya-02-634x606An aerial photo by Yann Arthus Bertrand of an acacia tree in Tsavo East National Park in Kenya – a rare source of food and shade in the thorny savanna – frequented by all manner of wild animals, and to which all trails lead.

22words/goodplanet

161584-games-xbox(The Xbox One unveiled at E3 fair in Las Vegas Los Angeles and on sale in November)

John Gallen writes:

Not sure if you are aware but when the pretender to the console gaming throne, I mean the new Xbox One, comes out users will only be able to lend their games ONCE.
That’s it.
The stupid rules on lending / trading games for the Xboxone are here and include:
You can only give Xbox One games to people who have been on your friends list for at least 30 days.
Each game can only be given once.
Anyone can play your games on your console — regardless of whether you are logged in.
Microsoft allows you to gift games to friends but they can’t “borrow” them. Microsoft says of this, “loaning or renting games won’t be available at launch, but we are exploring the possibilities with our partners.”
Xbox One will also allow you to give up to 10 family members access to “log in and play from your shared games library on any Xbox One.”
Note: the above does not apply to 3rd party games, yet.
Anyway, Playstation have come up with an instruction video for lending their games :)

 

Xbox One: Microsoft challenges gamers with £429 price tag

colachocolateLidl, Portarlington, Co Laois and Lidl, Cologne city centre, Germany

Ouch.

Double?

During a recent business trip to Cologne in Germany I called to a city centre Lidl outlet and was pretty shocked to see the price difference between what Lidl charge in the highly competitive German market and what they charge in my local Lidl in Ireland. The prices seem to be higher right across the board but [above] are a few examples .
Other examples included the fact that the lowest cost 2L bottle of mineral water in Lidl in Ireland is €0.54 while in Germany, the cost is €0.19.

So Why The BIG Difference?

  • Could it be rent & rates -It is more expensive to rent a shop at the edge of say Portarlington than in a city centre location in Cologne? I think not.
  • Could it be rates of pay – Again no, Germany does not do low cost labour.
  • How about transport costs? – When our company imports containers of goods from China, it normally only accounts for 2% of the product price, so again there is no logic to it.

Anyone?

Irish Shoppers Pay Double At Lidl (TVtrade.ie)

90303834(John McGuinness. Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee).

Because he’s annoyed some very POWERFUL people.

And by ‘powerful’ we do mean ‘a reactionary, unprofessional and inefficient group of people whose veneration of the status quo and the perks, pensions and pay it gives them is costing this country a very large fortune’.

And not just Fine Gael.

The TD who wants to lead an investigation into the banking crisis, including the role of State institutions, has sensationally claimed that a cabal of civil servants wants to nobble the inquiry.
In the Sunday Independent today, John McGuinness, the chairman of the Dail’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), says “senior public servants” fear the work of his committee which, crucially, intends to investigate events both before and after the night of the infamous bank guarantee.
He says: “There is at the heart of our administration a reactionary, unprofessional and inefficient group of senior public service managers, whose veneration of the status quo and the perks, pensions and pay it gives them is costing this country a very large fortune. It is a disgrace.”
…However, government sources said last night that “under no circumstances” would the PAC be allowed to undertake the investigation.
“It’s a done deal; it seems that [Labour’s] Alex White’s committee will get it,” a source said. But Mr McGuinness says: “Not on my watch without a struggle.”

July 12, 2012

 

John McGuinness TD

Taoiseach says John McGuiness revelations ‘damaging’ to Public Accounts Committee (Irish Independent)

(Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland)