An excerpt from a speech given before Election day 2016 in which Barack Obama describes the origin of his “fired up, ready to go’ chant, illustrated by animators Emily Eckstein & Ege Alper, Alex Silver, Lynn Tomlinson, Jovanna Tosello, The Duke & The Duck, Amy Lee Ketchum, Juan Camilo Gonzalez, Musa Brooker, Miguel Jiron, Sara Spink, Lou Morton, and Daniela Sherer.
Above from left: Mary Lou McDonald, Michelle O’Neill, Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams
This afternoon.
Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast
Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness joins the health minister, Michelle O Neill, who will take over from former deputy first minister Martin McGuinness who has retired due to illness.
Ms O Neill paid a warm tribute to Mr McGuinness and said she was “following in the footsteps of a political giant”. She said “no-one can replace Martin” but said she would continue the work he started…
Fight!
Michelle O’Neill is Sinn Féin’s new leader north of the border (BBC)
RollingNews.ie/Paul McErlane
Richard T tweetz:
Spotted in Donnybrook Post Office, why on earth would An Post make it harder for folks to buy its core product? Genuine question!
Anyone?
Further to former Anglo Irish Bank director of finance Willie McAteer pleading guilty to fraudulently obtaining a loan for more than €8m from the bank on September 29, 2008.
RTE reports:
Former director of finance at Anglo Irish Bank Willie McAteer has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years for fraudulently obtaining a loan of more than €8m from the bank in September 2008.
The sentence will run concurrently with the three-and-a-half year sentence McAteer is already serving for his part in a €7.2bn conspiracy to defraud, by misleading people about the true health of Anglo.
…On 29 September 2008, Anglo’s share price fell so low that Bank of Ireland was entitled to sell McAteer’s shares without notice.
McAteer informed Anglo that the bank was concerned that the sale of so many shares by a director of Anglo could have had a catastrophic effect.
Anglo decided to give McAteer a loan of more than €8m to pay off Bank of Ireland.
The court heard McAteer did not seek it and did not devise its terms but accepted the loan.
McAteer sentenced to 2.5 years for loan fraud (RTE)
Previously: A €3,000 Fine
Sasko Lazrov/Rollingnews
Andy writes:
A couple of years ago, after I moved to Sydney from Dublin, I set up a page dedicated to photos of dogs tied up outside shops, which has become quite popular. I hope its the sort of thing your readers might enjoy or even contribute to if they spot one!
Mmmf.
A short documentary about Bill Healy, aged 67, his family and lifting weights.
Shot over two half-days in Hercules Club, Lurgan Street, Dublin by Mark Coughlan and Jonathan MacCann.
Music: Darkest Hour by Lyves
Thanks Mark
From top: Dublin Airport; Garda Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll with responsibility for Special Crime Operations speaking to media this morning
Independent.ie reports:
Two Aer Lingus employees were among three men arrested by gardai last night in an investigation into international illegal immigrant smuggling network through Dublin Airport.
The employees are suspected of using catering vehicles to move illegal immigrants directly from planes that landed in Dublin Airport to a car-park outside the facility.
A senior source said that this meant that the illegal immigrants could avoid immigration and security checks at the airport.
Gardai believe that the scam has been ongoing for a number of years and more than 500 people have been smuggled into Ireland this way.”
Sam Boal/Rollingnews
Behold the Southern Cassowary (an image from photographer Robert Clark’s book Evolution: A Visual Record) a flightless bird whose appearance echoes the evolutionary link to dinosaurs.
Handsome chap.
Muscular three-toed foot and long, dagger-like eviscerating claw out of shot.
US President Donald Trump during his inauguration speech last week
CNBC reports:
US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order that will put in motion the renegotiation of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
President Trump is also expected to sign an executive order announcing his intention to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement among 11 other Pacific Rim countries.
He will simultaneously move to commence trade negotiations with the parties of TPP individually. This means the Trump administration will seek one-on-one deals with the other countries involved in TPP, though Mexico and Canada already have a trade deal with the US through NAFTA.
The team expected to lead the negotiations include Wilbur Ross, Trump’s pick for secretary of Commerce and head of the newly formed White House Trade Council, long-time China critic Peter Navarro, and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Trump to sign executive order to renegotiate NAFTA and intent to leave TPP (CNBC)
Pic: New York Times
