Author Archives: Aaron McAllorum

A report by NCB leaves little left to debate:

House prices to fall further 10% from peak

House prices could fall a further 10% from their peak in the property boom of the first half of this decade, the report predicted. “House price declines in Ireland are not over,” says the report.

Domestic economy stagnant

On consumer spending the report identifies those aged 20-45 as least likely to spend further. This is partly due to rising numbers of people in that age group leaving the country, also to the fact that they were a large proportion of those who took out big mortgages just before the property crash.

National debt forecast to reach 113% of GDP by 2013

Projections for Irish gross debt remain staggering, with the report forecasting it will rise to 113% of GDP by 2013.

Ireland To Face Jobless Recovery, Says Report (Guardian)

(Photocall Ireland)

Spider-Man the Musical was meant to open on Broadway on Monday night. It didn’t (it will now open on march 15). Sadly, it didn’t stop the critics from going along to have a look.

“Spider-Man” is not only the most expensive musical ever to hit Broadway; it may also rank among the worst… From what I saw on Saturday night, “Spider-Man” is so grievously broken in every respect that it is beyond repair.

Ben Brantley, The New York Times

The failure rests squarely on [Julie] Taymor’s run-amok direction. This is, after all, her vision, and it’s a vision that has been indulged with too many resources, artistic and financial… The investors of “Spider-Man” have inadvertently bankrolled an artistic form of megalomania. The book, by Taymor and Glen Berger, is an absolute farrago, setting up layers and subplots before the main narrative line has been established.

Charles McNutly, Los Angeles Times

Neither Taymor nor her co-writer, Glen Berger, have found a way to improve the book, a protofeminist stew that foolishly decants the myth of the weaver Arachne into a story that’s incoherent to begin with.

Jeremy Gerard, Bloomberg

More dispiriting is the music… [Bono and the Edge] transformed their sound into stock Broadway schlock pop—sentimental wailing from the early Andrew Lloyd Webber playbook, winceable lyrics and the kind of thumpa-thumpa music that passes for suspense in action flicks.

Linda Winer, Newsday

But it’s not all bad:

Give a kidney to go see ‘Spider-Man.’ I’m telling you, mark my words, it’s being panned right now, nobody’s saying good stuff about it. I’m telling you, you go buy your ticket – you buy your ticket now, if you’re thinking about coming to New York, because when this thing opens and it’s starting to run, you will not be able to get tickets to this for a year. This is one of those shows, this is the ‘Phantom’ of the 21st century. This is history of Broadway being made. I sat next to the casting director, by chance, and I said, ‘You, sir, are part of history.’

Glenn Beck, Fox News

Glenn Beck? Yes, that Glenn Beck.

Gawker

AN ELECTION manifesto with no new spending commitments and no gimmicks was how Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin described his party’s programme launched yesterday. Mr Martin said it fulfilled his commitment to a new kind of campaign from Fianna Fáil and a new politics for Ireland.

Fianna Fail Makes A Virtue Of No Spending Pledges (Irish Times)

NEW Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and the six remaining cabinet ministers will be paid almost €90,000 in severance payments over the next two years, even though they plan to continue as TDs. They will get these payments to ‘compensate’ them for loss of ministerial salaries.

Mr Martin confirmed he will not give up these pay-ments, which Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has promised to abolish for future ministers.

Martin Plan Backfires As He Clings To €90,000 Deal (Irish Independent)

Hypocrisy now. Democracy later.

(Photocall Ireland)

Meet Tim Schraeder,  a “church communications guy” and formerly a pastor of the Park Community Church in Chicago.

Also creator of the very silly word ‘Twolicy’, purloined this week by Fine Gael and up until now seen as a demented FG creation.

Tim left the Park church “following a whisper from God” and now works with “churches around the country helping them think through their branding and communications efforts” including preparing their twolicies.

Tim Schraeder.Com
Fine Gael Twitter Page
Thanks Shiela

The Sunday Tribune is to pursue legal action in response to the Irish Mail on Sunday’s publication yesterday of thousands of newspapers featuring a mocked-up Tribune masthead.

The Mail has been widely criticised for the move, which came as publication of the Tribune was halted due to the appointment of a receiver to the title, putting 43 jobs under threat.

Described by the Mail as a “marketing exercise”, the move saw around 25,000 ‘special editions’ of the Mail being distributed to news outlets mainly in the east of the country yesterday.

The move attracted widespread criticism with Tribune editor Noirín Hegarty describing it as “shameless”.

The National Consumer Agency (NCA) this morning confirmed it is also considering prosecuting the Mail for a breach of the Consumer Protection Act.

Breaking news.ie

Previously: Mock and Awe

Previously: Dear Sunday Tribune Readers