A 70th anniversary tribute, of a kind, to the iconic 1947 Flaminio Bertoni-designed Citroën H Van.
Created by builder Fabrizio Caselani and designer David Obendorfer, the 2017 ‘H-type’ is actually a series of external panels, refining the shape of the original commercial van’s panels, bolted to a Citroën Jumper.
The kits will be built by FC Automobili and limited to 70 units, for sale in Italy.
Below: for comparison, a restored 1947 H-type.
‘sup?
Dublin Zoo writes:
Dublin Zoo is thrilled to announce the birth of a male Asian elephant calf. Proud mum Yasmin gave birth to the healthy calf on Monday afternoon after a 22-month gestation period. The calf is estimated to be 1 metre tall and weighs approximately 130kg.
This new arrival is Yasmin’s fourth calf and the sixth elephant calf born at Dublin Zoo in less than three years.
…Dublin Zoo is inviting the public to suggest a name for the new arrival based on his Asian origin. Name suggestions can be submitted at Dublin Zoo.
Thanks Cormac
A rather wonderful mashup by DJ Cummerbund of Earth Wind & Fire’s September with Ozzy Osbourne’s vocal from Crazy Train.
This morning.
Dublin castle,
Taoiseach Enda Kenny carrying Lexi McKeon (7 months) and, to their left, Simon Harris (32 years), Health Minister, help launch the Healthy Ireland Network, which aims to boost “the national movement for health and wellbeing”.
Leah Farrell/Rollingnews
Meanwhile…
You and I may believe the problems facing this country are legion but we must accept that these were none of his concern.
All the ills and injustice deepened by his policies are not error or oversight but perfectly desirable features of how Enda Kenny believes the world should work.
You have to look very hard to find any measure imposed by the Troika that Fine Gael would disagree with. Every incarnation of the party dating back to independence and before has shown contempt for the vast majority of Irish people in the interest of the wealth and privilege they represent.
Rather than some so heroic fight to bring the country back from the brink, the bailout provided perfect cover to remake Ireland in their own warped image.
“The best small country in the world in which to do business” – that was the extent of his vision for Ireland. A modest ambition for a country that never had any issue in facilitating the needs of capital.
If anything, it was already too easy to do business in Ireland provided your business was finance, property or farming exports.
Kenny’s very first outing as Taoiseach was a conference of the Irish Funds Industry Association where he gave the keynote address. The main takeaway from that speech as noted on the lobby group’s website was the prime minister assuring financial services that his “door is always open”.
Not so for those at the sharp end. You needn’t have me repeat here that list in full. Soaring house prices, rents, debts and suicides. Decimated public services, deliberate rural decline, etc. Nor need we run through every twist a turn of his six year premiership because we’ve each witnessed it.
There is little point raising these facts now as he prepares to step down. Long prepared newspaper supplements and well rehearsed media punditry will do the usual routine with no one remarking that Enda Kenny leaves politics having fulfilled exactly the job he had to do. A sycophant in Europe and puppet at home was all in a days work. Housing crises, desperate lone parents and crooked cops have no baring on his record.
Commentary will instead commend him as a ‘canny operator’. He will be lauded for hanging on in spite of increasingly grotesque scandals exposing the dark heart of this country, whatever of the casualties.
Enda Kenny survived.
Just as the regime he led continues to exploit, demean and prosper for it. It may be cruel. It may be shambolic. But we cannot judge his role in it as other than a success.
FIGHT
Enda Kenny – The Most Successful Taoiseach Ever (OireacthasRetort)
The magnificent sand sculptures Of Toshihiko Hosaka (pic2), who’s been refining his granular oeuvre for two decades. Aside from a hardening spray applied to protect the finished sculptures from erosion by the wind and sun, the only material he uses is sand.
Earlier this month, Hosaka’s three-days-in-the-making tribute to 16th century Japanese swordsman Musashi Miyamoto (top pic above) won first prize at the Furlong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival in Taiwan.
They’re back.
Are Ya Having That writes:
Leather Jacket Guy and Johnny BS open a secret package from Dayton, Ohio!
Simon Coveney launches campaign #iestaff https://t.co/sKZ1XRPLZC via @McConnellDaniel
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) May 18, 2017
More as we get it.
Fight, etc.
Rollingnews
Top pic via Shane O’Reilly
Meanwhile…
BREAKING: Michael Noonan to step down from cabinet and will retire at next GE @TodayFMNews pic.twitter.com/IMQwsRMMZZ
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) May 18, 2017
Don’t let the door, etc.
Mary Black
On The Late Late Show…
Gareth Naughton writes::
The Late Late Show celebrates the career of one of Ireland’s most beloved singers this week with a Mary Black special tomorrow night.
The Black Family – Mary, Frances, Shay, Michael and Martin – will reunite for a performance. She will also be joined by the next generation for two very special performances with son Danny O’Reilly, lead singer of The Coronas, and daughter Róisín O.
Paul Burrell was Princess Diana’s rock for a decade until her untimely death almost 20 years ago. He’ll be giving viewers the inside track on the royals…
As Enda Kenny bows out as Taoiseach and a leadership battle kicks into gear in Fine Gael, Independent TD Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran will be in studio to chat about what lies ahead for new politics…
Ryan Tubridy will be catching up with Irish garden designer Diarmuid Gavin as he prepares to bring his Chelsea Flower Show medal winning garden to Dundrum.
*plunges garden hoe through telly screen*
The Late Late Show on RTÉ One, tomorrow at 9.35pm.
RTE reports:
The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network is to close following a review of its operations.
…The charity was mired last month in controversy when it emerged that the Charities Regulator was looking into its finances and has requested three years of credit card statements and accounts.
Three employees are being made redundant.
The author of the report into alleged financial irregularities at Glen said the charity was facing challenges on five different fronts.
[Speaking RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, former senator Jillian] Van Turnhout stressed that there was no misappropriation of funds in Glen, but she described the use of credit cards at the charity as “incredibly poor practice”, although it came from a good intention to not leave employees out of pocket if they paid for things for the organisation.
..She said the board had always prioritised the community it serves and the helpline [1890 929 539] provided by Glen would continue.
Charity Glen to close following review after financial issues raised (RTE)
Clockwise from top left: Sgt Maurice McCabe, Mr Justice Peter Charleton, Garda Keith Harrison, Superintendent David Taylor, and Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan
Yesterday evening.
Supreme Court judge Peter Charleton published his first interim report on the Disclosures Tribunal.
In it, he loosely outlines when certain hearings pertaining to the tribunal will take place (more on this below)
In addition, he lists the parties – including journalists – who have been represented before the tribunal so far, and who represented them.
In relation to journalistic privilege, Mr Charleton writes:
Another privilege that is claimed is in respect of those who engage with journalists in the public interest to enable them to carry out the vital role of calling democratic and executive institutions to account. Some journalists have given witness statements in which they have helpfully specified conversations that have taken place outside of what they perceived to be the cloak of any such privilege, if it exists.
Others have refused to say whether there is any relevant testimony which they might offer. The extent of that privilege and the circumstances under which is arises are both likely to occupy time.
As for his appeal for cooperation from all interested parties, when he made his opening statement about the tribunal, on February 27, 2017, Mr Charleton said:
“There were many useful pieces of correspondence received, including from concerned members of the public, though the general level of response was very disappointing.”
In addition:
“On 30 March 2017, the Tribunal sat to hear applications for representation from interested parties… On that day, several representatives of journalists indicated an intention to apply for representation but declined to answer any questions from the tribunal as to whether the individual or organisation seeking representation even had any relevant testimony to offer the tribunal.
It is important to record that not all journalists or media organisations took that approach. The full transcript of that hearing and the ruling of the tribunal as of 3 April 2017 are both available on the tribunal’s website.”
On the tribunal’s intended schedule, he writes:
The Tribunal is grateful for the co-operating of parties in its work to date and it is hoped the Tribunal will conclude hearing evidence before the end of this year.
It appears useful to the work of the Tribunal to divide its consideration of matters into about five substantial sections. What follows is only an outline.
Of pressing public concern is whether or not files in certain State agencies, who here might be identified as Rian, the Health Service Executive and the Child and Family Agency, otherwise Túsla, were created and distributed or otherwise used by senior members of our police force in inventing or furthering a false allegation of sexual abuse against Sergeant Maurice McCabe.
This will be the first section of public hearings. It is hoped to engage in these and to complete them in July of this year. Progress on this matter has moved very far but the analysis of relevant computers is essential and there are further interviews to be conducted by our investigations.
Concerns in relation to Garda Keith Harrison and his family and the same State agencies might be regarded as being similar in kind, if not in detail, and it is hoped to engage in public hearings on that issue in September of this year. Again, considerable work has been done.
As to what may have been briefed to the then Garda Press Officer, Superintendent David Taylor for dissemination to journalists by former Commissioner Martin Callinan and then Deputy Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan, this is the subject of an inquiry in respect of which public hearings are hoped to be held, perhaps following a short break, in November.
Allied to this section are concerns in relation to an engagement between former Commissioner Martin Callinan and John McGuinness TD that is said to have taken place on 24 January 2014, in a very specific location, according to the terms of reference.
These sections do not seem to be divisible and evidence on one may be of assistance in the determination of what attitude was taken by those senior officers to Sergeant Maurice McCabe, if any, and as to how they responded or acted.
A specific, and it would seem relatively short inquiry, is to be made in relation to broadcasts on RTE of 9 May 2016. This, in fact, consisted of several broadcasts and commentaries, and as to whether Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan was influencing, or had dictated, the terms of these in some way.
The O’Higgins Commission was of course the subject of the commentary in relation to these broadcasts. It may be logical to consider that with the question as to whether false allegations of sexual abuse or any other unjustified grounds were inappropriately relied upon by the Commissioner during the hearings before Mr Justice Kevin O’Higgins.
It is hoped to dispose of these matters in December of this year. It is not within the terms of reference to re-run the O’Higgins Commission but, instead, that report is part of the evidence before the tribunal. It might usefully be read by all interested parties.
Read the interim report in full here
