Nealo & Uly – You Can’t Go Home Again

Smooth.

Dublin hip-hop acolyte Nealo (top) and his friend Uly’s collaboration displays a great contrast in vocal styles over a slinky, soulful tune which can be found on Nealo’s forthcoming debut album.

Nealo explains:

“You Can’t Go Home Again is about leaving. It’s a song about missing both a person that you love, and a city that you love. No one stands untouched by emigration. We have all left cities and friends behind, or have had friends leave in search of a better life, an adventure, or a future for themselves.

“This one is an ode to the people and cities that I had to leave behind, and that each time I left, I never felt like I was the same person after. Everything changes with the miles and years.”

The video is directed by Bobby Zithelo.

Nick says: Home truths.

Nealo

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has launched a campaign targeting food waste

Now Xi has proclaimed it a sin
To throw decent food in the bin
Will a speech on the plate
Distract from the fate
Of the Uighurs? That’s high level spin

John Moynes

Reuters

Last night/this morning.

Lake Hughes in the Angeles National Forest, Northern California, USA.

A fast-moving brush fire has scorched about 10,000 acres prompting evacuations for at least 100 homes.

Hundred Homes Evacuated After 10,000-Acre Fire Erupts in Lake Hughes (NBC)

Green Party Cork City Councillor Dan Boyle

It is midweek in the middle of August. Instinct would indicate that not a lot should be happening, and certainly a lot less.

I’m calling to a number of residents at their request. One has a planning concern. They physically want me to see the nature of that concern. The other has an issue with housing maintenance.

Between visits I engage in an email correspondence with a Director of Service on why there is seeming reluctance and unnecessary delay, in opening a gate that would allow pedestrian and cyclist access to an amenity park.

I’m also making contact with another official trying to organise a speaker on biodiversity for an imminent meeting.

A local journalist phones to ask for comment on footpath renewals and on the purchase by the City Council of bollards to install along cycleways.

A migrant rings to ask for help in relation to a number of difficulties he is experiencing.

It’s just another day in the life of a local councillor. Always interesting, often frustrating, knowingly and gladly entered into.

The last government commissioned a report to discover what was the workload of elected local representatives, and if that work was being appropriately remunerated. A member of the judiciary was appointed to examine this task.

The Moorehead Report has worked out that, on average, councillors work 33 hours a week. Some more, some obviously less.

Most combine being a public representative with paid employment/self employment. Up to a quarter though act as full time public representatives.

I am one such councillor myself. My circumstances allow me to be so. As someone older and without a need to directly support dependents, my income is adequate, my needs are sufficient.

For others though, first time younger councillors, the expectation of the workload is not matched by income.

Base salary for local councillors in Ireland is about €17000. With expenses this can rise to €25000. The Moorhead Report suggests these should be converted into salary. This has been presented in the media as an €8000 increase, which of course it isn’t.

This week a Green Party colleague has justifiably cited this as a factor as to why he has decided to resign as a councillor, to take up a position in the civil service.

There is no shortage of obstacles that restrict local government in Ireland from being the most effective it can be.

Proportionately, and against the prevailing myth, Ireland has less local public representatives than any other country in Europe. Too few decisions affecting local communities get made by local councillors.

Too many get made in Dublin, too many b unelected officials.

The local councillor gets to interact more with the general public than any council official does; more than many members of the Dáil get to do.

They are more likely to be the first and frequently only recipient of public anger and frustration. As a result they are also more likely to be aware of discontent, its sources and how it best might be responded to.

I like the work. It gives me a sense of purpose. It allows me to believe I can contribute positively.

But it is work, socially useful work I hope. It is work that could be more effective if allowed to operate under the circumstances that prevail elsewhere.

I’m off now to leaflet a few houses.

Dan Boyle is a former Green Party TD and Senator and serves as a Green Party councillor on Cork City Council. His column appears here every Thursday. Follow Dan on Twitter: @sendboyle

This evening.

Phibsborough, Dublin 7.

Anyone?

Thanks Wickedfairysad

Meanwhile…

Behold: the 1964 Jaguar E-Type Semi-Lightweight Coupe – a track monster of its day powered by a 300bhp, 4.2-litre inline-six engine.

This vehicle, painstakingly converted to the racing spec of the original dozen Lightweight Coupes over eight years, features period-correct Dunlop racing wheels and hubs, alloy body panels by Dunford Limited, paint and prep by Jaguar monocoque experts Lindley Motors and final assembly by Jaguar expert Steve Helms.

Arguably, the ultimate Jag restoration – up for auction this week for a mere €150,000-€190,000.

uncrate

The official death toll (top) is clear.

But how many people really died of Covid-19?

Graham Neary writes:

I’ve gone deep into the mortality numbers for Ireland and Covid-19. This is what I’ve learned.

The death toll in Ireland from Covid-19 is officially 1,773. But this includes people who died from other things and people who were presumed to have it.

Analysts for the Irish government counted death notices online and reckoned there were between 851 and 1290 excess deaths by mid-June, with the middle estimate being 1,072.

Instead of using online death notices, I have sought out and gained access to the latest official death registration data, as of the end of July 2020 (above).

And here (above) are all of the monthly results from January to May for each year, ordered from largest to smallest. April 2020 and May 2020 are in red.

Here (above) are the cumulative deaths from January to May for each year

Two big oversights are:

1) Not all deaths for 2020 are registered yet. Officially you have three months to register a death, but I can see from previous snapshots that deaths continue to be registered after three months.

2) The population is growing.

My solutions:

1) I use differences between the end-June database and the end-July database to estimate likely future growth of 2020 numbers for Jan to May, through the end of October.

2) I divide all numbers by the population for each year, to get the monthly mortality rates.

Results:

I estimate that April 2020 was about as dangerous as Jan 2018 and Jan 2017 (flu seasons).

And May 2020 was about as dangerous as any other April or May.

So far, 2020 looks like it has been less dangerous than 2016, 2017 and 2018, based on deaths until May.

It is only looking more dangerous than 2017 and 2019.

What makes April 2020 different? It’s certainly shaping up to have been more dangerous than other Aprils.

And it was: the health system was shut down for many treatments, inpatients were asked to leave early, and many were too scared to attend A&E or their GP.

For England, the ONS estimated 16,000 non-Covid excess deaths were caused by lockdown (.0062 deaths per 1000 people per day).

The best I can do for an initial estimate of deaths in Ireland caused by lockdown is to translate this ONS figure across.

Resulting estimate: 916 deaths caused by Lockdown in Ireland in April 2020.

This wouldn’t leave very many excess deaths available for Covid and other causes

I acknowledge there are large gaps in my analysis. Detailed research (and the passing of time) will provide in-depth explanations for many of the above issues. However, I don’t see why my estimates would not be in the “ballpark” of truth. Please share with me your corrections.

My conclusions:

1) data does not yet support the claim that an extremely deadly virus (e.g. more dangerous than flu) was present and active in Ireland from March 2020.

2) deaths caused immediately by lockdown might have been significantly higher than deaths caused by the virus.

Previously: Counting The Dead

The Reporting Of Deaths

Broadsheet.ie