Fully Armed

Admin at 11:13 am July 3, 2015

A posable 6in Venus de Milo action figure from Japanese model maker Figma.

Naturally, she has arms.

The Classic Files

Admin at 10:55 am July 3, 2015

All week Patrick ‘Carspotter’ Cummins has kicked the wheels of his favourite motors from last weekend’s NCBI Classic & Vintage Show.

Today Patrick selects three classics all made in Japan.

1. Daihatsu Charade 5-speed: “Here is a pristine mark 1 Daihatsu Charade. The round headlights featured on model pre-1981 and, owing to its 5-speed gearbox, it probably used the larger 993cc engine.”

2. Datsun/Nissan 280ZX: “Featuring both the Datsun and Nissan symbols, this 280ZX has stood the test of time. For Japanese classic this is particularly applaudable as our Pacific friends used to be prime candidates for rusting to death. The front-end would suggest that it’s a facelift model from 1982 onwards but I’m still not sure.”

3. 1993 Honda NSX: “Although more contemporary than other vehicles on display, this modern classic has timeless styling which, in my opinion, is streets ahead of any of its Japanese supercar rivals (Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline, Mazda RX7 etc.). It’s one of very few Japanese supercars that doesn’t scream Fast and the Furious when you see it!”

Pics: Patrick Cummins

Meanwhile, In Limerick

Admin at 10:51 am July 3, 2015

County Registrar’s Court in Limerick

Another packed courtroom as 200 home repossession cases underway in Limerick registrar’s court, @Limerick_Leader

— anne sheridan (@annesheridan1) July 3, 2015

Two hundred.

Pic: RTÉ

Vintage Dublin Bus Porn

Admin at 10:39 am July 3, 2015

*Slurp*

O’Connell Bridge, Dublin.

Name that model/year anyone?

Via Photos of Dublin

‘Out Of 500 Cases, I Let Two People In’

Admin at 10:34 am July 3, 2015

Former Member of Refugee Appeals Tribunal, Seán Deegan

Seán Deegan is a former Member of Refugee Appeals Tribunal.

Asylum seekers appeal for protection from the Refugee Appeals Tribunal after their initial application for refugee status is denied.

Mr Deegan spoke to RTE journalist Brian O’Connell during a Direct Provision special report on Prime Time last night.

“I would have dealt with, I’d say, about, probably, roughly in around 500 cases. I let in two people in six years. Two ladies, one from Moldova and one from Nigeria. The majority of the cases were not refugees, within the meaning of the statute, or within the meaning of the United Nation’s declaration on refugees, that was quite obvious.”

“It is clear that the majority of people were actually trafficked into this country and then that these people obviously had to have money to get this far. And one’s to surmise that the real refugees are left back at home. Those who can’t afford to pay the trafficker.”

In 2013, Mr Deegan wrote a letter to the Irish Times after columnist Breda O’Brien wrote an article appealing for reform of the direct provision system.

Mr Deegan wrote:

Sir,

Breda O’Brien (“Inhumane asylum seeker system needs radical reform“, Opinion, March 23rd) states, “Our current system also prevents asylum seekers from finding work, and forces them to depend on the meagre bounty of the State. One man said to me that if you had worked in your own country, not even being allowed to apply for a job is like torture.”

If this gentleman she refers to had a job in his own country, why is he looking for the protection of this State – protection that he is claiming, as an asylum seeker, is not available to him in his home country, for such is what a real refugee is.

This man, clearly, is an economic migrant and not a refugee, similar to the undocumented Irish in the US.
– Yours, etc,
Sean Deegan

Thud.

Watch Prime Time in full here