I was worried, it’s fair to admit,
About just how this budget would hit,
The things I hold dear,
They put ten cent on beer!
That’s bad, but I don’t think I’ll quit.
John Moynes
Pic: Aranbrew
Mopping Up
at
“At least 125 U.S. companies have registered several hundred subsidiaries or investment funds at 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, a seven-story building in Dublin’s docklands, according to a review of government and corporate records by The Wall Street Journal.”
“The common thread is the building’s primary resident: Matheson, an Irish law firm that specializes in ways companies can use Irish tax law.”
“The building and its myriad occupants underscore the size of the task faced by revenue-hungry national governments hoping to plug leaks in their tax systems. The issue has engaged not only the U.S. Senate, which held hearings on it in May, but the Group of 20 leading industrialized nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.”
“The chasm in tax rates between Ireland and other countries is big business for the Matheson law firm. “The number of companies with registered offices at our headquarters is a natural corollary of our leadership in serving international businesses,” it said in a written statement.”
“U.S. companies can take advantage of Irish tax law in a variety of ways. Matheson didn’t answer a number of questions about the legal services it provides.”
.
Dublin Moves to Block Controversial Tax Gambit (Wall Street Journal)
Previously: They’re On To Us
A Model Town
at
Model maker and photographer Michael Paul Smith has an extensive collection of detailed die-cast model cars and a keen eye for forced perspective.
For the last 25 years, Smith has been honing his craft, setting up miniature vehicle dioramas (mostly against real-world backdrops) to create atmospheric and super-realistic vistas from a fictional town he calls Elgin Park.
The photographer explains his process in an interview with Fstoppers.
(H/T: Barry McKenna)
The Dude AND Fargo.
For free.
AND free popcorn!
There must be a catch.
Details here
Thanks Rob Smith
Tall Aboard
at
Tall ships at the North Quay in Drogheda, Co Louth in the late 19th century, including existential potential stowaway.
Also: blummin’ potholes.
Thanks Irish Archaeology via National Library of Ireland
Mike Edwards writes:
“A short documentary on the Waldorf Barbershop in Dublin City, which has a unique 1940’s style. With the shop having a legacy close to one hundred years, owner Liam Finnegan [top] shares his story of being in a family of barbers, his regular customers and how he became the owner of the wonderful world of Waldorf.”
Club 26
at
Get a hanky.
As you may know Irish farmers have just finished sowing their winter cereal crops….including oilseed rape.
Dr Dara Stanley writes:
I wanted to let you know about a study we have been doing In Trinity College Dublin on crop pollination by bees and other pollinators in Ireland.
Our paper [published online today – link below] found that oilseed rape crops produce 27% less seed when not visited by pollinators, which amounts as a benefit of €3.9 million of oilseed rape pollination to Irish Economy.
Oilseed rape flowers that were pollinated only by wind, where bees and other insects were excluded, produced on average 27% less seed than those that were visited by insects”
Fantastic.
G’wan the bee and others.
However, the story is not all good news. A recent EU ban on certain neo-nicotinoid pesticides for use on flowering crops is based on evidence that these pesticides can harm bees; and these pesticides are commonly used in oilseed rape, especially as seed dressings. This indicates a mismatch between the benefits of pollination to the crop and harmful impacts of pesticides on bees.
Thanks, Dr Buzzkill.
Mmf.
Pollinators and pollination of oilseed rape crops (Brassica napus L.) in Ireland: ecological and economic incentives for pollinator conservation (Dr Dara Stanley, Dara A. Stanley, Daryl Gunning, Jane C. Stout
April, 2013
Today
You’ll recall the slab of concrete that was built as a ‘traffic calming measure’ at Dame Street and Lord Edward Street outside Dublin Castle.
It was built without planning permission at a cost of €15,000. In April, The Sunday Times reported it would cost €4,000 to be destroyed.
Wahey.
Previously: Slab City
Via Caroline Kennedy