Should you shop in Oasis.

Sinead Noonan (brunette) and Pippa O’Connor model the Autumn/Winter collection today at St Stephen’s Green, Dublin.

Deirdre Vreeland writes:

Fashion changes from year to year?  You’d never know with this Oasis collection, which replicates somewhat unexcitedly what this brand has been doing so successfully for a few years now: safe, wearable, durable, young-but-not-too-young clothes with an early sixties vibe particularly good for petite figures.

The Peter Pan collar (an Oasis staple since September 2011) is sweet but unoriginal.  And the grey metallic dress is a reworking of a strapless one from the previous season with a modesty vest and sleeves added.

City shorts are notoriously difficult to wear and the styling of the ones in the first pic. make the wearer look like Lady Mary from Downton Abbey from the waist up and Lady Gaga from the waist down. And ankle boots without tights should be left to those lucky women (rare over the age of consent) who need a bit of extra padding on their legs.

On the positive side, the dresses are eminently wearable, even for those carrying a few extra pounds, and the colour of the Peter Pan dress is a nice nod to next season’s beloved hot pink for those fortunate enough to be able to wear it. And it’s lovely to see a navy tweed coat as an alternative to corpseifying black…

Conclusion: If you were to apply the ‘kill, f**k, marry” test to clothes…

(Leon Farrel/Photocall Ireland)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_LyK9IWEos

Oh yes.

Hang Your Head.

Music by Rónán Ó Snodaigh & Friends [Liam Ó Maonlaí; Steve Cooney; Conor Murray; Steve Mogerley; Myles O Reilly and Martin Shärear].

Lyrics by Oliver Cromwell.

At Whelans, Dublin, last week.

Thanks Donal Scannel

Budget
Unlike the other parties, Fine Gael will take on the big vested interests that have contributed to the current crisis – the bankers, the bondholders, the developers and the unions. And we will aggressively cut the waste in our public service to keep all taxes as
low as possible.

Public Sector
Our public sector is too large, too inefficient and too expensive. Fine Gael will improve the quality of public services by prioritizing frontline services – that’s teachers, health professionals Gardaí, Local Authority services etc, and will streamline systems, eliminate
red tape and waste and managers will be accountable. The outdated and inefficient annual budget system will be replaced with an open and transparent system to manage the nation’s finances. Fine Gael’s Public Sector Strategy will reduce the cost of the Public Sector by 10% over the next four years. This will save €5bn by eliminating waste and abolishing 145 quangos.

Still.

Early days.

The Five Point Recovery Plan (Enda Kenny, Mayo FG)

Thanks Lars Biscuits

And here’s where you start paying.

And it’s quite reasonable.

Cathy from the Irish Writers’ Centre writes:

I wanted to share some of our courses, events etc. in the Irish Writers’ Centre on Broadsheet? We’d love to spread the word to encourage aspiring, budding and experienced writers to take advantage of the Centre on Parnell Square. We have some really wonderful classes starting next week and there’s everything from beginning your novel to finishing your novel as well as writing desire and writing for kids. You can have a look through our courses here. If putting this into a limerick of the day might help with this, here’s a limerick:

If you’re lookin’ to find your voice,
and you think a bitta writin’ might be noice,
Come to the north side of Dub,
to our city’s very own literary hub,
The Writers’ Centre will help find your inner Joyce.

Irish Writers’ Centre

 

 

Anyone?

‘The song that’s now heard everywhere about, is Paddy sure don’t care, But tell me Paddy do you think It’s right to care for naught but drink? To waste your money, health and time, No doubt to you is very prime; No girl of sense would e’er incline To have an Irish Valentine, For, if for me you were to try I’d say no Irish need apply’.

 

Charming.

A Valentine’s Card from the 1860s via The Museum of London collection

Thanks Sibling of Daedalus

 

 


The video for Sweater by Belgian popsters Willow – directed by Filip Sterckx and shot – to rather brilliant effect – against two walls and a floor using a treadmill and three projectors.

Here’s how they did it.

dailywh.at

But…

Ross F writes:

My bike was stolen from our locked shed in Cabra [Dublin] on Monday night. It was actually our first night in the new house so I’m absolutely gutted. It would seem as though I was seen unloading it from my car or going for a quick spin on monday evening. The bike was one that was on sale from Lidl a couple of years ago for 800 euro. It’s a black and white Stratos with an aluminium frame and carbon forks. The groupset is Shimano Ultegra. It has a black bottle cage and a black saddle bag.

Although the bike was available from Lidl it is still rare around Dublin (I cycle daily and I’ve only ever seen one other in the city or up the mountains in 2.5 years), possibly due to the fact that it wasn’t elligible for the cycle to work scheme. I’m a poor graduate medical student so there’s no way I can replace it. Thank you so much for your time and your help. I’m just hoping that one of your readers may recognise it.

 

Anyone?

1.28am Update: Ross writes: “Thank you so so so much for featuring the bike. It was thanks to the tip offs in the comments that we got it back. It also looks like Oisín, who contacted me via you guys, will be getting his bike back too. Amazing stuff and I can’t thank the Gardaí in Blanchardstown {Dublin] enough. I was involved in a sting operation with them. A surreal experience. I’m still in shock.”

More as we get it.

 

Now, here’s an idea.

“Unlike the national assembly, the senate is a relatively recent institution, and has become a symbol of government waste. It’s been frequently pilloried and described as an instrument of cronyism, a way to reward loyal party workers who did not get elected to the larger national assembly. Around half the senators are directly appointed by the president.”

 

Senegal Votes to Do Away With Senate to Save Money (ABC)

Thanks Lars Biscuits

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