Messages

I think...while Steve Jobs was a huge influence in the technological world, his stature was not such that the BBC needed to send a radio team to the Apple Store in Covent Garden to cover the "crowds gathering".  There weren't any (at 8:30am anyway) and the only sign of Jobs passing was a yellow Post-It on the front door.

RIP

Ivan having a right go at Fine Gael for choosing Gay Mitchell. Rightly so. They should have gone with Mairead McGuinness.

Two M McGuinnesses on the ballot paper?  Might have confused some people!!

Christ Quinn Martin - I remember that one now 

How about some Michael D poetry?

Just googled it SS, amazingly, originally released in 1975 it reached no 4 but re-released it reached no 12 the following year!  Jaysus there really was nothing to do in those days!

As I think I'm older than both muppet and Shamrock Shore I seem to recall a "Cold Cold Christmas" around 1976 sometime??

"It's gonna be a cold, cold Christmas without you..."

[Jaysus, that'll be two Sinn Fein #1s by me in the last 2 elections]

I think I'll end up voting for Marty as the best of a bad lot. Jaysus, that'll be two Sinn Fein #1s by me in the last 2 elections. I'll be getting on a list somewhere

That's one SF and one Independent, surely AZ

[(not because she is from the North]

If you told anyone in 2007 that Enda Kenny would be Taoiseach, Michael Noonan - Minister for Finance, Fianna Fáil almost extinct, Gerry Adams a T.D., Ming in Dáil Éireann, Bertie an national pariah, A black president of the United States of America, Dublin All-Ireland Champions, 4 Irish provinces in the Heineken Cup they would have had you committed.

Maybe it will be bible Bunreacht na hÉireann bashing Dana for the suprise win 

Dana is the one thats begining to annoy me the most now (not because she is from the North    ). She will have that book in tatters she waves it around so much.

Born in London...nathin' to do with us!!

England cricketer Graham Dilley aged 52

He of the famous Lillee c. Willey b. Dilley scorecard

[But FG's point is the money would just go to Sinn Fein instead]

The statement clearly shows FG and Gay Mitchel are liars and black propaganaists. Threaten the professional political classes of any hue in the 26 and you get an hysterical response.

But I thought the FG point was that he doesnt give up his £100k plus salary or give it to charity - it all goes to Sinn Fein. Then Sinn Fein pay him whatever they agree.

Marty doesnt dispute this, but I don't see how this makes FG or Gay liars.

When Marty said he'll only take the average industrial wage if he becomes president, a lot of people might have thought that this would save the taxpayer over €200k a year. But FG's point is the money would just go to Sinn Fein instead

I'm nearly sure McG said on the Late Late that any surplus from the Presidential salary would go back to the exchequer.

Bert Jansch, influential Scottish folk guitarist aged 67.

[It just does not look like any main current account I've seen. Certainly not like mine anyway]

Do you think this is the only account he has Ulick? I assume his wife would have one at least, does she work outside the home?

It's probably all grand, and they are only hoping someone asks the question I asked, so they can show the wife's account, and all the bills coming out of it, and Martin's cheques being lodged in that account as well. It just does not look like any main current account I've seen. Certainly not like mine anyway

Aye, it doesn't look like it's massively overdrawn

There are a few (4 or 5) cheques through the account and a DD to a BOI Credit Card which I suppose could be used to pay bills though it would be an odd way of doing it.  But no rent/rates/mortgage payment. OK they might own the house outright but would still be liable for rates.  As AZ says no TV licence (this could be paid in one go or maybe they don't have a telly), no insurance policies etc (these could be paid at once as well), I suppose...

[Irish presidential candidate David Norris claimed disability payments for 16 years]

The whole "Who earns what and where does it come from" getting into full swing and even reaches "The Tele"

From the Belfast Telegraph:

Irish presidential candidate David Norris claimed disability payments for 16 years

By Fiach Kelly
Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Independent presidential candidate David Norris received a disability payment for 16 years while out of work as a Trinity College lecturer -- even though he was a "full-time" senator for the entire period. Mr Norris confirmed to the Irish Independent last night he received the payment, but could not specify exactly how much it was worth. He also refused to say what his disability is. He said the payment was around a quarter of his annual salary, but said he "wasn't getting anything like they get now". The 67-year-old Joycean scholar worked as a tutor and lecturer in Trinity between 1968 and 1994, when he took the disability payment and stopped working in the college.

The payment began in 1994 and ended in July of last year, when he reached pension age. He has since received a pension from the college, worth around €2,500 a month. Mr Norris, who took part in last night's TV3 debate with his six Aras rivals, also receives a senator's salary of €61,073. He also said he spent his annual leader's allowance -- the €23,383 Independent senators receive in unvouched expenses every year -- on his Seanad work. Mr Norris, who was first elected as a senator for Trinity in 1987 and has been returned at every election since, focused on his Seanad career after 1994. However, he would not say what the disability was, and insisted it did not stand in his way of being president, insisting he is in "perfect health".

"And if you look at my Seanad record you see that. I hope we're not going down the medical route of all this but I will do any medical test you want. I just think this is getting daft. It shows how open I am, my life is an open book." But he asked not to go into the disability payment, saying there "was a whole story about that".

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/irish-presidential-candidate-david-norris-claimed-disability-payments-for-16-years-16059212.html

[How will Vincent cope having to appear to be unbiased?]

The presidential debate on tv3 at 9 tonight.  How will Vincent cope having to appear to be unbiased?

He never coped before.

There was a before, right?

Doesn't matter, Martin will wipe his nose with him.

[they would both be going down!]

This whole thing stinks i read the book on it last year and been following it quite a bit and i think its ridiculous that they got off. If i was a juror and she was in front of me they would both be going down!

I think that's what got her into this mess in the first place...

I'll get me coat...

[given that they were each others' alibi, why fall out]

The whole thing stinks. I think the right guy is probably in prison but the behaviour of Knox and her ex-boyfriend is very suspicious. I have no idea what happened but if they were completely innocent was it so hard to hard to stick to a story, why point the blame in the wrong direction and given that they were each others' alibi, why fall out?

One thing that I didn't realise about their relationship until I read it this morning is that far from being a lovey-dovey couple, Sollecito and Knox had only known each other for a week before the murder.  Now I'm all for love at first sight but...