Messages

[RoI: Southern & Eastern 42,979 55,991]

Pensions were a red herring scare tactic to frighten the older voters.
Didn't pensioners in the 26 get paid after the Free State was set up?
And no doubt Czechs and Slovaks did after they went their separate ways.
Those Scots paid into the system for 40/50 years so their pensions would be sorted out in the Transitional arrangements.
I'm still wondering why prescribing anti biotics for viruses will derail a UI though

Everyone in the BMW region and NI should read this document

https://www.esri.ie/system/files/publications/OPEA173.pdf

There is a very interesting chart in page 6

Munster and Leinster GDP per head is about twice that of NI and Border, Midlands,  West

Table 1: Per capita GDP in US dollars, constant 2010 prices, constant PPP 2000 2014

RoI: Southern & Eastern        42,979 55,991
UK: Northern Ireland             26,217 28,159
RoI: Border, Midlands West    25,931 27,369

The reason is the multinational export sector.

Would that change if NI were to join the ROI? How many companies that are located in Cork or Galway might look to Belfast or Derry for a larger talent pool now that they can get the same tax concessions? It happens in other countries all the time.

The way Beto and co are trying to energize their campaigns off the back of these shootings is really sick , again the end game for the dems and the news networks is to make sure trump is not re-elected
Also I am in favor of banning any automatic weapons being sold to the public

To be fair change is made by emotion. Were you sickened when Bush used 9/11 as a reason to invade Afghanistan? It's terrorism, it's time people stop splitting hairs between domestic homegrown terrorists vs how it's ok to invade more than 2 nations because we want to fight terrorism.

Is the match on TV?

An ordinary ending for an extraordinary series, but I enjoyed it all.

Hope there's spin offs, someone was convincingly telling me last week there's a prequel about the Mad King era in production already? Haven't investigated tbh. Ayra going East could be very interesting and is a blank canvas.

Pretty sure two of them are Roberts rebellion, and the long night. Could see Arya going west be the third if she wants her own show but thought she was getting involved with marvel's X-men stuff like Sophie

We need to get to a place where united Ireland vs the Union is not green vs orange ... for those who promote a UI, they need to show why it is better both culturally and economically.  Likewise, those who promote the status quo of the union, need to explain in great detail as to why the union is better.  Let's have that big discussion and see where it goes, it may take the next 10+ years to have it, but let's have it.  Just demanding one or the other blindly does not suffice.

IMO NI is a failed entity, Unionists have failed NI, partition has failed this whole island.  But my opinion is worth nothing unless I back it up with hard facts.  My unionist colleagues in work have no argument to the economic fact that NI is a public sector dependent basket case.  Where's Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Intel, IBM, HP etc etc based in the north?  Nowhere is the answer.

Successive British governments and their policies here have helped make the north a basket case. That's why there's no sign of google or Apple up here.

Are google and Apple in RoI because they are successful economies or because they are tax rate whores? If uk lowered corporate tax or allowed a lower rate in NI would NI compete with RoI for these mobile firms?

Highly doubtful. It's too theocratic for the California tech company company culture .

So is the belief the rule is shit because people can switch or because the granny rule is too far removed to truly have allegiance to a country? I can't speak for every irish american but I'd be able to play in ireland (mom) usa (born) and italy (dads parents) and I'd play in that order respectively so there's plenty of people who'd play for ireland based on at least parent rule. But I fully believe that when you move up, friendlies or not, that should count as choosing your country.

MP's salaries have gone up from 65,000(2010) to 77,000(2018)...... how's that for austerity?
It never ceases to amaze me that the general public in the UK roll over and take it.....same in Ireland.....whereas in France there are multiple demonstrations. The sooner people realise that the French way is the only way we are going to see change the better.

That's not a very high salary. Most 23 year olds on their first job in top cities in US would make that. But they work hard unlike the French who like their short working weeks. The French way will never work - just results in a stagnant economy based on protectionism. They have been rioting for decades and things just getting worse.

Having been a 23yr old in the US with a college degree that lived in a major city I can say this is false. I was in sales that's 30-40base with bonuses, roommate in finance was at 45, his girlfriend was accounting making 55, another roommate at 40 in advertising. The person I knew who was making the most (without a Masters) was in consulting and that was 75k or about 59k in pounds.

Fairytale of NY
Fairytale of NY Live
Fairytale of NY cover

More Seriously

Fairytale of NY- Pogues
Run Run Rudolph- Chuck Berry
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo- Trans Siberian Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uAounOTBYw

Ahh Jasus.
Fair enough, I give me.
Brexit means farmers out of a job, steroids in our beef, chlorine chickens, Ecoli in our lettuce and maggots in our fruit. Everyone happy now?

How do Americans survive?

Badly, especially the poor;

https://stateofobesity.org/data/

American food standards are a race to the bottom as the large lobby groups from these sectors wield far too much power.

In the states it's called body shaming if you say they're surviving badly so you can't point out this problem.

But more seriously it has to do a lot with food deserts as well. In The inner cities a lot of decent grocery stores refuse to open thus making the locals have no other options but the crap you get at corner stores, dollar stores, etc where you end up with the horrible quality of food.

Galway is Handsome Burger.

Has anyone tried Wowburger in Mary's hardware in Dublin? Loved it but it might've been due to the pints

Au Cheval back in Chicago is usually rated one of the top in the country

Agreement reached?

https://www.rte.ie/news/2018/1113/1010667-brexit-deal/

In perhaps the strangest announcement in a long time, Floyd Mayweather is set to fight a 20 year old Japanese kickboxing potential superstar in the Rizin Fighting Federation in Saitama on New Year's Eve. Rules, weight, money etc completely up in the air. Mental.

Has to be having money problems...there's no reason for him to do this at his age

And their other mate Farage is now  'actively being investigated by the FBI'

Can you tell the future? Yesterday I hadn't seen a word about his status being upgraded now it's all over.

Has McGregor not earned enough money to last him several lifetimes?

If he spent like a regular individual sure. But as long as he lives like a king he'll keep running into the classic fighter problem where you need to fight every few years even after you're well past your prime and losing. We'll see if that Whiskey venture is profitable enough to keep him out of the ring. I doubt it though and he's certainly not scaling back his lifestyle anytime soon.

Hats off - this one looks the business!

Not bad but the preview made it look like there might be a Mayo watermark on it which would've been pretty unique