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apologies for the double post on GAA and non GAA but its really both...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhiOuY7L5Hc

Just saw this today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhiOuY7L5Hc

Brilliant

Armagh remains strong in the sector


http://www.propertynews.com/brochure.php?r=1&c=31978&s=132623345&i=1&p=MPSMPS0046&fp=1&sort=h2l

Certus is the company that is charged by LLoyds (who took over Bank of Scotland and Bank of Scotland Ireland) to recover assets owing to their loan book.

on the board of directors is Joe Higgins and helpfully Certus have provided his C.V.:

He started with Bank of Scotland (Ireland) Belfast in 1996, and has held numerous senior roles including responsibility for Asset Finance, Banking and also the launch of the Retail operations in 2005 before being appointed Chief Operating Officer and Finance Director in 2006.  In March 2003 he was appointed to the Board of Bank of Scotland (Ireland).

In 2007, Joe was promoted to Head of Mortgages in HBOS where he worked for two years before returning as Chief Executive of Bank of Scotland (Ireland) in March 2009.

Joe has extensive leadership, management and change management experience.  He has successfully transitioned Bank of Scotland (Ireland) through its change in ownership from HBOS to Lloyds Banking Group and now to Certus

Certus is the firm that has placed Lough Erne into administration. Lough Erne loans were guaranteed by Jim Tracey's very successful Supervalu in Dublin, a business that has now been put into receivership because of the loans owing at Lough Erne.

I am not for a moment complaining about administrators going after assets against loans with guarantees. Having the genius former CEO of BOS(I) who managed to lose 1.88 Billion Euro in 6 months in 2010, placing a successful business into administration while trying to clean up the mess of loans that he issued in the first place strikes me as a possible conflict of interest at best and more of the disgraceful old boys network at its work in the Financial Industry in Ireland.

Acoustic live for an hour on youtube - still the best live act i have ever seen, deadly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdFETI5OXJ0

and yes it does get a thread of its own :-)

 I saw a report that came out that only one in ten of working class protestant male children in state school in Northern Ireland get to go to University.

That may be one of the single biggest failings of politicians of any hue in the North. Equality begins with education.

Where are the leaders of that community, and surely all political parties in the North should be doing something about this?

Finucane case:

Expect to see more calls for the inquiry

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/dec/13/wikileaks-mi5-files-patrick-finucane

The reasons we love the GAA thread that is definitely the best ever on this board in any incarnation, but I'm looking for GAA related quotes on this one.

I'll start with one from everyone's favourite Corkman Mr Roy Keane:

"The All-Ireland final will beat any World Cup final or European final, trust me. Not that I've been to a World Cup final, but I've been to a few Champions League finals.

"It's about local pride, that's what GAA is – people representing their parishes and the streets where they grew up.

"Gaelic football in Ireland is different. They don't move clubs when they get fed up. They represent the people they're brought up with. It was a great day, I enjoyed it."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoDsbSOE_j8

why do you have to be a little bit nuts to play percussion?

Bullshit. The Brits started it.

I dont think context is necessary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oavMtUWDBTM

this is my nomination with nearly 2 million views

What if the Supreme Court hadn't stolen Gore's election?

http://2010.newsweek.com/essay/if-gore-had-won.html

Looks like Tony miscalculated badly and that he had no support on the Centre right group which dominates the EU parliament- interesting to see who "our" new president will be...

Wile handlin must be explained without using the words "wild" or "handling"
Fierce- as in very -"she's fierce heavy"
"Quare'n" as in very she's quare'n heavy quite heavy but not as heavy as "fierce" heavy.
Kyar- 4 wheeled method of travel, usually a vehicle with a combustion engine, also known as yoke, as in fact is any object who's name doesn't readily spring to mind.
Hurr- follicular growth- usually on top of head
Sturrrr, usually attached to bannisters, facilitators of travel in a vertical plane
"Right'n" - quite- she's right'n'heavy quite plump lassie, not quite as chunky as quare'n heavy girl and certainly many pounds short of right'n heavy girl
Class- see also munya, remarkably good
Kyat- small feline creature, or remarkably bad, see tullysarran or tyrone usage "that's feckin kyat"
Tang (ballyhegan specific) - first rule of tang, there is no tang- see Pitt, Brad and Club, Fight

Glype / clampitt / spanner / jamjar- see Paisley, Ian Jr

apologies- this should have gone in the other thread

it appears as if the world's greatest songwriting duo have split
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8269057.stm

having had a look through the lance armstrong there seems to be a real venom shown by most posters towards those who use steroids/ drugs to train as the consensus seems to be that this is a despicable form of cheating.

I think I wanted to see how offended people were by different types of cheating. For example,

• it is cheating to feign an injury towards the end of the game to run out the clock
• it is cheating to take more than 4 steps
• it is cheating to dive for a free
• it is cheating to pull an opponent en route to a ball
• it is cheating to push an opponent when going for a high ball
• it is cheating to try to get another play sent off when no foul has been committed
• it is cheating to feign another player striking
• it is cheating to use anabolic steroids to train longer and harder to prepare for a season

all of these have taken place in inter-county play yet the reaction to each is vastly different, why is it that  the reaction to drugs is so harsh?

So after 10 years of trying it looked as if some progress was being made by Belfast. A huge investment conference last year was reaping rewards, despite the state of the economy globally, a lot of effort by a lot of people (and surprisingly a few politicians) were about to culminate in the creation of thousands of high paying jobs. One of the legacy of the troubles, thousands of well educated yet underpaid young people was about to become a big attraction for that small number of international firms actually expanding.

Yet along come three weak minded fools who have been told that the killing of 2 soldiers preparing to go to Afghanistan is a blow for the cause. Genius.

We are now left in the situation where the daily lives of those who live in the north will be hugely affected by the decision of a number of loyalists as to whether they should react to this act of unmitigated stupidity. One move and the spiral begins again.

And so it comes to this, we are faced with the British, Irish and European governments having to increase security spending in the north at a time that it cannot be afforded. All this at the cost of money for health, education and infrastructure. This murder of another couple of kids whose economic disadvantage has led them to be preparing to fight in a conflict they don't understand by a couple of kids whose economic disadvantage has led them to be preparing to fight in a conflict they don't understand.

Amsterdam,

oh wise members of the board- I would appreciate any information about Amsterdam as a working location for ex-pats. A Yank friend of mine has been offered a position there for a year, and before he commits would like to hear a bit about it.

If you want to respond here or PM me I'd appreciate it.

HB

just a reminder that its the last week for trading- not that there has been much.

I'm open to offers

The world bank has prepared a report stating that Biofuels have pushed the price of food up by 75%

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/07/exclusive_the_biofuels_report.html

I always had a view that wind, solar and nuclear were better plans than burning food...