Joe’s Blog

via Twenty Major

So you too can welcome home murdering scum.  The party that likes to party. Yeah.

and from the Wikipedia entry on Detective Garda Jerry McCabe

The PIRA Army Council announced that they were not involved in the killing, leading to suspicion that the attack was not IRA-sanctioned. Bertie Ahern, the Taoiseach, said that he believed the Army Council, calling them honest.

Initially, the killing was denounced by the leadership of Sinn Féin, the political wing of the IRA, but later the party lobbied for the early release of McCabe’s killers under the terms of the Belfast Agreement.

And remember how Bertie played politics with what he described as murderers (i.e. not political prisoners)

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern has said that those convicted of the killing of Garda Jerry McCabe would serve the sentences handed down by the courts. Speaking in Armagh this morning, Mr Ahern said the killers of Garda McCabe would not be entitled to early release from prison under the terms of the scheme which is part of the Good Friday Agreement … Pressed on his use of the term “murder”, the Taoiseach said that as far as he was concerned, Detective Garda McCabe had been murdered.- RTE News 5 Feb 1999

The family of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe, has expressed shock at learning that his killers could be released early from prison.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said earlier the release of Mr McCabe’s killers would have to be part of a comprehensive deal on N Ireland.

He told the Dáil that if a deal is reached, he will recommend that the prisoners be released from jail. - RTE News, 1 Dec 2004

Earlier, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said that the release of the men was part of the sequence of statements and actions agreed last October. - RTE News, 11 May 2004

Do you still trust FF not to go into government with Sinn Féin?

• Martin Cullen, Minister for E-Voting:
  Wasted 62 million on an e-voting system that is now gathering dust in warehouses throughout Ireland.
• Dick Roche, Minister for Dirty Water:
  Failed to provide safe, clean drinking water for the people of Galway.
• Micheal Martin, Minister Who Didnt Read His Nursing Home brief:
  Stood idly by while patients suffered in nursing homes, claimed he didnt know there was a problem because he had not read his brief.
• Michael McDowell, Minister for Injustice:
  Master of tough talk, while detection rates plummet and serious crime rates soar.

UPDATE: Polling has closed and the loser is: Martin Cullen

You’re fired! Minister for E-voting voted off by public in FG poll

The Minister most voters would like to see fired is Transport Minister Martin Cullen, according to an online poll conducted by Fine Gael. The Party’s Seanad Leader Senator Brian Hayes has revealed that the online poll on finegael.ie attracted 2,016 votes, with Martin Cullen emerging as the clear winner with over 40% of the vote.

“It is clear that public anger about Fianna Fáil and the PDs’ profligacy with taxpayers’ money is best exemplified by the e-voting debacle. When Fianna Fáil and the PDs wasted €60 million to foist a flawed e-voting system on a reluctant electorate, not a single Minister carried the can. But the majority of voters in the Fine Gael poll think Martin Cullen should have faced the high jump and would fire him if they were given the chance.

“The Minister the public would next like to fire is Dick Roche. Minister Roche, who refused to take responsibility for contaminated drinking water in Galway, attracted 578 votes. Michael McDowell’s failure to tackle rising serious crime and falling detection rates won him 363 votes while Micheál Martin’s failure to read his Ministerial briefing notes saw him receive 241 votes.”

Wireless Broadband in Kerry and other areas from Permanet, just so you know (black=current, red=no station yet)

So everyone is happy then are they?

meant to blog this ages ago - road sign near Cobh

Killer Sudoku Solver, Killer Sudoku explained

I hear Limerick Radio stations launched a campaign to make sure Limerick stays on the monopoly board. Here is the leaderboard

Lego - it was super, Mario was okay via Bifsniff

Versus a bit more hardcore Mario - the truth behind the mushrooms

Mario: Game Over - Watch more free videos

My favourite radio station while I was in Berlin - Spree Radio - live stream which has loads of 70s, 80s and other favourites

And Novell have their own Get a Mac parody/advert for linux

• following the webchat on RTE about broadband http://url.ie/3xw #

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I’m impressed with Labour’s videos - they are highlighting area’s that have been neglected in a way people can relate to I think. Last night, my jaw dropped when I saw the FF video claiming credit for everthing that is good and green in the country. Even the wavy camera camera began to annoy me in the end - staged and scripted to the nth degree.

Labour: This is Kathleen

Fianna Fáil Party Political Broadcast:

I’ve been out on the election trail with Kieran O’Donnell and I think he has an excellent chance of unseating Tim O’Malley. A few people have asked my what I have against him so I’ve checked a few sources and I’d like to share this with you.

Essentially; Tim O’Malley, junior minister for health suggests that depression isn’t an illness - people are just unhappy!

From Irish Medical News

“There’s a very strong view with a lot of people that depression and mental illness is not a medical condition, that it’s part of life’s events that people get depressed or get unhappy. Years ago people were unhappy, they weren’t depressed, they weren’t given the name depressed.”

He accused psychiatrists of making waiting lists longer to make themselves feel important on Primetime. Calls for his resignation were ignored.

And he accuses Dan Neville of “playing politics” with the issue of suicide. I’ve heard him speak on the issue a few times in person and
there is not a shred of doubt in my mind that this is something he really, really cares about and will work for as long as possible.

He also referred to gay people as not being of a “normal disposition” during an interview on Newstalk in November ‘06 according to Wikipedia and some other sources.

He gets up Sarah’s nose too:
http://www.sarahcarey.ie/2006/10/10/tim-omalley-is-a-dick/
http://www.sarahcarey.ie/2006/12/06/tim-omalley-is-a-dick-2/

And finally, the Fine Gael/Labour agreed policy on mental health is here: REACHING RECOVERY - AGREED AGENDA ON MENTAL HEALTH

ooops, another Apple bug, Quicktime this time - via CNET - Apple plugs QuickTime zero-day flaw and the Apple Security Update

Via Ronan - Dell bargains from the Dell’s ebay outlet store and the Dell Employee Purchase Program - employees of dell and employees of dells business customers a 7% discount. For UK visitors, make sure that you go to the UK Dell ebay outlet store as there are a lot more models only deliverable to the UK there.


That is unless you want an EnergyTree PC. If you are energy-efficient at home, it will feed the tree, but if you are sloppy - the tree will be killed and you should feel guilty.
Via Engadget

And video for today - a dicycle/diwheel

For the cookie monster in UL

And see how Chelsea players blush

And Johnny Five is still alive! via Engadget