Limerick Blogger suggests Give a digout to people who deserve it and provides details of charities like MILFORD CARE CENTRE, LIMERICK ANIMAL WELFARE, REDEMPTORISTS CHRISTMAS APPEAL, SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL and THE SAMARITANS
I’ll be running 5 miles shortly in aid of ALJEFF - Suicide Centre and Adapt House Services; ECE funrun
Digouts for charity (donations) are more than welcome…
Nothing much to say really - a few quid here and there which will be meaningless after 5% inflation (caused instead of combated by government policy).
Quite significantly - EU states have agreed a major change in VAT. Now, VAT on e-commerce, telecommunication and satellite television services will go to the country where the consumer is, rather than where the service provider is located. Amazon, Paypal, Skype and Apple’s iTunes are based in Luxembourg partly because of their 15% VAT rate (EU minimum on services). Under these new rules, Luxembourg will probably lose EUR 220m per year.
This moves the VAT collected from low-tax economies to enconomies with a large number of customers and/or high tax rates.
This is worrying for Ireland because a similar principle has been suggested by the same commissioner (Laszio Kovacs) and Charlie McCreevy has some out strongly against it. See this article from the Indo.
Luxembourg used it’s veto twice and were granted a delay until 2015 and 30% of VAT until 2018. I would expect Ireland to use it’s veto too but what caused Luxembourg to cave in ultimately? Size?
Wholesome and safe (the more risky stuff is below the 2nd video)
Style Treaty is a lifestyle blog for Limerick.
Via Ze Frank - early episodes of Sesame Street have been reissued with a warning that the content is not suitable for the needs of today’s children Here is a nice slow-paced video about cows:
Interesting speech on wireless spectrum and regulation (this guy is quite a good speaker) Via Brough Turner
Via Fastlad Passive-Aggressive Notes
A little late for World Aids Day (1st Dec) but this is from EUtube - “Chess Love - safe sex is a game for two”
Very un-pc and NSFW!
Phil discovers topless ladies playing a Nintendo Wii - Nuts magazine
Via Damien A tribute to Dialup Dempsey (the man who also screwed provisional drivers….defended by Bertie Ahern)
Do battery indicators on phones etc lie? - User-hostile battery strength indicators
Those crazy Saxons - they decided to move a 660-ton church 12km down the road on a truck…
ViaTom Raftery - Funny Virgin Atlantic Ad
Nasty hotels - Fox news finds some shocking stuff (via ZeFrank)
Did you check your glass skitz?
Some photos and videos from the 2007 National Conference. Highlights included the election of UL YFG members Barry Walsh (President), Liam Quinn (Vice-President) and Eric Keane (National Panel). Keynote speeches were given by Enda Kenny TD, Lucinda Creighton TD and George Hook. Mairead McGuinness MEP hosted the Motions session, Damien English TD provided a FG response, Leo Varadkar TD chaired the candidates debate and Cllr Sean McKiernan chaired the amendments to the constitution. Also in attendance were Brian Hayes TD, Olwyn Enright TD and I missed the opening by Bernard Durkan TD and the debated chaired by Richard Bruton TD. The N7 before Roscrea was closed and I still don’t have a GPS device. Even Maynooth wasn’t sign-posted on the N7 - only places like Naas, Sallins and Straffan…
Speech by Liam Quinn - YFG Vice-President:
Speech by Eric Keane - National Panel:
Part of Speech by Barry Walsh - YFG President
some words of wisdom about how and why IBM nearly disappeared which applies across industries - http://url.ie/6u8
Via Google Research Blog Extra, Extra - Read All About It: Nearly All Binary Searches and Mergesorts are Broken
Via Damien Remember the upcoming National Dig Out day for Bertie and all the ministers who have to buy their own tea - the tragedy!
And also this vid; Fianna Fail - Never Resign:
Via Adam Chuck Norris endorses American Politician
Day 2 of the science week ireland blogging thing and the question is “What invention do you want to see most in the future?”
Daran has pointed out a development in energy production (conversion) which leaves me looking for my 2nd wish and that is….
An invention to access information anywhere. Something like an ultra-cheap data network that provided voice, video and data to anyone that wanted to access it, even in 3rd world countries with poor infrastructure.
Today someone got a bill of €710 from o2! Mobile data isn’t cheap in most countries still….
Information is incredibly valuable and unlike natural resources, it isn’t a limited resource. The invention of writing, the printing press, the telephone, the television and the Internet have all had a profound impact on our personal and business lives. It is scary for those who don’t know the implications and every invention can be misused but most of these inventions have been beneficial.
Broadband for those who can’t get it: National broadband contract to be awarded mid-2008. How long will it then take to be rolled out?
In July 2000, the Government approved the development of a metro system for Dublin. Particular priority will be given to the development of an early link to Dublin Airport - Fianna Fail manifesto 2002
Heads of Bill (i.e. only an outline) for civil partnership are due in March 2008. Moving from civil unions (same as marriage but same-sex and different name) to civil partnerships means that the complexity increases exponentially. I’d make a wild guess that the bill won’t be passed until 2010 or later. Just ask yourself:
Can brothers/friends/partners in a civil partnership get married?
They will have to examine (and have consultations) on every co-habitation arragement and come up with specific rules for many complex areas of family law, inheritance law, social welfare entitlements etc. Consider some of the combinations:
What would happen if two bachelors were in a civil partnership, Bachelor A falls in love with a woman who moves into the house with her son. Now imagine that Bachelor A dies. Does his partner have a right to live in the house, sell her half of the house? Does her son have a right to inherit half the house or the whole house eventually. Does Bachelor A have to dissolve is partnership with Bachelor B before entering a partnership with the woman? Can he have a marriage and a partnership at the same time? Does she enter the partnership with Bachelor B by marrying Bachelor A? Does her son join the partnership too? Does Bachelor A have any responsibility for the son of his partner? If Bachelor A and his partner die, does Bachelor B have any rights or responsibility for the son of Bachelor A’s partner? They may be complete strangers or a close-knit “family”.
and another nugget from the FF manifesto in ‘02:
Fianna Fáil will support the development of new air passenger services and the maintenance of existing services at Cork and Shannon, recognising in particular the vital importance of daily transatlantic flights from Shannon for employment in the entire region.
Does that mean that the government will encourage Aer Lingus to stop in Shannon like they encouraged them to keep the Heathrow link?
Eamon Ryan sounds like a helpless schoolboy with a pet project on Morning Ireland (skip to 4:20 for the helpless bit) via Harry McGee.
We have a cat like this via ellybabes
Via Paul - How to be the perfect girlfriend (VideoJug parody)
There is an interesting reaction to crime sometimes. Often I hear
While all this may be true to some extent, there is a certain right to security and it should never be acceptable that there are areas where you cannot go without fearing for the safety of you or your property.
One of today’s incidents: Thieves remove three tonne safe from recently opened Aldi store, CCTV disabled
I personally know people who have had bikes, cars, PCs, laptops, cameras, money and wallets stolen. Other people have had cars keyed, covered in rubbish….
Funnily enough, people always ask for CCTV first but what can a low-paid security guard do? The Gardai on the other hand probably have an idea of who did it but need the manpower, time and resources to get the evidence. If they were well resourced, they could even go about dealing with the numerous petty crimes like stolen bicycles. Think of the benefit to the environment!
