What you want to say… Open Thread, 5th July July 5, 2012
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Culture, Economy, European Politics, Irish Politics, Sinn Féin, The Left, US Politics.trackback
This was meant to go up yesterday, and with added Independence Day Greetings, but something weird happened with WordPress. So belated greetings to all those who are reading this from the US or come from those parts.
As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXyN0InzCdw Greg Palast talk on Fracking and related matters from tuesday evening in Ireland Institute
Been reading some of Simone Weil’s early (1930s)
essays. Interesting and well-written stuff.
The Pope has knighted John Hume :
The Nobel Laureate and former SDLP leader, 75, whose dialogue with Sinn Féin paved the way for the end of violence and the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, was made a Knight of St Gregory for his peace work.
An SDLP spokesman confirmed the honour.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/pope-knights-hume-for-peace-work-558100.html
Was at the Stone Roses last night in the Phoenix Park. Mixed reports on the gig but personally I thought it was really excellent, especially when the light started to fade and the band notched it up with some of the tunes that you just can’t help belting out yourself to help Ian Brown out a bit (his voice was a bit flat in places). But once it got going it was mighty, haven’t enjoyed a performance so much in years. Support band was the Wailers who set a very nice mood as people were spilling in, and before them Mick Jones who I only caught the very end of. It was my christmas present so I didn’t feel guilty at the extravagance. They’ll be playing again in Belfast in late August and as it’s my birthday today I’m thinking maybe another splurge at ticketmaster might be in order…
Was anyone else here at the gig?
I wasn’t but I heard good reports of it. Sounds great. And happy birthday.
Yeah, no way was I gonna miss this, even with Pats playing in Europe on the same night.
Caught the last twenty minutes or so of The Wailers and it was a case of “Oh dear”, but then again, the very first gig my folks ever let me go to was Bob Marley & The Wailers in Dalymount so whoever’s doing vocals for them now was never really gonna bear comparison.
Thought the Roses were excellent, particularly the last half hour or so – Made Of Stone, This Is The One, She Bangs The Drum, I Am The Resurrection, all the anthems you just wanna roar out. Although you’d expect the bloke on stage to be able to sing a bit better than the 45,000 people joining in. The first half of the gig was less of a mass karaoke so the flat vocals were more of an irritant then, but Reni, Mani and Squire were sensational all the way through.
Overall, not quite the epic I was expecting beforehand but pretty damn good. I s’pose one point of comparison would be to Primal Scream when they were touring “Screamadelica” last Xmas and I’d have to say Bobby Gillespie and co came out ahead.
The Crooked Timberites are having a lot of fun needling libertarians:
http://crookedtimber.org/2012/07/06/markets-and-freedom-common-mistakes/
I found this in another part of the forest: a PIRA propaganda poster from the early 1970s -
http://imgur.com/W0h7n
A very stark image that could almost be (but isn’t) Jim Fitzpatrick. Was stuff like this common back then? I presume with the slogan “your brothers are fighting, why aren’t you” it was intended for use in the 26 counties.
it’s certainly very striking.
Nice fascist fell of it
Euro 16,800.00, for one house.
That is basically what was paid in Sneen, Co. Kerry today.
The Allsop Space auctioneers sold a development of 14 houses for the total amount of Euro 235,00.00.
Yet, in years to come, anyone who might try to buy even the cheapest house in their locality, would be told they were silly if they offered the amount of …. Euro 16,800.00. And yet, this is the reality for…. an investor?… of today. hmmmmm
People on rent allowance should ask their C.W.O. for a Note of the Total Amount Paid to their investor, aka Landlord.
And at ALL Local Authority offices there should be a full One-Day Open Meeting, annually, for Housing Applicants; where they can query the mandarins of the local authority about what housing there is, what housing ‘associations’ are in the area, the design of any future developments, and query regarding what amounts are allocated from the yearly national budget, and what it is spent on.
How molly-coddled do these ‘risk-takers’ want to be? When these investors (being audacious enough) apply for a buy-to-let mortgage, are they not aware that it is a risk?
There are over “65,000 (of the 96K on the housing list) in private-rented, on supplements”, and if they are moved to Social housing “we have not got empty rental stock and the danger is that they (the owners of investments) start to default on their mortgage and the Buy-to-Let becomes a problem”.
The above was stated yesterday on The Week in Politics programme on RTE. Furthermore, it was stated ‘The State must keep paying rental supplements “or risk even more mortgage defaults” as “You Have To Have People To Occupy Those Houses”.
So, the Government, doing their level best to give ‘second houses’ away.
whoops, – that should be “we have now got” empty rental stock
Disappointed to see that Seanie Johnston has sustained an ‘injury’ for the upcoming cavan-kildare match.
Most unedifying behaviour on the whole on his part, which does the association no favours. His 90 second ‘hurling career’ in particular I found shabby. Was rather looking forward to him being given a warm welcome in Breffni Park.
I know the Indo is the enemy but I just had to cut and paste this piece from yesterday – about North Korean leader Kim whatsisname’s alleged new parter and ex-pop singer.
” Responsible for a string of hits that included Footsteps of Soldiers, I Love Pyongyang, She is a Discharged Soldier and We are Troops of the Party, her popularity reportedly peaked in 2005 with the song Excellent Horse-Like Lady.”
Excellent Horse-Like Lady. What I’ll be listening to this weekend.
Excellent Horse-Like Lady: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5tkXgw2OMY