The Bikes Have FINALLY Arrived

(See April 12 2009)

Graffiti near Thomas Street

Leonard Peltier - Latest news

I wrote a blog on January 29, 2009 about Leonard Peltier. Here is a message from Leonard which I am copying from Máirtín Ó Muilleoir's "From the Balcony - A Publishers Blog"

Charter Medical Group - A Health Warning

I am a very infrequent visitor to Doctor's surgeries and can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've been in the last 10 years. So as the deafness in my left ear got worse and the 3rd trip to the Chemists brought no improvement I decided to look for a Medical Practitioner in my area. A neighbour told me that there was a new walk-in Medical Centre in Smithfield so I decided to go there. It's a posh new building in Smithfield Square and the friendly security lady on the ground level directed me to the Charter Medical Group on the 1st floor. There, the Receptionist told me I could see a Doctor, but they were busy and I would have to wait possibly up to an hour, or maybe longer. "Well OK then, I suppose I have to wait, How much is it to see a Doctor?" "Do you have medical insurance?" "No". "Well, it's €105 (One hundred and five Euro)".

I had been warned to expect to be charged fifty or sixty Euro - but €105 (one hundred and five)? They should publish a health warning on front of the fancy brochure extolling the virtues of Charter Medical Group!
Let's see - 4 patients per hour = €420. Let's say 6 hours per day. = €2,520. Let's say 5 days per week. = €12,600. Let's say Mr G.P. works 40 weeks per year (and takes a well earned break for the other three months). = €504,000. That's Half a Million to you and me! Nice money if you can get in these times of recession.

I said "no, thank you" and left.
Within 15 minutes I found another walk-in Medical Centre which charged €55. Moral of the story - SHOP AROUND ( or don't get sick too often).

Black Bob

Shell in $15.5m Nigeria deaths settlement

This item is in the news today. So Shell is finally offering some restitution for it's disgraceful behavior in Nigeria! Perhaps it's not too late for the multinational to start admitting to it's wrongdoing in Mayo also where it is similarly trampling on the local population in it's quest for profit - aided and abetted unfortunately by our corrupt government which has signed over our natural resources to Shell.

"Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to a $15.5m payout to settle a lawsuit alleging complicity in murder, torture and other abuses by Nigeria's former military government.

The settlement brings to an end a decade-long battle by relatives of Nigerian writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and others executed in 1995 in what plaintiffs said was a campaign of repression backed by Shell.

Mr Saro-Wiwa led a non-violent protest against environmental destruction and abuses against the Ogoni people in the Niger Delta. He was hanged along with other activists after trial in a military court.

Human rights lawyers hailed the agreement in New York as a precedent for holding Shell and other oil giants responsible for activities in countries with repressive governments.

Shell denies all accusations, but the settlement will spare the oil giant from the potential embarrassment of having to defend itself in court."

For more information visit:
Shell to Sea at www.corribsos.com and Wikipedia on the Corrib gas controversy

If It Sounds Too Good To Be True...

It probably is!

I got this message from a young lady via a dating website:

"I think, that I the nice, young girl. I search for the man for fine attitudes, but for me the age has no what value. think, that older men are more serious, experienced and family-oriented!!! They can give me some advices, because sometimes I really need them a lot!!! Older men are ready to create serious relations and not just play the games!!! I love a life and I like to enjoy a life. As I like to listen to music. I have no harmful habits. I do not smoke, I do not drink alcoholic drinks. I go in for sports, I go on discos, I love the work. I very careful girl. I like to prepare for a meal. I very much am pleasant to be introduced order at home. I think, that with my qualities I shall find the man the man of my dream. I shall hope, that the man of my dream is here. I very much would like to get acquainted with the man of the dream. I hope, that using this site I shall find the dream. I very much would like to become the happy girl, but now I am absolutely unfortunate.
My ideal date would be:
I love a life and I like to enjoy a life. As I like to listen to music. I have no harmful habits. I do not smoke, I do not drink alcoholic drinks. I go in for sports, I go on discos, I love the work. I very careful girl. I like"

Election Day

Today in Ireland we have the elections for the European parliament, the local government elections and also two bye-elections. According to the polls the government parties will get a drubbing - and rightly so, because the Fianna Fáil and Green Party led adminstration is one of the worst we have ever had in the history of this state. Corruption, scandalous waste of money, inept politicians...

BBC NEWS - still fighting the war for old England

Seems the BBC knows more than the rest of us! So the FARC rebels in Columbia are being trained by the IRA? Can we see the evidence please!
This kind of sloppy news-reporting is typical BBC propaganda that originated from shadowy figures in the British secret service - or possibly from the British government itself. Shameful - if you can't tell the truth BBC, don't tell lies!

BBC NEWS | Americas | Oldest insurgent force marches on: "Farc have stepped up their campaign, with more attacks so far this year than any year since 2003.

And the rebels are trying to move away from their peasant roots and project themselves into Colombia's cities, aided by training from international groups like the Provisional IRA and the Basque separatist group Eta."

Corruption

Conway's Pub

Today in Dublin Frank Dunlop, the former political lobbyist was jailed for 18 months for bribing politicians on behalf of property developers. Over a number of years vast sums of money passed through bank accounts controlled by Dunlop and he admitted charges before the courts of giving money to Councillors so that they would vote for rezoning lands which then became immensely valuable overnight. The corruption went on for years and went all the way from lowly City Councillors to the top echelons of the Irish political establishment, including TD's and government Ministers. The result of this corruption is that thousands of young families paid vastly inflated prices for their homes because Developers and Builders were able to control the market. These young people will be paying the price of this scandal for most of their working lives. It was a cosy cartel - operated by Builders, Bankers, Estate Agents and corrupt Politicians ( mainly, but not exclusively members of fianna Fáil). I just hope justice will also catch up with these criminals!
In my photo - Conway's Pub on the corner of Parnell Street and Moore Lane, now closed down and ironically awaiting redevelopment. Conway's was where the bribes were mostly handed over in brown envelopes because it was just around the corner from the Council offices.

Why?

I took this photo on Con Colbert Road in Inchicore today at around 4pm. I was stopped at the traffic lights when I noticed this man, aged about 30 walking along with his can of beer and a shopping bag( containing perhaps more alcohol). HIS life - he can do whatever he wants! EXCEPT...
Not in the blurred photo (which I took out of my car window) was his little daughter, aged about 4 years walking behind him. This man was concerned only with himself and his alcohol and was oblivious to the safety of his little girl near a busy road.

Con Colbert was one of the revolutionary leaders of the 1916 Rising against British occupation which led to an Irish Republic. He was shot by firing squad. Is this what he died for?

Broadstone Station

Broadstone Station in Dublin 7 is the headquarters of Bus Éireann. This beautiful building was designed by John Skipton Mulvaney and is built of granite in a neo-Egyptian style. The station was opened by the Midland Great Western Company in 1847 and as you can see from my photographs the building was completed in 1850. It closed to public traffic in 1937. Broadstone station was one of Dublin's six original rail termini.

But sadly...

Bus Éireann have let this magnifcient building fall into a state of disrepair, The front of the building is covered in graffiti and there is broken glass and litter strewn around...

Erected 1850

Graffiti..beer bottles...litter...

The Station's once stylish front entrance

Advertising Eyesore

Described inVillage Magazine as the "ludicrous J C Decaux deal for those incongruous clunky outdoor advertising units in central Dublin that were facilitated in exchange for a notably small number of credit-card bike stands that have signally failed to materialise."
Apparently this scheme is run by J C Decaux, the huge international advertising agency in other European cities and apparently only with limited success. Yet Dublin City Council handed over a huge amount of lucrative advertising space to this private corporation. The ugly eyesores that now blight our city are making millions in revenue for J C Decaux, yet we have not seen a single one of their promised "free" bicycles. What a bad deal! Heads should roll in Dublin City Council - but don't hold your breath!

J C Decaux Monstrosity on North King Street

Bicycle lane - but no bicycles

Common Sense (Part one)

From the Balcony, A Publisher's Blog

I came across this interesting piece on Máirtín Ó Muilleoir's Blog

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place..

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform
parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense (Part Two)

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;

I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Two Movies In Two Days

Two movies in 2 days - but oh so different! Gran Torino is a really good movie, political incorrectness yes, but ultimately it has a good heart. Clint Eastwood's best ever performance/direction? Maybe?
Revolutionary Road - superb performances from all! Di Caprio & Winslet - amazing(of course), but every single character shone , the neighbours, the office chums, Mr Pollack, Michael Shannon as the Giving's mentally unstable son... brilliant!
But it was so sad, so so dark, depressing! I did something I never did before - I left the cinema before the movie ended. When Mrs Wheeler ran out of the house and into the woods I contemplated leaving except I was sitting in a middle seat and didn't want to trample over everybody on the way out, but when she started to abort her baby I couldn't take anymore and left the Cinema(in tears). Don't know what the ending was? Maybe I will read Richard Yate's novel on which the movie was based! Maybe I shouldn't?
Still, it shows the amazing power of cinema. Now lets see, para manana - what else is showing in Cineworld in Parnell Street? Hotel For Dogs, The Pink Panther, Confessions Of A Shopaholic... ouch...

Death the Leveller - James Shirley

Death the Leveller - James Shirley

politicians presidents and royalty

While waiting at the traffic lights today for the lights to change to green I heard loud sirens and saw flashing blue lights approaching from behind. Almost immediately a Garda motorcyclist came speeding towards the junction and gestured to myself and others waiting at the lights to move over. He looked agitated and angry when some cars couldn't move over quick enough and he shouted and roared at them. So we all assumed it was an emergency, something really serious - maybe he was making way for an ambulance or fire brigade to speed through?
But "rambo" cop was not. His motorcyclist colleague also arrived at high speed just then and blocked the traffic coming from the other direction. Then a Garda car sped through the red lights, followed by - a LIMOUSINE!
That's what I hate about this little corrupt bankrupt banana republic. These people, be they politicians, presidents, kings or queens, think they are better that the rest of us mortals. I think it's an abuse of power! I firmly believe they should sit in gridlocked traffic like the rest of us - and maybe then they would sort things out.
THE PROBLEM WITH THESE PEOPLE IS THAT THEY DON'T LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD.

So I turned to face the Limousine with those VERY important people in it and gave them a "one finger salute".
I still remember the words of a poem I learned at school, "Sceptre and crown must tumble down and in the dust be equal made, with the poor crooked scythe and spade."

Noel O'Flynn, TD and Ned O'Keefe, TD

Driving back to BÁC from the country late tonight I happened on a repeat of the morning's Eamon Keane show on Newstalk 106-108 and was disgusted to hear a Fianna Fáil TD from Cork ranting and raving about restricting immigration into Ireland because of the current economic climate (ironically a lot of our present woes were caused by Fianna Fáil's disastrous policies in government).
Noel O'Flynn, TD was echoeing similar calls made by fellow Cork TD, Ned O'Keefe. These two idiots are only looking for attention, they obviously have nothing better to do with their time and are trying to stir up resentment towards our immigrant workers by playing to the lowest common denominator. It is gutter politics. O'Flynn claimed that we have plenty of Irish and EU workers who need jobs and more or less told our immigrants to go back to where they came from, that we don't want them anymore. These are the people who toiled and sweated to make the Celtic Tiger years the great years that the were! They were often exploited and worked for low wages in jobs that Irish people turned up their noses at. They are the unsung heroes of the boom years. Amadán O'Flynn mentioned the nurses from the Philippines in particular. The Philippine health workers actually deserve special praise for the fantastic contribution they have made to our Hospitals and Nursing Homes - in fact if our President was any good she would be bestowing honours on them.
Newstalk also had Denise Charlton, a representative from the Immigrant Council of Ireland on the programme and she calmly and articulately demolished O'Flynns arguments. When he realized that he was beginning to look a little stupid he started behaving like a spoiled brat and interrupting the other speaker. One texter to the programme suggested that Newstalk get "that man from the National Front off the radio" and I couldn't agree more. Before he departed he had the temerity to tell another texter to have some "cop on" - talk about the kettle calling the pot black!
Our Immigrants (along with Polish, Latvians and others) have made a massive contribution to this country and I am sure the vast majority of decent people want them to stay to help get our country moving again. I am also sure that O'Flynn and O'Keefe are in a very small minority and I wish they would take a long holiday somewhere - like Kazakhstan.. or Outer Mongolia.
I also wish Newstalk would stop stooping so low. If this is the sort of journalism they wish to promote they will be losing a lot of listeners I suspect.

Leonard Peltier

While spring-cleaning today I came across an article that I had cut out of "Daily Ireland"(sadly now no more) dated May 10 2005. It told the story of Native American Indian Leonard Peltier who was accused and convicted of murder in 1976. Most people believe that he did not get a fair trial and that he was in fact framed for political reasons. There followed a huge International campaign for his release and I remember signing a petition back in 2005.
I was curious to know if he had been freed so I Googled Leonard Peltier and was shocked and horrified to find out that he was still a prisoner in USP Canaan, Pennsylvania. The Daily Ireland article stated that he was nearly 30 years in prison - it is now 33 years, and he was recently moved to a different jail where he was assaulted. This is a cruel and inhumane incarceration of an innocent man and the sooner he is released the sooner America can start earning some respect in the world again. Hopefully Obama will do something as soon as possible to set this man free.
Visit his official website at - www.leonardpeltier.org and also his Wikipedia entry.
Write to this innocent man in jail. Write to Obama. Write to the American Ambassador. Write to Ted Kennedy and other American politicians. Don't waste a stamp writing to our Ministers Dermot Ahern or Mícheal Martin because they are useless.
Do everything you can help Leonard Peltier and tell more people about him.

Men at War

Went for a drink in a late bar in BÁC 7. Sipping my pint I noticed 3 barstaff, male, all glued to the TV - Setanta Sports...think it was called UFC (Ultimate Fight ...). It's a particularly vicious "sport", which involves boxing, wrestling and kicking. Opponents wear boxing gloves but are barefoot.
In the ring, 2 men, fighting... bigger man winning... smaller man trying to hang on...bleeding, blood everywhere... hand-prints of blood on the fighting ring floor. Bell goes at the end of a round and losing man is cleaned up and psyched up to go back out and fight again...
He doe's - and is battered into bloody submission!
Then I observe a woman waiting to get served at the Bar. She is looking at the TV, and her face says - "OMG". She looks horrified. There are 4 more customers, all male - glued to the TV, grinning... happy... enjoying... egging on the combatants...
Then it came to me - all the wars, all the suffering, guns, bombs, Gaza, etc.
It's just men!

Financial Crisis - What Crisis?

It's January, it's wet, it's cold, it's stormy.... I'm GRUMPY

As the financial crisis deepens and the State's coffers empty there IS light at the end of the tunnel for our beleaguered Government!
Because they literally have a license to print money.
Here's how it works.
I recently got a letter from the Garda Traffic Corps telling me that I had broken the speed limit in my car and that I had to pay a fine of €80 (along with penalty points on my driving license). The offence took place on the dual carriage, 3 and 4 lane Dublin Airport road, at the lead-in to the M1 motorway - which has a speed limit of 120 kph. Only this stretch of 3 and 4 lane dual road has a speed limit of 80kph. So a lot of people THINK they are on the start of the Motorway and after leaving the frustrating gridlock of the city behind at Whitehall "put the boot down". OK, it IS signposted as 80kph, but nonetheless a lot of people are caught out. How many?
500 PER DAY TO BE EXACT.
I know this because I met a man who knows one of the Gardai who operates a speed camera on this road. This Garda goes to the airport road every day, sits in an unmarked car with his camera and stays there long enough to "capture" 500 cars. (It's also known as "shooting fish in a barrel"). I estimate that he catches 10 cars every minute at a busy time of day, so therefore in less than an hour he will reach his target. It's as easy as taking candy from a child.
Do the maths.
That's €40,000 per day. Let's give our hard-working, crime-fighting, Police officer a day off every week. In 6 days he will still rake in €240,000 - that a quarter of a million to you or me, give or take a few coins. In a month it's a cool €1 Million. Multiply this scenario by ten... by twenty cameras and you can see that it's a nice little earner.
OK, so where does this money go? Road improvements, road safety, crime prevention? Don't be silly. It goes into the Governments coffers to help balance the books because our leaders have blown our wealth and we are officially skint.
Our Gardai are therefore being used to collect taxes for the State, instead of fighting real crime which is what they are supposed to be doing. But maybe tax collection is more important that 2 men being executed in a car in Summerhill?
P.S. In England I am told that the Police position a "dummy" Police car on busy roads to frighten people into slowing down. This is also known as road safety!