Via Damien (where do you find all these things?) and John Mortell:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG6X-xtVask[/youtube]
And while we’re on the subject of legislatures, this is worth one more look:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wZX_Jfvm_Y[/youtube]
Michael Nugent has translated the meanings of 20 Irish county names:
Which is which? Find out here.
Somalia, Burma, Iraq top corruption blacklist. I’m not surprised. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand are the least corrupt nations while Ireland comes in at 17th. (AFP/Transparency International)
New snake and orchids discovered in Vietnam. Let us never think we have seen all we can see on this planet. (Reuters/Environmental News Network)
Did they not look at the blueprints? A US naval barracks in California — built in the 60s — is shaped like a swastika. Huzzah for Google Earth! (CNN)
Russian woman’s 12th baby weighs in at 7.75kg. That’s about 17lbs if you’re thinking imperial. (Reuters)
Delegating: The case for personal outsourcing. Hmm. (Lifehacker)
The shooting won’t stop. “I say give the Gardaí whatever weapons they want. Bazookas, flame throwers, whatever. Just don’t send them out with sticks.” (Twenty Major)
I was looking at something about Ireland’s overseas aid agency and came across this snippet in one of its factsheets:
In 2007, total ODA (official development assistance) will exceed €813 million. In real terms this will mean that in 2007 every Irish citizen will contribute through their taxes approximately €200 assisting some of the poorest countries in the world. This places Ireland as the sixth most generous donor country in the world.
Does €200 really count as generous? Given our nation’s wealth — even with a slowdown in the economy — you’d think we’d be able to offer more.
The one caveat I offer is that this government aid. I don’t have a figure for how much Irish people donated through non-State charities.
Bertie Ahern’s foreign exchange shenanigans may well be the first major crisis for this government, but there’s little hope of him stepping down over it.
But as the storm clouds gather ahead of the Taoiseach’s next appearance before the Mahon Tribunal, Michael Nugent has come to the rescue with some welcome levity. I point you toward the Bert, Celia Larkin, Michael Wall and a briefcase of cash as Andy Warhol might have seen them.
