Bertie, Bertie, Bertie… whatever shall we do with you? The various stories are not consistent. I will leave it to the tribunal to uncover the narrative.
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Category Archives: Ireland
In-Spire-ational
Love it or hate it, Slate.com has taken a look at Dublin’s Spire (officially An Túr Solais, or Monument of Light), which it describes as “a modern monument that points up what’s wrong with the World Trade Center memorial”.
The pint has been saved
The EU has gone back on its insistence that Ireland and Britain give up imperial measurements in favour of metric ones.
Miles and feet are also a-okay with Brussels, which following an ounce of common sense — that’s 28.34 grammes — decided they are part of our culture and traditions. It was also an economic decision: it would have hurt trade with the US, which also uses the imperial system.
I’m not sure I really give a toss. I would still have referred to my height in feet and inches regardless of what was going on. Also, buying food in grammes and kilogrammes is second nature. Pounds is fine too, though an ounce has always been an intangible quality to my tiny brain.
Besides, would it really have been so much trouble asking for a glass of beer instead of a pint?
Links of the day
Short and sweet because I’m on the verge of a migraine. I love how Mother Nature bitch slaps me on my day off.
Anime protestors meet real police. I can’t believe I went all weekend without seeing this… Fans used figurines to hold a protest against a distributor in Singapore. Police sent four anti-riot vans. (Reuters/Textfiend)
Inside politics — of youth and age (again!) A look at the fairly sprightly Fine Gael and aging Labour Party. (Harry McGee)
5,800-year-old mass graves from Tell Brak, Syria Evidence of a massacre at one of the oldest known cities. (Anthropology.net)
Antique ivory skull statuettes Creepy yet strangely beautiful. (Boing Boing)
Britney Spears at the VMAs… If you like train wrecks, check out the footage of a totally out of it Britney ‘performing’ her latest single. Thoughtfully contrasted with her “Slave 4 U” stint at a past show. (Rick O’Shea)
Spanish ‘granny’ dissects past and present on blog. María Amelia Lopez is 95 and kicks ass. A great story I wish I’d seen for today’s foreign pages of the Irish Examiner. (International Herald Tribune)
Links of the day
I’m under pressure, but here’s what I’ve found:
Howto make a Barbie electric chair. So good I have to show you the picture:
(Boing Boing)
Depression feels worse than many chronic diseases: study. I’m not at all surprised. (AFP)
Siemens, Microsoft develop car products. Everything from information to navigation… Microsoft shall rule the universe one day. Or at least have a market presence everywhere. (AP)
Bush, after talks with Hu, accepts invitation to Beijing Olympics. Human rights groups will not be pleased, but then Bush’s record isn’t exactly brimming with examples of good behaviour. (International Herald Tribune)Cleesawns, hallions, tippers and who-but-me’s. Colloquialisms from 1960s Ireland. (Michael Nugent)
Thinking of words can guide your wheelchair. Technology freakin’ rocks. (New Scientist)
Links of the day
The forces of time and work are against me, so this will be short and sweet.
If you’re not moved by this you have no heart: Ollie Byrne RIP and the friendship of pets. How the late owner of Shelbourne FC ditched everything one January night to help somebody find their lost cat. (Michael Nugent)
A sure cause of controversy: Diggers laying a pipe under the Al-Aqsa mosque may have found part of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. This will be incredible if it’s true. (Catholicgauze)
Feeling the pinch: China’s key oil producers may suspend petrol imports. The country needs to supply its own people first, which isn’t a bad philosophy. (AFP)
“I will remind the deppity”: John O’Donoghue in full fury on the floor of Dáil Éireann. Damien resurrects our brave Ceann Comhairle’s attempts to keep control of the house, only for him to show what a flustering hothead he really is. (Damien Mulley)
Fight for your rights: Stop being a slave to your email. Go on, strike back! (Lifehacker)
Transport, but not as we know it: Flying cars are going on sale in the next couple of months. Woohoo! (BBC)
Blogs and the wider world: More women blogging than men. About 8% of Americans have their own blog, according to a survey; although because said survey was conducted among people using an online service the results likely do not reflect reality. (Blorge.com)
Creepy crawlies: Got arachnophobia? Here’s your worst nightmare. A vast web crawling with millions of spiders that is spreading across several acres of a Texas park (and the picture with the article is amazing). (International Herald Tribune)
Fighting words: Kung fu monks seek apology for ninja affront. Shaolin monks are a bit miffed at claims by one web user that they were beaten in unarmed combat by a ninja. (Reuters)