Monday, April 24, 2006

Freeb.ie or "a place to pass on your old stuff"

I used be a member of the Munster Freecycle group whose aim was to provide a forum for members to pass on unwanted items ratehr than chucking them in the bin. However the head-honchos at the Freecycle HQ didn't like the group and its name so rather than submit to the jackboot of corporatism the group dissolved and is replaced by a discussion forum at www.freeb.ie Go on - give it a visit...

Friday, April 21, 2006

De Paper does it again.

Instead of an article about a "law on" touting they write and article about demands for "lawn touting" "21/04/2006 - 4:56:27 PM Fine Gael calls for lawn touting to be changed Fine Gael says the law needs to be changed to tackle ticket touts." Sheesh....

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Funderland Cork


Funderland Cork
Originally uploaded by despod.

Irish Examiner or English Examiner

Yet another example of the Irish Examiner's confusion over what country it's in. In an article about a Peugeot factory closing in the UK the following is written: "The Government hit back at Amicus, pointing to the UK’s strong employment record, which has seen this country have one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe." Shouldn't that read "that country" ? Sheesh...

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Manchester Passion

BBC3 had a live transmission last night entitled "Manchester Passion". It was a live production which gave a ontemporary setting to the Passion of Christ. Instead of funereal music it used music by Manchester artists and took place in Manchester.

It was excellent. It was a powerful retelling of the Passion story which a lot of us are familiar with. The music was pefectly chosen and I think it actually brought home the whole Passion story especially the betrayal aspect.

When Judas kissed Jesus to indicate to the Guards who he was the two of them sang Blue Monday (New Order). It's strange to realise how appropriate the lyrics are:

"How does it feel To treat me like you do When you’ve laid your hands upon me And told me who you are

I thought I was mistaken I thought I heard your words Tell me how do I feel Tell me now how do I feel

Those who came before me Lived through their vocations From the past until completion They will turn away no more"

The final song was Angel (Robbie Williams) which despite its somewhat triteness came across as appropriate.

If it's repeated you should watch it. The amazing thing is how many songs in the canon of popular culture could be so easily brought into a religious production.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

BT Ireland - are they fraudsters ?

I ported to BT Ireland last month from UTV. The process itself was slow and marred by fairly incompetent service from BT - my forms got lost, were found, got lost etc etc and I had to contact them to receive updates. As I was an existing Broadband customer I was availaing of ther offer whereby the connection fee was not applied. Lo-and-behold the bill arrived along with a connection fee charge. After multiple calls I got them to write that I'd get a refund but this won't be applied until the next bill (if at all) so BT get free use of my money. Of course so far my problem is minor - BTIreland Sucks and Telcowatch have worse tales of billing issues. I think a nice dose of small claims would show this crowd...

Eircon Phonewatch

For a long time the eircon phonewatch ads have been annoying me - every month they advertise that if you buy before a certain date you'll get x amount off. So it looks liek the standard price that anyone pays is the x amount. Whatever about that what really gets my goat is the scare-mongering that your house is under constant surveillance by malevolent people. FFS they have an ad now which goes along the line of : "You're at home sitting down enjoying a well-deserved glass of wine but you may be watched. By burrrrggggglars" (yes they actually pronounce the word like that - it's a pisstake waiting to happen). Burrrrrrrrggggggggggglars !

Irish Examiner - couldn't report their way out of a bag

I'm sick to death of De Paper - their reporting is poor, they reguarly print UK-based articles without localising them "eg the Prime Minister announced today" or "Police Chiefs in Little Twittering reported ..". They often call the Garda Police and generally are sloppy. Today they are running articles about yesterday's Ryanair flight diversion. The first one criticises the fact that the passengers had to wait for 2-3 hours before being evacuated. The second one mentions that the passengers were immediately evacuated. The Examiner is supposedly a professional outfit - a little bit of proofing and consistency checking would not go astray.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Rosslare, Chernobyl and stuff.

We went to Rosslare for two nights. Stayed in Great Southern which was homely and welcoming to children. Its bar/restaurant had a great view of the comings and goings of the Europort. Couple of things struck us during our time in the sunny South-East : 1. The number of cars on the side of the road with "For Sale" on them - either Wexford has a lot of individuals selling their cars or else someone is importing them from the UK to sell on. 2. The short-sea crossings to England are doing quite well though why Stena and IF have to leave within 15 minutes of each other is a mystery. Celtic Link on the Cherbourg route seemed to have decent loadings as well. 3. Both of the so-called "Irish Ferries" vessels suffer from major rust streaking but yet the Stena Europe (which is a sister of the crap-bucket that is the Normandy) is pristine outside. 4. Last night a large convoy from the Chernobyl Children's Project passed through on the way to Chernobyl. Around 30 trucks and ambulances in all and all staffed by volunteers. It was a wee bit strange to see them travelling with Irish ferries - that bastion of capitalism - maybe they were offering a special rate ? There is great credit due to these people facing a massive journey over to what can only be a sad and despairing destination.