Time Lapse video of Dublin
This is a time lapse video I took last night of Pearse Street in Dublin, Ireland, as the sun was going down. I used the TimeLapse app on the iPhone 4S to create the effect.
Real shop name, as seen by me this evening on a shop front in Hong Kong. They did not appear to be selling bailouts at exorbitant interest rates, from what I could tell, however.
Collapse of the Celtic Tiger - People & Power - Al Jazeera English
Collapse of the Celtic Tiger
This documentary aired on Al Jazeera a little while ago. It covers how Ireland went from boom to bust in a few short years, and how the economic crash is impacting the people. Worth watching, and makes one question why the Irish taxpayers are continuing to pay the Anglo bondholders.
Eamon Gilmore & Enda Kenny on the cover of “China Daily” English edition on successive days this week. Vice President Xi Jinping’s visit to Ireland got remarkable coverage in China.
Vintage U2 - Out Of Control
U2’s finest moment, “Achtung Baby” is 20 years old this month. I will post about that anniversary soon. However, this audio clip goes back much much further than 1991’s “Achtung Baby”. It’s from 1979, recorded live at the Dandelion Market in Dublin, where the band played many of their early gigs.
The quality is so-so, but it is interesting to hear this rare clip from the band from so long ago. “Out of Control” is one of the best early U2 tracks, in fact even today when the band drop it into their live sets it still sounds great.
I picked up the clip recently from the @U2 Blog, where they comment on the recording:
Add this to your collection of rare, early U2 audio clips. This is U2 performing “Out Of Control” at the Dandelion Market in August 1979. The sound quality is pretty darn good for a recording that’s just surfaced now, some 32 years later.
The audio comes from Pete McCluskey, who was in the Irish Independent this weekend sharing a photo from backstage at a different gig when his band, The Strougers, opened for U2.
The Metal Man
This is one of three pillars built to help prevent shipwrecks at Tramore. The Metal Man is part of local folklore. These girls are perhaps a bit young to be testing the legend that if you hop barefoot around the Metal Man three times you would marry within the year.
Date: circa 1910
(This is where I’m from by the way)
I’m from Waterford, Ireland, originally. The Metal Man, in Tramore is a local landmark, build to warn ships away from the rocks and cliff face below. You can see it for miles around.
Deportation move on woman after miscarriage
This story appeared on the front page of The Irish Times this morning. Disgranceful stuff. No compassion shown by the Irish immigration authorities. The physiological trauma this women must have been going through, let alone physical problems, was grounds to let her stay on in Ireland for a couple of weeks at least.
Labour Party, campaign promises and the reality of governing
The Labour Party entered government in Ireland this year, along with the centre-right Fine Gael. I had hope that they would pull Fine Gael at the very least to the centre-proper and give Ireland some semblance of a social democratic government. If I was still living in Ireland, I would have most likely voted for Labour (disclaimer: I was a member of the Labour Party for a few years, but not very active).
However, the realities of government have set in for Labour, and indeed the realities of governing a country in deep financial trouble.
Two important items which were contained in Labour’s election manifesto (the election took place barely three months ago) are now being pushed aside alright, and ignored by the party.
Labour pledged not to reintroduce third level student fees, or increase charges for students. However, they have now done a u-turn on this. According to The Irish Times, Labour Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn (a man I have massive respect for) has cited “new facts” about the scale of Ireland’s exchequer, giving him little room for maneuver.
Labour also were against water charges being introduced in Ireland. Now it seems that both a household annual charge, and later water charges, will be introduced, hurting householders.
This will all be very difficult for Irish people to take, on top of the universal service charge, increased health insurance costs and more. It is in fact a scandal, given the ordinary Irish householder did not cause the financial crisis, but are picking up the pieces from the actions of the profiteering banks.
