tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288112682024-03-14T02:29:48.907+00:00The Senior Player's AdviceRants, a few links, maybe some photos too, you know, that sort of thing.gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-90971761736291884772013-06-14T01:07:00.000+01:002013-06-14T12:27:16.024+01:00My response to the Irish Examiner Limerick Crime Scene Ad UPDATEAt the beginning of June the Irish Examiner newspaper ran a billboard ad campaign promoting a crime data supplement they were due to publish the following week, comparing crime statistics across the counties of Ireland. The supplement was published yesterday. To highlight this crime supplement, they put up a series of billboard ads in the six counties of Munster, each featuring a location in eachgaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/08280065647907737498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-60671829927136304842013-05-01T11:34:00.000+01:002013-05-18T11:35:11.078+01:00Now in Available in Portuguese!Duquian over at Sedentário and Hiprativo, a Brazilian popular culture website and affiliate of the Rede Record national TV network, got in touch with me and asked me to edit and translate my post about 50 observations about Brazil to use for their website. Due to a demanding work schedule and generally being very busy about preparing to move back to Ireland, I didn't have time to get mygaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/08280065647907737498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-12026612086729581582013-04-15T03:36:00.002+01:002013-04-18T15:24:51.396+01:0050 Things I've Noticed About Brazil
While I was going to
call this post 50 Things I Love About Brazil, I don't think that
would be accurate. While I do love many things about Brazil - the
people I've met here, the landscapes, and judging from the number of
kilos on the weighing scales, much of the food too – some of the
following are merely observations, rather than things I like about
the place. Some of them might even exist gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/08280065647907737498noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-75342138853605028102013-01-22T22:40:00.000+00:002013-05-18T11:41:25.085+01:00Two types of criminals?
Brazil’s legal code offers extraordinary protections for the country’s elite. College graduates, who make up only about 11 percent of adults between ages of 25 and 64, obtain special cells if they are sentenced to prison. Political authorities, even if they lack a college degree, get the same privilege. Hundreds of top officials cannot be tried in lower courts at all.
What has that got to do gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/08280065647907737498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-62087886350153463162011-02-24T21:48:00.004+00:002011-02-24T22:05:44.587+00:00One more candidate gives her viewsI sent a reminder e-mail to the candidates in Limerick City yesterday - all those except Matt Larkin, Conor O'Donoghue and Denis Riordan, because I didn't have e-mail addresses for them, although I did text Conor in fairness. This was to follow on from the questions I had posed to all the Limerick City General Election candidates at the beginning of the months - you can see those responses here gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-34602324940373917782011-02-07T23:15:00.012+00:002011-02-08T22:43:26.263+00:00Three more Limerick City election candidates get their answers inOne week on from when I first posed the questions, I got three more replies into my inbox in the last 24 hours, this time from the Greens' Sheila Cahill, Sinn Féin's Maurice Quinlivan and Fianna Fáil's Willie O'Dea. It turns out they're all running in the Limerick City, and not the Limerick East, constituency. Credit's due to Sheila Cahill, the Green Party's candidate, who clarified that one for gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-11267431093725949572011-02-01T23:23:00.007+00:002011-02-01T23:59:59.035+00:00It's time for some campaigning! (Some) Limerick East Candidates Answer Some QuestionsOver at Newstalk, Tom Dunne has put together a list of questions to ask any politicians that come canvassing to your door. Quite good ones too, ranging from such topics as the merits of Ford Fiestas versus Ministerial Mercs, Ireland's morbidly obese public sector cats, to the good old HSE. While I too, over the last couple of years, have thought of a fair few questions and or rants to put to our gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-51307322906094396072010-12-15T23:27:00.002+00:002010-12-15T23:31:56.438+00:00A reliable manIf you want to listen to a good example of phone-in radio show callers getting the complete wrong end of the stick, hear a former Minister for Defence show he has a sense of humour, and here a great rebuttal, have a listen to today's Liveline, featuring Joe Duffy, Willie O'Dea, Anthony and Blindboy Boatclub. Here's the man who was reared in a house where the parents hosted parties where drinking gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-20286436731524133872010-05-03T12:20:00.000+01:002010-05-03T12:20:15.414+01:00Limerick Half Marathongaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-18350441589156739072009-12-08T18:22:00.004+00:002009-12-08T18:36:02.963+00:00Park endangered by Limerick City GalleryThis story was in the Leader this evening.Apparently the City Gallery is too overcrowded, and it is planning to extend on three sides.Which leads me to conclude that the People's Park will shrink.The Park already lost space in the opposite corner to that hideous block of apartments during the Celtic Tiger years. No fault of the City Gallery perhaps.However, if the City Gallery does need to expandgaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-1936450347553942832009-11-12T18:20:00.004+00:002009-11-12T18:26:15.951+00:00Why did Alan Kelly MEP call for the resignation of Mayor of Limerick Kevin Kiely?I find it outrageous that Labour MEP Alan Kelly would call for the resignation of an elected holder of public office on the grounds that he doesn't agree with what he says. Freedom of speech is enshrined in our constitution, and I believe that Mayor Kiely was simply exercising this right in his comments reported in the Irish Examiner this week.There is nothing wrong with Mr Kiely criticising gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-23688342139575156162009-04-20T20:13:00.003+01:002009-04-20T20:16:49.658+01:00Headline writers: Beware the Diving GermanThis tale which is a warning for football headline writers everywhere appeared in Mary Hannigan's Planet Football this morning. Klinsmann is not prepared to bear this cross IT’S not entirely uncommon for the expression ‘he’ll be crucified for that’ to be used in a sporting context, but German paper Die Tageszeitung took it a step further when writing about Jurgen Klinsmann after Bayern Munich gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-75703715080474794662008-12-21T14:02:00.003+00:002008-12-21T14:06:12.550+00:00James Vs JoshuaLast week I tried my hand at downloading films and TV programmes legally with iTunes but you cannot buy them from the iTunes Ireland store. So I emailed customer support about this. All I got was this ridiculously cheerful, but perfectly useless, response from a chap called Joshua, my new friend. I've boldened the weirder elements of his e-mail.Dear James,Hi there Joshua here again from Apple gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-44570459286148827402008-11-12T13:43:00.001+00:002008-11-12T13:45:26.867+00:00Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes: Nice-Cannes Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes: Nice-Cannes <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> A ReviewThis marathon starts off on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice and winds its way westwards along the Mediterranean coastline taking in five other towns before finishing up on the prom in Cannes just outside the Palais des Festivals, where the Cannes Film Festival is held. This gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-54056914670792363512008-10-31T17:43:00.006+00:002008-10-31T17:53:42.196+00:00Who would Limerick vote for next Tuesday?*A short vox pop, conducted on the streets of Limerick, last Tuesday, in which folk were asked which US presidential candidate they would vote for if they had the chance to do so.On a related note, below is a still from the excellent music video over at JibJab.com of the Bob Dylanesque song "Time for some Campaigning". Check it out.*Clue: His first name has more than four letters.gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-46016885604066624732008-10-31T17:23:00.004+00:002008-11-03T12:23:26.553+00:00Not the best advertisement for long-distance runningIn most normal sports, when an athlete comes off the pitch after a victory or fine performance, normally they offer platitudes expressing their delight and elation. Not so Galwayman Michael O'Connor, best of the Irish in last Monday's Dublin Marathon. In an immediate post-race interview reported by the Irish Times, O'Connor was quoted as saying:"It's my last run," the father-of-two declared. "gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-61064626113106134722008-10-07T16:07:00.003+01:002008-10-07T16:18:59.714+01:00Blatter gets tough on fat cats in football just for the money"There are national laws in Switzerland, for example, when you buy property or make an investment, you must prove yourself," he explained. "You have to prove your link with the area. "We must ask ourselves about what motivates these owners and are they really interested in the game or just making money?So said FIFA President Sepp Blatter at a meeting at the European Parliament yesterday, in whichgaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-1696729493990468372008-10-01T20:29:00.002+01:002008-10-01T20:39:48.150+01:00America has a lot to answer forAnd I'm not talking about the rights and wrongs of leaving the world's financial system in a holy mess through wreckless lending by American banks and lacklustre enforcement of financial regulations. No, it's far more serious than that.If my understanding of this Runner's World article is to be believed, and I'm not sure if it should be, it appears that some American Universities allow their gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-61761611999638258262008-09-27T11:40:00.003+01:002008-09-27T12:11:30.362+01:00The exit polls are... pretty meaningless, in this caseThe Economist, in their ever-increasing drive to make their recently revamped website more interactive, have launched a Global Electoral College, to see how the world would vote in the US Presidential Election.Needless to say, of the countries whose residents have voted, all of them have ended up a very Democrat shade of blue on the world map.While I like magazine's the idea, the results of the gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-12726764617480705052008-09-13T15:10:00.003+01:002008-11-01T19:15:41.562+00:00Public Prone to Preach Public Sector ReformTerry Prone is to be commended for her recent article in the Irish Examiner defending civil service administrators, who she feels have been made scapegoats for the current ills of the economy. They are a soft target, and Ms Prone is quite right in pointing out how unfair it is to smear a large numbers of workers in this country because of the source of their pay cheque.While she is correct in gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-19460431895854258562008-08-10T08:20:00.003+01:002008-08-10T08:29:25.818+01:00WarRussia claim their forces have killed 2,000 Georgian military and civilian personnel. Such is war. In what other area of human endeavour could you get away with "claiming" to have killed so many people? In day to day life killers do all they can to avoid being blamed for their killing: arrests are evaded; are criminal indictments are defended vigorously.Such is war, which has a habit of turning gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-46277802264256038572008-07-22T21:35:00.005+01:002008-12-11T17:45:57.332+00:00Benicassim Festival 2008: Some reflectionsIt may have been pretty much impossible to get a proper sleep(-in) in the tents, as curled up underneath a sheet of polystyrene is not the best place to be when tempertures climb into their thirties first thing in the morning. However the good thing about the Festival Internacional de Benicassim was that acts not starting til the evening was there was plenty of time to catch up with the kip at gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-61817103608867301382008-06-11T22:52:00.003+01:002008-06-11T23:16:51.817+01:00Three, actually four, observations on Lisbon1. It suffered a horrific earthquake in 1755, during Voltaire's lifetime - a poster depicting said earthquake lives on to this day in one of the language labs in UL.2. It is the capital city of one of the darker horses of Euro 2008, who are looking very dark at the moment, if darkness equates to looking incredibly impressive indeed after tonight's performance. Less can be said about Football365'gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-26340070492869138162008-06-05T10:20:00.005+01:002008-06-05T19:54:48.462+01:00Do as we say, not as we doThis morning's UK Independent ran a front page story about a secret deal to keep Iraq under US control indefinitely.Rewind to February 2003. I believe President Bush said one of the reasons for the invasion of Iraq in the first place was to foster democracy there. Interesting then that the Independent's Patrick Cockburn wrote this morning that:"The US is adamantly against the new security gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28811268.post-7814739295315950532008-06-04T22:55:00.002+01:002008-06-04T23:00:15.505+01:00Economic AchesLast Saturday night I was told by a friend me that The Economist told him that Ronald Reagan once told whoever would listen that inflation is “as violent as a mugger, as frightening as an armed robber and as deadly as a hit-man.” In these gloomy economic times, with FÁS predicting losses of 55,000 construction sector jobs by the end of 2009, when the credit crunch seems to be to property gaf1983http://www.blogger.com/profile/04115978103851069822noreply@blogger.com0