Turkeys vote for Christmas

Published July 7th, 2010 in report and quango watch. 0 Comments

The board of the Office of Tobacco Control (OTC) says it “welcoms the Government’s decision to merge the OTC into the HSE in 2011 as part of the Government’s ongoing rationalisation programme.”

The OTC’s Chairperson, Norma Cronin, said that this move will “ensure that Ireland’s ongoing work to create a tobacco-free society – in which Ireland is a world leader – will stay at the heart of public health.”

Well if that is the case why was the OTC established as a seperate entity in the first place?

Usually QUANGOs are established to take hot topics away from Government Departments, and thus shield ministers. For example the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is a QUANGO that performs tasks that were mostly previously performed by the Deparment of Transport.

Well who wanted to keep Tobacco at arms lenght when the OTC was established? Well everyone I suppose, its a substance that while being legal is most unfashionable.

Well the OTC now falls under the umbrella of the HSE, but its still ok for the Minister for Health, as the HSE - itself a QUANGO of sorts - it at arms lenght from the Department of Health.

But on a more serious note, in fairness to the powers that be…

“In March 2004, Ireland became the first country in the world to successfully introduce smoke-free workplaces legislation which has already conferred huge health and environmental benefits on the population as a whole. Many countries across the world have looked to Ireland as an example and have since followed suit.”

and that single decision, often forgotten, is a credit to the Government.

The Jennings Gallery at UCC

Published July 6th, 2010 in fort knox and ucc. 0 Comments

Just as we have gotten to grips with the marvellous Glucksman Gallery at UCC (University College Cork, Ireland) another one appears on the radar; The

The Jennings Gallery Logo

College of Medicine & Health
Brookfield Health & Sciences Complex
College Road
University College Cork

We must investigate this (not so) new development. The last time we went into the Brookfield complex we ended up at a magstrip reader for the plush library, and left in disguist, well one of our party did.

Poetry to our ears

Published July 6th, 2010 in crooners and music. 0 Comments

Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886 – 1918) was an American journalist, poet, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his religious faith, Kilmer is remembered most for a short poem entitled “Trees” (1913), which was published in in 1914. At the time of his deployment to Europe during the first World War (1914–1918), Kilmer was considered the leading American Catholic poet and lecturer of his generation, A sergeant in a U.S. Infantry Regiment, Kilmer was killed at the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918 at the age of 31.

The text stated below is the original written by Kilmer.

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

There have been several variations on the text, including many parody texts substituted to mimic Kilmer’s seemingly simple rhyme and meter, and questioning the poem’s choice of metaphors.[37] Of the often repeated parodies, one of the most known is “Song of the Open Road” by Ogden Nash (1902–1971):

I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree.
Indeed, unless the billboards fall,
I’ll never see a tree at all.[38]

The death of the PFO letter

Published June 3rd, 2010 in ambrand. 0 Comments

or, perhaps the death of the paper letter entirely.

It is ironic that in an age when almost everyone has a printer, and Microsoft Word, the paper letter is in decline.

Private sector fills a public lacuna

Published June 3rd, 2010 in ambrand. 0 Comments

Before buying a second hand car the wise man should investigate it’s history…

www.mywheels.ie

www.cartell.ie

I Dream of Jeannie (but not in 1965)

Published June 3rd, 2010 in john mccormack and tenors. 0 Comments

I dream instead of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair

It has been belted out by Robert Wilson, who sounds like the kind of chap who doesn’t need accompaniment, a fine voice. Was he Scotland’s answer to Irelands Count John McCormack?

He had excellent diction, his version of So Deep is the Night is definitive, 1m 20s onwards is fascinating for the controlled emotion.

Joseph Schmidt

Published June 3rd, 2010 in amazing voices and tenors. 0 Comments

Joseph Schmidt - Una furtiva lagrima

Josef Schmidt (1904 – 1942) was a Jewish tenor and actor. He was born in Austria-Hungary, later Romania, and now part of Ukraine (The borders of Europe certainly changed alot in the past century)

As a child of musical parents, young Josef was influenced by many cultures. In addition to his native Yiddish, he learned Hebrew and became fluent in Romanian, German, French and English.

Ironically, Josef Schmidt enjoyed his greatest successes during the rise of the Nazis, who subsequently prohibited Jewish artists and writers from working. In 1937, he toured the United States and performed in the Carnegie Hall. The Nazis banned him from performing in Germany and Austria, but he was still very much welcome in The Netherlands and Belgium.

In 1939, he visited his mother for the last time. When the war broke out that year he was caught in France by the German invasion. He attempted to escape to the United States but, unfortunately failed. Making a dash for the Swiss border, he was interned in a Swiss refugee camp near Zurich in October 1942. He had been already in frail health. Harsh camp life and lack of medical care brought about a fatal heart attack on November 16, 1942. He was only 38 years old.

He had a sweet lyric tenor voice with an easy high register, sailing up even to a high D. His warm timbre was perfectly suited for the melodies of Schubert and Lehár. His popular song recordings were the best-sellers of that age.

How to double (my/your) website traffic

Published June 3rd, 2010 in uncategorized. 0 Comments

Today a lot of visitors will try to reach your site by typing in your domain from memory, this is called “type-in traffic”.

So ensure you site is accessible without the www. subdomain.

As someone said elsewhere on the web ‘www is deprecated‘

Arcoroc… France

Published June 3rd, 2010 in generic trademark, building a brand and brand names. 0 Comments

Some brands are familiar, you’ve known them all your life.

Arcoroc is a brand of drinking glass, some would say it is The Brand. I’m surprised people don’t ask for an Arcoroc of water when theirm are thirsty.

The brand was Arcoroc “launched in 1963 for use in restaurant industry”, so that means the glasses in my house must have been “acquired” from a Restaurant at some point? I have no comment.

It truly is the Armitage Shanks of the Kitchen.

An official monopoly is the worst kind

Published March 26th, 2010 in ambrand. 0 Comments

In the private sector if you find yourself dealing with an incompetent company you can vote with your feet and take your business elsewhere. Often times it hard like in web hosting where you will have to migrate databases but it can be done.

However what if the incompetent company has a monopoly? Who can you move to? No one. Will you even complain to the company and let them know about thier poor practices? Probably not, because you might enjoy even worse service then.

Fortunately there are few private sector monopolies.  One that comes to mind is the NCT. A couple of months ago we wrote how the NCT doesn’t send reminder letters anymor, sure why should it? It is private sector company enjoying a Government contract, why would it waste money on postage when it knows that car drivers have to use its services.It is the only show in town, it would be illegal not to use its services!

Indeed, the Government may me infomally happy that it no longer sends reminder letters, because it can pile on penalty points and enjoy some income. Insurance companies must also be smiling on the lack of reminders, as those penalty points allow them to extract higher premimus from drivers, who again must havecar insurance, it would be illegal not to have insurance.

Moving up the ladder the Revenue Commissioners are my favourite example. You have to pay tax, it would be illegal not to. Why should they provide information, indeed they will often say informally “ask an accountant” but who will pay his EUR 60 per hour fee? moi?

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