Rock & Roll getting old !

Bruce Springsteen, Pink, Guns N'Roses, Ringo Starr, ZZ Top, Thin Lizzy, the Steve Miller Band, Deep Purple, Santana, Status Quo, Robert Plant, Neil Young, Carole King, Paul Simon and Kiss.
This is a list of acts to appear in concert in Australia in early 2013. I'd hate to add up there ages. Boy oh boy are they getting old.

The Richest Irish Citizen, is Indian! Really.m

Who is the richest Irishman in the world !

Well you will be surprised, his name is Cyrus Mistry. Born: July 4, 1968 (age 44) He lives and works in India. He is the chairman of the massive conglomerate Tata – India's largest business the Tata group. The Family own 18% of the group and there share is worth € 7 billion. His father Pallonji became an Irish citizen in 2003 "on the basis of his marriage to an Irish-born national, Pallonji's wife, Patsy Perin Dubash, was born in September 1939 in Hatch Street Nursing House in Dublin. Cyrus, his brother Shapoor and sister Aloo are also Irish citizens by virtue of their mother's birthplace.
Cyrus Mistry is married to Rohiqa Chagla, the daughter of lawyer Iqbal Chagla and the granddaughter of renowned jurist M.C. Chagla. Together, Mistry and his wife have two sons.
He is an avid golfer.

Cooking Season

How many cooking shows can they show on UK and Irish TV channels in December 2012 ? Nearly every night. What am I saying every Morning, noon & night. On different channels. The chefs are house hold names. BBC even has repeats such as Saturday Kitchen on Sunday. Master Chef has three versions Junior, ,professional and celebrity, oh that's four when you count the one for the public. Oh yes then there is the international version's, I've seen an Irish & Australian versions.
Then you get the travel, cooking shows. Nice holidays for the chefs. Then there is the campaigning food shows, Jamie Oliver saving children from school meals ( well ,the turkey twirls ) in then UK ,and USA. "Sustainable fish, vegetables, veal " get a cause and make a food series.
Baking is the new HOT topic for the cooking shows. In a tent in the UK . It's so popular that sales of flower has increased and cake declarations are taking up more space in the supermarkets.
The advice can be interesting on Irish TV were told to put the tin foil on the Brest of the Turkey leaving the legs uncovered as they take longer to cook. In England they advise to rap the legs in foil as you want the breast to have a bronze colour.
Beware there are more to come in the new year, if you can survive the Christmas cooking season.

Getting old

I was watching TV a few weeks ago when I noticed a trend happening. Everyone was getting old. First the Pope was launching his twitter account. He's  85. Mick jagger was in London with the Rolling Stones. He's 69.  Paul McCartney launched a new Album live Kisses, He's 70.  There was a concert for the victims of hurricane Sandy including Bruce-Springsteen ( 63 ) Billy Joel  ( 63 ), the Who's Rodger   Daltry ( 68 ), Rodger Walters of Pink Floyd ( 69 ) . I will stop here, I must be getting OLD.

American election 2012

I said Obama would win by a big majority in the Electorial vote.

I was surprised how close the popular vote  was. ( America divided ).

He Lost congress again, will reduce his power.

The turnout was lower after record last time

117 million 2012 .  131, million  2008

Latino voters are a key demographic in the 2012 Presidential Election

His first 100 days very important to get major legislation through in Medicare  and economic measures.

How to control Israel, stop before they  attacking Iran 

What do do with Iran, 

How to deal with china's new leadership.

Discovery Channel Program's

Discovery Channel

I'm being troubled by some of the shows on digital channels which are beamed world wide. The latest is American Guns which is a reality television series . The series centers on the Wyatt Family at Gunsmoke Guns, located in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA; which specialize in gun manufacture, trade, customization, and instruction. They will make you any type of gun. Sniper rifles, automatic guns even cannons. They let there teenage daughter test fire the guns. 

This show might be good fun and interesting to watch but it's not suitable for every society. It would be illegal to own or use these weapons in Ireland. It makes gun owning respectable and normal.

In one episode he travels to a mans home which had rooms full of his kills from hunting. Mounted on the wall were every type of animal you could think of. He wanted to sell guns to go back to Africa and hunt. On the wall was a Rhinos head with horn. Surely this is illegal in America. 

Do the directors of the Dicovery Channel ever watch these shows and think of the damage these shows could be doing to other societies they beam their shows to. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools. Is this the right type of show to be associated with education.

Coal why are we suckers

Coal ! Why are we paying so much

Coal has many important uses worldwide. The most significant uses are in electricity generation, steel production, cement manufacturing and as a liquid fuel. Around 6.1 billion tonnes of hard coal were used worldwide last year and 1 billion tonnes of brown coal. Since 2000, global coal consumption has grown faster than any other fuel. The five largest coal users - China, USA, India, Russia and Japan - account for 77% of total global coal use.

Different types of coal have different uses. Steam coal - also known as thermal coal - is mainly used in power generation. Coking coal - also known as metallurgical coal - is mainly used in steel production.

The People's Republic of China is the largest consumer of coal in the world. 68% of its electricity comes from burning coal. 49% in the USA. In Ireland it's 20%. We use .5% of the world consumption yearly. we import all our coa,l the biggest imports come from 

Columbia -            41.9%

Indonesia -           29.9%

South Africa-      14.9%

There are taxes on coal. In  2010 the government  introduced a carbon tax at the rate of €15 per tonne of CO2. The VAT rate in 13.9%. Why are we paying so much. By International standards we use very little. We only have One power station ( Money Point) using coal.  So the question is why are we paying some of the  highest  prices in the world for  our electricity ? Why are we not rewarded for being good world citizens using so little coal ?

Buying on Internet part 2

Since I wrote about no local sales tax on Amazon in the USA they must have read my blog. They have introduced the sales tax on Internet sites in California bringing to 7 the number of states with such a local tax?

Buying from the Internet

The Americans love buying over the Internet. They buy big ticket items, from cars, television etc in the UK they like buying small goods and cloths . They are all getting a bargin. Here in Ireland it's mixed. Why ? Well in America they skip local taxes. This could be a saving of 5% or higher. In the Uk the companies give free shipping for smaller or lighter goods. In Ireland our market is so small they can't afford to give free shipping. We are charged VAT ( value added tax ) which can be 23%. If we try to get products from America a lot of companies won't ship to Ireland. Shipping from the UK can be expensive. In both America & the UK you have the exchange rate problem as well. So we are the disadvantaged both ways. 

Paralympics Problems

Olympics

There are two major problem with the Para Olympics. The classification and the equipment. The Classification system defines an individual's level of disability and bunches them together ( there are 27 different 100m gold medals to compete for ). This is suppose to level the playing field but there is to much room for error or cheating. ( China had 700 athletes reclassified before the games ). 

Then there is the equipment. The richer you are you can afford the best and most expensive equipment ( wheelchairs, limbs etc ) competing against inferior equipment. 

Team UK tested chairs in wind tunnels with chairs costing €30,000 up. The limbs can be replaced by Blades but this is also a problem with the famous South African blaming his loss on the size of the Brazilians  blades. 

So keep these in mind when your watching.

Batman shooting. Kids !

Batman shooting ! The youngest victim was a 6 yearold girl. There was a couple with a four yearold boy and a four month old. This was a midnight show ! Why were they there ? What dose say about American society ? This was in a middle class area. Is it normal to have kids going to cinemas so late at night. Modern Batman movies are dark and violent and loud, are they suitable for young childern ? R.I.P. all those who died and my sympathy with those who are now scared for life with injuries and mental stress for the rest of there lives.

European Championship & British Media

It over, after weeks of soccer. The British media must be disappointed. No riots, no racism, no sign of neo nazies. All there doom and gloom did not come true. The stadiums were perfect, finished well built, green grass that could take a down poure of heavy rain.. Ticket sales were great. No empty stadiums. Happy fans having a good time. The Britism media years ago started with delays in building the stadiums, then the roads and railways. Then there would be no hotel rooms in Ukraine. Then riots at Polish league games and how the British fans would be targeted. Then they got into racism, how the players would be treated. Then they got former players to tell the public there lives would be at risk. So the British fans did not travel in big numbers. In Ireland the fans did not get all this media frenzy and traveled. The worst that happened was a disturbance on a bridge with Russian and Polish fans, and a few racist chants at coloured players. These were un acceptable but not wide spread. So a great tournament for all except the British media. Yet they still sold there cheap and nasty newspapers.

iPad prices world wide.

Apple The New IPad   16GB USA €396 Au    €426 Uk.   €492 Irl.  €479 Ger. €479 Fr.   €489 These are the price of the new iPad in Junen2012 from Apple online store in each country. You cannot get one direct in India or Chinaw. Buying one in a different can give you small problems such as buying goods etc.

Discovery TV at it again.

You have to question programmes on Discovery channel. Are the real or not ? Operation Repo is just recreations of actual events but you would think they were real documentaries until you read the credits . Now they have a new one. Moonshiners is an American reality-television series on the Discovery Channel that dramatizes the practice of individuals who produce moonshine, an alcoholic beverage that when made and sold without permits and taxes paid is illegal. The alcohol runs to about 180 proof. The series documents their practice, law-evading techniques and life. It looks real but it's not. No alcohol was made. Beware what your watching and don't be fooled.

Fake China

With each week the Irish customs catch fake Tobacco products and imitation products being smuggled into Ireland. This is going on in a bigger scale throughout Europe. Why don't the EU take a case against China under the World Trade Agreement. The Chineese could crack down on the production of these fake goods if they really tried. They are happy to keep this system going undermining the economies of Europe the EU is to slow in attacking this problem and Ireland to small to go against China on its Own.

Post prices ?

Is the cost of posting packets and parcels going to kill ecommerce in Ireland. It is so expensive to post anything in Ireland it is hardly cost effective to buy small amounts in Ireland on the Internet. For example sugarfree.ie sells bars of chocolate on the Net but charges a flat fee of €5. All these small Internet companies have the same problem " the cost of deliveries " . The large companies can spread the costs but are also having delivery cost problems. Amoson UK has free deliveries on the Mainland but charge in Ireland north and south. The post offices around the world are loosing millions and making thousands redundant. They can't square the circle of cheap post with high overheads and fewer posting letters more positing packets and parcels.

Pixel TV

I have noticed a big increase in television program's having people or adds being pixeled out. Children faces for years have been pixeled out and of course dead bodies, especally in news program's. Now you have adds and brands pickled out in shows like American chopper. Faces are gone in program's like Gypsy Weddings and American auctions. It's most used in police and chase program's. Road Wars, Police action cams etc. RTE television have proDuct placement warnings before shows including the Late Late show.the pixeled out will appear on RTE soon.

What's Irish

What is an Irish product Irish whiskey is owned by the French ( Pernod ) Guinness is owned by UK multi-national ( Diago ) Lyons Tea owned by UK multi-national ( Unilever ) Jacobs biscuits made in the UK. Yoplait is owned by the French. It's a very complaced issue. For example McDonald burger meat for Europe is reared and slaughtered in Ireland. Donegal catch is packed in Ireland. Cheese for pizzas in the UK comes mainly from Ireland. So Buy Irish if you solve the problem of origin.

Board of Directors

Why are the Board of Directors so old in the National Rehabilitation Hospital. It has a budget of €24 million a year. I can see that at least three are in there late 70's or Eighties. This is a very responsible positions. Yet it looks like a old folks club instead of a professional institution.

Do you Know what's on TV ( Part 1 )

With all the new satellite stations now easily available on TV , do you know what's on. Your kids could be watching. Let's start with Guns, On Discovery Channel you have Sons of Guns and American Guns. These shows treat guns as fun and Ausumn, shooting up targets and hope to make guns more deadlier. Then you have Hogg Hunters and swamp people, these are people out to kill living animals. You have many program's about law and order with violence the outcome. So be aware what you kids are watching.

Whale Wars TV are they setting bad precedent ?

Whale wars is a reality show about the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's campaign against Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary off the coast of Antarctica.The Japanese claim that their whaling is legally accepted research, which Sea Shepherd and others contend is a cover for banned commercial whaling. Sea Shepherd has been both criticized and praised for tactics of direct action sabotage which include throwing stink bombs of butyric acid as well as ramming, boarding, and otherwise attempting to disable the Japanese vessels. If it was a US ship being attacked by Japeneese it would be piracy or war. It leaves me mystified. Making reality TV on one persons view of whaling and making it entertainment. Would the English make a reality TV show with hunt sabatures being seen as Heros ?

Proud members of the EU

As Irish people we are proud being a member of the European Union. We have acquired millions from the Common Agriculture policy "CAP" and structural funds. We see our selves as good Europeans. We are a neutral country and never joined NATO. We send our troops on UN peace missions. Today I read that EU attack Helicopters fired on a Somalia pirates village and sunk 4 boats. When did we join a EU army and give permission for the EU to go on an offensive mission. It's proberely ok to attack these pirates but it would be nice to have been asked.

Politically correct

The Mettopolition police have banned the words " putting people on black lists " if they do something. Well according to them using the word black is offensive; so you have to call it a "Red " list. This Political correctness gone Mad.

Food in Dublin

I have taken some facts from a survey taken by hotel.com to show rip off Dublin is getting cheaper. DUBLIN is the seventh cheapest city to order a club sandwich, according to a global league table of the popular hotel . The classic chicken, bacon, egg, lettuce and mayonnaise sandwich costs €24.82 in Paris, where prices range from €41.53 in a five-star hotel to €17.04 in a two-star hotel. This compares with an average €11.64 sandwich in Dublin, a €12.41 sandwich in New York and a €13.96 sandwich in London. London was ranked the tenth most expensive city in the league table, making it cheaper than cities including Copenhagen, Rome and Tokyo but more expensive than Hong Kong, Berlin and Amsterdam. The cheapest of the 26 cities in the so-called Club Sandwich Index (CSI) is New Delhi, where the average Club costs €6.98. In total 750 prices of a Club Sandwich were measured across 750 hotels. The cheapest food In Dublin can be bought in IKEA's restraunte but I don't think they sell club sandwiches.

Democracy in England

There were referendums in England asking did certain City's want elected Mayors. Most said no. For a country that loves democracy and goes to war for others to have democracy's; the turnout was very low. Birmingham there second biggest city. With a population of millions the turnout was just over 200,000. So much for politics. Riots gets more coverage. This is a bad sign for democracy.

A Pain for Spain

Spain's unemployment rate is 24.44%. The number of unemployed increased to 5.639 million from 5.273 million in the previous quarter, when it crossed the 5 million mark for the first time. The figure is expected to rise in coming months due to the government's tough austerity measures. There has not being the riots we see in Greece. They are not all broke as I have just watched the Spanish Moto Grand Prix with 103,000 in attendance.

Harry and his gun

Prince Harry has been awarded the the Atlantic Council Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership for his charitable works on behalf of wounded servicemen, officials said Monday. This is the same Harry that was filmed shooting in Afghanistan how does this stand up. He was trying to kill some one ?

Health & Safty now food Safty Authorty

In the UK the health and Saftey have for years gone over the top with warnings and rules. Kids can't play without safety rules ect. Now the Food Safty Authority is heading the same way. They have a Cancer chemical alert over crisps and coffee as Food Standards Agency identifies 13 at-risk products Food firms in Britain have been warned about the presence of a cancer-risk chemical in everyday products ranging from crisps and chips to instant coffee and ginger biscuits. The chemical is called Acrylamide, they are still doing studies. They are warning that it's dangerous to eat burnt toast or dark crisps or anything that is over cooked and turns black. Ginger nut biscuits are on the list. There is no proof that there is a positive risk. Bad science and civil servents covering there backs. Totally riduclas response, scaring the public again. It not helped by the media making a big story out of nothing.

German football and money

BERLIN (AP) - The German Football League has secured an increase in income of more than 50 percent for television rights to the Bundesliga in a four-season deal starting next year. The deal announced Tuesday starts with the 2013-14 season and runs through to 2016-17. It leaves the main players unchanged, with Sky television keeping the live broadcast rights and ARD public television retaining the highlights rights of Bundesliga matches. The league, or DFL, said it will bring in about €2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) in total. That amounts to about €628 million per year on average, compared with €412 million per year at the moment. Sky Deutschland added live broadband Internet television and mobile rights to the live pay TV broadcasting package for the top two divisions it already held, and said it will pay an average €485.7 million per year." This is the latest news of German football, it attract great attendances but are they going to kill the league with to much money. The Premiership in England has overpaid players who once they get big money don't try very hard while playing. Sky has to much influence in deciding when the games are played 2 live matches Saturday, 3 Sunday, monday night, to much football when they want it. The behaviour of the players, managers and owners has been influenced by to much money around. I hope the Germans don't let the money ruin there football.

It's all right India

India successfully test-fired today a nuclear-capable missile that can reach Beijing and Eastern Europe. The Agni V is the most advanced version of the indigenously built Agni, or Fire, series, part of a programme that started in the 1960s. So it's ok for India to have nuclear weapons ! America and Europe have not complained. A French company is selling them 100 advanced jet fighters, and America will sell them anything they want.

Television Adds

There are a lot of adds on TV at the moment for over 50 life insurance. Presented by TV Stars Michael Parkinson's ect. You invest a fixed amount every month and get a fixed lump sum when you die. No medical check is needed. Sounds great. BUT ! You can never get out of these contracts. You have to keep upl payments or you loose the lot. If you don't die early you will properly put in more than you get out. Most importantly inflation is not taken intolerance account so you lump sum might sound good now but in 10 or 20 years they could be very small value for money. In ten years there will be investigation into the selling of these products. You heard it hear first.

Democracy flawed !

Democracy is flawed and causing problems world wide. People don't like being taxed. It is impossible to be elected President of America by raising taxes. So they have a national dept of billions. Here in Ireland we have no property tax and are having trouble introducing one, even though we need one to pay for health and education. It's the same in most democracies. But there is not alternative YET.

Satellites Week

America got very upset when North Korea launched a satellite into the air. It never got into space as it blew up. But in the same week the United States set up a Spy satellite on a Delta rocket. No one knows what it will do, yet the world did not give out to them. In Europe the European Space agency lost contact with it's weather satellite which was up there since 2002. It had passed it's life expectancy by 5 years.

Beware of pressure Sore's

Beware of pressure Sore's

Six months, three weeks and four days, that the hospital time I have just paid for getting a pressure sore. I was in an isolation room in the annex of St Michael's. Four operations, five litres of blood, 3 trips to St Vincent's for pic lines and once to the HDU ward. I had a Vac machine for months before I entered the hospital and again between the operations. Mr Carroll ( God bless him ) the plastic surgeon tried a skin graph but it did not take so he did a muscle flap. The sore was on my hip so he opened the skin on my leg and rapped the muscle around the hip bone afters cleaning out the dead tissue. I had to lie on one side and my back for the 6 months. The staff were wonderful but they were not use to a spinal cord patient so I had to teach them how to handle me. The hospital had no shower trolly ( believe it or not ) so they got one. So all I can advise you look after your skin and remember prevention is better than what I have just gone true.
One last nightmare while in hospital was that my apartment flooded the night of the storm in October, all the wooden floors were destroyed.

Martin Sinnott C5/6 complete
28 February 2011