The say anything, what's on your mind thread

**pineapple stu** · 23/07/2013, 6:44 AM

223 years and counting!

**BonnieShels** · 23/07/2013, 7:39 AM

Originally Posted by Eminence Grise

There's a poet in you, BS.

If you followed my twitter feed about 2 weeks ago you would have seen a similar sentiment expressed therein re hot pants and short shorts.

**Eminence Grise** · 23/07/2013, 8:41 AM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

223 years and counting!

Fixed - definitely hunt and peck style typing last night!

And today! Somehow managed to ball5 up my reply...

**DannyInvincible** · 23/07/2013, 1:56 PM

Originally Posted by Acornvilla

What's the plan for world domination now that you're a free man?

For now, I'm gonna remain in Manchester working full-time (customer service with a bank) and maybe try save a bit of money, but will also be keeping my eyes peeled for something more stimulating/career-oriented in the meantime, possibly further afield.

Have you any immediate plans yourself?

**Acornvilla** · 23/07/2013, 5:42 PM

Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

For now, I'm gonna remain in Manchester working full-time (customer service with a bank) and maybe try save a bit of money, but will also be keeping my eyes peeled for something more stimulating/career-oriented in the meantime, possibly further afield.

Have you any immediate plans yourself?

I had planned on taking a year out, join a workshop and some other things, make a go of it, but at the last minute applied and got a place in an MA course, so that's me until Christmas 2014. I'm working part time in limerick anyway and was planning on living here masters or no masters, so hopefully it suits me.

I'm not sure I'm all that ready to go out into the big bad world

http://www.lit.ie/courses/MASPACE that's the course if you're interested in knowing. I'm honestly not sure if it's the right thing to do but nothings sure in life I guess, but I worry if I didn't do a post grad that I'd more likely end up never doing any more work because of life etc.

One thing I do know is I need to start exhibiting more..

**Mr A** · 30/07/2013, 4:54 PM

Originally Posted by peadar1987

Pet Hate #25.944,183:

Crosses on top of hills and mountains.

When I go hill walking or climbing, I want to take in the scenery, and look at the views. I don't want those things spoiled by a big, ugly, wooden, cast iron or concrete monstrosity paying tribute to a superstition I don't hold. Do people have to get planning permission for these things? If I wanted to put a giant crescent moon on Carrauntuohill, or a 30-foot-high Dharmic Wheel on Bray Head, would I be accommodated in the name of equality? Why is what is essentially vandalism of our natural landscape facilitated and even encouraged just because it happens to support a middle-eastern fireside tale from several millenia ago?

I agree, but think of it this way. There are a lot more hills with nothing on them than there are with God-botherer symbols on top of them- so we're winning.

And in a million years when humanity is gone and all the crosses have crumbled to dust there'll be no more crosses, but we'll still be right.

**Cuyahoga** · 31/07/2013, 8:09 PM

So Pat Kenny is leaving RTE. Good riddance I say. The wages he was on were outrageous for what we the tax payer and TV licence payer got in return. His attributes as a current affairs presenter were his knowledge and ability to take on his interviewees but he will be easily replaceable .

**Charlie Darwin** · 31/07/2013, 8:18 PM

I don't think he's replaceable at all, to be honest, at least not in the short term. He was madly overpaid but he was also a hugely talented current affairs presenter who RTE can't just bring in a like for like substitute for. Kenny Live was awful and he was a crap Late Late Show presenter, but he's always been at home on the radio and in the current affairs format. Chances are they'll promote Tadhg Enright or something and save the cost of a new presenter. I wonder how much he's getting at Newstalk - can't imagine it's close to his RTE salary.

**Eminence Grise** · 31/07/2013, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by Cuyahoga

So Pat Kenny is leaving RTE....The wages he was on were outrageous for what we the tax payer and TV licence payer got in return.

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

He was madly overpaid.... I wonder how much he's getting at Newstalk - can't imagine it's close to his RTE salary.

As far as I know, Kenny worked as a contractor for RTE, and paid the production costs of his radio show (studio, staff, etc) out of that. That would put a hefty dent in the overall package. Newstalk may not be paying him as much, but - depending on whether he's a staffer or contractor - may be footing the production costs, so even a smaller amount could still be more in his pocket.

Edit: removed a quote from Keen2Win. For context, it led to a few more posts on crime and its causes.

**Eminence Grise** · 01/08/2013, 12:36 AM

I reckon about 20,000 violent/potentially violent crimes in the first three months of this year, according to the CSO. http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/rel...ime_q12013.pdf so there would be a certain amount of media fatigue about what they would see as a fairly small story. I suspect, too, that some organisations that are targeted by criminals use crisis communications techniques to keep this kind of information out of view (ongoing Garda investigation, can't comment on security measures in place- that kind of thing) and journalists play along. What's shocking is how we've grown so accustomed to some forms of criminal violence.

Edited to make it more general and not a direct reply to K2W.

**peadar1987** · 01/08/2013, 9:13 AM

Originally Posted by Eminence Grise

I reckon about 20,000 violent/potentially violent crimes in the first three months of this year, according to the CSO. http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/rel...ime_q12013.pdf so there would be a certain amount of media fatigue about what they would see as a fairly small story. I suspect, too, that the banks use crisis communications techniques to keep this kind of information out of view (ongoing Garda investigation, can't comment on security measures in branches - that kind of thing) and journalists play along. What's shocking - apart from what your sister went through - is how we've grown so accustomed to this kind of mindless savagery that until it affects somebody close/known to us it slips below our radar. (Happened to the son of a colleague only a few months ago.)

The lowlifes who would do that to anybody are contemptible.

Unfortunately, that's what happens when you create as stratified a society as ours. Cram a load of disadvantaged people into ****ty estates with no services, amenities or prospects, and you're bound to breed scumbags. But so long as the rich people are still in ivory back scratchers it's all gravy sure.

**Keen2win** · 01/08/2013, 9:34 AM

What you're saying about them not being happy with it being spread seems to be holding true, I'm being silenced. If someone could delete the quote in EG's response, that would be great!

**Eminence Grise** · 01/08/2013, 10:01 AM

Happy to oblige, K2W. The sentiments I wrote before editing are unchanged. Hope all will be OK.

Peadar, 'twas ever thus, whether it was a feudal, absolute monarchist or even republican society. I've been dipping into Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature over the summer and societal violence has always been around.

The dispiriting thing about history is our inability to learn from mistakes. The lovely, shiny apartment blocks I pass on the way to work are going to be slums in less than 20 years. I lived in one for a few years! The guts of 1,000 apartments in an area you could walk the perimeter of in ten minutes. The population potential was the same as a decent sized town, but there were no grocery shops, creche, pharmacy, GP, coffeeshop or playground. Nice, well-tended open space, though, and, for some reason, a hotel. The same set-up across the road. Only had a couple of minor irritations there in three years (apart from far too many loud parties) but in the last six months we noticed a definite change to a more aggressive atmosphere.

**BonnieShels** · 02/08/2013, 11:09 AM

I have to say, without doubt, SUSI is the greatest balls up in the history of Government agencies. The HSE haven't a patch on them.

**nigel-harps1954** · 02/08/2013, 4:52 PM

Part of me is glad I have a boring job where I do nothing. On the same scale part of me wishes I had a tough job.

**Eminence Grise** · 04/08/2013, 6:31 PM

Peter Capaldi is the new doctor! Or should that be the new f***ing doctor, you Dalek t**t? Looking forward to the new season.

**BonnieShels** · 06/08/2013, 7:43 AM

It's gonna make me watch it anyway!

**Eminence Grise** · 06/08/2013, 8:23 AM

Originally Posted by Eminence Grise

The dispiriting thing about history is our inability to learn from mistakes. The lovely, shiny apartment blocks I pass on the way to work are going to be slums in less than 20 years. I lived in one for a few years! The guts of 1,000 apartments in an area you could walk the perimeter of in ten minutes. The population potential was the same as a decent sized town, but there were no grocery shops, creche, pharmacy, GP, coffeeshop or playground. Nice, well-tended open space, though, and, for some reason, a hotel. The same set-up across the road.

Maybe there's hope for us yet. From today's Irish Times (http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/council-wants-mom-and-pop-developers-to-build-own-homes-1.1485325 ):
Dublin City Council is seeking “mom and pop developers” to build their own homes on council-owned land in the centre of the city.The council has identified vacant sites it owns, not suitable for social housing schemes but ideal for small-scale housing, and wants to give a chance to groups, family or friends, to come together and pitch to build their own apartments.