For the Love of Standards!

Ok I was going to be very lazy today & not post anything, however I needed (yet another) distraction from doing college work low and behold I came across this from the breakingnews.ie website: Dustin The Turkey in running for Eurovision . For my Irish readers, no introduction is needed. For the Internationals heres the wikipedia article! Those of you who know me personally, know of my somewhat erratic musical tastes. Those same people also know that most of that erratic musical taste is sourced from the Eurovision Song Contest. Who could possibly match Scooch-Flying the Flag (UK, 2007) or Vera Serduchka-Dancing Lasha Dubai(Ukraine, 2007) or the memorable pink shoe on the stage from Iceland in Eurovision Semi-Finals 2006, Sylvia Night-Congratulations. (We will forgive her little outburst after she didn't get through: For those of you wish to view it, well I'm not a tabloid gossip column-I'm a classier burd than that- but if you search"Silvia Night goes crazy" in Youtube you will find it. [:-) ).

Anyway back to the topic at hand. Right Dustin and the Eurovision. Now call me old fashioned but I like to see my Eurovision performers on stage using their legs, arms & whatever implements they are legally allowed bring into the host country! Dustin is a puppet. It is bad enough that our record of SEVEN Eurovision wins-in 1970, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996- has not been added to in the last couple of years. I don't blame Dervish for coming last in 2007 for the record. I did enjoy the song, it just needed a little tweaking before it went to Europe. I do not however want to see a puppet representing my country in a European wide Song Contest watched by some whatever million people across the world! Dustin is fine for Children's daytime television but most assuredly not for Eurovision. They are trying to keep Kosovo within the borders of Serbia remember-if we send a Turkey, Kosovo will laugh itself into independence from Serbia, while it laughs the other way! I find Mr. Bill Huges', (chair of the Judging Panel) comment that "each and every one of these six acts would do us proud on the Eurovision stage"(via breakingnews.ie) slightly annoying considering the panel has allowed a puppet Turkey go forward as a possible act for Eurovision. I mean somebody must be surely taking the piss somewhere...right?


Eurosong goes out on RTE 1 during this month and will be broadcast by Ray D’Arcy from University Concert Hall Limerick, with viewers voting by phone and text for the winning song that will be performed in the first semi-final on Tuesday, May 20. Score one for Limerick at least.

Sites:
RTE Eurosong 2008
Eurovision Website

McAleese to launch regeneration projects in Limerick

President Mary McAleese is due in Limerick today to officially launch two major regeneration projects.

Under the plans, 2,000 homes will be demolished in the Moyross, Southill and Ballincurra Weston areas.

Moyross will be completely rebuilt with a new town centre, while new neighbourhood centres will be built in Southill and Ballincurra Weston.

The project was announced on foot of a government-commissioned report into how to tackle major criminal and economic problems in the three areas.

Source & Cont'd: Breakingnews.ie

Govt sets up unit to fight human trafficking

Call me a cynical old coot (Cynical old coot), but Im just curious which EU fund did we now tap into in order to pay for this and more to the point, How long will the funding last before the Unit is silently stepped down?For the Record before I get the head bitten off me, yes of course I welcome the setting up on this, but like I said call me cynical etc etc.

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Govt sets up unit to fight human trafficking
20/11/2007 - 17:51:57

The Government has set up a new special unit to combat human trafficking, it was announced today.

A senior official is to be appointed to head up the unit which will be part of the Department of Justice.

The measure follows the introduction of proposed laws, the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill, to outlaw people smuggling for the sex trade or illegal labour.

Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan said a new Executive Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit would take charge of national strategies while working with international agencies.

“Human trafficking is, by its very nature, a crime that crosses national state boundaries,” he said.

“Constant vigilance, active international liaison and full co-operation between relevant authorities is vital to counter it.”

Source and Cont'd: Breakingnews.ie

The Road Safety Authority's new Safety Measures:

So the RSA finally has grabbed the Government's balls and forced them to act even moreso than the paying of lip service to the issue, which has been the norm hitherto, on the Road Safety Issue. The measures which they have announced on Learner drivers are pretty standard run of the mill measures, which could have been introduced a long time ago, given the political will necessary for example After failing a Driving test, applicants were able to drive away from the test centre! I should know I did it twice myself.
Did I feel guilty about that, maybe. Did it stop me driving my car. No. Because why? It was not an offense to do it & I was not breaking the law (I was also on my second provisional license as well, which meant I could do it legally without a fully licensed driver!). However One thing I am glad about all this, is that I am no longer a Learner driver anymore so this does not affect me majorly in any way!
HOWEVER in saying that, complacency is a driver's worst enemy & just because you have had your license for some 50years, 25 years, 2 years, 2 minutes, is no reason for the flouting of legislation & road safety advice.


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Government announces crackdown on learner drivers
25/10/2007 - 19:17:28

Learner drivers who flout laws on travelling unsupervised were today warned they face hefty fines in a major road safety crackdown.

Provisional licence holders must have a fully qualified driver of at least two years experience in the car with them from next Tuesday, under the new provisions.

There are presently around 420,000 provisional licence holders in country.

The measures form part of the Government's latest road safety strategy which it vows will prevent 400 deaths over the next five years.

While 126 specific actions were outlined in the plan - all with built in timeframes between now and 2012 - an expected imminent reduction in the drink driving limit has yet to be decided.
[.................]

Gay Byrne, RSA chairman, said the new measures were necessary as inexperience was one of the major causes of road accidents in Ireland.

"It's absolutely statistically true that the 17 to 26-year-old male - and it's a male problem, not a female problem - are among the most dangerous drivers on the road," he said.

"Because young men suffer from a disease which can only be described as '17 to 26' - that is the disease in itself."

Contd: http://www.breakingnews.ie/archives/?c=IRELAND&jp=mhmhmhqlaukf&d=2007-10-25


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Also


Learner drivers' cars to have speed restricted
25/10/2007 - 20:30:23

Technology will be installed in every car used by a leaner driver that will cap its power, under plans unveiled today.

Road safety chiefs want to limit the acceleration or capacity of engines being used by inexperienced motorists as part of a crackdown on road deaths.

Noel Brett, chief executive of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), said that once the right device or technology is found new laws will be brought in to make it mandatory.

“We are searching to find the most appropriate way of limiting the power of a car – that already happens for motorcycles,” he said.

The road safety chief said bringing in restrictions on car engine size for learner drivers alone was too simplistic.

“That wouldn’t work and that would have all sorts of issues for our community,” he insisted, at the launch of the Government’s five-year road safety strategy.

“What we have to find is the mechanism to limit vehicles, mechanically or otherwise, that keeps people as safe as possible without denying them access to [safety] features that are on bigger cars.”

Mr Brett said research is already under way to find the most appropriate way of stopping inexperienced drivers getting behind the wheel of powerful cars.

The technology is also likely to limit anyone else using the same car.

contd: http://www.breakingnews.ie/archives/?c=IRELAND&jp=mhmhmhqlauey&d=2007-10-25