waste of our natural resource: agricultural land · 7 March 10 by Ray Crowley
These statistics show that only Malta, Bulgaria and Romania have fewer acres of agricultural land (in % terms) utilized for organic food production than Ireland
Source Eurostat
Old Crowley's Almanac... · 31 December 08 by Ray Crowley
It is becoming clear now.. Here are my predictions for 2009:
1. Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Bank merge a portion of their collective business. However, they remain separate entities on the ISEQ.
2. A Junior Minister resigns from Cabinet before June
3. There is a significant change at the highest level of Sinn Fein leadership
4. Ireland ratifies the Lisbon Treaty
5. Areas of Munster are seriously flooded in Spring
6. Unemployment in Ireland rises over 12%
7. A new political party emerges, part funded by Denis O’Brien
Baader, Ensslin and Monhaupt in Stammheim Prison (1976) · 19 December 08 by Ray Crowley
icons of european modernity
Colour differences between Firefox 3 and Safari 3 on a MacBook · 29 November 08 by Ray Crowley
This behavior is well elaborated elsewhere and is due to a number of factors
To me it is not an issue. In fact I rather like the lack of control one has over how an image is rendered.
The original image is here
Rory Gallagher - For the Last Time (1971) · 22 November 08 by Ray Crowley
griot · 1 November 08 by Ray Crowley
griot |ˈgriːəʊ|
noun
a member of a class of traveling poets, musicians, and storytellers who maintain a tradition of oral history in parts of West Africa.
ORIGIN French, earlier guiriot, perhaps from Portuguese criado.
Europe. Forests. Ireland. · 25 October 08 by Ray Crowley
Trees are beautiful.
If we ignore the state of Malta, then Ireland is the least forested county in the European Union (wooded areas as percentage of total land).
Ireland is almost four times less wooded than the EU average.
Why is this?
“The English Cut them down” is the automatic response, but The Republic of Ireland has been independent since the 20s.
So, why have we chosen to not grow tress here? Odd.
Even the densely populated Netherlands has devoted more land use to the cultivation of trees the the “Emerald Isle”
Here is the Eurostat Press Release
State | Forest & woods as % of total land area |
Finland | 77 |
Sweden | 75 |
Slovenia | 65 |
Spain | 57 |
Estonia | 56 |
Greece | 51 |
Latvia | 51 |
Austria | 48 |
EU27 | 42 |
Cyprus | 42 |
Portugal | 42 |
Slovakia | 40 |
Italy | 37 |
Lithuania | 35 |
Bulgaria | 34 |
Czech Republic | 34 |
Luxembourg | 34 |
Germany | 32 |
France | 31 |
Poland | 30 |
Romania | 29 |
Belgium | 23 |
Hungary | 22 |
Denmark | 15 |
United Kingdom | 12 |
Netherlands | 11 |
Ireland | 10 |
Malta | 1 |
capitulate · 19 October 08 by Ray Crowley
capitulate |kəˈpɪtjʊleɪt|
verb [ intrans. ]
cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand; surrender : the patriots had to capitulate to the enemy forces.
DERIVATIVES
capitulator |-ˈlātər| |kəˈpɪtʃəˈleɪdər| noun
ORIGIN mid 16th cent. (in the sense [parley, draw up terms] ): from French capituler, from medieval Latin capitulare ‘draw up under headings,’ from Latin capitulum, diminutive of caput ‘head.’
Protest on Patrick's Bridge · 19 October 08 by Ray Crowley
In the Republic of Ireland, It was announced this week that Free Medical Care for those over 70 was being abolished. This has caused much anger as it is seen (rightfully) as an unnecessary attack on a most vulnerable sector of Irish society.
This protest took place on the streets of Cork Saturday 18th October:
Fás - One billion a Year. · 14 October 08 by Ray Crowley
FAS – the Irish National Training and Employment Authority has an annual budget of One Billion Euro.
Yet it cannot even get its own website right. CSS Validation anyone?
How many clicks does it take you to get from here to the job search page (an obvious destination)
And what is being communicated in this key message for a Jobseeker
Finding the right job is an exciting and challenging task. FÁS provides expert guidance and resources, with access to job vacancies, online CV profiling for employers from all over Europe, and effective CV-to-job matching at FÁS Jobs Ireland
huuh? online CV profiling for employers from all over Europe. IS this phrase English?
And what is with the ridiculous Management Organisation Chart here? Us taxpayers aren’t worthy of your first names is it?
Some informed politicians were calling for significant reform of this ineffectual “authority” in recent weeks.
What was announced today in the 2009 Budget? – funding would remain at One Billion Euro