05.21.04
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:39 am by
Women GPs
Myers is on a roll today in the IT, complaining that women GP’s want part-time work and are leaving the profession in droves. As a result, there are not enough GPs in Ireland and we have to ‘raid’ Africa and Asia for doctors. It’s all the fault of teenage girls being cleverer than teenage boys and ‘taking’ the medical school places. The only hope is to reduce the points for medicine and let more fellas in so we have enough GPs for the future. All of this is based on a survey the results of which are:
“The authors sent questionnaires to 200 women who graduated from GP training courses, 1995-2001, and 134 (67 per cent) replied. Of those, 13 per cent were no longer GPing: so, 16 graduates who had taken incredibly precious places in medical school had abandoned general practice relatively soon after graduating. A further one-third had already ceased full-time work. Over 40 per cent said in future they probably wouldn’t work out-of-office hours, and nearly one in 10 declared they would never work non-social hours, come what may. Over 80 per cent declined to work as a single-GP in the country, and worst of all, only 10 per cent declared they wanted to remain full-time GPs. To round off the pretty picture, 75 per cent of all GP-trainees in Ireland are now women.
All in all, a very promising future for the sick of Ireland – provided they don’t live in the country, get ill only during office hours, have no heart attacks at night, and most of all, give several months’ notice of their intention of being unwell so that they get on the waiting list of the shrinking band of working she-doctors nice and early.”
Of course the analysis is missing one huge chunk of information. What do male GPs want? How many of them dropped out, refused to work unsociable hours etc? Without this info, his point is useless.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 10:10 am by
Sir Anthony and Suds
I read somewhere once how Ireland’s self esteem was linked to Peter Sutherland’s success. The only Irishman not to be a victim of our innate begrudgery, we are thrilled when he reaches new heights of success. From outstanding EU Commissioner to head of the WTO and disgustingly rich through Goldman Sachs, chairman of BP and all round slug, yesterday he received a knighthood from the Queen. To his great credit, when asked if he would be using the title ‘sir’, he answered “of course not”.
Unlike ‘Sir’Anthony, possessor of Ireland’s biggest ego. The IT provides the explanation as to how Anthony gets away with pathetically insisting upon the title. Suds accepted an honorary knighthood whereas Tony’s is an actual knighthood.
“Irish citizens can adopt a title if they also hold British citizenship, which is available to people born in the Republic prior to January 1st, 1949.
But Mr Sutherland, who was born in Dublin in 1946, has chosen not to avail of dual citizenship. This contrasts with Sir Anthony O’Reilly who was awarded a knighthood in the British new year’s honours list of 2001.
Sir Anthony claims to have held dual Irish and British citizenship since his birth. Before accepting his knighthood, the businessman and newspaper magnate obtained the permission of the Government in accordance with Article 40.2.2 of the Constitution.
The Article states that “no title of nobility or honour may be accepted by any citizen except with the prior approval of the Government”. The requirement only applies to full honours, to which titles are attached, and does not apply to honorary awards like that bestowed on Mr Sutherland.”
Of course, if the government had any balls they should have refused Tony’ request. No such luck.
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05.20.04
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:19 am by
Project Summer
While it is overcast today I think it is fair to observe that summer has arrived in Ireland which means less clothes which means parts of the body which have been safely ensconced in layers now must be exposed. Oh that it were a simple matter of taking off runners and putting on sandals, or exchanging jeans for cut-offs, or packing away the sweaters in favour of tops; a LOT of ground work has to be put in first.
My body exposure project starts with having a bath each morning instead of shower. First item on the agenda is exfoliation. The importance of vigourously removing layers of skin cannot be overestimated. I use a pumice stone, a Body Shop version of a brillo pad and the St Tropez body polisher. Push back the cuticles on the toe nails. LOADS of moisturising. Tip for the feet. Put on the moisturiser, wrap your feet in cling film. Your feet heat up, the pores open and absorb all the cream. Silky smooth feet.
Must start on the sun bed this week. Slight ethical dilemma as I’d have to ask the receptionist to keep an eye on the child while I’m in the sun room. It’s only 10 minutes but would this make me dead common? Probably. But think of the rewards. Even golden brown tan PRIOR to arriving on beaches of southern France.
Birthday yesterday. I am the Age of Christ. More maintenance required.
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05.18.04
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:20 pm by
Citizenship
An opinion by the European Court of Justice on the Chen case came today which gives FF and Herr McD the opportunity to claim it is a vindication of their referendum on citizenship. However their interpretation of the case is incorrect.
In the case, Mrs Chen, who lived in Wales with her husband and one child, became pregnant and lawyers advised her to give birth in Belfast since this would confer Irish citizenship on the child and therefore right of residency in any EU country. Mrs Chen did so, but the British government challenged her right to residency anyway.
The government says this is proof that our citizenship laws are flawed and that they are under pressure from other EU governments to close this loophole. However, Minister Mary Coughlan on RTE’s News at One today was unable to name ANY EU country that had in fact asked us to change our laws. Prof. William Binchy on Today FM meanwhile said that the decision had more to do EU residency law than Irish citizenship. He also stressed how FF have always claimed the EU can never force us to change our constitution (a fact made much of during our various divorce and abortion referenda and the reason for the unncessary declaration in the Amsterdam Treaty) so why are they suddenly claiming they have to change the law because of the EU? Whatever happened to subsidiarity and not being forced into anything because of nasty Europeans?
Furthermore the Chen case also took cognisance of the fact that under China’s one child policy, if the Chens were forced to return to China they would face discrimination and penalties as they now have two children. Nevertheless expect this case to be exploited in favour of the referendum.
Finally, Binchy pointed out that the result of the referendum will be that the grandchild of an Irish emigrant (and ergo white) will be fully entitled to Irish citizenship while the child born to a Filipino nurse (those nurses being responsible for keeping our health service afloat) will be entitled to nothing. And the government says this is not racist. Yeah.
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05.17.04
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:29 pm by
More Eurovision
Louis really is a shit. On ‘Liveline’ today, as the public rang in to condemn his failed strategy, he accused one female caller of being a ‘bored housewife’. She told him she was calling from work. No apology.
Word from the Gerry Ryan Show that they propose rather than a simple north/south divide, Ireland should divide itself into the 32 counties, have a war, recognise each other as independent states and then vote for each other in the Eurovision. That sounds like an effective plan. You should have seen the Serbia-Montenegro entry. The guy was wearing an Elvis c. late Las Vegas white suit. He had a pencil goatee and moustache. They came second. Turkey’s act was a rip off of Madness c. 1984. They were in the Top 5.
And what’s Israel doing in the Eurovision anyway?
I suspect were the Nice referenda being held across Europe now, there would be a huge No vote.
The Romanian girl wore a see through black basque and back combed bleached hair. Think Cher for the clothes and Bonny Tyler Total Eclipse of the Heart for the hair.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 4:47 pm by
Eurovision scandal
As Terry Wogan said..I feel one of my headaches coming on. Ruslana, with her skimpy leather costume, whips and over the knee boots romped home to win the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday. To be fair, her performance was energetic and she is a pretty girl and the costumes were outstanding…but at my sister’s Eurovision party on Saturday we were in moral outrage. Ireland’s Chris Doran came second last with a perfectly respectable, if not exactly show stopping performance. Cyprus and Germany had songs you might actually go out and buy and they came 6th or 7th. The Eurovision was never exactly a showcase for musical talent, but at least you could be sure of sticking in a BIG ballad with a decent singer and we usually did quite well.
After RTE nearly broke themselves by winning it 3 times in the 90′s, they entered a few mediocre songs in the hope of not winning; a tactic memorably dramatised by the famous Father Ted Eurovision episode..one of the funniest pieces of television ever. Enter Louis Walsh, boyband svengali, who declared that he was going to revamp the whole process. No longer picked by a jury, instead he started ‘Eurostar’: Ireland’s answer to Pop Idol. Now pub singers from around the country would enter public auditions and be voted on by the public. The actual song is picked as follows: Louis asks Bryan McFadden from Westlife to pen a masterpiece (Westlife being widely regarded as masters in the field of original song writing) and gives it to the best singer for the final. 2 other songs are picked by the talented Walsh and his sidekicks Linda Martin and Phil Coulter.
For the last 3 years they’ve picked ballads and guys in white suits to sing them…but for all their shaking up they missed out one huge factor.
The Eurovision winner is no longer picked by international juries. It’s picked by the public in national votes in each country. So all those Eastern European types, our new member states of the EU, with their musical tastes stuck around 1983, are picking the winner. And they like really really crappy music. And despite the fact that loads of them were at war 10 years ago, they all vote for each other.
Greece had the right idea. Dancing girls in gold bikinis and a Ricki Martin take-off.
Move with the times Louis!!
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05.14.04
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:42 pm by
WD40
Tom tells me that WD40 is oil in a spray can. Sounds like a great innovation.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 10:20 am by
Just listened to Radio 4′s Desert Island Discs. Thank god for Radio 4 as it keeps me educated. The guest was UA Fanthorpe who is a famous lady poet. I had never heard of her. I would know very little if it wasn’t for the BBC. Anyway, she read one of her poems, which instantly appealed to me. Here it is:
There is a kind of love called maintenance
Which stores the WD40 and knows when to use it;
Which checks the insurance, and doesn’t forget the milkman, which remembers to plant bulbs;
Which answers letters, which knows the way the money goes, which deals with dentists
And road fund tax and meeting trains, and postcards to the lonely
Which upholds the permanently rickety elaborate structures of living; which is Atlas.
And maintenance is the sensible side of love,
Which knows what time and weather are doing to my brickwork;
Insulates my faulty wiring;
Laughs at my dry rotten jokes,
Remembers my need for gloss and grouting;
Which keeps my suspect edifice upright in the air,
As atlas did the sky.
Needless to say I identify myself with Atlas. Except I don’t know what a WD40 is.
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05.10.04
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:54 pm by
Jesus, blogger have changed everything. I hate change. I can now do all the things I wanted like add comments but suddenly I am afraid. Story of my life.
Anyway, Sky News just launched their Ireland evening news. Hilarious. They’ve totally gone for the sex factor. No disrespect to Grainne, Lisa and Eibhlinn, but they even put Lisa into high boots and a short skirt and then pulled the camera back so we could all get a look at her knees. I was in the other room putting away the ironing when hubby called me: huge grin on his face. He fancied Lisa anyway (she was voted Britain’s sexiest weather girl EVER) but now she gets to talk about Ireland. Anne Doyle hasn’t a hope. I’m not ageist, and it’s not just the turkey neck, but the woman’s eyesight is getting so bad she can barely read the autocue anymore.
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05.09.04
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:29 pm by Sarah
Inconsistent Motivations
Readers recognising that one of my favourite themes is the struggle between domestic goddess and external validation have been sending a variety of articles about mommies in similar predicaments. I have been stalling commenting on them because I’m still trying to work out a solution. I tend to contemplate this issue when baby and I go for walks and I try to stop singing nursery rhymes in my head.
However, reading “The Sopranos and Philosophy: I Kill Therefore I Am”, one of the writers neatly summaries Tony’s struggles, and, I realised, the struggle most of us have; including the conflicts of the stay-at-home mom. The works of Plato are quoted which say that in order to be happy, our motivations must be integrated or conversely, if our motivations are inconsistent, it doesn’t matter how much we have (i.e. acquire either by way of possessions or job, family etc), we’ll never be happy. Tony wants to be a good crime boss and a good family man. The two will just never go together. The mother who wants a great career and to take care of her family will never find a balance, because there isn’t one. If you stay at the office, you can’t be at home when the kids come in from school. The person who wants a pleasurable easy-going way of life will never have concrete achievements they can be proud of because they take hard work and self-sacrifice. So gentle reader, I give you the secret to life-long happiness: integrate your motivations.
Which means by the way that Carmella is doomed. She wanted the family at Sunday dinner but also the income from the business. Personally, I would have turned a blind eye to Tony’s shenanigans. I’m midway through series 5 and as far as I can see she is far more miserable than she was with Tony. At least when there was a semblance of family life she could have occasional delusions that all was well. As AJ moves in with his Dad, she doesn’t even have that anymore. Everything she has is still paid for by crime and her home is empty. And Tony still gets to screw around but without censure or guilt. Maybe Furio will have the “stugots” to show up.
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