It’s been a busy week, between Freelance Forum and its aftermath, and a few other things. But there was one advantage to being busy doing other things. Without the newsmag constantly to the forefront of my mind, occasional thoughts would pop up from angles I hadn’t considered before. Given the week that’s in it –… Continue reading Do the research
Tag: spin
In confidence
“Sources close to the minister.” “Government sources.” We quote them all the time. I’ve been guilty of it myself. Sometimes, the only way to get information is to protect a source. And sometimes, that protection is cover for a handler to control the message while remaining safely anonymous. I’ve been thinking about this since I… Continue reading In confidence
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A Labour party delegation proposed the introduction of shorter US-style political advertisements in place of the staid party political broadcast format during a meeting with RTE Executives in the dying months of the last government. “We feel that there is merit in shorter more frequent broadcasts. This is something that would be worth examining in… Continue reading This message was brought to you by…
One-nil
The Irish Independent today carries the story of the 10.10.10 virus. “Fears that a computer virus could be unleased (sic!) on October 10 – 10.10.10 – are circulating on the internet, with experts warning users to be careful”, the newspaper reports with breathless urgency. (10.10.10 has a particular significance to many in geekdom, since in… Continue reading One-nil
It wasn’t Simon
Fianna Fáil is in a spin about twitter. Nothing wrong with that, all political parties spin. You might as well criticise a dog for barking. The Fianna Fáil spin is that the criticism of the taoiseach’s performance on Morning Ireland is a storm in a pint glass, all the fault of Simon Coveney and Fine… Continue reading It wasn’t Simon
QED
Kevin Myers writes, in the Irish Independent of Friday 25 May, 2009: “Google Amnesty International and Hamas, and you will find many, many condemnations by Amnesty of Israel; but you will have to work very hard indeed to find Amnesty’s condemnations of Hamas. Yes, there are some, but they are seriously muted in comparison to… Continue reading QED
It’s Alive!
This week, scientists created artificial life. Well, sort of. Truth is, once you snip away the press release puff and spin, it’s more a case that scientists copied life. Here’s how the BBC reported what happened: ‘The researchers copied an existing bacterial genome. They sequenced its genetic code and then used synthesis machines to chemically… Continue reading It’s Alive!
Failure Is Good
Way back in September 2008, I wondered what had become of free market philosophy, as the US government scrambled to rescue crumbling banks. Two weeks later, Ireland guaranteed bank deposits and bondholders. A lot has happened since then. Back in 2008, I asked what happened to the belief in creative destruction. I’m still wondering. Capitalism… Continue reading Failure Is Good
Tomorrow’s News
With the Blog Awards approaching, it’s time to revist an idea I’ve been toying with for some time. Blogs are fine, but even the finest blog in Ireland has a limited readership. Unless yuou’re lucky, you may never stumble across some of the best writers out there. The result? many well written articles are overlooked.… Continue reading Tomorrow’s News
Rock Bottom
Anyone seeking for a metaphor for all that is wrong with Ireland at the moment need look no farther than the Dublin docklands. There, you will find the proposed new headquarters for Anglo Irish Bank, a building planned in happier days, before the bank imploded and was nationalised. A government strapped for cash as tax… Continue reading Rock Bottom