Laura Canning, my social studies seminar lecturer, provided the topic of yet another riveting debate today. We discussed class and whether there is a class system in Ireland. The debate was pretty hot and I did disagree with a lot of what people said. One person however, seemed to keep at least a couple of her intellectual toes firmly on my level.

The presentation team gave their views and enlightened us with their research on how class started and grew, what makes a class and what institutions instil an idea of class. I agree that class exists, but not in Ireland.

When we were colonised there was a definite class distinction. One was defined by their wealth firstly, their religion secondly, their loyalties thirdly. But toward the end of the nineteenth century and certainly as the twentieth century progressed that class was broken because the people were united in a hatred for Britain.

I believe class, in Ireland anyway, matters only in the minds of the arrogant or self-righteous. It can exist in the minds of others and why they may feel strongly about their social position they are capable of shrugging off the verbal slurs.

I don’t think we have a class system. One’s wealth or address does not give them a class position. One’s education or the lifestyle of their parents or the behaviour of their neighbours or friends does not label them. I think, as Wayne Dyer said, a person is the sum of their actions. Every choice a person makes defines them.

Education is the key to social standard. And luckily in Ireland we have a superb education system that is as vast as it is strong. Any person – child or adult – no matter where they come from or what school they attend has the facilities to achieve the maximum of their abilities.

Whether your school has good teachers or not doesn’t have to make a difference to your outcome. Whether you were given the means to explore beyond the realms of your own thought makes little difference. If you are given the facts, and all students are given the facts, then it is up to you to learn them and know them when it counts.

In terms of “class” in Ireland you are as great as your ability to retain knowledge as well as your ability to use it.

The idea of the American dream is false. It does not exist in America. One cannot get something simply by working hard enough to get it. You have to enable their progress. Luckily we have that in Ireland.

If a person learns as much as they are capable and uses as much of that knowledge as they can to get the points they need to go to college then they have the same chance as anybody else of gaining a degree. With a degree all persons are equal. What sets you apart are your actions in life and your personality. The most kind, the most charming and the most qualified get the jobs.

There are some people who are better than other people, that doesn’t mean the bad ones won’t succeed. It just depends on whether or not the good reach out and grab what they can.

The Pink Calendar is finally here! Twele months of Irish lesbians (with some fmiliar faces you’ll have seen out and about), this calendar is for an excellent cause, with all money going to BeLonG To and LGBT NOISE.

Copies are available here:

http://www.thepinkcalendar.com/

A guest post by Gavin Costello (Franksting):

@Franksting

In Irish tradition, there is the concept of the ‘Seanchaí‘.

Basically a storyteller, but also the holder of knowledge in Society down through the ages. The Oral Tradition, as it were, was once seen as just Stories, but I’m of the impression, the longer archaeology gets better at identifying things, many so-called ‘legends’ actually become real (Note, if I was a real journalist, I would look for a link to prove this). I’m sure most societies have a similar tradition.

While there would generally only be one Storyteller in a village or area, I imagine, he also had success/fail considerations. I mean if the stories he told were boring, or his tone of voice was that of a footballer, now retired, who was used as a TV commentator because of his abilities on the field, then he’d have to hand the baton over quicksmart to the young fella in the next field wouldn’t he? Either that or his listeners would be heading down to the next village to listen to Richie Benaud’s dulcet tones instead, right?

As I think about that, I see parallels between the longevity of those who tell stories in whatever traditions, and the varying successes of Businesses depending on what they are selling and then how they are engaging with their Customers.

To put it simply, not only did the locals want to listen to the Stories, they also needed to LIKE YOUR COMPANY.

If you apply that then to any company who wants to properly serve their customers, don’t they have to LIKE you, to WANT to listen to you?

Even if they have no option and they HAVE TO use your services, but you don’t talk with them in a way that is beneficial to them, why would they want to listen to you?

And if they do like your services, but they don’t like you, not only will they not listen to you, but most likely they will also search out alternatives as soon as they become available.

But let’s go further, if you talk about having a ‘conversation’ with your customer (I’m starting to hate the use of that term to describe what should be basic customer service), but the ‘conversation’ isn’t open, then what value does it have?

And what if you, in the day-to-day operations of your organisation, don’t create an environment where everyone feels they can partake in a fireside chat about the company or even believes in the customer facing presentation, then what chances have you of getting your stories told by them?

As a further challenge. Do companies really understand, as Marilyn Pratt from SAP says in her excellent presentation on Killing Communities (Hat Tip to Gavin Heaton for drawing this to my attention at his Blog); developing products or services should be simply about:

“…what value it brings to them, not what money it brings us.”

Because if the only reason you are developing and selling anything is to make a buck, chances are your opportunity will be short-lived – even if you do make a killing.

For your customers won’t like you, because not only are you not interested in delivering THEM value, if you try to talk to them about the value and service you are providing them, it’ll be a story they won’t want to hear and they’ll go to the Village down the road to listen to the other fella instead.

Wang Zifei, a student at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, attended Obama’s town hall at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Zifei sat in a spot that resulted in her appearing in a number of photos from the event. She has become an Internet sensation, with people referring her to as the ‘beauty in black beside Obama.’

This “Obama girl in black” or the “woman in black behind Obama” also captured attention by wearing a bright red coat to the event, and she became the subject of a popular animation which shows the coat being taken off, which you can watch here.

The same overnight fame happened to Mayara Tavares when Obama  and France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy did some site-seeing at the G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy. Obama, Looking at woman in Italy

Click On Links:
Mayara Tavares
Obama, Looking at woman in Italy
Obama Visits Great Wall In China
Obama Bowing To Japan’s Emperor Akihito
Obama Wants More Internet Freedom In China
The World’s Most Powerful People
Burning Man Obama
Obamamania Hits Japan
Obama Image in Tomb
Michelle Obama Chimp Image On Google
Nicolas Sarkozy et Carla Bruni dans les Simpson !

Get well soon C

I know I haven’t done a blog for a while and I’ll catch up soon.

This is a blog for a very special little boy and his family. We met them when we were in Dublin for the Daily Mail. C was waiting for heart surgery and because of the cutbacks in Crumlin he was one of many on the waiting list.

He had his surgery today. We are keeping everything crossed for him that he makes a full recovery. Jono and C were ‘dinner buddys’ on our day at the hotel.

C is only three years old. Thinking of them all and sending love and prayers. xxx

One of the most encouraging books that I have read on marriage and relationships is by the best-selling author Gary Smalley, who has  sold millions of videos on how to strengthen our vital relationships.  John Gray, the well-known author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, comments: “If you want a lasting love relationship, I highly recommend Gary Smalley’s guide to forever love”.

One of the keys to his memorable books is that Gary teaches you how to fall in love with life all over again.  Everything he writes has to do with the age-old struggle between the life-giving principle of honour and the life-draining emotion of destructive anger.  The average person, says Smalley, has little or no idea how damaging that forgotten or ignored anger can be.  Worse yet, most people don’t even know how much destructive anger they have buried inside, much like unexploded landmines left in the middle eastern sands.  Once buried, our anger does its worst damage, wreaking havoc on our physical and emotional well-being.  Facing our anger is indispensable to Making Love Last Forever.

Anger, says Smalley, is a secondary emotion, not a primary feeling.  It arises out of fear, frustration, hurt, or some combination of these three.  Anger is actually a coping strategy to attempt to banish fear from our lives.  Sometimes our parents have non-verbally taught us that perfect anger casts out all fear, when the truth is that only perfect love casts out all fear.

Smalley comments that anger can be thought of as a sticky, bad-smelling dangerous substance that can be compressed and stuffed into something like a spray can.  Angry people tend to go around spraying their anger on other people.  The spray is felt by others as meanness, insensitivity, and general offensiveness.  Most angry people have no idea that their angry spray stings others like hydrochloric acid.  Unresolved anger is the No. 1 enemy of Making Love Last Forever.

Some of us as men pride ourselves that we are not as other husbands, who physically beat up their wives in drunken rages.  Yet even if our anger never turns violent or illegal, unresolved anger can still prove destructive.  All of us want to feel connected in our primary relationships.  But one of the most common results of deep anger is relational distance, an unwillingness and inability to let others get close.  It is as if we are living inside a relational box of thick plate glass.  Yet we keep wondering as men why our wives won’t become more intimate.

Unresolved anger, says Smalley, is not only destructive to our families.  It is also destructive to our personal health. Many of the backaches, neckaches, and headaches that send us complaining to our GPs are actually the outworking of buried anger.  Anger studies were done on medical doctors and lawyers over a 25 year period.  By the age of fifty, only 4 percent of the low-ranked easy-going lawyers and 2 percent of the doctors had died.  Lawyers who had ranked high on anger had a 20 percent mortality rate;  doctors 14 percent.  Studies are also showing that angry people are more susceptible to heart attacks – the leading cause of death in North America.  Hostile anger can boost heart rates, raise blood pressure and lead to increased clogging of the arteries.  What’s worse, says Smalley, is that the risk of heart attack seems to be greatly increased during the two hours following a bout with anger.

Why do we get angry anyways?  Smalley suggests that we get angry because either someone is taking something away from us that we don’t want to lose, or else we’re being denied something we want to gain.  By facing and grieving our losses, we break the power of anger to make our lives miserable.

Part of healthy grieving is the willingness to lay aside bitterness, the willingness to say like Jesus: “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”  Another key to grieving, says Smalley, is to search for “hidden pearls” in any offense committed against you.  The idea here is that some good can come out of any bad situation – if you’ll just look for it.  That’s why the Good Book says that all things work for the good for those who love the Lord.  Grieving our losses is an irreplaceable key in Making Love Last Forever.

I recently watched a most disturbing and enlightening movie entitled “The Field”.  It was about an Irish farmer who dedicated his life to providing for his family’s future.  But again and again his anger rose up to destroy everything and everyone that he loved.  Given my Irish heritage,  it was a strong warning to me that I had to face the anger in my life, or it would one day destroy me.

Unresolved anger can cripple us in so many ways.  Anger keeps us distant from the very people we want to care for.  In contrast, love builds bridges of trust and forgiveness.  Sometimes anger even keeps us distant from God himself.  Smalley has found that the greater the unresolved anger, the more difficulty that person has in developing a meaningful spiritual life.  Studies after studies are confirming that a healthy spiritual life in a marriage reduces divorce rates, increases marital satisfaction, and lowers the level of relational conflict.

My prayer for those reading this article is that each of us may discover the keys to Making Love Last Forever.

The Reverend Ed Hird

Rector, St. Simon’s Church, North Vancouver

Anglican Coalition in Canada

http://www3.telus.net/st_simons

-previously published in the Deep Cove Crier

-author of the award-winning book Battle for the Soul of Canada

http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com

Amy Winehouse, Noel Gallagher, U2, Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Lily Allen, The Kings Of Leon, Robert Plant, Coldplay, Mika, Pink, Nick Cave, Arctic Monkeys, Mark Ronson e Rihanna… Entre outros, têm solicitado a todos, a fim de John Wright, para a edição especial de Janeiro de 2009, a revista britânica Q. A revista, que celebra todos os grandes artistas do século.

Créditos: http://www.maccablog.com/news.php?news=6522

No próximo dia 02 de Dezembro, serão conhecido os candidatos ao 52º Grammy Awards 2010. Verdade é que não há nenhum favorito claro, mas haverá uma abundância de rostos conhecidos no corredor para vários prêmios. Até agora, o drama de roda em torno de candidaturas deste ano, abrange não apenas quem vai ser reconhecido, mas que não é elegível e se ou não da comissão Grammy vai mudar as regras para acomodar um particular “famoso” cantor e compositor para o Best New cobiçado categoria Artista.

O U2 com a Turnê 360º que este ano bateu todo os recordes de presenças em cada show. Mas foi “No Line on the Horizon”, décimo segundo álbum da banda e gravação de seu mais forte em quase uma década, que levou a banda para a estratosfera exterior. A banda cantou com os singles como “Get Your Boots On”, “Magnificent” e “If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”, uma canção que herlads de volta para os melhores momentos da sua descoberta “The Joshua Tree”. U2 estreou “Boots” no Grammy Awards 2009 broadcast, apesar do tema não ser elegível para um prêmio.

Você pode votar no U2, pelo site. Basta ir até o final da página e procurar por: What album should be nominated for Album of the Year?

Créditos: http://www.billboard.com/features/gp-1004044467.story#/features/gp-1004044467.story

Ian McCulloch, vocalista do Echo & The Bunnymen, criticou o U2 dizendo que o grupo irlandês faz música sem profundidade.

“Muitas bandas dizem que querem ser grandes como o U2, mas estranhamente nenhuma diz que é influenciada por eles. É porque realmente não há nada ali”, disse McCulloch à New York Magazine.

“Eles têm boas músicas, e você percebe que funcionam bem em garotos de 14 anos. Mas eu não vejo pessoas maduras, que buscam por algo, algo profundo – algo que você sabe que é arte e vai mudar sua vida -, se importando”, finalizou.

Apesar das críticas, o U2 foi confirmado com uma das atrações do 40º aniversário do Festival de Glastonbury, que acontece em junho de 2010.

Créditos: http://www.cifraclubnews.com.br/noticias/19806-vocalista-do-echo-the-bunnymen-diz-que-u2-nao-tem-profundidade.html

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding Examiner.com. I author two topics on Examiner: LARP and Irish American culture. Here’s the concise scoop on Examiner in my opinion:

• Examiner does everything possible to support their writers.
• Examiner is ideal for new writers, writers looking to compile clips in new niches and anyone looking to gather a devoted following.
• The site does not mind minor promotion of the writer’s business interest.
• Page views are lower on Examiner than on comparable sites, but from what I can tell, the hits that do come through are more valuable–both in terms of advertising for the site and for writers looking to develop followers.
• I have made significantly more money in referrals than in writing: a 6:1 ratio.
• Post more, make more.
• Short posts can make as much as long posts.
• They are upfront about what they pay.
• Examiner currently offers bonuses and contest winnings (I would rather just be paid more for views).
• There is no upfront payment for articles on Examiner; they are worth page view only.

I am happy to answer questions about my positive experience writing for Examiner here.

Tired of a very low ‘paid per view’ rate? Would you like to write for a more professional, nationally recognized organization? Do you have experience as a writer and/or know a bit about SEO content? What about journalism experience? Do you know a niche topic and enjoy writing about it? Do you lack experience, but want an opportunity to prove yourself as a reporter?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could have a lot of success as an online writer for The Examiner. Local and national examiners get to report on niche topics and locations, bringing in-depth perspectives that mainstream media just can’t cover.

If you’re interested, please go here to apply. When asked for a referral ID, please give my name (Tara Clapper) and ID (1458). Thanks and best of luck!

I’d a lovely seat-hop-squeal moment this afternoon. And So I Watch You From Afar will be setting their guitars to kill Austin, Texas, at the South By South West festival next March. They’re not the only ones either; Fighting With Wire make their return while Autumn Owls, Halves and So Cow have also been summoned to represent Ireland in the least-embarrassing showcase in the world. Past selections certainly didn’t harm Channel One, Fight Like Apes or The Redneck Manifesto.

From what I’ve heard, the bands can expect to find themselves on the Sunset Strip of the South, a long dusty string of venues crammed full of industry-aficionados, journalists, photographers and of course, fellow musicians, all dying to hear what they have to offer. With over 200 making the final cut, the full list of bands is whopper to say the least. SXSW always mixes its billings to include the freshest new sounds with exciting headline acts and 2010 is no exception; Acid Mothers Temple and Mariachi El Bronx will bring the exotic sounds, along with the odd accents of Frightened Rabbit, Scanners and The Boxer Rebellion. So far, so good: let’s skip The View.

sxsw.com/music/shows/bands

U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Peter R. Orszag today released details of the final Fiscal Year 2009 budget results.  Budget Results for Fiscal Year 2009 A summary of the FY2009 data, released as part of the September 2009 Monthly Treasury Statement of Receipts and Outlays of the United States Government, shows that the federal deficit dropped by $162 billion from a projected $1,580 billion in the August Mid-Session Review (MSR) to the final figure of $1,417 billion.

Summary of Fiscal Year 2009 Final Data

Fiscal Year 2009 Receipts

Total receipts for FY2009 were $2,105 billion, $31 billion higher than the MSR estimate of $2,074 billion.  Higher-than-expected collections of individual income taxes and corporation income taxes accounted for most of the net increase in receipts relative to the MSR.  Table 2 displays actual receipts and estimates from the Budget and MSR by source.

Individual income taxes were $915 billion, $12 billion higher than the MSR estimate.  Higher-than-estimated non-withheld payments accounted for $5 billion of the increase in individual income taxes relative to the MSR.

Corporation income taxes were $138 billion, $17 billion higher than the MSR estimate. Inaction on the Administration’s proposal to expand net operating loss carrybacks increased corporation income tax payments $28 billion relative to the MSR.

Social insurance and retirement receipts were $891 billion, the same as the MSR estimate, although there were offsetting differences among the sources of this category of receipts. A $2 billion increase in employment and general retirement receipts relative to the MSR was attributable to the lower-than-expected reallocation of withheld tax payments from the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds to individual income taxes, as described above.

Excise taxes were $62 billion, $3 billion lower than the MSR estimate. This decline was attributable to lower-than-expected demand for taxed goods.

Estate and gift taxes were $23 billion, $3 billion lower than the MSR estimate. This decline was in large part attributable to a decline in the value of taxable estates relative to the MSR estimate.

Customs duties were $22 billion, within $100 million of the MSR estimate.

Miscellaneous receipts were $52 billion, $8 billion higher than the MSR estimate. Higher-than-expected deposits of earnings by the Federal Reserve System, attributable to higher-than-expected returns on its investment portfolio and its foreign currency holdings, accounted for $7 billion of the increase in miscellaneous receipts relative to the MSR estimate.

Total Recovery Act outlays in FY2009 were $113 billion, with the largest components in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to cover increased Medicaid payments, the Department of Labor to provide higher unemployment benefits, and the Department of Education for payments to states from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and for increases in Pell grants.

Department of Agriculture — Outlays for the Department of Agriculture were $114 billion, $6.4 billion below the MSR estimate. Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) actual outlays were about $2 billion less than MSR estimates. This occurred because fewer producers than anticipated took out commodity loans and more paid them back before the end of the fiscal year; dairy prices increased late in the fiscal year.

Department of Commerce — Department of Commerce outlays were $11 billion in FY2009, $1.1 billion below the MSR estimate. Over half of this difference ($558 million) related to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which administers the digital-to-analog converter box coupon program and public safety interoperable communications grants; both programs spent less in FY2009 than anticipated.

Department of Defense — Outlays for the Department of Defense (DOD) were $637 billion, $4.4 billion, or 0.7 percent, less than estimated in the MSR. There is no single explanation for the differences between projected and actual outlays, but several examples illustrate the types of variance seen in accounts. For example, DOD spent $1.5 billion less than projected for the Air Force to purchase.

Department of Education — Outlays for the Department of Education were $53 billion, $3.9 billion higher than the MSR estimate. Spending for the new State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, created by the Recovery Act, was $7.1 billion higher than expected, due to accelerated State drawdowns of this funding.

Department of Energy — Outlays for the Department of Energy were $24 billion, $3.5 billion lower than the MSR estimate. Outlays for the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy account were $1.34 billion below MSR estimates due to slower-than-expected disbursement of Recovery Act funds, particularly for the Weatherization Assistance Program.

Department of Health and Human Services — Outlays for the Department of Health and Human Services were $796 billion, $17.6 billion below the MSR estimate.  A little less than half of the total difference was in outlays for Medicaid, which were $7.6 billion (2.9 percent) lower than MSR estimates, due to slower-than-expected growth in State Medicaid spending.

Department of Homeland Security — Outlays for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were $52 billion in FY2009, $1.8 billion more than the MSR estimate. The difference was attributable primarily to a decrease in fee collections and higher-than-expected outlays from a number of agencies within the Department. DHS fees were below the MSR estimate by approximately $700 million.

Department of Housing and Urban Development — The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s total FY2009 outlays were $61 billion, $1.8 billion below the MSR estimate. Most of this difference ($0.9 billion) was due to receipts generated by Federal Housing Administration (FHA) single-family and Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) loan guarantee programs with negative subsidy rates. The loan volume of these programs surged as private mortgage insurance largely vacated the housing finance market.

Department of Justice — FY2009 outlays for the Department of Justice (DOJ) were $28 billion, $1.4 billion below the MSR estimate. DOJ’s actual outlays for State and local law enforcement assistance in the Office of Justice Programs were $1.0 billion lower due to slower-than-expected outlays of the Recovery Act grantee funds. The Recovery Act funds have been fully obligated to state and local law enforcement programs, but the grantees are not spending the funds as quickly as had been projected.

Department of Transportation — Outlays for the Department of Transportation were $73 billion, $7.5 billion lower than projected in the MSR. Actual outlays for DOT Recovery Act programs were $4.5 billion less than estimated, with the difference primarily in highway, transit, and rail programs. This was largely because of the time and steps required by project sponsors to start work on a new set of previously unplanned projects.

Department of the Treasury — Outlays for the Department of Treasury totaled $703 billion, $98.4 billion lower than the MSR estimate. Major differences from the MSR estimate include the following:

TARP had net outlays of $153.9 billion for debt, equity, guarantee, and housing programs, $82.3 billion lower than the MSR estimate, most of which was due to the timing of disbursements that were expected to occur in FY2009 but are now assumed to shift to FY2010.

Under the Government Sponsored Enterprise (GSE) Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements program, the Department of the Treasury’s capital payments to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac totaled $95.6 billion in FY2009, $10.3 billion less than estimated in the MSR, due to better-than-expected financial results at the GSEs.

Net outlays for two Treasury accounts related to exchange stabilization were $2.6 billion below the MSR estimate – the Exchange Stabilization Fund, which Treasury uses at times to maintain a stable international financial system, and its child account, the Exchange Stabilization Fund Money Market Mutual Fund Guaranty Facility.

Outlays for refundable tax credits and related programs that are part of the Internal Revenue Code and administered by Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, such as the child tax credit, were $6.6 billion lower than estimated in the MSR. The largest difference was for a new Recovery Act program of cash assistance to States in lieu of low-income housing credits, which outlayed $3.1 billion less than estimated in the MSR. While these funds were obligated in FY2009, they are now expected to be drawn down and outlayed in FYs 2010 and 2011.

Interest on the public debt, which includes interest paid to government accounts as well as interest paid to the public, was $383.4 billion, $11.1 billion lower than the MSR estimate. Interest paid to government accounts was $14.0 billion lower than projected, due primarily to lower interest rates, including $4.9 billion in lower interest paid to trust funds and $8.0 billion in lower interest paid to the DOD Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund.

An additional $14.4 billion of the difference in Treasury outlays was due to intragovernmental interest transactions with credit financing accounts, including $30.1 billion lower-than-projected interest paid to credit financing accounts and $44.6 billion lower-than-anticipated offsetting receipts of interest from credit financing accounts.

Corps of Engineers — Outlays for the Army Corps of Engineers civil works program were $7 billion, $5.8 billion lower than the MSR estimate. Much of the difference was due to changes in construction project schedules made after the MSR and increases in offsetting collections for work that the Corps performed on behalf of other Federal agencies under its reimbursable program.

General Services Administration — GSA’s total outlays were $0.3 billion, $1.1 billion less than what was projected in the MSR. $890 million was associated with the Federal Buildings Fund (FBF) and the Acquisition Services Fund. For the Acquisition Services Fund, actual revenue was $251 million higher than anticipated. For the FBF, actual revenue was more than $200 million higher than anticipated.

Office of Personnel Management — Outlays for the Office of Personnel Management were $72 billion, $4.1 billion higher than the MSR estimate. OPM outlays were higher due to legislative relief provided to the US Postal Service in the 2010 Continuing Resolution, which allowed that agency to make only $1.4 billion of the expected $5.4 billion end-of-year payment for USPS retiree health.

Other Defense Civil Programs — Outlays for Other Defense Civil programs were $57 billion, $8.8 billion more than the MSR estimate. Most of this difference was due to lower-than-projected earnings on investments of the Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund (MERHCF), which are offset against gross outlays to calculate net outlays. These lower-than-projected earnings were largely due to a less-than-expected return on the Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) investments in the MERHCF portfolio.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) had net actual outlays of $6.7 billion, $5.3 billion above the MSR estimate. The difference was almost entirely due to greater-than-expected payments related to the resolution of failed banks.

National Credit Union Administration — Outlays for the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) were $16 billion, $1.5 billion lower than the MSR estimate, predominantly due to one unanticipated transaction. The Credit Liquidity Facility transferred $1.75 billion from the U.S. Central Federal Credit Union to the U.S. Treasury, resulting in an unexpected net in-flow of cash in August 2009.

United States Postal Service — The United States Postal Service (USPS) had net actual outlays of $0.4 billion, $3.5 billion lower than the MSR estimate. This difference was almost entirely due to the recent legislated change in the statutorily mandated USPS payment to the Office of Personnel Management for retiree health benefits liabilities.

Undistributed Offsetting Receipts — Undistributed offsetting receipts were $274 billion in FY2009, $3.7 billion lower than the MSR estimate.  Interest received by trust funds was $181.6 billion, $4.9 billion lower than the MSR estimate, due primarily to lower-than-estimated interest earnings for the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund.

Click On Links:
Obama Supporting Anti-Taliban Militias
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Millions To Repay Part Of Obama Tax Credit
Obama’s Approval Rating
Dollar Losing Value Under Obama
Obama Bank Overhaul
Obama’s 9 Trillion Dollar Deficit
Obama GM Bankruptcy
Obama Says ‘WE’RE OUT OF MONEY’
Obama $3.6 Trillion Budget Proposal
Where’s The Money !
U.S. Dollar Dropping Under Obama
Obama Promises One Year Later

WGBH’s Celtic extravaganza has been a Boston holiday family tradition for quite some time, boasting 7 continuous years of  sold out performances.  I am therefore posting this popular event as early as I can in order to give you plenty of opportunity to purchase your tickets in a timely fashion. Let WGBH’s Celtic radio personality Brian O’Donavan be your host for a special evening of music, dance, and holiday stories. A Christmas Celtic Sojourn is directed by Paula Plum, along with Seamus Egan and Kieran Jordan and features an all-star cast of performers which continues to grow as we speak. Go ahead and take a sneak peek at just who is currently scheduled to appear:

Karine Polwart / (Additional info)    

Christy O’Leary / (Additional info) 

Liz Caroll/John Doyle / (Additional info)          

Seamus Egan / (Additional info) 

Harney Academy of Irish Dance (with instrumental intro) / (Additional info)

Kieran Jordan (with Nick Yenson) / (Additional info)

Eamon Murray / (Additional info)

Sean Og Graham (on accordion with Boega) / (Additional info)

Chico Huff / (Additional info)

Event Details:

When: December 13th-20th (Check listing for exact dates & times)

Where: Cutler Majestic Theatre (Scroll down page for directions)

Tickets: $25, $45, $55, $65, & $75 (Additional fees apply as for orders via phone/800-233-3123 or online, including but not limited to $7 per ticket)

         Group discounts available for 20 or more at: 617-834-8000

         Special premier seating tickets are available for $100 

More Info: 617-824-8000 / 888-889-8587 (TTY)                                       

Area restaurants

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and First Lady Carla Bruni were in a recent episode of ‘The Simpsons’. They were in the November 15th episode entitled “The Devil Wears Nada.”

In the episode, Homer and his friend Carl Carlson visit Paris, where they bump into Bruni at a party. After some brief chit-chat she tells Carl, “I want to make love, right now.” Sarkozy’s segment is more brief, and consists of him saying what may become the immortal line, “You’re getting cozy with Sarkozy,” when picking up the telephone.

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I’ve never experienced the infamous “Black Friday.” Even though it seems fun, I haven’t had the overwhelming desire to wake up at 4 a.m. and fight for the best deals. I like to do my Christmas shopping at my own pace. I shuffle through stores to find a gift that’s truly unique. I shop online to get ideas. I even make my own gifts.

Big Al and Anne all decked out!

When I heard about the recent Belleek Signing Event at Ha’penny Bridge Imports of Ireland here in Dublin, Ohio, I immediately knew I wanted to check it out. I had no idea what Belleek Pottery was, but the event was centered around Belleek Representative–Roy Troughton–who was available to personalize your gifts with a Gaelic saying. So after work I strolled down the brick sidewalk to our neighboring Irish import shop.

When I entered Ha’penny Bridge Imports of Ireland I was greeted by Big Al, the store’s owner, suited up in a traditional Irish outfit (plaid kilt and everything). He offered me champagne, Irish potatoes, and gingerbread cookies. His wife Anne, explained to me the history of Belleek as I sipped my drink and enjoyed the satisfying snap of gingerbread.

Limited Edition Belleek Cachepot

“Belleek [Pottery] began in Belleek, Ireland in 1857,” said Anne. “It’s known throughout the world for its beautiful porcelain china and handcraftsmanship. Ha’penny began signing events over 10 years ago and is the largest Belleek dealer in Central Ohio.”

No two pieces are ever the same because each is crafted individually using techniques that have been passed down for generations.

After looking through the collections available at the store and receiving personal attention from one of their sales staff, I found three perfect gifts; a limited edition cachepot for my grandmother, a vase for my best friend and something special for myself. I couldn’t resist! Big Al and Anne helped me decide my Gaelic sayings and Roy scripted them beautifully on the bottom of each piece.

- post by Allison

Ha’penny Bridge Imports of Ireland is open Monday -Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  The shop is located at 75 South High Street in Historic Dublin.

Hunter-Gatherer’s debut album I Dreamed I Was A Footstep In The Trail Of A Murderer is released into the electronica wild in early December. Over an hour long, you will not switch off afterwards: it’s an evocative collection of 15 songs combining perfected titles from the [free] Nerve-Ending Love EP with new material such as Memory Pillow and Recovery Friend. Cloud is one I really love. They are aftermath songs for minds chilled by existence; strong and beating comfort in the dark. I listen hard to the end and don’t remember falling asleep.

myspace.com/huntergathererforever