text:
Furnished to the highest standards with a bright spacious, open plan living area, all the latest technology and wood-burning stove. The upper floor is given over to an open plan living area with a large covered balcony. Choose a book and sink into the plush sofa, in front of the wood-burning stove or enjoy a drink while watching the shifting colours of the beach or the glorious sunsets over Taransay from the balcony. The house has the latest audio-visual equipment installed, including a projector to turn it into your own home cinema and Wi-Fi with a high-speed satellite broadband connection. There is a fully equipped-kitchen and large dining table to satisfy healthy appetites from a day on the beaches or mountains.
The house is built over two floors, with panoramic views from the top floor, and blends traditional materials which reflect the Hebridean landscape with a modern interior, thoughtfully furnished with relaxation in mind. The open plan upper floor and balcony means that it is best suited for children over five years of age.
Downstairs are three comfortable bedrooms, two with king size beds and built-in wardrobes and the third with twin beds. All beds have pocket sprung mattresses. A fold-away bed is available if needed for an additional child. The master bedroom has an en-suite shower room and the other two rooms share the main bathroom which has a large deep bath, for those that enjoy a soak and separate invigorating shower. There is a fully equipped utility room with washing machine, tumble dryer, plenty of room for hanging gear and oil-fired central heating throughout. Unfortunately we cannot accommodate pets at the house.


text:
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tasty but Tasteless: Irish car bomb cupcakes
So, it is a little bit shocking to see a recipe for Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes come across the wires today. A moderator here comments that "an Irish Car Bomb is an alcoholic shot. the cupcake, I'm sure, is named after that." Ah ok, so that makes it OK then....
Imagine if someone from Oklahoma moves to Ireland and discovers an alcoholic shot there called an "Oklahoma City Bomb" (perhaps using some whisky from Oklahoma, is there such a thing?). Or, how would someone from Tel Aviv feel about coming across a "suicide bomber" alcoholic shot. And, then if there were also matching cupcakes?
Now, I guess there is a risk of being too thin-skinned about this. Irish people can take a joke. Maybe this is another sign that we can move on from the past. But, something about it being a cupcake makes it grate....
Added to all of this, there is the annoying fact that the cupcakes look quite tasty! I may make a batch myself but give it another name :-).
2 comments:
Ha! This is so relevant to my recent experiences living in Dublin as a student for six months. One night in Doyle's (I'm sure you know it, right down the street from St. Stephen's Green) I made a quick joke about "why hasn't anyone suggested car bombs yet" and I could see right away that the comment was off-color and not well-received. Someone patted my shoulder and told me "It's not really cool to call 'em that anymore," so now you know that in fact you're not uptight at all, or overly politically correct. You're just polite to anyone alive or dead who has had the unfortunate sadness of knowing firsthand how serious a carbomb is, and that it's no light phrase. And Irish college students, apparently, are just as proper! Make the cupcakes, drink the guinness w/ a shot of bailey's, but drop the harsh nicknames. Great post.
- August 14, 2008 at 7:13 PM
- Mark O'Neill said...
Yeah, the "Irish Car Bomb" drink name is completely unknown in Ireland. I was astonished when I first heard it used in the US.
Not far from Doyle's there is South Leinster Street where a car bomb killed people during the Dublin and Monaghan car bombings, a series attacks which had the largest number of fatalities in history of the "Troubles".
These things go both ways though. Speaking as an Irish person, I know we also say unintentionally offensive things to Americans all the time.
- August 14, 2008 at 8:06 PM

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A travel-sized telescope to take wherever they go to gaze at the stars. A romantic and fun gift to play amongst the night sky.
A Personal Shopping Fee is added when checking out.
We'll send the recipient a gift card with your personal message.
If you are ordering personalized products, you'll add your custom monogram or logo images at the checkout.


text:
Benjin Joshua
What do you do with broken appliances at home? Some of us try creative ways to repair those coffee machines and toasters with duct tape and WD-40. Few are blessed to have that one handy friend who can fix almost anything. Then, there are those of us who just spend more money to buy a replacement.
In hospitals, there are in-house engineers and technicians who repair and calibrate medical devices when the need arises. There are even third-party vendors and manufacturers who can be easily engaged to ensure that a device is repaired and sent back to the clinical care environment. However, most emerging countries don't have these options. Broken equipment gets piled into an area that has been frustratingly termed "equipment graveyard" by global health workers.
Currently, the road from patient care to equipment graveyard is a one-way street. We are working hard to change that. Capacity building, lack of healthcare technology management, and supply chain have all been cited as the main causes for medical devices ending up in the "equipment graveyard." Recognizing that there are multiple factors that contribute to the issue of broken devices in the healthcare technology ecosystem, we have decided to take an eco-system based approach to move equipment from graveyards to patient care environments. So, we strive to combine capacity building initiatives with supply chain solutions and policy strengthening activities.
While this is a daunting task, we are motivated by the mothers and children on the other end of the bridge between equipment graveyards and patient care. We want to ensure that no patient lacks quick access to safe care due to medical equipment that are not in use. Stay tuned over the next few months as we share snapshots of our various interventions and how our partnerships are helping us bring about meaningful and sustainable change in healthcare technology management for emerging countries.


text:
'Should have pathway to permanent residence more so than today'
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada may make it easier for temporary foreign workers to get permanent residency and eventual citizenship, Immigration Minister John McCallum said on Sunday.
Speaking on CTV television's "Question Period," a national politics talk show, McCallum did not give details, saying he was waiting for a parliamentary report on the matter to be introduced in September.
Canada's Liberal government has said it is revamping the program, which brings in workers who are often in low-skilled positions. Local unions have criticized it for depressing wages and affecting Canadian jobs, and workers and advocacy groups have complained of poor conditions and rights violations.
The workers already have paths to permanent residency that have been criticized as too difficult.
When asked whether Canada will consider loosening the rules, McCallum said the government "is certainly considering providing a pathway to permanent residence" to the workers.
"We think that those who come, in general, should have a pathway to permanent residence more so than is the case today," he said. "If they're on a pathway to permanent residence, they're only temporary for a while, and then they become full Canadians."
McCallum's ministry, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Canada in June watered down measures to limit the number of low-wage temporary foreignworkers that firms can hire after complaints the restrictions would cause major labor shortages.
Farmers and meat processors had complained the limit would result in labor shortages.