Concerned...

After much speculation, John McCain has selected Sarah Palin as his running mate in the US presidential elections. Sarah is charismatic and talented and I think that McCain has made an excellent choice. However, I'm am puzzled about Sarah Palin's views on certain issues. In particular, she:

1. advocates that US citizens should have the right to bear firearms


2. wants creationism to be taught in science classes


3. doesn't believe in man-made global warming

I don't believe in stating the obvious but:

1. levels of gun ownership are directly related to the levels of death by gunfire


2. creationism isn't science


3. man has made a substantial contribution to global warming

It is evident that there exists a large gap between reality and Sarah Palin's perception of reality - this in itself doesn't cause me a great deal concern.

In selecting his running mate, John McCain makes it clear that he believes such irrationality will be viewed upon as being desirable by a large section of the American electorate.

What does worry me is that I think he may be right.

Money, Stuff and Misplaced Lust

Having come one step closer to securing my dream job (yippee!) I've allowed myself to fantasise for a moment about what to do with the first pay cheque. Unfortunately the fantasy comes to an abrupt halt once I remind myself of all the debts I've accrued. Very unlike me (being a lefty-liberal) to indulge in consumerism... but what the heck... here goes...

• A Cutana Old Softy Hat: £30


• An iPhone: £35 per month


• A pair of Heelys: £49

In reality, the prospect of being able to possess these needless items one day is probably more exciting than actually possessing them... I'm convinced that I'd be better served enjoying the good things that I already have at this moment in time.

Ireland Gets Left Behind

With the expansion of the EU to twenty seven member states, current legislation is no longer workable and it is necessary to streamline the EU constitution to improve decision-making. Unfortunately, in a recent referendum, the Irish people decided to reject a EU reform treaty and, in doing so, have set the progress of the institution back by around five years (my estimation).

I cannot understand why the Irish want to be in Europe but simultaneously want Europe to be dysfunctional - it doesn't tally.

Following the referendum, Sarkozy (the president of the EU) visited Ireland to find out what went wrong and to work out the best way to proceed.

For what it's worth, I believe that the EU should find a way to proceed with the reforms and leave Ireland behind. In effect, this would involve placing Ireland on the bottom rung of a "two tier" system thus preventing it from causing future obstructions. It is only fair that the Irish electorate experience the fall out of their reckless voting. In addition, the 55% of the population who couldn't be bothered to vote don't deserve anything better.

Back Pack

I'm often asked why I carry a rucksack on my person... am I on a perpetual camping trip? Well, here's one for all you guys who have wondered what's contained within. This is great material for stalkers.

- bike lights
- calculator
- cards and a little cash
- contact lenses
- gym kit
- hair gel
- mobile phone
- pen and notebook
- shower gel
- small rodent
- water bottle

I guess this post isn't exactly ground breaking. I'm in the closing stages of writing up my PhD and I hope to have something more interesting to report shortly... fun times ahead methinks.

Rip off Ireland

O2 recently launched the iPhone in Ireland... what a disappointment. If one compares the value of the Irish contract to the UK one, it becomes clear that (once again) the Irish are getting shafted. So, as a conscientious citizen, I wrote to the National Consumer Agency...

Dear Sir/Madam,
I live in the North of Ireland and am moving shortly to the Republic to work. My iPhone contract costs more in Ireland and provides me with much less in terms of value. I have provided an up-to-date comparison of UK and Ireland tariffs below. I think you'll agree that the Irish are getting a very raw deal. I was wondering if there's anything you guys can do to find out why O2 are ripping off their Irish customers?
All the best,
Gareth Maguire

O2 iPhone tariff UK	O2 iPhone tariff Ireland:
£35 (~€44) per month	€45 per month
600 mins	175 mins
500 texts	100 texts
unlimited data	1GB data
YES visual voicemail	NO visual voicemail
YES free voicemail access	NO free voicemail access
YES wifi hotspot access	NO wifi hotspot access

I received the following response:

Dear Mr Maguire,
Thank you for contacting the National Consumer Agency (NCA) with your query and please accept our apologies for the delay in responding to you. According to your email you have a query regarding pricing and value offered by O2.
For a considerable number of years now it has been settled policy that maximum prices are not set for either goods or services. This effectively means that there is no price control in Ireland apart from certain limited areas where price display orders are in force. Government policy in relation to prices is one of encouragement of competition; price transparency; and the promotion of greater price awareness among consumers.
In addition there is a common misconception among consumers that there is a correlation between prices in sterling and prices in euro. That is to say, that the Euro price is a conversion of the Sterling price. This is not the case, the service is priced at so many euro because that is what the retailer/trader believes the Irish market will bear.
In addition, Ireland and the UK are two separate economies. There are a number of factors, which will affect the total price that a consumer must pay for the goods, for example:

• Tax imposed on the goods that has to be passed on to the consumer (i.e. VAT)


• Cost to the retailer (wage rates, insurance, rent for premises etc.)


• Volume of consumers available to purchase the goods (compare the populations of both countries)


• Amount of competitors within the two countries.


• These factors will differ between countries and therefore influence price.

We trust you have found this information useful and if you have any further consumer related queries please do not hesitate to contact us on 1890 432 432.
Yours Sincerely
Sean Conway
National Consumer Agency

I feel that, while Sean's points are all valid, he is missing the point so much that it is hard to know where to start... I have come to the sad realization that O2 (and other multinationals) will charge whatever they feel they can get away with - I respect this and I guess I wouldn't expect anything else! The real problem is that a culture of acceptance has emerged in the Republic of Rip Off and the NCA aught to be countering this. For example, wouldn't the cause have been better served had the NCA contacted O2 to put pressure on them to reduce the UK/Ireland differential rather than emailing me to justify it?!?! I have no qualms in saying that the newly formed NCA are implicit in the problem.

George Bush is AMAZING!!!

Pretty impressive stuff - how to turn a 250 billion dollar surplus into a 250 billion dollar deficit in eight lousy years...

Throw away your iPod and get to know yourself

I spend most of my day connected to some form of electronic device. I'm presently writing up my thesis on a laptop, for example. I train with an electrode strapped around my chest and my eyes glued to a heart rate monitor. I cling on to my mobile phone like a Klingon clings to a roll of Clingfilm. I tend to fall asleep listening to the radio in bed and I'll rarely depart on a journey without having first charged up me iPodsky with a load of Rilly Purty Country Music Ditties.

This is a sorry state of affairs methinks...

It can be attributed to insecurity whereby we are not at ease with our own presence. It is necessary to be connected to some sorta external source or else (God forbid!) we are left alone with our own thoughts. What exactly are we afraid of discovering?

So enough is enough. I've sold my iPod and I'm gonna listen to myself instead. If I find anybody interesting - I'll let you know!

On a completely different (and much brighter) note, George Wa(l/n)ker Bush has only 350 days left in office. He's so stupid, he couldn't find his ass with both hands!

Vote Huckabee!!!

Wouldn't it be really funny if the President of America thought that the world was 6000 years old?