Vivienne and Gavin - Easter 2005

Vivienne and Gavin - Easter 2005

150 lashes for being pregnant

According to a widely reported story from Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, a woman is to receive 150 lashes as a punishment for becoming pregnant while unmarried.

"Her case was referred to the public prosecution department. She was ordered to take a pregnancy test, which came back positive.

The news report did not say if the lashes would be administered during her pregnancy. The lashes would be done in two stages and she will then be deported, said the report.

The maid, whose nationality was not given, refused to reveal the name of the child's father, despite being interrogated by the police and the public prosecutor, said the report."

Interrogated by police? Lashed and then deported? This is all taking place in a country that is supposed to be the modern, progressive face of the Arab World.

Camera Phone addiction

My colleague Jerome seems to have developed a habit of taking pictures of his friends', er, chests with his phone while out boozing. He claims it is consentual. Well he would, wouldn't he? The question is, should he be sent to a Doctor for help or should we just take away his rather snazzy Nokia 3G phone and replace it with a 7110?

The ultimate SUV bastard?

This guy parked in the disabled spot in front of my office. A true Celtic Tiger, greedy ass SUV driver in his X5. No disabled sticker, no car tax.

SUV bastard's reg number.....

05 D 24775

Decent Right Thinking People (update!)

Excellent news. Our unbeatable Minister for Justice has used the phrase....

"The Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has said that 'all right-thinking people' would be appalled at what he called 'the IRA's breathtaking statement'."
http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0308/irareax.html

More phone camera posting....

Viv tolerates my phone / email / flickr / blog geekery with a fine forced grin....

Decent Right Thinking People

I have complete mistrust and dislike of people who use the phrase "all decent, right thinking people" and almost everytime I hear it I know that I am probably on the other side of the argument. Today the warmonger leader of Britain (a small island nation in Western Europe) used the phrase in an attack on the leader of the Conservative Party, Michael Howard, over his parading of some half dead woman who couldn't get an operation from their health service....

When I googled for the phrase there were 333 hits, the 6th of which was from the Fine Gael website! Oh dear.

Snow in Paris

Taken with Rémi's 6230 and MMSed to me on the DART, sent from my 7650 to Flickr and automatically to Blogger and FTPed to my site. Tech is cool.

Oh Lord, pray for us shoppers....

According to today's Irish Times there is to be an "ecumenical service" before the official opening of the new "Dundrum Town Centre"*. To me this sounds all a bit odd. I realise that shopping is the new religion but is this not taking things a little too far? There are many thing in the world to pray for, the success of a new shopping centre (and all who shop in her?) is hardly one of them.........

(edited version published in the Irish Times on 5 March 2005)

*(this is the largest shopping centre in Ireland).