Irish Economy 2006 and Future of the Celtic Tiger: Putting a brass knocker on a barn door!

Davy Stockbrokers says in a July 2006 report that it is highly likely that that the pace of growth of the Irish economy will slow in the later years of this decade. After 2007, consumer spending growth will be impacted by the withdrawal of the SSIA stimulus and the long-anticipated peak in the housing market may finally have occurred. Davy says that it is difficult to see what sectors could replace this loss of momentum.

Excellent article by Michael Hennigan, Editor and Founder of Finfacts

The Truth About Food Expiration Dates

The dates, for one, mean quite different things. For instance, "sell by" is more a guide for the store to know how long it can display a product for sale. The "best before" or "best if used by" date refers to a quality or flavor of the food. "Use by" works more like an expiration date, similar to that on medicines, and taking them after the date is not recommended.

...more...

Air Hogs R/C Storm Launcher

See stormlauncher and ToysRUs for more info

Idiot? Mmm...??

Amnesty International is Wrong, America is Right

Well according to George anway...



It's all in the body language

Carole Coleman, Washington Correspondent, asks the US President whether he understands the opposing view of his policies

Stephen Wiltshire - A Beautiful Mind

Taken from www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk

As a child, Stephen was mute and did not relate to other human beings. Aged three, he was diagnosed as autistic. He had no language, uncontrolled tantrums and lived entirely in his own world.

At the age of five, Stephen was sent to Queensmill School in London, a school for children with special needs, where it was noticed that the only pastime he enjoyed was drawing. It soon became apparent he communicated with the world through the language of drawing; first animals, then London buses, and finally buildings. These drawings show a masterful perspective, a whimsical line and reveal a natural innate artistry.

Aged eight, Stephen started drawing cityscapes after the effects of an earthquake (all imaginary) as a result of being shown photographs of earthquakes in a book at school. He also became obsessed with cars and illustrations of cars at this time (his knowledge of them is encyclopaedic) and he drew most of the major London landmarks.

In 1987, the BBC QED programme, 'The Foolish Wise Ones', featured Stephen's astounding talent. The programme was devoted to three autistic savants: musical, mathematical and artistic. Stephen was introduced by Sir Hugh Casson (past president of the Royal Academy), who described him as "the best child artist in Britain". Stephen's work has since been the subject of numerous television programmes around the world, and the writer and psychologist, Oliver Sacks, has devoted an essay to Stephen in his book An Anthropologist On Mars (Picador 1995). Stephen is the only artistic autistic savant in the world whose work has been recorded and published since his childhood. His third book - Floating Cities (Michael Joseph, 1991) - was number one on the Sunday Times bestseller list.

http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant/wiltshire.cfm

NY Times: A history of home values