THE BEST PART of this rainy Sunday in County Tipperary is discovering some interesting examples of creativity in the Sunday papers. Some of these examples will appeal to readers living well outside the reach of Sunday papers in Ireland.
1. The Observer Magazine today is "The Design Issue" and it features Stephen Bayley, Terence Conran, Paul Smith, Kelly Hoppen, Margaret Howell and a lot of sofas. The magazine answers such questions as "why would a man own an iPod and never use it?" And "who buys a single piece of cutlery every week?"
2. The Irish environment minister has devised a creative way of keeping waste out of landfill. He has "evoked his powers under Section 60 of the Waste Management Act to instruct county managers nationwide that they will be prevented from entering into agreements to divert set amounts of municipal waste to major landfill and incineration operators." The people I know who are involved in waste management have to enter contracts to ship the waste out of the country instead because recycling is often just that practise.
3. One of the most creative ways of getting a diplomatic post to Ireland could be to call yourself Paddy. The new Canadian ambassador, a former bean farmer, recalls "for the first 10 years of my life they called me Paddy at home, so there were some Irish connections there."
4. You don't have to read the Sunday papers to know Ireland continues to receive far more migrants than recorded by the State. You can just observe the creative fashion statements made by dozens of Polish girlfriends in nearly every Irish city and town. Many of these "new entrants to the country" come by bus, across the Irish Sea by ferry, or by train from Belfast where they are less likely to be noted by Irish immigration. But once in local areas, they would make an attractive enhancement to the gene pool.
5. Some Irish bookies believe King Henry Shefflin, the Kilkenny captain, will create more chances for scoring points in today's All-Ireland Hurling Final than the entire team from Limerick combined.
6. One of the most creative places in the world, the Annecy Animation Festival, goes unmentioned in the Tribune's review of Boulder Media. Perhaps that's fine because you don't want riff-raff around those intimate French cafe tables. By the way, animators would find a welcome audience as well as potential business contacts at Podcamp Ireland.
7. Have you noticed how 21st century Irish fireplaces are often above ground level? It's a touch of creative "hot glamour" to be able to get "a fireplace of your dreams" installed in the middle of a wall, often at eye level where they don't take up the space of a hearth, don't require a chimney, and feature striking surrounds. Expect to pay at least EUR 3095 to procure a stunner, although consumer versions start as low at EUR 1199.
8. Every major Irish Sunday paper uses creative language to describe the special properties on offer in the 30 miles surrounding our home. There are several lovely descriptions that will be hard-pressed to sell at the EUR 4m mark where they're pitched.
9. Gavin Burke profiles film-maker Stephen Byrne as Waterford prepares to host its first-ever film festival.
10. Adam Maguire effectively captures the current essence of electronic social networking in Ireland in his four page article appearing in Computer in Business today. Its concrete examples deserve careful reading my middle level and senior management in all Irish businesses. Once they do that, those new readers should consider meeting some of the players cited by Maguire at one of the Barcamps scheduled for Ireland this autumn. From personal experience, I know the CIB theme of effective networking resonates well across the international blogging community.
1. You could connect a cultural excursion around London by trying to visit all the designers' places cited in "Designers' London" with portraits written by Dean Chalkley, Suki Dhanda and Ellis Parrinder.
2. John Burke on the front page of The Sunday Business Post -- "Government to strip councils of waste powers" and Ken Griffin in the Sunday Tribune -- "Incineration Lobby to Plead its Case at EPA Environmental Conference", September 2, 2007. If your business generates piles of packaging waste, you might be interested in LSM Engineering's small waste balers. Its Laois plant manufacturers commercial waste balers and exports 50% of its products to Britain and mainland Europe.
3. John Burns on the front page of The Sunday Times -- "Diplomatic storm that even a Guinness can't heal", September 2, 2007.
4. Stephen O'Brien, political correspondent for The Sunday Times, on the front page -- "Migration 'far higher than stated'", September 2, 2007.
5. See "All-Ireland Hurling Final Special" in The Sunday Times, September 2, 2007.
6. Eimear McKeith -- "A New Drawn" in the Sunday Tribune Review, September 2, 2007.
7. Caroline Allen - "Grate Expectations" in The Sunday Tribune Property section, September 2, 2007. The article points to Donaghy and Dimond, Lamartime Fireplaces, and Tubs & Tiles.
8. Don't expect the estate agents to return requests for information made by email when dealing with realtors located in the Golden Vale. Although some might have been shocked into responsiveness by the threat of a hard landing in the property market.
9. The Waterford Film Festival runs from 16-18 November 2007.
10. "Bullseye: How to Target Customers on Facebook, Bebo and Business Blogs" is the cover story of this month's Computer in Business, September 2007. For an international perspective on networking among cultural organisations, read Christian Henner-Fehr's take on the issue.
