WE ARE STILL OVERSATURATED with rainwater in South Tipperary, but that didn't stop me from thumbing through three Irish broadsheets while thinking out loud (13-minute Qik clip). Lead stories reveal voter anger over the impending Irish national budget [1], upset over the combinted cost of payments to former national politicians exceeding EUR 12m last year [2], and how families will be asked to survive with EUR 300m cut from child benefits. [3] The photo attached to the MP3 (at left) is from a Sunday Times appeal [4] for Iraqi children who need a helping hand. More than 8,000 children have been burnt and disfigured in the conflict in Iraq. They need life-changing treatment in hospitals but there's no money to fund their operations. I think I'll cut back some of my wishlist [5] and shovel a fistful of euro towards burn victims. If you want to hear more of my round through the Sunday newspapers in Ireland, click the button below or subscribe to Inside View via iTunes.
Hashtags from my Sunday readings:
#road safety The death of four young female students last week happened at a corner notorious for accidents. Video footage and still photography shows the accident scene. It's a downhill curve easily obscured by poor visibility and further compounded by a slick surface. In all the minutes of air time and column inches of broadsheet coverage, I wonder why the Fourth Estate doesn't serve the public interest by documenting a few facts that are easily apparent at first look. It would be easy to show whether the deceased wore seat belts. If seat belts were not worn, it would partially explain the head trauma involved. It would be informative to know whether the accident vehicle had well-worn tires. During the same week, a neighbour's bald tires contribute to an accident that placed his car within one metre of the side of our home. Under the cover of "idle speculation" the Irish press and collision investigators fail to reveal rudimentary facts that would inform listeners' judgments. I think that's an unfortunate perversion of "respect for the deceased" and cannot appreciate how the Irish press believe it serves the publilc interest by acting in a complicit manner when hiding important safety messages from the traveling public.
#floods After the deluge, emergency services are cleaning up all across Ireland. Flood damage will last through the winter. Many venues cannot get flood insurance anymore.
1. Pat Leahy -- "Poll reveals voter anger over budget" is the lead story of the Sunday Business Post (SBP), 22 Nov 09.
2. Stephen O'Brien and Sarah McInerney -- "€300m cut from child benefits" in the lead story of the Sunday Times, 22 Nov 09.
3. John Downes -- "EU highfliers refuse to give up Irish pensions" is the lead story of the Sunday Tribune, 22 Nov 09.
4. Hala Jaber -- "The Children need a helping hand" is the cover story of the Sunday Times Magazine, 22 Nov 09.
5. "You've got male" in the Sunday Times Style magazine (22 Nov 09) has a cross-section of things that I would gladly accept.
Direct link to http://qik.com/video/3646226 and to http://podcasting.ie/qik/091122_sundaynews.mp3
