Free Computer Giveaway - apply now !

My buddy MICHÉAL from the IT department in ACCBANK gave me a shout with news that should be of interest to some of our clients. The bank is upgrading desktop computers and, as a result, they are looking for worthy homes to donate existing PCs to.

To qualify organisations should be working within the fields of Child Welfare, Homelessness or Disability. Schools are considered within the Child Welfare category for the purposes of this giveaway.

Computers will be allocated to organisations that meet the Bank's criteria and will be donated on a first come, first served basis. Ideally you should be willing to take a minimum batch of 10.

Send me an email and I'll forward to Michéal who will process your application.
Get the skates on because 300 are spoken-for already.
Closing date for entry is Monday, 16th June.

The Turkey flopped!

Sad to say that poor old DUSTIN didn't do so well in Europe. Apparently he got no points but he can take consolation from the fact that the days when amazing performances won EUROVISION are over (..of course am thinking JOHNNY LOGAN, LINDA MARTIN (the previous turkey's who represented Ireland)).

Fair play to Dustin, he showed Europe that mostly the Irish don't take the thing seriously. Mostly except Johnny Logan that is (Jesus he has a bebo page!!!) who didn't see the joke at all.

Funny, I though he had a sense of humour when he signed up to do those freaky Eurosaver Ads for the hamburger company (I don't want to give a link here because I'd be advertising them by default).

Dustin the Turkey performs for Ireland in semi-finals tomorrow night

DUSTIN THE TURKEY has drifted a bit in the EUROVISION SONG CONTEST betting stakes. PADDY POWER are giving odds of 8/1 for an outright win - Dustin has now slipped to fifth-joint favourite.  The semi-finals will be broadcast live tomorrow night from BELGRADE, SERBIA.

Apparently european success has gone to the head of this usually level-headed jack-of-all-trades-builder/turkey who upped his dressing-room demands: he now demands a box of LYONS TEA, the FAIR CITY complete box-set and podcasts of JOE DUFFY's radio programme LIVELINE.

SECRET GARDEN at the Iveagh Gardens, Dublin

The SOLOMON GALLERY have launched their biennial sculpture outdoors exhibtion. The show is held in the IVEAGH GARDENS off HARCOURT ST in Dublin.

The exhibition features some impressive large scale works, and the gardens are a great setting. Take the SANDYFORD - ST. STEPHEN'S GREEN Luas and get off at Harcourt St.

You'll find everyone from ROWAN GILLISPIE, PATRICK SCOTT, PATRICK O'REILLY, JOHN BEHAN RHA, IMOGEN STUART ..the list is exhaustive representation of prominent artists working in variety of media. Previously the show was held in Rowan's amazing gardens in Blackrock. Pic featured here is piece by international glass artist DALE CHIHULY ('Ocean Depths Persian Set with Red Lip Wraps', $45,000).

Don't miss it - it couldn't be more convenient for a lunchtime visit.

15 - 27 May
Iveagh Gardens, Harcourt St, Dublin
open daily until dusk
admission free
contact the Solomon Gallery for more info
Tel: +353-(0)1-679-4237

new video work by Peter O'Kennedy

TRACKING BEACON (NY 12508) is a new video installation by PETER O'KENNEDY. I went along to the launch yesterday evening with Kateann, Súlán and Gustavo.

I won't describe the piece in detail because you should discover it for yourself - go and see it!. All I'll say is that it distorts perspectives and stimulates a mix of emotions. The beauty of the piece is that it doesn't rely on digital tricks. Open your mind and the sucks you in - I found myself setting mental destinations and then not wanting to disembark when I'd arrived. The venue was a stroke of genius too - the unfamilar surroundings of the time-trapped venue really added to the experience.

It was an ideal evening for the bbq launch in the courtyard - I bumped into lighting and furniture designer LEO SCARFF who was telling me he's just about to install a huge piece in MARKS & SPENCER on GRAFTON ST. Check-out his website www.leoscarffdesign.com
(He recommended WILLIE DOHERTY's work at the FARMLEIGH ESTATE GALLERY (I know Willie is showing in the DOUGLAS HYDE GALLERY in TRINTY COLLEGE at the monent as well so they're worth checking out.)

Peter O'Kennedy was born in Dublin in 1964. He attended the SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS in NEW YORK before returning to Ireland and the NATIONAL COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN moving-on to play drums with THE GOLDEN HORDE - he was also a core member of NINE WASSIES FROM BAINNE. An accomplished sculptor, O'Kennedy has had two solo show in PROJECT ARTS CENTRE and has exhibited around Ireland, New York, Argentina and France. He held an artist in residency at the IRISH MUSEUM OF MODERN ART throughout the latter half of 1998 and has worked on a number of interior design projects including GUBU and the ODESSA CLUB.

The exhibition continues from May 16 - June 12
Tue to Sun (closed Mon)
13:00 to 21:00 daily
Admission free

venue:
Rere of 92-93 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 02
(entrance on Stephens Green South)
for info call: 086-662-3331

are you brave enough to BARE ALL?

Internationally acclaimed contemporary artist Spencer Tunick will be offering the public the chance of a lifetime to become part of his first back to back city art project in both Cork and Dublin this June.

Multiple groups of nude participants will be photographed outdoors by Tunick as part of his series of installations that have previously taken place in cities around the world including New York, Amsterdam and Mexico City.

“Tunick is an imaginative and inspirational artist who as part of his art practice creates extraordinary images of the collective body. We look forward to working with him and the public to create an unforgettable collective civic moment in Dublin’s Docklands.

This arts project is part of a series of invitations to artists to create new works in the Docklands and include artists Antony Gormley, Willie Doherty, Idris Kahn, Bethan Huws, Graham Hudson and writer, Ian Sinclair.”
Mary McCarthy, Executive Arts Manager, Dublin Docklands Development Authority

Locations:
Cork: 17th June 2008
Dublin Docklands: 21st June 2008
Exact locations to be announced nearer the date

If you'd like to get into the picture register here: http://www.spencertunickireland.ie/

HABITAT closes flagship Dublin store rented from CLARENDON PROPERTIES

HABITAT has closed its Dublin and Galway stores because of a "severe" deterioration in sales. The company is the first major retail casualty of the economic downturn.

The business closed at 5pm yesterday "Due to a severe downturn in sales in our Galway and Dublin stores, it has become impossible to trade through the subsequent financial difficulties, particularly in light of the current economic environment," the company said.

Habitat Ireland is operated by CONAI DESIGNS - the company owned by MALCOLM BRIGHTON'S which purchased the franchise in 2002 from the foundation looking after business interests of Ikea-founder INGVAR KAMPRAD and his family (Habitat was originally set-up by SIR TERENCE CONRAN).

The Dublin store underwent a €2.5 million refurbishment in 2005 when Habitat moved from it's original home on St. Stephen's Green - it was rented from CLARENDON PROPERTIES for €1.3 million.

Developers PADDY McKILLEN, and TONY LEONARD are behind Clarendon who paid €22 million for the former BANK of IRELAND branch. Clarendon used a company called WHITE GLORY to develop the site which stretches from College Green back to Suffolk Street.

McKillen is one of the biggest property owners in the Grafton Street area. In 1997, together with Solicitor IVOR FITZPATRICK, he bought McGONAGLE'S nightclub on South Anne Street, off Grafton Street.

Clarendon bought a number of its properties, including the POWERSCOURT TOWNHOUSE CENTRE in Dublin and the SAVOY SHOPPING CENTRE in Cork, in 1996 following the collapse of POWER CORPORATION.

McKillen owns part of the Irish franchises for WAGAMAMA, TOWER RECORDS and Japanese lifestyle retailer MUJI. He also has stakes in CHAMPION SPORTS, MARATHON SPORTS, CAPTAIN AMERICA'S on Grafton Street and the moped shop, SKOOTER. He is also said to be involved in the KERLIN GALLERY in Dublin and owns 50% of the JERVIS SHOPPING CENTRE. He bought that site in 1995 for under €6 million - it is now thought to be worth over €225 million.

'NO' to Lisbon urged by aviation millionaire

Aviation multi-millionaire, and FINE GAEL friend, ULICK McEVADDY (remember the MARY HARNEY holiday in FRANCE controversy?) has spoken of his "Very difficult" decision to call for a "No" vote in the LISBON TREATY REFERENDUM at a Press Conference in DUBLIN's MERRION HOTEL on SUN 20th APRIL.

He said: "...having read this [Lisbon] Treaty four times ..I am certainly unable to say that it is going to be in any way beneficial to the interests of the Irish people, or the Irish business community.

I have a deep and abiding appreciation of what membership of the EUROPEAN UNION has done for this country ..I understand the desire of many people to "repay" Europe for that support by supporting this latest offering at the ballot box.

On the other hand, I believe that affection and respect for Europe must be repaid with due diligence and thoughtful consideration of what is in Europe's best interests. This document is set to determine the future of Europe for the next 1,000 years. Reading it, I come to the conclusion that it is unwieldy, unclear, incredibly poorly drafted, and will require years of interpretation by lawyers and the EUROPEAN COURTS.

Further, I am troubled by the lack of any meaningful attempt to make Europe more democratic.

These troubles are not assuaged by the fact that across Europe, in many cases in direct contravention of promises by Government, the people of Europe are being denied the chance to voice their opinions on this generation-defining document at the ballot box.

In the case of IRELAND, I am troubled by the very clear risk to our ability to determine our own taxation levels. The risk, identified by LIBERTAS and DECLAN GANLEY, and then confirmed by JOSE BAROSSO this morning, of destination taxes being imposed on Irish business is not one that I think we should take, in the national interest.

There is only one thing clear about this treaty, and that is that it is completely unclear.

Europe needs a constitution and a rulebook that is clear, and gives the people as much input as possible. Ireland and the UNITED STATES both have documents of this nature.

When the leaders of Europe draft something that the ordinary person can understand, and that will not need decades of legal wrangling to determine its effect, I will gladly support it.

On this occasion, however, I am giving my support to Libertas' call for a rejection of this treaty on JUNE 12th".

false property-sales figures from agents

The IRISH TIMES property editor has written to Irish Estate Agents warning them to cease providing false figures for property sales. The Irish Times publishes sales results in it's weekly property supplement every Thursday.

ORNA MULCAHY, Property Editor says that in many cases sales figures have been inflated by as much as 20% to hide the fact that values have dropped much more than the public actually realise.

It is clearly in the interest of estate agents to hype-up values in an attempt to re-ignite sales in a stagnant market.

Property has slowed to a stand-still over the last year and anecdotal evidence tells us that those selling are often knocked-down by as much as 20% below advertised guide prices - bringing values closer to the 30% figure which experts believe is the amount of over-valuation.

I personally know of two very similar properties in a sought-after city centre location. The vendor of one had hoped to achieve around EU1.4 million for her property ..an over-eager neighbour pushed that to EU1.75 million which was clearly over-valued even as the boom reached it's peak in Feb 2007.

An identical, if not more attractive, property 4 doors away came to the market around Feb - 12 months later - and didn't sell at EU1.3 million so was reduced further to EU1 million. I wouldn't want to be that lady who has seen the value of her property drop 40% (EU750,000) in 12 months!

RTE commented that Estate Agents are known for their 'hyperbole' and we shouldn't be surprised they are hiding the truth. Remember that the next time you hear the property market is recovering slowly.

Law gives access to Gardai of your internet usage

THE RANGE of criminal investigations for which the Garda will be able to request e-mail and internet data retained by internet service providers has been broadened by the Government.

In the latest draft implementing European directives on data retention "serious offences" would be defined as "any offence for which a person . . . could receive a maximum custodial sentence of six months".

This is a broader definition than that in Section 1 of the Bail Act 1997, which defines a "serious offence" as an arrestable offence with a minimum prison sentence of five years.

Offences that could now be deemed "serious" under the statutory instrument would include public order offences, such as refusing to move on when asked to do so by a garda, or minor assault.

The former minister for justice Michael McDowell had vowed that retained data would only be used in the prosecution of serious criminal and terrorism cases.

The draft statutory instrument would also apply the proposed new definition of serious offences to the current data retention regime on call data introduced in the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005.

In an apparent attempt to seek a compromise on retention more acceptable to the internet service providers - who would carry the cost of implementing it - the proposed legislation now seeks a 12-month retention period rather than the two years allowable under the EU directive.

Under the draft statutory instrument, retained data would include names of those who sent and received e-mails, computer addresses, the location of computer users, the times a user logged on and off a computer, and the size of files and e-mails sent and received, but not the content of e-mails.

Currently, the Garda can obtain telephone and mobile call data with no restrictions at all, a situation that has been repeatedly criticised by Data Protection Commissioner Billy Hawkes and national and international privacy advocacy groups.

"This SI is clearly undermining all the normal legal understanding of what constitutes a serious offence," said Ivana Bacik, senator and Reid professor of criminal law at Trinity College Dublin.

"If they are making a change like that, it should be brought in through primary legislation," the Independent senator said.