The Gravy Train

TDs now earn high multiples of the average wage. They get a basic salary of around €100,000, then lavish expenses and most of them have a Parliamentary nixer to add even more. By Adam Maguire

Holly - Cuilleann

Because of its association with Christmas, holly is one of our more easily recognised native trees. It is probably the most ornamental of these native trees and many variegated and golden varieties are cultivated.

Limerick Stabbed in Constituency Shuffle

With the loss of the Heathrow connection from Shannon, the disappointments of the hurling and football teams, the reverses in rugby, the media denigration of a great city and county and the eclipse of the O'Malleys, one would have thought Limerick had suffered enough. But now the Constituencies Commission has surgically removed part of the county and transplanted it into Kerry North to enable that constituency retain three seats. And a consequence of this contrivance will be the eclipse of another great political dynasty, the Healy Reas.

Pool C- Scotland

Scotland will do well to reach the quarter final where they are likely to meet France, Ireland or Argentina. Like Wales, Scotland has a good first team, but not much in reserve. They try to play a fast open game, but some of the bigger teams will strangle Scotland of any ball.

Pool C - Italy

Italy is an unknown quantity. They performed well over three games earlier this year in their most succesful Six Nations tournament to date but suffered a heavy defeat against Ireland. Strong and competitive in the pack, Italy on their day have as good a tight five and loose forwards as any other team in the tournament.

Things to keep in mind when using social networking websites.

1. Posts are not private. Even if you restrict access to your profile, it's always possible for information to be shared with others.
2. Posts are not anonymous. Clues in your profile can help to identify you. You can even be found through your computer's IP address.
3. Posts are not temporary. You can delete or remove information from a profile, but it still exists on other computers and in the files of companies that archive websites.
4. Posts are subject to the rules of online communities.

Tycoons Tussle for Media Might

In July, Denis O'Brien's Communicorp added Today FM, FM 104 and Donegal based, Highland radio, to its existing stable which includes Newstalk, 98FM and Spin 103. The deal will give O'Brien dominance of national commercial radio and an even greater dominance in Dublin, where he would gain an 83.75 per cent share of the commercial market, and 46.4 per cent of the total market. That's three per cent ahead of RTE.

Birds: Robin (Spideog, Erithacus rubecula)

Having covered lots of different Irish bird species in previous issues, it's probably about time that I got around to writing about the one that most people tell me is their very favourite. The Robin is a very common year-round sight in gardens, parks and woodlands all over the country, and as many as four million breeding individuals are estimated to live here.

Bertie, Big Brother and Tom McGurk

There were two great interviews – both with Bertie Ahern as it happens – done on the broadcast media during the election campaign and the immediate aftermath. One was conducted by Matt Cooper on The Last Word on Today FM. Matt Cooper is now maybe the best of current affairs radio broadcasters. He is articulate, coherent, fluent and oh-so informed. He took Bertie briskly through the issues, always with sufficient back up knowledge to challenge Bertie when the latter went into his detail mode, laced with incoherence.

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