What national emergency?
Posted on April 17, 2008
Filed Under Drogheda, Ireland, Politics, bureaucracy, chancers, death, health, la-la-land, not funny, stupidity, the future | Leave a Comment
I received my 80 page booklet today from the Office of Emergency Planning. Half of it is written in Irish and the second half is in English. In the foreword, our Dear Leader writes, “there is no reason to think that a major emergency is likely in the immediate future“. Most of the advice seems to be ring 121 and/or do what you’re told by the authorities. So now you know 
The booklet is also available on the internet, on CD, in large print, in braille. The website also has Chinese, Russian, and Polish translations.
.
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The Irish Times summarised the 40 page English section thus:
- Nuclear incidents: Go in, stay in, tune in [to radio or TV]
- Flu pandemic: Buy enough food to last at least a week…Make sure you have a thermometer and supply of paracetamol or ibuprofen.
- Flooding: Don’t try to walk or drive through floodwater
- Hazardous chemical spills: Stay away from the scene
- Fire: Before opening a door, feel it with the back of your hand. If it is hot do not open it, as there may be a fire on the other side.
I’m surprised there was no mention of how to deal with the current emergency in our hospitals. It’s yesterday’s news so the politicians probably don’t care about it anymore but the report on Tania McCabe’s death in Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda made for grim reading. Mrs McCabe was pregnant with twins but she, and one of her babies, died because of a misdiagnosis.
The latest report found “maternity, paediatric and anaesthetic services are significantly under-resourced to cope with the current demands and that this had an impact on how Tania McCabe was cared for“. Concerns had been raised previously by the hospital’s medical board, An Borad Altranais, and in a report by Judge Maureen Clark. Concerns were also raised by the chairman of a taskforce set up to oversee the delivery of better maternity services in the northeast. Last month, a consultant at the hospital offered to give up part of his salary so more nurses could be employed.
Eithne Donnellan, the Irish Times reporter, finished her story by concluding:
It now remains to be seen if the tragic death of this young woman, leaving behind a grieving husband and two young children, will finally stir the HSE into action.
But with tight controls recently imposed on recruitment in the HSE in order to cut costs, one couldn’t have too much confidence in progress being made by it on these pressing issues anytime soon.
Twenty years ago, it used to be that elderly people wouldn’t go into hospital because medicine wasn’t advanced enough to save their lives. Effectively, when they went into hospital, they knew they were going into hospital to die. Now, it would seem you have a better chance of saving alive if you stay out of hospital.
Oh, and remember those iodine tablets that this same Government gave out to every home a couple of years ago?? Well, you don’t need them now
Revolting Rathoath Rascals
Posted on April 16, 2008
Filed Under Politics, children, society | 3 Comments
via The Chancer
“Ratoath Fianna Fail councillor Nick Killian is mad as hell, and he’s not gonna take it any more… Here, he enjoys a discourse with some local youths:“
Charming.
The child who posted the video also has a blog. On 19 Feb, he posted this blog:
Ha ha last week was gr8 i had no skool and i went out and got drunk on friday and got caught ha ha it was fun. Here a video we had gr8 fun lighting a tire on fire. Heres a video:
Fishing for a compliment
Posted on February 4, 2008
Filed Under blog, flickr, funny ha ha, joke, newspapers, restaurant, vegetarian | 1 Comment
This photo I took in December last year gets a mention in the BBC’s Good Food blog (2nd para). 
In the article, the author talks about an expensive new restaurant that sells battered cod for stg£12. Chips are extra.
Have a read of the article. I’m too modest to suggest a link between good taste and my photography!! But I’m glad to be in such good company. Although there’s a certain irony that I’m a vegetarian.
Edit: I don’t know why but Flickr says the photo is not available. But if you click it, you will be taken to it’s page on flickr.
Hell no, we won’t spell
Posted on February 4, 2008
Filed Under Education, Outside Ireland, Public Events, School, chancers, flickr, funny | 6 Comments
Graduate student protest at the University of Florida.
Nothing is impossible
Posted on January 29, 2008
Filed Under Asides, funny | Leave a Comment
« go back — keep looking »Who says nothing is impossible? I do nothing all the time….