Gaza Suffering- Families struggle for food

Gaza residents talk about hardship; The UN will resume relief operations only after receiving guarantees on security of personnel from the Israeli army.
Locked inside the coastal slice of land, just 40 kilometres (24 miles) long and up to 12 kilometres wide, with next to no food getting in each day, 1.5 million people are battling to find enough to keep their families alive.

Amazing Video: Israeli IDF conversation with Palestinians (Israeli soldier and Palestinian civilians explain fears and hopes)

This video was recorded on Jan 9 -2009. It provides a fascinating insight into the thinking of Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians. In reality both want peace. Now if only the leaders on both sides would listen.

The IDF come across as nervous and on edge and somewhat aggressive eventhough there is a camera filming the exchange of views. The video opens with the following question to the soldiers: "Its confusing to me that when one person hurts another group of people then the whole group of people have to suffer for it. So maybe you can help me understand".

A soldier explains why he is in Gaza. "I help you understand (sic)." "You think I want to be here? ..... I do this for one reason, because I love my country (sic). Because I want my mother to go to work and dont die (sic). I want my sister to go to school and not to be scared." The soldier admitted shooting a child for pointing at him. He said that the Palestinian was not scared to go to Israel because he knows he could go there and come back alive. The Israeli soldier stated that he was scared to go to Qalqilya and Jayyous-"I know they want to kill me".

The Palestinian replies..."If you want to come to my house we can stop together... We need peace we want peace. We want to stop the blood. We want to be like neighbours, like friends."

Sarah Palin answers the liberal media in an interview for the forthcoming documentary "Media Malpractice"

In an interview for the forthcoming documentary "Media Malpractice" Governor Sarah Palin, for the first time at length, takes on the media coverage of her and the 2008 campaign. There is plenty more of the interview to come. To find out more got to www.HowObamaGotElected.com and get on the mailing list.

Ireland: Bombshell -Dell axes 1900 jobs in Limerick and plans new manufacturing plant at Lodz in Poland

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Computer multi-national Dell has announced that it is cutting 1,900 jobs at its plant in Limerick over the next 12 months.

Dell will move all production of computer systems for customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa from Limerick to its Polish facility and third-party manufacturers over the next year...(RTE)

Currently Dell employs 3,000m workers at its Limerick plant. The loss of 1900 jobs is a shattering blow not alone to Limerick but to the entire Mid-West region. In addition thousands of jobs in spin off industries are likely to go. Dell says it will continue to employ approximately 1,000 staff in Limerick to coordinate supply chain, manufacturing and logistics for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The Taoiseach Brian Cowen has confirmed that a Government Task Force will now be formed to promote economic activity in the region.

Ireland: FF proposal to slash school buses is unfair, blinkered & daft - Feighan

The school transport scheme was set up in the 1960s to ensure access to primary and post-primary education for children who live in rural areas. It now costs the taxpayer €170 million annually to run the scheme. Dublin FF TD Chris Andrews argues that given that most families now have access to their own transport it is time to revise the scheme. He told the Evening Herald: "It is hard for me as someone in the city to see how it is fully justified. "It's very much a rural scheme and given the traffic in Dublin, if anything it's Dublin it should be in. "It's a huge expense and I would have thought that there were other things higher up on the priority list."

Frank Feighan TD FG Deputy Spokesperson on Transport & Education, with Special Responsibility for Rural and School Transport has blasted Andrews proposals. The following is the text of a statement released by Mr Feighan on the issue.

FF proposal to slash school buses is unfair, blinkered & daft - Feighan

"More than 135,000 children in far-flung rural areas use the State transport scheme to get to school. Many would not be able to get to school at all without school buses, and many schools would be forced to close.
"So I was astonished to hear Dublin Fianna Fáil TD Chris Andrews suggesting that the school transport scheme should be scaled back in rural areas, and instead be rolled out in his own city. Deputy Andrews's mindless proposal shows just how out of touch the Government has become.
"This proposal is shot full of holes:
- Most urban areas already have extensive public transport networks, while most rural areas do not;
- Scrapping school buses in rural areas would force more parents to drive their children to school, driving up pollution levels and adding to congestion.
"Furthermore, in the midst of the deepest recession in living memory, it would add considerably to household bills. Brian Lenihan has already pushed up the cost of school transport by over 200%. Fianna Fáil's proposal to abolish school transport in rural areas is unthinking, inconsiderate and beyond the pale."

Chris Andrews is out of touch with life in rural Ireland. His proposals are a cynical ploy geared to curry favour with his own urban constituents. Rural backbench TDs of all political parties would strongly oppose this nonsensical proposal. Arise rural Ireland from thy political slumber.

Ireland:Government plans public sector pay cuts-5% reduction likely with further cuts to follow

2008 Exchequer figures released yesterday confirm a 12.7 billion euro deficit in the public finances after the tax take came in 8.1 billion euro less than what was predicted for the year. Last year's tax revenues fell to levels last seen in 2005. At the height of the construction and property boom in 2006, the Government took in €10bn on property-related taxes, almost a quarter of all tax revenues. The government allowed public expenditure to grow by 25% in 2006 and 2007. This rate of public expenditure growth was patently unsustainable. However it helped FF to return to power in the 2007 general election. FG Finance Spokesman Richard Bruton in 2006 and 2007 warned the government of the likely consequences of this policy. These dire consequences have come to pass. Unfortunately the property boom on which this public expenditure splurge was based could not be expected to continue forever.

The crash in Irish building and construction has decimated property taxes. Unemployment is heading for the 300,000 mark further straining government finances. The rise in the value of the euro is increasing pressure on Irish exporters whilst the international recession is further depressing the economy. In 2009 it is likely that Ireland will have a negative growth rate of around -4%. Ireland is now caught between its own internal economic problems and the international recession.

It is anticipated that the deficit could reach 21 billion euro in 2009 without further remedial action. A public sector pay cut is a certainty. 5% is regularly mentioned as a likely figure. It is more likely to be at least 10% in the longer term. Finance Minister Brian Lenihan and Taoiseach Brian Cowen intend to consult with the social partners. Decoded this means a public sector pay cut with the blessing of the unions.

Sea Ice Ends Year at Same Level as 1979-DailyTech reports (But is Al Gore listening?)

According to the DailyTech

Rapid growth spurt leaves amount of ice at levels seen 29 years ago

Thanks to a rapid rebound in recent months, global sea ice levels now equal those seen 29 years ago, when the year 1979 also drew to a close.
Ice levels had been tracking lower throughout much of 2008, but rapidly recovered in the last quarter. In fact, the rate of increase from September onward is the fastest rate of change on record, either upwards or downwards.
The data is being reported by the University of Illinois's Arctic Climate Research Center, and is derived from satellite observations of the Northern and Southern hemisphere polar regions....

Al Gore has stated that The North Polar Ice Cap will disappear by 2013. This data flatly contradicts his claims.