DjMagra’s stuff ‘n’ stuff

Current Weather Conditions:
Toulouse / Blagnac, France
(LFBO) 43-38N 001-22E 153M
Conditions at 2006.03.30 1600 UTC
Wind from the SSE (150 degrees) at 12 MPH (10 KT)
Sky conditions clear sky
Visibility greater than 7 mile(s)
Temperature 69 F (21 C)
Dew Point 51 F (11 C)
Relative Humidity 52%
Pressure (altimeter) 29.97 in. Hg (1015 hPa)

Current Weather Conditions:
Dublin Airport, Ireland
(EIDW) 53-26N 006-15W 85M
Conditions at 2006.03.30 1630 UTC
Wind from the SSW (200 degrees) at 16 MPH (14 KT)
Visibility greater than 7 mile(s)
Sky conditions mostly cloudy
Weather Cumulonimbus clouds observed
Temperature 55 F (13 C)
Dew Point 46 F (8 C)
Relative Humidity 71%
Pressure (altimeter) 29.21 in. Hg (0989 hPa)

So, given RedMum and Rick have jumped the gun just a little and started promoting it, I may as well unveil the wrapper on The Dublin Community Blog, a blog written by some of the best and most entertaining blogers around Dublin, as well as a few not so familiar faces.

Some of the writers over on the Dublin Blog contributed to a similar effort elsewhere over the past few months, but decided that they wanted to move to a platform that we could manage for ourselves.

So, there it is, hopefully you will find it entertaining and enjoyable. All feedback (good and bad) is welcome, so, please do participate!

So, once again I’ve proved how much I suck at blogging here over the past few days. I’ve been busy, busy with work stuff, and busy with stuff in general!

This weekend brings a welcome break, I’m off to Toulouse with the Leinster team for the Heineken Cup Quarter Final early on Friday morning, staying in a hotel directly accross the road from Trevor Brennan’s Bar for the weekend. Really looking forward to the trip now, almost as excited about that as I am about Monaco in a few weeks time!

Then, next week I’m off to do a course I’ve been dying to do for ages, the Cisco Building Scalable Internetworks. Going to be tough going, especially as I’m going to be flying direct from Toulouse back to the course, but hey, such are the joys!

Anyways, more news later in the week with a bit of luck!

Spring is here

Originally uploaded by kitty80.

Today, is the Irish Cancer Society’s big fund-raising day out, Daffodil Day. There are lots of hardy souls out there braving the wind and rain selling daffodils for a very, very good cause today. Make sure that you go out there and buy some, and encourage everyone else to buy some whilst your at it.

And, whilst they’re only charging EUR 2 per daffodil, what’s to stop you throwing in all the change you have in your pocket, or maybe even a EUR 10, 20 or 50 note too?!

Think the title says all that needs to be said!

The ever brilliant Channel 4 have a must-see documentary on this coming Thursday evening at 9pm. The Falling Man is the story of the people who began to fall from the buildings just minutes after the first plane hit. Fall is the key word here…most jumped.

Probably my most abiding memory of 9/11 is one I’ve written about before, listening to Conor O Cleary, the Irish times NY correspondant who was talking live on the radio from his office over-looking the WTC complex, and in the process of his interview, he started to notice people jumping from the building to get away from the terror they were enduring inside.

This program looks like it could be fascinating, and as always with 9/11, harrowing viewing.

There is breaking news just emerging that the Serbian President, Boris Tadic, has said that he does not stand against the funeral of Serbian War Criminal, and former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

The question of whether Milosevic’s family will be allowed to travel to Serbia for the funeral still needs to be decided, with charges outstanding against his former wife and son.

Sitting here tonight watching Sky News, I’ve just realised that tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of the Dunblane Massacre.

On the 13th of March 1996, unemployed former shopkeeper Thomas Hamilton walked in to the local primary school and killed 16 students and one of their teachers. I don’t remember why it was the case, but, I was in the Europa Hotel in Drogheda that day as opposed to being in school, watching the breaking news on Sky News. I remember being shocked by it, as I was still in school, and it was the first major shooting of that type that I had ever seen broadcast live on television in a way we have now unfortuanately become used to.

Anyway, at some stage tomorrow, just leave over a minute to think about the poor kids who lost their lives that fateful day 10 years ago.

Oscar Winning Irish film, Six Shooter, is now online on the Channel 4 website for people to view. I haven’t seen this yet, but, I’ve heard a lot of very good reports about it, so, will have to check it out as soon as I have some access to broadband.

Wow, who would ever have known it, but, the Pat Kenny MP3 has been downloaded from here over 10,000 times since it was put up a week ago. From a quick scan through the logs, it would appear that it’s caught on right around Ireland, as well as Wales, England and Scotland amongst many more. I wonder how many times Pat’s been forced to listen to it himself around the office over the past week. 2fm were playing it all day on Saturday anyways, I can imagine he’s getting some stick for it!!