Browsing through the PGA Tour schedule for 2010 makes for interesting reading. Golf tournaments that had previously been sponsored by some of the big names of the US business world are now happy to take any backing they can get.
The first few events of the season have been affected the most. This week's tournament in San Diego has a history of over 50 years and it's former sponsors have been institutions amongst US companies; most recently Buick and Lehman Brothers before that. This year its called the Farmers Insurance Open. Doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
The collapse of the US banking and motor sectors has left some tournaments without any title sponsors at all. Last week's Bob Hope Classic (at least some pizzazz has been retained!), named after the great comedian who helped establish the event in the '60s, has had no backing for the last 2 years after Chrysler ended it sponsorship.
The award for the most glamarous tournament name of the year has to go to next month's event in Phoenix, the "Waste Management Phoenix Open". Suffice to say golf is the true casualty of the credit crunch...
Friday, January 29, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Beatlemania!
In recent weeks I've become obsessed with Beatles Rock Band on the Wii. I've spent hours playing all the classics, usually by myself! But its also allowed me to get to know other songs of theirs that I hadn't heard before.
As a result I've been delving through the archives. However, it wasn't the original versions, but some of the covers by other artists that I found most entertaining. When one thinks of Beatles cover versions, Joe Cocker and The Carpenters are some of the names that immediately spring to mind. Here's some of the more obscure ones..
Petula Clark, she of "Downtown" fame, with a nice take on Sgt Pepper...
As a result I've been delving through the archives. However, it wasn't the original versions, but some of the covers by other artists that I found most entertaining. When one thinks of Beatles cover versions, Joe Cocker and The Carpenters are some of the names that immediately spring to mind. Here's some of the more obscure ones..
Petula Clark, she of "Downtown" fame, with a nice take on Sgt Pepper...
All thats good about the 80s...watch out for Robert Smith of The Cure.
All that's wrong with the 80s! Although still vaguely entertaining...
Friday, January 22, 2010
Off to the rugby...
So I'm heading down to Stab City today for the Munster v Northampton match. Its being billed as a classic showdown but it'll really come down to how well Munster play I think.
Northampton seem to be a team capable of producing excellent spells, as they showed in the reverse fixture back in October, but they also have some slack performances. Their 1st half last weekend against Perpignan was very average.Meanwhile, Munster's away victory against the same in December was arguably one of their finest performances in Europe. If they play anywhere near that level this evening they'll win very comfortably.
This will only be a close encounter if the home team fail to turn up. Northampton are a side capable of scoring tries but in recent years Munster have proved their ability to rack them up too. They also have the advantage of being more versatile and can play a tighter game if need be.
Paddy Power are offering a handicap of 10 points for a home win. I suspect it'll be something closer to 15, say 27-12.
Northampton seem to be a team capable of producing excellent spells, as they showed in the reverse fixture back in October, but they also have some slack performances. Their 1st half last weekend against Perpignan was very average.Meanwhile, Munster's away victory against the same in December was arguably one of their finest performances in Europe. If they play anywhere near that level this evening they'll win very comfortably.
This will only be a close encounter if the home team fail to turn up. Northampton are a side capable of scoring tries but in recent years Munster have proved their ability to rack them up too. They also have the advantage of being more versatile and can play a tighter game if need be.
Paddy Power are offering a handicap of 10 points for a home win. I suspect it'll be something closer to 15, say 27-12.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Minimum wage reduction?
Yay! My first post...and straight down to business.
The issue of a potential cut to the minimum wage was raised on "The Frontline" on RTÉ last night. Unsurprisingly, the idea was quite an unpopular one with members of the audience. However, there seems to be a growing appeal from small businesses to review the matter.
I remember saying last year that a significant reduction (say, more than a euro) was a neccesity. In fact, I even thought scrapping it altogether could be a possibility. On reflection, this might've been somewhat hasty but my thoughts now are largely the same. Perhaps such a large cut isn't needed but I believe even a small reduction would have a positive impact on competitiveness.
Pat Kenny last evening cited OECD figures which places Ireland's minimum wage second in the EU, after only Luxembourg. Admittedly we fall to 5th place in real terms when adjusted for the cost of living but combined with the grim state of the country's retail and hospitality sectors this figure is still out of line with where it should be.
As a student myself, with a part-time job paying on or around the minimum wage, a cut isn't something I should be looking for. However, personal interests aside, restoring the economy's competitiveness is the utmost concern. In general we've been paying ourselves too much across the board. We had no problem increasing incomes (inc. min wage) in line with inflation (or above it as the case usually was) so whats the difference now with deflation of over 5% last year.
I'm under no illusions though, the odds are firmly against any cut. Its unforseeable that the government would even consider it as it would be even more unpopular than public sector cutbacks I suspect.
The issue of a potential cut to the minimum wage was raised on "The Frontline" on RTÉ last night. Unsurprisingly, the idea was quite an unpopular one with members of the audience. However, there seems to be a growing appeal from small businesses to review the matter.
I remember saying last year that a significant reduction (say, more than a euro) was a neccesity. In fact, I even thought scrapping it altogether could be a possibility. On reflection, this might've been somewhat hasty but my thoughts now are largely the same. Perhaps such a large cut isn't needed but I believe even a small reduction would have a positive impact on competitiveness.
Pat Kenny last evening cited OECD figures which places Ireland's minimum wage second in the EU, after only Luxembourg. Admittedly we fall to 5th place in real terms when adjusted for the cost of living but combined with the grim state of the country's retail and hospitality sectors this figure is still out of line with where it should be.
As a student myself, with a part-time job paying on or around the minimum wage, a cut isn't something I should be looking for. However, personal interests aside, restoring the economy's competitiveness is the utmost concern. In general we've been paying ourselves too much across the board. We had no problem increasing incomes (inc. min wage) in line with inflation (or above it as the case usually was) so whats the difference now with deflation of over 5% last year.
I'm under no illusions though, the odds are firmly against any cut. Its unforseeable that the government would even consider it as it would be even more unpopular than public sector cutbacks I suspect.
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