IrishAsia - News

Asian Gaelic Games - Schedule

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 03:28:20 -0600

Schedule of Events: (not fully finalised)

Friday 22nd June:
Opening Ceremony and Tournament Draw
Asian Civilisations Museum, Empress Way
8pm – 11pm
After-party
Molly Malone’s, Circular Road
11pm – late

Saturday 23rd June:
Asian Gaelic Games: Day 1 Tournament Play
Singapore Polo Grounds, Mt Pleasant Road
9am – 5pm
Saturday Night Party:
Fort Canning Green
8pm – 12am

Sunday 24th June:
Asian Gaelic Games: Day 2 Tournament Play
Singapore Polo Grounds, Mt Pleasant Road
9am – 5pm
Finals, Awards, Presentations and pitch-side craic.
Close-out Party
Venue TBD
9pm

TG4 Advert - Girls dressed by boys’

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 04:48:12 -0600

This poster advertisement meant for promoting a TG4 television program entitled ‘Paisean Faisean’, attracted fierce criticism in Ireland for being offensive and degrading women. The poster advertisement showed a teacher dressed a very short skirt and fishnet stockings and the poster carried a tag line that reads, ‘Girls dressed by boys’. Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland received many complaints about this advertisement asking them to place a ban on it. The complaints alleged that that the advertisement portrayed women as a mere sexual object, simplifying women and was insulting and dehumanizing to women. Another complaint alleged that the outfit on the teacher to be offensive.

The advertisers in their argument said that the program was a light-hearted entertainment show that targeted women between the ages of 25 and 44 years. They further clarified that the campaign was now finished and was not set out to embarrass or cause offence to any person. The Complaints Committee ruled that the use of the image in the advertisement was in breach of the Code and upheld the complaints.

Dell ups Taiwan buying to $12.5 bln amid PC slowdown

Mon, 08 May 2006 04:42:10 -0600

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Dell Inc., , the world's top personal computer maker, wants to ramp up components sourcing from Taiwan by about a quarter to US$12.5 billion in 2006 and foresees global PC market growth slowing this year, its chief executive said on Monday.

Computer and consumer electronics vendors from Japan to the United States are increasingly buying from specialized Taiwan companies such as display maker AU Optronics Corp. to hold down costs.

Dell's move to increase purchases of components from Taiwan comes after posting a drop in worldwide market share in the first quarter, when its slice dipped to 18.1 percent versus 18.6 percent a year earlier, according to consultants IDC.

The chilling story of the Black and Tans

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:01:26 -0600

Ireland's War of Independence: The chilling story of the Black and Tans
Ben & Jerry's decision to give their latest flavour of ice-cream the same name as Churchill's notorious army has provoked howls of protest. David McKittrick describes the force's reign of terror against Irish nationalists
Published: 21 April 2006
To practically the whole world it may seem like a harmless, cheerfully cutesie name for a new American ice-cream flavour, just adopted by the popular manufacturer Ben & Jerry's.

But some Irish-Americans have given the "Black and Tan" flavour a reception that is cold to the point of frigidity, complaining of its associations with one of the most notorious forces ever seen in Ireland.

Sex cues ruin men's decisiveness

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 00:41:47 -0600

Sex cues ruin men's decisiveness

Catching sight of a pretty woman really is enough to throw a man's decision-making skills into disarray, a study suggests.

The more testosterone he has, the stronger the effect, according to work by Belgian researchers.

Men about to play a financial game were shown images of sexy women or lingerie.

The Proceedings of the Royal Society B study found they were more likely to accept unfair offers than men not been exposed to the alluring images.

The suggestion is that the sexual cues distract the men's thoughts, preventing them from focusing on their task - particularly among those with high natural testosterone levels.

The University of Leuven researchers gave 176 heterosexual male student volunteers aged 18 to 28 financial games to test their fair play.

They are looking for opportunities to pass on their genes

Eircom gets takeover bid

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 23:37:22 -0600

(Associated Press) Eircom Group PLC announced Friday night it had received a euro2.36 billion (US$2.86 billion) takeover proposal led by the Australian investment group Babcock & Brown, which in February declared its interest in buying Ireland's largest phone company.

Eircom, a former state monopoly privatized in 2000, said its board received a "joint proposal" from Babcock & Brown and the company's own Employee Share Ownership Trust that "may or may not lead to an offer being made."

Since October, Sydney-based Babcock & Brown has accumulated a 28.8 percent share of Eircom stock, while the employee trust holds 21.6 percent. The proposal would value Eircom shares at euro2.20 (US$2.67) a share, a 2.8 percent premium to Eircom's closing price Thursday in Dublin. The Irish Stock Market was closed for the Good Friday holiday.

REO's China unit shares soar 43pc on very light trading

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 00:24:08 -0600

SHARES in China Real Estates Opportunities shot up 43pc, or by £4 (€5.79), yesterday to £13.25 (€19.18) on light trading volumes.

The company, which is backed by Treasury Holdings' Johnny Ronan and Richard Barrett, has surged since it floated just before Christmas at less than £2.

CREO which floated on AIM as a property investment shell company has yet to buy a single property.

But there is increasing market speculation it is getting closer to being able to announce its first transactions in China.

Yesterday, however, chairman Ray Horney said: "I don't know the reason for it (the huge rise in his company's share price).

Record numbers graduated last year

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 03:54:39 -0600

John Walshe

Education Editor

THE number of graduates has more than doubled to 50,000.

A new survey also shows that most are doing well in the job stakes with only 3pc of graduates out of work nine months after graduation.

Best paid are architects with around two-thirds of them starting on salaries of at least 25,000 a year, and some of them earning more than 33,000. More than half of the engineering graduates began on salaries of at least 25,000 a year. More than half the 'working' graduates have jobs on the east coast - mainly in the Dublin area, while only 3pc are working in the northwest and Donegal, with slightly more in the midlands.

The Asians are coming - and the dating game is very serious

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 00:10:49 -0600

BEWARE! Asia is coming. That was the core message from a presentation at last week's Irish Management Institute Conference in Wicklow, given by former Financial Times journalist turned professional 'thinker' and writer Charles Leadbetter.

One of the things that made his dire warnings about the rise of Asian economies so interesting was that it began with a different premise to previous predictions of doom and gloom.

Most warnings in recent years about the rise of China and India have focused on how these lower cost economies will continue to hoover up manufacturing jobs.

To some extent, it has almost become an accepted fact that the level of manufacturing conducted in the EU, and in places like Ireland in particular, will continue to fall, as companies move production east.

Japan Foreign Minister calls Taiwan "a country" - draws protest from Beijing

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 19:06:17 -0700

Japan's outspoken foreign minister referred to Taiwan as a "law-abiding country" on Thursday and drew a strong protest from Beijing, which considers the island a part of China.

Aso, who has riled China in recent months with a series of critical comments, told a parliamentary committee that Japan and Taiwan shared democracy and a market economy.

"Its democracy is considerably matured and liberal economics is deeply ingrained, so it is a law-abiding country," Aso said. "In various ways it is a country that shares a sense of values with Japan."

The comment appeared to conflict with long-standing Japanese policy of one-China, meaning Tokyo, like the United States and many other nations, does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country.

China condemns scrapping of Taiwan unification body

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:27:34 -0700

China condemns scrapping of Taiwan unification body
Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:23 AM GMT

BEIJING (Reuters) - China condemned Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Tuesday for scrapping a council that advised on eventual unification, calling it a malicious provocation creating further tension in one of Asia's most dangerous flashpoints.

But a joint statement issued by the Communist Party's Central Office for Taiwan Affairs and the cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office stopped short of threatening war against the self-ruled island, which Beijing has claimed since their split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.

Under the hammer, the original words and music to Ireland's national anthem.

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 23:55:07 -0700

History going for a song?
Under the hammer, the original words and music to Ireland's national anthem.

Tuesday February 14th 2006

Fears national anthem could be sold abroad

Anne-Marie

Walsh

THE only original copy of the national anthem may be set to leave the country if the State does not put in a bid at a special Easter week auction.

Despite the Government's renewed interest in the 1916 Rising as its 90th anniversary approaches, it has not indicated if it plans to buy what is considered one of the most significant documents in Irish history.

The auctioneers claim the State has already allowed the 'Soldier's Song' (Amhran na bhFiann) - which is expected to fetch between €800,000 and €1.2m - to slip through its fingers at least twice in the past.