A QUICK READ of the mainstream media in Ireland on Sunday brought 10 questions to my mind. Due to factual inaccuracies in some of its reporting, I do not read the Sunday Independent.
1. Who is the Formula One paddock talking about when people say "he doesn't look like a guy who is thinking about stopping. Anyway, although he plays football, he's not very good at it, so he'd better continue driving." That's Ruebens Barrichello talking about Michael Schumacher.
2. Whose philosophy articulates a belief in love? "The most powerful thing in the world is love, especially the love of your family. I hope that one day we may have true peace on earth and that we can all help to make the world a better place for our children." Ronan Keating, who sang "Love Won't Work" when trying to crack the US charts.
3. What's happening with 3G mobile telephony in Ireland? Eders Research found that 63% of adults are "not at all interested" in 3G and a further 18% were "not very interested".
4. Now that the Irish Times bought MyHome.ie for €50m, will it become a subscription site? No. It will remain a pure play, according to Irish Times MD Maeve Donovan.
5. What is the "biggest leap forward for mankind since the invention of fire"? The Blackberry.
6. Why is the Irish Minister for Local Government planning to use the much-maligned e-voting machines in 2012 and beyond? Because as far as he is concerned, it's just a matter of patching the software and the machines will be ready to go. After all, he says, Ireland exports so much software that it should be possible to develop software that repairs the machines.
7. If you take the Daft.ie trendline to the end of the year, how many monthly page impressions will they be getting in December 2006? 40,000,000.
8. How many people are at risk of poverty in Ireland? 850,000. Who believes that? Not Kalman Mizei, director of the UN development programme and an official at the Ministry of Social Affairs in Slovenie. He thinks Ireland's number is overstated.
9. What has become the money-laundering capital of Europe? Spain. "Vast sums amassed through arms-smuggling, drugs and prostitution are being recycled into holiday homes there." Two recent headlines tell the story: "Spain, Europe's Brothel" in El Pais. "Spain, Europe's Second Home" in La Vanguardian.
10. What is the most-visited fee-charging tourist attraction in Dublin? The Guinness Storehouse, with 780,851 visitors in 2005, according to Failte Ireland.
[1] Alan Henry -- "Home hero Schumacher finds it so hard to say goodbye" in The Guardian, 29 July 2006.
[2] Martina Hyde -- "When the going gets tough, the tough bring out a new fragrance" in The Guardian, 29 July 2006.
[3] Paul Durman -- "Vodafone Picks Up 3G Message" in The Sunday Times, 30 July 2006.
[4] Gavin Daly -- "Irish Times on the hunt for further acquisitions" in the Sunday Business Post, 30 July 2006.
[5] Jeremy Clarkson -- "At long last that hybrid"
[6] Stephen O'Brien -- "Roche says no to sale of e-voting kit" in the Sunday Tribune, 30 July 2006.
[7] Catherine O'Mahony -- "Daft Makes Sense" in the Sunday Business Post, 30 July 2006.
[8] Frank Fitzgibbon -- "We're Really Not that Poor" in the Sunday Times, 30 July 2006.
[9] Stephen Burgen -- "Pirates of the Mediterranean" in the Sunday Times Magazine, 30 July 2006.
