16th March, 2000
A professor has stated that children are
suffering, because they are being put in day care, what do you
make of that? I believe that parents are suffering because the
vast majority of them have no choice. A few months ago we made
contacts with the embassies of our E.U. neighbours and asked them
to send us on details of creche facilities in their respective
countries. The replies made interesting reading. Both Denmark and
Sweden topped the list of Child Care facilities. They both have
State run creches, for example the local Councils and Health
Boards provide creches for children with working parents, and
they pay as much as they can. Here in Ireland it must be hard to
pay almost half your wages to have your child/children cared for,
and then to have no tax relief on what you pay. Seems to be
somewhat lacking in compassion to people who are feeding the
Celtic Tiger, I.E the Taxpayers. Not to worry if they get
depressed they can always get some St John's Wort. Oh I forgot,
it's not available over the counter anymore, it's now on
prescription only. The only country in the whole wide world to
have it on prescription, thank God for the Irish Medicines Board
protecting us from something that has never harmed anybody in
2,000 years. Perhaps they know something the rest of the world
doesn't, would they like to share it with the rest of us?
I'm sick of David Beckem and Posh Spice, and even sicker of
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones. It seems Michael and
Catherine are going to see their respective lawyers before the
wedding to sort out who gets what when they separate, and then
Michael says, "You can read all about our engagement on my
website", how tacky can you get? As for names, what do you
make of somebody called Puff Daddy? If Jennifer Lopez had married
him she would be called Mrs Daddy, and their child would be Baby
Daddy, and one day the child would shoot up the town because some
kids called his daddy a Puff. Elvis we miss you.
On Questions & Answers tonight (Monday) someone mentioned
that the Pope intends to canonise Pope Pius IX. Then somebody
else said that Pius IX had stolen a Jewish infant and reared it
as a Catholic. Please somebody tell me I'm dreaming, what next?
St Patrick wasn't Irish but Welsh!!!
A woman asked me to mention the condition of the footpaths on the
Well Road, from the traffic lights to the bend before the
roundabout. I did a piece last year about their condition, but it
seems nothing changes. Corporation Councillors take note!
A woman approached me in Douglas Court last Sunday and asked me
" Did you know that there's no bus service to the train
station?" I confessed I didn't. I wanted to say to her
"If you lived in Frankfield you'd know the feeling".
Incidentally, a reader from Frankfield told me she left her house
and walked out to a man waiting at the bus stop and informed him
that he would have a long wait. Were any of our readers at a
meeting a few weeks ago in Maryborough House Hotel to listen to a
discussion on the plans for a bus service to Frankfield. The
ironic thing was the meeting was in Maryborough Hill to discuss a
bus service to Frankfield How did the people looking for a bus
service get to the meeting? Did they get on a bus? Or did Bus
Eireann provide a bus to bring them to the meeting?
There once was a man named Gus
Who went to catch the bus
On Frankfield Hill
His ghost walks still
Cause no one made a fuss.
Teresa Kelly tells me that there is to be a big reunion night
next month for all past employees of Quinnsworth staff. I'll let
you know the exact details next week.
Finally Happy St. Patrick's day to all our readers, have a good
weekend. Drive carefully and belt up.
Bye for now,
Michael O'Hanlon.
