“I don’t know what type… it’s a blue car… once it gets me from A to B that’s all that matters” – I think everyone has heard this statement or something similar at one time or another – and for some people it is true, but not for most petrol heads. For me it’s a pet hate… and akin to a person saying about their own leg: “I don’t  know what it’s called really… it’s just a limb… as long as it gets me from A to….”!

Since the dawn of the automobile age we’ve seen so many different shapes, makes and models with numerous companies pushing the boundaries of what was possible – safety, style & design, even the combustion engine evolved and motoring needs gave birth to the electric engine. To compete, cars got more advanced and inevitably those developments led to better cars and as people began to spend more of their lives and lifestyles in or around their cars there grew a need for the “Luxury Car” – that safe, mobile haven that had all the creature comforts and security of home.

As someone who loves cars, I believe one of the biggest revolutions was the dawn of the affordable car, pretty much made possible by cars like  Henry Ford’s legendary Model-T. Once upon a time, cars were seen as a luxury but the affordable car meant everyone could could own one – before long the automobile was commonplace – and nowadays many homes boast the title of  being a “two car family” without batting an eye. To meet demand, cars became more and more lavish, with every automotive company offering “luxury models”. There was a car and a specification to suit every pocket.

In recent times though, the global credit crunch has given rise to the question of what is need, what is luxury and what is over-indulgence – as someone who often test drives cars, a question that I have been asked is: “Should car companies continue to produce and develop luxury cars in a world that is in the grasp of financial crisis?” The simple answer is YES – without a doubt.

Apart from the beautiful cars produced, the biggest virtue of “Luxury Cars” such as BMW’s new Z4 is they push the boundaries of what is possible (technologically and as regards safety, as Road Tests prove). One thing that always reigned true is that new developments that start off as exclusive to a luxury car, eventually become a commonplace feature and part of all cars, for example, power steering, central locking and even rear seatbelts (once exclusive to luxury cars only).

More than two hundred clamped cars were abandoned by their owners last year rather than paying the clampers fee.

It seems some drivers simply shrug and opt for one of the flood of cheap second-hand cars on the market when their trusty old vehicle is clamped.

Last year, more than 200 cars went unclaimed when they were taken off the streets of Dublin city after being clamped and towed away.

Amid plummeting car prices, a Dublin City Council spokeswoman said: “In most cases, the cost of reclaiming the vehicle would exceed the value of the vehicle.” If the vehicle is towed to the city car pound then the price starts to soar. The owner has to fork out €80 for clamp removal, a further €80 to cover the costs of towing and a storage charge of €35 for each day it is held.

Ok… So I get it why someone in desperate circumstances might not reclaim a vehicle or might not want to pay the fine… maybe a little, but I have still got to ask: Seriously… who are these people?

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT.IE

John Shelley & The Creatures release their new single Long May You Reign (RELEASED ONLINE via iTunes on Feb 5th 2010) , a song that proves that this band is quite simply “WOW!”.

If you know your music then you won’t take long to realise that musically this band are Northern Ireland’s answer to REM.

Long May You Reign has all the right innuendoes that indicate that John Shelly & The Creatures have plenty of talent in reserve to give them longevity in the Music – March 5th sees the release of the album “Dinosaur”

John Shelly and the Creatures on MUZU

Links To The Band:

Website: www.johnshellyandthecreatures.com

MUZU: www.muzu.tv/jsc

Myspace: www.myspace.com/jsatc

Bebo: www.bebo.com.wattswalter

Upcoming Shows: The Dinosaur Tour

8th  February 10 – King Kong Club, Dublin

10th February 10 – The Old Oak, Cork

11th February 10 – Spirit Store, Dundalk

12th February 10 – Backroom Navan, Meath

13th February 10 – Whelan’s, Dublin

14th February 10 – Cuba, Galway

19th February 10 – The Stables, Mullingar

20th February 10 – Sandinos, Derry

25th February 10 – Dolans, Limerick

26th February 10 – The Sky & the Ground, Wexford

27th February 10 – Dew Drop Inn, Kill

4th March 10 – Auntie Annies, Belfast (Album Launch)

19th March 10 – An Grianan Theatre, Letterkenny

Certainty: Noun 1 Something that cannot be doubted or is bound to happen.
2 Freedom from doubt; the state of being sure. 3 The state of being bound
to happen.

One certainty in life is that one of the major downsides of being in good health is that all too often it makes it is very easy to forget that “Health” is an issue that affects everyone. It is always relevant – whether someone is well or unwell, young or old and no matter a person’s level of fitness.  It’s the human condition, people are fragile – we age, while our bodies are prone to disease, injury and damage. Like so many, I’m guilty of only thinking about the issue of health when I become sick – and yet it is an issue that is all around us in everyday life from hospitals to headache tablets.

Yet, despite our frailties, people have always striven to overcome the things that threaten our well-being through science and medical research – medicine, new surgical and therapeutic techniques, vaccines and prosthetics have all gone a long way towards improving quality of life. Another is “Controversy” and throughout the history of the world there has always been debate surrounding “New Developments” and Medical Research is no exception.

One such area that has provoked much controversial scrutiny is Stem Cell Research. It’s also a subject that deserves careful consideration. The Harvard Stem Cell Institute conducts extensive research in the field of stem cells which form the foundation for every organ, tissue and cell in the human body. Stem cells may be able to repair or replace damaged tissue, thereby reversing diseases and injuries such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and blood diseases, to name but a few.

Equally as important, while the studies have shown enormous possibilities and potential the issue raises many ethical and moral questions for people. The controversy arises when we look at how Stem Cells are obtained. In short, there are several sources of cells used in research: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. The first, embryonic stem cells are obtained from a fertilized egg (generally taken from embryos created during in vitro fertilization but never implanted in a patient). The second is found in tissues and organs throughout the body (referred to as adult stem cells, or tissue-specific cells and in many cases are confirmed to help repair and maintain injured or damaged tissue).

The important question: Critics argue that life begins at conception and these human embryos should not be used for research. Proponents disagree that life begins at conception and explain that these frozen masses of cells are otherwise destined for destruction.  Both sides of the discussion have valid concerns. In a world that sees people suffer with terrible illnesses, but has also seen ethics and morality ignored in the name of science, we must practice informed care. One final certainty is that while we seek ways of improving health, there must be certainty that what we do is right.

Further Information about stem cells

Santa Claus is coming to town!…

He’s made his list and he’s checked it twice and now he’s on his way!

Follow his journey as he makes his way around the world this Christmas!

Thanks to Norad (North American Aerospace Defense Command) everyone can follow Santa live on the internet, as he makes his way in his sleigh with Rudolph and the other reindeer, to the homes of all the little boys and girls!

(Click the link below to follow Santa!)

NORAD TRACKS SANTA CLAUS

You can also track Santa on Google Earth

Also Visit Santa’s Village to see what’s been going on, and join in on the fun!

Below is a list of my Top Ten favourite Christmas Songs. While it counts down to what is simply my own personal Number 1 favourite, I felt it would be nice to wrap up what has been a wonderful year of reviewing several musician acts, with something a little festive… and a couple of Youtube Christmas Videos to boot!  Just my way of wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year.

10. Every Year, Every Christmas – Luther Vandross

9. Little Drummer Boy – David Bowie and Bing Crosby

8. Cool Yule! – Bette Midler!

7. What if – Kate Kinslet.

6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – Andrea Bocelli

5. Let it Snow! – Dean Martin

4. Christmas Shoes – New Song

3. Driving Home For Christmas – Chris Rea

2. Fairytale Of New York – The Pogues & Kirsty McColl

1. A Christmas to Remember – Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers (This Week’s Featured Video!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY YEAR EVERYONE !

Is it a good thing when technology makes the unattainable easily accessible… and can the realm of the virtual offer the same allure as the realm of the actual? Apparently so, if Xbox and Play Station style game sales are anything to go by, but several of these games are fantasy based, with a number of them having no real world comparison.

What if the computer based game has a real life counterpart with beyond legendary status as is the case with a Vegas Casino?

Does the gaming experience of online casino games have the same allure for players? One thing comes to mind. While I have never been an ardent gambler and have always been well aware of the limitations of my own luck, I have always loved a little flutter on the two-penny falls, whenever I visited the fairground – something about the physical aspects of the win and the sounds of the coins falling into the pick-up tray, was the only hook I needed to run the risk of losing a few coppers. No amount of computer graphics or special virtual audio can recreate that for me… Maybe not ever!

Regardless, the online Vegas Casino industry is responsible for an annual fortune in revenue each year… so it offers something else! Simply based on my own experiences and the excitement with a fairground wager, I can only imagine Las Vegas in person (yet alone a local casino) must be over-whelming and the temptation to over-indulge must be daunting beyond belief… So is it possible that people feel safer playing the game-of-odds online and from the comfort of their own home? Could it be, that for so many people like myself the possibility of ever being able to visit Las Vegas, is just something way beyond what is ordinarily attainable and internet technology allows people a glimpse into that world of bright lights from the convenience of their home computer?