- That will be £129,99 please madam
- For one?!!
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Marcia Cross - career breakthrough!
Yes, news that Marcia Cross is enhancing the brand - the 'Desperate Housewives' star has secured a contract to promote Rooster potatoes.
Cue some desperate PR just in -
Rooster rubs shoulders with the A-List:
Hollywood: the land of the ultra glamorous, super famous and totally perfect – no place for a humble little British potato then? Think again. Hollywood is exactly where the UK’s most perfect potato, the Rooster, went to seek its fortune and guess what, it got the part!
Starring opposite screen queen, Marcia Cross, the versatile Rooster will appear in a brand new ad to air from October onwards. Just in time to herald the arrival of delicious, warming autumn menus, packed with crunchy roast potatoes and creamy mash!
----------------
Strangely, there isn't a sign of the humble potato in the PR shot, although the caption may well be on the lines of -
Can't wait to see the tv ads - 'Hi Marcia Cross here, you may know me from Desperate Housewives. Did I ever mention how much I like potatoes? And can I let you into a secret? There's a truly great British potato which simply everyone here in Hollywood is talking about. It's called the Rooster. You know, as in 'hen'. Buy it today - you won't regret it!!'
Cue some desperate PR just in -
Rooster rubs shoulders with the A-List:
Hollywood: the land of the ultra glamorous, super famous and totally perfect – no place for a humble little British potato then? Think again. Hollywood is exactly where the UK’s most perfect potato, the Rooster, went to seek its fortune and guess what, it got the part!
Starring opposite screen queen, Marcia Cross, the versatile Rooster will appear in a brand new ad to air from October onwards. Just in time to herald the arrival of delicious, warming autumn menus, packed with crunchy roast potatoes and creamy mash!
----------------
Strangely, there isn't a sign of the humble potato in the PR shot, although the caption may well be on the lines of -
Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross can't wait for her serving of Rooster potatoes in this top Hollywood restaurant. And yes, that hand could well belong to Leonardo DiCaprio!!
Can't wait to see the tv ads - 'Hi Marcia Cross here, you may know me from Desperate Housewives. Did I ever mention how much I like potatoes? And can I let you into a secret? There's a truly great British potato which simply everyone here in Hollywood is talking about. It's called the Rooster. You know, as in 'hen'. Buy it today - you won't regret it!!'
The editor's upside . . .
Nice surprise on getting to the office this morning - two books from Gill & Macmillan. 'Irish Railways - a new history' by Tom Ferris and 'Weather Eye - the final year' by the late Brendan McWilliams, whose Irish Times columns were much-loved.
Did you know that during the second and third weeks of September, the evenings shorten more rapidly than at any other time throughout the autumn? Or that the shortest day of the year is on or about September 17th, when it is 23 hours and 28 seconds long?
There's an entry in the 'Weather Eye' book for tomorrow, September 3rd, from 2007, and it's certainly upbeat - "it will become increasingly obvious tha thte year is on the turn, and that the slow and sad decline into the aches and pains of winter has begun." Yes, batten down the hatches . . .
The blurb for the 'Irish Railways' book is positive on the outlook for the railways in recent years, saying that towards the end of the 20th century investors were turning their attention to the tracks with "passenger numbers in turn rising with frenzied enthusiasm". Must have missed that bit at Waterside railway station, although to be fair numbers on the Belfast line have been growing well despite the fact that the journey seems to take a wet week. More work is needed on the route.
I see it's still 2 hours and 20 minutes to Belfast by rail, although the benefits of the recent upgrading between Coleraine and Ballymena should see faster times soon.
This year marks the 175th anniversary of what Tom Ferris calls the real beginning of the railway age in Ireland, the opening of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway.
In his conclusion to the book, first published in hard cover last year, Tom, an Omagh man, seems to almost lose it eventually when he comments:
"At the time of writing (autumn 2007), the line to Londonderry north of Ballymena is peppered with speed restrictions which add to journey times and make the railway uncompetitive against road transport, and again Translink has the begging bowl out looking for funding with the threat of closure always in the background if this fails to materialise. This is no way to run a railway system in the twenty-first century when almost every sentient being knows that railways are the only viable green alternative if car culture is ever to be controlled."
Did you know that during the second and third weeks of September, the evenings shorten more rapidly than at any other time throughout the autumn? Or that the shortest day of the year is on or about September 17th, when it is 23 hours and 28 seconds long?
There's an entry in the 'Weather Eye' book for tomorrow, September 3rd, from 2007, and it's certainly upbeat - "it will become increasingly obvious tha thte year is on the turn, and that the slow and sad decline into the aches and pains of winter has begun." Yes, batten down the hatches . . .
The blurb for the 'Irish Railways' book is positive on the outlook for the railways in recent years, saying that towards the end of the 20th century investors were turning their attention to the tracks with "passenger numbers in turn rising with frenzied enthusiasm". Must have missed that bit at Waterside railway station, although to be fair numbers on the Belfast line have been growing well despite the fact that the journey seems to take a wet week. More work is needed on the route.
I see it's still 2 hours and 20 minutes to Belfast by rail, although the benefits of the recent upgrading between Coleraine and Ballymena should see faster times soon.
This year marks the 175th anniversary of what Tom Ferris calls the real beginning of the railway age in Ireland, the opening of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway.
In his conclusion to the book, first published in hard cover last year, Tom, an Omagh man, seems to almost lose it eventually when he comments:
"At the time of writing (autumn 2007), the line to Londonderry north of Ballymena is peppered with speed restrictions which add to journey times and make the railway uncompetitive against road transport, and again Translink has the begging bowl out looking for funding with the threat of closure always in the background if this fails to materialise. This is no way to run a railway system in the twenty-first century when almost every sentient being knows that railways are the only viable green alternative if car culture is ever to be controlled."
Friday, 28 August 2009
UFO alert! UFO alert!!
In case you didn't hear, UFO alert!
We love it. Yes, the acronym that really drives traffic to your website (http://www.derryjournal.com/, in case you're interested) or indeed your blog (well, you're here, aren't you?) is back.
UFO's have been spotted at Culmore in Derry ('What?! Again?!' I hear you cry). See http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/Is-Culmore-Road-a-UFO.5597998.jp
Got an email from a correspondent in that area this morning -
Hey there,
Hope all's well. Great story in today's paper about the aliens. Where in Culmore was the guy from? Should we reinforce the house in ---- Park against alien attack? Strange how the aliens picked the more upmarket end of town to appear eh? Perhaps fearful they'd get their hubcaps nicked if they parked in, say, Ballymagroarty. . . I kid.
I'm sure aliens are seen just as frequently in Ballymagroarty. Anyway, the idea of UFOs getting their hubcabs nicked . . .
My reply -
Hi,
Talked to our reporter and the man wants to remain anonymous but she's seen the video and her comment - "It's mad, mad, like. People are saying, could it be Chinese lanterns? but there's no way."
Could it be planes? "No way, there's about twenty of them. It's mad!"
So sounds like it's mad . . .
UFOs have been spotted quite a bit but it's hard to point to anything really useful that all this alien activity has done for mankind. Until now - the Journal's web traffic went through the roof when we posted our famous 'tax disc' UFO (again in Culmore, as I recall . . .)
We love it. Yes, the acronym that really drives traffic to your website (http://www.derryjournal.com/, in case you're interested) or indeed your blog (well, you're here, aren't you?) is back.
UFO's have been spotted at Culmore in Derry ('What?! Again?!' I hear you cry). See http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/Is-Culmore-Road-a-UFO.5597998.jp
Got an email from a correspondent in that area this morning -
Hey there,
Hope all's well. Great story in today's paper about the aliens. Where in Culmore was the guy from? Should we reinforce the house in ---- Park against alien attack? Strange how the aliens picked the more upmarket end of town to appear eh? Perhaps fearful they'd get their hubcaps nicked if they parked in, say, Ballymagroarty. . . I kid.
I'm sure aliens are seen just as frequently in Ballymagroarty. Anyway, the idea of UFOs getting their hubcabs nicked . . .
My reply -
Hi,
Talked to our reporter and the man wants to remain anonymous but she's seen the video and her comment - "It's mad, mad, like. People are saying, could it be Chinese lanterns? but there's no way."
Could it be planes? "No way, there's about twenty of them. It's mad!"
So sounds like it's mad . . .
UFOs have been spotted quite a bit but it's hard to point to anything really useful that all this alien activity has done for mankind. Until now - the Journal's web traffic went through the roof when we posted our famous 'tax disc' UFO (again in Culmore, as I recall . . .)
The aliens over Culmore in a rather fetching 'V' formation . . .
An aid to inspiration
Here's something we're going to encounter more and more. My blog now appears to have taken on a life of its own. I logged in and came directly to this 'new entry'. Not a home button in sight, and all I wanted to do was to add Leona O'Neill's blog to my 'Blogs I'm following' category (actually I find it hard enough to follow my own blog - we're all time poor these days).
The point is, it's the blog that's doing this. It's taking the decisions - I have the illusion of free will. It's like the friendly woman in Starbucks who immediately starts the Venti Cappuchino. Soon my car will be heading straight for the Journal office, even on my day off (what's that? - ed. (had to put that in)). The porridge will be on first thing in the morning, though I feel like LIDL's fruit and nut muesli. We already have 'predictive text'. When I go up the town later, the staff at Next will already have the 6 months - 9 months boy's babygro at the checkout (scary). Staff at the Green Oaks retirement home have me pencilled in for 2035 (hopefully). The funeral oration is already prepared ('But perhaps his most glorious moment came when he rescued the Observer . . '). 'God' has the hairs on my head counted (or have I read that somewhere before?) The computer will automatically put every second part of the sentence in brackets (like this).
The point is, it's the blog that's doing this. It's taking the decisions - I have the illusion of free will. It's like the friendly woman in Starbucks who immediately starts the Venti Cappuchino. Soon my car will be heading straight for the Journal office, even on my day off (what's that? - ed. (had to put that in)). The porridge will be on first thing in the morning, though I feel like LIDL's fruit and nut muesli. We already have 'predictive text'. When I go up the town later, the staff at Next will already have the 6 months - 9 months boy's babygro at the checkout (scary). Staff at the Green Oaks retirement home have me pencilled in for 2035 (hopefully). The funeral oration is already prepared ('But perhaps his most glorious moment came when he rescued the Observer . . '). 'God' has the hairs on my head counted (or have I read that somewhere before?) The computer will automatically put every second part of the sentence in brackets (like this).
Anyway, what was I talking about . .
A real test for Google Images - what you get if you put in 'Martin McGinley at 80, still harbouring [or rather, 'harboring'] the illusion of 'free will''
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Magical Glenlough
Frank McNally of the Irish Times must be on his holidays in Donegal. And clearly he's had a look at a copy of US painter Rockwell Kent's excellent book, to be found, among other places, in the library in Letterkenny. Kent spent time in remote and magical Glenlough, a valley near Glencolumbkille.
Or, since Frank's featuring Glencolumbkille a lot (it was Fr McDyer and the composer Arnold Bax in another column) it might be that excellent local guidebook he's using for ideas. Anyway, it's all good stuff. See
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/0827/1224253337118.html
Latest on Rockwell Kent includes a three-hour documentary. John Cunningham at the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny is the man to talk to. Incidentally a local historian in south-west Donegal, Christy Gillespie, reckons, after intensive research, that the case backing up local legend about Bonny Prince Charlie being in Donegal (as well as being in Glenlough, he left his razor in a house in Ramelton, it seems) is looking a strong one.
And when we talk of Glenlough, we remember the great fiddler from Meenacross, James Byrne, whose life was cut short last year. His solo album was called 'The Road to Glenlough' after a waltz of his.
I did a piece about a walk to Glenlough for the Irish Times. Haven't got it to hand, but you can read the highly impressive first paragraph at -
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2004/0827/1091051900256.html
Or, since Frank's featuring Glencolumbkille a lot (it was Fr McDyer and the composer Arnold Bax in another column) it might be that excellent local guidebook he's using for ideas. Anyway, it's all good stuff. See
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/0827/1224253337118.html
Latest on Rockwell Kent includes a three-hour documentary. John Cunningham at the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny is the man to talk to. Incidentally a local historian in south-west Donegal, Christy Gillespie, reckons, after intensive research, that the case backing up local legend about Bonny Prince Charlie being in Donegal (as well as being in Glenlough, he left his razor in a house in Ramelton, it seems) is looking a strong one.
And when we talk of Glenlough, we remember the great fiddler from Meenacross, James Byrne, whose life was cut short last year. His solo album was called 'The Road to Glenlough' after a waltz of his.
I did a piece about a walk to Glenlough for the Irish Times. Haven't got it to hand, but you can read the highly impressive first paragraph at -
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2004/0827/1091051900256.html
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Home ideas
Lot of wasted space in your hall? Why look further than the new 'Euro Trio' from Bathstore?! -
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