Twitter via SMS (text) messaging is now available to customers of O2 in Ireland, although sending them incurs a cost of 11c. Up to 500 incoming tweets per month are free however.

To start, have Twitter verify your mobile phone at http://www.twitter.com/devices. Then go to O2 at http://short.ie/a65hji to get all the details on terms and conditions.

If you’re a smartphone user, you may not be overwhelmed by the offering, as you likely already have a twitter client. But if you’re a regular mobile user, or you’re roaming, it’s still good to have this option. Also the incoming messages won’t eat into your anaemic Irish data plan

Thankfully, you can select who you wish to receive tweets from and at what times during the day. Nothing worse than spam on your mobile.

There are a series of commands that you can use on your mobile phone to control Twitter and you can find them on the Twitter Help Page.

A 61-year-old Athlone man, who is living rough since his house burnt down, has been convicted of threatening behaviour.

Patrick Dunne was acting aggressively at Mullingar Equestrian Centre on May 31 when Garda Michael Daniels arrived.

He began calling the garda names, Inspector Keyes explained. Mr Robert Marren said his client had been living with his elderly mother but his house burnt down and he broke his leg shortly after she died.

When he was released from hospital he had nowhere to go to and had been living rough.He had not been intoxicated and had been causing no trouble but had simply “found himself there”.

Mr Dunne also lost part of his arm in an industrial accident in the 1970s.“How’s the drink going for you?” asked Judge Neilan.“I don’t touch it now at all,” said Mr Dunne. “You’re joking,” replied the judge, asking if the last time he’d drank was the previous day.

Mr Dunne said it was five months since he’d taken a drink. “Don’t go into a pub on the way home, so I’m not seeing you in the morning,” added the judge as he finalised the case with no order other than noting the conviction.

He also told him that if he found himself in trouble in District 4 to “consult Neilan solicitors”.

via Man arrested for acting aggressively at Equestrian Centre – Athlone Advertiser – December 11, 2009..

There are lots of local businesses using Nortel PBX systems around here. They better wise up – Happy Thanksgiving!

Nortel Networks – Top wireless turkeys of 2009 – FierceWireless.

Listen: Green Fields of France

In the end the game was a tie at 20-20, somewhat unusually in rugby matches.

Croke Park, Dublin

Time Out

Ireland score!

- Posted using MobyPicture.com

A judge suggested to a man who owes the State €50,000 that he default on his bank repayments and when it seeks legal redress he tell them that “the taxpayers are paying €3bn to bail them out”.

“Tell him to go and tell the Bank of Ireland to take a flying jump,” said Judge John Neilan to the solicitor of Declan Kelly (36) of Pullagh, Co Offaly in the District Court this week (November 11).

Kelly was in court for the third time this year to try and present an accceptable repayment plan to the State as restitution for the €53,000 in fraudulent disability payments he collected between July 1999 and July 2007.

Kelly, who has a €210,000 mortgage and a full-time job, pleaded guilty to the fraud in April and had been ordered to pay €400 a month at his last court date in July or face 15 months in jail.

However, Judge Neilan was not impressed this week when it was revealed that Kelly was only paying €200 a month to the State and continued to prioritise his debt to Bank of Ireland.

“I couldn’t care less about Bank of Ireland if they went floating down the Shannon in the morning,” said the judge.

“I’ve no interest in Bank of Ireland, or AIB, or any bank. I’d have more interest in turf banks.

“He’s prioritising his bank payments rather than the Department [of Social Welfare] and I won’t stand for it.

“He’s paid a paltry sum without regard to his responsibility to the taxpayers.

“He lives in a luxurious house and funded that by a lot of the money he took from the State.”

Kelly’s solicitor, Mr Bryan O’Brien, handed in a revised statement of means to the court and the judge estimated it would still take over 10 years to pay back.

“I’m trying to keep your client out of prison. Does he go to prison today or does he have €53,000?” asked the judge.

“He doesn’t have it,” said Mr O’Brien.

The full amount defrauded from the State was €53,720; Kelly paid back €3,000 in April and had been paying €80 a week since July. A balance of €49,840 was outstanding.

Kelly argued he had halved his bank repayments since his last court date.

“Halved it?” asked the judge.

“Did you tell them [the bank staff] the taxpayers are paying €3bn to bail them out?

“Why don’t you tell them you won’t be paying them anything and they’ll have to take legal action against you?”

Kelly didn’t answer.

The judge sentenced Kelly to three consecutive, five-month terms in prison but adjourned their activation until April 4 to allow for a community service report.

However, he made this contingent on Kelly repaying €500 a month from December 1, “and thereafter until the full sum is discharged”.

http://www.advertiser.ie/athlone/article/19235

I can’t believe that this was a battle to begin with. The concept of insurance is about risk equalization, why were insurance companies allowed to cherry-pick only those who were profitable?  That is behaviour I would expect from “the house”  were it a casino. It’s certainly not insurance!

Anyway, it’s good to see the U.S. joining the ranks of civilized societies. Of course I do believe that delivery of services should be run by the lowest bidder, i.e. privatized, just that the pool of customers is not determined by ability to pay.

And with rights comes responsibility. Those who use the E.R. as a primary health provider should be forced to pay the associated costs, they’ll need to learn what the “E” stands for.

If you are a startup company in the Athlone area then you may be interested in visiting the Radisson Hotel, Athlone, On Saturday, November 14th, 2009, between 11am and 2pm.

FK Development, part of the FK Group, with offices in Moate, Co. Westmeath, will be presenting details of the several properties they have in their portfolio, located around Athlone and also Mullingar.

Part of the attraction is the ability to occupy these premises for a rent-free period, though the press release is not more specific. The other part of note is they will offer practical advice as to how to obtain public funding and assistance for your business, although to my mind a visit to your library will give you much the same information.

But hey, it’s a chance to network, which for any startup is no bad thing, so I’ll probably go.

I had an example here but I removed it.

Food: 2/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 1/5

Despite the catchy name, this place is best avoided. It has all the ambiance of the line at the Motor Vehicle Office.

- Posted using MobyPicture.com