Today December 22nd in 1989, Samuel Beckett died.  Since then he has fast been acquiring an “honoured name.”  Is that Hell?   To wit here is a twiterary tribute and for once we will willfully exceed the character limits:

Roundelay

on all that strand
at end of day
steps sole sound
long sole sound
until unbidden stay
then no sound
on all that strand
long no sound
until unbidden go
steps sole sound
long sole sound
on all that strand
at end of day 

-Samuel Beckett (1906-1989)

In a bizarre turn of events, the Order of the Shiny Tracksuit (Cuffe Street), the mostly Thomist rival to the Cartesian Order of the Shiny Tracksuit (Aungier Street) and best known for awarding its Sportsman of the Decade award to Thierry Henry, has awarded Green Party Deputy Paul Gogarty its Sportsman of the Decade award.
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Spokesperson Terence Scully of the Order said: “It was fucking deadly the way he just told that specky four-eyed bollix Fuck You. I never seen a TD on the telly do the like of that before.”

 
When asked about the rumor that Mr. Gogarty had only been chosen after the Tiger Woods scandal broke, Mr. Scully retorted:  ”Golf isn’t politics! Sure it isn’t even a real fucking sport!”

The Definitive Indefinite Article is grieved to note the massive layoffs that have occurred in Irish politics.

The Observant Reader: What the fuck are you talking about?  You just posted the video of Deputy Paul Gogarty shouting “Fuck you!” at Deputy Emmet Stagg in the Oireachtas.  Just have a look at it.  What has that to do with layoffs?  You’re missing the point.  I now apologise for my use of improper language but really you are missing the fucking point completely.  Look at the video!

TDIA: Right I see what you are talking about but you see?  There at 0:38?  There are like 5 people left in government.  You can’t run even a small country with 5 people.  It would take more people than that to run a country into the ground.  It took a couple of hundred of the best and the brightest to do that in the first place.

The Observant Reader: Point taken.

Or so the American Center for Disease Control seems to think.  But it’s OK.  They are only planning go make it mandatory for little boys.  They haven’t yet come up with the strategy for taking the blade to all the little girls yet.  If ye think yer god needs you to lop off part of your newborn’s penis, good luck to you!  But really , let’s keep it Mutilation Optional.  No Scalpel Panels!  Click below to let the CDC know they are out there with the flat earthers.

http://www.care2.com/go/z/19798020

December 6th is the Day of the Constitution in Spain.  December 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.  For anyone who wonders what a fascist state looks like or can’t even begin to imagine have a look here.  This is what the confluence of nationalism, business interests and the god squad arrayed against working people looks like. Watch out for tell-tale signs in your world!  ¡Felíz día de la constitución!

Click here to see

Here’s a thought experiment from our Money Over Matter Department.

You know the way the tobacco people knew decades ago that cigarettes were addictive and caused all kind of deadly diseases but opted instead for the business decision to take the up-front profits, obfuscate the whole health question for as long as possible and deal with the legal consequences later?

Now, what if the cellular telephone people had a memo somewhere informing them that the radiation generated by all those smart and not so smart phones was causing brain and jaw cancer or leukemia or something awful like that.  (For our email subscribers you should check the site for the poll below – and I mean BOTH of you!!)

We are delighted to announce that we have a new friend.

The Skeptical Reader:  Is this like a real person?

TDIA: No, we found her on the internet.

The Skeptical Reader: I see.  And you call this a life?

TDIA: No. I don’t think I ever called it a life.

The Skeptical Reader: Fair point.  So, who is this new friend of yours?

TDIA: http://onfailingupwards.blogspot.com/

The Skeptical Reader:  And what’s that all about?

TDIA: Idiots and morons who succeed because of their stupidty.  We shall be adding it to our blogroll.  

The Skeptical Reader:  And those are the kind of people you want for imaginary friends then?

TDIA: Is that your Lexus that they are towing from outside my house?

The Skeptical Reader: Bastard!

Q: How do you say “Happy Thanksgiving” in Massachuset?

A:

From our friends at The Mire comes this gem:

Gardai say gangsters less likely to be shot when using public transport.

Note: Gardai: The Guards; The Law; The Pigs;

TDIA is gutted to announce that it will not be doing its usual Beaujolais Nouveau tastings this year.  Irish people and partisans of the Aungier Street and Cuffee Street factions across the globe have been celebrating exclusively with Beaujolais nouveau since Thierry Henry won both the coveted Order of the Shiny Tracksuits Sportsman of the Year Award (Aungier Street) and the less coveted but nonetheless prestigious Order of the Shiny Tracksuits Sportsman of the Decade Award (Cuffe Street) for his exemplary showing in the France vs Ireland World Cup qualifier match.  

So we are instead we are doing what many others are and turning out eyes Hungaryward thanks to the pointers of our in-house sommelier Dr. Pol De Paor.

http://www.bluedanubewine.com/wines/hungary/