Facts of Ireland

Total Population	4,062,235
Population Under Age 14	20.9%
Population Ages 15-64	67.6%
Population Over Age 64	11.6%
Birth Rate	14.45 births/1,000 people
Death Rate	7.82 deaths/1,000 people
Life Expectancy	77.73 years
Infant Mortality Rate	5.31 deaths/1,000 births

Irish Mail-Order Husband Service

One of Ireland’s only recent economic success stories is a new mail-order husband service, www.GetYourGombeen.com, which offers to set foreign women up with impoverished Irish men desperate for a new start abroad. The company, set up by Russian entrepreneur Olga Shirova in 2009, has rapidly become a beacon of hope for many Irish men trapped in the middle of nowhere without the money to start a better life somewhere else.

According to research into the phenomenon by Trinity Professor of Economics Sheila Callaghan, Irish men are generally viewed by women who haven’t met any as “roguish, charming, funny, and darkly handsome.” Prof. Callaghan commented on the results, saying, “We wondered why – in the name of f***ing Jesus! – anyone would want to pay money for an Irish husband. The results left our (all-female) research team flabbergasted. Those shifty conniving f***ers had just pulled off the greatest marketing swindle in business history.”


JPR: Really now!

The Irish Wife by Thomas D’Arcy McGee

I WOULD not give my Irish wife
For all the dames of the Saxon land;
I would not give my Irish wife
For the Queen of France’s hand;
For she to me is dearer
Than castles strong, or lands, or life:
An outlaw—so I ’m near her
To love till death my Irish wife........

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Tommy Tiernan

Irelands' best comedian
very funny but excuse some of the language!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3UL_uCNWCo


jpr: all spleing errors are intentanal!

natalie portman

Natalie was 11 when she first read the script and was offered the role of Matilda in the movie the Professional. Shazaam!!

reality check

23 million women in the US now own a weapon with hand gun sales by the ladies presently at record levels.

September 1913 by William Butler Yeats

What need you, being come to sense,
But fumble in a greasy till
And add the halfpence to the pence
And prayer to shivering prayer, until
You have dried the marrow from the bone?
For men were born to pray and save:
Romantic Ireland's dead and gone,
It's with O'Leary in the grave......

jpr: The month of September is governed by the planet Mercury and by the critical sign of Virgo. You are an intellectual, very critical and picky and you tend to work too hard. You are a master of communication and the option to become a speaker or a great writer is offered to you. You may also misuse this power and become sarcastic to others. You will always combine logic and intuition in dealing with life in general. 

Health benefits of grapes

• Grapes are rich in polyphenolic phytochemical compound resveratrol. Resveratrol is one of the powerful anti-oxidant, which has been found to play a protective role against cancers of colon and prostate, coronary heart disease (CHD), degenerative nerve disease, Alzheimer's disease and viral/ fungal infections.
• Resveratrol reduces stroke risk by altering the molecular mechanisms in the blood vessels. It does so firstly by reducing susceptibility of blood vessel damage through decreased activity of angiotensin (a systemic hormone causing blood vessel constriction that would otherwise elevate blood pressure) and secondly, through increased production of the vasodilator substance, nitric oxide (a beneficial compound that causes relaxation of blood vessels).
• Anthocyanins are another class of polyphenolic anti-oxidants present abundantly in the red grapes. These phyto-chemicals have been found to have an anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, as well as anti-cancer activity.
• Catechins, a type of flavonoid tannin group of anti-oxidants, found in the white/green varieties have also shown to possess these health-protective functions.
• In addition, the berries are very low in calories. 100 g fresh grapes just provide 69 calories but zero cholesterol levels.
• Grapes are rich source of micronutrient minerals like copper, iron and manganese. Copper and manganese are an essential co-factor of antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron is especially concentrated more in raisins. In addition, 100 g of fresh grapes contain about 191 mg of health benefiting electrolyte, potassium.
• They are an also good source of vitamin-C, vitamin A, vitamin K, carotenes, B-complex vitamins such as pyridoxine, riboflavin, and thiamin.
  
  
  jpr: where is your grape vine?

bird man of alcatraz

Robert Franklin Stroud (January 28, 1890 – November 21, 1963), known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", was a federal American prisoner who reared and sold birds and became an ornithologist. Despite his nickname, he actually only kept birds at Leavenworth Penitentiary, before he was transferred to Alcatraz, where he was not allowed to keep pets. Stroud is one of the most notorious criminals in American history

Mother Theresa quotes

Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other - it doesn't matter who it is and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other.

Mother Theresa Fact

The good lady carried a rosary made of  five colors with which she would pray for the sick and dying of the world.

Death be not Proud

Death be not proud, though some have called thee

 Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so,

 For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,

 Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

 From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,

 Much pleasure: then from thee much more must flow,

 And soonest our best men with thee do go,

 Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.

 Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

 And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;

 And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well

 And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?

 One short sleep past, we wake eternally,

 And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

-- John Donne

SONNET 73

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
   This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
   To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

Shakespeare 

Dwarf Apple Tree

Coronet apple trees are renowned for flavour and fruit in abundance for an early age, they are reliable fruiters, easy to grow, ideal for planting in patio tubs, and will suit most gardens because of their unique growing habit – after 10 years they will only grow to a 6ft apple tree – making them ideal for all garden sizes

economic stimulus

a sign of the times....Smith & Wesson co, the mfc of hand guns has had its stock value rise 1000% over the past year and its last quarterly profits up 48%.

friar vs monk

Friars differ from monks in that they are called to live the evangelical counsels (vows of poverty, chastity and obedience) in service to a community, rather than through cloistered asceticism and devotion. Whereas monks live in a self-sufficient community, friars work among laypeople and are supported by donations or other charitable support. A monk  makes vows and commits to a particular community in a particular place. Friars commit to a community spread across a wider geographical area known as a province, and so they will typically move around, spending time in different houses of the community within his province.

quote

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
  Mother Theresa

Create Your Own Wildflower Meadow

Spring, summer and fall are all wildflower planting times, depending on your region, your weather, and the way you want to approach establishing your meadow. No matter when or where you plant, site preparation is roughly the same. But the first consideration is not the season; it's your climate.

Most wildflowers are annuals. http://www.naturallifemagazine.com/9506/flowers.htm

In addition to this natural radiance, wildflowers provide additional attractiveness by drawing butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and songbirds to your property

a bit more on spider webs

Spider silk is stronger than steel, more elastic than nylon; to break under its own weight a strand would have to be over 40 miles long. It’s thin enough to be workable, almost light enough to float, and can withstand low temperatures. The ancient Greeks used spider silk very effectively to staunch bleeding wounds, as have soldiers in the Vietnam War and other modern conflicts. New Guinean natives use spider webs for fishing nets. Up until World War II spider silk was used for the cross hairs in gun sights and optical instruments.

sonnet #15

When I consider everything that grows
Holds in perfection but a little moment,
That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows
Whereon the stars in secret influence comment;
When I perceive that men as plants increase,
Cheered and checked even by the self-same sky,
Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease,
And wear their brave state out of memory;
Then the conceit of this inconstant stay
Sets you most rich in youth before my sight,
Where wasteful Time debateth with Decay
To change your day of youth to sullied night;
And all in war with Time for love of you,
As he takes from you, I engraft you new.

Shakespeare

spider web

It takes about one hour for a spider to construct an
elaborate web of silk thread, called an orb web. 

The orb web is the most efficient type of spider web,
since it covers the greatest area with the least amount 
of silk. A spider usually spins a new orb web every day 
to maintain the stickiness (and insect-trapping capability) 
of the threads. Throughout the day, the spider makes
 frequent repairs to damaged threads.

Dueling Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are not very social at all and live very solitary lives. Hummingbirds divide themselves by territories. Male hummingbirds will aggressively protect their territories.

Many male hummingbirds' territories are about the size of a quarter acre. Females will define their territories by the nests they build. Both male and female hummingbirds fiercely protect these areas.

Aggressive  hummingbirds have been known to injure each other on occasion; however, this is very rare. Usually when they fight, they will only lose a feather or two.

PROHIBITION PARTY for 2012

The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement. While never one of the leading parties in the United States, it was once an important force in the politics of the United States during the late 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. It has declined dramatically since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.


jpr: Sometimes referred to as the TTP,  The Thirsty Party.