http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Ireland Thu, 23 May 2013 21:11:04 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=Ireland Thu, 23 May 2013 16:56:07 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ea2_1369342373 PanchoSaurusRex Horsemeat scandal: Dutch trader Willy Selten arrested http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22639020 It was reported that 50,000 tonnes of meat sold as beef by Mr Selten may have contained horsemeat A Dutch meat wholesaler, Willy Selten, has been arrested for allegedly selling 300 tonnes of horsemeat as beef, officials say. Mr Selten, who owns meat wholesaler Willy Selten BV, was arrested with the company's interim director. The public prosecutor said they were suspected of false accounting and fraud. In April, it was reported that 50,000 tonnes of meat sold as beef by Mr Selten may have contained horsemeat. The Dutch food safety authority, the NVWA, asked hundreds of companies across Europe supplied by Mr Selten to check their products. "The business allegedly received 300 tonnes of horsemeat from the Netherlands, England and Ireland in 2011 and 2012," the prosecutor's statement said. The company's accounts showed this horsemeat was processed as beef, according to the statement. The EU is set to adopt legislation to tackle food fraud. The accounts did not say where the meat came from or where it went to. Speaking on Dutch TV on Wednesday night, Mr Selten said the allegations made no sense and denied criminal activity. "We never stuck labels on something that wasn't beef." Mr Selten's company was declared bankrupt in April. The horsemeat scare began in Ireland in January, rapidly spreading to the UK, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Germany. The EU is set to adopt an Animal and Plant Health legislative proposal in the coming weeks, which includes clauses designed to tackle food fraud. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ea2_1369342373 PanchoSaurusRex Horsemeat scandal: Dutch trader Willy Selten arrested willy, selten, dutch, netherlands, horse, meat, scandal, arreswt Thu, 23 May 2013 14:47:23 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7dc_1369334596 Brosy Old but classic footage from 1995. The first ever trouble in the Landsdowne Road stadium occurred when Ireland scored a goal and a large section of English supporters went ape-shit and ripped the place up.The Garda'i (police) went in batons first and a merry old time was had. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7dc_1369334596 Brosy English Soccer Fans Rip Up Irish Stadium dirty, feckers Mon, 20 May 2013 15:29:39 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fac_1369078056 Donegal The Story of Ireland is a five-part documentary series examining the history of Ireland and its impact on the wider world. Over the course of the programmes, Fergal Keane travels across three continents, tracing the events, the people and the influences that shaped modern Ireland. The first episode aired on the 20th of February 2011. The Story of Ireland: Age of Nations The series aims to explore Irish history using the historical facts and evidence while charting the origin and impact of the numerous myths that have been passed off as history in the past. Key to this approach is relating developments in Ireland to events and changes in Europe and the world at large as the centuries progress. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fac_1369078056 Donegal The Story of <span class="highlight">Ireland</span>: Age of Nations ( 5 ) Ireland, History Sun, 19 May 2013 10:22:17 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=661_1368973203 Donegal The Story of Ireland is a five-part documentary series examining the history of Ireland and its impact on the wider world. Over the course of the programmes, Fergal Keane travels across three continents, tracing the events, the people and the influences that shaped modern Ireland. The first episode aired on the 20th of February 2011. The Story of Ireland: Age of Union The series aims to explore Irish history using the historical facts and evidence while charting the origin and impact of the numerous myths that have been passed off as history in the past. Key to this approach is relating developments in Ireland to events and changes in Europe and the world at large as the centuries progress. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=661_1368973203 Donegal The Story of <span class="highlight">Ireland</span>: Age of Union ( 4 ) Ireland, Tue, 21 May 2013 09:21:58 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c3c_1369142032 Donegal You'll Have To Come To Ireland To Collect It Though. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c3c_1369142032 Donegal Volkswagen Polo Mk2 For Sale - Mint Condition, One Careful Owner Volkswagen Polo Mk2, Car, Ireland, Wed, 22 May 2013 05:59:05 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ab0_1369216668 FB-RAMBO Ostriches and zebras join in the action at the Cheetah Run 4 mile road race in Fota Wildlife Park, co cork, Ireland http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ab0_1369216668 FB-RAMBO Zoo Animals take part in Cheetah run 4 mile road race zoo animal run running chase Tue, 21 May 2013 22:35:55 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9f0_1369189880 plokiju 1. Almost all of Apple's foreign operations are run through an Irish company with no employees. The company told investigators that it lost all records concerning why Apple Operations International was originally set up in 1980, and why all of Apple global sales go through it. You might have a few ideas why if you keep reading. 2. Apple pays 2%-or less-in corporate income tax in Ireland. The already low-tax country gives Apple special treatment with a negotiated 2% income tax rate. But that's just the top-line number: Between 2009 and 2011, one Irish subsidiary, Apple Sales International, earned $38 billion and paid $21 million in taxes, for an effective rate of .06%. 3. Apple Operations International, which provided 30% of Apple's worldwide net profits from 2009 to 2011, doesn't pay taxes anywhere. This move is devilishly brilliant: The US decides if it can tax you based on where you incorporate your company. Ireland decides if it can tax you based on the location of the people managing the company. So if you incorporate a subsidiary in Ireland, and manage it from the US, you don't (so far) have to pay taxes in either country. And that's exactly what Apple has done, not filing a tax return for AOI anywhere in the world in the last five years. 4. Apple's US profits keep ending up in Ireland, too. The report alleges more than just the avoidance of US taxes on foreign sales of Apple's products. It also argues that Apple is effectively sending US profits to its Irish subsidiaries, too. How? Transfer pricing. Apple has set up a cost-sharing agreement with its Irish subsidiaries that gives them a disproportionate share of the profit from research and development that occurs in the United States. From 2009 to 2012, Apple allocated $4 billion in R&amp;D costs to its US unit, which had $38.7 billion in profits, while its Irish subsidiary had $4.9 billion in R&amp;D costs-and $74 billion in profits. 5. Most of the $102 billion Apple is keeping "overseas" is in US banks. Just as its Irish companies are managed by US employees, Apple's Irish cash is mostly kept in US financial institutions, largely managed by Braeburn Capital, Apple's financial engineering nexus in Nevada. 6. The magic of "check-the-box" makes whole companies disappear One of the most favored tax loop-holes for multinationals is known as "check-the-box." It allows companies to instruct the government to completely disregard certain foreign subsidiaries for tax purposes. Apple's main Irish subsidiary, AOI, checks the box for its entire global distribution network. This allowed the company to avoid paying $12.5 billion in taxes that would have been assessed for foreign sales by its network of global distributors. 7. Apple is seemingly terrible at estimating its own taxes In annual reports between 2009 and 2011, the company told investors it was setting aside $13.7 billion to pay federal taxes-but it has actually paid only $5.3 billion. Those set-asides are only advance estimates, but it's pretty strange that each year they're off by many billions of dollars. As a result, Apple's actual US tax rate is only 20.1%, much lower than the 24% to 32% it said it was paying. Absent this congressional investigation, we wouldn't know the difference. http://qz.com/86740/the-seven-craziest-findings-in-the-us-investigation-of-apples-tax-avoidance-practices/ Apple Sales International (ASI) is a second Irish affiliate. It is the repository for all of Apple's offshore intellectual property rights. ASI buys Apple's finished products from contracted manufacturers in China - think Foxconn - and resells them at a major markup to other Apple affiliates in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India and the Pacific. Although ASI is an Irish incorporated entity and the purchaser of the goods, only a small percentage of Apple's manufactured products ever entered Ireland. Upon arrival, the products were resold by ASI to the Apple distribution affiliate that took ownership of the goods. Before 2012, ASI had no employees despite $38 billion in income over three years. Apple's cost sharing arrangement facilitated the shift of $74 billion in worldwide profits away from the United States from 2009 to 2012. ASI's parent company is Apple Operations Europe Inc. Together they own the intellectual property rights to Apple goods sold offshore. Like AOI, ASI claims to be a tax resident of nowhere. It's not obligated to pay taxes to any nation. Apple Sales International pays very, very little in global taxes: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-apple-reduces-what-it-pays-in-taxes-2013-5 Here's Who Pays the Bill for Apple's Tax Avoidance The victims, meanwhile, are ordinary taxpayers who fund most of the federal government. During the 1950s, individual income taxes typically accounted for about 60% of the government's tax revenue, with corporate taxes covering the other 40 percent. By 1970 individuals paid 73% of all taxes. By 1990 it was 83 percent, with the peak coming in 2009, when corporations claimed steep losses and individuals paid 87% of all taxes. By 2012, that had drifted down to 82%, with corporations paying 18%. http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/pays-bill-apple-tax-avoidance-183327111.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9f0_1369189880 plokiju Apple Avoids Paying $17 Million In Taxes Every Day Through A Ballsy But Genius Tax Avoidance Scheme Apple, Avoids, Paying, Taxes, Tax, Avoidance, Scheme, Tue, 21 May 2013 16:05:38 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=928_1369166640 th1sf8te The Government's controversial plans to legalise gay marriage have cleared the Commons despite efforts by Tory backbenchers to derail the legislation. There was applause in the House after MPs voted by 366 to 161, majority 205, to give the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill a third reading. The legislation will go to the House of Lords after the half-term recess where it is expected to attract fierce opposition from peers, especially the bishops. The result is a marginal improvement for David Cameron on the vote at second reading when 175 MPs opposed the plans in a Commons vote. It also comes as a relief for Downing Street following a serious attempt on Monday by Tory former minister Tim Loughton to derail the Bill. Mr Loughton had tabled an amendment extending civil partnerships to straight couples - a move which ministers warned could have cost the Treasury an extra lb4 billion in pension liabilities and scupper the chances of the Bill becoming law. But Labour - mindful they did not want to play any part in derailing the Bill - decided against supporting Mr Loughton - a move which would have seen the amendment pass - and offered the Government an 11th-hour deal to immediately review the possibility of extending civil partnerships to straight couples. Culture Secretary Maria Miller accepted their amendment and Mr Loughton's amendment in the end was easily defeated. Turning to Ms Miller shortly before the vote, shadow minister for women and equalities minister Yvette Cooper said: "We can only wonder what would happen if you and I leapt up and started leading a Eurovision-style chorus perhaps of congratulations perhaps Abba-style, maybe not 'One Man, One Woman' but certainly 'I Do, I Do, I Do'. "I have heard Conservative members talk about the anger in their constituencies. And I hope they will now be able to stop talking about the anger and start talking about the joy. Because this is about the joy that we can deliver to those that want to get married just as their parents did. Let's be loud and proud, let's start the singing. Let's celebrate, not discriminate. Let's put aside the anger and hear it for the joy." Earlier, Sir Tony Baldry - the senior Tory MP who represents the Church of England in the Commons - said he already had enough problems trying to persuade voters in his rural Oxfordshire constituency of Banbury about the need to legalise gay marriage. The Second Church Estates Commissioner said: "I can't speak for other MPs, but I have had enough problems in my constituency with same-sex marriage." In a heated debate on Monday a number of MPs, many of them Conservative backbenchers, stood up to denounce the Government's plans. Conservative former defence minister Sir Gerald Howarth said he believed there was an "aggressive homosexual community" who saw gay marriage as a "stepping stone to something even further". Two Tory cabinet ministers - Welsh Secretary David Jones and Environment Secretary Owen Paterson - voted against the Bill at third reading. They were joined by 10 junior ministers: minister without portfolio John Hayes, Solicitor-General Oliver Heald, transport minister Simon Burns, Europe minister David Lidington, defence minister Philip Dunne, defence minister Andrew Robathan, defence minister Mark Francois, justice minister Jeremy Wright, and Northern Ireland minister Mike Penning and work and pensions minister Esther McVey. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/attorney-generals-office(Attorney General's Office) http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=928_1369166640 th1sf8te GAY MARRIAGE BILL CLEARS COMMONS GAY MARRIAGE BILL CLEARS COMMONS Tue, 21 May 2013 10:55:03 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b3f_1369147958 th1sf8te A PATRIOTIC ex-soldier who painted a St George's flag on his front door has been ordered to cover it up by his housing association landlords who claim it could be considered "offensive" and may bring "distress" to neighbours.Steven Rolfe, 52, painted the red and white colours of the English flag on his rented home in Preston, Lancs, 10 years ago and added hanging baskets to celebrate his love of England and mark his former career in the forces. But despite being runner up in a council "best kept house" competition, he has now received a letter from an official at property management firm Places for People saying neighbours could be "alarmed" by the symbol. The letter also warned the design could place him in a category of "nuisance neighbours" and said it could see him being evicted if he failed to cover it up. In a letter to Mr Rolfe, Neighbourhood Officer Leanne Hardy gave him 14 days to repaint the door saying: "It has been brought to my attention that you have painted your front door in a way that could be considered offensive." When he asked for permission to keep the flag, Ms Hardy sent another letter refusing his request and giving him seven days to paint over it in one colour. She also warned him that failure could see him being in breach of his tenancy agreement. In her letter Ms Hardy said the flag design fell foul of rules tackling unruly tenants who caused "a nuisance, annoyance, disturbance or harassment" of others. Ms Hardy also said his conduct breached tenancy conditions concerning those tenants who were "injurious to the interests of neighbours" and those who "cause distress, alarm or interfere with the peace and comfort of any other person." Mr Rolfe, who served in Northern Ireland, said: "I couldn't believe it when I got the letter. "We seem to be losing our values in this country and also losing our sense of identity, all in the name of political correctness." The father-of-one said he had never had any problems before and none of his neighbours have ever complained. He added: "I am far from being racist, I'm just proud of England that's all. "My neighbours say they would like to see more of the St George's flag about." Mr Rolfe has been supported by Muslim community leader Ali Anwar who said: "As far as I'm concerned, a man's home is his castle, and he should be allowed to express himself as he wishes. This is political correctness gone mad." Former Labour MP David Borrow, who is now a local councillor, said: "The door has been like that a long time and having spoken to the gentleman, I have no reason to believe that he is anything other than a decent member of the community. "I do not believe that he has intended the door to symbolise anything offensive, and I have heard no specific complaints." John Clemence, vice president of the Royal Society of St George, said: "To say that the cross of St George can cause offence needs to be challenged. "We are seeing more and more of this kind of complaint, and these jobsworths are causing resentment and inciting racial hatred." Places for People, which owns the house and runs 143,000 homes across Britain, has since apologised for calling the flag "offensive" but said Mr Rolfe must still repaint the door because he does not have the proper permission. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b3f_1369147958 th1sf8te Ex-soldier told to paint over 'offensive' St George's flag on front door Ex-soldier told to paint over 'offensive' St George's flag on front door Sun, 19 May 2013 14:14:37 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d09_1368987044 th1sf8te More madness to come out of this country, is this england? A RURAL town council was yesterday branded "outrageous" and "ignorant" after voting against flying the flag of St George because of its links to the Crusades - claiming it might be 'offensive' to Muslims. The extraordinary ban has been imposed in Labour-dominated Radstock, Somerset, despite the town having just 16 Muslims within its population of 5,620. The ruling came after a councillor on the local authority said the red and white emblem could still cause upset because it was used during the Crusades - a thousand years ago. Nasima Begum, a spokeswoman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said the organisation encouraged the flying of the St George's flag. She said: "St George needs to take his rightful place as a national symbol of inclusivity rather than a symbol of hatred." The extraordinary ban has been imposed in Labour-dominated Radstock, Somerset, despite the town having just 16 Muslims within its population of 5,620. The ruling came after a councillor on the local authority said the red and white emblem could still cause upset because it was used during the Crusades - a thousand years ago. Eleanor Jackson, a university lecturer and Labour councillor, said: "My big problem is that it is offensive to some Muslims, but even more so that it has been hijacked by the far right. "My thoughts are we ought to drop it for 20 years." Officials agreed with her proposal not to buy a new St George's flag for the town's repaired civic flagpole in its memorial garden. Instead, a Union flag will be flown on Armistice Day - and the rainbow flag of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride movement - at 'appropriate' times of the year. The council will also fly the In Bloom flag at the Miners' Memorial Garden to celebrate the town's achievements in the gardening competition . In addition, there are plans for another flag to be designed specially for Radstock. But critics last night rounded on the authority for its decision not to buy a flag of St George. John Clements , vice-president of national patriotic group the Royal Society of St George, branded the council's decision 'nonsense'. And he claimed it was precisely such 'censoring' of England's national flag which played into the hands of the far right. "This really is outrageous and utter nonsense. This is the usual excuse based on ignorance," Mr Clements said. "The mainstream right parties all actually use the Union flag, not the flag of St George, so this is just ignorance. If a flag of England can't be flown in England because of political correctness and ignorance, it is simply outrageous." Nasima Begum, a spokeswoman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said the organisation encouraged the flying of the St George's flag. She said: "St George needs to take his rightful place as a national symbol of inclusivity rather than a symbol of hatred. "St George actually lived before the birth of Islam and should not be associated with any hatred of Muslims." Last night, Radstock town council chairwoman councillor Lesley Mansell said: "We do not have a Union Jack and the discussion was mainly about purchasing one to fly mainly for Armistice Day. "The list we saw at council included a number of other flags which councils are allowed to display which includes those for the patron saints for England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. "The council confirmed its original decision to purchase a Union Jack, to fly the In Bloom one and the rainbow flag at appropriate times. "We are working on a new logo and when that is sorted we hope to have our own flag for Radstock." She also confirmed that the rainbow flag would also be flown at times to "engage" with various communities Is this what we have come to?, losing our country's identity http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d09_1368987044 th1sf8te Town votes against flying St George's flag as it might be 'offensive' to Muslims Town votes against flying St George's flag as it might be 'offensive' to Muslims Thu, 16 May 2013 17:24:01 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d84_1368739297 Donegal The Story of Ireland is a five-part documentary series examining the history of Ireland and its impact on the wider world. Over the course of the programmes, Fergal Keane travels across three continents, tracing the events, the people and the influences that shaped modern Ireland. The first episode aired on the 20th of February 2011. Episode Three: Age of Revolution The series aims to explore Irish history using the historical facts and evidence while charting the origin and impact of the numerous myths that have been passed off as history in the past. Key to this approach is relating developments in Ireland to events and changes in Europe and the world at large as the centuries progress. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d84_1368739297 Donegal The Story of <span class="highlight">Ireland</span>: Age of Revolution ( 3 ) Ireland, Thu, 16 May 2013 10:46:45 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=aec_1368715430 Donegal The Story of Ireland is a five-part documentary series examining the history of Ireland and its impact on the wider world. Over the course of the programmes, Fergal Keane travels across three continents, tracing the events, the people and the influences that shaped modern Ireland. The first episode aired on the 20th of February 2011. Episode Two: The Age of Conquest The series aims to explore Irish history using the historical facts and evidence while charting the origin and impact of the numerous myths that have been passed off as history in the past. Key to this approach is relating developments in Ireland to events and changes in Europe and the world at large as the centuries progress. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=aec_1368715430 Donegal The Story of <span class="highlight">Ireland</span>: Age of Conquest ( 2 ) Ireland,