http://www.ireland.com/blogs/presenttense Just another ireland.com weblog Thu, 08 May 2008 16:46:02 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I've started ploughing my way through Brian K Vaughan's Ex Machina, a comic book series in which the world's only superhero becomes New York City's mayor in a post 9/11 America. An alternate history, political satire and down-to-earth superhero tale (well, as down-to-earth as you can get with a superhero), ... http://www.ireland.com/blogs/presenttense/2008/05/08/reading-11/ The second Newsroom Barometer results, a survey of 700 newspaper editors senior news executives from 120 countries, was released this week. It makes for interesting reading. Among the main results this year: - 86% believe integrated print and online newsrooms will become the norm, and 83% believe journalists will ... http://www.ireland.com/blogs/presenttense/2008/05/08/the-future-of-newspapers-the-editors-perspective/ There was no better time than last week in which to put a lead story on your property section, explaining how to convert your cellar into living space. Well done, Sunday Business Post. Adding a basement offers homeowners a way to add value and free up space. We see them as dank ... http://www.ireland.com/blogs/presenttense/2008/05/07/gettig-to-the-bottom-of-a-story/ One of Britain's most successful new newspapers is First News, which targets the 7-14 age group. Its most recent ABCs show an average weekly sale of over 38,000, but its readership is an impressive 763,000 because one in five UK schools subscribes. There are more details about its background and ... http://www.ireland.com/blogs/presenttense/2008/05/07/going-for-a-very-young-readership/ For those outside either outside the motor-racing scene or its heartland areas, the death of Martin Finnegan at the Tandragee 100 last weekend may not really register. To get a sense of how big a figure he was in a sport that gets little coverage despite its popularity here, I'm ... http://www.ireland.com/blogs/presenttense/2008/05/06/martin-finnegan/ 'THERE IS, of course, no ending to history," Bertie Ahern told the joint Houses of Congress on Wednesday. History was a popular word in his speech, mentioned nine times. And history was a word commonly used in the run-up to his big moment. It would be, we were told repeatedly, ... http://www.ireland.com/blogs/presenttense/2008/05/03/saturday-column-history-or-histrionics/ Saw this in Metro this morning, and then Nat reminded me of it earlier, so following Padre Pio's appearance on this blog last week (he's definitely had some work, don't you think?) here's the picture of "Jesus on a cider bottle". Unfortunately, it was thrown in the bin by a ... http://www.ireland.com/blogs/presenttense/2008/05/02/jesus-some-spare-time-on-his-hands/ I was griping with someone earlier about how dry The View is - the only regular arts programme on RTE television, and not worth staying up for - and how BBC2's Late Review has become of a caricature of itself. And I was reminded of how fresh and ambitious the ... http://www.ireland.com/blogs/presenttense/2008/05/01/this-is-how-to-make-an-arts-show/ From today's Letters page. Thought it was worth posting: Madam, - I am writing to you as a journalist and a concerned member of the National Union of Journalists. I'm concerned because, in my opinion, more and more reporters and sub-editors, especially in certain tabloid newspapers, are simply making up stuff ... http://www.ireland.com/blogs/presenttense/2008/05/01/letter-about-journalistic-standards/ 1605 Arrives into chamber. Immediately clear that his make-up budget this year will exceed total US military spending. 1607 Nancy Pelosi introduces him as "His excellency, Bertie Ay-hern". 1610 Makes mention of Irish Scots as first emigrants to America. Good touch, that. 1612 Gets his plea for the Undocumented in. It's greeted ... http://www.ireland.com/blogs/presenttense/2008/04/30/live-blogging-of-bertie-aherns-speech-to-joint-houses-of-congress/