Galway Advertiser 2002/2002_12_26/GA_26122002_E1_022.pdf 

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LETTERS

Alt.com
What to do with a leftover Christmas
Well, it's all over for another year. The turkey has been disembowelled. The ham is it to shreds. The remaining roast potatoes have fossilised. And the plum pudding is so thick and heavy it could be classified as an offensive weapon. It's the morning after the big day: St Stephen's Day. which has a cheerful ring to it, but with all that rich food and drink slowly - very slowly - being digested, all most people want to do is sleep by the fire, nip down to the p u b to share tales of excess with friends, o r resign yourself to watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Machine for the 37th And, dear readers, at least a week more of such tedium stretches before you. For you have entered that peculiar limbo known as the 'post-Christmas period', a strange twi light zone in winch the world slows to a halt but doesn't quite stop. Instead it staggers, lurching from hour to hour, day to day. time measured by the number of old movies you find yourself sitting gazing at. stupified at how difficult it is to do absolutely nothing, how unng it is. bow dispiriting it is. While surfing the net, I came across the following, which might produce a flicker of amusement during the days to be endured. A financial services group in Delaware, USA. has calculated the actual cost of the unusual assortment of gifts described in the Christmas song T h e Twelve Days of Christmas'. Before you read it, place your tongue firmly in your cheek: "PITTSBURGH, Dec. 3, 2002 - The swans took a swan dive in PNC Advisors' tradi tional calculation of the cost of the items offered in The 12 Days of Christmas, which skewed the so-called Christmas Price Index this year to -7.6 percent. The price of the seven feathered friends dropped from $500 to $300 a piece, due to an over abundant supply. However, ex-swans, the "core" index rose 1.7 percent, consistent with the U.S. Government's core Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 2.2 percent. The research experts at PNC Advisors have been tracking these prices each year for 18 years, from the partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming, to produce the tongue-in-cheek Christmas Price Index. Last year, the total cost of the gifts was $12,249, not counting the swans. This year, those same goods and services cost $12,458. "When you strip out the swans, our core Christmas Price Index is on par with infla tion." said Jeff Kleintop, chief investment strategist for PNC Advisors. "It's not unlike the core Consumer Price Index calculation, which excludes the most volatile items of food and energy," he noted. Swans were not the only gift that was in abundant supply this year. There were pear trees a plenty at a local Philadelphia nursery, which was holding a 30-per cent-off sale on its entire stock of greenery. T h e nursery stocked a plethora of Chanticleer pear trees and needed to move the merchandise," said Rebekah McCahan. investment strate gist who provides the research for the annual Christmas Price Index. "The drop in the price in the pear trees is a trend we're seeing among many retailers this year. They are discounting their merchandise not only to encourage more consumer spending and increase unit sales growth, but also to move the goods off their shelves," she noted. One exception to this trend is in the price of gold. The five gold rings once again showed another up tick, from $375 to $382. According to Kleintop. even during a bear market, gold still lends to hold its value. The service components of the song. i.e.. maids, ladies, lords, pipers and drummers, have either remained flat, or saw a slight increase in price this year. "Labor costs are up in the overall U S economy, which is reflected in the price of the dancers in the song," Kleintop noted Additionally, the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Ballet and Philadanco - the sources for the lords and lathes, respectively - report that they have enjoyed strong seasons this past year. According to McCahan, "We've noticed a trend in this post-9/11 era that people seem to be staying closer to home and supporting the local arts more than they have before the terrorist attacks." Similar to the 2001 Index, online shopping proved to be more expensive than buying these hems via traditional outlets. This year, the True Love would have been out of pocket 69 per cent more for the ease and convenience of buying via the Web. The addioal cost to buying them online is primarily due to pricey shipping and travel services, however, there arc bargains to be found on the Internet, such as the five gold rings, accenting to McCahan. Kleintop expects a higher Christmas Price Index in 2003. which is in line with his overall market outlook for the U S financial markets. "Over time, we've seen this index move from a goods-dominated index, back in the late 80's. to one dial is much heavier weighted on the services side." he said. "As we see hiring plans improving and wages no the rise, wc expect to see a rise in our Christmas Price Index next year." You may now remove your tongue from your check. And Happy post Christmas to you all.

1 1 INFORMED RHETORIC DOES NOTHING FOR 1 PALESTINIAN SITUATION
Dear Editor, Sir, the letter from Mr Kimball (Galway Advertiser December 12) presents us with the usual picture of the Israeli/Palestinian problem as though there is no history to the conflict. What we have now is action and reaction to the present set of circumstances.There is no difference in the violent deaths of children or adults on either side except that Israelis mourn their dead while the Palestinians celebrate the deaths of their children as martyrs, when they kill them selves as well as Israelis When their children are killed by Israelis defending themselves they cry to the world for sym pathy. This conflict commenced in the 1920s and 1930s when the Muslims in that area tried to massacre the Jewish inhabi tants and exploded into the present conflict in 1948.When the Israelis were granted a tiny piece of land to create their own state they were attacked by seven Arab countries. Those countries have never lifted their declaration of war on Israel and have continued to wage it through the Palestinians. From 1948 until 1967 the area granted to the Palestinians was occupied by Jordan. Neither they nor the surrounding Arab states would permit the development of a Palestinian state.On the contrary, the Jordanians drove the PLO out of Jordan, killing 2,500 of them in the process.Nobody in Ireland or any other country raised a squeak of protest. During that same period we had another conflict in opera tion called the Cold War. This was a conflict for spheres of influence between the USA and the USSR. The Soviets pro vided massive armaments to Egypt and Syria and in 1967 those countries attempted to, as they said.to drive Israel into the sea.The rest is history. The tragedy is that if the Arab States had not defied the original resolution of the UN in 1947 there would have been a state of Israel and a state of Palestine in that area. As both are a highly intelligent and resourceful people I am sure that they would have complemented each other to their mutual advantage. I am equally sure that if the Arab states were to desist from financing and encouraging terrorism, the Palestinians and the Israelis would come to an eventual accommodation and peace would reign in the area. The ill informed rhetoric of some commentators do noth ing to help a situation that is bringing tragedy to both people on a daily basis. Yours, M Ross Loftus Square Rathfarnham D 14

Democracy in action
Dear Editor, Some time back I wrote to you to highlight the plight/ challenge of the people of Riverside in regard to negotiat ing the traffic on the Tuam Road. I am delighted to report that traffic lights have finally been erected and function successfully. Congratulations to Galway Corporation and all those who contributed to a achieving this.... Democracy in action!! Good wishes for Christmas 2002 to all my neighbours, family and friends in Galway. Yours Bernaderte (Ryan) McCarthy Riverside

ST STEPHEN'S DAY HUNTING
Dear Editor The public view of fox hunting on St Stephen's day is one of the huntsman leading the way from the meet with his hounds on display. Horses are groomed to perfection with their coats shining in the morning light. For the mounted field who trot behind in their black jackets this is an oppor tunity to parade their horses. The hounds themselves are the | pride of the hunt as they trot along with their tails up in a tight group between the huntsman and the whipper-in. The overriding image the hunters seek to project is one of order and control. That is until a fox breaks cover. In a few moments the pag eant turns to farce as riders and vehicles charge off in pur suit of the hounds and their terrified quarry. There may be more than one fox which can spilt the pack taking horses and car followers in all directions. In fact anything can hap-1 pen and invariable it does. In a few hours time the true colours of the hunters will be revealed. If the hunted fox goes to ground, the terriermen are brought in to flush or dig out the fox. It is here that acts of sadistic cruelty take place. The hunt staff ensure that the mounted field and foot followers are held back. The ruthless meth ods of the terriermen are not considered fit for the eyes of hunt supporters and any strangers that may be present. If the decision is that the fox be killed rather than "bolted" the holes of the earth, except for one, are blocked and a ter rier dog is entered. Beneath the ground a vicious battle takes place. It can all end here as terriers bred as out and out fox killers are used. On the other hand the fox may back into a blind tunnel and trade injuries with the terrier. In these circumstances the terrier men will use spades to dig the fox out and kill it. A common trick used by terriermen is for the fox to be put into a bag and its belly crushed to force the animal to uri nate. Then the fox is taken into the open and tipped out to run again. Only this time its coat will be streaked with blood and urine and its scent stronger thus making it easier for the hounds to hunt the animal again. The entire chase may last for hours over many miles of rough country. Although the hounds are fast, they arc not bred for speed but for stamina. A fox kill in the open sees the tired fox overhauled by up to thirty hounds and savaged to death. Fox hunting degrades Irish society and stands exposed as offering an apprenticeship in callous, butchery for pleasure and criminality. Yours John Tierney Campaigns Director-Association of Hunt Saboteurs PO Box 4734 , Dublin I Eyre Square, G a l w a y . Fax ( G e n e r a l ) 0 9 1 5 6 7 0 7 9 Fax: (Advertising) 0 9 1 - 5 6 7 1 5 0 Fax: (Newsdesk) 0 9 1 - 5 6 5 6 2 7 Internet Address: h t t p : / / w w w . g a l w a y a d v e r t i s e r . i e news@garwayadvertiser.ie
41-42 - 530900.

Gaeltacht planning law is racist
Dear Editor, It is with great dismay that I read that people who wish to build a house west of Baraa must now be proficient in the Irish language. We are about to enter another year dominat ed by man-made conflicts (wealth/poverty, race/religion, exploitation/conservation, etc). We claim to want to share this island with Unionists who chose to speak English. Our fellow Europeans have opened their doors to Irish peo ple who can barely speak any language other than English. We claim to wekome asylum seekers who have fled persecu tion and who struggle just to converse in English. This new "planning requirement" just reinforces the "Ireland for the Irish" and "Strangers Keep Out" messages than has dominated Ireland for far loo long. Yours Peter Butler, Coordinator Galway One World Centre The Halls, Quay Street. Galway

Letters to t e Editor: h
BY JEFF OCONNELL

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