|
FÁS Expenses Scandal
The FÁS expenses scandal happened in Ireland in November/December 2008. Significant public and political outcry was roused, and at least one senior figure of a government organisation resigned. The scandal first emerged in June 2008 when Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Irish parliament) was told one morning by Leader of the Opposition Enda Kenny that gardaí were investigating the alleged misappropriate use of funds by a senior executive within FÁS. The director general of the training and employment agency, Foras Áiseanna Saothair (FÁS; referred to in the English language as the Training and Employment Authority), Rody Molloy resigned late on 25 November after revelations that himself and fellow FÁS executives spent hundreds of thousands of euro belonging to the company on lavish holidays to the United States, which included first-class travel and expensive rounds of golf, including €643,000 over a period of four years on transatlantic travel for the purpose of promo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall consist of the President and two Houses, viz.: a House of Representatives to be called Dáil Éireann and a Senate to be called Seanad Éireann." It consists of 160 members, each known as a (plural , commonly abbreviated as TDs). TDs represent 39 constituencies and are directly elected for terms not exceeding five years, on the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV). Its powers are similar to those of lower houses under many other bicameral parliamentary systems and it is by far the dominant branch of the Oireachtas. Subject to the limits imposed by the Constitution of Ireland, it has power to pass any law it wishes, and to nominate and remove the Taoiseach (head of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunday Independent (Ireland)
The ''Sunday Independent'' is an Irish Sunday newspaper broadsheet published by Independent News & Media plc, a subsidiary of Mediahuis. It is the Sunday edition of the ''Irish Independent'', and maintains an editorial position midway between magazine and tabloid. History The ''Sunday Independent'' was first published in 1905 as the Sunday edition of the ''Irish Independent''.''The Blackwell companion to modern Irish culture'' Edited by W. J. McCormack. Wiley-Blackwell, 2001 (pp. 304–5). Following the creation of the Irish Free State, the ''Sunday Independent'' followed its daily counterpart's political line by supporting Cumann na nGaedheal and its successor Fine Gael. From the 1940s until 1970, the paper was run by Hector Legge (1901–1994). Legge's time at the paper was notable for the ''Sunday Independent'' in 1948 leaking the news that the Irish government were going to leave the British Commonwealth by repealing the External Relations Act. Legge also published a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waterford Crystal
Waterford Crystal is a manufacturer of lead glass or "crystal", especially in cut glass, named after the city of Waterford, Ireland. In January 2009, the main Waterford Crystal manufacturing base on the edge of Waterford was closed due to the insolvency of Waterford Wedgwood PLC, and in June 2010, Waterford Crystal relocated almost back to the roots of glass-making in the city centre. The Mall location holds both a manufacturing facility that melts over 750 tonnes of crystal a year - although most Waterford Crystal is now produced outside Ireland - and a visitor centre with the world's largest collection of Waterford Crystal. As of 2015, the brand is owned by the Fiskars Corporation. History The Waterford Glassworks The origins of crystal production in Waterford date back to 1783 when George and his nephew William Penrose started their business, the Waterford Glassworks. It produced extremely fine flint glass that became world-renowned. Their Waterford company closed in June ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic and author and holds a licentiate and doctorate in Canon law. McAleese was first elected as president in 1997, having received the nomination of Fianna Fáil. She succeeded Mary Robinson, making her the second female president of Ireland, and the first woman in the world to succeed another woman as president. She nominated herself for re-election in 2004 and was returned unopposed for a second term. McAleese is the first president of Ireland to have come from either Northern Ireland or Ulster. McAleese graduated in law from Queen's University Belfast. In 1975, she was appointed Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin and in 1987, she returned to her alma mater, Queen's, to become director of the Inst ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
President Of Ireland
The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitution of Ireland: Article 12.3 The president is elected directly by the people, although there is no poll if only one candidate is nominated, which has occurred on six occasions to date. The presidency is largely a figurehead, ceremonial office, but the president does exercise certain limited powers with absolute discretion. The president acts as a representative of the Irish state and guardian of the constitution. The president's official residence is in Phoenix Park, Dublin. The office was established by the Constitution of Ireland in 1937. The first president assumed office in 1938, and Irish head of state from 1936 to 1949, became recognised internationally as head of state in 1949 after the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
First Class Travel
First class is the most luxurious and most expensive travel class of seats and service on a train, passenger ship, airplane, bus, or other system of transport. Compared to business class and economy class, it offers the best service and most comfortable accommodation. Aviation The First class (aviation), first-class section of a fixed-wing jet airliner is typically toward the front of the aircraft. Many airlines have removed first class altogether from their international flights, offering business class as their highest level of international service. First class passengers are usually allowed into Airport lounge, lounges at airports while they wait for their flights. Railways While first-class travel accommodation is common in intercity public transport rail services, they have become increasingly prevalent for commuters' short-distance daily travel, especially in rapid transit contexts, rather than longer-distance regional rail. Australia Australia has internal rail opera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mary Harney
Mary Harney (born 11 March 1953) is an Irish former politician and the current Chancellor of the University of Limerick. She was leader of the Progressive Democrats party between 1993 and 2006 and again from 2007 to 2008, resuming the role after her successor, Michael McDowell, lost his seat at the 2007 general election. She is the longest-ever-serving female member of Dáil Éireann, serving as a Teachta Dála (TD) successively for the Dublin South-West and Dublin Mid-West constituencies from 1981 to 2011. She was Ireland's first female Tánaiste from 1997 to 2006, and the first woman to lead a party in Dáil Éireann. Early life and education Harney was born in Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, County Galway, in 1953. Her parents, who lived in nearby Ahascragh, were both farmers, but shortly after her birth her family moved to Newcastle, County Dublin. She was educated at the Convent of Mercy, Inchicore, and Presentation Convent, Clondalkin, before studying at Trinity ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walt Disney World Resort
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake, Florida, Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando, Florida, Orlando and Kissimmee, Florida, Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The property covers nearly , of which half has been used. The resort comprises four Amusement park, theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom), two water parks (Disney's Blizzard Beach and Disney's Typhoon Lagoon), 31 themed resort, resort hotels, nine non-Disney hotels, several golf courses, a camping resort, and other entertainment venues, including the outdoor shopping center Disney Springs. On October 1, 2021, Walt Disney World started their celebration of its 50-year anniversary which will last for 18 con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), to give the U.S. space development effort a distinctly civilian orientation, emphasizing peaceful applications in space science. NASA has since led most American space exploration, including Project Mercury, Project Gemini, the 1968-1972 Apollo Moon landing missions, the Skylab space station, and the Space Shuttle. NASA supports the International Space Station and oversees the development of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System for the crewed lunar Artemis program, Commercial Crew spacecraft, and the planned Lunar Gateway space station. The agency is also responsible for the Launch Services Program, which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau figures released in July 2017, making it the List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 23rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the third-largest metropolitan area in Florida behind Miami and Tampa, Florida, Tampa. Orlando had a population of 307,573 in the 2020 census, making it the List of United States cities by population, 67th-largest city in the United States, the fourth-largest city in Florida, and the state's largest inland city. Orlando is one of the most-visited cities in the world primarily due to tourism, major events, and convention traffic; in 2018, the city drew more than 75 million v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island of Oahu, and is the westernmost and southernmost major U.S. city. Honolulu is Hawaii's main gateway to the world. It is also a major hub for business, finance, hospitality, and military defense in both the state and Oceania. The city is characterized by a mix of various Asian, Western, and Pacific cultures, reflected in its diverse demography, cuisine, and traditions. ''Honolulu'' means "sheltered harbor" or "calm port" in Hawaiian; its old name, ''Kou'', roughly encompasses the area from Nuuanu Avenue to Alakea Street and from Hotel Street to Queen Street, which is the heart of the present downtown district. The city's desirability as a port accounts for its historical growth and importance in the Hawaiian archipelago and the broader P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frankfurt Am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its namesake Main River, it forms a continuous conurbation with the neighboring city of Offenbach am Main and its urban area has a population of over 2.3 million. The city is the heart of the larger Rhine-Main metropolitan region, which has a population of more than 5.6 million and is Germany's second-largest metropolitan region after the Rhine-Ruhr region. Frankfurt's central business district, the Bankenviertel, lies about northwest of the geographic center of the EU at Gadheim, Lower Franconia. Like France and Franconia, the city is named after the Franks. Frankfurt is the largest city in the Rhine Franconian dialect area. Frankfurt was a city state, the Free City of Frankfurt, for nearly five centuries, and was one of the most import ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Waterford Crystal")
