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Current Conditions Forecast ºC Cloudy 16 °C Barometer: 1011 mb Humidity: 100% Wind: N Light Today

Obey the grater... obey the grater... Now I'm really looking forward to see more.

Great work, as always, Glenni! Looking forward to more!

Heh, looks interesting so far Krio, can't wait to see more!

Current Conditions Forecast °C Fair 11 °C Barometer: 1012 mb Humidity: 100% Wind: Calm Today 16 Showers / Clear Tonight 10 Showers / Clear Tomorrow 16 Showers / Clear Friday 16 Showers / Clear It's now cooler and changable, with showers and sunshine just being minutes apart, right now it's sunny and 11 ºC / 52º F.

Final round of French presidential elections Sunday, 6 May 2007 09:07 Some 44.5 million French voters go to the polls today in the second and decisive round of presidential elections. The battle between Socialist Ségolène Royal and conservative Nicolas Sarkozy has been described as the most hotly contested election in France in recent times. Both candidates are hoping to succeed 74-year-old Jacques Chirac, who has held power for 12 years. Mr Sarkozy is widely expected to win and has promised 'a rebirth of the nation' through reforms and hard work. Ms Royal has said she wants to safeguard generous social protection, create jobs and carry out sweeping institutional reform to bring government closer to the people. As a clear favourite in opinion polls, Mr Sarkozy is proposing a series of tax cuts and is advocating tougher controls on immigration as part of what he has termed a 'clean break' with the politics of the past. His tough approach to law and order and pledges to purge the suburbs of the 'racaille' or rabble has turned him into an enemy of the poor neighbourhoods where many descendants of north African immigrants say they are shut out of mainstream France. With the final polls showing Mr Sarkozy on course to win the election, Ms Royal has warned that his victory could re-ignite violence in the high-immigrant suburbs following riots in late 2005. She has described Mr Sarkozy as a 'dangerous' leader who would divide rather than unite the French people. Security has been stepped up in Paris and the suburbs to prevent possible violence in the event of a Sarkozy victory, with some 3,000 police on alert for trouble. --- Sarkozy wins French presidential election Sunday, 6 May 2007 20:00 Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy has won France's presidential election, beating his Socialist rival Ségolène Royal by a comfortable margin and extending the right's 12-year grip on power. Mr Sarkozy pledged to reach out to all French people after his victory. He said: To all those French who did not vote for me, I want to say that beyond political battles, beyond differences of opinion, for me there is only one France. 'I want to tell them that I will be president of all the French.' Within minutes of polls closing, Ms Royal conceded defeat in a speech to party faithful in the heart of Paris. She said: 'I hope that the next president of the republic fulfils his role in the service of all French people.' Forecasts by four pollsters showed Mr Sarkozy, 52, a hardline former interior minister, won around 53% of the vote in the second-round ballot and will succeed fellow conservative Jacques Chirac, who was president for 12 years. Turnout was predicted at about 85%. Mr Sarkozy's face flashed up on television screens after polling stations closed, signalling his victory and setting off jubilant scenes among supporters gathered in central Paris. Across the city at Socialist headquarters there was gloom and sorrow after the party crashed to its third consecutive presidential election defeat. It now faces the prospect of tough internal reform to make itself more appealing to voters.

In my opinion, it should be up to the people of Scotland on whether or not they want to be an independent nation; and if a majority do want it in an future referendum, so be it. Plus, the 'new' country would probably be able to survive quite well if it joined the EU and similar organisations. Biggest question: Who'd get the North Sea oil?

Originally posted by: Micah Just curious, why were guns banned in Europe?quote> I only know of reasons for two countries about why they restricted their gun laws. Well, the Republic of Ireland, since it's foundation in 1937 (when the constitution came into power) has never allowed the easy availability of guns - not even the Garda Síochána (police force) have guns. However, guns are available for hunting in some counties, but then only at specific times - although hunting and all blood sports may be banned after the next government is formed on 14 June. In all of the UK, gun laws were tightened after the school massacre in Dunblane, Scotland in 1996; in which 16 young children and their teacher were killed, before the gunman turned the gun on himself. As for other European countries, I honestly don't know.

Wow, great detail Glenni; can't wait for more!

Two words: GUN CONTROL It's as simple as that; amend the US Constitution if you have to, it's not a good excuse to justify thousands of people dead every year.

RTÉ 2fm Current song: Coldplay - 'Speed of Sound'

Red - Blood Yellow - Summer Blue - Water Green - Grass Orange - Autumn (Fall) Purple - Magic/Supernatural Brown - Trees/Wood Pink - Feminine White - Snow Black - Night --- Scroll over, as per usual.

Arresting peaceful protesters, killing their own spies and journalists, supplying weapons to 'rogue' nations, all the time while the Russian peoples' quality of life slowly deteroirates [. I guess the USSR was better than the current situation...

33 dead in US university campus massacre Monday, 16 April 2007 22:44 At least 32 people were killed by a gunman who then killed himself at Virginia Tech university in the deadliest campus shooting in US history. 15 other people were injured. US President George W Bush said tonight that schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. 'When that sanctuary is violated the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community,' he said. The shootings took place in two separate areas of the campus and police believe a single gunman was responsible. Police said they were investigating whether the gunman killed himself or was killed by authorities. Most of the shootings took place at a part of the campus called Norris Hall, according to campus police chief Wendell Finchum. All classes at the University today and tomorrow were cancelled by the 'This is a tragedy of monumental proportions,' Virginia Tech president Charles Steger told reporters. It is the deadliest campus shooting in US history, worse than the infamous 1966 incident at the University of Texas in Austin when Charles Whitman went to top of the tower in the middle of campus and opened fire on people 27 stories below. Whitman killed 15 people, including his mother and wife the night before, and wounded 31 others. In April 1999 two student gunmen killed 12 other students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, before killing themselves. The death toll in Blacksburg is second only to a bombing in 1927 at the Consolidated School building in Bath village, near Lansing, Michigan, that killed 38 children and seven teachers. Virginia Tech, with 28,000 students, is located in the southwest of the state, about 425km from Washington DC. http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0416/virginia.html --- This is such a terrible tragedy, and I would like to give my condolences to the victims, their families, friends and fellow students as well.