• What’s with the hand gestures lads?
  Cowen:
  
  Sarkozy:
  
  Creative Ireland on Cowen.
  Twenty Major on Sarkozy.

• www.rosannadavison.co.uk; the official site of yes-you-would lovely girl Rosanna Davison.
• Nice Temple Bar menu shenanigans.
• Are VisitBritain.com robbing Irish Tourists?
• www.irishhandstamps.com - advertise on peoples hands. PR whiz Piaras Kelly talks about it here. With thanks to Le Craic.
• Europe to crack down on phone services, like subscription services, ring tone providers, and other businesses who if I ever meet the owners of, I would like to punch them in the face.
• An Irish startup are behind Muzo TV:This is an ad-supported streaming music video site which enables artists, labels, festivals, venues, fans and any other music content owner to broadcast their music TV on the web, “legally” and at no cost. Pointless youtube clone or much more? Techcrunch UK article. www.muzu.tv.
• If Jesus took photos, they wouldn’t be as good as Red Mum’s: St. Michaels Estate.
• Boards.ie on the survey that says Ireland has the lowest quality of life in the EU.
• More Oxegen fun: Crazy ass bitch climbing a support tower of the Pet Sounds Tent during MGMT’s performance which meant it was stopped temporarily:
  
  (vid via My Little Piebald, subscribe: mylittlepiebald@gmail.com ).

Yep no time for the internets myself, but this is great stuff:

Thanks Chris, who found it via Mulley.

It’s uncanny.

Make thank fuck it’s Friday links go now.

• Not much there yet, but expect biffo.info, about our favourite fucker-saying Offaly man, to only grow as he continues to rip a hole through contemporary Irish politics.
• The worlds largest sofa is in Sandyford in Dublin until Monday. (above)
• Thoughtful lisbon debate.
• “I used to think Enda Kenny was quite good-looking “… Strange crushes @ boards.ie.
• Cyberbullying on bebo:
  
• Joy in the Hood, Ballymun, Des Bishop’s show from a while back. Part 1:
  
  Part 2. Part 3.
• An Irish study of MBT shoes indicate they make you fall over more.
• Don’t forget about Africa day tomorrow.

Illustration blog Scamp.ie asked Illustrators Guild of Ireland members to welcome Brian Cowen as only they can. The results are in.

The pic above is by Joven Kerekes.

Found at the awesome le craic.

Play us out there… Youtube.

This post is more enjoyable for the 104% of people who take cocaine at work. Probably.

• Kidney confirmed as Ireland coach. Quality photoshop.
• Boards.ie - as ever, the questions that really matter: Ok I was just thinking, at what distance away would a person be that you would stop holding a door open, like in a shopping centre etc… Its happened to me so many times that you look back and think I’ll hold the door open for this person and they take AGES to get to the door and your left feeling like a bit of a tool just waiting. At what point is it acceptable to just say feck it and not hold the door open
• Dáil elects Cowen as State’s 12th Taoiseach. Is there gonna be a Gordon Brown style backlash? How can he live up to the standards set before him? I hope he’s closed all his bank accounts at the very least.
• A short video to highlight the fact that the Irish government and E.U. want to ban all vitamin supplements.:
  

Bowing to Jazz shaped pressure, Brian Cowen, (Politician of the year, no less) has indicated he may delay (again) or scrap the pay-hikes for ministers. As Ed Byrne (who made some good jokes for a change) pointed out on Have I got news for you, this is exactly the moment that the same people were shouting about the injustice of the pay hikes start shouting u-turn and that he should have had the courage of his convictions.

The Irish Times article on this is behind the paywall.

The Magill politician of the year awards are here.

At least let the man explain:

[Independent.ie] Cowen: it’s hypocritical not to accept my pay hike.

Damien Mulley, Irish blogging hero, has created takeendawithyou.com. Quite right too. My ridiculous contribution:

See? Actually, the analogy doesn’t really work does it? Or does it? Whatever… Enda is still a tit.