The Irish Mitsubishi FTO Owners Club

The Heddild wrote:Wednesday April 01 2009

BARACK Obama and his wife Michelle yesterday made an unscheduled visit to the US president’s ancestral Offaly home en route to the G20 summit in London, it has emerged.


The visit was kept secret due to security concerns ahead of the world leaders’ summit, with even Taoiseach Brian Cowen left out of the loop.

Obama travelled by helicopter to the town of Moneygall, where he met briefly with relatives before travelling on Air Force One to London from Shannon.

President Obama’s greatgreat- great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, was reared in Moneygall, then left for America in 1850.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen is believed to have been upset at the apparent snub, but aides to the president explained that due to the nature of the unscheduled stopover, protocol had to be dispensed with.

Mr Cowen will not join Obama at the G20 summit, but Ireland’s calamitous economic state will be on the agenda.

The president and First Lady Michelle were said to have been more than happy to talk to locals and pose for photographs with their long-lost relatives.

They even squeezed in a jig and a pint at a local pub, where customers donned special ‘Stars and Stripes’ neckties for the occasion.

President Obama also picked up a six-pack of Bulmers and a bag of Monster Munch from a nearby off-licence to keep him occupied on the short flight to London.

BMW’s award-winning EfficientDynamics program has been taken to the next level with the announcement of an innovative fuel and emissions saving system called Magnetic Tow Technology (MTT). In a bid to retain its World Green Car of the Year crown, BMW will launch MTT across its range today.
The unique system, developed in conjunction with NASA, works via a discreet unit located in the front valance that projects an enhanced magnetic beam 20 meters in front of the BMW. Once a suitable target car is located and the BMW is magnetically locked on behind it, the driver is then able to take his foot off the accelerator, turn off the engine and let the car in front do all the work. The towing car will not notice any change in maneuverability.

The BMW driver can unhook from the towing car at any time by depressing the clutch pedal to start the vehicle. This is the same method used to BMW Magnetic Tow Technology
operate the existing Start Stop system. Drivers of automatic transmission BMWs need only move the lever into the ‘D’ position to continue on their way. Early research indicates that MTT could save as much as 30 per cent in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Gurus from BMW’s in-house driving etiquette guide suggest flashing the car in front and giving a friendly hand gesture to thank them for the free ride.

BMW’s Head of Innovation, Dr Noitt All, a specialist in Kinetic Ride And Propulsion, said: “BMW has
always been a leader in the application of the very latest automotive technology. Up until now the EfficientDynamics program has looked at ways of improving the performance of our own products, but we thought why burn your own fuel when you can burn someone else’s?”

The 56-year-old boffin promised more to come from his innovation workshop but in the meantime recommended people email his colleague uve.vollenvorit@bmw.co.uk to be kept abreast of further developments.

Kace wrote:Anyone get this one by text ???


Someone rang me earlier looking for you. Not sure how they got my number but asked that you give them a ring back as soon as you can. Her name is Annie Lyons 01-4748900

If not, check it out - and listen to the whole message !

colm_mcm wrote:

Kace wrote:Anyone get this one by text ???


Someone rang me earlier looking for you. Not sure how they got my number but asked that you give them a ring back as soon as you can. Her name is Annie Lyons 01-4748900

If not, check it out - and listen to the whole message !

Same text, but Ger Raft instead of Annie Lyons.