“People were pouring billions into buildings that now are worth nothing,” he said.

“Everybody could get credit from banks and this madness has transformed the country. Though I had no steady income, the bank gave me a 100 percent mortgage +to buy a 365,000 euro home. Now the house has since lost at least one-third of its value. My ex-wife still lives there”.

Since 2007, the economic crisis plunged Ireland into the deepest recession in the industrialized world. Many buildings are now vacant, In one of these Frank has decided to build his own house, as a monument to that madness.

Bricks of money make up the walls and shredded bills carpet the ground on the first floor of the office building on Coke Lane in Smitfield. He has been bulding it for 12 hours every day and he has been living on site since December 1. 2011. 

Living in his “billion euro home” since the start of December, Buckley is working on adding a kitchen to the living room and hall.

The walls and floor are covered in euro shreddings and the house is so warm Buckley sleeps without a blanket.

Pictures made from notes and coins decorate the walls, including one of a house, made from Irish five pence pieces.

“Whatever you say about the euro, it’s a great insulator.”

Leonardo was interested in the way the body expresses the soul.

Take the portrait of Cecilia Gallerani ("The Lady with an Ermine"). She is young and beautiful. Her face is delicate, her lips thin. Cecilia is a joyful person in full possession of her life. The right hand with which she holds the ermine, however, is out of place. It is enlarged, bony, powerful, even masculine.

In two versions of the "Virgin on the Rocks" — on display together for the first time — the Virgin's hand looms mightily over the baby Jesus. In the intimate and sensual "Madonna Litta," Mary's strong hand holds her baby tight. "The Musician," painted at the beginning of Leonardo's tenure in Milan, is the portrait of a young singer; his right hand floats noticeably at the bottom of the picture, holding the music that he has, perhaps, just finished singing.

In the unfinished "St Jerome", the old man's right hand holds a rock; he is presumably about to thrash it against his own breast. But his left hand, only sketched, is raised before his face; it is monstrous, gigantic, bony and elongated.

The hands, no less than the eyes, are a window into the soul. The man uses hands to make, to create, to act, to show and to perceive.

In the final room of the exhibition visitors can also see a full-scale copy of Leonardo's famous "The Last Supper" Here Leonardo paints the dramatic moment just after Jesus has informed his disciples that one among them will betray him. But we can regard this picture as a study in the expressive power of hands. Thirteen men, and 13 pairs of hands; each pair is specific to the man. We see hands pointing, clutching, holding, leaning, resisting, imploring, exclaiming, opening and offering. It is hands and, perhaps, also posture, much more than face, that tells us the story that unfolds at this last supper.

The hands with which we act, and express, and with which the artist creates his works — that is the real target of investigation in these works of Leonardo.

Cutlery dilemma

It's quite simple - start at the outside and work in as the meal progresses. The soup spoon will always be on the extreme right if soup is the first course. It will be second from the right if served as a second course. Dessert cutlery will always be at the top of the place setting with the fork facing right and the spoon above it facing left.

Drinks order

Glasses are also placed in the order in which they are used. So, for example, water, champagne, white wine, red wine, dessert wine. A napkin might be placed on the plate or to the left of the forks.

How to eat...

Some dishes require their own etiquette.
Bread rolls: don't cut with a knife - break with fingers.
Soup: tip the bowl and scoop the spoon away from you; sip, don't slurp.
Asparagus: eaten with fingers, start with the head.
Oysters: use an oyster fork to detach the oyster from its shell. Hold the shell between thumb and first two fingers, place against lower lip and slide the oyster and its juice out of the half shell. Don't swallow it whole. Chew slowly and savour.

Never speak unless spoken to. Avoid anything private.
“Did Your Majesty enjoy the wedding breakfast?” sounds like a good question

but

“Who's looking after the corgis?” is really bad!

Anyone who has a title should be addressed as "Your Royal Highness" for the first time, and subsequently "Sir" or "Ma'am"

If you are introduced to the Archbishop of Canterbury address him as "Your Grace" or "Archbishop", the Dean of Westminster is addressed simply as "Dean".

If you have ever wondered what to wear, say or do if you ________ (1)  in the presence of a royal, here is a guide for the guests invited to _________________ (2) wedding. 

Guests  should wear "uniform, morning coat or lounge suit". But what does that mean?

  Uniform

Only active m   embers of the armed forces ____________ (3) to wear military uniform and need permission from a commanding officer to do so.

If Prince William wears his RAF uniform, then his brother, as best man and an officer with the Household Cavalry, would be expected to wear his military attire too.

 

Morning Coat

Men are expected to wear a grey or black morning coat, with a grey or yellow waistcoat and striped grey trousers. Add to this a grey top hat, _____________ (4)  when outside, or carried under the arm when indoors. Top hats should be removed for official photographs. Gloves matching the waistcoat should be ___________ (5).

Ties should be worn, or a cravat with a pin, along with a plain shirt and cufflinks. Shoes should be black and lace-up.

Ladies should wear a smart day dress - a suit, or a dress with a jacket, with hat and gloves, ____ (6)  heels and a matching handbag.

 

Lounge Suit

For men, this means a  ________ (7)  business suit, worn with a discreet collar and tie.

Ladies should wear a smart day dress. Hats are not compulsory - in fact at the wedding of Prince Edward to Sophie Rhys-Jones the wearing of hats was discouraged because it is difficult to socially kiss while wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

Curtsy

The rule is, don't overdo it. A long bow is not required. __________ (8) ladies are expected to make a brief bob with the weight on the front foot, and gentlemen should opt for a small nod, and look down briefly. Do the same when the royal leaves the room.

 

Touching

While it is fine to accept a handshake from the Queen, officials discourage any other form of touching. However, two years ago the Queen ____________ (9)  touched US First Lady Michelle Obama on her back during a reception at Buckingham Palace - a gesture which was returned. A palace spokesperson referred to it as "a mutual and spontaneous display of affection and appreciation".

 

Photos

At state banquets guests ____________ (10)  take photos. The event will, in any case, be covered by a professional photographer.

Banksy Beyond the Law and the Gallery

One of the most common arguments is that his works damage public and private property. Within the terms of the law this is fully correct. And yet Banksy has taken his art out of the hands of the middle class gallery prowlers and returned it to the street and to the working class.

Many would argue that Banksy is invading public space with his graffiti works, and this is a fair argument. Public space belongs to the community, and when a single individual uses that space for their own purposes the rights of the community are breached. That being said, many people would argue that billboard and bus shelter advertising is also an unwanted and offensive use of public space without  public consent.

Banksy's Public Legitimisation

The confines of art are always difficult to define. A recent Bristol Museum installation by Banksy of some newer works drew in record crowds of 300,000 visitors over only a few months. This suggests that Banksy is seen by both the public and art critics as a legitimate artist.

Are his graffiti paintings art or vandalism? The fact that the debate is so hot means that his work has an artistic force.

Many others have followed in his footsteps, but the bulk of graffiti work currently seen is still simply petty vandalism and Banksy has not encouraged a new generation of anonymous public artists. At the end of the day, the unique nature of Banksy's art and the individual way he delivers his art and message are what stand him apart from the rest.

Not everyone will like Banksy's painted graffiti work, although it's hard to deny that it has captured and excited the imagination of many.

It comes complete with Italian silk and cotton drapes and the headboard can be customised to take diamonds for that hint of extra bling.

The luxury item was made by British designer Stuart Hughes, who specialises in dolling up items for the super rich, such as gold-plating iPhones and selling them for £22,000.

He also hit the headlines when he customised an iPhone 4 with a 65million-year-old T.rex tooth and meteoric stone.

The 39-year-old Liverpudlian, who worked with Italian design company Hebanon for the bed, said the ‘incredible’ detail made it ‘out of this world’.

‘It is the sort of thing only the super rich can afford, billionaires who have everything and are always looking for unique gifts,’ he added.

He has made two of the beds so far, with each one taking three months.

One has already been snapped up by an Italian businessman.

But there's another bed which is less  expensive than the Baldacchino's, but  cooler and more unusual.

It is only €1,200,000. Its name is :Magnetic Floating bed, and  it is an invention of a Dutch architect. Janjaap Ruijssenaars.Ruijssenaars collaborated with Bakker Magnetics for 6 years to find perfect magnetic or anti-gravity technology to make a bed able to float around 1.3 feet off the ground while resisting 2,000 lbs of  weight.

This bed was shown for the first time at the 2006 Millionaire Fair in Belgium. it is the first floating bed in the world.
 

The streets of Ottawa, Toronto, Dallas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa were no-go areas yesterday. By mid-morning Chicago (3) _________ 48cm  of snow. "This storm (4) ____________ for a long time’, said José Santiago of Chicago’s office of emergency management.

Offices (5) _____________ early and the city’s schools called a snow day for the first time in 12 years. Meteorologist Jeff Johnson, of the National Weather Service, predicted it (6) _________ ‘cripple transportation’ in the Midwest and East for a couple of days’.

‘You don’t want to get caught out in the rural areas in your vehicle in this storm. It’s a good night to stay home,’ he (7) ___________. Snow will keep falling across the central plains until the weekend. But Sunday’s showpiece Super Bowl at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas is expected to go ahead.

"This is probably the most snow I (8) _____________  in the last 34 years," joked 34-year-old Chicagoan Michael George. "I saw some people cross-country skiing on my way to the train. It was pretty wild."

In South Dakota, dozens of drivers were stranded by snow and ice on a stretch of Interstate 29.

Tens of millions of people (9) ____________ home Wednesday. On Thursday, lonely commuters all along the storm's path struggled against drifts 3 and 4 feet deep in eerily silent streets.  Parkas and ski goggles normally reserved for the slopes (10) ___________ essential for getting to work.

Utility crews raced to restore power to thousands of homes and businesses in Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where freezing rain and ice brought down electrical lines. 

Here is the latest update on the arrangements for the wedding of HRH Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton.

The Wedding Day

Prince William and Miss Middleton have made the following decisions about their wedding day on 29th April 2011 at Westminster Abbey:

• Miss Middleton will travel to the wedding service at Westminster Abbey by car. .

• The wedding service will begin at 11am. The Archbishop of Canterbury will marry the royal couple.

• The couple, now married, will return along a Processional Route in a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace. The route will include Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade and The Mall.

• On arrival at Buckingham Palace, The Queen will give an official and formal Reception for the couple and guests. .

• The Prince of Wales will give a private dinner, followed by dancing, at Buckingham Palace in the evening, for the couple and their close friends and family. 

The Takeaway Secret by Kenny McGovern contains detailed recipes about how to cook chicken nuggets, doner kebabs and quarter pounders with cheese.
It contains no photographs, has no television tie-in and is written by a recluse in Scotland.
But it has steadily climbed up the book rankings to hit number 3 on the Amazon list of bestselling food books this week, beating celebrities' cooking books. It was beaten only by the latest book of the most popular British chef, Jamie Oliver and by a photography book... .
It started to slip back down the charts only because Amazon ran quickly out of stock.
The author of the book, Mr McGovern, suffers from social anxiety disorder and agoraphobia, meaning he has over the last decade rarely left his parent's house in Glasgow. But he desperately missed his favourite burgers, sandwiches and curries and set out over five years of research, trial and error to recreate the exact tastes found in KFC, McDonald's, Greggs the Bakers and the local kebab shop.
The book has been hailed on internet blogs, helping it to become an underground hit.
Xanthe Clay, The Daily Telegraph's food columnist, said: "I find it utterly surreal that people want to recreate the taste of junk food restaurants in their own home. It is just extraordinary. It is the complete antitheses of what Jamie and Nigella have been telling us in recent years about using fresh, quality ingredients. But maybe that's why it has done so well.
"And he has proved that you can produce a bestseller without being on television. This is very heartening."