Apologies for absence yesterday, the day got away from me. The blog would have said something like, “really pleased Celtic pushed back so vocally against the illiberal and ill-conceived Offensive Behaviour Act”, but with less brevity.
Shortly before Christmas we launched the campaign to fund the construction of a school kitchen in Malawi through Mary’s Meals to mark the 10th anniversary of Celtic Quick News. The project would cost £7000 and to get us there we scheduled a St Patrick’s Day dinner dance for next Friday, 14 March.
8 days out I am delighted to inform you the target money has been raised, Mary’s Meals already have £7000 in their bank, the project is officially funded and construction plans are underway.
That the money was raised ahead of the event was a surprise, although after 10 years of watching Celtic fans go about their business in this manner, it shouldn’t have been.
We received a remarkable donation from Patrick Foley’s Irish Bar & Restaurant in Gent, and Barney Vallely’s Irish Pub in Cologne, who between them raised €2600.
You don’t think of Gent and Cologne as being big ‘Celtic towns’. I’m sure they are not, but there enough Celtic fans in each city to form a proper community. Their work has been incredible and a real inspiration. Thank you to Patrick, Charlie and their patrons. Special thanks to Kolncelt, who orgainsed the entire effort, but has had to cancel his trip to Glasgow next week.
This gave us a problem, of course, The Show is going ahead next week, but the kitchen at the Kholoni Primary School is already paid for, what will be our focus next week. Here is a remind of what that £7000 is going to achieve:
Mary’s Meals feed 822,142 kids each day across some of the most impoverished areas of the world. The global average annual cost per child is £10.70, and is only £7 in Malawi, where the Kholoni Primary School is.
Kitchens are brick constructed and fully stocked with stoves, pots, serving utensils, mugs and cutlery. They also have a wall-mounted blackboard, so the room can be used as a classroom outside of meal times.
The charity started in 2002 when founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow met a mother dying of AIDS, and her child, whose only ambition was to have enough food to eat.
93% of money raised goes directly to the needy and, where possible, the 65,000 volunteers who keep the project running are drawn from parents and relatives of the children being fed.
The impact in Malawi, 17th poorest country by UN measures, is significant. Mary’s Meals provide a daily meal to 20% of the countries primary school aged children. The impact is more than just feeding the hungry, two years after a Mary’s Meals project in Malawi starts, school enrolment is up an average of 30%, leading to higher educational achievements, and a better chance in life.
I’m open to ideas on what to focus on next week but my instinct is to get back onto Mary’s Meals and ask where they next need a kitchen.
A couple of pairs of tickets have become available for Friday’s CQteN St Patrick’s Day at the Kerrydale Suite, Celtic Park. £50 per ticket, dinner, dancing, two acts, Irish dancers; it is shaping up to be quite an event. Email Tony if you want to be there, cqnbooks@gmail.com
We have a donations page for CQN Mary’s Meals’ projects, if you would like to help out, you can do so here.
Seville, The Celtic Movement, launches this month.
Order yours below:
[calameo code=0003901714cb03d5d5808 lang=en page=114 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
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parkheadcumsalford
08:47 on 7 March, 2014
Minx, wee prayer offered up for your special intention.
—-
Thank you
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma
I think you are spot on where you are going there.
Do you think Peter Lawwell has been invited along to join the ECA board on the back of the deal he brokered for the SPFL in China?
LB
BRTH
08:17 on 7 March, 2014
I mentioned yesterday the damage going to England would do to our well run club.
Is the time not right for new leagues incorporating clubs like ourselves, embracing new broadcast technology to keep up with how the modern fan is watching/supporting the club.What to have somebody at the club keeping an eye on the situation from a top position in Europe or a real Billionaire investor with huge media/technology interests…… and where is bilderberg this year……
BRTH
Not only thank you for the response, but for such a detailed response. Compelling read as ever. I’m acutely aware of the impact and potential of the internet in the respect you talk about.
In a similar, if not exact example of what you talk about, the USA company I manage launched into a ” google campaign” some time ago, dramatically increasing our spend to increase our ” hits” and at the same time, abandoning most of our traditional advertising methods, trade shows, cold calls etc.
I say dramatically increasing our spend, but the results have been equally dramatic. Hugely increased turnover and profit.
We now actually employ a company who monitor activity on our site, and react accordingly, in real time, to maximise effectiveness. Adding key words, removing words that are proving ineffective, that type of thing.
Won’t bore you any further with more detail, but simply say we can now very accurately forecast that for every x number of hits, we can expect x number of enquiries, and x number of orders at an average value. Makes planning and investment strategy a whole lot easier.
Certainly based on what you say, it would make absolute sense to adopt a strategy along the lines you suggest.
We are a big club. We can become massive under the correct leadership and given the correct direction.
LB, I did see it as explained above by my pal Robert winlepicker. My offer stands.
Ignore the first part of his last statement though and look me up at table 11 next Friday:-)
Hail Hail bruv.
WHITEDOGHUNCH
Dunno where it is this year as they haven’t told me yet.
But last year was at The Grove Hotel in Watford.
You wouldn’t have enjoyed it;the food was simply awful.
LIVIBHOY
For the avoidance of doubt…..
When ACGR says “at table 11”,he means under it.
Well, better shake myself and have a shower. Playing tennis at 11. Not lifted a racket for 15 years……should be fun. Hmmmmm…..sore muscles tomorrow I guess:-)
A Ceiler Gonof Rust Says Hail Hail Big Fraser
I reckon finding someone at CQteN will be similar to finding yer tent at TITP.
If you do manage to bump into people it will be more luck than anything else.
I’m hoping to meet a good few Bhoys on this site. Very much looking forward to a great evening. Hopefully we can get a pint.
LB
Can I ask you Bhoys if you believe in any Christian faith to pray for my mother in law who is 91 years of age and is criticaly ill in hospital with no likely hood of her recovering it is only a matter of time.A nicer more generous woman would be hard to find she converted many years ago and has served the Catholic Church well through out her life her name is Mary.
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma
Superb reply and insight into the digital world. and the changes in this field are happenning daily, not yearly like some technologies.
BRTH I take it you made the suggestion to Celtic re the Barcelona tech event, If so were they open to the idea ?
Our club definitely have to be aware of this massive change, and if it means hiring an advisor, then so be it.
We require different ways to generate revenue, and the income streams from VOD will be huge.
On this rapidly changing world. I read this the other day and found it interesting
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/mar/04/facebook-talks-drone-satellite-firm-internet?CMP=twt_gu
Joe Filippis Haircut
I will pray for her at mass on Sunday.
LB
Joe Filippis Haircut – will keep her in our prayers.
JFH,MINX1888
Will do. I hope things go as well as possible for all concerned.
BRTH 09:09
VOD
Now there is a word I thought of many moons ago and like you I believe its the future of TV
Everything will one day come down the pipe and by everything I mean supermarket TV
Yes you will shop for TV with your virtual trolley and checkout with a basket of your favourite programs and live sports.
All this happening is only a matter of time in fact its partially there
Now BRTH I have so much belief I this I own the domain names UKVOD.com and the .co.uk version
These are names I am looking to develop someday with the right people if you get my drift
HH
WHITEDOGHUNCH/ BMCUW,
Bildeberg is at my second maw’s hoose this year.
Attendance allowed only on invite.
You may request a “parlé/ parlais” with me if you get can catch me out of national boundaries at some point. In the meantime, you have more chance of getting an invite from Dermot by kidnapping PL and holding him to ransom in an Edinburgh bunker.
All Hail the Board, honest to the crumb. Let us eat cake.
Twists/Whitedoghunch/Livibhoy
I was asked to come into a VOD business a couple of years ago and so the past 24 moths have been a huge education for me.
The scale of this is so huge it is mind boggling especially as the technology advances.
Every mobile device is a point of sale ( how many in your house?) and last year 50% of all mobile traffic was video — bigger than phonecalls, bigger than texts or apps.
Why are mobile phone screens getting bigger and bigger– not to help you hear who is at the end of the line but to help you SEE– WATCH–LOOK.
Officially Celtic have a list of some 700,000 mobile phone numbers or e-mail addresses yet if they organise they can quadruple that number.
If they partner with other major brands like Audi,Easyjet, Johnnie Walker, Nike, Magners, Sun Alliance, BT, BP etc etc how many are in the databank then?
If you create a worldclass match day experience — potentially lower ticket prices, fill the stadium, tell the Police ( In the nicest possible fashion ) to get out and to grow up and put a really exciting team on the field what does all that do for your business?
By the way– while I am on my high horse — here is a question:
The 2019 UEFA Cup Final gets held in Glasgow.
The teams participating are say Juventus and Barcelona.
80,000 Spaniards turn up in and around Glasgow spending 1,000,000 Million pounds in the newly independent Scottish economy.
There are a fair few Italians present too mixing with the Scottish Italian community.
The Spaniards invade en masse, spending, drinking, singing and are to be found all over the streets of Glasgow for 5 days — they sleep in the streets and drink the place dry.
They sing about Barca, independence and whatever including plenty of anti Madrid songs.
How many are arrested by Police Scotland?
BRTH
never saw your 09:09 on 7 March, 2014 before I typed
BMCUW missed last years think I was at a bullingdon club do
This is how Focus would have us sing and dance :))
http://www.mamamia.com.au/rogue/benny-hill-rave-dancers/
joe filippis haircut
Thoughts and prayers for Mary this day
HH
Joe
Thoughts an prayers are with her.
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma
Scotland won’t get independence in my opinion. We can vote on it but the government are pulling companies one by one to scaremonger the floating voters.
If we did get independence we could kiss goodbye to hosting any European final or any other major event.
Regarding your question though. Are the Spaniards in question speaking and singing in gaelic?
LB
JFH,
Thoughts are with Mary, she sounds like a great woman.
WHITEDOGHUNCH
Good choice. Better grub.
Anyway — to far more important matters than all that VOD stuff.
Minx — your prayer is said — and the big guy up the stairs chat dailly so I have had a word.
Joe F — God love your Ma!
My own dad is in the St Margaret’s Hospice in Clydebank where he is given the greatest of care.
Hopefully, he will get home but you never know and so each day and each conversation is like winning the lottery.
For me, without him there would be no Celtic, no being as daft as a brush, no walking your own road in the opposite direction to everyone else at times, and no “life lessons” which steer you along the right road.
There is nothing — absolutely nothing — that is more important than people.
Livibhoy
Believe it or not, BBC Alba are about to do a full huge documentary on “The Italians in Scotland” where they look at Italian culture, how it transposed to Scotland and with a whole feature on the big Italian/Scottish picnic event that takes place every year.
It will be broadcast in Gaelic!!!
BRTH
There is nothing — absolutely nothing — that is more important than people.
Agree, but my wee Dug comes close.
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma
It was a poor joke on my part about the commuters turfed out a taxi for speaking Irish Gaelic.
I’m off the Italians myself. My gran hails from Naples.
LB
B.R.T.H. Your dad will be in my prayers as will you at this difficult time for you both. H.H.
Joe
Thoughts and prayers with you and yours. God bless.
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma
My grandmother spent some time in St Margarets Hospice in Clydebank. Unfortunately she died when I was a very young. My dad said the care was 2nd to none.
LB
Never really had chance to reply to the PL propaganda going on from Paul67 and the spin from PL via the press. Nearly vomited when I saw PL saying everything is wonderfull!!!!
Wow Our striker policy of trying to find a sell on striker has been a shambles
Our midfield has surrendered since Vic left. What we sold him is beyond me, none of the money went to Neil
We have no superstars in our team ( bums on seats player)
Fergus pulled about 35k of fans from nowhere and now we are losing them
PL coming out 24hrs before a cup tie about wonderfull financial results and then watching our team being giving the runaround by Aberdeen
Lets be honest. We have no completion and should be picking up the treble
The money we receive from CL shows the corporate failure in PL in the years that we never made it. Remember the grabbing 1M for Boruc and playing zaruska in goal with cha in CL qualifiers. Corporate failures Wilo window still deserves a sacking. Cost us about 20M
No PL has not been good enough ad he has concentrated on his own bonus and his ladder into SFA and ECL.
But it’s all about opinions
Foster or Virgil will!!! Be sold. Not to improve our team but to improve our financial results
Sad
Morning Celts, Minx prayers said hen ✊
joe filippis haircut, and prayers said for Mary, God bless her.
Vinny
ST,
I disagreed with you on the performance of the board before – but now I can’t help but agree fully.
I think they adopted the right approach, which is where we disagreed, but they’ve now found enough encouragement to take it to ridiculous levels, which sees us
(i) selling our best players as soon as they get noticed – I can only comprehend this in the context that we must sell such players before they are inevitably injured in the Scottish football/ refereeing failure context, in which case, why aren’t we dealing with that more directly?
(ii) treating supporters with utter contempt.
Point 2 seems to apply to regular ST holders and corporate ticket holders alike.
I don’t think I need to say any more.
VoD is the future without doubt and its billing on the big stage is getting closer by the day.
The ongoing roll out of superfast broadband through fibre to the cabinet by BT and increased Mobile TV access speeds will make it a reality in the UK
Getting your TV through VoD will become a global shopping experience filling every niche you can dream of.
Celtic with their massive fan base and global appeal are well placed to prosper from this
FFM. It’s all about opinions When we found Henk , were we immediately saying. Wow thats 10m we can sell him for. No we were saying what a player what a future !! For the team
Things have changed now
BRTH
The world turns turns turns and if we were able to hover above a spot on the surface then eventually we would be in the same place without moving.
So the days when a club’s size was dictated by the number coming through the gate to watch, because that was the only way you could watch your team, are returning.
I can see the day when a season book costs less than a CTV subscription to encourage folk to attend the game and provide atmosphere and old KevJ can stop mentioning the size of the crowd and accept the world is turning, turning,turning.
It will put pressure on Celtic to make folks want to attend. Easy access to the ground, organising buses rather than or along with the CSA. Moving the football season away from the dark into the light.
Give folk the will to turn up early and leave late but passing the time in comfort in facilities around the stadium.
More families coming if the CTV income is large enough to make the ticket cost attractive.
To increase that audience Celtic will need to break into overseas markets like China whose love of whiskey might be the trail of green smarties leading to CTV.
The future is bright and green and heading our way from the past.
If its left to BBC and STV on ind epence then it will be a no vote,time them 2 were told enough is enough, let the Scottish people decide which way they are going to vote. as for that BBC Mob if there was a survey done on how many people they employ here in Scotland 3/4s of them would be made redundant,and that includes them on Sportsound,