And see when I hand you over, we're gonna, it's a nice compliment, do you think? So, Gregory, you're, what's the seat? Let me look at you. Er, what are you? Oh God, can't tell. So you're not capable of compliments, all you're capable of is...  There you go, there you go, you can't do it. Do you know what's awesomely? Do you know what's awesome? Me. You are. Oh, you're brilliant. So you had to turn that negative into... No, I didn't, but I mean, you're always so, you know... Yeah, so aggressive. Yeah, just be nice. Cross some stuff. Be nice. Can't do it. Have you any compliments? What about Caroline? Have you a compliment for Caroline? Is it a national compliment today? No. Of course, as you mentioned. None for her, too. Are you crabbing? Yes, I'm hoffing. What about your listeners? No. No compliments for your listeners? Love them. Ha, ha, ha. You're really doing it all of a sudden, boy. If I don't have listeners, if I don't have my mam, that's the only option. That wasn't long-stiffing in your cough. What? That wasn't long-stiffing in your cough. What does that mean? Having a clue. Were they talking about spitting yesterday? Was it the people, all that hockin' and stuff and all that? That makes me sick. Everybody was chattin' about that yesterday. Hey, I don't judge, but I'd prefer not to walk in someone's flum. No, we're not even... We're done and dusted now with storms, aren't we? You were, for the time being, yeah. Jocelyn has jostled on through. Good day.  I was last night, too. Was two girls' names, Asia and Jocelyn? Yeah, well, yes. But they're all the names are named at the start of the year. In each country, in Europe, or somewhere, we all have choices of names that we can pick. Right. We're fairly rattling through the alphabet. We're up to J, boys. God almighty, aren't we? So, hopefully now that's the end of the big one. Yes, fingers crossed. We'll put us on change today. Can I remember when we had a massive heatwave in February? I have a recollection of about 20, 30 years ago. I think you were dreamin' or on holiday summer? No, I genuinely remember... We had a heatwave in February. In the sea in February. Yep, I remember we were out in the sea. It was just like the summer. Yeah, the swamps we'd on. There was this, like, polystyrene surfboard that we were playing on. We were standing and jumpin' in the water. Definitely February, probably about 30 years ago. Do you think it happened? You weren't even born 30 years ago, you were that young. That's a compliment. Yeah, but that's not... It's a thinly veiled insult is what that is. No, okay. So anyway, that's it, Lee. We're looking for people to pass compliments on. So, you know, I'm sure all the listeners here have lovely things to say about someone close to them. That's nice, wouldn't it? Or send me videos and stuff. Pass on the compliments. Send me videos, voice messages. But should we do... We're not too good at giving... Are we good at giving compliments at all? No. What's nice to get them, even though we say... I am not good with compliments. I really... But as people were not... If someone says something nice to me, and I'm not just saying this, I recoil. Like, I am like... Why do we... Why do we be like that to you? I don't know. I don't know, but I'm not really praise compliments, except unless it's coming from, like, your boss or something, but you don't get that here. So, I don't... Carly compliments you every time you walk out. You're the king of content. That you get a stand-in-all vision when you walk out in the studio? Well, I do ask that. Don't always get it. All right, good morning, T, and have a good show. All right, they have a goodie. Okay, so listen, hey, pay a compliment to someone. You know what? If we'll do it on voice messages, if you want to say something nice and text whatever, and we'll have a Ninth & Noon show mug, and we'll throw anyone who sends in a voice message compliment to someone, and we'll put a Ninth & Noon show mug, a shirt, and a hat. What, you were pushing it? I know a hat. I don't need to get 50 people, and say, I'm a medium and a large... Yeah, but we don't actually have the hats, but I'm just... You're really jumping? No. You have a mug, though. I'm getting a hat. I'll put the hat like you were doing it. National compliments daily. Be nice, sunshine. He's got such a cutting tongue on him. Right, okay, it's an early 10, so we're going to get to the news in a second, and I'll remind you about sending in your voice note compliments, not to me or to Highland, to someone close to you, and we'll get a Wee Highland radio goodie bag together for the best voice note. How's about that? That's a phrase you don't want to use on the radio. Okay, let's get a news update now at three minutes and only four minutes past nine. Oops. And it's over to Donna Marie Doherty. Thanks, Greg. Good morning. Castle Finn has once again fallen victim to the elements as the main road flooded with the arrival of Storm Jocelyn. McGlynn's restaurant called on Donegal County Council to take action on social media posts, saying it's far too often that they are living in fear of losing their business. Residential premises have experienced severe flood damage in the past are also in the immediate vicinity. Local Councillor Gary Doherty says it's deja vu. This is a case of deja vu, and it's something that happens repeatedly, regardless of whether we have neem storms or not. Anytime there's heavy rain, it seems that this flood incident happens on the National Primary Road, just outside McGlynn's restaurant, and it's simply not good enough anymore that the delays that have been occurring to the flood relief scheme and the length of time it's taken for that process to actually get shovels on the ground is not acceptable anymore. Thousands of Donegal homes and businesses are without power again this morning due to the combined effects of storms Jocelyn and Isha. Power is due to be restored over today and tomorrow. Brian Tapley from the ESB says it could be a couple of days before power is restored nationwide. We have restored supply to about 220,000 customers since the start of storm Isha, but I suppose we're into the more difficult ones now where it's kind of a lot of repair work to restore supply to small numbers of customers. Ishka-Aaron has also reported a number of water outages across the country. Local updates from Ishka-Aaron and Donegal Clarity Councilor on our website, islandradio.com. A Donegal deputy has warned of the serious crisis in the Irish fishing sector. Marine Minister Charlie McConnelook has been asked to clarity the refusal of an offer by Denmark to resolve a dispute over mackerel which would be worth almost 10 million euro to the sector and access for Iceland into Irish waters. Shouldn't Fence Fishery Spokesperson Deputy Patrick McLaughlin says the government needs to step up to support the fishing sector. We have an industry in crisis. We need a government fighting fighting for their future in Europe. I want to know will Minister McConnelook urgently come up for the drawl and make a statement clarifying his handling of both the Danish government's offer and the access for Iceland at Irish Territory in the waters. I would be happy to pass on their question to Minister McConnelook on fish negotiation. KS&I in Strand Road are investigating after a vehicle was damaged in Glengali Road close to Bradley's pass on Monday the 15th of January. It's reported that around 10 o'clock that night a number of used through items including a metal roadwork sign and a wheelie bin at the vehicle in question. Police ask those with any information to get in touch. And finally a man has been charged in relation to the thefts of from vehicles in letter Kenny. The man aged in his 30s was arrested in relation to the incidents which took place over the weekend. He's now due to appear in court before Glentie's district court this morning. That's all for now from Highland Radio News back again at 10 o'clock. Until then, good morning. Ready in minutes. That means you don't have to choose. Here comes Strong Roots, toy green veg curry, then veggie masala and it's creamy mac for the win. Strong Roots. Good made easy. Find us in the freezer aisle at Dunn's Super Value Tesco & Spur. The county's number one talk show The 9 till noon show on Highland Radio. And now it's time for the talk of the Northwest. The 9 till noon show with Greg Hughes on Highland Radio. And hello, a very good morning to you. You're very welcome along to the 9 till noon show here in Highland Radio. For this Wednesday, it's the 24th of January, 2024. How are you all keeping out there? I do hope you're very well indeed. Stay with us over the course of the next three hours. We've got loads coming up on the show, talking about the big topics of the day. And also we'll keep you updated on what's the crack with power supply, water supply, roads, that type of stuff. Post storm jostling I think at the moment, water and power are the key issues. The roads are thanks to the council crews are pretty much there or very close to being there. And as I mentioned to Lee beforehand, it's National Compliments Day. So we want to give you the encouragement to pass on your compliments to someone close to you or anyone, really, that you want to. And we're going to put together Highland Radio, a goodie bag for your lovely 9 till noon show mug. These are limited edition. We've got a lovely hat for you, a lovely shirt. So if you want to be in the chance to win our goodie bag, send us a voice message paying compliment to someone. 086625 thousand on WhatsApp. Pass on a compliment. And you know what, if you want to do it by text as well, that's fine, but preferably be nice to hear you say yourself in a voice note and we'll pick out a winner randomly and you'll win that nice little goodie bag, right? 086625 thousand. That's the number for all of your contacts. We accept voice messages, of course, and WhatsApp on any issue you want to talk about. Or on text 086625 thousand. That's your SMS. If you want to give us a call, Caroline and Shannon taking your calls and 07491 25,000. And of course, we're across social media for those of you who choose to and if it suits you to watch the program on YouTube Highland Radio Ireland. And you can watch us on your smart TV with the YouTube app or your Firestick or your Google TV. If you have that as well, even your smart displays we can also pop up on that as well. If you go into YouTube and select us and we're across your mobile devices on that app as well as X and Facebook, Highland Hub, Highland News and Sport. And first and foremost, across the airwaves, across the northwest and on your smart speakers as well. The Finn Valley voice this morning, fortunately there were no serious injuries to anyone when the roof of the Finn Valley letter centre at Millbrae, Stranawlar was damaged during storm on Sunday night. Heavy aluminium sheeting from the roof was scattered across the road and around the building. It's amazing that there was nobody hurt or killed with this coming off the roof said manager Sean Foley. On to the Irish Times now this morning and the government may not identify locations for proposed new reception and accommodation centres for asylum seekers before the local and European elections according to government sources familiar with preliminary discussions on the subject. So under these plans being drawn up by Minister for Integration, Roderick Gorman, which a government spokesperson said yesterday would be completed within the next two weeks, it's proposed that about six large reception and accommodation centres for asylum seekers will be established by the state as a response to the current refugee accommodation crisis. So I presume the government would suggest that this would put an end to people being driven often under the cover of darkness to places and obviously there's been local opposition to some of these moves. That being said, some might see it as a little bit peculiar or not peculiar. I'm trying to choose the right word disingenuous. I'm not sure if that's the word to wait until after the local elections because of course I think for the most part any councillors particularly those associated with the government who were in favour of these if they were announced in their areas might struggle to get elected. Would you agree? I suggest that might be the motivation. A spokesperson said that once Mr O'Gorman brings his plans to the government work will begin on site selection. However, he could not say that any sites would be identified before the June elections and a number of senior government sources said this would be unlikely. We don't have a set time for how long the work will take. The spokesperson said ministers are acutely a potential local opposition to accommodation centres for asylum seekers. However, they also know that Ireland has legal obligations to accept people who claim asylum or international protection and accommodate them while their applications are being processed but that all seemingly can wait or potentially may wait till after the local elections. On to the Irish Independent now and huge numbers of PAYE taxpayers who drew refunds that could amount to hundreds of euro which the Revenue Commission said it estimates that 480 million euro may have been overpaid in tax last year. Now you can get companies now they take a cut I don't know maybe what is it 5% or something that will go through this for you if you don't want to do it there's lots of them out there some people don't want to engage with revenue in case it sort of flags something but for most PAYE workers it's not an issue the only issue perhaps but potentially might have been Covid payments working to recoup but at the very worst any rebate you have could offset that because eventually you're going to have to pay it in any case. But tax officials are encouraging PAYE workers to fill a tax return saying this is the most effective way for workers to find out if they urge you a refund half a billion euro of PAYE tax overpaid last year is sitting there in the coffers some of that could be yours often you'll get a few hundred euro back it could be a holiday for you and the family in some cases because you can back date it if your credits aren't rightly associated or whatever it might be it can be thousands so there's 480 million euro sitting there some of it could be yours the Irish Daily Mail this morning the T-Shockers accuse Sinn Fein of adding to the trauma of Ukrainian refugees as the party continues to change its position on migration. Senior Sinn Fein figures have recently indicated three different stances on whether Ukrainians should stay in the country when the EU-wide Temporary Protection Order expires in March 2025 under the Order, Ukrainians receive special refugee status which automatically entitles them to work they also get special rates of entitlements such as social welfare and medical cards. Speaking to the Irish Daily Mail last night Leov Radkar said Sinn Fein is causing unnecessary anxiety for Ukrainians in Ireland Ukraine is still at war he said at the moment rules are set at EU level so all 27 member states are and over here to page 4 are aligned which make sense I can't envisage Ukrainians being forced to go home or move on while the war still rages our record suggests that 20,000 have voluntarily returned but that is very different and there are areas of accommodation that don't have as many Ukrainians in them as they did in the past I'm not sure if that's the moving into their own rental accommodation or moving back to Kyiv I simply don't know actually I'll just stay on that story here because it's just an update as it relates to payments to Ukrainians payments for Ukrainian refugees are expected to be cut to 38 euro 80 cent from early February this according to the Irish Daily Mirror the cabinet decided before Christmas it would change rules for newly arriving refugees and it is only newly arriving refugees this will include cutting payments from 220 euro a week to 38 euro 80 additional changes will limit the length of time a person can spend in state provided accommodation to just 90 days social protection minister Heather Humphries will discuss the legislation to reduce payments for newly arriving Ukrainian refugees at the Arctis social protection committee today now measles is spiking or increasing in terms of cases right across the EU thought it worth bringing to your attention measles has seen an alarming 30 fold rise in Europe the World Health Organization has warned more than 30,000 cases were reported across 40 of the 53 member states from January to October last year compared with 941 cases in 2022 two in five cases were in children aged one to four WHO blamed falling MMR vaccination rates and more people holidaying after Covid spreading the disease to over borders and finally would you put salt in your tea here we go again anyway this is in the Irish Daily Star a tea expert and I would question if they're an expert or not claims you should add salt to your copper to make the perfect brew chemist Dr Michelle Frankel said scientifically it helps to reduce its bitterness but he's delicious why would you put salt in it to warm the milk up before putting it into the cup to reduce the risk of curdling I don't know what kind of tea this lady's drinking the tips among the unusual ideas featured in a box steeped the chemistry of tea published by the Royal Society of Chemistry Dr Frankel of Brian Murr College in Pennsylvania US said that she enjoyed the challenging of explaining it in a way that people who are not chemists can appreciate the beauty of chemistry happening the boffin said I learned new things about what is in my cup of tea and how to make the best cup of tea I used to drink half fat milk because then I'd found that full fat milk too creamy and then I switched back to full fat milk because it's better for Hudson and my god I love it again now it's amazing how you can become accustomed to one taste and then switch to another but anyway salt in your tea claims to be an expert I don't know heating your milk before putting into the tea I don't take a lot of milk now there's a magazine out as well by the way and this is freely available it's called The Business it's a magazine of the letter Kenny Chamber of Commerce I thought it was letter Kenny Chamber but it's now officially apparently letter Kenny Chamber of Commerce and it's called The Business and there's lots of great reading in it particularly if you're a business person but even if you are not lots of great pictures well produced keep an eye out for it it features a feature on the gole and at Houston of FM Services etc there's even a picture of us in here Highland Radio's featured in it but then again our boss is the president of the chamber I'd be disappointed if we didn't get our face in there somewhere but anyway there's loads of stuff in there loads of great pictures so that's called Business it's from letter Kenny Chamber of Commerce and it is around about the place 08 660 25000 WhatsApps and texts to that number 08 660 25000 call us on 07 491 25000 if you want to pay a compliment to someone send us a WhatsApp voice message and of those that do we'll select one of them who will receive a Highland Radio Ninetal Noon Show goodie bag isn't that exciting back after these digital loans now available apply online or via our app today and get your loan transferred directly to your current account at Electric Ireland we're here to make your world brighter all of our 1.1 million customers will see that come to life this winter with the second price decrease across all residential electricity gas and dual fuel bills good news for you even better news for your bill Electric Ireland making your bills smaller and your world brighter second decrease effective from 1st March 2024 applies the standard unit rate at iMotors at iMotors our brand new Kia 241 range is ready to go for immediate delivery as Donnie Gall's home for Kia with 7 years warranty and low finance rates from 1.9% on EV cars and 3.9% on the rest of the range check out our stylish and diverse range at iMotors.ie iMotors your local Kia dealership Easy Living furniture's biggest ever winter sale has been extended for a limited time only this is your last chance to avail of these amazing discounts absolutely everything reduced across sofa, dining, bedroom, mattress and accessories it's the furniture you want at amazing winter sale prices winter sale extended for a limited time at Easy Living Furniture Crescent Link retail part the time at 9.21 we're joined on the programme now by Councillor Martin Harley a business person and of course Cahirloch of Donnie Gall County Council Martin good morning to you thanks so much for joining us morning Ray right, minimum wage increase we'll see one Donnie Gall business owner having to find an extra 100,000 Euro what also I'm noticing in a month so it's connected and we can teach it out throughout the course of the conversation is businesses not able to absorb the minimum wage increase and they're cutting hours all closing during the week we're seeing more of that now and also across social media across the country really seemingly successful businesses with high turnover that's how it appears anyway pulling the shutters down closing the doors is it a tough operating environment for businesses at the moment yes Greg I just I just think this is going to be a very tough year for the buckles let's not be, let's be honest but it's been a few tough years with the Covid and all that there but people have survived and in fairness to probably there was support put in place during that time so that people could keep their overheads in place but there's a tough year ahead and you know it's great to see the minimum wage you know because in fairness to people the workers out there they have mortgages to pay, they have rents to pay mortgages is going to be 2% in the last three years and that's all so the minimum wage is a very good thing we have to be proactive and try and make sure people that want to go to work that it's worth their while going to work and that's very important yeah of course but do businesses have the spare resources to absorb that because of course the government's announced an awful lot of things like the minimum wage increase which I think you know it's important extra holiday leave entitlements and all that type of stuff and all of these announcements look good for the administration but it seems time and time again it's businesses that are having to absorb all of these costs whilst also high insurance costs, high energy costs and then a bit of frustration that maybe the government's not putting enough pressure on these companies to drive down some of those costs there's an awful lot of costs being built into doing business now that are completely unavoidable no matter how well you avoid your business or how well you run your business oh yes yes that's the thing is most energy costs have gone up over the last two years that's been a big one the cost of running business will happen as well so we can see it Greg and you can see it on your weekly shop is the price of items buying is going to go up because the business won't be able to absorb all this here and as you say this business that have been going very well for years are cutting back on days so cutting back to five day a week to ensure that they can survive so there is challenges of course as well there's not a challenge as well it's during the lockdown there was a warehousing of tax debt and that all has to be paid by the 1st of May this year or some type of a plans important place for the 1st of May so that is going to be a challenge as well for some of the businesses that warehouse tax during lockdown so the 1st of May is a big debt for those people and this is something as well that I've listened to from different business people out there over the last number of months so the challenges of 24 are fast the thing about it too though Martin is you see you talk about the prices having to go up you know say for instance in terms of the multinationals we're able to take prices down a little bit now which that seems like a good thing on the face of it but these smaller family owned firms I'm not sure they have the capacity to do that and in hospitality particularly in that sector we are in a cost of living crisis as well and the price of going out for something to eat for lunch has gone up to what the price of going out for dinner almost used to be a few years back and going out for something to eat it's becoming incredibly expensive and I'm not really quite sure how much capacity is left there amongst your average Joe and particularly here in Donegal to absorb the rises that you perhaps feel are inevitable so we are at a really a nasty crunch point potentially for business we are at a nasty crunch point and as well you'll see people doing as well people that may have gone out for lunch twice, two times a week that will maybe go out for lunch one day a week now that's where they're going to see it and that means that you're going to be less foot full in the premises of cafes the restaurants, the bars all the other hospitality sector and the shops that people would be buying, maybe it treats for themselves in shops they'll say no we're going to skip that this month and that is the problem so the turnover for all these businesses is going to be down but their overheads are going to be up and there's I mean we have the challenge I was talking to five councillors from Kerry the weekend the Lama conference was in Donegal Town last weekend and I would just have me sit with five Kerry councillors on the Saturday night and I was talking to them and one of those guys near Killarney he was in the 12 businesses of close in Killarney in the last two months and part of the problem there is that 42% of all go to Elbiton and Killarney are not in use at the moment because of the fact that they're being taken up with people coming into the conference who have been displaced from their own countries so that's a massive challenge as well for the hospitality sector there as well so when you hear of towns like Killarney that's a tough because Killarney is one of the I don't know many thousands of bedrooms that are in Killarney it's not like five or six thousand what that means too is there's less capacity but also what capacity is there how many more summers can that because cafs close restaurants close that are next to hotels news agents close other businesses at what point are we going to say that particularly for the likes of Kerry and Donegal both counties have the highest rate of refugees in the country or one of the highest rates of refugees in the country both are incredibly dependent on the tourism dollar so to speak where does this end what needs or can be done what are you calling on to be done there needs to be more support but in place for the businesses from the government and I've called on this over the last few weeks and I've talked to Mr Simon Harris from the county on Monday as well and I mentioned to him as well around the cabinet table that we need to be looking at we don't need a quick fix Greg we need someone that's sustainable over the next couple of years but it's going to be in place for 24 but it's not business supports here we need to give businesses the environment that they can work in oh yeah we do need to put that because there's a lot of more employment law and all that there is coming down there and to run a business now the amount of paperwork that's involved is unbelievable I mean people think that if you're working for the business person wants to close the doors that's far from it finished two or three hours of paperwork to do then and at the end of every two months they might have spent two or three days getting their their tax all their documents put in for an accountant to do up their taxes for their batch return every two months that can take days as well that they think that the business is closed for two days so there's a lot of massive amount of challenges there the energy cost as well someone that I probably mentioned as well on the media there generally as well was that there are supports in place there that probably businesses don't realize through local enterprise offers that there's things that we could be looking at maybe through energy cost savings not there that we need to be doing there's vouchers for online trading as well with the local enterprise offers there's a lot of businesses that may not realize that are out there that can be a some help so you're saying that we need to get that message out there whatever supports are there they need to be made aware of them okay well listen Mark it's been an interesting conversation I suppose you know we've kind of gone through what the issues are and you've made a few suggestions as to what needs to be done but it sounds to me like you believe that the government needs to you know have a really strong look at this in the round especially not just getting through this winter but into the holiday period once again and create a sustainable working environment for businesses that needs to be done for the next to say it's not a short term fix this is something we need to look long term and to stress we'll be probably rising again so more vouchers in places and the old house is involved with that there as well so there just need to be a long hard thinking about this through the departments and send out a message that will keep people in business because it's great putting up them in in which from 1130 to 1270 but that's no good to the worker if the business closes down I fear for the coming year or they get their hours cut which is happening too okay thank you very much indeed that's Councillor Martin Harley business person, businessman I can hear Locke of Donegal County Council right we're joined on the program now by the owner of Homes in Locke Fern in Milford PJ Darity PJ thanks very much for taking the call I know these things aren't easy but we appreciate you taking the time to chat to us how are you keeping good Greg thank you right okay now there's been a lot of conversation about these properties in Locke Fern if you don't mind PJ just so we're really clear can you give us a little bit of the history of these you built these houses and initially was the view was it for the purpose of doing a deal with the council and then the council presumably making them available for social housing and how long ago back are we going so 2019 before before Covid before the whole rise and prices in construction Donegal County Council put out a turnkey package and the just of the turnkey package is a developer was development land could approach the council on the turnkey package and say I have land I will build the houses for you and we come up with a price so we set the price at that time and this is the price we can do it at and then the council agreed there was no contracts signed in this there was specifically this turnkey package was until the houses were complete the council could walk away or I could walk away so there was never no commitment in this turnkey package so we went on and we got our planning which took 12 or 18 months we built the houses but in the period between getting the planning and building the houses we fell into Covid I think we were one weekend on site when Covid took place and the time we got back to start building the houses our prices had skyrocketed till the point that we were very shortly back on site and we realised that the price that we had agreed with the council was never going to meet construction costs and at that stage of the game I alerted the Donegal County council that this turnkey package was not going to work for me and I believe throughout the county there was multiple other developers in the same situation so we never proceeded to we completed the houses but we never proceeded with the turnkey package with the council and 14 months ago I left the council officially know that that I would not be proceeding with the turnkey package and that the council under that turnkey package the council the houses were no longer available now they were still interested at that point in paying the 2019 prices but due to the construction costs and what yeah they give a small increase in prices but fractional it wasn't anywhere near what it needed to be right so that was that initial and listen the reason it's no contract sign to protect the local authority and the developer it is common practice that PJ isn't it that it gives the opportunity for either party to walk away if need be yes yes that was the way that turnkey package was set up there was no commitment from either side like I had a financial development of the houses myself the council give no commitment whatsoever the council give no commitment whatsoever to the houses sometimes as the houses are finished now that's one reason the second reason that I want to add as well that that contract didn't work as at the same time that we were building these houses the entire Micah situation broke out throughout the county and we had the whole uproar in relation to houses collapsing with Micah and inside that the Donegal council inside that same turnkey package to Dernagal council changed their approach to us and what we had to require so what we had to require for blocks at that stage now my blocks in Lockfair and Heights are perfectly fine they've been all tested and everything's correct my material came from WJ chambers in Derry and all our products is good but what I will add to that is that the council with on that turnkey package changed the whole rules of how we had to test the blocks and they made us do different things that wasn't required under the original turnkey package and at that would mean if I had a finance in houses that I wouldn't have had to finance them because no finance company would take on the financing due to this extra testing and this extra rules and regulations the council put on so in effect the first turnkey package that the council released was it was not effective it wasn't fit for purpose so it didn't work so it's not just the financial element of it it is the extra regulations that would have complicated your financing options correct okay correct and that was all out of that was that was all changed rather than what we tendered originally so what we tended originally and what the council wanted us to take over the lane that they end up was totally two different things right so then that was adding a lot extra little bit okay so and I presume this conversations ongoing I don't want to know your private business because you are a private individual can you is it fair to ask you can you give us any indication what percentage of an increase you would require from the 2019 from the 2019 agreement to make this viable to to to deal with the council directly is that possible or is that compromising your your private information I have the figures in my head but I don't have the breakdown of the stats and I don't really want to be releasing the stats that's okay fine that's alright listen that as I say you're a private individual so I won't push you push you on that but there is an uplift there obviously what I will say is the deal that we have done with cooperative housing associations is still below today's caps for Dunningall kind of council so what I will say is if the council if the council if the council was to support cooperative housing association purchase in these houses today they would still be they would the tax payer would still be getting the houses at probably 40,000 per unit less than what will take the council to go out to Milford tomorrow morning and build houses so if the council was to go out to Milford tomorrow morning and build houses it would cost them at least 40,000 more to build the same houses right so you are engaging with cooperative housing association and you are looking for the council to engage with them and that means through this third party that you get a return on your investment and there's a delivery of social housing for Dunningall County council is that that's where we're at yeah so back approximately seven or eight months ago there was support given by the council to support three sites that I'm involved with within the county and Lockfair and being one of the sites so cooperative housing is purchasing three sites of me which I will build the other two sites out and that support was given and I went away and purchased land and put in planning applications and etc etc on strength with that so then the next thing was just prior to Christmas we got word back from Lockfair and Heights that the council was no longer supporting now contracts has been issued to cooperative housing association the two solicitors are engaged with each other the valuations has been done building control has been signed off Irish water has been signed off the houses were ready to hand over like probably if the council hadn't appalled support cooperative housing association would be an ownership of the houses today so are you at this point urging the council to come back to the table or do you believe that deal is dead in the water now I'm extremely losing hope I'm extremely losing hope but I still have a glimmer of hope and if anything comes out of this what the tension that's happening here now if anything comes out of this what I would urge is people in Milford that's waiting to get on the housing list get on to your politicians get on to your councillors ring the council and ask the council out straight what is the update in Lockfair and Heights why are they not supporting cooperative housing and get answers because the reality is these houses are still for sale through cooperative housing association for an example if I was to walk away today from the steel I would have legal costs probably in the regions of 40,000 to walk away from the steel and cooperative housing association on the other side would have the same legal costs that I have not informed my solicitor yet that the steel is off because in my head I'm still hoping that the steel somehow will still kick off but you must also have in your head a deadline as to where you have to try and get a return on your investment when is that not an old sort of firm deadline but how long are you prepared to wait this has been a cat and mouse the last two years these houses has been lying empty for the last two years now what I will add to this as well is this is not an isolated case in the county there is all our developments in the county that's in the same situation and I am sure I have no evidence of it but I am sure that all our developers in the county has been told that their housing developments has been poked and they're not all our housing associations is not purchasing them now so I am not this this is a county wide issue it's not isolated to lock their okay so there were attempts previously were there to move refugee families into these houses is that correct and what happened there? that is correct yes there was a night pass contract through a secondary party on the site and after the residents moved in the department moved them back out again because these houses were earmarked for social housing it stirred up a lot of controversy and I presume we can't say for certain but I presume that was a factor to it so the houses there are now lying vacant there is some concern that you are now two of them you are preparing them to rent are you doing that as part of any particular plan that is only coming through is it actually happening are two of them being prepared at the moment for rental? yes that is true we are starting to the houses were left totally back to shell again so there's no appliances there's no blinds there's no furniture there's no nothing in the houses so our intentions is if we do not get movement in this and I'm going to wait now for another few weeks to see what happens but if we do not get movement and get the council to reverse their decision then I'll have been left with no choice but to rent these out but what I will utter it is there is no plans to put refugees into these houses are any Pacific people but that being said PJ they are going to the open market so presumably you can't discriminate between a Ukrainian family and an Irish family or maybe possibly they are going to the open market so anyone anyone has a right to apply to rent these houses you don't have a particular preference or track record in renting houses to refugees for example or people living here under protection that's correct that's 100% correct I cannot discriminate between one and the other so when they go to open market who as long as the client is as long as everything is correct they will be allowed into the house and in terms of rental I mean you have a lot of money in here recouping that money via rental is going to take some time the property market is red hot at the moment why aren't you selling the houses these houses are designed as social housing and they have been totally designed with the impact of Domigol County Council so they are totally to the specification of social housing and they are designed at lives of a different product to take to the market so it's not your typical product where you have your typical 7 detached house and you have your separate site these are roles of terrace houses so it's not the same product as me designing and developing a product for the private market okay I'm just trying to cover every base here now because obviously rentals will be scrutinized as would mine and I just want to make sure I ask every relevant question presumably then you can't and some people would say I shouldn't even ask this question but it's out there you can't decide who goes into those houses as such so say all 17 houses in the future become available for rental anyone who is living here anyone who is the resources has the the right credentials can rent these houses as they can any house anywhere in Donegall yeah that's correct look Greg what I will reiterate here is my desire and I want you all to get us out to the people my desire is to sell these houses to cooperative housing association we are way too far down the road with corporates they have spent a lot of money they have spent a lot of money I have spent a lot of money and getting this contract to where it is the contract is on its 12th hour often over the lines and only need that last letter of support from the Donegall County Council and as I say by this stage the cooperative housing would be in ownership of these houses ultimately these houses were built to fulfill a need that still fits today in Milford and I want to get them houses handed over to corporate houses to fill that need as the houses go on the private market to rent you are 100% right they might not necessarily go to the people that need them in Milford because I can when I put them on the market for public rent public rent and its nature means that anybody can apply for them do you have any experience that any sections of people or groups of people are better resourced to put them in a stronger position to house rent you have rented out an awful lot of houses is it possible that certain groups of individuals seem to have more resources to secure these houses I hate to even ask this question because I have zero issue with Ukrainian people whatsoever but is there any competitive advantage for Ukrainian families in renting your properties no I don't believe there is because as you said earlier the property market has gone not at the moment and rents have gone through the roof so the reality is anybody going to rent them property where they are local people where they are foreigners they are going to have to pay the current market they value for the rental properties they are going to have to pay that so the the citizen of Ireland is up against the same issues as everybody else has and that is that there is just simply not enough properties in this county and that is driving the rental market throughout the county that we are getting multiple phone calls on a daily basis from all sectors of society looking for properties there is no properties out there is your intention to rent these to families couples or individuals are you open at all of your approach to rent them to say for instance international protection so in other words save no they are not available to international protection so in other words there is no scenario whereby you might have 15 people in the house if the boxes were your intention is that these are for couples families individuals whomever can pay the rent just in an open market situation correct correct we have we are getting messages in it seems now I am not saying this is representative of the residents of Loch Furn the surrounding Milford but there are people saying we don't want any foreigners in there at all now I don't know how we got to that point but that seems seemingly where we are at do you have any concern that that sentiment is out there yeah 100% 100% so that's referring to unless they have an Irish passport they are not allowed to rent them houses that in itself is scary but like take it from a business point of view if I have to rent out all these 17 houses my financial return in these 17 houses is going to be in excess of 20 years if I can continue on with cooperative housing the people that need the houses get the houses immediately and we get our financial return now which needed to go into all our developments in the county to build all our houses for social housing okay so the ball you would say the ball now is in Donegal County Council's court I think you said earlier on that people with an interesting housing in Milford should actually be focusing their efforts on lobbying local local representatives to impress on Donegal County Council that this deal is still on the table that they still these houses would be acquired below Donegal County Council's own caps at the moment and it's over to them but you can't hold on forever does that sum it up I can't hold on forever but I still have a hope and a desire and I think as the local people that need houses if they have anything to do today make a phone call to their politicians make a phone call to the council because that's what the focus needs to be at here we need to get answers why is there developments lying around the county that why is there developments lying around the county that are ready for completed and ready to hand over and the council are pulling support on them when we're in a situation that the council is not producing houses and the whole county is crying out for social housing can I ask if the houses have already been two houses that you're prepping are they already given to have they already been given to people at this point are they there's no provisional deals there's no furniture there's no blind these two houses will be advertised publicly not through any other channels they'll be advertised publicly and everyone will have an equal opportunity to apply to rent them they're not going to be going through any if we were to start to get them ready today they would take a two x to get them ready but lorries have been going in bringing furniture and stuff in already though haven't they that work has begun no there was one small van from IKEA delivering flat pack furniture last Saturday evening this is how this kicked off alright okay well listen yeah go ahead did you want to say one last thing pj yeah there was a van with flat pack furniture and the two people that's been highlighted here was there to accept that flat pack furniture into the house and like it's a local contractor that kits out the remaining furniture of my house my houses and he hasn't even been appointed yet to do to put on the appliances to put on the blinds to put on the remainder of the furniture so one last thing and I hate to ask these questions so it's not in my nature but the two people that you've referenced okay there has been some on science online suggestion from various places that they may favor but they may favor applicants for those houses of certain nationalities or backgrounds can you suggest can you confirm that that's not the case they don't have the power to do so they don't have the power to do so the properties will begin on the public market and whoever is whoever is there to rent them will be there's been nobody appointed to rented houses yet so there's been nobody allocated to any house yet right Peach I think that covers what I will say is we already have we already have two houses out there privately rented two Irish people in them seven so as a part of them 17 houses two of them like this is not something new two of them and a short-term contract two of them would as already rented understood to Irish people okay so like these rent in these houses is not a new scenario like there's really Irish people in two of them 17 houses that is rented not foreign national Irish people yeah I mean but listen like short-term contracts exactly but I mean you know at the end of the day people living here regardless of the background you know these could be families that are working in the hospital and are saving people's lives and been living here for 10 years and now they could be scrutinized because they're not Irish and inverted commas there is elements of this whole the questions I have to ask you that I'm not comfortable with but I just wanted whilst you were there to try and get through as much of it as you can but just to say some of it I'm actually not even comfortable asking the questions because I've got friends and I've had very good help from people of all different nationalities and all different backgrounds but anyway PJ unfortunately that's the space we're in and I appreciate you coming on the bigger question is here the bigger question is here is sorry one second just to delete this call the bigger question is here is why is it on the go of county council supporting housing associations to purchase houses and then pulling into them like I have another two sites that I've invested a lot of money in that I have invested on the strength of getting support off cooperative housing because cooperative housing got support of the council now I'm sitting back waiting for the email to say that cooperative housing is pulling their support from them after me investing all that money so and I'm not a nicely developer around the county there's all our developers around the county that's got this Axie news and I would Is this going to lead to a problem do you think we need a lot of houses forgetting the thrust of the conversation we've had so far we need a lot of houses here to grow the county but also to deal with people that need accommodation through defective concrete and what have you think the way the council is handling these issues is actually going to mean that developers who we need are going to look elsewhere to do business do you think this is actually could have an impact on a housing delivery across the board in Donegal finally and briefly PJ I don't think it I know it in the last 18 months I have invested 11 different investments in Northern Ireland simply because I don't trust the structure in the Republic of Ireland so all my future developments and we already have one of our sites in Northern Ireland on the ground but all my future developments is going to be in Northern Ireland because I don't trust the structure here We'll have to leave it on that now PJ Doherty owner of the houses in Lockford in Milford thank you very much for your time today when it comes to electrical waste recycling we're pretty good with the big items like fridges, dishwashers and TVs but what about those mystery cables or broken mobile phones we throw them in a drawer along with that ancient laptop that just might come in handy someday the good news you can recycle anything with a plug, battery or cable for free and it couldn't be easier for a list of drop-off points and participating retailers just go to mywaste.ie brought to you by the Government of Ireland The Massive January sale is now on at Patterson's Kitchen The Hall Lifford Massive savings on kitchens, beds, sofas dining sets and giftware with up to 50% off selected mattresses hundreds of products in stock and ready for delivery or collection Open Monday to Saturday 9am till 5.30pm Get yourself down to Patterson's Massive January sale Are the signs of aging creeping up on you? 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Choose Grant's a triple plus rated air-ona air-to-water heat pump and new flex under floor heating Visit grant.ie Okay, so a much quieter day overall with moderate to fresh westerly soon decreasing light to moderate south-westerly dry with a mix of cloud and sunny spells However, well-scattered showers will develop temperatures today of eight to nine degrees Donals next with the news Live on air, online and on the Highland Radio app This is Highland Radio News Good morning, just going to turn the clock Donald Kavanaugh at the news desk Castle Fane has again fallen victim to the elements as the main road flooded overnight with the arrival of Storm Jocelyn Midland's restaurant called on Donegal County Council to take action in a social media post saying it's far too often that they're living in fear of losing their business Residential premises which have experienced severe flooding in the past are also in the immediate vicinity Councillor Gary Doherty says it's deja vu It's a case of deja vu and it's something that happens repeatedly regardless of whether we have neem storms or not any time there's heavy rain it seems that this flood incident happens on the national premier or just outside McLean's restaurant and it's simply not good enough for the delays that have been occurring to the flood relief scheme and the length of time it's taken for that process to actually get shovels on the ground simply is not acceptable anymore Meanwhile there are 50 power outages across Donegal this morning Each fault is affecting less people than in previous days Iske Aaron also reporting a number of water outages across the country Local updates from Iske Aaron and Donegal County Council are available on our website HighlandRadio.com Donegal Deputy is warning of a serious crisis in the fishing sector Marine Minister Charlie McConnelogue has been asked to clarify the refusal of an offer by Denmark to resolve a dispute over mackerel which could be worth over 10 million euro to the sector and also questions are being asked over access for Iceland into Irish fishing waters which in Fein's Fishery Spokesperson W. Porthick McLaughlin told the Dold the government needs to step up to support the fishing sector and he wants Minister McConnelogue to make a statement about the crisis we need a government fighting for their future in Europe. I want to know will Minister McConnelogue urgently come up for the dold and make a statement clarifying his handling of both the Danish government's offer and the access for Iceland at Irish territory waters I would be happy to pass on the request to Minister McConnelogue on the Fishery Association The PSNI Ayn Strand Road are investigating after a vehicle was damaged on Lengali Road close to Bradley's Pass on Monday it's reported at around 10 that night a number of views through items including a metal roadwork sign and a wheelie bin at the vehicle in question Police are urging anyone with information to get in touch Meanwhile a man has been charged in relation to thefts from vehicles in letter Kenny the man aged in his 30s was arrested in relation to incidents which took place over the weekend they happened in the vicinity of Ruffo and Convoy there were all so reports of attempted breakings in the vicinity of Castle Finn which is due before Lenties District Court today The Gheerlach of Donegal County Council says 2024 will be a very difficult year for business with inflation still impacting businesses at a time when football and turnover are falling Councillor Martin Harley who runs a bar in Balabafé says costs will rise further as a result of new social measures such as the rise in the minimum wage although he stressed that's something he supports On the 9th of Noonche with Greg this morning Councillor Harley says an extra pressure this year would be the requirement to pay back tax during the COVID lockdowns There's a lot of challenges during the lockdown those warehousing of tax debt and that all has to be paid by the 1st of May this year or some type of plans put in place So that is going to be a challenge as well for some of the businesses that warehouse tax during lockdown So the 1st of May is a big date for those people and this is something as well that I've listened to from different business people out there over the last number of months The challenges of 24 are an internal HSE document has warned a continued recruitment freeze this year risks increasing waiting times and demoralising staff Health bosses announced the move to extend the freeze to almost all staff last November in a bid to keep expenses down following budget overruns however the document released to the Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act says the budget allocated for 2024 means a vast majority of vacant posts are not funded Mick Maloy of the IMO Consultants Committee says it's very disappointing that these were posts which were approved and planned over the last couple of years so it may be a specific post within a team which now means the team itself can't function effectively So if those individuals are working within a team structure which is helping to divert patients away from our over stretched emergency departments then that new initiative just won't happen The obituary notices this Wednesday morning January 24th The death has occurred of Desi Desmond Sweeney 9 Cheshire Apartments Long Lane Letter Kenny and formerly of Salahe Grane and Thorndale Reposings of the news have been announced in the last couple of months but the news has been announced in the last couple of months but the news has been announced in the last couple of months if wished to the Cheshire Apartments or Donegal branch of the MS The death has taken place of Mary Galaher Ni Galaher Culmine Dublin 15 and formerly of Bali Malil Letter Kenny Reposing at Cunningham's funeral home Blanchardstown on Friday evening between 6pm and 8pm removal on Saturday morning to St Bridgets Church Blanchardstown arriving for funeral mass at 10am followed by cremation of SNF and crematorium Mary's funeral mass can be viewed online on BlanchardstownParis.ie Family flowers only please donations if desired to the Irish guide dogs for the blind The death has taken place of Sheamus Stanley Kessey 183 Bali Culmine Estates Treban Reposing at his home funeral leaving his home tomorrow afternoon at 1.50pm for Requiem Mass and St Mary's Church Melmont The death has taken place of Mary Eater Boyle Ni Harkin Letterily Glenties Remains will be reposing at her residence funeral from there tomorrow morning at quarter past 11pm to St Connell's Church Glenties for 12 noon Requiem Mass with burial afterwards in the local cemetery Family flowers only please donations if desired to the Irish guide dogs for the blind The death has taken place of Billy Forbes 26 Silverthorne Avenue Culmine and formerly of Treban Reposing at his brother Martin Forbes home 12 Tullacore Heights Treban funeral leaving his brother's home this evening at 6pm to St Mary's Church Melmont for Requiem Mass tomorrow at 10pm and term it afterwards in the Adjoining Cemetery Requiem Mass can be viewed live via the parish webcam The death has taken place of Brainy Doherty Devlin Ray Carrigart Reposing at his late residence funeral from there tomorrow going to the church of St John the Baptist Carrigart for Requiem Mass at 11pm and term it afterwards in the Adjoining Cemetery on the Meaver Parish Facebook page Family time please from 10pm to night and before the funeral tomorrow The death has taken place of Timmy McBride, Annegri and Bun-Beg Reposing at McLean's funeral home today from 1pm to 5pm followed by removal to his own home with Rosary at half past 8 Funeral tomorrow morning at 11am in star of the C Church Annegri with burial afterwards in the Adjoining Graveyard The death has taken place of Jackie John Thomas Wilke-Easton-Norler, Letter-Kennie and Garton Church Hill Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Jackie will take place in the Eternal Light Chapel of Rest Mountaintop this afternoon at 1pm followed by interment in Garton Cemetery For family information and more details regarding wakes and funerals please go to highlandradio.com The 9 till noon show is brought to you by Letter-Kennie Credit Union Offering low-rate car loans with fast approval, apply online at letter-kenniecu.ie or in office today Harcans have been providing customers with quality fireplaces, stoves and electric fires for over 30 years and now you can experience the elegance of luxurious worktop from Harcans Their experienced craftsmen can fabricate marble, quartz or granite worktop to your specification So, if you're planning a new kitchen or bathroom or upgrading your existing walk, Harcans Fireplaces can provide a quote for your quartz, marble or granite worktop If you're planning a new kitchen for your quartz, marble or granite worktop Visit their showroom in Ballymogan-Lifford or call 9141109 or visit them online at harcansfireplaces.ie So, he was like messaging me all night and then he just ghosted me No way! Yeah!  Okay And I was like, cool And he was like, I'm on my way driving over right now And then? Phone use while driving can be deadly.


Check check. Check check. Desi 1, 2. Check check. There's a lot. Please join in a moment of centering silence so we can be fully present with each other this morning. Now let's get musically present with each other by turning to the words for our in-gathering hymn which you'll find inside your order of service. And welcome to another Sunday here at First Unitarian Society where independent thinkers gather in a safe nurturing environment to explore issues of social, spiritual, and ethical significance as we try to make a difference in this world. I'm Steve Goldberg, a proud enormously talented member of this congregation. And as the cow said after crossing the high meadow, I'm utterly tickled to see all of you here this morning. I'd like to extend a special welcome to any guests, visitors, and newcomers. If this is your first time at First Unitarian Society, I know you'll find that this is a special place. And if you'd like to learn more about our special buildings, we'll be conducting a guided tour after today's service. Just gather over here by the windows and we will take care of you. Speaking of taking care of each other, this would be a perfect time to silence those pesky electronic devices that you just will not need for the next hour. And while you're taking care of that simple but important task, let me remind you that if you're accompanied today by a youngster and you think that young person would rather experience the service from a more private space, we offer a couple options for you, including our child haven in the back corner of the auditorium and some seats right outside the doorway in the commons where you and your young companion can see and hear the service. And as is the case every weekend, one of the reasons we are able to see and hear the service is that it's brought to us by a great team of volunteers whose names you get to see here right now. Handling the sound system is David Bryles. Our lay minister today is Lois Evenson. Our greeters upstairs were Patty Witte and Claire Box. Claire was the one opening the door for you. Our ushers today are Chuck Evenson, Brian Channis, and Ann Ostrom. The coffee is being provided by Biss Nitschke. Make sure you thank her. Anne Smiley has donated the flowers in honor of her mother. And our tour guide today is John Powell. Just a couple of announcements. We're going to build gingerbread houses today between one and three o'clock this afternoon in the commons. So kids of all ages are invited to participate in this great activity and you get to eat the product, which is kind of cool. We will provide graham crackers and icing. We'd like you to bring a couple bags of candies to decorate your gingerbread houses. Gum drops, licorice, and whatever pleases you. And you might also want to bring along some milk cartons and other items around which we can build the gingerbread houses. So again, today one o'clock to three o'clock in the commons. And lastly, there are 133 days, 133 days until cabaret. With that, I invite you to sit back or lean forward to enjoy today's service. I know it will touch your heart, stir your spirits, and trigger one or two new thoughts. We're glad you're here. For today, come from the Dao De Jing by Lao Tzu. Dao gave them birth and the power of Dao reared them, shaped them according to their kinds, perfected them, gave to each its strength. Therefore, of the 10,000 things, there is not one that does not worship Tao and pay homage to its power. And as Dao bore them, and the power of Dao reared them, made them grow, fostered them, harbored them, brewed for them. So you must rear them, but do not they claim to them. Control them, but do not lean upon them. Be their steward, but do not manage them. This is called the mysterious power. Now if you can rise and body your spirit and join me for the lighting of our chalice and follow along with the words printed in your order of service. For daylight and darkness, for sunshine and rain, for earth and all people, we offer deep thanksgiving, for all things bright and beautiful, for all things wise and wonderful, for all creatures great and small, we offer endless praise. We kindle this light in celebration of the life we share. May it help unite our lives with the larger web of life to which we belong. And now we invite you to greet the bright and beautiful next to you as we exchange friendly greetings. Please be seated. At this time I'd like to invite any kids to the front for our message for all ages. So do we all have visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads? Yeah? Do you know what a sugar plum is? No? Don't see a lot of sugar plums these days, do we? So here's the question. Do you think that animals have feelings? You think animals can be sad? You think animals can be happy? How do you know? Did you ask them? No? You think that maybe you can just see it with their expressions when they're happy or sad?  Well, this is a story about animals and it's a story, a very, very old story that comes from India and it's about animals that actually do have feelings.   So long ago there was a king in India and he had a beautiful gray elephant that he loved to ride. And so the king commanded his servant to give this prized elephant the best of care so each day his keepers led the elephant out of the stable into the green fields where she might eat the tender grass freely. Isn't that a great elephant? And they would also take her to a clear pool where she could splash around and play and in the evening they bought her these big bowls of sweet rice for her to eat.  And enjoying this free food very much the next evening the dog came back and soon he was a regular guest at meal time in the stable.   Well after some time a farmer from another village happened to be coming and visiting the stable bringing some fresh hay and he saw this dog and said that is a remarkable dog I have to have it. And so he offered to buy it from the elephant's keeper and because the dog was a stray and really didn't belong to anybody the keeper sold him to the farmer for a very good price and the farmer took him away. Well that that night of course the dog didn't come back to eat with the elephant wasn't there to lie down and sleep with the elephant. And the next morning when the dog still had not returned then the elephant was too sad to eat her bowls of rice and later on she wouldn't even eat the sweet grass in the pasture. The next day she refused to walk to the pool and take her bath and to splash around. Well day after day went by and the elephant seemed to care for nothing at all. And finally word about this was sent to the king saying that your elephant must be really really sick. So the king sent for his physician who came to examine the elephant and he checked that elephant out from head to toe from the tip of her trunk all the way to the edge of her tail but he couldn't find anything wrong with her body. And so he reported back to the king and said Sire there is nothing physically wrong with your elephant that I can find but there does seem to be something wrong with her spirit with her emotions. She seems to be sorrowing as if she's lost something that was really really important to her. So the king called the elephant's keeper and asked whether anything had recently happened that could cause his elephant to be so sad. And he thought for a minute and he said well yeah there was this stray dog that used to come at mealtime and he would eat rice with your elephant and sometimes I would even see them playing with each other. Well where is the dog now? The king asked. Well there was this man came and he took her away. Well where does he live? The king asked. I have no idea said the keeper.  Well the farmer saw the proclamation and as soon as he saw it he became very afraid that if he brought the dog back he was going to be punished and have to pay that big fine. So he just let the dog go. Now so like so many dogs this one had a very keen sense of direction and he ran all the way back to the stable barking and he began circling around the elephant's legs when he got there and as soon as the elephant saw her old friend she lowered her trunk and he jumped up and the elephant curled her trunk up and the dog leaped onto her forehead and then she trumpeted a happy call that could be heard all the way across the king's palace and so the two of them the elephant and the dog began to eat and never again as long as they both lived were these two friends very far apart. Now this is an old old story but it actually has some truth to it because we know that there are other friends like this there is a sanctuary for elephants in Tennessee and there's a very famous elephant that made friends with the dog and until that dog died they were just like this so close and you know what when elephants get sad and they've lost something or they are hurt they're the only animal other than human beings that are known to cry. So that's the story about the two friends and I hope that you enjoyed it and we're going to sing you out with our next him. Number two four three like tears. To tell the truth the ox thought it was just a little unfair. I mean it wasn't as if they had a lot of extra room in the stable as it was. The stable already housed not only an ox but also a cow a horse a donkey and a variety of chickens. Still when you get right down to it folks have to sleep somewhere and so he didn't much mind moving over and leaving his stall space to the man and the woman especially seeing as she was so far along. Of course he had no idea how far along until later that night before the ox could turn around which there wasn't really any room to do anyway. Not only was there an extra man and woman in the stable there was also an extra baby. They laid him in a manger the ox's manger on top of the nice clean hay that the ox had intended for a snack later that night. But still a baby is a baby and you could hardly begrudge him a place to sleep where he was safe from the from careless hooves. No the ox thought looking back on the scene some years later it wasn't really so bad a bit cramped a bit awkward but nothing really to complain about when you thought of the cold outside. Not so bad that is until the next day when the shepherd started to arrive with their sheep with their sheep dogs bossy things always ordering everyone about. You couldn't he admitted leave them out in the cold and they seemed so eager to see that baby. Their rough faces gentle with wonder as they gazed at the little boy. Still in retrospect the ox supposed that one shepherd would have been quite enough and the sheep could have stayed outside for a while. But the shepherds were folks used to being with animals in a quiet way comfortable and unpretentious so it could have been worse. For instance there could have been kings rather like the ones who strolled in a few days later three of them with gifts and camels. The ox was a patient beast gentle and mild mannered but by the time he'd knocked over the mirror trying to avoid stepping on the sheep and caught his horn on the elaborate tassels of the camel's headgear it was simply more than the poor ox could stand. He kicked open the stable door and bolted out into the night. The night it was like nothing he'd ever imagined safe in the stable at sundown. The air was cold and somehow thin as if it had been as if it had been stretched out into the vast reaches of the sky. And the stars they seemed at once so close that his horns might dislodge them and so distant that his mind began to spin. One star seemed to hover above the stable both closer and more majestically distant than all the rest. It was stunning glorious shimmering with that sound with what sounded in the fevered imagination of the trembling ox like distant bells or an unthinkable chorus of angelic voices. The night the stars it was beauty like nothing he had ever known grandeur that left him terrified and shaken. The ox tried to move back toward the safety of the stable but he couldn't seem to get his legs to move. The ox had no idea how long he stood there before he felt the warm touch of a hand on his neck. Ah my friend said the man called Joseph so you too came out into the night. Could it be that even a simple beast fills as I do sometimes the splendor in there is more than I can stand. I find myself gazing at the child until time stands still caught in the beauty of that new life. Why is it that when I look at him I feel like a whole new world is starting to unfold before my eyes. Does every father learn to live with such a glimpse of eternity? Sometimes it's more than this old heart can take and I have to walk out into the simplicity of the night for fear I will get lost in such open spaces. The ox being an ox said nothing only leaned into the comforting warmth of the man and pondered. How could it be that this simplicity and glory could be so strangely mixed? Did the singing that still filled him come out in the stars or from somewhere deep inside? Eventually the man and the ox turned and headed back towards the stable. The man laid down on the straw of the ox's bed and the ox snosed his way in so that he could look at the sleeping baby. Why, yes, I see it now. Somehow the face of the child even in sleep seemed to hold love wide enough to encompass animals, shepherds, wise men, and every wandering stranger. The ox had lived in the stable all his life but until that moment he had never noticed that though it threw a crack in the roof one star shone into the stable, impossibly bright, impossibly near, impossibly distant, shining on the impossibly open face of the sleeping child. Not yet, Trevor. Thank you, TK. The author of that story, Lynn Unger, is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister and a poet of some note as well as a storyteller. The second reading, A Man and His Dog, comes from Earl Hamner Jr. who was a script writer for the television series Twilight Zone and this is based on an episode that was aired 55 years ago. A man and his dog, they were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery when suddenly it occurred to him that he was dead. Now he remembered dying and that his faithful dog had been dead for many years. He wondered where the road was leading them and well after a while they came to a high white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like it was made of fine marble and as they reached the wall he saw this magnificent gate in an archway and the street that led from that gate was made of pure gold. So he and his dog walked toward the gate and as he got closer he saw a man sitting at a desk to one side. When he was close enough he called out, excuse me, where are we? Well this is heaven, sir, the man answered. Wow, you tell me. Well would you happen to have some water? We have traveled very far and we're thirsty. Well of course we have water sir, come right in and I'll have some ice water brought right up to you. The man waved his hand, the gate began to open. But can my friend, the man said, gesturing toward his dog, can can he come in too? Oh I'm sorry sir, we don't accept pets. The man thought for a long moment remembering all those years that his dog had remained loyal to him and so he turned back to the road and continued on the way that they had been going. After another long walk they came to a plain dirt road which led to a farm gate that looked like it had never been closed. There was no fence and as he approached the gate he saw a man inside leaning against a tree and reading a book. Excuse me, he called to the reader. Do you have any water? We've traveled far. Oh sure, he said, there's a faucet over there and he pointed to a place that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. Just come on in and help yourself. Well what about my friend here? He said, gesturing to his dog. Well there should be a bowl next to the faucet. He's welcome to share. And so the two of them went through the gate and sure enough there was an old fastened faucet and a bowl sitting beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and then took a long drink himself. When they were both full he and the dog walked back to where the man was standing and waiting for them. So what do you call this place? The traveler asked. Oh, this is heaven. Now that's rather confusing. The man down the road said that that was heaven too.  No, that's hell. Well doesn't it make you mad for them to be using your name like that? Well no, I can see how you might think so but the truth be told it saves us a lot of time because they screen out all the people who are willing to leave their best friends behind. Thank you Trevor. Thank you Kristen. What a treat. That's glorious. As I suspect is true for some of you some of my earliest and most vivid memories are of times when I became aware of the other creatures that occupy this planet with us. Silvery minnows flashing in the stream that bisected our farm. Riggling snakes and scurrying field mice exposed when I would roll over a bale of hay in the pasture. Cats mewing for milk on the doorstep, hens scratching in our barnyard. The psychologist Mariana Radour says that to children animals are not lower, they are fellow beings of equal standing and so it did seem to me at the time. Growing up a century and a half ago near Portage, Wisconsin John Muir and his siblings seemed to feel much the same way witnessing the wholesale killing of passenger pigeons they exclaimed, oh what colors. Look at their breasts as bonny as roses, their necks a glow with every hue. It's awful like a sin to kill them, isn't it? Then responding with absolute certitude to his children's regret the elder Muir agreed that indeed these birds were quite bonny but he assured them they were made to be killed and sent for us, God's chosen people, to eat. John Muir would not however follow in his father's footsteps and as a young man recording what he experienced and what he witnessed on his thousand mile walk to the Gulf Muir wrote, it never seems to occur to these far-seeing teachers of religion that nature's object in making animals and plants might possibly be first of all the happiness of each one. Why should man value himself as more than a small part of this one great unit of creation? They're all part of God's family, unfallen, undepraved, are cared for with the same species of tenderness and love as he bestows on the angels of heaven or the saints here on earth. Well in the modern world many still accept uncritically the soulless state of animals and they presume that we are authorized by God or accorded the right by virtue of our superior status to subdue the animal universe. Tetsuro Matusaki is an internationally celebrated scientist at the University of Kyoto's primary primary research institute and he finds this attitude rather troubling. He says, I really do not understand the need for us always to be superior in all domains or to be so separate, so unique from every other animal. Matsuzawa has ample reason for reaching that conclusion because not only apes but creatures as dissimilar as parrots, porpoises, elephants, dogs, and rats have demonstrated a capacity for communication, for learning, for problem solving, for empathy that few would have dreamed of even 50 years ago. As in so many other ways, Charles Darwin was ahead of his time insisting that dogs have the power to reason, to know what it feels like to love, to envy, to mourn, and even to experience the prick of conscience. And the evidence that Darwin offered for all of this was anecdotal. It was based on his observations of his own dogs and reports from other 19th century dog owners but modern research has proven much of what Darwin claimed to be correct. And one of the reasons that dogs in particular manifest so many of the traits that Darwin attributed to them is because they've been around us for tens of thousands of years and this has resulted in what scientists call convergent evolution to a completely separate species acquiring new capabilities in tandem due to their close proximity to each other and their shared agendas. And because of this intimate relationship with humans, a dog's brain is now quite different from that of its wolf's ancestors and its emotional life varies accordingly. For instance, like small children, dogs experience separation anxiety when their owners are absent. We've probably, if we've been had dogs, we've seen this, we've witnessed this. And moreover, scientists say that a dog's vocalizations, the range and the tone of its barking, have developed in such ways as to enable them to communicate certain feeling states with to their human companions. And because they are so eager to please dogs pay close attention to and they readily pick up on signals from their owners so that one exceptional border collie responds appropriately to 300 different voice commands. Now for those of us who have had long-standing relationships with dogs and Trina and I have had two dogs over the course of 35 years, this sounds very familiar, but then what about some other animals that are not routinely a part of our domestic lives? Some of you may have heard about Alex. Alex was a famous African gray parrot and this parrot could carry on an unscripted conversation with his keepers and could also count objects accurately and controlled experiments showed that Alex could differentiate between the concepts of same, are two things thing the same, or are these two things different? And he understood the concepts of none or zero tasks that are considered to be cognitively very demanding. And some parrots are also able to grasp the purpose and the function of words using terms like hello or good night, not just imitatively, not just randomly, but in their proper context. Parrot says good night to you? Probably means hey good night. Other birds like scrub jays seem to possess what researchers call theory of mind. And that means that they are attuned or seem to be attuned to what another bird is actually thinking. So when a scrub jay becomes aware that another bird is watching them hiding a nut, they will return to that nut, that hiding place a bit later, retrieve the nut and move it to another location. Theory of mind. Another species, the Australian bower bird, is an artist. Male bower birds build these elaborate nests and they decorate them with all kinds of colorful objects. Why? Because this is the way that they attract female bower birds. And the females, for their part, are quite discriminating about which male they will choose to cohabitate with depending on the beauty of the nest. These are the first animal that we know of other than humans that seem to possess an artistic sensibility. Dolphins. They have the highest ratio of brain size to body mass in the animal kingdom and that includes human beings. And they too possess numerous remarkable traits. Dolphins are highly social. They have their own way of doing things, things that are not genetically inherited but are learned. Like humans, like elephants, like the great apes, dolphins are actually culture creators. And along with apes, elephants, and some species of birds, dolphins know how to use tools. They don't have hands, but they can use tools with their beaks. And in captivity, they quickly learn sign language. One particularly responsive dolphin, Akiyakami, became so proficient in sign language that she could respond to new commands the first time her trainer issued them. These were not trained behaviors, he reported. She had a deep understanding of the grammar of language. Other dolphins appear to possess what they call mirror neuron cells. Mirror neuron cells in the brain because they have this ability to mimic the behaviors of their trainers. For instance, if a human being bends backward and lifts one leg, the dolphin will turn on its back and lift its tail in the air, creating an analogy between those two appendages, its tail and the human leg. Among the great apes, orangutans are recognized as master escape artists, able to outwit zookeepers' best attempts to contain them. And chimpanzees, they not only use tools, chimpanzees have been known to modify an object so that it better serves its intended purpose. Now in an earlier era, toolmaking was believed to be a property that belonged exclusively to hominoids. It was our special mark of superiority, homo-faber, but that too is now questionable. Moreover, in certain respects, chimpanzees exhibit mental skills that are superior to our own. So when they are exposed to a random sequence of numbers displayed instantaneously on a touch screen, chimps are able to duplicate that random sequence with far greater accuracy than any human subject. Scientists attribute this to what the chimps have, which is flash memory, which is what we ourselves lack. So chimps are remarkable in their ability to remember, but can they really think? Jane Goodall, who became widely known for her decades of observation of chimpanzees in their natural habitat, Goodall witnessed several instances in which her subjects, the wild chimps, appeared to be acting deceitfully, trying to pull the wool over other members of their troop. And this requires a certain amount of thinking of calculation, but because her evidence for this was like Charles Darwin's anecdotal, most primatologists have never taken it seriously. Goodall says to say that the chimp was actually thinking about his actions is not scientifically permissible. The most one can say, she says, is that if that chimp were human, we would say that she was acting deceitfully. And to claim anything more for that chimp would make one guilty, of course, of anthropomorphizing. Now like humans, chimpanzees can be murderous. In the wild, troops actually make war on each other, but they also, like humans, exhibit empathy. They care for and they share with one another. Evidence, perhaps, of a rudimentary moral sense. And the same is true for elephants. Matriarchs, the acknowledged leaders of elephant bands, have been observed rescuing a calf from drowning in a deep pool. On another occasion, a wild elephant was observed bringing water to its dying companion.  And wet in pain, as I mentioned to the children, elephants have been known to shed tears. And more than that, neuroscientists have recently detected economo cells, economo cells in the brains of these elephants, also found in the brains of whales and great apes. And these are spindle- shaped neurons that were once touted as the cells that made us human. Because they are connected, those spindly cells, they're connected to our own feelings of love, emotional suffering, and sociability. Other creatures have them as well. Now, although elephants and whales diverged from our branch of the evolutionary tree tens of millions of years ago, the developmental outcome with these various species was remarkably similar. This may be a cause for some puzzlement. And if it is, it's probably because we have misconstrued evolution. We are used to thinking of evolution as this straightforward progressive movement from lower to higher levels of sophistication. But as Virginia Morrill says, evolution is not linear. Evolution is divergent, which means that we all sit on these various limbs of a bushy tree. Each species, as evolved as the next, the anatomical differences largely the result of ecology and behavior. And thus, she says, we are not the culmination of all these lesser beings. They are not lesser, and we are not the pinnacle of evolution. So far, so good. What about certain other creatures that we routinely dismiss as inconsequential, lacking in those special qualities that we have identified in the so-called higher members of the animal kingdom? Well, some of those, too, have considerably more mental and emotional intelligence than we have traditionally given them credit for. So take rats. Well, I'll take rats. You don't have to take rats. When Trina and I were undergraduates in college, she adopted two handsome hooded rats that my sister had to give up because of her asthma. And these cuddly creatures lived in Trina's apartment for two years, free and uncaged. Now her mattress was on the floor, and in the morning the rats would clamor up on the mattress and awaken us by nuzzling in our ears. And at the sound of the refrigerator opening, they would scamper out of their hiding place, climb up our legs, sit on our shoulders, and wait for a treat from the icebox. In terms of personal hygiene, they were as fastidious as any cat that I have ever seen. They would clean themselves thoroughly after being handled by any curious stranger. Now, although they are routinely used and disposed of as research subjects, behavioral studies are now showing that rats have distinct personalities, that they, too, exhibit altruism, that they are self-aware, and that they make decisions based on what they know and what they don't know. A faculty that is called metacognition also thought to be exclusively human, but hey, I could have told you all of that 20 years ago. Controlled research has revealed some remarkable findings about other life forms as well, among ants. Ants, mind you. Scout ants teach younger ones how to navigate unfamiliar terrain. It's not instinctive. These younger scout ants have to be taught that skill. And East Asian archer fish, they are excellent marksmen. They can knock insects and small birds off of branches and right out of the air by releasing a powerful, precisely aimed stream of water. This is not a natural talent that they possess. Young fish increase their accuracy by watching their more accomplished elders. In order to do this, researcher Thomas Schlegel notes, they have to take on the viewpoint of the other fish. It wasn't long ago that one invited laughter for showing even the least regard for creatures that the philosopher Rene Descartes once dismissed as meat machines. Despite his tarnished reputation for conducting deprivation experiments with baby monkeys, Harry Harlow, the late University of Wisconsin primatologist, Harlow made startling discoveries about the capabilities of his primate subjects. But fearing ridicule from his peers, Harlow withheld his findings about these primates for decades. And Harlow also worked extensively with a vilus zoo orangutan named Jigs. And Jigs made Harlow a believer in animal intelligence. Upon his passing, Harlow offered this compliment. Jigs, he said, died demonstrating a level of curiosity greater than that of many of our university's undergraduates. No offense, you undergraduates. So every time we come up with a quality or an attribute that seems to make Homo sapiens distinctly different or innately superior, a similar trait crops up in one animal or another. And yet attempts to establish some kind of clear demarcation between the human and the non-human world, these are ongoing. And most people still do find it difficult to surrender our human primacy. And yet in many respects, animal emotions, animal thought, animal perceptions resemble our own, as well as being fitted to that animal's own unique circumstances. And for this reason, the philosopher Peter Singer has offered an ethical dictum for our consideration as human beings. He says, it is wrong to sacrifice important interests of the animal in order to satisfy less important interests of our own. I'll let you ponder that. But given the manner that we have been gobbling up all of their real estate and disrupting their lives through climate change and raising them in confined animal feeding operations, a dictum such as Peter Singer's may strike us as inconvenient, hard to live up to, but it is worth thinking about further. So then what about heaven? What about the soul? Whatever the scientific evidence might suggest, there are still many who will turn to religion for their answer to the question about who is innately superior. And they will tell us, no dog is going to heaven. Now I am frankly agnostic with respect to both heaven and the soul, because there is so much disagreement about what they both signify. But I do appreciate the poet Mary Oliver's take on this matter. She says, I keep looking around me. One question leads to another.  So why should I have a soul and not the anteater who loves her children? Why should I have it and not the camel? And come to think about it. What about the maple trees? In this season, when the theme of incarnation leaps to the forefront, may we deepen our understanding of what that word incarnation might mean? And were we to recognize animals also as children of God that as human beings, we ourselves might feel a lot less lonely. Blessed be and amen. And at this time, we welcome Kristin and Trevor back to the keyboard and the flute as we receive our offering this morning. Please be generous. An ancient book and there were no entries today, but just as a reminder, this book always sits right outside the center doors. And if there is someone in your life that you would like to remember, to commemorate, then we invite you to put an entry in our book. So we will turn right now directly to our closing hymn. Please be seated for the benediction and the postlude. We close with words from the 13th century German mystic, Meister Eckhart, apprehend God in all things for God is in all things.  Every creature is a word of God.   Blessed be and amen.


Alrighty, so we have our new merch dropping today after a construction tour. So we have brand new shots from Yukon Strikers behind the scenes tour in poster form for you guys. A lot of these pictures are super HD. So the pictures here aren't doing them justice, which is why I'm gonna have the pictures on display after these posters are shown. These are super awesome shots taken by one of my friends as well with Aputure 7 Media. So thank you to him. So here are the shots here. They're super HD. They've been really well received online and we decided to put them into poster form for you guys. On top of that, we have our other merch that has already been in the stores. We have our amusement insider shirts with the drone and my face in an emoji. And then we have our Niagara Disney Universal esque shirts for you guys and our winter wear. Hope you guys really enjoy the new merch that we're launching today. The website link will be down below in the comment section in the description. Go give it a check out. And the merch will be shipped to you via us. So thanks so much for supporting the channel. Every little bit helps upgrade our equipment for the 2019 season as we get ready for our vlogging season. I've been working really hard, getting ready to vlog for you guys. Personally, face reveals, everything. So hope you guys are excited and ready for that 2019 is gonna be super exciting. Anyways, thanks so much for supporting the channel. Head on over to our store and support us in any way you can. Have a good one. Bye.