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The Shamrock Dublin Gazette- Issue #01
Kennedy High School, La Palma, California 90623
 
November 14, 2003  
Countdown to Departure: 118 Days
 
Current Temperatures 
Dublin: 50 Degrees - Cloudy 
Limerick: 49 Degrees - Rain 
London: 57 Degrees - Partly Sunny 
 
Henri Soucy, Editor 
http://www.kennedyband.org
 
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IN THIS ISSUE
 
(1) A Word from Henri
(2) The Grand Hotel, Malahide in Dublin
(3) Tracking the Dublin Temperatures 
(4) Irish Slang
(5) Euro Currency & Coin
(6) Fund-Raising Review
(7) Frequently Asked Questions
(8) Show me the Money
 
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A WORD FROM HENRI:
 
This will be the first of 17 weekly issues of the Shamrock
Dublin Gazette. I will email you every Friday. For the
folks that don't have emails addresses, I work out a way to
get them a hard copy. 
 
Each week I'll be looking for new and interesting things to 
report. If you happen to come upon some web sites that you
think will be of interest, please email me so I can include
in our upcoming issues. 
 
The goal of this newsletter is to be entertaining but at
the same time, provide you with the latest information. I 
hope you enjoy it. 
 
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THE GRAND HOTEL, MALAHIDE IN DUBLIN:
 
The standard bedroom amenities include trouser press, hair
dryer, modem connection and satellite TV channels. The
hotel includes the Arena Health & Fitness Club. It has a
unbelievable swimming pool, Jacuzzi, full gymnasium and
steam room sauna. The Grand Hotel offers a range of food
and beverage services that include the Colonnade
Restaurant, Palm Court Carvery and Ryan's Bar. There are
13 restaurants in close proximity to the hotel that offer
French, Italian, Chinese, Siamese/Thai and Mediterranean
Cuisine. Plus we have our American favorites of a
steakhouse and pizza. Yum!!!! I can't wait. 
 
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TRACKING THE TEMPERATURES:
 
Averages for March in Dublin
Average High: 49 Degrees Fahrenheit
Average Low: 39 Degrees Fahrenheit
Average Windspeed: 14.94 mph
Average Wind Direction: West
Average Morning Rel Humidity: 86.0%
Average Afternoon Rel Humidity: 70.0%
 
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IRISH SLANG:
 
I'll use this section each week to illustrate some of the
Common slang terms that you will might be encountering in
Ireland and England. This week I'll focus on Ireland. 
 
Afters: dessert
Blarney: nonsense
Chips: french fries
Drink Link: a bank ATM
Eatin' house: restaurant
Flea Rake: a comb
Gobsmacked: very surprised
Hooley: party or celebration
I've a mouth on me: I'm hungry
Jacks: toilet
Knackered: very tired
Longers: long trousers
Mary Jane: women's privates
Narky: cranky
Odds: loose change
Peeler: policeman
Rosie Lee: tea
Scratcher: bed
Tiddler: reference to small fish or child
Up the yard! : be off with ya!
Wafer: ice cream sandwiched between two flat wafers
 
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EURO CURRENCY & COIN:
 
Euro Banknote denominations are as follows:
5, 10, 20, 50, 100 & 200. 
 
Euro Coin denominations are as follows:
1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50. 
 
1 Euro is divided into 100 cent. So it's comparable to our penny. 
 
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FUND-RAISING REVIEW:
 
The success we had fund-raising over $110,000 for the
Australia trip in 2000 was because we had a two-year window
to plan it. This trip is not affording us that
opportunity. So we'd like to focus on two ways that would
raise the maximum for your son and/or daughter.
 
Scrip: I would recommend you purchase as much scrip as
possible between now and February. It doesn't cost you a
cent more than you would have paid anyway. But it will
save you a lot of money. Our really successful parents
using scrip get their family, friends and relatives
involved. They are more than glad to help.  In 90 days you
could probably earn between $150 and $300 with a little
effort. 
 
Donation letters: We would be glad to provide you a
donation letter that you could send to all of your
relatives, friends, doctors, dentists, accountant, plumber,
etc. This raised over $36,000 for the Kennedy students
going to Australia. Trust me, I had parents that didn't
really believe it would work. But they were pleasantly
surprised when the donations came pouring in. We'll have
sign up sheets at the next "All Hands" Meeting on December
8th if you would like to use this option. 
 
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
 
I'm sure you all will have lots of questions. It's the
same information that everybody will probably want to know.
So this section will be dedicated to providing the answers
to any possible questions you might have. Just click the
mailto below and ask away.
 
Normally questions will be answered in the weekly
newsletter. If the questions require an immediate response,
I'll send out a special email. 
 
mailto:henri.soucy@ngc.com?subject=questions
 
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SHOW ME THE MONEY:
 
$100 US Dollars = $59 Pound Sterling (Great Britain)
$100 US Dollars = $85 Euro (Ireland) 
Rate valid as of: 11/14/2003 
 
Currency conversions are based on Yahoo Currency
conversion. 
 
We plan on offering through our good friends at Bank of
America an option for you to purchase your Euros and
British Pound Sterling currency prior to leaving on the
trip. 
 
For Australia in 2000 we were able to convert over $38,000
US Dollars into $64,000 Australian Dollars. Bank of
America provided the Australian currency in the
denominations by student. This made distribution very
convenient. 
 
I don't recommend waiting until we get off the plane
to purchase currency at the airport in Dublin. I
personally do not want to be at their mercy on the exchange
rate at that time. I want to convert when I can get the
best possible exchange rate. Since I review exchange rates
daily, you can be rest assured you'll get more bang for
your buck timing the purchase of the foreign currency. 
 
This will be totally voluntary. We'll offer it as a
convenience for the students and adults going on the trip.
You are under no obligation to accept. 
 
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You can subscribe by sending an email to: 
mailto:henri.soucy@ngc.com?subject=subscribe
 
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mailto:henri.soucy@ngc.com?subject=unsubscribe
 
You can give feedback by sending an email to:
mailto:henri.soucy@ngc.com?subject=feedback 
 
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Thank You For Your Readership!
 
 Henri Soucy, Editor
 12903 Belcher Street
 Norwalk, CA 90650-3329 
 Telephone: 310-332-3239
 Pager: 310-232-4458  
 http://www.kennedyband.org
 Email Address: henri.soucy@ngc.com
 
 Bob Anthony, Kennedy Band Director
 Telephone: 714-220-4119
 
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