20 METRO Friday, November 27, 2009 D Bulb ballet: Dancers from Canadian troupe Cirque du Soleil balance en pointe on a table of illuminated lightbulbs at a performance of the show Dralion in Mexico City Picture: AFP/Getty The Big Picture Doing a great job Peacekeeping duties: Irish soldiers Patricia, army personnel are constantly training to serve in various peacekeeping duties abroad and they guard our borders and defend our nation in emergencies. They also provide aid to the civil powers by guarding high-value cash deliveries, providing security for Portlaoise prison, doing escort for some high-risk prisoners and security at court sittings etc. Theyre the most efficient public service section and the only one whose costs and budget have been constantly declining in the last ten years instead of increasing. They do a great job for the mediocre money theyre paid in my view. Dave To No day off for me, what exactly do you and the many others, including national newspapers, think is strange about the fact that there was an increase in the amount of people who headed up North for a bit of shopping on Tuesday. I myself was on strike duty that day but finished my shift at 11am. Who are you or anyone else to say what I should or should not do with the rest of my day? I did not actually travel up North but I think if I had chosen to do so, so what? What exactly is your complaint? I wasnt getting paid for the day so it didnt cost you anything (not that I think its fair to say that private sector workers pay our wages do we not pay our taxes too?) Also many have seemed to miss the point that a lot of mothers with children would have taken the day off as the schools were closed, maybe they were the cause of the increase in traffic. Louise Dublins best-read letters page Metro Mail E-mail letters to mail@metroireland.ie with a name. Or text us. Text MAIL followed by comment and name to 53131. *Texts cost 30cent per message + standard network charges. SP. Oxygen8 Communications, Hospitality House, Cumberland Street South, D2. Customer service number 0818286606 talk to us What did it mean? Can anyone explain yesterdays This Life cartoon? It showed a worried guy getting info about a birth and to tell Jackie. I dont get it Ricki?! SRD Time traveller: Now that the mornings are as dark as they were a month ago would it be possible to turn the clocks forward an hour and to leave them at that time always and stop this stupid messing with the time? Garrett Farrell Strike saver: There is one thing I would like to know about Tuesdays strike by public sector workers. Did they get their full salary as if it was a normal days work? Or did they save the Government a few million euro? Jay Grumpy old men: To Sean Ringsend bus driver, you might all be annoyed with the Government or Dublin Bus management, but why the heck are you all such a bunch of grumpy, bitter old men towards the innocent passengers? Two drivers in the last fortnight have been extremely rude to me for no reason and Im sick and tired of dealing with them every day. Martina In Brief Sean, Ringsend driver: I apologise, my comment about the bus drivers was in reference to the two who wrote to the Metro Mail the previous day. They had given excuses such as traffic and sprawling housing estates as the reason for buses not existing. You point out the real problem which I completely agree with top management. Yes there have been cuts in funding and the 14/14a is one such route that had the number of buses reduced. I wouldnt mind if they reduced it even further so long as they came up with a realistic timetable and put on enough buses to service the departure times listed. My annoyance is not with buses being late, nobody can help the traffic its with the made- up timetables. I didnt realise bus inspectors still existed? I havent seen one in years! Although Ive stopped taking the bus you forgot the ex in my name so its not me youre driving to work in the morning. I just wanted to stick up for Ill, Ive spent many hours waiting for that phantom bus! Ex phantom bus commuter Sendusyour txt Paul, do you remember someone writing in about a co- worker using a pumice or something similar to take skin off her feet at the office and a commuter who was hit by a flying toe-nail, freshly clipped by a fellow passenger? People are gross. Habit hater Paul, the finger-drumming is infuriating. But I have to deal with finger-drumming followed by pen-tapping, then knuckle- cracking only to be nearly drowned out by a colleague who has a chronic case of verbal diarrhoea! Going slowly but surely mad I click my pen on and off all day is that annoying? Hoopy The Huddle Hound You were blond and beautiful in a pink scarf, alighting the Dart at Lansdowne Road on yesterday morning. You lifted my day. Smitten Re the private and public sector debate it seems to me the Government of this country has decided to nationalise debt and privatise profit. Dedicated follower of fascism txt MAIL to 53131* index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html32.html33.html34.html35.html