Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Alamy Stock Photo
Test Yourself
Quiz: How much do you know about Moby-Dick?
Would you share a bed with Queequeg?
10.01pm, 13 Nov 2021
30.8k
25
THIS WEEKEND MARKS 170 years since Moby-Dick was first released in the United States.
Herman Melville’s iconic novel is widely regarded as one of the most important works of American literature and it’s opening sentence is among the most famous ever written.
Advertisement
The book drew on Melville’s own experience on whaling ships and was also inspired by the fate of the doomed whaleship Essex, which was sunk by a whale in 1820.
But how much do you know about the book?
Call me…
Ishmael
On the line
By your name
Maybe
Why did Ishmael decide to go on a whaling voyage?
Wikimedia Commons
He had little or no money in his purse
He had nothing particular to interest him on shore
It was a way he had of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation
He found himself growing grim about the mouth
It was a damp, drizzly November in his soul
All of the above
Who interrupted Ishmael when he was asleep at the inn?
Captain Ahab
Queequeg
Starbuck
Stubb
"Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian."
Alamy
True
False
Was Queequeg actually a cannibal?
He was
He was not
Where did the whaling ship launch from?
Wikimedia Commons
Nantucket
Manhattan
Boston
Baltimore
What was the ship’s name?
The Jerobaom
The Rachel
The Pequod
The Samuel Enderby
Why was Captain Ahab obsessed with Moby Dick?
Alamy
The whale killed his wife
The whale bit off his leg
He loved eating whale meat
He wanted the whale’s oil
What was Ahab’s prosthesis made from?
Timber
Iron
Leather
A whale’s jawbone
The whale in the book is based on a real albino whale named Mocha Dick who survived dozens of skirmishes with whalers in the Pacific.
True
False
What species of whale was Moby Dick?
Alamy
Blue whale
Humpback whale
Sperm whale
Gray whale
Who was the only crewmember to survive after Moby Dick destroyed the ship?
Alamy
Ahab
Ishmael
Starbuck
Queequeg
What became of Captain Ahab?
Moby Dick swallowed him whole
Moby Dick dragged him to his death in the sea
Starbuck shot him to end the revenge mission
He returned to Nantucket and found peace
Finally, the American musician known as Moby is the great-great-great nephew of Herman Melville.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
The brother just finished training as a paramedic. The problem is the serious lack of instructors (who are mostly retired Garda personnel). They agreed to become instructors under the assumption that it was a part time endeavour so they could enjoy retirement as well, but enough instructors weren’t hired, so it ended up becoming a full time, 45 hour a week job every week of the year.
Eventually over the last couple of months most have just quit, so now there’s just one ( yes ONE) full time qualified instructor in Dublin to train every paramedic / Garda in the country. For paramedics they’re finishing their training but there’s a 3 month waiting list for the driving qualification, so most newly trained paramedics can’t drive under sirens either.
@Chris Forde: National Ambulance Services own fault they outsource the driving training to a company in Galway called I.A.T.I who then sub contracted it to a retired guard who doesn’t have a clue. They need their own dedicated NAS instructors.
@Chris Forde: It’s not just sirens they can’t drive full stop without the driving course. Which in turn means they can’t work on an ambulance as crews rotate between calls between attending and driving
@Joe Bloggs: Those retired Garda have the best driving qualifications and experience in the country which they obtained both in Ireland and from the UK police. They are the only ones who are even remotely qualified to give blue light training in this country.
@Joe Bloggs: You may be confusing that with the was it used to be (at least in the UK) where there was only one test.
That’s since changed, there is level one and then the response driving which is level 2.
@Bob Earner: if you read back I’m referring to National Ambulance Service Paramedics not guards. The guards have a two level system alright but paramedics only have one level in which includes normal driving and response driving.
@John Ryan: I’m assuming you were/are one of the retired guards that run the course so I apologize if I’ve hurt your feelings with fact but the course could be run a lot better.
I’ve done the course alright and passed it first time. I’ve been response driving for years!
@Joe Bloggs: & all NAS students as part of their first year in training undertake the 3 week driving module. This has been the way for a good few years so the information you posted earlier is incorrect.
@Chris Forde: ammm none of this is accurate. Gardai are not trained by the same instructors as paramedics. So saying one instructor is training paramedics and gardai is completely false. Gardai are trained for advanced driving in Garda HQ or Templemore depending on what region they are based in
@Austin Florish: What exactly did I post that was incorrect? It’s a 3 week course alright that’s held in NAS HQ in Dublin which is run by a retired guard who is sub-contracted to do the job.
Most Paramedics will have done the course within their first year of training.
But I’m lost to see what I said that was incorrect???
@Anthony: it’s Ex Garda driving training instructors that train paramedics so technically it’s the same instructors but at different stages in their career.
All emergency services drivers have a similar advanced driving course to complete.
I’m open to correction from a guard but as far as I’m aware there is no specific course for pursuing vehicles?? It’s the same advanced course. Level 2.
I suspected that when yesterday I saw a cops car blaring it’s siren and nearly knocking me down on the luas tracks, just to park in front of the ombudsman office on the footpath and stroll into the coffee shop in front of it.
Farcical!! Training should be mandatory as part of the initial training in Templemore. No Garda should be allowed to “pass out” without the relevant level 2 driving skill.
I’ve a friend in Glasgow that’s a police officer. They are a response driver but they confirmed that I already suspected; there are far more untrained response drivers on their shift then there are trained ones. (and other stations have even fewer)
Apparently it can take up to 4 years to get trained (more if you’re in a role that doesn’t require it)
This seems to be an issue in more than just Ireland.
€5.4 billion to rescue Irish Nationwide, the bank where you didn’t need paperwork or ID for mega loans.
THE CHIEF executive of Irish Nationwide Building Society, Michael Fingleton, was paid a bonus of €1 million just weeks after the Government introduced the €440 billion guarantee to protect the entire banking system.
According to the RSA and the Gardai themselves, an on duty untrained Garda in lane one not allowed to drive faster than a hogger on a motorway/dual carraigeway. Only in Ireland!
Leading Kinahan figure Sean McGovern charged with murder and directing organised crime group
7 hrs ago
18.9k
aughinish alumina
An Bord Pleanála raised concerns over use of ChatGPT for inspector's report into Limerick plant
Eoghan Dalton
4 hrs ago
1.7k
ciaran mullooly
Irish MEP used AI to write open letter about Gaza which quoted Swedish House Mafia
22 hrs ago
52.6k
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 197 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 137 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 177 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 139 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 101 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 102 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 47 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 43 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 161 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 73 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 96 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 102 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 45 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 60 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 29 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 112 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 115 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 84 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 63 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 107 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 90 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say