Latest news with #KeithDavey
Irish Times
26-07-2025
- Irish Times
Books in brief: How pilgrimage has changed; a dentist practising for 700 years; a budding ghost-writer
Holy Places: How Pilgrimage Changed the World by Kathryn Hurlock (Profile, £22) The history of pilgrimage is examined in 19 sacred sites and their role discussed through a consideration of how these journeys shaped society, culture and politics, managing to thrive into the 21st century. Some pilgrimages have endured for thousands of years, and while many are still undertaken to promote faith, others are completed for contemplation or wellbeing. The author follows a trail from remote islands to teeming capital cities, writing about locations such as Mecca, Buenos Aires and Tai Shan in China. Her European itinerary includes Lourdes, Rome, Istanbul and Iona, as well as Santiago de Compostela, which the author suggests has become the model pilgrimage to which all others are compared. Modern historians and anthropologists have called this the 'Caminoisation' of pilgrimage. Paul Clements Toothpull of St Dunstan by Keith Davey (AAAARGH! Press, £11.99) READ MORE Kevin Davey's third novel is narrated by Toothpull, a dentist practising for 700 years in a life of 'Abrahamic persistence'. He tends to 'teeth weakened by diseases, occlusions, accidents and blows' at St Dunstan's near Canterbury. Just thank your lucky dental pain-relief stars of the 21st century. Illustration: Getty Images/ Grafissimo/ Source: Magasin Pittoresque 1881 Toothpull learns to use the crude tools of his brutal trade – a pelican for extractions and poppies for anaesthetic – at a time when teeth were the sixth most common cause of death. Told as a series of encounters, his customers include a man with two mouths and the talking severed head of Sir Thomas More. Heavily seasoned with wordplay, allusions and in-jokes, the prose is often poetic: 'Dark dwellings, impasto, rooves looming, eaves leaking shadow.' A clever, inventive novel, brimming with wild energy and originality. Rónán Hession This is the cast-iron arch of the 1849 viaduct with the Cornbrook viaduct over and behind, Manchester, UK - September 18, 2017 Poor Ghost by Gabriel Flynn (Sceptre, £20) Luca has failed his PhD. He has failed to respond to the emails inviting him to discuss this failure. He has failed to address these feelings with a budding paramour from whose house he absconds in the middle of the night. Now he is back in his hometown of Manchester to process it all. Or better yet, distract himself with someone else's struggles by becoming a ghostwriter. Flynn's debut literary novel is not un-put-downable, but certainly pick-up-able. The Mancunian offers an engaging reading experience through agile prose and a strong narrative voice. However, it is this same narrative voice that presents a challenge. With such seeping self-hatred, how is the reader to feel? Sympathetic, accepting, admiring, pitying, frustrated? I found myself veering towards the latter, but for some, nihilism may be more of a turn-on. Brigid O'Dea
Axios
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Ohio group pushes to abolish property taxes
A group of Ohioans is seeking a statewide vote this November to eliminate property taxes statewide. Why it matters: Abolishing the tax would slash billions in funding for a variety of public services, including schools, which heavily rely on property tax levies. Catch up quick: The movement is led by Citizens for Property Tax Reform, based in Cuyahoga County. The group got the go-ahead earlier this month to start collecting signatures for the proposed constitutional amendment. What's next: Organizers have until early July to gather about 443,000 signatures from at least half of Ohio's 88 counties to reach the November ballot. Gathering began in earnest this week, group founder Keith Davey tells Axios. How it works: In Ohio, property values are based on county auditor appraisals every six years. The Department of Taxation uses mills to calculate how many dollars owners pay per $1,000 of property value. Municipalities tax property at different millage rates, but Ohio law establishes a 20-mill "floor" that guarantees school districts a certain amount of property tax revenue. Davey says his group believes increasing taxes based on increasing value is a "tax on unrealized gains." Threat level: Property tax rates and uses vary, but they're the main source of funding for schools in many communities. Local property taxes account for 70% of the Columbus City Schools' general fund. "To eliminate property taxes would completely pull the rug out of the public schools and other public services all across the state," Ohio Education Association president Scott DiMauro told WBNS-TV. What they're saying: State Rep. Sean Brennan (D-Parma) said in a statement that lawmakers should view the push for abolition as a sign that reform — rather than elimination of the tax — is needed. "The Ohio General Assembly has all but ignored the pleas for property tax reform for years, so it is no wonder Ohioans are trying to take this into their own hands." Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano has shared concerns about schools, senior services and the zoo. Abolishing property taxes would "cripple" townships, according to Heidi Fought, executive director of the Ohio Township Association. The other side: Davey says school funding concerns are the most common thing he hears, but says "our group does not advocate defunding anything" and instead advocates for funding "not attached to our property." He says state and local officials have had plenty of time to change property tax funding mechanisms, and now it's time to force their hand. "For years, I've been hearing that they don't have the time to put something together," he says. "But in two weeks, they put together a $600 million bond issue for the Cleveland Browns."
