Tuesday Newspaper Round-Up

We’ve got the top stories for today, wrapped up in a few sentences for you.

“Selfie” named 2013 word of the year: Following a tough choice of decisions by the editors of Oxford dictionaries, “selfie” has been picked as the word of the year; beating off twerk, binge-watch and showrooming. Use of the word has increased by 17,000% since this time last year.

14 people killed as storms hit Sardinia: At least 14 people have been killed overnight on the Italian island of Sardinia following strong storms. Hundreds of people have been evacuated, but many areas remain out of reach to rescue teams. A woman and daughter drowned in a car after they become stuck inside the vehicle.

Ireland’s Birth Rate Still Declining: Statistics from the ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute) show the number of babies being born in Ireland continues to decline. This rate has been on a downward slope since 2009. In 2012, there were just under 7c2,000 births.

 Death Toll in Philippine’s nears 4,000: International aid agencies around the world are facing a humanitarian crisis following the damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan. Up to four million people are now displaced from their homes and the death toll is still increasing as search work continues.

Sharon Ni Bheolain Craves New Career Path: After presenting RTÉ’s Six One news for eight years, the broadcaster has revealed she is ready for something new. Speaking in the RTÉ Guide, the 42-year-old said “It’s been a very enjoyable experience, but I’m ready for something new.”

 

 

Dublin Man Banned From Every Pub In City

Nope, this isn’t a joke. David Lee (30) has been banned from every single pub in Dublin city after fleeing into a bar lounge to avoid Gardaí.

Lee struck a guard over the head with an object he picked up from a table after he chased him into the pub. The judge at Swords District Court decided the most fitting punishment was to ban Lee from ALL pubs in Dublin for 12 months and a four-month sentence suspended for one year.

Pretty unique punishment but we’re not sure how well it will be enforced…

21st Century Stupidity: Willie O’Dea On Alcoholism

Would you choose to be an alcoholic? I doubt any of us would. An addiction is something which controls you’re whole life. It’s a leech; robbing the victims of their enjoyment of life. It can be debilitating and difficult to beat.

But, according to Willie O’Dea, this isn’t the case and he doesn’t think that the 124 people in Ireland claiming illness benefits from the state due to alcohol addiction deserve the money.

Why? The  Fianna Fáil Social Protection spokesman  told The Irish Daily Mail it was wrong to pay people who were “literally indulging themselves”, adding that “If someone has a disease called alcoholism, then you don’t drink, you give up the drink.”

If we were living in the early 2oth century, O’Dea’s comments wouldn’t be that astonishing. But in 2013, with a wealth of scientific and proven information to show that alcoholism is a disease, O’Dea’s political stance is to deny those who are ill  financial help because of some cracked idea that it’s their own fault they’re sick.

” I know people who have cancer or are suffering from motor neurone disease who can’t get medical cards. They didn’t drink or bring those things on themselves and they’re the victims” he said. The Mayo Clinic states that alcoholism is a “chronic and often progressive disease”. A disease. Not something that the person asked for.

It is disgraceful that seriously ill people are facing the loss of medical cards due to cutbacks. But to link that issue with addicts receiving social welfare for an   is inappropriate and stigmatizing.

To insinuate that those who receive social welfare as they try to battle addiction are some how stealing services from terminally ill patients is disgusting. If you want to find blame in this, look to those who are responsible for cuts in our healthcare – the TD’s in the Dáil.  Not a vulnerable group in society who Mr O’Dea deems unworthy of help.

O’Dea’s comment that alcoholics should simply “give up the drink” demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of addiction and mental health issues. Should we also tell people suffering from anorexia to just eat more? Advise people suffering depression to get up and get on with it and stop moping around?

As a public figure, O’Dea’s comments are ignorant, hurtful and perpetuate damaging stereotypes. He should be ashamed of himself; I know I’m ashamed that he is a politician in my country.

Man To Plead Guilty To Rape Of Athlone Children

A 30-year-old man has admitted raping two young girls in Athlone on September 29 and declared his intention to plead guilty when he faces the courts. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with raping two girls aged 6 and 9, twice each, in a horrific attack that shocked the country.

Protest outside prison following the sexual assault. Photo: breakingnews.ie

The children had been attending a birthday party in the local area when the alarm was raised that they were missing. It later emerged that they had been raped at a nearby house. The man has no fixed address and  has been placed on suicide watch at his own request as his awaits trial in Castlerea Prison. His due before the court again on December 6.

Hangover Catchup: Today’s Breaking News

At this moment, you’re probably languishing in bed wondering why you had that final shot last night and wishing scientists had discovered an instant hangover cure. But that doesn’t mean you need to be uninformed while you’re doing it! Here’s the stories you might have missed overnight topping the agenda today:

1. Human Arm Found in Meath: An investigation is underway after a human arm was found in Clonnee, Co Meath yesterday evening. Searches were suspended last night after it became too dark, but have resumed this morning. The scene was sealed off last night. The arm was found by a passerby on open ground around 4:30pm yesterday afternoon.

2. Water Restrictions Extended: Water restrictions are being extended across the Greater Dublin area from 8pm- 7am until Thursday. Along with the general annoyance the rest of us are suffering, restaurants are calling for compensation for lost business.

3. Shooting at LAX Airport: One person has died and several others have been injured following a shooting at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday. Police in the US are investigating the motive of the shooter, who has been identified as 23-year-old Paul Anthony Ciancia. Ciancia acted alone and was captured alive, but wounded. It is suspected his actions may have been the result of a personal grudge against the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

4. Bye Bye Blasphemy?: The Constitutional Convention will debate the possibility of removing the offence of blasphemy in our constitution at a meeting in Dublin today. As it stands, a person who publishes or a utters blasphemous statement, is breaking the law.

5. UK response to Irish Abortion Laws: The largest provider of abortions in Britain has back at Ireland for making it illegal to obtain an abortion here. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has taken an advertisement out in today’s The Irish Times with the slogan “We’ll care for your women until your government does.”

6. O’Neill And Keane: BFF’s To Be: If emerging reports are true, while it’s all but a done deal that Martin O’Neill will become the new coach of Ireland’s football team, Roy Keane could be his assistant manager, with several media outlets reporting the likely hood of this occurring.

Rise In Superbug’s Due To Antibiotic Overuse

GP’s are being blamed for the rise in antibiotic resistant infections in communities around the country due to needless prescribing antibiotics.

Photo: telegraph.co.uk

A new Irish study has found that nearly half of GP’s were giving “inappropriate” medications to patients – often powerful antibiotics that may not be needed. The report states that liberal prescribing and a lax approach to guidelines in Ireland are significant factors in the increase of E-coli and MRSA – infections that are resistant to antibiotics.

The study, which was led by Dr Akke Vellinga of NUI Galway said Irish doctors feel under pressure to prescribe to their patients as most pay around 50 euro for a visit. She said this was fueling the rise of dangerous new strains of bacteria – also known as superbugs – which antibiotics cannot fight and therefore, it makes it very difficult to treat these infections.

Photo: newhealthguide.org

The World Health Organisation has  also warned that antibiotics are being overused, causing bacteria to develop resistance to the medication.

If you have a viral infection and your doctor prescribes antibiotics, it’s a good idea to ask your doctor why he/she has done so. According to the Mayo Clinic, the following viral infections cannot be treated with antibiotics:

Bronchitis

Colds and Flu

Most coughs, ear infections and throat infections

Stomach flu

 

 

For more information about the appropriate use of antibiotics, click here

Seamus Heaney’s Last Poem Published

The Guardian newspaper has published what it is believed to be the last poem of the late Seamus Heaney.

Heaney’s last poem is part of a collection marking the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. Heaney, one of Ireland’s greatest and most loved poets, died in August of this year. His last poem, “In A Field”, is in its full text below. What do you think of it?

 

In A Field
By Seamus Heaney

And there I was in the middle of a field,

The furrows once called “scores’ still with their gloss,

The tractor with its hoisted plough just gone

 

Snarling at an unexpected speed

Out on the road. Last of the jobs,

The windings had been ploughed, furrows turned

 

Three ply or four round each of the four sides

Of the breathing land, to mark it off

And out. Within that boundary now

 

Step the fleshy earth and follow

The long healed footprints of one who arrived

From nowhere, unfamiliar and de-mobbed,

 

In buttoned khaki and buffed army boots,

Bruising the turned-up acres of our back field

To stumble from the windings’ magic ring

 

And take me by a hand to lead me back

Through the same old gate into the yard

Where everyone has suddenly appeared,

 

All standing waiting.

Roma Child: A Hint Of Racism

The news came in a flash. First, the Sunday World reported the story. Major media outlets in Ireland followed suit. It was a case that at first look, appeared eerily similar to the young girl in Greece who it is believed was taken from her parents ilegally.

A 7-year-old blue eyed, blonde haired girl was taken by the Gardaí from her family, as is their right under the Child Care Act if there is reason to believe a child is at immediate risk.

The young girl was taken from her home and put into HSE care. The immediate question of “Why?” recieved the response that the Guards were not satisfied with the explanation and documentation that the family provided. The reason they were even at the family home in the first place? Because the child didn’t look like her siblings.

As the story broke, we reported it with the facts we had at hand. We made no speculation, we presented the facts. After this inital report, we did not report further on the issue as the Gardaí and HSE examined the situation. Yesterday, the young girl was returned to her family after DNA tests proved she was the biological child of the parents in question.

An innocent family endured unceessary distress, had their child ripped from their arms, to then have her returned with an apology. In the aftermath, we ask, “What The Hell Happened?”

The inevitable inquiries will take place; the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Children will converse with the HSE and Gardaí. Earlier today, Alan Shatter admitted that there was possibly some undue influence in the decisions that were made in regards to this little girl.

While time will tell if there is blame to be laid at the authorities doors, we need to accept a little bit of the blame too. We all need to have a think at how we responded initally to the news, the thoughts that went through our head, if we tried these parents without trial or jury and if you, even if it was only a little bit, made an assumption based on their ethnicity.

Would this have happened to a white family? A wealthy family? Would it have happened to you? If we can answer “no” to any of these…

Racism is still alive in Ireland. We all need to have a look at what part we play.

 

 

Ireland has 7th Worst Unemployment rate in EU

New figures today from the EU show that Ireland has the 7th worst unemployment rate in the eurozone and that overall, unemployment rose by slightly last month, from 11.5% in August to 12% in September.

Photo: beyond.com

Ireland’s uneployment rate currently stands at 13.8%. Latvia and Estonia saw the largest decreases to their unemployment rates over the last year. However, youth unemployment for the EU has risen to 23.3% from 23.1% compared to the same time last year.

Are you one of Ireland’s unemployed youths? Get in touch and share your story.

 

Good Weather Could Last ‘Til SATURDAY

You know that drop o’ Summer we got over the weekend? Well, it’s to continue most of the week, with possibility of the rays still shining next weekend. 

Photo: thestar.ie

A Met Eireann forecaster said that the mid-20s degree heat that shone over Ireland at the weekend will extend until at least Wednesday. At the moment, it’s not certain if the heat will still be here for next weekend but it’s looking hopeful. 

The forecaster added “It’s unusual but it’s not  unknown” to have such good weather in late September. “Summer can make a return at the end of September, beginning of October. That kind of thing can happen but it doesn’t happen every year” the forecaster added.