Monthly Archives: May 2012


“Last week Mr  [Tom] Savage (above) gave a robust defence of public service broadcasting. His defence of RTÉ and the manner in which he dealt with questions from a number of members was appreciated.

As Irish Secretary of the NUJ I was deeply disappointed by the tone of some of the questioning and detected a hostility towards RTÉ and the role of public service broadcasting which was disturbing. RTÉ is answerable to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and to the Minister for Communications and it would appear that some members would like to add an additional, parliamentary tier to the process of regulatory control.

Following the meeting I had hoped that all concerned could move on, allowing RTÉ to face the many challenges which confront the organisation with no further distractions.

Unfortunately the revelation that the Irish Missionary Union had been advised by the Communication Clinic raises questions which he needs to address directly. Programme makers have found this latest development deeply uncomfortable. 

Failure to do so would not be in the interest of RTÉ and it is essential that Mr Savage, as a Director of the Communications Clinic, deal with this issue as a matter of urgency.”

Séamus Dooley, NUJ Irish Secretary, this morning.

NUJ seeks explanation from Savage over Communications Clinic advice to Irish Missionary Union (RTE)

Savage ‘not aware’ of PR work for priests (Conor Ryan, Irish Examiner)

Savage ‘Not Told’ Of PR Dealings With IMU (Paul Cullen, Irish Times)

Previously: The Communication Clinic’s ‘Client Confidentiality’

Was The Communications Clinic Hired To Deal With Mission To Prey Before It Was Even Broadcast?

(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)

No, not playing hopscotch outside Grogan’s.

That’s what we did last night.

Eoin Carrigan writes:

Tonight sees Gymnasium, a one-off event being put on by the students of NCAD and Trinity. We advertised it by drawing hopscotches around the city (this one above was from Saturday). Toby Kaar and Lemonada are djing and it’s in the Button Factory and it has a fun filled German sports theme and a pair of Forbidden Fruit Tickets to be won.

 

Gymnasium (Facebook)

No cash, favours, etc were given for this post

 

Last week, New York restaurant Serendipity3 set a Guinness World Record for the priciest burger with this gourmet $295 NOMfest, described by PRNewswire as:

…a mix of Japanese Wagyu beef infused with 10-herb white truffle butter, seasoned with Salish Alderwood smoked Pacific sea salt, topped with cheddar cheese — hand-formed by the famous cheesemaker James Montgomery in Somerset, England, and cave-aged for 18 months — shaved black truffles, a fried quail egg and served on a white truffle-buttered Campagna Roll, which is topped with a blini, creme fraiche, and Paramout Caviar’s exclusive Kaluga caviar — a beautiful golden caviar with a buttery, nutty taste and large pearls from the Huso Dauricus farm raised in Quzhou, China. The finishing touch to this incredible burger is a solid gold “Fleur de Lis” toothpick encrusted with diamonds and designed by world-renowned jeweler.’

48 hour notice is required when ordering the burger, profits from which are donated to the Bowery Mission a NY charity that feeds homeless people.

laughingsquid

This morning on Kildare Street, Dublin.

Calling on the government to decriminalise abortion following the release yesterday of figures (by the UK Department of Health) showing that 4,149 Irish women (some under the age of16) travelled to the UK for terminations in 2011.

Alison Spillane, of Action on X and the Irish Feminist Network, sez:

“Criminalising abortion doesn’t work and these latest figures prove that. While we welcome the slight fall in the numbers of women going to England and Wales for terminations, the fact remains that over 4,000 women made that difficult journey last year. This is wrong. We call on the government to start the process of providing safe legal abortions for women in Ireland by taking the first step: implementing the 20-year-old Supreme Court ruling in the X Case.”


Action On X (Facebook)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-ZMYUT_6cs&feature=youtu.be

Dublin-based Igloo Animation last year created a delightful piece of cartoonery (click here) around Stephen Fry’s feelings on the yuckiest emotion of them all: self-pity. The animation was even retweeted by the man himself.

Igloo has now illustrated a timely (and, for us, highly relevant) Fry monologue on that most thorny of topics, trolling.

Trev at Igloo has suggested if you are a follower of His Fryness you may wish to share it with him.

Igloo Animations (Facebook)

Igloo Animations

Thanks Trevor