Yearly Archives: 2013

beast

Cork animator Cethan Leahy’s award winning film in which – despite insisting it’s all the work of ‘The Beast’ – Captain Hake is suspected of murdering his own crew.

All will become clear.

(Thanks Cethan)

gemmatalbot(Gemma O’Doherty and a protest outside the INM HQ in Talbot Street, Dublin following her sacking in the Summer)

So I repeat: why is the Rae story, like the story of the firing of Gemma O’Doherty before it, being ignored by the Irish media
The media exist to hold power to account. Given that the Indo is owned by the largest and most powerful media company in the Republic, Independent News & Media, it should be scrutinised by its rivals.
Journalists should police each other or the public they serve will think there is some kind of special treatment for the media élite. (The British phone-hacking saga was a case in point).
The absence of coverage in Ireland of the Rae story implies a cover-up.

 

Ireland’s media ignore Irish Independent editor’s anulled penalty points (Roy Greenslade, The Guardian)

Previously: Gemma O’Doherty on Broadsheet

nick-1 nickbrandt01zombirdbatbatLake Natron in northern Tanzania is a death trap for birds and bats who frequently slam into its highly reflective surface for much the same reason their urban cousins come a cropper on plate glass.

These images, from photographer Nick Brandt’s book Across The Ravaged Land, show the crispy carcasses of birds and bats found by Brandt on the shoreline and then posed – rather ghoulishly – as if still alive. Sez he:

Temperatures in the lake can reach up to 60 °C (or 140 °F) and the water has an extremely high soda and salt content which causes “the creatures to calcify, perfectly preserved, as they dry.

Brandt’s work is currently exhibiting at the Hasted Kraeutler Gallery in New York.

Despite the extreme temperature and alkalinity, the lake is a major breeding area for flamingos. The birds nest at the shoreline, feeding off a species of talapia  – fish adapted to life in the hot salt water that feed on similarly adapted algae.

MORE: Meet the fish that happily live in the lake that turns birds to stone (BoingBoing)

mymodernmet

Barnes Daintree

You may recall a post from Monday in relation to Daintree Paper, on Camden Street in Dublin after its owner Paul Barnes, top, removed a same-sex cake topper from a display.

Jane Casey of Gay Community News (GCN) writes:

“Today GCN received an open letter from Paul Barnes, owner of Daintree Paper Ltd, responding to the cake topper fiasco. Thought it might be of interest to Broadsheet readers considering how much attention the story received earlier this week…”

 

To whom it concerns.

Over the past few days I have received many emails and messages through social media expressing a whole range of emotions at a decision I made in my business to remove a same sex cake topper from a display in my shop the Daintree Wedding Hub which is located behind Daintree paper on Camden Street in Dublin.

I would like to say that in doing this, it was in no way my intention to cause offence to anyone and I unreservedly apologise for any offence caused.

I am not homophobic, I have employed gay people in my business and I have never refused to print invitations for civil ceremonies.

I do have beliefs however, and these beliefs are formed and orientated by the Roman Catholic Church, a church of which I am a member.  I try to live by its teachings because this church has given me many, many blessings in my life, and in my family for generations.

The reason I removed the topper was that it is my opinion that it does not reflect the values I try to aspire to.  These values influence my whole life as can be seen in the Daintree building and the products we sell in our shop which respect and care for the environment.  The easy option would have been for me to ignore the topper, however in doing this I would have felt like a total hypocrite.

The mistake was mine in not making it clear to Nicola Hyland, of the Cake Topper company, and indeed the other vendors what I thought was acceptable to display in the Wedding Hub.

I respect and acknowledge the right of those who disagree with me, even those who tried to organise a boycott against the shop, I simply ask the same respect for my freedom.

I wish you all well.

Yours sincerely

Paul Barnes, Daintree Ltd.

Previously: Driven To Tiers

Pic: Screengrab from here

Freya1

Freya2You may recall a post in which Arlette Lyons’ mother Mary Lyons wrote to Galway Fine Gael TD, Brian Walsh in respect of her daughter’s experience of having to travel to Liverpool after her baby was diagnosed with a fatal foetal abnormality last year.

Her baby was a girl and Arlette and her husband Alan called their daughter Skye.

Since then, in July, Arlette has had a little girl called Freya [top]. Freya was born via emergency c-section, weighing 5lbs 4oz. She was born with a cleft palate and a small hole in her heart.

Arlette wrote on the TFMR Facebook page:

“Just thought I would give a little update on Freya. She is doing amazingly well and has been home for 5 weeks now. She spent 4 weeks in Crumlin Hospital were she received the best care ever. Each and every one of the staff there are wonderful… She still has a feeding tube and breathing tube which my hubby changes every week I am not brave enough lol but she has been taking a lot of her feeds in a bottle so hopefully the feeding tube will be gone soon.Freya will be having her big surgery on the 5th of March which actually falls on the same day we lost Skye, 2 years to the day. We will look at this in a positive way and maybe Skye will protect her baby sister. She will be ten weeks tomorrow. She is the happiest good humoured baby ever and we are so so proud of her, Lots of Love Arlette and Freya.”

TMFR (Facebook)

Previously: A Grandmother Writes