Yearly Archives: 2014

006_Whelan_Butchers

Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers

Why yes.

Well come and have a go if you think you’re lard enough.

Sinead writes:

“We have a €100 hamper from James Whelans Butchers – delivered free anywhere in Ireland – to celebrate the amazing success of James Whelan’s Butcher’s ‘Beef Dripping’ – awarded a 3 star Great Taste Award, and just announced as a Top 50 Food – out of over 10,000 entries!
Praised by the Great Taste judges as “an absolute showstopper” with “tremendous, deep beefy flavours” which “blew us all away”, the Beef Dripping is made from the suet of grass fed Angus and Hereford beef. Rendered down and clarified into a pure fat, James Whelan Butchers Beef Dripping is simply packaged in white wax paper and stays fresh for up to six months, when stored in a cool dark place. The Beef Dripping, priced €3.99, is available now online or from James Whelan Butchers at Clonmel, Tipperary, Avoca Food Market, Monkstown or Avoca, Rathcoole [Co Wicklow].”

Blimey.

To enter just complete this sentence.

Would you ever just send the James Whelan hamper (with prize winning dripping) to [name friend/relative, etc here] because_____________________________

Lines MUST close at 3.45pm 4.30pm 5.30pm

James Whelan Butchers

UPDATE: winning entry: “Would you ever just send the James Whelan hamper (with prize winning dripping) to my wife Lisa trying to find food that all 5 (not a misprint) of our kids like is like negotiating a maze backwards!!” (Stephen Kelly).

Thanks all.

kubrick

Gavin Feiritear writes:

“Thought you might like this fairly awesome poster designed by Irish/Swedish designers M&E for the upcoming [Stanley] Kubrick Season at the Light House Cinema [Smithfield, Dublin 7]…”

Kubrick Season (Light House)

Bwmfz_ZIQAAfWYG

Ah here.

The Redundant Proofreaders Society twrites:

Misprint (“bitting wit”) on the Oscar Wilde plaque at The Rainbow Hall of Fame, San Francisco

Rainbow Honor Walk to be unveiled in San Francisco (Four Two Nine)

Screen Shot 2014-09-03 at 12.57.58

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald at a press conference in Government Buildings yesterday, launching reform of student immigration and education

That should do it.

You may recall yesterday’s post concerning RTÉ reporter Brian O’Connell’s research on how some female asylum seekers – some aged 18 – are engaging in prostitution to supplement the weekly €19.10 they receive from the State.

Yesterday afternoon, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald was speaking at a press conference to launch new regulations for English language schools, when she was asked about Mr O’Connell’s report.

She told reporters she will be asking the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) – which oversees the Direct Provision system – for a report on the matter, adding:

“We have no reports in relation to that, to date, but I will certainly be asking for a report and I would ask that anyone with information to make it available to the Gardaí.”

However, on this morning’s Today with Sean O’Rourke show, Mr O’Connell returned to the subject and said in 2007 and 2008, Ruhama did send a report to the Department of Justice – highlighting the issue of vulnerable women living in Direct Provision centres or hostels.

Mr O’Connell said the report states:

“On a practical level, we believe these hostels are not appropriate for this vulnerable target group. We have been advised by the women we work with, by managers of these hostels and by other service providers, throughout the country, that the hostels have become targets for pimps and other opportunists who seek to exploit the women through prostitution, recognising their poverty and vulnerability.”

Also in response to Mr O’Connell’s report yesterday, Minister Fitzgerald said:

“I would be concerned as well about any stereotyping that might take place in relation to those women in any media reports that are being made in relation to the issue because that’s obviously something of huge concern. We are talking about a vulnerable group of women and I certainly don’t want to see them further stigmatised.”

However, this morning, Mr O’Connell told the Today with Seán O’Rourke show:

“A lot of people heard anecdotally this was happening. This was the first time women have come forward and, if you like, taken ownership of their own story, Seán. The women wanted their stories to be told, they wanted to realities of their situation to be out there and they wanted to give a voice to what was happening to them on a daily basis.”

Listen back to this morning’s show in full here

Previously: ‘We Do It Out Of Desperation’

Why All The Secrecy?

widow

Latrodectus pallidus.

We meet again.

Scooperman writes:

“Further to last night’s spider post, had to kill this White Widow on Saturday. Tried to keep him alive but he got free and started legging it around the balcony. Apparently a bite can land you in hospital…”