Author Archives: Bodger

This afternoon.

The Liberties, Dublin 8.

Via Dublin City Council:

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alison Gilliland, unveiled a plaque this afternoon to mark the occasion, with the opening of Bridgefoot Street Park transforming what was a derelict site into a beautiful landscape of trees with grassed and planted mounds, incorporating a performance area, play spaces, allotments and a community garden.

Dublin City Council and the local community collaborated in the vision, promotion, planning, design and development of the park and this collaboration will continue in the management and operation which will be key to the success of the park.

…The new public park is approximately 1 hectare in size and has been developed utilising what would normally be considered waste materials such as calp, concrete, reclaimed stone and brick, as aggregate to create pavements, seating and play spaces….

In fairness.

Pics 1 and 2 via Bridgefoot Street Park

This afternoon.

Lansdowne House, Dublin 4.

Via Irish Times:

Ms Ní Chofaigh has lodged a complaint under the Employment Equality Act against the State broadcaster, alleging discrimination by way of harassment during July 2019 and subsequent victimisation.

“We absolutely deny all allegations against RTÉ,” said Mairéad McKenna BL, who appeared for the broadcaster at a preliminary hearing…

…Claire Bruton BL [representing Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh] said she had “no difficulty” with an instruction to the press not to name the alleged perpetrators but added: “My client is very keen for the matter to proceed in public.”

She made reference to an internal investigation report in which three individuals were named, one of them a “public figure”.

Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh to say she was sexually harassed at RTÉ, WRC told (RTE)

RollingNews

Outgoing Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan and Robert Watt, Secretary General at the Department of Health

This morning.

Afternoon.

Robert Watt, secretary general at the department of health, has been facing questions about the appointment of Tony Holohan to a tax-payer funded role at Trinity Collge Dublin.

Via RTÉ News:

At the time the letter [to Trinity provost from Mr Watt requesting the vacancy for Dr Holohan] was written, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly did not know about this commitment.

At the Committee, Sinn Féin Health spokesperson David Cullinane said this was a display of breathtaking arrogance from Mr Watt, who he said had no such authority to make such a pledge.

He told Mr Watt that he had lost the run of himself.

Mr Watt strongly rejected “this characterisation”.

He insisted the secondment of Dr Holohan was “to give effect to the clear intention” of the Government and it did not sanction the spending of public money.

This would have to be done later by Mr Donnelly during the estimates process, he said.

However, Fine Gael Senator Colm Burke said the letter to Trinity College was effectively a contract and he suggested the Attorney General would likely agree with him on this point.

Watt defends handling of proposed Holohan secondment (RTE)

This morning.

Stoneybatter, Dublin 7.

The 1916 Annual Arbour Hill Commemoration Ceremony with, from top: Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, Taoiseach Micheal Martin with Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence Simon Coveney and former Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin; President Higgins.

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

Meanwhile…

You’d miss the mask all the same.

Meanwhile…

Top suit button.

We shall remember it.

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

This morning.

Gelngarrif, west Cork.

Statue of Hollywood star Maureen O’Hara removed from West Cork village after just 48 hours on public display (Cork Beo)

Last night.

A Pfizer covid vaccine data dump released by court order apparently showed no proper trials were conducted in pregnant women and that the drug giant did not recommend their vaccine for pregnant/potential pregnancies.

Anyone?

Previously: May Include Dizziness

Meanwhile…

Um

COVID-19 and pregnancy (HSE)

Meanwhile…

Ah now.

Yikes.

Last night.

Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA.

Meanwhile…

Gulp.

Dave Chappelle Tackled Onstage During Hollywood Bowl Performance (Rolling Stone)

From top: Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly; The Dermatology Department of St. Vincent’s University Hospital – this building currently occupies the site of the proposed National Maternity Hospital (NMH)

This morning.

Government plans to approve the relocation of the National Maternity Hospital have been put on hold after Ministers expressed unhappiness at the process and sought further time to consider it.

Via RTE News:

The Minister for Health has said he can “100% guarantee” that every service provided for by law, including termination of pregnancy, tubal ligation, assisted reproduction and gender affirming surgery, will be provided for at the new National Maternity Hospital.

The issue will come before ministers again in two weeks’ time.

Mr Donnelly said the plans were not approved yesterday because it was felt that the many questions raised, which reflected the “very genuine concerns” people have around the country, had to be addressed.

Minister insists every service provided by law available at NMH (RTE)

Meanwhile…

…via Irish Times:

Fine Gael Ministers, including Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Minister of State for Transport Hildegarde Naughton, as well as Green Party Minister Catherine Martin, sought assurances from Mr Donnelly that all legal healthcare services would be available at the hospital.

National Maternity Hospital relocation plan on hold as Ministers express doubts (Irish Times)

Meanwhile…

Last night.

Meanwhile…

This morning.

RollingNews


This morning.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has lodged a complaint with the Data Protection Commission over the processing and sale of personal data by GeoDirectory, a company operated by An Post and Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI).

Via the Irish Council for Civil Liberties:

GeoDirectory sells location data about every Irish home, matched with intimate social demographic “GeoPeople” profiles about the income, life stage, and family status of the people who live in each home.

Over 2 million Irish homes and their residents are profiled in this way, under headings such as “striving urban singles”, “deprived urban families” or “struggling older families”.

ICCL has been able to buy data about people living across Ireland, including ICCL staff. These data are available to purchase by any company or organisation.

For example, GeoDirectory sells data to Experian, one of the world’s biggest data brokers. Experian then uses the data to set people’s credit ratings. Aviva, a major insurance firm, uses GeoDirectory data to set individual insurance prices and examine claims.

Marketing itself as having an “unrivalled location intelligence database”, GeoDirectory’s data comes from An Post, OSI and the Census, with GeoDirectory using the latter to create 14 separate social demographic profiles and assigning one to each household in Ireland. It is impossible to know how an accurate or inaccurate classification is potentially impacting a household.

ICCL’s Tech and Human Rights Officer, Olga Cronin, said:

“I was able to buy data about each of my neighbours, including their financial status, and whether they are single or not. This information is specially protected under EU law. But GeoDirectory is collecting, updating, storing and selling this data with utter ease and without consideration of GDPR. The company is also allowing businesses to identify the individual social demographic profile of everyone on their customer list by offering a service whereby they cross-reference a business’s customer list with that of GeoDirectory. This mass processing of every Irish household’s personal data without a legal basis or in adherence with GDPR cannot be lawful.”

ICCL reveals that the An Post & OSI company “GeoDirectory” uses Census data to profile every Irish home, for sale to data brokers and insurance companies (ICCL)