Last night.

Bank of Ireland, College Green, Dublin 2.

Glenda Harrington [a volunteer with Friends Helping Friends, a north inner city-based soup run which provides food, clothes, and sleeping bags to the homeless and poor] writes:

Some nights are harder than others…

Mick Caul writes:

I never thought, in my lifetime, children would be queuing on the streets of Dublin to get a cooked meal at night. And I never believed people would just accept it.

Friends Helping Friends

Yes and No campaigns in New Zealand’s upcoming referendum on the legalisation and taxation of cannabis are split at 49.5% each

Of late it’s been widely agreed
That New Zealand’s a fine place indeed
But the voters are split
If you ask them is it
A smart move to legalise weed

John Moynes

Pic: Grizzle

AI, bud.

Couldn’t happen here.

Or could it?

Meanwhile…

Ah now.

Hic.

*sways*

From top: Sheridan Smith and her newborn in Becoming Mum; ITV’s This Morning earlier

Course you are?

Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum.

An ITV Documentary Special.

Breeda Murphy writes:

This incredible documentary airs tonight at 9pm on ITV. It tackles many issues relevant at this particular moment during the pandemic as it follows actress Sheridan Smith in the latter months of her first pregnancy.

Sheridan has spoken of challenges before related to her mental health and in this documentary she explains the pressures that caused her to doubt herself and her ability to cope on occasions during her life.

Anxiety associated with first time birthing and motherhood looming closer, Sheridan allows us to invade on that private space to share her vulnerability but also her coping mechanisms which are due in no small way to finding love, learning to trust, talking – sharing and awakening to enjoy her first time new mummy role.

On social media, I’ve read countless stories of first time mums here in Ireland attending alone at hospital while partner or main supporter waits, filled with anxiety too, in a separate area.

It’s such a milestone, a life changing moment becoming a family and brings with it a range of emotions more pronounced during Covid19 . Medicines for any illness need careful monitoring during pregnancy and Sheridan like many mums-to-be worry about side effects, etc.

Earlier today with Holly and Phil on This Morning (above) Sheridan explained the rollercoaster ride and her speaking out so that other women would feel equally empowered or breathe a sigh of relief to know they are not alone.

A doctor explained that many women suffer silently as there is a stigma attached to admitting weakness, asking for help causing those suffering to retreat and remain silent.

Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum on ITV at 9pm.

Pic: ITV

Firm but fair?

Or breaking a butterfly on a wheel?

Only YOU can decide.

Meanwhile, the tweet may be referring to  report on August 26 from the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) which stated only six per cent of people who died from COVID-19 did not have any other listed cause of death.

The New York Times reported:

The CDC data table is based on an analysis of death certificates that mention COVID-19 as a cause. For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned, the CDC notes.

The other 94% list COVID-19 and other conditions together. Among those deaths, there were, on average, 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death, the public health agency said.

…A death isn’t excluded from the COVID-19 tally just because the person was obese or had diabetes or dementia. Someone with heart problems can still be killed by COVID-19, and the death certificate could mention both as contributing.

FIGHT!

Earlier: What Am I To Do?

Behold: SS 433 – one of the most exotic eclipsing x-ray binary star systems we know of. And that’s saying something. To wit:

Its unremarkable name stems from its inclusion in a catalog of Milky Way stars which emit radiation characteristic of atomic hydrogen. Its remarkable behaviour stems from a compact object, a black hole or neutron star, which has produced an accretion disk with jets. Because the disk and jets from SS 433 resemble those surrounding supermassive black holes in the centres of distant galaxies, SS 433 is considered a micro-quasar. As illustrated in the animated featured video based on observational data, a massive, hot, normal star is locked in orbit with the compact object. As the video starts, material is shown being gravitationally ripped from the normal star and falling onto an accretion disk. The central star also blasts out jets of ionised gas in opposite directions – each at about 1/4 the speed of light. The video then pans out to show a top view of the precessing jets producing an expanding spiral. From even greater distances, the dissipating jets are then visualised near the heart of supernova remnant W50. Two years ago, SS 433 was unexpectedly found by the HAWC detector array in Mexico to emit unusually high energy (TeV-range) gamma-rays. Surprises continue, as a recent analysis of archival data taken by NASA‘s Fermi satellite find a gamma-ray source — separated from the central stars as shown — that pulses in gamma-rays with a period of 162 days – the same as SS 433’s jet precession period – for reasons yet unknown.

(Animation: DESY, Science Communication Lab)

apod

Denise Chaila – Holy Grail

She’s back.

Denise (top) is the highest charting female Irish artist of 2020 and this is the latest single from her forthcoming album Go Bravely.

The slick promo is by Stephen Hall and Outsider YP.

Denise says:

“Holy Grail is a celebration. For everyone who still wants to make their inner child proud. For glow in the dark stars that become constellations, lip syncing at little break that became bigger stages, and everyone who still remembers what they wanted to be when they grew up.”

Nick says: Go Denise!

Denise Chaila

Broadsheet.ie