Better than a scarf!

Irish made stocking fillers from the loving hands of Heather Finn.

Heather writes:

Colourful neck-warmers hand-loomed in Dublin.  Knit from soft Merino yarn spun in Donegal. 

10% off this weekend with code: hfk-greenfriday

Heather Finn Knitwear

Irish-made stocking fillers to broadsheet@broadsheet.ie marked ‘Irish-Made Stocking Fillers’. No fee.

From top: Vicky Phelan; Dr David Robert Grimes; Dr Ciara Kelly; tweet from Dr David Robert Grimes this week, apology from Dr Grimes, Dr Kelly on Tonight last night 

 

Dr Ciara Kelly, of Newstalk, wrote an opinion piece last week’s Sunday Independent in which she asserted that medical screening services are under threat from litigation.

Dr Kelly argued:

Cervical screening saves Irish women’s lives. It is a public health success story, despite its limitations. If it is sued into oblivion, despite delivering results comparable to all international norms, who will benefit? Certainly not women. No one will benefit except those in receipt of legal fees.

…Our adversarial, highly litigious legal system is simply not compatible with the high level of false negatives in even the best public health screening. My understanding is that the lawyers are now circling BreastCheck too, to the extent that its legal costs are mounting.

…Lawyers, currently being lauded as women’s advocates, will have done women no favours. No favours at all.

Limerick mum-of-two Vicky Phelan, who has been an ardent advocate for women to use cervical screening services since the day she went public with her case, posted several tweets in response to Dr Kelly’s article.

Ms Phelan was diagnosed with terminal cancer following a cervical smear test error. She settled a case against Clinical Pathology Laboratories Inc, Austin, Texas, for €2.5million.

Ms Phelan’s refusal to sign a gagging order about her case led to the knowledge that more than 200 women diagnosed with cancer were not informed of an audit which revised their earlier, negative smear tests.

Referring to Dr Kelly’s claims that people view CervicalCheck as “cause for litigation”, Ms Phelan said:

“This is simply not true. Of the 221 group so far, ONLY 6 cases have hit the courts. Yes, there are more cases pending but it is certainly not the case that all of the 221plus have cause to sue.

“I take offence at Ciara’s claim that ‘no one will benefit from suing except those in receipt of legal fees’.

“Tell that to my children, and the children of Emma Mhic Mhathúna and Ruth Morrissey who have successfully sued and who will not see our children grow up.

“Our settlements will be used to ‘benefit’ our families when we are gone.”

And in relation to the inference that those who sue will be the downfall of CervicalCheck screening programme, Ms Phelan said:

“CervicalCheck did that all on its own, as the Scally Report has shown.”

On Wednesday night, cancer researcher Dr David Robert Grimes, who has been promoting his book The Irrational Ape the past number of months, tweeted about Ms Phelan’s use of one of the therapies she uses – hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a process that involves breathing pure oxygen in an enclosed chamber.

He said:

“What’s the correct etiquette for when a high profile national hero pushes dangerous pseudoscience? Asking for a friend (and) my sanity, as I would really prefer not to get the inevitable hate for calling it.”

Later, he tweeted:

“… apropos of nothing, hyperbaric oxygen therapy should not be advocated for conditions for which it is devoid of efficacy, (and) comes with risk of harm. It is not certainly not a cancer treatment, & can cause active damage. Please take medical advice only from your physician.”

Ms Phelan subsequently closed her Twitter account.

Yesterday, Dr Grimes apologised saying:

Yesterday I tweeted something thoughtless, & hurt a passionate patient advocate. My remark was ill-judged, & I I apologise unreservedly to Vicky Phelan for any hurt I caused.

Meanwhile, last night, Dr Kelly was on Virgin Media One’s Tonight show in which she told presenter Ivan Yates to “hold your horses” when he suggested she was “having a go at the legal profession and the claimants”.

Dr Kelly said she was wasn’t talking about the claimants but she was talking “about what the court system did”.

Dr Ciara Kelly: ‘Who benefits if screening is sued to oblivion? Not women’ (Sunday Independent)

‘I take offence’ – Vicky Phelan hits back at Ciara Kelly’s ‘disrespectful’ CervicalCheck article (Neil Michael, Irish Examiner)

Zaha Hadid Architects’ winning submission to create a new Rail Baltic terminal in the Estonian capital.

Designed (like a flow diagram of circulation routes) as a transport hub that also serves the function of a public bridge, Ülemiste terminal will accommodate buses, trams and the start point of a new 870km high speed electric railway connecting to Riga and Vilnius.

mymodernmet

The votes are in.

Last week, with a Golden Discs voucher worth a princely €25 on offer, I asked YOU to name your favourite song that mentions the moon.

You answered in your tens.

But there could be only one winner.

Third Place:

Nick Drake – Pink Moon 

Jeremy Kyle writes:

Ah shur, you know yourself…

Runner up:

The Sundays – Monochrome

Ghosts of Yep writes:

IMO one of the best and somewhat forgotten female vocalists of the 90’s sings beautifully of a very personal story of her experience of the landing.

Winner:

Andy Williams – Moon River

Joxer writes:

Moon River – whether it be Audrey Hepburn, Andy Williams (above), Sinatra, Jerry Butler or any number of others who covered it, its one of those quintessential songs of the mid century that is pure magic.. Even Frank Ocean’s attempt at butchery was saved by the pure beauty of the melody and lyric.

Reminds me of family get-togethers in the 70s when i was a wee’un, adults raising glasses and laughing and warmth of cosy family time, and whenever iI hear it, iI get a dose of fuzzy golden-hued nostalgia.

Thanks all.

Golden Discs

Thanks Bertie

Show composer Danny Elfman has claimed that The Simpsons is coming to an end after 30 years.

Are we saying goodbye to a friend
Who has recently started to tend
To lose track of the plot
And show signs of rot?
Because maybe The Simpsons will end

John Moynes

Pic: Fox

Ryan Tubridy with  children from the Spotlight stage school at the set reveal for The Late Late Toy Show 2019

On The Late Late Toy Show…

Jennifer O’Brien writes:

RTÉ’s most closely-guarded secret was this morning unveiled by Ryan Tubridy ahead of tonight’s eagerly anticipated Late Late Toy Show.

The magical, mystical wonderland world of Frozen has been revealed as the inspiration behind this year’s show-stopping production, and Ryan said that his opening number is his “most outrageous” to date.

Over 200 children from all around the country will participate in the live production from RTÉ’s Studio 4 – as singers, performers and toy demonstrators.

Hundreds of toys have been tested and will feature throughout the live production, and, of course, there will be a special nod to the late Gay Byrne.

This year’s spectacular set is set to melt the coldest of hearts, and was created by the RTÉ production Design Department, led by Marcella Power. RTÉ’s Costume and Make-Up departments, with costume led by Brigette Horan, have also been busily prepping the cast ahead of Friday’s extravaganza.

The Late Late Toy Show on RTÉ One at 9.35pm

Meanwhile…

RTÉ Player action worldwide during the night.

A list of the toys featured will be available on the show’s website following broadcast.

Pics: Andres Poveda

Broadsheet.ie