Fine Gael TD Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (top), at the Oireachtas hearing on abortion legislation and Caroline Simons (above) on EWTN.

From Fine Gael

Fine Gael TD for Laois/Offaly, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, has  called on Caroline Simons of the Pro Life Campaign, to clarify her involvement with the Catholic television network, EWTN, which recently broadcast the “Life Crisis in Ireland” programme on its website.
“During the Health Committee hearing this week, I asked Caroline Simons from the Pro Life Campaign to clarify her involvement with the EWTN ‘Life Crisis in Ireland’ broadcast, in which the Government is described as being ‘agents of the culture of death who are attempting to have abortion legalised in Ireland’. Contributors to this series are acknowledged on the EWTN website. The acknowledgements include a ‘Caroline Simons’.
“I found this broadcast quite disturbing in the language used and I asked Caroline Simons during the Health Committee hearing this week if she had indeed contributed to this video as mentioned on the website. In response, Simons said that she ‘didn’t know anything about it.’
“Her response contradicts what is stated on the website, so I am today calling on Caroline Simons to clarify whether she is indeed involved in this broadcast or not.”

Fair play though, in fairness.

Previously: An Easy Thing To Forget

More Pro Lies

(RTE, EWTN)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efYg0vQyPGA

“I’m just gonna put it out there… I’m single.”

There was laughter, but the room at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles fell silent as it appeared Foster, 50, had a serious point to make.

Foster said: “I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago, back in the stone age. In those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends, and family, coworkers and then gradually, proudly, to everyone who knew her. To everyone she actually met.

“But now, apparently I’m told, that every celebrity is expected to honour the details of their private life with a press conference, a fragrance and a primetime reality show. You guys might be surprised, but I am not Honey Boo Boo child.”

Jodie Foster ‘Comes Out’ in Opaque Golden Globes Speech (The Guardian)

Meanwhile…

Golden Globe winners: Daniel Day Lewis (best actor, Lincoln); Jessica Chastain (best actress, Zero Dark Thirty); Damien Lewis and Clare Danes (TV acting, Homeland), and Adele (Best song, Skyfall).

Golden Globe 2013 Winners (Los Angeles Times)

The Government has decided to reverse the cut in a grant for personal panic alarms for sick and elderly people.

As a result of the budget the allocation for panic alarms was cut from €2.45 million last year to €1.1 million in 2013.
Following a campaign by groups representing the elderly and people with disabilities over the past few weeks, the

Government has decided to restore the grant to last year’s level. Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan has secured the resources from his departmental budget to bring the allocation back up by €1.35 million.

A story old as time itself. Those key points again…

We’re introducing crippling new taxes and cutbacks.
– No way!
We’re also punching kittens in the face.
– That’s completely outrageous.
OK. No kitten punching.
– Thank God.
Just the crippling new taxes and cutbacks.
– Whew.

Government reverses cut in panic alarm grant (Stephen Collins, Irish Times)

pic

Tim Berners-Lee on Aaron Swartz (above)

As a tribute academics are posting their papers free with the (heavily trafficked) hashtag #pdftribute

 

Technology’s Greatest Minds Say Goodbye to Aaron Swartz (Mashable)

The Inspiring Heroism Of Aaron Swartz (Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian)

(Michael Francis Mcelroy/AP)

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