Venus crossing the Sun is a rare spectacle not to be missed
The crossing of Venus across the face of the Sun is such a rare and spectacular event that in 1769 Captain James Cook sailed the HMS Endeavour half way around the world to witness it.
In two days we will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the phenomenon, which has happened just three times since the 18th Century, from their own homes this week.
Early on Wednesday morning the planet – usually one of the brightest lights in the night sky – will be clearly visible as a black disc slowly passing against the background of the rising Sun.
The transit of Venus, one of the most impressive and eagerly anticipated events in the astronomical calendar, will mainly take place during night-time in Britain but can be viewed during its final stages for about an hour immediately after sunrise.
In other parts of the world such as Hawaii and Australia the entire six and a half-hour spectacle will be visible and observatories around the world will live stream the event over the internet.
Members of the public can view the transit without a telescope but must wear protective "eclipse glasses" or use a piece of paper with a pin prick in it to project an image of the transit onto a screen behind them, experts warned.
Looking at the sun with the naked eye or even through a camera lens risks causing permanent eye damage and even total blindness.
Wednesday will mark only the sixth time the event has been witnessed since the invention of the telescope more than 400 years ago, although it was also documented by the Babylonians and by the ancient Greek mathematician Pythagorus.
It will also be the last chance for virtually anyone alive today to see it. The last transit was in 2004 but because the events always occur twice in quick succession before gaps of more than 100 years, next week's crossing will be the last until 2117 and the last to be visible in Britain until 2125.
During the 18th and 19th centuries explorers including Captain Cook sailed across the globe to watch transits take place from widely separated locations so that they could combine their observations and calculate the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
Modern-day astronomers will use the rare opportunity to test methods designed to study the atmosphere of planets in other solar systems, which can only be done as they cross in front of their own suns.
By testing their equipment on the familiar territory of Venus, scientists will be able to learn how reliable it is and fine-tune it for use in the search for life elsewhere in the Universe.
Ireland’s Manufacturing output increased with new orders for May 2012
Manufacturing activity gained pace in May as output and new orders rose, and employment continued to expand.
The NCB Purchasing Manufacturers Index (PMI), which provides a measure of the health of the sector, climbed to 51.2 in May following April’s reading of 50.1. Output for the month reached 51, compared with April’s 48.7, and was the third rise in the past four months.
New orders were 51.1, the fourth increase in a row, with export orders remaining solid at 52.9 despite growth slowing.
Employment showed a rise for the third consecutive month, expanding to 54.4.
“Increased workloads encouraged companies to take on extra staff, and the rate of job-creation was solid during the month,” the report said.
Central Statistics Office data showed there was a 2.4 per cent increase in industrial employment in the final quarter of 2011.
“The evidence from the PMIs would suggest that this trend has continued into Q1 2012,” said NCB chief economist Brian Devine.
However, input prices continued to rise, slightly slowing from April, as manufacturers encountered higher costs for fuel and other oil-related products.
“Strong competition largely prevented firms from passing on increased costs to clients, however, and prices charged were reduced fractionally,” NCB said.
Suicide rise in Ireland is linked to the Recession ‘says new study’
A staggering rise in the number of Irish men taking their own lives is clearly linked to the recession, according to a leading expert on mental health.
Figures released yesterday by the CSO confirm research showing that 80% of those who take their own lives in Ireland are men, many of them in their 30s.
The CSO Report on Vital Statistics for 2009 shows 443 male suicides that year, a 15% increase on 2008. In contrast, female suicide deaths fell by 9%.
The report tallies with a study by the National Suicide Research Foundation which looked at 190 cases of suicide in Cork City and county between Sep 2008, when the economy imploded, and Mar 2011.
It found that the victims were predominantly men, with an average age of 36.
“It wasn’t a coincidence. Almost 40% were unemployed, and 32% worked in construction,” said NSRF research director Ella Arensman.
“Our study shows and the CSO figures confirm that suicides among men in Ireland rose sharply as the economy went into severe recession.”
Describing the huge rise in male suicide as “shocking and extraordinary”, Ms Arensman said that, in all her years conducting research into suicide and self-harm, she had never seen such a strong correlation between economic difficulties and mental health.
“I have been working in this area for a long time. Before our analysis, I would have expected some effect from the recession but my expectations were doubled. I have never witnessed such a fast effect of recession on so many aspects of life.
“Although there are often underlying causes like alcohol abuse [or] relationship problems, it is clear that the recession is largely responsible for this increase.”
Greece and Italy also showed heightened rates of suicide between 2007 and 2009 when economic hardship took hold in those countries.
“Financial crisis puts the lives of ordinary people at risk, but much more dangerous is when there are radical cuts to social protection,” said David Stuckler, a sociologist at the University of Cambridge, who led a study that found a sharp rise in suicides in European countries badly hit by recession.
His study of suicide trends in Europe shows an increase since 2008 in all countries except Austria. Ireland and Greece, the two countries that experienced the most severe economic downturns, also recorded the largest increase in suicide rates — up 15% in Ireland and up 17% in Greece.
“Austerity can turn a crisis into an epidemic,” said Mr Stuckler, whose research paper was published in British medical journal The Lancet.
Health Minister Reilly attempts to increase his adviser’s salary
DESPITE NEW RULES ON SPECIAL ADVISERS? HOWLIN V O’REILLY
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Minister for Health Dr. James Reilly has made several attempts over recent months to secure a higher pay scale for one of his special advisers.
The Minister has also made applications for a higher pay rate for his personal secretary.
In April last year Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin approved the appointment of Seán Faughnan as a special adviser to Dr Reilly for six months on a salary of €80,051 – the first point of the pay scale for principal officers in the Civil Service.
It is Government policy that special advisers should be paid at this rate, except with the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
In June of last year, Dr Reilly sought to have Mr Faughnan’s salary increased to €92,672, the maximum point of the principal officer’s pay scale.
Last October Dr Reilly sought to extend Mr Faughnan’s appointment “because of the important work he is engaged on in relation to the implementation of the Government’s programme of reform in the health sector”.
In his letter to Mr Howlin, Dr Reilly in effect suggested restructuring his team of special advisers. He proposed that Mr Faughnan would work on a one-third basis in the future and suggested appointing the former chief executive of the Northern Area Health Board, Maureen Windle, who retired in 2005 under a special severance arrangement for former health board senior management, as a special adviser on a two-thirds basis.
“Since Ms Windle has extensive experience of the health system at senior management level, I would appreciate your sanction to her appointment at the maximum point of the principal officer standard scale (€92,672) on a pro-rata basis.”
Mr Howlin approved the extension of Mr Faughnan’s contract on his existing salary, reduced to take account of the fact that he would be working fewer hours.
However, Mr Howlin, in a letter to Dr Reilly last November, refused to sanction Ms Windle’s appointment.
“Government policy is that there should be a maximum of two special advisers per minister and that advisers should normally be appointed on the minimum of the principal officer’s scale.
“Her appointment would mean that you would have three advisors, albeit the equivalent of two on a whole-time basis. However, from a public perception it is likely that it would be seen as three advisers,” Mr Howlin wrote.
Mr Howlin also maintained that the combined job-share salary for Mr Faughnan and Ms Windle, proposed by Dr Reilly, would be above the approved rate for the post – the minimum point on the scale.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform later indicated that Mr Howlin would be prepared to sanction a job-share arrangement on a combined salary of €80,051 “with appropriate pension abatement for Ms Windle”.
However, Mr Howlin was subsequently given a hand-written letter on the notepaper of the office of the Minister for Health requesting Mr Faughnan be appointed on a salary of €92,000. The note also proposed that this salary should be backdated to his original appointment the previous April and also proposed Mr Faughnan and Ms Windle should job-share on a combined salary of €92,000 – the same terms which had been previously rejected by Mr Howlin.
It is understood Dr Reilly made further representations to Mr Howlin last week in an attempt to resolve the dispute over the pay rate for Mr Faughnan and Ms Windle.
Separately, it is understood Dr Reilly sought approval from Mr Howlin to increase his personal secretary’s pay from €456 per week – the first point on the scale – to €746, the eighth point.
A spokesman for Dr Reilly said it had been the Minister’s “consistent view that the quality of the advice and expertise provided by Seán Faughnan should attract the higher end of the . . . scale”.
“As you know Seán Faughnan has remained in place . . . Discussions will now centre on reaching agreement to allow Maureen Windle assume the full-time position as policy adviser.”
Sligo IT Students make DVD about same-sex parents
Two students at Sligo Institute of Technology who have made an educational video for small children about same-sex parents hope to generate a debate about the rights of non-traditional family units.
Katie Young (22), from Ballinode, Co Sligo, and Grace Hughes (23) from Cross, Co Mayo,
believe a legislative amendment is necessary to widen the Constitution’s definition of the family.
The students, both in their fourth year of an early childhood care and education programme, have made an educational DVD, aimed at a pre-school audience.
The DVD, Emma and Charlie’s Fun Day Out, has been downloaded on YouTube.
It tells the story of two friends, Emma (6), who lives with her two mothers, and Charlie (7), who lives with his two dads.
It was made as part of a resource pack, “Modern Families”, for early years’ practitioners and junior and senior infants.
The pack includes guidelines for practitioners, posters, a board game, a story book and other play props.
The project was partly inspired by a desire to ensure that the rights of gay friends and relatives were protected.
“We don’t know how many same-sex families there are in Ireland, but even if there were only two we feel it is important for all schools to acknowledge this issue,” Ms Young said.
The students believe that as gay people become more open about their sexuality and more visible because of developments such as the civil partnership legislation, same-sex families will also become more visible.
Letting small children know about the existence of same-sex families could help counter bullying and isolation later on, the students have explained.
“Children living in traditional family units see their home life reflected in the curriculum and it is important that all children feel included,” Ms Hughes explained.
IT Sligo early childhood care and education lecturer Tamsin Cavaliero said the project was timely, given the recent introduction of civil partnership legislation.
The four-year honours programme at IT Sligo prepares graduates for work in the early-years sector, and in special needs, while some students also transfer to primary school teacher training.
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