ALL IRELAND NEWS By Donie

Half of under 30s say they can’t live without internet

     

Internet access is now as important as eating, drinking and breathing, according to a Cisco study, which found one in three college students and young professionals believe they could not live without the Internet.

One of every three college students and employees surveyed globally (33pc) believes the Internet is a fundamental resource for the human race – as important as air, water, food and shelter.                                                 


About half (49pc of college students and 47pc of employees) believe it is "pretty close" to that level of importance.

More than half of the respondents (55pc of college students and 62pc of employees) said they could not live without the Internet and cite it as an "integral part of their lives."

If forced to make a choice between one or the other, the majority of college students globally – about two of three (64pc) – would choose an Internet connection instead of a car.

Internet over love and friendship?

Two of five college students surveyed globally (40pc) said the Internet is more important to them than dating, going out with friends, or listening to music.

Whereas previous generations preferred socialising in person, the next generation is indicating a shift toward online interaction. More than one in four college students globally (27pc) said staying updated on Facebook was more important than partying, dating, listening to music, or hanging out with friends.

Two-thirds of students (66pc) and more than half of employees (58pc) cite a mobile device (laptop, smartphone, tablet) as “the most important technology in their lives.”

Smartphones are poised to surpass desktops as the most prevalent tool from a global perspective, as 19pc of college students consider smartphones as their “most important” device used on a daily basis, compared to 20pc for desktops – an indication of the growing trend of smartphone prominence and expected rise in usage by the next generation of college graduates upon entering the workforce.

Offices are unproductive and the media as we once knew it is dying

This finding fans the debate over the necessity of offices compared to the ability to connect to the internet and work anywhere, such as at home or in public settings. In the 2010 edition of the study, three of five employees globally (60pc) said offices are unnecessary for being productive.

The survey indicates that the TV's prominence is decreasing among college students and young employees in favour of mobile devices like laptops and smartphones. Globally, fewer than one in 10 college students (6pc) and employees (8pc) said the TV is the most important technology device in their daily lives. As TV programming and movies become available on mobile devices, this downward trend is expected to continue.

Only one of 25 college students and employees (4pc) surveyed globally said the newspaper is their most important tool for accessing information.

One of five students (21pc) have not bought a physical book (excluding textbooks required for class) in a bookstore in more than two years – or never at all.

About nine of 10 (91pc) college students and employees (88pc) globally said they have a Facebook account – of those, 81pc of college students and 73pc of employees check their Facebook page at least once a day. One of those three (33pc) said they check at least five times a day.

College students reported constant online interruptions while doing projects or homework, such as instant messaging, social media updates and phone calls. In a given hour, more than four out of five (84pc) college students said they are interrupted at least once. About one in five students (19pc) said they are interrupted six times or more – an average of at least once every 10 minutes. One of 10 (12pc) said they lose count how many times they are interrupted while they are trying to focus on a project.

Boundaries between 'work' and 'personal' getting thinner

In a sign that the boundary between work and personal lives is becoming thinner, seven of 10 employees “friended” their managers and/or co-workers on Facebook, indicating the dissolution of boundaries separating work and private life. Culturally, the United States featured lower percentages of employees friending managers and co-workers – only about one in four (23pc) – although two of five friended their co-workers (40pc).

Of employees who use Twitter, more than two of every three (68pc) follow the Twitter activity of either their manager or colleagues; 42pc follow both, while one-third (32pc) prefer to keep their personal lives private.

“Without a doubt, our world is changing to be much more internet-focused, and becomes even more so with each new generation,” Marie Hattar, vice-president, Enterprise Marketing, Cisco, explained.

“CIOs need to plan and scale their networks now to address the security and mobility demands that the next-generation workforce will put on their infrastructure, and they need to do this in conjunction with a proper assessment of corporate policies,” Hattar said.

WEDNESDAY'S ALL IRELAND NEWS By Donie

Hope fade for MBNA  jobs in CARRICK-ON-SHANNON 
                                                                      The future of MBNA in Carrick-on-Shannon took a downward turn last night when the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation, Richard Bruton was interviewed by RTE's Prime Timeprogramme. 

In a satellite link from Miami, where the minister is in the southern states of the United States on a trade mission with 65 Irish companies, he confirmed that he is also having talks with MBNA's parent company Bank of America (BoA) regarding the MBNA situation.

In response to Prime Time presenter Richard Crowley's words "to try and salvage something for the workers at MBNA in Carrick on Shannon," the minister, unfortunately for MBNA workers, had nothing substantive to say regarding any update on the current situation.

He said that it was BoA's decision to sell the operation and that it was their ambition to sell it 'as a going concern.' Confirming that the government and the IDA would support that decision and that he "wanted to see a buyer that respects the strengths that have been built up by the workers in Carrick-on-Shannon."

Donie's News all Ireland

      

Schools now urging teenagers to put off losing virginity

NEW lesson plans set to be rolled out in secondary schools will urge young people to delay having sex for the first time.

Teenagers will soon be taught about the risks associated with having sex, following new research that shows young people were having sex at an earlier age than in previous generations.

The initiative -- which was launched yesterday by the Crisis Pregnancy Programme (CCP) -- aims to reduce young people's chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases or having unexpected pregnancies.

The organisation said that the programme was developed in response to studies which revealed Irish teenagers are becoming intimate at an earlier age than ever before.

The research found that young people who have sex for the first time before the age of 17, are 70pc more likely to experience a crisis pregnancy in their lifetime.

It also found that these teenagers are three times more likely to contract an STI or experience an abortion.

Those who had sex before 17 were also more likely to wish they had waited longer before having sex.

The initiative is part of b4udecide.ie -- a website which encourages people to make healthier choices in relation to their sexual activity.

surfing

The site received more than 80,000 visitors last year -- with young people spending a considerable amount of time surfing through the available information.

CPP acting director Dr Stephanie O'Keeffe, said they would be coordinating a rollout of the lesson plans to secondary schools and youth organisations over the coming months.

"While we have seen sustained reductions in teenage pregnancy and teenage abortion rates over the last 10 years, evidence shows that young people continue to face immense pressures from the internet, advertising and, of course, their peers," she said.

Children's Minister Frances Fitzgerald -- who spoke at the publication of the CPP's annual report yesterday -- expressed concern at the exposure of young people to "sexual messaging".

"Teenagers and indeed younger children are exposed to more sexual messaging than at any time in the past.

"In this context, young people need good, clear information from their parents, schools and youth work settings on how to establish and conduct happy, safe, loving relationships and how to avoid crisis pregnancy and STIs." ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................

71,000 attend the first day of the National Ploughing Championships

An estimated 71,000 people attended the opening day of the National Ploughing Championships near Athy, Co Kildare.

        
 An estimated 71,000 people attended the opening day of the National Ploughing Championships near Athy, Co Kildare - up 5,000 on the same day last year.

President Mary McAleese and her husband, Senator Martin McAleese, were among the huge crowd.

She opened the event and described agriculture as the star of Ireland's economy in these tough times.

All five declared candidates in the race to succeed Mrs McAleese were also present.

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Simon Coveney, is attending all three days of the event.

Almost 200,000 people are expected to attend the event over the next three days.

The National Ploughing Association is currently marking 80 years in business.

Politicians and rural leaders will be on site this week to join in the celebrations.

The festival is taking place at a good time for farmers who are seeing a recovery in their incomes; more young people are also opting for careers in agriculture.

Figures released from Bord Bia this morning suggest that food and drink exports this year are expected to reach a new all-time high of €8.9bn, an increase of more than 12% on 2010.

Donie's News all Ireland

A new Group for vaccine-related narcolepsy newly launched

Sunday, 18 September 2011    

A support group has been launched for children suffering from a chronic sleep disorder linked to one of the vaccines used to ward off swine flu.

A new support group has been launched for children suffering from a chronic sleep disorder linked to one of the vaccines used to ward off swine flu in 2009 and 2010.

Called SOUND - which stands for Sufferers of Unique Narcolepsy Disorder - the group aims to help parents identify if their children have been affected by the condition and provide them with help if they have.

So far 30 cases of narcolepsy have been identified by the HSE, which said it has now put arrangements in place for speedy tests and diagnosis.

A possible link between narcolepsy and the Pandemrix vaccine, which is no longer on offer here and has been recommended for restricted use only by the European Medicines Agency, is currently being investigated.

Scandinavian studies have already indicated a link between the flu vaccine and a rise in narcolepsy in children.

There's no cure although medicine helps.

The HSE says it will support those affected but hopes the matter will not put people off having vaccinations.