News Blog on Friday as told by Donie

Water in Ireland (soft drinks) costs more than beer in our pub’s

    A survey by Senator Catherine Noone claims beer is cheaper than Water in our pubs

Mineral water costs more in Irish pubs than beer, a new survey tells us.

Mineral water cost €9.44 per litre on average compared with €7.92 a litre for stout and €8.71 for brand-name beers, according to the survey by Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone. Soft drinks cost even more, with cola costing €13.45 per litre — the most expensive drink in the survey of over 100 Dublin pubs.

Ms Noone criticised the high price of non-alcoholic drinks at a time when people were being encouraged to drink less.

“This survey shows it’s actually more expensive to spend your night sipping on water or soft drinks instead of beer or stout. How can this make sense?” she said.

“This isn’t just about encouraging people to drink sensibly. It’s also about the fact that punters are clearly being ripped off,” she added.

A donor’s Heart dropped on the way to a Mexican hospital is successfully transplanted

A real heart stopping moment for everybody

           

 Erika Hernandez above left gives a thumbs up from inside an ambulance after being discharged from the hospital where she had the heart transplant in a Mexico City hospital    

A HEART THAT WAS DROPPED ON THE GROUND WHILE BEING TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY TRANSPLANTED INTO A 28-YEAR-OLD HAIR STYLIST.

The heart was flown across Mexico in a dramatic race against time only to be fumbled at the last minute, in footage that went viral around the world.

Two Mexican medics ridiculed (see video clip here) Clumsy medics in Mexico City drop donor heart – video Bungling medics are at the centre of a media storm in Mexico after they dropped a human heart being rushed to a transplant patient by private jet and police helicopter

In their haste to get to the hospital after the heart was flown in from León, in the state of Guanajuato. The bagged heart rolled out on to the concrete, along with ice and a bag of saline.

But the organ was protected in a waterproof steel container so the medics were able to retrieve it without exposure to the outside environment before rushing it to the hospital where the four-hour operation was carried out.

THEY CAN BREATHE A LITTLE MORE EASILY AFTER THE RECIPIENT, ERIKA HERNANDEZ, WAS DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL.

The men were widely lampooned after they spilled the contents of a cooler box containing the organ while rushing to the La Raza hospital in Mexico City two weeks ago. But the operation went ahead as planned and proved successful. “I cannot believe that I’m still here and well,” Hernandez said. “It is thanks to the person who donated the heart I can be here.”

Dr Jaime Saldivar said Hernandez does not know that the accident made international news, adding that it would be up to her family to tell her.

Hernandez, who was born with a congenital heart defect, was one of three transplant patients at a press conference to help boost organ donation. The 27-year-old hair stylist left hospital in a wheelchair but looked rosy-cheeked as she addressed reporters.

   Erika Hernandez waves as she leaves hospital

The heart was donated by 20-year-old Rafael Gomez, who was declared brain dead after he was involved in a car crash.

‘GOOD NEWS FOR SLIGO’ Abbott Sligo jobs are set to treble in the near future 

(Confirmation is due soon)

 

STAFF AT THE Abbott plant on the Manorhamilton road have been told to expect an announcement about a major expansion at the plant that could see a trebling of its workforce, 

Some 115 people are employed at the pharmaceutical factory, one of four plants which Abbott operates in Sligo, and management recently revealed the plant was to begin new production lines that would result in the recruitment of more staff over the next three years.

The Manorhamilton Road plant has four buildings and it is believed three of them will undergo major extensions as part of the new proposals. A formal launch of a new factory name and the expansion programme is to be announced in the near future. More than 1,000 people are employed at Abbott’s four factories in Sligo: 430 at Ballytivnan, 480 at Finisklin and 25 at the Fort Gary Complex, also in Finisklin, in addition to the staff at Manorhamilton Road.

Abbott Laboratories recently made a decision to split into two publicly trading companies, the announcement having been made from its headquarters in Illinois, USA. Senior management at Abbott in Sligo returned last week from a briefing in Peurto Rico where details of the new arrangements were outlined.

The company has been operating for 123 years and had approximately €22 billion annual sales for 2011. It also has divisions in Donegal, Longford, Cavan, Dublin and Tipperary.

The Irish Potato is awarded a special EU protection status

The comber Early product from Northern Ireland is now EU protected

     

Minister Michelle O’Neill MLA with potato growers Robin McKee (left) and son Ivan (right) as the humble Irish potato has been bestowed with special status after being singled out for protection by European law makers

A humble Irish potato has been bestowed with special status after being singled out for protection by European law makers.

The safeguards won by the Comber Early do not mean it is off the menu, just that its name cannot be pilfered by any impostor crops.

The spud, known for being harvested early in the season, has been granted Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status under EU law. That means only those lifted from the fields round the Co Down village can be called New Season Comber Potatoes or Comber Earlies.

The potato now joins an elite selection of brands synonymous with a particular region that have been granted the protection. Its illustrious company includes Champagne, Parma ham and feta cheese.

Comber Earlies are the second product from Northern Ireland afforded PGI recognition, following the Lough Neagh Eels.

Stormont’s agriculture and rural development minister Michelle O’Neill welcomed the move.

“New Season Combers/Comber Earlies are famed for being the earliest local potato to be harvested and for their unique characteristics,” she said. “We are justifiably proud of the quality of our locally produced food and it is encouraging to have our products recognised internationally.

“PGI registration is good news for the local economy and will help local growers to market New Season Combers domestically and further afield and protect against imitation. It will also build consumer confidence in this product by providing reassurance of its provenance.”

Angus Wilson, of the Northern Ireland Potato Stakeholders Forum, added: “This EC recognition will allow the industry to market Comber Earlies with renewed confidence, particularly in the domestic market, and may also encourage some producers to seek to develop markets further afield.

“It is a real testament to New Season Combers that within an island known for potatoes, they can be identified as having unique characteristics.”

How often do you eat potatoes?

How often do you eat potatoes (mashed, fried, roasted but not crisps…) 

A poll taken on-line shows figures below?

Poll Results: