TV3 bosses want Pat Kenny to compete in the ratings with Ryan Tubridy
STATION CHIEF TO APPROACH ‘BROADCASTING LEGEND’ AS NEWSTALK’S PRIZE CATCH SAYS HE IS ‘FLATTERED’
PAT Kenny is set to return to our television screens in the autumn after the new content chief of TV3 confirmed that he is planning to approach the Newstalk presenter about joining the station.
That raises the mouthwatering prospect of a Friday night chat-show ratings war between Mr Kenny and Ryan Tubridy after Jeff Ford confirmed that TV3 is also considering going up against The Late Late Show.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent yesterday, Mr Kenny said he had not yet been approached by TV3 but admitted that he was “flattered” by their interest.
“This is the first I’ve heard of it. I’m flattered,” he said. “I haven’t ruled out telly, either on RTE or TV3, but even then if they said to me, ‘We want you to start in October’, I wouldn’t be doing it. I want to give everything to Newstalk for the moment.
“The point of my backing off The Late Late Show, which I did for 10 years, and taking on the role with Frontline was because a show like the Late Late is all-consuming and I wanted a bit more time.” He added: “I’ll talk to anyone, but I genuinely have no plans. I cannot deny I will be definitely talking to David MacRedmond, head of TV3.
“Our daughters are classmates and we meet socially for a cup of coffee and so on. But we haven’t had a conversation so far.” In an interview with the Sunday Independent, TV3′s new director of content Jeff Ford issued a “come and talk to us” plea to Mr Kenny.
He said: “I know he is on holiday at the moment but I am certainly going to be talking to him at the first opportunity.
Of course I will. You have got to take these opportunities when you can.
“Pat Kenny is a legend in broadcasting. Any broadcaster would be delighted to have him on board, as would we. He has that something that people can relate to.
“He is highly intelligent and they have a comfort with him, an empathy and a trust.
‘Trust’ is a fantastic word and he has the trust of his audience that he can deliver in the way he does all the time.” Mr Ford also confirmed that the station is considering taking on The Late Late Show again with a big new show if the circumstances are right.
TV3 has tried it before, albeit with disastrous results.
Ironically, it was Mr Kenny who beat the challenge from then TV3 rival Eamon Dunphy.
News of Mr Kenny’s likely television comeback comes as News At One presenter Sean O’Rourke was confirmed as Mr Kenny’s replacement on the Today show, seeing off competition from Miriam O’Callaghan and Ryan Tubridy, who had been tipped for the job.
In a wide-ranging shakeup designed to meet Mr Kenny’s new Newstalk show head on, Claire Byrne is joining the Morning Ireland team, with Richard Crowley and Aine Lawlor moving in the opposite direction to take up the vacant slot on the News At One show.
Mr O’Rourke spoke of his delight at securing the job but played down future rivalry with the former colleague who defected to Newstalk.
“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t see it in terms of rivalry.
We had a pleasant exchange of kind of ‘best wishes’ texts in the last hour,” he told the Sunday Independent.
“He’ll do his job. I’ll do mine. Almost by definition, we can’t be watching each other’s work or listening to each other’s output.” An RTE staffer, Mr O’Rourke earned €208,801 in 2011, compared with €630,000 paid to Mr Kenny.
Mr O’Rourke is now in line for a pay rise, but he is still in talks. He said: “I think it is going to be finalised very quickly between myself and (RTE director general) Noel Curran.” Mr O’Rourke admitted he had been taken aback by Mr Kenny’s decision to quit RTE after 41 years.
He was at the Galway Races when a friend texted him about Mr Kenny’s departure, asking him if he would be stepping up to the plate.
“Yeah, the Galway Plate,” he replied.
Meanwhile, Miriam O’Callaghan has insisted that she was never interested in taking over Mr Kenny’s show.
The golden girl of RTE had been widely tipped to take over the vacant 10am to noon slot.
“It was never in my plan,” the Prime Time presenter told the Sunday Independent.
“The thing is, these things take off and you get people in the shop saying, ‘Oh, I believe you’re going to be doing that.’ “No. It was actually never in my plan. I’m going to be doing the 9 to 10 slot for the autumn and I love that.”
Northern Ireland business activity rises for the first time in six years
Ulster Bank research suggests NI firms benefited from growth in wider UK market
Richard Ramsey, Ulster Bank’s chief economist in Northern Ireland, the bank’s latest purchasing managers’ index report suggests the North may have experienced “something of an economic heatwave” last month.
Business activity in the North rose last month for the first time in nearly six years, delivering a welcome confidence boost for the local economy during July, according to new research from Ulster Bank.
Business activity in the North rose last month for the first time in nearly six years, delivering a welcome confidence boost for the local economy during July, according to new research from Ulster Bank.
The bank’s latest purchasing managers’ index (PMI) report shows that Northern Ireland firms won substantial new orders last month at a rate not recorded since August 2007 and in turn recruited extra staff to cope.
The Ulster Bank report, which monitors the health of theprivate sector in Northern Ireland, suggests that local firms strongly benefited from substantial growth in the UK market as a whole.
Although the UK market was the key source of growth, some Northern Ireland firms also reported a rise in new business from abroad which signalled the first increase in export orders in five years.
Manufacturing firms netted the highest percentage of new business wins last month but the construction, retail and service sectors also secured important new orders.
Higher workloads
The PMI report shows that as a result of higher workloads, jobs were created in the construction, manufacturing and service sectors, while the retail sector showed a slight reduction in employment levels.
The PMI report shows that as a result of higher workloads, jobs were created in the construction, manufacturing and service sectors, while the retail sector showed a slight reduction in employment levels.
Cost inflation also remained a major issue for local businesses in every sector, particularly in relation to higher fuel and raw materials prices.
According to Richard Ramsey, Ulster Bank’s chief economist in Northern Ireland, the report suggests that the North may have experienced “something of an economic heatwave” last month.
A rise in activity
“Almost one-third of firms surveyed reported a rise in activity last month,” Mr Ramsey said. “Local firms saw business activity increase at its fastest rate in 70 months with all sectors of the economy experiencing robust rates of growth.
“Almost one-third of firms surveyed reported a rise in activity last month,” Mr Ramsey said. “Local firms saw business activity increase at its fastest rate in 70 months with all sectors of the economy experiencing robust rates of growth.
“The better weather was cited as one factor while improved client confidence across the UK was another. The surge in new business orders in July suggests business activity should remain buoyant in the near term.”
He warned though that like economies elsewhere, Northern Ireland requires a “sustained period of growth” over the months and years ahead.
Shannon Airport records second month of growth for July
JULY PASSENGER NUMBERS INCREASE BY OVER 9%
Summer 2013 improved again for Shannon Airport in July when it achieved growth for the second successive month, with a 9.4 percent overall increase in passenger numbers compared on the same month last year.
Overall passenger numbers for July were 173,558, up from 158,603 in the same month last year. The increase built on the 8% hike in month-over-month passenger numbers for June – the first time in five years that the airport experienced growth and just six months after setting out as an independent entity.
Like June, the growth was most telling in the transatlantic market, with overall passenger growth arising from the airport’s five US and one Canadian (Toronto) service increasing from 38,781 in July 2012 to 54,014 last month, a 39 percent increase.
Welcoming the figures for July, Shannon Airport CEO Neil Pakey said: “We are delighted to have achieved a second successive month of growth at Shannon. The figures very much reflect the enhanced level of services delivered at Shannon this year, not least on US destinations thanks to new routes to Philadelphia and Chicago, on top of already having Newark, JFK and Boston services.
“This has been very positive for tourism market here, from Cork right up to the North West as Shannon is the only airport on the entire western seaboard with transatlantic services.
“The increase is all the more encouraging given the anecdotal reports from travel agents here that the good weather caused a lot of people to holiday at home rather than book last minute trips to the sun, which would have pushed our figures up even higher.
“Generally, we have received very positive reports from hoteliers and other accommodation providers across this region on the summer season. They have done better than they expected from the domestic market because of the good weather but, on top of that, have benefited from the big increase in US visitors coming through Shannon.
“This has really driven growth as US visitor spends a lot more than tourists from any other country so we are delighted to have made this contribution and are focussed on keeping up the momentum.”
The war goes on as Galway turf owners cut bog in violation of EU rules
A crowd of up to 160 have gathered in two Galway bogs this afternoon to cut turf in violation of an EU directive.
Relays of people are cutting the sod by in Barroughter and Clonmoylan, in opposition to the EU directive banning cutting in Special Areas of Conservation.
Spokesperson for Clonmoylan and Barroughter Bogs Action Group, Dermot Moran, told Midlands 103 radio what they hope to achieve by today’s actions.
“Rural people should not be stopped from one of their great traditions of providing fuel for their winter and for their houses and all that as they have always done,” he said.
“At a time when fuel costs are rising dramatically, they should be left alone and let cut their turf and their bogs.”
Dogs can now sniff out cancer with 100% accuracy
A UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA’S STUDY SHOWS us
Woman’s best friend! Researchers have trained dogs to sniff out the signature chemical compound that indicates the presence of ovarian cancer with 100% accuracy.
Ohlin Frank, a trained chocolate Labrador has been able to detect ovarian cancer tissue a 100% of the time, researchers said.
An early detection device that combines old-fashioned olfactory skills, chemical analysis and modern technology could lead to better survival rates for the disease, which is particularly deadly because it’s often not caught until an advanced stage.
Using blood and tissue samples donated by patients, the University of Pennsylvania’s Working Dog Centre has started training three canines to sniff out the signature compound that indicates the presence of ovarian cancer.
If the animals can isolate the chemical marker, scientists at the nearby Monell Chemical Senses Centre will work to create an electronic sensor to identify the same odorant.
“Because if the dogs can do it, then the question is, Can our analytical instrumentation do it? We think we can,” Monell organic chemist George Preti said.
When ovarian cancer is caught early, women have a five-year survival rate of 90 per cent. But because of its generic symptoms – weight gain, bloating or constipation – the disease is more often caught late.
About 70 per cent of cases are identified after the cancer has spread, said Dr Janos Tanyi, an oncologist whose patients are participating in the study. For those women, the five-year survival rate is less than 40 per cent, he said.
The Philadelphia researchers will build on previous work showing that early stage ovarian cancer alters odorous compounds in the body. Another study in Britain in 2004 demonstrated that dogs could identify bladder cancer patients by smelling their urine.
Dr Leonard Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, said while the canine concept has shown promise for several years, there haven’t been any major breakthroughs yet.
“We’re still looking to see whether something could be developed and be useful in routine patient care, and we’re not there yet,” said Dr Lichtenfeld, who is not involved in the study.
Cindy Otto, director of the Working Dog Centre, hopes to change that with the help of McBaine, a springer spaniel; Ohlin, a Labrador retriever; and Tsunami, a German shepherd.
“If we can figure out what those chemicals are, what that fingerprint of ovarian cancer is that’s in the blood – or maybe even eventually in the urine or something like that – then we can have that automated test that will be less expensive and very efficient at screening those samples,” Ms Otto said.
Ovarian cancer patient Marta Drexler, 57, is heartened by the effort. Ms Drexler describes herself as a textbook case of the disease not being detected early enough because she had no symptoms.
After two surgeries and two rounds of chemotherapy, Ms Drexler said she didn’t hesitate when Dr Tanyi, her physician, asked her to donate tissue to the study. Last week, she visited the Working Dog Centre to meet the animals whose work might one day lead to fewer battles like hers.
“To have the opportunity to help with this dreadful disease, to do something about it, even if it’s just a tiny little bit of something, it’s a big thing,” said Ms Drexler, of nearby Lansdowne.
Over 100,000 earthlings want to go to Mars and not return again, A project says
More than 100,000 people are eager to make themselves at home on another planet. They’ve applied for a one-way trip to Mars, hoping to be chosen to spend the rest of their lives on uncharted territory, according to an organization planning the manned missions.
The Mars One project wants to colonize the red planet, beginning in 2022. There are financial and practical questions about this venture that haven’t been clarified. Will there be enough money? Will people really be able to survive on Mars? But these haven’t stopped some 30,000 Americans from signing up.
You can see some of the candidates on the project’s website, but they’re not the only ones who have applied, said Bas Lansdorp, Mars One CEO and co-founder.
“There is also a very large number of people who are still working on their profile, so either they have decided not to pay the application fee, or they are still making their video or they’re still filling out the questionnaire or their resume. So the people that you can see online are only the ones that have finished and who have set their profiles as public,” Lansdorp said.
The entrepreneur did not specify how many have paid the fees, completed their profiles and configured them as private.
The application process
Anyone 18 or older may apply, but the fee depends on a user’s nationality. For Americans, it’s $38; if you’re in Mexico, however, it’s a mere $15.
The company said it sets the price based on the gross domestic product per capita of each nation. “We wanted it to be high enough for people to have to really think about it and low enough for anyone to be able to afford it,” Lansdorp said.
Anyone 18 or older may apply, but the fee depends on a user’s nationality. For Americans, it’s $38; if you’re in Mexico, however, it’s a mere $15.
The company said it sets the price based on the gross domestic product per capita of each nation. “We wanted it to be high enough for people to have to really think about it and low enough for anyone to be able to afford it,” Lansdorp said.
For the first crew, the Mars One mission will cost $6 billion, Lansdorp said. The idea is for it to be funded by sponsors and media that will pay for broadcasting rights of shows and movies documenting everything from the astronauts’ training on Earth to their deployment and colonization of Mars.
Out of the applicants, Mars One said it will select a multicontinental group of 40 astronauts this year. Four of them — two men and twowomen – are set to leave for Mars in September 2022, landing in April 2023.
Another multicontinental group of four will be deployed two years later, according to the Mars One plan. None of them will return to Earth.
The astronauts will undergo a required eight-year training in a secluded location. According to the project site, they will learn how to repair habitat structures, grow vegetables in confined spaces and address “both routine and serious medical issues such as dental upkeep, muscle tears and bone fractures.”
“What we want to do is tell the story to the world,” Lansdorp said, “when humans go to Mars, when they settle on Mars and build a new Earth, a new planet. This is one of the most exciting things that ever happened, and we want to share the story with the entire world.”
How will Mars be colonized?
Each lander that Mars One sends will be able to carry about 5,511 pounds of “useful load” to Mars, he said. After eight missions, more than 44,000 pounds of supplies and people are expected to have arrived. The capsules themselves, whose weight is not included in that number, will become part of the habitat.
Food and solar panels will go in the capsules. Earth won’t be sending much water or oxygen though — those will be manufactured on Mars, Lansdorp said.
Each lander that Mars One sends will be able to carry about 5,511 pounds of “useful load” to Mars, he said. After eight missions, more than 44,000 pounds of supplies and people are expected to have arrived. The capsules themselves, whose weight is not included in that number, will become part of the habitat.
Food and solar panels will go in the capsules. Earth won’t be sending much water or oxygen though — those will be manufactured on Mars, Lansdorp said.
Astronauts will filter Martian water from the Martian soil. “We will evaporate it and condense it back into its liquid state,” he said.
“From the water we can make hydrogen and oxygen, and we will use the oxygen for a breathing atmosphere inside the habitat. This will be prepared by the rovers autonomously before the humans arrive.”
It sounds like terraforming, a process in which the conditions of a planet are modified to make it habitable, but Lansdorp said it isn’t.
“We will create an atmosphere that looks like the atmosphere on Earth, so you could say that we are terraforming the habitat. But to terraform the entire planet, that’s a project that will take hundreds and hundreds of years,” he added.
A dangerous mission
In spite of the risks of space travel, the Mars One founder said he is convinced of the viability of the project. However, some space travel experts have said the risks are far too high to carry out these manned missions to Mars, a distance that humans have never traveled.
In spite of the risks of space travel, the Mars One founder said he is convinced of the viability of the project. However, some space travel experts have said the risks are far too high to carry out these manned missions to Mars, a distance that humans have never traveled.
Radiation is a big concern. NASA does not allow their astronauts to expose themselves to radiation levels that could increase their risk of developing cancer by more than 3%.
To maintain the radiation exposure standards that NASA requires, the maximum time an astronaut can spend in space “is anywhere from about 300 days to about 360 days for the solar minimum activity. For solar maximum, in ranges anywhere from about 275 days to 500 days,” said Eddie Semones, NASA spaceflight radiation officer.
A round-trip journey to Mars could expose astronauts to the maximum amount of radiation allowed in a career under current NASA standards, according to a recent study by scientists at the space agency. Mars One is planning a one-way journey, which doesn’t negate the problem, and being on Mars could expose astronauts to even more radiation, depending on how long they stay and what the shielding conditions are like.
Radiation damages cells’ DNA, which can lead to cell death or permanent changes that may result in cancer. However, “there’s no convincing human evidence for excess abnormalities in offspring of radiation-exposed adults,” Semones said.
While orbiting the Earth, astronauts get exposed to greater concentrations of cosmic background radiation than here on Earth in addition to charged particles trapped in the upper atmosphere and from the sun, said Robert J. Reynolds, epidemiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center.
As a spacecraft moves into deep space, the people on board would be exposed to even more cosmic radiation and solar particles, which is “fairly dangerous,” Reynolds said.
Interestingly, according to Reynolds, astronauts’ risk of dying of cancer is lower than that of the general public because they tend to be in shape, eat well, don’t smoke and receive careful monitoring from doctors. Of course, none of them have been to Mars.
Semones emphasized that NASA does not study the health effects of Mars colonization and that it’s focusing on shorter recognition missions of the surface of Mars. “We’re not looking at colonization of Mars or anything. We’re not focusing our research on those kinds of questions.”
Can it be done?
Mars One isn’t the only group hoping to make history by sending people to the red planet. The Inspiration Mars Foundation wants to launch two people — a man and a woman — on a 501-day, round-trip journey to Mars and back in 2018 without ever touching down.
Mars One isn’t the only group hoping to make history by sending people to the red planet. The Inspiration Mars Foundation wants to launch two people — a man and a woman — on a 501-day, round-trip journey to Mars and back in 2018 without ever touching down.
At this time there is no technology that can protect astronauts from an excess of space radiation. “The maximum number of days to stay with our standards is on the order of 500 days. So any mission that would exceed 500 days would not be doable,” Semones said.
Reynolds agreed: “At this point it’s completely infeasible to try to send someone to Mars unless we can get there faster or we develop better shielding for a spacecraft.”
NASA is working on engines intended to cut the travel time to Mars by the 2030s, but those systems won’t be ready for many years, Chris Moore, NASA’s deputy director of advanced exploration systems, told CNN this year. In the meantime, Moore said engineers could try to limit travelers’ exposures by designing a spacecraft in such a way that it provides more protection.
But Mars One founder Lansdorp insisted his group will get people landing on Mars by 2023.
“The risks of space travel in general are already very high, so radiation is really not our biggest concern,” he said.
If that all sounds good, you can still sign up.
But remember: You can never go home again.
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