Donie's Ireland daily BLOG update

President Higgins must decide by Wednesday if Abortion Bill should be sent to Supreme Court

 

PRESIDENT HIGGINS MUST DECIDE BY WEDNESDAY IF BILL SHOULD BE REFERRED TO SUPREME COURT

The meeting of the Council of State convened by President Michael D Higgins to discuss the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill has ended after more than three hours.

The meeting, attended by 21 members of the Council, began in in Áras an Uachtaráinat about 3.15pm following a brief photocall in the main drawing room of the President’s residence in the Phoenix Park. It ended at 6.45pm.

The meeting was called after President Higgins invoked the powers available to him under Article 26 of the Constitution to convene the Council of State ahead of him taking a decision on whether or not to refer the Bill to theSupreme Court to ascertain if it is keeping with the Constitution.

The Bill completed its passage through the Oireachtas on Tuesday night of last week, when the Seanad voted in favour of the legislation. President Higgins, who received the document on Wednesday of last weeks, will have seven days to make a decision on referral and that process must be complete by Wednesday.

Three of the Council were absent: they were former president Mary Robinson, and former taoisigh Albert Reynolds and John Bruton.

Members of the Council began arriving at the front entrance of the Aras just before 2pm. The Council comprises serving and former office holders including former president Mary MacAleese, Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore; serving and former members of the judiciary including Chief Justice Mrs Justice Susan Denham, the Attorney General Maire Whelan, and seven members appointed by the President.

Three former taoisigh are also in attendance; the 93 year old Liam Cosgrave; Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen. Mr Ahern and Mr Cowen both arrived using their own transport. Mr Ahern walked up the driveway to the reception area and Mr Cowen was transported in an OPW courtesy bus. Also in attendance today is the former chief justice, Thomas Finlay.

Article 26.1 states: “ The President, after consultation with the Council of State, refer any Bill to which this Article applies to the Supreme Court for a decision on the question as to whether such Bill or any specified provision or provisions of such Bills is or are repugnant to this Constitution.”

A total of 15 Bills have been referred since 1940. The last Bill referred to the Supreme Court was the Nursing Homes Bill in early 2005. The Bill proposed to prevent retrospective payments to residents of nursing homes and other institutions and was referred by then president Mary McAleese. The Supreme Court ruled the Bill was repugnant to the Constitution.

The convening of the Council of State to discuss a Bill is a relatively rare phenomenon. It occurred only eight times during the 14-year presidency of Mary McAleese. This is the first time that President Higgins has called a meeting of the Council of State using the powers available to him under Article 26.

Once a Bill is found to be in keeping with the Constitution after being referred under the Article 26 provision, the legislation can never be challenged on constitutional grounds again by a citizen in the courts.

The meeting is expected to last for several hours with key contributions expected from Attorney General Maire Whelan and, possibly, from Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, president of the High Court.

Those in attendance today are: Taoiseach Enda Kenny; Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore; Chief Justice Susan Denham; Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett; Cathaoirleach of the Seanad Paddy Burke; President of the High Court Nicholas Kearns; Attorney General Maire Whelan; former president Mary McAleese; former taoiseach Liam Cosgrave; former taoiseach Bertie Ahern; former taoiseach Brian cowen; former Chief Justice Tom Finlay; former Chief JusticeRonan Keane and former Chief Justice John Murray. The seven members appointed by the President in attendance are: Michael Farrell; Prof Deirdre Heenan; former Supreme Court justice Catherine McGuinness; Ruairi McKiernan;Sally Mulready; Prof Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh and Prof Gerard Quinn.

The horsemeat scandal has changed Irish peoples eating habits

  

ALMOST HALF OF IRISH PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT PROCESSED FOOD AND READY MEALS BEFORE THE HORSEMEAT SCANDAL HAVE CUT THEM OUT FROM THEIR SHOPPING, FOOD SAFETY CHIEFS HAVE SAID.

While consumers’ habits have changed in the fall-out from the scare, a survey has shown that almost two thirds of meat eaters said they were not concerned by the fraud.

The research on confidence and trust in food found 51% of people who purchased frozen burgers in the past now shows less people buy these products.

The study assessing the impact of the horse meat contamination issue on Irish consumer confidence was carried out by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and found “significant changes” in consumers’ purchasing habits, with evidence emerging of an increase in awareness of food safety and provenance.

And shoppers who bought processed foods and ready meals containing meat like lasagne and shepherd’s pie have also changed their habits, with 42% cutting some of these from their shopping baskets.

Professor Alan Reilly, FSAI chief executive, warned that food processing companies which buy raw materials on face value are taking high risks.

“It is six months since the FSAI uncovered what would eventually transpire to be a pan-European problem of adulterated beef products across almost all members states,” he said. “Understandably, the issue has given rise to widespread debate about food safety and labelling and this has changed the way people in Ireland view the foods they purchase and consume.”

The horsemeat food fraud was uncovered by FSAI testing and tracing the source of contaminated meat spread from factories in Ireland to the UK and across Europe. In some products about one third of the meat was found to be from horse.

Prof Reilly said that he believes it will ultimately be seen as a positive for shoppers. He said: “When buying processed foods, people are not in a position to identify what raw materials are used and, therefore, they rely on labelling as their only source of information.

“They are in effect putting their trust in the hands of manufacturers and retailers who have a legal obligation to ensure that all ingredients in their products are correctly labelled. A key lesson for food businesses is that they must have robust supplier controls in place at all times to ensure that they know who is supplying them and that all products and all ingredients are authentic.”

The FSAI survey found 13% of consumers do not have confidence in Irish food safety controls and regulations. It also found that half of respondents say they are now more conscious about food safety issues in general and 45% of consumers say they now spend more time reading labels on food products.

Pauline McGlynn now slowly turning into a real Mrs Doyle she claims?

 

PAULINE MCLYNN IS SLOWING BECOMING MRS DOYLE ALL OVER AGAIN. THE FATHER TED ACTRESS SAYS, AS THE YEARS PASS BY SHE FINDS MORE AND MORE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN HERSELF AND THE ICONIC HOUSEKEEPER SHE PLAYED IN THE SERIES.

“I do love tea and coffee, so I’m a bit more like her in that regard, but I’m definitely not as good at housekeeping as she is,” she said.

Pauline played the tea-and-cake-loving spinster (inset) in the well-loved Channel 4 series for three years.

The 51-year-old star has just finished filming Jason Byrne’s upcoming BBC series Father Figure and says she was delighted to be involved in it.

“It’s six episodes long. Jason is a brilliant writer and it was fantastic playing his mammy,” Pauline said. “There was a real buzz of energy around the set.”

Pauline was speaking at the launch of Whiskas partnership with the WWF to help prevent the extinction of tigers. And, as a self-confessed cat lady, she says it’s a cause very close to her heart.

“I’ve always been a bit of a crazy cat woman. I have two little tigers at home – Brenda and Alice. I love them and think they are great.”

Pauline explained: “There are less than 3,000 tigers left in the world and WWF want to double that number by 2022.”

She added: “The reason they are nearly extinct is because of humans, so we should rectify that.”

Letterkenny General Hospital flood damage viewed as very serious

 

The flood damage at a Letterkenny Co Donegal hospital caused by torrential rain has been described as “very serious”

As the major clean-up operation at Letterkenny General Hospital continues with the help of around 500 volunteers, Fine Gael TD Joe McHugh said it has been a traumatic time for all concerned.

Health Minister James Reilly visited the hospital to survey the damage after serious flooding on Friday forced staff to shut the emergency department, which is to remain closed throughout the week.

“I am aware from speaking with some of the hospital staff over the weekend that this is a very traumatic time for the staff,” Mr McHugh said. “The damage caused by the flooding is very serious, and I commend hospital management and staff for a very swift response to the crisis.”

He said the health minister has committed to working “step-by-step” with Letterkenny General as it recovers from the damage caused.

Emergency patients are continuing to be diverted to Sligo Regional Hospital and Altnagelvin Hospital, in nearby Co Derry. Letterkenny also remains closed to visitors.

Elective inpatient and day case surgery for Monday and Tuesday will be rescheduled to a later date.

Endoscopy, physiotherapy and cardiac investigation appointments, and radiology appointments will also be postponed to a later date.

The hospital was forced to declare an emergency situation after torrential rain flooded a number of different areas, leaving them damaged and soiled.

Areas worst hit by the flooding on Friday evening included the emergency department, and the radiology, outpatients, pathology and medical records departments. Several wards and kitchens were also flooded.

Migraines now linked to Brain Artery Structure where the Blood Flows are Incomplete

     

Migraines can be debilitating for some people, adding stress and pain to their everyday lives. Now, scientists have discovered that the network of arteries supplying blood flow to the brain is more likely to be incomplete in people who suffer migraine.

Migraines can be debilitating for some people, adding stress and pain to their everyday life. For years, researchers have examined what might cause migraines, trying to determine the exact mechanism so that they can better treat these headaches. Now, they may have found a newclue. Scientists have discovered that the network of arteries supplying blood flow to the brain is more likely to be incomplete in people who suffer migraine. These variations in arterial anatomy lead to asymmetries in cerebral blood flow that may contribute to the process that triggers migraines.

Migraine affects an estimated 28 million people in the U.S. Although researchers once thought that migraine was caused by dilation of blood vessels in the head, now they believe it’s due to abnormal neuronal signals. Yet this latest study provides another answer. It seems to show that blood vessels play a different role than previously suspected and that structural alternations of the blood supply to the brain may increase a person’s susceptibility to changes in cerebral blood flow.

In order to make these findings, the scientists examined 170 patients from three groups. One group had no headaches, one group had migraine with aura and the third group had migraine without aura. The researchers then used magnetic resonance angiography in order to examine blood vessel structure. They then used a noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging method called Arterial spin labeling (ASL) in order to measure changes in cerebral blood flow.

“People with migraine actually have differences in the structure of their blood vessels–this is something you are born with,” said Brett Cucchiara, the new study’s lead author,  in a news release. ”These differences seem to be associated with changes in blood flow in the brain, and it’s possible that these changes may trigger migraine, which may explain why some people, for instance, notice that dehydration triggers their headaches.”

In fact, the scientists noted that the abnormalities in the blood flow they saw were most prominent in the back of the brain. Since this is where the visual cortex is located, it could explain why most common migraine auras consist of visual symptoms-l-ike spots, flashing lights or wavy lines.

The findings could help researchers better understand what triggers migraine. In addition, the research could help scientists develop better treatments for these headaches, which could help patients in the future.

A blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s edges a bit closer

  

Alzheimer’s is a growing problem as people nowadays live much longer, now researchers believe they are closer to developing a blood test that could diagnose the condition.

There is no definitive test for the brain-wasting disease. Doctors rely on cognition tests and brain scans.

A technique published in the journal Genome Biology showed differences in the tiny fragments of genetic material floating in the blood could be used to identify patients.

The test was accurate 93% of the time in trials on 202 people.

 One of the main goals of Alzheimer’s research is to find ways of detecting the disease earlier.

It starts years before symptoms appear and it is thought that future treatments will need to be given before large parts of the brain are destroyed. This will require new ways of testing for the condition.

The team at the Saarland University, in Germany, analysed 140 microRNAs (fragments of genetic code) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and in healthy people.

They found 12 microRNAs in the blood which were present in markedly different levels in people with Alzheimer’s. These became the basis of their test.

Early trials showed it was successful and was “able to distinguish with high diagnostic accuracies between Alzheimer’s disease patients and healthy” people.

However, more research to improve accuracy and to see whether it wouldwork in the clinic is still needed before the test would be considered as a way of diagnosing patients.

Dr Eric Karran, from the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This is an interesting approach to studying changes in blood in Alzheimer’s and suggests that microRNAs could be playing a role in the disease.

“The findings highlight the importance of continuing research efforts to understand the contribution of microRNAs to Alzheimer’s, but the translation of this into a blood test for Alzheimer’s in the clinic is still some way off.

“A blood test to help detect Alzheimer’s could be a useful addition to a doctor’s diagnostic armoury, but such a test must be well validated before it’s considered for use. We need to see these findings confirmed in larger samples and more work is needed to improve the test’s ability to distinguish Alzheimer’s from other neurological conditions.”

Donie's news Ireland daily BLOG

Irish Hospital’s face major disruption’s as junior doctors to vote on strike action

 

Irish Hospitals are now facing major disruption’s as thousands of junior doctors prepare to vote on industrial action in protest at their working hours.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) will announce today that its 2,000 junior doctor members will begin balloting for industrial action next month as part of the ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign.

The doctors by law should work no more than 48 hours a week, but many are clocking up more than 100.

And some are working shifts of up to 72 hours, with major implications for patient safety and the medics’ own health.

Hospitals, particularly outside Dublin, are hugely reliant on around 4,900 junior doctors to maintain services, and any protest action would have a serious effect on patient care.

Action by the doctors, who will begin balloting early next month, could see them walking off the job after a certain number of hours.

They could also refuse to do tasks which they say can take up to 30pc of their time and are outside their training, such as taking blood samples, scans and administering intravenous drugs.

Due to the need for notice to be given of any action, it would take until early autumn before it would begin.

The last major ballot on industrial action was in 2009, but disruption was averted after the Labour Relations Commission intervened.

Strike action by junior doctors last occurred more than 20 years ago, and although there have been ballots since and protests at individual hospitals, the medics have not taken en masse to the picket lines.

The IMO has lost many junior doctor members in recent years because of disillusionment with its failure to win improvements in their working conditions.

A social media campaign on Twitter earlier this year gained publicity, but one of the main problems in organising large-scale protests is that junior doctors are difficult to mobilise.

JEOPARDISE: This is because many are from abroad and cannot afford to jeopardise their income.

A spokesman for the IMO said it would embark on a “major campaign to force the Government to reduce the excessive hours”.

He added: “The Government is in blatant breach of the European Working Time Directive and routinely forces young doctors to work longer hours than are tolerated in almost any other profession.

“This puts patient safety and the health and welfare of doctors at risk.”

The HSE promised earlier this year that no junior doctor would have to work more than 68 hours in a week, and that by the beginning of June they would not have to do longer than a 24-hour continuous shift. This has yet to materialise.

Junior doctors last week began their latest six-month rotations in hospitals, but there were around 100 vacancies that could not be filled.

The HSE has said that while progress towards compliance has been made in some locations – including Galway University Hospital and St Vincent’s University Hospital – the most significant challenges are in small- to medium-sized hospitals.

These include Portlaoise, Kerry General and Letterkenny, which have low numbers of doctors on rotas in surgery, anaesthetics, paediatrics and obstetrics, forcing them to work longer hours.

The HSE conceded that many doctors did not receive adequate daily rest, and many worked more than the average 48-hour week.

Hospitals that are short of junior doctors have to resort to agency staff to cover critical service gaps, but these are expensive and do not provide the continuity of care needed.

The core of the problem is that many of the young Irish doctors in training are choosing to go abroad rather than work here.

New technology allows retailers to recognise a celebrity approaching

 

It is a moment of pure panic for a shop assistant – you recognise the person in front of you demanding attention but you cant place them do not have time to deal with them.

Then, as soon as they leave the shop, the penny drops and you realise you have snubbed one of the rich and famous, and your boss is not going to be happy that you have turned away a month’s worth of sales or a glowing celebrity endorsement.

But now a purpose-built facial-recognition system has been designed to ensure no hapless shop assistant accidentally snubs their best customer again, the Sunday Times reported.

The VIP-identification technology, created by NEC IT Solutions, is already being tested in about a dozen top stores and exclusive hotels in Britain, America and the Far East.

The Cambridge based company believe it could help provide a personalised service and improve customer service.

It could prevent blushes such as those of watersports store owner Dave Buckland, who failed to recognise the Duchess of Cambridge when she went in to his shop to buy a wetsuit last year.

The company already supplies software to help security services spot terrorists and other criminals, works by analysing footage of customers’ faces as they walk through the door.

Various measurements of the face are taken to create a numerical code, known as a face template, which is checked against a database of clients.

An alert is sent to staff via computer, iPad or smartphone, providing details that might include their names, dress size, favourite room or previous spending.

Chris de Silva, a vice-president at NEC IT Solutions, said: ” The luxury end of the market is quite interested in it — they’re interested in VIPs.”

Because they use the neural network to create a holistic view of the face, it still works when people wear sunglasses, hats and scarves in an effort to prevent identification, he claimed, dismissing the idea that it could create privacy concerns.

Recent tests had found that facial hair, changes in weight or hair colour and the passage of time did not affect the accuracy of the system.

“Essentially if a human can identify a face, our system can also do so — but it never gets tired or bored,” he said.

Mr De Silva described the recognition software as an extension of the loyalty-card system, and said it may tempt customers back to the high street by bringing back the personal element.

What would Ted think of Pauline now? Mrs. Doyle actress bares all for artists

 

SLIGO BORN ACTRESS PAULINE MCLYNN STRIPPED DOWN TO HER BIRTHDAY SUIT TO POSE FOR THE SKY ARTS PORTRAIT ARTIST OF THE YEAR.

The 51-year-old lay naked across a chaise longue with nothing but a skimpy sheet to cover her modesty.

Pauline was emulating iconic painting The Rokeby Venus by Velazquez. It is Velazquez’s only female nude and the portrait now hangs in the National Gallery in London.

  And Pauline says holding the pose wasn’t easy. “I had the most awkward of positions to keep,” she told the Herald.

“My neck is completely gone at this stage and the rest of me is slowly but surely seizing up.

“But I used to be a history of art student so I love all this,” she explained. “My mother has always painted and one of my first boyfriends was an artist and I posed for him the odd time – never naked mind.”

The former Shameless star admits she was somewhat taken aback when she viewed the paintings.

“You see some of the results and you think ‘Jaysus I’m not looking my best today’ but they are all accurate, I have to say. They’re all great.”

And Pauline will get to keep her favourite painting.

The actress turned 51 last week but a birthday bash was far from her mind. Instead, Pauline spent the day filming Jason Byrne’s upcoming BBC comedy Father Figure.

“It was my last day on set so I worked a 14-hour day,” she laughed.

Pauline wasn’t the only celebrity to pose for painters in Dublin’s RDS.

Moone Boy star David Rawle was a muse along with musician Lethal Bizzle.

Over 1,800 people entered the arts contest. The series finalists will see their work displayed in the National Portrait Gallery.

The winner will be awarded a €11,500 commission to produce a portrait of double-Booker Prize winning author Hilary Mantel.

Kathleen Lynch says people with disabilities will not be asked to help fund their own care

  

Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Older People, Equality & Mental Health Kathleen Lynch has said that people with disabilities will not be asked to co-fund their care.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ms Lynch said a review of the Fair Deal scheme, whereby people co-fund their own nursing home care, is under way.

Her comments follow reports at the weekend that the Government was poised to force patients requiring disability and mental health services to co-fund their own care.

Ms Lynch also said that State-run nursing homes were not facing closure but that massive works were required to upgrade the facilities due to the age of the residential units.

Donegal chiropractor to be sentenced for breaking into ex-girlfriend’s home and assaulting her

 

A Donegal chiropractor will be sentenced next week for breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home and then dragging her back into the house and assaulting her.

Helen McEvily (33) was at home after a night out when Kevin Ginty (46) climbed in through her sitting room window. She managed to leave the house and call the gardaí.

Sergeant Martin Finnan told Deirdre Murphy SC, prosecuting that Ms McEvily was making her way to a neighbour’s house and was on the phone again to local gardaí when the line went dead. Ginty then wrapped his arm around her neck and dragged her back into the house.

He put the woman at the bottom of the stairs and struck her head off the bottom step before dragging her up to her bedroom.

The gardaí called her phone again but Ginty took it, impersonated a woman’s voice and told officers the victim was at a disco.

Sgt Finnan said Ginty then left the house and she called the gardaí again. When officers arrived at Ms McEvily’s home, Ginty drove up to the house and was arrested for drink driving.

Ms McEvily was left with bruising to her inner arm, upper and lower back and buttocks. There were also abrasions on her breast and chest area and scratches to her left ankle and sole of her left foot.

Ginty of St Columbas Terrace, Letterkenny, pleaded guilty to burglary and assault at the woman’s home on April 4, 2010. He has one previous minor conviction as well as the drink driving offence at the woman’s home.

Ms McEvily read her victim impact report in which she stated that a part of her did not survive that night.

“I am not the same mother, I am not the same sister,” she said, adding that she has had to attend counselling. She said she has trouble sleeping at night and feels paranoid about any noise or movements.

Ms McEvily said everything in her life now revolves around the fact that she was attacked.

“I can barely remember what it is to have a normal life. It is easier to accept how my life is now rather than continuing to fight to try and get back to a person that no longer exists,” the woman continued.

She said she has since moved house and has installed personal alarms in her new home.

“This has incident has prevented me moving on with my life, to me I am no longer living, I survive,” Ms McEvily said.

Sgt Finnan agreed with Gerard Clarke SC, defending that Ms McEvily took out a restraining order on Ginty to prevent him from going near her home or workplace and from contacting her in anyway.

He accepted that Ginty has “operated under this restriction” and that his client is “under no illusion” that their relationship is over and he is no longer welcome in her house.

Sgt Finnan accepted that the Ginty and Ms McEvily had been in an “on and off” sexual relationship since October 2007 and had sex two days before he broke into her home.

He further accepted that Ms McEvily told another prosecuting garda, Detective Garda Martin Mannion, that when Ginty brought her into her bedroom, he lay down on the bed beside her, she screamed for help and he left.

Mr Clarke told Mr Justice Paul Carney that his client came from a highly respected and well regarded family in Letterkenny.

Mr Justice Carney remanded Ginty in custody and adjourned the case to next Monday for sentence

Female mammals can choose the sex of their offspring by controlling sperm

  

New research has backed up a theory that females can speed up or slow down ‘male’ and ‘female’ sperm in the reproductive tract to choose the sex.

A NEW STUDY has shown that females in the animal kingdom have even more control than we thought and can actually choose the sex of their offspring.

The study, published in PLOS ONE, has shown that mammalian species do this in order to beat the odds and produce extra grandchildren, ensuring a stronger bloodline.

“This is one of the holy grails of modern evolutionary biology — finding the data which definitively show that when females choose the sex of their offspring, they are doing so strategically to produce more grandchildren,” said Joseph Garner, PhD, associate professor of comparative medicine and senior author of the study.

Scientists analysed 90 years of breeding records from San Diego Zoo and assembled three-generation pedigrees of more than 2,300 animals.

Major mammal groups were represented, including primates; carnivores, such as lions, bears and wolves; cloven-hoofed animals, such as cows, buffalo and deer; and odd-toed grazing animals, such as horses and rhinos.

The data showed that when females produced mostly sons, those sons had 2.7 times more children per capita than those whose mothers bore equal numbers of male and female offspring.

Researchers found that grandmothers and grandfathers were able to strategically choose to give birth to sons, if those sons would be high-quality and in turn reward them with more grandchildren. The process is believed to be largely controlled by the females, Garner said.

You can think of this as being girl power at work in the animal kingdom. We like to think of reproduction as being all about the males competing for females, with females dutifully picking the winner. But in reality females have much more invested than males, and they are making highly strategic decisions about their reproduction based on the environment, their condition and the quality of their mate.

Though Garner said that the exact mechanism isn’t known, one theory that holds strong is that the females is picking the sperm that will produce the sex that will serve her interests the most.

Garner said that this is done by controlling the ‘male’ and ‘female’ sperm, which have different shapes, as they move through the mucous in the reproductive tract, selectively slowing down or speeding up the sperm they want to select.

There may be some parallels among humans, Garner said, with some studies suggesting that they may be able to adjust their sex-ratios in response to social cues. For examples, in societies where a man can have more than one wife, the top-ranking wife is much more likely to have a son than the lower tanking wife.

A study of 400 US billionaires, published in 2013, also found that they were more likely to have sons than daughters — presumably, the scientists hypothesized, because sons tend to retain the family’s wealth.