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 Ireland daily news BLOG Sunday

Irish Banks to be urged on priority to deal with mortgage arrears problems

 

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan have each spoken in recent days about their frustration at the banks? failure to deal with the arrears problem.

The Government and the Central Bank are discussing moves to force the banks to tackle their mortgage arrears as part of a new push to overcome the personal debt crisis.

The aim is to help tens of thousands of homeowners who cannot repay their mortgages to enter arrangements with their banks to restructure the debt.

A ?split-mortgage? procedure would be used, with clients retaining responsibility for the portion of the loan they can reasonably repay, while the portion they cannot repay is ?warehoused? for settlement later.

The latest official figures show that 135,628 residential mortgages were in arrears at the end of September 2012, 86,146 of them for more than 90 days.

Following the promissory notes deal last week, the mortgage question is moving to the top of the Government?s economic agenda, alongside the Croke Park talks.

Amid mounting frustration in the Coalition and the Central Bank at the failure of the banks to confront the problem, steps to compel the lenders to take action are under detailed consideration.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan have each spoken in recent days about their frustration at the banks? failure to deal with the arrears problem.

Their interventions reflect the view that the banks? failure to confront the problem is a big impediment to their own recovery and to economic recovery generally.

This is seen as an issue for all lenders but the Government has greatest leverage over the two pillar banks, the State-owned Allied Irish Banks and the State-backed Bank of Ireland.

Absorb losses 
A new drive to make rapid inroads into the problem could lead to banks being compelled by the financial regulator to quickly absorb losses on loans that are in arrears.

This would lead banks away from the present system in which they can make general provisions for mortgage losses without actually recognising such losses in their accounts.

It is only by recognising the losses that the loans can be restructured to facilitate the ?split-mortgage? arrangement.

This procedure is designed to avoid blanket debt forgiveness. The capacity of the client to repay the ?warehoused? portion of the loan would remain under regular review in line with the client?s income and property valuations.

Also in the mix to incentivise banks are measures to prevent them from reducing future corporate tax payments by offsetting tax liabilities against financial losses in the past.

Each of the banks would also be obliged to adopt a common target for the settlement of discussions with mortgage holders in arrears who co-operate fully with their lender.

24,000 volunteers clean up after meteor explosion in Russia

 

An army of 24,000 workers and volunteers was engaged in a giant clean-up operation on Sunday after a meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk in Russia sending a shock wave ripping through the city.

The chunk of cosmic debris disintegrated as it hit the Earth’s atmosphere on Friday morning, sending a sonic boom that smashed up to two million square feet of glass, ripped doors and window frames from their hinges and toppled a factory wall.

Around 1,200 people were hurt by flying shards and debris, although there were no deaths or serious injuries. Twelve adults and three children remained in hospital on Sunday.

There was relief over the weekend in Russia that the meteoroid – which weighed 10,000 tons according to NASA – had not caused greater harm to residents of the Urals city, which has a population of 1.1 million.

Mikhail Yurevich, the region’s governor, said that February 15 – the day the space object exploded overhead – “became Chelyabinsk region’s second birthday”.

“God steered the threat away from us,” he added. “If the meteoroid had been a bit bigger then there could have been a real tragedy. Everyone is alive, the casualties are getting better, the region is returning to its usual rhythm of life.” It remained unclear on Sunday whether any fragments of the meteoroid actually hit the ground. Divers were sent through a 20ft-wide hole in the ice at a lake near Chebarkul, 50 miles west of Chelyabinsk, where one chunk was thought to have fallen. However, emergency officials said nothing had been found, and radiation levels in the water were normal.

Supplies of glass were running low in some areas as state-organised glaziers worked non-stop to repair windows – a matter of urgency with night-time temperatures falling to -20C. A law enforcement source said that some residents had even tried to break undamaged windows in the hope of receiving better “European standard” replacements.

Dunne’s Stores Drogheda fined for selling alcohol to a 15 year old girl

    

A major branch of Dunne’s Stores in Drogheda is to be closed for four days by court order next month after being convicted of selling alcohol to an underage person.

Judge Alan Mitchell fined the company €1,500 and ordered the West Street store to close in 30 days’ time, when he recorded the conviction at Drogheda District Court yesterday.

A girl who was 15 years old on October 5th last gave evidence of having bought four bottles of Smirnoff Ice in an operation supervised by plainclothes gardaí.

She said she was not asked for her age or for identification when making the purchase. The court was told that the sales assistant was dismissed from her job.

Judge Mitchell said that an aggravating factor in the case was that a duty manager was standing beside the assistant when the sale was being made and did not intervene.

Dorothy Collins said that Dunnes Stores had an abhorrence of underage persons being sold alcohol and would not tolerate such action on the part of staff.

Judge Mitchell drew attention to an RTÉ programme on attitudes to alcohol, presented by Des Bishop. “Sometimes,” he said, “it now seems that the whole social fabric of the country operates around the consumption of alcohol.”

Tesco has taken out advertisements in the national press today in an attempt to reassure customers over the horse meat scandal.

The supermarket said it is reviewing its approach to its supply chain and building a traceability system including DNA testing.

The Department of Agriculture’s investigation into the contaminations are now focused on a cold store in Naas.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said QK Cold Stores has informed the department that frozen beef trimmings imported from Poland, were tested by them and some showed positive for horse DNA.

European Union governments have ordered an EU-wide programme of DNA tests on beef products, to assess the scale of the horse meat scandal.

TESCO TAKES OUT PRESS ADS TO REASSURE CUSTOMERS

  

TESCO HAS TAKEN OUT ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE NATIONAL PRESS TODAY IN AN ATTEMPT TO REASSURE CUSTOMERS OVER THE HORSE MEAT SCANDAL. 

The supermarket said it is reviewing its approach to its supply chain and building a traceability system including DNA testing.

The Department of Agriculture”s investigation into the contaminations are now focused on a cold store in Naas.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said QK Cold Stores has informed the department that frozen beef trimmings imported from Poland, were tested by them and some showed positive for horse DNA.

European Union governments have ordered an EU-wide programme of DNA tests on beef products, to assess the scale of the horse meat scandal.

Help to save a life: give an organ

   

Every five minutes, another name is added to the organ transplant waiting list. This has caused a large gap between the donors and the wait-listed patients.

The ‘Give Life Through Love’ project has increased public understanding about the Organ Donation Center (ODC) under the Thai Red Cross Society, and a lot of misconceptions about donating the organs have been cleared up.

People who’ve considered donating their organs but have not had a chance to do so were provided with full details of the whole process. The details gave them a different insight about organ donating in a positive way.

The project has implemented different activities and there have now been nearly 100 donor cards filled out.

The project runs from December 2012 to February 2013. It aims to educate and persuade more people to register as a donor and reduce their fear about organ donating via social media such as Facebook and Instagram.

At Chamchuri Square, passers-by were told about organ donation. Subjects such as transplantation, brain death, and experience of the recipients who have been through the transplantation process were shared with the public.

Every week an interview clip with a doctor is uploaded via Facebook and YouTube. These clips share facts about organ donation, experiences doctors have had concerning organ donation and to clear any misconceptions the public has regarding donating.

Other activities included a slogan contest for ODC. Famous celebrities in Thailand were given the project’s T-shirt to wear and upload on their Instagram under the Celeb-stagram activity to reach young adults.

This project has been created by students from Assumption University, Albert Laurence School of Communication Arts in the Public Relations Department in cooperation with ODC.

Organ donation is a great merit and is highly praised. Keeping that in mind, the projects also aim to get Thai people to sign the donor card and donate their organs to help save a life. If you would like to show your support you can start by following “Give Life Through Love” page on Facebook.

Scientists developing natural superglue from mussels

    

Researchers are developing a natural ‘superglue’ from the kind of adhesive mussels use to cling to the water’s edge.

Researchers are developing a kind of natural superglue based on the powerful adhesives that mussels use to cling to rocks at the water’s edge.

They believe it could do service in human medicine closing up wounds and in cancer therapy, and unlike almost all synthetic adhesives the mussel glue works even in the wet.

Mussels attach themselves to surfaces by thin but amazingly strong threads, said Prof Emily Carrington of the University of Washington”, Friday Harbor, Washington state. They cling successfully in shallow intertidal waters where waves exert tremendous forces. She refers to these threads as nature’s bungee cords and has studied them for 20 years, learning what it is that makes them so tough, she said during a session at the ongoing American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Boston. Each strand is only three to 10 times the width of a human hair.

Prof Phillip Messersmith of Northwestern University in Illinois described how the ability of the adhesive to stick even when wet was one of its most valuable characteristics. “Man-made adhesives don’t do that very well,” he said at the meeting. In a medical context virtually all of the surfaces where it might be used are wet.

His group is involved in pre-clinical animal trials to confirm the mussel adhesive works. Efforts were also underway to develop a synthetic version of the glue, something that was almost essential if the product was to be used in human medicine.

The mussels use 40 to 100 threads to attach to rocks, walls and other mussels and they must renew them regularly, Prof Carrington said. They last about two months in winter but just two to four weeks during summer because of the warmer waters.

The research was revealed at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in Boston.

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG Friday

European Union suppliers to blame for horse meat scandal, Simon Coveney believes

  

Ireland’s agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has pointed the finger of blame for the horse meat scandal at suppliers outside of Ireland.

But Mr Coveney said he is not in a position yet to “name names”, adding: “I think we have our suspicions but we need proof.”

“We will get to the bottom of that,” Mr Coveney told RTE’s ‘Morning Ireland’. “As soon as I get full information and proof, I will be totally transparent.”

He said his understanding is horse DNA was found only in “filler material for burgers”, and said he is “absolutely sure” Irish horses are not being used in food.

“If there is evidence to back that up, please give it to me,” he said, adding that the scandal is a huge issue in Ireland and the UK, but not mainland Europe, where eating horse meat is normal.

“It is not the norm in Ireland or the UK and it shouldn’t be because consumers do not want that. I think we have been damaged, but mainly in Ireland and the UK. This is a step backward.”

Irish Scientist’s team in 2^nd biggest killer in Ireland bowel cancer breakthrough

     

Irish scientists have developed a new method of predicting which bowel cancer patients will respond effectively to chemotherapy.

Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is the second most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in Ireland. More than 2,200 people are diagnosed with the disease here every year. It is also the second biggest cancer killer here.

According to the scientists from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Beaumont Hospital, in the future, this method could help to identify those patients who will not respond to chemotherapy. This will save the patients from having to undergo this often grueling treatment for nothing and will also show who may need additional treatments.

The new method works by measuring the amount of drug needed to kill a cancer cell, but without harming healthy tissue.

“Our study has enabled us to predict which patients are likely to be resistant to chemotherapy by examining how certain proteins in their cancer cells interact.

  “We hope that the clinical decision-making tool that we have designed will enable doctors to develop personalised therapies for patients to ensure the best outcomes and potentially avoiding unnecessary chemotherapy and the negative side-effects that go with it,” said lead scientist, Prof Jochen Prehn, of the RCSI.

He added that this new method also has the potential to be used in clinical trials to develop new drugs to treat this type of cancer in people who are chemotherapy-resistant.

“The model we developed in this study could also eventually be applied in other cancers,” Prof Prehn said.

Details of these findings are published in the international medical journal, Cancer Research.

Man held in Donegal after most recent threatening break-in

   

A woman (69) was threatened during a robbery at her home in Kilmacrennan, Co Donegal last night.

Gardaí in Letterkenny have arrested a 24-year-old man in connection with a burglary at Kilmacrennan, Co Donegal in the early hours of this morning.

Just before 4am, a man entered the home of a 69-year-old woman, who was alone in the house at the time.

The intruder forced his way into her bedroom, threatened her and demanded cash, but fled the scene empty-handed. No injuries were sustained in the incident.

A short time later, gardaí arrested a man in connection with the break-in. He is being held at Letterkenny Garda station under Section Four of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

Dunne’s Stores staff win their first pay rise in six years

  

Dunnes Stores staff have won a €600-a-year pay rise — the first increase in six years. The 14,000 workers at the supermarket chain were told that the 3pc rise will kick in from next month.

The company did not turn up for a Labour Court hearing after staff lodged the pay claim yesterday.

However, their union, Mandate, said that the company had told staff they will get the wage hike from the second week of February.

Union

Mandate filed the pay claim on behalf of its 4,000 members at the chain nine months ago.

Although the union was representing less than one third of the staff, it said that the wage increase will apply across the board. It is worth more than €600 to full-time staff, who earn around €23,000 to €24,000 a year.

The union referred the pay claim to the Labour Court after the company failed to attend talks.

Assistant general secretary of Mandate, Gerry Light, said staff had not had a pay increase since December 2007.

“Many retail workers have foregone pay increases over the last few years — some indeed have taken cuts — and have given considerable flexibility to their employers,” Mr Light said.

“Indeed, even in companies where pay rates haven’t been cut, many workers’ incomes have declined because of significant reductions to their working hours and they have also been badly affected by rising prices, tax rises and the cuts to public services and welfare payments like child benefit.”

However, he said most retail companies remained highly profitable.

He said it is estimated that Dunnes Stores is generating sales in the region of €3.8bn a year and significant profits.

Hikes: Dunnes Stores did not comment on the development.

More than 3,000 Marks & Spencer and 13,000 Tesco workers got wage hikes worth up to €700-a-year last year.

Debenhams recently agreed to a 2pc pay increase from September 1 after its 1,400 staff accepted plans to extend a pay freeze, which has been in place for two years.

GMIT students design sports adventure programme for disabled people

 

Pictured at Lough Lannagh, Castlebar, are participants on the sports adventure programme

Involving kayaking and orienteering, designed by Outdoor Education degree students in GMIT Castlebar in collaboration with Mayo Sports Partnership.

Students from the BA (Hons) in Outdoor Education programme at GMIT Castlebar Campus have designed and facilitated a programme of adventure sports on Lough Lannagh for people with disabilities, as part of a national project called Xcessible – Inclusive Outdoors Initiative.   The GMIT students designed a programme that was both accessible but challenging, enabling the participants to share the excitement and connection to the natural  world experienced in adventure sports.
It involves two key elements of land and water with the participants experiencing open boat canoeing and adapted team orienteering.

The students were evaluated on their work as part of their “Experiential Learning module”, which is a component of their honours degree programme.

The initiative was co-ordinated locally by Ray McNamara of Mayo Sports Partnership, Mayo County Council, Nigel Jennings, Sports Officer, GMIT Castlebar, and Stephen Hannon Lecturer in Outdoor Education at GMIT.

It was formally launched on campus last month (December) by the Mayor of Castlebar Brendan Heneghan and Denis Toomey, Manager of the successful Irish Paracyling team.
Stephen Hannon, Lecturer on the Outdoor Education degree programme at GMIT, Castlebar, says: “Despite the challenging weather conditions, the participants expressed delight with their activities.”

“In addition to being evaluated on their work, two of the fourth year students, Mark O Connor and Tommy Gaffney, were filmed and interviewed by staff from CARA National Adapted Physical Activity Centre who are running the initiative in co-operation with local Sports Partnerships around the country.”

Ray McNamara, Mayo Sports Partnership, says: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with GMIT in providing activities for people with a disability. This programme continues on from collaborations on initiatives such as the ‘Sport for All’ conference in 2011 and community adventure sports days which have been tremendously successful”.

NASA sends Mona Lisa to the moon with lasers

    

In a show of planetary-scale laser communication, Leonardo’s digitized lady gets beamed nearly 240,000 miles to a lunar satellite.

NASA scientists, having apparently nothing better to do, have shot an image of the Mona Lisa to the moon by piggybacking it on laser pulses. Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece was successfully received by an instrument aboard the agency’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) some 240,000 miles away.

“This is the first time anyone has achieved one-way laser communication at planetary distances,” MIT’s David Smith, head of the spacecraft’s Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), said in a release.

“In the near future, this type of simple laser communication might serve as a backup for the radio communication that satellites use. In the more distant future, it may allow communication at higher data rates than present radio links can provide.”

As the NASA vid below explains, lasers are used to track the LRO’s position. Staff used the Next Generation Satellite Laser Ranging Station at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to send the image.

It wasn’t your average JPEG file. La Joconde, as she’s also known, was chopped into a 152×200 pixel array, with each pixel assigned a gray-scale value and beamed up one at a time; the image transmission speed was about 300 bits per second.

LOLA, all the while following its primary mission of mapping the lunar terrain, put Mona back together based on the arrival times of the pixel data.

The 500-year-old image was beamed back to Earth via the LRO’s radio telemetry system. Meanwhile, errors caused by turbulence in the atmosphere were cleaned up with Reed-Solomon error correction, a technique used in CDs and DVDs.

The success of the demonstration could pave the way for lasers to be used for satellite communication, according to NASA, particularly with its Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission, which is set to launch this year.

Leonardo is said to have cherished his celebrated portrait and traveled with it to France. No doubt he would love the fact that Mona’s cryptic smile has graced the heavens.