Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

The numbers paying Irish water bills fall in wake of election pledge

CASH FROM JANUARY-FEBRUARY BILLS DOWN BY ALMOST €10M ON THE PREVIOUS BILLING CYCLE

   

IRISH WATER COULD NOT PROVIDE THE EXACT PERCENTAGE OF CUSTOMERS WHO HAD PAID THEIR BILLS SO FAR THIS YEAR.

The amount of money collected by Irish Water in water charges has dropped substantially following recent political controversies and the impending suspension of charges.

Irish Water released details on Thursday of the amount of money it collected for its fourth billing cycle, which covered the last three months of 2015.

The bills were sent out in January and February and the amount of money collected dropped by almost €10 million on the previous billing cycle – down to €33.4 million from €42.3 million.

Irish Water could not provide the exact percentage of customers who had paid their bills so far this year, but sources said the drop in revenue effectively brought the level of money collected back to where it was when water charges began.

Balances due for customers

A statement from the semi-State said 64% of “of customers paid water charges in first year of billing”.

“Following the recent government announcement of a suspension of domestic water charges with effect from the end of March 2016, charges for services provided apply up to that time and Irish Water is currently issuing bills to customers for services provided in January, February and March of this year,” the statemend added.

“Irish Water customers remain liable for balances due on any bills issued and Irish Water continues to accept payment and to deal with any billing queries in relation to outstanding balances. Legislation suspending water charges is due before the Dáil in June. Once this legislation is passed, we will update our customers.”

Water charges are to be suspended as a result of the recent minority government deal struck between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

Right2Water reaction

Meanwhile, The Right2Water campaign said on Thursday said that Irish Water’s payment figures further illustrate the failure of the Government’s water policy. It called for a referendum to enshrine ownership of our water in public hands.

The group said that the utility’s figures reveal the level of non-payment for the first full year of its existence and show:

Brendan Ogle, Right2Water spokesperson said: “This meagre income should take account of the €80m spent on the so-called conservation grant, which was effectively a bribe to become a customer, leaving a net income of a mere €65 million in a full year.”

He added, “When the massive expenditure on the installation of water meters, consultants, advertising, legal costs and the billing process is considered, more than €1 billion has been spent on this failed project. This Government now needs to stop throwing good money after bad and scrap the whole project, saving taxpayers from more wastage.”

Pharmacy fees for medical card holders are costing the Irish State some €380 million

NEW FIGURES SEEN BY RTÉ SHOW THAT PHARMACY FEES COST MUCH MORE THAN THE MEDICINES THEMSELVES.

    

THE COST TO THE STATE FOR PHARMACIES TO DISPENSE DRUGS TO MEDICAL CARD HOLDERS WAS €380 MILLION IN 2014, ACCORDING TO NEW FIGURES.

The new figures, seen by RTÉ Prime Time, show the cost of dispensing some drugs that are prescribed under the general medical services (GMS) scheme can be in some cases nearly five times higher than the actual costs of the drugs themselves.

In 2014, the State paid €3.3 million for Aspirin – the most commonly prescribed medicine under the GMS scheme.

On top of this cost, it paid pharmacists €14 million in dispensary fees to five out the drug – nearly four times the cost of the medication.

The second most commonly prescribed drug to medical card holders is the cholesterol medication Atorvastatin. In 2014, the total expenditure on the drug by the State was €22.3 million.

€11.3 million of this was the actual cost of the drug, while a further €11 million had to do with pharmacy fees.

The third most commonly prescribed drug, Eltroxin, cost the State €10.8 million in 2014 – with pharmacy fees making up €8.3 million of this amount.

In this case the pharmacy fees cost almost five times more than the actual medicine.

In 2014, 59 million drugs were dispensed under the GMS scheme. RTÉ found that pharmacists are paid a dispensing fee of €3.50 to €5.00 to give out a drug to a medical card patient.

This brings the total cost of dispensing the drugs to €380 million.

“We need to look at all aspects of pharmaceutical expenditure and pharmacy fees are no different,” said Prof Michael Barry Director of the Irish centre for Pharmaeconomics.

You may decide at the end of it all the fees we are paying are totally appropriate, however when you have such discrepancies where you have a drug price that is a fraction of what the HSE is paying then yes – it is legitimate to look at this.”

Frances Fitzgerald cannot open inquest into Mary Boyle case

DONEGAL SCHOOLGIRL’S RELATIVES ASKED FOR CASE TO BE RE-EXAMINED AFTER 1977 DISAPPEARANCE

    

The Donegal schoolgirl Mary Boyle was six years old when she went missing in 1977 and also pictured above is Ann Doherty left with a picture of her twin sister Mary Boyle and centre former detective inspector Aidan Murray.

The Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald has said she cannot direct an inquest to be opened into Ireland’s oldest missing person case.

Commenting on the case of Mary Boyle, a Donegal schoolgirl who disappeared in March 1977, then aged six, Ms Fitzgerald said it is the role of the relevant coroner to schedule and conduct inquests.

She said her department has no role in this process.

The missing girl’s sister, Ann Doherty, has been meeting politicians and has given new statements to gardaí in an attempt to find out what happened to her twin sister nearly four decades ago.

Ms Doherty has alleged that her sister’s disappearance from her their grandparents’ home in Cashelard, Co Donegal has been subject of a cover-up, and that not all evidence was thoroughly reviewed by gardaí as part of the original investigation.

She has previously stated her belief that a prominent local politician was complicit in the alleged cover-up, and says she and her family know who kidnapped and murdered Mary Boyle, who is presumed dead.

In a response to a parliamentary question from Donegal TD Thomas Pringle, Ms Fitzgerald said the case is subject to an ongoing investigation and that she has asked gardaí to keep her updated on any further developments.

With the assistance of investigative journalist Gemma O’Doherty and cousin Margo O’Donnell, Ms Doherty has met Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Fianna Fáilleader Mícheál Martin and other politicians to raise concerns about how the case has been handled.

A 64-year-old man was arrested and questioned in Mullingar in October 2014 in relation to the investigation, but was later released without charge.

‘Sunscreen’ gene might help protect against skin cancer through tumour suppression

RESEARCHERS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HAVE DISCOVERED A “SUNSCREEN” GENE THAT MIGHT HELP PROTECT DAMAGED CELLS FROM DEVELOPING INTO SKIN CANCER.

     

RESEARCHERS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HAVE DISCOVERED A “SUNSCREEN” GENE THAT MIGHT HELP PROTECT DAMAGED CELLS FROM DEVELOPING INTO SKIN CANCER.

Just in time for Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month, a new University of Southern California (USC) study has discovered a “sunscreen” gene that might help protect against skin cancer, revealing that the unique gene acts as a tumor suppressor for skin cancer.

“If we understand how this UV-resistant gene functions and the processes by which cells repair themselves after ultraviolet damage, then we could find targets for drugs to revert a misguided mechanism back to normal conditions,” said Chengyu Liang of USC and senior author of the study.

Over 90 percent of melanoma skin cancers stem from cell damage caused by ultraviolet radiation. The American Cancer society reports that melanoma kills approximately 10,130 people each year.

“People who have the mutated UV-resistant gene or low levels of the UV-resistant gene may be at higher risk of melanoma or other skin cancers, especially if they go sunbathing or tanning frequently,” Liang said. “Our study suggests that the UV-resistant gene may serve as a biomarker for skin cancer prevention.”

The team used data from 340 melanoma patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas, as well as two experimental groups that possessed either reduced levels of the UV-resistant sunscreen gene or a mutant copy of it in melanoma cells and 50 fly eyes; melanoma cells or fly eyes with normal copies of the sunscreen gene acted as the control groups.

After administering a UV shot to cells with the normal sunscreen gene and those carrying defective copies, the team waited for 24 hours before further examination. Subsequent analysis revealed that cells carrying normal versions of the gene had repaired over 50 percent of the UV-induced damage, whereas defective samples repaired less than 20 percent of the UV-damaged cells.

“That means when people sunbathe or go tanning, those who have the normal UV-resistant gene can repair most UV-induced DNA burns in a timely manner, whereas those with the defective UV-resistant gene will have more damage left unrepaired,” Liang said. “After daily accumulation, if they sunbathe or go tanning often, these people will have increased risk for developing skin cancers such as melanoma.”

In addition, the USC team found a correlation with increased cancer risk, although there is not yet any definitive evidence that lower levels or mutant copies of the sunscreen gene are directly connected to skin cancer development.

The findings were published in the May 19 issue of the journal Molecular Cell.

Scientists now find which genes help to shape our nose

    

SCIENTISTS FOUND GENES WHICH HELP DETERMINE WHETHER YOU HAVE A NEAT NOSE OR ONE TO SHAME CYRANO DE BERGERAC, PORTRAYED HERE BY ANTHONY SHER.

Four genes help determine whether you are blessed with the neatest of noses or a schnozzle that would shame Cyrano de Bergerac, research has shown.

Scientists analysed the DNA of more than 6,000 people to discover why some of us possess narrow, pointy noses while others have hooters that are broad and hefty.

They identified four genes that affect the width and pointiness of the nose, known as DCHS2, RUNX2, GLI3, and PAX1.

A fifth gene, EDAR, was found to influence the jut of the chin.

The genes are among those that regulate the growth of bone and cartilage, and the shape of the face.

GLI3, which drives cartilage growth, had the strongest effect on the breadth of the nostrils. DCHS2 was linked to pointiness, while the bone-growth gene RUNX2 modified nose bridge width.

Senior researcher Dr Kaustubh Adhikari, from University College London, said: “Few studies have looked at how normal facial features develop and those that have only looked at European populations, which show less diversity than the group we studied.

“What we’ve found are specific genes which influence the shape and size of individual features, which hasn’t been seen before.

“Finding out the role each gene plays helps us to piece together the evolutionary path from Neanderthal to modern humans.

“It brings us closer to understanding how genes influence the way we look, which is important for forensics applications.”

All the study participants came from South American countries with mixed ethnic populations. Half the population had European, 45% Native American and 5% African ancestry.

Photos of the volunteers were first examined to establish 14 different attributes, including nose bridge width, nose protrusion and the shape of the nose tip. Facial features were also measured using 3D computer simulations.

Genetic data was compared with each characteristic trait to see if there was an association.

The findings are reported in the journal Nature Communications.

Study leader Professor Andres Ruiz-Linares, also from University College London, said: “It has long been speculated that the shape of the nose reflects the environment in which humans evolved.

“For example, the comparatively narrower nose of Europeans has been proposed to represent an adaptation to a cold, dry climate.

“Identifying genes affecting nose shape provides us with new tools to examine this question, as well as the evolution of the face in other species.

“It may also help us understand what goes wrong in genetic disorders involving facial abnormalities.”

Cyrano de Bergerac, a 19th century play written by Edmond Rostand, depicts the life of a dashing French duellist and poet whose shockingly large nose stands between him and the woman he loves.

Asian hornets that behead bees and can kill humans could be heading for Ireland?

  

An Asian hornet feasts on a honey bee

Killer hornets that can wipe out bee colonies and have caused the death of several people may be heading for Ireland.

Sightings of Asian hornets have been reported in the UK and are currently being investigated by the country’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Firefighters battle giant hornets in China

Fears have now been raised that the invasive Vespa velutina, which is active between April and November, could arrive here this summer.

A small number of the vicious predators, which carry potent venom and are between 2.5cm and 3cm long, could wipe out entire bee colonies should they make their way to Ireland, according to Philip McCabe, president of the World Bee Keepers Federation.

“The Asian hornet is a very vicious wasp – around 60 of them could destroy whole colonies if they arrived here,” McCabe told independent.ie.

“It comes to the hive and identifies the larvae of bees…the queen uses this larvae to make a ‘stew’ for her young.

“Then she essentially goes into a killing frenzy and she simply beheads the bees.”

The terrifying insects are believed to have been inadvertently imported to France over two decades ago in a shipment of pottery from China.

At least six people have reportedly died in France from anaphylactic shock after being stung by the hornets.

The reported sightings of the hornet in the UK have yet to be confirmed and McCabe thinks “it’s unlikely a true Asian hornet came that far”.

However, bee keepers in the UK have now been put on high alert by the National Bee Unit (NBU) and members of the public have been asked to report nest sightings.

Unlike the European hornet, the Asian hornet is a day-flying species which ceases activity at dusk.

It nests in tall trees in urban and rural areas – but also in sheds, garages, under decking or in holes in the wall or ground.      

Donie's Ireland daily news BLOG

Recent use of taking heroin was responsible for Peaches Geldof death  an inquest was told

 

Recent use of heroin was likely to have played a role in the death of Peaches Geldof, an inquest has heard, in a tragic echo of the death of her mother.

Her death marks a tragic parallel with her mother Paula Yates, who died of a accidental heroin overdose.

The body of the 25-year-old mother-of-two was found on April 7 at the home she shared in Wrotham, Kent, with her husband, Tom Cohen, and their two young sons, Astala, 23 months, and 11-month-old Phaedra.

At the opening of her inquest in Gravesend, Detective Chief Inspector Paul Fotheringham of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said a post-mortem examination was inconclusive, prompting further tests. But he told the hearing: “Recent use of heroin and the levels identified were likely to have played a role in her death.”

It marks a parallel to the death of her mother, TV presenter and writer Paula Yates, who died from an accidental heroin overdose at her London home aged 41 in 2000.

A date for a full inquest into the death of 25-year-old Ms Geldof is due to be set some time in late July.

A post-mortem examination carried out at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford proved inconclusive, prompting further investigations.

At the funeral service in the village of Davington, near Faversham, Ms Geldof’s body was carried into church in a poignantly-decorated coffin which included a picture of her young family.

Her father, Bob Geldof, is thought to have led tributes in front of a host of well-known personalities, including the Duchess of York, supermodel Kate Moss and former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman.

The church, St Mary Magdalene and St Lawrence, was where Ms Geldof married musician Mr Cohen in 2012. It was also where her television presenter mother Paula Yates married Geldof in 1986.

Ms Yates’ funeral was held there after she died from an accidental heroin overdose in 2000, aged 41.

Former Boomtown Rats singer Geldof has previously paid tribute to his daughter alongside his partner, Jeanne Marine, and Ms Geldof’s sisters, Fifi Trixibelle, Pixie and Tiger, saying she was the “wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us”.

Nearly two-thirds of residents in Irish nursing homes are women

   

The census of nursing home residents and the older population living at home also revealed there are twice as many women over 85 years old as nearly two-thirds of the residents of nursing homes are female – highlighting their longer life-expectancy compared to men, according to a Department of Health report.

The census of nursing home residents and the older population living at home also revealed there are twice as many women over 85 years old as men.

Life expectancy for men was 77.9 years in 2010 and is expected to rise to 85.1 years by 2046. Women’s life expectancy is currently 82.7 years and it should be 88.5 years by 2046.

Among pensioners, widows outnumber widowers. Nearly one-in-four women in this age group has lost a spouse, compared to one-in-eight men.

Within the State, 11.7pc of the population is 65 or older, but this varies from 10.5pc in Dublin and the north-east, to 13pc in the west.

“However, in absolute numbers, the southern region has the lower number (146,189) of people aged 65 or over, with Dublin and the north-east at the lowest with 107,225.”

Over two-thirds of residents in long-stay nursing homes are over 80. The percentage over 95 is 6.2pc. Just over two-thirds (66.3pc) of patients are in the high and maximum dependency category.

More than half of admissions to nursing homes during 2012 were people who lived at home. They ranged from 69.1pc admitted to HSE-run homes, to 36.7pc to private nursing homes.

The largest proportion of admissions to private nursing homes came from acute hospitals, at 50pc. Almost half of admissions to long-stay beds were people in acute hospitals.

It pointed out that according to Eurostat, in 2012, the Irish older population made up 11.9pc of the total population.

This compares to an EU average of 17.8pc, a proportion that Ireland is not due to reach until sometime between 2026 and 2031.

FEES: Meanwhile, Health Minister James Reilly has defended the decision by many nursing homes to charge extra for services not covered under the Fair Deal scheme. He said all residents under the scheme make a contribution towards the cost of their care based on their means. This applied irrespective of whether the nursing home was public, private or voluntary.

The scheme covers the cost of the standard components of long-term residential care, including nursing and personal care appropriate to the level of care needs of the person, bed and board, basic aids and appliances necessary to assist with the activities of daily living.

“A person’s eligibility for other schemes, such as the medical card scheme or the drugs payment scheme, is unaffected by participation in the Nursing Homes Support Scheme or residence in a nursing home.”

The minister pointed out that the legislation stipulated that the registered provider of the nursing home must agree a contract with each resident within one month of their admission.

This contract must include details of the services to be provided to that resident and the fees to be charged.

Texting while driving will now land Irish drivers with a €1,000 fine & court appearance

 

New road safety regulations will see drivers who are caught “accessing information” on mobile phones facing increased penalties and a compulsory court appearance from today.

There is yet another reason to never ever text and drive as new road safety regulations brought in by the Department of Transport will see offenders facing a mandatory court appearance and a fine of up to €1,000 for a first offence.

This means that drivers caught using mobile phones to text, email or access other media, even if the device is in a cradle or hands-free kit, will receive a summons and fine instead of receiving the usual penalty points.

In case there’s any confusion, it WILL NOT be an offence to use a mobile phone for calls, once the device is in a cradle or hands-free kit. So you can still chat to the missus on the drive home, but you won’t be able to mail her that hilarious cat meme you saw in the office earlier that day.

According to RTÉ.ie, “The fine rises to a maximum of €2,000 for a second offence and a third offence within 12 months could bring a possible three-month prison sentence on top of the €2,000 fine.”

While it was already illegal to text and drive, the new regulations are being brought in to close up a loophole that allowed drivers to escape fines and penalties if they were caught texting while their phone was in a cradle.

So the next time you decide to text your mates while sitting in traffic, just ask yourself: “Is it worth it?” It certainly wouldn’t hurt to watch this excellent documentary too…

We need to end the mental health stigma? “And get talking about it”

  

The Green Ribbon campaign aims to get people talking about mental health and help break the stigma.

More than half of us don’t want others to know if we have mental health problems – and over a quarter would delay seeking help because we’re afraid of others finding out.

 That’s why the Green Ribbon Campaign is kicking off today: to promote open discussion of mental health.

The campaign is organised by See Change, the National Stigma Reduction Partnership. It aims to encourage people to talk about mental health in order to stop discrimination and end stigma.

Green Ribbons

During the month, 300,000 green ribbons will be distributed across the country at Irish Rail stations, Citizens Information centres and MABS offices during May.

Meanwhile, conversations about mental health will be sparked at the hundreds of local and national events.

There are 90 partner organisations, hundreds of volunteers and 50 campaign ambassadors with real-life experience of mental health problems taking part, all of whom are ready to share their own stories to help others.

What are attitudes to mental health like in Ireland? According to See Change:

•  56% of Irish people would not want others to know about their mental health problems

•  28% would even delay seeking professional help for fear of others finding out

•  57% of Irish employees believe being that open about mental health in work place would have negative impact on career prospects

John Saunders, director of See Change, assured people:

You don’t have to be an expert to start talking about mental health and wearing the Green Ribbon is a simple way of standing up to the silence that breeds stigma.

You can get involved by picking your free green ribbon, downloading the supporters’ pack, add the Green Ribbon to your Facebook profile picture or Tweet using #GreenRibbonIRL.

You can also find out about the Green Ribbon events happening around Ireland this May by visiting the website.

In addition, National Time to Talk Day will take place on Friday May 16, where people are encouraged to talk about mental health with family, friends and colleagues. You can also tweet using the hashtag

Sligo town of Ballymote selected for Ireland’s memorial to slain 

US Civil War soldiers

  

With a dedication ceremony. President Michael D. Higgins has been invited to attend.

Ireland’s national monument to the Fighting 69th Irish Brigade in Ballymote, Co. Sligo. The town will soon erect another monument to all of the Irish who died fighting in the American Civil War.

The 7,000 Irish who fought and died in the American Civil War will be commemorated 150 years on with a national memorial in Ballymote, Co. Sligo.

The town is already home to Ireland’s national monument honoring the Fighting 69th and Brigadier General Michael Corcoran, who was from Carrowkeel, near the town of Ballymote. The base of the Fighting 69th monument (pictured above) is made of steel from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, which was donated by Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation. Michael Lynch was one of the 343 members of New York’s Fire Department who died in the 9/11 attacks.

Planning permission is in place for the new monument, which will feature a bronze Civil War soldier on horseback, mounted on a stone plinth.

Minister of State John Perry, who represents Sligo and North-Leitrim, told the Sligo Champion newspaper, “I feel this is a fitting tribute to the countless thousands of Irish emigrants who fought and died on both sides of a tragic conflict.”

The monument is expected to reach completion in just a few months and will be inaugurated

New study claims Neanderthals people not as stupid as humans like to think

  

A new study shows claims that humans have been unfairly doubting Neanderthals, which actually disappeared as they bred with us

The widely-held idea that Neanderthals were wiped out because they were intellectually inferior is not supported by scientific evidence, say experts.

The species — which is closely related to humans and lived between 350,000-40,000 years ago — might instead have disappeared because they interbred with humans, Paola Villa and Wil Roebroeks claim in a paper published yesterday.

Around 1.5%-2.1% of genomes of people outside of Africa are made up of Neanderthal inheritance. It is likely that the two groups encountered each around 50,000 years ago, in Europe and the Middle East.

The common perception that Neanderthals were wiped out by superior humans comes from the idea that modern humans developed cultural traditions and better intellects that helped them expand, as seen in archaeological finds. But recent finds show that there is less difference in what humans and Neanderthals left behind, the researchers say.

“Modern humans are usually seen as superior in a wide range of domains, including weaponry and subsistence strategies, which would have led to the demise of Neanderthals,” the researchers said. “This systematic review of the archaeological records of Neandertals and their modern human contemporaries finds no support for such interpretations.”