Fingal-Independent.ie - Lifestyle RSS Feed

The truth hurts: Taoiseach was right

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

IT CAME as a surprise to me that Enda Kenny's comments about greed and excessive borrowing were met with such anger in recent days but as they say, the truth hurts.

Wedding Open Day in Donabate

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

A SPECTACULAR Wedding Open Day is planned for the Waterside Hotel in Donabate where the seaside hotel will showcase what it offers for the prospective happy couple.

Borrowers caught up in wealth illusion

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

WHEN TAOISEACH Enda Kenny last week attributed the country's economic collapse to a madness for borrowing that gripped the population in the heady days of the Celtic Tiger, he sparked a chorus of howling indignation, some of it from the most unlikely quarters.

No planes, I'll take trains and automobiles

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

SOMETHING STRANGE has happened to me since the boys were born - I now throw my head in my hands at the thoughts of flying.

I've finally joined Twitter, yet early signs are not great

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

I FINALLY succumbed to the draw of social networking and joined Twitter recently.

Where are they now? No.. 11

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

WHAT TENNIS fan can ever forget Ivan Lendl? Many of us willed him to win Wimbledon back in the late '80s, only to see him capitulate twice in the final.

Five things learnt this week

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

Horse trainer Peter Casey turns the RTE airwaves blue after his horse Flemenstar wins at Leopardstown. The man's celebration plans are now a Youtube sensation. Tracy Piggott told him he would get them all into trouble. Peter didn't care.

Getting active

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

WALKERS have turned out in force at Newbridge House in Donabate as part of a nationwide campaign to get people moving. Organised by the Irish Sports Council in conjunction with popular RTE show Operation Transformation, Mayor of Fingal Cllr Gerry Mcguire was on hand to signal the start of the walk.

Emigration not a choice but a necessity

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

IT IS hard to fathom what exactly Finance Minister Michael Noonan was thinking when he claimed that emigration is a ' lifestyle choice' for young people who are abandoning this country in their droves.

Hospitals must prioritise hygiene

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

THE LEVEL of hygiene in many hospitals today is nothing short of appalling as reports of the deaths of three premature babies in Belfast in recent weeks have confirmed.

Hedgehogs a challenge for vets

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

I OPENED the box and peered inside.

Little is known about extra thin hairworms

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

I GOT a hairworm to identify.

Many tax issues to consider in transfer of a family farm

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

Q . I am 30 years old and my family's farm has recently been transferred to me from my father. Will I now be required to file an Income Tax Return and if so is there anyway I can reduce my potential income tax liability?

Church an easy target on education issue

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:28:04 +0000

THIS TIME last year the main political parties were in 'general election' mode, and each of them were vying to gain enough seats to form the next government.

The arrival of the vibroplate has got us all in the mood for getting fit

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

SINCE THE hip debacle (by the way I re-measured my hips with Himself's tape measure when I got home from the dressmakers and all I will say is that they must measure differently in Eastern Europe!) I've been talking about getting fit.

5 THINGS WE LEARNED THIS WEEK

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

Singer/songwriter Ralph Mctell reveals his parrot helped him to finally quit smoking. If the same bird could cutail my daily visits to Subway, there would be a big bowl of bird seed waiting.

Forget the Globes; Gervais deserves Oscars

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

IT WOULDN'T come as a surprise if Ricky Gervais' ears were burning as he left The Beverly Hilton Hotel having presented the Golden Globes ceremony in Los Angeles last week.

Rat fleas were key players in Black Death

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

FLEAS WITH blocked guts were key players in the Black Death, the plague that swept through Europe in the mid-14th century.

All animals need interaction with others of their own kind

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

IN RECENT years, the need for a good social life has been increasingly recognised as a way of preventing stress and depression. And I'm not talking about humans: this is for animals. In the past, it was common for many pets to be kept on their own, and indeed, this is still often the case. For years it was more-orless standard to keep one budgie, one goldfish or one rabbit. With our current understanding of animal consciousness, it's now thought to be verging on cruelty to keep some animals without company. It's not so bad when dogs or cats are involved, because they usually foster strong ongoing social relationships with their human owners. The problems caused by solitude are more commonly seen in smaller animals which are often kept in cages, such as rabbits, birds or fish. If these animals are on their own, there's nothing they can do about it. They're in solitary confinement, whether they like it or not, and in nearly all cases, this isn't good for their physical and mental health. Solo animals are often unable to express their natural behaviours, and in the long term, this just isn't fair. In some parts of the world, this is taken so seriously that laws have been introduced to protect animals from social isolation: in Switzerland, for example, it's against the law to keep a goldfish on its own. The Golden Hamster is just about the only pet animal that enjoys solitude: if two hamsters are put in the same cage, they'll fight viciously.

Meticulous, elegaic portrait of FBI man

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

J EDGAR (15) ★★★

Biggest games of 2012

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

GAMERS can hardly wait for the release of a glut of major titles in coming months.

Eat Your Veg!!

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

With season five of the popular RTÉ show Operation Transformation well underway the nation is firmly behind this year's five leaders in their quest to shed the unwanted pounds.

A leading expert in weight loss

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

DR. EVA ORSMOND is a Medical Doctor with a special interest in weight management and the treatment of overweight and obesity in adults and children.

Congress Bell calling us back to God's love

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

THE 50TH International Eucharistic Congress is due to take place in Dublin next June, where it is expected that over 80,000 people will attend the closing ceremony in Croke Park on June 17th 2012.

'Recovering' the value of your pension in these times of risk

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

Q. Like many people who have Pensions, I have seen the value of my Pension eroded over the past few years. As I am Self Employed I need to ensure that my Pension Fund is sufficiently large enough to enable me to have a comfortable standard of living in retirement. I am unsure as to what action I need to take in order to at least bring my Pension Fund back to the value of the contributions I paid into it. Can you please help?

Is Keane the future of RTE soccer punditry?

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:54:26 +0000

'A PERSON I would love to have on the panel would be Roy Keane. He would create huge waves if he came on. You never know he might in the Europeans. We'll see.' Who uttered these controversial words? Well it was none other than RTE'S most charismatic anchorman, Bill O'herlihy, when asked recently if he would like to see Keane join the punditry panel for future international football matches. Holy red mist descending over Montrose Batman! The former Manchester United captain would be an interesting punditry-panel guest, not least if it finally flushed out how the public feels about the renowned maverick: the ghosts of Saipan don't need much to get them stirring. In fact, such is the potential of sparks flying that the actual football would probably end up taking a back seat. Roy versus Eamon - how could a goalless draw with Croatia compete? Dunphy believes the addition of the Corkman to the panel would be a massive coup for RTE, even if he feels his former associate has become 'a bit of a rent-a-quote'. Entertainment-wise, I can think of nothing better than an outspoken Roy perched between John and Eamon before during, and after Ireland's three, or more, summer games. You would probably get short odds on all three remaining in their seats by the time the team's postgroup destiny has been decided: no ceiling could be low enough to keep a permanent lid on those tempers. The service rendered by Giles and Dunphy has been more than satisfactory and while eager pretenders to the thrones are lining up, few have convinced that they have the presence, and turn of phrase, to adequately replace our very own versions of Waldorf and Statler. O'herlihy handpicks Richie Sadlier, a promising ball player himself before injury cut short his Millwall and Republic of Ireland career, as one to watch. He might be right. Sadlier's analysis is sharp enough, he's articulate, but he's almost too perfect. Viewers love flawed characters, edgy souls, and box-office TV helps to keep them out of the pub. Roy sat in on the ITV panel for the recent FA Cup thriller between Manchester United and City, and his lurking presence cast the usual shadow. Chiles, Southgate and Reid delivered every word with caution, nervy that one out-of-place noun could ignite the notoriously short fuse in the corner. Eamon and John wouldn't stand for that. Neither would Liam. Love, hate or rest indifferent towards him, bringing Keane onto the panel would definitely boost the RTE ratings next summer, and thereafter. Rather than risk overkill, however, they should use him sparingly: a full month of him may breed contempt. Would he take up the challenge? Yes. It wouldn't be in his nature to turn such an opportunity down.

5 THINGS

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:54:26 +0000

â– The song It's a Long Way From Tipperary is one hundred years old.

Where are they now? No... 9

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:54:26 +0000

THE END was nigh for Saint and Greavsie's football show when ITV lost its live football rights to the financial clout of Sky in 1992.

Microchip system can be the key for watching your pets

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:54:26 +0000

CLARE ARRIVED at our vet clinic holding the motionless body of a cat in her arms.

Examining the myth of the mermaid lore

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:54:26 +0000

MERMAID'S PURSES cast up by the sea after recent gales were plentiful on the beach.

Piercing study of human addiction

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:54:26 +0000

SHAME (18)

Peugeot 508 crowned 'Family Car of the Year'

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:54:26 +0000

THE NEW Peugeot 508 has been awarded Continental Irish Family Car of the Year 2012, by the Irish Motoring Writers' Association.

New A4 now more stylish and efficient

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:54:26 +0000

DUE with their first Irish customers in mid February 2012, new generation Audi A4 ranges will carry broadly similar price tags as their outgoing equivalents, despite significant styling enhancements, equipment upgrades and efficiency gains of up to 21 per cent.

Anne may be coming to a town near you...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:54:26 +0000

Nissan

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:54:26 +0000

FIRST impressions of the Nissan LEAF are well, impressive.