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Dublin: 11 °C Sunday 26 May, 2013

The Evening Fix…now with added gangnam-style Noam Chomsky

Things we learned, loved and shared today.

31/10/2012 Halloween at The Ark. Sisters, four-yea

Sisters four-year-old Isobel and two-and-a-half year old Sylvia Jefferies from Wimbledon, England, enjoy some Halloween fun during Telling Tall and Tiny Tales at The Ark in Temple Bar today.

Mark Stedman Photocall/Ireland

THINGS WE LEARNED

#JOBSWATCH: It’s been a bad day for job losses with eircom looking at losing 2,000 workers by the middle of next year, JJB Sports closing with the loss of 101 jobs in Dublin, Dundalk and Limerick and An Post sending out distress signals for its employees. Revenues at  eircom, which successfully exited examinership earlier this year, fell by 10 per cent to €1.515 billion in the year to the end of June 2012.

#ERIN GALLAGHER: The funeral of Donegal teenager Erin Gallagher took place today. The 13-year-old girl was found dead on Saturday after posting messages on the internet lashing out at people who had bullied her through a website.

#MENTAL HEALTH: Una Butler, whose husband took his own life in 2010 after killing their two daughters, has called for changes in how the health services deal with patients.

#SANDY: The Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie has postponed Halloween until next Monday, as the state struggles to recover from Hurricane Sandy.

#PREMIUMS: Say hello to more expensive insurance premiums, if you’re a young female driver at least. Justice Minister Alan Shatter has confirmed that insurers will not be allowed to take the gender of people into account when calculating premiums and benefits.

#PAYING A PREMIUM: Insurers have demanded that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong repay $12 million in bonuses. It warned that it may take legal action against the Texan.

THINGS WE LOVED

  • Zooooooooooooooooom. They are about the fastest thing to hit Dublin streets since we sent the Vikings packing back on to their longboats at Clontarf. Segways, ridden by specially-trained Gardaí, will soon become a common site in the capital. Able to reach top speeds of 19km/h, they should be able to outrun most pedestrians ambling about at an average 5km/h. The Gardaí have not fallen off of them yet.

. 31/10/2012. Dublin City Business Ass

Garda David Campbell and Garda Dabhach Dineen with members of the public on Grafton Street

Sasko Lazarov Photocall/Ireland

  • Some Americans actually move here, a recent post on Reddit would suggest. But what do they really think of us? Besides being confused by some words such as ‘fag’, they seem to actually like it here. Even if they can’t be “touchy feely” with the dour lot of us.

THINGS WE SHARED

  • They’re a little late with their tribute to the megalomaniacal (we can say that now, yea?) Korean singer’s world dominating mega hit, but this take from the MIT Korean Student’s association is among the best in the mouth synching department. Check out the nice tribute to your dad dancing at your 21st birthday party at  1.44 in. Oh, and there’s Noam Chomsky drinking a cup of Joe or something.



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Comments (3 Comments)

  • #MENTAL HEALTH :

    This is a terrible tragedy and must be a living nightmare for Una Butler, but I would be curious to know what medication was involved in treatment, had the person stopped medication abruptly etc I know first hand the dangers of “anti-depressants” as I developed Manic Depression/Bipolar disorder while on them. They can lead to suicide, violence or in my case mania. There are a few doctors who are brave enough to speak out. One of them is Psychiatrist Peter Breggin in New York. Here he is giving a Testimony at a Veterans Affairs Committee On “Antidepressant-Induced Suicide, Violence and Mania: Implications for the Military”: http://www.breggin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=286

    Psychiatrist David Healy also speaks out and has a blog: http://davidhealy.org/

    Changing the Mental Health Act is not going to change anything. What is needed is changes in how mainstream Psychiatrists operate. Seemingly less than 10% of Psychiatrists are trained in Psychotherapy. That would explain why some of them do not have basic listening skills. They are too busy labeling and judging the person in distress and deciding what cocktail of drugs to put them on. Sadly I know this from experience and from reading my notes.

    And some of them also have close links to pharmaceutical companies. Our “mental health system” is severely flawed and the chances are, with the way the system operates, tragedies like this could not have been foreseen.

    After been turned into a prescription drug addict for 3 years, which did not solve anything for me and just made things worse, I finally start to feel that recovery is possible. But that only came about by stepping away from the “mental health system” and going to the right doctors. Including one with nearly 60 years experience as a doctor/Psychiatrist/Psychotherapist. Someone who listened and understood.

    When are people going to wake up to the dangers of medication and stop seeing mainstream Psychiatrists are mental health “experts”?

    Never stop or change medication without consulting a good doctor, due to the dangers of withdrawal. Most people with Depression or mental health problems do not go on to do what happened in this case.

    I do not want my family involved in my mental health care. Once was enough! I don’t even get on with my family. Maybe if I had a husband and kids that would be different but even if they spoke to the drug pushing Psychiatrists that would not solve anything. When people are in emotional distress they need therapy not loads of medication.

    Reply
  • Dr. Noam Chomsky delivered a UC-D Philosophy Dept. sponsored lecture at the RDS last night, MC’d by RTE’s Brian Robson. Was hoping to find your report on the content of, and audience’s the response to the globally critical issues he eloquently spoke of and responded to during Q & A’s in summarizing. Thank you, Al E.

    Reply

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