Northwest Express - January 12, 2012

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12 January 2012 Issue 1 - Volume 13

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Local fury as council refuse 140 new jobs Abbott Volunteers Refurbish Multiple Sclerosis North West Therapy Centre

Pictured - the Abbott volunteers with the staff of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) North West Therapy Centre watch as Sinead Branley, Abbott Pharmaceuticals Sligo, and Tamara Gormley, Manager of the MS North West Therapy Centre, cut the ribbon to officially open the refurbished areas. Read full story on page 2 Image by James Connolly / PicSell 8

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THE refusal by Ballina town council to grant planning permission for a proposed McDonald’s drive-thru facility in the town has sparked a major controversy and raises, again, the question of why the town is, seemingly, turning down the opportunity of development and jobs at a time when there is in excess of 3,300 people unemployed.

It follows the failure of Argos, Boots and others to find a home in what is, arguably, Mayo’s largest town. In recent days in excess of 1,500 signatures have been collected in a petition to support jobs growth in the town. The McDonalds project, it is estimated, would have created approximately seventy jobs at the construction phase, with a further 70 full-time jobs at the operational stage.

The social media has sprung into action over the issue with approximately 400 likes generated on a “McDonalds for Ballina” Facebook page and a further 200 or so likes on a special “Jobs for Ballina” Facebook page.

As the on-line and on the streets campaign gains momentum much of the criticism is being levelled at the planners and elected members of the local town council. Some criticism, also, aimed at the local Chamber of Commerce has prompted the body representing business to come out and state clearly that they are in fully in favour of an international brand like McDonalds coming to Ballina.

The Chamber have said they are not involved in the planning process and did not object to the planning application from McDonalds, or any other business seeking to establish in the town.

They expressed the hope that McDonalds’ planners would enter discussions with the council to reach a solution which would tie in with the Town Development Plan. Continued on Page 2

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Local fury as council refuse 140 new jobs continued from front page Ballina Town Council would not comment on the matter while the McDonalds project is in the planning process and until January 19th when the deadline for appeals of the decision passes.

In the meantime, the wider community holds its breath and hopes that some solution can be found to facilitate the brand in its efforts to local in Ballina. Ballina Trades Council is considering organising a public protest.

While they recognise that some legitimate concerns may have to be addressed in relation to the proposed development, insufficient attention is being given to the bigger picture and the positive impact the development could have for the town The proposed location for the development, which has become the subject of so much controversy in recent days, is on the site of the former Deanwood Hotel at Bury Street in the town.

Abbott Volunteers Refurbish Multiple Sclerosis North West Therapy Centre Refurbished Centre Provides Much Needed Services to Multiple Sclerosis Patients in the North West

A team of 40 Abbott employees from the company’ pharmaceutical facility in Sligo, rolled up their sleeves to help refurbish the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) North West Therapy Centre. Employees donated their time, energy and expertise over a weekend to help refurbish the two main reception rooms at the centre.

Abbott’s facility in Ballytivnan also assisted with the project. Employees at the site fundraised to provide a new plasma television, chair covers and blinds for the centre.

The project was undertaken as part of Abbott’s Croí an Oir employee volunteering programme, which is part of Abbott's global efforts to encourage employees to contribute their time and expertise to help strengthen communities. In 2010 in Sligo, Abbott employees raised more than €26,000 and volunteered 2,000 hours for the benefit of local charities and the community.

Caroline McClafferty, HR Manager of Abbott’s pharmaceutical operation in Sligo, said, “Through our Croí an Oir programme, Abbott employees have made a real difference

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• To Work term time The MS North West Therapy Centre provides • Flexibility is imporant patients across the North • Must have experience and qualifications West with much needed services and respite and we in Montessori were delighted to help provide more comfortable Telephone Caroline on 087-2231147 or facilities for users of the send CV and Covering Letter to centre.” hopesndreams@eircom.net Speaking about the refurbishment, Tamara Gormley, Manager of the people worldwide including approximately MS North West Therapy Centre said, “The 8,000 people in Ireland. It is the most common refurbishment has made such a difference for disabling neurological disorder amongst young both our service users and staff. The centre is people but it can occur at any age. Established like new and our service users are especially in 1992, the MS North West Therapy Centre enjoying the new plasma television. Thanks to aims to enrich the lives of people with multiple Abbott our centre has a new lease of life.” The sclerosis by providing, in a caring, supportive MS North West Therapy Centre provides care and positive setting, therapies which will enable and support to people with multiple sclerosis them to fully live life. The Centre also across the North West. MS is one of the most endeavors to provide advice and support for prevalent diseases of the central nervous system the families and carers of the people with and directly affects an estimated 2.5 million multiple sclerosis.

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Carbon monoxide detectors could save lives

The home of the Wallwork family in Gurteen IN THE aftermath of the tragic deaths of the Wallwork family in Gurteen MEP Jim Higgins is pleading with people using fossil fuel burning appliances to purchase life saving carbon monoxide detectors.

“Most people remain unaware of the very real dangers of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, silent killer. It frequently overcomes people in their sleep or everyday activities. It can kill in minutes and it kills without any warning,” he said.

“Last August we introduced new national standards for carbon monoxide detectors (SWIFT 8), these standards go further than the EU standards

and ensure that the alarm is third party certified.”

Mr Higgins especially welcomed the compulsory requirements for end-of-life indicators in CO detectors. “In 2009 there were 360 faulty detectors imported and sold in Ireland, people need to ensure that they are buying a quality alarm with an end of life indicator and a BSI KITE MARK as required under SWIFT 8.”

However, Mr Higgins also warned against “excessive reliance on what is essentially a backup to proper maintenance & encouraged people to ensure that all fossil fuel compliances are regularly serviced”.

Prestigious award for Abbott Sligo

Abbott's diagnostic manufacturing facility in Sligo, recently won a prestigious award from the National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO).

Abbott won the All-Ireland Business Award category for medical devices.

The award is a testament to the best in class health and safety programme that Abbott has in place at the site.

Pictured from left to right are Seamus Kennedy (HR Manager); Aoife Brennan (EHS Co-ordinator); Aoife Conway (EHS Manager) and Karen Craig (EHS Coordinator). Photo: James Burke

Ganley set to return to Eurpean politics?

WE always felt he just wouldn’t go away. Galway-native Declan Ganley has given the strongest indication yet that he is about to return to centrestage in European politics.The NO to Lisbon Treaty campaigner hinted he was on the way to setting up his second EU-wide political party.

Denying he was ever anti-European, Mr Ganley is setting up a new pan-European organisation to campaign for a united states of Europe.

"That could end up being something that is very politically active in the years to come," he said.

The Galway-based businessman was the former leader of the Libertas organisation and political party. He campaigned against the defeated first Lisbon Treaty referendum in this country in 2008.

But his foray into electoral politics

was less successful. He led Libertas in the 2009 European elections, where it ran candidates across the EU, but, only one candidate won a seat. He also failed to win a seat in the Ireland North-West constituency of Connaught-Ulster.

Mr Ganley sought a second 'No' vote in October 2009, but this referendum was passed.

He said last week he has advocated a Federal Europe since 2004 and wants the EU to become more federalised and democratic. He also wants the euro currency to remain.

"Medium to long term, allowing the euro to fail or allowing anybody to pull out of it right now, unleashes centrifugal forces that would put the whole European project at risk and I would much rather not see that happen," he said.

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Life ends at 45... Study reveals when our mental powers start to diminish

PICK up that crossword and solve the sudoku – a major study has found that our brains start deteriorating at the age of 45 – more than a decade earlier than had been thought.

Previous research had suggested that cognitive performance – memory, reasoning and comprehension skills – did not begin to decline until the age of 60.

But if the earlier onset is proved it could be a warning signal about dementia, which is set to become the major health challenge of the 21st century. Studies have linked modest differences in cognitive performance in early life with increased risk of dementia.

The study, conducted among Whitehall civil servants over a decade in the UK, found that among those aged 4549 at the start there was a 3.6 per cent

decline in mental reasoning in both sexes over the next ten years. Among those aged 65-70, the decline increased to 9.6 per cent among men and 7.4 per cent among women over the following decade.

Performance in reasoning, memory and verbal fluency were all affected. But vocabulary, which is known to be little influenced by age, was unaffected.

Participants were tested on their reasoning power with 65 questions involving multiplying two figures, completing a pattern or filling in a word sequence. They had 10 minutes, with the best getting all 65 questions right.

Two types of verbal fluency were tested by asking them to name all the animals they could think of in one minute and all the words beginning with "S". The top scores were 36 animals and 32 "S" words.

On memory they listened to a list of 20 words and had to recall as many as possible in one minute. The maximum score was 18. Archana Singh Manoux, who led the study by the Centre for Research in Population Health in

France and University College, London, said: "Cognitive performance is complex. It is a combination of knowledge and speed. If you are looking for words but it takes you 10 minutes it is not much use."

The results demonstrated the importance of acting early to ward of premature mental decline. Diet, smoking, physical exercise were all important, she said, because emerging evidence showed "what is good for our hearts is also good for our heads".

Leisure activities also mattered. "If you play chess and can plan six moves in advance then you are probably going to be all right," Ms Manoux said.

The findings in the British Medical Journal, show a significant decline on all tests, except vocabulary. Although the decline was most marked in reasoning, it might turn out that memory decline was more significant in the development of dementia, she said.

She added: "There is a lot of research going on into Nintendo games for the elderly. The findings so far are inconclusive but that might be because the participants are too old and should start at a younger age."

In the BMJ, Francine Grodstein, of the Brigham and Women's hospital in the US, says the study has "potentially profound implications" for dementia by indicating that efforts to prevent it may need to begin in adults as young as 45.

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State Papers reveal “deep concerns” over Knock airport before approval

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A101

ect as “ill-advised, and far distant from any sizable town, high on a foggy and boggy hill.”

The papers reveal that on June 4, 1981, Msgr James Horan phoned Taoiseach Charles Haughey’s Private Secretary, Seán Aylward, because AIB was delaying a £2 million loan for development due to ‘the inadequacies of government guarantees’, according to a note for Mr Haughey. The loan would have covered payments until the Dáil approved the funding.

Mr Aylward told him it would be discussed at the first meeting of the development company, which would include government officials.Then on June 16,‘the placing of the contract was formally approved’ by Minister Flynn, ‘five days after the general election’ but before the formation of the new Fine Gael-Labour government. The contract was for £3.6 million for a runway and the first payment was sanctioned by the new Dáil on July 9. The project was dropped in December 1981 but restarted when Fianna Fáil returned to power in February 1982, with the first flight made in 1985.

A101

WHILE STATE Papers from 1981 reveal the concerns by the then Minister for Finance and the government working group over the Knock Airport project they also reveal the resilience and commitment of former Mayo Minister Pádraig Flynn to the airport development.

This commitment is continued to the present day by the current Junior Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring.

Five days after the 1981 General Election, the then outgoing Minister for Transport, Pádraig Flynn, signed a £3.6 million contract to start the development at the airport. Thirty years later, Fine Gael’s Michael Ring has announced that religious tourism to Knock Shrine is being promoted as part of his overall strategy to optimise use of the Mayo airport. He has also asked Tourism Ireland to work closely with Ryanair and Knock Airport to ensure that four new routes are promoted to overseas visitors.

“These routes to Frankfurt, Paris, Milan and Barcelona mean that some 330 million people now have direct access to Mayo and the west,” Minister Ring said.

He continued: “Our tourism agencies like Fáilte Ireland are also providing support to tourism businesses in the west, and across Ireland, to help them focus on the British market.

I hope that all of these efforts will help to keep overseas visitors coming in to Knock Airport, and will ensure that the new routes will have a real impact on tourism in the west of Ireland.”

The current optimism is in sharp contrast to the doubts expressed by the then Fine Gael Minister for Communications, the late Jim Mitchell back in 1981, who regarded the proj-

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James McNamara (front) pictured with his team mates and Michael Meagher, Microsoft Ireland.

STUDENTS who were inspired by a notorious stretch of roadway on their doorstep to design a road safety device, which scooped the prestigious award this year by winning the top prize at the Microsoft Imagine Cup, hope to see motorists using their product within a year.

The invention uses technology to monitor erratic driving, and will alert vehicle owners, including parents and fleet managers, if their car is being driven dangerously.

The IT Sligo students beat 350,000 students from 183 countries, to win the Microsoft Imagine Cup in New York during the summer.

This was the first time the competition was won by Irish students. One of the team is continuing to develop the product and in a major breakthrough has just been allocated a place on the prestigious Startup Bootcamp’s Accelerator programme for start-up technology companies in Ireland.

“The programme will last for three months and provides an ideal opportunity for promoting the product and attracting the investors who will be crucial for refining the device and having it ready for the market in a year”, said James McNamara, one of the IT Sligo team members who brought the Imagine Cup back to Sligo. Speaking about the IT Sligo students, Paul Rellis, Managing Director, Microsoft Ireland said: “Each year the Microsoft Imagine Cup shines a light on incredible innovative students around the world and this year we were delighted that the winning team for this year’s competition came from Ireland.

It’s a great sign of the talent that is being developed in Irish Universities in the technology sector. There has been great interest in the student’s project and I’m delighted that the students are continuing to pursue their ambition of getting this project up and running as a viable business.We’re looking forward to seeing what happens next for them.”

After the win the students visited Silicon Valley and the European Parliament headquarters in Brussels to talk to industry leaders and politicians about the life-saving potential of their project.

One of the team, Calum Cawley from Castlebaldwin Co Sligo lives beside a notorious stretch of road on the N4 Dublin/Sligo route, which is currently bordered by 29 crosses, each one marking the scene of a fatal accident. Coroner Desmond Moran described the seven kilometre stretch as “the most dangerous stretch of road in Ireland”.

“That’s one of the reasons we are so pas-

sionate about this,” explained James a software development graduate from Ballyfarnan, Co Roscommon who is currently doing a research Master’s in cloud computing and mobile technology at IT Sligo. “We drive past those crosses every day and we know that hundreds of people are dying on the roads in Ireland every year and we wanted to do something to stop this slaughter”.

He explained that the IT Sligo team had initially probed the possibility of researching the impact of potholes on road safety “but we quickly realized that driving behaviour was a much bigger factor in road deaths than potholes”.

The device they developed plugs into a car engine and relays information about erratic driving to a phone application, and from there to a cloud computing platform, allowing drivers and car owners to monitor where and how the dangers are being created. “It will alert the user to speed, to hard cornering, sudden acceleration, in other words things we learn from the gravitational force,” said James.

“We consulted with Garda crash forensic experts during the development process to give us a better insight into what the dangers are”.

The team’s solution used embedded technology, Windows Phone 7, Bing Maps and the Windows Azure cloud computing platform to create the product which they hope will change driving habits and reduce road deaths.

As well as James and Calum, the team included Aíne Conaghan from Ballybofey, Co Donegal and Matthew Padden from Ballina, Co Mayo. Their team mentor was Padraig Harte, a lecturer in the Institute’s Department of Information Systems.

James pointed out that there is more to the ground breaking device than allowing vehicle owners like parents to be “virtual passengers” who can monitor how a car is being driven from their homes. It will also encourage the drivers to beat the technology by driving safely and according to the student it will make driving safely, rather than driving fast, fun.

“We think one of the attractions of the product will be the computer game angle”, explained James. “Many young people love playing computer games and improving their gamer scores, we believe we can piggyback off this and use it to incentivise safe driving”.

The 2012 Microsoft Imagine Cup Competition is now open for entries and further information can be seen on www.imaginecup.com.

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Traffic chief vows policing will continue THE head of Donegal’s Garda Traffic Corps has vowed to continue policing the county’s roads despite fears raised that a reduction in Traffic Corps numbers could result in a rise in road death figures.

Last year was a record low in Donegal road deaths with six fatalities being recorded compared to 19 in 2010.

While not commenting on the speculation, Donegal Traffic Corps Chief, Inspector Michael Harrison, said: “Whatever decision is made or whatever format is there, policing will continue.” Fears the record low number of roads deaths experienced in 2011 will not be repeated if Traffic Corp numbers are cut were expressed earlier this week by North West MEP, Jim Higgins.

He warned that unless there is an increase in the number of Gardai patrolling the roads, the record low of 2011 will not be achieved again this year.

He said the sight of Gardai patrolling our roads promotes an “instant reaction” that encourages safer driving.

The MEP said: “We’ve come a long way in just six years since the Road Safety Authority (RSA) was set up. Fellow MEPs on the Transport Committee have asked me dur-

ing the last two years what exactly Ireland has done to cut the carnage. I tell them that there is no one magic solution to road safety, rather a range of measures such as hard hitting ads, education campaigns, changes to the law, improved infrastructure, the RSA, but above all better respect for the rules of the road by drivers through more visible enforcement by the Garda Traffic Corps. We all have that instant reaction when we see a Garda car to check our speed, and to double-check everyone is belted up.” “In 2011, 186 people were killed on the nation’s roads, compared to 212 in 2010, making Ireland’s roads the second safest in the EU just behind Malta.The problem facing us now is how do we continue to reduce the death rate further?”

Six deaths in the county in 2011 marked a significant decrease over the last decade and contrasted sharply with recent years.

Figures from the RSA for the last decade show the number of deaths reached a peak in 2004 with 29 deaths. Since then the figures have been on a downward trend.They dropped to 14 in 2009, but jumped to 19 last year when eight people were killed in the one accident in Inishowen.

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IRHA - Promoting professionalism, excellence and safety in road transport January 2012 - IRHA AGM Meeting The Irish Road Haulage Association wishes to invite members and non-members of the Association to an AGM meeting of the North-West branch on Sunday the 15th January at 2.00pm in the Mill Park Hotel to discuss an appropriate responce to the Government budget of 2012.

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regionalnews Free Psoriasis Information Day in Ballina, Wednesday, January 18th A free psoriasis information day will take place on Wednesday, January 18 next, in Molloy’s Pharmacy, Bunree, Ballina, from 2pm to 5pm. Dermatology nurse Siobhan Murphy will advise patients on their particular type of psoriasis, management of the condition and compliance with treatments.

Psoriasis is a debilitating skin condition that is non-contagious and treatable. An estimated 3,900 people throughout Mayo have the condition.

Although psoriasis is incurable, there are treatments available that can give clearance. Patients are urged to visit their doctor or dermatologist.

To reserve an appointment call 09660340. For more information about psoriasis visit www.mypsoriasis.ie where a free iPhone app can be downloaded to help patients manage their condition.

• It is possible to manage psoriasis and even clear it

• Psoriasis can appear anywhere on the body. However, the most common sites of psoriasis are the scalp, elbows and knees • Psoriasis usually appears as red, elevated plaques with silvery scales at various locations on the body • Psoriasis can come and go at any time • Psoriasis can occur at any age and both men and women are equally affected • Psoriasis can be an inherited disorder but is not infectious or contagious • Some people may develop psoriasis if other trigger factors are present such as throat infection, sunburn, stress, other medications and alcohol • Safe sun exposure can help most people but for a small number of people it can worsen it • A minority of people with psoriasis can develop a type of arthritis called Psoriatic Arthritis

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Win an iPad 2 in the Imagine IT Sligo photo competition

AS the February 1st CAO deadline approaches, IT Sligo has launched an innovative social media campaign encouraging prospective students to get more familiar with the courses they have on offer.

People who are considering their college options are asked to submit photographs of themselves with the IT Sligo Prospectus. The more wonderful or weird the location, the better!

The competition is an interactive approach to encourage prospective students to get more familiar with the 50-odd CAO options on offer at the Institute.

Operated through the IT Sligo Facebook page www.facebook.com/itsligo, the first prize for the Imagine IT Sligo photo competition is an iPad 2 worth almost €500, and two runners up will receive an iPod Touch.

IT Sligo’s Communication Manager, Sinéad McGovern, said that it’s hoped that the competition will make people more aware of the comprehensive range of courses available at the Institute: “Our Prospectus is like a catalogue of our courses and it explains each of them individually - what they involve and what job prospects they offer.

IT Sligo offers a wide range of courses in the areas of science, engineering, business and humanities and it’s important that students understand

what they’ll be studying when they make choices in their CAO, and where it can take them in their career,” she said.

Ms McGovern explained that the IT Sligo Prospectus is also available online at the IT Sligo website www.itsligo.ie, but she said that the photo competition is designed to get the creative juices flowing;“Whether you are a Leaving Certificate student or a more mature student preparing to return to full time education, it can be a stressful time and we wanted to inject a little fun into the process. Entrants are asked to be as imaginative in their photos as possible and to include a short tag line related to the scene,” she explained.

After the photo submission closing date (February 2nd) a shortlist of the top photographs will be compiled. Shortlisted photos will then be displayed on the IT Sligo Facebook page for members of the public to view and to vote for their favourite.

Full details and terms and conditions of the Imagine IT Sligo photo competition are available at www.facebook.com/itsligo .A copy of the Prospectus will be posted to entrants free of charge.

IT Sligo is a leader in social media in the higher education sector and was shortlisted as a finalist in the Social Media Awards for its Facebook page last year.

Bye-laws to aid stock conservation of wild salmon in Mayo waters A number of popular Mayo angling rivers and waters are affected by new regulations and bye-laws for management of the wild salmon fishery in 2012, announced by Fergus O’Dowd T.D, Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. Srahmore River, near Burrishoole in the Bangor fishery district, is one of 5 Irish rivers, which were closed in 2011, that will open for angling on a "catch and release" basis in 2012.

Minister O’Dowd has approved a suite of regulations and bye-laws that will govern the wild salmon fishery in 2012.

These will come into effect from Sunday 1 January 2012.

The Newport River, Lough Beltra and Crumpaun River are included in the 17 Statutory instruments/Bye-Laws that give effect to the decisions made by the Minister of State for management of the salmon fishery in 2012.

Conservation of Salmon and Sea trout (Newport River) Bye-law No. 892, 2011 provides for catch and release in respect of Salmon and Sea Trout (over 40 cm) in the Newport River including the waters of Lough Beltra and the Crumpaun River, Co Mayo

during the period 20 March to 11 May, 2012.

From 12 May onwards anglers are permitted to take fish up to the limits specified in the Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout Bye-law No. 885 (Bag limit).

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No Temple House music festival for 2012

M

any music fans throughout the country, and Sligo, will be disappointed to learn that the award-winning Temple House Music Festival has been pulled from the annual music calendar.

Roderick Perceval, whose family have been in residence in the south Sligo country estate since the mid 17th century said the decision to suspend the Temple House Festival was a tough one as he confirmed that the 2012 gig will not be going ahead.

The estate, with its ruins of a Knights Tem-

plar castle dating back to the 11th century, was the perfect backdrop for the modern music gathering however it would appear that the current recession has taken its toll on attendance figures.

The initial festival in 2010 was awarded a coveted European Festival Award beating stiff competition from Belgium, Croatia,Turkey and Germany.This accolade had ensured its continued growth and success however with the emergence of more festivals in Mayo and Donegal all competing for similar valuable dates, the shortage of disposable income for festival goers and the terrible weather all played a part in the cancellation of the event.

! s n o i t u l o s e R ear

New eYl Kelly b y Ra c h a

ble down, twinkling lights lose their Christmas decorations begin to tum rapped from their glossy paper novelty and all presents have been unw 2011 has elapsed into the past. ging around and over-eating, After weeks of preparation, days of loun nning of a new era. A time to begi the ks January traditionally, for many mar months and aspire towards hopes release regrets from the past twelve ions are made and indeed broken for the next twelve, New Year Resolut by the majority of the Irish population. reasoning behind such a concept While many argue that there is little lifestyle changes on traditions, tic and that it is naive to base such dras the inspiration they need. are y man for ions olut Res s Year New classified as obese, inevitably the With over 28% of Ireland’s population losing weight, dieting or genlving invo majority of New Years resolutions . After the double servings of Christmas pudding, glasses of erally just leading a healthier lifestyleprofiteroles the thoughts of a primarily lettuce menu can be mulled wine and chocolate covered will have reat best, scary. and by mid-February most resoluters duction of intro Although for many not entirely realistic and s rate satu of ion inat elim away, the short-term. turned to the occasional treat and take should be encouraged, even if it’s only to ditch the habit diet any into s food me leso who e mpt mor atte kers smo y man Year of a New Likewise, motivated by the beginning . Tobacco is recognised as one of the most addictive ines rout daily r thei ates dict y man for emely challenging to that present or past, will inform you extr drugs in the world and as any smoker, with friends and abandon. around the Christmas tree, nights out After the wonderful hours of playing 1st is as good as time as any to recognise the damage the visits from neighbours, surely JanuaryUsing the available resources and support 2012 can for th. heal on t habi of such an addictive

many become a tobacco free year.

Lazy midday mornings during the Christmas holidays encourage many to aspire to improve their timekeeping skills in the New Year, with employers gladly welcoming such habits.

Yet many wonder is it really at all beneficial to make such pseudo promises to oneself? Is it merely setting one up for disappointment, attempting to overachieve?

But in a world that has been plunged into depression by widespread unemployment, rising emigration and increasing general poverty perhaps traditions as simple as New Year Resolutions can provide a little hope, needed motivation and that kick-start to aim higher.

Losing those two pounds, reducing takeaways to once a week luxuries and dragging oneself out of bed for that early morning jog may not be life-changing alters for the wider world but individually they are substantial milestones.

Surely in today’s increasingly superficial, materialistic society such pledges as “I resolve to spend more time in the fresh air” and “I am determined to help those less fortunate then myself” are a desirable component? In this doom and gloom dominated era, I echo these sentiments exactly. Our desire to support others or improve our own standard of living, no matter how short lived, reap numerous benefits community wide. Recent surveys suggest that despite the stereotypical cash strapped nature of the month of January, it is in fact the 4th day of this month on which over 43% of the Irish population report as feeling their happiest. The main reasons? The sense of solidarity enjoyed between neighbours as they strive to fulfil previously apparently impossible goals, whilst all the time replacing the gloomy January atmosphere with one of self-motivation and resilience.

So the next time someone asks “have you any New Year’s Resolutions planned?”, which will undoubtedly, in true Festive season fashion, be imminently, attempt to stifle that inward groan that you feel creeping up your throat automatically at the dreaded “R word”. And instead admire this person’s admirable failure to cower in ignorant submission before the dominant forces of laziness and laissez faire mentality and perhaps even follow their example, no matter how unrealistic… In true New Year’s Resolution fashion!

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A Loss Assessor represents policyholders when they need to submit an Insurance claim, and our members have experience in dealing with all types of claim, for both private individuals and businesses.Your Assessor will handle all aspects of the claims process, meeting with the Insurers' representatives, the Loss Adjuster or any other professional appointed by them, preparing your claim and negotiating the best possible settlement for you.They will also handle cases where liability for your claim has been refused by insurers, or where problems have arisen regarding policy liability or delays.

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Sadly, the reality is often very different.

In dealing with a claim of any size, the Insurance Company will appoint a LOSS ADJUSTER or representative. He is ENGAGED and PAID by the Insurance Company.

There are always grey areas Claims assessing is not an exact science and there are many instances where there is no absolute answer to the way a claim for a particular item should be settled. Human nature being what it is, the Loss Adjuster is likely to lean towards his principals, the Insurance Company.

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When should I appoint my Loss Assessor?

The way a claim is prepared and presented if every bit as important as the way in which it is negotiated and settled.

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Digital music sales up as CDs fall

MUSIC sales have continued to fall in the UK despite Adele's record 21 becoming the highest-selling album of the 21st century, according to figures released by the BPI. The industry has seen a growth in digital downloads of singles and albums as well as a resurgent interest in vinyl.

Combined sales of digital and physical albums fell overall by 5.6% to 113.2 million in 2011.Digital album sales rose 26.6% to 26.6 million, while sales of albums on CD declined 12.6% year on year to 86.2 million in total.Adele's best-selling 21 sold 3.8 million copies - more than double the 1.8 million sales achieved by 2010's top album, Take That's Progress.Adele also claimed two places in the 2011 year-end singles chart. The recorded and live performance of Someone Like You recorded at The Brit Awards 2011 - together sold 1.2 million copies to become the top-selling single of 2011 overall, with Rolling In The Deep also ending the year at number nine. UK artists dominated the charts with five of the top 10 selling artist albums in 2011 coming from British acts.According to the BPI figures, the CD remained the favoured format for UK album buyers in 2011, accounting for 76.1% of total sales compared with a 23.5% market share for digital and 0.3% for vinyl.

Digital album downloads have grown, with 15 albums selling more than 100,000 digital copies in 2011. Sales of vinyl LPs rose by more than a third (43.7%) during 2011 to 337,000, their highest tally since 2005.

The UK singles market saw sales records being broken for the fourth year in a row with singles sales increasing by 10% to 177.9 million in 2011. The vast majority (99.3%) were sold as digital tracks and bundles. A total of 1.1 million CD singles were sold in 2011, representing just 0.6% of the total.

technology news Designer of the iPod & iMac 'humbled' by award & science

J

onathan Ive, the man who transformed the way people listen to music by designing the iPod, said being made a knight was "thrilling".

Mr Ive, who is also credited with bringing the iMac to the masses, has received numerous design awards over the years.

In 2003 he was named Designer of the Year by the Design Museum in London and was given the title Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts.

The London-born designer is the senior vice president of industrial design at Apple where he has led a design team since 1996.

He said: "I am keenly aware that I benefit from a wonderful tradition in the UK of designing and making.

"To be recognised with this honour is absolutely thrilling and I am both humbled and sincerely grateful.

"I discovered at an early age that all I've ever wanted to do is design.

"I feel enormously fortunate that I continue to be able to design and make products with a truly remarkable group of people here at Apple."

Facebook 'helps find kidney donors'

Mogul Rupert Murdoch joins Twitter A Twitter account under the name Rupert Murdoch does belong to the media mogul and not an impostor, it has been confirmed.

Someone using the media mogul's name started tweeting over the New Year holiday and a spokeswoman at his News International company has confirmed the account is genuine.

Murdoch has attracted more than 47,000 followers, just two days after he started tweeting.

His wife Wendi Deng has also started tweeting - she calls herself wendi-deng.Murdoch has also complained there are "too many people" on the island of St. Bart's, an exclusive Caribbean hideaway. He also praises Mike Bloomberg, the Republican mayor of New York City, and Rick Santorum, a Republican presidential candidate.

"Happy 2012," he says. "May it be better than all experts predict. Has to be! Must change everything to create jobs for all, especially young."

FACEBOOK and other social media sites are quickly becoming a go-to place to find a generous person with a kidney to spare, according to people asking for help and some national organisations in the US which facilitate matches.

Between the children's photographs and reminiscences about school days, more and more pleas for help from people with failing kidneys are popping up.

Damon Brown found a kidney on Facebook after telling his story on a special page the Seattle father created under the name 'Damon

Kidney'. His friends and family forwarded the link to everyone they knew and on January 3 a woman his wife has known for years, but not someone they consider a close family friend, will be giving him a kidney. "She said it wasn't really for me. It was for my kids, because they deserve to have a dad around," said Mr Brown, 38.

Mr Brown's story is not unique, said April Paschke, a spokeswoman for the United Network for Organ Sharing, a private non-profit organisation that manages the US's organ transplant system for the federal government.

"We see more and more people matched up by social media," she said. "It's an extension of the way we communicate. Before we found the internet, people found other ways: through a church bulletin, word of mouth or an advertisement even." Last year, a man in Michigan also found a kidney donor through Facebook, and a Florida woman found one through Craigslist. Mr Brown admits he was a little embarrassed to ask for help so publicly. He was on the official transplant list and had started mobile dialysis through Northwest Kidney Centres but Mr Brown was seeing his health deteriorate - he was constantly tired and achy.

He could not sit on the bed to tell bedtime stories to five-year-old Julian and three-year-old Theo because he had to stay close to his dialysis machine. "I'm a strong guy but I would have to say it's been rough this year," he said.

Mr Brown had put himself on the long waiting list for a kidney from a deceased donor, knowing he would have to wait at least three years before he was called.

After one particularly difficult visit with his doctor, Mr Brown and his wife, Bethany, decided to create the Facebook page, which has attracted more than 1,400 friends. A few weeks ago, after the transplant was approved and scheduled, Mr Brown posted the good news to his Facebook friends, and more than 300 people responded with messages of congratulations.

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92 couples tie the knot during mass wedding in Lima

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E.T. 'rescued' by coastguards after 999 call A worried walker dialled 999 when a ‘body’ was spotted floating by the shoreline, which turned out to be a life-size replica of E.T. THE ceremony was conducted by the city's mayor. Couples of all ages attended, with some tying the knot in their 70s.

'We fulfilled our desire to get married after living together for 34 years,' said 64-year-old Carmen Mercado of her marriage to her husband, 74-year-old Jorge de la Cruz.

The youngest to get hitched were highschool sweethearts Edger Pasapera, 19 and Luisa Viera, 18.

'Thanks to God and the love we have for each other, we are still together,' Edgar told the BBC. 'We already have a beautiful baby who was born a fortnight ago.'

The 92 couples paid a special cheap price for their special day, the equivalent of £6 - a better deal than the original set price of £95.

Woman's lost wedding ring found on garden carrot after 16 years

No longer alienated: Margaret Wells with her E.T.

POLICE and coastguards raced to the scene in Old Portsmouth but soon realised they weren’t dealing with an ordinary callout.

They retrieved the life-size replica of E.T. from the water – and now the model alien can finally ‘go home’ after his owner came forward to collect him.

Margaret Wells was thrilled to be reunited with E.T., who was handcrafted by her daughter Louise as part of a stage make-up course.

The movie favourite was stolen – along with a haul of jewellery and an iron – from Mrs Wells’s home in Cosham, Hampshire, in September.

The 76-year-old said: ‘I always knew E.T. would come home. There’s only one in the whole of England and he is mine.

‘He has lost a finger and looks a bit roughed up, but he still has a smile on his face.’

A coastguard spokeswoman said: ‘It rolled up on the beach and gave somebody a bit of a fright.’

Italian man to divorce wife of 77 years over 1940s affair LENA Pahlsson lost her white-gold wedding band, set with seven diamonds, in 1995 and had given up ever seeing the ring again.

Mrs Pahlsson told Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter she had misplaced the ring while doing some baking with her daughters during Christmas. Remarkably, after years of searching for the wedding ring – including removing the kitchen’s flooring – Mrs Pahlsson eventually discovered the ring while pulling up carrots in her garden. A picture taken in the garden shows the ring stuck at the top of one of the carrots, with the vegetable seemingly having grown through the band. Mrs Pahlsson’s husband Ola told Dagens Nyheter: ‘Our daughter Anna was at home at the time and she heard an almighty scream from the garden. ‘It was Lena’s wedding ring that had been missing since 1995 after Lena's annual Christmas baking. It had surfaced, wrapped around a carrot. Quite amazing.' The family believe the ring may have fallen down the kitchen sink back in 1995 and ended up in the garden’s compost or fed to their sheep. Mrs Pahlsson is having the ring re-sized as it no longer fits and has vowed to keep the band ‘in a safe place’.

A 99-year-old Italian man and his wife of 77 years are to become the world's oldest couple to divorce after his 96-year-old wife had an affair 70 years ago.

The couple are expected to divorce after the betrayal

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THE husband, identified by lawyers in the case as Antonio C, found out about the adultery when he was looking through an old chest of just before Christmas.

He immediately asked his wife, who is identified as Rosa C, for a divorce as he was so upset over the betrayal.

Court papers released in Rome this week revealed that she sent letters to her lover during a secret affair in the 1940s.

The couple have five children, a dozen grandchildren and one great-grand child, but the discovery proved to be the last straw for the marriage, which reportedly ran into trouble ten years ago.

Lawyer Anna Orecchioni said: 'The husband decided to file for divorce after finding the love letters. He felt betrayed and unable to carry on with the marriage which has lasted 77 years.'

The pair met in the 1930s when Antonio was posted in Naples as a Carabinieri officer.

In Britain the oldest couple to file for divorce was Bertie and Jessie Wood, who ended their 36year marriage in 2009 when they were both two years away from becoming centenarians.

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naturalhealth

By Megan Fennell

The information provided to you on this page is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice and it is important that you do not make medical decisions without first consulting your doctor or other healthcare professional.

Herbal Insomnia Remedies St. John’s Wort: St. John’s Wort is regarded as a sort of wonder herb with many beneficial properties. Some are well-established, while others have been doubted by various researchers. However, if you ask anyone with experience taking the herb, they will tell you that it has benefits not only for long-term depression, but also for long-term insomnia.

Taken daily over an extended period of time, it deepens and lengthens the sleep cycle. Unlike with prescription sleep medications, you have to give this one time to work, rather than expecting results in a single day.

ety, and insomnia. It calms the nervous system, which helps relieve stress and promotes relaxation.

Passionflower: Passionflower helps to relieve tension in the muscles, and it can calm stress and anxiety. It has been used in treating withdrawal symptoms for people who are coming off of cocaine or opiates, which is evidence of its calming powers. One of the benefits of passionflower is that it promotes deep sleep while not being addictive and causing no grogginess in the morning.

Valerian: Similar to chamomile, valerian root is used mainly as a sedative that helps to calm anxiety and restlessness, which makes it useful for treating mild insomnia. It’s also great as a mild tranquilizer to use during times of heightened stress or mental trauma.

Kava: Although there have been doubt about its long-term benefits, Kava has been proven quite effective as a short-term remedy for headaches, depression, anxi-

P

oor sleep can affect all aspects of life. It can cause depression, anxiety, weight gain, or unhealthy skin, and it can get in the way of your work, your home life, and your exercise routine. Unfortunately, because of the busy nature of modern life, more people than ever are suffering from insomnia, and many people don’t think of it as a serious health problem. Instead, they consider it to be a fact of life that just comes with being an adult.

However, this is the wrong approach. Getting enough sleep can have astonishingly positive effects on one’s life. In fact, it’s an essential part of a formula of good health that leads to happiness and well-being. Without it, you will never be as physically and mentally healthy as you could be.

There is a range of remedies for insomnia, and many people use a combination of things.

The most important thing is to have a healthy diet and to get plenty of exercise. If you can accomplish that, some combination of medication and other types of therapy should do the trick.

Many people are uncomfortable with prescription sleep medications. They’re made of strange laboratory-produced chemicals, and they often have startling side effects. That’s why herbal remedies are sometimes the best solution, particularly for people whose insomnia is moderate or sporadic. Here are just a few herbs that are known to have sleep-promoting properties.

Chamomile: Chamomile is a mild sedative, which is why many people take it before bed.

It relaxes the nerves and calms any anxieties lingering from your day. It also tastes good; try drinking a cup of chamomile tea 1 to 2 hours before putting your head on the pillow.

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Types of Weight Training Supplements

By Megan Fennell

1. Casein protein: it is a slow digestive protein of the body muscle for a heavy-weight lifter and is utilized inweight training to be absorbed extremely slow for 5-7 hours which makes it a pre bed weight training supplement of the muscles. If Casein supplement is taken in regular intervals in between the meal or snacks the glutamine content found in casein becomes rich in nature and thus will maintain a strong function of the immune system.

The qualities of Casein are: It diminishes the hunger for heavy meals out of excessive weight training; the sensitivity of body to insulin enhances; it controls the diabetes from inside the bloodstream; it re-fuels the massive stores of carbohydrates from the body; cardiovascular diseases are also controlled due to it with prolonged physical endurance to exercise for longer hours and reduces the levels of cholesterol in blood.

2.Thermo-genics: This weight training supplement helps in increasing the temperature of the body to substantial levels internally and as the human body heats up the calories are burnt overall throughout the day as long as the body-builder wants to exercise upon.

3. Carbohydrate blockers: The carbohydrates aren’t easily absorbed inside the body and therefore do not fully digestive in the stomach that in turn limits the storage and uptake capacity of the human body of such nutrients. A carbohydrate supplement called 'Chitosan' is a real fat absorber of the body.

An unmodified Chitosan has the ability to dissolve at least 10 calories per day from a food diet chart plan. The efficiency of the fat

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blocker is that it expels out the minerals too with the fat and thus reduces the quench for a heavy food diet.

4. Stimulant-free fat burners: Ephedrine and caffeine are the two forms of common stimulants which are the real fat burners.

These are the best because they are typically used for increased alertness and awareness.

Certain reacting stimulants also are sensitive to produce unwanted jitters; agitation and red pigmentations etc.

5. Appetite Suppressants & Thyroid Regulators: These suppressants are the supplement drug that reduces appetite to let an exercise eat less. The appetite suppressant works best if they are taken orally.The regulators keep the

For more information or bookings call Patricia Heneghan on 087-6886239 Email: info@galway-counselling.ie balance of hormonal changes of a human Visit: www.galway-counselling.ie body. The thyroid gland produces to regulate the rate of metabolism for specific growth of the body organ therefore a regulator in a form of supplement is provided to an exerciser to again stimulate the appropriate functioning of the thyroid gland so that it might help in losing away that excessive fat from the body. The function of the Cortisol blocker supplement is to increase the blood pressure while lifting weights and enhances the level of sugar in the blood and help in suppressing the immune system.

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Helping people to recover

Did you know?

Word Puzzle!

Here is a game that you can play to test your skill. This game will present you with a matrix filled with letters. The objective is to form words by concatenating adjacent letters. Letters that are to the left, right, on top, bottom, or on a diagonal to each other are all acceptable.

SAMPLE PUZZLE Here are some words that can be found in this sample matrix: any chant panel path trench Here are some words that are not valid in this puzzle: chance - uses the 'c' twice chaps - 's' is not adjacent

PUZZLE TIME ACROSS

By Megan Fennell

Most kisses in a movie Don Juan is the name of a fictional Spanish nobleman whose womanizing career ended when a stone statue carried him off to hell. He has been capturing the imagination of poets and playwrights since 1630. In 1823, George Gordon Byron (Lord Byron) observed of the strange relationship between Don Juan and Lady Adeline Amundeville in Canto XIV of his satiric poem called Don Juan, “Tis strange – but true; for truth is always strange, – stranger than fiction,” thus coining the phrase “truth is stranger than fiction.” The beautiful Adeline – “the fair most fatal Juan ever met” – would resist Don Juan. Back on earth, the legendary romantic enjoys happier times. It was in the 1926 film version of Don Juan that actor John Barrymore set the record for the most kisses ever in a single movie. Barrymore embraced Mary Astor (as Adriana della Varnese) and Estelle Taylor (in the role of Lucrezia Borgia) 127 times.

WIN! €25

1. Kneading up in quiet Westmeath village near the Meath border. (8) 5. Confusing result in one of the four green fields of Ireland. (6) 10. One of amorous disposition in Cashel over there.

(5) 11. "Oft in the stilly night, --- Slumber's chain has bound me" Thomas Moore. (3) 13. Cap in disarray when there's a mad rush. (5) 14. Eat on the return through Ballaghaderreen ideally.

(4) 16. Nothing negative in steep Lusk environment. (4) 18. Rag us about sweetener. (5) 19. Nose I tweaked made a din. (5) 22. Far back to start with on the floater. (4) 24. A valve of a C.O. (anag.) Wicklow beauty spot much praised by Thomas Moore in song of the bright waters.

(4,2,5) 26. " ---- denial is not a virtue: it is only the effect of prudence on rascality." Shaw (4) 27. Coder unravelled the appearance of the room. (5) 29. "I am escaped with the skin of my -----" Job Chap.19 Verse 20. (5) 30. Sudden fancy in Mallow himself included. (4) 33. Building used to store crops in the Swanlinbar neighbourhood. (4) 37. Some of the Kildare Pelagians will not cause attraction. (5) 39. Infuse with colour in Limavady every day. (3) 40. Spanish friend is hidden on the way back from the bog, I'm afraid. (5) 41. Irish hunting dog who creates puzzles? (6) 42. Jumbled loss rare in Wexford resort and gateway to Ireland from Wales. (8)

DOWN 1. Key link includes north initially over in city on the Nore, once the capital of the kingdom of Ossory. (8) 2. Jack loses out initially in the main body of the church. (4) 3. "They make truth serve as a stalking horse to -----" Henry St. John. (5) 4. Cut back and enquired in stage Irish! (4) 6. Once around on your knees? (3) 7. Of sound quality in Midleton alcohol. (5) 8. Sees R.C. mingling in Connemara beauty spot with green marble quarries. (6) 9. Catch up with decimal base. (3) 12. Ferry grin O.K. (anag.) Tour route around the beautiful Iveragh Peninsula. (4,2,5) 15.This provides a sound reception in the Clonea region.

(3) 16. "The famous Northern reticence, the tight gag of -----".

Seamus Heaney (5)

Rainbows do occur at night It was previously thought that rainbows never appear at night. However, rainbows do appear at nightand is known as moon rainbows or lunar rainbows.

To see a moon rainbow, many conditions must coincide: 1. there must be a full moon, 2. the moon must be either rising or setting, 3. and there must be mist in the air because a rainbow is made up of the rays of the sun that are reflected inside raindrops – or, in this case, the rays reflected by the moon.

Moon rainbows are a rarity; there have been only a few in the past 50 years.

Earthquake facts An earthquake is caused by a sudden slip on a fault. A fault is a fracture in the crust of the earth along which rocks on one side have moved relative to those on the other side. Stresses in the earth’s outer layer push the sides of the fault together, pressure builds up and the rocks slip suddenly, releasing energy in waves that travel through the rock to cause the shaking that we feel during an earthquake.

Earthquakes tend to be concentrated in narrow zones.

There are 7 major crustal plates on earth, about 50 miles (80 km) thick, all in constant motion relative to one another, moving at the speed at which your fingernail grows, at between 10 and 130 mm (from less than one half to 5 inches) per year.

17. "Every man desires to ---- long, but no man would be old." Swift. (4) 20. Meal's over for the place where witches were very unsafe once. (5) 21. Spirited ending to 26 across. (3) 22. "He that spareth his --- hateth his son." Proverbs Chap.

13 Verse 24. (3) 23. "Well had the boding tremblers learned to trace the day's disasters in his morning ----." Goldsmith. (4) 25. Ogre Rene troubled in Louth resort at the entrance to Carlingford Lough. (8) 28.Weapons on the road out of Dublin towards Belfast, where there is a pentagonal castle. (5) 29. Open barrel put up conditionally. (3) 31.What goes to start the process in Kilorglin putatively. (5) 32. One hundred and fifty over the donkey show style. (5) 34. A religious doctor can put it together. (3) 35. Latin fiddler in Enniscrone romance. (4) 36. Greedy turn up to see the opera star. (4) 38. Rathkeale estate conceals Cork's flower. (3)

To be in with a chance of winning, fill out the crossword and your your name, telephone number and address and post to Puzzle Time Competition, Northwest Express, Unit 3, Riverview House, Barret Street, Ballina, Co. Mayo. - Good Luck!!

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Going bananas Bananas are the world’s most popular fruit after tomatoes. In western countries, they could account for 3% of a grocer’s total sales. Bananas consistently are the num :*+)* ber one compliant of grocery shoppers. Most people  3    complain when bananas are overripe or even freckled.

The fact is that spotted bananas are sweeter, with a sugar content of more than 20%, compared with 3% in a green banana. As if fighting with their consumers over bananas is not enough big retailers often turn on each other. In 2002,Asda-Walmart fired the first, uhm, banana in a price war with big British supermarket chain Tesco and others.

The gorilla war (which includes guerrilla war tactics) '#5; &4; 176&114 %*#+45 would spill over onto other battle shelves and – even 7+6#$.' (14 &1/'56+% #0& after a trade truce in 2009 – the price war is ongoing.

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Name: Address: number:  Telephone   

World’s largest flower The largest flower in the world, the rafflesia arnoldi, weighs 7 kg (15 pounds) and grows only on the Sumatra and Borneo islands of Indonesia. Its petals grow to 1.6 ft (1 metre) long and 1 inch (2,5 cm) thick.

There are 16 species of rafflesia, found in Sumatra, Malaysia, Philippines and Borneo. The species is named after the naturalist Sir Stamford Raffles, who founded the British colony of Singapore in 1819. Raffles discovered the parasitic plant with his friend Dr. Joseph Arnold during their travels in May 1818. The rafflesia arnoldi is named after the two. However fascinating and beautiful the rafflesia arnoldi may be, it is also called “corpse flower” and really reeks, the latter to attract flies for pollination. Of about 200,000 kinds of flowers in the world, the smallest is the duckweed, which can only be seen with a microscope.

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DARA O'BRIAIN at the Royal Castlebar We make your dreams come true - to have a hell of a do...

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D

ara O’ Briain returns for one night only at The Royal Theatre Castlebar on Thursday 23rd February 2012.

After selling out two shows in Castlebar last year Dara O Briain takes to the stage in February with tickets on early release on sale Friday 15th July.

Dara O Briain is the biggest Irish comic to have emerged in recent years. Already a huge star in Ireland where he produces and presents the hit TV comedy review show The Panel, Dara has now moved from being a sold-out festival favourite in Edinburgh to

selling out theatres across the UK and mainstream television success including hosting popular TV shows such as “Mock the Week”, which he has just finished filming the 10th series of and another one is scheduled for Autumn. He has also been hosting “The Apprentice:You're Fired!” on BBC 2 and this finishes up this week. In addition he has filmed “Three Men go to Venice” with Griff Rhys Jones and Rory Mc Grath which went out on BBC recently and is the 5th one they have done together.

Dara also presented “Have I Got News

for You”, “QI”, “Never Mind the Buzzcoks” and “Live at the Apollo”.

The basis for his success is Dara’s premier place at top of the stand-up circuit.Winner of the Chortle award for ‘Best Headline Act’ in both 2003 and 2004, Dara has performed virtually all over the world, from Dublin to Shanghai, and at all the major festivals from Melbourne to Montreal. He has performed at the world famous Just for Laughs Festival Gala, and has appeared in the UK’s ultimate showcase for entertainers,The Royal Variety Performance.

“One of the biggest and best comics in the country…Real class” - Irish Times The Irish Independent described him as "Terry Wogan's heir apparent as Britain's 'favourite Irishman' “O Briain’s simply an astonishingly funny comic, hitting scorching form.” ***** www.chortle.co.uk “Genuinely imaginative and ridiculously funny” The Independent Tickets are available on www.ticketmaster.ie as well as from the Royal Theatre Box Office on 0818 300 000.Tickets are €30.00, incl. booking fee other service charges may apply. For further information please check the Royal Theatre website on: www.royaltheatre.ie or www.ticketmaster.ie

DOMINIC KIRWAN & LOUISE MORRISSEY DOMINIC Kirwan, one of Ireland's best and most popular Concert performers, embarks on a nationwide Concert Tour with his excellent Band. The tour stops off at the Royal Theatre, Castlebar on Sunday 29th January 2012.

Dominic has built up a very loyal following in Ireland and the UK as a consequence of his dynamic Stage Shows. His show creates a wonderful atmosphere amongst his audience. The show will feature songs from his many hit albums,

from his first "Try A Little Kindness" to his latest album "My Kinda Country" which reflects his love for the music he's had all his life. There will be lots of country and pop reflecting Dominic's wide variety of influences ranging from Garth Brooks to Kenny Rogers & Tom Jones.

Special Guest on the night is renowned singer Louise Morrissey, one of Irelands best loved female singers.

Louise has recently picked up several awards to add to her already large collection. At the 2011 "Sunday World Awards" she was given the "Lifetime Achievement" Award, "Female Entertainer Of The Year" at the "Tipp FM Radio Awards", "Best Female Vocalist" award at the "Hot Country" awards.

Her latest single release "Home Sweet Home" is a very popular radio hit and is taken from a forthcoming album which she is busy working on.

Tickets for this special concert are available at €22.45 on www.ticketmaster.ie as well as from The Royal Box Office on 0818 300 000. For further information please check The Royal Theatre & Event Centre website on: www.theroyal.ie or www.ticketmaster.ie

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