Lets Put This to Bed

As a resident of Limerick, I have seen my fair share of oddities on the streets of this fair city. One such phenomenon, which is on the rise, is the wearing of night wear as day wear. Last Thursday 28th of January, the BBC ran a story regarding a woman, Elaine Carmody, Cardiff, who was refused entry to her local Tescos supermarket because she was wearing her pyjamas. This particular Tescos erected a sign stating that those who were "barefoot" or in their night wear, would be turned away from the establishment as it is deemed offensive and an embarrassment to others to shop in your nightie. Elaine was highly insulted that she was unable to "pop in for a pack of fags" in her night wear, and couldn't quite understand what the big deal was.
This is not a localised incident, it's a bizarre trend that has snow- balled here in Limerick also, with the legion of pyjama zombies on the rise. I have seen women in the city centre, on a saturday, in full night wear, outside Penneys, with a full face of make- up and immaculate hair. I have seen a larger than life woman, speaking rather animatedly on O' Connell street, in nothing but a pair of triangular wranglers and a well worn, off white, cross your heart by Playtex bra. I have also seen a woman, in the middle of the big freeze, in a full length nightdress eating ice- cream outside Savins. As you do.
But why is it okay to step out in your pyjamas in the middle of the day?
It's almost become a status thing, a two finger salute to the establishment that says "f*&k you, I'll do what I like and there's nothin' you can do about it, kid."
The trend was branded "disgusting" by None other than Limerick fashionista, Celia Holman Lee, in June of 2008. Celia couldn't understand where this trend came from, and stated that it didn't come from any trends on the catwalk. She spoke to Joe Nash of Limericks Live 95 FM about it, with a massive public response from the listeners. One woman said she was a single mother who had no time to get dressed up to bring her kids to school. When asked did she just roll out of bed, she stated that she didn't, she changed her pyjamas first... Surely it takes just as long to throw on a tracksuit? 
So what is it that bothers people so much about it? Is it because it seems unhygienic? Is it because it goes against what is deemed to be socially acceptable and most people are expected to stay within these parameters? Or is it envy on the part of those who don't have the gumption to step outside the door in whatever they want, with not a care in the world about what anyone thinks of them?
You decide.
I'm off to iron my going out pyjamas, the shopping won't do itself.
EOB

RTE V NYT

Comparing the RTE website with that of the New York Times, I spotted one major gap. The way in which they deal with the story of 10 Americans being arrested for alleged abduction is quite stifling. While RTE gives it a great deal of space, the same cannot be said for the NYT. Instead, it is hidden away in the hope it will be missed. When you view the page, the headline is "Food Distribution Retooled; Americans Arrested"-as if it is secondary or irrelevant news. When it is referred to, it is briefly mentioned in one of the opening paragraphs and then the latter ones. RTE let the copy run for some 21 paragraphs in comparison.

Are we to accept that their news lists differ by chance, or are larger forces at play? Isn’t it our role to be critical?

Here are the links:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0131/haiti.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/world/americas/31haiti.html?ref=world

Until next time,
D.K

The first casualty?

Orla makes valid points in her blog entry, but if I am allowed to be critical (on her technique rather than the content): if I didn't know what this was about, I wouldn't know what this was about. She needs, in my view, to explain the context of this story more. The points she makes are valid ones however.
As journalists we all face pressures of one kind or another in our reporting. People who hold powerful positions may threaten to sue, call us liars, journalists have faced physical threats, been arrested, beaten up, even murdered.
But regardless of all of this, we are honour bound to question those in authority, report the truth as best we can and above all hold power to account. Good journalism keeps society honest, it has a fundamentally important role to play in a democracy. To quote the London Independent journalist Robert Fisk: "We journalists try - or should try - to be the first impartial witnesses of history. If we have any reason for our existence, the least must be our ability to report history as it happens so that no one can say: 'we didn't know - no one told us'."
Threats against press freedom must be fought.


I once again draw your attention to the following:
National Union of Journalists Code of Conduct, Point 1: "A Journalist at all times upholds and defends the principles of media freedom, the right of freedom of expression and the right of the public to be informed".

Irish Constitution:
Article 40.6.1.i: "[The State guarantees] the right of the citizens to express freely their convictions and opinions."

European Convention on Human Rights, Article 10.1: "Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers...."

Universal Declaration on Human Rights, Article 19: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

My personal favourite, and although not legally applicable, the spirit of the legislation, it can be argued, has influenced thinking and jurist prudence on the issue:
American Constitution, First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law ... abridging freedom of the press."

Finally, the New York Times, in an editorial, argues the point well for freedom of the press. You can read it here.
TF

You can't handle the truth!

The title of this blog is something that appears to be making its way into our third level education system. Not one university in particular you understand.

It would seem that 'the powers that be' either (a) do not consider their students as capable of comprehending the real news or (b) are worried that if the real news were to come out, it could be detrimental for a college.

Here we are at the start of 2010, we're 10 whole years into the new millennium and yet it would appear that censorship is alive and well. Because that's what it is, no matter what anyone says, it is censorship. It seems quite backwards when you look at it like that. Surely the modern student is fully entitled to know what is going on? Surely they are more than equipped to be able to make their own mind up about what is put before them?

I do apologise. Speaking out of turn like that, asking questions of what I have been told. What am I thinking? I am but a student in a vast number of students. Until a student graduates they must keep it buttoned and accept what they are presented with, right?

Well, to quote another up and coming journalist: "They won't censor me."

OW

The Art of Blogging

I found the following is information about my hometown, Swinford, on the website Wikipedia, the comments were available online and Local Councillor, Joe Mellett was informed about the entries.

Subsequently, the comments were referenced by Dara O’Brien on The Panel.

·         Lars Ulrich of Metallica fame once passed through Swinford and bought a mars bar in what was then “Cards and Gifts”. He did not buy a beverage.

·         Swinford is not regarded as a safe place to rear children, especially babies. Every so often, a baby skeleton is found that appears to have been gnawed at. These events are attributed to "The Babyeater”.

·         Rowan Gallagher, a young local, recently showed the signs of the stigmata while attending mass in the local parish church. He attributed this sign to Phelan and began drinking copious amounts of alcohol to "praise Our Lord!"

·         The local secondary school has a reputation as a "dumping ground" of poor teachers and general nutters. They are treated with the disdain and disrespect they diserve. Generally, they are Christain fundamentalists, alcoholics and crazies, or a combination of all three.

·         Connor Quinn a local carrot harvester grew the biggest carrot in the history of the country last month 13/11/06.

Wikipedia is a perfectly good source for information isn’t it? 

So are blogs...

Here is an article on the matter by independent.ie 

I will not confirm nor deny any part in the comments that were made on wikipedia during that time.

RG

Censorship is something we all must fight

An award winning Burmese journalist has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for allegedly working for a foreign news service without prior permission. The Irish Times online reports the story.

Ngwe Soe Lin, who reported for the Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma, was convicted of violating immigration laws and the Electronics Act, according to the BBC, who also report his lawyer, Aung Thein, said there was no proof he had broken any law and would appeal against the conviction.

Most foreign journalists are banned in Burma and the state censors all media. In the context of recent events, the issue of censorship is a serious one and threats, both implied, implicit and explicit, especially from those in positions of power. Threats to press freedom are common, all too common in places like Burma. As journalists we must fight censorship, no matter what the cost: personal, professional or otherwise. TF

They'll be wearing nappies next

I planned to blog on Paris Fashion Week, until I read this: Tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com. At the age of 13, this young fashionista and blogger extraordinare has managed to amass thousands of loyal followers, who read about Tavi's exploits at Paris Fashion Week, or how she just died her hair blue. Did I mention she's 13?

With her dry wit and unmistakable eye for fashion, Tavi's close to achieving the kudos that took Anna Wintour years to achieve, she just doesn't have a book written about her yet. SHE'S 13!!

Unbeknownst to her parents, Tavi began the blog at the age of 11. They found out when she asked for their permission to appear in the New York Times. I used to ask permission to go to the cinema.

Tavi's blog, Style Rookie (might I add, she's far from a rookie) has been creating a stir in the fashion industry for quite some time. She's appeared on the cover of POP magazine, and is a muse for Japenese fashion designers. This all begs the question, does she go to school??

My main concern at the age of 13 was what I'd wear to the youth club disco. She'd wear something vintage, and impossibly cool. My mom wouldn't let me wear a mini-skirt.

Reading her blog, I feel a mixture of admiration and...jealousy. If that's who I'm competing against, what hope in hell do I have! 

Anyway, I digress.This wasn supposed to be about news, damnit! Ok, it's ruffles and nudes for Spring/Summer 2010. Jean Paul Gautier wants us to wear sombreros, but never mind him. Karl Langereld wants us to look like Lady Gaga and for men to wear suits made out of tinfoil. It makes me wonder why I want anything to do with this industry.

I really should have been more productive with this blog.

To quote Heidi Klum, Auf Weidershen!

AH

Mancs very much

As if life wasn't hard enough already. Today we will all awake to the gloating manc who wants the red carpet laid out in front of him. They are on their way to Wembley, and frankly, I don't see Villa cutting short their celebrations. Mancini conceded defeat from the very start. A midfield that wouldn't kick snow off a rope, never mind keep out the red side of the city. When you glanced over to the bench you were amazed to find: Ireland, Petrov and Adebayor. Lesson number 1: Defending a lead in England is not the same as in Italy.

Sir Alex said he would not have been amazed if they had scored 6 or 7 last night. Even as a scouser I would agree with him. While I found Rooney's miss astonishing, I knew the killer blow was just around the corner, and so it proved. Chatting to some united fans earlier I said: "It will take some bit of quick thinking to win this game. Man City were very slow to react to corners in their FA cup game away to Scunthorpe last week."

Then it came. Rooney caught the City defence flatfooted and crashed his header past a helpless Given. You didn't hear Alex complain about the three minutes of injury time at that stage. The Reds' are through, for Mancini its back to wine and pizza. The sound is deafening. Give us a break. Go on the Villains.

Until next time,
D.K

Haiti through a photojournalism prism

(Reposted from tomfelle.com)

The Indie (London Independent) have a remarkable story today about how Reuters photographer Carlos Barria captured the devastation and destruction of Haiti following the massive earthquake there on January 12.
It’s a compelling tale of how a Canon MKII digital camera, a sat phone, a laptop and an eye for a story can be used as effectively as pages of description in print and radio and TV coverage to powerfully convey the savagery of the natural disaster.
But it also raises the eternal ethical question: should Barria have put down his camera and helped those in immediate need of assistance, rather than “profiting” from their plight.
It’s an issue I once faced: displaced Shi’ites in southern Lebanon in the aftermath of the 2006 Israeli Hezbollah war wanted the world to hear their story. The soil ran black as bodies rotted in hurriedly due mass graves, yet relatives wanted to talk, they wanted to world to listen. So I wrote their stories.
I’m not sure what I would have done in Haiti, but Barria’s pictures allowed the world to see the destruction first hand, to capture the emotion of Haitians as they dug with their bare hands to try to reach loved ones trapped in the rubble. TF

WIT About Me?

If you are a UL college student consider yourself lucky. Our neighbours down in Waterford Institute of Technology won't be getting their results any time soon. The lecturers have been instructed by the TUI not to give them their exam results. It has stemmed from a row over pay. Sources, i.e. my sister and a friend have told me that they may be forced to take strike action. While some lecturers have offered their sympathy and are more than willing to offer 'unofficial' results, this is not good enough. Original results are due to be released on the 2nd of February. It's hard to get around why students are being punished for a dispute that they have no control over. Like us, they pay 1500 euro in registration fees for quality education. In this day and age such a dispute should be promptly settled. Students will vent their anger. You can't keep a gagging order on them all. The next time you 'f' the college till kingdom come, think about W.I.T.

Hoping your dispute comes to an end soon guys. Waiting for exam results is hard enough, without having added pressure. I'm sure when they finally come, you guys will party hard.

Until next time,
D.K

Sometimes words just don't do it

Pictures of whales dancing off the south east coast make all the papers this morning. They speak for themselves. Read Lorna Siggins' article in The Irish Times here and see all the pictures by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group here. TF

Global Post's Irish coverage doesn't exactly blow my skirt up

Ok, so, I drank too much tea and now I can't sleep. Here's a question: Is the Global Post really covering Ireland all that well? Or could a second year trainee reporter from a reputable mid west University like, I don't know, say UL, do better? You decide? And I want a discussion folks!!!
TF

Matters of state aside...

So DK has beaten me to the maiden blog. And he raises some very interesting points. None of which I intend to respond to, however. Global politics, the Lebanon plane crash, the ongoing Haiti relief effort and the state of the Irish economy are all deserving of mention, but a far more pressing matter needs our immediate focus: Tommy and Hector's new Saturday morning radio show on 2fm, and the associated podcast, currently top of the iTunes podcasting charts.
Hands up, I never listened to them on iRadio. And I'll never turn the dial from Marian on Radio One now that they are polluting the national airwaves and not just those West of the Shannon. But I am intrigued how these two, who seem to revel in the fact that their show is little more than verbal diarrhea intertwined with a few "hoots" and "up ya boy yas" has nation's internet illuminati enthralled. Enlighten me please? TF

Sports Sidekick

Didn't you hear?-L'Oreal are recruiting Neville and Tevez for their new marketing campaign, following last week's controversy. Tevez replicates his mouthpiece move (shouting "Because I'm worth it"). Then Neville bows before him and says: "Because you're worth it...all £30 million". Seriously, what was Neville thinking? It begs belief. Every player loves to be criticized by another, be it by a teammate or a rival. It etches them on to prove the player wrong and they grow in confidence.
My bet says Tevez had a copy of the Star and pinned it on the dressing room door. Depending on Wednesday's result, he might yet mail it to Neville. Who's to say he might not grab another brace? Neville take the plunge and shut your trap. Maybe Sir Alex will give you some gum to stop your urge!!!

Another giant killing saw Arsenal dumped out of the FA cup. Does this mean the 'Big Four' should now be called the 'Lonely One' or are Manchester City ready to be included? Scunthorpe did themselves proud with a gutsy performance, and although you knew City could up the gear when they decided to, you were hoping for the underdog to prevail. In the end, it was City's class that paid dividends and coincidentally, they face a gallant Stoke side in the fifth round. Can City knock Stoke off their perch or will City fold under Delap's 'mortar attack'?
It's a pity this game isn't in the Britannia, which it must be said, is becoming something of a fortress for Stoke. It would be another masterstroke for Stoke to advance, but don't rule them out just yet-Fuller, Etherington and Whitehead might have something to offer this tie.

Eamon Dunphy is the new David Beckham. Yes, he is the new 'Goldenballs'. Don't tell Armani, or they will want to sign him up. Dunphy is the only sports pundit with balls. He says how he feels and gives his arguments to back them up. Not that we always agree with everything he says, but we respect him nonetheless for his contribution to the beautiful game and Irish society. Dunphy knows the ins and outs of the game. Why is he the only one with the courage to stand up and say 'this is wrong'?
In today's Star he spoke about how referees are killing the game, their interpretation of the off-side rule and video technology. We all know video technology is the way to go, but nobody is making a push for it. Dunphy questions why things are this way, do they have to be this way and how can they change. Without him, we would all be in a worse-off place. Embrace him for who he is, and not who you want him to be.

Until next time,
D.K