Taoiseach in talks with religious

Man (31) dies in Co Waterford crashA man was killed in a crash early this morning in Co Waterford. The man (31) lost control of the quad bike he was riding at Clonegagale, Ballinamult, sometime after 2am. No other vehicles were involved. The dead man was taken to Waterford Regional Hospital. Gardaí in Dungarvan are investigating.

Drugs worth €210,000 seized in Dublin

Man, how awesome was the Ireland-England game on Saturday? Freaking awesome, that’s how.

Dublin to get new saint this year:

The Archbishop of Dublin has welcomed news today that the capital is to have a new saint by the summer. Blessed Charles of Mount Argus will be canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in June. Dr Diarmuid Martin was, as Bishop of Dublin, Actor for the Cause of Blessed Charles. Born John Andrew Houben in Mustergeleen, Holland in 1821, Charles joined the Passionist Order in Belgium at the age of 19 after three months of undistinguished military service. He was ordained in 1850 and sent to England in 1852 where he made contact with Irish people who had emigrated because of the Famine. He was transferred to Dublin in 1857 around the time Mount Argus monastery was being founded and he travelled Ireland raising funds to help build it.

Shell to Sea protest passes peacefully:

Around 500 hundred supporters of the Shell To Sea campaign marched in Dublin this afternoon in protest at the energy giant’s plans for a gas terminal and pipeline in Co Mayo.

Irish emissions up 140%:

Greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland grew by 140 per cent between 1990 and 2004, according to a report published this morning.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) report said Ireland’s growth rate was well above other countries’ growth rates, with the average across 32 European states being 25 per cent. The Republic was only surpassed by Luxembourg, which saw growth of 156 per cent during the period. The figures exclude emissions from aviation and marine traffic.

As the proud nation SMASHES England in the 6 Nations Rugby Match in Croke Park tonight, many of us were left to wonder…(especially if you were not Irish, or didnt do your bit in Irish history…)

“WHATS THE BIG DEAL WITH CROKE PARK?!!!”

Let me englighten you. Croke Park was NEVER a soccer or rugby stadium. Since it was built and opened in 1884, It was meant only for Gaelic Football and Hurling. Since the GAA was the founders of Croke Park, it didnt seem like the proper venue for international games…it was meant to be the venue for purely IRISH events…

In the year 2000, Landsdowne road, the normal stadium used for rugby and soccer had to go through refurbishment in order to lower the noise pollution for the neighbors around then during the matches.

So where do the international matches of soccer and rugby go?

Croke Park? …although it seemed to be the smart idea, many were opposed.

Fast forward 5 years in April, after much debate, (If you agreed to opening up Croke Park, you were “sabotaging Irish Culture”, and if you didnt agree to opening up Croke Park, you were “being a narrow minded shi*t.”) the GAA decided to open its doors for international matches.

Let it be known, Croke Park is regarded as one of the biggest stadium in europe…. WOW!!

Two weeks ago the first rugby match was held..Ireland vs France, as part of the Six Nations Matches. (Ireland was shamed in defeat..lets us not talk about that… :( )

Tonight was Ireland VS ENGLAND

More debate because Croke Park was the grounds for Bloody Sunday, a sad day in 1920 Irish history when British Soldiers opened fire against a crowd watching a match.

There were even talks of whether or not to play “God Save the Queen” for fear of controversy and perhaps fights erupting. (Big props to the fans who were there tonight, the anthem was played, and the spectators didnt explode into conflict. Way to be diplomatic and represent Ireland!!! Im really glad it went without a hitch!)

After all this talk and hoohah, the match began tonight..and ended proudly :

Ireland - 43 England - 13

Now that’s what I’m talking about!!!!

Same-sex couple lodge marriage appeal

A lesbian couple have lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court against a High Court ruling that stated they did not have the right to marry in Ireland. Drs Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan lodged their appeal yesterday on the grounds that their High Court case for recognition of their Canadian marriage was wrongly decided. They hope the Supreme Court case could be heard before the end of 2007.

Elderly man dies in Tipperary crash

A 91-year-old man died today after he collided with a truck in Co Tipperary. The pensioner lost his life after his SUV struck the vehicle around 1pm on the N8 road at Ballymooreen, Littleton in the county. His front seat passenger was taken to Nenagh Hospital for treatment for minor injuries.

Armed raiders rob Dublin post office

Gardaí are investigating an armed raid on a south Dublin post office this afternoon. Four men were involved, three of whom entered the post office at the Nutgrove Shopping Centre; at least one of whom was armed with a hand gun, and money was stolen. They fled in a blue Ford Focus car with 2006 registration plates driven by the fourth man. The car was later found abandoned a short distance away at Hermitage Lawns, where it is believed the gang switched to another vehicle.

happy friday everyone!

Ireland ranks poorly in European seatbelt study:

Ireland lags behind many European countries in terms of seat-belt wearing rates, according to a study published in Brussels today … It found that more than 100 Irish drivers are spared each year by wearing seat-belts. But Ireland is ranked 10th out of 24 countries whose seat-belt wearing rates were studied, with 86 per cent of drivers and front-seat passengers using belts in 2005.

Sucide prevention campaign launched:

GAA star Sean Og O’hAilpin today launched a campaign to help young people suffering from anxiety or harbouring suicidal thoughts.The Cork legend is backing Please Talk campaign which was set up at University College Dublin (UCD) after five students took their own lives since last August.

Two arrested over south Dublin shooting:

Gardaí were called to an incident at Gray Square off Meath Street at around 9pm. The man, who is in his 20s, was seriously injured when a lone gunman entered a house on the Square and opened fire, the injured man was removed to St James Hospital where he is being treated for his injuries.

Also, The Irish Times is On the List for not letting you read the day’s paper–not even the headlines!–on their website without subscribing. Buy a clue, IT! Major newspapers all over the news, and no few small ones, let you find out what the hell is going on without shelling out €80 for a subscription!

I was walking around Trinity today when I saw a man dressed as a phone. Weird as it was, I asked him what it was all about and he gave me a pamphlet/flyer about NITELINE, a “listening service for college students”

Apparently this service allows callers to talk about whatever they want, and is there just to help people gather their thoughts, and figure their lives out…

NITELINE INFO

I think it’s brilliant. Ever had those times when you dont want your friends to judge you, or say anything to you, or tell you what to do, and give you advice? You end up not having someone to talk to about it, but at the same time being more confused. It helps to talk things out, without ppl telling you what to do.

Apparently this is what they are good at doing.

And its anonymous, non judgemental, non-directive, and confidential….

Im sure people have had times when they just want to talk about things..but wasnt too comfy about telling their friends right? I think it’s great that college students have a service like that…

Apparently the non-college student version for this is the Samaritans.

Samaritans

Knock on wood, I hope no one will have to go through the pain to talk to people about sad things, but sometimes we all need to know that it is necessary to get help.

Don’t be afraid! There are people who you can talk to!

Our buddies over in LA tipped us off to this interesting bit of news from our side of the pond:

Think tank predicts LA-style sprawl

Dublin will soon have a footprint the same size as Los Angeles with less than a quarter of its population, a planning think tank said today.

With the population expected to grow by more than one million over the next 20 years, the Urban Forum today expressed serious concerns for the health of people living in an ever-expanding Greater Dublin Area.

It warned that time-consuming commuting and a lack of facilities could lead to higher levels of stress, diabetes, heart disease and childhood obesity.

Ireland is already one of the most car-dependent countries in the EU and one of the most oil-dependent in the world.

From Ireland.com. It’s interesting stuff–Dublin has been at the top of the fastest-growing European cities list for the last five years, due in no small part to the rise of the Euro in international currency and the amazing effects of the Celtic tiger. But to compare Dublin to a city like LA takes on a whole new level of thought for the city–how many people actually do live here? How does having such a large population in a relatively tight space (as compared, for example, with Los Angeles’ urban sprawl) affect the quality of life of the city’s inhabitants? Over the last few months here at the Dub Metblog we’ve talked about the challenges of the bus service, the overpriced but desparately needed tram/train to the airport, the rising costs and difficult acquisition of apartments and living spaces. This just confirms, in statistics and numbers, what we’ve all been feeling: Dublin is kind of like living in a pressure cooker.

Something is going to have to change–urban planning will need to take a new direction and actually address some of the issues raised here, and goverment will need to fast-track it and not just debate endlessly about what the city needs in theory when the reality is banging at our doorstep. This report may be the first step towards enacting change and not just talking it to death.

ETA: The LA Metblog picked this up for discussion over there, too.

For those of you who like independant films, or just artsy films that are a nice change from the action packed, lust filled, commercialized hollywood flicks, here’s something for you!

DUBLIN FILM FESTIVAL!

From the 16th of Feb to the 25th of Feb, numerous cinemas in Dublin will be screening movies from around to world; all by renown directors, starring famous actors/actresses from the country.

I was very excited to go see Letters From Iwojima, but now they are sold out :( I am very upset…

Oh well.

Some movies screening are :
“Lost Children”
“Good German”
“Tony Takitani” (based on a Haruki Murakami novel.)

…and more.

At the end of the whole festival, there is a “Surprise Film” which no one knows about until the lights dim and the reel starts. Apparently the surprise film sells out early, so book tickets now!

As for me, Im thinking of hitting up quite a few.

You can buy 10 tickets for 70 euros, or its 9 e a ticket.

So grab a box of popcorn (and a bag of maltesers, for those of you who have seen the eircom commercial of the lady who enjoys “weird combinations”), sit back & enjoy the show!!

Thanks for waiting “skanger” (my god, why call yourself that anyway?!)

My RE-discovery two weeks ago is an amazing restaurant. “JUICE” on Georges Street. Two doors down THE GEORGE, this vegetarian restaurant really rocks and puts new meaning to “lean cuisine”

Dieting women, neo-hippies, and body image conscious teens have recently been swept by the VEGETARIAN CRAZE…People think that just because they cut out meat out of their diet, they will lose weight. Honestly, it’s not gonna happen because most “converted” vegetarians just end up being walking pasta bowls.

Anyway, I digress.

The reason why I write about JUICE, is because my room-mate is a vegetarian. Strictly for moral reasons, she started going veggie at a young age. She will NOT buy fur, touch meat, etc etc..As for me, I had a medical reason for going veggie (I will divulge that in the near future)

The thing bout JUICE is that it is GOOD, WHOLESOME, food. Lots of vegetarian places have indian food, or roasted vegetables, but they often end up being bland, loaded with carbs, and not-too filling.

In sweeps Juice with their coconut-peanut sauces, amazing filo pastries, and TO DIE FOR plates of dips and hummus.

Although the service isnt amazing their, the atmosphere is casual enough to go with a friend, and intimate enough for a couple. And you know what? You dont even have to be vegetarian to go there! it will satisfy anyone’s craving for food. Unless you are gung-ho steak and potatoes eater, this place is definitely an awesome place to chow down at.

Their lunch deals are great too! Even for a student like myself, although it may be on the high-priced side, it is definitely WAY more food, and much more satisfying than a sandwich-on-the-go.

Give the place a try! http://www.juicerestaurant.ie/menus/brunch.html

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

I found something AMAZING last night, will post back tomorrow on it!!

In the mean time, enjoy the chocolate, the roses, and the love!!!!