← Previous Story VELUX EHF CL start: Barca and Medvedi win – Draw in Flensburg! Next Story → Bundesliga (Round 6): Neuhausen with the first win, beats TuSEM Essen Christian Dissinger Sad unofficial information is coming from Schaffhausen, just after the openning match of the VELUX EHF Champions League between Kadetten and F.C Barcelona 23:33. German youngstar, who came back to the action after a year of absence because of knee injury. Christian Dissinger (22) is injured again and first prognosis are that injury is repeated.Unbeliavable thing if we already know that he got injury against the same rival, F.C Barcelona in the first match of the last season…Hopefully, official news from Switzerland will be better…
EHF Cup F4 host Berlin or Montpellier
EHF CupEHF Cup F4 ← Previous Story Japan to host Women’s World Championship 2019! Next Story → Russia, Slovakia and Georgia to host big youth handball events From a total of seven bidding clubs and organisations, the EHF has selected three to be taken forward to the next stage of evaluation to host the final round of the Men’s EHF Cup.The shortlist is made up of EHF Cup participants, Montpellier Agglomération HB and Füchse Berlin, as well as the Luxembourgish Handball Federation.Four further clubs and organisations: HC Meshkov Brest, London Great Dane, AEK Athens and the Porsche Arena Stuttgart in Germany, have not been selected for consideration for the organisation of the event.The bidsFüchse Berlin and Montpellier Agglomération HB propose hosting the two-day event in their home venues. The Füchse in the Max Schmeling Halle, which holds 8,700 spectators, and the French side in the Park & Suites Arena, which has a capacity of 9,000.The only ‘neutral’ venue has been put forward by the Luxembourgish Handball Federation, which would host the competition in the country’s biggest venue, Grand Duchy – Le Coque Arena, in front of 5,400 spectators.EHF Cup FinalsThe second edition of the EHF Cup Finals will be played on 17/18 May 2014 in a final-four format with semi-finals to be played on Saturday and finals on Sunday.source: EHF
Kielce put Wisla on 10
← Previous Story VIDEO: Ademar Leon win in Granollers! Next Story → Egyptian Zamalek are new African champions! In the first Holy War of the season, Vive Tauron Kielce decidedly beat at home Orlen Wisła Płock 32:22. Polish Champions were on the lead for most of the time and thanks to the outstanding performances of Sławomir Szmal and Karol Bielecki, their team finished the game leading by 10 goals. The first half began pretty well for Wisła; playing in the powerplay after an early 2-minute suspension for Jurecki, they were leading 3:1 in the 3. minute. Kielce started a bit ineffectually; a lost ball in the very first attack , the suspension already in the 3. minute, and also first defensive attempts looked like those unfortunate ones from Skopje.Vive Tauron Kielce – Orlen Wisła Płock 32:22 (15:11)Vive: Szmal, Markowski – Buntić 1, Jurecki 4, Tkaczyk 3, Jachlewski 2, Zorman 1, Bielecki 12/5, Strlek 3, Cupić 2, Aquinagalde 3, Chrapkowski, Reichman 1, Kus, Vujović.Wisła: Wichary Corrales – Kwiatkowski, Wiśniewski 1, Ghionea 2, Nikcević 3, Piechowski, Montoro, Racotea 2, Rocha 1, Zelenović 4, Pusica 1, Daszek 3, Tarabocha 3, Oneto 1, Zhitnikov 1.But since Szmal started rejecting ball after ball, everything seemed to go well for Kielce. The game was even until 10. minute; Kielce scored three times in a row and four minutes later the result was 9:5 and this gap didn’t change much for the next fifteen minutes. Even though it was Kielce vs Płock clash, the game wasn’t too brutal. However, by the end of the half, Wisła played in the double powerplay and had a good chance to reduce the gap but they didn’t manage to score a single goal then. In the end, the halftime result was 15:11 for Kielce. The second half was opened by a Szmal’s save, but on the other side of the court Marcin Wichary also began denying Kielce attempts.Płock came a little closer but in the same moment Kielce forged ahead and scored 8 goals without conceding any and made the result 24:14 (44. minute). A Holy War wouldn’t be a Holy War if there were no conflicts on the court. A rather peaceful game ended 10 minutes before the final whistle, and it was usually very calm Tobias Reichmann, who didn’t like defending style of Mateusz Piechowski, who started the fight. Very soon entire teams got involved but there were no more serious consequences, just a 2 minute suspension for Piechowski. Rodrigo Corrales saved a couple throws but his teammates keep wasting chances in the attack.By the end of the game, coach Duyshebaev sent two young players – Branko Vujović and Krzysztof Markowski – on the court, and in the last seconds Markowski beautifully saved the 10-goal lead for his team and Kielce won 32:22.TEXT: MARTYNA USNARSKA Orlen Wisla PlockVive Tauron Kielce
IHF Amateurism Beat Lithuania and Belgium to become Worlds Best Coach
← Previous Story EHF CL knock-out phase starts in Kiel Next Story → Meshkov Brest last SEHA Final4 2017 participants The International Handball Federation announced lists of winners of their annual Voting for the WORLD BEST PLAYERS and COACHES. The World’s Best coaches became Didier Dinart (France) and Thorir Hergeirsson (Norway). In case of Icelander who is on the bench of fantastic Norwegian girls since 2009, everything is clear, as he became European champion at Women’s EHF EURO 2016 with bronze medal success in Rio.But, Didier Dinart won the prestigious prize with only two matches as a head-coach of the French national team in 2016!? The assistant of Claude Onesta was a part on unsuccessful story at Men’s EHF EURO 2016 where French team ended competition before semi-finals. France won silver medal at Olympic Games in Rio afterwards Onesta gave full control over the team to Dinart, who had first matches in the first week of November.France easily beat Lithuania 37:20 and Belgium 38:37 in only two matches with Dinart on helm in 2016.It is totally unaceptable that Dinart won prize for 2016 in race with Olympic champion Gudmundur Gudmundsson and ex-German NT coach Dagur Sigurdsson – winner of European gold in Krakow. However, the only explanation could be French gold in Paris in January 2017, but that isn’t a year of mentioned Voting.In that case, the name of award should be 2016/2017 or some other. Ten years from now, some new generation of handball fans, kids, players and media, would ask what Didier Dinart won in 2016? And the answer would be the same like today – NOTHING. The reason is not question of winning and losing, it is simply – he wasn’t a head-coach.Similiar story is about Nikola Karabatic, who won prize in 2016, but not in 2015, when he was the key man of French world’s crown in Qatar and Barca’s EHF CL trophy in Cologne. In 2016, Nikola didn’t won anything, but in his case, the justice came late.About legacy of our sports should think in International Handball Federation, but from year to year, they are showing to the whole handball world that they simply don’t care…
EHF CL First wins for Sporting CP and Tatran Presov
Two matches of “lower part” of the VELUX EHF Champions League were played on Saturday.HC Tatran Presov beat easily HC Besiktas Mogaz in Istanbul 28:22.The Portuguese champions Sporting CP made a routine intro against Macedonian RK Metalurg Skopje 34:26 (13:13) with better performance in the second half. Fabio Rocha Chiuffa and Carlos Ruesga netted six goals each for the winners… EHF Champions LeagueHC Tatran PresovSporting CPSporting handball ← Previous Story VIDEO: His name is Arpad Sterbik… Next Story → Meshkov Brest take away points from Kristianstad
Is Fine Gael taking disciplinary action against TDs over critical article
ON MONDAY, EIGHT Fine Gael TDs co-authored an article in the Irish Examiner that voiced criticism of the Government’s stance on the Croke Park Agreement.Today, questions surround what happened next: Has the party begun disciplinary action? Writing in today’s Irish Times, Harry McGee says that a source said there will be “consequences” for their actions, and that there will be disciplinary measures taken against the eight.The eight TDs who wrote the article are: Sean Conlan, Paul Connaughton, Pat Deering, Brendan Griffin, Noel Harrington, Sean Kyne, Anthony Lawlor, and Eoghan Murphy.When contacted, the Fine Gael press office said that it doesn’t comment on internal party matters, and that this constitutes an internal party matter.The government whip, Paul Kehoe, also refused to comment, saying that the issue is between the party and the TDs.However, a source told TheJournal.ie that the party has met with a number of the TDs individually – although it is not known what was discussed during the meetings or what action, if any, could be taken.One TD said that the subject had been discussed between party members but in conversational rather than an official manner.In the Irish Examiner article, the TDs argued that if the Government wants to tackle the budget deficit, pay increases for those on higher wages “must be put back on the table”. They also questioned the savings being made under the Croke Park Agreement, and whether they had been overstated.Labour TDs criticised the eight TDs yesterday, with one backbencher describing their arguments in the article as ‘rants’.Read: Fine Gael TDs challenge Government stance on Croke Park>Read: Labour TDs criticise Fine Gael ‘rants’ about Croke Park deal>
Heartbroken family of Dhara Kivlehan call for inquest
THE HSE AGREED a settlement of €790,000 with the family of Dhara Kivlehan who passed away after giving birth at Sligo General Hospital in September 2010.The 28-year-old died from multi-organ failure at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital. She had been airlifted from Sligo after suffering a severe variant of pre-eclampsia called Hellp (Haemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelets).Her husband, Michael Kivlehan, also took a case against the HSE and was in court today to hear the organisation’s apology. According to RTÉ News, a separate undisclosed sum was awarded to him.Speaking outside court, he thanked his legal team for their hard work but noted that the “battle for justice continues”.“Three years on, we still wait an inquest. We are heartbroken that our calls for an inquest in this country have to date been declined by the authorities.“Many unanswered questions need to be addressed. And the only forum to establish the truth is a full inquest in this jurisdiction. Dhara’s memory deserves this at least. And an inquest is the least my family deserves,” he concluded.An inquest is due to be held in Northern Ireland but witnesses cannot be compelled to attend. The family insist it should happen in this jurisdiction.Michel Kivlehan and his solicitor Damien Tansey (right) outside of court today. (Niall Carson/PA Wire/Press Association Images)The court heard that Dhara was admitted to the Sligo hospital on 20 September ahead of the birth of her first child, Dior.After giving birth, she was treated in the hospital for a day and a half. Earlier blood tests, however, were not communicated which would have shown abnormal liver and kidney function.This is the third case in a week where the HSE has agreed a settlement with a family following a lengthy court battle.Read: Parents of Dylan Gaffney Hayes release statement about €8.5m HSE settlement
Absent TDs and unanswered questions leave Micheál Martin criticising Dáil reforms
FIANNA FÁIL LEADER Micheál Martin has criticised the government’s Dáil reforms in the wake of near-farcical scenes in the chamber this week as over 20 oral questions to the Environment Minister went unanswered as the TDs who asked them weren’t present.Under Dáil reforms that came into effect last month deputies who submit questions that are selected for answering must be in the chamber when the question is reached.However questions to Phil Hogan and junior minister Fergus O’Dowd didn’t work out as planned on Thursday morning with the debate getting off to a confused start:Then as question time progressed, nearly two dozen queries were not answered orally because the deputies were not in the chamber:Martin said yesterday at Leinster House that he thought the new rules for oral questions were “a bad change” which Fianna Fáil had been opposed to.“I think it’s reducing the capacity of the opposition to get answers on a whole range of issues, and that’s a move that the government took, in terms of changing the Standing Orders, which actually diminishes the role and the capacity of the opposition to table as many questions as they could have tabled in the previous scenario,” he said. Martin defended the fact that he and other deputies in his party were not present for certain questions, saying: “I am not going to be in the Dáil all-day long, every minute of the day, obviously going for every question, and I’d a very hectic day yesterday. As a party leader there is many dimensions to one’s functions and so on.”But government chief whip Paul Kehoe defended the changes yesterday and said they would remain in place.“The reason for this change was to have more interaction with the Minister, that the person who is putting down the question would have more of an interest in the question, and would not be tabling questions for the sake of tabling questions.“The only people to complain about this are Fianna Fáil themselves and they are the only party, aside from a small number of other cases, who have regularly missed their questions when it came to theirs.”Kehoe also pointed out that there was nothing to stop opposition spokespersons from tabling extra questions in their name – they can submit up to five – and said that deputies are given notice beforehand that their questions will come up for answering.“So it’s not the government’s fault if the Fianna Fáil spokespersons are not effective in being able to table questions to make government accountable,” he added.Leo Varadkar: The government has too much control over the DáilRead: Government pledges that TDs will sit earlier and for longer
Man seriously injured after he was hit by a car in Dublin
GARDAÍ ARE APPEALING for witnesses after a man was seriously injured after being hit by a car in Dublin’s city centre.At around 5pm this evening, a man in his 20s, was struck by a car at the junction of Leeson St. and Mespil Road. He was taken by ambulance to St. Vincent’s Hospital and the driver of the car was uninjured.The scene is curently preserved pending a technical examination and diversions are in place.Anyone with information is asked to contact Donnybrook Garda Station 01-6669200 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.
25 countries now involved in hunt for missing plane as pilots homes
Pic: Wong Maye-E/AP/Press Association ImagesUpdated at 12.21pmTHE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT says the number of countries searching for a missing airliner has nearly doubled to 25 as a full-scale criminal probe into its disappearance gets under way, with particular scrutiny of the pilots.Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the number of participating countries had jumped from 14 to 25 as the search for the aircraft focused on two vast, and vastly contrasting, land and ocean transport corridors.The dramatic “re-calibration” would inevitably bring “new challenges of coordination and diplomacy”, the minister said.Police said they had searched the homes of both pilots and examined the captain’s home flight simulator after it became increasingly clear that the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 that vanished on 8 March had been deliberately diverted by someone on board.Hishammuddin cautioned people against “jumping to conclusions” about the thrust of the investigation, which national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar stressed was covering “all” the 239 passengers and crew.Engineers who may have had contact with the aircraft before take-off were also being looked at, Khalid said.The police action followed Saturday’s startling revelations that the plane’s communications systems had been manually switched off before the jet veered westward and flew on for hours.Briefing the press, Prime Minister Najib Razak declined to use the word hijack, but said the new data suggested “deliberate action” by someone on board — raising more perplexing and deeply troubling questions about the plane’s fate.“Who? Why? Where?” was the front page headline of the Malaysian government-controlled New Straits Times.Worried familiesJournalists stand outside the home of Fariq Abdul Hamid, the co-pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur. Pic: AP Photo/Lai Seng SinFor anguished relatives, the news was a double-edged sword – holding out the slim hope that hijackers had landed the plane somewhere, while ushering in another agonising open-ended waiting period.Relatives of Bob and Cathy Lawton, a missing Australian couple, said they were horrified by the notion of a drawn-out hijack ordeal.What did they put up with? “That’s one of the worst things I could have hoped for,” Bob’s brother David Lawton told News Limited newspapers.Even if they are alive, what did they have to put up with?The scope for speculation is as broad as the new search area that stretches from Kazakhstan to the southern Indian Ocean.India suspended its search around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and in the Bay of Bengal pending fresh instructions from Malaysia.Expert opinion that disabling the communications system required specialist knowledge intensified scrutiny of Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and his First Officer, Fariq Abdul Hamid.Friends and colleagues of both pilots have testified to their good character, but questions have been raised over the simulator Zaharie installed at home — even though aviation commentators have said this is not uncommon.Fariq’s record was queried after a woman said he had allowed her and a friend to ride in the cockpit of an earlier flight.The alternative scenario – that the cockpit was taken over or the pilots coerced – opens a Pandora’s Box of possibilities as to who might be involved and with what motive.Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, Malaysia’s Minister for Transport Hishamuddin Hussein, left, and director general of the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman. Pic: AP Photo/Wong Maye-ETwo passengers who boarded the plane with stolen EU passports have been identified as Iranians by Interpol, who said they were most likely illegal immigrants who did not fit terrorist profiles.The fact that most of the passengers on board the Beijing-bound flight were Chinese has raised speculation of involvement by militants from China’s Muslim ethnic Uighur minority.Still early daysSecurity experts warned against reading too much into partial data.“We still really don’t have a lot of evidence to go on,” said Anthony Brickhouse, a member of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators.We don’t have any wreckage, we don’t have the plane itself, we don’t have a lot of electronic data from the aircraft.The search is now focused on two flight corridors – a northern one stretching from Thailand to Kazakhstan and a southern zone from Indonesia towards the southern Indian Ocean.The last satellite communication from the plane on March 8 came nearly eight hours after it took off – around the time the airline has said it would have run out of fuel.Sunday’s transport ministry statement stressed that both corridors were being treated “with equal importance”, but a number of analysts said the southern route encompassing a large swathe of ocean was more likely.Flying along the northern corridor would have required the plane to travel undetected through numerous national airspaces in a strategically sensitive region.“I just can’t think of a scenario where this aircraft is sitting on a runway somewhere,” said Brickhouse.Scott Hamilton, managing director of US-based aerospace consultancy Leehman Co, said a crash in the ocean was the likeliest scenario and one that presented a daunting search and recovery challenge.Any floating debris will be widely dispersed and the main debris on the sea floor.China led fresh criticism of Malaysia’s crisis management, saying it had “squandered” precious time and resources by releasing key information a full week after the plane vanished.First posted at 8.32amRead: Disappearance of missing Malaysian jet appears ‘deliberate’>
Top readers comments of the week
Usually preceded a week earlier by “d’you know who isn’t well” (Video: Clisare/YouTube)5 of the comments which received the most thumbs upThe most popular comment this week was from David Murphy which got 955 thumbs up for empathising with Twitter user Margaret Harrington and her list on austerity. That list makes me feel a little better because at least I know it’s not just me.Also on the podium was Julie-Anne Dunne with 833 thumbs up for this “rant” (her words, not ours) on an article about Croke Park II.2 working parents in my household we seem to pay more tax than take home pay! We have nothin left 2 give! Why are honest working taxpayers constantly being hit with all cuts etc! I think €100,000 is more than enough for any top gov minister to be earning – With this they should be more than able to afford accommodation and travel etc like the rest of us would have to pay! If they were cut to this (r lower better still) the amount of money that would be saved would easily feed the hungry! They actually choose not to cut their own – any cuts they do take they get back in some way or other with different loop holes in their own system! Its a disgrace! If the household payment i paid or the extortionate car tax I pay was actually used for its purpose and difference was seen it wouldn’t be as frustrating but we keep giving and have nothing to show for it from what I see anyway! Leave us alone and give us a break, this would if nothin else increase morale and get this country moving again! Rant overMaking the top comments was TheClothesline.ie who appreciated this personal column about living with Asperger’s. It got 794 thumbs up.Fantastic article- really informative and really well writtenOliver Walker got 756 green thumbs for asking this question:When is the breathing tax coming into affect?It was on an article about Minister Rabbitte’s broadcasting charge.And finally, Michael Russell‘s pun on an article ’7 sounds you’ll probably never hear again’ was shown some love with 743 green thumbs. Reeling in the Ears-Additional reporting by Sinéad O’CarrollSpot any good comments? Let us know: mail christine@thejournal.ie with any suggestions for comments of the week. EVERY SATURDAY MORNING we like to take a look at all the best comments left on the site by you lot over the past week.This week there was a lot of talk about the new Croke Park pay agreement, Pope Benedict XVI’s departure and Pat Rabbitte’s plan to introduce a public broadcasting charge – as well as Joan Burton on hecklers, the landmark right-to-die case in the Supreme Court, and things girls like, according to the internet.So here, in no particular order, are the standout comments from the week that was.The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week1. First female president of Ógra Fianna Fáil elected (338 comments)2. INMO, CPSU, Unite and IMO leave Croke Park extension talks (304 comments)3. Burton says hecklers gave Dundalk a ‘bad image’ following shopping centre protest (299 comments)4. Rabbitte plans to introduce public broadcasting charge (253 comments)5. Pro-life group condemns attack on office as ‘grotesque and vile’ (243 comments)Some of the best comments left on the site this weekWe asked readers this week to share their mortifying childhood memories and commenters obliged in their droves with stories of supreme awkwardness.(Image: Tumblr)Tommy Harper‘s one was pretty bad…:Thought I was being cool at a packed mass, left it to the last to head up for communion…….behind a 6 foot giant!!!Got to the top of the aisle, priest serves big foot and turns toward the alter and walks away…cringe!!Tommy stands there begging that the priest will come back… He didn’t, cue a red faced tommy turning around and having to walk past everyone again!!!… as was Anne Marie Cahalane’s: Walking to Mass on a dark Sunday morning with my Mam and her mentioning casually that the elastic in her knickers wasn’t too steady. I was about 10 years old and passed no remarks. Mass was in Latin then it seemed there was lots of kneeling and standing and kneeling again. She knelt at once stage and couldn’t stand back up because the pants had landed right above her knees! We were packed like sardines in the seats so fair play to her, she wriggled out of them and stuffed then in her pocket! I was mortified, not sure what mortified me more, her losing them or traipsing home wearing none! God bless her, she still laughs about it!
So Morgan Freeman left this comment beneath an article about Guinness trucks being moved through Dublin city. Sure, some would say that this doesn’t have much to do with anything. But those people clearly don’t appreciate a good anecdote read in a Morgan Freeman voice:A glass of nice cold Guinness sure would get me through today, just like in the summer of 83 when I was courting a young Offaly girl by the name of Mary-May. That summer sure was hot and the only thing that near gone cooled me down was a nice glass of Guinness. Of course Mary-May disappeared with the heat and then Autumn come around and I was alone again. But still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they’re gone. I guess I just miss my friend.A study this week found volunteering is good for both your physical health and your mind. Some people were sceptical but Heather Sinnott shared her own experiences: Really taken aback at some of the negative comments on here. I work for a volunteer based organisation and my job is brilliant. I have interested motivated people giving there time and energy to try help other individuals who are struggling. We give great training and support and experience for volunteers who need to get experience for cv’s, so what, it shouldn’t be one way beneficiary. Through support, on-going training and volunteers knowing they are valued helps you retain your volunteers. I have people going on 6 years now when we only asked for 2, they stay because they are making a difference and why the hell shouldn’t that make them feel good!Do you still use phone boxes? One of the polls this week found most people don’t anymore – but still had stories about them. Here’s Brian McGuinness: Ah phone memories….I remember being in the Ventry Gaelteacht in 1988 and having to turn a feckin handle on the side of the pay phone to get through to an operator…then reversing the charges to ring home. Sometimes neighbours would call in to use the phone at home and leave a lovely shiny gold 20p for the call. I also remember people waiting outside the phone box while you were talking to the girlfriend and knocking on the window to get you to hurry up….”yeah, yeah just a minute! Here listen, I’ve gotta go, some fat Boll1x wants to use the phone”Meanwhile Damien Chaney uses them for just one specific purpose:Only to change into my superman uniformIrish mammies. You can’t beat them but you can imitate them to death. This video – Shite Irish Mammies Say – inspired some other suggestions from commenters, including this from Brid DeFaoite and Carmel Smyth: Missing the classic conversation starter, “Do you know who died?”
11 toasters that will help soothe your hangover
WE CANNOT LIE, the weekend is made for one thing: eating insane amounts of toast.Especially when you’ve had a few too many ales or sherries the night before and you need a bit of beige to get you back on track.And why not go the whole hog and have a bit of fun while you’re at it?..1. The Wizard of Oz via Urban CollectorIf you couldn’t get enough of Dorothy and co. then this will definitely make your dreams come true.Although it would be cool to have a toaster that made your bread look like the yellow brick road.Just saying.2. Mickey Mousevia AmazonThis is the kind of thing we would really wanted to own as children (And as adults to be honest).3. Stars Warsvia SvpplyLet’s not act like we wouldn’t make that toast, hold it to our face and then go “Luke, I am your father”.Honestly.4. JesusPerhaps you feel guilty about ditching mass every Sunday (don’t tell your mother) so why not use this Jesus toaster to get back in touch with your religious side?basketman65a / YouTube5. Nightmare on Elm Streetvia Urban CollectorThere is something thoroughly creepy about this but if you want to scare small children away from your toast then this might be a solid option.6. Spider-Manvia Geek AlertsSome of you might think that owning a Spider-Man toaster is a bit immature. And some of you are FOOLS.7. Spongebob Squarepantsvia AmazonA toaster everyone can get behind.8. Domovia ImgurYou may not know the name but this Japanese TV mascot will familiar to anyone who spends a bit too much online.And the toast looks kind of deadly to be fair.9. Hello Kittyvia AmazonYour toast would be so cute you might be afraid to eat it (Who are we kidding? We’d just make even more)10. Watchmenvia Urban CollectorThis is nerd-tastic but we kind of love it especially as the Rorschach character is so beloved of comic book geeks11. Bite Me / I’m Hotvia AmazonIf you want your toast to be cheeky / slightly confrontational then this will make your weekend truly special.16 reasons to hate doing the ‘big shop’>This woman can’t get a job because she’s such a ride>
Heading to the beach These wristbands could help if your child gets
WITH THE SUMMER weather finally here and with more people taking to the beaches, the Irish Coast Guard has launched this year’s summer safety campaign.When the good summer weather comes out, the beaches along the Irish coast are always packed to the brim with families out to enjoy the day. It can be difficult to keep an eye on children playing.The Irish Coast Guard has started distributing wristbands for children under the “Give us a hand” campaign.The wristbands aim to prevent children from getting lost on beaches and near coastlines by getting them to wear wristbands.ParentsThe wristbands are disposable and allow parents and guardians to write their phone number on it and place on a child’s hand.“If the child gets lost the phone number can be contacted and everyone reunited quickly, minimising the need for a large scale search and undue concern for parents,” said the Irish Coast Guard.The wristbands are free and made of Tyvek material which is durable and waterproof.John Draper of the Coast Guard said: ”Time and time again we would reiterate water safety, particularly with regard to children.”He emphasised proper parental oversight where there are children near the water, whether it is inland waterways or off the coast.Draper said that people should ensure children are not allowed in the water beyond their capabilities. If people are boating, he wanted to underline “that the wearing of a life jacket is law”.“To me, it’s no different to wearing a seat belt,” said Draper, who added that people should not take chances with the weather.The wristbands are being distributed around the country at coastal and inland waterway locations. They will also be available for collection at lifeguard stations and public buildings like libraries.Read: These signs will help the Coast Guard get to people more quickly>Read: Man rescued from River Shannon by Limerick firefighters>
Rory McIlroy has declared for Ireland ahead of the 2016 Olympics
RORY MCILROY HAS ended the long-running debate over his Olympic status and finally declared his intention to represent Ireland in Rio.Bookmakers immediately made him a 7/1 shot to bring home a gold medal for Ireland in 2016.“I’m very happy with my decision,” McIlroy said this afternoon. “I just thought it was the right thing to do.”The two-time Major winner from Hollywood, County Down, is also eligible to play for Great Britain and his decision had been the subject of much speculation ahead of golf’s Olympic return in two years’ time.As recently as a few months ago McIlroy said he was still undecided, and the 25-year-old also previously suggested that he might opt out completely to avoid offending one team or the other.“It’s a continuation of what I’ve always done,” he announced at Cork’s Fota Island Golf Club where the Irish Open begins tomorrow.“I played my junior and boys golf for Ireland. I played my amateur golf for Ireland. Just because I’m getting paid to play this great game now doesn’t mean I should change that. I’m very happy with my decision. It means I can actually look forward to the Olympics now in a couple of years’ time — if I qualify for the team obviously. He added: “I think there’s a little bit of relief. I was always worried about what other people would think when actually it’s your decision at the end of the day.“You have to take ownership of it and you have to be comfortable with it. Ultimately that was the decision that I was most comfortable with and the decision that I wanted to make.” Cork hurling goalkeeper Anthony Nash was in action at the Irish Open pro-am today. Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHOThe news was greeted by a small ripple of applause in the press conference room, and McIlroy admitted that he was slightly taken aback.“I didn’t think it deserved a round of applause to make a simple decision between one or the other!“At the end of the day, if you think about it and you think about all the times I’ve played for Ireland in amateur golf and all the great memories I have, there’s no point changing that just because I’m playing for money now.”– First published 12.53; audio courtesy of Big Red Bench, Red FM.
“I just thought it was the right thing to do and it was the right time to let everyone know. Now I’m really looking forward to Rio in 2016.” McIlroy raised the Ireland flag at the 2007 Walker Cup. Source: Andrew Paton/INPHOQualification for the 2016 Olympics will be based on golf’s world rankings. The top 15 players will automatically secure a place (to a maximum of four per country) while the remaining 45 places will be allocated to the highest-ranked remaining players (max two per country).As things stand McIlroy and Graeme McDowell — sixth and 22nd in the world respectively — would make up the Irish team while Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowry and others would miss out.McIlroy and McDowell twice flew the Irish flag at golf’s World Cup in 2009 and again in 2011.“When I actually sat down and thought about it and had a little bit of time to myself, it wasn’t [a difficult decision],” McIlroy said. “It’s what I’ve always done as a boy and as an amateur.“I’ve always played for Ireland and my ambition was always to make the Irish team. Whether that was a six-man team for the European Championships or the home international 11-man team, that was always my goal. McIlroy and McDowell teamed up to represent Ireland at the 2009 and 2011 World Cups. Source: Kin Cheung“If you look at most of the other sports in this country, rugby being a main example, they see Ireland as one. I’ve got a lot of friends that play for Ulster and would say they’re Northern Irish but are very proud to pull on that green jersey, as I will be in a couple of years time.”
HSE accepts that hiring staff internally without interview isnt desirable
THE HSE HAS defended itself against criticism about filling vacancies internally without interviewing the staff.Cork North Central Fine Gael Senator and Seanad Spokesperson for Health, Colm Burke, had called for a review of the current procedures whereby HSE staff vacancies are filled internally without any interview process.He said that he was told that 1,126 management/administrative employees were made permanent in a higher grade to the role they were previously held.“All of these employees had been acting up in a temporary capacity at a higher grade for a defined period of time prior to being promoted,” he said.He described it as a “lack of a fair and transparent process” in filling these positions and said the system “is seriously flawed”.“To have over 1,100 positions filled without open competition is not in the best interests of the organisation,” said Burke, who called on the Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar TD, to immediately clarify and confirm that positions which are vacant will not be filled in this way in the future.HSE responseThe HSE pointed out that there has been a public sector-wide recruitment moratorium in place since 2009.In addition, the HSE’s employment control ceiling has reduced year-on-year over the last five years.Its employment control framework provides for admin posts deemed to be critical to the delivery of frontline services to be filled by redeployment, reassignment or restructuring of current workloads or the reorganisation of services/activity.When critical vacancies arise, they can be filled by way of staff redeployment following an ‘expression of interest’ (ie internal process to redeploy or reassign staff to a priority post) notice through which staff are alerted to the post to be filled from within the existing staff cohort on a grade to grade basis.The HSE said it has “no option but to fill certain essential supervisory and management positions in this way” since the moratorium on recruitment and promotion.The HSE accepts that filling essential posts in this manner is not a desirable route. However, in order to ensure the provision of essential health services, the HSE is obliged to take these necessary measures in filling important empty posts.The HSE added that between March 2009 and December 2013, the number of management/admin posts in the HSE has reduced by by 1,764 WTEs, or 13.86%.It described this reduction as “understated when you consider that the HSE subsumed a number of external agencies during this period”.Read: HSE reports €163m deficit for first five months of the year>
Steam has been hacked user accounts database accessed
Valve has taken the Steam Forums offline and Gabe Newell has posted a message explaining that Steam has been hacked.On Sunday, the Steam Forums were defaced, but remained online. However, further investigation found the hack was more than just for the forum software, the intruder had also gained access to a Steam user database. On that database is the following information for customers of the digital gaming service:UsernamesHashed and salted passwordsList of game purchases per userE-mail addressesBilling addressesEncrypted credit card detailsValve is currently investigating exactly what happened and specifically what information was accessed on the database. There is currently no evidence to suggest the user information has been taken, and nothing to confirm encrypted credit card details have somehow been decrypted.Valve is going to force everyone to change their Steam Forum password when they decide to bring them back online as a security measure. Gabe has also apologized for what has happened and the inconvenience it is causing.If you are one of the millions of Steam account holders out there, then be cautious and watch your credit card activity. If you shared your Steam Forum password with other services you use, then go change the password on those services immediately.More at Steam and 1UPMatthew’s OpinionThis is not something I’d expect Valve to allow to happen, especially after all the high-profile hacking that has already taken place this year. Still, it shows that no system is safe.Chances are, if a database was accessible, then hackers took everything they could. So it’s likely usernames, email addresses, and billing addresses are now out in the wild. The credit card details probably are too, but it’s unlikely the encryption has been broken so they will (hopefully) remain useless.
French president Nicolas Sarkozy has broken his own threestrikes piracy rules
If you ask most people which country has the strictest rules governing what you can and can’t view on the Internet, the top answer would definitely be China. But if you ask which country has the worst rules relating to online piracy, France would certainly come near the top.The reason for this is the French government deciding to introduce the three-strikes rules that sees a user banned from the Internet for up to 12 months. A ban is imposed if your ISP detects illegal downloading taking place more than three times, and is preceeded by warnings.The law was pushed through by Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France. But he has now been found to break the very rules he was so determined to put in place. To be more specific, the IP addresses associated with his home and his office have both been linked to illegal downloads several times.The source of this information is the newly formed YouHaveDownloaded.com, which we reported about a few days ago. It was initially thought the service was a joke, but turned out to be far from it. The data they have collected is legitimate, and Sarkozy now has some difficult questions to answer.Sarkozy’s official residence is the Élysée Palace in Paris, which also houses his office. The IP range covering that location (62.160.71.0 – 62.160.71.255) is shown to have at least six downloads that infringe copyright–that’s double the allowed limit.Under the rules, Élysée Palace should now go offline for 12 months, but we very much doubt that will happen. We would like to know why Beach Boys music and the movies Tower Heist and Arthur Christmas were pirated though.Read more at TorrentFreak and NikoPik (translated)
ATT still bitter about FCC threatens data caps and higher prices
If your friend is going through a rough spell after getting stood up on his wedding day, you wouldn’t expect him to offer a cheery assessment of his life. He hasn’t had time to let it go, and he’s going to be full of sour grapes. AT&T is now that jilted friend. The company isn’t hiding its bitterness over the FCC’s rejection of its proposed T-Mobile buyout. In the company’s quarterly earnings call, CEO Randall Stephenson sounded more like a groveling politician whose bill was voted down than the leader of a company trying to win the dollars of new customers.If you put any credence in the Kübler-Ross model (the five stages of grieving), then AT&T has plenty more coping to do. Stephenson may have passed through the denial phase, but, boy, is he stuck in stage two: anger. The CEO cited spectrum as the #1 issue for both AT&T and the industry as a whole, and he wore his resentment for the FCC on his sleeve.Stephenson said that the explosive growth in the wireless industry can’t possibly be sustained without the government releasing more spectrum. He said that the government’s unwillingness to immediately put significant spectrum shares up for sale or auction has forced AT&T to engage in smaller spectrum transactions.How does this affect you? Isn’t it best to let Stephenson sit in his man cave and sort out his feelings? Well, it could come back to bite customers in the tuckus. Stephenson said that in the spectrum-constrained environment, AT&T will continue to cap data plans (moreso?), limit speeds on the biggest bandwidth users, and — you guessed it — raise prices. He stated that these measures were the logical outcome of the FCC’s rejection of the T-Mobile merger and reluctance to release more spectrum.The FCC’s delay in issuing more spectrum likely stems from concerns about a lack of competition in the wireless market. Stephenson likes to talk about letting the market play itself out, but the fact remains that there are only four major carriers in the US — and two of them (Verizon and AT&T) are significantly larger than the other two (Sprint and T-Mobile).Unless that extra spectrum is bought by new entrants in the market (extremely unlikely), it will only pad the lead of AT&T and Verizon. The narrow competition in the field will only lead to more customer-hostile schemes like overpriced text messaging, charging customers twice for data (tethering plans), and shrinking those data caps.We know that AT&T isn’t a fan of any kind of government regulation on their business. It’s understandable that they want to conduct business without asking for permission, but Stephenson is CEO of a company that (supposedly) needs something that the government can offer. Does he think he’s going to get somewhere by complaining about them every time he has an audience?via Read Write Web
Geek deals 80 off Apples MacBook Pro 133inch Retina laptop more
If there is one thing we can thank Apple for, it is the push towards high resolution displays. If it weren’t for Apple and their extremely successful “Retina” branding, we wouldn’t be seeing the slow and steady growth of non-Apple PCs and mobile devices with high resolution displays, like the ultra-thin Asus Zenbook Prime.Expanding Apple’s repertoire of high-res “Retina” devices is the new MacBook Pro 13.3-inch, announced just last month. Despite being slightly lower resolution than its 15.4-inch big brother, this model actually has more pixels per inch in the display, making for an imperceptibly sharper image at 2560×1600 resolution. The LCD panel itself uses IPS technology, like the other Retina screens, allowing for amazing viewing angles and vivid colors.The 15.4-inch Retina MBP impressed us not only with its screen, but the impressive combination of a quad-core processor and discrete graphics in a 0.71-inch thin chassis. The 13.3-inch rMBP’s smaller chassis doesn’t allow for such extremes of performance, the average user will hardly notice as the Ivy Bridge processors are astoundingly fast, even in dual-core form.This particular model of the rMBP 13.3-inch comes with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, making it one of the higher end models available. You won’t be lacking in ports either, with two highly-adaptable Thunderbolt ports, two USB 3.0, HDMI output, and an SDXC card slot.Being a brand new model, we’re accustomed to seeing literally no discounts on such new Apple hardware. However our friends at B&H Photo Video have managed to drop a few bucks off the MSRP, making this the lowest price around. They are also bundling some extra software at no extra cost, so hit the link below to check out the hottest new MacBook around.Apple MacBook Pro 13.3-inch Retina Display Core i5 Notebook w/ 256GB SSD for $1,919.99 + free shipping(normally $1,999 | use instant savings | ends Nov. 20 or sooner)Our other top deals:Refurb Linksys Wireless-N Range Extender/Bridge (RE1000) for $37.99 + free shipping(normally $89.99 | use coupon HSDISH5 | ends Nov. 19 or sooner)Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS 16.1MP Digital Camera for $129 + free shipping(normally $179 | use instant savings | ends Nov. 18 or sooner)
Actress Ellen Page is mad at Naughty Dog over The Last of
Those of you who had the pleasure of playing Naughty Dog’s latest opus, The Last of Us, last week — or ever saw a screenshot and are aware of the likenesses of actresses — might’ve noticed that deuteragonist Ellie looks an awful lot like Juno star Ellen Page. You also might’ve noticed that her name is Ellie. The character’s likeness is just too similar to Page’s to be a weird coincidence, especially considering the two share a name. Naughty Dog didn’t ask Page’s permission to use her likeness, and Page mentioned she wasn’t too fond of that.In a reddit AMA, Page directly stated that using her likeness was “not appreciated,” especially because she’s acting in Quantic Dream’s upcoming game, Beyond: Two Souls. That might get confusing for the gaming populace, or at least seem a little disrespectful to both Page and Quantic Dream.Believe it or not, when early builds of The Last of Us were shown off, Ellie looked even more like Ellen Page than she does now. After everyone noticed how striking the resemblance was, Naughty Dog remodeled Ellie to look a little more like her voice actress, Ashley Johnson, who has been acting and voice acting since she was around seven-years-old. You might remember her as the angsty daughter from the 2000 Mel Gibson powerhouse What Women Want, or maybe recognize her voice from Teen Titans and various Ben 10 series. Even with the addition of Johnson’s features, though, Ellie still looks a whole lot like Ellen Page.Modeling an in-game character after a real-life actor or actress without getting permission isn’t anything new for the gaming industry. The Silent Hill series, for instance, is known for modeling its characters after famous actresses; Maria from Silent Hill 2 is famously inspired by Cameron Diaz. We get that an actress wouldn’t be thrilled with a company using using her likeness without her permission — especially when the likeness was used in what could be considered a competing product to one in which she is actually starring — but one wonders how Page would’ve felt if Naughty Dog came right out and said, “We love Ellen, this character is our way of showing that.”Whether or not Naughty Dog really did use Page’s likeness, or this is some kind of ridiculous cosmic coincidence, The Last of Us is a revelation and seems to be the game of this generation, and Page’s (possibly accidental) likeness will forever be attached to video game history.Image credit: VGChartz