I wont steal his links by quoting his text but I will just mention the two Twitter lists he has created here (of Journalists) and here (of student media)

In this audio interview Ms Grant, who suffers from diabetes, tells us of her frantic search to secure enough insulin to last her trip back to Essex.

Patrick O'Grady hosts

Running low on insulin and money Ms Grant, a self-employed Web Developer, tells us of her busy weekend spent trying to get home.

DCU's Hybrid Awards

By Piers Scott
As the awards season finally draws to a close there remains one more event on the calendar, The Hybrids. The Hybrid Awards, DCU’s annual multimedia awards, take place this Wednesday in The Venue.

According to the Media Production Society, who run the awards, this year saw 74 submissions across four categories.

The Hybrids, which are not in the X year, are designed to celebrate the best of DCU’s artistic and creative talents.

So, as our friends in the Media Production Society are busily preparing and decorating we thought we would have a look at some the pieces nominated this year.

There are a smaller number of websites up for Website of the year than usual this year. The MPS themselves have two sites up for nomination; their home site and their new DCU FM subsite. Irish blogger award nominated Steve Conlon is up for the gong for his personal blog while multimedia students Thomas Tennyson and Seamus Redmond are in the running for their Forest Gump minisite.

Style Soc's Fashion Show

DCU’s graphic designers are in out in force contesting the “Poster of the Year.”

Style Soc’s Fashion show continues it successful run with the Hybrids with another nomination this year.

However, under Claire Brown’s tenure Foto Soc has seen a huge improvement of their on campus posters with two nominations this year. Deirdre O’Sullivan, Roseanne Cronly, Diarmuid Hayes are also nominated for their poster designs.

Video

There is renewed interest in the video category with both the College View’s new TV channel and the several MPS members in contention for Entertainment Video of the year.

CVTV’s inaugural edition

Robert Babbington and Kevin Dolan are up for nomination for 10 steps to the perfect baked beans

The MPS are in the running for DCU TV News

Having placed third in the Skerries Solas Film awards Nicola Leddy, a second year communications student, is hoping for a nod this Wednesday.

Audio

DCU FM is hoping to round off its very successful year with few statuettes in the audio broadcasting categories.

Jenny May Finn and Kate Murphy are up for their audio series “Girls aren’t funny.”

While DCU FM's Newswire, which has been nominated for several smedia awards, is up for three awards in the News and Current Affairs Programme of the Year

The Hybrids Awards are on this Wednesday in the Hub from 6pm

JJ (62), a retired postal worker, is among a growing number of older internet users in Ireland.  A recent survey by the Department of Communications shows that nearly 50% of Irish people over the age of 50 have a computer at home.  And about 30% of these older people are eager to learn how to use them.

But can you teach an old dog new tricks?

For those ‘Silver Surfers’ who are willing to learn there are a verity of computer skills courses across the country.  Dublin City University runs an award winning computer skills course specifically for older people.

Called the ‘Intergenerational Learning Project’ the course was set up by Trudy Corrigan, a lecturer in DCU’s School of Educational Studies in 2008.

It has already gained a number of awards.  In 2008 Trudy won The Irish Times ‘Living Dublin Award’ for her work on the project.

The lessons take place every Saturday morning during the university’s 12 week semester.  Each class lasts about three hours.

For the first hour the students are given an informal lecture on subjects such as sending emails or saving to USB.  After a short coffee break they return to the computer labs to put their new skills into practice.

With some students in their early 40’s to others in their mid 90’s it is not hard to see why some students, many of whom may never have used a computer before, may need a little extra help.

Help is readily available.  Despite having a small staff of only 5 paid lecturers the classes are busy with DCU students.

Students in the university are encouraged to volunteer their time to give one-on-one help to their older colleagues.  Trudy believes it is this one-on-one support that has led to the success of the project.

“The [older] students are allowed to go at their own pace, they lead the lesson and the DCU students help them along”, says Trudy.

Joan McGrane, a former student and now a teacher on the course believes this is how adult courses should be taught.  She is keen to point out that older people should not feel they are going to be talked down to, “There is a certain way of dealing with adults because they learn differently from younger people”

But neither, she says, should they be scared of the technology.  “The beginner’s class is like a showcase, it’s like Rumsfelds ‘known knowns and known unknowns.’  A lot of participants know the internet as a vague concept but they mightn’t know what it offers.”

Listening to the student chat before the class it seems that many come to socialise as well as to learn.

Indeed, the aim of the course is not just to teach computer skills but to help the students improve their quality of life.  Unlike other computer skills courses the DCU course emphasises social technologies such as mobile phones, Skype and email rather than more traditional fair such as spreadsheets.

This emphasis is supported by a recent study by Age Action Ireland and the Government.  The study found that digital social skills can have important benefits for older people.

Simple tasks like emailing children and grandchildren or ordering groceries can improve the quality of life for older people.

As Trudy explains the ability to use a mobile phone or online-telephony service like Skype can go some way to reducing social isolation in Ireland’s older population.

These benefits, she says, are especially important for people who housebound, ill or living alone.

JJ agrees, despite having a computer at home he says it never occurred to him to learn how to use it.  It was only with the encouragement of his adult children that he decided to take the course.

“It never occurred to me before this year to learn to use computers.  But now that I am I wonder why I didn’t start sooner.”

JJ, who has been attending the course for three weeks, says this focus on social technologies is the course’s strength.

At the moment however he is eager to learn how to use his new email account.  He wants to tell his son in Scotland he has joined the information revolution.

So, has it been worth it?  Yes, says JJ, “At the start of the year I was homeless and illiterate.  I was homeless because I didn’t have an email address and I was illiterate because I didn’t know how to use the internet.  That’s how important it is.”

Mr Lee tendered his resignation to party officials saying he was unhappy with his role in the party which he described as ‘very limited.’

“Despite my best efforts I have had virtually no influence or input into shaping Fine Gael’s economic policies at this most critical time.” He said in his resignation statement

Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, said he was deeply saddened by Mr Lee’s resignation. “I had anticipated a very important role for George in the coming period with Fine Gael after a time of settling into a new career in politics.”

Enda Kenny commended Mr Lee for his hard work during his nine months in office.

Mr Lee thanked his constituents of Dublin South and campaign team for their support. Speaking to RTÉ Mr Lee said he hopes to return to the broadcaster.

The five month study is part of Amnesty International’s larger three year study of mental health issues. The Irish study will look into the levels of discrimination faced by people with mental health problems.

“Mental health issues have long been stigmatised in Ireland and while this is changing those suffering from depression, or people with undesignated mental health problems, still face discrimination.” Said project coordinator Muriel Redmond.

The study will chiefly examine types of discrimination facing people with mental health problems in the workplace, educational sector and in their home and personal lives. One of the key areas of study, according to researcher Richard Lakeman, is self-discrimination.

According to Mr Lakeman issues such as low self-esteem can have long term and debilitating effects, “Relatively common mental health problems can prevent people from doing simple things such as applying for jobs or socialising […] this is one of the key areas we want to look into.”

While this is a national study the researchers say they are particularly interested in the in student experiences.

Students wishing to take park in the study can apply by contacting Muriel Redmond in the School of Nursing at 01 700 7923 or by email at muriel.redmond@dcu.ie. Applications are open until April with the study taking less than an hour.

The committee raised concerns to Assistant Garda Commissioner, Michael Feehan, that so called ‘Head Shops’ both glamorise and promote casual drug use.

Head Shops are stores that specialise in selling ‘legal highs’ such as herbal drugs and ‘magic mushrooms’. These shops also sell drug taking paraphernalia such as pipes and bongs.

Dublin South Central TD Aengus O’Snodaigh (Sinn Fein) was concerned that many of these shops have been set up in areas known for drug dealing.

Agreeing with Mr O’Snodaigh Cllr Mannix Flynn (Independent) added that the items on sale in these shops act to attract impressionable youths into such areas.
“The substantial window space and paraphernalia on display can prove a curiosity for kids.” Cllr Flynn added.
He went on to say that while the sale and display of alcohol and pornography are strictly controlled by law Head Shops operate in a legal gray area without proper oversight by the authorities.
Lord Mayor Emer Costello (Labour) said she was greatly concerned by the number of shops that have been set up in the city in the past 10 years.

She suggested that if no national legislation was in place to regulate these establishments than bye-laws would need to be introduced by the City Council.

The Committee’s concerns follow similar objections raised by Kildare Cllr Mark Dalton over the opening of a Head Shop in Athy last week.

Neither Assistant Commissioner Feehan nor Committee Chairman Gerry Breen were aware of the number of Head Shops in the city.

The motion was put forward to the next meeting in late January, to give the committee more time to consult with the Gardai on the issue.

I was there covering the event

Removing their hats and gloves, Tony, Harvey and Pat are sitting together on a pew in the lobby of the Hugh Lane Gallery waiting for Jimmy. They havn’t come for the Francis Bacon Exhibition but for the Irish Congress of Trade Union’s “Get Up Stand Up” demonstration. They are part of the Communications Workers Union. “We are the CWU Brass Band, we’re going to kick things off at 2 o’clock” says Tony.

With only 15 minutes to go they file outside into the bitter cold, on the other side of the room, security guard, Jurgida Savickaite, watches her CCTV screen. “If I could I would join them, but I’ll be there on the 24th” she says as she watches the band leave. Pointing to the CCTV screen she has a birds-eye view of Parnell Square North looking down onto Fredrick Street. The crowd has multiplied from a hand full of quiet Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) members ten minutes before to a bustling mass of police and demonstrators stretching from one end of the square to the other.

Leaving the gallery the CWU Band are collecting their instruments from the boot of Tony’s car on the other side of the road. It is 2 o’clock and, a little behind schedule, they are still getting ready. “We’re just doing a sound check” one SIPTU steward shouts to the band “then we can get started”. The demonstrators are already in lined up, the TUI are in front in blue with SIPTU behind sporting green placards followed by the red of Labour and the orange of the Psychiatric Nurses Association.

SIPTU stewards are handing out tee-shirts, “Five for a Pou-and” one TUI woman shouts in a mock Dublin accent to the laughter, he colleagues laugh. Balloons tumbleweed down the street in the light breeze as the bright flags and placards are held high by the demonstrators. It looks more like a St Patricks Day parade then a protest against €4bn being cut from the public sector budget.

At a quarter past two the band start-up to a mute applause.

Ten minutes later the crowd quieten, and slowly, the TUI formation start to move, the SIPTU group followed.

Spirits are high but the protesters have no doubt why they are here, “I’m here because of Nama, it is immoral on every level” says one teacher, “and I tell you this, I don’t blame the Greens for staying in government ‘cos they’ll never see the inside of government buildings again.”

As the protest rounds on O’Connell Street the thoroughfare is lined with tourists and supporters. Spectators fight for position to take photographs as parents hold children high to see the passing parade.

At the top of O’Connell Street excited tourists climb onto the O’Connell Monument to take photographs as the friendly TUI banter continued. Just ahead the Communication Workers Union lead the way.

“Communication Workers Union are very quiet for a union that communicates” shouts Rhonda Douglas, a SIPTU member on O’Connell Bridge. How many people are here? 100,000 she claims, not to mention the people marching around the country. “I still can’t hear yez” she shouts, picking up her megaphone again. The demonstration is only halfway through; it’s going to take a further 40 minutes to clear O’Connell Street she adds.

Passing down D’Olier and Nassau Street office workers peer from their second and third story windows pointing and smiling at the passing demonstrators. “Wanna quote?” shouts one man as he passes, “Where the f**k are the private sector?”

As the demonstration turns onto Merrion Square Government Buildings are flanked with Gardai. Just behind them on Upper Merrion Square can be seen three riot vans.

Mounted Gardai mark the entrance to the Dáil. “I’m here to protect my pension” says Dermot Nolan a retired Woodwork teacher from Dundrum College, “and also my health card” he adds as several speakers took to the stage at the bottom of the street.

As the crowd listens to the Congress Leader’s debate the difficulties the country is facing a few TUI members begin to disperse. Tired and exhausted as they left they dispose of their now unneeded placards and flags in an empty skip outside government buildings.

With the National Director of The Saint Vincent de Paul calling on the Government to use the recession as an opportunity to create a fairer society.

In this report I speak to several people of faith to see if their beliefs can help them through these difficult times.But first my colleagues have a look at some of other issues in Ireland

Some 85% of people questioned think that wealth is not fairly dispersed in Ireland. An increase of 15% on 2008.

Introducing the survey, TASC Director Paula Clancy says “the onset of recession has coincided with an increased awareness of wealth disparities.”

Some 77% of respondents stated that they were ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ concerned with wealth inequality in Ireland.

According to the survey report the current financial climate is having an increasingly negative effect on Irish society. Many people close to retirement, or who have recently retired, are facing a “relatively bleak future”.

The TASC Economic Inequality in Ireland survey of 1000 people also shows that 85% of respondent feel the government should act to reduce the gap between high and low earners.