Waterford Today | Waterford's free weekly newspaper

Butterflies

Red Admiral

There is a likelihood that the first butterfly to fly in the spring of the year is the Small Tortoisehell. This is likely to have lived in some dark corner of your house for the winter until the outside temperature rises to a level in which it can survive in which case it will spread its wings and attempt to escape. Unfortunately, with central heating now so common in many houses, these become utterly confused, find that the actual outside temperature is so cold that the windows are not open and so, you find them dead on the inside window sill. But are they? Any butterfly found in this way should be carefully lifted and placed in a dark place – behind or on top of a wardrobe for instance, and just left alone as many unable to escape

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Biblical perspectives for living

Wavering between two opinions

During the reign of King Ahab Israel was in a state of deep spiritual decline. After three years of drought which brought great hardship to the nation (c.865 B.C.) Elijah instructed the King to summon the people to Mount Carmel together with hundreds of the priests of Baal and Asherah. Many Israelites had broken the first commandment and

worshipped these false gods but there was still a residual awareness of the God of their fathers.

Even after three years of economic hardship there was no obvious change in the spiritual condition of the people.

So Elijah asks them a searching and challenging question: "Why do you waver between two opinions. If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (1Kings 17:21).

The situation in Israel has resonances with our own society. We too

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The Green Hospitality Programme is calling on local hospitality businesses to attend a free environmental seminar in preparation for the 'Greening' of The Tall Ships Festival to be hosted by Waterford this summer. The initiative to 'green' the festival is an innovative programme which hopes to leave a lasting legacy of a 'greener' Waterford after the ships have sailed.

This free workshop in Waterford will highlight the many benefits of good environmental practice to the hospitality sector. Attendees will receive mentoring and advice on cost saving initiatives in waste, energy and water from GHP and also from a local practitioner from the 'Revolution Bar'! Local businesses will learn how they can slash their own costs by up to 50 per cent by implementing efficient environmental strategies.

The upcoming workshop in Waterford will take place at 2pm on Thursday, May 26th in the

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The Heritage Council is reminding people to register their National Heritage Week events now. Online registration is now open and all events must be registered by the 31st of May for inclusion in the National Heritage Week Event Guide. National Heritage Week 2011 takes place nationwide from 20th – 28th August 2011.

Speaking about it, Rebecca Reynolds, National Coordinator of the week at the Heritage Council said, "With over 1300 events taking place during 2010, National Heritage Week is not only a chance for family fun and to spend quality time outdoors, but a fantastic opportunity for people to learn new skills and get involved in their local community and heritage. Times are tough for many people at the moment. It costs nothing to take part in National Heritage Week and the resulting feel good factor on a personal and community

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School holidays are on the horizon so to keep the kids from being bored and engaging in daily bouts of sibling squabbling, why not get them enlisted in one of the manySummer Camps on offer in Waterford. Choose from activities they already love, or let them try out something completely new.

Splashworld

Enjoy warm balmy temperatures all year round in the indoor aqua adventure playground of the South East! Fun! Fun! Fun! For the young and the young at heart … Great entertainment for all the family at Splashworld - The South East's biggest, brightest and best Indoor Waterpark !

Hours of fun in a safe environment with something to offer all age groups. For further information contact Splashworld, Tramore, Waterford tel: 051 390176. e-mail:

info@splashworld.ie

St. Josesph's

Summer Camp

School's out for Summer, let the fun begin!

Established in 1997, St. Joseph's Childcare Centre provides full

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By Bill Sones and Rich Sones, PhD

Q. From a reader: "Why does having something pushed into my ear make me cough?"

A. Called Arnold's ear-cough reflex, this was first described in 1832 by anatomist Friedrich Arnold and is evident in about 2% of people, says Maurice Little of the United Kingdom in "New Scientist" magazine. The vagus nerve (Latin for "wanderer") not only goes to the external ear canal but also the larynx, heart, stomach and intestines. Stimulation of the auricular branch of the nerve can produce a cough in susceptible people; a variant is vomiting caused by reflex stimulation of the branch supplying the stomach. In ancient times, wealthy Anglo-Saxons who enjoyed feasting were said to have poured cold water into the ear to produce vomiting, allowing them to indulge further. The Romans supposedly achieved the same result during their

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New research into Irish Family meal times, and attitudes to cooking with rice, undertaken by Uncle Ben's to launch the 'Begin with Ben' campaign, has revealed that the average time Waterford families spend together over the course of a week enjoying family meals is a maximum of 50-60 minutes. When broken down, that is an average of only 8 minutes per day! It appears a number of factors such as working long hours and family pressures have taken their toll on family meal times, resulting in a serious lack of time available to families to spend quality time and enjoy each other's company over a home cooked meal.

Of those surveyed, 25% said they spend a maximum of 20 minutes together per week; a further 20% said they would spend 25 minutes together, another 20% said they would spend up to

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We pride ourselves in providing the best for our family and that includes creating delicious meals with trusted ingredients. By choosing food with the Bord Bia Quality Mark, you can be proud to know you are giving your family the best. The Bord Bia Quality Mark means that you can trust that your food has been produced with the great care and attention along the way and you can trace these wholesome, natural ingredients back to the farm they came from.

Spicy Chicken

The combination of spices work really well together – a perfect dish for either lunch or dinner. Serves 4.

4 chicken breasts, part boned with skin on

2 tablesp. olive oil

Knob butter

Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

3cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic,

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Is a Gluten-free diet making us fatter?

Go naturally gluten free

I find it very interesting that when someone decides to reduce or cut out gluten from their diets, the first thing they do is look for a replacement for grain based foods. For example gluten free bread, gluten free cakes, gluten free cookies. Then all I hear is, 'It's so hard to find nice gluten free bread most of it tastes like cardboard and is so expensive'

Would it not be more sensible to find an alternative rather than a replacement?

Let's look first at foods that are 'naturally' gluten free:

- Rice

- Fresh fruits and vegetables

- Pure proteins (by this I mean meat and fish that have not been modified for e.g. a chicken nugget)

- Dairy products

There are many yummy naturally gluten free flours out there to cook and bake with but my

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Q: I'm allergic to most dairy foods, especially cow's milk and produce derived from it. Can you suggest any healthy alternatives? I really miss not being able to eat butter.

A: A food allergy refers to an immune-system response to one or more proteins within a specific food. Dairy allergy is one of the most common food allergies in the Western world. It affects different people in different ways, and although most experience relatively mild symptoms such as tiredness, intestinal cramps and bloating, adverse reactions can be severe.

Identifying the trigger is half the battle, so you've done the hard part - now it's a matter of finding tasty alternatives, and as an increasingly allergic nation, the good news is, there's more choice than ever before.

Cow's milk substitutes are relatively easy to find; goat's milk and soya milk are perhaps the obvious

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with John D Owens M.V.B. veterinary surgeon.

Riverstown Business Park, Tramore Ph 051 393630

Email: anipetsvetclinic@gmail.com

John Owens graduated from the Veterinary College U.C.D. in 1997. He, along with his wife Susan, recently opened Ani-Pets veterinary clinic in Tramore, which is dedicated to the full time care of all companion animals, including exotic pets. He has a special interest in preventative medicine and nutrition.

Dental disease and how it affects your pet

"My female dog, Rusty, who is only fourteen months old, is unexpectedly pregnant, even though I kept her locked in the back garden for two full weeks when she was in heat. That was about six weeks ago. I am worried about problems during the birth, and am looking for any advice on caring for her during the rest of the pregnancy.” - from P.A. by e-mail.

An unwanted pregnancy is an unfortunately

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Stan Phillips Clairvoyant - Numerologist – Astrologer

To make an appointment for a personal reading at The Athanaeum House Hotel, Christendom, FerrybankTel: 085 - 7355683 or log onto stan@readingsforlife.com for an online reading.

Aries: March 21 – April 20

I suspect that you will look back on this late spring week as a memorable one, not because it explodes into life with music and fireworks, but as one where a new direction appears which if taken could lead on to something rather special. Even you choose not to move along that path, there is an alternative something waiting positively in the wings. Find an outlet for your creativity – maybe join a creative group of some sort.

Taurus: April 21 – May 21

You are surrounded by an atmosphere where change, and the need for it, is echoing around you. Tantalising, and tempting you

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The Cat Laughs Comedy festival is set to bring more laughs to the June bank holiday weekend. Home to world-class comedy and one of the most anticipated festivals on the summer calendar, the 17th annual Cat Laughs Comedy Festival will take place from Thursday 2nd – Monday 6th June.

Comedy fans can look forward to five days of non-stop fun and frolics with over 40 acts in 67 shows across 12 venues as Kilkenny plays host to some of the world's finest comedy talent, with another stellar programme featuring an incredible line-up of both home grown favourites and star-studded international performers. And don't forget we're offering some great value Local Laughs* ticket deals for all the comedy lovers in Waterford! If like the rest of us you're feeling the pinch this year then make sure to contact the box office on

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Declan O'Rourke plays a full band show at Forum Waterford on Bank Holiday Sunday, 5 June, to celebrate the release of his recently released 3rd album "Mag Pai Zai. Declan's debut, Since Kyabram, released in 2005 proved to be a perfect calling card for a struggling songwriter who had been feverishly plugging his wares since early 2000. His follow-up album, Big Bad Beautiful World, easily consolidated his appeal in Ireland, but his sense of independence inevitably conflicted with music industry norms, and eventually the singer-songwriter was out on his own again. Following a couple of years shaping a new batch of songs, Declan has returned with his third studio album, Mag Pai Zai and not only is the record yet another intriguing stage in his creative life, it

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Here Comes The

Hotstepper !

The phenomenon known as Smash Hits returns to the Forum Waterford for a SIZZLING SUMMER PARTY on Saturday 25 June. Every Smash Hits show at The Forum is getting hotter and hotter with sell-out crowds and flirty fun on the dance-floor. For the Summer Party, Smash Hits would love to see you all in sexy beachwear (bikini tops/minis for the ladies, Tshirts/shorts for the lads), or whatever makes you look good for the summer !. Smash Hits' mission is to bring FUN back to the clubs of Ireland and their winning formula is very simple; fully decked out in 90s gear they perform a fun filled and high energy set of 90s dance, pop and R'n'B chart classics.

Just take a look at their current set-list highlights… "U

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