Waterford Today
Wednesday, 19th October 2011
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Unheard Voices
The saying goes that there are lies, damned lies and then there are statistics. It does seem that these days we are drowning in a sea of statistics generated by an almost constant
Cost of public and private nursing home care
Wednesday, 12th October 2011
10/10/2011
Dear Editor,
The recently published report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Accounts of the Public Services 2010, (published September 19th) reiterates the vast differential between the cost of care in public nursing homes when compared to the fees paid to the private and voluntary nursing home sector. The harsh reality is that the State wants to purchase care from the private sector at prices which are significantly less than what it costs the State itself to provide such care.
"The cost of public nursing homes is significantly higher than prices paid for private nursing home places," the report concludes. It reports the national average weekly prices paid for long-term residential care in private homes is approximately €865, compared with an average of cost of €1,245 for public homes.
The report confirms the Nursing Homes Ireland position that at this point in time,
Letters
Wednesday, 5th October 2011
Are the ISPCC above regulation?
Dear Sir,
The recent banning of the ISPCC ad was based on a simple but indisputable fact. The ISPCC failed to produce (and the ASAI's independent investigating secretariat independently could not find) "comprehensive independent statistics" to support the negative stereotyping of men as a gender in the ISPCC ad.
Rather than accept the independent fact-based adjudication of the ASAI and either seek to collect supporting statistics or operate in a gender neutral fashion, the ISPCC have chosen instead to flout the ban on the ad and are now encouraging viewers to go online to view the ad, as the Internet is beyond the reach of the ASAI ban. This makes a mockery of the very concept of value-centred standards in advertising.
Like many of the sacred cows in Ireland over the last 20 years, this latest example of the
Dear Editor,
Wednesday, 5th October 2011
Offaly woman Teresa Treacy deserves an award instead of a prison term for her courage and tenacity in resisting the ESB's move to cut down her beloved trees. The evergreens, oak, ash, and birch that she had tended to are more than just lumps of inert or lifeless matter. They are among our most precious resources on this planet. They beautify any landscape and lend character to even the dullest countrified scene that can greet the eye.
They protect us from the elements. How many times have we run to seek shelter underneath a tree, confident that the loving canopy of its leaves and branches would save us from a ducking? I think of the song often sung by the legendary Irish tenor John McCormack: "I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as tree".
And trees act as
Need for more frank discussion on suicide
Wednesday, 28th September 2011
September 18th 2011
Lower Coyne Street,
Callan,
Co. Kilkenny.
Dear Editor,
Suicide statistics are back in the news. It's a subject that is never far from our minds. There's scarcely a person in the country that hasn't been affected by it, whether by losing a close friend or family member to the tragedy, or just by hearing about someone we know who has chosen to end his or her life.
I think we need to be far more open about this issue. We have had enough of taboos in this country. There needs to be more frank discussion among people of all age groups. We need to look out for people we know and offer support in times of crisis or if we feel that the person is suffering in silence.
While we should always honour the memories of loved ones who go by suicide, we owe
Race for the áras
Wednesday, 21st September 2011
They say that a week is a long time in politics but it appears that a weekend when it comes to the twists and turns of the Presidential race can totally change the political landscape. First of all there was the news, flagged by his appearance on The Late Late Show on Friday, that Senator David Norris was going to do a volte face and re-enter the race and try and achieve a nomination seemed like big enough news in and of itself. But then by Saturday that was superceded by the information that Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, would be running on the Sinn Fein ticket really blew the Norris news out of the water. With 17 Sinn Fein Senators and T.Ds available to them, leaving them with only three votes to secure a nomination, it looked
Letter to the Editor
Wednesday, 21st September 2011
Readers please note that letters to the editor must be accompanied by a daytime address and telephone number for verification purposes not necessarily for publication. – Editor
Dear Editor
Regarding Derry Bishop Edward Daly's calls for an end to mandatory celibacy for priests",
September 13, 2011:
In recent times there as been no small number of challenges to the rule of mandatory celibacy for priests. This is understandable in a society that has become sexually permissive almost beyond recognition.
Nonetheless, celibacy lies at the heart of a priest's identity and commitment. Indeed, Jesus' perfect chastity touches the most intimate and sacred nucleus of his human existence: his love.
Celibacy has an eminent spiritual dimension that greatly transcends the question of discipline. In an article published by L'Osservatore Romano, Stefan Heid, professor of Liturgy and Hagiography at the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archeology stated that "according to
EGF Financial Assistance vital to redundant Talk Talk employees
Wednesday, 14th September 2011
Dear Editor,
The government should immediately lodge an application to the EU for European Globalisation Fund (EGF) assistance for the 575 soon to be redundant workforce in Talk Talk. The EGF fund if used innovatively and in a progressive way can be a big help to the workforce. The fund can be used to fund third level fees, to fund up-skilling training programmes or to fund workers who wish to set up their own business to name but a few options. However the application needs to be well thought out and innovative approaches used, unlike the experience in Waterford Crystal, Dell and SR Technics. These applications were rushed, particularly the Waterford Crystal one without any thinking outside the box, and as such the benefits to the redundant Crystal workers were limited when so much more could have been done.
EGF applications have
Reader ponders capitalism
Wednesday, 14th September 2011
Dear Editor,
Around the world the Irish are known for many things, of late we're known for the dire state of our economy, something we never wished to be associated with. Everywhere you look the effect of the current recession is imminent. Every household, every business, every individual dreads what now appears to be the inevitable consequences of the Celtic Tiger era. On September 7th 2011 our hometown, our lives were devastated once again by the surprising announcement of the closure of TalkTalk and the loss of 575 jobs within the month. Those who have dedicated their lives and what was supposed to be their futures to the company are left shocked at the news, along with their friends and families across the county. The Celtic Tiger era was idealistic, almost blissful for Ireland as a nation. We were happy. We
Adversity and opportunity
Wednesday, 14th September 2011
It has been remarked that in adversity there is opportunity. However, at this moment in time, it is understandable that the 575 people who have lost their jobs in the Talk Talk call center in Waterford City are feeling more a mixture of anger and confusion. Anger at not only the way in which they were left go but also its unexpectedness. Confusion at what they will do next. When the news that such a staggeringly large number of people were to lose their jobs was first announced last week it took everyone by surprise, not least the workers involved. While they were understandably angry in the way in which the announcement was made, there was also real palpable anger at the very highest levels of government at the way in which the whole affair had been handled by the
Letters to the Editor
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Google AlertWhen a company which has it's European Headquarters here in Ireland is called 'evil' and 'immoral' by M.P.s in The House of Commons you tend to sit up and take notice. The particular company that was being referred to was Google and the reason it had enraged M.P.s in London was because even though it has a big operation there and conducts a lot of business there it pays no corporate tax. It does this by having all of its financial transactions finished here in Ireland. And the company here is …
