Moltaí don chéad Phaindéim eile!

Suggestions for the next Pandemic!

by | 2023/04/12 | Current Affairs, Science and Technology, International News, National News

Suggestions for the next Pandemic!

Last week I mentioned five lessons we learned from the pandemic. In this article, I have recommendations so that we are prepared to deal with the next pandemic.

1.1. Official inquiry

We need to have an official inquiry in Ireland about the restrictive measures implemented by the government during the pandemic. Only then will we be able to improve our preparation in the future. That was the suggestion of Labor Party Deputy Duncan Smith recently.

“If we don't have that inquiry soon we will only have more media commentary, newspaper articles, best-selling books and academic assessments of what we did or didn't do. That's ultimately not useful for learning from our mistakes and building on what we did right,” Smith said.

I think he is right and this is the first step in moving towards devising better processes for the next pandemic.

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2.Government investment in proven solutions

The experts were able to study the spread and treatments of the COVID-19 virus in depth during the pandemic. The COVID-19 vaccines are effective and safe, and people who are vaccinated are less likely to get severe disease. The new type of Vaccines – messenger RNA vaccines -- are as good and in some ways better than the traditional vaccines – viral-vector vaccines. For example, it will be faster to develop new vaccines with messenger RNA vaccines than with conventional vaccines – which is extremely important.

We also know how effective masks are against any airborne virus, and especially N-95 or KN-95 type masks. Social distancing is also important as a tool against the spread of the virus, and indoors a HEPA filter is very useful to provide clean air.

Therefore, the government needs to invest sufficiently in these things:

• Personal protective equipment for people caring for people infected with the disease and especially for medical staff.
• N-95 or KN-95 masks for the general public.
• Disease tests for the general public.
• Grant assistance for companies to purchase and install HEPA filters.
• Information and teaching material explaining the instructions and rules relating to the pandemic in English and Irish.
• Grants available for researchers working in the field.

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3. Early Warning System

The sooner we find out that a disease is spreading, the fewer people will die. Here are a few strategies that would help with an early warning system:

• Wastewater monitoring: this technology is used to monitor COVID-19 in the United States. They were able to predict an increase in cases of COVID-19 in local areas a few weeks in advance by analyzing waste water data, and carry out remedial work based on that.
• Respiratory Virus and Microbiome Initiative: Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridgeshire in England plan to develop tools to identify new viral threats. It is genomic surveillance and the researchers were able to quickly identify changes in the virus in Great Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are now working on a system that would be able to detect infectious diseases with one inexpensive test.

It will be important for all countries to have an early warning system, with an obligation to report anything significant to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Conclusion

In my opinion, we need to have plans in two broad areas to get the best results in the next pandemic:

• Science: It is clear that science involvement in this business is vital. We have learned a lot that will be very useful in dealing much better with the next pandemic than the last one. Relevant research is also ongoing. We will be able to find infectious diseases quickly, develop vaccines and cures quickly, and better answer the question – what resources and constraints are most important to us?
• Politics: We will not be able to implement any proposal without there being the political will at a national level. Therefore, it is extremely important to focus our attention on the three points mentioned above and to keep pressure on our government to implement them. On an international level, we need to work with other countries and the World Health Organization hand in hand, because we need to have a coordinated effort towards the next pandemic.

Let's hope we don't see another pandemic, but that if we do we'll be ready to defeat it!

Ceachtanna ón bPaindéim!

Lessons from the Pandemic!

by | 2023/04/05 | Current Affairs, Science and Technology, International News, National News

Lessons from the Pandemic!

 

It's hard to believe that more than three years have passed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is rarely in the news now and things are almost back to how they were before. But COVID–19 killed at least 6.8 million people worldwide and more than 13 thousand people on the island of Ireland. It is important for us now to reflect on the lessons we have learned and with that knowledge to better prepare for the next pandemic. In this article, we will highlight five important lessons from the pandemic. In the next article, we will mention five important recommendations of the next pandemic.

 

 

Lesson 1 – Put your faith in science instead of rumours

 

 

We take it for granted now, but the importance of vaccines and how quickly they were developed cannot be overemphasized. Not only that, but the development of an m-RNA vaccine is nothing short of a miracle – an innovative and revolutionary approach to vaccine design. Normally, it takes up to 15 years to design a vaccine, but it only took one year for COVID-19! Anti-vaccination misinformation did a lot of damage, because it scared some people, and they therefore refused the vaccine. Vaccines (including m-RNA vaccines) are safe, potent and effective. The more people who are vaccinated, the better the spread of the disease is prevented.

 

 

Lesson 2 – Masks work against the virus

 

 

Masks are able to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. There was uncertainty in the United States about that at first, because the authorities wanted to keep masks for doctors and medical staff to protect them from the virus. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) initially said that people who were not infected did not need to wear masks, but then changed their recommendation and said that everyone should wear a mask. Their messages were unfortunately conflicting and people were not quite sure what to do. As for what kind of masks to wear, there was a shortage of N-95 masks, and people had to wear cloth masks, which were not very effective against the virus.

 

 

Lesson 3 – Indoor air quality is important

 

 

At first, we didn't know much about how the virus spreads. But over time, we learned that airborne transmission is the most effective method of spreading the virus. Therefore, it is very important to use an air filter to remove virus particles. The best filter is a high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA filter). Such a system is able to significantly reduce the amount of the COVID-19 virus, and it also reduces other disease vectors – such as influenza.

 

 

Lesson 4 – Wastewater monitoring is very useful in a virus pandemic

 

 

Early in the pandemic, the idea to monitor wastewater arose and that exercise grew as an approach over time. People shed particles of the COVID-19 virus before they have symptoms of the disease. Any surge in COVID-19 cases can be predicted a few weeks in advance by analyzing wastewater data. This analysis can be done area by area, and that is a great help in putting together a plan against the virus.

 

 

Lesson 5 – Genomic surveillance is necessary

 

 

Unfortunately, the virus mutates from time to time and changes the outer covering so that vaccines are no longer as effective. It is therefore necessary to design a new vaccine against a new variant, in a kind of biological warfare. Therefore, it is very important for all countries to be able to carry out genomic surveillance and find new variants as soon as possible. Even after the pandemic, it is still necessary to be alert, because you would never know when a new dangerous version will come out.

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

We feel relieved that the pandemic is now over, and life is almost back to normal. The pandemic was very painful and a large number of people died from the virus so it is easy to put the bad memories behind us and carry on as before the pandemic. But we have to go against our nature in this situation and not forget the pandemic and the lessons mentioned above. More than that, based on the lessons we've learned, we need to put measures in place to conquer the next pandemic, whenever it happens.

 

 

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Creat Windsor!

Windsor Framework!

by | 2023/03/29 | Current Affairs, International News, National News, Politics

Windsor Framework!

There are many dangers in the DUP's approach to Brexit. Without a doubt, the pressure is on as I write this. The DUP have long announced that they will not return to the Stormont Assembly, regardless of the Executive, unless the post-Brexit protocol is changed to meet their demands. Their main problem is that the same rules would not apply in the North as in Great Britain itself, due to the soft border between the North and Ireland. A soft border is enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement and customs checkpoints cannot be located on the border. Therefore, Brexit contravenes the Agreement, absent a special provision.

Northern Ireland Protocol

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed the Northern Ireland Protocol with the European Union and it came into effect on January 1, 2021. According to that arrangement, customs checkpoints are located at Northern Ireland ports and Belfast international airport , and all goods checked coming into the North – including goods from Great Britain, even if they are to stay in Northern Ireland. Previously, Johnson promised the DUP that he would not allow a border in the Irish Sea - and then broke his promise to them. No wonder the DUP felt betrayed and then refused to take a role in the Assembly ever since.

Windsor framework

The DUP boycott of Stormont has put pressure on the United Kingdom (UK) government in a number of ways. First of all, it is much more difficult to govern the North, without a devolved Northern government in place. Secondly, any member of the DUP who is a member of the UK Parliament must resign from that role were he/she to take up a role in the Assembly. As members of Parliament, they are able to put more pressure on the UK government in relation to the post-Britain protocol.

On the flip side of that, however, there are a few downsides to that approach. First, the boycott increases political instability and the risk of violence. Secondly, the Stormont boycott is against the will of the people and that is not a good thing. Even among its own followers, only half are in favor of the boycott, and that is a political risk for their own party! Undoubtedly, the DUP members are playing high stakes, not just for themselves, but for the North as well.

The UK government bowed to pressure, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen putting together new trade arrangements - the 'Windsor Framework' - which will reduce customs checks on goods coming into the North from Great Britain. It is a compromise between the two parties and the European Union has undoubtedly conceded to the UK in relation to several points. But it's a good deal for the North, all things considered.

Significant progress but…

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said the Windsor Framework was a significant step forward, but they still had key concerns about the Framework, particularly around the continued application of EU laws. There is still a lot of work to be done, according to Donaldson. But Rishi Sunak said the UK government has no plans to renegotiate the Framework.

In the first vote in parliament on the 'Stormont Brake', a central piece of the Framework, there were 515 members in favor and 29 (including 8 DUP members) against the Brake, and so it was passed.

A clash between the DUP and Sunak is likely to be inevitable, but Sunak currently has the upper hand on the Framework. But what will Jeffrey Donaldson do now?

Choices?

Jeffrey Donaldson and the DUP are now in a dilemma over what to do. It now feels very unlikely that the DUP will succeed in forcing their will on the UK government further with respect to the Framework. At the same time, Northerners are growing impatient since they still don’t have their own government in place, and support for the DUP may well dwindle if its boycott of Stormont continues. Without a doubt, the DUP is in a bit of trouble now.

In my view, it is now time for the DUP to swallow their pride and do the right thing and accept their seats in Stormont. Ultimately, they got a new deal regarding the Protocol, and it's a shame they're not happy with that. Who knows what the end of this story might be, but I have to admit that I am not overly optimistic about it.

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Na hOscars – Thuas seal Thíos seal!

The Oscars - you win some, you lose some!

by | 2023/03/22 | Current Affairs, International News, National News

The Oscars - you win some, you lose some!

The Oscars could hardly be worse this year than they were last year. That's what I thought a few days ago, anyway. Unfortunately, they were much worse in my opinion, (at least) from the point of view of our country. Why? Well, we only won two Oscars out of the 14 nominations we received! Then to add insult to injury we received mental abuse before and at the Oscar ceremony.

Although 'The Banshees of Inisherin' received 9 nominations, the film did not win any Oscars. 'The Quiet Girl' did not win the Oscar for the best international feature film either, as the film 'All Quiet on the Western Front' from Germany won that Oscar. And Paul Mescal didn't win the Oscar for best actor in the movie 'Aftersun', because Brendan Fraser (in the movie 'The Whale') won that Oscar.

But, every cloud has a silver lining...

It is a sign of the significant progress in the film industry in Ireland that the two Oscars we won were a disappointment to some of us! The 14 nominations showed the full range of talent in the country in acting, directing, editing, composing and filming - not only in English, but in Irish too!

Richard Baneham's second Oscar win in the special effects category for his work on Avatar: The Way of Water' shows that Ireland's technical skills are at the highest level. 'An Irish Goodbye' showcased the depth and breadth of talent available in Ireland, as well as the gift of originality. When the Oscar audience sang 'Happy Birthday' to actor James Martin, it was a special celebration! James is the first person with Down syndrome to ever win an Oscar!

Ivan Martin (James' father) said: "I remember the person who said to me a long time ago: 'Look Mr Martin, you have to understand that James will never talk' And here we are now! "James doesn't just talk, but from the moment he started talking, he hasn't stopped since," Ivan told BBC Radio Ulster.

Special mention must be made of that wonderful film 'An Cailín Ciúin', the first Irish language film ever to reach this ceremony. With that, Irish-language filmmaking has achieved an important goal. CINE4 (a partnership with TG4, the Irish Film Board (BSE) and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI)) played a key role as the main financier in this significant development. It's a strong confirmation of how important funding is to make progress like that - otherwise, it wouldn't happen.

Mental abuse!

On the Saturday before the Oscars, there was a 'comedy sketch' on the program 'Saturday Night Live', with Molly Kearny and Mikey Day as Farrell and Gleeson. The clip of them was posted online, which showed the pair speaking unintelligible English to each other until they walked out, and then one of the presenters saying: “Wow! They haven't even started drinking yet.”

The sketch was criticized for being offensive and derogatory in the way it portrayed Irish stereotypes. Actor Alan Mehdizadeh wrote on Twitter: “Well done SNL! You managed to make fun of an entire nation, and of someone who was engaged in a very public battle with alcohol, and you managed to do it without even being funny."

"..the 1980s called and they want their stereotypical Irish jokes back," said another commenter. Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee shared the clip on Twitter with the words: "Yeah, it's pretty good" and an emoji showing her displeasure at the end.

Even at the Oscar ceremony itself, the presenter, Jimmy Kimmel, was joking (in the same way). He opened the ceremony by saying: “We have nominated people from all over Dublin. Five Irish actors have been nominated tonight, which greatly increases the chances of another fight on stage.”

Later, Kimmel read a 'fan question' from a viewer who said he loved Farrell's performance, but didn't understand what he was saying. Farrell replied: "Watch SNL last night and you'll have a good clue." Kimmel was criticized on social media and the press for those negative things he was saying.

Conclusion

Although 'Saturday Night Live' and Jimmy Kimmel threw anti-Irish insults about, we should be positive about things. It is a source of national pride that we received 14 nominations and two Oscars, including the first for someone with Down syndrome. It's great to see an Irish language film competing at an international level as well - that's a good sign of hope for the language. We will have another day at the Oscars!

Ceist na nDíolúintí!

The question of exemptions!

by | 2022/10/19 | Current Affairs, National News, Politics

The question of exemptions!

I was in the Castle gardens the other day; stretched out completely from head to tail, relaxed and peacefully drinking in golden sun, when I heard the sharp, ear-splitting whistle, a whistle that woke me up from my sleep suddenly! But I realized in an instant who was to me, as who else but my old friend, Séimí an Droichid, would do the likes inside the heavenly gardens of the Castle. I welcomed him, and made a place for him beside me on the garden bench.

“Sit there beside me on this bench” I said to him, politely.

“Thank you very much,” he said, “and isn’t this a wonderful place you chose to meditate?”

“You said it my friend, but do you have any news on this blessed day?”

“I only have the story that is on the lips of every Irish speaker these days.”

“And what is his story?” I said, trying to provide a story telling opportunity to mad Séimí, as it seemed to me that he had some story to tell.

The Language Question

“You have probably noticed that a series of meetings of the Irish Joint Committee on the exemptions system is currently taking place?” said Séimí.

“I didn’t! Is there a big problem with our current system of exemptions, Séimí?” I wanted to develop an understanding on this topic.

“A very big problem, and if things continue like this, we won’t have a living language before long. There have been those unsupportive of the status of our language for a long time. There was a movement against the Irish language called “Language Freedom Movement” in the nineteen sixties, for example. The result of their campaign was the abolition of the requirement for civil servants to speak Irish since 1974. As a result, there were only 16 employees to deal with the Irish-speaking community in 2018 – a disgrace!”

“But,” I said, “the main goal of the Languages ​​Act 2021 is for 20% of new public service recruits to be competent in Irish before the end of 2030. Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked Séimí this question, seeking an antidote to his negative attitude towards the language.

Three steps back…

“Three steps back, and then only one step forward!” answered Séimí. “And these exemptions are just another step backwards. Initially, these exemptions were for exceptional cases – for pupils with special needs. But after a while, those rules were relaxed, and now quite a few parents are taking advantage of the flexibility of the rules, in order to get an exemption for their children – children who would not have a problem learning Irish, because more than half of them are learning other languages ​​without any question of exemption.”

“But maybe with the right management a scheme like this would work, wouldn’t it?” I said, asking Séimí the probing question.

“Whatever the Department of Education is doing, the scheme is not working well at all. And I’m not alone in that thought. Declan Glynn, assistant general secretary of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI), said that the system currently in place is “flawed and unsatisfactory”, and that it is now so easy to get an exemption that anyone would be forgiven for thinking it was mainly an automatic process.

Other representatives attending the meetings agreed with the opinion that there should be a curriculum for all students at whatever level of ability they are at and questioned the right to use ‘stress’ or ‘specific language learning disability’ as an excuse to demand an exemption. They are right, in my opinion, Michael, and this problem needs to be solved soon.”

“Well, Sam, I have to agree with you, because it’s clear you’ve done your homework well on the subject, and I didn’t have my eyes on that ball at all. Thanks for being patient with me, and I hope our government will do the right thing and put much stricter rules in place!”

“Me too! Nice to meet you in this wonderful place, Michael, as we discuss important matters together in Irish!

With that, Séimí left without delay, and I was left to my own devices with a new topic to with important matters for my consideration!

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Praiseach Déanta ag Aer Lingus

Mess made by Aer Lingus

by | 2022/09/28 | Current Affairs, National News

Two weeks before our flights back to the United States, United Airlines sent me an e-mail saying that they had made a change to the reservation. They changed our first flight (on Aer Lingus) from noon to 6:00 A.M., so that we would have seven hours in Heathrow before the second flight. Damn it – could they make a change like that without my permission? Seriously!

I called United Airlines, and an agent came on the line quickly. She was helpful, and made another reservation for us with no issue – the first flight to Chicago (on United) at noon, and an hour later the second flight (on United) to Los Angeles. We preferred the new arrangements, for two reasons. In the first place, we would avoid Heathrow airport. Second, our luggage would have a better chance of arrival with only one airline (United) involved.

We and our luggage reached our destination without a problem, and we were happy with United Airlines because, although we had a small problem at first, they quickly put everything right for us.

Liveline

A few days later, I was listening to Joe Duffy’s ‘Liveline’, and I was stunned when I heard about up to 9,000 passengers across Europe stranded by Aer Lingus!

The callers said Aer Lingus was nowhere to be found, to help them in their time of need. RTE itself was unable to get an Aer Lingus spokesperson as a special guest on the programme. There were a few shocking stories to hear on ‘Liveline’.

Emmett’s story

Emmet and his wife were all set to go to America on their honeymoon. They were going to fly to Heathrow first, and then from Heathrow to Miami. They had booked a cruise for the subsequent day.

They checked in without any problem, went through security and then on to the gate. At 10 A.M., a quarter of an hour before their departure time, Aer Lingus informed passengers that they were experiencing an IT( information technology) problem. Emmet heard nothing more until 4 P.M. when Aer Lingus announced that their flight had been cancelled. As a result, they missed not only their flight from Heathrow to Miami, but also their cruise. The couple had spent almost €5,000 on their travel arrangements, and were now out of pocket because of it, with no information about a refund.

The couple believe that Aer Lingus was responsible for the money they had paid, as they were the cause of the problem in the first place.

Michelle’s story

Michelle didn’t hear anything from the airline, but when she saw on social media that there were major problems with Aer Lingus flights, she immediately knew she was in trouble. Then she contacted her family and friends. When she found out that there were only three flights a week leaving Corfu, where she was staying, she knew she would have to act quickly to get home as soon as possible.

She had to book new flights with Eurowings, in order to avoid staying in Corfu for three additional days. She had to spend €850 on two tickets on Eurowings. Even when they arrived at Dublin airport, the airport was a complete mess. They were waiting almost half an hour in the plane for the boarding stairs to arrive. Then they had to sit around waiting for their luggage, as there were no baggage handlers available. The terminal was crowded with people and luggage. But they were happy and relieved to be back in Dublin.

Excuse?

Aer Lingus has finally apologized to customers who were affected when 51 flights were canceled on the weekend of 10-9-2022. A spokesman for the airline said: “We sincerely apologize to customers for the major disruption caused by problems with our computer system. Those problems have been resolved and our normal schedule is back in place”.

The airline also said that affected customers will be able to change their travel plans for free.

I hope that Aer Lingus has learned a lesson, and will be in touch with their customers to help them whenever something like this happens in the future. If Aer Lingus ignores their customers like that again, they will lose them forever!

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