20th December, 2001
Notice
Board
CHRISTMAS
MUSIC SPECIAL by Aoife Barry
Well, it's that
time of year again, and if, like me, you still have four
hundred Christmas presents pending, then have no fear! Don't
bother
trailing around all the shops in the city looking for the perfect
gift when
I am here to give you the lowdown on the best present you can
give to
anyone, young or old - a CD! So, especially in time for that last
minute
rush to the shops, I've compiled a list of my tips for the best
albums to
buy for your brother, granny or next-door neighbour!
First up, we have The Corrs' Greatest Hits, one for your mother,
granny, or
sister, in my opinion, although the fact that the three sisters
in the band
are quite 'easy on the eye' means that they do have a few covert
male fans
too! Featuring all their biggest hits since their first single,
'Runaway',
it's selling in bucket-loads already both here at home in Ireland
and
abroad. It's the type of album to be played constantly, with
whoever
receives it belting out their own out-of-tune version of 'Radio'
at top
volume. Just don't say I didn't warn you!
Then there is Britney Spears' third album, the cunningly titled
'Britney' -
ooh, the hours it must have taken to think up that one! Now that
she has
shed most of her clothes and has eagerly created a new 'raunchy'
image for
herself, it won't just be your kid sister who wants one - your
older brother
may procure it for himself "to..er.. have a laugh at the
songs". Not one
for Slipknot fans, so if your grandchild has a penchant for
wearing dark
clothes and enormous hoodies, then steer well clear!
For the parent, uncle or aunt that was a bit of a Goth in the
eighties,
(i.e. if you found pictures of uncle James wearing make-up and
with big,
black and backcombed hair), then the perfect CD for them would be
The Cure's Greatest Hits. From the luscious 'Lovecats' to 'Friday
I'm in Love' and back again, this album proves why this band are
still as popular as they
were back when I was in nappies. Borrow it from the lucky
relation in
question, play 'Boys Don't Cry' at top volume, and relax, safe in
the
knowledge that men wearing make-up will never be in fashion again.
One CD that I would gratefully receive from any member of my
family (hint, hint!) is the Smashing Pumpkin's Greatest Hits,
'Rotten Apples'. Being an absolutely huge fan of this band, I am
pleased to report that not only are all the finest Pumpkins songs
included, ('1979', 'Today', 'Zero' and 'Disarm', for example),
but the first copies in the shops feature a bonus CD with their
best b-sides. An excellent present for a music-loving niece,
nephew or teenager, and even if he/she wasn't a fan to begin
with, they sure will be after hearing this!
If your parents get that glazed look in their eyes every
Christmas when you
present your father with another paisley tie and your mother with
bath
salts, then you're duty-bound to make it up to them this year.
Pink Floyd
and Madonna have both released Greatest Hits albums this month (as
you can tell, greatest hits are 'in vogue' this Christmas - just
don't mention the
words 'cashing in'.), both of which are perfect for Mom or Dad,
depending on their respective tastes in music. Impress them with
your musical knowledge by telling them that if they play Pink
Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' at the same time as the film 'The
Wizard of Oz', the two apparently
synchronise, and watch as they spend the rest of the Christmas
holidays
attempting to do just that!
Then there's Tom Dunne's Compilation CD of the Best Irish
Singles, and it's a well-researched, great-sounding album by any
standards. Featuring
everything from Thin Lizzy's 'Old Town' to The Sultans of Ping's
'Where's Me Jumper?', it'll have you jumping around the bedroom
from beginning to end.
Make the person you buy this for think that you are really
generous when
they discover that this is a two-CD set - but only you will know
it didn't
cost you a penny more than a single album!
Other albums worth mentioning are: Mercury Prize winner, PJ
Harvey's
'Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea'; The Strokes' 'Is
This It';
Stereophonics' re-issued 'Just Enough Education To Perform',
featuring my
mother's favourite song of the moment, 'Handbags and Glad Rags';
for your
skateboarding younger brother - Sum 41's 'All Killer, No Filler';
for pop
fans, Blue's debut album, 'All Rise'; Ryan (NOT Bryan!) Adams'
second album, 'Gold'; for more traditional music, Kate Rusby's
debut 'Little Lights';
Missy Elliott's eclectic hip-hop/rap album 'Miss E.So Addictive';
Matthew
Jay's exceptional debut, 'Draw'; Radiohead's live album, 'I Might
Be Wrong';
and Weezer's third opus, 'The Green Album'.
So there you go - the perfect albums to give and receive this
year! If none
of these suits the intended recipient, then a voucher for a music
store will
enable them to buy one that does. And if all else fails and they
hate the
album, then remind them that it would make an ideal tea coaster!
Merry Christmas, and don't eat too many mince pies!
FROM THE DOUGLAS GARDA ...
Douglas Gardai wish to extent their seasons greetings to all for
Christmas 2001. We hope it will be a joyful, happy, safe and
crime free Christmas for you and your family.
We would ask the people to be more self aware concerning their
personal safety at home, driving and shopping over the next week.
With regard to home: We would advise you not to keep large
amounts of cash, have house security and alarms in proper working
order. If you are away over the Christmas period please leave a
key with a trusted friend or neighbour who will be in a position
to check it for you and turn off your alarm if it should be
activated.
With regard to shopping: Place items in the booth of your car out
of sight. Keep you cash cards and pin numbers separate and be
aware when withdrawing cash at ATM's with regard to the people in
the vicinity. Do not leave handbags on shopping trolleys when you
are away from same.
As for parking, we would appreciate your co-operation when
parking in the village and surrounding areas. Please observe
double yellow lines and clear ways. Disabled parking areas should
be respected.
We will be inundated with heavy traffic and it will benefit
everyone if the above are complied with. As for speeding and
drunk driving we can all see the devastation on our roads over
the past year and these two items are the main cause of these
deaths. Checkpoints are in operation all over the City and County.
As most people need a licence for their work we would hate to see
anybody loose it for the New Year.
Finally that we wish to offer you a joyful and peaceful Christmas.
Douglas Gardai
The History of Douglas by Con Foley
Part 69 - continued ...
Jacob's Ladder
This is a nautical term rather than a biblical one, referring to
the rope ladder to the rigging of an old time sailing vessel. It
is a little known name for the last, and steep, descent into
Ravensdale opposite the rectory gate as one comes off Carr's Hill.
The Cafe
This was a red coloured corrugated building, just to the left of
the Douglas bridge as one enters the village from the city.( The
site is now the entrance to the road leading to Douglas Court
Shopping Centre from the roundabout at the Select Service Station)
It was originally built as a teashop towards the end of the last
century, it was still known by its original name up to the time
it was demolished. It was built by an English contractor named
Knight, who was also engaged in the construction of the Cork
Tramways. The venture was not a financial success so, the centre
was used for a while for local entertainment. It was divided into
four separate houses.
The ‘Kushawallas’
The spelling is phonetic. 'Cois a' bhaile' in Irish roughly means
'at home' or 'the homestead.' The establishment of this society
to promote the speaking of Irish, in the beginning of this
century, is a reminder of the efforts of the Gaelic League in
Douglas for the restoration of Irish. In the promotion of the
Irish language, culture and dancing, the O'Driscoll family must
receive special mention.
Civility Stud
On the left side of the South Douglas Road going towards the city.
It is easily recognised by the very high iron gates and red
brickwork. This was the racing establishment of the Reece family.
The workmens' houses were in the yard. Judging by its size and
the number of horse stables it must have been a big establishment
in its day. The Reeces had a stallion named 'Civility' - hence
the name of the stud.
"Scotchies' Terrace"
This is a terrace of five stone houses just past Morroghs' Mills.
As the name implies, these houses were build to accommodate
skilled operatives from Scotland.
There is another row of houses, of red and yellow brick, at the
beginning of Grange Road. These were probably occupied by mill
foremen or minor executives. The two in the middle are of
different design, perhaps for a managerial class. Some of these
houses have been already sold.
PHYSICAL FITNESS & YOU
Health-related fitness Health-related fitness includes such
qualities as aerobic power, flexibility of the spine, abdominal
strength, body fat, cholesterol levels, and glucose tolerance.
Aerobic power enables a person to comfortably perform such
activities as cycling, racquetball, rowing, running, stair
climbing, swimming, vigorous walking, or yard work. Participation
in aerobic activities on a regular basis can reduce the risk of
coronary artery disease, the most common form of heart disease.
Along with diet control, these activities can also help prevent
obesity (being too fat) and osteoporosis (loss of bone tissue).
Flexibility of the spine involves the range of motion of the
joints of the spinal column. It is important for reducing the
risk of low back pain. When in a sitting position with both legs
extended, a person should be able to reach within about 4 inches
(10 centimetres) of his or her toes.
Abdominal strength also helps reduce back pain. The abdominal
muscles should be strong enough for a person to do about 20 bent-knee
sit-ups easily.
Body fat. The percentage of body tissue that consists of fat and
the distribution of that fat are important factors in a wide
variety of diseases. The percentages of body fat for young adult
men should fall between about 5 and 20 percent and between about
12 and 30 percent for young adult women. Levels over 20 percent
in men and 30 percent in women contribute to health risks,
including arthritis, diabetes, gall-bladder disease, heart
disease, and high blood pressure. People whose fat is mainly in
the abdominal area have a greater risk of heart disease than
people whose fat accumulates chiefly in the hips and thighs do.
Exercise helps prevent excess fat.
Cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance found
in animal tissues and the food that comes from them. High levels
of cholesterol in the blood increase a person's risk of coronary
artery disease. More important than the total amount of
cholesterol, however, are the relative amounts of lipoproteins,
large molecules that carry cholesterol through the blood. There
are two main types of cholesterol-carrying lipoproteins: (1) low-density
lipoproteins (LDL's) and (2) high-density lipoproteins (HDL's).
Cholesterol in the blood can be identified as either LDL-cholesterol
or HDL-cholesterol, depending on which lipoprotein carries it.
High levels of LDL-cholesterol increase the risk of coronary
artery disease, but HDL-cholesterol seems to reduce that risk.
People who engage in regular aerobic exercise lower their levels
of harmful LDL's and increase their beneficial HDL's.
Glucose tolerance is how the body responds to a feeding of a
sugar called glucose. Healthy people can consume foods containing
glucose without developing excessive amounts of glucose in their
blood. Elevated levels of glucose in the blood indicate diabetes
mellitus, a serious disease in which the body cannot use glucose
normally. Regular aerobic exercise may improve glucose tolerance
and improve the function of insulin, a hormone that regulates
blood glucose.
Developing physical fitness
To achieve and maintain physical fitness, people should eat a
balanced diet and exercise regularly. A balanced diet includes
all the nutrients the body needs to remain healthy. Nutritionists
have developed various guidelines to encourage good nutrition.
Physical education programs in schools help children develop good
fitness habits. It is recommended that all schools provide a
period of at least 20 to 30 minutes of vigorous exercise daily.
An effective school program also offers team sports, courses in
health care, and performance tests to measure students' progress
in physical fitness.
Health experts recommend at least 20 minutes of vigorous aerobic
exercise three to five times per week for adults to develop and
maintain aerobic power and to help control body fat, cholesterol,
and glucose tolerance. But a less vigorous exercise program can
also have important health benefits, especially for reducing the
risk of heart disease. Such a program should include 30 minutes
or more of moderate exercise--such as walking, easy bicycling, or
gardening--at least five days a week. Men over age 40, women over
50, and anyone with risk factors or symptoms of heart or lung
disease should check with their doctors before starting a
vigorous exercise program.
WEIRD ...
From Ger O’Regan
Two roommates remain at their deserted college dormitory over a
holiday break. One of the girls goes out on a date that evening,
and the other one turns in and goes to bed before her roommate
returns. Later that night the sleeping girl is awakened by
gurgling and scratching noises coming from outside the hallway
door. Frightened, she locks the door and cowers inside the room
until morning. When the girl finally opens the door and ventures
outside, she discovers the bloody corpse of her roommate in the
hallway. The murdered girl's throat had been slit, and she had
bled to death in the hallway while clawing at the door.
THE IRISH OLYMPIC BOB SLEIGH TEAM
The woman’s 2-person bob sleigh team has
actually 3 people involved. The driver of the Irish bobsled is
Lesley FitzGerald from Glanmire, and the brake persons are two
sisters from Portarlington Co Laois; Siobahn and Aoife Hoey.
Readers will be aware of the cult film “Cool Running”
which featured a bob sleigh team from Jamaica competing in the
world Olympic Bob Sleigh Championships which take place each year
in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. That film was actually based on a
true story.
Believe it or not Ireland has both a male and female bob sleigh
team, who are competing in the Winter Olympics in the USA against
the best in the world and in the recent North American Bob Sleigh
Championships in Calgary in Canada. The Irish Male Team came 1st
and the Irish Woman’s Team came 3rd after Canada and the USA.
Winning both a gold and bronze medal – a great achievement
from a team who are representing their Country with no major
finical support. Except from one sponsor who believes in their
ability to compete at world level. The Woman’s Team also had
the distinction of coming 5th in the World Time Trials for Bob
Sleds held in Monaco and hosted by Prince Albert of Monaco last
July.
Lesley FitzGerald from Glanmire is the daughter of Gerald and
Marian FitxGerald and is very much a person who enjoys that
thrill; Bungee Jumping, White River Rafting, Parachuting, Diving
and Driving a Bob Sleigh down an ice slide at 85 MPH.
RUSSIAN MISSION
Fr. Philip Andrews wishes to send very special
Christmas greetings from his parish in Penza (Russia) to his
family, friends and benefactors in Ireland. Without their Prayers
and donations his mission would not be possible.
Last weekend they distributed soap, tea and medicine in the
prison. Also Christmas treats to 300 street children. In a few
days he will visit the local orphanage with gifts and more
medicine.
Fr Philip will offer Mass and will pray for you and your
intentions - during this Holy Season of the Birth of Our Lord.
PS The temperature in Penza at time of writing is twenty degrees
below freezing.
NOTICES ...
C.U.H. Radio 107.8 FM
Mass is broadcast Monday to Friday @12 noon. On Saturday @ 12
noon with a Vigil Mass @ 7.30. Sunday Mass is at 10am. Christmas
Day Mass at 8.30AM and 10 AM. Broadcast live!
Dog Found
A small brown / black terrier ,female, found Donnybrook / Grange
area. Phone 021 4363858
Rape Crisis Centre
The Cork Rape Crisis Centre is situated at 5 Camden Place Cork.
1800 496 496 or 021 450 5736. Fax: 021 450 4690. Website:www.cork-rapecrisis.ie,
email: info@cork-rapecrisis.ie
