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Yearly Archives: 2017

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If you have ever worked from home, you'll know it's a lot harder than it sounds.

From endless distractions (the fridge) to the conduct of those around you (family members), trying to be in any way productive is damn near impossible.

But, at least, no actually sees the chaos which ensues when you attempt to act professional around family members who couldn't care less… unless you're Professor Robert E Kelly, that is.

During a slot on BBC World News earlier, the academic discussed the situation in South Korea without realising how determined his children were to get in on the act.

We'll let Robert and his family take it from here…

 

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Doug the pug is one of the most famous little pets on the web (seriously, this dog has more Insta followers than most celebs).

The pug is famous for his adorable parody videos, and his latest Disney inspired clip is going viral.

With over 11,000,000 views, Doug has created his own version of Beauty and the Beast, called Beauty and the Pug

In a tail as old as time, the pug plays Bella as well as Emma Watson could, donning a gorgeous yellow ball gown and reenacting the love story.

Doug doubled up on his roles, proving his acting credentials by playing the role of both Belle and the beast in the hilariously cute clip. 

 

A post shared by Doug The Pug (@itsdougthepug) on

“With the release of the live-action movie it was the perfect time to do one, and the location we got to film at made it even more magical!" Doug's owner Leslie Mosier told Us Weekly.

"Doug's favorite outfit from the shoot was Belle — his tail was wagging so hard!" 

The cuteness is just too much. 

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Massive crowds gathered on O'Connell Street at the Strike 4 Repeal to rally against the 8th amendment to the constitution on March 8.

Dublin city centre was brought to a standstill twice, as up to 8000 people participated in the strike, with a further 11,000 participated in the later march. 

"We've been really overwhelmed with the amount of people here today," Claire Brophy, one of the strike organisers commented on the day. 

While the strike made international headlines, some activists felt that there was a distinct silence from some of Ireland's broadcasters.

RTÉ covered the strike, but organisers of a new event feel that the strike was discussed all too briefly, and have decided to call attention to their perceived discrepancies.

RTÉ Recognition 4 Repeal is a new event doing the rounds online, and it calls for Repeal protesters to picket outside the RTÉ studios to demand more extensive coverage of the issue.

The Facebook event has already garnered interest from hundreds of potential picketers in the 24 hours since its conception.  

"On March 8th thousands of us around the country and abroad demonstrated our urgent demand for a repeal of the 8th amendment," reads the event manifesto.

"The events of that day made international headlines but once again our national broadcaster failed to cover the repeal movement properly."

"RTE cannot get away with ignoring us and refusing to show the truth: that we are many and we will not wait."

"Think that the rise in price of stamps is more important to cover than the strike? Think again," finishes the statement, making reference to the broadcaster's coverage of other issues over the Strike 4 Repeal. 

The event is a call-to-arms for protesters, and it requests the picketers be outside RTÉ, ready to rally, at 4.30pm on Monday. 

"We're hoping that by bringing the story to them, RTE will have no choice but to show some actual coverage," said event organiser Eva Griffin, who is currently undertaking her Masters in UCD. 

"We need our national broadcaster to show us so that those undecided on whether to support the repeal campaign can get an idea of who we are and what we're doing."

"I had the idea on Thursday evening and by the end of the night we had over 100 people attending. There's still a few days to go and we're only just ramping up on the media front so who knows how many will turn up."

"It was very disheartening to see the action on Wednesday get international coverage and then a measly slot on RTE that didn't do justice to the amount of people, passion and effort that went into it," she said.

"As our state-funded national broadcaster, their refusal to cover the movement properly speaks volumes. By not showing us, they're engaging in bias by omission, and I would imagine it's all in the name of 'balance' in the debate, which is not a good enough excuse."

"What I do know is that we are an incredibly passionate group of people who refuse to stay silent on these matters, and after seeing a small group of people rise up to organise the strike, I realised that self-organisation is key. I've never organised a picket or political event, but it turns out all you need is a Facebook event, some supportive friends and a lot of tweets."

When asked about the recognition of the Repeal Project in the media, Eva said: "We've been referred to as 'pro-abortion campaigners' when what we're really striving for is the right to bodily autonomy."

"We're not asking anyone to get an abortion and that message needs to stop being spread."

The picket is set to go ahead at 4.30pm until 7pm on Monday outside the RTÉ studios in Dublin 4. 

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Between Kim's robbery, Kanye's breakdown and Kourtney's relationship struggles, the last year has been a tumultuous one for the Kardashian family.

And while their fans tend to follow their every move on social media, their desire to see the events play out in a handy 60-minute package courtesy of E! doesn't seem to be waning.

Mere hours after the trailer for the upcoming Keeping With The Kardashians series debuted online, the clip amassed more than a quarter of a million views on YouTube.

"This season is gonna be drama af," wrote one internet user after catching a glimpse of the upset that unfolded in the aftermath of various high-profile incidents.

"Crying. My queen Kim I'm not ready for these episodes," added another.

Take a look at this…

 

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We are all guilty of having a good long snoop on Tinder when the forever-alone-feels get too much. 

However, we've never come across a celebrity while swiping, and now we know why. 

Image result for tinder swiping

Tinder has been keeping the uber-rich and famous surrounded by people of their own calibre by using a built-in platform called Tinder Select, which caters to celebrities, CEOs and the super hot. 

You have to be invited by Tinder to join this exclusive virtual dating club, with one source telling Tech Crunch that Tinder Select is for  “celebrities and people who do really well on Tinder.”

If you get invited to the exclusionary edition of the app, you can nominate fellow ballers and babes to join.

Image result for jennifer lawrence wink

However, the app prevents the Tinder Select platform from spreading by preventing nominated members from nominating anyone else, so he pool remains filled with the attractive and successful without being spoiled by us mere peasants. 

Members can switch back and forth between Tinder Select and regular old Tinder when they're feeling up to socialising with commoners. 

 

A post shared by Tinder (@tinder) on

It's a pretty interesting concept when you consider how important privacy is to celebrities, so the platform makes a lot of sense.

Now, how do we become one of those people who "do really well on Tinder” so we can join? 

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A lawyer acting for Robin Camp, a Canadian judge who recently resigned after a review board concluded he was guilty of victim-blaming in a rape trial, insisted that the judge's misconduct was the product of 'ignorance, not animus'.

As if that's supposed to render his suggestion that an alleged rape victim could have kept 'her knees together' during an assault any less damaging or, indeed, dangerous.

If you're one of the many who question the culture of victim-blaming, desperately attempt to quell the paradigm, and wonder where we've gone wrong as a society when the victim of a rape faces judgement and condemnation, you need look no further than the Robin Camp example.

When an individual in a profession who – as the review board put it – is 'expected to demonstrate knowledge of social issues, and awareness of changes in social values, humility, tolerance and respect for others' deems it appropriate to ask a young woman why she didn't better fend off penetration, is it any wonder rape culture is so prevalent?

"Why didn’t you just sink your bottom down into the basin so he couldn’t penetrate you?” he asked the young woman who was just 19 at the time of the assault in 2014.

"And when your ankles were held together by your jeans, your skinny jeans, why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?” he wondered.

Nowhere does the blame appear to be placed more firmly at the door of the victim than during rape cases. 

The idea that the target of a mugging might be asked why they bought an expensive phone seems ludicrous.

The notion that the complainant in a burglary case might be forced to defend their home security system seems farcical.

And yet, in numerous rape cases, the victim is asked why she was drunk, what she was wearing, and how she had allowed it to happen.

Indeed, British High Court judge, Andrew Gilbart, recently offered his own assessment of a sexual assault case, asserting: "I’m sure it was a frightening incident. She got very, very drunk. It doesn’t excuse what happened, but people have to make sure they protect themselves and guard against this, she made herself very vulnerable,”

“The law seeks to protect victims such as this from their own foolishness. The complainant had got herself drunk, was in a public place, unable to protect herself and the law must be seen to protect vulnerable people from being picked on by those who spot their vulnerability and choose to attack them." he added.

The complainant did this, the complainant did that, the complainant, essentially, asked for it.

And we wonder why the culture of victim blaming thrives online among internet trolls and why some men deem it fitting to carry 'You Deserve Rape' placards at women's marches when individuals representing the judicial system appear to suggest something similar.

Instances like the aforementioned indicate that the abhorrent attitude towards women in rape cases is by no means resigned to the murkier areas of the world wide web, nor can it be dismissed as 'locker room banter', but is in fact evident among professionals employed to demonstrate an awareness of changes in social values, humility, tolerance and respect for others.

In the same way ignorance of the law is no excuse, neither is ignorance of the trauma experienced by victims of rape and sexual assault… no matter what Robin Camp's attorney might argue.
 

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Even been in one of those awkward situations where your friend says they want a certain hairstyle but you know it wont look good on them?

It's one of the most awkward times in friendship history, but you know as a true friend, you cant let them go through with it. 

One comedy duo have crystallised the various emotions of this in a gas new video. 

Image result for hair fringe

Cutting a fringe is one of the most delicate and difficult hair changes to go through, and all of us have given the choppy bangs a go.

Whether it was a primary school bowl cut or an art college fashion fringe, baby bangs can look amazing on some but not-so-hot on others, and when it's your best mate who doesn't suit it, it can be a little awkward. 

Jen Hatton and Emma Doran's new video is all about stopping your bestie for making an epic hair mistake, and it's completely hilarious. 

Image result for hair fringe

"Look, I've met loads of people who have a fringe now, I think it will look good," says Emma, playing the fringe fan. 

"It was different then, I was in a different place," she says as Jen beseeches her not to go for the chop. 

"Think of the clips!" says Jen, as she accuses her mate of relapsing back into fringe territory, before producing a picture of an old fringe that dissolves Emma to tears.

Image result for hair fringe

We were in tears ourselves laughing at the video.

Check it out for yourselves: 

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The student living situation in Dublin is pretty dire at the moment, but thankfully there is hope on the horizon.  

Almost 4,000 students will have a new place to call home by 2020 thanks to some new apartment complexes.

Five new student villages are currently underway, and one of them looks absolutely unreal. 

Uninest Student Residency New Mill is currently under construction in the Libertines, and the new rooms look nicer than any apartment we've ever lived in. 

The rooms include built-in wardrobes, rain head showers and smart TVs, and are decked out in modern, minimalist decor. 

The prices for the rooms haven't been released yet, as the rooms aren't quite ready to be booked. 

The complex even comes complete with a cinema room, a music room and secure parcel storage for when you miss that ASOS delivery.

We don't remember living this well when we were students…

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Starbucks cups are one of the most easily recognised symbols out there.

We bet you can easily conjure that white cup with the green mermaid logo to your mind's eye in an instant. 

The international coffee giant has decided to go in a new direction with their spring cup collection, opting for a style that is every minimalists dream.

The cups are totally logo-less, and no longer come in the classic, crisp white colour. 

They actually now come in a sky blue, bright yellow and pale green.

The new disposable cups leave a blank space in the centre for you to create your own logo if you have a few minutes to spare on the coffee run.

The cups will be available from March 16 at locations in the U.S. and Canada, but no word yet on whether the creative cups are coming to Ireland. 

Starbucks have always offered seasonal cups, with the Christmas cups being hailed as a sign of the imminent festivities. 

We're wondering if the new spring edition will prove as popular?

Think of all the space the baristas will now have to write your name wrong! 

Pics: Joshua Trujillo/Starbucks

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We're super excited for the release of the new live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, hitting cinemas next week.

While we love a good film, we're total magpies when it comes to gorgeous jewellery, so when the two are combined it's real-life Disney magic. 

 

The movie has inspired a collection of exquisite pieces from Alex Monroe, who has partnered with Disney to celebrate the iconic imagery of the movie.

Celebrating the tale as old as time, the jewellery designer is creating pieces based on classic concepts from the film.

The designer Alex’s daughters grew up with the story of Belle and the Beast and cherished it.

Thee pieces will be priced between around €145.00 and €275.00.

The new live-action remake of the fim, starring Emma Watson as Belle, hits Irish cinemas on March 17.

And the perfect accessoryy to wear to the premier?

Those Lumiere earrings, obviously. 

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German police have arrested the man who executed an axe attack in a train station in Dusseldorf last night. 

Seven people were wounded in the attack.

Police described the suspect as being a man from the former Yugoslavia, who is believed to suffer from mental health problems.

"A 36-year-old man burst out of a local train wielding an axe," explained Irish Times Berlin correspondent Derek Scally to Newstalk. 

"He had already attacked two people on the train."

"On the platform, he ran amok injuring passengers. He ran several metres across several tracks, jumped from a bridge down several metres, injured himself, broke several bones and was taken into custody."

Three of the victims were very seriously injured, but none are in critical condition. 

 

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Pizza has a special place in our hearts.

Celebrating, sad, hungover, whatever the occasion, pizza is there by our sides. 

Buskers On The Ball clearly understands out deep seated love for the Italian dish, as the venue is giving away free pizza this evening.

The Temple Bar establishment is running a promotion all this week to show off their new kitchen, and they will be giving away free pizzas and fully loaded wedges. 

To acquire this cornucopia of junk food delights, all you have to do is book a table by email for a group of five people, minimum, before this evening, simple. 

Groups can book in from noon to 10pm tonight, so call up that gang you've been meaning to get together with.

Once you're finished your pizza pie, you can play a game of pool, table tennis or fuze ball. 

We're loving this deal, after all, who wouldn't want free pizza?

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