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December 16, 2004

12/16/04 - Finucanes To Meet US Envoy

Monthly Table of Contents 12/04

BB 12/16/04 Finucanes To Meet US Envoy
BT 12/16/04 Leaders Meeting Again But Deal 'Now Months Off'
BT 12/16/04 Secret Pact To Free Gunmen Is 'Attack On Democracy'
CB 12/16/04 Liam Neeson On Kinsey
IE 12/16/04 Nuns On Front Line Of World AIDS Fight
UT 12/16/04 Irish Road Signs Set To Change
YA 12/16/04 Ryanair "Falsifies Statistics" In New Ad Campaign

(Poster's Note: Thanks to Pete for the Ryanair Story. Jay)

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4100053.stm

Finucanes To Meet US Envoy

The family of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane is to meet President
Bush's special envoy to Northern Ireland.

They are expected to outline their concerns about fresh legislation
on inquiries published by the government.

The family said last month's Inquiries Bill does not comply with
Canadian Judge Peter Cory's recommendations.

They said they could not take part in any inquiry into his murder
under the bill's terms. Mr Finucane, 39, was murdered by the
loyalist UDA in 1989.

The shooting took place in front of his family at his north Belfast
home.

Collusion allegations

The killing was one of the most controversial of the 30 years of
the Troubles in Northern Ireland, mainly because of the allegations
of collusion between loyalist paramilitaries and members of the
security forces.

Retired Canadian Judge Peter Cory was appointed by the British and
Irish Governments to examine allegations of collusion surrounding
the Finucane and other controversial killings.

He recommended a public inquiry into Mr Finucane's death.

The government published the legislation last month, and the
inquiry into Mr Finucane's murder would be held under its terms.

The Finucanes have concerns about the independence and the powers
which the inquiry would have.

They say Judge Cory's "basic requirements" for the tribunal include
"full power to subpoena witnesses and documents together with all
the powers usually exercised by a Commissioner in a public
inquiry".

However, they say the bill departs from this as "it gives the
Minister the power to determine when the inquiry sits in private
and what material is to be withheld".

The Northern Ireland Office insists the Finucane inquiry would have
full powers to compel witnesses and the disclosure of documents.

National security

Responding to the Finucane family's criticism of new legislation,
the NIO said nothing would be withheld from the inquiry into Mr
Finucane's murder.

However, because of national security, a large proportion of
evidence would "have to be considered in private".

Loyalist Ken Barrett, 41, was sentenced in September to life for Mr
Finucane's murder, after admitting his part in the killing.

He was told on Tuesday he did not qualify for early release under
the Good Friday Agreement because he was not serving his sentence
in Northern Ireland.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2004/12/16 08:31:12 GMT
© BBC MMIV

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=593690

Leaders Meeting Again But Deal 'Now Months Off'

By Dominic Cunningham
16 December 2004

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and the British Prime Minister Tony Blair
will have talks later today at an EU Council heads of government
meeting in Brussels, in a new bid to break the deadlock in the
North.

But after seven hours of negotiations at Hillsborough Castle in Co
Down, jointly chaired yesterday by Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot
Ahern and North Secretary, Paul Murphy, the prospect of any new
deal between Sinn Fein and DUP now seems months off.

Mr Ahern and Mr Murphy pledged the two governments would work up
until Christmas and beyond to explore ways of restoring the
political institutions at Stormont and although they would not
elaborate said some new ideas had been put forward.

DUP leader Ian Paisley led a seven-strong delegation who met with
Dermot Ahern. Outside the meeting, Mr Paisley, reading from a
prepared statement and refusing to take questions from reporters,
claimed the IRA was about to proceed with an act of decommissioning
but warned if this took place without photographic proof it would
have "very serious consequences" for a comprehensive agreement.

"There is an indication that the IRA may be considering proceeding
to decommission its weapons under the original IICD (International
Commission) scheme, leaving out the additional elements relating to
transparency included in the draft statement from the IICD which
formed part of our comprehensive agreement," Mr Paisley said.

"We want to make it clear that if the IRA does not fulfill its
obligations as envisaged in the comprehensive agreement, then its
refusal to meet these terms would have very serious consequences in
respect of the DUP's attitude to other elements of the
comprehensive agreement," he added.

Republicans dismissed Mr Paisley's claims and while the Irish and
British ministers said they were unaware of such a move, they
stressed that both governments would welcome decommissioning,
although it would have to be done in a way that would encourage
community confidence.

Dermot Ahern said the photographing of decommissioning remained the
best guess of Dublin and London for building confidence in the
process, but said the two governments were open to ideas if the
parties agreed.

The Foreign Minister said the governments also had to ensure
"certainty and clarity" on the issue of the ending of
paramilitarism and illegal activity.

Some of the parties taking part in yesterday's talks, the Minister
said, had expressed concerns on issues such as policing and the
political institutions and these were matters the two governments
would have to reflect upon.

Mr Ahern said he appreciated the fact the DUP had attended the
talks with such a significant delegation. After the Hillsborough
talks, which were also attended by US envoy, Mr Mitchell Reiss, the
Sinn Fein MP Mr Pat Doherty said the time had come for a direct
meeting between Mr Paisley and republicans.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=593689

Secret Pact To Free Gunmen Is 'Attack On Democracy'

By Geraldine Collins
16 December 2004

The 'secret deal' to release Jerry McCabe's killers went to the
heart of democracy, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said yesterday.

When the people had voted for the Good Friday Agreement it had been
on the understanding, he said, that those individuals would not
benefit in any way from it and were excluded.

"The breaking of his word undermines the Taoiseach's authority and
diminishes the credibility of his office," Mr Kenny said.

"Right-thinking people are also outraged that the Taoiseach of this
sovereign State chose to capitulate to a terrorist organisation
which refused to fulfil any of its commitments under the Good
Friday Agreement unless his solemn word was broken in secret."

Mr Kenny said he did not underestimate the challenge facing the
governments in overcoming the remaining obstacles and he assured
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern insofar as the full implementation of the
Agreement was concerned, he had Fine Gael's full support.

Mr Ahern told TDs he was not prepared to let progress in the peace
process "become bogged down at the final hurdle". He told the Dail
he would not settle for "a half-solution".

Justice Minister Michael McDowell dismissed any suggestions of a
rift between the Government parties over the handling of the
Northern talks, including the possible release of the killers of
Jerry McCabe.

Mr McDowell also maintained that on the issue of the IRA stating
there would be an end to all criminal activities there would be no
budge from the Government and no fudge from Sinn Fein and the IRA.

Stressing that the Government was totally united on this issue, he
said opponents would need a crowbar to separate them. For his part,
the Taoiseach told the Dail they had always been clear that the
"ending of all paramilitary activity must also encompass all other
illegal activity".

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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/15/earlyshow/leisure/celebspot/main661155.shtml

Liam Neeson On Kinsey

NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2004

Liam Neeson as Dr. Alfred Kinsey in Fox Searchlight's Kinsey

(CBS) If you're starting to hear some ringing in your ears right
now, it may just be the very loud Oscar buzz surrounding Liam
Neeson.

He already has been named Best Actor by the Los Angeles Film
Critics and received Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award
nominations for playing pioneering sex researcher Alfred Kinsey in
"Kinsey."

In 1948, Kinsey irrevocably changed American culture with his book,
"Sexual Behavior in the Human Male." Interviewing thousands of
people about the most intimate aspects of their lives, the
researcher lifted the weight of secrecy and shame from a society in
which sexual practices were mostly hidden. His work sparked one of
the most intense cultural debates of the past century - a debate
that rages on today.

Kinsey graced the cover of every major publication; he became the
subject of songs and cartoons, editorials and sermons. But as the
country entered the Cold War era of the 1950s, Kinsey's follow-up
study on women was seen as an attack on basic American values. The
ensuing outrage and scorn caused Kinsey's benefactors to abandon
him, just as his health began to deteriorate. At the same time, the
jealousies and acrimony caused by Kinsey's attempt to create a
private sexual utopia threatened to tear apart the research team
and expose them to unwelcome scrutiny.

Directed by Academy Award-winner Bill Condon of "Gods And
Monsters," the film also stars as a team of researchers, Peter
Sarsgaard (Clyde Martin), Chris O'Donnell (Wardell Pomeroy) and
Timothy Hutton (Paul Gebhard); as well as Laura Linney as Kinsey's
wife, Clara McMillen.

As of yet, no one has repeated Kinsey's research on such a broad
scale, or shown that his main conclusions were wrong. Meanwhile,
the institute he founded at Indiana University, renamed the Kinsey
Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, continues
to carry out scientific study in a field that might not exist at
all without Kinsey.

Time Line:

:: 1894, June 23 Alfred Charles Kinsey born in Hoboken, N.J.

:: 1898, Oct. 2, Clara Bracken McMillen born in Brookville, Ind.

:: 1912, Kinsey is valedictorian of his class of 1912, Columbia
High School; begins engineering studies at Stevens Institute

:: 1913, Kinsey is one of only 77 Eagle Scouts in the U.S.

:: 1914-1916, Kinsey leaves Stevens Institute for Bowdoin College,
studying biology and psychology; graduates magna cum laude

:: 1917, Kinsey makes first field trip to collect gall wasps
[American Cynipidae]

:: 1919, September Kinsey is awarded a Sc.D. in taxonomy from
Harvard University

:: 1920, August - Kinsey joins faculty of Indiana University as
assistant professor of zoology

:: 1921, June 3 - Kinsey marries Clara Bracken McMillen, in
Brookville, Ind.

:: 1926 Publication of Kinsey's "An Introduction to Biology"

:: 1937, American Men of Science lists Kinsey as one of its
"starred scientists"

:: 1938, June - Kinsey teaches marriage course at Indiana
University, presenting sexual information with unprecedented
frankness

:: 1938, July - Kinsey develops 350-question interview technique to
record people's sex histories

:: 1940, Kinsey devotes himself to amassing sex histories fulltime;
he and his team travel across the country, eventually accumulating
over 18,000 histories

:: 1943, Kinsey meets with Alan Gregg from the Rockefeller
Foundation, resulting in promise of $135,000 funding over 3-year
period

:: 1947, April - Institute for Sex Research incorporated with
Alfred C. Kinsey as Director

:: 1948, January - Publication of "Sexual Behavior in the Human
Male"

:: 1950, U.S. Customs seizes erotic material being sent to the
Institute

:: 1953, Aug. 20 - "K-Day:" the day magazines and newspapers were
allowed to pre-publish Kinsey's findings on female sexuality, with
Americans flooding newsstands

:: 1953, September Publication of "Sexual Behavior in the Human
Female"

:: 1954, Under pressure from Congressional investigators on "un-
American activities," the Rockefeller Foundation withdraws its
funding for Kinsey's research

:: 1956, Aug. 25 - Kinsey dies of heart failure at age 62

The following are some facts about the Liam Neeson:

:: William John Neeson was born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, on
June 7, 1952.

:: In 1961, Neeson, at the age 9, joined a boxing team run by a
priest.

:: In 1967, he had his nose broken during a childhood boxing match
(date approximate).

:: As a teenager, Neeson drove a forklift for a brewery; he planned
to become a teacher, then an architect before answering an ad
placed by the Lyric Players' Theatre in Belfast.

:: Neeson made his professional stage debut in "The Risen People"
at Lyric Player's Theatre, Belfast, in 1976.

:: In 1979, Neeson made his educational film debut as Jesus Christ
in a film based on John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress" for
evangelical Bible students in Ireland (date approximate).

:: In 1980, Neeson played Lenny in the Abbey Theatre production of
"Of Mice and Men"; spotted by director John Boorman who later cast
the actor in "Excalibur."

:: In 1981, Neeson made his feature film debut as Sir Gawain in
Boorman's "Excalibur."

:: In 1984, Neeson made his United States television debut in the
CBS miniseries "Ellis Island"; co-starred as Blackie O'Neill in the
syndicated miniseries "A Woman of Substance."

:: In 1986, the actor was a guest star on the "Miami Vice" third
season opener, playing an IRA operative; reprised role of Blackie
O'Neill in the syndicated miniseries sequel "Hold That Dream."

:: In 1987, Neeson moved to Los Angeles; featured as a deaf-mute
man falsely accused of murder and defended by Cher in "Suspect."

:: In 1988, Neeson had featured roles in "The Good Mother" and "The
Dead Pool."

:: In 1990, Neeson made his feature starring debut as the titular
tortured antihero of "Darkman."

:: In 1992, the actor made his Broadway debut in "Anna Christie";
featured in the World War II romance "Shining Through" and Woody
Allen's "Husbands and Wives."

:: In 1993, Neeson had a title role in "Ethan Frome"; the actor had
his breakthrough screen role as Oskar Schindler in "Schindler's
List"; received a Best Actor Oscar nomination.

:: In 1994, Neeson co-starred with Natasha Richardson and Jodie
Foster in "Nell."

:: In 1995, the actor played title role in the Scotland-set
historical adventure "Rob Roy."

:: In 1996, Neeson had a featured role as a father whose teenaged
son in charged with murder in "Before and After", co-starring with
Meryl Streep and Edward Furlong; starred as the title revolutionary
in Neil Jordan's controversial film "Michael Collins," co-starring
Julia Roberts and Aidan Quinn.

:: In 1998, Neeson returned to Broadway playing Oscar Wilde in
David Hare's drama "The Judas Kiss"; Starred as Jean Valjean in
Bille August's adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic tale of
injustice "Les Miserables."

:: In 1999, Neeson played Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in "Star Wars:
Episode I --The Phantom Menace"; the actor portrayed a professor
who conducts psychological experiments in Jan De Bont's remake of
"The Haunting."

:: In 2002, Neeson appeared with Harrison Ford in the submarine
thriller "K19: The Widowmaker"; he also received an Order of the
British Empire Award from Queen Elizabeth for his stage and screen
career; Appeared in the highly anticipated Martin Scorsese film
"Gangs of New York."

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http://www.irishecho.com/newspaper/story.cfm?id=15724

Nuns On Front Line Of World AIDS Fight

Sr. Kathie Shea, a native of Squantum, Mass., travels throughout
Africa providing training for the Medical Missionaries of Mary.

By Jill Sheehy
jsheehy@irishecho.com

It is the time of year when people go out of their way to be good
to others. For some that means giving up a seat on the bus, for
others it is helping someone with packages, or volunteering at a
homeless shelter. In that spirit of generosity and humanity, the
Medical Missionaries of Mary, an Irish-based mission, is traveling
the East Coast of the U.S. to drum up support for their work, which
goes beyond what most people can ever dream of doing for others.

MMM is committed to helping establish health care in areas of the
world where there is none. This stretches from Africa to right here
in America. Comprising 432 women of 19 nationalities, they work in
16 different countries.

For the recent trip, members of the Mission were determined to make
some new friends out of it.

Sr. Siobhán Corkery, part of the Mission's Central Leadership Team,
said that the association is at a disadvantage because its members
are usually embedded in foreign countries for so long that many
people here do not know who they are or the work they do.

Determined to change that, Sr. Siobhán, along with other women from
the Mission, are on a whirlwind tour, meeting and greeting Irish
and Irish-American groups and dignitaries in the U.S.

The mission already has a small presence in the U.S., and keeps
homes in New York, Boston, Chicago, West Virginia, and San Diego
for these "friend-making" trips.

They call this latest endeavor "friend making" in the developed
world to help them continue their work. The connections they make
can ease day-to-day operations for the Mission, such as gathering
donations, organizing meetings, office work, and just knowing as
wide a net of people from city to city.

"We need people to know what we do," Sr. Siobhán said.

Sr. Siobhán herself met the general consuls of Ireland for Boston
and New York, as well as AOH members in New Jersey.

She noted how the AOH is a great networking tool, noting that the
organization is involved in almost every aspect of Irish America.

She was also sworn in as an honorary member of the Cork Association
of New York, which was an honor for the Macroom-born sister.

"People support people," she said. "While we're full of technology,
the best way to contact people is still through friends and word of
mouth."

History

MMM's work has been going on in good times and bad. The Mission was
founded by Marie Helena Martin, a Dublin woman who served as a
volunteer nurse during World War I. Deeply affected by the work she
was doing, Martin left for Nigeria to help those even less
fortunate, and learned about the suffering Africa was living with.

She realized she would not be able to change things on her own, and
set forth to organize a group of women for the task. Returning to
Ireland to recruit members for her new passion, Martin realized
that her mission had to create health-care systems for villages
that could not do it themselves and received no assistance.

Standing in her way was a church order that would not permit women
in religious life to engage in obstetrics and surgery -- both of
which were central to her vision of serving the peoples of Africa.
It wasn't until 1936 that the church did away with that formality,
and when Martin made her Profession of Vows in 1937, the order was
born.

"She was insistent about getting care for both the mother and
child," Sr. Siobhán said of Martin.

Unique to the Mission is that after being founded in wartime, it
proceeded to be involved in caring for the many victims of war,
especially in Africa. Corkery herself was in Rwanda in 1994, and
recalls the many battles that have plagued the continent.

Having grown leaps and bounds from its humble beginnings, the MMM
sisters live in small religious communities and commit themselves
to serving those who need medical attention, as well as others in
the areas they work in.

Not all the Missionaries are sisters, as there are a small number
of what they call "associate members." These are women and men,
both married and single, who are drawn to the work of the Mission.

A global reach

The latest plague to the Mission is not a war, but AIDS. Working in
South America and Africa, they have seen a lot of the toll the
disease has taken on citizens of these regions.

Since the pandemic started, it has become a focus of the Mission to
help regional health workers to prevent the spread and HIV, and
encourage testing, counseling, and the importation of drugs to help
the patients "live more positively and happier," Sr. Siobhán said.

The mother and child dynamic is most on display in these
situations, according to Sr. Siobhán, as there are often children
and orphans to be cared for, many of whom, tragically, are infected
as well.

This past year, MMM held a conference in Kenya on the issue of AIDS
in Africa and its work there. The numbers are staggering, according
to Sr. Siobhán, and growing. She reported a huge increase in cases
in Uganda and Nigeria is seeing steady growth.

Sr. Siobhán blames the repercussions of their war-torn societies
for the rising numbers of infected Africans.

AIDS is not the last word in Africa, however. Sr. Siobhán spoke of
problems with land mines, refugees, international debt, and the
denial of human rights.

South America has also played a large role in the Mission's work.
Sr. Siobhán has lived in Northeast Brazil for the last 18 years,
working to develop low-cost medical care. Prior to this assignment,
she was in Nigeria for 12 years.

"I've been out of Ireland more than I've been in it," she said,
laughing.

On the home front, there is a MMM presence in Appalachia as well.
The downtrodden rural area that runs from southern New York State
to northern Georgia is home to low literacy rates, poor health
care, and scant water supplies, according to the Mission.

The Mission's Sr. Bernie Kenny works there and drives a mobile
medical clinic to offer the residents a chance at medical care they
would have never otherwise received.

The work of the Mission is hardly satisfaction enough for Sr.
Siobhán and her colleagues. However, the slowly growing numbers of
those joining the organization are putting a dent in the health-
care gap between rich and poor.

"We're looking to make a holiday with a difference," Sr. Siobhán
said.

(The Medical Missionaries of Mary may be reached at
http://www.mmmworldwide.org.)

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http://www.utvinternet.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?pt=n&id=54283

Irish Road Signs Set To Change

The Irish government has announced that the changeover from miles
to kilometres on the Republic's speed signs. has been set for
midnight, on January 19.

The changeover will cost €10 million and will mean speed limit cuts
of ten miles per hour on non-national roads, but an increase of
five miles per hour on motorways.

It`s understood 23,000 extra signs are being erected to coincide
with the changeover, which should improve road safety.

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http://de.news.yahoo.com/041215/295/4c8rn.html

Ryanair "Falsifies Statistics" In New Ad Campaign

Low-cost Irish airline in trouble with advertising watchdog

London/Dublin (pte, Dec 15, 2004 17:10) - Low-cost airline Ryanair
http://www.ryanair.com has had to withdraw its latest advertising
campaign, in which it claimed to be better than its rival, the
British budget airline Easyjet http://www.easyjet.co.uk . It is now
the sixth time this year that the Dublin-based airline has been
censured by the British advertising watchdog Advertising Standards
Authority (ASA) http://www.asa.org.uk . ASA ruled that Ryanair was
wrong to claim it beat Easyjet every week with "more passengers,
cheaper prices and better punctuality".

The latest Ryanair advertisement to run into trouble was a
newspaper campaign, in which the company cited false punctuality
statistics from the Association of European Airlines (AEA)
http://www.aea.be and showed that "Ryanair beast Easyjet every week
for on-time flights." The watchdog investigated following
complaints from Easyjet. However, the association said it did not
compile statistics on Ryanair or Easyjet, since neither of them
were members. ASA warned Ryanair "not to misattribute statistics in
future advertisements."

ASA has also criticised Ryanair for falsely claiming that Spanish
destinations Girona and Reus served Barcelona, which are a
considerable distance from the Catalonian city. The body said
airlines should not claim airports served specific cities unless
those airports were listed by the International Air Transport
Association (IATA) as doing so. In March, the ASA upheld a
complaint about a Ryanair advert that used a photograph of Prince
Charles without his permission. Further advertisements by Ryanair
that featured scantily clad women were also banned by the ASA this
year for being offensive. (end)

Submitter: newsfox
Editor: Julian Mattocks
E-Mail: mattocks@pressetext.com
Phone: +43-1-81140-308

Monthly Table of Contents 12/04

Posted by: Unknown / 5:24 AM
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