Latest news with #Northside
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Books in brief: Eat The Ones You Love, The Book of Records, and Peatlands: A Journey Between Land and Water
Eat The Ones You Love By Sarah Maria Griffin Titan, £9.99 In the 'kip' that is the Woodbine Mall, 'an aspiration towards American luxury ambience transplanted deep in the veins of the Northside Dublin suburbs', a hungry orchid notes a new arrival. Thirtysomething Shell is immediately drawn towards Neve, a beautiful florist whose connection to the murderous plant ended her last relationship, and to the small community of retail workers in the dying centre. Griffin, no stranger to deliciously weird fiction set in haunted, shadowy versions of Dublin, moves into the queer botanical horror subgenre with skill. Her lyricism, if occasionally overwrought, tangoes with a distinctive millennial argot – part therapy jargon, part extremely-online shorthand. Pleasing commentary on class and a sharp eye on the bathos of late-stage capitalism supports but never overwhelms this compelling, gorily gorgeous novel. Claire Hennessy The Book of Records By Madeleine Thein Granta, £20 'The stories that last are the ones about voyages, about odysseys and escapes,' the father of seven-year-old Lina tells her. The pair have escaped China, to seek refuge at 'the Sea', a 'no man's land', rumoured to be a former military outpost. So begins a Beckettian style game of waiting, waiting, waiting. The Booker-shortlisted Canadian author weaves a tale of migration, with the biographies of historical figures, philosopher Hannah Arendt, scholar Baruch Spinoza and the great Chinese poet Du Fu, to explore the existential questions of legacy, truth, memory and the meaning of a good existence. Thein writes with an intellectual mind and a philosophical core that will appeal to readers who appreciate a story of great scope, penned with the fine brush stroke of poetry. Brigid O'Dea Peatlands: A Journey Between Land and Water By Alys Fowler Hodder Press, £20 Bogs are 'strange, funny beings' for the gardener and horticulturalist Alys Fowler, and peat has haunted her imagination for many years. On her quest seeking information on peatlands, she explores parts of Britain and Ireland. Her Irish journey starts in the Wicklow mountains and takes her to Carlow, on to a farm in Co Offaly, and over to Roundstone Bog in Connemara where she finds its heart beating strongly. Her book is a call to sink deep into the dark earth of rugged places, look closely at dragonflies, birds, amphibians and plants that live within them; but also to befriend the fragile, under-pressure bogs, to honour them, learn their mysteries, feel their spirit, and help create a sea-change in attitudes. Paul Clements
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mizzou Loses Talented DB Recruit to Conference Foe
Mizzou Loses Talented DB Recruit to Conference Foe originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The blows to the Missouri Tigers' 2026 recruiting class continued Tuesday as three-star athlete Javonte Smith committed to Tennessee. The cornerback and wide receiver recruit chose the Vols over Missouri and Arkansas. Advertisement Smith took official visits to all three schools, as well as West Virginia. He also held offers from Kentucky, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and a few others from his home state of Tennessee Smith is ranked as the No. 964 player in the country according to 247Sports' rankings, along with No. 37 ranking in his home state. He visited Mizzou during the first week of official visits and was in Arkansas the weekend after that, from June 6 to June 9. He visited West Virginia after that, staying there June 13-15, followed by Tennessee over this past weekend. The 6-foot, 175-pounder attends Jackson (Tenn.) Northside, and first received an offer from the Vols after his sophomore season. Although Smith was initially predicted to head to Arkansas, the Razorbacks fell out of the running after his visit to the Vols. Advertisement Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz© Denny Medley-Imagn Images The Tigers have still received two commitments on the defensive side of the ball in four-star linebacker Keenan Harris and three-star safety Tony Forney Jr. Mizzou is also awaiting the commitment of four-star linebacker Adam Balogoun-Ali, although he is favored to go with Auburn. This is the third recruit the Tigers have lost in two days, as both four-star safety Jayden McGregory and three-star linebacker Braxton Lindsey each chose different schools, committing to Louisville and BYU, respectively. Related: Mizzou Football Misses Out on Two Highly Touted 2026 Recruits This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
National Post
07-07-2025
- Business
- National Post
Nearly tapped out: Trump's tariffs and trade winds threaten America's craft brewers
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patrons huddle around the 30-foot-long wooden bar at Spiteful Brewing on Chicago's Northside, enjoying drinks, televised sports, and games ranging from darts to Dungeons & Dragons. Article content 'It's a corner tavern without the booze,' says co-founder Jason Klein, noting they only serve beer they brew on-site, not liquor. What customers don't see is the storeroom, where Klein is engaged in another game: playing Tetris with supplies. Article content U.S. President Donald Trump's aluminum tariffs have forced U.S. breweries to consider stockpiling cans as a hedge against rising costs, but for small brewers like Klein, space is limited. Article content Article content 'It's like a puzzle back there for us. We've had to sacrifice on things like grain so we could hook up on cans,' he says. But Klein is facing more than just logistical challenges. Article content Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum in February, citing the need to promote domestic manufacturing and protect national security. He then doubled them to 50 per cent in June, and small brewers are feeling the squeeze. Trade talks are underway, with Canada looking for deals to reduce or avoid Trump's tariffs. Both sides aim to conclude a deal by July 21. If no deal is reached, the tariffs will remain. Meanwhile, higher costs threaten the thin margins and production capacity of smaller U.S. brewers, while trade tensions are limiting export opportunities for the larger ones, particularly in their biggest market, Canada. Article content Article content An industry on the edge Article content American craft brewing took off in the 2010s but has since faced challenges, including oversaturation, COVID, and inflation. 'Everything's gone up,' Klein says. 'Grain has gone up. Hops have gone up. Storage has gone up.' With input prices rising, brewers feel pressure to raise prices but worry about going too far. Article content 'At some point, you're not going to pay $14, $15, $16 for a six pack,' Klein says, noting that sales have already slipped. Article content The whole industry is grappling with this trend. U.S. craft beer production peaked in 2019 and has since declined, according to the Brewers Association. The U.S. craft brewing industry saw a 3.9 per cent drop in barrel production between 2023 and 2024 and a slight decline in its overall U.S. beer market share, dropping to 13.3 per cent. Its retail value grew by 3 per cent to $28.9 billion, but that was largely due to price hikes and strong taproom sales. Article content Aluminum cans are the go-to for US breweries because they are light, easy to ship, and more environmentally friendly, as aluminum is recyclable. As of January, cans accounted for 75 per cent of the craft beer market share, according to Beer Insights, so there was plenty of panic when the tariffs were introduced. Article content Much of the aluminum used for canning in the U.S. comes from domestically recycled products, while just 30 per cent is sourced from raw aluminum, largely from Canada. It's only the raw imports that are directly impacted by tariffs, which means the feared price spikes have been minimal, thus far. Article content But the price of aluminum generally is based on the London Metal Exchange (LME) and the Midwest Premium indices, and while the LME hasn't changed much this year, the Midwest Premium has soared, hitting a record 60 cents per pound in early June — a whopping 161 per cent rise since January. Distributors peg their rates to these indices quarterly. Article content For distributors like Core Cans, a California-based, family-run company specializing in the supply of aluminum cans and other packaging, this has meant only having to raise prices by 3 per cent thus far, says co-founder Kirk Anderson. For Craft Beverage Warehouse, a Midwest distributor, it has been closer to 4 per cent, according to co-founder Kyle Stephens. Article content Article content But the tariffs will continue to put upward pressure on pricing, they warn, and the greater the market uncertainty and the higher the indices go, the more big suppliers and companies buy up greater quantities of aluminum to shore up their inventory. 'That's what impacts us the most,' says Stephens, noting that the reduced supply drives up the price. 'People are out there hedging, buying a ton of aluminum and driving that price up.' Article content By the third and fourth quarters, if the uncertainty continues, Sophie Thong, director of account management for Can-One USA, a manufacturer of aluminum cans in Nashua, NH, says craft brewers should expect prices to rise further. 'In Q3, it will be higher,' she says. Article content Smaller brewers say they have little choice when it comes to suppliers. Most major U.S. suppliers have raised minimum order demands so high that smaller players often rely on distributors or Canadian suppliers to get the smaller orders they can manage. Article content Klein, at Spiteful Brewing, noted that the Trump administration wants the industry to source their cans domestically but that he has to work with his Canadian supplier because his former U.S. distributor raised its minimal order from a single truckload, with 200,000 cans, to five truckloads – a whopping 1 million cans he doesn't have enough room to store. Article content Also, for many brewers, buying two or more times the normal amount is about more than just the space. 'It has a negative effect on cash flow, too,' Klein adds. Article content Faced with these challenges, many in the industry are finding creative ways around the pinch. Article content For distributors and suppliers, this means working with clients to keep costs at a minimum. Craft Beverage Warehouse, for example, has adopted shared shipping, which involves reaching out to breweries by region to see if they want to be part of a group order to reduce shipping costs. Article content For breweries, some are storing as much as they can, leaning on taproom sales, and diversifying their products. 'If their beer volume is going down, maybe they're making a hop water or, if a state allows it, they might be making a hemp-derived THC product,' Stephens says. Article content Canada is the biggest foreign market for American craft brewers, making up 38 per cent of U.S. craft beer exports as of early 2025. But now, amid Trump's trade war, they're dealing with rising input costs as well as retaliatory bans on the sale of U.S. alcohol in major provinces, including Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and others. Article content Last month, Alberta lifted its three-month ban on U.S. alcohol sales, but it remains in place elsewhere, and Ontario and Nova Scotia recently announced they would not order liquor stores to restock U.S. products. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been vocal about the impact. Article content 'Every year, LCBO sells nearly $1 billion worth of American wine, beer, spirits and seltzers. Not anymore,' he said. In 2024, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario reported more than $6.2 million worth of sales of beer from New England alone. Article content While most small craft brewers don't export their products, larger ones do, and they stand to lose tens of millions of dollars in lost sales in 2025 alone as a result of the Canadian sales ban. This is another trade irritant irking the U.S., according to US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra. Article content Like he did with Canada's now-dead Digital Services Tax, Trump may soon target these Canadian sales bans for leverage in the ongoing trade talks. Article content The final pint? Article content Craft brewing was a tough business before the tariffs. Last year, for the first time in two decades, more U.S. craft breweries closed than opened. Now, with packaging costs rising and trade uncertainty mounting, it's enough to drive some brewers to … well, drink, and hope for policy shifts. Article content Klein says policymakers should understand the demands Trump's tariffs are putting on smaller businesses. Article content 'I think the policymakers need to understand that the only thing they're doing is increasing costs for small businesses,' he says, noting how they're punishing him for buying aluminum cans, which he can't source in America. Article content Many American craft brewers notably do use U.S.-based distributors and suppliers, and Can One-USA, for example, set up shop just over a year ago to meet the needs of these smaller players, offering smaller minimum orders and warehousing options. But brewers with domestic supply chains are still facing higher prices, thanks to the market uncertainty. Article content Article content If trade tensions escalate, Klein warns that many small breweries may not make it. Article content 'If the trade war escalated such that you couldn't buy cans cost-effectively from Canada or from somewhere else, and the American companies didn't lower their prices or lower their minimum order quantities, I think that would absolutely affect what we could do in the future.' Article content As U.S. craft brewers grapple with soaring aluminum costs and squeezed margins, the retaliatory Canadian sales bans on American beer and liquor add a painful blow, cutting off their biggest export market and threatening millions in sales. Article content
Irish Times
25-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Despair among young people ‘really, really scary', Brendan Gleeson says at hospice fundraiser
Growing distrust and demoralisation, 'tantamount to despair', particularly among young people, is becoming 'really, really scary', actor Brendan Gleeson has said. Speaking on Wednesday in support of a fundraising drive for hospice services on Dublin's northside, Gleeson urged media organisations to give more space to similar, positive stories. 'The demoralisation of people is to me really, really scary now. It is getting to a place where everywhere you look the idea of there being a better side to people is being undermined ... I think it is really important to record there are good things happening in the world. 'It is not right that people, especially young people, are drawn into what is tantamount to despair,' he said. READ MORE Referring to his experiences with St Francis hospice in Raheny, where his mother Pat died in 2007 and father Francis passed away in 2010, he said there was 'something about this place' that at times of great pain, fear and confusion 'made the world make sense'. The hospice's ethos, of prioritising 'minding the person' and their family, was 'so affecting'. Rather than feeling debilitated by his grief, the hospice helped him feel 'invigorated [by] the nature of life as a continuum [and] death a natural thing'. His family experienced 'kindness, goodness and embrace ... I do feel a bit evangelical about [the hospice] when you see how it brings the best out in people'. Wednesday's event marked the start of St Francis hospice's 'buy a brick' campaign, where people and businesses are invited to purchase virtual bricks for €25, €100 or €250, and leave messages on a virtual wall. The charity aims to raise €20 million to build a new facility in Raheny on land gifted to it, adjacent to the current service. The new building will have 24 private rooms, replacing the in-patient hospice which includes shared rooms. The HSE is co-funding the project which the charity hopes to open by the end of 2027. Fintan Fagan, chief executive of St Francis hospice, which also provides palliative care at its Blanchardstown facility, said 'modern care' required that patients would have 'privacy and dignity' along with space for family if they wished to stay overnight. 'The current in-patient unit can care for around 6,750 patients over the next 25 years but with the planned expansion to 24 single rooms, this capacity will rise to 9,600 patients. 'That means it will serve at least 2,850 additional individuals than the current in-patient unit would allow. In all, the new in-patient unit will positively impact the lives of about 100,000 patients and their loved ones over the next 25 years.' Describing the campaign as 'literally brick-by-brick', Gleeson said it protected the hospice's communal, voluntary ethos. 'It is ours. As long as this is coming from the community it means that it starts on a basis of generosity of the public and of people who want to get involved.' He is preparing to play the lead role of Jack in Conor McPherson's play The Weir in Dublin and London from August. He was drawn to McPherson's 'beautiful writing' and an ending where 'people choose the better part of themselves', he says. 'I reserve the right to see goodness in people and to insist it is a really important aspect of our humanity that we are not catering to.' Though surrounded by 'complex, complex difficulties' we 'are capable of solving them', he says. 'But only if we come back to start believing in each other and ourselves, and find some way to re-establish aspects of trust that are in terrible danger of being completely destroyed. 'The hospice is the embodiment of that kindness, community and generosity we need.'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cumberland Council approve plans for new property
A NEW property can be built in the Northside area of Workington after planners at Cumberland Council granted initial planning permission. The planning application, which was for outline planning consent with all matters reserved, was for a site in Mitchell Avenue and it was granted subject to planning conditions on Monday (June 23). It was for either two semi-detached properties or one detached house and, according to the officer's report, Workington town council raised no objections to the proposed development. A planning report states: 'The dwellings surrounding the site are served by a mix of on-street and off-street parking, and therefore officers consider either option could be acceptable to serve the dwellings. 'Although given the green to the north, access would need to be from Mitchell Avenue. The existing property has a garden to the front and rear of the property. It is proposed these will be retained. 'Officers consider these to be of appropriately sized amenity area to serve the existing dwelling. The side garden will be developed for housing.' The report states that, in considering the size of the plot, it has the potential to accommodate two properties, although impacts on the adjacent dwellings and their existing windows will need to be considered when designing the dwellings and siting within the plot. It adds: 'The surrounding dwellings are two storey in nature, and therefore subject to design, either single or two storey could be acceptable. 'Officers consider that an appropriate design for the proposed dwelling and boundary treatments can be achieved on site which will protect the amenity of the existing and proposed dwellings.' The report concludes that the principle of building one or two dwellings on the site is considered acceptable and achieves a satisfactory relationship with the surrounding built format of Workington. Because the application was for outline planning permission exact details about the development will be submitted at some point in the future.
