Friday, February 03, 2006
Friday Fun - News in Brief
Friday Fun's News in Brief returns to give you a recap of some of the news stories you may have missed over the past week. Here's a brief summary...
Experts who conducted tests on 40 songbirds found dead in Vienna say they didn’t die of bird flu as initially feared, but slammed into windows after becoming intoxicated from eating fermented berries.
The birds – whose remains were carefully examined to ensure they were not victims of avian influenza – had livers so diseased "they looked like they were chronic alcoholics," Sonja Wehsely, a spokeswoman for Vienna’s veterinary authority, told Austrian television today.
All died of broken necks after slamming into windowpanes, apparently after gorging themselves on berries that had begun to rot, turning the juice inside to alcohol, Wehsely said.
Rumour has it that the EU will soon be taking steps to combat the threat posed by this 'bird alcoholism'. The public has been urged to be vigilant. Irish authorities were in fact alerted to a potential case of bird alcoholism when reports of drunken birds were spotted around Parnell Street.
They were later confirmed to be in fact Irish women.
In other news the Director of Consumer Affairs has advised consumers to keep an eye on prices when shopping for Valentine's Day cards.
An inspection by Carmel Foley's office has found that one quarter of shops are failing to display the price of their cards, as required by the law. Ms Foley has urged consumers to report any premises that is not clearly displaying prices and has promised to follow up on any such complaints.
I decided to investigate the matter further by asking Dubliners what they thought on the matter. Anto Fitzpatrick, who did not wish to be named, had this to say:
"Buyin' Valentine's cards for the Mrs is a right pain in the hole. I just avoid it altogether d'ya know what I mean? That'll sort this problem out as well. Keep this off the record but I'm seeing this bird on the side and I'm wonderin' if I should get her somethin'.
The thoughts of Anto Fitzpatrick there. I wish him and his wife a great Valentine's...
And now to wrap up with some of the key images of the week...
With the woman he supported, Tarja Halonen, victorious in the Finnish General Election, a jubilant Conan O'Brien takes to the streets to celebrate...
As Graeme Souness attempts to adapt to life being unemployed, two men encourage him to look on the positive side of doing nothing.
And finally, in light of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledging not to have sex before the April 9 election, a British politician gives his views on the idea.
So there you have it folks. The news in brief.
Experts who conducted tests on 40 songbirds found dead in Vienna say they didn’t die of bird flu as initially feared, but slammed into windows after becoming intoxicated from eating fermented berries.
The birds – whose remains were carefully examined to ensure they were not victims of avian influenza – had livers so diseased "they looked like they were chronic alcoholics," Sonja Wehsely, a spokeswoman for Vienna’s veterinary authority, told Austrian television today.
All died of broken necks after slamming into windowpanes, apparently after gorging themselves on berries that had begun to rot, turning the juice inside to alcohol, Wehsely said.
Rumour has it that the EU will soon be taking steps to combat the threat posed by this 'bird alcoholism'. The public has been urged to be vigilant. Irish authorities were in fact alerted to a potential case of bird alcoholism when reports of drunken birds were spotted around Parnell Street.
They were later confirmed to be in fact Irish women.
In other news the Director of Consumer Affairs has advised consumers to keep an eye on prices when shopping for Valentine's Day cards.
An inspection by Carmel Foley's office has found that one quarter of shops are failing to display the price of their cards, as required by the law. Ms Foley has urged consumers to report any premises that is not clearly displaying prices and has promised to follow up on any such complaints.
I decided to investigate the matter further by asking Dubliners what they thought on the matter. Anto Fitzpatrick, who did not wish to be named, had this to say:
"Buyin' Valentine's cards for the Mrs is a right pain in the hole. I just avoid it altogether d'ya know what I mean? That'll sort this problem out as well. Keep this off the record but I'm seeing this bird on the side and I'm wonderin' if I should get her somethin'.
The thoughts of Anto Fitzpatrick there. I wish him and his wife a great Valentine's...
And now to wrap up with some of the key images of the week...
With the woman he supported, Tarja Halonen, victorious in the Finnish General Election, a jubilant Conan O'Brien takes to the streets to celebrate...
As Graeme Souness attempts to adapt to life being unemployed, two men encourage him to look on the positive side of doing nothing.
And finally, in light of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledging not to have sex before the April 9 election, a British politician gives his views on the idea.
So there you have it folks. The news in brief.
# posted by United Irelander @ 4:20 AM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
