Laudato Si’ Advent is one of my favourite seasons where we are encouraged to embrace waiting and hope. If 2020 has taught us nothing else, it has certainly shown us what it is like to wait! Perhaps it has also reminded us of what it is like to hope, to hope for an end to…
Minister for Health announces the allocation strategy for COVID-19 vaccines The strategy prioritises those over the age of 65 living in long-term care facilities, frontline healthcare workers who are in direct patient contact and those aged 70 and over. Minister Stephen Donnelly also announced that there should be no barrier to people accessing a vaccine,…
Mindful Living On each Sunday of Advent we light a new candle in the Advent Wreath. The candles represent hope, peace, love and joy reflecting the fruits of the Spirit as described by St Paul in Galatians 5:22. Because meditation helps to awaken us to the spirit within, these fruits, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…
Iconic Dinosaur’s injuries come to light through Queen’s-led research The first Parasaurolophus discovered – the same species which features in the popular Netflix series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous – is likely to have been injured by a falling tree, a study led by a researcher from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) has discovered. Filippo Bertozzo, a…
Sweet Treats This German gingerbread, known as lebkuchen, has the perfect balance of sweet and spiced. This version is even tastier as the biscuits are filled with raspberry. Other flavours like apricot or cherry, also work really well, or you can keep it simple and not fill them at all! Heart-shaped lebkuchen look extra decorative…
Children’s Corner Some people will be hoping for a white Christmas this year but what is snow and what natural conditions are necessary for it to be created? There is an easy and fun science experiment you can do at home that will allow anyone to make their own snow crystals. You can learn how…
Wristbands to help find missing people with dementia Wristbands which can help locate missing people with dementia have given families “peace of mind”, according to a BBC report. The bracelets, developed by emergency services and charities in Somerset, store essential information about the wearer including their name and next of kin. The information can be…
Medical Matters Our lives have changed in so many ways as a result of the pandemic, which has impacted negatively on health-related behaviours such as alcohol consumption, smoking, diet and physical activity. This will not come as any surprise given that surveys suggest that up to half of the population have experienced moderate levels of…
In the middle of a nail-biting US election this month, an event occurred which may have passed people by, but which has huge consequences for our common home. Three years ago, the Trump administration announced that it was pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, a decision which came into effect on…
New vaccines showing positive signs There’s hope on the horizon as two major pharmaceutical companies have announced successful tests of vaccines for Covid-19 Vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have both proven more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19, based on interim data from a late-stage clinical trial. Pending more safety data and regulatory review, the…
Chai Brady
Dr Kevin McCarroll