Breast cancer awareness month 2024 began on Tuesday, October 1st and will continue until Thursday October 31st next.
All Irish Supermarkets, over the past two years, have significantly increased their retail prices on many items and yes, to my thinking, both breast cancer and Supermarket products are both inextricably linked, presently leaving both impossible to disentangle or separate.
My focus here in Thurles today was attracted to a product offered in plastic wrapping, containing 5Bockwurst Sausages, (asking price €4.29). The product is manufactured by the German firm Dulano, latter who claim ‘Farm to fork” traceability.
Bockwurst is a German sausage traditionally made from ground pork or veal, but tending more towards veal. Bockwurst is flavoured with salt, white pepper and paprika. Other herbs, such as marjoram, chives and parsley, are also often added and in Germany, Bockwurst is often smoked as well.
Nowadays, it can be purchased all year round almost everywhere in Germany, in butcher’s shops, cheaper restaurants, snack bars, food booths, some bakeries and even gas stations. Here in Thurles Co. Tipperary it can be purchased from the German International discount retailer chain Lidl, same which operate over 12,000 stores within the European Union.
Yuka Application: View HERE Using the 100% independent, free ‘Yuka App’, which it is now imperative for everyone shopping in supermarkets to download to their smart phones, (because of its welcome ability to decipher product labels, while analysing the health impact of most food products and cosmetics, via their barcode,) we are disappointed and alarmed to learn the following information:-
On the ‘Yuka App’, the Bockwurst Sausages product is declared ‘BAD’, and is rated at 0 out of 100, because of two hazardous additives, plus containing two much fat, and two much sodium.
The two hazardous preservatives are identified as being (1)Sodium Nitrite, (2)Diphosphates,
(1) Sodium Nitrite: Sodium nitration is hazardous and when combined with certain foods, nitrites may contribute to the development of nitrosamines, compounds classified by the international agency for research on cancer (IARC) as “probably carcinogenic to humans”. In 2022 the French agency for food environmental and occupational health and safety (ANSES) confirmed the carcinogenic and genotoxic effects of these compounds and recommended limiting the use of nitrate/nitrite additions in food products.
(2) Diphosphates:(Texturizing agent). Phosphate contains phosphorus a chemical element that is essential to the body. However excess phosphorus can disrupt bone mineralization; damage the kidneys, and increased the risk of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer the (EFSA) European food safety has indicated that phosphorus consumption exceeds the safe level of intake for part of the population.
This is just one of many products to be found in each of our Thurles supermarkets, placed there with no regard for consumers health; and retailed solely to generate massive profits.
We wonder why cancer is rapidly increasing and why our Irish hospitals are continuously overcrowded!The answer is most likely to be found in the food products located on our supermarket shelves, ignored by a VAT greedy government.
Two decades is too long to wait to fix Ireland’s deficient wastewater treatment plants, says EPA.
The number of towns and villages discharging raw sewage every day has reduced from 29 down to 16 since the beginning of 2023.
Wastewater treatment at 10 large towns and cities failed to meet European Union standards set to protect the environment.
Uisce Éireann’s delays in delivering improvements at priority areas, where wastewater is adversely impacting rivers and coastal waters are prolonging risks to water quality.
Wastewater discharged from over half of treatment plants did not always meet the licence standards set to prevent pollution.
The EPA’s Urban Wastewater Treatment in 2023 report, released today, highlights progress in wastewater treatment, including a 45% reduction in the number of towns and villages discharging raw sewage, since the start of 2023. Nevertheless, wastewater treatment at many areas is not good enough to prevent wastewater discharges from impacting the quality of rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters. All deficient wastewater works must be brought up to the standards required to protect the environment but, based on Uisce Éireann estimates, this could take over two decades and will require substantial investment. As it is not possible to fix all the problems in the short term, improvements must be prioritised where they are needed most. The EPA has identified 73 priority areas where improvements in wastewater treatment are most urgently needed to protect our environment. Uisce Éireann has not yet started upgrade works at half of these.
Sixteen towns and villages discharging raw sewage in mid-2024.
Launching the report, Dr Tom Ryan, EPA Director said: “Investment has resulted in stopping raw sewage discharges during the past year from 13 towns and villages that were priority areas highlighted by the EPA. This demonstrates that such investment protects our environment and benefits our local communities. The much-needed upgrade of Ireland’s largest treatment plant at Ringsend in Dublin, treating over 40 per cent of all national wastewaters, is now well advanced, and this is to be welcomed. However, wastewater discharges continue to be a significant pressure on water quality in many of our rivers, estuaries, lakes and coastal waters. Without an ambitious and sustained investment programme to build out our wastewater treatment infrastructure it could take over two decades to achieve the required standards to protect the environment. At an operational level, Uisce Éireann’s slow progress in designing and delivering the solutions needed at the waters most affected by wastewater discharges are prolonging impacts on water quality. Uisce Éireann must prioritise the prompt delivery of these essential works.”
The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive sets general European wide treatment standards for large towns and cities. Ten areas, including Dublin, failed these basic standards in 2023. Wastewater discharge licences issued by the EPA to Uisce Éireann may specify more stringent standards than those in the Directive when such standards are necessary to prevent and reduce pollution of waters. Over half of licensed treatment plants discharge wastewater that does not always meet these licence standards.
Noel Byrne, EPA Programme Manager, said:“Wastewater discharge licences issued by the EPA set out the treatment standards needed to prevent pollution by wastewater discharges and protect our rivers and coastal waters. It is unacceptable that over half of licensed treatment plants do not always meet these standards, with issues ranging from short term breaches of treatment standards up to continuous discharges of raw sewage. The short term breaches should be resolved through effective management and maintenance of equipment. Uisce Éireann must address infrastructural deficits at the priority areas highlighted by the EPA during its 2025 to 2029 investment cycle. This will help deliver significant environmental benefits and protect water quality.”
The report includes a range of recommendations for Uisce Éireann, including the need to speed up its overdue assessments of how wastewater discharges impact shellfish waters, and to collect better information about discharges of untreated wastewater through storm water overflows.
Meanwhile, no public update on progress being made in relation to the River Suir in Thurles; promised by the Local Authority Waters Programme, (LAWPRO).
McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland Ltd intend to apply to Tipperary Co. Council for permission to develop lands on Slievenamon Road, latter adjoining the, as yet, unfunded Thurles Inner Relief road, at Thurles, in Co. Tipperary. (Latter beside the German International discount retailer Lidl, owned by the Schwarz Group).
From the site notice, erected by Ms Eva Bridgeman, (Agent-Downey, 29 Merrion Square, Dublin), first erected on September 20th last, we learn of McDonald’s proposed plans.
The development will consist of a single story ‘drive-thru’ restaurant, including the ancillary sales of hot food for consumption of and on the premises, with an associated coral area, elevated signage, with modifications to the existing vehicle access at the Thurles relief road.
Also required is car parking, including accessible parking spaces; grill bays; EV charging spaces; bicycle parking; a height restrictor; customer order points with associated canopies; totem signage (latter powerful external advertising platforms that act a bit like billboards); free standing signage; banner frames and digital menu boards; an ESB substation and kiosk; landscaping, including an outdoor furniture seating area with parasols; boundary treatments; lighting, and all associated site and engineering works necessary to facilitate the now sought development.
Currently there are 24 restaurant/takeaways in the just the side streets of this our much loved tiny town, each offering food daily for sale. [ 8 already on Slievenamon Road between Thurles Golf Club and the junction with Liberty Square; 2 on Parnell Street; 2 on Bakers Street; 3 on Friar Street; 3 on Kickham Street and Dublin Road; 3 on Mitchel Street; 2 and possibly a 3rd due to open on Cathedral Street, and 1 on O’Donovan-Rossa Street.] Then there are the 13 excellent establishments/outlets all daily selling food on Liberty Square in the town centre.
This brings the total number of establishments equipped to retail food in Thurles town to 39 outlets, As our readers will understand, the town economy really needs now is a drive-thru restaurant positioned on a non funded, non-existent inner relief road, to bring the total number of food outlets to that nice round figure of 40.
The phrase “a nation of shopkeepers” was an expression used to refer to the United Kingdom in 1794, used in a derogatory sense by French revolutionary Bertrand Barère. Today one could refer to Thurles as “a town of food outlets”.
Over four weeks ago (August 18th) we highlighted attempts, by one or other motorised vehicle, to re-design the “Watery Mall” Famine Wall, located on Robert Emmet (Emmett) Street, Thurles, immediately behind Tesco Supermarket.
Pictures taken of front & rear of the damaged wall on Robert Emmet Street. Pic’s: G. Willoughby.
The rear of this wall, shown immediately above, has now begun to crumble. Because the area has been allowed to fall into an unexceptable state by Thurles “nettle huggers”, its unkempt state is regularly the haunt of children who see this disordered and ungroomed zone as a favourite playground, where they can hide, see and not be seen, by passers-by.
Thurles Municipal District officials have been notified by email.
Meanwhile, following our video, published on August 29th last (VIEW HERE) , the “Ring Buoy” stolen and missing for months has been replaced. So also the river walk has now had the host of overhanging nettles and briars cut back on the tarmacked pathway, situated between Lidl and Thurles Shopping Centre.
Alas, further down while an effort was made by persons unknown to clear a path travelling southward to Suir Island, those involved obviously got ‘fed up’ and ‘pissed off’, or got ‘pissed off’ and ‘fed up’, whatever. See picture hereunder.
No real effort made to clear a path through the acre of nettles south of the river walk to Suir Island. Pic: G. Willoughby.
Alas, the request to Supermarkets on August 20th, in this area (VIEW HERE), to remove their shopping trolleys from the river has, for the most part, gone ignored.
Time now to affect a byelaw re. such trolleys and issue fines, seizing these trolleys until same fines are paid. It should be noted that the basic metal trolley dumped in the river Suir, costs €180.00 each, and supermarket customers pay for the loss and replacement of same, through a percentage increase in the goods that consumers purchase within that Supermarket.
With the closure of the Thurles town car park beside ‘The Source’; parking for all vehicles used by persons attempting to do business or attend religious services in Thurles is now at a premium.
The car park rented by Tipperary Co. Council, situated south east of the Munster Hotel, for the past at least two years has 3 car parking spaces, unavailable due to a fallen tree.
The tree, latter a victim of a wind storm two years ago, luckily now hides a vast amount of litter, were Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) ever to come a calling. See images hereunder.
Litter permitted to congregate behind a fallen tree in Munster Hotel Car Park for past 2 years. Pic. G. Willoughby
Meanwhile; the people anxious and encouraged to attend Thurles Swimming Pool and Thurles Leisure Centre, latter erected by funding from local rate payers; the owners, managers and beneficiaries being Tipperary Co. Council, are forced to park on double continuous yellow lines, due to this aforementioned closure.
Speaking of Thurles Swimming Pool; to the rear of this building administration appears to be missing here also. It appears what isn’t readily on view to the public doesn’t exist. See images hereunder.
Dumped filters, mats and cardboard strewn at rear of Thurles swimming pool. Pic. G. Willoughby.
Just a few metres away the large car park underneath ‘The Source’ building, remains closed to the public, since March 2020. Despite no public access, three cars were parked in this underneath car park today, possibly owned by persons working in the building. However, the interior continues to show no effort is being made to repair the never completed ceiling insulation, torn down by the idle hands of vandals.
Sad and deplorable state, for the past 4 year, of this never sealed interior ceiling insulation, pictured today (22/8/2024), from within ‘The Source’ car parking area . Pic. G. Willoughby.
One hastens to add, where was the CCTV supposedly operating in the area, when this same vandalism was in progress? The time has come for either resignations or indeed sackings from within the Thurles Municipal Council official grouping, due to their inability to manage our town, allowing it to slide, headlong, downhill in a deafening silence.
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