Crisis pregnancy, fornication and no action on X
Our esteemed leaders have voted to reject legislation which would have permitted abortions to be carried out in Ireland under limited circumstances. During the X Case 20 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion should be legal when a...
The Gripes of Wrath
And completing a triptych of Bruce-related posts, here’s our review of Wrecking Ball, published in the current HP: Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball (Columbia) Let us now praise angry old men. Bruce Springsteen’s 17th album Wrecking Ball might be broadly described...
Free HIV and STI testing on 9 May
Nobody likes thinking they may have a sexually transmitted disease, but if you’ve ever had sex without a condom, and that’s most people, it makes sense to get tested. The Dublin Aids Alliance are offering free HIV and STI Testing...
The Times looked at Jonny
Apologies for the wrong steer re Springsteen on the Works. The review should run in or around March 22nd. Meanwhile, here’s the NY Times report on Bruce’s Apollo show last Friday. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/10/bruce-springsteen-apollo-theater-new-york/ And while you’re in the vicinity, here’s a...
BOOBS = CAREER BOOST?
In the forthcoming issue of Hot Press I’m writing about men who stare at women’s boobs (and women who stare at men’s assets too!). So I was pleased to come across this little gem which claims that 1 in 7...
Wrecking Ball: The Works
We’ll be on RTE’s The Works tomorrow night (Thursday 8th) talking to John Kelly about Bruce Springsteen’s new album Wrecking Ball. Our full review will appear in tomorrow’s issue of HP. Wrecking Ball live at Giant's Stadium...
Feminist Porn Awards
One of the big debates within feminism is whether or not porn is always degrading to women. Some say yes, some say no, and some say, that like most things in life, “it depends.” Since 2006 the landmark Toronto sex...
The Late William Gay
The opening paragraph of the NY Times’s obit report says it all: “William Gay, a self-taught novelist from rural Tennessee who emerged from obscurity in his late 50s with critically praised books in the Southern Gothic style, died last Thursday...
WOMEN MAKE MEN STUPID. REALLY?
That’s according to research from the Netherlands where scientists claim they have evidence showing that even planning on talking to a woman negatively affects a man’s ability to think. The whole thing seems pretty insulting to men, as if the...
Nelson’s Columns
Not many music writers warrant a biography. Lester Bangs was one. Maybe Tosches or Kent. But Everything Is An Afterthought, by Kevin Avery, is a singular piece of work, a hybrid bio and anthology. Nelson was the Orson Welles of...
Ever wondered where words like slut and playboy come from?
I did. And the Oxford English Dictionary provided the answer. Recently I wrote a post for the Oxford Dictionaries Blog about sexist language to tie in with International Women’s Day. One of the things I was curious about was why...
Regarding L. Cohen
The Rev Murphy’s piece on Leonard Cohen for The Works is now online. El Murphy and L. Cohen...
To Beard or Not to Beard?
Oh oh! Apparently women don’t like beards – that’s according to a scientific survey. The boffins tell us that beards make men seem older and more aggressive. Hmmm… I had my doubts about this one. Lots of my lady friends...
Up for oxygen…
…after four days of bed rest, liquids etc. Infirmities permitting, tomorrow we’ll be in Kilmainham filming a short piece on L. Cohen’s Old Ideas for RTE’s The Works. Meanwhile, here’s our review of William Gibson’s Distrust That Particular Flavor, which...
Do men have more sexual partners than women?
If new data from the UK’s National Health Service is to be believed, straight men average ten female sexual partners over the course of a lifetime while women have just five. I’m confused… How exactly is that possible? This would...
Greetings from Comaville
Back from Belturbet for a three day breather before returning to work with Kevin McCann on Coma next week. Auditions very interesting. Writing for radio is a whole other thing. You’re finding words for the larynx, not the page. Meanwhile,...
