Weekend Gist: Flabby News bit, Glossy Bit, Slice of Life
News bit
The media's love of fellas who'll leave their natural habitat of the golf club bar and tell you what they really think of travellers and women continued this week on TV golf club bar, the Late Late Show.
Ignoring the specific spoutings (which is what every normal person learns to do when encountering this sort of boor) this capped a very bad month for the media. More concerning for those of us who have to live in the society that media reports on, there is precious little sign of any reflection or introspection.
As so frequently is the case, the exception has been this article from the Dublin Inquirer, which did the work of quantifying just how much his statements about travellers turned Casey into the darling of the press. He's the purple bar below. Remember it the next time you hear a journalist tell you they're just neutrally giving equal time to all candidates.
So expensive
Here at the Weekend Gist, we're committed to giving you the opportunity to enjoy a full colour photo of a consumer good you can't afford, but which is pleasurable to look at. This week, a piece of jewelry from Stonechat. They make their own in their shop in the Westbury Mall in Dublin and you can watch the talented lady silver smithing away at shiny metal. For me, seeing someone skilled making something is a pleasure in itself. Anyway, I like this silver necklace, because I really love the National Museum's torc collection which it's a nod to. There's a bigger one as well, for ladies who go to the theatre, wearing scarves. But this one is 17mm wide, and, designed by Ann Chapman, it's €150.
Closing column of whimsy
Every weekend publication closes out with a slice of life. Due to an unexpected interaction with a reversing car, I visited an A&E dept this week. In and out in 8 hours, the main thing that occurred to me was that the worst of the three waiting rooms I visited was the one that had a big TV showing Sky news with the sound on.
In a way, cable news is the spiritual enemy of The Gist, being news delivered at great length without ever trying to learn anything from it. Adding a TV to a public space is a sort of mild violence. Adding one showing a 24 hour news channel is a full blown assaut- something no A&E needs.
Anyway, I'm just going up to the club bar, does anyone want another G&T?
