Opening lines:Give any young person the choice of reading a colourful comic or a Shakespearean tragedy and I don't need to tell you which one they'd go for. But what if you were to combine the two?
That's not quite as far-fetched an idea as it seems, because Japanese-style comic versions of two Shakespearean tragedies have just been published. The first plays in the UK-published Manga Shakespeare series are Hamlet, set in "cyberworld", and Romeo and Juliet, transposed to modern-day Tokyo. Aimed at young teenagers, the series uses Shakespearean language that is "specially abridged" for the manga style. £6.99. More from www.selfmadehero.com. Eimear McKeith
Cyber bard:There is not enough space to describe what takes place when Thomas Truax takes the stage. Bear in mind that he plays musical instruments that he has invented and made - and given names such as the Hornicator, Sister Spinster and the Stringaling - and that they produce the kind of whirs and clatters that electronic music still seems light years from mastering. Oh, and did we mention that many of his songs are about events in a fictional place called Wowtown? Even then, you really have to witness one of the one-man performance-art shows to understand what this idiosyncratic New Yorker is all about. (If you work it out, can you let us know?) You can catch him supporting Duke Special at Tripod, Dublin 2, on March 8th, 7.30pm. Fiona McCann
Flower power:One of the most influential figures in 20th-century American art, Georgia O'Keeffe was born of Irish ancestry in Wisconsin.
Over the 98 years of her life her unique vision became grafted on to the artistic traditions of her homeland. Now Imma, in Dublin, is offering you a chance to experience a decades-spanning selection of her work. The landscape of New Mexico dominated much of her output after her first visit to the area,
with O'Keeffe drawing on the desert and its vivid palette for many of the pieces on show. But for her flower abstracts alone - they are enlarged to fill entire canvases and, in the artist's words, "to make people see flowers whether they wanted to or not" - the newly-opened exhibition, running until May 13th, should not be missed. Fiona McCann
You've heard of RateMyTeachers.ie, but, given the state of the Irish healthcare industry, it was only a matter of time before the concept caught on for hospitals.
Healthy competition:So now, at www.ratemyhospital.ie, you can add your voice to the more than 6,000 who have already completed the site's survey of Irish healthcare facilities. The site, which is part of Irishhealth.com, also displays ratings in various forms, allowing users to search for special services and find out which hospitals fared best in that category. Choose gastroenterology, for example, and you'll find that Naas General Hospital comes up trumps according to the site's users. Urology? The Adelaide and Meath, in Tallaght, tops the poll. St Luke's in Rathgar is currently number one all-rounder, with a rating of 91 percent, while Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda is scraping the barrel at number 50. If you want to have your say, complete the online survey, which asks you to rate, among other things, your chosen hospital's parking facilities, food and child-friendliness. The ratings are updated every month. Fiona McCann
Oh la la:Make your way to the Mansion House, on Dawson Street, D2, between 10am and 6pm today for Tours de France, a tantalising taste of Gallic delights, including wine, food and holiday ideas. Entry is €5. See http://ie.franceguide.com. Eimear McKeith
Bargain alert: Benetton's sample sale of this year's spring-summer collection is at Boomer Ltd, in Astor Hall on Eden Quay, D1, until next Saturday. Go to the fourth floor, press six and the bell, complete the secret shopper's handshake and hand over the readies (01-8280820)