A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Index
What's hot
Sterling MossStyle bible W magazine dedicates 14 pages to dark angel Kate – sinister and amazing
Rory McIlroyGiving us some happy news (and showing his fun side when he played a few shots with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki in her exhibition match against Sharpova at Madison Square Garden)
The return of NigellaHer regular kitchen table dinner photographs are mouthwatering, but a kill-joy dietician has criticised them for their lack of vegetables. Sigh.
Tara Lynn, the pride of SeattleBeautiful girl, a plus-size model (size 16), who is always busy.
Nolan's ButchersThe family business in Kilcullen is voted best butcher in UK and Ireland at the Countryside Alliance Awards in London
Irish caviar ... yes, reallyFrom Kilkenny's Goatsbridge Trout Farm and already getting praise from the Russians
The smell of turf smokeWithout sounding too like a Bord na Mona ad, long live the real fire
Get the pinny outThe Ticket Movie Bites cook-a-long next Wednesday tackles Fat Clemenza's meatballs and watching The Godfather. Join in on facebook.com/irishtimestheticketand via @thetwicket on Twitter
What's not
Another referendumThis country has referendum fatigue
The death of Davy Jones from the MonkeesMade us feel old
'Prime Time'A big turn off
The pre-cooked fried eggIf we're going to preserve the Full Irish, as rightly recommended by Michael Vaughan of the Irish Hotels Federation, the egg must be cooked on demand
Cold weatherYikes! A nasty surprise
Text thanksGuests who thank you by text after you pushed the boat out and hosted a Saturday night dinner party at home – come on, pick up the phone for a chat, or what about an old-fashioned thank you note?
My right leg
Angelina Jolie’s leg is the latest thing to be parodied on Twitter. The account, @Angiesrightleg, was set up after Jolie appeared in an awkward pose at the Oscars. Caricatures of celebrities and their body part’s are common phenomena on the social networking site. One particularly entertaining impersonator, @SurisBurnBook links followers to a Mean Girls-style diary that chronicles “Suri and the people who disappoint her”. This parody sees Suri Cruise berate her fellow celebrity children for their grammatical errors, fashion choices and questionable friendships. She shows particular distaste for reality television stars, specifically the Kardashian sisters and Jessica Simpson. Suri’s arch nemesis is Beyoncé’s newborn, Blue Ivy Carter, who she sees as a genuine threat to her standing in Hollywood. The most amusing of Suri’s tirades stem from her utter intolerance of her father, Tom Cruise, and what she sees as his never-ending public humiliation of himself and thus of her too. She never quite got over the incident on Oprah’s couch.
Rachel Murphy
Irish Times Training is cutting €200 from the price of its ‘Tracing Your Irish Ancestors’ classroom-based course. Designed and delivered by genealogist John Grenham, this eight-week course will provide you with a guide to the records, resources and research techniques you’ll need to trace your family history. It runs over eight Wednesdays, 6-9pm, starting March 21st. The price is €599; book before March 17th to avail of the discount; tel: 01-4727101
Crafty way to avoid the parades
Carton House in Maynooth, Co Kildare will be celebrating St Patrick's Day with crafternoon tea – combining craft workshops and locally-sourced gourmet treats. There will be a knitting clinic hosted by the experts from This is Knit in Dublin's Powerscourt Townhouse, along with pottery workshops and handbag making, with materials supplied. Cathal Kavanagh, executive chef, has created a menu of traditional Irish fare, which will be served in the kitchen bar. Crafternoon tea costs €15 for adults and €10 for children; under fives go free, See cartonhouse.com, tel: 01-5052000.
Rosemary MacCabe
Give your gold a facelift
Since 2007, when Ireland was hit by the recession, shops have been popping up everywhere offering to buy your old, no longer used gold. The idea was hugely successful, and buyers and sellers alike profited. But if you'd prefer to use your old gold, Eva Dorney, a goldsmith, can recycle it into brand new, gorgeous pieces of jewellery. It's good for the environment and financially prudent, yet it is still stylish and fashion forward. See
Evadorney.com.
Emma Stein
Free to be who she wants to be
Pink-haired, free-spirited beauty Charlotte Free is the new type of model on the block, and we'll be seeing more of her. She has modelled for Vivienne Westwood, Marchesa, Jeremy Scott and many others and has done shoots with Vogue and V magazine. Completely unique and fabulously quirky, she is well on her way to supermodel status.
Emma Stein
Flower power
Claire Ryan is the Informal Florist (
theinformalflorist.com) and she prides herself on creating floral arrangements that are relaxed, unstructured bouquets and posies housed in the most unlikely of vessels. Ryan says she is "crazy for beautiful flowers that are creatively presented and housed in unexpected and upcycled containers", which she sources "in charity shops, car boot sales or even the bin".
Ryan has a pop-up shop today in Fallon Byrne on Dublin's Exchequer Street (9am-6pm). You can expect plenty of pop-coloured tins and vibrant, playful displays. She does personal flowers for all occasions, as well as floral designs for weddings and events.
Rosemary MacCabe
Catch them if you can
Never before has there been so much competition in the weighroom, only this time it's female. Irish lady jockeys are increasingly taking home the silverware in National Hunt Racing, with two of our best known – Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh – competing for sunccess at the Cheltenham Festival next week. These two riders have altered the perception of women in the sport from being "female riders" to simply top jockeys in their own right. Last year Nina Carberry won the Irish Grand National, becoming only the second woman rider to win the race. Katie Walsh, sister of jockey Ruby Walsh and daughter of the commentator Ted, has also proved a leading rider over fences. She finished the 2011 Cheltenham festival with two winners, one of them fought out against the mount of Nina Carberry, who is also Katie's sister-in-law. These two riders, alongside Kate Harrington, Liz Lalor and Jane Mangan have been chosen by racing journalists as the Ladbrokes Grand National "Leading Ladies of Racing". Kate Harrington is an accomplished three-day event rider, and like Liz Lalor and Jane Mangan, has also had wins on the track. Expect some tight Cheltenham finishes fought out by our leading lady riders next week.
Suzanne Campbell
See Emma Cullinan's Take 3 hotels, featuring places to stay in Cheltenham
Word on the street Flawsome
What it means: Nobody wants to admit they're less than perfect, especially big brands and big corporations. Executives would rather throw themselves off the 50th floor than admit their company might sometimes make mistakes. And yet companies get it wrong all the time – it's human nature. Most try to gloss over their flaws, hoping the public will buy the spin. A small percentage, however, decided to show their human side, put their hands in the air and fess up to their mistakes. There's a new buzzword for this honest corporate attitude: Flawsome.
Where it comes from: Trendwatching.com, the website that tracks global consumer trends, has noted a new willingness among companies to hold their hands in the air when they mess up, to acknowledge negative reviews of their brand, and to even poke fun at their own drawbacks.
We may not be perfect, goes the message, but that doesn't mean we're not flawsome.
How to say it:So we do an ad admitting our after-shave doesn't make you irresistible to women, and get Jackie Healy-Rae to star in it – flawsome.
Kevin Courtney
