Saturday, March 15, 2008

Human rights, poetic redress
In his introduction to a major series of new writing in The Irish Times marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Seamus Heaney reflects on how the Declaration's 30 Articles remain a profound force for historical good p

A powerful man who paid the highest price for sex
The fall from grace of the governor of New York, after it was revealed he was spending large sums on escorts, has led to speculation about the sexual appetites of the ultra-rich, who have the wherewithal to indulge their fantasies writes Denis Staunton . p

Clear memories of dark days
In the build-up to the invasion of Baghdad, Lara Marlowe reported on a city and people under relentless bombardment. On its fifth anniversary, she recalls the launch of 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' p

Who is friendly, funny and likes a drink?
As St Patrick's Day approaches, and our national saint is toasted, just what does 'Irishness' mean in 2008? Pedestrians on Dublin's O'Connell Street give their answers, both good and bad p
Teeth returned to food critics
Present Tense: During a four-year spell as this newspaper's TV reviewer, I would get an occasional, but forceful, sense of a subject's displeasure. I was once called a cretin on live radio, writes Shane Hegarty . p
Tough talk on cheap boozing
This week, the Taoiseach said he would address factors contributing to alcohol abuse. But some question whether the political commitment is really there, writes Carl O'Brien . p
'Old goldmine' corner shops now facing the chop
Under pressure from supermarkets and 'symbol' groups, independent corner stores are an endangered species, but what's the social cost of their disappearance? asks Paul Cullen. p
Where the bull is boss
With bull-riding, the fastest-growing sport in the US, it's the possibility of blood and gore as much as the skill that hooks the fans, writes Marion McKeone p
Peter the pragmatist
He's come a long way from tinted glasses, and when Ian Paisley's longtime deputy becomes DUP leader and First Minister in May, Dublin, London and even Sinn Féin, all seem convinced that he will make powersharing work, writes Gerry Moriarty . p
Seven days
A glance at the week that was p