Opinion

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Were you unfortunate enough to be amongst the 16% of home insurance claimants who discovered too late that they were underinsured? Hopefully not. Have you reviewed your house insurance cover recently in the light of inflation and soaring building costs? According to experts, if you are under-insured and make a …

BY CLAIR WHITTY Magnesium is one of the most important minerals required by the body for health and one I get asked about frequently at the shop. Magnesium is easily depleted; stress, processed food, and caffeine will cause Magnesium loss. It’s responsible for over 300 functions in the body, definitely too many to cover here, …

AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON Imagine that you are bracing yourself to book a business trip or holiday, flights, transfers, hotel restaurants and all the rest. But instead of having to battle with annoying websites there is a convenient way to line up all the reservations with the efficiency of James Bond’s Miss Moneypenny. …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS The tiny fingers. Just four weeks in this world. Holding on to something warm and made of flesh. Tactile. Holding on to an aged and bony, if not yet quite withered, finger of — though she does not know it yet — her granddad on her mother’s side. …

BY NED EGAN Part 13 Silence now hung heavy between father and daughter – Mikey isn’t sure what Molly’ll do if he ‘rushes’ her. He’s no fool, and is well aware that discretion is advisable when you’re up front – at the ‘business end’ – of a weapon. Especially if it’s a shotgun – and …

By Paul Hopkins A majority of Democrats now think one term is enough for President Joe Biden, despite his insistence that he plans to seek re-election in 2024. Although there has been no formal declaration yet. According to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research just 37% of Democrats say …

A look at what Donald Trump’s next moves might be , and at the Democrats who think Joe Biden should not run for a second term in the White House By Paul Hopkins Were it all to come home to roost for Donald Trump – last week’s impeachment, the January 6 Inquiry, the Georgia state …

FURTHERMORE  By Gerry Moran I watched a documentary about the actor Charles Bronson (1921-2003) on television recently. Bronson, known for his granite features and brawny physique, was the archetypical screen tough guy. And I loved him. Loved him in The Mechanic (1972) and Death Wish (1974) remakes of which featured Jason Statham, another archetypical screen …

BY JOHN FITZGERALD PART TWO Bishop Ledrede may or may not have believed the long list of allegations against Alice. But there was something else he disliked about her. She was an independent spirit who was never afraid to express an opinion or contradict church teaching. She questioned the Church’s doctrines and had a liberal …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Do you know what your credit score is and how it applies to you? Have you been refused a loan recently and as far as you are concerned you are a good bet? The refusal is probably due to your ‘credit score’. Credit scores are an essential part of financial …