WE’RE stuffed with bad news and cynicism, and the clocks just went back, and it’s dark and miserable, and Christmas is coming (and who can afford that?), and now the Government is asking people to vote on some referendum — another one? — something to do with kids.

WE don’t credit the Brits with ‘giving’ us our country; or, at least, giving us the idea of it.

Moore Street used to be the epitome of auld Dublin but now resembles the street scenes from Blade Runner: an exotic mix of fruit and veg sellers, stalls offering designer bags of dubious provenance and rows of small shops selling supposedly smart phones.

From the ‘people-get-paid-to-do-this?’ department comes a study published in the respected academic journal Personality and Individual Differences.

LIKE internet stories about faked moon landings and how the ‘illuminati’ run the world, stories about public service special payments are legion.

BOOBS, and our attitudes towards them, seem to have dominated the news cycle over the last few days. Right now there’s many a gurgly tummy in the Irish Daily Star following its decision to publish photographs of Kate Middleton sunbathing topless.

ONE of the many fun aspects to following the US presidential election is the varied loo-lah groups who have to be pandered to by the respective candidates.

CHILDREN are not the best at making causal connections.

SORRY to be a grump, but now that the crappy summer is over, we can look forward to even worse weather, dragging the kids back to school and yet another budget aimed at eviscerating our incomes.

SO Katie Taylor wins a gold medal and thanks God.