I write into you again in sheer frustration at the waste of money being spent in Clondalkin lately. Over the last couple of years we have seen the so-called 'Towers' on New Road outside Dunnes Stores and the mess near Tully's Castle. These were built to highlight the entrances to the old village and then they were all taken down again except the one at Tully's Castle. The council, I am led to believe, had to spend this money or it would go back into general funds. Now this weekend they are tearing up Tower Road, which was re-surfaced lately.

Éanna Ní Lamhna outlines several options for getting through the long cold winter

As the US prepares for the November midterm elections, Democratic strength in the polls is feeding confidence among party members, but others point to the last election and warn that this confidence may be premature. By Adam Nagourney and Robin Toner

A survey of the Irish seabed commissioned by the government is set to be at least €50m over budget, 20 years overdue and missing the most relevant information. By Sara Burke

Eanna Ni Lamhna shares with us the (very scary!) contents of her postbag

Winter is a tough time for our garden birds. Putting out food for them is one of the best ways to help them survive. It is simple to do and will make it far easier for the birds to keep warm. It is also a fantastic way to observe them at close quarters and learn all about their fascinating behaviour.

We are still discussing and trying to deal with sexual abuse of children going back 50 years in institutions run by church and state. It appears, in light of the Leas Cross nursing home scandal, that we now have further abuse to deal with – physical abuse of our elderly. Shame on the Health Executive: they buried their heads in the sand in spite of prior warnings.

Éanna Ní Lamhna is outraged at the unfair – and downright untrue – press that our wildlife gets every Halloween

Amidst UN reports that 1.6 million Iraqis have fled the country, with a further 1.5 million displaced, the health situation is worse than ever. Few aid organisations work in Iraq, and for one small NGO, rebuilding and re-equipping a Basra hospital gets more difficult every day. By John Reynolds

Bertie Ahern, Michael McDowell and Martin Mansergh have cultivated a neo-populist image concerning the foundation history of this state based upon a nemine contradicente certainty of the morality of republican murder, and the patriotic myth, involved in the so-called fight for Irish freedom.