Latest news with #Kildare
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Self-expression should be celebrated': Sylvanian Drama spills into real life as TikTok creator faces lawsuit
The internet-famous TikTok account Sylvanian Drama is now at the center of a real-world legal battle, as its creator faces a lawsuit from the brand behind the toys. Southwest Airlines' open seating is ending: Here's what the new 8-group boarding process will look like Here's exactly how much you'll save on your 2026 taxes, by income bracket: Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill benefits Why Third Amendment memes are suddenly taking over social media If you're unfamiliar, Sylvanian Drama features Sylvanian Families figurines (known as Calico Critters in the U.S.) acting out wild, often dark storylines involving kidnappings, drug abuse, and murder. One of its most viral videos, titled 'My Marriage Is Falling Apart,' has amassed 22.1 million views. A top comment calls it 'Shakespearean.' Thea Von Engelbrechten, based in Kildare, Ireland, launched the account in 2021. She later dropped out of college as the account exploded in popularity (it now has 2.5 million followers) and has since collaborated with brands like Netflix, Burberry, and Sephora. But in April, the drama left TikTok and landed in court. Epoch Company—the parent brand of Sylvanian Families—filed a copyright lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, as first reported by the Irish Independent. The company accuses Von Engelbrechten of copyright and trademark infringement, as well as unfair competition. According to the complaint, 'Defendant is 'working to build Sylvanian Drama's own brand image' as an advertising and content creation service provider at the expense of Epoch's goodwill it has built over decades,' Vulture reports. Epoch states that TikTok had removed some videos following a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice issued in October 2023. However, after failing to reach a lasting agreement with Von Engelbrechten, the company wrote that it 'had no choice but to file this lawsuit.' The case underscores a broader issue: the legal risks creators face when centering content around trademarked brands. Epoch is seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work, in addition to profits generated by the Sylvanian Drama account. A pretrial conference is scheduled for August 14, during which both legal teams will explore settlement options or prepare for trial. Von Engelbrechten has not publicly addressed the lawsuit, and Sylvanian Drama has not posted on any platform since January. (Fast Company has reached out to her for comment.) Meanwhile, fans have flooded the account's pinned videos with messages of support. 'Someone make her a GoFundMe,' one commenter wrote. Designer Jeffrey Men, creator of the toy company Fancy Teddy, tells Fast Company: 'Self-expression should be celebrated, not suppressed. As a small, creator-led brand, I stand with anyone reimagining what toys can mean.' This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
‘I couldn't hold a spoon': Former rehab patients on recovering from brain conditions
Mother-of-four Aideen Phelan was left with speech difficulties and a weakness in the right side of her body following a brain aneurysm in April 2023. She survived thanks to six surgeries at Beaumont Hospital but had an intense frustration with being unable to communicate with her four children. 'When I couldn't talk to my children, I was so angry', she said. 'If I didn't learn how to talk, I wouldn't be able to take care of my children, to be there 100 per cent with them.' Phelan, who works in a bookies in her hometown of Naas, Co Kildare, said her life has improved thanks to the care she received in Peamount rehabilitation centre in Newcastle, Co Dublin. She worked with an occupational therapist and speech and language therapist. Group sessions helped her to feel less alone in her recovery. READ MORE She went home to her children after five weeks of rehabilitation. 'When my own life was nearly gone, I was like: 'Right, what's important in my life?' Coming back to work and getting my speech back were one of the most important things I've ever had to do. 'Beaumont saved my life, but Peamount helped me to heal and gave me my life back,' she said. Phelan is one of three former patients of Peamount who spoke at an event hosted by Neurological Alliance of Ireland to mark World Brain Day. Also speaking at the event were Anne Marie Leonard (37), from Edenderry, Co Offaly, and Mike Preston, who lives in Lanesborough on the river Shannon, where he suffered a stroke aged 57. Anne Marie Leonard was able to relearn simple tasks with help from the therapists at the Peamount healthcare centre. Photograph: Alan Betson Leonard was working as a carer when she first experienced balance issues, found she knocked into things and fell without explanation. 'I never thought the roles would be reversed,' she said. After three months in Tullamore Hospital, she was admitted to Peamount healthcare centre. 'Medically, I was fine, it was rehabilitation I needed. I couldn't hold a spoon, I couldn't hold a fork to feed myself, I could do nothing. With the help of the physio and the occupational therapist and different aids and pieces of equipment, I regained it all.' She went home in July 2024 after seven months at the facility. 'I left using a rollator [mobility walker] and now I'm down to just using a stick. Had it not been for [Peamount], I would most likely still be spoon-fed and in a wheelchair,' she said. Preston said he 'wouldn't be anywhere near the person I am today without" the Peamount centre. He returned home fully mobile 3½ months after admission able to walk, talk and take care of himself. Mags Rogers, chief executive of the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, a network of 40 voluntary organisations, said the event aims to highlight an inequality in services for the 860,000 people across Ireland living with a neurological condition. Mags Rogers, chief executive of Neurological Alliance Ireland, which is calling for the Government to invest in 45 beds for neurological rehabilitation this year to address a national shortfall of 175 beds. Photograph: Alan Betson The alliance is calling for the Government to invest in 45 beds for neurological rehabilitation this year to address a national shortfall of 175 beds. It says this shortage was highlighted by the HSE in a report from last September. Ms Rogers said it can be a 'real challenge' to get into an inpatient service due to waiting lists. Then when people return to their communities they could be living in an area without a community neuro-rehabilitation team, she said. 'There's gaps at all stages. It's all fragmented.'
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (24) who fatally stabbed sister's partner found guilty of manslaughter
A 24-year-old man who told gardaí he was "so drunk" that he couldn't remember fatally stabbing his sister's partner once in the chest with a kitchen knife following a dispute has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by a Central Criminal Court jury. The panel of eight men and four women unanimously rejected the prosecution case that Valeriu Melnic was guilty of murder, despite evidence he had told Ion Daghi "I will kill you" when the deceased had tried to calm him down. Advertisement The State had submitted this was the "clearest statement of intent" that the jury were likely to encounter. Moldovan national Melnic, with an address at Calliaghstown Lower, Rathcoole, Co Dublin had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Daghi (39) at The Close, Sallins Park, Sallins in Co Kildare on May 12th 2024. In seeking a verdict of manslaughter for his client, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, told the jurors in his closing address that the issue of intoxication was "all over" the case and that the consumption of three bottles of "firewater" had an effect on everyone that night. Counsel submitted that whiskey can have a remarkable transformation on people's moods and how they behave. Melnic told gardaí in his interviews that he couldn't remember stabbing his sister's partner with the knife as he was so drunk but later said that "all the evidence pointed" to him being "the only one responsible". Advertisement Mr Grehan also argued in his closing speech that if everybody who said the words 'I will kill you' in a fight were guilty of murder, the State wouldn't be able to build prisons fast enough. "People say things not meaning them," he submitted. Whereas, Carl Hanahoe SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, submitted in his closing address that Mr Daghi had entered his kitchen when a struggle pursued between the defendant and his sister. "It wasn't the entry of a bull or a bear, it was a man entering saying 'calm down, calm down'". The defence had asked for a verdict of manslaughter on the basis of intoxication or the partial defence of provocation, which can reduce an intentional killing from murder to manslaughter. Mr Grehan said there wasn't any doubt but that a provocative act had occurred to his client, who he said was "badly beaten" and had reacted to that. Advertisement He said the defendant had picked up a knife in the heat of the moment, where passions did not have time to cool. "Provocation is a reaction to something that causes you to boil over; and boil over he did and cause the death of the deceased". Curiously, the lawyer submitted that Melnic did not recall being hit over the head by the deceased with the leg of a chair and the only thing he could remember was Mr Daghi having his hands around his neck trying to strangle him. He said nine hours after the defendant's arrest, scrape marks or finger marks were found on Melnic's neck. The jury had the option of returning two verdicts in relation to the murder charge against Melnic, namely; guilty of murder or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Advertisement The 12 jurors took six hours and 27 minutes over three days to reject the State's contention that the defences of provocation and intoxication were not open to Melnic. Following today's unanimous verdict, presiding judge Mr Justice David Keane told the panel that jury service is one of the most important duties that an individual can be asked to perform as an Irish citizen. He said they had "very properly discharged" their civic duty at the cost of some disruption to their family lives and working lives. The judge said the graphic nature of the evidence which the jurors had to deal with during the trial had made their service "particularly challenging and difficult". He thanked them for their service and exempted them from further jury duty for the next ten years. Advertisement A sentence hearing for Melnic is expected to take place on November 3rd, and the judge remanded the defendant in custody until that date. The case was listed for mention on October 20th. On November 3rd, the Daghi family will have an opportunity to make a statement to the court about the impact Ion's death has had on their lives. The judge also directed a probation and a governor's report on the defendant. The trial heard that on the evening in question, Melnic met up with a friend and proceeded to Mr Daghi's house, arriving at 8pm. There were a number of people present in the house, and they had some food in the garden, drank a bottle of whiskey and proceeded to a pub where a second bottle of whiskey was purchased and consumed back at the house. The group then went to a nightclub where they bought a third bottle of whiskey. Some time around 3am, a dispute arose between Melnic and Mr Daghi. Witness Alexandru Beccieu (24) said both he and Mr Daghi were trying to calm Melnic down, but the defendant was "very drunk". The witness said he went between his friends to pull them apart when they started throwing punches at each other. Mr Beccieu said the defendant tried to hit him and was successful on the second occasion. He said Mr Daghi then got in between them and separated them. Mr Baccieu went to look for the defendant's car keys, because Melnic wasn't calming down after Mr Daghi told him to go home. When the witness came back, he said the defendant was "down" or on the ground with his hands on his head "trying to ward something off" and that Mr Daghi had a piece of a chair in his hand. A woman took Melnic into the house, and Mr Baccieu and Mr Daghi stayed outside smoking a cigarette. The witness said Mr Daghi looked in the window of the house and saw Melnic and his sister pulling at each other. He said Mr Daghi went into the kitchen to see what was happening and came out seconds later. The witness continued: "Mr Daghi said he cut and fell down in front of me." Under cross-examination, Mr Beccieu agreed with Mr Grehan that Melnic must have had "a colossal amount" of the whiskey, as the deceased didn't have a lot of alcohol in his system. A pathologist told the jury that Mr Daghi died from a single stab wound to the chest, which measured 13cm in depth, and death would have been very rapid. 73 milligrams of ethanol was detected in the deceased's system, which is just over 2.5 pints. Referring to the law of intoxication in his charge, Mr Justice Keane had said it is not a complete defence to murder and is there if the defendant's mind was in such a state from the effects of alcohol that he had not intended to kill or cause serious injury. He told the jurors if they had a doubt about that, then the verdict should be not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Having been arrested on suspicion of assault causing harm to Mr Daghi in the early hours of May 12th, Melnic was deemed unfit for interview and was not questioned until 15 hours later. Ireland Former sports figure (77) remanded in custody on 7... Read More He told interviewing officers at Naas Garda Station that he and the deceased had been drunk, and at some point an argument started. "A lot of drink was taken, my memory is very hazy," added the defendant. Melnic's sister, Angelina Spinu, had agreed that her evidence to a jury, where she had "painted a picture" of her own partner Mr Daghi "as the aggressor" in the altercation and holding a weapon, was "the complete opposite" to what was said in her garda statement. In her direct evidence at the Central Criminal Court, Ms Spinu denied to the prosecutor via a Romanian interpreter that she was trying to protect her brother. The jury had heard that Ms Spinu told gardaí in her statement that her "kid brother" said to her husband, "I will kill you" before he took a step forward and "pushed" a knife into his chest.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Man (24) who stabbed sister's partner with kitchen knife found guilty of manslaughter
A 24-year-old man who told gardaí he was 'so drunk' that he couldn't remember fatally stabbing his sister's partner once in the chest with a kitchen knife following a dispute has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by a Central Criminal Court jury. The panel of eight men and four women unanimously rejected the prosecution case that Valeriu Melnic was guilty of murder, despite evidence he had told Ion Daghi 'I will kill you' when the deceased had tried to calm him down. The State had submitted this was the 'clearest statement of intent' that the jury were likely to encounter. Moldovan national Melnic, with an address at Calliaghstown Lower, Rathcoole, Co Dublin had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Daghi (39) at The Close, Sallins Park, Sallins in Co Kildare on May 12th, 2024. In seeking a verdict of manslaughter for his client, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, told the jurors in his closing address that the issue of intoxication was 'all over' the case and that the consumption of three bottles of 'firewater' had an effect on everyone that night. Counsel submitted that whiskey can have a remarkable transformation on people's moods and how they behave. READ MORE Melnic told gardaí in his interviews that he couldn't remember stabbing his sister's partner with the knife as he was so drunk but later said that 'all the evidence pointed' to him being 'the only one responsible'. Mr Grehan also argued in his closing speech that if everybody who said the words 'I will kill you' in a fight were guilty of murder, the State wouldn't be able to build prisons fast enough. 'People say things not meaning them,' he submitted. Whereas, Carl Hanahoe SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, submitted in his closing address that Mr Daghi had entered his kitchen when a struggle pursued between the defendant and his sister. 'It wasn't the entry of a bull or a bear, it was a man entering saying 'calm down, calm down'.' The defence had asked for a verdict of manslaughter on the basis of intoxication or the partial defence of provocation, which can reduce an intentional killing from murder to manslaughter. Mr Grehan said there wasn't any doubt but that a provocative act had occurred to his client, who he said was 'badly beaten' and had reacted to that. He said the defendant had picked up a knife in the heat of the moment, where passions did not have time to cool. 'Provocation is a reaction to something that causes you to boil over; and boil over he did and cause the death of the deceased'. The jury had the option of returning two verdicts in relation to the murder charge against Melnic, namely; guilty of murder or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. The 12 jurors took six hours and 27 minutes over three days to reject the State's contention that the defences of provocation and intoxication were not open to Melnic. Following Monday's unanimous verdict, presiding judge Mr Justice David Keane thanked the jury for their service and exempted them from further jury duty for the next ten years. A sentence hearing for Melnic is expected to take place on November 3rd and the judge remanded the defendant in custody until that date. The case was listed for mention on October 20th. The Daghi family will have an opportunity to make a statement to the court about the impact Ion's death has had on their lives during the sentencing hearing. The trial heard that on the evening in question, Melnic met up with a friend and proceeded to Mr Daghi's house, arriving at 8pm. There were a number of people present in the house and they had some food in the garden, drank a bottle of whiskey and proceeded to a pub where a second bottle of whiskey was purchased and consumed back at the house. The group then went to a nightclub where they bought a third bottle of whiskey. Some time around 3am, a dispute arose between Melnic and Mr Daghi. Witness Alexandru Beccieu (24) said both he and Mr Daghi were trying to calm Melnic down but the defendant was 'very drunk'. Under cross-examination, Mr Beccieu agreed with Mr Grehan that Melnic must have had 'a colossal amount' of the whiskey as the deceased didn't have a lot of alcohol in his system. A pathologist told the jury that Mr Daghi died from a single stab wound to the chest, which measured 13cm in depth, and death would have been very rapid. Referring to the law of intoxication in his charge, Mr Justice Keane had said it is not a complete defence to murder and is there if the defendant's mind was in such a state from the effects of alcohol that he had not intended to kill or cause serious injury. He told the jurors if they had a doubt about that, then the verdict should be not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Paul Newman: ‘He was kind of like a big kid himself. He just loved to play,' daughter says
Actor and race car driver Paul Newman 'was always a philanthropist at heart', his youngest daughter Clea Newman explains; 'he was always just a very giving person'. Now, Clea is global ambassador for SeriousFun, a network of medical speciality camps, which was founded by her father, providing therapeutic programmes across the world to children living with serious illnesses. The first camp was set up in Connecticut in 1988. Ireland's Barretstown , in Co Kildare , was the third camp founded in the network, and the first outside of the US. Barretstown celebrated its 30th birthday in 2024. Each member camp is independently managed and relies on private funding to support free-of-charge programming. READ MORE 'When I was growing up I remember both my parents [Clea's mother is former actor Joanne Woodward ] saying to us, 'we are so lucky' [and] if you're lucky enough to have a good life, it's almost part of being a good person to give back. 'Even when he [her father] was ill, this is what gave him joy.' Paul Newman had a 'really complex childhood', Clea says. 'Camp, for him was a true escape. It gave him a community, friends, outside of the complexity of family life.' She described his parents as 'very disconnected', with a father who drank a lot and a mother who was 'overbearing and yet removed'. But, she adds, his parents instilled in him 'a lot of amazing things', such as his father's 'extraordinary work ethic'. 'My father had a work ethic like you've never seen', she says. 'He was always working, being passionate about things and being driven.' Paul Newman stars as Luke in award-winning Cool Hand Luke, where he attempts to eat fifty hard-boiled eggs in an hour. Photograph: SilverMeanwhile, from his mother he learned to be 'protective'. 'He could create this, kind of, armour. It was hard sometimes as a parent. As he got older, he lost that,' she adds. Growing up with Paul Newman as a father, she admits was sometimes 'a little hard' because of his long work schedule. 'When he would come back from all of that, it would take him a little bit of time to re-enter the family. And that was a little tough ... just because we were so dying for his attention ... but when he was home, he was truly the most fun. 'He was kind of like a big kid himself. He loved to just play with you. And play tricks on all of us. And read us stories. And read us scary stories. And get all of his friends in on it.' She said it was her father's love of 'clowning around' that resonated with the core of SeriousFun. 'Giving the kids a chance to kick back, and just be kids. That was his happy place.' Clea Newman: 'What's so amazing and what my father believed so strongly, is that we are stronger together.' Photograph: Family collection It was seeing children who had cancer in the corridors of a hospital, where one of Paul Newman's friends was being treated for cancer, that led him to create the children's network. 'Their parents ... would talk about how their children being treated in this hospital, mostly with cancer at the time, were missing out on their childhood. And that they were losing all their friends. They had no fun any more. They never saw their children smile any more. And it just broke my dad's heart.' Clea says her father became 'a mentor' to her as she got older, but was 'always my dad'. 'There was never an emergency or a time when I needed my parents, even when they were working at the height of their busyness, that they weren't there immediately. I can remember times when I was going through hard times and they showed up.' She adds this was one of the most important lessons her mother told her as a child: 'For the people, and the things, that you care about, you've got to show up'. Her parents' relationship was 'so unusually special', she says, with her father describing her mother as 'the talented one in the family'. 'My mom was an incredibly independent human being, very independent, crazy talented ... but she was also an incredible support to him. They supported each other beautifully. My dad would even go to the opera with her, which was not something that truly he loved all that much. 'But her support of him, also helping him … my mother had a kind of strength. A kind of quiet drive and focus that was overwhelmingly surprising, because she was so charming, and just the greatest hostess and the most fabulous actress. But she also had this incredible, as so many women do, way to supporting the people she loved.' Clea Newman: SeriousFun 'is my full-time passion'. Photograph:So, was it inevitable that Clea would follow in her father's footsteps? 'I thought I was going to be a lawyer,' she says, from studying pre-law in university and going on to work for a law firm. 'The law firm that I worked for, we represented a lot of pretty unsavoury people and I found that I just was too much of a soft touch for that kind of lifestyle, maybe. 'I think lawyers are amazing, some, but I realised that that wasn't for me. When I came home, my dad said to me, 'maybe, what you need is to go and take the focus off yourself and go volunteer as a counsellor at the camp'. 'I can honestly say I was probably a pretty spoiled twenty-something person. And, at the time, I was kind of focused on myself. I literally drove in one person, and drove out 10 days later a completely changed person.' Clea explains that being young at the time and wanting to spread her wings a little, she didn't want to stay working under the family. She got involved with a number of other charitable organisations that were focused on children. She remained, however, connected to SeriousFun camp, with regular visits, even spending Thanksgivings there. SeriousFun provides therapeutic camps and programmes across the world to children living with serious illnesses 'A number of years before my dad got sick, he asked me to oversee his philanthropic legacy. Now, this is my full-time passion. I can't even say it's a full-time job because I live and breathe it seven days a week, and it makes me happy.' It comes as no surprise to Clea that a recent study, conducted by UCD , DCU and King's College London , which examined the role of SeriousFun camps, such as Barretstown, found that they may provide unique benefits distinct from traditional healthcare settings, promoting psychological wellbeing, fostering hope, and building community and belonging. 'What's so amazing and what my father believed so strongly, is that we are stronger together.'
