We're into the last few hours of voting for Building Momentum now as polling closes today at noon.

In today's Irish Independent, Anne-Marie Walsh writes Building Momentum Q&A: Everything you need to know about the public sector pay deal. The same paper's front page carries another story by Walsh: Revealed: TDs in line for pay rise to push their wages back over €100,000. On Friday evening, The Irish Times reported that the deal had been "decisively supported by nurses but overwhelmingly rejected by doctors."

Elsewhere, the Irish Examiner reports today that the pandemic has led to a spike in child welfare and protection reports to Tusla from domestic violence refuges, while The Irish Times reports that the detection of the Brazilian variant of Covid-19 is a “real concern” for meat plant workers.

In Brexit news, the DUP is to launch a legal challenge against the Northern Ireland protocol. Finally, I recommend having a read of Marina Hyde's column in the Guardian, published last Friday, about the conflict between Facebook and news media, and what that struggle might really represent. If that floats your boat, you'll love the new four part Adam Curtis video essay Can't Get You Out Of My Head, which is now available on YouTube. 

Zen

Your Zen this morning is a lovely piece of music, Fordlandia, a 2008 composition by the late Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson.  

Have a good week, stay safe. Free your mind.

Niall