Messages

Game on

Interesting so far, much more open than i thought it would be with both teams having goal chances. Kilcoo just that wee bit more clinical so far with Lavery particularly dangerous

[The stoops are a quasi-unionist party]

There's just a complete apathy with regards politics up North, SF are failing the nationalist community and have been doing so for about a decade now, they have sold out on any ideals for whatever populist trend has happened. They do have a lot of long term representatives though that I would have a lot of time and respect for but you can even sense they are completely and utterly disillusioned with the top brass right now.

The stoops are a quasi-unionist party, always have and always will be and then you have the unionists themselves so who do you vote for.

There is a lot of rancour with SF here among the O6 residents which is understandable.

I have to say though I find the unfiltered hatred from chaps like Owenmoresider (and other free staters) of SF and northern nationalism as utterly bizarre. a) who is he to be so opinionated on something he knows nothing about the North or the troubles and has no experience of  it and b) what triggers it? You'd imagine for the most part SF are an irrelevance down south, what is it that rankles so much hatred and bitterness from a sizable portion down there? Is it a guilty conscience about the passive role their state and government played when they left their own defenceless in a brutal sectarian state that has manifested into a defensive mode.

I really don't get it.

This is simply not true.

Not true?

Their current leader established a partnership with FF - a party which has refused to operate in the north since it's formation and which has consistently argued, regardless of the circumstances of the day, that "the time is not right" to even discuss Irish reunification. Since establishing the link with FF, Colm has been busy parroting his new master's line that "the time is not right". This is the same Colm who went into an Assembly voting pact with the UUP ("Vote Colm, get Mike!").

Their previous leader, Alasdair McDonnell, attempted to forge links with the partitionist right wing PD's and regularly invited the right-wing, borderline racist Michael McDowell to canvass with him.

Their leader before that, the poppy wearing Margaret Richie, has just sworn her allegiance to the British monarchy and now prefers to be known as Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick.

Their leader before that, Mark Durkan, last year ran for the unionist and partitionst Fine Gael in the European elections.

Their leader before that, John Hume, described the party as not nationalist, but "post-nationalist".

Their leader before that, Gerry Fitt, also swore his allegiance to the British Monarchy in return for a peerage.

Their former Deputy Leader, Seamus Mallon, recently re-appeared into the public domain to argue against the GFA provisions for a border poll to pass with a simple majority, instead arguing that there should effectively be a unionist veto.

This is a party throwing all it's eggs into the Westminster basket where it's voting record includes supporting the retention of Diplock courts, supporting a the compulsory inclusion of Irish citizens in the north on a British National Identity Register and backing a motion (just days after the 40th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday) to "salute the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan".

Can i add Austin Curry, but remove John Hume from that list?
       I think in any other society apart from the sectarian hole he was born into, Hume would never even have become a politician.
        He was ill suited to the sort of backstabbing and skullduggery that went on in his own party what with Mallon et al. He was a realist and not a quasi-unionist. He was/is a good man.
   

Anyone getting phone calls from tech support scammers lately? I got one yesterday. I usually don't answer to obvious fake numbers, but it was a slow day at work so I thought I'd play along. He was an Indian lad working from a busy office by the sounds of it. Claimed to be working for AT&T. Talked me through some PC stuff (I have a Mac, so I had to do some googling as he talked to see what I was supposed to be seeing on my screen). After we got as far as the event viewer I couldn't think of a way of stringing him along any longer, so I just asked "Look, do you just want to skip to the part where I give you my social security number and credit card information?"
Him: "Did I ask you to do that?"
Me: "No, but you're going to eventually, aren't you?"
Him: "I'm calling from AT&T, not some random XYZ company..."
Me: "Yeah, right."
Him: "Look, motherf***er, if you don't want to take part in this call, you're free to hang up any time."
Me: "Why are you doing this? Can you not get a real job? There are plenty of honest jobs out there, you don't have to earn a living by robbing people."
Him: "... and don't you dare waste my time. I don't need advice from you, so stick your advice up your a$$hole..."
Me: "I think you need to calm down, go home and re-think your life." - click -

Funny how quickly they become abusive once they realise you're on to them. I got one a few days ago from an Indian lady.
Her: "Hi, I'm calling about your vehicle's warranty which is expiring soon and would like to offer you a chance to renew it."
Me: "Which vehicle?"
Her "Uhhh, your Ford."
Me: "Which Ford?"
Her: "uuuuuh, Escape."
Me: "Oh, okay." (We have a VW Jetta, but she doesn't need to know that.)
Her: "So would you like to renew your warranty?"
Me: "What about the warranty on our other cars?"
Her: "Uh ... uh ... uh ..."
Me: "Are they expiring soon too?"
Her: "Uh ..."
Me: "Come on, tell me about my other cars, since you seem to know so much about them"
Her: "Uh ..."
Me: "What other cars have I got? You must have all that information in front of you"
Her (screaming): "You keep repeating yourself as if I can't hear you!" - click -

You are a genuis, you typed all that shite as if you are first it has ever happened to, its 2019, check your phone bill next month, these folk like to keep you talking whilst charging you a fortune a minute, you are as well to hang up.

You will have to explain that to me, how does he get charged for taking a call from a scammer and keeping the conversation going? I think every moment you have them on the phone is a minute less they are scamming some poor vunerable people. When that "Windows TEch Support" one was doing the rounds I used to manage to keep them on the phone for 10 mins at a time claiming my computer was restarting/freezing. It was funny to hear the frustration on the other end. My father got the same call and thought it was real and only he couldnt figure out how to follow your mans instructions then he would have been scammed.

Yes i think you are right here. I think he's thinking about peple choosing to call back on missed calls from these scams and being connected to a premium rate line.
         Another scam was answering automated calls and choosing an option that then connected them to another premium line (im not sure of this is still doing the rounds).
           The scam below seemed to involve the phones being hacked somehow?
  https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-3560304/amp/The-terrifying-new-mobile-phone-scam-leaves-300-bill-calls-never-made.html

Local bank manager told me this one. Older lady(in her 80's) went into the local branch and asked to withdraw her savings. Was only a few thousand but was her entire savings. The cashier twigged something was a miss and asked her why she was withdrawing the cash.
      The wee lady told them that she had been contacted by the bank who had asked her to withdraw the cash so it could be moved to a more secure location. They would then come to her house to pick the cash up at an arranged time. Police were contacted and two men arrested.
      Hard to believe someone could get caught out like this but it does happen.

I remember this other case which was more elaborate
  https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/mum-advised-to-find-77000-after-email-scam-or-lose-another-30000-31603014.html

I voted SF last 30 years. I'm a slow learner. They are the most nasty, vile, bullying, insulting bunch. They went from putting people in bags to  just psychological bullying anyone in their community who might dare to disagree with them.

Maybe i'm misreading this, but why did you vote for them if this is your view?

I went to mass for 20 odd years before I realised the Catholic Church is a nasty, vile, bullying, insulting bunch and God is non-existent, I also believed in Santa for a time!  We are all conditioned by our surroundings - sometimes it takes a while for the truth to set in.

Sure, i get that we can change our views after a time and you gave a few examples there. But given the level of media attention Sinn Fein attracted over a 30 year period, what made the previous poster suddenly decide to stop voting for them?
           Why was he voting for nearly a third of a century for a party he clearly despises. It makes no sense.
         

I voted SF last 30 years. I'm a slow learner. They are the most nasty, vile, bullying, insulting bunch. They went from putting people in bags to  just psychological bullying anyone in their community who might dare to disagree with them.

Maybe i'm misreading this, but why did you vote for them if this is your view?

This Shane Sutton hearing seems to be gas craic!!

Yes bizarre behaviour altogether. Given its a general medical coucil ftp hearing, im not even sure if they have the authority to compel witnesses to come forward.
         

Im sure its been put up before but i thought this article gives a fascinating insight into the cement industry in ireland.
https://villagemagazine.ie/index.php/2012/11/the-cement-billionaires/

A really humbling defeat there. I did think we were better than that result but there you go. Hard to take any positives from the day. At times it seemed we were actually playing a different game altogether than New Zealand, with their quick off loads and delivery vs our constant slow grinding approach.
               Sad end for Best who along with Joe Schmidt has given us far more good days than bad.
           

Heading out there today hope they can give a performance that at least rattles the kiwis , was in Chicago in 16 would be nice to see that again.

Atmosphere should be brilliant. Good luck and enjoy. 
Its a shame about Aki, seems harsh.

Can the rugby team beat the voices in their head and dump New Zealand out of the competition ?

Whatever about voices in their head, they can't beat the ABs.

And Armagh, Tyrone, Derry and Donegal could never win an All Ireland and they did. Through pure drive and determination(with some fantastic players of course). They can win and knock the All Blacks out. They have the talent and i think we will win.
     

Get off the beer, work in the morning.

Cool. Well done

On another note the refs have had a massive bearing on the winners upto this stage. Although the Japanese have been magnificent and a breath of fresh air they have had the benefit of favourable ref decisions against Ireland, Samoa and again today particularly around rucks.
         Lets hope we come out on the right side of the decisions next saturday if we are to beat the AB's. 
     

Can the rugby team beat the voices in their head and dump New Zealand out of the competition ?

Whatever about voices in their head, they can't beat the ABs.

And Armagh, Tyrone, Derry and Donegal could never win an All Ireland and they did. Through pure drive and determination(with some fantastic players of course). They can win and knock the All Blacks out. They have the talent and i think we will win.
     

Wow! Japan well worth their lead. Great handling skills and tries.