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I've a chance of going to North east Thailand next Christmas for a wedding. Would have a blank canvas for probably 10 days after in the area. Any recommendations for Laos, Thailand, Vietnam area?

Derry
Dublin
Mayo
Tyrone

Donegal
Cavan
Louth
Armagh

Down
Sligo
Clare
Westmeath

Longford
Laois
London
Leitrim

Jim Allister now claiming that Poots wanted to deck him after the Stormont sitting on Saturday. It's a circus on the hill.

Was there a queue?

How many thousand turned up at the Binlid/Angry Jim shindig?

Shinners obviously want to get the feet under the Executive table so are keeping mum.

It seems Moygashel and Markethill are their go to places, not Donaghadee, not East Belfast, not Larne.
I find that quite strange.

Its the pitchfork brigade. East Belfast wouldn't know what a pitchfork was for.

See tweets circulating about road blocking by the Loyalists on Friday. The 'TOs are working hard behind the scenes.

Last sting of a dying wasp. Their Union is fucked. And the irony is they are responsible because of their stupidity and outright bigotry in backing Brexit.

Hoping I'm on a road they are trying to block

Why ?

As I'll be going through the road block, I'll be asking the question when I get to the front, why are they blocking the road. The answers should be entertaining.

I'd say most haven't read the new framework
Most have never voted
Many will not understand the benefits of being part of both the EU and UK
None of the issues surrounding the red and green lanes would have had made a difference to their lives.

Would it be worth winning an argument but having your car burned out?

Mayo
Monaghan
Roscommon
Derry

Armagh
Fermanagh
Louth
Donegal

Down
Antrim
Sligo
Westmeath

Carlow
Laois
Leitrim
Longford

How long until they walk out over something else i wonder.

Saw them in the NEC Birmingham around 20 years ago. Never saw a band and particularly Stype be as disinterested and just go through the motions. Quite liked them at the time but find them dull enough now looking back.

Do some serious howling on twitter. It would surprise you how quick companies act when they get a bit of bad publicity.

Will there be a puff of white smoke when the decision is made?

Started watching Criminal Record on Apple TV, good show so far.

Decent start alright.

Anyone watch True detective yet?

Watched it last night. Not feeling it so far.

First episode reminded me a lot of Fortitude

There is a great deal of simplistic talk on this thread.
The fact is that 6 billion people in the world cannot all come to this island, that is not a criticism of them as individuals but simply a measure of their aggregate effect.
It is not a question of race, but most of the poor people are not white, and the ability of people to integrate is function of their cultural similarity to start off with.
And while many of the Irish who went to Britain or America were builders, most of those who come here are not and do not increase the ability of the country to house people.

The Irish builders who went to the US in the 90s/00s, hung around with other Irish, drank in Irish bars, ate in Irish restaurants/coffee shops where available and when they couldn't stick it any more, came home.  Not much cultural assimilation there.

Nonsense

I've lived in the States for 30+ years

Irish people (off the boat) are almost culturally identical to Irish Americans to begin with

Many are related to people in the communities they settle in.

They are of the same religion.

They work in the same trades

The number of Irish that spend a few years there and come back vastly outnumber those that stay. I know cos I'm one of them and all the lads I worked with, every single one are back in Ireland now. They regarded the yanks mostly with bemusement, sometimes with scorn. Zero assimilation as far as I could see.

If you are from County Galway and go into a "Galway" pub in Boston you'll probably be in some way related to half the people in there.

 Yes-you'll have more in common with other "off the boat" Irish people, but your cultural DNA is almost identical to first and second generation people

I went into a pub one time and got talking to the bartender. Find out he often gave my mother a lift to a dance on the crossbar of his bike, and the his father played partners with my grandmother in 25 card games. How much "assimilation" would I need to have with his kids or my kids with him. We're essentially family

So you assimilated with the barman who was also from Ireland. Sounds like a great cultural melting pot.

Re read my post

I read it correctly. Your kids and his (second generation) will be culturally similar and hang around with each other.

How does this differ from, for example, lots of Syrians coming to Ireland and associating mainly with each other?

Re read it again

Me and his kids

My kids and him


Re the Syrians-apples and bowling balls

Incoming Syrians would be culturally identical to other Syrians but not the Native Irish

Incoming Irish (in the States) would be culturally identical to BOTH Irish Americans and other Irish people

That's ok. I get it. It can be apples and apples. We just have to wait a generation for the 2nd generation Syrian-Irish to establish and then any further Syrian immigrants can feel comfy chatting to the barman in a Syrian pub.

Oh but wait..the Irish see immigration as a tradition reserved only for themselves. Not for others to come here, only for us to go there.

Those Irish-Americans didn't appear from nowhere. They are the children of immigrants.

If you're Irish and you move to some towns in Metro Boston you're moving to a town that's 50-60% Irish American

While you might not hang out with them, culturally you are very similar if not identical

Putting 1000 Middle Eastern or African Males into a rural Irish village of 500 people is not a recipient for success

Exactly. Wonder would the boys on here crying racist be as keen to move a crowd of the c***ts in next door to them.

The c7nt beside me is from Armagh. What's he doing living in Tyrone? F7cking Armagh w**ker.

Cultural enrichment

Draw
Draw
Galway
Roscommon

Meath
Kildare
Armagh
Donegal

Antrim
Clare
Offaly
Down

Laois
Tipperary
London
Leitrim

Have ordered a rocker plate for zwifting sessions as i cant do more than 45mins without getting "sore". Anyone any experience of them?

Friend of mine bought a lifeline rocker plate. Hated it at the start but swears by it now. He couldnt manage more than 45 mins previous.
   He did say it took a while to get used to the side to side motion particularly when out of the seat. His power was down as well he said but not overly bothered as he dosen't race on zwift.

Like it so far. Bought from a company that makes them called turborocks. Went for The Realplate React Stealth. It takes the rigidity out of the static trainer. Takes a little getting used to and on the set up you just have to make sure the inflatables are equal and level. Feels very stable once you are on it.

Yeah I get that, people wearing headphones and poor awareness of what to do, but I'm only giving you my versions.

My dogs on the toepath are not on a lead, they have great recall and generally never leave my side, they hear me saying bike, and they move in behind me, the worst are people with the long bloody leads and forget about bikes, just ordinary walkers have problems with them!

If the tide is out I walk along the beach away from the path, easier for everyone.. Was out yesterday morning, frosty and ice on path, did that deter runners or cyclists? Nope! I never ran on ice and would never consider cycling when icy.

Black ice and 25c tyres. Forget about it. Local cycling club just auto cancel weekend rides if under 3c