Andes to Acton, Callao to Chiswick,
The Shan
Joined September 2023
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I just watched the Helloween episode of King of the Hill, A mainline Anglo Celt shrugging off evangelical criticism of Halloween
Mal retweeted
NEW - Irish disinformation and "fake news" expert Tom Felle, appointed by Ireland’s online speech regulator as an expert assessor, falsely claimed a journalism doctorate from City, University of London that was never awarded.
No
I disagree sir
Someone in the Shan might kill me after a GAA game, I might get killed in a robbery gone wrong in Los Olivos
But Brand's type get no where near us
( That's not me moralising - We just don't like his type)
Mal retweeted
Folks, a hint from the bad old days; when there's a bomb threat do not gather before the glass windows of the building threatened.
Staff at RTÉ's Donnybrook campus have been evacuated this following a bomb threat.
It’s understood a message sent to the broadcaster claimed to be from the same group that was behind the threats to planes across Europe this week. jrnl.ie/7217607
Mal retweeted
🚨🇪🇺🇮🇪 BREAKING:
BOMB THREATS in Ireland this AM were reportedly accompanied by an email sent out to media orgs, including RTE, Newstalk, and the Irish Independent:
"Hello. I am Mikhail Andropov, one of the leaders of the group responsible for the bomb threats against airplanes in Europe over the past week.
European authorities have once again shown that they are incompetent fools who are incapable of doing anything to stop us.
We experimented with multithreading, and we succeeded in causing widespread panic, as well as forcing European authorities to spend a fortune on all these procedures.
But this is only the beginning. What happened this week is just a small part of what awaits Europe in the near future.
Right now, we’re preparing a new wave of attacks. Right now, we’re recruiting residents of your countries who are actively cooperating with us.
We’ve also gained access to compromised devices, servers, and accounts belonging to residents of Europe, as well as those outside its borders—which will allow us to use this against you.
Very soon, we will be blowing up your airplanes, cruise ships, subway stations, and trains. In the meantime, I recommend taking a vacation by plane while you still have the chance.
We want the whole world to know about us, which is why one of our operatives has planted an explosive device in your building. It will detonate in 45 minutes. The clock is ticking."
Source: Live 95 (Ireland) / Writer: Michael
🚨🇮🇪 MORE bomb threats, this time on the ground...
RTÉ HQ in Dublin had to evacuate this AM, after an email warned of a "detonation" in 45 mins.
The same message hit the Irish Independent, Newstalk, and other outlets across Ireland and the UK.
The email claimed to be from someone named Mikhail Andropov, and from the same group behind this week's European flight bomb threats.
Gardaí are searching with sniffer dogs. Looks like another hoax. Taoiseach vows to find those responsible.
Who is REALLY behind all these disruptions??
Source: BBC News / Writer: Jamie
Mal retweeted
There's a huge problem facing skilled construction work.
Due to changes in how apprentices are trained, they aren't learning the skills previous generations did. One mason told me that 1000s of years of wisdom is being lost.
Unless that is addressed our heritage will fall down
Mal retweeted
Fireworks of course entirely unkown in the red panda's homeland in *checks notes* China
In 2024, @zoo_edinburgh tragically lost baby red panda Roxie, possibly caused by stress due to fireworks
The zoo recently welcomed new lion cubs, this is a reminder that our celebrations can affect the animals around us
Choose organised fireworks displays
#TomorrowWeStillLiveHere
ALT A zookeeper in red protective gloves holds a small, fluffy red panda cub.
ALT A mother lion lying on straw with two newborn lion cubs in a dimly lit, brick-walled enclosure.
Mal retweeted
it's also sort of a miracle that Marco Polo's travels were recorded -- it was just sheer chance and serendipity that, while a prisoner of war in Genoa, his cellmate happened to be a writer whose ears perked up when he claimed to have visited "Tartary"
Mal retweeted
RTÉ buildings in Dublin have been evacuated following a bomb threat
rte.ie/news/ireland/2026/110…
Did the IY run an article of late, saying no one danced for Joy in Ireland
Mary Dunne, fondly known as 'Dancing Mary', was a common yet curious sight on O'Connell Street for nearly 20 years. The lady from Dun Laoghaire was always immaculately dressed, with trademark skirt and high heels. I can still hear me Ma saying "her gear is gorgeous!".
Mary danced for hours in all weather, seemingly in religious ecstasy and with the energy of a woman half her age. She'd occasionally have an unofficial shrine to the Virgin Mary near the Anna Livia statue I saw a few times and she loved the Rosary.
When she wasn't lost in her trance for Jesus, she'd interact with the busy or bemused pedestrians that made up her audience. She'd also smile and wave if you caught her eye (always a bonus), with her rosary in one hand and sometimes a flower in the other, like a less insufferable Morrissey.
In the great tradition of Dublin "characters" Mary was rightly celebrated for her glorious individuality, dedication to Christ and a fading innocence, which could still be found when ordinary people in our city could be familiar to thousands.
Born Mary Margaret Dunne in 1927, she was a devout Catholic all her life, got married and had six kids. In the 1950s, she owned a hairdresser and was so successful that she was a contestant in the World Hairdressing Championships in Vienna! Her career eventually made her move to Switzerland in 1968 for a few years. Luckily for us, she returned home to Dublin and began the unique public celebration of her Catholic faith in the 1980s.
Such was Mary's cultural impact, a mini festival featuring music, poetry, and (of course) dancing was held in her honour on O’Connell Street in 2010. When reporters at the event asked Mary the million-dollar question "Why do you dance?" she answered, "for the Trinity and Holy Mary". Obviously!
I've read that as Mary was then 83 and was living with her son in Deansgrange, she couldn't attend in person.
Her legend always reminds me of that quote attributed to Friedrich Nietzsche: "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane, by those who couldn't hear the music."
Mary Dunne passed away peacefully in 2014, aged 87. She is buried in Deansgrange cemetery, but I suspect a part of her is still joyfully dancing in a place where the music never ends.
