This morning.

Fitzwilliam Place. Dublin 2

Conro writes:

After careful consideration on our coffee/green tea breaks we’ve determined that the strange artifact (above) that’s appeared around Fitzwilliam Place this week is one of the following:

1) Outdoor hot tub, giving rise to questions about that office’s internal culture.

2) A specialised smoking capsule which recirculates your smoke for an additional nicotine hit at a small cost to life expectancy.

3) A small contingent of aliens from beyond the stars have landed and are considering their next move after a complete lack of hype generated by their arrival left them disappointed and embarrassed.

Anyone?

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel

This morning/afternoon.

Via BBC:

A No 10 source says a Brexit deal is “essentially impossible” after a call between the PM and Angela Merkel.

Boris Johnson spoke to the German chancellor earlier about the proposals he put forward to the EU – but the source said she made clear a deal based on them was “overwhelmingly unlikely“.

They also claimed she said a deal would never be possible unless Northern Ireland stayed in a customs union.

Brexit: Deal ‘essentially impossible’ after PM-Merkel call – No 10 (BBC)

Getty

Meanwhile…

Um.

Via Nigel Dodds

Who’s at the door?

Last week, with a FREE family pass to visit Tayto Park this Halloween to giveaway, we asked you to name YOUR most memorable (or least memorable) house-to-house Halloween collection moment.

You answered in your tens.

But there could be only one winner.

Third Place:

Optimus Grime writes:

Hands down it was mam telling all the trick or treaters to congregate at the back door. In the midst of no one answering the door my dad appeared on the roof over the back door in a crucifix pose wearing a facially deformed mask and a long black coat. Cue utter chaos!

The average age of the group was 6 years old! No one ever called to our house again for trick or treat….I suppose they saved money in the long run!

Runner Up:

Not Himselfe writes:

‘One Halloween manys a year ago in 80s Dublin my dad decided to dress as Evil Santy. He reckoned it would be hilarious to hide under the car and reach out and grab at kids coming up the driveway to the house.

He crawled under on his belly and squeezed himself in as best he could. Anyway, after about 10 minutes when the novelty wore off (the kids were wide to his antics and he had to take a slash due to consumption of many beverages) he tried to crawl out from underneath said car only to find his jolly red suit snagged! No amount of manoeuvering could get him out.

A neighbor rocked up with a jack but he was so well snagged he couldn’t move. Oh how we laughed.After about an hour of throwing peanuts at him and the entire neighborhood coming by for a good laugh we decided we might have to actually help him get out.

Eventually the Fire Brigade, who happened to be around the corner doing what they do on Halloween night, had to come over and free him.Best Halloween ever!’

Winner:

DOC writes

Last year most of the children had been at the house between 7.30-8pm One turned up at a quarter to nine and he said: ‘I am your PERIOD. That is why i am LATE!’
I fell around the place laughing…

Thanks all.

Last week: No Tricks, All Treat

Tayto Park

Oh wait now, it is. In a way.

This dark spot on the surface of Jupiter is the shadow of its most volcanic moon, Io. To wit:

Since Jupiter shines predominantly by reflected sunlight, anything that blocks that light leaves a shadow. If you could somehow be in that shadow, you would see a total eclipse of the Sun by Io. Io‘s shadow is about 3600 kilometres across, roughly the same size as Io itself — and only slightly larger than Earth’s Moon. The featuredimage was taken last month by NASA’s robotic Juno spacecraft currently orbiting Jupiter. About every two months, Juno swoops close by Jupiter, takes a lot of data and snaps a series of images — some of which are made intoa video. Among many other things, Juno has been measuring Jupiter’s gravitational field, finding surprising evidence that Jupiter may be mostly a liquid. Under unexpectedly thick clouds, the Jovian giant may house a massive liquid hydrogen region that extends all the way to the centre.

Full sized (original horizontal) image here.

(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS; Processing: Kevin M. Gill)

apod

Top from left: Stephen Byrne, James Patrice, Kirsten Mate Maher and Aoibhín Garrihy

It’s Good To Talk.

Episode 2 of the online chat show series presented by Three Ireland and youth mental health charity Jigsaw.

To wit:

The show sees host Stephen Byrne joined by; social influencer and presenter, James Patrice, 2018 Rose of Tralee, Kirsten Mate Maher and entrepreneur and actress, Aoibhín Garrihy to discuss the world of Social Media including; their introduction to and living a life online, dealing with negativity, their One Good Adult and the advice they would provide to Social Media beginners…

James Patrice ultimately provided wise counsel on approaching Social Media “Don’t forget that at the end of the day, social media was made to be fun“.

FIGHT!

Previously: Episode 1

Behold: the Atlantic – a sleek and powerful 12m long sports tender from former Bugatti auto designer Etienne Salomé.

Powered by twin 440hp Volvo engines, capable of a wave-slicing 60 knots and inspired by the Bugatti Type 57SC, the Atlantic has enough space for nine people – their insufferable faces peering smugly out of the Garmin glass cockpit as your pathetic dingy is swamped in their wake.

Price on application.

uncrate

Ah here.

Yesterday.

Merron Square, Dublin 2.

The Bee Guy tweetz:

Even at an Extinction Rebellion event it would appear that fossil fuel is afforded special protection…

Yesterday: ‘Family-Friendly Non-Violent Civil Disobedience’

Former Irish swimming coach George Gibney; journalist Irvin Muchnick 

In July.

American sportswriter and journalist Irvin Muchnick gave an interview to Seán O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio One, following the publication of the second eBook edition of his book about former Irish swimming coach George Gibney.

Gibney was charged with 27 counts of indecency against young swimmers and of carnal knowledge of girls under the age of 15 in Ireland in April, 1993.

However, he moved to the United States in 1995, the year after an unusual and controversial decision by the Supreme Court led to the quashing of these charges.

He was also granted a visa during a visit to the United States in 1992 – seemingly aided by a Garda character reference – a year after people who had been abused by him started to speak up and organise themselves.

During his radio interview, Mr Muchnick told Mr O’Rourke that there were federal investigations of racketeering and insurance fraud involving USA Swimming taking place.

Asked how such investigations may “turn up the heat” on Gibney, Mr Muchnick said:

“I know that there are federal agents who are involved in these swimming investigations who are taking a specific look at George Gibney right now.”

Further to this…

Last week.

Journalist Rebecca Davis-O’Brien, in The Wall Street Journal, reported:

“Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating USA Swimming, including allegations that the organization stifled athlete sexual-abuse claims, concealed its assets and improperly reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars in rebates from its in-house insurance company, people familiar with the matter said.

“Over the past year, a federal grand jury in Manhattan has heard evidence in the investigation, which is being led by the Manhattan US Attorney’s office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

It followed an article last month concerning the same investigation by Scott Reid in the Orange County Register.

Federal grand juries are used in some US states to decide whether probable cause exists to support criminal charges against a suspect.

Grand jury deliberations are carried out in secret.

USA Swimming Faces Probe Into Sex-Abuse Claims, Business Practices (The Wall Street Journal, October 2, 2019)

Related: Gymnastics Federation’s Payments to a Linked Foundation Is Under Scrutiny (The Wall Street Journal, October 7, 2019) 

Wall Street Journal Bombshell: Federal Grand Jury and FBI Are Investigating USA Swimming Sexual Abuse — Including Concealed Assets and Irregularities With In-House Insurance Company (Irvin Muchnick, Concussion.net)

Previously: On Gibney’s Trail

Broadsheet.ie