The old Balbutcher Lane site, Ballymun, Dublin

This morning/afternoon.

A good day for ratlickers.

Not so good for Ballymun residents.

Via Dublin Live:

The rats are coming across to homes from a field in Balbutcher Lane, a largely residential area with lots of young children.

They are often spotted sitting brazenly out on the path, and one concerned mother told Dublin Live that they are living in constant fear.

She said: “If you’re walking by them, they just don’t move. The traffic is not even bothering them.

Locals in the area took to Facebook to share their own horrible experiences.

One person said: “The size of them, it’s not normal.”

Anyone?

Giant rats leaving terrified Dublin residents ‘afraid to leave windows open’ (Dublin Live)

Dublin City Council Cllr Noeleen Reilly

Anonymous gay dating app Fab Guys

Fluffybiscuits writes:

My previous piece on the encounter with a married man raised a lot of eyebrows and heckles of the commentariat here. I also mentioned: ” This sort of behaviour is prevalent “.

To prove my actions represent the minor moral infractions that a person could be accused off, I picked one website weaved into the fabric of the gay community you never get the salubrious side of: Fab Guys.

Fab Guys presents itself as  ‘fun, free and fabulous for gay guys’. Free and fabulous it is, fun…that’s a whole other ball game, Fab Guys is a site with a demographic hugely popular with both cross-dressers and married men, yet presents the more salacious side of the gay scene, one that encompasses all that is nasty about it.

The site had up until recently a major issue with men swapping their wives’ used underwear (you read that correctly). Furthermore there exists a problem with men swapping photos of their wives and in some cases daughters. Thankfully the site is clamping down on it now but it cant remain ever vigilant on the matter as it is moderated by people who give up their time voluntarily.

Routinely however, the site has tended to get more married men out there seeking their end. The site holds a particular pride of place for those on the look-out for cross dressers, nowt wrong with that in itself, however a cross swathe (maybe more) of those seeking to engage with cross dressers are themselves married.

Madison (a shortened version of her name) posts with the following in the forum

” I love to dress up and be the slutty girl madison I am I love to be used and abused by young or old guys and other crossdresser”

Responses to these are by and large from the married men who inhabit the site. The site seems to have an unsteady rivalry with Mumsnet. A cursory search though that site reveals a hell of a lot of complaints about the Fab Guys. The story repeats itself all too often with the same husband who has become secretive about his activity:

” There arent any suspicious text messages but his internet history has really made me feel shocked sick to my stomach. He has been visiting what are two gay websites. One called fabguys ” Mumsnet

” Just that really – I feel sick… I’ve just gone on the computer and his email was open, he has received a message from a site called fabguys. I’m at home today and picking our daughter up soon, he will be home at 5.30. I don’t know what to do.” – Mumsnet

” I had a quick peek at OH phone the other day and found fabguys on there.

“I asked him about it and he completely denied it. Saying I’m paranoid.” – Mumsnet

There is not much left to process, you would think, the level of inanity could not sink any lower don’t hold your breath on that. Meet the Barebackers. They are the men (a lot of whom are not on PreP – the drug that reduces the risk of transmission of HIV) , who will happily engage in the practice of unprotected sex and most of it unbeknownst to the wives. Tackling the men on this issue brings with it a cacaphony of condemnation, I am seen as prudish. I did try to message a few married guys to get their sides of the story but was quickly blocked.

Some readers wondered last week if perhaps my moral compass had gone awry. Be rest assured, there are those out there when compared to me have zero moral compass.

Previously: Fluffybiscuits on Broadsheet

Last week: Wey Bi Man


This afternoon

Broadsheet Eurovision correspondent Ted writes:

The host city for Eurovision 2022 in Italy was finally announced today: TURIN!

Ireland will choose its representative from a shortlist of acts on the Late Late Show early next year….

Bring back Linda M.

Fight!

USS Connecticut

This morning/afternoon.

Almost a dozen sailors have been injured after a U.S. nuclear attack submarine hit an unknown underwater object in the South China Sea, USNI News has learned.

The Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) suffered an underwater collision while operating in international waters on Oct. 2 and is returning to port in U.S. 7th Fleet, a U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesman confirmed to USNI News on Thursday.

Attack Submarine USS Connecticut Suffers Underwater Collision in South China Sea (USNI)

Meanwhile…

The Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) struck an object while submerged on the afternoon of Oct. 2, while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region.

Statement regarding USS Connecticut (SSN 22) (US Navy Pacific Fleet)

Anyone?

Pic: US Navy

Warsaw’s long-running confrontation with Brussels escalated yesterday when Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled that the country’s constitution takes precedence over some EU laws

This morning

Via Politco:

French European Affairs Minister Clément Beaune has blasted Poland’s controversial court ruling, which states that the Polish constitution takes precedence over some EU laws, as an “attack on the European Union.”

Beaune said Friday on BFMTV that if there is “no basic respect for the common rules of rights and freedoms of Europe,” there can be “no support” for Poland.

Accusing Poland of breaching its “contract” with the EU, Beaune added: “It is therefore very serious, it is the risk of a de facto exit.”

In response to the ruling of the Polish court, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said that the EU “will use all the tools” at its disposal to protect the primacy of European law which is “at the heart of the Union.”

Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, dismissed the idea of a so-called Polexit from the EU and said on Facebook Thursday evening that “Poland’s place is and will be in the European family of nations.”

Bić się!

French Europe Minister slams Polish court ruling as ‘attack’ on the EU (Politico.eu)

Getty

Football legend John Giles

Last night.

On Off The Ball:

“A lot of players are not being vaccinated, which I don’t agree with.

“I think they should be vaccinated, he (Republic of Ireland forward Callum Robinson) has had it twice himself who knows where he spread it to when he did have it.

“I think footballers are being given a lot of freedom in this particular situation. I think they’ve been privileged in some of the things that they can do because they’re footballers.

“I read the other day that some of the journalists weren’t allowed in (to the Ireland press conference) because they weren’t vaccinated.

“I can’t understand it and I think in this case I think they’ve (footballers) been too privileged.

“They’ve created an awful lot of rules so that they can go on trips and continue to play and do various things that I don’t think people on the other end of it are being taken into consideration.

‘”think it’s wrong, I think professional footballers are privileged, but when it comes to this they’ve been very loose in allowing certain things to happen.”

John Giles on Off The Ball last night.

John Giles slams ‘privileged’ footballers refusing to get vaccinated (Extra.ie)

Yesterday: One For The Team

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Um.

Meanwhile…

The decision to demolish the iconic Merchant’s Arch area in Temple Bar and build a new hotel in its place has caused fury

This morning.

Via Irish Times Letters:

The decision of An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for the development of a hotel at the Merchant’s Arch in the face of public opposition and against its own inspector’s recommendation is another egregious example of “hasten now to regret later” thinking that is an unfortunate mark of so many developments within Dublin city.

The wholesale emphasis upon building hotels to accommodate tourists has angered the many people who are increasingly unable to secure accommodation, either temporary or permanent, within the city.

The capacity to build hotels makes the oft-expressed concerns regarding a shortage of construction material and workers sound hollow. The unthinking desire to bring even greater numbers of visitors into the city is making it increasingly unlivable for its citizens.

The Merchant’s Arch development was permitted despite the fact that “none of the architectural or planning jargon that swirls around this scheme can justify it”.

Quite apart from this observation and the anger and upset already caused, is it unreasonable for the public to expect that even the most blinkered of planners should recognise that the partial destruction and defacement of an historic landmark, which is an element of what attracts visitors to the city, in order to accommodate those same visitors, is absurd?

Joseph O’Gorman,

Dublin 8

Irish Times Letters.

Wednesday: Arch Villains

Pic: Wikipedia

Meanwhile…

Marcus – Redemption

Animation once again.

Promising Dublin songsmith Marcus (top) offers a visual feast in the video for his single Redemption, directed by Ewan Creed.

Check out his latest single too – April – which can be found on his new EP Not Real. Both songs were produced by Alex Borwick.

Nick says: Dial M for Marcus.

Marcus

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