Reading that 92% of teachers are voting in favour of strike action and 99% in favour of action just short of it.

How many votes of no confidence does Givan need before he walks? Or is he just riding it out until next May at this point?

Has anyone quit smoking and drinking here? How did you build up a new social life if so?

Feel borderline agoraphobic ever since.

So, work in an office and new joiner joined a month ago. Anyway we were both in quite early today and got talking.

Anyway we talked and got subject what we listen to during work on ear phones as I hear him laugh sometimes and want something good to listen to

He told me “I like listening to cool fm” I think the pretenders are good craic in the morning.

How do I approach this and how do I look at that man the same?

hi everyone. searching online and not really finishing a definitive answer so thought I'd ask here:

is anyone aware of a company that does a bathroom refurb and do all the work themselves? as in provide the removal of old one, all new items, electrics for new extractor fan etc?

lot of companies seem to sell the bathrooms and recommend plumbers but im looking a company to do everything if possible.

thanks guys

I was in a mate's boat on the north coast on Saturday and got a pic of these two guys fishing off Torr Head.

With autumn arriving I remembered a post a year or two ago about Vitamin D being cheap and good for everyone with the low levels of sunlight we get.

Then as I read into it there were comments about getting a version with something else to help absorption, higher doses, other vitamins and supplements and it all got expensive looking.

What do we really need here?
Does it really make a difference and how?

Besides Vitamin D what else actually makes a difference and is worth it?

Have seen actors and crew there today and yesterday. Anyone know what it is?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0m314lrywno

The priest who helped shield schoolgirls during the 2001 Holy Cross dispute has said the "hurt" of that ordeal could happen again.

Speaking on the 25th anniversary of Holy Cross, Fr Aidan Troy said that possibility is what keeps him "devoted to dialogue, to conversation, to searching for justice and to caring about people".

Fr Aidan said the sectarian dispute was "hatred at its worst".

It happened in north Belfast when loyalist protesters tried to block the route taken by Holy Cross school pupils and their parents, who were from a Catholic background, on their walk to class.

Following the initial violence, the police and Army put up crash barriers to keep a corridor route open for the Holy Cross pupils.

The images of terrified schoolgirls having to run the gauntlet between lines of armoured police officers in order to get to their primary school were beamed around the world.

Protestants claimed that Catholics were attacking their homes and said the school protest was their way of highlighting their concerns.

Stones, bottles, fireworks and even a blast bomb were thrown during weeks of unrest.

Fr Aidan, who was parish priest in Ardoyne at the time, told BBC News NI that "none of us want to see hatred". Police officers in riot gear escorting a young child. There is a crowd of people around them.Image source, Getty Images Image caption,

Police officers in riot gear escorted schoolgirls and their families past the protesters

"Hatred is the rawest, smelliest, most awful thing that anyone stood in the middle of," he said.

"We tell this story, not to blame, but to say we are capable of doing this to each other but let's make a commitment that we never will and we'll not do anything that would ever demean the way those children were demeaned."

He said people come up to him and thank him for what he did.

"I am embarrassed because I didn't do anything really worthwhile," he said.

"People say their children were given dignity. They were worth going in the front door and they were worth fighting for, and you stood in the middle of the road and said so."

He added that "it could happen again".

"The shock of Holy Cross, even 25 years later, probably means that it probably would not happen [again] in the exact same form, but the hurt is always possible," he said. A soldier with a gun. He is stood next to two army vehicles. It appears to be in a residential area. Image caption,

The police and Army put up crash barriers to keep a corridor route open for the Holy Cross pupils

About 100 pupils needed counselling due to their daily ordeal, according to principal at the time, Anne Tanney.

Speaking to the BBC in 2004, she said that even as an adult, she was traumatised by the protests .

"There were times when I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep," she said. "I used to bite my lip, trying not to cry in front of the children." Norman Hamilton sitting in a soft chair. He is wearing a purple sweater and shirt. He has grey hair and blue eyes, and is looking off to the right of the image frame. Image caption,

Rev Norman Hamilton was minister of Ballysillan Presbyterian Church at the time and played a key role in mediation efforts

Rev Norman Hamilton was minister of Ballysillan Presbyterian Church at the time of the protests and played a key role in mediation efforts aimed at bringing the dispute to an end.

He described what happened at Holy Cross as a "quagmire" and "one of the biggest events" in his life.

"It was just awful, absolutely awful.

"You couldn't avoid being profoundly affected simply because of the scale and the length and the depth of what was going on."

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme, Rev Hamilton said he worries that people in Northern Ireland are "finding new ways of dividing our society" and that it takes "very little to spark protests and riots".

He used the recent examples of riots in Ballymena and Belfast and that when "communities become fractured for whatever reason, violence is always a real possibility and sometimes seems inevitable".

"I genuinely feel, in many ways, that Northern Ireland is actually more divided now, albeit on along different lines, than it was 25 years ago." Fr Gary Donegan. He has short white hair, wearing a black shirt and white priest collar. Image caption,

Fr Gary Donegan was one of the priests who walked alongside schoolchildren and parents through the protests

Fr Gary Donegan was one of the priests who walked alongside schoolchildren and parents through the protests outside Holy Cross Primary School.

He described the protests as "an enormous part of" his life and a "life changing experience".

"You kind of realised that something had changed here because children were sacrosanct but this was something different," Fr Gary told Good Morning Ulster.

"It was the tension and the terror on very, very small children – it was just unbelievable at the time, it took everybody by surprise."

Fr Gary said some of the mothers "never ever recovered from the situation".

"The reality of what it was like for those children is so prevalent in their lives to this day.

"You cannot deny what happened, but I think you have to be extremely careful about how you remember things and what people say."

Fr Gary said while people "have moved on", there are people who "can use events like Holy Cross or other things in order to heighten tension because they need tension in order to be relevant".

Is Moy Park farm factory still a good shout for cheap chicken? Any other cheaper retailers -happy to travel within reason from Belfast. Husband is being a gym rat and I can't keep up!

Tia

Few days into it and christ i didn't realise how much of a ball and chain they really are. Got my full focus back for things i enjoy, weather its a podcast the football or a movie, and i feel i'm more in the moment. Hearing that people think things are not the same since covid, well it could be phones changing our perception of reality and stealing joy.

When my contract is up i'm going for a basic phone with whatsapp only but until then and after my weeks detox, it will be putting it in a drawer more regularly, obviously use a laptop for work or a personal one for video editing but i feel that is different and at least when i'm doing those things i'm fully focused no distractions.

What are other peoples thoughts?

Case involving alleged assault on a female mentioned at Ards Court on Tuesday

An assault case against DUP MP Jim Shannon has been ongoing for three years, a court heard on Tuesday.

The Strangford MP has been accused of assaulting a woman. The offence is alleged to have taken place on October 1 2023.

Shannon, 71, with an address at the DUP office in Frances Street in the town, did not attend the latest hearing at Newtownards Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, which lasted just a couple of minutes.

The court heard a defence statement has been lodged, and prosecutors have requested “some further materials from police”, and for a further three weeks for these to be received

A defence lawyer said the case had been going on for three years, and queried why a further three weeks was needed.

“There is an abuse of process application in this matter,” he added.

The case is next to be mentioned at Newtownards Magistrates’ Court on September 29 for a check on progress.

Shannon has been the party’s MP for Strangford since 2010.

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/an-assault-case-against-dup-mp-jim-shannon-has-been-ongoing-for-three-years-a-court-has-heard-5PNFVNN62NDIPLL5P4R7SJI6T4/

I'm going to be in Prague for a while and thought that I'd pop over to Budapest for when northern Ireland play Hungary in November. Just wondering what getting tickets is like? Will the away allocation sell out? When abouts there available?

Like me you hear the Orange Order gloating about a major win but don't actually know what is what?

Here is what you need to know:

- Not all 6 members in the Parades Commission had signed off on the final determination to block the parade. I very much doubt the people who didn't sign off would have been for the parade anyway.

- So for the Judge it was a very straight forward decision because procedure wasn't followed.

- Bryson's legal argument was that it breached their rights for "expression and peaceful assembly". Which is an extremely poor argument after the murder and riots last time they tried to march.

Very important:

- The judge did not rule that the parade should go ahead, nor give permission for one.

- Orange Order must make a new application.

- The parades commission voted unanimously last time for the parade to be blocked, with nothing new to bring to the table it is hard to see that it will get the go ahead again.

- Calling for them to be sacked is going to do nothing to get these people on these side!

Did the Parades Commission make mistakes? Not really, they just get everyone sign off, but ultimately makes no difference as they voted unanimously.

Nothing is going to change here, expect some disappointed Orange people from their poor leadership focusing on something so irrelevant to the real problems we have.

I've been renting for 5+ years now. Never been an issue. The landlord and I agreed that I could decorate the house with an 'understanding'. We've never been at loggerheads, but they do use a letting agent.

The letting agent has never been an issue until this year when they had a few failed attempts to enter the property(my home) for inspection for various reasons, Ultimately, they were at fault for most of the failed inspections. It seemed from the first failed inspection, the inspector (who turns out to be the letting agent's owner(big local letter)), seemed frustrated from the notes they left and suggesting I had changed the locks.

They finally inspected the property around a month back. Last week I got an email requesting a re-inspection to check on 2 things. These 2 issues aren't awfully important, one of which is unfinished decorating showing stains on the wall from previous mold issue which my landlord is aware of (the visible stains are the issue). I wasn't present during the inspection.

So, to my point, my request is to see a copy of the report from the inspection, they haven't been forthcoming with a report, nor have they acknowledged the request, which Isent a week ago. The email arranging a re-inspection was the first I knew of the issues.

How do I approach this issue? I have a bad feeling about in my gut about this situation.

Hello good people of Northern Ireland. I will be visiting Belfast for work for a few days. I had the weekend free and was wondering which place(s) would be good to visit along the coast for the weekend. Don't want to go to Dublin and would rather just enjoy the picturesque places along the coast of Northern Ireland.

Any suggestions or recommendations?

Hello,
I know this is a long shot but hoping Reddit can pull a miracle. I lost my wallet at the Portaneevy viewpoint of the Rope Bridge. You can keep all the money in it (over 300£) and collect huge karma from me if you can return the 3 ID cards I had in it. Also would be great to get the wallet back that I bought in Killarney, my credit cards, and fishing licenses.
If by some miracle you found it, please DM me. I am in Belfast until Sept 3rd.
God bless everyone, especially the person that finds my wallet and can get my ID’s back to me.
🙏

Call for courts to send 'clear message' after seven PSNI officers hurt in 'shameful' attacks | UTV | ITV News

Officers made arrests

Northern Ireland's courts must send a "clear message" to anyone who assaults PSNI officers, the Police Federation has said.

PFNI Chair Liam Kelly was speaking after an officer was bitten and another needed hospital treatment for a leg injury after a series incidents in Belfast on Sunday evening.

They were among seven who were were hurt as they carried out their duties in and around the the city centre.

Mr Kelly said: “To be blunt, there is a terrible disrespect among some people for the men and women I represent who do a fantastic job on behalf of the whole community.

“Officers work in dangerous and dynamic situations, countering violent and lawless individuals. 

“They put their bodies on the line when dealing with attackers. They sustain injuries, some of them forcing them to take time off work to recover. They have to confront constant dangers and all in the name of keeping society safe from mindless thugs.

“They most definitely do not deserve to be bitten, punched, slapped and attacked from behind in a cowardly manner. 

When culprits are brought before the Courts, they should be given meaningful prison terms to let them know there is zero tolerance for what they do.

“Assaulting our officers is becoming commonplace. It is a trend that needs to be halted in its tracks and that requires a no-nonsense approach being taken by our Courts.

“A clear message has to be handed down that assaulting police officers will no longer be treated with kid gloves. There is no mitigation or excuse for lashing out and assaulting officers.”

A Chief Inspector vowed the incidents would be “investigated rigorously”. Chief Inspector Andy George said in two of the incidents, officers sustained serious injuries that prevented them from continuing with their duties.

He added: “While officers were policing a music festival at Boucher Road Playing Fields, a teenage boy was observed with bottles of alcohol.

“When spoken to by officers he became aggressive – kicking one officer to the leg and another in his groin area.

“A third officer was also kicked in the struggle while the teenager was being arrested for assault on police and disorderly behaviour.

“A report will now be submitted to the Public Prosecution Service in due course in respect of the teenager.”

He added: “In the same area a 22-year-old man was suspected of concealing drugs.

“When challenged – an officer was struck to the face and knocked to the ground where he sustained further injury to his arm.

“The suspect was arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including assault on police, obstructing police, and possession of a Class A controlled drug.

“Despite his injuries the officer remained on duty.”

The chief inspector said another man was charged with assault on police following an incident in the Custom House Square area as officers policed another concert.

He said: “He became aggressive and verbally abusive towards the officer – attempting to punch him – and appeared intoxicated at the scene.

“Another officer was also bitten on his arm by an aggressive male in the same area.

“The officer’s skin was broken – causing significant injury – and he was unable to continue on duty.

“Officers were also assisting with two males in the Custom House Square area when an officer was assaulted from behind – sustaining a serious injury to the back of his knee.

“The officer required hospital treatment and was unable to continue with his duties.”

Mr George said all of “these shameful attacks on our officers will be investigated rigorously”.

He added: “We have two people charged to appear before Belfast Magistrates’ Court next month as a result of their disgraceful actions.

“Officers put themselves on the front line to help keep people safe – they do not deserve to be assaulted for simply doing their job.

“We are supporting these officers following a difficult 24 hours in the city.

“They are receiving the appropriate care and our welfare support has been set up.

“However, assaults across 24 hours from just one policing district in Northern Ireland, shows the often grim reality of what our officers on the ground are facing each and every day, and the courage and professionalism with which they serve our communities.”

Due to a recent head injury I've found myself reliant on a walking aid. As we all know, NHS waitlists are pretty terrible so getting one off the NHS is probably not happening.

I had a stick I used for hiking but it's broken today. Effectively I can’t adjust it to my height anymore. It slips down whenever I put any pressure on it.

I'm physically okay but due to the head injury my balance is nonexistent and I can suffer from dizzy spells that can happen at random in which case I really, really need the extra support.

I still need to get out and about as sitting in that apartment staring at the wall was not doing my mental health any good (something I do struggle with to begin with but y'know, wait lists).

Now I'm 6'2 and roughly 100-105kg so the average walking stick isn't going to do much.

I know Argos sells sticks but they don't use their own couriers for home delivery anymore and I've had an utter nightmare getting things delivered in the past. So they're out.

I really need it ASAP so my mental health doesn't dip. Feeling helpless due to this injury hasn't helped already but the stick at least gave me some independence back.

This small junction creates an unbelievable traffic jam twice a day. Every day. Surely it could be engineered better to relieve the tail-backs it causes

Hi all,

A while back I seen a post recommending a charity shop in Belfast that does amazing wedding guest dresses but can't find it anymore. Does anyone know of any charity shops in and around Belfast that would be good to have a look? Really don't see the point of buying a new dress for one day and got a strange body shape so would love to try on rather than order of vinted

Thanks all ☺️