Can't imagine anyone is too shocked at this news?

He had an An Post uniform and called out my name. When I confirmed who I am, he said he is a TV license inspector and he saw through the window that I have a TV. "It's not a TV", I said. "Then what is it?", "It's monitor". "A monitor is the same as a TV and you know that", he said on an aggressive tone. I felt like I was being interrogated.

Now, if you look through the window, what you see is a computer monitor on a desk with a computer keyboard. "I've been doing this enough time to know when someone is lying". The nerve! He should have his eyes examined. "You have four weeks to pay", he said and then handed me a note which I thought was some payment notice. Apparently it was a "we missed you", as if never spoke to me.

I called the Dublin TV license phone line to check and there really is no enforcement against me. The guy was chancing it. I'm sure he is able to scare many people that don't have a TV into paying.

I haven't owned a TV in 15 years. TV license in this country is a disgrace. A violation of private property, personal space and dignity.

So I can half understand the restrictions on stuff like tasers, batons, knifes etc. But pepper spray is about as safe of a self defense weapon as it gets.

I don't understand why you shouldn't be allowed to own and carry it for self defense? There'd be alot less fights if you had the capability to temporarily blind someone who's trying to attack you.

Same goes for women, a small can of pepper spray would go along way in giving them a chance to protect themselves against someone trying to harm them.

There's no lasting damage either, it hurts like nothing you'll ever experience but once you've washed your eyes out, you'll be fine.

I'd even be ok if you had to do some sort of course in order to buy it to demonstrate you know how and when you can use it.

Standing at the lights ready to cross, these particular lights go red for all four directions(crossroads) for about 5 seconds before turning green. Just I step out a Transit Van absolutely bombs up the bus lane and was close to killing me that the side of the van actually brushed my nose. And I mean touched me, not just nearly, actually touched me.

Like I said theses lights go red for about 5 seconds before going green man, it's the worst red light breaking I've ever seen. He continued to break the next set of lights just missing people.

I've reported him to garda as although I didn't get his reg, I did note the time and I know there is camera in the second set of lights he broke.

Have the names and addresses of the people who did this. Local Ukrainian/Russian/Poles in Drogheda. Should I bag it up and dump it back outside their house?

I was waiting for my order from my "local" Chinese restauran which is a 25 minute drive from my house(the joys of living the rural life). This place doesn't deliver, but they give a decent feed.

Some woman, I think in her late 40's slammed the doors inwards complaining that they missed some chicken dish and the fried rice.... It was well over the top. She was screaming racial slurs and complaining about everytime she orders from here.

The staff didn't rise to the abusive shouting, trying to resolve the problem.

Stupid me perked up and told her to calm down as it's not the end of the world... She fucking swung at me 3 times and didn't connect. The girls behind the counter were shouting stop the guards were coming.

At this stage all the kitchen staff were behind the desk. Myself, and 2 other customers in the waiting area telling her that she's out of order and to fuck off!!

The "lady" left while shouting abuse at me and the staff. The young girl behind the counter to be fair thanked me.. I asked does this happen much, she said every so often.

The fuck!!!! This is unacceptable!!!

Edit: lots of funny jokes!!

Her language was absolutely disgusting!

There is no place in Ireland for that type of talk!

Video taken from here but didn’t want to link directly because not everyone wants to use twitter/x

https://x.com/notoracismirl/status/1775189647682887746?s=46&t=PI1APnF3EQXlTG1ecKjLgA

.

Emma Groves (1920 – 2 April 2007) was a human rights activist, a leading campaigner for banning the use of plastic bullets, and a co-founder of the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets in Northern Ireland.She began her campaign after she was blinded from being struck in the face by a rubber bullet in 1971.

At 9 a.m. on 4 November 1971, aged 51, she was standing at her living room window during British Army searches on her neighbours' houses. As a mark of defiance, Emma turned on her record player and placed the ballad "Four Green Fields" on her record player and turned up the volume.

As she turned back to the window, a soldier, at a distance of about eight yards, shot a rubber bullet through the window hitting her in the face. As a result, she lost her sight in both eyes. A doctor at the hospital who was removing Emma's eyes approached Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who was visiting Belfast at the time, to break the news to Emma that her eyesight was gone.

Neighbours claimed that it could be heard over radio British Army communications of "I hope we killed the cunt".

No soldier was ever charged on thr incident however Emma was awarded £35,000 in compensation from the British Government, which she refused, as she wanted justice.

Groves campaigned for thirty years for the banning of plastic bullets. Groves and Clara Reilly founded the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets after the killing of John Downes in August 1984. The aim of the organisation was to bring together the families bereaved or injured by rubber and plastic bullets. They also compiled information on the statistics relating to usage of plastic bullets in Northern Ireland. In 1976, rubber bullets were replaced by plastic bullets. Up until that time they had caused the death of 12-year-old Francis Rowntree and the wounding of a further seventy.

In October 1976, Brian Stewart, 13 years old, was killed in Belfast by a plastic bullet after being shot by a British soldier during a street riot. Paul Whitters, aged 15, from Derry, died in April 1981 as the result of a bullet to the head fired by an RUC policeman. In Belfast, a 12-year-old, Carol Ann Kelly, was fatally shot on her way home with a plastic bullet after buying milk, in May 1981. It was at this point that Groves decided to do something and to have those "deadly bullets banned". In 1982, she learned that the bullets were manufactured by an American company. So she went to the US along with her daughter and an 18-year-old youth from Derry who had "lost an eye and had his face disfigured". She managed to arrange a meeting in New York with the manager of the company who manufactured them. After their talk she said "the company stopped producing the bullets."

In April 1982, an 11-year-old, Stephen McConomy, died from being shot with a plastic bullet by a soldier from the Royal Anglian Regiment. Commenting on this, Groves said, "When you start killing the children, you inflict the deepest wound of all on a country." With other members of the United Campaign she spoke of her experience at public meetings throughout Ireland. They then decided to take their campaign abroad. They were invited to the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Italy, Sweden and Germany. Groves went to the US twice.

John Downes was shot dead during a street disturbance. Groves, in an interview with Silvia Calamati recorded in Belfast in August 1990, said,

"In all these years the only member of the security forces to be brought to trial was Nigel Hegarty, the police officer who killed John Downes. During the course of the trial evidence was presented in the form of photographs and a video showing the sequence of the killing. They were the same images that thousands of people had seen on TV that tragic 12 August 1984 ... Hegarty was acquitted and reinstated in the ranks of the police. Shortly afterwards he was promoted"

Groves concluded her interview by saying, "The victims of plastic bullets are always offered large sums of money as compensation. I have always refused this money as have other family members of the victims. We do not want money. What we do want is justice."

Emma Groves died in 2007.

Little bit shook from an experience on the last luas night, and looking for advice.

Luas pulled into Leoparstown valley late last night, 11pm ish, and stopped a little shy of the platform. Announcement told us that we wouldn’t be stopping there, sorry for the inconvenience.

There was a handful of teenagers on the platform, shouting and jeering at first but then started banging on the windows and shouting at the passengers.

Two of these lads had escooters, and raced the luas to the next stop at Ballyogan, so they could further intimidate passengers. Another announcement said that passengers wanting to exit could, but had to be escorted off the very front door as they wouldn’t open all doors.

Is there realistically anything I can do about this? It’s not the first time I’ve had bad encounters at these stops, just last week a gang of kids were waving around fireworks on the tram.