Ulysses by James Joyce: Great Books Explained

Very recommendable!

I am not sure I really like these English word creations by James Joyce as exemplified in this video. They seem to be a little contrived.

(5) Ulysses by James Joyce: Great Books Explained - YouTube

Greenland deep-sea shark, the longest living vertebrate on the planet, can live for around 400 years

Amazing stuff!

"... But in April 2026, a group of researchers and volunteers stood on the cloudy shoreline of County Sligo, Ireland, and marvelled at the sight of a species that had never been stranded here before – a dead Greenland shark. 

Judging by its size – around 3m (10ft) long – the grey-beige animal lying on the tidal flats was over 150 years old. ... 

The Greenland shark, the longest living vertebrate on the planet, can live for around 400 years. ..."

"... The [recovered dead] shark is now undergoing detailed scientific postmortem examination, contributing valuable data to the understanding of this elusive deep-water species. Tissue samples and selected anatomical components are being preserved as part of the National Museum’s scientific collections, ensuring a permanent record of this exceptional specimen. ..."

'We were all just in awe': A stranding in Ireland sheds new light on the long, slow, ice-cold life of a deep-sea shark "Some Greenland sharks alive today may have been contemporaries of Shakespeare. With a scarred heart that beats for centuries and eyesight that doesn't fade, this deep-sea shark defies age-related decline."

Remains of a rare Greenland shark recovered (original news release) "The remains of a rare 3-metre-long Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) has been successfully recovered from the shoreline in County Sligo, marking the first recorded stranding of this species on the Irish coast."

Source

Recovery of the remains of the dead shark

A new Troubles Legacy Act will deal with ‘unfinished business’ between Northern Ireland and the UK. Really!

My hunch is this will create new troubles! I guess, a bad choice by PM Starmer!

I am afraid, PM Starmer (who also wants to reward the Hamas terrorists with a Palestine state) believes in some sort of false equivalence between IRA and the British military.

Was there any urgent necessity to make new changes to the "2023 Troubles Legacy Act" or was this a waste of time and effort by PM Starmer?

Is it not true that both sides of the conflict, but in particular Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1969-1997, have committed atrocious war crimes and atrocities?

Caveat: I am not very familiar with this Act nor the underlying issues.

"The UK and Ireland have announced a new Troubles legacy deal. ...

The government has replaced the Conservatives’ Legacy Act, which banned any new prosecutions for Troubles-related crimes. The new proposals include the introduction of two new bodies to deal with investigations and recovery, public hearings and the reversal of conditional immunity for British soldiers. Inquests paused under the previous Legacy Act will resume and, in the Republic, a legacy unit will be set up by the Gardai alongside a €25 million fund to help witnesses deal with the legal process. ...

The Conservatives’ Legacy Act was supported by veterans because it stopped the prosecutions of former soldiers and police over incidents in the Troubles, with DUP leader Gavin Robinson calling the proposals ‘egregious’. ..."

"... Simon Harris said he accepted mutual agreement "has not been easy", but the new package will provide "maximum truth, justice and accountability" [???] to victims. ..."

Spectator

UK and Irish governments agree new Troubles legacy deal

NI Secretary Hilary Benn and tánaiste Simon Harris hold the joint framework at Hillsborough Castle

Irland: Bett, Brot und Seife – mehr nicht für Asylbewerber

Einen Versuch ist es wert! Abschreckung statt Verwöhnen! Allerdings, wird dieses System wohl beibehalten werden, sobald die Asylbewerber die erste Unterkunft nach Ankunft verlassen.

Rückführungen: Warum Dublin-Zentren nicht funktionieren | FAZ (behind paywall) "Dublin-Zentren sollen das kaputte Asylsystem reparieren. Migranten sollen es dort so schlecht haben, dass sie freiwillig in das Land zurückgehen, das für sie zuständig ist. Aber da ist es oft noch schlimmer."

1916 Easter Rising: The Poet’s Rebellion in Ireland - Lucasfilm

Recommendable!

Irish government introduces new hate speech laws protecting '72 different genders’

Occasionally, the Irish people are crazy (flippantly translated in German: Die irren Iren)! Taking gender fluidity to whole new level!

Dec. 6, 1921 Britain and Sinn Féin signed an agreement to establish the “Irish Free State.”

A day in history!

"Following two years of conflict between the two sides, the settlement granted Ireland the same status as other Commonwealth nations such as Canada and Australia. The agreement also allowed the six Irish counties in the area known as Ulster to choose whether to be part of the Irish Free State; those counties ultimately became Northern Ireland. On Friday, Ireland voted in a general election that will likely keep power in the hands of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael—the two parties that have dominated the country’s politics since 1922."

The Wall Street Journal What's news

Ireland toughens response to mass immigration as communities voice concerns

Recommendable! 

Why are many of these immigrants sent to small rural communities sometimes outnumbering the inhabitants?

BBC interviewed two female immigrants. They were from South Africa. Is SA such a bad place that some feel they had to emigrate to seek asylum in Ireland? How come?

New discovery shows how the transition from scales to feathers happened in dinosaurs

Amazing stuff!

"... Palaeontologists ... have found that some feathered dinosaurs had scaly skin like reptiles. Their results are based on an analysis of a new specimen of the feathered dinosaur Psittacosaurus. ...

There are up to 12 known species of Psittacosaurus – the most of any dinosaur genus. One specimen made waves when it was discovered with preserved filaments on its tail – early feathers. ...

By the time Psittacosaurus came around, many dinosaurs already had feathers. In fact, some palaeontologists suggest that most, if not all, dinosaurs had at least some feathers by the time of the mass extinction event 66 million years ago. ...

A new Psittacosaurus fossil specimen found in northeastern China, dated to between 133 and 120 million years ago, was analysed by the UCC team, along with researchers from Nanjing University in China.

The team used ultraviolet light to identify patches of preserved skin. Further X-ray and infrared analysis revealed spectacular detail of the cell structure of the fossilised skin. ..."

From the abstract:

"Fossil feathers have transformed our understanding of integumentary evolution in vertebrates. The evolution of feathers is associated with novel skin ultrastructures, but the fossil record of these changes is poor and thus the critical transition from scaled to feathered skin is poorly understood. Here we shed light on this issue using preserved skin in the non-avian feathered dinosaur Psittacosaurus. Skin in the non-feathered, scaled torso is three-dimensionally replicated in silica and preserves epidermal layers, corneocytes and melanosomes. The morphology of the preserved stratum corneum is consistent with an original composition rich in corneous beta proteins, rather than (alpha-) keratins as in the feathered skin of birds. The stratum corneum is relatively thin in the ventral torso compared to extant quadrupedal reptiles, reflecting a reduced demand for mechanical protection in an elevated bipedal stance. The distribution of the melanosomes in the fossil skin is consistent with melanin-based colouration in extant crocodilians. Collectively, the fossil evidence supports partitioning of skin development in Psittacosaurus: a reptile-type condition in non-feathered regions and an avian-like condition in feathered regions. Retention of reptile-type skin in non-feathered regions would have ensured essential skin functions during the early, experimental stages of feather evolution."

New discovery shows how the transition from scales to feathers happened in dinosaurs

Cellular structure of dinosaur scales reveals retention of reptile-type skin during the evolutionary transition to feathers (open access)

Fig. 2: Preserved skin of Psittacosaurus (NJUES-10).

Norway, Ireland, Spain say will recognise Palestinian state. Really!

What Palestinian state! This is pretty absurd! What is the point? Antisemitism?

Alcohol warning Label Debate again

How useful are those warning labels? As far as smoking cigarettes were concerned the effects were limited or weak. Other forms of consuming nicotine took over.

What will be labeled next? Gasoline powered cars? Is this not a form of government paternalism?

Occasional campaigns to educate the public about health dangers are a good idea, but legislating labels on each product not so much!

"Starting in 2026, alcohol sold in Ireland will be required to have warning labels stating that drinking is linked to cancer and liver disease. And other countries are considering similar approaches. 

Only one in three Americans know drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancer.

One in four countries requires health warning labels for alcohol. ..."

Global Health NOW: One Year into Sudan’s ‘Forgotten’ War; Outbreak Prep for All; and Alcohol Label Debate

Irish government admits defeat over two referendums on family and women's roles as written in the constitution

Don't mess with a long standing constitution (ratified 1937) unless you have very convincing arguments!

Israeli basketball team wins after Irish team refuses to shake hands in 2025 Women's EuroBasket game

Sore losers!

"An Israeli women's basketball team beat Ireland 87 to 57 in the first game of the 2025 Women's EuroBasket qualifier in Riga on Thursday evening, a game in which sport was overshadowed by politics when the Irish team refused to shake hands with their Israeli counterparts. ..."

Israeli basketball team wins after Irish team refuses to shake hands - The Jerusalem Post "Basketball Ireland fully supports our players in their decision," the national governing body for basketball in Ireland said in a statement regarding the refusal to shake hands with Israel's team.

Northern Ireland Gets New Govt After 2 Years with Palki Sharma

Recommendable! Exciting times!

Women power in Northern Ireland!

Rishi Sunak, the quite ladies man

Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (Official Music Video) [HD]

Enjoy! She died in 2023. Modern Irish music!

What is the New more potent Synthetic Drug Causing “Holes” in Skin spreading in the UK and Ireland? with Palki Sharma

Bad news!

The Irish - First slaves brought to the Americas

Very recommendable!

Ireland became an Obedient Colony of the European Union

Recommendable! I also believe some kind of transformation happened in Ireland over the last 10-20 years or so that turned the once so very successful Celtic Tiger into perhaps a lapdog!

There is little doubt that the EU is more and more becoming centralized and a hegemon! Federalism, member state sovereignty? Thrown in the trash!

I expect nothing less of Ireland than to follow the Brexit example before further caving in to EU mandates! E.g. "As a model EU colony, Ireland is now poised to obey another EU command: the eradication of emission gases from the planet, which in practical terms means the slaughtering of 200,000 cows to help save the planet."

E.g. that Ireland accepted the global minimum corporate tax rate scam was highly unusual given that Ireland tremendously benefited from its low business taxation!

"Ireland, which used to be a colony of England, is now a colony of the European Union.

The country has fallen victim to the internationalist and multicultural values of the liberal West reminiscent of a child walking into the arms of a kidnapper holding an ice cream cone.

Much of the great collapse occurred after the country walked away from its Catholic roots. To a large degree, Catholicism was the anchor that held Ireland together. Then came the clergy sex scandals, causing understandable anger and sadness, but what did the Irish do?

The Catholic Church was thrown out with the holy water, and then the rudderless nation clamored for another savior: the European Union and the high-tech giants like Google, Facebook, Apple and Twitter, all of whom have made the country their European tax haven headquarters. ..."

Ireland: Obedient Colony of the European Union | Frontpage Mag

Irlands neues Hassredegesetz – Von der Wiege Europas zur Bahre der Freiheit

Seltsame und befremdliche Dinge gehen da vor sich in Europa!

Der Freiheitsverlust ist erschreckend!

Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Ronald Reagan: “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again.”

Voltaire: “I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write.”

"Für viele Menschen ist Irland ein zentraler Sehnsuchtsort Europas. Von der bedeutenden Missionierungsarbeit irischer Mönche im Frühmittelalter, über die tapfere Selbstbehauptung gegenüber dem großen Bruder Großbritannien, bis hin zu kultureller und landschaftlicher Romantik in Form endloser Hügellandschaften, irischer Pubs und einiger der schönsten Leuchttürme der Welt. Die Iren sind ein widerspenstiges und freiheitsliebendes Völkchen, zumindest in der populären Wahrnehmung, doch in den letzten Jahren mehren sich die Anzeichen, dass auch diesem Freigeist endgültig der Garaus gemacht werden soll.
Der bisherige Höhepunkt dieser Entwicklung ist die nunmehr geplante Verabschiedung eines neuen Gesetzes gegen Hassrede, das international neue Standards setzt und den endgültigen Abschied vom Konzept freier Meinungsäußerung darstellen könnte. Zur Relation: Selbst die Regelungen der EU bleiben bislang dahinter zurück, wobei zu befürchten ist, dass Brüssel nach 1500 Jahren schon bald wieder von Irland aus missioniert wird. ...
All dies geschieht vor dem traditionell schwammigen Definitionshintergrund der Hassrede ..."

Irlands neues Hassredegesetz – Von der Wiege Europas zur Bahre der Freiheit Irland wird das bislang radikalste Gesetz gegen Hassrede der westlichen Welt einführen. Nicht nur wird der Besitz potenziell Hass-erzeugender Materialien mit mehrjährigen Gefängnisstrafen geahndet, mittels Beweislastumkehr müssen Angeklagte dann auch ihre Unschuld beweisen.

The 46th President's recent visit to Northern Ireland was a great success except ...

What was the demented and senile 46th President doing in Northern Ireland anyway? To visit his ancestral hometown???? At taxpayers expense! He could have done this anytime before or after his presidency!

Basically, nobody reported about this trip! Was it too embarrassing?