Brian O'Neill 
The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like. Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not …
In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any …
The Irish News reports on disharmony in the notoriously competitive arena of international sheep dog trials: The International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS) has become embroiled in flags row that has sparked deep division among members of its Irish section. The society, which was established in 1906 and is a registered charity, oversees the sheepdog trials in Ireland and Britain. Unionist MPs at Westminster have signed a letter written to the ISDS urging the organisation to scrap the practice of using …
Amazon have added a new feature that absolutely no one ever asked for. It’s where they use AI to create a fake podcast-style interview with ‘presenters’ where they discuss the product. You can even customise it by asking your own questions and the ‘presenters’ will answer your question. Watch the video below to embrace the full hellishness. Finally, the AI feature we all wanted and needed: Amazon now creates an AI “podcast” about products where two AI “hosts” discuss the …
From the BBC: Smart electricity meters will be rolled out in Northern Ireland from 2028, according to the Department for the Economy. Smart meters are widely used in the rest of the UK and in Ireland, providing real-time information to energy suppliers while giving households information on their electricity usage and costs. The rollout is set to cost more than £500m, with the regulator expecting IT costs expected to increase that total to the “late hundreds of millions”. Economy Minister …
It’s been almost weeks since we have had a call to collapse the Assembly. It’s no secret that Brian Feeney is not a fan of our beleaguered ruling class. Writing in today’s Irish News, he has this to say: Michelle O’Neill said Sinn Féin is up for reform of the structures, but the DUP will block any reform, which anyway couldn’t happen before next year’s election. Do you seriously believe the DUP would cooperate with any reform? Fundamentally, Sinn Féin …
It seems we are not immune from the global demographic time bomb. From the Irish News: The latest Population Projections for Northern Ireland, published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), show that by mid-2027 the over-65 population will overtake the number of children in the north. By 2030, the number of deaths will outnumber births. The overall population is set to peak at 1.94 million in mid-2031 before going into long-term decline, falling to 1.91 million by …
The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like. Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not …
In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any …
A fascinating article from Wired about the entrepreneurial Indian medical student who decided to create a fake right wing influencer to make some spare cash, from the article: The 22-year-old aspiring orthopedic surgeon from northern India got some money from his parents, but he says he spent most of it subsidizing his licensing exams, and he’s still saving up to hopefully emigrate to the US after graduation. So he started searching for ways to make additional money online. Sam, who …
I never expected to find myself offering a defence of the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK Ambassador to the US. For most, watching his downfall feels less like a political event and more like a long-overdue karmic correction. There is a certain universal satisfaction in seeing the architect of “spin” finally lose control of the narrative, and I take as much pleasure in the fall of the “Prince of Darkness” as the next person. However, if we peel …
I was talking with a local school principal recently about the epidemic of teacher stress, and he explained that schools are no longer just places of education; they have become the front line for solving deep-seated social problems. A staggering number of children are entering Primary One without the most basic foundations. Some aren’t toilet trained. Many have never had a book read to them or learned a simple nursery rhyme. Teachers are seeing significant speech delays and behavioural issues …
At the Belfast Summit a few months ago, a senior police officer in charge of the city centre made a striking admission: only 20% of what they deal with is actually crime. The remaining 80% of their workload is the fallout of addiction. Understandably, the police are not that keen on their unofficial role of social workers with guns. Parts of the city centre have become incredibly grim, especially since Covid. It is deeply depressing to witness the scale of …
The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like. Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not …
In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any …
The UK higher education sector is, to put it mildly, in a bit of a mess. Current projections show that 45% of UK universities are facing a financial deficit for the 2025–26 academic year. Even more alarming, nearly 1 in 6 institutions are operating with less than 30 days of liquidity. Thanks to relentless inflation and stagnant funding, universities now receive substantially less in real terms per student than they did a decade ago. For years, international students were the …
There has been much talk about the anticipated fuel protests today. Junior was very excited last night at the possibility of school being cancelled, but I had to explain to him that, as we walk to school every day, I don’t think any protests will be affecting us. So far, the only activity seems to be some tractors stopping on the M3 – Sydenham Bypass city-bound. Another video from social – tractors stopped. pic.twitter.com/g77tuTdehi — Kevin Scott (@Kscott_94) April 14, …
All change in Hungary following the defeat of Viktor Orbán, but this particular story caught my attention. Peter Magyar, during his international press conference, confirmed that Szijjarto, Orbán’s foreign minister, has barricaded himself with some of his closest colleagues and is destroying and shredding evidence about his treason (documents about the sanctions against russians). Peter Magyar, during his international press conference, confirmed that Szijjarto, Orbán's foreign minister, has barricaded himself with some of his closest colleagues and is destroying and …
The war in Ukraine will be seen as a turning point for the world and likely not for the better. The creativity and ingenuity of Ukraine have shown how a small country can fend off and hopefully defeat a much larger invader. Unfortunately, it looks like they’ve also unleashed an obsolete Pandora’s box of new, cheap, easily made drones and other technological advances that will likely be used by future armies and also terrorists around the world. ZELENSKYY: For the …
The Great Orange One has turned his ire on the pontiff. Posting on Truth Social the following: Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about “fear” of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart. I like …
