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William Hayes

@williamhayes.bsky.social
190 followers 108 following 546 posts

Presbyterian Minister in the Midlands of Ireland. Computer geek, guitarist, hoarder of books and obscure information. Love seeing the bizarre and beautiful in the world.

PostsRepliesMedia
William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
It's Hugh Jackman, isn't it? www.bbc.com/news/live/c6...
bbc.com
RAF Fairford latest: Incident 'clearly involves' foreign actor, says US secretary of state
The secretary of state, who did not provide further details, was speaking to US media after five men arrested on suspicion of terror offences were released on bail.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Is it just me or does this whole Fairford incident have a very Slow Horses feel to it?
A group of men arrested under suspicion of terrorism outside the Fairford RAF base.  They are mostly white looking and their faces have been pictured for anonymity.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
So if you protest a genocide you are automatically a "terrorist" but hold up a major shipping route while wearing balaclavas and you are a "protester" and the police "engage with you"? www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Disruption at Port of Dover as masked men hold protest
Images appear to show hundreds of protesters, all dressed in black and wearing face coverings.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I haven't seen the whole of the Star Wars Christmas Special but it would have to be really, really atrocious to be worse than The Mandalorian and Grogu. This is the "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" of Star Wars. It contains so much cheese it nearly set off my dairy allergy.
A publicity poster for the horrendous The Mandalorian and Grogu.

A man in armour the titular "Mandalorian" holds a gun and is surrounded by smaller images of various other characters from that film.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I see Julian and Sandy have branched out into laundry detergent.
A row of bottles of laundry detergent in an Irish supermarket.  The brand name on the bottles is Fabulosa.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Still getting used to the nightly miracle of arriving home with a car with less than 50% battery, plugging it in, and then having an almost "full tank" the next morning. No more smelly diesel!
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Peter Jackson did Merry and Pippin wrong! The film version is very funny of course but it's actually Strider (Aragorn) who says to light a fire while Sam cautions against it.
An excerpt from The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring page 190.

Aragon (called Strider in the text) recommends lighting a fire on Weathertop to ward off the Black Riders.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
A retired politician waits for his granddaughter to visit. She arrives with her deadbeat boyfriend in tow. A tragic confrontation brings up the past resulting in the deaths of both the granddad and boyfriend.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
I'm hoping the Mitch McConnell story is going to turn out to be some mix of the bizarre and incendiary eg McConnell has a diary to be released upon his death that spills all the beans and shows where all the receipts are Because of that they'll try to keep him on life support until at least 2032
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is "very intelligent" and 10 is "Giving the ability to make nuclear weapons to the state that sponsored 9/11" where would you rank this piece of very stable genius behaviour? www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
US to announce deal allowing Saudi Arabia a nuclear programme, reports say
The agreement would fulfil a long-held Saudi ambition but could attract concern in Israel and from some US lawmakers.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Happy Aimee Mann day to all who celebrate
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Given the US President's preferred form of headwear is there a possibility that a baseball cap is going to end up looking like a Nazi uniform in the future? If so, what would you recommend for summer head covering? @dieworkwear.bsky.social
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Reposted by William Hayes
Doug Gay @douggay.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
With reference to Belfast and Glasgow this week - something I say from the pulpit regularly - there is no authentic Protestant identity which is not centred on Jesus Christ and his call to love both our neighbours and our enemies @stocki61.bsky.social
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
I keep seeing posts about the Trump regime stopping research funding I understand why climate deniers would defund climate research and why racists would remove DEI funding. Bigots are going to bigot after all. But some of it just looks like taking an axe to US science for the hell of it. Why?
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Sam Vimes felt like a class traitor every time he wore it. He hated being thought of as one of those people who wore stupid ornamental armour. It was gilt by association. Sir Terry Pratchett - Night Watch
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
How do they rise up?
A photograph of lilac flowers in honour of the Terry Pratchett novel "Night Watch"
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
I think, unfortunately, I've got to do a Boromir on this one. "Good Omens has no sequel - Good Omens needs no sequel."
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Reposted by William Hayes
John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
This week in 1812 Spencer Perceval became the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated. Its the least interesting thing about him. Working with hedonistic lawyer James Stephen, the devout Christian engineered one of the first slavery bans in British territory WITHOUT Parliament's approval. /1
painting of spencer perceval, a middle-aged man with swept back white hair.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
The woods near us are covered in bluebells just now and they look wonderful.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Germany troop cut sends exactly the signal Trump wants to send to Russia www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Germany troop cuts send wrong signal to Russia, say two top US Republicans
The chairs of the House and Senate armed services committees said withdrawing 5,000 service personnel risked undermining deterrence.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
@mauricejcasey.com Just finished the audio book of Hotel Lux and it was great, in the midst of lots of driving round Ireland, to be immersed in those folks lives. Well done!
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
The daily killing of Palestinian children made in the image of God is obviously the much bigger crime but this smaller act of desecration is a symptom of the much bigger problem. A photo of an IDF soldier smashing the head of a statue of Jesus during their invasion of Lebanon.
A photo of an IDF soldier smashing the head of a statue of Jesus during their invasion of Lebanon.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
@sannewman.bsky.social Well done! I read Julia along with the original this last couple of weeks and it was wonderful how well it knit together with 1984, enhanced it in parts, and yet also (I hope lovingly) undermined its worldview in parts.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
The Supreme Grand Master smiled in the depths of his robe. It was amazing... You tell them a lie, and then when you don't need it any more you tell them another lie and tell them they are progressing along the road to wisdom. 1/2
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Been thinking of how political Wonder Man was, particularly in comparison to that other great TV series - Andor Andor was political front and centre. It wore it on its sleeve Wonder Man is political in the radical Luke 15 sort of way that simply being a good neighbour is political these days.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Orion and the aurora from last night
A photograph a green streak of the aurora borealis as seen from Ireland with the constellation Orion in the background. 

In the front left corner foreground is the wall of a garage with a basketball hoop.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
The fall of the American Republic matches that of the Roman Republic except for one detail - The Triumvirate that destroyed the republic was 1) The richest man in the world - Crassus 2) A raping, face painted ,egomaniac - Caesar And 3) Pompey the military guy. Who is Pompey in this scenario?
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Reposted by William Hayes
Greg McCann @gjmccann.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
In a world full of Scott Addamses, be a Bill Watterson.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Finally finished my Christmas jigsaw in time for my birthday Happy Hogswatch to all those who celebrate! :-)
A finished 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle sitting on a wooden table. 

The puzzle image is of a larger number of characters from Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of books.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
The Louisiana Purchase was the largest single increase in area of the USA it added 828,000 sq mi, what would become ~ 15 states. Greenland is 836,330 sq mi This is nothing to do with minerals (they could simply buy the rights) or security (it's part of NATO anyway) It's all about Trump's legacy.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
It's freezing here in Ireland and I was out the front of the church this evening casting salt over the paths and getting funny looks from the drivers going by. I felt like I should have been wearing my clerical garb and chanting in Latin or something for maximum effect.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
Have we tried letting competent grown ups run the world for a change. Just a suggestion, might be worth a try...
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
Dear Canada, Apparently it's now ok to send your special forces south and kidnap the leader of a country that has been annoying you. You know what to do. Half of your neighbour will thank you as long as you also take the VP and the Speaker of the House. Yours, The Rest of the World
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Just back from leading Carols by Candlelight. 75% totally knackered but 25% feeling very Christmassy :-) Happy Christmas everyone!
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
February 2025 The Burning Bush symbol from Tullamore Presbyterian Church removed during renovations. The butterflies are the table cloth underneath and not some theological peculiarity of Midlands Presbyterianism.
A burning bush logo from an Irish Presbyterian Church. 

It is sitting on a table cloth that is decorated with butterflies.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
January 2025 Tullamore Rainbow over the Grand Canal
A photo of the Grand Canal in Tullamore, Ireland. 
There is a row of brightly painted Edwardian houses on the left bank, the canal in the middle of the shot proceeding from the bottom centre to the top right of the frame and in the middle background a partial rainbow.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
Tullamore looking dramatic tonight
A photograph of the Grand Canal in Tullamore taken from a pedestrian canal bridge and looking along the canal at a road bridge in the distance.  

The photo is taken in the post sunset evening light with bright streetlights contrasting with the dark of the canal, the mid-blue of the sky and dark clouds.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
The Prats of the Caribbean... www.lee.senate.gov/2025/12/patr...
lee.senate.gov
Patriots of the Caribbean: Lee Bill Authorizes American Privateers to Seize Cartel Assets with President’s Approval
U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced legislation today that would allow private entities to stop drug cartel smuggling and violence. The Cartel Marque and Reprisal Reauthorization Act authorizes Pr...
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
So the next while it's going to be - 1) Trump starts a war with Venezuela (and possibly Colombia?) 2) Oil price rockets helping Trump's buddy (handler) Putin. 3) America tells Ukraine, "Sorry we're at war over here. We can't give you weapons as we need them and we want you to surrender to Russia
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
The late Sir Terry Pratchett being topical again. #magnets #science #Pratchett #STP #Trump
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
@drfrancisyoung.bsky.social Not that I would call into question the veracity of our National Broadcaster but I was very confused by this article about Martinmas sacrifices in Ireland. www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2... Was this a thing well into the 20th century as claimed?
rte.ie
Why November 11th was a day for blood sacrifice rites in Ireland
Blood sacrifices involving pigs, sheep or geese were practiced in Ireland well into living memory on Martinmas
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Reposted by William Hayes
Kurt Busiek @kurtbusiek.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE and PEANUTS debuted the same month. Hard to believe they're of the same era. Hat tip to Lev Grossman for that bit o' knowledge.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Could whoever gave Trump a DVD of Tom Clancy's "Clear and Present Danger" please stop giving him ideas? And for goodness sake never let him get near a Ladybird Edition or colouring book of "Debt of Honor" www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Trump confirms he authorised CIA action inside Venezuela
But the president would not be drawn on whether the CIA had been told to topple Nicolas Maduro.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
O, wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as others see us! It wad frae monie a blunder free us, An' foolish notion
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
At Abbey Royale de Fontevraud and this painting of the Resurrection of Jesus is giving me strong Thomas Jefferson from Hamilton vibes. "What did I miss?!"
Detail of a wall painting of the resurrection of Jesus from the Abbeye Royale de Fontevraud in France. Jesus is wrapped in a billowing red cloak, carrying a staff and gesturing to his right with a two finger pointing gesture that looks strangely out of place in this type of art. Behind him there is a red orange glow and around him soldiers are falling to the ground in shock.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
Is it chicken curry or is it cake? Spotted in the wild at SuperU Tours, France
A photo from a French supermarket of a cake that is chicken curry flavoured.
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William Hayes @williamhayes.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Someone in the Mattel corporation, in a meeting about creating a suitable motto for a toy company, suggested this joyless imperialist sounding verbiage. Weirdly the rest of the room didn't give them withering looks but thought, "That's good - let's go with that!" We played Uno - we're empowered!
A photograph of the top of a Uno box that includes the Mattel company motto. It reads "Empowering the next generation through play"
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