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AP Photo/Karly Domb Sadof

Apple seeks to buffer security after recent high-profile blunders

iPhone prototypes being left in bars and leaking online are not the only worries for Apple.

WANTED: EXPERIENCE SECURITY professional. Must have plan to thwart Chinese counterfeiters, protect secret blueprints from spies and keep workers from leaving super-secret unreleased smartphones behind in bars.

A day after a recent report surfaced that an Apple employee had lost a prototype for a new but unreleased iPhone at a Northern California watering hole, two job listings appeared on Apple’s website for managers of “new product security.”

Such workers would join a team at the $350 billion company that has included ex-FBI agents and other highly trained pros with backgrounds in intelligence and law enforcement.

While a private security force might not seem in keeping with its user-friendly image, Apple and other companies in its league need the best protection they can buy, corporate security experts say. And lost iPhones likely don’t come near the top of the list of anxieties.

“Corporate espionage, that’s big money. Billion-dollar money. The paranoia is justified,” said Jim Stickley, co-founder of corporate security consulting firm TraceSecurity “Whatever they’re trying to do, their competitors want to know. Everybody wants to know.”

Secrecy

Apple declined to discuss its security operations in detail with The Associated Press, in keeping with the company’s longstanding reputation for secrecy. Nor has the company confirmed the existence of the iPhone 5, the rumored latest model, much less a lost prototype.

But San Francisco police have said that four officers recently went to a home in the city’s Bernal Heights neighborhood with two Apple employees, who met with the resident and searched the home for an iPhone prototype.

Apple watchers say the company is known for creating many test versions of its new devices before they’re released to see how they work in the real world. The reportedly lost iPhone likely would have been far from the only one in circulation.

Losing just one such device is perhaps more of a marketing headache than a serious security breach, as was the case for Apple last year when the tech blog Gizmodo posted photos of what turned out to be the then-unreleased iPhone 4 lost by an employee at a San Francisco Bay area beer garden.

Once a new device has reached the point where employees are field-testing it, a competitor who obtained one wouldn’t have enough time to analyse it and do anything to take advantage of that insider knowledge, Stickley said.

Even so, sheriff’s deputies seized Gizmodo blogger Jason Chen’s computers as part of an investigation into whether the blog’s $5,000 payment to acquire the lost phone amounted to a crime. No charges were filed.

Such tactics might seem heavy-handed. But for Apple and other tech companies the issue amounts not just to a publicity problem but a fiduciary obligation to shareholders to secure the company’s valuable assets, said longtime Apple analyst Tim Bajarin.

Companies also have an obligation to try to prevent such a loss from happening again, he said: “If they fail, it’s the system that failed as much as the individual.”

China

Despite the blogosphere frenzy surrounding the lost iPhone prototypes, experts say the security threats to tech companies are far more serious in China, where thousands of workers labor to manufacture Apple’s products.

According to a 2008 diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks, Apple had only a modest security presence in China until March of that year, when the company hired a team from Pfizer that led a crusade against fake Viagra.

Under the leadership of Donald Shruhan, whose LinkedIn profile lists him as a Hong Kong-based senior regional director for Apple in security and investigations, the company began taking steps to reign in the country’s trade in counterfeit iPhones, iPods and MacBooks.

“Early evidence suggests nearly 100 percent of Apple products in unauthorized mainland markets are knockoffs,” according to the unclassified cable from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

The job of keeping such counterfeits off the shelves, to keep blueprints for new products from leaking and to otherwise secure vital trade secrets falls under the field of information assurance.

For information assurance professionals, securing computer networks is only part of the job. They also make sure companies remember to lock their actual doors.

“Social engineering” also remains a constant threat in the tech industry, said Gary Kessler, director of the information assurance program at Norwich University, a private military college in Vermont that has trained security personnel at Apple and other high-profile companies. From e-mail scams seeking sensitive personal information to Cold War-style cloak-and-dagger subterfuge, human weakness can be easier to exploit and harder to protect against than digital vulnerabilities.

“This stuff has been going on for decades, just in a different guise,” Kessler said. “The Internet has just given us a new vector for attack.”

And in the end, he said, even the best-trained security team in the world can only do so much to protect against someone in a bar who may have been drinking and may have been showing off the most sought-after secret product in the world.

Said Kessler: “I’m guessing that Apple probably did everything that anybody could do, and they probably did it right.”

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3 Comments
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    Mute Michael OKelly
    Favourite Michael OKelly
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    May 11th 2023, 3:40 PM

    “thriving economic entity that is the Republic of Ireland”- When you look at our economy from the outside it’s hard to disagree with this assessment. However despite the fact that our GDP continually grows at one of the fastest rates in Europe year on year I for one don’t feel any better off than I did ten years ago. Housing is more expensive, childcare is more expensive, filling my car up is more expensive, hospitals are still overcrowded, public transport is still poor I could go on. Ireland may be a richer country on paper but the majority of its citizens don’t seem to be any better off.

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    Mute Patrick Robinson
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    May 11th 2023, 5:32 PM

    @Michael OKelly: it’s a rich country in reality but the purse strings are held shut by the current shower of monkeys. They haven’t got a clue.

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    Mute Liam
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    May 11th 2023, 6:03 PM

    @Michael OKelly: sounds like a leaving cert business essay.

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    Mute Paul Crowley
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    May 11th 2023, 6:26 PM

    @Michael OKelly: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Property speculators who produce nothing are thriving and the hard working middle class are screwed.

    100
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    Mute Conchubhair MacLochlainn
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    May 11th 2023, 3:29 PM

    I think it was Marx who first noted in the 19th century, that paradise can be easily quantified by levels of cross-border fast food price parity.

    501
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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    May 11th 2023, 6:53 PM

    @Conchubhair MacLochlainn: £2 is a lot tho. same island why the difference, when you cook it down, it’s us, Irish people elect farmers and chancers to look after us like livestock. We should join Britain

    72
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    Mute Paul Brierley
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    May 11th 2023, 7:45 PM

    @Conchubhair MacLochlainn: was that Karl or Groucho?

    63
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    Mute Patrick Lynch
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    May 12th 2023, 9:23 AM

    @thesaltyurchin: NEVER, NEVER.

    8
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    Mute Fifty Shades of Sé
    Favourite Fifty Shades of Sé
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    May 12th 2023, 9:33 AM

    @thesaltyurchin: It would be a huge disparity if it were true, a quick internet search reveals the difference is more like 30c. The amount of factuality in that fact is wee indeed.

    9
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    Mute Dave Harris
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    May 11th 2023, 3:40 PM

    Well its definitely not paradise in Northern Ireland when the people are being denied their democratic representation by the DUP

    506
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    Mute James Beattie
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    May 11th 2023, 4:00 PM

    If there ever was a reason not to unite our Country, it is the price difference in Big Macs. The DUP have there finger on the pulse once again.

    467
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    Mute Tom Kelly
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    May 11th 2023, 3:46 PM

    I work for a British company and we in the South are paid about €10k more than our counterparts in N.Ireland.

    318
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    Mute Pat Barry
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    May 11th 2023, 4:46 PM

    @Tom Kelly: You’d need that and more to cover the difference.

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    May 11th 2023, 6:52 PM

    @Pat Barry: to cover the self-inflicted taxes. Inflated like everything here.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    May 11th 2023, 8:55 PM

    @Tom Kelly: That covers a lot of Big Macs and probably sone Whoopers as welL!

    19
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    Mute Louis Jacob
    Favourite Louis Jacob
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    May 11th 2023, 3:26 PM

    I pray that I live to see the day. Would be the biggest day of our lives.

    240
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    Mute Dan Looney
    Favourite Dan Looney
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    May 11th 2023, 5:09 PM

    The DUP MP, Jin Shannon Should Get his “wee facts” straight before he goes scare mongering regarding costs in Southern Ireland compared to Northern Ireland. His bench mark of cost of Big Mac is interesting. In Southern Ireland cost of Big Mac is €4.50, while in Northern Ireland ((UK) is 3.69 Stg, equates to €4.30.
    A difference of 20 cent NOT Stg 2. 00.
    Also, cost of entry to A&E is a once off per annum ( and will soon be removed)
    Whíle there is a charge for GP visit at least there isn’t an extensive waiting time for an appointment, and in most cases you will see your own doctor, not one of a panel.
    If you are in need of a joint replacement, and if you don’t have private health insurance, you will have to wait many years in UK.

    Dan Looney

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    Mute Gerard Hayden
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    May 12th 2023, 8:24 AM

    @Dan Looney: And its only €3.00 on offer with the McDonalds App…

    15
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    Mute Niall Chandler
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    May 12th 2023, 11:15 AM

    @Dan Looney: there is no such place as Southern Ireland – unless you’re talking parts of Kerry, Cork, Waterford and maybe Wexford.

    8
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    Mute Michael Flanagan
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    May 11th 2023, 3:32 PM

    Im lovin it!

    199
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    Mute William Tallon
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    May 11th 2023, 4:01 PM

    Where are all the ‘Big Mac’ smugglers when you need them?

    213
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    Mute Ordinary Bloke
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    May 11th 2023, 3:29 PM

    Jim, according to statista.com, Venezuela is home to the world’s most affordable Big Mac: at just $1.76 per sandwich. Maybe, we should all move there? Junk food, junk politics.

    329
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    Mute Larry Betts
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    May 11th 2023, 4:41 PM

    That man has a French Fry on his shoulder

    178
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    Mute Emmet Murphy
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    May 12th 2023, 9:47 AM

    @Larry Betts: Cheesed off, you might say?

    6
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    Mute plavin
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    May 11th 2023, 6:23 PM

    The welfare rates are £80 a week in north €220 a week in south. Average wage in north is £22k whilst in south it €35k. The medical card is available to those who earn less then €350 a week so its a myth that everyone will have to pay GP fees. The recent GDP of north resident was £22k while it is €52k or roughly that in south. Also that €100 charge for hospital I think is being abolished. Whatever has to be said about cost living being higher in south the wages and welfare rates are higher to offset that.DUP just cannot handle that unification is on the cards in the future.

    152
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    Mute Owen G Mc Ginley
    Favourite Owen G Mc Ginley
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    May 11th 2023, 4:31 PM

    That’s typical of the D.U.P. always blame someone else, was the Irish Government meant to sit back and not attract Investment, if our Government did do that, Mr Girvan would then claim how great the Unionist State of N.I. was, and how much a basket case the Republic was. If Mr Girvan’s Party went back into Government they might be able to help formulate a better Fiscal Policy for N.I. Let’s not forget they were responsible for that Policy all the Years they were in Power. Finally would some Politician please invite Mr Shannon down South and him see how different things are down here, while it’s not perfect it’s strange how he quotes from the extreme all the time. I wonder does he know his former Party Leader Mr Paisley RIP and his Colleague Mr Campbell came to Donegal for their Clothes.

    154
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    Mute John McAlester
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    May 11th 2023, 4:52 PM

    It’s about time this discrimination against Burger King stopped, is it not the 21st century ?

    143
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    Mute Anthony Ross
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    May 11th 2023, 4:48 PM

    Well if we want a united ireland and it is voted the DUP need to make up their minds are they irish British or only British if the want to be only British best place for them is UK

    131
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    Mute Paulco
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    May 11th 2023, 4:27 PM

    I remember the song, “Irish ways and Irish laws” by Moving Hearts. I thought I’d see a United Ireland but with mass immigration to the island, that song has really lost its meaning. Romantic Ireland is dead and gone, it’s with O Leary, in the grave.

    105
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    Mute Anna Carr
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    May 11th 2023, 5:31 PM

    What I want to know, is if there WAS a huge referendum and a united Ireland was decided, would it take as long or longer than Brexit. I mean that’s going on for 7 years now and it’s STILL not fixed.

    68
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    Mute Orchard Groovey
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    May 11th 2023, 4:28 PM

    A wee mac’ll do ya!

    59
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    Mute alan
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    May 11th 2023, 4:53 PM

    Problem is that SF can’t argue with his basic point. They never shut up about how badly run and how expensive this place is

    54
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    Mute M Bowe
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    May 11th 2023, 5:29 PM

    @alan: you mean you actually saw a basic point in those ramblings. 15 medical centers have returned their contacts in past year or so in north. Entire communities are being left without GP services at all.

    52
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    Mute alan
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    May 11th 2023, 9:34 PM

    @M Bowe: what have sf done about it, before and now?

    7
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    Mute Alex Marquis
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    May 11th 2023, 4:44 PM

    Ronald McDonald, isn’t he related to that wee Fenian leader? The food of the devil. Seriously though, Jim Shannon has a point about price disparity but he might want to mention wage disparity too in order to have the full picture. As for Paul Givan, if he really believes what he says, he suffers from acute delusion.

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    Mute Nigel Baldock
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    May 11th 2023, 4:02 PM

    DUP, Big Slack.

    52
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    Mute Pat Barry
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    May 11th 2023, 5:44 PM

    He’s talking through his posterior, a Big Mac costs £5.09 (€5.83) in NI and €5.70 down here.

    54
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    Mute Keith Gibbons
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    May 11th 2023, 8:00 PM

    This is an incorrect statement by MP Jim Shannon. According to McDonalds Prices UK 2023 a Big Mac is £3.69 which according to xe.com is roughly €4.22. On McDonalds Prices Ireland it is €4.33, therefore only 11 cents more expensive

    43
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    Mute Noel Donohue
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    May 11th 2023, 4:48 PM

    I personally prefer a Big Whopper

    43
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    Mute Paddy
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    May 11th 2023, 5:58 PM

    Looking for a Transit van Must be able to load two pallets of Big Macs…

    38
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    Mute Irish big fellow
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    May 11th 2023, 8:42 PM

    Mr Shannon
    Old age pension OAP( Basic)in NI is £ 185 while the OAP in the Republic is €253 (£ 220) The weekly gap is £35. You could nearly buy 10 Big Macs with that and have some change legt over.

    33
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    Mute Emmet Murphy
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    May 11th 2023, 4:50 PM

    Don’t tell Trump, he loves Cheeseburgers!

    34
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    Mute Larry Betts
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    May 11th 2023, 8:56 PM

    @Emmet Murphy: Make America Grate Again

    13
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    Mute Stuart Stu
    Favourite Stuart Stu
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    May 11th 2023, 9:14 PM

    That’s the DUP price for uniting the country?? Complimentary Big Macs? Do you think they know about Supermacs?

    29
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    Mute SquideyeMagpie
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    May 11th 2023, 5:24 PM

    I wonder what a Big Mac costs in Burnundi? And thats exactly the point.

    27
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    Mute Fifty Shades of Sé
    Favourite Fifty Shades of Sé
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    May 12th 2023, 9:49 AM

    @SquideyeMagpie: They only have McDonald’s in three countries in Africa. US journalist Thomas Friedman had a “Golden Arches theory of conflict prevention” which argued that no two countries with a McDonald’s had ever been to war, though NATO attacked Serbia shortly after he came up with it and the locals responded by thrashing a McDonald’s.

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    Mute Donal Sweeney
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    May 13th 2023, 2:43 PM

    @SquideyeMagpie: Burundi even!!!

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    Mute Jb Walshe
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    May 11th 2023, 6:32 PM

    Would you like sour cream or onions on that Jim

    30
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    Mute Alan Kelly
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    May 11th 2023, 6:49 PM

    Do you know what they call a 1/4pounder & chips in Paris?

    24
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    Mute Fifty Shades of Sé
    Favourite Fifty Shades of Sé
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    May 12th 2023, 9:50 AM

    @Alan Kelly: Une Royale Avec frites.

    3
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    Mute Gerry Kelly
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    May 11th 2023, 8:25 PM

    The very fact that an Ulster unionist is even making such a comment is a sign of just how much the ground has shifted since Brexit – their inability to foresee this shows their not exactly the sharpest tools in the box.
    Meantime – when Storming is actually operating SF argues that the folk up north would be better off ruled from Dublin.
    Meantime in the Dail the same party argues that Ireland a terrible place of poverty injustice and inequality.
    Ya gotta love modern politics

    25
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    Mute Edd
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    May 11th 2023, 10:20 PM

    Every morning, hundreds of workers coming south to work – great to see

    18
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    Mute Michael James Brennan
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    May 11th 2023, 5:48 PM

    use the app big mac 3 euro

    17
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    Mute bernard berry
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    May 11th 2023, 6:21 PM

    I am not of fan of the DUP but they have a point.

    15
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    Mute Stuart Stu
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    May 11th 2023, 9:16 PM

    @bernard berry: Sorry, but when it comes to the DUP, there is no point. And I suggest an overweight middle-aged man should have long abandoned his interest in Big Macs.

    33
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    Mute John Moore
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    May 12th 2023, 1:14 AM

    These DUP guys are clowns. Big Mac’s. My God. The latest studies show that the average household has 12% more disposable income in Ireland than the equivalent in the north. Salaries are higher here. Almost a third of people have a medical card which is in effect free healthcare and there is free GP visits for under 6’s and now anyone on an income of under €46k net with further expansion of this on the way. The average life expectancy in Ireland is 1.4 years more than in the north. That takes account of the general quality of life and healthcare. That is the real acid test. Thee are huge waiting lists on the NHS. I don’t know what we are even talking about here. NI is an economic backwater surviving on handouts from London. It is basically on the dole. The economic output in Ireland couldn’t be more contrasted. We are near the top of the league in the world never mind Europe. It’s farcical. Yes the government badly need to get their finger out on housing but everywhere has some sort of problem that needs to be fixed. The bottom line is that Ireland is a dynamic business friendly economy that is the European destination of choice for countless companies. These clowns in the DUP pushed a hard brexit in what was already an economic wasteland. Go figure how that will continue to pan out.

    28
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    Mute MEMORYLOSSIRELAND
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    May 11th 2023, 7:25 PM

    He is right, it is a rip off k i p the Irish republic and McDonalds are only doing what all business’ here do..offer no value for money and the Irish say ‘sure that’s grand’..Baaaa

    15
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    Mute Emmet Murphy
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    May 12th 2023, 9:50 AM

    @MEMORYLOSSIRELAND: They should join and sort it out then, they’d get a lot of votes down here for kicking ass in the Dail.

    1
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    Mute Conor Buckley
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    May 12th 2023, 10:58 AM

    Big Mac price comparison? How about (i) people in RoI have a life expectancy 1.5 years longer (on the same island!) (ii) people in the North are at 50% greater risk of poverty (iii) the impact of your social class on your educational attainment is 3x higher in the North.

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    Mute Donal Sweeney
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    May 13th 2023, 2:39 PM

    Are we not in the middle of a cost of living crisis? We are one of the most expensive countries to live in. I must say I empathise with the unionist take on this, at least economically

    1
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