Random News Stories

[Junkenstein]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-21948000

An Argentine company has developed a map for the popular online game Counter Strike in which players fight British "terrorists" on the Falkland Islands.

The setting created by Dattatec.com has clocked more than 9,000 downloads in a few hours, after "going viral".

Despite the pro-Argentina stance of the game, the developers say they mean no disrespect.

Game developers taking brave strides in Politics. One thing that was really lacking in CS was racism and xenophobia. This is bound to cure all of that.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

"THEY'RE SCARED BECAUSE THEY'RE UNDERDUCATED, LOL"
                                      \

RELATED STORY?

We don't have an unlimited Tennessee appreciation thread yet, do we?
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/04/01/1802811/tennessee-advances-legislation-that-would-tie-welfare-to-childrens-grades/?mobile=nc

Respectfully disagree. People who need welfare do not have a choice, and shitting on them for being poor is inexcusable. A radio show, however, is not compulsory. Furthermore, regardless of the average listener's education level, the fact that these goofy morning people are running a gag show shouldn't be lost on said average listener.

Now, I'm against class warfare, or warfare of almost any type, but this isn't that. There's a point at which a person should be expected to bring his or her own brains to the fucking party. It is not society's job to tiptoe around the delicate issue of "some people are dumb," and it isn't society's job to skip a good chuckle just because somebody can't take a fucking joke that isn't singling anyone out. Maybe the joke was irresponsible, but they did take the necessary precautions -- like openly stating the whole thing was a joke during every break.

The deejays aren't to blame, here. Certainly not to the tune of felony charges. I mean, at what point do grown adults get to be responsible for their own behavior? And at what point do I get to live in a society where the government doesn't start LOCKING PEOPLE UP every time somebody gets embarrassed?

The DJ's were completely out of line, and they, as media professionals, should have known better. How many people listening were station-hopping and had no idea they were listening to a wacky radio show?

It's a little too much like yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theater. That's not embarrassment, that's inciting a public panic that had to be addressed at the taxpayer's expense.

Not funny, and not OK. And yes, the fact that there is a bill proposing that poor people be penalized for performing badly in school IS related, because it's the same kind of smug elitism which blames those same poor people in Florida for not knowing the chemical makeup of water and thinks it's funny to panic them because of their ignorance.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Nigel is right, in the notion that this was an overt act, not protected speech.

On the other hand, I'm not very happy with America right now, so I'm not sure if I'm against them being punished by this sort of shit.  And by "them", I mean the DJs and the general public, both...The DJs by charges, and the general public by panic.

A plague on all their houses.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

The DJ's were completely out of line, and they, as media professionals, should have known better. How many people listening were station-hopping and had no idea they were listening to a wacky radio show?

It's a little too much like yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theater. That's not embarrassment, that's inciting a public panic that had to be addressed at the taxpayer's expense.

Not funny, and not OK. And yes, the fact that there is a bill proposing that poor people be penalized for performing badly in school IS related, because it's the same kind of smug elitism which blames those same poor people in Florida for not knowing the chemical makeup of water and thinks it's funny to panic them because of their ignorance.

I don't disagree with you that it was irresponsible. I just don't go so far as to think they deserve to be charged with a felony. A fine, sure, but not a felony. What the radio station decides to do with them (fire, suspend, whatever) is up to the station and it's allowed to make its own rules.

I also don't think that anyone was picking on anybody for being poor. Poor does not necessarily equate to uneducated. I can say people are being stupid, without making any kind of comment about their socioeconomic status. I reserve -- and demand -- the right to discriminate against people for being panicky and stupid in large numbers, regardless of their incomes. It isn't a money thing, it's a human nature thing. Spooking the herd is a time-honored tradition that should be protected.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2013/04/florida-djs-april-fools-water-joke/63798/

it amazes me that there are people that have not heard that joke a thousand times...

There are people who also lack hours of free time to goof off on the internet.

Sometimes it's easy to forget privileges that are as simple as a passable educational level and basic expendable time.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The DJ's were completely out of line, and they, as media professionals, should have known better. How many people listening were station-hopping and had no idea they were listening to a wacky radio show?

It's a little too much like yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theater. That's not embarrassment, that's inciting a public panic that had to be addressed at the taxpayer's expense.

Not funny, and not OK. And yes, the fact that there is a bill proposing that poor people be penalized for performing badly in school IS related, because it's the same kind of smug elitism which blames those same poor people in Florida for not knowing the chemical makeup of water and thinks it's funny to panic them because of their ignorance.

I don't disagree with you that it was irresponsible. I just don't go so far as to think they deserve to be charged with a felony. A fine, sure, but not a felony. What the radio station decides to do with them (fire, suspend, whatever) is up to the station and it's allowed to make its own rules.

I also don't think that anyone was picking on anybody for being poor. Poor does not necessarily equate to uneducated. I can say people are being stupid, without making any kind of comment about their socioeconomic status. I reserve -- and demand -- the right to discriminate against people for being panicky and stupid in large numbers, regardless of their incomes. It isn't a money thing, it's a human nature thing. Spooking the herd is a time-honored tradition that should be protected.

Sooooo

You think it's stupid and unreasonable, if you hear on the radio that [unfamiliar chemical] is being found in all the taps in your area, to stop drinking the water and make a run for potable water from the store?

It's really a key clause to civilization that making threats or falsely reporting threats to basic public health and safety are not only not protected speech, but may in fact be considered criminal speech if harm is done to the public as a result.

This is FUCKING ELEMENTARY shit, here. Possibly even more elementary than knowing the basic chemistry of water. I know I heard it in grade school, which means that it's taught somewhere between grades one and three.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

And you and I may not necessarily be expected to know that... but any radio broadcaster should. It's their fucking JOB.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Ever since 'War of the World' Radio personalities have been held responsible for causing mass panic. The FCC doesn't fuck around.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

No, no I get that. It's just that people should be able to freak out a little and then say "lol joke!" It's not that the response is inappropriate given the way things are, it's that the way things are is inappropriate.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

BREAKING: EYEBALLS CONTAIN BRAINS AND BAYBEES

TOPEKA, KANSAS — Wednesday morning Kansas state legislators in the senate took a vote on the definition of where life begins in hopes of stopping all abortions from occurring. HB2254 declares "life begins at a twinkle in a father's eye" and won nearly unanimous approval with one dissenting opinion saying "life should also begin in a mother's eye as well."

This bill would basically give permission to any man who ever thought about having a child at any time to declare this thought as a "valid form of life conception." Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook (R-Shawnee) described the bill saying, "once a child is thought about in the eye of its father it has taken on a true existence. We need to protect and defend that life to the fullest extent of the law. Thoughts can't just protect themselves, you know."

[The Good Reverend Roger]

BREAKING: EYEBALLS CONTAIN BRAINS AND BAYBEES

TOPEKA, KANSAS — Wednesday morning Kansas state legislators in the senate took a vote on the definition of where life begins in hopes of stopping all abortions from occurring. HB2254 declares "life begins at a twinkle in a father's eye" and won nearly unanimous approval with one dissenting opinion saying "life should also begin in a mother's eye as well."

This bill would basically give permission to any man who ever thought about having a child at any time to declare this thought as a "valid form of life conception." Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook (R-Shawnee) described the bill saying, "once a child is thought about in the eye of its father it has taken on a true existence. We need to protect and defend that life to the fullest extent of the law. Thoughts can't just protect themselves, you know."

Annnnnnd the national nervous breakdown continues.  LOL Kansas.

[Cain]

Among the other highly informative news at Freewood Post

http://www.freewoodpost.com/2013/04/02/president-obama-admits-to-being-the-reincarnation-of-ancient-egyptian-king-video/

http://www.freewoodpost.com/2013/04/01/north-korea-battle-south-korea-on-splash/

http://www.freewoodpost.com/2013/03/27/palin-launches-new-line-of-refreshments-aimed-squarely-at-conservatives-fatties/

http://www.freewoodpost.com/2013/03/28/white-house-accidentally-orders-drone-strike-on-fox-news-headquarters/

But I understand, checking you're not actually referencing an obvious parody site is hard.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

No, no I get that. It's just that people should be able to freak out a little and then say "lol joke!" It's not that the response is inappropriate given the way things are, it's that the way things are is inappropriate.

Um. Maybe if you're talking about a schoolroom prank, or maybe a frat house. Announcing that the water supply is contaminated on the radio is not something that can be fixed with "lol, joke!"

Do I really have to spell this out for you? People hear it on the radio, the radio has assumed authority, they turn off the radio and call their friends and loved ones to warn them, go to the store to buy bottled water, people are worried and calling the health department for information, people who never even heard the radio broadcast think that there's a contamination in the water supply, and now all of a sudden who has to deal with it? Who has to reassure people who are no longer listening to the radio for "lol, joke"? The county does, or possibly even the state. At everyone's monetary expense. That's why it's illegal.

I lived someplace for a while where there were relatively frequent breaches in water safety, so it's not like this is an unreasonable response. And again, that's why it's illegal.

Florida has a long history of pretty severe drinking water contamination. Once again, this is one of the reasons why false reports of water contamination are illegal.

I'm just asking you to stop digging your heels in, and think it through.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Among the other highly informative news at Freewood Post

http://www.freewoodpost.com/2013/04/02/president-obama-admits-to-being-the-reincarnation-of-ancient-egyptian-king-video/

http://www.freewoodpost.com/2013/04/01/north-korea-battle-south-korea-on-splash/

http://www.freewoodpost.com/2013/03/27/palin-launches-new-line-of-refreshments-aimed-squarely-at-conservatives-fatties/

http://www.freewoodpost.com/2013/03/28/white-house-accidentally-orders-drone-strike-on-fox-news-headquarters/

But I understand, checking you're not actually referencing an obvious parody site is hard.

Meh...It's so in character for the USA right now that I didn't even check the link.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I'm not sure what part of "the way things are" is inappropriate. The fact that we have a public water supply, or the fact that a lot of people don't know what dihydrogen monoxide is. I kind of like the former, and the latter seems pretty reasonable to me. I mean, I didn't know what NaCl was until recently. Even among people who DID do well in high school chemistry, they may have forgotten, or not clearly heard what, exactly, the "threat" was and hear only  that the water supply is contaminated, and react to that.

Since the radio is one of the primary avenues the government uses to warn people about threats to public health and safety, it was an inappropriate prank no matter what. And, again, you might not be expected to know that, but anyone who is actually in a position to be broadcasting should at least have had rudimentary broadcast laws and ethics training.