Random News Stories

[Cain]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44192469/ns/health-behavior/t/who-going-church-not-who-you-think-study-finds/

"While religious service attendance has decreased for all white Americans since the early 1970s, the rate of decline has been more than twice as high for less educated, lower and lower-middle class whites compared to more educated and presumably more affluent whites, according to a study presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Las Vegas."

Add this to the information we have about white, class based voting patterns (namely that the white working class tend to vote Democrat outside of the former Confederate states), and a very different picture of the Republican base of support than the "herp derp poor white trash" image comes into focus.

[Junkenstein]

Aside from Machete Terror:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22821484

A student who said on Twitter that people wearing Help for Heroes T-shirts "deserved to be beheaded" was arrested after complaining to police about threatening replies, a court has heard.

Deyka Ayan Hassan, from Harrow, sent the tweet in the aftermath of Drummer Lee Rigby's death in Woolwich, south-east London.

The 21-year-old student admitted sending a malicious electronic message.

She was ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work by Hendon magistrates.

Drummer Rigby was wearing the charity's T-shirt when he was attacked on 22 May.

Hassan, an English and politics undergraduate at Kingston University, said she had sent the tweet "as a joke" about the design of the T-shirt.
Some of the replies she received included threats to rape her and kill her by burning down her home, the court heard.

Chairman of the bench, Nigel Orton, told her she could have been jailed for the tweet but magistrates accepted she had not known it was a soldier who had been killed when she sent it.

Between constant shit like this and the new wave to legislate online porn somehow, the UK internet will be on a par with North Korea by 2030.

Also note, rape and death threats still cool. Just don't say anything against the Daily Mail/Rothermere/Tory party funded "Help for Heroes" scam, and RESPECT "our boys". For some reason you're supposed to look at these things with a straight face instead of vomiting in horror.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44192469/ns/health-behavior/t/who-going-church-not-who-you-think-study-finds/

"While religious service attendance has decreased for all white Americans since the early 1970s, the rate of decline has been more than twice as high for less educated, lower and lower-middle class whites compared to more educated and presumably more affluent whites, according to a study presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Las Vegas."

Add this to the information we have about white, class based voting patterns (namely that the white working class tend to vote Democrat outside of the former Confederate states), and a very different picture of the Republican base of support than the "herp derp poor white trash" image comes into focus.

That is VERY interesting. It also makes a lot more sense than the idea that the impoverished masses are bending over left and right to be screwed over.

The picture it paints, though, of a religious Republican middle and upper class, is not promising for the future of the Republican party, as those numbers decline due to their own wealth-consolidating policies.

[Cain]

That's what I figure, too.  On both counts, though gerrymandering, vote restrictions and the increase in monetary influence in politics will no doubt tide them over at least temporarily.  And of course, they will retain their stronghold in the South, which has a lot of historical and social (and racial) explanations as to why the white vote differs in that region.

[Left]

http://www.globalresearch.ca/108000-private-contractors-in-afghanistan-and-we-have-no-idea-what-theyre-doing/5338211

So despite the increasing number of private contractors being used and the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent on them, the Pentagon is not even able to determine what they are doing or whether it is effective.

[Junkenstein]

More Drugs and Drugs to ignore.

http://gazette.com/medicinal-marijuana-stops-seizures-brings-hope-to-a-little-black-forest-girl/article/1502070

After years of watching a cruel, incurable genetic disorder called Dravet Syndome rob their daughter of her basic bodily functions and send her into convulsions that caused head injuries and broken teeth, they had reached the end.

"We really thought, this is a horrible existence; she's not going to live much longer." Paige says. "This is not a life for her. This is torture. She is suffering all day. I'm not OK with this. She wasn't even human anymore. She'd lie in my arms drooling, seizing, screaming and crying."

Then, in an act of desperation, or inspiration - or maybe both - Matt called Paige from overseas, where he was working, and suggested a radical approach to Charlotte's treatment.

"We need to try cannabis for Charlotte," he told Paige. "We live in a compassionate state."

Fifteen months later, the little girl with the DNR order is standing in the kitchen of their Black Forest home with her mother getting her Pull-Ups changed, cuddling in the arms of a visitor, playing with toys and strategically pushing the buttons on her "talker," an electronic device that communicates when Charlotte can't.

Her seizures have dropped from 1,200 a month to three, and the ones she has are shorter in duration and less severe. She's off all the other medications with their troubling side effects. And, as one of the youngest medical marijuana patients in Colorado, her dramatic turnaround is starting to draw national attention, with a CNN report on the horizon.

Carry on. Please, I regret posting this already.

[Junkenstein]

Breaking:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22838865

At least 12 people have been killed in a series of bombings in a market north of the capital, Baghdad, officials say.

Two car bombs went off and a suicide bomber blew themselves up in the predominantly Shia town of Judaida al-Shat in Diyala province.

Dozens of people were wounded in the attacks, reports said.

It is the latest in a series of almost daily attacks across Iraq, raising fears of a return to the worst levels of sectarian violence in years.

Last month was the bloodiest in Iraq since June 2008, with 1,045 Iraqi civilians and security officials killed, according to UN figures.

Just reminding you that Iraq is still fucked up. How's that Moderate Crescent coming along eh?

[Junkenstein]

Have we reached the age of the supervillan?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22835154

Some 23,000 people were forced to leave their homes in the east German city of Magdeburg after a dam burst on the flood-swollen River Elbe.

Although water levels in Magdeburg were reported to be subsiding on Monday, other parts of the state of Saxony-Anhalt remain under threat.

In Hungary, 1,200 people had to leave their homes but in the capital Budapest flood defences appear to have held.

At least 18 people have died in the floods in Central Europe.

Analysts say the damage will cost billions of euros to clean up.

The authorities in Germany are investigating an anonymous letter threatening attacks on several dams.

The motive behind the threats is not known, but the threat is being taken seriously, says the BBC's Stephen Evans in Berlin.

I doubt it. But stirring up terrorist fear into general disasters and accidents is a nice way to keep people on edge. I mean, there's no way this could be a crazy guy with stationary. Crazy people don't have envelopes.

That said, Germany isn't the most popular of countries with some groups right now. I'd still guess unlikely, but you never know.

[Junkenstein]

Russian Ballet - Serious Business.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22834125

The Bolshoi has announced it will not renew the contract of veteran dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze, who has been in open conflict with the theatre since an acid attack on its artistic director.

The dancer, who has been at the Bolshoi since 1992, is one of its top talents.

But the 39-year-old sparked conflict when he accused bosses of using the attack on Sergei Filin to conduct a witch hunt against him.

A spokeswoman said the dancer would leave at the end of the month.

"I can confirm that yesterday Tsiskaridze was given notice that his fixed-term contracts will not be renewed. His contract runs out June 30," Katerina Novikova told Rossiya 24 on Saturday.

She refused to give a reason for the decision.

In an NTV television interview on Sunday, Tsiskaridze questioned the theatre's right to let him go.

"To be honest, this is still not clear, because I'm on staff as a ballet artiste," he said.

"When I was taken on, I joined the staff. I didn't sign any paper to be released from this. It's all very confusing."

n his (Tsiskaridze) outspoken interviews, he complained of corruption and called for the theatre's entire management to be sacked and for himself to be put in charge.

It led to a tit-for-tat response from Bolshoi director Anatoly Iksanov, who suggested Tsiskaridze might have played a role in inciting the attack on Filin, which left him with severe burns to his face and fighting to save his sight.

Tsiskaridze has denied having anything to do with the attack and insists the Bolshoi has been trying to drive him out.

Everyone flinging acid in everyone's faces. Photoshop opportunities must be astounding.

[Junkenstein]

Hey, Remember this guy?:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/os-george-zimmerman-trial-preview-20130608,0,7386069.story

SANFORD – When George Zimmerman's murder trial begins Monday, for some people it will be a civil-rights bellwether. For others, it's a chance at absolution for a Neighborhood Watch volunteer who has lived in hiding for more than a year but insists he did nothing wrong. To many it will be a test of the legal system and whether it can bring justice to a grieving family.

The trial will take place at the Seminole County criminal courthouse seven miles from where Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, on Feb. 26, 2012, setting off weeks of civil-rights rallies across the nation and the world.

Officials are prepared for protesters, an overflowing courtroom and weeks of testimony about what happened the night two people, one with a gun, encountered each other behind a row of town houses in a west Sanford neighborhood.

Taking bets on the results. Feel free to shove this into the original thread, I can't recall which one it is.

[Junkenstein]

http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/06/10/Man-charged-with-DUI-despite-zero-blood-alcohol/4491370865945/?spt=fsb&or=ros

Retired firefighter Jessie Thornton was pulled over in Surprise, Arizona and arrested for driving under the influence, but a breathalyzer test at the station showed his blood alcohol level was 0.000.

Thornton, 64, says he sleeps during the day and runs errands and works out at night in order to keep to the same schedule as his wife, who is an emergency room nurse, and says his late schedule draws the attention of local police.

"I've been stopped 10 times in Surprise and given four tickets, it's amazing," said Thornton.

"He (the officer) walked up and he said 'I can tell you're driving DUI by looking in your eyes,'" said Thornton. He explained that his eyes were bloodshot because he had just come from LA Fitness where he was swimming.

Police then called in a drug recognition expert. Thornton says the expert said, "I would never have arrested you, you show no signs of impairment." Police documents show that there were no drugs detected in Thornton's blood upon analysis.

"This is a case of D-W-B, driving while black," said Thornton's attorney Marc Victor. Victor's office has filed a notice of claim against the City of Surprise seeking $500,000.

[Junkenstein]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-22854447

The severed head of a deer was left on a self-service supermarket checkout, prompting a police investigation.

The innards of the animal were found in one of the aisles of the Tesco shop in Saffron Walden, Essex, police said.

Officers were called to the shop in Radwinter Road at about 01:20 BST on 4 June.

A spokesman for Essex Police said nobody had been arrested. A spokeswoman for Tesco apologised for "any distress caused".

Tesco said it was unable to state whether the head was left by one person or a group, how many people were in the store at the time or the circumstances in which it was left.

Nor was it able to confirm whether it had CCTV footage of the incident.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/06/10/Man-charged-with-DUI-despite-zero-blood-alcohol/4491370865945/?spt=fsb&or=ros

Retired firefighter Jessie Thornton was pulled over in Surprise, Arizona and arrested for driving under the influence, but a breathalyzer test at the station showed his blood alcohol level was 0.000.

Thornton, 64, says he sleeps during the day and runs errands and works out at night in order to keep to the same schedule as his wife, who is an emergency room nurse, and says his late schedule draws the attention of local police.

"I've been stopped 10 times in Surprise and given four tickets, it's amazing," said Thornton.

"He (the officer) walked up and he said 'I can tell you're driving DUI by looking in your eyes,'" said Thornton. He explained that his eyes were bloodshot because he had just come from LA Fitness where he was swimming.

Police then called in a drug recognition expert. Thornton says the expert said, "I would never have arrested you, you show no signs of impairment." Police documents show that there were no drugs detected in Thornton's blood upon analysis.

"This is a case of D-W-B, driving while black," said Thornton's attorney Marc Victor. Victor's office has filed a notice of claim against the City of Surprise seeking $500,000.

Surprise! You're Black!

[Junkenstein]

Guns+Guns part 333222313/B

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/guns/toddlers-killed-more-americans-terrorists-did-year

While this analysis focuses on children, another equally accurate headline could read: "U.S. Gun Culture Kills More Americans Than Terrorists Worldwide."

In 2010, 13,186 people died in terrorist attacks worldwide, while 31,672 people were killed with firearms in America alone, reports CNN's Samuel Burke.

Hardly news, more a round up of violence involving kids and guns.

Naturally of course, we now need to ban children.

[Junkenstein]

Australia keeping it classy:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22852742

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has described a menu distributed at an opposition party fundraiser that made crude and derogatory comments about her body as "grossly sexist".

The menu was presented at a dinner for former minister and Liberal National Party election candidate Mal Brough.

It offered up "Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail - Small Breasts, Huge Thighs and a Big Red Box".