Random News Stories

[LMNO]

Ok, the fuck. This is PRECICELY what people are on you about. You have at least five posts arguing a point in a fairly strong an unilateral manner, and then you turn around and say you don't really care, and dismiss the whole thing.

It's a really good trolling technique, but it makes people, some who either think of you as a friend or may not even know who you are, to wonder why you're trolling them.

Were you aware you are doing this?

[Pæs]

That cover bothers me in ways I find hard to describe.

First off, it's perfectly transparent about advertising homosexuality. But, it doesn't even get the characters right.

Second, it implies that (1) Bert and Ernie have sexual orientations, (2) they are homosexuals, (3) they enjoy watching television together, and (4) that they haven't yet purchased a colour TV.

In other words, the person who initially made it completely failed (on many levels) to comprehend the basic ideas of both DOMA and Sesame Street, and yet decided to combine them anyway. Probably, if I posted this rant to him directly, he'd have a hissy fit and complain about how I'm ruining his fun.

I guess what really bothers me is that the world contains people like the one who made that cover and posted it initially without realizing anything was wrong with it.

[Junkenstein]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/twin-sister-of-scientology-leader-miscavige-arrested-for-marijuana/2129224

Under the driver's seat Nemeth found a black vinyl bag with nine cigars, or "blunts," containing marijuana.

The woman said she didn't know how it got there. But she slurred her words, belched, smelled of alcohol, and had bloodshot, watery eyes, Nemeth reported. Breath tests showed readings of 0.119 and 0.124, above the 0.08 at which Florida law presumes that someone is unable to safely drive a motor vehicle.

Police charged the driver with misdemeanor marijuana possession, DUI and failure to yield. Nemeth took her to jail.

It probably seemed a routine arrest. But the woman was Denise Gentile, and in her world, this was anything but routine.

Gentile, of Clearwater, is a well-known Scientologist and the twin sister of the church's worldwide leader, David Miscavige.

The tenants interviewed by the Times knew nothing about the Gentiles' vaunted status in the church, and weren't aware of Scientology's hatred of drugs.

They said they never saw any antidrug literature. They never heard Denise or Jerry Gentile say drugs are bad.

They said they never heard the Gentiles say the word "Scientology."

That's not how Scientologists are taught to deal with drug users.

They are supposed to "handle'' them — persuade them to stop using — or cut off ties with them.

Denise said so in a sworn statement.

Her comments came during a deposition she gave in the Kyle Brennan wrongful death suit in July 2010. Tampa lawyer Ken Dandar asked for her understanding of the Scientology term "potential trouble source.''

"That is somebody who is connected to somebody else who is antagonistic to that person's well-being,'' Denise said.

Dandar pressed, and Denise explained that a Scientologist has two ways to deal with a trouble source: handle or disconnect.

"If a Scientologist in good standing ... is connected to a'' —

"Drug pusher,'' Denise said, finishing his sentence.

"Drug pusher?" Dandar asked.

"Absolutely disconnect,'' she said.

Next target of the Scientology hate machine selected, not that any actual charges or anything will happen. Just another example of a touch of power and privilege leading to some very bad choices. Frequently. There's probably a point beyond laughing at this, but I doubt it matters much.

[Doktor Howl]

That cover bothers me in ways I find hard to describe.

First off, it's perfectly transparent about advertising homosexuality. But, it doesn't even get the characters right.

Second, it implies that (1) Bert and Ernie have sexual orientations, (2) they are homosexuals, (3) they enjoy watching television together, and (4) that they haven't yet purchased a colour TV.

In other words, the person who initially made it completely failed (on many levels) to comprehend the basic ideas of both DOMA and Sesame Street, and yet decided to combine them anyway. Probably, if I posted this rant to him directly, he'd have a hissy fit and complain about how I'm ruining his fun.

I guess what really bothers me is that the world contains people like the one who made that cover and posted it initially without realizing anything was wrong with it.

Or the editor has been waiting since the Clinton era to post that as a deliberate slap.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

That cover bothers me in ways I find hard to describe.

First off, it's perfectly transparent about advertising homosexuality. But, it doesn't even get the characters right.

Second, it implies that (1) Bert and Ernie have sexual orientations, (2) they are homosexuals, (3) they enjoy watching television together, and (4) that they haven't yet purchased a colour TV.

In other words, the person who initially made it completely failed (on many levels) to comprehend the basic ideas of both DOMA and Sesame Street, and yet decided to combine them anyway. Probably, if I posted this rant to him directly, he'd have a hissy fit and complain about how I'm ruining his fun.

I guess what really bothers me is that the world contains people like the one who made that cover and posted it initially without realizing anything was wrong with it.

[LMNO]

That really is a fantastic bit of trollbait.  So easily adaptable.

[Doktor Howl]

That really is a fantastic bit of trollbait.  So easily adaptable.

Pretty sure I'm just using Enki's objection as it originally stood.

[Junkenstein]

French Fascism
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23142984

The European Parliament has removed the immunity of the French far-right leader and MEP Marine Le Pen, paving the way for her prosecution in France.

French prosecutors opened a case against Ms Le Pen in 2011 after she compared Muslims praying in the streets to the Nazi occupation of France.

Ms Le Pen, leader of the National Front (FN), is accused of incitement to hatred and discrimination.

The vote followed a move by a committee of MEPs to remove her immunity.

The request to do so came from the chief prosecutor's office in Lyon, the city where, in December 2010, Ms Le Pen told FN supporters that the sight of Muslims praying in the street was similar to the Nazi occupation in World War II.

In her speech, broadcast by French media, she said that first France had seen "more and more veils", then "more and more burkas" and "after that came prayers in the streets... I'm sorry, but some people are very fond of talking about the Second World War and about the occupation, so let's talk about occupation, because that is what is happening here... There are no tanks, no soldiers, but it is still an occupation, and it weighs on people".

Makes me think it's not just Greece going to shit fast.

Fighting Russians:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23149431

Russian media magnate Alexander Lebedev has been convicted of battery after punching a fellow guest on a television show.

Mr Lebedev, who owns two UK newspapers and a big stake in Russia's opposition paper Novaya Gazeta, was sentenced to 150 hours of community service.

He had previously expressed a fear he would be jailed.

He suggested his trial was an act of revenge by President Vladimir Putin for his criticism of the government.

Privilege in action.

[Junkenstein]

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-chalk-verdict-20130701,0,1617754.story

SAN DIEGO -- A jury Monday acquitted a 40-year-old man of all charges connected with writing protest messages in chalk on the sidewalk outside branches of the Bank of America.

The case has exacerbated the already tense relationship between Mayor Bob Filner, who called the case "stupid" and a "waste of money," and City Atty. Jan Goldsmith, who defended it as a legitimate prosecution for graffiti vandalism.

Deliberating for only a few hours, the jury apparently agreed with Filner -- declaring Jeff Olson not guilty on all 13 misdemeanor counts filed by Goldsmith's office.

Beware of chalk wielding terrorists.

"We prosecute vandalism and theft cases regardless of who the perpetrator or victim might be," Goldsmith said. "We don't decide, for example, based upon whether we like or dislike banks. That would be wrong under the law."

HA. HA. HA.

[Junkenstein]

Vaginas still controversial:
http://au.artshub.com/au/news-article/news/visual-arts/police-monitor-vagina-exhibition-195868

Complaints were made to the City of Sydney council regarding a recent exhibition in celebration of the vagina.

101 Vagina was an exhibition held at 107 Projects Gallery in Redfern from 27-30 June 2013. The exhibition displayed black and white front-on standing pose photos of women's vaginas and related stories. The content was taken from Philip Werner's 101 Vagina coffee-table book.

According to Werner, police visited the gallery on four separate occasions to monitor the exhibition and make censorship suggestions.

'The first time they came they apparently weren't acting on a complaint; I don't know why they came, maybe just to check it out. And they had a look around, realised that it wasn't porn, realised that nothing was displayed in the windows, and left again. The second time they came, apparently they responded to a complaint that the artwork could be seen through the windows and they suggested, though not demanded ... that the windows be covered.'

Two subsequent visits were made to suggest a glass door also be covered. The gallery agreed to all requests.

The moral outrage caused by the exhibition was not the organiser's intent. According to Werner the project was about, '... breaking down the taboo around vaginas and around genitalia and sexuality in general, and creating some kind of a counterpoint to the media which is very skewed towards certain body types. ... We're all so different. What that means is that we're also all normal.'

A further complaint extended to the posters advertising the event. The posters prominently displayed the word vagina and, despite containing no nudity, were deemed offensive.

Seen this in a couple of cases over the years, yet still not had a good explanation at why the term "Vagina" is offensive. It's about as offensive as "penis", "buttocks" or "ear".

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-chalk-verdict-20130701,0,1617754.story

SAN DIEGO -- A jury Monday acquitted a 40-year-old man of all charges connected with writing protest messages in chalk on the sidewalk outside branches of the Bank of America.

The case has exacerbated the already tense relationship between Mayor Bob Filner, who called the case "stupid" and a "waste of money," and City Atty. Jan Goldsmith, who defended it as a legitimate prosecution for graffiti vandalism.

Deliberating for only a few hours, the jury apparently agreed with Filner -- declaring Jeff Olson not guilty on all 13 misdemeanor counts filed by Goldsmith's office.

Beware of chalk wielding terrorists.

"We prosecute vandalism and theft cases regardless of who the perpetrator or victim might be," Goldsmith said. "We don't decide, for example, based upon whether we like or dislike banks. That would be wrong under the law."

HA. HA. HA.

I'm glad about that, because if SIDEWALK CHALK is vandalism, ALL my kids are in big trouble.

Although, I was wanted by the police in connection with a hate crime for a while, for writing "LARD" several dozen times outside of a fat person's apartment.

It was a tragic misunderstanding; I had the wrong apartment number.

[Junkenstein]

Italian media takes a kicking:
http://cpj.org/blog/2013/05/with-panorama-jail-sentences-italys-libel-law-under.php

"Incredible," "staggering," "enormous," "out of time"--the expressions of outrage have been flying in Italy since a Milan magistrate sentenced to prison three journalists for the weekly magazine Panorama. On May 24, Andrea Marcenaro and Riccardo Arena were each condemned to a one-year jail term for a 2010 article discussing Palermo magistrate Francesco Messineo's alleged family connections to the mafia. The editor-in-chief of the center-right news magazine, Giorgio Mule, was sentenced to eight months in jail for "having failed to check the article." The three journalists must also pay 20,000 euros (US$26,000) in compensation to the defendant.

"In a modern democracy no one should be imprisoned for what they write," said Dunja Mijatović, representative on freedom of the media for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). "Civil courts are fully competent to redress grievances of people who think their reputations have been damaged. The European Court of Human Rights has substantial case law confirming that imprisonment for libel is disproportionate and damaging to a democratic society," Mijatović added in a message delivered to the new minister of foreign affairs, Emma Bonino, a former EU Commissioner and a strong defender of free speech.

Might explain why the Italian media seems to have a such a positive position on Berlusconi. Aside from him owning huge chunks anyway.

[McGrupp]

Just a warning the video is really really disturbing.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/01/police-shoot-dog_n_3530990.html

First they arrest the guy for filming them, then they shoot his dog.

[Doktor Howl]

http://inplainsight.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/03/19119404-after-jobs-move-out-hunger-takes-root-in-factory-town?lite

It's pretty sad when people are grateful for THIS sort of job:

At the end of the day, after 11 hours on her feet, she picks up her kids from daycare and goes home to help them with homework and cook. Because Powell often works through her 10-minute lunch break, dinner is the first big meal of the day.

YAY!  It's 1904 again!

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

http://inplainsight.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/03/19119404-after-jobs-move-out-hunger-takes-root-in-factory-town?lite

It's pretty sad when people are grateful for THIS sort of job:

At the end of the day, after 11 hours on her feet, she picks up her kids from daycare and goes home to help them with homework and cook. Because Powell often works through her 10-minute lunch break, dinner is the first big meal of the day.

YAY!  It's 1904 again!

Oh boy! Xmas will be JUST LIKE DICKENS!

Maybe Santa will send us little helpers on the orphan train!