Brontoforumus Archive
Discussion Boards => Thaddeus Boyd's Panel of Death => Topic started by: Zaratustra on June 19, 2008, 06:26:43 PM
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I read the news lately and frankly it just makes me want to jump on a sword. This thread will be for news that make people want to wake up the next day.
For example: Scientists claim to have cured a cancer with the patient's own immune cells, cloned to immense numbers, for the first time. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7460743.stm)
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Less news, more a phrase from an article:
Uniquely among most Western countries, America tend to mistrust its government and believe it is more likely to be part of the problem, rather than part of the solution, to the country's economic problems.
I guess that wasn't that cheerful.
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I don't think they quite understand how things have gone over here these days.
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Lebanese music charts dominated by Israeli transsexual (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1214492517628&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull)
:gay4: :ohmy:
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Mars suitable for growing asparagus (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/27/phoenix_wet_chemistry/)
Millions of children suddenly give up on their lifelong dream of visiting Mars
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Pretty fucking amazing. When Neil DeGrasse Tyson was on Colbert the other night, he could barely contain his excitement; it's great seeing an astrophysicist show that kind of enthusiasm.
Now, I'm not planning on packing my bags and moving to Mars tomorrow, but this IS some pretty serious science fiction territory we've just entered into.
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I recall in Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, the vast asparagus fields contained psychic worms that killed you with terror lasers.
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and once you got the right technology you could enslave them
but if you used them to take a city it counted as an atrocity. :(
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Wow, Mars's soil is good for growing crops!
If only the atmosphere would follow suit.
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blah blah blah terraform blah blah blah colony blah blah blah. Not happening until NASA gets funding and interest from the government. Which I don't suspect will be any time in the next few years.
Taking bets on how long it'll be before Virgin Space lands Richard Branson on mars and he claims it for himself
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Start a rumor that there's oil on Mars and watch the people of Earth start slaughtering each other over who gets to go eat grody vegetables there first.
Not that there's any damned way there could be petroleum on Mars. Not unless you start growing crops there.
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So we could have oil on Mars in a few million years? Good deal. Problem solved!
Seriously, I find the revelation that crops could grow on Mars to be good news, but you have to put the whole thing in perspective. We still have the problem of getting people to Mars without radiation poisoning or their muscles atrophying to uselessness. Then we have to get goods and materials there for it it be inhabitable. So basically it's neat, but there are other things to focus on.
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Well I suppose we could set it up so that the next intelligent race that emerges after we all zot ourselves out could have something out there to screw themselves over with. In a couple hundred eons or so we could maybe spread out over the whole solar system. And then our maximum-great descendants on Pluto could mock us for our inability to buy auto insurance.
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So... we'd be the ancient civilization in an RPG?
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Well I suppose we could set it up so that the next intelligent race that emerges after we all zot ourselves out could have something out there to screw themselves over with. In a couple hundred eons or so we could maybe spread out over the whole solar system. And then our maximum-great descendants on Pluto could mock us for our inability to buy auto insurance.
I'm picturing two cavemen getting into an accident in a stone version of the space shuttle, scratching their heads and reaching for clubs. Afterwards one of them hits his club on a rock a few times until a hologram of esurcogressive's website pulls up. 'So easy, even an earthling can do it!'
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Dinosaur Mummy! DINOSAUR MUMMY! (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080627-mummy-video-ap.html)
I actually debated whether the terrifying strength and ferocity of a dinosaur combined with the unlimited power of a mummy's curse could be considered "cheerful news", but then I realized DINOSAUR MUMMY
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Wow, this sure beats the wrappings off
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/5815/weirdmummyinsectsjv4.jpg)
in the contest for best mummy ever.
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But can the Dinosaur Mummy grow on Mars?
It is so awesome that they named him Leonardo.
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Holy shit, there is a dinosaur mummy like 10 minutes from my house.
And I don't just mean Robert Bakker!
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Everyone, Niku is already dead.
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Holy shit, there is a party like at my house!
Bring your brains and meat.
Now.
cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurse
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There's a dinosaur mummy in my pants.
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I actually understand that in part because it has a much much weaker electro-magnetic field, and in part because it is smaller than earth, Mars can't support a thick enough atmosphere for terraforming.
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That doesn't answer my question.
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Brentai,
Dinosaur Mummies can grow anywhere your heart can imagine.
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:imagination:
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd145/Brentai/imagiOHMYGOD.gif)
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Auto-replace is Awesome. (http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2008/06/the_dangers_of_1.html)
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"It means a lot to me," the 25-year-old Homosexual said. "I'm glad my body could do it, because now I know I have it in me." [...] After the race, Homosexual and Dix looked at each other and slapped palms, then hugged.
Okay, somebody's doing that on purpose.
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Auto-replace is Awesome. (http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2008/06/the_dangers_of_1.html)
Am both :humpf: and :smile: that I was beaten to posting this.
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"It means a lot to me," the 25-year-old Homosexual said. "I'm glad my body could do it, because now I know I have it in me." [...] After the race, Homosexual and Dix looked at each other and slapped palms, then hugged.
Okay, somebody's doing that on purpose.
Memphis Grizzlies backers hit the hay hoping that Kevin Love would open things up for Rudy Homosexual in the frontcourt.
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apparently the news site filters every instance of the word 'gay' to 'homosexual'. hence, rudy homosexual.
Homosexual and Dix looking at each other and slapping palms, glad their bodies could do it, however, is basically the funniest thing ever.
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apparently the news site filters every instance of the word 'gay' to 'homosexual'. hence, rudy homosexual.
Shinra. 4 posts behind the conversation since 2004.
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Come on, Thad. Making fun of Shinra is a bit trite at this point. Don't be cliche. Just look at all the wonderful contributions Shinra makes to post, and think of all the people who wouldn't have someone to make snappy comebacks at without him.
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T-cells can be genetically modified to resist entry by HIV. (http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/323636863/gene-editing-co.html)
For HIV positives, you'd modify a few of their T-cells, put them back, and they'd thrive while the others succumb to HIV. With a good anti-AIDS cocktail, I'm betting this could actually get a few cures.
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I was floating for hours after I read that one. Very cool stuff. And I could be misremembering my Gibson, but isn't that eerily similar to the AIDS vaccine in Virtual Light?
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Well, the basic concept is pretty obvious -- it's something that occurred to me when I first heard how AIDS functioned at age 12 -- it's the "making it actually WORK" part that's taken this long.
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Well, the basic concept is pretty obvious -- it's something that occurred to me when I first heard how AIDS functioned at age 12 -- it's the "making it actually WORK" part that's taken this long.
I, and pretty much every other little kid, thought that you could make floating cars just by making the roads and the bottoms of cars out of positive magnets. Of course, I now know that that would do nothing but kill a lot of people in horrible ways.
Which, granted, is something cars already do, but they also get us from place to place sometimes.
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I, and pretty much every other little kid, thought that you could make floating cars just by making the roads and the bottoms of cars out of positive magnets.
I never thought that would work even as a kid. Ever try getting a magnetic object to just sit there hovering without shooting off in a random direction? Hard to do without anchoring it in some way. Also, I was informed of maglev trains within 5 minutes of the thought.
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I, and pretty much every other little kid, thought that you could make floating cars just by making the roads and the bottoms of cars out of positive magnets.
Which is, basically, what maglev (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglev) is. Yes, SCIENCE! has refined the hell out of your basic, uninformed childhood conceptualization, but...well, that's pretty much exactly what the hell I just said, isn't it.
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Or what catloaf said, but whatever.
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Inspiration, perspiration, etc.
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And a one... (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080701.wscifair0701/BNStory/Science/home)
And a two... (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080701.wglasses0701/BNStory/Science/home)
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I think I saw that glasses thing on Tomorrow's World ten years ago.
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Well they're actually supposed to be manufactured now, so... see three posts up?
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BTW, I am a spy. (http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/07/03/hostage.drama/index.html) (Yes, I know CNN is awful.)
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I bet they stole TONS of health, too.
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The majority of Michael Vick's fighting dogs are being successfully rehabilitated and adopted. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/06/AR2008070602351.html) It's a shame however that most rescued dogs are not taken from multi-millionaires who are court-ordered to finance their rehabilitation.
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in b4 barbaric
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Excellent. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080714.wboreal0714/BNStory/Science/home)
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Excellent. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080714.wboreal0714/BNStory/Science/home)
:thad: I will throttle you.
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He's doing it on purpose. In his last post he did that AND misused a fucking spoiler tag.
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Well, the spoiler tag thing was a little experiment with formatting, but whatever, not planning on trying that one again.
I admit to total mystification as to what's wrong with this one though.
Editor's note: I am paying absolutely zero attention to the HTML/Hyperlink angst thread. So if this stems from that, then :shrug:
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I'm just gonna have to pass on the smarmy comment here.
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Too Good. (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/17/presidential.putdown.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview)
The best part is that the renaming actually seeks to REVERSE the normal trend toward euphemising everything and is instead going for a blunt return to calling a spade a spade.
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San Francisco's finally gotten so PC that it's wrapped right around back to outright rude.
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Okay, well, in an official capacity now.
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Nothin' PC about that, mate.
My sister actually was out gathering signatures for this and said it was a pretty easy sell, which i absolutely believe!
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25735046/
<[sean]> it's cute, but rather childish
<[sean]> the presidency should be afforded more respect than that
<Captain_Tylor> The president should be more respectable than he is
<[sean]> even if you think bush is a dope, presidents shouldn't be slapped down like this... it is possible to highlight the mistakes of a president without being a five-year-old about it
<Captain_Tylor> I think Bush has done things to ruin this country that will take decades to fix... I think he should be put on trial, but as that is not going to happen, this is a start
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Split-merged into thread where we were already talking about that. Please do try not to throw a fit over it.
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I dunno about a fit. If it gets voted in, I might throw a party though.
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Split-merged into thread where we were already talking about that. Please do try not to throw a fit over it.
You know, being snarky fits you much more than being rude. You've got the knack for the former and it is a thing of grace and beauty in your hands.
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...And which one are you saying I'm being, Mr. High-Bullshit?
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Local Republicans say the plan stinks
:whoops:
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:victory:
That's Sir Pratchett to you. (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24858964-12377,00.html)
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Another hero steps forward (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/17/new-york-plane-crash)
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Yeah, it was nice to read that for a change the right guy was in the right place at the right time. AND he got to showboat like a motherfucker in the process.
:happy:
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Bob Harris (http://www.bobharris.com/content/view/1669/) has an actual map of the flight path.
This isn't a commercial pilot. This isn't just a regular hero. This is John McClane at the end of a Die Hard movie, pulling off a ludicrous, insanely impossible move that people in the real world wouldn't even dream up, much less accomplish.
The Reg (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/16/brace_for_impact/) weighs in.
I am certainly glad that pilot Chesley Sullenberger was at the helm. Like so many pilots at American Airlines, he's an ex-fighter pilot. He's also a consultant in aircraft and airline safety and the former safety chairman for the Airline Pilots Association. And, perhaps most importantly, he's a glider pilot in his private life.
The fact that he was an expert pilot with gliding skills was key, as was having a great co-pilot, Jeff Skiles (a 23-year US Airways veteran) and a fast-acting flight attendant crew. (You have to exit one passenger per second, and in the case of the one passenger on Flight 1549 who refused to leave without her luggage, you have to grab them and push them out the door).
There's a lot of misery in the headlines these days, so it's pretty swell to see a story like this now and again. The human race is pretty great sometimes.
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This is John McClane at the end of a Die Hard movie, pulling off a ludicrous, insanely impossible move that people in the real world wouldn't even dream up, much less accomplish.
Pilots included.
Sullenberger... now gives speeches on aviation safety. His interests include studying the psychology of how teams cope in an emergency, media reports said yesterday.
:khaaan: You rigged a bomb to appear as flight damage? We'll stop you!
:asplanned: I did it thirty-five minutes ago. I can hear the speaking fees coming in even now.
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the engines were either knocked off on impact with the water or on impact with that explosive laden bird.
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You're totally giving credit to the wrong guy. The pilot's skill had nothing to do with it. (http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/16/passenger.accounts/index.html)
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Ask him if he'd care to repeat it, then.
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http://www.isgeorgewbushstillpresident.com/
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honest to god, breathed a huge sigh of relief upon loading that page
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:lol:
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Remember SCHIP expansion? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCHIP) The legislation that Democrats could have used to further crush Republicans two years ago?
It passed in the Senate on Friday with zero fanfare. (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3-r4-QX2sJIwxAkeLfY3zUOHgQAD961LT900)
:facepalm:
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Obama signs SCHIP to overlooked fanfare. (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/02/obama-signs-sch.html)
In addition, the Republican amendment to make it harder for children of legal immigrants to receive health care failed. (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3-r4-QX2sJIwxAkeLfY3zUOHgQAD95VQE1O0)
Along with every last one of their Stimulus amendments. (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/4/211217/6755/325/693271)
The party has been in disarray since their convention, yet their barking only grows louder.
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In addition, the Republican amendment to make it harder for children of legal immigrants to receive health care failed. (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3-r4-QX2sJIwxAkeLfY3zUOHgQAD95VQE1O0)
Oh that's fantastic. Take the current state of the War on Piracy (wherein the only way to avoid being run down by the law is to actively break it) and apply it to Immigration Reform.
...wait, that's nothing new. I just manage to somehow be surprised every time it happens.
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After sixty-six, grueling, hard fought days...
THE SOLIS HAS COME BACK TO D.C.! (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-solis25-2009feb25,0,6633058.story)
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Obama Set to Undo ‘Conscience’ Rule for Health Workers:
(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/28/us/politics/28web-abort.html?_r=1&hp)
The Obama administration moved on Friday to undo a last-minute Bush administration rule granting broad protections to health workers who refuse to take part in abortions or provide other health care that goes against their consciences.
:victory: I'll never be denied care again due to my lava piss! USA! USA! USA!
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Not sure if it's exactly cheerful, but it's not bad (http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090302/sc_livescience/kidspreferveggieswithcoolnames).
Now I'm wondering why we didn't think of this sooner.
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Captain Falcon Cauliflower!
:perfect:
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President Obama sends Bush's embryonic stem cell ban swirling down the drain. (http://www.bostonherald.com/jobfind/news/healthcare/view/2009_03_09_Mass__life_sciences_backers_cheer_Obama_stem_cell_policy/srvc=home&position=also)
:want: Science has never been so tasty.
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Well now, that IS cheerful news!
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It's not saying much, but that may turn out to have more long-term impact than anything else he's done so far.
America's last chances to stay on top remain perilously close to your edge in R&D and the latest tech. This is actually where places like China have a crippling achilles heel that belies their apparent strengths.
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The topic icon is especially fitting now.
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America's last chances to remain on top remain perilously close to your edge in R&D and the latest tech. This is actually where places like China have a crippling achilles heel that belies their apparent strengths.
The fact that reality is edging ever closer to being a generic RTS is beginning to bother me.
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It may help to think of it as the other way around.
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NUCLEAR LAUNCH DETECTED!
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(http://brontoforum.us/Themes/default/images/post/scary.gif) kekekekekekekekekekeke
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Where other countries' reluctance to use dead babies for science weakens them, WE WILL TRIUMPH
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To be fair, I'm pretty sure China is ready and willing to use dead babies for science. I don't know where they're at on using proto-babies, but I'm sure it's not out of a lack of willingness.
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I'm pretty sure they'd sooner use live babies. Two birds with one stone and all.
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Sheriff Joe under federal investigation. (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,508586,00.html)
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:wuv: :perfect:
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about over 59,000 outstanding, unserved felony warrants
:mikey: :over9000:
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:cake:
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Well, chop me in half and call me a Munchkin, 'cause ding dong, the witch is dead!
...sometime soon, I hope.
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Man literally wrestles with shark for survival, wins. (http://www.nypost.com/seven/03122009/news/nationalnews/moment_of_tooth_159201.htm)
Pics included.
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...here, I'll just go ahead and post it so you guys don't have to hold back the urge.
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd145/Brentai/HaggarSharkPink.jpg)
You're welcome.
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HRUP!
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America's last chances to remain on top remain perilously close to your edge in R&D and the latest tech. This is actually where places like China have a crippling achilles heel that belies their apparent strengths.
The fact that reality is edging ever closer to being a generic RTS is beginning to bother me.
Funny, I've been saying the Front Mission franchise represents the future for years.
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Spiderman in the Bangkok fire department!? (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090324/od_afp/thailandchildrenoffbeat)
Funny, I've been saying the Front Mission franchise represents the future for years.
You mean how we'll be forced to make web pages without Flash or Java?
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Somewhere an editor for the AFP is overjoyed that he could finally attach the picture of a surfing Spiderman he had hanging around to an article.
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Doctor has a heart attack in the middle of surgery. Patient will die of he stops. Solution: Finish surgery, then treat his own. (http://www.abc2news.com/entertainment/weirdnews/story/Walk-it-off-its-only-a-heart-attack/P0JFQIIQ_0WH5a9uOIh2rA.cspx)
Both Doctor & Patient are fine.
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That's hardcore.
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:dead: Next time, Gadget! Next time!
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Doctor has a heart attack in the middle of BRAIN surgery. Patient will die of he stops. Solution: Finish surgery, then treat his own. (http://www.abc2news.com/entertainment/weirdnews/story/Walk-it-off-its-only-a-heart-attack/P0JFQIIQ_0WH5a9uOIh2rA.cspx)
Both Doctor & Patient are fine.
Fix'd.
Talk about a badass.
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Shamwow guy is fighting the good fight (http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=5490)
Couldn't decide if this goes here or in wtf.
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So this is what it would be like if Ed Wood punched out Hitler.
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Shamwow guy is fighting the good fight (http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=5490)
I uh. I don't think anyone told Lyrai. (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0327092sham1.html)
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Saw that, but it's kind of funny when every official bio of an Scientoloy target shows up with PS He beats prostitutes snuck at the end.
Of course, he never denied it, so, PS He beats prostitutes I guess.
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Shamwow guy is fighting the good fight (http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=5490)
I uh. I don't think anyone told Lyrai. (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0327092sham1.html)
I knew about it.
Just because a man punches a woman who sells her body for sex because she bit his tongue and they were both completely drunk doesn't mean anything.
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Um.
You mean in this particular case, and not in general, right?
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Yes.
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That article said that he got ahold of Slash through the church. Does that mean Slash is a Scientologist?
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Shamwow guy is fighting the good fight (http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=5490)
I uh. I don't think anyone told Lyrai. (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0327092sham1.html)
He shouldn't have touched Sasha.
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I wonder what the statistics were for people who actually stayed on the line. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090403/ap_on_fe_st/odd_cereal_phone_sex_3)
(http://www.boomspeed.com/kieran/1211062732907.png)
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Dog falls off boat in stomy weather, swam 5 knots to the nearest island, recovered by rangers in good health (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7987863.stm)
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...a knot is a measurement of speed.
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And possibly time, if you're talking about dogs.
(You have to admit that's a pretty impressive swim.)
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:nyoro~n: I'd always thought that knot was short for both nautical miles and those per hour.
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Well, the dog also made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
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:nyoro~n: I'd always thought that knot was short for both nautical miles and those per hour.
It's one of the few things that knot is short for.
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Well it turns out that Thad is correct. Knot is a term for nautical miles per hour, I stand corrected.
:nyoro~n:
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Guys, please stop talking about knots in the context of dogs. (http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=595909)
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Hmm, we need a :shh: emote. Possibly featuring a particularly dirty Santa.
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Is :negative: not good enough?
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Well I'm really going more for a :slow:
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Stimulus ahead of schedule, under budget, rocks fall: (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/4/13/719600/-Oh-Noes!-Wingnuts-Aint-Gonna-Like-This...Stimulus-Projects-UNDER-Budget)
And that's why I'm pleased to hear that in state after state across America, competition for these projects is so fierce, and contractors are doing such a good job cutting costs, that projects are consistently coming in under budget. The final bid for one road project in Connecticut was $8.4 million less than the state budgeted for. Another one in Louisiana was $4.7 million less. A project at BWI Airport will be completed for $8 million less than expected. Bids for projects in North Carolina have been 19 percent under budget. Colorado is reporting bids up to 30 percent less than they expected. And the officials in California have seen bids that are close to half as much as they had projected.
Obama Puppy frowns upon no-bid contracts.
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I totally could have cut those prices in half if I'd just handed this job off to one of my insider buddies.
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Franken officially declared winner. Finally. (http://kstp.com/news/stories/S877958.shtml?cat=1)
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So does that mean the election is over?
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I am very curious to see what Franken will do for his state.
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Instead of Fireside Chats there will be Daily Affirmations.
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Because he's good enough, smart enough, and goshdarn it! People like him.
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Obama Puppy frowns upon no-bid contracts.
This just makes me think we need LOLdogs, presidential-style :itsmagic:
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Blagojevich on reality show (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/15/blagojevich-hoping-to-appear-in-nbc-reality-show/)
The upcoming show, called I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, pits 10 celebrities in a Costa Rican village for a month while they battle each other in competitions and put their survival skills to the test. The show will air nightly and viewers will have the final say on which celebrities have to go home early.
:victory:
As a politician, Blagojevich is corrupt and scheming. But that makes him the perfect reality show contestant.
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Happy Birthday, Tim Curry!
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Blagojevich on reality show (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/15/blagojevich-hoping-to-appear-in-nbc-reality-show/)
The upcoming show, called I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, pits 10 celebrities in a Costa Rican village for a month while they battle each other in competitions and put their survival skills to the test. The show will air nightly and viewers will have the final say on which celebrities have to go home early.
:victory:
As a politician, Blagojevich is corrupt and scheming. But that makes him the perfect reality show contestant.
Wait, what happened to that whole "federal corruption charges" thing?
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yeah isn't he in prison?
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I'm pretty sure the American system of law somehow allows politicians and CEOs to be forcefully retired or resigned from their positions while "settling" for being paid as consultants, appearing on reality TV shows and basically getting kickbacks for the rest of their lives.
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I'm pretty sure the American system of law somehow allows politicians and CEOs to be forcefully retired or resigned from their positions while "settling" for being paid as consultants, appearing on reality TV shows and basically getting kickbacks for the rest of their lives.
(http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/oo22/driftycity/tom-delay-mugshot.jpg)
'Sup.
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On further investigation he's under indictment but not in jail awaiting his trial. So it might take a while, and in the meantime he's trying to accumulate assets I guess. Possibly to pay for lawyers.
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Over the weekend, we cured:
Blindness. (http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/04/19/Anti-blindness-stem-cell-therapy-perfected/UPI-82961240165626/)
Deafness. (http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/04/20/Study-promises-new-treatments-for-deafness/UPI-25171240250435/)
And the parasitic fungus that was killing all those bees. (http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/04/a-cure-for-colony-collapse.ars)
Next weekend, the true challenge. The Big C.
Canadians.
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Over the weekend, we cured:
Blindness. (http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/04/19/Anti-blindness-stem-cell-therapy-perfected/UPI-82961240165626/)
Deafness. (http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/04/20/Study-promises-new-treatments-for-deafness/UPI-25171240250435/)
:holy: You guys are finally catching up.
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Over the weekend, we cured:
Next weekend, the true challenge. The Big C.
Canadians.
You know, I would be offended, but it's a nice day out and I think I'd rather sit on the porch with a brewski...
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(http://kazz.rooms.cwal.net/rapperhuge.jpg)
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Supreme Court makes it way easier to smuggle things. (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-scotus-carsearch22-2009apr22,0,1967319.story)
Would have been excellent if they had managed to pass this one on yesterday's date, but I guess justice can't always be poetic.
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The lineup behind Stevens was unusual. Justices Antonin Scalia, David H. Souter, Clarence Thomas and Ruth Bader Ginsburg formed the majority.
Talk about strange bedfellows.
Of course, I WOULD kinda expect Thomas to fall in the "personal privacy" camp.
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Literary cat makes Library visits (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/8021407.stm)
And this time, it's not a LOLcat.
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Arlen Specter, D-PA (http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/Lxn37SJB784/-Specter-switches-to-Democratic-Party)
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Fidel
:gasp:
Meanwhile, performing acts more eventful than breathing or shitting in Kent could likely get you mentioned in a story on the BBC. Such as if you perform both at the same time!
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And your laugh for the day: Conservatives more likely to miss the fact that Colbert is a big joke. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090428.wcolbert0428/BNStory/International/home)
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Take that, Abstinence-Only Education. (http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0509/An_end_to_abstinence_only_in_black_and_white.html)
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Americans are sickening optimists. (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/14/fox-news-poll-americas-best-days-ahead-obama-approval-remains-steady/)
Dunno if they're talking about "best days evar" or "better days than in recent memory" there. Personally with the mood whiplash this country tends to undergo I'm almost terrified of the U.S. flying as high as it did in the 90s again, but that may just be the pussy emo bitch in me talking.
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Voters also think it is time for the Obama administration to stop blaming the Bush administration for mistakes and start taking responsibility.
Stopped reading at that point. How can Obama's administration be considered responsible for shit that happened before they were in power and literally is the direct result of the Bush administration!?
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If you had read a sentence further, you'd see the part where it was conducted by FOX news.
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I knew it was FOX from the url. I don't know why I bothered to read beyond the headline.
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I find that even better. Even with the pro-conservative OHMYFUCKINGGODTERRORISTS Fox News slant, the results are overwhelmingly feelgood. On the other hand...
When asked who would get a muzzle first -- Biden or the Obama's new dog Bo -- by 45 percent to 28 percent Americans think it will be Biden.
OF COURSE THEY GAVE A FUCKING JOKE ANSWER TO A FUCKING JOKE QUESTION, YOU FUCKING JOKE.
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Americans are sickening optimists. (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/14/fox-news-poll-americas-best-days-ahead-obama-approval-remains-steady/)
Dunno if they're talking about "best days evar" or "better days than in recent memory" there. Personally with the mood whiplash this country tends to undergo I'm almost terrified of the U.S. flying as high as it did in the 90s again, but that may just be the pussy emo bitch in me talking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woLQI8X2R6Y
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If you had read a sentence further, you'd see the part where it was conducted by FOX news.
Read harder.
Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the national telephone poll of 900 registered voters for FOX News from May 12 to May 13. The poll has a 3-point error margin.
:facepalm:
What do you have against Opinion Dynamics, now? The serious questions have decent wording so I don't really see any reason to complain.
Stopped reading at that point. How can Obama's administration be considered responsible for shit that happened before they were in power and literally is the direct result of the Bush administration!?
Obama is going to have to take responsibility for not fixing the economy at some point, you know. Yes, it is mostly the GOP's fault (a decent number of Democrats voted for the deregulation) and McCain would've made it worse, but that doesn't really matter when it comes to responsibility.
For example, the whole bail out idea is just delaying the inevitable. If he doesn't come up with some other method of getting lending to resume, I'd say breaking down the current banking oligopoly, then the economy stagnating for N years is his fault.
We'll probably have to wait until 2010 to get a decent perspective on the consequences of his policies at any rate. So, we'll see.
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You can't blame him for everything in the universe not crapping magic rainbows and puppies after he's barely been there more than a fiscal quarter though.
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Right. Any such judgments will require a decent amount of hindsight and a year or two to work with.
Given the wording of the question, it just seems like a general feel good 'responsibility'. And no one really likes people who 'blame' others. That might bias things a bit.
A better poll question would ask if Bush or Obama is more at fault for problem X.
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foxnews.com
:negative: No, I don't care if it appears on Google News or not.
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This is for those parents who believe that Bob the Builder will do no harm.. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8063769.stm)
good times...
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:happy:
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Pakistan pushes the Taliban back a bit. (http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/24/Pakistan-takes-key-areas-from-Taliban/UPI-81741243167560/)
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Pushing back Islamic insurgents from locations is a temporary victory at best, and will come at the cost of some public support. I hope the soldiers keep garrisons, camps, and patrol bases in Swat as well as the other major centers of the FATA for the long haul. We are nowhere near the cheerful stage just yet.
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The geography of why USA will come out of the recession on top of the world (http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20090602_geography_recession?ip_auth_redirect=1).
And this has nothing to do with the decline of birth rates in the civilized world elsewhere..
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Ahem. It seems they forgot one country that hasn't been heavily affected by the recession.
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Brazil?
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Expert opinion seems to be "Brazil hasn't been affected by the recession... yet."
And might be able to duck it completely, maybe.
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Ahem. It seems they forgot one country that hasn't been heavily affected by the recession.
Come on Zara, people have been largely ignoring South America for over 200 years now.
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Ahem. It seems they forgot one country that hasn't been heavily affected by the recession.
Come on Zara, people have been largely ignoring South America ever since it was conquered by Europeans.
'Course, no one gave a damn about anywhere at all back then, as long as they could exploit the natives or the slaves they brought there to labor instead of exploiting the natives.
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Despite this, Lula is an aspiring politician, in that he seems like the least scummy of the lot. The use of microcredit to foster innovation is something that might deal with the slum problems in more of a meaningful way than socialist handouts could ever do.
Meanwhile, the condition up north in Venezuela continues to deteriorate due to falling oil revenues - state-controlled staple grocery stores are going out of business, or stocking insufficient quantities and inflation is starting to take a hit.
This is an indication.
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Gmail goes gold. (http://www.reuters.com/article/bigMoney/idUS428885852120090707)
Thanks for testing it, everyone!
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Oh, this was a BBC article that made me happy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8176448.stm
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Slick Willie saves imprisoned US journalists. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/kim-jong-il-pardons-us-journalists/article1240357/)
We need a photoshop of Bill as Rambo. STAT.
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(http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m78/yoji_00/th_spittake.jpg)
As awesome of news this is, I can't wait to hear their side of the story. I especially wanna hear what these so-called "hostile acts" were that they supposedly commited.
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Slick Willie saves imprisoned US journalists. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/kim-jong-il-pardons-us-journalists/article1240357/)
We need a photoshop of Bill as Rambo. STAT.
Done and DONE. I had this in one of my old backups.
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:hi5:
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(http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m78/yoji_00/th_spittake.jpg)
As awesome of news this is, I can't wait to hear their side of the story. I especially wanna hear what these so-called "hostile acts" were that they supposedly commited.
It was for allegedly crossing the chinese/north korean border
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(http://hundredcoins.org/brentai/images/sexualtyrannosaurus.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ25aDQ_pqw
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Right, however hostile a merry band of journalists screwing around at the Tumen River can be. I've heard of situations where soldiers from the North have crossed over the border themselves to arrest people for "illegal entry."
That always cracks me up about these dictatorships/whatever that arrest journalists on allegations of espionage ('sup, Roxana Saberi?) Because when you aim to inconspicuously enter a hostile country, discretely gather information, and report back to your superior before anyone notices, a profession that involves making as many contacts and sources as possible is the perfect cover. And the international community will be pleased to have such evil-doers rounded up!
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Bill may be reckless, but he gets results!
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Douche-baggery actually costs Glenn Beck sponsors. (http://mediamatters.org/blog/200908060011)
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Back on Bill for a second, I'd just like to say I love this picture.
(http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/00160/dip11b-freed_160704gm-e.jpg)
The "Aw shucks" look on Bill's face is priceless.
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I'd like to admire Clinton, but every time I see him I remember Général Dallaire's account of the Rwanda genocide (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shake_Hands_with_the_Devil_(book)) and I can't help but think of him as the good man who did nothing.
It doesn't negate his accomplishments, of course. It's just... well... you know.
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Well, Clinton made his share of mistakes, certainly.
I just like watching a masterful play.
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I don't think clinton's forgot about his hand in Rwanda either. I believe that he did mention it well after the fact with the words "mea culpa".
However, as accomplishments go for drama of the day, the "Clinton Tag Team", the power of marriage, etc etc...
It was fun to watch.
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Douche-baggery actually costs Glenn Beck sponsors. (http://mediamatters.org/blog/200908060011)
Again. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-rucker/wal-mart-cvs-best-buy-dit_b_261424.html)
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Anti-ACORN bill accidentally defunds Lockheed-Martin, Northrop Gumman, and every other government contractor who's facing corruption charges. (http://www.someguywithawebsite.com/blogarchive/week_2009_09_20.html#002844)
Of course, the sad part is that the government is going to backpedal on this so fast and so hard it'll give us whiplash, and of course the larger problem that Congress will only go after corrupt military contractors by accident while trying to score cheap political points. But still...this is fun.
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Oh yeah, my wife showed me that last night and I forgot to post it here. :glee:
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Roman Polanski finally arrested (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090927/ap_on_en_mo/eu_switzerland_polanski). About fucking time. Maybe they can also throw in some extra punishment for The Ninth Gate.
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Dude makes a home out of a missile silo. (http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2009/10/missile-base-2/all/1)
After reading the whole article and looking at the photos, it does have a really cool kind of feel to it.
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He's lucky he got it before the deep crows nested there.
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I've heard of people diving in flooded silos, which must make you look weird carrying around diving gear in Nebraska or wherever.
Bonus points(??) in my book if he dubs it White Forest.
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In a scene right out of a movie baby survives being run over by train. (http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Baby+survives+being+over+train/2110195/story.html)
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Holy shit! That is the craziest thing I've seen someone use a trampoline for. (http://www.geekologie.com/2009/10/im_a_ninja_i_can_do_that_crazy.php)
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Church of Scientology convicted of organized fraud and fined $900,000 in France. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/church-of-scientology-convicted-of-fraud/article1339793/)
:goodnews:
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A cheerful Colonel adds dignity to the UN General Assembly (http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/10/27/steven-edwards-sneaking-into-the-un-is-finger-lickin-easy.aspx)
My, this piece of news was finger-licking good! :whoops:
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A cheerful Colonel adds dignity to the UN General Assembly (http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/10/27/steven-edwards-sneaking-into-the-un-is-finger-lickin-easy.aspx)
My, this piece of news was finger-licking good! :whoops:
That was awesome in every possible way, but I especially enjoyed this nugget:
No word on whether the guard who let him in will be fried or grilled.
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First Trans Fashion Magazine printed (http://sf.carnalnation.com/content/38473/4/candy-first-trans-fashion-magazine-launched)
Hot Crackers! Where do I sign up?
Wait a sec.... only 1000 issues?
Little help, anyone? (http://www.byluisvenegas.com/shops.html)
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The first example of an octopus using tools (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8408809.stm) (a video !!)
This is pretty amazing/cool.
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Actually, octopi have used tools for quite a while. For example, they can unscrew jar lids and open doors.
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thats not building a house anyway the article says so and you cant argue the bbc
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Note: In the last 20 seconds that video goes from adorable to terrifying.
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This is not cheerful news. They are now a danger to our dominance and must be destroyed.
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We can't fight them. Not anymore. They have coconut houses now. We can't do anything against those.
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Don't worry guys, as long as we have hammers and night visions go--
Actually, octopi have used tools for quite a while. For example, they can unscrew jar lids and open doors.
:HUGE:
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I think they mean tool use as figuring out a new creative use for an object, rather than simple-to-complex object manipulation.
Leaning how to enter a certain area with a switch or figure out the best way to rip open a shelled prey, or screw-top jar, is one thing, but taking two coconut halves, and using them to make a shelter/ambush opportunity in the sand is another.
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We're safe as long as we stay on land.
...right? :oh:
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I think we're still OK so long as octopi don't start teaching things to their young. So long as they can only build off of one lifetime's worth of knowledge we're still doing OK.
It's the fucking crows that scare me. They're dinosaurs. They're like, two or three atavisms from being velociraptors!
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I heard about this on NPR earlier today, it's interesting to see the video.
It's funny, I'd actually heard about Octopuses being really intelligent before, but only because the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal church was a doctor of oceanography before and she became a priest, and every now and then talks about how smart Octopuses are in a letter to the church or a sermon or whatever.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtIv8hR5f7E
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Westboro Baptists trolled in Frisco (http://laughingsquid.com/san-franciscos-answer-to-westboro-baptist-church/)
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I :wuv: Lady Gaga (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2865456/Lady-Gaga-talks-about-hermaphrodite-rumours.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=Bizarre)
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So she's trying to pull the female 00's version of what David Bowie pulled in the 70's?
I'd kind of rather have David Bowie.
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This is the second time in a month's time that kids from my home island have exposed and prevented American school shootings (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/port-alberni-tips-expose-two-school-shooting-plots/article1485932/).
Seriously yanks, you're being beaten by a buncha hippies here..
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Ricky Martin comes out of the closet (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/29/ricky-martin-comes-out-im_n_517625.html)
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Limbaugh said he'd move to Costa Rica if healthcare passed (I assume he is well aware that Costa Rica has universal healthcare but knows his audience isn't).
A liberal website is raising money to send him there (http://www.aticketforrush.com/). If he refuses, they will give it to Planned Parenthood instead.
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Oh yeah, I remember hearing him say that on his show.
TIME TO PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS, LIMBAUGH! :whoops:
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Man, if someone offered to pay to move me to Costa Rica, I'd be on that so fast, you'd have to change my name to Rush.
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What you say about his company is what you say about society.
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What you say about his company is what you say about society.
Fat, stupid, and angry?
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Catloaf doesn't get a Rush reference. Yay!
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No I did, it's just that "Fat, stupid and angry" fits what many would say about American society.
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I get what they're pointing out that Limbaugh can be a douchebag, it's not like his reason for not moving away is going to be "Sorry folks I couldn't afford it!"
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Obviously, he claims he was misunderstood. (http://www.politicususa.com/en/limbaugh-costa-rica)
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OH COME ON YOU GUYS DUN UNDERSTAND
HE'S LEAVING FOREVER
:wakka:
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Limbaugh said, “It’s funny. I can’t tell you how many invitations I am getting to go to Costa Rica today who thought that I said I would move to Costa Rica if we got health care passed. No, no, no once all this implemented I am going there for my health care. They’re asking me to go ahead and move.”
Costa Rican health care which was already socialized.
But, sure, we can play this game. It's Rush fucking Limbaugh. It's gonna be... *checks watch* Like five more minutes tops before he needs some drugs.
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Lifelock CEO's identity stolen at least 13 times. (http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/05/lifelock-identity-theft)
:whoops:
Reminds me of the time TopGear fellow put up his bank account number.
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Man rescued by ninjas (http://www.theage.com.au/national/battered-mugged-student-recounts-ninja-rescue-20100520-vowi.html?autostart=1)
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Two war veterans get married. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/24/AR2010062406743.html?sub=AR)
To each other.
And the war was World War II.
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That's a terribly cute story.
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What God has joined together let no man put asunder.
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Iceland's Prime Minister marries her partner on the day gay marriage becomes legal. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37980907/ns/world_news-europe/)
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India to market $35 ipad knockoff/rival (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/indias-ipad-rival-to-cost-35/article1649376/)
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I'm still waiting on my $1,000 air-powered car.
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I'm sure we've all got our fantasies of how we'd quit our jobs, but they're probably less awesome than this, via BoingBoing (http://www.boingboing.net/2010/08/09/jetblue-flight-atten.html):
Slater got on the plane’s public address system and yelled:
"To the passenger who called me a (expletive), (expletive) you. I've been in the business 28 years. I’ve had it. That’s it."
Sources said Slater then grabbed some beer from the plane, deployed the inflatable emergency slide, and took off in his car parked in an employee lot.
(He got arrested for it. But...worth it!)
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Totally worth it.
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Also,
Slater was later arrested at his home in Belle Harbor, Queens by Port Authority officials. Police sources said that when authorities found Slater he seemed to be in the midst having sexual relations.
After quitting his job in the most awesome way possible, he immediately went home and got straight to doin' it. This guy is my new hero.
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Heh, all the more to make room for more "manly, albiet old (http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2010/08/jetblue-police-attendants/104401/1)" attendants that can kick ass and take names.
Feel sorry for the guy. I hope the judge finds leniency and slaps him on the wrist. At least he had a good day...
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But still, that is pretty close to a real life RAGEQUIT.
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But still, that is pretty close to a real life RAGEQUIT.
But it's ragequitting immediately after revenge backstabbing the entire other team in less than 30 seconds. Still awesome.
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Strippers hang out outside church to protest being protested (http://consumerist.com/2010/08/strippers-show-up-to-church-to-protest-being-protested.html)
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The New Beginnings pastor counters that he and the other protesters aren't there to condemn the dancers, but to offer them a way out. "I tell them, 'I will put a roof over your heads, and your bills will be paid, and your children's bellies will be full,'" he explains.
Oh, wow. That's awfully charitable of him.
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Regarding the Airline ragequit guy, I am laughing my ass off for a second day. Why? Because my usual paper decided to go to the trouble of adding a CGI simulation of the ragequit to their copy of the article (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/americas/jetblue-passengers-say-flight-attendant-looked-relieved-after-temper-tantrum/article1667814/). This is the first time I've EVER seen them do this for such a pedestrian article (or for almost any article, really).
I think someone may be indulging vicariously.
:glee:
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The New Beginnings pastor counters that he and the other protesters aren't there to condemn the dancers, but to offer them a way out. "I tell them, 'I will put a roof over your heads, and your bills will be paid, and your children's bellies will be full,'" he explains.
Oh, wow. That's awfully charitable of him.
There's a term for that. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_daddy)
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The New Beginnings pastor counters that he and the other protesters aren't there to condemn the dancers, but to offer them a way out. "I tell them, 'I will put a roof over your heads, and your bills will be paid, and your children's bellies will be full,'" he explains.
Oh, wow. That's awfully charitable of him.
Well, do keep in mind that in exchange for his charity, the ex-strippers will have to carry the pastor's bags. (http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/08/05/pastor-who-hates-homosexuality-but-is-attracted-to-men-returns-t/)
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This ragequit isn't beer-fuelled inflatable-slide cool, but it's still pretty awesome (http://thechive.com/2010/08/10/girl-quits-her-job-on-dry-erase-board-emails-entire-office-33-photos/)
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Someday I'm gonna marry that girl. :smile:
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in her awful manager's defense, he was kinda right
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Disagree: No one, in any sober state of mind can condone the playing of Farmville.
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Yeah it was fake (http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgawker.com%2F5609650%2Fthe-quitting-tale-that-suckered-the-whole-internet&h=65a4b)
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Ah well.
The story had its redeeming qualities.
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Eh.. at least they're honest about it (http://thechive.com/2010/08/11/a-word-from-jenny-16-photos/)
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TEAL, a group dedicated to eliminating typos on the streets does their thing (http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/letters/Word+Nerds+make+mission+eradicating+typos/3432115/story.html)
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[rul=http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/letters/Word+Nerds+make+mission+eradicating+typos/3432115/story.html]TEAL, a group dedicated to eliminating typos on the streets does their thing[/url]
Do they do online work too?
(sorry, way too easy)
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Those guys are obnoxious.
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Well, do keep in mind that in exchange for his charity, the ex-strippers will have to carry the pastor's bags. (http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/08/05/pastor-who-hates-homosexuality-but-is-attracted-to-men-returns-t/)
GAY PASTOR IS SECRETLY BRUCE WILLIS
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y89/CX-Neo/secretlybrucewillis.png)
FILM AT ELEVEN
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The memory game for adults (http://www.molleindustria.org/memory/memory_reloaded.html)
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Is it because the longer something goes on the more the media distorts the reality? I don't really get what they're trying to say with this. It's cute, but really.
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There's a message here of "This is how things get spun - one person enforces his own viewpoint until the other is finally forced to agree."
Every fucking inch of the message is then so fucking saturated with socio-liberalist propaganda that even though I agree with every single viewpoint expressed I still walk away wanting to club a Muslim to death with a baby seal.
The absolute bitch here is that the artist is simultaneously condemning and employing the principal illustrated, and is probably too fucking busy thinking up new ways to be smug to realize what a hypocrite he's being. Which has really gotten to be a real goddam serious problem with the heavy liberals lately and I wish somebody would stand up and say "If you don't stop congratulating yourselves for being so clever and start fixing shit, we're going to have another eight years of hell."
...
Also he's Italian which makes me wonder what the fuck he's doing worrying about our government.
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these are not cheerful news at all D:
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I like how it still bitches at you when you get all of them right before anything can change. Thanks a lot, buzzkill mcgee.
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They named a Hurricane Gaston. We're fucked... D:
Beauty and The Beast - Gaston (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhG9hKiplfQ#)
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So funny thing about the Castro interview that no one here is talking about where Fidel admits that the Cuban economic model no longer works (remember boys and girls: Socialism only works until you run out of rich people to pay for it)
But what really made me wag my tail was that during the interview, Castro was wearing New Balance sneakers - American design (Part 1 of the interview here) (http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/09/fidel-to-ahmadinejad-stop-slandering-the-jews/62566/). It's one thing that he explicitly denounces his own system, but it's another joyous occasion that he endorses concepts such as globalization and capitalism through his choice of footwear.
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Upon being knighted, Terry Pratchett forges his own sword. Out of meteorites. (http://www.news.com.au/technology/terry-pratchett-creates-a-sword-with-meteorites/story-e6frfro0-1225926584339)
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They're an easy source of a variety of steel!
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Did "Cheerful News" just intersect with the Avatar thread?
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Clearly, when the terrorists attack in force, Terry Pratchett is going to be one of the brave warriors who saves the world.
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This is basically the coolest thing I have ever heard.
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If this is what slightly senile Terry Pratchett looks like, god knows what amazing shit awaits us later.
Also: I wonder if he hid it in a stone :mystery:
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Remember Antoine of "They rapin' everybody!" fame? Well, here's some geniunely good news for a change (http://www.urlesque.com/2010/09/20/antoine-dodson-buys-house/).
Let's hope that stays on track. It's not often that stories of "poor guy gets whack of money" follows with "Buys home for family, spends rest on education".
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DAYTON, Minn. -- Vice President Joe Biden has told Democrats at a Minnesota fundraiser that he'll "strangle" members of the GOP who complain about the federal budget.
According to a pool report from Tuesday's event in Dayton, Biden was telling the crowd that Democrats know how to balance the budget. He said, "If I hear one more Republican tell me about balancing the budget, I am going to strangle them."
He quickly added: "To the press, that's a figure of speech."
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The figure of speech means he will contract professionals to do it!
-
BUT SOMEBODY SHOULD BE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE BUDGET
I mean, have you seen this thing? It looks like that egg-sac woman in Slither.
-
BUT SOMEBODY SHOULD BE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE BUDGET
I mean, have you seen this thing? It looks like that egg-sac woman in Slither.
I'm not sure how serious you're being here, but I think Biden's point is that someone shouldn't complain about balancing the budget if their party's current plan is to add trillions to the deficit by keeping all of the tax cuts that were made when the budget WAS balanced.
-
And it's a better tactic than telling the people who got him elected to stop whining.
-
Because we're continuing to whine that he and his entire party have no balls?
-
Upon being knighted, Terry Pratchett forges his own sword. Out of meteorites. (http://www.news.com.au/technology/terry-pratchett-creates-a-sword-with-meteorites/story-e6frfro0-1225926584339)
And he has his own coat of arms! (http://college-of-arms.gov.uk/Newsletter/026.htm)
The best part? The motto.
-
Remember Antoine of "They rapin' everybody!" fame? Well, here's some geniunely good news for a change (http://www.urlesque.com/2010/09/20/antoine-dodson-buys-house/).
Let's hope that stays on track. It's not often that stories of "poor guy gets whack of money" follows with "Buys home for family, spends rest on education".
Well, he's a gay hairdresser, so he's not exactly the standard black stereotype anyway.
-
Giant Gravel Batteries? (http://www.innovationtoronto.com/2010/05/giant-gravel-batteries-could-make-renewable-energy-more-reliable/)
It sounds like a bit of a long-shot, but it's very cool, in a low-tech sci-fi kind of way.
-
The current technology uses the electricity to pump water uphill, which can be used to generate hydroelectric later.
-
Beats the way they harness nuclear energy: They use the heat of atomic fission to... heat water.
-
Nuclear power is the height of steampunk.
-
Hot water has basically been our favorite means of directing large quantities of energy since forever.
Probably because we also think turbines are super awesome, and water gets reasonable rates of energy transfer going through them.
Actually, I did hear of one plasma based energy collection model where they just strip the freed electrons from off of the cloud. But... I heard that from Roast Beef while he still didn't know anything, so it's possible he was misinterpreting what the paper was saying.
-
Steam driven turbines remain one of the best methods of turning non-electrical energy into electricity. Turning various forms of energy directly into heat is easy, turning them directly into electricity is generally difficult, inefficient, or not currently possible.
-
US Government finally takes a stance against gene patenting (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/30/business/30drug.html).
-
Not the stance I would have expected, but I hope it takes root.
-
Dick Van Dyke falls asleep on surfboard, is rescued by porpoises. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/nov/11/dick-van-dyke-porpoises-rescue)
-
Couldn't have happened to a nicer chimney-sweep.
-
I am honestly surprised that he's still alive.
-
So's he.
-
Now THAT is some real Disney shit.
-
Shortly after recovering, he tripped over a coconut.
-
Pope Benedict XVI was quoted at the weekend saying condom use by male prostitutes could be a good thing, indicating the user's intention to protect others from a deadly infection, apparently condoning the use of contraceptives for the first time. The Vatican yesterday confirmed that the same message applied to women sex workers.
Not exactly "contraceptives for everyone! knock yourselves out, not up!", and the stance is really more of a "they're still going to hell but maybe they could try not to spread AIDS too much before then"... but it's still kind of a medium deal, or at least a step in the right direction.
-
The Catholic Church wouldn't be The Catholic Church if it didn't move a little slower than most.
-
It's worth noting that the Catholic Church accepts evolution.
-
Yeah, because they're still kinda embarrassed about that whole Galileo thing.
-
Didn't you know Thad? He recanted heliocentrism on his deathbed, so it's not true
-
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/01/03/neil-gaiman-and-amanda-palmers-wedding-in-twitpics/ (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/01/03/neil-gaiman-and-amanda-palmers-wedding-in-twitpics/)
Awwwww
-
Lieberman won't seek another term. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/nyregion/19lieberman.html?partner=rss&emc=rss)
-
On the one hand, yay no Lieberman. On the other, it's kind of sad because I wanted to seem him lose so bad in 2012.
-
it's not as good news as it could be
-
Lieberman goes back in time; drops out of politics in '89.
-
On the one hand, yay no Lieberman. On the other, it's kind of sad because I wanted to seem him lose so bad in 2012.
Yeah, and this way the media's going to spin it as "He is a beloved moderate and Democrats were so so mean to him" instead of "He is retiring because everybody fucking hates him and he has no shot at reelection."
-
Lieberman goes back in time; drops out of politics in '89.
Lieberman falls over dead, false skin bursts open, writhing horde of pestilential insects scurries forth into the dark places of the world
-
No more 'conscience clause.' (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/18/AR2011021807443.html)
-
Glenn Beck is cancelled.
-
Source?
Some are saying that he's still going to be working with FNC to develop content, while others are saying he's outright departing.
It says nothing about his radio show, which can be heard on Sirius/XM radio on Sirius XM Patriot, the conservative talk radio station, in the mornings. I'm sure that's sticking around, if nothing's being said about it.
-
Every major news outlet, crowing about it.
Saw that. I think the funniest part is that one of the main reasons is he was canned is that no sponsors would place ads with him, in spite of what were at one point frighteningly high ratings.
-
Every major news outlet, crowing about it.
Yeah, pretty much; I figured there wasn't much point in going with a single source since it's everywhere.
Saw that. I think the funniest part is that one of the main reasons is he was canned is that no sponsors would place ads with him, in spite of what were at one point frighteningly high ratings.
NPR suggested it was really the trifecta -- controversy, sponsor boycotts, AND a precipitous ratings drop. One or two of those might not have sunk him (in fact the first one is kinda the whole point of Fox News), but he had all three.
-
Not that any of us expect him to stop stirring up trouble, of course.
-
It certainly hadn't stopped Dr. Laura or Rush Limbaugh.
-
Also he said bad things about Donald Trump.
-
Beck falls over dead, false skin bursts open, confetti sprays in a high pressure jet for seven months nonstop
-
Every major news outlet, crowing about it.
Yeah, pretty much; I figured there wasn't much point in going with a single source since it's everywhere.
Saw that. I think the funniest part is that one of the main reasons is he was canned is that no sponsors would place ads with him, in spite of what were at one point frighteningly high ratings.
NPR suggested it was really the trifecta -- controversy, sponsor boycotts, AND a precipitous ratings drop. One or two of those might not have sunk him (in fact the first one is kinda the whole point of Fox News), but he had all three.
but thad, npr is the mouthpiece of the elitist sociliast commie pinko agenda!
Really, though, at one point Fox dropped below CNN in the ratings (I don't know if this is still the case) and Fox had to have realized the jig was up and must be trying to pare down the crazy. Going after white middle-class blue collar workers like they have in the last few months was kind of dumb, considerig, you know, that that's their entire fucking viewing demographic. Having a one hour show about a guy who thinks the 1 dollar bill predicted 9/11 isn't exactly helping their image.
-
BUT IF YOU FOLD IT
-
It's the twenty. But yeah, the conspiracy theory stuff is unsustainable. Glenn realized people were watching his show for crazy blackboard conspiracy hour, but he kept upping the ante until it got to the point where Bill O'Reilly was pretty much openly criticizing him on-air. BILL O'REILLY was asking him what the basis for his claims was.
-
I remember reading this AV Club review of GB as television comparing it to Lost: an interactive experience where viewers get on forums and try to parse the story as it unfolds. CBF to find it right now but if you read the AV Club (and you should!) it was a pretty interesting take.
And the media's going to spin this any number of ways because it IS news, but the real reason Fox dropped him is that they could no longer cover up how Glenn Beck raped and murdered a young girl in 1990.
-
mike i love you
-
Dana Milbank (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2011/04/06/AFNEgnqC_story.html) adds that Beck's ratings have declined as unemployment has, and adds that his conspiracy theories became less palatable to his higher-ups as they increasingly blamed The Jews.
Some stuff in there I didn't know about -- I knew about his full episode of Soros hate, but didn't know he also hosted a guy who publicly argues in support of Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
All while comparing anyone who disagrees with him to Nazis, of course.
-
The best is when he compares jewish people to Nazis, or implies collaboration.
:whoops: Hilarious.
-
his conspiracy theories became less palatable to his higher-ups as they increasingly blamed The Jews.
:oic:
-
Gay Dads adopt and raise 12 children. (http://www.azcentral.com/news/azliving/articles/2011/05/02/20110502gay-dads-ham-family-12-adopted-kids.html?page=1)
... In Arizona.
-
Judge rules that IP addresses are insufficient description for a John Doe lawsuit. (http://torrentfreak.com/ip-address-not-a-person-bittorrent-case-judge-says-110503/)
-
I would like to hear the rationale for that ruling, and hope it would go beyond something as simple as "the judge did not understand how the internet works", because I can't think of any better way to identify someone over the internet than their IP address.
I don't want to side with the assholes throwing lawsuits around, I would just like to know the logic behind this.
It is probably explained in the article but I am at work and don't want to click torrentfreak.com. Is there an alternative source for this?
-
I would like to hear the rationale for that ruling, and hope it would go beyond something as simple as "the judge did not understand how the internet works", because I can't think of any better way to identify someone over the internet than their IP address.
Some problems.
Dial-up services with changing IPs (though history can fix this one).
Multiple users of one cloud service.
Multiple users of one gateway IP (for an intranet).
Multiple users of one proxy.
Open/insecure WiFi.
I'm sure I missed a few.
Those go to a person's IP, which is more general than a computer or account. If you snoop cookies/SLOs, you can sometimes narrow it down to a computer or account, but there's no real guarantee that the owner of the computer/account was responsible for the transgression. E.g. your asshole relative visits and installs Limewire, and if you're especially naive, you don't know what Limewire is and don't really notice anything different on your rig other than a new green icon on your desktop.
-
Even without all of those, it's also possible to just have a computer perform activities without the real consent of its user. See bot-nets.
An IP might be usable to narrow down the offender to a machine, but until we're legally responsible for the actions of our accounts and the security thereof, we can't criminalize the failure to keep an account secure. Also I'd like to think we only punish or blame the victim if they're a woman.
Well, I just kicked that shit out of the cheerful news category. I need some coffee.
-
There's also the extortion issue. In cases where porn publishers threaten to sue alleged infringers, merely the act of naming someone as a defendant in such a case can cause irreparable harm to his reputation, even if he's ultimately found innocent. Even if you win, you still lose, and John Does would in many cases rather settle than be named publicly.
In cases where a person's reputation is at stake, burden of proof MUST be stronger than an IP.
-
That's a solid argument, Thad. Makes sense to me.
-
(http://a.yfrog.com/img734/4303/d8jqr.jpg)
New York governor signs same-sex marriage bill into law (http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/06/25/new.york.gay.marriage/)
-
Whereas here in Toronto, a rainbow flag appears to actually serve as "Mayor repellent". (http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/local/article/899120--mayor-s-stance-a-puzzle)
-
Al Franken still a Senator; still Al Franken.
Franken Destroys Focus On The Family Witness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyAueltLsa4#)
-
:victory:
FUCK YES YOU ARE THE BEST FRANKEN EVER
-
uh excuse me
(http://anotherdimension.pyoko.org/frankenfran.jpg)
second best, maybe
-
If she can do all these medical miracles, why can't she get rid of all those unsightly stitchmarks huh
-
Why would she want to? They're clearly bringing the boys to the yard.
-
Woman goes into labour during bar exam, finishes bar exam and THEN goes to give birth (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2020434/Woman-FINISHES-bar-exam-labour--baby-hours-later.html?ITO=1490)
-
Welcome to the raised bar, women. Don't disappoint.
edit: oh god wait that's a pun aaaaaauuuuuuuuuggggghhhh
-
I'm afraid you will have to be murdered for that
-
By law, that baby is now also a lawyer.
I can't wait for the TV adventures of Lawyer Baby.
-
"Your Honor, we move to recess. Council...*mug for camera* had an accident." *laughtrack*
-
Eh, just because she took the bar doesn't mean she passed it.
-
Jesus Christ, you really are no fucking fun.
-
LAWYER BABY, TA.
LAWYER BABY.
I DON'T GO AROUND DEFLATING YOUR DREAM BALLOON.
-
Gabrielle Giffords returns to Capitol Hill to vote on the debt ceiling issue.
-
http://io9.com/5828986/school-bans-vonneguts-slaughterhouse+5-so-vonnegut-library-gives-copies-to-students-for-free (http://io9.com/5828986/school-bans-vonneguts-slaughterhouse+5-so-vonnegut-library-gives-copies-to-students-for-free)
-
In a hilarious coincidence, there was a sidebar story that led to GenCon pics, and they had a picture of WotC's Ken Nagle in his Phyrexian costume (http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2011/08/medium_morecostumes2_01.jpg).
-
Getting back to the conversation a few months ago about why John Doe suits based on IP addresses should not be legally recognized:
There's also the extortion issue. In cases where porn publishers threaten to sue alleged infringers, merely the act of naming someone as a defendant in such a case can cause irreparable harm to his reputation, even if he's ultimately found innocent. Even if you win, you still lose, and John Does would in many cases rather settle than be named publicly.
In cases where a person's reputation is at stake, burden of proof MUST be stronger than an IP.
Guess who one of the guys being sued for downloading porn is?
A blind man. (http://boingboing.net/2011/08/11/porn-privacy-and-bittorrent-seattle-weekly-on-case-of-blind-man-accused-of-viewing-pilfered-adult-flicks.html)
So yeah, IP addresses aren't really a very good form of evidence.
(OTOH, a guy who can't secure his own damn router should probably not be working in network security.)
-
Phoenix Zoo takes the lead in reviving oryx (http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2011/10/06/20111006phoenix-zoo-oryx-takes-lead-reviving.html)
Fifty years after the start of Operation Oryx - an international mission to save the Arabian oryx, previously declared extinct in the wild - the species has come back from the brink of extinction thanks to the Phoenix Zoo.
This summer, the oryx, an antelope species native to the Arabian Peninsula, became the first species ever to improve three full categories on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.
The species is now classified as "vulnerable."
-
Oh! Phoenix Zoo. I get it!
-
After woman has her bike stolen, finds guy selling it on Craigslist, asks for test ride, steals it back (http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/woman-uses-test-ride-to-take-back-stolen-bike-32330)
-
the best thing i've ever heard
-
Let's bump this thread.
Carjacker makes unfortunate choice of target (http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/crime/anthony-miranda-mugging-attempt-ultimate-fighting-champion-black-eyes-20111205)
That's quite a mugshot.
-
In uncheerful news, "myfoxchicago.com" uses pop-under ads and evidently I need a new adblocker.
-
Euh, sorry about that. I have NoScript, so I tend not to notice that stuff.
-
That's about as good as the time someone tried to rob a van, and it was full of special forces troops on an urban training exercise.
-
Or the guy who tried to rob a gun store with a squad car parked out front (http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1993-06.html).
-
That one counts as a suicide, come on.
-
Navy first: Same-sex couple share first homecoming kiss (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_tmig8PxAw#ws)
-
I have a 99% chance of not having cancer.
-
That's great news! Wait... that means...
Lyrai is the 1%!
:gasp:
-
Let's not Jynx anything here.
-
Rhode Island teen takes a stand for freedom from religion, gets $40,000 scholarship (http://abcnews.go.com/US/rhode-island-teen-atheist-40k-scholarship/story?id=15751701#.T0R5VYf2Z5a)
-
Giffords joins National Institute for Civil Discourse board (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-22/giffords-civil-discourse/53208628/1)
-
Okay, so if this guy (http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7986979/redemption-brian-banks) makes it on an NFL team I will seriously consider becoming a football fan and rooting for his team.
What the quote says.
-
Rhode Island passes Homeless Bill of Rights into law. (http://www.indypendent.org/2012/06/24/rhode-island-governor-signs-first-homeless-bill-rights)
See, politicians CAN do good things, when they put their minds to it!
-
Child tells Make-a-Wish Foundation he'd like to meet Hellboy; Ron Perlman obliges (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/07/06/ron-perlman-is-hellboy-again-for-make-a-wish/).
-
I hope that kid got pancakes (http://dailycomic.livejournal.com/509.html).
-
Giffords joins National Institute for Civil Discourse board (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-22/giffords-civil-discourse/53208628/1)
Comment on the page
Oh goody! We get another "nonpartisan" institute. "Civil Discourse" means one side gets to talk and the other side gets to shut up and stay up.
Every successful dictatorship survives by enforcing "Civil Discourse."
-
http://arcticready.com/social/gallery (http://arcticready.com/social/gallery)
Shell creates a community competition to create and ad for their planned Arctic oil drilling and hilarity ensues. Just check out one page of those.
-
That site is either getting DDOSed, pulled down, or simply swamped right now. Not a thing loads, not even on the homepage.
:/
-
Loads just fine for me.
-
Pretty sure the whole thing is fake.
EDIT: Because it is fake.
http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/07/16/yes-men-take-on-shell-in-ad-campaign-hoax/ (http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/07/16/yes-men-take-on-shell-in-ad-campaign-hoax/)
-
It's fake, and part of an elaborate stunt by the Yes Men (http://www.treehugger.com/energy-disasters/shell-arctic-oil-drilling-launch-party-disaster.html)
The following events are all fake, part of the same stunt by the Yes Men:
Fake Shell has a media party to celebrate the success of spending $4b to be able to drill in the arctic, a bunch of fake faux pauxs happen, a fake reporter is fake kicked out.
Fake Shell starts this advertising and opens it up to the public for the purpose of lulz
4chan, SomethingAwful et al find it
Fake Shell issues a Fake Lawsuit to the Yes Men
Started back in June or so.
-
South Sudanese refugee athlete allowed to compete in Olympics without a country. (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/refugee-without-country-compete-under-olympic-flag-london-202757479--oly.html)
-
http://www.azcentral.com/news/azliving/articles/2012/07/13/20120713bikers-against-child-abuse-make-abuse-victims-feel-safe.html?page=1 (http://www.azcentral.com/news/azliving/articles/2012/07/13/20120713bikers-against-child-abuse-make-abuse-victims-feel-safe.html?page=1)
-
Mark Sanford joins the ranks of real human beings who are much happier outside of politics (http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/south/view/20120826former_sc_gov_mark_sanford_engaged_to_ex-mistress/srvc=home&position=recent), proposes to his argentinian girlfriend.
-
This guy (http://www.buzzfeed.com/rsultan/this-dads-superhero-cape-is-a-skirt) is the Best Dad.
Nils Pickert's five-year-old son likes to wear dresses, and given how closed-minded people can be, Nils wanted to make sure that he grows up with a strong, positive role model. So he did what any mind-bogglingly incredible dad would do: he started wearing skirts himself.
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/buge/reaction/single_tear.jpg)
-
This guy (http://www.buzzfeed.com/rsultan/this-dads-superhero-cape-is-a-skirt) is the Best Dad.
Nils Pickert's five-year-old son likes to wear dresses, and given how closed-minded people can be, Nils wanted to make sure that he grows up with a strong, positive role model. So he did what any mind-bogglingly incredible dad would do: he started wearing skirts himself.
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xHQgaqFbFvE/SY223gogdtI/AAAAAAAACtk/Eqgbi8ctnfU/s400/phelps.jpg)
Just proof that bein' a fag is genetic.
-
Welp, Ben Quayle's a one-termer (http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/20120828cd-schweikert-leads-quayle-closely-watched-race.html).
-
Retiring Michigan car dealership owner thanks his employees. In cash. (http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/good-news/retiring-michigan-car-dealership-owner-thanks-employees-cash-150906700.html)
-
Judge strikes down Wisconsin law limiting union rights (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81241.html?hp=l1). Yay! Perhaps a bit of a premature yay, as they are going to appeal it, but a yay none the less.
-
Judge rules that child abuse and endangerment is not protected religious expression! (http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/court-decides-parents-refusal-vaccinate-kids-free-exercise-religion/)
-
Which is pretty much the necessary slippery-slope argument to explain why we can't just let Catholic organizations say they won't pay for birth control. (Standard disclaimer about how slippery-slope arguments are usually bullshit but when we're talking about interpreting the First Amendment they're pretty much necessary.) You tell one religion it's okay to deny coverage for a form of medicine it doesn't like, well, you've either introduced a some-more-equal-than-others proposition among religions, a some-more-equal-than-others proposition among medicine, or you have to allow any religion to refuse coverage for anything.
(And yes we do in fact have some-more-equal-than-others situations with both religions and drugs in this country, but that's multiple whole separate conversations.)
-
Coulter, trying to stave off the oblivion of irrelevance, calls Obama a retard during the debates, only to be called out in grand and classy style by one such gentleman (http://specialolympicsblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/an-open-letter-to-ann-coulter/). Now who's the dumb one?
:happy:
-
Ethiopian kids given tablets with no instructions, learn how to hack it in 5 months. (http://dvice.com/archives/2012/10/ethiopian-kids.php)
-
They just left the boxes there, sealed up, containing one tablet for every kid in each of the villages (nearly a thousand tablets in total), pre-loaded with a custom English-language operating system and SD cards with tracking software on them to record how the tablets were used.
Jeez, they make it sound like the kind of social experiments they'd pull on chimpanzees.
-
... It does sound like the kind of social experiments we pull on chimpanzees.
-
Why LEGO is the BEST Company in the World (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xGU-5KVS_g#ws)
Lego still cares about their consumers.
-
(http://i.imgur.com/czl38.gif)
-
Lego still cares about their consumers.
They also gave solid-gold 2x4 bricks to their 25-year employees. (http://kotaku.com/5965016/the-worlds-most-expensive-lego-brick-costs-14000/)
-
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/06/health/judge-orders-fda-to-make-morning-after-pill-available-over-the-counter-for-all-ages.html (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/06/health/judge-orders-fda-to-make-morning-after-pill-available-over-the-counter-for-all-ages.html)
-
Have we talked about the douchebag Tennessee state Senator who was trying to push a bill that would link families' welfare payments to their childrens' academic performance?
Because he's dropped the bill, after an 8 year old publicly shamed him by following him around the capitol. (http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/12/8-year-old-follows-tenn-lawmaker-around-capitol-until-he-drops-welfare-bill/)
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TzBInt4zljQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TzBInt4zljQ)
-
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_23203248/colorado-man-reunited-lego-builder-he-says-helped (http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_23203248/colorado-man-reunited-lego-builder-he-says-helped)
-
Michelle Bachmann isn't running for re-election. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/minn-rep-michele-bachmann-says-she-wont-run-for-re-election-in-2014/2013/05/29/da55ae62-c83a-11e2-9cd9-3b9a22a4000a_story.html)
She will be missed.
(http://i.imgur.com/L2aIWeG.jpg)
-
Pity. She was a reminder of a much simpler time when one conservative could seem nuttier than the rest.
-
One of the better things to donate an old smartphone to (http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/07/android-rainforest-connection/)
-
DOMA struck down as unconstitutional, Prop 8 remanded to the circuit court with instructions to dismiss.
Today's a good day for gay rights.
-
Fantastic. I got up to hear the rulings were forthcoming and now I'm on my way out the door for work; I expect I'll hear more on NPR on the way.
Interesting to see Kennedy as tie-breaker. I half-expected Roberts to do it, not because he believes in gay rights but because he has the good sense to know how a ruling in favor of DOMA would have looked in the history books a couple of decades from now.
So there's a scary possibility that Roberts does not give a damn about how history remembers him. Or it could be something more cynical -- he knew the anti-DOMA side had the votes it needed so he was comfortable voting the way he actually felt.
Neither one speaks very highly of him.
“DOMA instructs all federal officials, and indeed all persons with whom same-sex couples interact, including their own children, that their marriage is less worthy than the marriages of others,” Kennedy wrote.
“The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity.”
Wow -- go Kennedy.
Okay, I really need to go. But that is indeed some :goodnews:
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-- he knew the anti-DOMA side had the votes it needed so he was comfortable voting the way he actually felt.
I think it's this one. From the stories I've heard about how the Supreme Court works, it's an extremely cynical institution.
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Two things stand out to me:
1) Not just Kennedy in the majority, but Kennedy opinion.
2) "Subject to certain constitutional guarantees, see , e.g., Loving v. Virginia , 388 U. S. 1, “regulation of domestic relations” is “an area that has long been regarded as a virtually exclusive province of the States,” Sosna v. Iowa , 419 U. S. 393, 404." Emphasis mine.
This tells me that Kennedy is receptive to a challenge to state laws and constitutions that outlaw same-sex marriage, which means that the Court as a whole is receptive to that challenge. Between this and the Prop 8 ruling, I think they're basically saying how they're gonna rule when the issue comes before them, and inviting it to be brought.
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I do have some questions about this ruling, though. What exactly does it mean? From what I read, I got the feeling that the federal government will recognize all same-sex marriages equally, but that it does nothing to actually make it possible for same-sex couples to marry. Or is that now any judge can, and must, perform a same-sex marriage?
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The way my gut says is that only DOMA's provision about denying the benefits of marriage to same-sex couples was found unconstitutional. Only the states in which same-sex marriage is legal still stands, it's just that the federal government can't prohibit a legally married couple in Washington DC or any of the states in which same-sex marriage is legal from doing things like jointly filing taxes. This will probably pave the way for future challenges, such as recognizing out-of-state same sex marriages under the Full Faith and Credit clause of the Constitution.
Example: I get married to a boyfriend in New York, does Texas have to recognize that marriage?
One comment on the SCOTUS liveblog I saw gave me a chuckle. "For the first time in history, people are going to be happy about filing their taxes on April 15th."
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I do have some questions about this ruling, though. What exactly does it mean? From what I read, I got the feeling that the federal government will recognize all same-sex marriages equally, but that it does nothing to actually make it possible for same-sex couples to marry. Or is that now any judge can, and must, perform a same-sex marriage?
The ruling does two things.
1) Forces the federal government to recognize marriages that are legal in the state. So, taxes, immigration, all sorts of things - the list of laws this impacts is more than a thousand statues long. This is a big deal for the people it impacts - couples where one partner can't enter the country, or as in the case from which this ruling arose, $360k inheritance issues - but not much so for the people it doesn't.
2) Exists as an equal protection ruling on sexual orientation from the Supreme Court. This is New. This establishes sexual orientation as a protected class, and forces discriminatory legislation to adhere to a higher level of scrutiny than Rational Basis. This is the precedent from which everything else will draw. This is the precedent you need to shut down gay marriage bans, this is the precedent you need to prohibit firing on the basis of orientation, this is the Supreme Court saying that having different rules for straight people and gay people is a fifth amendment violation. This is the part of the ruling that is a big fuckin' deal.
The power the Constitution grants it also restrains. And though Congress has great authority to design laws to fit its own conception of sound national policy, it cannot deny the liberty protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
What has been explained to this point should more than suffice to establish that the principal purpose and the necessary effect of this law are to demean those persons who are in a lawful same-sex marriage. This requires the Court to hold, as it now does, that DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the liberty of the person protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.
This is the moneyshot.
What the ruling does not do:
Force Texas to recognize a New York marriage. Yet. Because that wasn't an issue before the court here, but with this precedent, the court can't uphold that part when it comes before them either.
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This is also going to have a big impact on same-sex couples in the military; last year, after DADT was struck down, the DoD made it clear that as long as the language in DOMA denying federal benefits to same-sex marriages was still being enforced, military spouses in same-sex couples would NOT receive benefits. Now that that’s no longer the case, all military spouses will be able to receive the same healthcare, housing, education, insurance, and other benefits, regardless of sexual orientation.
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In point of fact,
The Department of Defense welcomes the Supreme Court's decision today on the Defense of Marriage Act. The Department will immediately begin the process of implementing the Supreme Court's decision in consultation with the Department of Justice and other executive branch agencies. The Department of Defense intends to make the same benefits available to all military spouses - regardless of sexual orientation - as soon as possible. That is now the law, and it is the right thing to do.
"Every person who serves our nation in uniform stepped forward with courage and commitment. All that matters is their patriotism, their willingness to serve their country and their qualifications to do so. Today's ruling helps ensure that all men and women who serve this country can be treated fairly and equally, with the full dignity and respect they so richly deserve."
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And then there was that time a 12 year old girl used the power of SHAME to scare away an armed pedophile who broke into her house. (http://www.komu.com/news/12-year-old-uses-tv-knowledge-to-scare-off-gunman/)
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And then there was that time a 12 year old girl used the power of SHAME to scare away an armed pedophile who broke into her house. (http://www.komu.com/news/12-year-old-uses-tv-knowledge-to-scare-off-gunman/)
Wildflower said the man turned to leave and she told him he should be ashamed of himself. The man then lowered his head and left.
I didn't think people actually DID that. :glee:
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I'm strictly theorizing here, but I wouldn't think a man that sneaks into 12-year-old girl's bedrooms at night would be the assertive type.
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Ed Kramer ousted from Dragon*Con; Nancy Collins declares boycott over. (http://comicsworthreading.com/2013/07/08/its-safe-to-go-to-dragoncon-again/)
If the name doesn't ring any bells, here's what I had to say about it a few months back:
So, uh, anybody been keeping up with the story of Ed Kramer, the Dragon*Con co-founder who's spent the past 13 years stalling a trial on child molestation charges?
An article from last September in Atlanta Magazine (http://www.atlantamagazine.com/features/story.aspx?ID=1764014) has a pretty thorough breakdown of everything that's happened -- the original charges, the variety of ways Kramer managed to wear down authorities until they let him go from jail and put him under house arrest, and then let him out once a week, and eventually agreed to take off his ankle bracelet -- and how he eventually got caught violating his parole following a 16-year-old boy around in Connecticut in 2009. He spent the ensuing three years fighting to keep from being extradited back to Georgia, but as of last week (http://www.ajc.com/news/news/dragoncon-co-founder-back-in-gwinnett-county-jail/nT3b2/) he's finally back in a Georgia jail and will hopefully actually get tried now.
As for how he's been able to play this game for so long: part of it is that he's got some legitimate and serious health problems (and possibly some less legitimate and serious ones that he's exaggerated, too), and part of it is that he's still got plenty of money coming in from Dragon*Con (he's still a 34% owner).
It looks like he's been bought out (against his wishes, of course, and he's threatening to sue). Which means, yes, he'll get a sizable one-time payout, but he's got plenty of creditors at his door and now his income has been cut off.
So uh you might want to share that if you know anybody who wants to go to Dragon*Con.
And now you can share THIS with anyone who wanted to go to Dragon*Con but was planning on boycotting. And thank them, because this happened because of them.
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PA teen saves girl from kidnapping (http://news.yahoo.com/video/pa-teen-saves-girl-kidnapping-135857501.html)
and
Teenager jailed over ‘sarcastic’ Facebook post out on bail (http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/07/09/texas-19-year-old-in-prison-for-sarcastic-facebook-post/)
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A woman is robbed and calls the thief's mother on the cellphone he left behind (http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021351214_cellphonevigilantexml.html)
spoilers: there's a happy ending.
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There was a story in the New Times the other week about how one of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who died in the Yarnell fire had been arrested as a teenager -- I think it was a similar story, stealing stuff out of a car.
My first thought was that this was pretty disgusting, digging up the arrest record of someone who'd just died. But on reading it I changed my mind -- the story was about how the arrest record noted that he had been contrite, seemed to legitimately regret what he'd done, and hoped that his mistake wouldn't hurt his chances of becoming a firefighter.
People make mistakes. Teenagers, in particular, do stupid shit.
(And sometimes, as in the case of the husband in the story, people do intelligent and responsible shit that just so happens to result in them being caught doing something illegal, and have a felony conviction chase them around for the rest of their fucking lives.)
At any rate, good on her for giving the kid an opportunity to do the right thing without getting The Man involved.
May he use this opportunity he has been given to not fuck up again.
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Having just watched the Lower Decks episode of TNG I find this whole conversation to be bizarrely resonant.
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There was a story in the New Times the other week about how one of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who died in the Yarnell fire had been arrested as a teenager -- I think it was a similar story, stealing stuff out of a car.
My first thought was that this was pretty disgusting, digging up the arrest record of someone who'd just died. But on reading it I changed my mind -- the story was about how the arrest record noted that he had been contrite, seemed to legitimately regret what he'd done, and hoped that his mistake wouldn't hurt his chances of becoming a firefighter.
People make mistakes. Teenagers, in particular, do stupid shit.
(And sometimes, as in the case of the husband in the story, people do intelligent and responsible shit that just so happens to result in them being caught doing something illegal, and have a felony conviction chase them around for the rest of their fucking lives.)
At any rate, good on her for giving the kid an opportunity to do the right thing without getting The Man involved.
May he use this opportunity he has been given to not fuck up again.
My brother had a drug record as a teenager, so he was denied every chance to become a city firefighter. He still works as a volunteer one, and has for over a decade. Systems can't completely stop people from doing what they're passionate about, but it is a crock of shit that stuff that happens as a teenager essentially goes on the permanent record.
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Drones deliver beer instead of bombs at South African Music festival (http://www.france24.com/en/20130808-drone-delivers-beer-not-bombs-safrica-music-festival)
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Ghanaian anti-corruption fighter fights the good fight (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/ghanas-legendary-corruption-fighter-keeps-citizens-in-line/article13749860/)
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Study cube a hit with Korean parents. (http://iamkoream.com/study-cube-a-hit-with-korean-parents/)
(http://i.imgur.com/DcY2svNl.jpg)
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More like TARD-IS, amirite?
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Filipino Police Chief capured by armed rebels, talks said rebels into surrendering (http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/09/17/philippines_rebels_police_chief_hostage_persuades_captors_to_surrender.html)
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/wendy-davis-texas-governor_n_4039113.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/wendy-davis-texas-governor_n_4039113.html)
“I had no real idea what the future looked like. Today, I see it pretty clearly. It’s looking right at me. It’s you. It’s all of you. And all of you deserve to have your voices heard. Because our future is brightest when it’s lit by everyone’s star. And that’s why, today, I’m proud to announce my candidacy to be the 48th governor of this great state.”
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Also:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/01/kkk-rally-canceled_n_4024192.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/01/kkk-rally-canceled_n_4024192.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular)
(I know it's HuffPo, but this is a relatively minor story).
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can you make it to the rally
no sorry i'm busy
kkk
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A billion euros in art once thought destroyed has been found in Munich. (http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/11/04/vast-1-4-billion-stash-of-art-thought-destroyed-in-nazi-germany-found-in-munich-apartment/)
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http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2013/11/families_dealing_with_mental_illness_need_support_too.2.html (http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2013/11/families_dealing_with_mental_illness_need_support_too.2.html)
This is not news per se, but a very nice little editorial nonetheless.
(Thad, you can move this somewhere else if appropriate).
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The Filibuster is gone. (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/21/harry-reid-likely-to-go-nuclear-today/?hpt=hp_t1)
Well, as far as appointments anyway.
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The Filibuster is gone. (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/21/harry-reid-likely-to-go-nuclear-today/?hpt=hp_t1)
Well, as far as appointments anyway.
(http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3923260/testicles.jpg)
I don't know what the women find. An attack womb or something.
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If It Happened There: U.S. Restores Majority Rule in Legislature (http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_world_/2013/11/21/if_it_happened_there_how_would_we_cover_the_nuclear_option_if_it_happened.html)
WASHINGTON, United States—In what analysts are calling a landmark step on the country’s path toward representative democracy, the U.S. government agreed today to allow most appointments to high offices to be approved by a majority vote. However, opposition lawmakers are crying foul, arguing that the change will allow the country’s embattled leader to seize more power.
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http://www.newstaco.com/2013/11/21/catch-an-illegal-protest-at-u-t-austin-totally-backfires/ (http://www.newstaco.com/2013/11/21/catch-an-illegal-protest-at-u-t-austin-totally-backfires/)
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Black musician has spent years befriending multiple KKK members, causes collapse of Maryland KKK (http://guardianlv.com/2013/11/kkk-member-walks-up-to-black-musician-in-bar-but-its-not-a-joke-and-what-happens-next-will-astound-you/)
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Cheerful...until you get to the comments section.
Fuck an internet.
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http://www.alternet.org/sex-amp-relationships/i-took-down-man-who-posted-hacked-topless-photo-my-daughter-internet?page=0%2C0&paging=off¤t_page=1#bookmark (http://www.alternet.org/sex-amp-relationships/i-took-down-man-who-posted-hacked-topless-photo-my-daughter-internet?page=0%2C0&paging=off¤t_page=1#bookmark)
Proving once again that this stuff only works until you run into people who are smarter than you. Which tends to be a lower bar for folks like Moore than is imagined.
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Doesn't even need to be somebody smart (though it clearly was in this case), just somebody who's got the time, resources, and stubbornness to fight back.
Tactics like Moore's rely on his victims being too ashamed and scared to fight back. That's how predators operate.
Laws has done more than take down the most notorious revenge porn site on the web. She's created a roadmap. She's made it easier for other people to do the same. Mark Randazza (whose name you might recognize from the story) made quick work of Is Anybody Down? (http://www.popehat.com/2012/10/30/the-takedown-lawyer-lets-help-marc-randazza-investigate-a-scammer-shall-we/), a copycat site that added the interesting twist of extorting its victims to pay to have their photos removed. (You gotta figure Moore is kicking himself for not thinking of that.)
There's also the turnabout element of the story. People who make a habit of posting their enemies' names and home addresses on popular websites cry the loudest when it happens to them.
If you think "Most Hated Man on the Internet" is something you actually WANT to be, then you have not thought things through.
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Cops nab paedophile after tip-off from thief (http://www.thelocal.es/20131219/cops-nab-paedophile-after-tip-off-from-thief)
The suspect had reported a burglary at his home nine days earlier, listing several appliances as stolen but making no mention of his missing video camera and tapes, police said.
I don't know what the moral of the story is here. Err, other than "don't be a pedophile", I suppose.
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Alan Turing has been granted a pardon for liking dudes, nearly 60 years after his death (and more than 60 years after his chemical castration).
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Alan Turing has been granted a pardon for liking dudes, nearly 60 years after his death (and more than 60 years after his castration).
I may be a straight man, but I have always maintained that if either Freddie Mercury or Alan Turing had ever propositioned me, there's no way I'd have ever been able to say no.
(sorry Freddie, no bareback for you though)
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It seemed more or less token when I posted it but after considering the circumstances, this is pretty major turn for GB. 3 years ago the official response boiled down to "We may disagree with the laws of the time but they were the laws of the time and Turing broke them." Now we've got a document straight from Her Freaking Majesty Herself (who may not be an actual lawmaker per se but whose opinions are probably worth more, culturally) saying no, this never should have happened. So that's the word.
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But have they pardoned everybody ELSE convicted of sodomy?
Because Alan Turing is my fucking hero, but there are people who are still alive who were subjected to the same treatment he was. It'd be a lot easier for me to get excited about a symbolic gesture if it were accompanied by extending the same courtesy to people for whom it might actually still matter.
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Dead men don't reject apologies.
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I assume it's coming. You can't really kowtow to public opinion and then set a precedent that it's only okay if you happen to be a war hero.
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Alan Turing has been granted a pardon for liking dudes, nearly 60 years after his death (and more than 60 years after his chemical castration).
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Sharkey, who introduced the private member's bill in the House of Lords, said: "This has demonstrated wisdom and compassion. It has recognised a very great British hero and made some amends for the cruelty and injustice with which Turing was treated.
"It's a wonderful thing, but we are not quite finished yet. I will continue to campaign for all those convicted as Turing was, simply for being gay, to have their convictions disregarded. That will be a proper and fitting and final end to the Turing story."
:mystery: