Monday, August 29, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Google pays $500m over Canadian drug dealers
Ok, not really...
Google has agreed to pay $500m (£305m) to settle accusations it allowed online Canadian pharmacies to advertise drugs to Americans via its AdWords service.
The payment, announced by the US justice department, means the company will not face criminal charges.
Google was aware that US law bars most importation of drugs from pharmacies outside the country, authorities said.
Read more here.
Google has agreed to pay $500m (£305m) to settle accusations it allowed online Canadian pharmacies to advertise drugs to Americans via its AdWords service.
The payment, announced by the US justice department, means the company will not face criminal charges.
Google was aware that US law bars most importation of drugs from pharmacies outside the country, authorities said.
Read more here.
WTF made that Woodstock ON apartment building blow up - cont
The victims of an explosion and fire at a Woodstock apartment building in March are seeking $60 million in damages.
Four defendants are named in the lawsuit, and the lawyers representing the former tenants of the Victoria Street South apartment say they hope the case can be settled quickly.
An explosion and fire ripped through the 45-unit complex at 168 Victoria Street South in the early morning hours of March 27, 2010, killing two people and leaving nearly 100 others homeless...
...The lawsuit alleges that the source of the explosion was the laundry room in the building's basement.
But Union Gas, named as one of the four defendants, says the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office has not completed its investigation.
The company also claims that its own investigation ruled out technical malfunctions.
Andrea Stass, media relations manager for Union Gas, says "Based on our own internal review, we're confident that the incident was not related to Union Gas operations."
Place blows sky high, yet *no one* is responsable.....
Read more here.
Four defendants are named in the lawsuit, and the lawyers representing the former tenants of the Victoria Street South apartment say they hope the case can be settled quickly.
An explosion and fire ripped through the 45-unit complex at 168 Victoria Street South in the early morning hours of March 27, 2010, killing two people and leaving nearly 100 others homeless...
...The lawsuit alleges that the source of the explosion was the laundry room in the building's basement.
But Union Gas, named as one of the four defendants, says the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office has not completed its investigation.
The company also claims that its own investigation ruled out technical malfunctions.
Andrea Stass, media relations manager for Union Gas, says "Based on our own internal review, we're confident that the incident was not related to Union Gas operations."
Place blows sky high, yet *no one* is responsable.....
Read more here.
Margaret Atwood still a brilliant fiction writer, pens Mayor Ford and bro "are not stupid people"
Now that's fiction.
Margaret Atwood has news for her pro-library supporters: The Ford brothers are not stupid people.
Councillor Doug Ford had something to say in response: “I appreciate Ms. Atwood saying that, but I also appreciate she’s a very smart lady. She should go in and find efficiencies for us.”
Read more here.
Margaret Atwood has news for her pro-library supporters: The Ford brothers are not stupid people.
Councillor Doug Ford had something to say in response: “I appreciate Ms. Atwood saying that, but I also appreciate she’s a very smart lady. She should go in and find efficiencies for us.”
Read more here.
Harper and Co. silences yet another scientist, because that's what Canada voted for..right?
If this is what voters actually wanted when they elected Harper, then they're a dangerous fucking lot.
A fisheries scientist says she believes senior officials close to the prime minister prevented her from talking to the media about her research into the 2009 sockeye salmon collapse in B.C.
Kristi Miller told a federal inquiry Thursday that she learned about the gag order only through the inquiry and believes officials with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans were OK with her giving interviews about the publication of her article in the journal Science.
"I learned only through the inquiry process that the decision of not allowing me to speak to the press after the Science paper came out came out of the Privy Council Office and not from DFO," she said.
"I had permission to speak from the deputy minister and, I believe, the minister's office so what I was not aware as a scientist is at what level these decisions are made."
Miller testified she believes it would have been useful to speak to the media after the article's publication to let them know what scientists knew and didn't know and she found it frustrating to see the direction some news stories went.
Read more here.
A fisheries scientist says she believes senior officials close to the prime minister prevented her from talking to the media about her research into the 2009 sockeye salmon collapse in B.C.
Kristi Miller told a federal inquiry Thursday that she learned about the gag order only through the inquiry and believes officials with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans were OK with her giving interviews about the publication of her article in the journal Science.
"I learned only through the inquiry process that the decision of not allowing me to speak to the press after the Science paper came out came out of the Privy Council Office and not from DFO," she said.
"I had permission to speak from the deputy minister and, I believe, the minister's office so what I was not aware as a scientist is at what level these decisions are made."
Miller testified she believes it would have been useful to speak to the media after the article's publication to let them know what scientists knew and didn't know and she found it frustrating to see the direction some news stories went.
Read more here.
Pushy Christians: 911 Ceremony won't include clergy or prayers
Pushy how?
"Utterly disappointed and surprised," Fernado Cabrera a New York City councilman and the pastor of New Life Outreach International church in the Bronx, said over the decision not to include any clergy in the ceremony.
"There's certain things that government cannot do, and answering questions of meaning of 'Why are we going through this?' and 'Where am I going to get strength from?' - those are existential questions that can only be answered from a spiritual aspect," Cabrera said.
So he says...
Read more here.
"Utterly disappointed and surprised," Fernado Cabrera a New York City councilman and the pastor of New Life Outreach International church in the Bronx, said over the decision not to include any clergy in the ceremony.
"There's certain things that government cannot do, and answering questions of meaning of 'Why are we going through this?' and 'Where am I going to get strength from?' - those are existential questions that can only be answered from a spiritual aspect," Cabrera said.
So he says...
Read more here.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
British government backs off becoming like "Iran or China"...for now
The government and police have not sought any new powers to shut social networks, the Home Office said after a meeting with industry representatives.
Instead they held "constructive" talks aimed at preventing violence being plotted online through existing co-operation, the Home Office said.
The meeting with representatives from Twitter, Facebook and Blackberry was held in the wake of English city riots.
The prime minister has said police may need extra powers to curb their use.
Read more here.
Instead they held "constructive" talks aimed at preventing violence being plotted online through existing co-operation, the Home Office said.
The meeting with representatives from Twitter, Facebook and Blackberry was held in the wake of English city riots.
The prime minister has said police may need extra powers to curb their use.
Read more here.
Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) has a hazy concept of freedom
Rep. Steve Chabot’s (R-OH) town hall meeting was riddled with protests last night as voters voiced their frustration with the GOP’s focus on deep spending cuts rather than providing jobs...
...Fearing pushback on issues like ending Medicare and corporate tax dodging, Chabot took an extraordinary step in order to prevent a possible “Youtube moment”: he banned constituents from filming the town hall.
Oh good, at least you avoided that Youtube moment....
Read more here.
Harper and Co. hope Arctic will melt so they can get f*cking rich
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is using the backdrop of peaking gold prices amid international economic turmoil to sell his vision of economic development in Canada's Far North.
The prime minister today toured the roaring Meadowbank gold mine near Baker Lake — Nunavut's only operating mine and a symbol of his Conservative government's developmental ethic.
Critics have long complained the Harper Conservatives are ignoring climate change and instead rushing to capitalize on a thawing Arctic.
With gold prices hovering near a record $1,900 an ounce, Harper is making no apologies.
Apologies are not something the man is capable of.
Read more here.
The prime minister today toured the roaring Meadowbank gold mine near Baker Lake — Nunavut's only operating mine and a symbol of his Conservative government's developmental ethic.
Critics have long complained the Harper Conservatives are ignoring climate change and instead rushing to capitalize on a thawing Arctic.
With gold prices hovering near a record $1,900 an ounce, Harper is making no apologies.
Apologies are not something the man is capable of.
Read more here.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The writing's on the wall
"...the tribute to Jack Layton in Nathan Phillips Square, outside Toronto's City Hall, has exploded. Tens of thousands of chalk messages now cover the entire floor of the Square and all of its walls. I've never seen any out-pouring of grief like this for anyone in Toronto before..."
If there's one thing the Pinkos know, it's graffiti, eh Robbie?
Read more here.
Christopher Millett of London's Imperial College thinks Casablanca needs an X rating
Movies with smoking scenes should be slapped with adult content ratings, some researchers say.
While Canada and the U.K. have ratified the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, they are not yet enforcing it, according to Christopher Millett of London's Imperial College.
He makes the point, along with his co-authors, in this week's issue of Public Library of Science's journal's PloS Medicine.
The convention says all future movies with scenes of smoking should be given an adult content rating, with the possible exception of movies that depict the dangers of tobacco use or smoking by an actual historical figure who smoked.
Read more here.
While Canada and the U.K. have ratified the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, they are not yet enforcing it, according to Christopher Millett of London's Imperial College.
He makes the point, along with his co-authors, in this week's issue of Public Library of Science's journal's PloS Medicine.
The convention says all future movies with scenes of smoking should be given an adult content rating, with the possible exception of movies that depict the dangers of tobacco use or smoking by an actual historical figure who smoked.
Read more here.
Another young white man with ice water for blood gives Republicans goosebumbs
Reagan was a fool, but he did make types like this rich, so he's God damn George Washington.
As for Senator Rubio, it's the usual "let's undo the 20th century as a bad mistake" lines:
These programs weakened us as a people. You see, almost forever, it was institutions in society that assumed the role of taking care of one another. If someone was sick in your family, you took care of them. If a neighbor met misfortune, you took care of them. You saved for your retirement and your future because you had to. We took these things upon ourselves in our communities, our families, and our homes, and our churches and our synagogues. But all that changed when the government began to assume those responsibilities. All of a sudden, for an increasing number of people in our nation, it was no longer necessary to worry about saving for security because that was the government's job.
For those who met misfortune, that wasn't our job to take care of them. That was the government's job. And as government crowded out the institutions in our society that did these things traditionally, it weakened our people.
Read more here.
Bethany College: Dicks of the Day
Just who were they hurting?
Bobby Jones once said that, "golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course - the distance between your ears," and while that is very true, it's another area of the body that landed an entire Lutheran college golf team in serious trouble.
The Bethany College men's golf team took a page out of Golf Digest's spread of the 2004 UCLA team and posed in the buff for an unofficial team photo (above), with just golf clubs covering their man parts, and it didn't sit well with the team's coach, who also happens to be the religious school's athletic director.
Jon Daniels suspended every player on the Fighting Swedes for three tournaments because of the photo he called, "a case of young people who just don't think beyond the moment and don't realize who they're hurting."
"Until someone sat them down and explained that they did something wrong, they didn't have any idea," Daniels said. "But I think they understand now."
I think they understand some adults can be dicks.
Read more here.
Bobby Jones once said that, "golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course - the distance between your ears," and while that is very true, it's another area of the body that landed an entire Lutheran college golf team in serious trouble.
The Bethany College men's golf team took a page out of Golf Digest's spread of the 2004 UCLA team and posed in the buff for an unofficial team photo (above), with just golf clubs covering their man parts, and it didn't sit well with the team's coach, who also happens to be the religious school's athletic director.
Jon Daniels suspended every player on the Fighting Swedes for three tournaments because of the photo he called, "a case of young people who just don't think beyond the moment and don't realize who they're hurting."
"Until someone sat them down and explained that they did something wrong, they didn't have any idea," Daniels said. "But I think they understand now."
I think they understand some adults can be dicks.
Read more here.
Joe Warmington: Cold Hearted Bastard of the Day
Everything is money for these people.
Before you dismiss the question as heartless, consider the potential precedent setting cost. Layton was just recently elected opposition leader. We question government spending on everything bike lanes to fighter jets. Is there a limit to our probing of how public funds are spent?
For example, Layton was never prime minister or a cabinet minister or even a municipal mayor. He never held any in-power positions and certainly was not the pope, king, saint or John Lennon that some on the left want to anoint him in their quest to create a martyr.
There’s nothing wrong with it. But should you be paying for a portion of it?
Fuck you.
Read more here.
Before you dismiss the question as heartless, consider the potential precedent setting cost. Layton was just recently elected opposition leader. We question government spending on everything bike lanes to fighter jets. Is there a limit to our probing of how public funds are spent?
For example, Layton was never prime minister or a cabinet minister or even a municipal mayor. He never held any in-power positions and certainly was not the pope, king, saint or John Lennon that some on the left want to anoint him in their quest to create a martyr.
There’s nothing wrong with it. But should you be paying for a portion of it?
Fuck you.
Read more here.
DNA study on European origins
A new study deals a blow to the idea that most European men are descended from farmers who migrated from the Near East 5,000-10,000 years ago.
The findings challenge previous research showing that the genetic signature of the farmers displaced that of Europe's indigenous hunters.
The latest research leans towards the idea that most of Europe's males trace a line of descent to stone-age hunters.
But the authors say more work is needed to answer this question.
Read more here.
The findings challenge previous research showing that the genetic signature of the farmers displaced that of Europe's indigenous hunters.
The latest research leans towards the idea that most of Europe's males trace a line of descent to stone-age hunters.
But the authors say more work is needed to answer this question.
Read more here.
Mayor Ford surprises everyone and does something right...a bit late
Toronto's budget committee has accepted an offer from the province to fund 11 nurse positions to help fight the city's bed bug problem.
The last time the province offered, city politicians — led by Mayor Rob Ford — turned it down.
In June the executive committee said it wouldn't accept the province's offer to pay for two nurses: one nurse to work with new immigrants and another to work in the city's poorer neighbourhoods.
At the time Ford said he didn't want to be on the hook to pay the nurses when the provincial money ran out.
The city's budget chief Coun. Mike Del Grande said he was inundated with 3,000 emails at the time, most asking why.
Del Grande said he got the message.
"We listen," he said, "even though people claim we don't. I get the drift."
Read more here.
The last time the province offered, city politicians — led by Mayor Rob Ford — turned it down.
In June the executive committee said it wouldn't accept the province's offer to pay for two nurses: one nurse to work with new immigrants and another to work in the city's poorer neighbourhoods.
At the time Ford said he didn't want to be on the hook to pay the nurses when the provincial money ran out.
The city's budget chief Coun. Mike Del Grande said he was inundated with 3,000 emails at the time, most asking why.
Del Grande said he got the message.
"We listen," he said, "even though people claim we don't. I get the drift."
Read more here.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Pushy Christians: Millionaire Rick Perry thinks economic crisis is God's way to bring us back to "Biblical principles"
How's that eye of the needle feeling there Rick?
Earthquake felt in Toronto
And as the news seems to be it is centered in NYC, that's pretty damn far.
Calgary Sun city editor Dave Naylor is a ghoul
Calgary Sun city editor Dave Naylor tweeted yesterday regarding Jack Layton:
Maybe he's not dead. Maybe he's just stiff and needs a good massage
Maybe he's not dead. Maybe he's just stiff and needs a good massage
Christie Blatchford has no shame
What an awful, ugly, spiteful person.
Shame on you and any who would write such garbage.
It never dawns on Ms. Blatchford and her ilk that some politicians might actually be liked, unlike the thugs and bullies she seems to prefer.
Read more here.
Shame on you and any who would write such garbage.
It never dawns on Ms. Blatchford and her ilk that some politicians might actually be liked, unlike the thugs and bullies she seems to prefer.
Read more here.
BART continues to be the focus of protests
More light needs be focused on BART and the tin plated goons that run it.
More than three dozen protesters were arrested Monday during a chaotic run through downtown San Francisco that snarled traffic and train service during the evening commute.
The demonstrations started small at about 5 p.m. in the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency's Civic Center platform, where two dozen protesters gathered to vent their frustration over BART's shutting wireless service in its downtown San Francisco stations Aug. 11 to quell a brewing protest that day.
BART police arrested four demonstrators on the platform for trespassing on transit property, closed the station and forced the remaining protesters above ground onto the city's busy Market Street.
Read more here.
More than three dozen protesters were arrested Monday during a chaotic run through downtown San Francisco that snarled traffic and train service during the evening commute.
The demonstrations started small at about 5 p.m. in the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency's Civic Center platform, where two dozen protesters gathered to vent their frustration over BART's shutting wireless service in its downtown San Francisco stations Aug. 11 to quell a brewing protest that day.
BART police arrested four demonstrators on the platform for trespassing on transit property, closed the station and forced the remaining protesters above ground onto the city's busy Market Street.
Read more here.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Daniel Domscheit-Berg: Idiot of the Day
Yeah, sure, we believe you.
A former Wikileaks spokesman claims to have deleted thousands of unpublished files that had been passed to the whistleblowing site.
Daniel Domscheit-Berg told the German Newspaper Der Spiegel that the documents included a copy of the complete US no-fly list.
He said he had "shredded" them to avoid their sources being compromised.
Read more here.
A former Wikileaks spokesman claims to have deleted thousands of unpublished files that had been passed to the whistleblowing site.
Daniel Domscheit-Berg told the German Newspaper Der Spiegel that the documents included a copy of the complete US no-fly list.
He said he had "shredded" them to avoid their sources being compromised.
Read more here.
Homo Erectus the Sailor Man
A team of researchers that included an North Carolina State University geologist found evidence that our ancestors were crossing open water at least 130,000 years ago. That's more than 100,000 years earlier than scientists had previously thought.
Their evidence is based on stone tools from the island of Crete. Because Crete has been an island for eons, any prehistoric people who left tools behind would have had to cross open water to get there.
The tools the team found are so old that they predate the human species, said Thomas Strasser, an archaeologist from Providence College who led the team. Instead of being made by our species, Homo sapiens, the tools were made by our ancestors, Homo erectus.
The tools are very different from any others found on Crete, Strasser said. They're most similar to early stone-age tools from Africa that are about 700,000 years old, he said.
Initially the team didn't have any way to date the tools. That's where NCSU geologist Karl Wegmann came in.
Read more here.
Their evidence is based on stone tools from the island of Crete. Because Crete has been an island for eons, any prehistoric people who left tools behind would have had to cross open water to get there.
The tools the team found are so old that they predate the human species, said Thomas Strasser, an archaeologist from Providence College who led the team. Instead of being made by our species, Homo sapiens, the tools were made by our ancestors, Homo erectus.
The tools are very different from any others found on Crete, Strasser said. They're most similar to early stone-age tools from Africa that are about 700,000 years old, he said.
Initially the team didn't have any way to date the tools. That's where NCSU geologist Karl Wegmann came in.
Read more here.
Jonathan Chait thinks Stephen Moore of the WSJ is an idiot
I have a bit of a weakness for insulting people's intelligence. I recognize this and try to restrain myself. When I read Stephen Moore's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today, I thought that I would give restraint a try. There's simply no way to honestly analyze this piece without commenting on the author's intelligence. I suppose, to be charitable, I should refine that to mean Moore's analytic intelligence; there are many kinds of intelligence, and perhaps Moore is gifted with great social intelligence, or artistic intelligence. And yet the relevant point is that Moore is the lead economic editorial writer for the country's leading economic newspaper and yet he lacks even a rudimentary understanding of economics.
Read more here.
Read more here.
No justice: Strauss-Kahn charges could be dropped this week
Being a man of wealth and power *does* have its advantages.
The hotel maid who accused former International Monetary Fund director Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault feels "abandoned" by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, her attorney said Sunday.
In an interview with France's RTL radio that comes a day after he told The New York Times he feared Vance would dismiss the charges against Strauss-Kahn, lawyer Kenneth Thompson said his client, Nassifatou Diallo "is hurt, she is depressed."
"Ms. Diallo feels abandoned by the Manhattan district attorney," Thompson said, adding that questions about Diallo's credibility as a witness have made her feel "that she's being investigated more than Strauss-Kahn."
Read more here.
The hotel maid who accused former International Monetary Fund director Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault feels "abandoned" by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, her attorney said Sunday.
In an interview with France's RTL radio that comes a day after he told The New York Times he feared Vance would dismiss the charges against Strauss-Kahn, lawyer Kenneth Thompson said his client, Nassifatou Diallo "is hurt, she is depressed."
"Ms. Diallo feels abandoned by the Manhattan district attorney," Thompson said, adding that questions about Diallo's credibility as a witness have made her feel "that she's being investigated more than Strauss-Kahn."
Read more here.
Darwin at work: Study indicates dumb country whites more likely to die idiotically
Two studies examined the hypothesis that the culture of honor would be associated with heightened risk taking, presumably because risky behaviors provide social proof of strength and fearlessness. As hypothesized, Study 1 showed that honor states in the United States exhibited higher rates of accidental deaths among Whites (but not non-Whites) than did nonhonor states, particularly in nonmetropolitan areas. Elevated accidental deaths in honor states appeared for both men and women and remained when the authors controlled for a host of statewide covariates (e.g., economic deprivation, cancer deaths, temperature) and for non-White deaths. Study 2, likewise, showed that people who endorsed honor-related beliefs reported greater risk taking tendencies, independent of age, sex, self-esteem, and the big five.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Following the homophobia playbook, Florida teacher Jerry Buell shouts to hurt as many as he can
Mount Dora High School history teacher Jerry Buell has been removed from the classroom while administrators investigate anti-gay comments posted on Facebook, according to Lake County school officials.
On July 25, Buell posted on his Facebook page, "I'm watching the news, eating dinner, when the story about New York okaying same sex unions came on and I almost threw up."
"If they want to call it a union, go ahead. But don't insult a man and woman's marriage by throwing it in the same cesspool as same-sex whatever! God will not be mocked. When did this sin become acceptable???," Buell added.
He doesn't care who he hurts, as long as he's happy..the way Jesus intended:
In response to some complaints from Facebook friends about his anti-gay comments, Buell wrote, "If one doesn't like the most recently posted opinion, based on Biblical principals and God's law, then go ahead and un-friend me. I'll miss you like I miss my kidney stone from 1994."
Read more here.
On July 25, Buell posted on his Facebook page, "I'm watching the news, eating dinner, when the story about New York okaying same sex unions came on and I almost threw up."
"If they want to call it a union, go ahead. But don't insult a man and woman's marriage by throwing it in the same cesspool as same-sex whatever! God will not be mocked. When did this sin become acceptable???," Buell added.
He doesn't care who he hurts, as long as he's happy..the way Jesus intended:
In response to some complaints from Facebook friends about his anti-gay comments, Buell wrote, "If one doesn't like the most recently posted opinion, based on Biblical principals and God's law, then go ahead and un-friend me. I'll miss you like I miss my kidney stone from 1994."
Read more here.
David Cameron begins to take away Net freedom in the UK
The riots were just the excuse they were waiting for.
The major social networks have been called to the home office next Thursday to discuss the English riots.
So far only Facebook has confirmed its attendance, although Blackberry has suggested it will also be there.
Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry have all been criticised after it emerged that some rioters may have used them to plan trouble or encourage others.
David Cameron has said the government would look at limiting access to such services during any future disorder.
Read more here.
The major social networks have been called to the home office next Thursday to discuss the English riots.
So far only Facebook has confirmed its attendance, although Blackberry has suggested it will also be there.
Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry have all been criticised after it emerged that some rioters may have used them to plan trouble or encourage others.
David Cameron has said the government would look at limiting access to such services during any future disorder.
Read more here.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Toronto police strip searched 31,072 people in 2010
Strip searches conducted by Toronto police on suspects are often done arbitrarily and without cause, critics say, but the union representing officers insists the practice is carried out under strict controls in a "minority" of cases.
Police figures show that 31,072 people were strip-searched in 2010 — 85 a day — up from 29,789 the previous year.
Read more here.
Police figures show that 31,072 people were strip-searched in 2010 — 85 a day — up from 29,789 the previous year.
Read more here.
Eric Golub gets all schoolgirly around Sarah Palin
Omg you two, get a room.
“It was an honor meeting you Governor Palin. You are awesome, a rock star. God bless you always.”
As I walked away, I realized that I had kept the magic marker. I now had to work my way back to the crowd. I called out to the security guy, “Sir, I accidentally stole her Sharpie.”
He told me to keep it. In my obliviousness I did not notice until much later that night that the Sharpie was autographed by Governor Palin. So she had my autograph and I had hers. I suspect I was more impressed.
Read more here.
“It was an honor meeting you Governor Palin. You are awesome, a rock star. God bless you always.”
As I walked away, I realized that I had kept the magic marker. I now had to work my way back to the crowd. I called out to the security guy, “Sir, I accidentally stole her Sharpie.”
He told me to keep it. In my obliviousness I did not notice until much later that night that the Sharpie was autographed by Governor Palin. So she had my autograph and I had hers. I suspect I was more impressed.
Read more here.
The US Office of Naval Research proud it has better way to kill
The US Office of Naval Research says that it has successfully tested a new type of explosive material that can dramatically increase weapons' impacts.
Missiles made from the high density substance can explode with up to five times the energy of existing armaments.
The material mixes metals and polymers and is said to be as dense as steel but have the strength of aluminum.
US Navy scientists say that projectiles made from the new compound are less likely to kill innocent bystanders.
Read more here.
Missiles made from the high density substance can explode with up to five times the energy of existing armaments.
The material mixes metals and polymers and is said to be as dense as steel but have the strength of aluminum.
US Navy scientists say that projectiles made from the new compound are less likely to kill innocent bystanders.
Read more here.
Internet psycho bully "Mabus" charged with death threats
A man charged with two counts of uttering death threats, but whose critics say made hundreds of such threats every day for years, is scheduled to appear in a Montreal courtroom Friday for a bail hearing.
He uses the nickname Mabus, but his real name is Dennis Markuze.
He's suspected of spilling his hatred on the Internet for the past 20 years, targeting scientists whose views conflicted with his Christian beliefs.
To an author who debunked religious creationist views of the world, Mabus wrote: "You are going to learn even to talk about God the way you do is going to cost you your lives…"
Read more here.
He uses the nickname Mabus, but his real name is Dennis Markuze.
He's suspected of spilling his hatred on the Internet for the past 20 years, targeting scientists whose views conflicted with his Christian beliefs.
To an author who debunked religious creationist views of the world, Mabus wrote: "You are going to learn even to talk about God the way you do is going to cost you your lives…"
Read more here.
Toronto police continue harassment campaign against Toronto
A week-long safety blitz by Toronto police resulted in drivers being handed more than 7,000 tickets for impeding transit vehicles.
Toronto police Const. Wendy Drummond said the blitz was launched in an attempt to cut down the number of fatalities on city streets.
Police wrote more than 3,300 tickets for provincial infractions.
Maybe they'll spend all that windfall on name badges?
Read more here.
Toronto police Const. Wendy Drummond said the blitz was launched in an attempt to cut down the number of fatalities on city streets.
Police wrote more than 3,300 tickets for provincial infractions.
Maybe they'll spend all that windfall on name badges?
Read more here.
WSJ defends the thug that is Rick Perry
All the world's right-thinkers are denouncing Rick Perry for suggesting this week that Texans would get "pretty ugly" with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke if he guns the money supply any more between now and the 2012 election. His poor choice of words aside, the Texas Governor is right to put monetary policy front and center in the 2012 Presidential debate.
Translation: Sure, he's a thug, but he can make us rich, so Perry 2012!!!!
Read more here.
Translation: Sure, he's a thug, but he can make us rich, so Perry 2012!!!!
Read more here.
'Here Comes the Bride' in Somers Point N.J.: Vile Homophobes of the Day
THIS IS ONE of those stories that make me want to say "I'm sorry" to gay people for the nonsense they endure from some heterosexuals who give the rest of us straight people a bad name.
So please, Alix Genter, accept my heartfelt apology that you were denied the chance to purchase the wedding gown of your dreams from Here Comes the Bride. The manager of the salon, in Somers Point, N.J., said she didn't want to be associated with your pending "illegal action."
Yep, that's actually how she referred to your wedding, next July, to your longtime partner (whose name you asked me to withhold in this column, as she's publicity-shy). You plan to apply for a civil union in New Jersey, where you live, and to be formally wed in New York, which just legalized gay marriage.
One of the defining aspects of homophobia is the way they will go out of their way to inflict pain on others. Having a victim come into your salon for punishment is a Gift.
Read more here.
So please, Alix Genter, accept my heartfelt apology that you were denied the chance to purchase the wedding gown of your dreams from Here Comes the Bride. The manager of the salon, in Somers Point, N.J., said she didn't want to be associated with your pending "illegal action."
Yep, that's actually how she referred to your wedding, next July, to your longtime partner (whose name you asked me to withhold in this column, as she's publicity-shy). You plan to apply for a civil union in New Jersey, where you live, and to be formally wed in New York, which just legalized gay marriage.
One of the defining aspects of homophobia is the way they will go out of their way to inflict pain on others. Having a victim come into your salon for punishment is a Gift.
Read more here.
Now that Marilyn Monroe's image is owned by a Torontonian, she's going to pop up everywhere in the city
Visitors to this year's Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto may catch a rare glimpse of Marilyn Monroe in Canada.
Images of the iconic blonde are famous the world over, but few have seen her standing tall beside a Mountie in Banff or learning to smoke cigarettes in a Niagara Falls hotel room. Photographs of these scenes will be on display starting Friday, when the McMichael Canadian Art Collection showcases the Monroe memorabilia at the Queen Elizabeth Building.
"What we were showing is that there is a sustained interest in Marilyn. Her pop culture appeal transcends borders," said exhibition curator Chris Finn.
Read more here.
Images of the iconic blonde are famous the world over, but few have seen her standing tall beside a Mountie in Banff or learning to smoke cigarettes in a Niagara Falls hotel room. Photographs of these scenes will be on display starting Friday, when the McMichael Canadian Art Collection showcases the Monroe memorabilia at the Queen Elizabeth Building.
"What we were showing is that there is a sustained interest in Marilyn. Her pop culture appeal transcends borders," said exhibition curator Chris Finn.
Read more here.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The Georgetown University Hoyas and The Bayi Rockets highlight US/China relations
Mr Biden's visit [to China] was overshadowed by a brawl at an exhibition basketball game between a US and a Chinese team....
...On Thursday, a goodwill basketball game ended in a punch-up between the Georgetown University Hoyas, from Washington DC, and the Bayi Rockets.
Amateur video of the fight shows Chinese players wielding metal chairs while fans jeer and toss water bottles at the American players.
The game at the Beijing Olympic Sports Centre Stadium had to be stopped with just over nine minutes left on the clock and the score tied at 64.
Read more here.
Mayor Ford turns out to be just another not very bright politician
"Gravy Train Wreck"
Rob and Doug, you'd better get Nick on the phone. You need a brain infusion.
Earlier this year, Rob Ford threatened to sic “Ford Nation” on Dalton McGuinty unless he came through with millions for roads, child care and public transit. On Wednesday, he was back at the Liberal Premier again, asking him for help with the proposed Sheppard subway extension.
It is an odd tack for a guy who once scolded city leaders for going to Queen’s Park with a rattling tin cup every time they had money trouble. It is even odder from a mayor who said as recently as March that the taxpayer whom he claims to respect so deeply would not be left on the hook for the Sheppard line.
Read more here.
Rob and Doug, you'd better get Nick on the phone. You need a brain infusion.
Earlier this year, Rob Ford threatened to sic “Ford Nation” on Dalton McGuinty unless he came through with millions for roads, child care and public transit. On Wednesday, he was back at the Liberal Premier again, asking him for help with the proposed Sheppard subway extension.
It is an odd tack for a guy who once scolded city leaders for going to Queen’s Park with a rattling tin cup every time they had money trouble. It is even odder from a mayor who said as recently as March that the taxpayer whom he claims to respect so deeply would not be left on the hook for the Sheppard line.
Read more here.
Rep. Allen West (R-FL) is Nuts
The man's a belligerent asshole.
Earlier this month, a local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sent Rep. Allen West (R-FL) a letter asking him to cut off ties with leading anti-Muslim activists like Pamela Geller and Brigitte Gabriel with whom he had shared stages before. “Muslims protect and serve our great country and are afforded equal protection under law,” said the letter. “We shouldn’t have to defend our rights to worship freely or participate in the governing of our society.”
Now, CAIR has received a letter from West with a one-word response to their request. In what the Miami New Times is calling possibly “dumbest thing ever written on congressional stationery,” West simply wrote back, “NUTS!”
Read more here.
Earlier this month, a local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sent Rep. Allen West (R-FL) a letter asking him to cut off ties with leading anti-Muslim activists like Pamela Geller and Brigitte Gabriel with whom he had shared stages before. “Muslims protect and serve our great country and are afforded equal protection under law,” said the letter. “We shouldn’t have to defend our rights to worship freely or participate in the governing of our society.”
Now, CAIR has received a letter from West with a one-word response to their request. In what the Miami New Times is calling possibly “dumbest thing ever written on congressional stationery,” West simply wrote back, “NUTS!”
Read more here.
Toronto police seem to get off on strip searches
How does this fall under "To Serve and Protect"?
More than 60 per cent of people arrested by Toronto police last year were forced to undergo a strip search, according to police statistics.
But a police accountability group says routine searches are against the law and alleges Toronto police are using the practice to humiliate and intimidate people.
Police figures show that 31,072 people were strip-searched in 2010, up from 29,789 the previous year.
John Sewell of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition (TPAC) said that means about 60 per cent of those arrested in Toronto were subjected to a strip search.
Sewell said such widespread strip searching by police flies in the face of a 2001 Supreme Court ruling that declared such searches are intrusive, humiliating and should not be performed as a matter of routine.
Best bullshit:
Police officials refused to discuss the issue with CBC News. But at the last meeting of the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB), Chief Bill Blair denied such searches were routine. At the meeting, he told Sewell that routine would mean everyone was strip searched.
Akk, these goons don't even try anymore
Read more here.
More than 60 per cent of people arrested by Toronto police last year were forced to undergo a strip search, according to police statistics.
But a police accountability group says routine searches are against the law and alleges Toronto police are using the practice to humiliate and intimidate people.
Police figures show that 31,072 people were strip-searched in 2010, up from 29,789 the previous year.
John Sewell of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition (TPAC) said that means about 60 per cent of those arrested in Toronto were subjected to a strip search.
Sewell said such widespread strip searching by police flies in the face of a 2001 Supreme Court ruling that declared such searches are intrusive, humiliating and should not be performed as a matter of routine.
Best bullshit:
Police officials refused to discuss the issue with CBC News. But at the last meeting of the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB), Chief Bill Blair denied such searches were routine. At the meeting, he told Sewell that routine would mean everyone was strip searched.
Akk, these goons don't even try anymore
Read more here.
Lanterra Developments gets their glass handed to them
The Toronto condominium developer at the centre of a controversy over glass falling on the city's streets, has announced it is replacing all of the glass in the balconies of three of its buildings.
The buildings, all in downtown Toronto, will have the existing tempered glass used in their balconies replaced with laminated glass.
The company, Lanterra Developments, said in a statement the new glass "loosely resembles the type of safety glass utilized in automobile windshields. The advantage of utilizing laminated glass is that in combination with using the latest available railing technologies, these laminated panels retain their structure in the event of a fracture and stay in place on the balcony should any breakage occur."
Will they still charge obscene amounts for the shoeboxes they call condos. You bet your glass threatened life.
Read more here.
The buildings, all in downtown Toronto, will have the existing tempered glass used in their balconies replaced with laminated glass.
The company, Lanterra Developments, said in a statement the new glass "loosely resembles the type of safety glass utilized in automobile windshields. The advantage of utilizing laminated glass is that in combination with using the latest available railing technologies, these laminated panels retain their structure in the event of a fracture and stay in place on the balcony should any breakage occur."
Will they still charge obscene amounts for the shoeboxes they call condos. You bet your glass threatened life.
Read more here.
Elections Canada proposes some dumb ideas
How dumb?
The head of the agency in charge of federal elections says it's time to modernize Canada's elections, including testing online voting and ending a ban on publishing early election results.
Just the kind of things the dishonest would propose...
Election results should be announced at the same time, regardless of timezones. I'm tried of BC hearing of a called election before they've had time to finish voting.
Electronic voting is a bad idea. No paper trail, easily hacked. No wonder governments everywhere love the idea.
Read more here.
The head of the agency in charge of federal elections says it's time to modernize Canada's elections, including testing online voting and ending a ban on publishing early election results.
Just the kind of things the dishonest would propose...
Election results should be announced at the same time, regardless of timezones. I'm tried of BC hearing of a called election before they've had time to finish voting.
Electronic voting is a bad idea. No paper trail, easily hacked. No wonder governments everywhere love the idea.
Read more here.
The Christian Values Network feels bullied, the poor babies
How they must pine for the good old days when homophobia could actually make you money.
Now that both Apple and Microsoft have pulled the Christians Value Network Store App and the CVN has lost over 50 online stores for the fact that revenue created by the CVN goes to anti-gay and anti-woman hate groups the CVN has sent out a press release blaming “bullying activist” of lying about the group and tries to set the record straight with the document entitled: CGBG corrects the record with ‘The 5 Mistruths by the Activists;’ Asks Retailers to Remain Neutral
Translation: Retailers, stand back and do nothing while we beat these fags...lovingly of course, in the name of Jesus.
bullying campaign
These people have no shame.
Read more here.
Now that both Apple and Microsoft have pulled the Christians Value Network Store App and the CVN has lost over 50 online stores for the fact that revenue created by the CVN goes to anti-gay and anti-woman hate groups the CVN has sent out a press release blaming “bullying activist” of lying about the group and tries to set the record straight with the document entitled: CGBG corrects the record with ‘The 5 Mistruths by the Activists;’ Asks Retailers to Remain Neutral
Translation: Retailers, stand back and do nothing while we beat these fags...lovingly of course, in the name of Jesus.
bullying campaign
These people have no shame.
Read more here.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Private Jets are People, my friend
The corporate jet industry and the people who love it have it tough these days, with Democrats pushing to roll back tax breaks for people who are lucky enough to own the luxury transportation.
To counter some of this negative publicity, the aviation industry is rallying together. In Iowa....
...GAMA spokeswoman Katie Pribyl told the Associated Press that the rally would be a reminder of the jobs created by the aviation industry in Iowa, despite President Obama's "negative rhetoric."
Read more here.
To counter some of this negative publicity, the aviation industry is rallying together. In Iowa....
...GAMA spokeswoman Katie Pribyl told the Associated Press that the rally would be a reminder of the jobs created by the aviation industry in Iowa, despite President Obama's "negative rhetoric."
Read more here.
Steve Rushin: History is Hard
I don't get the point of this article. The Cubs didn't win the 1908 World Series because nobody is now alive that remembers it?
History does seem a mystery to Mr. Rushin:
From our purview, 1908 looks like the beginning of time
Gee, I wonder what the actual beginning of time seems like to him.
Read more here.
History does seem a mystery to Mr. Rushin:
From our purview, 1908 looks like the beginning of time
Gee, I wonder what the actual beginning of time seems like to him.
Read more here.
US tobacco companies sue to continue to kill you with impunity
Four of the five largest U.S. tobacco companies sued the federal government Tuesday over new graphic cigarette labels that include the sewn-up corpse of a smoker and a picture of diseased lungs, saying the warnings violate their free speech rights and will cost millions of dollars to print.
It's America and these sleazy bastards actually have a chance to stop it.
Read more here.
It's America and these sleazy bastards actually have a chance to stop it.
Read more here.
Harper and Defence Minister Peter MacKay are Royal throwbacks
Restoring the "royal" designation to Canada's air force and navy is a regressive and unnecessary move that will backfire on the Conservative government, say critics of the decision.
"We've had gradual, incremental changes toward putting our colonialist symbols into the dustbin of history, and this is the first time a government has taken steps to restore it," says Tom Freda, co-founder and director of Citizens for a Canadian Republic.
"I believe they're wrong-headed and they're making a mistake. The public will remember this and see this is as a party of the past. Canadians don't think the monarchy is appropriate for the 21st century."
Harper and Co. don't want it to be the 21st century.
Read more here.
"We've had gradual, incremental changes toward putting our colonialist symbols into the dustbin of history, and this is the first time a government has taken steps to restore it," says Tom Freda, co-founder and director of Citizens for a Canadian Republic.
"I believe they're wrong-headed and they're making a mistake. The public will remember this and see this is as a party of the past. Canadians don't think the monarchy is appropriate for the 21st century."
Harper and Co. don't want it to be the 21st century.
Read more here.
Wells Fargo tries out new method to f*ck over customers
Yet another of the nation's top banks is flirting with the idea of charging a monthly fee to customers who use debit cards.
Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) said Tuesday it will start charging a $3 monthly fee for debit card usage to customers in Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada and Oregon beginning Oct. 14.
"We regularly review our pricing and take into account the needs of our customers, industry trends, the market competition, and our cost of doing business," a Wells Fargo spokeswoman said. Customers who don't use their card during the month won't be charged the fee and the fee will be waived for select accounts, she added.
Love to know who those "select accounts" are.
Read more here.
Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) said Tuesday it will start charging a $3 monthly fee for debit card usage to customers in Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada and Oregon beginning Oct. 14.
"We regularly review our pricing and take into account the needs of our customers, industry trends, the market competition, and our cost of doing business," a Wells Fargo spokeswoman said. Customers who don't use their card during the month won't be charged the fee and the fee will be waived for select accounts, she added.
Love to know who those "select accounts" are.
Read more here.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Kirsten Powers: Idiot of the Day
How idiotic you may ask?
Welcome to the last bastion of sanctioned bigotry: ignorant attacks against evangelicals.
Ignoring the laws against gays for a moment....
Since Rep. Michele Bachmann was asked in a debate whether she would be submissive to her husband as president, the punditry has morphed into a morass of armchair theologians pushing flawed interpretations of what submission means in a biblical context.
Thankfully, nowhere have we seen this kind of behavior relating to Mormons (yet) or Muslims, but it’s open season on the evangelical faith.
It must be so difficult to be Christian in America. Such oppression.
Read more here.
Welcome to the last bastion of sanctioned bigotry: ignorant attacks against evangelicals.
Ignoring the laws against gays for a moment....
Since Rep. Michele Bachmann was asked in a debate whether she would be submissive to her husband as president, the punditry has morphed into a morass of armchair theologians pushing flawed interpretations of what submission means in a biblical context.
Thankfully, nowhere have we seen this kind of behavior relating to Mormons (yet) or Muslims, but it’s open season on the evangelical faith.
It must be so difficult to be Christian in America. Such oppression.
Read more here.
Iron Age road discovered in East Anglia
A suspected Iron Age road, made of timber and preserved in peat for 2,000 years, has been uncovered by archaeologists in East Anglia.
The site, excavated in June, may have been part of a route across the River Waveney and surrounding wetland at Geldeston in Norfolk, say experts.
Causeways were first found in the area in 2006, during flood defence work at the nearby Suffolk town of Beccles.
It is thought the road is pre-Roman, built by the local Iceni tribe.
Exact dating has yet to be carried out but tree-ring evidence suggests a date of 75BC.
That dates the timber road to more than 100 years before the Roman invasion, which saw the Iceni and their leader Boudicca lead a revolt which threatened to end Roman rule.
In AD60, the Iceni ambushed one Roman legion and sacked Roman settlements at London and Colchester before being defeated.
Read more here.
The site, excavated in June, may have been part of a route across the River Waveney and surrounding wetland at Geldeston in Norfolk, say experts.
Causeways were first found in the area in 2006, during flood defence work at the nearby Suffolk town of Beccles.
It is thought the road is pre-Roman, built by the local Iceni tribe.
Exact dating has yet to be carried out but tree-ring evidence suggests a date of 75BC.
That dates the timber road to more than 100 years before the Roman invasion, which saw the Iceni and their leader Boudicca lead a revolt which threatened to end Roman rule.
In AD60, the Iceni ambushed one Roman legion and sacked Roman settlements at London and Colchester before being defeated.
Read more here.
Record Industry scrambles for new excuses to f*ck over artists
Since their release in 1978, hit albums like Bruce Springsteen’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” Billy Joel’s “52nd Street,” the Doobie Brothers’ “Minute by Minute,” Kenny Rogers’s “Gambler” and Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under a Groove” have generated tens of millions of dollars for record companies. But thanks to a little-noted provision in United States copyright law, those artists — and thousands more — now have the right to reclaim ownership of their recordings, potentially leaving the labels out in the cold.
When copyright law was revised in the mid-1970s, musicians, like creators of other works of art, were granted “termination rights,” which allow them to regain control of their work after 35 years, so long as they apply at least two years in advance. Recordings from 1978 are the first to fall under the purview of the law, but in a matter of months, hits from 1979, like “The Long Run” by the Eagles and “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer, will be in the same situation — and then, as the calendar advances, every other master recording once it reaches the 35-year mark.
So of course..
“We believe the termination right doesn’t apply to most sound recordings,” said Steven Marks, general counsel for the Recording Industry Association of America, a lobbying group in Washington that represents the interests of record labels. As the record companies see it, the master recordings belong to them in perpetuity, rather than to the artists who wrote and recorded the songs, because, the labels argue, the records are “works for hire,” compilations created not by independent performers but by musicians who are, in essence, their employees.
A thief is a thief is a thief.
Read more here.
When copyright law was revised in the mid-1970s, musicians, like creators of other works of art, were granted “termination rights,” which allow them to regain control of their work after 35 years, so long as they apply at least two years in advance. Recordings from 1978 are the first to fall under the purview of the law, but in a matter of months, hits from 1979, like “The Long Run” by the Eagles and “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer, will be in the same situation — and then, as the calendar advances, every other master recording once it reaches the 35-year mark.
So of course..
“We believe the termination right doesn’t apply to most sound recordings,” said Steven Marks, general counsel for the Recording Industry Association of America, a lobbying group in Washington that represents the interests of record labels. As the record companies see it, the master recordings belong to them in perpetuity, rather than to the artists who wrote and recorded the songs, because, the labels argue, the records are “works for hire,” compilations created not by independent performers but by musicians who are, in essence, their employees.
A thief is a thief is a thief.
Read more here.
Sue-Anne Levy continues to be Toronto's most spiteful writer
Now this poor little spiteful Ford Nation wannabe has her sights on firefighters, a job with pressures this ball of bile couldn't possibly understand.
And she doesn't even try..
To the outside world, this is the level of social discourse our new Conservative masters are trying to drag the rest of us down to.
Hey, it works for them within their closed world, they think that is how the world is.
Read more here.
And she doesn't even try..
To the outside world, this is the level of social discourse our new Conservative masters are trying to drag the rest of us down to.
Hey, it works for them within their closed world, they think that is how the world is.
Read more here.
More glass falls from crappy built million dollar condos
Another glass balcony has shattered in a downtown Toronto condominium complex, slightly injuring a woman.
Glass fell from the balcony on the 31st floor of the south tower around noon Monday. There have been five such recent incidents at the twin tower Murano complex near Grosvenor and Bay streets, but the others have involved the north tower.
Read more here.
Glass fell from the balcony on the 31st floor of the south tower around noon Monday. There have been five such recent incidents at the twin tower Murano complex near Grosvenor and Bay streets, but the others have involved the north tower.
Read more here.
Harper and Co. revive the Royal Canadian Air Farce
Defence Minister Peter MacKay will announce a royal name change for Canada's navy and air force Tuesday, in a move that taps Canada's military heritage.
The army, formally known as the Land Force Command, will also be renamed the Canadian Army. The Maritime Command and Air Command will again be known as the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force — names that haven't been used in more than three decades.
Conservatives, plunging the clock back as the future terrifies them so.
Read more here.
The army, formally known as the Land Force Command, will also be renamed the Canadian Army. The Maritime Command and Air Command will again be known as the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force — names that haven't been used in more than three decades.
Conservatives, plunging the clock back as the future terrifies them so.
Read more here.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Mark Day: Idiot of the Day
But we must keep a perspective. Rupert Murdoch's greatest "crime" is his success.
What? Ha..ha ha..HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Ok, I'm better now.
Throughout his 57 years as News Corporation head he has unashamedly aimed the company's products at mass audiences. And mass audiences have bought them -- millions of newspapers every week, television series such as The Simpsons, consumed and loved around the world; movies such as Titanic and Avatar -- two of the highest grossing films ever made.
This mass focus has prompted arguments that Murdoch has therefore "dumbed down" society. This is elitist rubbish from those who believe the pursuit of the popular is a cancer on society and only they can discern the difference between popular and important. They argue that Murdoch is biased and causing a sub-class of ignoramuses to be led by the nose. This insults the intelligence of every person who chooses to buy a News product.
Yes, as it should.
Read more here.
What? Ha..ha ha..HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Ok, I'm better now.
Throughout his 57 years as News Corporation head he has unashamedly aimed the company's products at mass audiences. And mass audiences have bought them -- millions of newspapers every week, television series such as The Simpsons, consumed and loved around the world; movies such as Titanic and Avatar -- two of the highest grossing films ever made.
This mass focus has prompted arguments that Murdoch has therefore "dumbed down" society. This is elitist rubbish from those who believe the pursuit of the popular is a cancer on society and only they can discern the difference between popular and important. They argue that Murdoch is biased and causing a sub-class of ignoramuses to be led by the nose. This insults the intelligence of every person who chooses to buy a News product.
Yes, as it should.
Read more here.
Music lovers everywhere jubilant Glee movie flops
There's hope yet.
A 3D film featuring the cast of TV's Glee has failed to make the US box office Top 10 after taking $5.7m (£3.5m) over the weekend.
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie was ranked 11th in the weekly chart after opening in more than 2,000 screens.
According to tracking site Box Office Mojo, only an estimated 500,000 tickets were sold for the movie.
Read more here.
A 3D film featuring the cast of TV's Glee has failed to make the US box office Top 10 after taking $5.7m (£3.5m) over the weekend.
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie was ranked 11th in the weekly chart after opening in more than 2,000 screens.
According to tracking site Box Office Mojo, only an estimated 500,000 tickets were sold for the movie.
Read more here.
David Cameron oblivious to the fact he is part of the problem
The "ruling classes" have been exposed as corrupt and greedy, but it's the "people" who need to change?
Whatever David.
Britain must confront a culture of laziness, irresponsibility and selfishness which fueled four days of riots that left five dead, thousands facing criminal charges and hundreds of millions of pounds (dollars) of damage, Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged Monday.
As rival political leaders staked out their response to England's unrest, Cameron pledged to deliver a raft of new policies by October aimed at reversing the "slow-motion moral collapse" which he blames for fostering the disorder.
"This has been a wake-up call for our country. Social problems that have been festering for decades have exploded in our face," Cameron told an audience at a youth center in Witney, his Parliamentary district in southern England.
Read more here.
Whatever David.
Britain must confront a culture of laziness, irresponsibility and selfishness which fueled four days of riots that left five dead, thousands facing criminal charges and hundreds of millions of pounds (dollars) of damage, Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged Monday.
As rival political leaders staked out their response to England's unrest, Cameron pledged to deliver a raft of new policies by October aimed at reversing the "slow-motion moral collapse" which he blames for fostering the disorder.
"This has been a wake-up call for our country. Social problems that have been festering for decades have exploded in our face," Cameron told an audience at a youth center in Witney, his Parliamentary district in southern England.
Read more here.
Harper and Co. continue tradition of being small minded prigs and snub Montreal Pride
There was one political colour missing from the rainbow at Montreal's gay pride parade yesterday - Tory blue. There were no representatives of the Harper Conservatives among the many politicians who put in appearances at the event this year. Organizers say every party at the municipal, provincial and federal level was represented, except the Tories.
Conservatives, bringing us all together.
Conservatives, bringing us all together.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
David Cameron delights China
From Global Times, Discover China, Discover the World...
...the open discussion of containment of the Internet in Britain has given rise to a new opportunity for the whole world. Media in the US and Britain used to criticize developing countries for curbing freedom of speech. Britain’s new attitude will help appease the quarrels between East and West over the future management of the Internet.
As for China, advocates of an unlimited development of the Internet should think twice about their original ideas.
Read more here.
...the open discussion of containment of the Internet in Britain has given rise to a new opportunity for the whole world. Media in the US and Britain used to criticize developing countries for curbing freedom of speech. Britain’s new attitude will help appease the quarrels between East and West over the future management of the Internet.
As for China, advocates of an unlimited development of the Internet should think twice about their original ideas.
Read more here.
Mayor Ford openly lies, threatens to dismiss city employees who don't accept buyout
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says city employees who don't accept a buyout package may be dismissed, despite saying during last year's election campaign that there would be no layoffs.
In an interview with the Sun News Network on Friday, Ford indicated "the last thing we want to do is put somebody out on the street," hence the buyout offer made by the city to about 17,000 municipal workers.
"Now if they don't take the package, what else do we have to do? We might have to lay them off. I don't know if we have a choice," said Ford, who is looking to aggressively pare labour costs, which account for around 48 per cent of the city's $9.4 billion budget.
But Ford said in a YouTube campaign video released last September that satisfactory labour savings could be had just through attrition.
"We'll promote from within to fill many important roles with people who already work for the city. No need for layoffs," Ford said at the time.
If you were dumb enough to elect this bully, you get what you deserve. If you didn't, I feel your pain.
Read more here.
In an interview with the Sun News Network on Friday, Ford indicated "the last thing we want to do is put somebody out on the street," hence the buyout offer made by the city to about 17,000 municipal workers.
"Now if they don't take the package, what else do we have to do? We might have to lay them off. I don't know if we have a choice," said Ford, who is looking to aggressively pare labour costs, which account for around 48 per cent of the city's $9.4 billion budget.
But Ford said in a YouTube campaign video released last September that satisfactory labour savings could be had just through attrition.
"We'll promote from within to fill many important roles with people who already work for the city. No need for layoffs," Ford said at the time.
If you were dumb enough to elect this bully, you get what you deserve. If you didn't, I feel your pain.
Read more here.
Another Republican hypocrite just likes the boys
The emails were sent Saturday from [Phillip] Hinkle's [R-Indianapolis] publicly listed personal address in response to a Craigslist posting asking for a "sugga daddy." The response from phinkle46 @comcast.net offered the young man $80 for "a couple hours of your time tonight" at the JW Marriott hotel, with a tip of up to $50 or $60 "for a really good time."
When contacted by The Star, Hinkle did not contest the emails but said he was "aware of a shakedown taking place," though he would not elaborate. He has referred all questions to his lawyer.
The "shakedown" he refers to is what these hypocrites do to the public.
Not to worry, FOX News will have him labeled as a Democrat in no time.
Read more here.
When contacted by The Star, Hinkle did not contest the emails but said he was "aware of a shakedown taking place," though he would not elaborate. He has referred all questions to his lawyer.
The "shakedown" he refers to is what these hypocrites do to the public.
Not to worry, FOX News will have him labeled as a Democrat in no time.
Read more here.
Wimp drops out leaving field wide open for the real fanantics
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty dropped out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination on Sunday, hours after finishing a disappointing third in the Iowa straw poll.
"I wish it would have been different, but obviously the pathway forward for me doesn't exist so we are going to end the campaign," Pawlenty said on ABC's "This Week" from Iowa.
He tried and fake being a hard nosed cold hearted bastard with just a touch of homophobia, but just couldn't compete with the real things.
Read more here.
"I wish it would have been different, but obviously the pathway forward for me doesn't exist so we are going to end the campaign," Pawlenty said on ABC's "This Week" from Iowa.
He tried and fake being a hard nosed cold hearted bastard with just a touch of homophobia, but just couldn't compete with the real things.
Read more here.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Pushy Christians: Rick Perry runs for President
Let the Crazy Begin.
Rick Perry aimed Saturday to shift the attention from Iowa's straw poll to South Carolina, where he told conservative activists he is seeking the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
The Texas governor made the announcement at the RedState Gathering in Charleston, one day after meeting with Alabama Republicans.
"I came to South Carolina because I cannot accept the path the country is on," Perry said. "A renewed nation needs a new president. It's time to get America working again."
Read more here.
Rick Perry aimed Saturday to shift the attention from Iowa's straw poll to South Carolina, where he told conservative activists he is seeking the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
The Texas governor made the announcement at the RedState Gathering in Charleston, one day after meeting with Alabama Republicans.
"I came to South Carolina because I cannot accept the path the country is on," Perry said. "A renewed nation needs a new president. It's time to get America working again."
Read more here.
BART Cuts Cell Phone Service to Stop Protest
Seems Authority have found a new way to protect themselves....
Best bullshit:
"It all boils down to the safety of the public," [BART Deputy Police Chief] Fairow said. "It wasn't a decision made lightly. This wasn't about free speech. It was about safety."
Their safety, naturally.
Read more here.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Toronto judge states the obvious
A Toronto judge has blasted police tactics during last year's G20 summit.
Lawyers defending some of the people charged with offences in connection with last year's summit say a Toronto judge's ruling this week is going to have "an enormous impact" on their cases.
Read more here.
Lawyers defending some of the people charged with offences in connection with last year's summit say a Toronto judge's ruling this week is going to have "an enormous impact" on their cases.
Read more here.
Loving, caring Fox News' 'Red Eye' takes it out on the children
It's no wonder that woman was never invited to the cool kids' pool parties, she was and remains a cold hearted bastard.
The ideas presented in the video, are they really so awful?
To the unfeeling, yes, they are.
Prehistoric clay wall shows how condescending we are to our ansestors
Painting seems to have been invented 40,000-30,000 years ago, and these scientists are surprised by this?
The State Museum for Prehistory in the eastern German city of Halle put part of the prehistoric clay wall on display on Monday. The wall was apparently part of a sprawling, Iron Age human settlement.
“We know now that prehistoric times were not grey but rather that prehistoric houses were colourfully painted,” Saxony-Anhalt state archaeologist, Harald Meller, said.
Gee, they were people too. What a shock.
But of course, we think only the rich would do such a thing:
“The painted wall possibly decorated the front of an important house,” Meller said.
Read more here.
The State Museum for Prehistory in the eastern German city of Halle put part of the prehistoric clay wall on display on Monday. The wall was apparently part of a sprawling, Iron Age human settlement.
“We know now that prehistoric times were not grey but rather that prehistoric houses were colourfully painted,” Saxony-Anhalt state archaeologist, Harald Meller, said.
Gee, they were people too. What a shock.
But of course, we think only the rich would do such a thing:
“The painted wall possibly decorated the front of an important house,” Meller said.
Read more here.
Toronto city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti sets up Facebook page so conservatives can whine to each other
And NO PINKOS!! Gotta let 'em know only real voters count.
"BOOOHOOO Mayor Ford, we can't be lousy enough to our fellow citizens! Please help us be more unfeeling!!"
Jordy Cummings has a message for Toronto city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti: “I do not know of many communists who are unemployed.”
Mr. Cummings, a self-described Marxist who is studying towards a PhD in political theory at York University, was responding to comments from Mr. Mammoliti regarding his new Facebook page, which was created to solicit cost-cutting suggestions from Torontonians who cannot take time away from work to tell elected officials what to do with their property taxes.
“If you smell like someone who can be a part of the Communist Party you’re not going to be welcome on the site,” Mr. Mammoliti said on Tuesday.
Mr. Cummings described those comments as “profoundly offensive” and “ignorant.”
That would describe Mayor Ford and Co.
Read more here.
"BOOOHOOO Mayor Ford, we can't be lousy enough to our fellow citizens! Please help us be more unfeeling!!"
Jordy Cummings has a message for Toronto city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti: “I do not know of many communists who are unemployed.”
Mr. Cummings, a self-described Marxist who is studying towards a PhD in political theory at York University, was responding to comments from Mr. Mammoliti regarding his new Facebook page, which was created to solicit cost-cutting suggestions from Torontonians who cannot take time away from work to tell elected officials what to do with their property taxes.
“If you smell like someone who can be a part of the Communist Party you’re not going to be welcome on the site,” Mr. Mammoliti said on Tuesday.
Mr. Cummings described those comments as “profoundly offensive” and “ignorant.”
That would describe Mayor Ford and Co.
Read more here.
Frank Miniter: Idiot of the Day part II
England would be a better place...if everyone was armed.
It must be, Mr. Miniter says so.
By giving up their natural right to self-defense, for example, England’s law-abiding citizens have become defenseless both physically and psychologically. The loss of their right to self-preservation has created a culture of dependency on government (for protection and so much more) that has helped neuter the English male. This has also prompted some English citizens to blame the police for the crime rates that law enforcement is legally constrained from doing anything practical to fight.
Britain’s licensing of gun owners and the registration of their firearms made it easy for the government to take guns from law-abiding citizens after a mass-murderer in Hungerford killed 16 people in 1987. Within the next decade, British politicians criminalized possession of most handguns — the final deadline for turning them in was Feb. 27, 1998. (This is something liberals would like to do in the U.S., too.) Yet, few have subsequently pointed to the victims of this anti-freedom gun confiscation. The English papers haven’t interviewed victims of rape and other crimes and asked what they might have done if they had the ability to defend themselves from criminals.
Let's improve the world by making it worse.
Read more here.
It must be, Mr. Miniter says so.
By giving up their natural right to self-defense, for example, England’s law-abiding citizens have become defenseless both physically and psychologically. The loss of their right to self-preservation has created a culture of dependency on government (for protection and so much more) that has helped neuter the English male. This has also prompted some English citizens to blame the police for the crime rates that law enforcement is legally constrained from doing anything practical to fight.
Britain’s licensing of gun owners and the registration of their firearms made it easy for the government to take guns from law-abiding citizens after a mass-murderer in Hungerford killed 16 people in 1987. Within the next decade, British politicians criminalized possession of most handguns — the final deadline for turning them in was Feb. 27, 1998. (This is something liberals would like to do in the U.S., too.) Yet, few have subsequently pointed to the victims of this anti-freedom gun confiscation. The English papers haven’t interviewed victims of rape and other crimes and asked what they might have done if they had the ability to defend themselves from criminals.
Let's improve the world by making it worse.
Read more here.
Max Hastings: Idiot of the Day
Years of liberal dogma have spawned a generation of amoral, uneducated, welfare dependent, brutalised youngsters
Yes folks, it's all the fault of Liberalism. Thank Goodness conservative policies have had Nothing to do with anything.
Oh, except when things go well...
Read more here.
Oh and Mr. Hasting seems to be consistant in his right wing babble. From July 20:
These dripping wet inquisitors achieved the impossible feat of making us feel sorry for Rupert Murdoch
Ok..sure
Yes folks, it's all the fault of Liberalism. Thank Goodness conservative policies have had Nothing to do with anything.
Oh, except when things go well...
Read more here.
Oh and Mr. Hasting seems to be consistant in his right wing babble. From July 20:
These dripping wet inquisitors achieved the impossible feat of making us feel sorry for Rupert Murdoch
Ok..sure
Thursday, August 11, 2011
British Prime Minister David Cameron: Opportunist of the Day
British Prime Minister David Cameron thinks he's found some culprits to blame in the recent riots that have rocked London and other cities -- Facebook and Twitter.
Saying the "free flow of information" can sometimes be a problem, Cameron's government has summoned those two social-networking sites, as well as Research In Motion, makers of the BlackBerry, for a meeting to discuss their roles during the violent outbreaks.
"Everyone watching these horrific actions will be struck by how they were organized via social media," Cameron said Thursday during an address to Parliament. "Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill. And when people are using social media for violence, we need to stop them."
Cameron said that government officials are working with authorities "to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality."
Yeah, that'll calm everyone down...sure.
"So Egypt tries blocking social media and news media calls it some sort of dictatorial maneuver, England's PM suggests the same and CNN gives him a platform and even likens his suggestion to a safety issue."
Read more here.
Saying the "free flow of information" can sometimes be a problem, Cameron's government has summoned those two social-networking sites, as well as Research In Motion, makers of the BlackBerry, for a meeting to discuss their roles during the violent outbreaks.
"Everyone watching these horrific actions will be struck by how they were organized via social media," Cameron said Thursday during an address to Parliament. "Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill. And when people are using social media for violence, we need to stop them."
Cameron said that government officials are working with authorities "to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality."
Yeah, that'll calm everyone down...sure.
"So Egypt tries blocking social media and news media calls it some sort of dictatorial maneuver, England's PM suggests the same and CNN gives him a platform and even likens his suggestion to a safety issue."
Read more here.
FOX News presenter defends maternity leave
This Gallagher guy is a fool.
Why are the most nasty people these days all called Gallagher. Are they related?
Harper and Co. propose "Lawful Access" legislation, letting them spy on you and me
A group of academics and public interest organizations released a joint letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper today, voicing their grave concerns about legislation that would allow for warrantless online spying on Canadians ("Lawful Access" legislation). The letter calls on the government to, at minimum, give the proposed legislation an appropriate hearing instead of rushing it through Parliament.
The letter to the Prime Minister is just the latest in a series of protests about the legislation. The Stop Online Spying Coalition has prompted more than 46,000 Canadians to sign an online petition at http://www.StopSpying.ca lambasting the government's anti-privacy initiatives, and earlier this year every federal and provincial Privacy Commissioner signed a letter to the government criticizing the legislation and questioning the need for bringing in these repressive measures.
The need is conservatives are afraid of their own shadow.
Read more here.
The letter to the Prime Minister is just the latest in a series of protests about the legislation. The Stop Online Spying Coalition has prompted more than 46,000 Canadians to sign an online petition at http://www.StopSpying.ca lambasting the government's anti-privacy initiatives, and earlier this year every federal and provincial Privacy Commissioner signed a letter to the government criticizing the legislation and questioning the need for bringing in these repressive measures.
The need is conservatives are afraid of their own shadow.
Read more here.
Monday, August 08, 2011
Taser kills yet someone else
A student has died after being shot with a Taser by campus police.
Everette Howard, from Cincinatti, went into cardiac arrest after being struck by the stun gun after police were responding to reports of an assault.
The 18-year-old, who was due to attend the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky, was said to have approached a campus police officer with clenched fists.
Authorities at the University of Cincinnati said he was told to remain still, but continued to walk towards the campus officer.
Everette was struck once by the Taser which can discharge an electric shock of up to 50,000 volts.
Read more here.
Everette Howard, from Cincinatti, went into cardiac arrest after being struck by the stun gun after police were responding to reports of an assault.
The 18-year-old, who was due to attend the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky, was said to have approached a campus police officer with clenched fists.
Authorities at the University of Cincinnati said he was told to remain still, but continued to walk towards the campus officer.
Everette was struck once by the Taser which can discharge an electric shock of up to 50,000 volts.
Read more here.
Mayor Ford AOK with advertising in schools
A comment by Toronto Mayor Rob Ford suggesting advertising be allowed inside school buildings is causing some controversy.
Speaking on a local radio station last week, Ford suggested companies could pay to advertise on gym floors and walls inside schools.
In the Thursday interview on the Fan 590, Ford said it's ridiculous that school gymnasiums sit empty when they could be generating revenue.
Anything for a buck.
Read more here.
Speaking on a local radio station last week, Ford suggested companies could pay to advertise on gym floors and walls inside schools.
In the Thursday interview on the Fan 590, Ford said it's ridiculous that school gymnasiums sit empty when they could be generating revenue.
Anything for a buck.
Read more here.
Andrew Sullivan continues to be clueless
Norm Geras gags at the idea of flogging, even if a consensual alternative to jail. I find it horrifying, but I see Moskos' point. And I do not see it as torture. It is not designed to get information or to break a person's will. It is punishment.
read this part again:
It is not designed...to break a person's will
And he gets paid to write.
Read more here.
read this part again:
It is not designed...to break a person's will
And he gets paid to write.
Read more here.
History is only inconvenient if you can't rewrite it
After three days of turbulent meetings, the Texas Board of Education on Friday approved a social studies curriculum that will put a conservative stamp on history and economics textbooks, stressing the superiority of American capitalism, questioning the Founding Fathers’ commitment to a purely secular government and presenting Republican political philosophies in a more positive light...
...The conservative members maintain that they are trying to correct what they see as a liberal bias among the teachers who proposed the curriculum. To that end, they made dozens of minor changes aimed at calling into question, among other things, concepts like the separation of church and state and the secular nature of the American Revolution.
“I reject the notion by the left of a constitutional separation of church and state,” said David Bradley, a conservative from Beaumont who works in real estate. “I have $1,000 for the charity of your choice if you can find it in the Constitution.”
They also included a plank to ensure that students learn about “the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s, including Phyllis Schlafly, the Contract With America, the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority and the National Rifle Association.”
Cause kids, guns are good!
Other changes seem aimed at tamping down criticism of the right. Conservatives passed one amendment, for instance, requiring that the history of McCarthyism include “how the later release of the Venona papers confirmed suspicions of communist infiltration in U.S. government.” The Venona papers were transcripts of some 3,000 communications between the Soviet Union and its agents in the United States.
Conservatives, the people your parents warned you about.
Read more here.
...The conservative members maintain that they are trying to correct what they see as a liberal bias among the teachers who proposed the curriculum. To that end, they made dozens of minor changes aimed at calling into question, among other things, concepts like the separation of church and state and the secular nature of the American Revolution.
“I reject the notion by the left of a constitutional separation of church and state,” said David Bradley, a conservative from Beaumont who works in real estate. “I have $1,000 for the charity of your choice if you can find it in the Constitution.”
They also included a plank to ensure that students learn about “the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s, including Phyllis Schlafly, the Contract With America, the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority and the National Rifle Association.”
Cause kids, guns are good!
Other changes seem aimed at tamping down criticism of the right. Conservatives passed one amendment, for instance, requiring that the history of McCarthyism include “how the later release of the Venona papers confirmed suspicions of communist infiltration in U.S. government.” The Venona papers were transcripts of some 3,000 communications between the Soviet Union and its agents in the United States.
Conservatives, the people your parents warned you about.
Read more here.
Architect Barbie lives in style
...Mattel and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) unveiled the winning entry of the AIA Architect Barbie® Dream House™ Design Competition.
Decked out with solar panels, operable shading and bamboo flooring, this dream house also comes with a low-flow toilet (which in real life could save about 4,000 gallons of water per year) and sink fixtures, all made from locally sourced materials.
Barbie also gets a 1,500-square-foot entertaining space and open chef’s kitchen, a separate library and client-meeting room, a full-floor “inspiration room,” a greenhouse on the roof, and a landscaped garden for her pets...
...experts say the house would sell for around $3.5 million if a life-sized version were built.
Read more here.
The CIA thought Canada a third world country
The CIA secretly painted Pierre Trudeau as a politician torn between being a leader of the Third World and a genuine player with global industrialized nations, declassified records show.
"With a domestic market about the size of California's, Canada is sensitive about living in the U.S. economic shadow," says the January 1982 assessment, which explored Liberal government efforts to bolster Canadian control of key sectors, including energy and technology.
"Politically, Trudeau frequently appears torn between the urge to play leader of the Third World and the desire to hold his own with the industrial giants. Economically, however, he clearly wants Canada to jettison its Third World image."
Ok, everyone together now: Fuck you, our American *friends* to the south.
Arrogant bastards.
Read more here.
"With a domestic market about the size of California's, Canada is sensitive about living in the U.S. economic shadow," says the January 1982 assessment, which explored Liberal government efforts to bolster Canadian control of key sectors, including energy and technology.
"Politically, Trudeau frequently appears torn between the urge to play leader of the Third World and the desire to hold his own with the industrial giants. Economically, however, he clearly wants Canada to jettison its Third World image."
Ok, everyone together now: Fuck you, our American *friends* to the south.
Arrogant bastards.
Read more here.
Sunday, August 07, 2011
Tim Pawlenty likes to pull other men's pants down
The Des Moines Register objected Friday to the Tim Pawlenty campaign sending an email blast with a portion of a front-page profile about the candidate that left out less-than-flattering paragraphs and an anecdote about a de-pantsing incident.
Register Managing Editor Randy Brubaker said the campaign distorted and excessively used the Register’s content without permission. Brubaker said the version of the article republished by the campaign – more than 20 paragraphs, highly edited – went beyond fair use and infringed on the news organization’s copyright.
The newspaper typically allows campaigns to reprint or reproduce three or four paragraphs, or about 200 words, of an article, Brubaker said. But it doesn’t allow selective editing within the excerpt.
The Pawlenty campaign’s “in case you missed it” media blast had the subject line: “Des Moines Register — Candidate profile: ‘You can be both nice and strong,’ says Tim Pawlenty.”
But the campaign left out the first two paragraphs of the article, which quoted a friend describing how Pawlenty, then a Minnesota state legislator, sneaked up and yanked down the fellow lawmaker’s pants as he stood at home plate during a baseball game a decade ago.
The campaign also deleted all references to how the former Minnesota governor raised the cigarette tax, allegedly ousted Republicans from the party for overriding one of his vetoes and used his executive powers in a way the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional.
Read more here.
Register Managing Editor Randy Brubaker said the campaign distorted and excessively used the Register’s content without permission. Brubaker said the version of the article republished by the campaign – more than 20 paragraphs, highly edited – went beyond fair use and infringed on the news organization’s copyright.
The newspaper typically allows campaigns to reprint or reproduce three or four paragraphs, or about 200 words, of an article, Brubaker said. But it doesn’t allow selective editing within the excerpt.
The Pawlenty campaign’s “in case you missed it” media blast had the subject line: “Des Moines Register — Candidate profile: ‘You can be both nice and strong,’ says Tim Pawlenty.”
But the campaign left out the first two paragraphs of the article, which quoted a friend describing how Pawlenty, then a Minnesota state legislator, sneaked up and yanked down the fellow lawmaker’s pants as he stood at home plate during a baseball game a decade ago.
The campaign also deleted all references to how the former Minnesota governor raised the cigarette tax, allegedly ousted Republicans from the party for overriding one of his vetoes and used his executive powers in a way the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional.
Read more here.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Pushy Christians: Rick Perry don't need no stinkin' separation of church and state
Texas Gov. Rick Perry asked Christians to turn to God for answers to the nation's troubles as he held court Saturday over a national prayer rally attended by thousands of evangelical conservatives, an important constituency should the Republican seek the GOP presidential nomination.
"Father, our heart breaks for America," Perry told about 30,000 people gathered at Reliant Stadium. "We see discord at home. We see fear in the marketplace. We see anger in the halls of government and, as a nation, we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, who blesses us."
The Republican was hosting what he has called a national day of prayer before an audience filled with people who sang with arms outstretched in prayer – and wept – as Christian groups played music on stage.
Best bullshit:
Perry has said the event is not political but rather aimed at rallying the nation to a Christian unity during difficult times.
Yeah whatever, Fuck You..
Read more here.
"Father, our heart breaks for America," Perry told about 30,000 people gathered at Reliant Stadium. "We see discord at home. We see fear in the marketplace. We see anger in the halls of government and, as a nation, we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, who blesses us."
The Republican was hosting what he has called a national day of prayer before an audience filled with people who sang with arms outstretched in prayer – and wept – as Christian groups played music on stage.
Best bullshit:
Perry has said the event is not political but rather aimed at rallying the nation to a Christian unity during difficult times.
Yeah whatever, Fuck You..
Read more here.
Krispy Kreme and their customers: Idiots of the Day
After rave reviews at the Calgary Stampede earlier this summer the donut cheeseburger will be arriving in Toronto. It's set to make its debut at (where else) the CNE on August 19th.
...the officially named Krispy Kreme doughnut cheeseburger comes courtesy of Epic Burgers and Waffles and is made with two Krispy Kreme donuts, a juicy/lean ground "smash-style" burger patty, American cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, egg and bacon.
Read more here.
...the officially named Krispy Kreme doughnut cheeseburger comes courtesy of Epic Burgers and Waffles and is made with two Krispy Kreme donuts, a juicy/lean ground "smash-style" burger patty, American cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, egg and bacon.
Read more here.
Americans take action on something Rogers on us pulled years ago
Rogers tried this scummy technique out on us in 2008, read more here
They also know Canadians are not as litigious...they do seem to have stopped it though. Wonder what made them?
The researchers, Christian Kreibich and Nicholas Weaver, analyzed traffic from the ISPs and found that 165 terms were being captured and resulting in interference, usually directing users to the relevant site through an affiliate program. It’s possible (though it seems unlikely) that the third parties are doing this independently, as Charter describes to VentureBeat; they allege (from experience) that a service hired to do one thing (provide a standard page for broken URLs, for instance) might get ambitious and decide to make a little money on the side.
Google noticed this previously and caused the ISPs to stop tampering with their results, but while it’s easy enough to tell when your queries are being touched, it’s not so easy to tell if they’ve been sniffed. The ISPs may outsource the packet analysis portion of the job to companies like Paxfire as well, routing search queries through them for recording and possible database building.
Smelling blood in the water, New York law firms Reese Richman and Milberg have filed a class action lawsuit against Paxfire and RCN, a Virginia-based ISP accused by the study of the shady practices described.
Read more here.
They also know Canadians are not as litigious...they do seem to have stopped it though. Wonder what made them?
The researchers, Christian Kreibich and Nicholas Weaver, analyzed traffic from the ISPs and found that 165 terms were being captured and resulting in interference, usually directing users to the relevant site through an affiliate program. It’s possible (though it seems unlikely) that the third parties are doing this independently, as Charter describes to VentureBeat; they allege (from experience) that a service hired to do one thing (provide a standard page for broken URLs, for instance) might get ambitious and decide to make a little money on the side.
Google noticed this previously and caused the ISPs to stop tampering with their results, but while it’s easy enough to tell when your queries are being touched, it’s not so easy to tell if they’ve been sniffed. The ISPs may outsource the packet analysis portion of the job to companies like Paxfire as well, routing search queries through them for recording and possible database building.
Smelling blood in the water, New York law firms Reese Richman and Milberg have filed a class action lawsuit against Paxfire and RCN, a Virginia-based ISP accused by the study of the shady practices described.
Read more here.
Pushy Christians: New York Times posts glowing tribute to the psychopathic hate groups behind Rick Parry
Though liberal critics call it a hate group, the association and Mr. Wildmon are widely revered in conservative circles.
Oh well, that must make them alright then.
Read more here.
Oh yeah, Hitler was gay, 'natch.
Oh well, that must make them alright then.
Read more here.
Oh yeah, Hitler was gay, 'natch.
$1 Billion Trade placed betting US would lose its AAA rating
Jack Barnes writes : Someone dropped a bomb on the bond market Thursday - a $1 billion Armageddon trade betting the United States will lose its AAA credit rating.
In one moment, an invisible trader placed a single trade that moved the most liquid debt market in the world.
The massive trade wasn't placed in bonds themselves; it was placed in the futures market.
The trade was for block trades of 5,370 10-year Treasury futures executed at 124-03 and 3,100 Treasury bond futures executed at 125-01.
The value of the trade was about $850 million dollars. In simple terms, if that was a direct bond buy, no one would be talking about it.
However, with the use of futures, you have to have margin capacity behind the trade. That means with a single push of a button someone was willing to commit more than $1 billion of real capital to this trade with expectations of a 10-to-1 return ratio.
You only do this if you see an edge.
This means someone is confident that the United States is either going to default or is going to lose its AAA rating. That someone is willing to bet the proverbial farm that U.S. interest rates will be going up.
They did let downgraded to AA...
Read more here.
In one moment, an invisible trader placed a single trade that moved the most liquid debt market in the world.
The massive trade wasn't placed in bonds themselves; it was placed in the futures market.
The trade was for block trades of 5,370 10-year Treasury futures executed at 124-03 and 3,100 Treasury bond futures executed at 125-01.
The value of the trade was about $850 million dollars. In simple terms, if that was a direct bond buy, no one would be talking about it.
However, with the use of futures, you have to have margin capacity behind the trade. That means with a single push of a button someone was willing to commit more than $1 billion of real capital to this trade with expectations of a 10-to-1 return ratio.
You only do this if you see an edge.
This means someone is confident that the United States is either going to default or is going to lose its AAA rating. That someone is willing to bet the proverbial farm that U.S. interest rates will be going up.
They did let downgraded to AA...
Read more here.
Who needs libraries, the TTC has a new train!!
A Toronto city councillor says he wants to know why the TTC is spending thousands of dollars to blow its own horn.
Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong says the Toronto Transit Commission's decision to spend $27,000 telling subway riders about the new subway train that's now in service is "a complete waste of money."
"In the era of core service review when we're looking at have-to-haves versus like-to-haves, this falls into the category of a complete and total waste of taxpayers' money," said Minnan-Wong.
Best bullshit
The TTC says it is money well spent.
"We feel it's very important at the TTC to communicate with our riders to let them know what is going on. The new subway trains are one of our biggest events to happen to the TTC in many, many years," said TTC spokesman Danny Nicholson.
FYI TTC, the public doesn't give a fuck, this only matters to you.
Pay the money back by dropping everyone's fare...that would be something the public would really enjoy.
If you really have to spend money, spend it on PR..you really suck at it right now.
oh and...
This is the counsellor who pushed for the removal of the bike lanes on Jarvis, Birchmount, Pharmacy etc. The cost of installation + removal for all lanes totals about $500,000. So, while Minnan-Wong is opposed to spend $27,000 for advertising, he's not opposed to spending $500,000 for...nothing...
Hypocrisy is so politically useful, is it not?
Read more here.
Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong says the Toronto Transit Commission's decision to spend $27,000 telling subway riders about the new subway train that's now in service is "a complete waste of money."
"In the era of core service review when we're looking at have-to-haves versus like-to-haves, this falls into the category of a complete and total waste of taxpayers' money," said Minnan-Wong.
Best bullshit
The TTC says it is money well spent.
"We feel it's very important at the TTC to communicate with our riders to let them know what is going on. The new subway trains are one of our biggest events to happen to the TTC in many, many years," said TTC spokesman Danny Nicholson.
FYI TTC, the public doesn't give a fuck, this only matters to you.
Pay the money back by dropping everyone's fare...that would be something the public would really enjoy.
If you really have to spend money, spend it on PR..you really suck at it right now.
oh and...
This is the counsellor who pushed for the removal of the bike lanes on Jarvis, Birchmount, Pharmacy etc. The cost of installation + removal for all lanes totals about $500,000. So, while Minnan-Wong is opposed to spend $27,000 for advertising, he's not opposed to spending $500,000 for...nothing...
Hypocrisy is so politically useful, is it not?
Read more here.
WTF made that Woodstock ON apartment building blow up..oh wait, something else explodes
After nearly two years of investigation Woodstock police have charged five Toronto men with arson.
One of the men has also been charged with manslaughter.
On Aug. 12, 2009, the Iron Grill Restaurant in the southwestern Ontario city, caught fire and exploded.
Read more here.
One of the men has also been charged with manslaughter.
On Aug. 12, 2009, the Iron Grill Restaurant in the southwestern Ontario city, caught fire and exploded.
Read more here.
Friday, August 05, 2011
Officer Bubbles move over, the Renton Washington police are even dumber than you
These morons will not learn that keeping quiet would done them far more good.
The Nazi references in the above video's introduction are way over the top, but is posted so you can judge the offending video for yourselves.
The Renton City Prosecutor wants to send a cartoonist to jail for mocking the police department in a series of animated Internet videos.
The "South-Park"-style animations parody everything from officers having sex on duty to certain personnel getting promoted without necessary qualifications. While the city wants to criminalize the cartoons, First Amendment rights advocates say the move is an "extreme abuse of power."
And a move of epic stupidity, as scores more will see and hear about this video.
Read more here and here.
The Nazi references in the above video's introduction are way over the top, but is posted so you can judge the offending video for yourselves.
The Renton City Prosecutor wants to send a cartoonist to jail for mocking the police department in a series of animated Internet videos.
The "South-Park"-style animations parody everything from officers having sex on duty to certain personnel getting promoted without necessary qualifications. While the city wants to criminalize the cartoons, First Amendment rights advocates say the move is an "extreme abuse of power."
And a move of epic stupidity, as scores more will see and hear about this video.
Read more here and here.
Toronto libraries become indicator of how much of a cold hearted bastard your councillor is
Being a stone cold prick is still not a Canadian trait, despite the best efforts of the Fords and Harpers.
Call it the Atwood effect. At least half-a-dozen more city councillors – including several members of mayor Rob Ford’s inner circle – have added their names to the growing list of prominent Torontonians speaking out against potential library closings.
Those sentiments clash with a recent KPMG review of city services that suggests shuttering libraries as a cost-saving measure, a proposal to which the mayor’s brother, Etobicoke Councillor Doug Ford, lent his hearty support.
The Globe and Mail took a straw poll of councillors whose wards contain the city’s 30 lowest-circulation libraries and found that Mr. Ford would find little agreement on council, even among political allies. Here is a sampling of those views.
Read more here.
Call it the Atwood effect. At least half-a-dozen more city councillors – including several members of mayor Rob Ford’s inner circle – have added their names to the growing list of prominent Torontonians speaking out against potential library closings.
Those sentiments clash with a recent KPMG review of city services that suggests shuttering libraries as a cost-saving measure, a proposal to which the mayor’s brother, Etobicoke Councillor Doug Ford, lent his hearty support.
The Globe and Mail took a straw poll of councillors whose wards contain the city’s 30 lowest-circulation libraries and found that Mr. Ford would find little agreement on council, even among political allies. Here is a sampling of those views.
Read more here.
UK torture probe deems too little by critics
Campaigners and lawyers acting for former detainees say they will boycott an inquiry into the alleged torture and mistreatment of UK terror suspects.
Sir Peter Gibson's detainee rendition inquiry is due to start at the end of an ongoing police investigation.
But 10 campaign groups said the process lacked credibility and transparency, and too much would remain secret.
An inquiry spokeswoman said the decision was regrettable but confirmed it would still go ahead.
Read more here.
Sir Peter Gibson's detainee rendition inquiry is due to start at the end of an ongoing police investigation.
But 10 campaign groups said the process lacked credibility and transparency, and too much would remain secret.
An inquiry spokeswoman said the decision was regrettable but confirmed it would still go ahead.
Read more here.
Michele Bachmann signs another hate inspired pledge
Signing a pledge from a known hate group...nice.
Shocking no one, Michele Bachmann signed a pledge from the National Organization of Marriage, promising to do everything she can to keep gay people from being happily married.
In the recent past, Bachmann's gotten in a spot of trouble for signing an Iowa group's anti-gay pledge, mostly because that one said stupid things about shariah law, banning porn, and, least intelligent, black people and slavery.
Perhaps having learned a lesson, this time around the pledge itself is straightforward. Instead, attention will shift toward the group pushing the pledge.
The National Organization for Marriage is categorized as an anti-gay "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the national authority on bigotry.
Read more here.
Shocking no one, Michele Bachmann signed a pledge from the National Organization of Marriage, promising to do everything she can to keep gay people from being happily married.
In the recent past, Bachmann's gotten in a spot of trouble for signing an Iowa group's anti-gay pledge, mostly because that one said stupid things about shariah law, banning porn, and, least intelligent, black people and slavery.
Perhaps having learned a lesson, this time around the pledge itself is straightforward. Instead, attention will shift toward the group pushing the pledge.
The National Organization for Marriage is categorized as an anti-gay "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the national authority on bigotry.
Read more here.
U.S. Republicans outraged unemployment rate down
They tried their best to make sure this didn't happen..at least until after the 2012 election that is.
The US economy created 117,000 jobs in July, a better than expected outcome, according to the US Labor Department.
The figure is an improvement on June, which saw the fewest jobs created for 18 months.
It meant the overall unemployment rate fell 0.1% to 9.1%.
The Dow Jones futures gained on the news. It comes after the index suffered its biggest one-day drop since 2008 on Thursday, due to worries about the US and European economies.
The US economy created 117,000 jobs in July, a better than expected outcome, according to the US Labor Department.
The figure is an improvement on June, which saw the fewest jobs created for 18 months.
It meant the overall unemployment rate fell 0.1% to 9.1%.
The Dow Jones futures gained on the news. It comes after the index suffered its biggest one-day drop since 2008 on Thursday, due to worries about the US and European economies.
From Carl Sagan to hack comedian, FOX set to produce redneck version of Cosmos
“Cosmos,” the 1980 documentary mini-series that encouraged a generation of viewers to contemplate the origins of the universe and their place in it, and made an unlikely television personality out of the astronomer Carl Sagan, is poised to return to terrestrial airwaves. Only this time the starship is being steered by a pilot whose identity you might not surmise even if you had billions and billions of guesses.
On Friday the Fox network is to announce that it has ordered a 13-episode series, “Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey,” expected to be broadcast in 2013. As part of a creative team that includes Ann Druyan, Sagan’s widow and a collaborator on the original “Cosmos,” one of the executive producers is Seth MacFarlane, the creator, producer, co-star and animating spirit of “Family Guy,” the bawdy and irreverent Fox cartoon sitcom.
Guess the story of the Universe will be told via offensive racist fart jokes.
Read more here.
On Friday the Fox network is to announce that it has ordered a 13-episode series, “Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey,” expected to be broadcast in 2013. As part of a creative team that includes Ann Druyan, Sagan’s widow and a collaborator on the original “Cosmos,” one of the executive producers is Seth MacFarlane, the creator, producer, co-star and animating spirit of “Family Guy,” the bawdy and irreverent Fox cartoon sitcom.
Guess the story of the Universe will be told via offensive racist fart jokes.
Read more here.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Harper and Co. continue to make Canada just that much less
The voters claim this is what they want.
The axe is falling at Environment Canada, and around 700 positions are on the chopping block.
Union representatives were advised about the coming cuts in writing Monday and given details about the federal government's plans to eliminate the positions during a meeting Wednesday in Ottawa.
Meteorologists, chemists, biologists and other scientists are among those who will be receiving letters from the department notifying them that they will either lose their job or be placed on a list of employees deemed "surplus."
Read more here.
The axe is falling at Environment Canada, and around 700 positions are on the chopping block.
Union representatives were advised about the coming cuts in writing Monday and given details about the federal government's plans to eliminate the positions during a meeting Wednesday in Ottawa.
Meteorologists, chemists, biologists and other scientists are among those who will be receiving letters from the department notifying them that they will either lose their job or be placed on a list of employees deemed "surplus."
Read more here.
Sao Paulo: Idiots of the Day..with Pride!
The city council of South America's biggest city has adopted legislation calling for a Heterosexual Pride Day to be celebrated on the third Sunday of each December.
Sao Paulo Mayor Gilberto Kassab must sign the legislation for it to become law and has said only that he is studying it. His office declined Wednesday to say whether he supports the proposal.
The legislation's author, Carlos Apolinario, said the idea for a Heterosexual Pride Day is "not anti-gay but a protest against the privileges the gay community enjoys."
We've all heard over the years "why isn't there a straight pride day?? " *
Well, finally someone was braindead enough to act upon it.
Read more here.
* Yes Chris and Rina, I'm looking at you. Just cause you said it in 1988 doesn't make it any less dumb.
Sao Paulo Mayor Gilberto Kassab must sign the legislation for it to become law and has said only that he is studying it. His office declined Wednesday to say whether he supports the proposal.
The legislation's author, Carlos Apolinario, said the idea for a Heterosexual Pride Day is "not anti-gay but a protest against the privileges the gay community enjoys."
We've all heard over the years "why isn't there a straight pride day?? " *
Well, finally someone was braindead enough to act upon it.
Read more here.
* Yes Chris and Rina, I'm looking at you. Just cause you said it in 1988 doesn't make it any less dumb.
Toronto police begin attack on cyclists
Toronto police launched a one-day bicycle safety blitz in a busy cycling area of Toronto on Wednesday.
Police stopped scores of cyclists and handed out dozens of tickets near Danforth and Broadview Avenues.
Tickets — for $110 each — were given to more than 100 cyclists who didn't have a bell on their bike.
If you've ever ridden a bike, you know that your voice is far more effective than any bell.
But the police can't ticket the mute.
Just a friendly Fuck You from Toronto Police. How else to get on Mayor Ford's good side and protect police jobs than harrassing the Pinkos.
Read more here.
Police stopped scores of cyclists and handed out dozens of tickets near Danforth and Broadview Avenues.
Tickets — for $110 each — were given to more than 100 cyclists who didn't have a bell on their bike.
If you've ever ridden a bike, you know that your voice is far more effective than any bell.
But the police can't ticket the mute.
Just a friendly Fuck You from Toronto Police. How else to get on Mayor Ford's good side and protect police jobs than harrassing the Pinkos.
Read more here.
As Montreal crumbles, Quebec wants to build a $200 million hockey arena
You don't need another fucking arena.
The Quebec government says the province's infrastructure crisis will not derail plans to build a new, NHL-style hockey arena in the provincial capital.
A spokesman says reconsidering the Quebec City arena project is not on the government's radar.
The provincial government has pledged $200 million to the project, which is wildly popular in the vote-rich region of Quebec City.
Read more here.
The Quebec government says the province's infrastructure crisis will not derail plans to build a new, NHL-style hockey arena in the provincial capital.
A spokesman says reconsidering the Quebec City arena project is not on the government's radar.
The provincial government has pledged $200 million to the project, which is wildly popular in the vote-rich region of Quebec City.
Read more here.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
The idea that other universes - as well as our own - lie within "bubbles" of space and time has received a boost.
Studies of the low-temperature glow left from the Big Bang suggest that several of these "bubble universes" may have left marks on our own.
This "multiverse" idea is popular in modern physics, but experimental tests have been hard to come by.
The preliminary work, to be published in Physical Review D, will be firmed up using data from the Planck telescope.
For now, the team has worked with seven years' worth of data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, which measures in minute detail the cosmic microwave background (CMB) - the faint glow left from our Universe's formation.
Read more here.
Studies of the low-temperature glow left from the Big Bang suggest that several of these "bubble universes" may have left marks on our own.
This "multiverse" idea is popular in modern physics, but experimental tests have been hard to come by.
The preliminary work, to be published in Physical Review D, will be firmed up using data from the Planck telescope.
For now, the team has worked with seven years' worth of data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, which measures in minute detail the cosmic microwave background (CMB) - the faint glow left from our Universe's formation.
Read more here.
Internet Explorer users story indicates we may all be idiots
A story which suggested that users of Internet Explorer have a lower IQ than people who chose other browsers appears to have been an elaborate hoax.
A number of media organisations, including the BBC, reported on the research, put out by Canadian firm ApTiquant.
It later emerged that the company's website was only recently set up and staff images were copied from a legitimate business in Paris.
It is unclear who was behind the stunt.
Read more here.
A number of media organisations, including the BBC, reported on the research, put out by Canadian firm ApTiquant.
It later emerged that the company's website was only recently set up and staff images were copied from a legitimate business in Paris.
It is unclear who was behind the stunt.
Read more here.
Rare Alfred Hitchcock film footage uncovered
Footage from Alfred Hitchcock's first film has been uncovered in New Zealand.
The British director was 24 when he made the 1923 silent film, The White Shadow.
The three reels were found among some unidentified American nitrate prints, which were left at the New Zealand Film Archive in 1989.
Read more here.
The British director was 24 when he made the 1923 silent film, The White Shadow.
The three reels were found among some unidentified American nitrate prints, which were left at the New Zealand Film Archive in 1989.
Read more here.
Entertainment industry suffers setback in efforts to control the Net in Britain
The arrogance of the Entertainment industry has in thinking they have this right is annoying. Thank goodness they haven't bought every politician.
Plans to block websites alleged to facilitate copyright infringement are to be dropped by the UK government. The announcement was made by Business secretary Vince Cable following a review by communications regulator OFCOM which found that blocking provisions in the Digital Economy Act would not be effective. Nevertheless, website blocking will be attempted, just by other means.
Outlining the government’s response to the Hargreaves report, business secretary Vince Cable today confirmed that the website blocking provisions put in place under the country’s controversial Digital Economy Act will be abandoned.
As widely predicted, a review by communications regulator OFCOM found that the plans were unworkable.
Read more here.
Plans to block websites alleged to facilitate copyright infringement are to be dropped by the UK government. The announcement was made by Business secretary Vince Cable following a review by communications regulator OFCOM which found that blocking provisions in the Digital Economy Act would not be effective. Nevertheless, website blocking will be attempted, just by other means.
Outlining the government’s response to the Hargreaves report, business secretary Vince Cable today confirmed that the website blocking provisions put in place under the country’s controversial Digital Economy Act will be abandoned.
As widely predicted, a review by communications regulator OFCOM found that the plans were unworkable.
Read more here.
canadaguy221 burns a book..this idiot has no concept of what he is doing
Well done Ford Nation. You've successfully revived homophobia, now you turn to fascism.
This guy is a flaming idiot.
In his own words:
Shame on Chapters/Indigo for capitalizing on the Toronto's Library situation and shame on Atwood for trying to regain the relevance she lost in 1972. The future is not about brick and mortar or mouldy paper; any attempt to salvage that is a pathetic left wing attempt to garner some limelight and maybe sell a few books. If she was a struggling Canadian author I would cut her some slack, but she is not struggling - some people out there like reading bad books. I have been hanging on to the only Atwood book I have (one of the worst books I have read) just to hold up the rest of my good books. I encourage people everywhere to clean out your Atwood collection. Burn them, throw them out - heck, maybe the library wants them.
Book burning, not just for Nazis anymore.
Will the Fords come out and denounce this act? Don't hold your breath.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Internet Explorer users prove study stating they're idiots by suing
Internet Explorer users have a lower than average IQ, according to research by Consulting firm AptiQuant.
The study gave web surfers an IQ test, then plotted their scores against the browser they used.
IE surfers were found to have an average IQ lower than people using Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Users of Camino and Opera rated highest.
The report has sparked anger from IE supporters, who have threatened AptiQuant with legal action.
Read more here.
The study gave web surfers an IQ test, then plotted their scores against the browser they used.
IE surfers were found to have an average IQ lower than people using Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Users of Camino and Opera rated highest.
The report has sparked anger from IE supporters, who have threatened AptiQuant with legal action.
Read more here.
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment: Corporate Thugs of the Day
Maple Leaf Gardens, site of many historic clashes between hockey’s greatest teams, is now at the centre of a battle of its own.
On one side is Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the sports empire that owns four professional franchises and an NHL arena, known for zealously protecting its brand. On the other is Ryerson University, which is turning the Toronto Maple Leafs’ storied former home into an arena for its own team...
...Parts of that development have raised MLSE’s ire and prompted it to seek an injunction against the school and Loblaw Properties, which co-owns the building.
In court filings, the company is demanding Ryerson stop using the name Maple Leaf Gardens in connection with the site and suggests it fears the school’s new 2,500-seat venue will compete with the Air Canada Centre, the Leafs’ current home.
Read more here and here.
On one side is Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the sports empire that owns four professional franchises and an NHL arena, known for zealously protecting its brand. On the other is Ryerson University, which is turning the Toronto Maple Leafs’ storied former home into an arena for its own team...
...Parts of that development have raised MLSE’s ire and prompted it to seek an injunction against the school and Loblaw Properties, which co-owns the building.
In court filings, the company is demanding Ryerson stop using the name Maple Leaf Gardens in connection with the site and suggests it fears the school’s new 2,500-seat venue will compete with the Air Canada Centre, the Leafs’ current home.
Read more here and here.
Peter Hitchens is a...oh look, cartoons are on
Peter Hitchens pines, yearns to be a drug cop..
I wish, oh how I wish, I were as much of a threat to cannabis users as they imagine me to be.
You come across more like a self righteous bully.
Read more here.
I wish, oh how I wish, I were as much of a threat to cannabis users as they imagine me to be.
You come across more like a self righteous bully.
Read more here.
What the f*ck happened at the Caribbean Carnival
The province’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating the shootings and has “designated” two police officers as “subject officers” in the case. Media reports allege that officers shot the 30-year-old man. However, the SIU has not released such details.
“Police discharged their firearms; that’s why we’re there, but to what extent and how many and who, we can’t get to that yet,” said SIU spokesman Frank Phillips, noting that officers “interacted” with three men prior to the fatal shooting.
The SIU, which probes cases of death, serious injury and allegations of sexual assault involving police officers, is withholding the identity of the deceased Scarborough man pending notification of next of kin.
Read more here.
“Police discharged their firearms; that’s why we’re there, but to what extent and how many and who, we can’t get to that yet,” said SIU spokesman Frank Phillips, noting that officers “interacted” with three men prior to the fatal shooting.
The SIU, which probes cases of death, serious injury and allegations of sexual assault involving police officers, is withholding the identity of the deceased Scarborough man pending notification of next of kin.
Read more here.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam surprised his state's rabid homophobia is attracting attention
The governor complained that the media paid little attention to the appointment of the first superintendent of the Tennessee’s Achievement Student District, an attempt to turn around the state’s lowest-performing schools. At the same time, reporters closely watched the “Don’t Say Gay” bill to ban the mention of homosexuality before the ninth grade in Tennessee’s public schools.
“The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill didn’t pass and probably is never going to pass. At the same time, we hired Chris Barbic to run the Achievement School District, which is a huge deal. That got this much attention,” the governor said, holding his fingers an inch apart. “ ‘Don’t Say Gay’ got 100 articles. Well, something’s wrong with that picture.
“ ‘Don’t Say Gay’ is real sexy and yada yada yada. It’s not going anywhere. Who runs the Student Achievement District is huge. But you’d be lucky to find two paragraphs on that.
Read more here.
“The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill didn’t pass and probably is never going to pass. At the same time, we hired Chris Barbic to run the Achievement School District, which is a huge deal. That got this much attention,” the governor said, holding his fingers an inch apart. “ ‘Don’t Say Gay’ got 100 articles. Well, something’s wrong with that picture.
“ ‘Don’t Say Gay’ is real sexy and yada yada yada. It’s not going anywhere. Who runs the Student Achievement District is huge. But you’d be lucky to find two paragraphs on that.
Read more here.
Toronto's Lanterra Developments and the Condos of Death
We have to cut Lanterra Developments some slack here. Condos need to be built quickly, so that the sheep that buy them don't notice how they've paid hundreds of thousands for nothing.
Lanterra Developments is under siege in the wake of falling glass at their Murano Condos near Bay and College. According to the Toronto Star, last night was the fifth time glass has fallen from the building at 37 Grosvenor Street this year. The highest one was from the 35th floor and thankfully residents and passerbys have remained unscathed to date.
Read more here.
Lanterra Developments is under siege in the wake of falling glass at their Murano Condos near Bay and College. According to the Toronto Star, last night was the fifth time glass has fallen from the building at 37 Grosvenor Street this year. The highest one was from the 35th floor and thankfully residents and passerbys have remained unscathed to date.
Read more here.
Newt Gingrich: Twidiot of the Day
Gingrich complained yesterday that the press is ignoring his prodigious Twitter audience: "I have six times as many Twitter followers as all the other candidates combined, but it didn't count because if it counted I'd still be a candidate; since I can't be a candidate that can't count." Which is true! Gingrich currently boasts 1,325,842 followers, whereas competitors Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann have yet to crack 100,000.
But if Newt is winning the Twitter primary, it's because of voter fraud. A former staffer tells us that his campaign hired a firm to boost his follower count, in part by creating fake accounts en masse:
Read more here.
But if Newt is winning the Twitter primary, it's because of voter fraud. A former staffer tells us that his campaign hired a firm to boost his follower count, in part by creating fake accounts en masse:
Read more here.
Monday, August 01, 2011
Sapphire ring 'belonged to Anglo-Saxon or Viking royalty'
A unique gold and sapphire finger ring, found by a metal detectorist and just purchased by the Yorkshire Museum, almost certainly belonged to Anglo-Saxon or Viking royalty, very senior clergy or a leading member of the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy, say historians.
Of very great historical importance, it is the only Anglo-Saxon era sapphire ever found in the ground in Britain. The only other sapphire from the period is the one that the Queen wears in her Imperial State Crown, used at the opening of Parliament. Known as St. Edward’s sapphire, this latter gem was once part of King Edward the Confessor’s finger ring and is now the oldest gem in the British crown
Read more here.
Of very great historical importance, it is the only Anglo-Saxon era sapphire ever found in the ground in Britain. The only other sapphire from the period is the one that the Queen wears in her Imperial State Crown, used at the opening of Parliament. Known as St. Edward’s sapphire, this latter gem was once part of King Edward the Confessor’s finger ring and is now the oldest gem in the British crown
Read more here.
News reports vague on who fired shots at Caribbean Carnival
CBC:
Toronto police officers "interacted" with three men ahead of a fatal shooting and wounding of two others after this weekend's Caribbean Carnival parade in Toronto, the province's Special Investigations Unit says...
...The SIU, a civilian agency that investigates situations involving police and civilians that lead to a serious injury or death, said police were called to an area near the parade after receiving a report of a disturbance involving three men.
"Officers interacted with the men and shots were fired," the SIU said in a news release early Sunday.
No more details about the shooting were released. It is unclear whether the officers involved fired the bullets that killed the man or wounded the others.
The Star:
The triple shooting that killed a 30-year-old man from Scarborough and injured two others is now in the hands of the Special Investigations Unit, a body that probes cases of death, serious injury and allegations of sexual assault involving police officers.
Details have been scarce. According to media reports, officers allegedly shot the man when he refused to drop a gun he fired into the crowd. The SIU has not confirmed the report.
“Police discharged their firearms; that’s why we’re there, but to what extent and how many and who, we can’t get to that yet,” said SIU spokesman Frank Phillips.
The SIU has identified two officers as the subject of their investigation
Read more here and here.
Toronto police officers "interacted" with three men ahead of a fatal shooting and wounding of two others after this weekend's Caribbean Carnival parade in Toronto, the province's Special Investigations Unit says...
...The SIU, a civilian agency that investigates situations involving police and civilians that lead to a serious injury or death, said police were called to an area near the parade after receiving a report of a disturbance involving three men.
"Officers interacted with the men and shots were fired," the SIU said in a news release early Sunday.
No more details about the shooting were released. It is unclear whether the officers involved fired the bullets that killed the man or wounded the others.
The Star:
The triple shooting that killed a 30-year-old man from Scarborough and injured two others is now in the hands of the Special Investigations Unit, a body that probes cases of death, serious injury and allegations of sexual assault involving police officers.
Details have been scarce. According to media reports, officers allegedly shot the man when he refused to drop a gun he fired into the crowd. The SIU has not confirmed the report.
“Police discharged their firearms; that’s why we’re there, but to what extent and how many and who, we can’t get to that yet,” said SIU spokesman Frank Phillips.
The SIU has identified two officers as the subject of their investigation
Read more here and here.
Incompetent American politicians congratulate themselves for no reason at all
They deserve nothing but scorn but will expect high praise.
White House senior adviser David Plouffe said on Monday that he believes the newly minted deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling will pass both houses of Congress and be signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Read more here.
White House senior adviser David Plouffe said on Monday that he believes the newly minted deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling will pass both houses of Congress and be signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Read more here.
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