In an attempt to appeal for more education funding in the state budget, Lee County Schools stepped over the line, a lawmaker said Monday.
Rep. Mike Stone, R-Lee, said school district officials had his 8-year-old daughter's third-grade class at Tramway Elementary School write letters to elected officials, including him, to protest cuts in the proposed $19.7 billion state budget.
"I was extremely disappointed, but I tried not to show that in front of my daughter," Stone said. "I don't know that at any time we should use our third-grade students as lobbyists."
Ha. Poor baby.
Read more here.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
A conservative using underhanded techniques to get elected? How shocking!
Damn those Pinkos and their insistance on honesty. How annoying.
Can a campaign supporter also be a campaign supplier?
That question emerged as a potentially crucial distinction involving Mayor Rob Ford’s campaign RV, in the wake of the latest request by a Toronto citizen for a forensic review of Mr. Ford’s election expenses.
Retired teacher David DePoe told council’s three-person compliance audit committee Monday that the $1,808 the campaign paid Michael Robertson in rent for a campaign van for four months was well below fair market value, which he estimated to be over $200 a day.
Mr. DePoe said that he and his wife in 2003 paid $12,000 to rent a used recreational vehicle for a three-month journey across North America. “That’s just a little van and that was a long time ago.”
The committee dismissed Mr. DePoe’s application, with chair Douglas Colbourne stressing that the compliance audit ordered last month will review all aspects of the mayor’s campaign finances. Mr. Ford's lawyers have appealed the order.
But after the meeting adjourned, Mr. Ford’s lawyer Thomas Barlow and Stephen Chan, a senior executive with the Ford family company Deco Labels and Tags who served as the CFO for the campaign, appeared to contradict one another about whether the van was provided to Mr. Ford by a supporter or a supplier.
Read more here.
Can a campaign supporter also be a campaign supplier?
That question emerged as a potentially crucial distinction involving Mayor Rob Ford’s campaign RV, in the wake of the latest request by a Toronto citizen for a forensic review of Mr. Ford’s election expenses.
Retired teacher David DePoe told council’s three-person compliance audit committee Monday that the $1,808 the campaign paid Michael Robertson in rent for a campaign van for four months was well below fair market value, which he estimated to be over $200 a day.
Mr. DePoe said that he and his wife in 2003 paid $12,000 to rent a used recreational vehicle for a three-month journey across North America. “That’s just a little van and that was a long time ago.”
The committee dismissed Mr. DePoe’s application, with chair Douglas Colbourne stressing that the compliance audit ordered last month will review all aspects of the mayor’s campaign finances. Mr. Ford's lawyers have appealed the order.
But after the meeting adjourned, Mr. Ford’s lawyer Thomas Barlow and Stephen Chan, a senior executive with the Ford family company Deco Labels and Tags who served as the CFO for the campaign, appeared to contradict one another about whether the van was provided to Mr. Ford by a supporter or a supplier.
Read more here.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Welcome to Harper's Canada
The number of hate crimes reported to Canadian police rose 42 per cent in 2009 on top of a 35 per cent increase the previous year, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.
Fifty-four per cent were motivated by race or ethnicity, 29 per cent by religion, and 13 per cent by sexual orientation.
The largest increase was in hate crimes motivated by religion, which increased 55 per cent, the agency said, and seven in 10 of those involved hate crimes directed against Jews, who were the target of 283 reported hate crimes.
Hate crimes against the Muslim faith increased to 36 incidents from 26 in 2008. Police reported 33 hate crimes against Catholics, three more than in 2008.
What you wanna bet white heterosexual Protestant males were left pretty well unscathed.
Read more here.
Fifty-four per cent were motivated by race or ethnicity, 29 per cent by religion, and 13 per cent by sexual orientation.
The largest increase was in hate crimes motivated by religion, which increased 55 per cent, the agency said, and seven in 10 of those involved hate crimes directed against Jews, who were the target of 283 reported hate crimes.
Hate crimes against the Muslim faith increased to 36 incidents from 26 in 2008. Police reported 33 hate crimes against Catholics, three more than in 2008.
What you wanna bet white heterosexual Protestant males were left pretty well unscathed.
Read more here.
Councillor Doug Ford: Idiot of the Day
More "car drivers are God" conservative blathering from Robbie's talkative brother.
I realize to Doug and Robbie, the car is not just a mode of transportation, it's a life support system, but gee guys, lighten up...
Councillor Doug Ford says there has to be a “better way” of running charity events and marathons that infuriate motorists by shutting down Toronto’s major expressways.
Mayor Rob Ford’s top advisor made the comments a day after the annual Becel Heart and Stroke Ride for Heart cycling fundraiser sparked complaints by closing parts of the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway.
There must be a better way, said Ford, who wants a new policy for next year.
“I’m a big supporter of these charitable organizations; they do a great job,” Ford said Monday. “On the other hand, you get a few phone calls from constituents that aren’t too happy that the roads are blocked up.
Translation: the usual whiners are calling City Hall again. Their suggestions will make us look like unfeeling pricks, but because it will also anger the Pinkos, then it's full speed ahead!
Would it be nice someday to wake up and hear a right wing politician acting in the interests of all, not just their knuckle dragging supporters.
It would against every fiber of their being, but wouldn't it be nice...?
Read more here.
I realize to Doug and Robbie, the car is not just a mode of transportation, it's a life support system, but gee guys, lighten up...
Councillor Doug Ford says there has to be a “better way” of running charity events and marathons that infuriate motorists by shutting down Toronto’s major expressways.
Mayor Rob Ford’s top advisor made the comments a day after the annual Becel Heart and Stroke Ride for Heart cycling fundraiser sparked complaints by closing parts of the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway.
There must be a better way, said Ford, who wants a new policy for next year.
“I’m a big supporter of these charitable organizations; they do a great job,” Ford said Monday. “On the other hand, you get a few phone calls from constituents that aren’t too happy that the roads are blocked up.
Translation: the usual whiners are calling City Hall again. Their suggestions will make us look like unfeeling pricks, but because it will also anger the Pinkos, then it's full speed ahead!
Would it be nice someday to wake up and hear a right wing politician acting in the interests of all, not just their knuckle dragging supporters.
It would against every fiber of their being, but wouldn't it be nice...?
Read more here.
Weiner: I was a dick
A week after claiming a hacker had posted a lewd photo to his Twitter account, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner on Monday apologized for lying about the incident and admitted carrying on inappropriate relationships with several women he'd met online.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Monday, June 06, 2011
3 PQ members leave party
Good for them. Governments today don't even try to hide their corruption.
Three influential Parti Québécois members of the national assembly are leaving Quebec's sovereigntist party, largely because of a controversial bill to protect the provincial capital and its management deal on the city's new hockey arena.
Louise Beaudoin, the member for Montreal's Rosemont riding, Pierre Curzi, who represents Borduas, and Lisette Lapointe, the member for Crémazie and the wife of former PQ leader Jacques Parizeau, announced Monday morning that they will sit as independents committed to sovereignty.
Their decision was triggered by a private member's bill sponsored by PQ member Agnès Maltais to protect the City of Quebec after the multimillion-dollar deal it made with media giant Quebecor to operate the future arena.
The bill would declare the arena deal legal even though the city bypassed the public tender process.
Read more here.
Three influential Parti Québécois members of the national assembly are leaving Quebec's sovereigntist party, largely because of a controversial bill to protect the provincial capital and its management deal on the city's new hockey arena.
Louise Beaudoin, the member for Montreal's Rosemont riding, Pierre Curzi, who represents Borduas, and Lisette Lapointe, the member for Crémazie and the wife of former PQ leader Jacques Parizeau, announced Monday morning that they will sit as independents committed to sovereignty.
Their decision was triggered by a private member's bill sponsored by PQ member Agnès Maltais to protect the City of Quebec after the multimillion-dollar deal it made with media giant Quebecor to operate the future arena.
The bill would declare the arena deal legal even though the city bypassed the public tender process.
Read more here.
U.N. Report Declares Internet Access a Human Right
A United Nations report said Friday that disconnecting people from the internet is a human rights violation and against international law.
The report railed against France and the United Kingdom, which have passed laws to remove accused copyright scofflaws from the internet. It also protested blocking internet access to quell political unrest.
Read more here.
The report railed against France and the United Kingdom, which have passed laws to remove accused copyright scofflaws from the internet. It also protested blocking internet access to quell political unrest.
Read more here.
Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus males were f*cking lazy
A University of Colorado-Boulder study suggests that two species of early hominids, Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus, sported males that generally preferred to stick close to home while their female counterparts traveled the countryside. The study results may also contradict the generally accepted theory that bipedalism in humans evolved in part to enable them to travel longer distances with greater efficiency.
Read more here.
Read more here.
US Republicans continue to push their worst to the forefront
That's it people? This is the best you have to offer?
Your contempt for the public is palpable.
Rick Santorum Will Run for President: 'We're In It to Win'
And with that another Republican challenger jumped into the 2012 race this morning on "GMA."
"We're ready to announce that we are going to be in this race and we're in it to win," Rick Santorum told me.
Check the video, he wants to fuck grandma out of her healthcare money too.
Read more here.
Your contempt for the public is palpable.
Rick Santorum Will Run for President: 'We're In It to Win'
And with that another Republican challenger jumped into the 2012 race this morning on "GMA."
"We're ready to announce that we are going to be in this race and we're in it to win," Rick Santorum told me.
Check the video, he wants to fuck grandma out of her healthcare money too.
Read more here.
G20 Police: Name tags? We don't need no stinkin' name tags
Police have been removing name tags for decades in certain situations, it's what they do.
Seems to me that is sends a clear message to all us underlings: We the police are above the law, when it suits us. What'ca gonna do about it?
A student activist says Toronto police officers are continuing to violate their own policy by refusing to wear name tags while on duty.
The issue was raised last week as the public review continues into police actions during last year's G20 summit.
Many officers did not wear name tags on their uniform during the summit, which in some instances made it difficult to identify them in photos and footage during subsequent reviews into police actions.
Best bullshit in the story, hands down:
Mark Pugash speaks for the Toronto Police. He said all uniformed officers are required to wear name tags while on duty but said older raincoats are an exception.
He said the older raincoats are being replaced by new coats that have a patch for name tags, but could not give a timeline about when all of the older style of coats would be replaced.
"We have to be fiscally responsible, as we replace our coats, they'll be replaced with coats that allow the wearing of name badges," he told CBC News.
HAAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, oh my aching sides!
He's not as dumb as he sounds actually, this is Ford's Toronto, they'll buy anything.
Read more here.
Seems to me that is sends a clear message to all us underlings: We the police are above the law, when it suits us. What'ca gonna do about it?
A student activist says Toronto police officers are continuing to violate their own policy by refusing to wear name tags while on duty.
The issue was raised last week as the public review continues into police actions during last year's G20 summit.
Many officers did not wear name tags on their uniform during the summit, which in some instances made it difficult to identify them in photos and footage during subsequent reviews into police actions.
Best bullshit in the story, hands down:
Mark Pugash speaks for the Toronto Police. He said all uniformed officers are required to wear name tags while on duty but said older raincoats are an exception.
He said the older raincoats are being replaced by new coats that have a patch for name tags, but could not give a timeline about when all of the older style of coats would be replaced.
"We have to be fiscally responsible, as we replace our coats, they'll be replaced with coats that allow the wearing of name badges," he told CBC News.
HAAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, oh my aching sides!
He's not as dumb as he sounds actually, this is Ford's Toronto, they'll buy anything.
Read more here.
WikiLeaks: Americans get huffy when they can't piss in the neighbour's pool
Manitoba's "angry rhetoric" on a dispute with its U.S. neighbour embittered officials south of the border and made for a "terribly strained" relationship, American diplomatic documents released through WikiLeaks suggest.
The documents shed new light on the longstanding spat between Canada and the U.S. over Devils Lake in North Dakota, calling it a "prime example of failed diplomacy."..
The lake in North Dakota has no natural outlet, and for years state officials wanted to give its citizens relief from flooding by sending Devils Lake water into Manitoba’s watershed via the Red River.
North Dakota spent millions constructing an outlet to re-route the water and, despite years of political protests and court challenges by Manitoba and Canada, pumps were switched on in August 2005, redirecting floodwater into the Sheyenne River, then the Red River and, ultimately, into Lake Winnipeg. Manitoba had argued pollution and harmful foreign species would be introduced into Canadian waterways from Devils Lake.
Read more here.
The documents shed new light on the longstanding spat between Canada and the U.S. over Devils Lake in North Dakota, calling it a "prime example of failed diplomacy."..
The lake in North Dakota has no natural outlet, and for years state officials wanted to give its citizens relief from flooding by sending Devils Lake water into Manitoba’s watershed via the Red River.
North Dakota spent millions constructing an outlet to re-route the water and, despite years of political protests and court challenges by Manitoba and Canada, pumps were switched on in August 2005, redirecting floodwater into the Sheyenne River, then the Red River and, ultimately, into Lake Winnipeg. Manitoba had argued pollution and harmful foreign species would be introduced into Canadian waterways from Devils Lake.
Read more here.
Donald A. Wilson Secondary School: Another idiot school who forgets students are people
Yet another group of adults who arrogantly forget the 'students' they are treating with such contempt are the adults of tomorrow, and they won't forget this.
Jack Christie’s videos are the kind of thing you see every day on the Internet. Crudely animated stick figures swear and fire automatic rifles. There are off-colour jokes about everything from race to pedophilia to cocaine. Absurd incidents – such as the assassination of an evil talking mango – seem to happen at random.
But administrators at the Grade 12 student’s Whitby high school were so offended when they found the animations on YouTube last month, they sent him home and called the police. He is being kept out of school during the investigation.
Now, fellow students at Donald A. Wilson Secondary School are demanding the 18-year-old be reinstated, arguing the school overstepped its bounds by meting out punishment for something that happened off campus. Mr. Christie says the administration is stomping on his right to freedom of speech.
Seems the school is not only treating the students with contempt, they are also teaching them a lesson in adult abuse of power:
Gavin Russell, prime minister of the student government, gathered scores of signatures on a petition supporting Mr. Christie before two staff members warned him that, if he continued, he could also face punishment.
There is a silver lining to all this, now the world knows about this and can see your school administration for the small minded bullies they are.
Read more here.
Jack Christie’s videos are the kind of thing you see every day on the Internet. Crudely animated stick figures swear and fire automatic rifles. There are off-colour jokes about everything from race to pedophilia to cocaine. Absurd incidents – such as the assassination of an evil talking mango – seem to happen at random.
But administrators at the Grade 12 student’s Whitby high school were so offended when they found the animations on YouTube last month, they sent him home and called the police. He is being kept out of school during the investigation.
Now, fellow students at Donald A. Wilson Secondary School are demanding the 18-year-old be reinstated, arguing the school overstepped its bounds by meting out punishment for something that happened off campus. Mr. Christie says the administration is stomping on his right to freedom of speech.
Seems the school is not only treating the students with contempt, they are also teaching them a lesson in adult abuse of power:
Gavin Russell, prime minister of the student government, gathered scores of signatures on a petition supporting Mr. Christie before two staff members warned him that, if he continued, he could also face punishment.
There is a silver lining to all this, now the world knows about this and can see your school administration for the small minded bullies they are.
Read more here.
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Pushy Christians: Court Lifts Ban On Texas Graduation Prayer
These people seem to think the only way God will listen to them is to be in your face loud about it.
Whether you want to hear them or not.
Public prayer will be allowed at a Texas high school graduation after a federal appeals court on Friday reversed a ban won by an agnostic family that claimed ceremony traditions such as invocations were unconstitutional.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency appeal filed by the Medina Valley Independent School District. Its San Antonio-area high school was ordered by a federal judge earlier this week to forbid students from asking audience members to join in prayer or bow their heads during Saturday's graduation.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Christa and Danny Schultz, who said watching their son receive a diploma this weekend would amount to forced religious participation. The Castroville parents argued that traditions such as invocation and benediction excluded their beliefs.
Read more here.
Whether you want to hear them or not.
Public prayer will be allowed at a Texas high school graduation after a federal appeals court on Friday reversed a ban won by an agnostic family that claimed ceremony traditions such as invocations were unconstitutional.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency appeal filed by the Medina Valley Independent School District. Its San Antonio-area high school was ordered by a federal judge earlier this week to forbid students from asking audience members to join in prayer or bow their heads during Saturday's graduation.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Christa and Danny Schultz, who said watching their son receive a diploma this weekend would amount to forced religious participation. The Castroville parents argued that traditions such as invocation and benediction excluded their beliefs.
Read more here.
France continues to maintain itself as the Idiot of Europe
In France, radio and television news anchors are no longer allowed to say the words “Facebook” and “Twitter” on air, unless the terms are specifically part of a news story. The ban stems from a decree issued by the French government on March 27, 1992, which forbids the promotion of commercial enterprises on news programs.
This means French news organizations are not allowed to urge their audience to “follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/emilprotalinski or “check out my Facebook page at facebook.com/emil.protalinski.” Instead, they will have to say “find us on social networking websites” or tell viewers to “check out our webpage at this URL to find links to our pages on social networks.”
Read more here.
This means French news organizations are not allowed to urge their audience to “follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/emilprotalinski or “check out my Facebook page at facebook.com/emil.protalinski.” Instead, they will have to say “find us on social networking websites” or tell viewers to “check out our webpage at this URL to find links to our pages on social networks.”
Read more here.
With Osama dead, we'll be leaving Afghanistan soon...huh say what?
Don't act surprised they aren't leaving. It would have been much more shocking if they'd kept their word...
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates appealed for patience with an unpopular war and said Saturday that only modest U.S. troop reductions would make sense this summer in a still unstable Afghanistan.
On his 12th and final visit to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief, Gates held out the possibility of a turning point in the war by year's end. But Gates, who's retiring June 30, said much depends on whether the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden creates a new opening for peace negotiations with leaders of the Taliban insurgency.
This and other aspects of the war, now in its 10th year, were on the agenda for Gates' meetings Saturday with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander here, and with U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry. A decision on U.S. troop reductions is expected in the next couple of weeks.
Read more here.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates appealed for patience with an unpopular war and said Saturday that only modest U.S. troop reductions would make sense this summer in a still unstable Afghanistan.
On his 12th and final visit to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief, Gates held out the possibility of a turning point in the war by year's end. But Gates, who's retiring June 30, said much depends on whether the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden creates a new opening for peace negotiations with leaders of the Taliban insurgency.
This and other aspects of the war, now in its 10th year, were on the agenda for Gates' meetings Saturday with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander here, and with U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry. A decision on U.S. troop reductions is expected in the next couple of weeks.
Read more here.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Mitt Romney commits one of the Deadly Conservative Sins
Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney broke with Republican orthodoxy on Friday by saying he believes that humans are responsible, at least to some extent, for climate change.
"I believe the world is getting warmer, and I believe that humans have contributed to that," he told a crowd of about 200 at a town hall meeting in Manchester, New Hampshire.
"It's important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may be significant contributors."
Opps, that's something conservatives must never ever say out loud.
Read more here.
"I believe the world is getting warmer, and I believe that humans have contributed to that," he told a crowd of about 200 at a town hall meeting in Manchester, New Hampshire.
"It's important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may be significant contributors."
Opps, that's something conservatives must never ever say out loud.
Read more here.
Friday, June 03, 2011
Mayor Ford's supporters not bright enough to see what they voted for
The first thing to acknowledge about Mayor Rob Ford is that the normal rules don’t apply with this politician.
He doesn’t seem to care much about his image, speaks in absolutes, and contradicts himself when he needs to. And, like the one-time Bad Boy mayor Mel Lastman, Ford rolls on in spite of gaffes and utterances that might sink most politicians.
Ford says one thing — I’m here to respect taxpayers’ money — and does the opposite, as is the case of wasting tens of millions of dollars to stop Transit City.
He told voters he would hire 100 more police officers once he became mayor. He quickly dropped that promise after the election. And now, his appointed police watchdog, Councillor Michael Thompson, is asking Chief Bill Blair to consider chopping as many as 500 officers from the force.
Read more here.
He doesn’t seem to care much about his image, speaks in absolutes, and contradicts himself when he needs to. And, like the one-time Bad Boy mayor Mel Lastman, Ford rolls on in spite of gaffes and utterances that might sink most politicians.
Ford says one thing — I’m here to respect taxpayers’ money — and does the opposite, as is the case of wasting tens of millions of dollars to stop Transit City.
He told voters he would hire 100 more police officers once he became mayor. He quickly dropped that promise after the election. And now, his appointed police watchdog, Councillor Michael Thompson, is asking Chief Bill Blair to consider chopping as many as 500 officers from the force.
Read more here.
Former Bosnian Serb military chief Gen. Ratko Mladic tries the Lockerbie bomber defence
I'm sick, cough cough...
Former Bosnian Serb military chief Gen. Ratko Mladic has told a United Nations war crimes court he is "a gravely ill man" at his arraignment on an 11-count indictment charging him with orchestrating the worst atrocities of a war that claimed 100,000 lives.
Asked by Presiding Judge Alphons Orie if he understood his rights as a suspect at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal at The Hague, Mladic said Friday he was gravely ill and needed more time to understand the charges.
I've only 6 months to live, I need to be sent to a villa in Libya..
Read more here.
Former Bosnian Serb military chief Gen. Ratko Mladic has told a United Nations war crimes court he is "a gravely ill man" at his arraignment on an 11-count indictment charging him with orchestrating the worst atrocities of a war that claimed 100,000 lives.
Asked by Presiding Judge Alphons Orie if he understood his rights as a suspect at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal at The Hague, Mladic said Friday he was gravely ill and needed more time to understand the charges.
I've only 6 months to live, I need to be sent to a villa in Libya..
Read more here.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Mayor Ford vs Art: it's not just graffiti anymore
Harper and Ford, making sure you think the right way or no way
Artist Joel Richardson says the city has painted over a popular Dupont St. mural that it paid him $2,000 to create, an apparent misfire in Mayor Rob Ford’s war on graffiti.
A city spokeswoman says the railway underpass wall was returned to drab grey because Richardson’s artwork was unauthorized, uncommissioned, political and may have “referred to (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper.”
Modern (suburban fuelled) conservatism at work folks:
“There was some discussion that the mural referred to Stephen Harper. That’s the suggestion, that’s what it looked like to us.”
It's still a free country, so...Fuck Stephen Harper. Why you may ask? For the sheer joy of being able to, that's why.
A suggestion to the artists of this city, cover every wall with images of Harper and Ford (in Ford's case find a big enough wall will be a challenge). Bankrupt the city in graffiti removal alone.
Cause you know, nothing drives these people more crazy than a public message not approved by them or a corporation.
Conservatives may not be able to produce art, but even they recognize its power.
Read more here.
Artist Joel Richardson says the city has painted over a popular Dupont St. mural that it paid him $2,000 to create, an apparent misfire in Mayor Rob Ford’s war on graffiti.
A city spokeswoman says the railway underpass wall was returned to drab grey because Richardson’s artwork was unauthorized, uncommissioned, political and may have “referred to (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper.”
Modern (suburban fuelled) conservatism at work folks:
“There was some discussion that the mural referred to Stephen Harper. That’s the suggestion, that’s what it looked like to us.”
It's still a free country, so...Fuck Stephen Harper. Why you may ask? For the sheer joy of being able to, that's why.
A suggestion to the artists of this city, cover every wall with images of Harper and Ford (in Ford's case find a big enough wall will be a challenge). Bankrupt the city in graffiti removal alone.
Cause you know, nothing drives these people more crazy than a public message not approved by them or a corporation.
Conservatives may not be able to produce art, but even they recognize its power.
Read more here.
New App lets the unborn learn how gullable their parents are
Soon-to-be parents no longer have to endure the trouble of sifting through a seemingly endless book of baby names in search of the perfect one. It's much, much easier to just let unborn kids choose anyway. That way, they won't be filled with a lifetime of resentment because they were named “Like” after Facebook or something.
Believe it or not, your still-developing child is more than capable of picking its own name before the big birth, and Kick to Pick – a new 99-cent iPhone app – will help your bundle of joy choose the right one.
Read more here.
Believe it or not, your still-developing child is more than capable of picking its own name before the big birth, and Kick to Pick – a new 99-cent iPhone app – will help your bundle of joy choose the right one.
Read more here.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Dumb Criminals: Cab driver Muthanna Aldebashi
California police recovered a stolen laptop after a software programme sent its owner the suspect's location and photograph taken on the Mac's camera.
Joshua Kaufman, an Oakland interaction designer, reported the theft in March.
But police only acted on Tuesday after Mr Kaufman's blog on the theft attracted news media attention.
Cab driver Muthanna Aldebashi, 27, was charged with felony possession of stolen property.
Best bullshit:
A police spokesman said an initial reported was misfiled.
Ok, sure
Mr Kaufman immediately reported the crime to Oakland police and the officer who took the report noted he said he had tracking software installed, Ms Joshi told the BBC.
The software, called Hidden, supplies to the owner the computer's location, photographs taken on the Mac's internal camera and shots of the Mac's screen display.
The programme immediately began sending Mr Kaufman photographs of a bearded man with shaggy dark hair sleeping on a couch, sitting shirtless on a bed in front of the computer, and driving.
Read more here, but prepare for pics that can not be unseen.
Joshua Kaufman, an Oakland interaction designer, reported the theft in March.
But police only acted on Tuesday after Mr Kaufman's blog on the theft attracted news media attention.
Cab driver Muthanna Aldebashi, 27, was charged with felony possession of stolen property.
Best bullshit:
A police spokesman said an initial reported was misfiled.
Ok, sure
Mr Kaufman immediately reported the crime to Oakland police and the officer who took the report noted he said he had tracking software installed, Ms Joshi told the BBC.
The software, called Hidden, supplies to the owner the computer's location, photographs taken on the Mac's internal camera and shots of the Mac's screen display.
The programme immediately began sending Mr Kaufman photographs of a bearded man with shaggy dark hair sleeping on a couch, sitting shirtless on a bed in front of the computer, and driving.
Read more here, but prepare for pics that can not be unseen.
In shocking revelation, Canadian telcos are greedy bastards
Canadians may face restricted access to video services like Netflix and mobile access to Stanley Cup games unless new regulations are put in place, smaller telecommunications companies warn.
Canada's telecommunications regulator needs to set down rules to prevent possible "cartel-like behaviour" from telecommunications companies such as Bell and Rogers that also own content such as TV shows that competitors would like to be able to offer online, said Chris Peirce, chief corporate officer for MTS Allstream.
"If someone owns the content and competing with someone who also needs that content to deliver the service, then there's obviously the propensity for anticompetitive behaviour," Peirce said while taking part in a panel discussion on telecom regulation at the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto Wednesday.
Read more here.
Canada's telecommunications regulator needs to set down rules to prevent possible "cartel-like behaviour" from telecommunications companies such as Bell and Rogers that also own content such as TV shows that competitors would like to be able to offer online, said Chris Peirce, chief corporate officer for MTS Allstream.
"If someone owns the content and competing with someone who also needs that content to deliver the service, then there's obviously the propensity for anticompetitive behaviour," Peirce said while taking part in a panel discussion on telecom regulation at the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto Wednesday.
Read more here.
Shining Light of Honesty Mayor Ford says there's nothing to see..really
Mayor Rob Ford is asking the courts to quash a city committee’s order for a full audit of his unorthodox campaign funding.
Ford’s lawyer Tom Barlow filed notice alleging the compliance audit committee “erred in its interpretation and application of the provisions” of the Municipal Elections Act and “in determining that the application satisfied the threshold for granting a compliance audit.”
That’s a change of heart from last week, when the mayor said he doubted he would appeal the compliance audit committee’s May 13 order.
“There is nothing to hide so let them audit all they want,” he told the Toronto Sun.
Read more here.
Ford’s lawyer Tom Barlow filed notice alleging the compliance audit committee “erred in its interpretation and application of the provisions” of the Municipal Elections Act and “in determining that the application satisfied the threshold for granting a compliance audit.”
That’s a change of heart from last week, when the mayor said he doubted he would appeal the compliance audit committee’s May 13 order.
“There is nothing to hide so let them audit all they want,” he told the Toronto Sun.
Read more here.
Syria, the world is watching
Hamza Ali al-Khateeb, a round-faced 13-year-old boy, was arrested at a protest in Jiza, a southern Syrian village near Dara’a, on April 29. Nothing was known of him for a month before his mutilated corpse was returned to his family on the condition, according to activists, that they never speak of his brutal end.
But the remains themselves testify all too clearly to ghastly torture. Video posted online shows his battered, purple face. His skin is scrawled with cuts, gashes, deep burns and bullet wounds that would probably have injured but not killed. His jaw and kneecaps are shattered, according to an unidentified narrator, and his penis chopped off.
“These are the reforms of the treacherous Bashar,” the narrator says. “Where are human rights? Where are the international criminal tribunals?”
Read more here.
But the remains themselves testify all too clearly to ghastly torture. Video posted online shows his battered, purple face. His skin is scrawled with cuts, gashes, deep burns and bullet wounds that would probably have injured but not killed. His jaw and kneecaps are shattered, according to an unidentified narrator, and his penis chopped off.
“These are the reforms of the treacherous Bashar,” the narrator says. “Where are human rights? Where are the international criminal tribunals?”
Read more here.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Ontario's LCBO won't give up its monopoly until it is pried from their cold dead fingers
Another Canadian monopoly, clinging on for dear life.
Ontario convenience stores won't be selling booze any time soon, despite a survey that suggests they are better at policing the sale of restricted products to minors than alcohol retailers.
Attorney General Chris Bentley recently loosened liquor laws in the province, but he said Monday those changes won't go so far as to allow corner stores to sell liquor or beer.
The Convenience Stores Association, which commissioned the survey, simply "wants something that they don't currently the right to have," said Bentley. "I'm not convinced by the survey that's been produced, given what it was produced to do."
Read more here.
Ontario convenience stores won't be selling booze any time soon, despite a survey that suggests they are better at policing the sale of restricted products to minors than alcohol retailers.
Attorney General Chris Bentley recently loosened liquor laws in the province, but he said Monday those changes won't go so far as to allow corner stores to sell liquor or beer.
The Convenience Stores Association, which commissioned the survey, simply "wants something that they don't currently the right to have," said Bentley. "I'm not convinced by the survey that's been produced, given what it was produced to do."
Read more here.
Canada's parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page: Idiot of the Day
These people have no idea how awful they come across...or do they?
The bill for security at last summer's G8 and G20 summits could have been much lower if the government had used more military personnel instead of police officers, Canada's parliamentary budget officer says.
Kevin Page's comments on Monday came in response to a CBC/Radio-Canada report that revealed the RCMP contracted hundreds of police officers from across the country to travel to Ontario for the two summits, and paid millions in premiums to them for working on days off or during vacations.
They really do have a "us vs. them" mentality.
And it's not just confined to those in *power*, as this commentator shows:
James in Kanata
There's a lot of ways to save money. One way would have been to lock up all the known "peaceful" protesters beforehand. A trip to NDP headquarters would have taken care of that. It just so happens to be illegal.
Using soldiers is fine but the left wing wackos that infest this country have a problem with "soldiers in the streets with guns". So be it. Police on overtime it is.
The Harper Era is bringing out the ugly.
Read more here.
The bill for security at last summer's G8 and G20 summits could have been much lower if the government had used more military personnel instead of police officers, Canada's parliamentary budget officer says.
Kevin Page's comments on Monday came in response to a CBC/Radio-Canada report that revealed the RCMP contracted hundreds of police officers from across the country to travel to Ontario for the two summits, and paid millions in premiums to them for working on days off or during vacations.
They really do have a "us vs. them" mentality.
And it's not just confined to those in *power*, as this commentator shows:
James in Kanata
There's a lot of ways to save money. One way would have been to lock up all the known "peaceful" protesters beforehand. A trip to NDP headquarters would have taken care of that. It just so happens to be illegal.
Using soldiers is fine but the left wing wackos that infest this country have a problem with "soldiers in the streets with guns". So be it. Police on overtime it is.
The Harper Era is bringing out the ugly.
Read more here.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Stunning claim of irregularities in the 2022 World Cup decision process...anyone surprised?...anyone?
Suspended Fifa vice-president Jack Warner has made public an e-mail that claims Mohamed Bin Hammam "bought" the 2022 World Cup finals for Qatar.
Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke admitted he sent the e-mail, which also questioned why Asian football boss Bin Hammam was running for Fifa president.
Valcke wrote: "[Hammam] thought you can buy Fifa as they bought the World Cup."
The Qatar 2022 World Cup bid team has issued a statement "categorically denying any wrong-doing" over the bid.
Read more here.
Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke admitted he sent the e-mail, which also questioned why Asian football boss Bin Hammam was running for Fifa president.
Valcke wrote: "[Hammam] thought you can buy Fifa as they bought the World Cup."
The Qatar 2022 World Cup bid team has issued a statement "categorically denying any wrong-doing" over the bid.
Read more here.
Sarah Palin continues to horrify thinking people everywhere
In a posting on her political action committee website, the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate said Rolling Thunder, through the roar of tens of thousands of bike engines, keeps alive the Memorial Day spirit of honoring veterans.
“I love that smell of emissions,” Palin told Fox News at yesterday’s rally.
Like Jabba the Hutt, these people revel in their awfulness.
Curse you John McCain for unleashing this horror upon us...and thank you for preventing your win...
Read more here.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is extremely arrogant
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who recently decided against a run for president, said he could have beat President Barack Obama in 2012.
"Yes, I think so," Daniels said Sunday on ABC's "This Week," adding, "I mean, no one can know."
So humble.
I feel you would have lost Mr. Daniels. A gym door could even get the best of you...
Read more here.
"Yes, I think so," Daniels said Sunday on ABC's "This Week," adding, "I mean, no one can know."
So humble.
I feel you would have lost Mr. Daniels. A gym door could even get the best of you...
Read more here.
Vandals let loose on Toronto's graffiti
Citizen expresson=bad More billboards=good
BrickWash.com and Goodbye Graffiti are just two of about 30 to 40 GTA companies scrambling to rid the city’s exposed surfaces of both gang tags (which often contain the encoded street prices for drugs) and larger swaths of graffiti that may or may not have artistic merit, depending on one’s point of view.
Read more here.
BrickWash.com and Goodbye Graffiti are just two of about 30 to 40 GTA companies scrambling to rid the city’s exposed surfaces of both gang tags (which often contain the encoded street prices for drugs) and larger swaths of graffiti that may or may not have artistic merit, depending on one’s point of view.
Read more here.
Jeff Pollack defends the record labels without acknowledging reason 1 for declining sales: the music sucks
If you're one of those that feels that major labels are the root of all evil, you may want to skip this post altogether because this time I'm sticking up for the majors. Well, if not stick up for them, at least show that this time around they might actually have the artists' interest (as well as their own) at heart.
It's one big long love letter...enjoy...except for the threat at the end...
So whether it is artist-to-consumer or label-to-cloud service, the deal needs to work for everyone.
Think about it.
Read more here.
It's one big long love letter...enjoy...except for the threat at the end...
So whether it is artist-to-consumer or label-to-cloud service, the deal needs to work for everyone.
Think about it.
Read more here.
Conservative George Lepp: The Dick ain't mine
We want proof I tell you, proof!
As a good Conservative he should stand up, drop 'em and let us all know this is just some terrible misunderstanding. Then the conservatives can get back to the job of making life that much nastier for those who aren't like them.
Isn't that why some vote for them?
They don't mind *being* a dick, just a little camera shy is all.
The Ontario Progressive Conservatives are denying a media report that a candidate took a phone picture of his privates that was later tweeted from his account.
Alan Sakach says George Lepp's BlackBerry was stolen Saturday night and that he only found out Sunday morning after a tweet was posted with a link to a pornographic picture.
Sakach says Lepp has no idea where the picture came from, and is extremely upset that something was tweeted in his name.
and if you'll just step this way we have the Brooklyn Bridge for sale today...
Read more here.
PS - in an equally disturbing development, scores are searching this blog and the Net in general for a copy of said photo.
It is a conservative dick people, don't bother. It will be exceedingly tiny and is only big in the owner's mind.
As a good Conservative he should stand up, drop 'em and let us all know this is just some terrible misunderstanding. Then the conservatives can get back to the job of making life that much nastier for those who aren't like them.
Isn't that why some vote for them?
They don't mind *being* a dick, just a little camera shy is all.
The Ontario Progressive Conservatives are denying a media report that a candidate took a phone picture of his privates that was later tweeted from his account.
Alan Sakach says George Lepp's BlackBerry was stolen Saturday night and that he only found out Sunday morning after a tweet was posted with a link to a pornographic picture.
Sakach says Lepp has no idea where the picture came from, and is extremely upset that something was tweeted in his name.
and if you'll just step this way we have the Brooklyn Bridge for sale today...
Read more here.
PS - in an equally disturbing development, scores are searching this blog and the Net in general for a copy of said photo.
It is a conservative dick people, don't bother. It will be exceedingly tiny and is only big in the owner's mind.
Oh so *that's* why the G20 cost 1 billion
We're in the money, the skies are sunny
Police officers from forces outside the Greater Toronto Area brought in to work at last summer's G8 and G20 summits made millions of dollars through lucrative contracts paying them overtime and vacation rates, according to newly released RCMP documents.
CBC/Radio-Canada has obtained copies of RCMP contracts totalling $7 million for the hiring of 657 officers from 17 different local forces from coast to coast. The invoices detail how over the course of a week or two in June 2010, more than half of all the work performed by those officers was paid for at premium rates of 1½ or two times an officer's usual wages.
One of the most costly examples involves Montreal's police force, which submitted an invoice to the RCMP for 278 officers paid at "double time" for all the work they performed around the Toronto and Huntsville summit sites between June 19 and June 29, at a total cost of $3,342,578.
And here I thought the one billion went towards the Harper "I'm so embarrassed of Toronto" Memorial Fake Lake, and paying for Officer Bubble's lawsuits.
Read more here.
Police officers from forces outside the Greater Toronto Area brought in to work at last summer's G8 and G20 summits made millions of dollars through lucrative contracts paying them overtime and vacation rates, according to newly released RCMP documents.
CBC/Radio-Canada has obtained copies of RCMP contracts totalling $7 million for the hiring of 657 officers from 17 different local forces from coast to coast. The invoices detail how over the course of a week or two in June 2010, more than half of all the work performed by those officers was paid for at premium rates of 1½ or two times an officer's usual wages.
One of the most costly examples involves Montreal's police force, which submitted an invoice to the RCMP for 278 officers paid at "double time" for all the work they performed around the Toronto and Huntsville summit sites between June 19 and June 29, at a total cost of $3,342,578.
And here I thought the one billion went towards the Harper "I'm so embarrassed of Toronto" Memorial Fake Lake, and paying for Officer Bubble's lawsuits.
Read more here.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Woman claims Telus and CRTC f*cked her over...shocking I know
A telecom acting illegally in Canada?....rings a Bell...
Newcastle objects to its more moronic citizens
MTV reality show Geordie Shore, which follows a group of party-loving friends in Newcastle, has come under fire for the way it portrays the city.
Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah said it was "bordering on pornographic".
"It's exploiting those young people and exploiting our city," she told the Evening Chronicle newspaper.
Please, these people will be in government in 15 years.
Read more here.
Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah said it was "bordering on pornographic".
"It's exploiting those young people and exploiting our city," she told the Evening Chronicle newspaper.
Please, these people will be in government in 15 years.
Read more here.
Twitter caves to some sniveling little town council in South Tyneside
Never ever trust your data to any organization online.
For the first time, the American social networking site has bowed to a court action brought by a British group complaining that they were libelled in messages.
The individuals who brought the legal action were councillors and officials at a local authority, South Tyneside.
They launched the case in an attempt to unmask an anonymous whistle-blower who calls himself Mr Monkey.
Read more here.
For the first time, the American social networking site has bowed to a court action brought by a British group complaining that they were libelled in messages.
The individuals who brought the legal action were councillors and officials at a local authority, South Tyneside.
They launched the case in an attempt to unmask an anonymous whistle-blower who calls himself Mr Monkey.
Read more here.
Progressive Conservative Tim Hudak hopes Ontario voters are as self centered and mean spirited as Canadian ones
Hey, they voted in Harper, they'll vote in anyone.
A Progressive Conservative government would throw people in jail for using a friend or relative's health card, cancel the debt retirement charge on Ontario electricity bills and outlaw tax hikes that don't have popular support, provincial Opposition Leader Tim Hudak pledged Saturday in a speech in Toronto.
Disclosing policies from his party's election platform called Changebook — to be released in full on Sunday — Hudak promised an extra $8 billion in spending on health care and education, as well as tax cuts for corporations, but did not say how he would pay for them.
A tax on Pinkos, duh.
Read more here.
A Progressive Conservative government would throw people in jail for using a friend or relative's health card, cancel the debt retirement charge on Ontario electricity bills and outlaw tax hikes that don't have popular support, provincial Opposition Leader Tim Hudak pledged Saturday in a speech in Toronto.
Disclosing policies from his party's election platform called Changebook — to be released in full on Sunday — Hudak promised an extra $8 billion in spending on health care and education, as well as tax cuts for corporations, but did not say how he would pay for them.
A tax on Pinkos, duh.
Read more here.
David Brooks gives sage advice on how to f*ck grandma out of her healthcare money
And so I think a lesson for the Republicans has to be, do something more crafty
Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego should tell China to go f*ck itself
Chinese authorities seem to be trying to force the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego to return to China artwork by Ai Weiwei that MCASD recently added to its collection, MCASD officials have told MAN. The works at issue are two sculptures from Ai’s Marble Chair series (2010, at right).
“The Chinese have contacted us through the shipping company that delivered the chairs and has demanded their return,” MCASD director Hugh Davies told me. “We’re in a bit of a dilemma trying to work around that. Needless to say, until compelled by the authorities to return the chairs, we have no intention of doing so. The situation is complicated because we don’t want to get Ai in trouble. He’s accused of economic crimes.”
Read more here.
“The Chinese have contacted us through the shipping company that delivered the chairs and has demanded their return,” MCASD director Hugh Davies told me. “We’re in a bit of a dilemma trying to work around that. Needless to say, until compelled by the authorities to return the chairs, we have no intention of doing so. The situation is complicated because we don’t want to get Ai in trouble. He’s accused of economic crimes.”
Read more here.
Entertainment industry moves yet again to prove they run the Net
The Motion Picture Association of America asked a federal judge on Thursday to grant a preliminary injunction to stop Zediva, an online movie rental outlet, from operating.
Zediva is the latest in a long line of upstarts to look at how Hollywood does business with release windows and bifurcated rights and think there must be a simpler way.
In Zediva's case, the company saw that on one hand, brick-and-mortar DVD rental stores are allowed to rent its users the latest DVD releases, and on the other hand, online streaming services like Netflix can't because of a perceived need to get permission from Hollywood studios.
So Zediva cut through the red tape by splitting the middle: The company believes it operates a DVD rental store. The only difference here is that its customers rent both DVDs and DVD players and remotely control each over the Internet. By doing it this way, Zediva claims that it doesn't need Hollywood approval. The studios, unsurprisingly, are challenging that assessment.
Read more here.
Zediva is the latest in a long line of upstarts to look at how Hollywood does business with release windows and bifurcated rights and think there must be a simpler way.
In Zediva's case, the company saw that on one hand, brick-and-mortar DVD rental stores are allowed to rent its users the latest DVD releases, and on the other hand, online streaming services like Netflix can't because of a perceived need to get permission from Hollywood studios.
So Zediva cut through the red tape by splitting the middle: The company believes it operates a DVD rental store. The only difference here is that its customers rent both DVDs and DVD players and remotely control each over the Internet. By doing it this way, Zediva claims that it doesn't need Hollywood approval. The studios, unsurprisingly, are challenging that assessment.
Read more here.
Sen. Judd Gregg gets his reward from Goldman Sachs
With Goldman Sachs' latest high-profile hire, the Wall Street giant is unlikely to shake its Government Sachs nickname or the reputation for exerting undue influence in Washington that it implies.
Goldman announced Friday that it had named three-term Sen. Judd Gregg an international adviser to the bank. The New Hampshire Republican will "provide strategic advice to the firm and its clients, and assist in business development initiatives across our global franchise," Goldman said in a statement.
"Judd Gregg's experience and insight will contribute significantly to our firm and our continuing focus on supporting economic growth," said Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman's chairman and CEO.
Read more here.
Goldman announced Friday that it had named three-term Sen. Judd Gregg an international adviser to the bank. The New Hampshire Republican will "provide strategic advice to the firm and its clients, and assist in business development initiatives across our global franchise," Goldman said in a statement.
"Judd Gregg's experience and insight will contribute significantly to our firm and our continuing focus on supporting economic growth," said Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman's chairman and CEO.
Read more here.
True to form, conservative Mayor Ford and Co. are going to make sure you don't have fun...ever
The city is considering a ban on dangerous kite flying from city parks.
A report going to the Parks and Environment Committee next week recommends a ban on kites with strings made of hazardous materials including fishing line or piano wire.
The report also recommends a permit process for competitive kite flying and a ban on kites in parks that have "significant bird activity."
City staff are calling for a $300 fine for any infraction.
Read more here.
A report going to the Parks and Environment Committee next week recommends a ban on kites with strings made of hazardous materials including fishing line or piano wire.
The report also recommends a permit process for competitive kite flying and a ban on kites in parks that have "significant bird activity."
City staff are calling for a $300 fine for any infraction.
Read more here.
Harper begins spinning the bullsh*t on Libya
Who are you trying to kid asshole, you have a majority...you can have all the war you want.
Better get used to this Canada. You decided you wanted this awful person as your PM..now deal with it.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he is hoping for unanimous consent when Parliament is asked next month to approve a "reasonable" extension of Canada's military mission in Libya.
In an interview airing on CBC Radio’s The House on Saturday, Harper said there are encouraging signs of success in Libya, but added the reasons Canada intervened there in the first place haven't changed and warrant the military’s continued involvement.
Read more here.
Better get used to this Canada. You decided you wanted this awful person as your PM..now deal with it.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he is hoping for unanimous consent when Parliament is asked next month to approve a "reasonable" extension of Canada's military mission in Libya.
In an interview airing on CBC Radio’s The House on Saturday, Harper said there are encouraging signs of success in Libya, but added the reasons Canada intervened there in the first place haven't changed and warrant the military’s continued involvement.
Read more here.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Canada gets what it asked for: Harper wants Libyan war extended
A majority seemed to have wanted Canada to take a turn for the ugly.
Voila, you got your wish.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is planning to extend the Canadian military mission in Libya, saying that although progress has been made against the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, more needs to be done.
As the G8 summit wrapped on Friday in Deauville, France, Harper said he would ask Parliament in June to agree to an extension of the mission.
Read more here.
Voila, you got your wish.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is planning to extend the Canadian military mission in Libya, saying that although progress has been made against the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, more needs to be done.
As the G8 summit wrapped on Friday in Deauville, France, Harper said he would ask Parliament in June to agree to an extension of the mission.
Read more here.
Dangerously insane US judge gives corporations even more power
A U.S. judge has ruled that the campaign finance law banning corporations from making contributions to federal candidates is unconstitutional, saying that a recent Supreme Court decision gives companies the same right to donate as individual citizens enjoy*.
In a ruling issued late Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Cacheris tossed out part of an indictment against two people charged with illegally reimbursing donors to Hillary Clinton's 2006 Senate and 2008 presidential campaigns.
Cacheris says that under the Supreme Court's landmark Citizens United decision last year, corporations have the right to give to federal candidates.
The ruling from the federal judge in Virginia is the first of its kind.
* this seems to mean that because there is one very fucked up decision out there, all sorts of equally fucked up ones can flow from it unhindered...
Read more here.
In a ruling issued late Thursday, U.S. District Judge James Cacheris tossed out part of an indictment against two people charged with illegally reimbursing donors to Hillary Clinton's 2006 Senate and 2008 presidential campaigns.
Cacheris says that under the Supreme Court's landmark Citizens United decision last year, corporations have the right to give to federal candidates.
The ruling from the federal judge in Virginia is the first of its kind.
* this seems to mean that because there is one very fucked up decision out there, all sorts of equally fucked up ones can flow from it unhindered...
Read more here.
The Financial Post kisses Arianna Huffington's ass
Now there's a mental image...
Of course, not everything went smoothly for The Huffington Post on its first international launch.
The site took some heat from Canadian readers who tried to access the U.S. version of the site on Thursday, only to be re-directed to the Huffington Post Canada site.
Although Ms. Huffington said Huffington Post Canada had already fixed it so that Canadians could read either the U.S. or Canadian edition of the site, as of 7:00 p.m. ET, Canadians were still being redirected away from the U.S. site.
Still, she said the feedback Huffington Post Canada received from readers on Thursday, which prompted the decision to allow Canadian readers to access either site, is emblematic of the nimbleness that is unique to online media properties. An advantage she believes will allow The Huffington Post‘s Canadian edition to thrive North of the border.
That is bullshit, there was no "nimbleness" involved. The Huffington Post got caught trying to pull a fast one on the Canadian public, got their ass kicked and made changes before someone took them to court.
I ain't buyin' your spin...
Read more here.
Of course, not everything went smoothly for The Huffington Post on its first international launch.
The site took some heat from Canadian readers who tried to access the U.S. version of the site on Thursday, only to be re-directed to the Huffington Post Canada site.
Although Ms. Huffington said Huffington Post Canada had already fixed it so that Canadians could read either the U.S. or Canadian edition of the site, as of 7:00 p.m. ET, Canadians were still being redirected away from the U.S. site.
Still, she said the feedback Huffington Post Canada received from readers on Thursday, which prompted the decision to allow Canadian readers to access either site, is emblematic of the nimbleness that is unique to online media properties. An advantage she believes will allow The Huffington Post‘s Canadian edition to thrive North of the border.
That is bullshit, there was no "nimbleness" involved. The Huffington Post got caught trying to pull a fast one on the Canadian public, got their ass kicked and made changes before someone took them to court.
I ain't buyin' your spin...
Read more here.
Mark Zuckerberg keeps getting stranger and stranger
When he's not too busy connecting people across the universe, Mark Zuckerberg is pursuing a new "personal challenge," as he calls it. "The only meat I'm eating is from animals I've killed myself," says the Facebook founder and CEO.
It's an odd dietary direction for the 27-year-old Internet billionaire, but since he has taken to killing goats, pigs and chickens, "I'm eating a lot healthier foods. And I've learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals," he says. "It's easy to take the food we eat for granted when we can eat good things every day."
Zuckerberg's new goal came to light, not surprisingly, on Facebook. On May 4, Zuckerberg posted a note to the 847 friends on his private page: "I just killed a pig and a goat."
Read more here.
It's an odd dietary direction for the 27-year-old Internet billionaire, but since he has taken to killing goats, pigs and chickens, "I'm eating a lot healthier foods. And I've learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals," he says. "It's easy to take the food we eat for granted when we can eat good things every day."
Zuckerberg's new goal came to light, not surprisingly, on Facebook. On May 4, Zuckerberg posted a note to the 847 friends on his private page: "I just killed a pig and a goat."
Read more here.
Americans better get used to the fact that the Patriot Act is permanent
Governments never ever give up power voluntarily.
The US Congress has voted to renew three expiring provisions of the anti-terrorism Patriot Act which increase surveillance powers.
The four-year extension was approved in the Senate just hours before the deadline at midnight (0400 GMT).
The bill was then sent to the House of Representatives, where it passed by a 250-153 vote.
The Patriot Act was brought in under President George W Bush in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks.
US President Barack Obama is now due to ratify the bill, officials said.
Read more here.
The US Congress has voted to renew three expiring provisions of the anti-terrorism Patriot Act which increase surveillance powers.
The four-year extension was approved in the Senate just hours before the deadline at midnight (0400 GMT).
The bill was then sent to the House of Representatives, where it passed by a 250-153 vote.
The Patriot Act was brought in under President George W Bush in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks.
US President Barack Obama is now due to ratify the bill, officials said.
Read more here.
Arizona police kill former Marine in pot raid
On May 5 at around 9:30 a.m., several teams of Pima County, Ariz., police officers from at least four different police agencies armed with SWAT gear and an armored personnel carrier raided at least four homes as part of what at the time was described as an investigation into alleged marijuana trafficking. One of those homes belonged to 26-year-old Jose Guerena and his wife, Vanessa Guerena. The couple's 4-year-old son was also in the house at the time. Their 6-year-old son was at school.
As the SWAT team forced its way into his home, Guerena, a former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, armed himself with his AR-15 rifle and told his wife and son to hide in a closet. As the officers entered, Guerena confronted them from the far end of a long, dark hallway. The police opened fire, releasing more than 70 rounds in about 7 seconds, at least 60 of which struck Guerena. He was pronounced dead a little over an hour later.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department initially claimed (PDF) Guerena fired his weapon at the SWAT team. They now acknowledge that not only did he not fire, the safety on his gun was still activated when he was killed. Guerena had no prior criminal record, and the police found nothing illegal in his home. After ushering out his wife and son, the police refused to allow paramedics to access Guerena for more than hour, leaving the young father to bleed to death, alone, in his own home.
I can now report a number of new details that further call into question the police account of what happened that morning. But first some context:
Read more here.
As the SWAT team forced its way into his home, Guerena, a former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, armed himself with his AR-15 rifle and told his wife and son to hide in a closet. As the officers entered, Guerena confronted them from the far end of a long, dark hallway. The police opened fire, releasing more than 70 rounds in about 7 seconds, at least 60 of which struck Guerena. He was pronounced dead a little over an hour later.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department initially claimed (PDF) Guerena fired his weapon at the SWAT team. They now acknowledge that not only did he not fire, the safety on his gun was still activated when he was killed. Guerena had no prior criminal record, and the police found nothing illegal in his home. After ushering out his wife and son, the police refused to allow paramedics to access Guerena for more than hour, leaving the young father to bleed to death, alone, in his own home.
I can now report a number of new details that further call into question the police account of what happened that morning. But first some context:
Read more here.
Global commodities trader Glencore doesn't want you prying into their business...so let's pry shall we?
A few days after it was announced that the global commodities trader Glencore was to mount the biggest stock exchange float in British history, every major news organisation in the UK received a terse letter from a London law firm.
The letter was from Schillings, which is no ordinary corporate law firm: its lawyers describe themselves as reputation management experts, people who help clients "manage what is published and broadcast about them". They are particularly proud of their own reputation as the country's leading superinjunction specialists.
Glencore executives, the letter said, "are extremely private individuals", who expected scrutiny of their business activities, but not their personal lives. A warning followed about the "security risk" that could be posed by any reports about their homes or private lives.
Read more here.
The letter was from Schillings, which is no ordinary corporate law firm: its lawyers describe themselves as reputation management experts, people who help clients "manage what is published and broadcast about them". They are particularly proud of their own reputation as the country's leading superinjunction specialists.
Glencore executives, the letter said, "are extremely private individuals", who expected scrutiny of their business activities, but not their personal lives. A warning followed about the "security risk" that could be posed by any reports about their homes or private lives.
Read more here.
Harper: One Billion for G20, fine. Any money for developing Middle East democracies, not a dime
Canada will not be contributing any new funds to an overall G8 pledge to support countries transitioning to democracy in the Middle East and North Africa.
A summit official tells The Canadian Press that overall, G8 leaders will agree to contribute $20 billion to flow through multilateral banks, including the European Investment Bank.
Read more here.
A summit official tells The Canadian Press that overall, G8 leaders will agree to contribute $20 billion to flow through multilateral banks, including the European Investment Bank.
Read more here.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
How to avoid the Huffington Post Canada redirect
From AnnoyedCanuck:
How to get back to the flagship .com version of Huffpo:
Google "the Huffington Post".
From the Google search result page, click on 'Cashed' (right next to the Huffingtonpost.com site address).
This will take you to the latest updated version of the US Huffpo page. Click Refresh to update the page.
Bookmark the address for this search, and you can bypass the redirect to the Canadian site anytime you want.
orrrr from Chapstikk:
(for those who have not found it...mouse-over the words FRONT PAGE at the top of the page, and a drop-down gives a choice of country).
Google "the Huffington Post".
From the Google search result page, click on 'Cashed' (right next to the Huffingtonpost.com site address).
This will take you to the latest updated version of the US Huffpo page. Click Refresh to update the page.
Bookmark the address for this search, and you can bypass the redirect to the Canadian site anytime you want.
orrrr from Chapstikk:
(for those who have not found it...mouse-over the words FRONT PAGE at the top of the page, and a drop-down gives a choice of country).
Peter Fonda: Idiot of the Day
Lars von Trier, who was banned from Cannes for praising Hitler, was not the only one making unsavoury comments at the film festival.
Peter Fonda, the star of Easy Rider, suggested to Mandrake that he was encouraging his grandchildren to shoot President Barack Obama.
“I’m training my grandchildren to use long-range rifles,” said the actor, 71. “For what purpose? Well, I’m not going to say the words 'Barack Obama’, but …”
Read more here.
Peter Fonda, the star of Easy Rider, suggested to Mandrake that he was encouraging his grandchildren to shoot President Barack Obama.
“I’m training my grandchildren to use long-range rifles,” said the actor, 71. “For what purpose? Well, I’m not going to say the words 'Barack Obama’, but …”
Read more here.
The Huffington Post, AOL and ScotiaBank are breaking Net Neutrality in Canada
The Huffington Post have launched a Canadian version.
That's great. I'll check it out sometime.
You don't have a choice.
What?
You can no longer access the .com from Canada.
They can't do that.
They just did.
Read more here.
That's great. I'll check it out sometime.
You don't have a choice.
What?
You can no longer access the .com from Canada.
They can't do that.
They just did.
Read more here.
Mickey Mouse gets bitten in Seal hunt
A corporation finds there are limits to its arrogance. Who knew.
Faced with a public relations firestorm, Walt Disney Co. said it had withdrawn its application to trademark the moniker "SEAL Team 6" for use on games, snow globes and TV shows.
Two days after the Navy's elite SEAL Team 6 swooped into Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killing the Al Qaeda leader, an attorney for the Burbank-based entertainment giant filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for use of the term "SEAL Team 6."
Last week, the Navy countered by filing two trademark applications of its own for the names "Navy SEALS" and "SEAL Team."
On Wednesday, Disney deferred to the Navy.
"Out of deference to the Navy's application for these trademarks, we have withdrawn ours," a Disney spokesman said.
Read more here.
Faced with a public relations firestorm, Walt Disney Co. said it had withdrawn its application to trademark the moniker "SEAL Team 6" for use on games, snow globes and TV shows.
Two days after the Navy's elite SEAL Team 6 swooped into Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killing the Al Qaeda leader, an attorney for the Burbank-based entertainment giant filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for use of the term "SEAL Team 6."
Last week, the Navy countered by filing two trademark applications of its own for the names "Navy SEALS" and "SEAL Team."
On Wednesday, Disney deferred to the Navy.
"Out of deference to the Navy's application for these trademarks, we have withdrawn ours," a Disney spokesman said.
Read more here.
F*ck You Huffington Post Canada
Thank goodness there's no offensive stereotyping here*...
If I want to be force redirected to a "Canadian" version of your homepage, I'll ask for it.
This is not the net, it is you making me view a page. If I type in ".com" it means that where I want to go, not to be redirected to some ghetto'd page you think I want.
Fuck you.
Why would they do such an arrogent thing you ask?
Arianna Huffington: When we announced our merger with AOL, I said that one of the things that most excited me about the deal was how it would allow us to reach our goals -- including the launch of international editions of HuffPost -- much, much faster. Three months later, I'm delighted to be in Toronto for today's launch of our first international version
Yup, her corporate minders have commanded: Take readers choice away, they're only Canadians. They're a simple folk who know nothing of the Interwebs and will react with *joy* at our decision...well, just look at the graphic!
I'd like to see her try something like this on a US audience.
I suggest writing THP and tell them of your displeasure. They might just get the message...but don't bet on it.
Also, leave a message in the comment section in this story on the Canadian version, conveniently called "HuffPost Canada Readers, Speak Up"
* to our non Canadian readers: notwithstanding the Huffington Post's excellent journalism skills, Canadian beavers are still unable to read or even manipulate an iPad (although given Huffington's opinion of Canada, that well may be an Etch a Sketch).
This is not the fault of the Canadian education system, which has tried for years to teach the beaver the basics of literary knowledge...to no avail.
It is accurate in the depiction of the hockey player however. They have been able to read for over a decade now.
Oh look, the supply ship from France has arrived! Gotta go!
Super Injunctions, Twitter, and another big f*ck you from the rich to you
A senior executive from Twitter yesterday admitted for the first time that the website would turn over information to authorities if it was "legally required" to do so.
Experts had previously assumed that people who breached gagging orders on Twitter were protected from legal reprisals because the website is outside the jurisdiction of British courts.
The admission came after Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General, warned earlier this week that people who breached injunctions online were in for a "rude shock".
Translation: we have money and lawyers. Don't fuck with us.
Response: The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.
Read more here.
Experts had previously assumed that people who breached gagging orders on Twitter were protected from legal reprisals because the website is outside the jurisdiction of British courts.
The admission came after Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General, warned earlier this week that people who breached injunctions online were in for a "rude shock".
Translation: we have money and lawyers. Don't fuck with us.
Response: The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.
Read more here.
Harper and Defence Minister Peter MacKay are cold hearted bastards
Can't send the military to help Canadians, it's too busy killing brown people. Priorities people, priorities.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay visited Quebec's flood zone along the Richelieu River on Wednesday, as residents brace for a long cleanup, which they will have to do without any help from the military.
Wearing hip waders, MacKay spent some time in one of the hardest-hit towns – Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu – as residents in the flood region vented their frustration at the federal government's handling of the crisis.
Passionate conservatism at work.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said the military would not help with the cleanup.
Toews suggested that the military's role includes placing sandbags to protect property, but not picking up sandbags to clean up.
Toews also explained that the military should not stay behind because, if it performed any cleanup work, it would be competing with the private sector.
There's not enough *fuck you*'s in the world for that kind of attitude.
Read more here.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay visited Quebec's flood zone along the Richelieu River on Wednesday, as residents brace for a long cleanup, which they will have to do without any help from the military.
Wearing hip waders, MacKay spent some time in one of the hardest-hit towns – Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu – as residents in the flood region vented their frustration at the federal government's handling of the crisis.
Passionate conservatism at work.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said the military would not help with the cleanup.
Toews suggested that the military's role includes placing sandbags to protect property, but not picking up sandbags to clean up.
Toews also explained that the military should not stay behind because, if it performed any cleanup work, it would be competing with the private sector.
There's not enough *fuck you*'s in the world for that kind of attitude.
Read more here.
Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn moves to "plush" new house..without maid service
Former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn moved Wednesday from a temporary space in a high-rise to a plush, four-bedroom brick town house in Manhattan where he will remain under house arrest as he awaits trial on charges he tried to rape a hotel maid, officials said.
The one-time French presidential contender was seen smiling as he got into a grey sport utility vehicle under tight security. He was moved about two kilometres away to the stately red brick town home in Manhattan's Tribeca neighbourhood
Read more here.
The one-time French presidential contender was seen smiling as he got into a grey sport utility vehicle under tight security. He was moved about two kilometres away to the stately red brick town home in Manhattan's Tribeca neighbourhood
Read more here.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Paris Match and Le Monde: Vile Journalism of the Day
French press publishes Strauss-Kahn accuser’s name and “photos”...
...the French press is blatantly committing what American journalists regard as a cardinal sin of rape coverage: violating the anonymity of the alleged victim.
Paris Match — a major society magazine positioned somewhere between People Magazine and Vanity Fair — has published her name, in a banner headline that translates as "[name withheld], the one who caused DSK's downfall."
Read more here.
...the French press is blatantly committing what American journalists regard as a cardinal sin of rape coverage: violating the anonymity of the alleged victim.
Paris Match — a major society magazine positioned somewhere between People Magazine and Vanity Fair — has published her name, in a banner headline that translates as "[name withheld], the one who caused DSK's downfall."
Read more here.
The Smurfs or Hollywood has no shame
It's a bit too intellectual for modern audiences, but you never know.
The most distant single object yet seen
A cataclysmic explosion of a huge star near the edge of the observable Universe may be the most distant single object yet spied by a telescope.
Scientists believe the blast, which was detected by Nasa's Swift space observatory, occurred a mere 520 million years after the Big Bang.
This means its light has taken a staggering 13.14 billion years to reach Earth.
Read more here.
Scientists believe the blast, which was detected by Nasa's Swift space observatory, occurred a mere 520 million years after the Big Bang.
This means its light has taken a staggering 13.14 billion years to reach Earth.
Read more here.
Toronto's Dutil Denim, or there's one born every minute
"We wanted our jeans to be natural, simple, and well-constructed," Darrin says. So, thankfully, there are no rhinestone apples or any other sort of decals found here. The Quintessential Series is the signature collection sold here, right now offering two styles of men's ($258) and two styles of women's ($238), which includes the "Quintessential Slim-Straight" for men and the "Quintessential Skinny" for women, designed in Vancouver and constructed in L.A.
Hey, if you're dumb enough to drop that kind of coin on jeans, who am I to stop you...
I may chuckle a bit...
Read more here.
Hey, if you're dumb enough to drop that kind of coin on jeans, who am I to stop you...
I may chuckle a bit...
Read more here.
Minnesota's Governor Mark Dayton tries to apologize for the heartless, spiteful people in his government
The ability of a governor to take charge of a state’s political conversation — particularly when legislators are not in session — was never more clear than this morning.
Gov. Mark Dayton stepped up to his bully pulpit and talked about his “symbolic” veto of the controversial constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage...
...Dayton seemed surprised that a legislative bill, mirroring the amendment, even would cross his desk. His veto of the bill, he admitted, would do nothing to prevent the proposed amendment from going on the ballot in November 2012.
“Symbolic as it may be, without question, I’m vetoing it,” Dayton said.
Nice try governor, but these people are motivated by religious driven hatred. They are blind.
Read more here.
Gov. Mark Dayton stepped up to his bully pulpit and talked about his “symbolic” veto of the controversial constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage...
...Dayton seemed surprised that a legislative bill, mirroring the amendment, even would cross his desk. His veto of the bill, he admitted, would do nothing to prevent the proposed amendment from going on the ballot in November 2012.
“Symbolic as it may be, without question, I’m vetoing it,” Dayton said.
Nice try governor, but these people are motivated by religious driven hatred. They are blind.
Read more here.
Money and War top G8 agenda
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will travel to Europe on Wednesday on his first foreign trip since winning a majority this month.
As was the case on much of the campaign trail, economic issues will feature prominently at the meeting, which begins Thursday in Deauville, France.
Indeed, Harper has asked to be one of the first leaders to speak on the issue.
Money and war, he'll be like a pig in shit.
Read more here.
As was the case on much of the campaign trail, economic issues will feature prominently at the meeting, which begins Thursday in Deauville, France.
Indeed, Harper has asked to be one of the first leaders to speak on the issue.
Money and war, he'll be like a pig in shit.
Read more here.
Even the Catholic Church tells Republicans to lighten up on the kicking grandma thing
“We congratulate you [House Speaker John Boehner] on the occasion of your commencement address to The Catholic University of America,” they [a group of Catholic academics, including some leading members of the Catholic University faculty] wrote. “It is good for Catholic universities to host and engage the thoughts of powerful public figures, even Catholics such as yourself who fail to recognize (whether out of a lack of awareness or dissent) important aspects of Catholic teaching.”
The rest of the letter was tough. “From the apostles to the present,” the professors wrote, “the Magisterium of the Church has insisted that those in power are morally obliged to preference the needs of the poor.” They added: “Your record in support of legislation to address the desperate needs of the poor is among the worst in Congress.”
The letter specifically condemned the House-passed Ryan budget, arguing that it “guts long-established protections for the most vulnerable members of society.”
Read more here.
The rest of the letter was tough. “From the apostles to the present,” the professors wrote, “the Magisterium of the Church has insisted that those in power are morally obliged to preference the needs of the poor.” They added: “Your record in support of legislation to address the desperate needs of the poor is among the worst in Congress.”
The letter specifically condemned the House-passed Ryan budget, arguing that it “guts long-established protections for the most vulnerable members of society.”
Read more here.
Mayor Ford and City approve Pride funding
Good for you Robbie, there's hope yet.
A key council committee has approved the unconditional allocation of city funds to Toronto's Pride Festival after an impassioned debate over whether the organizers of the event were in compliance with the city's anti-discrimination policy.
The executive committee voted unanimously Thursday night in favour of funding the festival after hearing from more than 50 citizens.
Read more here.
A key council committee has approved the unconditional allocation of city funds to Toronto's Pride Festival after an impassioned debate over whether the organizers of the event were in compliance with the city's anti-discrimination policy.
The executive committee voted unanimously Thursday night in favour of funding the festival after hearing from more than 50 citizens.
Read more here.
Paul Ryan explains, ever so gently, how to f*ck grandma out of her healthcare money
They've got this little weasel out front cause he sounds so reasonable.
Iron fist in the velvet glove.
New Zealand trucker...omg
A New Zealand truck driver who fell on a compressed air hose that pierced his buttock has survived being blown up like a balloon.
Steven McCormack had fallen between the cab and the trailer of his truck, breaking the air hose.
The nozzle pierced his buttock and began pumping air into his body, which expanded dramatically.
As he screamed, Mr McCormack's colleagues turned the air off and laid him on his side, saving his life.
The accident happened at Opotiki on the North Island on Saturday.
Read more here.
Steven McCormack had fallen between the cab and the trailer of his truck, breaking the air hose.
The nozzle pierced his buttock and began pumping air into his body, which expanded dramatically.
As he screamed, Mr McCormack's colleagues turned the air off and laid him on his side, saving his life.
The accident happened at Opotiki on the North Island on Saturday.
Read more here.
New Jersey's Gov. Chris Christie: Education? We don't need no stinkin' education
It's a wonder Republicans educate at all and not just throw kids directly into the work force...
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that $500 million must be restored to the state's poorest school districts after it found part of Gov. Chris Christie's controversial 2011 budget to be unconstitutional.
"Today's ruling by the state Supreme Court is disappointing, but not unexpected," Christie responded in a press conference. "There are several reasons why I believe this decision represents everything wrong with how Trenton has historically operated and everything that I'm here fighting to change."
According to court documents, Christie's budget fails to meet the funding requirements set forth by the School Funding Reform Act of 2008, a spending formula that guarantees financial support for all New Jersey public school districts.
Read more here.
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that $500 million must be restored to the state's poorest school districts after it found part of Gov. Chris Christie's controversial 2011 budget to be unconstitutional.
"Today's ruling by the state Supreme Court is disappointing, but not unexpected," Christie responded in a press conference. "There are several reasons why I believe this decision represents everything wrong with how Trenton has historically operated and everything that I'm here fighting to change."
According to court documents, Christie's budget fails to meet the funding requirements set forth by the School Funding Reform Act of 2008, a spending formula that guarantees financial support for all New Jersey public school districts.
Read more here.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Cold hearted Republicans loose in 26th Congressional District
Seems taking away grandma's health care *still* isn't popular.
Democrats picked off a heavily Republican upstate New York congressional seat Tuesday night in a special election that became a referendum on Medicare.
Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul edged past Republican state Assemblywoman Jane Corwin to win the seat in the 26th Congressional District.
Read more here.
Democrats picked off a heavily Republican upstate New York congressional seat Tuesday night in a special election that became a referendum on Medicare.
Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul edged past Republican state Assemblywoman Jane Corwin to win the seat in the 26th Congressional District.
Read more here.
NASA gives up, reuses old ships kept in garage
NASA plans a return to yesteryear by developing a space capsule that will carry humans into deep space, it announced Tuesday.
"We are committed to human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and look forward to developing the next generation of systems to take us there," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said.
The new spacecraft, to be built by Lockheed Martin, will be known as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, or MPCV. It will carry four astronauts and be based on designs originally planned for NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, whose development was canceled by President Barack Obama.
Read more here.
"We are committed to human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and look forward to developing the next generation of systems to take us there," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said.
The new spacecraft, to be built by Lockheed Martin, will be known as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, or MPCV. It will carry four astronauts and be based on designs originally planned for NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, whose development was canceled by President Barack Obama.
Read more here.
Lady Gaga's Born This Way: A bloated mess
Yeah, I know, I'm not her target audience..
Only two songs stand out for me: "Government Hooker" and "Schiße", only because they don't sound like 80's power ballads or everything else she's ever put out.
From Slider to Tanx...
More proof The History Channel is run by people who don't actually like know nothing of history
The History Channel has been a joke for some time now among those who really enjoy history ...
The History Channel: not just for documentaries about Hitler anymore. In an effort to appeal to those millions of Americans who would rather watch contestants eat dung in a jungle with Jeff Probst egging them on than watch another documentary about something that happened before they were born, the channel has brought in reality show producer Mark Burnett to create a 12-hour scripted drama about the Bible. Previously, Burnett's biggest shows to date have been "Survivor," "The Apprentice" and "The Voice"... all of which sound like Sunday school stories themselves when you stop to think about it.
But just in case putting Bible stories on the History Channel makes you feel a little icky, don't worry. The series will be entirely free of historical context, according the network's president.
Read more here.
The History Channel: not just for documentaries about Hitler anymore. In an effort to appeal to those millions of Americans who would rather watch contestants eat dung in a jungle with Jeff Probst egging them on than watch another documentary about something that happened before they were born, the channel has brought in reality show producer Mark Burnett to create a 12-hour scripted drama about the Bible. Previously, Burnett's biggest shows to date have been "Survivor," "The Apprentice" and "The Voice"... all of which sound like Sunday school stories themselves when you stop to think about it.
But just in case putting Bible stories on the History Channel makes you feel a little icky, don't worry. The series will be entirely free of historical context, according the network's president.
Read more here.
Yet another government attempts to control the Net. Today, France
For some time, French Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy has talked about his dream of a “civilized” Internet, but this dream has long been a nightmare for those who worry that “civilization” is really a code for “regulations favorable to big business and the national security state.” To make his vision a reality, Sarkozy helped to create this week's e-G8 meeting currently underway in the Tuileries Gardens next door to the Louvre—and the critics are fuming.
"I was invited to the e-G8 and declined," said author and activist Cory Doctorow recently. "I believe it's a whitewash, an attempt to get people who care about the Internet to lend credibility to regimes that are in all-out war with the free, open 'Net. On the other hand, I now have a dandy handwriting sample from Sarkozy should I ever need to establish a graphological baseline for narcissistic sociopathy."
The core of what he's getting at:
President Sarkozy claimed that countries could not remain neutral and allow completely unchecked internet use.
Tell him to go fuck himself...while you still can.
Read more here and here.
"I was invited to the e-G8 and declined," said author and activist Cory Doctorow recently. "I believe it's a whitewash, an attempt to get people who care about the Internet to lend credibility to regimes that are in all-out war with the free, open 'Net. On the other hand, I now have a dandy handwriting sample from Sarkozy should I ever need to establish a graphological baseline for narcissistic sociopathy."
The core of what he's getting at:
President Sarkozy claimed that countries could not remain neutral and allow completely unchecked internet use.
Tell him to go fuck himself...while you still can.
Read more here and here.
Harper and Co. beam with pride as Canada excels at corruption
Canada is lagging behind all other G7 countries in enforcing anti-bribery measures against its businesses operating abroad, an international anti-corruption watchdog says.
For the seventh year in a row, Transparency International ranked Canada as having "little or no enforcement" of foreign bribery standards set out in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Anti-Bribery Convention, which was signed by Canada and came into effect in 1999.
The Berlin-based watchdog, in a report released Tuesday, lamented a "lack of progress" by Canada and called on the Canadian government to show "more visible public commitment" to enforcement.
Please, they will win the Stephen Harper Award For Underhanded Corporate Influence.
Read more here.
For the seventh year in a row, Transparency International ranked Canada as having "little or no enforcement" of foreign bribery standards set out in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Anti-Bribery Convention, which was signed by Canada and came into effect in 1999.
The Berlin-based watchdog, in a report released Tuesday, lamented a "lack of progress" by Canada and called on the Canadian government to show "more visible public commitment" to enforcement.
Please, they will win the Stephen Harper Award For Underhanded Corporate Influence.
Read more here.
Lawsuit contents Cisco aided China in repression
Senior executives at Cisco Systems worked closely with Chinese government security agents to tailor hardware and software they knew would be used to track, detain and torture followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, according to a U.S. federal lawsuit filed last week.
The suit accuses the networking company’s chief executive John Chambers and leaders of Cisco’s China business of close collaboration with Beijing, citing statements on company websites, at trade shows and in internal documents.
Read more here.
The suit accuses the networking company’s chief executive John Chambers and leaders of Cisco’s China business of close collaboration with Beijing, citing statements on company websites, at trade shows and in internal documents.
Read more here.
Toronto Police Association makes the move to stand up comedy
The head of the Toronto Police Association says it is "absolutely absurd" to suggest officers conspired to protect colleagues accused of breaking a man's shoulder at a G20 protest.
Haahahahahahah funny!
Ok, I got one. A priest, a rabbi and Officer Bubbles walk into a bar...
Read more here.
Haahahahahahah funny!
Ok, I got one. A priest, a rabbi and Officer Bubbles walk into a bar...
Read more here.
Mark Zuckerberg pushes to make Facebook just that much creepier
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he wants the social networking site to let children under the age of 13 use it.
At the moment that age limit is dictated by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act which was made Federal Law in America in 1998.
But Zuckerberg says he's willing to fight to change the law.
He says it's a battle worth taking on because of the educational benefits of using the site.
Who the fuck is he kidding?
Read more here.
At the moment that age limit is dictated by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act which was made Federal Law in America in 1998.
But Zuckerberg says he's willing to fight to change the law.
He says it's a battle worth taking on because of the educational benefits of using the site.
Who the fuck is he kidding?
Read more here.
Minnesota now the most repulsive place in North America
Religious bigotry gets its day in the sun.
Enjoy it while you can.
Brett Popplewell: Let's make Toronto even blander than it is now
Is that even possible?
I can't tell from Mr. Popplewell's article whether he is advocating Casa Loma's destruction or not, it is that vaguely written...
Atop Spadina Rd. there stands a house like no other in the city, country or continent.
A neglected heritage site that attracts tourists, yes, but that remains, like most other heritage sites in town, of little consequence to Torontonians who have neither time nor interest to visit its oak-trimmed halls and Roman stone walls.
So why are we trying to save it when we could just tear it down?
Yes, tear it down.
That is, after all, the Toronto way.
That is too fucking true.
Read more here.
I can't tell from Mr. Popplewell's article whether he is advocating Casa Loma's destruction or not, it is that vaguely written...
Atop Spadina Rd. there stands a house like no other in the city, country or continent.
A neglected heritage site that attracts tourists, yes, but that remains, like most other heritage sites in town, of little consequence to Torontonians who have neither time nor interest to visit its oak-trimmed halls and Roman stone walls.
So why are we trying to save it when we could just tear it down?
Yes, tear it down.
That is, after all, the Toronto way.
That is too fucking true.
Read more here.
World awaits to see who will fall for this charlatan Christian yet again
Harold Camping is sticking to his apocalyptic guns.
In his first radio broadcast since his doomsday prediction failed to pan out in a spectacularly public fashion, the California preacher insisted his was an error of interpretation, not fact.
What's more, he has another calculation for the day the world will end - October 21, 2011.
FYI, STFU
Read more here.
In his first radio broadcast since his doomsday prediction failed to pan out in a spectacularly public fashion, the California preacher insisted his was an error of interpretation, not fact.
What's more, he has another calculation for the day the world will end - October 21, 2011.
FYI, STFU
Read more here.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Paul Ryan thinks the voters will just love taking away grandma's healthcare
Whenever a politician uses the word "serious", you know they plan to fuck somebody over.
If there's one thing conservatives excel at, it's getting the public to do the most awful things in the belief it's for their own good.
The way they are pushing this (it won't affect *you*, just old people and they don't matter anyway) is just cynical enough to work. People can be such scum when it doesn't directly affect them.
Of course, when they *are* old enough...well too late and tough luck. Now shut up and die.
Minnesota chooses to let the bigots vote on the rights of others
Yet another place that thinks voting on the rights of others is AOK....
Minnesota has a long and potentially polarizing campaign in store after state lawmakers agreed to allow voters to decide whether to limit civil marriage to heterosexual couples – a prohibition that already exists in state law.
The House voted 70-63 just before midnight Saturday after nearly six hours of emotional debate that raised many of the issues likely to resonate in the coming campaign.
Critics of the amendment said it would divide families and neighbors and harm the dignity of gay people, while its supporters said the definition of marriage is important enough that voters alone – not judges or legislators – should decide how it's addressed in the constitution.
Read more here.
Minnesota has a long and potentially polarizing campaign in store after state lawmakers agreed to allow voters to decide whether to limit civil marriage to heterosexual couples – a prohibition that already exists in state law.
The House voted 70-63 just before midnight Saturday after nearly six hours of emotional debate that raised many of the issues likely to resonate in the coming campaign.
Critics of the amendment said it would divide families and neighbors and harm the dignity of gay people, while its supporters said the definition of marriage is important enough that voters alone – not judges or legislators – should decide how it's addressed in the constitution.
Read more here.
Hoard of Roman coins unearthed in Colchester
A collection of Roman coins has been unearthed by archaeologists excavating a former barracks in Colchester.
Two pots, one of them containing 1,247 coins, were discovered on the site of the former Hyderabad and Meeanee barracks, which are being redeveloped.
The coins, known as antoniniani, date back to between 251 and 271 AD.
Read more here.
Two pots, one of them containing 1,247 coins, were discovered on the site of the former Hyderabad and Meeanee barracks, which are being redeveloped.
The coins, known as antoniniani, date back to between 251 and 271 AD.
Read more here.
There will always be money for war
As governments scream how broke they are, they still can find coins down the couch for war...
Britain's involvement in the Libya conflict will cost the taxpayer as much as £1bn if it continues into the autumn as expected, according to expert analysis and data gathered by the Guardian.
Two months after western powers began bombing Libyan targets to protect civilians in Operation Unified Protector, the cost to Britain so far of the dozens of bombs dropped, hundreds of sorties flown and more than 1,000 service personnel deployed is estimated at more than £100m, according to British defence officials.
But defence economists have told the Guardian the costings are conservative. Francis Tusa, editor of the Defence Analysis newsletter, estimates that by the end of April Libyan operations had already cost the UK about £300m and that the bill was increasing by up to £38m a week.
Read more here.
Britain's involvement in the Libya conflict will cost the taxpayer as much as £1bn if it continues into the autumn as expected, according to expert analysis and data gathered by the Guardian.
Two months after western powers began bombing Libyan targets to protect civilians in Operation Unified Protector, the cost to Britain so far of the dozens of bombs dropped, hundreds of sorties flown and more than 1,000 service personnel deployed is estimated at more than £100m, according to British defence officials.
But defence economists have told the Guardian the costings are conservative. Francis Tusa, editor of the Defence Analysis newsletter, estimates that by the end of April Libyan operations had already cost the UK about £300m and that the bill was increasing by up to £38m a week.
Read more here.
World disappointed bubble headed Rapture Christians still here
Followers of an evangelical broadcaster who declared that Saturday would be Judgement Day are trying to make sense of the failed prediction.
Some believers expressed bewilderment or said it was a test from God of their faith, after the day passed without event.
Meanwhile, the evangelist at the centre of the claim, Harold Camping, has not been seen since before the deadline.
He had predicted that Jesus Christ would return to earth on Saturday.
True believers would then be swept up, or "raptured", to heaven, he had pronounced.
The 89-year-old has used broadcasts on a Christian network and billboards to publicise his ideas as part of a campaign that went global.
He said biblical texts indicated that a giant earthquake on Saturday - which he said would begin at 1800 at various time zones around the world - would mark the start of the world's destruction, and that by 21 October all non-believers will be dead.
Read more here.
Some believers expressed bewilderment or said it was a test from God of their faith, after the day passed without event.
Meanwhile, the evangelist at the centre of the claim, Harold Camping, has not been seen since before the deadline.
He had predicted that Jesus Christ would return to earth on Saturday.
True believers would then be swept up, or "raptured", to heaven, he had pronounced.
The 89-year-old has used broadcasts on a Christian network and billboards to publicise his ideas as part of a campaign that went global.
He said biblical texts indicated that a giant earthquake on Saturday - which he said would begin at 1800 at various time zones around the world - would mark the start of the world's destruction, and that by 21 October all non-believers will be dead.
Read more here.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Beyoncé presents the worst video you will see today
Beyoncé - Run The World (Girls)
Bad song, bad costumes, bad dancing. Who could ask for more?
Of course it can not compete with the single worst video ever made, Helix's Rock You.
Bronze Age battle site found in Germany
Fractured human remains found on a German river bank could provide the first compelling evidence of a major Bronze Age battle.
Archaeological excavations of the Tollense Valley in northern Germany unearthed fractured skulls, wooden clubs and horse remains dating from around 1200 BC.
The injuries to the skulls suggest face-to-face combat in a battle perhaps fought between warring tribes, say the researchers.
Read more here.
Archaeological excavations of the Tollense Valley in northern Germany unearthed fractured skulls, wooden clubs and horse remains dating from around 1200 BC.
The injuries to the skulls suggest face-to-face combat in a battle perhaps fought between warring tribes, say the researchers.
Read more here.
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