The police don't want to be taped when they fuck up? My shock knows no bounds.
With the spread of phone cameras and pocket videorecorders, citizens around the United States have taken to recording the conduct of police. Often the conduct seems innocuous enough. But sometimes, the act of recording itself seems to send police off the deep end. ABC News’s Ray Sanchez now reports on a growing trend: police prosecuting citizens for taping them.
The story sums it up:
This is an extreme example of the arrogance of power, in which a Maryland cop exercised bad judgment, was embarrassed when he was publicly exposed, and got his colleagues and prosecutors to exercise still worse judgment.
Read more here.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The Dove World Outreach Center: Flaming Idiots of the Day
Just when you thought some religious types couldn't set the bar any lower...
In protest of what it calls a religion "of the devil," a nondenominational church in Gainesville, Florida, plans to host an "International Burn a Quran Day" on the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The Dove World Outreach Center says it is hosting the event to remember 9/11 victims and take a stand against Islam. With promotions on its website and Facebook page, it invites Christians to burn the Muslim holy book at the church from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
"We believe that Islam is of the devil, that it's causing billions of people to go to hell, it is a deceptive religion, it is a violent religion and that is proven many, many times," Pastor Terry Jones told CNN's Rick Sanchez earlier this week.
Jones wrote a book titled "Islam is of the Devil," and the church sells coffee mugs and shirts featuring the phrase.
Read more here.
In protest of what it calls a religion "of the devil," a nondenominational church in Gainesville, Florida, plans to host an "International Burn a Quran Day" on the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The Dove World Outreach Center says it is hosting the event to remember 9/11 victims and take a stand against Islam. With promotions on its website and Facebook page, it invites Christians to burn the Muslim holy book at the church from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
"We believe that Islam is of the devil, that it's causing billions of people to go to hell, it is a deceptive religion, it is a violent religion and that is proven many, many times," Pastor Terry Jones told CNN's Rick Sanchez earlier this week.
Jones wrote a book titled "Islam is of the Devil," and the church sells coffee mugs and shirts featuring the phrase.
Read more here.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Khabarovsk region in Russia: Idiots of the Day
Some little judge banged his little gavel today...
Russia's blogosphere reacted with anger today after a regional court banned YouTube because it carried a single video containing "extremist" content.
The court in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Khabarovsk region in the Russian far east ordered Rosnet, a local internet provider, to block YouTube as well as three online libraries and a website that archives deleted web pages.
The regional ban was made because YouTube hosted Russia For Russians, an ultra-nationalist video which was added to the justice ministry's federal list of banned extremist materials after a separate court decision in Samara region in November.
Read more here.
Russia's blogosphere reacted with anger today after a regional court banned YouTube because it carried a single video containing "extremist" content.
The court in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Khabarovsk region in the Russian far east ordered Rosnet, a local internet provider, to block YouTube as well as three online libraries and a website that archives deleted web pages.
The regional ban was made because YouTube hosted Russia For Russians, an ultra-nationalist video which was added to the justice ministry's federal list of banned extremist materials after a separate court decision in Samara region in November.
Read more here.
Pushy Bigoted Christians: Ruben Diaz Sr.
These people really do get pleasure out of making sure others don't.
Part of Mr. Diaz Happy Dance, in letter form:
[New York] Senators Shirley Huntley, Frank Padavan and Hiram Monserrate were instrumental in joining me to defeat the gay marriage bill in the New York State Senate. Today the State of New York does not have legalized gay marriage and we have to praise God and thank Senators Shirley Huntley, Frank Padavan and Hiram Monserrate.
They all risked their chances of being elected in order to take this stand.
We in the Christian community – and all God-fearing people – owe them our support, our respect and our help.
The homosexual community has targeted the three of them and put candidates – funded with money from the homosexual community – so their candidate can vote for gay marriage next year.
Just another case of Christians picking and choosing which of God's cheerly little rules to follow and which to quietly ignore.
Hypocrites.
Part of Mr. Diaz Happy Dance, in letter form:
[New York] Senators Shirley Huntley, Frank Padavan and Hiram Monserrate were instrumental in joining me to defeat the gay marriage bill in the New York State Senate. Today the State of New York does not have legalized gay marriage and we have to praise God and thank Senators Shirley Huntley, Frank Padavan and Hiram Monserrate.
They all risked their chances of being elected in order to take this stand.
We in the Christian community – and all God-fearing people – owe them our support, our respect and our help.
The homosexual community has targeted the three of them and put candidates – funded with money from the homosexual community – so their candidate can vote for gay marriage next year.
Just another case of Christians picking and choosing which of God's cheerly little rules to follow and which to quietly ignore.
Hypocrites.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Target comes out as bigoted
Now that corporation in the U.S. can openly contribute to political candidates, they are doing just that.
Over the weekend, Steve [at Towleroad] posted about Target's $150,000 donation to the Minnesota Forward PAC, which bought ads for anti-gay gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. Target's motivation and ability to give this money is a direct result of the Supreme Court's decision in January to allow corporations to donate freely to political campaigns.
Best Buy has also donated $100,000 to the MN forward PAC, the Star Tribune revealed today. We were warned after that SCOTUS decision that corporations would now be in charge of American politics and it now seems to be manifesting itself in Minnesota.
In these situations, fiscal issues trump social ones, at least in Target's, and now Best Buy's, case.
And Target's reasons?
Target has long believed that engaging in civic activities is an important and necessary element of operating a national retail business. What's more important than any one candidate's stance on a particular issue is how we nurture thoughtful, long-term growth in the state of Minnesota.
Our support of causes and candidates is based strictly on issues that affect our retail and business interests. To continue to grow and create jobs and opportunity in our home state, we believe it is imperative to be engaged in public policy and the political process.
So it's good for Target to throw gays under the bus?
Fuck you Target.
Read more here.
Over the weekend, Steve [at Towleroad] posted about Target's $150,000 donation to the Minnesota Forward PAC, which bought ads for anti-gay gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. Target's motivation and ability to give this money is a direct result of the Supreme Court's decision in January to allow corporations to donate freely to political campaigns.
Best Buy has also donated $100,000 to the MN forward PAC, the Star Tribune revealed today. We were warned after that SCOTUS decision that corporations would now be in charge of American politics and it now seems to be manifesting itself in Minnesota.
In these situations, fiscal issues trump social ones, at least in Target's, and now Best Buy's, case.
And Target's reasons?
Target has long believed that engaging in civic activities is an important and necessary element of operating a national retail business. What's more important than any one candidate's stance on a particular issue is how we nurture thoughtful, long-term growth in the state of Minnesota.
Our support of causes and candidates is based strictly on issues that affect our retail and business interests. To continue to grow and create jobs and opportunity in our home state, we believe it is imperative to be engaged in public policy and the political process.
So it's good for Target to throw gays under the bus?
Fuck you Target.
Read more here.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Harper's conservatives: One peep and we'll defund you
In Canada's "marketplace of ideas," it's amazing how many stalls are being slammed shut these days and how many attendants are trembling for their very existence.
In the fields of justice, human rights and foreign aid, it seems that one non-governmental agency after another is being "de-funded" into non-existence or near paralysis by the Harper government.
So what, you ask. Well, the end result will likely be a less civil society with less informed debate and less public testing of ideas. Also, I suspect, less courage in the voluntary sector.
Read more here.
In the fields of justice, human rights and foreign aid, it seems that one non-governmental agency after another is being "de-funded" into non-existence or near paralysis by the Harper government.
So what, you ask. Well, the end result will likely be a less civil society with less informed debate and less public testing of ideas. Also, I suspect, less courage in the voluntary sector.
Read more here.
Harper's conservatives: We don't need all that fancy book learnin'
Ian Brodie, Harper’s former chief-of-staff:
“Every time we proposed amendments to the Criminal Code, sociologists, criminologists, defence lawyers and Liberals attacked us for proposing measures that the evidence apparently showed did not work,” Brodie said. “That was a good thing for us politically, in that sociologists, criminologists and defence lawyers were and are all held in lower repute than Conservative politicians by the voting public. Politically it helped us tremendously to be attacked by this coalition of university types.”
Massively dumb, and proud of it.
We're doomed.
Read more here.
“Every time we proposed amendments to the Criminal Code, sociologists, criminologists, defence lawyers and Liberals attacked us for proposing measures that the evidence apparently showed did not work,” Brodie said. “That was a good thing for us politically, in that sociologists, criminologists and defence lawyers were and are all held in lower repute than Conservative politicians by the voting public. Politically it helped us tremendously to be attacked by this coalition of university types.”
Massively dumb, and proud of it.
We're doomed.
Read more here.
Microsoft: "Be what's next"
My goodness, the Microsoft marketing team must have been up all night coming up with that one...
According to Engadget, the company showed off a new three-word motto at the Microsoft Global Exchange (MGX) last week, along with a short teaser (see video below).
Microsoft's new tagline (confirmed by Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos, according to Chris Pirillo): "Be what's next."
Meh, what's next?
According to Engadget, the company showed off a new three-word motto at the Microsoft Global Exchange (MGX) last week, along with a short teaser (see video below).
Microsoft's new tagline (confirmed by Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos, according to Chris Pirillo): "Be what's next."
Meh, what's next?
Friday, July 23, 2010
Republican Bill Cooper: Idiot of the Day
Another moronic politician with no more historical knowledge than a doorknob.
Australia the Nanny State tries to avoid "premature unnecessary debate" on web censorship
If there's nothing a censor likes better than telling you what they think you should see and hear, it's the rush of power they get in displaying said power.
Also, a government will always use these tactics when they plan to do something scummy.
The federal government has censored approximately 90 per cent of a secret document outlining its controversial plans to snoop on Australians' web surfing, obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws, out of fear the document could cause "premature unnecessary debate".
The government has been consulting with the internet industry over the proposal, which would require ISPs to store certain internet activities of all Australians - regardless of whether they have been suspected of wrongdoing - for law-enforcement agencies to access.
All parties to the consultations have been sworn to secrecy.
Now you citizen of Australia, go sit at the kids table, you're government obviously doesn't think you're responsible enough adults to do you own thinking.
FYI, your government is embarrassing you on a global scale, but in that respect I understand completely.
Read more here.v
Also, a government will always use these tactics when they plan to do something scummy.
The federal government has censored approximately 90 per cent of a secret document outlining its controversial plans to snoop on Australians' web surfing, obtained under freedom of information (FoI) laws, out of fear the document could cause "premature unnecessary debate".
The government has been consulting with the internet industry over the proposal, which would require ISPs to store certain internet activities of all Australians - regardless of whether they have been suspected of wrongdoing - for law-enforcement agencies to access.
All parties to the consultations have been sworn to secrecy.
Now you citizen of Australia, go sit at the kids table, you're government obviously doesn't think you're responsible enough adults to do you own thinking.
FYI, your government is embarrassing you on a global scale, but in that respect I understand completely.
Read more here.v
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Moronic Marketers: Dead animal beer bottles at £500 each
A beer served in bottles made from stuffed animals has been criticised as "perverse" and "pushing the boundaries of acceptability".
The End of History, made by BrewDog of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, is 55% and £500 a bottle.
The bottles have been made using seven dead stoats, four squirrels and a hare, said to have died of natural causes.
Like the good taste of those behind this bad idea.
Read more here.
The End of History, made by BrewDog of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, is 55% and £500 a bottle.
The bottles have been made using seven dead stoats, four squirrels and a hare, said to have died of natural causes.
Like the good taste of those behind this bad idea.
Read more here.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
GOPTRUST.com: When Fascists use Final Cut
THEY!
911 is like porn to these people.
Of course, comments have been disabled on youtube. Can't have any actual input, now can we?
BP BSs about PS when they should really STFU
Spokesman Scott Dean says Tuesday that two screens were blank in the original picture and a staff photographer used Photoshop software to add images.
Dean says the company put the unaltered picture up Monday after a blogger for the website Americablog wrote about telltale discrepancies.
He says the photographer was showing off his Photoshop skills and there was no ill intent.
But he has no skills, none, NADA!
Dean says the company put the unaltered picture up Monday after a blogger for the website Americablog wrote about telltale discrepancies.
He says the photographer was showing off his Photoshop skills and there was no ill intent.
But he has no skills, none, NADA!
Andrew Breitbart, even Glenn Beck thinks you're a scumbag
A great crime seems to have been committed in the U.S., and voices are being raised in unlikely places to rectify it.
Shirley Sherrod has accomplished a number of things in her career, but she had never planned on uniting Glenn Beck and the NAACP.
The former USDA official was allegedly forced out of her job as director of rural development in Georgia after a video surfaced that appeared to show her admitting that race played a factor in a decision to limit help for a white farmer. Sherrod is African American.
Mr Breitbart & friends seem to have edited the video to damage Ms Sherrod, but hopefully their underhanded tactics will backfire big time.
Read more here.
Shirley Sherrod has accomplished a number of things in her career, but she had never planned on uniting Glenn Beck and the NAACP.
The former USDA official was allegedly forced out of her job as director of rural development in Georgia after a video surfaced that appeared to show her admitting that race played a factor in a decision to limit help for a white farmer. Sherrod is African American.
Mr Breitbart & friends seem to have edited the video to damage Ms Sherrod, but hopefully their underhanded tactics will backfire big time.
Read more here.
National Organization for Marriage: Bohoho we're the victims here!
National Organization for Marriage's pathetic attempt to drum up sympathy for their spiteful hateful "tour".
The only bright side to this is that provides footage for any future documentary concerning how crappy people can actually be.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
BP used PS to BS
Apparently BP is no more adept at doctoring photos than it is at plugging deep-sea oil leaks.
A blogger has noticed that the oil giant altered a photograph of its Houston crisis room, cutting and pasting three underwater images into a wall of video feeds from remotely operated undersea vehicles. The altered photo is displayed prominently on the company's Web site.
An enlarged version of the photograph reveals flaws in the editing job. One of the 10 images sticks down into the head of one of the people sitting in front of the wall, while another piece of the image is separated from the other side of the head by jagged white space. The right side of the same image also hangs down below the area on which the video feeds were projected.
And of course, when caught, bullshit:
Scott Dean, a spokesman for BP, said that there was nothing sinister in the photo alteration and provided the original unaltered version. He said that a photographer working for the company had inserted the three images in spots where the video screens were blank.
"Normally we only use Photoshop for the typical purposes of color correction and cropping," Dean said in an e-mail. "In this case they copied and pasted three ROV screen images in the original photo over three screens that were not running video feeds at the time."
Read more here.
A blogger has noticed that the oil giant altered a photograph of its Houston crisis room, cutting and pasting three underwater images into a wall of video feeds from remotely operated undersea vehicles. The altered photo is displayed prominently on the company's Web site.
An enlarged version of the photograph reveals flaws in the editing job. One of the 10 images sticks down into the head of one of the people sitting in front of the wall, while another piece of the image is separated from the other side of the head by jagged white space. The right side of the same image also hangs down below the area on which the video feeds were projected.
And of course, when caught, bullshit:
Scott Dean, a spokesman for BP, said that there was nothing sinister in the photo alteration and provided the original unaltered version. He said that a photographer working for the company had inserted the three images in spots where the video screens were blank.
"Normally we only use Photoshop for the typical purposes of color correction and cropping," Dean said in an e-mail. "In this case they copied and pasted three ROV screen images in the original photo over three screens that were not running video feeds at the time."
Read more here.
Pushy Christians and Idiot Australians
Treating your citizens like children wouldn't be complete without a visit from the clergy.
THE Australian Christian Lobby was briefed one day before Labor's major announcement on delaying its controversial internet filter plan.
On July 9, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announced the government would ask state and territory ministers to review the refused-classification processes.
Senator Conroy's filter plan will force all internet service providers to block web pages on a government blacklist of RC content.
Lobby chief of staff Lyle Shelton confirmed that on July 8, the government told it there would be an announcement on ISP filtering within 24 hours.
"We received a briefing the night before July 9," Mr Shelton said.
"They said there would be an announcement the next day but didn't go into details."
He refused to say who tipped off the ACL.
Of course, they've trotted out that tired old warhorse:
"Any delay which still leaves children vulnerable is not a good thing. What gets lost in the furious debate over this matter is filtering is just one of many (cyber-safety) measures.
"It's like saying don't ban semi-automatic weapons because it won't stop murders."
"Protect the children" is the unstoppable rallying cry of the censor, even if the "children" here are fully grown adults.
Read more here.
THE Australian Christian Lobby was briefed one day before Labor's major announcement on delaying its controversial internet filter plan.
On July 9, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announced the government would ask state and territory ministers to review the refused-classification processes.
Senator Conroy's filter plan will force all internet service providers to block web pages on a government blacklist of RC content.
Lobby chief of staff Lyle Shelton confirmed that on July 8, the government told it there would be an announcement on ISP filtering within 24 hours.
"We received a briefing the night before July 9," Mr Shelton said.
"They said there would be an announcement the next day but didn't go into details."
He refused to say who tipped off the ACL.
Of course, they've trotted out that tired old warhorse:
"Any delay which still leaves children vulnerable is not a good thing. What gets lost in the furious debate over this matter is filtering is just one of many (cyber-safety) measures.
"It's like saying don't ban semi-automatic weapons because it won't stop murders."
"Protect the children" is the unstoppable rallying cry of the censor, even if the "children" here are fully grown adults.
Read more here.
Court throws out Montreal’s anti-postering bylaw
Thank goodness, as posters help convey there's still some city life left.
A Quebec Court of Appeal judge has ruled that Montreal's anti-postering bylaw, which prohibits posters from being stuck to public street furniture, violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Montreal will now have to find a way to legally accommodate posters on public proper
Read more here.
A Quebec Court of Appeal judge has ruled that Montreal's anti-postering bylaw, which prohibits posters from being stuck to public street furniture, violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Montreal will now have to find a way to legally accommodate posters on public proper
Read more here.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Coca-Cola: Idiots of the Day
The distance between an edgy marketer and a moron is atomic in scale.
A Facebook promotion for Dr Pepper, part of the Coca-Cola drinks range, posted a reference to a notorious pornographic film on the “wall” of an underage girl.
As part of the promotion, users allowed the company to hijack their Facebook status box, posting apparently embarrassing messages under their names...
...But the marketing drive backfired when a parent complained that her 14-year-old daughter’s hijacked status claimed that she had watched a hardcore pornographic film which is notorious for the obscene practices it depicts.
The status referred to the film by name, and the mother said she was particularly distressed after finding that her daughter had subsequently searched for it on the internet...
CC may also have been monumentally clueless as well...
Coca-Cola has since apologised and announced an investigation into its promotion procedures. Executives said they had approved the offending message without realising its true meaning.
BTW, the "quote" was "i saw two girls one cup and felt peckish after"
Read more here.
A Facebook promotion for Dr Pepper, part of the Coca-Cola drinks range, posted a reference to a notorious pornographic film on the “wall” of an underage girl.
As part of the promotion, users allowed the company to hijack their Facebook status box, posting apparently embarrassing messages under their names...
...But the marketing drive backfired when a parent complained that her 14-year-old daughter’s hijacked status claimed that she had watched a hardcore pornographic film which is notorious for the obscene practices it depicts.
The status referred to the film by name, and the mother said she was particularly distressed after finding that her daughter had subsequently searched for it on the internet...
CC may also have been monumentally clueless as well...
Coca-Cola has since apologised and announced an investigation into its promotion procedures. Executives said they had approved the offending message without realising its true meaning.
BTW, the "quote" was "i saw two girls one cup and felt peckish after"
Read more here.
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