Author Topic: Keep reading the news! (Read 64614 times)

Edible · « **Reply #180 on:** January 12, 2011, 06:26:21 PM »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYUpkPTcqPY

That flood in Australia did interesting things to cars...

Tengukami · « **Reply #181 on:** January 12, 2011, 08:19:53 PM »

Sorry to bring up Palin again, but this story is just the gift that keeps on giving:

Quote from: Sarah Palin, January 10, 2011

"I hate violence," Beck quotes Palin as having responded. "I hate war. Our children will not have peace if politicos just capitalize on this."

Quote from: Sarah Palin, October 2008

"Now it turns out, one of [Barack Obama's] earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers...And, according to the New York Times, he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol'."

"Boooo!" the crowd repeated.

"Kill him!" proposed one man in the audience.

"I am just so fearful that this is not a man who sees America the way you and I see America, as the greatest force for good in the world. I'm afraid this is someone who sees America as 'imperfect enough' to work with a former domestic terrorist who had targeted his own country."

The latter quote she made, by the way, at a McCain/Palin rally. That what she said about Ayers is demonstrably false is beside the point. It's the fact that even after someone in the audience called for Obama to be killed, she didn't pause; she stepped it up. I think this a lot more significant than the "reload" remark or the crosshair map. The accusation that she levied against her opponent back then; accusing Obama of being in league with terrorists, makes her telling Glenn Beck that she just hates it when politicos capitalize on violence seem pretty disingenuous to me.

Suikama · « **Reply #182 on:** January 12, 2011, 08:27:54 PM »

If Palin ever somehow becomes president, I'm gonna have a lot of fun blaming every little thing on her :V

Tengukami · « **Reply #183 on:** January 12, 2011, 08:29:29 PM »

My point being she's got a black belt in "capitalizing on violence", as she's accusing anyone criticizing her of.

?q · « **Reply #184 on:** January 12, 2011, 08:48:42 PM »

Quote

Beck then listed what he said were instances of liberals using violent rhetoric, including, he said, Madonna threatening to "kick [Sarah Palin's] ass" during a concert.

Flawed and pointless argument aside, am I the only person who finds this mental picture intriguing?

Suikama · « **Reply #185 on:** January 12, 2011, 08:50:21 PM »

Quote from: umew on January 12, 2011, 08:48:42 PM

Flawed and pointless argument aside, am I the only person who finds this mental picture intriguing?

Someone get JT to draw this STAT

ふねん1 · « **Reply #186 on:** January 12, 2011, 08:50:39 PM »

In other news, today marks one year since the Haiti earthquake.

Make what you will of the fact that the country is still in utter shambles.

Edible · « **Reply #187 on:** January 12, 2011, 09:45:15 PM »

Quote from: ふねん1 on January 12, 2011, 08:50:39 PM

Make what you will of the fact that the country is still in utter shambles.

It was before the earthquake, as well. Now there are just fewer buildings.

Silent Harmony · « **Reply #188 on:** January 13, 2011, 04:56:01 PM »

OLD WARNING

Saw this last night, and it's amazing how ~~well~~ hilariously it fits.

Quad City QBs · « **Reply #189 on:** January 14, 2011, 10:22:13 PM »

In today's DON'T GO TO LAW SCHOOL news, you can be denied for the bar for not making enough at your job

Quote from: Ohio Supreme Court

We accept the board?s findings of fact and conclude that the applicant has neglected his personal financial obligations by electing to maintain his part-time employment with the Public Defender?s Office in the hope that it will lead to a full-time position upon passage of the bar exam, rather than seeking full-time employment, which he acknowledges would give him a better opportunity to pay his obligations and possibly qualify him for an additional deferment of his student-loan obligation.

Iryan · « **Reply #190 on:** January 14, 2011, 10:36:22 PM »

Quote from: Bad Appellant!! on January 14, 2011, 10:22:13 PM

In today's DON'T GO TO LAW SCHOOL news, you can be denied for the bar for not making enough at your job

I hate people.

?q · « **Reply #191 on:** January 15, 2011, 01:52:40 AM »

My mother found out you can be denied the bar by not going to law school even if you've been dealing in workers' compensation for coming-up-on-20 years, so I'm not surprised.

And she just wanted to take it for fun :V

Quad City QBs · « **Reply #192 on:** January 15, 2011, 05:15:31 AM »

A New York money manager has been arrested and charged with threatening to kill 47 current and former officials at financial regulatory agencies, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, after the C.F.T.C. accused him and two of his companies of running unregistered commodity pools.

Quote

According to the complaint, Mr. McCrudden accused the regulators of being corrupt and said their actions ?can only end with violence against these lifelong lawyers that work at these agencies.?

The complaint said Mr. McCrudden added on his Web posting: ?Go buy a gun, and let?s get to work in taking back our country from these criminals. I will be the first one to lead by example.?

Violent resentment against BIG GUBMINT? Why I never!

C27 · « **Reply #193 on:** January 17, 2011, 12:23:27 PM »

Thoughts on the Tunisian revolution, anyone? :3

?q · « **Reply #194 on:** January 17, 2011, 02:28:39 PM »

Quote from: C27 on January 17, 2011, 12:23:27 PM

Thoughts on the Tunisian revolution, anyone? :3

Quote

# 13 Jan: President Ben Ali promises to step down in 2014
# 14 Jan: President dissolves government and parliament, then steps down

It's certainly interesting to see autocrats get tossed down after a lifetime of corruption, but the question is whether the next government will be any better.

Here's a link for people who don't watch TV news. The article on whether this could have a domino effect across North Africa was an interesting read.

C27 · « **Reply #195 on:** January 17, 2011, 03:06:38 PM »

Quote

"I just watched a government fall on Twitter while CNN interviewed the Jeopardy host about a robot contestant."

triangles · « **Reply #196 on:** January 17, 2011, 03:16:13 PM »

Which reminds me of something my husband forwarded me from his Twitter feed....

Quote

I don't understand how the people of Tunisia overthrew their government without me signing an e-petition or changing my Twitter avatar.

Suck it, slacktivsts.

C27 · « **Reply #197 on:** January 17, 2011, 03:28:43 PM »

Yeah... that's part 1 of why US/Canada will not see any progressive change in the near future. People are too lazy and comfortable, they barely even vote (though the reliability and effectiveness of voting here is more or less questionable). Part 2 is the fallout from situations like the previous conversation was about - a combination of polarizing dogma that leads people in circles instead of forward, and flinging blame around everywhere except where it belongs (inaccessibility of mental health care in a system that's essentially an insurance protection racket).

E-Nazrin · « **Reply #198 on:** January 18, 2011, 02:25:52 AM »

Quote

(9:14:53 PM) E-mouse: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12205690 beautiful
(9:19:05 PM) Ulty: Ooh.
(9:20:27 PM) Ulty: That guy's pretty brave.
(9:21:59 PM) E-mouse: Extremely.
(9:22:20 PM) E-mouse: Unobtanium testicles.
(9:23:57 PM) Ulty: Heehee.

Minch · « **Reply #199 on:** January 18, 2011, 02:29:46 AM »

Oh look, lets use this WWII as a bookend and then give it to my neighbor.
Florida, what is wrong with you?

Quad City QBs · « **Reply #200 on:** January 19, 2011, 10:19:22 PM »

The FCC has approved Comcast's purchase of NBC

FCC's approval was probably a foregone conclusion, because it's pretty much already blown its political load on net neutrality (as attenuated as the final rule was), and besides, nobody blocks a merger during a recession.

The operative question, of course, is what this means for us consumers, and the answer is--we don't know. The FCC's conditions on the acquisition are basically that:

NBComcast must give other cable providers reasonable access to NBC programming
Various provisions to protect Netflix from being blocked or starved out by Comcast/Hulu
The usual boilerplate about upholding diversity and localism in offerings, blah blah blah
Comcast must hook up 2.5 million poor households

All of which seems to curb the major abuse concerns. But Comcast had to have some reason for buying out NBC. Maybe it's just corporate dick-waving, maybe this whole thing will turn out to be another AOL Time Warner. Or maybe we'll start seeing ABC or Fox News programming "accidentally" dropping from the pipes. Time will tell.

Tengukami · « **Reply #201 on:** January 19, 2011, 10:34:06 PM »

Quote from: Bad Appellant!! on January 19, 2011, 10:19:22 PM

All of which seems to curb the major abuse concerns. But Comcast had to have some reason for buying out NBC. Maybe it's just corporate dick-waving, maybe this whole thing will turn out to be another AOL Time Warner. Or maybe we'll start seeing ABC or Fox News programming "accidentally" dropping from the pipes. Time will tell.

NBC does have reach that spans the globe, with affiliates in numerous countries - something Comcast can now get a stake in. So that's one big advantage for them.

For some reason I'm not that worried about the "implications" of this. The FCC has put down some fair terms and will likely be keeping an eye on them.

E-Nazrin · « **Reply #202 on:** January 19, 2011, 10:48:24 PM »

Have consequences been listed for what will be done to them if they break those promises? Because that would be the main addition I'd like to see to a lot of these deals.

Tengukami · « **Reply #203 on:** January 19, 2011, 11:20:28 PM »

I don't think they're "promises" so much as legally binding terms, and the consequences could range anywhere from fines to shutting down broadcasting, depending on the severity of the situation.

Quad City QBs · « **Reply #204 on:** January 20, 2011, 12:16:01 AM »

Quote from: E-Nazrin on January 19, 2011, 10:48:24 PM

Have consequences been listed for what will be done to them if they break those promises? Because that would be the main addition I'd like to see to a lot of these deals.

this happens

E-Nazrin · « **Reply #205 on:** January 20, 2011, 11:58:26 AM »

Quote from: Bad Appellant!! on January 20, 2011, 12:16:01 AM

this happens

I was asking seriously, because I get the feeling that only vague consequences for such deals would end up becoming a slap on the wrist at best.

Quad City QBs · « **Reply #206 on:** January 20, 2011, 02:01:40 PM »

Quote from: E-Nazrin on January 20, 2011, 11:58:26 AM

I was asking seriously, because I get the feeling that only vague consequences for such deals would end up becoming a slap on the wrist at best.

It's certainly possible that NBComcast will use its sheer scale to stall FCC enforcement proceedings, at least long enough to starve out smaller competitors.

However, last time that happened...

Tengukami · « **Reply #207 on:** January 20, 2011, 05:05:28 PM »

Quote from: Bad Appellant!! on January 20, 2011, 02:01:40 PM

However, last time that happened...

THIS! I remember this shit! People were actually freaking out that breaking up AT&T was going to lead to lower quality and higher rates. That was pretty hilarious.

The moral of the story is: when push comes to shove, the FCC don't play.

Edible · « **Reply #208 on:** January 20, 2011, 05:18:35 PM »

Quote from: Amaterasu on January 20, 2011, 05:05:28 PM

THIS! I remember this shit! People were actually freaking out that breaking up AT&T was going to lead to lower quality and higher rates.

Judging from AT&T's current cellphone service and pricing, it looks like they were right!

>_> <_<

Tengukami · « **Reply #209 on:** January 20, 2011, 07:24:58 PM »

Quote from: Edible on January 20, 2011, 05:18:35 PM

Judging from AT&T's current cellphone service and pricing, it looks like they were right!

>_> <_<

Maybe you misunderstood me. The feeling at the time was that breaking up AT&T was going to send rates up and quality down across the board - not just at AT&T. Yes, that's right - Reagan's America believed competition on the open market was bad.