Random General Headlines

[Ruined]

Feel free to explain why only one is deserving of nation-wide outrage in a way that doesn't involve political parties. I'm all ears!

Spoiler: this will, predictably, go unanswered

How cute, you're using spoiler tags again. Genius! To answer your question, I cannot speak to the thoughts of the nation. Why did people jump all over the Laci Peterson case while countless cases of missing persons go unsolved, year after year? Media? Symbolism? Racism? I can't tell you why the press and/or country chooses to focus on one case and ignore others. I can tell you that this isn't solely about Martin any more than the Rodney King riots were about King: It's about an unjust judicial system that treats some races worse than others. Trayvon is merely a symbol of this travesty. Do others (especially self-serving politicians) jump in and push their agenda? Sure. However, regardless of this fact, the issues inherent in the United States' judicial system need to be addressed. In this way, I don't see the various vigils, etc., as a bad thing. I'm just glad to see some form of action: It's much better than the complacency that often grips this country, especially at the polls. Hopefully some good will come of this.

[poinoup]

Um...what!?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crim...icle-1.1403098

[Fixer808]

Um...what!?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crim...icle-1.1403098

Blond beauty set to sue NYPD over sexy photos swiped from iPhone

I'm sensing a problem with this headline's priorities...

[Sutekh]

Look at he most popular stories in the sidebar! Seedy stuff

[rhet]

I've had this huge desire to move somewhere more rural for my kid. Somewhere with a yard, space to run around unattended, etc. This topic is making me want to sit tight so his school experience is better. I hope someone has heavy data on this mapped out over the US at the county or school level.

I grew up in a small town in an agricultural area (my back yard growing up was a cow field and my neighbours were Amish) and was also bullied in school. I don't know if bullying is more prevalent in rural areas but it seems that the combination of generally more conservative views and lack of exposure to as wide an array of people/lifestyles/etc would make getting bullied if nothing else a more isolating experience. My brother had a great time at school though so who knows.

[DigitalChaos]

How cute, you're using spoiler tags again. Genius! To answer your question, I cannot speak to the thoughts of the nation. Why did people jump all over the Laci Peterson case while countless cases of missing persons go unsolved, year after year? Media? Symbolism? Racism? I can't tell you why the press and/or country chooses to focus on one case and ignore others. I can tell you that this isn't solely about Martin any more than the Rodney King riots were about King: It's about an unjust judicial system that treats some races worse than others. Trayvon is merely a symbol of this travesty. Do others (especially self-serving politicians) jump in and push their agenda? Sure. However, regardless of this fact, the issues inherent in the United States' judicial system need to be addressed. In this way, I don't see the various vigils, etc., as a bad thing. I'm just glad to see some form of action: It's much better than the complacency that often grips this country, especially at the polls. Hopefully some good will come of this.

When the media has had very strong rhetoric from the beginning (even to the extent of manipulating audio) and the viewpoints line up very heavily with specific political parties... it's hard to pretend it isn't. It has to be something you question. I think the reality of this comes down to the action that you are talking about. I agree that something should be done. Anger can be leveraged into results. However, WHAT is being done with the anger behind the Zimmerman case? Heck, is any specific action even being proposed?! I have seen politicians and media suggest some lame gun-control talking points. Don't pretend that directionless protest is anything but another form of complacency.

[DigitalChaos]

I grew up in a small town in an agricultural area (my back yard growing up was a cow field and my neighbours were Amish) and was also bullied in school. I don't know if bullying is more prevalent in rural areas but it seems that the combination of generally more conservative views and lack of exposure to as wide an array of people/lifestyles/etc would make getting bullied if nothing else a more isolating experience. My brother had a great time at school though so who knows.

I'm not sure if the people in my area were THAT conservative but it was definitely very isolated in terms of culture. I didn't really stand out during the times I was bullied though. I started differentiating my dress/hair/etc more into highschool and that's when lots of the bullying stopped. Some of the kids definitely had bad parents but their behavior was toxic with other kids. Group-think was horrible. My school was very rural. Corn fields all around. However, I've heard nasty stories about urban schools too. It's an interesting topic though.

I dug up this from Canadian schools. It definitely matches my experience in the US. The issue may very well transcend cultures

[rhet]

I'm not sure if the people in my area were THAT conservative but it was definitely very isolated in terms of culture. I didn't really stand out during the times I was bullied though. I started differentiating my dress/hair/etc more into highschool and that's when lots of the bullying stopped. Some of the kids definitely had bad parents but their behavior was toxic with other kids. Group-think was horrible. My school was very rural. Corn fields all around. However, I've heard nasty stories about urban schools too. It's an interesting topic though.

I dug up this from Canadian schools. It definitely matches my experience in the US. The issue may very well transcend cultures

6th/7th/8th grade were by far the worst for me as well, I think that's just when kids turn evil.

I don't know anything about urban schools having never attended one or knowing anyone who has really but I've heard so so many stories of LGBT kids in particular being treated horribly in rural areas. I can think of 3 kids off the top of my head that transferred out of my school because of bullying.

[Ruined]

When the media has had very strong rhetoric from the beginning (even to the extent of manipulating audio) and the viewpoints line up very heavily with specific political parties... it's hard to pretend it isn't. It has to be something you question. I think the reality of this comes down to the action that you are talking about. I agree that something should be done. Anger can be leveraged into results. However, WHAT is being done with the anger behind the Zimmerman case? Heck, is any specific action even being proposed?! I have seen politicians and media suggest some lame gun-control talking points. Don't pretend that directionless protest is anything but another form of complacency.

One person's idea of "lame gun-control" is another person's idea of the beginnings of a larger picture. Now, if you're pro-guns, then, of course you would think this was nonsense. In my opinion, there are may parts to solving this and gun control has to be part of it (especially the use of concealed firearms), along with the abolition of "stand your ground" and addressing the larger issue of racial injustice in the legal system. The misguided "stand your ground" laws are analogous to two people holding a bat, exchanging grips, to determine who can reach the top first: Who is in the proper position to be "standing" his/her ground? When does it switch, along with the burden of proof as to who was more wrong? People often complain of solutions searching for a problem; SYG is such an example. There are already self-defense laws on the books. SYG just confuses things further and, as we have seen, led to more problems. Talk about misguided laws...Again, if you are a pro-gun advocate, this discussion is moot and we will simply have to agree to disagree: I'm not looking to convince, or be convinced, regarding gun control.

[Sutekh]

I grew up in a small town in an agricultural area (my back yard growing up was a cow field and my neighbours were Amish) and was also bullied in school. I don't know if bullying is more prevalent in rural areas but it seems that the combination of generally more conservative views and lack of exposure to as wide an array of people/lifestyles/etc would make getting bullied if nothing else a more isolating experience. My brother had a great time at school though so who knows.

I spent the first 8 years of my life in the inner-city and the next ten in the middle of nowhere (before moving back to the city again) & I can verify this is pretty much true. Out in the sticks you can't start wearing a different jacket without people taking the piss, whereas here you could paint yourself blue and scream LOOK AT ME and nobody would give a toss

People say drugs etc are danger in the city but actually I found drugs to be cheaper, more prevalent and easier to do undetected in rural areas. In the city it's a seller's market (massively inflated prices & poor product) and the police are absolutely everywhere (consequence being I don't really bother anymore), whereas in the sticks the deals are massive and there's very little police presence.

So yeah, clean air and everything but a fair chance the kid will turn out a slightly prejudiced stoner

[rhet]

I spent the first 8 years of my life in the inner-city and the next ten in the middle of nowhere (before moving back to the city again) & I can verify this is pretty much true. Out in the sticks you can't start wearing a different jacket without people taking the piss, whereas here you could paint yourself blue and scream LOOK AT ME and nobody would give a toss

People say drugs etc are danger in the city but actually I found drugs to be cheaper, more prevalent and easier to do undetected in rural areas. In the city it's a seller's market (massively inflated prices & poor product) and the police are absolutely everywhere (consequence being I don't really bother anymore), whereas in the sticks the deals are massive and there's very little police presence.

Yes! I know so many people from my home town that are addicts or died of an overdose or parents were alcoholics/addicts when they were growing up. Also I find it way harder to get ahold of decent quality stuff in London which blew my mind but totally makes sense now with your explanation.

And when I bring my husband who has actual fashion sense home, he gets loads of comments about his clothes and appearance. People STILL talk about that one time he wore red jeans. years later. it's ridiculous.

[mfte]

Monsanto and Blackwater are working together to stop antiMonsanto activists?

[miss k bee]

Another train crash, this time in Spain

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23442018

[Space Suicide]

"Responsible Gun Owner" Opens Fire On Car Full Of Kids Because Dad Tried To Turn Around In Her Driveway

How unsafe and blatantly moronic are we becoming?

[Frozen Beach]

"Responsible Gun Owner" Opens Fire On Car Full Of Kids Because Dad Tried To Turn Around In Her Driveway

How unsafe and blatantly moronic are we becoming?

Wow, only charged with reckless endangerment? What a fucking joke. She purposely fired at a family that included children. She deserves a harsher charge.

[binaryhermit]

Fort Pierce man re-arranges Walgreens in beverage selection rant

http://blogs.tcpalm.com/off_the_beat...walgreens.html

Police told Lloyd he was going to leave, to which he responded, "(Sexual intercourse) you (male masturbation), (sexual intercourse) make me."

[DigitalChaos]

Wow, only charged with reckless endangerment? What a fucking joke. She purposely fired at a family that included children. She deserves a harsher charge.

There has to be more to it. If there isn't, then that should be attempted murder. She should also never be allowed anywhere near a gun.

The laws in this country when it comes to fucking up are just way too lax. Drunk driving are another example. You just do not get a 2nd chance at something that's potentially lethal.

[DigitalChaos]

One person's idea of "lame gun-control" is another person's idea of the beginnings of a larger picture. Now, if you're pro-guns, then, of course you would think this was nonsense. In my opinion, there are may parts to solving this and gun control has to be part of it (especially the use of concealed firearms), along with the abolition of "stand your ground" and addressing the larger issue of racial injustice in the legal system. The misguided "stand your ground" laws are analogous to two people holding a bat, exchanging grips, to determine who can reach the top first: Who is in the proper position to be "standing" his/her ground? When does it switch, along with the burden of proof as to who was more wrong? People often complain of solutions searching for a problem; SYG is such an example. There are already self-defense laws on the books. SYG just confuses things further and, as we have seen, led to more problems. Talk about misguided laws...Again, if you are a pro-gun advocate, this discussion is moot and we will simply have to agree to disagree: I'm not looking to convince, or be convinced, regarding gun control.

I think this demonstrates exactly what I was getting at in the post you first had an issue with. This isn't about race, it's about gun control. There are no other changes being requested than gun control. Any impact on race from a change to SYG is extremely arguable. It's a fringe statistic at best. If there was a desire to to fix race inequality, you could pick so many other topics that would be so much more effective. But that's not being talked about because its not really about fixing race inequality. A few months ago the gun control was about "the children" and it fell flat on its face. This just completely cheapens the true race inequality issue.

[DigitalChaos]

Interesting vote breakdown on the NSA amendment that was narrowly rejected.
http://politics.nytimes.com/congress...13/house/1/412
Hilarious that Pelosi and Bachmann agree on something (both "no" votes).

It's really disappointing that this didn't pass. It would have simply stopped NSA phone collections on people who aren't being actively investigated. But hey, fuck the 4th amendment.

[miss k bee]

Another train crash, this time in Spain

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23442018

No up to 80 people reported dead.

[Dra508]

Interesting vote breakdown on the NSA amendment that was narrowly rejected.
http://politics.nytimes.com/congress...13/house/1/412
Hilarious that Pelosi and Bachmann agree on something (both "no" votes).

It's really disappointing that this didn't pass. It would have simply stopped NSA phone collections on people who aren't being actively investigated. But hey, fuck the 4th amendment.

Liberals and Libertarians make strange bed fellows.

[DigitalChaos]

Liberals and Libertarians make strange bed fellows.

lol, not really. We were best buddies during the Bush years! Libertarians have way more in common with the liberals (civil rights) than the conservatives of today. Guns are about the only shared topic with today's "conservatives." I used to think we also shared the anti-war sentiment with the liberals but that facade melted away from the liberals during the Obama years

[mfte]

A 19 year old pulled out a knife on a Toronto streetcar. After the streetcar was emptied leaving only the aggressor, the police showed up, put 9 bullets in him and then tasered him. The officer responsible was suspended WITH pay. This isn't some Zimmerman he said, she said. There is a clear video. WTF.

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/why-d...ll-sammy-yatim

http://www.citynews.ca/2013/07/29/of...undreds-rally/

[DigitalChaos]

Pro tip: don't pull a knife out on a bus unless you have a clear need to. I haven't watched/read anything but I can assume from your post that the kid probably refused to drop the knife.

[JessicaSarahS]

A 19 year old pulled out a knife on a Toronto streetcar. After the streetcar was emptied leaving only the aggressor, the police showed up, put 9 bullets in him and then tasered him. The officer responsible was suspended WITH pay. This isn't some Zimmerman he said, she said. There is a clear video. WTF.

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/why-d...ll-sammy-yatim

http://www.citynews.ca/2013/07/29/of...undreds-rally/

Using a taser on a dead body. Oh Toronto police, you so silly.

[DigitalChaos]

Using a taser on a dead body. Oh Toronto police, you so silly.

Maybe they were trying to revive him and didn't have a defib! :P

[Baphomette]

Japan nuclear body says radioactive water at Fukushima an 'emergency'

This contaminated groundwater has breached an underground barrier, is rising toward the surface and is exceeding legal limits of radioactive discharge, Shinji Kinjo, head of a Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) task force, told Reuters.

The fact that Reuters is claiming "exclusivity" on this is hilarious.

UPDATE

Tepco Press Conference: The situation at Fukushima is bleak — “This discharge is beyond our control”

[ziltoid]

I don't know how reputable this website is or if it is satire because of the website name. If it is true, then holy shit this is fucked up.
Scumbag Judge Gets 28 Years for Role in Scheme to Incarcerate Children for Profit

[staleincense]

I don't know how reputable this website is or if it is satire because of the website name. If it is true, then holy shit this is fucked up.
Scumbag Judge Gets 28 Years for Role in Scheme to Incarcerate Children for Profit

Well it was sourced from another site reporting on it and it has been reported in more major news outlets so I think it's safe to say it's true. Still, even with all the corporate greed and corruption you hear about, this is quite hard to believe.

Nice username, BTW.

[Baphomette]

TEPCO looks to George R R Martin for Fukushima fix.

300 tons of radioactive verstrahltes water flow daily into the sea at Fukushima nuclear power plant. The government has asked the operator Tepco, the leak to close finally. Now a gigantic protective wall of frozen soil is to be created.

I just... I don't... Wow.