In the news today

[XanBcoo]

Oh my God, that website is ridiculous. Take a look at this article. I have never read anything so moronic or disgusting: http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/06/11/queen-of-sweden-tells-japan-to-ban-loli/

As if to prove that amongst feminists Japan is seen as an errant nation of yellow perverts who don’t know what’s good for themselves, the Queen of Sweden has proclaimed to the Japanese people that they must pursue an ever greater witch-hunt against the uncertain dangers of “child exploitation”, despite the fact that her own nation has the highest rates of sexual violence in all Europe, whilst Japan has some of the lowest in the world.

In statements reproduced as part of an interview with Japanese leftist rag Yomiuri, Queen Silvia implicitly chastised the nation of oriental dwarfs for their depraved lack of concern for the evils of “child exploitation”:
Translation: "Stupid hag doesn't want us to masturbate to pictures of children. She's just jealous that glorious Nippon is the best country in the world desu."

I honestly can't believe I just read that. Words fail me. It feels like it should be parody, but I know every word of it, as well as what's said in the comments, is true. :(

The worst part is that this guy's strawman argument that everyone thinks that "Japan is an errant nation of perverts" is actually true. Japan needs to get its goddamn (http://kotaku.com/5275409/rape-games-officially-banned-in-japan)act (http://legal.3yen.com/2005-07-27/is-the-age-of-consent-in-japan-really-13/)together (http://articles.latimes.com/2000/dec/17/news/mn-1167).

[darkshadow]

You obviously didn't get the meaning of that article.

[XanBcoo]

Explain it to me, then.

Honestly, I'd really like to believe that I've misinterpreted something, and that it wasn't likening the suggestion to criminalize pictures of naked children (drawn or otherwise) to the Inquisition or the Salem witch trials.

[darkshadow]

The meaning is that before you judge something else, take care of your own faults first, sure Japan has its share of (virtual) loli porn stuff, but as said in the article; "her own nation has the highest rates of sexual violence in all Europe".

Now which do you honestly think is worse, glorified loli H, or actual sexual crimes?

[XanBcoo]

The meaning is that before you judge something else, take care of your own faults first, sure Japan has its share of (virtual) loli porn stuff, but as said in the article; "her own nation has the highest rates of sexual violence in all Europe".
"her own nation has the highest rates of reported sexual violence in all Europe"

Fixed that for you.

I hope you're not saying that Japan is free from sexual crime. Take a look at the articles I posted. Especially the one about the segregated trains. Consider that 1) Japan defines "sexual crimes" by its own skewed standards, and 2) Japan is a ridiculously misogynistic culture, and that even in cultures where women are actually respected, being a victim of a sexual crime carries the stigma of embarrassment and that most cases go unreported.

That article is pretending to play the numbers game, but is pretty much ignoring half of the issue. Japan isn't as safe and clean as you'd like to imagine.

[darkshadow]

What does that even matter, I never said Japan is safe and clean, that was never the issue here. The issue is comparing loli material with sex crimes.
So you still haven't answered my question, just derailed it with something that is irrelevant to the article.

Again:
Now which do you honestly think is worse, glorified loli H, or actual sexual crimes? ( That is what the article is about ).

[Kraco]

Haha. Xan taking Sankaku's "news" seriously is even more funny than the way those articles are always written over there. The site lives for perverted stuff, 99% concentrated on stuff from Japan, so what kind of a bias did you fail to expect them to have? Anything else than an article like that would be about as likely as an Italian TV station criticizing Berlusconi or a Russian journalist living for a year after revealing something shocking about the Russian government.

[XanBcoo]

Again:
Now which do you honestly think is worse, glorified loli H, or actual sexual crimes? ( That is what the article is about ).
I didn't derail it, and it wasn't irrelevant. The article is trying to take the moral high ground and say that Japan has fewer sexual crimes than Sweden, which is not true at all.

Your question is based on a false premise, but obviously sexual crimes are worse than pornography. Now if you take that answer and somehow interpret that Sweden has more problems than Japan when it comes to sexual crimes, then you're ignoring the reality of the situation.

That is one of the worst written and most ridiculously biased articles I've seen this side of Fox News or Feministing.com. It's sarcastic quotes around "child exploitation" and finger-pointing at Sweden are pathetic justifications for the behavior they're condoning. Get a grip.

Haha. Xan taking Sankaku's "news" seriously is even more funny than the way those articles are always written over there. The site lives for perverted stuff, 99% concentrated on stuff from Japan, so what kind of a bias did you fail to expect them to have? Anything else than an article like that would be about as likely as an Italian TV station criticizing Berlusconi or a Russian journalist living for a year after revealing something shocking about the Russian government.
Honestly I wouldn't take it seriously if it was clearly written as a joke. My problem is that the writer and the comments (and apparently darkshadow) actually believe the bullshit they are saying. I think it's quite sad.

[Kraco]

I wouldn't take it seriously if it was clearly written as a joke. My problem is that the writer and the comments (and apparently darkshadow) actually believe the bullshit they are saying. I think it's quite sad.

How exactly do you know what Artefact believes (I'm not going to say anything about random visitors to the site)? From your reactions I'd judge this was the first time you really read the site, so obviously you haven't been around to see he has written articles following that same kind of twisted style for a long time. It doesn't even need to be in order to defend Japan, because even when he tells about crazy Russian or Chinese or whatever happenings, it's always the same. Well, seeing how he's running a site like that, he obviously doesn't want anybody to terminate his source of material and amusement, that is, that particular corner of Japan's culture. You can hardly blame the dude any more than you can blame us for not liking Funimation's C&D letters.

[XanBcoo]

Funimation issues Cease and Desist for distributing property that they legally purchased, we complain but realize that we either move on or find a way to keep watching subbed anime.

Sweden addresses the fact that Japan needs to take a look at their laws so that the sexual exploitation of children is no longer condoned, and this guy swiftly crosses his arms in defiance, demonizing a legitimate argument saying "Well uh...uh...Sweden has no room to talk since their stance on sexual crimes actually produces more crime. Also she's racist and her father is a Nazi."

Sorry, I realize I'm preaching to the choir here since you know that that kind of argument is absolutely ridiculous, and a pathetic way to justify masturbating to pictures of little girls, but how can you tell me that this guy has invented BS arguments like this over and over again and doesn't actually believe he's justified in doing so?

[Nadouku]

Yea, Sankaku Complex has some pretty nasty stuff about Japan's weird fetish or other sexual news that seem out of place. Hell, the whole website is dedicated to that fandom.

[Kraco]

but how can you tell me that this guy has invented BS arguments like this over and over again and doesn't actually believe he's justified in doing so?

Oh, I'm absolutely sure he believes he's justified in doing so. Probably even the worst paparazzi believe they have the right to zoom into your bedchamber to take a photo or two because the world has the right to know who you are having fun with.

Besides, I haven't seen actual child porn posted there. Most articles concerning it are depicting people who got caught by the officials due to their tendencies. No doubt among the visitors are more or less hidden supporters of the real thing as well, but generally the people there only have a problem with grouping the virtual and real together, and you can bet the queen of our dear neighbours would ban both of them if it was up to her.

Say goodbye to Magical Index, Zero no Tsukaima, or Shana doujin (if not the actual series as well) if she succeeds in her holy agenda, and that's what really concerns me personally. Otherwise this whole issue would hardly interest me overly much. It's just that if you offer the devil (or a queen) a finger, you will lose your whole hand.

[Dark Dragon]

Japan is a ridiculously misogynistic culture, and that even in cultures where women are actually respected, being a victim of a sexual crime carries the stigma of embarrassment and that most cases go unreported.

Please do not use a conjecture like "People in Japan are unlikely to report a sex-crimes" in an argument. Even if something sound likely by common sense, actual research often shows statistic that defies common sense.

For example, did you know that Fox News actually present more fair and balanced reports when compared to other major news outlet? Most people (including you) sees Fox as a source of biased news but the recent research I've done for a government class project proves otherwise.


Sorry, I realize I'm preaching to the choir here since you know that that kind of argument is absolutely ridiculous, and a pathetic way to justify masturbating to pictures of little girls, but how can you tell me that this guy has invented BS arguments like this over and over again and doesn't actually believe he's justified in doing so?

It'd be best if you didn't expect any sort of legitimate journalism from a place like sankakucomplex. I fully expect the article to go along with that line of thought before even reading it.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not trying to defend his argument because i myself do not understand the appeal of the lolicon culture. The bottom line is that there are others who share his view, and it's rather pointless to get worked up about something offensive on the internet, because well, it's the internet.

However, I do think that the Queen of Sweden has no right to tell another country on what they should or should not do especially when her country has its fair share of problem.

Anyhow, i think we should move this to another thread if we're going to discuss this further. An article from Sankakucomplex really has no place in a thread about News.

[Kraco]

Yeah, let's move on by marveling the case of a girl unknowingly throwing away her mom's lifetime saving of $1M hidden inside a mattress.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8092942.stm

At least this case should, if nothing else, teach that hiding stuff inside a mattress may not only worsen your sleep physically but, should the mattress disappear, also psychologically.

[Buffalobiian]

But despite being unable to retrieve the mattress and its hidden fortune, "Anat" appeared philosophical about her loss.

"People have to take everything in proportion and thank God for the good and the bad," she said.

There has been no comment from her mother.

Haha, you can't feel too sad about losing what wasn't yours in the first place, right? Especially if you didn't have to work decades years to get it.

Someone should hack her bank account. Then we shall really see if "Anat" can thank God for the bad.

[Nadouku]

Oh, man. Having to lose a million dollars in a mattress is a grand loss. That poor woman!

[Marik]

Someone else has that money by now. They should have never put it in the news. That would just make more people go out and search for it, after hearing about it.

[Dark Dragon]

Haha, you can't feel too sad about losing what wasn't yours in the first place, right? Especially if you didn't have to work decades years to get it.

Someone should hack her bank account. Then we shall really see if "Anat" can thank God for the bad.

I wonder how long that old woman saved for before she was able to accumulate 1 mil. Losing that much money suck but i think the part about her saving it over the course of her life is the real heavy lost.

[Pandadice]

whoa.. talk about an enlightening experience. I wonder what the mother's age is? and I wonder how often she needed to leak into her savings for extra cash? if she got a mil, then I wouldn't think ever.. if it was just her savings hidden away, and it wasn't necessary for like, paying bills or something, then it doesn't look like they're in any kind of financial trouble because of this. I envy the woman.. to save a lifetime for a million dollars, and then lose it all instantly and unknowingly, and gain nothing. that must be so enlightening...

[XanBcoo]

Please do not use a conjecture like "People in Japan are unlikely to report a sex-crimes" in an argument. Even if something sound likely by common sense, actual research often shows statistic that defies common sense.
I've argued with feminists who would have me believe ridiculous statements like 1 in 4 women in America are victims of sexual abuse. In any case, "People in Japan are unlikely to report sexual crimes" is an argument absolutely based in Japan's social structure. It's not complete conjecture, although the statistics can only be so telling of the reality.

http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/proceedings/27/dussich.pdf

[itadakimasu]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090612/ap_on_bi_ge/us_fda_tobacco

all I could think about when I saw this was... Uh.... how about regulating marijuana?

[Kraco]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090612/ap_on_bi_ge/us_fda_tobacco

Isn't it about the time? Most developed countries should already be doing it.

Edit: Just to avoid misunderstandings.

[enkoujin]

I don't know about you two, but I'm fairly against the decriminalization of marijuana. I really cannot trust websites on the internet for a neutral stance on the issue fearing biased and manipulated medical facts on pro-marijuana causes.

Anyway, onto headline news:

Breaking News: Iran rivals both declare victory (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8098305.stm)

[itadakimasu]

The argument is actually Legalization and Regulation of marijuana.. Decriminalization is too short-sighted, and just decriminalizing it wouldn't set into place the measures to treat it like tobacco and control / distribute it for a profit. It'd definitely not going to add to the 400,000 annual tobacco deaths already happening.

enk, i was about to post the same story : )

It's friggin 2000 all over again !!! bush vs gore !!!!

[samsonlonghair]

The Iranian elections represent a social change as female voters become more important. Regardless who wins, the president of Iran will have to listen to female voices.

[Pandadice]

Boy hit by Meteor and lives (http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090612/sc_space/boyhitbymeteorite)

[XanBcoo]

That first line is the only thing I needed to read. The choice of words is just...


A 14-year old German boy was hit in the hand by a pea-sized meteorite that scared the bejeezus out of him

I can't stop laughing. I'm picturing the "angry German kid" from that old viral video.

[Nadouku]

That is kind of odd how a meteorite can still survive Earth's atmosphere.

[Buffalobiian]

That is kind of odd how a meteorite can still survive Earth's atmosphere.

As long as it's big enough, it'll get through.

I'm having fun imagining an angry kid there myself:

:mad::Was it you?
:confused:..huh?
:mad:: Did you throw that 3000000000km/h rock at ME?!

[Buffalobiian]

All frontline NSW police to get tasers (http://www.iinet.net.au/customers/news/articles/825218.html)

Less lethal than conventional sidearms, but may also lead to potential for misuse (because it's less lethal).

What's the stance like in other places?

[Kraco]

Not nearly all the cops here carry them but they surely are getting more and more common equipment all the time. Good thing too, because despite the small danger, they are still a lot more safer than the traditional 9mm guns. Safer to the officer as well, because in this country a cop is in deep shit if he shoots somebody dead and only heavy reasons will help him keep his job.

The cops must also experience being shot with a taser during the training before they are allowed to carry one, so that they know what the target is put through. I think this is quite an important aspect lessening the effect the apparent non-lethality would otherwise have on trigger-happiness.

[Cal_kashi]

important: The Iranian government is looking for dissident twitterers, so if you have an account, change your location and timezone to tehran!

This seems to be helping quite a few people, so I'll go ahead and repost it in every threads with some adjustments. Sorry, this has reached the level of TL;DR but I really am trying to cram the most relevant information and speculation only. Everything is updated as events unfold, especially the timeline and what will happen in the future.

Suppression of Dissent - The Players

Currently, there are either two or three groups who are suppressing the students on the ground that you'll read about throughout this thread:

1. The Basij
2. Ansar Hizbullah (which I will refer to as Ansar)
3. Lebanese Hizbullah (Unconfirmed but highly probable. Der Spiegel, based on a Voice of America report, says that 5,000 Hizbullah fighters are currently in Iran masquerading as riot police, confirming the independent reports. Many different independent reports and video point that way. Even in the last hours other independent twitter feeds have declared witnessing thugs beating on people while shouting in Arabic; I will refer to them as Hizbullah)

- The Basij are your regular paramilitary organization. They are the armed hand of the clerics. The Basij are a legal group, officially a student union, and are legally under direct orders of the Revolutionary Guard. Their main raison d'être is to quell dissent. They are the ones who go and crack skulls, force people to participate in pro-regime demonstrations, and generally try to stop any demonstrations from even starting. They are located throughout the country, in every mosque, every university, every social club you can think of. They function in a way very similar to the brownshirts.

They were the ones who first started the crackdown after the election, but it wasn't enough. While they are violent and repressive, they are still Persian and attacking fellow citizens. A beating is one thing, mass killings another.

- Another group was working with them, whose members are even more extreme, is Ansar. There is a lot of cross-membership between the Basij and Ansar, though not all are members of the other group and vice-versa. The vast majority of Ansar are Persians (either Basij or ex-military), though a lot of Arab recruits come from Lebanon and train with them under supervision of the Revolutionary Guard. They are not functioning under a legal umbrella, they are considered a vigilante group, but they pledge loyalty directly to the Supreme Leader and most people believe that they are under his control. They are currently helping the Basij to control the riots, but due to the fact that they are Persians and in lower numbers than the Basij, they are not that active.

- The Lebanese Hizbullah is a direct offshoot (and under direct control) of the Iranian Hizbullah (itself under direct control of the Supreme Leader) and cooperates closely with Ansar though Ansar occupies itself only with Iran's domestic policies, while Hizbullah occupies itself only with Iran's foreign policy unless there is a crisis like right now. However, Hizbullah has been called to stop violent riots in Iran in the past.

(the following paragraph includes some speculation based on reports from ground zero) Hizbullah flew in a lot of their members in Iran, most likely a good deal even before the elections in case there were trouble. They are the ones who speak Arabs and are unleashing the biggest level of violence on the Persians so far. Another wave arrived recently and there is chatter that yet another wave of Hizbullah reinforcements are coming in from Lebanon as we speak. According to Iranians on the ground, they are the ones riding motorcycles, beating men women and children indiscriminately and firing live ammunitions at students.

What will happen

Unless the army decides to intervene in the favor of the Council and to stop the early beginnings of the new Revolution, Ansar & Hizbullah members will be the ones doing the brunt of the killing and repression with Basij as a support while also protecting government buildings and try to do crowd control. The police seems to have for the most part disbanded in centers like Tehran according to all reports, including international media. If the police decides to come back, they will focus less on protection and crowd control, so the Basij will start to crack more skulls).

Currently, this is what is happening.


Timeline
note: I built this through both articles and twitter feeds, so I do not claim that this is a 100% factually correct representation of reality, but this is the general narrative.

- When the first spontaneous riots erupted, the first wave the Iranian Riot Police was called in, and short after the Basij also took the scene. The RP concentrated mostly around public buildings and streets while the Basij took position around student groups, especiallly universities.

- As things got more out of hand, more and more Basij troops were called in, as the police started dispersing. The riot police are less inclined (or, rather I should say the Basij are more inclined) to use violence so they retreated and leaving the place to the Basij.

- With the second wave of Basij also came Ansar Hizbullah members. This is the point where firearms started being used. There are reports of a few murders but it was mostly fired in the air or on walls in order to scare away protesters in University dorms.

- It's around the time of the second wave that the first reports and videos of an important number of non-Persian thugs shouting in Arabic and violently beating people with chains, clubs and electric batons (similar to cattle prods). The end of the second wave came right before the beginning of the current manifestation. Things were getting quieter with only sporadic reports of dissenters being assaulted. Important to note: at this time. the Supreme Leader has authorized these militias to use live ammunition against the crowd if things get out of hand (source: BBC)

- This brings us to the third wave, which just began around 12:30PM for those of us on the East Coast. According to all reports, plainclothes militia have opened fire on civilians protesting peacefully. Chaos erupted in the streets, with reports of fighting all over Tehran and spreading over Iran. Pictures of people shot, some to death, surfaced and were published in the mainstream media. Things very are ugly and this is spreading in other cities as well. Violent and murderous repression has started. At least a twenty people have been killed so far. Things will spiral down fast, and very soon.

There is a major crackdown on students, especially those with connections to the outside world going on right now. Some people report that the students are fighting back in some areas. Telephones are being bugged and everyone twittering and sending videos outside of Iran are being rounded up. ISPs were shut down, government hackers are threatening people who twitter, and some of them have vanished in the last 24 hours.

Later, the people started to fight back. First, they took over and burned down a Basij base, killing its commander. Later, a Basij shot a young man in the face in front of their HQ, at which point a policeman went to confront them. The Basij beat the policeman, at which point students stormed the compound, throwing molotov cocktails, burning it to the ground. This is very big.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, supporters of Moussavi have a manifestation planned for 5pm, Tehran time. Roughly the same number or more is expected to attend. Plenty of twitter chat about dressing in black.

The pro-Ahmadinejad crowd however are planning a counter-demonstration at the very same place the supporters are supposed to gather at 3pm. Most agree that basically they are simply going to gather for a confrontation. Basij from all over the country are moving to Tehran and supporters are being bused from all over the country.

A major showdown is expected to unfold

The Supreme Leader has also called for a 10-day inquiry into the claims of fraud, but it has been widely dismissed as cosmetic. The Revolution lives on.

Links

For further information on the Basij, Global Security has a good article about the history of the Basij. http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/iran/basij.htm (http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/iran/basij.htm)

CNN has a good article where eyewitnesses describe the current violence unleashed by the Basij here http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/14/iran.eyewitness/index.html

Here is another good article from GS again giving more background information on the ruthless Ansar thugs.http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/iran/ansar.htm

[Cal_kashi]

What can you do?
If you have a twitter account change the location and time to Tehran.
These tweeters also need proxies to use. If anyone wants to help ask and I'll try to search through where I'm getting this to tell you how.
http://blog.austinheap.com/2009/06/15/how-to-setup-a-proxy-for-iran-citizens-for-windows/

Why should you care?
A peaceful demonstration of students (like you) resulted in mercenaries killing some of them. And storming their dorms, arresting and killing more.
Imagine the Ishbal rebellion, but it's real and going down in Iran.

[Death BOO Z]

there are no links in the end. fix that.

[Cal_kashi]

Sorry, I dropped the ball in my copy pasta move. Posts now have linky goodness.

[Buffalobiian]

Tapeworm infestations from eating raw salmon triples (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/GlobalHealth/story?id=7847413&page=1)

It's small, only 1 per 100,000, up from 0.32 per 100,000.

The most useful part I found was this:


According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations, all fish meant to be served as sushi must be frozen for a specified period of time (usually a week) to kill lurking parasites.

Rennie said no matter how fresh, unless you're buying certified "sushi grade" fish it's best not to try to serve it raw at home.

Gotta start swiping "fresh fish is good sashimi fish" from my friends' minds.


Symptoms of Tapeworm Infection

The symptoms of tapeworm infection are:

* Nausea
* Diarrhea
* Abnominal pain or discomfort
* Hunger
* Fatigue

[Ryllharu]

It always made me nervous when I worked the Seafood counter when someone told me they were going to make sushi. I tried to dissuade them as much as possible, or point them to the premade boxes or sets.

I knew none of it was sushi grade, and the people who said they were going to do it didn't look remotely like they knew what they were doing. Most of them ended up getting previously frozen (but asking first for fresh) and very few, if any, actually smelled it first.

[Nadouku]

Hmm, I don't eat seafood as often, but I am still concerned about the way they are handling things, even if it is a very small chance that you'll get the tapeworm.

[Buffalobiian]

I took a quick look at our Food Safety website, and it appears rice (sushi rice anyway) had to be at pH 4.6 or below. Like who the hell checks the pH of rice? No doubt it has a reason, probably to do with microbe sustainability, but still.

Well at least my neighbour got that part correct. My last sample was like....corrosively acidic.


Acidification of sushi rice normally occurs when the rice is warm, to facilitate appropriate
mixing. The NSW Food Authority has identified 4.6 as the critical pH level in its Food Safety Guidelines for the Preparation and Display of sushi (NSW Food Authority, 2007). At this pH, the rice is no longer considered a potentially hazardous food as the pH will not allow the growth of pathogens. In the United States, the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management (HITM) and University of Florida also suggest that cooked rice should be adjusted to a pH less than 4.6 (Snyder, 2000; University of Florida, 2004).

Research by the University of Florida (2004) found that properly acidified rice (pH ≤ 4.6) could safely be kept out of temperature control for up to 8 hours. If a sushi outlet intends to store sushi rice out of temperature control, or for prolonged periods of time, it must ensure that the appropriate control measures are applied to minimise the opportunity for growth of the primary pathogens of concern, B. cereus and S. aureus.


---------------------------------------
Soldier filmed himself raping friend (http://www.iinet.net.au/customers/news/articles/828487.html)

When I read that, I just kept thinking stuff like this probably happens all the time. It doesn't make it any better.

[Kraco]

I took a quick look at our Food Safety website, and it appears rice (sushi rice anyway) had to be at pH 4.6 or below. Like who the hell checks the pH of rice?

You don't really have to check it. Adding a little acid would quickly lower the pH to measly 4.6. Aren't the Japanese anyway adding vinegar willingly to stuff?

[Assertn]

I once heard a crazy statistic like 1 out of every 3 japanese residents have some sort of digestive parasite in their body.

Anyway, didn't find an article about it, but found something else interesting:
http://www.livescience.com/health/090504-humans-sick.html

The absence of tapeworms in our digestive systems might make us more prone to illnesses.

[itadakimasu]

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/riaa-p2p-kazaa-music-download,news-4098.html

Woman sued for $80,000 per song downloaded illegally for a total of $1,920,000.

I think if they wanted people to pay they would at least make the judgement fit the crime.

[Assertn]

My friend went to college with one of the first guys to get hit by the RIAA. I think he owes them like a billion dollars or something. Anyway, the RIAA already announced that they will stop actively terrorizing torrenters, and switch to a warning system in collaboration with the ISPs. Any open court cases will still be pursued, however, as in the case with that woman.

[Animeniax]

They were warned...

If you download a song and get sued, but you can prove you purchased the music afterward (but before the lawsuit), can you get the case thrown out? I believe downloading music as a demo is fair use, as long as you buy a legal copy if you actually keep the song and listen to it regularly.

[The Heretic Azazel]

If you have a legal copy of anything you download, it's not a crime.

So would someone care to explain why these people are eating up taxpayer dollars to file a lawsuit with someone who can never afford to pay them? Over 24 songs? The horrible thing here is the state of juries. If someone like me with balls who could think for himself could actually survive the jury selection process, this woman would not have to pay anymore than what she would pay on Itunes for these songs. But a jury decided, even though the minimum fine an illegal file carries is $350, she needs to learn her lesson by paying 80k per file. This doesn't serve any other purpose than for the RIAA to flex its muscles and show America how big its dick is, and the mindless saps who are approved for jury duty are going to swallow the damn beast whole. Seriously? Who in their right mind thinks someone should go bankrupt because they participated in a victimless crime?

[Buffalobiian]

I wouldn't call it a victimless crime, since it does incur loss for certain parties, but that won't stop me agreeing with your statement.

[Death BOO Z]

such a great way to ruin two people's life, RIAA.

what are the odds they'll keep a normal life? slim, I'm sure.
who in his right mind will keep a steady paying 'job' (if they have one) just to spend 1.8 million dollars (roughly 20 years of earnings? if they got a good job) to pay to some social jerk.

I'd become a drunk in the moment I'm out of court, let's see them get anything out of me then.

[The Heretic Azazel]

I wouldn't call it a victimless crime, since it does incur loss for certain parties, but that won't stop me agreeing with your statement.

On a larger scale I agree it has a negative impact. But in this instance, sharing 24 songs, two albums, that's not hurting anyone.

[Animeniax]

On a larger scale I agree it has a negative impact. But in this instance, sharing 24 songs, two albums, that's not hurting anyone.
No single raindrop believes it is to blame for causing the flood...

[Carnage]

Who in their right mind thinks someone should go bankrupt because they participated in a victimless crime?

Really, the woman is the victim in this crime.



No single raindrop believes it is to blame for causing the flood...


But ruining the life of this one woman wont even stop a majority of leechers. It really just ruins her life.

[Animeniax]

But ruining the life of this one woman wont even stop a majority of leechers. It really just ruins her life.
Nah, she'll just have her wages garnered for the rest of her life. She can stop smoking or get her Big Mac without cheese to cover the cost.

[itadakimasu]

To help prove my point on "piracy" and "illegal downloads" I just went to amazon and bought a cd for $0.01 + $2.98 shipping.

Downloaded the cd a long time ago, and hey... I like it. So when I own the cd will it make any difference? Is anybody going to split that penny with the RIAA?

[Buffalobiian]

Nah, she'll just have her wages garnered for the rest of her life. She can stop smoking or get her Big Mac without cheese to cover the cost.

That's a bit insensitive I think. She's certainly guilty if she's found to download/share music without permission. The problem isn't whether she committed a crime. We'll leave the court to that one. It's the punishment that we can't agree with.

[Animeniax]

That's a bit insensitive I think. She's certainly guilty if she's found to download/share music without permission. The problem isn't whether she committed a crime. We'll leave the court to that one. It's the punishment that we can't agree with.
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. It's not like she didn't know what she was doing is wrong and the potential penalties. If she didn't know... well, ignorance of the law is not a valid defense.

[Death BOO Z]

heck, the punishment for killing someone (in a non-direct way, like selling them rotten food or maltreatment) would have probably been lighter.

how does that make sense?

[Kraco]

how does that make sense?

People dying of food poisoning don't have RIAA persecuting the suspects. That's the definite difference.

[Buffalobiian]

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. It's not like she didn't know what she was doing is wrong and the potential penalties. If she didn't know... well, ignorance of the law is not a valid defense.

Of course not, but that's not the point.

On what grounds did the RIAA base the astronomical compensation on anyway? If she wasn't sharing files, they couldn't say her downloading alone was responsible for that. Even more absurd if they're making her pay for "all those other illegal downloads" by other people.

"Making an example of" by raising the fine is the most absurd of all.

PS: wtf was her defense lawyer doing? Is it really that hard to dissuade the judge/jury that an illegally downloaded song isn't worth what, $8000 each or something?

[Animeniax]

Unfortunately there are cases where examples being made are necessary for the broader message, such as when people are put to death. I have a buddy who was made an example of in a court of law because everyone thought he would get off easy due to his status in society. Unfortunately for him, sometimes fame works for you, sometimes it doesn't. Similarly, sometimes anonymity works against you as well, and they throw you under the truck. In the end, my buddy realized he f*cked up and paid the price, and instead of getting upset with the system (which I'll agree is f*cked up), he looked at his own culpability in this mess.

[The Heretic Azazel]

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

What are you, 80? The RIAA going after one person or 100 people isn't helping anything. How many people do any of you know seriously stopped downloading because this woman was sued? Making an example of someone or letting someone off easy because they have money and/or status makes a mockery of the legal process.

I really hope you don't ever go down like this over something so mild. Extra cheese on her Big Mac, indeed.

[Assertn]

i read about some 15 year old kid that's supposed to be sentenced to up to 150 years in prison for killing like, 8 neighborhood cats.

[Animeniax]

What are you, 80? The RIAA going after one person or 100 people isn't helping anything. How many people do any of you know seriously stopped downloading because this woman was sued? Making an example of someone or letting someone off easy because they have money and/or status makes a mockery of the legal process.

I really hope you don't ever go down like this over something so mild. Extra cheese on her Big Mac, indeed.
Nah, but I do plan to become a police officer, if that makes you understand my position any better.


How many people do any of you know seriously stopped downloading because this woman was sued?Well if and when the RIAA goes after these others, they can't say they weren't warned.


i read about some 15 year old kid that's supposed to be sentenced to up to 150 years in prison for killing like, 8 neighborhood cats.If some kid killed my pet, I'd chop his leg off, and that'd be him getting off easy.

[Kraco]

Nah, but I do plan to become a police officer, if that makes you understand my position any better.


If some kid killed my pet, I'd chop his leg off, and that'd be him getting off easy.

Sounds like a short career.

[Animeniax]

Sounds like a short career.
Well the kid can't say he wasn't warned (if he visits gotwoot).

[The Heretic Azazel]

i read about some 15 year old kid that's supposed to be sentenced to up to 150 years in prison for killing like, 8 neighborhood cats.

I really doubt he'll serve much time if any. The look that little bastard has on his mugshot makes me want to set him on fire.

[Buffalobiian]

i read about some 15 year old kid that's supposed to be sentenced to up to 150 years in prison for killing like, 8 neighborhood cats.

Wait, that's real? I thought it was just a joke.

[Carnage]

i read about some 15 year old kid that's supposed to be sentenced to up to 150 years in prison for killing like, 8 neighborhood cats.


Well actually I don't feel for that asshole. At all.

[Nadouku]

This is a first that I've seen this. Was that kid mentally ill or something?

[itadakimasu]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090625/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_nuclear

So... this is a little disturbing to me. I know George Bush is no longer in office but if we pre-emptively attacked a mostly quiet iraq... wtf do we do when N Korea says they're going to nuke us if we attack them?

[Jman]

Anyone watching the news atm? Apparently Michael Jackson's been rushed to the hospital: cardiac arrest. Not much details yet.

[Assertn]

Anyone watching the news atm? Apparently Michael Jackson's been rushed to the hospital: cardiac arrest. Not much details yet.
Michael Jackson dies (http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/25/michael-jackson-dies-death-dead-cardiac-arrest/)

[Death BOO Z]

how much can that site (TMZ) be trusted?
it seems a bit early to call the condition out.

[Animeniax]

This is a first that I've seen this. Was that kid mentally ill or something?
They say serial killers get their start by killing small animals.

[poopdeville]

R.I.P. Michael Jackson


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090625/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_nuclear

So... this is a little disturbing to me. I know George Bush is no longer in office but if we pre-emptively attacked a mostly quiet iraq... wtf do we do when N Korea says they're going to nuke us if we attack them?

We... proceed to not attack, since we don't want our South Korean allies to get flattened under North Korean artillery (armed with chemical warheads). The same thing we have done since the 1950s.

If we went to war with North Korea, millions of people would die in the first HOUR.

[Animeniax]

We... proceed to not attack, since we don't want our South Korean allies to get flattened under North Korean artillery (armed with chemical warheads). The same thing we have done since the 1950s.

If we went to war with North Korea, millions of people would die in the first HOUR.
I don't think the North Koreans will have the support of the Chinese or Soviets that they had in the past, so it would be less of a stalemate this time. I think Japan and South Korea have had enough of living next to Kim Jong Il and his regime, and may press for US assistance in attacking North Korea.

[darkshadow]

How can Japan attack anyone? They don't even have an army, iirc they are allowed only to do self defense.

[Sapphire]

R.I.P. Michael Jackson
WHAttttttttttttttttttttttTTTTTTTTTTTTttttttttttttt tttttttttttTT?

[RyougaZell]

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

Rest in Pieces

[poopdeville]

I don't think the North Koreans will have the support of the Chinese or Soviets that they had in the past, so it would be less of a stalemate this time. I think Japan and South Korea have had enough of living next to Kim Jong Il and his regime, and may press for US assistance in attacking North Korea.

Well, South Korea might want to, but they will pretty much have to evacuate the entire country before they can attack. All of South Korea is in range of North Korea's chemical artillery.

Yes, holding South Korea hostage is a trick North Korea can only do once. But boy, killing multiple millions of people in an hour is a very serious threat, even if they will get walloped afterwards. It's mutually assured destruction, on a small scale.


WHAT

Yeah, I guess I made it sound like one of those "Goodnight, sweet prince" trolls. But it's true, supposedly.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obit_michael_jackson;_ylt=AivAhGPZcPCGpI1rJoKAY gus0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTJvZmxvbHNlBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwN jI1L3VzX29iaXRfbWljaGFlbF9qYWNrc29uBGNwb3MDMQRwb3M DMgRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3J5BHNsawNhcHNvdXJjZW1pY2g-

[Animeniax]

How can Japan attack anyone? They don't even have an army, iirc they are allowed only to do self defense.
They have a self-defense force that is 235,000 strong. As they say, sometimes the best defense is a good offense. The definition of self-defense is pretty loose.

[Assertn]

There's rumors that Jeff Goldblum died now....(lol)

[XanBcoo]

There's rumors that Jeff Goldblum died now....(lol)
The Internet: Pissing off Kevin Spacey (http://twitter.com/KevinSpacey)

Seriously though, this news kinda sucks.

MTV is also marathoning his videos: http://www.mtvmusic.com/playlists/mtvm/?contentId=1614737

[Archangel]

The king is dead (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31552029/ns/entertainment-music/)

Well at least it wasn't drugs

[Assertn]

live press conference on MJ (http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/25/michael-jackson-press-conference-one/)
lol, everyone's singing "beat it" in the live feed now

[Marik]

I'm sorry to hear that. I remember meeting him in December 06 when he came to Augusta for James Brown's funeral. I can't believe he's dead now too.

[poopdeville]

Wait... James Brown is dead? Now that's a fucking tragedy. :0(

[Nadouku]

Dang, so many people dying... such tragedy, indeed. :(

[Animeniax]

Farah Fawcett died too.

[itadakimasu]

yeah... farah died early this morning...

Is it bad that I considered the possibility of MJ faking his death right after i heard about it? I mean, he was in debt like crazy and was gearing up for this huge sold out concert.

Will he remain an enigma like tupac?

[Animeniax]

Dang, so many people dying... such tragedy, indeed. :(
They were all old. That's what old people do.

[itadakimasu]

They just showed on jimmy kimmell where the Bruno movie premier was blocking MJ's hollywood star, so people were gathering around another michael jackson star who is some old radio guy....

[Nadouku]

Is it bad that I considered the possibility of MJ faking his death right after i heard about it?

Sounds like a plan, but lets not think too hard into it. Time will tell, later on.

[Assertn]

They just showed on jimmy kimmell where the Bruno movie premier was blocking MJ's hollywood star, so people were gathering around another michael jackson star who is some old radio guy....
shiiit...i wanna go to that premiere....

I've only been able to attend one red-carpet premiere, and that was like 3 years ago when I worked right off sunset blvd.

[Marik]

R.I.P Billy Mays

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529328,00.html

http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/28/billy-mays-is-dead/

[Archangel]

O_o

Celebrities are dropping like flies!

[Marik]

O_o

Celebrities are dropping like flies!

Indeed.

1. Ed McMahon died June 23rd
2. Sky Saxon (lead singer of The Seeds) died June 25th
3. Farrah Fawcett died June 25th
4. Michael Jackson died June 25th
5. Billy Mays died June 28th

Crazy week.

[enkoujin]

Oh my God.

WHY, BILLY MAYS, WHY?!

Rest in peace.

:(

[XanBcoo]

Famous celebrities always die in threes. This string of deaths is making it hard to tell who's next.

We had Carradine, then McMahon, then Fawcett.
Then MJ, and now Mays.

Does that mean there's one more on the horizon?

[The Heretic Azazel]

Shit, Pitchmen is such an awesome show...Billy was my idol.

[Animeniax]

Famous celebrities always die in threes. This string of deaths is making it hard to tell who's next.

We had Carradine, then McMahon, then Fawcett.
Then MJ, and now Mays.

Does that mean there's one more on the horizon?

David Carradine
Ed McMahon
Farah Fawcett

Does that help establish a pattern and the identity of the mysterious 3rd celeb in the second set?

[samsonlonghair]

I was hanging out with a pal of mine over the weekend. His old lady called crying, "I can't believe Michael is dead."
My pal replies, "bitch why are you crying for him? You hate child molesters; Your son was molested; Your brother is in jail for the rest of his life for child molestation. Why the fuck should you cry for Jackson? You should be glad he's burning right now."
His old lady says, "I don't believe he's guilty. That was all invented by the media."
My pal asks, "You really think that freak is innocent?"
His old lady says, "Yes, just like O.J. is"
She wasn't being sarcastic.

[XanBcoo]

I know "not guilty" doesn't mean "innocent" but I honestly think Michael wasn't the horrible pedophile most people made him out to be.

The case where the family settled for 20 million dollars or whatever was already suspect because the father of the kid tried to extort money from Michael before even going to the police. Apparently there wasn't even enough evidence to support a criminal trial, so the family resorted to a civil suit, which was settled out of court with the 20 million. It wasn't hush-money, as many people seem to assume.

And yeah, you can blame the outcome of the other trial on the prosecution or anything else, but Michael was still acquitted, so there you go...

He was obviously a nut-job, and surrounded by people who leeched off him (like Uri Geller) and didn't try to help curb his eccentricities, but it just never really seemed like he was a child molester.

[Assertn]

I'm inclined to agree with xanbcoo, especially after this article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196009/Im-better-dead-Im-How-Michael-Jackson-predicted-death-months-ago.html

Its kinda hard not to see MJ as a victim of his fame.

[itadakimasu]

If MJ wasn't a child molester, that is too bad. I questioned it slightly while watching dateline the other night but having grown in the 90's, all I knew of MJ was the child molestation accusations, one glove, and the moonwalk.

[darkshadow]

Famous celebrities always die in threes. This string of deaths is making it hard to tell who's next.

We had Carradine, then McMahon, then Fawcett.
Then MJ, and now Mays.

Does that mean there's one more on the horizon?

Does this one count?
Ex-NFL star shot, killed
Former quarterback Steve McNair, 36, is found with a fatal gunshot wound in Nashville (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-mcnairkilled&prov=ap&type=lgns)

[Animeniax]

Does this one count?
Ex-NFL star shot, killed
Former quarterback Steve McNair, 36, is found with a fatal gunshot wound in Nashville (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-mcnairkilled&prov=ap&type=lgns)
MJ
Mays
McNair

Case solved.

[Buffalobiian]

NYPD rookie makes arrest moments after graduation (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_rookie_arrest)

No. of Arrests:

Rookie: 1
Mugger: 48 49

[rockmanj]

The governor needed a break after being "on duty now for two and a half years solid," he said.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/07/palin.resignation/index.html

This whole thing is a circus, but the reason that says she worked for two years and got tired? Really?? This is what she pays that lawyer for? I mean, who quits a job because they needed a break after 2 years?

[samsonlonghair]

She also quit on a Friday right before a holiday weekend to minimize media exposure. That only saved her for a few days though. link (http://newsjunkiepost.com/2009/07/06/palins-threats-put-to-the-press-puts-to-question-her-judgement/)

[The Heretic Azazel]

Sarah Palin loves the spotlight, she somehow turned a political career into an entertainment career. When things excited her, when she got to wear nice things, spit out catchphrases and generally just flaunt her ignorance to the American people, things were fun for her, but people say that when it came to the tedious, number crunching side of politics she wasn't satisfied.

I am quite frankly terrified at the thought of her running for President and unfortunately I don't trust my country enough not to vote for her.

[Buffalobiian]

Stronger than diamond, 1 atom thick. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090708/sc_mcclatchy/3268145)

[XanBcoo]

That's really interesting, though I can't see why they're treating it as some sort of scientific revolution. What are the benefits of replacing silicon with graphene? Is it just cheaper to produce or what?

And for today's gossip: http://www.scientificblogging.com/j_michael_bailey/michael_jackson_erotic_identity_disorder

Am I seriously suggesting that Michael Jackson was a homosexual autohebephile whose erotic goals included resembling Peter Pan and having sex with pubescent boys? I sure am. If I am right, then somewhere there are images of Peter Pan that Michael Jackson brought to a plastic surgeon. There are also computer-generated images of the surgeon's plans for Jackson's face. But I am less certain that Peter Pan is the inspiration of Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon than about the general idea that Jackson was trying to be a pubescent male.
Interesting little theory about MJ he's got going on here. Not totally unfounded, either.

[Buffalobiian]

That's really interesting, though I can't see why they're treating it as some sort of scientific revolution. What are the benefits of replacing silicon with graphene? Is it just cheaper to produce or what?

I'm guessing it's like when some guy said "Computers of the future would be as big as an entire room, and only the very rich could afford one", then along game microcircuits.

The fact that it can be made to 1-atom thick means it's suddenly possible to produce much smaller chips and circuits than before. The fact it's so hardy yet flexible only enhances this. Then increase that performance by 100x.

Current silicon circuit manufacturing technology might have its limits to how small they can etch or produce silicon circuits, as well as how well the silicon will stay intact in such small quantities.

[darkshadow]

Stronger than diamond, 1 atom thick. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090708/sc_mcclatchy/3268145)

Gundarium alloy get! :3

[Marik]

Woman Finds A Frog in Her Green Beans (http://www.myvictoriaonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2170:frog-found-in-frozen-green-beans&catid=64:state&Itemid=55)

I'm glad I don't eat vegetables.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm glad I don't eat vegetables.

Say hello to colon cancer in 50 years' time.

[XanBcoo]

Woman Finds A Frog in Her Green Beans (http://www.myvictoriaonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2170:frog-found-in-frozen-green-beans&catid=64:state&Itemid=55)

I'm glad I don't eat vegetables.
Ugh, I read the bulk of that story before I read the warning at the top. I have a weak stomach and overactive imagination. Now I'm going to have to start checking everything I own for dead frogs. That is so disgusting.

In other weird news:

Fake bus stop constructed to keep Alzheimer patients under control (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2071319/Fake-bus-stop-keeps-Alzheimers-patients-from-wandering-off.html)

[Buffalobiian]

That frog video was funny. The bus stop one too, in a different (cleaner) sense.


"When you're washing field vegetables, you're going to get certain little pieces and parts, but we certainly don't want something so large you can identify what it is."

The way she said it, it's like the manufacturers should have diced up the remainder of the frog into minuscule, unidentifiable pieces...like the other 25%....

[Marik]

The way she said it, it's like the manufacturers should have diced up the remainder of the frog into minuscule, unidentifiable pieces...like the other 25%....
Haha yeah. It's like she's pretty much saying, that all of that frozen stuff contains small field animal parts and you just didn't know because they cut them up real small.

:( @ when they showed the frog on the paper towel.

[Pandadice]

the craziest furry storry you'll ever read (http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Son-39in-plot-to-kill.5477291.jp)


Christopher Monks, 24, wanted Shaun Skarnes to murder his parents Christopher and Elizabeth Monks while they slept and then perform an extreme sex act on him, Preston Crown Court was told.

The bisexual pair are alleged to have hatched the plot after meeting on an internet site about "Furries" – people who pretend to be animal characters and share sexual role-playing fantasies.

what is this extreme sex act you wonder?


"It seems that Skarnes was to receive no money for killing Mr and Mrs Monks but the prospect of biting off Monks' penis. This was the climactic act of the conspiracy."

[Nadouku]

Well... that is certainly strange, and a way to get your penis bitten off. :(

[Marik]

Wow, that's very disturbing. He's letting someone kill his parents and bite his dick off, WTF!?

[Ryllharu]

Sounds like someone is going to Broadmoor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadmoor_Hospital)...

That's just really creepy.

[Penner]

I like their previous name better, "Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum", has a nice ring to it dontcha think? ;P

[Buffalobiian]

I like their previous name better, "Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum", has a nice ring to it dontcha think? ;P

Of course, it's a nice, concise way of saying:

"You're a sinner."
"You're mentally fucked up."

"You need help."

[itadakimasu]

Yesterday on my way home they were talking about this chinese man who killed himself because of his being investigated in the disappearance of a prototype iPhone. He was working I guess shipping off the prototypes and one went missing and they were searching his home and what not and he winds up killing himself...

I haven't seen this on a major news network but I was curious if how people see this. I'm not going to stop using my iphone or anything but it was a little shocking to me.

[Buffalobiian]

Body Suits banned (http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ap-worlds-theasteriskmeet&prov=ap&type=lgns)

It'll be interesting to see just how much a performance boost these super-skins have been giving athletes.

[Buffalobiian]

An explanation of drug use related to Michael Jackson's death, given by....Michael.

http://m.www.yahoo.com/_ylt=AlfE8fx3PjeMUD_ubGAA.vWbvZx4;_ylc=X3oDMTRzbGV pNjI5BF9TAzIwMjM1MzgwNzUEX3MDMjE0MjQwOTQ5MgRhAzA5M DcyOSBuZXdzIHByb3BvZm9sIElWBGNwb3MDMQRnA2lkLTk5ODg EaW50bAN1cwRpdGMDMARsdHh0AyYjMzk7TWlsa29mYW1uZXNpY SYjMzk7BHBrZ3YDNQRwb3MDMwRzZWMDdGQtZmVhdARzbGsDbW9 yZQR0ZXN0AzcwMQ--/SIG=1355tgc7c/**http%3A//cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/%3Frn=3906861%26cl=14804918%26ch=4226722%26src=new s

[XanBcoo]

Not from a prestigious source or anything, but this still made me laugh:

Government forcing me to eat unhealthy chocolate and crisps (http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4518788.Benefit_cuts_force_me_to_eat_unhealthy_cho colate_and_crisps__says_Sussex_woman/)


She said: "It's been a matter of weeks and I'm already nearly a stone heavier from all the junk I've had to eat.

"I can't afford WeightWatchers crisps and healthy cereal bars anymore so instead I have to go for cheap chocolate and packets of fatty Space Invaders.

"I've also had to cancel my gym membership and instead of healthy salads for my evening meal, we have cheaper dinners like toad in the hole.

"My daily calorie count has gone from 1,200 a day to 2,500. It's just not fair."

[Penner]

Toad in the hole? the hell?

[Ryllharu]

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/02/radio-shack-rebranding-to-the-shack/
Radio Shack rebranding to "The Shack"?

I don't know how many countries have Radio Shacks, but this comes off as one of the worst PR moves in a long time. For a company that should be more appropriately named "Strange Batteries, Inc." or "We Stopped Selling Electronic Components and Now We Have Cellphones!" this just seems...really dumb.

[XanBcoo]

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/02/radio-shack-rebranding-to-the-shack/
Radio Shack rebranding to "The Shack"?

Pizza Hut did the same thing recently:

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/out-there/digital/e3ifc1a00a9add40186db080c52e05101c5

Now all the cool kids will hang out at The Hut.

[Animeniax]

Pizza Hut did the same thing recently:

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/out-there/digital/e3ifc1a00a9add40186db080c52e05101c5

Now all the cool kids will hang out at The Hut.
Wouldn't it be even hipper to rename them Da' Shack and Da' Hut, respectively?

[Kraco]

They should make a deal with Lucas and rename it The Hutt...

[Pandadice]

They should make a deal with Lucas and rename it The Hutt...

i'd eat there everyday

[LaZie]

Too bad the nearest Pizza Hutt is over 2 mile away!!

[XanBcoo]

They should make a deal with Lucas and rename it The Hutt...
Spaceballs already did that (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33n-IS8a1S4)

[Animeniax]

Too bad the nearest Pizza Hutt is over 2 mile away!!
What's Pizza Hut? I only know of this rockin' jammin' place where all the cool people hang out and that's The Hut. Be there or be square!

[poopdeville]

Haha yeah. It's like she's pretty much saying, that all of that frozen stuff contains small field animal parts and you just didn't know because they cut them up real small.


"I see that we've exceeded the FDA allotment for allowable insect parts, larvae, and workers' hairs in your jokes. Is this a potential scandal?"

"No Barb. Um, we're not 100%. I mean nobody can be. If you're going to write a comedy scene, you're gonna have some rat feces in there."

[darkshadow]

What's Pizza Hut? I only know of this rockin' jammin' place where all the cool people hang out and that's The Hut. Be there or be square!

It's a place where a certain anime character orders all her food for some reason >_>.

[Animeniax]

It's a place where a certain anime character orders all her food for some reason >_>.
I stopped watching anime a while back so you'll have to be more specific with your reference.

[Marik]

I stopped watching anime a while back so you'll have to be more specific with your reference.

C.C. from Code Geass.

[Animeniax]

Do they even have Pizza Hut in Japan? Of course, Code Geass happens in New Britannia or some fantasy place, but it's weird the writers added that product placement unless there's Huts in Japan, though I can't recall seeing any when I was there.

[Marik]

Do they even have Pizza Hut in Japan?

Yes, they have them.

http://www.pizzahut.jp/

[Animeniax]

Yes, they have them.

http://www.pizzahut.jp/
In another 50 years the Japanese will be as obese as your average American. In 50 years, a new gross obesity category will have been added as your average American will exceed current obesity measurements.

[itadakimasu]

Stephen Tyler fell off a stage and was airlifted to a hospital...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,537638,00.html

[rockmanj]

Do they even have Pizza Hut in Japan? Of course, Code Geass happens in New Britannia or some fantasy place, but it's weird the writers added that product placement unless there's Huts in Japan, though I can't recall seeing any when I was there.


There are Pizza Huts everywhere, but I have heard the fattiest ones are in the UK.

[Buffalobiian]

There are Pizza Huts everywhere, but I have heard the fattiest ones are in the UK.

The ones here are probably the most plain. They're lacking variety.

[Pandadice]

Man Bra catches on in Japan (http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=94348)

why japan, why!! only in japan v_v...

[XanBcoo]

South Florida man blames cat for downloading child pornography (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-cat-downloads-porn-bn080709,0,6415792.story)

He was downloading kitty porn.

[rockmanj]

California Apologizes for Treatment of Chinese (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1911981,00.htm)

Awfully nice of them. Doesn't look like they'll all get 20 grand like the Japanese Americans though.

[Ryllharu]

California Apologizes for Treatment of Chinese (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1911981,00.htm)

Awfully nice of them. Doesn't look like they'll all get 20 grand like the Japanese Americans though.
They might give them IOUs.

[Buffalobiian]

Man Bra catches on in Japan (http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=94348)

why japan, why!! only in japan v_v...

WHAT THE FUCK?

[samsonlonghair]

Man Bra catches on in Japan (http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=94348)

why japan, why!! only in japan v_v...
So is it called the manzier or the bro?
http://blogs.nerve.com/scanner/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/manzier.jpg

[Assertn]

I like how the only news ever posted in this thread involve either asians, kiddie porn, or furries getting their dicks bitten off.

[samsonlonghair]

Yeah, we used to actually discuss current events. Now we just post links to news stories about crazy shit. Basically, this thread has become Fark.com. Oh well, it's still fun.

[XanBcoo]

I like how the only news ever posted in this thread involve either asians, kiddie porn, or furries getting their dicks bitten off.
That's not fair. Basically any news story about Japan is bound to include these 3 things.

Anyway, I do think this thread leans more towards the posting of comical or weird news items, but that's cool with me. I think any more substantial stories worthy of discussion should be posted in their own thread anyway.

[Death BOO Z]

yesterday we had a rare occasion of (semi) linear numbers.

12:34:56 (0)7/(0)8/(200)9

sure, it works only if you're using the dd/mm/yy format for date writing. and if you ignore the 0 before

the lady on the news even say some numerologists say that the end of the world is coming (based on that alone), and nobody in the news station cared enough to rebuttal them by saying (as my younger brother suggested) that we had a better lineup back in 1990, 12:34:56 7/8/90, and nothing happened.

[Assertn]

yesterday we had a rare occasion of (semi) linear numbers.

12:34:56 (0)7/(0)8/(200)9

sure, it works only if you're using the dd/mm/yy format for date writing. and if you ignore the 0 before

the lady on the news even say some numerologists say that the end of the world is coming (based on that alone), and nobody in the news station cared enough to rebuttal them by saying (as my younger brother suggested) that we had a better lineup back in 1990, 12:34:56 7/8/90, and nothing happened.

That's funny....
Since in the US, we write our dates MM/DD/YYYY, people were getting giddy over 12:34:56 on July 8th instead of August 7th.

[XanBcoo]

Les Paul dies at 94 (http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/13/obit.les.paul/index.html)

The guy basically invented modern-day recording methods. He also designed the guitar named after him, and was a pretty great musician as well. I watched a documentary on him some time last year, and he really seemed like a great person. Classy dude.


Les Paul, whose innovations with the electric guitar and studio technology made him one of the most important figures in recorded music, has died, according to a statement from his publicists. Paul was 94.

Paul died in White Plains, New York, from complications of severe pneumonia, according to the statement.

Paul was a guitar and electronics mastermind whose creations -- such as multitrack recording, tape delay and the solid-body guitar that bears his name, the Gibson Les Paul -- helped give rise to modern popular music, including rock 'n' roll. No slouch on the guitar himself, he continued playing at clubs into his 90s despite being hampered by arthritis.

"If you only have two fingers [to work with], you have to think, how will you play that chord?" he told CNN.com in a 2002 phone interview. "So you think of how to replace that chord with several notes, and it gives the illusion of sounding like a chord."

"The world has lost a truly innovative and exceptional human being today. I cannot imagine life without Les Paul," said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. "He would walk into a room and put a smile on anyone's face. His musical charm was extraordinary and his techniques unmatched anywhere in the world."

Clip from aforementioned documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh5z16mQ4is&feature=channel

[The Heretic Azazel]

29-year-old man burns down his own house when his mother throws away his Gundam models (http://realestate.aol.com/pictures/feature/real-estate-news?ncid=AOLCOMMre00dynlsec0003&icid=main|aimzones|dl4|link4|http%3A%2F%2Frealesta te.aol.com%2Fpictures%2Ffeature%2Freal-estate-news%3Fncid%3DAOLCOMMre00dynlsec0003)

[Animeniax]

29-year-old man burns down his own house when his mother throws away his Gundam models (http://realestate.aol.com/pictures/feature/real-estate-news?ncid=AOLCOMMre00dynlsec0003&icid=main|aimzones|dl4|link4|http%3A%2F%2Frealesta te.aol.com%2Fpictures%2Ffeature%2Freal-estate-news%3Fncid%3DAOLCOMMre00dynlsec0003)
I knew it was a Japanese story as soon as I read your post.

[Psyke]

Wow. I like how they place the word valuable between inverted commas. I wonder what I would do if some one throw my stuff away. :(

[Animeniax]

Wow. I like how they place the word valuable between inverted commas. I wonder what I would do if some one throw my stuff away. :(
Would you burn your own house down? I'm sure your wife knows how important they are to you, so no concerns there. Unless you piss her off REAL bad.

[Buffalobiian]

Would you burn your own house down?

me: Losing models is bad. There's no point in losing a house with it. I need it more anyways. So "no" is my answer.

However, if someone thought it would be funny to wash my computer in a bathtub for example, expect some broken pieces of valuables[1] belonging to said "someone".

[1] Indicates something that is important to the offender, either monetary or otherwise, but is not or less important to me, and the destruction or damage of which will not cause great hardships to the defendant.

aka I will not burn the house down.



----------------------------------

edit:

Wow. I like how they place the word valuable between inverted commas. I wonder what I would do if some one throw my stuff away.

Make sure those figures are away from the prying hands of your little one now. Some of that high quality PVC may just suit her teething needs.

[Pandadice]

Mints Believed To Be Crack Land Man In Jail (http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/20435114/detail.html)

so dude goes to jail for 3 months for having mints when he got pulled over.

[XanBcoo]

Woman yells "Heil Hitler!" at Jewish supporter of Health Care (http://gawker.com/5340436/meet-pamela-pilger-the-crazy-lady-who-yelled-heil-hitler-at-a-jewish-supporter-of-health-care-reform)

Stay classy, America.

[Pandadice]

^lol, i watched that video last night. it's ridiculous...

17 year old Brazilian girl kills 30, and turns herself in (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2592734/Girl-aged-17-knifes-30-men-to-death.html)

[Animeniax]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32494981/ns/technology_and_science-science/

[Death BOO Z]

Mints Believed To Be Crack Land Man In Jail (http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/20435114/detail.html)

so dude goes to jail for 3 months for having mints when he got pulled over.


well, he learned his lesson, he won't be pulled over again. because the cops sold his car (what? can they do that?).


Woman yells "Heil Hitler!" at Jewish supporter of Health Care

Stay classy, America.

A. I think I recognize this guy, he might be someone semi-famous.
B. His English is terrible, if not atrocious. doesn't he live in 'the states'?
C. That woman has a point. Obama's man, who have been in office for the past six months, they are the ones to blame for the faults of the medical community (or whatever it's called). those damn democrats, always clinging to the chairs and never thinking of the people who voted for them. unlike the republicans. who are doing everything they can for the small man.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32494981...ience-science/

my my, thank you, mister common sense scientist . you say I shouldn't go off wondering around without a navigator-y aid? what a new idea! what are you going to suggest next? to always carry water with me while traveling in the desert?

[Buffalobiian]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32494981/ns/technology_and_science-science/

I loved this part:


To counter the tendency to spiral, Gallistel suggested that hikers learn some simple Boy Scout tricks. Moss grows on the north side of trees. There is less vegetation on the south-facing side of a valley than on its north-facing slopes. And the sun moves from east to west throughout the day.

[Animeniax]

my my, thank you, mister common sense scientist . you say I shouldn't go off wondering around without a navigator-y aid? what a new idea! what are you going to suggest next? to always carry water with me while traveling in the desert?
Only if you're a wuss. Weren't you in the army for some years? Didn't they teach you how to find your way with moss covered rocks and how to survive in the wild? I guess your army doesn't have the high standards of ours. That's what you get with mandatory service, a bunch of goobers who don't even want to be there.

[Psyke]

Squirrel becomes a Web sensation (http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20090820/tts-us-canada-animals-internet-offbeat-972e412.html)
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/4430/4111569693itsnutssquirr.jpg

[Buffalobiian]

That squirrel reminds me of the one from Ice Age.

Study: Games are depressing...or are they? (http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/study-games-are-depressing-or-are-they-/1346074)

The article isn't exactly entertaining or interesting, but "the average gamer is 35 years old" caught my eye. I was expecting something lower.

[Nadouku]

That line certainly caught my surprise, as well, but the article itself wasn't that informative of what I don't already know.

[darkshadow]

The article isn't exactly entertaining or interesting, but "the average gamer is 35 years old" caught my eye. I was expecting something lower.

That's nothing new really, I've known that for at least 2 years.

[Death BOO Z]

Only if you're a wuss.
yes.

Weren't you in the army for some years?
Three years, to be exact.

Didn't they teach you how to find your way with moss covered rocks and how to survive in the wild?
No. I know some of that stuff, but not from army trainning.

I guess your army doesn't have the high standards of ours
Might not, we have some good points though.

That's what you get with mandatory service, a bunch of goobers who don't even want to be there.

No shit, Sherlock. Mandatory service is a huge pile of steaming hot shit. and people like me are the better result of it. You do not want to speak to the others.

and on a general matter. what's with the poop slinging?

[Animeniax]

and people like me are the better result of it.
Your CO would probably disagree.


and on a general matter. what's with the poop slinging?
Gotta do something with all the poop.

[Carnage]

those damn democrats, always clinging to the chairs and never thinking of the people who voted for them. unlike the republicans. who are doing everything they can for the small man.


I laughed out loud.

[Buffalobiian]

Cell phone activates oven

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/147548

Mine's a good old analogue oven. My powerbox is in our garage (main point of entry/exit) in our house, and we have been trained to turn off the stove/oven power there when we leave.

[Marik]

There's this video that's been in the news a lot lately. It's a video from December 1984, that shows a karate student beating down a man in a dojo and possibly killing him while the instructor watches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zQi0aT_o0g

Warning: The video is pretty brutal.

KMPH News video about the case - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw9ai90Fa84

[Nadouku]

Oh wow, that was brutal, alright. What was that man thinking!?

[Pandadice]

why do they refer to him as a mentally challenged man?

dang it.. that video pisses me off. i thought karate was about discipline. the dude from the dojo clearly just got frustrated at how he couldn't land a hit and the other dude was staying calm, and keeping up a superior attitude.

but man thats messed up when he starts kicking his face in..

and the showing of the trail of blood just infuriates me. thats just impossibly messed up.

[XanBcoo]

I saw that video earlier last week when the master of the dojo (the fat fuck) posted it on his own youtube for some reason.

The guy is assumed to be Schizophrenic. Blythe had written a lot about him on the info section of the video and described how he was a regular nuisance around town. He invited him to his dojo so they guy could teach him his moves, but really had planned to beat him down regardless.

What's most infuriating is how that lumpy "black belt" is even considered a black belt at all. He basically just goes for groin kicks while the Schizo dances around him, then reverts to street brawling and cheap shots once the other guy gives up. Fucking pitiful.

I know the guy probably died of head trauma but I'd like to think he's sparring with Jesus right now :(.

Edit: The irony of it all is tragic. Martial arts is intended for self-defense, but the guy's kind-hearted pacifism prevents him from using it when it's most necessary.

[Buffalobiian]

Even if nobody else gets charged, that fat guy (I don't care which one) should suffer the heavy penalties for his actions.

There was an incident here a few years ago, where a bunch of highschool youths were having a party. When it was over, a group of people attacked some guy until he was on the ground, then kicked his head afterwards. He died. It had quite an impact because the assaulters were from my school and year level.

[darkshadow]

That was pretty harsh, though I don't see how the guy was "seriously mentally challenged". The black belt is completely not worthy of his belt, that was just weak ass street brawling without any control or discipline.
Definitly did not see any karate, just a shameful beatdown.

[Psyke]

That sucked. I wonder how many martial art practitioners actually understand the meaning and intent of whatever they have been learning for years. The brutality is not justified at all, especially hitting an already floored opponent. I hope the people in the dojo get what they deserve.

[Animeniax]

The video is from a while back, and as far as I've heard, no one was punished for the crime.

The thing with martial arts is, as evidenced by MMA, people don't all learn martial arts for the purported self-defense, self-control, and oneness with the universe. It's like a gun I suppose. In the wrong hands, it's deadly.

[Pandadice]

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25983404-401,00.html

yeah, Jurassic Park just got real.

[Buffalobiian]

I always wondered what dinosaurs taste like. I may live to find out after all.

[Pandadice]

^probably tastes like chicken xD

[Nadouku]

Dinosaurs made from chicken embryo? That would be strange, in a dangerous way.

[Kraco]

What's dangerous about it? It would only be cool, though by just making a couple of alterations it would probably still look nothing like a dinosaur, only a mutated chicken with some dinosaur traits (assuming his theory holds true).

[Nadouku]

I'm probably overthinking about the possibility that the creatures could go out of control, depending on their growth (and what the scientists decide to do with them, hopefully nothing negative). I wouldn't like to see a huge dinosaur-chicken walking around and causing havoc, though it would be amusing for a few seconds. :(

[Pandadice]

Dinosaurs made from chicken embryo? That would be strange, in a dangerous way.

Dangerous?!

see movie: Jurassic Park

[Nadouku]

Well, if memory serves, the dinosaurs escape from their containment when the power turns off and start destroying things around them, whether it's other dinosaurs or humans. That's kind of dangerous, I'd say.

Anyway, turning trash into art! Something that certainly has been done before, but this one just looks very cool. Check it out:

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainability/artist-turns-fast-food-trash-delicate-paper-trees?partner=yahoobuzz

[Buffalobiian]

Dangerous?!

see movie: Jurassic Park

Well hopefully Jurassic Park taught us all something.....get an Uninterpretable Power Supply :p

Well, this is an experimentation after all, so it's not like they're putting a few dozen exotic species for display to the public. Small scale, contained environments should make extermination of the subject an easy job should the need arise.

Don't forget that the entire point of the experiment is to show that we can derive a dinosaur from chicken genes because they're related. They just need to make it into something like a dinosaur. You don't need a 4 story T-Rex to prove your point.

Though it would be very convincing proof.

[Assertn]

I'm pretty sure the farthest they plan to go with it (at least for the next 50 years), would be to create an embryo that has dinosaur DNA. You guys are wigging out over velociraptors running around.

[Carnage]

There is nothing dangerous about it. No dinosaur would escape. That is just ridiculous.

[Psyke]

*cues jurassic park music*

I remember the movie saying that the dinosaur DNA were infused with some other common animal's but can't recall and I'm lazy to find out. Still, Assertn is correct in the sense that it's still a long long way off.

[Buffalobiian]

*cues jurassic park music*

I remember the movie saying that the dinosaur DNA were infused with some other common animal's but can't recall and I'm lazy to find out. Still, Assertn is correct in the sense that it's still a long long way off.

I'm pretty sure you're right. You need an embryo or a Zygote (forgot which, something post-conception anyway) for the base for you to clone with. You just suck the DNA out of whatever it was, and stick your desired DNA in, and you get a dinosaur.

[Carnage]

I think they were infused with Frog Eggs

[Psyke]

Yeah I remember now. Some species had gender altering abilities and hence the dinosaurs were able to reproduce. Well, all good to know in case they really create a park in the future. :p

[Kraco]

I think they were actually planning to use that explicit technique to recreate mammoths (using elephant zygotes). But I guess they never found chromosomes in a good enough condition, even from the permafrost.

[itadakimasu]

This is a few days old... girl kidnapped in 1991 freed after 18 years captivity. Kidnapper/child molester fathered 2 of her children who were freed with her... They've never been to school or to the doctor.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8228180.stm

"Suspicions had been aroused when Mr Garrido, who has a printing business, was seen acting suspiciously towards the children as he tried to enter the University of California, Berkeley, campus to hand out religious literature"

It's sick and ironic that sick, disturbed people like this are religious.

[Psyke]

Faith can be a very dangerous thing.

[Buffalobiian]

What's different about the entire thing now is that the girl sees her kidnapper as her family, since he fathered her children, and has been the only human she's probably known for the last two decades.

Kidnapping's a criminal offense, so she's got no say against the State prosecuting him (unless she denies the kidnapping took place), but it's just weird when the victim sides with the alleged criminal.

[itadakimasu]

all the news stories I've read about it refer to him as a rapist, when he's clearly a child molester. I mean... both are rape, but child molestation is clearly the worse offense.


Todays news : Disney buys Marvel for $4 billion.... What recession ?!~

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090831/ap_en_ot/us_disney_marvel_entertainment

[Penner]

They better not start to fuck shit up with the awesomeness that is Marvel.

[Assertn]

all the news stories I've read about it refer to him as a rapist, when he's clearly a child molester. I mean... both are rape, but child molestation is clearly the worse offense.


Todays news : Disney buys Marvel for $4 billion.... What recession ?!~

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090831/ap_en_ot/us_disney_marvel_entertainment
Oh shit.

Funny I read about this here first. Went to check google finances just now to see that my stock in Marvel is now up 26% today. lol.

[Kraco]

Funny I read about this here first. Went to check google finances just now to see that my stock in Marvel is now up 26% today. lol.

Are you going to sell now or wait for the reaction when the next X-Men movie will have a cameo by Mickey Mouse?

[Pandadice]

mmm.. maybe it isn't all that bad.. afterall, Disney has a pretty successful relationship with Studio Ghibli, so maube thier relations can help the marvel-Madhouse/anime in general relations.. at least, i don't figure it'll hurt 'um. (but then, i dunno if i'm in support of marvelXanime to begin with :\)


Funny I read about this here first. Went to check google finances just now to see that my stock in Marvel is now up 26% today. lol.

you have stock in marvel? lol, thats awesome.


Are you going to sell now or wait for the reaction when the next X-Men movie will have a cameo by Mickey Mouse?
more like Spiderman and Wolverine in the next Kingdom Hearts.

[Psyke]

more like Spiderman and Wolverine in the next Kingdom Hearts.

That sounds awesome as long as they don't go SD.

[XanBcoo]

State Senator Sues God (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20827350/)

...And God's response (http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/20080641285176)

[LaZie]

Woman fired for writing emails in ALL CAPS! (http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/148175)

[Kraco]

Woman fired for writing emails in ALL CAPS! (http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/148175)

Wow. That was an awesomely stupid story. Sure such emails would be annoying but normally her supervisor would correct her fell ways with a lecture, not by firing. I bet somebody else got fired as well after the company had to pay the $17000 compensation.

[Buffalobiian]

Wow. That was an awesomely stupid story. Sure such emails would be annoying but normally her supervisor would correct her fell ways with a lecture, not by firing. I bet somebody else got fired as well after the company had to pay the $17000 compensation.

She should have gotten a warning for it. It doesn't warrant a dismissal, but refusal to stop should. That just pisses people off.

[itadakimasu]

I DON'T LIKE THE TONE OF YOUR EMAIL !!!! STOP YELLING @ ME !!

[Xelbair]

you forgot to make that bright red

[XanBcoo]

Hubble releases new telescope images (http://www.hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2009/25/)

Goddamn. Really makes you feel small.

[The Chancellor]

I don't know if this is news or what you could classify it as, but about 15 minutes ago I went back to my Google homepage, and it was over all bigger. The search bar was really wide thicker. The font was moved up like 11 to about 14. And the search buttons were huge compared to before.

[Nadouku]

It certainly isn't news.

[Pandadice]

I don't know if this is news or what you could classify it as, but about 15 minutes ago I went back to my Google homepage, and it was over all bigger. The search bar was really wide thicker. The font was moved up like 11 to about 14. And the search buttons were huge compared to before.

maybe you accidentally zoomed in?

[itadakimasu]

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/pigeon-flies-faster-broadband-internet,8635.html

Carrier Pidgeon armed w\ USB Flash drive beats DSL file transfer !

[Death BOO Z]

next time, we arm an eagle with a 2TB HDD and pit him against satellite link?

[Buffalobiian]

So in 1hr 8min, the net transferred 4%.
Then it did 96% in 1hr.

[Pandadice]

So in 1hr 8min, the net transferred 4%.
Then it did 96% in 1hr.

lol, yeah that was kinda funny. maybe when they said "completed his journey" they counted his return trip?

[Psyke]

Gender test (http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20090911/tsp-athletics-world-rsa-semenya-media-c682194.html) finding on Semenya. Talk about ambiguity.

[itadakimasu]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090911/ap_en_ce/us_film_pirates_of_the_caribbean

New Pirates of the Caribbean coming in 2011

[Kraco]

Dressed as Sparrow, Depp staggered around the stage and embraced Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook...

Dick Cook sounds like a name of a pirate alright.

[UChessmaster]

Kanye West is a douchebag (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-CKMr5wTZE)

[Ryllharu]

Kanye West is a douchebag (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-CKMr5wTZE)
Kanye West is an attention whore, so is MTV in general. I would not be at all surprised if they turned around and paid him for that. They couldn't possibly get better press for this trash and their collective farce of award shows. I'm sure that nothing pleased the executives at the leading channel for manufactured drama more than this did.

In other news, water is wet, sky is blue.

If that piece of shit network had an femtogram of integrity left, they would not have allowed him to even get up there.

[XanBcoo]

They couldn't possibly get better press for this trash and their collective farce of award shows. I'm sure that nothing pleased the executives at the leading channel for manufactured drama more than this did.
Quoting this so hard.

Anyway I felt bad for Taylor whatshername because she seriously looked like she was about to cry, but when Beyonce won Best Video of the year, she called Taylor up and let her give her acceptance speech. Pretty classy, even though it was likely staged.

But even then that kind of bugs me. How can Beyonce win Best Video over all but not win Best Video for her gender category? "Everyone gets a trophy" I guess. What a joke MTV is.

Edit: hahaha, KANYE ARE CAN TYPE GOOD:
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/3384/kanyeblog.jpg

[Pandadice]

whoa, i saw that, noticed it was some youtube video, and didn't really think anything of it. then i saw it on CNN earlier and I was like "are they seriously covering this?". and then i was just on facebook and like every single person has a status about this.. it is seriously being blown outta the water...

[Idealistic]

Kanye's quote is now a new internet meme. There are a ton of pictures of it. http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/978/1252973607556.jpg for example.

http://kanyewestdouchebag.com/blog/kanye-west-lol-pictures

And a Kelly Clarkson blogpost: http://iamkelly.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/kanye-west/

[XanBcoo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxKIcrDsJAs&feature=related

Yeah, it's being blown out of proportion, but it's fun to hate someone as horrible as Kanye.

[Pandadice]

dude's still got awesome music though.

oh yeah, they played that obama video on CNN.

though when they introduced it i thought it was gonna go the other way. and have "YOU LIE!" shouted after kanye's outburst :\

[XanBcoo]

He really doesn't have awesome music. His last album was made with Garage Band.

Anyway:

Student kills burglar with Katana (http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/15/samurai.sword.killing/)


A Johns Hopkins University student killed an apparent burglar with a samurai sword after discovering the man in his garage, police said Tuesday.

Baltimore, Maryland, police received a phone call shortly before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday about a suspicious person, and an off-duty officer arrived at the scene with campus security, city police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

When authorities arrived, they heard calls for help and for police, he said. They discovered a suspected burglar with a severed left hand and severe lacerations to his upper body, Guglielmi said.

The suspect died at the scene, he said.

The man had entered a home where several Johns Hopkins students lived, Guglielmi said. Four students, one armed with a samurai sword, had confronted the suspect in the garage.

The man "lunged" at the students, and the student with the sword defended himself, severing the man's left hand and cutting his upper body, Guglielmi said.

I want to believe that this guy is the fattest weeaboo. Still, at least he had a way to defend himself.

[Sapphire]

Going too far!!!!

http://tinyurl.com/bloodrape

[Psyke]

Farewell (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-09-20/body-identified-as-crayon-shin-chan-yoshito-usui) to Yoshito Usui (臼井儀人 April 21, 1958 – September 19, 2009), you will be loved and missed by all Shin-chan fans. :(

[Dark Dragon]

Ah that's terrible.

I had a bad feeling when i found out he was missing a few days ago :(.

[Buffalobiian]

Water probably never flowed on Mars (http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090921/sc_space/howmarsturnedredsurprisingnewtheory)

Goodbye Martians :(

[XanBcoo]

That's a little sad. Here I've been waiting to find out that there's a secret underground civilization on Mars and that they'll soon invite us to live with them.

[Animeniax]

Just because water doesn't flow on Mars, that doesn't imply that there's no water on Mars. Remember the water-filled caves of Arrakis, also known as Dune? They just need the Messiah to come and reveal the water on Mars, much as Paul Muad'dib brought rain to Arrakis.

[rockmanj]

Just because water doesn't flow on Mars, that doesn't imply that there's no water on Mars. Remember the water-filled caves of Arrakis, also known as Dune? They just need the Messiah to come and reveal the water on Mars, much as Paul Muad'dib brought rain to Arrakis.


So all those rivulets and ravines were made by Shai-hulud?

[Animeniax]

So all those rivulets and ravines were made by Shai-hulud?
I think that's how it worked. It's either the bile from the baby worms, or it's regular water that they drown a baby worm in to transform it into the water of life.

[XanBcoo]

Dust storms turn Sydney red (http://www.smh.com.au/environment/sydney-turns-red-dust-storm-blankets-city-20090923-g0so.html)

How many Aussie Gotwooters are seeing that?

[Kraco]

Dust storms turn Sydney red (http://www.smh.com.au/environment/sydney-turns-red-dust-storm-blankets-city-20090923-g0so.html)

So, instead of arranging arduous experiments for years in their lab those researchers from Bill's post could have just travelled to Sydney to find red dust everywhere?

[Buffalobiian]

I wasn't in Sydney, but we still got a milder version here in Brisbane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane). The sky was looking pretty funny through the tinted windows of my morning bus, but it wasn't anything unusual.

That is, until I got out after a lecture at 12pm. Visibility was low, the sky was brown/red, and I kept getting sand in my eye. My nose felt really dirty by the end of the day (both inside and out), but I was inside for the worst of it.

No where near as bad as Sydney though. They got caught in the Great Red Spot or something.

I was going to make a Martian reference, but Kraco beat me to it.

[XanBcoo]

I know it must have sucked for everyone in Sydney to put up with that, but I love all the pictures taken. Photographers must have been having a field day with that Post-apocalyptic Mars.

It also lent itself to some awesome photoshoppery:
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/1808/sydneymist.jpg

[itadakimasu]

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE58O5XD20090925

They had this on the news yesterday and i just caught the last couple seconds of the story, which prompted me to goto my computer and start googling...

Turns out the guy didn't have a real bomb, but a fake bomb provided by undercover FBI agents... but still...he thought he was about to blow up a building full of people. no way in hell should they let him go.

It's a really weird thing because I live in dallas... and in the past I've always been a little bit against government evesdropping, etc... but I'm starting to lean alot more the other way, especially since I have nothing to hide. There are people living both legally and illegally in america who would like nothing better than to kill americans and try to ruin our way of life.

I think alot of rules go out the window here because stopping people from bombing our country far is alot more important than things like wiretapping suspected terrorists, etc... peoples rights being violated won't mean anything if we're all dead or if our economy is shut down by attacks.