In the news today

[Penner]

That hole does look suspiciously circular in shape for a natural occurance..

[Buffalobiian]

I would have sworn it was shopped..

That's pretty awesome.

[darkshadow]

Sinkholes are almost always circular..... >_>

[Assassin]

thats is some freaky shit....its like the grounds literally bursting open to swallow you up and forever condemn you to the bowels of hell

If i was standing there when it happened, i would be fucking terrified.

[Kraco]

If i was standing there when it happened, i would be fucking terrified.

Nobody will want to hire an assassin that gets terrified by holes. Or do you only use poisons?

[Sapphire]

Ohio Senate passes bill banning human-animal hybrids

"see you in 2012 with my vegetable man, ohio"

And that hole looks shopped......so scary!

[Kraco]

Ohio Senate passes bill banning human-animal hybrids

Plans to use pigs to grow (genetically modified) spare parts for humans were discussed years ago. But I guess nothing much ever came out of it and organ donors are still the only way to go, except for some simpler, minor things grown in laboratories, like patches of skin and such. But at least this means in Ohio it won't ever happen.

Westwood said, "Despite the fact that simply the desire to genetically mix humans with animals is morally abhorrent, and such experimentation kills human life, the only dangerous principle some scientists appear to be operating under is, 'If we can, we will.'"

I guess they have something against technocrats...

[The Heretic Azazel]

Okay so admittedly I was half-asleep and in an abrasive mood when I posted the last article. I often willfully look for things to incite my anger and after reading the article again, I didn't have anything to be pissed about.

UNTIL I FOUND THIS.

Citizens have every right to videotape the police as long as they are not interfering with their jobs. There's nothing I can say that the comments don't cover. For sure, with this recent trend of catching the police on video breaking the law, they are infringing on my right to hold public officials accountable for their actions. They have no expectation of privacy in public.

[XanBcoo]

That's pretty scary.

If anyone hasn't seen The World's Most Dangerous Street Gang, they should take an hour out of their day and do so. It's relevant to the above article:

http://www.tagtele.com/videos/voir/48409

[Death BOO Z]

those things are horrible.
I know that there are bad apples everywhere, and that things look differently when you're on the other side of the camera.
But I somehow suspect that the police being 'state' rather than federal leads to lower standards and less suitable men for the job.

(although, maybe that's just some fancy way of saying 'this won't happen to me'- denial at it's best)

[Animeniax]

I'm on the fence about this, but it sucks to know in Austin the APD doesn't really have a choice in the matter. After a fatal shooting here last year in which the officer was reprimanded for not utilizing his in-car camera correctly (like positioning himself to get the best video angle on the action) the APD is installing high-def cameras in all of its cruisers that will instantly turn on in several situations, such as when the car reaches a certain speed, when the car door is opened, etc.

I agree the police need policing, but policing is a culture on its own, and judging them based on the untrained eye of the civilian is akin to a kind of ethnocentrism, same as judging any foreign culture from the perspective of your own.

[The Heretic Azazel]

Holy shit, I had heard that narcotics officers shot up with adrenaline to keep them on edge during busts, but that's exactly what these cops seem like they're on. That cop who put the skateboarding girl in a headlock was hilarious though. Way to gain control of the situation running after the whole crowd.

Seriously, this shit happens too often. Recent examples include a SWAT team that kicked down a guy's door and shot his two dogs (one was in a cage) over some marijuana. Turns out there was maybe a gram of it.

Also the little girl in Chicago killed when officers threw a flashbang that blinded her, and fired the shot that killed her before they even entered the home. It's truly scary.

[XanBcoo]

I agree the police need policing, but policing is a culture on its own, and judging them based on the untrained eye of the civilian is akin to a kind of ethnocentrism, same as judging any foreign culture from the perspective of your own.

Because that's who will ultimately be making legal decisions based on the viewing of such tapes.

Civilians.

Anyway, you don't need training to understand when cops are out of line. Hundreds of people are arrested every day for good cause because they are morons, but there isn't one example of police brutality that can be justified with a better understanding of "police culture". It's as you say, the police need policing. Always.

[Animeniax]

That's pretty scary.

If anyone hasn't seen The World's Most Dangerous Street Gang, they should take an hour out of their day and do so. It's relevant to the above article:

http://www.tagtele.com/videos/voir/48409

Pretty shocking video, thanks for the link. I think the music was unnecessarily melodramatic and set the wrong kind of tone for the video, no joking around. I agree the police are no better than any other group of people in their capacity to do evil and abuse power, but they are (and should be) held to a higher standard because of the power we entrust them with. I imagine if we watched a video of gang violence next, it would help put things in perspective though.

those things are horrible.
I know that there are bad apples everywhere, and that things look differently when you're on the other side of the camera.
But I somehow suspect that the police being 'state' rather than federal leads to lower standards and less suitable men for the job.

(although, maybe that's just some fancy way of saying 'this won't happen to me'- denial at it's best)

It's a problem for cities to hire enough police officers so those they do manage to hire are bottom of the barrel. The same thing happened with groups like Blackwater in Iraq. When they couldn't find enough special forces/rangers/qualified personnel, they started hiring cowboys with psychological issues that led to the killing of innocent civilians there.

Being the boy scout that I am, I've personally wondered how I will handle the code of silence or the blue wall when a fellow officer abuses his power in my presence.

Because that's who will ultimately be making legal decisions based on the viewing of such tapes.

Civilians.

Anyway, you don't need training to understand when cops are out of line. Hundreds of people are arrested every day for good cause because they are morons, but there isn't one example of police brutality that can be justified with a better understanding of "police culture". It's as you say, the police need policing. Always.

I still contend it's hard to completely condemn a police officer for an instance of brutality. If there's a pattern then of course that's different. But imagine dealing with the scum of the earth day in and day out for years. It might lead you to snap and/or start treating all people like scumbags.

[XanBcoo]

Pretty shocking video, thanks for the link. I think the music was unnecessarily melodramatic and set the wrong kind of tone for the video, no joking around. I agree the police are no better than any other group of people in their capacity to do evil and abuse power, but they are (and should be) held to a higher standard because of the power we entrust them with. I imagine if we watched a video of gang violence next, it would help put things in perspective though.

Yeah, this is all very true, but it doesn't excuse the actions. I realize that to understand is not to condone, but we're talking about an actual law that makes it illegal to video tape officers.

I couldn't back it up with any statistics, but I'd agree with you that if they deal with scum 24/7, it would affect perceptions of people and cause officers to step over the line more often. If that's the case, then it's even more imperative that they have no ability to censor their actions.

And quit double posting, man.

[Ryllharu]

I still contend it's hard to completely condemn a police officer for an instance of brutality. If there's a pattern then of course that's different. But imagine dealing with the scum of the earth day in and day out for years. It might lead you to snap and/or start treating all people like scumbags.

That's the problem though. If the Stanford Prison Experiment or that one about psychiatrists (Rosenhan) proved anything, those who have power are more and more tempted to use it the wrong way when things get more and more out of control (SPE), or are under the impression that they are infallible because of their position in power (Rosenhan, in terms of labeling people scum or whatever). There are plenty of great cops who don't succumb to the allure of that power, but there are plenty who do.

That manner of check needs to be in place.

[itadakimasu]

so,

Did they stop the oil leak yet ?

[The Heretic Azazel]

Who cares? It's just "a small spill compared to the huge ocean"

[Animeniax]

If Rush Limbaugh is to be believed, the oil is natural just like the water and nature will take care of it so we don't have to worry about it.

[Uchiha Barles]

"The planet is fine....the PEOPLE are fucked." George Carlin