England Doesn't Want Snowden (Like He'd Go There), More Tech Firms Provide Sensitive Data, Sandy Hook Anniversary Observed: P.M. Links

• 

  Credit: PaKKiTo / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

  House Intelligence Committee Rep. Mike Rogers claims Edward Snowden is lying about just about everything related to PRISM.  England has warned airlines around the world not to bring Snowden there, which is funny because they're knee-deep in the whole thing and one can't imagine Snowden seeking refuge there.

• The latest in leaked information: Thousands of tech firms provide sensitive data to the feds in programs that extend much further than even Snowden has referenced.
• Today marks the six-month anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School rampage. There were observances and more calls for gun control.
• In related news, Smith & Wesson posted record highs in gun sales, a 43 percent year-over-year increase.
• Potato farmers are being sued over allegations of price-fixing. That's odd. Don't the United States' agricultural policies revolve around price-fixing? Maybe the problem is that they're doing it without federal involvement.
• Iran's presidential election was held today. Will there be reform or more of the same?

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Comments

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Potato farmers are being sued over allegations of price-fixing. That's odd. Don't the United States' agricultural policies revolve around price-fixing? Maybe the problem is that they're doing it without federal involvement.

I blame Irish.
Not the peoplegroup, our regular commenter.

[jesse.in.mb]

Everyone blames Irish, Pantsfan, don't act like you're being original.

[Episiarch]

Shit, I blame him nearly every day.

[BakedPenguin]

"Blame" or "have sex with"? Because those are two different things, you know.

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

Not for Epi.

[Episiarch]

GODDAMN IT NICOLE

[Episiarch]

Not in my world.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

not when it ends by crying yourself to sleep after

[Fist of Etiquette]

House Intelligence Committee Rep. Mike Rogers claims Edward Snowden is lying about just about everything related to PRISM.

Well then, I guess he hasn't done anything illegal then.

[Brian D]

He mentioned PRISM exists, and even though that's the name of a program the NSA has involving charity bake sales and nothing else, it's still classified information and he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

[Episiarch]

They'll just sue him for slander. Except this will be felony slander and the punishment is death.

[DJF]

Drone strike?

[Let Me Ride]

Rolling Stone has published an interactive map re: cannabis reform at the state-level

http://www.rollingstone.com/po.....p-20130610

[NeonCat]

I like how Rogers apparently believes he's been told the truth since he's on the committee. I mean, no way would anyone lie to a congresscritter, right?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Honestly, if they haven't bothered putting any more effort into oversight than listening to testimony and thinking about reading reports, then they should shut the fuck up about NSA surveillance programs.

[DJF]

So Rep. Mike Rogers blew the NSA cover story. Edward Snowden had created a false cover story to throw the terrorists off on what the NSA was doing which would prevent the terrorists from using US telecommunications because they would fear that they were being tracked and Rogers then ruins everything. Great work traitor!!!!

[Archduke Pantsfan]

"For obvious reasons, Wendy's of Brandon neither condones nor promotes the idea of anyone consuming a nine-patty hamburger in one sitting," said Barker, reading from a prepared statement.

She said the fast-food restaurant "strives to deliver a positive dining experience for our customers. Our goal is to provide options to our customers so they can make options that meet their needs."

A nine patty burger would meet a lot of my needs.

[Dagny T.]

This was the only impressive thing to ever come out of Friendly Manitoba, and these losers axed it?

And, $21.99 actually seems pretty expensive, considering.

[Zeb]

What obvious reasons? It's not as if anyone is going to mistake that for a healthy option that you should eat every day. There is nothing wrong with having a restaurant that serves greasy burgers and fries. Not every restaurant needs to fulfill all nutritional requirements of all people.

[Agammamon]

Apparently nowadays there's a strain of public policy thinking that says if something is available to the public then it must have no undesirable side-effects and can be consumed/used in arbitrarily large quantities with no ill effect and if this isn't the case then it should be banned.

[Joe M]

In and Out has done 100x100s before.

[Generic Stranger]

I was going to say, they're basically ripping off In and Out.

[A Serious Man]

Potato farmers are being sued over allegations of price-fixing. That's odd. Don't the United States' agricultural policies revolve around price-fixing? Maybe the problem is that they're doing it without federal involvement.

The Great Irish Dilemma: Do I eat the potato now, or wait for it to ferment so I can drink it later?

[Brett L]

Do I eat the potato now, or wait for it to ferment so I can drink it later?

"This one's got the wrong kind a mold on it, throw it in the cookpot tonight!"

[Zeb]

Do the Irish make a lot of potato liquor? I thought they needed the potatoes so much because all of the grain goes into whiskey and beer.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Iran's presidential election was held today. Will there be reform or more of the same?

It will come down to Ohio and Florida.

[Let Me Ride]

Ottawa unveils final medical marijuana rules - "medical marijuana users will no longer be allowed to grow the product at home."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com.....e12446149/

Recovered Nazi diary gives rare view into Third Reich

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/13/.....?hpt=hp_t2

[DJF]

Actually there is expatriates voting in the U

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....ory.htmlSA for the Iranian election

[DJF]

Try this again

Iranians are voting in the USA for the Iranian election

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....story.html

[Archduke Pantsfan]

I suppose his Big Mac didn't contain enough special sauce.

[Zakalwe]

He's lovin' it.

[Rich]

It takes two hands to handle a Whopper.

[Brett L]

Obviously East Asian though, because he's rubbin' it.

[Dagny T.]

Dammit, Brett, why do you have to go and make racism so funny?

[NeonCat]

As long as he wasn't singing the theme song in time to his, uh, manipulations. That's just wrong, almost as wrong as fantasizing about being in an orgy with four-armed Grimace, the Hamburglar and the Fry Guys.

[Dagny T.]

Elsewhere in Dartmouth: "What the hell is going on in Nova Scotia?" Rehtaeh? It is a shame about bullying or whatever, but who the fuck names their daughter Heather, spelled backwards? Gross, gross, gross. All of you prospective parents out there, do not do this.

[Zeb]

Specifically Heather, or are you offended by any name produced by spelling another backwards?

I think it's cool when people make up new names for their kids. It's nice to have a name that no one else has (though mine isn't made up).

[Dagny T.]

That is a fair question. I will go so far as to say any name/word spelled backwards is a pretty gross choice for a name. That is probably othering to white trash Nova Scotians, but that is a risk I'm willing to take.

[Zeb]

Huh. I thought white trash Nova Scotians were named things like Lucy or Trinity or Julian.

[Zakalwe]

You know who else disapproved of people named Lucy?

[Eduard van Haalen]

Dracula?

[C. Anacreon]

Charlie Brown?

[Dagny T.]

As long as it isn't Conky. Don't even say that name! I hate that little fucker!

[Rhywun]

I think it's cool when people make up new names for their kids. It's nice to have a name that no one else has

I think it depends. Me, I would have been horrified. Not everyone wants to be a "unique snowflake". Give me good old-fashioned normal names.

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

Remember when "Nevaeh" was the hot new name? At least according to the NYT Styles Section, which doesn't mean much.

[Episiarch]

No. Only you do, because you are the worst.

[Dagny T.]

Yes. I think my brain recognized the offensiveness of Rehtaeh because of undue Nevaeh exposure. I never understood how it was meant to be pronounced. The "ae" like in Yael?

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

I wondered that too. I know too many people who know someone named Yael and can't pronounce her name for shit though, so that seems like a toughie. I always kind of imagined it something like "Nivea."

[Dagny T.]

That is a shame, because Yael is a really pretty name. And if you are correct, that will be more annoying than pronouncing "Favre" as "Farv." The letters are not in that order! You don't just get to mix 'em up in a jumble! Or maybe you do!

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

Yes, Yael is a very pretty name. I frequently hear it pronounced "Yale." Sad.

[Rhywun]

Why would anyone give their kid a name that no one can pronounce?

[Heroic Mulatto]

*sigh*

I dunno. I think my Mom was high or something. I know for a fact my Dad was.

[Agammamon]

The candians do - they have centres and metres, and pronounce aluminum wrong.

[New West Republic]

I've never heard anyone pronounce aluminum wrong. Maybe you're thinking of the Limeys.

[Episiarch]

What is this, a worst convention?

[Dagny T.]

Wurst convention, actually. You're not invited. More sausage for Nicole and I.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Epi loves the sausage.

[Episiarch]

Keep your stupid sausage! I can get my own at that bar called The Manhole!

[jesse.in.mb]

You'll have a better time at HotMale in Bangkok.

[Rhywun]

But it's unique and stuff.

[Lord at War]

From the article... "We strongly suggest for people not to take the matter into their own hands," Bourdages said.

[grrizzly]

CBS News confirms Sharyl Attkisson's computer hacked
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-20.....er-hacked/

[a better weapon]

My guess is since she isn't dead or hasn't "gone on sick leave", that she didn't have a whole lot more on her computer.

She probably hasn't heard from her sources in a while though.

[Episiarch]

Today marks the six-month anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School rampage. There were observances and more calls for gun control.

Can't miss an opportunity to climb on those dead kids. Even if you have to make up an "anniversary" to do so. They are going to milk those dead bodies for all they're worth, because...they care. Just not about dead kids.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Even Harry Connick Jr is milking this.

[Episiarch]

Who knew dead kids had so much milk in them?

[Rich]

Beat me to it, Epi.

I'm surprised they don't have a remembrance on the twenty-sixth of every month.

[Episiarch]

I think even they know that relentless overkill will use up the dead kids' usefulness to them right away. See? They're planning how they exploit dead children. It's all nice and ghoulish.

[Rich]

relentless overkill

You mean, like demolishing a perfectly good school building?

[a better weapon]

Pugnacious little statists, aren't they?

[Number 2]

Actually, they are pissed off that the NSA, IRS, and AP scandals have sucked up all the political oxygen and no one is really paying that much attention to them anymore.

[Banjos]

WON'T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE DEAD CHILDREN!

[CE]

Six months isn't an anniversary. I think "anno" has something to do with years.

[C. Anacreon]

Then why does "anno domini" mean "common era"?

[Episiarch]

It means "in the year of our lord". Meaning, marking the years since Jesus' birth.

[Agammamon]

It doesn't - C.E. means common era, which starts the same freaking year A.D. does. Some people just can't leave well enough alone.

[Virginian]

Political correctness.

[C. Anacreon]

Thank you. Someone picked up on my sarcasm, rather than trying to school me in Latin 101.

[Episiarch]

So everyone else on here gets to be a pedant jerk but me?!? Vappa!

[The Bearded Hobbit]

Holocene calendar FTW.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_calendar

... Hobbit

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Except for the fact they're BRITISH

[Brett L]

SF'd that like I usually do.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

GREAT

[Brett L]

Right. Loud, ugly, snaggle-toothed, drunken, and yobbish. But surprisingly undemanding.

[Clich? Bandit]

dude, you SF'd the link.

[General Butt Naked]

At least he didn't pants the link.

That's the worst.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Link doesn't work.

[Agammamon]

I don't get it - if American women are too much for you and you're in the market for a mail-order, why would you go brit?

[Tejicano]

Yeah, its not like you would be able to listen in on phone calls to her family and understand what they're talking about.

[Brett L]

I'm spending my filthy Koch lucre to set myself up in this Bond-villain yacht/sub. Mmmm, evil Bond girls.

With a 26-foot pool, cinema room, helipad, library, gym, laundry room, and private lounges, Migaloo would be perfectly equipped for the discerning billionaire.

Plans call for it to be constructed with special pressure-proof glass and underwater lights to offer spectacular views when the submarine dives.

[CE]

Cool. Can it be fitted with nukes?

[Rich]

Iran's presidential election was held today. Will there be reform or more of the same?

Yes.

[a better weapon]

More of the same, but they'll just call it "reform." These Iranian's are a lot more American than they'd care to admit.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Today marks the six-month anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School rampage.

Anniversaries are yearly events. Let's ban military assault style misnomers.

[NeonCat]

No one needs 12 months.

[Episiarch]

I ALREADY COVERED THIS.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Not explicitly. This goes for celebrations of first dates or engagements or marriages or whatever. "Anni" means year. "Versary" means you'll be very sorry if you expect me to give you a gift on anything but the year mark.

[trshmnstr]

It's a similar annoyance to "First Annual"... It is NOT your first annual. You may hope that it becomes an annual event, but it is simply the inaugural event.

[Let Me Ride]

The Chinese hacked both the Obama and McCain campaign but, hey, no big deal, right?

http://openchannel.nbcnews.com.....s-say?lite

Utah drug cops kill a 21-year-old girl assassination-style; no criminal charges are pending but there's a civil suit a-comin.' Your Drug War, ladies and gentleman:

http://jonathanturley.org/2013.....otics-unit

[Brett L]

daughter was shot to death "assassination style" by a now disbanded special narcotics unit that has been accused of corruption and abuse

Did you see that picture of her? Guilty!

[Brandon]

How the hell did they "hack" the McCain campaign? I didn't think you could hack rotary phones and rolodexes.

[Agammamon]

Social engineering - old, old school hacking.

[Andrew S.]

Wait, Snowden's lying? I thought his disclosures were devastating to our national security and are letting terrorists get us!

[tarran]

They're simultaneously untrue and have informed our enemies of what they need to do to secure their vulnerabilities to our intelligence services!

[Episiarch]

Cognitive dissonance, the last refuge of the retarded.

[tarran]

The last?!?

I think they have an infinite number of refuges, Episiarch.

[Episiarch]

You would know.

[Number 2]

Only a truly evil, conniving bastard could inform our enemies of our most secret and vital security schemes by disseminating lies about them!

Awfully clever for a high school dropout dummy who had no qualifications for the six figure job he held.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

'No good can come from eyeball licking'

[NeonCat]

Residents pron?

[BakedPenguin]

Couldn't be worse than their music. not that I'd check.

[Jordan]

Oh, Japan.

[Thane-kin]

I dunno, I'd kind of like to see a domestic source for this "trend" first. And as we know from our media, that still wouldn't mean it was actually happening.

[Clich? Bandit]

What. The. Fuck.

[Fist of Etiquette]

In related news, Smith & Wesson posted record highs in gun sales, a 43 percent year-over-year increase.

They've declared Barack Obama Salesman of the Year.

[db]

The American People have spoken regarding their opinion on gun control, evidently.

[Mad Scientist]

Isn't S&W one of the manufacturers running at full production? I wonder how big would their increase would have been if they had been able to meet demand.

[Clich? Bandit]

Thank you for using S&W...of all manufacturers they are the most gun grabby and I refuse to use their name, even when buying ammo I say .40 S&W

[Generic Stranger]

He's been Salesman of the Year since 2008.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

The Weirdest and Fiercest Helmets from the Age of Armored Combat

[Brett L]

How much of a badass do you have to be when your mustache has its own armor?

[a better weapon]

They left one particularly ferocious set of armor off the list:

http://i.imgur.com/2lEIg1p.jpg

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Who wouldn't want to work amongst all those yoga pants?

[Rich]

Yoda?

[NeonCat]

Militant nudists?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Hitler?

[Brett L]

Its really hard for me to be sympathetic to anyone in this story.

a mother who is facing two years of jail time after her 4-year-old son was hit and killed by a drunk driver while she and her children were crossing the street. Now, hopefully you're asking yourself how it is that the mother of a boy slain after being hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street could be facing jail time at all, and the answer is because "she chose to cross the street at the bus stop, instead of the nearest crosswalk, three-tenths of a mile away.

Note: The driver was actually sentenced to five years but served six months. So no, she doesn't face "more jail time" than the driver.

[Agammamon]

Its an old story- but, personally, I'm sympathetic with the plight of the mother. She chose to take a short-cut across a wide but fairly empty stretch of road rather than add a decent distance to the trip. Even if she had gone to the crossing, the guy who hit her was drunk - its not like the crosswalk would have stopped him.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

I know this is common in a lot of urban areas, but people in my neck of the concrete jungle are ridiculous about it.

I keep thinking, "You're not some high-powered executive, you're a welfare-sucking peon that doesn't have to be anywhere in a particular hurry. You really can't walk an extra 50 yards to the crosswalk and wait an extra 75 seconds to cross the street when the light turns green?"

Every time I see it happen I hope they get hit by a Walmart truck.

[Zeb]

Where I live pedestrians and motorists both ignore crosswalks. It's a pretty good system.

[Virginian]

Depends on how you do it. When I cross against the light, or in the middle of the block, I move across quickly. I would never jaywalk with small children in tow. That's just stupid.

[Rhywun]

I feel a little guilty when I jaywalk in front of some parent being all responsible and struggling to prevent their kid from doing the same.

[Rrabbit]

"You really can't walk an extra 50 yards to the crosswalk and wait an extra 75 seconds to cross the street when the light turns green?"

That does not apply to this case. Three tenths of a mile one way to the nearest crosswalk. On a dark street apparently with no street lights.

In any case, government planning failure: bus stops should be aligned with cross walks.

[A Serious Man]

Tweets from Senator Jeff Flake's son proves the GOP is racist.

The dog whistles to this constituency usually involve subtler terms such as "welfare," "handouts," "illegals," "food stamps," and "Obama phones." But very often you'll have local, state, and sometimes national officials exposed for explicit racism. It seems like it has become a monthly occurrence that an elected Republican either forwards some horrible racist chain email about President Obama or makes some horrible racist off-the-cuff remark.
To read Tanner Flake and Joey Heck's online posts is to see the powerful strain of bigotry that exists within a certain sector of conservative politics. It's true that children of Democrats can be just as wretched as children of Republicans and can do equally idiotic, terrible things...But when bad Democratic kids behave badly, they're way more likely to drive 100 mph while drunk than to say the president chucks spears. Likewise, you rarely ever see Democratic officials getting in trouble for passing on horrible, racist chain emails or making horrible racist remarks. This has everything to do with the political differences between the two parties and their voters.

[NoVAHockey]

"they're way more likely to drive 100 mph while drunk than to say the president chucks spears"

so they might actually kill someone and cause real harm.

[Heroic Mulatto]

He's right. When Democrats go for racism, they don't fool around with pussy stuff like sending emails. They become the Grand Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan or something similar.

[jesse.in.mb]

Tanner Flake seems like he's a little shit, but the only way that really reflects on Senator Flake is that there was not enough beltings and mouth washings in the house.

A sampling of Tanner's YouTube comments as pulled sent in to Towleroad:

"you faggot retard pussy piece of crap i hope you die in a hole slowly and painfully"
"you gay fag ni**er go shoot yourself because no body likes you"
"Mexicans are the scum of the earth."
"Then some ni**er started rapping and I looked at her album art and saw that it was Flo Rida."
"IT'S THE NI**ER FAMILY!!!!"
"Stupid little ni**er"
"go die in a hole you stupid ni**er"
"The black guy always fails first..."
"Yes, because one white dude goes nuts. No. Black people do crap like this all of the time."
"When he called himself a cheap jew i loled hard"

[Heroic Mulatto]

Well, at least he wont be trolling Hit 'n Run anymore.

[Mad Scientist]

American is Jeff Flake's son?!

[Heroic Mulatto]

As good as any theory I've come across.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Really, the only thing that sets those apart from other youtube comments is the name of the person who posted them.

[jesse.in.mb]

Absolutely, his father should beat him soundly for embarrassing him publicly and the nation should move on. This is the American way.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

The American way is thrashings, not beatings. Or is that the Canadian way?

[jesse.in.mb]

I dunno, I think we're getting lost in regionalisms here. Can we agree that whuppin', including making him go out and cut his own switch, is distinctly American and appropriate here?

[Brett L]

Switches hurt like a motherfucker.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

American AND traditional, and thus quite appropriate.

[Virginian]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....water.html

Well Flake's son does chuck spears. Photographic proof.

[Brandon]

That is awesome.

[Enough About Palin]

But when bad Democratic kids behave badly, they're way more likely to drive 100 mph while drunk than to say the president chucks spears. commit voter fraud or slash GOP bus tires on election day.

Congressman's son resigns after voter fraud video - CBS News

USATODAY.com - Lawmaker's son, 4 others charged in tire slashing

[fish_remote]

Oh yeah....Jeremy Stahl....I love him in Portlandia.

[Agammamon]

I guess this highlights how wrong I am, how screwed up my priorities are.

'Cause I would have said calling the president a nigger gets you an arse-wooping if the man catches up to you, while driving drunk is a tad more serious thing, kinda rises to the level of actual criminality. I guess I was just taught all wrong.

[Heroic Mulatto]

It is so mind-numbingly easy to grow enough potatoes for one's family. I don't understand why millions of people will grow their tomatoes ever year, but its cousin the potato is ignored. You don't even need a plot of land! (The grow bag is the best way to grow potatoes for quantity, imo.) And the best way is to grow them vertically! Grow them against the side of your house, or on your patio or deck. Fuck, if you have enough light, grow them inside your apartment.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

Because homegrown tomatoes are awesome compared to the crap tomatoes in stores but homegrown potatoes are just potatoes.

[Zeb]

Hey!

[Enough About Palin]

So are homegrown potatoes. I learned this from a friend who grew up on a farm. She said I should plant some, so I did. They are not at all like the crap they sell in the produce aisle. They are...

Fucking. Awesome.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

Out of everything we've grown, only the tomatoes and some types of corn were meaningfully better tasting. Squash, potatoes, carrots, onions, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, etc. were indistinguishable or not enough so to be worth the effort. Oh, also strawberries. They were much better but that's probably because we didn't have to pick them early to ship them to a store.

It may be that I am biased -- imo, an epic tomato is unrivaled; I'd rather have them than any other fruit or vegetable -- but the potatoes just weren't all that.

[jesse.in.mb]

Any garlic I've grown has been like getting kicked in the face with garlicky intensity. I love homegrown garlic.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

I forgot garlic. It's much better than what's in the stores, too.

[jesse.in.mb]

Every year I decide I'm going to grow tomatoes and every year I fail to do so. Tomatoes today are terrible; I blame science.

[Mad Scientist]

It's not to late. To plant it.

[Mad Scientist]

Damn it. s/to/too

[Zeb]

Well, part of the reason is that store bought potatoes are of reasonable quality and store bought tomatoes are always terrible.

[Coeus]

The "reality based community" continues to make a mockery of the word "reality".

As a growing number of Americans are turning away from smoking, the nation's largest tobacco companies are ramping up production of high-tech cigarettes that could lead an entirely new generation of Americans to become addicted smokers ? and the government is doing nothing to stop them.

And, as a bonus, there's a lot of actual lying in the piece, instead of just the normal distortions.

[Episiarch]

Are they talking about vapers? If so, they literally take their marching orders directly from TEAM BLUE central. What pathetic fucks.

(I absolutely will not RTFA)

[Coeus]

Yep. Vapers. And chock full of outright lies:

In 2009, the FDA released an analysis of 18 electronic cigarettes and found that half of the vapor samples "contained carcinogens, and that one contained diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in antifreeze."

[Episiarch]

Yes, the thing is, I've heard those lines before, especially the one about the diethylene glycol. So this is literally copying previous lies and distortions basically verbatim.

Like I said, marching orders: they have been given.

[Brett L]

According to this MSDS, diethylene glycol LD50 is 12.5 g/kg bodyweight. Whereas the LD50 for super save vitamin C is somewere between 3.4 and 12 g/kg bodyweight.

[Brett L]

s/save/safe.

[General Butt Naked]

Not to mention, anti-freeze is ethylene glycol.

Diethylene glycol is the shit they use in fog machines. It's perfectly safe.

[BiMonSciFiCon]

I don't know why anyone bothers going to TP. Unless they're Venezuelan. I could see why they would get confused.

[entropy]

Today marks the six-month anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School rampage.

Scott Shackford, you are not a woman. You must learn what anniversary means or your man card will have to be revoked.

[The Late P Brooks]

Sandy Hook Elementary School rampage. There were observances and more calls for gun control.

Unfortunately, none of those "observances" involved the self-immolation of grieving relatives.

[Rich]

Or attendance by Westboro Baptist folks.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Even the deer in Canada are polite

[Dagny T.]

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but... you SF'd the link.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

heavens above.

[Brett L]

PR0N for John.

These "girls" -- all morbidly obese -- have been friends since the 1990s, first meeting in at the Austin, Texas, chapter of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, and partying together in the Big Beautiful Women, or BBW, community.

They have tried every diet under the sun and an array of pills, but nothing has worked. So they look to weight-loss surgery.

As some succeed, others fail and one friend dies, their relationships with one another -- and their husbands who married their wives as larger women -- change profoundly.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

"Sisterhood of the Traveling Parachute Pants."

[fish_remote]

Fucker.....I just spit fried rice all over my desk!

[Enough About Palin]

"They have tried every diet under the sun and an array of pills, but nothing has worked because they cheated on their diets or just plain gave up.

[Caleb Turberville]

http://freethoughtblogs.com/si.....o-go-galt/

I don't know what's more frustrating: the dopes that think every Ayn Rand fan takes "Going Galt" literally, or the dopes that actually do take it literally.

[Caleb Turberville]

Although, I don't really see where the people behind the Idaho compound have made any real reference to Atlas Shrugged. It could just be one of your regular, run-of-the-mill loon compounds.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Yes, because bunkering down to wait for the world to burn before Jesus to comes down on his winged horse is Objectivism 101.

[Caleb Turberville]

I don't believe in licensing, especially with regards to speech, but if we're going to have it, why have not have it to prove that one has actually read Ayn Rand before giving an opinion about her?

[fish_remote]

Jesus to comes down on his winged horse ....

That sounds pretty cool actually....maybe I've been too hasty!

[CE]

Self government is a basic human right. Leave them alone if they're not infringing on anyone else's rights.

[A Serious Man]

Former SS captain found living in Minnesota.

An Associated Press investigation found that 94-year-old Michael Karkoc served as a top commander in the Ukrainian Self-Defense Legion during World War II. The unit is accused of wartime atrocities, including the burning of villages filled with women and children. Wartime records don't show that Karkoc had a direct hand in war crimes, though records indicate he lied about his military past when immigrating to the U.S.

[DJF]

How about something different in news stories

NKVD captain found living in Florida.

[A Serious Man]

But he meant well. Next time the Right People will be in charge giving the orders.

[DJF]

The story will be "NKVD expert in Ukrainian agrarian reform celebrates 100 birthday in Florida nursing home"

[Coeus]

More from the "reality based community":

They list a whole bunch of laws that might have made what he did illegal, then throw this in:

The AR-15 assault rifle may have been banned for sale under California law.

And a two second google search would have told him that it was. Already illegal, yet it didn't stop him. Retardation or malicious bullshit on the part of this columnist?

[Episiarch]

It can be both.

[A Serious Man]

According to the LA Times, he pieced the gun together from different parts.

Time to ban interchangeable parts. Fuck Eli Whitney!

[Enough About Palin]

Pssst... wrong inventor.

[Brandon]

Fuck Tesla? Who the hell invented interchangeable parts? I didn't even know that was a thing.

[Virginian]

No he invented both.

[C. Anacreon]

Eli Whitney also once said, "I don't cotton to that brand of gin."

He also used to get royally pissed when people would confuse him with Elias Howe, inventor of the sewing machine.

[Let Me Ride]

idiots

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Jon Snow 80's-style Training Montage

[A Serious Man]

Needs more "You're the Best Around" from Karate Kid.

[Brett L]

Is that the Footloose montage music?

[CE]

You know who else trained by trying to flee on horseback from a hail of arrows?

[Thane-kin]

Google To Start Down-Ranking Sites That Won't Serve Smartphones, Or Redirect To Generic Homepages

I'm looking at you xhamster.*

*nsfw

[Agammamon]

See, I'm not a fan of "mobile" formatted webpage. This ain't 2003 anymore, I don't need special formatting and the associated loss of functionality (looking at you Reason mobile webpage, I don't even know what the point of the actual app is supposed to be).

[Thane-kin]

Some layouts adapt quite well to smartphones and others don't.

One of my pet peeves is that many, err, multimedia sites use Flash to embed videos when they detect a desktop browser, but use HTML5 or a direct link when on mobile -- but when they offer to take you over to their mobile site so you can actually watch it, they put you back on their homepage, not the page of the video you wanted to see.

[CE]

Ugh. I hate sites that have dumbed everything down for smart phones. They used to look good and be useful, now i get like 15 letters of text on my screen and everything is square and blocky.

[Zakalwe]

Yeah, but at least as many sites don't have appropriately sized text to read on a smart phone, especially when driving.

[Agammamon]

That "problem" is a design feature. Stop reading Literotica while driving to work.

[A Serious Man]

Zsalynn Whitworth is a natural beauty, with deep brown eyes and a captivating smile, but at nearly 500 pounds, she is so desperate to earn money for weight-loss surgery that she models for fat-fetish websites.

"It makes me feel like a circus freak," she says in a new movie about women struggling to lose weight, "but if that's what guys want to see, I go to the circus."

That might be the funniest and the saddest thing I've read in a while.

[Thane-kin]

Brett beat you to the punch.

[A Serious Man]

Brett, you magnificent bastard I read your comment!

[Brett L]

One in a row that I win!

[Agammamon]

I, I don't understand - does she not have a regular job? I mean, I got nothing against her doing fetish work but it seems she doesn't want to but needs the money.

So - what does she do that she can afford a fuckton of food but can't scrape 3ish grand together?

[Joe M]

From the brilliant state of New York: Lawmakers Push for 'Kill Switch' to Deter Smartphone Theft

The goal is to encourage smartphone makers to develop technologies, such as a "kill switch," that make mobile devices unusable if stolen.

I'm sure that type of technology could never be misused. And it always starts with "encouragement" and ends with "fuck you, that's why".

[Thane-kin]

The major carriers already have blacklists for stolen phones. If the government is going to lean on somebody, it needs to be the minor carriers that don't *cough*Cricket*cough*.

[Brandon]

Fuck you. The government needs to realize what is none of its fucking business.

[Thane-kin]

I said "If the government is...", not that it should.

[Brandon]

Fair enough.

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

I heard a report this morning that law enforcement wants this, which I didn't get, because doesn't that mean you could kill-switch your phone if it was confiscated? (I assume they're thinking it will not mean that.)

[Agammamon]

Don't we already have a "kill-switch"? Simply get to a phone and call you service provider and have the damn thing disconnected.

[Mad Scientist]

That won't prevent someone from calling up their service provider and getting a new service contract with your stolen phone. I think the idea is that if the phone is stolen it can be disabled permanently, making it worthless to thieves.

[Episiarch]

Yeah, basically remote bricking. "You stole my phone, asshole? Have fun with a brick."

[Brandon]

I would prefer remote turning-into-a-joy-buzzer. Much more satisfying as long as the battery lasts.

[Agammamon]

Disable the off-button and plays audio of animals having sex at high volume.

If you recharge it after the battery dies then it just automatically starts it again.

[Agammamon]

I thought the major providers kept black-lists.

And if you want to use the mobile you stole from me on Cricket - well that's punishment enough I think.

[Thane-kin]

They are trying to address the problem of people stealing phones and them selling them to people who use them on their existing plans. Disconnecting the service doesn't matter then.

[CE]

Or stop paying your bill.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

A reader writes:

I'm sick of being my friend's sidekick. What do I do?

[NeonCat]

Become their archenemy?

[jesse.in.mb]

Keep at it, nobody gives a shit about Nightwing, but everybody remembers Robin. Don't consign yourself to the dustbin of history!

[Brett L]

I'm a bit concerned about this guy's fixation on his buddy's teenage son.

[Agammamon]

Apply for the henchman program, join SPHYNX, or the guild and arch your former mentor.

[Brandon]

Goddammit I'm glad to see I'm not the only one here who appreciates The Venture Bros.

[Mad Scientist]

Every Bowie fan should watch that show.

[Agammamon]

Season 5 is looking like it will meet the high bar they set in season 2.

For some reason a lot of the shows peak in the second season and then coast (relatively) afterwards. Archer's on where the first season was good, the second incredible and 3+ are OK.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

I'm told it's now Hero Support now, not sidekick.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Time Lords have "companions."

[Agammamon]

I thought they were hookers. Or is "companion" what you call them when you can pretend to have a relationship.

[Eduard van Haalen]

That would take a lot of stamina, he'd need two hearts of something.

[Coeus]

I posted this yesterday, but fucked up the link. So I don't know if anyone got to this part:

During the voice vote on Barker's amendment ? which, of course, goes down to defeat ? the no's sound like boos at the Apollo. Finally, Lawrence Democrat John Wilson stands up to offer his own cheeky amendment. If gun-free zones are so dangerous, he argues sarcastically, why not get rid of the metal detectors and guards at the entrances to this very building, which wind up costing Kansas taxpayers upwards of $200,000 annually, and just allow everyone to carry concealed weapons in the state capitol instead?

Howell says that sounds like a great idea to him. The amendment passes overwhelmingly, as does the bill itself.

This should sum up my feelings.

[Thane-kin]

That's what he gets for being a snarky little bitch, I guess.

[Bill Door]

Ugh. I so hate Rolling Stone. I feel dumb just reading the headline.

[Agammamon]

I felt dumb reading through the article to get to the part Coeus was talking about.

Its amazing how a guy how get in office and cuts down welfare benefits, reduces the power of unions to extort money from constituents, and talk sense about gun control is "power-hungry" to Rolling Stone's writers when the liberal who does the opposite is just a humble servant of the people.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

That simpering twat who wrote the article really hits all the progressive boogeymen, doesn't he?

[califernian]

Damn this article made me love Kansas. Was that the intent?

[Agammamon]

Fucking red states drive me crazy - one minute they're doing awesome things like getting rid of metal detectors and allowing open carry and the next minute they're legislating pi equal to 3.

Still better than the blue states which are just consistently awful.

[Eduard van Haalen]

That pi thing was an urban legend:

http://www.snopes.com/religion/pi.asp

[Agammamon]

Ok, legislating "teach the controversy" then, or my own state's brand of fuckwittery - requiring cops to demand proof of citizenship during stops.

Funny(ish) story - I took my bike across the border to have some work don on it (labor's a fraction of the price it is here and they'll actually take shit apart and rebuild it instead of just replacing a whole assembly). On the way back the DHS guy wanted to know if I had any proof of citizenship.

I guess a haircut and a shave do make a lot of difference when interacting with these guys (I look kinda hoboish right now).

[Brandon]

Why is Rolling Stone treating this like a bad thing? Kansas taxpayers just saved $200,000 a year!

[Agammamon]

That's a $200,000 loss to GDP!

[Generic Stranger]

Howell says that sounds like a great idea to him. The amendment passes overwhelmingly, as does the bill itself.

Fucking. WIN.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

David Brooks: The Last Stalinist
...This is an old argument on the communitarian right and left: the loss of social bonds and connections turns men and women into the flotsam and jetsam of modern society, ready for any reckless adventure, no matter how malignant: treason, serial murder, totalitarianism.

It's mostly bullshit, but there's a certain logic to what Brooks is saying, albeit one he might not care to face up to.

In the long history of state tyranny, it is often those who are bound by close ties of personal connection to family and friends that are most likely to cooperate with the government: that is, not to "betray" their oaths to a repressive regime, not to oppose or challenge authoritarian rule. Precisely because those ties are levers that the regime can pull in order to engineer an individual's collaboration and consent....

[Longtorso, Johnny]

David Brooks and the Mind of Edward Snowden
...Snowden strikes Brooks as the "ultimate unmediated man," "suspicious," not fully beyond the "fuzzy land" of childhood or properly "embedded" in "gently gradated authoritative structures." And yet he concedes that Snowden is "right that the procedures he's unveiled could lend themselves to abuse in the future." Here, again, is Brooks's imperative to rely on niceness: someday, someone might abuse these procedures, but we're fine now. He's wrong about the present, but the future risk ought to be bad enough: that such a structure is in place, that archives are filled with what we have a right to keep private, is abusive in itself. ...

...Brooks, as I've written before, seems to have a greater horror of impoliteness than of injustice.

That comes across in another item on his list of Snowden's offenses: "He betrayed the cause of open government. Every time there is a leak like this, the powers that be close the circle of trust a little tighter. They limit debate a little more." Or maybe they will realize that they can't lie with impunity; maybe the next time James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, is asked a direct question in a Senate hearing, he will wonder, before offering a blatant falsehood in response, if he might get caught. ...

[NeonCat]

See, if we would only keep illegal surveillance secret it would just dry up and blow away. It's only a few bad apples, anyway, and any suggestion of a bitter, diseased orchard empowers our endless enemies, foreign and domestic.

[CE]

Snowden is 200 times the man Brooks will ever be.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

INFILTRATION. SABOTAGE. MAYHEM. FOR YEARS FOUR-STAR GENERAL KEITH ALEXANDER HAS BEEN BUILDING A SECRET ARMY CAPABLE OF LAUNCHING DEVASTATING CYBERATTACKS. NOW IT'S READY TO UNLEASH HELL.
...This is the undisputed domain of General Keith Alexander, a man few even in Washington would likely recognize. Never before has anyone in America's intelligence sphere come close to his degree of power, the number of people under his command, the expanse of his rule, the length of his reign, or the depth of his secrecy. A four-star Army general, his authority extends across three domains: He is director of the world's largest intelligence service, the National Security Agency; chief of the Central Security Service; and commander of the US Cyber Command. As such, he has his own secret military, presiding over the Navy's 10th Fleet, the 24th Air Force, and the Second Army.

...In his telling, the threat is so mind-bogglingly huge that the nation has little option but to eventually put the entire civilian Internet under his protection, requiring tweets and emails to pass through his filters, and putting the kill switch under the government's forefinger. ..."I am concerned that this is going to break a threshold where the private sector can no longer handle it and the government is going to have to step in."...

[Agammamon]

Sounds like a regular Gen Ripper - how long before he launches a first strike "cyberattack" (god I hate that term) against the Chinese to preserve the purity of our essence.

[CE]

You know who else built a secret army?

[Mad Scientist]

High Priest Imhotep?

[Archduke Pantsfan]

This is crazy I tell you.
Seek help if you are doing this.

They've got the dress, the ring and the table decorations sorted - now all they need is a groom.

Women are flipping traditional wedding planning on its head by using apps to plan every detail of their big day, long before they get engaged.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Perhaps the fact that they cannot conceive that their potential groom might want to have some input about his wedding is the reason these cat ladies are doomed to die as hoarders buried under a pile of cat shit, wedding magazines, and Lean Cuisine boxes.

[jesse.in.mb]

Wait, are they just using Pinterest? It's the digital equivalent of crazy lady wedding scrapbooks.

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

Oh believe me this shit goes wayyyyy beyond pinterest. If you want to be frightened out of your mind read the boards at WeddingBee.

[Thane-kin]

So, there are no women libertarians because they're all too busy on WeddingBee?

[Brett L]

I assume they're talking engagement rings. Which, WTF? The whole point is that he should obtain one and surprise you with it. Give him 3 examples (if he's smart he'll go down to the pawnshop and pick the one most like your samples) and be grateful he (probably) just put himself in debt for you. Most young men don't have several thousand dollars [these rings they've picked are probably more than $10k, but lets use the pawnshop idea].

[Brett L]

As I just got engaged today, I'm all up on this shit. To be fair the gf (whoops, fiance now) picked out a sensible ring that was extremely reasonable.

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

Congrats! You should be able to enjoy this, in that case.

[NoVAHockey]

wait -- you got engaged today? and you're posting?
tip of the top hat to you, sir.

[Brett L]

Yeah, she's pregnant. We can't exactly start with champagne booze our way to drunk sex.

[Enough About Palin]

So she chose the father's name then?

[Banjos]

nice

[Auric Demonocles]

Congrats Brett!

[CE]

Congratulations! Someone needs to start raising the next generation of libertarians.

[Auric Demonocles]

Sloopy is on it.

[Thane-kin]

"it"?! Don't objectify banjos like that.

[Auric Demonocles]

That's a different it. Sloopy is in that it.

[fish_remote]

Atta boy Brett....in 18 years introduce him (it has to be a boy for the post to work) to the now 19ish and fetching Reason (of Sloop and Banjos fame for the recent arrivals) and they can spawn a libertarian ubermensch to save us all!

[Virginian]

What's that sandworm book ya'll are always going on about? Wasn't there some kind of chosen one in that?

[Brandon]

The kwisatz haderach!

[db]

Congratulations!

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

They are talking about so much more than engagement rings.

And you have no idea how many stories I've heard or read about women making their fianc? exchange their ring for an "upgrade."

[Mad Scientist]

Men who do that are given plenty of advance warning about the monster they are marrying. I have no sympathy for them.

[Agammamon]

Waaaait a minute - how do you know so much about this topic? Aren't you too young to be practicing for crazy cat lady?

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

People in their 20s generally know a number of peers who are getting engaged.

[Auric Demonocles]

I skipped my graduation to be a groomsmen in a former classmate's wedding.

[Auric Demonocles]

Well, and also cause graduations suck.

[CE]

I skipped my graduation to watch the NBA Finals. It was before DVRs.

[Thane-kin]

Why not tape it with a VCR? (whatever the hell that is)

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

Yeah, I skipped mine because my parents didn't make me go.

[Agammamon]

Yeah, I'm (not quite) long past that age now. I don't anyone who's getting married but I know several who are getting divorced.

[jesse.in.mb]

Dating men FTW!

[Heroic Mulatto]

Dating men FTW!

Can't escape that in my state!

My officemate just got (gay) married actually. They went for titanium wedding bands.

[jesse.in.mb]

I just mean men are less inclined to be "that guy" although it's entirely possible that I believe that because I actively avoid guys who are "that guy" and just pretend they don't exist.

There is no possible way a guy who would ask for an "upgrade" on the ring and I are making past casual dating; it would be too large a compatibility gap. I am a complete rites of passage grinch.

[Episiarch]

Hah, my old coworker's wife is just as cheap and frugal as him--I mean, she is Asian, so duh--but he actually got her a very modest ring for the proposal.

And she made him return it and get the money back. Awesome.

[jesse.in.mb]

My roommate always jokes she wants something ridiculous and fake for a wedding ring and that the money should be spent on a kick-ass honeymoon. This is why we're friends.

[Auric Demonocles]

Maybe it's because a guy, but I don't get the "spend tons of money on the ring" idea some women have. If you're going to spend some ridiculous amount of money on me for a wedding, why not get me a car? Or a house downpayment or something?

[Thane-kin]

As much as I don't understand the ring crap, it probably holds its value a lot better than a car.

[Mad Scientist]

If you buy it from a pawnshop, yes.

[Episiarch]

The instant you buy a diamond ring it loses something like 40% of its value. It's a terrible investment.

[Thane-kin]

What about a pawned one, per Mad Scientist?

[Mad Scientist]

If you get it from a pawnshop, it's worth about half what you paid for it. If you get it from a jeweler, it's worth about 20%. My wife used to work at one of those upscale jewelry boutiques and told me some horrible stories. Jewelry and mattresses are some of the biggest scams going.

[Thane-kin]

I guess I'll just have to go with gold bullion, when the time comes.

[Brandon]

Mattresses? Is there a resale market for those? I would expect used mattresses to be significantly cheaper than new. Are there people who buy mattresses as an investment?

[Thane-kin]

I'm sure Warty buys a lot of used mattresses.

[jesse.in.mb]

I'm sure Warty buys a lot of used mattresses.

How else would he soundproof the rapetorium in his basement?

[Zakalwe]

I was just reading last night that mattresses worked really well for blocking gun ports in German pillboxes so you'd get a better blast effect when you tossed in the grenade, so there's that.

[jesse.in.mb]

it probably holds its value a lot better than a car.

The reason the ring is supposed to cost two (now three) months of salary is to support the wife should the breadwinner die tragically leaving a widow. This doesn't make sense in our current social and economic milieu. Get an insurance policy and make sure your spouse has an employable skillset.

[Auric Demonocles]

That's the reason? It seems a lot less arbitrary now. But possibly more outdated.

[Auric Demonocles]

A car isn't really an "investment" though, it's a large expense that I'm going to have anyway.

[db]

I know Dr. Girlfriend doesn't want an expensive ring. Especially since I got her a watch that is price competitive with most big diamond engagement rings. It's actually useful and will hold its value or appreciate.

[Zakalwe]

Eh. My expensive self winding Swiss watch died recently after a couple of years use. I've been holding off getting a quote on fixing it because it wasn't so outrageously expensive that I'm not sure writing it off isn't going to be worse than finding out how much it costs to fix and the prospect of having to do this periodically.

[db]

What brand? My Dad's Seamaster automatic is still running after 45+ years.

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

My friend just wants her man to pay off her student loans. LOL. Much more expensive than a ring!

[NoVAHockey]

a friends's father is in the jewelry import business. I bought diamond out of briefcase in northern jersey. wholesale i guess.

[Dagny T.]

Jesus, fucking really? I realize I am a lot more militant about being independent/not indebted than most people, but would that not fuck up the balance of power or whatever?

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

Yeah...it's weird. He has no debt and she has a lot so I think the point is more, "let's get 'us' out of debt instead of spending money on wedding shit."

[Auric Demonocles]

That actually seems really reasonable to me. But that may just be my Vulcan personality showing.

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

It would probably seem more reasonable to me if I didn't think having massive student loan debt was inherently retarded.

[Auric Demonocles]

Well, that ship is sailed.

[Dagny T.]

Yeah, I guess I forgot/underestimated how much normal people integrate their finances when they couple up. Being debt-free has always been a point of particular pride for me and I would feel like accepting someone else's money to pay off my debts would make me less free.

[CE]

My wife wanted the bling ring, so we got married in Vegas on the cheap. The rock lasts forever, but weddings are just a long dreary day for most people.

[Redmanfms]

And you have no idea how many stories I've heard or read about women making their fianc? exchange their ring for an "upgrade."

The closest I ever came to getting married the girl did this to me.

I had a ring made from a emerald which I had dug out of the ground myself when I was on vacation as a child with my mother. The stone had a lot of sentimental value to me and it matched her green eyes. But nooooo, she wanted a (no shit) $37,000 piss-colored yellow diamond.

[Brandon]

$37,000? I assume you told her to fuck off and used 10% of the savings for a weekend of group sex with 4 escorts of various races?

[Redmanfms]

Yeah, well she was also bringing $350,000 worth of personal and student loan debt into the relationship. I'm debt free and own my home outright (besides the rent to .gov) and had just enough in liquid assets to pay off her debts.

She got more and more unattractive (metaphorically) as the relationship progressed. She told me the ring would make an "ok" place-holder until she got her dream Tiffany, I pulled the ring off her finger and told her to go pound sand as I walked out of the restaurant.

Total time of engagement, maybe 2 minutes.

[Episiarch]

That's completely fucked. Good move, walking out.

However I'm going to give you some shit for not seeing $350,000 of debt as a prior warning sign.

[Nikkis enthusiastic dissent]

Unless a lot of it was a mortgage.

[Brandon]

Yeah, there's a big difference between a mortgage and "debt." A mortgage is at least secured.

[Redmanfms]

Unless a lot of it was a mortgage.

Ahem:

$350,000 worth of personal and student loan debt

Granted, she was in her final year of law school. I had a bunch of friends (ironically, the ones she hated most) who told me I needed to snap her up because of all her fancy book-learnin'.

However I'm going to give you some shit for not seeing $350,000 of debt as a prior warning sign.

Yeah well, I was wary of her debt but I figured her earning potential offset it somewhat. Turns out much of her debt was the result of using her Sallie Mae loans to have an off-campus apartment (with no roommate) and a BMW 3-series.

Plus, she was way out of my league in looks. Easily the most beautiful woman I've dated and in the top 5 of women I've met. That had a deleterious effect on my judgement.

[Banjos]

My wedding band is a tattoo of sloopy's name. Tattoos are easier than remembering to put jewelry on everyday. He bought me a $10 cubic zirconia to wear around the norms to not freak them out.

[Zakalwe]

So that's why he was asking me for Yakuza contacts the other day.

[Brett L]

Lab-grown sapphires. Better quality and color than real, 1/5th the price. Chemistry is cool.

[Brandon]

Plus, it helps you remember sloopy's name.

[Banjos]

The hard part is to inconspicuously look at my finger during sex.

[OldMexican]

Today marks the six-month anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School rampage. There were observances and more calls for gun control.

In related news, Smith & Wesson posted record highs in gun sales, a 43 percent year-over-year increase.

Smith & Wesson stock owner: Keep those calls for gun control comin'! Yee-Hah!

[Thane-kin]

TW: Comic Sans

"Tracking Internet Victimization Subculture"

And also here

[Banjos]

Parents who read their kids stories about happy, human-like animals like Franklin the Turtle or Arthur at bedtime are exposing their kids to racism, materialism, homophobia and patriarchal norms, according to a paper presented at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

[Thane-kin]

Sounds about right.

[Mad Scientist]

Little Black Sambo for the win!

[Brett L]

Parents who read to their children at all are probably elitist and rich.

[Auric Demonocles]

And have dumb kids.

[CE]

It's called "socialization", so they'll fit in in society.

[fish_remote]

And there remains a questions as to why Phd psych and sociology majors live in cardboard boxes under freeway overpasses?

[Joe M]

There is no such thing as a tabula rasa anyway.

[Joe M]

Authors are often trying to convey good social values in children's books with animal characters, whether it be acceptance or generosity or inclusivity. But Ms. Timmerman wishes these authors would acknowledge that "animals themselves may have lessons to teach us." For example, bees buzzing around a hive or ants in an ant farm can teach the importance of community and teamwork without having to be anthropomorphized, she said.

Yeah, we're done here.

[C. Anacreon]

For example, bees buzzing around a hive or ants in an ant farm can teach the importance of community and teamwork without having to be anthropomorphized, she said.

And there you have someone actually admitting the ideal society for most leftists.
Of course, those who dream of such an arrangement picture it happening with themselves in the Queen Bee role, endlessly fucking drones all day while everyone else works.

[Agammamon]

Yeah, she does know that *real* bees and ants are fucking terrifying (and not just to me with my melissophobia). Nature, when looked at closely, is more horrifying than anything.

[Brandon]

"Researcher."

[Longtorso, Johnny]

11 Glorious Maps Found From All Over The Web

Including

Countries with which the U.S. has extradition treaties
Worldwide ages of consent

[Coeus]

Hating oral sex as the new mysogyny.

I'm sorry Mr. Nutnot doesn't enjoy going down. Really. He's missing out. But it's not the fact that he doesn't enjoy oral sex that's troublesome, but rather that in trying to articulate his reluctance he regurgitates tired misogyny and uses "but I'm a feminist!" in an attempt to protect himself from criticism.

But saying foreskins are gross is totes empowering.

[Virginian]

I really need to stop reading these links.

[Thane-kin]

I say this from personal experience: a feminist sex life can be wildly fulfilling. But it only gets to be that fulfilling if you're constantly engaged in communicating your desires and challenging the misogyny that has informed our sexual identities since birth. Straight men (especially those claiming to be feminist) can't continue clinging to the old dialogue that simultaneously privileges our experience and leaves many of us unsatisfied. It's boring and predictable.

OK, then.

[Auric Demonocles]

So let me get this straight. If a guy wants to have sex with other men and never touch a women's vagina at all, that's totally fine and not misogynistic. But if a guy wants to have sex with women and never touch a woman's vagina with his mouth, that's misogynistic?

That being said, guys who don't want to eat a girl out are stupid. Or are with some low quality girls.

[Coeus]

That being said, guys who don't want to eat a girl out are stupid. Or are with some low quality girls.

I don't mind doing it, but I stopped for the sake of my dick. I get way more call backs now that I've stopped, and it's not like I was bad at it. In fact, I was better at that than in the sack back when I stopped. Didn't seem matter at all.

[jesse.in.mb]

Meh, I've heard being gay is anti-feminist, but the person who said it was a grievance monger on steroids who's circular reasoning would've found the Higgs particle faster than CERN did.

I don't understand how this would be anything other than a personal issue though. If you want oral you give oral unless there's an explicit power dynamic you've both agreed on.

[Coeus]

If you want oral you give oral unless there's an explicit power dynamic you've both agreed on.

Here's the thing, though (and excuse my heteronormativity). The guy is doing a ton more work during sex. Both physically and mentally. Blowjobs are where the woman gets to show off her skills.

[The Late P Brooks]

Straight men (especially those claiming to be feminist) can't continue clinging to the old dialogue that simultaneously privileges our experience and leaves many of us unsatisfied. It's boring and predictable.

Somebody needs a spanking.

[Enough About Palin]

Warty's Grandfather is in the news:

Surprise 91-year-old breaks world bench-press record

[Coeus]

More feminist whinging about equal dress code standards.

Could someone please explain what "equality" means to these idiots?

[Virginian]

Sorry, with the exception of shoes, I think women definitely have the easier time of professional dress.

Professional dress in a Virginia summer involves lots of mopping of the brow and the occasional strategic shirt change.

[Joe M]

Professional dress in a Houston summer involves staying indoors.

[Coeus]

No shit. The air-conditioner in my car broke. I've been driving to work in my underwear and putting on my clothes in the parking garage.

[Zakalwe]

I had a lunch date with a girl at Zydeco in downtown Houston one summer. I went, waited ten minutes, and finally the guy behind the counter picked up the phone and asked if I was waiting for a hot chick with an amazing rack I'd met the previous weekend.

Turns out there was a second downtown location about 8 blocks away. I went at a very fast clip, and arrived as the most absolutely disgusting sweatball ever. Never contacted her again.

[Apatheist ?_??]

It's almost to the point I need to take the tunnels from my parking. Almost, fuck the tunnels.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Professional dress in a Virginia summer involves lots of mopping of the brow and the occasional strategic shirt change.

Seersucker. I would also advocate a day cravat, but that might be overegging the pudding, so stick with bow tie and straw hat. Also, white nubuck shoes with red soles or get the fuck out.

[Agammamon]

Wait, do the male lawyers go around in short sleeved suits?

[Eduard van Haalen]

" Suit Claims Discriminatory Treatment In Censorship of Atheist Materials Handed Out In Schools

"As previously reported, last month the Central Florida Freethought Community made materials on Atheism available to students in eleven Orange County, Florida high schools. This was permitted in order to allow them the same privilege as was given to World Changers of Florida which handed out Bibles in the schools in February. Now, however, the free thought group's parent body (FFRF) has filed a lawsuit claiming that their literature faced censorship while World Changers did not. The complaint (full text) in Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. v. Orange County School Board, (MD FL, filed 6/13/2013), charges that school officials allowed FFRF to distribute only 11 of 20 of the books and pamphlets it submitted. The others were prohibited as age inappropriate or because they would create substantial disruption. In particular one publication was disallowed because its claim that Jesus was not crucified or resurrected made it age inappropriate, even though the Bibles distributed expresses an opposite viewpoint on the same issue. The suit claims unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination, prior restraint and violation of the equal protection clause. Freedom From Religion Foundation issued a press release announcing the filing of the lawsuit."

http://religionclause.blogspot.....nt-in.html

[Acosmist]

State action is not contrary to antitrust laws. Someone doesn't know that?!

[Archduke Pantsfan]

I KNOW THAT ALREADY

[Brandon]

Your link doesn't work.

[Thane-kin]

SF'd, just FYI.

[Thane-kin]

Ugh, this guy again?

[NeonCat]

Huffing paint is no way to go through life, son.

On second thought, no one likes a quitter.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Needs more "JOOOOZZZZ!!!!!!"

[Mad Scientist]

He's got his straw man doll, and no one can take it away from him.

[Thane-kin]

Like Papyrus, it is used too frequently and in contexts where it doesn't make any sense.

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comic_Sans#Opposition

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Calibri or nothing.

[Joe M]

Fixedsys!

[Dagny T.]

I always knew you were a man of taste and distinction (SF'd links aside). Calibri FTW.

[Agammamon]

Uh, "Dr. Strangelove" thankyouverymuch.

[Virginian]

Nah, check out Croatia.