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Snow Kills in the South, NYC Accepts Stop-and-Frisk Reforms, Rep. Waxman Retires: P.M. Links

Scott Shackford | 1.30.2014 4:30 PM

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  • Hope the door doesn't hit him on the way out or he might try to get a law passed about it.
    Credit:Talk Radio News Service / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

    The snow lightly blanketing the Deep South is being blamed for at least 13 deaths.

  • The feds will be seeking the death penalty in the case of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokar Tsarnaev.
  • New York City has reached an agreement to reform its stop-and-frisk policy to make it less racist in the hands of an independent monitor. Mayor Bill de Blasio is dropping ex-Mayor Michael Bloomberg's fight to keep the tactics as they are.
  • The Supreme Court temporarily stayed the execution of Missouri killer Herbert Smulls, but then later lifted it denying an appeal connected to the lack of transparency surrounding the drug the state uses to put convicts to death. Smulls was subsequently executed.
  • A bipartisan bill to reform federal drug sentencing guidelines passed the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today. The bill would reduce mandatory minimums, give judges more leeway in sentencing, and retroactively fix the disparity in sentences for those convicted of crack cocaine-related crimes.
  • California Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman will retire from Congress at the end of this term. The pro-regulation Nanny-Stater will probably not be missed by Reasoners.
  • Edward Snowden's latest info is that the United States snooped on countries participating in the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009 to try to get advance information for negotiators.

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NEXT: Italian Court Finds Amanda Knox Guilty of Murder Again

Scott Shackford is a policy research editor at Reason Foundation.

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  1. SweatingGin   11 years ago

    SNOWMAGEDDON!

    1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

      Hello.

      On time.

      Some of us work.

      /narrows eyes, glares at FOE.

      1. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

        The incentives worked.

    2. RBS   11 years ago

      SNOWMAGEDDON!

      Tomorrow will be day 4 of this insane county wide shutdown.

      1. UnCivilServant   11 years ago

        However, in Upstate New York, where snow is normal, it's dry and above zero degrees F (but below freezing).

      2. Gene   11 years ago

        Yesterday Henry Margusity on Accuweather.com called it Vortexmageddon. Note his weekend snow, I'm a few miles south of the heavy stuff. The winds haven't stopped blowing in parts of the Great Lakes for five or six days. I have a drift up to six feet high, averaging about four, which fills in around 4000sq/ft between my barn, shed and house. The last two years I didn't pick up a shovel but once or twice a year and even then it would soon melt for sure. This big ole sonomahbitch ain't melting until mid April.

    3. PD Scott   11 years ago

      Greetings from the Thawing Peach. Most of the roads I've seen were reasonably clear, but I did pass fresh wrecks on the way to work this afternoon where the trees blocked out sunlight, leaving ice on the street. My boss told me she had a twelve and a half hour drive home the other day. Fortunately I don't live far from work (I bet 3/4 of the traffic problems in metro ATL could be solved by people living near their jobs) so my drive home Tuesday was only 4x as long as normal. One of the news reports I saw interviewed a kid who spent the night on a (private) school bus. The driver would not let them leave the bus to take care of "personal needs" (evidently he feared the abominable snowman would abduct them) so he sheeted off the last three rows of the bus and had them go there. So, no food, cold, sleeping on a bus reeking of human waste.

      As a cold war kid, my first thought looking at the traffic map on Tuesday was "Holy crap, there is no way in hell to evacuate a city in just a few hours."

      1. 110 Lean   11 years ago

        I lived in North Druid Hills a few years back. Where you at?

        1. PD Scott   11 years ago

          Not far from Stone Mountain. No word if anyone tried to ski down it?

      2. robc   11 years ago

        You know how you avoid a 7-12 hr commute home? Stay at work until the roads clear.

  2. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    The feds will be seeking the death penalty in the case of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokar Tsarnaev.

    Boston Strong is probably kicking themselves for abolishing the commonwealth's death penalty.

    1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

      Boston Pussy?

      They did, after all, vote for Warren.

    2. gaijin   11 years ago

      Why do the feds get this case and not the State of Mass? Because terror?

      1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

        I'm guessing the death penalty is one reason.

        1. hamilton   11 years ago

          ding ding ding.

          1. gaijin   11 years ago

            So why wouldn't every murder case in a state without the death penalty become a federal case? (rhetorical)

      2. Tonio   11 years ago

        They can both try him.

  3. playa manhattan   11 years ago

    "New York City has reached an agreement to reform its stop-and-frisk policy to make it less racist in the hands of an independent monitor."

    Let me guess: Stop and Frisk at random.

    1. Brandon   11 years ago

      Stop and Frisk EVERYBODY.

    2. Andrew S.   11 years ago

      They're just going to figure out more and better excuses that give them the "reasonable suspicion" they need for stop and frisk.

    3. UnCivilServant   11 years ago

      If it's not a complete cancellation and permitting the public to stop and search the cops, I'm saying we lose.

    4. Francisco d Anconia   11 years ago

      I'm a little less concerned that it's racist than I am that it's UNFUCKINGCONSTITUTIONAL!

      Paperz pleez. Heil Bloomberg!

      1. Calidissident   11 years ago

        Well it's unconstitutional on both 4th and 14th Amendment grounds.

        1. Francisco d Anconia   11 years ago

          I commented a while ago that going the Racist route on this would result in them "fixing" it by ensuring a more racially tolerant method of violating 4A.

          Nailed it.

          1. Calidissident   11 years ago

            It was ruled unconstitutional on both grounds. So continuing stop-and-frisk, but not racially discriminating, would still violate the ruling.

            1. Francisco d Anconia   11 years ago

              Are you getting that from this article or elsewhere? I didn't see that here?

              In fact:

              The stop-and-frisk tactic itself was not ruled unconstitutional, but the way the department was using it violated civil rights, the judge said.

              1. Francisco d Anconia   11 years ago

                Nevermind.

  4. db   11 years ago

    Want to hear something odd?

    My center desk drawer has begun making a squeaking sound that sounds for all the world like a frag mine being triggered in Fallout: New Vegas. It is starting to make me jump every time my leg bumps against it in a certain way.

    1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

      Simple.

      It's haunted.

    2. db   11 years ago

      Which gives me an idea to market on ThinkGeek. Little sensors you can place that make noises associated with video game booby traps.

      1. gaijin   11 years ago

        ooh! I like it. Place them around the office. Sell headsets that are tuned into the frequency of the device. Office mates can have a blast leaving 'explosives' in the lunchroom and the restroom for other players without having to freak anyone else out.

        1. db   11 years ago

          Not even headsets. Have an associated phone app that makes the noise when an "armed" sensor detects a "player" nearby.

          1. gaijin   11 years ago

            that would be cool. I just meant that the 'noise' needed to exist within the confines of normal office decorum (i.e., only players hear it).

            1. db   11 years ago

              Yeah, the noise could he disruptive.

      2. seguin   11 years ago

        Dad's a double-E. Runs his own little electronics design house - I bet if you come up with the capital he'd be willing to do the hardware.

        1. Rod Flash   11 years ago

          I bet a few weeks on the paleo diet would get him down to at least a DD.

  5. Brandon   11 years ago

    Fist is slipping.

    1. db   11 years ago

      You have to use some lube.

      1. fish   11 years ago

        Sounds like too much lube....

  6. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    New York City has reached an agreement to reform its stop-and-frisk policy to make it less racist in the hands of an independent monitor.

    That monitor? Michael Bloomberg.

  7. Andrew S.   11 years ago

    Both the article and the comments here are golden. Roll on, SoCons, roll on. Hopefully you continue to become more irrelevant.

    http://www.charismanews.com/us.....gay-agenda

    1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

      What is the gay agenda, exactly?

      Insert jokes here.

      1. Mad Scientist   11 years ago

        I heard it has something to do with Jerry Sandusky.

      2. db   11 years ago

        Joke goes WHERE!!?!?

      3. Ted S.   11 years ago

        Ask Jesse and Tonio. 😉

        (Just kidding, guys.)

        1. Tonio   11 years ago

          Shopping, then lunch with umbrella drinks. Sheesh.

          1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

            You misspelled "brunch".

          2. jesse.in.mb   11 years ago

            The West Coast AGENDA is much more geared towards mimosa brunches, but yes.

            1. JW   11 years ago

              Does that involve a lot of forward passing?

      4. fish   11 years ago

        Insert jokes here.

        I see what you did there.....

        1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

          Unintentional. I wasn't bending over when I typed that.

      5. Anonymous Coward   11 years ago

        What is the gay agenda, exactly?

        All Glitter Everything.

    2. John   11 years ago

      Is Megyn Kelly pro homosexual? Does that mean she does threesomes? Are their pictures?

      1. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

        Pro-homosexual to her means Jesus and Santa are gay lovers. White, of course.

        1. John   11 years ago

          She is wildly hot. And I don't even like blonds that much. But I can't stand her. She got her job because she is smoking hot. I don't begrudge that. It is the fact that she seems to have no awareness that her looks are 90% of the reason behind her success and thinks she got this far because she is just that smart that annoys the hell out of me.

          1. lap83   11 years ago

            I think it's near impossible for a dumb hot person to realize that their appearance is the reason for their success. If they knew it, they wouldn't be dumb.

    3. John   11 years ago

      The best thing about that article is the SOCONS hate Fox News as much as the liberals do. But Tony and Shreek keep telling me that everyone who is not a liberal watches Fox News.

      1. The Last American Hero   11 years ago

        Nobody watches Fox News. It's funny to watch certain groups get all worked up over what some jackass said on Fox. Take a look at the TV ratings kids. The 24 news network ratings are all crap. Fox blows out the competition, but it's the tallest pygmy.

    4. Irish   11 years ago

      The 40,000-word report, written by former reporter and social activist Peter LaBarbera, examines how journalism today, even at Fox News, "has become pro-homosexual propaganda, with many media stories appearing as if they were written by LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) activists."

      This guy wrote a 40,000 word report about how scared he is of those terrifying queers.

      1. jesse.in.mb   11 years ago

        I guarantee he was watching extreme porn and masturbating furiously the entire time.

        Fuck Porno Pete.

        1. Irish   11 years ago

          Every time one of those scary homos gets near Peter LaBarbera, he grabs the guy's penis and starts jerking it back and forth.

          That way the homosexual will know to leave him alone.

          1. gaijin   11 years ago

            ^that's hilarious

        2. playa manhattan   11 years ago

          "I only asked for directions so I would know how to get away from there!"

          1. fish   11 years ago

            `Ohhh a blast from the past!

            Frank Burns reference?

            1. Mad Scientist   11 years ago

              Reverend Lovejoy: All things are about Jesus, Homer. Except this. Your son has been working in a burlesque house.

              Helen Lovejoy: Principal Skinner saw him with his own eyes.

              (Principal Skinner appears from behind Reverend Lovejoy.)

              Principal Skinner: That's true, but I was only in there to get directions on how to get away from there.

              1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

                Nicely done.

              2. fish   11 years ago

                D'oh.....

                This is indeed a very fine house!

    5. 110 Lean   11 years ago

      DO NOT BOW AROUND THE GAYZ!!!!!1!1!11!!!!!!!!

  8. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    California Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman will retire from Congress at the end of this term.

    Plans to spend more time strong-arming his family.

    1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

      He "represents" me. I'm not very confident that his replacement will be any better.

      1. Ted S.   11 years ago

        Thankfully, reapportionment and the legislature's inability to agree on an incumbent protection plan caused my representative (Hinchey) to retire and put me in a purple district.

        Unfortunately, I get Senator Moobs, too.

      2. jesse.in.mb   11 years ago

        I am quite confident the replacement will be as bad or worse. Although at least the replacement won't be a moleman.

        1. T   11 years ago

          There are worse things than molemen, jesse.

      3. db   11 years ago

        Look down, man.

        1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

          Fuck.

    2. Ted S.   11 years ago

      And yet the headline says "resign". There's a difference, Shackford.

      1. Tonio   11 years ago

        The best sort of right.

    3. Homple   11 years ago

      We'll miss his nostrils.

  9. rts   11 years ago

    Raising minimum wage could rescue the economy

    U.S. President Barack Obama, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz are all on the same page. They just don't know it yet.

    This week, Obama and Wynne talked about raising the minimum wage, with Ontario announcing on Thursday that the rate would rise to $11 an hour starting June 1. Last week, Poloz warned about disinflation.

    It's a marriage made in economics heaven. Let me explain.

    Read the explanation at the risk of your own sanity. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

    1. hamilton   11 years ago

      Just think how rescued the economy could be if we minted a quadrillion dollar coin and used it to pay everyone a minimum wage of $100 per hour!

    2. Andrew S.   11 years ago

      Let me guess: Employment numbers won't suffer because "profits" are magic fountains of money and can be used to pay unlimited wages to employees?

    3. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

      Ontario is basically communist.

      1. Dead or In Jail   11 years ago

        Rob Ford would like to have a word with you.

        1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

          He's up against a bunch of commies.

          I mean, listen to those retards, minimum wage they think will 'rescue the economy.'

          These people should wear helmets and be nowhere near money.

    4. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

      CBC commenters.

      Some try to talk sense to it but it's Derpytown. Let it go.

      1. Ted S.   11 years ago

        So it's like the comments sections of most US broadcast media sites?

      2. JW   11 years ago

        I actually had a good experience on this site, commenting there yesterday and today on an article. I typically don't bother, but one particularly egregious fuck-knuckle drew me in. It was fun mocking and toying with him.

        There actually seems to be a sizable libertarian-minded community there. Plus, a few Tulpa wanna-bes, who had some success early on, but were then slaughtered. I kept telling them that there can be only one.

    5. Anonymous Coward   11 years ago

      They are supported by a very traditional market argument that says raising minimum wage results in fewer jobs and is thus bad for the wider economy. Of course, the extension of this argument is that no minimum wage at all would be even better for the economy. If you think that, it is time for you to emigrate. There are many countries with no minimum wage.

      So let me see if I can summarize this peculiar proglodyte refrain:

      When they don't like the laws, then it is a moral imperative that they be changed, otherwise you hate poor people/women/children/minorities/what the fuck ever.

      But when you don't like the proglodtye laws, you are welcome to get the fuck out of the area because the law is the law and can never be changed, otherwise you hate poor people/women/children/minorities/what the fuck ever.

      1. rts   11 years ago

        There are many countries with no minimum wage.

        Countries like Sweden, Switzerland, Singapore, Norway ...

      2. MJGreen   11 years ago

        Of course, the extension of this argument is that no minimum wage at all would be even better for the economy. If you think that, it is time for you to emigrate. There are many countries with no minimum wage.

        So... he doesn't say that it's wrong to think no minimum wage is better, just that he doesn't want your kind here. He can't explain why you're wrong; just get the fuck out.

  10. Episiarch   11 years ago

    My god, Waxman is horrific. I have to assume that's a factor in why he's such a colossal asshole. It has to fuck up a person's mind being that ugly. It's just...wrong.

    1. PapayaSF   11 years ago

      I'm happy to see Nostrils go away.

      1. fish   11 years ago

        He's not really leaving...not really. He's just assuming his rightful role as leader of the Mole People.

      2. Tonio   11 years ago

        I don't know if this has been debunked or not but back in the eighties when there was a moral panic about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and FA Effect upturned noses were said to be a sign that one had been exposed to lots of alcohol as a fetus.

        1. PapayaSF   11 years ago

          A quick Google indicates that this is true. But of course one can just have an upturned nose naturally.

        2. playa manhattan   11 years ago

          http://www.aafp.org/afp/2005/0.....279-f1.jpg

      3. saguaro   11 years ago

        Actually, that's a glamour photo in the post. He's on the right in this photo.
        http://farm4.staticflickr.com/.....d8e717.jpg

    2. playa manhattan   11 years ago

      Is there such thing as a napoleon-like complex for ugly people?

      1. Episiarch   11 years ago

        I'm pretty sure there is. It's called going into politics.

    3. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

      He was apparently an attractive candidate for the voters of his district (the apparent Home of the Ugly Stick).

      1. John   11 years ago

        He represents Hollywood. I guess they voted for the ugliest candidate possible as some kind of penance for being beautiful or something.

        1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

          He represents the beach cities too. Way more hot chicks here than Hollywood.

          1. fish   11 years ago

            Did we ever stop to consider that both the "hot" beach chicks as well as those "beautiful" Hollywood people were merely just "good looking" ....but that Mr. Waxmans inherent hideousness made them look oh so much better in comparison?

            1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

              Some kind of Portrait of Dorian Grey thing going on.

              1. PapayaSF   11 years ago

                The Representative of Dorian Grey: the voters get better-looking, while their Congressman gets uglier.

          2. paranoid android   11 years ago

            And they vote?

      2. playa manhattan   11 years ago

        Quite the opposite. I think it was a pity vote, and at least some of us didn't want to look at him...

        1. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

          NO OFFENSE TO YOU I'M SURE YOU'RE QUITE LOVELY. (Tee hee.)

    4. Ted S.   11 years ago

      Would that explain why Epi is so fucked up? 😉

    5. Dead or In Jail   11 years ago

      I'll keep Waxman for life--really until the bitter end--if we could just get rid of Markey. (I'd also like to get rid of Reid, really, if I had my druthers.)

    6. Dead or In Jail   11 years ago

      I'll keep Waxman for life--really until the bitter end--if we could just get rid of Markey. (I'd also like to get rid of Reid, really, if I had my druthers.)

      1. PapayaSF   11 years ago

        One click on the Submit button is all you need!

  11. hamilton   11 years ago

    I fear that Slate's readers are not drawing the correct conclusions from this article comparing shopping in France and the United States.

    But here's the thing: France, fundamentally, is not a country where the customer is always right. It's not very interested in customer satisfaction. What it's interested in are satisfied workers.

    Once you understand this set of priorities, France's bizarre shopping customs begin to make more sense.

    1. Irish   11 years ago

      I like this argument on the left that consumers and workers are different people.

      Apparently there are drones who only work but never buy anything.

      1. UnCivilServant   11 years ago

        They can't afford to shop at the place where they work.

    2. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

      France can't be pleased or placated. They're a quarrelsome people. Period.

      Their offshoots in Quebec are complainers.

    3. Anonymous Coward   11 years ago

      Maybe this was an ad aimed at Paris' large Muslim population, who wouldn't be able to eat pizza with pepperoni or sausage?

      Muslims can eat sausage, my dude. Just not sausage made with pork.

      Fun memory: Grilling a bunch of Hebrew National hot dogs and beef ribs on a separate grill, never used, fresh out of the box, away from the swine for Muslim co-workers. Good times.

      And I'm not going to lie to you?there are some obvious problems with France's worker protections. France is ranked 71st in the world in labor market efficiency, partly because it's way too difficult to lay off or fire employees, even for cause, which makes hiring difficult as well (this is something I've written about previously). The level of taxation on small businesses is way too high. I've just started a small business of my own, and while the deductions are more generous than in the States, my social charges and taxes will come to between 45 and 50 percent. Of course, I benefit immediately from the public spending my tax dollars subsidize, with child care subsidies, free preschool, and essentially free health care. But still, it's very hard to get rich in France. Additionally, France is experiencing some of the same problems the U.S. is having in truly facing up to entitlement reform, which it must do.

      Sure it sucks to shop in France. Or do business. But at least THERE'S NO WAL-MART polluting gay Paris.

    4. Thane ? the booty   11 years ago

      But here's the thing: France, fundamentally, is not a country where the customer is always right. It's not very interested in customer satisfaction. What it's interested in are satisfied workers.

      I've heard that the US stands out in this regard, and that many foreigners are confused or even annoyed at the attentiveness of store / restaurant employees (though that of course varies based on region, clientele, and management).

      When I was in Spain, this total bitch with whom I had the misfortune of dining told the server that she didn't like the soup. It was amusing watching her reaction when he didn't even pretend to care.

  12. waffles   11 years ago

    I wonder if NYC will actually become a worse place to live. Say what you will about the Ghouliani and the Nannyberg, they knew how to make the city cater to the taxbase. Will a more equal NYC be a better NYC?

    1. Dead or In Jail   11 years ago

      Yeah, I'm thinking crime will have to tick upwards one of these years. I'm wondering when. And will it happen to the Riches as well as the Poors?

      (I'd be amused if billionaires started hiring body men to walk with them when take their labradoodles out for a stroll in the UES.)

  13. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Edward Snowden's latest info is that the United States snooped on countries participating in the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009 to try to get advance information for negotiators.

    Well, Climate Change is of paramount national security importance.

  14. Irish   11 years ago

    Salon writes good article about the Super Bowl sex trafficking myth.

    Some commenters not pleased.

    This is crazy irresponsible reporting. I am not at all convinced trafficking isn't a problem during large sporting events. Hotels and task forces are getting better about sending a clear message to those would-be traffickers. Anti-traffickers might get extra fundraising at this time, but is anyone really going to object to that? Anti-traffickers haven't even begun to scratch the surface of trafficking; it really isn't a surprise that there aren't very many trafficking-related arrests at sporting events. Human trafficking is the largest, most profitable crime in the world. I imagine those perpetrating it are a bit skilled at it.

    I don't care about evidence! I FEEL sex trafficking is a real problem, so it must be!

    1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

      It's like the satanic ritual abuse panic of the 80's. There are child molesters everywhere, I just know it!

      1. PD Scott   11 years ago

        All those satanically abused children are now being sex trafficked. They just can't catch a break.

        1. jesse.in.mb   11 years ago

          Dude, uncalled for, playa was one of those kids...a little sensitivity here.

          1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

            I wonder if I could get any street cred for that. "Hey, I was one of those kids who wasn't molested! Show me some respect!"

        2. Dead or In Jail   11 years ago

          I wish someone would sex traffick me. 🙁

          1. Mad Scientist   11 years ago

            Warty will be right over.

          2. playa manhattan   11 years ago

            traffick implies some sort of commute... If there is such a thing as home sex trafficking, sign me up.

          3. gaijin   11 years ago

            Just don't get stuck in traffic

            1. PD Scott   11 years ago

              I'm pretty sure that's what tinted windows and bench/fold-down seats are for.

    2. Tonio   11 years ago

      Plus, it's easy to claim to merely be opposed to coercive trafficking when your real aim is to keep consensual transactions illegal.

  15. paranoid android   11 years ago

    Hey, if anyone hasn't heard, the entire Seattle metropolitan area has apparently seceded from the U.S. and adopted the number 12 as its flag, if the sight outside my office window is any indication.

    1. Episiarch   11 years ago

      I have a very nice view of the Space Needle from my deck. It sports a 12th Man flag and a spotlight. This town is going to go fucking insane on Sunday.

      1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

        If only you had some good beer to help celebrate.

        1. Episiarch   11 years ago

          Well, maybe I will!

          Or I could just go to a sports bar.

          Right after they beat the Niners, I went out on my deck to have a smoke. All my neighbors were out and screaming, and there was random screaming coming from various buildings and streets too. If they win the Super Bowl, it's going to be ten times more ridiculous.

          1. Apatheist ?_??   11 years ago

            It is unfortunate that the last time I experienced this was when the Rockets completed the sweep of the Magic and I was too young to really enjoy it. I do remember stepping outside to hear screaming coming from all around.

            1. Brett L   11 years ago

              Was that the first one? I think in '96 some friends and I drove down to the Summit, got in to see the trophy presentation, and then sat in traffic for several hours honking and being idiots.

              1. Apatheist ?_??   11 years ago

                Second, the first year we went all 7 games against Ewing and the Knicks.

              2. Apatheist ?_??   11 years ago

                The Summit (aka the biggest Megachurch in the country) still spews out traffic but only on Sundays.

                1. Brett L   11 years ago

                  God definitely loves Joel Osteen. Not sure about Joel's flock.

          2. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

            Maybe fans will pick up the Space Needle and hurl it into the bay.

      2. Clich? Bandit   11 years ago

        Suck you wet douchebags. Scrape the moss off your knees so you can kiss Manning's ring on Sunday.

        Proof God is a Broncos fan:
        Sunsets and Sunrises are ORANGE AND BLUE!

        1. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

          I used to hear this one about Florida, which sounded particularly absurd to me, given that one of our rivals--Auburn--has essentially the same colors.

          1. Virginian   11 years ago

            The one I hear up here: If God isn't a tarheel, then why is the sky Carolina blue?

            1. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

              People are fucking weird, aren't they?

    2. Apatheist ?_??   11 years ago

      Wait, is it a colony of College Station now or something?

      1. T   11 years ago

        If it gets aggies the hell away from me, I'm completely fine with this.

        1. Apatheist ?_??   11 years ago

          Saw Niner's picks off!

          Or something.

      2. a better weapon   11 years ago

        +1 Gig em'

      3. Brett L   11 years ago

        They probably don't have male cheerleaders dressed as ice cream men bending over all the time, so...

        1. Apatheist ?_??   11 years ago

          Maybe Perry will move up there after he leaves office and start up a squad for them.

    3. Ted S.   11 years ago

      They're welcome to remain outside the US permanently.

    4. Mad Scientist   11 years ago

      I don't know the first thing about football. What does the number 12 signify?

      1. Apatheist ?_??   11 years ago

        The 12th man is the fan (in sports where there are 11 players on the field).

        The Seahawks pay Texas A&M for a license to use the term officially.

        1. Mad Scientist   11 years ago

          Thanks!

      2. Episiarch   11 years ago

        There are 11 players on the field at a given time (per team). The "12th Man" refers to the fans, because they are in fact almost like another player because they make so much noise that it fucks with the opposing team's ability to hear one another on offence.

        It's a Seattle thing that doesn't exist anywhere else that I'm aware of. But it's an extremely strong meme here. They sell tons of jerseys with the number 12 on them (a number which no actual player is allowed to have).

        1. Fr?ulein Nikki   11 years ago

          Ah. I was getting really confused that y'all thought you were Canadians or something.

          1. Episiarch   11 years ago

            Fuck, nicole, just when I thought you couldn't get any worse...

            1. Fr?ulein Nikki   11 years ago

              MWAHAHA

              1. Irish   11 years ago

                Nicole is like Russia. It can always get worse.

                1. jesse.in.mb   11 years ago

                  Meanwhile in Russia: Best solution to a gas tank being on the wrong side I've ever seen.

                  (video)

        2. Apatheist ?_??   11 years ago

          It's a Seattle thing that doesn't exist anywhere else that I'm aware of.

          The licensing agreement with A&M says otherwise. As far as I'm concerning paying A&M money to use their tradition open you up to the same mocking that aggies deserve.

          It is very very fun when someone like you says that in the hearing of an aggie though. So so much butthurt.

          1. Episiarch   11 years ago

            I have no idea what an aggie is, and I doubt many Seattleites know of any non-Seahawks origin for the 12th Man. I've never heard anyone mention it, though if they license, it sounds like you're correct.

            1. Fr?ulein Nikki   11 years ago

              I have no idea what an aggie is

              OMIGOD WHO THE F IS THE WORST NOW

              1. Episiarch   11 years ago

                MAYBE IF YOU WOULD EXPLAIN IT TO ME I COULD BE LESS WORSE THAN YOU.

                1. Fr?ulein Nikki   11 years ago

                  Well, the "A" in Texas A&M used to stand for "agricultural," and peeps who go there are called "aggies." You know, like peeps who go to your mom are called HIV positive.

            2. Apatheist ?_??   11 years ago

              Aggies are fans of Texas A&M, they've had the 12th man tradition since the 1920's and it's a big fucking deal to them. At some point they trademarked it. They sued the Seahawks for infringing the trademarked and ended up settling for a license agreement. Due to the low amount paid for the license ($5k a year) I suspect they didn't feel that good about their chances in court because there is a lot of evidence that using "12th man" was very common in sports journalism back in the day and they didn't trademark it till 1990.

          2. Red Rocks Rockin   11 years ago

            I'm too lazy to look it up, but wasn't A&M's 12th Man designation originally established to reward a Rudy-type walk-on on the suicide squads with a football scholarship, and that player was given the number 12 to signify his status?

            1. Red Rocks Rockin   11 years ago

              Oops, Brett posted his response before mine went through.

            2. Brett L   11 years ago

              I think this is part of it, too. I got it all 2nd hand home for summers in Houston. I went to UT, so obviously if you went to a 5A HS in suburban Houston, you had a set of acquaintances or friends who went to both institutions. They always wanted to talk about that shit the night before Thanksgiving, too.

          3. Jordan   11 years ago

            It is very very fun when someone like you says that in the hearing of an aggie though. So so much butthurt.

            I'm an Aggie, but I must concur. The cult never sucked me in.

        3. Brett L   11 years ago

          TAMU has the 12th man tradition that purportedly in the old days the called a man down from the stands to step in when they had one of their 11 players get injured. Since then, yes, the fans have been the "12th man".

          1. Apatheist ?_??   11 years ago

            Beyond all the discussion of A&M, the "12 man" is a common tradition in European soccer among fan groups and journalists. Growing up knowing Aggies and following European Soccer it's weird to me that someone would that this is unique to Seattle rather than just a general sports term that Seattle takes seriously.

            Regional differences are fun!

            1. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

              Heard this in multiple cities over decades. It's not exactly an, um, original concept. Nor does it entirely make sense, given that the fans aren't on the field anymore than the rest of the roster that's on the sidelines are.

  16. Tonio   11 years ago

    The pro-regulation Nanny-Stater will probably not be missed by Reasoners.

    Oh, I don't know, Shackford, Waxman was pretty fun to kick around.

    But even if (when?) the voters of his district elect a more obnoxious replacement at least that person will be at the bottom of seniority and committee assignments.

  17. Francisco d Anconia   11 years ago

    12 Ridiculous Government Regulations That Are Almost Too Bizarre To Believe

    #1 Private Investigator's License
    By swanksalot on flickr
    The state of Texas now requires every new computer repair technician to obtain a private investigator's license. In order to receive a private investigator's license, an individual must either have a degree in criminal justice or must complete a three year apprenticeship with a licensed private investigator. If you are a computer repair technician that violates this law, or if you are a regular citizen that has a computer repaired by someone not in compliance with the law, you can be fined up to $4,000 and you can be put in jail for a year.

    #11 License to Close a Business
    By TheTruthAbout on flickr
    The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin makes it incredibly difficult to go out of business. In order to close down a business, Milwaukee requires you to purchase an expensive license, you must submit a huge pile of paperwork to the city regarding the inventory you wish to sell off, and you must pay a fee based on the length of your "going out of business sale" plus a two dollar charge for every $1,000 worth of inventory that you are attempting to sell off.

    1. paranoid android   11 years ago

      The state of Texas now requires every new computer repair technician to obtain a private investigator's license. In order to receive a private investigator's license, an individual must either have a degree in criminal justice or must complete a three year apprenticeship with a licensed private investigator. If you are a computer repair technician that violates this law, or if you are a regular citizen that has a computer repaired by someone not in compliance with the law, you can be fined up to $4,000 and you can be put in jail for a year

      I'll remember this the next time someone tries to paint Texas as the last bastion of economic liberty in these United States.

    2. PapayaSF   11 years ago

      #11 is the best one.

    3. Andrew S.   11 years ago

      I thought that the Institute for Justice had gotten the Texas thing thrown out. Though I can't find any evidence talking about that on their website (just a few articles talking about the idiocy of the law itself).

      1. Francisco d Anconia   11 years ago

        Assuming your talking about #1. Do you know what the justification was for it?

        I mean it's clearly cronyism, but what the fuck does a PI license have to do with computer repair?

        1. Andrew S.   11 years ago

          I'm not sure. The only thing I could find on IJ's website really wasn't clear. Mostly looks like pure government stupidity. http://www.ij.org/texas-privat.....sing-law-2

        2. Mad Scientist   11 years ago

          I recall it had something to do with data recovery, which means the tech would potentially have access to private information on the drive.

      2. BiMonSciFiCon   11 years ago

        When I interned for IJ, we tried to find a client to litigate #11 (Milwaukee). Couldn't get a taker, unfortunately.

        1. PapayaSF   11 years ago

          How bizarre. What's the justification behind the law? The prevention of fake "Going Out of Business" sales?

  18. gaijin   11 years ago

    Something that should keep many commenters busy for at least a few minutes.

    Deep Inside: A study of 10,000 P0rn Stars

    Interestingly, the average male and female porn stars are the same height as average americans, but much lighter.

    1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

      Drugs?

      1. gaijin   11 years ago

        just not-obese I think.

    2. PapayaSF   11 years ago

      Who is the 6' 4" female porn star?

    3. Francisco d Anconia   11 years ago

      No pics?

      Dissapointed!

      1. gaijin   11 years ago

        It's not a medical study 😉

        There is a huge infographic at the bottom of the article with wonderful things...like the percentage who do an@l, hair color, cup size. MOst common name is Nikki. MOst are born in Cali, Ohio and Illinois. That kind a stuff.

        1. Coeus   11 years ago

          MOst common name is Nikki.

          Shocking, as that is the worst name ever.

    4. Anonymous Coward   11 years ago

      @SaraJayXXX
      My phone bill from Europe just came in.... Looks like I'm going to be doing anal.

      I lol'd.

  19. Coeus   11 years ago

    Now I love when feminists show their asses with the "He shouldn't have had sex if he didn't want children" argument, but this one has a new wrinkle.

    Almost no one seems to care that this guy was arrested for first degree murder of a fetus. In fact, many think he got off too leniently.

    1. paranoid android   11 years ago

      I always wonder why people who coerce miscarriages weren't charged with property damage...just a clump of cells, worth nothing, right?

      1. Tonio   11 years ago

        It really depends on how far along the pregnancy is. I'm not sure they even count as fetuses at the blastocyst (ball of cells) stage.

    2. Coeus   11 years ago

      As always, this appropiately sums the comments.

      1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

        Fuck me. At your expense.

    3. Anonymous Coward   11 years ago

      It should just be misdemeanor battery.

      So she lost a couple of cells. Whoopdie-friggin'-do.

      Or do you only get to be a person when mom wants you to be a person?

      1. Coeus   11 years ago

        Or do you only get to be a person when mom wants you to be a person?

        Ding, ding, ding. We have a winna!!!

  20. rts   11 years ago

    Ukraine: Police 'attack wrong protesters'

    Ukrainian riot police have allegedly beaten up a busload of government supporters, after mistaking them for opposition activists.

    Thugs gotta thug.

    1. PD Scott   11 years ago

      I hope they apologize to the riot police for wasting their time.

  21. Francisco d Anconia   11 years ago

    Pennsylvania Sues Woman For Selling Goods On eBay Without A License

    1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

      THIS FUCKING ANGERS ME.

      Fuck those assholes.

      1. waffles   11 years ago

        Anyways, the courts have largely ignored ebayers, and that is to the greater detriment of the public. It would be nice if SOMEONE started adding accountability back into online sales. I don't like ebay anyways, so I don't really care that it would kill them off.

        ebay is an enabler for bottom feeders. It is not a healthy thing.

        You mad?

        1. Anonymous Coward   11 years ago

          So commenter gives no fucks because it's not his/her ox being gored?

          Classy.

      2. Dead or In Jail   11 years ago

        I like you because you have passion even though you're Canadian.

    2. db   11 years ago

      Ohboy

      1. General Butt Naked   11 years ago

        No. It's pronounced: eee-bay.

        1. Ted S.   11 years ago

          Except in Canada, where it's pronounced "eeb, eh?"

          1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

            Ted is funnier than Bob and Doug.

            1. Francisco d Anconia   11 years ago

              Ted Everyone is funnier than Bob and Doug.

              1. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

                Take off, hoser.

  22. Longtorso, Johnny   11 years ago

    Edward Snowden's latest info is that the United States snooped on countries participating in the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009 to try to get advance information for negotiators.

    Almost as if countries are using those negotiation sessions to seek advantages over each other instead of Saving The Earth.

  23. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

    Is it me or are there too many stop signs irrationally placed on streets?

    1. Mad Scientist   11 years ago

      Why do you hate the children, Rufus?

      1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

        Because...they're starting to impact public policy a tad too much turning brains to mush.

        1. PD Scott   11 years ago

          Starting?!

    2. playa manhattan   11 years ago

      They're just a suggestion.

    3. Zeb   11 years ago

      That happened in the town I grew up in. Some jackass decided that every intersection needed stop signs on every corner. Very irritating.

      1. gaijin   11 years ago

        Slow down you crazy kids!

    4. UnCivilServant   11 years ago

      I tend to find stop signs on poles, not the pavement. Is Canada different?

      1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

        They're on hockey sticks.

    5. CampingInYourPark   11 years ago

      Freedom of movement!
      *raises fist

    6. Ted S.   11 years ago

      Not in Quebec. They only have "arr?t" signs.

      1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

        I remember those idiotic, regressive debates. Nationalists were just being cocksucking ashsoles on that one.

        As if 'STOP' confused stopping with a universally recognized red octagon.

  24. Francisco d Anconia   11 years ago

    Predator drone helps convict North Dakota farmer in first case of its kind

    1. gaijin   11 years ago

      It will be even more interesting when it helps carry out sentencing.

    2. Ted S.   11 years ago

      Please tell me it was for having sex with livestock!

      1. Coeus   11 years ago

        He was a soverign citizen and the cops had been trying to come up with an excuse for fucking with him for years. They got a warrant to check for "stolen cattle" (which weren't stolen, the rancher lost them somewhere else), and the guy and his sons wouldn't let them on his property.

        A jury found Brossart not guilty of stealing the cows, valued at $6,000, but he did get three years - all but six months of which was suspended - for his part in the armed police standoff based in part on video supplied by the drone to court officials, according to the Grand Forks Herald.

    3. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

      "Yeah, I seen him do it. See, I was flyin' around his farm, minding my own business, then I saw what he done. He's a bad man, that farmer."

  25. Francisco d Anconia   11 years ago

    Woman Caught On Camera Tumbling Out Of Police Car Says She Was Being Sexually Assaulted

    1. db   11 years ago

      I m8sread that and wondered how one sexually assaults a police car.

      1. PD Scott   11 years ago

        Lots of oil and lube... You need a mechanic to explain the facts of life to you, db.

        1. db   11 years ago

          I guess Ford brought back the Mercury Mistress as the latest version of the Police Interceptor.

  26. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

    SoCon fanatic hypocritically saves the lives of twins:

    http://bit.ly/1n1K6hb

  27. Thane ? the booty   11 years ago

    Word frequencies in 800 thousand porn movie titles.

    1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

      I searching for a good volcano documentary for my 5 year old on usenet the other day.
      It was very surprising to see how many porn movies have the word "volcano" in the title.

      1. Ted S.   11 years ago

        I'm reminded of the stock footage sequence in Naked Gun 2-1/2.

        That, and the spoof of it The Simpsons did.

  28. UnCivilServant   11 years ago

    I don't know why I bother arguing with idiots over there at the Times union (They get news on what King Cuomo is going to inflict on the state workforce before internal lines of communication get around to telling us)

  29. The Late P Brooks   11 years ago

    California Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman will retire from Congress at the end of this term. The pro-regulation Nanny-Stater will probably not be missed by Reasoners.

    Di I misws a fake scandal, or did his record finally catch up with him?

    1. UnCivilServant   11 years ago

      Forty years on the job take - I think his doctor caught up to him.

  30. The Late P Brooks   11 years ago

    tuping is hsrf.

    1. db   11 years ago

      Twll.me.abut.it.

    2. Ted S.   11 years ago

      Threading on the other hand is easy.

  31. Thane ? the booty   11 years ago

    Say goodbye to Googorola, say hello to Lenomoto. Or Motonovo?

    Lenovo to buy Motorola Mobility from Google for $3 billion

    This is assuming the treasury department doesn't block the sale for NATIONAL SECURITY, of course.

    1. gaijin   11 years ago

      Is this like Flip This House: Tech Edition? Sheesh, they just bought the damn thing.

      1. PapayaSF   11 years ago

        Kept the patents, sold the rest.

        1. Thane ? the booty   11 years ago

          They're also keeping the advanced research division.

          (After all, Lenovo really just wants the brand and the marketing/distribution channels)

        2. db   11 years ago

          Those patents will be really useful once the Chinese take over.

      2. Thane ? the booty   11 years ago

        Sheesh, they just bought the damn thing.

        Well, it's better than many (most?) tech acquisitions today, where the purchaser absorbs all the employees and then shuts the purchased company down.

        Google also sold the cable box division early on. Add to that the cash holdings and tax-deferred asses that Motorola Mobility had on hand, and Google looks to be coming out of this pretty well (assuming the patents are actually worth anything tactically, which remains to be seen).

  32. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

    "Sandra Fluke may seek Henry Waxman House seat"

    http://www.politico.com/story/.....02882.html

    1. gaijin   11 years ago

      omfg

    2. paranoid android   11 years ago

      "Congress expected to become 500% more attractive, intelligence will hold steady or drop..."

    3. playa manhattan   11 years ago

      "I'm flattered that I'm being discussed as a potential candidate".

      How's that law school thing going?

    4. John   11 years ago

      Does the Congressional health plan pay for birth control?

      1. PapayaSF   11 years ago

        She will MAKE SURE it does!

      2. MJGreen   11 years ago

        No. That's the only reason she's considering it.

    5. F. Stupidity, Jr.   11 years ago

      I'm already nostalgic for the Henry Waxman era.

  33. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

    Career coach writes in Forbes about seven harmful childrearing practices:

    "1. We don't let our children experience risk...

    "2. We rescue too quickly...

    "3. We rave too easily...

    "4. We let guilt get in the way of leading well...

    "5. We don't share our past mistakes...

    "6. We mistake intelligence, giftedness and influence for maturity...

    "7. We don't practice what we preach"

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/ka.....witter.com

  34. jesse.in.mb   11 years ago

    When gay marriage, ObamaCare and state law collide:

    In mid-January, Blue Cross systematically canceled 20 family policies and notified the affected customers they would have to reapply as unmarried single individuals. Some were married legally in other states and feared they would be required to lie on an insurance application form by denying their marriage.

    The cancellations by Blue Cross stunned the affected couples because the insurer offers same-sex benefits to its own employees and is considered a gay-friendly company.

    Apparently ACA guidelines forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation, but NC law and the N.C. Department of Insurance says that Blue Cross was "legally bound to follow the boilerplate language in its policies defining married couples as 'opposite sex.'"

    Yay confusion!

    1. PapayaSF   11 years ago

      Wait, so you're telling me that sweeping changes ordered by the central government don't always work as intended?

      1. jesse.in.mb   11 years ago

        I know, right? I was just as surprised as you are. I'm sure politicians at all levels have learned an important lesson though about unintended consequences and poorly researched directives.

  35. Coeus   11 years ago

    How dare he!!!!

    Aging Brillo pad Rand Paul has a brilliant suggestion for a weapon in his ongoing war against the terrifying dragon of the unwed single mother who won't stop living off the government: tell her that if she won't stop having kids, she doesn't get any more government benefits. Rand Paul also famously opposes giving low-income women any sort of aid in acquiring birth control, and is staunchly anti-abortion. Rand Paul should just come out and say it: he doesn't think unmarried low income women should be having sex.

    So, let me get this straight: Rand Paul doesn't want unmarried, low income women to have access to contraception, doesn't want any women to have access to abortion, doesn't want low income women to have access to prenatal care, or maternity leave, or equal pay, or child care.

    Do they actually know what the word "access" means?

    1. Irish   11 years ago

      As everyone knows, the only way for a woman to be empowered is to be totally dependent upon the federal government her entire life.

    2. paranoid android   11 years ago

      [Insert Bastiat quote here]

    3. Episiarch   11 years ago

      If you think the WAR ON WOMEN shit gets trotted out at the drop of a hat now, just wait for a Paul presidential run. It will blot out the sun.

      1. Andrew S.   11 years ago

        Then we will oppress in the shade.

        1. Coeus   11 years ago

          + 1 eightpack

      2. Fr?ulein Nikki   11 years ago

        I am not going to be able to handle that. Where is my war-on-women-free safe space?

        1. Episiarch   11 years ago

          Try Warty's basement. I'll draw you a map.

          1. Fr?ulein Nikki   11 years ago

            Oooh, excellent idea! That should work for me.

      3. Dr. Frankenstien   11 years ago

        Then we shall have our election in the shade.

        1. Dr. Frankenstien   11 years ago

          Yes I'm slow on the keyboard. Damn you Andrew.

    4. Mad Scientist   11 years ago

      Do they actually know what the word "access" means?

      I believe they think it means the same thing as "free."

    5. Ted S.   11 years ago

      Aging Brillo pad Rand Paul

      But judging lefty women on their looks is evil.

    6. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

      Sen. Paul's horrible, horrible, comments:

      "Paul told the audience that being "married with kids versus unmarried with kids is the difference between living in poverty and not."

      ""We should sell that message," Paul said. "Not in a mean way to tell people who already have made a bad decision, but if you've had one child and you're not married, you shouldn't have another one."

      "Speaking about high school students, Paul warned that "if you have children before you are married, the poverty rate is just astronomical."

      And the author's rebuttal?

      "Paul didn't comment on the reliance on welfare by extremely religious married couples who have more children than they can afford without aid, like staunch Roman Catholics, Hasidic Jews, or polygamist Mormons."

      An unsourced reference to Roman Catholics, a link to a story about Jewish families where Dad studies Torah full-time rather than get a paycheck, and a reference to polygamists, who of course play such a vital role in the right-wing coalition.

      1. Irish   11 years ago

        "Paul didn't comment on the reliance on welfare by extremely religious married couples who have more children than they can afford without aid, like staunch Roman Catholics, Hasidic Jews, or polygamist Mormons."

        Wow. I'd love to see the percentage of married Jews, Catholics, and Mormons who are on welfare compared to unwed mothers.

        This is hilariously obtuse.

        1. Fr?ulein Nikki   11 years ago

          I'll give them that there are some legit issues in NY with Hasidim, but that's like...a pretty fucking small group of people, and while it may be growing, it's not exactly reaching unwed-mother territory.

          1. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

            It's my understanding that the Hasidim didn't used to rely on welfare, because there wasn't always welfare to rely on. Offer it, and they take it. So it's the Jezzies' favorite policies which enable such behavior.

            1. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

              But yeah, Rand Paul is totally a hypocrite in hock to Kentucky's powerful Hasidic lobby! And the polygamist lobby! And the lobby of citation-needed Catholic welfare leeches!

              1. robc   11 years ago

                Of the three, the 3rd probably is the largest in the state, despite the citation needed.

          2. playa manhattan   11 years ago

            Yep, Kiryas Joel is a pretty messed up place.

            1. Episiarch   11 years ago

              You ever been there? It's crazy; everyone is Hassidim, practically. You go in the convenience store or wherever, and it's all locks of hair and top hats and black dresses.

              I belonged to a range in a neighboring town that was right next to a Hassidim day camp for kids. The kids would sit on the fence and watch me shoot.

              1. Fr?ulein Nikki   11 years ago

                What's even weirder is that the drive between NYC/surrounding areas and Montreal is frequented by way more Hasidim than you'd expect if you didn't know Montreal was also a major settlement for them. You pull of the Northway into some random rest stop in the middle of nowhere and think you're the only person for 50 miles or something, and the next car to stop is a van full of black hats, which you're not normally expecting to see in such a countrified place.

            2. Fr?ulein Nikki   11 years ago

              Yep.

      2. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

        ""Speaking about high school students, Paul warned that "if you have children before you are married, the poverty rate is just astronomical.""

        And he added, "in response to comments from our feminist sisters, I would add: Don't get married and then drop out of the labor force to study the Talmud full-time while your wife stays home, too. And don't marry multiple wives and try to support several families at once."

    7. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

      I guess if you're a woman who fucks someone who isn't a state-sanctioned male partner, then, well, fuck you.

      That seems like something Jezebel would support, not be against.

      1. Coeus   11 years ago

        Exactly.

        1. Thane ? the booty   11 years ago

          You know, I tend to think the "fedora" types are... well... yeah...

          ...but I also don't know where Jezebel gets off claiming to represent the tastes and desires of all women.

          1. Coeus   11 years ago

            I am (very) prematurely bald. Fedoras are one of the many hats I wear on a regular basis. Though, to be honest, I've been favoring the Irish racing caps lately.

            1. Thane ? the booty   11 years ago

              The "types", with the trench coat, cane, etc., not just anyone who merely wears a fedora now and then.

            2. playa manhattan   11 years ago

              Prematurely? When were you planning to go bald?

              1. Coeus   11 years ago

                At least after my mid 20s. Apparently not in the cards. Too much testosterone, I guess.

        2. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

          I don't wear fedoras, so I can keep my Fucking license...for now.

    8. PapayaSF   11 years ago

      I'm sure Jezebel would be fine with anyone referring to a female politician as "aging," right?

  36. Caleb Turberville   11 years ago

    http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/30/.....e-t&page=0

    If Atlanta was more like New York, bad things wouldn't happen.

    Then again, if Cobby County and Atlanta weren't spending hundreds of millions of tax dollars on the new Braves and Falcons stadiums, maybe they'd have enough to salt the roads.

    1. Caleb Turberville   11 years ago

      *Cobb

    2. Caleb Turberville   11 years ago

      The claim that Atlanta "relies too much on cars" has my eyes locked in the rolled position.

    3. John   11 years ago

      Just ignore that a blizzard completely paralyzed New York over Christmas of 2010. And just ignore that response to Sandy was worse in many cases than the response to Katrina. Those people live in Rockaway where no one cares about anyway.

      Lets make fun of them dumb southerners.

      1. Thane ? the booty   11 years ago

        Plus the fact that ice was the problem, not snow.

        1. Episiarch   11 years ago

          CNN being retarded is nothing new. I thought Pacific Northwest drivers were huge scaredy-cats about snow, until I experienced a Seattle ice storm and realized it wasn't about snow at all.

          1. playa manhattan   11 years ago

            I can almost hear you laughing behind the camera.

            1. Episiarch   11 years ago

              No, I wasn't laughing during the hour and a half it took me to get home from Fremont (usually about five minutes). Plus my sister flew in that very night for Thanksgiving, and I told her to take the light rail, thus avoiding being stuck on I-5 for six hours. She had to literally slide down the street on her ass to get down to my place because it was a skating rink.

      2. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

        Yeah, I've heard plenty of people in MD laugh about "Atlanta's little bit of snow" and how unprepared they are.

        Except we get snow here every year, closing schools down if an inch falls. I was also stuck on 695 in 2010 when snow fell quickly during rush hour. It took me 9 hours to travel what normally takes 40 minutes.

      3. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

        Yes, it's absurd. Unusual and unpredicted weather conditions can fuck up most cities. And it's not economically sound for most warm-weather cities to be sitting on equipment, supplies, and personnel that they need once a decade, if that.

        Unless there's global cooling, then maybe we should all start preparing.

        1. Brett L   11 years ago

          I wonder if they could get a lawsuit up against Gore, Hansen, NOAA, et al

          1. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

            "We would've bought more salt, sand, and plows, but the defendants convinced us that the world was getting warmer at an alarming rate, so we spent all of our money on stilts instead."

        2. robc   11 years ago

          The absurd part was people leaving work when the roads were fucked.

          1. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

            I heard this morning that that was happening right when the government decided to close the schools. Little bit of a clusterfuck.

    4. Thane ? the booty   11 years ago

      Why did this happen?

      A bunch of schools and businesses closed in a short time period and people who don't know how to handle themselves in the snow rushed out in a panic.

      The "solutions" CNN offers, of course are "give the idiot mayor dictator -like powers [so he can invest more in trollies and Ferris wheels]" and "bulldoze homes and businesses to provide mass transit to the suburbs that the suburbs don't want".

      The real solution is to make Atlanta proper less of a crime-ridden shithole so people who aren't either very rich or very poor would be able to live there instead of the suburbs.

    5. UnCivilServant   11 years ago

      Or, if planners were sane, they'd realize that Atlanta lamost never ices over. Keeping large stores for these exceedingly rare events doesn't make a lot of sense, and the odds are the salt would be concreted (Ambient moisture causing the halite to fuse together) due to neglect before it would be used. I don't blame any of the thawed belt for not being ready for snowmageddon. (Or is it the snowpocalypse?)

      Though no city should buy a team a stadium unless they own the team.

    6. PD Scott   11 years ago

      "Former Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, who coordinated relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, said things would have gone more smoothly this week if Atlanta's city government was more like New York's.

      "They need to have in Atlanta the same type of government you have in New York City, where the mayor controls the city and everything around that city, and the mayor can make decisions on road closures; he has emergency powers as when schools close," he said."

      Yes, that's what makes a city great, a mayor with sweeping powers. Thanks, General.

      1. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

        There's nothing like top-down control, says the general.

        There's nothing like leather, says the shoemaker.

        There's nothing like leather, agrees the fetishist.

        Wait, where did that last sentence come from?

  37. jesse.in.mb   11 years ago

    Add Kyrgyzstan to the list:

    Police in Kyrgyzstan have extorted, threatened, arbitrarily detained, beaten, and sexually abused gay and bisexual men, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Although consensual sex between men was decriminalized in Kyrgyzstan in 1998, police target gay and bisexual men for violence and extortion, Human Rights Watch found.

    Kyrgyzstan police target gay and bisexual men in parks, gay clubs, hotel rooms, and on dating websites. Human Rights Watch documented cases of severe physical violence against gay and bisexual men including punching, kicking, and beating with gun butts, batons, empty beer bottles, or other objects. Several gay men also reported sexual violence by police officers including rape, group rape, and attempts to put a stick, a hammer, or an electric shock device in the person's anus, as well as gratuitous touching during a search, or being forced to undress in front of police.

    Demetra D., 32, from Bishkek told Human Rights Watch that in four separate incidents between 2004 and 2011, police officers took him into custody and raped him, attempted to rape him, or allowed other detainees to rape him.

    There are more specific testimonies in the article. It's a downer.

    1. Coeus   11 years ago

      So basically, if you're gay in Kyrgyzstan, it's best to be a cop. All the ass you can tap.

      Obviously, Kyrgyzstan cops are TOP MEN. (sorry)

      1. jesse.in.mb   11 years ago

        Obviously, Kyrgyzstan cops are TOP MEN. (sorry)

        No, no. That was a fair play. I'd be interested to see how homosocial/homosexual behavior has historically been dealt with there. It isn't unheard of for people with power to sexually abuse those without and not consider it gay at all, so it could just be a power thing, but gang raping dudes seems particularly gay to me.

        1. Coeus   11 years ago

          Many men will stick their dick in anything as long as another dude does it first.

          See also: Stories from Afganistan and Iraq about US soldiers sharing homemade jack-off devices.

          When put in that context, banging dudes when you're not gay doesn't seem that off.

          1. jesse.in.mb   11 years ago

            To be fair, that story takes place in Berlin. As my Dutch flight attendant said when he heard I was going to Berlin "it's a very open-minded city"

            My grandpa told tales of sailors running trains on prostitutes when he was in the Navy. Although he was adamant that wasn't his thing and he was willing to put the extra effort into finding someone several of his shipmates hadn't been dick-deep in first. I find some of that stuff fascinating and confusing.

  38. Coeus   11 years ago

    I am Jack's total lack of surprise.

    This is not a mere radical wishlist for name-checking the prescribed issues. This is a foundational question about what government is for. That question will grow more urgent as time goes on, and it is one that is much larger than Obama's presidency or the obdurate Republican congress. It is a veritably existential concern for a feminist movement that agitates for urgent legal remedies.

    Newly elected socialist Seattle City Councillor Kshama Sawant delivered her own response to the State of the Union which ought not be missed for at least being a breath of fresh air?if still long on platitudes and short on specifics?but her challenge to the President to acknowledge mass movements fighting for a 15 dollar an hour minimum wage, and follow their lead, is absolutely vital.

    It is emblematic of the kind of grassroots-founded leadership our commanders in chief ought to be exhibiting. Sawant's speech is a glimmering reminder in the dark of what could be done and what Obama's leadership could look like.

    1. paranoid android   11 years ago

      Sawant gives me the uncomfortable feeling that I'll be laughing at her antics and finding her ridiculous right up until the day her followers lead me to the camp at riflepoint.

      1. Fr?ulein Nikki   11 years ago

        I know just what you mean.

    2. Fr?ulein Nikki   11 years ago

      acknowledge mass movements fighting for a 15 dollar an hour minimum wage

      Um...do those actually exist? I mean, mass movements?

      1. paranoid android   11 years ago

        Well, there was that time all the fast food workers went on strike, by which I mean a bunch of leftist types tried to convince fast food workers to go on strike and virtually none of them actually did so.

        It'd probably be more accurate to say that there's a movement to try to create a mass movement.

      2. Irish   11 years ago

        I'm going to bet very few Americans are in favor of a 15 dollar minimum wage.

        If you ask 'should the minimum wage be higher' you get a good amount of support, but most of those people are thinking $8.50-$9.00. Not fucking $15.

      3. PapayaSF   11 years ago

        Any leftist movement is "mass" by definition, because it is for the masses, even if it does not actually contain masses.

    3. Episiarch   11 years ago

      Sawant is a joke here. She blathers on and on, but it's all hot air.

    4. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

      "How dare you call us socialists? We simply admire the courage and boldness of avowed socialists, but that doesn't necessarily mean that our ideas are intellectually coherent enough for socialism."

    5. Anonymous Coward   11 years ago

      It is emblematic of the kind of grassroots-founded leadership our commanders in chief ought to be exhibiting. Sawant's speech is a glimmering reminder in the dark of what could be done and what Obama's leadership could look like.

      I'm confused. Do you people want crude populism? Or credentialist technocracy? Because you can't have both.

      1. Episiarch   11 years ago

        Yeah, cognitive dissonance isn't really a problem for these types.

      2. PapayaSF   11 years ago

        They want credentialist technocracy in the service of crude populism. The populace makes demands, and the technocracy gives it to them. It's all really very simple.

  39. Longtorso, Johnny   11 years ago

    How police could soon be able to turn cars off remotely 'at the flick of a switch' under secret new EU plans

  40. Coeus   11 years ago

    Feminists speak at journalism panel

    The women ? Akiba Solomon from the news website Colorlines, Sarah Mirk from Bitch Media and Lori Adelman from the online journals Feministing ? spoke in William L. Harkness Hall to an audience of roughly 40.

    "I follow these publications, and this panel made concrete a field I'm already interested in. It is isolating to be involved in online writing and not speaking in person about feminism," said Grace Steig '15. "This panel was a huge turnout and it's incredibly exciting."

    1. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

      And the audience was reduced to 10 after the police threw out the frat boys who were chanting "Take it off!"

  41. Cytotoxic   11 years ago

    Is EVE online worth playing?

    1. waffles   11 years ago

      Only if you have OCD or want to have it.

    2. jesse.in.mb   11 years ago

      Those I know who play it really enjoy it. It seems like the type of game that would become an obsessive time sink for me so I avoid it.

  42. Mike M.   11 years ago

    The snow lightly blanketing the Deep South is being blamed for at least 13 deaths.

    Will the depredations brought upon us by global warming never end?

  43. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

    Lars Ulrich on Reddit:

    http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/c.....confidence

    1. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

      This was the best part:

      [?]thekillingjoke17 7 points 57 minutes ago

      What was it like working with Lou Reed?
      permalink

      [?]crawsome 2 points 11 minutes ago

      It was literally, the table.

    2. Brett L   11 years ago

      I hope someone asked him about Napster. Greedy fucker.

      1. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

        They did, and he actually answered:

        "No way he's touching this question"...oooh here we go... A couple thoughts: I wish we had been better prepared for the shit storm that we found ourselves in. I don't regret taking on Napster, but I do find it odd how big of a part of our legacy it has become to so many people, because to me it's more like a footnote. I was also stunned that people thought it was about money. People used the word, "greed" all the time, which was so bizarre. The whole thing was about one thing and one thing only - control. Not about the internet, not about money, not about file sharing, not about giving shit away for free or not, but about whose choice it was. If I wanna give my shit away for free, I'll give it away for free. That choice was taken away from me.

        1. robc   11 years ago

          If I wanna give my shit away for free, I'll give it away for free.

          You lost that control the first moment you released a song for radio play or sold a CD (or album or cassette).

          I played lots of music for other people for free.

          Suck it, Lars.

  44. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

    New murder conviction of Amanda Knox raises important legal issues about the intersection of extradition and double jeopardy...

    Oh, never mind all that - hot chick convicted again in Italy -

    http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/30/.....x-retrial/

    ""She was once put in jeopardy and later acquitted," said Sean Casey, a former prosecutor who is now a partner at Kobre & Kim in New York. "Under the treaty, extradition should not be granted."...

    ""I will become ... a fugitive," [Knox] told Italian daily La Repubblica this month, when asked what she would do if she was found guilty in the second trial."

    http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/30/.....x-retrial/

    1. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

      Yes, seems unlikely we'd extradite when she was already tried and acquitted. Though I do think maybe she should avoid the EU altogether for, well, ever.

      1. paranoid android   11 years ago

        Can we trade her for Roman Polanski?

    2. PapayaSF   11 years ago

      I have no idea what really happened, but one lesson: when you are arrested for murder, don't act happy in your jail cell and do cartwheels and such. Act upset, proclaim your innocence, etc.

      1. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

        I have no idea whether she's guilty or not, but the state had its chance. What's happened since has been an injustice, even if she's guilty. Not to her, but to everyone living in Italy.

      2. tarran   11 years ago

        I followed the case, and she is innocent. Not as in there's a doubt about wether she did it or not, but it's impossible for her to be involved in the crime.

        To commit the crime, she would have ahd to have used a magical cloth that removed her DNA but left Rudy Guerre's DNA all over the place.

  45. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25941999

    Something bothers me about them.

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