Ebola Killing More People, Zuckerberg Funds Fight, Corruption Sentencing in Charlotte, Los Angeles: P.M. Links

• 

  Credit: EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection / photo on flickr

  The death rate for Ebola infections has risen to 70 percent. The World Health Organization warned there could be up to 10,000 new cases a week over the next two months (and probably up to 5,000 unfounded scares a week during that time as well).

• Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is donating $25 million to fight Ebola, so quit complaining about Facebook ads already.
• City corruption watch: Former Charlotte, North Carolina, Mayor Patrick Cannon has been sentenced to 44 months in federal prison for corruption and taking bribes. Former Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon was sentenced to four months in jail for voting fraud and perjury for living outside the district he represented (and claiming otherwise).
• Karen Lewis, president of the powerful Chicago Teachers Union, will not be challenging Mayor Rahm Emanuel after all in order to treat her recently discovered brain tumor.
• Jurors in Denver determined that five deputies used excessive force against a homeless street preacher who died after an encounter with them in 2010 that involved Tasers and sleeper holds. The family of the victim was awarded $4.6 million in damages.
• The Catalan government in Spain has called off plans for a vote on independence, but they may still pursue autonomy through incremental means.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is donating $25 million to fight Ebola...

But will he commit to faceboots on the ground?

[jesse.in.mb]

WTF!? How are you that fast?

[Fist of Etiquette]

And adding face to boots? That's friggin genius.

[db]

If you want a picture of the future...

[Tonio]

Yes, faceboots was genius.

[stands behind Fist in ceremonial chariot, holding laurel over Fist's head] You are not a god...

[Fist of Etiquette]

I do like tributes, although should I be nervous with you behind me? My glutes are god-like.

[Bobarian (dinosaur hunter)]

Bacchus is a god.

[db]

Bacchus dat uppus!

[Tonio]

Do you like snails, Fist?

[Ted S.]

Do you like gladiator movies?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

[Fist of Etiquette]

City corruption watch...

PARTY AFFILIATION UNKNOWN

[Injun, as in from India]

Isn't that f***ing incredible? No mention of D in the article about Alarcon, and the headline would have screamed R if Cannon was one. But of course, they're both Democrats, the party of honesty, integrity, compassion, and charity of other people's hard earned money.

[jesse.in.mb]

The Catalan government in Spain has called off plans for a vote on independence, but they may still pursue autonomy through incremental means.

I blame the Scots.

[db]

Goddammit.

[jesse.in.mb]

*Breathes on nails, rubs against shirt*

Why hello there.

[PapayaSF]

but they may still pursue autonomy through incremental means

First: autonomous tapas!

[Jerry on the sea]

Havoc At Serbia-Albania As Match Interrupted By Flag-Carrying Drone.

[BiMonSciFiCon]

At least the Albanians won't hold a grudge.

[Ted S.]

Fuck fuck fuck.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Is that Irish for fuck?

[Injun, as in from India]

I thought that was O'bama.

[Ted S.]

The fact that it's the third place teams that go into the playoffs seems to be leading several top teams to sleepwalk through the competition: look at the Dutch.

Of course, Germany still have two matches against mighty Gibraltat.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I thought it was the best third place team. Not all third place teams?

[Ted S.]

France,
9 Group winners,
9 Runners-up

That leaves five more spots. The best third-place team qualifies automatically; the other four go into the two-legged playoffs. At least, I think that makes the math work out right.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Ah. Okay. I guess that in part explains why the sense of urgency is not as high as you mentioned. Still, you want make life easier by winning the group I reckon.

[Los Doyers]

Euro 2016 will be England's year. Calling it now.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Ha, ha.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The family of the victim was awarded $4.6 million in damages.

If taxpayers didn't want to cough up that dough they shouldn't have beaten that guy.

[Los Doyers]

Speaking of dough, what do you recommend for dark chocolate pound cake?

[Fist of Etiquette]

The trash can.

[db]

Fuck the Scots, they made it hard for the Catalans.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

They made it hard on the Poles as well today.

[BiMonSciFiCon]

City corruption watch: Former Charlotte, North Carolina, Mayor Patrick Cannon has been sentenced to 44 months in federal prison for corruption and taking bribes. Former Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon was sentenced to four months in jail for voting fraud and perjury for living outside the district he represented (and claiming otherwise).

Voting fraud? Inconceivable.

[Tonio]

An isolated incident, surely.

[Restoras]

Bordering on mythical.

[John]

Its like seeing a white buffalo or something.

[Rich]

Hey! I'll bet Former Councilman Richard Alarcon Has ID!

[Fist of Etiquette]

...but they may still pursue autonomy through incremental means.

But they can never eventually take our freedom!

[jesse.in.mb]

I mentioned this on the TI thread last night but commenting seemed rather light.

I'll be in NYC for the better part of 10/18 to 10/28. I have a work thing during the day until Thursday, but will be free most evenings. Not sure if anyone would be interested in beering, or if anyone has recommendations for things to do/see. I'll be staying near Grand Central for the first few days.

[Carl ?s the level]

You're not fooling anybody.

[Restoras]

Ah, so this Thursday won't work.

I propose Wednesday 10/22 or Friday 10/24.

Same place: Rattle N Hum
14 E 33rd St
http://www.rattlenhumbarnyc.com/home

[jesse.in.mb]

I should be able to do either. I've gotta run my coworkers to JFK Thursday (10/23) in the early afternoon, and will be flying to Rochester for a day, but will be back early evening on 10/24.

[Restoras]

How early in the evening for 10/24? If you think you can meet at 6pm or so let's put that together, otherwise Wednesday might be better for the commuter crowd.

[jesse.in.mb]

7:30. I thought it was back in at 5:30, but was wrong.

Wednesday it is then. How do we light the GILMORE signal? I'll put on some horizontal stripes or something, think that'll do it?

[Restoras]

Wednesday.

I've been posting for this Thursday at or near the beginning of as many posts I could...I'll just keep trying that and hopefully Gilmore and the others will see it.

[jesse.in.mb]

I have his email someplace. I'll see if I can find it.

[Restoras]

I've gotta run my coworkers to JFK Thursday

Hang on there, hoss. Put them in a cab - you'll be glad you did.

[jesse.in.mb]

I've got a flight to Rochester about 45 minutes before theirs (but I have the benefit of TSA pre-check), so it's not much of a hardship.

[JD the elder]

Either one of those works for me. Friday probably better, but then the bars and such will be busier. We should probably have a better way of organizing this than random H&R posts...for a bunch of believers in spontaneous order, we're not very good at it. (Drink!)

[MJGreen]

I can join y'all on Wednesday after 6:30; on Friday I'm seeing a SHOW!!

[Riven]

"Beering."

So that's what they call it these days. I suppose it's less telling than "bearing."

[BakedPenguin]

I have to imagine those are not necessarily exclusive activities.

[RBS]

First comes the beering, then comes the bearing. Then comes Warty.

[jesse.in.mb]

I have no idea what you're talking about. (Not ideal for workplace environments)

Click it, Shackford, you know you want to.

[Paul.]

I clicked it!

How do these sensitive lads get to be so buff?!

[jesse.in.mb]

No idea, but that one can feel free to toss me around like a rag doll if he's so inclined.

[datcv]

Second.

[Restoras]

Be sure to go Keen's for a steak. The Intrepid is cool. If the weather is good Bryant Park after work is a good spot and near GCT. If you like cigars Nat Sherman is close as well. Gingerman is also a good spot for a wide selection of beer. Village Vanguard for jazz. Stay away from Times Square. If you have time to wander around SoHo (south of Houston...and it's pronounced House-tun) and NoLiTa (north of Little Italy) check them out.

[JD the elder]

Ginger Man is full of midtown business types these days, though. I'd recommend the East Village and the LES (Lower East Side) which are still full of little bars, and the West Village can be cool if more pricy.

[Restoras]

True, but easy walking distance from the GCT area. I'm not terribly familiar with Village watering holes anymore.

[Los Doyers]

Just go to Hoboken. Plenty of hipsters there to creepshot.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...(and probably up to 5,000 unfounded scares a week during that time as well).

All domestic.

[db]

When I was in Barcelona earlier this year, 5he most common argument I.heard against.independence was that they would lost the "benefits" of being part of a greater whole. Which argument carried no water for.me.

[db]

No weight.

[grrizzly]

But what about the first four most common arguments?

[John]

What benefits are those? Paying taxes to support people in Madrid or single handedly created the lazy Spaniard myth?

[db]

Hell if I know. It didn't make much sense to.me,

[Los Doyers]

Myth schmyth. I wanted to buy some jamon and nothing was open. Lazy fucks.

[Jerryskids]

Karen Lewis, president of the powerful Chicago Teachers Union, will not be challenging Mayor Rahm Emanuel after all in order to treat her recently discovered brain tumor.

If the brain tumor gets elected Mayor of Chicago, wouldn't that be an improvement?

[John]

Yes

[EdWuncler]

I don't wish brain tumors on anyone but I don't really feel uber bad for her. She's contributed to the shitty education system in Chicago that has condemned many of the poor.

[PapayaSF]

She is astoundingly repellent, both inside and out. She's a real-life Ayn Rand villain, but maybe a bit too cartoonish even for Rand.

[entropy_factor]

Can we all agree, Red or Blue,

that Wendy Davis is a fucking cunt? A proper, no-holds-barred, cunt? She is losing by ~20 pts and now I have to hear a goddamn victim parade in the Lone Star State on how much everyone is aggrieved. Holy hell, the gel in Rick Perry's hair is tougher than this chick. Take your loss, fuck off, and join MSNBC in 6 months.

[John]

Her entire campaign seems to have consisted of abortion and the fact her opponent is in a wheel chair. Why that makes her the right choice for governor was never quite explained.

[entropy_factor]

never was. I actually met her.. fantastic calves. That's about it. She has an air of lobbiest/shill about her. Her mannerisms are too well trained. She definitely does not come off as genuinely Texan.

But jeez man, we all know Abbott will win. I'm just tired of the "woe is me I'm so mistreated everyone is mean to me vote for me you cunt" act. Texas politics, while eccentric, is quite boring bc Team Red is dominant and Team Blue is feckless (thank God).

[John]

Her personal history just screamed scheming bitch. She gets knocked up in high school, gets some dumb bastard to marry her, help raise her kid and put her through law school and then she immediately dumped him. All class she is.

[Horatio]

Well, when they tried to put her sneakers in a museum the shark was jumped. HER FUCKING SNEAKERS! Like they were shackles from her ride on a slave ship or some shit.

Having said that...would bang.

[John]

I would too.

[The Laconic]

She has an air of lobbiest/shill about her.

That's joez law, right?

[PapayaSF]

To be fair, the supposed point of the wheelchair ad was opposing tort reform, but obviously they could have done a better ad.

[ant1sthenes]

"Her entire campaign seems to have consisted of abortion"

Hey, don't forget access to birth control. Her constituency was apparently sentient uteri.

[Injun, as in from India]

The Wendy Davis campaign is summarized as:

Abort, retry, ignore, fail?

[datcv]

That's pretty brutal. I still laughed, though.

[PapayaSF]

+1

[trshmnster the terrible]

So, funny story. I got an email about a lunch meeting today to earn some public service hours at school. It was intentionally vague, but related to election help for the upcoming midterms. I figured that for 6 public service hours, it may be fun to work a precinct or something.

Fast forward to noon. I walk into the classroom to find Wendy Davis logos on everything in the room. This wasn't precinct help as I had been led to believe, it was reporting to Wendy's central command every time a provisional ballot was cast, along with vote volume and other metrics.

Long story short, I'm a whore, so I'm going to do it, but what a slimy move on her campaign's part... The email gave no indication that this was anything but non-partisan work for the county election commission.

[Emmerson Biggins]

Report that nonymously to somebody who might make some hay about it. That's Bullshit.

[entropy_factor]

definitely not legal.

[trshmnster the terrible]

The actual position they're filling is legal (poll monitor), and is a partisan position. However, the email said "the training is completely neutral, there will not be any political bias. Handouts only have a stated political affiliation because it is required by law."

Well, unless reporting voter information to Wendy Davis boiler rooms is somehow neutral, I was misled.

[ant1sthenes]

You're being given the opportunity to be a wrench in the political machine, don't waste it.

[Every Cop is a Criminal]

Jurors in Denver determined that five deputies used excessive force against a homeless street preacher who died after an encounter with them in 2010 that involved Tasers and sleeper holds. The family of the victim was awarded $4.6 million in damages.

And nothing else happened.

[PapayaSF]

Sheesh, getting rid of homeless street preachers is way too expensive.

[John]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102084062

The price of crude oil is tanking. It was due to happen sometime.

[db]

Here's hoping avgas comes down...yeah right.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAaaaaaaa........

[Certified Public Asskicker]

The plug will be by to explain why this means we should all suck Obama cock.

[Restoras]

Good news for me since I just bought a Grand Cherokee and the gas mileage leaves a bit to be desired.

[Paul.]

The price of crude oil is tanking. It was due to happen sometime.

So is my portfolio.

We got what, 16 days left for the Fed to take the electrical leads off the economy's nuts?

[mauricegirodias]

I bet my entire portfolio on ND oil 6 years ago. Figured they'd set it on fire if Obama managed to ban fracking. Took profits earlier this year when the one company I bought hit it, but it's still most of my portfolio. It's down almost 40% from its high a few months ago.

(I don't margin or anything, so not a big deal, but not fun, and I wouldn't put money into any of the "undiscovered" Bakken plays at this point.)

[ant1sthenes]

I thought the story was that, sufficiently flush with funds, the Saudis were dumping to fuck Russia and Venezuela.

[The Late P Brooks]

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is donating $25 million to fight Ebola, so quit complaining about Facebook ads already.

I saw something about this earlier. I asked myself, "Is Zuckerberg really this stupid?"

Apparently, yes. Only a government bureaucracy can save us from teh Ebolianz! Way to throw your money in the hole, genius.

[Injun, as in from India]

Remember, this is the guy that squandered $100 mil on NJ government schools.

[John]

HE is that stupid. Just because you can come up with a money making idea doesn't mean you are smart.

[RBS]

Well, he did just by like 700 acres in Hawaii for a family compound...

[Tonio]

Yeah, Doctors without Borders (aka MSF) has been doing the heavy lifting in the ebola-stricken areas. Would have been nice if he'd have funded them.

Granted, it's his money to spend as he wants.

[Carl ?s the level]

It's only stupid if you assume his goal is actually to fight Ebola.

[Paul.]

To be fair, back in the 80s, Rock Stars would have been the ones to do it, and we'd be treated with a round-the-clock playing of some god-awful music video with Bruce Springsteen yelling into a microphone, singing a hastily penned verse about an awful disease.

[Andrew S.]

I want a new modern day version of Do They Know It's Christmas. That was the best. And by the best I mean I still don't know what that was about.

[John]

That was the best one by far. But in fairness I am not sure that "No one wants Ebloa for Christmas" would move as much product.

[trshmnster the terrible]

Does that come from the "bleeding out my ass" album?

[John]

This is why we can't have nice things and there are no female Libertarians.

And yeah, I laughed out loud

[F. Stupidity, Jr.]

+1 "so tonight thank God it's them instead of you"

[Restoras]

I think Ebola is getting a bad rap and what it needs is a name change to Ebloa...

[Stormy Dragon]

"Do They Know It's Christmas" is the second worst Christmas song ever.

[John]

Object to boycotting Israel, have some diversity thug show up at your office telling you that you are "under investigation" but can't tell you what for.

http://tabletmag.com/jewish-ne.....s-the-rage

[tarran]

The higher education bubble can't burst quickly enough for me.

[John]

The only downside to it bursting is that these people will no longer be confined to college campuses. It could end up having the same effect as cutting into a tumor.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Even if it busts, Title IX will persevere, thus continuing the disaster.

[Spoonman.]

My daughter's 11 months as of yesterday, so if it could do so sometime in the next 17 years that would be pretty convenient.

The shittier liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania are having trouble getting enrollment, which is a good sign.

[Rich]

"It has been alleged that you may have acted in an inappropriate way and possibly discriminated against another person at the University."

"So, you're saying that it has been alleged that I may NOT have acted in an inappropriate way and possibly NOT discriminated against another person at the University? Fuck off."

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

But Coleman was not satisfied to leave things at that. She went on to write that I refused to cooperate in the investigation (even though my attorney informed DeJulio weeks earlier of my willingness to meet her), and concluded that my decision to use an attorney was an indication of guilt. Coleman determined that in declaring I would quit the American Studies program should it not distance itself from anti-Semitism, I violated the university's code of civility.

No words, at least none that would be civil.

[trshmnster the terrible]

That foreshadows the exact outcome of every rape tribunal going forward. If they can't get you on the substance, they'll get you for some technicality.

[Fluffy]

This is incredibly shitty.

Just incredibly.

It's also why I could never work in an academic environment - or any sufficiently large bureaucratic environment - for the long term.

Because if I demanded a specific explanation of what the complaint was and was refused one, I would immediately say, "Fuck you, then. This meeting is over."

And then all hell would break loose.

People who refuse to articulate their specific argument are not good for my rage.

[John]

That is pure academia there. Bureacrats love to spout rules and give you the reasons why they are doing what they are doing. This Kafka shit is not their style generally.

The way you deal with a bureaucrat is calmly ask them where it says that in writing. They never know their own rules but always think they do. Asking them to show you where it says that completely defeats them because they both don't know and can't claim you are being uncooperative for asking.

[Ted S.]

The government can force Title IX on these schools, but expect the schools to follow the 6th Amendment right to know who's accusing you of what crime? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!111!!!

[Tonio]

Not so fast, Theodore. Fordham is a private, catholic university. So, according to strict libertarian dogma they can do whatever they want and your manufactured outrage is misplaced. Hobby Lobby, bitches.

Also, the delicious irony is that the catholic church (awwwww, look at Eddie's ears prick up) has a long history of secret tribunals, so no surprise there.

[The Late P Brooks]

Karen Lewis, president of the powerful Chicago Teachers Union, will not be challenging Mayor Rahm Emanuel after all in order to treat her recently discovered brain tumor.

It figures.

Electing that brain tumor mayor was Chicago's last best hope for salvation.

[Gus]

Went to an NFL game on Sunday. The endless parading of breast cancer survivors got pretty old pretty quickly.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

It seems they have toned it down this year, but I still find it annoying.

[Horatio]

Was Tony Siragusa included?

[trshmnster the terrible]

I like the way my alma mater did it. One game, purdue had custom gear in neon yellow instead of gold, with a yellow ribbon on the back of the helmet. Then, they spent all the "victim parade" time instead hyping all the awesome cancer research being done on campus.

It was much more tasteful than pink towels and gloves and parades of victims to shame us into being aware or something.

[Horatio]

Serious question: has anyone been asked point blank when "awareness" can be achieved? Is it just a euphemism for "cash"?

Seems to be a lefty-thing since the goal is vague at best, and the money used to "achieve" the goal (including the cost of all that pink shit) could be spent on actual research, clinical trials etc.

How about the NFL forking over a 20 second ad during the SuperBowl saying, "Hey. Breast Cancer. It's a thing. Lots of people die from it. To give money to cure it please send here..." Have Oprah donate her time to do it and BAM 1 billion people are aware of breast cancer.

[trshmnster the terrible]

Awareness is just slacktivism by another name. Sure, auctioning the pink stuff raises money, and the awareness promotes more donation, but there are so many ways to make an actual difference. Why not have a friendly wager between teams? Loser matches the winning team's fanbase's donations made during the game. That would raise awareness and a shit ton of money!

[F. Stupidity, Jr.]

Like most everyone, I was unaware of breast cancer until I saw a stripe of pink in an NFL player's sock.

[Fluffy]

I find that the awareness campaigns could backfire.

I'm sure that right now there is a scientist taking a shower somewhere, who just thought of something that might eventually lead to a cure for breast cancer - but who is saying to himself, "Fuck, I am SO SICK of hearing about breast cancer, I can't possibly go into the office and work on that shit all day."

[paranoid android]

There's also a sort of bystander effect at play. That is, the omnipresent awareness campaign suggests a movement with resources so vast that any contribution I could provide would be worth next to nothing.

[Slammer]

For me it's like everything else the NFL does: whatever the meme or fad happens to be they overdo it so much, that instead of empathizing with it I become repulsed by it. They beat their fucking hobby horse into the ground so hard. Everything that they try to express they turn into a Circus on Steroids!

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"Greenpeace Takes Away Kids' Toys: Lego to Stop Giveaways at Shell Stations Due to Arctic Drilling Protests...

"...Lego Group CEO J?rgen Vig Knudstorp says won't renew the deal when it comes to an end in 2016 because he's "determined to leave a positive impact on society and the planet that children will inherit." Knudstorp did criticize Greenpeace for involving Lego in the controversy, rather than raising its objections directly with Shell."

http://www.nationalreview.com/.....c-drilling

[Matrix]

because the plastic in Legos grows on trees?

[C. Anacreon]

Knudstorp is Protsdunk spelled backwards.

[Paul.]

The death rate for Ebola infections has risen to 70 percent. The World Health Organization warned there could be up to 10,000 new cases a week over the next two months (and probably up to 5,000 unfounded scares a week during that time as well).

You know, this kind of stuff has it's place in the discussion, but what is the WHO doing on obesity and how guns are stored in the home?

[Restoras]

Don't forget the horrendous consumption of salt.

[Paul.]

The silent killer!

Although, to be fair, does Ebola make a lot of noise?

[ant1sthenes]

The projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea does.

[The Late P Brooks]

And then he read through the comments, and discovered he was not the only one voting the straight "Brain Tumor for Mayor" ticket.

Go Brain Tumor!

[Paul.]

IT'S NOT A TUMOR!

[SugarFree]

It's the twin she absorbed in the womb.

[John]

Great lakes six degrees colder than normal

http://wattsupwiththat.com/201.....an-normal/

Damn global warming.

I kid but it would be just too perfect if we are going into an ice age in the middle of a world wide global warming cult panic.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Ok, but they aren't recording the temperature where the warming is hiding.

[Paul.]

In your pants?

[Horatio]

Related: Has anyone spotted Steyn V Mann coverage on HnR yet?

I'll refrain from asking until it goes to trial but the swing in momentum from Mann to Steyn has been fascinating. One could even go far enough to call it "newsworthy"...

[Ted S.]

Steyn and Mann aren't smoking pot or engaging in ass-sex.

[Fluffy]

Steyn vs. Mann is like Al Qaeda vs. the Jets.

No one to root for.

OK, so I'm rooting for Steyn. You pried it out of me. But I hate Mann even more now for putting me in a position where I have to root for Steyn.

[Paul.]

I haven't followed this Steyn V. Mann thing. Can you give me a 30 word summary of what's wrong with Steyn?

[John]

Styen doesn't love Muslims and Mexicans enough for Fluffy's tastes.

[Stormy Dragon]

Steyn called Mann a fraud on the radio, Mann sued Steyn for defamation, Steyn made a dogs lunch of what should have been an easy win for him by acting as his own attorney

[MegaloMonocle]

Steyn was only representing himself for a little while, and mostly on a side issue. The main case was basically in a holding pattern while the two sides traded anti-SLAPP claims.

He's got a lawyer now, but has parted ways with this co-defendants on strategy. They want to just get the whole thing dismissed.

Steyn wants to get to trial and humiliate Mann as brutally and publicly as possible.

[Horatio]

Not the radio, in a column. Mann sued him for, no shit, "defamation of a Nobel laureate" among other things.

[MegaloMonocle]

According to Steyn, demography and culture are destiny, and the West is committing suicide on both fronts with multi-culti horseshit that has opened the door for it to be swamped by Muslim barbarians.

Europe is further down the road than we are, because they've been importing Muslim barbarians in job lots, but we're on the same road.

[Paul.]

Proof of Global Climate Change.

[tarran]

This is terrible news, John!

All that heat that normally must be in the Great Lakes must have migrated into the deep ocean where, like Cthulhu, it lies, waiting.

[Fluffy]

I think the heat must have broken protocol.

That's why it's missing.

How do we know that?

Well, because if it hadn't broken protocol, we'd be able to find it.

How did it break protocol?

Well, that we don't know yet. But we know it did!

[Certified Public Asskicker]

The good news is, we can solve this mystery with more money.

[Whahappan?]

If we are going into an ice age, it still wouldn't invalidate global warming, it would only prove it further. I wish I were joking, but I'm not.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Which one is Warty?

Browns Fans Make Beer Bong Out Of Female Mannequin

[Los Doyers]

The one with the abz.

[jesse.in.mb]

Bro, Warty is clearly out of frame waiting to pounce on them.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

I am hoping there is another video where Warty clothes-lines the guy at the end of the video.

[jesse.in.mb]

I've heard Zangief was based on Warty, so a spinning clothesline would be totally appropriate.

[Bobarian (dinosaur hunter)]

Warty's the one that raped the hole in the mannequin?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

*smacks forehead*

Of course, of course.

[Coeus]

Holy shit.

A 10-year-old boy was held without bail on Tuesday after being charged as an adult in the killing of a 90-year-old woman who was held down with a walking stick and beaten at her caretaker's Pennsylvania home.

The boy's grandfather was the caretaker for Helen Novak, and the incident took place on Oct. 11 at his Tyler Hill home, according to court documents.

The boy, Tristen Kurilla, said he pinned Novak down on her bed with a walking stick on her throat and punched her "numerous times," after she yelled at him, according to court papers.

"I killed that lady," the boy said, the court paper states.

"Were you trying to kill her?" a trooper asked.

"No, I was only trying to hurt her," the boy replied, according to the criminal complaint.

[John]

I have no idea what you do with that.

[Paul.]

You read it, shake your head and say, "Kids these days"

[lap83]

"His mental state may be considered if he later petitions the court to transfer his case from adult court to juvenile court, the district attorney's office said."

I've never understood why the mental state matters. Does it make him any less of a threat if he's insane?

[lap83]

sorry that was supposed to be a reply to the original post

[Tonio]

In this case it's also a question of capacity to understand that one has done wrong. Take the case of the toddler who finds a loaded, unlocked gun and shoots a family member as happens once a year or so. The toddler clearly lacks the mental capacity to understand the true nature and gravity of what he is doing. While a ten year old is clearly much more advanced than a toddler, I'm not sure if trying him as an adult is appropriate

[lap83]

Assuming the point of locking someone up for killing people is to prevent it from reoccurring, then it makes sense not to do it to a toddler who killed someone because a parent was being a reckless idiot. The child doesn't pose a threat to society. Possibly the judge decides something regarding the parents, I'm not sure. Or maybe they decide that losing a family member is punishment enough. But if someone kills because they're insane, putting them in a situation with low security doesn't stop them from reoffending since you haven't removed the root cause.

[db]

Goddammit.

[Coeus]

And with content. Outmaneuvered at every turn.

[db]

I have a friend who adopted a kid from bad circumstances who has the capacity to get.violent. I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to this.story.

[Paul.]

There's absolutely more to the story. Ten year old kids that have had a normal, decent upbringing don't do shit like this.

If it were all pre-pubescent flights of fancy that could strike any kid at any time, this would be happening all the time.

[db]

Exactly.

[tarran]

Ten year old kids that have had a normal, decent upbringing don't do shit like this.

... I wouldn't say that with certitude.

I know of some distant relatives who adopted a kid at the age of 1. Poor kid grew up with serious behavioral issues. Violent outbursts in his early teens. So scary that they institutionalized him for a time.

He stopped hurting other people, and took up hurting himself. Died at the age of 26 from a heroin overdose.

His parents were good people who really went the extra mile.

In this case, the kid tried to hide what he had done in a clumsy way, but owned up to it when asked directly. That implies to me that he hasn't had a lot of exposure to people covering up abusive acts in a competent and successful way. I would be unsurprised if it turns out he is one of those sad cases where good parents produce an offspring who has it in his nature to go terribly wrong.

[John]

What Tarran said. There are cases of kids from good homes who just blow a gasket and do something unspeakably evil. I don't think you can pin this kind of shit on bad upbringing.

[Paul.]

While that is true, it's incredibly rare. On a scale of commonality, the kid who does that type of stuff usually has a background story. The few who don't are extremely uncommon.

[Fluffy]

My 8 year old hits me as hard as he can when we roughhouse...because he knows it won't hurt.

But that implies that there is a point on the development continuum where we will pass from the time to where it doesn't hurt...to where it does. Probably without warning.

10 is really, really, really young. I could totally believe he didn't know he could hurt her that badly.

[Restoras]

Yes.

[Paul.]

He hits you as hard as he can when you roughhouse. Does he hit his teacher as hard as he can when he doesn't like what he's hearing?

[Paul.]

Put another way, I'm not intimately familiar with the parenting style in the Fluffy household, but I would give you the benefit of the doubt that your eight yr old isn't merely a set of random circumstances away from murdering a neighbor.

[db]

Yikes.

[The Late P Brooks]

"No, I was only trying to hurt her," the boy replied, according to the criminal complaint.

Did he tell her to STOP RESISTING? That boy's got a bright future in law enforcement.

[Coeus]

New anti-gamergate tactic.

Pretend that your opponents killed someone. And if they don't believe you, link to a tweet for proof (that talks about suicide).

[Fluffy]

Twitter Godwinning is all they have.

[MJGreen]

Ugh. My instinct now is to never click on a link without first seeing the URL, but for whatever reason I clicked on that without thinking.

What is with their banner? What is that?

And why did I read the first several sentences?

[Tonio]

Trust me, that banner, while pathetic, is an improvement on what the blogger used to have. That is truly one of the more unhinged sites on the web.

[Carl ?s the level]

US Patent Office Now Rejecting A Lot More Software Patents

In short, back in January, art units at the USPTO rejected applications based on Section 101 of US Patent law only about 24% of the time. Section 101 covers what is patent eligible, and was the key part in the decision in the Alice case. Effectively, in the Alice ruling, the Supreme Court said that just doing something on a generic computer wasn't patent eligible under Section 101. Following that ruling, in July, the rejection rate jumped to 78%. Yes, from 24% in January to 78% in June.

Thank you, SCOTUS.

[trshmnster the terrible]

Most of us don't really know what to do about this yet. The PTO hasn't promulgated any good guidelines to the examiners, so they are 101ing apps all over the place. We have had training on how to handle 101 rejections, but so far it's all boiled down to a wait and see approach. Perhaps tomorrow's training will help. I won't hold my breath.

[2ndClassProle]

Climate models over estimate CO2 by 17%

http://phys.org/news/2014-10-co2-atmosphere.html

[tarran]

This is both less and more significant than people realize.

Less because the primary effect of a missed 17% increase of CO2 is quite small: .3 degrees C or so.

More because it is a blatant example of how terribly the state of the art models model the interaction of different systems that affect the climate. Since the really bad feedbacks are biological ones, this failure alone would be grounds to distrust all of these models.

[2ndClassProle]

It was not a 17% increase, but a decrease. You would think they would have thought of plants taken in more CO2 as PPM became larger. I have read of some green houses pumping it up to 500 to 1000 ppm to increase their yields.

[trshmnster the terrible]

I dunno how high of a concentration I got it to, but when I had a planted aquarium, I accidentally gassed the thing with so much CO2 that the fish literally suffocated in the water. The plants, on the other hand, grew an inch overnight.

[2ndClassProle]

Poor fishies!!

[trshmnster the terrible]

Lesson learned: orange juice produces CO2 manifold faster than sugar.

[trshmnster the terrible]

many fold*

[BakedPenguin]

Huh. It's almost as if organisms that have survived hundreds of millions - if not billions - of years have the ability to adapt.

Or something.

[Horatio]

But why should they be FORCED to adapt to survive, Baked? Please check your human privilege and stop victim-blaming the flora and fauna.

[2ndClassProle]

The flora and fauna kind of deserve it, sitting there looking all pretty and shit.

[lap83]

Victim blaming!!11

[CatoTheElder]

Evidently, the genius climate modelers did not understand that CO2 is plant food.

Carbon dioxide. I really has what plants crave. It's got carbon dioxide.

[Invisible Finger]

Just the word makes government panic.

http://www.latimes.com/local/l.....story.html

[MegaloMonocle]

The family of the victim was awarded $4.6 million in damages.

Of which not one red cent came from the actual criminals.