More Prisoners Transferred Out of Gitmo, Oscars Are Very White Again, Twitter Sued over Terrorism: P.M. Links

• Ten prisoners have been transferred out of Guantanamo Bay. The number of prisoners being detained there has dropped for the first time since it opened to below 100.

• The narcissistic, self-absorbed Oscars remain narcissistic, self-absorbed. This is "problematic" because diversity.
• A woman who lost her husband in a terrorist attack in Jordan is suing Twitter for "allowing" terrorist groups like ISIS to spread their messages on social media.
• An effort to impeach Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage has failed to get enough support to go forward to an investigation phase.
• A federal judge has ordered the release of video footage showing the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old unarmed black teen in Chicago.
• A hurricane … in January? It's  happening.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

The narcissistic, self-absorbed Oscars remain narcissistic, self-absorbed.,/i

But fabulous!

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

Ha-ha!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Proves that these are spontaneous!

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Hello.

Kaaaossss!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfJQIiP6h10

[Crusty Juggler]

Rufus, is it too late now to say sorry, because I'm missing more than just your body.

[Los Doyers]

What do you mean?

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

/nervously grins and nods walking slowly backwards.

[Crusty Juggler]

Life's not easy. I'm not made out of steel. Don't forget that I'm human. Don't forget that I'm real.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

We're all done indulging Tulpa, right?

[Juvenile Bluster]

No, he'll keep coming back, and we'll keep responding. He's good at what he does.

[coloraDOOM]

Some are.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

I prefer trolling back.

[chemjeff]

Who exactly is this Tulpa fellow?

[tarran]

We're all done indulging Tulpa, right?

I hope so.

[DesigNate]

What idiocy was he spouting today? I've got popcorn and some time on my hands.

[Los Doyers]

*whispers in DesigNate's ear* It's chemjeff today...

[tarran]

GO to the cruz/snowden thread.

It was sad, infuriating and funny all at the same time.

[chemjeff]

I am "Tulpa" because I think Ed Snowden should be subject to the same laws as everyone else?

[Crusty Juggler]

I am "tulpa!"

[chemjeff]

I guess all I did to earn the title of "Tulpa" was to insist that Ed Snowden should be subject to the same laws as everyone else.

If I steal internal documents from my private employer and handed them off to the press - because I believe my employer was engaged in immoral, despicable acts that deserve to be publicized - not a single libertarian here would argue against the proposition that I should not only be fired, but possibly also punished, either civilly or criminally. Because I would have not only violated the employment contract with my employer, but also engaged in theft of private property, and possibly also engaged in defamation of my employer.

But evidently a great many people here think there should be an Ed Snowden exception, where if a person steals internal documents that shows NSA to be crooked, then that person not only shouldn't suffer any punishment at all, but should get a medal and a trophy.

[DesigNate]

You mean people that think the government doesn't have the right to many, if any at all, secrets and that definitely shouldn't be taking part in the shenanigans that the NSA was think someone who exposed that is a decent human being?

Color me shocked.

Oh, and for the record, if your private employer is doing illegal and immoral shit, you have a fucking moral obligation to expose that.

[chemjeff]

"You mean people that think the government doesn't have the right to many, if any at all, secrets and that definitely shouldn't be taking part in the shenanigans that the NSA was think someone who exposed that is a decent human being?"

I said absolutely nothing about whether I thought Ed Snowden was a "decent human being" or not, it really isn't relevant to the discussion.

The central question for me is, did he commit a crime? Yes or no? If he did, then he should be subject to the same laws as everyone else who commits a crime. It certainly seems to me that at a minimum, he committed the crime of theft.

"Oh, and for the record, if your private employer is doing illegal and immoral shit, you have a fucking moral obligation to expose that."

And I agree. But I should also suffer the consequences of my actions. If I expose what I believe to be my employer's illegal and immoral behavior, then I shouldn't be surprised when I am fired. In fact, I ought to be fired! Because I've broken my employment contract. Wouldn't you agree?

[chemjeff]

And the degree of my employer's hypothetical illegal and immoral behavior should have ZERO bearing on whether or not I get fired. None. Zero.

[DesigNate]

The consequences for your actions are shielded through whistleblower laws.

And yet, it's been shown again and again that the whistleblower laws for government employees, contractor or otherswise, make it nearly impossible to actually get an agency's misdeeds to the light of day.

Maybe you are Tulpa.

[chemjeff]

But Snowden didn't avail himself of the potential protections of whistleblower laws. He chose to do his own thing.

I think the real breakdown in the communication here is that many people here seem to think that because they think Snowden was justified in doing what he did, that he should not suffer any consequences at all. I disagree, I think that it is entirely consistent to believe that he was justified in breaking the law, but that he should be punished for breaking the law nonetheless.

[chipper me timbers]

Good grief you're not even faking it well.

[Apeman of Earth]

It really doesn't matter if you are Tulsa or not. You tried to push people into some sort of rhetorical corner with your "do the ends justify the means" shtick. The fact is the ends are a mitigating factor when looking at whether actions are just. To a lot of people here he was somebody willing to put his life on the line for principles higher than abiding by unjust laws and we aren't going to throw him under the bus for that.

[chemjeff]

"You tried to push people into some sort of rhetorical corner with your "do the ends justify the means" shtick."

That really wasn't my intent at all. I'm arguing from a principles-based perspective.

If you start from the premise that the most important principle is the rule of law, that no person is above the law, then people who serve a higher purpose should suffer the consequences of their actions just as much as the people who serve a much baser purpose.

It really seemed to me, however, that people were cheering when Ed Snowden broke a just law - law against theft - in the service of a higher principle. Is theft wrong, or isin't it? If Ed Snowden's theft is justified because he exposed a corrupt NSA, then how is the government's theft in the form of taxes wrong, because they (allegedly) use the money to feed starving orphans and widows?

I agree that the ends are a mitigating factor in determining the severity of punishment. Maybe he should get only a slap on the wrist. But it shouldn't be dismissed out of hand.

[OneOut]

One of the laws that is covered under the premise of The Rule of Law is that there are whistle blower laws designed to protect whistle blowers and Snowden doesn't seem to be being afforded his due protection under The Rule of Law.

While The Rule of Law as I humbly understand it means no man is above the law does it exclude organizations that are made up of men ?Arer the men in an organization allowed to hide from the
Rule of Law because they are members of an organization ? Are organizations above The Rule of Law.

Questions questions and no answers.

[chemjeff]

From my understanding, Snowden believed - perhaps incorrectly - that he wasn't even covered under whistleblower laws and so he did not even try to take advantage of them.

And no, the principle of the rule of law only means that we are all subject to the same body of laws no matter what our motivations are and no matter how powerful or powerless that we are. If individuals at the NSA broke the law then they should be punished too.

This really seems to be getting into the "two wrongs make a right" category and I'm just not willing to go there.

[OneOut]

I've watched enough movies where the CIA/NSA has dispatched rouge members of the inner circle.

I would feel more comfortable whistleblowing through unresponsive and slow moving private businesses than the NSA/CIA.

In the movies they kill people who whistle blow on them.

Snowden would be under the jail or under the turf by now if he had depended on the NSA/CIA bureaucracy to follow THE RULE OF LAW and I don't think he deserves that.

You believe what you want.

Peace Out.

[deepspeed]

"If you start from the premise that the most important principle is the rule of law"

False Premise

[Fist of Etiquette]

A hurricane ? in January?

Climate Change doesn't take the month off, Shackford.

[Tonio]

And already my derpbook lit up with whining about global warming and DENYERZ!!1!eleventy

[Ted S.]

Weather isn't climate, until it is.

[Tonio]

^This.

[Mickey Rat]

A hurricane in January is proof of global warming. The two previous bitterly cold winters were just weather.

[Mickey Rat]

A hurricane in January is proof of global warming. The two previous bitterly cold winters were just weather.

[DesigNate]

Just tell them there was a January hurricane in 1938.

Oh, who am I kidding, they'll just ignore that bit of information.

[Mickey Rat]

No, they did not ignore it the one in '38, but they did say it was obvious that this one now must be the result of global warming, it just could not have happened otherwise.

[Microaggressor]

Before global warming, there were no hurricanes.

[Rational Exhuberance]

Well, except for the ones that weren't caused by global warming of course!

[Libertarian]

It's only been 6 weeks since the end of last season. I think this should be classified a LATE hurricane from last season, not an early one from a season that doesn't start for another 4.5 months.

[Jerryskids]

Alex has strengthened over waters that are usually not warm enough to support hurricane activity. However, the contrast between the surface waters and unusually cold air at high altitudes has created a volatile corridor of air, fostering the storm's development.

I know somebody who's not getting any cookies at snack time over there. That second sentence could easily have been re-cast as "the contrast between the temperature of the air at high altitudes and the relatively much warmer surface waters" and still been truthful as well as being much more truthyful.

[OneOut]

I love the parts where the guy who claims this is due to global warming and ignores the fact that there has been a similar storm every 20 years plus or minus since 1938 and who knows if records were kept before then.

But it definitely global warming !

[Pat (PM)]

'Grieving Kangaroo' Is Actually Really, Really Horny, Expert Says

What first appeared to be a tender image of a kangaroo grieving over his dying mate might actually show something quite different.

The image, which went viral, shows what some believe is a male kangaroo raising the head of a dying female so she can look at their little joey one last time.

In reality, the male kangaroo may have had something else in mind entirely.

He was "trying to get a female to stand up so he can mate with her," Mark Eldridge, principal research scientist at the Australian Museum, said in a blog post.

"Great photos of the kangaroos, but I think they are fundamentally misinterpreted," Eldridge said.

[Citizen X]

I know it's been theorized before that Warty is some type of marsupial...

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

His pouch has teeth. And a digestive system.

[Notorious UGCC]

He was trying to console her.

[Notorious UGCC]

Or hurry up before he was guilty of necrophilia.

[Libertarian]

Dammit, can't we have ONE thread without talking about the Clintons?

[OneOut]

Before everyone get's on this "Roo's case what he did doesn't automatically make him a bad boy.

If I knew I was going out and nothing could be done about it and Mrs. OneOut offered me one last go "round I'd be pretty damn grateful.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Scientists ruin everything.

[Free Market Socialist $park?]

Male kangaroos can get highly aggressive when trying to mate, Spielman said. They sometimes fight other males and even the female, especially if she shows little interest.

Where the fuck is the kangaroo domestic abuse hotline???

[jesse.in.mb]

A hurricane ? in January? It's happening.

Hurricanes are appropriate any time of the year. Just don't be that asshole that uses the Pat O'Brien's mix

[Los Doyers]

*backs out of room slowly, Pat O'Brien's beads still around his neck*

[jesse.in.mb]

*levels rum-drunk gaze at Doyers*

I suggest you escape quickly.

[Los Doyers]

Jesse's rum-drunk! Everyone watch your ass

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Jesse doesn't like his drinks, but he loves his voicemails

[DesigNate]

Just shave your beards!

[jesse.in.mb]

Guy's don't have to be scruffy. The guy I'm not really dating, but kind of dating couldn't grow a beard if you put a gun to his head.

[OneOut]

Somebody puts a gun to my head I'll grow any fucking thing they want.

[Ted S.]

I always preferred James Cagney.

[Horatio]

I've lost some of my best memories at Pat O'briens. What's your beef?

[jesse.in.mb]

I have no beef with Pat O'Briens. I just think home drinkers can do better with real fruit and juice instead of the powdered mix they sell. I've heard it claimed that Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is the last bar in NOLA to still make their Hurricane's from scratch, but I have no independent verification of it.

[Los Doyers]

I was already well-trashed by the time I got to Lafitte's.

[jesse.in.mb]

Please tell me you wandered in to Lafitte's in Exile instead of the Blacksmith Shop.

[Los Doyers]

Well, I'm not going to tell you what you don't want to hear.

[OneOut]

A Hurricane ?

Dude that's a chick drink.

But I always made sure to limit my date's drink count because that's just the kinda sum bitch I am.

[Los Doyers]

But I always made sure to limit my date's drink count because that's just the kinda sum bitch I am.

Careful, your insecurities are showing!

[Pat (PM)]

Mental health CEO who hired fortuneteller gets prison

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) ? The head of a southwestern Michigan mental health agency has learned his future: at least 32 months in prison for using public money to hire a fortuneteller.

Ervin Brinker was sentenced by a Lansing-area judge Wednesday, two months after pleading guilty to embezzlement and Medicaid fraud conspiracy.

Brinker was CEO at Summit Pointe, a mental health organization in Battle Creek that serves people in five counties. He was accused of spending $510,000 on a palm reader and her husband in Key West, Florida, and concealing it from others.

[Notorious UGCC]

For $510,000, I hope they warned him not to drop the soap.

[Irish ?s ESB]

If you're going to embezzle $500,000 at lease spend it on hookers like a normal human being, ugh.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Ten prisoners have been transferred out of Guantanamo Bay.

AND RIGHT INTO YOUR BACK YARD.

[TheZeitgeist]

Mowing lawn for $10 as we type.

[Bill Dalasio]

Guantanamo prisoners - doing the jobs Mexicans won't do.

[Pat (PM)]

Customs officers find 2,435 pounds of pot inside fake carrots

PHARR, Texas, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection said agents in Texas discovered more than a ton of marijuana concealed inside fake carrots being brought over from Mexico.

Customs officials in the Texas border town of Pharr said the 2,435 pounds of marijuana were found Sunday hidden inside fake carrots concealed among a shipment of fresh carrots entering the United States from Mexico.

[Notorious UGCC]

I think they've just explained Bugs Bunny.

[TheZeitgeist]

In Washington State, that's called the AM shift.

[Doctor Whom]

But ... but ... that suggests that nationwide bans might not work, when both drug warriors and gun grabbers insist that they do.

[Crusty Juggler]

Finally! There is not going to be any pot in the United States now. Way to go, Team.

[Los Doyers]

He just wanted to make a nice mirepoit.

[jesse.in.mb]

mirepoix you unlettered cretin.

[Los Doyers]

I went for the pun, and counted on these Americans to pronounce all the letters in a French word like they always DO.

[OneOut]

Ha !

That'll teach you to depend on Americans.

[Los Doyers]

It's why I'm voting for Trump.

[Rich]

"Without Twitter, the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years ... would not have been possible"

1) ... she Tweeted.

2) Sheesh, lady, give ball bearings a *little* credit.

[TheZeitgeist]

Fucking transistors.

[Rich]

Oh, it's worse than that. Fucking magnets.

[Crusty Juggler]

The narcissistic, self-absorbed Oscars remain narcissistic, self-absorbed. This is "problematic" because diversity.

Ugh. White people are the worst.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Michael Bay...

snubbed again. Proof that white people aren't as bad as they could be.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

I just saw a refutation to this, asking why black actors weren't nominated. It went from Michael B Jordan (I could see that, sure) to John Boyega (for playing a zany character in a Star Wars movie) down to... Zoe Kravitz. Because she had a few lines in Mad Max. I'm pretty sure she had the smallest role of Joe's wives, but certainly she's one of the five best supporting actresses from last year.

[kinnath]

blacks don't get nominated because they don't get good roles because . . .

[DesigNate]

I first read that as "Obama's".

[Jerryskids]

Wait, we're talking about racial diversity? I thought they were talking about inviting a Republican. If anybody knew one.

[WoodchipperPatriarch]

What about Will Smith? Was he nominated? Or not, because that movie is a boring piece of shit with about as much truth as the Hunting Ground...er, I mean because racism?

[WoodchipperPatriarch]

What about Will Smith? Was he nominated? Or not, because that movie is a boring piece of shit with about as much truth as the Hunting Ground...er, I mean because racism?

[Fist of Etiquette]

An effort to impeach Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage has failed to get enough support to go forward to an investigation phase.

He can't even get arrested in that state.

[Pat (PM)]

Sales of shirt worn by 'El Chapo' spike after pictures

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles creators of a shirt made famous by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman said sales are "skyrocketing" since the drug kingpin donned the garment.

Shawn and Sam Esteghbal, the Iranian brothers behind the Barabas boutique in Los Angeles, said they decided to use the drug lord in their advertising after he was photographed wearing one of their shirts in Rolling Stone photographs of El Chapo's meeting with actor Sean Penn prior to his being recaptured.

"MOST WANTED SHIRT," the garment is now labeled on their website.

"It's not about that he's an international criminal," Shawn Esteghbal told the Guardian. "But we're excited because he could buy anything, he could buy Versace, any other brand, but to choose our brand, our designs!"

[Swiss Servator]

the Barabas boutique

And the crowd shouted "Bring us Barabas"?

[Fist of Etiquette]

This is "problematic" because diversity.

What does the academy want? A return to blackface?

[Los Doyers]

Yes.

[Ted S.]

Somehow I don't think this could be made today....

[Los Doyers]

Gene Wilder, KKK hero.

[The Laissez-Ferret]

This guy would like to have a word with you...

http://images.moviefanatic.com.....hunder.jpg

[Pat (PM)]

Lifelike child sex dolls created to 'stop paedophiles committing crimes'

A company is manufacturing sex dolls for paedophiles who want to control their sexual impulses.

And the founder says that they may well be a valuable weapon in the fight against the sexual abuse of real children.

Shin Takagi has founded Trottla, a company which produces anatomically-correct imitations of girls, with ages as young as five.

And the reaction from the general public has been one of outrage.[...]

But Takagi said they are a tool for those who, like him, struggle with an ongoing sexual attraction towards children.

He said: "We should accept that there is no way to change someone's fetishes.

"I am helping people express their desires, legally and ethically. It's not worth living if you have to live with repressed desire."

[Private Chipperbot]

Gimme a minute to process this.

[Rich]

Come on, P C. It's a simple question: Is it, or is it not, worth living if you have to live with repressed desire?

[Florida Man]

I think of it like violent video games for young males. It's gives them a safe outlet.

[Private Chipperbot]

I think I would have a hard time leaving my child alone with a person who just fucked a doll that looked like a kid to get it out of his system. But that may just be the dad in me typing.

[Florida Man]

I don't mean to imply that you should. I just think that letting them have an outlet that doesn't harm children is better than not having that outlet.

[WoodchipperPatriarch]

Because there's absolutely no option between leaving your child alone with a pedophile who just fucked a child doll and throwing that pedophile in prison forever?

[Private Chipperbot]

Don't put words in my mouth. Thanks.

[Citizen X]

Life imitates Stross once again.

[Brett L]

Shit. Refresh is my friend.

[Juvenile Bluster]

I'll throw in $10 to buy one of these for Old Man With Candy.

[Old Man With Candy]

Already ordered.

[SugarFree]

Did you spend the extra $500 for the eyes that you can see the light die in?

[Private Chipperbot]

Did you get the model that says "Daddy, you're too big for me" when you squeeze it?

[Juvenile Bluster]

This may be the wrongest thing I've ever seen on H&R. And that's saying something.

[Private Chipperbot]

It's from a gag a morning show did in Detroit a few years back, except it was women modeling for station babe of the year or something. One of the shock jock hosts had all the girls say it.

[Mad Scientist]

You know what breaks when you give it to a toddler?

Her pelvis.

[DesigNate]

Juvenile, ^THIS^ is the wrongest thing I've ever seen on H&R, and I've read Sugarfree's slashfic.

[Juvenile Bluster]

I've heard this joke before though. Maybe it's having a daughter that made the other one more wrong.

[Horatio]

No. Libertarian. Women.

[TheZeitgeist]

When Shin Takagi grasps the sheep angle to this he is going to be a very rich man.

[gaoxiaen]

That's what androids dream of.

[Brett L]

Ah, Charlie Stross's future is upon us.

[Private Chipperbot]

Reason to hate politicians...

Michigan officials will have some $575 million in unexpected money to spend on top priorities this year as a result of a 2015 surplus

[Pat (PM)]

I thought this was a predictive headline about this magazine. I was like... yeah, well, that's kind of their style... ohhh.

[Jerryskids]

Georgia has an offset fiscal year so every January when the lege convenes there's a mid-year budget review. Since states are actually required to have a balanced budget (what a concept!) they are fairly conservative with their initial budget and the mid-year review almost always shows higher-than-forecast revenues and/or lower-than-forecast spending. This results in a fairly nice refund check to the taxpayers when the extra money the state collected turns out to be unneeded by the state. HA! HA! HA! I kill me. No, the state does not return the extra money to the taxpayers, they always work hard to find an unmet need they have to spend the money on - AKA "hookers and hooch and a little taste for the homefolk". Pure, unadulterated, Grade-A pork barrel spending. Christmas comes in January under the gold dome.

[Pat (PM)]

This Day in History

1526 - Francis of France, held captive by Charles V for a year, signs the Treaty of Madrid, giving up most of his claims in France and Italy.

1797 - Napoleon Bonaparte defeats the Austrians at Rivoli in northern Italy.

1911 - The USS Arkansas, the largest U.S. battleship, is launched from the yards of the New York Shipbuilding Company.

1916 - British authorities seize German attach? Franz von Papen's financial records confirming espionage activities in the U.S.

1920 - Berlin is placed under martial law as 40,000 radicals rush the Reichstag; 42 are dead and 105 are wounded.

1942 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders all aliens in the U.S. to register with the government.

1969 - A blast on the U.S. carrier Enterprise in the Pacific results in 24 dead and 85 injured.

1980 - The United Nations votes 104-18 to deplore the Soviet aggression in Afghanistan.

2000 - UN tribunal sentences 5 Bosnian Croats to prison for up to 25 years; they were charged with killing some 100 Muslims in a Bosnian village in 1993.

2005 - Huygens probe lands on Saturn's moon Titan.

2010 - Yemen declares war on al-Qaeda terrorist group.

2011 - Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, former president of Tunisia, flees to Saudi Arabia after a series of demonstrations against his regime.

[DEATFBIRSECIA]

1979 - DEATFBIRSECIA continues to take LSD, drive around town acting crazy, still has not gotten laid, but that would happen in...
1980 - DEATFBIRSECIA gets laid (But I think it was summer sometime.)

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

#6 is the not. The aliens didn't land in Roswell until 1947.

[Juvenile Bluster]

That's just what they want you to think.

[CE]

1526 - Francis of France, held captive by Charles V for a year, signs the Treaty of Madrid, giving up most of his claims in France and Italy.

Shouldn't a contract signed under duress be ruled invalid?

[CE]

You know who else placed Berlin under martial law?

[Tonio]

The Allied Powers at the end of WW2?

[gaoxiaen]

Bruno Ganz? I keep getting him mixed up with someone else.

[WoodchipperPatriarch]

Francis of France? That's just uncreative.

[gaoxiaen]

He's Spic of Spain's cousin.

[Jerryskids]

1980 - The United Nations votes 104-18 to deplore the Soviet aggression in Afghanistan.

Is "deplore" a less-strongly worded "condemn"? Is it more like a "rebuke" or an "admonishment"? And how far would they have to go to merit a complete "snubbing", "shunning" or even (quelle horreur!) "cut direct"?

[Gojira]

All you STEM-worshipping fags are about to be out of a job, suckas. Bet you wish you had that Art History degree, now.

It's the fucking END OF PHYSICS.

[Pat (PM)]

(and I feel fine)

[Ted S.]

I was wondering how long it would take somebody to come up with that line....

[jesse.in.mb]

A whole minute!

[Los Doyers]

What the hell do those 'roo fucking Aussies know about physics? Their toilets don't even flush the right way.

[Doctor Whom]

The end of physics? Like in 1904?

[Medical Physics Guy]

"everything that can be invented has been invented." - US Patent office, circa 1895

[Rich]

we are reaching the absolute limit of what we can understand about the world around us through science.

BWAHAHAHAHAA!!

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

All I know is that in a few years I will know all there is to know.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Well, that's it, guys. We'd better pack it up. Physics had a good run there for a while, but we all knew this gravy train couldn't last. Hey! Dr. Anderson! Are you reading about gravity over there?! What did I just say? Physics is ended.

[Irish ?s ESB]

'""The next few years may tell us whether we'll be able to continue to increase our understanding of nature or whether maybe, for the first time in the history of science, we could be facing questions that we cannot answer," Harry Cliff, a particle physicist at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research ? better known as CERN ? said during a recent TED talk in Geneva, Switzerland.""

What? There have always been questions in science that we cannot answer.

[Old Man With Candy]

There have always been questions in science that we cannot answer.

1. Who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp?
2. Who put the ram in the rama lama ding dong?
3. Who put the bop in the bop shoo bop shoo bop?
4. Who put the dip in the dip da dip da dip?

These are all great mysteries and shall forever be.

[Gojira]

The bird is the word.

[SugarFree]

My word is "poontang."

[Tejicano]

But only if you're gonna get your balls blown off for it.

[Medical Physics Guy]

Don't be absurd. We'll be solving NP-hard problems in linear time any day now.

[DEATFBIRSECIA]

"And physicists only have two to three years before CERN shuts the LHC down for upgrades. If we haven't found anything by then, Cliff said, it could signal the beginning of the end."

...because we can't do any more science, ever, if we perform these upgrades?

What is it - the upgrade to Windows 10?

[Rich]

*** golf clap ***

[Brett L]

Ugh. Give up on fucking dark matter/energy for any of the competing theories of long-distance gravity that don't say, "but for Newton-Einstein gravitation to hold true at distances like those between galactic cores and their arms, there must be this other stuff that we can't interact with."

[DesigNate]

Until science has figured out teleportation and warp speed, they've got a lot of fucking work to do.

[Rich]

An effort to impeach Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage has failed to get enough support to go forward to an investigation phase.

"We're focusing our efforts on Secretary Clinton."

[Juvenile Bluster]

Randomness:

Listening to old radio dramas. Came upon an episode of "Dragnet". Sergeant Friday, in one of his monologues, noted "Dealers and users in narcotics rarely carry firearms". Thank you, war on drugs, for changing that.

(Fun fact: The reason Dragnet was so reefer madness-obsessed was that Jack Webb hung out with a lot of musicians in the 40s and saw a lot of them get completely fucked up on heroin)

[Crusty Juggler]

Damn hop heads.

[Pan Zagloba]

Didn't see this in yesterday's or this morning Links. Charlie Hebdo is in trouble again.

They again used Alan Kurdi photo to make what I think is anti-racist cartoon (clearly, if he didn't drown, he'd be chasing women on New Year's Eve), but they are omni-trolls so I could be wrong. At any rate, outrage! Which, I guess, means they're still doing their thing.

[rts]

Damn you... by one minute!

[Irish ?s ESB]

The woman in the foreground also seems kind of into it, so I think this is also rape apologism.

[rts]

Charlie Hebdo cartoon depicting drowned child Alan Kurdi sparks racism debate

An insert at the top the cartoon contains the famous image of the three-year-old Syrian boy laying face down dead in the sand. The question at the top of the drawing "What would little Aylan have grown up to be?" is answered at the bottom by "Ass groper in Germany".

[Ted S.]

ROFL!

[Private Chipperbot]

That is proper trolling.

[Irish ?s ESB]

What not giving a fuck looks like.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

I don't always get their weird French humor, but I admire their willingness to troll absolutely everyone, even in the face senseless violence

[Medical Physics Guy]

Respect.

[Free Society]

I don't see how you can hold up a dead child for his propaganda value in supporting the refugee influx but you cannot ever under any circumstances express either skepticism or cynicism about that propaganda.

[rts]

Trudeau's government set to speed up, double down on infrastructure

The Trudeau government is "actively considering" speeding up promised investments in infrastructure in a bid to stimulate Canada's rapidly deteriorating economy.

*sob*

[Pan Zagloba]

At this point, my hopes are pinned on "talk, no action" as his preferred style. So that by the time whatever plan he has comes out of the Cabinet's collective ass, there's no need for it and they just keep going.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

I really hope he just does that - nothing. He can THEN go take all the Vogue/Maxim/Us/People -whatever- photo-ops he wants for all I care.

[WoodchipperPatriarch]

Damn, he seemed so clever when he was drawing Bloom County...

[Rich]

U.S. women having babies later than ever

I blame it on Seth Meyers.

[Jerryskids]

Maybe on the left coast. Here in normal time, it's early tomorrow.

[Mazakon]

Yes Means Yes, Until She Regrets It

Students at the University of Southern California are being forced to complete mandatory ? as in required, non-negotiable, obligatory ? online courses that explicitly detail their recent sexual history, and participate in an extensive "consent" course, before they are permitted to register for classes in Spring 2016. According to a report from Campus Reform, the online course requires students to disclose the number of sexual encounters they'd had in the prior three months. In addition, the course teaches students how to ask for consent.

[Rich]

IIRC, Mr. Dickey has apologized for this.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Heheh..."Mr. Dickey"...heheh heh

[Notorious UGCC]

"300 with your mom."

[Notorious UGCC]

(number of sexual encounters)

[Rich]

"Please explicitly detail your recent sexual history"

"Recent? Um, *nothing*."

[Medical Physics Guy]

"Joey, you have a lot of sex, right?"

"Today? I wouldn't say a lot."

/old friends episode

[Crusty Juggler]

You just quoted Friends? Oh. Em. Gee.

[Always a Carl, Never a Clyde]

Don't worry Crusty. It's OK. I'll be there for you.

...if you're there for me to.

[Always a Carl, Never a Clyde]

*too dammit, I knew something didn't look right.

[Always a Carl, Never a Clyde]

I'm suing Reason for still lacking an edit button.

[Medical Physics Guy]

It was the 90s. Admit it, you did things then you would be embarassed about now. Like watch friends, wear flannel, get a barbed wire tattoo, go to an Objectivist Center seminar, etc.

[Crusty Juggler]

Right, um, I stopped wearing flannel in the 90s. Right.

[jesse.in.mb]

Someone just admitted to being a secret lesbian.

*looks down at own plaid flannel shirt*

SHIT! ME TOO!

[WoodchipperPatriarch]

I'm wearing flannel right now. And some episodes of Friends were pretty funny.

[Rhywun]

I wonder if there's a "not interested in women" get-out-of-jail-free card.

[Jerry on the rocks]

After Cologne: let's 'dare to say how things really are'

It's okay now Reason. Brendan O'Neill has written an article on Cologne. Finally you can talk about it too without getting scared of not being invited to another D.C. cocktail party.

[Pan Zagloba]

This self-silencing presents itself as a good, progressive urge to protect immigrants from the prejudicial views and behaviour of the natives, yet underpinning it is an even darker prejudice which views Germany's or Sweden's or Britain's own masses as so volatile, so hateful, that they cannot possibly be allowed to know 'how things really are'. Officials lie, or at least hide the truth, in order to keep in check the tempers of the populace: a species of tyranny that echoes the self-aggrandising lies told in Maoist China about food production to a population that didn't have enough to eat.

Have I mentioned he's my favorite Trotskyiate of all time, by a good margin? And that Reason should replace Richman and/or Dalmia with him?

[Just say Nikki]

The Cologne controversy shines a harsh light on the corrosion of the Enlightenment values Europe claims to hold to, on the decay of freedom and openness at the very heart of Europe; and we're obsessing over the cultural habits of gangs of Arab blokes?

I don't think that's the article Reason readers are looking for.

[Irish ?s ESB]

I don't know. I think most of us would agree with the first half of that paragraph.

[Pan Zagloba]

How about the preceding sentence:

Of nations, like Germany, which claim to be liberal and enlightened but which in fact now exist under a creed of sheepish, silencing multiculturalism which puts more store by lies that might help to pacify mass society than by truths that might open up real and, yes, difficult debate.

O'Neil thinks

a) mass sexual attacks happened
b) media and police covered it up to not rile racists
c) b) is bigger problem than a)

and concludes

The true problem today is not migrants, but the societies they are coming to. These are societies that cannot even create a sense of shared values within their own communities, never mind among new communities of people coming from thousands of miles away. And migrants pick up on this. They can feel the vacuum that they've arrived in. They know that discussion of their values and behaviour is discouraged. They sense that their new countries have no serious value system of their own. And so some of them - some - behave in an offensive and opportunistic fashion, either cleaving to their own foreign values or taking the piss out of the empty society in which they are making a new home.

It's a fairly long, thoughtful piece, which is why he's my favorite non-regular contributor, even when I don't agree with him. Doesn't fall into "migrants so bad/migrants never did nuffin" dichotomy.

[Free Society]

The true problem today is not migrants, but the societies they are coming to. These are societies that cannot even create a sense of shared values within their own communities, never mind among new communities of people coming from thousands of miles away

It's the German society's fault, that despite being tolerant to a fatal fault, they just still aren't tolerant enough. The real problem then, is that the Germans didn't all commit mass suicide after their government invited these people in. Perhaps they can heal their bigotry by fitting their necks with chains and slave tattoos.

[Drake]

Reminds me of Mark Steyn's brilliant devastating deconstruction of multiculturalism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K26kKDCCV9g

[Jerryskids]

I took it to mean it's Germany's fault for not defending their culture because they don't think they have a culture worth defending. "Have some pride, man, stick up for yourself" in other words. There's such a thing as being so tolerant you won't even defend your own beliefs.

Here you get the Blame America Firsters who whatever criticism of American culture is directed at us are all too eager to show what Euro-sophisticates they are by joining in on the denunciation of what boorish uncultured Neanderthals we are compared to the rest of the world. Then you've got the yahoos that no matter what believe America is superior to everybody else in every way, the "Murica! Fuck yeah!" bunch.

The truth is somewhere in the middle - America has many things to be proud of and some things we could stand to work on a little. But when you come over here, Mr. Fancypants Foreigner, show a little respect or you're liable to get your teeth punched down your neck. Don't come over here talking smack about how much we suck and how great your culture is - our culture may not be perfect but it's probably a damn sight better than yours if you're the one leaving your culture to join ours. We'll tolerate your cultural differences - especially if they involve good food - but don't expect us to budge more than an inch to accommodate them. If you want to pray five times a day, do it on your own time. And take off that dress and put on some pants, you look like a fruitcake.

[DesigNate]

The true problem today is not migrants, but the societies they are coming to. These are societies that cannot even create a sense of shared values within their own communities, never mind among new communities of people coming from thousands of miles away.

Perhaps it's not the people (societies), but the governments that are the problem.

[Medical Physics Guy]

When Milton Friedman said "you can have open immigration or a welfare state, but not both", he dropped the Libertarian mic.

[Always a Carl, Never a Clyde]

'You Just Need To Be White To Win' Ad Denounced as Racist in Thailand

The advert [for a skin whitening pill] featured a Thai actress attributing her success to her white skin. She added that her popularity will suffer if she loses her whiteness, thus explaining the need for her to use whitening products like Snowz.

This is not the first time that a skin whitening ad was denounced as racist in Thailand. A few years ago, another company was forced to apologize after it posted an ad inside a train with the message 'This seat is reserved for white people.'

[Notorious UGCC]

You know what other inappropriate obsessions they have in Thailand?

[Heroic Mulatto]

English Premier League Football?

[Medical Physics Guy]

They do not.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Who owned Man City for a year?

[Medical Physics Guy]

That is wild. Maybe he can save the Glasgow Rangers.

[Rhywun]

Yeah, the Rangers need an owner with a dubious financial record.

[gaoxiaen]

There is a herbal laxative tea sold in Thailand. The package depicts Hitler's head with fire coming from his mouth and light beams emitting from his eyes. The caption of the package reads "Release the Demon."

Gotta try that.

[Rhywun]

Maybe our "Aunt Jemima" (is that still around?) is a super-villain in Thailand.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Now, you know and I know that they aren't talking about White people, but the long-standing Sinosphere standard of beauty that states women should aim for the complexion of a sheet of copier paper. So while it is "racist", that is Sino-Thais versus the indigenous darker complexes Tai and Mon-Khmer folks that's going to be soooo lost in translation in the West.

[Heroic Mulatto]

complexed

[Always a Carl, Never a Clyde]

Yes, of course. I just think the whites-only seat is funny.

[Rhywun]

I know they have this same meme in China and it's not about race, it's about class. Dark skin = poor & working in the fields. They probably watch Americans deliberately darkening their skin and shake their heads in bafflement.

[Dark Lord of the cis]

You know who else caused a backlash with their obsession with white skin?

[Pat (PM)]

David Duke?

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Michael Jackson?

[Jerryskids]

Jame Gumb?

[gaoxiaen]

Buffalo Bill?

[waffles]

Is charcoal a race?

[Heroic Mulatto]

You have you ever met anyone from Ghana?

[Los Doyers]

I'm ghana say no.

Okay, time to go home.

[Florida Man]

I saw the US beat Ghana in the World Cup, so ... Yes.

[Los Doyers]

TOO SOON GOD DAMMIT

[bacon-magic]

White face?

[Irish ?s ESB]

Re: Charlie Hebdo:

Yeah, I'm sure the magazine with people on staff with names like Zineb el-Rhazoui, a woman from Morocco, was seriously implying all immigrants are rapists.

They just don't give a shit.

[Sevo]

"A woman who lost her husband in a terrorist attack in Jordan is suing Twitter for "allowing" terrorist groups like ISIS to spread their messages on social media."

How about the hardware maker? Were they wearing shoes? Did they drive there? In which make of car? What day of the week was it; someone printed that calendar!

[OneOut]

I heard through the grapevine that the solar company that provided the electricity is also lawyering up expecting al lot of attention.

Damn sure they deserved it if someone using their electricity used it for badthink.

[OneOut]

I heard through the grapevine that the solar company that provided the electricity is also lawyering up expecting al lot of attention.

Damn sure they deserved it if someone using their electricity used it for badthink.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Free-wheeling, libertarian teacher says F.U. to the rules, now facing manslaughter charges.

The physical education teacher accompanied 10 students from the St.-Exupery school in Lyon to a part of Les Deux Alpes ski resort that has been closed off since the start of the ski season -- at first due to lack of snow, then due to a high avalanche risk -- Grenoble prosecutor Jean-Yves Coquillat said.

Many signs and a safety net had been put up to keep people off the course. Yet the students and their teacher went over that net, said Coquillat, who noted that backcountry or off-piste skiing itself is not a crime.

[...]

A 16-year-old girl was found dead on the closed ski slope, while a 14-year-old boy died after being transferred to a hospital. Another person outside the student group -- a Ukrainian skier, who appeared to be alone -- also died.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/14/.....index.html

[Always a Carl, Never a Clyde]

A woman who lost her husband in a terrorist attack in Jordan is suing Twitter for "allowing" terrorist groups like ISIS to spread their messages on social media.

That is the least of Twitter's sins:

Twitter has hired a new head of diversity, news that should have prompted a chorus of cheers from those hoping the company would take the issue more seriously. Jeffrey Siminoff, former director of Worldwide Inclusion & Diversity at Apple, will take on the prominent role. However, more noticeable than his stellar r?sum? is that Siminoff is a white man in a company full of white men. [emphasis mine]

No doubt that is why their stock has been struggling.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

In all seriousness, what the fuck does "head of diversity" at the Twitter even do?

[Irish ?s ESB]

Figure out a way to avoid making money but with more black people.

[Pan Zagloba]

Collect salary, as a Danegeld to keep SJWs happy-ish.

[Free Society]

In all seriousness, what the fuck does "head of diversity" at the Twitter even do?

I believe it means that he is the captain of an old old wooden ship.

[Rhywun]

Laugh all the way to the bank.

[Sevo]

"A hurricane ? in January? It's happening."

OK, now you're just trolling for Jack.

[Bill Dalasio]

A hurricane ? in January? It's happening.

Not hitting the Grenadines. Yay!

Now, no new storms until after February. I'm looking forward to my flotilla.

[Always a Carl, Never a Clyde]

So... would the woman in ENB's latest sex trafficking hysteria piece have a shot at suing American Airlines for racial discrimination? Or would AA be able to say "nuh-uh, we were just following government guidelines"?

[Juvenile Bluster]

Probably the latter. The best the woman and her husband could hope for is a couple of travel vouchers from AA as a way to make the internet outrage go away.

[WoodchipperPatriarch]

See something say something!

[Crusty Juggler]

The Blue Lightening Initiative is DHS and the Department of Transportation's awareness effort aimed specifically at flight attendants and other commercial-airline personnel. "Flight Attendants and airline employees will be the 'boots in the air' fighting human trafficking," said Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner David V. Aguilar recently.

Isn't that their defense?

[DEG]

The cynic in me says AA will point to the government guidelines, get fucked anyways in court, and still continue to run to big daddy government whenever AA wants something.

[Frankjasper1]

So what is RationalWiki exactly?

[Free Society]

Highly irrational.

[Notorious UGCC]

They invoke reason in their very name, and yet they aren't fully committed to reason?

Let's just guzzle a couple bottles of vodka for the drinking game.

(note to the reader: this is strictly a joke. One bottle at a time, please)

[Notorious UGCC]

The Russian Medical Association recommends no more than a quart of vodka a day, unless you're "really stressed."

[Jerryskids]

Remember the RMA uses the Imperial (Russian) Quart - a tin bucket holding anywhere from 3 to 5 liters. Their recommendations apply to Russians only, unless you're Moldovan in which case you're too drunk to read the recommendations anyway.

[gaoxiaen]

That limit really stresses me.

[Doctor Whom]

It's also full of intellectually dishonest editors. If you put in something that contradicts their orthodoxy, no matter how well sourced, expect your edit to be reverted without explanation.

[Always a Carl, Never a Clyde]

Supposedly it was formed as parody of Conservapedia, or something. It's edited by snarky left-wing atheists, and like The Daily Show, when a chunk of it is of relatively high quality it's a resource to be taken seriously, and when a chunk of it is easily shown to be crap, "it's just satire, geeze, relax."

[Pat (PM)]

Essentially it is a parody that ate itself and has become as bad as the source of the parody.

[Irish ?s ESB]

It's actually worse than Conservapedia because no one gives a fuck about Conservapedia whereas incredibly stupid leftists actually seem to care about Rational Wiki. The Conservapedia definition of Atheism is still one of my all-time favorite things though. They claim atheists secretly acknowledge God exists but just hate him the way a child hates a strict father. Hurrrr durrrr.

Also, all of them are Communists.

[Doctor Whom]

My favorite bit from Conservapedia, since edited out, was this: http://blog.heterodoxhomosexua.....6.html?m=1

[lafe.long]

Rand Paul: GOP Presidential Candidate Gives Middle Finger While Discussing Media Coverage

"Ninety-nine percent of our supporters are calling in and saying, for the media, that's where you can go," Paul said as he gave the finger in an interview. He didn't qualify for a Fox Business debate.

[lafe.long]

Man Flu: Study Suggests Pejorative Virus Name Given to Males Who Exaggerate Sickness Could Be Real

A Johns Hopkins University study that examined influenza A virus replication in nasal cells suggests that due to a lack of estrogen, males may suffer from sicknesses more than females.

[Raven Nation]

whereas incredibly stupid leftists actually seem to care about Rational Wiki

I hear it quoted as an authoritative source on a number of anti-conspiracy/debunking podcasts.

[Raven Nation]

Crap, supposed to be after Irish's 5:52.

[lafe.long]

Anglican Communion: International Association of Churches Suspends Episcopal Church for 3 Years

The Anglican Communion decided Thursday to suspend its U.S. branch, the Episcopal Church, from voting and decision-making for three years over its decision to allow priests to marry same-sex couples.

[Notorious UGCC]

Solemnizing their marriages is one thing, but marrying them and making it a threesome is unacceptable.

[Doctor Whom]

Being an atheist, I have no skin in that game, but that sounds as though the moochers and looters wanted to go Galt from Galt.

[Hidebehindyourcause]

It's more of a snub for Force Awakens to not get a best picture nomination.

Hollywood's liberal as hell, so it's funny to see the backlash they're getting for this. Everything is about race now, even stupid shit like this.

[lafe.long]

Wayne LaPierre: National Rifle Association Executive Challenges President Obama to Debate in Video

"I'll meet you for a one-on-one, one-hour debate?with a mutually agreed upon moderator?on any network that will take it," NRA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre challenged Obama in a video released online Wednesday. "No pre-screened questions and no gas-bag answers."

[lafe.long]

Ricardo Medina Jr.: Ex-'Power Rangers' Actor Arrested for Murder Charges, Police Say

Police arrested Medina on Wednesday and charged him with the stabbing murder of his roommate in 2015. Medina was initially arrested for the stabbing, but later released on a self-defense claim.

[sussan4524]

Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail.

_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+ http://www.Paybucket40.com

[endylee1547]

my neighbor's half-sister makes $83 every hour on the computer . She has been without a job for 9 months but last month her payment was $17900 just working on the computer for a few hours. why not try this out

+++++++++++++++++ http://www.Wage90.Com

[paigepark4587]

My last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can't believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what I do..

Clik This Link inYour Browser....

? ? ? ? http://www.Wage90.Co

[ammyth786]

my friend's half-sister makes $77 /hour on the computer . She has been laid off for 7 months but last month her income was $12280 just working on the computer for a few hours. browse around this web-site

Open This Link for more Information...

???? http://www.Wage90.Com

[Ammy40]

My last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can't believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what I do..

Clik This Link inYour Browser....

? ? ? ?www.WorkPost30.com

[Dalia10]

My last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can't believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what I do..

Clik This Link inYour Browser.......

? ? ? ? http://www.WorkPost30.com

[Fist of Etiquette]

Interesting talk for someone whose name is an anagram of Nerd Welch Dill Tulpa.

[Rich]

Whoa.

[Los Doyers]

Fists are quite the meddlers, yes.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Don't even get me started on what your name is an anagram of.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Yes drools.

[Dark Lord of the cis]

"Say what you want about Jesse Ventura..."

He was nothing more than a Superstar Billy Graham rip off.

[Raven Nation]

Reagan did it at least once as governor of CA (although you may not have experienced it).