Obama is banning the Federal Government from giving local police forces surplus heavy weapons.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/obama-police-militarization-local-police
Obama is banning the Federal Government from giving local police forces surplus heavy weapons.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/obama-police-militarization-local-police
Another week another politician ignoring how dumb and costly "Operation Iraqi Freedom" was
http://www.salon.com/2015/05/18/karmic_justice_marco_rubio_joins_jeb_bush_in_the_gop’s_iraq_hall_of_shame/
Texas governor signs statewide law preventing Texas cities and towns from banning fracking, oil and gas drilling.
http://news.yahoo.com/texas-law-bans-cities-banning-225708453.html
Greg Abbott has signed into law a prohibition on cities and towns imposing local ordinances preventing fracking and other potentially environmentally harmful oil and natural gas activities after voters in Denton, a university town near Dallas, banned hydraulic fracturing locally in November. The new law was backed by Oil and Gas companies.
No shit. You should check the governor's pockets, 'cause they're probably lined with some pretty greasy money.
Abbott said he saw no contradiction in new state regulations superseding local voters' will, saying he believes "individuals have a much better idea how to run their own lives than do a bunch of government officials."
Says the state government official signing a law that quite literally subverts and disregards the wishes of his public constituents in favor of earning backdoor blowjob brownie points with Oil & Gas executives.
Fuck You, Abbott.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Isn't it freaking unconstitutional to ban voters from voting on an important issue that affects their daily lives like fracking in their community/neighborhoods?
Big Government is bad (unless local governments disagree with you; then it's totally awesome).
Jeb Bush: A ‘tolerant country’ should allow discrimination based upon ‘religious beliefs’
While he uses pretty words, that's treading dangerous waters. I hate the discrimation but think that florist has the right to turn down the request (as long as she's civil and didn't insult them.. and its not an essential service -like a doctor) however….
Its too easy to take that comment of" A ‘tolerant country’ should allow discrimination based upon ‘religious beliefs’" to 'say its okay' for far greater, terrible actions
Holy shit, Katzztar, what is wrong with you?
… Do you want to give Rogues' Gallery a heart attack from the rage he sees at your enlargened headline?
Holy shit, Katzztar, what is wrong with you?
… Do you want to give Rogues' Gallery a heart attack from the rage he sees at your enlargened headline?
Ehh, considering it's Jeb Bush, that's par for course. All of the Republican canidates are going to take a similar stance and cater to the extreme religious right (the monster that they themselves created) in one form or another if they want to get the party nomination.
The big difference here is that Bush just expressed his own singular beliefs (awful as they are) in an interview where his words will most likely backfire on him later, while Abbott actually signed legislation deliberately to screw over voters and their rights to cater to big oil companies.
No heart attacks here
Louisana's legislature killed that state's anti-gay bill; Jindal says he'll do it by executive order anyway.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/bobby-jindal-religious-freedom-executive-order
Malaysia and Indonesia are agreeing to provide shelter for the refugees stuck at sea:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-and-indonesia-agree-to-provide-boat-people-temporary-shelter
This is pretty good news. Though, I'm not entirely sure what they meant by 'the international community also needs to help out'? Are they just talking about donations or something? Cause I'm not sure how foreign powers can stop the discrimination in Burma (or if it's even a good idea to begin with).
Edit: Holy shit, I just remembered I've got cousins born of a Burmese father. That explains why I've been seeing anti-Rohingya articles on my wall.
What is it that the Rohingya did to have the Burmese government hate them that much? One of those articles I read said that the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and are affiliated with al-Qaede but I can't verify that. Hopefully one of the more knowledgeable members here could explain?
Nebraska has abolished its death penalty making it the first state to do so since Maryland in 2013; Governor Pete Ricketts has threatened a veto but the majorities are veto-proof.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/nebraska-demolishes-death-penalty
@Bond:
Malaysia and Indonesia are agreeing to provide shelter for the refugees stuck at sea:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-and-indonesia-agree-to-provide-boat-people-temporary-shelter
This is pretty good news. Though, I'm not entirely sure what they meant by 'the international community also needs to help out'? Are they just talking about donations or something? Cause I'm not sure how foreign powers can stop the discrimination in Burma (or if it's even a good idea to begin with).Edit: Holy shit, I just remembered I've got cousins born of a Burmese father. That explains why I've been seeing anti-Rohingya articles on my wall.
What is it that the Rohingya did to have the Burmese government hate them that much? One of those articles I read said that the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and are affiliated with al-Qaede but I can't verify that. Hopefully one of the more knowledgeable members here could explain?
lolll
Take a look at borders. Over time there's been people from Bengal whove traveled down the coast like anywhere ever.
The thing with the Rohingya is probably a mix of religious and possibly racial prejudice. They're visually quite distinct from most Burmese and are Muslims while most Burmese groups are Buddhist (aside from some Christian hill tribes).
It's persecution of a noticable other.
Nebraska has abolished its death penalty making it the first state to do so since Maryland in 2013; Governor Pete Ricketts has threatened a veto but the majorities are veto-proof.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/nebraska-demolishes-death-penalty
Good .
@Bond:
Malaysia and Indonesia are agreeing to provide shelter for the refugees stuck at sea:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-and-indonesia-agree-to-provide-boat-people-temporary-shelter
This is pretty good news. Though, I'm not entirely sure what they meant by 'the international community also needs to help out'? Are they just talking about donations or something? Cause I'm not sure how foreign powers can stop the discrimination in Burma (or if it's even a good idea to begin with).
Basically what they want is some country to take up the task of relocating the people and/or put pressure on the neighboring countries to accept them. Difficult to find countries who would willingly get into that mess.
http://m.kcci.com/national/freddie-gray-death-police-officers-indicted/33152382
Prosecutors who actually try can get results.
@joekido:
For those who cares.
Did you share that sheerly so I can be annoyed by someone mentioned the "terrible ending" of LOST that once again, clearly didn't actually watch the show?
They not only get the ending wrong, but mention (as many such articles do) the "never explained polar bears". Look, I get that the polar bears appeared in the first episode and weren't explained immediately, so its a mystery most people know of and feeds into the "never answers its questions" meme, , but they WERE explained by early season 3, (and again a couple more times after that if you missed it), along with about 96%of all the legiitmate questions you might have had. Just how many people snark on LOST that didn't actually watch it or pay actual attention?
Its not even about LOST, its an article abotu Mad Men (which probably should have been in media rather than random news) so… why bring it up at all? What next, Battlestar had a terrible ending because stuff they mentioned in episode 10 turned out to be true at the end?
WTF!? That article was supposed to be about Elian Gonzalez! How can Daily Mail gave me the wrong link!? Goddammit…
--- Update From New Post Merge ---
Here was the link of Elian Gonzalez I was trying to post. Stupid Daily Mail
I hate people.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/05/20/popular-concord-toy-shop-closing-permanently/
That toy shop has been there MY ENTIRE LIFE. And now it's being closed down by one new fucking Scrooge of a landlord.
If anybody cares (like locals on the board), there's a GoFundMe that's started.
http://www.gofundme.com/v3f68g
I'd help, but gofundme only accepts credit and debit cards. (I use Paypal and a savings account)
The votes are still being counted but it looks like Ireland will have gay marriage now :)
Only Northern Ireland now doesn't have legal gay marriage in the British Isles.
It's kind of interesting too. With a greater history of urbanization and diversity (cough cough) it should in a different timeline have socially developed to probably be ahead of the Republic on this issue.
But what seems to have waylaid all that entirely is the conflict and ethnoreligious tension. Which has resultingly entrenched a sense of group identity and thus social conservatism in a way wildly out of step with the entire rest of the isles from London to Glasgow to Dublin.
Sometimes I think one of the chief reasons the South in the US is so conservative isn't so much anything to do with rural but because they lost the Civil War and made that into a cultural cornerstone trauma.
You can make the same argument to why Russia is digging in it's heels so violently on the same issues.
@Monkey:
Sometimes I think one of the chief reasons the South in the US is so conservative isn't so much anything to do with rural but because they lost the Civil War and made that into a cultural cornerstone trauma.
Hell of a long time to still bear a grudge but then again not the longest I believe.
@Monkey:
Only Northern Ireland now doesn't have legal gay marriage in the British Isles.
It's kind of interesting too. With a greater history of urbanization and diversity (cough cough) it should in a different timeline have socially developed to probably be ahead of the Republic on this issue.But what seems to have waylaid all that entirely is the conflict and ethnoreligious tension. Which has resultingly entrenched a sense of group identity and thus social conservatism in a way wildly out of step with the entire rest of the isles from London to Glasgow to Dublin.
Sometimes I think one of the chief reasons the South in the US is so conservative isn't so much anything to do with rural but because they lost the Civil War and made that into a cultural cornerstone trauma.
You can make the same argument to why Russia is digging in it's heels so violently on the same issues.
Yeah but conservative may be the wrong word, especially since the South was predominantly Democrat until the late 60's when Johnson signed and ratified the Civil Rights Act, which pissed off a lot of the Southern Democrats, which started that shift from Democrat to Republic in the South with it fully switching conservative when Reagan became the president.
Yeah but conservative may be the wrong word, especially since the South was predominantly Democrat until the late 60's when Johnson signed and ratified the Civil Rights Act, which pissed off a lot of the Southern Democrats, which started that shift from Democrat to Republic in the South with it fully switching conservative when Reagan became the president.
The rise of the Religious Right also played a huge role in that shift as well. The South is a lot more conservative in general than they were twenty and thirty years ago, which is particularly asinine because there isn't a region in the country that has benefited from government services as much as the South.
…there isn't a region in the country that has benefited from government services as much as the South.
Especially right after the civil war. Ouch.
Yeah but conservative may be the wrong word, especially since the South was predominantly Democrat until the late 60's when Johnson signed and ratified the Civil Rights Act, which pissed off a lot of the Southern Democrats, which started that shift from Democrat to Republic in the South with it fully switching conservative when Reagan became the president.
They were staunchly social conservative the whole time. Economically was a different story.
Southern Democrats were always distinct as hell from Democrats elsewhere, not to mention the parties were in no way the same platforms back then as they are now.
Oh hell, I'm in a good mood and here's some more positive news on top of today's.
https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/moms-facebook-photo-of-hero-cop-strikes-a-chord-119449508142.html
Never look down on the small deeds.
Fuck with Joe Scarborough thinks about Rapper's and their music.
@Monkey:
Sometimes I think one of the chief reasons the South in the US is so conservative isn't so much anything to do with rural but because they lost the Civil War and made that into a cultural cornerstone trauma.
You can make the same argument to why Russia is digging in it's heels so violently on the same issues.
Hell of a long time to still bear a grudge but then again not the longest I believe.
I can say that … yes can find that southerners still have a 'us vs them' view (but then there are a few northerners that still that way too). I grew up hearing 'jokes' like "What's the difference between a Yankee and a damn Yankee? One comes and visits, the other comes and stays."
While I don't hear that 'joke' anymore, 'Damn Yankee' is still used when someone from north tries to tell us how they do things better. For instance as a teen I was riding the bus in the Dallas suburbs and one woman complained about how we southerners don't know how to handle winter. "Just throw some snow tires on, this sanding des nothing!" While some other riders threw nasty looks at her, I piped up informing her that its thin ice, not snow on the ground, so the sanding does work while snow tires would just ruin the roads but behind me I was hearing "damn yankee"
I used to think its gotten better, but not really. And its not just southern against the north, it goes both way. I remember going to a college in Oregon, the teacher was from the north. In a class with various nationalities making over half of the population, I was the only one she continually bothered about the accent and how I "butchered such simple words" like text/texts.
Since you can't hear accents online.... I'm one of those southerners whose accent includes that words that end in 'g' usually don't get that last letter sounded out (unless its a plural so ends in an s), and 'xt' blurs together and sounds the same as 'xts'. She only stopped harassing me when I pointed out (in front of class lol) that she is NOT correcting others in their pronunciation, only me -who so happens to be the only southerner- so I wonder should I go to admin and complain of discrimination?
so yeah there is still a grudge of sorts between north and south.
I'm just glad I have some friendly acquaintances from the north that don't act like that (waves at Monkey king)
Yeah there's been some ass northerners I've seen too
The north vs the south vs california
I can say that … yes can find that southerners still have a 'us vs them' view (but then there are a few northerners that still that way too). I grew up hearing 'jokes' like "What's the difference between a Yankee and a damn Yankee? One comes and visits, the other comes and stays."
While I don't hear that 'joke' anymore, 'Damn Yankee' is still used when someone from north tries to tell us how they do things better. For instance as a teen I was riding the bus in the Dallas suburbs and one woman complained about how we southerners don't know how to handle winter. "Just throw some snow tires on, this sanding des nothing!" While some other riders threw nasty looks at her, I piped up informing her that its thin ice, not snow on the ground, so the sanding does work while snow tires would just ruin the roads but behind me I was hearing "damn yankee"
I used to think its gotten better, but not really. And its not just southern against the north, it goes both way. I remember going to a college in Oregon, the teacher was from the north. In a class with various nationalities making over half of the population, I was the only one she continually bothered about the accent and how I "butchered such simple words" like text/texts.
Since you can't hear accents online.... I'm one of those southerners whose accent includes that words that end in 'g' usually don't get that last letter sounded out (unless its a plural so ends in an s), and 'xt' blurs together and sounds the same as 'xts'. She only stopped harassing me when I pointed out (in front of class lol) that she is NOT correcting others in their pronunciation, only me -who so happens to be the only southerner- so I wonder should I go to admin and complain of discrimination?so yeah there is still a grudge of sorts between north and south.
I'm just glad I have some friendly acquaintances from the north that don't act like that (waves at Monkey king)
The North doesn't have a grudge against the South (except maybe for recent electoral stuff). People up here really don't think about the Civil War or any of that at all.
But instead across the country west and north and some midwest alike there is a definite condescension toward the South that extends from stuff with basis (again electoral) into stuff that is grossly stupidly unfair (accents is the definite biggie).
A good friend of mine from Georgia college has a fairly heavy North Carolina poor folk type accent and she's moved out to San Fran with her Singapore fiance. She gets some crap out there for the accent. It carries so many stereotypes with it, nothing else really compares.
There's lots of accents around the US, I was told in the South I had an accent (by her for instance) but while it might make people regard me badly…it was never in like a "haha this is guy is a dumb country bumpkin who can't speak right" way. The South is pretty much alone in having that cruelty aimed at for just literally speaking their accent. Though to be fair I saw some of that attitude toward her even from other Southerners, like a class accent difference seems to exist within. Though maybe not in Texas, that seems to be more a Dixie proper thing.
Wait actually there is one other American accent routinely pissed on and seen as inherently lower class, ebonics 8D! At least you don't talk like that! Talk about being condescended too for just talking like your folks!
Also hold the horses.
I'm one of those southerners whose accent includes that words that end in 'g' usually don't get that last letter sounded out (unless its a plural so ends in an s),
That's common as fuck in the New York area lol. I talk like that, most Connecticut people talk like that. We also do things like swallow t's in the middle of words. So Winter becomes Win'ner. This lady would have a heart attack in Connecticut. Every last G, gonzo.
Difference is we do it very very fast, whereas Southerners tend to be slow about it. Also our stereotypes range from Country Clubs to at worst maybe Jersey Shore type stuff.
Let me try and write like I talk.
"Hey y'know, roun' win'ner we're gonna try an' visit my uncle up in Bos'on. Maybe wawk aroun' a bit. See da ci'iy an ge' some pizza an' shit."
But it's done so fast you don't even notice most of it. And it doesn't sound heavily accented (at least I don't think so??) with the exception of the WAWK which is hilarious. Because news anchor sounding people round here suddenly like choke out a New York hairball when it comes to the "al" in the middle of words lol. Walk = Wawk. With a funnily pronounced first W.
Though Chrissie made fun of me the other day for "Winn'er" for Winter ;I
@Monkey:
The North doesn't have a grudge against the South (except maybe for recent electoral stuff). People up here really don't think about the Civil War or any of that at all.
But instead across the country west and north and some midwest alike there is a definite condescension toward the South that extends from stuff with basis (again electoral) into stuff that is grossly stupidly unfair (accents is the definite biggie).
A good friend of mine from Georgia college has a fairly heavy North Carolina poor folk type accent and she's moved out to San Fran with her Singapore fiance. She gets some crap out there for the accent. It carries so many stereotypes with it, nothing else really compares.
There's lots of accents around the US, I was told in the South I had an accent (by her for instance) but while it might make people regard me badly…it was never in like a "haha this is guy is a dumb country bumpkin who can't speak right" way. The South is pretty much alone in having that cruelty aimed at for just literally speaking their accent. Though to be fair I saw some of that attitude toward her even from other Southerners, like a class accent difference seems to exist within. Though maybe not in Texas, that seems to be more a Dixie proper thing.Wait actually there is one other American accent routinely pissed on and seen as inherently lower class, ebonics 8D! At least you don't talk like that! Talk about being condescended too for just talking like your folks!
Also hold the horses.
That's common as fuck in the New York area lol. I talk like that, most Connecticut people talk like that. We also do things like swallow t's in the middle of words. So Winter becomes Win'ner. This lady would have a heart attack in Connecticut. Every last G, gonzo.
Difference is we do it very very fast, whereas Southerners tend to be slow about it. Also our stereotypes range from Country Clubs to at worst maybe Jersey Shore type stuff.
Let me try and write like I talk."Hey y'know, roun' win'ner we're gonna try an' visit my uncle up in Bos'on. Maybe wawk aroun' a bit. See da ci'iy an ge' some pizza an' shit."
But it's done so fast you don't even notice most of it. And it doesn't sound heavily accented (at least I don't think so??) with the exception of the WAWK which is hilarious. Because news anchor sounding people round here suddenly like choke out a New York hairball when it comes to the "al" in the middle of words lol. Walk = Wawk. With a funnily pronounced first W.Though Chrissie made fun of me the other day for "Winn'er" for Winter ;I
lol I've no problem with winter… it's wash I can't say, it's "worsh"... and no its not a regional thing. I'm the only one in my family to say wash as worsh, no one knows where I picked it up but I've never been able to change it. Trying to pronounce 'wash' correctly is more difficult for me than to say "Hawai'i" correctly lol Its on the difficulty of trying to get the proper saying of a foreign word ... one that I just can't get right lol
Yeah okay I'll change the comment, not sure of any grudges on a big level but there is still some on a personal level with some people.
I really don't know what that one teacher's problem was, I mean we had people from Mexico, Libiya & Nigeria who had English as a 2nd language. In a class of 25 or so there was about 6 with accents strong enough that some words were difficult to understand but the only person she was correcting for wrong pronunciation was me
I'm personally glad that I didn't inherit much of any accent from my parents or surroundings. It's interesting - both my parents are from the South but it's really their siblings who have the accents, not them (my uncles, all on my mom's side, and maternal grandmother sound(ed) very obviously from Williamsburg Virginia while my maternal aunt developed a very noticeable North Carolina accent after a bunch of North Carolinians moved into the part of Virginia where my dad's from). My stepmother says that I have traces of a Massachusetts accent, but since I dodged the stereotypical elements of the Boston accent it's not strong enough to register on most people's accent radars.
I have no idea if I have an accent or not, I just know I don't sound like my parents. Every once in a while I bust out a "fixin' ta", but it doesn't have that twang you would expect.
I'm a natural mimic, I'm great at accents (except for Boston and Scottish for some reason) and impersonations. I don't even know why, but natural it is. I do it often without meaning to, and totally with zero intent of mockery in 75% cases.
Anyway when I'm with Chrissie most of the time including in public I sort of unintentionally adapt a Cypriot accent that sounds not Cypriot in general, but specifically like her I imagine lol. We mostly just regard it as a cute and obnoxious couple communication thing, but it's really fucking bizarre and funny when I actually think about it.
So. Texas has been getting rain. All month.
And is kind of… flooded at the moment.
Little town called Wimberly I used to visit all the time (between San Antonio and Austin) has basically been wiped off the map. Hundreds of houses just taken off their foundations and swept away. Water is several feet deep in a lotta places (and all this right after I went to Canada). It's kinda scary looking down there at the moment.
I know there's random news stories of places being flooded on a fairly regular basis and you get used to imagrey of places with several feet of water (or snow) but... its weird to see pictures of it hitting your town... and to know even more to the point, any other month you'd be in the middle of it.
In good news, the drought is finally over
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
I know there's random news stories of places being flooded on a fairly regular basis and you get used to imagrey of places with several feet of water (or snow) but… its weird to see pictures of it hitting your town... and to know even more to the point, any other month you'd be in the middle of it.
tbh i heard houston was pelted with like a million tornadoes this evening so i'm more worried about that. lotta tornadoes lately
So. Texas has been getting rain. All month.
And is kind of… flooded at the moment.
Little town called Wimberly I used to visit all the time (between San Antonio and Austin) has basically been wiped off the map. Hundreds of houses just taken off their foundations and swept away. Water is several feet deep in a lotta places (and all this right after I went to Canada). It's kinda scary looking down there at the moment.
I know there's random news stories of places being flooded on a fairly regular basis and you get used to imagrey of places with several feet of water (or snow) but... its weird to see pictures of it hitting your town... and to know even more to the point, any other month you'd be in the middle of it.
Can we have some? New England is in the middle of a drought right now.
I wished it rains nationwide to end the drought, Colorado is getting much needed rain and it needs to rain for 3 full months in California already. All the news about California's drought is annoying now. Oh and I see no one cared about Elian Gonzalez, well that's expected
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
Can we have some? New England is in the middle of a drought right now.
Wasn't not New England got a lot of snow last winter? I thought so much snow like that would end the drought. Massachuttes got plenty of them. Strange
Large Snowfall that inevitably gets mixed in with salt that, especially in Boston, ends up getting washed up in the sea != Consistent rain fall
So. Texas has been getting rain. All month.
And is kind of… flooded at the moment.
There have been a lot of water rescues in an around the Austin area, but so far nothing as bad as Wimberly.
tbh i heard houston was pelted with like a million tornadoes this evening so i'm more worried about that. lotta tornadoes lately
Houston is not looking good right now. It never does well with torrential rain.
The Mexican border town Acuna was also hit very hard by a tornado.
Can we have some? New England is in the middle of a drought right now.
we've been in a drought since like 2011 I think and even with heavy flooding I think we're just now reaching 'non drought' levels lol
we've been in a drought since like 2011 I think and even with heavy flooding I think we're just now reaching 'non drought' levels lol
Damn God's answering machine must've been full for the last few years.
@Monkey:
We are ?? 0_0
Just one of the usual summer small lacks of rain. Pretty much nothing on the scale of what Texas was having, but enough that they make note of it on local news weather reports
@Purple:
Just one of the usual summer small lacks of rain. Pretty much nothing on the scale of what Texas was having, but enough that they make note of it on local news weather reports
Where are you?
Where I'm at maybe I guess it's seemed a bit dry some days, but otherwise no one's mentioned anything and it mostly seems normal.
@Monkey:
Where are you?
Where I'm at maybe I guess it's seemed a bit dry some days, but otherwise no one's mentioned anything and it mostly seems normal.
Boston area, Waltham. Maybe it's a bit more north up in comparison to Connecticut, but I do remember people making mention of it on the local news channels
Ok um, so in Syria two major things have happened in the past couple weeks, one which happened just today.
So the government is the red, isis is black/grey, kurds are yellow, other rebels are green.
So ISIS is taking some serious strategic real estate that means very bad things for the government.
See that one red city surrounded by ISIS in the east? That's Deir Ezzor. The regime has held onto it strongly even though ISIS is everywhere around out there. THey repelled recent attacks even…
...except yeah it wasn't so isolated until recently. ISIS captured the roads leading to it and now it's truly isolated.
The same thing has just happened to Aleppo. Aleppo is in the Northwest, it's that confusing splotch of tiny illegible details up there that is chequered by red and green.
Well the map shows red territory reaching up to it like an arm right? Like a big flexed muscle arm right?
Well uh twitter is starting to blow up with reports that ISIS captured Al-Ithriya, it's the tiny town labeled in like the elbow of the red arm.
Well the highways/routes that lead to Aleppo for the regime pass through there...
Meaning that ISIS has basically just isolated regime forces in Aleppo too. Aleppo is the second city of Syria. This is a huge and scary deal.
The regime was already being beat out of the northwest by the Green rebels recently, and now these things are happening too.