News & Not News Megathread

Aazealh said:
My point exactly. I mean if I'm walking down the street and some idiot follows me while aggressively demanding that I tell him what I'm doing, you bet I'd eventually punch him in the face.

I'm inclined to think you would use your Professor X-like mental powers and convince said idiot to 'fuck off'. I may be wrong. *gets punched*

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/30/opinion/bennett-trayvon-martin/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Interesting. It's obviously better to have all the facts first. I know this will come across sounding cold, but cases like this happen all the time. All pointless death, no what what color the victims are, is fucking tragic.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Proj2501 said:
I'm inclined to think you would use your Professor X-like mental powers and convince said idiot to 'fuck off'. I may be wrong. *gets punched*

People don't tend to follow me in the street in the first place, I have to admit. :void:
 
Proj2501 said:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/30/opinion/bennett-trayvon-martin/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

I read that article. There were a couple of good points, but a lot of what he said bothered me.

At first, it was thought that Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, was the aggressor because he followed Martin, got into a physical scuffle with him and shot him. But then, some witnesses claim that Martin attacked Zimmerman first, and the initial police report said that Zimmerman had blood on his nose and the back of his head after the incident. However, surveillance video footage that surfaced from the police station is leading to questions about the extent of Zimmerman's injuries.

That would be what's most unclear about the case at this point.

To make matters more complex, we found out that in the past several months, Martin was suspended from school three times, once for the possession of drug paraphernalia.

This has no relevance to the case whatsoever. What does having drug paraphernalia or being a truant have anything to do with this case? I'm tired of these so-called analysts bringing this up.

It was also revealed that Zimmerman identified himself as a Hispanic and was a registered Democrat.

Not relevant to the case. Everyone's capable or racism and violence regardless of race or party affiliation.

A mob mentality seems to be in the ascendancy.

The New Black Panther Party offered a bounty for Zimmerman's capture.

Interesting point and relevant fact.

Spike Lee fueled the flames by tweeting Zimmerman's home address, which turned out to be the wrong address and resulted in an older couple fleeing from their home and fearing for their lives after threats and crowds outside their residence. Lee, realizing his folly, has since apologized to the couple.

He also offered them an out of court settlement and the couple describe him as feeling genuinely sorry. But what he did was beyond folly; publishing someone's address is threatening.

The loudest voices should be particularly careful not to rush to conclusions. Remember the Duke lacrosse case, in which members of the team were accused of a gang rape. The public rushed to judgment long before the young men were eventually acquitted.

It's very different from the Duke Case. For one, there was no evidence that a rape had taken place, the alleged rapists had alibis, and one even had ATM transactions from the specific time period the rape took place. We all know that George Zimmerman followed a stranger in a neighborhood even after he was told not to by police and shot and killed a teenager who was holding nothing but iced tea and skittles. What occurred between that time is murky.

Lastly, why is there so much selective outrage on the part of so many?

The leading cause of death for black male teenagers is homicide, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Of all the black homicide victims, about 93% are killed by other black people. In 2011, nearly 85% of all people murdered in Philadelphia were black. Where are the marches and protests for these victims? Is it justice people seek or are they looking and even hoping for signs of white racism so they can exploit it?

That is a separate kind of tragedy which deserves its own coverage.

While we wait and respect due process of law, we should do our part to uplift human personality. We can do so by giving both Martin and Zimmerman a just weighing of the evidence, both in the court of law and public opinion.

The advocates for vigilante justice are dangerous and our impressions will probably change as this case is investigated.
 
Groovy Metal Fist said:
That would be what's most unclear about the case at this point.

Perhaps not for long. Supposedly there will be medical records to say otherwise. Still, I suppose it's possible to self-inflict these injuries.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/30/justice/florida-teen-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Groovy Metal Fist said:
This has no relevance to the case whatsoever. What does having drug paraphernalia or being a truant have anything to do with this case?

It doesn't? While this automatically doesn't brand Martin as the aggressor definitively, it does shed some light on his character, IMO. We're not talking about a student leaving the library after a late night cram session. Speaking from personal experience, those I knew who walked paths similar to Martin, weren't boy scouts.

Groovy Metal Fist said:
Interesting point and relevant fact.

But that is? Interesting, sure. Relevant to case? Hardly. Also, had it been a white or latino organization to issue such a threat, imagine the uproar.

Groovy Metal Fist said:
He also offered them an out of court settlement and the couple describe him as feeling genuinely sorry. But what he did was beyond folly; publishing someone's address is threatening.

Awwww. He felt sorry? Again, imagine if Spielberg or, hell, Guillermo Del Toro pulled something similar. They'd be done for life. Spike Lee, what joke. He shouldn't be allowed to buy his way out of that. His stupidity could have had serious consequences.

Groovy Metal Fist said:
It's very different from the Duke Case. For one, there was no evidence that a rape had taken place, the alleged rapists had alibis, and one even had ATM transactions from the specific time period the rape took place.

That didn't stop the circus of a trial that followed. She was given an opportunity to raise all sorts of hell. Also, look at her track record. Another shining star there. :schierke:
 
Proj2501 said:
But that is? Interesting, sure. Relevant to case, hardly? Also, had it been a 'white' organization to issue such a threat, imagine the uproar.

I meant relevant to that point he was making, not in determining the outcome of the case.

Proj2501 said:
Awwww. He felt sorry? Again, imagine if Spielberg pulled something similar. He'd be done for life. Spike Lee, what joke. He shouldn't be allowed to buy his way out of that. His stupidity could have had serious consequences.

Spike Lee's comments were completely reckless. Bennett's writing understated two things about the situation. I think they should have had him arrested.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
That article you posted is more about mob mentality than it is about the case though. "It's clear that some of the people raising the most noise are trying to make this less about the horrible death of a young man and more about claims of racial resentment that may or may not exist." In short, people will objectify anything for their own gain. Sad world we live in. But that doesn't mean the outrage is not justified from what we know of the situation. And I say this as an outsider who is completely unaffected by US racial tensions.

Proj2501 said:
It doesn't? While this automatically doesn't brand Martin as the aggressor definitively, it does shed some light on his character, IMO. We're not talking about a student leaving the library after a late night cram session. Speaking from personal experience, those I knew who walked paths similar to Martin, weren't boy scouts.

That being said man if people who smoke pot deserve to be shot the world is soon going to be a very empty place.

Proj2501 said:
Awwww. He felt sorry? Again, imagine if Spielberg or, hell, Guillermo Del Toro pulled something similar. They'd be done for life. Spike Lee, what joke. He shouldn't be allowed to buy his way out of that. His stupidity could have had serious consequences.

Just being his usual stupid self as far as I can tell.
 
Bennett's definitely right about the mob mentality and Al Sharpton is not an objective analyst.

Unlike other political articles, this one was not incendiary. However, this is the man who when asked about the crime rate brought up the idea of aborting every black baby. I take his analysis with a grain of salt.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
The bigger story to me, whatever happened exactly, are the implications of the immaterial social media assassination of Martin's character, and justification of his death, that amounts to calling him a nigger in so many words. "See, he deserved to die because he really was one of those blacks we're scared of, so we're not racist for thinking so," the racist thinking goes, delivered with all the unblinking conviction and lack of self-awareness of a Holocaust denier. Lovely story.
 
Proj2501 said:
Perhaps not for long. Supposedly there will be medical records to say otherwise. Still, I suppose it's possible to self-inflict these injuries.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/30/justice/florida-teen-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Yeah, that's complete BS until the records are shown. While I understand that his father and brother are trying to defend their son/brother, literally everything they've said to defend him so far has been a complete lie. Keep in mind that one of their earliest defenses was that Zimmerman wasn't following Martin only to have the 911 calls come out hours later where Zimmerman himself said he was following him. And that's just one of many different, contradicting stories they've given.

The dad is claiming every possible scenario as fact, no matter how stupid or unrealistic, because he knows if he stumbles upon one that the investigators can't outright disprove his son will walk free according to Florida's insane self-defense law.

If I were Zimmerman, and I knew that my wounds from being attacked from behind while getting in my car beaten in grass almost killed by having my head hit against a sidewalk told I was going to die because somehow my gun managed to slip out of its holster would mean most of this uproar would die down, I wouldn't go into hiding. I'd haul my ass down to the local hospital, news station, or whatever and show whoever wanted to look the cuts, bruises, or scrapes. But then again I wouldn't be hunting down black kids to begin with either so what I would do doesn't matter.

Griffith said:
The bigger story to me, whatever happened exactly, are the implications of the immaterial social media assassination of Martin's character, and justification of his death, that amounts to calling him a nigger in so many words. "See, he deserved to die because he really was one of those blacks we're scared of, so we're not racist for thinking so," the racist thinking goes, delivered with all the unblinking conviction and lack of self-awareness of a Holocaust denier. Lovely story.

Very well put, Griffith. And that's one of the many things that sucks about this story. The lack of self-awareness (unconscious denial?). That once this all dies down those same people will claim they're not racist and that there isn't racism in America anymore. It's like a guarantee that nothing will ever change.


Edited to better clarify what I was trying to say.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/03/decommissioning-the-space-shuttles/100271/

Starting next month, NASA will begin delivering its four Space Shuttle orbiters to their final destinations. After an extensive decommissioning process, the fleet -- which includes three former working spacecraft and one test orbiter -- is nearly ready for public display. On April 17, the shuttle Discovery will be attached to a modified 747 Jumbo Jet for transport to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Virginia. Endeavour will go to Los Angeles in mid-September, and in early 2013, Atlantis will take its place on permanent display at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Test orbiter Enterprise will fly to New York City next month. Gathered here are images of NASA's final days spent processing the Space Shuttle fleet.

Check out these amazing images of the dismantling of space dreams.
 
Whoa, those pictures look amazing, thanks for sharing. Here's another article with some cool pictures of Project Gemini - http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/04/remembering-project-gemini/100274/
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
Congress has stripped away your 1st Amendment rights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SGWH3kirzg
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
hellrasinbrasin said:
Congress has stripped away your 1st Amendment rights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SGWH3kirzg
Way to sensationalize, dude... and sourcing Fox News? Really? It means that trespassing laws are expanded when Secret Servicemen are around large gatherings. If you're protesting and cross over a threshold you can be arrested and charged with a felony. And here's the actual range for that stripping:

[quote author=http://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/how-big-deal-hr-347-criminalizing-protest-bill]These restricted areas include locations where individuals under Secret Service protection are temporarily located, and certain large special events like a presidential inauguration. They can also include large public events like the Super Bowl and the presidential nominating conventions (troublingly, the Department of Homeland Security has significant discretion in designating what qualifies as one of these special events)[/quote]

So here's a tip, don't be a dick at the Super Bowl.
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
Norway mass-shooting trial reopens debate on violent video games

(CNN) -- Norway's alleged mass killer testified on Thursday that he played video games as a way to train for a shooting spree that killed 77 people last summer. In particular, Anders Behring Breivik said at his trial that he played "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" as a means of shooting practice, according to CNN's report.
The confessed shooter also said he once played the online game "World of Warcraft," a role-playing adventure with multiple players from around the world, for as many as 16 hours a day.

For people who have long suspected that there is some link between violent video games and real-world violence, the statement offered frightening new evidence for why the video-game industry should be more strictly regulated. Many gamers and columnists, however, rolled their eyes and collectively muttered "here we go again."

"How many times are we going to do this?" Paul Tassi wrote in a Forbes story, "The idiocy of blaming video games for the Norway massacre." "Really now, it's getting absurd." "Norway Killer Played World of Warcraft, Which Probably Means Nothing At All," declared a headline on Time.com, which shares a parent company with CNN.

Whether shoot-'em-up video games can incite violence has been a long-running debate among the public as well as in clinical psychology. This type of discussion tends to come up every time it's revealed that a high-profile killer also played video games.

Perhaps the most memorable case study was the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado in 1999, during which experts speculated about the influence of the game "Doom" on the teenagers who carried out that crime.

And for years, the controversial "Grand Theft Auto" series, in which players can kill police officers, was targeted by critics who said it glamorizes criminals and promotes violence. The makers of the game were even sued by the attorney for a convicted cop killer in Alabama, who argued the game inspired his client.
Ultimately, it seems like science should judge whether playing violent video games can lead to a propensity for violence in the real world. A number of recent studies have cast doubts about the link between video games and violence, but there's no definitive answer.

Confusingly, a 2004 U.S. Secret Service and Department of Education report studied 24 cases of school violence and found: "Over half of the attackers demonstrated some interest in violence, through movies, video games, books and other media. However, there was no one common type of interest in violence indicated. Instead, the attackers' interest in violent themes took various forms."

The always-vocal jury of the Internet, meanwhile, rushed on Thursday to the defense of the video game industry. Here's a breakdown of the general argument, in case you want to be supercontrarian and appropriate these points for cocktail-party conversation this weekend.

Point 1: Lots of people play video games and don't kill people.

"How many subscribers do those two games have? Several million? And yet several million of us managed not to go bonkers with a gun," a commenter on my Google+ page. "Ridiculous argument."

Point 1.5: Lots of people who play "FarmVille" don't actually farm.

Here's a related point: People who play other kinds of video games don't usually (or ever) act out the things they do in the games. "Shooters do not create real-life killers. Neither does "FarmVille" create real-life farmers," another Google+ commenter said.

Point 2: The confessed Norway killer had other apparent influences.

"If we're looking for Breivik's influences and motivations, we'd better start with xenophobia, fundamentalist Christianity and right-wing ideology before even mentioning what was in his Xbox," a commenter wrote on CNN's story about the trial. And from Lisa Smith on Google+: "If there were no violent video games or movies, would Breivek have shrugged off writing his manifesto [on] his irrational fear of Islam? No, then perhaps then if he'd been unable to watch the news? Oops, now we have to keep him from using the Internet, was that enough?"

Point 3: There are lots of ways to train for a shooting spree.

From a Forbes column: "Let's say he did use 'Call of Duty' to help him train in some way. So what? That may sound callous, but let's be real here. If he went to a gun range every single day for the past year, a place that actually trains you how to hit person-shaped targets with a real gun firing real bullets in your hands, would we be talking about how shooting ranges are to blame? Would we want them all closed down for fear someone else might learn how to shoot a gun and kill someone? Some might, but they'd be shouted down by gun rights activists, ironically many of whom would like to blame games instead."

Point 3.5: And anyway, these games would be crappy for training.

"How can 'World of Warcraft' be considered 'training'? Unless he planned on looting gold and armor. Also, 'Modern Warfare' is hardly a training tool. Too linear and unrealistic," another Google+ commenter wrote. "Could the 'Armed Assault' series, with its more simulation based approach, have been more useful to create a mass murderer?"

Point 4: There's little scientific evidence to suggest video games actually make people violent.

From Time.com: "The most up-to-date research, according to academic and TIME contributor Christopher Ferguson, 'has not found that children who play VVG [violent video games] are more violent than other kids, nor harmed in any other identifiable fashion.' In Ferguson's own longitudinal studies, recently published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, he found 'no long-term link between VVG and youth aggression or dating violence.' And Ferguson references another recent longitudinal study involving German children, published in Media Psychology, which similarly found no links between increased aggression and violent video games."

Anders Behring Breivik extends a clenched fist on Tuesday in Oslo, Norway, for the second day of his trial.

Point 5: The Norway killer apparently saw "WoW" as a cover-up device.

I'll add this little factoid to the pile: If you search the manifesto that's attributed to Breivik, you'll only find a few references to "World of Warcraft." When he does mention the game, he appears to be explaining that by saying if you're playing "WoW" all the time, you can stop family members and friends from questioning what you're up to.

"Announce to your closest friends, co-workers and family that you are pursuing a 'project' that can at least partly justify your 'new pattern of activities' (isolation/travel) while in the planning phase," the manifesto says. "(For) example, tell them that you have started to play 'World of Warcraft' or any other online MMO game and that you wish to focus on this for the next months/year. This 'new project' can justify isolation and people will understand somewhat why you are not answering your phone over long periods."

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/19/tech/gaming-gadgets/games-violence-norway-react/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
 

Lithrael

Remember, always hold your apple tight
The funny part is he WAS going to a gun range/club and and had upwards of a dozen training sessions there.
 
Anders Breivik's act of violence was not random and the examiners have declared that he is not legally insane. He was deeply committed to an extremist ideology, unfortunately an ideology which has a lot of mainstream acceptance.

All you have to do is take a Klansman or re-branded ex-Klansman's narrative on Jews and swap it out with the word 'Muslims' and it will perfectly describe the ideology of the people who inspired Breivik:

They are an anti-western minority whose goal is your submission to them. They only look out for themselves will take advantage of your tolerance towards them and use political correctness to oppress you. Their culture poisons the very foundation of Western society. Humans want to live in peace and their ultimate goal is peace and prosperity; these people do not have that trait. The political establishment only bends to their will.

It should be noted that many of these writers, particularly the one Breivik cited, advocate staying within the law. There are other writers who paint the exact same narrative but call for terrorism and genocide.
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
Who cares about fucking videogames people?! This piece of shit is about to get only 21 years (Norway is pretty amazing for criminals) if he's not deemed insane. At least that way they could keep him locked for life.
 
NightCrawler said:
Who cares about fucking videogames people?! This piece of shit is about to get only 21 years (Norway is pretty amazing for criminals) if he's not deemed insane. At least that way they could keep him locked for life.

If he is deemed a threat to the public, his sentence can be extended indefinitely. He is too dangerous to be out in public.
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
Rogers’ “Cybersecurity” Bill Is Broad Enough to Use Against WikiLeaks and The Pirate Bay

Congress is doing it again: they’re proposing overbroad regulations that could have dire consequences for our Internet ecology. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (H.R. 3523), introduced by Rep. Mike Rogers and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, allows companies or the government1 free rein to bypass existing laws in order to monitor communications, filter content, or potentially even shut down access to online services for “cybersecurity purposes.” Companies are encouraged to share data with the government and with one another, and the government can share data in return. The idea is to facilitate detection of and defense against a serious cyber threat, but the definitions in the bill go well beyond that. The language is so broad it could be used as a blunt instrument to attack websites like The Pirate Bay or WikiLeaks. Join EFF in calling on Congress to stop the Rogers’ cybersecurity bill.

Under the proposed legislation, a company that protects itself or other companies against “cybersecurity threats” can “use cybersecurity systems to identify and obtain cyber threat information to protect the rights and property” of the company under threat. But because “us[ing] cybersecurity systems” is incredibly vague, it could be interpreted to mean monitoring email, filtering content, or even blocking access to sites. A company acting on a “cybersecurity threat” would be able to bypass all existing laws, including laws prohibiting telcos from routinely monitoring communications, so long as it acted in “good faith.”

The broad language around what constitutes a cybersecurity threat leaves the door wide open for abuse. For example, the bill defines “cyber threat intelligence” and “cybersecurity purpose” to include “theft or misappropriation of private or government information, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information.”

Yes, intellectual property. It’s a little piece of SOPA wrapped up in a bill that’s supposedly designed to facilitate detection of and defense against cybersecurity threats. The language is so vague that an ISP could use it to monitor communications of subscribers for potential infringement of intellectual property. An ISP could even interpret this bill as allowing them to block accounts believed to be infringing, block access to websites like The Pirate Bay believed to carry infringing content, or take other measures provided they claimed it was motivated by cybersecurity concerns.

The language of “theft or misappropriation of private or government information” is equally concerning. Regardless of the intent of this language, the end result is that the government and Internet companies could use this language to block sites like WikiLeaks and NewYorkTimes.com, both of which have published classified information. Online publishers like WikiLeaks are currently afforded protection under the First Amendment; receiving and publishing classified documents from a whistleblower is a common journalistic practice. While there’s uncertainty about whether the Espionage Act could be brought to bear against WikiLeaks, it is difficult to imagine a situation where the Espionage Act would apply to WikiLeaks without equally applying to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and in fact everyone who reads about the cablegate releases. But under Rogers' cybersecurity proposal, the government would have new, powerful tools to go after WikiLeaks. By claiming that WikiLeaks constituted “cyber threat intelligence” (aka “theft or misappropriation of private or government information”), the government may be empowering itself and other companies to monitor and block the site. This means that the previous tactics used to silence WikiLeaks—including a financial blockade and shutting down their accounts with online service providers—could be supplemented by very direct means. The government could proclaim that WikiLeaks constitutes a cybersecurity threat and have new, broad powers to filter and block communication with the journalistic website.

Congress is intent on passing cybersecurity legislation this year, and there are multiple proposals in the House and the Senate under debate. But none is as poorly drafted and dangerously vague as the Rogers bill. We need to stop this bill in its tracks, before it can advance in the House and before the authors can negotiate to place this overbroad language into other cybersecurity proposals.

Internet security is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. But we don’t need to sacrifice our civil liberties to do so.

Source: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/03/rogers-cybersecurity-bill-broad-enough-use-against-wikileaks-and-pirate-bay
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
Meanwhile New York has shown its gotten a lot smarter recently by...

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/viewing-child-pornography-not-crime-according-york-court-165025919.html

After reading the article I just wanted to slap each person in the court room that thought this was a good idea.

:daiba:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
In the big news of the day, it was announced that Mitt Romney will be our President starting in 2013:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/09/politics/obama-same-sex-marriage/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Way to go, liberal pussies. Conservatives we're just having all the fun shooting themselves in the ideological foot lately and you had to show them that's our game. I'm disappointed because I thought Obama was smarter than this. Next is he going to clarify the reason he doesn't attend church is because he's too smart to really believe in God? Just because it's right or true doesn't mean you need to say so.
 
H

hellrasinbrasin

Guest
Griffith said:
In the big news of the day, it was announced today that Mitt Romney will be our President starting in 2013:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/09/politics/obama-same-sex-marriage/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

With the amount of flip-flopping that Obama does it wouldn't surprise the least if after getting re-elected
he signs a bill outlawing gay marriage. Meanwhile in related Obama news he and Congress passed and
signed a bill that gives sanctuary to members of Hamas in the United States.

(HR 1388)

Its not in the news go figure.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
hellrasinbrasin said:
With the amount of flip-flopping that Obama does it wouldn't surprise the least if after getting re-elected he signs a bill outlawing gay marriage.

Not likely since he expressed support for it in 1996 but has fudged his position since for pretty obvious political reasons (not the most noble pose, but smart). Romney is the one that's declared support for an anti-gay marriage amendment, and this plays right into his hands and wakes the base of a sleepy right for him (he really doesn't care either, but by the same token he's more likely to go through with it just because).

Should have known Biden would be the end of Obama eventually. =)

hellrasinbrasin said:
Meanwhile in related Obama news he and Congress passed and
signed a bill that gives sanctuary to members of Hamas in the United States.

(HR 1388)

Uh-huh, he's also a Muslim and wasn't even born in this country! Ugh:

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/barackobama/a/hr_1388_hamas_resettlement.htm

hellrasinbrasin said:
Its not in the news go figure.

That's called a red flag, which is why it's probably not a good idea to post suspicious things you can't confirm. The "Not News" half of the thread doesn't mean false news or propaganda.

Anyway, my sources tell me there's a new drug on the market that will enlarge to your penis, guaranteed.
 
Top Bottom