Avoid the biggest sleep-stealers
From online shopping to chocolate overload, you might be tired this time of year.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Latest eruption from Bill ‘Your son was a homo’ James: ‘de-infest areas where gays congregate’
Pam Spaulding posted this over at Pandagon:
Bill James isn’t through making headlines; he clearly has difficulty coping with his fellow Mecklenburg County Commissioners voting to extend domestic partner benefits to county employees—and that includes same-sex couples.
Bill James isn’t through making headlines; he clearly has difficulty coping with his fellow Mecklenburg County Commissioners voting to extend domestic partner benefits to county employees—and that includes same-sex couples.He not only didn’t apologize to Democrat Commissioner Vilma Leake when her referred to her late son, who succumbed to AIDS, he’s spewing more homophobic bullshit.
The latest:
Homosexual conduct is illegal in NC (even after Lawrence V Texas). We arrest 250 homosexuals each year in Mecklenburg alone for either a ‘crime against nature’ or ‘solicitation of a crime against nature’. Unlike prostitution (exchanging money), even suggesting homosexual sex is a criminal offense in NC. If we were all that ‘progressive’ would we be arresting 250 homosexuals a year? Setting up sting operations to de-infest areas where they congregate? Point is, if you want to delude yourself that homosexual conduct is ‘ok’ go ahead. The law, the police and the DA however have a different view.”
— Mecklenburg Commissioner Bill James
BTW, he’s right about the Crimes Against Nature law here. It’s still on the books and while Lawrence v. Texas supercedes it, the police can still make an arrest, put someone in the pokey and basically shame the hell out of them publicly until the case is tossed out. Oh, and he elaborated to Matt Comer of Q-Notes about “de-infest”:
James responded: “I think that if you’re someone who is homosexual and you believe that you are born that way and have every right to engage in that behavior, I think the offensive thing, I would surmise, is not the word ‘infest’ or ‘de-infest’ but the fact that the police are actually doing the sting operations. We can parse words — what phrase should I have used? But the central question for most people is not what particular term got used but whether the action was occurring. Was I accurate in saying there are these sting operations going on and those sting operations — whatever term you want to use — target homosexual men? That is why the county took and spent significant amounts of money to rework the park to take out certain landscaping things to prevent, once the sting operations cleared them out, prevent them from re-congregating — or re-infesting if you use my original term.”
The cretin is on a roll now; hate mail must give him a boner (Wjames@carolina.rr.com).
You can also politely let Commission Chair Jennifer Roberts know that language in a reprimand cannot be harsh enough,as LGBT youth groups in Charlotte are outraged by James’s bigotry, given he’s a public servant. She’s been a wonderful ally for years; I interviewed her back in 2005 when James was last in significant eruption mode. But what’s more important is to thank the Commission for doing the right thing and supporting the County’s gay and lesbian employees and their committed relationships.
Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (pictured left to right)
Front row: Vilma Leake (District 2), Harold Cogdell, Jr. (Vice-Chairman, At-Large),
Jennifer Roberts (Chairman, At-Large), Dan Murrey (At-Large), Karen Bentley (District 1).
Back Row: George Dunlap (District 3), Dumont Clarke (District 4),
Bill James (District 6), Neil Cooksey (District 5).
Oh, and in another spin on his non-apology to Leake, take a look at this:
[H]is comments weren’t meant to be derogatory and that “homo” was a slang word he used when growing up. “People can believe whatever they want, they can believe in the tooth fairy and legend of Atlantis,” James said. “I don’t determine what I do based on what people think. I determine it based on what I did and what I did was I asked a question and that question doesn’t deserve or require an apology.
*****
Bill James is a pervert ... and you know what they say about glass houses and stones.
Can't find the words?
A smartphone app lets users snap the object of their web search instead of using words
Google with a photo instead
Polish police find stolen Auschwitz gate sign
Police said early Monday that they have found the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign that was stolen on Friday from the gate of the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz.
Polish police found the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign that was stolen from the gate of the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz after an intensive three-day hunt and arrested five suspects, police said early Monday.
Polish police retrieve damaged Auschwitz gate sign
Polish police retrieve damaged Auschwitz gate sign
Man Gets Four Months In Jail For Cursing At Judge
Aggravated assault suspect Brian Noval learned an important lesson Wednesday:
Never talk back to a judge.
Never talk back to a judge.
East digs out of monster snowstorm
East digs out of monster snowstorm
The East Coast digs out after a monster storm drops record snowfall in many areas.
Lie of the Year
And the Liar that told it ...
Of all the falsehoods and distortions in the political discourse this year, one stood out from the rest.
"Death panels."
"Death panels."
DC cops trigger happy like in the Third World
The cops in the nation's capital might be competing with their counterparts in the Third World when it comes to being trigger happy.
DC cops trigger happy like in the Third World
DC cops trigger happy like in the Third World
Don't mess with a Scotsman's money
A Jewish, a Scottish and an Irish gentleman, clearly artists of some sort, were dining in an expensive restaurant and eating and drinking the most exclusive items on the list.
The bill was enormous, imagine the surprise in the establishment when everybody heard the Scottish gentleman say in a clear voice;
"I'll pay for all three of us!"
Next day, there were big headlines in all papers;
"FAMOUS JEWISH VENTRILOQUIST FOUND DEAD IN ALLEY"
The bill was enormous, imagine the surprise in the establishment when everybody heard the Scottish gentleman say in a clear voice;
"I'll pay for all three of us!"
Next day, there were big headlines in all papers;
"FAMOUS JEWISH VENTRILOQUIST FOUND DEAD IN ALLEY"
Health Care Hell in America
Or as the Rude Pundit puts it ...
Joe Lieberman, You Can Choke on the Bones of Jacqueline Kelly as They're Crammed Down Your Throat:
Jacqueline Kelly died the other day in Jersey City, New Jersey, of ovarian cancer. She also had emphysema. She was 61 years-old, a woman who was a stay-at-home mom to her six kids and a supportive wife for 44 years to John Kelly. John, 68, worked for fifty years as a truck driver and was old enough to get on Medicare when he retired. His wife could not, since she was 61.
She was told she didn't qualify for Social Security disability benefits because she had never "worked." They didn't qualify for welfare assistance or Medicaid because John's pension checks were too high. So, instead, most of the money went to paying for Jacqueline's medical expenses, as much as they could, until it became a choice of chemotherapy or food. As John put it, "I worked all my life. She's being penalized for staying home and taking care of her kids." Kelly died because of a lack of health insurance, pure and simple, cause and effect.
Read the rest of his post here.
She was told she didn't qualify for Social Security disability benefits because she had never "worked." They didn't qualify for welfare assistance or Medicaid because John's pension checks were too high. So, instead, most of the money went to paying for Jacqueline's medical expenses, as much as they could, until it became a choice of chemotherapy or food. As John put it, "I worked all my life. She's being penalized for staying home and taking care of her kids." Kelly died because of a lack of health insurance, pure and simple, cause and effect.
Read the rest of his post here.
Who's the Liar?
Three guesses ... and the first two don't count.
(Hint: remember one was there when the United States was founded - the other wasn't.)
Corporate Whore Rick Berman Smacked Down by Court for Anti-Health Care Ad
From FDL:
A federal court ordered the latest Rick Berman front group to take down its anti-healthcare ad because of trademark violations.
Berman's group falsely claimed several doctors' groups opposed "government health care," and those groups weren't too happy.
Corporate Whore Rick Berman Smacked Down by Court for Anti-Health Care Ad
Berman's group falsely claimed several doctors' groups opposed "government health care," and those groups weren't too happy.
Corporate Whore Rick Berman Smacked Down by Court for Anti-Health Care Ad
Brainiacs face off over toy assembly
Brainiacs face off over toy assembly
A brain surgeon and a rocket scientist see who can assemble a kids toy the fastest.
Here's a clue for you ... Give to a four year-old, it'll get done faster (and correctly, to boot.)
Job-search rules to break now
10 job-search rules to break now
Never use "I" in your résumé?
Never let people know you're looking for work?
Never say never.
What's eating away at your money
What's eating away at your money
These fees may be slowly picking away at your bank account without your even noticing.
Confessions of an 'underwater' homeowner
Confessions of an 'underwater' homeowner
A suburban dad reveals how he ended up owing more on his mortgage than his home is worth.
Israel harvested organs from bodies in 1990s without permission
Israel has admitted that in the 1990s, its forensic pathologists harvested organs from dead bodies, including Palestinians, without permission of their families.
U.S. Sends 12 Guantanamo Detainees To Their Home Nations
The U.S. transferred 12 detainees from Guantanamo Bay, sending half the prisoners home to Yemen and the others to Afghanistan and the Somaliland region.
Anti-whistle-blower culture pervades Washington
A Marine Corps whistle-blower says military officials are trying to force him from his job for exposing failures to deliver life-saving equipment to troops in Iraq.
Anti-whistle-blower culture pervades Washington
Anti-whistle-blower culture pervades Washington
Lava cascades down slopes of Mayon volcano, Legazpi city, Albay province, Philippines.
The Philippines' most active volcano could have a huge eruption within days, officials warned Sunday after detecting a drastic surge in earthquakes and eerie rumbling sounds in surrounding foothills.
Plainclothes Cop Pulls Gun At Snowball Fight
It was a well-publicized snowball fight, but apparently not well enough publicized for one plainclothes police officer.
Sort of a snowball version of a flash mob, when they hit his Hummer with snowballs, he eventually pulled his gun, though he pointed it as no one.
Sort of a snowball version of a flash mob, when they hit his Hummer with snowballs, he eventually pulled his gun, though he pointed it as no one.
Five deaths as snow sweeps across America
A snowstorm hit the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States states at the weekend, crippling travel across the region and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power.
Dinosaur find in New Mexico tells of greater migration, evolution
A study of bones and skeletons recovered in the Colorado Plateau's Chinle formation, Northern New Mexico, that was published Friday, December 18, 2009, in Science, finds that South America may not have been the birthplace of Dinosaurs after all.
Dinosaur find in New Mexico tells of greater migration, evolution
Dinosaur find in New Mexico tells of greater migration, evolution
Dutch teen who sought solo sailing trip disappears
Laura Dekker, the 14-year-old Dutch girl whose bid to sail solo around the world was blocked by a court, has gone missing, leaving behind her boat, police said Sunday.
Dekker appears to have left her father's home on her own, Utrecht police spokesman Bernhard Jens said in a telephone interview. Her boat, Guppy, is still moored at its usual berth.
City police to wear cameras on head
City police to wear cameras on head
Patrol officers in San Jose, Calif., will test a head-mounted camera to record interactions.
400 million years on six legs: On the origin and early evolution of Hexapoda
Triops longicaudatus.
“Triops is well known to paleontologists as one of the oldest known genera, with fossils from the Triassic that are barely distinguishable from modern day species.”
Read the abstract here.
Growing Food, and Community, in the Desert
From Treehugger:
Alissa J. Novoselick's students bonded over their shared love of chilies. Photo by nattu via Flickr.
A cynic might look at a program like the Edible Schoolyard -- the much-lauded school garden initiative launched by Chez Panisse's Alice Waters -- and wonder if such a thing would be possible outside the favorable growing climes (and foodie sensibilities) of California, and without the support of a famous chef. But as a moving article by a young teacher in rural Arizona shows, the answer is a resounding "yes."
Article continues: Growing Food, and Community, in the Desert
Could Our Stupidity Be Our Silver Lining?
From Treehugger:
With folks like this around, there's plenty of low hanging fruit to tackle. (So to speak...) Image credit: Energy Wasting Day 2008
With arctic sea ice retreating at record rates, and various climate tipping points being identified by researchers, being environmentally aware can be a depressing business. Especially when you look at the incredible waste and inefficiency in our industrial society, and then you take a look at the pitifully inadequate action by industrialized nations that is heralded as bold leadership (and decried by some as a global climate conspiracy). But I wonder if the very stupidity of our current systems is in fact the silver lining we've been looking for?
Article continues: Could Our Stupidity Be Our Silver Lining?
Cooking is what made us human
Being an Anthropologist I have to disagree with this theory - there was a lot more that went into us becoming 'human' than this idea allows for.
It is interesting though.
It is interesting though.
Cooking food allowed our ancestors to evolve our big brains, the zoologist argues, and created the gender roles still observed by most people.
Richard Wrangham: Cooking is what made us human
Beware humans bearing gifts
Giving and receiving presents is a simple pleasure, isn't it?No, it's a social and economic battlefield, says philosopher Robert Rowland Smith.
Beware humans bearing gifts
Strange, rare animals saved from death
Strange, rare animals saved from death
Malaysian officials rescue 130 pangolins, prized for their meat, from smugglers.
Waning Paradise
Hawaii public schools are closed most Fridays, rats scurry across bananas in un-inspected stores and there may not be enough money to run the next election.
Hawaii dimmed by education, election, health cuts
Hawaii dimmed by education, election, health cuts
From Irene's Odd World
You're a mean one, Hayden Wright.
At just 4 years old, the little boy from Chattanooga may be the youngest Grinch on record.
Irene's Odd World
At just 4 years old, the little boy from Chattanooga may be the youngest Grinch on record.
Irene's Odd World
Iranian dissident cleric Montazeri dies
Iran's most senior dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who emerged as the spiritual father of its reform movement, died on Sunday.
Iranian dissident cleric Montazeri dies
Iranian dissident cleric Montazeri dies
BEATLES hero on why he chose to do X Factor and who his staff really wanted to meet
You'd think Sir Paul McCartney is such a big star that anyone else in the music world would pale into insignificance.
BEATLES hero on why he chose to do X Factor and who his staff really wanted to meet
BEATLES hero on why he chose to do X Factor and who his staff really wanted to meet
The French don't like Google
A Paris court ruled Friday that Google Inc.'s expansion into digital books breaks France's copyright laws, and a judge slapped the Internet search leader with a euro10,000-a-day fine until it stops showing literary snippets.
Full Story
Full Story
Xmas trees adorned with live 'ornaments'
Forget the plastic icicles, brightly colored balls and tinsel.Some xmas trees for sale in the Anchorage area are adorned with something truly different this holiday season - live Pacific Chorus frogs.
Full Story
Daily Almanac
Today is Sunday, Dec. 20, the 354th day of 2009.
There are 11 days left in the year.
Today In History December 20
There are 11 days left in the year.
Today In History December 20
Our Readers
Some of our readers today have been in:
Juiz De For A, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Udon Thani, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Skopje, Aracinovo, Macedonia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Canterbury, England, United Kingdom
Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada
Aldershot, England, United Kingdom
Leeds, England, United Kingdom
Juiz De For A, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Udon Thani, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Skopje, Aracinovo, Macedonia
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Canterbury, England, United Kingdom
Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada
Aldershot, England, United Kingdom
Leeds, England, United Kingdom
Daily Horoscope
Today's horoscope says:
Some good deals are out there right now, but beware of false advertising and exaggerated product claims.
You've heard it before -- something that seems too good to be true probably is -- so why aren't you paying attention this time?
If you don't want to wind up regretting your purchases, it's absolutely imperative you use your head before plunking down your hard-earned money for anything right now.
Got it.
Some good deals are out there right now, but beware of false advertising and exaggerated product claims.
You've heard it before -- something that seems too good to be true probably is -- so why aren't you paying attention this time?
If you don't want to wind up regretting your purchases, it's absolutely imperative you use your head before plunking down your hard-earned money for anything right now.
Got it.
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