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theUTOPIANist
Beware, anonymous hordes of the internet. Next time you say something nasty about someone online, your identity could be revealed. That’s what a judge in Indiana ruled recently in a defamation case against the The Indianapolis Star. The lawsuit was filed by Jeffrey Miller, an executive at something called Junior Achievement of Central Indiana, who didn’t like what some people were saying about him on Star comment boards.
The ruling forced The Star to turn over info like IP addresses and internet providers, after which an attorney can subpoena the provider for real names. While it’s a win for Mr. Miller, others are thinking about the wider implications of the case, mainly whether this will have a chilling effect on speech on the internet.
This is not good.
Yes, I know this is two years old but I hadn’t seen it.
Found by Cinàedh.
Who is Bradley Manning and what do you know about him? If all you hear is the main stream media, probably not very much.
Earlier this week, the soldier accused of leaking thousands of confidential documents to WikiLeaks, Bradley Manning, was handed an additional 22 charges as part of his ongoing court martial process. The 23-year-old, who has been in solitary confinement for more than seven months, stands accused of computer fraud, theft of public records and willfully communicating classified information to a person not entitled to receive it. He now also finds himself faced with a rare charge known as “aiding the enemy” – a capital offence for which he could face the death penalty.
Lots of stories this past week on blogs and alternative websites about him being stripped naked in his cell and worse (solitary for months, etc).
Apparently, guards are forcing Bradley Manning to strip in his cell—a humiliation tactic guards use in Guantanamo Bay. A spokesman for the Marines referred to this as, “standard operating procedure.”
Could the President who stopped torture and wanted Gitmo closed be so bold as to move it here? Can’t be! It must be a lone, rogue, out of control officer (a woman, no less!) doing these nasty things.
Given these circumstances, the decision to strip PFC Manning of his clothing every night for an indefinite period of time is clearly punitive in nature. There is no mental health justification for the decision. There is no basis in logic for this decision. PFC Manning is under 24 hour surveillance, with guards never being more than a few feet away from his cell. PFC Manning is permitted to have his underwear and clothing during the day, with no apparent concern that he will harm himself during this time period. Moreover, if Brig officials were genuinely concerned about PFC Manning using either his underwear or flip-flops to harm himself (despite the recommendation of the Brig’s psychiatrist) they could undoubtedly provide him with clothing that would not, in their view, present a risk of self-harm.
John and Adam discussed this on No Agenda with Adam suggesting Manning doesn’t exist. The CIA released the docs to Wikileaks to embarrass Hillary, certain governments, etc, and Manning is a cover story. Far fetched, but his point is where are the interviews with family, friends, his gay lovers (if fake, a perfect addition for the homophobic US)? Also, how did such a low level soldier get such easy access to just these particular materials? If he could, has far more been stolen by others? Or is this also part of a fake story?
What’s your take on Manning and his treatment? Assuming he really exists…
According to its description on the Apple App Store website, Decomposhop, a new application that allows users to track the putrefaction of their deceased loved ones in real time, will be available for download by grieving iPhone owners starting Tuesday.
“Decomposhop lets you import open casket photos, enter a date of death, and then watch over time as the face of a friend or family member slowly shrivels up beyond recognition,” read a description of the product, which applies a decay algorithm to replicate the deterioration of human remains from bloat to liquefaction to dry rot. “With this revolutionary, fully iPhone 4 compatible app, you can see if your father is still wearing the suit you buried him in and receive customized alerts when the bones really start to poke out. $3.99.”
Developers told reporters that an iPad version with enhanced graphics and optional olfactory simulator will be out in time for Christmas.
Found by Mr. Kevin who is allergic to zombies
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ROSEBURG, Ore. — A dog ate three of his owner’s toes as the diabetic man slept, most likely out of instinct to help remove diseased flesh, animal experts say. James Little, 61, called 911 on Tuesday to say his dog had eaten the body parts while he was sleeping. He told The Associated Press on Friday that he is “doing fine.”
Little suffers from diabetes, of which one symptom is numbness in the hands or feet. The dog, a Shiba Inu, was acting on its instinct to remove diseased flesh and does not appear to be dangerous, said Douglas County Animal Control Deputy Lee Bartholomew. Dogs have been known to eat dead or diseased human flesh. A family’s dog in Illinois ate the toes off a 10-year-old girl’s left foot while she slept last December. She had a sore on her foot.
In August, a dog in Michigan bit off most of its owner’s infected big toe after the man passed out from alcohol. The man had diabetes, and the animal was apparently attracted to a festering wound. Little has given up ownership of his dog, putting it up for adoption pending an examination and a standard 10-day quarantine to determine it does not have rabies, Bartholomew said. “We are going to find a new home for it,” Bartholomew said.
Who’s their developer, Ed Gein?
Japan’s Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) researcher Takashi Minato displays a human-shaped mobile phone in Tokyo. The human-shaped mobile phone has a skin-like outer layer that enables users to feel closer to those on the other end.
“The mobile phone may feel like the person you are talking to,” the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) said in a press release, describing the gadget as a “revolutionary telecom medium”.
The project is a collaboration between Osaka University, the mobile telephone operator NTT DoCoMo and other institutes. They hope to put it into commercial production within five years by adding image and voice recognition functions.
[…]
A speaker is installed in the head of the doll-like gadget and a light-emitting diode in its chest turns blue when the phone is in use and red when it is in standby mode. The body resembles a human being but its design is so blurred that it could be taken as either male or female and young or old, the press release said.
So, when will the online sex sites start selling custom made phones in the shape of pron stars to use while spending $2.95/minute to talk to them?
But Penn, who has spent most of the last year in the country working on earthquake relief, believes Sheen’s presence will bring a boost to Haiti.
“I think his energies, intelligence and passion could be both of service and servicing to him, as it is to all who are touched by the struggle of the Haitian people,” said Penn.
“Charlie is one of the very few public people who cannot be accused of using the media to his own benefit. I would very much like to show my old friend the world of needs on the ground in Haiti, and introduce him and his tremendous wit to our hard working Haitian staff.”
Sheen accepted the invitation, while mixing up his disaster metaphors, in an interview with the Access Hollywood television show.
“I’m excited as hell because, you know, if I can bring the attention of the world down there, then clearly this tsunami keeps cresting,” he said.
I’m thinking that instead of him going to Haiti they need him spending his money on medical supplies and other things they need rather than hookers and blow.
This should bring back some memories.
“For the first time in history, the average annual compensation for a teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools system will exceed $100,000″ in 2011.
In light of Paul’s comments, which were made during the heat of the nationally watched Wisconsin budget debate, we decided to take a closer look at MacIver’s claim. It has resurfaced in the budget debate in comments on websites such as the Huffington Post and TheNation.com.
In announcing the $100,000 figure, the institute produced a video that included brief clips of an MPS administrator reciting salary and fringe benefit numbers during a school board meeting the previous day. The average total compensation figure for teachers exceeded $100,000. We asked MacIver spokesman Brian Farley if he had any additional evidence. He cited a February 2011 posting from the School Zone blog on JSOnline.com, which reported slightly different numbers than those in MacIver’s video.
The posting quoted MPS’ budget manager as saying that in 2011-2012 (the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2011), the average MPS teacher would receive total compensation of $101,091 — $59,500 in salary and $41,591 in benefits.
We double-checked with MPS spokeswoman Roseann St. Aubin and she confirmed the figures. The conservative think tank said the average annual compensation for a Milwaukee Public Schools teacher would exceed $100,000 in 2011. As of July 1, 2011, according to the school district, that figure will be $101,091.
MacIver’s claim is True
And if you don’t think benefits are a part of your salary, try being self employed.
Isn’t the real answer here to simply shut down flying altogether? No terrorist threat then!
To avoid bag check fees, travelers are routinely opting to carry on their bags, but the TSA says that the cost is just getting shifted to tax payers, to the tune of $260 million a year. That’s because the more bags that don’t get checked, the more bags the TSA has to inspect by hand at security checkpoints. Now the TSA is looking to get a cut of some of the checked baggage fees the airlines collect.
“My question is, do the taxpayers have to pick up this fee?” said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano during testimony in Senate Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security. “Or should we be looking at the airlines for some of the profits that they make from these fees to offset the cost the taxpayer?”
The TSA has also been pushing for an increase in the airport security fee travelers currently pay. Currently passengers pay up to a $5 fee each for a one-way ticket
And you know, if they get a piece of the bag check fees, the airlines will just push the cost to travelers in the form of higher fares. The solution is clear: fly naked and bring nothing except for your patriotism.
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