Random Thoughts (Political Edition)

A doco aired on Scientology yesterday on BBC. Anyone have it?
 
Cobol74 said:
There may be more to this than meets the eye - classic playing the man not the ball? I do not think the CIA (Or a number of other interests who feel that the public can not handle the truth) think he is a nice man and they do have a track record.
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That thought has crossed my mind as well. The Pentagon said they would find a way to shut him down, even while acknowledging they can't really go after his servers or staff. It wouldn't surprise me if those assault charges were cooked up just to screw with him.
 
Yay! We get to live another day!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11432849
Western intelligence agencies are tracking a significant al-Qaeda plot to carry out commando-style raids on cities in Britain, France and Germany.
It is thought teams of jihadists plan to seize Western hostages and murder them - in a manner similar to the siege of two Indian hotels in Mumbai.
The plot is believed to be in its early stages.
No imminent arrests in the UK are expected, and the national threat level remains at its current level of severe.
Intelligence agencies on both sides of the Atlantic are tracking one of the most serious al-Qaeda attack plans in recent years.
Inspired by al-Qaeda's fugitive core leadership in Pakistan's tribal areas, the plan is understood to include small well-armed commando-style teams of jihadist militants.
The idea is thought to have moved from the aspirational stage to actual planning.[...]
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... at days like this it?s especially nice to live in germanys 23rd largest city ... not (let?s say) in one of the Top 5. *smug*
 
KCNA really don't get what periods are all about.

Korean Comedy Network said:
The conference solemnly declared internally and externally that Kim Jong Il was reelected as general secretary of the WPK with unanimous will and wishes of all the party members, servicepersons and people of the DPRK as he performed the immortal exploits to shine long in the history of the country and developed the WPK into the party of President Kim Il Sung, ever-victorious Juche-type revolutionary party by wisely leading the revolutionary cause of Juche to victories only with his outstanding idea and uncommon revolutionary practices for half a century since he embarked upon the road of the revolution in his early years.
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That's a long ass-sentence. Or long-ass.

Anyway. I get annoyed by lots of things today. Jews in Israel that seek to separate men from women everywhere, like in the bus. Already a reality, if you missed it. Chastity parties in the USA. Seriously. What the shit. The EU commission, led by Viviane Reding who have time and time again demonstrated her complete incompetence, accompanied by Cecilia Malmstr?m have problems with France. France is expelling squatters from eastern europe. Vivianne & Co. argue that the free mobility is a free pass to do anything, squat on other peoples property, send out their children as beggars instead of sending them to school (only 20% of the children in the group go to school) and devote themselves to petty crimes.

We should follow the lead of France and like them ban religious nonsense in the public room and expell the travelling squatters who refuse to be a part of society.

So very annoying. Anyone know where I can get a very french shirt? Maybe I can find one with a picture of Sarkozy to show my support.
 
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AiR said:
The EU commission, led by Viviane Reding who have time and time again demonstrated her complete incompetence, accompanied by Cecilia Malmstr?m have problems with France. France is expelling squatters from eastern europe. Vivianne & Co. argue that the free mobility is a free pass to do anything, squat on other peoples property, send out their children as beggars instead of sending them to school (only 20% of the children in the group go to school) and devote themselves to petty crimes.

We should follow the lead of France and like them ban religious nonsense in the public room and expell the travelling squatters who refuse to be a part of society.

So very annoying. Anyone know where I can get a very french shirt? Maybe I can find one with a picture of Sarkozy to show my support.
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I'm concerned about that too... Now that the French threw the gypsies out, expectations are they'll come north to the Scandinavian countries. We've already seen a fairly dramatic increase in pickpocketing and shoplifting after the EU expanded and opened their borders to the east. Just walking down the street in Oslo, you'll have to be aware of anyone looking like a gypsy. It's a sad reality, as it wasn't like that 10, even five years ago...
 
Travelers (or whatever you want to call them), is a complicated issue. On one side, there's a reason why they were treated the way they were - and still are. They are, quite often, a lot of trouble. Still, it's not a good enough reason to neglect them as human beings. The French are effectively saying that they are, as a group, not wanted in France. That's a principle I don't like seeing broken, no matter the people in question.
 
Fun and games down the road from me yesterday.

The Irish Times

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Truck driven at Leinster House gates

A 41-year-man was arrested after a concrete truck was driven into the gates of Leinster House early this morning.

The slogans 'Toxic Bank Anglo', ??1,000,000 on golf balls? and ??500K for golf? were displayed on the side of the truck and the vehicle registration number changed to ?bankrupt?.

The man, who is from Co Mayo and has been involved in similar protests in recent months, parked at the entrance to the D?il, locked his cabin before climbing onto the roof of the truck.

He then attempted to open makeshift doors on the back of the truck to reveal a protest banner but garda? arrested him at about 7.15am.

No one was injured in the incident and only minor damage caused to the paintwork of Leinster House?s gates. The side windows in the cab of the truck were smashed as garda? tried to detain him.

The man was taken to Pearse Street Garda station under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 where he is still being held. A garda spokesman said the station had received numerous calls from members of the public with the vast majority offering congratulations and support for the man.

A number of protestors gathered out side the station calling for the man to be released. Brendan Meehan from Artane carried a banner stating: "Release Joe the truck driver."

Mr Meehan said: "I felt this is where I should be. We need a leader and the person I'd be glad to follow is in that jail. I just want that man to know I'm here to support him."

By 5pm, Mr Meehan had been joined by about seven others, including Sarah Maguire from Wicklow, a mother of one set up her own architecture practice in 2006.

"My business hasn't traded in a year," she said. "I'm living with my parents and surviving on children's allowence. I can't afford to tax my car. You're always looking for hope, but I can't see any."

Phil Derwin from Artane and his wife Sandra also joined the group of supporters. Mr Derwin who lost his job at SR Technics 18 months ago said of Mr McNamara: "He was great to do what he did. More people need to stand up and protest."

The truck remained outside the D?il for over two hours as garda? and recovery crews struggled to move it. It is understood the brake lines and electric cables had been tampered with to immobilise the vehicle.

At 9.35am recovery crews managed to remove the vehicle by using a large recovery tow truck.

Kildare Street and Molesworth Street were both closed to traffic during the operation.

Fine Gael TD Fergus O?Dowd said that at least one garda on duty had to jump out of the way of the truck.

?If it had been later in the morning, staff could have been killed, public could have been killed,? said Mr O?Dowd, who was on the scene this morning. ?I think it?s a very serious incident and I think it?s an appalling vista to be doing your job as a garda or usher in D?il ?ireann and to be seriously injured.?

An Oireachtas spokesman said the incident did not affect proceedings as the D?il resumed sitting after the summer recess. He said the pedestrian access at the front gates was not damaged and alternative vehicle access was provided at the rear of the building on Merrion Street.

The incident was quickly dubbed 'Cementgate' on the social networking site Twitter. Contributors unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of 'cementgate' jokes and posted pictures from the scene.

In April, a cement mixer truck, with similar wording on it, was abandoned outside a branch of the bank on Forster Street, Galway. The cabin was locked and the engine left running.
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Some of the Twitter one liners were very good.

colmtobin "Finally, the government have some concrete plans.

ConorWilson: "Good to see constructive protest. They'll be able to build on this"

EleanorFitz: "In the wake of #cementgate Dail rushes to release statement assuring the public that no TDs were plastered."

JODedia: "That's not what i meant when i said i wanted a mixer to go with me jameson"
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AiR said:
That's a long ass-sentence. Or long-ass.
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Or just ass. :p I didn't think KJI would stay in power. But I guess his type always do, until they die or someone kills them.

AiR said:
So very annoying. Anyone know where I can get a very french shirt? Maybe I can find one with a picture of Sarkozy to show my support.
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Just get one of those old French sailor shirts, with the horizontal stripes. That's the stereotypical French attire over here anyway.

marcos_eirik said:
Just walking down the street in Oslo, you'll have to be aware of anyone looking like a gypsy. It's a sad reality, as it wasn't like that 10, even five years ago...
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You guys ought to hire the old mayor of New York city, Rudy Giuliani. He'll take care of your homeless/gypsy/whatever problem. Just make sure he's got a steady supply of mistresses and let him rant about 9/11/01.

Plissken said:
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:lmao: I wish someone would pull something like that here, but then again, they'd probably get killed. Pretty clever of the truck driver to disable the brakes. Those things are pretty much impossible to move if the brakes on even one wheel are locked up.
 
Putting a conservative republican in charge of the capitol of Norway? That's like making Nick Griffin the mayor of Jerusalem, or Boris Johnston the mayor of Liverpool, for christs sake.
 
I bet Rudy would die once he found out same sex marriage is legal in his new country. Or by some other progressive policy. Or the price of a pizza.
 
The total income tax level would please him, though, I think. He'll die once he finds out he has to work with the most right wing politicians in Oslo. Or as he'd call them, Maoists.
 
If you want to take care of the gypsy problem, I beg of you: do NOT send them back to Romania. They've destroyed our image abroad for long enough, this has to stop.
 
"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; [then] beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."
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A comment made by Charles James Napier, Governor of the Bombay Presidency and later Commander-in-Chief in India during the 1840s. This comment was in response to Indian complaints about Napier's crackdown on widow burning, or Sati.
 
vikiradTG2007 said:
If you want to take care of the gypsy problem, I beg of you: do NOT send them back to Romania. They've destroyed our image abroad for long enough, this has to stop.
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Sorry but the only reasonable option is to send them back to their country of origin. If they are from Romania (as most are), then Romania will get them. If they're from Kosovo, Kosovo will get them. What else can we (or the french) do? Send them to Germany? Finland? That won't work. If they are travellers, they are not residents. For those that give up their travelling and settle in, the key factor is to get the children to attend school. Romani children are way, way overrepresented in being absent from school. So much that the city of Gothenburg has had to hire a full time "integrations guide" that basically go home to romani familys and explaining that they have to send their children to school. He says "most parents have not gone to school, and therefore tell their children that they don't have to either". Story in Swedish: http://svtplay.se/v/2147304/rapport/romska_barn_kommer_inte_till_skolan

Technically we could start giving out penalties to these parents (not bringing your children to school is punishable with a fine up to 25 000 SEK) but that won't help. Other suggestions have been to send the police to get them. I think the integrations guide is a better answer, but it's still sad that his job is needed.

As for what Romania should do with the gypsys, make them attend school. With an education they can take jobs and give give up their travelling thiefing/scamming/begging habits. I know it's a tough prospect, but that's the solution. Maybe thats a project the EU could help fund.

jetsetter said:
A comment made by Charles James Napier, Governor of the Bombay Presidency and later Commander-in-Chief in India during the 1840s. This comment was in response to Indian complaints about Napier's crackdown on widow burning, or Sati.
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I like this Napier.
 
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AiR said:
As for what Romania should do with the gypsys, make them attend school. With an education they can take jobs and give give up their travelling thiefing/scamming/begging habits. I know it's a tough prospect, but that's the solution. Maybe thats a project the EU could help fund.
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There are two main issues with this.

1) 10 years of school are mandatory in this country, but a lot of young Gypsies are prevented from attending school by various factors (some of them due to outside influence, main thing is probably the family itself; after all, some of them "marry" aged 12-13, for God's sake). And yes, I agree, if you can knock into their heads the idea that school is important, then they can change their ways, but unfortunately, in the current circumstances, it's nigh-on impossible.

2) Probably as much as 80-90% of European funds that are coming to Romania are diverted to parts of the Government who allocate it in such a manner that a massive slice of the pie lands in the pockets of politicians and their preferred "businessmen". Perfect example: 800 thousand Euros were spent on country branding based on a stock image that costs less than 1 Euro.
 
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jetsetter said:
A comment made by Charles James Napier, Governor of the Bombay Presidency and later Commander-in-Chief in India during the 1840s. This comment was in response to Indian complaints about Napier's crackdown on widow burning, or Sati.
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POW! I'd vote for him.
 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39456324/ns/health-sexual_health/

U.S. apologizes for Guatemala STD experiments
Government researchers infected patients with syphilis, gonorrhea without their consent in the 1940s
U.S. government medical researchers intentionally infected hundreds of people in Guatemala, including institutionalized mental patients, with gonorrhea and syphilis without their knowledge or permission more than 60 years ago.

Many of those infected were encouraged to pass the infection onto others as part of the study.

About one third of those who were infected never got adequate treatment.

On Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius offered extensive apologies for actions taken by the U.S. Public Health Service.

"The sexually transmitted disease inoculation study conducted from 1946-1948 in Guatemala was clearly unethical," according to the joint statement from Clinton and Sebelius. "Although these events occurred more than 64 years ago, we are outraged that such reprehensible research could have occurred under the guise of public health. We deeply regret that it happened, and we apologize to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices." [...]
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video: [video]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/39466192#39466192[/video]

... while this is some badly fucked up shit ... I think it?s very good that this is bought to the publics attention at that the american goverment apologizes for this. Trust (especially in places like Afghanistan and Irak) can?t be earned by trying to cover something like this up.
 
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