What's in the news?

[Lustful Bride]

China denies claims of their camps for ethnic minorities, despite growing evidence to the contrary.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/news/chinas-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-denies-human-rights-abuse-allegations-in-xinjiang/vi-BBN7feq?ocid=spartandhp

[Oniya]

Florence has been upgraded to Category 4.  Looks like it's going to be one of the worst storms to hit the East Coast in recorded history.  Track is currently encompassing probable landfall in NC on Thursday, and several areas are already under mandatory evacuation.  Flooding is likely in VA and NC.  Rainfall could be up to 48 inches.

[elone]

My brother is in NC in the direct path, central NC. not too far from the coast (30 miles tops), and I am in Virginia. This looks like a bad one for him, not so much for me. His house has stood for over 200 years so he thinks it will be ok. Saying a prayer.

[Beguile's Mistress]

I hope he and everyone down there are safe.  I have friends in North Carolina in the projected path of Florence.  We're hoping it loses steam as it moves inland.  Other friends from up here have just put a deposit on a coastal rental for next summer in South Carolina.  One of the little ones asked if they think the house will still be there next year. 

[Beorning]

Stay safe, people! I'm really grateful that we don't have this kind of weather threats back here...

In other news:

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/09/12/world/europe/ap-eu-poland-eu-president-.html

Polish president, during a meeting with voters, made a speech with some... interesting comments. He openly said that the EU is an "imaginary community" that's not very important for Poland. He also commented that the EU leaders should just leave Poland alone and let the PiS government do its thing. He said that we, the Poles, would start concering ourselves with the European matters only after Poland is "fixed". Finally, he said that Poland had right to have "expectations" from the EU, as the EU countries had let Poland be subjugated by the Soviet Union in 1945...  ::)

Basically, it was a "Fuck off, EU, we don't care about you and we don't need you" speech. Again - Polexit, people?

More outrageous news: 10 months ago, some women activists tried to block the far-right Independence March. While doing so, they had the crowd shout at them and call them names, they were spat at, smacked, kicked and dragged around. One of the women actually was knocked unconscious. It was all well-documented with cameras, so the women reported to the state prosecution that they had been assaulted and wanted the people responsible to be brought to trial.

Surprise! After ten months of deliberation, the prosecution declined to investigate the matter. The reason given was that, while the women had been kicked, the attackers didn't actually want to cause harm, because they didn't deliver the kicks into any vital organs. The prosecution stated that the attackers' intent was not to harm the women, but just to "express their displease". Finally, the prosecution stated that there was no "social importance" to prosecuting the incident - and that the attacked women weren't disabled individuals, so they could try to identify the attackers on their own and sue them. Seriously, the prosecution said that :(

*cries*

[Ket]

More outrageous news: 10 months ago, some women activists tried to block the far-right Independence March. While doing so, they had the crowd shout at them and call them names, they were spat at, smacked, kicked and dragged around. One of the women actually was knocked unconscious. It was all well-documented with cameras, so the women reported to the state prosecution that they had been assaulted and wanted the people responsible to be brought to trial.

Surprise! After ten months of deliberation, the prosecution declined to investigate the matter. The reason given was that, while the women had been kicked, the attackers didn't actually want to cause harm, because they didn't deliver the kicks into any vital organs. The prosecution stated that the attackers' intent was not to harm the women, but just to "express their displease". Finally, the prosecution stated that there was no "social importance" to prosecuting the incident - and that the attacked women weren't disabled individuals, so they could try to identify the attackers on their own and sue them. Seriously, the prosecution said that :(

*cries*

What in the ever loving fuck? Thank goodness for assault and battery laws we have over here. People are perfectly capable of expressing their displeasure with something without physically harming another person. That's not what these people were doing. They were attacking someone for the sheer joy of beating them up. Vital organs or not. Disabled or not. Whoever the heck was on the prosecution, I hope they don't have a wife, daughters, sisters, or any other female family members or friends, because they obviously don't give a crap about their well-being.

[Shekinah]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/13/world/asia/china-fan-bingbing.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/12/concerns-missing-chinese-actor-fan-bingbing-has-fallen-foul-of-authorities

Fan BingBing is missing and is possibly (probably) held by the State Government.

In May, former Chinese Central TV (State television) anchor, Cui Yongyuan, leaked documents which reportedly revealed that Fan had allegedly been involved in tax evasion. The documents claimed to show evidence of a scheme (ying-yang contracts) which saw the actress receive two contracts from production companies, one with the real monetary amount and the other with a much smaller amount to be given to tax authorities.

New York based Epoch Times recently reported that state-run Chinese publication Securities Daily, last week said the actor had been placed “under control, and will accept the legal decision” handed down by authorities. Though later on that message was removed very quickly.

In retaliation to steady growth in the Chinese film industry, its government has increasingly cracked down on top celebrities with the goal of tempering high salaries and lavish lifestyles that supposedly corrupt the countries youth

Fan has now essentially disappeared. Her whereabouts in unknown and her name has been effectively wiped from all Chinese media. Her name has been stripped out of publicity in China for the upcoming film Unbreakable Spirit, in which she co-stars alongside Bruce Willis, due to open next month.

Basically because they make a lot of money but don't openly support the communism government, the government decides to make an example of one of them most famous faces in whole of China. Use someone that used to work for them in the past, have him leak documents that may or may not be trough. Though the use of ying-yang contracts is widely used in the entertainment industry in China. Use that to launch an tax fraud investigation on her and then do what Chinese authorities always do with a person they find troublesome in one way or another. Place them under "house arrest" or lock them in a secret facility and later make them give a speech where they will accept legal actions. which will result in either jail sentence or more house arrest.

All the while, her career is now ruined and they are trying to put her in a dark hole hoping that people will forget about her by erasing her name everywhere.

[Beorning]

What in the ever loving fuck? Thank goodness for assault and battery laws we have over here. People are perfectly capable of expressing their displeasure with something without physically harming another person. That's not what these people were doing. They were attacking someone for the sheer joy of beating them up. Vital organs or not. Disabled or not. Whoever the heck was on the prosecution, I hope they don't have a wife, daughters, sisters, or any other female family members or friends, because they obviously don't give a crap about their well-being.

Actually, it's not only about the prosecution not giving a crap... It's the direct effect of the new government policies. :(

If you look at how the Polish state prosecution currently works, you can see a definite bias (to put it mildly). People who oppose the current government tend to end up prosecuted on most spurious of reason. For example, there was recently a case of a woman who wrote "PZPR" (an acronym for Polish United Workers Party, the Communist party that ruled the country before 1989) on the window of one PiS MP's office (a guy who used to be a PZPR member a few decades ago). The woman was charged by the prosecution with... promoting Communism, something you can end up in prison for. It was a sheer absurd - and even the prosecution relented after a time. Still, it's a good illustration of their attitude toward the liberal opposition.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the crimes related to PiS, PiS allies or even far-right activists? Prosecution seems to be unable to charge such people with anything. For example, during last year's Independence March (the same march those females mentioned above were attacked at), some of the far-right participants clearly presented racist placards, shouted racist slogans etc. Again, it's a crime under Polish law - but the prosecutors seem to be doing everything not to prosecute these people. Yes, there is an investigation, but seems to be going nowhere. Because the prosecutors keep asking for more and more "lingustic analyses" to decide whether there were any racist slogans at the march at all... And they've been 'trying' to decide that for the last 10 months!

This is what PiS has done with this country... :(

[Mechelle]

On a more ironic note, novelist Nancy Crompton-Brophy, who once published an essay on How to Murder Your Husband has now been charged with, er, murdering her husband.


https://news.sky.com/story/romance-novelist-who-wrote-how-to-murder-your-husband-charged-with-murdering-husband-11496236

[Shekinah]

After the whole thing with Serena Williams at the final of the US open was in the media, it turns out she doesn't have a point that there is a double standard and woman are punished harder than men.
Only for coaching women get more fines so in that point she might be right, but the rest there isn't a double standard according to the data.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/14/sports/tennis-fines-men-women.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ftennis&action=click&contentCollection=tennis&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

[Lilias]

Rest in power, Freddie Oversteegen.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/freddie-oversteegen-dutch-resistance-fighter-who-killed-nazis-through-seduction-dies-at-92/2018/09/16/7876eade-b9b7-11e8-a8aa-860695e7f3fc_story.html?utm_term=.8dea6bce8039

[Sara Nilsson]

I know I know, crazies exist everywhere and in the USA you can sue at the drop of a hat.. but..

https://www.theroot.com/white-man-sues-for-minority-business-owner-status-after-1829140478

White Man Sues for Minority Business-Owner Status After DNA Test Shows He's 4 Percent African

I.. what??? I am starting to think I can claim minority status in this country, because I am not a raging idiot.

[Oniya]

I know I know, crazies exist everywhere and in the USA you can sue at the drop of a hat.. but..

https://www.theroot.com/white-man-sues-for-minority-business-owner-status-after-1829140478

I.. what??? I am starting to think I can claim minority status in this country, because I am not a raging idiot.

Gee - you can't apply for tribal membership (Native American) unless you're at least 12.5%, if I remember right.  He's about 2 generations removed from that standard.

[Lustful Bride]

Syrian Air Defense shoots down Russian plane, but Russians place the blame on Israeli jets that were in the area, shadowing the Russian plane.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-blames-israel-after-its-jet-is-downed-off-syria/ar-BBNwQS3?ocid=spartandhp

[Beorning]

Yesterday, the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, visited Trump at the White House. There were talks and a supposedly-important declaration of cooperation was signed. Aaaaaand... here's a photo from the signing that's been making the round over here today:



Yup, the Polish president is *standing* and signs the declaration on the mere corner of Trump's desk...

I don't know: is it indicative of the, uhm, Andrzej Duda's international standing, or Trump's total boorishness?  :o

[Sara Nilsson]

https://www.theroot.com/betsy-devos-tells-students-not-to-be-mean-on-twitter-s-1829146109

Betsy Devos has the fucking balls to tell students not to be mean on twitter... you know.. because her boss is so calm and collected and.. nice. Thankfully some students called her on it and her backtracking was of course terrible.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Yesterday, the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, visited Trump at the White House. There were talks and a supposedly-important declaration of cooperation was signed. Aaaaaand... here's a photo from the signing that's been making the round over here today:



Yup, the Polish president is *standing* and signs the declaration on the mere corner of Trump's desk...

I don't know: is it indicative of the, uhm, Andrzej Duda's international standing, or Trump's total boorishness?  :o

Possibly a little of both, though Trump is a boor and rather rude to nearly everyone.  I recall some sort of international event last year where he pushed past other people to move to the front of the group.  He has a sense of entitlement as large as a football field.

[Valerian]

Possibly a little of both, though Trump is a boor and rather rude to nearly everyone.  I recall some sort of international event last year where he pushed past other people to move to the front of the group.  He has a sense of entitlement as large as a football field.

Yes, that was at the NATO summit, where he pushed past the president of Montenegro to get to the front of the crowd:

"Everybody look at me!"

[Sara Nilsson]

massive trigger warning!!!!

http://www.ktva.com/story/39123509/anchorage-man-pleads-guilty-in-choking-sexual-assault-case

An Anchorage man walked out of court a free man Wednesday after changing his plea in the case of a brazen midday assault in which charging documents say he offered a woman a ride, then strangled her unconscious and masturbated on her.

Anchorage Assistant District Attorney Andrew Grannik said Wednesday that Schneider lost his job working for the federal government as a result of the case, a consequence he called a "life sentence."

Grannik said he agreed to the plea deal based on Schneider's enrollment and progress in a treatment program, and an expert's assessment that the risk of him re-offending is low.

"I hope it doesn't happen," Grannik said. "That's the reason why I made the deal that I've made, because I have reasonable expectations that it will not happen. But I would like the gentleman to be on notice that that is his one pass -- it's not really a pass -- but given the conduct, one might consider that it is."

How in the name of FUCK is this ok?! And people wonder why we don't come forward when this is all that happens. Fucking hell.

[stormwyrm]

3D Printed Gun Activist Cody Wilson charged with Sexual Assault of a Minor

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/business/cody-wilson-3d-guns-sexual-assault.html

Much as I don't particularly like Wilson and his politics (he seems far too rabidly right-wing for my tastes), there seems to be a distressing tendency for these "enemies of the state" to be tarred with sexcrime. Julian Assange, Scott Ritter, etc. The only major one to whom this doesn't seem to have happened appears to be Edward Snowden.

[Skynet]

Reminder that ICE lost track of one and a half thousand migrant children who are still unaccounted for.

The agency first disclosed that it had lost track of 1,475 children late last year, as it came under fire at a Senate hearing in April. Lawmakers had asked HHS officials how they had strengthened child protection policies since it came to light that the agency previously had rolled back safeguards meant to keep Central American children from ending up in the hands of human traffickers.

“The fact that HHS, which placed these unaccompanied minors with sponsors, doesn’t know the whereabouts of nearly 1,500 of them is very troubling,” Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, the panel’s chair, said Wednesday. “Many of these kids are vulnerable to trafficking and abuse, and to not take responsibility for their safety is unacceptable.”

It was right-wingers who were defending family separations in the belief it would help separate kids from sex-traffickers posing as parents.

[Lustful Bride]

Reminder that ICE lost track of one and a half thousand migrant children who are still unaccounted for.

It was right-wingers who were defending family separations in the belief it would help separate kids from sex-traffickers posing as parents.

This enrages me.

In other news...this is terrifying and mysterious. An unknown cropduster plane flew near a school in New Zealand, and deployed its chemical spray. 50 children are recieving medical treatment after showing symptoms that include vomiting.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/plane-sprays-school-with-chemicals-children-treated/ar-AAAqJht?ocid=spartanntp

It could just be an accident, pilot going way off and the wind shifting, but I hope the officials are taking every precaution.

[Synth]

3D Printed Gun Activist Cody Wilson charged with Sexual Assault of a Minor

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/business/cody-wilson-3d-guns-sexual-assault.html

Much as I don't particularly like Wilson and his politics (he seems far too rabidly right-wing for my tastes), there seems to be a distressing tendency for these "enemies of the state" to be tarred with sexcrime. Julian Assange, Scott Ritter, etc. The only major one to whom this doesn't seem to have happened appears to be Edward Snowden.

Maybe it's that. Or maybe there's a pattern in people with certain kinds of behaviour. I'm not asserting that, mind you. I have no data to prove or disprove it. But it merits thinking about.

The only one I know enough about to form any kind of informed opinion is Assange, and he was called a sleaze by many women way before Wikileaks was even a blip on the radar.

[Hades]

Taking a different track in the news, because who doesn't like a bit of....Science!

NASA telescope discovers two planets within first five months of operation

Essentially the replacement for the Kepler Telescope, TESS looks for planets that transit between their host sun and us and seems to be more sensitive to the changes that transition brings.  Which means it can detect smaller planets than Kepler could, meaning finding "super earth" worlds will likely become much more common place.

[Lustful Bride]

Might need some trigger warnings for this one. ITs alittle gruesome.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/it-was-a-suspected-‘birth-tourism’-site-then-came-late-night-screams/ar-AAAt0zd?ocid=spartanntp