What's in the News? 2.0

[Sara Nilsson]

https://gizmodo.com/officials-warn-that-midnight-audience-for-avengers-end-1834454671

A woman with measels (she didn't know) went to a packed showing of Avengers Endgame and possibly infecting quite a lot of people.

[Mechelle]

In British politics, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has been unceremoniously sacked by Theresa May for breaking the Official Secrets Act in leaking confidential information from the National Security Council meeting concerning security fears about the Chinese company Huawei.

Nothing like this has happened since the Profumo scandal in 1962. He strenously denies the allegations and says he would welcome a criminal charge to prove his innocence, but May seems to think that his sacking will be enough.

Williamson is nicknamed Private Pike after the naive, incompetent soldier in "Dad's Army" and is famous for keeping a pet tarantula in his office to intimidate visitors. Somehow, details of the private meeting between him and Theresa May, when he was accysed of leaking this information, have leaked out...

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2019/may/02/mps-to-debate-gavin-williamsons-sacking-after-speaker-grants-urgent-question-to-labour-live-news

[Tolvo]

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/05/01/prolific-alt-right-propagandists-identity-confirmed

Hatewatch has done a look into one of the leading Alt Right figures, his long history of ties with Nazi organization, violence, harassment, and bigotry. Trigger warning for basically everything, mentions Pizza Gate, Pedophilia, violence, rape, all sorts of slurs he and others use. It's an important deep look into who he actually is, his contributions to the Daily Stormer, etc. His involvement in some of the many book burnings that go on in the USA.

[Sara Nilsson]

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48142765

Peter Mayhew died, age 74.

Rest in peace Chewie

[Oniya]

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-48142765

Peter Mayhew died, age 74.

Rest in peace Chewie

*sad wookie noises*

[Lilias]

That's the third one of the long-standing cast to pass away in recent years, after Kenny Baker (R2D2) and Carrie Fisher. I hate the prospect of having to psych myself up for more similar news. :'(

[Yukina]

*sad wookie noises*

*sad wookie chorus*

[Lustful Bride]

United States accuses China of placing Muslim Minorities into concentration camps.

Even though they are really reeducation camps, the stories of those who managed to escape are still horrific. Deprivation of food. Constant propaganda. Inhumane conditions. Families threatened with arrest or worse if they do not renounce Islam and write letters of praise about the ruling communist party.

History repeats itself with new actors.

[Regina Minx]

It turns out that Russian trolls participated in spreading anti-vaccine propaganda, possibly contributing to recent measles outbreaks.

Are you telling me that Russian trolls helped promote a devastating disease that could weaken the US? And also measles?

[Lustful Bride]

It turns out that Russian trolls participated in spreading anti-vaccine propaganda, possibly contributing to recent measles outbreaks.

Are you telling me that Russian trolls helped promote a devastating disease that could weaken the US? And also measles?

Why not? They helped get a talking toupe elected, they are employing a tactic of supporting white supremacists like they did back in the Civil Rights movement to continue to sow disorder, Putin used to be a specialist in Destabilization back in his KGB days, their tactic is working so why not continue to weaken a rival however they can?

The only real sad part is how weak we are to it and how easily we let others pull our puppet strings and turn us against one another, turn us away from centuries of scientific research and do it all with a smile.

[Callie Del Noire]

It turns out that Russian trolls participated in spreading anti-vaccine propaganda, possibly contributing to recent measles outbreaks.

Are you telling me that Russian trolls helped promote a devastating disease that could weaken the US? And also measles?

It’s a divisive subject. So yeah they’d use it. Why not

[Kitteredge]

It turns out that Russian trolls participated in spreading anti-vaccine propaganda, possibly contributing to recent measles outbreaks.

Are you telling me that Russian trolls helped promote a devastating disease that could weaken the US? And also measles?

Yes, Trump and also measles.  ;D

[Regina Minx]

Yes, Trump and also measles.  ;D

*fistbumps Kitteredge*

[Oniya]

Doesn't this go against the Geneva Convention against using bio-weapons?  At least, I'm fairly sure both are biological in nature...

[Skynet]

The President of the United States retweeted an InfoWars conspiracy theorist and a white nationalist who tried to get people killed out at sea.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

While their tweets in question were complained about the rights of corporations to ban people from their private platforms (something conservatives are usually in favor of), Paul Joseph Watson is one of the more prolific channels affiliated with Alex Jones who makes a lot of videos alleging to some extent how "the left" is destroying society. He also tends to indirectly quote and plagiarize white nationalist sources himself, but is more subtle than Lauren Southern.

Lauren Southern is notable for creating a YouTube video by the name of The Great Replacement, which alleges that the immigration of non-Caucasian people into Western nations is part of a nefarious plot to outbreed the white race, and used Neo-Nazi sources like Identity Evropa to back up her claims. She was also part of a group which sought to use false signal flares and physically block the passage of rescue boats from saving Syrian refugees trapped out at sea.

[Sara Nilsson]

Companies need to have the right to discriminate as they see fit. Free market people.

We can't have companies discriminate against *us!* That is wrong.

[Skynet]

Companies need to have the right to discriminate as they see fit. Free market people.

We can't have companies discriminate against *us!* That is wrong.

It's ideologically inconsistent, but it's also showing awareness at the increasing monopolization that many huge corporations have over the public square and make profits greater than a lot of third-world countries. Whether it's United Fruit overthrowing governments or encouraging the passing of laws which allow them to get away with paying $0 in taxes, the people sitting in corporate boardrooms are able to manipulate the system to make rules which apply to them and not others, and in some cases can be more prominent and powerful than traditional government agencies. This is why a lot of socialists want the restrictions we have on governments apply to private enterprise as well given this power discrepancy. And in a way this is understandable; even conservatives feel worried about this extreme power.

The problem is that their very ideology goes against it and lead to this type of corporate power in the first place.

[Skynet]

Edit: "...rules which apply to us and not to them," d'oh.

[Lustful Bride]

Beware the One Rung phone call.  Especially if it says seven days. >:)

but seriously it will charge you a lot of money for an international call. These robocalls are getting worse lately.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/one-ring-robocall-scam-targeting-new-york-and-arizona-area-codes-fcc-warns/ar-AAATGaY?ocid=spartandhp

[Lustful Bride]

US Army is choosing to go back to its old WW2 Dress Uniform designs, and I am so happy! In a time when Nazis are prowling the streets, its a wonderful reminder to all of what happened to the original Nazis, and how they were put down.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/to-stand-out-the-army-picks-a-new-uniform-with-a-world-war-ii-look/ar-AAAWewJ?ocid=spartandhp

[gaggedLouise]

US Army is choosing to go back to its old WW2 Dress Uniform designs, and I am so happy! In a time when Nazis are prowling the streets, its a wonderful reminder to all of what happened to the original Nazis, and how they were put down.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/to-stand-out-the-army-picks-a-new-uniform-with-a-world-war-ii-look/ar-AAAWewJ?ocid=spartandhp

:-)

Female soldiers tapped to provide their feedback opted for a long tie and round service cap over the short neck tab and curve-brimmed service cap of the current women’s Army Service Uniform.


They also wanted the jackets to be slightly longer than the original prototype, which hit at the hip bones, and preferred a straight, pencil skirt over a pleated version.

Military knee-length straight pencil skirts (green, khaki, grey or black) never go out of style.  :P

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2017/12/27/new-in-2018-army-decision-coming-on-return-of-pinks-and-greens-uniform/

[gaggedLouise]

Meghan & Harry's kid is out . It's a boy! :)

[Lustful Bride]

Texas mulling over new bill that would allow religious excuse to refuse service to the LGBT, including doctors, pharmacists, electricians and plumbers.


https://www.npr.org/2019/05/06/720060927/business-leaders-oppose-license-to-discriminate-against-lgbt-texans

[Sara Nilsson]

There is no racism in USA anymore.. said many a blind idiot.

https://www.theroot.com/ga-mayor-says-city-is-not-ready-for-black-employee-co-1834564202

The mayor of a nearly all-white Georgia town has come under fire after allegedly acknowledging that she disqualified a candidate for employment because of his race. Meanwhile, her fellow city councilman excused her actions, explaining that interracial relationships are against his religion.

But.. eh.. a guy couldn't get a job because he was black. Because.. the city wasn't ready for that (whatever THAT means) but the "best" part is when she gets backup.

I’m a Christian and my Christian beliefs are you don’t do interracial marriage. That’s the way I was brought up and that’s the way I believe...I have black friends, I hired black people. But when it comes to all this stuff you see on TV, when you see blacks and whites together, it makes my blood boil because that’s just not the way a Christian is supposed to live.

But he isn't racist bear that in mind. No sirreeee, not racist one bit. Also wtf marriage has to do with a job is.. well anyones guess.

[ShadowFox89]

People will reach for an excuse for their bigotry, simple as that