What's in the news?

[Oniya]

In the words of Bette Midler:  Boy!  That'd be some fire!

[Lustful Bride]

A recent discovery has revealed something startling. Isis had the components to craft a dirty bomb.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/how-isis-nearly-stumbled-on-the-ingredients-for-a-%e2%80%98dirty-bomb%e2%80%99/ar-AAoC01C?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

Thank god IS didn't actually have the capability to build anything with it, yet, and the city was retaken before they could try and test it.

[Lustful Bride]

I swear Duterte is trying to outcrazy even trump.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/philippines%e2%80%99-duterte-vows-not-to-come-to-the-us-%e2%80%98i%e2%80%99ve-seen-america-and-it%e2%80%99s-lousy%e2%80%99/ar-AAoBa3o?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[gaggedLouise]

Th Polish president has listened to the nationwide protests, and vetoes the highly problematic law that would give the cabinet the right to appoint and unseat any supreme court judges as they'd wish. :)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/24/poland-president-to-veto-controversial-laws-amid-protests

[Beorning]

Th Polish president has listened to the nationwide protests, and vetoes the highly problematic law that would give the cabinet the right to appoint and unseat any supreme court judges as they'd wish. :)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/24/poland-president-to-veto-controversial-laws-amid-protests

Specifically, Polish president has vetoed (or, to be even more precise, promised to veto) two of the three judiciary bills voted through by PiS. The bills he vetoed are the one that would disband the current Supreme Court and the one that would put the National Judiciary Council under the control of the parliamentary majority. He did *not* veto the third bill which puts ordinary courts under the control of the Minister of Justice - and that bill is also very dangerous, as well as unconstitutional.

Anyway - a surprising move by the President. Some people are saying that this is all some kind of pre-planned intrigue masterminded by Kaczyński, but personally? I don't feel it's the case. There was too much of scrambling around by high ranking PiS politicians today. They really seem to be surprised.

If we're lucky, all of this means that the President is trying to break free of Kaczyński's grasp (he's been a total puppet until now) and we're going to get some sort of inner conflict inside PiS. Which, hopefully, would lead to the current government falling apart and new elections.

BTW. Funny thing: the President and the Prime Minister have both made TV addresses to the nation today. At the exact same time So, on one TV channel we had the President explaining that he had to veto the unconsitutional and possibly dangerous bills... and on the other channel, at same time, we had the PM claiming that she wouldn't be giving up, that the judges are causing harm to ordinary citizens etc. It really does feel like some sort of "war at the top" might be starting...

[Lustful Bride]

in retaliation to the sanctions, Russia orders out US diplomats.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-orders-out-us-diplomats-in-sanctions-retaliation/ar-AAoXmTt?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[TheGlyphstone]

So the bill is officially punishing Russia for meddling in our elections. The meddling Trump still denies happens. And he might veto it because it doesn't punish them enough for the things they didn't do.

I need to go re-read some Kafka. The world will make sense again afterwards.

[Oniya]

The bill also addresses the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 - maybe T-Rump is still denying the meddling, but thinks we should have been tougher on them for Crimea?

(I'm reaching here.  Gregor Samsa's situation sounds more plausible.)

[RedRose]

I love Uber because I will not pay almost twice as much for an official taxi, but??? https://www.dailydot.com/debug/uber-zombie-ghost-drivers/

[CaptainNexus616]

I love Uber because I will not pay almost twice as much for an official taxi, but??? https://www.dailydot.com/debug/uber-zombie-ghost-drivers/

The things people come up with to make a buck by doing less work...

[Lustful Bride]

North Korea conducts another ICBM test and it appears the new South Korean president is now disillusioned with the prospect of peace with the north.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-korean-icbm-launches-dim-souths-hopes-for-talks/ar-AAp0iMF?ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[gaggedLouise]

North Korea conducts another ICBM test and it appears the new South Korean president is now disillusioned with the prospect of peace with the north.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-korean-icbm-launches-dim-souths-hopes-for-talks/ar-AAp0iMF?ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

*nods* Strangely enough, the early evening tv news here missed the biggest news of the day... 

Another, smaller one: the Orange Order (in Northern Ireland) claims the use of the expression "RIP" is proxy Catholic and un-protestant. When people die, God has already decided what will become of their souls and there is no such thing as a resting interval, one Wallace Thomposnm, secreatry of Evangelical Proetstants in NI, said on the BBC.

Thompson, who also wrote a Facebook post on the issue, said he considered RIP to be a prayer for the dead, which he did not encourage.

“From a Protestant point of view, we believe that ... when death comes a person either goes to be with Christ for all eternity, or into hell ... that’s what we believe the gospel to be. In this 500th year of the reformation I think [Martin] Luther, when the scales fell off his eyes, I think he realised it was all by faith alone, in Christ alone, that ... when death comes that decision [on whether you go to heaven or hell] has been made and no decisions are made after death,” said Thompson

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/29/orange-order-protestants-told-not-to-use-rip-as-it-is-catholic-superstition

[Lustful Bride]

Two newborns left orphans as their mother dies on the same day as their father's funeral. 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/newborn-twins-and-daughter-orphaned-after-mother-dies-the-same-day-as-their-fathers-funeral/ar-AAp1qz9?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

At least the grandparents have a chance to raise them so they aren't alone.

[Lustful Bride]

Australian Police foil plot to bring down a plane.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/police-disrupt-plot-in-australia-to-bring-down-an-airplane/ar-AAp1IyR?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[Lustful Bride]

Saudi Arabia says Quatar's call for internationalization of holy sites 'a declaration of war'

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/saudi-arabia-says-calls-for-internationalization-of-holy-sites-a-declaration-of-war/ar-AAp51VR?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[Lustful Bride]

The fight to legalize marijuana has opened up new problems for law enforcement due to the divide between states where it is legal and those where it is illegal.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/marijuana-smuggling-persists-despite-legalization/ar-AAp8PWh?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[Sara Nilsson]

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-joe-arpaio-verdict-20170706-story.html

Joe Arpaio the so called toughest sheriff is found guilty of criminal contempt and could serve up to 6 months in jail.

That almost made me smile :)

[Callie Del Noire]

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-joe-arpaio-verdict-20170706-story.html

Joe Arpaio the so called toughest sheriff is found guilty of criminal contempt and could serve up to 6 months in jail.

That almost made me smile :)

This is a long long long time in coming. While I get being hard on criminals, he has done some awesomely shady things over the years that were clearly illegal.

[RedRose]

Not exactly news, but fantastic! http://www.newsweek.com/female-dragon-flies-fake-death-avoid-sex-evolution-591494

[Sara Nilsson]

Not exactly news, but fantastic! http://www.newsweek.com/female-dragon-flies-fake-death-avoid-sex-evolution-591494

And most women said, "why didn't I think of that"

[Lustful Bride]

Unrest in Venezuela after opposition leaders against Nicolas Maduro were pulled out of their homes in the night by Venezuelan Intelligence Services.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/01/americas/venezuela-election-unrest/index.html

[Lustful Bride]

Police officer killed the same day he walked his son to the first day of kindergaden. :(

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/police-officer-killed-in-the-line-of-duty-after-walking-his-son-to-first-day-of-kindergarten/ar-AApbYq6?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[Sara Nilsson]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40806862

"Montreal is temporarily opening its Olympic Stadium as a shelter to host a sudden increase in asylum seekers arriving from the US.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been under pressure to do more to secure the border amid concerns about the influx."

So. we will have a wall towards mexico and canada will have a wall towards us?

[Orval Wintermute]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40806862

So. we will have a wall towards mexico and canada will have a wall towards us?

..and Canada will make the US pay for it.

Sudden inspired thought - If Canada contracts the work out exclusively to Mexican firms. Then Mexico pays the US. The US pays Canada. Canada pays Mexico. Thousands of jobs are created along with two walls but nobody actually pays for any of it.

[TheGlyphstone]

Muslim family goes to McDonalds in Arkansas, orders 14 McChicken sandwiches. Get home, find pieces of bacon hidden inside all 14 sandwiches.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/08/04/muslim-family-says-mcdonalds-intentionally-served-them-bacon-14-mcchicken-sandwiches/539319001/