What's in the news?

Started by Beorning, September 21, 2014, 07:02:11 AM

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Missy

Quote from: Cassandra LeMay on August 27, 2016, 01:32:08 PM
At the risk of coming across as pedantic, but there is no such thing as an "opinion editorial" (would be rather tautological anyway). That's a common misreading of "op-ed", which actually stands for "printed opposite the editorial page". I know it sounds a bit like splitting hairs, but it can be useful to distinguish what actually is an official expression of a paper's editorial board's stance and what isn't.

That said, this sure was a major mistake that shouldn't have happened in any mass-circulation paper that has some self-respect.

It's fine, I really meant more the difference between representing facts and making your argument and bending facts to meet your argument. More or less if that makes sense.

It doesn't surprise me it's a real problem.

Missy

Quote from: Lustful Bride on August 27, 2016, 02:51:52 PM
North Korea threatens to fire at search lights of US and SK forces at the DMZ.

Which will be what they say if troopers on the allied side get 'accidentally' shot.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/n-korea-threatens-to-fire-at-us-s-korea-troops-lights/ar-BBw75HU?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

News about North Korea just makes me frustrated.

Lustful Bride

Quote from: Missy on August 27, 2016, 04:32:47 PM
News about North Korea just makes me frustrated.

I can hear my grandfather turning in his grave. (Korean war vet)

"We must finish the job girl, dont you understand!?"

Cassandra LeMay

Quote from: Lustful Bride on August 27, 2016, 04:34:42 PM
I can hear my grandfather turning in his grave. (Korean war vet)

"We must finish the job girl, dont you understand!?"
Funny thing is that the job has been finished for 60 years now. I know most Americans probably see Korea as a loss, not a win, but the war did accomplish exactly what the UN mandate for the war called for, i.e. kicking the North Koreans out of South Korea and forcing them to retreat to the 38th parallel. That was the goal stated in UN Security Council Resolution 83 and it was (and still is) the outcome of the war. I'd call that mission accomplished.
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Lustful Bride

Quote from: Cassandra LeMay on August 27, 2016, 05:37:05 PM
Funny thing is that the job has been finished for 60 years now. I know most Americans probably see Korea as a loss, not a win, but the war did accomplish exactly what the UN mandate for the war called for, i.e. kicking the North Koreans out of South Korea and forcing them to retreat to the 38th parallel. That was the goal stated in UN Security Council Resolution 83 and it was (and still is) the outcome of the war. I'd call that mission accomplished.

The war is still technically ongoing, no real end of hostilities has come just a long standing armistice/cease fire.

The job is only half done in my own eyes.

gaggedLouise

#4055
The city of Istanbul has inaugurated a new, third bridge across the Bosphorus. Certainly needed in a 14-million people megacity - but I can't help wondering how long it will be before somebody tries to target it with bombs...  :-( There are multiple groups that might like to score a hit and Istanbul has seen several heavy terrorist attacks lately.

Good girl but bad  -- Proud sister of the amazing, blackberry-sweet Violet Girl

Sometimes bound and cuntrolled, sometimes free and easy 

"I'm a pretty good cook, I'm sitting on my groceries.
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Lustful Bride


Lustful Bride


Sara Nilsson

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37215553

Gene Wilder passed away, age 83 :( Now i am all bummed out.

TaintedAndDelish


Facebook fires staff that manages their "Trending News" feature. As a result, the algorithm they used to generate news article goes off the rails and spews out a false story about Megyn Kelly of Fox news and a true story about a (NSFW) man whacking off with a McChicken sandwich.  I've never tried one and as of now, I don't think I ever will. I hope and pray ( to the FSM ) that this never goes viral like the Harlem Shake.

News article from The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/aug/29/facebook-fires-trending-topics-team-algorithm

What's of more interest to me though, is the subject of algorithmically selected or generated news. It raises a few questions for me such as:

* if it's generated by a machine, is it really worth reading?
* Is it possible that one day, computer-automated research and generation of news and other printed literature might prove to be superior to human researched and written material?
* Might this be the end of human journalists?
* How likely is it that computer-generated information and news sources might one day turn against us much like how some human journalists already have. ( ie. propaganda and rhetoric )

On the last point, it sounds a little far fetched for a computer or program to deliberately mislead, but not so far fetched if you think of a news generating machine being influenced ( ie. deliberate fed misinformation ) by an outside actor who wanted to influence the material that it produced.

Skylarblueskys

Colin (freaking) Kaepernick!!!!!

Something amazing has happened in the sports world this week. We all (US ppl and people who follow gymnastics) remember the Gabby Douglas incident at the olympics this year and how she was dragged for hand placement. Well a National Football League QB took a stand by not standing for the national anthem before a game. It's gotten him all kinds of backlash but also his speech was amazing and has brought to light some of the US citizens true feelings. He's lost tons of followers on social media and received a crap ton of threats. But, he's also gotten support and applause. I, for one, am thrilled and applaud him for his bravery.

Oniya

Quote from: Skylarblueskys on August 29, 2016, 06:46:26 PM
Colin (freaking) Kaepernick!!!!!

Something amazing has happened in the sports world this week. We all (US ppl and people who follow gymnastics) remember the Gabby Douglas incident at the olympics this year and how she was dragged for hand placement. Well a National Football League QB took a stand by not standing for the national anthem before a game. It's gotten him all kinds of backlash but also his speech was amazing and has brought to light some of the US citizens true feelings. He's lost tons of followers on social media and received a crap ton of threats. But, he's also gotten support and applause. I, for one, am thrilled and applaud him for his bravery.

'You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag [or an anthem].  The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms.'
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
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I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Lustful Bride

Quote from: Oniya on August 29, 2016, 06:55:56 PM
'You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag [or an anthem].  The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms.'

I dislike flag burning as it is insulting to every soldier who died for that flag.

But they are free to do so if they please. *Internally calling it heresy* :P

Sara Nilsson

As someone said, and I paraphrase.

"You are mad at someone for not standing up during the national anthem to protest the inequalities in the system. But you are not mad at said inequalities."

As a non american I honestly never understood this almost fetish for the national anthem and pledge of allegiance. In sweden sure we stand up when we sing the national anthem but we only do it like.. two or three times a year and no pledge of allegiance. So to me its, meh couldn't care less about it if I tried. It just strikes me as odd that people are sooo up in arms over it and not up in arms over how we treat fellow human beings in this country based on skin, ethnicity, gender identity or sexuality.

Oniya

The quote I posted is from a Michael Douglas movie called 'The American President' (my addition in brackets).  One of the people I follow on Facebook had a bit to say about the Kaepernick kerfuffle from the point of view of a veteran:

https://www.facebook.com/Stonekettle/posts/1084172264951509
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Lustful Bride

Quote from: Oniya on August 29, 2016, 07:05:58 PM
The quote I posted is from a Michael Douglas movie called 'The American President' (my addition in brackets).  One of the people I follow on Facebook had a bit to say about the Kaepernick kerfuffle from the point of view of a veteran:

https://www.facebook.com/Stonekettle/posts/1084172264951509

Heheh well you've got me there. Though I wasn't complaining about him choosing to sit down, just on the flag burning :P

Lustful Bride


Beguile's Mistress

Quite a few of the Kaepernick responses are interesting, especially the one from Alejandro Villenueva of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He is a former Army Ranger who came to football after his military service and three tours in Afghanistan.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/steelers-tackle-and-former-army-ranger-alejandro-villanueva-discusses-colin-kaepernicks-protest-of-the-national-anthem/ar-AAidCDX?li=BBnb7Kz&OCID=AVRES007


gaggedLouise

The Anthropocene age is here - the group of geologists and geophysicists appointed to take a look at the question have settled for suggesting that a new geological stage took over in the aftermath of WW2. Nuclear tests and nuclear plants, carbon dioxide rise in the atmosphere, the massive use of plastic and the growth of big cities and their motorways and railways would help define a new epoch.

If the proposal goes through with the body of people responsible for calibrating the geological timescale (seems likely, at this point) the new epoch will be written into the charts in a few years time. Marking the end of the Holocene, which had lasted since the end of the latest big glaciation.

Big news, indeed.

Good girl but bad  -- Proud sister of the amazing, blackberry-sweet Violet Girl

Sometimes bound and cuntrolled, sometimes free and easy 

"I'm a pretty good cook, I'm sitting on my groceries.
Come up to my kitchen, I'll show you my best recipes"

Lustful Bride

Quote from: gaggedLouise on August 30, 2016, 01:01:31 AM
The Anthropocene age is here - the group of geologists and geophysicists appointed to take a look at the question have settled for suggesting that a new geological stage took over in the aftermath of WW2. Nuclear tests and nuclear plants, carbon dioxide rise in the atmosphere, the massive use of plastic and the growth of big cities and their motorways and railways would help define a new epoch.

If the proposal goes through with the body of people responsible for calibrating the geological timescale (seems likely, at this point) the new epoch will be written into the charts in a few years time. Marking the end of the Holocene, which had lasted since the end of the latest big glaciation.

Big news, indeed.

So is it panic time yet?

gaggedLouise

Quote from: Lustful Bride on August 30, 2016, 01:26:29 AM
So is it panic time yet?

Not really. No need to move New York City, London or Stockholm 100' higher up yet...  ;)

Good girl but bad  -- Proud sister of the amazing, blackberry-sweet Violet Girl

Sometimes bound and cuntrolled, sometimes free and easy 

"I'm a pretty good cook, I'm sitting on my groceries.
Come up to my kitchen, I'll show you my best recipes"

AmberStarfire



Lustful Bride

A Person or Persons in a clown suit has been reported repeatedly trying to lure children away in Greenville South Carolina.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/children-claim-clown-tried-to-lure-them-into-woods/ar-AAidEaY?ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

If you live in that area keep an eye out for anyone suspicious near children.

Renegade Vile

Quote from: Lustful Bride on August 30, 2016, 09:40:54 AM
A Person or Persons in a clown suit has been reported repeatedly trying to lure children away in Greenville South Carolina.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/children-claim-clown-tried-to-lure-them-into-woods/ar-AAidEaY?ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

If you live in that area keep an eye out for anyone suspicious near children.

I have to ask, has anyone -ever-, even when they were kids, not thought clowns are one of the creepiest things ever? If I saw one of them beckon at me with the promise of candy and balloons I'd have wet myself.
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Lustful Bride

Quote from: Renegade Vile on August 30, 2016, 10:05:51 AM
I have to ask, has anyone -ever-, even when they were kids, not thought clowns are one of the creepiest things ever? If I saw one of them beckon at me with the promise of candy and balloons I'd have wet myself.

I am with you there. :P

The movie IT terrified me when I was little and left me afraid of clowns.

'They All Flooooaattt down here.'