What's in the news?

[Nowherewoman]

Something sweet to remind us all we are One America. 


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/%e2%80%98you-belong-stay-strong-be-blessed%e2%80%99-a-texas-man%e2%80%99s-roadside-message-to-muslims/ar-AAkTTY0?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15


hehehe I love how the guy in the cowboy hat looks like Santa Clause :)

I was about to link this. I don't cry often, these days. Seems pointless.  This did it.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Something sweet to remind us all we are One America. 


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/%e2%80%98you-belong-stay-strong-be-blessed%e2%80%99-a-texas-man%e2%80%99s-roadside-message-to-muslims/ar-AAkTTY0?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15


hehehe I love how the guy in the cowboy hat looks like Santa Clause :)

We need hundreds more things like this to begin to balance out the hate being spewed in the name of Trump and begin to overcome it.  Every day some heinous act is perpetrated in his name and far from putting a stop to it he seems to be encouraging it.

[Beguile's Mistress]

‘Tragedy of huge proportions’: Brazilian soccer club’s moment of glory ends in deadly plane crash -- http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/%e2%80%98tragedy-of-huge-proportions%e2%80%99-brazilian-soccer-club%e2%80%99s-moment-of-glory-ends-in-deadly-plane-crash/ar-AAkUGmY?li=BBnb7Kz&OCID=AVRES007

The team was to play Atletico Nacional in the Copa Sudamericana final and Nacional asked that the title be given to Brazil’s Chapecoense soccer club.

[RedRose]

I was actually very surprised to hear that you were allowed to burn an American flag. France certainly punishes it if caught.

[LisztesFerenc]

I was actually very surprised to hear that you were allowed to burn an American flag. France certainly punishes it if caught.

  America takes the concept of freedom more seriously/literally than most European countries. There was an incident where British and American people on twitter were tweeting the name of a rape victim. In Britain they faced jail time since its illegal, but in America there were no legal consequences, because of a more literal approach to the concept of freedom of speech. Another more positive example, Vekseid has previously said that E would not be permissible under any European country's freedom of speech laws, with the possible exception of the Netherlands I think.

[AmberStarfire]

I'm not sure if it counts as news but I found this article quite interesting.

http://themindcircle.com/sealed-bottle-garden-david-latimer/

[Trigon]

Many are continuing to pressure Obama to pardon Edward Snowden before Trump takes the helm (or grant leniency): https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/29/church-committee-leniency-edward-snowden/

Snowden did a great service for us all in revealing the extent that the NSA built up its domestic surveillance network. As things stand, it is about to be handed over to Trump come January...

[AmberStarfire]

Many are continuing to pressure Obama to pardon Edward Snowden before Trump takes the helm: https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/29/church-committee-leniency-edward-snowden/

Snowden did a great service for us all in revealing the extent that the NSA built up its domestic surveillance network. As things stand, it is about to be handed over to Trump come January...

Even if they pardon him, he'll never be safe. Someone will end up knocking him off if he returns. If they pardon him it acts as an incentive for others, so I'd say it's unlikely to happen.

[Lustful Bride]

Even if they pardon him, he'll never be safe. Someone will end up knocking him off if he returns. If they pardon him it acts as an incentive for others, so I'd say it's unlikely to happen.

+1.

I feel sympathetic towards Snowden, but I fear for others that might try to emulate him and give out information that will actually hurt the country instead of illuminating the people.

[Lustful Bride]

So.....apparently Ecstacy is literally being turned to to treat vets with PTSD.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/fda-agrees-to-new-trials-for-ecstasy-as-relief-for-ptsd-patients/ar-AAkVxHI?li=BBnb4R7&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

I dont know how to feel about this. Instead of an increase veteran suicide, we might get an increase in veteran addiction. Since the VA has a bad habit of going "Take these pills and go away" when they actually do manage to treat a vet...once in a blue moon when the stars are right.

[RedRose]

  America takes the concept of freedom more seriously/literally than most European countries. There was an incident where British and American people on twitter were tweeting the name of a rape victim. In Britain they faced jail time since its illegal, but in America there were no legal consequences, because of a more literal approach to the concept of freedom of speech. Another more positive example, Vekseid has previously said that E would not be permissible under any European country's freedom of speech laws, with the possible exception of the Netherlands I think.

I had noticed that in America you can find out about who is a pedophile, even if he went to jail.
I'm curious as to what would be illegal about E?

[Oniya]

I had noticed that in America you can find out about who is a pedophile, even if he went to jail.
I'm curious as to what would be illegal about E?

*glances over at the Extreme and Non-Con sections*

Fun fact.  When a flag has reached the end of its life (i.e., is too worn or faded to be flown respectfully - like those tattered rags hanging off the backs of pickups), the appropriate way to dispose of it is a solemn burial or cremation.  (Cremation is actually preferred).  Your local Veteran's Lodge (VFW in most places) will gladly assist you.

[RedRose]

I had no idea writing non con stories was forbidden, unless it's about real people! Interesting.

[TheGlyphstone]

I had no idea writing non con stories was forbidden, unless it's about real people! Interesting.

The sarcasm is strong, but stuff like interest in perfectly consensual BDSM is the sort of thing that gets used to try and prove 'violent intent' in court; even if it's not illegal itself, if you happened to get caught up in or accused of a different crime somehow, your internet history and/or hard drive can be subpoenaed as evidence. Is this beyond stupid? Sure. Could it happen? Sadly too easily.

[RedRose]

The sarcasm is strong, but stuff like interest in perfectly consensual BDSM is the sort of thing that gets used to try and prove 'violent intent' in court; even if it's not illegal itself, if you happened to get caught up in or accused of a different crime somehow, your internet history and/or hard drive can be subpoenaed as evidence. Is this beyond stupid? Sure. Could it happen? Sadly too easily.

I didn't know either. But from the way people think around me, I'm not that surprised.

[RedRose]

Found while googling the above...

To 40% French people, a rapist's responsibility is lowered if the victim was provocative, and 38% made him not accountable if the victim flirted with him. 36% saw mitigating circumstances if the victim agreed to go to his place alone. For 31%, "being drunk or how they dress", can justify it. W. T. H those stats are really frightening. I have educated female friends who believe in the "asking for it" thing though, so I can't be that surprised?


http://www.msn.com/fr-fr/actualite/monde/pour-plus-dun-europ%c3%a9en-sur-quatre-un-viol-est-parfois-justifi%c3%a9/ar-AAkX5SZ?li=BBoJIji&ocid=iehp

[Oniya]

I had no idea writing non con stories was forbidden, unless it's about real people! Interesting.

Not in all countries, but (for example) in England, there are restrictions on what pornography can depict - including physical restraint (there goes the bondage section), spanking, physical or verbal abuse (regardless of  if consensual), and humiliation.

[Sofia Grace]

I'm curious as to what would be illegal about E?

*glances over at the Extreme and Non-Con sections*

Oni, your reply has me ugly laughing at my desk.

[AmberStarfire]

I wonder if that's part of the reason that Vekseid points out that this is a literary site.

I've seen people say things like 'I'd lose my job over writing this' before but fiction writing should be completely unrelated to work, except in the situation where someone is accessing the site from work or during working hours. Employers seem to be stepping further into their workers' territory though, monitoring what they write on social media outside of working hours. It reminds me a while ago where there were articles about people being asked to hand over their social media passwords in order to be hired for some jobs and because people needed a job to live, they did it.

I think if you looked for it, you could find dubious stuff on almost anyone's hard drive.

[TheGlyphstone]

I didn't know either. But from the way people think around me, I'm not that surprised.

Sorry then, I read your tone wrong.

[Oniya]

I wonder if that's part of the reason that Vekseid points out that this is a literary site.

I've seen people say things like 'I'd lose my job over writing this' before but fiction writing should be completely unrelated to work, except in the situation where someone is accessing the site from work or during working hours. Employers seem to be stepping further into their workers' territory though, monitoring what they write on social media outside of working hours. It reminds me a while ago where there were articles about people being asked to hand over their social media passwords in order to be hired for some jobs and because people needed a job to live, they did it.

I think if you looked for it, you could find dubious stuff on almost anyone's hard drive.

Mr. Oniya and I are certain that if either of us dies under mysterious circumstances, the other one is hosed.  And I think if I had an employer ask for my social media password, I'd take the step of making a completely 'scrubbed' account just for them to look at.

[Sofia Grace]

"If I die, delete my browser history". That's what best friends/SOs are for.

[Trigon]

+1.

I feel sympathetic towards Snowden, but I fear for others that might try to emulate him and give out information that will actually hurt the country instead of illuminating the people.

In normal times, I would be inclined to agree with you. Not when we have a fascist at the helm however, where leaks of that kind will actually help rather than harm the nation. Trump still hasn't revealed his tax returns for instance...


Speaking of misinformation, a short article on how to deal with the lies from Trump, and what to expect from the "corporate press", brought to you by the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2016/11/a-reflexive-liar-in-command-guidelines-for-the-media/508832/

[TheGlyphstone]

In normal times, I would be inclined to agree with you. Not when we have a fascist at the helm however, where leaks of that kind will actually help rather than harm the nation. Trump still hasn't revealed his tax returns for instance...


Speaking of misinformation, a short article on how to deal with the lies from Trump, and what to expect from the "corporate press", brought to you by the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2016/11/a-reflexive-liar-in-command-guidelines-for-the-media/508832/

It's unquestionable that we'll need as much unofficial transparency as we can get, since Trump and the GOP in general won't want people knowing what they are up to. But I think LB was saying that there's not a huge gap between being the next Edward Snowden, and wanting to be the next Edward Snowden but ending up causing genuine damage instead. We'll already be on extremely unstable ground as far as foreign affairs go with someone as volatile as Trump at the helm, someone with good intentions letting something sensitive out - I'm thinking closer to the diplomatic cables leaked by Chelsea Manning than the NSA reveals by Snowden.

[Lustful Bride]

It's unquestionable that we'll need as much unofficial transparency as we can get, since Trump and the GOP in general won't want people knowing what they are up to. But I think LB was saying that there's not a huge gap between being the next Edward Snowden, and wanting to be the next Edward Snowden but ending up causing genuine damage instead. We'll already be on extremely unstable ground as far as foreign affairs go with someone as volatile as Trump at the helm, someone with good intentions letting something sensitive out - I'm thinking closer to the diplomatic cables leaked by Chelsea Manning than the NSA reveals by Snowden.

Glyph said it better than I did.