tecastigoelcuerpo:

nomellamesfriki:

Decoración de Street Fighter para tu ventilador

cuntchita:

Jesus has spoken

officialschool:

me as a detective

Twin Peaks, Meng-Chai Lai

MarkWhittington (1084047) writes "It turns out that the recent FAA environmental impact statement that seemed to give a stamp of approval for the proposed SpaceX space port in south Texas is not the end of the regulatory process, but the end of the beginning. A story in the Brownsville Herald reminds us that the report has kicked off a 30 day review period after which the FAA can allow SpaceX to apply for a launch license to start work on the Brownsville area launch facility. And that in turn kicks off a 180 day process during which the FAA makes the decision whether or not to grant the required licensing and permits. But even that is not the end of the regulatory hurdles that SpaceX must face before the first Falcon rocket roars into the skies over the Gulf of Mexico. The Longview News-Journal reports that a number of state and federal agencies must give their approval for various aspects of the space port before it becomes operational. For instance, the Texas Department of Transportation must give approval for the movement of utility lines. Environment Texas still opposes the space port since it is close to a wild life reserve and a state park. SpaceX has already agreed to enact measures to minimize the impact the space port would have on the environment, 'such as containing waste materials from the construction and enforcing a speed limit in the control center area.' Environment Texas is not impressed, however. Whether it is disposed to make trouble in the courts is an open question."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Taco Cowboy (5327) writes "A few ancient ticks, some 15-million to 20-million old, trapped inside a piece of amber were bought by a researcher some 25 years ago, in Dominican Republic. Upon examination, he found ancient spirochetes bacterium, a group of rotini-shaped bacteria responsible for many human diseases, in one of the ticks. Although Lyme disease did not exist back then, the spirochetes in the fossil tick probably contributed to the genetic diversity of the 12 or more species of Borrelia that cause Lyme and similar diseases today, says George Poinar. 'Parasites represent at least half of all modern animal species, and that distribution probably held true millions of years ago, too. “In a sense, this [finding] is not surprising since virtually every species on the planet is parasitized,” says Armand Kuris, a parasitologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who was not involved in the study. Evidence of those ancient parasite–host associations is difficult to come by, however. “In terms of finding any kind of physical documentation in the fossil record, that’s really rare — especially for a microbial pathogen,” Kuris says. “That’s what makes this paper just plain interesting.”'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

kartridges:

Gryphon - Radical Dreamers –盗めない宝石– Squaresoft; Satellaview add-on for SFC, 1996.

radical dreamers!

purpletabby:

Amazing carousel dogs by Tim Racer. 

http://www.timracer.com/

Like the carousel carvers of 100 years past, Tim uses basswood and wooden dowels instead of nails that would one day rust.

something-small:

douja:

Lemony Snicket’s short letters for his dead ex-fiancee written in his books “A Series of Unfortunate Events”

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry what is happening.

Locally sourced offerings inspired by the Portland food scene paired with the best craft beers & beverages Oregon has to offer!

submitted by digitalcakes
[link] [2 comments]

Kanye West is renowned for, among other things, his self-confidence. Never shy to let others know how awesome he is, Kanye has gone on record over and over with his high opinion of himself.

USA Today has gone through the archives and compiled some of his most outlandish hubris.

Here are some highlights…

bogging > blogging

	Courtney shared this story from Shakesville:
	Remember that time a few years ago when the not at all blind Blind Item came out about Louis CK locking himself in a hotel room with one of the women from Garfunkel and Oates and forcing her to watch him masturbate and nooooobody wanted to believe it and she dropped it because her career?

---

[Content Note: Description of depicted sexual assault. Misogyny.]

Yesterday afternoon, Kristin Rawls let me know that, in the latest episode of Louie, the titular character, played by the show's creator Louis CK, attempts to rape someone. I read a couple of articles about the episode, and then I watched the episode (and some lead-up episodes) last night.

A couple things to note, by way of background:

• The name of the episode is "Pamela 1," which refers to the character Pamela, played by Pamela Adlon who plays Louie's longtime friend (and also played his wife in his short-lived HBO series Lucky Louie).

• The innocuous description provided in the OnDemand cable listing is, simply: "Louie on the rebound."

• The episode aired on FX with its usual warning (ahem) for mature language. There was no warning for sexual assault or violence.

• Louie is fresh off a relationship with Amia, a woman women with whom he shared no common language, thereby circumventing the inconvenience of having to acknowledge her actual personality instead of the fantasy he imposes on her. Hence his being "on the rebound."

• Several episodes earlier, Pamela had returned to town and asked Louie if he wanted to try a romantic relationship, but he turned her down because he was pursuing a relationship with Amia, even though she had told him she was going to be leaving soon.

The coverage I've read about the episode has mostly been written by people who seem to like the show and are are flummoxed by Louis CK showing an attempted rape, which is played for laughs. As a result, the seriousness of the episode has been largely played down. I'm going to give it as fair and comprehensive description as I can.

When the episode opens, Louie strolls through Amia's now-empty apartment sadly. Later, he gets a text from Pamela, and invites her to meet him in a diner, where he tells her he's ready to give a relationship a try.

Pamela: "Oh, so the thing with that lady, it didn't work out, and now you've come sniffing around me? Is that the basic outline of this thing here?"

Louie: [after a long pause] "Yeah, that's basically it."

Pamela: "Well, sorry. Ticket's no longer available. That ship has sailed. The option is closed."

Louie: "But you said that I got under your skin and that you thinking about us—"

Pamela: "Yeah, that was before, and you didn't bite. The cookie is gone."

Louie: "Jesus. Why are you so mean to me?"

Louie gets a call from his babysitter, who has canceled. He's got two shows that night. Pamela offers to watch his kids while he goes to work. He is very appreciative.

Later, we see Louie doing stand-up, which is described in other articles about this episode as a sort of "pro-woman" set. I'll come back to that.

When Louie gets home, Pamela is asleep on his couch, and he stands over her, looking at her. She sleepily mumbles that she is awake and asks him not to jerk off on her.

Pamela gets up to leave, and Louie stops her from walking out. He grabs her arm and holds her. "Okay, bye-bye now," she says. "BYE BYE." She tells him goodbye with increasing urgency, as he holds her by both arms and turns her around to face him. "I'm really late for not being in here right now," she tells him, trying to wriggle away.

He holds her and tells her to listen, then leans over her and tries to kiss her. "No no no no no," she says, leaning away from him, as he continues to grip her forearms.

"Come on," he says, dragging her across the room. She frees one arm and grabs the corner of a table; Louie drags her, and the table along with her, until she loses her grip. "Just come on," he says, trying to push her through a doorway toward his bedroom. She puts her arms across the open doorway and wedges herself inside. "I don't like that!" she says.

They continue to wrestle, and he tries to lift her t-shirt. "Oh my god," she exclaims. She puts her hand over his mouth as he tries again to kiss her. "This would be rape if you weren't so stupid," she tells him, shoving him away. "God, you can't even rape well."

With a heaving shove, she pushes him to one side and grabs her coat and makes for the front door. He races after her and corners her, literally holding her in the corner at the front door by putting his arms on either side of her. "Hey, listen to me! Listen! Look at me!" he tells her. "Please!"

She turns around toward him, her eyes closed, then the reluctantly looks at him. He towers over her, pointing his finger at her. "You said you wanted to do something with me," he says, "and I don't believe you that the ship has sailed."

She looks at him without responding, and he tells her he sees in her face that she wants to do something with him but can't. She doesn't reply, which he takes as a confirmation (and we are certainly meant to take as a confirmation, too, that he knows better than she does what she really wants). He informs her that because she can't take charge, he's going to.

"I'm going to take control, and I'm gonna make something happen," he tells her. She just looks at him. She looks frightened. We're meant to interpret that as her being frightened of her feelings for Louie, and not frightened that he is trying to rape her.

"You said you wanted to be in a thing!" he says. She says, "Does kissing have to be a part of that, though?" and he tells her it does and informs her he's going to kiss her. "Eww," she says, and turns her head away. "I'm gonna do it," he says. "Hurry up," she tells him. Louie kisses her while she closes her mouth tightly and grimaces.

"Okay," she says, turning away from him into the wall. "Thank you for the that. Okay, bye now." She leaves and closes the door behind her.

Louie clenches his fists and says, "Yes!"

There are a lot of rape culture narratives at work in this scene—the idea that because Pamela wanted something sexual with Louie at one point that she doesn't have the right to rescind that offer; the idea that Louie knows what Pamela wants just by looking at her; the idea that rape isn't really rape if it's a Good Guy just being too aggressive because he's awkward and doesn't know any better; the idea that reluctant women really just need men to take control; the idea that bumbling men can nearly rape someone by accident without realizing what they're doing.

In reactions to the episode I've seen, people are trying to make sense of the attempted rape scene in light of the "pro-woman" stand-up that precedes it. But I think it might be more useful to try to make sense of the actual message of the stand-up in light of the scene of sexual assault.

That is, look at the stand-up material without affording Louis CK the benefit of the doubt that he's definitely a Good Guy about women—something no one should be inclined to do, if they've really listened to him instead of hearing what they want to hear, because they don't want to not like him.

In one part of the set, Louie shares his theory that women once ruled the world:

I think that, uh, I think that we made god a man because we wanted men to be in charge, so it made sense. 'Cause it doesn't make sense that men are in charge. It makes sense that women would be in charge.

Because your mom is the first person who takes care of you, so how— It just makes sense that mothers would run the world. And, uh, it's the opposite—so we have this weird system of, uh, you know, men being— It's kinda upside down.

And I think the reason is 'cause women were in charge, a long time ago, and they were really mean. They were horrible, and they would—you had to walk around naked and they'd flick your penis and laugh at ya. So we're so scared of them! And then finally one guy punched a woman and she was like, "Wahhhh!" and he was like, "We can hit them!" and then that was it! That was it.

The set is not actually as feminist as people seem to think it is—or want it to be.

Women once ruled—but were mean to men so men punished them with violence.

Let us now recall the scene in the diner, in which Louie asks Pamela, "Why are you so mean to me?" Louie is frustrated that she won't acquiesce to his request to start a "boy-girl thing" with him, and he justifies his use of force by saying he's taking control because it's "obvious" she wants more.

But is that it? Is that all? Or are we looking at a man using violence against a woman because she is in control and being mean?

I am continually amazed by people's willing refusal to hear what Louis CK is telling them.

[Previously: Louie & Fat Girls.]

Thomas Kinkade’s death shocked his legions of fans — not only had the Painter of Light died at 54, but the cause was alcohol and Valium. How did the Evangelical Darling fall so far?

Swiss designer Soleil Zumbrunn has created a glitchy, visually striking remix of the classic playing card in her fantastic Glitch Playing Cards. The cards will be available in a full deck and will be printed by the United States Playing Card Company (manufacturer of Bicycle cards). She’s pre-selling the cards on Kickstarter.

images by Soleil Zumbrunn

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

World Cup sponsors have taken note of FIFA's investigation into alleged corruption in the Qatar World Cup bid, while FIFA may consider human rights in future bids.

The fallout from The Sunday Times' reports on how Mohamed bin Hammam allegedly bribed voters to win Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup has continued on two fronts. The first is the alleged corruption, with World Cup sponsors saying that they are watching FIFA's investigation closely. The other is related to Qatar's horrific human rights record, with FIFA taking steps to make human rights a consideration in future World Cup bidding, according to the Guardian.

The Sunday Times has reported that bin Hammam paid over $5 million to win Qatar the World Cup, primarily focusing on winning the African votes, then spending another $1.7 million to bribe officials and win Asian votes. The Qatar organizing committee has said that bin Hammam, a Qatari who was the president of the Asian Football Confederation and a FIFA executive committee member before being expelled from FIFA, was not a part of their bid committee and, if he did anything, did so independently.

Now adidas, Sony and Visa, all primary FIFA sponsors with a very visible presence at all FIFA events, have said that they are keeping a close eye on the FIFA investigation being conducted by former U.S. prosecutor Michael Garcia.

Sony went as far as to demand an "appropriate investigation," while Visa said that they expect FIFA to take "appropriate actions to respond to the report and its recommendations."

adidas' statement read: "The negative tenor of the public debate around FIFA at the moment is neither good for football nor for FIFA and its partners."

FIFA has six primary sponsors who combine to pay FIFA roughly $180 million annually. Emirates Airlines, Hyundai/Kia and Coca-Cola are the three others, none of whom have commented.

Many people in FIFA, including president Sepp Blatter, have said that if any wrongdoing is found whatsoever, FIFA must conduct a re-vote. The results of Garcia's report are supposed to be presented to FIFA in a late July meeting.

Aside from the allegations that Qatar offered bribes to win the right to host the World Cup, there are concerns about their human rights record and whether it is right to reward such a country with the world's biggest sporting event. To this point, FIFA has not considered human rights in its World Cup bid process, but they say that could change going forward.

FIFA are drawing up new bidding rules that will demand voters consider a country's human rights record when awarding the right to host the World Cup, according to the Guardian. Those rules, if adopted, would go into effect in bidding for the 2026 World Cup or if there is a re-vote for 2022.

The International Trade Union Confederation has said that 1,000 workers have died already building infrastructure for the World Cup and that "kafala," the system that governs workers in Qatar, is "a form of modern day slavery."

morebuildingsandfood:

Meat from Captain Commando, by Capcom.

(arcade - 1991)

Cat on a boat. This is not a drill.

McCovey Cove, lurking behind the right-field wall of AT&T Park in San Francisco, has been well-known for its aquatic citizens ever since the days of Barry Bonds. But the newest citizen of McCovey Cove is A PRECIOUS LITTLE FURFACE YES HE ISSSSSS.

Your browser does not support iframes.

DAWWWWW MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS SUCH A NOBLE PRETTY BOY.

*scribbles signature as "Mrs. Bill Hanstock-Adorable-Bengal-Cat" 100 times in spiral binder*

In order to deliver a Super Bowl, the NFL wants free luxury hotel rooms, police escorts and tax exemption from the host city. A leaked report reveals the league's 153 pages of requests for the 2018 Super Bowl in Minneapolis.

Two years ago, the Minnesota State Legislature and the city of Minneapolis were ready to walk away from a plan to provide approximately $500 million to Vikings owner Zygi Wilf to pay more than half the costs a new stadium. It took a veiled threat to move the team to Los Angeles and a dramatic last-minute lobbying campaign from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but the will of a few people prevailed.  The Vikings got their stadium and eventually the 2018 Super Bowl. Now, the NFL has a few demands of its own, 153 pages worth of them.

Minneapolis and the two other finalists for the 2018 Super Bowl were presented a list of demands by the NFL prior to voting on which city would get the big game, a list the Minneapolis Star Tribune was able to get a copy of along with confirmation that the city agreed to meet a "majority" of the league's demands.

Ranging from police escorts to billboards, the NFL's requirements turn the city into one giant green room for league executives and billionaire team owners.

What the NFL wants

• Free police escorts for team owners
• Use of Presidential suites at the city's top hotels at no-cost
• 35,000 free parking spaces
• All revenue from ticket sales to the game
• Free curbside parking at the NFL House, a "high-end, exclusive drop-in hospitality facility for our most valued and influential guests to meet, unwind, network and conduct business."
• Local police dedicated to anti-counterfeit enforcement, provided at no cost
• Installation of ATM machines at the stadium that accept NFL preferred credit and debit cards, along with the removal of ATMs that "conflict with preferred payment services."
• Two top quality bowling venues for an NFL celebrity bowling event
• Portable cell phone towers
• Free promotional space from local newspapers and radio stations for the "NFL Experience" in the month before the game
• Creation of "clean zones" around the stadium and the hotel for NFL execs that prevent "certain activities" as well as suspend new and existing permits for those activities
• Free access to three top golf courses in the months before the game
• Exemption from state, county and municipal taxes

Top secret

A member of the Minneapolis host committee told the Star Tribune that the group had agreed to most of the demands. They did not specify which demands.

An official with the airport told the paper that they did not agree with a request for the NFL to select vendors to sell official Super Bowl merchandise and place additional kiosks in the facility.

"We haven't seen the bid, so we don't know what was agreed to," the Mayor's office said in a statement to the Star Tribune. The public may never know exactly what the committee agreed to give the NFL in exchange for the game. An attorney with the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority said that state law protects the privacy of the city's agreement with the league. Requests and documentation from entities wanting to use sports facilities, along with the response from the authority, can be kept private. The information can only be made public when the event takes place or five years after the agreement to reserve the facility.

Economic windfall?

The Minneapolis City Council president defended the process in the article, citing the competitive nature of the bidding process and the economic impact of hosting the game. It's the same argument the NFL used to woo legislators who had briefly abandoned plans to help fund the new Vikings stadium in May 2012. However, research says those claims don't measure up to the lofty promises from the league.

Host committees and the NFL promise as much as $600 million in economic benefits when the Super Bowl comes to town. Robert Baade, an economics professor at Lake Forest College, says the actual benefit ranges from $30 million to $90 million. In another estimate, Webster University economics professor Pat Rishe told Bloomberg that the benefit realized from the 2011 Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium was between $125 and $174 million, a bigger number than Baade's but still far off the mark from what bowl benefactors claim.

Why the disparity between promised and actual economic benefits? One reason are the hidden costs to city, stemming in part from the league's list of requests. The Super Bowl also elbows out other events that could take place during that time.

The NFL is perhaps the most profitable of any professional sport in America thanks to its tremendous, seemingly inexhaustible popularity. The league brings in roughly $7 billion a year from national television deals. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf is worth an estimated $1.3 billion. The league paid Commissioner Roger Goodell a $35.1 million salary in 2013.

The league gets a generous helping hand from government at all levels. Since 1997, the league's teams have received more than $5 billion in taxpayer money for building and renovating stadiums. Antitrust exemption that allows the NFL to operate as a monopoly. Its nonprofit status saves the league millions in taxes.

Given the NFL's special treatment, what's a few bowling alleys, luxury hotel rooms and police escorts?

Read the NFL's complete list of requests here.

Courtney shared this story from Super Opinionated.

---

Courtney shared this story from Super Opinionated.

---

djempirical

That’s the name you went with?

Original Source

Welcome to the modern equivalent of a book burning. The principal of Booker T Washington High in Pensacola Florida has apparently cancelled the school's "One School/One Book" summer reading program all in an effort to block students from reading Cory Doctorow's (absolutely fantastic) book Little Brother. It appears he may be against the fact that one of the messages of the book is the importance of "questioning authority," and has decided to show the school what true, obnoxious authoritarianism looks like.

Original Source

hodad

#ammosexuality

Original Source