Not worthy of a thread News

[Jorge]

Yeah. My Facebook News Feed is sharply divided between people praising him and mourning, versus people cheering for his death and dancing on his grave.

[Norah]

Yeah. My Facebook News Feed is sharply divided between people praising him and mourning, versus people cheering for his death and dancing on his grave.

Yeah, but you're Mexican.

[Jorge]

Yeah. My Facebook News Feed is sharply divided between people praising him and mourning, versus people cheering for his death and dancing on his grave.

Yeah, but you're Mexican.

BigWrigg-level comedy

[Norah]

Yeah. My Facebook News Feed is sharply divided between people praising him and mourning, versus people cheering for his death and dancing on his grave.

Yeah, but you're Mexican.

BigWrigg-level comedy

I didn't post a picture of a sombrero.

[nyquillyn]

One thing that has come to light with the death of Chavez is that I know dick about the countries south of the U.S. I'm always banging on about multiculturalism with my kids, yet know nothing about Central and South America and very little about Mexico.

[simple schoolboy]

He had majority support up to his death, right?

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

[Bob Loblaw]

So how about those Chinese pigs?

[E.H. Ruddock]

So how about those Chinese pigs?

What is up with that?

[E.H. Ruddock]

There's a new Pope.

[KurtLeon]

There's a new Pope.

He is from Argentina.
Are we getting a St. Maradonna soon?

[simple schoolboy]

Australian parlimentary politics: how do they work!?

[Birds in Hell]

Australian parlimentary politics: how do they work!?

Ha, what a weird day.

I swear, Tony Abbott must spring out of bed every morning thinking he's the luckiest motherfucker on the planet. He doesn't even have to do anything and the government is tearing itself apart!

[simple schoolboy]

I didn't want to demean Australia, I just don't know if there's a relevant thread. What aboot this Julia Gillard business? Did she loose a vote of confidence and no one challenged or something? How did this go down?

[Birds in Hell]

Well, there's been mounting tension about her leadership this week. In truth, for the last three years, but this week especially. Simon Crean, one of her ministers (and a former leader of the party), called a press conference this morning and said that enough was enough, they need to hold a ballot for the leadership (on the presumption that deposed former PM Kevin Rudd would challenge and win.)

Five minutes before the ballot was to be held, Rudd announced he wouldn't nominate, Gillard won by default and absolutely nothing was resolved. Tony Abbott, the leader of the opposition Liberal Party, did move a no confidence motion in parliament today but it was really just a bit of theatrics and didn't pass. Oh, and Crean was demoted and lost his ministry for disloyalty (which is kind of a pisser, since he was one of the more competent members of her team.)

[simple schoolboy]

Thanks for the overview. Parlimentary governance is all kinds of fun, eh? Our legislators complain about losing committee positions. Whiners.

[nyquillyn]

This state continues to be an embarrassment.

Arizona moves to restrict transgender bathroom use

By Bob Christie
The Associated Press

PHOENIX - An Arizona House panel late Wednesday approved a measure targeting transgendered people who want to use bathrooms of the gender they identify with, voting along party lines to advance a bill that protects business owners who bar the practice.

The 7-4 vote concluded an hours-long parade of transgendered and straight people who tried to persuade the panel to oppose Appropriations Committee chairman Rep. John Kavanagh's bill. The crowd broke out in chants of "shame, shame, shame" as the vote on the bill sponsored by the conservative Republican passed.

Kavanagh had radically altered the bill after being faced with an outcry from advocacy groups, but that wasn't enough to keep about 200 opponents from attending a nearly 7-hour long hearing that concluded with several hours of testimony on the bill.

"My bill is not about depriving somebody of civil rights," Kavanagh told CBS affiliate KPHO. "My bill is about restoring civility in public baths, public showers, public dressing rooms."

The original bill would have made it a crime for a transgendered person to use a bathroom other than his or her birth sex. The new bill instead seeks to shield businesses from civil or criminal liability if they ban people from restrooms that don't match their birth sex.

It was prompted by the recent passage of a Phoenix anti-discrimination ordinance that social conservatives said prevented businesses from keeping transgendered people out of locker rooms, showers and bathrooms. Kavanagh said it would subject businesses to criminal charges and expose little children to "naked men in women's locker rooms and showers,"

But the parade of witnesses Wednesday, many transgendered, said that was not only fear-based but just flat-out wrong.

"Search as you might there is not enough evidence that there is any risk in allowing a person with gender identity to use a restroom of their choice," said Claire Swinford, a Tucson resident who was born a man but identifies and dresses as a woman.

In fact, she said, being dressed as a woman actually puts her at physical risk from being attacked by a man while trying to use a men's restroom.

"What your bill attempts to do is sacrifice my personal safety for somebody else's sense of discomfort."

Patty Medway, a transgendered woman who was born a man, said she's been using female bathrooms for years without a problem. She called on Kavanagh to back away from his effort.

"I've been using washrooms for 15 years and I don't want to be discriminated against, and I'm scared to go to a male washroom," she said.

Maureen Robinson, a Tucson woman, called barring transgendered people from using bathrooms silly.

"It has been a non-issue, it will continue to be a non-issue, unless this bill becomes law," she said.

But Kavanagh, backed by the six other Republicans on the bill, quickly advanced the bill anyway. It now goes to the full House for consideration after a routine review.

Only one person testified in favor of the bill. He said the Phoenix ordinance trampled on the rights the business community.

"I don't believe that the opposing side should be able to impose their views on others," said Nohl Rosen, a Phoenix small business owner. "The way I feel, this is just the liberal left forcing their views on the rest of us"

Democrats on the panel all voted against advancing the bill, which one called "over the top."

"Frankly. I think this is an embarrassment to our state,' said Rep. Stefanie Mach of Tucson.

Kavanagh began the hearing by telling the crowd his original bill went too far, and that he had completely re-written it after hearing criticism, including some from his own caucus in the House.

"What I'm doing is pre-empting these cities from prosecuting businesses that say they want separate (facilities)," he said. "I'm basically resetting the clock to before Phoenix passed the law."

[Electromatic]

I'll take completely unnecessary government legislation for 1000 Alex.

I honestly can't beleive that there are so many people in the world who vote use the police power of government to force a set of social mores on others.

[BurtReynolds]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -dogs.html

Man gets shock of his life when he buys two toy poodles for $150 only to be told by a vet that they are actually GIANT RODENTS pumped up with steroids to look like dogs

[simple schoolboy]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2305310/Man-gets-shock-life-buys-toy-poodles-150-told-vet-actually-GIANT-RATS-pumped-steroids-look-like-dogs.html

Man gets shock of his life when he buys two toy poodles for $150 only to be told by a vet that they are actually GIANT RODENTS pumped up with steroids to look like dogs

Maybe don't get a breed that is almost indistinguishable from rats. Most domesticated rats I've met have been preferrable to small dogs.

[Jorge]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2305310/Man-gets-shock-life-buys-toy-poodles-150-told-vet-actually-GIANT-RATS-pumped-steroids-look-like-dogs.html

Man gets shock of his life when he buys two toy poodles for $150 only to be told by a vet that they are actually GIANT RODENTS pumped up with steroids to look like dogs

Haaaaaaaaahahahahaha