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31 August, 2016

Australia: Leftist hate speech reprimanded

Labor leader Bill Shorten has been confronted by a preacher imploring him not to describe opponents of same-sex marriages as homophobic.

Mr Shorten was addressing reporters after leaving a parliamentary church service in Canberra on Tuesday when the man asked for a word.

He picked up on a comment the opposition leader made after the Orlando nightclub shooting that the plebiscite campaign would "give haters the chance to come out from under the rock".

"Please don't speak like that about other Australians so we can have a civil and tolerant discussion rather than the hate that's been coming," the man said. "That was disappointing, and I like you and I like the Labor party."

Mr Shorten replied he understood people of faith could be opposed to same-sex marriage. "But some people who object to marriage equality do have homophobic attitudes," he said.

SOURCE




Sexy ads under fire



LINGERIE retailer Bras N Things is embroiled in a storm in a D-cup after it was forced to pull a campaign video down due to its overtly explicit content.

The video, which played in Bras N Things stores, featured 2011 Australia’s Next Model winner Simone Holtznagel and showed her posing in a series of sexual positions — described as “amateur porn” in complaints — where she flaunted the latest Playboy lingerie.

The campaign, which resembles a Playboy ad, also features close ups of Ms Holtznagel’s body wearing the lingerie. [HORROR!]

A series of complaints to the Australian Advertising Standards Bureau forced the retailer to pull the ads, claiming the instore screens were so large, seeing it was “unavoidable”.

“This was in an ordinary public place, with children and families there, why should they be confronted with it in a shopping mall,” read one complaint.

“It was vulgar, unsuitable for the young and simply demeaning for any woman walking past.”

Another read: “They were not merely modelling the underwear, they were moving suggestively, gyrating and looking lasciviously at the camera — like a very amateur porn movie.

Bras N Things declined to make a comment when contacted by news.com.au, but according to the complaint, the retailer received “very little feedback from customers” and “does not feel that it has breached any advertising standards”.

As a matter of “respect” to shopping centres, the video would be replaced with pictures instead in an act of “good faith”.

SOURCE







30 August, 2016

Before Celebrating Gawker’s Demise, Consider This

Forget for a moment the question about whether celebrity sex tapes are “newsworthy.” The real question is whether we want juries determining what is, and what is not “newsworthy.”

In March, a Florida jury awarded Hulk Hogan a plum $140 million in his suit against Gawker.com (Bollea v Gawker). Hogan argued that Gawker’s publication of a sex tape was an invasion of privacy, having no “news” value.

If one verdict can put a media company out of business, this seems very much like a form of arbitrary regulation of the press. As I write, Gawker Media appears to be in financial tailspin. In May, Gawker was denied its motion for a new trial or reduction in damages. Gawker was ultimately forced to declare bankruptcy, and its sale to Univision was quickly approved. Then, on August 18, it was announced that Gawker.com would cease operations.

And there seems to have been little love lost for the tawdry gossip site, which trolled the private lives of celebrities and politicians for over a decade.

The successful suit has already inspired similar legal threats by other another star: Melania Trump, who considers herself to be harmed by “hurtful,” “damaging,” and “false” reporting by other news organizations.

Slippery Slopes

Despite grave anxiety within the media over Bollea’s Constitutional implications, any layman searching for an excuse to celebrate Gawker’s demise need only cite the obligatory canard that not all speech is protected: Because, well, free speech and all that jazz, but you can’t shout fire in a crowded theater!

Then again, those of us who have read Schenck v. United States probably die a little inside every time we hear this tripe. (tl;dr: Charles Schenck never shouted fire in any theater. He was convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 for handing out anti-war pamphlets, encouraging people to oppose the draft and World War I. Oliver Wendell Holmes called this a “clear and present danger,” after wringing his hands about imaginary men shouting fire in imaginary theaters).

While Bollea does not raise the specter of a “clear and present danger,” this “newsworthiness” exception to the First Amendment is proving to be no less arbitrary.

Basically, it appears that once a journalist crosses the Rubicon from “newsworthy” into “sensationalism,” the First Amendment vanishes.

SOURCE

Not sure I agree with the above.  It was a right to privacy that was breached.  The First Amendment does not rule out privacy and most countries do have laws protecting privacy to some degree.  So it is a widely recognized right




Slapping men on the bottom is sexist?

An advert for gym clothes featuring radio personality Hamish Blake and his wife Zoe Foster-Blake has been labelled sexist against men.  Complaints were made to the Australian Advertising Standards Board, but were dismissed earlier this month.

The commercial shows Hamish and Zoe competing in physical challenges while wearing clothing from the popular brand Bonds.

At one point, Zoe pulls down her husband's shorts to reveal a pair of Bonds underwear, before slapping his bottom.

Several complainants alleged the scene portrayed males as 'sexual objects to the viewers'.

'The ad clearly objectifies men and shows how they are sexual objects to the viewers; is this message what we want children and other viewers to think?' read one complaint.

'I feel this is derogatory towards men, also promotes putting down another person,' read another.

SOURCE




29 August, 2016

New twist in the Golliwog saga




A grandmother is selling 'Golly Dolls' in a bid to 'reclaim black heritage' and raise money for charitable causes. Retired midwife Charlotte Nightingale, 65, sells the controversial children's toy at fairs, school fetes, and village shows.

The mother-of-three, who dresses up as a Golly when she sells them, said she had received a widely positive reaction from members of the public and does understand why they have been banned.

She said: 'Three or four years ago I became aware that Gollies were banned because they were offending black people, but that was news to me.

'I'm black. I'm from Ghana and I didn't know this was the case - I thought this is nonsense.

'I could not make sense why a doll which was a children's toy, or a rag doll, is now offensive to black people - and for that reason I chose to use it as a mascot.

'Golly is still loved by millions of people of all shades.'

SOURCE




Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem
   
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has willingly immersed himself into controversy by refusing to stand for the playing of the national anthem in protest of what he deems are wrongdoings against African Americans and minorities in the United States.

His latest refusal to stand for the anthem -- he has done this in at least one other preseason game -- came before the 49ers' preseason loss to Green Bay at Levi's Stadium on Friday night.

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

The 49ers issued a statement about Kaepernick's decision: "The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem."

Niners coach Chip Kelly told reporters Saturday that Kaepernick's decision not to stand during the national anthem is "his right as a citizen" and said "it's not my right to tell him not to do something."

The NFL also released a statement, obtained by NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport: "Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem."

By taking a stand for civil rights, Kaepernick, 28, joins other athletes, like the NBA's Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and several WNBA players in using their platform and status to raise awareness to issues affecting minorities in the U.S.

However, refusal to support the American flag as a means to take a stand has brought incredible backlash before and likely will in this instance. The NBA's Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf of the Denver Nuggets, formerly Chris Jackson before converting to Islam, refused to acknowledge the flag in protest, citing similar reasons as Kaepernick and saying that it conflicted with some of his Islamic beliefs.

Abdul-Rauf drew the ire of fans and was briefly suspended by the NBA before a compromise was worked out between the league and player, who eventually stood with his teammates and coaches at the playing of the national anthem.

Kaepernick said that he is aware of what he is doing and that he knows it will not sit well with a lot of people, including the 49ers. He said that he did not inform the club or anyone affiliated with the team of his intentions to protest the national anthem.

SOURCE

This ungrateful jackass should try making a living playing football anyplace else. All countries have their faults.  Tell me any country where blacks do well. They do way better in the USA than they do in black-run countries



28 August, 2016

An honest bureaucrat in Britain

The chairman of the schools watchdog has finally quit today after he described the Isle of Wight as an inbred, poor, white, crime-filled ghetto.

Ofsted chief David Hoare said the island's school results – among the worst in the country – may be linked to its social problems.

While many go there for 'champagne' holidays, the way ordinary islanders lived was 'shocking', he said, with ghettos 'within inches' of sailing clubs for the rich.

Three weeks after the comments he finally resigned and informed Education Secretary Justine Greening he would quit with immediate effect. 

The former banker apologised three weeks ago after his views were branded ill-judged and insulting, saying he was merely highlighting the problem of low educational standards in coastal towns.

But it appears that this was not enough and he has fallen on his sword.

Mr Hoare made the controversial comments during a speech to teachers at the Teach First conference in Leeds, the Times Educational Supplement reported.

The management consultant, who has a home just across the Solent, said his dinner party guests think of the Isle of Wight as a 'holiday land'. He added: 'But it is shocking. It's a ghetto; there has been inbreeding. There is a mass of crime, drug problems, huge unemployment.'

The Isle of Wight was the second worst local authority when it comes to secondary education and the third worst when it comes to primary education, he said.

But Isle of Wight Council leader Jonathan Bacon said Mr Hoare's comments were an 'insult to the proud and hardworking community'.

'They are ridiculous and disclose a complete lack of knowledge of the Isle of Wight and its education system,' he said.

Mr Bacon said he would complain to Education Secretary Justine Greening.

Out of the 69, 972 households on the Isle of Wight - 4,000 of these are home to single-parent families. Almost two in five of these parents are not in full-time employment.

The island has one area, the ward of Ryde North East, that is listed in the top 10 per cent of the most deprived areas of Britain for a number of concerning factors. It is listed in the most deprived 10 per cent for its crime, income, education and living environment.

SOURCE





WVU Says No He or She, Use Ve

If he’s to be a she and she’s to be a he and it’s they who told you he’s a she who we know to be a he, then when is it right to call he a he and she a she? This is the insane conundrum that incoming students at the University of West Virginia will be having to navigate this year as the university has guaranteed students have “the right be called by the name and pronouns consistent with your gender identity.” Who would have known that pronouns had become so sexist?

The move is reminiscent of the University of Tennessee’s similar directive last year. WVU is basing its latest leftist thought control efforts on the Obama administration’s redefinition of the Title IX prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex. To make it “easier” on students seeking to make this transition in their vocabulary, the university has come up with a guide of “Proper pronoun usage” that swaps out the gender bound pronouns for those who are “non-gendered,” such as “ve”, “ver” and “vis.” The guide also includes this advice, “Some people may not want a lot of public attention to their pronouns, while others will appreciate you standing up for them. If someone uses the wrong pronoun for a person who isn’t present, try a brief correction.”

Why is WVU making this downright ridiculous appeal to its students? Well, it may be more than merely the fanciful desires of a bunch of leftist educators. You see, Obama’s directive on the redefinition of sex in regards to Title IX also contained this ominous warning: “The Departments have resolved Title IX investigations with agreements committing that school staff and contractors will use pronouns and names consistent with a transgender student’s gender identity.” Well, if a school wants to keep its funding, it better toe the line.

In other news, Princeton has banned the word “man.” So there’s that…

SOURCE





27 August, 2016

Blackface furore in Britain



A folk festival has banned Morris dancers from performing with black paint on their faces after complaints that the 500-year-old tradition is racist.

Shrewsbury Folk Festival bosses said people wearing full black face paint would not be booked from next year - although dancers claim it has no racial links and branded it 'PC nonsense'.

This weekend's event will be the last time the popular festival will book Morris dancers using dark make-up.

Community group Fairness, Respect, Equality Shropshire (FRESH) said the ban showed sensitivity 'to a changed social climate'.

But Morris dancers say there were 'no racial connotations' and they had 'never wanted to upset people.'

Festival director Sandra Surtees said they found themselves 'caught between two sides' of the argument.

She added: 'The use of full face black make up is an age old tradition, particularly within Border Morris.

'The Morris movement has always evolved over time and some sides have take their own decisions to move away from using full face black make up to other forms of colour and disguise.

The tradition is known as 'Border Morris' and sees performers wearing a full-face of black makeup in order to disguise themselves, has no racial connotations.

'The festival has never wished to cause offence to any person and as such, from 2017, we will no longer book sides that use full face black make up.

But the decision has sparked public outrage from Morris dancers and Shropshire residents.

Jon Roads said: 'It's terrible that PC nonsense is being used to repress our traditional customs in this way.  'These ancient traditions are at risk of dying out completely. Just disgusting.'

Adrian Pitt added: 'I am disappointed that the organisers are not prepared to tolerate my traditional disguise, which has nothing to do with mimicry of any racial group and doesn't even look like any particular racial group, the evidence of which goes back centuries.'

SOURCE




Blackface furore in Australia



[Black footballer] Nic Naitanui has spoken out after a Perth mother’s Facebook post of her son dressed like the AFL star sparked widespread outrage.

Taking to social media, Naitanui wrote that the kid was “merely attempting to emulate his hero”, saying it “hurts my heart. Especially when that hero is me!”

The original post, made on commentator Constance Hall’s public Facebook page, shows the West Australian mother’s young son dressed as Naitanui — his favourite footy player.

The problem? She painted his skin with head-to-toe brown paint.

The post prompted widespread outrage.

Last night, Adam Briggs, an Indigenous rapper, comedian and actor, slammed the woman in a Facebook post about blackface.

He described it as an “obviously reckless, racist thing to do”, said he “thought it was a set up”, and went on to invalidate a series of common arguments that support blackface.

“She seems to have disappeared now, gone to ground, I hope she stays there for the sake of her son.

SOURCE





26 August, 2016

In Britain, "Paki" is a very bad word but "Sub-continentals" is normally OK.  But not this time, apparently

The senior surgeon clearly had a low opinion of doctors from the Asian sub-continent but he was not being unreasonable in that.  "Overseas trained" doctors in Britain attract four times the rate of official complaints of British doctors.  They often are problem people of low competence. But facts take second place to speech correctness in Britain these days

A leading NHS surgeon is fighting to save his career after being accused of racism when he referred to a group of junior Asian colleagues as 'sub-continent elements'.

Clinical director Peter Hale, 58, claimed three Pakistani doctors and one Indian medic who worked under him were a 'highly egocentric group' and 'their own worst enemy' after they told him they were being treated 'like slaves.'

He also claimed one of them needed 'a good slap'.

The comments were made after a heated discussion about rota changes at a hospital looked after by Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust.

When the Asian doctors left the room following the meeting, Mr Hale offered to place a £50 bet that one would agree to work a particular shift only to then 'fly to Nigeria and that there would be a problem with the plane coming back.'

He also singled out of one of the doctors saying: 'Chill pill? He needs a good slap' adding: 'They accuse me of de-skilling them - but it's inevitable if you behave in this way then you don't get given the things you want.'

Unbeknown to Mr Hale, his unguarded remarks were inadvertently taped after a mobile phone which had been recording the hospital meeting was left switched on.

Mr Hale was subsequently reported to bosses at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust and he was later sacked for gross misconduct.

Investigators claimed the surgeon's remarks could be considered racially discriminatory as he had referred to an Australian colleague as a man who 'never lets you down and will go a mile to make sure he helps.'

The four Asian doctors - Khawaja Zia, Ved Prakash, Vivek Kaul and Christi Swaminathan - subsequently sued the NHS trust for racial discrimination claiming they had been under-paid and under-promoted due to their race and treated as 'slave labour.' They also claimed they had taken offence to Mr Hale using the phrase 'three-line whip' to ask them to come to a meeting but lost their case.

It is understood the trust has spent more than £1.4 million defending employment tribunals involving race relations over the past decade. It is believed the vast majority of these involve a small number of repeat claimants and the trust has lost one.

Today, Mr Hale from Hassocks, West Sussex, faces being banned from practising medicine in Britain altogether after he was referred to the General Medical Council and accused of racial prejudice.

He had been appointed as a troubleshooting head of the gastrointestinal department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in 2011 following concerns the department was over-spending and under-performing.

But the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester was told controversy erupted over rota changes in the department and matters came to a head during a heated staff meeting on December 13, 2013.

The 90-minute meeting on the mobile phone was recorded but after it finished the device was not switched off and it taped Mr Hale as he carried on talking to colleagues in private for another ten minutes.

Counsel for the GMC, Craig Sephton QC told the hearing: 'There is no doubt that the four doctors were vocal and occasionally not as polite as they should have been but on the other hand, they were clearly concerned about their jobs and they had the impression that they had been mistreated.

'Mr Hale failed to show respect, he referred to them as 'sub-continental elements' and 'egocentric groups'. The comments that were made are disrespectful of the people about whom they were made. Whatever you think about somebody, to say that they need a good slap or that they are vile is not respectful, even when you are talking privately.

SOURCE





Comedian Fined $42,000 by Human Rights Tribunal for Telling a Joke

Canadian comedian Mike Ward was fined a whopping $42,000 by Quebec’s Human Rights Tribunal for jokes he made about a disabled boy.

The child, Jérémy Gabriel, who suffers from Treacher Collins Syndrome, is a bit of a national celebrity in Canada after he sung for the pope in 2006 essentially because everyone thought he did not have long to live. Ward’s joke was a rant about how the child was supposed to die, that he “stole a wish” and is unkillable. Sure, not in great taste, but certainly not in violation of the kid’s “human rights.”

His joke was never televised, but after he talked about the bit in an interview, Gabriel’s parents found out and dragged the comedian to the human rights tribunal last month. He fought the fine, but lost in court.

Ward told Spiked that he plans to appeal the decision, and if that fails, will try to bring the case to the Supreme Court. “If I lose that I’ll just move to Syria or Saudi Arabia, or some other country that respects free speech as much as Canada does,” he said.

SOURCE






23 August, 2016

Must not suggest that it is mostly women who do the cooking

She became Britain’s most successful female Olympian of all-time after winning her fourth gold in Rio but Laura Trott was still subjected to casual sexism after her fiance, Jason Kenny, won his sixth gold medal.

Kenny, 28, drew level with Sir Chris Hoy on six golds after a sensational ride in the keirin final at the velodrome.

Trott, 24, made history earlier by becoming the first female Briton to win four gold medals at the Olympics and watched on as fiance Kenny equaled Hoy’s record.

However, Chris Boardman, who won a pursuit gold for Great Britain at the 1992 Olympics, sparked outrage in the aftermath of Kenny’s win, saying: ‘She’s [Trott] doing all the emotion for him – he’s [Kenny] looking at her wondering what’s for tea!’

Boardman quickly attempted to clarify his remarks on Twitter after the race by insisting it had nothing to do with Trott’s gender.

However, that didn’t stop hordes of people taking to Twitter to criticise the 47-year-old for his comments.

SOURCE




Australian university:  You can freely say that conservatives are like Nazis but must not say that anti-Israel Arabs are like Nazis

SYDNEY University has been accused of “serious academic bias’’ after a student reported lecturers at the institution were likening current conservative politicians to Nazis.

Lecturers also compared Australia’s handling of refugees to the Nazis’ treatment of mentally ill people murdered in Germany in the 1940s.

According to free speech advocate Matthew Lesh, who is running a project with the Institute of Public Affairs to reveal bias on campus, universities are becoming “closed intellectual shops” where “only certain ideas are allowed to be expressed’’.

During a lecture this month about the treatment of gay people in Nazi Germany, students were told it was “something out of ... (Liberal Senator) Cory Bernardi’s handbook”.

A second-year student ended up pulling out of the subject, The Holocaust, History and Aftermath, after he was prevented from presenting his class assignment on modern instances of anti-Semitism.

The 22-year-old, who was afraid to be named for fear of reprisals, said he was told by the tutor not to explain how anti-Israel sentiment can be linked to anti-Semitism.

“I was halfway through my slides when the tutor told me to skip the rest of the presentation, saying ‘We don’t want people to get the wrong idea about you’,” the student said. “It was clear I was not allowed to discuss this, it was quite dogmatic.”

The student quit the subject and later received what he described as an unfairly low mark.

The free speech think-tank issued a report recently which found eight in 10 universities it examined had policies or had restricted free speech.

“Students should be free to express views, not be interrupted and punished,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the university said it did not seek to avoid politics in lectures.

SOURCE







22 August, 2016

Racism or a realistic perception of danger?

A farmer in Saskatchewan lives near a "First Nations" (Canadian Indian) settlement and there has been a great deal of crime among the Indians concerned.  So when he saw a carload of Indians driving onto his farm, he fired first and asked questions later.  He was probably too impulsive but if you were in fear of being  violently attacked, you might shoot first too. 

The shooting was undoubtedly based on a perception of racial differences but it was also a realistic perception of racial differences.  So are we here dealing with realism rather than racism in any other sense?

That the farmer has been charged with murder has enraged many Saskatchewan whites who think he acted reasonably in self defence.  They back up that belief with many critical comments about Indians which justify the farmer's fear.  Are such comments "hate speech" or are they a reasonable comment on real differences?  A bit of both, perhaps

Comments like  “He should have shot all five of them (and) be given a medal” and “his only mistake was leaving three witnesses.” undoubtedly express hate but what has provoked that hate?  Two things mainly, dysfunctional Indian behaviour and coddling of Indians by the government. 

Government favoritism is undoubtedly a great way to poison white attitudes to Indians.  Racism begets racism. A new system in which Indians and whites are treated equally would undoubtedly do much to defuse tensions.  A perception of injustice would be removed and a perception of injustice is almost always a great source of anger. But such a reform will not happen while Pretty Boy runs Canada.  Odd how Leftists are great preachers of equality but are in fact major sources of unequal treatment.  Wouldn't it be great if Leftists had some real principles that they stuck by?


Much has been said and written in recent days about racism following the shooting death of a young man on the Northwestern Saskatchewan farm of Gerald Stanley, who stands charged with murder.

What happened that day to 22-year-old Colten Boushie was tragic; for his family, loved ones and community it is an unimaginable loss.

Racism against aboriginal people in this province is very real. It is part of a long and sad chapter of our history and culture.

As recently as the late 1990s, an interesting analysis of this was undertaken by Mr. Justice Ron Barclay of the Court of Queen’s Bench when asked to rule that prospective jurors in a murder trial could be questioned on their perceptions of an aboriginal accused.

He wrote: “Widespread anti-aboriginal racism is a grim reality in Canada and in Saskatchewan. It exists openly and blatantly in attitudes and actions of individuals.

“It exists privately in the fears, in the prejudices and stereotypes held by many people and it exists in our institutions. Furthermore, examination of racism as it impacts specifically on aboriginal people suggests they are prime victims of racial prejudice.”

What possessed a landowner to allegedly pull out a loaded gun? All the self-defence laws in the world will not excuse the use of lethal force for trespassing on land.

The context of life in rural Saskatchewan will be considered, where increasingly vandalism, thefts and occasionally grotesque acts of violence befall some farm families that are alone and living miles away from help.

The area around Colten’s hometown of the Red Pheasant Cree Nation is particularly notorious.

It is where the execution-style slaying of two men happened on a nearby farm in 1994; recently stolen cars from Wilkie appear on Red Pheasant; in 2005, a family at Cando, fed up after eight attacks in a year, said they were being driven off their farm after two Red Pheasant men and several youths trashed their farm, set vehicles ablaze and looted their house.

Racism happens when someone becomes a target not for what they did but for what they look like, or, in this case, where they live. The death of young Colten Boushie, in the wrong place at the wrong time, deserves answers.

There are many facts yet to be revealed. Allowing the courts, the rule of law and justice to prevail is the correct first step.

SOURCE




British female Conservative politician says Burkinis Are "Hate Speech In A Piece Of Clothing"



From the August 17 edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto

STUART VARNEY (GUEST HOST): How is this for not being politically correct, three more towns in France banning the Burkini. France's Prime Minister supporting these towns, he says the full-body swimsuit for Muslim women goes against French values. Louise, do you think the French are doing the right thing banning the Burkini?

LOUISE MENSCH: Stu, I really do. I think the bikini and the burqa and the full face niqab are grossly offensive garments that say terrible things about women's bodies. They say that a woman's ordinary body is immodest, I think it's basically hate speech in a piece of clothing. Would you allow somebody to go out into the streets and wear a big t-shirt saying "I hate Muslims?" When you wear those clothes, you're saying "I hate women," and it's that attitude that leads to honor killings of women. I'm glad France is doing this.....

MENSCH: I think you should exclude these kind of extremist garments from French culture, they go against French laws of secularism, which, by the way, apply in France to all religions. Furthermore, you don't need to wear this shroud to go swimming, and you can smuggle weapons.

SOURCE






21 August, 2016

Trump Fan Takes Drastic Measures to Protect Free Speech

A man in Colonie, New York, is taking drastic measures to protect his yard sign supporting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump after he watched five prior signs get destroyed or stolen.

Homeowner and prominent local businessman Robert Marini decided to illuminate the sixth sign with a bank of lights, sink the sign’s base in concrete, and build a wall of barbed wire around it.

“I don’t have enough time in my life to go around stealing Bernie Sanders signs or Hillary Clinton signs. It’s not something that I even thought about doing,” Marini told the Times Union newspaper. “Everybody’s got a right to free speech, right? At least we think so in America today. But some people on the left don’t believe in that, so they just take what’s not theirs.”

Marini is positive that his Trump signs have been targeted by some local leftist who hates Trump. He points out that other signs in the area for Clinton or Sanders have never been touched. The proud Trump supporter also points out he is the only one in the area willing to put a Trump sign in his yard, so his support of the candidate is a high-profile event.

SOURCE





Muslim hate speech sanctioned for once

Deutsche Welle (DW; German State Radio) ended its contact with Nagi Abbas, an Egyptian journalist in its Arabic section, on Friday following his controversial social media posts calling for the assault of activist Mahienour El-Masry.

The post was published by Abbas on Wednesday. It included insults about El-Masry and calls for people to attack her using acid, and to force feed her acid.

DW said that the journalist “called for an act that is punishable by law”. The German media institution said that before taking any decision, it conducted investigations into the matter, which included speaking to the journalist who did not deny the authenticity of the post.

The journalist was fired, DW added, and further legal measures are being taken.

El-Masry is lawyer and political activist who was just released from prison. After her release she wrote a Facebook post praising and saluting her prison inmates, where she mentioned “Aunt Samia Shanan”.

Abbas is a journalist who is specialised in Egyptian-European relations

SOURCE





19 August, 2016

A Facebook post that destroyed a former deputy principal's life has now cost the poster $150,000

No free speech protection attaches to defamation

Before the Facebook post, former deputy principal Kenneth Rothe, 74, enjoyed his life running two small seaside motels with his wife and caring for his grandchildren.

Afterwards, Mr Rothe was the subject of a brutal bashing that left him hospitalised for six months and his family were so scared they moved interstate.

Now a NSW District Court judge has forced the man who wrote the defamatory Facebook post to pay $150,000 in damages.

"Pedophile [sic] warning:- Nambucca has been used as a relocation for these monsters – blue dolphin –nirvana hotel and above the Indian restaurant! …Bus stops are right out front of theses hotels for our children?"

Mr Rothe was the owner of the Blue Dolphin Motel and Nirvana Village Motel and a rental apartment in Nambucca Heads on the state's mid north coast.

He sometimes offered crisis accommodation for people fleeing family disputes but emphatically denied he ever housed ex-prisoners or paedophiles under any agreement.

A "devastated" and "distressed" Mr Rothe begged Mr Scott for a retraction and an apology but neither was given to him.

Instead his life was seriously threatened – twice.

Mr Rothe told the court that just before the first assault someone said to him, "Are you the Blue Dolphin paedophile?" 

People started making anonymous phone calls to the motel, some asking for sex, and the Nambucca Valley Crime Information Facebook page republished the allegations.

Judge Judith Gibson found that Mr Rothe was an upright member of the north coast community who ran his businesses in accordance with the law.

"This Facebook attack was made on him out of the blue, with no prior inquiry of any kind by any person," Judge Gibson said. "It has had a devastating effect on him," she said.

"It would be fair to say that the publication of the matter complained of has destroyed the plaintiff's wellbeing as well as his peace of mind."

Judge Gibson found there was no factual basis to Mr Scott's claims, he was an "unimpressive witness"  and he had made no attempt to verify the information he had heard from others prior to posting his rant.

SOURCE




Must not say bad things about Gypsies

A Tory MP has sparked outrage after he compared a group of travellers to the feared conqueror - Genghis Khan.

Gary Streeter, 55, labelled the group as intruders and accused them of causing major disruption after setting up camp at a park on Sunday.

The travellers were evicted from the site in Plymouth, Devon, yesterday lunchtime.

But Mr Streeter, who represents South West Devon, has now launched a tirade against their way of life.  He said: 'The key to tackling this perennial problem is to remove travellers like these from the "vulnerable ethnic minority" status.

'They are as vulnerable as Genghis Khan, most of them are as ethnic as I am, and all have permanent homes elsewhere in the UK.

Mr Streeter has aired his feelings about the travelling community on several previous occasions, but his latest comments have caused anger among senior Labour councillors.

Philippa Davey, shadow cabinet member for safer and stronger communities, said Mr Streeter’s views confirm research by Anglia Ruskin University, which found discrimination against gypsies and travellers is the 'last bastion of acceptable racism'.

She said: 'Of course the council should deal with unauthorised access to land, but comparing people to Genghis Khan and making sweeping judgements about very vulnerable groups of people is irresponsible.

SOURCE




18 August, 2016

Pink for girls is SEXIST!

Its return to TV screens has been hotly-anticipated by baking fans across Britain. But the Great British Bake Off has come under fire from keen-eyed viewers for being 'sexist' when unveiling the contestants for this year's competition.

Revealing the 12 candidates for the popular show's seventh series, BBC producers had the six men and six women pose with 'gender-related' frosting.

Posing for the camera, the men can be seen holding a bowl of 'manly' blue icing sugar, while the women pose alongside a pink topping.

Viewers have been quick to take to Twitter to complain about the 'sexist' and 'embarrassingly dated' move.

Lorna Stewart wrote: 'Pink icing for women, blue for men. Men in @BritishBakeOff obviously make much more manly icing. Grrrr blue. #GBBO'

Bethan Smith said: 'Hey @BritishBakeOff, why is the icing pink for a woman, blue for a man in the contestant pics? Seems a bit pigeonholing and backward! #GBBO'

SOURCE





Must not describe any woman as pear-shaped



Gold’s Gym put their heads together this week when planning a new advertising campaign for their fitness centre.

‘This is no shape for a girl’ their Facebook post read, and by shape — they were talking about a pear.

The marketing mob at Gold’s Dreamland gym, which is based in a hospital in Egypt, were probably pretty chuffed with themselves when the image started to go viral. But the reason for the thousands of shares, comments and retweets wasn’t because of their catchy phrase.

No, people were pissed.

“Well I WAS a member of Golds but looks like I need to find a gym that doesn’t body shame and degrade women for their appearance,” one facebook user posted under the image.

“This is exactly why so many people hate their bodies. Stop spewing crap like this. You can encourage people to be healthy without the use of body shaming,” another added.

“If that’s all your PR came up with I’d fire them all.”

In response to the backlash, the gym issued an apology. But unfortunately, that just made matters worse.

The simple black box with the text ‘Our Apology’ created almost as much outrage as the original post of the pear. “Our apology, this post was not meant to offend anyone,” the Gym wrote next to the image.

As you’d expect, social media users didn’t buy the #sorrynotsorry approach. In fact, the back pedalling apology only added fuel to a pretty raging fire.

SOURCE






17 August, 2016

Viewers of CBC's Olympic coverage outraged after 'racist' announcer is caught on mic saying 14-year-old Chinese swimmer 'went out like stink, died like a pig'

Apparently intended as humorous but pretty unpleasant language to apply to an athlete doing her best

Canadian broadcaster CBC has been forced to apologize after one of its commentators said a 14-year-old female Chinese swimmer 'went out like stink' and 'died like a pig' during a race.

Commentator Byron MacDonald thought his mic was turned off when he started to dispense some of his own opinions at the end of the women's 4x200m freestyle relay final.

MacDonald, who was brought on board CBC's commentary team to provide 'color' could be heard saying: 'That little 14-year-old from China dropped the ball, baby. Too excited, went out like stink, died like a pig. Thanks for that.'

Chinese swimmer Ai Yanhan, 14, swam the second leg of the relay in 1:57.79 — 1.61 seconds slower than Canada's Taylor Ruck, allowing the Canadians to close the gap on China.

Viewers across Canada were quick to react online after being shocked by the tone and the language used

SOURCE




When a cake is "violent"



Mia Freedman has written about being 'Facebook shamed' because of her son's birthday cake. The founder of Australian website MamaMia posted a video of the 'smash' birthday cake to her social media pages, only to find some mums weren't fans.

The cake, made by Sydney Smash Cakes, is filled with lollies and needs to be broken open like a pinata.

In the video, her eight-year-old son uses a large rolling pin to break open the chocolate shell encompassing the cake.

Then the clip shows a horde of boys hands grabbing at the sweets inside the cake, leaving nothing behind.

Some followers of hers on Facebook were not please with the cake, calling it 'violent' and claiming it made them stressed.

'Horrible..horrible...horrible!' Valerie D McCrae wrote. 'Violent attack on cake followed by greedy me me me grab for sweets! No wonder kids think manners are of no importance.'

However not everyone disliked the cake, with others comparing it to a pinata at a party and saying some mums were overreacting.

Freedman called the comments a 'heated debate' but didn't back down from her cake choice.

SOURCE




16 August, 2016

Racial stereotypes get something of a pass for once

A film about a hot dog's relationship with other foods - including a climax involving a food orgy - is causing uproar for alleged racial stereotypes.

Comedian Seth Rogen co-wrote the new animated adult comedy, Sausage Party, a spoof of the many Disney and Pixar films.

But the film has divided opinion over its content, with some praising the over-the-top racism and others on social media unhappy with the Sony flick.

In one example, the movie features some Nazi German sauerkraut dedicated to 'exterminating the juice'.

Actress Salma Hayek also reportedly does the voice for a lesbian Mexican taco while the film features a Native American bottle of Firewater which complains he had settled in a store first before being kicked out to the backroom.

An Arabic loaf of lavash longs for 77 bottles of extra-virgin olive oil awaiting him in the next life, Heat Street reports, adding that the film also includes an Irish potato who sings 'Danny Boy' and has a catchphrase 'Jesus! F**k!' 

While the film has been widely commented on for its racism - many tweets laughing at the jokes, others criticizing it - it has found support from left-wing newspaper The Guardian.

Film reviewer Jordan Hoffman declared that the 'whole thing is so tasty, you may just want seconds'.

'Racial stereotypes await on every aisle, which will undoubtedly be a third rail for some viewers,' he wrote.  'My attitude is that if you want to play in that sandbox, you have to be sure to insult everyone and, more importantly, make sure the jokes work.'

 'The movie is, in its own jokey way, celebrating the differences among nations and peoples while also reminding us that those differences are only skin deep.'

SOURCE





Australian Libertarian Senator files racism complaint because he was called an 'angry white male'

Leftists frequently refer to "white males" in various contexts, apparently quite unaware that they are being racially discriminatory

Senator David Leyonhjelm has lodged a complaint under the Racial Discrimination Act for comments made about him by a journalist.

The Liberal Democrat senator, from New South Wales, submitted the complaint last week after a Fairfax media article was published referring to him as a 'boorish and gormless as a result of being an angry white male', reported the Daily Telegraph.

It is reportedly the first complaint of its kind for the Australian Human Rights Commission (HRC) under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.

Under this section, it states it is unlawful to commit an act which would reasonably offend or insult someone because of their race, colour, national or ­ethnic origin.

In his complaint to the HRC Senator Leyonhjelm said his colour was one of the reasons the comments were made.

'Other characteristics referred to in the article include being a boorish supercilious know-all with the empathy of a Besser-Block, hate speech apologist, wacky, a self-promoting misanthrope and a practitioner of infantile reasoning,' he said.

'The comments are reasonably likely in all the circumstances to offend or insult some white males.'

SOURCE



15 August, 2016

Museum defends displaying authentic Nazi flag saying it is a ‘legitimate part of history’



A museum has defended its decision to display an authentic World War II Nazi flag, despite accusations they are profiting off the fascist regime.

The large red swastika flag will be hung in New Zealand's Temuka Museum on Saturday for the building's 100th anniversary celebrations.

Museum members said the flag is 'a legitimate part of history', but the move has been met with an outpouring of backlash on social media, reports StuffNZ.

Temuka RSA manager Vicky Howey said she hoped the flag would attract some 'new blood' and 'get more bums on seats.'

Temuka Museum member Alan Patrick said the flag was 'a legitimate part of history' and it was a unique opportunity for people to see the flag.

The plan has divided social media, with some claiming the flag should never be displayed and others defending the move.

'This is not about history but about using shock and horror to make money,' wrote one commenter.

'A nazi flag should NEVER be flown or hung. The only place for a nazi flag is on the ground being trampled on.'

'So you'd rather bury your head in the sand and pretend it never happened?' wrote another.

SOURCE




Coward is a VERY bad word

Hope Solo — the abrasive, Star Wars-surnamed goalkeeper of the US women’s soccer team — isn’t just any villain.

The two time gold medal-winning 35-year-old has regularly pushed the boundaries of what a star athlete can get away with as long as they’re winning. But her reaction to America’s penalty shootout defeat against Sweden in the quarterfinals in Rio — in which the overmatched Swedes adopted an often-used overly-defensive strategy — saw her lambasted like never before.

“I thought that we played a courageous game,” Solo said. “I thought we had many opportunities on goal. I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down. I’m very proud of this team. But I also think we played a bunch of cowards. The best team did not win today. I strongly believe that.”

There aren’t many words in sport that carry the gravity of the word coward and Solo’s summary immediately drew criticism.

Former Olympic and World Cup team captain Julie Foudy, now an ESPN commentator, called Sweden’s conservative game plan “a tactic most outmatched teams take in soccer” and “tactically smart”.

She said her countrywoman’s rant was “ridiculous and classless, and it really doesn’t represent the house that we built with the US team”.

SOURCE





14 August, 2016

NBC commentator is accused of sexism after seeming to give credit for Hungarian swimmer's world record to her HUSBAND

When Hugarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu smashed the 400-meter individual medley world record by two seconds on Saturday, viewers criticized NBC sportscaster Dan Hicks for his 'sexist' commentary.

Cameras panned to Hosszu's husband and coach, Shane Tusup, and Hicks declared he was 'responsible' for turning her 'into a whole different swimmer.'

Critics slammed Hicks on social media for failing to give Hosszu credit for her work in the pool, but he responded on Sunday, saying: 'It is impossible to tell Katinka's story accurately without giving appropriate credit to Shane, and that's what I was trying to do.'

Tusup was shown animatedly cheering Hosszu on during the preliminary round as she narrowly missed beating the world record.

In the finals, however, she was ahead of the pack by several body lengths and came in with a time of 4:26.36, obliterating the world record of 4:28.43, set by Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen in 2012.

The commentator later acknowledged that with live TV,  'there are often times you look back and wished you had said things differently'.

But Hicks said he was painting as accurate a picture as he could of Hosszu and Shane Tusup's relationship.  Hicks said the swimmer herself credits Tusup for improving her training and bolstering her confidence, which was shattered when she lost the same event four years ago.

SOURCE






A police force has to delete an 'offensive and insensitive' tweet about an invasion by two men pictured in Nazi uniform



Must not joke about anything Nazi.  The picture is of two re-enactors, not actual Nazis

The police officers who tweeted pictures of men dressed in Nazi uniforms in 'an act of stupidity and ignorance' may now face disciplinary action.

Officers used Greater Manchester Police's traffic account to post pictures of the men wearing SS uniforms standing next to a German military Kübelwagen on the M62. Next to the images, they wrote: 'These two likely lads trying to invade.'

They have since deleted the tweet after it sparked a backlash online.

The force wrote on Twitter: 'It has been removed and we will speak to those involved. It was unacceptable.'

SOURCE





Gap in postings due to illness





8 August, 2016

Cotswolds hotel is accused of sexism after they advertised for a porter but said the post was 'not for ladies'

An exclusive Cotswolds hotel has been accused of sexism after advertising for a porter, but said the job was 'not a role for ladies'.  Whatley Manor, a five-star retreat near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, put up the controversial advert in the window of a nearby Post Office.

It read: 'We are seeking people with driving licenses to join the team of Front of House Porters.

'The work involves moving luggage, moving cars, tending fires, generally taking deliveries, keeping the reception area tidy.'

In brackets, it then adds: 'Sorry, it's just not a role for ladies.'

Bosses at the award-winning hotel, where rooms cost up to £1,500 a night, said the advert was not supposed to offend.

But it was been met with anger from people living around Malmesbury, including world champion bodybuilder, Charlene Harvey, 36, who slammed the hotel for assuming every woman is 'weak'.  'There are physiological differences between a man and a woman, but a woman can train and be just as strong as a man,' she said. She added: 'I didn't think they were allowed to do things like this anymore. In today's industry it's a bit out of place.'

Gill Salter, HR boss at Whatley Manor, said the advert was not supposed to be placed in the Post Office but in a local school.

The HR boss said: 'We didn't intend to discriminate or upset anybody and it is certainly not the normal advert we use. 'We were trying to make them understand that the role includes heavy lifting.'  She added: 'We just had someone struggling in with big boxes so strength was one of the issues.

SOURCE




An incorrect hat



The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is looking into whether wearing a depiction of the Gadsden flag to work should be considered racial harassment after a black employee at a privately owned business filed a complaint with the federal agency more than two years ago.

The complaint was filed by the black worker in January 2014 after he said one of his coworkers wore a hat depicting a coiled snake with the words “don’t tread on me” repeatedly since the fall of 2013. The complainant did not allege, however, that the employee wearing the hat ever said anything racist to him, the Daily Caller reported.

The complainant said that he made his concern known to his bosses, who then asked the employee to stop wearing the hat. The worker in question kept wearing the hat, however, resulting in the offended employee filing a formal complaint with the EEOC, which oversees issues of discrimination in the workplace.

The agency’s investigation into the matter is ongoing. A representative for the EEOC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SOURCE





7 August, 2016

Self-confessed feminist says women should take catcalling as a compliment

A WOMAN has admitted she enjoys being “catcalled” and doesn’t understand why others find it offensive.

Student and self-confessed feminist Charley Scoggins said she reckons females shouldn’t feel patronised, offended or degraded when they’re told they’ve got a “tight a*s” or a “juicy rack”.

However many people have criticised her comments on social media, warning her: “Normalising this harassment only serves to perpetuate the climate of rape culture.”

Writing in the UK student newspaper The Tab, Charley claimed she finds being catcalled “affirming” rather than uncomfortable, reports The Sun.

The 20-year-old said: “If I look as good as I feel, it’s great to hear that somebody, or a group of somebodies, agrees with me.”

Charley admitted it depended on the situation, explaining: “If I’m out on a run or a night out with the girls, and a group of lad-wannabes call out to us that we look hot, I don’t mind it.

“So in these situations the best thing to do is to laugh and move on, and feel a little boosted.”

Charley did criticise the “seedier side to catcalling”, writing: “If the situation is less lighthearted, and the men are calling out to you to get your t*ts out or to come home with them, then this is in no way OK.

“It’s vile, and I don’t see what they’re expecting from it. They should have seen enough rom coms with their ex-girlfriends to know that we don’t appreciate derogatory comments, but an actual conversation.

SOURCE




Must not disrespect bisexuals

Christopher Biggins has been removed from the Celebrity Big Brother House it was confirmed on Friday evening.

Despite being a favourite to win, a statement circulated by the Channel 5 show producers announced the 67-year-old TV presenter had left the house.

The news, which came just a few hours before the first eviction night, came as a surprise to many.

The statement read: 'Big Brother has taken the decision to remove Christopher Biggins from the Celebrity Big Brother house.

'Since entering Big Brother, he has made a number of comments capable of causing great offence to housemates and the viewing public.

'Big Brother does not tolerate offensive language capable of causing widespread offence. Christopher Biggins has left the house.'

It is not yet known what comments Biggins, a reality show regular who won the 2007 series of I'm A Celebrity, made to cause offence.

However, at the beginning of the week the entertainer ruffled a few feathers during a conversation about bisexuality with housemate Rene Graziano.

Biggins was seen questioning Renee about her feelings towards gay people, with the Mob Wives cast member responding: 'It's beautiful… it's who you are and I think it's natural, but I think today in society, I think they kind of force things on people and confuse you.'

Biggins replied: 'I think the worst type though, I'm afraid to say, is the bisexuals.'

And as Renee went further, adding that bisexuality 'upsets' her, Biggins continued: 'What it is, is people not wanting to admit they're gay… be honest, that's what you've got to be.'

Renee then responded: 'You can pick any one you want! But you have to pick a team.'

Frankie Grande, who is gay, agreed with the duo.

Biggins' comments sparked outrage on social media at the time, with one viewer tweeting: 'Disgusted at the attitudes of Renee and Biggins towards bisexuality.'

SOURCE





5 August, 2016

Cartoon in leading Australian newspaper an attack on Aboriginal people, Indigenous leader says



I have had a lot of contact with Aborigines and think that the cartoon has a lot of truth in it -- not that truth matters to some, of course -- JR

A political cartoon portraying an Aboriginal man with a beer can and not remembering his son's name is an "attack" on Indigenous Australians, a community leader says.

The cartoon by Bill Leak was published by The Australian newspaper on Thursday, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day.

Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency chief executive Muriel Bamblett said it depicted Aboriginal people as "not knowing about their children and not having any role in raising their children".

"You feel quite oppressed when these things happen, I think that we everyday have to battle with direct racism and indirect racism," she told 774 ABC Melbourne.

"In the media, I think they have a public responsibility. That's obviously one of the opportunities to get good messaging about Aboriginal people.

"But if you're constantly stereotyping us as second class then it's about profiling us as second-class citizens in our own country."

The Australian's editor-in-chief Paul Whittaker defended the paper's decision to publish the "confronting" cartoon.

He cited comments made by Indigenous leaders this week, including Noel Pearson on Lateline who said: "Blackfellas have got to take charge and take responsibility for their own children. That part of the message really struggles to get traction."

"Too often, too many people skirt around the root causes and tough issues. But not everyone. Bill Leak's confronting and insightful cartoons force people to examine the core issues in a way that sometimes reporting and analysis can fail to do."

SOURCE




Golliwogs again



Australian politician Ricky Muir has come out in support of a Beechworth Sweet Co’s television advertisement that featured an animated toy golliwog, labelling a decision by the Advertising Standards Board to uphold a complaint against the ad as “political correctness gone mad.”

Muir posted a photo of him with his childhood toy golliwog named “Wally”, stating, “the sheer notion that somehow my childhood toy or mothers hobby is ‘racist’ is simply ridiculous”.

Speaking to SmartCompany, Muir says that the situation was “really political correctness gone mad” and that it was clear the advertisement was not intended to offend or hurt.

“The company had this in place for a very long time, it’s clear they mean no ill intent at all,” Muir says. “It’s very disappointing to see this very extreme measure be made.”

Muir believes that the Beechworth Sweet Co should appeal the decision by the Ad Standards Board, and also encourages the company to seek public support. “I’ve had lots of responses on social media, and many people agree that it’s nothing more than a doll and a fond childhood memory,” Muir says.

SOURCE






4 August, 2016

Mussolini's birthplace BANS shops from selling souvenirs with images of the Fascist dictator after complaints from tourists



Souvenirs that celebrate fascist dictator Benito Mussolini have been banned in the region where the former Italian prime minister was born.

Shop owners or vendors could be sent to jail if they continue to sell busts, coffee mugs, pins and even baby clothing that show the founder of the National Fascist Party, who ruled Italy until he was ousted in 1943.

Government officials in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, which includes the cities of Bologna and Parma, passed a motion banning the sale of souvenirs with fascist symbols.

Emilia-Romagna is the first region in Italy to implement such a ban. Anyone caught breaking the new law could be sent to jail for six months to two years, The Local reported.

SOURCE

Italians are not nearly as bothered by Musso as Germans are by Hitler.  Musso had no concentration camps for instance. He just exiled opponents to one of Italy's outlying islands.  And he was the only Italian ruler before or since to get on top of the Mafia.



Must not seek attractive girls

All girls are equal, don't you know?

IT WAS supposed to be a lighthearted promotion to attract more female customers — but a “hot girls eat free” sign outside a Sydney pub has outraged local women who say it is misogynist, degrades women and is sending the wrong message to their daughters.

Petersham Inn licensee Bianca McDonald told the Inner West Courier she and her team came up with the idea as a “creative and funny” way to attract women patrons to the venue after she took over in late June.

But the move backfired, with a post on the Inner West Mums Facebook page attracting more than 100 comments about the offensive poster, which includes a beautiful woman seductively eating a slice of pizza.

“Totally appalled! That is absolutely outrageous in this day and age,” one woman wrote. “It’s offensive and wrong. How do I explain it to my two daughters?” wrote another.

Ms McDonald said she was disappointed the pub had only given away three “hot girls” meals so far and was considering moving the poster to the busier Parramatta Rd side.

SOURCE





3 August, 2016

Miss Teen USA Keeps Her Crown Despite Alleged Use of N-Word on Social Media

The newly crowned Miss Teen USA Karlie Hay of Texas is facing backlash over her alleged use of a racial slur on social media a few years ago.

Screenshots of tweets from what appeared to be Hay’s Twitter account in 2013 and 2014 show her using the N-word, but “the authenticity of that Twitter account could not be verified, and the tweets from that account are now private,” CNN reported.

Hay was crowned Miss Teen USA on Saturday. She addressed the controversy the next day with a statement, but did not directly reference the alleged slur.

“Several years ago, I had many personal struggles and found myself in a place that is not representative of who I am as a person," she said in a statement read on both her Instagram and Twitter accounts.

"I admit that I have used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of and that there is no excuse for. Through hard work, education and thanks in large part to the sisterhood that I have come to know through pageants, I am proud to say that I am today a better person,” Hay added.

Despite calls for her to be dethroned, the Miss Universe Organization, which runs Miss Teen USA, appears to be standing by Kay.

SOURCE





'Christian' is now an offensive word

The owners of a Christian bookstore in Knoxville, Tennessee, were dumbfounded after the News Sentinel rejected their ad because it included an offensive word — “Christian.”

Lois McGinnis and her family own Cedar Springs Christian Store. They recently decided to close a second location of the store so they decided to place an ad in the classified section of the newspaper, which is owned by Gannett.

The advertisement read: “Store closing sale — Cedar Springs Christian Store — Clinton Highway location — All merchandise, fixtures, slat walls must go. Sale through August 13, phone 865.947.XXX.”

Mrs. McGinnis placed the ad on July 26. It was supposed to run on July 28. But when she opened up the newspaper, the ad was nowhere to be found.  So Mrs. McGinnis phoned the newspaper and spoke with a classified ad employee.  “She said our ad did not run because it contained an offensive word,” she told me. “I asked what that offensive word was and she said the offensive word was ‘Christian.’”

She said the News Sentinel did not notify her in advance the ad had been rejected nor did they call to say they were refunding her money.

“We had no way of knowing they considered the word ‘Christian’ offensive until we tried to place this ad,” she told me.  “As Christians, this was a slap in the face to us,” she added.

Let’s just say the good, church-going folks of East Tennessee lit up the telephones — and it wasn’t too much long afterwards that the Knoxville News Sentinel addressed the issue.

It offered up one heaping helping of an apology “for any misunderstanding about the News Sentinel stance on Christianity.”

“We had a system failure, which resulted in a classified ad for Cedar Springs getting hung up in our front end system,” it wrote in a statement posted online.

A front end problem, eh?  “We corrected the technology issue in our system and the ad is now running for an extended period at no extra charge,” it added.

However, the newspaper’s explanation doesn’t seem to be placating its readers.  “Considering how liberal this paper is … I take the apology with a grain of salt,” one reader wrote on Facebook.

Another wrote, “Don’t be offended Cedar Springs Christian Stores… Nobody has read the Knoxville News Sentinel in over a decade anyway. Spend your advertising dollars elsewhere.”

Well, let’s hope the News Sentinel has fixed its front end problem — lest its readers give it a back end problem.

SOURCE





2 August, 2016

Must not say that women lack ambition

An executive chairman of advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi has been suspended from the firm after accusing women of lacking 'ambition'.

Kevin Roberts has been criticised after he said he did not believe that the lack of women in senior roles was a problem because they were 'happy' as they were.

Roberts, who is also head coach at the advertising agency's parent company Publicis Groupe, said that he did not spend 'any time' on the issue and the debate was 'all over'.

He said: 'So we are trying to impose our antiquated s*** on them, and they are going: 'Actually guys, you're missing the point, you don't understand: I'm way happier than you.'

He has since been placed on leave by Publicis Groupe for the comments and the firm have been forced to send out a letter to all staff re-affirming their policy on gender inclusion.

Mr Roberts' comments, in the interview with Business Insider, come as figures show that women make up 47 per cent of the advertising agency but strangely just 11 per cent of the industry creative directors are female.

SOURCE




Must not fail to tell people the obvious

Lidl has recalled some of its yoghurt and peanuts because the packets don't warn customers that they contain milk and nuts.

The German low-cost supermarket chain has taken the eight-pack of Milbona Fruit Yoghurt and Alesto Honey Peanuts off its shelves in the UK.  People who have bought the items have been asked to return them to their nearest store to get refunded.

A statement from Lidl said: 'Lidl UK is recalling Milbona Fruit Yoghurt, 8 x 125g, Use by Date 18.08.16 only, due to milk not being declared in English on a small number of items.

'Lidl UK is recalling Alesto Honey Peanuts, 200g, Best Before Date 02.2017 only, due to peanuts not being declared in English on a small number of packets.'

The Food Standards Agency said that failure to warn customers in English 'makes the product a possible health risk to anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or its constituents.' 

SOURCE





1 August, 2016

Constance Wu hits out at 'whitewashed' Great Wall film in which Matt Damon plays soldier in ancient China

'Fresh Off The Boat' star Constance Wu has taken to Twitter to express her frustration with Hollywood 'whitewashing' set off by the casting of Matt Damon as the lead in the film 'The Great Wall'.

Wu says in her Twitter letter posted on Friday that films like 'The Great Wall' portray a 'white savior' complex, which belittles people of color.

'We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that only white man can save the world.

'It's not based in actual fact. Our heroes don't look like Matt Damon.

'They look like Malala. Ghandi. Mandela. Your big sister when she stood up for you to those bullies that one time,' she wrote.

She explains she's not blaming anyone involved with the film, least of all Damon, but saying that there needs to be an awareness in Hollywood for a perpetual leading role that shows white people saving or taking on the roles of people of color.

SOURCE 

The amusing thing is that the director of the film is Chinese --  Zhang Yimou.  So that is whom she is calling racist.  So it is a pretty silly whine on the whole.  And it is no wonder a known star was cast on this occasion.  A star gets in the audiences where an unknown Chinese actor would not

But I do agree with her to an extent.  I like to see characters played by actors who look the part.





Council BANS mural of scantily-clad Hillary Clinton


I reckon it flatters her

A local council in Melbourne has demanded a mural of Hillary Clinton in a swimsuit be removed, saying they had received complaints about the provocative artwork.

The mural of the US Presidential nominee wearing a skimpy stars and stripes-patterned monokini was painted on a wall in Footscray last weekend by street artist Lushsux.

Maribyrnong Council has requested the artwork be removed from the wall, reported the Herald Sun.

A friend looking after Lushsux's small business told the Herald Sun it was 'over the top' and 'political correctness gone 'haywire'.  'I can’t see any problem with someone expressing themselves with art,' Mitch said.

He said he believed the mural he painted of Clinton was the reason his Instagram account, which had 107,000 followers, was deactivated on Wednesday.

'Instagram and Facebook have a very clear bias when it comes to this in my opinion. I've painted Trump murals and had no problems.'

The Clinton mural was captioned 'stupid sexy Hillary' - a nod to the well known Simpsons scene which sees Homer utter the same thing about Ned Flanders after he appears wearing a similarly coloured snowsuit.

The artist told Daily Mail Australia earlier this week the picture was based off a popular Photoshop image circulating the internet, and had proved very popular with passers by.

SOURCE






BACKGROUND NOTES



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Posts by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.)

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The war on "cultural appropriation" is straightforward racism

Is the American national anthem politically incorrect? From the 4th verse:
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."


Mohammad

The truth can be offensive to some but it must be said

"HATE SPEECH" is free speech: The U.S. Supreme Court stated the general rule regarding protected speech in Texas v. Johnson (109 S.Ct. at 2544), when it held: "The government may not prohibit the verbal or nonverbal expression of an idea merely because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable." Federal courts have consistently followed this. Said Virginia federal district judge Claude Hilton: "The First Amendment does not recognize exceptions for bigotry, racism, and religious intolerance or ideas or matters some may deem trivial, vulgar or profane."


Even some advocacy of violence is protected by the 1st Amendment. In Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), the U.S. Supreme Court held unanimously that speech advocating violent illegal actions to bring about social change is protected by the First Amendment "except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action."


The double standard: Atheists can put up signs and billboards saying that Christianity is wrong and that is hunky dory. But if a Christian says that homosexuality is wrong, that is attacked as "hate speech"


One for the militant atheists to consider: "...it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg" -- Thomas Jefferson


"I think no subject should be off-limits, and I regard the laws in many Continental countries criminalizing Holocaust denial as philosophically repugnant and practically useless – in that they confirm to Jew-haters that the Jews control everything (otherwise why aren’t we allowed to talk about it?)" -- Mark Steyn


A prophetic comment on Norwegian hate speech laws: As Justice Brandeis once noted, repressive censorship “breeds hate” and “that hate menaces stable government,” rather than promoting safety; “the path of safety lies in the opportunity to discuss freely supposed grievances and proposed remedies.”


Voltaire's most famous saying was actually a summary of Voltaire's thinking by one of his biographers rather than something Voltaire said himself. Nonetheless it is a wholly admirable sentiment: "I disagree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it". I am of a similar mind.


The traditional advice about derogatory speech: "Sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you". Apparently people today are not as emotionally robust as their ancestors were.


The KKK were members of the DEMOCRATIC party. Google "Klanbake" if you doubt it


A phobia is an irrational fear, so the terms "Islamophobic" and "homophobic" embody a claim that the people so described are mentally ill. There is no evidence for either claim. Both terms are simply abuse masquerading as diagnoses and suggest that the person using them is engaged in propaganda rather than in any form of rational or objective discourse.


Leftists often pretend that any mention of race is "racist" -- unless they mention it, of course. But leaving such irrational propaganda aside, which statements really are racist? Can statements of fact about race be "racist"? Such statements are simply either true or false. The most sweeping possible definition of racism is that a racist statement is a statement that includes a negative value judgment of some race. Absent that, a statement is not racist, for all that Leftists might howl that it is. Facts cannot be racist so nor is the simple statement of them racist. Here is a statement that cannot therefore be racist by itself, though it could be false: "Blacks are on average much less intelligent than whites". If it is false and someone utters it, he could simply be mistaken or misinformed.


Categorization is a basic human survival skill so racism as the Left define it (i.e. any awareness of race) is in fact neither right nor wrong. It is simply human


Whatever your definition of racism, however, a statement that simply mentions race is not thereby racist -- though one would think otherwise from American Presidential election campaigns. Is a statement that mentions dogs, "doggist" or a statement that mentions cats, "cattist"?


If any mention of racial differences is racist then all Leftists are racist too -- as "affirmative action" is an explicit reference to racial differences


Was Abraham Lincoln a racist? "You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference than exists between almost any other two races. Whether it is right or wrong I need not discuss, but this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both, as I think your race suffer very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffer from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this be admitted, it affords a reason at least why we should be separated. It is better for both, therefore, to be separated." -- Spoken at the White House to a group of black community leaders, August 14th, 1862


Gimlet-eyed Leftist haters sometimes pounce on the word "white" as racist. Will the time come when we have to refer to the White House as the "Full spectrum of light" House?


The spirit of liberty is "the spirit which is not too sure that it is right." and "Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it. While it lies there it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it." -- Judge Learned Hand


Mostly, a gaffe is just truth slipping out


Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)

First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean

It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.


It seems a pity that the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus is now little known. Remember, wrote the Stoic thinker, "that foul words or blows in themselves are no outrage, but your judgment that they are so. So when any one makes you angry, know that it is your own thought that has angered you. Wherefore make it your endeavour not to let your impressions carry you away."


"Since therefore the knowledge and survey of vice is in this world so necessary to the constituting of human virtue, and the scanning of error to the confirmation of truth, how can we more safely, and with less danger, scout into the regions of sin and falsity than by reading all manner of tractates, and hearing all manner of reason?" -- English poet John Milton (1608-1674) in Areopagitica


Hate speech is verbal communication that induces anger due to the listener's inability to offer an intelligent response


Leftists can try to get you fired from your job over something that you said and that's not an attack on free speech. But if you just criticize something that they say, then that IS an attack on free speech


"Negro" is a forbidden word -- unless a Democrat uses it


"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper


Why are Leftists always talking about hate? Because it fills their own hearts


Leftists don't have principles. How can they when "there is no such thing as right and wrong"? All they have is postures, pretend-principles that can be changed as easily as one changes one's shirt


When you have an argument with a Leftist, you are not really discussing the facts. You are threatening his self esteem. Which is why the normal Leftist response to challenge is mere abuse.


The naive scholar who searches for a consistent Leftist program will not find it. What there is consists only in the negation of the present.


The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) could have been speaking of much that goes on today when he said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."


I despair of the ADL. Jews have enough problems already and yet in the ADL one has a prominent Jewish organization that does its best to make itself offensive to Christians. Their Leftism is more important to them than the welfare of Jewry -- which is the exact opposite of what they ostensibly stand for! Jewish cleverness seems to vanish when politics are involved. Fortunately, Christians are true to their saviour and have loving hearts. Jewish dissatisfaction with the myopia of the ADL is outlined here. Note that Foxy was too grand to reply to it.


Foxy


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