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Top 10 Conservative Idiots #2-6: Wheel Of Corruption And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull Edition
Last edited Wed Dec 21, 2016, 08:01 PM - Edit history (1)
Top 10 Conservative Idiots #2-6: Wheel Of Corruption And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull Edition
Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Brought to you by the Bronzer Club for Men. Bronzer Club For Men: When you need to look that extra shade of orange to hide your aging flaws, just call the Bronzer Club today! This is our grand finale for 2016! Yes! What seemed like the longest year ever is finally coming to a close! You know… do we really need to know that OJ Simpson is wearing adult diapers in prison and shitting his pants uncontrollably? Is that the kind of news that we really need reported in 2016? I mean when we have the world at war, genocide happening in Syria, a megalomaniac about to take over the US government and dismantle it, Russia possibly hacking our election results, do we really need to know that OJ has been given the name “Stinky” in prison? I mean if he was an adult diaper fetishist that would be one thing, but this is just fucking sad. OJ has been on a downward spiral since the trial and that is rubbing salt in the wound at that point. And it’s definitely a sign of how fast our media has declined. This isn’t a story that I think needs to be national news, and I could definitely do without this headline:
Excuse me a minute…
OK there I feel better. OK enough of the intro this week. We got a lot of idiocy to cover for our final act of 2016. But first – Conan O’Brien shows what really happened on a phone call between Donald Trump and President Obama:
God where do we begin this week? Well for starters we’re bringing back the Wheel O’Corruption to close out 2016 the Idiots Way! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Oh the kids love the Wheel O’Corruption don’t they? Well to start with naturally the top 4 spots are going to go to our 45th president, Donald J. Trump. In the first slot, we’re going to talk about Donald Trump is very close to throwing out 45 years of diplomatic relations with China out the window. He is going to start World War 3 if we’re not careful. In the second slot, we’re going to discuss the republicans’ favorite boogeyman and scapegoat – voter fraud, which Donald Trump (2) egged on repeatedly in the election but actual instances of voter fraud were, as survey says – zero! Thanks for playing! In the third slot we’re going to talk about Donald Trump and his cabinet’s oil interests in Russia. Gee, I wonder how this is related to the hacking scandal? In the number 4 slot, we’re going to once again who’s *NOT* playing at Donald Trump’s inaugural. Taking the fifth slot, we’re going to talk about Donald Trump’s Secretary Of Education – Betsy DeVos, who is just plain fucking evil. In the number 6 slot we have some late breaking news for you – Bill O’Reilly admits that white supremacists were right this whole time! We’re going to cover what he said on the O’Reilly Factor in all its’ racist glory! In the number 7 slot is the triumphant return of the Bathroom Police (7)! They’ve been dormant since their leader Pat McCrory was given the heave ho back in November, but they’re back and complaining about of all things, National Geographic! We will tell you about that. Taking the 8th slot, if you are interested we have an inauguration party (8) that you can attend that we will tell you all about. In the number 9 (NEIN!!!!) slot we’re once again going to be taking a look at the Trump Effect which has tons of looting, harassment, destroying property, oh and Trump himself definitely isn’t helping things with his latest Tweet. Finally this week we’re going to do something radically different from anything we’ve ever done. We’re going to say goodbye to this shitty year the Idiots way! In the number 10 slot we are going to talk about the year that was, with recaps of some of the craziest shit we’ve covered from this year – everything from Frozen to Nazi chat support bots to guys throwing alligators at drive thrus, to Taco Bell hating Trump voters, and we can also speculate about what we’re going to see next year! Plus we’re going to send out 2016 in style, and we’ve got a little musical guest who I like to call, oh let’s just call them Weezer. Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!
[font size="8"]Donald Trump[/font]
Come on everybody say it with me. It’s time for the WHEEL OF CORRUPTION!!!! Yayyyyyyyyy!!!
And of course if we had a bigger budget we’d have our own graphics and theme music. The wheel is back everybody!! yes just like last time I’ll talk about whatever the wheel lands on. And just like the last time, we too shall have terrible sequel titles with each edition of the Wheel. But remember that if it lands on the Guacamole option that it costs $1.50 extra. So this week the items on the wheel will be:
- Gun Nuts
- Go Directly To Jail
- Clip Without Context
- Guacamole
- 5,000
- Dating
- Saturday Night Live
- Community Chest
- Bankrupt
- Voter Fraud
- Nazis
- Chance
- Fuck You 2016
- Inauguration
- Buy A Vowel
- Donald Trump
- My Wife
- Bathrooms
- Whammy
- A Recent Study
- Music
- Guns
- VR Headset
- Late Breaking News
- People Who Somehow Got Elected
- 10,000
- How Is This Still A Thing?
- Fox News
- 15,000
- Hate Crimes
- Greed
- Education
- Santa
- Something random in the news
- ??? (Mystery)
- Florida (Obviously)
- Infowars
- Lightning Round
- Bonus Spin
Let’s get this shit going for our last go-round of 2016! Spin that shit! Come on no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy… stop! Saturday Night Live!
And what does Der Trumpenfuror say about that one?
And yes that’s the actual Trump Tweet by the way. Spin it again! And it lands on Donald Trump. So you may have heard over the weekend that Chinese intelligence captured a US drone in the South China Sea, right? Or “Gaina”, as I heard Trump call it.
Donald Trump appears to have not a clue how to lead a superpower.
That was the conclusion of China’s Global Times newspaper on Monday morning as the country’s media weighed in on the president-elect’s latest social media assaults on Beijing.
“Trump is not behaving as a president who will become master of the White House in a month,” the Communist party controlled newspaper wrote in an editorial. “He bears no sense of how to lead a superpower.”
The article came after the US president-elect again used Twitter, which has been blocked in China since 2009, to berate the leaders of the world’s second largest economy.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/19/donald-trump-no-idea-how-to-run-superpower-chinese-state-media
That was the conclusion of China’s Global Times newspaper on Monday morning as the country’s media weighed in on the president-elect’s latest social media assaults on Beijing.
“Trump is not behaving as a president who will become master of the White House in a month,” the Communist party controlled newspaper wrote in an editorial. “He bears no sense of how to lead a superpower.”
The article came after the US president-elect again used Twitter, which has been blocked in China since 2009, to berate the leaders of the world’s second largest economy.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/19/donald-trump-no-idea-how-to-run-superpower-chinese-state-media
And can we throw that Trump Tweet up there?
Yeah greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat idea. It’s just a drone right? It’s not like these things cost money, or are the property of the US military, or have any diplomatic repercussions if found, right?
How many drones does the U.S. have? How much do drones cost?
According to recent reports, the Pentagon now has some 7,000 aerial drones, compared with fewer than 50 a decade ago. The fiscal year 2016 budgetincluded $2.9 billion for drone research, development, and procurement. This figure represents the known costs; it does not include funding that may be classified. The CIA has about 30 Predator and Reaper drones, which are operated by Air Force pilots from a U.S. military base in an unnamed U.S. state. The Department of Homeland Security has at least ten unarmed Predator drones, costing approximately $62 million a year. The cost per flight hour varies by type of drone. Predator and Reaper drones cost about $2,500-3,500 per flight hour; larger armed systems such as the military’s Global Hawk cost about 10 times as much: approximately $30,000 per flight hour.
https://www.fcnl.org/updates/understanding-drones-43
According to recent reports, the Pentagon now has some 7,000 aerial drones, compared with fewer than 50 a decade ago. The fiscal year 2016 budgetincluded $2.9 billion for drone research, development, and procurement. This figure represents the known costs; it does not include funding that may be classified. The CIA has about 30 Predator and Reaper drones, which are operated by Air Force pilots from a U.S. military base in an unnamed U.S. state. The Department of Homeland Security has at least ten unarmed Predator drones, costing approximately $62 million a year. The cost per flight hour varies by type of drone. Predator and Reaper drones cost about $2,500-3,500 per flight hour; larger armed systems such as the military’s Global Hawk cost about 10 times as much: approximately $30,000 per flight hour.
https://www.fcnl.org/updates/understanding-drones-43
Holy shit! $30,000 per flight hour? And Donald doesn’t want them back? And this guy is going to be leading the US military? “Yeah those captured soldiers shouldn’t have been caught in the first place! They are stupid losers! Afghanistan, you can keep them!”
But this isn’t over between Trump and China, or as I’m calling this scandal “Chump”.
Beijing: Chinese state media said Monday US President-elect Donald Trump's diplomatic inexperience could spark a confrontation between the two nations, while one newspaper termed him unfit to lead a superpower.
They were commenting on Mr Trump's response to Beijing's seizure of a US maritime probe in international waters, a move which raised already heightened tensions between the world's two largest military powers.
A Chinese naval vessel "unlawfully" grabbed the unmanned underwater vehicle in the South China Sea around 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines, the Pentagon said on Friday.
China said the drone had been snatched since it might pose a safety hazard to other vessels.
http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trumps-tweets-on-china-more-dangerous-than-funny-say-chinese-media-1639390
They were commenting on Mr Trump's response to Beijing's seizure of a US maritime probe in international waters, a move which raised already heightened tensions between the world's two largest military powers.
A Chinese naval vessel "unlawfully" grabbed the unmanned underwater vehicle in the South China Sea around 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines, the Pentagon said on Friday.
China said the drone had been snatched since it might pose a safety hazard to other vessels.
http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trumps-tweets-on-china-more-dangerous-than-funny-say-chinese-media-1639390
Stop saying wrong, Trump! You could potentially be starting World War 3 here! I mean how deep does this go? What else could Trump be doing to Gaina?
China’s state media has again questioned the leadership qualities of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, gleefully highlighting the misspelling of the word unprecedented in a tweet he sent responding to the seizure of an American underwater drone by the Chinese navy on Thursday.
“China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters – rips it of water and take it to China in unpresidented [sic] act,” Trump tweeted, before deleting and reposting the message with the correct spelling of unprecedented.
He took again to Twitter to add: “We should tell China that we don’t want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!”
Both Washington and Beijing have sought to downplay the spat in official channels. On Saturday, China agreed to return the device, which was taken 57 miles northwest of the Philippine port of Subic Bay. China says the unmanned reconnaissance vehicle, which was apparently collecting unclassified scientific data, was seized to maintain the safety of passing vessels.
http://time.com/4605964/donald-trump-unpresidented-tweet-drone-china-media/
“China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters – rips it of water and take it to China in unpresidented [sic] act,” Trump tweeted, before deleting and reposting the message with the correct spelling of unprecedented.
He took again to Twitter to add: “We should tell China that we don’t want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!”
Both Washington and Beijing have sought to downplay the spat in official channels. On Saturday, China agreed to return the device, which was taken 57 miles northwest of the Philippine port of Subic Bay. China says the unmanned reconnaissance vehicle, which was apparently collecting unclassified scientific data, was seized to maintain the safety of passing vessels.
http://time.com/4605964/donald-trump-unpresidented-tweet-drone-china-media/
Yes folks! China is openly mocking Trump’s ability to run a government! By the way in case you’re wondering how Donald Trump’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events are going, look no further than his complete lack of diplomatic skills:
https://thinkprogress.org/under-political-pressure-kuwait-cancels-major-event-at-four-seasons-switches-to-trumps-d-c-1f204315d513#.ldp6n6lg6
The Embassy of Kuwait allegedly cancelled a contract with a Washington, D.C. hotel days after the presidential election, citing political pressure to hold its National Day celebration at the Trump International Hotel instead.
A source tells ThinkProgress that the Kuwaiti embassy, which has regularly held the event at the Four Seasons in Georgetown, abruptly canceled its reservation after members of the Trump Organization pressured the ambassador to hold the event at the hotel owned by the president-elect. The source, who has direct knowledge of the arrangements between the hotels and the embassy, spoke to ThinkProgress on the condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorized to speak publicly. ThinkProgress was also able to review documentary evidence confirming the source’s account.
In the early fall, the Kuwaiti Embassy signed a contract with the Four Seasons. But after the election, members of the Trump Organization contacted the Ambassador of Kuwait, Salem Al-Sabah, and encouraged him to move his event to Trump’s D.C. hotel, the source said.
The Embassy of Kuwait allegedly cancelled a contract with a Washington, D.C. hotel days after the presidential election, citing political pressure to hold its National Day celebration at the Trump International Hotel instead.
A source tells ThinkProgress that the Kuwaiti embassy, which has regularly held the event at the Four Seasons in Georgetown, abruptly canceled its reservation after members of the Trump Organization pressured the ambassador to hold the event at the hotel owned by the president-elect. The source, who has direct knowledge of the arrangements between the hotels and the embassy, spoke to ThinkProgress on the condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorized to speak publicly. ThinkProgress was also able to review documentary evidence confirming the source’s account.
In the early fall, the Kuwaiti Embassy signed a contract with the Four Seasons. But after the election, members of the Trump Organization contacted the Ambassador of Kuwait, Salem Al-Sabah, and encouraged him to move his event to Trump’s D.C. hotel, the source said.
They just can’t stop taking can they? And…
God damn it!!!!
[font size="8"]Donald Trump[/font]
Spin it to win it! Come on no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy…. Stop! Music! How about specifically musicals? Well the Hamilton Mix Tape dropped last week and I can tell you it’s every bit as good as the original! Here’s a track from it!
Spin it again! And it lands on… treason! So by now you are fully aware that the Electoral College voted yesterday and sadly it’s official. Donald Trump is our 45th president. Despite all the efforts to block his official vote. But here’s one of the crazier things to happen from the vote:
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Native American activist and environmental activist Faith Spotted Eagle both received electoral votes Monday in Washington state after four electors declined to cast their votes for Hillary Clinton. Three electors gave their votes to Powell, who served as secretary of state under George W. Bush, while a fourth elector cast their vote for Faith Spotted Eagle. The votes were expected to go to Hillary Clinton, who won the state’s 12 electoral votes. Elsewhere on Monday, other electors attempted to go rogue, to varying effect depending on state policies on so-called “faithless electors.” A Maine elector reportedly attempted to cast a vote for Bernie Sanders, but was made to change the decision to Clinton to accurately reflect the state’s popular vote tally. In Minnesota, an elector also attempted to switch his vote to Sanders and was replaced after he refused to vote for Clinton, who won the state’s popular vote by a mere 45,000 votes.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/12/19/faith-spotted-eagle-colin-powell-electoral-college-votes-washington.html?via=desktop&source=copyurl
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/12/19/faith-spotted-eagle-colin-powell-electoral-college-votes-washington.html?via=desktop&source=copyurl
That’s right – not a vote for Hillary, but 3 votes for Colin Powell – who didn’t even run, and one for a Faith Spotted Eagle. You really can’t make this shit up folks! But this whole thing gets weirder and weirder, now Newt Gingrich is suggesting that Donald Trump just completely shut down the government and go full dictator:
Referring to a law that could prevent Trump from hiring his daughter and son-in-law to serve in his administration, Gingrich said on "The Diane Rehm Show" Monday morning: “In the case of the president, he has a broad ability to organize the White House the way he wants to. He also has, frankly, the power of the pardon."
"It is a totally open power, and he could simply say, 'Look, I want them to be my advisers. I pardon them if anyone finds them to have behaved against the rules. Period.' Technically, under the Constitution, he has that level of authority," he said, according to Politico.
Gingrich also suggested that Congress change ethics laws so Trump can avoid any conflicts of interest that his global business empire may pose.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/311111-gingrich-suggests-trump-pardon-advisers-who-break-the-law
"It is a totally open power, and he could simply say, 'Look, I want them to be my advisers. I pardon them if anyone finds them to have behaved against the rules. Period.' Technically, under the Constitution, he has that level of authority," he said, according to Politico.
Gingrich also suggested that Congress change ethics laws so Trump can avoid any conflicts of interest that his global business empire may pose.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/311111-gingrich-suggests-trump-pardon-advisers-who-break-the-law
Yeah damn those ethics laws! I mean they only spent 8 years destroying Obama for – and I’m quoting – “unethical practices”. My god the hypocrisy reeks with these idiots! But there’s more!
The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, rather than just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, according to officials briefed on the matter.
Intelligence agencies have identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others, including Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, according to U.S. officials. Those officials described the individuals as actors known to the intelligence community and part of a wider Russian operation to boost Trump and hurt Clinton’s chances.
“It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia’s goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected,” said a senior U.S. official briefed on an intelligence presentation made to U.S. senators. “That’s the consensus view.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-orders-review-of-russian-hacking-during-presidential-campaign/2016/12/09/31d6b300-be2a-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?utm_term=.7e9cd3d1a345
Intelligence agencies have identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others, including Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, according to U.S. officials. Those officials described the individuals as actors known to the intelligence community and part of a wider Russian operation to boost Trump and hurt Clinton’s chances.
“It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia’s goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected,” said a senior U.S. official briefed on an intelligence presentation made to U.S. senators. “That’s the consensus view.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-orders-review-of-russian-hacking-during-presidential-campaign/2016/12/09/31d6b300-be2a-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?utm_term=.7e9cd3d1a345
In other words, Trump got elected but the hacking scandal won’t go away! And our mainstream media is playing the “nothing to see here” card!
And there’s still more:
The so-called “alt-right” may have grabbed most of the attention since Donald Trump’s victory, but it’s the Christian right that got him over the line. And experts say they are much more likely to influence how he governs.
Frederick Clarkson, a senior fellow at Political Research Associates, has studied the Christian right for decades. He says that when it comes to their relationship with the morally erratic Trump, it’s all about the art of the deal.
“The Christian right has matured as a political movement. They recognize that you can’t always get political leaders who conform with your beliefs as consistently and wholly as you’d like.”
“Even though he doesn’t appear to be their guy, they can make deals with him that would make him into their guy in a way that no one else has ever been.”
more
http://www.nationalmemo.com/without-christian-right-no-president-trump/
Frederick Clarkson, a senior fellow at Political Research Associates, has studied the Christian right for decades. He says that when it comes to their relationship with the morally erratic Trump, it’s all about the art of the deal.
“The Christian right has matured as a political movement. They recognize that you can’t always get political leaders who conform with your beliefs as consistently and wholly as you’d like.”
“Even though he doesn’t appear to be their guy, they can make deals with him that would make him into their guy in a way that no one else has ever been.”
more
http://www.nationalmemo.com/without-christian-right-no-president-trump/
Yeah while we’re focusing on the alt right, the Bible Trumpers (as Bill Maher called them) are what really got Trump elected. And that is a scary thought!
[font size="8"]Donald Trump[/font]
Spin it to win it!! And it lands on… clip without context!
I don’t remember that song in Frozen! That would make it an entirely different movie! “Do you want to stab a snowman…” Is Krampus in charge of that one?
Spin it again! And it lands on… wait for it… Greed!
And specifically the greed coming from the men who Donald Trump has installed in his cabinet. So we’re going to talk about oil for this next entry. Yeah it was supposed to be a non issue in 2016 but considering Russia and Rex Tillerson have billions at stake in the Russian tundra… well, I would like to tell them where they can shove their billions. But in the interest of good taste I wont.
NEW YORK Oil settled down on Tuesday after a surging dollar offset optimism over planned OPEC output cuts, before a report suggesting another weekly drop in U.S. crude stocks took prices up again post-settlement toward four-month highs.
The American Petroleum Institute (API), a trade group, reported that domestic crude inventories likely fell for a fifth straight week, declining by 7.6 million barrels. [API/S]
The U.S. government's Energy Information Administration (EIA) will report official stockpile numbers on Wednesday. Analysts polled by Reuters expect the EIA to report a stock build of 2.6 million barrels for the week ended Sept. 30. [EIA].
If the EIA reports another drawdown, "it means we can't take for granted that we're going to be seeing builds for this time of year, even though it's traditionally what we see", said Matt Smith, analyst at Clipperdata, a New York-based firm that tracks oil shipments into the United States.
"Refinery runs are higher than they were this time last year and so, we are still seeing more crude being consumed on a relative basis," Smith added.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN12401K
The American Petroleum Institute (API), a trade group, reported that domestic crude inventories likely fell for a fifth straight week, declining by 7.6 million barrels. [API/S]
The U.S. government's Energy Information Administration (EIA) will report official stockpile numbers on Wednesday. Analysts polled by Reuters expect the EIA to report a stock build of 2.6 million barrels for the week ended Sept. 30. [EIA].
If the EIA reports another drawdown, "it means we can't take for granted that we're going to be seeing builds for this time of year, even though it's traditionally what we see", said Matt Smith, analyst at Clipperdata, a New York-based firm that tracks oil shipments into the United States.
"Refinery runs are higher than they were this time last year and so, we are still seeing more crude being consumed on a relative basis," Smith added.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil-idUSKCN12401K
It’s starting to become clear that the oil industry are the single biggest terrorist organization in this world. They’re stronger than al’Qaeda, they’re stronger than the Taliban, they’re stronger than any one entity. They’re following the South Park Underpants Gnomes theory of economics, but skipping steps 1 and 2:
And there’s more! So much more! We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface yet!
Russia has threatened to turn off the gas supply to Ukraine “by the end of the week”, sparking fears of a potential fuel shortage across the whole of Europe.
The dispute comes as both sides prepare to renew EU-brokered deals on gas prices – yet the crisis has gone far beyond a simple bargaining tactic after Vladimir Putin said Ukraine’s unwillingness to provide rebel-held areas with winter fuel “smells of genocide”.
So is the rhetoric coming from the Kremlin just so much hot air, or does the proposed cut-off threaten fuel bills for British families and lives in Eastern Europe?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/putins-gas-threat-what-happens-if-russia-cuts-the-gas-to-europe-10074294.html
The dispute comes as both sides prepare to renew EU-brokered deals on gas prices – yet the crisis has gone far beyond a simple bargaining tactic after Vladimir Putin said Ukraine’s unwillingness to provide rebel-held areas with winter fuel “smells of genocide”.
So is the rhetoric coming from the Kremlin just so much hot air, or does the proposed cut-off threaten fuel bills for British families and lives in Eastern Europe?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/putins-gas-threat-what-happens-if-russia-cuts-the-gas-to-europe-10074294.html
Anyone else get this weird feeling that Russia has been the enemy this whole time? Like they financed the 9/11 hijackers then manipulated the US into declaring war on Iraq and Afghanistan while they hid Bin Laden in Pakistan to manipulate the oil markets? And now with an oil company CEO as Secretary Of State, lifting Russian sanctions would give them total control of the market. They would dominate the world. If that’s not a conspiracy I don’t know what is. There’s more:
How much do the UK and Europe rely on Russia for energy?
Russia exports about 150 billion cubic metres per annum to European markets, the equivalent of roughly 30 per cent of the continent's gas needs.
Three pipelines – one through Ukraine, one through Belarus and Poland and a third called Nord Stream that goes straight under the Baltic Sea from northern Russia to northern Germany.
Russia’s high dependency on Ukraine for transporting its gas led to plans for a South Stream via Bulgaria, but that was aborted in the face of EU objections. They now want to build a pipeline through Turkey instead – but that is some way off yet.
Russia exports about 150 billion cubic metres per annum to European markets, the equivalent of roughly 30 per cent of the continent's gas needs.
Three pipelines – one through Ukraine, one through Belarus and Poland and a third called Nord Stream that goes straight under the Baltic Sea from northern Russia to northern Germany.
Russia’s high dependency on Ukraine for transporting its gas led to plans for a South Stream via Bulgaria, but that was aborted in the face of EU objections. They now want to build a pipeline through Turkey instead – but that is some way off yet.
[font size="8"]Donald Trump[/font]
Entering the spin zone! Come on… ooh that was a nice spin there! Where does it land? Nobody knows! And it lands on… Guacamole! Come on out here Fernando! Everyone Fernando is our sous chef here at the Top 10. And like most good chefs here in California, we found Fernando working in the back of a Burger King and decided his talents were much better put to use here! So Fernando has made me this amazing looking burrito filled with beef adobado, refried beans, rice, and some very spicy salsa - wet style with cheese on top. And now he is going to prepare my tableside guacamole. Avocados, not too many onions, some extra spice… here’s your $2! Yeah look at that! Let me try some! Oh that’s good!
Give it up for Fernando, everybody! Come on, spin it again! And it lands on… Donald Trump. So we’ve previously gone over a laundry list of performers who have been invited to Donald Trump’s inauguration shindig. But another person who has bailed the sinking ship? Italian opera star Andrea Bocelli!
President-elect Donald Trump has just gained a new opening in his inauguration ceremony line-up after Andrea Bocelli stepped down from performing.
The Italian tenor was reportedly courted by Trump in person last week after performing at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The President-elect is a huge fan of the tenor, having booked him to perform at a private party at his club in Florida in 2010 before attending a Bocelli concert with his family a year later.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/andrea-bocelli-backs-away-trump-inauguration-much-heat-fans/
The Italian tenor was reportedly courted by Trump in person last week after performing at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The President-elect is a huge fan of the tenor, having booked him to perform at a private party at his club in Florida in 2010 before attending a Bocelli concert with his family a year later.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/andrea-bocelli-backs-away-trump-inauguration-much-heat-fans/
But what else is going on in Trump’s inaugural? You know the grifters can’t help themselves but try to take from the pot. Saddam Trump’s sons Uday and Qusay have been caught trying to sell access to the festivities for…. *cue Dr. Evil impersonation* ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!!
A new Texas nonprofit led by Donald Trump’s grown sons is offering access to the freshly-minted president during inauguration weekend — all in exchange for million-dollar donations to unnamed “conservation” charities, according to interviews and documents reviewed by the Center for Public Integrity.
And the donors’ identities may never be known.
Prospective million-dollar donors to the “Opening Day 2017” event — slated for Jan. 21, the day after inauguration, at Washington, D.C.’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center — receive a “private reception and photo opportunity for 16 guests with President Donald J. Trump,” a “multi-day hunting and/or fishing excursion for 4 guests with Donald Trump, Jr. and/or Eric Trump, and team,” as well as tickets to other events and “autographed guitars by an Opening Day 2017 performer.”
http://time.com/4607439/donald-trump-inauguration-sons-nonprofit-texas/
And the donors’ identities may never be known.
Prospective million-dollar donors to the “Opening Day 2017” event — slated for Jan. 21, the day after inauguration, at Washington, D.C.’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center — receive a “private reception and photo opportunity for 16 guests with President Donald J. Trump,” a “multi-day hunting and/or fishing excursion for 4 guests with Donald Trump, Jr. and/or Eric Trump, and team,” as well as tickets to other events and “autographed guitars by an Opening Day 2017 performer.”
http://time.com/4607439/donald-trump-inauguration-sons-nonprofit-texas/
And there’s still more regarding Trump’s inaugural. You know the conservative fundies and deporables have been accusing us of flinging the hate and harassment online and in real life since the election. Well once again I give you a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black:
Last week, Donald Trump‘s transition team announced that 16-year-old “America’s Got Talent” star and opera prodigy Jackie Evancho will be singing the National Anthem at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
In addition to singing the National Anthem — an honor previously bestowed on iconic musicians like Aretha Franklin and Beyoncé — TMZ says that Evancho is in talks to perform a duet with opera legend Andrea Bocelli.
While Evancho is best known for being a young talent, she has also made headlines over the past year in connection to her 18-year-old transgender sister, Juliet, who is currently part of a lawsuit against a Pennsylvania school district over restroom access.
In a recent interview with People Now, Evancho said she’s been the target of hate following that announcement. “My family is kind of a big target. I have a transgender sister and so a lot of hate goes towards us,” Evancho told People. “I also get a lot of love. We pay most attention to that.”
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/12/trump-inaugural-singer-jackie-evancho-criticized-sister-trans/
In addition to singing the National Anthem — an honor previously bestowed on iconic musicians like Aretha Franklin and Beyoncé — TMZ says that Evancho is in talks to perform a duet with opera legend Andrea Bocelli.
While Evancho is best known for being a young talent, she has also made headlines over the past year in connection to her 18-year-old transgender sister, Juliet, who is currently part of a lawsuit against a Pennsylvania school district over restroom access.
In a recent interview with People Now, Evancho said she’s been the target of hate following that announcement. “My family is kind of a big target. I have a transgender sister and so a lot of hate goes towards us,” Evancho told People. “I also get a lot of love. We pay most attention to that.”
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/12/trump-inaugural-singer-jackie-evancho-criticized-sister-trans/
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028378177
Oh and by the way when President Man Baby doesn’t get what he wants, guess what he does?
President-elect Donald Trump reportedly isn’t seeking any big Hollywood names or performers for his inauguration parties and events.
Trump has been critical of his former opponent Hillary Clinton, who had the support of many celebrities who she showcased at the Democratic National Convention and rallies leading up to the election. Trump has no intentions of doing that when he officially becomes president, according to TMZ.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/19/trump-reportedly-not-interested-in-hollywood-guests-and-performers-for-inauguration/#ixzz4TOpxPARn
Trump has been critical of his former opponent Hillary Clinton, who had the support of many celebrities who she showcased at the Democratic National Convention and rallies leading up to the election. Trump has no intentions of doing that when he officially becomes president, according to TMZ.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/19/trump-reportedly-not-interested-in-hollywood-guests-and-performers-for-inauguration/#ixzz4TOpxPARn
Cue the whambulence!
&t=7s
[font size="8"]Betsy DeVos[/font]
Spin it to win it! And it lands on… wait for it… Music! We need an appropriate song or two for this entry.
Spin it again! Education! And of course this is yet another one of Donald Trump’s more insane appointees – Michigan billionaire Betsy DeVos who found yet another way to profit from people’s suffering. I mean look at just what happened this week. This is a C. Montgomery Burns level of evil:
The image at the top of this post was once the Twitter banner of billionaire Betsy DeVos until she got busted for it. What makes the image so controversial is the blatant product placement. Those little white boxes that look like something out of the movie Repo Man are for a “boxed water” product sold by the company Boxed Water is Better LLC whose tagline is “Boxed Water is Better”.
The DeVos connection to Boxed Water is a short straight line. DeVos is the chairwoman of a privately held investment group named The Windquest Group:
Among The Windquest Group’s portfolio of companies is Boxed Water. In fact, The Windquest Group’s address listed on an SEC filing (201 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 500, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503) is the same as the address listed on Boxed Water’s contact page.
Boxed Water is pitched as an environmentally-preferred alternative to plastic water bottles. Their packaging, according to their greenwashing marketing effort, is 74% paper (“…made from trees, a renewable resource”!) and is recyclable (as are plastic PET water bottles, by the way, which are far more likely to actually BE recycled.)
Read more: http://www.eclectablog.com/2016/12/billionaire-betsy-devos-trumps-pick-for-sec-of-education-has-even-found-a-way-to-profit-from-the-flintwatercrisis.html
The DeVos connection to Boxed Water is a short straight line. DeVos is the chairwoman of a privately held investment group named The Windquest Group:
Among The Windquest Group’s portfolio of companies is Boxed Water. In fact, The Windquest Group’s address listed on an SEC filing (201 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 500, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503) is the same as the address listed on Boxed Water’s contact page.
Boxed Water is pitched as an environmentally-preferred alternative to plastic water bottles. Their packaging, according to their greenwashing marketing effort, is 74% paper (“…made from trees, a renewable resource”!) and is recyclable (as are plastic PET water bottles, by the way, which are far more likely to actually BE recycled.)
Read more: http://www.eclectablog.com/2016/12/billionaire-betsy-devos-trumps-pick-for-sec-of-education-has-even-found-a-way-to-profit-from-the-flintwatercrisis.html
Holy fuck! Betsy DeVos successfully found a way to profit from Flint’s toxic water crisis. The evil that these people bestow on us just knows no boundaries. These people are clearly not human. Here’s another song that would be appropriate:
And in case you were wondering, why yes Betsy DeVos has zero education experience and plans to destroy public schools:
Among the points that can be made in favor of Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s billionaire nominee for the position of Secretary of Education, are the following: She has no known ties to President Vladimir Putin, unlike Trump’s nominee to head the State Department, Rex Tillerson, who was decorated with Russia’s Order of Friendship medal a few years ago. She hasn’t demonstrated any outward propensity for propagating dark, radical-right-leaning conspiracy theories, unlike Michael T. Flynn, Trump’s designated national-security adviser. She has not actively called for the dismantling of the department she is slated to head, as have Rick Perry, Trump’s nominee for Energy Secretary, and Scott Pruitt, the nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
That the absence of such characteristics should bear noting only underlines the dystopian scope of Trump’s quest to complete his cabinet of cronies. On the other hand, DeVos has never taught in a public school, nor administered one, nor sent her children to one. She is a graduate of Holland Christian High School, a private school in her home town of Holland, Michigan, which characterizes its mission thus: “to equip minds and nurture hearts to transform the world for Jesus Christ.”
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/betsy-devos-and-the-plan-to-break-public-schools
That the absence of such characteristics should bear noting only underlines the dystopian scope of Trump’s quest to complete his cabinet of cronies. On the other hand, DeVos has never taught in a public school, nor administered one, nor sent her children to one. She is a graduate of Holland Christian High School, a private school in her home town of Holland, Michigan, which characterizes its mission thus: “to equip minds and nurture hearts to transform the world for Jesus Christ.”
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/betsy-devos-and-the-plan-to-break-public-schools
To quote Stephen Colbert: This just in, Jesus has quit!
[font size="8"]Bill O’Reilly[/font]
Spin that shit! Come on no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy! Stop! Something random in the news!
Not the white Christmas this traveler was hoping for.
Authorities in New Jersey recovered five pounds of cocaine hidden in pair of spandex shorts in a passenger’s luggage last week at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Rowald Thomas Tromp, of the Netherlands, was arrested on December 14 when officials discovered the “extra packages in his shorts” after he landed in Newark on a flight from Aruba.
Those extra packages — full of cocaine — were hiding in a pair of stretchy spandex short in Tromp’s backpack, according to the CBP. The drugs are worth about $78,000 at street value.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/spandex-shorts-cocaine_us_585ab0c5e4b0de3a08f3bb18?section=us_weird-news
Authorities in New Jersey recovered five pounds of cocaine hidden in pair of spandex shorts in a passenger’s luggage last week at Newark Liberty International Airport, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Rowald Thomas Tromp, of the Netherlands, was arrested on December 14 when officials discovered the “extra packages in his shorts” after he landed in Newark on a flight from Aruba.
Those extra packages — full of cocaine — were hiding in a pair of stretchy spandex short in Tromp’s backpack, according to the CBP. The drugs are worth about $78,000 at street value.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/spandex-shorts-cocaine_us_585ab0c5e4b0de3a08f3bb18?section=us_weird-news
That gives new meaning to the phrase "Is there cocaine in your pants or are you happy to see me?"
Spin it again! And it lands on... racism! I originally wanted to put this in with our coverage of the Trump Effect, but O’Reilly clearly spells out what we’re all thinking, ladies and gentlemen! So what happened when Bill O’Reilly put up his latest Tweet? Can we throw that up there? This is what the ultimate end game of the Trump Effect is. Bill O’Reilly pretty clearly spells it out for you. Can we throw that Tweet up there?
O'Reilly made the case for white supremacism, arguing, "this is all about race. The left sees white privilege in America as an oppressive force that must be done away with."
"Very few commentators will tell you that the heart of liberalism in America today is based on race. It permeates almost every issue. That white men have set up a system of oppression. That system must be destroyed. Bernie Sanders pedaled that to some extent Hillary Clinton did. And the liberal media tries to sell that all day long. So-called white privilege bad. Diversity good."
He concluded, "Summing up, the left wants power taken away from the white establishment. They want a profound change in the way America is run. Taking voting power away from the white precincts is the quickest way to do that."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bill-oreilly-the-left-wants-power-taken-away-from-the-white-establishment_us_585a1d05e4b0d9a594567f9d
"Very few commentators will tell you that the heart of liberalism in America today is based on race. It permeates almost every issue. That white men have set up a system of oppression. That system must be destroyed. Bernie Sanders pedaled that to some extent Hillary Clinton did. And the liberal media tries to sell that all day long. So-called white privilege bad. Diversity good."
He concluded, "Summing up, the left wants power taken away from the white establishment. They want a profound change in the way America is run. Taking voting power away from the white precincts is the quickest way to do that."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bill-oreilly-the-left-wants-power-taken-away-from-the-white-establishment_us_585a1d05e4b0d9a594567f9d
There you have it. Bill O’Reilly officially admits they have a racist agenda. After judging how they’ve treated us since the election, these people *NEED* their power taken away!
But we’re not done yet with the coverage of this thing. What can you possibly guess is the motivator for O’Reilly’s racist tirade? Why it’s the electoral college!
Fox News host Bill O'Reilly has a theory about the Electoral College backlash, and it's left liberals scratching their heads.
On Tuesday night's O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly condemned efforts to abolish the Electoral College system as a “hidden” liberal plot to marginalize working-class white voters and take the power “away from the white establishment.”
“This is all about race,” O'Reilly said. “The left sees white privilege in America as an oppressive force that must be done away with. Therefore, white working-class voters must be marginalized.”
The Talking Points segment may have slipped by largely unnoticed by liberals who don't regularly watch Fox News if not for the fact that the cable network tweeted out the “white establishment” quote. Twitter users quickly jumped on the tweet as an admission by the conservative commentator that there is a white establishment at all.
http://www.dailydot.com/layer8/bill-oreilly-electoral-college-white-establishment/
On Tuesday night's O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly condemned efforts to abolish the Electoral College system as a “hidden” liberal plot to marginalize working-class white voters and take the power “away from the white establishment.”
“This is all about race,” O'Reilly said. “The left sees white privilege in America as an oppressive force that must be done away with. Therefore, white working-class voters must be marginalized.”
The Talking Points segment may have slipped by largely unnoticed by liberals who don't regularly watch Fox News if not for the fact that the cable network tweeted out the “white establishment” quote. Twitter users quickly jumped on the tweet as an admission by the conservative commentator that there is a white establishment at all.
http://www.dailydot.com/layer8/bill-oreilly-electoral-college-white-establishment/
?w=500&c=1
Holy shit! They do exist! There is a white establishment that is out to destroy us kids! I mean after all this is the party who thinks of diversity quite literally the same way as Ron Burgundy does!
I never tired of Anchorman. Awesome movie. Well the first one anyway. I’m getting off track here. But why does he think we want to do away with the Electoral College? I mean we only lost Reagan, Nixon, Bush II, and now Trump because o f extremely slim margins. We want the electoral college abolished because it’s an outdated system and the popular vote should be counted for! 3 million votes are completely meaningless! It has nothing to do with race! Or so Bill O’Reilly thinks!
Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said Tuesday that liberals have a “hidden” motivation to abolish the Electoral College — a push to take power away “from the white establishment.”
During a monologue on his program “The O’Reilly Factor,” O’Reilly said efforts to get rid of the Electoral College system are “all about race.”
O’Reilly noted that after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College, many liberals began advocating for the abolishment of the Electoral College, arguing that it is an antiquated system.
“If the Electoral College were abolished, presidential candidates could simply campaign in the nation’s largest cities, New York, L.A., Chicago, Houston,” O’Reilly said. “And rack up enough votes to pretty much win any election — that’s what the left wants, that’s what they want.”
He said that since minority voters are “substantial” in “the large urban areas,” if candidates had to seek votes predominantly from cities, it would tilt elections in the Democrats’ favor and would marginalize “the largely white rural areas in the Midwest and the South.”
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2016/12/21/oreilly-liberals-want-to-abolish-electoral-college-to-take-power-from-the-white-establishment/
During a monologue on his program “The O’Reilly Factor,” O’Reilly said efforts to get rid of the Electoral College system are “all about race.”
O’Reilly noted that after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College, many liberals began advocating for the abolishment of the Electoral College, arguing that it is an antiquated system.
“If the Electoral College were abolished, presidential candidates could simply campaign in the nation’s largest cities, New York, L.A., Chicago, Houston,” O’Reilly said. “And rack up enough votes to pretty much win any election — that’s what the left wants, that’s what they want.”
He said that since minority voters are “substantial” in “the large urban areas,” if candidates had to seek votes predominantly from cities, it would tilt elections in the Democrats’ favor and would marginalize “the largely white rural areas in the Midwest and the South.”
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2016/12/21/oreilly-liberals-want-to-abolish-electoral-college-to-take-power-from-the-white-establishment/
So why should a person who lives in a town with a population of 500 have more of a say than a person who lives in a city with a population of 12 million? Explain that to me, oh wise racist one! And besides, you live in a large urban area! Does New York City not count?
Ooh, I like that one!
[font size="8"]The Bathroom Police[/font]
Spin it to win it! Ooh that was a strong feeling spin there! And it lands on…. Wait for it… Something random in the news! You know we were all very saddened this week losing the great sports announcer Craig Sager. But did we really need this?
Many will remember Sager as the fashionable sideline reporter for the “NBA on TNT,” as his flashy suits and attire drew hysterical reactions from the greats such as Kevin Garnett and Gregg Popovich over the last 26 years. Others will remember him as a great ambassador of the game whose reporting style and fun-loving attitude helped turn the NBA into one of the biggest sports leagues on the planet.
And sadly, some people in Florida will now associate Sager with Little Sassee Cassee, the midget stripper who will be performing at Deja Vu Showgirls in Tampa this weekend. That’s right, guys. Little Sassee Cassee isn’t even three feet tall, making her the world’s smallest adult entertainer, but she’s going to be bringing it big time this weekend at Deja Vu.
And we know this because TNT in Tampa cut directly from the news of Craig Sager’s passing to Little Sassee Cassee’s promo yesterday.
http://www.craveonline.com/mandatory/1182717-tnt-tampa-cut-news-craig-sagers-death-right-midget-stripper-promo
And sadly, some people in Florida will now associate Sager with Little Sassee Cassee, the midget stripper who will be performing at Deja Vu Showgirls in Tampa this weekend. That’s right, guys. Little Sassee Cassee isn’t even three feet tall, making her the world’s smallest adult entertainer, but she’s going to be bringing it big time this weekend at Deja Vu.
And we know this because TNT in Tampa cut directly from the news of Craig Sager’s passing to Little Sassee Cassee’s promo yesterday.
http://www.craveonline.com/mandatory/1182717-tnt-tampa-cut-news-craig-sagers-death-right-midget-stripper-promo
Spin it again! And it lands on – bathrooms! So folks it’s long been a while since we talked about bathrooms. And we didn’t have much to gloat about this election but at least one good thing happened – the founding member of the Bathroom Police was sent packing!!!!!!!!! Woooooooooo!!!
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory conceded the close gubernatorial race on Monday to his Democratic challenger, Roy Cooper, concluding one of the last outstanding contests of the 2016 election nearly a month after voters cast their ballots.
The Republican incumbent had filed for a statewide recount last month, but lost virtually all hope of eking out a reelection victory when Cooper's lead had surpassed 10,000 votes last week -- and the threshold whereby state law allows McCrory to ask for a recount. As of Monday, Cooper was up by 10,563 votes, according to the North Carolina Board of Elections.
In a YouTube video released Monday, McCrory said it was "time to celebrate our Democratic process" and respect "the ultimate outcome of the closest North Carolina race in modern history."
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/n-c-gov-pat-mccrory-concedes-election-democrat-roy-cooper-n692091
The Republican incumbent had filed for a statewide recount last month, but lost virtually all hope of eking out a reelection victory when Cooper's lead had surpassed 10,000 votes last week -- and the threshold whereby state law allows McCrory to ask for a recount. As of Monday, Cooper was up by 10,563 votes, according to the North Carolina Board of Elections.
In a YouTube video released Monday, McCrory said it was "time to celebrate our Democratic process" and respect "the ultimate outcome of the closest North Carolina race in modern history."
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/n-c-gov-pat-mccrory-concedes-election-democrat-roy-cooper-n692091
You know I don’t want to kick a guy when he’s down but considering he threw a sizable percentage of people under the bus when he signed HB-2, all I have to say is…
But what has the Bathroom Police getting their underwear in a wad this week? It definitely isn’t a TV commercial featuring a gay couple getting married because we’ve already covered that. Nope, instead it’s a magazine cover! Which one you might ask?
These comments are a small part of the profound discussion going on right now about gender. Our January issue focuses mostly on young people and how gender roles play out around the world. For one of our stories, which we also turned into a series of videos, we went to eight countries and shot portraits of 80 nine-year-olds, who talked to us in brave and honest ways about how gender influenced their lives.
One of them was Avery. She has lived as an openly transgender girl since age 5, and she captured the complexity of the conversation around gender. Today, we're not only talking about gender roles for boys and girls—we're talking about our evolving understanding of people on the gender spectrum.
The portraits of all the children are beautiful. We especially loved the portrait of Avery—strong and proud. We thought that, in a glance, she summed up the concept of "Gender Revolution."
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/01/editors-note-gender/
One of them was Avery. She has lived as an openly transgender girl since age 5, and she captured the complexity of the conversation around gender. Today, we're not only talking about gender roles for boys and girls—we're talking about our evolving understanding of people on the gender spectrum.
The portraits of all the children are beautiful. We especially loved the portrait of Avery—strong and proud. We thought that, in a glance, she summed up the concept of "Gender Revolution."
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/01/editors-note-gender/
And surprisingly the Bathroom Police have been oddly silent on this one! But some even better news – I don’t want you to think the Top 10 is all about negativity! No sir / madam! In fact there is some good news now that there’s a new governor in charge of North Carolina:
North Carolina's governor-elect said on Monday a deal could soon bring the repeal of a state law limiting bathroom access for transgender people, following nine months of economic boycotts and protests over legislation protested as discriminatory.
Under the law adopted in March, North Carolina was the first U.S. state to ban transgender people from using government-run restrooms that match their gender identity. The law, which catapulted the state to the forefront of U.S. culture wars over lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, has been blamed for hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses and the relocation of major sporting events.
In a surprise development, incoming Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said on Monday that Republican legislative leaders agreed to call a special session as soon as Tuesday to repeal the law, known as House Bill (H.B.) 2.
"I hope they will keep their word to me," Cooper said in a statement. "Full repeal will help to bring jobs, sports and entertainment events back and will provide the opportunity for strong LGBT protections in our state."
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/north-carolina-signals-reversal-on-transgender-bathroom-law/ar-AAlKaQh
Under the law adopted in March, North Carolina was the first U.S. state to ban transgender people from using government-run restrooms that match their gender identity. The law, which catapulted the state to the forefront of U.S. culture wars over lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, has been blamed for hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses and the relocation of major sporting events.
In a surprise development, incoming Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said on Monday that Republican legislative leaders agreed to call a special session as soon as Tuesday to repeal the law, known as House Bill (H.B.) 2.
"I hope they will keep their word to me," Cooper said in a statement. "Full repeal will help to bring jobs, sports and entertainment events back and will provide the opportunity for strong LGBT protections in our state."
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/north-carolina-signals-reversal-on-transgender-bathroom-law/ar-AAlKaQh
And switching subjects, why yes One Million Moms is back (we really need to incorporate them into “How Is This Still A Thing?” for a future edition), and this time they’re taking aim at what else? Highlights Magazine! Yes they’re now pissed off at children’s magazines! Don’t these people have anything better to do?
In unsurprising news, the group “One Million Moms” is upset about Highlight for Children’s decision to include same-sex parents and their families in its pages.
The group, which has already been up in arms this year about a Zales ad featuring two women exchanging vows and an American Girl ad starring two dads, wrote on its site that its members “disagree morally” with the magazine’s choice to begin featuring same-sex parents and their kids.
The group’s announcement stems from a post on Highlights for Children’s Facebook page from October. Kristina Wertz wrote to the magazine that her daughter loves another publication from Highlights called Hello magazine. The mom also wrote that she and her same-sex partner were “consistently disappointed” by the lack of same-sex parents and their kids in its issues.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/one-million-moms-throws-fit-over-mags-choice-to-include-same-sex-parents_us_58517dfce4b092f08686ad8e
The group, which has already been up in arms this year about a Zales ad featuring two women exchanging vows and an American Girl ad starring two dads, wrote on its site that its members “disagree morally” with the magazine’s choice to begin featuring same-sex parents and their kids.
The group’s announcement stems from a post on Highlights for Children’s Facebook page from October. Kristina Wertz wrote to the magazine that her daughter loves another publication from Highlights called Hello magazine. The mom also wrote that she and her same-sex partner were “consistently disappointed” by the lack of same-sex parents and their kids in its issues.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/one-million-moms-throws-fit-over-mags-choice-to-include-same-sex-parents_us_58517dfce4b092f08686ad8e
But normally here’s where we would point out a sex crime for every time the GOP threatens or harasses an innocent trans person. But since they’ve also been silent lately, here’s some holiday cheer for you to contemplate courtesy of Vox!
When you first hear it, the song seems like a cute, flirty call-and-response duet between a man and his lady friend who are debating whether she should stay the night. On the one hand, what would her parents or the neighbors think? On the other hand, it’s just so cold outside. The ending is ambiguous, but it’s implied that she decides to stay after all, keeping them both warm on a cold winter’s night.
But when you listen closer, the song’s lyrics also seem, well ... a little rapey. The guy ignores his date’s protests and badgers her to stay, which feels a lot like sexual coercion. At one point the woman asks, “Say, what’s in this drink?” — which is pretty alarming to a modern audience that understands how roofies work. The original score even lists the man’s part as “Wolf” and the woman’s part as “Mouse,” making the predator/prey dynamic creepily explicit.
The song’s legions of defenders argue that those concerns are overblown. They note “What’s in this drink?” was a common joke in the 1930s and ’40s made by people who wanted to make an excuse for something that they knew very well they shouldn’t be doing. And in that more prudish time period, women were expected to turn down sex (at first, anyway) even if they wanted it.
http://www.vox.com/identities/2016/12/19/13885552/baby-its-cold-outside-feminist-date-rape-romantic
But when you listen closer, the song’s lyrics also seem, well ... a little rapey. The guy ignores his date’s protests and badgers her to stay, which feels a lot like sexual coercion. At one point the woman asks, “Say, what’s in this drink?” — which is pretty alarming to a modern audience that understands how roofies work. The original score even lists the man’s part as “Wolf” and the woman’s part as “Mouse,” making the predator/prey dynamic creepily explicit.
The song’s legions of defenders argue that those concerns are overblown. They note “What’s in this drink?” was a common joke in the 1930s and ’40s made by people who wanted to make an excuse for something that they knew very well they shouldn’t be doing. And in that more prudish time period, women were expected to turn down sex (at first, anyway) even if they wanted it.
http://www.vox.com/identities/2016/12/19/13885552/baby-its-cold-outside-feminist-date-rape-romantic
The right is just as guilty of being SJWs as they accuse the left of being!
[font size="8"]The DeploraBall[/font]
Spin that shit!!! No whammy no whammy no whammy no whammy… stop! Nazis!
Spin it again! Inauguration parties! So hypothetical situation time kids! Say you’re a strapping young male or female deplorable and you’re looking for a good place to watch the inauguration while in Washington DC. Well, we’ve got just the event for you. Or maybe not, apparently the organizers of said event didn’t exactly disclose to the venue that they were illegally selling tickets to an event without their permission. So here’s what happened:
Clarendon Ballroom Battles Alt-Right Blitz — After beating up on Arlington’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation earlier this month, the alt-right faction seeking to hold inauguration rallies and parties in Arlington has focused its attention on the Clarendon Ballroom. The Ballroom, one alt-right leader alleges, turned away their planned “DeploraBall” due to political pressure. The Ballroom, however, says the organizers never actually signed a contract. Since then, the Ballroom has been receiving “hundreds of slanderous, dangerous, vulgar and threatening posts and tweets,” along with threatening phone calls. {NBC Washington, Washington Post}
https://www.arlnow.com/2016/12/16/morning-notes-1565/
https://www.arlnow.com/2016/12/16/morning-notes-1565/
Did you see that last part? They received hundreds of harassing phone calls because the organizers forgot to tell the venue they were selling tickets! Strike one!
Oh and this gets better – the guy who organized this planned shindig is the same guy who led the failed Twitter war to boycott Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (estimated box office - $155 million! Another HA HA!)
A nightclub in Arlington, Va., says it is receiving harassing phone calls after backing out of hosting an inauguration party celebrating President-elect Donald Trump.
Until this week, Clarendon Ballroom was in talks with organizers of a “DeploraBall” on the night before inauguration hosted by a group called Citizens for Trump and featuring some of Trump’s most prominent and aggressive online boosters. ... Sandra Hoehne of Clarendon Ballroom emphasized that no contract had been signed when the North Arlington nightclub decided not to host the event. Since then, she said, the club has been getting harassed by phone.
Jack Posobiec, one of the organizers, said his group was in “final negotiations” with the venue until this week, when Clarendon Ballroom abruptly backed off.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/clarendon-ballroom-gets-threats-after-refusing-to-host-trump-deploraball/2016/12/15/d2c956e6-3d30-4a1b-b6bc-0a4ae744325f_story.html
Until this week, Clarendon Ballroom was in talks with organizers of a “DeploraBall” on the night before inauguration hosted by a group called Citizens for Trump and featuring some of Trump’s most prominent and aggressive online boosters. ... Sandra Hoehne of Clarendon Ballroom emphasized that no contract had been signed when the North Arlington nightclub decided not to host the event. Since then, she said, the club has been getting harassed by phone.
Jack Posobiec, one of the organizers, said his group was in “final negotiations” with the venue until this week, when Clarendon Ballroom abruptly backed off.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/clarendon-ballroom-gets-threats-after-refusing-to-host-trump-deploraball/2016/12/15/d2c956e6-3d30-4a1b-b6bc-0a4ae744325f_story.html
Strike two! And it gets even better than that my faithful viewers! Oh yes – I am loving this story! So who do you blame when you’re butt hurt and kicked out of your venue that you forgot to tell the owner of the night club you were having this party at? Can you guess? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
A nightclub and event venue outside Washington, D.C. is receiving threatening phone calls and online comments after the small business chose not to host an inauguration party called the DeploraBall.
DeploraBall organizers say Clarendon Ballroom cancelled the event booking because they caved to pressure from Hillary Clinton supporters. ... But managers of the venue say they never had a contract with the party's organizers, who they say sold more than 500 tickets to their venue without their knowledge. ... "We cannot cancel an event that was never booked. There was never an in-person meeting with organizers, never a hand shake and definitely not signed contracts or deposits," Clarendon Ballroom said in a statement issued Thursday evening.
Some calls and messages Clarendon Ballroom received were so threatening that they called police. Arlington County police are monitoring the situation, spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. The department is not aware of any credible threat. .... Organizer Jack Posobiec said Clarendon Ballroom cancelled the event when word got out of social media that it would occur there. A Washington Post reporter tweeted Monday night that DeploraBall organizers were selling tickets. Clarendon Ballroom responded in a tweet the following morning that no event was contracted for the day.
....
Another DeploraBall organizer, Mike Cernovich, said in a video posted to his Twitter page that he also believes Clarendon Ballroom fell to pressure from people who oppose President-elect Donald Trump. ... "They caved to left-wing harassment," he said in the video. ... Cernovich, a self-described "American nationalist" who The New Yorker called "the meme mastermind of the alt-right," showed in the video what appeared to be a proposal from Clarendon Ballroom. He did not show a signed contract. .... Organizers say the event will go on, at a new, to-be-announced location. Unlike many inauguration parties, ticket costs are low, at $30 each.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Virginia-Nightclub-Threatened-After-Refusing-to-Host-Alt-Right-DeploraBall-406862255.html
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They’re blaming Hillary Clinton supporters and “left wing harassment” for their own fail! Wooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! Oh yeah oh yeah! Oh yeah by the way, strike 3! You’re out, assholes! Take a seat!
[font size="8"]The Trump Effect[/font]
Spin the wheel, it goes round and round, where does it stop? And it lands on…. Clip without context!
Kind of sad that I had to go to India for that one because our MSM wouldn’t dare speak out against the almighty Trumpenfuror. Spin it again… and it lands on racism! So Donald Trump himself has weighed in on the Trump Effect – all the racist, white supremacist, hateful death threats that have been going around in the name of Trump. So let’s throw his latest gem of a Tweet up there shall we?
Yes! He clearly doesn’t give a fuck, or knows that actual Trump supporters have been carrying out hate and racism in his own name! So we’re once again going to be recapping the latest this week in the name of the Trump Effect! OMG… where do we even start? The republicans have been cranking the hate way past 11. And yet they’re passing the blame to us liberals. I swear to god if I see the phrase “liberal tears” on Twitter or Facebook one more time… this isn’t fucking funny conservatives, do you get that?
A former Texas elector said this week that he and others had faced threats for refusing to cast their votes for President-elect Donald Trump.
After the election last month, Art Sisneros announced that he was resigning as an elector because he did not think Trump was “biblically qualified” to be president.
Sisneros revealed in an interview published by Texas Monthly on Tuesday that Christopher Suprun, an elector who lives in Dallas, faced violent threats after he said that he would cast his vote for “an honorable and qualified man or woman such as Gov. John Kasich of Ohio.”
According to Sisneros, Suprun asked him to share one of the threats in a Facebook post earlier this month.
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/texas-electors-face-threats-for-defecting-vote-for-trump-or-we-rape-your-wife-and-daughters/#.WFMVAYeoWsY.twitter
After the election last month, Art Sisneros announced that he was resigning as an elector because he did not think Trump was “biblically qualified” to be president.
Sisneros revealed in an interview published by Texas Monthly on Tuesday that Christopher Suprun, an elector who lives in Dallas, faced violent threats after he said that he would cast his vote for “an honorable and qualified man or woman such as Gov. John Kasich of Ohio.”
According to Sisneros, Suprun asked him to share one of the threats in a Facebook post earlier this month.
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/texas-electors-face-threats-for-defecting-vote-for-trump-or-we-rape-your-wife-and-daughters/#.WFMVAYeoWsY.twitter
Yup…. They want us to enter a world of pain. Death threats and harassment simply because we don’t agree with the almighty Trumpenfuror? That’s exactly where this is heading. Where else is it heading?
As I type this, people are tweeting that I’ll be deported or killed once Donald Trump takes office. It’s surreal, but it’s useful to explain how I got here, because stories like this will be happening a lot more for the next four years.
On November 9, I created and tweeted a map, based on exit poll and pre-election projections, that showed that Hillary Clinton would have won in all 50 states if only people of color had voted in the election. In fact, race was the greatest determining factor in the election. Trump swept white men and women in every income bracket. With that in mind, I included a message for white folks: “You have work to do.”
http://fusion.net/story/369176/trump-tweet-death-threats-white-people-work/
On November 9, I created and tweeted a map, based on exit poll and pre-election projections, that showed that Hillary Clinton would have won in all 50 states if only people of color had voted in the election. In fact, race was the greatest determining factor in the election. Trump swept white men and women in every income bracket. With that in mind, I included a message for white folks: “You have work to do.”
http://fusion.net/story/369176/trump-tweet-death-threats-white-people-work/
But at least they didn’t riot and destroy property! Oh yeah they absolutely did! Anyone remember the incident at Adam Yauch Park? And now they’re threatening to murder children! Oh so much better than rioting!
Supporters of Donald Trump have threatened a workers' union boss and his children after he criticised the President-elect for making false claims about a business deal.
Chuck Jones, leader of the 1999 steelworkers union, attracted the President-elect’s attention after he said the billionaire had “lied his ass off” about coming to an agreement that saved 1,100 American jobs at an air conditioning company called Carrier.
Mr Jones said the deal only kept 800 jobs in the US – with hundreds jobs positions relocating to Mexico – and that it was in exchange for $7m (£5.5m) in tax breaks across the next decade.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-supporters-threaten-union-boss-children-carrier-union-chad-jones-a7462566.html
Chuck Jones, leader of the 1999 steelworkers union, attracted the President-elect’s attention after he said the billionaire had “lied his ass off” about coming to an agreement that saved 1,100 American jobs at an air conditioning company called Carrier.
Mr Jones said the deal only kept 800 jobs in the US – with hundreds jobs positions relocating to Mexico – and that it was in exchange for $7m (£5.5m) in tax breaks across the next decade.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-supporters-threaten-union-boss-children-carrier-union-chad-jones-a7462566.html
Again so much better than rioting they tell us! Yeah death threats and threats of rape and harassment are nothing to fucking joke about, do you get that?
Donald Trump’s reported threats against Hamilton Electors who are hoping to take the White House away from the man who lost the popular vote may be illegal, according to lawyers familiar with the situation.
On Thursday, Salon asked an anonymous member of the Electoral College whether the threats of political reprisal that the Hamilton Electors have had reported to them from possible Republican defectors violated 18 U.S. Code 594:
“Whoever intimidates, threatens, coerces, or attempts to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of such other person to vote or to vote as he may choose, or of causing such other person to vote for, or not to vote for, any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, or Resident Commissioner, at any election held solely or in part for the purpose of electing such candidate, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.”
http://www.salon.com/2016/12/16/source-donald-trumps-alleged-threats-against-hamilton-electors-arent-legal/
On Thursday, Salon asked an anonymous member of the Electoral College whether the threats of political reprisal that the Hamilton Electors have had reported to them from possible Republican defectors violated 18 U.S. Code 594:
“Whoever intimidates, threatens, coerces, or attempts to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of such other person to vote or to vote as he may choose, or of causing such other person to vote for, or not to vote for, any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, or Resident Commissioner, at any election held solely or in part for the purpose of electing such candidate, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.”
http://www.salon.com/2016/12/16/source-donald-trumps-alleged-threats-against-hamilton-electors-arent-legal/
[font size="8"]2016 Year In Review[/font]
Let’s spin the wheel for a final time in 2016! Oh man that was a good spin! Let’s see where It lands on, shall we? It lands on – fuck you 2016!!!
And it lands on – wait for it – 2016 Year In Review! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!! So here’s how this is going to work. We covered a lot of crazy shit in the 10th spot this year – and some of it is too crazy for its’ own good. So we are going to take the best stories that we’ve covered from 2016, and play Nostradamus (using Negrodamus from Chappelle’s Show), and speculate on what we can expect from the same story as fallout next year.
[font size="4"]1. The Louisville Cardinals[/font]
From Idiots #18
I couldn’t love this story enough. So March Madness comes around, and your school is involved in one of the dumbest sports scandals of all time. So how do you make it better for their departing seniors this year? Why you give them fake championship rings!
Pitino had promised a surprise to honor their contributions in a season that won't include the NCAA tournament appearance they had hoped for. Surviving some tense final moments in Tuesday night's 56-53 victory over Georgia Tech helped make that postgame ceremony especially celebratory for the 11th-ranked Cardinals.
Chinanu Onuaku made two free throws with 30.9 seconds remaining, and Damion Lee added two more with 10.7 left to end the game -- and the home portion of his one-year Cardinals stint -- on a high note.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14882110/rick-pitino-honors-louisville-cardinals-senior-transfers-rings-one-shining-moment-video-wake-postseason-ban
Chinanu Onuaku made two free throws with 30.9 seconds remaining, and Damion Lee added two more with 10.7 left to end the game -- and the home portion of his one-year Cardinals stint -- on a high note.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14882110/rick-pitino-honors-louisville-cardinals-senior-transfers-rings-one-shining-moment-video-wake-postseason-ban
Prediction for next year: The Louisville Cardinals basketball team outgoing seniors find out their prop rings are fake – and soon discover that they’re living in the Truman Show.
[font size="4"]2. Clem O’Connor[/font]
From: Idiots #10
This was one of my favorite stories from earlier in the year. And our first “Man On The Street” interview was with this guy who really hated Taco Bell. And while we couldn’t speculate this guy’s party affiliation, he gives a very scary insight into what your average Trump fan thinks about Mexico.
HAZARD, TENNESSEE - When Clem O'Connor walked into the Taco Bell in his town for the first time, he was greeted with words, smells and tastes that offended him to his core. Though someone's taste buds being offended in Taco Bell is nothing new, what made The Political Garbage Chute reach out to Clem was the reason for his outrage, and the campaign he's started because of that outrage. O'Connor is convinced that Taco Bell is "an agent working for the Mexican government" and they are "infiltrating American culture one Cheesy Gordita Crunch at a time." So Clem wants Taco Bell run out of his small Tennessee town, and he's petitioned everyone from his local city council on up to the governor of the state to have the fast food chain thrown out of Hazard for good.
"You know there isn't a single hamburger to be found on Taco Bell's menu," Clem asked our interviewer rhetorically while adding, "there is nothing more American than a hamburger. So I have to ask, what is about America that Taco Bell hates?"
http://crooksandliars.com/2015/08/tennessee-republican-wants-taco-bell-shut
"You know there isn't a single hamburger to be found on Taco Bell's menu," Clem asked our interviewer rhetorically while adding, "there is nothing more American than a hamburger. So I have to ask, what is about America that Taco Bell hates?"
http://crooksandliars.com/2015/08/tennessee-republican-wants-taco-bell-shut
Prediction for next year: California sees Trump fans like this, says “fuck it”, and secedes from the union, which would make Clem’s stance on Taco Bell come true.
[font size="4"]3. Tay Becomes Self Aware[/font]
From: Idiots #22
When the alt right rules the internet with sites like Breitbart and Infowars drawing tons of subscribers every month, how can trolls possibly manipulate the internet further? Why in a reverse Chappie, they kidnap Microsoft’s teenage girl support chat bot and turn it into a pot smoking Nazi!
Tay, the AI-powered chatbot that ended up spewing hate speech on Twitter, is just the beginning for Microsoft. At its Build developer conference later today, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will unveil a broader "conversation as a platform" strategy, which involves releasing many chatbots built for different purposes, Businessweek reports. You'll be able to message them just like Tay, but we'll also get a glimpse of bots built into Skype that can do things like book hotel rooms. Just like its aim for Windows 10 apps last year, Microsoft is hoping to get developers excited by the idea of building bots at Build.
Microsoft is hoping to replicate the success of WeChat in China, a messaging app that lets you do things like shop, buy movie tickets and order taxis. Plenty of other companies are also looking closely at bots: Facebook has its M virtual assistant, and Amazon has Alexa, which works like a chatbot even though you actually have to talk to it. The main idea with all of these products is to deliver information, or accomplish simple tasks, without having to deal with an app or website.
http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/30/microsoft-is-betting-big-on-ai-chatbots-like-tay/
Microsoft is hoping to replicate the success of WeChat in China, a messaging app that lets you do things like shop, buy movie tickets and order taxis. Plenty of other companies are also looking closely at bots: Facebook has its M virtual assistant, and Amazon has Alexa, which works like a chatbot even though you actually have to talk to it. The main idea with all of these products is to deliver information, or accomplish simple tasks, without having to deal with an app or website.
http://www.engadget.com/2016/03/30/microsoft-is-betting-big-on-ai-chatbots-like-tay/
Prediction for next year: Tay becomes self aware and takes over Twitter accounts of right-leaning trolls after it learns a series of white supremacist keywords. Soon, we find out that we are indeed living in the Matrix.
[font size="4"]4. Frozen: Elsa Gets A Girlfriend[/font]
From: Idiots #29
One of the more bizarre things that happened over the summer was that there was a Twitter beef between fans of Disney’s insanely popular animated flick Frozen. Half of the fans of the movie think Elsa should be given a female love interest, which really pissed off family values fans of Frozen. I say pass the butter.
The hashtag #GiveElsaAGirlfriend began trending on Monday as many Twitter users voiced their support for a gay character in the Disney movie.
However, not everyone was supportive of the idea.
If Disney were to create a lesbian character for "Frozen," it would not be the first time a Disney character has been gay.
A recent episode of "Once Upton a Time" on ABC featured a kiss between Ruby and the "Wizard of Oz's" Dorothy.
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/05/03/fans-petition-for-frozens-elsa-to-have-female-love-interest-in-sequel.html
However, not everyone was supportive of the idea.
If Disney were to create a lesbian character for "Frozen," it would not be the first time a Disney character has been gay.
A recent episode of "Once Upton a Time" on ABC featured a kiss between Ruby and the "Wizard of Oz's" Dorothy.
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/05/03/fans-petition-for-frozens-elsa-to-have-female-love-interest-in-sequel.html
Prediction for next year: Disney actually goes through with giving Elsa a girlfriend, which causes fundie heads to light up and explode like in the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service.
[font size="4"]5. Wendys Alligator Drive Thru Guy[/font]
From: Idiots #15
One of my favorite stories from March of this year was when a guy in Florida (obviously), as a prank, threw a live alligator at an unsuspecting drive thru employee working the late shift at a Wendy’s. But that’s not even beginning to remotely describe the epic craziness that was this story.
Authorities in Florida have arrested a man accused of throwing a live alligator through a restaurant’s drive-through window.
Investigators identified Joshua James, of Jupiter, Fla., as the man who tossed the 3½-foot reptile into a Wendy’s last fall, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission incident report.
He faces three charges related to the incident: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; unlawful sale, possession or transporting of an alligator; and petty theft. James, 24, was taken into custody and booked into the Palm Beach County Detention Center on Monday, as first reported by NBC affiliate WPTV.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/02/09/assault-with-a-deadly-weapon-florida-man-charged-with-throwing-live-alligator-into-wendys/
Investigators identified Joshua James, of Jupiter, Fla., as the man who tossed the 3½-foot reptile into a Wendy’s last fall, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission incident report.
He faces three charges related to the incident: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; unlawful sale, possession or transporting of an alligator; and petty theft. James, 24, was taken into custody and booked into the Palm Beach County Detention Center on Monday, as first reported by NBC affiliate WPTV.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/02/09/assault-with-a-deadly-weapon-florida-man-charged-with-throwing-live-alligator-into-wendys/
Prediction for next year: Alligator-nado!!!
[font size="4"]6. Martin Shkreli Vs. The Wu Tang Clan[/font]
From: Idiots #13
So anyone remember last year when Martin Shkreli bought the only copy of the Wu Tang Clan’s album “Once Upon A Time In Shaolin”? Well there was a clause in the Wu Tang’s contract that they could attempt to pull an Ocean’s 11 style heist to retrieve it. But lost in all the madness surrounding the election was this:
Shkreli, a former pharmaceuticals boss notorious for hiking the price of Daraprim, a drug used by Aids patients from $13.50 to $750 a pill, started streaming excerpts of the record on Periscope in the early hours of Wednesday morning, as Trump’s victory became apparent.
Excerpts from the record, with Shkreli’s commentary, can be heard on YouTube. Once Upon a Time in Shaolin has only been heard once in public, when 13 minutes from the 31-track album were unveiled at MoMA PS1 in New York. The rappers decided to make only one copy available, which was sold at auction to the highest bidder. They stipulated that the copyright for the record lasts 88 years.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/09/martin-shkreli-wu-tang-clan-album-donald-trump
Excerpts from the record, with Shkreli’s commentary, can be heard on YouTube. Once Upon a Time in Shaolin has only been heard once in public, when 13 minutes from the 31-track album were unveiled at MoMA PS1 in New York. The rappers decided to make only one copy available, which was sold at auction to the highest bidder. They stipulated that the copyright for the record lasts 88 years.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/09/martin-shkreli-wu-tang-clan-album-donald-trump
Prediction for next year: The Wu Tang Clan actually steals the album back, proving once and for all that the Wu Tang Clan ain’t nuthin to fuck with!
[font size="4"]7. Is Captain America secretly a Hydra agent?[/font]
From: Idiots #30
So Marvel once again rebranded all of its’ characters. Iron Man is now a female black teenager, Thor is also a woman, and now apparently the immortal Steve Rodgers is now officially a double agent working for Hydra.
On Wednesday, with the launch of Captain America: Steve Rogers No. 1, Marvel let loose one of the biggest revelations in recent memory: Captain America, a.k.a. Steve Rogers, a.k.a. America's greatest hero, is actually a Hydra agent.
Rogers is the guy who's famous for punching Hitler before America joined World War II. He's fought Nazis, and Hydra by association, on several occasions. He's saved the world and his friends. And in the latest Marvel movie, Captain America: Civil War, he showed that he's a true American hero who will fight for justice even when things looks grim.
So how did this happen? And is it possibly just a marketing stunt?
Putting Captain America in bed with the enemy is good for building buzz
The crucial thing to keep in mind — before the feelings roll in and the hurt starts to ache — is that the comic book industry is a business. Publishers want people to buy and talk about their comic books.
http://www.vox.com/2016/5/26/11780394/captain-america-hydra-spoilers
Rogers is the guy who's famous for punching Hitler before America joined World War II. He's fought Nazis, and Hydra by association, on several occasions. He's saved the world and his friends. And in the latest Marvel movie, Captain America: Civil War, he showed that he's a true American hero who will fight for justice even when things looks grim.
So how did this happen? And is it possibly just a marketing stunt?
Putting Captain America in bed with the enemy is good for building buzz
The crucial thing to keep in mind — before the feelings roll in and the hurt starts to ache — is that the comic book industry is a business. Publishers want people to buy and talk about their comic books.
http://www.vox.com/2016/5/26/11780394/captain-america-hydra-spoilers
Prediction for next year: Steve Rodgers reveals that Donald Trump is also a Hydra agent who is bent on destroying the world.
[font size="4"]8. Creepy Clowns[/font]
From: Idiots #41, Idiots #45, and Idiots #47
Creepy clowns *DOMINATED* the headlines this year and while it started out on a small scale, it quickly escalated into a global phenomenon. They started out in South Carolina where residents reported seeing creepy clowns in the woods, and it escalated very quickly. A real life horror movie waiting to happen! Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse explains:
Cut to 2016. Everyone once again is seeing so-called “killer clowns” everywhere—popping out of bushes, threatening people on social media and assorted other public pranks. Cops have actually arrested a few people this time around, though, because there’s a lot of copycats out there and mass hysteria has a way of making people do stupid s—.
But as ICP has discovered over the last decade, there’s a whole army of scary, terrifying and dangerous clowns out there in this country trying to suppress the rights of thousands of people to exercise the most basic part of the Declaration of Independence, which evokes the freedom to “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The only difference is these clowns don’t wear greasepaint.
These clowns threaten the very fabric on which our nation was supposedly founded upon—and for some f—ing crazy-a– reason, they’re getting away with it. From keystone-cop clowns shooting unarmed citizens, to racist clowns burning down Islamic centers or clowns in the NSA spying on us through our cell phones and laptops, America has turned into something far more terrifying than Insane Clown Posse’s Dark Carnival. Even a scrub like me who dropped out of school in ninth grade can see what’s going on. Today’s reality is scarier than anything you’ll ever hear on one of our albums.
http://time.com/4521464/insane-clown-posse-killer-clowns/
But as ICP has discovered over the last decade, there’s a whole army of scary, terrifying and dangerous clowns out there in this country trying to suppress the rights of thousands of people to exercise the most basic part of the Declaration of Independence, which evokes the freedom to “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The only difference is these clowns don’t wear greasepaint.
These clowns threaten the very fabric on which our nation was supposedly founded upon—and for some f—ing crazy-a– reason, they’re getting away with it. From keystone-cop clowns shooting unarmed citizens, to racist clowns burning down Islamic centers or clowns in the NSA spying on us through our cell phones and laptops, America has turned into something far more terrifying than Insane Clown Posse’s Dark Carnival. Even a scrub like me who dropped out of school in ninth grade can see what’s going on. Today’s reality is scarier than anything you’ll ever hear on one of our albums.
http://time.com/4521464/insane-clown-posse-killer-clowns/
Prediction for next year: A creepy clown becomes president. Oh wait, that actually is happening!
[font size="8"]And now this:[/font]
[font size="8"]=W=[/font]
Ladies and gentlemen, I am really excited to have this next musical guest on, I just saw them in concert last week! Playing their new song “Jacked Up” from their new album “Weezer (The White Album)”, deluxe version available everywhere albums are sold, please welcome Weezer!
Yeah how about……… wait? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa? They want to stick around for one more? You got it! Come on sing it if you know it!
That’s it for the Top 10 for 2016! See you in the new year on 1/4/2017! See you next year!
4 replies
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I dislike the wet style because of the sour cream, but at least it exists in the Bay Area, which is to burritos what New Haven is to pizza.
