Edited for brevity.
A woman isn't legally responsible for injuries her boyfriend suffered while they were having consensual sex more than a decade ago, a state appeals court ruled Monday. The man, identified only as John Doe in court papers, filed suit against the woman in 1997, claiming she was negligent when she suddenly changed positions, landed awkwardly on him and fractured his penis. The man underwent emergency surgery in September 1994, "endured a painful and lengthy recovery" and has suffered from sexual dysfunction that hasn't responded to medication or counseling, the appeals court said. Guess I better dismantle the bedroom trapeze and go back to the Missionary Position. It's the only way to be safe...
Posted by: Dar ||
05/17/2005 14:41 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"endured a painful and lengthy recovery"
Painful I can believe, but the "lengthy" part is probably just the plaintiff stroking his ego.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
05/17/2005 14:53 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Chicken in a Basket. The only, er, make that one of the more theatrical better ways to go. Note: Requires a stiff & solid crossmember. The RB Engineering Team will understand, heh.
#4
I assume the guy had a penile implant which broke when his friend flipped on him. TIMBERRRR!!!!!!!!!! Also noted the guy is too chicken to give out his name. Probably wise. I can see the jokes around the coffee machine now. Er, just how many toothpicks did it take to make that thing, anyhow? Did you get splinters? Wasn't it under warranty or something?
Posted by: Weird Al ||
05/17/2005 16:55 Comments ||
Top||
#5
No implant involved in penile fracture.
http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3415.htm
Penile fracture is the traumatic rupture of the corpus cavernosum. Traumatic rupture of the penis is relatively uncommon and is considered a urologic emergency.
Sudden blunt trauma or abrupt lateral bending of the penis in an erect state can break the markedly thinned and stiff tunica albuginea, resulting in a fractured penis. One or both corpora may be involved, and concomitant injury to the penile urethra may occur. Urethral trauma is more common when both corpora cavernosa are injured.
Posted by: john ||
05/17/2005 17:01 Comments ||
Top||
#6
I'd rather be jabbed in the eye with a red-hot poker. At least I have a spare eye.
Posted by: ed ||
05/17/2005 17:11 Comments ||
Top||
#7
"sexual dysfunction that hasn't responded to medication or counseling"
What kind of counseling can 'it' get? Does somebody talk to it? Is it group therapy? Should it go to it's 'happy place' whenit is scared? I will stop now.
#8
In the Middle East, common cause is not masturbation but "penile manipulation to achieve detumescence"
Fascinating. Wonder if there is a fatwa on this.
Etiology: In the Western Hemisphere, the injury most commonly occurs during sexual intercourse when the penis slips out of the vagina and strikes the perineum or the pubic symphysis. Other potential causes include industrial accidents, masturbation, gunshot wounds, or any other mechanical trauma that causes forcible breaking of an erect penis.
In Middle Eastern countries, the injury more commonly occurs secondary to penile manipulation to achieve detumescence. Additional rare etiologies include turning over in bed, a direct blow, forced bending, or hastily removing or applying clothing when the penis is erect.
Posted by: john ||
05/17/2005 19:32 Comments ||
Top||
A Norwegian man has died after his parachute became stuck on an upper deck of the Eiffel Tower, officials have said. Early investigations indicated the man planned to film his jump as part of publicity for a Norwegian clothing brand, police added. The 31-year-old entered the tower with a hidden parachute and a helmet that had a small video camera attached. Upon reaching the tower's 380-foot second deck, the man jumped. Investigators believe his parachute got caught in the tower's structure, detaching it from his body.
The phrase; "Aw shiiiiiiiiiit!" comes to mind.
He continued his fall without the parachute, crashing onto the first deck of the famous Paris landmark.
"Clean up, Level one!"
Posted by: Steve ||
05/17/2005 12:52:58 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
So assuming the helmet camera survived, they'll still be using the footage to publicize the "Norwegian clothing brand"? Right?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/17/2005 13:43 Comments ||
Top||
#2
A clothing line? Shucks. Monogrammed body bags would work. Towels. I'm thinking fluffy soft and very absorbent. Think niche, guys, this sort of stupidity opportunity doesn't just fall in your lap everyday. Er... well maybe it does.
#11
I think that's Heinlein, that stupidty is the only capital crime the punishment is death with no chance for an appeal.
Posted by: bruce ||
05/17/2005 19:22 Comments ||
Top||
#12
Found the exact quote from Heinlein, " Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin, the victim can't help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity."
Posted by: bruce ||
05/17/2005 19:29 Comments ||
Top||
#13
Lazarus Long, to be exact, via Heinlein
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/17/2005 19:39 Comments ||
Top||
#14
I always have felt that wearing clean underwear as a courtesy to a potential coroner as overly optimistic. - I do floss before visitting the dentist, though.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
05/17/2005 20:52 Comments ||
Top||
#15
Thanx for the quote from Heinlein. I think it came from "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress." Great book. Niven's comment was more general, relating to "Ooops!" that happened to people in the asteroid belt. Heinlein is better, though.
Posted by: Weird Al ||
05/17/2005 21:03 Comments ||
Top||
SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Jose M. Lopez, a World War II veteran who was awarded the Medal of Honor for single-handedly killing more than 100 German soldiers in a single skirmish, died Monday. He was 94. Lopez died at his daughter's home. He had been hospitalized for several weeks while being treated for cancer.
Lopez won the nation's highest military honor for his heroics during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. He was the oldest living Hispanic recipient of the Medal of Honor and among a dwindling group of recipients from World War II. "He was a great hero, a super guy and a super dad," said his oldest son, John Lopez.
LOPEZ, JOSE M.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, 23d Infantry, 2d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Krinkelt, Belgium, 17 December 1944. Entered service at: Brownsville, Tex. Birth: Mission, Tex. G.O. No.: 47, 18 June 1945.
Citation: On his own initiative, he carried his heavy machinegun from Company K's right flank to its left, in order to protect that flank which was in danger of being overrun by advancing enemy infantry supported by tanks. Occupying a shallow hole offering no protection above his waist, he cut down a group of 10 Germans. Ignoring enemy fire from an advancing tank, he held his position and cut down 25 more enemy infantry attempting to turn his flank. Glancing to his right, he saw a large number of infantry swarming in from the front. Although dazed and shaken from enemy artillery fire which had crashed into the ground only a few yards away, he realized that his position soon would be outflanked. Again, alone, he carried his machinegun to a position to the right rear of the sector; enemy tanks and infantry were forcing a withdrawal. Blown over backward by the concussion of enemy fire, he immediately reset his gun and continued his fire. Single-handed he held off the German horde until he was satisfied his company had effected its retirement. Again he loaded his gun on his back and in a hail of small arms fire he ran to a point where a few of his comrades were attempting to set up another defense against the onrushing enemy. He fired from this position until his ammunition was exhausted. Still carrying his gun, he fell back with his small group to Krinkelt. Sgt. Lopez's gallantry and intrepidity, on seemingly suicidal missions in which he killed at least 100 of the enemy, were almost solely responsible for allowing Company K to avoid being enveloped, to withdraw successfully and to give other forces coming up in support time to build a line which repelled the enemy drive.
Lest we forget
Posted by: Steve ||
05/17/2005 8:05:14 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Thank you, Sgt. Lopez!
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/17/2005 8:42 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Thank you Sgt. Lopez just doesn't seem like enough, but, what can you say of action like this?
Go in peace sir, and thank you.
#5
Hooah, Sarge. Say hi to Al York, Rick Rescorla, Chesty Puller and Audie Murphy when you see them.
Posted by: mac ||
05/17/2005 11:54 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Wow--we definitely needed heroes like him on Day 2 of the Bulge! Thank you for showing Hitler how much he underestimated the citizen-soldier. God speed, SGT Lopez!
Posted by: Dar ||
05/17/2005 12:06 Comments ||
Top||
#7
OK Kids, Here is a little Medal of Honor quiz.
Name the Medal of Honor recipiant whose name is uttered literally tens of thousands of times a day?
Posted by: Jonathan ||
05/17/2005 14:28 Comments ||
Top||
#9
No takers for the little Quiz? Name the Medal of Honor recipiant whose name is uttered literally tens of thousands of times a day?
How about " O'Hare ",as in Butch O' Hare, MOH recipiant and the namesake for Chicago's ORD airport which was renamed from Orchard Field in his honor.
He never made it home... but his name is uttered countless times each day all arounfd the world. (often attached to a profanity)
#10
There's a full-scale replica of Butch O'Hare's Wildcat in Terminal 2, along with a plaque. Something to contemplate if you're ever delayed at the airport ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/17/2005 19:20 Comments ||
Top||
Doctors have been put in "an impossibly difficult position" by a judge's ruling that a terminally ill man should not be denied life-prolonging treatment, the Court of Appeal was told yesterday. The "right to live" judgment raises the risk that physicians will be forced to inflict procedures on dying patients that do them more harm than good, it was claimed.
The General Medical Council is appealing against a decision by Mr Justice Munby last year that Leslie Burke, who suffers from the degenerative brain condition cerebella ataxia, should not be denied artificial nutrition and hydration during the final stages of his illness.
Mr Burke, 45, who is confined to a wheelchair, brought the case because he was concerned that doctors would withdraw feeding and hydration when he was too incapacitated to object, leaving him to starve to death.
Guidelines drawn up by the GMC stated that if a patient's condition has deteriorated so severely and the prognosis is so poor, doctors can stop artificial feeding if they believe it would be "too burdensome in relation to the possible benefits".
In his judgment, Mr Justice Munby partly upheld Mr Burke's claim and told the GMC to redraft its advice to doctors. The GMC is now appealing against that ruling, saying it threatens the doctor-patient relationship and is insufficiently clear about what changes are required.
Philip Havers QC, representing the GMC, told three appeal judges, headed by the Master of the Rolls, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, that the law did not state that a patient has a right to require the provision of any particular form of treatment. He said the conclusion of the earlier judgment was not in the best interests of patients because, firstly, doctors would have to provide treatment which they knew would be of no benefit or could be harmful.
Second, to require a doctor to do so was destructive of the relationship between doctor and patient.
Third, said Mr Havers, such a conclusion "puts the doctor in an impossibly difficult position, for a doctor should never be required to provide a particular form of treatment to a patient which he does not consider to be clinically appropriate. "Doctors are under a professional duty not to provide such treatments to patients." Mr Havers said the main purpose of the GMC was to "protect, promote and maintain" the health of the public, including those who need life-prolonging treatment.
The case is being closely watched by doctors, and by pro- and anti-euthanasia campaigners, as it goes to the heart of the debate over end-of-life decisions. Lawyers representing Mr Burke say Mr Justice Munby's judgment represents a shift in the balance of power away from the doctor to the patient, and from the medical profession to the courts. But the medical profession is concerned that the ruling amounts to allowing "treatment on demand". So the argument is that "If we don't starve them to death it might be bad for them?"
#1
The "right to live" judgment raises the risk that physicians will be forced to inflict procedures on dying patients that do them more harm than good, it was claimed.
More harm than the certainty of starving to death? In which Central American country did you study medicine, doctor?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/17/2005 13:45 Comments ||
Top||
#3
When I read this at the BBC I thought to myself this is the outcome of allowing the state monopoly on health care (of course except for the rich.) It's about limiting the cost of health care not about suffering or morality.
The sick pukes who think this stuff up should not be allowed to work or influence the medical profession.
Parking attendants are being given DNA swabs to help identify motorists who spit at them.
Saliva samples will be analysed in a laboratory and cross-checked against millions of DNA profiles on the police national computer. A match could bring prosecution for common assault.
Hundreds of the £1 "spit kits" are being handed out to the 250 attendants in Westminster this week in a trial backed by contractor NCP. The £200-a-time cost of the DNA checks will be met by the police.
The scheme is expected to be rolled out across London if it proves a success. The move comes after the Evening Standard revealed last week that police are to guard parking wardens following a rise in attacks.
Three are assaulted in the capital each day, some being attacked with baseball bats and knives.
NCP security chief Gordon McLardy said: "Spit kits have already been used by Transport for London and a number of bus companies and have led to a marked reduction in incidents." Which, of course, is far easier than trying to find out why people are spitting in the first place, and perhaps (gasp!), trying to offend them less.
#2
Which, of course, is far easier than trying to find out why people are spitting in the first place, and perhaps (gasp!), trying to offend them less.
Appeasement's never a good idea. Just because someone "takes offense" doesn't mean any offense was offered.
Personally, I think the parking attendants should be issued nightsticks and given the proper training in using them. Or go full-out barbarian and let them defend themselves against bats and knives with (whisper it) guns.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
05/17/2005 12:55 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Government can either address the important things in our lives, or it can be a micromanaging nanny government. As it was in East Germany, where it was joked that "People can be dropping dead on the street from pollution, but the government really cares what time everybody eats lunch." As far as the UK goes, the nanny state is rapidly reaching a critical mass, with ubiquitous surveillance cameras that don't stop crime; traffic cameras not for safety, but to raise revenue; and what seems an effort to reward criminals and punish the law-abiding. The unwillingness to see that their way of doing business is just plain *wrong*, that it's not the people who are at fault, but the system, guarantees tremendous pain for everyone. If the engine is dangerously broken, fix it, don't just keep insisting that it is fine, it's that the drivers and passengers just aren't using it properly. Please note that the problems are not life-or-death problems. Individually they are petty, the surrendering of a small right here, a minor injustice there. But in their thousands and tens of thousands they make life intolerable. So the issue is not that hundreds of criminal spitters need to be prosecuted, and it is not appeasement to suggest that if you stop nagging people continually, they will be of a more pleasant disposition.
#4
Well said Robert. There is nothing more corrosive to the fabric of society than unchecked crime, especially petty crimes. We are fortunate that advances in technology is helping in checking the increase in crimes like these.
Otherwise, what you say Moose may well be true but it is irrelevant to the issue at hand. Failure to address one set of issues is not a valid argument for not addressing another set of issues.
#5
phil_b: the important thing is *who* is committing these "petty" crimes. If it is some yob with lots of priors, I can agree that he needs attitude adjustment. However, if you see a large number of otherwise law-abiding people doing things like attacking speed cameras, getting aggrieved because they have been ticketed multiple times in a week, or carrying guns and other weapons because they have been mugged and the police and courts show more sympathy for the mugger than for them, then *they* are not the problem, they are a symptom. Normal people become outraged when an armed home invader threatens their life and the police are overly concerned that they tried to defend themselves, but make no extra effort to stop the villains. Normal people also become outraged when no effort is made to create legal parking, but extra enforcement is used to punish them for parking illegally. Picking just one reason why normal people misbehave isn't fair, though. It is a cumulative problem. How upset would you have to be to spit at someone else? Assuming that you are not a typical thug, I would expect you to be almost ready to punch their lights out, unless you were afraid of going to jail. Even then, you would probably be so mad that you would rage for hours. The ticket might just be "the final straw", and seen as an exclusive event, spitting because you were ticketed is unreasonable. But if the ticket is the culmination of a day filled with nanny government inspired torments, suddenly things become a little clearer, and you are less the reprobate than spitting would seem to indicate.
Edited for brevity.
Russia has no weather satellites in orbit. The Meteor-M spacecraft is to fill up this substantial gap in the satellite group in 2006, says a report by the Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos). "The completion of the construction, tests and the launch of the Meteor-M weather satellite and a smaller craft Canopus-Vulkan (for detecting man-caused catastrophes and first signs of earthquakes and avalanches) are scheduled for 2006," Roskosmos said. So far, the Russian weather forecasting structures have to use rather expensive information from foreign weather satellites. "We have only one weather satellite in orbit, Meteor-3M-1, which works in other directions but does not provide weather information due to malfunction," a representative of the Russian Hydrometeorolgical Service (Rosgidromet) said. "We use information from American, Japanese and some other land survey craft," he said.
Posted by: Dar ||
05/17/2005 15:01 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration, in its hardest stance yet, warned China on Tuesday that it likely will be accused of manipulating its currency to gain an unfair trade advantage over the United States — unless Beijing acts swiftly to overhaul its currency system.
SNIP
American manufacturers say this system has undervalued the yuan by as much as 40 percent. The weaker yuan makes Chinese goods cheaper in the United States and American products pricier in China. I'm sick of seeing all my cheap crap being made in China
"While China's 10-year-long pegged currency regime may have at times contributed to stability, it no longer does," Their government is no longer contributing to stability either the Treasury report said. The report called China's currency policies "highly distortionary" — posing a risk to, among other things, China's trading partners and global economic growth.
SNIP
For their part, the Chinese still insist they need more time to shore up their banking system so it can withstand the volatility that a flexible currency would introduce. This may be true. I have read in several locations that nearly 60% of the Chinese bank loans are bad.
#2
Yeah... 60% are bad... but they're getting themselves in worse and worse trouble by buying up our relatively (to them) overvalued currency to keep the peg. Until they float it'll never get better.
#3
A good friend of mine used to work for a big China bank. Amoungst other things she told me was that credit risk was never a factor in making loans. What mattered was your connections. Without specific actions to deal with them, bad or questionable loans accumulate and become an increasing percentage of a bank's loan portfolio. When the recession comes, and it will, every China bank will be found to be insolvent.
#6
Don't hold your breath on that US threat. Should China counter the threat with a retaliatory move of halting ALL imports from the US, what do you think would happen in Washington as a repercussion? And thats not addressing the export option! Let's face it...they can go back to bicycles and candles faster than we can recover from a whopping wallstreet drop!
Posted by: Allen Greenspan ||
05/17/2005 22:38 Comments ||
Top||
#9
Trade tariffs on China will cause their economy, and oil usage to decline. Look for a drop in world oil demand, and price level, IF it happens. One other thing: On a currency basis (none of that PPP crap), the US economy is still at least 10 times China's GDP. What is 5% of our GDP is 50% of China's. Any trade unpleasantness will screw China over disproportionately 10 to 1.
Posted by: Dave ||
05/17/2005 22:52 Comments ||
Top||
Language, history, cooking and support for rival football teams still divide Europe. But when everything else fails, one glue binds the continent together: hatred of the French.
Typically, the French refuse to accept what arrogant, overbearing monsters they are. Sounds like my mother-in-law.
But now after the publication of a survey of their neighbours' opinions of them at least they no longer have any excuse for not knowing how unpopular they are.
Why the French are the worst company on the planet, a wry take on France by two of its citizens, dredges up all the usual evidence against them. They are crazy drivers, strangers to customer service, obsessed by sex and food and devoid of a sense of humour. So, the UN is mostly Frenchmen then.
But it doesn't stop there, boasting a breakdown, nation by nation, of what in the French irritates them.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Britons described them as "chauvinists, stubborn, nannied and humourless". However, the French may be more shocked by the views of other nations.
For the Germans, the French are "pretentious, offhand and frivolous". The Dutch describe them as "agitated, talkative and shallow." The Spanish see them as "cold, distant, vain and impolite" and the Portuguese as "preaching". In Italy they comes across as "snobs, arrogant, flesh-loving, righteous and self-obsessed" and the Greeks find them "not very with it, egocentric bons vivants".
Interestingly, the Swedes consider them "disobedient, immoral, disorganised, neo-colonialist and dirty".
But the knockout punch to French pride came in the way the poll was conducted. People were not asked what they hated in the French, just what they thought of them.
"Interviewees were simply asked an open question - what five adjectives sum up the French," said Olivier Clodong, one of the study's two authors and a professor of social and political communication at the Ecole Superieur de Commerce, in Paris. "The answers were overwhelmingly negative."
According to Mr Clodong, the old adage that France is wonderful, it's just the French who are the problem, is shared across Europe.
"We are admired for our trains, the Airbus and Michelin tyres. But the buck stops there," he said.
Another section of the study deals with how the French see the rest of Europe.
"Believe it or not, the English and the French use almost exactly the same adjectives to describe each other - bar the word 'insular'," Mr Coldong said. "So the feelings are mutual."
Yes, the EU will work wonderfully because all the little countries get along, hold hands and sing Kumbia
#5
GE, in case ya missed it, this was about how delusional the French are about how other people see them.
We know the rest of the world hates us, too. The two big differences between us and the French are:
1) we're aware of it instead of denying that it exists, and
2) we know that when the shit really hits the fan (as in the tsunami relief effort), the world doesn't rely on the French to help them out. They call us, knowing we will ignore all the stupid crap they just spewed in their media and will get the job done. Everyone knows the French will cruise by about a month later to criticize the natives' fashion sense and cuisine. Maybe....if they can get a ship out of port. Otherwise, all they'll be able to do is get Chirac to issue another ignorant public statement.
You gotta love the gall of these foreigners who get promoted to high positions within American companies and then turn around and slam Uncle Sam. Note how she hedges by saying "is seen as", instead of saying outright that this is in fact her personal view.
At yesterday's recognition ceremony for newly minted Columbia Business School MBAs, we had the CFO of PepsiCo as our distinguished guest speaker. After beginning her speech with words of praise and recognition for the graduates and their families, Ms. Indra Nooyi began to make the political statement du jour. After talking of her childhood back in India, Ms. Nooyi began to compare the world and its five major continents (excl. Antarctica and Australia) to the human hand. First was Africa - the pinky finger - small and somewhat insignificant but when hurt, the entire hand hurt with it. Next was Asia - the thumb - strong and powerful, yearning to become a bigger player on the world stage. Third was Europe - the index finger - pointing the way. Fourth was South America - the ring finger - the finger which symbolizes love and sensualness. Finally, the US (not Canada mind you) - yes, you guessed it - the middle finger. She then launched into a diatribe about how the US is seen as the middle finger to the rest of the world. The rest of the world sees us as an overbearing, insensitive and disrespectful nation that gives the middle finger to the rest of the world. According to Ms. Noori, we cause the other finger nations to cower under our presence. But it is our responsibility, she continues, to change the current state of world opinion of the US. It is our responsibility to make the other fingers rise in unison with us as we move forward. She then goes on to give a personal anecdote about some disrespectful US business women in an Asian country and how that is typical of Americans overseas. No talk of what the US has done for the world throughout its history. No discussion about the ills that have been cured and the rights that have been wronged by the US. Just how wrong we are for the way we are perceived and how right they are in their own perceptions of the United States.
#2
I think she's referring to only recent history.
Posted by: bk ||
05/17/2005 10:55 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I thought America led the way. People in the rest of the world dont aspire to be German or French, they aspire to be American... and thats the fact.
Posted by: bk ||
05/17/2005 10:57 Comments ||
Top||
#4
But it is our responsibility, she continues, to change the current state of world opinion of the US.
That's what's being done right now. If you don't like this development, well, that's too damned bad.
#14
I was going to say that I was skeptical about this, especially before seeing a transcript. A major corporate leader spouting bullshit like that? These days?
But there's an update at the link: UPDATE: I have spoken to Wes Martin and put in requests for a copy of Ms. Nooyi's speech to Columbia Business School, Pepsico corporate public relations, and Ms. Nooyi's office itself. I have received no response so far, but a reader who requests anononymity writes:
I confirmed from two people who attended the event that Indra Nooyi did make comments similar to those in your note. No one could remember the exact words. All were "dismayed and disappointed." Called a Pepsico PR person, [name and number omitted], she is saying the Indra loves America (her adopted country) and that her speech was meant to reflect what many in the World thought of America not her own opinion. From the emails I received from friends, thatâs not how they heard it. Pepsico sounded nervous.
Another reader reports:
I have spoken with PepsiCo and they have confirmed that Nooyi spoke at Columbia yesterday. It would appear that some sort of damage control or clarification is in full swing as they are rushing to prepare a statement about her speech...
Evidently something Nooyi said is making them very nervous (I would surmise that your student at Columbia was accurate in his assessment of her speechâhowever, weâll wait and see what PepsiCo has to say)...I was very polite and told her I certainly hoped this didnât happenâ¦she wasnât too optimistic that it didnât.
Columbia public relations has advised that it does not have a copy of the speech. We will provide additional information that we receive as well as a round-up of reader comments tonight.
Looks like Indra may soon be in charge of deliveries in Kashmir. They may make her drive the truck.
#15
I dunno--I kinda like being the middle finger. We've been that way since the Revolution, bucking tradition and being a maverick nation. I rather like the metaphor, and I think we should give the finger to the U.N. as frequently as we can!
Posted by: Dar ||
05/17/2005 12:03 Comments ||
Top||
#16
And I'd bet this was an intentional marketing move. IIRC, Arabs drink Pepsi and scorn Coke through some association of the latter with Israel. So she is probably trying to boost sales with the (unfortunately large) portion of the world that sees itself as anti-US, anti-Israel, disaffected, "radical chic", whatever. The best we can hope to do is at least take a big bite out of their US sales.
#17
Let Pepsico Corp HQ know what you think - contact info - at the bottom of the page.
You may find it humorous that they have an entire section labeled "Citizenship" with a "Code of Conduct" PDF, as well as some touchy-feely PC stuff. The code does not address being a moonbat, unfortunately - otherwise I'd report her and cite the code, lol!
#24
What's all the fuss about? I'm with Dar on this one.
Posted by: Rafael ||
05/17/2005 13:18 Comments ||
Top||
#25
Diet Coke'll do ya okay -- have you tried the new splenda version?
How is that? They were giving some away at the office a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't get a chance to try it. Now I can't FIND it anywhere!
Just got some yesterday -- jury's still out, but my initial impression was good. Need to try it a couple more times, maybe even mix it with a little rum. =)
#27
phew! I like Dr. P and diet tonic water! I'm golden! Yeah! the 2b family is now drinking only dr. p. No more diet pepsi...and we drink drink drank lots of diet pepsi!!
shhh...actually we liked diet coke better. But now when we go out and they say, "is pepsi ok?" i'll say...NO!
#28
coke with whiskey, anything else - Pepsi. I've been a middle finger all my life
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/17/2005 13:47 Comments ||
Top||
#29
CFO, huh? Pepsico just joined France on my mental boycott list. Maybe a dive in the financials will get her fired and she can move to Paris -- she has the arrogance for it.
Posted by: Tom ||
05/17/2005 13:56 Comments ||
Top||
#30
Too bad I can't join this boycott of Pepsi products.
Since I already boycott their products - because Pepsi SUCKS.
I won't even drink it if it's free.
By the way - don't they own some pizza chain too?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/17/2005 13:58 Comments ||
Top||
#31
Barbara: At one point they owned Pizza Hut (known in my family as Pizza Slut). Don't know if that's still true.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
05/17/2005 14:24 Comments ||
Top||
#32
Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC. In my area they share a building known as the Kentaco Hut.
#35
JB, lol! What, no cheeps? Now try on the bumble bee outfit - no, wait - do the samurai sushi guy. My fav. I'm watching Seven Samurai right now, in fact. Lotsa popcorn chicken fried steak with homemade mashed potatos and pan gravy full of carmelized onions, too. Can't get such awesome artery-hardening treasures from Pepsico. Chased with ice cold Dr Pepper.
#36
"Called a Pepsico PR person, [name and number omitted], she is saying the Indra loves America (her adopted country) and that her speech was meant to reflect what many in the World thought of America not her own opinion."
I say it's spinnage, and I say the hell with it.
Posted by: James ||
05/17/2005 15:03 Comments ||
Top||
#37
What I find amusing is that the press hasn't covered this. At all. Not the newswires, not CNN. But they'll run out and smear the Pentagon on an uncorroborated charge. I've always understood that the press's agenda is what it wants it to be. It appears that at this moment that agenda is to stick it to Americans and make its enemies stronger.
#39
I don't drink carbonated beverages. I work in a chemical plant that makes syrup and other additives for them and I know what's in them.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/17/2005 15:47 Comments ||
Top||
#40
PepsiCo Director of External Affairs Elaine Palmer writes:
Thank you for checking with us on Indra Nooyi's speech at Columbia. We saw the item on your blog and are shocked to see that you took Ms. Nooyi's comments to be anything but pro-American and supportive of the United States and its role as a global leader. The characterization of Ms. Nooyi's remarks could not be more off the mark. No one is prouder of the U.S. than Ms. Nooyi, who has elected to make this country her home. Ms. Nooyi was simply encouraging the U.S, and Americans to be all they can and should be, which is something we all strive towards.
In her remarks Ms. Nooyi stated:
This analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents leaves the long, middle finger for North America, and, in particular, The United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all the fingers working together efficiently and effectively. This is a really good thing, and has given the U.S. a leg-up in global business since the end of World War 1...
This land we call home is a most-loving, and ever-giving nation -a 'promised land' that we love dearly in return. And it represents a true force that - if used for good - can steady the hand - along with global economies and cultures.
We encourage you to set the record straight and explain that Ms. Nooyi was talking to the students about the necessity of working together in the world.
We asked for a complete copy of the text of Ms. Nooyi's speech. Ms. Palmer stated that she was not authorized to provide it at this time but would seek authorization.
So, perhaps we shall see what the entire text says. If it is the original text.
In the beginning Coke had bottling plants in Jordan, on the west Bank. Coke was NOT sold in Israel, and Good Zionists boycotted Coke. This was before my time, but I heard about it. Then in 1967, the bottling plants fell under Israeli control, and Coke decided to make the best of it and sell in Israel, making possible the famous coca cola t shirts with the logo in Hebrew. Then, as part of the first wave of detente, in 1972, Pepsi made a huge investment in the USSR. We therefore started boycotting Pepsi ("Pepsi sells to the Soviets, the Soviets sell Jews")
Coke started selling to China, but I dont recall anyone getting worked up about that.
#43
LH: In the beginning Coke had bottling plants in Jordan, on the west Bank. Coke was NOT sold in Israel, and Good Zionists boycotted Coke. This was before my time, but I heard about it. Then in 1967, the bottling plants fell under Israeli control, and Coke decided to make the best of it and sell in Israel, making possible the famous coca cola t shirts with the logo in Hebrew. Then, as part of the first wave of detente, in 1972, Pepsi made a huge investment in the USSR. We therefore started boycotting Pepsi ("Pepsi sells to the Soviets, the Soviets sell Jews")
Coke started selling to China, but I dont recall anyone getting worked up about that.
Their positions on foreign countries don't really bother me. The question is whether you want to buy from someone who gives you the finger. LH is perhaps open-minded enough to do that. Some of us might be a little less open-minded. Unless they toss her out on the street.
#46
This analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents leaves the long, middle finger for North America, and, in particular, The United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all the fingers working together efficiently and effectively
wow! Not only are we deserving of the middle finger, but we're stupid too. Ah well...it's not good for me anyway and thankfully, I like diet coke better.
#49
ROFLMAO!!!
The goebbelist bitch may actually be right, but not in the way she thinks. The rest of the world, most of it anyway, is run by backward-ass media- based authoritarians.
The docile masses outside the States are nowhere near the attitude of skepticism and open rebellion that millions of Americans have adopted toward the institutional media.
In terms of American attitudes toward media authority, the rest of the world still lives in the 70s and 80s. Remember, people in the UK actually believe what they see on the BBC and the same is true for the Beebs's Continental and Third World counterparts.
In that sense, we are not a middle-finger to the rest of the world, but to the media elite and their status-seeking sycophants and allies. This country is a lighthouse in a world of media-conformist darkness, signalling the way to freedom for the docile enslaved masses of Eurasia.
Pepsico owes its success wholly to the power of the saturation media, in the form of ingenious and innovative marketing appeals. Naturally, its financial leaders would feel a vaguely defined but very powerful unease at current developments in the United States.
#50
if the ceo at coke is worth his multi-million dollar pay, he will be, right now, as we speak, talking to his advertising department about running, tomorrow, adds with american flags and lots of americana.
I feel quite certain that the people who make the salaries that the folks at the top of pepsi/coke chain make are still scratching their heads and wondering how gw won the election. Nevertheless, the US is a HUGE market and if pepsi is too stupid to fire this woman outright and think that this middle finger crap that some jo thought up over his lunch break will actually work, then let's hope that pepsi, schwepps and others have the good sense to take that little punks stupidity, and the senior management that bought into such a lame idea, to the bank.
This middle finger thing is the probably the lamest and most stupid idea EVER put out by a major company. "Lame" doesn't do it justice. If coke and schwepps don't take advantage of the stupidity and arrogance of pepsi...shame on them.
#52
This is a huge insult to the many Americans who buy the product that pays her f*ing paycheck. Who the flaming hell does this middle finger CFO think she is.
There is and should be hell to pay for this dirt bag. The manner in which Pepsico's PR people throw bullshit in response to inquires in disgusting.
I am taking a infinite pause and a pass on Pepsico products, call it my middle finger to her and them.
Posted by: Captain America ||
05/17/2005 20:16 Comments ||
Top||
#54
It has always amazed me at the amount of money (many millions of dollars) spent on advertizing the many merits of a manufacturer's blend of syrup and sugar flavored lollywater.
This middle finger speech is a tempest in a teapot. This CFO of PepsiCo runs an organization that produces nothing but fast food and diabetes catalyst solution. She and her org deserve the middle finger, all right. I am not a health nut, but I see her company making billions on things that are not exactly healty for people, especially for children tanking up on sugar water. [/cynical rant]
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/17/2005 22:16 Comments ||
Top||
#55
Geez Louizzzze, America has to save and justify Islam for the Islamists/Muslims, ditto Leftism-Socialism for the Lefties, Maxism-Communism for the Commies, ............................@ Dubya and America has to modernize the world and emplace OWG, Socialist World Order and Empire while ultimately NOT being allowed to govern or dominate its new global Empire, even iff it means America being militarily attacked and destroyed - THE ULTIMATE "FREEBIE"!? The Failed Lefts > the world has to be saved from alleged Nazi-HItlerist Imperial America by Nazis-Hitlerists-for-Imperial-Communism, i.e. anti-Communist Communists!? SSSSHHHHHHHHEEEEEEESSSHHHHHH.
According to the article several groups of Dems are trying floats different proposals to end the standoff. To Frists credit he hasn't capitulated from his original stance. The fact that Dems are floating proposals shows they are concerned about the CONSTITUTIONAL option that may be used this week. Their threats of shutting down the Senate are cute but not a viable option given the LOW poll numbers supporting that action. Also looking ahead to the 2006 elections (no it is not too early) the Dems realize that they are facing an uphill battle and may lose as many as four seats in next cycle. Truth is nobody is talking about Democrats taking any seats away from the Republicans, but there are a few Democrats running for re-elections in very blue states. Also some retiring Democrats are not likely keep the seat in the party (see Robert Byrd). So the Dems NEED to find a solution that doesn't make them look like obstructionists. They only have to look no further than FORMER Senator Daschle to see how that plays at home. Also they can't pretend to be the party of Blacks when they are blocking a Black potential Supreme Court Justice. Also I think Frist has the votes to use the constitutional option or the Dems would be smug, loony, and silent.
#1
The WashingPost has reported that "talks have broken off" on their front page. (Huh. Wonder if that's true.)
If Frist doesn't take the action needed, a lot of GOP money will remain in the wallets of small donors. And worse, Uriah Reid will call every bluff that he makes from here to the end of the session.
#2
If Frist doesn't take action soon, I will never vote Republican or give any money to them again. Last election was the first time I registered from indepentant to republican and voted for everything with an R by its name. Pull the g0dd@mn trigger and send the damn Dems packing. Enough of this gingerly dancing around the damn issue. Grow some balls and a backbone and act like the fooken majority that you are. You mooks were put in power for a reason. Now do your fooken job!
#3
I agree eLarson. If Frist doesn't get this through I will not support any against it. I will send money to those I think will take a Dem seat in the next election, but I wouldn't give a dime to McCain (Senate or President funds). We need to get rid of this "Business as usual" party and get back to the party of ideas and action. There is NO reason that Justice Janise Rogers Brown should wait ONE MORE DAY to have her vote in the Senate. This women represents EVERYTHING that is right with America. A woman who started with LESS than nothing and went on to become a respected Judge. It's a shame that we lack men/women with backbones in the Senate. Yes it is to OUR SHAME, we know the dhimicrats have none.
#4
I live in Tennessee and have already let Frist know how I feel. He has stated he won't be running again but I pointed out that's no reason to turn chicken on those of us who voted him in. If he doesn't act it won't hurt HIM in the next election but WILL hurt other Republicans. If he does act, as he should, It can only help other Republicans in the long run. I know he won't take political advice from a mere citizen but I at least let him know that us rubes here in East Tennessee aren't as clueless as people might think.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/17/2005 12:40 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Also some retiring Democrats are not likely keep the seat in the party (see Robert Byrd).
Byrd has raised only a modest amount of funds for a new campaign but that doesn't mean he is retiring. As of today, to the best of my knowledge, there has been no announcement one way or another.
#6
You don't really believe Byrd can be beaten do you? When he dies people there will still vote for him. He doesn't even have to campaign.
Posted by: dj ||
05/17/2005 13:47 Comments ||
Top||
#7
I think that if Byrd retires it would be easy for the Republicans to pick up that seat. I could be wrong but I think WV could turn into the next red state.
#8
Those ticked off about the Reps dragging their feet are absolutely right, however I think dropping your support for them is premature. Transforming the DC mindset takes time, and by that I mean decades. Reps have had a hold on Congress for a little over ten years and that is simply not long enough to change the basic lefty thinking that permeates DC, the press, the lobbyists, etc.
First we hold our nose and elect Reps as often as possible, and once their presence becomes the mainstream the rest of the ideological turnaround in the US can begin to take effect. Voting for anyone other than a Rep is a vote for the Dems in today's climate, and at least the Reps are 50%-60% honest vs. the Dems 5%-6%. It's a long road to getting the nation back on track but once these Reps settle into Washington and realize their true potential things will happen in a positive way.
Just be patient. The fact that they are willing to challenge these filibusters, to appoint non-polis like Bolton, and to call the Dems out in those judicial TV ads is very promising in my view, and although I wish it would move along faster, it is still better than the way things were prior to 1994.
Don't be hasty.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
05/17/2005 15:04 Comments ||
Top||
#9
Don't be hasty.
So you're saying the only hope for change is open revolt and exile? - Calvin n' Hobbs
#10
Chris W:
I probably won't go so far as to vote for a third-party candidate, but I have repeatedly told the various callers asking for money in the past few weeks "Not one dime until I see some judges confirmed."
"But your contribution will help us get more..."
"I said, not one dime until I see some judges confirmed."
"If we can get a larger majority..."
"I SAID..."
I hope they get the point. I am not wealthy, and didn't contribute the maximum to any campaign last year, but did give a lot to Coburn, Thune, et al.
#11
Jackal that is the script we (Conservatives) should be running with. Enough of this pussy-footing around and trying to compromise with the Dems. When is the last time they "compromised"? My memory fails to conjure up a single issue in which their side compromised to us. Call it nuclear, constitutional, byrd, plane, or the superman option but just GET IT DONE NOW!
#12
Totally agree with the "no donations until we see results" line, but I'm still going to vote a hard R ticket whether I donated to them or not.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
05/17/2005 21:12 Comments ||
Top||
#13
No compromise is possible with the Dhimmicrats. They only care about their power. The MSM is part of the enemy. The lobbyists are paid tools. Politics ain't beanbag. Get it done. Not one dime until the filibuster of nominees is ended.
Hat tip: Michelle Malkin. Edited for brevity.
The owner of Hardin County's [Kentucky] two movie theaters is refusing to show the nation's top-grossing movie. Like many veterans, Ike Boutwell has an issue with "Monster-in-Law" star Jane Fonda. On the ticket window at the Elizabethtown Movie Palace is a sign that tells movie goers the cinema will not show the film because of what she did in Vietnam. Below the message are pictures of Fonda clapping with a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft crew in 1972. The sign on the marquee outside Showtime Cinemas in Radcliff reads: "No Jane Fonda movie in this theater."
More than 30 years after the war's end, Boutwell still bears a grudge. "I trained a lot of pilots during the Vietnam conflict," he said. Some of his students died from rounds fired from guns like the one Fonda visited during her anti-war trip. "I think when people do something, they need to be held responsible for their actions," he said. "When you give the enemy aid, it makes the war last longer." Of course, the lefties will scream "Censorship!"
Posted by: Dar ||
05/17/2005 10:09 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
A group of Roman Catholic and Anglican leaders studying the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, said Monday that after years of talks they have agreed that Catholic teachings on the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary into heaven are consistent with Anglican interpretations of the Bible. The two sides issued a joint document, "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ," which will now be examined by the Vatican and the Anglican Communion. If the terms of the new accord are eventually accepted by top church officials — by no means a certainty — it would overcome one of the major doctrinal disagreements dividing the world's 77 million Anglicans and more than 1 billion Roman Catholics...
#2
Another big stopper: requiring that members of the hierarchy believe not only in a single all-knowing, all-powerful God, but in that God being the Christian trinity.
#3
OldSpook-
A much bigger problem (in fact THE problem for many Protestants) is the role of the Pope. Indeed, the schism between Eastern Orthodoxy and the Roman Church is primarily over the authority of the Pope. Since the Pope isn't likely to give up his place at the top of the pyramid, unification is a pipe dream.
#5
How about Episcopalians and Anglicans moving one step closer? Or, how about the Episcopal and Anglican clergy moving closer to their parishioners? Not likely.
#6
The biggest issue between the two is Papal supremacy. However, they already have an entente cordiale that permits things like crossover services, essentially "clergy sharing". They've already resolved the rules for clergy marrige, and by resolving the Marianist situation, they can get real chummy. Both sides realize that if they could pull off even a rough reunification, it could create major inertia towards getting other orthodox factions involved in similar discussions, with the ultimate goal of creating a unified orthodox church.
The majority of 70 million Anglicans would have no problem with your major stoppers. That is why we can talk at all about getting closer to Rome. The rabid, lunatic fringe who have entrenched themselves in power with tons of cash from old money and six digit+ professional incomes are dying out and will likely only become more isolated until the day the communion gives them an ultimatum to choose to stay and repent or to go. But its these guys who get all the press. Gee I wonder why that is? Loonies like Spong and the liberal press make excellent bedfellows that's why.
We can work this out between Canterbury and Rome. The loonies will be gone soon one way or another.
I wanted to join the national cathedral..cause it's a beautiful church. The national episcopal church. But when I go look at the classes they offer...haha..it makes me want to laugh. What a bunch of confused sorry souls. Lot's of classes on everything but christianity. Look everybody...we're inclusive! We are diverse. We offer classes on every spiritual idea that we can think of...except of course, christianity. we don't want anyone to think we are narrow minded.
i'm sorry. but i'm not embarrassed to proclaim that I think christ had good ideas. I'm not embarrased to say i'm a christian..like so many people in this world. I don't think that being a christian makes me a nut.... as is the fashion to believe in this day and age. Heck...I used to think so too ..until I got older and wiser.
fashions fade. Ideals like faith, hope, charity, forgiveness, and love do not. It's good advice. Ignore at your own personal peril. sit at your own death bed as bitter, revengeful, hateful, mean-spirited, bitter losers. I'm going to do my best to take the advice that endures. I may not be brilliant, but I'm smart enough to realize that there is good advice and bad advice. I don't ask to be hit when I have 20. some wisdom endures the test of fashion.
#9
oops...sorry..I digressed. What I meant to say is that it's about Christ's principals..not about the church.
Like civil rights it's an ideal. Jessie Jackson can't spoil the ideal behind equality. He can lead people astray...but the ideal reamains regardless of how badly he soils it.
Let's not argue about the pope or the mechanics. Let's keep the real goal in mind.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A Norwegian man has died after his parachute became stuck on an upper deck of the Eiffel Tower, officials have said. Early investigations indicated the man planned to film his jump as part of publicity for a Norwegian clothing brand, police added. The 31-year-old entered the tower with a hidden parachute and a helmet that had a small video camera attached. Upon reaching the tower's 380-foot second deck, the man jumped. Investigators believe his parachute got caught in the tower's structure, detaching it from his body. 
