Life does not seem to be easy to people with unconventional sexual orientation. The general public, relatives and acquaintances condemn and humiliate homosexual individuals nearly every day. However, Italian mafia mobsters are the ones who suffer from this problem most. "You said it, boyfriend! It's hard enough to look fabulous in dark suits and dark ties that are so five-decades-ago, but when you accessorize with Thompson submachine guns--we're talking fashion disaster!"
Mafia is a closed community with very conservative views. "In the category of 'Best Comic Use of Understatement in an Online News Story,' the winner is . . . Pravda! for the sentence:"
Anyone who stands out from the group will have severe problems, including death. . . .
US gangsters are somewhat more loyal to their colleagues' predilections, although they do not welcome homosexual liaisons in their environment either. "Dere was dis guy, Vinnie, he was, you know, one a' dem preverts, knowhatImean? Anyway, he gets dis crush on Guido da Hitman, says he wants to sleep wit 'im. He's sleepin' all right--sleepin' wit da fishes!"
For example, it became known in 2003 that a mafia clan lynched one of their companions who had been tempted into bad ways. A mobster testified at court that they had preferred to keep the story a secret not to wash the dirty linen in public, although the story was later included in an episode of The Sopranos series. (So much for "not washing the dirty linen," I guess!)
Posted by: Mike ||
07/16/2008 17:27 ||
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#1
"Lynched one of their companions" > I'm no Mafia Pert but methinks this particular Goodfella did something more severe/dangerous to his cohorts' interests than simply prac his personal = preferred sexuality???
NOVI, Mich. - A 33-year-old Michigan man is accused of wearing a "World's Greatest Dad" shirt to a meeting for sex with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.
Daniel Allen Everett of Clarkston was arraigned Tuesday in Novi on charges of child sexual abuse and using the Internet to attempt child sexual abuse. A jail official said it isn't known whether Everett has a lawyer.
Smoking has been banned in Dutch bars since July 1.
Several dozen bars have joined the movement which claims the Dutch constitution and European rules give it legitimacy under the right to freedom of religion, the paper says.
People who join the church get a membership card entitling them to smoke inside the building. Worshippers believe in the trinity of smoke, fire and ash and honour their god by smoking.
Animal rights activists protest outside the British embassy in Riga July 15, 2008, against the use of bear skin used to make hats worn by the British army's household regiment.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Of course you know this thread is useless widout MORE Babe pics!
WORLDNEWS > ARMAGEDDON BRITAIN: A DETAILED INSIGHT INTO HOW A MAJOR CATASTROPHIC TERROR ATTACK [espec Nukular?] CAN OCCUR IN BRITAIN ANY DAY WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING, via Private Jets and other Light Aircraft in manned Suicide? HIGH GLOBAL-VISIBILITY/PROFILE OPERS.
ALso from WORLDNEWS > USA:PREPARING FOR THE UNTHINKABLE - NUCLEAR ATTACK [Terror].
#6
Two points. (1) It's nice to see naked protesters that don't burn your eyes. (2) They use a lot of fur clothing in nearby Russia so why are the Latvian's targeting the British? I mean how often do they need to replace the bear hats anyway? And how many hats per bear? I should think that if a beer dies in the London zoo they'd have enough fur for a decades worth of new hats and no harm done, while in Russia they kill lots of little animals to create big furcoats (which keep you from freezing to death but I'm trying to think like a protester a bit here).
#7
Ah yes, the protest perfunctory topless display. The protest use of "bare skin" to protest the use of "bear skin." Oh, never mind. Does anyone really take this sort of thing seriously? The "boobs not bombs" posting made one want to escape to somewhere else quickly.
#8
Compare wid REDDIT [old?] > seems US PETA 's put three of 'em in cages, with pics. ARTIC ALSO HAS LINK TO 15 CELEB WOMEN WHOM WENT NUDE FOR PETA = ANIMAL RIGHTS.
NET Poster > Whaddaya know, PETA has finally discovered Marketing and, HORROR OF HORRORS FOR THE LEFT, ITS WORKING FOR THEM!
AUSSIES who find themselves under threat are more likely to shoot at Muslims, especially if they're in a good mood, a study claims.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales have found that Australians perceive Muslim-style headgear as a threat, even if they don't realise they hold any prejudice. The study, published in The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, involved 66 uni students playing a computer game in which different male and female figures appeared on a balcony.
Some figures were wearing Muslim-style turbans or hijabs while others were bareheaded. Participants were asked to shoot at the targets carrying guns and spare those who were unarmed. Researchers found that those with Muslim-style headgear were more likely to be shot, even if they were carrying non-threatening items such as a boom-vest coffee mug, with both male and female students demonstrating a bias.
They also found that while "angry" participants shot at everybody, "happy" people targeted Muslims. "It's what we predicted," said Dr Tom Denson, one of the researchers. "People in happy moods tend to rely on stereotyping more. It's like, I'm feeling good, there's no need to question things.
"Muslims tend to be portrayed negatively in the media so the findings make sense, even in an otherwise tolerant western society like Australia."
Dr Denson insisted the study was not about aggressive behaviour, but about automatic processes that people go through when faced with quick decisions. "These people don't really have control over their actions," he said. "They're pressing buttons really fast and forced to make split-second decisions. One thing that can help you make a split-second decision is a stereotype."
Dr Denson said similar studies had been conducted in the United States, where African-Americans were more readily targeted, but that this study was the first to look at the effect a participant's mood could have on the result.
To manipulate mood, students received negative, positive or neutral feedback from what they believed to be fellow students. Their happiness, anger or lack of either was then assessed by a rating scale. The study also showed that men were more likely to be targeted, a finding "consistent with other reserach findings that males are commonly seen as more threatening or dangerous".
The bias to shoot was strongest for Muslim, non-Caucasian male target figures and weakest for non-Muslim, Cacausian female targets.
Dr Denson did concede the addition of headgear may simply have made targets more visible and could have had a "compounding effect" on the findings.
#1
They also found that while "angry" participants shot at everybody, "happy" people targeted Muslims.
I'm no good at identifying verb tenses and parts of speech. Would the word targeted be some kind of past tense in this case or some kind of present progressive verb?
#3
Researchers at the University of New South Wales have found that Australians perceive Muslim-style headgear as a threat, even if they don't realise they hold any prejudice.
That's not prejudice, it's experience and common sense.
#4
The study also showed that men were more likely to be targeted, a finding "consistent with other reserach findings that males are commonly seen as more threatening or dangerous".
#5
"Muslims tend to be portrayed negatively in the mediaaccurately in the news so the findings make sense, even in an otherwise tolerant western society like Australia."
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/16/2008 8:30 Comments ||
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#6
They should run this test where I live.
We haven't played cowboys and muslims yet.
#7
Aussies, we luv ya. Any turban is a certain target for me. Goin to adjust elevation for a 3 " drop at 300 yds....right twixt the bushy brows. Explosszion !
#8
I bet if they were shown someone in gang clothes (Whatever that looks like in Australia) they'd get similar ratings. Same with someone in a skimask and other criminal paraphernalia. This just mean that the the Jihadists have moved the rest of their religion into the category of "keep an eye on them in case."
I would suggest that any Muslims in Australia that are bothered by this (especially the Afghan and Iraqi refugees) should go to their home countries where Muslims are plentiful, and then help fix that home country.
#10
I shoot all the males first, then look over the females before shooting some of them. I use judgement and cold logic to make my choices. But I do find it difficult to stop before running out of ammo.
Workin on it.
#13
Wow. People dressed like bandits get picked out in shooting situations. Illuminating. Do cell phones count as weapons doctor?
"It's what we predicted," said Dr Tom Denson, one of the researchers.
"Muslims tend to be portrayed negatively in the media so the findings make sense, even in an otherwise tolerant western society like Australia."
Isn't that, like, your opinion man. I've seen better objectivity from cat food.
This reads like bias-driven research because I could come up with different conclusions based on this article. Wonder how many wild west cowboy-bandit pictures were included...klansmen...people in ski masks...
#15
I'd use the criteria that the TSA uses while screening airline passengers thru the security checkpoints. I'd only shoot those with shoelaces, boxcutters, rolled up magazines, water bottles, shampoo, the turbaned or not, anything resembling an explosive, corkscrews for opening wine, religious books, anything else that could be used as a weapon. I'd be discreet and judicious while playing this video game.
Another study that can be widely generalized to college students playing a computer video game in New South Wales, Australia.
#16
The headline and initial paragraph are so biased I didn't read further, but it fricking screams for a control group. Did they run a similar test in, say, Qatar, to see if they'd be gunning down the proverbial Swedish grandmothers? For that matter, how do you distinguish "happy" and "angry" Aussies, let alone Qataris?
Hundreds of Denver's homeless could be cooling their heels in a movie theater or museum while the Democratic National Convention is in town next month.
I guess the LBJ legacy of public housing, health care and money every Monday before election day hasn't worked sufficiently ...
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless plans to get 500 movie tickets as well as passes to the Denver Zoo, Denver Museum of Nature and Science and other cultural facilities for the people it helps.
Because the homeless types have been pining for the Museum of Nature and Science ...
Bus tickets will be provided for events beyond walking distance, said John Parvensky, the non-profit's president.
Many day shelters will have expanded hours during the convention, and big screen TVs are being donated to some shelters so patrons can watch convention goings-on without being seen by delegates and TV cameras caught up in the mayhem. "We're trying to let folks know what activities are planned, and what other places they'll be able to go without being harassed," Parvensky said.
A two-day voter registration drive is also planned at shelters and health clinics to ensure that metro area homeless people have access to the polls in November.
And neatly printed instruction cards on exactly how to vote ...
Backers of the plan say it's a more sanitary and humane way to take care of people.
But not everyone buys it.
Cynics ...
"It just sounds like another way to get rid of them," said Kayne Coy, 17, who volunteers feeding the homeless twice a week at Civic Center Park through the Food Not Bombs organization. As for the convention, Coy said: "I've heard rumors that all the homeless people are going to be sent away to Aurora or somewhere else."
Parvensky vigorously denied that there will any attempt to hide the homeless during convention, which runs Aug. 25-28.
"No, no, certainly not!"
Tight security around the Pepsi Center means some homeless people will get booted out of their regular camps along the South Platte River. Then, there's the protests and parades. "A person who typically sits under a tree in a park that is now occupied by 1,000 protesters won't have the peace and quiet they're desiring," Parvensky said. "Particularly those with mental illness can't cope with crowds."
Parvensky is confident Denver police won't target homeless people unless a law is being broken. Aggressive panhandling and begging for money in front of an ATM machine are both banned. But he remains concerned for people's welfare.
Because he cares ...
"Our concern going forward is that the city doesn't control everything - the Secret Service plays a role," he said. "We don't know what will happen if protests get out of control and people get caught up in something they didn't intend to."
But some homeless people also aren't enthusiastic about the plan. Ronnie Wand, who was panhandling across the street, said he will believe the free tickets when he sees them. "I don't care," said the 62-year-old, who expects to land in jail for vagrancy during the DNC.
#1
Why not just give them tickets to the Rockies game that weekend; and when the game is up a free weekend getaway at scenic Camp Amache.
Actually, come to think of it, that would probably be more humane than being sent to the zoo and forced to spend the weekend with the animals, forced to watch 'Swing Vote' with kostner, or forced to sit in a shelter and watch the dnc on multiple big screen TV's.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/16/2008 11:38 Comments ||
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#3
Oh, boy. Can't wait to go to the movies, the zoo, or the Museum of Nature and Science that week. If they want to get rid of them, they should give them 100 gift certificates to an out of town liquor store.
Democrats love the "homeless". As long as they don't have to see, smell, touch or hear them. Except at Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as it takes to get a photo op.
#4
This really stinks to me. Little story - I was in Houston for a conference downtown. All by myself, I didn't know the layout at all. On my walk to the conference building I was approached by a local what some would call a vagrant. He asked for a handout and I said, "Nope I don't hand out money....but if you show me around I'll pay you for the tour: show me where to buy food, what to see, etc. He gave me a great tour, gave me a ghetto pass by introducing me to the local big wigs and always waved and asked me how everything was going whenever we crossed paths that weekend. I bought him a couple of lunches and paid him some cash for his services. Would it not make sense to do something similar with these homeless folks, give them a job for the weekend? You know, clean and feed, give them a uniform, and upon completion earn a wage or donation to a shelter of their choice?
Instead they get this jackassery, "We don't want people to see you, but look at how much we respect you. Here, register to vote and think kindly of the democrats when you do." BTW, I am not familiar with Colorado law but don't you have to have a permament physical address in order to register (or can they claim a shelter as such?)?
So did the Colorado Coalition for the Juden Homeless think about asking the zookeepers/movie ushers/currators/bus drivers about their bribe and hide idea? Ronnie Wand seems to have a good idea what will happen which the cost of course is passed onto the tax payers. Then what do the police do when the holding tanks are filled and the protesters get naughty what will they then do?
I guess I do understand why they would not want the mentally unstable homeless looking like the sane ones when side-to-side with the Boulder activists. /snark
#5
"A person who typically sits under a tree in a park that is now occupied by 1,000 protesters won't have the peace and quiet they're desiring," Parvensky said. "Particularly those with mental illness can't cope with crowds."
#10
Homeless fight over territory to beg at street corners. Several strategic spots here in Denver near Pepsi center and the theater district are good spots.
I've heard that many use liquor stores for addresses and have their checks mailed there and use them as a debit card instead of having to carry money on them taking the chance getting mugged themselves.
Denver with the looper and ritter plan on giving these homeless folks free housing without any rehab or preconditions. Makes me ill.
Posted by: Jan ||
07/16/2008 23:48 Comments ||
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U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry is taking aim at the Acela bullet train, saying the 8-year-old line meant to zip passengers between Boston and Washington is riddled with speed and safety issues that have thrown its swift mission off track.
"Are you kidding? That train can go 150 miles an hour, (but) it goes that for, what, a couple of miles?" Kerry scoffed. "I want America to have a first-rate high-speed rail system. A high-speed rail that really lives up to the name and gets people there in the time that we ought to be aiming for."
Kerry plans to file in two weeks a $1 billion bill that will target out-of-date bridges, tunnels and tracks that prevent the train from hitting its 150-mile-per-hour maximum and getting commuters to their destinations faster. "The point is, it could be significantly shorter," Kerry said of the commute between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. Currently the Acela train takes about 3 hours to get to New York, while a bus ride takes about four hours.
The train only hits its top speed of 150 miles an hour for about 18 miles in Massachusetts and Providence. "You know why it can't go 150 under Baltimore? Because it shakes the tunnel and it's unsafe for the city. You can't go over the bridges because they're unsafe because we haven't rebuilt them for high speed," Kerry said in a meeting with Herald reporters and editors.
While Amtrak took in more than $1.4 billion in federal funds last year, the curvature of the railroad tracks continues to be the main reason for the Acela's low speed in the northeast, said Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero.
Modernizing bridges and other infrastructure may increase the speed by 10 to 15 miles an hour, said Romero, but probably still would not bring the line to top speed, despite Kerry's remarks. Straightening the tracks along the heavily developed eastern rail would trigger many eminent domain takings, however. "The price would probably be exorbitant," Romero said about the number of land takings.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/16/2008 07:19 ||
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#1
Of course Kerry's ashamed of US trains - they don't match up to the French ones.
The infrastructure in the NE is indeed aging and does indeed need investment. How to do it without just introducing massive bloat and the sort of corruption seen in the Big Dig isn't clear. Maybe Kerry should work on the Boston problem first and propose a huge federal program when that one's complete.
#3
The Big Dig is a perfect example of graft, corruption and all kinds of political malfeasence.
That said it is also one incredible feat of engineering.
The first thing you have to realize is that most of the area it goes through is land fill some of which dates to the 18th century.
That landfill is already honeycombed with utility tunnels and the oldest subway system in the country. On top of that are the densely packed buildings and the large traffic volume. Oh and some of it goes under water.
A friend who was one of the chief engineers for part of it pointed out that (aside from the politics) the hardest thing he had to deal with was test bores. Usually you do a few to see what kind of stuff you'll be drilling through. But with the landfill you could get 5 totally different materials in a quarter mile or less!
#4
Hey! I like this. Get a Boston to anywhere high speed train so that BO can through Kerry under it. Big entertainment this election cycle is to watch BO through another one down.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
07/16/2008 9:18 Comments ||
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#5
FOX NEWS this AM > Pert > POTUS MCCAIN andor POTUS OBAMA National Agendums = SOCIALISM.
IOW, 2008-2012 [2016?] > SOCIALISM WINS IN AMERIKA???
#1
This woman and her friends need primetime exposure, badly. Then, let the games begin. Those who agree with her against those who disagree. I'll be on the majority side. Where will you be?
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
07/16/2008 9:26 Comments ||
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#9
County Official Leads Mob In Beating, Beheading And Parading Joe Arpaio Effigy Pinata.
There, fixed that.
Next time Joe should supply the pinata, the prize inside should be fire ants, since Meskins like things hot and spicy.
Posted by: From Dallas ||
07/16/2008 14:28 Comments ||
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#10
County Official Leads Mob In Beating, Beheading And Parading Joe Arpaio Effigy Pinata.
There, fixed that.
Next time Joe should supply the pinata, the prize inside should be fire ants, since Meskins like things hot and spicy.
There, fixed that, too.
Posted by: From Dallas ||
07/16/2008 14:29 Comments ||
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#11
Pretty simple - she is a member of the bar and the things she did violated the conduct stadards of the bar. File a complaint about here and her actiosn with the bar.
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.
Mafia is a closed community with very conservative views.
Animal rights activists protest outside the British embassy in Riga July 15, 2008, against the use of bear skin used to make hats worn by the British army's household regiment.
U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry is taking aim at the Acela bullet train, saying the 8-year-old line meant to zip passengers between Boston and Washington is riddled with speed and safety issues that have thrown its swift mission off track.
