Weird News of the World Thread

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Suspended NYC Cabbie Thinks He Should Be Allowed to Wear Nazi Armband

A New York City cab driver was recently suspended by the Taxi and Limousine Commission for wearing a Nazi armband while driving his cab, a practice he believes is his right. "I'm a National Socialist — what you guys call a Nazi," he told CBS New York. "I am. I'm a believer of it."

Multiple photos of the cab driver, Gabriel Diaz, wearing his Nazi armband were sent to the Anti-Defamation League and to the Taxi and Limousine Commission, which sparked the investigation that lead to his 30-day suspension. Diaz told CBS that he knew the symbol would offend people, but that he was not anti-Semitic:

"I don't hate Jews. I'm critical of them, but I don't hate them. That doesn't mean that I'm anti-Semitic. That don't make me a hater."
Uh...huh. (CBS went on to ask Diaz if he understood that Nazis, far from idly "critical," actually killed six million Jews. He had no comment.)

Evan Bernstein, of the Anti-Defamation League, said that the Taxi and Limousine Commission responded right away when they came to them, adding, "Their course of action, we felt, was really appropriate and expedient." He said that he hopes Diaz realizes that he was wrong and learns from his mistake.

When asked if he was sorry for wearing the armband, Diaz said, "It pains me that I have to apologize. You know, it pains me. I don't want to apologize." CBS then states that he went on to make remarks about gays and Muslims.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/05/16/suspended-cabbie-insists-he-has-right-to-wear-nazi-armband/

I was going to put this in the Stupid thread but if that is what he believes in I don't see how he was being punished for it. That is the political party he chooses to endorse even if it is really offensive to most. Would be like someone being suspended from their job for putting a Romney or Obama sticker in their cab. It is illegal in Germany to wear or show Nazi stuff but last time I checked in America you could support any political party you wanted no matter how crazy.

 

[Alex_Spider]

Suspended NYC Cabbie Thinks He Should Be Allowed to Wear Nazi Armband

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/05/16/suspended-cabbie-insists-he-has-right-to-wear-nazi-armband/

I was going to put this in the Stupid thread but if that is what he believes in I don't see how he was being punished for it. That is the political party he chooses to endorse even if it is really offensive to most. Would be like someone being suspended from their job for putting a Romney or Obama sticker in their cab. It is illegal in Germany to wear or show Nazi stuff but last time I checked in America you could support any political party you wanted no matter how crazy.

So, does he exclude black and jewish people from getting into his cab?

 

[KevanG]

If I got in a taxi and saw someone wearing nazi stuff and it wasn't halloween I'd just get out and tell them why. Then I'd call and complain.

 

[Teelie]

Even on Halloween I doubt I would get into a taxi with one.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

I agree Kev, but technically speaking it is his right as an American to support whatever political party he believes in. I could understand if he were saying a bunch of racist stuff and pushing his Nazi thoughts on people but apparently all he did was wear an arm band. I think if he were to fight this he would win

 

[KevanG]

It's fine if you want to support a political party but if you do and public outcry is completely against that party due to war crimes then people will complain about such a thing as freedom of speech goes both ways on that.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Not really, the party he supports in America, while based on the Nazis, is a real America political party. They have been around and were associated with the German Nazis but again they are a socialist movement. This party has committed no genocide regardless of who they supported. And like I said this is a basic American freedom to support your chosen politcal party regardless of who it is, be it the Xenu party for alien acceptance or anything else. As long as he wasn't spouting off racist crap in his cab his political beliefs should be protected under the constitution. So how his job suspended him for wearing it baffles me. Like I said it would be like them doing the same thing to a cabbie with a Romney or Obama sticker. The American National Socialist party is a real one

 

[KevanG]

It just says he's wearing a nazi armband in public and that he publicly supports them, it doesn't say anything about any other current political parties in the article, unless I misread it. Also the TLC he works for says they aren't allowed to wear things like that during work and due to the controversy and him refusing to remove it is what got him suspended.

 

[C. Lee]

It just says he's wearing a nazi armband in public and that he publicly supports them, it doesn't say anything about any other current political parties in the article, unless I misread it. Also the TLC he works for says they aren't allowed to wear things like that during work and due to the controversy and him refusing to remove it is what got him suspended.

A whole lot of people out there tend to confuse "their rights".....you have the "right" to do almost anything that does not directly endanger the lives of the people not actively participating in your "rights" activity.....and.....your boss has the "right" to fire, suspend, dock your pay, etc if you perform your "rights" when they have said for you not to while working for them.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

The Nazi armband is for the National Socialist Party and that was stated in the article. The fact that the TLC is trying to claim it's a "hate" symbol is why the suspended him. Again his constitutional rights are being violated if he is wearing it in what he claims is support of the National Socialist party. Now if the TLC does not allow any showing of political affiliation while on duty that is another matter all together and their actions would be justified, but that is not what they are claiming

 

[Alex_Spider]

The scary thing with the Nazi supporters, is that no matter how many laws you pass to suppress their right to express their beliefs in public, they will still exist in our world and do harm. I mean, they have already legal political parties out there.

And we are suddenly shocked because an everyday cab driver wants to wear a nazi armband? Why aren't we also concerned when politicians spit racist crap and express publicly that they adore what Hitler did. Because the are legally elected?
If anything, all he would do is hurt his business by forcing many potential customers to stay out of his cab. I don't think there is any more danger to society by him.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Justice Department to File Hacking Charges Against China

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce this morning in Washington that the Justice Department will file charges against Chinese government officials for allegedly hacking into American companies for trade secrets.

This would be the U.S. government's first ever formal accusation of another country committing cyber crime against American businesses. Per ABC News:

The move carries enormous diplomatic implications, as the Justice Department and FBI are expected to announce charges Monday against several Chinese officials, according to sources. The charges will include economic espionage and theft of trade secrets.
Upon announcement, the Chinese officials named will become international fugitives.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/us-announce-hacking-charges-china/story?id=23774172

Does anyone else find this funny in light of what we now know about the NSA?

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Balkans' Worst Flooding in Years Is Unearthing Thousands of Landmines

Up to a foot of rain fell across parts of the Balkans this weekend, creating the worst flooding the region has seen in centuries. As if that's not bad enough, the flooding and landslides are unearthing some of the hundreds of thousands of landmines planted in the ground during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s.

Russia's ITAR-TASS News Agency reports that over 500,000 people in Bosnia and Herzegovina live in the area where, to this day, around 220,000 landmines are still buried in the earth.

The Associated Press reports that the floodwaters could carry the landmines downstream and pose serious problems for Croatia and Serbia.

The unearthing of mines in Bosnia could create an international problem as flood waters carry the weapons downstream. Bosnia's tributaries feed the Sava River, which runs along the Croatia border and meets the Danube in Serbia. The Danube then flows through Bulgaria and Romania into the Black Sea.

Experts warn that mines could travel through half of southeast Europe or get stuck in the turbines of a hydroelectric dam.

"We will work with Croatia and Serbia on the problem," Obradovic said.
The weather will cooperate with recovery efforts across the Balkans over the next week or so, with Sarajevo expecting clear skies with no rain until next Monday, according to Wunderground.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-18-06-08-09

Talk about going from bad to worse

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

The NSA is Recording Every Single Cell Phone Call Made in the Bahamas

Next time you're in the Bahamas, be safe and hire a pigeon carrier or something: according to a new report from Glenn Greenwald's The Intercept, the NSA is secretly recording and storing every single cell phone call made on the islands.

That information is the latest to trickle out from the trove of NSA documents handed to Greenwald and Laura Poitras by Edward Snowden, and it comes on the heels of a Washington Post report from March that stated that the NSA was recording and archiving all of the phone calls made in an unnamed country. The Intercept does not state whether the Bahamas is the same nation that the Washington Post was referring to, but this story goes even deeper:

The Intercept has confirmed that as of 2013, the NSA was actively using MYSTIC to gather cell-phone metadata in five countries, and was intercepting voice data in two of them. Documents show that the NSA has been generating intelligence reports from MYSTIC surveillance in the Bahamas, Mexico, Kenya, the Philippines, and one other country, which The Intercept is not naming in response to specific, credible concerns that doing so could lead to increased violence. The more expansive full-take recording capability has been deployed in both the Bahamas and the unnamed country.
The Bahamas and the country that The Intercept is choosing not to name are part of an American government program called SOMALGET, which is a subset of MYSTIC reserved for the two countries (that we know of) that are having entire phone calls stored for up to 30 days. Bahamian cell phone traffic was breached without the country's knowledge by the NSA in conjunction with the DEA.

Though it's not yet known why the Bahamas have been targeted by the United States (ease, perhaps?), the scope of SOMALGET means that Americans who have visited the country—like, say, the Miami Heat, who practiced in the Bahamas for a week last year—have been covertly recorded by their own government. As The Intercept points out, a number of well-known Americans keep homes in the Bahamas, including Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Tom Harkin, a Democratic senator from Iowa. (If you were about to feel bad for Bill Gates, note that Microsoft granted the NSA access to snoop through Outlook and Skype.)

It's also unknown whether SOMALGET is technically illegal—the DEA seems to be involved because it has an arrangement with the Bahamas that would provide cover for the NSA's surveillance—but, nonetheless, the American government is once again proving to be highly efficient at making unnecessary enemies simply for acting like *****.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1164079-02may2013-sso.html

Wonder if this has anything to do with all those offshore tax havens the islands are known for

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Here's Video of an Elephant in the Ocean Off the Florida Coast

[YT]V8HncHJHVZc[/YT]

Where the hell do you rent an elephant from? Somebody in the Tampa Bay area knows, apparently.

Beachgoers in Pinellas County off the Gulf of Mexico spotted one of the beasts in about a foot of water Saturday and caught video footage of it. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the elephant—which looks pretty young as it swirls its trunk in the surf—was a party rental:

Todd Unbehagen was with his family when he shot video of an elephant wading in the water off North Redington Beach. As he shot the video, folks began to gather around, taking in the rare sight and speculating how the curious behemoth made its way into the water.

Unbehagen's explanation, which he posted on his Facebook page:

"We were walking down the beach, and someone had a private party at their beach house with an elephant. It was at North Redington Beach, Florida. So, we stopped for a while to take pictures. You don't see this every day!!!"
No, you do not see that every day. But it's not every day some rich guy has to impress his kid that much. Maybe he pulled a Don Draper.

Relatedly, elephant rental seems like a poor idea. Especially in a Stand Your Ground state. Next time, stick with the bounce house.

http://tbo.com/pinellas-county/video-elephant-takes-dip-in-pinellas-beach-20140519/

Man I knew I should have went to the beach the other day, I could have been chilling with an elephant! I love it when my county makes headlines without crazy people giving FL a bad name

 

[Alex_Spider]

http://notimeforscams.com/globallshare-review-2014

GlobAllShare Review 2014 – Legit Social Network or Scam?

GlobAllShare’s website states that it is “The Society Of The Future.” They intend to setup the world’s largest, unrestricted, social networking site. Unlike many other websites where your interactions with others can be limited.

GlobAllShare‘s website completely free for which elsewhere you used to pay. Free phone, free video-calls, live web-lectures, web-conference, video-email, SMS sending, games, films, music and all free you may create your own website or web-store, too.

Globallshare states”, shareholders will receive each month their dividends from 70% of the global profit in proportion of the shares owned, thus every shareholder will get a constant monthly earning”.

IMPORTANT.……These free shares are only awarded during the pre-launch stage. After the launch, you will not be able to receive any more free shares. You will have the option to purchase or sell your shares to other members.

Final Opinion

As I am fairly new to GlobAllShare, I can’t really say what will happen. I do hope that it will continue to grow and offer the platform it is promoting. FREE, UNRESTRICTED, ACCESS.

So join today and get your profile completed.And more importantly, start telling your friends. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

The Shield Actor Charged With Homicide in Wife's Shooting Death

Actor Michael Jace, best known for his role as LAPD officer Julien Lowe on the The Shield, was arrested and booked on homicide charges early Tuesday morning in Los Angeles following the shooting death of his wife.

According to TMZ, Michael Jace called 911 himself and told the the operator, "I shot my wife." TMZ also reports that Jace's two children—both under 10—were home and witnessed the shooting.

Jace reportedly stayed on the phone with 911 until police arrived at his home, where they discovered April Jace's body. She'd been shot several times in her torso.

Police initially detained Jace at his home and arrested him several hours later. He was booked on murder charges, according to TMZ.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/...d-in-wifes-shooting-death-20140520-story.html

That is crazy, he was great on the Shield

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Guns Are No Longer Welcome at Your Neighborhood Chipotle

After gun rights advocates brought military-style assault rifles into one of their stores in Texas, food chain Chipotle, who has been romancing the literati of late, has politely requested that its customers don't bring guns into their stores.

The request, which is not being described as an out-and-out ban, came in a statement from the Denver-based company this afternoon.

"Recently participants from an 'open carry' demonstration in Texas brought guns (including military-style assault rifles) into one of our restaurants, causing many of our customers anxiety and discomfort," a statement from Chipotle reads. "Because of this we are respectfully asking that customers not bring guns into our restaurants, unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel."
The burrito-brick maker says it generally defers to local laws on most issues, but after a petition by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the chain is growing more forceful on the issue.

"The vast majority of gun owners are responsible citizens and we appreciate them honoring this request. . . . And we hope that our customers who oppose the carrying of guns in public agree with us that it is the role of elected officials and the legislative process to set policy in this area, not the role of businesses like Chipotle."
According to the Associated Press, Starbucks instituted a policy last year that asked customers to refrain from bringing guns into their cafes, but also hadn't gone as far as to ban them.

http://time.com/105602/chipotle-gun-ban/

I just can't imagine why any business wouldn't be comfortable with a bunch of guns in their store. Think of all the bad guys that wont mess with you. Definitely don't think about accidental discharges or anything like that

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Thailand's Army Declares Martial Law, Affirms It's Not a Coup

After six months of anti-government protests, the Thai military has declared martial law over the Southeast Asian country, affirming that it is not a coup. This declaration comes after the May 7 announcement that the Prime Minister and nine of her ministers were dismissed after abuse of power.

According to reporting by the AP from Bangkok,

The military statement was signed by army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-Ocha, who later read it on air. He cited a 1914 law that gives the authority to intervene during times of crisis, and said it had taken the action because on-going mass rallies between political rivals "could impact the country's security and safety of the lives and public property."
Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan, Thailand's current acting prime minister, assured the press that his government would not resign, and that it would be unconstitutional for him to do so.

The civil unrest in Thailand has resulted in 28 deaths and hundreds of injuries during protests. The anti-government factions have promised to call off their rallies by May 26 if they have not proven successful in their goal to "oust the government and install an unelected prime minister and government."

The Senate, the only functioning legislative body in the country, was seen as the last resort of the anti-government protesters, who are calling for an interim, unelected prime minister to be chosen.
An unnamed army general who spoke with Reuters confirmed that the martial law is not a coup, stating it was instead a state of emergency.

"We declared a state of emergency, it's not a coup. Because of the situation, it's not stable, they kill each other every day."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-19-19-24-06

It's popping off over there

 

[KevanG]

I've been hearing of a lot of unrest there. It's not surprising but I hope it doesn't go nuts.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Merriam-Webster to Finally Acknowledge "Selfie" and "Steampunk"

While books are dying and humans' vocabularies are reportedly shrinking, Merriam-Webster is at it again with their annually updated list of additions to next year's dictionary. "Selfie," "freegan," and "steampunk" made the list, as well as a handful of entertaining others.

Merriam-Webster will add 150 new words to the forthcoming updated dictionary, which they shared in a press release. Not surprisingly, technology features in a large chunk of the list.

These new additions to America's best-selling dictionary reflect the growing influence technology is having on human endeavor, especially social networking, once done mostly in person.
A few of this year's selections for the 2014 edition, along with what M-W proposes are the years they were first used and their definitions, are here. Let's learn.

dubstep (n., 2002): a type of electronic dance music having prominent bass lines and syncopated drum patterns

catfish (n., new sense): a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes

fangirl (n., 1934): a girl or woman who is an extremely or overly enthusiastic fan of someone or something

freegan (n., 2006): an activist who scavenges for free food (as in waste receptacles at stores and restaurants) as a means of reducing consumption of resources

selfie (n., 2002): an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera esp. for posting on social networks

steampunk (n., 1987): science fiction dealing with 19th-century societies dominated by historical or imagined steam-powered technology

tweep (n., 2008): a person who uses the Twitter online message service to send and receive tweets

unfriend (v., 2003): to remove (someone) from a list of designated friends on a person's social networking Web site

Yooper (n., 1977): a native or resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan — used as a nickname

http://www.merriam-webster.com/new-words/2014-update.htm

Merriam-Webster is always hip to what the kids these days are throwing down

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Bolivia's President Will Play For A Pro Soccer Team Next Season

Sports! They're for everyone. Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, has been signed to play for a professional soccer team in his home country, which he'll play on as his schedule permits.

Morales, 54, will play as a midfielder in twenty-minute increments for a team called Sport Boys that is based in the south-eastern province of Santa Cruz. While Morales is still doing his president thing, he will also make a minimum salary of around $214 a year as a pro soccer player.

He is reportedly very excited!

"He loves football and plays well," said Sport Boys' president Mario Cronenbold. "He'll wear the No 10 shirt."

"We'll send him a list of matches and he'll chose which ones to play in," he said.
Go Sport Boys. Go World Cup. Go presidential athleticism.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-27463520

Hopefully this inspires Obama to pursue his dream and love of basketball

 

[Teelie]

Thailand's Army Declares Martial Law, Affirms It's Not a Coup

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-19-19-24-06

It's popping off over there

I've been hearing of a lot of unrest there. It's not surprising but I hope it doesn't go nuts.

From the story I read they've had like a dozen coup's or attempted coup's over the years. It's a common occurence there.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Russian Billionaire's Ex-Wife Wins Biggest Divorce Settlement Ever

Definitely one of the perks of marrying a Russian billionaire is that if you later decide to divorce him, you stand to make quite a bit of money!

Per the Associated Press, the settlement is being described as the largest divorce settlement in history:

In papers delivered Monday to both parties, the Geneva Tribunal of First Instance said Dmitry Rybolovlev, an owner of the French soccer club AS Monaco, must pay 4,020,555,987.80 Swiss francs ($4,509,375,184.80) to ex-wife Elena Rybolovleva of Geneva. Both are aged 47.
After six years of acrimonious court dealings, Elena Rybolovleva was also granted a separate $146 million for the two chalets the couple have in Gstaad, Switzerland; she also got two other pieces of real estate in Geneva's ritzy Cologny. The former Mrs. Rybolovleva really cleaned up. Of course, there will be appeals, so she may very well not make off with half of the Rybolovleva potash fertilizer fortune.

She was also won custody of the couple's 13-year-old daughter; her other, adult daughter, Ekaterina, for whom her parents purchased former Citigroup head honcho Sandy Weill's $88 million Central Park West penthouse for her to live in during college, is presumably doing just fine.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-45-billion-swiss-divorce-settlement/9294953/

They don't have pre-nups over in Russia? I'd never get married in the first place but if I was loaded and decided to I'd make damn sure she couldn't take half my crap

 

[Teelie]

Way back when he first got married he probably didn't have enough money to think it would be important, or didn't think he'd need a pre-nup at all.