Budget supermarket chain bans kids' book

So, Aldi has banned the Roald Dahl kids' classic Revolting Rhymes over a word.

The word at issue – and it pains me to assault your ears, dear reader, with such unpleasantness but assault I must – is "slut".

It was withdrawn, apparently, after "comments by a limited number of concerned customers", which appears to mean a single post on the supermarket's Facebook page.

"There is an unacceptable word in it for kids!!! Not OK!" fumed the outraged (and over-punctuated) customer.

Since when did Aldi sell books, anyway? I always thought it was that place you went to buy baked beans and come home instead with a new golf bag and some off-brand breakfast cereal the kids refuse to eat.  But now apparently it's a bookstore, too. And a laughably and stupidly prudish one at that.

Dahl is routinely described as "much-loved" largely because he is ... much loved. And the reason his books like Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, James And The Giant Peach and The Twits are so popular is because he is so totally unsentimental. People – especially adults – behave very badly in Dahl's books and characters routinely come to a sticky end (in Augustus Gloop's case, literally). The stories are gloriously gruesome and violent ... and kids adore them because they don't feel patronised.

Dahl's work also demonstrate his fierce intelligence and his passion for language, which brings us to the word slut, which has been excised lest it provoke uproar among the baked bean shoppers of Aldi.

The couplet in Dahl's re-working of Cinderella reads: "The Prince cried, 'Who's this dirty slut?/ Off with her nut! Off with her nut!"

Fully accepting that words can and do change their meaning over time (cf "gay") it's nevertheless clear Dahl is using the word here in its original sense, "a dirty, slovenly woman", according to the Macquarie Dictionary.

One of the earliest recorded usage of the word is in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, a work which presumably also has no chance of making it on to Aldi's shelves.

A few kids books have so far escaped the eagle eye of the supermarket censors. How long they might last before someone complains, however, is anybody's gues

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"Doctor Who" criticised for scene in which characters tear out their hair after complaints from sufferers of rare disorder

No matter what you do, it seems you will "offend" someone

Doctor Who has come under fire after a scene featuring stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman pulling out their hair sparked complaints from sufferers of a rare disorder.

The BBC sci-fi show has been branded 'insensitive' following a scene which left sufferers of trichotillomania 'upset' and 'uncomfortable'.

Around 36 minutes in, the Doctor, who at the time was seen to be in an intense conversation with Clara Oswald (Ms Coleman), appears to begin to pull his hair out before then pulling out the hair of his co-star.  After pulling her hair out he remarks to Clara 'it was the only one out of place, I am sure you would have wanted it killed'.

Quickly after the short scene finished, sufferers of trichotillomania and Dr Who fans took to social media to slam the BBC for showing the scene which could be seen as a trigger to some people.

Trichotillomania is an uncommon way of harming where the inflictor pulls their hair out.  It’s classed as an obsessive compulsive  disorder and can affect anyone. Unfortunately there is still no known cure for the life-long disorder.

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Australia: Apartheid Billboard -- "Wrong in South Africa. Wrong in Palestine" -- taken down



Libel has never had free speech protections and the message on  the billboard is an egregious lie -- grossly defamatory to Israel and Israelis

The Free Palestine billboard that was taken down last week from its City Road, Southbank [Melbourne] position by oOh! Media pending a determination, will not be put back.  

The Chief Operating Officer of oOh! Media said that his company had decided the Apartheid message – Wrong in South Africa. Wrong in Palestine. was political and that it was within its rights to terminate the contract with Australians for Palestine.   He also advised that the Advertising Standards Board would not be making a ruling.

While clause 10.1 does allow for termination of the contract, the required seven (7) days written notice was never given.  Instead the billboard was arbitrarily taken down within 48 hours.  The company claimed that it had made its decision after considering the unprecedented number of complaints.

Ms Samah Sabawi speaking on behalf of Australians for Palestine said “that this action contravenes the rights to freedom of opinion and expression as set out in articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Australia is party.”

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Must not mention the oppression of Muslim women

"He could be funny anywhere. We were such close friends," Billy Crystal said of Robin Williams in a special tribute to the comedian aired midway through the Emmy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles last night

"While some of the brightest of our celestial bodies are actually extinct now, their energy long since cooled, but miraculously, because they float in the heavens so far away from us now, their beautiful light will continue to shine on us forever.

 "And the glow will be so bright it will warm your heart and will make your eyes glisten and you will think to yourselves, 'Robin Williams. What a concept.'"

And for the most part, the audience at home and in the Nokia Theatre crowd appeared visibly moved by the segment.

That is until the honour ended in a series of clips of the comedian in action, cracking jokes during televised interviews and in stand-up.

In particular, it included a short snippet of a stand-up performance during which Williams borrows a pink scarf from an audience member in the front row and wraps its round his head to simulate a Hijab, or Islamic headscarf.

"I would like to welcome you to Iran… Help me!" he cries.

Viewers participating over Twitter were quick to criticise the inclusion of the joke as "racist":

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Must not disparage the Taliban (!)

The writer is a member of UKIP, an increasingly influential British conservative party



Over the weekend I came across a spoof picture of a Taliban Online Dating Website with profiles of burka-clad women listed as: Occupation: Not Allowed; Income: Not Allowed; and Hobbies: Not Allowed, I re-tweeted it saying humour can be a most expressive form of critical comment.

To my shock, a torrent of abuse landed in my Twitter feed. Despite the picture being beyond any doubt a pop at the Taliban - and only the Taliban - the UKIP-haters still did their worst. By the end of the day I’d been labelled a ‘truly sickening racist,’ ‘openly racist,’ ‘sexist,’ ‘xenophobic,’ ‘Islamophobic,’ ‘vile,’ and a ‘lout.’ And that’s just the stuff I can publish here.

When I tweeted back, expressing astonishment anyone could think I was bigoted because I slated the Taliban and suggested one particularly vituperative correspondent might struggle to defend his claims in court, I was accused of ‘harassment,’ ‘thuggery’ and being a ‘bully.’ A few then started copying journalists not known for their love of UKIP into their tweets. You really couldn’t make it up.

Presumably these agitators generally consider themselves to be the very epitome of feminist, free speech-loving liberalism. They probably even complain on occasion that there aren’t enough women in politics – oh the irony!

Yet in their bloodlust for seeing someone, anyone, in UKIP humiliated they effectively defended one of the world’s most despicable political organisations, one that wouldn’t hesitate to execute a teacher who taught a girls to read and write, or slaughter a gay man on sight.

But of course, that doesn’t matter; because for the anti-UKIP internet ‘liberals’ who hide behind false profiles and fake photos and scream ‘intolerance’ while hurling abuse and trying to ‘expose’ you to all and sundry, this isn’t about right or wrong, or it’s about perpetuating a political witch-hunt. That and completely muddle-headed thinking.

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Hate speech against tea partiers from Karl Marx avatar



All assertion.  No supporting evidence

In an op-ed published on Tuesday, an Illinois State University professor made numerous baseless accusations leveraged at the good people of the Tea Party. Steve Hochstadt stated:

    “Tea party politicians don’t like people who are out of work. In Congress and in campaigns they consistently oppose paying unemployment insurance to the most distressed citizens, those who have been out of work for the longest time.”

In reality, members of the Tea Party don’t want to pay for the bottom feeders of society to sit on their rear ends all day while the rest of us foot the bill. But Hochstadt doesn’t have time for all that logic. He went on to say:

    “They don’t like immigrants. Most of those who identify with the tea party want to deport all undocumented immigrants. But tea party supporters don’t like immigrants in general: Over half think that ‘immigrants’ take away jobs from ‘Americans.”

Then, Hochstadt went on to call all members of the Tea Party racist. Of course, he has no evidence to back any of these claims up. Liberals don’t like to get tied up with pesky evidence. Hochstadt ranted:

    “[Tea partiers harbor] generally negative beliefs about African-Americans. They do not believe that all men have inalienable rights. Only they have the right to say what is right. They don’t want to govern, they want to dictate. They don’t like most Americans, who don’t agree with their ideas. They probably don’t like you. They are intolerant and dangerous.”

Ironically, Hochstadt is a history professor at ISU. If he knew a thing or two, he’d realize that it’s the Democrats who have historically been, ‘racist, intolerant and dangerous’.  [Google "klanbake" if you doubt it]

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Racist slur backfires

Olivia Chow is a prominent Leftist in Canadian politics who is at present running for Mayor of Toronto.  A senior member of her campaign team made an egregious accusation of racism about one of Ms Chow's opponents.  That was widely seen as offensive and unwarranted

Ever since Warren Kinsella, an outspoken Liberal strategist who is head of Ms. Chow’s rapid-response “war room,” incited controversy this week by accusing rival John Tory of having a “segregationist” transit plan, Ms. Chow has attempted to play down his role on her campaign. In recent days, Mr. Kinsella appears to have deleted more than 40 blog posts he’s written in support of Ms. Chow, dating back to at least November of last year -- later writing on his blog that he still supports her, but is trying to be "positive".

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British soccer official in trouble over things he said in private emails

Iain Moody has resigned as Crystal Palace's sporting director after Sportsmail revealed that he exchanged a series of shocking text messages with then Cardiff City boss Malky Mackay.

Mackay and Moody have been reported to the FA and accused of being racist, sexist and homophobic after the alleged recovery of around 70,000 texts and 100,000 emails.

These messages came to light after a dawn raid on Moody’s south London home in March this year, as part of Cardiff’s £750,000 investigation into eight controversial transfers.

The letters to the FA make reference to the following alleged offensive communications between Moody, Mackay and others:

    In July 2012, Cardiff signed South Korean international Kim Bo-kyung, but when Moody informed Mackay on July 12 that ‘five of the b******s including the player’ were arriving for talks, the reply from Mackay’s phone was: ‘Fkn chinkys.’ A further message says: ‘Fk it. There’s enough dogs in Cardiff for us all to go around.’

    In reference to the prominent football agent, Phil Smith, a text states: ‘Go on, fat Phil. Nothing like a Jew that sees money slipping through his fingers’. The Israeli club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, are also referred to simply as ‘the Jews’.

    A football official at another club is referred to as ‘a gay snake’ and ‘the homo’ and someone who is ‘not to be trusted’, while a French player is someone ‘who struck me as an independently minded young homo’.

    In a separate exchange a picture entitled ‘Black Monopoly’ is sent, with every square a ‘Go To Jail’ square. Of one African player, it is stated: ‘Doesn’t look like a good cv. And he’s Nigerian.’

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Harry Reid Tells Some Asian "Jokes"

Sen. Harry Reid is continuing his odd habit of providing racial commentaries. It seems that Asians were the next demographic on his list, where his speech to the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce included some awkward jokes about Asian-Americans:

"I don’t think you’re smarter than anybody else, but you’ve convinced a lot of us you are,” Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told the guffawing crowd at the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce. Video of the remarks was recorded by the Republican opposition research group American Rising.

Later, before walking off stage, Reid quipped: “One problem that I’ve had today is keeping my Wongs straight.”

The group decided against backing the Reid-endorsed Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Lucy Flores, supporting Republican Mark Hutchison instead, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

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Amazing what you can say if you are a liberal

Black basketball player  Calls Rev. Al Sharpton A 'Coon'

Gilbert Arenas uncorked a racial slur on Reverend Al Sharpton ... attacking him over his reaction to the police shooting of Michael Brown and the riots that have followed. Arenas posted his rant on Instagram, saying ... "the stats also show AL coon Sharpton has not helped one situation he has protested at,he actually made it worst and because of him the jury goes the other way." Gilbert appeared to be reacting to news coverage of Sharpton arriving in the St. Louis area and marching arm-in-arm with protesters. As if the racial slur wasn't enough, Arenas added, "#AL ur like a #THOT in the club, lookn for attention. What u said at trayvons rally #enoughisenough ur right were tired of u PRETENDING." Sharpton hasn't responded. Yet.

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Amazing what you can say if you have a dark skin

College Newspaper Changes Name, Says 'The Bullet' 'Propagated Violence'

The usual Leftist gun phobia

Located in Fredericksburg, Virginia -- a place where the Civil War once raged -- Mary Washington University's student newspaper has been known as The Bullet since 1922. But not any more.

Pending final approval by the university, the newspaper will now be called "The Blue & Gray Press," a change intended to "really be reflective of the student body," the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star quoted Editor-in-Chief Alison Thoet as saying.

"The editorial board felt that the paper’s name, which alludes to ammunition for an artillery weapon, propagated violence and did not honor our school’s history in a sensitive manner,” said a news release announcing the change. “The board intends to remain faithful to the history our university stands upon, and we continue to honor this history both in a respectful and meaningful way.”

The new name reflects the college's colors. The Mary Washington yearbook is still called "The Battlefield."  Mary Washington is a public liberal arts school with an enrollment of 4,000 undergraduates.

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'Taylor Swift may be boring but she's not a racist': Critics rubbish claims that singer's new twerking video 'perpetuates black stereotypes'

Critics have rubbished claims that Taylor Swift's latest music video, Shake It Off, 'perpetuates black stereotypes.'

After the singles release on Monday, two members of the California hip-hop collective Odd Future branded the 24-year-old singer 'racist' with her attempts at break dancing and twerking.

However, now several members of the black community have weighed in on the debate and come to Miss Swift's defense.

Everdeen Mason, a writer and SEO for the fashion website, Refinery 29, wrote in an article titled Taylor Swift's "Twerking" Is Not Racist, how she can’t help but 'feel sorry' for the star.

Ms Mason continues: 'Swift may be many things - boring, overly twee, and an opportunist who capitalizes on her "approachability" - but she’s probably not a racist.'

Meanwhile, an anonymous commenter for the tumblr account orhgasm.com says that as a 'proud black man' he doesn't find the video 'problematic or even close to racist.'

He adds: 'If you bothered to watch the video, the video was about being happy and dancing and celebrating other people’s dancing. One of them happened to include twerking.

'Taylor was not “cultural appropriating” anything and she wasn’t “being racist” by only having black woman in that part of the video.

'She was celebrating people’s dancing and how they celebrate music throughout the video and a large variety of black woman twerk. Would it honestly make sense if Taylor had 100 or so white girls try to twerk?

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Twerking seems to consist mainly of pointing your bottom at the audience so why that is even seen as entertaining rather escapes me.  It must communicate something I guess.  Lack of good taste?

Student reportedly suspended after saying 'Bless you'

DYER COUNTY, TN - A young girl, who claims she was standing up for her religious beliefs in the classroom, was suspended after breaking a class rule of saying "bless you" after a classmate sneezed.

When Dyer County High School senior Kendra Turner said bless you to her classmate, she says her teacher told her that was for church.

"She said that we're not going to have godly speaking in her class and that's when I said we have a constitutional right," said Turner.

Turner says when she defended her actions, she was told to see an administrator. She says she finished the class period in in-school suspension.

Students sent WMC Action News 5's Michael Clark a photo of the teacher's white board that lists 'bless you' and other expressions that are banned as part of class rules.

Turner's family met with school leaders Tuesday. They say the teacher claimed Turner was being disruptive and aggressive. Some classmates showed support Tuesday by wearing hand made bless you shirts.

Turner said she doesn't want trouble for her teacher but says she'll stand up for her faith.   "It's alright to defend God and it's our constitutional right because we have a freedom of religion and freedom of speech," said Turner.

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Ireland: Tyrone footballer Tommy McGuigan saw no problem in recently tweeting that we should assault Jews

Showing the kind of keen political understanding that we have come to know and expect of our Norn Iron [Northern Ireland] brethren, McGuigan - a former All-Ireland winner, lest we forget, felt no qualms about expressing his distaste for the situation in Gaza by encouraging his followers to randomly attack Jews on the street or in the workplace.

That is appalling enough in itself. But what has been remarkably depressing, although not very surprising, is the silence of the usual mob of poltroons who are so quick to hop on any perceived slight or threat against one of their pet ethnicities.

But Jews are not a pet ethnicity, you see, and they never have been, so therefore McGuigan isn't a racist, bigoted scumbag. No, he is merely expressing his horror at a situation he obviously knows absolutely nothing about.

The difference between actual freedom of speech and literal incitement to violence is very clear. You are perfectly entitled to express your contempt for a particular group or culture if you want. After all, that means you have to defend your position.

But when you start encouraging people to attack members of that group, you've crossed a line and entered the realm of violent rabble rousing.

The reason why so many of the Irish Left squeal so loudly when accused of anti-Semitism is because they know, deep down, that even if they aren't anti-Semitic themselves, there are plenty in their ranks.

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British far-Leftist lashes out at 'despicable' police probe into his declaration that Bradford was an 'Israel free zone'

It's a wonder he hasn't been prosecuted under Britain's hate speech laws -- but being a well-known politician probably protects him

Controversial MP George Galloway today vowed not to be 'silenced' after he was interviewed under caution by police for publicly declaring Bradford an ‘Israel-free zone’ in protest at the war in Gaza.

Speaking in Leeds earlier this month, the veteran Left-wing firebrand said Israelis were no longer welcome in the city where he has a constituency. The remarks sparked outrage and hundreds of complaints to West Yorkshire Police.

Mr Galloway today lashed out at the police's decision to question him over the speech.

He said: 'This is an absolute and despicable attempt to curb my freedom of speech by people who appear to be quite happy about the indiscriminate murder of Palestinians in Gaza.'

Mr Galloway added: 'I won't be silenced, I will keep speaking out against horrendous injustice.'

The police probe was sparked after Mr Galloway made a speech in Leeds in front of a Palestinian flag, lashing out at Israel's policies in Gaza.

In one part of his speech, Mr Galloway said: ‘We have declared Bradford an Israel-free zone.

‘We don’t want any Israeli goods. We don’t want any Israeli services. We don’t want any Israeli academics coming to the university or college.

‘We don’t even want any Israeli tourists to come to Bradford even if any of them had thought of doing so.

‘We reject this illegal, barbarous, savage state that calls itself Israel. And you have to do the same.’

The row escalated on Monday after Daniel Taub, Israel's ambassador to the UK, visited Bradford and held meetings with local Jews and prominent councillors.

During his visit Mr Taub said: 'In the best spirit of Yorkshire, the real voice of Bradford knows that there has only ever been one good boycott – and that's Geoff Boycott.' [A famous Yorkshire cricketer]

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Old-fashioned slang for homosexuals lands Australian regional politician in trouble

The Northern Territory’s Deputy Chief Minister Dave Tollner is in trouble after being heard calling the gay son of fellow Country Liberals Party politician Gary Higgins a “pillow biter” and “shirt lifter.”

The incident happened during a row over the content of a draft speech, reports the NT News. It may have serious fall-out, with Higgins reportedly telling the parliamentary wing that he would boycott all party meetings while Tollner remained in a leadership position.

Tollner has apologised to Higgins’ son for the comments, which have also been condemned by Chief Minister Adam Giles as “inappropriate” and “not acceptable.”

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The Northern Territory is something of a Wild West in Australia so political incorrectness is common there

Must not be sarcastic about black looters

The following three-paragraph comment was considered to be so offensive that it is now hidden behind a disclaimer screen

The story goes, Michael Brown was doing hood rat shit with his friends, walking down the middle of the street. The officers warned him to get on the sidewalk, Michael refused. Here is where the story gets bizarre, he was shot 25 or 35 (I forget) feet away from the Officer, yet the Officer claimed there was a struggle for his gun. Not sure if this is like the JFK magic bullet theory or even really what happened. The only people who knows are shot or a cop.

So like a normal neighborhood dealing with the loss of someone they love, they started breaking into every shopping center plaza store and gas station. Newsreels yell “Riot!” “Looters!” As every stupid item gets stolen and the “looters” get to burning stores to the ground. You cannot find Jordans, rims, weaves or Quick Trips in Ferguson, MO.

Not 100% certain what any of this solved or how it was useful. But from what I have gathered from staying up watching the news and listening to police scanners, they were trying to rob a bank, break into a police station, grab guns from a Cabelas.

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Leftists talk tolerance but advocate censorship

We often hear those on the right branded as “intolerant.” We’re all a bunch of extremists who just want to shut down the other side, right? We’re unlike those on the left, who welcome debate and want to give all viewpoints a respectful hearing.

Or so we’re told. We might even start to believe it — until we encounter the oh-so-tolerant voices of our loyal opposition. Voices such as:

Josh Barro: This New York Times reporter has said of viewpoints that he calls “anti-LGBT” (lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender): “We need to stamp them out, ruthlessly.” So he has little patience with Heritage Foundation expert Ryan Anderson, an expert on marriage issues well-known as an informed and courteous debater.

In a recent Twitter exchange with Mr. Barro, Mr. Anderson told him: “We may disagree, but [there is] no need to be uncivil,” adding, “Even in the midst of disagreement, we should treat all people with respect.” Mr. Barro disagreed: “Some policy views render people unworthy of respect.”

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Australia: Chinese cafe owner was foolishly frank

He was obviously unaware of ubiquitous Western prohibitions on discrimination.  Westerners know that you find some other reason to give if you don't want to hire a protected minority.  In China, however, there is widespread disapproval of Africans so you can safely say what you want about them there


The rejected barista

A Brazilian-born Australian man has told how he was denied a job as a barista after a cafe owner told him his customers wouldn't want their 'coffee made by black people'.

Patrons of the Forbes and Burton café in Darlinghurst, inner city Sydney, were stunned to hear Nilson Dos Santos, an Australian citizen, had been turned down for the job because the owner
'only wanted locals'.

In incredible scenes, after being told by the cafe owner, who would only give his name as 'Steven', that he was not right for the job, Mr Dos Santos, 39, stood up and addressed the other customers at about 1.30pm on Sunday and told them why he had been turned down and asked if they would have a problem being served by a black man.

In a sign of solidarity, many walked out - and a staff member even quit on the spot.

There was also outrage among other customers who took to social media and urged others to boycott the cafe.

Steven, from Shanghai, China, who confirmed he was the owner, admitted to Daily Mail Australia that the fact Mr Dos Santos was black was the reason he didn't give him the job.

‘There are a lot of white customers at the café and I think the clients here want local people, not African people,' said Steven, who arrived in Australia from China this year.  ‘We need to offer good service at this café and I think the coffee culture is more about white people.’

Mr Dos Santos, who recently became an Australian citizen, has worked as a barista in Sydney for nine years.

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UK: Slang causes offence

A Ukip MEP has apologised "profusely" after calling a Thai constituent, and member of the party, a "ting tong".

Janice Atkinson, who represents the south east, was recorded making the comments after meeting Fa Munday, a mobile food seller in Ramsgate, Kent.  She said: "..so that was good. We've got Fa who's, I dunno, she's a ting tong from somewhere."

Mrs Munday and her husband Vincent, both loyal Ukip supporters, handed back their membership of the party claiming they felt “betrayed”.

The caterer, 35, who has lived in England since she got married eight years ago, said: "I can't understand why she said that.

"It left me feeling hurt and disgusted. Nobody has ever spoken to me in that way."

Senior party member Ms Atkinson's comments were captured by the BBC team while she spoke to local people and Ukip members in Ramsgate.

She insisted the comments were naive rather than malicious and said she was "incredibly sorry" for offending the couple.

She said: "I deeply regret the words I used and am incredibly sorry. It was poor judgment and naivety on my part rather than words spoken with any malice. I am devastated that I have caused hurt and apologise profusely to both Mr and Mrs Munday."

A Ukip spokesman said: "Janice has apologised for the words she used. Ukip in no way condones the use of language that may reflect prejudice or cause offence and we sincerely hope this matter can be resolved privately."

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Australia: Bikini babe covered up at the Brisbane agricultural show



The image of a woman in a skimpy bikini painted on an Ekka [Exhibition] ride was covered up after the Queensland director of the Australian Christian Lobby slammed it as inappropriate for children.

The mural image was featured on the Rip Tide attraction located in the children’s rides section of the showgrounds, off St Paul’s Terrace.

The ACL’s Wendy Francis started a change.org petition on Saturday after being alerted to the image of a busty blonde woman with only thin strips of pink fabric covering her nipples.  “If this image was in an adult workplace it would be deemed as sexual harassment and removed,” Ms Francis wrote on the petition.

“Our children's innocence should not be compromised by attending the Brisbane Ekka - one of the highlights of the year for many families. Sexual imagery is inappropriate here.  “Please have these images removed and keep the Ekka as a family friendly place to go.”

RNA chief executive Brendan Christou said officials were made aware of the image on Saturday night and had it covered overnight.

“This was an unfortunate and isolated oversight, which we swiftly moved to have resolved,” Mr Christou said.  “The RNA appreciates and shares all the concerns raised and is sorry for any offence this image may have caused.”

Ms Francis is a dedicated campaigner for PG-only images in outdoor advertising, with billboards for erectile dysfunction products one of her better known targets.

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Ms Francis should see the fantasy women in the computer games most kids play

'Unkind comments about depression was never my intention': KISS bassist Gene Simmons apologises for saying depressed people should 'f*** off and kill themselves'

Loud-mouthed rocker Gene Simmons has profusely apologised for his outrageous remarks about people battling with mental health and has even deleted his Twitter account following a serious backlash from fans across the globe.

The outspoken KISS bass guitarist made the insensitive remarks, which prompted radio stations around the world to boycott the band’s music, just two weeks before tweeting his condolences about the suicide of comedian Robin Williams.

Simmons publicly apologised on both his Twitter and Facebook accounts after social media users reacted with disgust about the musician’s astounding rant which included the harsh words: ‘F***you, then kill yourself’ when talking about people who suffer from depression and addictions.

But the damage was already done as far as many of his dedicated fans were concerned and Simmons has since deleted his Twitter account which he used on a daily basis.

Simmons' public apology on his Facebook page which was also posted on his Twitter account but he has deleted it since

Australia's Triple M radio station, Canadian stations Power97 and BobFM and New York's longtime WPYX DJ Uncle Vito all led boycotts of KISS music in the wake of Simmons' comments.

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Pop musicians get away with a lot but sometimes they get called out

Controversy over the portrayal of Japanese characters in theatre

A controversy sparked by the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s recent production of The Mikado, the comic opera traditionally played by white actors made up as Japanese characters.

The Seattle Times’ opinion editor, Sharon Pian Tan, wrote an outraged piece  after seeing the performance.  She wrote that the “yellowface” used in the portrayal of 40 Japanese characters was as ugly and outdated as the use of blackface, which has long been taboo in America.

“A black wig and white face powder stand in for shoeshine. Bowing and shuffling replaces tap dancing. Fans flutter where banjos would be strummed,” Tan wrote.

Though the company had never provoked such outrage with its ten previous productions of the Mikado, the piece struck a chord and soon protesters gathered at the theatre and a range of community groups joined the call for the show to be scrapped.

A story on the controversy by All Things Considered, the flagship public radio current affairs program noted that there has recently been several instances of the use of yellow face in pop culture prompting outrage. Commentators on that program were of the view that there was not an increase in the use of yellowface, but it was more noticeable now.

“But this production of The Mikado is still racial caricature. It is still a show where an all-white cast (including two Latinos) plays 40 Japanese roles.  Every snap of the fan was a slap in the face.

“When people of other races don costumes and makeup to play the role of an Asian person, that’s yellowface. Racial caricature — even when done with the purest of artistic motives and sincere love of other cultures — is still racial caricature.

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A storm in a teacup.  No word of actual Japanese people objecting.  Japan is big enough to look after itself.  No need for phony Leftist outrage.

Ad man fired by agency over "transphobia"

Heroic truth-teller, McInnes above

Gavin McInnes, chief creative officer of Rooster in New York, has been asked to take an indefinite leave of absence following the publication of a transphobic essay.

Published earlier this week on Thought Catalog, "Transphobia is Perfectly Natural" has at publication received 2,082 comments. It has also sparked a "Boycott Rooster" movement, with Tumblr and Twitter accounts asking followers to let Rooster clients—Vans, Red Bull, Fox Sports and others—know they will not support companies that work with McInnes.

"Gavin's views are his own and do not represent those of the company or its members," said a Rooster representative. "We are extremely disappointed with his actions and have asked that he take a leave of absence while we determine the most appropriate course of action."

McInnes co-founded Rooster in 2010 as an agency that would make ads for people who hate ads. He has appeared in the shop's work for Vans, most recently as the man who explains how to do absolutely everything.

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That his comments were correct seems to have been ignored.  I have put his essay up on POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH

Apple store criticised after receipt shows employee branded customer a “f@g”

NOTE to retailers: don’t hate on your customers.

Otherwise, you might end up like this Apple employee, who has the internet up in arms after handing an Oregon man a receipt with a homophobic slur in place of an email address.

Somehow, we don’t think f@g.com is a legitimate email account.

Adam Catanzarite, who identifies as “queer”, posted the tasteless receipt to his Facebook page criticising Apple and calling on them to offer cultural competency training for all its employees.

Mr Catanzarite had purchased a $29 pair of earpods from the Pioneer Apple Store in Portland on July 8, and posted the receipt on Tuesday after discovering the slur. It has since spread across the internet.

The offensive email address was added after Mr Cantazarite declined to give his to the employee.

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Looks like the comment was accurate, anyway.  Why would a homosexual be ashamed of being decribed as what he is?.  Where's gay pride?

A rap over the knuckles for US prosecutors

Vonte Skinner is one of the many amateur rap artists whose lyrics have been used as evidence against them in US court cases. Skinner was charged and convicted of attempted murder by a New Jersey court in 2008. Part of the evidence submitted by the prosecution, and which led to his conviction, was a notebook full of scrawled rap lyrics that was found in Skinner’s car.

This decision was overturned by the New Jersey appeals court in 2012 which deemed the lyrics inadmissible. Due to a split decision at the appellate court, the prosecution was able to take the case to the New Jersey Supreme Court which last week finally ruled in Skinner’s favour.

In a unanimous verdict, the court upheld fundamental principles of freedom of expression, denounced the state’s prejudicial use of song lyrics and upheld the right to be offensive:

‘To be sure, writing rap lyrics – even disturbingly graphic lyrics, like the defendant’s – is not a crime. Nor is it a bad act or a wrong to engage in the act of writing about unpalatable subjects, including inflammatory subjects such as depicting events or lifestyles that may be condemned as anti-social, mean-spirited, or amoral.’

The Supreme Court justices used their own examples to underline the absurdity of using fictional materials to aid prosecutions:

‘One cannot presume that, simply because an author has chosen to write about certain topics, he or she has acted in accordance with those views. One would not presume that Bob Marley, who wrote the well-known song “I Shot the Sheriff”, actually shot a sheriff, or that Edgar Allan Poe buried a man beneath his floorboards, as depicted in his short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”.’

Vonte Skinner will now be retried for attempted murder; his rap lyrics will not be admissible as evidence, nor will similar forms of artistic expression be admissible in future cases.

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'Hate speech' no longer part of Canada's Human Rights Act

A contentious section of Canadian human rights law, long criticized by free-speech advocates as overly restrictive and tantamount to censorship, is gone for good.

A private member’s bill repealing Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, the so-called “hate speech provision,” passed in the Senate this week. Its passage means the part of Canadian human rights law that permitted rights complaints to the federal Human Rights Commission for “the communication of hate messages by telephone or on the Internet” will soon be history.

The bill from Alberta Conservative MP Brian Storseth passed in the House of Commons last summer, but needed Senate approval. It has received royal assent and will take effect after a one-year phase-in period.

An “ecstatic” Storseth said the bill, which he says had wide support across ideological lines and diverse religious groups, repeals a “flawed piece of legislation” and he called Canada’s human rights tribunal “a quasi-judicial, secretive body that takes away your natural rights as a Canadian.”

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Young Miss?

News reports now suggest that a small cadre of faculty members at the University of Mississippi want to ban the use of “Ole Miss” as the school’s nickname owing to its “racist” origins. Never mind that a survey conducted by the university itself found that a majority of respondents reported that “Ole Miss” was nothing more than convenient shorthand for “The University of Mississippi” (and it fits better on football helmets and baseball and basketball jerseys).

What is the origin of “Ole Miss”? Slaves coined it, in reference to the wife of the planter to whom they were bound. If the planter and his wife had a daughter, she was called the “young miss.” The term, hence, did originate in the slave culture of the cotton south, but its racist the connection is indirect insofar as it grew from the linguistic usages of the slaves themselves. (Truth in advertising: Until 2011, I was on the faculty at the University of Mississippi for 23 years; I am a Rebel as well as an Aggie.)

Slavery and “Ole Miss” are anachronisms, but history happened and cannot be expunged by linguistic revisionism, unless we are willing to establish an Orwellian Ministry of Truth that erases our collective memory. Ole Miss already has banned the Beauregard (“Rebel”) flag and “Colonel Reb” as its on-field mascot, substituting for them a black bear having no historical context other than a possibly apocryphal bear-shooting visit to the state by Teddy Roosevelt.

The University of Utah just reached an agreement with the “Utes” allowing the school to continue to use its nickname in return for a promise of college scholarships earmarked for members of that tribe of Native Americans. I suspect that a payoff in cash or in kind likewise is the underlying goal of individuals and groups opposed to “Ole Miss.”

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Must NEVER use the word "retard"

Justin Theroux—actor, screenwriter, and Jennifer Aniston's fiance—hates political correctness.

Theroux plays a small town police chief in HBO's extraordinarily bleak new series "The Leftovers," which chronicles life in a suburban community three years after 2 percent of the world's population vanished into thin air.

In an interview with Elle, Theroux said that in order to sit through the show without needing to consult a therapist afterwards, viewers must learn to appreciate the (very) occasional "bursts of light."

Originally a screenwriter, Theroux is used to much lighter fare. He co-wrote the 2012 comedy "Rock of Ages" and 2008 comedy "Tropic Thunder." Theroux was apparently appalled by the outcry over the use of the word "retard" in the film, arguing that political correctness has become so egregious that it's smothering creativity—and comedy.

"There's a certain point where political correctness becomes extremely conservative and it skews to a point where it becomes humorless," Theroux said. "I was so saddened that people were offended by the full-r-word scene, because we worked really hard making sure that joke was aimed at Hollywood and actors portraying mentally challenged people. I remember being so bummed out. They literally picketed us. It was like, 'Really? Satire is allowed to do this!'"

He added: "Political correctness has become really insidious."

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British GP surgery tries to BAN its own patients from posting critical comments about standard of care on Facebook

A GP surgery tried to ban its own patients from posting negative comments about the practice on social media.

A poster at the St Lawrence Medical Practice in Braintree, Essex, warned patients that criticisms could be treated as a breach of its 'zero tolerance policy' against abusive treatment if posted on Facebook and Twitter.

The request was made after staff allegedly saw bad language used to describe the surgery's standard of care on a Facebook page.

The sign, which has since been changed, read: 'If you have any comments or complaints about the surgery please write to the practice manager.

'Do not use social media sites, Facebook/Twitter.

'Any comments we see on social media sites may be seen as a breach of our zero tolerance policy.

'We are happy to deal with your comments/complaints in the usual way.'

Practice Manager Alison Rudkin said the sign had been changed and now says: 'This ensures we can respond to people's concerns with patient confidentiality in mind'.

Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive of The Patients Association which gathers healthcare feedback from people all over the UK said: 'We believe people should be able to share and explore good and not so good feedback, and also to leave feedback on their personal experiences across the entire spectrum of healthcare.

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As Orwell foresaw, war is peace; peace is war

Governments often misuse language to build emotional and patriotic support for their policies. This Orwellian use of language is clearly evident in the way that US government policy uses the words “war” and “peace.”

Everyone is well aware of the US military invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Initiated during the Bush administration and continued through the administration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Obama, the US enlisted the assistance of other countries (but both invasions were mainly undertaken by the US military) to bomb those countries, occupy them with ground troops, and overthrow their governments. There was no declaration of war in either case. Those invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the subsequent occupation by American troops, were called peacekeeping operations.

When we bomb other countries, invade them with our troops, and topple their governments, that is what we call peace.

Meanwhile, we refer to many of our domestic policies as wars. We have a war on drugs, a war on poverty, a war on terror, and lesser wars like the war on obesity, the war on smoking, and the war on coal. The list could go on.

In the post-Cold War era, everyone knows the US is the World’s policeman, or the World’s bully, depending on one’s point of view. But when we impose our preferences on people in other countries through the use of military force, we call that peace. In war, one side fights another, and linguistically, our peacekeeping missions are telling people that we are helping them out by destabilizing their governments and killing their countrymen.

At home, the language of war invokes images of a patriotic effort to fight an enemy, whether the enemy is poverty or obesity or coal, and invokes images of treason for those who dare to speak out against the nation’s efforts to fight its enemies. Offering support to the opposition in one of our wars is unpatriotic and treasonous.

By misusing language in this way, words lose precision in their meanings. When bombing people is peace and providing food to poor people is war, those words that are misused for their emotional connotations no longer refer to clear concepts. In both cases, the Orwellian language does serve a clear purpose. It builds support for the state, and facilitates its foreign and domestic policies.

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Pat Condell's latest: Peace in the Middle East

Must not condemn Muslims

Given the animalistic barbarity presently being practiced by Muslims in Northern Syria and Iraq, it seems to me immoral NOT to condemn Muslims.  They are the chief source of barbarity in the world today

There is no excuse for the offensive and racist tweet from Gavin Ellzey against Muslims.

Ellzey is the vice chairman of the Kansas Republican 3rd Congressional District Committee. He said on Twitter in early July that “offending Muslims is the duty of any civilized person” — adding, “Especially with a .45,” The Kansas City Star reported.

That was a reference to a .45-caliber firearm. Ellzey of Overland Park admitted to writing the tweet, saying it was in response to TV news reports of attacks on Christians. “Sometimes you overreact,” Ellzey told The Star.

Mahnaz Shabbir, a Kansas City area Muslim advocate with the Crescent Peace Society, was right to criticize Ellzey for his horrific tweets. But she didn’t go far enough.

The Republican Party can hardly afford to have anyone in a leadership position spewing that kind of hatred. Ellzey did the right thing and resigned Wednesday night, but he should also publicly apologize.

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Must not preach Bible teachings in Canada

Last month I wrote an opinion piece headlined, “The coming Christian revolt.” It was featured in multiple publications, including the print edition of the Newfoundland Herald, a weekly news and entertainment magazine circulated throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Among other things, I noted this objective reality in the piece – a reality demonstrated with crystal clarity by liberals’ (to include the Canadian government’s) contemptible response to the column itself: “To fully advance the causes of radical feminism, abortion-on-demand, unfettered sexual license, ‘gay marriage’ and the like, the pagan left must do away with religious free exercise altogether [not to mention free speech].

“Under the guise of ‘anti-discrimination,’ Christians today face discrimination at unprecedented levels. …

“Christians,” I continued, “true Christians – regenerate, Bible-believing Christians who strive their level best to maintain fidelity to the word of God and honor His commands – will not, indeed cannot, participate in, approve of, facilitate or encourage certain behaviors deemed by the Holy Scriptures to be immoral or sinful.

“In the ongoing culture war, it seems there are no rules of engagement. The secular left will accept nothing short of unconditional surrender. That is to say, the pagans demand that we Christians abandon the biblical worldview altogether, and adopt their own.  “This will never happen.”

CBC News, the “largest news broadcaster in Canada,” reported on both my column and the ensuing response: “Members of a Newfoundland and Labrador Pride group were so outraged about a two-page anti-gay [read: Christian] letter to the editor published by an entertainment magazine in the province, they filed a human rights complaint.”

Several other “gay rights” organizations have since picked up their pitchforks and joined the mob. The Canadian government was likewise quick to react. Remzi Cej of Canada’s “Human Rights Commission” (something between a Star Chamber and a kangaroo court, but without that level of credibility) said, “he’s disappointed that the Herald has cited ‘free speech’ as justification for publishing the opposing view” (because, of course, to the leftist, free speech is only “free” when it’s speech with which they agree).

“Western Pride NL member Kyle Curlew, who initiated filing the complaint, said his ‘jaw dropped’ when he first saw the two-page letter.  “‘I couldn’t even believe that it was published in the Herald. It was a rallying call for people to stand against LGBT rights. Essentially, hate propaganda,’ Curlew told CBC.

The Telegram, another mainstream Canadian publication, further reported that both my column and the fact that the Newfoundland Herald published it each constitute “a hate crime under the Criminal Code of Canada.” (Ahh … don’t you love the smell of tyranny in the morning? Come and get me, you homofascist Canucks.)

Indeed, the self-styled champions of “tolerance” and “diversity” prove, over and again, to be the most intolerant and monolithic among us. Their version of “intolerance” (i.e., any philosophical position that runs afoul of the rigid dictates of “political correctness”) simply will not be tolerated.

The left is a walking paradox. It is irony personified. While liberals’ complete lack of self-awareness, self-righteous snobbery, aloof emotionalism and obtuse circular reasoning make them an easy target for ridicule, these things quickly move from curious to dangerous when they control the reins of government.

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British shop chain withdraws 'offensive and disgusting' OCD hand-wash

A hand-sanitiser whose packaging mocked sufferers of obsessive-compulsive disorder has been removed from sale by Paperchase, the birthday card chain-store, following criticism from mental health charities.

The ‘OCD’ hand-soap provoked outrage among sufferers and campaigners, who said the product is “disgusting” and “offensive” and stigmatises people with the condition.

Directions for the product read: "Open cap. Sanitize. Close cap. Open cap. Sanitize. Close cap. Make sure cap is firmly closed. Recheck cap. Are you sure it's closed?"

Paperchase has now withdrawn the product from its 130 stores, although a spokesman was unable to was unable to say whether the chain for apologised for the offence caused.

OCD, which affects 12 in every 1,000 Britons, is an anxiety disorder where sufferers experience intrusive or unwelcome thoughts, often causing them to perform certain actions, such as hand-washing, repeatedly.

Charities said that the existence of products that “trivialise” mental illness could cause sufferers “very real harm”.

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Outspoken Jewish comedian criticized for speaking the truth about Gaza

The Arabs of Gaza have indeed started and continued the fight there so they have created their resultant suffering

Joan Rivers has said she has no sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza, declaring they ‘deserve to be dead’.

The 81-year-old comedian launched a furious rant outside a Los Angeles airport, saying that the Palestinians who do not leave their homes are ‘idiots’ and that ‘at least the ones that were killed were the ones with very low IQs’.

Rivers’ rant came when a photographer asked for her opinion on the conflict on the Gaza strip as she was leaving LAX airport on Wednesday.

The TV presenter first compared Gaza's rocket attacks to going to Madonna's house to 'throw paint bottles’ and the civilian casualties to the victims of Hiroshima.

She then said the thought the nearly 2,000 Palestinian who have died on the Gaza strip since Israel launched military operations in the area a month ago 'deserved it'.

'When you declare war, you declare war,' Rivers said.

‘They started it. We now don't count who's dead. You're dead. You deserve to be dead. You started it. You started it. Don't you dare make me feel sad about that.’

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Australia:  School chaplain sacked over Facebook post calling homosexuality 'not normal'

He's perfectly right.  Homosexuality is statistically not normal.  Only about 2% of the population are queer

A Hobart school chaplain has been sacked for re-posting a comment on Facebook that described homosexuality as "not normal".

Troy Williams was employed by the Scripture Union, Tasmania's main provider of school chaplaincy services which appoints and trains state and private school chaplains.

Mr Williams was stood down from his role at the Hobart College over the post, which also makes the claim that "no-one is born gay".

Mr Williams issued an apology after his Facebook post drew widespread condemnation earlier this month.

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Woman's  anger at 'who's got the kids' question

She was delighted to be part of the BBC team sent out to Brazil to cover the World Cup football tournament.  But Gabby Logan was annoyed to be repeatedly asked: ‘Who’s looking after your children?’

Her nine-year-old twins Reuben and Lois were left at home with their father, former Scottish rugby star Kenny Logan, 42, while Mrs Logan, 41, was working in Brazil.

And despite admitting she was relieved when England were knocked out because it meant she could go back to being a mother, Mrs Logan expressed surprise that people still think a woman’s place is in the home.

In a new interview she said: ‘People still think it’s a woman’s responsibility to organise everything. When I was away, some of the mums at school asked Kenny how he was coping.

'No one asked me that when he was working in Australia last year. I’m often asked who’s looking after the children when I’m away, yet my male colleagues aren’t.’

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Is she so dim as not to know that most childcare is done by women?

Anti-Israel hate speech comments skyrocket on French internet

Moderators of French websites have been overwhelmed by a storm of hatred over the Israeli incursion into Gaza. The latest conflict has triggered outbreaks of violence in France between the country’s Jewish and Muslim populations.

While Parisian protests over Israel’s operation in Gaza descend into violence and clashes, the internet has seen an explosion of hate speech related to the conflict. French law bans racist, anti-Semitic or discriminatory messages, but moderators have been hard-pressed to keep up with the rise in hateful comments.

Representatives from companies that monitor online content told AFP that they normally block 25 to 40 percent of comments, but since the Israeli incursion this statistic has shot up to up to 95 percent.

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Attempt by hotel to quash criticism

The owner of a US hotel that threatened to charge guests $US500 if they wrote a bad review has taken to social media to explain that it was a gag gone wrong.  Chris Wagoner, owner of the Union Street Guest House, posted to the hotel’s Facebook page explaining the policy was “originally intended as a joke” and something he never told employees to enforce. 

Wagoner’s explanation follows hundreds of angry posts made on social media sites and accommodation review sites slamming the $US500  fee for every negative review a guest makes. While Wagoner says the hotel has not enforced the policy fee, Rabih Zahnan. who was a guest at the hotel, claimed he was threatened with a charge for a negative review he posted online. 

 "The management of this hotel had the gall to email us twice to threaten us financially about the negative review!  Disgusting! Instead of taking responsibility and striving to improve their customer service, they instead resort to intimidation!"

Wagoner admits he was “embarrassed” the joke went “viral for all the wrong reasons” “I now realize this joke was made in poor taste and not at all funny."

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Catholic Cardinal: Massachusetts Law is 'Unjust Limitation on Free Speech'

 Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley blasted a new Massachusetts law limiting protesters’ access to abortion clinics.

“In spite of a unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court declaring unconstitutional the Massachusetts law enforcing a 35 foot 'buffer zone' around abortion clinics, the Massachusetts legislature acted with unseemly haste to establish what amounts to a new buffer zone of 25 feet,” the Cardinal said in a statement on his blog Friday.

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Antisemitic Australian columnist uses the sort of hate speech that Leftists condemn in others

Mike Carlton has always been a hate-filled extreme Leftist.  Abuse is his modus operandi.  And he seems to loathe Israel most of all



The issue at stake here is not whether fallen Fairfax columnist Mike Carlton was right or wrong about Israel. The only issue is that he has been deemed to have responded inappropriately to readers on email and social media, unleashing all sorts of put-downs and expletives.

On this issue, his bosses were clear.  “You just can’t do that,” Fairfax business publisher Sean Aylmer said on radio. The language was “not acceptable in the workplace.  “No one has the right to treat readers that way.”

The thing to remember about Carlton’s tone is that he is on the political left. This is the same side of political opinion which for years has campaigned for moderation and sensitivity in language. Many on the left reckon that the old adage of “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me” doesn’t always apply.

The left has for many years made a big thing of encouraging, nay DEMANDING, the use of sensitive language in relation to women, the disabled, minorities and others.

But Carlton has been the opposite of sensitive with his language. Again, this is not about Israel. This is about decency, about not vilifying others with words as weapons.

What really rankles with this drama today is the people lining up on social media to support him. Effectively they’re saying “hey, no one has the right to use insulting language, unless of course they’re my good mate Mike”.

As you read this, Carlton is already receiving job offers on social media from a raft of people whose print and/or online publications wouldn’t dream of insulting and abusing strangers. Why the double standard? It doesn’t even begin to make sense.

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An excerpt from Carlton's original column:  "The onslaught is indiscriminate and unrelenting, with but one possible conclusion: Israel is not fighting the terrorists of Hamas. In defiance of the laws of war and the norms of civilised behaviour, it is waging its own war of terror on the entire Gaza population of about 1.7 million people. Call it genocide, call it ethnic cleansing: the aim is to kill Arabs."

Must not describe PLANTS as foreign in Britain

With its amiable discussions on greenfly and compost, it may seem as innocuous as a radio show could be.  So regular listeners to Gardeners’ Question Time will be surprised to find it caught up in a race row.

For an academic claims that Radio 4’s long-running programme is spreading covert racist stereotypes disguised as horticultural advice.

Dr Ben Pitcher, a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Westminster, says the panel show is ‘saturated’ with racial language.

From debates about native and non-native plant species to advice about the purity of different soil types, the programme’s resident green-fingered experts are secretly feeding nationalist and fascist fantasies, he claims.

Speaking on another Radio 4 programme, Thinking Allowed, he said: ‘Gardeners’ Question Time is not the most controversial show on Radio 4, and yet it is layered with, saturated with, racial meanings. The context here is the rise of nationalism. The rise of racist and fascist parties across Europe. Nationalism is about shoring up a fantasy of national integrity. My question is, what feeds nationalism? What makes nationalism powerful?’

White people are therefore forced to find other ways of talking about white identity – such as through gardening – so they do not appear to be racist.

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Racist hate speech from a Democrat

Kentucky Democrats are at it again. They're attacking Republican Senator Mitch McConnell's wife and former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao for her Asian heritage. You'll recall last year when Progress Kentucky sent out a series of tweets vilifying Chao and McConnell's "very close ties to China."

    "Progress Kentucky, a Democratic super PAC with its sights on toppling Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), has drawn backlash for a persistent effort to suggest that the senator's wife's Chinese roots have led him to embrace anti-American policies.

    In a Feb. 14 tweet, the group made a particularly blunt jab suggesting that Elaine Chao, former labor secretary under President George W. Bush and McConnell's second wife, was encouraging him to support outsourcing jobs to China."

"This woman has the ear of @mcconnellpress -- she's his #wife. May explain why your job moved to #China!" the tweet read.

Now Kathy Groob, who claims to be an advocate for women in politics, has attacked Chao as Asian and claimed because she is Asian, that she isn't from Kentucky. Groob made the statements in a series of tweets over the weekend.

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No free speech for critics of California agency: Caltrans muzzled Bay Bridge critics, report says

Caltrans sought to silence engineers who voiced concerns about cost overruns or construction defects on the new Bay Bridge eastern span, forcing several of them from the project, according to an investigative report prepared for a state Senate committee.

Eight engineers who either worked for Caltrans or had contracts with the state agency had to leave their posts, as did a ninth who worked for the bridge's builder, according to the report released Thursday by the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee.

Several engineers criticized the quality of welding work on giant deck sections and tower components that began in 2007 at a factory in Shanghai, while others balked at costly change orders that they saw as benefiting the bridge's lead contractor.

Caltrans has said cracks were found in numerous welds in deck sections made by Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., known as ZPMC. But it says they were not a safety concern and that the welds have been repaired.

Engineers have said they fear lingering weld flaws could worsen over time, leading to cracks in the road decks. Doug Coe, one of the veteran engineers who has gone public about weld concerns, testified before the state Senate committee earlier this year that critics had their "heads chopped off."

Coe was one of the engineers Caltrans and the bridge's project manager, Tony Anziano, forced from the Bay Bridge job after they criticized work being done at ZPMC, a crane maker that had never built a bridge before, the state Senate report said. It said Anziano and the state agency appeared to have a policy of squelching dissent to speed up work on the long-delayed bridge, which at $6.4 billion came in $5 billion over budget.

"This inquiry has uncovered too much testimony fueling the cover-up charge to ignore," said the report, written by former investigative journalist Roland De Wolk.

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Australia: Sydney newspaper apologises for 'anti-Semitic' cartoon



A newspaper has been forced to apologise for publishing a cartoon that showed a Jewish man  watching the bombing of Gaza from his armchair to accompany a column about the Middle East crisis.

The Sydney Morning Herald was slammed by the Attorney-General and the Jewish community for using the drawing of an old man seated in an armchair emblazoned with the Star of David, watching comfortably from a hill as bombs dropped on Gaza.

The paper's Editor-in-Chief Darren Goodsir on Monday said it was a 'serious error of judgement' when they published the cartoon drawn by Glen Le Lievre on July 26.

'The Herald now appreciates that, in using the Star of David and the kippah in the cartoon, the newspaper invoked an inappropriate element of religion, rather than nationhood, and made a serious error of judgment.

'It was wrong to publish the cartoon in its original form,' Mr Goodsir wrote.

The Sydney Morning Herald said the cartoon was based on real life photographs that showed men seated in chairs 'observing the shelling of Gaza from the hills of Sderot'.

The column's writer Mike Carlton tweeted examples of such photographs on Monday.

'It was wrong to publish the cartoon in its original form. We apologise unreservedly for this lapse, and the anguish and distress that has been caused,' the Herald's apology continued.

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The cartoon was clearly implying that the Jewish guy in the chair was using a remote control to blow up Gaza,  which is a terrible distortion of the deadly risks that Israeli soldiers take in Gaza -- leading to death for some of them.

ESPN Host Apologizes for Implying Women Provoke Domestic Abuse

 ESPN host Stephen A. Smith apologized Monday for comments he made on Friday’s edition of “First Take” which seemed to blame the victim in cases of domestic violence.

Smith was commenting on the subject of domestic violence after the NFL suspended Baltimore Ravens’ Ray Rice two games following a Feb. 15 domestic dispute in Atlantic City with his then-fiancee, Janay Palmer. Rice pleaded not guilty to third-degree aggravated assault for the incident, during which Rice allegedly struck Palmer and was caught on video dragging her from a casino elevator.

Rice avoided trial by being accepted into a pre-trial intervention program in May. He married his fiancée one day after he was indicted.

“As a man raised by the greatest mother in the world and four older sisters, I’ve religiously spoken out against domestic violence all of my life. I’ve done so repeatedly over 20 years in this business as well as over these very airwaves – right here on First Take,” Smith said Monday.

On Friday’s “First Take,” Smith said, “We keep talking about the guys. We know you have no business putting your hands on a woman.”

Then he addressed women, saying, “Let’s make sure we don’t do anything to provoke wrong actions,” because contacting law enforcement afterwards “doesn’t negate the fact that they already put their hands on you.”

“So let’s try to make sure that we can do our part in making sure that that doesn’t happen,” he said.

“We know they’re wrong. We know they’re criminal. We know they probably deserve to be in jail,” Smith said, adding that in Rice’s case, “he probably deserves more than the two-game suspension.”

“But at the same time, we also have to make sure that we learn as much as we can about elements of provocation – not that there’s real provocation – but the elements of provocation,” Smith said.

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There's no doubt that some women are aggresive and oppressive towards men and some men do hit back over that -- so I think his comments were moderate.  I have personally encountered women who wanted to be beaten  -- though I refused to go along with it

Australian budget airline apologises after crew member advises passengers to flush their drugs

Jetstar has apologised after a crew member advised Splendour in the Grass festival goers to dump their drugs before landing in Sydney.

People who attended the music festival near Byron Bay were on a flight out of the Gold Coast on Sunday night when the crew member issued a public announcement.

The flight attendant said sniffer dogs and quarantine officers were waiting at the domestic terminal and advised them to flush "anything you shouldn't have" down the toilet.

The announcement reportedly sparked a rush to the bathrooms.

Jetstar says the staff member will be reprimanded.  The airline says the staffer was complying with a requirement that airlines make quarantine announcements, but the crew member's words were "poorly chosen and plainly at odds with the professional standards we'd expect from our team".

But some took a more positive view.  "Thank you for caring for your Splendour passengers," one person posted on Jetstar Australia's Facebook page. "Very thoughtful and kind thing to do.

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Byron Bay is a big hippy hangout.  One smells marijuana rather a lot there

Paramount Australia apologises for poster of Ninja Turtles film



Paramount Australia has apologised after accidentally referencing 9/11 in a new poster for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The studio shared the poster on Tuesday through its official Twitter page, which showed the four turtles diving from an exploding building alongside the date it hits Australian cinemas - September 11.

The unintentional, but unmistakable connection to the terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Centre was met with swift backlash and outrage on social media, and was deleted shortly after the oversight was pointed out.

Since then, Paramount Australia issued a statement saying 'combining that image and date was a mistake'.

'We are deeply sorry to have used that artwork for the marketing materials promoting the September 11 opening in Australia,' the statement said.

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No homophones allowed

A blogger for a school in Utah has lost his job after he wrote a post explaining what a homophone is and his boss accused him of promoting a gay agenda.

Until his recent dismissal, Tim Torkildson worked as a social media strategist for the Nomen Global Language Center in Provo, a private language school which aims to help students with their English.

One of Torkildon’s tasks was writing about the English language and his last post had focused on explaining what homophones are.

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and often different spellings such as be and bee, through and threw, which and witch.

When Torkildson’s boss, and the school’s owner, Clarke Woodger read the article he called him into his office and told him he was fired.

‘Now our school is going to be associated with homosexuality,’ Woodger complained, according to Torkildson, who posted their exchange on his blog.

Torkildson said that while he understood that the word’s 'homo' prefix might cause controversy, but he said that the explanation he had given had been 'straightforward' and something that those in the early stages of learning English needed to know.

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British Leftist politician accused of 'trivialising the Holocaust' after comparing the Gaza Strip to a concentration camp


The overfed slob concerned

I suppose Germany's Jews in the 1930s must have been firing hundreds of rockets at their gentile neighbors

John Prescott was last night accused of being ‘deeply offensive’ to Jewish people by comparing the Gaza Strip to a concentration camp.

The leaders of Britain’s Jews criticised the comments by the former deputy prime minister, saying they ‘trivialised’ the Holocaust and called on Labour officials to investigate his ‘misconduct’.

Lord Prescott wrote in the Sunday Mirror that Israel’s ‘indiscriminate’ bombardment of the Palestinian territory was a war crime and that Gaza was a ‘ghetto’.

Some six million Jews were killed by the Nazis during the Second World War, many in concentration camps, while many more were confined to ghettos in major cities such as Warsaw.

Writing about Hamas, Lord Prescott said: ‘Israel brands them terrorists, but it is acting as judge, jury and executioner in the concentration camp that is Gaza.

‘What happened to the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis is appalling.

'But you would think those atrocities would give Israelis a unique sense of perspective and empathy with the victims of a ghetto.’

The article provoked a stinging response from Vivian Wineman, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and Mick Davis, chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council.

In a letter to Opposition Chief Whip Lord Bassam, they said: ‘Comparing Gaza to a concentration camp and a ghetto is deeply offensive.

'The systematic and premeditated slaughter of the Holocaust cannot in any way be compared to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.’

They added: ‘Through his remarks, Lord Prescott has trivialised the Holocaust, the most painful memory in Jewish history, and will undoubtedly encourage others to use such language.

'We trust that there are formal party processes to deal with such misconduct.’

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WA: State pols weigh “In God We Trust” plaque

Should “In God We Trust” adorn the chambers of Washington state’s Pierce County Council?

That’s the apparently controversial question facing council members on Tuesday, a day after a council committee decided to bring the proposal to a vote of the full seven-member council, the Tacoma News Tribune reports. Councilman Jim McCune, the Republican sponsor of the measure, said the national motto is inspiring and patriotic — and he’s unclear why the proposal has created such controversy.

“’In God We Trust’ is universal,” he told the newspaper. “It doesn’t have ‘In Muhammad We Trust,’ it doesn’t have ‘In Jesus We Trust.’”

Council Chairman Dan Roach said most of the 20 emails he read as of Monday opposed displaying a plaque emblazoned with the motto, which has reportedly become part of a national movement in local government buildings, with nearly 400 cities and counties in 23 states voting to display the motto.

Councilmembers Connie Ladenburg, D-Tacoma, and Rick Talbert, D-Tacoma, both oppose the idea, saying it isn’t inclusive.

McCune, meanwhile, is defending his proposal.  “I’m not doing this for taking a stand or making a point,” he told the Tacoma News Tribune. “I’m doing this because it is our national heritage.”

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