EU goes to war against HYPERLINKS

The EU's top court has come under fire after backing Playboy's fight to stop a website posting links to images published without permission.

Playboy's Dutch publisher, Sanoma, had sought to force website GeenStijl to remove a hyperlink to photos of television celebrity, Britt Dekker, which were posted illegally.

In a decision which could have far wider consequences across the internet, the European Court of Justice decided that posting such links infringes copyright - when the website doing it is seeking to profit from pictures published without permission.

GS Media, the company that owns GeenStijl, described the decision as a blow to press freedom.

'It is undisputed that GS Media provided the hyperlinks to the files containing the photos for profit and that Sanoma had not authorised the publication of those photos on the internet,' the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice (ECJ) said in a statement.

'When hyperlinks are posted for profit, it may be expected that the person who posted such a link should carry out the checks necessary to ensure that the work concerned is not illegally published.'

GS Media said after the ruling: 'If commercial media companies - such as GeenStijl - can no longer freely and fearlessly hyperlink it will be difficult to report on newsworthy new questions, leaked information and internal struggles and unsecure networks in large companies.'

The issue of hyperlinking to photos and articles has become a divisive issue with the spread of the internet.

Content owners argue that the ease with which people can post links to copyrighted material on the internet infringes their rights while internet users say restricting people's ability to post links goes against the principle of freedom of information.

The ECJ recognised that the internet 'is of particular importance to freedom of expression and of information and that hyperlinks contribute to its sound operation and to the exchange of opinions and information as well.'

Therefore it could be difficult for individuals posting such links to know if they are doing it legally, the court said.

However, if a person should have been aware because the owner informed him or he is doing it for profit, then the posting of a link infringes copyright law, the court said.

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Chinese realism unwelcome

Tourists are being told to avoid areas of London 'populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people' in a Chinese airline's in-flight magazine.

Wings of China, the in-flight magazine for Air China, made the 'racist' comment in a travel article on the UK capital.

The article, printed in both English and Chinese, said: 'London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people.'

Air China is Asia's third largest airline and operates twice daily flights between London and Beijing.

The article continued: 'We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling.'

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour MP for Tooting which has one of the largest Indian and Pakistani populations in London, said: 'My initial thoughts were that the comments were outrageous.

'I think that it is offensive to Londoners and I would like to see it removed. I would also like to ask the airline why they thought these precautions needed to be taken.

With mad Muslims and black muggers on the loose in London, the advice is in fact timely -- JR

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Must not disrespect Vegans

A chocolate milk brand has come under fire after publishing an advert that has been deemed offensive to vegans.

An image appeared on OAK's Facebook page this week which read: 'Hungrythirsty is pathetic, like a vegan sausage. Kill HungryThirsty dead.'

Within hours, angry customers had taken to the site to express their disdain - with one woman branding it 'disgusting advertising'.

The image appears to have been removed and MailOnline has contacted OAK's parent company Parmalat for comment.

OAK is a popular flavoured milk drink in Australia but the brand has drawn criticism from vegans all over the world.

Bek Varcoe wrote: 'Hate this ad - appealing to the lowest common denominator again...'

Rachel Walker, from Perth, blasted the company as 'pathetic'. She wrote: 'Trying to buy into the bogan, testosterone market. No company should call a section of the community pathetic. You should be ashamed.'

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Sometimes stereotypes can not even be mentioned

The book does NOT say Mexicans were lazy.  It simply reports accurately that some people said they were

A group of educators and historians say errors and racist terms are used in a proposed textbook.

A book titled “Mexican-American Heritage” is being considered for use in Texas classrooms. The book is published from the company Momentum Instruction, a Virginia company headed by former Texas State Board of Education member Cynthia Dunbar.

On Tuesday, an advisory committee made of historians and scholars against the book filed a 54-page conclusion on the book pointing out all its errors.

One excerpt of the book reads:

“Stereotypically, Mexicans were viewed as lazy compared to European or American workers. Industrialists were very driven, competitive men who were always on the clock and continually concerned about efficiency.”

University of Texas History professor Emilio Zamora said the advisory committee against the book found a total of 141 total errors.

Zamora added some of the language used is “disparaging” by calling Mexican-Americans “lazy,”

In a statement sent to CBS Austin’s sister station in Brownsville, Dunbar said the book has no hidden agenda and “there is no objective to be in anyway negative.”

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Leftists Redefine 'Illegal'

Words mean things, which is why the Left is always trying to change those meanings. Marriage, gender, life, rights — you name it and they’ve got a redefinition. One of their favorites is bickering over what to call individuals who have immigrated illegally. For conservatives, the answer is fairly straightforward — they’re illegal immigrants (or aliens), sometimes illegals for short. To the Left, they’re “undocumented.”

Steve Cortes, a supporter of Donald Trump, appeared with Joy Reid on MSNBC Thursday, where he explained Trump’s immigration policy: “Number one, we have to secure our border. Number two, there can be no citizenship for illegals. You cannot reward criminality.” That was not acceptable to Reid, who fired back, “I’m going to stop you right there. You are Hispanic, Steve. Are you comfortable with that term, ‘illegals’? That is a pejorative to a lot of people. Why do you use that term?”

Simple. “Because words matter,” Cortes replied. “If you do something that is against the law, it’s illegal. If you go into a store and you shoplift, you’re not an undocumented holder of a good, you’re a thief. If you come to the United States against the immigration laws of the United States, you’re not undocumented, you’re illegal.”

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Trump's call for high-skill immigration is no 'hate speech'

Would he go hard or would he go soft? That was the mainstream media template for judging Donald Trump's speech on immigration in Phoenix last Wednesday.

The verdict: hard. "How Trump got from Point A to Point A on immigration," was the headline in the Washington Post's recap.

Similarly, the often insightful Talking Points Memo blogger Josh Marshall characterized Trump's discourse as "hate speech." "Precisely what solution Trump is calling for is almost beside the point."

But that's precisely wrong. Marshall found the Phoenix crowd's raucous shouts distasteful, and so did I. But a search through Trump's prepared text and his occasional digressions fails to disclose anything that can be fairly characterized as "hate speech."

What it does disclose includes some serious critiques and proposals for recasting our immigration laws which almost everyone agrees need changing.

Start near the end, with the tenth of Trump's ten points. He notes that we've admitted 59 million immigrants since the last major revision of immigration law in 1965, and that "many of these arrivals have greatly enriched our country." No asides about criminals or rapists.

Then he proposes a major policy change, "to select immigrants based on their likelihood of success in U.S. society, and their ability to be financially self-sufficient ... to choose immigrants based on merit, skill and proficiency."

That's not racism or hate speech, and it's not out of line with American tradition, or even current law.

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Must not find old bodies unattractive



Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers caused outrage earlier this year when she took a photo of an unsuspecting woman in a gym change room and put the photo online with a nasty caption, now she could face prison time.

In July the nude pin up model mocked an innocent woman changing in a gym on Snapchat with the caption, “if I can’t unsee this then you can’t either”, and now she is set to face criminal charges and six months in jail after police located the victim, reports gossip site TMZ.

The site says the woman – who is in her 70s – wants to proceed with prosecution and TMZ claims that their inside sources claim police want to make an example out of Mathers who broke laws prohibiting the dissemination of private images.

TMZ say the police have reportedly accused the 2015 Playmate of the Year 2015 of “egregiously violating a member’s right of privacy by taking a picture of her while naked in the shower, and then humiliating her by posting the picture with a disgusting caption”.

Mather’s claims she never meant to make the post public as she was only trying to send the image to a friend.

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Must not mention that Muslims avoid pigs

A Hungarian politician has sparked outrage for suggesting placing pigs' heads on fences at the border will deter refugees from entering the country.

Gyorgy Schopflin, 76 - part of the country's right wing party - made the comment when responding to criticism about their attitude towards refugees.

The MEP posted on Twitter that by placing the head of a pig on fences at the border it would 'deter' people try to enter 'more effectively'.

Schopflin, of the Fidesz Party, was replying to Human Rights Watch director Andrew Stroehlein.

The argument on Twitter came after Hungarian officials placed masks made from vegetables on their border fences in a bid to prevent refugees trying to enter the country.

Mr Stroehlein tweeted: 'Refugees are fleeing war & torture, Hungary. 'Your root vegetable heads will not deter them.' Mr Schopflin quickly replied: 'Might do so. Human images are haram.  'But agree, pig's head would deter more effectively.'

But the politician's response has sparked outrage and Mr Stroehlein has described him as an 'embarrassment to humanity'.

He also said that Schopflin's suggestion was 'disgusting' and accused him of spouting 'xenophobic filth'. 

Speaking directly to the MEP, Mr Stroehlein said: 'Your words are disgusting.

'I would expect that from anonymous neo-Nazi trolls but you're an MEP. Act like one.'  He continued: 'You are an embarrassment to Hungary, to Europe & to humanity.'

Of 177,135 asylum applicants to Hungary in 2015, just 146 were approved, according to government statistics.

In March 2015, the Hungarian government declared a state of emergency in the country due to Europe's refugee crisis.

It deployed an additional 1,500 security personnel to the country's Serbian frontier in a bid to deny refugees entry.

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Good advice about women criticized

Indian ladies normally wear their Saris at ankle length so brief Western clothing looks like a sexual invitation to Indian men

After drawing widespread criticism, India's tourism and culture minister has backtracked after suggesting that female foreign tourists should not wear skirts in the country.

Talking to journalists in the north Indian city of Agra on Sunday, Mahesh Sharma said tourists would be handed a "a list of do's and don'ts" at airports that would advise them "not to wear skirts" or "venture out alone at night in small cities".

"For their own safety, women foreign tourists should not wear short dresses and skirts," he said. "Indian culture is different from the western."

Sharma, whose comments came under fire in India and abroad, clarified on Monday that he was referring only to religious places, and that he "spoke out of concern".

Indian minister advises tourists to 'not wear skirts': After heavy criticism, tourism minister backtracks on earlier remarks, saying he was referring only to religious sites. © Provided by Al Jazeera After heavy criticism, tourism minister backtracks on earlier remarks, saying he was referring only to religious sites. "I was speaking about religious places, like temples. I did not comment on what women should wear or not. I am the father of two daughters, I cannot put a ban on what women wear," Sharma said.

"Such a ban is unimaginable, but it is not a crime to be cautious," he added.  "Different countries issue advisories from time to time, but I never said change anyone's way of dressing."

Despite the minister's rebuttal, many Indians criticised him online.

"Mahesh Sharma go home & make a sandwich. Don't dictate terms to women under garb of Indian culture," one Twitter user using the screen name "SheSays" tweeted.

  "How are you less than a Taliban? They also want to control what to wear, what to eat? " Rajesh Sharma, from the opposition Aam Aadmi Party, asked.

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British TV bosses have been forced to apologise after their soap was accused of racism for a comment a character made about her hair

The episode on Bank Holiday Monday saw Eva Price, played by Catherine Tyldesley, visit Audrey's hair salon, where she remarked: 'I have more roots than Kunta Kinte. 'No idea who that is, by the way, just something my mum used to say.'

Kunta Kinte was a character from the novel Roots: The Saga Of An American Family, which was adapted into a hit TV miniseries.  Based on a real-life ancestor of author Alex Haley, it tells the story of a young man taken from Gambia and sold as a slave.

Ofcom confirmed it received more than 250 comments and will asses them and decide whether to investigate.

Viewers complained about the comment on Twitter and to broadcast regulator Ofcom.  A spokesman for TV watchdog Ofcom said: 'Ofcom has received 278 complaints about Coronation Street, which aired on Monday.

'We will assess these complaints before we decide whether to investigate or not.'

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Itay furious over Charlie Hebdo earthquake cartoon

It certainly was in dubious taste but Charlie Hebdo aims to shock

A Charlie Hebdo cartoon depicting victims of the Italian earthquake as lasagna has sparked outrage in the country which is still mourning the nearly 300 people who died in last week’s tragedy.

“The drawings are repugnant,” said Italian Justice Minister Andrea Orlando, as furious reactions began flooding social media sites.

“I don’t think its useful to comment further as I think that would produce precisely the sought after effect... that is to create a scandal,” and draw attention to the cartoons, he added.

The drawings in the current edition of the French satirical weekly depict bloodied victims of the quake.

The words “penne tomato sauce” appear above a picture of a bloodied and bandaged man, while a woman with burns is described as “penne gratin”.

To their right, a pile of bodies under layers of rubble is titled lasagne”. The cartoons are captioned “Earthquake Italian style”.

The quake struck central Italy on August 24, with the small town of Amatrice bearing the brunt. The town is the home of the all’amatriciana pasta dish.

Italian Senate leader Pietro Grasso said that he respected “the freedom of satire and of irony,” but added that “I am free to say that all this is disgusting”.

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Suspected neo-Nazi is accused of terror offence for 'posting picture of Adolf Hitler with 'kill the Muslims' message online'

The man seems mainly to have done the sort of things Muslims repeatedly do -- so why is he singled out?

A suspected neo-Nazi is accused of a terrorism offence and of writing a litany of racist, Islamophobic, homophobic and anti-Semitic calls to arms on social media.

Sean Creighton, 44, allegedly stirred up racial hatred by posting an image of a man brandishing a rifle in front of a black child.

Creighton, a dad who lives with his parents in Enfield, north London, is also accused of putting an image of Adolf Hitler along with the message 'kill the Muslims' online.

It is alleged he possessed an electronic document entitled 'White Resistance Manual 2.4' which is said to contain details of improvised weapons and explosives.

Heavily-tattooed Creighton appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court today to deny all ten charges against him.

He sat quietly in the dock with a short growth of hair on his head and stubble while wearing a navy Burberry-style bomber jacket with blue jeans.

Among the other posts he is said to have put on social media is an image of a gun alongside a swastika and the words 'Jews prepare to die'.

And he is said to have posted an image of an injured man alongside words intended to stir hatred of sexual orientation as well as a cartoon of a head in a noose.

He is also accused of possessing stickers from Combat 18, the neo-Nazi organisation, with the text 'sink the refugee boats!'.

Creighton is so said to have possessed a badge with 'burn your local mosque' written on it.

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Facebook Continues Its Leftist Ways

Over the last few months Facebook has been in the news often, and for reasons other than its latest stock value. This past May, Fox News reported on 10 instances where conservatives were singled out for censorship, and this after Facebook’s own internal investigation in which it claimed to have found no evidence of overt anti-conservative bias. However, after several more revelations of censoring conservative content, Facebook admitted that there had been some censoring of conservative content — but only by a few workers. The problem is, Facebook’s anti-conservative bias hasn’t changed.

A recent example is that of middle school teacher Stephan Neidenbach, who founded a Facebook page entitled “We Love GMOs and Vaccines.” To his surprise he later found the page had been removed by Facebook censors, because it offended some anti-GMO and anti-vaccine activists. National Review recounts, “Despite the fact that no polices were violated, [Facebook] acquiesced to [the activists'] demands and deactivated the page. … Neidenbach was subsequently banned from the platform for 30 days.”

This is yet another example of Facebook’s bias against conservative pages, whether they be pro-Second Amendment, conservative news or opposed to a variety of liberal issues. Facebook clearly seeks to tilt the public’s views on cultural and political issues away from a conservative perspective and toward leftist and socialist ones. No matter how much it may deny its bias, Facebook is a powerful platform that aims to promote and normalize a leftist worldview.

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Must not suggest that women do most of the cleaning



A 'Batgirl' T-shirt, sold by Target Australia, is going viral after a mother posted on the store's Facebook page suggesting that the top was sexist and 'offensive'.

'Target, can you explain why you are selling something as offensive as this in your stores currently?,' furious mum, Ninac Ollins, from Melbourne, wrote.

'What message are you intending on sending to young girls?'.

The short-sleeved shirt in question is a pink top aimed at young girls that has lettering in the form of a to-do list emblazoned onto it.

The top reads: 'Batgirl to do list: Dry clean cape, wash Batmobile, fight crime, save the world'.

 We know that working mothers still do more housework than their spouses, we don't need you to perpetuate this inequity

What was annoying Ms Ollins was the fact that, according to her, it perpetuated the sexist status quo.

Just 19 hours after Ninac Ollins had uploaded her feelings onto the social media site, she received close to 600 likes and a couple of hundred comments.

Despite her anger, other mothers were divided as to whether they thought the top was offensive or if they reckoned the mother in question was just over-reacting.

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Some Warmist hate speech

Steven Craig Jones wants to save the planet.  He has a site that says so here: pulsar774.tripod.com

So how does he deal with skeptics?  He sent Marc Morano the following message:

"you are dead wrong on climate change.  it is the number one international security issue on planet earth in 2016. you climate deniers need to be put in prison"

He's all charm, isn't he?  He makes no attempt to dispute any point ever made by any skeptic and makes no attempt to present any fact. Since he believes in anti-gravity that is perhaps just as well.  All he can resort to is Stalinism:  Imprison your opponents. A dismal soul, indeed. He is completely dogmatic, with a completely closed mind.  It might not be good to see him coming towards you on a dark night if you disagree with him.

The fantasy of being able to save the planet must generate such a warm glow inside.  No wonder he hates any threat to that.  How awful to find that you are in fact completely irrelevant and that your crusade has been a complete waste of time!  The poor dupe.

His email is calisunnerz@gmail.com

The Angry Bird Iowa Professor

Last week, the president of the University of Chicago informed incoming students regarding of the expectations they can have regarding the university’s stance on freedom of speech. The president reminded students that the university was a place where differing opinions and views were welcomed. That there were no “trigger warnings” or “safe places” where students could expect to be free from ideas or views with which they may disagree or that offended them. The president of the University of Chicago was rightly praised for standing up for freedom of speech.

Now in contrast comes this story, also out of the country’s heartland. According to University of Iowa Pediatrics Professor Resmiye Oral, the Hawkeyes' mascot Herky promotes anger and violence by the look on his face. “I believe incoming students should be met with welcoming, nurturing, calm, accepting and happy messages,” she wrote to the athletic department, requesting that the mascot have a different expression. “Herky’s angry, to say the least, faces conveying an invitation to aggressively and even violence are not compatible with the verbal messages that we try to convey to and instill in our students and campus community. … As we strive to tackle depression, suicide, violence, and behavioral challenges and help our students succeed, I plead with you to allow Herky to be like one of us, sometimes sad, sometimes happy, sometimes angry, sometimes concentrated.”

Evidently, this professor sees the university as some giant daycare designated to protect the sensitive minds of college toddlers. To date no student has complained about being mentally oppressed by Herky, but we in our humble shop know of one toddling professor…

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School Reverses American Flag Ban

Editor’s note: In a week that saw an NFL star dissing the national anthem, there’s a bit of good news out there too…

Students at Travelers Rest High School in South Carolina will once again be able to wave American flags at football games. Principal Lou Lavely reversed his ban on Old Glory just a few hours after we posted a column about the controversial decision.

The high school’s stadium is named after my great uncle — Chico Bolin, a decorated World War II Marine veteran. Uncle Chico restarted the football program at Travelers Rest in 1949 and named the team the Devildogs in honor of the Marines.

Following is the school district’s complete statement:

“[A]fter meeting with Travelers Rest student and faculty leadership, and with the benefit of time to reflect, Mr. Lavely has reached a different decision. He based this decision on current students' request that he judge them on their own merits and not based on the actions of past students. As a result, effective immediately, students are allowed to bring the American Flag to any and all Travelers Rest High School events. Instead of restricting possession of the flag, the TRHS administration will, if needed, address the misuse of the Flag, or any other inappropriate behavior, on an individual basis.”

“I fully support Mr. Lavely’s thoughtful reconsideration, and his willingness to respond to advice and input from his community,” said Superintendent Burke Royster. “I am appreciative of the Travelers Rest High School community for sharing its concerns and opinions on this matter in a respectful, civil manner. I also appreciate and applaud their desire to promote patriotism and service as a part of the culture of their school and am in agreement that students' desire to carry and display the American flag should be encouraged and supported throughout the District.”

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Australia: Leftist hate speech reprimanded

Labor leader Bill Shorten has been confronted by a preacher imploring him not to describe opponents of same-sex marriages as homophobic.

Mr Shorten was addressing reporters after leaving a parliamentary church service in Canberra on Tuesday when the man asked for a word.

He picked up on a comment the opposition leader made after the Orlando nightclub shooting that the plebiscite campaign would "give haters the chance to come out from under the rock".

"Please don't speak like that about other Australians so we can have a civil and tolerant discussion rather than the hate that's been coming," the man said. "That was disappointing, and I like you and I like the Labor party."

Mr Shorten replied he understood people of faith could be opposed to same-sex marriage. "But some people who object to marriage equality do have homophobic attitudes," he said.

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Sexy ads under fire



LINGERIE retailer Bras N Things is embroiled in a storm in a D-cup after it was forced to pull a campaign video down due to its overtly explicit content.

The video, which played in Bras N Things stores, featured 2011 Australia’s Next Model winner Simone Holtznagel and showed her posing in a series of sexual positions — described as “amateur porn” in complaints — where she flaunted the latest Playboy lingerie.

The campaign, which resembles a Playboy ad, also features close ups of Ms Holtznagel’s body wearing the lingerie. [HORROR!]

A series of complaints to the Australian Advertising Standards Bureau forced the retailer to pull the ads, claiming the instore screens were so large, seeing it was “unavoidable”.

“This was in an ordinary public place, with children and families there, why should they be confronted with it in a shopping mall,” read one complaint.

“It was vulgar, unsuitable for the young and simply demeaning for any woman walking past.”

Another read: “They were not merely modelling the underwear, they were moving suggestively, gyrating and looking lasciviously at the camera — like a very amateur porn movie.

Bras N Things declined to make a comment when contacted by news.com.au, but according to the complaint, the retailer received “very little feedback from customers” and “does not feel that it has breached any advertising standards”.

As a matter of “respect” to shopping centres, the video would be replaced with pictures instead in an act of “good faith”.

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Before Celebrating Gawker’s Demise, Consider This

Forget for a moment the question about whether celebrity sex tapes are “newsworthy.” The real question is whether we want juries determining what is, and what is not “newsworthy.”

In March, a Florida jury awarded Hulk Hogan a plum $140 million in his suit against Gawker.com (Bollea v Gawker). Hogan argued that Gawker’s publication of a sex tape was an invasion of privacy, having no “news” value.

If one verdict can put a media company out of business, this seems very much like a form of arbitrary regulation of the press. As I write, Gawker Media appears to be in financial tailspin. In May, Gawker was denied its motion for a new trial or reduction in damages. Gawker was ultimately forced to declare bankruptcy, and its sale to Univision was quickly approved. Then, on August 18, it was announced that Gawker.com would cease operations.

And there seems to have been little love lost for the tawdry gossip site, which trolled the private lives of celebrities and politicians for over a decade.

The successful suit has already inspired similar legal threats by other another star: Melania Trump, who considers herself to be harmed by “hurtful,” “damaging,” and “false” reporting by other news organizations.

Slippery Slopes

Despite grave anxiety within the media over Bollea’s Constitutional implications, any layman searching for an excuse to celebrate Gawker’s demise need only cite the obligatory canard that not all speech is protected: Because, well, free speech and all that jazz, but you can’t shout fire in a crowded theater!

Then again, those of us who have read Schenck v. United States probably die a little inside every time we hear this tripe. (tl;dr: Charles Schenck never shouted fire in any theater. He was convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 for handing out anti-war pamphlets, encouraging people to oppose the draft and World War I. Oliver Wendell Holmes called this a “clear and present danger,” after wringing his hands about imaginary men shouting fire in imaginary theaters).

While Bollea does not raise the specter of a “clear and present danger,” this “newsworthiness” exception to the First Amendment is proving to be no less arbitrary.

Basically, it appears that once a journalist crosses the Rubicon from “newsworthy” into “sensationalism,” the First Amendment vanishes.

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Not sure I agree with the above.  It was a right to privacy that was breached.  The First Amendment does not rule out privacy and most countries do have laws protecting privacy to some degree.  So it is a widely recognized right

Slapping men on the bottom is sexist?

An advert for gym clothes featuring radio personality Hamish Blake and his wife Zoe Foster-Blake has been labelled sexist against men.  Complaints were made to the Australian Advertising Standards Board, but were dismissed earlier this month.

The commercial shows Hamish and Zoe competing in physical challenges while wearing clothing from the popular brand Bonds.

At one point, Zoe pulls down her husband's shorts to reveal a pair of Bonds underwear, before slapping his bottom.

Several complainants alleged the scene portrayed males as 'sexual objects to the viewers'.

'The ad clearly objectifies men and shows how they are sexual objects to the viewers; is this message what we want children and other viewers to think?' read one complaint.

'I feel this is derogatory towards men, also promotes putting down another person,' read another.

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New twist in the Golliwog saga




A grandmother is selling 'Golly Dolls' in a bid to 'reclaim black heritage' and raise money for charitable causes. Retired midwife Charlotte Nightingale, 65, sells the controversial children's toy at fairs, school fetes, and village shows.

The mother-of-three, who dresses up as a Golly when she sells them, said she had received a widely positive reaction from members of the public and does understand why they have been banned.

She said: 'Three or four years ago I became aware that Gollies were banned because they were offending black people, but that was news to me.

'I'm black. I'm from Ghana and I didn't know this was the case - I thought this is nonsense.

'I could not make sense why a doll which was a children's toy, or a rag doll, is now offensive to black people - and for that reason I chose to use it as a mascot.

'Golly is still loved by millions of people of all shades.'

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Colin Kaepernick explains why he sat during national anthem
   
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has willingly immersed himself into controversy by refusing to stand for the playing of the national anthem in protest of what he deems are wrongdoings against African Americans and minorities in the United States.

His latest refusal to stand for the anthem -- he has done this in at least one other preseason game -- came before the 49ers' preseason loss to Green Bay at Levi's Stadium on Friday night.

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

The 49ers issued a statement about Kaepernick's decision: "The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem."

Niners coach Chip Kelly told reporters Saturday that Kaepernick's decision not to stand during the national anthem is "his right as a citizen" and said "it's not my right to tell him not to do something."

The NFL also released a statement, obtained by NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport: "Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem."

By taking a stand for civil rights, Kaepernick, 28, joins other athletes, like the NBA's Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and several WNBA players in using their platform and status to raise awareness to issues affecting minorities in the U.S.

However, refusal to support the American flag as a means to take a stand has brought incredible backlash before and likely will in this instance. The NBA's Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf of the Denver Nuggets, formerly Chris Jackson before converting to Islam, refused to acknowledge the flag in protest, citing similar reasons as Kaepernick and saying that it conflicted with some of his Islamic beliefs.

Abdul-Rauf drew the ire of fans and was briefly suspended by the NBA before a compromise was worked out between the league and player, who eventually stood with his teammates and coaches at the playing of the national anthem.

Kaepernick said that he is aware of what he is doing and that he knows it will not sit well with a lot of people, including the 49ers. He said that he did not inform the club or anyone affiliated with the team of his intentions to protest the national anthem.

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This ungrateful jackass should try making a living playing football anyplace else. All countries have their faults.  Tell me any country where blacks do well. They do way better in the USA than they do in black-run countries

An honest bureaucrat in Britain

The chairman of the schools watchdog has finally quit today after he described the Isle of Wight as an inbred, poor, white, crime-filled ghetto.

Ofsted chief David Hoare said the island's school results – among the worst in the country – may be linked to its social problems.

While many go there for 'champagne' holidays, the way ordinary islanders lived was 'shocking', he said, with ghettos 'within inches' of sailing clubs for the rich.

Three weeks after the comments he finally resigned and informed Education Secretary Justine Greening he would quit with immediate effect. 

The former banker apologised three weeks ago after his views were branded ill-judged and insulting, saying he was merely highlighting the problem of low educational standards in coastal towns.

But it appears that this was not enough and he has fallen on his sword.

Mr Hoare made the controversial comments during a speech to teachers at the Teach First conference in Leeds, the Times Educational Supplement reported.

The management consultant, who has a home just across the Solent, said his dinner party guests think of the Isle of Wight as a 'holiday land'. He added: 'But it is shocking. It's a ghetto; there has been inbreeding. There is a mass of crime, drug problems, huge unemployment.'

The Isle of Wight was the second worst local authority when it comes to secondary education and the third worst when it comes to primary education, he said.

But Isle of Wight Council leader Jonathan Bacon said Mr Hoare's comments were an 'insult to the proud and hardworking community'.

'They are ridiculous and disclose a complete lack of knowledge of the Isle of Wight and its education system,' he said.

Mr Bacon said he would complain to Education Secretary Justine Greening.

Out of the 69, 972 households on the Isle of Wight - 4,000 of these are home to single-parent families. Almost two in five of these parents are not in full-time employment.

The island has one area, the ward of Ryde North East, that is listed in the top 10 per cent of the most deprived areas of Britain for a number of concerning factors. It is listed in the most deprived 10 per cent for its crime, income, education and living environment.

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WVU Says No He or She, Use Ve

If he’s to be a she and she’s to be a he and it’s they who told you he’s a she who we know to be a he, then when is it right to call he a he and she a she? This is the insane conundrum that incoming students at the University of West Virginia will be having to navigate this year as the university has guaranteed students have “the right be called by the name and pronouns consistent with your gender identity.” Who would have known that pronouns had become so sexist?

The move is reminiscent of the University of Tennessee’s similar directive last year. WVU is basing its latest leftist thought control efforts on the Obama administration’s redefinition of the Title IX prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex. To make it “easier” on students seeking to make this transition in their vocabulary, the university has come up with a guide of “Proper pronoun usage” that swaps out the gender bound pronouns for those who are “non-gendered,” such as “ve”, “ver” and “vis.” The guide also includes this advice, “Some people may not want a lot of public attention to their pronouns, while others will appreciate you standing up for them. If someone uses the wrong pronoun for a person who isn’t present, try a brief correction.”

Why is WVU making this downright ridiculous appeal to its students? Well, it may be more than merely the fanciful desires of a bunch of leftist educators. You see, Obama’s directive on the redefinition of sex in regards to Title IX also contained this ominous warning: “The Departments have resolved Title IX investigations with agreements committing that school staff and contractors will use pronouns and names consistent with a transgender student’s gender identity.” Well, if a school wants to keep its funding, it better toe the line.

In other news, Princeton has banned the word “man.” So there’s that…

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Blackface furore in Britain



A folk festival has banned Morris dancers from performing with black paint on their faces after complaints that the 500-year-old tradition is racist.

Shrewsbury Folk Festival bosses said people wearing full black face paint would not be booked from next year - although dancers claim it has no racial links and branded it 'PC nonsense'.

This weekend's event will be the last time the popular festival will book Morris dancers using dark make-up.

Community group Fairness, Respect, Equality Shropshire (FRESH) said the ban showed sensitivity 'to a changed social climate'.

But Morris dancers say there were 'no racial connotations' and they had 'never wanted to upset people.'

Festival director Sandra Surtees said they found themselves 'caught between two sides' of the argument.

She added: 'The use of full face black make up is an age old tradition, particularly within Border Morris.

'The Morris movement has always evolved over time and some sides have take their own decisions to move away from using full face black make up to other forms of colour and disguise.

The tradition is known as 'Border Morris' and sees performers wearing a full-face of black makeup in order to disguise themselves, has no racial connotations.

'The festival has never wished to cause offence to any person and as such, from 2017, we will no longer book sides that use full face black make up.

But the decision has sparked public outrage from Morris dancers and Shropshire residents.

Jon Roads said: 'It's terrible that PC nonsense is being used to repress our traditional customs in this way.  'These ancient traditions are at risk of dying out completely. Just disgusting.'

Adrian Pitt added: 'I am disappointed that the organisers are not prepared to tolerate my traditional disguise, which has nothing to do with mimicry of any racial group and doesn't even look like any particular racial group, the evidence of which goes back centuries.'

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Blackface furore in Australia



[Black footballer] Nic Naitanui has spoken out after a Perth mother’s Facebook post of her son dressed like the AFL star sparked widespread outrage.

Taking to social media, Naitanui wrote that the kid was “merely attempting to emulate his hero”, saying it “hurts my heart. Especially when that hero is me!”

The original post, made on commentator Constance Hall’s public Facebook page, shows the West Australian mother’s young son dressed as Naitanui — his favourite footy player.

The problem? She painted his skin with head-to-toe brown paint.

The post prompted widespread outrage.

Last night, Adam Briggs, an Indigenous rapper, comedian and actor, slammed the woman in a Facebook post about blackface.

He described it as an “obviously reckless, racist thing to do”, said he “thought it was a set up”, and went on to invalidate a series of common arguments that support blackface.

“She seems to have disappeared now, gone to ground, I hope she stays there for the sake of her son.

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In Britain, "Paki" is a very bad word but "Sub-continentals" is normally OK.  But not this time, apparently

The senior surgeon clearly had a low opinion of doctors from the Asian sub-continent but he was not being unreasonable in that.  "Overseas trained" doctors in Britain attract four times the rate of official complaints of British doctors.  They often are problem people of low competence. But facts take second place to speech correctness in Britain these days

A leading NHS surgeon is fighting to save his career after being accused of racism when he referred to a group of junior Asian colleagues as 'sub-continent elements'.

Clinical director Peter Hale, 58, claimed three Pakistani doctors and one Indian medic who worked under him were a 'highly egocentric group' and 'their own worst enemy' after they told him they were being treated 'like slaves.'

He also claimed one of them needed 'a good slap'.

The comments were made after a heated discussion about rota changes at a hospital looked after by Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust.

When the Asian doctors left the room following the meeting, Mr Hale offered to place a £50 bet that one would agree to work a particular shift only to then 'fly to Nigeria and that there would be a problem with the plane coming back.'

He also singled out of one of the doctors saying: 'Chill pill? He needs a good slap' adding: 'They accuse me of de-skilling them - but it's inevitable if you behave in this way then you don't get given the things you want.'

Unbeknown to Mr Hale, his unguarded remarks were inadvertently taped after a mobile phone which had been recording the hospital meeting was left switched on.

Mr Hale was subsequently reported to bosses at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust and he was later sacked for gross misconduct.

Investigators claimed the surgeon's remarks could be considered racially discriminatory as he had referred to an Australian colleague as a man who 'never lets you down and will go a mile to make sure he helps.'

The four Asian doctors - Khawaja Zia, Ved Prakash, Vivek Kaul and Christi Swaminathan - subsequently sued the NHS trust for racial discrimination claiming they had been under-paid and under-promoted due to their race and treated as 'slave labour.' They also claimed they had taken offence to Mr Hale using the phrase 'three-line whip' to ask them to come to a meeting but lost their case.

It is understood the trust has spent more than £1.4 million defending employment tribunals involving race relations over the past decade. It is believed the vast majority of these involve a small number of repeat claimants and the trust has lost one.

Today, Mr Hale from Hassocks, West Sussex, faces being banned from practising medicine in Britain altogether after he was referred to the General Medical Council and accused of racial prejudice.

He had been appointed as a troubleshooting head of the gastrointestinal department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in 2011 following concerns the department was over-spending and under-performing.

But the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester was told controversy erupted over rota changes in the department and matters came to a head during a heated staff meeting on December 13, 2013.

The 90-minute meeting on the mobile phone was recorded but after it finished the device was not switched off and it taped Mr Hale as he carried on talking to colleagues in private for another ten minutes.

Counsel for the GMC, Craig Sephton QC told the hearing: 'There is no doubt that the four doctors were vocal and occasionally not as polite as they should have been but on the other hand, they were clearly concerned about their jobs and they had the impression that they had been mistreated.

'Mr Hale failed to show respect, he referred to them as 'sub-continental elements' and 'egocentric groups'. The comments that were made are disrespectful of the people about whom they were made. Whatever you think about somebody, to say that they need a good slap or that they are vile is not respectful, even when you are talking privately.

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Comedian Fined $42,000 by Human Rights Tribunal for Telling a Joke

Canadian comedian Mike Ward was fined a whopping $42,000 by Quebec’s Human Rights Tribunal for jokes he made about a disabled boy.

The child, Jérémy Gabriel, who suffers from Treacher Collins Syndrome, is a bit of a national celebrity in Canada after he sung for the pope in 2006 essentially because everyone thought he did not have long to live. Ward’s joke was a rant about how the child was supposed to die, that he “stole a wish” and is unkillable. Sure, not in great taste, but certainly not in violation of the kid’s “human rights.”

His joke was never televised, but after he talked about the bit in an interview, Gabriel’s parents found out and dragged the comedian to the human rights tribunal last month. He fought the fine, but lost in court.

Ward told Spiked that he plans to appeal the decision, and if that fails, will try to bring the case to the Supreme Court. “If I lose that I’ll just move to Syria or Saudi Arabia, or some other country that respects free speech as much as Canada does,” he said.

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Must not suggest that it is mostly women who do the cooking

She became Britain’s most successful female Olympian of all-time after winning her fourth gold in Rio but Laura Trott was still subjected to casual sexism after her fiance, Jason Kenny, won his sixth gold medal.

Kenny, 28, drew level with Sir Chris Hoy on six golds after a sensational ride in the keirin final at the velodrome.

Trott, 24, made history earlier by becoming the first female Briton to win four gold medals at the Olympics and watched on as fiance Kenny equaled Hoy’s record.

However, Chris Boardman, who won a pursuit gold for Great Britain at the 1992 Olympics, sparked outrage in the aftermath of Kenny’s win, saying: ‘She’s [Trott] doing all the emotion for him – he’s [Kenny] looking at her wondering what’s for tea!’

Boardman quickly attempted to clarify his remarks on Twitter after the race by insisting it had nothing to do with Trott’s gender.

However, that didn’t stop hordes of people taking to Twitter to criticise the 47-year-old for his comments.

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Australian university:  You can freely say that conservatives are like Nazis but must not say that anti-Israel Arabs are like Nazis

SYDNEY University has been accused of “serious academic bias’’ after a student reported lecturers at the institution were likening current conservative politicians to Nazis.

Lecturers also compared Australia’s handling of refugees to the Nazis’ treatment of mentally ill people murdered in Germany in the 1940s.

According to free speech advocate Matthew Lesh, who is running a project with the Institute of Public Affairs to reveal bias on campus, universities are becoming “closed intellectual shops” where “only certain ideas are allowed to be expressed’’.

During a lecture this month about the treatment of gay people in Nazi Germany, students were told it was “something out of ... (Liberal Senator) Cory Bernardi’s handbook”.

A second-year student ended up pulling out of the subject, The Holocaust, History and Aftermath, after he was prevented from presenting his class assignment on modern instances of anti-Semitism.

The 22-year-old, who was afraid to be named for fear of reprisals, said he was told by the tutor not to explain how anti-Israel sentiment can be linked to anti-Semitism.

“I was halfway through my slides when the tutor told me to skip the rest of the presentation, saying ‘We don’t want people to get the wrong idea about you’,” the student said. “It was clear I was not allowed to discuss this, it was quite dogmatic.”

The student quit the subject and later received what he described as an unfairly low mark.

The free speech think-tank issued a report recently which found eight in 10 universities it examined had policies or had restricted free speech.

“Students should be free to express views, not be interrupted and punished,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the university said it did not seek to avoid politics in lectures.

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Racism or a realistic perception of danger?

A farmer in Saskatchewan lives near a "First Nations" (Canadian Indian) settlement and there has been a great deal of crime among the Indians concerned.  So when he saw a carload of Indians driving onto his farm, he fired first and asked questions later.  He was probably too impulsive but if you were in fear of being  violently attacked, you might shoot first too. 

The shooting was undoubtedly based on a perception of racial differences but it was also a realistic perception of racial differences.  So are we here dealing with realism rather than racism in any other sense?

That the farmer has been charged with murder has enraged many Saskatchewan whites who think he acted reasonably in self defence.  They back up that belief with many critical comments about Indians which justify the farmer's fear.  Are such comments "hate speech" or are they a reasonable comment on real differences?  A bit of both, perhaps

Comments like  “He should have shot all five of them (and) be given a medal” and “his only mistake was leaving three witnesses.” undoubtedly express hate but what has provoked that hate?  Two things mainly, dysfunctional Indian behaviour and coddling of Indians by the government. 

Government favoritism is undoubtedly a great way to poison white attitudes to Indians.  Racism begets racism. A new system in which Indians and whites are treated equally would undoubtedly do much to defuse tensions.  A perception of injustice would be removed and a perception of injustice is almost always a great source of anger. But such a reform will not happen while Pretty Boy runs Canada.  Odd how Leftists are great preachers of equality but are in fact major sources of unequal treatment.  Wouldn't it be great if Leftists had some real principles that they stuck by?


Much has been said and written in recent days about racism following the shooting death of a young man on the Northwestern Saskatchewan farm of Gerald Stanley, who stands charged with murder.

What happened that day to 22-year-old Colten Boushie was tragic; for his family, loved ones and community it is an unimaginable loss.

Racism against aboriginal people in this province is very real. It is part of a long and sad chapter of our history and culture.

As recently as the late 1990s, an interesting analysis of this was undertaken by Mr. Justice Ron Barclay of the Court of Queen’s Bench when asked to rule that prospective jurors in a murder trial could be questioned on their perceptions of an aboriginal accused.

He wrote: “Widespread anti-aboriginal racism is a grim reality in Canada and in Saskatchewan. It exists openly and blatantly in attitudes and actions of individuals.

“It exists privately in the fears, in the prejudices and stereotypes held by many people and it exists in our institutions. Furthermore, examination of racism as it impacts specifically on aboriginal people suggests they are prime victims of racial prejudice.”

What possessed a landowner to allegedly pull out a loaded gun? All the self-defence laws in the world will not excuse the use of lethal force for trespassing on land.

The context of life in rural Saskatchewan will be considered, where increasingly vandalism, thefts and occasionally grotesque acts of violence befall some farm families that are alone and living miles away from help.

The area around Colten’s hometown of the Red Pheasant Cree Nation is particularly notorious.

It is where the execution-style slaying of two men happened on a nearby farm in 1994; recently stolen cars from Wilkie appear on Red Pheasant; in 2005, a family at Cando, fed up after eight attacks in a year, said they were being driven off their farm after two Red Pheasant men and several youths trashed their farm, set vehicles ablaze and looted their house.

Racism happens when someone becomes a target not for what they did but for what they look like, or, in this case, where they live. The death of young Colten Boushie, in the wrong place at the wrong time, deserves answers.

There are many facts yet to be revealed. Allowing the courts, the rule of law and justice to prevail is the correct first step.

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British female Conservative politician says Burkinis Are "Hate Speech In A Piece Of Clothing"



From the August 17 edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto

STUART VARNEY (GUEST HOST): How is this for not being politically correct, three more towns in France banning the Burkini. France's Prime Minister supporting these towns, he says the full-body swimsuit for Muslim women goes against French values. Louise, do you think the French are doing the right thing banning the Burkini?

LOUISE MENSCH: Stu, I really do. I think the bikini and the burqa and the full face niqab are grossly offensive garments that say terrible things about women's bodies. They say that a woman's ordinary body is immodest, I think it's basically hate speech in a piece of clothing. Would you allow somebody to go out into the streets and wear a big t-shirt saying "I hate Muslims?" When you wear those clothes, you're saying "I hate women," and it's that attitude that leads to honor killings of women. I'm glad France is doing this.....

MENSCH: I think you should exclude these kind of extremist garments from French culture, they go against French laws of secularism, which, by the way, apply in France to all religions. Furthermore, you don't need to wear this shroud to go swimming, and you can smuggle weapons.

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Trump Fan Takes Drastic Measures to Protect Free Speech

A man in Colonie, New York, is taking drastic measures to protect his yard sign supporting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump after he watched five prior signs get destroyed or stolen.

Homeowner and prominent local businessman Robert Marini decided to illuminate the sixth sign with a bank of lights, sink the sign’s base in concrete, and build a wall of barbed wire around it.

“I don’t have enough time in my life to go around stealing Bernie Sanders signs or Hillary Clinton signs. It’s not something that I even thought about doing,” Marini told the Times Union newspaper. “Everybody’s got a right to free speech, right? At least we think so in America today. But some people on the left don’t believe in that, so they just take what’s not theirs.”

Marini is positive that his Trump signs have been targeted by some local leftist who hates Trump. He points out that other signs in the area for Clinton or Sanders have never been touched. The proud Trump supporter also points out he is the only one in the area willing to put a Trump sign in his yard, so his support of the candidate is a high-profile event.

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Muslim hate speech sanctioned for once

Deutsche Welle (DW; German State Radio) ended its contact with Nagi Abbas, an Egyptian journalist in its Arabic section, on Friday following his controversial social media posts calling for the assault of activist Mahienour El-Masry.

The post was published by Abbas on Wednesday. It included insults about El-Masry and calls for people to attack her using acid, and to force feed her acid.

DW said that the journalist “called for an act that is punishable by law”. The German media institution said that before taking any decision, it conducted investigations into the matter, which included speaking to the journalist who did not deny the authenticity of the post.

The journalist was fired, DW added, and further legal measures are being taken.

El-Masry is lawyer and political activist who was just released from prison. After her release she wrote a Facebook post praising and saluting her prison inmates, where she mentioned “Aunt Samia Shanan”.

Abbas is a journalist who is specialised in Egyptian-European relations

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A Facebook post that destroyed a former deputy principal's life has now cost the poster $150,000

No free speech protection attaches to defamation

Before the Facebook post, former deputy principal Kenneth Rothe, 74, enjoyed his life running two small seaside motels with his wife and caring for his grandchildren.

Afterwards, Mr Rothe was the subject of a brutal bashing that left him hospitalised for six months and his family were so scared they moved interstate.

Now a NSW District Court judge has forced the man who wrote the defamatory Facebook post to pay $150,000 in damages.

"Pedophile [sic] warning:- Nambucca has been used as a relocation for these monsters – blue dolphin –nirvana hotel and above the Indian restaurant! …Bus stops are right out front of theses hotels for our children?"

Mr Rothe was the owner of the Blue Dolphin Motel and Nirvana Village Motel and a rental apartment in Nambucca Heads on the state's mid north coast.

He sometimes offered crisis accommodation for people fleeing family disputes but emphatically denied he ever housed ex-prisoners or paedophiles under any agreement.

A "devastated" and "distressed" Mr Rothe begged Mr Scott for a retraction and an apology but neither was given to him.

Instead his life was seriously threatened – twice.

Mr Rothe told the court that just before the first assault someone said to him, "Are you the Blue Dolphin paedophile?" 

People started making anonymous phone calls to the motel, some asking for sex, and the Nambucca Valley Crime Information Facebook page republished the allegations.

Judge Judith Gibson found that Mr Rothe was an upright member of the north coast community who ran his businesses in accordance with the law.

"This Facebook attack was made on him out of the blue, with no prior inquiry of any kind by any person," Judge Gibson said. "It has had a devastating effect on him," she said.

"It would be fair to say that the publication of the matter complained of has destroyed the plaintiff's wellbeing as well as his peace of mind."

Judge Gibson found there was no factual basis to Mr Scott's claims, he was an "unimpressive witness"  and he had made no attempt to verify the information he had heard from others prior to posting his rant.

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Must not say bad things about Gypsies

A Tory MP has sparked outrage after he compared a group of travellers to the feared conqueror - Genghis Khan.

Gary Streeter, 55, labelled the group as intruders and accused them of causing major disruption after setting up camp at a park on Sunday.

The travellers were evicted from the site in Plymouth, Devon, yesterday lunchtime.

But Mr Streeter, who represents South West Devon, has now launched a tirade against their way of life.  He said: 'The key to tackling this perennial problem is to remove travellers like these from the "vulnerable ethnic minority" status.

'They are as vulnerable as Genghis Khan, most of them are as ethnic as I am, and all have permanent homes elsewhere in the UK.

Mr Streeter has aired his feelings about the travelling community on several previous occasions, but his latest comments have caused anger among senior Labour councillors.

Philippa Davey, shadow cabinet member for safer and stronger communities, said Mr Streeter’s views confirm research by Anglia Ruskin University, which found discrimination against gypsies and travellers is the 'last bastion of acceptable racism'.

She said: 'Of course the council should deal with unauthorised access to land, but comparing people to Genghis Khan and making sweeping judgements about very vulnerable groups of people is irresponsible.

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Pink for girls is SEXIST!

Its return to TV screens has been hotly-anticipated by baking fans across Britain. But the Great British Bake Off has come under fire from keen-eyed viewers for being 'sexist' when unveiling the contestants for this year's competition.

Revealing the 12 candidates for the popular show's seventh series, BBC producers had the six men and six women pose with 'gender-related' frosting.

Posing for the camera, the men can be seen holding a bowl of 'manly' blue icing sugar, while the women pose alongside a pink topping.

Viewers have been quick to take to Twitter to complain about the 'sexist' and 'embarrassingly dated' move.

Lorna Stewart wrote: 'Pink icing for women, blue for men. Men in @BritishBakeOff obviously make much more manly icing. Grrrr blue. #GBBO'

Bethan Smith said: 'Hey @BritishBakeOff, why is the icing pink for a woman, blue for a man in the contestant pics? Seems a bit pigeonholing and backward! #GBBO'

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Must not describe any woman as pear-shaped



Gold’s Gym put their heads together this week when planning a new advertising campaign for their fitness centre.

‘This is no shape for a girl’ their Facebook post read, and by shape — they were talking about a pear.

The marketing mob at Gold’s Dreamland gym, which is based in a hospital in Egypt, were probably pretty chuffed with themselves when the image started to go viral. But the reason for the thousands of shares, comments and retweets wasn’t because of their catchy phrase.

No, people were pissed.

“Well I WAS a member of Golds but looks like I need to find a gym that doesn’t body shame and degrade women for their appearance,” one facebook user posted under the image.

“This is exactly why so many people hate their bodies. Stop spewing crap like this. You can encourage people to be healthy without the use of body shaming,” another added.

“If that’s all your PR came up with I’d fire them all.”

In response to the backlash, the gym issued an apology. But unfortunately, that just made matters worse.

The simple black box with the text ‘Our Apology’ created almost as much outrage as the original post of the pear. “Our apology, this post was not meant to offend anyone,” the Gym wrote next to the image.

As you’d expect, social media users didn’t buy the #sorrynotsorry approach. In fact, the back pedalling apology only added fuel to a pretty raging fire.

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Viewers of CBC's Olympic coverage outraged after 'racist' announcer is caught on mic saying 14-year-old Chinese swimmer 'went out like stink, died like a pig'

Apparently intended as humorous but pretty unpleasant language to apply to an athlete doing her best

Canadian broadcaster CBC has been forced to apologize after one of its commentators said a 14-year-old female Chinese swimmer 'went out like stink' and 'died like a pig' during a race.

Commentator Byron MacDonald thought his mic was turned off when he started to dispense some of his own opinions at the end of the women's 4x200m freestyle relay final.

MacDonald, who was brought on board CBC's commentary team to provide 'color' could be heard saying: 'That little 14-year-old from China dropped the ball, baby. Too excited, went out like stink, died like a pig. Thanks for that.'

Chinese swimmer Ai Yanhan, 14, swam the second leg of the relay in 1:57.79 — 1.61 seconds slower than Canada's Taylor Ruck, allowing the Canadians to close the gap on China.

Viewers across Canada were quick to react online after being shocked by the tone and the language used

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When a cake is "violent"



Mia Freedman has written about being 'Facebook shamed' because of her son's birthday cake. The founder of Australian website MamaMia posted a video of the 'smash' birthday cake to her social media pages, only to find some mums weren't fans.

The cake, made by Sydney Smash Cakes, is filled with lollies and needs to be broken open like a pinata.

In the video, her eight-year-old son uses a large rolling pin to break open the chocolate shell encompassing the cake.

Then the clip shows a horde of boys hands grabbing at the sweets inside the cake, leaving nothing behind.

Some followers of hers on Facebook were not please with the cake, calling it 'violent' and claiming it made them stressed.

'Horrible..horrible...horrible!' Valerie D McCrae wrote. 'Violent attack on cake followed by greedy me me me grab for sweets! No wonder kids think manners are of no importance.'

However not everyone disliked the cake, with others comparing it to a pinata at a party and saying some mums were overreacting.

Freedman called the comments a 'heated debate' but didn't back down from her cake choice.

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Racial stereotypes get something of a pass for once

A film about a hot dog's relationship with other foods - including a climax involving a food orgy - is causing uproar for alleged racial stereotypes.

Comedian Seth Rogen co-wrote the new animated adult comedy, Sausage Party, a spoof of the many Disney and Pixar films.

But the film has divided opinion over its content, with some praising the over-the-top racism and others on social media unhappy with the Sony flick.

In one example, the movie features some Nazi German sauerkraut dedicated to 'exterminating the juice'.

Actress Salma Hayek also reportedly does the voice for a lesbian Mexican taco while the film features a Native American bottle of Firewater which complains he had settled in a store first before being kicked out to the backroom.

An Arabic loaf of lavash longs for 77 bottles of extra-virgin olive oil awaiting him in the next life, Heat Street reports, adding that the film also includes an Irish potato who sings 'Danny Boy' and has a catchphrase 'Jesus! F**k!' 

While the film has been widely commented on for its racism - many tweets laughing at the jokes, others criticizing it - it has found support from left-wing newspaper The Guardian.

Film reviewer Jordan Hoffman declared that the 'whole thing is so tasty, you may just want seconds'.

'Racial stereotypes await on every aisle, which will undoubtedly be a third rail for some viewers,' he wrote.  'My attitude is that if you want to play in that sandbox, you have to be sure to insult everyone and, more importantly, make sure the jokes work.'

 'The movie is, in its own jokey way, celebrating the differences among nations and peoples while also reminding us that those differences are only skin deep.'

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Australian Libertarian Senator files racism complaint because he was called an 'angry white male'

Leftists frequently refer to "white males" in various contexts, apparently quite unaware that they are being racially discriminatory

Senator David Leyonhjelm has lodged a complaint under the Racial Discrimination Act for comments made about him by a journalist.

The Liberal Democrat senator, from New South Wales, submitted the complaint last week after a Fairfax media article was published referring to him as a 'boorish and gormless as a result of being an angry white male', reported the Daily Telegraph.

It is reportedly the first complaint of its kind for the Australian Human Rights Commission (HRC) under section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.

Under this section, it states it is unlawful to commit an act which would reasonably offend or insult someone because of their race, colour, national or ­ethnic origin.

In his complaint to the HRC Senator Leyonhjelm said his colour was one of the reasons the comments were made.

'Other characteristics referred to in the article include being a boorish supercilious know-all with the empathy of a Besser-Block, hate speech apologist, wacky, a self-promoting misanthrope and a practitioner of infantile reasoning,' he said.

'The comments are reasonably likely in all the circumstances to offend or insult some white males.'

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Museum defends displaying authentic Nazi flag saying it is a ‘legitimate part of history’



A museum has defended its decision to display an authentic World War II Nazi flag, despite accusations they are profiting off the fascist regime.

The large red swastika flag will be hung in New Zealand's Temuka Museum on Saturday for the building's 100th anniversary celebrations.

Museum members said the flag is 'a legitimate part of history', but the move has been met with an outpouring of backlash on social media, reports StuffNZ.

Temuka RSA manager Vicky Howey said she hoped the flag would attract some 'new blood' and 'get more bums on seats.'

Temuka Museum member Alan Patrick said the flag was 'a legitimate part of history' and it was a unique opportunity for people to see the flag.

The plan has divided social media, with some claiming the flag should never be displayed and others defending the move.

'This is not about history but about using shock and horror to make money,' wrote one commenter.

'A nazi flag should NEVER be flown or hung. The only place for a nazi flag is on the ground being trampled on.'

'So you'd rather bury your head in the sand and pretend it never happened?' wrote another.

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Coward is a VERY bad word

Hope Solo — the abrasive, Star Wars-surnamed goalkeeper of the US women’s soccer team — isn’t just any villain.

The two time gold medal-winning 35-year-old has regularly pushed the boundaries of what a star athlete can get away with as long as they’re winning. But her reaction to America’s penalty shootout defeat against Sweden in the quarterfinals in Rio — in which the overmatched Swedes adopted an often-used overly-defensive strategy — saw her lambasted like never before.

“I thought that we played a courageous game,” Solo said. “I thought we had many opportunities on goal. I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down. I’m very proud of this team. But I also think we played a bunch of cowards. The best team did not win today. I strongly believe that.”

There aren’t many words in sport that carry the gravity of the word coward and Solo’s summary immediately drew criticism.

Former Olympic and World Cup team captain Julie Foudy, now an ESPN commentator, called Sweden’s conservative game plan “a tactic most outmatched teams take in soccer” and “tactically smart”.

She said her countrywoman’s rant was “ridiculous and classless, and it really doesn’t represent the house that we built with the US team”.

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NBC commentator is accused of sexism after seeming to give credit for Hungarian swimmer's world record to her HUSBAND

When Hugarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu smashed the 400-meter individual medley world record by two seconds on Saturday, viewers criticized NBC sportscaster Dan Hicks for his 'sexist' commentary.

Cameras panned to Hosszu's husband and coach, Shane Tusup, and Hicks declared he was 'responsible' for turning her 'into a whole different swimmer.'

Critics slammed Hicks on social media for failing to give Hosszu credit for her work in the pool, but he responded on Sunday, saying: 'It is impossible to tell Katinka's story accurately without giving appropriate credit to Shane, and that's what I was trying to do.'

Tusup was shown animatedly cheering Hosszu on during the preliminary round as she narrowly missed beating the world record.

In the finals, however, she was ahead of the pack by several body lengths and came in with a time of 4:26.36, obliterating the world record of 4:28.43, set by Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen in 2012.

The commentator later acknowledged that with live TV,  'there are often times you look back and wished you had said things differently'.

But Hicks said he was painting as accurate a picture as he could of Hosszu and Shane Tusup's relationship.  Hicks said the swimmer herself credits Tusup for improving her training and bolstering her confidence, which was shattered when she lost the same event four years ago.

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A police force has to delete an 'offensive and insensitive' tweet about an invasion by two men pictured in Nazi uniform



Must not joke about anything Nazi.  The picture is of two re-enactors, not actual Nazis

The police officers who tweeted pictures of men dressed in Nazi uniforms in 'an act of stupidity and ignorance' may now face disciplinary action.

Officers used Greater Manchester Police's traffic account to post pictures of the men wearing SS uniforms standing next to a German military Kübelwagen on the M62. Next to the images, they wrote: 'These two likely lads trying to invade.'

They have since deleted the tweet after it sparked a backlash online.

The force wrote on Twitter: 'It has been removed and we will speak to those involved. It was unacceptable.'

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Cotswolds hotel is accused of sexism after they advertised for a porter but said the post was 'not for ladies'

An exclusive Cotswolds hotel has been accused of sexism after advertising for a porter, but said the job was 'not a role for ladies'.  Whatley Manor, a five-star retreat near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, put up the controversial advert in the window of a nearby Post Office.

It read: 'We are seeking people with driving licenses to join the team of Front of House Porters.

'The work involves moving luggage, moving cars, tending fires, generally taking deliveries, keeping the reception area tidy.'

In brackets, it then adds: 'Sorry, it's just not a role for ladies.'

Bosses at the award-winning hotel, where rooms cost up to £1,500 a night, said the advert was not supposed to offend.

But it was been met with anger from people living around Malmesbury, including world champion bodybuilder, Charlene Harvey, 36, who slammed the hotel for assuming every woman is 'weak'.  'There are physiological differences between a man and a woman, but a woman can train and be just as strong as a man,' she said. She added: 'I didn't think they were allowed to do things like this anymore. In today's industry it's a bit out of place.'

Gill Salter, HR boss at Whatley Manor, said the advert was not supposed to be placed in the Post Office but in a local school.

The HR boss said: 'We didn't intend to discriminate or upset anybody and it is certainly not the normal advert we use. 'We were trying to make them understand that the role includes heavy lifting.'  She added: 'We just had someone struggling in with big boxes so strength was one of the issues.

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An incorrect hat



The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is looking into whether wearing a depiction of the Gadsden flag to work should be considered racial harassment after a black employee at a privately owned business filed a complaint with the federal agency more than two years ago.

The complaint was filed by the black worker in January 2014 after he said one of his coworkers wore a hat depicting a coiled snake with the words “don’t tread on me” repeatedly since the fall of 2013. The complainant did not allege, however, that the employee wearing the hat ever said anything racist to him, the Daily Caller reported.

The complainant said that he made his concern known to his bosses, who then asked the employee to stop wearing the hat. The worker in question kept wearing the hat, however, resulting in the offended employee filing a formal complaint with the EEOC, which oversees issues of discrimination in the workplace.

The agency’s investigation into the matter is ongoing. A representative for the EEOC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Self-confessed feminist says women should take catcalling as a compliment

A WOMAN has admitted she enjoys being “catcalled” and doesn’t understand why others find it offensive.

Student and self-confessed feminist Charley Scoggins said she reckons females shouldn’t feel patronised, offended or degraded when they’re told they’ve got a “tight a*s” or a “juicy rack”.

However many people have criticised her comments on social media, warning her: “Normalising this harassment only serves to perpetuate the climate of rape culture.”

Writing in the UK student newspaper The Tab, Charley claimed she finds being catcalled “affirming” rather than uncomfortable, reports The Sun.

The 20-year-old said: “If I look as good as I feel, it’s great to hear that somebody, or a group of somebodies, agrees with me.”

Charley admitted it depended on the situation, explaining: “If I’m out on a run or a night out with the girls, and a group of lad-wannabes call out to us that we look hot, I don’t mind it.

“So in these situations the best thing to do is to laugh and move on, and feel a little boosted.”

Charley did criticise the “seedier side to catcalling”, writing: “If the situation is less lighthearted, and the men are calling out to you to get your t*ts out or to come home with them, then this is in no way OK.

“It’s vile, and I don’t see what they’re expecting from it. They should have seen enough rom coms with their ex-girlfriends to know that we don’t appreciate derogatory comments, but an actual conversation.

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Must not disrespect bisexuals

Christopher Biggins has been removed from the Celebrity Big Brother House it was confirmed on Friday evening.

Despite being a favourite to win, a statement circulated by the Channel 5 show producers announced the 67-year-old TV presenter had left the house.

The news, which came just a few hours before the first eviction night, came as a surprise to many.

The statement read: 'Big Brother has taken the decision to remove Christopher Biggins from the Celebrity Big Brother house.

'Since entering Big Brother, he has made a number of comments capable of causing great offence to housemates and the viewing public.

'Big Brother does not tolerate offensive language capable of causing widespread offence. Christopher Biggins has left the house.'

It is not yet known what comments Biggins, a reality show regular who won the 2007 series of I'm A Celebrity, made to cause offence.

However, at the beginning of the week the entertainer ruffled a few feathers during a conversation about bisexuality with housemate Rene Graziano.

Biggins was seen questioning Renee about her feelings towards gay people, with the Mob Wives cast member responding: 'It's beautiful… it's who you are and I think it's natural, but I think today in society, I think they kind of force things on people and confuse you.'

Biggins replied: 'I think the worst type though, I'm afraid to say, is the bisexuals.'

And as Renee went further, adding that bisexuality 'upsets' her, Biggins continued: 'What it is, is people not wanting to admit they're gay… be honest, that's what you've got to be.'

Renee then responded: 'You can pick any one you want! But you have to pick a team.'

Frankie Grande, who is gay, agreed with the duo.

Biggins' comments sparked outrage on social media at the time, with one viewer tweeting: 'Disgusted at the attitudes of Renee and Biggins towards bisexuality.'

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Cartoon in leading Australian newspaper an attack on Aboriginal people, Indigenous leader says



I have had a lot of contact with Aborigines and think that the cartoon has a lot of truth in it -- not that truth matters to some, of course -- JR

A political cartoon portraying an Aboriginal man with a beer can and not remembering his son's name is an "attack" on Indigenous Australians, a community leader says.

The cartoon by Bill Leak was published by The Australian newspaper on Thursday, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day.

Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency chief executive Muriel Bamblett said it depicted Aboriginal people as "not knowing about their children and not having any role in raising their children".

"You feel quite oppressed when these things happen, I think that we everyday have to battle with direct racism and indirect racism," she told 774 ABC Melbourne.

"In the media, I think they have a public responsibility. That's obviously one of the opportunities to get good messaging about Aboriginal people.

"But if you're constantly stereotyping us as second class then it's about profiling us as second-class citizens in our own country."

The Australian's editor-in-chief Paul Whittaker defended the paper's decision to publish the "confronting" cartoon.

He cited comments made by Indigenous leaders this week, including Noel Pearson on Lateline who said: "Blackfellas have got to take charge and take responsibility for their own children. That part of the message really struggles to get traction."

"Too often, too many people skirt around the root causes and tough issues. But not everyone. Bill Leak's confronting and insightful cartoons force people to examine the core issues in a way that sometimes reporting and analysis can fail to do."

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Golliwogs again



Australian politician Ricky Muir has come out in support of a Beechworth Sweet Co’s television advertisement that featured an animated toy golliwog, labelling a decision by the Advertising Standards Board to uphold a complaint against the ad as “political correctness gone mad.”

Muir posted a photo of him with his childhood toy golliwog named “Wally”, stating, “the sheer notion that somehow my childhood toy or mothers hobby is ‘racist’ is simply ridiculous”.

Speaking to SmartCompany, Muir says that the situation was “really political correctness gone mad” and that it was clear the advertisement was not intended to offend or hurt.

“The company had this in place for a very long time, it’s clear they mean no ill intent at all,” Muir says. “It’s very disappointing to see this very extreme measure be made.”

Muir believes that the Beechworth Sweet Co should appeal the decision by the Ad Standards Board, and also encourages the company to seek public support. “I’ve had lots of responses on social media, and many people agree that it’s nothing more than a doll and a fond childhood memory,” Muir says.

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Mussolini's birthplace BANS shops from selling souvenirs with images of the Fascist dictator after complaints from tourists



Souvenirs that celebrate fascist dictator Benito Mussolini have been banned in the region where the former Italian prime minister was born.

Shop owners or vendors could be sent to jail if they continue to sell busts, coffee mugs, pins and even baby clothing that show the founder of the National Fascist Party, who ruled Italy until he was ousted in 1943.

Government officials in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, which includes the cities of Bologna and Parma, passed a motion banning the sale of souvenirs with fascist symbols.

Emilia-Romagna is the first region in Italy to implement such a ban. Anyone caught breaking the new law could be sent to jail for six months to two years, The Local reported.

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Italians are not nearly as bothered by Musso as Germans are by Hitler.  Musso had no concentration camps for instance. He just exiled opponents to one of Italy's outlying islands.  And he was the only Italian ruler before or since to get on top of the Mafia.