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OT: The News Thread

Re: OT - The News Thread

Bleedsblue&white said:
Ahh.

I tend to agree, though I think revolution is harder now than it ever was. Unless you can get the military on your side, "big brother" will be a tough nut to crack.
I also believe ignorance (being unaware AND stupidity) and apathy will play a large part in this.
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Revolution ... a subject much misunderstood. What I'm referring to though is people merely exercising their democratic rights. That may indeed seem revolutionary in today's reactionary and authoritarian environment.

On the issue of stupidity and ignorance ... yes, it has become a much more serious problem today. Neil Postman called it amusing ourselves to death some time ago. Adorno and Horkheimer called it: "The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception" many moons ago. That's one of the most brilliant essays of the 20th century (last chapter of Dialectic of Enlightenment, if you're interested).

What we're really dealing with are what I like to call the forces of stupidification: corporate media and schooling. I find it chilling to see how willing people have become to acquiesce in the removal of their liberties. As Adorno said, the subject has been liquidated.
 
Re: OT - The News Thread

It's not just about liberties...watching people caught in up in the fox propaganda machine protesting healthcare...people who obviously need it...brings home the fact that we are quite often the instruments of our own destruction.
 
Re: OT - The News Thread

It's quite awesome watching the most extreme predictions of geniuses like Orwell and Huxley come true right before our eyes.

And people actually think we're evolving.
 
Re: OT - The News Thread

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_re_us/us_seaworld_death

Killer Whale Tank


Whale kills Fla. SeaWorld trainer as guests watch
AP


Trainer dead after SeaWorld killer whale attack AFP/File – File image of a killer whale. A female trainer died Wednesday after a killer whale at Florida's SeaWorld …
By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press Writer Mike Schneider, Associated Press Writer – 31 mins ago

ORLANDO, Fla. – A killer whale killed a SeaWorld Orlando trainer who slipped or fell in its tank Wednesday, drowning her in front of a horrified audience.

Dan Brown, president of the Orlando park, said the trainer was one of the park's most experienced.

He would not answer questions about whether it happened during a performance, but an audience member said a show was just starting.

The whale "took off really fast in the tank, and then he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing around, and one of her shoes flew off," Victoria Biniak told WKMG-TV.

Jim Solomons of the Orlando County Sheriff's Office, said the trainer slipped or fell into the whale's tank, which seemed to contradict Biniak's description.

"This appears to be an accidental death, a tragic death," said Solomons.

Neither Brown nor Solomons would release the trainer's name. The park is investigating, and Mike Wald, a spokesman for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Atlanta, said his agency has dispatched an investigator from Tampa.

The guests were asked to leave and the park was closed.

There have been several previous attacks on whale trainers at SeaWorld parks.

In November 2006, trainer Kenneth Peters, 39, was bitten and held underwater several times by a 7,000-pound killer whale during a show at SeaWorld's San Diego park.

He escaped with a broken foot. The 17-foot-long orca who attacked him was the dominant female of SeaWorld San Diego's seven killer whales. She had attacked Peters two other times, in 1993 and 1999.

In 2004, another whale at the company's San Antonio park tried to hit one of the trainers and attempted to bite him. He also escaped.

In December, a whale drowned a trainer at a Spanish zoo.

At the Orlando SeaWorld, the body of a naked man was found scratched, bruised and draped over a 5-ton orca named Tilikum in July 1999. Daniel Dukes, 27, reportedly made his way past security at SeaWorld, remaining in the park after it had closed. Wearing only his underwear, Dukes either jumped, fell or was pulled into the frigid water of Tilikum's huge tank.

An autopsy ruled that he died of hypothermia in the 50-degree water. But they also said it appeared Tilikum bit the man and tore off his swimming trunks, likely believing he was a toy to play with.

Dukes' parents filed a lawsuit against the park later that year but ended up withdrawing it.
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Re: OT - The News Thread

They're supposed to have entire oceans to swim in and instead have swimming pools. I'm no tree-hugger, but that kind of behaviour isn't really surprising.
 
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I consider it incredible cruelty to put those beasts in tanks. Just deplorable behaviour to do that.

I remember grudgingly being dragged through Tampa's Busch Gardens years ago. A concentration camp for animals. I nearly puked at the sight of giraffes - these creatures roam thousands of miles contained in a fenced in yard. Deplorable.
 
Re: OT - The News Thread

Interesting the chaos that is happening in Greece. They look to be in a really ****ed up situation that looks to be getting worse than better.

http://www.bild.de/BILD/politik/wir...reiken-und-streiten-statt-geld-zu-sparen.html

I wonder if the Germans will force them out of the EU. What is interesting is that the slant of the article is that we Germans have to pay for the Greek's mismanagement and corruption. Also, interesting is that Greek politicians are now bringing up world war 2 and how the Germans ripped off all their gold... Man, let the Greeks sink.
 
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Re: OT - The News Thread

Jr, you've been warned about posting entirely in German or sending links to non-English articles. That's an interesting situation so if you could post a link to an article en Anglais that would be fantastic.
 
Re: OT - The News Thread

Babelfish to the rescue!

Greeks argue and strike, instead of saving Greece - a state sinks in the chaos. And we must pay the bill for the mismanagement! Instead of tearing oneself at the belt, the Greeks paralyzed their country yesterday with a general strike - from protest against the austerity course ordered by the European Union: All airports were close, no course drove, no ferry, in the hospitals gave it only to emergency service. In the roads of Athens riots, tear gas clouds… Up-to-date Strike instead of saving Failure Greek rehearse the rebellion Annoyance with the European Union Failure Greek ever more brazen Athener press Greeks infuriates over „focus “- titles Schummel household Failure Greeks dance European Union on the nose rum More to the topic Germany wants to help failure Greeks with up to 5 billion Failure Greek Germany wants also 5 billion euro helps! Which the Greeks simply not to admit want: They live for years mile far over their conditions. From 2005 to 2009 the wages rose on the average around 4,1% per year. Greek employees go at the latest with 61 into pension. The national debt is higher than the economic performance of a yearly. However in April and May the government must pump itself to Athens 20 billion euro - to high interest, because the country is not valid than credit with dignity any more. And who must pay the calculation at the end? To possible assistance of the remaining European Union member states the Federal Government is silent at present still. As conceivable also support is considered by the European central bank (EZB). According to scientific service of the Bundestag the EZB under certain conditions can buy Greek loans. Also assistance by the state bank 9 KfW are discussed. The risk carries naturally - the German taxpayer! But while over assistance for Athens one discusses, pöbeln Greek politicians rather - particularly against Germany. Vice-Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos reminded yesterday of the occupation of his country by the Nazis during World War II: „You took the Greek gold away, which lay with the central bank - and it never re-imburses…! “ No miracle that the resistance against assistance for the ailing Mediterranean state grows. FDP Expert of financial politics franc Schäffler to PICTURE: „The Greeks must make and hard save their homework alone. The European contracts do not permit assistance of states, European Union or EZB. “ The liberals discuss instead a change of the Euro Stability Pact: Thus it would be also possible to force a withdrawal from the euro. (January/rok)
 
Re: OT - The News Thread

SundinsTooth said:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_re_us/us_seaworld_death

Killer Whale Tank
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F**K YOU WHALE!!!!

fyouwhale.jpg



Ya know, they're not called pacifist hugging whales.

There's youtube clips of killer whales absolutely ripping to pieces great white sharks! :eek6:

When you're at the apex of the food chain in the sea, I don't know if I would ever get in the water to splash around with em.
 
Re: OT - The News Thread

There's a reason the audience cheered at the culmination of Free Willy. I'm not PETA member but we definitely should be better stewards of the Earth and act a lot more compassionately towards the sentient beings within based on our purpoted intelligence levels.
 
Re: OT - The News Thread

I have no sympathy for the trainers/keepers of these majestic beasts when they bite it, so-to-speak. They aren't the worst culprits in these operations but they're active participants.
 
Re: OT - The News Thread

BeLeafer said:
I have no sympathy for the trainers/keepers of these majestic beasts when they bite it, so-to-speak. They aren't the worst culprits in these operations but they're active participants.
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Actually, I wish these whales could get into the boardrooms of the Blackstone Group and get the real villains behind the whole house of cards.....trainers are just doing their best under the circumstances...
 
Re: OT - The News Thread

BeLeafer said:
I have no sympathy for the trainers/keepers of these majestic beasts when they bite it, so-to-speak. They aren't the worst culprits in these operations but they're active participants.
Click to expand...
Yup. Seriously...when Roy of Siegfried & Roy was nearly killed by one of their Tigers, did anybody actually feel bad for him?
 
Re: OT - The News Thread

Mmmm... I did feel bad for him because those two *really* love those animals and the first thing that he said when he regained consciousness was to "not harm the animal" (because it wasn't his fault and the Tiger was trying to protect him).
 
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