That's not a protest, that's being a dick.

Whirl-Mart is a culture jamming ritual aimed at retail superstores and described by participants as "art and action."

An event consists of a group of supposed shoppers who congregate at a large superstore (usually a Wal-Mart, Toys "R" Us, ASDA, or Sainsbury's) and slowly push empty shopping carts silently through store aisles. Participants will not purchase anything and seek to form a lengthy chain of non-shoppers, continually weaving and "whirling" through a maze of store aisles for up to an hour at a time. Participants describe their actions as "a collective reclamation of space that is otherwise only used for buying and selling". Whirl-Marters seek to mimic and mock what they perceive as the absurdity of the shopping process.

Some variations of the whirl-mart protest involve filling carts but then simply abandoning them or, when checking out, claiming to have forgotten the money to purchase the items in the overflowing cart.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirl-Mart

Whirl-marting, fine whatever.That's fine. That's kind of funny. But the "some variations" is pretty alarming. As someone who has worked in retail, all you're doing is making underpaid employees work harder and stay later (without pay, I might add) to put back the shit you "subversively" gathered. I guess those culture jammers don't have a real strong grip on how the retail business works. See, the scummy leadership doesn't work in the stores. Thanks for protesting consumerism by making me stay an hour late, dude. I'm a wiser person for being more tired, having less free time, and not being able to negotiate because I have to pay rent. I guess buying things and working is sort of absurd if you've always just had money and nice things and have no idea where they came from.

I don't mean to represent this downtrodden proletarian. I'm solidly middle class. I got a 6 dollar a week allowance when I was 13. On my own, I've always had enough money for food (though sometimes it was ramen and canned beans) and so on. But I want people to think about this stuff, in between family vacations in upstate new england and buying organic vegan food that costs five times more than what everyone else consumes. There's no shame in being middle class or even filthy rich, but please, don't let your hip new faux-revolutionary proletarian identity hurt working people, who have enough bullshit to deal with as it is. It's not a world for you to play around in, a place to make you feel moral, or place to make you think your pranks are making things better. People are trying to live here, and shopping carts full of shit they have to put back isn't helping

Quality Cinema, Quality Article

Film Followed by: Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Hellbound, Flesh-Eating Subhumanoid Zombified Living Dead, Part 3

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Day_of_the_Dawn_of_the_Son_of_the_Bride_of_the_Return_of_the_Revenge_of_the_Terror_of_the_Attack_of_the_Evil%2C_Mutant%2C_Alien%2C_Flesh_Eating%2C_Hellbound%2C_Zombified_Living_Dead_Part_2:_In_Shocking_2-D

Gangsta Rap is For Little Kids

The aggressive sense of English "fuck" and "screw" was not strongly attached to futuo in Latin. Instead, these senses attached themselves to pedicare and irrumare, "to sodomise" and "to be sucked", respectively, which were used famously and hostilely in Catullus 16:

Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo,
Aureli pathice et cinaede Furi,
qui me ex versiculis meis putastis,
quod sunt molliculi, parum pudicum.

("I will fuck you in the ass and make you give me head, you faggot Aurelius and pervert Furius, because you thought me indecent because my poems are somewhat sissified."

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_profanity

For reals, get in a rap battle with the greco-roman poets and you will probably get served.

Rape Sells?

Effect on Duke University merchandise

Sales of Duke University apparel, especially lacrosse t-shirts, led the Campus Store's sales to triple from March to April 2006.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Duke_University_lacrosse_case#Effects_on_Duke_faculty

And they say convicts don't have class!

On July 14, 2006, Chas Licciardello was charged with offensive conduct after attempting to sell fake Canterbury Bulldogs merchandise outside an NRL game.^[11] The merchandise included plastic knuckledusters and balaclavas in the Bulldogs' colours, and was supposed to satirise recent violent clashes between rugby league fans. Several Bulldogs fans took offense and attempted to attack Licciardello, and as a result he was charged for offensive behaviour.^[12] On the broadcast following his arrest, Licciardello appeared onstage in handcuffs and within an iron cage. On that same episode, he apologised for his actions, claiming to understand why the Bulldogs fans were offended: because Canterbury Bulldogs fans much prefer to use their fists. This statement was accompanied by footage of Bulldog's supporters assaulting opposing team supporter's during a match. After appearing in court with co-star Julian Morrow, Licciardello pleaded not guilty and the matter was adjourned.^[13] On January 23, 2007, Licciardello was found not guilty of the offensive behaviour charge.^[14] He was interviewed after the case draped in an Australian flag, and said he would appeal "to the Supreme Court, to the High Court, to the UN, to the Jedi Council and the Snickometer." After being reminded he had won, he said "I didn't actually prepare any material for the off-chance that we won."
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chaser%27s_War_On_Everything

I Can See Your Junk: A Compelling Legal Argument

Hooters [resturant] targets male customers with a female waitress staff, though men work at Hooters as cooks, hosts (at some franchises), busboys, and managers. The menu includes hamburgers and other sandwiches, steak, seafood, and chicken. It also specializes in Buffalo wings. Almost all Hooters hold alcoholic beverage licenses and sell beer and wine. They sell t-shirts and various mementos.

The chain is controversial on two counts:

1. The uniform is considered by some to be objectification of women. The general environment of the restaurant is seen by many people as sexist and demeaning to women.
2. The restaurant hires only women as servers, and refers to them as "Hooters Girls". Several discrimination lawsuits brought against the chain have been settled out of court or dropped by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), some after an advertising campaign featuring St. Petersburg, Florida, Hooters kitchen manager Vince Gigliotti dressed in a Hooters Girl serving uniform.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooters

the Gravedigger in me rejoices

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:WPFC

Former countries! What has been shall be resurrected?

The people decide what is the past and what is the present.

The theremin (originally pronounced [teremiːn] but often anglicized as [ˈθɛɹəmɪn] [1]), or thereminvox, is one of the earliest fully electronic musical instruments. It was invented by Russian inventor Léon Theremin in 1919, and it is unique in that it was the first musical instrument designed to be played without being touched. It consists of two radio frequency oscillators and two metal antennae. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker.

The theremin was originally the product of Russian government-sponsored research into proximity sensors. The instrument was invented by a young Russian physicist named Lev Sergeivich Termen (known in the West as Léon Theremin) in 1919, after the outbreak of the Russian civil war. After positive reviews at Moscow electronics conferences, Theremin demonstrated the device to Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin. Lenin was so impressed with the device that he began taking lessons in playing it^[1], commissioned 600 of the instruments for distribution throughout the Soviet Union, and sent Theremin on a trip around the world to demonstrate the latest Soviet technology and the invention of electronic music.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin
And what makes me happiest of all is that Lenin listened to techno.

Humans and Royalty

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretender


A quick look at the list shows that almost every civilization had kings at one point. This is a universal form of state organization and human grouping that stretches from South America to Siberia. That doesn't make it a good idea, but certainly an understandable one that served humanity for a time.

Terminology is Key

An apéritif or aperitif is an alcoholic drink usually enjoyed as an appetizer before a large meal. It is often served with something small to eat, like olives or crackers. The word is derived from the Latin verb "aperire", which means to open.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ap%C3%A9ritif

A digestif is a beverage, usually small and alcoholic, which is consumed at the end of a meal. Some believe that a digestif aids the digestion of food, and bitter or carminitive herbs are generally added to the alcohol. The term is lifted from French. Digestifs can be compared with apéritifs, which are drunk before a meal — usually, the digestif will be heavier and more alcoholic. Digestifs are usually drunk neat and are most often spirits; cognac is a common selection. Other likely choices include armagnacs, brandies, and whiskies. Some wines (usually fortified) are served as digestifs as well — for instance, port, sherry, or madeira.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestif

What do you mean am I an alcoholic? I just drink before and after every meal, and sometimes during the meal!

It is a bit more dignified, isn't it?

Papal regalia and insignia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Pope hat)

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_hat

Poland Does Not Forget

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish-Russian_War_of_1792

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_Uprising

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish-Bolshevik_War

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Kozakiewicz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Home_Army

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Army_in_the_West

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Legions_in_Italy


These uncivilized people are incapable of accepting defeat like gentlemen. Though their ways are backward and cruel, the natives apparently hold them in very high regard.

Method over Multitude

20 Canadians were executed near Villons-les-Buissons, northeast of Caen in the Ardenne Abbey. The abbey was made up of buildings from the middle-ages and a gothic church. The commander of the 25th German heavy armored regiment of the 12th SS-Panzerdivision, Kurt Meyer, had his headquarters in the area and probably was involved in the execution.

A small chapel at the abbey was set up in memory of the Canadian soldiers. The chapel consists of a wooden cross, over which is a niche with a statue of Mary. On the cross is a Canadian steel helmet. Every year the children of Authie place flowers at the chapel. In 1984 a bronze plaque was erected at the abbey, it reads:

"On the night of June 7/8, 1944, 18 Canadian soldiers were murdered in this garden while being held here as prisoners of war. Two more prisoners died here or nearby on June 17. They are dead but not forgotten."

[...]

On the evening of 7 July 467 [British and American] airplanes flew in clear weather and dropped 2,276 bombs. The bombings did little to harm the German forces, but the northern suburbs were mostly destroyed in the attacks. French civilians also bore the brunt with about 3,000 being killed. Later, when the city was finally taken, it was determined that no German cannons, tanks or soldiers were killed in the targeted areas.

[...]

After the war ended, the West German government had to pay reparations as compensation to any civilians in Caen killed, starved, or left homeless by the war.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Caen

The victor is not asked questions, other than at whom he wants to point his finger. Then again, the schoolyard truth of not starting fights you can't finish holds up well when applied to international diplomacy.

Is it not curious?

SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke (15 March 1911 – 6 August 2001) was one of the original 120 members of the SS-Stabswache "Berlin" formed in March 1933. From those ranks, he was to rise to become one of German dictator Adolf Hitler's last remaining generals.

Mohnke saw action while serving with the infamous Infantry Regiment Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in Poland and the Balkans. After several failed attempts to introduce a Panzer arm to the Leibstandarte, he was transferred to a replacement battalion until he was given command of a regiment in the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. It was with this regiment that he fought in the Battle for Caen. For his superior conduct in battle, he received the Knight's Cross on 11 July 1944. After participating in most of the French campaign, he was given command of his original division the Leibstandarte Operation Wacht Am Rhein, which commenced on 16 December 1944. He served until the very last day of the war in Europe; during the Battle of Berlin, he commanded Kampfgruppe Mohnke and was charged with defending the Berlin government district, including the Reichstag (nicknamed Die Zitadelle (The Citadel)).

Mohnke was captured by the Soviets while leading his group of survivors in the attempt to break out from the Führerbunker. He was imprisoned in solitary confinement until 1949, then transferred to the Generals' Prison in Woikowo. He remained in captivity until 10 October 1955. Following his release, he worked as a dealer in small trucks and trailers, living in Barsbüttel, Germany.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Mohnke

And people think me mad for daring to suggest that human lives are not a continuous narrative. They're clearly not, but does this remove responsibility?

I don't know.

Christian Virtue and So Forth

Following the Christian victory over the Ottoman fleet in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the Knights continued to attack pirates and Muslim shipping, and their base became a centre for slave trading, selling captured Africans and Turks and conversely freeing Christian slaves. Malta remained a slave market until well into the eighteenth century. It required a thousand slaves to equip merely the galleys of the Order.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Malta

A world without pain, degredation, ideas, art, or masturbation.

Dworkin and MacKinnon placed special emphasis on the legal definition of pornography provided in the civil rights ordinance. The civil rights ordinance characterizes pornography as a form of "sex discrimination" and defines "pornography" as "the graphic sexually explicit subordination of women through pictures and/or words," when combined with one of several other conditions. In the "model ordinance" that they drafted, Dworkin and MacKinnon gave the following legal definition:

1. "Pornography" means the graphic sexually explicit subordination of women through pictures and/or words that also includes one or more of the following:

a. women are presented dehumanized as sexual objects, things or commodities; or

b. women are presented as sexual objects who enjoy humiliation or pain; or

c. women are presented as sexual objects experiencing sexual pleasure in rape, incest, or other sexual assault; or

d. women are presented as sexual objects tied up or cut up or mutilated or bruised or physically hurt; or

e. women are presented in postures or positions of sexual submission, servility, or display; or

f. women's body parts-including but not limited to vaginas, breasts, or buttocks-are exhibited such that women are reduced to those parts; or

g. women are presented being penetrated by objects or animals; or

h. women are presented in scenarios of degradation, humiliation, injury, torture, shown as filthy or inferior, bleeding, bruised or hurt in a context that makes these conditions sexual.

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipornography_civil_rights_ordinance

It's so subjective it's obviously going to be used for extreme censorship. But maybe freedom is overrated. As Stalin said: ideas are more dangerous than guns. We don't allow our opponents to have guns, why should we allow them to have ideas?

Sometimes it is not you who put your dreams to sleep, but the other way around.

On the Night of the Long Knives, Adolf Hitler, possibly at the instigation of Göring and Heinrich Himmler, but also possibly at the urging of the army high command, undertook a purge of the SA — an event known to history as the Night of the Long Knives. Ernst's wife and chauffeur were wounded, and he was taken back to Berlin by a detachment of the SS. Some 150 SA leaders, including Ernst, were stood against a wall at the Cadet School at Lichterfelde and shot by Leibstandarte-SS firing squads. Ernst, believing that he faced a putsch from the Conservative, pro-Capitalist, political Right, died shouting Heil Hitler.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Ernst

Listen Little Man....

In many early and post-release interviews, Peter Chung was cautiously optimistic or evasive in his opinion of the film, in the following month he publicly criticized the movie in an interview .^[3] Phil Hay, one of the scriptwriters for the film, gave a response on the same website.^[4] Producer Gale Anne Hurd described a visit from Peter Chung to the set in her DVD commentary (at 1:06:49), "And this is also when Peter Chung visited the set... and it was great to have him there, and have him feel that Charlize was bringing Æon Flux to life the way that he had envisioned an actor would be able to. And that he thought that the world of Bregna that we had created in the film was what he hoped it would be." This seems at odds with Chung's public statement that the film is a "travesty" and seeing it in a theater made him feel "helpless, humiliated and sad."
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86on_Flux_%28film%29

Aussies are even lucky when it comes to ignorance!

"The Lucky Country" is a nickname sometimes used to describe Australia, taken from the 1964 book of the same name by social critic Donald Horne.

The title of Horne's The Lucky Country comes from the opening words of the book's last chapter:

Australia is a lucky country, run by second-rate people who share its luck.

Horne's statement was actually made ironically, as an indictment of 1960s Australia. His intent was to comment that, while other industralised nations created wealth using "clever" means such as technology and other innovations, Australia did not. Rather, Australia's economic prosperity was largely derived from its rich natural resources. Horne observed that Australia "showed less enterprise than almost any other prosperous industrial society." [1]

In the decades following his book's publication, Horne became critical of the "lucky country" phrase being used as a term of endearment for Australia. He commented, "I have had to sit through the most appalling rubbish as successive generations misapplied this phrase."
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Country