Friday, October 29, 2010

Sad Christine O'Donnell

you think she's happy?

So you probably know that yesterday Gawker posted an anonymous story (and paid for it) about some twenty-something's one sad drunk night with O'Donnell three years ago on Halloween. It comes complete with a photoset of pictures of O'Donnell, who was dressed as a ladybug.

Pretty much across the board, commentators are slamming the story as beyond the pale. By doing so, of course, they greatly popularize the story. But they really have no choice but to say something, because they know everyone is going to read it. News sources far and wide have jumped on and reveled in the ridiculous revelations about O'Donnell in the past two months: that she campaigned against masturbation in the 90s (despite having a slutty period in college), that she "dabbled" in witchcraft, that she lied about her education on her resume, etc. (Her wikipedia entry, with over 120 sources cited for all these revelations, is proof of this feeding frenzy.)

So why is this Gawker story suddenly going too far? Perhaps because it reveals that while everyone is amused by O'Donnell, and everyone has tacitly agreed up to now that its ok to make fun of her without limit, the story shows she is really just another lonely fucked up person on this planet (Is she any of you in that way?). The story reveals her as someone lonely for companionship, so much so that she has to go show up announced at the apartment of someone she barely knows, and convince them to come to a halloween party with her. Then she drinks heavily to lower her inhibitions. Then she gets into bed with him at the end of the night, and clearly makes herself more vulnerable by seeking sexual companionship. Yeah, without fucking, but she didn't take off her underwear for no reason. Apparently Mr. Loose Lips' tongue wasn't working that well that night. You can tell the guy is a total douchebag -- which makes the fact that Christine sought him out for affection even more sad.

When we made fun of her for everything else, she was still a person. The fact that this story starkly reveals her humanity makes the until-now mirthmakers in the media uncomfortable.

O'Donnell has no chance of being elected to the Senate; she was never qualified in the first place--that's why Karl Rove slammed her. The fact that some Tucker Max-clone (real name here--the guy was pretty easily identified with tried and true internet sleuthing/stalking techniques) decided to make a few bucks off her, when journalists everywhere are already earning money at her expense is hardly shocking.

O'Donnell has apparently responded to the Gawker piece as a "misogynist" attack. But the truth is that candidates should leave what people do in their bedrooms alone, and so should everyone else. When you open that door, it never closes. Don't blame Gawker for that. They say everything is fair in politics, but Christine O'Donnell is not a politician. That's why people are uncomfortable.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Smurf Communism - wikipedia article

This is the Wikpedia article on Smurf Communism as it appeared on December 15, 2005. A discussion of its deletion from Wikipedia follows after.

Smurf Communism refers to a set of theories about the economic and political system in The Smurfs, a popular comic book and animated series originally created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo. According to various observers, many of whom have written essays published on the Internet, there are many parallels between communist ideology and practices and the way of life depicted in The Smurfs, particularly within the American animated television series.

Appearance

Papa and Brainy [image]
Karl Marx [image]
Papa Smurf [image - hint: papa and karl have similarities...the image below is not from the original article, but one I dug up:]
MARXISTS!!

The theories usually begin by citing what seem to be uncanny aspects of Smurf characters' appearances. Papa Smurf has a wide beard, which some feel looks like Karl Marx's. He also wears red slacks and a red cap, displaying the color of International Communism. Despite the society's communal nature, Papa Smurf does have the ultimate authority, often overruling Brainy Smurf when he oversteps his boundaries. In several episodes when Papa Smurf is not present, the Smurf Village's utopian system destabilizes entirely.

Brainy Smurf, like Leon Trotsky, has round spectacles. There the similarities more or less end, although some see parallels in their position in society. Like Trotsky who felt his intellectual theories of Communist society were superior, he seizes power in several episodes when Papa Smurf is away. Some argue that Brainy was alone in his willingness to question the ideals of 'Smurfism'. This is not supported by the comics, where he definitely does not question the ideals of Smurfism, as he considers himself the strongest supporter or even the disciple of Papa. The rebellion as seen in the King Smurf story is not initiated by Brainy but by an unnamed Smurf.

Nonetheless, Brainy's ideas and remarks at times get him into trouble from Papa Smurf and his peers. He is often isolated, ridiculed or even physically ejected from the village for his never ending rants and condescencion.

Clothing

Leon Trotsky [image]

Brainy Smurf [image]

The Smurfs wear standard clothing (with the notable exception of Papa Smurf): a simple white Phrygian cap and white slacks. Each smurf has minor accessories that differentiate them from each other. This systematic uniform is argued by some as a representation of the largely uniform style of attire dominant in several early periods of the Soviet Union and The People's Republic of China, including the "Mao suit". On the other hand, standard clothing is common in many isolated communities, and is also common in representation of other mystical creatures like dwarfs and gnomes..

Analogy of capitalist forces

Even though the evil wizard Gargamel and his loyal feline worker, Azrael, are argued to represent an analogy of the forces of capitalism, it would be more correct to say that they represent the forces of reaction. In fact Gargamel desires to capture the Smurfs in order to turn them into gold through a magical process of boiling. His greed drives him to great lengths in what is said to be a parallel of the Cold War and its extreme stuggle. The capitalistic forces want to devour socialism, as the West wanted to do to the USSR and its allies according to Cold War propaganda. Gargamel can be seen as a pure capitalist; he wishes to turn everything into a commodity -- including the individuals of a living society.

Gargamel forces Azrael, his ginger cat, to do almost all of the laborious and dangerous activities in his various plots to catch the Smurfs. Azrael can be seen as the lumpen-proletariat, being exploited by Gargamel, the reaction. Azrael is uncomplaining, or, since he has no voice (i.e. class-consciousness), is metaphorically unable to complain. He cannot negotiate his wage--he eats whatever he is given by his master.

Gargamel could be seen as the physical stereotype for capitalism: a man, totally consumed by greed. Some have noted classic Anti-Semitic stereotypes in Gargamel's appearance: a large hook nose and a bald pate, except for the dark bushy hair sprouting over his ears. The name Azrael also has clear Semitic origins. This could allude to Communism's demonization of rich Jewish antagonists in Russia and the Soviet Union (an ironic practice considering that Marx was Jewish). A particularly strong message on this analogy is conveyed in the story of the creation of Smurfette. Intitially, it is Gargamel who creates Smurfette - a duplicitous creature with short, black hair and a larger nose - as a ploy to capture the Smurfs. When Smurfette is later transformed into a "good" Smurf, this transformation is highlighted by Smurfette becoming a blonde with long hair and a much smaller nose which could be considered Aryan traits.

Economics

The Smurfs live in an egalitarian utopia. Each smurf has a particular skill and each performs tasks for the benefit of the community. There is no system of monetary exchange or even barter in the Smurf village. The village is under a planned economy, under the leadership of Papa Smurf, and to some extent, Brainy Smurf.

The food in the Smurf Village was stored away in mushrooms the minute it was harvested and then equally distributed to all the Smurfs throughout the year. No one "farmer smurf" sold his crop to one smurf or another. It was understood that the crop was for the entire Smurf population, not for the sale or profit of one Smurf alone - an example of collective farming.

In the Smurf Comics, Finance Smurf introduced a short-lived system of monetary exchange, based upon the gold standard. He introduces the system after he is exposed to capitalism by trekking to a town in order to retrieve some medicine. He is portrayed as being logically short sighted; the system he introduces leads to corruption, poverty, malnutrition, and general discontent. In addition, the monetary system increased the danger to the village, as Gargamel wished and tried to seize the Smurfs' stockpile of coinage.

Culture

Each member of the community is a Smurf, and each has Smurf as a suffix to their own name; this can be seen as analagous to the use of "comrade." The Smurfs have a tendency to use the word 'smurf' as a prefix or suffix to many sentences. This could be seen as an identity to create a strong group identity or a way to eliminate influences from other cultures. This is similar to what was practiced under Soviet Russia.

With the exception of Smurfette, the Smurfs are completely male. Smurfette herself was created by Gargamel using magic in one episode - she was sent in as an evil force to corrupt and infiltrate the other Smurfs. Upon reaching the village, Smurfette had stiff black hair. Using a spell, Papa Smurf broke Gargamel's hold on Smurfette and she became one with the Smurfs--only now she had blond hair. The Smurfs sometimes do treat Smurfette as an object of attraction, but the majority of the time they grant her respect and place her at an equal level. The society must struggle to prevent the potential decadence created by the female allure. Soviet communism also battled the conflicts between the ideological proclamation of women's rights and the potential downsides to a Western-style sexual liberation. On the other hand, feminist commentators has sometimes decried Smurfette's peculiarly idle and image-obsessed presentation on the show.

Smurf society was almost completely male and there was almost no population growth. Like most children's shows of the time, sex and reproduction was something that was simply not discussed. Some views of history claim records show the most sucessful communes are ones that stay small in population. This is aimed to conserve resources, reduce social conflict, and maintain a high standard of life on an egalitarian scale. Smurfs only found problems with each other due to individual character faults: Brainy's aloofness and condescending attitude, Vanity's obssession with his own apperance, etc.

Smurfs are very open to each other's differences. Yet with these differences, there are few cases of taunting at others' expense due to difference in lifestyle. This reinforces the ideals of acceptance in some visions of communistic and utopian socities.

A true Marxist is an atheist. There is no mention of God in Smurf comics, and there is no Priest Smurf. There are only forces of nature and physics, and these are represented metaphorically by the characters of Mother Nature, Father Time, and through man-made creations such as Clockwork Smurf. Of course, there is also magic, as practised by Papa, Gargamel, Balthazar and others, but it is simply another tool that occurs in nature and has physical properties that can be tapped into with the right know-how.

Criticism and difficulties

Marxism is traditionally based on class struggle. It also involves a dialectic of previous systems ending through their own internal contradictions. There is no evidence the Smurfs had a previous system or that it ever had classes. Hence, unlike historical Communist states like the USSR, there is no evidence that the Smurfs formed out of a revolution or an evolution from a previous system.

The Smurf Village could also be argued to be actively anti-revolutionary or static in nature. Unlike Stalinism or Maoism, large scale societal change is usually discouraged. Handy occasionally tried to introduce elements of industrialization, but these were usually rejected. Most Communist regimes strongly encouraged industrialization as in China's attempted Great Leap Forward or Stalin's Electrification.

Papa Smurf could also lack the authority or punitive capability of most historical Communist leaders. There are no real police or prisons in Smurf village. Judging by the reaction to King Smurf the Smurfs could be argued to reject any authoritarian or totalitarian systems. In the cartoon series Brainy declares himself King Smurf.[1] On the other hand, his disapproval of authoritarian rule does not argue against some form of libertarian socialism or Smurf society representing Communist evolution in its final ideal form.

While the Smurfs' rituals and holidays may not fit Western notions of theology, they do have similarities with animistic religion. As in animism there are spirits of nature and forces that must be placated or reverenced. For example, we see the "dance of a 100 Smurfs" which must be done to avoid potential misfortune. Of course, the Smurf universe is one in which magical forces are known to exist, and in this context it is possible that rituals such as the dance do, in fact, ward off bad luck.

A final difficulty is that the Smurfs seem uninterested in exporting their ideals to other peoples. Despite disdain for living under a monarchy, the Smurfs, in fact, have cordial relations with several feudalistic nobles. In fact the Smurfs were introduced in a Medieval series as helpers for a knight named Johan and his squire. These feudalistic characters are not judged as reactionaries as would be consistent with most Communist theories. Instead the Smurfs are generally friendly to them and are uninterested in fomenting any revolt of the peasant or working classes.

Other circumstantial (or coincidental) points
  • Communism fell in Russia around the time that The Smurfs were lost from tv syndication and comic publication.
  • Some websites have argued that "Smurf" is an acronym for "Socialist Men Under Red Father" or "Soviet Men Under Red Father" as a further argument to strengthen Smurf Communistic theory. This theory is apocryphal, as the word Smurf originally came from "Schtroumpf", an invented French word comparable to the English "watchmacallit."
  • It is not uncommon for animators and writers to introduce subtle adult themes in children's shows, like with Disney's frequent use of sexual symbolism.
See also
Karl Marx
Communism
Capitalism
Utopia
Smurfs
Characters in the Smurfs

References
Communist Smurfs
Socio-Political Smurfs [now dead link, but archived here]
Better Dead than Blue [now dead link, available on internet archive here]
The Smurfs were Communists!
Socialist Smurfs [now dead link, available on internet archive here]
The Theory of Smurfian Communism
Smurfs: Aryan Puppets or Harmless Cartoon Toys?
"Sister" on the Sidelines: "The Smurfs" and the Antifeminist Backlash on Saturday Morning (primarily discussing the anti-feminist depiction of Smurfette, but also making some novel observations about the "socialist utopia" of the Smurfs)

Analysis of deletion, for wikigeeks only

The article was created on September 19, 2005 by editor Larsinio, and was only a few weeks old when first nominated for deletion. In that October 2005 deletion discussion, which approximately 70 editors participated in, the article was kept in a landslide. (See deletion discussion.) The discussion allows a fascinating comparison to be made between the average views of wikipedia editors five years ago as compared to today. The editors overwhelmingly voted to keep the article, and many just because they thought it was an amazing piece of work. Only a very few editors raised the issues that would immediately nuke such as article today, e.g., "C'mon guys, this is transparently a personal essay. Sure, it is amusing as hell but is it enyclopedic? No. --Maru"

After that resounding victory for both Ayn Rand style individual accomplishment and the little blue marxists, however, the article remained in danger. The article was moved from "Smurf Communism" to "The Smurfs and communism", surely for some ridiculous but earnest reasons, and was re-nominated for deletion in February 2006. (See Deletion discussion). Again, it was overwhelmingly kept, though fewer editors participated (about 40).

Fast forward one year and eight months to October 2007.

Up for a deletion a third time, this time the Smurfs could not escape the deletionist Gargamels. (See deletion discussion). Only about 14 editors participated in the discussion, and there was not a single keep vote--the best the article could garner was a few suggestions to merge the article elsewhere. It appears that the type of editor who fancied or at least tolerated articles like this in the past had mostly departed the project by this point. In addition, the enactment and enforcement of Wikipedia policies and guidelines such as the policy against original research and the notability guideline clearly had become much more effective at this point.

During its heyday, however, the Smurf Communism article was widely enjoyed and cited on the internet. E.g, noted wikipedian and inclusionist Andrew Lih (May 25, 2006)

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

WTF is the "Faith and Flag Alliance"?

hoax group

Amongst all the craziness that has come out about Christine O'Donnell this month, I've noticed that in a number of her past TV appearances (2007-08 at least) she was reported to be part of, or President of, the "Faith and Flag Alliance." The title is used on Fox News clips, for example, to apparently give her some reason to be on TV as a commentator. But I can find no evidence of this group having any existence beyond Ms. O'Donnell. (Of course, prior to that, O'Donnell was the president and founder of S.A.L.T., her anti-masturbation group. It is also unclear how many members SALT ever had, there is some evidence it had a few members.)

The very name "Faith and Flag Alliance" screams out like some kind of demand to repeal the First Amendment.

* Google news archives hits for "faith and flag alliance" currently yield one result, to a transcript of a March 2008 appearance on Fox News.

Just more ridiculous stuff.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Song of the Day - Into It. Over It. - Summerville, SC (2010)


Holy smokes, this guy is intense. The "band" is actually one guy (the mid-20s Evan Weiss), who runs with a sub-culture of young punk pop bands that I know little of (he was previously with the little-known and most-ridiculously-named-band-ever "Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start"). But this tune crosses over into a modern day version of melodic Husker Du mayhem (screaming "standing on a soapbox, but no one wants to listen, come on man its 3 a.m.") It deserves to be more than a niche gem.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Nettleton Middle School Declares President Obama Is White

I ran across this story on Gawker last night, reporting that at Nettleton Middle School in northeast Missisippi, class officer elections are segregated by race! (The story was first broken by mixedandhappy.com on August 25, see here, then picked up yesterday by Gawker and The Smoking Gun. For a local report radio report by wbci.com by wcbi.com also dated Aug 26, see here.)

UPDATED 12:44pm PDT: School district has reversed the student election policy, scroll down to bottom for updated info.

Here's the real flyer they distributed to students:

Photobucket
W.T.F.!?!?!?!

Brandy and Dondi Springer, who recently moved to the area, found out about the policy when their daughter got excited about running for class "reporter" but found out that that position was set aside for black students. The daughter was encouraged to run for president, however, since that is a whites-only job. In fact, all the president positions are set-asides for whites. (Ya see -- we already have a black president, Obama! Get it? Har har har. You know someone had to have been making that joke down there in Nettleton.)

Brandy couldn't believe what her daughter was told was true, but she found out it was, as the flyer proves.

Brandy is Italian and Dondi is African-American. Her oldest daughter is white, and her youngest two kids are biracial. When she asked what category they would fall in, she was told, to "go by the mother’s race b/c with minorities the father isn’t generally in the home.”

W.T.F.1!?!?!!?!!?!?!!? (However, this helpful rule proves that President Obama is not the first black president. But now he's eligible to run for 6th grade president again!! YAAY!!!)

Apparently, Brandy was also told that "a city court order is the reason why it is this way." This surprises me because the US Departments of Justice and Education have made clear that segregating class positions like this is illegal. As stated in 2004:
As a new school year begins, we write to advise you of a recurrent issue that we have encountered involving extra-curricular activities: the allocating of awards or honors on the basis of race. We have found, for example, that some school districts have racially separate Homecoming Queens and Kings, Most Popular Student, Most Friendly, as well as other superlatives. We have also found that school districts have assisted in facilitating racially-separate proms. Indeed, our attorneys have been made aware of several examples of these types of activities as recently as last year.

These practices are inconsistent with federal law. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and the Department of Education will act promptly to remedy such violations where they occur, through litigation if necessary.
So, the school district has put out a release saying they are examining their policies, which is a very good sign, under the hastily added link for "media satements" (sic), see here:
"Student elections have not yet been held at Nettleton Middle School for the 2010-2011 school term. The processes and procedures for student elections are under review. We are reviewing the origin of these processes, historical applications, compliance issues, as well as current implications and ramifications. A statement will be released when review of these processes is complete."
So its a good thing that the school district is "examining" policies that violate U.S. law, I suppose. I really wonder how long this has been going on. (Nettleton, by the way, is not too far south of Fulton, home of Itawamba Agricultural High School, which just this year barred lesbian student Constance McMillen from attending its prom with a same-sex date, and then created a fake prom to shuttle her off to, resulting in major legal problems for the district.)

The school district's handbook has come off their website. But here is page 52, however, which provides for separate black and white homecoming queens!

RACIAL PURITY!!!wheeee11!!

W.T.F.!!@#?!??!?!??!??! Its always intriguing to find blatant violations of law in your kid's student handbook. Makes you wonder what else is being taught.

Sigh.

Other commentary on this controversy:
  • Blacks Clearly Unfit to Be President, TheSoftCheese.com (Aug. 26, 2010), "It’s interesting that school principal Van Ross (pictured) is African-American."
  • nettleton 0, facebook 1, liturgyoutside.net (Aug. 27), "there were several jarring aspects to the paper not the least of which is the erroneous expectation that a child is either black or white."


ETA 10:33 am PDT: MSNBC has the story with an interview of Mrs. Springer, also posting the homecoming policy!

ETA 10:38am PDT. Brandi Springer reports on facebook: "Brandy Springer MSNBC just sent me an email the school board is having an emergency board meeting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RIGHT NOW about a minute ago"

ETA 12:44 pm PDT: The school district has eliminated the policy, which reportedly stood for at least 30 years, see here.

Here is the press release:

Media Statement
After being notified of a grievance regarding upcoming student elections at Nettleton Middle School, research was conducted that evidenced that the current practices and procedures for student elections have existed for over 30 years. It is the belief of the current administration that these procedures were implemented to help ensure minority representation and involvement in the student body. It is felt the intent of these election procedures was to ensure African-American representation in each student office category through an annual rotation basis.

It is our hope and desire that these practices and procedures are no longer needed to help ensure minority representation and involvement. Furthermore, the Nettleton School District acknowledges and embraces the fact that we are growing in ethnic diversity and that the classifications of Caucasian and African-American no longer reflect our entire student body.

Therefore, beginning immediately, student elections at Nettleton School District will no longer have a classification of ethnicity. It is our intent that each student has equal opportunity to seek election for any student office. Future student elections will be monitored to help ensure that this change in process and procedure does not adversely affect minority representation in student elections.

Thank you

Superintendent

Russell Taylor

I could have bet they would have said this. What about the homecoming court, though?

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Michael Enright (filmmaker) - Wikipedia article

This is the text of the wikipedia article for Michael Enright as it appeared maybe an hour ago. Various iterations of the same article have been serially deleted from Wikipedia today, even a deletion discussion was rapidly aborted.

Michael Enright (filmmaker) is an American film student.

==Childhood and education==

Enright grew up in [[Brewster, New York]]1 and is 2007 graduate of Brewster High School. Enright studies film at the [[School of Visual Arts]] in Manhattan.1 As a film student, he arranged to be embedded with the First Battalion, Third Marine Regiment in Afghanistan by working as an upaid intern with the online video company, Worldwide TV. He joined the marine unit on April 5, 2010, in Helmand Province. He departed on May 10. Although there were no casualties while Enright was with the unit, there had been 5 men killed shortly before he arrived.1

==Embedded with troops in Afghanistan==

==Taxi incident==

Enright was arrested on August 25, 2010 and charged with a hate crime after attacking a New York City taxi driver.1 According to the taxi driver, Ahmed Sharif, Enright inquired whether he was Muslim and offered him the traditional Arabic greeting, “salaam aleikum,” ( “peace be upon you.”)1 He enquired whether Mr. Sharif was observing Ramadan, then began ro curse and slashed Sharif's face with a knife, saying the he, Enright, had to stop the King of Saudi Arabia at a checkpoint.1

Arresting officers believed that Enright was inebriated.2 Enright told the police that he had begun drinking at 2pm, 4 hours before the attack.1 According to the New York Times, Enright has been in counseling for alcohol problems.1

==Public response==

The attack drew wide public attention because it occurred in the midst of a national controversy over the construction of the Cordoba House mosque.1

==References==
1. "Man in Cab Stabbing Showed Zeal for Veterans,", Ray Rivera, Aug. 26, 2010, New York Times.
2. "Rider Asks if Cabby Is Muslim, Then Stabs Him,", N. R. Kleinfeld, Aug. 25, 2010, New York Times,

Analysis of deletion (for wikigeeks only):


At least four versions of a Michael Enright article were created in the last 24 hours. Each were rapidly deleted. A deletion discussion aimed to have a discussion on the subject was also rapidly closed. The theory behind the deletions it that Michael Enright is only famous for something bad, and only one event, and that these kinds of articles "disparage" the subject. I disagree in this case because I have found that in cases like this, the subject's wikipedia article is usually the least biased source of information out there, because it is so highly watched, etc., by wiki editors while its a big news event. Without a wiki article, googlers will be directed to any number of wacko blogposts that are much more biased, less comprehensive, and likely inaccurate.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

The Truth About The Burlington Coat Factory Mosque

The shrill prejudice and idiocy regarding the "Ground Zero Mosque" (Park51) and calls to destroy our Constitutional guarantee to freedom of religion by banning all mosque building in the United States, because all mosques are alleged terrorist training centers, is driving me crazy. (Of course, a recent two-year scientific study showed that mosques actually deter the creation of militants. But we can't let scientific inquiry, a foundation of America's preeminence in the world, get in the way of ignorant prejudice anymore, can we?)

To clear up the most popular misconceptions, assuming facts matter to you:

1. Its NOT at Ground Zero. Many people are totally misinformed on this. Its actually a few blocks (2.5 blocks) away from the Twin Towers site. In Manhattan, every block is like its own city. The site, at 51 Park Place, used to be a Burlington Coat Factory. In the below map, using a 1997 photo of lower manhattan from Google Earth, you can see marked the former locations of where WTC1 and WTC2 stood, and the planned location of "the mosque" on Park Place (marked "Burlington Coat Factory"). You can't even see 51 Park Place from Ground Zero, nor vice-versa. Also on the map is the location of Masjid Manhattan, which is just to the north. This is an existing mosque which has been open since 1970 (should it also be stopped??). And, lastly, also marked is the location of New York Dolls, a strip club. As far as I'm aware it has not been redubbed the "Ground Zero Stripclub."

The Burlington Coat Factory Mosque

Current view of planned site for Park51:
street view

2. Its not a mosque. "The Ground Zero Mosque" (actually called the Cordoba House, but later renamed Park51 after the crazies started coming out) is not really a "mosque" at all. It is meant to be a 13-story community center, like the YMCA (modeled after the 92nd St Y in Manhattan in fact), though it certainly will contain a decent sized worship/prayer space. But it will also have a restaurant, a pool, a basketball court, child-care center, and a 500-seat performing arts center.

3. Manhattan's local government has approved the construction of this muslim community center. You know, local government? The concept of self-governance? Democracy? You heard of that? E.g., on August 3, the City's Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 9-zip to deny an effort to declare the Burlington Coat Factory a historic landmark. Prior to that, the project was approved by Community Board 1 , which is a 50 member body of local citizens who make recommendations for the neighborhood where Park51 will be built. The 12-member Financial District committee of the Board (the World Trade Center was the heart of the financial district) unanimously approved it. The Community Board also subsquently approved it, 29-1 on May 25, 2010 (with 9 abstentions).

In attendance at the vote approving the center was the mother of Mohammed Salman "Sal" Hamdani, a police cadet and EMT who died at the World Trade Center on 9/11, medical bag by his side. Yeah, Sal was a devout Muslim.

Much of the controversy over the "Ground Zero Mosque" comes from people who do not reside in Manhattan and do not pay a penny in NYC taxes. They get stirred up by folks who want to spread hatred, like Mark Williams, the recently-fired racist Tea Party leader who said Park51 will honor "the terrorists' monkey god." Meanwhile, the people who want to build Park51 actually bought the property, which was always private property. It is not "sacred ground," it is not subject to eminent domain. (Note, conservatives and liberals rightfully went crazy when the US Supreme Court upheld a taking of private property in Kelo in 2005, so its crazy to argue that it would be proper here to try to stop the project.)

Total nutjobs destroyed the Twin Towers on 9/11, and other nutjobs abused Islam to convince them to do it. Ignorance and intolerance is the source of terrorism. Sadly, many of those opposing Park51 are unwittingly being swayed by the same ignorance and intolerance. I think Sal deserves better.

Monday, August 09, 2010

Fake Conservative Chicks on Twitter, Example #1

OK, I know there are fake twitter accounts out there all over the place, but this one was so absurd it I just had to call it out.

I recently have added a number of twitter followers, courtesy of my current top-rated tweet for the #tcot hashtag right now, "top conservatives on twitter" - for a tweet noting, quote, "prop 8 calif. federal judge was appointed by that crazy liberal Pres. George HW Bush!!! #tcot #prop8." I know, I'm a master of English prose, right?

Anyway, one of these new followers is an alleged conservative chick, LaurieT333. With a suitable avatar photo of a fairly attractive young female, "Laurie" describes herself as "Raised in horseback country. I'm a conservative girl who can shoot, vote, and think for myself - which pisses off liberals."




The most intriguing thing about LaurieT333 is that she never sleeps. Just scrolling back through her posts in the last few days, she just keeps posting and posting with never a break of more than 2 or 3 hours. She never posts a personal opinion about anything, just a conservative talking point with a link to some crazy article.

Below is a sample of her tweet posting times for Fri-Sat August 6-7, 2010 (all times are Central Standard Time, or Eastern Daylight Time). She often posts a number of tweets at a time, but this clearly shows that LaurieT333 has no time to sleep, eat, shit, or do any of the fun things most attractive young American females are doing when the rest of us ugly geeks are arguing politics on the internet. And even so, the rest of cannot tweet nonstop.

Its so pathetic that some conservative operative groups have to resort to such blatant hoaxing. No doubt LaurieT333 gets a good smattering of conservative dudes to follow her (she has 280 followers so far, and its a relatively new account it appears). It's like Twitter blow up dolls, go figure.

I would love it if someone could track down the source of the avatar photo, like Media Matters did in the bizarre Kevin Pezzi episode last week (scroll down to the "astroturfing" section of that link to see what I am referring to).

How many of these fake conservative twitter accounts are there? If the expose of the right-wing scheme to corner Reddit that came out last week is true, I bet there are tons.

Sat Aug 6
23:59
22:14
21:24
21:17
20:44
20:18
19:21
19:18
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9:57
9:14
8:14
7:46
7:24
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4:55
2:28
1:48
1:27
0:52
0:27

Fri Aug 6
22:45
22:15
21:46
21:21
18:59
18:47
18:16
17:48
17:16
16:58
16:45
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8:57
8:18
7:56
6:19
4:30
4:15
1:47

Thurs Aug 5
23:57

Monday, June 21, 2010

Crissy Moran - wikipedia article

This is the wikipedia article on Crissy Moran as it appeared prior to its deletion on June 20, 2010.
crissy moran - deleted from wikipedia
Crissy Moran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Crissy Moran
  • Born December 22, 1975 (1975-12-22) (age 34)[1]
  • Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.[1]
  • Other name(s) Chrissy Morgan, Chrissy M., Chrissy Moran, Crissy M[1]
  • Occupation Film actress, Former porn actress
  • Years active 1999-present
  • Official website
Crissy Moran (born December 22, 1975)[2] is an American former pornographic actress. She began working in adult entertainment in 1999, and since 2001 had performed in over 40 adult films.[1][3][4] In 2006, she became a Christian and quit working in the sex industry. After retirement, she began speaking out and appearing in national media projects addressing the harms of pornography, human sex trafficking, and the exploitation of women and children.[5]

Contents
* 1 Adult film career
* 2 Mainstream film career
* 3 Anti-pornography advocacy
* 4 References
* 5 External links

Adult film career
Moran's career in the sex industry began in the fall of 1999 with her first pornographic photo shoot.[2][3][6][7] At the time, she was working at a local Hooters restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida. However, she felt that the environment became degrading and she began seeking employment elsewhere. She left Hooters and began working in a variety of other jobs which included a local retail store, the County Clerk of Courts, and the Supervisor of Elections office.[3]

One day, after posting bikini photos of herself on the Internet,[2][6][7] she received email responses that led to her modeling in Miami and Los Angeles for Playboy and Hustler,[8] She found greater financial success through establishing her own online pornography site.[3][4] After moving to California, she eventually performed in over 40 mainstream porn films.[3][4] In late 2005, Crissy received new breast implants.[9]

It was reported that Moran was making nearly $15,000[5] each month through her work in the porn business, along with receipts from her successful Web site. However, in October 2006, she became a Christian and announced that she was leaving the sex industry.[3][4][6][10]

Mainstream film career
Prior to her retirement from the porn industry, Moran had a role in Nick Palumbo's theatrically released NC-17 horror film Murder-Set-Pieces (2004).[11]

In 2008, Moran appeared in the short dramatic film Oversold, which was a modern adaptation based on the Biblical story of Hosea and Gomer, in which she plays the leading role.[6][12] Director Paul Morrell had approached Moran, originally wishing her to be a consultant for the adult business side of the story. But after discussing the project with her, he realized she would be perfect in the lead role.[13]

In 2009, Moran had a role in another Paul Morell project, the indie horror film Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust,[14][15] which took the best elements of 70s and 80s slasher films and gave it a modern twist.

In 2010, Moran appeared in the documentary, Exxxit: Life After Porn,[16][17] which is an exploration into the personal side of the six billion dollar a year pornography industry. Other participants included Asia Carrera, Nina Hartley, Mary Carey, Houston, Randy West, Richard Pacheco, John Leslie, Amber Lynn, Seka, Raylene, Luke Ford, Bill Margold, Shelley Lubben, and Sunset Thomas. In their own words, over a dozen men and women who have retired from the porn industry, recounted their life and times in the business, and how it's led to where they ended up afterwards.
[edit] Anti-pornography advocacy

Moran currently lives in the Los Angeles area. While she left the sex industry in 2006, pornographic photos and videos taken during her time working in the adult entertainment industry continue to remain online. Although efforts to date have been unsuccessful, Moran continues to attempt to have her photos legally removed from these Web sites established by past boyfriends and business partners.[5][10]

In April 2010, Moran began working with Shelley Lubben and the Pink Cross Foundation as they set up a booth and distributed materials during the Adultcon Adult Entertainment Show in Los Angeles. Materials distributed included educational materials for individuals working in the porn industry that addressed various topics such as STDs, Cal OSHA laws, and contractor vs employee law. Religious materials distributed included Bibles, books, and various Christian literature.[18]

In addition to working with the Pink Cross Foundation, Moran has also serves on the Advisory board of Beauty from Ashes Ministries[19] and assists with local outreaches organized by Harmony Dust and Treasures Out of Darkness.[20]

References
1. ^ a b c d "Crissy Moran". Internet Adult Film Database. . Retrieved 14 June 2010.
2. ^ a b c Daniels, Tripp (June 1, 2003). "Crissy Moran - Full Metal Beauty". Adult Video News (avn.com). Retrieved 14 June 2010.
3. ^ a b c d e f "She quit porn industry and turned to Christ". The Florida Times-Union (Morris Communications). December 3, 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
4. ^ a b c d Cosmopolis (December 27, 2007). "Crissy Moran – Patrónka porna?" (in Slovak). Magazin (magazin.atlas.sk). Retrieved 14 June 2010.
5. ^ a b c ABC News Nightline: "Is There Life After Porn for the Stars?"
6. ^ a b c d Frisbie, Annie Young (February 11, 2009). "Porn Star No More". Christianity Today (christianitytoday.com). Retrieved 14 June 2010.
7. ^ a b "Crissy Moran, una mala que vio la luz" (in Spanish). El Argentino. elargentino.com. January 29, 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
8. ^ Rimet, Martin (November 28, 2006). "Crissy Moran quitte le porno pour...la religion" (in French). MAXIvip. maxivip.fr. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
9. ^ Moran, Crissy (October 30, 2005). "Boobs healing nicely and new puppy". Crissy Moran 2005 official blog. Crissy Moran. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
10. ^ a b "Crissy Moran". The Insider (CBS Entertainment). Retrieved 14 June 2010.
11. ^ John Willis, Barry Monush, ed (2006). SCREEN WORLD. 57 (illustrated ed.). Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 186. ISBN 1557837066. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
12. ^ Luke Price. "Former Porn Star Sees Film As Vehicle For Telling Story". OversoldTheMovie.com. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
13. ^ "Interview With Paul Morrell on Oversold, Starring Crissy Moran". Christian Movie. christian-movie.com. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
14. ^ "Trailer Debut: Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust". Dread Central. Dread Central Media, LLC. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
15. ^ "Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust Unveils Serial Killer Purge in this Clip". 28 Days Later Analysis. 28DLA.com. May 13, 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
16. ^ Goldberg, Matt (June 9, 2010). "Exxxit: Life After Porn". Collider. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
17. ^ "Exxxit: Lust, Labia Trimmings, And The Lasting Stigma Of Porn". Jezebel. Gawker Media. June 11, 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
18. ^ Moran, Crissy (April 7, 2010). "Adultcon This Weekend - Please Read :-)". Chrissy Moran Myspace. Chrissy Moran. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
19. ^ Beauty from Ashes Ministries
20. ^ Guardian Angel Article

External links
* Crissy Moran at the Internet Movie Database
* Crissy Moran at the Internet Adult Film Database
* Beauty from Ashes
* Pink Cross Foundation
* Treasures Out of Darkness

Analysis of deletion - for wikigeeks only
This article was nominated for deletion on June 12, 2010, and deleted on June 20. The editors participating in the discussion voted 10-6 to keep the article, but the closing administrator essentially disregarded whether there was consensus to delete the article or not (which is the governing criterion) and decided it should be deleted. This happens among wikipedia admins squeamish about sex-related articles. The amount of news coverage of this woman is far beyond what many folks on wikipedia need to pass muster. E.g., if Crissy Moran was, say, a chef instead of a former-porn-star-turned Christian, this article would never be deleted.

In fact, this is the 3rd time this article was nominated for deletion. The first nomination, back in June 2006, resulted in a strong keep, with most editors voicing an opinion that the article be retained. A second nomination, in January 2007, failed to garner a single editor in favor of deletion. This time, however, despite numerous additional sources being added to the article, and a majority of those participating voicing that it should be kept (with valid rationales), someone who wanted to delete it, deleted it.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

50 Cutest Child Stars: All Grown Up - wikipedia article

This is the text of the wikipedia article for "50 Cutest Child Stars: All Grown Up", as it appeared on June 4, 2010, prior to its deletion on June 11, 2010.

50 Cutest Child Stars: All Grown Up
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  • 50 Cutest Child Stars: All Grown Up
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Written by Ethan T. Berlin, Bob Stone
  • Directed by Dan Riley
  • Presented by Candace Cameron Bure, Keshia Knight Pulliam
  • Narrated by Candace Cameron Bure, Keisha Knight-Pulliam
  • Country of origin United States
  • Language(s) English
  • Production
  • Executive producer(s) Gary Socol
  • Producer(s) Sherri Hoke, Andrea Rothstein
  • Editor(s) Noah Harald, Matt Kimball
  • Running time 120 min
  • Production company(s) E! Entertainment Television
  • Broadcast
  • Original channel E!
  • First shown in November 12, 2005

50 Cutest Child Stars: All Grown Up is an American television special that first aired on E! in 2005.[1][2]

Contents

* 1 Background
* 2 Response
* 3 Countdown
* 4 References
* 5 External links

Background

The special was hosted by Candace Cameron Bure[3] and Keshia Knight Pulliam,[4] both of whom appear on the countdown. It has been rebroadcast periodically,[5][6][7][8] including by Star! in Canada.[4]

Response

In 2006, the Toronto Star published their own list in response to the special, referring to it as "Seven Cutest Child Stars: Not Grown Up Yet, But When They are This is What Will Happen".[4] Dakota Fanning is named on both the E! special and the response article.[4] Sloan Freer wrote in The Observer that the list was "veg-out, no-brainer viewing" which contained "plenty of debatable selections to shout at the TV about - especially when you get to the top spot, which frankly I think is a cheat."[9] The Sunday Mail criticized the list for including "American stars only".[10]

Countdown
  • Number Star(s)
  • 50 Cast of The Facts of Life
  • 49 Erin Murphy
  • 48 Chad Allen
  • 47 Natalie Portman
  • 46 Neil Patrick Harris
  • 45 Sean Astin
  • 44 Sara Gilbert
  • 43 Nicole Eggert
  • 42 Tina Majorino
  • 41 Cast of Saved by the Bell
  • 40 Fred and Ben Savage
  • 39 Jaleel White[4]
  • 38 Tia and Tamera Mowry
  • 37 Danny Bonaduce
  • 36 Jason Bateman
  • 35 Jonathan Taylor Thomas
  • 34 Lacey Chabert
  • 33 Amanda Bynes
  • 32 Thora Birch
  • 31 Rick Schroder
  • 30 Michael Fishman
  • 29 Lindsay Lohan
  • 28 Hallie Kate Eisenberg
  • 27 Melissa Gilbert[10]
  • 26 Emmanuel Lewis[10]
  • 25 Candace Cameron Bure
  • 24 Gaby Hoffman
  • 23 Leonardo DiCaprio
  • 22 Lance Kerwin[7]
  • 21 Lukas Haas
  • 20 Tatyana Ali
  • 19 Frankie Muniz[10]
  • 18 Ross Malinger
  • 17 Raven-Symoné
  • 16 Elijah Wood[10]
  • 15 Rodney Allen Rippy
  • 14 Kirsten Dunst
  • 13 Soleil Moon Frye
  • 12 Kirk Cameron
  • 11 Keshia Knight Pulliam[4]
  • 10 Jonathan Lipnicki
  • 9 Dakota Fanning
  • 8 Gary Coleman
  • 7 Haley Joel Osment[10]
  • 6 Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen[10]
  • 5 Alyssa Milano
  • 4 Henry Thomas
  • 3 Drew Barrymore[10]
  • 2 Macaulay Culkin[8]
  • 1 Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson[10]

References
1. ^ Riggs, Thomas (2007). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television, Volume 72. Thomson Gale. p. 172. ISBN 9780787690458. http://books.google.com/books?id=bOJkAAAAMbook1AAJ&q=50+%22cutest+child+stars%22+%22all+grown+up%22&dq=50+%22cutest+child+stars%22+%22all+grown+up%22&hl=en&ei=9nEITMEegaw1rOSEtgQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ.
2. ^ Slezak, Michael (November 21, 2005). "Is Rudy Huxtable the world's cutest child star?". Entertainment Weekly. http://popwatch.ew.com/2005/11/21/e_names_worlds_/. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
3. ^ De Leon, Kris (August 2, 2007). "What Are They Up To? Full House's Candace Cameron". Buddy TV. http://www.buddytv.com/articles/full-house/what-are-they-up-to-full-house-8989.aspx. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
4. ^ a b c d e f Arpe Pretty, Malene (2006-01-07). "Child Stars". The Toronto Star: p. K02.
5. ^ "Today and Tomorow". The Hour. November 28, 2005. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xhIhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PXUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6329,3977714&dq=50+cutest+child+stars+all+grown+up&hl=en. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
6. ^ "50 Cutest Child Stars: All Grown Up". Lawrence Journal-World. December 8, 2007. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9XMyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kucFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5531,6775260&dq=50+cutest+child+stars+all+grown+up&hl=en. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
7. ^ a b Goodings, Scott. "Thursday - Pay TV". The Age: p. 46.
8. ^ a b "Digital Highlights - Saturday January 21". The Daily Telegraph: p. 25. 2006-01-18.
9. ^ Freer, Sloan (2007-09-09). "Pick of the Day". The Observer: p. 24.
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Top TV". The Sunday Mail: p. G27. 2006-09-17.

External links

* 50 Cutest Child Stars: All Grown Up at the Internet Movie Database

Categories: American television specials | E! network shows

Analysis of deletion (for wikigeeks only)

Some people hate Gary Coleman.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Fuck BP on Youtube ("Friend BP on Youtube?!!")



I just noticed this add for BP ("Friend BP on Youtube: Visit BP's page on youtube for latest gulf spill video updates. www.youtube.com/BPplc") Apparently BP has been spending big money buying up search terms and on youtube to direct people to their own narrative of their monumental fuckup oil spill. (see link, e.g.,: 1) Note that the video linked in the above graphic is rated 1 out of 5 stars, haha, BP is paying to spread their own bad publicity.

WHAT THE FUCK!

So if you stumble across one of these "Friend BP on Youtube" ads, please do not friend BP. Instead, type whereever you can find to type it "FUCK BP ON YOUTUBE"

As a corporation, BP committed a grevious fuckup in running a grossly negligent drilling operation, which led to a disaster which they completely underestimated the risk of. The liability to which BP has exposed itself it enormous, so like any huge corporation, it is fighting for its life. BP may well no longer exist within 2 years, if they are not shielded like a welfare mama from having to pay for actual damage the spill caused.

FUCK BP.

Do not "Friend BP on Youtube" BP is not your friend. It is not a good corporate citizen.

Debrahlee Lorenzana - wikipedia article

hot pictures of Debrahlee Lorenzana dudesThis is a copy of the wikipedia article on Debrahlee Lorenzana as it appeared prior to its deletion on June 14, 2010.

Debrahlee Lorenzana (born 1977) is a financial-services professional who was sacked from her banking position at the Chrysler Building branch of Citigroup in New York City in 2010 after she was allegedly warned repeatedly that her clothes were too distracting, tight, and inappropriate.[1] In turn, Lorenzana filed a lawsuit against Citigroup alleging that she was fired "as a result of the shape of her figure, such clothes were purportedly 'too distracting' for her male colleagues and supervisors to bear."[2] The suit was referred to arbitration instead of a jury trial under her employment agreement.[3]

Citigroup has stated that "Ms. Lorenzana has chosen to make numerous unfounded accusations and inaccurate statements against Citibank and several of our employees. While we will not discuss the details of her case, we can say that her termination was solely performance-based and not at all related to her appearance or attire. We are confident that when all of the facts and documentation are presented, the claim will be dismissed."[4]

Lorenzana subsequently found employment with JPMorgan Chase.[5] Lorenzana has reported receiving pressure from her new employer to stop publicizing her dismissal from Citibank.[6]

Lorenzana's story made international news in June 2010, raising discussions about lookism.[7]

[Milo adds: Subsequently, it was found, that Ms. Lorenzaza appeared in online videos of a few years vintage touting breast implant surgery, where much mirth was made of her comments that she wanted to be like a Playboy Playmate, and "tits on a stick." Because, you know, lots of guys love breast implants, but most guys on the internet are unlikely to ever mate with a woman as attractive (if somewhat misguided, perhaps a bit ditzy, and probably a bit lonely) as Ms. Lorenzana.]

[Update October 28 2010: This article appears to remain quite popular. As a quick update, in late September 2010 it was reported that Lorenzana had rebuffed requests to appear in Playboy and on reality TV shows, and was uncomfortable with the huge amount of attention placed on her, though she hoped her experience served as an example for others to stand up for their rights.'Sexy banker' Debrahlee Lorenzana has no interest in fame, Playboy - just wants to be an example (NY Daily News, 26 Sept 2010) And, like clockwork, in October 2010, a group of female Citigroup employees filed suit against the company for discrimination, and news reports cited to Lorenzana's case as a related prior event.Sex And The Citigroup: Women Sue US Bank (Sky News, 15 Oct 2010); Citigroup accused of discrimination (Telegraph, 14 Oct 2010)]

Contents

* 1 Awards
* 2 References
* 3 External links
* 3.1 Videos

Awards

* In April 2003, the Municipal Credit Union named Lorenzana its sales rep of the month.[8]

References

1. ^ Pressler, Jessica (6/2/10 at 1:20 PM). >"Debrahlee Lorenzana Can't Help It If She's Not 'Short, Overweight,' and Boring Like the Other Women at Citigroup -- Daily Intel". New York. . Retrieved 5 June 2010.
2. ^ Dwoskin, Elizabeth (Tuesday, Jun 1 2010). "Is This Woman Too Hot To Be a Banker?". The Village Voice. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
3. ^ "Arbitration clause won't allow 'too hot' ex-employee to sue Citibank". Sify. 2010-06-05 15:20:00. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
4. ^ Casserly, Meghan. "Debrahlee Lorenzana: Is the ex-Citibank employee Victim or Villain?« Work in Progress - Forbes.com". Forbes. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
5. ^ "You'll pay if you ax bank babe". New York Post. June 8, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
6. ^ "Bank girl faces being fired from latest job for talking about dismissal from Citigroup for being 'too sexy'". Daily Mail. June 8, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
7. ^ Jen Doll & Elizabeth Dwoskin (June 7, 2010). "Debrahlee Lorenzana Story Goes Global, Viral, Crazy". The Village Voice (blog). Retrieved June 8, 2010.
8. ^ Bennett, Jessica (June 04, 2010). "Too Hot in the Workplace? It Can Cost You Your Job. - Newsweek". Newsweek. Retrieved 5 June 2010.

External links

* Too Hot for Citibank?, Village Voice Picture Slideshow

Videos

* Debrahlee “Too Hot For Citi” Lorenzana Explains Why She Wanted To Be “Tits On A Stick”, DealBreaker
* Banking beauty Debrahlee Lorenzana had two boob jobs, wanted to be stacked like Playboy Playmate, Daily News (New York)
* Discovery Health Catches Debrahlee Fever (Video), Daily News (New York)
* Suit: Woman Fired From Citibank For Being 'Too Sexy', PIX11 video
* Too Hot to Work?, CBS
* Could Dressing Too Sexy Get You Fired?, Fox 2 KTVI

Analysis of Deletion (for wikigeeks only)

This is the sort of article that when I hear about the underlying news story, I go see whether a wikipedia article has been created, and I frequently find that it is nominated for deletion. This story received incredible amounts of press attention, though no doubt its because of the titillating content and the numerous photo galleries for which the attractive Ms. Lorenzana posed. Sex sells. The article was nominated for deletion on June 7. While the number of votes for deletion and retaining were equal, suggesting that the normal rule of "lack of consensus" and "default to keep" would apply, the closing administrator chose to delete because he found the "deletion arguments more persuasive" which simply means he applied his opinion and deleted it. This does not shock me, because a number of wikipedia editors are squeamish about articles like this, despite the fact that the press appears to find such stories highly notable. In these cases, some wikipedia administrators are reluctant to "close" the deletion discussion and make a call either way, and then the editor who does decide to finally do it is likely to be in favor of deletion.

This is not disimiliar to the story of Rachel Uchitel, which I have written about before. Uchitel's article was deleted in December 2009, but recently reappeared, only to be renominated for deletion within one hour. But I often stumble across instances of previously deleted articles that were later recreated. As of right now, the English wikipedia is growing at a rate of 1087 articles per day. Outside of unverifiable articles, hoaxes, vandalism, attacks, and spam, anything of interest to more than a few people returns in the long run. In fact, this just recently happened to Donna Simpson, who I also wrote about. Her article, once deleted, has now returned, and survived her 2nd deletion nomination. So, have no fear, Mr. Lorenzana and Ms. Uchitel (if deleted again) won't be gone forever.

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Itawamba "Private" Prom was Continuation of School Sponsored PROM - BREAKING NEWS

So if you are reading this you probably have heard all about how Itawamba High School held a "secret" "private" prom on Friday April 2, 2010, and did not invite gay classmate Constance McMillen, who was instead directed to attend a fake decoy prom attended by only 7 students, including 2 learning-disabled ones.

Yes, very horrible. But there's also WORSE proof that the "secret" prom was the school prom all along.

So ... on facebook I see classmates and parents of the bigoted students defensively saying crap like "Constance got to go to the 'prom', she can't complain" and refer to the real prom as a "party". Example:

oh we've foooled constance now!

Of course that was posted on a "prom 2010" photo folder.

Well, as you probably know, the "private party" line is a COMPLETE LIE. The Secret Prom was the REAL PROM all along. And Constance was intentionally excluded from it in violation of the US Constitution. When NMisscommentor first broke the story about the secret prom, he noted, "Meanwhile, there’s a rumor that school officials were directly involved in setting up the “fake” prom."

This rumor seems to be true.

On February 5, 2010, Itawamba students were sent a flyer explaining the rules for the prom and that the theme was MASQUERADE:

we gotz rulz

(Note also that dates MUST BE of the opposite sex.)

After they claimed to cancel the official prom to avoid Constance from attending, a federal judge ruled that that act violated the Constitution. But he didn't require the school to reinstitute the prom because he was told a private prom was being planned that ALL students could attend. In fact, however, USAToday reported that Constance would not be permitted to bring a same-sex date or wear a tux to it (which is what the federal judge already had said was discrimination). Well, they ended up "cancelling" that prom too after claiming Constance was "one hour" late trying to buy a ticket for it.

Then, about a day after that "private" prom was "cancelled," a new prom was announced to be held at the local country club. But what really happened is that the real prom moved somewhere else, and Constance was directed to go to the fake prom. (Whether or not she knew there was another real "party" going on, its clear she was not invited to it.)

And at the secret real prom, guess what the theme was and what decorations they used?? Yep -- Masquerade!! They used all the decorations intended for the original prom! Could it not be any clearer that this was intended to be the continuation of the original prom?

busted! if it wasn't for those darn kids and that dog scooby!

ETA 9:45pm PDT 4/8/10:2nd pic
here we are at the realz prom

This, it seems to me, in addition to being sicker than sicker, is a direct and unbelievable breach of what the school district promised the federal judge.

Constance WAS NOT invited to the real prom - she was segregated and sent to a decoy prom. And they laughed their asses off at her, while "Masquerade 2010" went on.

haha constanz you suxxorz

Sick sick sick.

* * *
ETA: 6:40am PDT 4/9 (another facebook comment showing continuity of proms leading to the secret prom):
can't wait

* * *
ETA 2:15pm PDT 4/9 Here's some more info, this is a bit odd. Its some local forum posts in MS which seem to initially deny that any secret prom took place, but there are some references to a "birthday party". Then there are pics from the prom with people pointing to an old greek/roman bust. I know this many be loony but could this be the "birthday party" guest of honor (i.e., a cover story for the prom). I wish someone would just tell me what that bust was for!

ETA 7:53 PDT 4/9: Best info I can gather is that there is no "birthday-bust" connection. A private informant tells me: "that little man in the pictures is this tradition at the school. Every year a senior steals the little man, and takes it somewhere with them and takes pictures with it. Something silly!"
greekophiles

Monday, April 05, 2010

REPOST: What Happened At Constance McMillen’s Prom - from nmisscommenter

What Happened At Constance McMillen’s Prom

(reposted from http://nmisscommentor.com/2010/04/04/what-happened-at-constance-mcmillans-prom/ - the nmisscommentor website was down earlier today due to traffic overload - as of 1:35pm PDT i am removing the full post now that's it back up)
Here’s the news, from a source I view as extremely reliable. The prom the school district promised at the country club in Fulton was a ruse. Only seven kids, Constance, and her date showed, and at the same time, everyone else held a “real” prom at a secret location out in the county.

FULL ARTICLE: http://nmisscommentor.com/2010/04/04/what-happened-at-constance-mcmillans-prom/

* * *
From Earlier, when the original source was down:

nmisscommenter (Tom Freeland) is on twitter at http://twitter.com/NMissC and has posted:

# NMissCommentor readers: My hosting service is overcapacity due to hits from the Constance McMillen story. Am working on some solution. (circa 9am PDT)

# Well, NMC readers, upped blog server capacity by 1/3- best I can do quickly- but w/ links from Gawker & Perez Hilton you'll need patience. (circa 10am PDT)

# My blog isn't dead, but it's still sleeping. (circa 10:50am PDT)

* * *

ETA 12:12pm PDT: MSNBC Report http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36178446/ns/us_news-life/

ETA: 12:57 PDT: the Gawker Post on this story has been updated with a note that at least once prom-goer at Itawamba Agricultural High School has posted prom pictures on their facebook. This does check out---I doubled checked and found that if you peruse Itawamba Agricultural High 2010 profiles on facebook, there are many profile pics for the students which are clearly of prom dresses/couples.



ETA: 1:09 PDT NE Miss Daily Journal article confirms details.

ETA: 1:33 PDT nmisscommentor blog is coming back up, please read the full post there...

Haggard's Law - wikipedia article

Haggard's Law
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, as it existed on March 28, 2010 (prior to its deletion on April 5, 2010)

Haggard's law is an Internet adage or epigram named after Pastor Ted Haggard that is typically stated as: "The louder and more frequent one's objections to homosexuality are, the more likely one is of being a homosexual.".

It is used as either a purely sarcastic musing that people whom are strongly objective of homosexuality are more likely to engage in homosexual activities, or in a reflection of the probability based on the numerous public scandals[1][2][3][4] of famous figures in the opposition of homosexuality and homosexual behavior.

History

The Internet adage made it's first published appearance in an article[5] written by Dennis DiClaudio of Comedy Central fame [in March 2010] and is named after American evangelical preacher Ted Haggard. It was created after and is reference to a scandal[2] involving prostitute and masseur Mike Jones who alleged that Haggard had paid Jones to engage in sex with him for three years and had also purchased and used crystal methamphetamine[6]. Although he denies using the methamphetamine or having sex with Mr. Jones, the scandal has caused many to view Pastor Haggard being extremely hypocritical about his spoken views, as he was known to publicly preach against Homosexuality[7].

Original quote by author Dennis DiClaudio:
Haggard's Law –
The likelihood of a person harboring secret desires to engage in sexual and/or romantic activities with members of the same sex is directly proportional to the frequency and volume of said person's vocalized objections to homosexuality.[5]
The "law" is more generally used to reference extreme hypocrisy in public figures whom lead the moral opposition of homosexuality and then whom come to find out engage is homosexuality or homosexual behavior.

See Also

* Homosexuality
* Ted Haggard
* Association fallacy
* Internet adage

References

1. ^ Florida State Representative Accused of Offering to Perform Oral Sex Claims Innocence, Fox News, July 27, 2007
2. ^ a b "Haggard admits 'sexual immorality', apologizes". MSNBC. 2006-11-05. Retrieved 2010-23-03.
3. ^ US anti-gay rights senator Roy Ashburn comes out, BBC News, March 8, 2010
4. ^ Former GOP Chief Pleads Guilty To Deviant Conduct, WLKY June 12, 2008
5. ^ a b DiClaudio, Dennis. "Haggard's Law," Please Add It to Your Lexicon, Comedy Central, New York, 23 March.
6. ^ "Haggard admits buying Meth". MSNBC. 2006-11-03. Retrieved 2010-23-03.
7. ^ "Pastor will shut down controversial kids camp". 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2010-03-23.

Also (added by me):
*Stereodax - Haggard’s Law, a Oct 29, 2008 blogpost declaring a coinage of the term.
*March 4, 2007 blogpost defining term as "Haggard's Law: that which a conservative is speaking against most strongly is that which the conservative will inevitably be found to be guilty of."

Analysis of Deletion (for wikigeeks only)

So, believe it or not, this article was appropriately deleted from wikipedia. The article appears to have been created sometime around March 23, 2010, based on an online article from earlier in the month trying to coin and/or cement the existence of the term. (It has been on urban dictionary since March 5, 2010.) On April 5, 2010, it was nominated for deletion, and was speedily deleted in about 30 minutes, on the grounds that it was a neologism, "with a side order of common sense." Yes, its true that not every cool term someone thinks up should immediately be the subject of a wikipedia article. Otherwise wikipedia would be filled with terms that no one uses except in some random and briefly popular blog entry. The same thing goes for articles about drinks or drinking games that people make up during some recent drunken binge, which is attempted quite often.

Haggard's Law got only about 200 views during its existence, despite the folksy truth it espouses. (See Reaction Formation and Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal? (abstract), both mentioned in the comments to the original Comedy Central article. And Latent homosexuality and The lady doth protest too much, methinks. from wikipedia.)

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Donna Simpson (world's heaviest woman to give birth) - wikipedia article

This is the Wikipedia article for Donna Simpson (world's heaviest woman to give birth) as it appeared on March 23, 2010, slightly prior to its deletion.

Donna Simpson holds the Guinness World Record for the world's fattest mother.[1][Milo notes: Technically, some press reports in March 2010 said she had only applied for the record, though many press sources claimed she already has the record.] When she gave birth by cesarean section in 2007, she weighed 530 pounds. The delivery required the assistance of 30 hospital staff.[2]

She is now attempting to attain a weight of 1,000 pounds.[3][2]

In 2010 at the age of 42, Simpson was living in New Jersey, and was eating 12,000 calories per day in a deliberate attempt to gain enough weight to reach 1,000 pounds. Her $750 weekly food bill was being funded by a website where men pay money so they can watch her eat.[2] As of March 2010, she weighed 600 pounds.[4][5] She is 5 feet 4 inches tall.[6]

Despite getting around on a mobility scooter, Simpson claims that she is healthy.[7]

Simpson's favorite food is sushi.[3]

References
^1 The super-sized 43st mother who is determined to become the world's fattest, Mail Online4, March 15, 2010
^2 a b c World's fattest mom, San Francisco Chronicle, March 15, 2010
^3 a b NJ woman attempting to become world's fattest lady, The New York Post, March 15, 2010
^4 New Jersey Woman Aiming to Become Fattest Woman in the World, New York magazine, March 15, 2010
^5 1,000lb Woman's Fans Pay To Watch Her Eat! (Video), The Young Turks (March 17, 2010), Retrieved March 18, 2010
^6 "Little 'n Large: THE world's fattest woman meets the world's smallest". The Sun (newspaper). February 18, 2010. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2858127/Worlds-fattest-woman-meets-worlds-smallest.html. Retrieved March 16, 2010. ("Donna stands at 5ft 4in", and photo of Simpson with Jyoti Amge)
^7 Quest to become world's fattest woman, The Press, March 15, 2010

* * *

Analysis of Wikipedia's deletion, for wikigeeks only:

This article was nominated for deletion from wikipedia on March 15, 2010. The article was very new, as it had just been created in the wake of a juggernaut of press coverage about Ms. Simpson. This is really not unusual -- whenever you see some odd person all over the newspapers, go to wikipedia and see whether they have an article. Chances are they they either (1) have an article already nominated for deletion, (2) there is evidence that an article existed which is already deleted, or (3) the name redirects to some other (hopefully related) page.

The primary argument in favor of deletion of Ms. Simpson was "BLP1E" which means, in English, that the article is a biography of a living person who is known for one event. However, it is worth noting that wikipedia has tons of articles on people who are known for nothing other than an alleged world record. Robert Earl Hughes, for example, was the heaviest human during the 1950s, and who I remember well via old Guinness books I read as a kid. Other than being a nice guy who just happened to be really huge, there's not much to say about him. But loads has been written about him--not much different than Donna's Simpson's case today. Unless you romanticize the past. Thus Mary Toft, who claimed she gave birth to rabbits in 1726 causing a flurry of press at the time, has a long wikipedia article, and Donna Simpson does not. I am sure the Mary Toft story was as unseemly in 1726 as Donna Simpson is in 2010. But that doesn't mean Wikipedia shouldn't cover it.

Interestingly, a number of casual editors piped in during the deletion discussion of Ms. Simpson to say she should be kept, but the "deletes" had their way on this one. The wikipedia malcontents over at Wikipedia Review were in favor of deletion as well. Of course, Donna Simpson herself was clearly trolling for press coverage, as she is a member of an erotic website featuring large women, and more attention means more paying subscribers. Its very unlikely that she really intends (or could) attain 1,000 pounds. But I am sure she welcomed the press frenzy. The article was quite popular during its brief existence:

Tons of Popularity!



One day you will recall Donna's story and press frenzy and try to google for it, but I guess you won't find it on wikipedia. You will, however, find a massive article on Balloon Boy.

UPDATE June 14, 2010: Donna lives! A new wikipedia article on Donna Simpson was created on May 22, 2010, and was nominated again for deletion, but this time it survived as a "keep". How does one explain wikipedia's change of heart? Simply that different people showed up at the deletion discussion this time.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

M_____ D _______ - Wikipedia article

Removed upon request, January 2018. (See comments below; I received no requests regarding this 2010 post, which was primarily a repost of a deleted Wikipedia article, prior to these comments.)

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

2004 LaSalle County, Illinois earthquake - wikipedia article

2004 LaSalle County, Illinois earthquake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, as it appeared on February 18, 2010

where wikipedia can no longer report than an earthquake occurred
Date: June 28, 2004 01:10:51AM America/Chicago (2004-06-28T01:10:51Z)
Magnitude: 4.2 Mw
Depth: 5 km (3.1 mi)
Epicenter location: 41°26′35″N 88°55′37″W / 41.443°N 88.927°W / 41.443; -88.927
Coordinates: 41°26′35″N 88°55′37″W / 41.443°N 88.927°W / 41.443; -88.927
Countries or regions affected: United States
Tsunami: none
Casualties: none

The 2004 LaSalle County, Illinois earthquake was a 4.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred on June 28, 2004 at 01:10:51 a.m. CDT (06:10:51 a.m. UTC) and affected Northern Illinois. Its epicenter was located 2 miles (3.2 km) S of Prairie Center, 8 miles (13 km) E of Troy Grove, and 8 miles (13 km) NNE of North Utica, and could be felt as far away as Olive Branch, Mississippi.[1]

The earthquake was the first in LaSalle County since September 1972. It occurred 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) beneath the surface in a structure associated with the Sandwich Fault Zone. It was not connected with the New Madrid Fault farther south, which has been linked to the Midwest's most serious earthquakes. No fatalities were reported, yet thousands of people were startled and awoken in the middle of the night. Three nearby nuclear power plants — LaSalle, Quad Cities, and Dresden — issued low-level alerts, but no damage was found.[1]

See also

* List of earthquakes in the United States

References

1. ^ a b "Magnitude 4.2 - ILLINOIS". United States Geological Survey. 1 February 2010. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2004/uskgad/. Retrieved 16 February 2010.

External links

* USGS Earthquake Poster - Poster of the affected area, including historical data and Generalized Seismic Hazard

* * *

Analysis of Deletion (for wikigeeks only):

This article was deleted from Wikipedia on March 7, 2010 pursuant to a deletion discussion here. Eight editors (counting one unsigned comment from an IP address editor) voted to delete, and 4 voted to keep. Unfortunately 3 of those keep votes are from the same person, editor "Funandtrvl", which no one seemed to mention. It appears the article was improved before it was deleted, but the google cache version I was able to locate pre-dates those changes. The frequent-keep voter noted that she had added a "source that stated that it was the first earthquake in that county in 123 years, almost to the day", and also observed, "I still don't understand why everyone wants to delete the earthquake articles, but to keep 109,000+ association football articles, that seems to be okay. I can see everyone's priorities are sports, not science."

Perhaps not true! Oddly enough, at the same time this article was deleted, Wikipedia decided to keep its article on the smaller but more recent 2010 Illinois earthquake (which measured 3.8 vs. 4.2 for the 2004 quake). According to that deletion discussion there was a "substantial consensus for notability and keep(ing)" the article!!

How is this possible?! Let's see.... Of the eight delete voters for the 2004 quake, six also opined in favor of deleting the 2010 article. One didn't comment, and one voted to keep the 2010 article (but delete the 2004 article), apparently under the theory that the latter article could become a repository for all Illinois earthquakes. And in addition, a few other editors, who had not commented on the 2004 quake, chimed in with "keep" votes (in addition to the two editors who voted to keep both articles).

This is how things often work on wikipedia - whether an article nominated for deletion stays or goes depends on which random editors happen upon the deletion discussion and comment. The decisions are often made based on the opinion of 10 or less editors, out of the roughly 40,000 editors who make at least 5 edits per month. That's not to say 10 editors aren't enough to make a reasoned decision for the good of the Wikipedia project in some cases, but in anything other than an obvious delete (hoaxes, vandalism, attacks, spam, and unverifiable articles), or obvious keeps (episodes of Ugly Betty), the outcome can be dreadfully haphazard.

Footnote: At the same time as the above examples, Wikipedia decided to keep an article on the 2010 Eureka (Calif.) earthquake and ax one on the 2009 Inglewood earthquake. In short, Earthquake prediction itself is easier than deletion prediction.