Pinochet esta muerte. Until there is a body for public viewing, I'm a skeptic.

I'm still pissed off that he used to come here for medical treatment, all because of that old Hag Thatcher.

It was a Labour Government that refused to extradite him to Spain to face charges. So all our politicians are equally rubbish on that score.

Let's hope he's caught very soon

Terrifying. 5 women found dead in 10 days.

It's just horrifying isn't it. Somehow the speed it's all happening at makes those poor women seem that much more like disposable items.

I can't listen to the news about it because it's just one annoying quote after another. One churchman said effectively that he was surprised and pleased that people seemed to be showing genuine concern for the girls despite their line of work. Fuck off.

It also makes me think of the women of Juarez and other cities in assorted places in Mexico and Central America for whom this is apparently a daily reality of life, if the papers are to be believed.

I know. There was another BBC report I didn't want to link because it was full of people stating they were worried he'd run out of prostitutes and attack normal women.

I mean, Jesus Christ, people. That's beyond horrid.

I read that one at work today. FFS! There was also a bizarre report on the BBC's site mentioning Ipswich's proud history as a town which punched above its weight in terms of footballing talent, and (I paraphrase) how that legacy would now most likely become sadly overlooked due to the murders. Oh noes! Glad to see journos with their priorities straight.

Well, seriously, if you're going to kill prostitutes, do it in a place where you're not going to sully the local sports reputation. Have some damn respect.

Lovely stuff. People are awesome.

Today my daughter said that the police ought to have caught the Ipswich killer by now, and that if we lived in the US, they would have caught him. She then made reference to CSI, and I think she was joking.

We have had a talk about how what you see on telly doesn't necessarily represent the full rich truth of life in the US but I'm beginning to suspect it hasn't really sunk in.

Stop lying to your daughter! We're all impossibly good looking, thin, drive great cars and it's very clean.

Well, obviously I could tell that's true of you DodgerGirl. I didn't know you are such an exemplar of your countryfolk.

Does it really all look like British Columbia too?

HA! Good one.

Nice work, people. It's about time we were recognized for our contributions. Congratulations.

I should probably autograph a few copies of that issue and put them on eBay.

Plus, my speaking fee just went way up.

I need to get my weave done.

Do we all get Internet posting awards now? I still want a tiara.

All your Tiaras are belong to me!

And with these past few posts, we totally justify TIME's faith in us!

While I feel sorry for the family of the hikers in Oregon, I cannot figure out how this story is a leading news story night after night on the national news. It even lead off the local news and I'm on the other side of the country. I hope the other two are found alive, but ya know...you choose to hike up a dangerous mountain in the winter with a storm coming in and bad things will happen.

We were talking about this at work today. Yes. Very tragic. But to be leading the news on a National level? Why? Because it's a human interest story? Because it's sensational? Is there nothing more tantilizing on the wires? Is there nothing more important?

What really irks me is the way the news media is absolutely milking it and making it even more of a spectacle than it needs to be. Yesterday, I swear all the news leads I heard made it sound like all three hikers had been found dead. It wasn't until the news actually came on that I found out that ONE body had been found, and the other TWO were still missing. What's the point in that? So annoying.

Yes. I also hope that the other two hikers are found. And if all this news coverage serves any purpose at all, maybe it will be to discourage those that aren't experienced enough (or smart enough) to stay the fuck off the mountain in the middle of winter with a storm approaching? That would be really nice.

I think there are a couple of other factors at work, besides the usual obsession for sensational stories. For one, I think the media is piggy-backing off of the Kim family tragedy/survival news story. The Kim story is still fresh for many people, so the public has "lost in a snowy wilderness" currently upfront in their minds. Secondly, I think this being the Christmas/holiday season, people were hoping that they could spin this as a holiday "miracle." Not that the families of the missing climbers wouldn't consider it a miracle if they were found alive, because I'm sure they would...and they should. I just think the headlines would be overflowing with that notion. Now that they've found one body, and the other two are still missing, the usual obsession with death has creeped back in.

...because it's the holiday season, of course. If we all just wish hard enough and rub some snowflakes together, the remaining two climbers will be found alive. After all, it's the season of miracles, right?

Sadly, just like Christmas, the bill for this search/rescue mission that rolls around in January is going to be a bitch.

ETA: Yeah, what Grant said (must read all posts in the future....)

I do think there is a little too much coverage on the climbers, but worse is the amount of coverage on Miss USA (at least in NYC, but I saw it was also on the Today Show this morning). Am I paranoid because I can't help noticing that all of this coverage is about one month before Donald's new apperentice begins?

Plus, I think the NY Post is just covering the story so every day they can have a different picture of her in a bathing suit on their cover.

It's what they call "synergy" in the biz, qb9b.

Don't get me started on celebrity coverage! Gah!

I think the 24-hour news cycle encourages stories like this that are continually "ongoing." The nature of the story is that every few minutes, they can update you on the "latest developments." Of course, the update 99.9% of the time is going to be that nothing happened. But it always feels like something might happen. When you have 24 hours a day to fill and you know people might flip to any of 5,000 other channels at any moment, that's good enough.

The multitudes of death on Everest don't seem to discourage people from wanting to go up it so I don't think people ever believe they are the ones that are going to meet a bad end. I do hope the other two are alive and OK.

Just to be clear, the entire quote was:

QUOTE

And if all this news coverage serves any purpose at all, maybe it will be to discourage those that aren't experienced enough (or smart enough) to stay the fuck off the mountain

Just to be clear, the entire quote was:

And if all this news coverage serves any purpose at all, maybe it will be to discourage those that aren't experienced enough (or smart enough) to stay the fuck off the mountain in the middle of winter with a storm approaching?

Awww. I just saw the most heartwarming story on the news. Seems this cop pulled over a vehicle for not having a rear license plate. Normally, it's an automatic ticket and possible impound of the vehicle. Seems the girl driving the car called her mom on the celphone and let the officer speak to her mom.

Cue the violins.

Mom has 8 kids, no money to register the vehicle, having a hard time putting food on the table, blahblahblah.

Cop feels bad, doesn't want to impound the vehicle, but "escorts" the daughter home to speak to the mom and see what the situation is. He's going on and on about how the house had "nothing" in there. Eight kids, no Christmas tree, nothing. He felt so bad, and he just knew he needed to do something.

Later, he comes back with police escorts and a fire truck and brings the family a big ol' tree and lots of gifts for the kiddies.

Awwwwwwwwwwww. What a nice guy.

Except. When he was describing this home with "nothing" and 8 kids and how sad it was, I was expecting some small, run down house in a shitty neighborhood. I expected to see something that was gonna make me want to run out and get those poor kids shoes and jackets.

What I saw was a nice, new, 2-story home in a nice neighborhood. The home was clean and furnished. The kids were clothed nicely. The kitchen was nicely appointed. The only thing they didn't have was a fucking tree.

Hey. I don't have a fucking tree, either.

I'm sorry. But if you can afford to live in that neighborhood, clothe your kids in name-brand warm up suits and sneakers, furnish a 2-story home, etc., etc., I mean, think about it. The daughter had a CELPHONE. Who pays that bill?

THEN YOU CAN AFFORD THE LESS THAN $500 REGISTRATION FOR YOUR MOTHERFUCKING VEHICLE.

I went from thinking that Cop was a sweet, kind, warm-hearted individual to thinking he was clearly a dumbass. A dumbass that just "happened" to bring a camera crew with him when he delivered the tree and presents.

GAH!

Here's a weepy article. Oh, boo hoo. They were in a car accident. Cry me a fucking river, then kiss my ass.

Man, I want that kitchen cabinet space! And a stainless steel fridge with in-door water and icemaker? Sweet.

Damn skippy and proud of it, pinruT.

They drive an EXPEDITION. Pay your bills and stop buying Air Jordans, goddammit.

Ha ha ha ha. (But I know that is not an accurate representation of the heart inside our beloved kettle.)

I am going to seriously flirt with the coppers at work today. Even though my heart is breaking for lack of a flat screen TV.

Guess which beauty queen didn't blow Trump?

To be fair, Nevada is a bit out of Trump's fellatial jurisdiction. I think Miss Nevada would have to blow Wayne Newton.

I have to play devil's advocate here and point out that sometimes people look like they're living comfortably when they're just hanging on, and it's not always because they're too extravagant. Even if you live in a middle class neighborhood and have a nice car, coming up with $500 can be really difficult. And, of course, I know that sometimes it's because you have a nice car and a higher mortgage than you can afford that you can't come up with $500 to register the car. But it's just as possible that those things were acquired when they could afford them. Have you ever tried to trade in a car that you can no longer afford? You can't do it. It's costs too damn much to pay off the loan. If you can afford to pay off the loan, you can afford the payments and don't need to trade the car in anyway.
And I never thought I'd be defending an SUV owner, because I hate the frakking things and think you should have to prove you need one. I have no patience for someone who complains about how much it costs to pay for the gas in an SUV. Maybe I'm talking out my ass, but I can't make any judgments about these people, because I don't really know what their life is like.

Msquared you display the real spirit of Christmas and good will to all men .

Have you considered donating to the South London Let's Make The Doctor Who Special Even Bigger and Flatter Foundation?

I for one am not buying the sob story of the mom with 8 kids for many reasons. Not the least of which is the fact that someone in that family removed the license plate from the vehicle. Perhaps they were hoping that no plate = no expired tags showing? Then there's the issue of the mobile phones, gas for the ginormous SUV, etc., etc.

Also, the cop. I'm sorry, but if this were truly an act of goodness and not self-promotion, the cop wouldn't have contacted the media. All these things could have happened (the giving of the tree and gifts, etc.) without having the news media tagging along to give "us" the big story.

Go ahead. Give me a teeny grinch heart, too. I don't buy it.

I'm writing my check out now.

QUOTE

Have you considered donating to the South London Let's Make The Doctor Who Special Even Bigger and Flatter Foundation? I'm writing my check out now. Also, the cop. I'm sorry, but if this were truly an act of goodness and not self-promotion, the cop wouldn't have contacted the media. All these things could have happened (the giving of the tree and gifts, etc.) without having the news media tagging along to give "us" the big story. I'll give you that point to an extent. However, it's also possible that his angle was "I did this thing. So can everyone else." Because even if you can't do everything to help, you can do something. If I can defend Paula Deen for having the media there when she does charitable work, I can defend a cop for doing the same thing. Damn, I always thought I was more cynical. Kitty Foyle 22nd December 2006 - 07:31 AM I hope the cops' reasoning was about making a happy Christmas for all those kids. I'd like to know why children are placed in homes where there isn't enough for them to eat. Lack of Christmas presents is one thing, but if all there was in the fridge was a gallon of milk, that means their basic needs aren't being met. Flahdagal 22nd December 2006 - 07:38 AM QUOTE (Mike-El+Dec 22 2006, 09:39 AM) QUOTE (Flahdagal+Dec 22 2006, 09:34 AM) Guess which beauty queen didn't blow Trump? To be fair, Nevada is a bit out of Trump's fellatial jurisdiction. I think Miss Nevada would have to blow Wayne Newton. Death is not an option? Magpie 22nd December 2006 - 09:02 AM I'm totally with pmk on this one, because there are a hell of a lot of families who aren't living nearly as poshly who I would think are more in need of that kind of bounty. And it doesn't make me feel sorrier for this family when they have a nicer car and bigger house than I do. Bah, humbug. copssister 22nd December 2006 - 09:14 AM I'll remain more sympathetic toward the have-nots than the have-somes. We're all scraping our pennies together - and it can irk us to hear of random acts of kindness being bestowed on those who are in situations similar to our own. Just because a family lives paycheck to paycheck and carries a buttload of debt does not make them needy. If that makes me Scrooge, feel free to call me Ebbie. Let's please not blame the cop - you know his chief made the call to the press.... Msquared 22nd December 2006 - 11:14 AM QUOTE Just because a family lives paycheck to paycheck and carries a buttload of debt does not make them needy. If that makes me Scrooge, feel free to call me Ebbie. There's a difference between living paycheck to paycheck and suddenly being in a position, through no fault of your own (two car accidents in two days), where you can't make ends meet. I'm not saying I feel sorry or don't feel sorry for them. I'm just saying that I don't really know their situation, and despite the outside trappings, they could be in serious need. So I can't bring myself to judge or criticize them. In all seriousness and with not one hint of sarcasm, I hope that no one here ever ends up in the position that the cop said this family is in. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It sucks. QUOTE (-> QUOTE Just because a family lives paycheck to paycheck and carries a buttload of debt does not make them needy. If that makes me Scrooge, feel free to call me Ebbie. There's a difference between living paycheck to paycheck and suddenly being in a position, through no fault of your own (two car accidents in two days), where you can't make ends meet. I'm not saying I feel sorry or don't feel sorry for them. I'm just saying that I don't really know their situation, and despite the outside trappings, they could be in serious need. So I can't bring myself to judge or criticize them. In all seriousness and with not one hint of sarcasm, I hope that no one here ever ends up in the position that the cop said this family is in. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It sucks. Let's please not blame the cop - you know his chief made the call to the press.... Entirely possible. Ach, I could go on about this all day, but I'll just annoy myself and everyone else. copssister 22nd December 2006 - 12:36 PM QUOTE (Msquared+Dec 22 2006, 02:14 PM) I'm just saying that I don't really know their situation, and despite the outside trappings, they could be in serious need. True. None of us know the family's exact situation. Which opens the door to different, even opposing, opinions of this news story. Msquared 22nd December 2006 - 01:32 PM QUOTE None of us know the family's exact situation. Which opens the door to different, even opposing, opinions of this news story. You're right about that. On a much lighter note, copssister, I read every post of yours I come across just so I can see your avatar. I am, of course, convinced that the kitten is ready to attack, and is not in fact surrendering. maggie 24th December 2006 - 11:05 PM QUOTE (TVJunkie+Dec 20 2006, 05:48 AM) QUOTE (dottstar+Dec 19 2006, 09:11 PM) QUOTE And if all this news coverage serves any purpose at all, maybe it will be to discourage those that aren't experienced enough (or smart enough) to stay the fuck off the mountain The multitudes of death on Everest don't seem to discourage people from wanting to go up it so I don't think people ever believe they are the ones that are going to meet a bad end. I do hope the other two are alive and OK. Just to be clear, the entire quote was: QUOTE (-> QUOTE And if all this news coverage serves any purpose at all, maybe it will be to discourage those that aren't experienced enough (or smart enough) to stay the fuck off the mountain The multitudes of death on Everest don't seem to discourage people from wanting to go up it so I don't think people ever believe they are the ones that are going to meet a bad end. I do hope the other two are alive and OK. Just to be clear, the entire quote was: And if all this news coverage serves any purpose at all, maybe it will be to discourage those that aren't experienced enough (or smart enough) to stay the fuck off the mountain in the middle of winter with a storm approaching? <br>I'm not saying people shouldn't attempt these great feats. If I remember correctly, the hikers left long before the storm came up. I think they were actually supposed to be back before it hit, plus the storm wasn't even forecasted when they left. They probably didn't even know about it. It only really lasted one night anyways. The guy who was out of it when he called his family (and to tell them the other two had left for help) did so days before the storm came in, so his family had already alerted people there was a problem long before the weather turned. Mt. Hood gets hikers all year--all the volcanoes around here do. Experienced hikers definitely go up during the winter all the time. For one the challenge is tempting. Probably 99.99% of the winter hiking results in the hikers returning safely. It's too bad these guys didn't get that end. It is easy to fall into a crevasse. The only thing they could have done better was to bring a locator with them. But it's not mandatory, impossible to enforce if it was, and these guys were experienced and really shouldn't have needed them. It would have been considered overdoing it in their case, not a necessity. They did have cell phones with them. And I agree. It's probably a piggy-back on the Kim case that's making this one so newsworthy. dottstar 25th December 2006 - 03:44 PM QUOTE (copssister+Dec 22 2006, 03:36 PM) QUOTE (Msquared+Dec 22 2006, 02:14 PM) I'm just saying that I don't really know their situation, and despite the outside trappings, they could be in serious need. True. None of us know the family's exact situation. Which opens the door to different, even opposing, opinions of this news story. Well we do know this about the situation. They are getting paid money for 5 foster children. So if the money the state pays them to be foster parents is paying the rent and car payments they aren't exactly going to be as hard off as a parent of 8 who no one is paying to look after them. Doesn't sound as if either adult is really unable to work from those automobile accidents, but rather looking to scam some insurance money. Migraines? I suffered with migraines for years but was able to work. Yes, once and a while I did have to call out but I was smart enough not to get narcs for my migraines which unfortunately just cause rebound headaches (sort of like the problem with using Afrin for congestion.) Damn and no one ever offered me a spa day because I had them. I think that whole story reeks. But I'm always suspicious when there is a lot of foster kids as I really think more then one or two is a way to get money since the more kids the less real attention each gets. skittlebrau 25th December 2006 - 06:36 PM QUOTE I went from thinking that Cop was a sweet, kind, warm-hearted individual to thinking he was clearly a dumbass. <br>Well, the good news is that cops all over the country did something this year called "Shop with a Cop," where police officers took underpriveledged kids shopping, buying each of them clothes, shoes, and a toy. I've become a cold-hearted cynic, but seeing a bunch of cops carrying little kids around on their shoulders and picking out toys made me go "Awww." buffyvol 26th December 2006 - 04:49 AM Oh skittlebrau, I teared up last week when I saw our "Shop with a Cops" in action. I heard one little boy saying he wanted to get his brother and sister something and the Officer said something about 'Aren't you going to pick yourself out anything?' and the little feller said 'No, I'm getting my family stuff, if I have any left, then I might'. I had to walk away. Msquared 26th December 2006 - 05:08 AM QUOTE the little feller said 'No, I'm getting my family stuff, if I have any left, then I might'. I had to walk away. Little kids can surprise the hell out of you sometimes. Just when you think they're Ids with legs and very loud voices, they say something like that. cassandra 26th December 2006 - 05:09 PM God bless that little kid. I hope he had enough left over for himself and more. Big-hearted little thing. maggie 26th December 2006 - 10:13 PM Rest in peace, Mr. President. TVJunkie 3rd January 2007 - 05:54 AM You know, there's just something creepy about the thought of consuming wine that comes from a vineyard on cemetary grounds. Joe Don Faker 3rd January 2007 - 07:01 AM Ashes to ashes, dust to dust ... and back to a delicious Chardonnay! Wine transformations are part of the Christian tradition. La G 3rd January 2007 - 07:22 AM Funk to funky...I quite like the idea that centuries after my death, my nitrates might help get someone tipsy. wasabi 3rd January 2007 - 08:11 AM I think I've watched way too many horror flicks to think this is a good idea. xii 3rd January 2007 - 08:14 AM Pinot noir is people! Msquared 3rd January 2007 - 08:19 AM I've helped plenty of people get tipsy in my life, so I'm with La G on this one. La G 5th January 2007 - 09:44 AM Ever caught short on the move? Why not steal your own urinal? I know men get a little uncomfortable when there's no gap between them and the next 'patron' - but this guy actually did take the piss. Joe Don Faker 5th January 2007 - 11:17 AM QUOTE Video Exec:  "You mean you dont know what watersports are?" Alan:  "I believe we've established that!" Video Exec:  "Well it's when people relieve themselves on each other." (Alan's face contorts.  Silence descends on the conversation.) Alan:  "Did you know. That there are no Dutch Elms left in Britain. Completely wiped out...  (long pause)  Disgusting, absolutely disgusting..." Lynn: "Perhaps those people were caught short." Alan:  (irritated)  "They do it on purpose, Lynn!" To quit out of "lo-fi" mode and return to the regular forums, please click here. dizayn.de © 2003 - 2009 - "lo-fi" for InvisionPower Board v1.3