"A federal judge ruled Tuesday that South Carolina can’t issue license plates showing the image of a cross in front of a stained glass window along with the phrase ‘I Believe.’ U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie said in her ruling that the license plates was unconstitutional because it violates a constitutional ban on establishment of religion.”
Source
"“I see that economics blogger Brad DeLong is celebrating his first DMCA takedown notice. For those not in on the jargon, the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) allows copyright holders to demand that a web site take down any content which is alleged to violate their copyright.
Needless to say, this has been abused frequently by large corporations seeking to stifle free expression (such as critical comment). But at least the DMCA provides a process to challenge a takedown notice.
Enjoy that smidgen of due process while it lasts. The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports that the secret negotiations for the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) are including draconian provisions … ”
Source
"You can call her pretty but if you call her "vacant" expect to wind up in court. Heirhead Paris Hilton is threatening to sue a New Zealand company which advertised an unused billboard by using her picture with the word "vacant" written across it.
Hilton's manager Jamie Freed said from Los Angeles that Wellington-based Media5 had not gained permission to use the image and could expect to hear from her lawyers. Media5's Adam McGregor said the company was just having a "bit of fun" with the billboard, for which a gaffe-prone former Kiwi foreign affairs minister was also a candidate.
Source
"It was a safe bet something was up when Obama refused to discuss — for ‘national security’ reasons, of course — the terms of the forthcoming Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (a secret copyright treaty). Now the Internet chapter has leaked, according to Cory Doctorow, and ‘It’s bad. Very bad.’
Among other things: It requires ISPs to ‘proactively police’ user-generated content for copyright violations. This effectively puts the legal onus on hosting services for enforcing digital copyright, resulting (according to Doctorow) in liability issues that will destroy the business models of services like Blogger and YouTube.
This ‘proactive policing’ means, in particular, requiring DMCA-style ‘takedown notices’ as standard practice in all signatory countries, and requiring automatic takedown and cutoff of Internet service on accusation — not conviction. As we’ve already seen in the U.S., takedowns are a virtually 100% effective form of censorship, since ISPs typically respond immediately and with a complete lack of due process.”
Source
"A teaching union has spoken out against social networking sites after hundreds of pupils joined a Facebook page criticising their headteacher. More than 300 children signed up to the group calling for principal Nardeep Sharma to be sacked.
Many also posted offensive comments about him and other teachers at Colne Community School and College in Brightlingsea, Essex.
The page, which featured a photograph of Mr Sharma and was filled with spelling mistakes and poor punctuation, said: 'If you have an issue with Nardeep Sharma then voice it here! 'We have a right to free speach! and lets just watch them try and hold us back! 'If every pupil joins this group then what are they going to do expell the whole school?'
The messages were removed and the page shut down after it was brought to Facebook's attention.
Source
"As Larry Johnson nears the Kansas City Chiefs' all-time rushing record, more than 10,000 fans have signed an online petition pleading for team officials to deactivate the running back after he posted homosexual slurs on his Twitter account.
The petition — which has garnered 10,716 signatures as of early Thursday — calls on general manager Scott Pioli to act before Johnson, 29, surpasses running back Priest Holmes for the team rushing record...
Johnson, a former Pro Bowler, was suspended late last month for conduct detrimental to the team after he questioned coach Todd Haley's qualifications and posted two homosexual slurs on his Twitter account, including one in which he called another user a "Christopher street boy," an apparent reference to New York City's Christopher Street, which is synonymous with the city's gay-pride movement....
Bob Moore, director of public relations for the Chiefs, said the team would not comment on the petition. Johnson will return to the team next week following his suspension and $315,000 penalty. "He's due to come back next Monday," Moore said.
Through a spokesman, Johnson apologized for the incident on Oct. 22. "I regret my actions," he said. "The words were used by me in frustration, and they were not appropriate. I did not intend to offend anyone, but that is no excuse for what I said."
Despite the apology, Kansas City fans [or their impersonators] are still calling for Johnson's helmet.
Source
"Two white Northwestern University students are in hot water after photos of them wearing blackface for Halloween surfaced this week on Facebook and sparked campus-wide outrage.
Student leaders at the Evanston school are holding a forum Thursday night to discuss issues of racism on a campus of overwhelmingly white students that two years ago had a similar incident involving two PhD students wearing blackface.
"While I fully support the principles of free expression, at the same time I am deeply disappointed to see any example of insensitivity that demeans a segment of our community," new Northwestern President Morton O. Schapiro wrote in an campus-wide e-mail. "It is my hope that we can use this incident as a catalyst to reflect upon the values of inclusiveness and respect for others that are central to Northwestern's mission."
One of the students covered himself in blackface and wore a T-shirt with the word "Jamaica" on it. The other dressed as a female tennis player in blackface, a stuffed bra and toting a tennis racket...
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"Is "bud" the new "boy"? As a black man -- even in a "post-racial America," where a black man now occupies the White House -- I still wonder. Usually the way it happens is I'm somewhere out here in the Windy City, or near my home in the south suburbs, minding my own business, going about the daily fare, when suddenly I hear the annoying call -- "Bud" -- or some similar moniker, dangling from the end of some salutation: "Thanks, bud." "How can I help you, bud?" "What's up, bud?"
Sometimes I am running errands near home -- buying tires, searching at a home improvement store for a toilet flapper valve; or near my office on Michigan Avenue, purchasing a new mailbox; or on a Loop elevator, or in a downtown lobby. And whether it is bud, buddy, boss, pal, pimp, or playa, all of it offends. For I am none of these.
The offenders most often are white, sometimes younger than me and almost always in service or blue-collar positions. Most often it is the "b" word that is used. It feels too informal a title for perfect strangers, especially when I suspect they call other full-grown men sir.
Source
"He famously ended his shows chasing after scantily-clad women. But that running gag has cost Benny Hill his place in history. Documents yesterday revealed how the comic was dumped from appearing on a set of stamps to commemorate 50 years of ITV because of concerns about his saucy style.
Royal Mail deemed that his jokes were 'in direct opposition to the company's policies on harassment in the work place'.
The revelations about the rejection of Benny Hill angered Bettine Le Beuu, who appeared on his shows. She said: 'It is absurd. To have a jovial and loveable face such as Benny Hill's, who made millions feel good with his humour and was appreciated by many all over the world, would have enhanced the Royal Mail.'
The Benny Hill Show ran from 1955 to 1989 and was aired on the BBC and Thames Television in the UK and broadcast in more than 140 countries. Slapstick, burlesque and double entendre were always his hallmark. Some critics accused the show of sexism but Hill maintained that the female characters kept their dignity while the men chasing them were portrayed as buffoons. The comic died in 1992.
Source
"For six decades, Clive Baldwin has kept alive the spirit of legendary American entertainer Al Jolson. Wearing the trademark 'black face' make-up of the 1920s singer, Baldwin has performed hits such as Mammy all over the world. But now he has felt the wrath of the politically correct brigade, who banned the 75-year-old from ' blacking up' for a show.
The Belgrade Theatre, in Coventry, last week asked him to perform without make-up to avoid causing offence. But angry fans who had paid £18.75 for their tickets left the show feeling conned by the historically inaccurate performance. They criticised the theatre - which receives a £100,000 Arts Council subsidy - for being oversensitive.
John Wray, director of the show's production company AIR, said the theatrical convention of white actors painting their faces with boot polish or grease paint is a key part of Jolson's legacy, adding: 'It's a historical fact and not in any way derogatory.'
The practice of blacking up survived in Britain until 1978 in the Black and White Minstrel Show. But it fell out of favour because it was considered degrading to black people.
Jolson, who died in 1950 aged 64, was the highest-paid comic in America during the Depression. Far from being racist, Jolson, a Jewish immigrant, championed racial equality.
Source
"Pierre Lellouche, a minister with a reputation for a sharp tongue, deeply regretted causing offence by calling British Tories autistic, but he also blamed his interviewer’s poor grasp of French, according to his spokesman.
“Pierre Lellouche fully understands the emotion that has been aroused and bitterly regrets that he may have wounded people,” said Franck Allisio. “The words used obviously do not reflect the substance of his thought and the clumsiness was completely unintended.”
Three words seem to have failed to make a jump into English. The first, and most controversial, was when Mr Lellouche reproached the Conservatives for “a very bizarre sense of autism” in an interview with The Guardian. The word has become popular in recent years in colloquial French to refer to anyone who is stubborn and does not listen. An equivalent in English might be “deaf to” or similar expression.
“In French, the term autistic has been totally trivialised through overuse. President Sarkozy is called autistic every day,” the spokesman said. “I understand that in English that this word could shock. That was a glitch. It was a misunderstanding.”
Source
"Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Whitney Isleib has inadvertently stepped into a Halloween controversy by reportedly dressing up as soon-to-be incarcerated rapper Lil' Wayne in black-face. Photos of the blonde-haired cheerleader turned hip-hop impresario were posted to Facebook and eventually made their way to sports blog Deadspin.com.
"If she wasn't a Dallas cheerleader would it really matter? It's Halloween, you know. You get to go how you want to go" Cowboys fan Laura Pyhrr told CBS 11 Dallas at Sunday's game.
Another fan was less sure. "I'm assuming you would hold yourself up to a higher standard - especially if you're playing for the Cowboys. But wow, not much I can say about that - it speaks for itself" said fan Richard Vasquez.
No one from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders or the team would officially comment, but a team spokesman told us the team is aware of the situation and addressing it internally.
Source
"Matt Barber, Director of Cultural Affairs with both Liberty Counsel and Liberty Alliance Action issued the following statement on News that the left-wing United Church of Christ (UCC) and other quasi-Christian liberal groups are calling for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to officially investigate talk radio and other conservative media outlets in an effort to “put an end” to “hate speech” and so-called "media violence"
“One man’s principled conviction is another man’s ‘hate speech,’” said Barber. “For this reason – to protect the free exchange of ideas – our Founding Fathers gave us the First Amendment. The election of President Obama and the recent passage of so-called ‘hate crimes’ legislation has galvanized the radical homosexual lobby, the pro-amnesty crowd, the quasi-Christian left and other fringe factions. Now, more than ever, they are emboldened to silence all dissent.
“We knew it was merely a matter of time until liberals – to include the Obama administration – would begin using the euphemistic terms ‘hate crimes’ and ‘hate speech’ interchangeably. None of us thought it would happen this fast.
Source
"A student and his girlfriend are furious after being called a 'black couple' on their receipt by staff at a pub. Johnson Abraham, 24, and Roxanne Duhur, 21, claim they were the only couple dining when they received their bill at the Slug And Lettuce in Islington Green, North London.
They ordered at the bar, without a table number, before going upstairs to find a seat. When they went to pay for the meal the comment 'upstairs blk couple' was printed on the bill.
Mr Abraham said: 'I was outraged. They wouldn't have written "white couple". 'They could have found another way to describe us. I don't feel it's appropriate. Mr Abraham complained to Slug and Lettuce area manager Nick O'Donnell, who admitted the words were 'insensitive'.
Source
"The BBC has been accused of double standards after it once again broadcast offensive comments about the Queen. On the latest episode of Have I Got News For You, comedy actor and host Miranda Hart described the monarch and her husband as 'that Greek twit and his Kraut wife'.
The incident follows the panic at the Corporation after Andrew Neil light-heartedly compared MP Diane Abbott to a chocolate HobNob biscuit. On that occasion BBC chiefs, terrified of a race backlash, removed the episode from its websites and iPlayer on-demand service after 15 complaints. But the comments about the Queen have not been removed, despite more than double the number of complaints.
One viewer on the BBC's Points of View message-board said: 'I am very disapproving when the participants make derogatory personal remarks about public figures. 'Some of these verge on hateful racial prejudice for instance Miranda Hart referred to the Queen as a "kraut".'
Source
"Gov. Steve Beshear has angered some Christians with his yuletide terminology. A giant evergreen that will brighten the Capitol lawn this winter won't be called a Christmas tree. Instead, the Beshear administration has dubbed it a "holiday tree."
The Rev. Jeff Fugate, pastor of Clays Mill Baptist Church in Lexington, said Christians find the change troubling. "If you call it a holiday tree," Fugate asked, "which holiday are you talking about? We don't put up a holiday tree for Easter or New Year's or Thanksgiving. We put a tree up for Christmas."
Beshear administration spokeswoman Cindy Lanham said the tree will be in celebration of a variety of winter holidays, including Christmas and Hanukkah.
In Kentucky, political foes are using the issue to bash the Democratic governor and his administration. "Steve Beshear in his continued swing to the left shows that political correctness is more important than Kentucky values," said Republican Senate President David Williams of Burkesville. "It is difficult to see how anyone could take offense at the cherished tradition of Christmas at the Kentucky Capitol."
Source
"He has called some of his Jewish critics ‘slave traders who turned to banking or the entertainment business and now to terror activities’ He once labelled the French president’s chief-of-staff a ‘good little soldier of the Zionist lobby’
In a video circulating on the internet, he appears to attack a ‘yid Zionist lobby’ led by ‘racist liars’. He once appeared on a television show dressed as an Orthodox Nazi-saluting Jew shouting ‘IsraHeil’. In a skit he mimics the Jewish-French philosopher, Bernard-Henri Lévy, haggling with a street potato-seller and says: ‘How can you ask me to pay so much when six million of us died in the Holocaust?’ He apparently declared, in a radio interview, that he has a habit of ripping out the pages in his children’s school books that deal with the Holocaust, which he believes Jewish people exploit for ‘memorial pornography’.
The man in question – and currently in the eye of yet another comedy controversy – is the French comedian Dieudonné. None of this seems very funny to me. But then again, my French is a bit rusty.
The comedian, whose full name is Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala, was last week fined €10,000 for ‘public anti-Semitic insults’ after inviting the notorious revisionist historian and Holocaust denier Robert Faurisson on stage during a stand-up comedy show in Paris last December. In the skit, Faurisson received a spoof award for ‘social unacceptability and insolence’ from an actor dressed in a chequered flannel pyjama with a yellow star sewn on. When the stagehand claims he was made to wear the pyjama because he was meeting Faurisson, Dieudonné replies: ‘No you fool, you’re wearing it because you were in Belsen, it was obligatory!’ The implication is that the foolish stagehand unwittingly reveals to the audience that he is not an authentic Holocaust victim and Dieudonné, pretending to be the award ceremony host, tries to hide the gaffe.
Of Cameroonian and Breton middle-class origins, Dieudonné is known for no-holds-barred satire of racial prejudices. He started his career as part of a comedy double act with Jewish comedian Elie Semoun, who has in recent years distanced himself from Dieudonné. He has had the conscience of the French liberal press in tortured contortions, as he’s caused them to debate, to and fro, where to draw the line between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, what makes a joke drole, and if and where to limit free speech.
As a magazine which does not believe in slapping gags on gags or in fining opinions - and which believes the public can cope with being offended – spiked completely opposes the criminalisation of Dieudonné’s offensive skits.
Firstly, this would be counterproductive, as it is likely to help Dieudonné claim he is some kind of martyred, free-speech warrior. It will also fuel the conspiratorial mindset of Dieudonné’s fans and others with nightmare visions of a nefarious Zionist lobby occupying, not just Gaza and the West Bank, but also the high seats of power where they get to sit around tables dictating the political agenda (why are Zionists so keen on round tables, anyway?).
Secondly, if we let the authorities put a price on Dieudonné’s words, then there is no telling which opinions will be fined into extinction in the future. Already we have seen how a growing culture of offence-taking has led to the watering-down of comedy and has severely limited freedom of expression in other spheres, too....
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"Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington [above] has formally complained to the BBC that it let comedian Frankie Boyle off with 'a slap on the wrist' over jokes that caused her deep hurt. The double gold medal winner at last year's Beijing Olympics has demanded an explanation from the BBC Trust over why it chose not to punish the comic for 'outrageous' slurs that left her 'humiliated'.
During an episode of BBC2's satirical show Mock the Week last year, soon after Miss Adlington's Olympic triumph, Boyle said she resembled 'someone looking at themselves in the back of a spoon' and followed up with sexual innuendo.
The comments sparked 75 complaints, but although the BBC Trust criticised 37-year-old Boyle and agreed that his remarks were unfair and offensive it took no further action such as barring him from its programmes for a period....
Miss Adlington's manager Rob Woodhouse said last night: 'The BBC needs to take more responsibility for the people it employs to ensure that they uphold the highest of standards. To say what Frankie Boyle did about Rebecca, who was only 19 at the time, was disgusting....
The BBC Trust said last night it had received Miss Adlington's letter and would consider it, but added: 'At this stage we have no plans to review the finding'.
Source
"INDIANAPOLIS: Two American high school girls have sued their school district after they were punished for posting sexually suggestive photos on MySpace during their summer holiday.
The American Civil Liberties Union, in a federal lawsuit filed last week on behalf of the girls, argues that Churubusco High School violated the girls' free speech rights when it banned them from extracurricular activities for a joke that didn't involve the school. They say the district humiliated the girls by requiring them to apologise to an all-male coaches' board and undergo counseling.
Some child advocates argue that schools should play a role in monitoring students' behaviour, especially when dealing with minors. And the US Supreme Court has ruled that students can be disciplined for activities that happen outside of school, so long as the school can prove the activities were disruptive or posed a danger and that it was foreseeable the activities would find their way to campus.
In the Indiana case, the ACLU argues that the district and Churubusco Principal Austin Couch went too far in banning the two students from sports, requiring them to apologise to the all-male coaches' board and undergo counselling after the photographs were circulated at school.
The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Fort Wayne, names Couch, the high school and the district as defendants and seeks unspecified damages. No hearing has been scheduled.
ACLU legal director Ken Falk insists the Churubusco case doesn't warrant the punishment the district handed out. "We all did things when we were sophomores in high school that can be construed as immature or problematic or whatever, but that is not the issue here," he said. "The issue is what possible impact this could have on the school environment, and the answer is none."
The girls, identified only by their initials in the suit, took the photos during a sleepover with friends before school started this summer and posted them on their MySpace pages, setting the privacy controls so only those designated as friends could view them. In the photos, the girls wore lingerie and pretended to lick a penis-shaped lollipop. None of the photos made any reference to the school.
The ACLU argues that the Indiana case is different. They say the photos were a joke intended to be shared only with friends. It wants the school district to expunge all references to the incident from school records and seeks to bar the school from taking similar action in the future.
Palfrey, of Harvard, said schools have a right to regulate students' online behaviour but said the court will have to decide whether the students' First Amendment rights were violated.
Source
"Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund have obtained a settlement from officials with the Rapid City Area School District in a lawsuit involving a pro-life group’s request to use a school auditorium for an after-school meeting. In 2008, ADF filed suit against the school district after it denied Citizens for Life access to school facilities even though it allowed other groups to meet.
“Pro-life groups shouldn’t be discriminated against for their beliefs. They have the same First Amendment rights as anyone else in America,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Byron Babione. “We’re pleased with the school district’s decision to amend its previous policy and their commitment to honor the constitutional right of Citizens for Life to have equal access to public facilities.”
In August 2006, Citizens for Life President Allen Carlson requested permission for the group to meet at Dakota Middle School’s auditorium to host a pro-life speaker. The school denied the request without providing a reason. In June 2007, a subsequent request by Carlson to host another pro-life discussion was also denied after school officials said the group’s message was “too controversial.”
In settling the case, Citizens for Life v. Rapid City Area School District, the school district agreed to amend the policy governing the public’s use of the facilities. The previous policy permitted other community groups to use the facilities for similar meetings but restricted use for certain political and religious purposes thus allowing school officials too much latitude in deciding which groups may use buildings for meetings.
“We appreciate the efforts of the school district in working with us to create an even-handed policy,” said ADF allied attorney Stephen Wesolick, also representing Citizens for Life. “We hope other school districts will follow Rapid City School District’s lead in ensuring that the constitutional rights of all community groups are protected.”
Source
"Charities say fashion trend where women pay thousands of dollars for ripped and threadbare clothes inspired by the homeless and destitute is "cruel and manipulative".
Inspired by the homeless and destitute, designer hobo collections feature faded, ripped and threadbare pieces many charity shops would consider un-sellable - but fashion victims are paying thousands for them.
The shabby-chic look has been embraced by the likes of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Taylor Momsen and Sienna Miller, who wore a $25,000 dress with holes and an unfinished hemline to the premiere of her Broadway play After Miss Julie.
Designers are unapologetic.
Source
"If Saturday’s game against USC finishes without any racially charged incidents from the student body, it will not be much of a surprise. It probably hadn’t occurred to many students that calling for a blackout at Autzen — that is, wearing black clothing to the game — could have implied anything else.
University senior Austin Berry started a Facebook group called “Autzen Blackout” to encourage the crowd to dress in black at the USC game on Halloween. He said he had seen the unity that dressing in coordinated colors brought Boise State fans on Sept. 3 and wanted to inspire the same for the Ducks.
The Bias Response Team, part of the University’s Office of Student Life, pre-empted the plan with concerns that students could replicate racially insensitive behaviors exhibited at other schools when there were calls for a “blackout,” most notably Oregon State University in 2007 when students wore afro wigs, black face paint and gold chains.
That certainly was not what Berry, whose father is black, had intended. It’s hard to believe any reasonable person would have interpreted the instructions that way, at least before the idea appeared on the front pages of two newspapers and was featured on television news in Eugene and Portland.
After conversations with representatives from the Office of Student Life, Berry changed the name of his Facebook group to “Lights-Out Autzen, Wear Black vs USC on Halloween Night,” an innocuous enough change. More bizarre, however, was the request he add quotations to the phrase “black clothing.” If there is any way to add a racial subtext to this event, the partial quotes seem to be the way to do it. Instructions to wear black clothing say to wear clothing that is black. Instructions to wear “black clothing” seems to add a wink at something else entirely. Punctuation matters.
Source
"After the 2007 amnesty failed in the Senate, the open borders crowd decided to forego policy debates and turn up to 11 their efforts to demonize their opponents. As part of that strategy, the Southern Poverty Law Center was assigned to designate FAIR a "hate group," La Raza started a "We Can Stop the Hate" campaign, and the new radical-left group America's Voice posted an online election for the "Top Anti-Immigrant Wolf" (vote for me!).
But the chief target of this two-year hate has been Lou Dobbs. The "Drop Dobbs" campaign, to get CNN to fire the only anchor on their network whose show anyone watches, is sponsored by — surprise! — La Raza, the SPLC, Media Matters, LULAC, et al. Last Wednesday, October 21, saw a series of coordinated protests by open-borders groups in cities around the country. The following day, Geraldo Rivera said in a speech that the opponents of amnesty have been "reckless beyond imagining" and that Dobbs in particular "is almost singlehandedly responsible for creating, for being the architect of the young-Latino-as-scapegoat for everything that ails this country."
Well, their efforts are starting to pay off. No, CNN hasn't decided to fire Dobbs (which would cause them to drop behind the Hallmark Channel in viewership). Instead, someone fired a shot at Dobbs's house. As reported today by Fox News (!), a shot was fired on October 5 at Dobbs's home while he and his (Mexican-American) wife were out front; New Jersey State Police took the bullet for analysis.
Whatever you think of Dobbs's schtick, he's always clear that his fulminating is about illegal immigration. He's not even a restrictionist, for heaven's sake, having said a number of times that he favors increased legal immigration. But the open-borders crowd believes — sincerely believes — that there can be no legitimate arguments against amnesty and for enforcement, so anyone taking those positions must, by definition, be evil. This is not a prescription for a healthy policy debate.
Source
"The possibility of death is what makes the Duke of Edinburgh Award popular, Prince Edward said yesterday while commenting on an Australian schoolboy's agonising death while lost in the bush. Edward's comments have made him a target for the British press who are comparing him to his gaffe-prone father, Prince Philip.
In an interview with The Australian yesterday Prince Edward was asked about Sydney schoolboy David Iredale, who died in December 2006 in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Iredale was on a bushwalk he undertook without supervision as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Award, a program that rewards young people for doing outdoor challenges.
The Queen's youngest son who is seventh in line to the British throne and chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, said the scheme remains popular because it offers the possibility of deadly danger.
The Prince said he was not aware of the circumstances of the Iredale case, but recounted that when a young man died while participating in a Duke of Edinburgh activity in Britain in the program's early years, interest in the scheme soared. "All the trustees were convinced that (the boy's death) was the end of it, that it would never go any further," Prince Edward said. "And Lord Hunt, the man who masterminded the first successful ascent of Everest and was first director of the award, said: 'No, no, no, do nothing ... Just wait and see."'
The prince recalled that, in the days following the death, the number of inquiries from young people wanting to learn more about the award and how they could get involved skyrocketed. "And he (Lord Hunt) said, 'There you go, that's typical young people'," Prince Edward said.
Source
" A Michigan man has filed a federal lawsuit claiming his constitutional rights were violated when he was ordered to remove a Nativity scene from the median of a public road — a creche that his family has displayed at the location for 63 years.
John Satawa, of Warren, Mich., filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Friday in an attempt to be allowed to put back the 8- by 8-foot Nativity scene his late father built in 1945.
After receiving a complaint by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation last December, the Road Commission of Macomb County told Satawa to remove the holiday display, citing incomplete permits. Satawa's permit application was later denied because it "clearly displays a religious message" and violated "separation of church and state," Macomb County Highway Engineer Robert Hoepfner wrote....
The Thomas More Law Center filed the lawsuit on Satawa's behalf, alleging the Road Commission's restriction violates his First Amendment rights and equal protection guarantee under the Fourteenth Amendment. "We're very confident," Rooney said. "We believe the law of the Constitution is on our side."
Source
"Its irreverent take on the week's best political stories rarely raises an eyebrow outside the Westminster village. But BBC1 show This Week threw bosses into a panic yesterday after host Andrew Neil light-heartedly compared [black] MP Diane Abbott to a chocolate HobNob biscuit.
Corporation chiefs, terrified of a race backlash, immediately removed all trace of the episode from its websites and iPlayer on-demand service following 15 complaints from viewers.
But the move has infuriated licence fee payers, many of whom have flooded message boards demanding to know why the programme has been taken off the site earlier than usual.
Last night, politicians and lobby groups accused the BBC of being ' institutionally politically correct' and ' paranoid'. Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe said: 'The BBC are totally paranoid about some things and utterly dismissive of other incidents. 'I only wish that they would take such a hard line against swearing, rather than things like this.'
The episode - which was broadcast immediately after BNP leader Nick Griffin's controversial appearance on Question Time last Thursday - opened with Neil joking about Gordon Brown's favourite biscuit with co-hosts Miss Abbott and Michael Portillo.... Neil went on to compare the panelists as types of biscuit, saying: 'Here we have our very own chocolate HobNob and custard cream - Diane Abbott and Michael Portillo.'
MP John Whittingdale, chair of the media select committee, said the corporation had 'completely overreacted' and called for the missing show to be reinstated online. 'Nobody could seriously believe calling Diane Abbott a chocolate HobNob and Michael Portillo a custard cream to be racist,' he added.
Vivienne Pattison, director of lobby group Mediawatch, said: 'There was also the offensive remarks made about the Queen on Mock The Week recently, which was much worse but was allowed to go out.
Source
"A Florida man says he was fired from his job at The Home Depot for wearing an American flag pin that said ‘One nation under God, indivisible.’ Trevor Keezer, 20, said he had worn the button ever since he started working at the home improvement retailer 19 months ago. He said it was his way of supporting U.S. troops, the Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. Keezer, whose brother Army Spc. Steven Keezer Jr. is set to return to Iraq in December, said none of his supervisors had anything negative to say about the pin until last month when he began bringing his Bible to work, the paper reported.”
Source
"ESPN broadcaster Bob Griese has been suspended one week for a remark he made about NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya. ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz says Griese will not be working a game this week.
Krulewitz says ESPN has spoken to Griese and "he understands the comment was inappropriate." During ESPN's broadcast of the Minnesota-Ohio State game Saturday, a graphic was shown listing the top five drivers in NASCAR's points race. Fellow analyst Chris Spielman asked where was Montoya, who is Colombian. Griese replied he was "out having a taco."
He has twice apologized on air for the remark.
Source
"Britain's Prince Philip has reportedly made one of his notorious gaffes by joking with a British-Indian business leader about his name, a newspaper said.
During a reception at Buckingham Palace for some 400 influential British Indians, the husband of the Queen greeted Atul Patel by glancing at his name tag and saying: "There's a lot of your family in tonight."
According to The Sun newspaper, the comment appeared to suggest that all Patels are related. Patel is a common Indian surname, and there are an estimated 670,000 Patels living in Britain, the tabloid said.
A spokesman for Patel, who is chief executive of leading housing association the LHA-Asra group, said no offence was taken by the remark. "Absolutely no offence was taken at all by Atul. It was taken in a very light hearted way," the spokesman told the newspaper....
The prince's comment was condemned by Republic, a group campaigning to abolish the monarchy, as "deeply embarrassing"...
The 88-year-old prince is well known for undiplomatic off-hand remarks, which have included:
- "Still throwing spears?" (a question to an Australian Aborigine during a 2002 visit)
- "You managed not to get eaten, then?" (to a student who had been trekking in Papua New Guinea, 1998).
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"US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has come out strongly against laws around the world that make religious defamation a crime, saying freedom of speech and religion should be equally upheld. "Some claim that the best way to protect the freedom of religion is to implement so-called 'anti-defamation' policies that would restrict freedom of expression and the freedom of religion," she said on presenting a department report on religious freedom.
"I strongly disagree. The United States will always ... stand against discrimination and persecution ... But an individual's ability to practice his or her religion has no bearing on others' freedom of speech," Clinton said.
"The protection of speech about religion is particularly important since persons of different faith will inevitably hold divergent views on religious questions. These differences should be met with tolerance, not with the suppression of discourse," she added.
In a draft resolution adopted last month by the UN Human Rights Council, Egypt and the United States raised concerns over the rise of "negative racial and religious stereotyping of religions and racial groups" around the world. The resolution, which the European Union and Latin America criticized for touching on the thorny issue of religious defamation, "condemns ... any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence".
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"Supermarket giant Coles will change the name of an in-house brand of biscuits amid claims it is racist. Coles spokesman Jim Cooper said the name of the "You'll Love Coles" brand of chocolate and vanilla biscuits, called Creole Creams, will be changed as part of the company-wide rebranding of Coles products. The name change comes on the back of claims of racism. In one of its definitions, Oxford says Creole is "a person of mixed European and black descent".
Sam Watson, the deputy director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland, told brisbanetimes.com.au yesterday: "The word Creole comes from a period when people's humanity was measured by the amount of white blood they had in their bloodstream. This is the same kind of thought that underpinned horrific regimes like the Nazis."
But Mr Cooper today disputed the racist claims and said the name Creole Creams referred to the "well-known Creole cuisine style that originated in the US".
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"Police officers in the UK have been told to avoid using the classic "Evenin' all" greeting because it may confuse ethnic minorities. Warwickshire Police's handbook 'Policing Our Communities', issued to every member of its staff, gives advice on communicating with people from different ethnic groups in a section entitled 'Communication, Some Do's & Don'ts'.
It states: 'Don't assume those words for the time of day, such as afternoon or evening have the same meaning.' A force spokesman said: 'Terms such as 'afternoon' and 'evening' are somewhat subjective in meaning and can vary according to a person's culture or nationality.
'The point is there is an element of subjectivity leading to a variation between cultures that we need to be aware of - taking steps as far as possible to ensure our communication is effective in serving the public.'
In another section entitled 'Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Communities' the force's handbook confusingly states that the phrase 'lesbians and gay men' is likely to be satisfactory for most situations when talking about sexual orientation.
But it says 'homosexual' is 'best avoided' as the word is 'interpreted differently by many, and relates to sexual practice as opposed to sexual orientation.'
Following a Freedom of Information request to police forces and fire services about the guidance they give their staff on their use of language, it has also emerged that a number of organisations, including Essex Police and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, instruct staff to avoid the phrases 'child, youth or youngster.' This is because such phrases could have 'connotations of inexperience, impetuosity, and unreliability or even dishonesty'.
The same guide also warns against the phrases 'manning the phones', 'layman's terms' and 'the tax man', for 'making women invisible'. London Fire Brigade instructs its staff not to use the terms 'businessmen' or 'housewives' because they 'reinforce outdated stereotypes'.
Marie Clair of the Plain English Campaign said: 'Those writing these guides are over-analysing things. It's political correctness gone crazy. 'I feel sorry for the poor emergency service workers who have grown up in a country where the words they being told not to use are familiar and part of every day language. 'Is anyone really going to be confused by 'evening'? And if you can't say what a lovely afternoon it is, what are you meant to say - what a lovely 3pm?
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"The University of Mississippi has shortened one of its fight songs to discourage football fans from chanting "the South will rise again" during part of the tune, which critics say is an offensive reminder of the region's intolerant past.
However, some fans have continued to recite the chant at the end of the song, "From Dixie With Love," despite the change made last week at the chancellor's request. The Ole Miss band performs the medley before and after games.
Dan Jones, who became Ole Miss chancellor in July, said he asked the school's band director, David Wilson, to modify the song to support the efforts of the Associated Student Body. He said he has received complaints from alumni that the slogan is offensive.
The modified version of the song ends abruptly before the chanting phase starts. It was first played Saturday at Ole Miss's homecoming game against the University of Alabama at Birmingham, but that didn't stop some fans from chanting.
Brian Ferguson, 26, head of the Colonel Reb Foundation, said he views the university actions as an attempt to silence students.
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"The University of Minnesota is apologizing after its Goldy Gopher mascot poked fun at a Penn State football player who was praying before last week's game.
A video made before Saturday's game at State College shows Penn State defensive end Jerome Hayes kneeling in prayer in the end zone. Goldy Gopher kneels in front of Hayes, according to the video posted on YouTube. When Hayes stands up, so does Goldy. The mascot tries to make some contact, but Hayes ignores him and trots back to the bench.
Minnesota spokesman Dan Wolter says the stunt was "plainly a mistake" and the mascot didn't intend to offend anyone or trivialize religion.
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"Swedish politician Jimmie Åkesson has been charged with “hate speech” for writing an opinion piece in which he calls Islam the biggest threat to his country since World War II. In piece published in Swedish daily Aftonbladet, the Sweden Democrats leader writes that his country has the most rapes per capita in Europe, and most of the perpetrators are Muslim. Åkesson also claims that ten Muslim terrorist groups have established cells in Sweden.
According to Åkesson, “today’s multicultural Swedish power-elite are totally blind to the dangers of Islam.” “As a Sweden Democrat, I see this as our greatest external threat since World War II and I promise to use all my power to change the trend during next year’s election,” he writes.
Many Left-wing political players have called for the prosecution of Åkesson on “hate speech” charges, including Jan Hjärpe, an emeritus professor of Islamic Studies at Lund University. “This is the same sort of propaganda as the Nazis’ anti-Semitism,” says Hjärpe. [Really?? Then it was true what Hitler said about the Jews??]
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"In an opinion piece published Oct. 18 by The Times and Democrat newspaper, Bamberg County GOP Chairman Edwin Merwin and Orangeburg County Chairman James Ulmer defended the fiscal policies of U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, by saying he was "like Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves."
"Their apology is a first step, but it doesn't go far enough," said Bill Nigut, ADL Southeast Regional Director. "Stereotypes about Jews' facility with money have survived through generations and have been inculcated into our culture. Mr. Merwin and Mr. Ulmer need to better understand the impact of their words, and how those words will resonate and reinforce anti-Semitism."
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"The Obama administration on Thursday failed in its attempt to exclude Fox News from participating in an interview of an administration official, as Republicans on Capitol Hill stepped up their criticism of the hardball tactics employed by the White House.
The Treasury Department on Thursday tried to make "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg available for interviews to every member of the network pool except Fox News. The pool is the five-network rotation that for decades has shared the costs and duties of daily coverage of the presidency and other Washington institutions.
But the Washington bureau chiefs of the five TV networks consulted and decided that none of their reporters would interview Feinberg unless Fox News was included. The pool informed Treasury that Fox News, as a member of the network pool, could not be excluded from such interviews under the rules of the pool.
The administration relented, making Feinberg available for all five pool members and Bloomberg TV.
The pushback came after White House senior adviser David Axelrod told ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday that Fox News is not a real news organization and other news networks "ought not to treat them that way."
Media analysts cheered the decision to boycott the Feinberg interview unless Fox News was included, saying the administration's gambit was taking its feud with Fox News too far. President Obama has already declined to go on "Fox News Sunday," even while appearing on the other Sunday shows.
"I'm really cheered by the other members saying "No, if Fox can't be part of it, we won't be part of it,'" said Baltimore Sun TV critic David Zurawik, calling the move to limit Feinberg's availability "outrageous." "What it's really about to me is the Executive Branch of the government trying to tell the press how it should behave. I mean, this democracy -- we know this -- only works with a free and unfettered press to provide information," he said.
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"Traditionally, members of the nation’s veterans service organizations have rendered the hand-salute during the national anthem and at events involving the national flag only while wearing their organization’s official head-gear.The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 contained an amendment to allow un-uniformed servicemembers, military retirees, and veterans to render a hand salute during the hoisting, lowering, or passing of the U.S. flag. A later amendment further authorized hand-salutes during the national anthem by veterans and out-of-uniform military personnel. This was included in the Defense Authorization Act of 2009, which President Bush signed on Oct. 14, 2008.
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"Silvio Berlusconi was accused of spurning a chance to help the Middle East peace process last night after apparently snubbing the King of Jordan in favour of a party with his old friend Vladimir Putin.
Opposition politicians in Rome demanded to know why the Prime Minister had cancelled a meeting with King Abdullah, choosing instead to fly to St Petersburg to discuss energy projects between Russia and the EU — and, it was alleged, to attend a private party in honour of Mr Putin’s 57th birthday on October 7. La Repubblica newspaper reported that Mr Berlusconi would “carry fine wines” as a gift for Mr Putin.
More HERE
"McGillion said Friday a woman sent an e-mail to a team official this week claiming Tynan made the remark while the woman was being shown an apartment in the building where he lives.
The real estate agent reportedly said to Tynan, "They are not Red Sox fans." He responded: "As long as they're not Jewish."
In an e-mail to the AP, Tynan said he'd previously spoken to the real estate agent about two Jewish women who had looked at the apartment and "how scary for them it would be for living next to me with my music and singing."
Tynan confirmed his remark to the team official but said he was joking, McGillion said, and the Yankees severed ties with him.
Tynan said Saturday the woman, Gabrielle Gold-von Simson, a doctor at New York University, accepted his apology and that he made a contribution to the charity, KiDs of NYU.
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"Emmis Austin Radio has suspended Jason Alvarez and Deb O’Keefe, hosts of the 101x morning show on 101.5 FM. Alvarez and O'Keefe were suspended for one week after they used suggestive and insulting words on the air.
Alvarez and O'Keefe were remarking on ways that Zilker Park could be cleaned up after ACL festival. Heavy rains soaked the new grass at the park during the festival which led to mudpits. O'Keefe was heard over the air making a several comments about hiring "wet vacs" to clean up the mess. Listners called in to complain about the use of the word.
On Wednesday Emmis released the following statement about the suspension: "The Jason & Deb morning show, on 101X Tuesday morning, were discussing a news item about the problems at Zilker Park with the mud after ACL. During that discussion they did not use any slur, but they did make foolish and ugly comments for which we sincerely apologize. They suggested getting a big squeegee or a wet vac. They then repeated the wet vac suggestion in some suggestive and insulting ways. As a result, they were suspended immediately for one week..."
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"Silvio Berlusconi's cutting remark about a female rival's lack of beauty has stirred a rare public backlash from thousands of Italian women who had largely kept silent about the Prime Minister's womanising and sex scandals. About 97,000 Italian women have signed the "Women offended by the premier" appeal after Berlusconi told the matronly, bespectacled leftist Rosy Bindi [below] that she was "more beautiful than intelligent" in a swipe at both her looks and brains...
Still, pollsters say that without a credible political rival to challenge him, the feminist backlash will do little to lower Berlusconi's support among conservative women voters - even if they may be less enthusiastic about him than before.
"Berlusconi has not changed his approach to women and it's not the first time he has made such comments about women," said Maurizio Pessato of the SWG polling group. "It's likely that some of the women already against him were spurred into action since the remark was so harsh, but others are used to this. We're in the phase where those supporting him continue to do so, and those against him are markedly so."
Another pollster, Luigi Crespi, said some female Berlusconi supporters may be disillusioned, but not enough to switch sides. In a country where few batted an eyelid when former showgirl Mara Carfagna [below] became equality minister and scantily-clad women are the mainstay on TV, especially channels owned by Berlusconi, his comments on women have so far triggered little outrage...A slightly different picture of Signorina Carfagna here
worksafe
For his part, Berlusconi has offered a half-hearted apology and brushed it off as a "joke" in a "moment of disappointment", prompting Bindi to say he had only aggravated the situation.
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"The Facebook poke is possibly one of the most pointless,facebook annoying features of any social network to date. And apparently, it can land you in jail for nearly 12 months with a possible fine of $2500.
Shannon Jackson, 36, of Tennessee learned that the hard way when she was arrested on September 25. Jackson allegedly broke an order of protection against another woman when she decided to poke her on Facebook. The order of protection stated that she wasn't to make any form of contact -- pokes included. The Tennessean reports that she was sent to county jail with a bond of $1500 and is scheduled to appear in court on October 28.
The real crime is that Jackson failed to read Christopher Null's Facebook Etiquette guide, which clearly states: "No pokes. If you are over the age of 16, don't ‘poke' people -- seriously."
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