The Off Topic Topic

[Zanza]

Two people were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder for killing a third person in a crash during an illegal roadrace on the streets of Berlin.

So I guess they've been: auto-bahnned?

Yes, lifetime deprivation of driver's license.

[Syt]

If they had been caugh racing at those speeds, but no one had been hurt, they would have received nowhere near the punishment. Losing the license, sure, but overall more like a slap on the wrist by comparison.

[Zanza]

Mind the law of constructive murder is still on the books.  In somewhat different circumstances in an extremely high-profile local case the judge found an accused guilty of murder because he killed a couple in the course of robbing them.  Both Crown (very gently) and defence (with great fury) had to tell the judge he couldn't do that - those provisions had been struck down almost 25 years ago.

I think killing someone while committing a robbery is always considered a murder here, but there are also specific sections in the law dealing with "robbery causing death" or so.

Murder
(1) Whosoever commits murder under the conditions of this provision shall be liable to imprisonment for life.
(2) A murderer under this provision is any person who kills a person for pleasure, for sexual gratification, out of greed or otherwise base motives, by stealth or cruelly or by means that pose a danger to the public or in order to facilitate or to cover up another offence.

[Zanza]

[Josquius]

I'm currently reading the Diamond Age. A science fiction novel from 1995.
Nornally 1995 would be recent enough that the book not be outdated. And in many ways it isnt.
However. It has the misfortune of being set in Shanghai.

Reading this book I can't help but wonder whether people in the Chinese government have read it. It's silly, but it almost seems like they've purposefully gone out of their way to render the book wrong.
They've demolished the historic parts of the city,  Pudong has become mega developed. Outside of Shanghai they're putting big efforts into developing the centre of China (the China in the book seems to have split into two, a privileged coastal China and a warlord riven ecological disaster China-proper.

[Barrister]

Depeche Mode is putting on a concert in Edmonton in October.  Was a huge fan back in the day.  I generally despise seeing concerts of bands decades removed from their prime, and I haven't been to a concert in 20 years, but this has me tempted...

Of course I don't know a soul who would want to go to that show with me either, but maybe I just suck it up and go by myself...

[CountDeMoney]

Depeche Mode is putting on a concert in Edmonton in October.  Was a huge fan back in the day.  I generally despise seeing concerts of bands decades removed from their prime, and I haven't been to a concert in 20 years, but this has me tempted...

Of course I don't know a soul who would want to go to that show with me either, but maybe I just suck it up and go by myself...

My sister dragged my nieces to The Cure last summer; youngest one said from a distance they all looked like sad, chubby mimes.  Told her they looked like that up close, too.

[Barrister]

Depeche Mode is putting on a concert in Edmonton in October.  Was a huge fan back in the day.  I generally despise seeing concerts of bands decades removed from their prime, and I haven't been to a concert in 20 years, but this has me tempted...

Of course I don't know a soul who would want to go to that show with me either, but maybe I just suck it up and go by myself...

My sister dragged my nieces to The Cure last summer; youngest one said from a distance they all looked like sad, chubby mimes.  Told her they looked like that up close, too.

DM would be second only to The Cure in my teenage fan-dom.  But the Cure I at least saw live back in 1996, when Robert Smith wasn't quite so portly... (I still have the t-shirt back in the recesses of my closet).

Did your sister at least say it was a worthwhile concert?

[The Larch]

Depeche Mode is putting on a concert in Edmonton in October.  Was a huge fan back in the day.  I generally despise seeing concerts of bands decades removed from their prime, and I haven't been to a concert in 20 years, but this has me tempted...

Of course I don't know a soul who would want to go to that show with me either, but maybe I just suck it up and go by myself...

A friend of mine, huge fan of them, went to see them live a couple of years ago or so and said that they were still great to see perform, so feel free to fall to temptation.

[Liep]

I'm in Saint Petersburg and the bartender in this pub is wearing a pink cap with a Pepe logo. Also next door the restaurant serves a Trump Tower burger.

[Jacob]

I'm in Saint Petersburg and the bartender in this pub is wearing a pink cap with a Pepe logo. Also next door the restaurant serves a Trump Tower burger.

St. Petersburg in Russia? Or one of the ones in the US?

[mongers]

I'm in Saint Petersburg and the bartender in this pub is wearing a pink cap with a Pepe logo. Also next door the restaurant serves a Trump Tower burger.

St. Petersburg in Russia? Or one of the ones in the US?

I'd have thought he'd have said St. Petersburg, Florida if he meant the latter.

[Ed Anger]

Took my Trazodone and I am tripping balls right now.

[sbr]

I had some time to kill this afternoon so went and had a couple of beers.  As usual at 3PM there was a drunk old guy who became my BFF as soon as I walked in. After chatting for a bit it turns out his wife was my French teacher in middle school ~35 years ago.

[Eddie Teach]

"This video has been removed for violating YouTube's policy on hate speech."