The Off Topic Topic

[11B4V]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMhw5MFYU0s

Dog fails

[CountDeMoney]

The Corgi faceplant on the beach was great. 

[Ed Anger]

Holy shit, Lego mindstorms are 350 bucks a set.

[jimmy olsen]

Well that's the nerdiest thing I have seen this week.

If it was really nerdy, that muzzle loader would be made of wood and steel and be a wheel lock.

[celedhring]

God, why the whole world is going to this shitty place all of a sudden? 

India Makes it Mandatory for National Anthem to Be Played in Theaters

Theaters in India will be required to play the national anthem before screenings in a Supreme Court ruling designed to foster "love and respect of the motherland."

Playing the national anthem in cinemas was first made mandatory in 1962 when India fought a war with China, but the practice was discontinued by the seventies. However, a couple of states such as Maharashtra - of which film hub Mumbai is the capital – still enforced the rule. The latest court order now makes it mandatory for the rule to be enforced nationwide.

"When the national anthem is played, it is imperative for everyone to show honor and respect," the Supreme Court stated in its ruling adding, "It would instill a sense of committed patriotism and nationalism." The court also said that the rule be enforced within ten days.

The ruling has divided opinion while making front page news here Thursday with the topic also creating a buzz on social media. Director Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth) tweeted, "Hope Supreme Court orders Indian Parliament to sing our national anthem before each session. Often its drama too is movie like."

Best-selling author Chetan Bhagat, who has seen some of his books such as Five Point Someone being turned into hit Bollywood films, called the ruling "ridiculous" and posted a tweet stating, "Why not national anthem before every TV program? Before every play? Why not sing the national anthem before having sex?"

But some welcomed the move such as actress Nimrat Kaur, whose international credits include Homeland and Wayward Pines. "I think it's a great thing for the kids to be a part of," Kaur told the Hindustan Times, adding. "It's something that is inherent to us and we should all be proud of it. It's a great decision."

Meanwhile, the Multiplex Association of India president Deepak Asher told THR that further details and guidelines are still awaited "as to when the national anthem is to be played, before commercials and trailers or right before the main feature."

[Syt]

As the world keeps integrating and growing closer, people fear for their identity and not being part of the winners of the changes or losing control of their lives. Turning inwards in an attempt to ward off outside influences, to retain a sense of identity and (illusion of) control seems a natural reaction, though I don't think it's viable in the long run, considering that many major challenges are transcending borders (from economic ties to climate change to terrorism).

[Valmy]

God, why the whole world is going to this shitty place all of a sudden? 

The best part is the Indian national anthem is written in a minority language only 10% of the country understands.

Why not sing the national anthem before having sex?

Huh. Doesn't everybody do that already?

[Duque de Bragança]

At least, the anthem will be shorter than the awfully long Bollywood movies.

[Josquius]

Why not sing the national anthem before having sex?

Huh. Doesn't everybody do that already?

"I hereby claim this vagina in the name of her majesty the queen!"

[garbon]

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/nov/30/breitbart-news-kelloggs-advertising-boycott-alt-right

Breitbart declares war on Kellogg's after cereal brand pulls advertising from site

The right-wing news site Breitbart has declared "#WAR" on Kellogg's, calling for a boycott of the cereal company's products after they decided to cease advertising on the site.

On Tuesday, the Kellogg Company pulled their adverts from the site, saying that it wasn't "aligned with our values". Recent inflammatory stories include "Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive And Crazy"; "Data: Young Muslims In The West Are A Ticking Time-Bomb" and "Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism Or Cancer?".

"We regularly work with our media-buying partners to ensure our ads do not appear on sites that aren't aligned with our values as a company," Kris Charles, a spokeswoman for Kellogg's, told Bloomberg. "We recently reviewed the list of sites where our ads can be placed and decided to discontinue advertising on Breitbart.com. We are working to remove our ads from that site."

Other companies have pulled ads from the site, including Allstate, Nest, EarthLink, Warby Parker, SoFi and the investment group Vanguard. Many did not realise they were advertising on Breitbart because their campaigns are run through automated systems which distribute ads across a large network of sites.

In response to Kellogg's statement, Breitbart published a furious attack on the cereal company on Wednesday saying that the move represents "an escalation in the war by leftist companies ... against conservative customers". Editor-in-chief Alexander Marlow called for a boycott of the company's products, saying: "For Kellogg's, an American brand, to blacklist Breitbart News in order to placate left-wing totalitarians is a disgraceful act of cowardice."

Breitbart News, founded in 2007 by conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart, rose swiftly to prominence in the last year as it became what its former chairman Stephen Bannon – now senior advisor to the president-elect – called "the platform for the alt-right", a far-right political movement with links to white supremacist organizations.

"They insult our incredibly diverse staff and spit in the face of our 45,000,000 highly engaged, highly perceptive, highly loyal readers, many of whom are Kellogg's customers," said Marlow, whose publication ran a story in 2015 with the headline Hoist It High And Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims A Glorious Heritage.

"Boycotting Breitbart News for presenting mainstream American ideas is an act of discrimination and intense prejudice," he added. "If you serve Kellogg's products to your family, you are serving up bigotry at your breakfast table."

The article ends with a list of Kellogg's products followed by the phrase "Kellogg's: #WAR" and a link to advertise with the site.

Kellogg's decision to pull its ads coincided with a campaign by Twitter user Sleeping Giants to pressure firms to drop their ads from Breitbart. Sleeping Giants is now receiving support from a likeminded online campaign to persuade consumers to boycott the Trump brand and any retailers carrying their products, organized around the hashtag #GrabYourWallet.

The targeting of advertisers recalls a similar campaign perpetrated against the now-defunct Gawker Media by the Gamergate movement which Breitbart vocally supported. Breitbart technology editor and "alt-right" darling Milo Yiannopoulos wrote at the time to chastise Gawker for not "apologizing for the tone of its coverage and the language of its writers".

Representatives for Kellogg's and Breitbart News did not respond to requests for comment.

That's rich.

[Valmy]

Breitbart seems to be under the impression that everybody actually agrees with them and only pretends to reject their ideas to kowtow to establishment overlords. How bizarre. That must be the echo-chamber effect at full power.

[derspiess]

That must be the echo-chamber effect at full power.

Languish is a better example

[Valmy]

That must be the echo-chamber effect at full power.

Languish is a better example

Is it? We are not actually under the impression most people agree with us. I am pretty sure I would be digitally lynched in most venues if I said what I say here out on twitter or whatever.

[frunk]

That must be the echo-chamber effect at full power.

Languish is a better example

Feel free to break the echo chamber and let us know what we are missing.

[Barrister]

That must be the echo-chamber effect at full power.

Languish is a better example

Feel free to break the echo chamber and let us know what we are missing.

The wonders that are pleated pants.