In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

Let's start out with some fun news: These Ghostbuster character posters are FUCKING AMAZING! Omgomgomg!

[Content Note: Violence; silencing; covers next three paragraphs] And now on to what tops the news all day every day—some more fuckery from Donald Trump: "During a Friday-morning interview with Donald Trump, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough was baffled by the Republican front-runner's embrace of Russian President Vladimir Putin. ...'Well, I mean, it's also a person who kills journalists, political opponents, and invades countries. Obviously that would be a concern, would it not?' Scarborough asked. 'He's running his country, and at least he's a leader,' Trump replied. 'Unlike what we have in this country.'"

Okay, let's just stop right there for a moment to process that Trump just said that Vladimir Putin is a better leader than Barack Obama. Jesus Jones.

Continuing: "But again: He kills journalists that don't agree with him,' Scarborough said. The Republican presidential front-runner said there was 'a lot of killing going on' around the world and then suggested that Scarborough had asked him a different question. 'I think our country does plenty of killing, also, Joe, so, you know,' Trump replied. 'There's a lot of stupidity going on in the world right now, Joe. A lot of killing going on. A lot of stupidity. And that's the way it is. But you didn't ask me [that] question, you asked me a different question. So that's fine.' Scarborough was left visibly stunned. 'I'm confused,' the MSNBC host said. 'So I mean, you obviously condemn Vladimir Putin killing journalists and political opponents, right?' 'Oh sure, absolutely,' Trump said." Blink. Blink.

In other primary news: "Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign, struggling with its low standing in the polls and underwhelming fundraising, slashed the salaries of senior staffers amid the departure of its top communications aide." Good. Get lost, asshole. Sooner rather than later.

[CN: Anti-choice terrorism] Rage seethe boil: "The lights are still dark at the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood where on 27 November a shooter killed three people inside the clinic and wounded nine. But the protesters are already trickling back. ...The clinic itself is months away from being operational. ...But protesters are already prepared to take up old routines." My contempt for these people is a self-digging cavern that has nearly reached the core of the goddamn planet.

[CN: Fat hatred; disordered eating; childhood sexual abuse] I've written before about the correlation found between disordered eating and childhood abuse, so I was glad to see the issue getting some attention at The Atlantic, but I'm really pissed about this headline: "The Second Assault." Lest you imagine that means something other than getting fat, the subhead clears up any doubt: "Victims of childhood sexual abuse are far more likely to become obese adults." I'm a fat survivor, and equating being fat with being sexually assaulted makes me incandescently angry.

[CN: Sexual assault] A major progressive PR firm, FitzGibbon Media, has abruptly shut down after "allegations of sexual harassment and assault by the company's president. Trevor FitzGibbon and his team worked with some of the biggest progressive organizations, including NARAL, MoveOn, the Center for American Progress, and the AFL-CIO, as well as Wikileaks, Chelsea Manning, and The Intercept. The company sponsored an event with The Huffington Post earlier this year. Multiple female employees came forward with accusations of sexual harassment and assault against FitzGibbon, according to employees who spoke with The Huffington Post." Hmph. I wonder how long there were whispered warnings about this being ignored.

[CN: Rape culture; misogyny] This is rape culture: "National media heavily featured male reporters and sources in its coverage of campus sexual assault in 2015, although the majority of sexual assault victims are women, according to a new report released by the Women's Media Center on Wednesday. ...In their analysis of stories published between September 1, 2014, and August 31, 2015, researchers found stark gender disparities in both writing and sourcing related to sexual assault. Men wrote 55 percent of the sexual assault stories, compared to 31 percent written by women. Fourteen percent had no byline. Forty-eight percent of the quotes in the stories were from men, while 32 percent were from women. The researchers suggested that the gender of the writer affected how the stories were reported and written." Haha ya think?

Whooooooooooooops! Self-driving cars are getting into accidents because they drive too cautiously, i.e. actually follow the rules of the road, unlike human drivers.

And finally! "13 Funny Winners of the 2015 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards." Hahaha! Oh, animals. How I adore you.