Afternoon Links

Monday, February 2nd, 2009
  • Nice catch!
  • Red meat for heated comments debate: Is this headline a contradiction?
  • Possible jury nullification in an Illinois medical marijuana case. More, please!
  • Here’s a nice story. Could use one after the last couple weeks.
  • Southern Illinois University accused of copying . . . the school plagiarism policy.
  • Bring on the woolly mammoth!
  • Boston cops: You’re doing it wrong.
  • “My ideas for staged photos set me apart from other wedding photographers.”
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  • 33 Responses to “Afternoon Links”

    1. #1 |  Bee | 

      That *is* a nice story about the people refusing to take the family’s items. They have a wonderful attitude about their own fortunate position. Sounds like the unlucky family with the sick kids has a pretty good “we’ll make it through this” attitude, too. Good luck to all of them.

    2. #2 |  Mister DNA | 

      Where’s the contradiction, Radley? Over 2,000 years ago, a human sacrifice allowed the blood of God’s only begotten son to wash away Kurt Warner’s sins, including Kurt Warner’s original sin of the first humans eating from the tree of knowledge.

      Because of all this, Kurt Warner has a sacred duty to shun silly superstitions.

    3. #3 |  John Jenkins | 

      Red meat for heated comments debate: Is this headline a contradiction?

      Yes, it’s an obvious contradiction, but that’s not the real issue here. The Cardinals lost and we STILL get the Kurt Warner is a Christian stories. We get it. We know. It’s NOT NEWS.

      Southern Illinois University accused of copying . . . the school plagiarism policy.

      I’m not sure that’s a big deal. This is in the nature of a legal document, and it’s customary when drafting legal documents to copy from prior documents that courts have already interpreted, so you know what you’re getting, generally without attribution because it is not normally assumed that a legal document is an original work of research or prose. Contrast that with briefs, opinions or articles that are heavily cited.

    4. #4 |  Chris M | 

      That nullification story is awesome. We need more cases like this were the jurors openly shake hands with the tearful and thankful defendant post trial. That sends a powerful message to prosecutors.

    5. #5 |  nobahdi | 

      I’m not so convinced about the plagiarism. I’ve seen similar stories, but it turned out the colleges involved attended the same “plagiarism conference” where they were handed a policy and encouraged to use it.

    6. #6 |  Cynical In CA | 

      All religion is superstition.

      In the dictionary, that headline should be the complete entry for “contradiction.”

      Kurt Warner, and many billions like him, cannot see the forest for the trees.

    7. #7 |  Cynical In CA | 

      “Kurt Warner has a sacred duty to shun silly superstitions.”

      I suppose his “sacred duty” extends to upholding serious superstitions?

      Yeah, that’s about right.

    8. #8 |  Christopher Monnier | 

      The story about the Boston cops sounds like a potential violation of the Third Amendment (the one about quartering soldiers).

    9. #9 |  Edwin Sheldon | 

      I have an even nicer story for you, Radley.

      New York City Mayor Bitten by Groundhog

      More, please!

    10. #10 |  thomasblair | 

      Cynical,

      I suppose his “sacred duty” extends to upholding serious superstitions?

      Yeah, that’s about right.

      I think you fell into the sarchasm.

    11. #11 |  Cynical In CA | 

      Thanks for pointing that out Thomas. It’s hard to keep everyone straight here, my apologies for being obtuse, Mr. DNA.– the warden does foster religious arguments from time to time, and I’m sure we’ll get more than a few true believers by day’s end.

    12. #12 |  Cynical In CA | 

      From the jury nullification article:

      “On Wednesday in La Salle County Circuit Court, several jurors shook hands with an emotional Loren J. Swift after finding him not guilty of a marijuana charge that would have sent him to prison.

      “I’m so relieved. I’ve got my life back. I’m so grateful,” a teary Swift told reporters outside the courtroom.”I’m going to dedicate my life to doing what’s right,” which he explained meant he was going to get himself reinstated in the Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

      Umm. The law of unintended consequences? Can we poll the jury? Waive double jeopardy?

      I kid, but not that much.

    13. #13 |  Burrow Owl | 

      Christopher @ #8:

      That thought went through my mind as well.

      The cops have become so militarized over the past couple of decades that it’s becoming difficult to tell them apart from the ‘official’ soldiers.

    14. #14 |  B | 

      By choosing No. 13, Warner means to send the message that his spirituality allows no room for superstition.

      That’s fine. But I’d be more impressed if he tattooed “666″ across his forehead to make this point.

    15. #15 |  Regarding Liberty | 

      Any response to our favorite tool of the State?

      http://patterico.com/2009/01/31/legalizing-drugs-a-fact-free-view/

    16. #16 |  Dave Krueger | 

      Thank god the internal affairs is looking into that search warrant thing in Boston. I’m sure they’ll get to the bottom of it.

    17. #17 |  Dave Krueger | 

      What a lame photographer. Not a single mention of gas masks or spreader bars in his picture ideas.

    18. #18 |  Marty | 

      #9 | Edwin Sheldon

      they’ll probably ban groundhogs now!

    19. #19 |  Bob | 

      On the cops in Boston..

      This is an article briefly detailing the crime:

      http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/01/two_arraigned_i.html

      Note the last paragraph:
      “Jamison and Olukoga were arrested after a detective stopped the car, which was speeding away from the murder scene, police said. Two other people were in the car, but they have not been charged.”

      What possible evidence could have been at the guy’s house that would justify a 2 day camping trip?

      I seriously doubt that the 2 guns found there were used in the murder… Can you say ‘fishing expedition’ to find more charges? The guy probably had a toaster at home that wasn’t used in the murder either, but they didn’t feel the need to mention that.

      God forbid the guy had… oh I don’t know… some WEED or something.

      Don’t get me wrong… this sounds like a good bust that gets a gang banger off the street (Assuming that’s not all bullshit..) I’m just a little suspicious of the police at this point. They just don’t seem very trustworthy.

    20. #20 |  MassHole | 

      The Boston police are among the least trustworthy. I can understand the need for a search warrant. The suspect is a accused of a premeditated murder (which happened literally up the street from my home) during broad daylight. So I expect they had more than probable cause for a warrant. The fact that they just helped themselves to the apt for a few days is mind boggling. The cops in this town are a disgrace so often it’s pathetic.

    21. #21 |  Dave Krueger | 

      I was once talking to a woman about reading preferences and I mentioned that I don’t particularly like reading books that contain a lot supernatural story elements. She said she was like me in that respect. Then she started telling me about the book she was presently reading that starts off in an airliner where suddenly most of the passengers disappear because of the rapture.

    22. #22 |  ClubMedSux | 

      Once again, Wikipedia nails it:

      “In keeping with the Latin etymology of the word, religious believers have often seen other religions as superstition. Likewise, atheists and agnostics may regard religious belief as superstition.”

      I think that nicely explains both why Warner wouldn’t see his comment as being contradictory and why the atheist/agnostic readers here would. I didn’t find the headline to be contradictory, but I’m a Christian, and obviously that’s the determining factor.

    23. #23 |  Kurt Warner on superstition « My Dumb Links | 

      [...] Kurt Warner on superstition By joestevens42 “If you believe that God’s in control, there is no reason to believe in superstitions.” From The Agitator. [...]

    24. #24 |  John Jenkins | 

      Religion = one’s own beliefs in the presence of no or contrary evidence.

      Superstition = someone else’s beliefs in presence of no or contrary evidence.

    25. #25 |  Cynical In CA | 

      Reason = belief in neither religion nor superstition.

    26. #26 |  Aresen | 

      I’m hoping that some day the networks will interview a player after a crushing tackle that has sent the ball carrier to the intensive care unit and the player will say “Satan gave me the strength to smear that guy. Here and now, I want to thank the Devil. Ave! Sathanas!.”

    27. #27 |  Michael | 

      SIU My alma mater!! GOOOO Salukis! And it is really sort of questionable whether or not doing this is plagiarism.

    28. #28 |  Cynical In CA | 

      Plagiarism avoids having to reinvent the wheel.

      T.S. Eliot wrote, “Mediocre artists imitate. Great artists copy.”

      Clearly there is some grey area.

    29. #29 |  Michael | 

      Just posted a response at patterrico! I bet they love my rant!

    30. #30 |  billy-jay | 

      I see they were reassuring everyone that the mayor was in no danger of contracting rabies. What about the poor groundhog? No telling what he might catch from that scumbag.

    31. #31 |  Clay S. Conrad | 

      Groundhogs day was much better before it got to be so commercial. All the tacky brown lights everywhere, gaudy Groundhog’s Trees in every shopping mall, fake burrows in every yard…

      After his predicting six more weeks of winter, the mayor should have bit the groundhog. NYC is ready for spring.

    32. #32 |  perlhaqr | 

      Edwin: Staten Island’s famous groundhog, Charles G. Hogg, inexplicably bit Mayor Michael Bloomberg during his annual holiday ceremony on Monday, drawing blood from the billionaire.

      Said Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser: “It nicked his hand.”

      A.) This is not inexplicable. I might bite Bloomberg if he put his hand anywhere near me, too.

      B.) I love that his spokesperson is named Löser.

      Better luck next time, Mr. Hogg!

    33. #33 |  Robin | 

      Until they can fully grow a fetus in a tube, I’m unimpressed.

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