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Comment Key phrase: "subject to appropriations" (Score 1) 94

In other news, Obama Administration institutes a Transparency Department, with an Openness Czar (starting salary $ 135,000 + benefits), 2 Assistant Vice-Chancellors of Openness (salary of $ 90,000 each + benefits), 4 Department Managers, 8 Assistant Department Managers, 22 full-time staffers... etc... etc.

"Hey taxpayers, you know how we promised you 'transparency'? Sure, you can haz. Here's a bill for a few million."

Just as a reminder, these are the same guys who just had a "press briefing" about Benghazi (anyone keeping track of how many months it's been since the event?) - BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. Source: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/05/10/White-House-Benghazi-off-the-record

Comment What I don't understand is... (Score 1) 511

...why don't more convicted sex offenders emigrate to other countries, or become spree killers?

There's no such thing as a "term prison sentence" for anything even remotely resembling a "sex crime". Take a piss on a playground at 4AM, even though there are no kids within a mile, ZOMFG pedo = 10 year sentence + permanent, endless, interminable persecution.

Can't have a decent job - who's going to hire a convicted sex offender?
Can't live in a nice neighborhood, or if you do somehow manage to buy a house there, since you have to inform everyone, you'll be shunned.
Can't walk down the sidewalk of a school, playground, etc., etc, so your freedom of movement is restricted.
Forget about buying a gun legally.
Forget about participating in chatrooms, etc.
And now, they can't even play videogames.

What kind of existence is that?

I'm not defending "pedophile-pedophiles", but considering that a sizeable percentage of sex offenders didn't really do a damn thing that has to do with sex, the punishment is ridiculous - and the interminable nature of it is really inexcusable.

I honestly don't understand why more of them don't just completely snap from all the persecution, get an assault rifle & some ammo, and Lanza out in style. Seriously. If I was told that my life will be a living hell from here on out, and there is no expiration period, and I will be ostracized forever & ever & ever, I would either be on a plane getting the hell out of here permanently, or stocking up on ammo.

Comment Re:completely wrong (Score 2) 248

The issue was that the image "MIGHT exist in the public domain". Which it didn't. Because that was an original image, specifically released to Wikipedia using the "This is a copyrighted, non-free work, but I believe it is Fair Use" -> "This image is the object of discussion in an article." -> "Special source and license conditions (optional)" -> "Permission granted, but only for Wikipedia". There are NO other copies of this image anywhere, it was shot SPECIFICALLY for this article, and Wikipedia's own options were used to justify its use. There was no "copyright research" to do.

Besides which, if the editor wanted to claim that it exists in the public domain, why didn't HE provide proof of such? Google Image Search is that way --->

Oh, you would like ME to prove that it doesn't exist? Hm, please enlighten us, how the hell do you prove a negative? Descartes couldn't figure it out, I'm eager to hear your approach.

Comment Re:completely wrong (Score 1) 248

There's a difference between being a "Grammar Nazi", who adheres to a strict set of codified rules (e.g. the English language, Strunk & White, Chicago Manual of Style, etc), which both the Nazi and the Misspeller can look up and agree on...

...and a complete asshat who continues deleting images because "they might exist in public domain", even despite being told that they do NOT, cannot, and will not. It's a one-time release of copyrighted material into Wikipedia only, using the specific option that Wikipedia itself offers. Nope, doesn't matter, common sense and evidence go right out the window, Mr. Editor has a hard-on for an image illustrating a very-little-known technology. It's completely baffling in the sheer scope of its arrogance, but short of opening a dispute and baby-sitting it for days on end, there's nothing that can be done.

Asshats have turned contributing to Wikipedia from an enjoyable pastime into a ridiculously randomized chore. I have better things to do.

Comment Re:Coulnd't add to it if you wanted to (Score 2) 248

Agree 1000%.

A friend of mine asked me to write an article about his company, which I did, taking a well-established article about another company in the same industry as a template. It's a 10-minute job.

The article gets taken down due to "lack of notability". When I questioned how come a company that has operations on 2 continents, employs several hundred people, and offers more products than its next 4 competitors combined, is somehow "not notable", I got back a vague reply along the lines of "well, unless it's mentioned in a reputable source, like the New York Times or Wall Street Journal..." Yeah, OK, a totally obscure technology like supersonic emulsifiers is REALLY going to make front-page news in NYT.

So, I do some research, find several industry awards the company has won, and re-post the article with references to those awards, AND an explanation on the talk page that "see, it IS notable, it's been getting awards".

It gets taken down for "spamming suspicious links".

So, if there are no links, it's not notable. If there are links, it's spamming. At this point, I'm pissed and it becomes a personal challenge.

I post a photo of a unique item - it gets taken down because "it MIGHT exist in the public domain". No, it might not. It does not. Because this company is the ONLY one that makes it. I explain this to the editors. Doesn't matter - as long as there's some hypothetical made-up possibility of a public-domain alternative, you can't post original images. Even if the copyright holder chooses the "I give Wikipedia permission to use this image" option. (which raises the question, why the hell is that option there in the first place?).

And so on, and so on. Long story short, after a dozen-plus iterations of this BS I gave up on it.

As long as there are self-aggrandazing jagoffs taking down article for absolutely random reasons, and refusing to consider any explanations, sources, links, supporting evidence, or plain simple COMMON SENSE, there will be more and more potential authors who are disenchanted with Wikipedia.

Comment Re:History of violence from wteet and facebook = b (Score 1) 848

Posting pics & bragging about crimes committed > simple forum posts.

Posting pics & bragging about crimes committed from your personally identifiable account - just plain stupid.

It's one thing to be a poseur and sit at home and not commit any crimes, in which case you can BS all you want.
It's another thing altogether when you DO commit crimes and you DO post about them and you DO get caught.

See the difference?

Comment Diaspora / Google+ (Score 1) 467

...and this, kids, is YET ANOTHER good reason to get the hell out of Facebook.

My personal farewell to Facebook came about 2 years ago, when they took group discussions public - including already posted discussions.

It's one thing to criticize various government figures in the privacy of a 20-member group, it's another thing altogether to have your real name + various tirades publicly posted - and forever Googlecached - for anyone to find. Thanks a lot, Facebook, for potentially damaging my chances for sensitive employment and/or government positions.

Google+, Diaspora, LinkedIn, whatever. Not going back to Facebook.

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