Uh. CoH Discord mod be cray cray

Dem migrants

There are a lot of shitty things in Saudi Arabian "culture"/"belief system", and if you go with "whatever they do is OK because it's their culture" that basically directly implies "human rights only apply to some people, and it's OK that SA violates the rights of people in their country"

@Frank hmmm not sure what CoH (City of Heroes...?), but this isn't really news. Just screencaps of shitty internet people being shitty.

@Wipqozn It's the current drama on /r/CityOfHeroes

Innocuous is the current admin of the discord chat that sprung up around the public server.

@murgatroid99 it's an excuse people use when the horrible things happen to be aligned with one's own bigotry. they quickly changes tunes when they become the targets

@Frank oh, with the private server?

@Wipqozn Yep

Didn't feel like this was appropriate in the Bridge, even if this isn't technically politics or news.

@Frank i predict next screenshot will be someone calling them out on how shitty they are and then gets mod banned

@Memor-X /r/CityofHereoes just made their own discord channel.

It's just drama everywhere.

@Frank Honestly it's borderline, so let's just avoid posting anymore screencaps of racists being racists in the COH discord.

@Wipqozn No worries.

Why are you talking about a toxic discord server in TIF

@Frank gamers were a mistake also a fat retroactive cw: slurs on this (and that's it)

This is huge

> The Tories were elected in 12 ridings, while the Greens took nine. Fourteen seats are needed for a majority.

Liberals got 5 seats

> The outcome marked historic progress for the Greens, which will form the party’s first Official Opposition in Canada and won the most seats ever by a Green Party in any province. But the results also flouted recent polls indicating that the party was riding a swell of support that might allow it to form the Greens’ first provincial government in Canada.

Although also this:

> It also represents the latest in a series of gains for right-leaning parties, including wins in Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario – all within the last year.

@Memor-X but again, he'd not a bigot guys!

Michael LeBlanc sentenced to 15 years

Yay

@Wipqozn I always suspected green would get their first opposition either here or in NL

I would be beyond shocked if they had won the government

@Memor-X hopefully not what's happening..

Ontario's proposed cuts to psychotherapy welcomed by critics of 'boutique psychiatrists' who over-treat wealthy patients

New York banned plastic bags

"Hutchins was a hero for stopping the 'WannaCry' malware in 2017, and today pleaded guilty to creating Kronos years earlier."

> As you may be aware, I've pleaded guilty to two charges related to writing malware in the years prior to my career in security. I regret these actions and accept full responsibility for my mistakes. Having grown up, I've since been using the same skills that I misused several years ago for constructive purposes. I will continue to devote my time to keeping people safe from malware attacks.

:/

> A tiny white horse with a pink mane that was reportedly spotted a number of times wandering Ile Sainte-Helene has been proven to be a fake.

My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

That doesn't exist so yeah

Lol

did he just accuse Mexico of actively supporting drug smuggling?

yes

Only 6 more years guys

Zeus I really hope the PC don't win in the fall. I'd be quite happy with a minority green.

Last time the liberals were rolling all over themselves the NDP did excellent.. Maybe it's time for a sea of green.

@Wipqozn don't think it will happen here

Who knows though

Nobody seems popular any more

That could go in The Bridge but I picked the wrong room and I'm on mobile and I'm lazy so that's where we're at

@Wipqozn NDP/Green minority government would be pretty sweet but I'm terrified we'll get another PC majority

🤔🤔🤔

@TimStone expelled over allegations?

🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

Didn't click though but yikes

Lobbyist seems to be abusing power but that seems like a shitty situation from all angles

Dad's just trying to help out his son. That would be an easy trap to fall into as a father I think

Universities have had a zero tolerance policy towards sexual assault for a while. If they got to the point of expelling him, the university is probably pretty sure that he did something pretty unsavory.

Right, it's "allegations" in the sense he was not criminally tried and convicted

And this guy set up a dark money group financed by a conservative billionaire who happens to be his client so like

too bad for the son that he didn't do his assault before the planned weakening of title ix

@HalfEmpty you know the old saying "my country, right or wrong; when right to be kept right, when wrong to be set right?" I feel like that applies to kids too. If your kid is doing a sexual assault that's a "set right" situation, not a "shield them from all consequences of their actions" situation.

Amazing

I mean presumably just by walking in the front door but nevertheless

INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK FOREVER

@TimStone exactly wtf

@TimStone after reading, I have much less of a problem with this scenario

> Richard McIntosh has argued to legislators that Title IX, the federal law barring sexual discrimination in education and mandating that schools set up internal systems to police sexual violence, is tilted unfairly against the accused. His proposals — made first as a failed amendment to an unrelated bill near the end of the 2018 session and then this year as a full-fledged bill — create more protections for those accused of Title IX violations.

This is probably true

@MBraedley sure but they should probably have to prove it first, and this proposal would allow accused people to appeal which I think is good thing

@TimStone what's the important takeaway here?

Also it's unfortunate that that kid's mother is on the appeal committee, but presumably they will deal with potential conflicts of interest

@HalfEmpty It doesn't mean they didn't investigate themselves, it just means no one went to the police

yeah it's not like there's no standard of proof, I think title ix is "more likely than not" (but it might be "a preponderance of evidence" I'm not certain)

it's not like he's going to jail

and he probably never will

@HalfEmpty Do you not see the massive conflict of interest? That is the big deal here.

@ToxicFrog I'm more confident (terrified) everyday that's what we'll get.

City builds wall on man's lawn. City damages wall and refuses to admit it built it in the first place

@MBraedley I'm sure they can work around it for a single case if it comes to it

It sounds like a good process to have in place in general to me

Obviously the guy is motivated by his sons expulsion but meh. Still a net positive I feel

won't somebody think of the children

Seeing a lot of people saying he's trying to "water down sex discrimination protections" or whatever but it sounds like added protections to me after reading about the proposed changes

@Unionhawk ?

@HalfEmpty that's because that is what he's trying to do

in fact

kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article225240190.html

Gonna read this

@Unionhawk add protections?

no, "water down title ix"

As I said that's what it seems like to me but let me read this more detailed article first

@Unionhawk in what way

Allowing accused to appeal waters it down?

by forcing victims to go through some long additional process because oh it's not fair hes just a kid

Fun fact, the original version of the legislation he was pushing was even worse

Okay right out of the gate this seems like a good move

> Both versions would borrow judges from the existing administrative court system to hear appeals from students punished by universities for sexual misconduct. The Senate and House bills would both entitle the accused to see the evidence against them and ban schools from declining to consider evidence. The House version alone would allow cross examination of the accused, a particularly controversial provision that critics say re-victimizes survivors.

Including, e.g., provisions for cross-examination of the victim about their sexual history and alchol intake

Schools are allowed to decline to consider evidence what the fuck?

Get rid of that

@Unionhawk you mean because he deserves a fair and impartial process, right?

@HalfEmpty there's a reason sexual violence is underreported

Side note, colleges are not itching to expel the children of rich lobbyists.

We literally just had a whole thing about colleges doing the exact opposite.

> Both versions say that if the administrative courts find that a student was not given due process, a student can sue his or her university and the employees who conducted the investigation. The state attorney general would also be able to investigate and punish universities.

Also plus, seems to me

> The Senate version would allow those accused of sexual misconduct to personally sue whoever accused them if the administrative courts decide it was a false claim. The bill doesn’t differentiate between claims that are intentionally false and those that cannot be corroborated.

This one... Eh

@HalfEmpty yeah you know I could go either way on that, on one hand it intentionally disincentivizes reporting, on the other, I mean

I don't know if encouraging counter suits is smart especially when sometimes the boundaries are a little murky

@Unionhawk yeah exactly

2/3 bullet points big yes from me, that one probably needs work

I fall to see the problem here except "omg rich guy tries to get his rapist son off by changing laws" which honestly seems a little disingenuous

@HalfEmpty Eh, first bullet point allowing cross-examination of the accused is also a big iffy.

I'm sure the personal factor spurred the motion yeah and hopefully his mother isn't involved at the appeals

@Yuuki why?

because it intentionally disincentivises reporting.

How?

"yeah we can do something, but you have to face your attacker and he gets to ask you questions about your sexual history etc" "no thanks I'm good"

The accused person should get to speak their piece

And also we're going to intensely question you about something traumatic.

@HalfEmpty to the accuser? That's real bad.

@Unionhawk isn't there already a law against asking about sexual history? So that's a non issue?

@HalfEmpty That's not what "cross-examination of the accuser" means.

@MBraedley to the court

@HalfEmpty This isn't a trial, they're not going to jail

Wait, words.

Cross examined by who then, I'm confused it made it sound like a court

It even said they'd borrow real judges to preside

Okay, person who alleges they were assaulted should not be cross-examined.

Right

I guess idk

@HalfEmpty If she is, that's probably good grounds for substitution

Yeah they can just sub her out or something I wouldn't be super worried about that

@Yuuki I was really confused by your typo.

really if you htink about it title ix discriminates against people for whom there was a preponderance of evidence that they did an assault, and that's bad

I'm done this sucks

My larger point here is that I don't see how adding protections for any person involved in such a proceeding hinders the rest, or is bad in any way

Does it ever not suck with this person?

I don't understand why people are allergic to the mute button sometimes.

@Unionhawk I don't think that's true either but it might discriminate against people against whom there is not a lot of evidence? Maybe? If I had a better understanding of it

@puzzlepiece87 meh I don't mind hearing different opinions

Don't think I've said anything outrageous or offensive but I'm sorry if anyone's upset

@Wipqozn I was as well.

@HalfEmpty the standard of proof is literally "preponderance of evidence". That is, in the current guidance on the statute.

the literal words

Lol you always do that

"I'm done", continues anyway

chat decided to give me a big "hey you left but you've been mentioned"

in retrospect I should have simply closed the tab

Well, hopefully that is always followed fairly and impartially

to avoid that

@Unionhawk re, that. Forgot to reply

@puzzlepiece87 He's a masochist.

@Unionhawk Closing the tab doesn't leave the room though.

I'm not doing anything wrong guys, alright?

Chill out

So you'll have to close the tab and then click on the "leave room" button in the sidebar from another window/tab.

Okay let's all just move on to a different topic of conversation.

@Yuuki right but leaving the room gives you a big "hey you've been mentioned in a room you're not in"

instead of a fairly small "(1)"

@Wipqozn ??

@HalfEmpty "I

"I

That's the new rule. Follow it closely.

but seriously, it's clear folks are starting to get upset, so let's just move on to something else.

How letters from migrants shed light on the 'intolerable' conditions inside U.S. detention centres

Alright. Sorry if I upset anyone

I wanted something cheerful but then I found this

I was making an effort to be really respectful

@Wipqozn Have you read any of The Friendship Files at The Atlantic?

theatlantic.com/projects/friendship-files

@Wipqozn I kind of feel like if you want something cheerful this is the wrong channel for it, but, have a snake: i.imgur.com/fWgQndH.mp4

@HalfEmpty I think this may be a case where you're just unaware of how big and serious a problem something is (i.e. sexual assault), so you're missing the greater context that forms a lot of peoples opinions.

and...that's not me trying to continue the discussion, just trying to give you some insight into why this topic is particular difficult for people. Just something to keep in mind on this topic in the future.

anyways, I wanted something cheerful to BRIGHTEN OUR DAYS

but then misery abounds

@Wipqozn snake! Snake is cute! Snake produces happy!

@Wipqozn "I?

@ToxicFrog to be clear I didn't need cheering up, but I find a more positive news story is agood follow up to "let's move on guys" :P

@Yuuki Yes.

@Wipqozn The biggest tragedy today was a week-old piece of news.

@Yuuki I think I ruined that for all of you last week. I remember @TimStone crying.

I still had the tab open from last week and just refreshed the page.

@Wipqozn I don't think the crime being alleged should have anything to do with how fairly the accused is treated

Imo

Sry I won't say more

Didn't realize topic had changed since then

And yeah my ex was raped so I do know about the gravity of the topic

But thank you for respectful words

I had some good news but I can't remember it right now

There it was

stares directly into camera

> In a dystopian future Detroit, Michigan, is a struggling city on the verge of total collapse due to financial ruin and a high crime rate. The mayor signs a deal with the mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP), giving it complete control of the underfunded Detroit Police Department.

@TimStone Hey, no plagiarizing!

@TimStone Amazing.

Detroit should really try and be less like Detroit.

> On the outside of the city wall, around the DMC Gate, is a tent city called the Sprawl. It is home to those unable to afford a DMC Pass, taking advantage of the security provided by DMC guards nearby. A few cunning individuals, such as the Hatter or Junk Market traders, managed to make a decent living for themselves here, profiting from all the traffic going through the city gate. Other points of interest include the Saint James Parkade, which rents secure homes for a 24-hour period.

My phone autocorrect like to poor. It doesn't like Detroit.

> During certain encounters, if the player breaks the law or is even accused of doing so a SkyCorps patrol will arrive to deal with him, using his tracking bracelet to hunt him down and punish him, by exiling him from DMC for a long period of time.

@puzzlepiece87 that's a great game

Assuming by your earlier messages you have me ignored for some reason, I don't know you, but that's a great game

Bit off topic for here, though, but I appreciate the joke

@Wipqozn they're slowly coming back, aren't they?

@HalfEmpty I'm not sure, but they're currently getting started on the plot of Robocop soooooooo

Man who lived on beer for 46 days lost 44 pounds, feels great

Wot

bit.ly/2UD1Jvw

Wtf that one did a bit.ly

The website must decide

Ottawa citizen

I promise

> Racism is a serious societal problem that should not be trivialized or exploited for personal gain. Invoking racism to evade responsibility in a fatal hit-and-run is wrong.

Cannot believe the outcome of this case. I know I mentioned it the other day but still Ugh

Rachel Maddow covered this last night; basically because the White House didn't raise executive privilege objections to McGahn testifying to Mueller, they can't now raise them about McGahn testifying to Congress

And all his testimony was among the most damning in Mueller's report

Maddow speculated that perhaps Trump didn't understand that his conversations with McGahn weren't covered by attorney-client privilege

McGahn is the White House Counsel, right?

was, yes

so the WH counsel is the attorney for the office of the Presidency, not Trump's personal attorney

Yeah, IIRC, that means his client is the White House/Office of the President and not the President himself.

woo the west wing

Right. McGahn left last October, apparently? Current one is some guy named Pat Cipollone

@Yuuki binged that show a year or so ago; pretty depressing to contrast with our current situation

Great show, didn't watch it when it aired

@BradC Man, wish our President's biggest issue was that he has MS.

@Yuuki Yep, lolsob

lol

@TimStone mrw i listen to npr interviews

Extremely here for town hall crowds who no longer have time for nonsense

oh wait this is happening in houston, right?

i heard there was going to be a big debate-ish thing going on in town today

That's possible, there are too many candidates and thus too many events

I know there were going to be some big names. Sanders is supposed to attend, for one.

@BradC My feeling when watching Designated Survivor

@Yuuki that show always felt widely idealistic to me back then, but it's entirely surreal now

@MadScientist I mean, someone described it fairly accurately as basically left-wing (or I suppose centrist?) fantasy.

Where everyone is in government to Do Good Things and the only problem is that people Don't Listen so all we need to do is Talk To Each Other.

while walking down a hallway

half my knowledge about how the US government works is from watching the West Wing;-)

martin sheen wrote an OH-1 campaign email this last election

also wait did we not cover aaron sorkin being like "these new democrats need to grow up and watch my old tv show wherein martin sheen did epic bipartisan compromise on cutting social security and also yelled at god in a cathedral" or whatever?

because that was a thing that happened

The Latin was a bit over the top, imo, but Sheen's character was more than a bit of a wonk.

isn't he (not martin sheen, aaron sorkin) getting a new tv show or netflix series or something?

Probably?

Dude's written a lot of popular series.

If he wants to put something out there, people would be dumb not to pay him.

@TimStone time for some news in planes

Russian Mig31 that went down two years ago was not a flight accident - it was shot down by a friendly aircraft that thought it was the target drone of the wargames exercise

Ottawa declares climate emergency

@puzzlepiece87 speaking of news in planes, did you see the test flight of that huge rocket deployment plane?

Cows!

> You may recall a collection of cows posted here back in 2015. Below, you will find additional cows.

@puzzlepiece87 Better than most of the breaking news we post here

@HalfEmpty Ooh, what?

@HalfEmpty The Stratolaunch flight, or something different?

Shame Paul Allen isn't around to see it finally take flight, but it's still pretty incredible they got it all working

chuckles in diplomacy

@TimStone yeah this