Archive of entries posted on April 2023

Biden Sets Ambitious Goal: “To Exceed — Before This Decade Is Out — Pakistan”

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“This and other things,” he said, “we choose to do, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

Consumer price inflation in Pakistan jumped to a record 35.37% in March from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said on Saturday, as at least 16 people were killed in stampedes for food aid.

Thousands of people have gathered at flour distribution centres set up across the country, some as part of a government-backed programme to ease the impact of inflation.

At least 16 people, including five women and three children, have been killed in stampedes at such centres in recent days, police and officials have said. Thousands of bags of flour have also been looted from trucks and distribution points, according to official records.

— Reuters via Investing.com | 4-1-23 | Asif Shahzad

Straight Line of the Day: Other Changes to Literature From the Past: …

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And Then They Went After Agatha Christie: Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple Mysteries Are Being ‘Rewritten for Modern Sensitivities.’
American Thinker | 03/27/2023 | Rajan Laad

Just yesterday, The Telegraph reported that Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries are being ‘rewritten for modern sensitivities.’

…

The following are some examples.

The 1937 novel Death on the Nile is mostly set in the African continent.

At one point in the novel, a character complains about a group of children pestering her as follows:

“…they come back and stare, and stare, and their eyes are simply disgusting, and so are their noses, and I don’t believe I really like children.”

The above text was altered as follows:

“They come back and stare, and stare. And I don’t believe I really like children”.

Descriptions of a black servant, who is originally described as grinning as he understands to stay silent, is now described as neither black nor smiling but simply “nodding.”

References to the word ‘Oriental’ has been removed, and so have references to the Nubian people.

In a new edition of A Caribbean Mystery from 1964, Miss Marple’s musing that a West Indian hotel worker smiling at her has “such lovely white teeth” has been removed, and other references to teeth have been removed.

… James Bond’s voodoo nemesis in Live and Let Die will be replaced by a white Catholic priest.

… James Bond in “Diamonds Are Forever a Symbol of Patriarchal Wealth Inequity”

Cartoons and Memes

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“Good morning Miss Welch, getting ready to take a drive?”

“Ready for the open road.”

“Great weather, are you going to go topless?”

“You wish.”

“Every day. What ya got?”

“Last week’s winner and this week’s entries. As usual.”

“Proceed.”

Winner

10.

This week’s entries

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10.

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Which one is funniest?
90 votes · 90 answers
Vote

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That Thomas Paine Wrote Some Good Common Sense

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“Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one: for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a Government, which we might expect in a country without Government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.”

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Challenge: Prove That This Author Is Not a Very Badly Programmed A.I. Device Still Learning English

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Suspect in Deaths of Gay NYC Clubgoers Surrenders — 2 Others Still on the Lam
The New York Post | 04/02/2023 | Joe Marino

Jacob Barroso, 30, of Harlem gave up and was charged for his role specifically in the death of Julio Ramirez, 25, who along with John Umberger, 33, died last spring after ingesting a lethal chemical cocktail while separately partying in Manhattan, sources said.

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Brandon?

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Remarks by President Biden on Investing in America

whitehouse.gov | April 3,2023 | 2:34 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, hello, hello!  Please have a seat, if you have one.  (Laughter.)

As the Governor has heard me say before: When I was — first became President, I was at a major event, and I said, “Everybody have a seat.”  And the press wrote, “He’s so dumb he didn’t even know there were no seats.”  (Laughter.)  Anyway, I’m glad you’re — have seats to sit in because you’ve been standing a long time.

Folks, I want to thank Brandon for that introduction.

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Straight Line of the Day: Cities That Biden Can’t Quite Remember the Name Of: …

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Biden Refers to Tornado-Torn Mississippi Town Rolling Fork as ‘Rolling Stone’
NY Post | March 31, 2023 | Patrick Reilly

President Biden visited the small tornado-ravaged Mississippi town of Rolling Fork on Friday and twice referred to it as “Rolling Stone.” …

“We’re not just here for today … we’re going to get it done for you,” Biden told the crowd. “I’m making sure you got a place to sleep, food to eat, helping you rebuild your lives in Rolling Stone.”

He later repeated the mistake later in his speech: “The town of Rolling Stone will be back, and we’ll be with you every step of the way,” he said.

Biden, 80, acknowledged the mix-up towards the end of the remarks, Fox News reported.

“What did I say, I said Rolling Fork,” the president said. “Rolling Stone. I got my mind going here.”

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S.I. Swimsuit Madness Round 1

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Good evening and welcome to our S.I. Swimsuit Madness tournament. As you may already know this will be a double elimination tournament. You have to lose twice before you are permanently out. There will also be ranked voting so state your preference on a +1 to +3 scale. Hopefully we will be able to avoid ties.

Each week will feature 2 matches so sit back and relax and enjoy the show, we have 64 models to go through.

These aren’t just models but there are also some amateurs, entrepreneurs, athletes and others.

Just to let you know from last week, the babe won.

Now, let us begin.

Abby Dahlkemper vs Alana Blanchard

Match 1

Abby Dahlkemper

VS

Alana Blanchard

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Who do you prefer?
107 votes
Vote

Match 2

Alex Morgan vs Allie Ayers

Alex Morgan

VS

Allie Ayers

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Who do you prefer?
108 votes · 108 answers
Vote

1

Hey, That’s Garbage!

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Paris Votes To Ban Rental e-Scooters
bbc| 4/2/23

People in Paris have voted to ban rental electric scooters in their city, dealing a blow to scooter operators and a triumph for road safety campaigners.

Almost 90% of votes cast on Sunday favoured a ban the battery-powered devices, official results showed.

The referendum was called in response to a rising number of people being injured and killed on e-scooters in the French capital.

Paris was one of the first cities to adopt e-scooters.

Critics argue they were causing more harm than good. There was growing concern with the way some people were driving the scooters – weaving through traffic, dodging pedestrians on pavements, and getting up to speeds of 17mph (27km/h).

Riders often did not wear helmets and children as young as 12 could legally hire the e-scooters.

There was also criticism that groups of parked e-scooters were cluttering pavements.

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PSA: Do Not Call Le President Garbage

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Woman Arrested for Calling France’s Macron ‘Garbage’: ‘Making an Example’
Hindustan Times | 03/31/2023 | Mallika Soni

A 50-year-old woman was arrested in France after she referred to the country’s president Emmanuel Macron as “garbage” in a Facebook post.

The woman will face a criminal trial for publicly insulting the president, Daily Express UK reported. The woman had posted a picture of graffiti saying “Macron Garbage” on the social media platform, the report said, adding that police were quick to arrest her following the post.

“I asked them if it was a joke. It’s the first time I’ve been arrested. I’m an activist for social justice. They want to make an example of me. I am not public enemy number one,” the woman told Voix du Nord.

I guess merde is out?

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