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CatParty
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http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/24/caitlyn-jenner-halloween-costume-sparks-social-media-outrage-.html

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...een-costume-labeled-817515?utm_source=twitter

It's nowhere near October, but one ensemble is already on track to be named the most controversial Halloween costume of 2015.

Social media users were out in full force on Monday criticizing several Halloween retailers for offering a Caitlyn Jenner costume reminiscent of the former-athlete's Vanity Fair cover earlier this year.

While Jenner's supporters condemned the costume as "transphobic" and "disgusting" on Twitter, Spirit Halloween, a retailer that carries the costume, defended the getup.

"At Spirit Halloween, we create a wide range of costumes that are often based upon celebrities, public figures, heroes and superheroes," said Lisa Barr, senior director of marking at Spirit Halloween. "We feel that Caitlyn Jenner is all of the above and that she should be celebrated. The Caitlyn Jenner costume reflects just that."
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Haramburger said:
given their color-changing abilities, I'm surprised the high-AF octopi turned white. This was the kind of reaction I was hoping for in drugged color-changers.
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turning white indicates fright or unease in cephalopods. lil fuckers were trippin at the dose they were first given lmao
 
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Giving an octopus (or some ungodly hybrid of one) drugs so you can watch it trip balls sounds like some Japanese manga that I'm sure exists somewhere already.
 
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CatParty said:
They also touched the other octopus in what seemed to be an exploratory, rather than aggressive, manner....

...The scientists took this to mean that despite our vastly different brains, social behavior is built into the very molecules coded by our DNA...

...“An octopus doesn’t have a cortex, and doesn’t have a reward circuit,” Dölen, assistant professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, told Gizmodo. “And yet it’s able to respond to MDMA and produce the same effects, in an animal with a totally different brain organization. To me, that means we really need to appreciate that the business end of these things is at the level of the molecule....”

....You’re probably curious: did the octopuses freak out? The scientists didn’t discuss such behavior in the paper, because it’s hard to quantify without anthropomorphizing the octopuses—Dölen warned me that the following is anecdotal evidence and not scientific observation. But yes, the octopuses acted like they took ecstasy. At first, when they received a little too much MDMA, they breathed erratically and turned white. But on lower doses, one animal “looked like it was doing water ballet,” swimming around with outstretched arms. Another spent part of the time doing flips, and another seemed especially interested in minor sounds and smells.
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Spot the contradictions!
 
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https://japantoday.com/category/fea...lysses-s-grant-talks-peace-in-meiji-era-japan


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Ulysses S Grant, the 18th president of the United States. Photo: White House
Japan Yesterday
American President Ulysses S Grant talks peace in Meiji-Era Japan



One of the most important conversations in the history of the Meiji-era occurred on Aug 10, 1879. For two hours, former U.S. president and Civil War general Ulysses S Grant talked with Emperor Meiji (personal name: Mutsuhito) via a translator about the future of Japan. At the Nakajima Tea House in the Hama Rikyu Gardens, Grant acted as a mentor, providing the Emperor with some sound advice for those turbulent times.

From June 21 to Sept 3, Ulysses S Grant, along with his wife Julia and 29-year-old son Frederick, learned a great deal about a country taking its first cautious steps toward becoming a modern industrialized nation. It had only been a decade since Japan had completed its own boshin senso, or civil war, which began a turbulent transition toward an imperial-led government, replacing the centuries-old samurai-led shogunate.

In the United States, General Grant was instrumental in leading the Union (North) forces to victory in multiple battles against the Confederacy and, consequently, helped keep the U.S. from splitting in two. That he also served as president for eight years meant he had the exact kind of perspective Emperor Meiji was looking for. According to Grant biographer Ron Chernow, Grant’s decision to come to Japan came from a politically motivated invitation by Navy Secretary Richard W Thompson. Grant was told by Thompson that visiting “India, China, and Japan” would help improve America’s credibility as a valuable nation of “commerce.”

Upon Grant's arrival, the Japanese emperor was in the middle of a series of conflicts, both domestic and international. Within Japan, the noble yet tragic Satsuma Rebellion of 1877 had been a fierce reminder of how much Japan was losing as it moved forward into modernity. From samurai Takanori Saigo's last stand, Meiji felt immense pressure to make Japan into a powerful force without losing sight of its roots.

Another headache for Emperor Meiji originated in treaties negotiated in the years after the arrival of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry and his black ships in 1853 to open Japan to trade. With the U.S., Britain, Russia, the Netherlands and France; Japan had been pushed toward signing lopsided treaties due mainly to their inability to be victorious in a head-to-head war. With a stroke of the pen, Japan lost its ability to control its own tariff rates and also punish outsiders who were economically breaking the law within its borders.

The largest pain for the young Meiji, however, stemmed from his conflict with China regarding the Ryukyu Islands. Knowing Grant would be arriving in Japan, Emperor Meiji arranged to meet the general for the first time on July 4th, Independence Day in the United States.




Grant's audience with the Emperor and Empress of Japan via the Yale Archives. Photo: Yale Archives
Ever since his presidency had ended two years previous, Grant and his wife had been traveling the world. It had been one of their lifelong dreams and Japan would be the last country they'd visit before returning home. When Grant's USS Richmond sailed into Nagasaki on June 21, he was formally greeted by local officials and given a 21-gun salute. The governor of Nagasaki then directed Mr and Mrs Grant to a nearby park, where they planted two banyan trees. Said Grant at the time: "I hope that both trees may prosper, grow large, live long, and in their growth, prosperity and long life be emblematic of the future of Japan."

Grant's demeanor was a breath of fresh air for the Japanese people. Humble, respectful and modest, Grant didn't match the image of the common Western stereotype of arrogant, disrespectful and crude. One Japanese woman who saw him up close remarked: "He looked more like an Oriental man than an American gentleman. Because the General's appearance fit our ideal, our sense of respect of him increased."

It may have also helped that he was in awe of Japan. Writing to a friend while visiting, Grant couldn't help but gush about how far the country had come in such a short time despite facing treaty restrictions and division within: "The progress they have made in the last 12 years is almost incredible. They have now Military and Naval Academies, Colleges, Engineering schools, schools of science and free schools, for male and female, as thoroughly organized and on as high a basis of instruction, as any country in the world. Travel in the interior is as safe for an unarmed unprotected foreigner as it is in the New England States. Much safer from extortion."

After a luxurious "fifty-course-meal" in Nagasaki, Grant and his wife hopped back onto the USS Richmond as it made its way to Yokohama. They'd previously hoped to visit Hyogo, Nara, Kyoto and Osaka, but an outbreak of cholera in this region had left Japanese officials worried. They asked Grant not to stop. The general — once again behaving in a manner opposite Japan's Western stereotype — took their advice and they docked at a port in Yokohama on July 3.

One day later, Grant stood inside the Imperial Palace before Emperor Meiji. According to scholar Richard T Chang’s groundbreaking paper published in Sophia University’s Monumenta Nipponica, the emperor, perhaps nervous, "rather stiffly welcomed the General… and congratulated him on the anniversary of American independence."

In return, Grant read a carefully written statement. The general wanted Emperor Meiji to know that the United States (not Britain or Russia) would be its most caring ally:

"Your Majesty: I am very grateful for the welcome you accord me here today, and for the great kindness with which I have been received, ever since I came to Japan, by the government and your people. I recognize in this a feeling of friendship toward my country. I can assure you that this feeling is reciprocated by the United States; that our people, without regard to party, take the deepest interest in all that concerns Japan, and have the warmest wishes for her welfare. I am happy to be able to express that sentiment. America is your next neighbor, and will always give Japan sympathy and support in her efforts to advance. I again thank your Majesty for your hospitality, and wish you a long and happy reign, and for your people prosperity and independence."

As the days passed, Grant and the emperor grew to trust each other. On July 7, after breakfast at the Shiba Palace with "two princes and their wives, twenty govt leaders and ten foreign envoys," the emperor took Grant to a military demonstration of the Japanese army, the general offering advice and guidance. The next day, Grant met with an old Japanese friend and colleague from the U.S., Tomomi Iwakura, and the two of them had lunch and watched a Noh play. On July 16, Grant watched a play at Tokyo’s Shintomi-za, the story being a representation of incidents straight from Grant’s life interpreted through the character of the 11th century warrior Minamoto Yoshiie.

"Nothing would give me more pleasure than to be able to carry back to my own country to which I'm about to sail, the knowledge that peace between China and Japan [has] been secured." ~ Ulysses S Grant, August 1879

By early August, Grant wrote to a friend back in the U.S. about his experience: "My visit to Japan has been the most pleasant of all my travels. The country is beautifully cultivated, the scenery is grand, and the people, from the highest to the lowest, the most kindly and the most cleanly in the world."

The most pressing matter, however, was the Ryukyu conflict between China and Japan, and starting in mid-July, Grant gave it his highest priority. In order to prepare his advice for the Emperor, Grant stayed at an inn in Nikko from July 17 to July 31, needing a bit of peace and quiet so he could read and educate himself on the complicated dispute. From the 14th to 17th centuries, the Ryukyu Kingdom (the chain of islands stretching from just below Kagoshima to east of Taiwan) had remained in a state of dual ownership by China, especially early on, and then Japan. As of the summer of 1879, Japan had grown irritated by China’s (according to Chang) “moralistic” tone, which came off as “intimidatory and insolent,” not to mention patronizing. To Emperor Meiji, the Ryukyu Islands were Japan’s and the lack of emphasis China had been placing on the islands (they were busy pushing Russia off its western border) was evidence that they could not justifiably lay claim to them.

This assumption of ownership caused Emperor Meiji to go ahead with plans to declare Okinawa a bonafide prefecture in April 1879, two months before Grant’s arrival. This — to put it simply — angered China and when Grant, now nothing more than a regular citizen, visited Prince Kung and his officials in Shanghai, they hoped the former president could help bring Japan to some sort of middle ground.

After a famed Nikko Conference on July 22, where Grant mentioned his strategy to the emperor’s Imperial envoy (who emphasized to Grant that Japan had zero intention of compromising), Grant continued to refine his points and on Aug 10 came back to the Imperial Palace to meet with Emperor Meiji.

Grant had come up with a common-ground solution — to have both countries set up independent commissions. He expressed his potential resolution with his trademark modesty, saying “I have heard it suggested, but I have no authority to speak on the subject, that a boundary running between the Ryukyu Islands so as to give China a wide channel to the Pacific would be accepted.” As Meiji listened intently, Grant continued.

“The emperor should make sure, under no circumstances, to bring in a foreign power such as Britain, Spain, Germany, or even an active U.S. official, to help with negotiations.”

Grant had been offended by the elitist, racist rhetoric coming from Western powers regarding China and Japan, and convinced Meiji that any country, if included in negotiations, would attempt to financially cripple both countries for the benefit of their own. “Sometimes my blood boils,” Grant said, “to see this unfairness and selfishness.” To the general, it was a marvel that Japan kept its temper and continued its “kind treatment to the foreigners under the insults heaped upon them” from the “overbearing and bullying policy of the foreigners and their diplomatic representations.”

The emperor, meanwhile, marveled at Grant and used the time he had with the general to address other matters that had brought him stress. At the time, Meiji was deciding whether to form an “elective assembly” or a government “that rests on the people.” Here, Grant strongly urged caution, because the moment you hand “suffrage and representation” to the population, you “give [it to] them forever,” and can never take them back. Without question, Grant recalled his decisions as president during American post-civil war Reconstruction, as he attempted to support the entry of millions of now-free black slaves into society. Here he also confessed a profound regret — and that was not stripping “old slaveholders” of their authority over the Electoral College.



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Monument crafted by Japanese officials near the now fully grown trees planted by Ulysses S Grant and his wife in 1879. Photo: 三人日
Before leaving Japan, Grant and his wife were given an extravagant send-off on Aug 25, 1879 at Ueno Park. As they did in Nagasaki, Mr and Mrs Grant planted trees, but these have survived the test of time. The general planted a "Lawson cypress" and his wife an “evergreen magnolia.” Fifty years later, Japanese officials crafted a monument near the now fully grown trees.

Grant died from throat cancer in 1885 only days after completing his memoirs, but the wisdom he shared with the young Emperor Meiji went on to influence many of Japan’s policy decisions. Quite often when discussing serious matters, Meiji used Grant as support. “Grant spoke of the harm of foreign debts. His words are still fresh in my ears.” During the composition of the Meiji Constitution, the emperor leaned on Grant’s advice heavily. “On this question Grant said…on that question Grant taught me…”

For decades, President Ulysses S Grant would stand in Japan’s eyes as the embodiment of Western civilization’s best self. Although his advice regarding the Ryukyu islands was not altogether successful, he should continue to receive credit for temporarily dimming the hostility between the two countries and keeping them from war, at least until 1894.

Before leaving Japan for San Francisco, Grant delivered a farewell speech on Aug 30. The country had left a deep impression on him. At 57 and feeling his mortality, the general knew this would be a true sayonara: “I now take my leave without expectation of ever again having the opportunity of visiting Japan, but with the assurance that pleasant recollections of my present visit will not vanish while my life lasts.”
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Suge Knight may face 28 years in prison for vehicular manslaughter.

He had originally claimed this was self defense.:roll:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/20/entertainment/suge-knight-manslaughter-plea-deal/index.html

Former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight pleaded no contest Thursday to manslaughter in connection with the death of a man during a hit-and-run incident after a confrontation on the set of the movie biopic "Straight Outta Compton."
Knight, 53, is scheduled to be sentenced October 4 and in exchange for his plea, prosecutors are calling for a sentence of 28 years in prison.
Two other criminal cases against Knight will be dismissed at sentencing.
Knight was accused in January 2015 of running over two men, killing one of them, during an argument.
Knight had faced one count of murder for the death of Terry Carter and one count of attempted murder in the case of Cle "Bone" Sloan, who was maimed after Knight allegedly struck the pair with his truck.

Knight had also been charged one count of hit-and-run. He had faced life in prison.

There was video of the incident that shows a truck driven by Knight. It pulls into the entrance of a Compton restaurant near the site where the movie was filmed, and the driver is approached by Sloan, a security guard.
The two men appear to talk for a few moments, with Knight still in his vehicle. Suddenly, the vehicle backs up, knocking Sloan to the ground. While still in reverse, the truck moves out of range of the security camera.
The vehicle is then seen zooming forward, back into camera range, running over Sloan a second time, and then running over a second man, Carter, a former rap music label owner.
Carter later died.
The defense previously argued Knight was defending himself because Sloan had a gun.
The maximum penalty for voluntary manslaughter in California is 11 years in prison, but that would double because of prior convictions under the state's three-strikes law, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said.
Knight faces another five years because the conviction is for a serious and violent felony and one year for a deadly weapon allegation involving the truck he used.
"Straight Outta Compton" tells the story of the rap group N.W.A.
Knight and N.W.A. member Andre "Dr. Dre" Young founded the wildly popular Death Row Records label together in 1991.
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Well if Suge did actually have Tupac killed here's karma biting him in the ass.
 
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https://dailyarchives.org/index.php/archives/64-rudolf-hess-was-murdered-by-british-agents-in-prison-to-stop-him-revealing-war-secrets

>According to the documents, a doctor who was treating the NS Party deputy leader supplied Scotland Yard with the names of two British agents who were suspected of the murder, but the force was advised to stop its investigations. The report by Detective Chief Superintendent Howard Jones, which has now been released under the Freedom of Information Act, provides details on the inquiry into surgeon Hugh Thomas's claims. It was written two years after Hess's death in 1987 after the force was called in following claims by Mr Thomas that the man sent to Spandau Prison in then-West Berlin was not Hess but an imposter sent by the National Socialists in 1941. Allied authorities said Hess hanged himself with an electrical cord in Spandau jail on August 17, 1987, at the age of 93. But Mr Thomas said the real Hess was in fact killed by two British agents dressed as members of the U.S. forces amid speculation he was about to be released due to a veto by the Soviet Union, The Independent has reported. The report cites how Mr Thomas 'confidentially imparted' the names of the two alleged suspects which he had received from a former member of the SAS. Mr Jones wrote: '[Mr Thomas] had received information that two assassins had been ordered on behalf of the British Government to kill Hess in order that he should not be released and free to expose secrets concerning the plot to overthrow the Churchill government.' Despite not finding 'much substance' to the murder allegations, Mr Jones ordered an investigation. According to The Independent, the Crown Prosecution Service received a copy of the report in 1989. Within six months the Director of Public Prosecutions at the time, Sir Allan Green, advised the investigation should not continue. Hess was an early confidant of Hitler, who dictated much of Mein Kampf to him while imprisoned during the 1920s. He eventually rose to become deputy NS leader, and was captured in 1941 during a solo flight to Scotland on an apparently unauthorized peace mission. He was later convicted in the Nuremberg trials after the Second World War ended. At the Nuremberg trials after the war, Hess was found innocent of "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity", but sentenced to life imprisonment for "crimes against peace and conspiracy to commit crimes against peace". His appearance in Britain in 1941 has been the subject of much debate over the years. In March last year a declassified report revealed for the first time the stark scene in which Hess was said to have killed himself and his alleged suicide note. But the report of the investigation into Hess's death, released last year under Freedom of Information, only deepened the mystery surrounding his final moments.
 
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/why_we_are_proud_of_our_fat_bodies

Why we’re proud
of our fat bodies
Photographer Alice Zoo speaks to six women about body positivity and fat activism

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[paste:font size="4"]COURTNEY, 24, GRIMSBY
@bodypositivebelle

“I’ve been big from a young age.

When I was 10, I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, so each year I’ve put on more weight. I was always really active, so it was strange. New lumps and bumps formed that I didn’t know what to do with.

I was bullied a lot throughout my school years, and I hated my body - absolutely hated it. It really affected my mental health.

When I was in college, I went on a big, long-term diet and lost five stone. I was a lot slimmer - though I was still big - but I realised I wasn’t a better person, I wasn’t suddenly beautiful, I wasn’t suddenly amazing. I was still the same person, but a lot less happy.

Then I discovered Instagram.

I remember seeing the first girl that used a body positive hashtag and I thought she looked amazing

But one night someone commented on all of my pictures saying that I was fat and looked like someone from Star Wars.

I messaged her and asked her why she was doing it. Why she found it fun to hurt someone like that. She replied, and later admitted that she had hang-ups about her own body. She said she felt fat.

It made me think that often people are just pushing their own insecurities out. Someone will look at me and think: ‘I don’t want to be that size, I wouldn’t be happy that size, so why should you be happy when you’re fat?’

It makes me sad to think about people who are struggling so much that they think the only way to make themselves feel better is to put someone down. That’s not the way. You can’t be comparing yourself to other people.

I know it’s not easy, but the sooner you start to see yourself, how great you are, the better. You won’t need to judge someone by their looks.”
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OK which one of you was the one who went through her Instagram calling her Jabba?
 
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