Marc Dion: Is This Your Flag? (Creators Syndicate)
We played tug of war with it as it started to stand for civil rights, for women's rights, for gay rights, for the right to publish everything from unpopular political theories to Allen Ginsberg's "Howl." The flag looked the same but it got bigger, it's promise covering more and more people, it's slow, flapping freedom shading more kinds of people from injustice.
Christine Gilbert: I get food stamps, and I'm not ashamed - I'm angry (Vox)
I've had to apply off and on over the past 16 years in order to make sure my family was fed. I don't feel the least bit ashamed of myself for this, but apparently some people think I should. Some people think I, and people like me, am lazy. Or that we're taking advantage of other (smarter, harder-working) people. Those people seem to have an image in their heads of how someone who "deserves" assistance behaves, and a very narrow idea of how we should feel about it. Those people are wrong. I'm going to lay out why they're wrong …
Matthew Yglesias: A Missouri Republican wants to stop people from buying steak or seafood with food stamps (Vox)
In the ongoing moral panic over what poor people choose to spend their resources on, Missouri Republican Rick Brattin has introduced a bill to the state legislature that would prevent anyone from using SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits "to purchase cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood, or steak."
Matt Baume: What's the Definition of "Traditional Marriage"? (YouTube)
Traditional marriage isn't the "one man, one woman" story you've always heard. It's changed countless times over the last 4,000 years, almost always for the better. Let's take a look at all the different things that marriage has been, and the one thing that has remained constant about marriage over all those millennia.
One of the first image formats commonly used on Web sites, its creators claim that the intended pronunciation deliberately echoes an American peanut butter brand. What is the name of this format?
The Graphics Interchange Format (better known by its acronym GIF) is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability.
GIF was one of the first two image formats commonly used on Web sites, the other being the black-and-white XBM.
The creators of the format pronounced GIF as "jif" with a soft "G" as in "gin". Steve Wilhite says that the intended pronunciation deliberately echoes the American peanut butter brand, Jif, and CompuServe employees would often say "Choosy developers choose GIF", spoofing this brand's television commercials.
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
GIF
mj wrote:
Not a jpeg
But a gif.
STEPHEN F said:
GIF
Randall replied:
I'm guessing "GIF"
Graphics Interchange Format
DJ Useo answered:
It's one of my big likes on the net. The animated gif.
I like to actually make my own. Good fun. Never tire of them.
I don't know anyone who calls them 'jifs', though. Hard "G" all the way.
Here's one of me a friend sent me.
MAM, wrote:
GIF ~ According to Steve Wilhite, the creator of the GIF format, the original pronunciation deliberately echoes the American peanut butter brand, Jif. The Graphics Interchange Format (better known by its acronym GIF is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987. Steve Wilhite says that GIF is pronounced ''Jif".
George said:
I have an idea as to this answer - the format is, I believe, called "Graphics Interchange Format, or "GIF", as it's pronounced.
Deborah responded:
That's a GIF, which in my head will always be pronounced with a hard G.
It stands for Graphics Interface Format…or Goodie, It's Free.
Almost 20° cooler today than yesterday. We laid a ton (literally) of flagstones in the front yard. Feels like a bit of a workout.
Lois Of Oregon wrote:
GIF is pronounced JIF? I'll be damned
Dale of Diamond Springs, Norcali took the day off.
Patriot Act NSA Spying Unconstitutional Section 215 National Security Letters Must End
My name is Marc Perkel and I have decided to announce that I will not comply with the so called "Patriot Act" laws requiring me to disclose information about my customers. If I receive a national security letter I will immediately photograph it, post it online everywhere I can, and then make a video of me burning it. I will then await my arrest. If you want to put me in jail then come get me mother fucker.
CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a FRESH'Big Brother', then a RERUN'Madam Secretary', followed by RERUN'CSI: The Original One'.
NBC opens the night with 'Dateline', followed by 'I Can Do That', then a RERUN'American Odyssey'.
ABC begins the night with a RERUN'America's So-Called Funniest Home Videos', followed by a FRESH'Celebrity Family Feud', then a FRESH'BattleBots', followed by a RERUN'Castle'.
The CW offers a RERUN'Monopoly Millionaires' Club', followed by an old 'Friends', then another old 'Friends', followed by 2½ hours of what passes for local news and other fluffery.
Faux has a RERUN'Bob's Burgers', followed by another RERUN'Bob's Burgers', then a RERUN'The Simpsons', followed by a RERUN'Brooklyn Nine-Nine', then a RERUN'Family Guy', followed by a FRESH'Golan The Invincible'.
MY has an old 'How I Met Your Mother', followed by another old 'How I Met Your Mother', then an old 'Big Bang Theory', followed by another old 'Big Bang Theory', then still another old 'Big Bang Theory', followed by yet another old 'Big Bang Theory'.
AMC offers the movie 'Independence Day', followed by the movie 'Humans', then a FRESH'Halt & Catch Fire'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] Planet Earth: Extreme Journeys
[7:00AM] Planet Earth: Extreme Survival
[8:00AM] Planet Earth: Incredible Families
[9:00AM] Planet Earth-Ep 7 - Great Plains
[10:00AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares US - Season 7 - Ep 1 - Return to Amy's Baking Company
[11:00AM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares US - Season 7 - Ep 2 - Pantaleone's
[12:00PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares US - Season 7 - Ep 3 - Old Neighborhood
[1:00PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares US - Season 7 - Ep 4 - Kati Allo
[2:00PM] Top Gear: Africa Special - Season 19 - Part 1
[3:00PM] Top Gear: Africa Special - Season 19 - Part 2
[4:00PM] Top Gear: Burma Special-Part 1
[5:00PM] Top Gear: Burma Special-Part 2
[6:00PM] Weird Science
[8:00PM] The Princess Bride
[10:00PM] The Princess Bride
[12:00AM] Weird Science
[2:00AM] Top Gear: Africa Special - Season 19 - Part 1
[3:00AM] Top Gear: Africa Special - Season 19 - Part 2
[4:00AM] Top Gear: Burma Special-Part 1
[5:00AM] Top Gear: Burma Special-Part 2 (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has a FRESH'Orange County Social', 'Bravo's First Looks'.
Comedy Central has the movie 'Joe Dirt', followed by 'Jeff Dunham: Spark Of Insanity', and 'Jeff Dunham: Arguing With Myself'.
FX has the movie 'Identity Thief', followed by the movie 'Ted', then the movie 'Ted', again.
IFC -
[6:00AM] WHITEST KIDS U'KNOW
[6:15AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-MALCOLM VISITS COLLEGE
[6:45AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-POLLY IN THE MIDDLE
[7:15AM] MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE-EXPERIMENT
[7:45AM] BATMAN-THE WAIL OF THE SIREN
[8:18AM] BATMAN-THE SPORT OF PENGUINS
[8:51AM] BATMAN-A HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR
[9:24AM] BATMAN-THE UNKINDEST TUT OF ALL
[9:57AM] BATMAN-LOUIE, THE LILAC
[10:30AM] THE MONKEES-HILLBILLY HONEYMOON
[11:05AM] THE MONKEES-MONKEES MAROONED
[11:40AM] THE MONKEES-THE CARD CARRYING RED SHOES
[12:15PM] FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
[3:00PM] GHOST RIDER
[5:30PM] GHOST RIDER
[8:00PM] TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES
[10:30PM] TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES
[1:00AM] CONAN THE BARBARIAN
[3:45AM] CONAN THE DESTROYER (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00AM] Love Lust-Love Lust & the Little Black Dress
[6:15AM] Almost Famous
[9:00AM] The Warriors
[11:00AM] Flashdance
[1:00PM] The Natural
[4:00PM] The Silence of the Lambs
[6:30PM] Two for the Money
[9:00PM] Caddyshack
[11:00PM] Caddyshack
[1:00AM] Two for the Money
[3:30AM] The Killer Inside Me
[5:45AM] Love Lust-Love Lust & The Social Network (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day', followed by the movie 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day', again.
Allison Janney, left, and Sandra Bullock arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of "Minions" at the Shrine Auditorium on Saturday, June 27, 2015.
Photo by Richard Shotwell
The Confederate flag was temporarily removed from the front of the South Carolina Statehouse on Saturday when a woman climbed the flagpole and - despite calls by police to get down - removed the banner.
Bree Newsome, 30, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was about halfway up the more than 30-foot steel flagpole just after dawn Saturday when officers of the South Carolina Bureau of Protective Services ran to the flagpole and told her to get down. Instead, she continued climbing to the top and removed the flag.
She and a man who had climbed over a four-foot wrought-iron fence to get to the flag were arrested.
The flag, which is protected by state law, was raised about 45 minutes later, well ahead of a rally later Saturday by supporters of slavery who want to keep the flag where it is.
US singer-songwriter Burt Bacharach performs during the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts 2015, held at Worthy Farm, near Pilton, Somerset, Britain, 27 June 2015. The outdoor festival runs from 24 to 29 June.
Photo by Hannah McKay
David Crosby has revealed that Joni Mitchell suffered from an aneurysm when she was hospitalized in late May. "Nobody found her for a while," he told theHuffington Post. "She took a terrible hit. To my knowledge she is not speaking yet...She's going to have to struggle back from it the way you struggle back from a traumatic brain injury…She's a tough girl, and very smart. So, how much she's going to come back and when, I don't know and I'm not going to guess."
There has been little information about Mitchell's condition since she entered a Los Angeles hospital on May 26th. TMZ reported that she was in intensive care and had undergone a surgical procedure, but a spokesperson said she was "awake and in good spirits." Days later, her camp released an official statement: "Joni remains under observation in the hospital and is resting comfortably. We are encouraged by her progress and she continues to improve and get stronger each day."
Crosby has been close to Mitchell since the 1960s. "I love her," he told theHuffington Post. "She's probably the best of us - probably the greatest living singer-songwriter."
Crosby also doubled down on negative comments he made about Kanye West. "It all stands on what you produce; what you actually put down," Crosby said. "Kanye West can't write, sing or play. So I have trouble with him as anything but a poser. Produce? That means he sits in a chair while the engineer does the work. He's a poser! And I'm not backing off it."
The Vatican signed a treaty with the "State of Palestine" on Friday, saying it hoped its legal recognition of the state would help stimulate peace with Israel and that the treaty itself would serve as a model for other Mideast countries.
Vatican Foreign Minister Paul Gallagher and his Palestinian counterpart, Riad al-Malki, signed the treaty at a ceremony inside the Vatican.
The Vatican had welcomed the decision by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012 to recognize a Palestinian state and had referred to the Palestine state since. But the treaty marked its first legal recognition of the Palestinian territory as a state.
The United States and Israel oppose recognizing the Palestinian state, arguing that it undermines U.S.-led efforts to negotiate an Israeli-Palestinian deal on the terms of Palestinian statehood. Most countries in Western Europe have held off on recognition, but some have hinted that their position could change if peace efforts remain deadlocked.
A lawyer for Bill Cosby argued Friday that it would be "terribly embarrassing" for the comedian if documents from a 2005 sex-assault lawsuit were unsealed.
Cosby is fighting efforts by The Associated Press to unseal motions from a lawsuit he settled with a former Temple University employee.
The lawsuit accused Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting the woman at Cosby's home. The settlement is confidential.
Lawyer Gayle Sproul, representing the AP, called him "an icon" particularly in Philadelphia, who "held himself out as someone who would guide the public in ways of morality."
Calling the Confederate flag an "insensitive symbol" he personally finds offensive, NASCAR chairman Brian France said the sport will be aggressive in disassociating the symbol from its events.
"We want to go as far as we can to eliminate the presence of that flag," France told The Associated Press on Saturday. "I personally find it an offensive symbol, so there is no daylight how we feel about it and our sensitivity to others who feel the same way.
"We're working with the industry to see how far we can go to get that flag to be disassociated entirely from our events."
Earlier this week, NASCAR said it backed South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's call to remove the Confederate flag from state capitol grounds, and noted that it bars the flag symbol in any official NASCAR capacity.
But banning it on race track property is a much larger task for NASCAR, which began as a Southern sport and many of its fans still embrace the flag. It flies atop campers and at camp sites at many races as fans spend entire weekends in either the infield or surrounding areas of track property.
Comedian James Corden, right, and his wife Julia Carey walk backstage at the Glastonbury music festival on Saturday, June 27, 2015 at Worthy Farm, Glastonbury, England.
Photo by Jim Ross
Walt Disney Co will ban selfie sticks starting next week at its theme parks around the world, the company said on Friday, joining a growing list of attractions that restrict the camera accessories for safety reasons.
Beginning Tuesday, the company will not allow selfie sticks - extension rods used for taking self-portraits with smartphones - at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, or Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The ban will begin on Wednesday at parks in Hong Kong and Paris.
"We strive to provide a great experience for the entire family, and unfortunately selfie sticks have become a growing safety concern for both our guests and cast," Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said in a statement.
Disney tried allowing selfie sticks in the park but not on rides, according to Prunty. But violators were forcing park staff to stop rides for extended periods of time, including on Wednesday when a roller coaster was shut down at Disneyland, frustrating other guests.
People participate in colourful costumes at the annual Christopher Street Day parade on Kurfuerstendamm in Berlin, Germany, June 27, 2015.
Photo by Fabrizio Bensch
Brazil's image as a religious melting pot has been shaken in recent weeks by a series of hate crimes, raising alarm over growing intolerance amid a surge in Evangelical Christianity.
Brazilians are known for fusing African, European and indigenous beliefs into a diverse array of colorful local traditions. But that syncretism has recently come under fire in a wave of attacks on practitioners of spiritualism and Afro-Brazilian religions.
In 1970, just five percent of the population was Protestant. Today, the figure is 22 percent -- some 44 million people.
There are Evangelical television networks, radio stations and a political movement that is now the third-largest group in Congress.
Known as the Evangelical Front, it opposes racial and gender equality, abortion and gay marriage.
A participant takes part in the annual Pride London Parade which highlights issues of the gay, lesbian and transgender community, in London, Britain June 27, 2015.
Photo by Neil Hall
Burning Man festival organizers are pushing back after the U.S. Bureau of Land Management requested upgraded accommodations for its officials at this year's event in the Nevada desert.
The federal agency asked for flush toilets, washers and dryers, hot water, air conditioning, vanity mirrors, refrigerators and couches at its on-site camp, called the Blue Pit, The Reno Gazette-Journal reported Friday. The toilets are also to be cleaned daily by Burning Man staff.
Festival leaders have refused the request, saying those amenities alone would cost $1 million and hike its permit fees to about $5 million. Burning Man holds the largest special-recreation permit in the country, but its cost has steadily increased in recent years. In 2011, the permit fees were $858,000.
After the Reno Gazette-Journal's report, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada weighed in with a letter to Interior Department Secretary Sally Jewell. He called the requested accommodations unprecedented, extravagant and "outlandishly unnecessary."
The event has been held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert for 23 years, which Reid said was a cultural benefit that also contributes $35 million to the local economy each year.
Sailing ships take part at the traditional tall ship parade of the Kiel Week sailing event on the Baltic sea in Kiel, northern Germany, Saturday, June 27, 2015.
Photo by Carsten Rehder
A recent rediscovery of an ancient village has drawn American and international anthropology students to Guam's Ritidian area to search for more clues about what life might have been like in that place hundreds of years ago.
Remnants of at least 15 ancient homes are part of the ancient village, said Mike Carson, an associate professor of archaeology and anthropology at the University of Guam.
The remnants of this ancient village, which may have hosted a few generations of earlier Guam settlers in the mid-1600s or earlier, are also in relatively good condition, making it easy to see their original shapes, Carson said. The ancient homes are called latte.
The ancient village's rediscovery also has added wind to the argument of local officials who oppose the military's plan that could further restrict public access to that part of Ritidian.
The ancient village already sits within an area at Ritidian that the public can access only with a special permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the wildlife refuge.
A one-month-old Eagle Owl chick sits inside an open-air cage at the Royev Ruchey zoo in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, June 26, 2015.
Photo by Ilya Naymushin
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, wrote:
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
