The "WTF? Check this link out!" thread!

[Schala Zeal]

Yeah. NEVER spit on a cop. Cops here are assholes but they're assholes with authority.

[MsBlack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM0blsuCjlA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbQfWHfi_-s

Edit: Just found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KEoTwkNIzU by going through Related Videos. Thought it sounded familiar.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

...Cops here are assholes...

That's what you say until you need help.

[Schala Zeal]

Well they do an inept job when I DO need help... and I've needed help before...

[Zephira]

I'm sure if you're really a magical princess, you won't ever need police. You can just set your foes on fire or teleport them away!

But seriously, getting back to reality, police are very important. A lot of them are well trained and really believe in their duty, but they have odd quotas and guidelines written by other people to satisfy. My older brother had trouble with cops for a few years because of one small mistake made a while ago; however, the problem there was legislation, not the police themselves. On the other hand, f it weren't for police, half my family would probably be dead by now, my grandpa would have never had a job, and I would still be putting up with a crazy stalker from junior high.
Most often, people only have problems with cops when they're caught speeding or drinking. If you don't want to get in trouble, then don't break the law. Simple as that.

[Schala Zeal]

There are such things as wrongful arrests... and they don't end happily in some cases either. Sometimes the wrongful arrest leads to innocent people being put away. Police are far from perfect. You won't believe how often police fall for "he said she said"

[Lord J Esq]

By nature the work of a police officer is fraught with controversy; they are the ones called in to deal with our most serious domestic disputes. And to deal with these problems, they are vested with powers that ordinary citizens don't have. Additionally, police are human beings capable of making mistakes, capable of falling short of the obligations and principles of their uniform. Lastly, they are vulnerable to being mismanaged or hamstrung by incompetent managers or unwieldy laws.

It all adds up, to the point where many people are cynical about the police, be it due to personal experiences or ideological disfavor. Nevertheless, Zephira is completely right. The police provide a key role in preserving the order of our society. They seldom deserve the bad rap and the skepticism they get. And, if they're doing their job right, we don't notice when they're doing their job right.

It's awkward having a policeman around the house. Friends drop in, a man with a badge answers the door, the temperature drops 20 degrees.

You throw a party and that badge gets in the way. All of a sudden there isn't a straight man in the crowd. Everybody's a comedian. "Don't drink too much," somebody says, "or the man with a badge'll run you in." Or "How's it going, Dick Tracy? How many jaywalkers did you pinch today?" And then there's always the one who wants to know how many apples you stole.

All at once you lost your first name. You're a cop, a flatfoot, a bull, a dick, John Law. You're the fuzz, the heat; you're poison, you're trouble, you're bad news. They call you everything, but never a policeman.

It's not much of a life, unless you don't mind missing a Dodger game because the hotshot phone rings. Unless you like working Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, at a job that doesn't pay overtime. Oh, the pay's adequate-- if you count pennies you can put your kid through college, but you better plan on seeing Europe on your television set.

And then there's your first night on the beat. When you try to arrest a drunken prostitute in a Main St. bar and she rips your new uniform to shreds. You'll buy another one-- out of your own pocket.

And you're going to rub elbows with the elite-- pimps, addicts, thieves, bums, winos, girls who can't keep an address and men who don't care. Liars, cheats, con men-- the class of Skid Row.

And the heartbreak-- underfed kids, beaten kids, molested kids, lost kids, crying kids, homeless kids, hit-and-run kids, broken-arm kids, broken-leg kids, broken-head kids, sick kids, dying kids, dead kids. The old people nobody wants-- the reliefers, the pensioners, the ones who walk the street cold, and those who tried to keep warm and died in a $3 room with an unventilated gas heater. You'll walk your beat and try to pick up the pieces.

Do you have real adventure in your soul? You better have, because you're gonna do time in a prowl car. Oh, it's going to be a thrill a minute when you get an unknown-trouble call and hit a backyard at two in the morning, never knowing who you'll meet-- a kid with a knife, a pill-head with a gun, or two ex-cons with nothing to lose.

And you're going to have plenty of time to think. You'll draw duty in a lonely car, with nobody to talk to but your radio.

Four years in uniform and you'll have the ability, the experience and maybe the desire to be a detective. If you like to fly by the seat of your pants, this is where you belong. For every crime that's committed, you've got three million suspects to choose from. And most of the time, you'll have few facts and a lot of hunches. You'll run down leads that dead-end on you. You'll work all-night stakeouts that could last a week. You'll do leg work until you're sure you've talked to everybody in the state of California.

People who saw it happen - but really didn't. People who insist they did it - but really didn't. People who don't remember - those who try to forget. Those who tell the truth - those who lie. You'll run the files until your eyes ache.

And paperwork? Oh, you'll fill out a report when you're right, you'll fill out a report when you're wrong, you'll fill one out when you're not sure, you'll fill one out listing your leads, you'll fill one out when you have no leads, you'll fill out a report on the reports you've made! You'll write enough words in your lifetime to stock a library. You'll learn to live with doubt, anxiety, frustration. Court decisions that tend to hinder rather than help you. Dorado, Morse, Escobedo, Cahan. You'll learn to live with the District Attorney, testifying in court, defense attorneys, prosecuting attorneys, judges, juries, witnesses. And sometimes you're not going to be happy with the outcome.

But there's also this: there are over 5,000 men in this city, who know that being a policeman is an endless, glamourless, thankless job that's gotta be done.

I know it, too, and I'm damn glad to be one of them.

[ZeaLitY]

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Cops aren't perfect -- they're human.

But here's the kicker... So are you.

[KebreI]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQukka6wHto

[ZealKnight]

Cops aren't perfect -- they're human.

But here's the kicker... So are you.

 
But they don't have to treat people like crap you know. I get pulled over driving 2-3 mph over the limit and you treat me like someone who just committed murder.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Well that wouldn't have happened had you not of been 2-3 mph over the speed limit, hahaha... 

But who's to say you didn't just commit murder? Surely you realize what cops go through - cops always have to be on their toes. The moment they're all super nice and friendly and they let their guard down is the moment they are at risk the most. Watch the news and you'll see just how many cops are attacked and killed during routine traffic stops such as the one you describe.

How is he to know that you aren't clutching a weapon? How is he to know that you don't have drugs in the car? How is he to know that you're not a true criminal? He doesn't. For all he knows you could be a psychotic of some sort, who, in desperation to get away, would be willing to murder to do so - because that type of stuff happens all the time. It really does.

Now, I'm not defending cops. They can be assholes. But so can bakers, bankers, doctors, sons, daughters, friends, grandparents, video game designers, forumites, etc. We are all human and we are all capable of assholery. That includes me and you.

[Mr Bekkler]

YES! Meat production without animals is being seriously discussed. Proves that no matter how outlandish an idea is, someone's probably already thought about it, and is working to make it happen.
http://www.livescience.com/technology/050707_lab_meat.html
http://www.peta.org/feat_in_vitro_contest.asp
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1734630,00.html

The Peta thing is very interesting (and as much as I would love to make fun of Peta, I think the idea could actually be helpful, so I won't go there) but that Time article has a big typo. It says

scientists can design meat, for example, that is high in healthy fats, such as omega 3s and 6s

while the first article says

"For one thing, you could control the nutrients," Matheny says. "For example, most meats are high in the fatty acid Omega 6, which can cause high cholesterol and other health problems. With in vitro meat, you could replace that with Omega 3, which is a healthy fat."

In short: Time is a great magazine, but don't go there for health advice.

[Schala Zeal]

Do you hate iCarly as much as I do?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHjLNK6PpnQ

[GenesisOne]

New Black Barbies get mixed reviews:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/10/21/black.barbies.irpt/index.html

So, which is more racist: the fact that Mattel styled these dolls in such a manner with their "authentic" features, or the critics saying that they lack afros and braids?