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Motorcycle Speeder Wins $180,000 In Case Against Cop Who Kicked His Ass

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Motorcycle Speeder Wins $180,000 In Case Against Cop Who Kicked His Ass

On Aug. 3, 2012, Justin Wilkens was speeding in his Aprilia motorcycle and unwittingly passed Oregon State Police Officer Rob Edwards in an unmarked cop Camaro. After a few minutes of chase, Edwards rammed Wilkens off the bike, pulled a gun on him and kicked him in the chest. If you think that sounds egregious, the jury agreed with you.

Dash cam footage from Edwards’ Camaro shows Wilkens’ motorcycle running hard and fast on what the Register-Guard identifies as Crow Road near the town of Venta, Oregon. The bike is obviously speeding and passes at least two cars across double-yellow (no passing-zone) lines.

TheNewspaper.com says Edwards had his red-and-blue police lights on in the Camaro, but not a siren. The officer would testify he believed the biker was trying to elude him, but Wilkens asserted he didn’t realize he was being chased and “had never seen a black Camaro cop car before.”

I’ve never seen a police car quite like that either, and as you can see from TheNewspaper.com’s photograph of the vehicles the Camaro is pretty indistinguishable from a civilian car. Even the license plates look standard.

Edwards chased him all the way to an intersection, at which point Wilkens appears to begin pulling over. Look at the biker’s body language at about 3:31; you can almost hear him saying “Ah, shit,” inside his helmet as he looks in the bike’s left mirror and realizes that’s a cop behind him.

Motorcycle Speeder Wins $180,000 In Case Against Cop Who Kicked His Ass

As you can see from there; the police car hits the bike, knocking Wilkens to the ground. Edwards maintained this was unintentional; a result of “brake fade” from the Camaro’s discs being overworked. His assessment, not mine, which was basically shot down by Wilkens’ attorney.

As the biker stood up, Edwards enters frame with a kick to Wilkens’ chest while drawing down on him with his pistol before cuffing him.

Among Wilkens’ injuries were “a broken clavicle and fractured rib.”

In an interesting plot twist, Edwards stated he did not know the police car’s dashcam was running.

After being apprehended, Wilkens brought an excessive-force claim against Edwards. As explained by local news, a jury of eight people “awarded Wilkens more than $31,000 in economic damages to reimburse his medical expenses and motorcycle repair bills; $100,000 in non­economic damages for his injuries, pain and suffering; and $50,000 in punitive damages,” which Edwards will be forced to pay.

Local news says Edwards has been an Oregon State Trooper for 22 years and held the rank of lieutenant when this incident went down, having since been promoted to captain. He was apparently reprimanded by his superiors for “neglecting to report his use of force against Wilkens” but not cited for excessive force.

After the verdict, the Oregon State Police released a statement as reported by the Register-Guard, saying their office “is disappointed with the (trial) outcome and feels the actions of our troopers clearly did not violate established procedures or tactics. In situations like these, officers have milliseconds to make what may be life-or-death decisions and those officers should be shielded from the liability of civil damages.”

Let’s break it all down

You’ve seen what happened, read the analysis and now you know a jury has ruled in favor of the biker to the tune of getting reimbursed for his injuries an inconvenience plus $50,000 in apology money. Let’s look at both sides of the story one more time, as presented by local news cited above:

The biker:

  • Admitted he was speeding.
  • Maintained he didn’t realize the Camaro was a cop car.
  • Said he pulled over as soon as he did realize the Camaro was a cop car.
  • Thinks getting his bike rammed and a gun pointed at him, not to mention a strong kick to the chest was an excessively aggressive response to a speeder.

The cop:

  • Says he thought the biker was trying to elude him.
  • Did not realize his camera was running.
  • Had running lights, but no siren.
  • Maintained his actions were “in line with state police policies and training.”
  • Didn’t mean to ram the bike.
  • “Acknowledged in his testimony that Wilkens had begun to comply with his commands when he landed the kick, but said he was unable to stop the kick because he ‘already had the muscles fired’ in his right leg.”

The verdict:

Trooper Edwards’ methods were deemed excessively forceful, and as a result he’ll spend much of the rest of his life quite literally paying for his actions.

In case you want my opinion, it looks to me like the ramming was for sure intentional. By the time the Camaro bumped the bike, both vehicles were moving slowly. Brake fade? At that speed the car could have stopped before hitting the bike even if it’d just done a lap around Laguna Seca. Same goes for the kung-fu kick; if Wilkens had been a combatant perp, that ninja stunt have been a great opportunity to grab the cop’s leg send him to the ground.

But what really upsets me about this cop’s conduct is the way he holds his handgun.

Motorcycle Speeder Wins $180,000 In Case Against Cop Who Kicked His Ass

Besides the fact that I can’t see a reason for a gun to be drawn on a suspect this compliant, what kind of pew-pew-pew playcop bullshit is that grip?

Maybe Edwards is good enough to shoot one-handed. But if he pulls that trigger it sure looks like the pistol’s recoil will slap him directly in the face while a hot shell ejects toward his eye. I’ll give him credit for keeping his pointer finger out of the trigger enclosure but I find this casual gun-waving stance extremely disturbing.

“I’m just happy as heck,” Wilkens told the Register-Guard. Captain Edwards declined to comment.

Okay, your turn. Was justice served here or what?

Images via TheNewspaper.com, the Register-Guard.



NYPD Gon' Give It To Ya

New York Governor To Close All Public Roads In NYC

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New York Governor To Close All Public Roads In NYC

New York City recently went from concrete jungle to the North Pole with skyscrapers, accumulating over 20 inches of snow in the midst of a major snowstorm. As a result, the state governor called for a cease-all on travel beginning later today.

The snow forecast went up, too, according to Slate—estimates were between 20 and 25 inches, but now reach all the way up to a potential for 30 inches. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for the travel ban on all public roads in NYC due to the blizzard, and it will go into effect at 2:30 p.m. ET:

Travel already stopped in some areas, as the bus routes closed around noon. An MTA service advisory also recommended all customers“to remain at home during the duration of this storm” if at all possible:

Those who missed the bus have one last chance to get out of town before travel goes on lockdown, since trains will stay running for a few more hours:

And if you’re on the road past 4 p.m., it looks as if you’ll have a cozy jail cell to snuggle up in and wait out the storm.

There’s no flying either, obviously. Here’s the scene at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, reportedly from the General Manager Airport Operations at JFK:

There aren’t currently any estimates for when public transportation or roads will reopen in NYC, so stay inside and hang out with your cat if you’re already there. If you don’t have a cat, go get yourself one. When the roads reopen.


Photo credit: AP Photo/Daniel P. Derella

Here's a Video of Hillary Clinton Laughing in the Face of Transparency

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Presidential candidate and professional evader Hillary Clinton has truly perfected the smile-and-turn, a political maneuver often used, but seldom captured on tape. Finally, here we have it: rare footage of Clinton in her natural habitat.

In 2013, Politico reported that Clinton had been paid to speak to a group of Goldman Sachs employees, and, according to sources, reassured plutocrats about her stance on punishing bankers for past wrongdoings, saying that she didn’t want to keep berating the financial industry. But exactly what was said during those speeches remains a mystery.

When The Intercept’s Lee Fang asked Clinton at a town hall in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Friday whether she would release transcripts from speeches she was paid to give to Goldman Sachs bankers, Clinton gave us one fleeting, beautiful moment in which we can see everything. In a matter of seconds, so much happens: she 1) registers the meaning of Fang’s words, 2) realizes their implications, 3) lets loose a steady stream of he-he-he’s and, finally, 4) deftly averts her gaze—all with a warm, unwavering smile pasted across her face.


Bernie Sanders Commits to Rescinding the Hyde Amendment

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Bernie Sanders Commits to Rescinding the Hyde Amendment

In a statement issued yesterday, on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, Bernie Sanders called for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment.

“As president, and as someone who has a 100 percent pro-choice voting record in Congress, I will do everything that I can to protect and preserve a woman’s right to an abortion,” Sanders said. “Women must have full control over their reproductive health in order to have full control over their lives. We must rescind the Hyde Amendment and resist attempts by states to erect roadblocks to abortion.”

The Hyde Amendment, which bans Medicaid coverage of abortion, has been part of an ongoing debate between Hillary Clinton and Sanders over reproductive rights. Earlier this month, Clinton publicly committed to repealing Hyde when she accepted Planned Parenthood’s endorsement. Though Sanders has voted against the Hyde Amendment on numerous occasions, the single-payer health care plan he released last week made no mention of reproductive rights.

MSNBC reports that Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL, which also endorsed Clinton, questioned why Sanders’ plan left out reproductive rights. “In a political landscape this hostile to reproductive rights, words matter – as do their absence,” Hogue wrote. “If he won’t say the words now, how can we trust that he will hold the line?” Emily’s List had also said that Sanders’ health care plan treated reproductive rights as an “afterthought.”

Sanders’ statement comes on the heels of an interview where he referred to Planned Parenthood as part of the “establishment” he is “taking on.” Missteps aside, having both Democratic candidates firmly commit to repealing the Hyde Amendment is an important shift in the reproductive rights debate.

Image via AP.

Donald Trump Floats New Campaign Strategy: Murder

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Nothing can stop Donald Trump, according to Donald Trump—not even cold-blooded murder.

In an effort to demonstrate how dedicated his supporters are, Trump said at a rally at Dordt College in Iowa on Friday that even if he were to shoot someone, his voters would still support him:

“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, okay, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, okay? It’s, like, incredible.”

Trump’s metaphor has much in common with the way that lemmings will follow one another off cliffs. Here is that moment again, complete with finger-gun movement:

Interestingly, murder has not always been a key tenet of the Trump campaign. Just last December, Trump said that he would not, against his best instincts, murder journalists who did their jobs well. What a difference a month makes!


Donald Trump Spokesperson Decried Lack of “Pure Breeds” Running for President

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Donald Trump Spokesperson Decried Lack of “Pure Breeds” Running for President

Back in 2012, Donald Trump spokesperson and sentient ammunition display Katrina Pierson went on Twitter and publicly lamented what she called a lack of “pure breeds” in the U.S. presidential race.

Ostensibly, Pierson is somehow trying to imply that having a parent born overseas makes someone less American, or to put it in more menacing, eugenical terms, “less pure.” It’s also worth noting that Donald Trump’s mother was actually born in Scotland—though I can’t for the life of me figure out why she might have let that one slide (I can).

Pierson—who, like her boss, wants to ban all Muslims from being able to enter the U.S.—is also a big proponent of Donald Trump using America’s arsenal in some capacity (any capacity!), saying, “What good does it do to have a good nuclear triad if you’re afraid to use it?”

Four years before Pierson tweeted about the lack of pure breeds in American politics, she sued her employer for racial discrimination.

We’ve reached out to Pierson for comment on the tweet (which, at the time of publication, has yet to be deleted) and will update if and when we hear back.

[h/t @wupton]


500 Days of Kristin, Day 364: Snow Thoughts


19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

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19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Winter Storm Jonas pretty much has the East Coast stuck inside this weekend, which means that you’re probably sitting in front of your television scrolling through Netflix. Allow us to help.

Here’s some of our absolute favorite science fiction shows that we can watch over and over again (and the storm is just the perfect excuse we need).

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Awake

Awake was an underrated show that never seemed to attract the audience it deserved. Despite that, it was a brilliant show, following a detective who keeps waking up in two universes: one in which his son survived a car accident, the other in which his wife survived.

Where you can find it: Netflix

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Battlestar Galactica

One of the greatest science fiction shows out there, Battlestar Galactica defined what it meant for modern speculative fiction to absolutely rock. Dark, thoughtful and slightly bonkers at points, it’s one of the shows that blew us away.

Where you can watch it: Hulu

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Daredevil

The first of Marvel’s Netflix shows, Daredevil blew us away with its darker take on the MCU. This is an intense show, with some fantastic acting and quite a bit of great action. Plus, once you’re done, you should check out Jessica Jones.

Where you can find it: Netflix

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Dark Matter

One of the two space opera shows that SyFy debuted this summer, Dark Matter was one that I had a lot of fun watching. It’s firmly in the camp of shows like Andromeda, Firefly and Farscape, about a starship’s crew and their random adventures after they all lose their memories.

Where you can find it: Netflix

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Dollhouse

Joss Whedon’s other cancelled Fox TV show. Dollhouse actually made it to a second season, and we loved it. Starring an excellent cast that included the likes of Eliza Dushku, Fran Kranz, Tahmoh Penikett, Enver Gjokaj, Dichen Lachman, Reed Diamond, and Amy Acker, this story about a facility that can reprogram people was one of our favorites.

Where you can find it: Amazon Steaming, Netflix

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Europa Report

This found footage film about a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa is a tense thriller that got everything right. If you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s time.

Where you can find it: Netflix

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

The Expanse

The Expanse is the show that we’ve been waiting to see since Battlestar Galactica went off the air. It’s deeply political, exciting and tense, and it’s easily the best science fiction show on the airwaves now. The show is currently airing, but this is a good time to get caught up and to see what everyone is talking about.

Where you can find it: Hulu, SyFy.

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Farscape

This gem of a show is one that was just amazing. Original, wacky and just plain fun to watch, the adventures of hapless astronaut John Crichton lost in space is a classic show, and it’s one that we hope that we’ll see again someday.

Where you can find it: Netflix

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Firefly

You can’t talk about binge watching a science fiction show without mentioning Firefly somewhere. It lasted for a mere 14 episodes, but it’s become one of those cult shows that’s become an outright classic ever since it went off the air.

Where you can find it: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Galaxy Quest

Alan Rickman died earlier this week. You should watch this to honor him.

Where you can find it: Netflix

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Killjoys

Along with the aforementioned Dark Matter, Killjoys was SyFy’s return to form this year with space opera. It’s fun, with an interesting story and some entertaining characters that reminded us a bit of the classic space-based shows that we grew up with.

Where you can find it: Hulu, SyFy

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Life On Mars (UK)

This is probably my most favored show of all time. A cop is hit by a car and wakes up in 1973, where he’s trying to figure out if he’s actually travelled in time, or if he’s just in a coma. Brilliant acting, stories and an ending that blew everyone away. Don’t bother watching the US version. Plus, there’s a cool Bowie connection.

Where you can find it: Hulu

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Man In The High Castle

This adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s famous novel is fantastic. It’s a dark, outstanding drama of a world in which the United States and its allies lost the Second World War. It’s got an excellent story, phenomenal production values, and we can’t wait for Season 2.

Where you can find it: Amazon Streaming

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Orphan Black

We love this show, from Tatiana Maslany’s fantastic acting to the strange and excellent story that has come together over the last couple of seasons. This is definitely a show to get hooked on.

Where you can find it: Amazon Steaming

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Person of Interest

This is probably the show that we love the most. It’s brilliant, explores some amazing ideas, and it’s just flat out awesome. Seriously, if you have’t watched this yet, you really should.

Where you can find it: Netflix

19 Science Fiction Shows And Movies To Binge On While The Blizzard Has Trapped You Inside

Rick and Morty

I got hooked on this show a while back, and I can’t remember seeing a animated science fiction show that I had as much fun watching as Futurama. The adventures of mad scientist Rick and his meek grandson Morty are enormously addicting. Not all of the episodes are free to watch on Adult Swim’s website, but there’s a good chunk that are well worth checking out.

Where you can watch it: Adult Swim

And because we can’t have a binge list without snow-themed movies, here’s thee that are definitely worth checking out if you’re snowed in:

Snowpiercer

This was an utterly crazy, brilliant movie that we loved watching. Earth has frozen over, and a circumglobal train holds the last remains of humanity in a heavily segregated society. It’s a helluva a lot of fun.

Where you can find it: Netflix

The Colony

Not the TV show, but the 2013 B-movie, but it’s a ridiculous amount of fun. Earth has frozen over, and when one colony gets a distress call, Laurence Fishburne sets out to find out what happened to them. It’s just one of those films that’s perfect for a snow day.

Where you can find it: Netflix

Troll Hunter

This film flat out rocked. It might look like it’s a cheesy, found footage horror film, and there’s certainly elements of that, but it’s an utterly brilliant and another entertaining movie for a snow day.

Where you can find it: Netflix

What shows are you watching while you’re stuck inside?

Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

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Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

Kick off your weekend with a popular GPS watch, a safer method of frying turkey, a more convenient blender, and the rest of today’s best deals. Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter to never miss a deal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more.


Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

If you need a little more motivation to get out and run, this ultra-popular GPS fitness watch is below $200 for the first time ever, today only. To give you some context, this is an all-time low price by nearly $50, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it sold out quickly. [Garmin Forerunner 225, $190]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

http://gizmodo.com/garmin-has-fin...


Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

We’ve all seen those unfortunate deep fried turkey mishap videos on YouTube, but there is a safer way. This all-in-one turkey fryer is 100% electric, meaning no open flames, and it includes everything you need to fry a delicious, juicy bird. In fact, it’s certified for indoor use, which just seems...wrong? Anyway, today’s Gold Box deal is an all-time low, and $40 less than usual. [Masterbuilt Butterball Indoor XL Fryer with Accessory Pack, $90]


Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

If you’ve ever thought about pulling out your blender to make a smoothie, sauce, or dip, and then held off because you didn’t want to clean 3,000 different parts, this deal is for you.

The big advantage of Cuisinart’s 4.6 star-rated Smart Stick is that, unlike a traditional blender, you can dip it into whatever container you were already using to hold your ingredients; be it a single-serve cup or a huge mixing bowl. That saves you time, and means fewer dishes to clean up once you’re done. Reviewers also say it chops through everything from fruit to ice cubes with no trouble, so it really can be a full blender replacement for most use cases.

As always, we don’t know how long this deal will be available, so be sure to grab one before the price shoots back up. [Cuisinart CSB-75BC Smart Stick 2-Speed Immersion Hand Blender, $31]

http://www.amazon.com/Conair-Cuisina...


Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

At first glance, this looks like any other pocket-sized USB battery pack, and in fact, it’ll work just fine as one. But it’s also a battery-powered hand warmer, which can maintain a pleasant 109 degree temperature for up to five hours on a charge. [EnergyFlux Slim 4400mAh Rechargeable Double-Sided Hand Warmer, $28]

http://www.amazon.com/EnergyFlux-Rec...


Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

It never hurts to have extra microSD cards lying around, especially when they’re this cheap.

PNY U3 64GB MicroSD Card ($20) | Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...

Samsung EVO 16GB MicroSD Card ($7) | Amazon

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Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

If you’ve been in the market for a ~250GB SSD, you’ve already had two great deals to choose from this week. If you missed out though, here’s a third. [Crucial BX200 240GB SSD, $57]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3814762023...


Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

The Nexus 5X is one of the best midrange phones you can buy, and you can pick one up for $312 unlocked today. That’s about $38 less than usual, and while it was slightly cheaper around the holidays, this is still a great bargain if you’re in the market for a new handset. [Nexus 5X, $312]

http://gizmodo.com/the-nexus-5x-r...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1518764258...


Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

If you’re hosting a Super Bowl party in a few weeks (or just, you know, like snacks), Amazon’s offering 20% off various chocolate products, and 25% off Cheez-Its and Pringles today. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any chicken wing coupons.


Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

One thing I’ve learned in my extensive personal research into toaster ovens is that, with very few exceptions, you need to spend about $200 to get a good one. Sure, there are hundreds of cheap metal boxes with three knobs that will (inconsistently) brown your bread or heat up a slice of pizza, but when it comes to features, speed, and above all, consistency, you really do get what you pay for.

That logic certainly applies to the Cuisinart Chef’s Toaster Convection Oven, which is marked down to $220 today on Amazon. Instead of fiddly knobs, you get a digital screen with precise information. Rather than two small heating elements, you get five, plus convection fans to distribute that heat evenly. And while cheap toasters might hold two or four pieces of bread, this can easily accommodate up to six standard slices (or nine if they’re small), and customize the toast time to achieve your preferred level of doneness. Yes, it’s an investment, but as I said before, you get what you pay for. [Cuisinart Chef’s Toaster Convection Oven, $220]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...


Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

Logitech’s UE Mini Boom Bluetooth speaker earned a Wirecutter recommendation as the best portable Bluetooth speaker, and you can score a refurb from eBay today for $37 shipped, the best price we’ve ever seen. [Refurb Logitech UE Mini Boom Bluetooth Speaker, $37]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2521036334...


Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

If you didn’t get a life-changing wake-up light for Christmas, the high-end model is down to $110 today, which is a match for the best price we’ve ever seen [Philips HF3520 Wake-Up Light, $110]

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-HF3520...

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Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

Motorola’s absurdly tiny, second generation Hint Bluetooth headset went on sale less than half a year ago for $130, but if you act fast, you can grab a set for $80. [Motorola Hint, $80]

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Saturday's Best Deals: Garmin Forerunner, Flameless Fried Turkey, and More

We’ve seen a lot of motion-sensing night light deals, but this one can automatically turn on when it detects a power outage, and will even work as a flashlight for up to 90 minutes while untethered from the wall. [Etekcity LED Night Light, Flashlight: Rechargeable Emergency Light, $14 with code 8FZJEC8C]

http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-LED-N...


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Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Send deal submissions to Deals@Gawker, click here to learn more.

Cops Join In Snow Football Game, Deliver Devastating Stiffarm

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Cops Join In Snow Football Game, Deliver Devastating Stiffarm

Much like that Gainesville cop who dunked on those kids earlier this week, these Washington D.C. cops took a little time off from policing last night as the blizzard was roaring into D.C. to play some sports. This may or may not be an attempt to ride the wave of goodwill that the Gainesville cop set off, but that doesn’t exactly matter for our purposes here.

Frictionally-challenged football looks like a great way to enjoy the snowstorm before it entombs the East Coast.

Behold the Insufferable Twerp That Is Young Ted Cruz

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“Take over the world, world domination...rich, powerful, that sort of stuff,” said 18-year-old Ted Cruz, when asked what he wanted to do with his life.

A video posted to YouTube this week shows the Republican presidential hopeful in 1988, while attending Second Baptist School in Houston, Texas. Not unlike any other teenager, Cruz is casual, goofy and achingly arrogant. Unlike any other teenager, he is still trying to take over the world, one government agency at a time.


Blizzard Leaves 19 Dead Across US, Paralyzes Major Cities

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Blizzard Leaves 19 Dead Across US, Paralyzes Major Cities

A total of 19 people died in weather-related incidents this weekend, after an enormous blizzard swept across the eastern half of the U.S.

According to the Guardian, many of the deaths were attributed to car accidents in snowy or icy conditions. Others died while shoveling snow or, in two cases in Virginia, of hypothermia.

The storm was, by all accounts, a monster. In New York City, it was the largest one-day blizzard in history (the second-largest for overall snowfall), dumping 26.8 inches on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Over 10,000 flights were cancelled from Friday until Sunday, and over 200,000 people lost power in North Carolina and New Jersey.

Blizzard Leaves 19 Dead Across US, Paralyzes Major Cities

In Washington, D.C., drama ensued after the official measurement was questioned. Some estimates have put the measure at 17.8 inches. A timelapse of the Capitol Building getting blanket

Meanwhile, many have also hinted at the connection of climate change to the recent spate of extreme weather events.

[Images via Getty]


Two enormous heists in Wisconsin this week have resulted in the tragic loss of thousands of dollars

On Saturday Night Live, The Bachelor is Bland and Tina Fey Returns as 'Crazy' Sarah Palin 

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After Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump earlier this week, it was almost inevitable that Tina Fey would return Saturday Night Live to revisit her classic Palin impression. And Fey definitely did not disappoint, she offered up an unhinged riff on Palin’s meandering and confusing Iowa endorsement speech while Darrell Hammond’s Trump provided commentary throughout.

The commentary went the easy route: Palin is crazy. “She’s a firecracker. She’s a real pistol,” Hammond’s Trump says before adding, “She’s crazy, isn’t she?”

“I hope nobody’s allergic to nuts, because we got a big one here,” he continues. “She’s two Corinthians short of a Bible,” Hammond said, referencing Trump’s own confusing speech at Liberty University. Fey’s impression always works because she seizes right on the spectacle of Palin’s public persona, but the crazy bit felt a bit cheap; particularly since it positioned Trump here as the voice of reason.

The rest of the episode, hosted by Ronda Rousey with musical guest Selena Gomez, was otherwise pretty unremarkable. The sketch “Bland Man,” a spoof of The Bachelor, was the episode’s other standout, it was a pretty accurate interpretation of the show’s standard narrative.


Remember When They Put a Hillary Clinton-Shaped Ball of Flesh On the Cover of New York Times Magazine?

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Remember When They Put a Hillary Clinton-Shaped Ball of Flesh On the Cover of New York Times Magazine?

Two years ago to the day, New York Times Magazine put Hillary Clinton on its cover in the form of a gnarled, grinning orb of flesh. It is, objectively, the best magazine cover.

Now, most internet sensations are fleeting. The dress came and went in a day. Those llamas captured our fancy that one time for a few hours. A blimp was around at some point, and the rest is mush—a hazy, garbage-colored memory of memes not worth the brain cells necessary to hold them for anything longer than a tweet.

Planet Hillary, though, is different.

No, I couldn’t tell you what the cover article was actually about (other than, I assume, Hillary Clinton in some capacity). And neither could the dozen or so other people I asked to recall it over the past week. Do you know what they were able to remember, though? The sphere of human skin on the cover. The words “Planet Hillary” needed barely escape my lips before they’d smile and let slip a dreamy “oh man,” lost in visions of a bald, grinning Secretary of State floating in a sea of quasars.

Because by all logic, a ball of flesh approximating Hillary Clinton’s face should not be on the cover of New York Times Magazine. It should be a product of weird Twitter or a serial killer’s foray into making his own basketballs, but not something that comes from an established publication. And yet—it did. And despite The Times best efforts, no explanation will suffice. You can’t rationalize a Hillary Clinton skin planet. It simply is.

Clinton herself has never actually commented on the cover, and my recent attempts were left similarly unanswered. Which, truthfully, is probably for the best. Planet Hillary’s appeal lies in its absurdity, in its lack of answers. But more than that, Planet Hillary’s appeal lies in the fact that someone stuck Hillary Clinton’s face on a ball of skin and said to themselves, “Yes. This will do.”

So happy birthday, Planet Hillary. I love you most of all.


Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com. Image via The New York Times Magazine.

Unmuzzled Trump Spokesperson Just Can't Stop Calling People 'Half-Breeds'

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Presidential candidate Donald Trump may look like this cat, but his spokesperson Katrina Pierson simply cannot stop referring to people as though they are dogs.

On Saturday, Pierson made headlines when an old (still undeleted) tweet of hers, in which she lamented that there were no “pure breeds” running for president in 2012.

Well, as the saying goes, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. In an interview with CNN’s Reliable Sources on Sunday, Brian Stelter asked whether she’d like to retract the statement she made in the tweet. The answer to that question, according to Pierson, is a big, fat no.

STELTER: Would you like to retract that?

PIERSON: No, not at all. Look, these tweets––I’m an activist, and I am a half-breed, I’m always getting called a half-breed, and on Twitter, when you’re fighting with Twitter and even establishment, you go back at them in the same silliness they’re giving you. So I myself am a half-breed.

STELTER: You’re telling me that was just silliness?

PIERSON: Absolutely.

It’s not exactly clear just what type of person qualifies as a “half-breed,” in Pierson’s book. For instance, Donald Trump, the man for whom she stumps, is the grandson of two German-born immigrants. Does that make him a quarter breed?

We may never know. One thing we do know, however, is that there are lots of methods available to make your spokesperson behave while running for president; you can find a handy list of them here.

h/t Mediaite


Donald Trump Wants 'Biased' Megyn Kelly To Skip the Next Debate

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Donald Trump Wants 'Biased' Megyn Kelly To Skip the Next Debate

Ever since Megyn Kelly questioned Donald Trump’s treatment of women in the first Republican debate, he’s been on a mission to discredit the Fox News host. Trump remains upset over a series of relatively tame questions from the August primary debate. “You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals,” Kelly said to Trump as she asked him about his history of belittling women. At the time, Trump countered that he only called Rosie O’Donnell those names, a comment that earned applause and laughter from the audience.

Yet Trump has managed to demonstrate that Kelly’s line of questioning wasn’t exactly inaccurate. Ever since that debate, he’s focused on Kelly’s career and character; from tweets analyzing her show to comments about “blood coming out of her wherever,” and retweeting supporters calling her a “bimbo.” It’s been a standard Trump approach to discrediting a perceived opponent. And Trump is quite likely the only person who could position Kelly, and Fox News, as great feminist crusaders.

Now with another Republican primary debate scheduled for Thursday, Trump has re-upped his attacks on Kelly. In a tweet yesterday, Trump said that Kelly was biased and should be disqualified from moderating the Fox-hosted debate.

On Saturday, however, Fox News said that despite Trump’s objections, Kelly will moderate the debate with Bret Baier and Chris Wallace. Fox’s spokesperson said: “Megyn Kelly has no conflict of interest. Donald Trump is just trying to build up the audience for Thursday’s debate, for which we thank him.”

Kelly, meanwhile, has not responded to any of Trump’s insults.

Image via AP.

South African Mayor Awards Young Women Scholarships for Remaining Virgins

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South African Mayor Awards Young Women Scholarships for Remaining Virgins

A group of 16 young women in South Africa have been awarded scholarships by their mayor for remaining virgin in an effort to push other young people to be “pure and focus on school.”

According to the Associated Press, the mayor of the Uthukela district municipality, Dudu Mazibuko, told a local radio station that the recipients had all agreed to undergo periodic exams to prove their virginity. He went on:

“To us, it’s just to say thank you for keeping yourself and you can still keep yourself for the next three years until you get your degree or certificate.”

The mayor says his intention was to encourage women, who are more often faced with the problems that arise with young pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections and diseases, to continue their educations, rather than becoming pregnant early. But the country’s chairman for the Commission for Gender Equality, Mfanozelwe Shozi, said that they “don’t agree” with the move, adding that the scholarships are “going too far” and contribute to discrimination against young pregnant women.

This isn’t the first time scholarships like this have been attempted (and virginity tests have proven continually problematic in countless countries in the past). In 2009, multiple sources reported that a province in Sierra Leone was offering virginity grants, too.

[Image via Flickr]


We Met Uranus, Our Solar System's Weirdest Planet, 30 Years Ago Today

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We Met Uranus, Our Solar System's Weirdest Planet, 30 Years Ago Today

On January 24th, 1986, Voyager 2 swept past our system’s seventh planet, Uranus, on its way through the solar system. It was the first and last time we visited the gas giant, and we found it’s one of the stranger locations in our solar system.

Throughout classical times, scholars recognized only six planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, each visible to the naked eye. It wasn’t until the advent of advanced telescopes that anyone found additional worlds orbiting our sun.

While Uranus is visible to the naked eye, and had been observed throughout history, it had been identified as a star. It wasn’t until March 13th, 1781 when William Hershel observed the planet and noted it down as a comet.

“The power I had on when I first saw the comet was 227. From experience I know that the diameters of the fixed stars are not proportionally magnified with higher powers, as planets are; therefore I now put the powers at 460 and 932, and found that the diameter of the comet increased in proportion to the power, as it ought to be, on the supposition of its not being a fixed star, while the diameters of the stars to which I compared it were not increased in the same ratio. Moreover, the comet being magnified much beyond what its light would admit of, appeared hazy and ill-defined with these great powers, while the stars preserved that lustre and distinctness which from many thousand observations I knew they would retain. The sequel has shown that my surmises were well-founded, this proving to be the Comet we have lately observed”.

It wasn’t until he brought his discovery to another astronomer, Nevil Maskelyne, that they realized that it wasn’t a comet: it orbited the sun like a planet. Additional observations from other astronomers helped confirm the discovery, and Hershel was given the honor of naming the planet. He bestowed it with ‘Georgium Sidus’, or George’s Star, in honor of his king. This, however, didn’t sit well with the wider European astronomical community, and in 1782, German astronomer Johann Elert Bode proposed Uranus, the latinized version of the Greek god Ouranos. However, it would be decades before the name was widely used.

The discovery of a new planet was Earth-shattering news in the astronomical community, and would open up a race to discover new bodies within the solar system.

Over the coming century, astronomers made a number of observations that confirmed the planet’s orbit, five moons, a set of rings, and its unusual orientation: unlike the rest of the planets in the solar system, it had an axial tilt of 97.77°, with one pole facing the sun.

However, it wasn’t until the 20th century that Uranus got the most attention from astronomers.

In 1965, Gary Flandro, a student at the California Institute of Technology and employee at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory began working on a new project: mapping out where NASA should look for new exploration efforts. Getting to the planets would be a major efforts, and he began tracing out orbits to see what would be feasible. It was then that he discovered that: “Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune”, according to Jay Gallentine in Ambassadors from Earth: Pioneering Explorations with Unmanned Spacecraft “would, in the next fourteen years, in the next fourteen years, begin aligning themselves on one side of the sun.”

This was the first step in realizing a new space program, one that would eventually explore the outer solar system: Voyager. It was an ambitious project, and two spacecraft were developed for a grand tour of the outer solar system.

In 1977, both spacecraft blasted off and made their way towards Jupiter: Voyager 1 on September 5th, flying by Jupiter and Saturn before it made its way out of the solar system. Voyager 2 launched on August 20th, and flew past Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, on its way out of the system.

We Met Uranus, Our Solar System's Weirdest Planet, 30 Years Ago Today

On January 24th, 1986, Voyager 2 reached its closest point to the seventh planet, 50,600 miles above its surface.

While there, it uncovered a wealth of new information about the planet: in addition to examining the previously discovered moons Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon, it discovered a number of others: Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Belinda, Perdita and Puck.

The probe also discovered interesting things about the planet’s atmosphere: it was extremely cold, with a composition primarily of hydrogen and helium. Among the other discoveries was that the planet’s magnetic field behaved strangely.

The encounter lasted all of 5.5 hours before Voyager departed, on its way to the next planet in the solar system, Neptune, helped along by a gravity assist.

We Met Uranus, Our Solar System's Weirdest Planet, 30 Years Ago Today

Since then, we’ve continued to learn about the planet: we’ve seen auroras in the planet’s atmosphere, while we’ve also recently learned that the planet’s atmosphere is heating up dramatically. There’s still a lot to learn from it.

To date, no other probes have been sent to Uranus, but there have been several proposed missions, although none have been ranked as highly as missions to planets such as Mars, Jupiter or Saturn. As of 2015, NASA has begun considering a new mission, one that would launch in the 2020s. Another mission to the planet would likely need to include an orbiter, which would provide detailed information about what is still a mysterious planet.

Top image credit: Lawrence Sromovsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison/ W. M. Keck Observatory. Middle image: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Bottom image credit: NASA/JPL

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