[BREAKING] News Thread

[Moonface]

CNN | Three Year Cruise Cancelled

The news title doesn't make this sound all that interesting, but this just sounds so ridiculous from start to finish.

I think the best part is all the people who sold their homes to do this who are now complaining they have nowhere to return home to and no money to do it. The problem with that complaint is if this cruise had gone ahead, you'd be in this exact same situation when the cruise is finished. In fact you'd be worse off because there would be less or even zero chance of one of the companies in the article trying to help you as they would have no obligation to do so.

This whole thing just reminds me of other stupid "adventures" people with too much money and too little critical thinking entertain like Fyre Fest and whatever the other similar ones are I can't remember the names of.

[Mr EliteL]

Like any cruise is worth selling your home for, what the hell were those people thinking?! I already am unlikely and wouldn't want to go any short-term cruise let alone three years. Yeesh.

[Moonface]

What gets me is doing this for a company that has never done this and even said they don't have the boat in their possession either. Why would you put that much faith into something where you sell your home and put down huge sums of money when it has no track record?

Even if it did work out though I dread to think what the conditions would be like. Apparently cruise ships are a haven for illnesses to break out in ways that can make COVID-19 blush and that's just for the typical short ones; a cruise lasting three years sounds like it would see half the passengers dead of dysentery or something before the halfway mark.

[ShiraNoMai]

Rich people screwing over other rich people. Can't say I have much sympathy over their plights but

Like, houseboats are a thing, but not when you share it with tens of other bodies...

[Moonface]

I expect the reason houseboats weren't used instead is that they don't go anywhere, and a quick check showed that this cruise was going to be making a lot of stops:

The company is promising to tick off 375 ports around the world, visiting 135 countries and all seven continents. The ship will cover more than 130,000 miles over the three years, taking in iconic sights from Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue and India’s Taj Mahal, to Mexico’s Chichen Itza, the pyramids of Giza, Machu Picchu and the Great Wall of China. It even slots in trips to 103 “tropical islands.” Of those 375 ports, 208 will be overnight stops, giving you extra time in the destination.

I also don't think it was only trying to attract retired people because otherwise this part would make no sense to offer:

And because of the nature of the voyage, as well as traditional cruise ship amenities, restaurants and entertainment, the Gemini will also be kitted out with remote working facilities. The company promises a full-scale business center complete with meeting rooms, 14 offices, a business library and a lounge, presumably for your mid-shift coffee breaks. Access is free.

A lot more of what this cruise was going to offer can be read here, and I really don't see how all of this could be offered at $30,000 a year and not seem questionably cheap: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/3-yea...index.html

[ShiraNoMai]

RIP BOZO: Notorious War Criminal Henry Kissinger Has Died at 100

And the whole world celebrates. Rest in piss, shitbag.

[Maniakkid25]

...WOW, Ordinary Things' newest video has aged poorly now, considering he called him an "Immortal Lich King" in it.

But yeah, if anyone deserves to have a urination for a eulogy, it's Henry Kissinger. Bombing of Cambodia, Pinochet, and good lord, the Argentine military Junta! This man has had an indelible effect on world history, and almost none of it was for the better. Holy f***, it's about time he died.

[ShiraNoMai]

Jimmy Carter outliving his rival while in hospice for months is the biggest chad move, also.

Also a damn shame he got to live to 100, and Betty White was cheated of that milestone

[Dragon Lord]

Man, another one making it to 99/100. It used to feel like such a rare thing, but now it feels like we're seeing quite a handful of people dying every year at 99/100+. That's a lot of time to log on your save file.

[Maniakkid25]

So, in international news today, Venezuela is voting on something today that reads as nothing short of insane.

Currently, a public referendum is being held on what to do with the territory of Essequibo. "Why does that seem insane," you may ask. Well, see, the rest of the world agrees that the territory its voting on is Guyana's territory, a country that is much smaller in size, manpower, and GDP. So, basically, a public referendum is being held on what to do with the territory they are all but officially announcing that they will annex. This includes things like if the people they end up annexing will be given official citizenship. What the hell is going on?!

[Dragon Lord]

So there's finally been an update to the 2019 arson attack on the Kyoto Animation studio. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Shinji Aoba. The verdict will be delivered on January 25th.

Hopefully it'll be good news and that they're going to give him the death penalty.

[Moonface]

So there's finally been an update to the 2019 arson attack on the Kyoto Animation studio. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Shinji Aoba. The verdict will be delivered on January 25th.

Hopefully it'll be good news and that they're going to give him the death penalty.

Dang, I guess Japan doesn't mess around when it comes to punishments. Although, giving the guy the death penalty only matters if it gets followed through in a timely manner instead of leaving him in a cell for decades like death row inmates in other countries can experience.

[Dragon Lord]

The last person Japan put to death was Tomohiro Kato, the man responsible for the 2008 Akihabara attack that left seven dead. He drove a truck through a crowd killing three, then got out and used a dagger to kill four more people and injure multiple others. His death sentence was carried out in 2022. It took eight years between when he received the death sentence and when it was carried out.

Seeing as that was for seven deaths, I can't imagine this dude isn't getting the axe after killing over 30. Him and his defense are trying to hide behind the "mEnTaL iLlNeSs" excuse, but he's admitted that him setting Kyoto Animation on fire was highly inspired by Kato's killing spree (Kata admitted during his trial that he did that because he was mad about being bullied online), and that he (Aoba) decided that he was going to follow in Kato's footsteps and take matters into his own hands. So that should pretty much shut down being able to use that excuse to get a lighter sentencing.

Now if this was America, which has become so soft and too afraid to use the death penalty in most places, he'd be golden to get away with the crime with only a slap on the wrist (especially hiding behind the mental illness excuse). Thankfully it looks like Japan is going to bring down the most deserving of punishments on this dude. After all, you need to put rabid animals down.

[Moonface]

8 years from sentencing until death isn't a bad amount of time really. It's definitely far better than decades which is what I'm used to associating the death penalty follow-through with.

The guy admitting to doing it should pretty much nullify a mental illness excuse, although I'm sure his lawyers will still push it by claiming he wasn't in a proper state of mind when he made the admission and didn't know what he was saying. I understand a lawyer has to always make a defense for their client no matter who it is, but I really wish the instant grab for the "mental illness" card wasn't a thing. I don't even care if every instance of trying to use it always leads nowhere; it just puts a further negative stigma on mental health.

[Maniakkid25]

Personally, I would think life in prison would be a better sentence than death. Having to live the rest of your existence behind bars seems like a much better punishment than a relatively quick death. Longer time to suffer, you get the idea.

Japan has a suspiciously high conviction rate anyway, so it's probably going to go through no matter what. Most sources will tell you they convict over 99% of the time (the exact decimal changes from source to source). This is not a compliment; that conviction rate and the culture it leads to is exactly the problem Ace Attorney and Persona 5 were highlighting (its almost like those games had a political statement to make). And just because the guy gave a confession doesn't mean it was cut-and-dry; there are plenty of ways to pull false confessions, after all. Whether you go old-school beatdown, or new-school "talk it out of them", there are plenty of ways to get false confessions.

And I'm calling this out: comparing him to a rabid animal is utterly uncalled for. Whether or not they did something heinous, this is still a fucking human being we are talking about. Go ahead, call me a bleeding-heart lib all you want, but I'd rather be sure justice was served correctly the first time than see an innocent person be burned at the stake like they're a witch. At the very least, I gave "guilty beyond a reasonable doubt" a fucking chance!