The Wow I Can't Believe That News Story Thread

[OccultHawk]

I don’t like phones at shows but I don’t like little bitch rules either.

I actually saw someone filming the ****ing symphony. No ****.

[Chula Vista]

Originally Posted by Plankton

Absolutely. I can't stand this ****:

Stopped going to shows because of this. (although seeing Snarkey Puppy next month)

Went to see Aussie Pink Floyd do the entire Wall album (with DSOTM as an encore) at the San Diego symphony hall downtown and it was non-stop phones in the air and people yapping.

****ing ridiculous.

[Frownland]

You're supposed to look at the performers.

EDIT: Wait it was a cover band? Nevermind, probably better not to look at them.

[Cuthbert]

Originally Posted by Chula Vista

Stopped going to shows because of this. (although seeing Snarkey Puppy next month)

Went to see Aussie Pink Floyd do the entire Wall album (with DSOTM as an encore) at the San Diego symphony hall downtown and it was non-stop phones in the air and people yapping.

****ing ridiculous.

It's very odd when you see a show and the performers are putting in all their effort and you see the crowd stood there like statues holding their phones up.

It's quite funny but a bit sad.

Originally Posted by Frownland

You're supposed to look at the performers.

EDIT: Wait it was a cover band? Nevermind, probably better not to look at them.

[Frownland]

Honestly you just have to find shows where people are too high to figure out how to work their phones.

[Chula Vista]

Cover band?

The surviving members of Floyd are such fans they sold them a bunch of their 90s era lightshow for cheap.



Not sure I've ever gotten a bigger case of goosebumps than when hearing this at that show. Was one of the few times that everyone shut up and just listened.



Aussie Floyd and Brit Floyd interchange members all the time.

[Frownland]

Do they only play Pink Floyd covers?

[Trollheart]

I'm glad to say that when I went to gigs (circa 1864) this was not a thing. The worst you could expect would be some arsehole with a (titter) hand-held recorder like the one below, or maybe a recording walkman, shushing you as he was trying to record the show on the sly.


BOOTLEG, BABY!

Of course, the real pros managed to blag a spot up at the mixing desk. Now those bootlegs were sweet!

[Chula Vista]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Millard

[[MERIT]]

NYPD Cops Allowed 20 Annual "Get Out Of Jail Free Cards" For Friends & Family

Spoiler for FULL TEXT:

Officers with the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) are allotted 20 so-called “get out of jail free cards” per member, according to multiple media reports.

The unofficial cards are distributed by various police unions throughout the New York City metropolitan area, including the city’s largest police union, the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (“PBA”).

News of the cards’ existence was verified in a New York Post article published Sunday afternoon. The tenor of the Post’s reporting was a bit odd: focusing on the tender feelings of NYPD officers upset because their allotted number of cards has dwindled from 30 to 20 per person per year.

One New York City cop complained:

They are treating active members like shit, and retired members even worse than shit. All the cops I spoke to were…very disappointed they couldn’t hand them out as Christmas gifts.

According to Sunday’s report in the Post, the courtesy cards are often used to avoid culpability for minor offenses like speeding tickets–with users of the cards operating on the assumption that presenting one to an officer means you’ve got made status within the reaches of the NYPD organization.

A 2004 article from Newsday–approvingly shared on the PBA’s own website–confirms the intent and utility of the courtesy cards. That article notes, “the [PBA] union encourages officers to avoid ticketing cardholders.”

Due to the NYPD’s reputation, however, criminal justice advocates have questioned whether the cards might be used by friends, family and cop-affiliated individuals to avoid punishment for larger crimes. Multiple Twitter users reacted to the news of the “get out of jail free” cards by comparing the NYPD to a criminal, gang-like organization.

Adam Bates, former policy analyst with CATO’s Project on Criminal Justice, posted in response to the news on Facebook, “Cop unions are protection rackets.”

The PBA’s controversial boss, Patrick Lynch, apparently made the decision to limit the annual number of cards given to each active member of the NYPD from 30 to 20–while halving retirees’ allotment from 20 to 10 per person per year. Lynch’s decision was reportedly made after many of the cards were discovered being sold for prices in excess of $200 per card on eBay.

Other police unions which offer similar cards include the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association and the Lieutenant’s Benevolent Association. Cards from all three unions are currently available for purchase.

Law&Crime reached out to the PBA for comment on the cards. The PBA did not deny the existence of the cards, but refused to comment directly. After being transferred, however, a voicemail left with PBA spokesman Albert W. O’Leary was not returned at the time of publication.

Multiple entreaties–by email and phone–made to the NYPD’s own press department and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio‘s office were also not returned.