Latest news with #StreisandEffect
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Fringe review: The Cult of the Clitoris a fun twist on courtroom drama
The Cult of the Clitoris Article content Stage 21, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 10037 84 Ave. Article content There's a concept called the Streisand Effect, where trying to hide or suppress something in fact brings it even more attention. Article content In 1918, at the height of the First World War, dancer Maud Allan brought a libel suit against a Member of Parliament, Noel Pemberton Billing, for accusing her of being part of a homosexual 'Cult of the Clitoris.' Article content Article content The whole thing backfires and Allan's name is dragged through the mud while Billing and his band of reprobates are somehow lauded as heroes and shining beacons of morality, even though everything they printed was a lie and made up for the intentional purpose of gaining notoriety at Allan's expense. Article content The Cult of the Clitoris is both fascinating and hilarious, a dramatic recreation of the trial pulled from real transcripts, and commentary on that trial from things probably said by the players involved. These are horrible people doing horrible things, which is horrible, reprehensible and hilarious all at once. Article content We even get to join in as the audience, booing or cheering at the appropriate moments. It's both a demonstration of the real-life actions taken by the audience at the trial AND a fun way to get involved.
Newsweek
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
'South Park' Takes Aim at President Trump Again—The Week in Your Words
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Welcome back as we take another look at your highlighted comments. President Donald Trump and his administration continue to clash with South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The president took center stage during the premiere episode of the 27th season, and the feud shows no signs of slowing down. South Park went after Homeland Security on its social media pages and made Vice President JD Vance a key target in the latest episode, portraying him toddler-sized next to Trump. Once again, you made your voices heard. Whether you loved the show's bold humor or thought it went too far, your reactions have sparked lively debates and pushed the story forward. Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol for their inaugurations on January 20. Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol for their inaugurations on January comments of the week: On the 'South Park' Reply to Homeland Security's Social Post Original Article: South Park Mocks White House Over Homeland Security ICE Post Background: South Park fired back at the Trump administration after the Department of Homeland Security used the show to promote Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruitment. Original Comment: "The funniest part is, most people wouldn't have particularly cared about the South Park episode until Trump threw his little tantrum. If Trump had simply ignored it, the episode would have gotten a bit of attention but people would have quickly moved on. Guess he never learned about the Streisand Effect. Trey and Matt were probably counting on that."—FindOut What Makes the Comment Noteworthy: South Park thrives on provocation, and by responding publicly, the administration only gave its creators the attention they sought—drawing even more eyes to the show. Original Comment: "I have no view one way or another, but I never got South Park. It was a strange cartoon. My room mate used to love it. I just walked away shaking my head. I never saw it funny and not all that satirical."–YoDaddyBack What Makes the Comment Noteworthy: It's a reminder that South Park's brand of humor isn't universal. While it's hailed by some as cutting-edge satire, others see it as confusing or off-putting. The diversity of perspectives in the comment section demonstrates how polarizing the show can be, even decades after its debut. Original Comment: "Just curious, what does conservative right wing satirical comedies look like? I get that the right wants to call South Park irrelevant and unoriginal, but doesn't the right have to have content, any content to make that claim?"—KevinBer702 What Makes the Comment Noteworthy: It reflects a larger cultural conversation about the role of satire across the political spectrum. It challenges critics to back up their claims with examples and opens the door for debate about whether satire is dominated by one side—or whether effective conservative satire exists at all. On the Latest 'South Park' Attack on the White House Original Article: 'South Park' Unleashes on JD Vance in New Episode Background: South Park targeted Vice President JD Vance in a new episode after previously taking aim at President Donald Trump in the season 27 opener. Original Comment: "I like South Park - took me awhile to warm up to them (Just like Family Guy), but they take aim at whoever they wish and it's funny all around. I've seen them tackle the left, right, celebrities, fads/crazes, Covid, Ozempic, and everything in between. Those that take their show to heart are just sad, sad, individuals. It's just raw humor …"—sawlt7123 What Makes the Comment Noteworthy: It captures what many fans appreciate about South Park: its equal-opportunity satire. By pointing out that the show spares no target—left, right, or cultural trend—it reminds readers that South Park has always thrived on pushing boundaries. For this viewer, the humor lies in its unpredictability and willingness to take shots at everyone, making it a cultural barometer as much as a comedy show. On 'South Park' Leaving HBO Max Original Article: 'South Park' Scrubbed from HBO Max This Week: Here's Why Background: South Park is set to be removed from HBO Max after signing an exclusive deal with Paramount Plus. Original Comment: "This show will not be around much longer. The disrespect shown to the Office of the Presidency will not be tolerated and the leftist responsible for it will not be indulged."—Wayne R What Makes the Comment Noteworthy: The commenter takes a much stronger approach to South Park and its continued spoofing of Trump and his administration—the comment evoked a strong response from fellow commenters. Thank you for the ongoing debates and discussions that make the Newsweek community what it is. Whether you're sharing opinions or challenging others, your insights continue to drive the conversation forward. Keep an eye out for more highlighted comments over the next few weeks.
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The Independent
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Fox & Friends does just what Trump wants –pretending the Epstein fiasco doesn't exist
Two days after Donald Trump effectively turbocharged the MAGA meltdown over the Jeffrey Epstein 'no client list' memo by going full 'Streisand effect,' it appears that at least the president's favorite morning show is following his demand for his 'boys' and 'gals' to just let it go and move on. While the bulk of right-wing media is gripped in a state of chaos over Trump chastising his 'so-called 'friends'' for remaining obsessed over the Epstein files, which he suggested were fake and 'written by Obama,' Fox & Friends decided on Monday morning that the best course of action was just to ignore the raging firestorm completely. Since before his first term in office, Fox News' flagship morning program has largely served as Trump's daily agenda-setter, as it is typically the first thing the cable news-obsessed president flips on to start his day. Whether it is peddling the administration's talking points unvarnished or amplifying culture war outrages to grab Trump's attention, Fox & Friends is the first and most important stop in the president's day-to-day MAGA media diet. At the same time, whenever the conservative cable giant wants to send a message to the president about potentially changing course on a specific issue, the denizens of the curvy couch have stepped up in the past to warn Trump about potentially going down a specific path. That didn't appear to be the case on Monday, though, as Fox & Friends decided to heed his call to look the other way on Epstein. What makes this decision by the morning show stand out somewhat more, too, is that the weekend version of Fox & Friends outright warned Trump on Sunday that he couldn't just sweep the Epstein story under the rug while lashing out at his own base for continuing to focus on it. 'If there's anybody who could walk in and say, 'OK, we've resolved all of the questions and there is nothing here,' it would be President Trump and his crew,' Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Charlie Hurt said. 'The problem is, you can't really do it without giving some explanation. And there has to be some explanation. And I think that's why you have a lot of people still pretty with a lot a very valid questions.' Guest anchor Kevin Corke added that Trump could 'defuse this ticking time bomb if you simply get out there,' noting that 'you have to answer questions to the American people' because 'this story won't die and that is a distraction the president doesn't want.' Elsewhere on Fox News over the weekend, some criticism came the president's way as the right-wing network was forced to deal with the backlash from its MAGA audience over the Justice Department's memo that concludes there was no 'client list,' Epstein committed suicide, and he didn't appear to blackmail prominent figures who engaged in his underage sex trafficking. 'The refusal to release anything from Jeffrey Epstein has really struck a nerve — a deep nerve — among many Trump supporters, many people in the MAGA movement who say they feel betrayed,' Fox News media host Howard Kurtz acknowledged on Sunday's broadcast of MediaBuzz. One of Kurtz's guests, Washington Examiner editor Sarah Bedford, called it a 'huge PR disaster for the Trump administration' and that they could not 'have scripted a better way to keep the conspiracy theories alive than the way they handled it.' While other Fox News stars, particularly Laura Ingraham at this past weekend's Turning Point USA conference, have sounded the alarm that much of the president's base could turn on him over his handling of the Epstein fallout, the network seemed to do its level best to shrug it off starting Sunday night. Over on The Big Weekend Show, for instance, co-host Lisa Marie Boothe delivered a short report noting that 'President Trump is telling his attorney general to ignore the noise over the Epstein files and keep her eye on the ball arresting criminals and restoring integrity at the DOJ' before pivoting to the administration weighing criminal probes agsainst James Comey and John Brennan. Notably, some within the MAGA media universe are already wondering if the Brennan and Comey investigation is just an effort to 'distract us' from the Epstein case, specifically pointing out that Fox News was the one that got the 'scoop' on the probe. A little while later during his weekend evening show, Brian Kilmeade – who is also a co-host of Fox & Friends – flat-out ignored his guest Michael Shellenberger's observation that 'the elephant in the room' was the Epstein files and how Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI's leaders 'led everyone to expect that we would see them' and this could lead to an 'end of the honeymoon period for the Trump presidency.' By Monday morning, the message delivered appeared to be crystal clear – do not talk about the deceased sex predator under any circumstances. And that's just what Kilmeade and the rest of the Fox & Friends crew decided to do. While the cable news competition feasted on the story – MSNBC's Morning Joe, for instance, mentioned Epstein over 100 times and Bondi an additional 80 times on Monday – Fox & Friends found other things to fill out its three-hour block to distract its most crucial viewer. 'I'm sure he needed a nap right after,' Kilmeade joked during a segment about Joe Biden's recent interview with The New York Times in which the former president defended his use of an autopen, a Trump-made scandal that Fox News has heavily pushed. Elsewhere throughout Monday morning's broadcast, the Fox & Friends hosts also discussed how Gen Z men are using 'boy math' to invest in Pokémon cards instead of traditional stocks and a New York Times column about the need to stop cutting off MAGA family members. The attempt by Trump's morning buddies to put their heads in the sand and to pretend that MAGA isn't tearing itself apart over the Epstein memo – and now coming for the president himself over his lengthy relationship with the convicted sex offender– still won't make the issue go away, no matter how much Trump-pandering chum they try to throw into the water to distract viewers. 'Trump's persuasive power over his base, especially during his first term, was almost magical,' said alt-right conspiracist Mike Cernovich, one of the 15 conservative influencers whom Bondi handed the 'Phase 1' Epstein file binders in February of already-public information about the disgraced financier. That debacle blew up in Bondi's face and sparked a months-long backlash that culminated in last week's memo. 'The reaction on Epstein should thus be startling to him. No one is buying it. No one is dropping it,' Cernovich added. MAGA podcaster Benny Johnson, who spoke at this past weekend's TPUSA event that featured attendees raging about Trump becoming the 'deep state' and 'protecting pedophiles,' declared on Monday that the long-fabled 'Epstein client list' is now the 'number one motivating issue for the base.' 'You don't have a political movement if you don't have a base,' he insisted. 'And if that base feels like you're betraying them or not telling them the truth, then they're not gonna like that. With former Trump strategist Steve Bannon also warning that the president could lose 10 percent or more of his base over the Epstein memo and his administration's efforts to move past it, Bannon and other MAGA luminaries are pushing Trump to course-correct in an effort to tamp down the right-wing anger. Especially since conspiracy theories about Epstein – which Trump and much of his administration have long nurtured and fanned the flames of – have been a gravitating force of Trumpism for years now and an extension of the Pizzagate and QAnon pedophilia fever swamps. Amid the infighting within the administration over the controversy – FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino has threatened to quit following a clash with Bondi over the way the memo was handled – Trump officials and aides are reportedly considering at least three ways to try to defuse the Epstein mess. Still, even with these ideas being floated about, the administration is following the president's lead for the moment, which is no more talk about Epstein stuff. And that Bondi, Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel are all doing a 'FANTASTIC JOB' and in 'good shape,' regardless of the obvious disarray taking place behind the scenes. 'The president said to put this behind us, so we're putting this behind us,' a top Trump adviser told Axios. 'If he changes, then the policy changes. Period.' This edict would appear to hold true for his curvy couch pals as well.
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Now experts u-turn and say you SHOULDN'T blur your house on Google Maps - and warn doing so could actually encourage burglars to pay a visit
Whether it's a fancy new lock or an expensive security camera, people will go to extreme lengths to protect their homes. Recently, a security advisor suggested that blurring your home on Google Maps could help to deter burglars who use the tool to learn about entryways, security measures and possible possessions. However, experts have now u-turned - and warn that this popular trick might actually put you at a greater risk of a break-in. Cybersecurity consultant Joseph Steinberg says that your security will be 'worse off' if you decide to blur your home. The motivation for obscuring your home is that criminals will no longer be able to use Google Maps to plan a potential robbery. But Mr Steinberg says that hiding your home is likely to draw even more attention. He says: 'If you blur your house … that's interesting to me as a criminal, and I may drive by. 'My personal feeling is that you should not blur your house, in general.' Mr Steinberg points out that blurring your home could draw more attention to you in something called the 'Streisand Effect'. This refers to Barbra Streisand's attempt to sue a photographer who inadvertently took a photo of her California home in 2002. Ms Streisand claimed a violation of her privacy, but the case, which was thrown out the next year, ultimately drew widespread attention to the location of her home. In the same way, blurring your home on Google Maps might give criminals the idea that you have something worth hiding. A quick look along some of the UK's most expensive streets reveals that certain homeowners have already taken this step. For example, London properties in Phillimore Gardens in Kensington, Grosvenor Square in Mayfair and Knightsbridge have all been blurred out. However, Mr Steinberg says that trying to obscure your home is simply a way to 'draw attention to yourself for no reason'. He adds: 'This is a classic example of people not looking at the big picture and having a knee-jerk reaction.' Likewise, unless you are an exceptionally high-profile individual, criminals are unlikely to be actively scouting your house. Burglary, Mr Steinberg points out, is a crime that 'has to be done locally', 'They can come before and take [their own] pictures, if they want,' he says. According to the City of London Police, burglaries are largely opportunistic rather than carefully planned in advance. Criminals will typically drive or walk around to look for signs that homes contain valuables, such as packaging from expensive items left outside the door. Likewise, criminals often break into homes because they've spotted a vehicle they want to steal and believe the keys are inside the house. Open windows or doors with vulnerable features are also key signs that burglars will look for. City of London Police also points out that burglars often return to the same area multiple times, either to rob the same home or to break into a nearby house spotted during earlier crimes. That means blurring your house on Google Maps doesn't prevent criminals from spotting an opportunity to break in. There are also some concerns that blurring your home on Google Maps might not be as effective as many people believe. According to Google, anyone can request to blur their house if they prefer that it appear that way on Google Street View. 'Google Street View cars capture images from public roads, which might include your home,' their website reads. 'If an image contains inappropriate content, or you prefer your home not be shown, you can request it to be blurred.' However, on Reddit, users have complained that their homes were still visible when viewed from different angles or from above. One user complained that they were still able to see their blurred address by simply moving further down the road on Street View. On the other hand, many users also complained that Google's approach to blurring is too heavy-handed. Once the blur has been requested by the homeowner, it can never be undone at any point in the future, even after the original owner has moved out. In a post on Reddit, one user complained that their entire street was still blurred 16 years after they requested to hide their home, despite having moved out after a single year. The user wrote: 'Since I was somewhat responsible, I tried contacting Google multiple times. However, their response was always that the blurring was permanent. 'I wouldn't feel so bad since I moved away, but I still have a couple of good friends who still live on that street.' If you do still want to blur your address for any reason, you must first find it on Google Maps using your smartphone or computer. Open the Street View image that you want to blur, and in the bottom right, click 'Report a problem'. Complete this form and then submit. 'We'll review your report as fast as we can,' Google says. 'If you entered your email address in the form, we may contact you to get additional information or to update you on the status of your report.'
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The internet is using TACO memes to call Trump a chicken and the results are hilarious
Taco Tuesday is the best day of the week, but Wednesday may usurp it as the day President Donald Trump threw a fit after learning what TACO stands for. Amid the stock market's dramatic ups and downs as Trump institutes tariffs and then calls them off, CNBC's Megan Casella asked the president about Wall Street's new nickname for him during the May 28 event to swear in former Fox News host Jeannine Pirro as the new interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. 'Wall Street analysts have coined a new term called the 'TACO Trade.' They're saying Trump always chickens out on your tariff threats, and that's why markets are higher this week,' she said. Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong coined the term 'TACO Trade' earlier this month, and Trump predictably got angry when he head that it stand for 'Trump Always Chickens Out.' "I've never heard that,' Trump said. 'You mean because I reduced China from 145 percent that I set down to 100, and then down to another number, and I said you have to open up your whole country?" Trump said. "And because I gave the European Union a 50 percent tax—tariff—and they called up and said, 'Please let's meet right now.'" Trump has done about faces on the tariffs he's imposed on both China and the EU, and also put announced 'recirpocal' tariffs on dozens of countries in April before announcing a '90 day pause' on tariffs for all of the countries except for China, CNN reports. The president went on to brag about the U.S. being the 'hottest country anywhere in the world' under his administration before firing back at Casella by falling back on his tried and true misogynistic insult for women. "That's a nasty question. To me, that's the nastiest question,' he said. Somebody should really tell Trump about the Streisand Effect, the phenomenon where an attempt to censor information makes it go viral, because the internet immediately latched on to this new insult and within hours #TACO had gone viral and people started pumping out hilarious and insulting TACO Trump memes. There are AI-generated memes of Trump in a chicken suit, ones where his head has been turned into a taco, people joking that the Village People should now be singing 'Taco, Taco Man…I wanna be a Taco Man,' and people resurfacing old videos of Trump dancing with people in chicken suits. In short? If you need a little joy and serotonin in your life this week, Trump Taco memes are the answer. Keep scrolling to see the funniest Trump memes the internet has to offer! #TACO "Trump: I don't wanna #TACO bout it" "Trump always chickens out." "Congrats to CNBC's Megan Cassella for winning the 'Nasty' Question badge of honour. She is the only reporter with the balls to not bend a knee and ask the Toddler in Chief softball questions." "Taco, Taco Man… I wanna be a Taco Man" *laughing emojis* "Can confirm #TACO" "Did she say 'TACO' stands for Trump Always Chickens Out?" "#TACO" "Taco-Taco Man. I've got to be a Taco Man." "THERE ARE NO TRADE DEALS Because Trump Always Chickens Out" "Putin is laughing at Trump. Bibi is laughing at Trump. Iran is laughing at Trump. The world is laughing at Trump. The United States has never looked weaker. The United States have never been weaker. Good luck digging out of this hole." "TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO TACO." "Right now outside Trump International Hotel at Columbus Circle." "Million dollar idea!" "Let's go TACO" "I should make it my profile picture." "Always. #TACO" "#TACO" "Breaking Trump announces 1 million percent tariffs on all Tacos!" "Trump's mad—if you RT this you'll get deported #TACO on tariffs" "TACO #TACOTrump Trump Always Chickens Out"
