Slang has always been a challenge for the courts in cases that involve vulgar or insulting language. Conventional dictionaries lag the spoken word by design. That has lawyers and judges turning to a more fluid source of definitions: the website Urban Dictionary. In the last year alone, the site was used by courts to define iron ("handgun"); catfishing ("the phenomenon of Internet predators that fabricate online identities"); dap ("the knocking of fists together as a greeting, or form of respect"); and grenade ("the solitary ugly girl always found with a group of hotties").
After surviving the tornado that destroyed her home in Moore, Okla., Monday, Barbara Garcia was describing her experience in a TV interview when she got a shock -- her dog was spotted alive in the rubble. "I was sitting on the stool, holding my dog ... this was the game plan all through the years ... to go in that little bathroom," she said. She said after the storm she called for her dog. "I know he's in there somewhere," she said before the discovery. read more
The teen whose song "Clouds" was lip-synced by celebrities to honor his fight with cancer has died. Zach Sobiech, 18, died Monday surrounded by family and friends. In the past few weeks, donations to Zach's cause -- the Children's Cancer Research Fund -- skyrocketed, as did downloads of his song, which has more than 2.9 million page views on YouTube. "We'd like to thank those people who listened with their hearts and helped Zach bring his message and his music to the world," the Sobiech family said. read more
Officials have said at least 24 people have been killed and 233 people have been injured by the monstrous tornado that swept through Moore, Okla., Monday. Among those killed were children at Plaza Towers elementary and a family of four with a baby who sought shelter in a freezer. TV station KFOR reported that within 20 minutes of the storm's passage, there was some looting taking place of computers in partially damaged structures. An earlier report Tuesday said 91 had been reported dead, but this number was later revised.
David Boaz, Cato Institute: Last week I reported that 40 percent of Virginia Republicans -- and 56 percent of independents -- now support gay marriage. But on Saturday the Virginia GOP nominated three statewide candidates whose views on homosexuality and marriage equality range from unwavering opposition to bigoted to insane. ... [T]here's a reason that a report by the Republican National Committee found that voters see the GOP as "scary," "narrow minded," and "out of touch" -- and the Virginia Republican ticket is part of that reason. read more
I think I have enough experience around here to know what's up.
And yet you don't know what's up, because you think the only reason a comment gets moderated is because it was flagged. Most moderated comments are not flagged by anybody. We don't just read flagged comments.