Man stopped by police for dancing in public to face trial by jury

Steve Unger, who dances on sidewalks in Holladay and Cottonwood Heights, Utah, faced the music in court on Wednesday afternoon after some police officers on the beat apparently did not appreciate his act. Following the court appearance, he has a Nov. 18 jury trial to face disorderly conduct charges. For Wednesday’s court appearance he wore a suit, saying he has never worn one before and never will again.

“What happened to me is pretty absurd,” Unger said. “I’m hoping the judge issues a reprimand to the people who did this to me.” Nearly every day, the 68-year-old retiree dons selections from his brightly coloured wardrobe, ties a bandana around his clean-shaven head, throws on the ear buds, plugs into his smart phone packed with tunes, and heads outdoors. He walks and dances up to 10 miles, sometimes bouncing a rubber ball as he “glides” along streets, avenues and lanes.

YouTube link.
Children from the local junior high say hello, and passers-by in cars wave. But in late August, Unger’s dancing hit a sour note. His improvised moves attracted the attention of Cottonwood Heights police, who said he was blocking traffic. A police officer was dispatched, said she observed him for a time, and then later approached with two others officers. Unger said they asked for his identification, which he initially declined to provide. He was cuffed and given a citation, charging him with disorderly conduct, failure to identify himself, and interference with an arresting officer.

“Everything I did was cooperative,” Unger said. “A 160 pound, 68-year-old man is going to fight with three police officers?” Cottonwood Heights police chief Robbie Russo was in the courtroom on Wednesday and said his officers acted appropriately dealing with Unger and said there are two sides to the story of his charges. Unger said he is not “as angry as a lot of people are about it.” Still, he maintained there’s a “need to underline accountability for police officers.” Before court, Unger said expected the case to be dismissed, adding, “If it’s not dismissed, I’ll ask for a jury trial.”
There’s a news video here.

Police responded to son's plea over awful dad music

Feeling tortured by the music his father was playing in the car, a teenager in south west Germany made a desperate plea for help and ended up dragging the police into the family quarrel.
The 15-year-old in Rhineland-Palatinate scrawled a simple word on a piece of paper and placed it against the cars’ rear passenger window. It read: “Hilfe”, German for help.

The teenager could no longer take the Schlager music his father was listening to on the radio and needed an out. A concerned driver noticed the plea and called the police. After officers caught up with the father and son in Enkenbach they were able to confirm that the son was in no immediate danger.
The teenager was apparently unaware of the repercussions of his action, which the police proceeded to impress upon him. “Whether the father will start playing music that appeals to his son’s taste in the future is unclear,” police said. Schlager music is cheesy, sing-along pop music which saw its heyday in the 1960s. It has recently had something of a revival with many German men over the age of 40.
from Nothing To Do With Arbroath

Image

1902 trading cards imagine the 'Women of the Future'

women-future
Way back in 1902, a French manufacturer released a set of trading cards designed by artist Albert Bergeret that imagined the “women of the future.” The cards envisioned women stepping into roles that would have seemed fantastical to most ladies at the time: doctor, lawyer, politician, firefighter, even members of the military.
Although there’s a pin-up quality to many of the images—they’re showing an awful lot of arm, after all—there’s something charming about this retrofuturistic attempt to expand the role of women in society, even if it was nothing but fantasy at the time. Indeed, fantasy and science fiction can often help us open our minds behind the limitations of the world we live in and imagine a better one instead. In the small and fashionable world of these cards, at least, women were given a more equal role in society, not to mention some spectacular hats.
Here are some of my favorites:
women-future2
(Lawyer)
women-future3
(Journalist)
women-future4
(Master of Arms)
women-future5
(General)
mayor
(Mayor)
firefighter
(Firefighter)
Check out the full series of cards here.
from Boing Boing

Put Together A “Packet of Power” in Case Your Flight Is Cancelled

Put Together A “Packet of Power” in Case Your Flight Is Cancelled
Having the right information on hand when your flight gets cancelled can mean the difference between getting rebooked or being stuck in the airport. Create your own info “packet of power” before each trip so you’re ready to exercise your air travel rights when you need to.
http://lifehacker.com/5967162/what-s…
Your packet will be invaluable, but it’ll only contain just three pieces of information: You’ll need the airline’s phone number so you can call instead of lining up with everyone else to talk to the gate agents. You’ll also want a copy of your airline’s terms and conditions or “contract of carriage” so you can insist agents help you if the cancellation is the airline’s fault. The final item your “packet of power” needs is a list of other airlines that also fly your route. It’ll make rebooking easier since you can look up alternative flights yourself if your flight is cancelled and no one can help. Having your flight cancelled is frustrating, but as long as you’ve prepared this information and are pleasant to the airline reps, you’ll improve your chances of getting your trip back on track.
http://lifehacker.com/the-air-travel…
How to Get Where You’re Going When Your Flight Gets Canceled | LA Times
Image from Butz.2013.

from Lifehacker

Video

This Video Explains Why Gender Equality Is Good for Everyone–Including Men


In this TED talk, Michael Kimmel, sociologist and author of Angry White Men, makes the case for supporting gender equality: Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but also because everyone benefits.
He points to countries and companies in which there’s more gender equality than average and, as a result, people are happier, men included.
It’s an illuminating talk, often funny. One of the best quotes from it: “Privilege is invisible to those who have it.”
The video’s only 16 minutes long, so give it a watch for some discussion-stirring fodder.
Michael Kimmel: Why gender equality is good for everyone — men included | TED

from Lifehacker