1. #30181
    Invincible Jersey Ninja Tami's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    32,109

    Default

    An Accusation Blew Up a Campaign. The Media Didn’t Know What to Do.

    Mr. Stringer, the 61-year-old New York City comptroller, isn’t the only one trying to puzzle out what happened over a few days in April in the campaign. Mr. Stringer, a geeky fixture in Manhattan politics, had been among the leading candidates when the woman, Jean Kim, accused him of touching her without her consent in the back of taxis. Suddenly he, the media covering him, his supporters and Ms. Kim were all reckoning with big questions of truth, doubt, politics and corroboration.
    In the case of Mr. Stringer and Ms. Kim, observers were left simply with his claim their relationship was consensual, and hers that it wasn’t. Ms. Kim’s lawyer had circulated a news release, which didn’t mention Ms. Kim, to reporters the evening of April 27.

    At her news conference on April 28, Patricia Pastor, Ms. Kim’s lawyer, read a statement based on Ms. Kim’s recollection, which didn’t include contemporaneous corroboration, which Ms. Kim said didn’t exist, or a suggestion of a pattern. And the lawyer angled the statement for maximum impact: The statement referred to Ms. Kim, for instance, as an “intern,” when she had been a 30-year-old volunteer. And Ms. Pastor claimed, incorrectly, that Ms. Kim had been introduced to Mr. Stringer by Eric Schneiderman, who was forced to resign as New York’s attorney general in 2018 after a report that he had physically abused at least four women.
    Editors’ Picks
    21 Easy Summer Dinners You’ll Cook (or Throw Together) on Repeat
    He Felt Like Running: 100 Days, 100 Ironman-Length Triathlons
    LeVar Burton’s Quest to Succeed Alex Trebek

    Mr. Stringer said he had a passing, consensual relationship with Ms. Kim and was stunned by her claims that they had never had a relationship. But he said that he understood why the media picked up the story, even if it hadn’t been corroborated.
    “Running for mayor, every part of your life is an open book,” he said. “I didn’t begrudge anybody, including The Times, from writing about the charge. That would be silly.”

    And victims, of course, have no obligation to tell their stories through skeptical journalists. Ms. Pastor pointed out in an interview that “once the story was out, you still have time” to report it out and check the facts, and said she and her client didn’t object to that fact-checking. The Times’s Katie Glueck did that on May 9 and found Ms. Kim and Mr. Stringer telling very different stories in the absence of definitive evidence.
    But by then, the story had jumped out of journalists’ hands and into politicians’. Mr. Stringer had painstakingly assembled a coalition of young progressives, including a cadre of state senators who had partly defined their careers by pressing to extend the statute of limitations in cases of child sexual abuse and telling their own harrowing stories. In a video call the day after Ms. Kim’s news conference, they pressed Mr. Stringer to issue a statement suggesting he and Ms. Kim might have perceived their interaction differently.

    When he refused, and flatly denied the allegation, 10 progressive officials withdrew their endorsement.
    The progressive website The Intercept (which had exposed a trumped-up sexual misconduct claim against a gay Democrat in Massachusetts last year) also looked into Ms. Kim’s accusations, calling former Stringer campaign aides, and found that a series of widely reported details from Ms. Pastor’s statement — though not Ms. Kim’s core allegations — were inaccurate. A longtime New York political hand who had known both Mr. Stringer and Ms. Kim at the time, Mike McGuire, also told me he’d been waiting to talk on the record about what he saw as factual errors in Ms. Kim’s lawyer’s account, but that I was only the second reporter to call him, after Ms. Glueck. Ms. Kim, meanwhile, had been open about her motives — she wanted voters to know about the allegation.
    Original join date: 11/23/2004
    Eclectic Connoisseur of all things written, drawn, or imaginatively created.

  2. #30182

  3. #30183
    Invincible Jersey Ninja Tami's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    32,109

    Default

    She wanted to stay. Her landlord wanted her out.

    MEMPHIS — She’d finally caught up on her rent, so Jennifer Hurt showed up to court expecting the eviction case against her to be dropped. Instead, she learned that her landlady wanted her out anyway.

    The two hadn’t spoken in months, even though their front doors are feet apart. Now they stood on opposite ends of a Memphis courtroom as the lawyer told the judge that the landlady wanted possession of the home on Quito Road, a small brick house that had once belonged to her parents.
    “Does she have the right to evict me even though I’ve been paying on time and haven’t done anything wrong?” Hurt asked the judge, Betty Thomas Moore. “Can she come after me for payment for the last two months on the lease even though she’s evicting me?”

    “Yes, she can,” Moore said. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, I really do.”

    “Ma’am, I’m sure it will,” Hurt said.

    Moore, seeing Hurt’s distress, ruled that Hurt could take 30 days to vacate the property, rather than the usual 10. But there was nothing else she could do. Hurt had paid late, a violation of the terms of her lease. She had to move out by May 30, or she would be evicted.
    Original join date: 11/23/2004
    Eclectic Connoisseur of all things written, drawn, or imaginatively created.

  4. #30184
    Old school comic book fan WestPhillyPunisher's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Philadelphia, PA
    Posts
    31,195

    Default

    And similar horror stories are happening from coast to coast with no end in sight.
    Avatar: Here's to the late, great Steve Dillon. Best. Punisher. Artist. EVER!

  5. #30185
    Ultimate Member Mister Mets's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    18,917

    Default

    That's a sad piece.

    I'm not sure what the solution is.

    The media handled the allegations badly.

    If an accuser has a record of lying, I do think there's an obligation of the media to report that, especially if further corroboration doesn't occur. I understand the argument that victims will be discouraged from coming forward if they think they may be treated poorly by the press, but cover-ups are worse. One person with a grudge shouldn't have the power to shape elections.
    Sincerely,
    Thomas Mets

  6. #30186
    Invincible Jersey Ninja Tami's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    32,109

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mister Mets View Post
    That's a sad piece.

    I'm not sure what the solution is.

    The media handled the allegations badly.

    If an accuser has a record of lying, I do think there's an obligation of the media to report that, especially if further corroboration doesn't occur. I understand the argument that victims will be discouraged from coming forward if they think they may be treated poorly by the press, but cover-ups are worse. One person with a grudge shouldn't have the power to shape elections.
    All I know is that, if I was a landlord and had a tenant who was late with rent, I would consider all options. Mostly, if they were otherwise a good tenant I might give them a second chance with a warning. or consider renegotiating the rental agreement. If they strike out again, and I decide that this isn't going to work, I would give them 30 days to find a new place. If they don't within 30 days, I'd then consider bringing a lawyer into it.

    Basically, I'd try to work something out first and save taking legal action only when there are no longer any other options. But that's just me.
    Original join date: 11/23/2004
    Eclectic Connoisseur of all things written, drawn, or imaginatively created.

  7. #30187
    Once And Future BAMF Hellion's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Nowhere, Maine
    Posts
    740

    Default

    https://www.cbr.com/lego-star-wars-b...t-name-change/

    So it looks like Jango/Boba Fett's ship needs a new name. The reasoning for dropping "Slave I" isn't lost on me, I get it. People are triggered by 40-year-old fictional spacecraft now. When we've done away with every word/image/thing that causes offense or has the potential to cause offense, what are we actually left with?
    Last edited by Hellion; 06-28-2021 at 10:12 AM.
    MAGNETO was right,TONY was right, VARYS was right.

    Proud member of House Ravenclaw and loyal bannerman to House Baratheon

    "I am an optimist even though I am told everything I do is negative and cynical" --Armando Iannucci

  8. #30188
    Horrific Experiment JCAll's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    4,976

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Hellion View Post
    https://www.cbr.com/lego-star-wars-b...t-name-change/

    So it looks like Jango/Boba Fett's ship needs a new name. The reasoning for dropping "Slave I" isn't lost on me, I get it. People are triggered by 40-year-old fictional spacecraft now. When we've done away with every word/image/thing that causes offense or has the potential to cause offense, what are we actually left with?
    I'm not surprised to learn that it has nothing to do with people complaining, and everything to do with Disney cynically trying to sell more toys.

  9. #30189
    Ultimate Member Mister Mets's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    18,917

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tami View Post
    All I know is that, if I was a landlord and had a tenant who was late with rent, I would consider all options. Mostly, if they were otherwise a good tenant I might give them a second chance with a warning. or consider renegotiating the rental agreement. If they strike out again, and I decide that this isn't going to work, I would give them 30 days to find a new place. If they don't within 30 days, I'd then consider bringing a lawyer into it.

    Basically, I'd try to work something out first and save taking legal action only when there are no longer any other options. But that's just me.
    It does seem that there were major mistakes by the renter.

    But landlords are struggling, too, and there’s growing resentment about tenants who receive coronavirus-related stimulus checks and unemployment benefits and still don’t pay. Officials are scrambling to disburse more than $28 million in federal rental assistance, brokering deals for only $10 million so far, but some landlords just want to move on.

    Hurt’s landlady, Debbie Brown, 62, is a retired court clerk who relies on the income from her one property to supplement her Social Security. When Hurt and her husband fell behind on their rent, Brown had to take out a $5,000 loan to cover the insurance and utilities, which were bundled into their $1,300 monthly payment.

    “When that happened, she was over for me,” Brown said. “At that point, I didn’t trust them and I did not have faith in her to keep it up. I can’t talk with her. I went back on Prozac, as a matter of fact.”

    Brown served Hurt a notice of eviction for nonpayment of rent when the couple first got behind in October, but a hearing was delayed until April 30. When Hurt hadn’t moved out by May 30, Brown’s lawyer turned to Charlie Fineberg, a well-known local process server, to evict the family.
    The renter was lying when she said she never did anything wrong, and that could indicate she would be difficult to get along with, either because she is dishonest or does not understand how her mistakes hurt others.
    Sincerely,
    Thomas Mets

  10. #30190
    Loony Scott Taylor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Running Springs, California
    Posts
    9,336

    Default

    Wow, yah, that does make for a bad look on the part of the renter. One overlay to this I was reading about is the federal eviction protection law in effect, passed due to COVID I believe. The protections really only slowed evictions, from what I have seen around the LA area, rather than stopping them or really providing protection. And as those laws are expiring, or things have been opening up more, the courts have been striking down the protections completely for various reasons. So yah, expect more of the same as the year progresses.

    Meanwhile, I have been trying to rent a car for a fall vacation back east. Current rate for two weeks? $1,500, which is something like five or six times as much as pre-COVID. As businesses come back online, better bring plenty of lube, is all I can say.
    Every day is a gift, not a given right.

  11. #30191
    The Nature Boy AnakinFlair's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Saint Ann, MO
    Posts
    5,492

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Hellion View Post
    https://www.cbr.com/lego-star-wars-b...t-name-change/

    So it looks like Jango/Boba Fett's ship needs a new name. The reasoning for dropping "Slave I" isn't lost on me, I get it. People are triggered by 40-year-old fictional spacecraft now. When we've done away with every word/image/thing that causes offense or has the potential to cause offense, what are we actually left with?

    What gets me is that instead they are calling it Boba Fett's Starship. What a lazy f'ing name, especially from Disney.

    In the books, the ship is a Firespray-class attack vessel. So just call it the Firespray. Way better than Boba Fett's Starship.

  12. #30192
    Once And Future BAMF Hellion's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Nowhere, Maine
    Posts
    740

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by AnakinFlair View Post
    What gets me is that instead they are calling it Boba Fett's Starship. What a lazy f'ing name, especially from Disney.

    In the books, the ship is a Firespray-class attack vessel. So just call it the Firespray. Way better than Boba Fett's Starship.
    Agreed. Calling it 'Boba Fett's Starship' is likely a marketing ploy to boost sales...but they're also assuming the average person who sees an image of that starship doesn't automatically associate it with Boba Fett. I doubt most children need toys dumbed down that significantly for them.
    MAGNETO was right,TONY was right, VARYS was right.

    Proud member of House Ravenclaw and loyal bannerman to House Baratheon

    "I am an optimist even though I am told everything I do is negative and cynical" --Armando Iannucci

  13. #30193
    Oni of the Ash Moon Ronin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Here, for now.
    Posts
    1,323

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by AnakinFlair View Post
    What gets me is that instead they are calling it Boba Fett's Starship. What a lazy f'ing name, especially from Disney.

    In the books, the ship is a Firespray-class attack vessel. So just call it the Firespray. Way better than Boba Fett's Starship.
    That is what I was thinking, they gave the reasoning of "labeling the set with the bounty hunter's name would be more synonymous with the character that fans will recognize."... Um so now we should call every one of the ships by the name of how files it. guess in the prequel trilogy it was Jango Fetts's Starship.
    Surely not everybody was kung fu fighting

  14. #30194
    Old school comic book fan WestPhillyPunisher's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Philadelphia, PA
    Posts
    31,195

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by AnakinFlair View Post
    What gets me is that instead they are calling it Boba Fett's Starship. What a lazy f'ing name, especially from Disney.

    In the books, the ship is a Firespray-class attack vessel. So just call it the Firespray. Way better than Boba Fett's Starship.
    I had forgotten what Fett's starship was called, and I don't remember if the name was actually mentioned in the movies. This sounds like an overreaction by Disney, a solution in search of a problem.
    Avatar: Here's to the late, great Steve Dillon. Best. Punisher. Artist. EVER!

  15. #30195
    Extraordinary Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    5,820

    Default

    Eh, I’m largely unconcerned with the marketing decision. There’s been a lot of times where Lego and other merchandise has values stating the cool character’s name in their packaging over using the ship’s actual name - the Bad Batch’s ship is called *that* rather than Havoc Marauder on Lego merch.

    Fett’s one of the few characters they’ve managed to reinvigorate with that actual name - even Din Djarin is still mostly just “The Mandalorian.”

    I wouldn’t be surprised if this is actually some marketing exec thinking the Boba Fett name simply sells better, and using the Slave 1 name as an excuse to make the change. I know my family wouldn’t recognize the name “Slave 1”, but I talked their ears off about Boba Fett as a kid and would recognize that.
    Like action, adventure, rogues, and outlaws? Like anti-heroes, femme fatales, mysteries and thrillers?

    I wrote a book with them. Outlaw’s Shadow: A Sherwood Noir. Robin Hood’s evil counterpart, Guy of Gisbourne, is the main character. Feel free to give it a look: https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asi...E2PKBNJFH76GQP

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •