Road signs are pretty boring, albeit important. They tell us where to go, what to do and what we should avoid on the road. Road signs don't usually make us laugh – until people figured out that they could be altered in a number of ways.
Pasting a sign over another sign is a simple idea, but hacking into the digital road signs that warn us about traffic delays and road hazards is a whole new level of dedication to mishievous shenanigans.
Here are 19 of the funniest hacked digital road signs.
ILGA-Europe - the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association - has named Sweden as Europe's most pro-gay country.
1 June 2010
ILGA-Europe - the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association - has named Sweden as Europe's most pro-gay country.
The new edition of the group's Rainbow Europe Country Index says Sweden is the only European nation that passes all the group's tests in areas such as anti-discrimination protections, recognition of same-sex partnerships and parenting, hate-crime and hate-speech laws, plus equal age-of-consent laws.
The index will not start tracking transgender issues until next year.
"Our congratulations to (Sweden) for making sure its legislation and practices are fully inclusive and respectful of human rights of LGB people," said ILGA-Europe board chair Martin K.I. Christensen.
"Sadly, despite advances in many parts of Europe, we still experience human rights violations of LGB people in Europe. This year Russia and Ukraine are on the bottom on our index."
Other poorly ranked countries include Armenia, Belarus, Cyprus, Latvia, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland and Turkey.
Rounding out the top five highest-ranked were Belgium, Netherlands, Norway and Spain.
To view the entire report, visit tinyurl.com/ilgaeuci.
It will interesting to see where this lawsuit goes from here since the Supreme Court has set the standard ( as stated above) and private organizations can exclude whomever they choose to exclude.
I hope someone will keep us updated on the progress of this news story.
As for the Malawi people being cut off from the rest of the world, I would suggest that it might be the other way 'round: The rest of the world is cut off from Malawi. It would be interesting to query people in major cities in the Americas and Europe, showing them an otherwise blank outline map of Africa, and ask them "which of these countries is Malawi?" I think less than 1% could answer correctly.
I had to :google: and the reason I posted the simple map above.
BTW: I do hope officials from UK Embassy are there to see them released from prison and offer Political Asylum to this courageous couple should this be something they desire. I suspect they will stay and fight the good fight for LBGT awareness in Malawi.
Regardless of what they want I wish them Health and Happiness for all their years.
:mbounce: :mbounce: :mbounce: :mbounce: :mbounce: :mbounce: :mbounce:
Aid donors had put pressure on the government to free the pair
A gay couple jailed in Malawi after getting engaged have been pardoned by President Bingu wa Mutharika.
Mr Mutharika, speaking as UN chief Ban Ki-moon visited his country, said he had ordered their immediate release.
Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were given 14-year jail terms earlier this month after being convicted of gross indecency and unnatural acts.
The case has sparked international condemnation and a debate about homosexuality in the country.
Mr Ban hailed the president's decision as "courageous".
"This outdated penal code should be reformed wherever it may exist," he said.
The BBC's Karen Allen, in Lilongwe, says Mr Ban is trying to put pressure on parliamentarians to reform anti-homosexuality laws that date back to colonial times.
'Culture of hate'
Correspondents say Malawi is a deeply conservative society where religious leaders equate same-sex liaisons with Satanism.
Mr Mutharika, who has in the past dismissed homosexuality as alien, said he had set them free on humanitarian grounds.
"In all aspects of reasoning, in all aspects of human understanding, these two gay boys were wrong - totally wrong," he said after meeting Mr Ban.
"However, now that they have been sentenced, I as the president of this country have the powers to pronounce on them and therefore, I have decided that with effect from today, they are pardoned and they will be released."
Monjeza, 26, and Chimbalanga, 20, were arrested in December 2009 after celebrating their engagement. They have been in custody ever since.
Their lawyers say the two men are likely to be freed by Monday.
Our correspondent says there are plenty of people who were not sorry to see the men go to jail, many of whom will be slightly puzzled at the president's announcement.
Gift Trapence, from the campaign group Centre for the Development of People, welcomed the decision.
"We're very happy and we praise the president for his maturity, but there is still a long way to go to end the culture of hate," he said.
External pressure
Aid donors and human rights groups have been putting pressure on his government to respect the rights of minority groups.
The UK government, Malawi's biggest donor, said it was dismayed by the sentencing, and the US labeled it a step backwards for human rights.
On Saturday, British popstar and Aids campaigner Sir Elton John wrote an open letter to Mr Mutharika in the UK's Guardian newspaper pleading for the release of the pair.
"Their trial and harsh sentencing will have a perilous effect on our continuing efforts to combat Aids in Malawi and potentially reverse the gains we have achieved," he said.
The two men were convicted under a law dating back to colonial rule by Britain.
Many of Britain's former colonies have similar laws outlawing homosexuality; India overturned its anti-homosexuality law last year.
In Uganda, MPs are debating whether to strengthen the laws to include the death penalty for some gay people - a move which has infuriated Western governments and rights campaigners.
:mbounce: :mbounce: :mbounce: :mbounce: :mbounce: :mbounce: :mbounce:
Only one answer possible <–-> RAMPANT HOMOPHOBIA!!!
Please help with participation here:
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They canceled the prom to keep Constance from taking her girlfriend to prom.
They went to court to defend their bigoted policy.
Then they sent her to a "fake prom" while the rest of her class went to their OWN prom – to which she and her girlfriend weren't invited.
You heard right. Parents in Constance McMillen's Mississippi town organized a prom at a secret location, while she and her girlfriend were sent to a "prom" at a different venue – with just five other students.
Stand with Constance! Sign the petition condemning the irresponsible actions of the Itawamba County School Board.
Sign the Petition at : hXXps://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=785
