insult

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'Showgirl' Crack Is Berlusconi's Latest Gaffe

Italian business leader disturbed at PM's characterization of her

(Newser) - Emma Marcegaglia runs Italy’s industrialist association and just might be the country’s most powerful woman. But that didn’t stop Silvio Berlusconi from likening her to a showgirl today, Reuters reports. Speaking to Marcegaglia’s organization, the gaffe-prone Italian premier recalled when “an usher told me a...

Shoe-Chucker Gets Reduced Sentence
Shoe-Chucker Gets Reduced Sentence
Apr 7, 2009 11:50 AM CDT

Shoe-Chucker Gets Reduced Sentence

Iraqi journalist faces only 1 year in prison on lesser charge

(Newser) - Muntadar al-Zaidi, famous for throwing his shoes at former President Bush, has been granted an appeal that cuts his prison time from 3 years to 1, the BBC reports. A court of appeals agreed with Zaidi’s lawyers that the Iraqi journalist deserves a charge of insulting—rather than assaulting—...

The Insult That Hurts Worldwide


 The Insult 
 That Hurts 
 Worldwide 
COMMENTARY
Mar 14, 2009 4:51 AM CDT

The Insult That Hurts Worldwide

(Newser) - Next time you want to indulge in a pulse-pounding, worldwide tradition, call somebody a motherf**ker, Nina Shen Rastogi writes at Slate. The Chinese, Africans, and Arabs are among those who have hurled versions of the indignity for generations. Anthropologists say it works because, like religion and scatology, family and sex...

Aussie Writer Gets 3 Years for Thai Insult

Self-published book that sold 7 copies dissed the monarchy

(Newser) - An Australian writer has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for insulting Thailand’s monarchy in one passage of a self-published book, the BBC reports. Tough “lese-majeste” laws shield Thailand’s monarchy from criticism and led to Harry Nicolaides’ arrest as he was leaving the country. He pleaded...

Shoe-Throwing Journo Beaten, Brother Alleges

Iraqi military denies claim and says man is healthy

(Newser) - The journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush during a news conference 2 days ago has been beaten in custody, his brother told the BBC. The brother alleges that Muntadar al-Zaidi, 28, has a broken arm, broken ribs and internal bleeding, but the Iraqi military says the journalist is...

Shoe-Throw Is Arab World's Heartiest Insult
Shoe-Throw Is Arab World's Heartiest Insult
ANALYSIS
Dec 15, 2008 1:05 PM CST

Shoe-Throw Is Arab World's Heartiest Insult

Journo's sole assault on Bush would likely have meant death under Saddam

(Newser) - Throwing a shoe at someone is hardly a positive gesture anywhere, but in Arab and Islamic countries, footwear is viewed as ritually unclean: Even mentioning your shoes while insulting someone carries vile significance, the BBC reports. Accidentally displaying an exposed sole is also considered insulting, so yesterday’s loafer-launching aimed...

French Fight Ban on Insulting Civil Servants

More civil servants filing suits when slighted

(Newser) - A Paris publisher has launched a high-profile crusade to legalize an increasingly popular crime: the insulting of public officials, the London Times reports. After being fined €150 for calling a cop a connard—or stupid bastard—Jean-Jacques Reboux got even angrier, and accused civil servants of abusing the law...

Unseemly Word Loses Its Sting
 Unseemly Word Loses Its Sting 
comment
Jun 21, 2008 12:42 PM CDT

Unseemly Word Loses Its Sting

'Near-dirty' term deserves a trip to the showers

(Newser) - The word douchebag is in danger of losing its bite thanks to rampant overuse, writes Richard Dorment in Esquire. It's not that the "toxic mess of a man" population has increased, he observes. It may seem that way, what with reality TV and cable punditry promoting unsavory characters. But...

Kennedy Wants 'Leadership,' Not Hillary, for VP

Democratic Sen. 'doesn't think it's likely given the tenor of the campaign'

(Newser) - Ted Kennedy vetoed a spot for Hillary Clinton on the Barack Obama ticket, saying their fellow senator needs a running mate “in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people.” He laughed off suggestions of a dream ticket, Politico reports, saying, “I don’...

Letterman, McCain Trade Comic Riffs

GOP hopeful shows up and gives as good as he gets with Dave

(Newser) - David Letterman had his routine McCain-is-old shtick interrupted today with comebacks from the Arizona senator himself, the New York Times notes. In the Late Show monologue that airs tonight, Letterman fired off comments such as, “He looks like the guy at the hardware store who makes the keys”—...

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