News & Media
CNN Debate: Should FCC Boot Rush Limbaugh From the Airwaves?
On the side of kicking him off the air, Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem. On the side of protecting his right to free speech, Marc J. Randazza. This is not the same debate over whether the subject of his diatribe has a valid defamation claim against him. I wrote about that here.
Bohemian Rhapsody Played Inside a Volkswagen Polo in a Field in Finland
Your awesomeness for the day. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=irLsjBDPe5c#!]
New uses for old drugs?
One pill might “cure” racism? (source) And LSD might cure alcoholism? (source)
The Southern Poverty Law Center Takes on Male Centric Blogs – Receives Bloody Nose
The SPLC is, by most measurements, a noble organization. However, just like the ACLU, it seems to be suffering from mission creep. It recently rounded up a number of male-centric blogs and decided to add them to its blacklist. One of them, so far, “A Voice For Men” fought back. Not by filing a defamation suit (which it might have
Increase the size of Congress?
This is a pretty compelling idea. For the first 140 years of the republic, the House increased in size with the population in varying degrees, going from 65 members originally to 435. A Republican Congress and president enacted the Reapportionment Act of 1929, which arbitrarily capped the number at 435 members. Although the U.S. population has more than doubled since
Guacamole
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FQMO6vjmkyI]
Rightaven: Downfall
Someone really should make a “Downfall” parody of Righthaven. As a result of Righthaven losing all its copyrights, Judge Navarro wants to know why she shouldn’t dismiss all the rest of the Righthaven cases on her desk. (source)
UK judge allows service via Facebook
Facebook users in the UK might start thinking twice before accepting friend requests from people they absolutely don’t know. An English High Court judge allowed two lawyers to serve a defendant they had been unable to contact in person or via email through Facebook. Source. Although courts in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have used the social networking site (as
Virgin Group chairman wins battle for .xxx domain
The man known for using sexually suggestive advertising to sell his products and owner of a company dubbed Virgin recently won a legal battle to gain control over richardbranson.xxx. Source. Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson filed a UDRP complaint against Sean Truman, who, according to the decision, is not in the adult entertainment industry, but instead says he registered the
Righthaven criticized for missing hearing and briefing deadline
VegasInc reports that Righthaven LLC was the subject of criticism after a U.S. District Court judge ordered that its copyrights be transferred to a receiver when it failed to show up to a scheduled hearing. Attorney Marc Randazza says in the article, If it was a conscious decision, it shows a stunning lack of professionalism. Read More…
How I Would Not Run a Dating Service – Observations on Tawkify
Tawkify is an online dating service that requires men to submit a photo, answer ten questions, and then await a match from the honed, laser-guided algorithm of the whimsy of its founder, E. Jean Carroll. For $8 per “match,” $15 for three matches, or $99 for a paternalistic hand-holding program, E. Jean will impose her will on you by deciding
Lottery Winner on Food Stamps
Amanda Clayton is a 24 year old from Lincoln Park, Michigan, who won the Michigan Lottery. She got $1 millon, but complained that it wasn’t really that much, since the government took 1/3 of it in taxes. She got caught using $200 a month in food stamps, despite her million dollar (before taxes) windfall. When she got caught, she said
Support for Terrence Connor
A partner at Hunton & Williams, Terrence Connor, was arrested for pepper spraying his neighbor’s dogs. The dogs belong to University of Miami Student Andrea Lopez, who lives next door to Connor. (source) Connor says that the dogs bark constantly and the police do nothing about the disturbance. He’s tried calling the police, tried spraying water on them, and now
Congratulations to Tera Patrick
Congratulations to Tera Patrick and Tony Acosta, on the birth of their baby girl. Sophia Evelia Acosta, was born on Feb. 25 at 5:01 a.m. in Los Angeles, according to Xbiz. The father, Tony Acosta, is a prominent Hollywood special effects artist known for his work in “300,” “Dawn of The Dead,” and the recent Superman movie, “Man of Steel.”
Racism and Cell Phone Jamming
CNN posted an article about cell phone jammers. Some guy uses one on public buses, when he thinks someone yapping on the cell phone is being rude. This guy thinks there is a racial component to it. In short, his point seems to be that the annoying cell phone user is more likely to be black or mexican than the
Transgendered Women are not "Dudes," Dude.
A bouncer at a St. Petersburg nightclub told some transgendered women that they couldn’t participate in “ladies night,” because they were “dudes.” (source) But, the story has a happy ending. The bar owner got wind of the issue (after a boycott was organized on Facebook) and both apologized and pledged to train his staff. “Our staff, in my opinion, didn’t
Obscenity trial in Quebec
We (ok, I) often think of Canada as our more enlightened sister to the north. But, Canada accepts the premise that multiculturalism is a justification for limiting free expression. R. v. Keegstra, [1990] 3 S.C.R. 697. Further, R. v. Butler, [1992] 1 S.C.R. 452 cuts against the expression-protection beauty of American Booksellers v. Hudnut, 771 F.2d 323 (7th Cir. 1985).
Why rednecks don't vote Democrat anymore
A thought-provoking essay over at Taki’s Magazine explores the issue. (here)
OK, Sandra Fluke might have a valid claim against Rush Limbaugh after all
Well, if she lived in Zimbabwe, that is. There, a 17 year old boy has been sentenced to caning for calling a woman a “prostitute.” The charge, “criminal insult.” (source) Under Chapter II, Part V of the Zimbabwean Criminal Law Act, a speaker can be criminally punished for such insults. 95 Criminal insult (1) Any person who, by words or
