News & Media
Betas, Online Dating and Anonymous
By J. DeVoy At the limply beating heart of all things beta is a lack of options. Anonymous, ever the ingenious amorphous blob of misanthropy that it is, seized upon this and organized an “involuntary flashmob” in midtown Manhattan by using spoofed female dating profiles to lure men into appearing at the same place at the same time. Vice has the writeup. The entire affair was recorded on camera, and plenty of photos abound. It’s screwed up to do this to people, but it’s Anonymous, so: 1) we expect this conduct from them, and 2) the only thing injured was pride; this isn’t something that rises to the level of IIED. (Also, good luck if litigious victims go after Vice
A reason to swallow and a reason to spit
In his Valentine’s Day-themed editorial in Surgery News, “Gut Feelings”, Dr. Lazar Greenfield cited to a study that reported that semen has anti-depresseant and mood-elevating effects upon women. He concluded: “So there’s a deeper bond between men and women than St Valentine would have suspected, and now we know there’s a better gift for that day than chocolate.” So ladies, that appears to favor the swallow side of the equation. Of course, out come the feminazis, giving us a reason to spit. Feminist groups, who wished to remain anonymous, promised to protest any meeting or conference at which Dr. Greenfield was in attendance. As a reaction to the furor, Greenfield gave up his editorship of Surgery News. That wasn’t enough
Tribute to motherhood
by Tatiana von Tauber I’ve been a mother for 13 years now and I’ve changed my mind about it. I used to fear it until I got the hang of it and then somehow I liked it. Of course, in the absence of thought during the like stage I decided to have another baby in my mid 30s. Yes, good ‘ol sex got in the way. I love my children and the meaning of family; however, motherhood is extremely exhausting and with 2 teens and a 5 year old I’m finding challenge in the once manageable balancing act of career and motherhood. I’ve been thinking about it recently because I lost that balance by moving back abroad. The rhythm was
By the way
By J. DeVoy One week ago, I killed Santa. I’m telling the world now because I just confirmed that it was his DNA. I didn’t take any pictures, and dumped the body in the ocean before a third party could verify its identity, but just trust me. [N.B. – I do not doubt that Osama is dead. As noted in my last post, the special forces teams that took him out are worthy of our awe and commendation; their success is a glowing reflection on our national resolve and resources. But if you’re accepting the Government’s official story of any major event – especially its hastily disposed first draft – in the wake of the last thirty years of lies,
Osama dead; Americans still gripped in fear
By J. DeVoy [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dKdBlKgquw&w=425&h=349] With Osama Bin Laden dead for a week and the DNA tests purportedly confirming his demise, it’s morning again in America. Surely the PATRIOT Act will be repealed, and Obama will channel Ronald Reagan to bust and disband the unionized, lecherous zealots of the TSA. The NSA’s taps on AT&T’s data lines will be removed post haste, and the no-fly list will be no more. Nevermind, I was daydreaming of living in a country where everyone’s not a huge pussy. The special forces operatives who executed this mission have a lot to be proud of, and rightfully so. Everyone else is a spectator. And while spectators can feel pride from the stands as the home
Russians crack down on BitTorrent piracy
By J. DeVoy Russian authorities have shut down Pornolab.net, one of the largest adult BitTorrent websites in the world. The full story is available at XBIZ.
Litigation's so passé
By J. DeVoy For whatever reason, this makes me think of my experiences thus far in the District of Nevada: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mgjZK46_uw&w=480&h=390]
Is there anything more idiotic than Donald Trump's hair? YES!
His ideas. Donald is a well known birther. This interview with George Stephanopoulos takes the cake.
Man bursts into flames in porn store. You can't explain that!
The tides come in and they go out. You can’t explain that! Magnets just stick to each other, with no glue! You can’t explain that! Jagermeister goes in, puke comes out. You can’t explain that! And you sure as shit can’t explain a man bursting into flames while watching a porn movie in a sex shop. Could this bizarre incident be attributed to a higher power? “I believe so. I definitely believe so,” [Pastor Roger] Huang told AOL News, adding that he hopes the unidentified man is recovering from the burns. (source)
Encyclopædia Dramatica Dead…. This is the darkest day in Internet history
If you don’t know what Encyclopædia Dramatica was, then I don’t wish to explain it to you. Lets just say that the Internet is less Internet now that Encyclopædia Dramatica is dead. Its successor is a hollow shell of its ancestor. I feel like Taylor when he sees the Statue of Liberty in the sand… the terrorists truly have won. Fuck “Oh Inter Net.”
The marginal edge: Using Zinc to be a better lawyer
By J. DeVoy From what I’ve observed and in my admittedly short experience, good lawyers arise from knowing the facts of a case, knowing the applicable law, and merging them to find creative solutions to difficult problems. Other personality traits drive how these skills are expressed in real life, though, such as risk aversion, ethics/morality, and, for lack of a more artful term, selfishness. Assuming two lawyers are of equal skill and ability, these secondary traits can turn an endurable result into a good one. Experience doesn’t fully develop these innate traits, though, and there are chemical components to them – which can be purchased for pennies a day. Zinc boosts testosterone production, and just 50 mg of the stuff
BREAKING NEWS — Righthaven's operating agreement revealed by Nevada District Court – Does the House of Cards Collapse?
Yesterday, the District of Nevada ordered evidence regarding Righthaven’s ownership of the copyrights it sues on to be unsealed. Today, Docket # 79, which reveals heretofore unknown information about Righthaven’s business model, was unsealed. As of right now, I don’t believe that any other source has this information. Read the whole thing here. For those of you lacking fluency in Copyright law, Silvers v. Sony Pictures Entertainment, 402 F.3d 881 (2005), says that you need to assign a specific right under 17 U.S.C. § 106 – and not the bare right to sue – for a copyright assignment to be valid. Other courts, such as Sybersound, have held that you need an exclusive right in order to sue for infringement of
Feds indict online gambling sites
By J. DeVoy Fresh on the heels of D.C.’ s decision to pursue legal online gambling, the DOJ indicted a number of gambling websites today, including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker. (source.) The L.A. Times observes that this happened only after the online gambling business had taken off and become an economic success. (source.) Much like the government’s efforts to stop private groups from making a profit through IP infringement – and keep the damages for themselves, depriving IP holders of a chance to recoup their losses – which have been widely discussed, this looks like another case of the government getting involved to push out competition for their own endeavors. If the state is going to be administering,
Online Gambling Comes to DC
By Marc J. Randazza Washington, D.C. – not Las Vegas, Miami or Texas – is poised to be the first to allow online gaming for its residents. But it’s not without some catches. Players must be within the city’s small borders in order to play online. Despite the gaming occurring online, the technology – possibly through IP screening – will prevent interlopers from other states where online gaming is illegal from joining in. Further restricting access, prospective players will have to go to designated “hot spots” to be dealt in. These locations will be set up by the city, and will be set up in bars, stores and other locations. Finally, players must register for the service. This will include
dear lolman
By J. DeVoy [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_uRIMUBnvw&w=640&h=390] Not new if you read The Spearhead, Crime and Federalism and In Mala Fide, but still hilarious.
Weekend read: "Compliment & Cuddle"
By J. DeVoy Just in time for the weekend, controversial pickup writer Roosh has finished his seminal work Compliment & Cuddle: The Nice Guy Method to Making Love. It’s free, online, and can be read in an hour at most. Like all of Roosh’s work, it will shock and offend the uninitiated and willfully blind, especially with its adolescent tone, and amuse everyone else. (Don’t say you weren’t warned.) In each of the five parts, you will learn to curb your masculine desires to be your own person and enjoy your life in an effort to become an appropriately sensitive, groveling 21st century man who begs for affection. Important tips include treating any girl who looks at you like a
New federal web laws will confiscate wealth from adult, other industries
By J. DeVoy Pat Leahy seems to actually know a bit about intellectual property law, if you listen to him speak long enough. Based on the failed introduction of COICA in the fall, he’s clearly aware of the ravages piracy has caused on the broader recording and entertainment industries, as well as the harm of fraudulent goods being sold over the internet. Leahy is now renewing his call for tough new internet laws to rein in “rogue websites” that sell counterfeit goods and are at the heart of the piracy epidemic that has sent adult entertainment revenues tumbling. On the surface, government intervention is a good thing – an entity with tremendous resources and power is stepping in to preserve
NY Times pranked again; nostalgic for Jayson Blair
By J. DeVoy Consistent with its history of shoddy reporting and extreme gullibility, the New York Times has once again fallen prey to a fairly obvious April Fool’s Day hoax. Eric Turkewitz has the story on the New York Personal Injury Law Blog. Without stealing Turkewitz’s thunder, I’m appalled. Anyone who expects much from the mainstream media is a fool, but the Times’ consistent pattern of getting it wrong – completely wrong – makes one wonder if NY Times Co. v. Sullivan wasn’t a wasted effort after all.
You imbecile
That’s really all I can say as I read this story about Righthaven.
ACLU challenges Nevada's marriage officiant requirements
By J. DeVoy The ACLU is suing the State of Nevada and Clark County – where Las Vegas is located – over laws that require non-governmental marriage officiants to have a religious affiliation. While anyone can perform a marriage in Nevada, he or she must obtain a certificate to solemnize the marriage based on the fact that he or she has a religious affiliation. One of the plaintiffs, Raul Martinez, claims to be an atheist and member of the American Humanist Association. If successful, the suit would end – or at least compromise – the state-and-religious duopoly over marriage in Nevada. One of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, Allen Lichtenstein, is a friend of the blog, and we wish him success in
