News & Media
Buddhist Thais Love Christmas
It seems that Christmas is an increasingly popular holiday in Thailand, despite the fact that Thailand has managed to (for the most part) resist the infection of mass Christianity. All around Bangkok, giant neon snowflakes, chubby snowmen, and full-size reindeer sleighs are everywhere. “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and “Jingle Bells” pipe nonstop from loudspeakers. Weeks before the holiday, a Christmasy atmosphere is in full swing in this predominantly Buddhist country. The Hollywood version of Christmas caters to Thais’ love of sanuk (fun), pretty decorations, and self-portraits – rolled into one.(source)
Making the first purchase doctrine work for porn
By J. DeVoy Wouldn’t it be a pleasant surprise if you got $100 in the mail any time someone bought that bookshelf you made in 1995 and sold at a furniture show? If the porn business plays its cards right, content producers may be able to reap the financial rewards of a similar situation. But, it likely will come at the cost of an intra-industry lovers’ spat as content producers who focus on traditional media have goals that conflict with streaming-only content and leaner production companies. Nevertheless, there is an opportunity for everyone to profit if they adapt their models to incorporate new processes. The first purchase doctrine, previously discussed on this blog here and found in 17 U.S.C. §
So now they want to ban another plant
In the wake of the Miley Cyrus “controversy,” California State Assemblyman Anthony Adams is whining like a temperance movement whore to revive his failed attempt to ban salvia divinorum, commonly known as “salvia.” Adams needs to un-twist his gray and stained granny panties. First off, we don’t need another law banning another plant. Second, anyone who wants to ban salvia ought to try the shit. The best way to make sure that salvia use goes down is to have everyone take a toke of it. Salvia is sold in headshops as a “legal alternative” to marijuana. I’ve tried it. It fucking sucks. Quite honestly, aside from huffing keyboard duster, I can’t think of a less enjoyable drug related experience. When
Jag älskar Sverige!
Two bomb blasts rocked Stockholm yesterday. Just before the blasts, an email was sent to a Swedish news agency protesting the presence of Swedish troops in Afghanistan. (source) I used to walk down that street every day when I lived in Stockholm. I’m delighted to hear that the only person killed was the swine who set off the bombs. (source) Here is what is truly remarkable — the reaction of the Swedish government: Sweden’s prime minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, has described two explosions that shook Stockholm’s central shopping district on Saturday as “unacceptable” because, in his words “Sweden is an open society.” (source) It is nice to hear a leader reassure his country that it is an “open society” in a
Write a poem, go to jail
by Charles Platt The text of the poem is circulating freely online, so, here it is: — THE SNIPER As the tyrant enters his cross hairs the breath he takes is deep His focus is square on the target as he begins to release A patriot for his people he knows this shot will cost his life But for his race and their existence it is a small sacrifice The bullet that he has chambered is one of the purest pride And the inscription on the casing reads DIE negro DIE He breathes out as he pulls the trigger releasing all his hate And a smile appears upon his face as he seals that monkeys fate The bullet screams toward
Government official apologizes for TSA overzealousness — but that apology is not for you, nor will it ever be
Last week, Indian Envoy Meera Shankar got a dose of the “Post 9/11 America,” when she was felt up in a most undignified manner at the Jackson, Mississippi airport. Ms. Shankar was, to put it lightly, appalled. Poor Ms. Shankar thought that the whole thing was because she was in Mississippi. I could see why she might think that, but unfortunately she doesn’t realize that even the most civilized and advanced places in the United States have the same hall monitors running things. When Shankar got back to India, she apparently raised a high holy fit about how she was treated. (source) And after the diplomatic row, the governor of Mississippi issued an apology to Ms. Shankar. (source) Of course,
Sherman Frederick, douchebag who backed Righthaven posts infringing material on his own blog
If you don’t already know what Righthaven is, go google it. I’ll wait. So Sherman Frederick is a certified douchebag who compared bloggers posting Las Vegas Review Journal Stories to someone stealing his corvette. I would link to the story, but I have pledged to not link to the Las Vegas Review Journal. Instead, here is an article by Wendy Davis at Media Post, in which I am quoted mocking Sherm. Well guess what? Mr. Asshat Frederick seems to have done the same thing that his little fucktard operation sues people for. (source) The only difference is that nobody is going to try and bankrupt him over it. H/T: Masnick the Great
"The last time I checked, we don’t operate like that here in America"
“The last time I checked, we don’t operate like that here in America.” That is what General Hugh Sheldon, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during parts of the Clinton and dipshit Bush administrations. In his recent memoir, he wrote about a particularly disturbing request made by a member of the Clinton cabinet: Early on in my days as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, we had small, weekly White House breakfasts in National Security Advisor Sandy Berger’s office that included me, Sandy, Bill Cohen (Secretary of Defense), Madeleine Albright (Secretary of State), George Tenet (head of the CIA), Leon Firth (VP chief of staff for security), Bill Richardson (ambassador to the U.N.), and a few
Pretty freakin awesome Wikileaks montage
Danny Ledone over at Digital Culture & Political Pornography posted an awesome Wikileaks montage. Even if you despise Julian Assange, you gotta give Ledone props for his video.
Go Bernie Go!
Bernie Sanders is filibustering the fucked up tax-cuts-for-billionaires bill. Thank you, Mr. Sanders, for being the only remaining member of the Senate who gives a shit about us. (Live here on Cspan)
Leave Miley Alone
So Miley Cyrus got caught smoking out of a bong. BFD. She’s 18. That is what 18 year olds do. Cyrus claims that the bong was loaded with salvia, not marijuana. The video, available on TMZ (if you give a shit about watching it) shows behavior consistent with that claim. Cyrus says that she’s having a “bit of a bad trip,” which is inconsistent with marijuana use. She also seems incoherent for 90 seconds — again, more consistent with salvia than marijuana.
"Life Saver" means something else…
Without discussing the merits or demerits of the death penalty, can we all agree that “life saver” is not the term you use to describe someone who supplies you with sodium thiopental? (Sodium thiopental is the drug you administer in a lethal injection execution). (source)
Best. Christmas. Song. Ever.
Holy shit, my awesomeness meter just broke. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ysfQjKKi70] H/T: Wyatt W.
First Amendment Badass: Hossein Derakhshan
By J. DeVoy You may have never heard of Hossein Derakhshan or his more popular moniker, Hoder. More than a name, Hoder.com – now a parked GoDaddy page – was one man’s outlet for free speech in Iran, a country not given to free expression and individual liberty. Yesterday, Derakhshan was released on furlough from a 19.5-year sentence on an unprecedented $1,500,000 bail. While normally a sentence associated with rape, murder or America’s asinine drug laws, a trial court gave Derakhshan the sentence based on the following charges: cooperation with hostile states, propagating against the regime, propagation in favor of anti-revolutionary groups, insulting sanctities, and implementation and management of obscene websites (source.) As a dual citizen of Iran and Canada, Derakhshan pioneered Iranian
Update: Wikileaks, Lieberman, the New York Times, and the First Amendment
Update – I was interviewed on WTOP in Washington, DC, on this subject. (source)
Yale Law Journal Logo
By J. DeVoy Let’s see, a crocodile (or alligator) and what appear to be croquet wickets. Are we sure it’s not just a glorified Lacoste ad?
Wikileaks, The NYT, and the First Amendment
I was interviewed by Slate yesterday, for an article discussing why Joe Lieberman’s saber rattling about prosecuting the New York Times is an empty threat. The Brian Palmer article that came from that interview is here. My conclusion was that since the New York Times lawfully obtained the Wikileaks information, and it had no part in their procurement, there is no liability. Of course, that begs the question of whether Wikileaks / Assange would be able to find shelter under the First Amendment as well. No sense in me re-writing the analysis, since Nick Bravin (also at Slate) wrote a pretty damn good analysis of the law here.
"The Cup Size Choir"
By Tatiana von Tauber Sexy. Fun. Brilliant. (Daily Mail article here.) [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5wNafq4v-E]
To serve, protect, and to ass rape little boys in drag. Thank you Uncle Sam!
The United States Government hired DynCorp, a private “security contractor” to train the Afghan Police. That training requires DynCorp to show these local Afghan cops how to shoot guns, investigate crime, and how to fuck little boys up the ass. Wha?????? One of the cables released by Wikileaks reveals that the U.S. Ambassador met with the Afghan Interior Minister to discuss a “boy party” thrown by DynCorp for Afghan recruits. (source) (source) Bacha boys are eight- to 15-years-old. They put on make-up, tie bells to their feet and slip into scanty women’s clothing, and then, to the whine of a harmonium and wailing vocals, they dance seductively to smoky roomfuls of leering older men. After the show is over, their
Google to Internet Users: "All Your Angry Comments Are Belong to Us"
by Jason Fischer Google, allegedly in an effort to improve the civility of user comments, has determined that the “caps lock” key should not be a part of laptops that will be made to support its forthcoming operating system. (source)
