News & Media
SUNY-Buffalo Law administrator threatens students with character & fitness complaints
By J. DeVoy In a recent e-mail sent to graduating 3Ls at SUNY-Buffalo Law School, the school’s administration alluded to filing character and fitness complaints against students who are savvy with their graduation tickets. (Emphasis and editor’s notes added.) From: “Saran, Melinda” saran@buffalo.edu To: [UB3L]@buffalo.edu Sent: Thu 02/25/10 9:56 AM Subject: Fwd: Commencement cap & gown order deadline is March 2nd!
Cybersecurity bill gives executive branch new powers over the internet
By J. DeVoy From The Hill: The president would have the power to safeguard essential federal and private Web resources under draft Senate cybersecurity legislation. According to an aide familiar with the proposal, the bill includes a mandate for federal agencies to prepare emergency response plans in the event of a massive, nationwide cyberattack. The president would then have the
Conclusion to Wisconsin facebook blackmail case
By J. DeVoy Today, a Wisconsin man who posed as a girl on social networking sites to obtain nude photos of more than 30 of his high school classmates, which he then used for blackmail, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Anthony Stancl, 19, used these pictures to coerce his classmates to perform sexual acts with him. Stancl photographed
Finally! Is explicit content coming to the iPhone?
By J. DeVoy From the Telegraph: Several developers have reported seeing a new category appearing in the drop-down menus of iTunes Connect, the platform they use to distribute apps through the App Store. Alongside standard categories, such as “entertainment”, “games” and “productivity”, is a new tag: “explicit”. Apple has not commented on the rumours, or confirmed whether or not it will
NY Times releases Paterson exposé
By. J. DeVoy A little over a week ago I mentioned that New York Governor David Paterson was shaking in his boots regarding a then-unpublished piece that may end his political career. As Ferdinand Bardamu speculated, the fact that Paterson handled it so poorly virtually assured that a forgivable infraction would become fatal. Yesterday, the New York Times opened the
Is Higher Education Overrated?
This Time Magazine article makes a compelling case that it might be.
Time for a Revolt against the TSA
First the government says that we need more people who speak Arabic. Then, the TSA handcuffs and detains a student for carrying Arabic flashcards into an airport.Kids’ pillows are a threat to national security, as is Play Doh.TSA agents force a disabled four year old boy’s parents to remove his leg braces before he can pass through security. Then, to
Who dates porn actresses, anyway?
By J. DeVoy Everyone has seen perfectly formed, almost impossibly figured adult actresses on the screen – or more likely in flash video frames on computer screens – but few know about their lives off the set. Porn stars do have public lives at events like the AVN and Xbiz awards, and Adult Entertainment Expo, but these seem more like
How to get yourself off: A class at Michigan Law?
It gets awfully cold in Ann Arbor, Michigan this time of year. Our sources report that a man, most likely a homeless vagrant, has been bopping his baloney in the Michigan Law Library. Well, christ, with the temperature hovering around -3 fahrenheit, a poor guy’s wiener might just go all brittle and shatter if he did it the old fashioned
Banning the use of "retarded" is, well, you know…
By J. DeVoy A recent Washington Post piece by Christopher Fairman takes up the looming controversy over the word “retard” and all its forms. For good or for ill, “retard” and all its derivatives have come into such common use that public awareness is needed to stomp out its casual, easily uttered nature. The question is whether this self-censorship proposed
Vote for Photography Is Not a Crime
Photography is Not a Crime is one of the most compelling publications in the blogosphere. Its editor, Carlos Miller, was arrested for exercising his First Amendment right to photograph police officers in a public place. He turned that experience into a one-man crusade to push back against overreaching law enforcement. He is not a lawyer, but he successfully defended himself
Sometimes violence is the answer – Epic Beard Man FTW!
How to become a world famous douchebag/punk. Step One: Pick a fight with an old man Step Two: After the old man walks away, continue to pick a fight with him Step Three: Get smacked down like the punk ass you are Step Four: Get eaten by the Internet Hate Machine [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLBJnQ4l9t4] If you watch carefully, you can see that
IOC Uses DMCA to Suppress Luge Accident Video
by Jason Fischer The opening day of the 2010 Winter Olympics was marked with tragedy when 21-year-old Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, was involved in a fatal crash during a training run. The horrific event dampened the spirit of the international competition and colored the mood at the opening ceremonies later that night. As anyone would expect, the International Olympic Committee
Tampa psychologist allegedly bills insurer for banging patient
By J. DeVoy In a quintessentially Floridian story, Dr. Daniel R. Lerom is being sued by his former patient and lover over their tryst. The plaintiff, known only as HK in the filing-and referred to as RHL, red hot lover, by Lerom-even ended her engagement to pursue the good doctor. According to the plaintiff’s filings, Lerom billed their romps to
Kenneth Starr from Pepperdine to Baylor
By J. DeVoy Kenneth Starr, current dean of Pepperdine University School of Law, has been named Baylor University’s new president. For Starr, originally from central Texas, this may be a natural move. Indeed, most of his career has been spent below the Mason-Dixon line. Starr earned his A.B. from George Washington University and J.D. from Duke, with a brief excursion
The cake is a lie
By J. DeVoy [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iserIaPGwuo&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Watching clips of Bridezillas is addicting. If anyone attended a wedding yesterday, consider the show a behind-the-scenes look at what led to those few hours of showmanship.
Man Jailed For Importing "Obscene" Manga
Recently, Christopher Handley, an anime/manga enthusiast was sentenced to jail for six months for importing manga containing cartoon depictions of underage girls engaging in sexual activities. He possessed no non-cartoon child pornography and his lolicon manga consisted of a “small percentage” of his anima/manga collections, which number in the thousands. Handley pleaded guilty to violating the Protect Act of 2003.
IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!
Rep. Nancy Elliot (R-NH) explains why she opposes gay marriage. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgDWAvLh0yo]
Weekend reading – Valentine’s Day ("VD") edition
By J. DeVoy As VD approaches, love is all around us. The international community has come together in Vancouver to indulge its holding-hands-and-singing-kumbaya fantasy of global cooperation, and betas everywhere are casting their lots with flowers, chocolates and fancy dinners to get women – any woman – to commit to them. Some of these items, however, may preserve your sanity. The
Corbin Fisher wins $990,000 Judgment Against eBay Pirate
Describing the case and the defendant’s conduct leading to the judgment. Copyright infringement is defined in Federal law, and it occurs in the unauthorized commercial use of another’s content. Statutory damages are available for certain types of infringement, giving rise to the judgment in this case. Read more…
