Avatar Wars
July 22nd, 2010I post an avatar to celebrate the World Cup and some church ladies are offended. Witness the reaction:
Then the repressed control freaks at BuddhaJones get in the act:
Here’s the offending photo in all its glory:
Update: My avatar is removed from Where’s George : “I’ve removed your avatar. If you wish to replace it, use something more family friendly.”
Update 2: I asked Hank, owner of Where’s George, to delete my account from the forums section of his site. He responded, “Can I ask why?” Against my better judgment, I responded. I told him I didn’t want to participate in a forum where prudish censorship takes place, and if he had asked me, I would have changed the avatar myself. Well he didn’t like that very much and threatened to delete my entire Where’s George account. As of Wednesday morning he hasn’t.
FCC tries to take control of Internet
June 23rd, 2010“The FCC has an obligation to move forward with an open, constructive public comment process to ask hard questions, build a record, find a solution and resolve the uncertainty that has been created,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.”
Breaking Sad
June 20th, 2010Missed the last two episodes of Breaking Bad. Don’t tell me what happens!
Back to the Future in Putin’s Russia
June 19th, 2010Duma Backs Bill Empowering FSB
15 June 2010
The Moscow Times
The State Duma has approved in a first reading a bill that would allow the Federal Security Service to issue warnings to people or organizations deemed at risk of committing crimes in the future.
Not complying with directives in the warning would be a punishable offense, the ruling United Russia party said on its web site.
The bill also introduces fines and short-term arrests for people who ignore demands of FSB officials or hinder them while on duty.
United Russia was the only Duma faction to back the bill during the Friday vote, Interfax reported.
Vladimir Gruzdev, a senior United Russia deputy, shrugged off concerns of human rights activists that the bill would legitimize the abuse of power by the FSB.
“Only someone who is absolutely unaware of the specifics of the activities of state security agencies can talk about the impairment of rights,” Gruzdev said in a statement on his party’s web site.
But he acknowledged that the bill must be amended before a second reading to ensure that it “would serve to prevent crime and not return us to 1937,” the worst year of Stalinist purges.
On a related note: Small Fine Handed Out for Penis Protest
SGI Pioneer: Herman Roberts III
March 15th, 2010Herman Roberts III, 30, March 4 2010, Houston, TX
SGI Pioneer: Heather Alison Meier-Garcia
March 15th, 2010Heather Alison Meier-Garcia, 35, March 8 2010, Alamogordo, NM
SGI Pioneer: David L. Snively
February 19th, 2010David L. Snively, 58, February 10, 2010, San Jose, Ca
SGI Pioneer: Kenneth Jones, Jr.
February 7th, 2010Kenneth Lee Jones Jr., January 29, 2010, New Orleans, LA