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Friday, June 8, 2007
My Peculiar Aristocratic Title:
Monday, June 4, 2007
TAKE THAT, FCC!!
I couldn't have been more happy reading this news item:
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070604/3/32w7k.html
US court rejects FCC broadcast decency limit
By Martha Graybow
NEW YORK, June 4 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday overruled federal regulators who decided that expletives uttered on broadcast television violated decency standards, a major victory for TV networks.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, in a divided decision, said that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission was "arbitrary and capricious" in setting a new standard for defining indecency.
The court sent the matter back to the commission for further proceedings to clarify its indecency policy. The FCC, which said it was still studying the opinion, could decide to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court.
The FCC ruled in March 2006 ruling that News Corp.'s Fox television network had violated decency rules when singer Cher blurted "fuck" during the 2002 Billboard Music Awards broadcast and actress Nicole Richie used a variation of that word and "shit" during the 2003 awards.
No fines were imposed but Fox had challenged the decision to the appeals court, arguing that the government's decency standard was unclear, violated free speech protections and that the rulings had contradicted findings in past cases.
Republican FCC Chairman Kevin Martin angrily retorted that he found it "hard to believe that the New York court would tell American families that 'shit' and 'fuck' are fine to say on broadcast television during the hours when children are most likely to be in the audience."
"If we can't prohibit the use (the two obscenities) during prime time, Hollywood will be able to say anything they want, whenever they want," Martin said in a statement.
He was silent on a Supreme Court appeal, though Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat, and the Parents Television Council urged the FCC to appeal.
The stakes are high for broadcasters who could face fines of up to $325,000 per violation.
The three-member appeals panel focused on whether expletives were used repeatedly or were only uttered fleetingly. The FCC had argued that, under certain conditions, one utterance can violate the decency standard.
"We find that the FCC's new policy regarding 'fleeting expletives' represents a significant departure from positions previously taken by the agency and relied on by the broadcast industry," Judge Rosemary Pooler wrote for herself and Judge Peter Hall in the majority decision.
"We further find that the FCC has failed to articulate a reasoned basis for this change in policy," the ruling said. "Accordingly, we hold that the FCC's new policy regarding 'fleeting expletives' is arbitrary and capricious."
The court did not rule on constitutional challenges to the FCC's policy. But the majority of the judges suggested it could be tough for the commission to prevail on constitutional grounds.
"We are skeptical that the commission can provide a reasoned explanation for its 'fleeting expletive' regime that would pass constitutional muster," the majority wrote.
Judge Pierre Leval dissented, writing that he believed the FCC "gave a reasoned explanation for its change of standard."
Fox said it was "very pleased with the court's decision" and that it believes "that government regulation of content serves no purpose other than to chill artistic expression in violation of the First Amendment."
"Viewers should be allowed to determine for themselves and their families, through the many parental control technologies available, what is appropriate viewing for their home," Fox said.
The FCC under the Bush administration embarked on a crackdown of indecent content on broadcast TV and radio in 2004 after pop star Janet Jackson briefly exposed her bare breast during the broadcast of that year's Super Bowl halftime show.
A few weeks after that incident, the FCC reversed an earlier staff decision and ruled that the fleeting use of an expletive by U2 rock star Bono during a 2003 NBC broadcast was indecent.
FCC Chairman Martin has pressed subscription television services to give customers the option of blocking channels they find offensive and on Monday opened the door for the idea of blocking broadcast channels as well.
"Permitting parents to have more choice in the channels they receive may prove to be the best solution to content concerns," he said. (Additional reporting by Peter Kaplan in Washington and Paul Thomasch in New York)
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070604/3/32w7k.html
US court rejects FCC broadcast decency limit
By Martha Graybow
NEW YORK, June 4 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday overruled federal regulators who decided that expletives uttered on broadcast television violated decency standards, a major victory for TV networks.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, in a divided decision, said that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission was "arbitrary and capricious" in setting a new standard for defining indecency.
The court sent the matter back to the commission for further proceedings to clarify its indecency policy. The FCC, which said it was still studying the opinion, could decide to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court.
The FCC ruled in March 2006 ruling that News Corp.'s Fox television network had violated decency rules when singer Cher blurted "fuck" during the 2002 Billboard Music Awards broadcast and actress Nicole Richie used a variation of that word and "shit" during the 2003 awards.
No fines were imposed but Fox had challenged the decision to the appeals court, arguing that the government's decency standard was unclear, violated free speech protections and that the rulings had contradicted findings in past cases.
Republican FCC Chairman Kevin Martin angrily retorted that he found it "hard to believe that the New York court would tell American families that 'shit' and 'fuck' are fine to say on broadcast television during the hours when children are most likely to be in the audience."
"If we can't prohibit the use (the two obscenities) during prime time, Hollywood will be able to say anything they want, whenever they want," Martin said in a statement.
He was silent on a Supreme Court appeal, though Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat, and the Parents Television Council urged the FCC to appeal.
The stakes are high for broadcasters who could face fines of up to $325,000 per violation.
The three-member appeals panel focused on whether expletives were used repeatedly or were only uttered fleetingly. The FCC had argued that, under certain conditions, one utterance can violate the decency standard.
"We find that the FCC's new policy regarding 'fleeting expletives' represents a significant departure from positions previously taken by the agency and relied on by the broadcast industry," Judge Rosemary Pooler wrote for herself and Judge Peter Hall in the majority decision.
"We further find that the FCC has failed to articulate a reasoned basis for this change in policy," the ruling said. "Accordingly, we hold that the FCC's new policy regarding 'fleeting expletives' is arbitrary and capricious."
The court did not rule on constitutional challenges to the FCC's policy. But the majority of the judges suggested it could be tough for the commission to prevail on constitutional grounds.
"We are skeptical that the commission can provide a reasoned explanation for its 'fleeting expletive' regime that would pass constitutional muster," the majority wrote.
Judge Pierre Leval dissented, writing that he believed the FCC "gave a reasoned explanation for its change of standard."
Fox said it was "very pleased with the court's decision" and that it believes "that government regulation of content serves no purpose other than to chill artistic expression in violation of the First Amendment."
"Viewers should be allowed to determine for themselves and their families, through the many parental control technologies available, what is appropriate viewing for their home," Fox said.
The FCC under the Bush administration embarked on a crackdown of indecent content on broadcast TV and radio in 2004 after pop star Janet Jackson briefly exposed her bare breast during the broadcast of that year's Super Bowl halftime show.
A few weeks after that incident, the FCC reversed an earlier staff decision and ruled that the fleeting use of an expletive by U2 rock star Bono during a 2003 NBC broadcast was indecent.
FCC Chairman Martin has pressed subscription television services to give customers the option of blocking channels they find offensive and on Monday opened the door for the idea of blocking broadcast channels as well.
"Permitting parents to have more choice in the channels they receive may prove to be the best solution to content concerns," he said. (Additional reporting by Peter Kaplan in Washington and Paul Thomasch in New York)
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Graduation Pictures and More
Here are some pictures of graduation, and other things:
And these pictures are from weeks ago when Brandon, Beth and I put together furniture but did not have a hammer to do it with..... the rolling pin worked just fine.
And these pictures are from weeks ago when Brandon, Beth and I put together furniture but did not have a hammer to do it with..... the rolling pin worked just fine.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Wordzworth
I couldn't believe my sense when I saw this....
I couldn't stop laughing. What's next? Will they remake "A Modest Proposal" and for our current generation tell us that not having kids will help solve the "global warming" crisis?
Oops, I spoke too soon....
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21684156-5009760,00.html
I couldn't stop laughing. What's next? Will they remake "A Modest Proposal" and for our current generation tell us that not having kids will help solve the "global warming" crisis?
Oops, I spoke too soon....
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21684156-5009760,00.html
Children 'bad for planet'
May 07, 2007 12:00am
HAVING large families should be frowned upon as an environmental misdemeanour in the same way as frequent long-haul flights, driving a big car and failing to reuse plastic bags, says a report to be published today by a green think tank.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Graduation......
Man oh man. More and more every day can I identify with Conor Oberst's lyric: "I felt lost and found with every step I took."
That's not a horribly bad thing. It just seems that no matter how closer I get to the destination that this life has (if I'm allowed to get away with that over-used metaphor), the more blurry the "X" that marks the spot is off in the distance. The more clear things are marked out, the more unsure I am of the steps, or vice versa.
I'm very excited about the future; it's weird, because chance simultaneously freaks me out and keeps me going. I get content with where I'm at all the time--this is one of the reasons graduation was so shocking or hard to believe perhaps. But at the same time change is pretty cool. Change, it seems, is something that we as humans have to do. We change because it may be necessary, it may be inevitable, it may be reasonable. Maybe it's God's way of working the kinks out.
Sometimes I'm a cynic about a lot of things, mostly the amount of intervention God has in everything we do, and the degree in which we as Christians in fact have a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ." Is he really supposed to be our friend? Is that what he died for--to gain our friendship?? How much of what we think of our relationship with Christ is based on emotions, and the desire to be loved despite everything about us that is unlovable?
But I think sometimes when I believe myself to be a cynic I am in fact really a hypocrite. The fact is, life is change, and we're required to change as Christians. If nothing else, we are a "new creation." Does that happen at the moment of salvation, or does it happen over time? Probably both.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this. It seems I feel more lost and found with every step I take.
That's not a horribly bad thing. It just seems that no matter how closer I get to the destination that this life has (if I'm allowed to get away with that over-used metaphor), the more blurry the "X" that marks the spot is off in the distance. The more clear things are marked out, the more unsure I am of the steps, or vice versa.
I'm very excited about the future; it's weird, because chance simultaneously freaks me out and keeps me going. I get content with where I'm at all the time--this is one of the reasons graduation was so shocking or hard to believe perhaps. But at the same time change is pretty cool. Change, it seems, is something that we as humans have to do. We change because it may be necessary, it may be inevitable, it may be reasonable. Maybe it's God's way of working the kinks out.
Sometimes I'm a cynic about a lot of things, mostly the amount of intervention God has in everything we do, and the degree in which we as Christians in fact have a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ." Is he really supposed to be our friend? Is that what he died for--to gain our friendship?? How much of what we think of our relationship with Christ is based on emotions, and the desire to be loved despite everything about us that is unlovable?
But I think sometimes when I believe myself to be a cynic I am in fact really a hypocrite. The fact is, life is change, and we're required to change as Christians. If nothing else, we are a "new creation." Does that happen at the moment of salvation, or does it happen over time? Probably both.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this. It seems I feel more lost and found with every step I take.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Create - a - Thing Day 1
Well, I've been inspired by Meredith Beck and I'm going to try this out too: to create one thing a day. It's probably going to be mostly written stuff because my drawing is crap. But we'll see.
My first creation is a poem I wrote. I took all the words from an Aquafina water bottle and turned them into a poem:
Every serving is a choice
Based on bottled information
Reverse osmosis
Not made easy
Pure and perfect substances
Removes taste.
The process is all the same:
“Aquafina, purification,
Aquafina, total consistently perfect.”
State-of-the-art water,
Calorie Free
And
Taste free.
Questions are a smart choice
Because Independent authority of Pepsico leave you
In your fat daily values and purchase water
Aquafina’s Waters are free of protein, calories, carb, calorie, sodium, calories, taste
And facts.
Comments are cool in a serving per bottle
And smart choices for more time.
A sodium visit
Only thing in place is our total system
Or container size
Please recycle, for purified visit,
Bottled visit under most other servings per every purification store.
So, drinking water,
Pure water,
Per Nutrition serving,
Per purification system,
For diet by percent water amount.
The bottlers, Inc.
Call comments about Aquafina
Bottled sodium,calories
Water.
My first creation is a poem I wrote. I took all the words from an Aquafina water bottle and turned them into a poem:
Every serving is a choice
Based on bottled information
Reverse osmosis
Not made easy
Pure and perfect substances
Removes taste.
The process is all the same:
“Aquafina, purification,
Aquafina, total consistently perfect.”
State-of-the-art water,
Calorie Free
And
Taste free.
Questions are a smart choice
Because Independent authority of Pepsico leave you
In your fat daily values and purchase water
Aquafina’s Waters are free of protein, calories, carb, calorie, sodium, calories, taste
And facts.
Comments are cool in a serving per bottle
And smart choices for more time.
A sodium visit
Only thing in place is our total system
Or container size
Please recycle, for purified visit,
Bottled visit under most other servings per every purification store.
So, drinking water,
Pure water,
Per Nutrition serving,
Per purification system,
For diet by percent water amount.
The bottlers, Inc.
Call comments about Aquafina
Bottled sodium,calories
Water.
Jerry Falwell is Dead
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8P4V3T00&show_article=1
| Television Evangelist Falwell Dies at 73 |
 | |
| May 15 01:45 PM US/Eastern | |
| |
 View larger image | | LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) - The Rev. Jerry Falwell, who founded the Moral Majority and built the religious right into a political force, died Tuesday shortly after being found unconscious in his office at Liberty University, a school executive said. He was 73. Ron Godwin, the university's executive vice president, said Falwell, 73, was found unresponsive around 10:45 a.m. and taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. "CPR efforts were unsuccessful," he said. Godwin said he was not sure what caused the collapse, but he said Falwell "has a history of heart challenges." "I had breakfast with him, and he was fine at breakfast," Godwin said. "He went to his office, I went to mine, and they found him unresponsive." Falwell survived two serious health scares in early 2005. He was hospitalized for two weeks with what was described as a viral infection, then was hospitalized again a few weeks later after going into respiratory arrest. Later that year, doctors found a 70 percent blockage in an artery, which they opened with stents. Falwell credited his Moral Majority with getting millions of conservative voters registered, electing Ronald Reagan and giving Republicans Senate control in 1980. "I shudder to think where the country would be right now if the religious right had not evolved," Falwell said when he stepped down as Moral Majority president in 1987. The fundamentalist church that Falwell started in an abandoned bottling plant in 1956 grew into a religious empire that includes the 22,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church, the "Old Time Gospel Hour" carried on television stations around the country and 7,700-student Liberty University. He built Christian elementary schools, homes for unwed mothers and a home for alcoholics. He also founded Liberty University in Lynchburg, which began as Lynchburg Baptist College in 1971. Liberty University's commencement is scheduled for Saturday, with former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich as the featured speaker.
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