SOPA, PIPA, Move aside. Make Way for ACTA.

Wow, Hollywood must be really pissed to do this? I mean what is this - Revenge of Hollywood Part 2?


PIPA and SOPA were draconian enough - blatantly infringing on personal security and privacy (all for protecting intellectual property and not profits, or so they say). Now, ACTA has come and this time its global. ACTA began as a European Union legislation and it is categorised as a trade agreement but in truth, it is more than that.  ACTA allows for ISPs to track and discontinue service at its own discretion. 


This means that not only are we liable and all our information be made available to governments, it also means that governments would not necessarily use this tool to curb piracy but also to monitor political discussions and thought.


Many countries have already ratified the agreement such as Poland and Syria. UK is now considering ratifying the agreement. 


To learn more about ACTA: read here.

"ACTA is not just about copyrights­. Why do you think ACTA has been prepared in such a secret? Why weren't there public discussion­s about such an important thing as a personal right to privacy and presumptio­n of innocence (according to ACTA, your internet provider can, or even should, spy on you)? Government­s have forced through a law which, in the future, they could easily use to control internet."

THE BLACK MARCH
1. Don't buy any music in March.
2. Don't buy any movies.
3. Don't go to the cinema.
http://www.black-march.com/

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20685

I bite.

Pre-Haiku Poetry

I love Haiku's. Not those who borrow its form, but Japanese haiku's translated from the original.
It really is beautiful.

The ones here, are pre-haiku poetry, before Haiku evolved into what it is today. The point of Haiku is to describe an emotion, a moment. And there must be reference to nature and seasons, as a rule. You can see how that came to be from these pre-haiku's.

Warm breeze that I breathe
that drifts from yonder mountain
in whose shade you dwell
Has been sweetened, I believe,
by blowing through your hair.


And another,


Looking to the east
we saw the glow of morning
rising over fields
Then turning to look behind
the moon was just then setting.

Trivial, but is it mundane?
The little things that matter are sometimes so hard to comprehend,
and sometimes,
too much to ask.

The Fallacy of Marriage?

Don't Mess With Me. Meow.

On Incest and Posterity, in Manga

Mangas such as 'Flower of Evil' and 'Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru' are shoujo works where the main couple are involved in an incest-based romance. There are also mangas where the main story does not involve incest but perhaps it is suggested in a side character. Incest is also a popular theme in yaoi manga.

I'm not a prejudiced person but I must say that before I say something on this topic, I would like to at least have some facts at my disposal, because too many people are ignorant and their tongue sways way to fast - even before their neurons connect - because I don't believe that there are people who are born stupid in this world.

Few weeks ago, I was reading Daughter of the Nile, and someone posted this in the forum and I want to share this with anyone who is reading this.

Got this on a forum discussing the morality and sensibility of Pharaohs marrying their sisters.

(From Mangafox)

Actually, common birth defects for incest, is blue blood, and weak constitution. Note though scientifically, there is no medical problem for having children with a blood relative. Nor does the bible, Qur'an, or any other holy scripture have any standing on the matter. They don't say its bad nor do they endorse it. Incest doesn't cause birth defects in the sense that you get them for having sex with your siblings either. Basically incest limits the genetic information that can be passed on. In turn this causes for normally recessive traits to spring up due to the lack of dominating traits.

A depiction of Ankhesenamun, wife and
sister to pharaoh Tutankhamun

That being said, most royal family's, especially during the time period of this story, employed royal concubines. These woman offered pleasure to the King, as well as bare children in case of assassination or death of the First Prince. This usually offered a much diverse genetic backing for royal family's during the time period. Incest itself didn't become a problem till the advent of Catholicism and Christianity. These along with Islam and Judaism, pushed for a single man and single woman relationships. As these religions became more prevalent, thus the common stigmas of incest came into effect.

Watching Anime

I cried again today.

After watching Romeo x Juliet.

Why is it that it doesn't work when it comes to movies?

Why is anime special.

I don't know...

But I know there are other like me

who are touched by what we feel,

Touched in a place no one can touch us...

Where the villain is made out to be human..

Perhaps I cry for this, I cry for their salvation,

their redemption. Sometimes

I don't understand how people can sacrifice so much for the person they love,

or rather, I do know,

I know how painful it is when you love someone so much.

But the sacrifice, the immense sacrifice,

It's too painful.

Perhaps that's why i fear to love.

Because I've been betrayed so many times by the people I love the most.

So much so that all i can say are lies,

lies to protect, to seclude myself, isolate. 

But when I cry, something hurts in my chest,

like a string pulled too tight,

I cannot breathe.

The same as when I watched Black Cat and Ayashi No Ceres:

I don't understand how people want and smile despite

suffering so very much.

But in my tears, whom do I cry for?

Myself? For them? For the pain? For the loss?

But when I cry like this, 

I feel like the person I was.

The person who was pure, who loved

Loved everyone and everything, forgave everything,

Gave everything.

And now, I stand bereft, hands empty.

Yet, my tears are proof of my pain,

my loss, my fears, my joy, 

proof of my existence, proof of my heart.

Proof that I still live.

Engulfed

A black hole expands, stretching its vile limbs,

hand and foot - searching for a hint of light

because this infinite darkness

stills my soul.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"And I care because why again?"

The New 'Bitch'

Regulating the Consumer Sphere

These recent years have seen internet censorship becoming increasingly rampant - for political reasons, in the name of national security; and the protection of intellectual property. Intellectual property, according to WIPO refers to  creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce, and it is divided into two types: 1) industrial property, and 2) copyright.


Anyone who loves and is part of cyber communities such as the aniotaku or mangaotaku culture (anime-lovers and manga-lovers respectively), would be aware of the recent censorship that has affected all of the community. Many scanlations have been forced to go underground after a crackdown early last year, most of them yaoi and shounen-ai scanlations. This crackdown is a result of one of the big US manga publishers, Tokyopop had shut down their US branch because of narrowing profit margins.


Other manga houses have become alarmed and decided to take strict action against scanlators and manga hosting websites - in the name of protecting intellectual property, and feeding the mangaka's and manhwaga's and the entire publishing team.


Scanlators and Subbers work hard to provide a service free of charge, to share a piece of art with others in the community. A lot of effort has gone into this process and in some cases money for better equipment, to purchase raw materials. And they work more efficiently and are in some cases better as they provide sing-along lyrics and background notes.


As far as I can tell, Manga Publishing Houses and certain Anime Distribution Houses are sponging off the anime community. They choose to pick up projects based on the responses and emerging fans of a particular project nurtured by the anime community, and then try to sell you these items. Not just them, but websites like Mangafox and AnimeTake who earns millions by hosting free content and charging or 'services rendered' on top of that. 


Now, let us fast-forward to the past three days. The Obama administration has in the last 18 months sought to regulate cyberspace - especially promoting the "sanctity" of intellectual property. The question now is "Why?".  


The answer is simple. Election campaigns are expensive and you do need to keep your sponsors happy to ensure they remain your sponsors. Obama is no different. Hollywood has been encountering huge losses in the last few years (it's a recession, whaddya expect?!) and have put pressure on Obama, whom they are sponsoring to protect their interests - hence the SOPA/PIPA.

I have only one thing to say: every one in this world has a right to access cultural materials such as movies, books and music. By 'copyrighting' and attaching a price tag, a huge chunk of what we pay for goes to the advertising fund for their next project. Recent movies and music videos rely on cheap, repetitive content using A-listers, enough to chalk up an audience and make them pay (far too much) for it. 


No one ever question these giant corporations. Our governments are in their pocket, and they're profiting off the middle classes of the world and our governments are just gonna sit back and let it slide.

2012 Surprise: MegaUpload Shut Down

20th January - Yesterday, US Justice Department shut down popular file-sharing website MegaUpload.com under charges for hosting illegal content such as pirated movies and music leading to an estimated loss of 500 million USD to the producers of these materials, following the postponement of the SOPA/PIPA bill in congress the day before.


[SOPA/PIPA are two new pieces of legislation to regulate content on the internet and may probably put wikipedia and wikileaks out of business for good. It is a draconian law that aims to curb the sharing of information and materials on the internet. For more information, see http://www.forbes.com/sites/derekbroes/2012/01/20/why-should-you-fear-sopa-and-pipa/]


According to Channel News Asia, the US authorities have seized more than 350 domain names since 18 months ago. Although websites such as NinjaVideo and others have been seized for piracy, the FBI and the US Justice Dept believes that MegaUpload took the entire issue to whole different level, earning 175 mil USD from hosting illegal content.

The notice on the MegaUpload website

If no petition is forthcoming from MegaUpload the domain name will in the space of certain time come to belong to the US government . However, in order to pacify groups who feel threatened by these drastic actions against freedom of speech on the internet, the US authorities "they would delay consideration of the bills which Google, Wikipedia and other Web giants have denounced as a threat to Internet freedom".


Anime News network has more on the story: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-01-19/megaupload-site-shut-down-partly-due-to-fruits-basket-anime

Crazy

You know when the madness has hit you?

When it's your mom's birthday, it's 2 in the morning, and you're blogging even though you have 2 assignments due.