“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”.
That is the 4th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Read it, reread it, then memorize it.
So, what happens if you are strip searched in school (you are 13, the admins are doing it) because THEY THINK you have drugs? Read more to find out...
Well, logically, the 4th amendment steps up, says fuck you to the admins, and protects you. Oh, and you get a lot of money from the lawsuit. That is the way it would be in the perfect world, but we all know that Americans don't give a rats ass about their rights, and so the cops won't help. No, in the real world, you are searched and then you go to court for over 6 years.
Yes, now a 19 year old is still struggling to get closure after she was searched by her school's admins when they thought she had drugs.
So, there are three issues here, all of which are highly important:
1) 4th Amendment Rights
2) Um, she was 13
3) What precedent does this set?
1) 4th Amendment Rights
Now, let's look at the amendment properly. People have the right to be secure in themselves, and know that the state is not going to search and seize them without probable cause and a warrant. So, a cop searches a car without consent (or seeing something obvious) he violated your rights. If a cop busts down your door and there is nobody screaming with in, they violated your rights. If you feel that the fruit is from the poisonous tree, then the cops can not use it.
2) Um, she was 13
This kinda handles itself. I mean, seriously, how is it justifiable to strip a 13 year old down, check her body, and do all sorts of crazy shit with that. I mean, when we have teachers and students having sex, how the fuck is this ever justified? Even worse, I am assuming that no parent was notified (after all, what parent would allow this?) so the girl didn't even consent to this. Obviously this is wrong, and they should toss this out.
3) What precedent does this set?
Allowing a strip search of teens really sets some bad precedent. What next, a strip search because there is a rumor (in middle school those are as common as syphilis (for the record, more common then you though))? Even worse, what about a full body cavity search? I mean, come on, let's just let the principle stick her finger up the ass of the 13 year old, I mean, she might have a balloon of crack up there. Allowing this will only serve to fuck over the kids more, and we need to stop.
In short, there should not even be an issue here. Clearly the 4th amendment is being violated, there is no reason to even ponder this issue. Come on SCOTUS, rule for the Constitution.
Read more ...
Showing posts with label teens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teens. Show all posts
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Spit, Dandruff, and Feces on your food: Part 2 of 2
What is a company to do?
This is part two of a two part series (Can I really call a 2 part series a series?) that will be dealing with contamination of your food stuffs. The first part dealt more with actual food contamination, the things behind it, and all of that sort of stuff. This part will deal with specific reactions by one company, the law, and exactly what this sort of thing entails. So, I recommend that you run to the bathroom now, put down your dinner, and/or stop reading if you have a weak stomach.
Really, what should they do?
Link to some 'fun' movies regarding contamination
On Wednesday, we went over exactly why contamination of food is a problem. We talked about the stereotypes associated with it, the problems that it causes, and, finally, who is at fault for it. While I pointed out that companies and corporations are normally blamed, I also mentioned that they do not deserve the blame that is often placed upon them. With this in mind, let's discuss exactly what a company should do about things like this.
1:Know Who You Hire
Now, before I start, don't get me wrong, I am all for second chances. If a person is in jail because of drugs (like pot, not harder stuff) or things like that then this shouldn't apply to them. For most other people, I would say that you should not hire former prisoners, teens with a bad reputation, or adults in their 30s who have no high school degree. Odds are that these people are not the best employees, either for food reasonings or for other issues. Employers need to check all background and education of their employees, as this is the best way to ensure proper handling and care of food.
2: Get good managers
Similar to this, hire managers who have either proved themselves or have worked elsewhere. I moved up the ranks to be a manager, and I proved that I was good. An employee from inside is fine provided they prove that they are worth it. You can bring in outside managers if and only if you make sure that they are good from their outside employer.
Once you bring in good managers, they will ensure that the environment in the store is exactly what you want. These managers will ensure that you get good employees (hey, look, a reference to number one) and also make sure that they work well. Punishments, lessons, and proper supervision is essential to ensure cleanliness in the stores. That said, however, unless the manager punishes violations, nothing will happen.
That brings on my third point
3: When a Violation Occurs, Kick Some ASS
The biggest problem facing companies these days are that they refuse to act like they should. Usually, if something is wrong, they apologize and say 'we will address it' and then do nothing. God, they are just like the parents that I keep bitching about. So, When a company kicks some ass I am happy. With that in mind, check out these various stories on Consumerist regarding Dominoes and booger pizza (and the companies response). FYI, they include a lawsuit and arrest warrant
Link to some 'fun' movies regarding contamination
Tracking Them Down
Dominoes Apologizes, then kicks ass
Followup
Read more ...
This is part two of a two part series (Can I really call a 2 part series a series?) that will be dealing with contamination of your food stuffs. The first part dealt more with actual food contamination, the things behind it, and all of that sort of stuff. This part will deal with specific reactions by one company, the law, and exactly what this sort of thing entails. So, I recommend that you run to the bathroom now, put down your dinner, and/or stop reading if you have a weak stomach.
Really, what should they do?
Link to some 'fun' movies regarding contamination
On Wednesday, we went over exactly why contamination of food is a problem. We talked about the stereotypes associated with it, the problems that it causes, and, finally, who is at fault for it. While I pointed out that companies and corporations are normally blamed, I also mentioned that they do not deserve the blame that is often placed upon them. With this in mind, let's discuss exactly what a company should do about things like this.
1:Know Who You Hire
Now, before I start, don't get me wrong, I am all for second chances. If a person is in jail because of drugs (like pot, not harder stuff) or things like that then this shouldn't apply to them. For most other people, I would say that you should not hire former prisoners, teens with a bad reputation, or adults in their 30s who have no high school degree. Odds are that these people are not the best employees, either for food reasonings or for other issues. Employers need to check all background and education of their employees, as this is the best way to ensure proper handling and care of food.
2: Get good managers
Similar to this, hire managers who have either proved themselves or have worked elsewhere. I moved up the ranks to be a manager, and I proved that I was good. An employee from inside is fine provided they prove that they are worth it. You can bring in outside managers if and only if you make sure that they are good from their outside employer.
Once you bring in good managers, they will ensure that the environment in the store is exactly what you want. These managers will ensure that you get good employees (hey, look, a reference to number one) and also make sure that they work well. Punishments, lessons, and proper supervision is essential to ensure cleanliness in the stores. That said, however, unless the manager punishes violations, nothing will happen.
That brings on my third point
3: When a Violation Occurs, Kick Some ASS
The biggest problem facing companies these days are that they refuse to act like they should. Usually, if something is wrong, they apologize and say 'we will address it' and then do nothing. God, they are just like the parents that I keep bitching about. So, When a company kicks some ass I am happy. With that in mind, check out these various stories on Consumerist regarding Dominoes and booger pizza (and the companies response). FYI, they include a lawsuit and arrest warrant
Link to some 'fun' movies regarding contamination
Tracking Them Down
Dominoes Apologizes, then kicks ass
Followup
Read more ...
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Spit, Dandruff, and Feces on your food: Part 1 of 2
This is part one of a two part series that will be dealing with contamination of your food stuffs. This part will deal more with actual food contamination, the things behind it, and all of that sort of stuff. The second part, which will be on Friday, will deal with specific reactions by one company, the law, and exactly what this sort of thing entails. So, I recommend that you run to the bathroom now, put down your dinner, and/or stop reading if you have a weak stomach.
...Enjoy...
When we head to an establishment to grab some food from a third party, we know that we could, potentially, get caught getting something bad. This is because there are unsavory characters in the wrold, and they are perverted enough to get sick pleasures from this sort of thing. However, this is not only in the food industry, but in every thing. We could be getting a used computer sold as new, a thumb drive with viruses on them, or even used motor oil from our mechanic. This is because there are bad people in the world, and they will do anything to fuck you over.
Even though this shows up in other areas and zones of purchasing, we normally associate this sort of devience with fast food. Shown well in various movies, as well as told stories from friends (of friends of a sister's boy friend's brother), food is the mainstay of this. I have an issue with this concept, due to the fact that it is else where, but also due to the implied reasoning of this. As usual, I have a list to help you out.
This leads to discrimination against teens
While we mostly see teens working at locations that we associate with this sort of deviency, but they are not the only ones there. Stores will follow around any group of teens (except me when I was that age, as I acknowledged that they excisted) as teens 'typically' steal items. We also tend to not trust fast food teens, as they 'probably' taint it. This is an inherent problem in society, as a few bad apples will ruin the bushel – if you accept that teens are tasty fruits and society is a wodden crate. Far too often we don't trust teens, as they are stereotypically a problem.
See above, but this time with poor people
Pretty much this is the same as the above, but we also normally associate any non-teen fast food worker with poor people. Often they have little or no formal education, are in their 30s, and are batshit ugly. That said, however, the same problems exist and need to be fixed.
This has harmed me
I know, I know, why should I be making this post about me at all. That said, hwoever, I have issues with other teens screwing myself over. I used to be a manager of a Quiznos, so I understand why people have issues with fast food. That said, however, I have had customers who assume, that because I was a teen, that I was being unsanitary. If I chuckled because of a joke we said before the customer came in, they would normally walk out. Sure, this no longer effects me, but I am pissed off at being targeted because of those bad apples.
This is not the companies fault
Companies get harmed by things all of the time. Kmart has chairs that slice fingers off. Best Buy's Geek Squad steals your porn. AEP cut a dude electricity off and he froze too death. McDonalds had a person who pissed in a drink. Of those four examples, three were the fault of the company, one was not their fault. I really think that far too often we blame companies for things that they do not do. There is much more that should go in here, and you will see that part on Friday.
So who's fault is it?
Though some people might blame bad consumers, those who tip badly, or those who are annoying as hell, we all know that there is no reason what-so-ever for this sort of treatment. Really, there are three groups to blame for this action, and all of them share it in reverse order of the following list:
1) The parents of the person responsible for this share some of the blame. Sure, they are not directly responsible (but they might be), but they have probably installed bad and crappy morals and judgement in these people. I have seen parents appologize for the behaviour of their 30 year old kids, let alone their teens. This clearly is a cause of why they think that they can get away with stuff. So, to reitereate a long standing bitchfest of mine, PARENTS, BE PARENTS
2) The management of the establishment is there to provide a safegaurd and are responsible for the store. Note, this is not the company itself, but the actual local bosses and managers. They should be checking in on their workers, ensuring proper food handling, and punishing any infractions. If there is a single infraction, a hard and quick punishment should keep away repitions.
3) The person themselves are responsible for this issue. What type of person, deviant or not, actually thinks that it is okay, acceptable, and RIGHT to put forieng objects on anothers food. Pranks are one thing, specifically if you know the person, they know it is happening, and you all laugh after; that said, however, random things, as well as unknown additions, are not acceptable at all. These people clearly have a problem personally, and they need treatment.
moving on
So, what this boils down to is the very simple fact that we need to be wary of what and where we eat. Whenever we go to a specific store, we should make sure to treat the people with respect, as they are less likely to take it out on us. Please note, I am not saying that any action, even the most annoying customer ever, should cause this sort of thing. Lastly, we need to have faith and trust in humanity, as odds are most people are being good and clean.
Read more ...
...Enjoy...
When we head to an establishment to grab some food from a third party, we know that we could, potentially, get caught getting something bad. This is because there are unsavory characters in the wrold, and they are perverted enough to get sick pleasures from this sort of thing. However, this is not only in the food industry, but in every thing. We could be getting a used computer sold as new, a thumb drive with viruses on them, or even used motor oil from our mechanic. This is because there are bad people in the world, and they will do anything to fuck you over.
Even though this shows up in other areas and zones of purchasing, we normally associate this sort of devience with fast food. Shown well in various movies, as well as told stories from friends (of friends of a sister's boy friend's brother), food is the mainstay of this. I have an issue with this concept, due to the fact that it is else where, but also due to the implied reasoning of this. As usual, I have a list to help you out.
This leads to discrimination against teens
While we mostly see teens working at locations that we associate with this sort of deviency, but they are not the only ones there. Stores will follow around any group of teens (except me when I was that age, as I acknowledged that they excisted) as teens 'typically' steal items. We also tend to not trust fast food teens, as they 'probably' taint it. This is an inherent problem in society, as a few bad apples will ruin the bushel – if you accept that teens are tasty fruits and society is a wodden crate. Far too often we don't trust teens, as they are stereotypically a problem.
See above, but this time with poor people
Pretty much this is the same as the above, but we also normally associate any non-teen fast food worker with poor people. Often they have little or no formal education, are in their 30s, and are batshit ugly. That said, however, the same problems exist and need to be fixed.
This has harmed me
I know, I know, why should I be making this post about me at all. That said, hwoever, I have issues with other teens screwing myself over. I used to be a manager of a Quiznos, so I understand why people have issues with fast food. That said, however, I have had customers who assume, that because I was a teen, that I was being unsanitary. If I chuckled because of a joke we said before the customer came in, they would normally walk out. Sure, this no longer effects me, but I am pissed off at being targeted because of those bad apples.
This is not the companies fault
Companies get harmed by things all of the time. Kmart has chairs that slice fingers off. Best Buy's Geek Squad steals your porn. AEP cut a dude electricity off and he froze too death. McDonalds had a person who pissed in a drink. Of those four examples, three were the fault of the company, one was not their fault. I really think that far too often we blame companies for things that they do not do. There is much more that should go in here, and you will see that part on Friday.
So who's fault is it?
Though some people might blame bad consumers, those who tip badly, or those who are annoying as hell, we all know that there is no reason what-so-ever for this sort of treatment. Really, there are three groups to blame for this action, and all of them share it in reverse order of the following list:
1) The parents of the person responsible for this share some of the blame. Sure, they are not directly responsible (but they might be), but they have probably installed bad and crappy morals and judgement in these people. I have seen parents appologize for the behaviour of their 30 year old kids, let alone their teens. This clearly is a cause of why they think that they can get away with stuff. So, to reitereate a long standing bitchfest of mine, PARENTS, BE PARENTS
2) The management of the establishment is there to provide a safegaurd and are responsible for the store. Note, this is not the company itself, but the actual local bosses and managers. They should be checking in on their workers, ensuring proper food handling, and punishing any infractions. If there is a single infraction, a hard and quick punishment should keep away repitions.
3) The person themselves are responsible for this issue. What type of person, deviant or not, actually thinks that it is okay, acceptable, and RIGHT to put forieng objects on anothers food. Pranks are one thing, specifically if you know the person, they know it is happening, and you all laugh after; that said, however, random things, as well as unknown additions, are not acceptable at all. These people clearly have a problem personally, and they need treatment.
moving on
So, what this boils down to is the very simple fact that we need to be wary of what and where we eat. Whenever we go to a specific store, we should make sure to treat the people with respect, as they are less likely to take it out on us. Please note, I am not saying that any action, even the most annoying customer ever, should cause this sort of thing. Lastly, we need to have faith and trust in humanity, as odds are most people are being good and clean.
Read more ...
Thursday, February 5, 2009
DVD Review: Grease - Rockin' Rydell Edition
As it was for many of you, Grease was a movie that captured and thrilled me for its two hour showing. Car racing, teenage drama, and pure unadulterated sex; what more could any teen ask for in a movie? Unlike most of you, I am currently the age you were when you first saw Grease. Thirty years after this monster of a movie hit the big screens it still packs the same punch it had when it first came out. The scenes are still memorable, the songs still upbeat and catchy, and that Rizzo character still confuses you. Grease: Rockin' Rydell Edition is the same movie you were used to, with some new interesting add-ons.
From the opening animations of the main characters to the ending carnival song and dance, this movie is a high school masterpiece. Modern versions, such as High School Musical, come nowhere close to touching the mantelpiece that Grease is on. Throughout the movie I found myself singing along, clapping at the right moments, and attempting to learn that "Hand Jive" dance. The struggle between Danny and Sandy is still enough to pull at your heartstrings. The drama between Rizzo and Kenickie still has the fire and passion of the original. Nothing has changed in the actual movie, and that is what makes the Rockin' Rydell Edition so good. This edition, however, still leaves you with the longing to discover where that secluded beach is, and how to get there.
Grease tells the ordinary '60s/'70s high school story — the jocks, the punks, the sluts, and the drama. After a brief view of summer bliss on the beach between two lovers (Danny and Sandy), the main movie starts with you meeting the T-Birds, a small group of car-heads that pretend to be tough men. They are led by the charismatic Danny (John Travolta) and his right hand man Kenickie (Jeff Conaway). The love interest(s) of the T-Birds are the Pink Ladies, a group lead by Rizzo (Stockard Channing) which Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) quickly joins. The plot unfolds as car races, sex, and an unplanned pregnancy take effect. It wraps up with a carnival song and dance.
For those of you who don't know, Grease is one of the movies that launched John Travolta to film stardom. Known mostly to TV fans as Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back, Kotter, Travolta's movie career was ignited by his roles in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease. Olivia Newton-John played the role of Danny's sexy love interest, the beautiful Sandy. The cast is rounded out by Stockard Channing (Rizzo), Jeff Conaway (Kenickie), Barry Pearl (Doody), Michael Tucci (Sonny), Kelly Ward (Putzie), Didi Conn (Frenchy), Jamie Donnelly (Jan), and Dinah Manoff (Marty).
While the movie itself might not have changed, the additional features certainly add a lot to this DVD. There are the obligatory trailers, commentaries, and deleted scenes; however, there are a fair number of nice add-ons like the sing-along and the Thunder Roadsters. There is even an adorable letter jacket cover on the DVD. With 13 add-ons, Grease: Rockin' Rydell Edition is the whole package.
DVD extras include:
* Commentary by Director Randal Kleiser and Choreographer Patricia Birch
* Rydell Sing-Along
* "The Time, The Place, The Motion: Remembering Grease"
* Deleted/Extended/Alternate scenes
* Grease Launch Party
* Grease Memories from John and Olivia
* The Moves Behind the Music
* Thunder Roadsters
* Travolta and Carr “Grease Day” Interview
* Olivia Newton-John and Robert Stigwood “Grease Day” Interview
* Theatrical Trailer
* Photo Galleries
* Previews
My favorite DVD extra happens to be the "Rydell Sing-Along." This feature has the original song clips from the movie with superimposed text of the song as subtitles. It even includes color-coded text if it is a duet song (like "Summer Loving"). This feature is a nice addition as it allows you to get all of the catchy songs right, even the ones that are sung exceptionally fast. The only thing missing is a bouncing Disney-style ball to keep you cued up.
My least favorite DVD extra was the director and choreographer commentary. It might just be me, but I have never understood why people actually pay extra money to get these items. Only Titanic (which, coincidently has a special edition mentioned in this movie) and The Matrix had commentaries worth the money. I wish that the makers of this DVD had included more extra features instead of commentary, especially because this commentary is almost identical to that on other editions of the DVD.
Over all, I would rate Grease: Rockin' Rydell Edition to be a worthy addition to any Grease collection that you have. Even if you have never seen the original movie, it is worth picking up this edition at your local store.
Grease: Rockin' Rydell Edition is available at stores across America.
Read more ...
From the opening animations of the main characters to the ending carnival song and dance, this movie is a high school masterpiece. Modern versions, such as High School Musical, come nowhere close to touching the mantelpiece that Grease is on. Throughout the movie I found myself singing along, clapping at the right moments, and attempting to learn that "Hand Jive" dance. The struggle between Danny and Sandy is still enough to pull at your heartstrings. The drama between Rizzo and Kenickie still has the fire and passion of the original. Nothing has changed in the actual movie, and that is what makes the Rockin' Rydell Edition so good. This edition, however, still leaves you with the longing to discover where that secluded beach is, and how to get there.
Grease tells the ordinary '60s/'70s high school story — the jocks, the punks, the sluts, and the drama. After a brief view of summer bliss on the beach between two lovers (Danny and Sandy), the main movie starts with you meeting the T-Birds, a small group of car-heads that pretend to be tough men. They are led by the charismatic Danny (John Travolta) and his right hand man Kenickie (Jeff Conaway). The love interest(s) of the T-Birds are the Pink Ladies, a group lead by Rizzo (Stockard Channing) which Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) quickly joins. The plot unfolds as car races, sex, and an unplanned pregnancy take effect. It wraps up with a carnival song and dance.
For those of you who don't know, Grease is one of the movies that launched John Travolta to film stardom. Known mostly to TV fans as Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back, Kotter, Travolta's movie career was ignited by his roles in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease. Olivia Newton-John played the role of Danny's sexy love interest, the beautiful Sandy. The cast is rounded out by Stockard Channing (Rizzo), Jeff Conaway (Kenickie), Barry Pearl (Doody), Michael Tucci (Sonny), Kelly Ward (Putzie), Didi Conn (Frenchy), Jamie Donnelly (Jan), and Dinah Manoff (Marty).
While the movie itself might not have changed, the additional features certainly add a lot to this DVD. There are the obligatory trailers, commentaries, and deleted scenes; however, there are a fair number of nice add-ons like the sing-along and the Thunder Roadsters. There is even an adorable letter jacket cover on the DVD. With 13 add-ons, Grease: Rockin' Rydell Edition is the whole package.
DVD extras include:
* Commentary by Director Randal Kleiser and Choreographer Patricia Birch
* Rydell Sing-Along
* "The Time, The Place, The Motion: Remembering Grease"
* Deleted/Extended/Alternate scenes
* Grease Launch Party
* Grease Memories from John and Olivia
* The Moves Behind the Music
* Thunder Roadsters
* Travolta and Carr “Grease Day” Interview
* Olivia Newton-John and Robert Stigwood “Grease Day” Interview
* Theatrical Trailer
* Photo Galleries
* Previews
My favorite DVD extra happens to be the "Rydell Sing-Along." This feature has the original song clips from the movie with superimposed text of the song as subtitles. It even includes color-coded text if it is a duet song (like "Summer Loving"). This feature is a nice addition as it allows you to get all of the catchy songs right, even the ones that are sung exceptionally fast. The only thing missing is a bouncing Disney-style ball to keep you cued up.
My least favorite DVD extra was the director and choreographer commentary. It might just be me, but I have never understood why people actually pay extra money to get these items. Only Titanic (which, coincidently has a special edition mentioned in this movie) and The Matrix had commentaries worth the money. I wish that the makers of this DVD had included more extra features instead of commentary, especially because this commentary is almost identical to that on other editions of the DVD.
Over all, I would rate Grease: Rockin' Rydell Edition to be a worthy addition to any Grease collection that you have. Even if you have never seen the original movie, it is worth picking up this edition at your local store.
Grease: Rockin' Rydell Edition is available at stores across America.
Read more ...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
talking about BREAKING THE DAMN LAW
"I love all the people on here, frolicking around, all happily talking about BREAKING THE DAMN LAW"
-Myself when first posting in a thread on Gaia about Limewire/ISP/Net Neutrality
In a thread where several people were discussing the proper ways to illegally download music/movies, there were only two people discussing the legality of it. The rest were talking about their right to steal from others. This was my opening post into that thread.
“If you could, would you steal a car? Would you steal a purse? Would you steal a boat? Most likely, unless you are a kleptomaniac, you probably said NO to all of those questions. Now, why would you steal a movie/song?”
You should know this quote. It is the line that is at the start of many of your DVDs, usually it features attractive looking ladies and men stealing expensive looking cars. While I think that the ad has good potential, it really does not touch the issue. When you steal a car, you are taking the only one of it that exists; with a song, you are taking a copy. Most people, when asked “if you can make a copy of this car, and take the copy, would you?” would answer with a resounding YES. This is what file sharing is, you are not actually taking an item, you are copying it and taking the replicate (shouldn’t Harrison Ford have retired them all by now?)
Please keep in mind, I am not touching personal use here, that is a different topic for a different day. I am merely touching the sharing and copying of files for other persons.
If you would not steal an actual version of something, what makes you think that you have a right to a copy of the same thing? If I make money per book I sell, then how would selling my book to one person, having that person copy and distribute it to ten others, help me in the long run. Sure, I get my money for selling one book, but I should be getting the money for selling eleven. This is the basic principle of file sharing, and this is why it is wrong.
Now, I really don’t like the slippery slope fallacy, and I hate all fallacies in general, I must use it for this issue. If a person is able and willing to download a file (illegally), odds are that they will do it again. Also, if one person seeds a download, odds are that thousands of people will download it. This is not just speculation, this is supported by current downloading evidence.
Currently, several record, movie, and porn companies are suing users of programs like bit torrent, kazaa, and limewire over their seeding of songs and movies and pleasures. These companies are getting millions of dollars in rewards, and they look as though they are planning on taking on more and more users. This, to me, is a good thing. Persons should be secure in their property, be it real or intellectual. A song is the property of the record company (usually) or the artist, not the property of the person who has a CD. Hopefully, as these cases increase, more and more people will stop downloading illegally.
You are wondering why it is that I am talking about this. Admit it, you know you were. I am talking about this for the same reason I keep talking about parents and their teens. who is the main downloader of illegal things? TEENS. Who will pay for the teens actions if they go to court? PARENTS. Yep, once again, I am looking at parental responsibility. You would not let your kids steal from others, beat people up, or anything like that, so why are you letting them use the internet to steal properties? Step up, police what they are doing, and teach them what not to do. Windows XP, Vista, and I believe OSX all have controls you can use to stop this sort of thing. Various flavors of Linux do as well.
As I keep saying, it is the parents responsibility here to make sure that their kids are following the law. Take their phone away. Take their computer away. Take their car away. Sure, they may hate you, but you are a parent, not a friend. Start acting like it. Read more ...
-Myself when first posting in a thread on Gaia about Limewire/ISP/Net Neutrality
In a thread where several people were discussing the proper ways to illegally download music/movies, there were only two people discussing the legality of it. The rest were talking about their right to steal from others. This was my opening post into that thread.
“If you could, would you steal a car? Would you steal a purse? Would you steal a boat? Most likely, unless you are a kleptomaniac, you probably said NO to all of those questions. Now, why would you steal a movie/song?”
You should know this quote. It is the line that is at the start of many of your DVDs, usually it features attractive looking ladies and men stealing expensive looking cars. While I think that the ad has good potential, it really does not touch the issue. When you steal a car, you are taking the only one of it that exists; with a song, you are taking a copy. Most people, when asked “if you can make a copy of this car, and take the copy, would you?” would answer with a resounding YES. This is what file sharing is, you are not actually taking an item, you are copying it and taking the replicate (shouldn’t Harrison Ford have retired them all by now?)
Please keep in mind, I am not touching personal use here, that is a different topic for a different day. I am merely touching the sharing and copying of files for other persons.
If you would not steal an actual version of something, what makes you think that you have a right to a copy of the same thing? If I make money per book I sell, then how would selling my book to one person, having that person copy and distribute it to ten others, help me in the long run. Sure, I get my money for selling one book, but I should be getting the money for selling eleven. This is the basic principle of file sharing, and this is why it is wrong.
Now, I really don’t like the slippery slope fallacy, and I hate all fallacies in general, I must use it for this issue. If a person is able and willing to download a file (illegally), odds are that they will do it again. Also, if one person seeds a download, odds are that thousands of people will download it. This is not just speculation, this is supported by current downloading evidence.
Currently, several record, movie, and porn companies are suing users of programs like bit torrent, kazaa, and limewire over their seeding of songs and movies and pleasures. These companies are getting millions of dollars in rewards, and they look as though they are planning on taking on more and more users. This, to me, is a good thing. Persons should be secure in their property, be it real or intellectual. A song is the property of the record company (usually) or the artist, not the property of the person who has a CD. Hopefully, as these cases increase, more and more people will stop downloading illegally.
You are wondering why it is that I am talking about this. Admit it, you know you were. I am talking about this for the same reason I keep talking about parents and their teens. who is the main downloader of illegal things? TEENS. Who will pay for the teens actions if they go to court? PARENTS. Yep, once again, I am looking at parental responsibility. You would not let your kids steal from others, beat people up, or anything like that, so why are you letting them use the internet to steal properties? Step up, police what they are doing, and teach them what not to do. Windows XP, Vista, and I believe OSX all have controls you can use to stop this sort of thing. Various flavors of Linux do as well.
As I keep saying, it is the parents responsibility here to make sure that their kids are following the law. Take their phone away. Take their computer away. Take their car away. Sure, they may hate you, but you are a parent, not a friend. Start acting like it. Read more ...
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