The ad is the brainchild of Corri Fetman, who told ABC News' Law & Justice Unit, "Law firm advertising is boring…Everything's always the same. It's lawyers in libraries with a suit on and the law books behind them. They don't say anything. What, I should hire you because you have a law degree? C'mon. So we wanted to try something different."

I wonder how many people will be convinced to get a divorce because of this billboard.

ABC News: Legal Advice: 'Life's Short. Get a Divorce'

I wonder if they shout out what attack they're about to do.

Danger Room - Wired Blogs

They probably should have read this. Too bad they turned off their net access.

skullaria wrote:
The Browns said on a Coast to Coast Interview last night... "Show me a law that we have to pay...and we will pay. No one has shown us a law."

I don't know if that is true or not, but why can't someone very publically show them a law?
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"CBS/AP) Federal authorities have cut phone, power and Internet service at the fortified compound of a couple convicted of tax evasion who have refused to report to prison.

It's unclear what effect that has on Ed and Elaine Brown, who have solar and wind power generators at their 110-acre spread, where they have been holed up for months. "

RE: Feds Corner Hmoe of Ed and Elaine Brown Over Tax Issue

Creating a thinking society starts with education.

The problem isn't _just_ that the news is for entertainment (in some ways that can be useful), but it's more a problem that people choose to stick to one news source for everything. And their interest is in things that don't matter not just because of the flash, but also because most people don't feel in control of the things that DO matter. People are largely under the impression that what they say doesn't matter and that any crisis will be taken care of by those that are in the position to do so. They might as well discuss the Sopranos rather than Iraq because people are interested in extending social commonalities rather than arguing. There is more to this than simply media. There is a huge portion of the populace that is unable to discuss things that matter because they can't let go of the truth they think they have. Too many people don't understand the nature and use of discourse. Too many people can't decide for themselves. This is a problem because we live in a Democracy.

The first thing you're taught in most educational systems is subjugation. For the most part, the rest of the grade school/high school systems are geared to make two things - Reliable worker bees AND - Soldiers. Those who try to think outside this box are nearly entirely ostracized by the system. Students have little to no control over the things that affect their education and must accept what they are fed no matter what that is. The only exceptions are extra-curricular activities like sports, drama, music and such. Listen to the loudspeaker broadcast, and that's what you hear about. It's more important to have school spirit than it is to pursue and control your own educational future or personal path. If you look at the market for media, it reflects exactly this. Our culture is the shit that it is fed, not about making better menus.

Memorize, regurgitate, and copy. At the most critical point in brain development, this is what we instill. Kids should talk back if we expect a culture that is capable of critical thought. There can be only one truth to anything and the answer is on a test somewhere. You only need one book/opinion for any given subject. Teachers can do no wrong and MUST be respected. You will be shown what is good and you will like it, or be punished. Stay in line. You eat when you're told to eat, not when you're hungry. In middle school we'll give you a choice between A and B, so long as you agree not to imagine C. We'll trust you to go where you're told too, since those lines trained you so well. In High School, you can pick your classes, so long as you fill our requirements as we know what you need. Play sports...support sports... go to the pep rally, OR ELSE. You're school is the best school, if you ever had any doubt you had better not say so out loud. Carry out your assignments exactly as ordered. Pay attention to how things work and find your place in ... [ Read More (0.2k in body) ]

RE: Full text of Blair's speech on politics and media | Uk News | News | Telegraph

Decius wrote:

Talk to any public service leader and they will tell you not that they become totally demoralised by the completely unbalanced nature of it.

It is becoming worse? Again, I would say, yes. In my 10 years, I've noticed all these elements evolve with ever greater momentum.

It used to be thought - and I include myself in this - that help was on the horizon. New forms of communication would provide new outlets to by-pass the increasingly shrill tenor of the traditional media. In fact, the new forms can be even more pernicious, less balanced, more intent on the latest conspiracy theory multiplied by five.

I agree with nearly everything Blair says here. And ironically, I think these comments are getting incorrectly respun by the media and bloggers.

I agree with his description of the problem, but not his solution. I think reputation of the news agency might be preferable to any sort of official regulation which would be more dangerous than doing nothing at all.

RE: Full text of Blair's speech on politics and media | Uk News | News | Telegraph

Here's an eight-minute video that shows you a grandiose idea somebody dreamed up: building a 3000-foot-tall pyramid in Tokyo Bay. This megacity would be so tall, and would have such tremendous volume that 24 80-story skyscrapers could be suspended within, and people would travel inside it via the tubes that are also supporting the enormous structure. It's extreme engineering, indeed.

So, the Japanese have decided the next 9-11 will be third impact...

Gizmodo UK : Gigantic 3000-foot Pyramid Proposed for Tokyo Bay

British newspapers will and should be subject to some form of new external regulation, the outgoing prime minister, Tony Blair, said yesterday in a broadside that attacked the media for behaving like feral beasts and eschewing balance or proportion.

No good surveillance society should be without its ministry of truth.

Blair: media is feral beast obsessed with impact | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics

Ironically if she succeeds in banning the books for their "religious influence" she sets a precedent which might make it easier to strip away the Christian influence in our schools as well. Harry Potter is less Wiccan than intelligent design is Christian. Praying isn't so different than uttering spells. Children should be able to pick a religion, but they should be prevented from exposure to them at all costs.

RE: Laura Mallory Speaks Out about Harry Potter

When Mrs. Tawny Huxton opened her son Timmy's bedroom door, she was shocked to see his innocent white hiney nestled into the new 7ft Jar Jar Binks doll she had bought him for his birthday. Lately, many Americans have suffered similar incidents. Young children are being seduced by the character of George Lucas' latest Star Wars Movie. Jar Jar's soothing voice, and timid childlike manners, seem to lure young teens into a world of lustful abandon. Unsuspecting parents purchase the popular life-size doll, only to find out later that it is being used by the child as a masturbation toy.

Under the guise of family entertainment, Lucas' "Star Wars" prequel has contaminated America's youth with subliminal sexual innuendo. Pastor Ebeneezer Smith of the Landover Baptist Church commented, "The demonic characteristics of the Jar Jar binks creature become obvious when one pays close attention. His forked tongue, his lapping, his malignant features, are all too noticeable to the Christ centered man." Experts who have examined the life-sized doll that has become the favorite 'toy' of 12-14 year old children, say that the evidence is overwhelming. The doll was created for the sole purpose of masturbation. It has four openings, and three extrusions, making it compatible for male or female pleasure.

Members of The Landover Baptist Church are outraged at the Satanic subtlety in which marketing geniuses have moved this horrific abomination into the homes of America's youth. "One Mother was concerned that her young daughter was not interested in boys," a Pastor noted, "she asked her little girl, 'why don't you talk about the cute boys at school?' Her daughter replied, 'oh momma, nobody I know is cuter than Jar Jar Binks.' The mother was horrified."

Landover Baptist Church finds that the only way to resolve this problem is to ban not only life sized Jar Jar Binks dolls from American homes, but to ban any life sized doll. "Any child that has seen this movie is finding that their natural attraction to members of the opposite sex is being replaced with an attraction to a 7ft devil with elephant feet, a 25 inch tongue, polka dot skin, a fish snout, and two phallic eyes that jut out like hard erotic pokers. For the Love of God! If you've got this devil in your house, remove it as soon as possible!

Damn those "marketing geniuses!! Heed thier warnings...This is no prank....It is, "A True Christian Perspective on Local, National, and World News."

Public Service Announcement - Innocent Kids Use Jar Jar Dolls As Masturbation Toys!

WASHINGTON -- In a victory for TV networks but a setback for efforts to shield children from coarse language, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday that broadcasters cannot be penalized for expletives that are considered impromptu.

The three-judge panel in New York repudiated the Federal Communications Commission's recent crackdown on broadcast indecency, calling its efforts "arbitrary and capricious."

Fuckin' A! Good news.

Judges toss FCC rule on cursing | Chicago Tribune