Links - 28th January 2016

Dallas Buyers Club: iiNet case thrown out in landmark ruling on piracy in Australia - "AUSTRALIANS who download movies or TV shows without paying have had a major win. The Federal Court today threw out an attempt by the makers of Oscar-winning movie Dallas Buyers Club to not only seek the private details of almost 5000 Aussies it believes illegally shared copies of the film online, but to slap them with extra fines. It appears that Dallas Buyers Club had overreached with their claims in court, with the Justice Nye Perram calling its contentions “wholly unrealistic”.

A hairdresser explains why Donald Trump’s hair looks like that

'Racist' 'Chop Chop Chinaman' Restaurant Closes After Vandalism, Backlash - "After facing vandalism and backlash via social media on account of its “racist” name, the Chinese-owned "Chop Chop Chinaman" restaurant has closed its doors. In March, owner Larry Lee’s restaurant made headlines after anti-racism activist Jeannie Harrell used lipstick to scribble on the store's front window a message denouncing the establishment's name. She then bragged about the illegal act on Twitter. According to Harrell, the Chicago restaurant's name was a “hate crime” as the word "Chinaman" is a racist slur. Outraged by the sight of the name, the anti-racism activist, who is not Chinese, took a stand against Chinese discrimination by vandalizing a Chinese restaurant owned by a Chinese man... Individuals took to Yelp to leave negative reviews of the restaurant. As a result, the restaurant now only shows a rating of one to one-and-a-half stars. While many of the reviews mention poor food quality or bad service, other reviews reflect on the “racist” nature of the restaurant's name. People also posted negative reviews onto Chop Chop Chinaman's Facebook page. One such review encouraged others to report the restaurant’s page to Facebook for it to be removed."
How come black people get to call each other nigger?
Comment: "Is there anything worse than a self-described 'activist?' Activism is a code word for generally useless people trying to make themselves feel important."

Mum duped into sex by lesbian posing as a man blasts judge for jail let-off - "Carol Sanders, 28, said she had been left a “victim of a sex attack and political correctness” by Judge Michael Heath’s decision. Her attacker Fiona Manson got a two-year suspended sentence after the judge said: “It must have been enormously difficult for the defendant growing up.” Manson, 25, is now transsexual Kyran Lee... “We were both raped to all intents and purposes. We thought we were having consensual sex with one person but they were someone else... Lee, of Gainsborough, walked free from Lincoln crown court after admitting assault by penetration. He was cleared of a further count of tricking a second woman into bed in 2008. Judge Heath said Lee’s behaviour “was not a ruse to practise lesbian behaviour.” But Carol said: “The judge said this wasn’t about sex but I don’t believe that. He knew what he was doing. He/she enjoyed it. “He’s hiding behind ‘gender issues’. It disgusts me. I’m an open-minded person but this just makes a mockery of the system for people with genuine gender problems. He knew exactly what he was doing. That’s why he still creepily grins at me if I ever bump into him.” She also slammed plans for Lee to be granted a sex change on the NHS after the court heard he is having gender reassignment procedures. She said: “It’s madness that the system in our country rewards criminals. “I know everyone is entitled to health but a free sex change when you’re a convicted sex offender? As a victim that feels very perverse and wrong.” Sentencing guidelines from the Crown Prosecution Service state sex by penetration offenders can face up to life in prison. However, up to eight years was the most likely range in Lee’s case... KYRAN Lee is the latest in a series of women posing as men to bed female victims. Gayle Newland, 25, of Cheshire, last month got eight years for having sex with a woman using a fake penis. Campaigners say she needed psychiatric help, not jail. In 2013, Justine McNally, then 18, from London, got three years after using a sex toy to pretend to be male. She was later freed by the Court of Appeal"
Trans privilege!

Fake penis woman Gayle Newland to appeal conviction over sex attacks on victim wearing blindfold - "An LGBT campaigner and professor claimed the so-called 'gender fraud' case was not legally safe and would send "shockwaves" through the transgender community... Newland sobbed hysterically and shouted "I'm scared!" as she was taken down to the cells last week... "While Gayle Newland does not appear to be a transgender person, this most recent of 'gender fraud' cases will send shockwaves through the transgender community.""

Women who pay for sex - "It's not just men who pay prostitutes to sleep with them. For some women, paying for sex is more convenient than cruising bars and clubs trying to find men. "They don't want to be found out. They want to do something private - it's their own world, a part of their life that they want to be secret"... some women don't think paying for sex is cheating, in the same way that having an affair would be... Catarina's escort, Andrew Rosetta, has written a book about his 10-year career called Whatever She Wants and he says women come to him for the chance to be selfish... "She would at one point bring out a green rock on a chain which was kryptonite - that makes Superman begin to lose his power. And of course when Superman loses his power, he's available to be taken advantage of.""

The escorts who want to rebrand male prostitution as a business - ""When I won Male Sex Worker of the Year, I texted my dad," says Brandon. "He said: 'I'm proud of you son.'""

Why men use prostitutes - "The men didn't fall into obvious stereotypes. They were aged between 18 and 70 years old; they were white, black, Asian, eastern European; most were employed and many were ­educated beyond school level. In the main they were presentable, polite, with average-to-good social skills. Many were husbands and boyfriends; just over half were either married or in a relationship with a woman."

Asian cities make up 5 of top 10 costliest expat destinations, Singapore at No. 4 - "Hong Kong climbed one place from last year to become the world's second-most expensive place for expats. Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul also made the shortlist."

KADOYA - "Sesame oil has been used for frying tempura, especially those of seafood from the Tokyo Bay. At home, adding a little bit of sesame oil into salad or tempura oil will not only bring a nice flavor to tempura but also prevent your oil from deteriorating. Please try sesame oil and enjoy gourmet tempura to the fullest."
No wonder restaurant tempura is so expensive

'Star Wars' soundtrack helps doctors detect bowel cancer

Japanese expats take their brooms to Paris streets - "Japanese expatriates took to the streets of Paris on Sunday armed with brooms to clean up the city for the tens of thousands of Japanese tourists who visit each year. To the amusement or indifference of passers-by, the team of Japanese expats called the Greenbirds chose to give a stretch of the Champs Elysees avenue their monthly cleaning treatment."

NeuroLogica Blog » Contaminants Found in 92% of TCM Herbal Products - "This new study from Australia is not an isolated study, but one of a chain of published research that shows serious problems in the international supplement industry. Contamination, adulteration, product substitution, and inaccurate labeling are rife within the industry. In addition, there is precious little evidence that any of these products, even as advertised, are of any health benefit. So essentially we have billions of dollars wasted for risk without any real benefit. They have survived largely by flying below the regulatory radar. They do this because their collective marketing campaign has convinced the public and regulators that supplements are safe because they are “natural” or because they have been in long traditional use. Neither of these assumptions are warranted."

China chain imposes 'filial piety tax' on employees - "The company automatically deducts 10% of single employees' salaries and 5% of married employees' salaries every month and wires the money directly to their parents. But it also gives compensation to employees, ranging from 100 yuan for those in their first year with the company to 300 yuan for those who have worked three years or more. The company also holds regular classes for employees where they are taught, among other things, about filial piety."

Renoir Protesters at Metropolitan Museum - "Passions ran hot on a chilly day as haters and supporters of French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir faced off outside New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art on Saturday. Carrying signs and delivering spirited chants for and against, the demonstrators tried to shout each other down. The haters were outraged that 14 Renoirs hang at the museum. They denounced what they term his "feathery bullshit" and saccharine subject matter. “Treacly faces are disgraces!" they chanted. “Hang this trash in darkened basements!"... A trio of German tourists had a theory. “I think the museum must be paying them," said David Zovko. He'd never seen a Renoir, he said, and just happened to be passing by, but now he was climbing the stairs, curious to see what the fuss was about."

ACLU Board Member Resigns After Urging People To Kill Supporters Of Trump - "“The thing is, we have to really reach out to those who might consider voting for Trump and say, ‘This is Goebbels. This is the final solution. If you are voting for him I will have to shoot you before Election Day.’ They’re not going to listen to reason, so when justice is gone, there’s always force…”... It’s the second threat against Republicans in Colorado in one week. Fern Delise, 54, of Fountain was arrested after police say she called Planned Parenthood saying, “It’s tempting to walk into a republican party meeting with my dead husband’s gun and just start shooting people.”"
What's sauce for the "bigot" is also sauce for the "ally"

Someone briefly bought the Google.com domain for $12 - "Based on the slew of screenshots Ved has published to his LinkedIn blog post, and the descriptions he gives of his experience, it does indeed sound like he had managed to procure Google.com. However, his purchase was short-lived — he received an order cancellation and refund shortly after from Google, an easy process for the company given that it personally owns the registration service."

There Is Now A Dating Site For Disney Fans Seeking Their Prince - "Here’s how it works: Users check boxes ticking off their favorite Disney songs, Disney shopping habits (?) and Disney “Nerd Level” to hopefully find their happily ever after."

Dynamic balancing act needed on human rights - "It is to be appreciated that when it comes to human rights, we need to take a careful and responsibly balanced approach, so as not to disrupt the peace and stability that we all value ("Make haste carefully on human rights"; yesterday). It is to be recognised that we have made advances in the right direction, although we differ on the speed of the evolution. This pragmatic and non-partisan approach is necessary."
Why is "human rights" a dirty term in Singapore?

Why Star Wars: The Force Awakens Is A Social Justice Propaganda Film - "JJ Abrams revealing how he chose actors for the color of their skin, not for who he thought were the best actors or actresses. These preferences flowed into gender as well... The female Rey, who it is heavily implied is Luke’s daughter, is the most underdeveloped character yet in over 14 hours of Star Wars films. Her story arc is practically-speaking non-existent... other major Force-wielders in the series their abilities have previously developed or are developed over years, Rey seemingly does it in less than 12 seconds, rather than parsecs. Her whole trajectory in the film reeks of “god mode”... In the case of Anakin Skywalker in the prequels, by contrast, we learn that he is the only human pilot to engage in pod racing. His mechanical know-how has been honed over some years, culminating in his construction of both his own pad racer and the droid C-3PO. And when he destroys the droid control ship above Naboo, it is largely as a result of his good fortune, not just long-acquired skill. A decade later and with continuous training, he additionally fails to best Count Dooku on Geonosis... that’s a plot fueled by meth. To boot, Rey’s piloting and mechanical skills, to the point of knowing everything, is mind-boggingly “get more women in STEM” in its motivations. When she starts teaching Han Solo about the Falcon, things become breathtakingly contrived. It’s as if Abrams was paid by a female science scholarship foundation to drum up some public service announcements via film... Scientific ambiguities and inaccuracies can be tolerated if the story functions. But it’s entirely lacking here. For a start, the film borrows from or plain copies so many elements of A New Hope that I lost count... Finn is likeable but nevertheless a glorified white knight. Trained from just after birth to be a fighting machine, he does nothing relative to Rey and devotes the whole film to trying to protect her. You can sniff out Abrams’ leanings from the start. As First Order troopships prepare to land to take out a village on Jakku, the first villager who pulls out a a blaster in defense is a woman. And it is some sort of big, mounted-looking one! This girl power is really paralleled in our world, where millions of young Western girls are so keen to protect their village or country that they won’t even join up, as their male contemporaries are forced to, in places like Finland and South Korea during peacetime. Or make the slightest squeak about the double standard. Well done, JJ."
This is better as a critique of the film and only indirectly a SJW critique