Links - 13th May 2010

"Admiration, n.: Our polite recognition of another's resemblance to ourselves." - Ambrose Bierce

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This Is Twitter, There Are Rules: How AFP Stole a Photographer's Work, Then Sued Him

Zettai Ryouiki: Achieving the Perfect Zone - "The rough translation of Zettai ryouiki is known as “absolute territory”. It’s defined by the area of bare skin seen between a skirt and thighhighs... Zettai Ryouiki, has 5 levels ranging from Grade A to E"

Sicko Marriage Contract One For The Ages - "He actually drew up a bizarre four-page marriage document--a "Contract of Wifely Expectations"--that sought to establish guidelines for his spouse in terms of hygiene, clothing, and sexual activities. In return for fulfilling certain requirements, Frey (pictured right) offered "Good Behavior Days," or GBDs"

Liberal activist ,blames the 'white man' for being raped by a Black man.

3 charged in New Zealand vampire blood-drinking attack - "They were all charged with wounding with the intent to render a man unconscious... he said drinking blood "wasn't my agenda," telling the paper, "Do I look like a vampire? I'm out during the daytime." The Dominion Post also reported that Orr refers to himself as "the.vampire.marius" from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles on his Facebook page. Orr, who looked pale, also responded: "Do I look like a vampire?" when confronted by a reporter after Thursday's hearing, before refusing to comment further."
I like "wounding with the intent to render a man unconscious."

Pakistani couple dodges jail time in Dubai for having sex in car - "The 28-year-old man and his 24-year-old wife successfully argued in the appeals court that their car should be treated like a private house. Their lawyers argued that because of the car's tinted windows, a policeman who had raised the charge could not have seen what the couple was doing inside."
I prefer the "Indian couple... sentenced to three months in jail for exchanging steamy text messages"

40 Thai foods we can’t live without
14 of these have pork, 2 have pork as an optional ingredient and 3 are drinks or desserts. Halal Thai food seems to be severely lacking.

Isn't GRC system affirmative action? - "If affirmative action is frowned on by minorities themselves, why does the Government insist on keeping the group representation constituency (GRC) system in the political landscape?... Does it make sense that the minorities in Singapore need affirmative action only to protect their political rights and everything else can be based on meritocracy? The minorities have spoken. They have the ability to achieve progress under the national system of meritocracy. The Government should recognise that and abolish the GRC system. We are no longer living in the past The GRC system, as an affirmative action policy, can take our nation only one step forward in theory and three steps backward in nation-building."
It's only affirmative action if we're told it's affirmative action.

Cops: Airport screeners' quarrel about private parts leads to beating - "Screener Rolando Negrin's private body parts were observed by his Transportation Security Administration colleagues conducting training on the airport's full-body imaging machines"

MSNBC: ObamaCare Protesters ‘Racist,’ Including Black Gun-Owner | NewsBusters.org - "MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer fretted over health care reform protesters legally carrying guns: "A man at a pro-health care reform rally...wore a semiautomatic assault rifle on his shoulder and a pistol on his hip....there are questions about whether this has racial overtones....white people showing up with guns." Brewer failed to mention the man she described was black... Not only did Brewer, Ratigan, and Toure fail to point out the fact that the gun-toting protester that sparked the discussion was black, but the video footage shown of that protester was so edited, that it was impossible to see that he was black"

Tyrannybook - "Amnesty International – Portugal and Leo Burnett Iberia launched Tyrannybook, a social network dedicated to the surveillance of some of the world leaders who violate Human Rights the most."

Why Would Anyone Want to Blow Up Times Square? - "When news comes of Muslims engaging in violence, the triad of politicians, law enforcement, and media invariably presumes that the perpetrator suffers from some mental or emotional incapacity... You can't win a war if you don't have the courage to name the enemy... I expect that naming the enemy will occur only after a cataclysm ends our patience with minced words"

Malaysian couple sue 'trigger-happy' police - "The couple drove off but the two policemen in the car allegedly started "shooting wildly, without warning" after a 3-mile (5-kilometer) chase in a suburb in central Selangor state, he said. At least three bullets went through the car, one of which pierced the passenger seat and hit Siti Nasrinda's waist, he said. Another bullet apparently grazed her headscarf but missed her head by inches, he said... Activists say more than 180 people, half of them Indonesians, have been shot since 2007 without any police officers known to have faced action"
Malaysia Boleh!

Christian preacher arrested for saying homosexuality is a sin - "Dale McAlpine was charged with causing “harassment, alarm or distress” after a homosexual police community support officer (PCSO) overheard him reciting a number of “sins” referred to in the Bible, including blasphemy, drunkenness and same sex relationships... Police officers are alleging that he made the remark in a voice loud enough to be overheard by others and have charged him with using abusive or insulting language, contrary to the Public Order Act... “My freedom was taken away on the hearsay of someone who disliked what I said, and I was charged under a law that doesn't apply.” Christian campaigners have expressed alarm that the Public Order Act, introduced in 1986 to tackle violent rioters and football hooligans, is being used to curb religious free speech. Sam Webster, a solicitor-advocate for the Christian Institute, which is supporting Mr McAlpine, said it is not a crime to express the belief that homosexual conduct is a sin... The Public Order Act, which outlaws the unreasonable use of abusive language likely to cause distress, has been used to arrest religious people in a number of similar cases"

Shanghai Is Trying to Untangle the Mangled English of Chinglish - "Although some Chinglish phrases sound awkward to Western ears, they can be refreshingly lyrical... “They provide a window into how we Chinese think about language.” He offered the following example: While park signs in the West exhort people to “Keep Off the Grass,” Chinese versions tend to anthropomorphize nature as a way to gently engage the stomping masses. Hence, such admonishments as “The Little Grass Is Sleeping. Please Don’t Disturb It” or “Don’t Hurt Me. I Am Afraid of Pain.” Mr. Yao read off the Chinese equivalents as if savoring a Shakespearean sonnet. “How lovely,” he said with a sigh. He pointed out that this linguistic mentality helped create such expressions as “long time no see,” a word-for-word translation of a Chinese expression that became a mainstay of spoken English."