Links - 6th July 2019 (2)

Federal Offenses: As U.S. Federal Criminal Laws Proliferate, More Are Ensnared - WSJ - "As federal criminal statutes have ballooned, it has become increasingly easy for Americans to end up on the wrong side of the law. Many of the new federal laws also set a lower bar for conviction than in the past: Prosecutors don't necessarily need to show that the defendant had criminal intent... A lobster importer is convicted in the U.S. for violating a Honduran law that the Honduran government disavowed. A Pennsylvanian who injured her husband's lover doesn't face state criminal charges—instead, she faces federal charges tied to an international arms-control treaty. The U.S. Constitution mentions three federal crimes by citizens: treason, piracy and counterfeiting. By the turn of the 20th century, the number of criminal statutes numbered in the dozens. Today, there are an estimated 4,500 crimes in federal statutes, according to a 2008 study by retired Louisiana State University law professor John Baker... It's partly due to lawmakers responding to hot-button issues—environmental messes, financial machinations, child kidnappings, consumer protection—with calls for federal criminal penalties. Federal regulations can also carry the force of federal criminal law, adding to the legal complexity.With the growing number of federal crimes, the number of people sentenced to federal prison has risen nearly threefold over the past 30 years to 83,000 annually. The U.S. population grew only about 36% in that period. The total federal prison population, over 200,000, grew more than eightfold—twice the growth rate of the state prison population, now at 2 million, according the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics... retired race-car champion Bobby Unser told a congressional hearing about his 1996 misdemeanor conviction for accidentally driving a snowmobile onto protected federal land, violating the Wilderness Act, while lost in a snowstorm. Though the judge gave him only a $75 fine, the 77-year-old racing legend got a criminal record... Some of these new federal statutes don't require prosecutors to prove criminal intent, eroding a bedrock principle in English and American law. The absence of this provision, known as mens rea, makes prosecution easier, critics argue.A study last year by the Heritage Foundation and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers analyzed scores of proposed and enacted new laws for nonviolent crimes in the 109th Congress of 2005 and 2006. It found of the 36 new crimes created, a quarter had no mens rea requirement and nearly 40% more had only a "weak" one... One area of expansion has been environmental crimes. Since its inception in 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency has grown to enforce some 25,000 pages of federal regulations, equivalent to about 15% of the entire body of federal rules."

CONFIRMED: Obama Admin Sabotaged Trump’s Transition To The White House - "According to The Times, Obama White House officials waged a campaign to procure, save and disperse classified intelligence regarding Trump associates’ contacts with Russians.The campaign also involved curtailing the Trump team’s access to highly classified information and of lowering classification ratings on other information about the ongoing Russia investigation so that it could be more widely shared across the government.According to The Times’ sources, the Obama officials waged the campaign out of fear that the Trump administration would cover up or destroy some of the information... The scheme would seem to lend support to Trump’s claims that the Obama White House sought to undermine his presidency by leaking classified information."

Cosplayer Transforms Into Mai Shiranui, Thanks To Plenty Of Padding - "Australian cosplayer A.K. Wirru pulled off a terrific cosplay of iconic fighting game character Mai Shiranui. Here’s how he did it."

Modern feminism needs to 'stop blaming men,' says Camille Paglia - "In Paglia's recent collection of writings from 1990 to today, Free Women, Free Men: Sex, Gender, Feminism, she argues "Women will never know who they are until they let men be men."... "I think people are looking for a religion," the atheist declares, pointing to a feminist ideology that is universal."That's what makes it very difficult to argue with anyone because they're so locked into the commandments that they've absorbed."...
"Hillary Clinton has ridden her husband's coattails her entire life … She's never accomplished a thing … She was a terrible secretary of state who destabilized North Africa and caused that refugee influx into Italy."
"I think that the way women dress is also ultimately undermining the seriousness with which men take them ... I love sexy clothing, but I'm saying women really need to look at themselves and realize, when you are dressing with short skirts, bare legs and stiletto heels in a professional workplace, you are saying that your sexuality is part of your power … I'm not saying stop wearing that sexualizing clothing. I'm saying, you cannot just offer yourself as an ornament."
"We're not talking about sexual assault [on campus]. We're talking about, often in the case of undergraduates, we're talking about both individuals are drunk. The men are looking for sexual experience. The women aren't sure what they want ... What I've said from the start, and I maintain I'm correct: a girl who goes to a fraternity party and is asked by a young man, would you like to go up to my room — I still maintain to this day that a woman who says yes is signaling she is ready for sex."

Why are Malaysian princes in love with foreign brides? - "more than a decade ago, 41—year—old Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra, the Kelantan princes’ younger brother who was stripped of his title in 2010, attracted headlines over his marriage with Indonesian—American model Manohara Odelia Pinot, who was just 16 years old at the time of their marriage in 2009. The couple divorced shortly after the teenage bride accused Muhammad Fakhry of kidnapping her. Pinot, now 27 years old, ran as a legislative candidate in the Indonesian elections on Wednesday... Westerners would have an easier time converting to Islam, said Aaron W. Hughes, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of Rochester. “In terms of Islam, it would be much easier for someone from the West since they would be familiar with the basic Iudeo—Christian themes that Islam continues: God, creation, prophecy, the Day of Judgement, and so on,” he said. “A Buddhist or a Hindu, for example, would have a much more difficult time grasping such issues.”"

Research highlights class divide between ‘poor’ Apple iPhone and ‘rich’ Huawei users in China - "Apple iPhone users in China are generally less educated, hard—up and with few valuable assets, compared to users of other mobile phone brands such as Huawei Technologies or Xiaomi, according to a report by research agency MobData. The Shanghai—based firm also found that most iPhone users are unmarried females aged between 18 and 34, who graduated with just a high-school certificate and earn a monthly income of below 3,000 yuan (HKS3,800). They are perceived to be part of a group known as the “invisible poor” — those who do not look as poor as their financial circumstances. On the contrary, Huawei phone users are generally married males aged between 25 and 34, hold a diploma or bachelor’s degree and whose monthly incomes register between 5,000 yuan and 20,000 yuan. The research also found that a large proportion of Huawei users own f‌lats and cars while Apple users do not. MobData did not disclose the number of respondents who participated in the research."

Outcry as Chinese erotic writer jailed for more than 10 years over gay sex scenes in novel - "An erotic writer in China has been sentenced to over a decade in prison for writing and selling a gay porn novel, sparking shock and outrage over the severity of her sentence. The writer, surnamed Liu but better known by her internet alias Tianyi, was handed a 10—and- a—half year jail term for “producing and selling pornographic materials” last month, according to a television report on Friday. The book that landed her into trouble was a 2017 novel named Occupy, which sold 7 ,000 copies through the internet... The heavy sentence imposed in this case ignited an uproar. Outraged social media users were quick to point out that many serious crimes, including rape, violence and manslaughter, carried a lower sentence."

Geylang, oh Geylang! How mainland Chinese fell in and out of love with Singapore’s red-light district - "Singapore’s tightening foreign labour policies, heightened security after an unprecedented riot in 2013, and the sex trade going online have all chipped away at the country’s “Little Chinatown”... Desperate for cheap accommodation in expensive Singapore and with worker dormitories few and far between, they found the perfect home in Geylang. In particular, these workers unearthed cheap housing in two Geylang condominiums — Wing Fong Court and Sunny Spring. “No Singaporean in their right mind wanted to stay there. Those two condos were surrounded by brothels and streetwaltkers,” says a long-time Geylang resident, a taxi driver in his 603, who asked not to be named. “If you had a wife or daughter, you can be assured that they would receive heckles and cat calls every time they went out. The f‌lats were struggling for tenants. So when [mainland Chinese] workers came knocking, the condominium owners welcomed them with open arms.”... For as low as S$150 (US$111) a month, these workers received bed space in Geylang rooms that they shared with others — about half what they would pay in Chinatown... While Geylang had been reliant on foreign sex workers — largely from other Southeast Asian countries — the 20003 saw an unprecedented rise in those from mainland China. They avoided the licensed brothels approved by the government, which carried strict periodic medical checks. “In its heyday, you would see up to a hundred [Chinese] women standing along the footpaths at Lorong 14,18 and 20,” said the long—time resident, referring to the three roads in Geylang most notorious for the sex trade. In Chinese—majority Singapore, the demand was strong for mainland Chinese sex workers... The presence of all things Chinese began to wane after 2013, because of an event in nearby Little India. That year, a riot took place after intoxicated migrant workers reacted violently when an Indian worker was killed in a traffic accident... Residents in Geylang told This Week in Asia that shops selling Chinese food and wares have been gradually closing down in the last two years. It did not help that tech—savvy Chinese sex workers have increasingly been going online. According to Ho from Project X, online sex workers in Singapore, most whom are Chinese nationals, are reaching out to customers directly through websites and apps — using social media and smartphones as middlemen... “Geylang is increasingly quiet and businesses are suffering,” said the long—time resident. “No alcohol and no girls. There’s no reason to come to Geylang any more. “The Chinese are slowly leaving. In a few years, Geylang won’t be ‘Little Chinatown’ any more.”"

The changing nature of Singapore’s swingers scene - "“Couples who are looking to swing generally organise their meet—ups in four or five—star hotels, or host them in one another’s homes,” Seah explains. “Hosting at home isn’t as common, as not many people are comfortable with inviting new acquaintances to their homes. However, lately, with the introduction of Airbnb, it has become easier to organise swings in multiroom apartments, which can accommodate more couples. This is the latest trend that we have been seeing. “Sadly, in Singapore and around Asia, our authorities do not allow the exploration of lifestyles like ours and we are unable to have off‌line clubs, unlike our Western counterparts in the swinging community.” Seah says the demographic of the community is largely working adults, ranging from about 26 to 45 years old. “Most are in fast-paced industries, who deal with large amounts of stress or are simply getting tired of routine bedroom activities. They are the ones who are looking for that spark to reignite a relationship, or to start a journey of exploration,” he says. Another way swingers in Singapore harness the connectivity of technology is through Feeld — previously called 3nder — which is essentially Tinder for threesomes. Operating on a similar matching system as Tinder, the London—based app has only about 100 active users in Singapore, most of whom hide their identities. The user base includes many couples who share their photos and freely post about their sexual interests... “I know a well-to-do, middle—aged Singaporean man whose prenuptial terms for his wife were that he would still be allowed to have fun on the side, so long as he provided well for her. I also know another tycoon who has two wives who are aware of each other, and has in fact drawn up a will that includes both his families,” she says. According to Singaporean lawyer Geraldine Ong, the law is silent on swinging, although it is provided that marriage is a monogamous contract between two individuals and such is its sanctity."