MetaFilter posts tagged with laws

Crash-for-Clunkers

spiderskull — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:23:22 -0800

The US House of Representatives today passed a Cash-for-Clunkers bill, giving people up to $4,500 to trade in their old cars for newer, more efficient cars. Inspired by European and Chinese successes, the bill is naturally not without its detractors.

The laws of your world don't apply, mortals!

msaleem — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:31:40 -0800

The 46 Anime Laws of Physics.

Made to be Broken: laws you can ignore

ND¢ — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:19:22 -0800

American Lawbreaking. "This series explores the black spots in American law: areas in which our laws are routinely and regularly broken and where the law enforcement response is … nothing. These are the areas where, for one reason or another, we've decided to tolerate lawbreaking and let a law—duly enacted and still on the books—lay fallow or near dead." The first two entries are prescription drug abuse and internet pornography.

Welcome to New Jersey: Do not drink and sleep

CameraObscura — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:31:09 -0800

DUI for NOT Driving while Drunk A New Jersey appellate court yesterday upheld the principle that convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) can be imposed on individuals who were not driving. This is not one of those kooky old laws on the books.

Nomic is a game where modifying the game is the game.

cortex — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:57:43 -0800

Nomic, as introduced by inventor Peter Suber (homepage): a game of self-modification—every move is an attempt to alter the rules governing how the game is played. Further from wikipedia. [A great deal more within.]

Malaysia, Politics, and Bloggers

divabat — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 15:31:19 -0800

An Indonesian TV crew was invited to Malaysia for their Visit Malaysia Year 2007 campaign but encountered many problems. They write up about it - and start a flurry of comments and controversy across the Malaysian government about blogging. [more inside]

Read the Bills

Who_Am_I — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 05:56:03 -0800

The folks at DownsizeDC have this crazy idea that the members of Congress should have to read the bills that they vote on. Here is their plan to make it happen.

Gun control ten years on.

bystander — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 16:31:00 -0800

Australian gun laws claimed to reduce mass shootings. In October, a study prepared by Australian pro-gun lobbyists and published in the British Journal of Criminology argued that tougher gun laws in Australia did little to lower murder or suicide rates. A newly released report agrees that historically declining murder rates were mainly responsible for the decline in average gun homicides from 93 to 56 per annum. In the USA there were approximately 10000 gun homicides in 2004. The report emphasises there have been no mass shootings since the laws were enacted.

civil unions? marriage?

amberglow — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:26:33 -0800

NJ says yes to same-sex marriage! (altho it might not be called that in the end) -- link to pdf of ruling here.

Presidential Signing Statements

baylink — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 15:05:09 -0800

"What does a bill mean when I sign it into law? Why, whatever I choose for it to mean, no more, no less." This isn't the way I learned this stuff on Schoolhouse Rock; I'm unsurprised Congress isn't pleased by 'signing statements', either. Even the Supreme Court isn't all that happy. No wonder he's only vetoed one bill in 6 years.

I bet you look real purty in a burka, baby...

dejah420 — Tue, 02 May 2006 13:23:14 -0800

The Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act (S. 1955) has passed out of committee and is now slated for a floor vote. The bill is ostensibly designed to save small employers money and extend health insurance options to employees who hadn’t had them. What it is actually likely to do is end basic health insurance coverage for women (and diabetics); birth control, regularly taken prescriptions, cancer screenings, maternity care, and more. Women in every state will lose benefits. S. 1955 would allow insurance plans to ignore important state laws that protect patients, directly affecting more than 90 million Americans. [more inside]

It's the Chronic - what? - Polls of Zobgy!

DragonBoy — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 08:43:08 -0800

Nearly Half of Americans want to let states legally regulate and tax marijuana the way they do liquor and gambling.
Zogby International will pimp there services to just about anyone these days, including NORML for a poll on American's attitudes towards pot. According to the poll 65% of 18-29 year olds and 50% of 50-64 year-olds are cool with weed being legal and controlled like booze. The former slackers of Generation X, 30-49 year-olds, oppose it by 58% and the geezers over 65 oppose it by only 52%.

The pool shows some interesting generational attitudes. Is the 30-49 age group still following Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" mantra or is this the attitude of parents worried about their kids? I thought these folks were supposed to be the slacker generation, and now they're the strongest opponents to legalization.

duck!!!

icontemplate — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 18:58:08 -0800

Aside from saving money on admission to Disney World and other theme parks, Florida residents can now use deadly force! A series of ads being runned in British papers warns potential tourists of Florida's new Shoot-First law (or the "Stand Your Ground" law for the 'backers out there). Paid for by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. [Previously on mefi]

The Big Book of Fandom & Internet Law - You Must Obey!!!

Karmakaze — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 14:42:43 -0800

Jurisimprudence. The Big Book of Fandom & Internet Law, brought to us by the kind folks at fandom_wank has been conveniently indexed on del.icio.us.

sexual politics

semmi — Fri, 27 May 2005 20:32:46 -0800

Sexuality, politics, and memory in Twentieth-Century Germany. The introductory chapter of Dagmar Herzog's brilliant, deeply researched, and beautifully written book, and an informative review by Thomas Laqueur. (via nextbook)

Sexy Cheerleaders Banned

Saucy Intruder — Wed, 04 May 2005 22:39:25 -0800

If we don't ban the sexy cheerleaders, the terrorists will have won.

The Academic Freedom Bill of Rights

hex1848 — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 11:00:50 -0800

The Academic Freedom Bill of Rights is slowly making its way through the Florida Senate. This bill would give students the right to sue professors if they feel their beliefs are not being respected during a class.

91 pounds of LSD?

Gankmore — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 08:53:08 -0800

91 pounds of LSD? ...at that dosage level, Pickard and Apperson possessed 2 billion hits of acid—enough to give every person in the Western Hemisphere two doses and still have 250 million hits left over.

Ryan Grim is writing about acid again at Slate.

Drop the Rock!

palegirl — Tue, 07 Dec 2004 14:15:16 -0800

Reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, perhaps the most draconian in the nation, is being seriously debated right now on the floor of the New York State Senate. By the magic of the internets, you can watch this historic event happen, live.

Does MetaFilter Cause You Concern Or Needless Anxiety?

Blue Stone — Tue, 03 Aug 2004 02:33:15 -0800

Britain - Stamping Out Terrorism. One Peaceful Protestor At A Time. "The Home Office proposes "to make it an offence to protest outside homes in such a way that causes harassment, alarm or distress to residents" [PDF & HTML] This sounds reasonable enough, until you realise that the police can define "harassment, alarm or distress" however they wish. All protest in residential areas, in other words, could now be treated as a criminal offence. The government will also seek to "suggest remedies" for websites which "include material deemed to cause concern or needless anxiety to others"."

Drug War Desensitization

effugas — Mon, 02 Feb 2004 04:17:38 -0800

"A pint? That'll be three quid and a criminal investigation." From Fark. What's the line in the sand? Is there one?

Tommy, you're permanently expelled!

XQUZYPHYR — Sun, 14 Dec 2003 15:18:49 -0800

"Want to get arrested? Walk home with me." It's LawForKids, the site devoted to giving the kids the education they need about drinking and other kewl stuff through the aid of really, really, really crappy cartoons. Plus, enjoy the intellectual and grammar-rich discussion on hard knocks in Juvie, plus Flash games about being a good citizen. Not sure about discouraging kids from crime, but I sure as hell want to stay away from a life of web design now.

Job 9:12

the fire you left me — Thu, 11 Dec 2003 21:38:22 -0800

World Trade Organisation's Agreement on Government Procurement. "International law? I better call my lawyer. I don't know what you're talking about, about international law," the president said.

Johannson on Trial for appeal

omidius — Tue, 02 Dec 2003 07:24:12 -0800

It's the equivalent of "You can play the CD on three designated CD players that support the DRM. Like, it will play ONLY on xyz brand cd player and only three of those that you pick. Yes, you have to stick to that brand of cd player (the iTunes player, the supported OS of iTunes, no unix support in sight) and too bad if you have a fourth one in the bedroom. It's not gonna play in your second car's player either. Nor in the kitchen. Nor on your neighbor's player. Nor can you trade it on the used market when you're tired of listening to it. "
"They finally found a way to sell you some wind. Even better, they will restrict the direction and force in wich the wind will blow, how often and where it will happen..."

As "DVD-Jon" Johansen goes to retrial, a backlash is rising in the media & community towards Apple's DRM (digital rights management), a week after this same kid created an open-source program that lets users copy the songs that they bought onto other sources.

Picture Hunt time!

AaRdVarK — Thu, 06 Nov 2003 15:48:09 -0800

Picture Hunt time! How many women are in this picture? (more inside)