First Amendment Conflict

Hossein Derkhshan, a popular Iranian blogger, was sentenced Tuesday after being convicted of several offences, including spreading propaganda against the ruling establishments and insulting Islamic thoughts and religious figures. His former wife says she’s stunned by the ruling, a sentence of more than nineteen years in prison for his provocative writings.

I think this is an interesting topic to discuss. Often people debate where to draw the line between free speech/expression, and slander or propaganda that would be dealt with legally.

Texas Gay Law is unconstitutional

Eight years after Texas deemed its anti sodomy act unconstitutional, "homosexual conduct" is still listed in the penal code as a criminal offense. More than one bill has been introduced to the state to rid the penal code of any language that makes homosexual activity an illegal offense. However, Republican representatives wont let the bills even come to a vote, making them practically nonexistent.

Constitutionality of drug trafficking law

In Panama City, Florida (which is in north-western Florida, south of Tallahassee) is the only region in America with a drug trafficking law that doesn't require a prosecutor to prove that a defendant knew he or she was trafficking drugs. There have been numerous accounts where someone didn't know he or she was trafficking drugs, in countless contexts. The fact that someone can be prosecuted for this is unconstitutional.

Libyan militas may centralize

According to the Washington Times, there are talks of the possibility of Libyan militas centralizing. The Libyan National Transitional Council Chairman, Mustafa Abdel Jalil believes it is a good idea. He believes it will help Libya rebuild itself. Some believe that it would put the government in a more tyrannical position. This has happened before in other Arab countries.

I think that if the militas want to accomplish the most they can, it could be smart to centralize, if they do it the right way. Find a leader who truly represents their cause, and they may have an effective means of changing their country.

New Kindle?

Amazon is scheduled to release the next Kindle this summer. What new advancements will be made with this newer model? We're not sure. They've commented that the new Kindle will still be black and white, and will remain to not be touch sensitive. Although, looking even more foward to the future, they may be working on touch sensitive surfaces for a later product, most likely a future model of the Kindle.

The neurobiology of music.

Aniruddh D. Patel has been studying the relationship between music and the brain. He hypothesizes that humans have a neurobiological capacity for music, much like we do with language, or auditory communication. Interesting. . .

Two Million iPads Sold!

Since its release nearly two months ago, the iPad has sold two million copies. This statistic absolutely screams that this product has been a success, going against the congjecture of some who belived the price, mixed with an unclear identity/purpose of the iPad would prevent its popularity. Considering that the iPhone took 74 days to reach ONE million sales, it's a no brainer that the iPad has struck a chord with the masses.