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August 30, 2008 12:04:20 AM CDT

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Stories related to: obscenity

Stories

13 Stories

  • June 2008

    • Lawyer Uses Google to Judge Obscenity

      New York Times  |  Jun 24, 08 9:13 AM CDT

      Lawyer Uses Google to Judge Obscenity

      (Newser) - A defense lawyer in a Florida obscenity case is trying out a new technique for determining those elusive “community standards” courts have been fighting over for years: what locals search for on Google. The resourceful attorney compared the frequency of local searches for words like “orgy” and “apple pie,” and found that searches for the former were more common, the New York Times reports. That behavior, he argues, constitutes evidence of the sort of standard a 1973 Supreme Court decision called for. More »

      Tags

      Google  • pornography  • obscenity

    • Unseemly Word Loses Its Sting

      Esquire  |  Jun 21, 08 12:42 CDT

      Unseemly Word Loses Its Sting

      (Newser) - The word douchebag is in danger of losing its bite thanks to rampant overuse, writes Richard Dorment in Esquire . It's not that the "toxic mess of a man" population has increased, he observes. It may seem that way, what with reality TV and cable punditry promoting unsavory characters. But it's really that the term's literal meaning makes it clean enough to use on network TV. More »

      Tags

      language  • opinion  • obscenity  • profanity  • insult  • swearing

    • Judge Quits Calif. Porn Obscenity Trial

      Los Angeles Times  |  Jun 13, 08 8:24 CDT

      Judge Quits Calif. Porn Obscenity Trial

      (Newser) - The California judge whose risqué website stalled an obscenity trial 3 days ago has recused himself, the Los Angeles Times reports. “In light of the public controversy surrounding my involvement in this case, I have concluded that there is a manifest necessity to declare a mistrial,” Alex Kozinski said. Kozinski, a judicial conservative, has been considered a candidate for the Supreme Court. More »

      Tags

      California  • court  • pornography  • obscenity  • federal judges  • mistrial  • Alex Kozinski

    • Porn Trial Halted After Judge's Risque Site Found

      Los Angeles Times  |  Jun 12, 08 7:12 AM CDT

      Porn Trial Halted After Judge's Risque Site Found

      (Newser) - A federal obscenity trial has been suspended after the Los Angeles Times revealed that the presiding judge—a high-ranking conservative who has been mentioned for the Supreme Court—had his own website featuring explicit photos and videos. The publicly accessible material on Alex Kozinski's site included photos of naked women painted to look like cows and a video of a semi-naked man cavorting with an aroused farm animal. Kozinski termed some of the material "funny," but admitted some was not appropriate. More »

      Tags

      trial  • pornography  • judge  • obscenity  • Alex Kozinski  • Ira Isaacs

    • Art or Smut? Bring Your Own Popcorn

      Los Angeles Times  |  Jun 9, 08 10:00 AM CDT

      Art or Smut? Bring Your Own Popcorn

      (Newser) - A Los Angeles jury will watch hours of adult films in an effort to decide if they are art or obscenity, the LA Times reports. A Justice Department task force formed to battle smut has brought a case against a filmmaker whose works depict acts such as bestiality and defecation. But Ira Isaacs says he's an artist protected by the First Amendment. More »

      Tags

      art  • trial  • pornography  • obscenity  • adult films  • Ira Isaacs

  • April 2008

    • Deposition Earns Hefty Fine for Salty CEO

      Philadelphia Inquirer  |  Apr 7, 08 12:38 CDT

      Deposition Earns Hefty Fine for Salty CEO

      (Newser) - A CEO's foul-mouthed deposition could cost him and his lawyer $29,323 for making a "spectacular failure" of legal proceedings, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "I've never seen anything like this" in 30 years, said a judge of Aaron Wider dropping 73 F-bombs in 12 hours. Wider and his counsel, who split ways on court order, are appealing. More »

      Tags

      censorship  • court  • court cases  • obscenity  • freedom of speech

  • March 2008

    • Why Do Kids Love to Cuss?

      NPR  |  Mar 27, 08 12:34 CDT

      Why Do Kids Love to Cuss?

      (Newser) - Kids swear. They swear like sailors. Why is that, and should parents be worried? NPR decided to investigate and found, logically enough, that kids swear because they pick up the words from others, particularly mom and dad. “That’s just language learning,” says psychologist Paul Bloom. “These words have no special status as taboo words. Learning they’re taboo words is a later step.” More »

      Tags

      children  • parenting  • obscenity  • swearing

  • February 2008

    • Fonda Swears She's Sorry for Obscenity

      New York Daily News  |  Feb 15, 08 6:37 AM CST

      Fonda Swears She's Sorry for Obscenity

      (Newser) - Today host Meredith Vieira got an unpleasant  shock yesterday when Jane Fonda let the C-word slip while discussing the Vagina Monologues, the New York Daily News reports. "It was a slip, and obviously she apologizes, and so do we," Vieira told viewers. Fonda's blooper came when she was asked why she'd originally turned down a role in the play. She "was just quoting the title of her scene," her spokeswoman noted. "She meant no disrespect." More »

      Tags

      obscenity  • Today Show  • profanity  • Meredith Vieira  • Jane Fonda  • Vagina Monologues  • Parents Television Council

    • A&F Obscenity Charges Dropped

      Virginian-Pilot  |  Feb 5, 08 12:20 CST

      A&F Obscenity Charges Dropped

      (Newser) - The city of Virginia Beach will not pursue obscenity charges brought against an Abercrombie & Fitch store manager because of posters depicting scantily clad models. One offending poster—used all over the country—showed three shirtless men, one with his jeans pulled well below his waist. A city lawyer said it would be difficult to prove the material was obscene, reports the Virginian-Pilot . More »

      Tags

      advertising  • obscenity  • Abercrombie & Fitch

  • November 2007

    • Iran Vows to Crack Down on 'Obscene' Rap Music

      BBC  |  Nov 30, 07 5:21 AM CST

      Iran Vows to Crack Down on 'Obscene' Rap Music

      (Newser) - In its latest bid to protect traditional Islamic morality from encroaching Western influences, Iran announced it will crack down on rap music it considers "obscene." Rap music in Farsi focusing on social, political and sexual themes is growing increasingly popular on the black market. An official recently condemned rappers for using vulgar words. It's not clear if all rap is being targeted or only particular songs or musicians. More »

      Tags

      Iran  • Islam  • rap music  • obscenity

  • September 2007

    • Porno Biz Unfazed by Neocons

      Reuters  |  Sep 19, 07 7:28 CDT

      Porno Biz Unfazed by Neocons

      (Newser) - Bush's vow to clamp down on porn has hardly dented the $13 billion industry, Reuters reports. Activists grumble that Bush hasn't followed in Reagan's footsteps and put distributors out of business - but pressing problems, like terrorism, have distracted the White House, and the FBI is prosecuting more extreme forms of pornography. More »

      Tags

      George W. Bush  • FBI  • pornography  • child pornography  • Americans  • obscenity

    • TV's "Family Hour" Marked by Sex, Violence

      Los Angeles Times  |  Sep 6, 07 8:20 CDT

      TV's "Family Hour" Marked by Sex, Violence

      (Newser) - TV's "family hour" is a thing of the past, now an 8-9pm landscape littered with violence and sex, says a study by a parental watchdog group. Broadcasters call the notion outdated, and say parental involvement and V-chips–not censorship– are solutions, the LA Times reports. More »

      Tags

      television  • sex  • family  • violence  • censorship  • obscenity

  • July 2007

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