The video-links only thread

ninakat · Post by **ninakat** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 8:58 pm

The War on Democracy

John Pilger's first major film for the cinema (currently showing in UK cinemas). ITV screened the film its entirety in the UK with only one commercial break on 20 August 2007. Set in Latin America and the US, it explores the historic and current relationship of Washington with countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile.

HMKGrey · Post by **HMKGrey** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 12:04 pm

Aliens in America trailer.

http://gloob.tv/tv/sitcom_muslims_america

Yes, folks. A sitcom from the CW about an American family that accidentally adopts a Pakistani Muslim teenager to be their sons new friend.

Good intentions? KWH? Worse? You decide.

HMKGrey · Post by **HMKGrey** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 12:06 pm

http://gloob.tv/news/cops_attempt_incite_riot

President George Bush, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Felipe Calderon met up in Montebello, Quebec this week to discuss the trivialities that come with running North America. Three masked protestors carrying rocks and sticks were talked down by activists, but footage of the incident reveals the potentially violent protesters bore the same markings as the riot police.

HMKGrey · Post by **HMKGrey** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 12:09 pm

http://gloob.tv/news/animated_downloaders_get_mad

In 2007, the Singaporean company Odex (or "Xedo" if spelled backwards) went through extensive measures to prosecute those who downloaded "pirated versions" of licensed anime series. Such measures included the founding of the Anti Video Piracy Association of Singapore (AVPAS), the use court orders (and what look to be bribes) to make Singaporean ISPs hand over information, and legal threats against fandub downloaders -- a LOT of legal threats that will presumably lead to a LOT of legal action.

What's angered the otaku communities around the world is the sense of ideological violation. Downloading fandubbed videos was never seen so much as a violation of copyright as it was a sharing of translated Japanese cultural artifacts in areas of the world lacking in regular exposure. In the case of Odex, the company's poor video quality and lackluster dubbing made free fandubs (with better video quality and better dubbing) an even more attractive alternative. The fact that this company would resort to legal measures to try and force anime consumers to buy their shoddy products is thus highly insulting.

On a more general context, Singaporeans seem shocked just by the fact that there even is a crackdown on piracy.