:D This is not what you think. XD

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This seems more like a proper Chinese dragon. I loved the fact that the horn actually looks authentic and the Dragon has nice claws. :D

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Originally posted by Kangawu at post
Originally posted by cantarina1 at post
Originally posted by electricdruid at The fiasco continues

ACTA in a Nutshell –

What is ACTA?  ACTA is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. A new intellectual property enforcement treaty being negotiated by the United States, the European Community, Switzerland, and Japan, with Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan, Morocco, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada recently announcing that they will join in as well.

Why should you care about ACTA? Initial reports indicate that the treaty will have a very broad scope and will involve new tools targeting “Internet distribution and information technology.”

What is the goal of ACTA? Reportedly the goal is to create new legal standards of intellectual property enforcement, as well as increased international cooperation, an example of which would be an increase in information sharing between signatory countries’ law enforcement agencies.

Essential ACTA Resources - 

• Read more about ACTA here: ACTA Fact Sheet
• Read the authentic version of the ACTA text as of 15 April 2011, as finalized by participating countries here: ACTA Finalized Text
• Follow the history of the treaty’s formation here: ACTA history
• Read letters from U.S. Senator Ron Wyden wherein he challenges the constitutionality of ACTA: Letter 1 | Letter 2 | Read the Administration’s Response to Wyden’s First Letter here: Response
• Watch a short informative video on ACTA: ACTA Video
• Watch a lulzy video on ACTA: Lulzy Video

Say NO to ACTA. It is essential to spread awareness and get the word out on ACTA.

Via Tumblr

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If you are in the US, the only thing I know of is this petition, which requires 25000 signatures in 30 days for any sort of response: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/end-acta-and-protect-our-right-privacy-internet/MwfSVNBK

There are only 3000 signatures right now.

I don’t know what options there are in other countries, but again, for the US, I imagine calling Senators would be a course of action. It worked on the surface for SOPA and PIPA, at least, and it at least sends the message that this is not okay.

If you do, though, opusculus notes that it has been signed already so it is probably worthwhile to mention that you know that and are protesting it anyway.

ETA: this tumblr post has more global resources for how you can protest ACTA.

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My dad found this while we were visiting a relative’s house today. Pretty. :D

Original entry as appearing at Ink to Screen.

Sometime back during the great Strikeout of Livejournal, users suggested a single day where people would refrain from posting on Livejournal. The idea was to send a message to the Livejournal team that the userbase was NOT in agreement with their policies, especially not with the random deletions and broken promises. It didn’t quite work, mainly because as SiliconShaman pointed out, it was only one day. Now, if it had been two weeks, the drop would have been more severe and the message stronger.

It would seem someone got the message, and is suggesting a month-long blackout for those who support PIPA and SOPA. The key message though, is not just to stop buying, but to stop pirating as well. The message is simple, stop buying and paying attention to these media.

Interestingly, the Facebook event points out that the protest is only against MAJOR corporations who are supporting such legislation. In fact, they encouraged users to go and purchase Indie stuff, if that is so you desire.

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Honestly, I don’t know if there’s anything more to say.

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This cutie greeted me when I sat in my colleague’s car this morning. :D

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This is quite an interesting sachet of tea. The pack is full of tiny holes. When you immerse it in hot water, instant tea. Cool design!

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There is something to be said for the spiritual. I’ve always been fascinated by it. I cannot see, nor touch, the spiritual world, but they exist. I find it appealing to think that there is a world beyond me that lives side by side what I do. It is that belief that there are some things that cannot be explained and understood.

Something magical, I suppose.

Magic has always fascinated me. It is, I suppose, the main reason why I find myself enamoured of watching magic shows and listening to stories of magic. However, I draw the line at actually demystifying it. There’s a certain part that’s lost when the magic is explained, the curtain is pulled back, and you see how it happens.

I suppose it is one of the reasons why I make such a good companion for my mother when it comes to Feng Shui stuff. There is the magical, of learning about energy and controlling the flow of it. There is the mundane, of learning how to harness it for your own purposes, and there is the fascination with what Fate has spoken about you when you decipher the meaning of the time you were born.

The last though, is the most wonderful of all. I am of the view that Fate, or whoever arranged the time and date of our birth possibly did it to give the individual the best possible start to their life, but you can never know what a person is thinking about. Yet reading a person’s birth chart gives you only the barest information about them; enough, perhaps, to encourage the reader to learn more about the person. So you’d have to actually talk to the person in question to learn more about them.

That’s perhaps the most important magic of all.

PS: Yes, I spent this Sunday at a Feng Shui talk. This time it was Joey Yap’s.

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Now to go back to checking out new stuff.

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