If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Joey Barton‚ the former Manchester City and Newcastle footballer‚ has been experiencing incessant police visits as a result of his Twitter posts‚ creating what he describes as an uncomfortable atmosphere of intimidation akin to North Korean strong-arm tactics. Barton‚ who has risen to prominence as a controversial figure in the sporting world‚ reported three visits from the UK police in just four days‚ aimed at “intimidating” his family and him. On social media platform X‚ Barton opened up about his experience‚ detailing the instances of police disruption. He stated that he had shared his lawyer’s information with the police in response to their requests for a voluntary interview—a discussion regarding the content of his tweets. One of his posts highlighted a disconcerting incident when‚ at 9:30 pm‚ two officers knocked at his door. Barton’s situation spurred a public response‚ prompting a follower to question the waste of police resources investigating tweets while street crimes continue unabated. In acknowledgment‚ Barton expressed similar concerns. He decried the use of taxpayer money for social media policing while urgent criminal matters seemed to be neglected. Barton‚ however‚ remains a target of condemnation due to his tweets about women’s roles in men’s football. His online tweets often criticize some female pundits’ lack of knowledge about the sport. Joey Barton’s unsettling encounters with the police raise concerns about the measures taken by authorities‚ which seem close to police-state tactics. While attempts to set up a voluntary interview between Barton and the police are yet to be successful‚ the matter certainly hints at the chilling threat to the freedom of speech that is now pervasive in the UK. The post Ex-Manchester City Player’s Police Visits: Joey Barton’s Troubling Encounters Raise Questions About UK Speech Police appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A clothing company faced pressure from a police department’s private foundation. The incident revolved around a shirt boldly emblazoned with “Fuck the LAPD‚” a direct critique of the Los Angeles Police Department. Legal representatives for the Los Angeles Police Foundation (LAPF) issued a threat‚ asserting they owned the copyright to the acronym “LAPD” and demanding the removal of the contentious merchandise. But the company‚ Cola‚ defiantly responded with a brief retort: “LOL‚ no.” Cola’s controversial shirt prominently displayed the words “FUCK THE LAPD” over a basketball‚ evoking the Los Angeles Lakers logo. Source: Cola The LAPF’s legal notice‚ delivered through the entertainment giant IMG Worldwide‚ claimed ownership of the LAPD trademark. The LAPF partially functions as the LAPD’s funding arm‚ responsible for acquiring high-tech surveillance gear‚ drones‚ and other cutting-edge tools for the department‚ 404 Media reported. While the letter sought to reinforce the foundation’s intellectual property rights‚ legal experts pointed out glaring inaccuracies. The LAPF letter stated that the organization holds the intellectual property rights for various LAPD symbols and terms‚ including the department’s badge‚ and the acronym “LAPD.” However‚ intellectual property laws have exceptions for criticism and parody‚ and the simple use of “LAPD” doesn’t constitute infringement. More critically‚ the LAPD is a public institution funded by taxpayers‚ placing most of its works in the public domain. Legal precedent shows that attempts by government agencies to exert undue control over their logos or names are likely to falter. Copyright and trademark claims are increasingly being used as tools to stifle criticism and silence dissent. This trend is alarming‚ as it can significantly undermine the fundamental principles of free expression and open debate. Intellectual property laws‚ designed to protect creators and their works‚ are now being exploited by powerful entities to suppress criticism‚ criticism that often targets those very entities’ activities‚ products‚ or policies. Related: How the DMCA has become one of the biggest threats to online speech  One common tactic involves leveraging the ambiguity in intellectual property laws to issue cease-and-desist letters or legal threats against individuals or organizations that express dissenting views. These threats can be effective even without solid legal grounds‚ as the fear of costly legal battles often compels critics to comply‚ resulting in a chilling effect on free speech. Critics may be forced to remove content‚ retract statements‚ or even issue public apologies to avoid legal action‚ regardless of the validity of the original criticism. Legal experts and free speech advocates have raised concerns about this trend‚ emphasizing that intellectual property laws should not be used to silence dissent. Exceptions for criticism and parody exist within copyright and trademark frameworks‚ recognizing their importance in a democratic society. However‚ when organizations with substantial legal resources misuse these laws to intimidate and suppress criticism‚ it sets a dangerous precedent that undermines these protections. The post LAPD Foundation Tries To Use Trademark Claim To Shutdown Critical Merch appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Biden Buries Six-Month-Late Scolding of Campus Anti-Semites in Passover Statement

SCOTUS: Can You Be Arrested for Sleeping Outdoors&;#63;

Biden Admin: You Must Hire Criminals or We Will Sue You

Dr. Hillary Cass Warned to Stay Off Public Transport for Her Own Safety

Do we all have a universal perception of time&;#63; There’s a lot that scientists just don’t know about this concept‚ but some have suggested that humans all share an “internal clock” that tells us how much time has passed. However‚ a new study has added evidence to the contrary‚ showing how altering an environment can shape our perception of the passage of time whilst observing it.Dr Martin Wiener and colleagues at George Mason University recruited 170 people who each participated in one of four experiments. The first two focused on how the size of a scene and how cluttered it is affects the perception of time.Participants were shown photographs of different spaces – like a bathroom‚ a theater auditorium‚ or an airport terminal – that were of different sizes and contained different amounts of clutter. The images remained on the screen for between 300 and 900 milliseconds‚ and once they’d disappeared the participants were asked to rate each image as “long” or “short”. People felt they had been looking at the larger and less busy images for longer than they really had been. This effect is called time dilation‚ and it also explains why time seems to drag so much when you’re bored – something you are‚ of course‚ not experiencing right now.The next two experiments explored the interplay between the memorability of an image and time dilation. Memorability is not well understood by scientists‚ but it’s thought to relate to features like how distinctive an image is. In a press conference about the research‚ Dr Wiener gave some other curious examples – the color red seems to persist in the memory longer than blue‚ for example‚ and images containing large numbers also tend to be more memorable.Using a database of images previously given a memorability score‚ participants were again asked to rate images as “short” or “long”. In the final experiment‚ the subjects were asked to hold down a button for the same length of time as they had been looking at each image. The following day‚ they came back to the lab for a surprise recall test‚ to see if they could correctly pick out images they had seen the previous day.More memorable images also had a time-dilating effect. Not only that‚ but the participants’ perception of time was also more accurate when they were looking at memorable images‚ and their reaction times faster. The images that they felt they’d been looking at the longest were also remembered better the next day‚ a world-first finding that opens up the tantalizing possibility that simply making someone feel like they’ve been looking at something for longer could genuinely boost their ability to memorize it.What all this means‚ according to Dr Wiener‚ is that time perception appears to be a fairly basic function within the brain that is heavily influenced by sensory involvement. This challenges the idea of a “universal internal clock”‚ though the team acknowledges that more research is needed.As to why this happens‚ it’s possible that it evolved to help humans soak up as much information as possible about their surroundings. Dr Wiener explained that the human brain’s processing time when looking at a scene is only about 1 second. Time dilation could allow the brain to eke this out‚ to give it more time to gather potentially important information. This could also fit with the idea that time is perceived to contract when observing a very cluttered scene. Human vision isn’t great at coping with mess‚ so it’s possible the brain conserves energy in these situations rather than spending time trying to discern information. The research has important implications beyond enhancing our understanding of our own minds. Artificial intelligence is becoming more and more deeply embedded within human society‚ but for it to properly interact with humans we will have to find a way to imbue it with a concept of time‚ something it currently lacks. A better grasp of the psychology of time perception could also be useful in helping people with conditions like schizophrenia and ADHD‚ which are known to disrupt the concept of time. Ultimately‚ many of the conclusions remain conjecture for now‚ but it will be fascinating to see what future experiments reveal.The study is published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour. 

To many‚ the Voynich Manuscript represents a 600-year-old mystery. The medieval text is filled with bizarre illustrations and is written in a hitherto indecipherable language. But for all its enigmatic features‚ two scholars believe they have solved at least one: the manuscript‚ they argue‚ is at least partially about sex.A weird manuscriptThe manuscript was named after Wilfrid Voynich‚ an antique bookseller who bought the text in 1912. Ever since then‚ there have been various attempts to decipher its meaning‚ with some suggestions being more plausible than others. Some believe it is a hoax‚ some argue that it is an alchemical text‚ while others have argued that its seemingly unusual language was written by aliens (of course).  The parchment was subjected to radiocarbon dating in 2009‚ which dated it – with 95 percent probability – to the years between 1404 and 1438. This means that that animals whose skins were used to make the pages lived and died around this time.However‚ who made the manuscript remains unknown‚ nor do we know how many hands it passed through before the first identifiable owner. This was Jakub Hoický z Tepence‚ the personal physician to Rudolf II‚ the Holy Roman Emperor. We know this because his name appears on the manuscript but was only identified through ultraviolet light in recent years. This means the manuscript passed between unknown people for over a century.An example of the unusual imagery contained within the Voynich manuscript. This illustration is included in a balneological section of the text.Image credit: Beinecke Rare Book &; Manuscript Library‚ Yale University via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)We do have a better idea of where it was created though. The details on certain illustrations‚ especially architectural features of castles‚ suggest it was made in southern Germany or in northern Italy.It’s about women’s secretsFor some time‚ scholars have wondered whether the Voynich manuscript may have something to do with women and may have been written by women for women. However‚ new research by Keagan Brewer and Michelle L. Lewis suggests it does indeed relate to women‚ but actually contains enciphered information related to sexual matters.They reached this conclusion by examining the work of the Bavarian physician Johann Hartlieb‚ who lived around the same time that the manuscript was created.Hartlieb‚ they explain‚ wrote about plants‚ women‚ magic astronomy‚ and baths‚ but also recommended the use of cyphers to obscure “sensitive information”. In particular‚ he recommended their use when discussing medical recipes and procedures related to contraception‚ abortion‚ and sterility. The main concern for Hartlieb‚ the authors argue‚ was that the free circulation of this information would lead to extramarital sex‚ which would incur God’s wrath.As such‚ we may not have Hartlieb’s original cypher‚ but an examination of his work and his unencrypted writing can yield a lot of information about contemporary attitudes and what may be concealed within the Voynich manuscript.“While the motivations of the Voynich manuscript’s anonymous authors remain a matter for speculation and inference‚” the authors write‚ “examination of the works of physicians from adjacent regions definitively reveals contemporary attitudes towards issues hinted at by the Voynich illustrations.”From his work‚ we can see that Hartlieb resisted or was hesitant to write about topics related to female sexual matters. This included subjects like post-partum vaginal ointments‚ women’s sexual pleasure‚ speculation over unusual births (women giving birth to animals)‚ dietary advice to alter the libido‚ and any information about dangerous compounds that may cause hallucinations and serve as a contraceptive or abortive.Today‚ we may see this level of secrecy and esotericism as suspect‚ but it is perfectly in-keeping with the prevailing attitudes of his day. In fact‚ Hartlieb was not the only one to conceal such information behind cyphers‚ especially anything of a gynecological and sexological nature.Knowledge was not for everyone and especially not for women‚ and yet women were becoming more literate during this period.The Voynich manuscript's secrets unveiled Using this lens‚ Brewer and Lewis examined the Voynich manuscript’s largest illustrations – the Rosettes – and suggested they are a cryptic representation of the contemporary understanding of sex and conception.“The Rosettes‚ the largest and most intricate illustration on the Voynich manuscript‚ has rightly received close attention‚” they write‚ “but its layers of visual symbolism have caused it to be misunderstood until now.”“The elaborate – and deliberate – symbolisms in the Rosettes constitute a form of visual encipherment that has excluded or confused the uninitiated for many centuries.”During the late-medieval period‚ the uterus was thought to have seven chambers as well as two openings to the vagina. The authors contend that the nine circles of the Rosettes represent these chambers and entrances.A castle that appears within the Rosette illustration may related to a German term that could also refer to female genitalia.Image credit: Trackler/Beinecke Rare Book &; Manuscript Library‚ Yale University via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).According to Abu Bakr Al-Razi‚ one of the most influential figures in the history of medieval medicine as well as Islamic tradition‚ virgins had five small veins in their vaginas. The authors believe these five veins are visible on the top left circle of the Rosettes and running towards the centre.Another coded idea appears in the form of two horn-like protrusions on the top right and bottom right of the circles. These horns‚ they maintain‚ match contemporary beliefs that the uterus had two horns on its sides.It is also possible that the castle that appears on the illustration may be a form of word play‚ where the German word schloss could refer to a “castle” or “lock”‚ but also female genitalia and “female pelvis”.If they are right‚ then this adds a great deal to our understanding of this mysterious manuscript and shows that‚ in order to decipher it‚ we need to pay closer attention to the wider context of late medieval thinking.As the writers conclude: “Overall‚ we infer that the creators of the manuscript‚ like Hartlieb‚ felt a mixture of passionate fascination and abject horror at the taboo subject matters collectively referred to as women’s secrets.”“What we hope to have demonstrated in this paper is that amid the abundance of gynaecological and sexological writing drawn up in late-medieval Europe‚ there were large numbers of medical writers and readers who considered ‘women’s secrets’‚ or diverse aspects thereof‚ worthy of obscuration‚ sometimes in addition to other subjects such as alchemy‚ magic‚ and demons.”The study is published in the journal Social History of Medicine.

In the jungles of Indonesia‚ a camera trap has captured footage of a Javan rhinoceros calf‚ one of the rarest and most threatened large mammals on planet Earth.Spotted alongside its mother‚ the Javan rhino calf was spotted in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park on the morning of March 4‚ 2024. The calf is estimated to be between 3 to 5 months old‚ but little else is known about the individual – it's not even certain whether it is male or female yet. The video (below) follows previous sightings in 2022 and 2023 that each showed other new Javan rhino calves‚ suggesting the troubled species is perhaps not as doomed as once thought. &;quot;Ahamdullilah [praise be to God]‚ this is good news and proves that the Javan rhino in the world‚ which only exists in Ujung Kulon‚ can develop well and sustainably‚&;quot; Satyawan Pudyatmoko‚ Director General of the Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE)‚ said in a statement.While this is promising evidence that the population is reproducing‚ Pudyatmoko goes on to say that we should not be “lulled by the joy of finding this birth.”“We and all parties who assist in efforts to preserve the Javan rhino must not be careless and always anticipate any threats that might occur‚&;quot; he added.              The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is one of the five remaining rhinoceros species currently on Earth‚ known for the relatively short and stumpy horns found only on males.They are listed as critically endangered with extinction by the IUCN Red List. Until the past few centuries‚ the species could be found throughout Java and Sumatra‚ as well as the mainland of Southeast Asia‚ East India‚ Bhutan‚ and the south of China. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries the rhinos were prolifically hunted for their horns‚ which were prized as hunting trophies and used in traditional medicine. Now‚ under 100 individuals are left‚ all of which live within Ujung Kulon National Park on the far western tip of Java‚ Indonesia.Although heavily protected‚ the remaining population faces a myriad of problems. Along with continued habitat destruction and the ever-present threat of poaching‚ the region is vulnerable to tsunamis and eruptions of the nearby Anak Krakatau volcano. Their extremely limited population means Javan rhinoceros have a very low genetic diversity within the species. There are also significantly fewer females than males‚ raising further doubt whether the species could support a robust‚ sustainable population. While news of fresh life is always a boon‚ the Javan rhino isn’t out of the woods yet. 

Inside your chest is a gnarly-looking‚ asymmetrical lump of muscle that is devoid of emotion and horrifically unromantic. Despite this‚ we persist in using an anatomically incorrect “heart” shape to depict the coronary organ‚ which we erroneously imbue with sentimental characteristics.Exactly where this scallop-shaped cliche originates is not entirely certain‚ although the authors of a new study have attempted to figure out when the abomination began circulating. Looking back to times of yore‚ they suggest that ancient Greek philosophers may have been the first to associate the ticker with emotions‚ citing Aristotle as one of the main culprits.According to Dutch neurosurgeon and author Pierre Vinken‚ the earliest illustration of the classic heart-shaped symbol appeared in a 13th-century text and may have been inspired by Aristotle’s off-beat description of the organ. Other sources suggest that the classic heart logo represents the leaf of a now-extinct species of giant fennel called silphium‚ which once grew along the North African coast and was used as a form of birth control by the ancient Greeks and Romans.Regardless of how the image was first pumped out‚ the study authors bluntly remark that “the universally depicted symbol of the heart does not look anything like an actual human heart. However‚ no one cares‚ since the use of the present symbol of the heart is limited to express the idea of the ‘heart’ in its metaphorical sense as the core of emotion‚ affection‚ and love.”Nothing says &;quot;I love you&;quot; like a heart.Image credit: Martyshova Maria/Shutterstock.comThey go on to explain that the symbol became widespread in the 15th and 16th centuries‚ although it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that scientists finally realized that the simplified shape may actually be grounded in anatomical fact. Indeed‚ the first replicas of the coronary arterial system were created in the 1950s‚ when plastics were injected into the aorta of dead people‚ producing casts that‚ surprisingly‚ “resembled the iconic shape of the heart.”A few decades later‚ the development of new techniques involving the injection of contrast dyes into the coronary arteries revealed just how accurate the traditional heart shape really is. “By injecting at the same time both right and left coronary arteries‚ the entire coronary arterial circulation can be visualized‚” write the researchers. “Contemporaneous visualization of the right and left coronary trees form the exact shape of what we have been used to recognise as ‘the human heart’.”These observations therefore beg the question as to whether ancient anatomists had somehow glimpsed this pattern thousands of years before it was revealed by modern science. Speculating about this possibility‚ the study authors wonder whether these early scholars had produced similar post-mortem casts of the coronary arteries‚ using more rudimentary materials such as plaster instead of plastic.Admitting that their theory is highly conjectural‚ they nonetheless propose that it may be “the most plausible hypothesis to explain the exact correspondence of our images with the old standing archetypal image of the heart.”The study has been published in the Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine.