Phil Robertson was suspended by A&E for bigoted comments in GQ. Conservatives cry foul, but it hardly violates his rightsThe right to free speech isn't just a fundamental American value; it's enshrined in the first amendment to our constitution. If only the most loud-mouthed among us actually understood what it says. Here's what the First Amendment offers: you can say, write or publish pretty much whatever you want, no matter how offensive (with a few exceptions), and the government can't step in and censor you or put you in jail. Here's what the first amendment doesn't do: allow you to say, write or publish whatever you want, no matter how offensive, and also entitle you to a giant pay check from your starring role on a cable reality TV show.This isn't exactly Harvard-level legal theory, but many Republicans, Christian organizations and garden-variety tweeters enjoy spouting off about their love of freedom and the Constitution while remaining disturbingly unaware of what the Bill of Rights actually says and means. The right-wing passion for a set of ideals they claim to revere – but remain ignorant of – is not new, but it's news again this week. They're up in arms at the suspension of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson for a series of homophobic and bigoted remarks he made to GQ magazine. Professional consequences for bigoted comments, they say, violate the constitutional right to free speech.Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal said: Phil Robertson and his family are great... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
Random House has reprinted its record-busting Fifty Shades trilogy a further three times... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More than half of tablet adopters are reading books and other media on their tablet screens instead of relying on paper. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2012-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#tablet screens
#reading books
#survey shows
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US pop star Katy Perry will become the latest celebrity to be depicted in the biography comic book Fame series, publisher Bluewater Productions says. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2012-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#comic book
#katy perry
Heavy hitters across several industries have tried to find the perfect balance between the old and the new to breathe some life into what's been described as a dying medium. Layar "wants to make the world clickable" with its augmented reality software and doesn't plan on letting paper-based... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#web app
#mobile app
#digital world
Sony unveils a Harry Potter-based book, part-written by JK Rowling, as the first Wonderbook title for its Playstation console. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2012-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#jk rowling
DALLAS, TX, May 18, 2012 – AIM Media Texas, LLC (“AIM” or the “Company”) announced today that it has reached agreement to acquire the Texas print and online newspaper publishing assets from Freedom Co ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#announced today
#llc ldquo
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The announcement of a Defamation Bill in the Queen's Speech today (9th May) has been welcomed... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Maurice Sendak wrote and illustrated the acclaimed 'Where The Wild Things Are,' along with other children's books. He passed away early Tuesday in Connecticut. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A rare week gives us three celeb memoirs by boldface names: Sissy Spacek, Gregg Allman, and Dan Rather are telling all. Turns out, fame is great and all, but what stars really want is a book deal. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A multi-book deal for celebrity chef Lorraine Pascale, a memoir from “Strictly Come Dancing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hot pre-Fair debut The Palace of Curiosities by poet and performance artist Rosie Garland has... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The newest 'Star Wars' novel, 'Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse,' holds the No. 8 slot on the New York Times bestseller list. Success has become the norm for the books. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#bestseller lists
#star wars
Not content with simply doling out free digital comics to fans who favor the tangible page, Marvel is now giving readers a new reason to reach for their tablets: augmented reality. Android and iOS devices will be able to look beyond the page using Marvel AR, an Aurasma-powered app slated to... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#official announcement
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The Marvel AR app will be released in April for Apple's iPhones and iPad as well as smartphones and tablets, the comic book publisher said in a statement. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2012-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The circulations of IPC's Soaplife and Hearst Magazines' Inside Soap have fallen significantly year on year, although the majority of TV titles avoided large declines, according to the July to December 2011 magazine ABC figures. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2012-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#hearst magazines
#magazine abcs
Quadrille has acquired a title by TV chef and owner of London restaurant The Star of India Reza... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#tv chef
Crime writer Peter James, Chinese author and screenwriter Bi Feiyu and children’s writer... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#chinese author
Crime and thriller authors, almost all American, make up every one of the top 10 most borrowed... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#thriller authors
They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that certainly held true for the issues facing librarians at the American Library Association’s 2012 Midwinter Meeting, held January 20–24 in Dallas. In a climate of stretched budgets, ever-more-complex technology, copyright and legislative issues, and... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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#ala midwinter
Sales of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations have rocketed thanks to the BBC's lavish... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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