Sunday News: Hrant Dink, The Right To Spank (or not), DRM & More...

This man had balls people
Devastating to our local Armenian community and those of us who enjoy free speech, editor of Agos Armenian Daily newspaper in Turkey, Hrant Dink, was assassinated. "The assassination of Mr. Dink is not only an attack on the Armenian community of Turkey; it is an assault on freedom of speech, truth, and justice everywhere," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said on Friday. "Mr. Dink spoke frankly and courageously about the history of the Armenian Genocide, and he stood up unflinchingly for the best traditions of his profession. His passion and bravery stand as challenge to us all."

And as one LAist reader pointed out, "He is a model for all who speak up and speak out against injustice, murder, and torture, in a country that claims it is "democratic" yet has laws against anyone who 'insults Turkishness.'" (Google News)

Laser Pointer Starts Wilshire Building Fire
"A hand-held laser pointer caused a fire at a Miracle Mile high rise that caused $200,000 in damage, a fire official said. The blaze at the 17-story office building at 6200 Wilshire Blvd. began just after 10 a.m. Saturday, Los Angeles city fire spokesperson Brian Humphrey said. The laser device had been laid on an examination table in a 12th floor dermatologist's office, Humphrey said. The device ignited surrounding furnishings, sparking the fire." (NBC4)

If you say there's nothing to do in this city, I'm going to smack you.
"Consider the old joke that goes, 'What's the difference between Los Angeles and a dish of yogurt?' Answer: 'Yogurt is a living culture.' Yet when you look closely, it is clear that Los Angeles has been a world center of culture for the past century, even if pretentious snobs fail to recognize the fact." (City Watch)

To all you kalifornia spankos...
"As a general rule, legislators tend to begin their attack on bills once they have actually been written. But not much proposed legislation involves the backsides of children." (New York Times)

I've Never Had Ice Wine Before
"Half of the state's orange crops were destroyed last week by a raging cold front, but one local grower purposely left some grapes on the vine to craft a rare brew in these parts: ice wine." (Daily News)

Goodbye to Digital Rights Management?
Ever since major record labels started selling downloadable music, they've built restrictions into the songs. This is called, perhaps euphemistically, digital rights management, or DRM. These restrictions prevent customers from making backup copies or playing them on different devices. A song from Apple's iTunes, for example, won't play on any portable device but an Apple iPod. (Future Tense, American Public Media)

Photo by Chang-er via Flickr