Countdown to the travelling George and Mindy Show
Good Morning Libra!
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Today is an 8. Reach out and make new friends. You could have a job that requires you to jet all over the globe.
This is an email that I got from a friend.... I couldn't believe it when I read it. Talk about a stroke. I'm not complaining, I love emails like this, stroke it baby! [Editors note from 2010: I think this is from Lisa Hopkins who turned out to be completely insane on a trip that my friend Robert and I took with her in 2007 to Washington D.C. I don't know if I've ever written about that but this sparks some crazy memories of that whench]
BILL~!~
I just checked out your new site... I love it.. and then I thought. what the hell.. I'll check out all of the new goings on in your web page... Everytime I read it I find new reasons to absolutely adore you. You are such a gifted, thinking, inspirational human being and each time I see where your heart is via your journal pages and your active interest in our world.. it helps me to find even more love in my heart space for you. Just thought you ought to know. I'm not one to hold back anymore how I feel.. Life's too short.... each and every life I've had ;)
CONGRATULATIONS! on the birth of your new NEICE... I stand corrected.. I hadn't checked into the pages for awhile so I hadn't gotten the full scoop. How exciting to have a new angel to bear your family name and be part of a loving circle of people. I read the e-mails from you Mom.. she sounds like a wonderful soul to me. I appreciate the pictures of Richard's Mom. Beautiful. I'm so glad I checked in. Life threw me a detour today and I just went with it. I should be studying but I'm packed full of information and I'd rather sit with a hot beverage and look into the life of a dear friend. Wow...lots of growth happening for you.
I couldn't agree with her more! So I talked to my mom yesterday, and the plans are pretty much in place. My parents are flying in on Saturday morning, they are going to their hotel, and then coming right to our townhouse to hang out with us. I think we'll probably cook out, or maybe go to dinner on the plaza, and hang out for a while, then go to church on Sunday morning, then go to brunch afterwards with Chris and Aubrey and Lisa. Then my mom flies out on Sunday afternoon, and my dad stays, because next week, he is working for Sprint, in OPKS, so he'll be here the whole week. I've also been working on the show for the Hope Cares center. Sing out Louise! I have just confirmed that I will have a meeting there next Wednesday. Cool! I am terribly excited about this! This is so funny, I heard this on NPR this morning, but I just saw on MSNBC: it's the story about Barbie and how this artist won over the corporation
U.S. DISTRICT COURT Judge Ronald Lew ruled on Monday that the free speech rights of Utah artist Tom Forsythe — who was sued by Mattel two years ago after he parodied Barbie dolls in a series of photographs meant as a stinging social comment — outweigh the company’s trademarks and intellectual property rights as they relate to the 42-year-old doll. “The ruling doesn’t mean it’s open season (to exploit products by) Mattel, it means there is a certain amount of breathing room for artists who want to use a commercial symbol that has tremendous cultural meaning, for purposes of artistic expression,” Forsythe’s attorney Simon Frankel said.
Adrian Pruetz, an attorney for Mattel, was not immediately available for comment. Forsythe’s limited edition photographs were taken in 1998 and use Barbie in an attempt to skewer the stereotyping of women and commodification of female bodies.
A MULTITUDE OF BARBIES Exhibited several times in the Western United States and offered for sale on Forsythe’s Web site (http://www.creativefreedomdefense.org), they depict, among other images, a “Missionary Barbie,” unclothed on her back with an electric beater pointed towards her body in a suggestive way; “Barbie Enchiladas,” naked Barbies wrapped in a tortillas, covered with tomato sauce, and lying in a baking pan; a ”Heatwave” Barbie who reclines in a toaster oven, a “Malted Barbie,” who peeks demurely out of a milkshake machine, and ”Blue Ice” Barbie, who poses nude in a martini glass. Although they may be offensive to some Barbie fans, the photos nevertheless are allowable under “fair use” laws because they do not constitute commercial use of the Barbie or affect Mattel’s sales, Lew ruled. NO TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT
In addition, Lew said that Forsythe was not violating trademark law with his Barbie art because Mattel was not able to sufficiently prove that he created confusion among customers over Barbie’s true nature as a child’s toy or that his product constituted a “commercial” rather than “expressive” use of the Barbie doll. Legal experts called the ruling a “blow” to Mattel and other corporations that routinely sue artists who attempt to use their symbols in creative expression. “People are aware of the issue of censorship but they are not very sensitized to [widespread] corporate censorship that’s out there limiting artistic expression,” said Forsythe’s lead counsel, Annette Hurst, who took on the case pro bono and will now try to recover legal fees from Mattel. NO DAMAGES
“The intellectual property laws do not grant corporations the right to control all artistic speech concerning the role of products and corporations in our society,” Hurst said. There are no monetary damages to be paid, and unless Mattel decides to appeal Monday’s judgment will mark the end of the case. Forsythe is now trying to raise money to cover his costs. In terms of his art he said he is moving onto other subject matter: “I’m not the first person to parody Barbie, and I’m sure I won’t be the last.”
Oh for the love of all things christian, I have been talking with Anne (Linda) Lavin, and I am still amazed at how she makes me laugh. She is sort of in a bad situation with her personal life, which I certainly won't report on here, but she's a trooper, and I have to give credit where credit is due. She is still one of the most unique individuals I have ever known. Smart as a whip (but her younger sister, is WAY more smart than her!!)
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Today is an 8. Reach out and make new friends. You could have a job that requires you to jet all over the globe.
This is an email that I got from a friend.... I couldn't believe it when I read it. Talk about a stroke. I'm not complaining, I love emails like this, stroke it baby! [Editors note from 2010: I think this is from Lisa Hopkins who turned out to be completely insane on a trip that my friend Robert and I took with her in 2007 to Washington D.C. I don't know if I've ever written about that but this sparks some crazy memories of that whench]
BILL~!~
I just checked out your new site... I love it.. and then I thought. what the hell.. I'll check out all of the new goings on in your web page... Everytime I read it I find new reasons to absolutely adore you. You are such a gifted, thinking, inspirational human being and each time I see where your heart is via your journal pages and your active interest in our world.. it helps me to find even more love in my heart space for you. Just thought you ought to know. I'm not one to hold back anymore how I feel.. Life's too short.... each and every life I've had ;)
CONGRATULATIONS! on the birth of your new NEICE... I stand corrected.. I hadn't checked into the pages for awhile so I hadn't gotten the full scoop. How exciting to have a new angel to bear your family name and be part of a loving circle of people. I read the e-mails from you Mom.. she sounds like a wonderful soul to me. I appreciate the pictures of Richard's Mom. Beautiful. I'm so glad I checked in. Life threw me a detour today and I just went with it. I should be studying but I'm packed full of information and I'd rather sit with a hot beverage and look into the life of a dear friend. Wow...lots of growth happening for you.
I couldn't agree with her more! So I talked to my mom yesterday, and the plans are pretty much in place. My parents are flying in on Saturday morning, they are going to their hotel, and then coming right to our townhouse to hang out with us. I think we'll probably cook out, or maybe go to dinner on the plaza, and hang out for a while, then go to church on Sunday morning, then go to brunch afterwards with Chris and Aubrey and Lisa. Then my mom flies out on Sunday afternoon, and my dad stays, because next week, he is working for Sprint, in OPKS, so he'll be here the whole week. I've also been working on the show for the Hope Cares center. Sing out Louise! I have just confirmed that I will have a meeting there next Wednesday. Cool! I am terribly excited about this! This is so funny, I heard this on NPR this morning, but I just saw on MSNBC: it's the story about Barbie and how this artist won over the corporation
U.S. DISTRICT COURT Judge Ronald Lew ruled on Monday that the free speech rights of Utah artist Tom Forsythe — who was sued by Mattel two years ago after he parodied Barbie dolls in a series of photographs meant as a stinging social comment — outweigh the company’s trademarks and intellectual property rights as they relate to the 42-year-old doll. “The ruling doesn’t mean it’s open season (to exploit products by) Mattel, it means there is a certain amount of breathing room for artists who want to use a commercial symbol that has tremendous cultural meaning, for purposes of artistic expression,” Forsythe’s attorney Simon Frankel said.
Adrian Pruetz, an attorney for Mattel, was not immediately available for comment. Forsythe’s limited edition photographs were taken in 1998 and use Barbie in an attempt to skewer the stereotyping of women and commodification of female bodies.
A MULTITUDE OF BARBIES Exhibited several times in the Western United States and offered for sale on Forsythe’s Web site (http://www.creativefreedomdefense.org), they depict, among other images, a “Missionary Barbie,” unclothed on her back with an electric beater pointed towards her body in a suggestive way; “Barbie Enchiladas,” naked Barbies wrapped in a tortillas, covered with tomato sauce, and lying in a baking pan; a ”Heatwave” Barbie who reclines in a toaster oven, a “Malted Barbie,” who peeks demurely out of a milkshake machine, and ”Blue Ice” Barbie, who poses nude in a martini glass. Although they may be offensive to some Barbie fans, the photos nevertheless are allowable under “fair use” laws because they do not constitute commercial use of the Barbie or affect Mattel’s sales, Lew ruled. NO TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT
In addition, Lew said that Forsythe was not violating trademark law with his Barbie art because Mattel was not able to sufficiently prove that he created confusion among customers over Barbie’s true nature as a child’s toy or that his product constituted a “commercial” rather than “expressive” use of the Barbie doll. Legal experts called the ruling a “blow” to Mattel and other corporations that routinely sue artists who attempt to use their symbols in creative expression. “People are aware of the issue of censorship but they are not very sensitized to [widespread] corporate censorship that’s out there limiting artistic expression,” said Forsythe’s lead counsel, Annette Hurst, who took on the case pro bono and will now try to recover legal fees from Mattel. NO DAMAGES
“The intellectual property laws do not grant corporations the right to control all artistic speech concerning the role of products and corporations in our society,” Hurst said. There are no monetary damages to be paid, and unless Mattel decides to appeal Monday’s judgment will mark the end of the case. Forsythe is now trying to raise money to cover his costs. In terms of his art he said he is moving onto other subject matter: “I’m not the first person to parody Barbie, and I’m sure I won’t be the last.”
Oh for the love of all things christian, I have been talking with Anne (Linda) Lavin, and I am still amazed at how she makes me laugh. She is sort of in a bad situation with her personal life, which I certainly won't report on here, but she's a trooper, and I have to give credit where credit is due. She is still one of the most unique individuals I have ever known. Smart as a whip (but her younger sister, is WAY more smart than her!!)
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