Origins

Surf’s Up in Court: Jury Deliberates Origins of ‘Moana’ Amid Claims of Stolen Story from Indie Animator

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Los Angeles — A legal battle that pits a small-time writer against one of the entertainment industry’s giants unfolded in a Los Angeles court, where Buck Woodall alleges that his conceptual work “Bucky the Surfer Boy” served as the unrecognized foundation for Disney’s blockbuster film “Moana”. Lawyers delivered closing arguments this Monday, spotlighting fundamental questions of creativity and copyright inside the entertainment industry. Woodall, a writer and animator from New Mexico, brought forth a case arguing that major similarities between “Moana” and his work are too many to simply be coincidental. According to Woodall’s attorney, … Read more

Yale Law Professor Exposes Disturbing Eugenic Origins of Colorado’s Habitual Criminal Law

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DENVER, Colorado – Yale Law School professor Daniel Loehr, along with research assistants Balen Essak-Hernandez and Courtney Perales, has filed an amicus brief before the Colorado Supreme Court, arguing that the state’s habitual criminal law is linked to the eugenics movement. Loehr’s brief, based on historical research conducted during his time at the Law School, aims to demonstrate the historical origins of the law and its ties to the eugenics movement. The brief focuses on the case of Ward v. the People of Colorado, in which an individual was charged under the habitual criminal law … Read more

Unveiling the Medieval Origins: How Ancient Christian Ideals Shape Women’s Beauty Standards Today, Cambridge Scholar Reveals

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Cambridge, UK – Scholars at the University of Cambridge are shedding light on the origins of the idea that true beauty lies within and its impact on the control of women’s dress. According to a recent talk at the university, influential male writers in the third century used this Christian concept to manipulate and regulate how women presented themselves. Alexandra Zhirnova, a Cambridge scholar, highlighted the misogynistic views held by medieval Christian men towards women’s appearance as part of her research. She explained that as Christianity became integrated into patriarchal societies during the Middle Ages, … Read more