Today, you've probably noticed sites like Wikipedia, Reddit and Google going black in an effort to publicize the fight against the dangerous and ill-conceived Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

Bad Left Hook is one of many web sites owned by Vox Media, which owns the SB Nation brand of sports community sites and blogs. Below is the official Vox Media position on SOPA, and this is endorsed by myself as the managing editor of Bad Left Hook -- if you are an American citizen, please support the opposition to SOPA by telling your Congressmen to oppose this bill. One way to do that would be using this form from Google, where you can also learn more about SOPA and PIPA. Thank you. - Scott Christ, Managing Editor, Bad Left Hook

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To learn a bit more about SOPA and PIPA legislation, watch the video.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

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Vox Media Position on SOPA

The internet has been abuzz recently with strong opinions on the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA as it is commonly called. Content owners feel that the legislation is absolutely necessary to enable them to stem the rampant piracy that is eroding their markets; they need a better way to enforce their rights. New media companies see the legislation as a Web killer that threatens their very existence, as the key to engaged communities is the freedom to contribute to the conversation, including the contribution of relevant content. As a new type of media company that invests heavily in both developing our own premium content and providing our communities of readers with powerful tools with which to express themselves, Vox Media is in a unique position to understand the conflict raised by the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA.

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Have a safe and happy New Year's celebration tonight. Here's Tom Waits to be a downer:

I'll be largely out today, as I'm sure most of you will, so I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas Eve. Here's The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl with the classic "Fairytale of New York."

(Adult lyrics in here, so if that's more than you can handle, don't play.)

It's Thanksgiving for those of us in the United States, and that means I'll be taking the day off. There will be some feature pieces going up throughout the day, so make sure you check the site and all that. It will be updating, even though I won't actively be here.

Those of you in the States, have a great and safe Thanksgiving. Those of you who are not, well, have an awesome regular old Thursday. We'll be back in action 100% tomorrow.

Go Lions!

I'm going to be out for the rest of the day, so here's an open thread to talk some fights. Sky has a 5pm show with 6'9" heavyweight David Price (10-0, 8 KO) taking on fellow UK giant heavyweight prospect Tom Dallas (15-0, 11 KO), who stands a mere 6'6". Here's part of Dave Oakes' preview:

Price, 10-0 (KO 8), has had everything stacked in his favour thus far in his pro career, some of his opponents have been laughable. Osborne Machimana in particular left ringsiders exasperated - he is up there with the worst boxers I’ve seen in a British ring. Price has been getting some top class sparring over the past two years; hopefully he will have learned more from that than he has from his fights.

Dallas, 15-0 (KO 11), represents a solid step-up in class - he’ll be the first boxer Price has fought with a winning record and he carries reasonable punch power. He’s not the most technically gifted boxer, being too upright, robotic and flat-footed - as was witnessed in his struggle against Zack Page last time out - but what he has got is pride, toughness and ambition.

There's also another ShoBox double-header tonight, and I think the Austin Trout vs David Lopez fight is being televised somewhere or other in Mexico, but I'm not certain. Enjoy your Saturday.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, joyful whatever-you're-celebrating from all of us at Bad Left Hook.