Maybe college radio will be able to stay on the Net

Possible Deal On The Horizon For Webcasters To Stay In Business.

The Devil’s in the Details or the Ongoing Saga of Internet Radio and RIAA.

“It appears someone has grabbed the webcasters and RIAA representatives by the scruff of the neck, thrown them into a conference room and told them to “negotiate a fair settlement or else.”  Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) who chairs the House Judiciary Committee and sponsored Bill HR5469, has pulled the bill from the voting schedule.

Rumors have it the two groups are finally talking about a deal based on a percentage of webcasters’ revenues vs. the per-play model. If an agreement is reached it will over ride the Library of Congress’ original webcast royality arrangement, which would virtually run out all internet radio stations out of business and straight into bankruptcy. [More as this is developing.]“ [Mary Wehmeier's Blog Du Jour]

Doc also provides a pointer to a RAIN press release on the topic. Has the RIAA been willing to sit down and offer actual compromises and actions on their part (not demands) in order to reach an agreement within four days on ANY OTHER ISSUE in recent memory?

Via The Shifted Librarian

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Apropos of nothing

I’ve just discovered how easy it is to make salsa.  Chop up a tomato and onion, toss in lime juice, garlic, cilantro, a bit of salt, olive oil, salt, and oregano.  Add fire to your pleasing, like canned chipotles and fresh jalapenos.  You’re done!.  Might take ten minutes.

No need to buy salsa (especially the absurdly high-priced yuppie brands) when you can make your own.

And now back to our our usual apocalyptic forebodings.

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Martin Luther King III and SCLC join NION Oct 6 protest

Southern Christian Leadership Conference
334 Auburn Ave., NE, P.O. Box 89128
Atlanta, Georgia 30312
(404) 552-1420

September 30, 2002

Dear Friend:

We are writing to urge you to participate in the day of protest called by the Not In Our Name (NION) project for Sunday, October 6th. In our name, the Bush administration has taken for itself and its allies the right to rain down military force anywhere and anytime. Now, the government prepares openly to wage all-out war on Iraq – a country which has no established connection to the horror of September 11th. In our name, the government has rounded up over 1000 immigrants, detaining them in secret and indefinitely. In our name, the government has brought down a pall of repression over society. The so-called USA Patriot Act, along with a host of similar measures on the state level, gives the police sweeping power of search and seizure, supervised, if at all, by secret proceedings before secret courts. The president’s spokesperson has warned people to “watch what they say.” We believe that people of conscience must speak out, and act, in opposition to the injustice that is being done in our own name!

October 6th gives us a great opportunity to do that. As you can see from reading the NION Pledge of Resistance, NION brings people together to resist all the unjust acts being perpetrated as part of the War on Terrorism. It highlights the responsibility of people in this country to oppose the illegal and immoral acts of this government. Resistance to the war moves of the government and the repressive laws and policies being enacted must be taken to a higher level now, before another country is invaded and before more groups of people become targets of the repression.

If you are in New York or can get there, join thousands of others from different backgrounds in taking the Pledge of Resistance in Central Park on October 6th. If you can’t get to New York, contact the Not In Our Name project to see if there is protest activity scheduled for your areas. If not, plan something and involve your friends, co-workers, congregation and/or fellow students in it.

To Contact the Not In Our Name Project:
Call (212) 969-8058
Via email: info@notinourname.net
Website: www.notinourname.net

Sincerely,

Martin L. King, III

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Wall Street corruption probes spread

Executives Sued for IPO Profits

Five telecom industry executives, including Los Angeles sports mogul Philip F. Anschutz and former WorldCom Inc. chief Bernard J. Ebbers, were sued Monday by New York state on charges that they steered business to a big Wall Street brokerage in exchange for hot stock offerings.

The civil suit by New York Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer alleges that the men directed corporate finance work for their firms to Salomon Smith Barney, the brokerage arm of Citigroup Inc., in return for sweetheart deals on initial public stock offerings in recent years.

This one could get huge as the investigations spread.  No doubt many more  executives were doing the same - giving company business to brokerages on the condition that they personally got in on profitable IPO’s.

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Blowback

U.S. Supplied Germs to Iraq in ’80s. Extensive, documented article by Matt Kelley, Associated Press Writer, with many hyperlinks to other sources.

Iraq’s bioweapons program that President Bush … wants to eradicate got its start with help from Uncle Sam two decades ago, according to government records getting new scrutiny in light of the discussion of war against Iraq. [Blog Left: Critical Interventions]

How ironic that this particular case of blowback is related to poison gas, which is where the term blowback originated - in WWI poison gas sometimes would blow back on troops that launched it.

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Two GOP Senators urge Iraq coalition

Two prominent Senate Republicans called on President Bush yesterday to build an international coalition before striking Iraq, setting the stage for a lively and divisive debate this week over the administration’s strategy to enforce weapons inspections and topple Saddam Hussein.

Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) yesterday lobbied Bush to agree explicitly to work more closely with U.S. allies to eliminate Hussein’s nuclear, chemical and biological capabilities.

“I don’t understand why the president would not want all the congressional and international support he can get if, in fact, the last option is taking a nation to war,” Hagel said.  <I’m guessing it’s because Bush really really wants war.>

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Nationwide anti-war demonstrations this Sunday

Be there!  www.notinourname.net

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Paul Wellstone now behind in Senate race

This Minnesota Senate race has liberal Democrats foaming at the mouth against Greens because we had the effontery, the unmitigated gall, to run a candidate.  Imagine!  And against that wonderful Mr. Wellstone too.

Now it appears Wellstone is slipping behind the Republican. Egad, if Wellstone loses by the amount polled by the Green, then no car in country with a Green bumper sticker is safe (mine included), we’ll all be rammed off the road by enraged Democrats driving Ford Extinctions.

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The Electric Prunes return!

Yes, the I Had Too Much To Dream band.

website

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