Monday, August 25, 2008
Support our troops, vote Obama?
Remember those “We support our troops and the president” bumper stickers from the 2004 presidential election? This election year, they’ll have to read, “We support our troops and Obama.”That’s because a study by The Center for Responsive Politics discovered that, “Democrat Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than has Republican John McCain.”The non-partisan, non-profit research group headquartered in Washington, DC. also reported on their website that, “Despite McCain's status as a decorated veteran and a historically Republican bent among the military, members of the armed services overall -- whether stationed overseas or at home -- are also favoring Obama with their campaign contributions in 2008…” It’s gonna be really interesting to hear how McCain’s people, who are touting their candidate’s foreign policy and military expertise, spin this one. When the true experts on our nation’s defense, and the people who are actually protecting America, support Obama by such a wide margin, it’s pretty hard to argue that a vote for McCain is supporting our troops.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
FCC to warn TV viewers: 'This is only a test'
FCC to warn TV viewers: 'This is only a test'
To increase awareness, analog sets may go blank
By Wailin Wong Chicago Tribune reporter
August 19, 2008
If you watch an older TV hooked up to rabbit-ear antennas and your screen goes snowy for a moment this November, replaced by a message telling you to call a toll-free number, do not be alarmed. It's not Martians. It's just the government.Representatives of the Federal Communications Commission are scheduled to visit Chicago on Nov. 20 as part of a nationwide tour to regions that are considered at risk for missing the switch from analog to digital TV signals. While regulators haven't detailed their itinerary for Chicago, one of the options to test local households' readiness is what's known as a "soft test," or temporarily turning off analog signals.In a soft test, the signal is shut down for 30 to 60 seconds. Viewers who are watching an older TV with rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna will get a snowy screen and a message telling them to call a toll-free number or visit DTVanswers.com, a Web site run by the National Association of Broadcasters."We've found that's an effective way to get the message out," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a Monday press conference, during which he announced the agency's nationwide tour.
To increase awareness, analog sets may go blank
By Wailin Wong Chicago Tribune reporter
August 19, 2008
If you watch an older TV hooked up to rabbit-ear antennas and your screen goes snowy for a moment this November, replaced by a message telling you to call a toll-free number, do not be alarmed. It's not Martians. It's just the government.Representatives of the Federal Communications Commission are scheduled to visit Chicago on Nov. 20 as part of a nationwide tour to regions that are considered at risk for missing the switch from analog to digital TV signals. While regulators haven't detailed their itinerary for Chicago, one of the options to test local households' readiness is what's known as a "soft test," or temporarily turning off analog signals.In a soft test, the signal is shut down for 30 to 60 seconds. Viewers who are watching an older TV with rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna will get a snowy screen and a message telling them to call a toll-free number or visit DTVanswers.com, a Web site run by the National Association of Broadcasters."We've found that's an effective way to get the message out," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a Monday press conference, during which he announced the agency's nationwide tour.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Soul singer Isaac Hayes, 65, is dead
Soul singer Isaac Hayes, 65, is dead
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated Sunday, August 10th 2008, 6:53 PM
Pereira/WireImage
Isaac Hayes performs during the 30th Celebrate Brooklyn Summer Season on June 12, 2008 at the bandshell in Prospect Park.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless "Theme From Shaft" won Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. He was 65.
A family member found Hayes unresponsive near a treadmill and he was pronounced dead about an hour later at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, according to the sheriff's office. The cause of death was not immediately known.
In the early 1970s, Hayes laid the groundwork for disco, for what became known as urban-contemporary music and for romantic crooners like Barry White. And he was rapping before there was rap.
His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show "South Park."
The album "Hot Buttered Soul" made Hayes a star in 1969. His shaven head, gold chains and sunglasses gave him a compelling visual image.
"Hot Buttered Soul" was groundbreaking in several ways: He sang in a "cool" style unlike the usual histrionics of big-time soul singers. He prefaced the song with "raps," and the numbers ran longer than three minutes with lush arrangements.
"Jocks would play it at night," Hayes recalled in a 1999 Associated Press interview. "They could go to the bathroom, they could get a sandwich, or whatever."
Next came "Theme From Shaft," a No. 1 hit in 1971 from the film "Shaft" starring Richard Roundtree.
"That was like the shot heard round the world," Hayes said in the 1999 interview.
At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song wearing an eye-popping amount of gold and received a standing ovation. TV Guide later chose it as No. 18 in its list of television's 25 most memorable moments. He won an Academy Award for the song and was nominated for another one for the score. The song and score also won him two Grammys.
"The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence," he said. "And they'll tell you if you ask."
Hayes was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
"I knew nothing about the business, or trends and things like that," he said. "I think it was a matter of timing. I didn't know what was unfolding."
A self-taught musician, he was hired in 1964 by Stax Records of Memphis as a backup pianist, working as a session musician for Otis Redding and others. He also played saxophone.
He began writing songs, establishing a songwriting partnership with David Porter, and in the 1960s they wrote such hits for Sam and Dave as "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man." See http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated Sunday, August 10th 2008, 6:53 PM
Pereira/WireImage
Isaac Hayes performs during the 30th Celebrate Brooklyn Summer Season on June 12, 2008 at the bandshell in Prospect Park.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless "Theme From Shaft" won Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. He was 65.
A family member found Hayes unresponsive near a treadmill and he was pronounced dead about an hour later at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, according to the sheriff's office. The cause of death was not immediately known.
In the early 1970s, Hayes laid the groundwork for disco, for what became known as urban-contemporary music and for romantic crooners like Barry White. And he was rapping before there was rap.
His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show "South Park."
The album "Hot Buttered Soul" made Hayes a star in 1969. His shaven head, gold chains and sunglasses gave him a compelling visual image.
"Hot Buttered Soul" was groundbreaking in several ways: He sang in a "cool" style unlike the usual histrionics of big-time soul singers. He prefaced the song with "raps," and the numbers ran longer than three minutes with lush arrangements.
"Jocks would play it at night," Hayes recalled in a 1999 Associated Press interview. "They could go to the bathroom, they could get a sandwich, or whatever."
Next came "Theme From Shaft," a No. 1 hit in 1971 from the film "Shaft" starring Richard Roundtree.
"That was like the shot heard round the world," Hayes said in the 1999 interview.
At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song wearing an eye-popping amount of gold and received a standing ovation. TV Guide later chose it as No. 18 in its list of television's 25 most memorable moments. He won an Academy Award for the song and was nominated for another one for the score. The song and score also won him two Grammys.
"The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence," he said. "And they'll tell you if you ask."
Hayes was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
"I knew nothing about the business, or trends and things like that," he said. "I think it was a matter of timing. I didn't know what was unfolding."
A self-taught musician, he was hired in 1964 by Stax Records of Memphis as a backup pianist, working as a session musician for Otis Redding and others. He also played saxophone.
He began writing songs, establishing a songwriting partnership with David Porter, and in the 1960s they wrote such hits for Sam and Dave as "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man." See http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
NY appeals court green-lights remote storage DVR
NY appeals court green-lights remote storage DVR
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Monday, August 4th 2008, 3:12 PM
In a decision sure to affect millions of cable television subscribers, a federal appeals court Monday gave a green light to Cablevision Systems Corp.'s rollout of a remote-storage digital video recorder system.
In overturning a lower court ruling that had blocked the service, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the judge wrongly concluded that Cablevision, rather than its customers, would be making copies of programs, thereby violating copyright laws.
Tom Rutledge Cablevision's chief operating officer, called the appeals court decision "a tremendous victory for consumers." He said it would allow the company to make DVRs available to more people, faster and less expensively than would otherwise be possible.
Cablevision's next-generation technology would let any cable subscriber with a digital cable box store TV shows on computer servers rather than on a hard drive in their home.
The new Cablevision system was challenged by a group of Hollywood studios that claimed that the remote-storage system would have amounted to an unauthorized broadcast of their programs.
Cablevision, in arguing that control of the recording and playback was in the hands of the consumer, had relied on a landmark 1984 Supreme Court case which found Sony Corp. did not break copyright laws by letting viewers use videotape recorders to record shows for personal use.
A lawyer for the Hollywood studios did not immediately return a telephone message for comment Monday.
In its ruling, the appeals court said it did not see much difference between the user of a VCR and the user of a DVR.
See--http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Monday, August 4th 2008, 3:12 PM
In a decision sure to affect millions of cable television subscribers, a federal appeals court Monday gave a green light to Cablevision Systems Corp.'s rollout of a remote-storage digital video recorder system.
In overturning a lower court ruling that had blocked the service, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the judge wrongly concluded that Cablevision, rather than its customers, would be making copies of programs, thereby violating copyright laws.
Tom Rutledge Cablevision's chief operating officer, called the appeals court decision "a tremendous victory for consumers." He said it would allow the company to make DVRs available to more people, faster and less expensively than would otherwise be possible.
Cablevision's next-generation technology would let any cable subscriber with a digital cable box store TV shows on computer servers rather than on a hard drive in their home.
The new Cablevision system was challenged by a group of Hollywood studios that claimed that the remote-storage system would have amounted to an unauthorized broadcast of their programs.
Cablevision, in arguing that control of the recording and playback was in the hands of the consumer, had relied on a landmark 1984 Supreme Court case which found Sony Corp. did not break copyright laws by letting viewers use videotape recorders to record shows for personal use.
A lawyer for the Hollywood studios did not immediately return a telephone message for comment Monday.
In its ruling, the appeals court said it did not see much difference between the user of a VCR and the user of a DVR.
See--http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Sunday, August 03, 2008
US Border Agency Says It Can Seize Laptops
US Border Agency Says It Can Seize Laptops
Agam Shah, IDG News Service Fri Aug 1, 7:50 PM ET
Travelers beware: U.S. agents now have the authority to seize and retain laptops indefinitely, according to a new policy detailed in documents issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
As part of border search policy, government agents are now authorized to seize electronic devices and inspect documents in them, the document states. The electronic devices might include laptops, cell phones, portable music players or storage devices such as portable hard drives.
Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection will also be allowed to translate and share documents with other government agencies.
The DHS document, issued July 16, appears to state publicly a policy that has already existed. Laptops and electronic devices have been subject to search in the past, and travelers have reported not getting their devices back. The policy has drawn strong criticism from lawmakers and nonprofit groups, who charged that the searches were invasive and a violation of an individual's privacy rights. Computers contain a vast amount of private information about family, finances and health, which could be easily copied and stored in government databases, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has complained.
The policy document states that being able to examine documents and electronic devices is crucial for "detecting information concerning terrorism, narcotics smuggling... contraband including child pornography, and... other import or export control laws."
The new DHS policies allow customs agents to analyze the contents of laptops without any suspicion of wrongdoing, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold said in a statement.
"The policies that have been disclosed are truly alarming," Feingold wrote.
The policy could blur the distinction between "search" and "seizure," which could also allow DHS officials to steal personal documents from laptops it has retained, Feingold wrote.
Agam Shah, IDG News Service Fri Aug 1, 7:50 PM ET
Travelers beware: U.S. agents now have the authority to seize and retain laptops indefinitely, according to a new policy detailed in documents issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
As part of border search policy, government agents are now authorized to seize electronic devices and inspect documents in them, the document states. The electronic devices might include laptops, cell phones, portable music players or storage devices such as portable hard drives.
Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection will also be allowed to translate and share documents with other government agencies.
The DHS document, issued July 16, appears to state publicly a policy that has already existed. Laptops and electronic devices have been subject to search in the past, and travelers have reported not getting their devices back. The policy has drawn strong criticism from lawmakers and nonprofit groups, who charged that the searches were invasive and a violation of an individual's privacy rights. Computers contain a vast amount of private information about family, finances and health, which could be easily copied and stored in government databases, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has complained.
The policy document states that being able to examine documents and electronic devices is crucial for "detecting information concerning terrorism, narcotics smuggling... contraband including child pornography, and... other import or export control laws."
The new DHS policies allow customs agents to analyze the contents of laptops without any suspicion of wrongdoing, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold said in a statement.
"The policies that have been disclosed are truly alarming," Feingold wrote.
The policy could blur the distinction between "search" and "seizure," which could also allow DHS officials to steal personal documents from laptops it has retained, Feingold wrote.
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