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Friday, January 31, 2003
Seperated at birth???
Moviegoers Say Dobby Looks Like Putin
By Sarah Karush, Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW - What does the stern-faced commander in chief of a million-strong army have in common with a self-effacing elf from a popular children's film? Nothing — except perhaps a longish nose, piercing eyes and a certain indefinable similarity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin may not be green and wrinkly like Dobby, the house elf from "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," but moviegoers have been struck by a certain resemblance.
There was a site a while back that posted a comparison between Gollum and some politician, I forget who it was, or what site it was on. See kids, that's what college does to your brain- turns it into mush!
And lest we forget...
Well, I was going to post two seperate pictures, but someone stole my idea, dadgummit:
Creepy, isn't it? More fun stuff here.
Thursday, January 30, 2003
How did I not know this???
Yesterday, my birthday is National Freethinker's Day, celebrated because it's also the birthday of (my favorite patriot) Thomas Paine! How cool is that?
Today, by the way, is Note Taker's Day.
Wednesday, January 29, 2003
I got an unwitting little birthday present today- I got into a packed class that I was only on the hold list of. Hurray for me! 15 credits it is then.
Oh yes, birthday. Eh, 20 is a rather useless one I have to say. No new priveleges or anything. But I'm not a teenager anymore. Aaahh! I'm halfway to 40! Double-ahhhhhh!!!!!
Tuesday, January 28, 2003
I never planned to do this, nor do I plan to do it again.
My latest article is ready for your reading pleasure:
The Life of a Skeptic: Teachout Unveils Mencken’s World
Steve Wiley
Retriever Weekly Staff Writer
As a newspaper writer and editor, an author of many books on a multitude of subjects, and a literary critic, Henry Louis Mencken was a veritable renaissance man throughout his life, and one of the most controversial public figures of his day. Terry Teachout’s recent biography, "The Skeptic: A Life of H. L. Mencken," examines Mencken the man, the times in which he lived, and his irreverent writings, which gained him innumerable fans and admirers, and at least as many detractors.
Buuuuuuut...
Since the version I sent in to my editor totaled 1,100 words *sigh*... it had to be cut- I told Jenn that shaving off the fat was the only option. So, above is the printed copy of the story. It is probably the stronger version of the article. However, I thought I'd take the liberty of posting my original "director's cut." Hope you all enjoy...
Mencken, Sage of Baltimore, Set Standards for Journalism and Controversy
So there it is, uncut in all its glory.
Monday, January 27, 2003
Yay.
Sitemeter says that this here blog has been visited recently by nipr.gov. Click here for info on that Department of Defense operation. Cause for paranoia? Am I being watched???
Hardly. It seems one of "our boys" was using U.S. defense spending to research that most urgent topic for national security:
http://www.sitemeter.com/default.asp?action=stats&site=s13swiley&visit=37&report=9 (Non-permanent link.)
"Return of the King trailer Jar-Jaromir"
I hope he found what he was looking for. :-D
Now if I could only figure out that mysterious clicking sound when I'm on the telephone... ;-)
Busy busy busy.
Ahh... first day back is always a bit of a shock to the system. It's like- wow, this is how my Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are going to be for the next four months. Things might get interesting...
Hmm... gotta figure out what to write about for next week's Retriever. Any suggestions, loyal readers? Might just do a movie review- problem is, haven't seen any lately. Not that I can't fix that real quick. Expect something new from me in tomorrow's issue.
The Super Bowl was surprisingly OK- I expected it to be more of a rout. Eh, I just watch it for the commercials anyway- I'm not afraid to admit it. Hulk looked pretty good. Daredevil might be worth checking out. But, the Matrix: Reloaded and Revolutions- just can't wait for those two sequels!
Sunday, January 26, 2003
Hey y'all. On the eve of my return to la universidad, I'm just chilling, doing my normal Sunday routine.
The Super Bowl's on. Woo-hoo. I watch it for the ads, mostly. And what is up with Madden's voice??? Not so super.
No hate mail from any UMCP cheaters. Yet...
Anyway, best of luck to all my UMBC comrades. May this be a semester to remember.
Saturday, January 25, 2003
More quality linkage, comin' at ya!
Now here's a provocative article, coming from one of those Alternative Weekly Newspapers, like the one I read every week:
RUBBISH!
Portland's top brass said it was OK to swipe your garbage--so we grabbed theirs.
I won't quote much from the article- read it, it's great subversive/anarchist journalism.
Sample:"Things inside your house are to be guarded," he told WW. "Those that are in the trash are open for trash men and pickers and--and police. And so it's not a matter of privacy anymore."
but then, after their garbage is dug through...
"I consider Willamette Week's actions in this matter to be potentially illegal and absolutely unscrupulous and reprehensible," it read. "I will consider all my legal options in response to their actions."
And at the bottom, they list the treasures found in other peoples' trash.
Do unto others...
SHOCKER!
University of Maryland College Park students caught cheating! UMBC students everywhere collapse out of utter consternation!
Really, I do hate to generalize an entire body of students, but this is not exactly astonishing news. And not that UMBC students are necessarily pure as the driven snow, but this is not out of character for that jock school, that "diploma factory," as my aunt, a UMCP grad once called it.
U-Md. Says Students Use Phones to Cheat
By Amy Argetsinger
The University of Maryland is investigating 12 students for allegedly using their cell phones to dial up all the right answers during fall exams.
The students are accused of using the "text messaging" functions on their phones or pagers to receive silent messages from friends who had access to answer keys for the tests, campus officials said yesterday.
One very important thing to point out:Some professors, he said, have gotten in the habit of posting the keys while students are still taking the exam, assured that students would not be able to see the answers until they had turned in their tests and left the proctored classroom.
It is unclear exactly how the accused students may have cheated, Zacker said. But preliminary investigations suggest that they may have arranged to have friends outside the classroom consult the keys and call in the answers.
In some cases, professors had posted answer keys on their Web sites, and officials believe that students may have used cell phones equipped with Web browsers to look up the answers themselves, while still in the exam room.
The memo, from Provost William W. Destler, also advised faculty not to post answer keys until well after an exam is completed.
Hahahahahaha! Stupid professors got what was coming to them then! Well, not really; cheating sucks for everyone, but retarded profs deserve to lose their tenure.
But yes, this helps to ease my and my fellow Retrievers' inferiority complex.
Friday, January 24, 2003
My last day of freedom awaits me tomorrow. Then on Monday back to the gulag known as UMBC- Under More Bulls*** Construction.
I kid. Because I love.
Aaaaanyway. I kind of hate that I'm turning this into a technology/humor linkjournal- this was supposed to be a venue to air out my personal thoughts and opinions. And now all I have time to offer are a bunch of boring old hyperlinks to boring old news stories. On that note...
Wary Tech Makers Say "Bug Off, Gov't!"
Yay! The industry finally grows a pair.
Slanderous Comments on eBay?
Welcome to the litigation station. How may wesueer... serve you?
Vote Pablo Francisco!
They are trying to take my tortillas!!!
Delaying the Inevitable Reign of Big Brother
Has anyone even tried to defend the choice of Poindexter? Anyone?
800 MHz Amigas!
Is it just me, or was it a little sad, and perhaps creepy that they called their PC "girlfriend"? (OK, my latino homies will correct me, I'm sure: technically, amiga means "female friend;" novia is girlfriend, usually.)
'Tis all for now. Carry on!
Wednesday, January 22, 2003
Fans Outraged at New Character in The Return of the King
By Brian Briggs
Wellington, New Zealand - A recently leaked trailer for The Return of the King has Tolkien fans outraged over the apparent addition of a new character - Jar-Jaromir. The scene depicted in the trailer shows Jar-Jaromir shouting, "Gondora gonna fallsa";
he then trips over a corpse and knocks down a couple of Uruk-hai.
Producers of The Lord of the Rings trilogy confirmed the addition of the half-brother of Boromir and Faramir.
OK, that's it! I'm starting a petition right now!
Tuesday, January 21, 2003
Ehm... seemed certain that this would happen one of these days. It may have already, before this example, but I'm sure that this won't be the last...
Verizon Must Reveal Internet Song Swapper
Tue Jan 21, 7:42 PM ET
By Andy Sullivan [?]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Recording companies won a victory in their fight against online piracy on Tuesday when a U.S. court ordered Verizon Communications to turn over the name of a customer suspected of downloading more than 600 songs in one day over the Internet.
U.S. District Judge John Bates said Verizon must cooperate with recording industry efforts to track down online song swappers, rejecting the telecommunications giant's assertion that such a move would violate customer privacy and turn it into an online copyright cop.
Well, first of all, congrats to that guy for having such fat bandwidth! My eyes almost popped out of my head when I read that figure.It takes me... er, I mean, it WOULD take me about 25 minutes just to download one song, IF I were into that sort of thing. I'm on dial-up, ya know. *wink*
Seriously though, either way you look at it, this sets a pretty clear precedent for heavy MP3 downloaders.
Theoretical question: I know this is highly unlikely, but what if every single one of those songs was among those not considered copyrighted by the artist (but the record company doesn't approve of), i.e., live bootlegs, unreleased demos, etc.? Of course, I'm sure that isn't the case, but it just makes you think, what if I get nabbed for something the label thinks is bad, but the performer is OK with?
Oh yes, and props to Verizon for sticking up for private citizens. Not a free pass to jack up rates; just giving credit where it's due.
Monday, January 20, 2003
Oh goodie- it's time to reuse and recycle. Old material, that is!
Here's a review I wrote at the beginning of my tenure at UMBC's proud studentrag*ahem* newspaper, the Retriever Weekly. For some reason, it never made it to the website, as with the whole first issue, if I remember. Anyway, it comes out on DVD today, so I thought it might be good to let my opinion be known. I prettied it up with pix, and edited the thing just slightly.
Fun Premise Virtually Ruined by Weak Satire
Simone (aka "S1M0NE")
Andrew Niccol has really carved his little niche as a filmmaker, hasn't he? Before writing and directing Simone (** out of 4), which was finally released August 23 after numerous delays, Niccol made two other films that dealt with the hazards of the technological breakthroughs that lie just around the corner. Gattaca, with Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, made very little impact upon its release five years ago, but for those lucky enough to catch it, it was a stylish thriller which held a great deal of foresight into near-future world of genetics. The second picture he wrote and produced, The Truman Show, was directed by Peter Weir, and managed both to help Jim Carrey garner some respect as a "serious actor," as well as make a boatload of money in its prophetic tale of a man who lived the examined life, examined, that is, by all the outside world. The key to the artistic success of his previous pictures depended on realism, stories which seemed by some stretch of the imagination to be possible in the world we live in today, or perhaps the imminent future. ...
Well, it goes downhill from there, folks.
Can't really speak for the DVD features, as I haven't seen them. Here's a review to give you an idea. (*hint* DVD screeners would be real nice, studios! I'd review every single one!)
I'd marginally recommend a rental, but even that's pushing it. Enjoy.
So much to do... [you know the rest]
Where has the time gone? I've got one more week of freedom, and I haven't gotten nearly as much done as I wanted. If sloth were a virtue, I'd be a saint. And you can quote me on that.
The Thing That Cannot Be Mentioned had to be sent in today. I've got a bit of a sinking feeling surrounding it. *sigh*
Surprise coming later.
Saturday, January 18, 2003
My apologies for any offensive stereotypes the following article (and subsequent comments) might seem to engender:
L.A. Official Calls for Probe of Internet Cafes
By Ben Berkowitz
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles city councilman has called for an investigation of violence at so-called Internet cafes, a step that could prompt a crackdown on the popular and controversial sites for PC-based games.
The investigation of the cybercafes, also known as "PC bangs" or "cybercafes," came after a brawl erupted between rival groups playing in a tournament involving the online combat game "Counter Strike."
Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine said on Thursday he plans to introduce a motion at a hearing next week asking for a report from the Los Angeles Police Department on recent outbreaks of violence at cybercafes.
One unidentified teenager was shot in the leg on Monday outside an Internet cafe in Northridge, a suburb that is part of Los Angeles. A second youth was struck in the head, reportedly with a chair.
OK, so at this point in reading the article, I'm thinking, "Hmm... Didn't know the Crips and Bloods could be such major l33t h@x0rz. But later on in the article...
ASIAN GANG DISPUTES
Much of the violence at Orange County cybercafes has been blamed on Asian gang disputes. The Northridge brawl is also being investigated by a Los Angeles police unit that investigates Asian gang-related crimes.
"Gang violence can occur anywhere but what gang members do is they identify locations where people congregate and then they want to put a stranglehold on and take over," Zine, a former LAPD officer, told Reuters.
Zine has said he was concerned that Internet cafes featuring violent games had become unsafe for the minors who frequent them and raised the prospect of imposing an age restriction on the businesses.
O........K. I guess I see now. I was a bit mistaken about this gang violence. But why aren't these Asian gangs being given any national media attention? Just asking.
And just because for white folk like me, hearing about Asians engaging in organized crime is a bit odd. Absurd even. The only gangs you tend to see on TV and in movies are black, Latino, or of the old-school Italian mafia. Of course I've heard about the Yakuza in Japan and the Triad in China, but here in America? It just doesn't fit the stereotype (computer/math whiz, cello player, etc.). Well, I guess the computer part fits in this case. ;-)
So anyway, I guess I have a lot to learn.
Please send all complaints to the webmaster. He really didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings.
Friday, January 17, 2003
[Yes folks, these are the "more substantial" posts I promised you recently.]
So. Saw TTT again today; finally got to see it with the family. That's viewing #3 for me. I've got to admit, it's getting better. It's getting better, all the time... ;-)
No, seriously, I like it more every time I see it. Now it ranks in my mind just as highly as the first- no mean feat!
School is looming, right around the corner. Like the eye of Sauron, I am being drawn toward UMBC despite my gravest efforts. OK, that was a tortured allegory. Anyway, "the days," to quote Calvin yet again, "are just packed." So much stuff to do and only a week left to do it in!
Did I mention I'm having a dickens of a time installing my new hard drive? Norton Ghost ain't all it's cracked up to be, on my box at least.
Oh yes, still slaving away on The Thing That Cannot Be Mentioned. Hope I get it... Wish I could say what it is, so all you big influential readers could throw your collective weight around to ensure my victory. Ummm... that sounds kind of creepy probably, so I'll just shut up about it for right now. Besides, it's sort of an "eyes-only" deal. For what that's worth.
Thursday, January 16, 2003
Tampa International Airport was clearing the decks this week as security glitches popped up. WTSP-TV in Tampa reports a section of the airport was evacuated Monday after security scanners detected something suspicious in a piece of luggage. It wasn't a bomb: it was a mousetrap -- or, in Homeland Security jargon -- a weapon of mouse destruction. Tuesday night another evacuation was prompted by another suspicious bag. This time it turned out to belong to a member of the airport security staff.
Hehe... couldn't resist!
Tuesday, January 14, 2003
24: 5:00-6:00 pm
Around 35 mins. into this one, I started thinking, "Geez, not much happens in this one."
I was so wrong.
Heheh... Tony and Michelle, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-... well, you know the rest. That was the only real surprise to this episode, actually. Most of the other stuff I had more or less guessed- note that I never watch those spoilerific previews. Ugh. I wait patiently every week, to be rewarded when 9:00 Tuesday finally rolls around. I don't even read the TV Guide listings. And I certainly don't read Ain't-It-Cool's weekly episode reviews, not until after I actually see the show. Here's this week's, by "Herc." Gotta love those AICN nicknames.
Aaaaanyway... very good episode. And I would say so if it were otherwise! The climax was a real shocker, if I hadn't already guessed it. Still good though. :-)
Sunday, January 12, 2003
A few goodies here and there...
VisualThesaurus
Why did I never visited this? It's sooooo cool! Punch in words, see the cool things that happen... repeat until amazed! Awesome stuff for the philologist-in-training. Go there now.
Now what's this? The logical thing would be to click and see, but you can stick around and listen to my explanation.
It's basically a study of American geo-linguistics.
The subject: what people in various regions of the U.S. call... that fizzy sugarwater, AKA soft drinks. Ya know? "Soda." Apparently, some local yokels have decided to call the stuff "pop." Haha, how quaint! And it also seems that a sizable percentage of the Union likes to say "Coke." Well, that's just swell for Coca-Cola, and perhaps Diet-Coke... BUT THEY ACTUALLY CALL PEPSI OR MOUNTAIN DEW OR DR. PEPPER THAT??? STUPID REDNECKS!!!!!!!!
...
Sorry. I got a little worked up over "soda." I'm a passionate, PASSIONATE man. ;-)
And, finally...
THIS SITE just fascinates the stuffing out of me. I admit, with a url like drivemeinsane.com, you sort of expect something out of the ordinary. But how freaky is that? The guy lets you turn his lights and even sprinkler on and off... He's got all kinds of things going on- exhibitionism, masochism, and probably a few other -isms too. He seems like a fairly normal guy, who just happens to let internet* people take over his house. Cool.
*Notice how I spelled this with all lower-case? That was deliberate. It only seems logical to drop the capital letter, as we did with television, radio, the telephone, and other tech devices that became common to everyone, and thus, uncapitalized. Not that I'd write it like that in print or anything. I'm not that much of a rebel. :-)
Friday, January 10, 2003
Here's a class I'd give my left arm to take if they offered it at UMBC (even if it brands me a dyed-in-the-wool geek for saying so):
Linguistics of Tolkien's Middle Earth
J.R.R. Tolkien, author of “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit” and other stories of Middle Earth, spent his professional career as a philologist—a classical linguist—immersed in Old English and Old Norse as a professor at Oxford University in Great Britain. It is only fitting that his works of fiction and fantasy continue to influence others like Fred Hoyt to pursue the study of linguistics.
Cue the Howard Shore score...
Hoyt, a graduate student in the Department of Linguistics, plans to use Tolkien’s work to interest other students in the study of linguistics with a course he is teaching in the spring, The Linguistics of Middle Earth.
Could school be anymore fun than that? Hmm... I sense the unmistakably sounds of heads shaking, eyes rolling, and tongues rasberrying.
On other interesting linguistic fronts...
I discovered a remarkable web-based project: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
What's so special about it? Quite a lot. First of all, it's free (duh!) and open to submissions from anybody who wants to share their knowledge. So far there are almost 100,000 articles, in many different languages. Because it's so accessible to the entire world, the articles posted might become a little sketchy facts-wise, succumbing to various biases and so forth. But from my initial browsing, everything seems quite solid and professional, but often with a bit more punch than its commercial counterparts. It's essentially the Linux of encyclopedias. Open-source can, indeed, be good.
And for a more technical spin on the same idea, check out Nupedia. Lots of good info on there as well, mostly computer and science related, from what I can see.
Happy surfing, amateur lexicographers!
My last few days have been a big waste, in my mind at least. It's sort of ironic that I complain about not being able to do anything when normally I'd be doing nothing regardless of my health.
C'est pathétique, je sais.
But I'm just regurgitating what I wrote the other day. And, truth be told, I'm better now. *Please, no applause necessary.*
I'm just trying to figure out how to divvy out the rest of my spare time. Let's see...I have an appointment Monday with the Shriver Center to fix up a resume and cover letter. What for? For something I will not presently be revealing. But I'm excited by the prospects...
I gotta get to all my paper links- web addresses (or people, movie titles, etc.) that I've encountered over the last few months while reading. A whole lot of these.
I need to finish my library books, one or two of which I may actually write about. Then I plan to move on to some literature I bought for myself, but haven't had a chance to read yet. Survivor and Good Omens come to mind.
I haveta organize my CDs and DVDs- I would also like to create a database on my machine that would let me keep track of 'em. Something (semi-)automated would be nice, like those DVD tracker lists people have online.
Finally, I must stop writing about the things I need to do, and actually do them!
Now how's that for self-conscious, non-fiction writing?
Thursday, January 09, 2003
Well, a bit late with this one, nonetheless...
24: 4:00-5:00 pm
Boy, just when Jack thinks he's got things under control... "When Nina Attacks"- that would make a good series. This was a fine episode, a fair mixture of talky plot development with hardcore Jack action. Er... that sounds wrong. I mean, scenes of Jack doing what he does best: kick butt under extenuating circumstances.
Torture scenes are so hard for me to watch. Just FYI.
And wouldn't you know? I'm already starting to miss Megan.
Hahaha... Not! Can't wait for next week- babysitting-free!
Wednesday, January 08, 2003
Keep telling myself "it'll all be over soon." The sickness, I mean. And it is, almost. My headache's gone, my ears are cleared up, but my throat's still a bit nasty-scratchy.
Oh yes, and last night, I forgot how to sleep. No, really, my mind lost the ability to turn itself off. *How wonderful.* I haven't had such a rotten brush with insomnia since the second time I took the SATs. I think I fell asleep sometime after 4:00.
It's so frustrating; I have so much nothing I should be doing! This is my vacation!!! Grr...!
In happier news, my other grade issue was settled today when a package came in the mail with midterm, final, and papers graded. I was quite pleasantly surprised by the results. :-)
More substantial posts are on the way... One of these days...
Tuesday, January 07, 2003
Oh, I am sick. No need for a pity party; I just need rest. I've been drinking "like a fish," as my old doctor used to say, and sleeping like a log. But I'd have to say that the worst is probably past (famous last words, I know.)
Anyway, that second issue with my grades I mentioned last time is now resolved. Hurray!
And I just got my first Nigerian email "419" scam. How exciting.Dear Sir/Madam,
You may be surprised to receive this letter from me, Since you do not know me personally "My Name is Niko Wanko" The purpose of my introduction is that" Before the death of my father, he had taken me to Johannesburg to deposit the sum of US25 million (Twenty Five Million United States dollars),in one of the private security company, as he fore saw the
looming danger in Zimbabwe this money was deposited in Two boxes as gem stones to avoid much demurrage from security company.
This amount was meant for the purchase of new machines and chemicals for the Farms and establishment of new farms in Swaziland.
This land problem came when Zimbabwean President Mr .Robert Mugabe introduced a new Land Act Reform wholly affecting the rich white farmers and some few black Farmers and this resulted to the killing and mob action by Zimbabwean war>veterans and some lunatics in the society. In fact a lot of people were killed Because of this Land reform Act for which my father Mr"Wanko Joseph was one of the victims.
It is against this background that, I and my family fled Zimbabwe for fear of our lives and I currently staying in the Netherlands in a village called Zealand, where my family are seeking political asylum and more so I have decided to transfer my father's money to a more reliable foreign account. As the eldest son of my father, I am saddled with the responsibility of seeking a genuine foreign account where this money could be transferred without the knowledge of my government who are bent on taking everything we have got.
The South African government seems to be playing along with them. I am faced with the dilemma of moving this amount of money out of South Africa for fear of going through the same experience in future, both countries have similar political history. As a business man, I am seeking for a partner who I have to entrust my future and that of my family in his hands, I must let you know that this transaction is risk free.
If you accept to assist me and my family, all I want you to do for me, is to make an arrangements with the security company to clear the consignment(funds) from their affiliate office here in the Netherlands as I have already given directives for the consignment to be brought to the Netherlands from South Africa .But before then all modalities will have to
be put in place like change of ownership to the consignment and more importantly this money I intend to use for investment. I have two options for you"
Firstly you can choose to have certain percentage of the money for nominating your account for this transaction. Or you can go into Partnership with me for the proper profitable investment of the money in your country. Whichever the option you want, feel free to notify me.
If you do not prefer a partnership I am willing to give you 10% of the money while 5% will be set aside to incure any expencies used during this transaction and the remaining 85% will be for my investment in your country. Contact me with the above via e-mail or tel:0031-618-826-162 while I implore you to maintain the absolute secrecy required in this transaction.
Thanks, And God Bless
Niko Wanko.
Yes, "Niko," God Bless.
Friday, January 03, 2003
Grades
Well, this concerns me.
UMBC grades for Fall 2002 were posted today.
1. For one class I received no grade (NG). That means 0 "Quality Points." I think, for some reason, this one might be coming in late. It had better be, or else I don't know what will come of this.
2. In another class, I received a grade of B when I got 302 points out of a possible 327. That's a 92.4 average, folks. If you count the 5 bonus points, which you shouldn't, it comes to 302 out of 332 (I did not attempt any extra questions- too busy.) That would give me a 91. Either way, I don't see how I got less than an A. Maybe the curve was really brutal for that class, I have no clue. I mean, I got a 97 on the midterm and a 98 on the final and I got 100% of the homework problems. I guess it was the final paper that cost me, I suppose, for which I received an 80. I just don't understand; maybe an email to the prof will help.
Legal Eagles
Apparently there's a huge lawsuit concerning the record industry's pricing practices over the last seven years.
From MusicCDSettlement.com:
You are a member of the Settlement Group if you are a person (or entity) in the United States or its Territories and Possessions who purchased prerecorded Music Products, consisting of compact discs, cassettes and vinyl albums, from one or more retailers during the period January 1, 1995, through December 22, 2000
The Defendants have agreed to pay a combination of cash and non-cash consideration. Defendants' combined cash payments total $67,375,000. In addition, Distributor Defendants will provide $75,700,000 worth of prerecorded music compact discs.
So that $67 Mil, divided how many ways? I mean, if few file claims in the settlement,the jackpot will be big for the few who do. But somehow I don't foresee that happening...
EDIT: Oops, missed this...
Cash Distribution
The cash paid by the Defendants, after the payment of attorneys' fees, litigation and Settlement administration costs, shall be distributed to consumers who purchased Music Products. The number of claims filed will determine the actual amount of the individual refund but will not exceed $20.00 per claimant. If the number of claims filed would result in refunds of less than $5.00 per claimant, there will be no cash distribution to individual consumers.
Next, in a bizarre twist on a 60 Minutes story that I happened to see, which was about the huge amounts of money doled out in legal cases decided in Mississippi, the jurors are (what else?) suing CBS for defamation. $6 Billion for punitive damages. How shocking, considering the topic of the television piece.
I guess this is more obvious than ironic, really.
More fun to be had here: TV show on Miss. justice stirs suit
Well, I now feel justified by my post from November 15...Quick, somebody please trademark "weapons of mass destruction." This phrase is getting thrown around like it's going out of style. ...
Well, in a well-syndicated story from just a few days ago, my least-favorite "coinage" of 2002 was among those included.
Bushisms Added to List of Banned Words
Wed January 1, 2003 07:11 AM ET
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (Reuters) -
Overused cliches, wordy redundancies and hyperbolic phrases -- including the Bushism "make no mistake about it" -- were declared banished on Wednesday by the university overseers of an annual list of banned words.
Other favored utterances of President Bush such as "material breach," "weapons of mass destruction," and "homeland security," were the tired targets of the New Year's Day list compiled by the public relations staff at Lake Superior State University.
See the full list on the Lake Superior State University website:
www.lssu.edu/banished
_________________________________________________________
Want more coagulated brilliance? (And who doesn't?) Then go to the archives and read the oldies to your heart's content. Don't like this blog? Click here to move on to another... Come on back now, ya hear?