Wisconsin Public Television’s Here and Now ran a useful piece on the Patriot Act’s local politics (Republican candidates for the US Senate are pressing incumbant Russ Feingold on his solo vote against it). 5.7MB Quicktime.
I frankly don’t think this issue will make it for the Republicans. There are plenty of problems with the Patriot Act. More on the Senate Race here.
Sensenbrenner Carries More Water for Hollywood; How does this benefit his Wisconsin Constituents?
Nice to see Republican Jim Sensenbrenner working hard to help our economic, education and health care concerns by carrying water for Hollywood….
Thwarted by the courts, copyright holders and their lobby groups, notably the Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA), have been forced to file “John Doe” suits against infringers. But HR.4077 brings the full power of the state to their aid:
The FBI will be required to serve as propaganda ministry, or in the words of the bill, “develop a program based on providing of information and notice to deter members of the public from committing acts of copyright infringement through the Internet,” and enforcer.
The Feds must “facilitate the sharing among law enforcement agencies, Internet service providers, and copyright owners of information concerning acts of copyright infringement described in paragraph”.
The chairman of the House Committee which nodded through the measure, Rep James Sensenbrenner (R.-Wis), was paid $18,000 by the Recording Industry Ass. of America to make a trip to Taiwan and Thailand in January 2003, a breach of the House ethics rules, say critics. [WaPo | Reg] Sensenbrenner said it was a “fact-finding mission”, even though his schedule was arranged by the State Department.
But the distinction between State and corporate interests are now so close as to be indistinguishable.
This is all about killing our fair use rights AND trying to make the internet a one way pipe (ala cable tv). How this benefits Wisconsin residents is beyond me. Let Sensenbrenner know your thoughts on how his time is spent working hard for Wisconsin. More from the EFF.
OODA Loop Round and Round Old Media – Amazing!
Observation, Orientation, Decision, Action – John Boyd’s OODA Loop applies to military as well as business and now media issues. Yesterday, the Minneapolis based powerlineblog used the power of the net to raise questions about a Wednesday CBS News/60 Minutes story. By the end of the day Thursday, the basis of CBS’s story was in doubt, as John Podhoretz explains.
This is truly a new day for citizen information (likely resulting in a variety of outcomes). Years ago, the only “check” on old media would have been a letter to the editor. Today, web writers (for better or worse) operate at a much higher cycle rate than the MSM (Main Stream Media) or old media types. This is the real change: the OODA loop is light years faster than the pre-internet days. Lileks and instapundit have more.
Counterpoint: The Daily Kos. This is funny….
Nicole Miller’s unplanned business success story
I remember buying a number of Nicole Miller ties in the early 1990’s…
he first Nicole Miller boutique opened on New York’s Madison Avenue in 1986. The store did well, but Miller’s first big break came by accident.
Miller had made a series of silk dresses with a print made out of a design of theater tickets. Bud Konheim, her business partner of 22 years, remembers the dresses were “awful.” Konheim and Miller discussed using the silk to make women’s scarves but settled on men’s ties instead. A security guard at the Madison Avenue boutique also happened to work nights at the Metropolitan Opera. He borrowed one of the ties and showed it to a buyer of the Met’s gift shop.
Presidential Campaign Commercials: 1952-2004
Fascinating archive of presidential campaign commercials.
Yin & Yang of Ginseng
In work that emphasizes the need for stronger regulation of herbal drugs, an international team of MIT scientists and colleagues has unraveled the yin and the yang of ginseng, or why the popular alternative medicine can have two entirely different, opposing effects on the body.
Conflicting scientific articles report that ginseng can both promote the growth of blood vessels (key to wound healing) and stymie that process. The latter is important because preventing the formation of blood vessels can be enlisted against cancer. Tumors are fed by blood vessels; cutting off their supply can kill them
Psst: Want some Wisconsin Ginseng?
Tommy Thompson, Bud Selig & The Brewers, Still Sticking it to the Taxpayers
Don Walker on the $8M repairs needed for Miller Park’s 3.5 year old roof. We should not forget Tommy Thompson’s infamous quote: (made in reference to an excise tax to help finance the Brewers’ new stadium) Let Milwaukee and nearby counties pay for it, not his northern constituents. “Stick it to ’em.” And he did. Shepherd Express | Wispolitics
This article by Steve Fainaru (created not in Wisconsin, but in Washington, DC) tells the story.
Agricultural Finance
Years (decades!) ago, I worked briefly for a bank. I recall that ag lending was, at the time, at best a poor stepchild to commercial lending. This Economist article provides a fascinating look at Rabobank’s (Dutch Bank) acquisition of Farm Credit Services – a US Government sponsored lending entity. Perhaps some Wisconsin Financiers should think about this…
AGAINST THE GRAIN
Aug 26th 2004
Why is a Dutch bank moving into agricultural finance in America?
WHAT on earth is Rabobank up to? This Dutch co-operative bank has been
busily expanding its franchise in farm-finance, an area American banks
have done everything to avoid since a meltdown in the 1980s. If that
was not odd enough, Rabobank’s most recent move is truly unique. At the
end of July, it reached an agreement to buy Farm Credit Services of
America, an institution that is a component of America’s odd network of
government-sponsored entities (GSEs). That agreement has unleashed an
unholy row.
The Mad Assemblage Clock Maker
Cory Doctorow:
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Zed show has done a segment on my pal Roger Wood, the mad assemblage clockmaker.
Roger Wood creates with time in mind. Yet even though the clock can be a consistent element of his work, it’s often secondary to its creation. Whether it’s a curious timepiece or a unique assemblage, Wood thrives on working with an immeasurable array of findings from the tarnished and forgotten to the odd or intriquing. He is a devoted collector of usual and unusual objects with one thing in common, a history
iPods and Cars
Xeni:
BMW is revving up some vehicle models (including the 330Ci coupe I reviewed) with a new sound system integrated with the Apple iPod. What’s new and cool about this: it’s touted as the first-ever fully integrated iPod/car interface you can drive right off the dealer lot. Costs under $500 as an upgrade to price of the new car. Plenty of aftermarket systems are available to hook your iPod (or other digital music players) to your car stereo, but many of these use your FM radio or a cassette player to interface, reducing sound quality in the process. Here, the sound quality was super-sweet.
Keep in mind that Democrat Pat Leahy and Republican Orrin Hatch are carrying water for Hollywood with the induce act – which would outlaw the iPod. Noah Adams