Cut the fro off yesterday... It was probably the least amount of time I've ever gone between two haircuts. Pretty soon, I'm going to be a bald guy going to a barber 5 times a week just to pantomime a haircut above my cueball head.
Imagine a world where you have to worry before talking about your favorite musician, reviewing a local restaurant, or criticizing a political candidate online. With legislation like SOPA and PIPA making its way through the House and Senate, we are on the verge of these worries becoming a realty. These systemic changes would forever allow censors to determine whether a person's thoughts and words deserve to be on the internet. Under the guise of ending Piracy, certain big businesses are pressuring the government to take complete control of the internet rather than adapt to the new economic opportunities and difficulties. Below is an open letter going around from various Artists and Creative Professionals expressing their oppostion to SOPA, PIPA and any similarly oppressive proposals.
An open letter to Washington from Artists and Creators
We, the undersigned, are musicians, actors, directors, authors, and producers. We make our livelihoods with the artistic works we create. We are also Internet users.
We are writing to express our serious concerns regarding the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).
As creative professionals, we experience copyright infringement on a very personal level. Commercial piracy is deeply unfair and pervasive leaks of unreleased films and music regularly interfere with the integrity of our creations. We are grateful for the measures policymakers have enacted to protect our works.
We, along with the rest of society, have benefited immensely from a free and open Internet. It allows us to connect with our fans and reach new audiences. Using social media services like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, we can communicate directly with millions of fans and interact with them in ways that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.
We fear that the broad new enforcement powers provided under SOPA and PIPA could be easily abused against legitimate services like those upon which we depend. These bills would allow entire websites to be blocked without due process, causing collateral damage to the legitimate users of the same services — artists and creators like us who would be censored as a result.
We are deeply concerned that PIPA and SOPA’s impact on piracy will be negligible compared to the potential damage that would be caused to legitimate Internet services. Online piracy is harmful and it needs to be addressed, but not at the expense of censoring creativity, stifling innovation or preventing the creation of new, lawful digital distribution methods.
We urge Congress to exercise extreme caution and ensure that the free and open Internet, upon which so many artists rely to promote and distribute their work, does not become collateral damage in the process.
Respectfully,
Aziz Ansari
Kevin Devine, Musician
Barry Eisler, Author
Neil Gaiman, Author
Lloyd Kaufman, Filmmaker
Zoƫ Keating, Musician
The Lonely Island
Daniel Lorca, Musician (Nada Surf)
Erin McKeown, Musician
MGMT
Samantha Murphy, Musician
OK Go
Amanda Palmer, Musician (The Dresden Dolls)
Quiet Company
Trent Reznor
Adam Savage, Special Effects Artist (MythBusters)
Hank Shocklee, Music Producer (Public Enemy, The Bomb Squad)
I hope its not illegal that I straight up added myself to the bottom of the list. I do however agree that broad legislation on an infinite and dynamic community such as the internet could have devastating effects on people's ability to speak their minds without fear of being censored or punished. Formulate your own opinion by doing your own research.
Today's song is blacked out, just like much of the rest of the internet. But enjoy being serenaded by some of the history's foremost punks and dissidents, The Clash. Strummer would NEVER have let anything like this happen.
Today is dedicated to the honor and legacy of the most talented orator in the history of this great country. A country that would not be as great without his intervention and inspiration. Do yourself (and your fellow humans) a favor and listen to some of his speeches, it's hard not become instantly enlightened.
I know this site has basically turned into "Every Day, Another Football Related Ramble," but as I have previously mentioned, Playoff Football (especially when your favorite team is involved) is a fever, and I got it baaad.
I'm heading over to catch the game at a local watering hole with my brother and a whole island full of Big Blue Fans. Hopefully we can rip that Hammer & Sickle holding Commie Packers Team a new one. Either way, its gonna be a showdown.
LETS GO GIANTS!!!!!!
Electric Light Orchestra - Showdown
By the way I think the Top of The Pops announcer is reffering to this muppet, Lips, who was added to the Muppet Show in the later seasons when the Electric Mayhem was going thru their Hard-Bop/Fusion phase. I must admit there is quite a resemblance.