I'm Sure I'll Be Slammed For This, But...

I'm going to post it anyway.

I've very thankful to have a life outside of Manilowland.

There has been a dustup of sorts regarding posting videos that violate copyright laws.

I remember years ago in the fan club (back in the 1980's) there were copies of copies of copies of video performances of Barry on VHS tapes. It's now moved into the viral arena of the internet. That being said, older videos released by Barry himself always came with a disclaimer, very nicely toned, to please do not bootleg the video they were watching. People were warned. In fact I've read somewhere that Barry made a statement equating copyright infringement to rape, although, I've never found a verifiable source for the quote.

A little while back I happened upon one of Barry's fans who was doing some serious bootlegging of videos (no the name doesn't start with a C), including an entire chapter from the DVD of Copacabana where Barry is singing Who Needs To Dream. The beginning of the video (I have it on a legitimately purchased DVD) has the federal warnings about copyright protections for the movie. I mentioned to this person on the site where the movie was posted that they were violating copyright laws by posting a video they didn't have the rights to. They started going off on what kind of a service they were providing Barry with free PR.

There are other ways of providing Barry with good PR (such as performing a service project in a local area) that doesn't require violating laws and doing something they know would upset Barry.

This individual removed my comments regarding copyright violation from the site with the video on it to hide the fact that they know they are breaking the law.

A part of me wonders if this is really about PR for Barry, or showing off to Barry's other fans.

Well the ball has dropped, not on this person, but someone else who has apparently also been bootlegging his videos. They've sent an email to their friends in the fan club of how their online "channel" of videos (to use a term from YouTube) was being shut down and this person was ordered by Barry's lawyers to cease and desist from making and posting anymore of the copies. This individual is telling everyone that they received no warning whatsoever from Barry, nor his management company, to stop, and this individual is also claiming not to have known they were violating copyrights.

I honestly don't know the truth to what they are saying, however given my experience with the person I contacted, the excuse that they didn't know they were violating copyright laws isn't holding water with me.

I'm sorry to see people get hurt over this, these are wonderful people who have devoted so much of their lives, but to a man they really don't know personally. Sometimes I wonder if people realize this.

Again, I'm thankful to have a life, and a full one at that, outside of Manilowland.

Money Driven Medicine

This is a must see documentary if you really want an educated view of health care issues in the U.S.



You can see more on the Bill Moyers Journal:

Part 1

Part 2

The Health Insurers Have Already Won

You have to read this article from BusinessWeek:

The Health Insurers Have Already Won

Evolution

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For Those Who Love Glenn Beck

Now, I could be a good little member of my religious faith and say I love Glenn Beck. But, the truth is, I don't like him. He's a politician's (namely Republican politician) dream, because he rants from the same script that other republicans rant from and expects people to just believe. The problem comes when the republican rants are lies. Beck still tells these lies and still expects people to believe. Now, I've never been a fan of Steven Colbert, but this is one time when he rants on a topic that I happen to agree with. Especially the part where he talks about those who are building their careers from 9/11. Take a look.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The 10.31 Project
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

Anonymous No More

Be sure to check out this article about what happens when anonymous internet identities are revealed.

Anonymous No More

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Arne Duncan writes an Op-Ed about improving education for African American children - Essence.com

Finally.

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Arne Duncan writes an Op-Ed about improving education for African American children - Essence.com

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