25. juni 2003

Record companies will sue downloaders The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has announced it will gather evidence against individual users of peer-to-peer networks like Kazaa, and sue them for $150,000. The recording industry compares file sharing to shoplifting, and blames a decline in record sales on the networks. By all means, threaten and sue your own customers. Way to go, fascists! 8:17:06 PM    comment []

Tabloid: Former Iraqi information minister arrested The British tabloid the Daily Mirror reports that Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the Iraqi information minister sometimes called "Baghdad Bob," has been arrested at a Baghdad roadblock. Al-Sahaf, who got a cult following in the west after telling outragous lies about the war, has never been wanted, and it's unclear why exactly he should be arrested, as he is not thought to be close enough to the top leadership to have any vital information. The Times reported that a coalition force who confirmed the arrest said Al-Sahaf "has some serious talking to do this time." As Al-Sahaf drove his Toyota Land Cruiser toward his favorite aunt's house Monday, American Humvees blocked his path and said, "the coalition wants you," the Times reported. Witnesses said he was accompanied into the house, where he collected a book, toothbrush and razor before being taken away in a white Land Cruiser. The report has not been confirmed. Rumours are that he's wanted by some TV networks for doing a talk show. Besides, George Bush, who reportedly was a fan of al-Sahaf, needs a new press secretary, doesn't he? 6:04:34 PM    comment []

George Orwell centenary The British author George Orwell, or Eric Blair as was his real name, was born one hundred years ago today, June 25, 1903. The author is most famous for his futuristic novel 1984, about a all-powerful totalitarian state crushing human freedom under its boots. Expect a lot of debate in the coming hours on the question: how far from Orwell's nightmare prediction are we? On the whole, I will say, we are far from it, and perhaps we to some extrent can thank foresighted authors like Orwell for this. For one, the Soviet Union, the model for his totalitarian state in 1984 and the fable Animal Farm, did not survive to see Orwell's centennial. We don't live in utopia, but neither do we live in Big Brother's Oceania. 8:17:45 AM    comment []

One, the other, or both There seems to be two lines of attacks on President Bush, seemingly mutually exclusive. Some argue he is a unscrupulous crook and a liar. Others argue he is an ignorant dimwit. Timothy Noah argues that the two can be reconciled. He may well be both dumb and a liar. 6:30:41 AM    comment []

Virtual Occoquan #34 A new edition of the Occoquan Inquirer is out, and this special issue is masterfully edited by Maxine. As always, it contains highlights and excellent writing from the past week in Salon blogging. 4:22:08 AM    comment []

— Supreme court fudged affirmative action Michael Kensey argues quite convincingly that the two Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action, allowing one method and banning the other, was illogical and really a cowardly fudge to avoid taking sides. If a school you want to enter uses any affirmative action scheme, he argues, it either affects whether you come in or it does not. It's either or, black and white. The University of Michigan used a point system the court found unconstitutional, because it was a formula. The law school, on the other hand, used a vague system which did not quantify exactly how much a specific ethnicity should matter, and the court majority found that acceptable. In either case, however, the system allowed some applicants to enter because they had a specific ethnic background, and others were refused because they were not. Either this is acceptable, or it is not. The supreme court either were, or acted, quite confused because it refused to make up its mind. 2:33:51 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.07.2003; 00:25:45.