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Last Updated: 12/11/2007

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Wednesday 26/09/2007 
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NORML.org Volume 10    Issue 39  September 20, 2007 
norml.org  
  ..> ..>

This Week's News from NORML

  • Members Of Congress Demand DEA Allow For The Private Production Of Pot
  • Defense Contractors Awarded Billions To Assist Drug War
  • Cannabis May Offer Alzheimer's Hope, Study Says

Members Of Congress Demand DEA Allow For The Private Production Of Pot

Washington, DC: Forty-five members of Congress signed a letter this week demanding that the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) allow private sources to manufacture cannabis for FDA-approved clinical research.

The bipartisan letter, addressed to DEA Administrator Karen Tandy, urges the agency to abide by a February 2007 ruling by DEA Administrative Law Judge Mary Ellen Bittner that found that the private production of pot is "in the public interest."

Bittner's ruling was in response to the DEA's rejection of a 2001 application by the University of Massachusetts (UMass) at Amherst that sought permission to manufacture cannabis for FDA-approved clinical protocols.

Because Judge Bittner's 2007 ruling is non-binding, the DEA has no deadline to act on it.

Under current policy, all federally approved research on marijuana must utilize cannabis supplied by and grown under contract with the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). By contrast, other controlled substances – including LSD, heroin, and MDMA (Ecstasy) – are available to researchers from multiple private manufacturers.

In 2004, the agency's director, Nora Volkow, stated that it is "not NIDA's mission to study the medical uses of marijuana."

NIDA's "monopoly [is] unjustified, since federal law clearly requires adequate competition in the manufacture of Schedule I and Schedule II [controlled] substances," the Congressional letter states. "The University of Massachusetts-Amherst is one of the most distinguished research universities, and it is highly qualified to manufacture marijuana for legitimate medical and research purposes. … We urge you to accept Judge Bittner's recommendation … so that … legitimate and privately-funded scientific research will be conducted."

Representatives John Olver (D-MA) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) co-sponsored the letter. Massachusetts Senators John Kerry (D) and Edward Kennedy (D) have previously written the DEA in support of the UMass proposal.

For more information, please contact Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500 or visit http://www.maps.org. Text of the Olver/Rohrabacher letter is available online at: http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/medmarijuana/31861leg20070918.html.

 

Defense Contractors Awarded Billions To Assist Drug War

Washington, DC: Federal contracts totaling $15 billion dollars have been awarded to five US defense contractors – including Raytheon and Lockheed Martin – to pay for counter-narcotics efforts overseas, according to a recent report published online by GovernmentExecutive.com.

"Contractors shall provide security and related services in support of counter-narcoterrorism," the article states. "Due to the rapid adaptability of the counter-narcoterrorist threat, special federal government spending authorities are [now] available" on behalf on the Pentagon's Counter-Narcoterrorism Technology Program Office.

The contractors will provide equipment, material and services to the Pentagon's counter-narcotics program, a separate Washington Post article states. The program develops and deploys "technology that aids in disrupting, deterring, and denying the flow of [illegal] drugs, people, information, money, and weapons related to illegal drug trafficking and narcoterrorism."

The size and scope of the contracts highlight the expanded role private contractors are now playing in federal anti-drug efforts, reports GovernmentExecutive.com.

Contract awardees include Raytheon Technical Services Company, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Arinc Inc., and Blackwater USA.

"The awarding of these contracts illustrates once again that the federal government's so-called 'war on drugs' is not rhetorical," NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. "To politicians and federal bureaucrats, the drug war is just as 'real' as America's current military efforts in Iraq or Afghanistan – though most Americans remain unaware that billions of their hard-earned dollars are being siphoned to pay for these so-called 'anti-drug' operations conducted by corporate mercenaries."

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the GovernmentExecutive.com story is available online at: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0907/091207kp1.htm.

 

Cannabis May Offer Alzheimer's Hope, Study Says

Dublin, Ireland: Marijuana compounds offer an alternative approach for treating the neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a forthcoming review in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

Investigators at the Trinity College, Institute for Neuroscience, in Dublin report that cannabinoids have been shown to protect neurons from the deleterious effects of amyloid plaque – the primary pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's. Cannabinoids also demonstrate a propensity to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, while also promoting neurogenesis (the birth of new neuronal cells), authors report.

Authors write: "In recent years the proclivity of cannabinoids to exert a neuroprotective influence has received substantial interest as a means to mitigate the symptoms of neurodegenerative conditions. … [C]annabinoids offer a multi-faceted approach for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease by providing neuroprotection and reducing neuroinflammation, whilst simultaneously supporting the brain's intrinsic repair mechanisms by augmenting neurotrophin expression and enhancing neurogenesis. … Manipulation of the cannabinoid pathway offers a pharmacological approach for the treatment of AD that may be efficacious than current treatment regimens."

Preclinical studies have demonstrated that cannabinoids can delay disease progression in animal models of several neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease).

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Alzheimer's disease: taking the edge off with cannabinoids?" appears online at: http://www.nature.com/bjp/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/0707446a.html.

 

NORML and the NORML Foundation: 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington DC, 20006-2832
Tel: (202) 483-5500 • Fax: (202) 483-0057 • Email: norml@norml.org
10:02 AM 
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Wednesday 26/09/2007 

Current mood:  discontent
Category: News and Politics
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NORML.org       September 24, 2007 
norml.org  
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From NORML.ORG:

Marijuana Arrests For Year 2006 – 829,625 Tops Record High...Nearly 15 Percent Increase Over 2005

September 24, 2007 - Washington, DC, USA

Washington, DC: Police arrested a record 829,625 persons for marijuana violations in 2006, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report, released today. This is the largest total number of annual arrests for pot ever recorded by the FBI. Marijuana arrests now comprise nearly 44 percent of all drug arrests in the United States.

"These numbers belie the myth that police do not target and arrest minor marijuana offenders," said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre, who noted that at current rates, a marijuana smoker is arrested every 38 seconds in America. "This effort is a tremendous waste of criminal justice resources that diverts law enforcement personnel away from focusing on serious and violent crime, including the war on terrorism."

Of those charged with marijuana violations, approximately 89 percent some 738,915 Americans were charged with possession only. The remaining 90,710 individuals were charged with "sale/manufacture," a category that includes all cultivation offenses even those where the marijuana was being grown for personal or medical use. In past years, roughly 30 percent of those arrested were age 19 or younger.

"Present policies have done little if anything to decrease marijuana's availability or dissuade youth from trying it," St. Pierre said, noting young people in the U.S. now frequently report that they have easier access to pot than alcohol or tobacco.

"Two other major points standout from today's record marijuana arrests: Overall, there has been a dramatic 188 percent increase in marijuana arrests in the last 15 years -- yet the public's access to pot remains largely unfettered and the self-reported use of cannabis remains largely unchanged. Second, America's Midwest is decidedly the hotbed for marijuana-related arrests with 57 percent of all marijuana-related arrests. The region of America with the least amount of marijuana-related arrests is the West with 30 percent. This latter result is arguably a testament to the passage of various state and local decriminalization efforts over the past several years."

The total number of marijuana arrests in the U.S. for 2006 far exceeded the total number of arrests in the U.S. for all violent crimes combined, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

Annual marijuana arrests have nearly tripled since the early 1990s.

"Arresting hundreds of thousands of Americans who smoke marijuana responsibly needlessly destroys the lives of otherwise law abiding citizens," St. Pierre said, adding that over 8 million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges in the past ten years. During this same time, arrests for cocaine and heroin have declined sharply, implying that increased enforcement of marijuana laws is being achieved at the expense of enforcing laws against the possession and trafficking of more dangerous drugs.

St. Pierre concluded: "Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers between $10 billion and $12 billion annually and has led to the arrest of nearly 20 million Americans. Nevertheless, some 94 million Americans acknowledge having used marijuana during their lives. It makes no sense to continue to treat nearly half of all Americans as criminals for their use of a substance that poses no greater - and arguably far fewer - health risks than alcohol or tobacco. A better and more sensible solution would be to tax and regulate cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco."

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YEAR MARIJUANA ARRESTS
2006 829,625
2005 786,545
2004 771,608
2003 755,187
2002 697,082
2001 723,627
2000 734,498
1999 704,812
1998 682,885
1997 695,200
1996 641,642
1995 588,963
1994 499,122
1993 380,689
1992 342,314
1991 287,850
1990 326,850

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500. For a comprehensive breakdown and analysis of US marijuana arrests, please see NORML's report: "Crimes of Indiscretion: Marijuana Arrests in the United States".

 

NORML and the NORML Foundation: 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington DC, 20006-2832
Tel: (202) 483-5500 • Fax: (202) 483-0057 • Email: norml@norml.org
9:52 AM 
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Wednesday 26/09/2007 

Current mood:  determined
Category: News and Politics

NORML Legislative ALERT for Wisconsin

September 24, 2007

NORML is pleased to announce that Democrat Assemblymen Frank Boyle
(Superior) and Mark Pocan (Madison) have introduced legislation to exempt
qualified medical cannabis patients from state arrest and prosecution.

Named in honor of longtime Wisconsin patient-activist Jacki Rickert, "the
Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act," seeks to allow state-authorized
patients, under a physician's supervision, to possess up to three ounces
of cannabis and/or ten plants.  The measure also instructs the state
Department of Health to establish a state registry and identification-card
system for qualified medical cannabis patients.

You can read more about the bill, will is still awaiting to be assigned a
formal bill number, at this link:

 www.wrn.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=1B85671A-0672-4928-CFCAC4FDA0519667

 


At this time, proponents of the bill are seeking additional co-sponsors
for this important legislation,  Please take a moment today to write your
Assemblyperson and urge them to sign on as a co-sponsor to "the Jacki
Rickert Medical Marijuana Act."  For your convenience, a prewritten letter
appears below.

Thanks in advance for your help and support for helping to pass this law
in Wisconsin!

Sincerely,

Ron Fisher
NORML Outreach Coordinator
Washington, DC
ron@norml.org


CONSTITUENT LETTER

I'm writing today to ask you to co-sponsor "the Jacki Rickert Medical
Marijuana Act," which was introduced by Reps. Frank Boyle and Mark Pocan
on September 18.  The Act seeks to enact statewide legal protections
shielding state-authorized patients who use marijuana therapeutically from
state criminal prosecution.

At the same time, this proposal will not alter or interfere with existing
state laws discouraging the non-medical, recreational use of marijuana.
  
The use of marijuana as medicine is a public health issue; it should not
be part of the war on drugs. According to a national survey of U.S.
physicians conducted for the American Society of Addiction Medicine,
nearly half of all doctors with opinions on this issue support legalizing
marijuana as a medicine.

Moreover, some 80 state and national health care organizations, including
the American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association and
The New England Journal of Medicine, support immediate, legal patient
access to medical cannabis.
 
There are now more than 70 controlled clinical trials available in the
scientific literature investigating the medical safety and efficacy of
cannabinoids as therapeutic agents. Results of these patient trials
indicate that cannabis and its constituents possess therapeutic utility as
antiemetics, appetite stimulants in debilitating diseases, and as
analgesic agents, as well as provide symptomatic relief of multiple
sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, Tourette's syndrome, epilepsy, and
glaucoma, among other serious diseases.

Passage of "the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act" will ensure that
patients who use cannabis under a doctor's supervision to treat these
conditions, among others, receive legal protection under state law, while
continuing to keep in place existing restrictions limiting the drug's use
and abuse among non-medical users.
 
Currently, twelve states -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington
– have enacted laws protecting medical marijuana patients from state
prosecution. These laws are operating primarily as lawmakers intended and
have not led to widespread abuses among adolescents or adult recreational
users.
 
Patients in these twelve states enjoy legal protections to use medicinal
marijuana under a doctor's supervision; Wisconsin's seriously ill citizens
deserve this same protection.  Please assist this effort by becoming a
co-sponsor of "the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act."

don't know who your assembly person is? well, click on over to vote-smart.org, enter your zip code, and it will tell you!! ~s 


 

7:48 AM 
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Sunday 23/09/2007 

Category: Sports

UFC 76 "Knockout" Detailed Fight-By-Fight Results

UFC 76 "Knockout"
From Honda Center in California
September 22, 2007
Results By Matt Boone of MMANEWS.com

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 UFC TUF (Photo by Jeff Sherwood)  Jon Fitch (Photo by Sherdog.com) Ryoto Machida (Photo by Sherdog.com)

QUICK-MATCH RESULTS

Prelim Bouts:

-Matt Wiman def. Michihiro Omigawa via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) after 3 Rounds.
-Christian Wellisch def. Scott Junk via Submission (heel hook) at 3:19 of Round 1.
-Jeremy Stephens def. Diego Saraiva via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.
-Rich Clementi def. Anthony Johnson via Submission (rear naked choke) at 3:05 of Round 2.

PPV Bouts:

-Tyson Griffin def. Thiago Tavares via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) after 3 Rounds.
-"Lyoto" Ryoto Machida def. Kazuhiro Nakamura via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.
-Jon Fitch def. Diego Sanchez via Split Decision (30-27 Fitch, 29-28 Sanchez, 29-28 Fitch) after 3 Rounds.
-Forrest Griffin def. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua via Submission (rear naked choke) at 4:45 of Round 3.
-Keith Jardine def. Chuck Liddell via Split Decision (29-28 Jardine, 29-28 Liddell, 29-28 Jardine) after 3 Rounds.

PRELIM FIGHTS

Fight 1:
-Michihiro Omigawa vs. Matt Wiman

Round 1: Omigawa with a quick takedown to start the round. Wiman sweeps him but gets stuck in a guillotine choke from Omigawa. Wiman was stuck for a while but eventaully escapes. Lots of back and forth action with both guys switching positions constantly.

Round 2: Wiman trying for a takedown early in the second, but is eating punches from Omigawa for his effort. We're clinched against the cage. Both guys exchanging punches now. Wiman starting to look tired already. Wiman attempts a head kick and goes for a takedown, gets it, and is on top. Back up, Wiman gets another takedown. Wiman controlling Omigawa on the round.

Round 3: The two trade punches early in the third before Wiman hits a takedown. Wiman has Omigawa's back and is punching away. Now he's on top in mount and punching some more. Great punch lands for Wiman. Wiman working elbows from the top now. More elbows and punches. Back on the feet, Wiman lands a couple body kicks as the round comes to a close. Definitely Wiman's round.

Matt Wiman def. Michihiro Omigawa via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) after 3 Rounds.


Fight 2:
-Scott Junk vs. Christian Wellisch

Round 1: Got some in-close wrestling happening on the feet as the two jockey for superior position. Junk swinging hard and lands an uppercut to the body. Junk working knees to the body now. Wellisch retaliating with some knees of his own to the body. Lots of clinch fighting. Wellish gets a takedown, drops back for a heel hook and gets the tap out.

Christian Wellisch def. Scott Junk via Submission (heel hook) at 3:19 of Round 1.


Fight 3:
-Diego Saraiva vs. Jeremy Stephens

Round 1: Saraiva with a quick takedown. He's working elbows from side mount. He passes to full mount and Stephens gives him his back. Saraiva working for the choke but Stephens escapes and winds up on top. Stephens throwing hard elbows from the top. Saraiva now working for a triangle choke underneath. He hooks it in, not all the way, and before he could do anything else Stephens picks him up and slams him down. He picks him up again and slams him another time, this time getting himself out of the triangle. He's working elbows again. Good round.

Round 2: Not a terribly exciting round. Saraiva got a takedown early but Stephens wound up on top. Stephens worked some elbows and punches before "Big" John wanted more and ordered a stand up. Saraiva tried for a leg lock submission late, but didn't get it. Stephens wins this round.

Round 3: Stephens with a big slam takedown early. Stephens working elbows and punches from the top on the ground. Stephens landing some good shots on top here. Stephens stacks him up against the cage and is flurrying with punches. Stephens again landing some hard shots. Round was all Stephens, and so should be the overall decision as this one is now in the books.

Jeremy Stephens def. Diego Saraiva via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.


Fight 4:
-Rich Clementi vs. Anthony Johnson

Round 1: Johnson drops Clementi with a punch early. Clementi quickly slapped on a triangle from his back, on an over-anxious Johnson. Johnson slams his way out of it. Back on the feet, Johnson with a solid knee to the body. Clementi stuns Johnson with a punch. Johnson swinging wildly and missing now. Johnson goes to touch gloves with Clementi during the round, but Clementi instead hits him with a leg kick. Clementi takes Johnson down and gets his back. He's punching. Johnson working for a kimura now. Good round.

Round 2: Johnson with a takedown. Clementi escapes and takes Johnson's back. He slaps on a rear naked choke and Johnson taps out.

Rich Clementi def. Anthony Johnson via Submission (rear naked choke) at 3:05 of Round 2.


PPV FIGHTS

Fight 5:
-Tyson Griffin vs. Thiago Tavares

Round 1: Not much action in the first minute of the round. Feel out process going on. A minute and ten in and we got a loud round of boo's from the crowd. Good leg kick from Griffin. Griffin shoots for a takedown and gets it. Tavares has full guard. Griffin has him stuffed up against the cage on his back. Griffin postures up and lands a big punch. Tavares works on a leg and the two scramble back to their feet. Griffin with some good punches and is working for another takedown up against the cage. Knee to the body from Tavares, some punches from Griffin. Griffin working on the takedown still. Tavares almost gets Griffin down but Griffin swings him over and onto his back. Griffin on top in Tavares' butterfly guard. Griffin with punches from the top as he postures up. Trying to pass the legs of Tavares, Tavares is throwing up kicks. Mazagatti warning Griffin for holding the cage. Tavares working for a leg again from the bottom. He uses it to get Griffin down and now the two scramble. Tavares gets Griffin's back, but Griffin pops out the back door. Tavares on his back now with Griffin landing a big punch on top. Butterfly guard from Tavares. Griffin working punches to the body. Griffin looking to pass Tavares' full guard now. Tavares working for an oma plata, but Griffin passes his guard instead. They scramble and now they're in the clinch on their feet against the cage. 15 seconds left in the round. Griffin working knees to the thigh of Tavares. Round over. 10-9 Griffin.

Round 2: Tavares lands a flying knee that momentarily stuns Griffin. Tavares comes running in and eats a punch from Griffin. He gets Griffin down though and is in Griffin's full guard. Griffin looking to wall walk is way to his feet. Tavares pulls him right back down. Tavares advances to half guard. Tavares quickly gains mount. Griffin is bucking up trying to escape the bad position. Tavares gets Griffin's back and is working for a rear naked choke. Griffin stands up still in the choke. Tavares loses the arms under the throat still on Griffin's back as Griffin is still standing. Still in this position for a while here. Tavares gets slung over and Griffin is on top of him on the ground. Tavares locks in an armbar and it looks pretty good so far. Tavares is rolling trying to secure it tighter. His back is against the cage though so he can't fully extend. Griffin escapes and is in Tavares' full guard. Griffin throwing down punches. A couple good ones landing now. Tavares throws his legs up for a submission but has nothing. Griffin works for a guillotine but Tavares rolls on top of Griffin. Griffin still holding onto the choke though. Tavares advances to side mount, still in the choke. Tavares pops his head out and takes Griffin's back. Tavares is working for the rear naked choke and again Griffin stands up on his feet, with Griffin still on his back. Griffin slams him down and breaks free and is on top of him now in full guard. 30 seconds left. Great round, great fight thus far. Tavares is cut on the left eye. Lots of swelling as well. Round ends.

Round 3: We're clinched up against the cage early in the third and final round here. Griffin with one underhook throwing shoulder strikes to Tavares' face. Tavares takes Griffin down. Tavares working for an oma plata. Griffin amazingly spins out of it and to Tavares' back. We're back in the feet in the clinch again. Griffin working for a takedown from this position, but Tavares is defending well. Griffin throwing knees to the leg of Tavares. Tavares trips Griffin down but they both quickly bounce back to their feet and we're clinched against the cage again. 3 minutes left in the round. Not a lot going on in this clinch. Just as I say that Griffin lands a nice punch and standing elbow. We got some distance now and the two are throwing punches, neither landing anything yet. Tavares for a takedown and eventually gets it. Griffin already wall walking his way back up. We're clinched on the feet against the cage again. Joe Rogan giving a lecture on the 10-point must system in MMA. Knee to the body from Tavares. Knee to the body from Griffin, but falls to his butt in doing so. Tavares on top now in Griffin's guard. Griffin standing up again and Tavares is taking his back. Tavares is looking for an armbar or oma plata but Griffin slips out and winds up on top. 20 seconds left in the fight. Griffin with hammer punches, one landing solidly. Tavares has a leg and uses it to get on top. Round ends. What a great fight. Should be Griffin's decision I'm thinking.


Tyson Griffin def. Thiago Tavares via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) after 3 Rounds.


Fight 6:
-"Lyoto" Ryoto Machida vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura

Round 1: Good body kick from Lyoto early. Leg kick from Lyoto. Nakamura bull-rushes in. Knee to the body in the clinch by Lyoto. Knee to the leg from Nakamura. We seperate and the camera man screws up. We switch cameras and Nakamura lunges in with a punch. Knee to the body from Lyoto. Good body kick from Lyoto again. Nakamura went for a judo throw but winds up on his back with Lyoto on top in Nakamura's half guard. Lyoto working on a kimura. Nakamura works his way back to his feet. Lyoto has him up against the cage throwing knees to the thigh. Inside elbow from Lyoto. Good leg kick by Lyoto. High kick from Lyoto blocked by Nakamura. Little knee to the body by Nakamura. Knee to the body by Lyoto. Nakamura attempts a trip takedown from the clinch - nothing doing. Nakamura slips and Lyoto is on top in Nakamura's half guard. Lyoto working elbows to the face on top. Lyoto working on a kimura but Nakamura scrambles away. Lyoto stands up and lands a good punch to grounded Nakamura. The two scramble up as the horn sounds to end a lackluster round one. 10-9, Lyoto.

Round 2: Lyoto drops Nakamura with a punch and comes in with aggression trying to stop him. Not happening, not yet at least. Lyoto settles in on the ground and quickly advances to full mount. Nakamura rolls and Lyoto takes his back. Lyoto has both hooks in and is starting to work on the choke. Nakamura spinning out but Lyoto winds up in mount again. Now he rolls again and Lyoto has his back again. Lyoto doing a good job of keeping position. Lyoto has the rear naked choke sunk in but lost it. It was looking good too. Nakamura spins out and has a leg of a standing Lyoto working for a takedown. Nakamura stands up now and still has a Lyoto leg. Lyoto defending the takedown well. Lyoto ends up on top of Nakamura on the grouind. Lyoto gets mount again. Lyoto throwing some punches from the mount. Lyoto looking good in this round. Lyoto with some elbows. Lyoto punching away, some good shots landing. Nakamura scrambles back to his feet. Lyoto with a knee to the body in the clinch. 90 seconds left in the round. Another knee to the body by Lyoto. Leg kick from Lyoto lands the same time a nice punch from Nakamura finds the mark. Nakamura lunges in with an uppercut, partially landing. Nakamura with a trip takedown, but only thirty seconds left and he's in Lyoto's full guard. Lyoto doing good controlling him from the bottom, Nakamura doing nothing with his first dominant position. Nakamura passes to half guard as the horn sounds. 10-9, Lyoto.

Round 3: Nakamura with the worst high kick attempt I've ever seen. Lyoto misses with a spinning back kick. Nakamura with a good punch. Nakamura takes Lyoto down with ease for the first time. Lyoto already wall walking and he's back to his feet. We're in the clinch up against the cage. Nakamura attempts a judo throw but doesn't get it. Lyoto throwing knees from the clinch to Nakamura's body and legs and finally sweeps Nakamura down to the ground. He's in Nakamura's half guard. Elbow to the body from Lyoto. Lyoto mounts Nakamura, Nakamura rolls. The two scramble to their feet. Knee by Lyoto misses, Nakamura throws a punch that partially lands. Nice punch from Lyoto. We're clinched against the cage with Lyoto throwing body punches and knees to the body. Nakamura's nose bleeding a little. Nakamura with another judo throw attempt that fails. More knees and punches to the body from Lyoto. Nice standing elbow in the clinch by Lyoto. 90 seconds remaining in the final round. Shoulder strike from Lyoto. Crowd is boo'ing now. Good knee to the body from Lyoto. Another elbow to the face by Lyoto. 30 seconds left. Good punch from Lyoto. Awesome elbow from Nakamura. Uppercut-straight right combo from Lyoto looks good. Round ends with Lyoto taking Nakamura down. Easy decision for Lyoto, should be 30-27 across the board.


"Lyoto" Ryoto Machida def. Kazuhiro Nakamura via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after 3 Rounds.


Fight 7:
-Diego Sanchez vs. Jon Fitch

Round 1: Diego comes out like a mad man when the round begins looking for a takedown. Fitch defending well. Diego gives up the takedown and the two seperate. Fitch defends another Diego takedown attempt and lands a solid leg kick. Diego again looking for a takedown, Fitch defending well again. Knees to the body from Diego in the clinch. Diego changes levels and is working for another takedown. Fitch not having it. Crowd boo'ing already. Couple good punches from Fitch. Knee to the leg from Diego. Crowd boo'ing again as the two seperate. Diego with another takedown attempt and this time gets it. He's in side control. Fitch quickly gets up and quickly takes Diego down himself. 2 minutes left. Fitch in Diego's full guard. Diego throwing his legs up looking for a triangle. He clears one arm and switches to an armbar. It looks decent, Diego posturing looking for a better hold on the submission before ultimately letting it go. Diego with butterfly guard. Diego looking for an armbar underneath again but eats a few punches for his efforts. Diego rolling and looking for a submission again, and again eats some punches from Fitch. Round ends. Tough round to score.

Round 2: Diego looks for a takedown but ends up on his back on the ground with Fitch on top. Diego looking to sweep but it ain't happening. Diego scrambles to his feet and the two seperate. Diego gets a takedown on Fitch off a Fitch kick attempt. Fitch's foot is stuck in Diego's shorts - never seen that before. Fitch gets an underhook and is using it to stand up but Diego is trying to sprawl out and keep him down. Fitch from his knees scoops Diego up and gets Diego down. Diego looking for a switch but Fitch is slowly taking Diego's back. Diego rolls and Fitch gets Diego's back with one hook in. Crowd boo'ing again. Diego rolls and is on top of Fitch in Fitch's full guard. The two scramble and they're in the weirdest position ever. From that weirdo position, the hit the mat again. I don't even know how to describe this position they're stuck in right now. Diego throwing elbows to Fitch's kidney. Fitch is now on top in Diego's butterfly guard - that position I recognize. Weird scrambles in this round. Fitch with some good punches from the top. Diego rolling and throwing the legs up for a submission but eats a solid punch from Fitch. 30 seconds remaining. Diego rolling for an armbar but Fitch defends well and blasts him with a hammer fist. 10 seconds left and Diego is cut. Not a bad cut though.

Round 3: High kick attempt from Fitch misses the mark. Knee to the body and punch to the face by Fitch. Fitch for a takedown but Diego slaps on a guillotine choke. It looks pretty tight to me but Fitch puts the thumbs up sign to show he's okay. Fitch is slowly popping his head out. And he's out to a roar from the crowd. We have some scrambling going on but they settle with Fitch still on top on the ground. Fitch working some body punches on top and mixing in some head shots. Diego staying busy from underneath. Diego looking to secure a kimura from the bottom. Fitch gets his arm free and throws a few shots, nothing landing. Diego looking for another submission holding his foot just behind Fitch's head. He gives it up. 2 minutes left in the final round. Fitch throwing some punches from the top, nothing really landing clean. Crowd boo'ing again. Punch to the back of Diego's head prompts a warning from Herb Dean to Fitch. Good punch from Fitch. Diego scrambling but Fitch controlling him well. He's got Diego up against the cage now. Fitch staying busy with decent ground and pound on top. Diego throws his legs up and slaps on a triangle. Fitch pops out and remains on top of Diego. Nice little action there. Diego again throwing his legs up for a submission. 10 seconds left. Fitch breaks free. Horn sounds and the fight is over. Should be a Fitch win here, but we'll see.


Jon Fitch def. Diego Sanchez via Split Decision (30-27 Fitch, 29-28 Sanchez, 29-28 Fitch) after 3 Rounds.


Fight 8:
-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Forrest Griffin

Round 1: Leg kick from Forrest early. Shogun works for a takedown but Forrest defends and winds up on top. Shogun working for submissions already. We're scrambling all over the place here. Forrest with an inside leg kick and a jab. Shogun with a leg kick of his own as the "Forrest, Forrest" chants begin. Shogun takes Forrest down. Shogun immediately passes to half guard. Forrest quickly regains full guard as another "Forrest" chant starts up. Elbow from the bottom by Forrest. Forrest doing a good job of controlling Shogun and avoiding punishment from the bottom. Forrest scrambles to his feet and lands a decent uppercut. Shogun with a good punch and a knee attempt. Forrest with a leg kick. Shogun and Forrest exchanging wildly with punches. Forrest with a takedown. Shogun rolls and Forrest has his back. Shogun rolls and gains full guard. Forrest on top throwing some punches, a couple good ones finding the mark. Forrest stands up and is landing kicks to a grounded Shogun's legs. Shogun stands up. Body kick from Forrest. Good jab from Forrest. Big punch from Forrest momentarily stuns Shogun. Shogun has some swelling on above his eye. Shogun lands a good punch and takes Forrest down. Forrest immediately gets back up. Shogun working for another takedown and eventually gets it. Forrest with butterfly guard. Forrest on top now and is landing some punches. Good first round. I'd have to go 10-9, Forrest.

Round 2: Good punch from Forrest early in the second. Shogun gets a takedown. Forrest slaps on a guillotine but Shogun pops out. Good elbow from Shogun on top. Forrest is bleeding pretty good. Forrest scrambles back to his feet. Forrest with a takedown and is landing some good ground and pound, mixing it up - body and head. Forrest is bleeding bad still. The two stand up. Shogun dives in for a takedown but Forrest defends. We're on the ground with Forrest over Shogun's back, but they stand up again. Shogun looking a bit tired here in the middle of the second. High kick from Shogun misses. Shogun with another takedown attempt, but Forrest defends. Each eat a stiff jab. Good body punch from Forrest. Shogun lands a couple good punches. Shogun is looking pretty tired. Shogun lands a good punch and goes for a takedown but Forrest defends and is hammering away. Forrest has his back but Shogun rolls and Forrest is in his half guard on top. Shogun rolls again and Forrest is throwing more punches from the top. Now he's mixing in some elbows and the crowd is getting into this one big time. 30 seconds left in the second. Forrest punching away to the side of Shogun's head on the ground. Horn sounds to end the round. Gotta give that one to Forrest as well.

Round 3: Inside leg kick to open the third and final round. Shogun with a takedown attempt, and he gets this one. Forrest throwing up the legs looking for a submission. He's working for a triangle but Shogun works his way out. Decent punch from Shogun on top lands. Forrest yells at the referee for getting a warning for pushing off the cage with his foot. Nothing much going on here, Shogun just laying on him. Just as I say that he's working in some elbows now. Forrest working for an oma plata. He uses it to get Shogun's back. He's punching to the side of Shogun's head and now a knee to his body. The two scramble back up and Shogun tries to take Forrest down, but winds up on the bottom with Forrest hammering down with punches. Now Forrest is landing some elbows. Just over 2 minutes remaining in what is looking to be a big upset. Forrest landing some solid punches now on top. Shogun gives up his back and Forrest is controlling him from there working some punches. 90 seconds remaining. Knees to the body by Forrest. Shogun trying to roll and he gets half guard. Forrest working short elbows. Under a minute left and the crowd is roaring. Forrest is looking to get mount. Forrest punching away and Shogun gives up his back again. 30 seconds left. Forrest has both hooks in on Shogun's back and has the rear naked choke. Shogun taps and Forrest wins!


Forrest Griffin def. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua via Submission (rear naked choke) at 4:45 of Round 3.


Fight 9:
-Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine

Round 1: Good leg kick and solid hook from Jardine lands flush. Another leg kick from Jardine. Liddell with a good shot. Another good punch from Jardine lands. Good body kick from Jardine. Good right from Liddell. Overhand right misses for Liddell. Liddell chasing down Jardine with lefts and rights. Good right from Jardine. Jardine is cut and swelling a bit around one of his eyes. "Chuck, Chuck" chant starts up. Leg kick from Jardine. And another. Body kick from Jardine. Overhand right from Jardine just misses. Another hard leg kick from Jardine. Good left from Liddell. Good jab from Liddell. Both miss with big punches. Another good shot from Jardine, this time it finds the mark. 2 minutes left in the first. Push kick from Jardine. Liddell wincing from a finger poke he received from Jardine. Karma is a bitch. Head kick from Jardine misses. Liddell opening up more with kicks and punches in a nice combo. Uppercut from Liddell lands partially. Overhand right by Jardine. And another. Solid right from Liddell and Liddell is chasing him down. Jardine smiling and lands a solid leg kick. The two swing a bit after the bell. Good first round. Not the easiest to score.

Round 2: The two trip each other up a bit throwing simaltaneous leg kicks early in the second. Good jab by Jardine. Nice body kick from Jardine. Jardine drops Liddell with a solid punch. Liddell is back on his feet and seems to be okay. Liddell nails Jardine with a good punch. Solid body kick from Jardine. Liddell has some welts on his body from all those kicks. Another hard shot from Jardine lands. Jardine waving Liddell in, looking more confident. Jardine shakes his head "no" after a shot lands by Liddell. 3 minutes left in the second round. Jardine lands another couple really good punches. Leg kick from Jardine. Another good right by Jardine. Jardine is getting confident. Leg kick from Jardine. And another. Jardine pouring blood out of the side of his head. And his eye is bleeding pretty good on the other side. Good body punch from Jardine. Liddell's body looks bad from the kicks. Think CroCop-Silva 1. Liddell rocks Jardine with some big punches. He lands a knee. Spinning back fist from Liddell misses. Little over a minute left as Jardine lands another leg kick. And again. Uppercut from Liddell partially lands. Jardine starting to look a bit tired. Liddell is pressing the action more now. Nice right from Liddell. Great round. 40 seconds left. Overhand from Jardine lands on the top of Liddell's head. Another leg kick from Jardine. He's chopping away. Body kick from Jardine and Liddell shows it on his face as it lands. Good punch from Liddell as the round ends. Definitely Jardine's round. Liddell walks to the wrong corner after the horn sounds.

<B>Round 3: Big leg kick from Jardine to open the round. Wild flurry from Jardine. Another leg kick by Jardine. And another. Overhand lands solid on Liddell by Jardine. Good right hand by Liddell lands. Push kick from Jardine. And another leg kick by Jardine. And another followed with a nice left punch to the face that lands. Jardine with his hands by his side, semi-taunting Liddell. Another vicious leg kick by Jardine followed by a body kick that lands. 3 minutes left in the final round. We may have two big upsets tonight. Liddell lands some nice punches. Another good leg kick from Jardine. Nice punch by Chuck. Another leg kick followed up by a left hook from Jardine. 2 minutes left. Body kick by Jardine followed up by a left punch. Gotta be Jardine's round so far, Liddell needs to do something to even have a shot. Another leg kick and a big left that stuns Chuck. Another left hook from Jardine. Good body punch by Liddell. Under a minute remaining. Another body shot by Liddell lands. Another body kick by Jardine. Solid uppercut from Liddell. High kick from Liddell partially blocked. Big left from Jardine. Jardine with a leg kick. Spinning back kick from Liddell misses as the horn sounds. Liddell raises his hands and the crowd, who was heavily behind him, is boo'ing.


Keith Jardine def. Chuck Liddell via Split Decision (29-28 Jardine, 29-28 Liddell, 29-28 Jardine) after 3 Rounds.


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Sunday 23/09/2007 

Category: Art and Photography

opening reception mon, 9/24from 4-6 pm. edna carlsten art gallery, UW stevens point.

world war II propaganda posters providing an insight into an america few of us knew about first-hand. runs through oct 14.

this holds some interest for me, being something of a propagandist myself....

thanks to city pages for the info

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Saturday 22/09/2007 

Category: News and Politics
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Saturday 22/09/2007 

Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Top 10 Gibson Metal Solos Of All Time. Part 2: The '90s And The '00s

Adam Jones makes the list with "Jambi" solo

The definition of metal changed significantly during the '90s as bands adopted a harder, faster, meaner, and some would say downright evil sound that made the "classic rock" and glam-inspired "hair metal" groups that dominated the previous two decades seem positively quaint, writes Chris Gill of Gibson.com. At the same time, grunge, DIY alternative rock, and rap-infused nü metal caused the guitar solo to all but disappear from the airwaves. But just as it seemed as if guitar solos were beginning their death rattle, a steady stream of metal bands defiantly rose up to keep tradition alive in the underground. Today, the guitar solo is making a screeching, squealing comeback thanks to groups like Trivium, Mastodon, Dragonforce, Shadows Fall, and Avenged Sevenfold, who are introducing shred to a new generation of players.

Although numerous guitar companies developed shred machines built to deliver the speed and precision that metal guitarists demanded, many players found that nothing could beat the rich tone and sheer playability of the Gibson Les Pauls, Flying Vs, and Explorers that inspired musicians in previous eras. The following solos are a few of the finest examples of what a great guitar player can do with imagination, attitude, mind-boggling technique, and a killer guitar.

"No More Tears"


  • Ozzy Osbourne, No More Tears [Epic, 1991]
  • Zakk Wylde
  • Les Paul Custom

    A dramatic masterpiece, Zakk Wylde's solo builds from a grand, sweeping melody to an overwhelming climax where notes become a shape-shifting blur. Although Wylde's debut on No Rest for the Wicked was impressive, with this solo he finally proved to the doubters that he deserved to take the spot in Ozzy's band previously reserved for Randy Rhoads and Jake E. Lee. Check out the video.

    "The Freezing Moon"


  • Mayhem, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas [Century Media, 1994]
  • Euronymous
  • Les Paul Standard

    One of the founding forefathers of Norwegian black metal, Mayhem guitarist Euronymous rarely played solos, but when he did they were scorchers. His modal playing on "The Freezing Moon" drives the creepy, violent mood of this song over the top, cutting through the molten lava riff like Satan's razor-sharp pitchfork.

    "Artifacts of the Black Rain"


  • In Flames, Jester Race [Nuclear Blast, 1995]
  • Jesper Strömblad, Björn Gelotte
  • Explorer (Strömblad), Les Paul Custom (Gelotte)

    As far as guitar solos go, In Flames' Jester Race is an embarrassment of riches ("December Flower" is a corker). But the ne plus ultra is "Artifacts of the Black Rain," which, with its sweet dual-Gibson harmonies, harkens back to the days of Thin Lizzy. A hypnotically melodic solo that still shreds like an industrial-strength document destroyer at the Pentagon. Check out the video.

    "Dante's Inferno"


  • Iced Earth, Burnt Offerings [Century Media, 1995]
  • Randall Shawver
  • Les Paul Standard

    It's a crime that Iced Earth guitarist Randall Shawver never achieved the hero status that many of his peers enjoyed, as he can rip it up with the best of them. On "Dante's Inferno," Shawver spins a dizzying crescendo of triplet pull-offs and whacked-out atonal harmonies that combine technique and vision few guitarists have come within spitting distance of.

    "The Wake of Magellan"


  • Savatage, The Wake of Magellan [Atlantic, 1998]
  • Al Pitrelli
  • Les Paul Standard

    This operatic prog-metal epic about the Maersk Dubai incident may not be as extreme or hard-hitting as other songs on this list, but it offers listeners who prefer music and lyrics with a little more grandiosity an alternative to standard-issue metal fare. The dazzling dynamics, unique melodicism, and fastball technique of Al Pitrelli's solo proves why he became Dave Mustaine's sidekick in Megadeth shortly after this album's release.

    "Shadow on the Sun"


  • Audioslave, Audioslave [Epic, 2002]
  • Tom Morello
  • Les Paul Standard

    Tom Morello became famous for his DJ-like sound-effect laden solos with Rage Against the Machine, so it came as a welcome surprise to hear him stretch out on this melodic Les Paul solo on Audioslave's debut album. Here, Morello flaunts chops and tasteful technique that he rarely hinted at before. Mixed with his trademark, off-kilter harmonized pitch shifting effects, it's a compelling ride. Check out the video.

    "Nottingham Lace"


  • Buckethead, Enter the Chicken [Serjical Strike, 2005]
  • Buckethead
  • Les Paul Custom

    Buckethead earned acclaim for his warp-speed playing (heard to magnificent effect on his Cobrastrike albums), but his outré persona, complete with slasher-picture mask and the KFC bucket he donned as a hat at times threatened to overshadow his skills. Which is a shame, for he is an extremely versatile guitarist who has performed with a surprisingly diverse assortment of musicians (Bootsy Collins? Guns N' Roses?? Viggo Mortensen???). On "Nottingham Lace," he spans everything from bluesy, Hendrix-inspired jams to bizarre, computer-overload blasts—with a good amount of his lightning-fast, four-fingered shred figures thrown in for good measure. Jarring and beautiful. And check out his gorgeous customized white Les Paul in the video.

    "Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr"


  • Trivium, Ascendancy [Roadrunner, 2005]
  • Matt Heafy, Corey Beaulieu
  • Les Paul Custom (Heafy)

    Naysayers claim that Trivium is just another upstart Metallica knockoff, but Hetfield and Hammett never locked horns like Heafy and Beaulieu do on this solo. Heafy is out of the gate with a stunning display of tone, technique, and taste, and then Beaulieu grabs the baton and kicks out the jams, leading to a harmonized surge of six-string insanity. Check out the video.

    "Jambi"


  • Tool, 10,000 Days [Volcano/Tool Dissectional, 2006]
  • Adam Jones
  • Les Paul Custom

    Tool's post-modern guitar anti-hero Adam Jones may not shred like the other players on this list, but few guitarists can match his ability to send a song to points heretofore unknown with a few perfectly placed notes and textural embellishments. Here he runs his Les Paul Custom through a talk box to craft an emotionally wrenching solo that sounds downright wicked and twisted. Jones rarely plays solos, but when he does he makes everybody stand up and take notice.

    "Crystal Skull"


  • Mastodon, Blood Mountain [Reprise, 2006]
  • Brent Hinds
  • Flying V

    Mastodon sure like their odd time signatures and other prog-rock flourishes and filigrees, and so it's doubly refreshing to hear lead guitarist Brent Hinds let loose with a classic, two-fisted pentatonic-based solo. While Mastodon's riffs are as massive and lumbering as the prehistoric beast they named the band after, Hinds' solo avoids the tar pit of excess that bogs down lesser metal acts and slays the competition like a saber-tooth tiger. Check out the video.

    Other Noteworthy Modern Metal Solos You Should Know:

  • "Painkiller" Judas Priest, 1990
    "Old timer" Glenn Tipton schools the kids with a few new tricks on this vicious comeback effort.

  • "Hangar 18" Megadeth, 1990
    Marty Friedman and Dave Mustaine's tasteful, exotic, and unique solos brought a new level of complexity to the metal genre.

  • "Floods" Pantera, 1996
    Dimebag Darrell's otherworldly harmonic squeals, soulful phrasing, and flashy technique are the highlights of an otherwise disappointing album.

  • "Voice of the Soul" Death, 1998
    Chuck Schuldiner inspired a new legion of death metal guitarists with his hypnotic, moody, and incredibly heavy playing.

  • "Summoning Redemption" Morbid Angel, 2000
    Trey Azagthoth and Eric Rutan's absolutely evil solos burn as if they're fueled by Satan's 426 V8 Hemi.

    Thanks for the info to Gibson.com.

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    Saturday 22/09/2007 

    Category: Music

     

    Lydon In Sting 'Carcass' Jibe

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    Punk legend John Lydon has lashed out at Sting - calling The Police frontman a "soggy old dead carcass".

    The Sex Pistol, also known as Johnny Rotten, poured scorn on the Eighties band`s recent comeback.

    Lydon, 51, was speaking as the Sex Pistols prepare for a one-off gig to mark the 30th anniversary of their album Never Mind The Bollocks.

    The former punk rebel dismissed Sting as "Stink", saying: "That really is a reformation isn`t it? But honestly that`s like soggy old dead carcasses.

    "You know listening to Stink try to squeak through Roxanne one more time that`s not fun.

    "It`s like letting air out of a balloon."

    The once legendary hellraiser told Virgin Radio that drug-taking was "a bit old fart".

    Of Amy Winehouse`s and Pete Doherty`s problems, he said: "You know you can use drugs for entertainment but you should be quiet about it. That shouldn`t be your centre showpiece.

    "There`s not much going on in their head with them. They`re not thinking. They`re not doing this for the right reasons.

    "They obviously don`t enjoy what they`re doing. And that`s why you turn to drugs. And that`s what happened with Sid (Vicious), he wasn`t happy about what he couldn`t do."

    He said of Doherty: "Banging about your drug habits is a bit old fart isn`t it?"

    Lydon, who surprised punk fans when he joined the likes of Jordan and Alex Best in I`m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, condemned modern British music for lacking originality.

    He said: "I`m so bored with everything I`ve heard in the last two years. It`s just been so repetitive, so borrowing from the past."

    Credits for the info to U.tv.

    and my response:

    halo00zero :
    ..> ..>
    palefire wrote:

    I agree. I can't stand Sting, but Lydon is even worse. The Sex Pistols were a sham, and he's the worst of the lot. You want punk, listen to Dead Kennedys or The Clash or something. Not a band put together by a manager to cash in on the newest trend.

    And lastly, the only thing more old fart than talking about drug habits is probably complaining about modern music.


    took the words right out of my mouth, mate. those were the exact points i was going to make.

    but at least the police had some "punk" aesthetic and credibility--wheras the pistols were the frigging backstreet boys of punk rock.

    as far as new music goes, however--tool is putting out great new music, nine inch nails was able to at least recycle things well on Awith teethA, and year zero is amazing.
    POSTED: 09/22/2007 - 02:38 am / quote |

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    Saturday 22/09/2007 

    Category: Music

    Love Settles Final Nirvana Lawsuit

    Love Settles Final Nirvana Lawsuit

    The Pulse of Radio (formerly Launch Radio Networks) reports: Courtney Love settled a lawsuit brought against her by the attorneys who represented her in her own legal battle with the surviving members of Nirvana, according to Seattle Weekly. Katherine Hendricks and O. Yale Lewis claimed that Love owed them more than $340,000, plus interest, for their work on a 2002 suit that Love filed against Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl. Love, who controlled the share of Nirvana's business that had belonged to her late husband, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, allegedly did not fully pay her lawyers even though she eventually earned at least $9 million as a result of that suit.

    Love settled with Hendricks and Lewis for an undisclosed sum. The settlement was effective as of September 17. The case was scheduled to go to trial on Wednesday (September 19).

    According to court records, Love had paid the Seattle-based attorneys more than one million dollars in the Nirvana suit, but still owed them $341,000 plus as much as $200,000 in interest.

    Love sued Grohl, Novoselic and Universal Music over the release plans for a previously unavailable Nirvana track called "You Know You're Right", as well as overall control of the band's catalog.

    The Nirvana settlement yielded a box set and greatest hits package, while Love earned $4 million from the deal and another $5 million in publishing royalties.

    Nevertheless, she sold a 25 percent stake in her portion of the Nirvana catalog in 2006 for a rumored $50 million, following several years in which she was tangled in other financial problems, drug arrests and rehab stints.

    Credits for the info to Blabbermouth.net.

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    Release date: 05 June, 2007
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    Thursday 20/09/2007 

    Category: News and Politics
    Be Concerned About Rupert Murdoch
    By Seattle Times. --> -->--> -->-->Posted on 18 Sep 2007-->

    Most likely you have watched, listened to or read something today from one of Rupert Murdoch's many media outlets. Murdoch owns Fox Broadcasting Company and 35 local TV stations, 16 cable channels (including Fox News Channel), as well as MySpace and HarperCollins publishing. Murdoch's media holdings are inescapable.

    And they just got bigger. With Murdoch's acquisition of Dow Jones, he will now own a No. 1 TV network, the most successful cable-news channel, two major TV stations in large markets like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and single stations in eight mid- to large-sized markets — along with The Wall Street Journal. The Journal adds to Murdoch's empire the nation's most successful financial newspaper, second only to USA Today in circulation.

    Should we be concerned? You bet. And it's not simply because it's Rupert Murdoch — any single media owner with this much control should concern us. Television and newspapers are our main source of news and information and one person owning so many different sources of our news and information is dangerous to our democracy.

    In the United States today, six corporations control most of what we see on television, one company owns more than 1,000 radio stations, and two-thirds of all independently owned newspapers have disappeared since the mid-'70s. This is an alarming trend.

    We rely on the media to serve as watchdogs of government and corporations, providing an important check on political power. Diverse ownership of media promotes higher-quality journalism, as outlets compete for a larger share of the audience. We look to television and newspapers to let us know about conditions in Iraq or to help us learn about unsafe imports being sold in the marketplace. Without multiple sources of independent news and information, we will hear the same information or — worse still — the same spin.

    Some might argue there are more choices than ever in television, radio and on the Internet. And while the Internet offers us an invaluable outlet for information, it hasn't always meant that we are all accessing more independent news and information. In fact, much of what we see, hear and read on the Internet comes from just a handful of news sources. According to a Pew survey, alternative Web sites and blogs, which may offer a diversity of opinions and information, are still used only by about 10 percent of Americans.

    Murdoch has already said he would like The Wall Street Journal to bolster his soon-to-be-launched financial network, Fox Business Channel. Murdoch, like other media owners, takes an active role in the content his companies produce to advance his own purposes — politically and financially.

    And don't think for a moment that media owners never interfere with their outlet's journalistic quality and content. Some of Murdoch's top journalists have detailed stories of him dictating a point of view.

    According to press accounts, just a year after Murdoch took over the Times of London, the editor, Harold Evans, was let go for disagreements with Murdoch. In a book about his days with Murdoch, Evans talked about Murdoch eroding the Times' standards and breaking the promises he made about keeping the paper's editorial independence. Evans wrote, "In my year as editor of the Times, Murdoch broke all these guarantees."

    Current government regulations do not prevent Murdoch's latest purchase. And while long-standing media-ownership rules once served as an important limit on who could own how much media in a local market, the rules have been relaxed over the years, and are about to be relaxed again. The Federal Communications Commission is currently rewriting the rules.

    Murdoch's acquisition of Dow Jones' Wall Street Journal is no doubt a jewel in this hugely successful businessman's crown, but the rest of us should worry about what such media consolidation means for our nation. Our democracy depends on the ability of different voices and opinions to be heard. When one company — or in this case, one man — owns too many media outlets, the opportunities to find, learn or hear the unfettered truth get smaller.

    – By Gene Kimmelman

    Gene Kimmelman is vice president, federal and international affairs, for the Consumers Union, nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.

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    Thursday 20/09/2007 

    Category: News and Politics

    ..

    By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer

    Wed Sep 19, 7:18 PM ET

    --> end storyhdr -->

    NEW ORLEANS - David Bowie has donated $10,000 to a legal defense fund for six black teens charged in an alleged attack on a white classmate in the tiny central Louisiana town of Jena.

    The British rocker's donation to the Jena Six Legal Defense Fund was announced by the NAACP as thousands of protesters were expected to march through Jena on Thursday in defense of Mychal Bell and five other teens. The group has become known as the Jena Six.

    "There is clearly a separate and unequal judicial process going on in the town of Jena," Bowie said Tuesday in an e-mail statement. "A donation to the Jena Six Legal Defense Fund is my small gesture indicating my belief that a wrongful charge and sentence should be prevented."

    Bell was found guilty on second-degree battery charges June 28 by a six-member, all-white jury. Before the case was overturned by the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, his sentencing had been set for Thursday.

    The court said Bell, who was 16 at the time of the alleged December 2006 beating, shouldn't have been tried as an adult.

    The Rev. Al Sharpton, who helped organize the march, planned to do his syndicated radio show from Alexandria on Wednesday, then travel about 35 miles to Jena in an attempt to visit Bell, who remains in jail because he is unable to post $90,000 bond.

    Sharpton says he expects more than 10,000 marchers.

    "We are gratified that rock star David Bowie was moved to donate to the NAACP's Jena campaign," National Board of Directors Chairman Julian Bond of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said in a statement. "We hope others will join him."

    ___

    On the Net:

    David Bowie:

    http://www.davidbowie.com/

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    Thursday 20/09/2007 

    Category: Music

    from punknews.org

    In case some of you didn't get the message from his previous actions, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor came out at a recent show complaining again about what he calls the "greed" of record companies. He asked the audience if prices for his band's album were too high and when they replied, he said:

    Steal it. Steal away and steal some more. Steal it and then give to your friends.Keep on stealing.

    Reznor has been at the forefront of digital distribution online, making not just singles from his album available but high quality GarageBand-compatible files to encourage remixing. He then took his favorite remixes and made them available on file sharing networks using BitTorrent.

     

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    Thursday 20/09/2007 

    Category: Sports

     

    Kick ass. Go vegan.

    What made you go vegan? How long has it been?
    Ever since I can remember, I've always had a profound respect and interest in nature and animals. I guess it's just in my blood. I grew up poor by American standards and was raised to eat whatever we could afford. I remember being 13 and seeing a truck on the interstate filled with pigs all headed to the slaughterhouse. One of them made eye contact with me for a while. It was one of the saddest moments I can remember. There was so much intelligence and spirit in him, and here he was, being sent to an awful death. …

    It wasn't until I was 20 and I got a job working at an animal sanctuary in Pennsylvania called Ooh-Mah-Nee Farm that I was able to meet people who were vegan and realize how strongly some people felt about it and how many healthy alternatives to animal products there were. I experimented with a vegan diet for about a year, but once I started training full-time for fighting, I believed what certain people said and started eating chicken again because I thought that I had to have some kind of animal protein in order to be a successful athlete. It was crazy because my diet was still pretty much vegan, except for chicken about three times a week. It never sat right with me. … I would still go through spells where I just couldn't eat it, and about 2 years ago, I read a     Mike Mahler article on an animal rights Web site where he explained his vegan diet for training in detail, and I said, "That's it—I can do it too," and I started 100 percent vegan again for life and I've never looked back. I feel great.

    Mac DanzigHas being vegan helped your training and helped you maintain your weight class?
    Absolutely. When I decided to go vegan, I was able to make the 155-pound weight class much easier, and I haven't lost an ounce of muscle. I'm leaner than I used to be, and I have much more energy than I used to.

    PETA has a campaign in which we're trying to get KFC to introduce animal welfare standards for its chicken suppliers. What do you think about companies like KFC that refuse to make even the smallest steps to reduce animal suffering?
    It's just ignorance. They simply don't care and are motivated by greed. That's all there is to say about those sorts of companies.

    What are your favorite vegan foods generally, and what do you eat when you're training?
    When I'm not in training, I eat     Soy Delicious ice cream and vegan chocolate chip cookies like they're going out of style. There's also some awesome vegan restaurants out here in L.A., like Native Foods, that have great vegan pizza. When I'm in training, I eat a lot of brown rice, tofu, oatmeal, and of course lots of vegetables and fruit.

    What is it that motivates you to fight despite the injuries and lack of job security?
    That's a hard question. I really just love the sport, and I've put so much of my life's direction into it that I owe it to myself to see how far I can take it. I want to compete against the best in the world, and until I've done that, I won't be satisfied.

    Mac Danzig quoteIn a year from now, where in your fighting career do you see yourself? Are you concerned about Fuji Network cutting ties with [Japanese Mixed Martial Arts Organization] Pride?
    Hopefully in a year I will have gotten to compete in either Pride or K-1 Heroes. Even though Pride was dropped by Fuji TV, I'm confident they will be around just as strong in the years to come. They didn't get to where they are now by being poor businesspeople. I have already gotten offers from some major organizations that I unfortunately wasn't able to take because of my contract with KOTC, but I know that if I'm patient, my time will come and I'll get my shot.

    What would you say to fans who are thinking about going vegetarian but don't know where to start?
    I would have to tell them that it's easier than you think. … I think one of the best first actions for someone who is taking baby steps towards vegetarianism is eliminating all dairy products. Too many people quit eating all meats and then overload themselves with cheese and dairy to compensate. Then they wonder why they feel worse than they did before. I say quit dairy and eat a lot of grains and vegetables, then it will become apparent soon enough that you do not need any other animal product either.

    What is your message to young people who are just learning about animal rights?
    If you truly care about animal rights and have a passion for it, take some action. Whether it's hands-on or political, just go for it. No matter what path you choose in life or what you decide to do, you can use your voice to educate other people and help the cause. … Speak with confidence about what you believe in and don't try to change people by force. Instead, educate them whenever they seem curious about animal rights or being vegetarian. Not everybody outside of the scene is evil—many of them are just ignorant and may actually turn over a new leaf if you help show them how. Just remember that life is too short to wait. Get out there and volunteer, check out all the     programs PETA has on the Web site. There's hardly anything more rewarding than helping an animal who needs it.

    ***

    We can't absolutely guarantee that you'll be a world champion fighter if you go vegan, but there's no doubt that it's one of the best things that you can do for your own health and for animals.

    To learn more and to get started, click the button below and take the peta2 Veg Pledge. It might just change your life.

     

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    Thursday 20/09/2007 

    Category: News and Politics

    Fourteen Defining
    Characteristics Of Fascism

    By Dr. Lawrence Britt
    Source Free Inquiry.co
    5-28-3


     ..> ..> ..>..>
    Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
     
    1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
     
    2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
     
    3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
     
    4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread
    domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
     
    5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.
     
    6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
     
    7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
     
    8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
     
    9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
    10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
     
    11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.
     
    12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
     
    13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
     
    14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

    sound familiar?

    From Liberty Forum
     

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    Monday 17/09/2007 

    Category: Music

    Nine Inch Nails Frontman: Our Record Company Is Run By 'Thieves'

    Nine Inch Nails Frontman: Our Record Company Is Run By 'Thieves'

    Australia's Herald Sun recently conducted an interview with Nine Inch Nails mainman Trent Reznor. A few excerpts from the chat follow, according to Blabbermouth.net:

    Herald Sun: It must be an odd time then to have a new album, "Year Zero", out?

    Trent: It's a very odd time to be a musician on a major label, because there's so much resentment towards the record industry that it's hard to position yourself in a place with the fans where you don't look like a greedy asshole. But at the same time, when our record came out I was disappointed at the number of people that actually bought it. If this had been 10 years ago I would think "Well, not that many people are into it. OK, that kinda sucks. Yeah I could point fingers but the blame would be with me, maybe I'm not relevant." But on this record, I know people have it and I know it's on everybody's iPods, but the climate is such that people don't buy it because it's easier to steal it.

    You're a bit of a computer geek. You must have been there, too?

    Oh, I understand that — I steal music too, I'm not gonna say I don't. But it's tough not to resent people for doing it when you're the guy making the music that would like to reap a benefit from that. On the other hand, you got record labels that are doing everything they can to piss people off and rip them off. I created a little issue down here because the first thing I did when I got to Sydney is I walk into HMV, the week the record's out, and I see it on the rack with a bunch of other releases. And every release I see: $21.99, $22.99, $24.99. And ours doesn't have a sticker on it. I look close and "Oh, it's $34.99." So I walk over to see our live DVD "Beside You in Time", and I see that it's also priced six, seven, eight dollars more than every other disc on there. And I can't figure out why that would be.

    Did you have a word to anyone?

    Well, in Brisbane I end up meeting and greeting some record label people, who are pleasant enough, and one of them is a sales guy, so I say "Why is this the case?" He goes "Because your packaging is a lot more expensive". I know how much the packaging costs — it costs me, not them, it costs me 83 cents more to have a CD with the colour-changing ink on it. I'm taking the hit on that, not them. So I said "Well, it doesn't cost $10 more." "Ah, well, you're right, it doesn't. Basically it's because we know you've got a core audience that's gonna buy whatever we put out, so we can charge more for that. It's the pop stuff we have to discount to get people to buy it. True fans will pay whatever." And I just said "That's the most insulting thing I've heard. I've garnered a core audience that you feel it's OK to rip off? F--- you." That's also why you don't see any label people here, 'cos I said "F--- you people. Stay out of my f---ing show. If you wanna come, pay the ticket like anyone else. F--- you guys." They're thieves. I don't blame people for stealing music if this is the kind of s--- that they pull off.

    Where does that extra $10 on your album go?

    That money's not going into my pocket, I can promise you that. It's just these guys who have f---ed themselves out of a job essentially, that now take it out on ripping off the public. I've got a battle where I'm trying to put out quality material that matters and I've got fans that feel it's their right to steal it and I've got a company that's so bureaucratic and clumsy and ignorant and behind the times they don't know what to do, so they rip the people off.

    Given all that, do you have any idea how to approach the release of your next album?

    I have one record left that I owe a major label, then I will never be seen in a situation like this again. If I could do what I want right now, I would put out my next album, you could download it from my site at as high a bit-rate as you want, pay $4 through PayPal. Come see the show and buy a T-shirt if you like it. I would put out a nicely packaged merchandise piece, if you want to own a physical thing. And it would come out the day that it's done in the studio, not this "Let's wait three months" bulls---.

    When your U.S. label, Interscope, discovered the web-based alternate reality game (ARG) you'd built around "Year Zero", were they happy for the free marketing or angry you hadn't let them in on it?

    I chose to do this on my own, at great financial expense to myself, because I knew they wouldn't understand what it is, for one. And secondly, I didn't want it coming from a place of marketing, I wanted it coming from a place that was pure to the project. It's a way to present the story and the backdrop, something I would be excited to find as a fan. I knew the minute I talked to someone at the record label about it, they would be looking at it in terms of "How can we tie this in with a mobile provider?" That's what they do. If something lent itself to that, OK, I'm not opposed to the idea of not losing a lot of money (laughs). But it would only be if it made sense. I've had to position myself as the irrational, stubborn, crazy artist. At the end of the day, I'm not out to sabotage my career, but quality matters, and integrity matters. Jumping through any hoop or taking advantage of any desperate situation that comes up just to sell a product is harmful. It is.

    Is the "Year Zero" ARG something labels will copy now?

    Well, their response, when they saw that it did catch on like wildfire, was "Look how smart we are the way we marketed this record". That's the feedback I've gotten -- other artists who've met with that label ask 'em about it: "Yeah, you like what we did for Trent? Look what we did for Trent." They've then gone on to try to buy the company that did it to apply it to all their other acts. So, glad I could help them out. I'm sure they still don't understand what it is that we did or why it worked. But I will look forward to the Black Eyed Peas Arg, that should be amazing.

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