- Justice came to Ahmedabad, India, in bulk Tuesday. A fast-track court convicted 31 accused and acquitted 63 in the 2002 Godhra train-burning case. The court did exonerate the case’s most prominent defendant, Maulavi Umarji, for lack of evidence, but did impose some conditions on the acquitted, asking them to furnish personal bonds of 10,000 rupis each and sureties and not to leave the country without the court's permission. Designated judge PR Patel labeled the incident an “act of pre-planned conspiracy” after presiding over the trial for 15 months from June 2009 to September 2010. The proceedings were oversized in every way, with 255 witnesses called to the stand and 19 charge sheets filed by the state police. Ironically, the case bore a strong resemblance to the American judicial system in that it took nine years to reach a verdict. The actual crime is so far in the past that most of us need a refresher course, so here goes: Nine years ago, 59 people were burnt to death by a mob on February 27, 2002 at Godhra station in central Gujarat. The incident was the launching point for the country's worst communal riots in Gujarat, leaving more than 1,200 people dead in a three-week-long caravan of carnage across the state. The Nanavati commission was appointed to investigate and in its first report, cited the conspiracy theory as the underlying cause of the incident. One part of the commission’s report that the court ultimately rejected was the assertion that Maulavi Umarji was one of the main conspirators in the case. Along with the criminal case, a petition is still pending in the Supreme Court by Godhra victims' families against the Gujarat High Court's decision to drop charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act against the accused. In its last decision on the petition back on February 12, 2009, the high court upheld the POTA review committee’s decision to drop the charges. It will come up for hearing on March 3. If the court elects to revive the POTA charges against the accused, it could lead to a re-trial of the case. As for Tuesday’s verdict, it was handed down in a courtroom inside the high-security Sabarmati central jail where 80 accused had been lodged since their arrest in 2002. Because no media members were allowed inside the courtroom, we’ll just have to imagine how things went down. “The motive of the conspiracy was to set the train on fire... The verdict is based on oral evidence and eyewitness accounts,” special public prosecutor JM Panchal said outside the court. "The judgment today nullifies all the wrong propaganda of the so-called NGOs that the Godhra train burning incident was not a conspiracy," Gujarat government spokesperson Jaynarayan Vyas added. As a noted fan of mass justice, I have to say I’m pretty pleased with how this all turned out……….
- Do you really want to pay more for the digital music you buy just for a slightly higher quality? Apple and other digital music retailers may soon give you that option as they are in discussions with record labels to improve the quality of the song files they sell. That could mean digital copies of songs that sound truer to their original recordings, obviously for a premium price. Songs are generally recorded in a 24-bit, high-fidelity audio format in the studio, but before the originals are pressed onto CDs or distributed to digital sellers like Apple's iTunes, they're downgraded to 16-bit files. Music retailers sometimes compress the audio even further to minimize the time the music will take to download or to allow it to be streamed on-the-fly over the internet. The transition should not be a huge issue for Mac users, as most Apple computers can play 24-bit sound and iTunes is capable of handling such files. The same does not hold true for most portable electronic devices and other brands of computers. In order to fully utilize the power of 24-bit sound, Apple would have to upgrade future versions of iPods and iPhones so they can play higher-quality files. This is not the first time Apple has upgraded the file quality of its digital music, as back in January 2009, the iTunes Store began offering most tracks in a bit-rate twice as high as its previous standard and free of copy-protection - if users were willing to pay a lot more for their songs. That effort was a partnership with music giant EMI. Presently, ITunes controls about 66% of the paid digital-download market and Amazon MP3 is far behind with 13 percent. Other digital music retailers are also exploring the willingness of customers to pay for higher-quality downloads, so Apple is not alone here. Others, like Shawn Layden, Sony Network's chief operating officer, believe most people don't care, or even notice, if their music is flawed. "The challenges of music right now -- I don't think the primary one is a quality issue," Layden said. "Music lovers worldwide are mostly keen right now on the convenience of access -- make it easier for me to have." Ah, now that sounds like a greedy, soul-less corporate record label executive, no? But for those who truly value the sound quality of their music, the type who still listens to vinyl copies of albums because they have the most genuine sound, this is an issue worth paying attention to………
- New York City just became that much cooler of a place to live or visit. Besides all of the amazing sights, food, entertainment options and more, NYC is now a place where smokers just became even bigger pariahs than they were previously. As of today, smoking is banned in many public spaces around the five boroughs thanks to legislation signed into law by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. This great idea of a law bans smoking in the city’s 1,700 parks and 14 miles of public beaches along with making all city pools and recreation centers smoke free. Better still, smoking is now banned in city pedestrian plazas, where people congregate. The fine is not immense - just $50 - but anything to penalize smokers even more is a brilliant idea because perhaps then they will be less likely to torment the rest of us with their toxic secondhand smoke. And in fact, that is one of the law’s primary goals, along with reducing trash. What this means, hopefully, it less walking down the street and having some idiot’s secondhand smoke wafting back in your face or going for a run in Central Park to get some exercise and having a huddle of smokers negating those health benefits by ruining the air with their cancer sticks. You’re now safe from smoke in restaurants, parks, stores, on the street, in government buildings and just about everywhere else that matters in New York City. As for smokers who are whining about not being able to smoke in the great expanse of Central Park…..suck it. Just because it’s a wide open space doesn’t mean that air needs to be polluted. This isn’t some mayoral crusade wherein Mayor Bloomberg is trying to stick it to you because the city council overwhelmingly approved the measure earlier this month. Smokers, you can still light up on sidewalks next to parks, squares, public places and parking lots…..for now. You also have a 90-day grace period before the law goes into effect, which is about 91 days more than you should get. Just combine this with the existing smoking ban for playgrounds, outdoor sporting events and concerts, as well as at bars and restaurants and follow accordingly. To better understand this great new piece of legislation, go to nyc.gov for more information………
- Turns out, not everyone was happy with how Saturday’s NBA Slam Dunk contest turned out. While Clippers rookie Blake Griffin won the event in disputed fashion by dunking over a compact car with a gospel choir singing R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” at midcourt, Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan feels like the contest wasn’t on the up and up for several reasons. Asked if he believes he was robbed when he didn't reach the final of the competition, DeRozan replied, "I think so." But losing the contest isn’t the only reason DeRozan is pissed. He also feels like the other competitors, especially Griffin and Oklahoma City center Serge Ibaka, cheapened the contest by utilizing props. "I'm a dunker. Dunk contests, you go out there and dunk. I'm not into all the props and everything," DeRozan said. "I try to come out with a creative dunk and do it and go from there. My fans liked it and you can see the reaction from a lot of people afterward. If there's a dunk contest next year I'll do it. But not no prop dunk contest." Hmm…..a good blend of bitter and thoughtful, not just crabby about losing the contest…..I’ll take it. And if DeRozan is finished competing in the slam dunk contest, then so be it. What DeRozan doesn’t understand or at least won't admit is that the dunk contest has gone on for so many years and so many dunks have been done that the limits of what is physically possible in terms of creating new, original dunks have essentially been reached. If guys don’t bring props into the equation, then the contest is likely to get stale in a hurry. Controversy always helps and Washington's JaVale McGee arguably had a better collection of dunks than Griffin despite finishing second, but the props helped make the contest more watchable. Griffin used the choir and the car, Ibaka used a stuffed toy and a young child and McGee utilized an extra basket. Only DeRozan refused to use a single prop and the disparity was not lost on him. "I think a lot of people probably look at it like that. It seems that way when you watch it," he said. "This year I put thought into it. I practiced, had dunks ready and everything. It is what it is. I did it two years in a row. I'm good." Suit yourself, D., but just know that props in the dunk contest are here to stay…………
- Few things inspire more than grassroots campaigns by fans of endangered television shows or movies as they try to keep their favorite characters alive and well. Such campaigns save shows like NBC’s Chuck and fans of Firefly are hoping for a similar result now that they have launched a Web site and Facebook page trying to rally support to help actor Nathan Fillion buy the rights to the canceled Fox series. Fillion is on the record as saying that he’d be willing to reprise his Firefly role as Captain Mal again. He then sparked the campaign to resuscitate the show by adding, “If I got $300 million from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to Firefly, make it on my own, and distribute it on the Internet.” Those comments, seemingly benign, inspired the online campaign and also vocal support from others involved with the show during its short run. Jose Molina, a producer on Syfy’s Haven and author of two Firefly episodes tweeted Friday regarding Fillion’s comment: “For what it’s worth, I’ve told him I’d drop what I was doing and follow.” Jane Espenson, also a writer of a Firefly episode and co-creator of Warehouse 13, replied to Molina: “I’m there, if needed.” So people are jumping on board, voicing their support, so perhaps it’s time to ask how much money is actually needed. Well, the $300 million figure Fillion referenced is far too high. Terminator rights sold for about $30 million and that seems like a reasonable amount for Firefly, which should actually be a bit cheaper. But buying the rights is only the first step because the show would then need to actually be produced. Even if Fillion can convince 20th Century Fox to sell the rights to the show (unlikely), finding the financial means to producer the show would be virtually impossible. Just don’t tell that to fans, who are trying to raise money that would likely be good for nothing unless Fox does something it has never done, namely sell the rights to a show. The next best option is trying to revive the show as something like a two-hour TV movie or DVD. Other than that, Firefly fans are simply wasting their time………
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