- Music
is changing quickly and the idea of walking down to the local record store to
pick up a copy of your favorite band’s new album is so far in the past that it
might as well be etched onto stone tablets. But the idea of digital music marketplaces
changing the industry doesn’t seem to be at the heart of The Prodigy’s
suggestion that they may never release another full-length album. The veteran
rockers released their sixth studio album, “The Day is My Enemy,” back in March
and it did well, reaching the top of the album charts in the United Kingdom. That
sort of success and the resulting financial benefits would convince most bands
to keep chugging along well past the point where they should retire - no names
mentioned….cough….Rolling Stones - but in spite of their continued success, The
Prodigy recently claimed that their 25-year career could be drawing to a close.
Yet even if they do follow through on the idea of retirement, it sounds like
they no longer have the attention span necessary to crank out full-length
albums on the regular. "We want to get to the point where we release EPs
instead of albums. We're not really bothered about releasing albums any more,”
member Liam Howlett said. “It just bores the sh*t out of me. The whole process
just takes too long. If we can just get a couple of EPs written then we can get
them out more quickly and it's better for everyone… time has changed, you know
what I mean?" Yes, because investing time and effort into crafting an
entire album is a thing of the past and most people don’t bother to listen to
the whole thing anyhow………..
- Group
your rifle, mount your trusty steed and get ready for an all-out brawl, British
fox hunters. Prime Minister David Cameron's government announced a vote to
loosen a decade-old ban on the divisive sport, putting fox hunting back on the
table for discussion and sparking a predictable fistfight between those who
believe it is a legitimate past time and those who consider it a cruel pastime
reserved for the rich. After floating the idea for the vote, Cameron’s
government suddenly called it off when it looked set to fail. Fox hunting is
extremely divisive for Brits, with supporters claiming it is a vital part of
rural life. Cameron's Conservative government announced plans for a vote on
what it called "technical amendments" to the hunting ban in England
and Wales - sorry, Northern Ireland - and opponents quickly pounced on the plan
by labeling it an attempt to legalize hunting by stealth. The fourth cog in the
United Kingdom machine, Scotland, also entered the fray when the separatist
Scottish National Party announced Monday that it would oppose the changes —
even though the party had promised to vote only on issues that affect Scotland.
Given the vitriolic reaction to the mere idea of loosening the ban on fox
hunting and the speed with which the government recoiled when the controversy sprang
up, it seems fair to say that this plan and any other possible changes to the
ban aren't coming any time soon………
- The
debate over how far baseball teams should go to protect their fans has ramped
up in recent seasons thanks to fans being struck by flying balls or splintered
hunks of broken bats and now, an Oakland Athletics season-ticket holder wants
to expedite the discussion. A lawsuit
was filed on behalf of Gail Payne, who has been attending A's games since 1968
and purchased tickets this year for Section 211 at the O.co Coliseum, and Payne
is leading a group seeking class-action status on behalf of all fans buying
season tickets in unprotected areas of major league parks. She wants the court
to order Major League Baseball to extend the safety netting at its ballparks
the entire length of the foul lines, an idea that isn't new and hasn’t found
overwhelming sentiment on either side of the issue. There are those who side
with Payne and want as much protection as possible and there are those who say
they accept the risks that come with sitting close to the field, so to paint a
picture as if there is a massive, angry mob demanding that commissioner Rob
Manfred extend the screens that typically cover only a few sections behind the
plate so that they run from foul pole to foul pole is inaccurate. The lawsuit,
filed in the Northern District of California, claims among other things that
three or four foul balls per game enter Payne’s section, which is along the
first-base line beyond the safety netting. "She fears for her and her
husband's safety and particularly for her daughter," the lawsuit says.
"She is constantly ducking and weaving to avoid getting hit by foul balls
or shattered bats." Lawyer Steve Berman of the Seattle-based firm of
Hagens Berman insists the lawsuit is about safety and not money and said that
there are 1,750 preventable injuries per year caused by foul balls and broken
bats. That may or may not be accurate, but at least this should spark further
discussion on an important issue……..
- Even
at the collegiate level, Republicans can't seem to avoid stepping in it. It, in
this case, is a seemingly ridiculous controversy that started with what was
supposed to be a stunt to point out the silliness of banning unwanted activity
by decree. Portland State University’s College Republicans chapter, in between
bong rips, keg stands and streaking sessions through the middle of campus, sought
permission to set up a table on campus to generate support for the idea of a proposed
“murder free zone.” It seemed like a farcical way to bring attention to an
issue most people ignore, but the group was expecting to get approval with no
trouble. They were stunned when their request was denied because school
officials said their effort could promote violence against them. That would
actually require people to give a damn about the College Republicans, but any
possible safety concerns were not enough to silence the group and First
Amendment advocates who are keeping up the fight. “In the murder-free zone we
were looking to create, nobody will be killed with guns, knives, sticks, or
anything of the sort,” said Christian Bripschgi, political director of Oregon’s
College Republican Federation chapter. Bripschgi made the mistake of assuming
that getting permission to set up the table would be incredibly simply and said
the idea behind the project was to advance a “murder-free zone” as a logical
extension of the “gun free zones” on campus and in buildings across the
Portland area. You know, mocking the idea of trying to eliminate gun violence
and trivialize the issue by suggesting that it’s possible to affect change by
implementing and enforcing rules and policies. “Our advisor signed off on our
proposal quickly at first but became skeptical after she saw the nature of the
content,” Bripschgi said. School officials, who have declined to comment
publicly on the issue, determined the proposal could be “libelous,”
“triggering” and cause people to attack the dorks who set up shop at a table
that everyone would simply ignore on their way to the student union for lunch
or as they sprinted through campus to get to their calculus exam on time. The Foundation
for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has joined in the fight with the
College Republicans and they’re looking to take this one all the way to the
top………
No comments:
Post a Comment