October 29, 2002
Prosecutor Investigates Vivendi Universal
Paris Prosecutor Launches Vivendi Probe.
The Vivendi shareholders are happy that the prosecutor will help them investigate Vivendi's wrongdoing.
But what about the artists? If shareholders have lost money from this corporate fraud, haven't the Universal artists also been hurt?
Citizen Militia Catches Sniper
A citizen militia had already caught the DC Sniper as a terrorist several times in the months before the shooting, and reported the sniper to various authorities.
What happened after citizens had already caught the sniper? The 17 year old accomplice was picked up by police and held for a night before being let go. That's it.
How about if citizens could catch terrorists by reporting them not to central government, but to one another? Sleeper cells for freedom.
That way if captured terrorists were being let loose, at least we'd all have a right to know. Information is power.
October 27, 2002
FBI Warned that Sniper had Terrorist links
Rev. Al Archer, director of the Lighthouse Mission in Bellingham, Wash., where the Sniper John Muhammad lived sporadically for several months said: "I always figured we would read about John Muhammad in the news."
A month after last year's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the FBI and Bellingham cops were warned about Muhammad because he was living in a homeless shelter and didn't have a car but seemed to do a lot of traveling on planes to places like Denver, New Orleans and the Cayman Islands.
October 26, 2002
Bin Laden Death Watch
In this post, I'm going to track the various Bin Laden Death Watch reports.
For the record, I wrote on Sept. 14 that BIN LADEN IS DEAD and I believe rumors to the contrary are fabricated only to rally Bin Laden's few remaining followers, and to send coded signals.
10/28 Afghan governor says Bin Laden, Omar in Afghanistan
10/26 Bin Laden 'likely dead' without dialysis
Bin Laden Will accuses Muslim leaders of betrayal
Israeli intelligence: Bin Laden is dead, heir has been chosen
U.S. 'in the dark' on bin Laden note
Al Qaeda claims Bin Laden 'alive, well and packing on pounds'
MusicPundit Full Text Translation of Bin Laden Tape
October 25, 2002
AOL TimeWarner Bertelsmann Insider Stock Trade
The executives of
Time Warner - first Ted Turner (Via Google), and now Dick Parsons, are attacking Steve Case, founder of AOL, for the fraudulent ad revenue that AOL has admitted over the last several years.
OK so AOL is no angel, but I've used AOL since I was 7 years old and they were a much better company before they merged with Time Warner.
The real story here is...
More on AOL TimeWarner Bertelsmann Insider Stock Trade
October 24, 2002
AOL Time Warner Admits More Ad Fraud
As I said in a previous post, I believe that AOL-Time Warner has lots more ad fraud to uncover. Now, AOL Time Warner is just starting to admit that.
My real question is, how does all this ad fraud affect the artists who are under contract to Time Warner?
Every dollar that's being subtracted from the results of AOL Time Warner is quite possibly going to be hidden in the so-called "expenses" that are charged off to artists before they ever get a dollar of royalties.
Who represents the artists, here? Why are all the lawyers eager to attack customers for file-sharing, but no lawyers are willing to attack where there is actual real harm and money lost, from this corporate ad fraud!
Artists, revolt!
October 23, 2002
Glenn Reynolds on TechCentralStation.com
Glenn Reynolds in, TCS: Defense - Who Can't Handle the Truth?, points out the intriguing possibility that the Government could be employing disinformation to fool decentralized terrorist cells.
Maybe, Glenn suggests, the government is providing bad information in order to fool the terrorists, who are so decentralized they can only rely on the bad information the Government is providing through the press.
God, how I wish Glenn were right! But of course, if wishes were wings....
Here's another theory, the government is providing bad information because the government is too big, bloated, and hopelessly disorganized. The government actually has way too much information, and can't figure out how to analyze all that information even as efficiently - and this is no exaggeration - as you or I can.
It's the classic problem of information overload - just like on centralized servers that get overloaded with too many requests. And the solution is not to give the government more information. That only makes the problem worse. The solution is to give more information to you and me, so we can use our own intelligence to figure it out, and track the bad guys down ourselves.
The terrorists are not this highly efficient decentralized organization of sleeper cells - they're not highly efficient at all. But they do have the advantage of being decentralized.
So let's fight fire with fire. Let's let the American people and the free citizens of the world form their own sleeper cells for freedom, an international citizen's militia. I promise you, we'll track down every last one of those bad guys before you can say, "Osama Bin Laden Is Dead."
But oh, how I wish you were right, Glenn. And now I've got to get back to school!
Citizen Militia Busts Finland Bomber
Net detectives found the Finland bomber by themselves.
Now isn't this better than spending 7.5 billion dollars on the NSA - and having all of our conversations wiretapped - just so the NSA Director can report to Congress "Terrorists Speak in Code"?
I believe there is far more intelligence available in chat rooms, where modern day citizen militias patrol, than there is in satellites spying on everything we do.
Mitch Kapor's Crazy Idea
Dan Gillmor says a new Software idea may be just crazy enough to work. Mitch Kapor, the founder of Lotus, and a group called Open Source Applications is working on the idea.
I was really amazed to see this... I'm doing something very similar with FairPlay and I thought the idea was so crazy that no one else would think it could possibly work.
But the good news is: FairPlay is (finally) working! Yesterday, I just began sending out advance demos of FairPlay. If Mitch (or anyone else) would like a FairPlay demo or to share ideas, please write to me.
Nice, Mitch!
October 21, 2002
Iraqis Linked to Oklahoma Bombing
Not sure why the government is hiding so much of what it knows - that Bin Laden is Dead and now this... More Iraqi links to the Oklahoma bombing and the World Trade Center.
Jayna Davis has been working on this story for years... and the government keeps hushing it up. Maybe they're trying not to scare people with how big the conspiracy really is. But don't we have a right to know?
October 18, 2002
NSA to Congress, We Suspect Terrorists Speak In Code
The NSA Director told Congress, Terror group's messengers steer clear of NSA ears Al-Qaeda not leaving clues to intercept
I'm always amazed when Captain Obvious goes to Congress and it's treated like news.
While the NSA Director put his best obvious foot forward in a congressional hearing, another intelligence source was saying, ''I have been privileged to listen to this stuff, and a lot of it is crap.''
Well, did you expect them to spell it out for you?
We spend god knows how much money on this, and are asked to surrender our basic liberties, only to find out that the terrorists speak in garbled code.
Thanks very much! Wouldn't we be so much better off if, instead of this giant bureaucracy of a standing militia - which is the exact opposite of what the Framers intended in the Second Amendment - we just had a citizen militia, instead? Isn't it true that the times we actually stopped terrorists in action - the shoe-bomber and the 4th flight on 9/11 - it's been private citizens who did it, anyway, acting as a citizen militia?
Wouldn't DC be alot safer right now if a citizen militia had the right to organize and fight back against the terrorist sniper?
By the way, some day the bureaucratic standing militia is going to admit that, like duh, the DC sniper is Al Qaeda ... Trust me on that.
(Oh yeah and someday they'll also admit that Bin Laden is dead)
UPDATE: I'm sorry, I'm sure everyone in the NSA is trying their hardest. I salute the brave men and women who put themselves in harm's way.
I'm just saying that I believe there's a better way... and ironically, it's the old-fashioned way of the Framers, not the new-fangled way of bureaucratic techno-spying.
OK, now I've really got to get back to school, or I'm going to get KILLED!
How About Blog Artists
Howard Bashman in How Appealing
writes: "*Hey, what's the deal with bloggers always being referred to as (or -- even worse -- calling themselves) 'editor' of their blogs. Um, isn't 'author' a bit closer to the truth?"
Yes, Howard, I agree! I've taken to calling myself an Artist, in fact, since I feel that what I do here with my blog is Art.
Of course, I'm a very minor artist compared to lots of other bloggers out there, including blawggers like Howard.
Dear Teacher: I know you're reading my blog, but I hope I don't get in trouble for playing hookie and blogging during schooltime. Please consider that I'm working on my Blog Art!
Thanks, Teach, Love you!
October 15, 2002
IP Laws Hurt Poorer Countries
It turns out that the US probably never would have developed into the country it is today, if it had been restricted by US Laws on Intellectual Property as they exist today.
And now, poorer countries are being held back from growing the world economy because of the stifling laws the Big Media tries to impose on the rest of the world.
It's interesting that Big Media is really a multinational conglomerate, made up of mostly non-US corporations all acting together in a cartel.
Artists really give our work, for very little compensation, to this multinational cartel, which then does everything it can to prevent our work from being distributed worldwide.
Does that really help us as artists?
Anti-Trust Settlement for CD Price Fixing
To claim your money see MusicPundit: CD Antitrust Settlement
... but artists and songwriters are not being compensated in this settlement!
More on Anti-Trust Settlement for CD Price Fixing
October 13, 2002
D.C. Sniper Caught on Videotape
From the NY POST
"A surveillance tape reportedly caught a suspicious person during Wednesday evening's attack on a 53-year-old engineer, who was killed in Manassas, Va., by the mystery gunman who police say has killed eight and wounded two in his spree.
According to a 36-year-old Georgia man detained by investigators near the scene of Friday's fatal shooting at a Massaponax, Va., gas station, police compared his face with a photo from the tape.
"They thought I was the sniper," said Hobert Epps, a 5-foot-9 white male of medium build with sandy brown hair and a mustache.
Epps, who was later released, said cops told him the wallet-sized image was from a video surveillance tape taken at one of the crime scenes."
October 09, 2002
US Marines Shot in Al Qaeda Raid
My prayers go out to US marines shot in 'al-Qa'eda raid'
This attack was apparently the result of signals hidden in the fake Bin Laden tape, which I debunked as soon as it first appeared.
More on US Marines Shot in Al Qaeda Raid
October 08, 2002
Bertelsmann Profits From Nazis
Commission finds Bertelsmann profited in Nazi era. The company "legend" that it was a victim of the Nazis was a lie. This lie led to Bertelsmann's entire success, because it "smoothed the way for the occupation authorities, promptly granting the firm a new license to publish."
I believe that a share of Bertelsmann's current profits is therefore still due to this lie - is in fact still Nazi blood money.
What's worse, the blood money has been earned in many cases from the work of many prominent Jewish artists, from Neil Sedaka, Barry Manilow and Kenny G. to Jascha Heifetz and Eugene Ormandy - all under contract to Bertelsmann's record label, BMG.
I believe that since this is Nazi blood money it should now be given back.
How could Bertelsmann give back the blood money? Well, here's one idea...
How about if all the artists at BMG demand that Bertelsmann tear up their contracts. Then, the profits that remain on the contracts could be the 'give back' for the Nazi blood money.
How about that?
More on Bertelsmann Profits From Nazis
October 07, 2002
Full Text Translation of Bin Laden Tape
Another Drudge dupe - he's reporting Bin Laden still alive, reveals spy satellite... . But if you read the story, you see that Bin Laden's voice has not been identified by the satellite, only Mullah Omar's.
Worse yet, Drudge, AP and the Washington Post have all been duped, claiming Purported Bin Laden Tape Warns U.S.."
Buried in the story is the disclaimer, "It wasn't immediately clear when the tape was made."
UPDATE: But if you read the Full Text Translation of Bin Laden Tape, there are no references that indicate it was made recently.
I regard this kind of journalism as irresponsible scare-mongering. There is absolutely no evidence here of any recent identification of Bin Laden.
Who is helped by this irresponsible journalism? Only the terrorists - who steal headlines, deceive readers, and encourage their few remaining supporters, maybe with hidden messages.
Take it from me: BIN LADEN IS STILL DEAD - I picked this up from reliable steganography messages last month.
In other news, the LA Times is saying Mickey Mouse CEO is still finished, and in this editorial TalkDisney.com - Failing Magic at Disney-EDITORIAL (Mirror), as I also previously reported from confidential sources.
October 06, 2002
Eww Review In The T.U. (Albany Times Union)
Well, my homage to David Boies, Thank You, David Boies, For Everything, has been reviewed by my hometown print newspaper, the T. U. - The Albany Times Union - 'To David, with love'
They also printed in color the photo of me in the Galliano dress and Manolo Blahnik shoes that caused such a sensation when it first came out. 
I don't know if you'll think the review is good or not, since it closes with the word 'eww' - but I'm really happy about it!
For one thing the anonymous reviewer points out that my spelling of "Manolo Blahnick (sic)", the Spanish designer who made the shoes I talk about, is not correct - it's actually Blahnik.
Nice! Thanks very much. For what it's worth E!Online always seems to do the same thing, describing the Manolo Blahnick (sic) shoes on Celine Dion, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katie Holmes, and Cameron Diaz.
So I guess I'm in good company - I mean, of girls who wear Manolo Blahnik shoes!
October 04, 2002
Glenn Reynolds on FoxNews
Glenn Reynolds reports on the the ISPs' opposition to Big Media spying - which is described as a "combination of cluelessness and irresponsibility".
But be careful, everybody, they've got the money and power to put people in jail anyway, no matter how clueless and irresponsible they are.
Al Qaeda suspects arrested
Several al Qaeda suspects arrested, sources say - Oct. 4, 2002 6 US citizens, 4 in Portland, Oregon, 1 in Detroit Michigan and 1 overseas, are under arrest for being part of a terrorist cell and providing material support to terrorists
October 01, 2002
Ted Turner Attacks Steve Case
Ted Turner is furious AOL might have misled TIMEWARNER shareholders and he's attacking AOL Chairman Steve Case for inflating advertising sales through false accounting.
What about TimeWarner artists, who represents them?