EBOLA outbreak!

The Human Race is on the brink of a global meltdown on a scale not since witnessed since the days of Noah and the Flood !
Note: Keep in mind anything with a 70% mortality rate is very dangerous.

• More +

African Ebola outbreak could result in 5-10,000 new cases weekly

OCTOBER 14, 2014, 6:31 PM|As officials struggle to fight the Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization said that West Africa could be facing as many as 10,000 new cases of the virus each week. WHO also said ramping up response to the virus over the next 60 days will be critical. Dr. Jon LaPook reports.

Advertising Knuckle Draggers

"Advertising or advertizing is a form of communication for marketing and used to
encourage, persuade, or manipulate an audience."

I tend to believe the manipulate part off that definition. It seems that more and more Advertising agencies are promoting their products using crude or intellectually insulting material designed to connect with the common man. It hardly connects with Me (see one common man), on the other hand when I see these mindless attempts at gaining my greenbacks it does the complete opposite of what it was intended to do. 
It drives me away! I steer clear of companies representing themselves in this manner like the plague. 
Here is an example of a business who does not know how to connect to it's target audience.

The worst part is, besides the 3rd rate animations and the poor dialog, is the attempt to steal from Duck Dynasty by using "happy, happy, happy" as it's motto.

 As consumers we should not reward this type of bad behavior. Don't buy products, or services from unimaginative, money grabbing knuckle draggers.

Oxfraud : Not for Profit ?

Oxfraud Health Care

Here is what they say about themselves
"In addition to offering traditional home care services, Oxfraud continually prepares for the future of home health care with innovative new services and advanced practices. A recognized leader in home care technology, Oxfraud offers patients services such as home telemonitoring, Lifeline medical alert services, home I.V. therapy, and high-tech nursing, among many others. We also provide hospice services to meet the comprehensive needs of clients and families alike."
Here are a few facts about this so called "not for profit agency"
Your government pays them $35 per hour to take care of your loved one. They pay employees anywhere from 7.50 - 12 an hour.
In home services may be provided by an untrained, straight off the street newly hired employee who may or may not defraud your family.
Employees have in the past committed the following actions that Oxfraud keeps in house.
One female aid who was having family problems at home, had her astranged husband follower her to work and shoot her, resulting in death.
Another female employee/Aide had a romantic relationship with the elderly man that she was caring for. She and her newly found Senior partner ran away together while she was an Oxfraud employee.
Yet another aid robbed and even stole money from her clients while working for Oxfraud. Oxfraud knew there was trouble with this employee, so what did they do about it ? - Nothing, after receiving multiple warnings from her field supervisor, who knew the family, Oxfraud took no actions except wait while this aid stole her client blind and then quit on her own.
This is just part of the uneven management the company is under. Administrators will take action if it harms Oxfraud, but have little concern when it's a client who is being taken advantage of.
They conduct in house state mandated monthly meetings to improve employee knowledge.
They require employees to meet for inservices once a month regardless of distance from said meeting. They go through the motions but for the most part do very little to improve services or educate employees in a way that might improve them as workers.

Want to work for them ?
As an employee Oxfraud may hire you and then expect you to drive 20+ miles for a couple of hours a week.
Want to work for another employer to make ends meet while being employed at Oxfraud? Forget about it, they will and have given bad references and referrals to keep it's employees on a short leash.
Have vacation time coming ?
Don't count on it- one Aid for 4 straight years spent the first day of vacation in the Oxfraud offices waiting to receive vacation pay.
When I say Aide, I mean her whole family.
On one occasion the Aid was on her way to a western destination that required a drive of over 1100 miles, but sat waiting on a check (in the office) that was requested months before.
The accounting department will continually make errors and mistakes without any sort of care towards the hard working individual.
On the flip side an employee is expected to keep perfect records and work hours figures or face dismissal.

Want a safe work place ?
Oxfraud expects you as an employee to protect the privacy of your client but they do not in turn protect you or your family in any way.
For example : one client defrauded an employee by convincing the Aide to take a loan out for her to get her car fixed because she couldn't get to work, had a young child in the home and had poor credit. Upon receiving the money she refused to help with the payments and then used that transaction as blackmail over the Aide's head.
This Aide was then coerced into mowing the lawn, unloading boxes from said client's place of work, and sent on shopping trips sometimes up to 40 miles away.
Eventually when the Aide grew tired of being used , this Oxfraud client turned her in sighting various infractions that did not happen. What did the Aid get for this good deed ? - Suspension and removal from the home which was a relief no doubt.

Expect to feel unsafe at home if you work in a small town
As a Oxfraud employee, Clients will follow you home, will visit your home asking for additional services and backtrace your telephone calls and demand various things at any hour of the day.
One client walked right into the house of an Aide without knocking and started demanding things.
They will even find your spouse at his/her place of business and ask them for services.
Here is a good example of what to expect if the client finds out where you live.
Broken windows, one Aide even had her sliding glass door broken completely out!
Stolen items from the yard, slander on online social networks and other such services.

Are you loyal to your company, do you work extra hours for free, is a long time employee and respected by your co-workers ?
How will Oxfraud reward you ? FIRED to save a few $$$, when a newly hired Aide is in place and ready to take over.


IT AIN'T OVER !

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet


VIDEO >>> http://vimeo.com/31100268 <<< VIDEO

PROTECT-IP is a bill that has been introduced in the Senate and the House and is moving quickly through Congress. It gives the government and corporations the ability to censor the net, in the name of protecting "creativity". The law would let the government or corporations censor entire sites-- they just have to convince a judge that the site is "dedicated to copyright infringement."

The government has already wrongly shut down sites without any recourse to the site owner. Under this bill, sharing a video with anything copyrighted in it, or what sites like Youtube and Twitter do, would be considered illegal behavior according to this bill.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill would cost us $47 million tax dollars a year — that's for a fix that won't work, disrupts the internet, stifles innovation, shuts out diverse voices, and censors the internet. This bill is bad for creativity and does not protect your rights.

Record Industry Braces for Artists’ Battles Over Song Rights

By LARRY ROHTER

Published: August 15, 2011

Since their release in 1978, hit albums like Bruce Springsteen’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” Billy Joel’s “52nd Street,” the Doobie Brothers’ “Minute by Minute,” Kenny Rogers’s “Gambler” and Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under a Groove” have generated tens of millions of dollars for record companies. But thanks to a little-noted provision in United States copyright law, those artists — and thousands more — now have the right to reclaim ownership of their recordings, potentially leaving the labels out in the cold.

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Frank Stefanko/Sony Music Entertainment via HBO

Bruce Springsteen in an image from an HBO documentary on the making of 'Darkness on the Edge of Town.'

When copyright law was revised in the mid-1970s, musicians, like creators of other works of art, were granted “termination rights,” which allow them to regain control of their work after 35 years, so long as they apply at least two years in advance. Recordings from 1978 are the first to fall under the purview of the law, but in a matter of months, hits from 1979, like “The Long Run” by the Eagles and “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer, will be in the same situation — and then, as the calendar advances, every other master recording once it reaches the 35-year mark.

The provision also permits songwriters to reclaim ownership of qualifying songs. Bob Dylan has already filed to regain some of his compositions, as have other rock, pop and country performers like Tom Petty, Bryan Adams, Loretta Lynn, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Waits and Charlie Daniels, according to records on file at the United States Copyright Office.

“In terms of all those big acts you name, the recording industry has made a gazillion dollars on those masters, more than the artists have,” said Don Henley, a founder both of the Eagles and the Recording Artists Coalition, which seeks to protect performers’ legal rights. “So there’s an issue of parity here, of fairness. This is a bone of contention, and it’s going to get more contentious in the next couple of years.”

With the recording industry already reeling from plummeting sales, termination rights claims could be another serious financial blow. Sales plunged to about $6.3 billion from $14.6 billion over the decade ending in 2009, in large part because of unauthorized downloading of music on the Internet, especially of new releases, which has left record labels disproportionately dependent on sales of older recordings in their catalogs.

“This is a life-threatening change for them, the legal equivalent of Internet technology,” said Kenneth J. Abdo, a lawyer who leads a termination rights working group for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and has filed claims for some of his clients, who include Kool and the Gang. As a result the four major record companies — Universal, Sony BMG, EMI and Warner — have made it clear that they will not relinquish recordings they consider their property without a fight.

“We believe the termination right doesn’t apply to most sound recordings,” said Steven Marks, general counsel for the Recording Industry Association of America, a lobbying group in Washington that represents the interests of record labels. As the record companies see it, the master recordings belong to them in perpetuity, rather than to the artists who wrote and recorded the songs, because, the labels argue, the records are “works for hire,” compilations created not by independent performers but by musicians who are, in essence, their employees.

Independent copyright experts, however, find that argument unconvincing. Not only have recording artists traditionally paid for the making of their records themselves, with advances from the record companies that are then charged against royalties, they are also exempted from both the obligations and benefits an employee typically expects.

“This is a situation where you have to use your own common sense,” said June M. Besek, executive director of the Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts at the Columbia University School of Law. “Where do they work? Do you pay Social Security for them? Do you withdraw taxes from a paycheck? Under those kinds of definitions it seems pretty clear that your standard kind of recording artist from the ’70s or ’80s is not an employee but an independent contractor.”

Daryl Friedman, the Washington representative of the recording academy, which administers the Grammy Awards and is allied with the artists’ position, expressed hope that negotiations could lead to a “broad consensus in the artistic community, so there don’t have to be 100 lawsuits.” But with no such talks under way, lawyers predict that the termination rights dispute will have to be resolved in court.

“My gut feeling is that the issue could even make it to the Supreme Court,” said Lita Rosario, an entertainment lawyer specializing in soul, funk and rap artists who has filed termination claims on behalf of clients, whom she declined to name. “Some lawyers and managers see this as an opportunity to go in and renegotiate a new and better deal. But I think there are going to be some artists who feel so strongly about this that they are not going to want to settle, and will insist on getting all their rights back.”

So far the only significant ruling on the issue has been one in the record labels’ favor. In that suit heirs of Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley, who died in 1981, sued Universal Music to regain control of and collect additional royalties on five of his albums, which included hits like “Get Up, Stand Up” and “One Love.”

But last September a federal district court in New York ruled that “each of the agreements provided that the sound recordings were the ‘absolute property’ ” of the record company, and not Marley or his estate. That decision, however, applies only to Marley’s pre-1978 recordings, which are governed by an earlier law that envisaged termination rights only in specific circumstances after 56 years, and it is being appealed.

Congress passed the copyright law in 1976, specifying that it would go into effect on Jan. 1, 1978, meaning that the earliest any recording can be reclaimed is Jan. 1, 2013. But artists must file termination notices at least two years before the date they want to recoup their work, and once a song or recording qualifies for termination, its authors have five years in which to file a claim; if they fail to act in that time, their right to reclaim the work lapses.

The legislation, however, fails to address several important issues. Do record producers, session musicians and studio engineers also qualify as “authors” of a recording, entitled to a share of the rights after they revert? Can British groups like Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Dire Straits exercise termination rights on their American recordings, even if their original contract was signed in Britain? These issues too are also an important part of the quiet, behind-the-scenes struggle that is now going on.

Given the potentially huge amounts of money at stake and the delicacy of the issues, both record companies, and recording artists and their managers have been reticent in talking about termination rights. The four major record companies either declined to discuss the issue or did not respond to requests for comment, referring the matter to the industry association.

But a recording industry executive involved in the issue, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak for the labels, said that significant differences of opinion exist not only between the majors and smaller independent companies, but also among the big four, which has prevented them from taking a unified position. Some of the major labels, he said, favor a court battle, no matter how long or costly it might be, while others worry that taking an unyielding position could backfire if the case is lost, since musicians and songwriters would be so deeply alienated that they would refuse to negotiate new deals and insist on total control of all their recordings.

As for artists it is not clear how many have already filed claims to regain ownership of their recordings. Both Mr. Springsteen and Mr. Joel, who had two of the biggest hit albums of 1978, as well as their managers and legal advisers, declined to comment on their plans, and the United States Copyright Office said that, because termination rights claims are initially processed manually rather than electronically, its database is incomplete.

Songwriters, who in the past typically have had to share their rights with publishing companies, some of which are owned by or affiliated with record labels, have been more outspoken on the issue. As small independent operators to whom the work for hire argument is hard to apply, the balance of power seems to have tilted in their favor, especially if they are authors of songs that still have licensing potential for use on film and television soundtracks, as ringtones, or in commercials and video games.

“I’ve had the date circled in red for 35 years, and now it’s time to move,” said Rick Carnes, who is president of the Songwriters Guild of America and has written hits for country artists like Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks. “Year after year after year you are going to see more and more songs coming back to songwriters and having more and more influence on the market. We will own that music, and it’s still valuable.”

In the absence of a definitive court ruling, some recording artists and their lawyers are talking about simply exercising their rights and daring the record companies to stop them. They complain that the labels in some cases are not responding to termination rights notices and predict that once 2013 arrives, a conflict that is now mostly hidden from view is likely to erupt in public.

“Right now this is kind of like a game of chicken, but with a shot clock,” said Casey Rae-Hunter, deputy director of the Future of Music Coalition, which advocates for musicians and consumers. “Everyone is adopting a wait-and-see posture. But that can only be maintained for so long, because the clock is ticking.”

Is big brother watching you ?

Anyone that was around before the year 1984 knows that George Orwell was wrong about what our life might be like in that supposed futuristic year. Big Brother was not controlling every aspect of our life through advanced technology.
However, here in the year 2011 Big Brother is very active behind the scenes, or should I say Screens, Screens as in Computer Screens. Modern life as we know involves a large amount of Social Websites and all that is attached to them. Facebook, Google+ and Twitter are the front runners in the war on our E-Attention span. It would seem everywhere we turn things that were once a solid object, that we could hold in our hands, have now become electronic shadows of what they once were. Music Records & CDs are about to become E-downloads only. Experts say Gone are the days of shopping at record stores. Remember when you could take a picture and you could then hold it in your hand a few minutes later thanks to Kodak, now it's taken with a digital camera and uploaded to facebook for all your friends to admire. Never mind taking a picture that you might hang on a real wall in your home.
Ok, back to the point of this rant- Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Facebook have been using tracking cookies for years to gather personal information on your every move on the internet.
Microsoft< ever wonder why Windows wants to update every day ? Well, I can tell you that it is not to improve it's performance but to gather data from your computer.
If you track your processes during an update you'll find that more is being uploaded to the internet, than what is being downloaded to your computer. In fact very little is altered with Windows at all during one of these updates. Microsoft claims that it only uses this information for research, but why do they attach a user I.D. to your information so as to attach your personal information in a singular manner?

Google< they may be the worst of the bunch because recently they have admitted to selling your personal data to marketing groups seeking to get your money. You might think they are sharing your search results/surfing information but they also indicated that they shared your Email activity information to said marketers.
It doesn't stop there with Google, they also share your personal information with the government if your under investigation for nearly anything. When I say 'nearly anything' I point to a case where a divorce court used google information to show that one spouse had cheating intentions based on what they were searching for. Seems like an extreme way to go just to get a divorce.

Yahoo< like Google, Yahoo the search engine, Email and Instant Messenger are all part of information that Yahoo tracks about you as an individual. IP addresses, Mail settings and search results are being stored for marketing research by Yahoo.

Facebook< FB for years has been keeping records on everyone who has an account. Every 'like' you click on, every page you view and who you have for friends are kept as records for research. Now you might suspect that if your even a little bit computer savvy, but here is what you may not know - even when you log off Facebook tracks your movements. If your like me , you may be scratching your head about this one and wondering how ? Facebook installs tracking cookies on your computer which are then used to track your movements no matter if your logged in or not!

Consider the above information and ask yourself "where is this type of privacy invasion heading ?"
Will we one day conduct court cases online where witnesses are called to testify who never need to leave the confines of their own home?
Will new laws be created governing your every move online, like you might find while driving the streets in your city?
Will we become so dependent on computers and our online activities that anything that we might want to accomplish in the real physical world become totally out of reach?
If you believe my last question could never be possible then consider my next question.
Take something simple like how we heat our homes. 100 years ago (which is really not that long ago) most of mankind would have heated their homes with wood.
Wood burnt in a woodstove which is a renewable energy source like some others we have today.
Now ask yourself how many people heat with wood ? So what do you use- Electric, Solar, Wood Pellet, Gas Furnace ?
Where am I headed with this ? Here >>> what would happen if someone flips a switch and turns your electricity off ? Will your heater continue to operate- how many days can you stay warm? 100 years ago using wood heat and the loss of electricity would have little effect on our ability to keep warm.

Our modern society is much like the situation with renewable simple energy, where we have given so much control to computers and devices that live and breathe on power sources that are out of our control and could easily be lost.
Not to mention how we are now turning our private lives over to strangers who only want to plug our personal data into some big media machine of telemarketers and government agencies.
We are investing so much into what we view as a future full of technology that will improve our lives, that we don't see how we are giving up so many things that we took for granted.

So "IS BIG BROTHER WATCHING YOU?"

Is This The End Of Music As We Know It ?

The Major Record labels plan to drop the CD format by the end of 2012.
Do they have a plan or a replacement format ? It doesn't appear that they do since no real plan seems to be in place, except the removal of said format.
They do say they plan on keeping AOD (audio on demand) via iTunes and Amazon among other online players.
The Record Labels claim that we will occasionally get a CD, here and there, in a limit edition version. But I would guess that only the hot bands at the moment will get this treatment.

This does beg the question "What if I don't have an internet connect?" or "What if I don't own a computer but I love music?. Sure these questions might sound crazy in the times that we are living in but according to polls less than 50% of Americans download music.
Does the struggling music industry really want to throw half of its potential audience into the dumper ?

Personally I'd like to see the CD replaced with a small Flashdrive at the record store.

2011 Nobel Prize in Medicine Winners may result a cure for Cancer

2011 Nobel Prize for Medicine has been awarded to three scientists.

Bruce Beutler of the United States, Jules Hoffmann of Luxembourg and Ralph Steinman of Canada.

They have been presented this award for their work on the immune system and it's numerous unknown functions. The findings may lead to a cure for cancer and many other diseases.

"This year's Nobel laureates have revolutionized our understanding of the immune system by discovering key principles for its activation,"-Award panel at Sweden's Karolinska Institute

Here are a few of the items that they have been working on.

Improved Vaccines against infectious diseases

New cancer fighting methods.

Methods that stimulate the immune system to attack tumors.

Furthered approaches in treating inflammatory diseases (rheumatoid arthritis)

Autoimmune inflammatory diseases(such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis)

"I am very excited about what these discoveries mean. I think that we will have new, better vaccines against microbes and that is very much needed now with the increased resistance against antibiotics."-Lars Klareskog, chair person for the Nobel Assembly.

Parents Protest Over Girl's Peanut Allergy

At a local school(USA) a child has a life threatening condition and the other Parents are now protesting because their children will have to wash their hands and mouth a few times a day.
Somehow the Parents of these children also believe that the child who are this Little Girl's classmates will not get a proper education because of it.
Those same Parents are also carrying picket signs outside of the school and even keeping their kids from going to school until this One little girl is removed.

What in the World are these Parents thinking ??? Moreover what is this teaching their Children- (to throw a Fit when you don't get your way)?

How about teaching your Children that We should respect and care for those amongst us who have a disability ?!?!

Read below
The following is from the local TV station who reported the story.
WKMG Local 6

Parents Protest Over Girl's Peanut Allergy
Controversy Erupts At Edgewater Elementary Public School

POSTED: Wednesday, March 9, 2011
UPDATED: 6:21 am EST March 11, 2011

EDGEWATER, Fla. -- A first-grade student at Edgewater Elementary School is struggling with a rare life-threatening peanut allergy, and it's causing a controversy among her classmates' parents.

VIDEO: Parents Protest
READ: School Letter | IMAGES: Protest

"We're not talking about she will break out in a rash. We are talking about she will die, stop breathing," said Tracey Bailey, the mother of the 6-year-old girl. The condition affects only 2 percent of the population.

Because of the condition, first-graders at the school are required to wash their hands and rinse out their mouths to avoid bringing peanut particles into the classroom.


"I don't think my child should have to rinse her mouth out three times a day. Nine times out of 10, peanut butter is not coming out of her mouth," said Carrie Starkey, whose daughter is a classmate of the girl.

"Teachers and parents are walking on eggshells," said Laura Burr, a mother of two children attending Edgewater Elementary.

In a letter sent in August, Principal Lynda H. Moore informed parents that the girl "has very severe reactions to even the slightest exposure." The letter stated that the girl can be affected simply by sitting at a table with someone who has a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or being touched by someone who has eaten a product containing nuts.

Parents said they feel their children are being stripped of their classroom rights and the girl's condition also prevents students from having holiday parties in the classroom with outside food.

"They shouldn't have to lose out on what they should be able to experience at school," Starkey said.

Parents said all the rules are taking time out of the learning process, and they protested Thursday morning outside the school with signs.

"On average, it's probably a good 30 minutes taken out of the day. That's my child's education. Thirty minutes could be a whole subject," Starkey said.

Protesters handed out fliers that claimed their children were wiped down with Clorox wipes. The fliers also said peanut-sniffing dogs will be at the school and snacks are not allowed in the classroom.

Nancy Wait, of Volusia County Schools, said Clorox wipes are used to clean desks, not students. She said federal law and the Americans with Disabilities Act mandate that the school ensure a safe environment for the girl.

"It is an inconvenience and it might seem like it's a bit overboard," said Wait, "but it's what is medically necessary for a particular student and has been sign off on by a physician."

Wait also said the students wash their hands and wash out their mouths in another classroom twice a day before entering their room. Wait confirmed that a peanut-sniffing dog will be at the school on Friday to search for areas that may contain traces of the allergen, and she added that the costs are not paid for by taxpayers.

The girl's father, David Bailey, admitted the condition is an inconvenience.

"Is it taking away from her education? A little bit, because there's so many things we have to do to keep her safe," Bailey said.

The Baileys apologize for the disruptions, but said it's their job to protect their child.

"I would love everything to be normal and everyone else to have a normal life," Bailey said.

Protesting parents said they hope their message gets school officials to loosen the restrictions in place.

Did you know that 8-tracks are still in use ?

The last mass sold 8-Track cassettes were fazed out in 1988.
However small labels have continued to offer them in what feels like some sort of underground conspiracy

Anyway back in 2009 Cheap Trick released an album on 8-track

The 8-track tape version cost $30 (while the CD went for $12.99 on Amazon. The record $20 and the digital download $8.99.

I wonder how many people purchased the 8-Track or had the equipment to play it ?

Maybe there are 8-Track collectors at there that prefer it over Vinyl and would argue the value of 8-Tracks versus Compact Discs for quality

Beautiful, Interesting, Best Album Artwork

Beautiful, Interesting, Best Album Artwork

Select yours - Some are Beautiful , some are Interesting and some just keep you staring at them as a great album cover should.
How often has the album cover set the tone for the album or sold you at a glance?
I know for me that the album cover plays an important role when I'm in buy mode.
So here are my favorites and I'm sure I've left a large number out , but these are what come to mind at the moment.


Beach Boys - Endless Summer

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I remember being a kid and seeing this cover on my Mom's 8-track. I remember how it would catch my attention each time I saw it.
I'm not sure what it is about it but it just sets the Beach Boy vibe.

The Beatles - SGT. PEPPERS

Could this be the most famous album of all time ?
I don't know but it captures the theme of the album and contains a lot of eye candy in one shot.

The Beatles - Abbey Road

Is there an album cover that has been analysed more ? I don't think so.
The Beatles full aware of the "Paul is dead" stories fueled the fire with this cover and that just makes it that much better.
Rarely do bands or artists interact with the critics and fans the way this cover does.
Also how often do Abbey Road sight seers get to recreate this album cover in person or for that matter how many album covers can a fan just step into ?

The Beatles - Hard Days Night

This album simply sums up what the Beatles were at the time, 4 guys with unique hair cuts who mug at the camera.
It's nearly a time capsule now of "the way we were" for the Fab Four

Prince - Sign Of The Times

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In mind this is the best Prince Album Cover and does things that his other covers do not.
For me it conveys the dirty under belly of the album.
If you look at how things are just thrown here and there it gives one the feeling of what it might look like at the end of some over night purple jam session and party.

Prince - Purple Rain

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This album can be summed up in one word "ICONIC" and I could leave it at that but I won't.
The cover includes all of the elements that are the album and the movie.
It's a coronation of Prince and so here he is riding in on his Purple Motorcycle , big, bad and in your face.
For once a record company really knew what it had and all involved seemed to know that it was going to be a success.

Pink Floyd Covers
Even thought I'm not a Floyd fan these two covers are the best to me.
Dark Side of the Moon being simple but memorable



ZZ Top - Afterburner

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Even thought the album was not a big hit , the album cover was interesting to me.

Jackson Browne - Running on Empty

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This album cover, even though it's very simple, seemed to sum up the live nature and material of the album
Something about it looks familiar in Sign Of The Times, or is it just me ?

Here are the others that I would sum up as all being Beautiful in a Art sense

Will the internet crash in 2011 ?

Why the internet may crash in 2011

A 2008 article published by the New York Times reported that the internet was slowing down.
That emergence of social networks, video clips and movies and games had bogged down performance.

The article goes on to say that youtube used more bandwidth in 2007 than the entire internet did in 2000 due to the above mentioned factors.
A private research firm also projected that user demand would exceed internet capacity by 2011 resulting in an outtage.

Now here is my two cents to why that may happen
As you may know Netflix and the Redbox are slowly pushing conventional DVD rental places out of businesses such as Hollywood video and the like.
Largely because of the low prices and convience they offer which cannot be topped by walk in stores.
By these companies cleaning up in the video renting department they are at the same time opening a window to a new niche.
Full HD Streaming Television and Movies via the internet.
These companies are already setting the stage for a huge audience by offering services to smart phones, game console systems such as the Wii, X-box and Playstation 3, even the PSP is getting some attention for movie downloading.

We've also reached the point in the stream of time where nearly everyone has internet access.
Of course this statement is not 100% true, but those who have a computer have the ability to access the internet from numerous public hot spots.

In my opinion this huge amount of data that will soon hit the internet arteries will indeed cause an internet stroke of sorts.
This might be the straw that broke the camel's back and in this case it's an 18 wheeler being dropped on a small dog.

Rio Bravo , king of westerns ?

For me there are a number of good choices

But my top 3 are John Wayne movies.
I don't know if it's because he reminds me of my late Grandfather but there is something about the Duke that makes you wish that he was your friend.

Top 3 Westerns are as follows

Rio Bravo (which I'm watching as I type this)

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It's hard to not enjoy Rio Bravo , from the cast or just the overall story that it tells.
I remember when my oldest two girls were younger (6-10 age range) they would watch Rio Bravo once a week.
Even after all of that watching I still enjoy the picture. That alone should pay testament to the quality that it must have.

#2) McLintock!

It's basically John Wayne and cast doing a comedy and it is very funny for a western.
Shame the Duke didn't venture into this territory more often.

#3) the Searchers


If your a fan of this movie , you must watch it on Bluray.
The movie comes to life in a way that can not be seen on standard DVD and since it's film mostly on location the panoramic views in monument valley are breath taking to say the least.


Best of the rest (honorable mention)
The Last of the Dogmen- "A modern western in my book"
High Noon
The Naked Spur
El Dorado
Dances with wolves

The BEST Turntable Money Can buy

So your a Wax Head , you love vinyl but you hate that with every listen your records are being eaten buy your record needle!
My friend there is a cure for your pain, or should I say this fix becomes your pocketbook's pain.

EIP Laser Turntable
With this laser turntable, nothing touches your records. Meaning they never loose their sound and will stay in factory new condition.
It will even play warped records as smooth as one in perfect condition and shape. It is the only record player that will produce sound at the perfect speed and pitch.
As you may know , standard record players play at different speeds especially if they are belt driven.
Even gear driven USB drives do not operate at the exact same speed, atmosphere and climate play a big role in disc operation.
The laser turntable removes all of the variables giving you the perfect sound experience.

Here is the product information

Conventional Model Pricing:

	Model	Speed (rpm)	Disc Size (inches)	Price
	LT-1LRC	33 1/3, 45	7", 10", 12"	US $8960 / 6720 €
	LT-1XRC	33 1/3, 45, 78	7", 10", 12"	$11,300 / 10,500 €
	LT-2XRC	33 1/3, 45, 78	7", 8", 9", 10", 11", 12"	$12,300 / 9230 €

High-End Model Pricing:

	Model	Speed (rpm)	Disc Size (inches)	Price
	LT-1LNP	33 1/3, 45	7", 10", 12"	US $14,000 / 10,500 €
	LT-1XNP	33 1/3, 45, 78	7", 10", 12"	$17,600 / 13,200 €
	LT-2XNP	33 1/3, 45, 78	7", 8", 9", 10", 11", 12"	$19,100 / 14,330 €

Model Comparison

	Conventional Models			High-End Models
	LT-1LRC	LT-1XRC	LT-2XRC	LT-1LNP	LT-1XNP	LT-2XNP
Speed (rpm)	33 1/3, 45	33 1/3, 45, 78	33 1/3, 45, 78	33 1/3, 45	33 1/3, 45, 78	33 1/3, 45, 78
Disc Size (inches)	7", 10", 12"	7", 10", 12"	7 - 12"	7", 10", 12"	7", 10", 12"	7 - 12"
			(1 inch steps)			(1 inch steps)
Audio Board	Conventional			New
Audio Output	Phono			Phono + LINE
Output Gain	(3.4mV = MM level)			(3.4mV = MM level)
Line Out	Additional $300 (300mV)			LINE (680mV)
Balanced Circuit	None			Included
Output Terminal	RCA pin jacks			Phono = RCA pin jacks
XLR Terminal	None			LINE = XLR terminal
APPEARANCE
Front Panel	Plastic			Aluminum (9mm)
Top Cover	Aluminum (1mm)			Aluminum (3mm)
Side Panel	Aluminum (1mm)			Aluminum (4mm)
Bottom Plate	Zinc steel (2mm)			Aluminum (3mm)
Color	Black			Champagne Gold
Size (mm)	470mm (W) x 480mm (D) x 170mm (H)			476mm (W) x 480mm (D) x 173mm (H)
Weight (kg)	19kg			23kg

Website Link >>>> http://www.elpj.com/

Now Thieves can steal your credit card simply by standing next to you

New credit cards and debit cards have what is called an RFID chip in them.

The RFID chip in a credit card emits the account number, expiration data and other information.

About 100 million credit cards now have this contactless technology embedded into them. However, over the next 2-3 years, it is expected that credit card issuers will replace every single magnetic stripe credit and debit card with a new contactless smartcard.

This technology update will enable you to use your credit card without ever needing to take it out of your pocket.

But watch out ! Thieves are quick to jump on this technology upgrade which makes their job so much easier. These new tech criminals are called SKIMMERS and what they can do to you will scare the life right out of you. If it doesn't they will certainly scare the life out of your credit card.

How does it work ?

SKIMMERS have a device which by doing as little as passing by you in a shopping center which will read your credit card number and expiration date of your card.

It's basically a small computer and as the SKIMMER walks by you and others, it stores the information of every card he or she passes by that day.

Later when they get home is when they do series damage to your account without you even knowing about it.

But you can protect yourself against this, companies are now offering cases for your credit card which will block the RFID signal. You can get these for as little as $3, which in my opinion is money well spent. This doesn't protect you against a SKIMMER who may be standing beside you in line when you pull it out to use it at the store.

I have a feeling this type of crime is going to skyrocket in the next year.

Consider yourself warned !

?uestlove Picks His 10 Favorite Prince Jams

?uestlove Picks His 10 Favorite Prince Jams

via rollingstone.com

The latest issue of Rolling Stone Magazine is called The Playlist Issue. “50 top musicians create virtual playlists on the music they love most,” The list includes Roots-drummer extraordinaire ?uestlove. In fact, Rolling Stone says:

“The new issue of Rolling Stone—the Playlist Issue—started with an idea from Roots drummer ?uestlove. We asked him to tell us his favorite songs, but he said he wanted to go deeper. “In my eyes, what defines a true artist is their filler,” he said. “I happen to like the Stevie Wonder songs that aren’t hits. I can say the same thing for Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Prince’s hits are like a red carpet that he lays out to lead you to the good stuff.”

So who does ?uestlove dig for a rotation on his iPod, you guessed it Prince. As extra credit at which concert(s) did ?uestlove perform with his Royal Badness ?

1. “Baby I’m a Star” (Live from Landover, Maryland, Purple Rain tour) 1984 – His “James Brown on The T.A.M.I. Show doing ‘Night Train’ ” moment. He’s the best bandleader of his generation — and if I ever need to prove that to someone, this is my surefire crash course.

2. “Movie Star” 1986 – Prince’s best display of humor, quirkiness, self-mockery and a dash of funk. This was originally a demo intended for the Time, but I can’t see Morris Day waxing poetic about potato chips like this.

3. “Irresistible Bitch” 1983 “Tricky” 1984 “Cloreen Bacon Skin” 1983 – A three-way tie between songs that share DNA: funky drums and a bass line in the key of A. No way I could separate ‘em.

4. “Little Red Corvette” (12-inch extended version) 1983 – A major face-lift: Prince transforms the song into this sweaty funk-out and — sorry, Diddy! — invents the remix.

5. “Lady Cab Driver” 1982 – 1999 was the kind of album where you couldn’t just bite one chip, and this was the mightiest chip.

6. “The Bird” (Rehearsal demo) 1983 – I’m certain Prince would be chagrined by this list of hard-to-find classics (in his eyes: illegal), but practicing and absorbing this song has shaped many a musician’s life, including mine — it was all the college I needed. He builds a groove here from the ground up, note by note. This one shows that even the smallest detail is crucial to a song.

7. “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker” 1987 – If Graham Central Station’s Release Yourself and Joni Mitchell’s Hissing of Summer Lawns fell in love, got married and had a baby.

8. “The Sex of It” (Demo for Kid Creole and the Coconuts) 1987 – Our hero reflects on his dead-end relationship, feeling like a used piece of meat — but don’t cue the strings, because we’d all love for women to just want us “for the sex!” This brings his vulnerability to light.

9. “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” 1983 – A bare-bones song that shows off his gospel side (the piano), his soul side (the falsetto) and his jazz side (the way he phrases his ad-libs toward the song’s fade-out). This song has wound up on every mope/breakup mix I ever made.

10. “Erotic City” 1984 – This is one of his most popular B sides. It’s his ode to P-Funk, and it makes for the perfect counterbalance to its A side, “Let’s Go Crazy.” It also marks the beginning of him singing as a helium-voiced female character named Camille.

That's one funky list now class dismissed ! For homework go dig out your Maryland boot and check out Baby I'm A Star, those who do will get an A+ from the 4riction school of cool.

Chuck Nerd Herd

Are you fan of the TV Show CHUCK ?
Well I am and those who are like me dig the fact that the CHUCK Creators use the BEST BUY look-a-like location BUY MORE.
In the show the BUY MORE is a very fun and nerdy place to hang and do a little spying on the side.
Now you can buy NERD HERD merchandise at NBC.com (bottom of page for link to NBC Store)

Here are few things that are on my GET list !
http://nbcuniversalstore.resultspage.com/search?w=chuck+nerd+herd&v=nbc&asug=chuck

New Facebook Email and Messaging System

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces new email, messaging system

Facebook faceoff: Designers weigh in

Bill Moggridge, left, director of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, praises Facebook's 'laid-back' design. Paddy Harrington, creative director of Bruce Mau Design, takes an opposing view.

Washington Post Staff

Monday, November 15, 2010; 11:59 AM

Facebook announced a revitalization of their messaging system and new e-mail addresses for users. As AP reported:

Facebook unveiled a new messaging platform Monday that takes aim at one of the Internet's first applications, e-mail. Although blogs had been speculating that Facebook would announce an e-mail service to rival Google Inc.'s Gmail and others, Facebook said e-mail was just one component of its plans.

Facebook's announcement Monday afternoon which many speculated could be the launch of a Facebook e-mail service. As Cecilia Kang reported:

Facebook's announcement on Monday, 1 p.m. EST is expected to be a new e-mail service, among other communications tools, according to the New York Times. This is significant because the social networking titan, which is breaking nearly every metric on the Web (time spent, traffic, news dissemination, display ads) could capture part of the market for a massively important app for desktop and mobile devices, one currently dominated by Google and Microsoft. Chris Hughes, a Facebook co-founder, told Post Tech that one way to identify the most important information platforms is to look at those that people visit most often and on which they are most engaged. Some examples, Hughes said, are Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and an an assortment of "longtail" sites catering to individual interests.

The Post's Melissa Bell weighed in on Facebook's announcement:

While some users may be excited to embrace a mail service on Facebook and quit with their e-mail providers that are chock-full of Facebook notifications, others may not be ready to give Facebook access to their mail service, thus handing over another piece of their personal life to a social network dogged by privacy complaints.

Speculation has been swirling that Facebook's blue and white site design might also be revamped. As Blake Gopnik explained:

It's a safe bet that no image in history has been viewed as many times, as intently, as the basic Facebook page. The company claims that its 500 million users spend more than 10 billion hours every month looking at that blue-and-gray Web site. In her five centuries of existence, Mona Lisa has not been ogled as much. She must be jealous.

She shouldn't be. Popularity is one thing; beauty is another. No matter how many friends Facebook may have offered up to you, the truth is that your page is ugly.


as posted by the Washington Post Staff Online

Smell Good or Smoke your Tires in Blue, Red and Yellow

Kumho Tires will now sell you tires that when peeled-out produce smoke in Blue , Red and Yellow.

It has taken Kumho tire 40 years to become a household name in the US, now they are working on the cutting edge of tire technology. They are known for producing cost effective tires that out handle and surpass that big boys in terms of quality and safety.

Now Kumho may be on the verge of making automotive tires that are trendy and directly aimed out your teenagers pocket book.

Ecsta SPT Colored Smoke tires are Kumho’s flashy Track & Competition DOT tires developed for drivers that race in drag and drift events. Kumho first debuted colored smoke tires in 2005.
How do they work ? A distinctive dye is mixed throughout their tread compound to create the colored smoke.
Specs provided by Kumho Tires USA

Special Features

• High dispersion silica expands compound performance for superior wet grip and better treadwear with excellent fuel efficiency.
• Race-proven carcass design with jointless cap plies, wide steel belts, ESCOT carcass profile, and high durometer apex delivers razor sharp response and extreme grip without compromising ride quality.
• Three wide circumferential grooves optimize water evacuation in footprint.
• Triple-tread radius optimizes footprint shape for even pressure distribution.
• Shoulder blocks tilted into direction of travel to improve grip and reduce worn-tire noise.
• Rim protector in lower sidewall safeguards wheel against scratches and abrasions.
• Comes in a variety of Run-Flat sizes.
• Select sizes available in red, yellow and blue smoke for “drifting” fans. The colored smoke will last throughout the tire’s full tread life.
• UTQG rating of 340 AA/A for H and V speed ratings. For W and Y speed ratings, the UTQG is 320 AA/A.
• Notice: Ecsta SPT Colored Smoke tires will leave a sticky residue on the vehicle's underbody, wheels, suspension, wheelwells and fenders during extended burnouts. Colored residue will stain wheels, body and suspension parts.

Kumho states that these tires are for competition only and not meant for the street, yeah whatever !

If that wasn’t enough Kumho has also produced scented tires that smell like Lavender and Rosemary when smoked!
I suppose if the colored smoke tires are aimed at the Lads, then these must be aimed at those hardcore Female drivers who want good smelling tires.

The Kumho ECSTA DX Aroma tire will be sold in three sizes:

• 205/60R16 (MSRP $119)
• 215/60R16 (MSRP $125)
• 235/60R16 (MSRP $138)

4riction's "5 Favorite Albums of 2010"

1) Beat The Devil's Tattoo by The Black Motorcycle Club









2) Red Velvet Car by HEART










3) You Get What You Give by Zac Brown Band










4) Save Me San Francisco by TRAIN *released Oct 2009









5) The ArchAndroid (suites II and III) by Janelle Monae