Monday, April 30, 2012
9 Principles For Great Branding By Design
We all know great design has a critical role to play in building a great brand. But how do we go about making that happen? I recently had the opportunity to speak to three top designers about that very question: Robert Brunner, founder of the design shop Ammunition and author of Do You Matter: How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company; Joe Doucet, founder of Joe Doucet Studio and David Hill, vice president of design at Lenovo and author of the Design Matters blog.
Through these conversations, it became clear that the link between design and branding is important, and that having a top design team is to crucial to having a winning brand.
Here's what I learned:
Branding and design are, to a large extent, inseparable. "A brand is not your logo or ID system," says Brunner. "It's a gut feeling people have about you. When two or more people have the same feeling, you have a brand. You get that feeling via smart design, which creates the experiences people have with the brand. Everything you do creates the brand experience, ergo design IS your brand."
If design is the brand, stop thinking of branding and design as distinct disciplines. "It's all about integrating design and brand," says Doucet. "We need to cease thinking of them as different disciplines. The essence of the Apple brand comes through its design. Take the logo off a BMW and you still know it's a BMW."
Brands need to create an emotional relationship with people. "We are all emotional beings and we have emotional relationships with brands we trust," says Brunner. "Designers need to make that happen. A designer must take the values and assets of a company and transform them in a special way that connects with people emotionally."
Designers need to "get" the essence of the brand. "For designers to build a great brand, they have to understand it," Hill points out. "You need to understand its history, its values, and what it means to people. Can you imagine designing the latent Jeep without understanding the brand archetype of what it means for a product to be a Jeep?"
Design needs to be strategic from the outset. "For design to have a major impact, it's got to get involved at the strategic level," said Hill. "It can't be an afterthought or superficial trappings to be put on post product creation. Samsung's brand became powerful only after they put a Chief Design Officer in place and made it a priority for the company."
Integrate design early in the process to drive innovation and create solutions. "Good designers approach design as an opportunity to ask questions," says Doucet. "Solution generation starts by questioning initial assumptions. Rather than ask myself 'How should I design Widget X?' I need to be asking 'Do we really need Widget X or is there a better solution to this customer problem? So a designer needs be there at the beginning and be connected to the decision-makers. For example, at Braun, Dieter Rams sat across from the owner of the company."
Don't overdesign. "With the increasing emphasis on design in the world today, it's important to avoid the 'over-designed syndrome,'" says Hill. "A simple, well-thought-through, authentic design is often the best. Everything doesn't need to be redesigned; sometimes what we have in hand is better than what we seek. It's not all about being different; it's about being better. If Levi Strauss wanted me to redesign the patch on the back of their jeans, I would look in their archives for the original."
Use design to continually reinvent the brand. "Some folks think they know branding," says Doucet. "Figured it out long ago. 'Hi. I'm someone you'll like. You'll know it's me because I always wear a red polo shirt (pantone 185 to be exact) with blue pants and a yellow belt.' You can't think that way today. Brands need to allow themselves to constantly update, and be much more fluid. Look at Google; they morph their logo for special occasions. Constant change is a big part of who they are."
Use design to make a difference. "Design can make a difference in how we live," says Brunner. "Take sustainability. A lot of what is done in that area is 'making bad, better.' We're taking wasteful things and seeing how we can make them not so bad. We need to start thinking about how we can use our design tools to encourage people to change. You do that by making 'doing better' also be fun, interesting and (importantly) the path of least resistance. And you do it in an encouraging, not controlling, way. Design needs to do that in order to reach a larger audience than just the small group that is socially driven.
While these steps may require a new way of thinking about design for some, they're key steps to the path for those who want to build a great brand and make life better for those who experience them.
Mistah F.A.B. - I'm In London
Saturday, April 28, 2012
:ate Night Blogging Before Bed
Today has been a great day for me. I feel so blessed right now that everything is going so good for me. My hard work has finally paid off literally in this music game. Sales are up, shows are packed, and my music is sounding better than ever. I just want to thank all of my supporters for sticking by me all these years and believing in me and my talents. My Own Lane is breaking past project efforts in shorter time and i'm just happy to be here.
If you have not picked up my latest album online yet, Or would like a hard copy mailed to you my paypal address is purpreynolds@aol.com all you have to do is put your shipping address in the comment section and i will have that on it's way! New video shoot will be next month and if you can i hope you can make it out.
More info will be posted on here in the coming weeks so stay tuned for this epic visual to a even bigger song.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Big K.R.I.T. Reveals Artwork For Album "Live From The Underground"
City Paid Illegal Benefits to Mayor, Council Members for Years
STOCKTON
Stockton, the city that's looking at bankruptcy, has been paying illegal benefits to council members for more than 20 years, to the tune of nearly $277,000.
"We need to fix this. None of the council members or I had any idea that this was the situation," Mayor Ann Johnston said.
City officials learned that council members and mayors, both former and current, were enrolled in the state retirement system, CALPers, and that Stockton was illegally paying in to their funds in addition. Local newspaper columnist, Mike Fitzgerald with the Stockton Record, found it in the city's charter, and brought it to the attention of the city attorney.
Be the first to know! Sign up for FOX40 breaking news alerts.
"Took him a month to convince himself, but ultimately he decided that the benefit was indeed illegal," Fitzgerald said.
"Just morally, it was put in there illegally. Wasn't supposed to be there. So give it back?" FOX40 asked the Mayor.
"At this point, I need to look at what the options are and if I have any choices or not," Mayor Johnston said.
"Weighing what options on what?" said Ralph White, a councilman from 1971-1986. "Whether to give the money back, or keep it? Do you wanna be a thief, or does she wanna give the money back. That's the option. I wanna be a thief and I don't care about the city of Stockton. Or I give the money back, 'cause I wasn't entitled to it."
"A section of the city charter that seems to say it's illegal to receive retirement benefits. It seems to say so clearly and unambiguously," Fitzgerald said.
"Do I think I need to know the city charter by heart? No, I go to the charter when issues come up. But I always defer to city staff. They are the financial and legal experts," Johnston said.
"Our charter is like our Constitution," White said. "Every council member, and especially the mayor, is the chairman. She should definitely know the charter."
Of the current City Council, two members and the Mayor are enrolled in the state system and illegally getting Stockton contributions.
The Mayor's portion in this is about $45,000. She told FOX40 signing up for the Council is like starting a new job, and she enrolled in benefits under the direction of city staff.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Picture of President Obama Goes Viral
Monday, April 23, 2012
Oktayne - Positive High Trailer
Check out this short trailer from the homie Oktayne people. Visit his youtube page for more of his work and to get acquainted with his catalog. Support dope music from dope artist is what we do on It's Reynolds right? Well i will be looking forward to the release of this track because the beat & sample sounds wicked.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Swagflu?feature=watch
Playboy Closes it's Chicago Offices & Moves To L.A.
CHICAGO (AP) — Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner is officially bidding Chicago goodbye.
Hefner penned a column for the Chicago Tribune (http://trib.in/HTjxbd ) thanking the city where he began the magazine in the early 1950s. Playboy closed its Chicago offices as part of a plan to consolidate in Los Angeles, where Hefner has lived for decades.
Hefner reminisces in the column about his early life in Chicago, including his college and Army years and the magazine's beginnings. He makes frequent references to Chicago landmarks and says the city shaped Playboy in ways he didn't realize, calling Chicago "the most significant representation of true, post-war America."
The 86-year-old says it's bittersweet to watch the Playboy offices close in a city that he loves.
Author: (AP)
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Rest In Peace The Legend Dick Clark
NEW YORK (AP) — He showed us how to dance, what music to listen to, and gave us something to do on New Year's Eve.
For generations of Americans, Dick Clark was more than just a TV host; he was the person who helped shape key memories in our lives.
In judging Clark's accomplishments, some might use his giant television empire as the benchmark: He made millions of dollars as a television entrepreneur, showing far more business savvy than you'd expect from someone with a slightly derisive nickname, "America's oldest living teenager." Game shows, award shows, bloopers, the American Music Awards — hours of television were filled by Dick Clark Productions, and Ryan Seacrest's career follows Clark's blueprint.
But for most Americans, their memories of Clark are personal. He came to them in their living room with "American Bandstand," counting down the hits, introducing the latest dance moves and hair styles, and chatting up the pop act of the hour who would stop by lip-synch their new songs.
Or they would join him on New Year's Eve, a friendly face for the dateless, or those who just wanted to stay away from the crowd. His other television institution, "New Year's Rockin' Eve," is still going strong at age 40. Lady Gaga was the star of Clark's last New Year's show this winter.
"American Bandstand" was a simple idea blessed with perfect timing. Television was new in the early 1950s, and a Philadelphia station began showing a version of a teen dance party in the afternoon. Clark, a DJ in the city, took over as host in 1956.
It soon went national. One of the country's biggest generations, the post-World War II baby boom, was heading into their teen years, itching to dance to this new sound of rock 'n' roll.
Clark spun the hits, as the camera panned to kids trying out the freshest dance moves. It was a required stop for the day's hitmakers, and exposure on "American Bandstand" could send a song soaring up the charts. He'd ask an audience member to listen to a couple of brand-new songs each week and rate their hit potential, launching the immortal phrase: "It's got a good beat, and you can dance to it."
The show moved to Saturday afternoons in 1963, and continued to wield great influence. Chubby Checker's "Twist" dance craze owed much to the teens shown gyrating on "Bandstand."
The music changed, but "Bandstand" kept an open mind. Clark was a big fan of Michael Jackson and his family. Later video clips showed him awkwardly interviewing members of Talking Heads about their cerebral punk sound. In the early 1980s, former Sex Pistol John Lydon brought his new band P.I.L. to "Bandstand" and they wreaked havoc, bringing the audience onstage and not even pretending to play their instruments or sing along to their music.
Maybe they were trying to "punk" Dick Clark, as a later generation might say, but don't miss the bigger point: They showed up to be on his show.
MTV eventually killed "Bandstand"; people didn't need a once-a-week appointment to see people dance to songs on TV when they could watch music videos at any hour. The show's influence didn't disappear: MTV's "Total Request Live," big in the boy band era, was simply "Bandstand" for another generation (with a much shorter shelf life).
For generations of Americans, Dick Clark was more than just a TV host; he was the person who helped shape key memories in our lives.
In judging Clark's accomplishments, some might use his giant television empire as the benchmark: He made millions of dollars as a television entrepreneur, showing far more business savvy than you'd expect from someone with a slightly derisive nickname, "America's oldest living teenager." Game shows, award shows, bloopers, the American Music Awards — hours of television were filled by Dick Clark Productions, and Ryan Seacrest's career follows Clark's blueprint.
But for most Americans, their memories of Clark are personal. He came to them in their living room with "American Bandstand," counting down the hits, introducing the latest dance moves and hair styles, and chatting up the pop act of the hour who would stop by lip-synch their new songs.
Or they would join him on New Year's Eve, a friendly face for the dateless, or those who just wanted to stay away from the crowd. His other television institution, "New Year's Rockin' Eve," is still going strong at age 40. Lady Gaga was the star of Clark's last New Year's show this winter.
"American Bandstand" was a simple idea blessed with perfect timing. Television was new in the early 1950s, and a Philadelphia station began showing a version of a teen dance party in the afternoon. Clark, a DJ in the city, took over as host in 1956.
It soon went national. One of the country's biggest generations, the post-World War II baby boom, was heading into their teen years, itching to dance to this new sound of rock 'n' roll.
Clark spun the hits, as the camera panned to kids trying out the freshest dance moves. It was a required stop for the day's hitmakers, and exposure on "American Bandstand" could send a song soaring up the charts. He'd ask an audience member to listen to a couple of brand-new songs each week and rate their hit potential, launching the immortal phrase: "It's got a good beat, and you can dance to it."
The show moved to Saturday afternoons in 1963, and continued to wield great influence. Chubby Checker's "Twist" dance craze owed much to the teens shown gyrating on "Bandstand."
The music changed, but "Bandstand" kept an open mind. Clark was a big fan of Michael Jackson and his family. Later video clips showed him awkwardly interviewing members of Talking Heads about their cerebral punk sound. In the early 1980s, former Sex Pistol John Lydon brought his new band P.I.L. to "Bandstand" and they wreaked havoc, bringing the audience onstage and not even pretending to play their instruments or sing along to their music.
Maybe they were trying to "punk" Dick Clark, as a later generation might say, but don't miss the bigger point: They showed up to be on his show.
MTV eventually killed "Bandstand"; people didn't need a once-a-week appointment to see people dance to songs on TV when they could watch music videos at any hour. The show's influence didn't disappear: MTV's "Total Request Live," big in the boy band era, was simply "Bandstand" for another generation (with a much shorter shelf life).
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Mother shot dead, newborn taken near Houston
SPRING, Texas (AP) — A newborn boy was abducted from his dying mother after she was repeatedly shot outside a suburban Houston pediatric center on Tuesday, according to investigators searching for the suspected shooter who sped off with the infant in a blood-stained Lexus.
Kayla Marie Golden, 28, was walking to her pickup truck after a checkup with her 3-day-old son, Keegan, when she had a verbal altercation with a woman in a Lexus parked next to her, Montgomery County sheriff's Lt. Dan Norris said.
Witnesses said the woman repeatedly shot Golden, took the infant and sped away, hitting they dying mother as she screamed "my baby" and tried to reach into the Lexus, Norris said. Witnesses also reported hearing as many as seven gunshots and said a man also was in the Lexus, which is blood-stained on the driver's side, Norris said.
The infant was last seen wearing a green-and-white one-piece outfit displaying the word "handsome."
The shooting happened just after 2 p.m. outside the Northwoods Pediatric Center in Spring, which is about 20 miles north of Houston. A statewide emergency alert has been issued for the baby.
Witnesses described the shooting suspect as a thin, gold-haired black woman, apparently in her late 20s or early 30s, Norris said. They also said the Lexus was sky blue or light green.
Joshua Jesson said he was in the clinic with his girlfriend when he heard gunshots. He said he saw the Lexus next to the pickup truck, then later looked back and saw the car was gone and a woman lying in the spot where the Lexus had been parked.
"I thought she just passed out. Then somebody ran in here and said, 'Somebody got shot,'" he said.
Police quickly surrounded the clinic and much of the parking lot with crime-scene tape, and yellow markers were placed next to a purse and pair of brown sandals near a red pickup truck. Spent ammunition also was nearby.
The clinic is in an area thick with strip malls.
Author: Juan A. Lozano
Kayla Marie Golden, 28, was walking to her pickup truck after a checkup with her 3-day-old son, Keegan, when she had a verbal altercation with a woman in a Lexus parked next to her, Montgomery County sheriff's Lt. Dan Norris said.
Witnesses said the woman repeatedly shot Golden, took the infant and sped away, hitting they dying mother as she screamed "my baby" and tried to reach into the Lexus, Norris said. Witnesses also reported hearing as many as seven gunshots and said a man also was in the Lexus, which is blood-stained on the driver's side, Norris said.
The infant was last seen wearing a green-and-white one-piece outfit displaying the word "handsome."
The shooting happened just after 2 p.m. outside the Northwoods Pediatric Center in Spring, which is about 20 miles north of Houston. A statewide emergency alert has been issued for the baby.
Witnesses described the shooting suspect as a thin, gold-haired black woman, apparently in her late 20s or early 30s, Norris said. They also said the Lexus was sky blue or light green.
Joshua Jesson said he was in the clinic with his girlfriend when he heard gunshots. He said he saw the Lexus next to the pickup truck, then later looked back and saw the car was gone and a woman lying in the spot where the Lexus had been parked.
"I thought she just passed out. Then somebody ran in here and said, 'Somebody got shot,'" he said.
Police quickly surrounded the clinic and much of the parking lot with crime-scene tape, and yellow markers were placed next to a purse and pair of brown sandals near a red pickup truck. Spent ammunition also was nearby.
The clinic is in an area thick with strip malls.
Author: Juan A. Lozano
Monday, April 16, 2012
Kid Named Breezy - Got Damn
This song is nice i like how my mans painted this picture of what's popping right now!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
More Than Mere Magic Mushrooms
This week we're talking about fungus two ways. One that can survive exclusively on polyurethane and another that can replace Styrofoam.
Both polyurethane and styrofoam are not biodegradable, so without a solution, all the plastic bottles and old toys we throw out every year will be sitting in landfills for centuries.
Yes, you can recycle plastic, but that just means turning it into another product and recycling hasn't sufficiently slowed the production of new plastic.
According to a Yale study, globally we produced 245 million tons of plastic in 2006, compared to only 1.5 million tons in 1950.
One of the fungi we're looking at is called pestalotiopsis microspora. It was discovered by a group of Yale researchers on an expedition in Ecuador and can subsist on polyurethane alone in airless environments, like the bottom of a landfill.
The other comes from a couple of college friends who discovered that the sticky substance on the bottom of mushrooms called mycelium could be turned into a glue and when that glue is combined with corn husks and other food byproducts it takes on a form similar to Styrofoam. Their company, Ecovative wants used Styrofoam to become mulch, not waste.
A future with less plastic and more mulch, all thanks to fungus.
Author: Bill Weir, C. Michael Kim, David Miller, Justin Bare & Mark Monroy
Both polyurethane and styrofoam are not biodegradable, so without a solution, all the plastic bottles and old toys we throw out every year will be sitting in landfills for centuries.
Yes, you can recycle plastic, but that just means turning it into another product and recycling hasn't sufficiently slowed the production of new plastic.
According to a Yale study, globally we produced 245 million tons of plastic in 2006, compared to only 1.5 million tons in 1950.
One of the fungi we're looking at is called pestalotiopsis microspora. It was discovered by a group of Yale researchers on an expedition in Ecuador and can subsist on polyurethane alone in airless environments, like the bottom of a landfill.
The other comes from a couple of college friends who discovered that the sticky substance on the bottom of mushrooms called mycelium could be turned into a glue and when that glue is combined with corn husks and other food byproducts it takes on a form similar to Styrofoam. Their company, Ecovative wants used Styrofoam to become mulch, not waste.
A future with less plastic and more mulch, all thanks to fungus.
Author: Bill Weir, C. Michael Kim, David Miller, Justin Bare & Mark Monroy
Darlene Mayes, 73-Year-Old, Sold Pot And Had Illegal Guns In Oklahoma, Cops Say
This granny's ganja wasn't for glaucoma -- turns out she might have been the biggest pot dealer in town.
When cops kicked down the door of an elderly woman's Oklahoma home on Monday, they said they knew they'd find some marijuana. What they didn't expect was that 73-year-old Darlene Mayes was packing 4 pounds of pot, $276,000 in cash, a semiautomatic pistol and a revolver, The Daily reported.
Investigators had been following Mayes' alleged drug ring for years, but they didn't know she was the kingpin until Monday, KJRH-TV reported. They believe she supplied about 40 percent of the marijuana circulating in the vicinity, which includes Tulsa and parts of Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri.
"That was quite a surprise," Vinita Police Chief Bobby Floyd told The Daily, an iPad-only news site. "She is in very good shape for her age."
Cops alleged that Mayes had plenty of dealers working for her -- including her son Jerry, who was arrested Monday, accused of carrying thousands of dollars in cash and nearly 2 pounds of pot that he intended to sell.
In Mayes' house, cops found the supply in her bedroom, which reeked of weed. A vacuum-sealed bag full of the stuff was found in the closet, and bundles of bills labeled "$15,000" were found under her box spring. They found a pipe and another bag of weed in the bathroom, and a total of $200,000 in more vacuum-sealed bags in a guest room where Mayes' grandchildren reportedly slept.
Mayes allegedly first told officers that the money was for her retirement fund.
"She knew exactly what she was doing and supplying and exactly who she’s profiting from," Mark Woodward, spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, told The Daily.
The granny was charged with marijuana possession with intent to distribute, maintaining a dwelling where drugs are kept or sold, and firearm possession in commission of a felony.
Author: Andy Campbell
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Miracle Baby In Critical Condition A Week After Being Found Alive In Morgue After Being Declared Dead
A baby girl born three months prematurely is fighting for her life, a week after it was discovered hospital staff had incorrectly declared her stillborn.
A mother in Argentina says she fell to her knees in shock after finding her baby alive in a coffin in the morgue nearly 12 hours after the girl had been declared dead.
Analia Bouter named her newborn Luz Milagros, or “Miracle Light.” The tiny girl, born three months premature, was in critical but improving condition Wednesday in the same hospital where the staff pronounced her stillborn on April 3.
The case became public Tuesday when Rafael Sabatinelli, the deputy health minister in the northern province of Chaco, announced in a news conference that five medical professionals involved have been suspended pending an official investigation.
Bouter told the TeleNoticias TV channel in an interview Tuesday night that doctors gave her the death certificate just 20 minutes after the baby was born, and that she still hasn’t received a birth certificate for her tiny girl.
Bouter said the baby was quickly put in a coffin and taken to the morgue’s refrigeration room. Twelve hours passed before she and her husband were able to open the coffin to say their last goodbyes.
She said that’s when the baby trembled. She thought it was her imagination — then she realized the little girl was alive and dropped to her knees on the morgue floor in shock.
A morgue worker quickly picked up the girl and confirmed she was alive. Then, Bouter’s brother grabbed the baby and ran to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, shouting for the doctors. The baby was so cold, Bouter said, that “it was like carrying a bottle of ice.”
A week later, the baby is improving. Bouter said she still has many unanswered questions about what happened. She said she had given birth normally to four other children and doesn’t understand why doctors gave her general anesthesia this time. She said she also doesn’t know why she wasn’t allowed to see her baby before it was put into a coffin.
She said she had to insist on going to the morgue’s refrigeration room, where she brought her sister’s cellphone to take a picture of the newborn for the funeral. Her husband struggled to open the lid, and then stepped aside to let her see inside.
“I moved the coverings aside and saw the tiny hand, with all five fingers, and I touched her hand and then uncovered her face,” she said in the TeleNoticias interview. “That’s where I heard a tiny little cry. I told myself I was imagining it — it was my imagination. And then I stepped back and saw her waking up. It was as if she was saying ‘Mama, you came for me!’
“That was when I fell to my knees. My husband didn’t know what to do. We were just crying and I laughed and cried, cries and laughter. We must have seemed crazy.”
She says the family plans to sue the staff at Hospital Perrando in the city of Resistencia for malpractice, and still wants answers. But they’ve been focused for now on their little girl, whom she described as amazingly healthy despite being born after just 26 weeks of gestation. So far, she hasn’t needed oxygen or other support commonly provided to preemies, she said.
“I’m a believer. All of this was a miracle from God,” she told Telam, Argentina’s state news agency
Thank God for such an incredible miracle!
We’re praying for the lil baby to be healthy and come through this without any permanent negative effects.
A mother in Argentina says she fell to her knees in shock after finding her baby alive in a coffin in the morgue nearly 12 hours after the girl had been declared dead.
Analia Bouter named her newborn Luz Milagros, or “Miracle Light.” The tiny girl, born three months premature, was in critical but improving condition Wednesday in the same hospital where the staff pronounced her stillborn on April 3.
The case became public Tuesday when Rafael Sabatinelli, the deputy health minister in the northern province of Chaco, announced in a news conference that five medical professionals involved have been suspended pending an official investigation.
Bouter told the TeleNoticias TV channel in an interview Tuesday night that doctors gave her the death certificate just 20 minutes after the baby was born, and that she still hasn’t received a birth certificate for her tiny girl.
Bouter said the baby was quickly put in a coffin and taken to the morgue’s refrigeration room. Twelve hours passed before she and her husband were able to open the coffin to say their last goodbyes.
She said that’s when the baby trembled. She thought it was her imagination — then she realized the little girl was alive and dropped to her knees on the morgue floor in shock.
A morgue worker quickly picked up the girl and confirmed she was alive. Then, Bouter’s brother grabbed the baby and ran to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, shouting for the doctors. The baby was so cold, Bouter said, that “it was like carrying a bottle of ice.”
A week later, the baby is improving. Bouter said she still has many unanswered questions about what happened. She said she had given birth normally to four other children and doesn’t understand why doctors gave her general anesthesia this time. She said she also doesn’t know why she wasn’t allowed to see her baby before it was put into a coffin.
She said she had to insist on going to the morgue’s refrigeration room, where she brought her sister’s cellphone to take a picture of the newborn for the funeral. Her husband struggled to open the lid, and then stepped aside to let her see inside.
“I moved the coverings aside and saw the tiny hand, with all five fingers, and I touched her hand and then uncovered her face,” she said in the TeleNoticias interview. “That’s where I heard a tiny little cry. I told myself I was imagining it — it was my imagination. And then I stepped back and saw her waking up. It was as if she was saying ‘Mama, you came for me!’
“That was when I fell to my knees. My husband didn’t know what to do. We were just crying and I laughed and cried, cries and laughter. We must have seemed crazy.”
She says the family plans to sue the staff at Hospital Perrando in the city of Resistencia for malpractice, and still wants answers. But they’ve been focused for now on their little girl, whom she described as amazingly healthy despite being born after just 26 weeks of gestation. So far, she hasn’t needed oxygen or other support commonly provided to preemies, she said.
“I’m a believer. All of this was a miracle from God,” she told Telam, Argentina’s state news agency
Thank God for such an incredible miracle!
We’re praying for the lil baby to be healthy and come through this without any permanent negative effects.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Simon Cowell's Label Sued Over One Direction Name
One Direction is one of the hottest boy bands in years, formed by Simon Cowell after the bands' members finished strongly on the seventh season of "The X Factor" in the U.K. The group's debut album recently topped the U.S. chart, and it had a successful performance on Saturday Night Live. The band's arrival is being hailed as the new "British Invasion."
But there's a problem: Another U.S. band already calls itself One Direction.
Cowell's record label, Syco Entertainment, and Sony Music have just been hit with a $1 million lawsuit that says that One Direction (U.K.) can't navigate itself into U.S. jurisdiction without causing consumer confusion and destroying the goodwill of the U.S.-based doppelganger. As proof of the confusion, the plaintiffs point to a recent segment on NBC's Today, where the British teen-scream group was shown, accompanied accidentally by music from the U.S. band. So now One Direction (U.K.) is being threatened with losing its name.
One Direction (U.S.), fronted by Sean O'Leary, is not signed to a label, but the pop group has been selling its album, "The Light," on iTunes since February 2011.
The band's attorney, Peter Ross, points out that this is well before the U.K. band -- made up of Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan -- released its own album, "Up All Night," in America. Last month it became the first debut album by a U.K. band to bow at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
But Ross maintains that Cowell's company should have known better than to bring his band to the U.S. as "One Direction." The attorney says that One Direction (U.K.) was made aware of One Direction (U.S.) when it attempted to file an application with the U.S. Trademark Office. (The matter is now before the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board.) "Rather than change their name or do anything to create confusion or avoid damage to our goodwill, they chose to press ahead and come on their tour," says Ross.
Proving consumer confusion might be a snap for the plaintiffs.
The American band posted a song, "2012," on YouTube, and it's been viewed more than 100,000 times. In addition, "2012" has been selling nicely on iTunes. Part of the success of One Direction's (U.S.) song could be attributed to consumers who stumbled on the song after searching for the more popular act. According to Ross, "2012" was the song NBC mistakenly played on Today when introducing the hot U.K. act.
Proving harm could be an entirely different issue in the coming case, though.
The American group might be the beneficiary of attention they wouldn't have ordinarily have gotten -- for better or worse. On one hand, sales have been nice. On the other, some commentators on YouTube have left nasty comments, perhaps after seeing and hearing something they weren't expected. Ross says it shows that the goodwill of his client's trademark is being denigrated.
With only so many great band names out there, the history of pop music is replete with disputes: Dinosaur vs. Dinosaur Jr., Death from Above vs. Death from Above 1979, Galaxie 500 vs. Galaxie.
In some instances, bands simply agree to change their name. For instance, Pink Floyd was originally called The Tea Set before finding out about a band with the same name. Same goes for The Grateful Dead, originally called The Warlocks, or The Chemical Brothers, originally called The Dust Brothers.
Other times, bands have been forced to add prefixes or suffixes to make a distinction to an existing band: See The Charlatans UK, The English Beat or Wham UK.
But Cowell and One Direction allegedly are resisting this direction, perhaps because they've already become quite famous.
"We've been in negotiations for a month to find a resolution," says Ross. "In our view, the negotiations weren't turning out to be very productive."
As a result, One Direction LLC has filed a lawsuit against Syco and Sony that seeks an injunction plus $1 million in damages.
The defendants haven't responded to a request for comment.
Author: Ms TweetMySong
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Blunt World Music Fest 2012 Artist Time Slots
Here goes the official time slots of this years Blunt World Music Fest
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Police search for gunman who shot 5 in Oklahoma
(Reuters) - A gunman shot five people, killing three of them, in a black neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in a shooting spree that left residents on edge and sparked an intensive manhunt on Saturday.
Three men and one woman were shot within a mile of each other in north Tulsa at around 1 a.m. on Friday morning, police said.
The body of a fifth victim, 31-year-old William Allen, was discovered outside a nearby funeral home in the predominantly black part of the city after 8 a.m. on Friday. Police said he was likely shot at about the same time as the others.
Police described the suspect as a white man driving a white pickup truck.
Though all five of the victims were black, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said it was too early to know whether the shootings were racially motivated.
"The whole race issue, the hate crime issue, there's a very logical theory that would say that's what it could be, but I'm a police officer, I've got to go by the evidence," Jordan said, adding that no racial slurs had been used by the gunman.
"It's just not time for us to say that," Jordan said. "Right now I'm worried about more of my citizens being murdered."
Police identified the other people killed as Dannaer Fields, 49, and Bobby Clark, 54.
The names of the two survivors were not released and authorities said only that they were expected to survive.
Agents from the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service were helping Tulsa police hunt for the suspect.
'PEOPLE ARE FEARFUL'
Tulsa City Councilman Jack Henderson, who represents the district in which the shootings took place, said members of the community were anxious knowing a gunman was at large.
"People are fearful," Henderson said. "They are afraid they can't walk down the street."
Henderson said witnesses told police the suspect drove through the neighborhood at about 1 a.m. on Friday, stopping several people on the street and asking for directions.
The pedestrians spoke briefly with the man but began walking away after they could not help him with the directions, Henderson said. The driver then shot at them, killing one, and sped away, he said.
A witness told police that he or she was sitting in front of a house when a man pulled up in a white Chevrolet pickup truck with rust spots on the hood and asked for directions.
After a brief exchange, the suspect produced a handgun and fired, striking two people before driving off, police said.
"This is now a manhunt," Henderson said. "They are working around the clock to bring this person to justice."
Authorities asked people to come forward with any information on the shootings.
"All citizens of Tulsa understand the significance of this event," Mayor Dewey Bartlett said.
(Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
Three men and one woman were shot within a mile of each other in north Tulsa at around 1 a.m. on Friday morning, police said.
The body of a fifth victim, 31-year-old William Allen, was discovered outside a nearby funeral home in the predominantly black part of the city after 8 a.m. on Friday. Police said he was likely shot at about the same time as the others.
Police described the suspect as a white man driving a white pickup truck.
Though all five of the victims were black, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said it was too early to know whether the shootings were racially motivated.
"The whole race issue, the hate crime issue, there's a very logical theory that would say that's what it could be, but I'm a police officer, I've got to go by the evidence," Jordan said, adding that no racial slurs had been used by the gunman.
"It's just not time for us to say that," Jordan said. "Right now I'm worried about more of my citizens being murdered."
Police identified the other people killed as Dannaer Fields, 49, and Bobby Clark, 54.
The names of the two survivors were not released and authorities said only that they were expected to survive.
Agents from the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service were helping Tulsa police hunt for the suspect.
'PEOPLE ARE FEARFUL'
Tulsa City Councilman Jack Henderson, who represents the district in which the shootings took place, said members of the community were anxious knowing a gunman was at large.
"People are fearful," Henderson said. "They are afraid they can't walk down the street."
Henderson said witnesses told police the suspect drove through the neighborhood at about 1 a.m. on Friday, stopping several people on the street and asking for directions.
The pedestrians spoke briefly with the man but began walking away after they could not help him with the directions, Henderson said. The driver then shot at them, killing one, and sped away, he said.
A witness told police that he or she was sitting in front of a house when a man pulled up in a white Chevrolet pickup truck with rust spots on the hood and asked for directions.
After a brief exchange, the suspect produced a handgun and fired, striking two people before driving off, police said.
"This is now a manhunt," Henderson said. "They are working around the clock to bring this person to justice."
Authorities asked people to come forward with any information on the shootings.
"All citizens of Tulsa understand the significance of this event," Mayor Dewey Bartlett said.
(Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
Cyclist accident makes waves on the Web
The story of a San Francisco cyclist who plowed into a pedestrian on March 29 and then apparently took to a bicycle blog forum to tell his side of the story is blowing up on the Web.
Chris Bucchere allegedly struck 71-year-old Sutchi Hui—who later died—at a busy San Francisco intersection, and then identified himself as the rider in the crash on a public Google group for the Mission Cycling Club .
The incident is making waves on the blog-o-sphere as readers weigh in on the cyclist's story. The post, which has since been removed from the forum, read in part, "The light turned yellow as I was approaching the intersection, but I was already way too committed to stop. The light turned red as I was cruising through the middle of the intersection and then, almost instantly, the southern crosswalk on Market and Castro filled up with people coming from both directions, … so, in a nutshell, blammo."
The rider goes on, "Apparently I hit a 71-year-old male pedestrian and he ended up in the ICU with pretty serious head injuries. I really hope he ends up OK."
Hui died, but the medical examiner's report has not yet been released. In a statement to Yahoo News, the spokeswoman for the San Francisco District Attorney, Stephanie Ong Stillman, noted that the office is keeping an eye on the case, although no charges have been filed. Stillman emphasized, "We take pedestrian traffic fatalities very, very seriously."
Apparently so do many readers of blog forums, who weighed in on Bucchere's alleged actions. One biker wrote on SFist:
"It takes just one (bleeping) jerk like Chris to give a bad name to the countless other bikers whom obey laws and ride safely."
Another added, speaking directly to Bucchere, "Your irresponsibility injured (and ultimately killed) a man and you took to the Internet to tell your story? Yeah, you deserve jail time."
Kevin LaKritz, a founder of Mission Cycling Club, learned of the incident through the public post, and told Yahoo News, "It's terrible, our thoughts go out to the family." LaKritz said of the post , "Everyone was shocked and horrified when they read it. It's not what Mission Cycling is about. It's about creating a community through cycling." He added, "We don't condone reckless riding in any way."
Bicycling is a popular way to get around San Francisco, and while bike accidents that lead to pedestrian fatalities are rare, this is now the second incident to make headlines this year. Recently, 23-year-old Randolph Ang pled guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for running a red light and hitting a 68-year-old pedestrian who also died.
The San Francisco Bay Guardian reports that Bucchere was a member of the mobile app strava.com, which tracks cyclist data and clocked the biker riding 35 miles per hour at the time of the incident.
In a statement on its website, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Executive Director Leah Shahum denounced bad behavior on two wheels or four: "While we recognize that this case is still under investigation, we are deeply troubled by the just-released online account of the incident."
She added,"As advocates working for safer streets, we condemn reckless behavior—whether on a bicycle or in a car. Those who put others in danger should be held accountable for their actions."
Bucchere's Twitter, LinkedIn and website accounts are gone. But the social media trail that's left, if it checks out, won't exactly help Bucchere's case.
Author: Claudine Zap
Chris Bucchere allegedly struck 71-year-old Sutchi Hui—who later died—at a busy San Francisco intersection, and then identified himself as the rider in the crash on a public Google group for the Mission Cycling Club .
The incident is making waves on the blog-o-sphere as readers weigh in on the cyclist's story. The post, which has since been removed from the forum, read in part, "The light turned yellow as I was approaching the intersection, but I was already way too committed to stop. The light turned red as I was cruising through the middle of the intersection and then, almost instantly, the southern crosswalk on Market and Castro filled up with people coming from both directions, … so, in a nutshell, blammo."
The rider goes on, "Apparently I hit a 71-year-old male pedestrian and he ended up in the ICU with pretty serious head injuries. I really hope he ends up OK."
Hui died, but the medical examiner's report has not yet been released. In a statement to Yahoo News, the spokeswoman for the San Francisco District Attorney, Stephanie Ong Stillman, noted that the office is keeping an eye on the case, although no charges have been filed. Stillman emphasized, "We take pedestrian traffic fatalities very, very seriously."
Apparently so do many readers of blog forums, who weighed in on Bucchere's alleged actions. One biker wrote on SFist:
"It takes just one (bleeping) jerk like Chris to give a bad name to the countless other bikers whom obey laws and ride safely."
Another added, speaking directly to Bucchere, "Your irresponsibility injured (and ultimately killed) a man and you took to the Internet to tell your story? Yeah, you deserve jail time."
Kevin LaKritz, a founder of Mission Cycling Club, learned of the incident through the public post, and told Yahoo News, "It's terrible, our thoughts go out to the family." LaKritz said of the post , "Everyone was shocked and horrified when they read it. It's not what Mission Cycling is about. It's about creating a community through cycling." He added, "We don't condone reckless riding in any way."
Bicycling is a popular way to get around San Francisco, and while bike accidents that lead to pedestrian fatalities are rare, this is now the second incident to make headlines this year. Recently, 23-year-old Randolph Ang pled guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for running a red light and hitting a 68-year-old pedestrian who also died.
The San Francisco Bay Guardian reports that Bucchere was a member of the mobile app strava.com, which tracks cyclist data and clocked the biker riding 35 miles per hour at the time of the incident.
In a statement on its website, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Executive Director Leah Shahum denounced bad behavior on two wheels or four: "While we recognize that this case is still under investigation, we are deeply troubled by the just-released online account of the incident."
She added,"As advocates working for safer streets, we condemn reckless behavior—whether on a bicycle or in a car. Those who put others in danger should be held accountable for their actions."
Bucchere's Twitter, LinkedIn and website accounts are gone. But the social media trail that's left, if it checks out, won't exactly help Bucchere's case.
Author: Claudine Zap
Who Is Jessie J
With an infectious laugh, 6-inch heels and a perfectly styled bob, she walks into the room and goes straight to the piano. Possessing a good sense of humour, a raw British accent and an un-doubtable eye for fashion, Jessie J has arrived. "I can't play...man, I wish I could. I just like to pretend I can," she smiles.
Jessie J is not just a great pop artist…or a great R&B artist, or even a great hip-hop artist. The British-born, Essex-bred vocalist is malleable enough to encompass several genres, while displaying vocals reminiscent of Motown-era greats. Although she may not be able to play the piano, Jessie is armed with the chops to blow people away, and the song-writing skills to pen a worldwide hit.
http://jessiejofficial.com/
Friday, April 6, 2012
Young Buck Songs Up For Sale
Young Buck's intellectual property is being sold as part of the rapper's Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation. Buck was unable to come up with a business plan to clear his debt, so trustee Jeanne Burton is working to sell off his assets.
Court documents indicate that that includes "trademarks and copyrights, all masters, compositions, royalties, rights and licenses owned by debtor and all rights of publicity owned by debtor."
Ownership of Buck's masters could give whomever bids and lands them the ability to re-release songs and license the content for third-party use i.e. advertising. Buck will also likely lose his royalties on the songs.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Juicy J - You Want Deez Rackz ( Taylor Gang ) ( Official HD Version )
This song get me Turnt Up quik tho!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Joe Flacco: 'I think I'm the best' QB
Flacco's agent, Joe Linta, created a stir in February when he said Flacco should be considered a top-five quarterback based on wins and losses.
Flacco took it one step further Tuesday, telling WNST 1570 in Baltimore on Tuesday that he believes he's the "best" quarterback in the NFL.
"I assume everybody thinks they're a top-five quarterback," Flacco said when asked where he thinks he ranks among NFL quarterbacks. "I mean, I think I'm the best. I don't think I'm top five, I think I'm the best. I don't think I'd be very successful at my job if I didn't feel that way. I mean, c'mon? That's not really too tough of a question.
"That doesn't mean that things are going to work out that way. It just means that's the way it is -- that's the way I feel that it is and that's the way I feel it should be."
Brees, Rodgers and Eli Manning have won the last three Super Bowls, while Brady and Peyton Manning both own multiple NFL MVP awards.
Flacco's numbers dipped slightly in 2011, with his completion percentage, passing yards and touchdowns all taking a hit as he threw two more interceptions than he did in 2010. However, the Ravens were 12-4, won the AFC North and were a Lee Evans dropped pass away from representing the AFC in the Super Bowl against the New York Giants.
A first-round pick in 2008, Flacco has one year left on his rookie contract, but isn't concerned with what other quarterbacks make.
"It's not about the money. It's about what you feel you deserve," Flacco told WNST. "At the end of the day, they'll take care of it and I'll be waiting."
Still, Flacco said he wants to get a contract finished before the season starts.
"I hope that we both want to get something done before the beginning of the year because when the year comes and goes and I haven't been re-signed, then that's when things can start to get complicated," Flacco told WNST.
Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice, a restricted agent, was given the Ravens' franchise tag earlier in the offseason and has yet to work out a longterm deal with the team. Flacco hopes to avoid the same situation.
"You don't want to get to the point where you play out your contract and you get to those complicated situations where they can put the franchise tag on you and things like that," Flacco said. "I don't really want it to get to that point just because of that. If we do, it's not going to be a distraction. It's just going to be what it is."
Information from ESPN.com's James Walker contributed to this report.
Flacco took it one step further Tuesday, telling WNST 1570 in Baltimore on Tuesday that he believes he's the "best" quarterback in the NFL.
"I assume everybody thinks they're a top-five quarterback," Flacco said when asked where he thinks he ranks among NFL quarterbacks. "I mean, I think I'm the best. I don't think I'm top five, I think I'm the best. I don't think I'd be very successful at my job if I didn't feel that way. I mean, c'mon? That's not really too tough of a question.
"That doesn't mean that things are going to work out that way. It just means that's the way it is -- that's the way I feel that it is and that's the way I feel it should be."
Brees, Rodgers and Eli Manning have won the last three Super Bowls, while Brady and Peyton Manning both own multiple NFL MVP awards.
Flacco's numbers dipped slightly in 2011, with his completion percentage, passing yards and touchdowns all taking a hit as he threw two more interceptions than he did in 2010. However, the Ravens were 12-4, won the AFC North and were a Lee Evans dropped pass away from representing the AFC in the Super Bowl against the New York Giants.
A first-round pick in 2008, Flacco has one year left on his rookie contract, but isn't concerned with what other quarterbacks make.
"It's not about the money. It's about what you feel you deserve," Flacco told WNST. "At the end of the day, they'll take care of it and I'll be waiting."
Still, Flacco said he wants to get a contract finished before the season starts.
"I hope that we both want to get something done before the beginning of the year because when the year comes and goes and I haven't been re-signed, then that's when things can start to get complicated," Flacco told WNST.
Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice, a restricted agent, was given the Ravens' franchise tag earlier in the offseason and has yet to work out a longterm deal with the team. Flacco hopes to avoid the same situation.
"You don't want to get to the point where you play out your contract and you get to those complicated situations where they can put the franchise tag on you and things like that," Flacco said. "I don't really want it to get to that point just because of that. If we do, it's not going to be a distraction. It's just going to be what it is."
Information from ESPN.com's James Walker contributed to this report.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Feds raid Oaksterdam University, founder's home
Dozens of federal agents on Monday raided the Oakland businesses and apartment of Richard Lee, the state's most prominent advocate for the legalization and regulation of marijuana, carting away loads of pot and belongings but not revealing the purpose of their investigation.
The agents targeted Oaksterdam University, the internationally famous school that Lee established to train people in the marijuana industry, a medical cannabis dispensary called Coffeeshop Blue Sky, and three properties being rented by Lee, including his apartment near Lake Merritt.
The armed and sometimes masked agents from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Marshals Service came with a battering ram, a sledgehammer, power saws and a locksmith.
They left Oaksterdam University carrying numerous file boxes, a safe and black trash bags. From other downtown properties, agents carried away sacks with dozens of marijuana plants.
"This is really an attack on regulation," said Dale Sky Jones, executive chancellor of Oaksterdam University. Without regulation, she said, "what's going to change is who is selling it, the good guys or the bad guys."
Lee and four employees were temporarily detained, according to Oaksterdam officials.
Little explanation
Arlette Lee, an IRS spokeswoman, said she could not say why the agents were there other than to confirm that they were serving a federal search warrant.
Messages left late Monday for the DEA and the Marshals Service were not returned.
Supporters of the Oaksterdam founder said they believe he is being targeted because of his high profile in California's medical marijuana industry. He has advocated taxing and regulating medical cannabis for years, and his efforts have helped make Oakland the industry's statewide political seat of power.
In 2003, the city became the first in the nation to regulate dispensaries, and Lee obtained one of the initial four dispensary permits for Coffeeshop Blue Sky. The next year, Oakland voters passed Measure Z, making possession of small amounts of pot the lowest priority for police, and in 2009 Oakland voters passed a measure to tax and regulate cannabis businesses - the first such tax in the country. Lee helped push for both measures.
Lee's operations may not be the biggest in Oakland - that would be Harborside Health Center, which took in $21 million in sales in 2009 and had triple the income of the city's other three dispensaries combined that year.
Political motive?
Lee supporters said they see a political motive in Monday's crackdown.
It was Lee, after all, who in 2010 bankrolled Proposition 19, a statewide measure which would have legalized adult use of marijuana, regardless of medical necessity. Some 46 percent voted for the measure, the highest ever for any general pot legalization proposal in the country.
"They want to make sure he never again has the resources to do that," said Stephen DeAngelo, Harborside's co-founder and executive director. "Rich is not a profiteer. He is not a renegade ... Richard Lee is the most legitimate and real person in this industry."
Harborside, which DeAngelo said paid more than $3 million in local, state and federal taxes last year, is in litigation with the IRS about whether it should pay an additional $2.5 million for 2007 and 2008.
"They want to tax us out of existence," DeAngelo said. Monday's raids, he said, would not change Harborside's commitment to providing medical marijuana to its patients.
All of Monday's raid locations were at or near 17th and Broadway, and hundreds of Oaksterdam supporters swarmed there in protest over the course of the day. The demonstrators openly smoked joints and bongs in defiance, shut down streets, pounded on unmarked police vehicles and heckled agents.
Protesters arrested
One agent who shoved several protesters got shoved back by a protester on 17th street near Franklin Street. Several agents then tackled the protester and arrested him. At least one other demonstrator was also arrested.
Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan came to watch the raids and called them a waste of resources. Oakland's dispensaries, which have a bevy of regulations, have not had the crime or nuisance problems of other cities, and bring in needed revenue, she said.
"Strong oversight and strong rules can succeed," she said. "Maybe the feds can go to other cities that do have problems."
The U.S. attorney in San Francisco, Melinda Haag, and her three counterparts in the state said in October that they would aggressively prosecute many marijuana dispensaries as profit-making criminal enterprises. Since then, three dispensaries in San Francisco, one in Marin County and 50 in the city of Sacramento have closed under pressure, along with about 150 others throughout California.
Haag has said her concern is pot stores that go beyond medical use or operate near schools or playgrounds.
"People are using the cover of medical marijuana to make extraordinary amounts of money," Haag said in October. "None is immune from action by the federal government."
Matthai Kuruvila is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Twitter: @matthai. mkuruvila@sfchronicle.com
This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/02/BABJ1NTK9T.DTL#ixzz1r1h0l4b8
'Annoying, Offending' Language Online Would Be Crime Under Arizona Bill
Distasteful comments and online insults are a mainstay of many social networks and online comment boards, but a new bill passed in Arizona could send people who "annoy or offend" to jail for up to six months.
House Bill 2549, which had bipartisan support, passed in the state's legislature and is awaiting one final vote on a minor "technical change" before the bill is sent to Gov. Jan Brewer.
The bill's sweeping language would severely inhibit First Amendment rights, David Horowitz, executive director of the Media Coalition in New York City, told ABCNews.com.
"Even in talk radio, saying 'I know this will offend my listeners' is a common practice. It's a tradition, speech that challenges the status quo," he said.
Horowitz said everything from Rush Limbaugh calling Sandra Fluke a "slut" on his radio show to Sen. Al Franken's book, "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot" could be viewed as criminal acts if the bill becomes a law.
The bill states it would be a class one misdemeanor for anyone to "terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend" through electronic and digital devices. It does not provide definitions of the terms and what would be considered annoying or offensive.
In a letter to the governor, Horowitz urged a veto "to allow legislators to craft a narrower bill that addresses their concerns without infringing on the right of free speech."
He said her office acknowledged receiving the letter and said it would include it in a pack of materials for the governor to review before she makes her decision.
The governor's office said it would not comment until the legislation reached Brewer's desk.
State Rep. Steve Farley, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, said the intention is not to stifle free speech, but to protect victims of stalking and bullying.
"It doesn't mean that the person is instantly going to be fined or put away," Farley told ABCNews.com. "But if the judge determines it relates to other circumstances in the case then they can use this as another tool to make that decision."
Including Arizona's existing law, 38 states have enacted legislation against electronic bullying, according to the Cyberbullying Research Center.
"I'm a defender of the Constitution like anyone else, but the First Amendment doesn't give you the right to harass or terrorize someone," said Justin Patchin, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center. "This certainly doesn't or wouldn't restrict one's freedom of speech. If it does, it will be overturned."
Patchin, who primarily studies cyberbullying in the adolescent community, said he has heard from an increasing number of adults who have been victims too and welcomes the legislation.
"We need to step back and realize there is some harmful stuff that is said out there," he said. "And it really needs to be stopped."
Author: ALYSSA NEWCOMB (@alyssanewcomb)
House Bill 2549, which had bipartisan support, passed in the state's legislature and is awaiting one final vote on a minor "technical change" before the bill is sent to Gov. Jan Brewer.
The bill's sweeping language would severely inhibit First Amendment rights, David Horowitz, executive director of the Media Coalition in New York City, told ABCNews.com.
"Even in talk radio, saying 'I know this will offend my listeners' is a common practice. It's a tradition, speech that challenges the status quo," he said.
Horowitz said everything from Rush Limbaugh calling Sandra Fluke a "slut" on his radio show to Sen. Al Franken's book, "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot" could be viewed as criminal acts if the bill becomes a law.
The bill states it would be a class one misdemeanor for anyone to "terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend" through electronic and digital devices. It does not provide definitions of the terms and what would be considered annoying or offensive.
In a letter to the governor, Horowitz urged a veto "to allow legislators to craft a narrower bill that addresses their concerns without infringing on the right of free speech."
He said her office acknowledged receiving the letter and said it would include it in a pack of materials for the governor to review before she makes her decision.
The governor's office said it would not comment until the legislation reached Brewer's desk.
State Rep. Steve Farley, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, said the intention is not to stifle free speech, but to protect victims of stalking and bullying.
"It doesn't mean that the person is instantly going to be fined or put away," Farley told ABCNews.com. "But if the judge determines it relates to other circumstances in the case then they can use this as another tool to make that decision."
Including Arizona's existing law, 38 states have enacted legislation against electronic bullying, according to the Cyberbullying Research Center.
"I'm a defender of the Constitution like anyone else, but the First Amendment doesn't give you the right to harass or terrorize someone," said Justin Patchin, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center. "This certainly doesn't or wouldn't restrict one's freedom of speech. If it does, it will be overturned."
Patchin, who primarily studies cyberbullying in the adolescent community, said he has heard from an increasing number of adults who have been victims too and welcomes the legislation.
"We need to step back and realize there is some harmful stuff that is said out there," he said. "And it really needs to be stopped."
Author: ALYSSA NEWCOMB (@alyssanewcomb)
Monday, April 2, 2012
Five people killed in Oakland university classroom shooting
At least five people have been killed and others wounded after a student walked into a classroom at a small independent university located near the Oakland airport and opened fire.
Police confirmed that a suspect was taken in custody in the parking lot of a shopping mall in nearby Alameda.
SWAT teams were also carefully searching the school to locate any more victims and also other possible suspects.
The shooting took place at Oikos University, located at 7850 Edgewater -- in an area of warehouses near the Oakland International Airport.
The Oakland Fire Department said it received the first call of the shooting around 10:50 a.m.
Sources have told KTVU that five people had been fatally shot and many others wounded. Several victims have been loaded into ambulances and at least one deceased victim was covered by a tarp on the sidewalk.
Officials at Oakland's Highland Hospital said four victims have arrived for treatment.
Police said eyewitnesses described the gunman as a male, Asian, heavy build and wearing khaki clothing. Anyone with any information is asked to call 911 or 510-777-3321.
This article originally appeared in KTVU.com
Police confirmed that a suspect was taken in custody in the parking lot of a shopping mall in nearby Alameda.
SWAT teams were also carefully searching the school to locate any more victims and also other possible suspects.
The shooting took place at Oikos University, located at 7850 Edgewater -- in an area of warehouses near the Oakland International Airport.
The Oakland Fire Department said it received the first call of the shooting around 10:50 a.m.
Sources have told KTVU that five people had been fatally shot and many others wounded. Several victims have been loaded into ambulances and at least one deceased victim was covered by a tarp on the sidewalk.
Officials at Oakland's Highland Hospital said four victims have arrived for treatment.
Police said eyewitnesses described the gunman as a male, Asian, heavy build and wearing khaki clothing. Anyone with any information is asked to call 911 or 510-777-3321.
This article originally appeared in KTVU.com
NFLPA warns that players may face criminal charges in bounty scandal
The NFL Player's Association has warned players involved in the New Orleans Saints bounty investigation that they may face criminal charges related to the pay-for-hitting scandal.
According to an Associated Press report, the NFLPA has hired outside counsel for upcoming meetings with the league that will further investigate the role of specific players in the system. The league's report said up to 27 players could have been involved in the team's bounty system, but only linebacker Jonathan Vilma was named.
Most legal scholars agree that a prosecutor is unlikely to charge players for on-field acts. It's rare, both because the legal system tends to allow sports leagues to police themselves and because such cases can be tough to prosecute.
"They're difficult cases to bring, because it's hard to prove the injury was caused by a tackle with specific intent to injure, rather than a regular tackle," law professor Gabe Feldman told the AP when news of the bounty scandal broke. "We all know injuries are a part of football. There can't be legal liability anytime there is an injury. Otherwise, you can't have football."
Lawyering up is an obvious move, particularly when vengeance-happy Roger Goodell is involved in the proceedings. Like Steven Seagal, he's out for justice.
Sean Payton is already banned for a year, Gregg Williams is suspended indefinitely and other authority figures received varying multiple-game suspensions. Goodell isn't done assigning blame yet and it stands to reason that players like Vilma will get punishments that are equally harsh. Heck, knowing Goodell, without sound legal advice, there's a good chance players could emerge from those meetings with the Kennedy assassination pinned on them.
Author: Chris Chase
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Much needed Break
I been doing work today and this is my first break i got away from the computer. Its hard being the sole brains behind my success and moves. I can not wait till I can did focus on making great music and let someone I trust do part of my business.
The physical copies are here in a week so please supper the work
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