Category Archives: Rants

Music, News, Popular Culture, Rants, Shameless Self Promotion, Technology

IPAC, I’ll Take a Free iPod For TechEd!

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If you are a Senator who has received thousands of campaign dollars from the entertainment industry (including the RIAA) and then you are given an iPod by a non-profit organization highlighting the need to change legislation that could affect technology forever, what do you do with the iPod?

Apparently, you send it back.

The people over at IPAC, whose tagline reads, “Defending the public intrest where culture and politics meet,” recently sent a number of iPods to various senators and congressman for the purpose of encouraging these public servants to take a serious look at technology and see how congress can better serve it’s people through new or improved legislation.

The letter that was enclosed with each iPod explained further the reason behind the gift:

Why did IPAC send my campain an iPod?
Though iPods are best known for playing music, they can also be used to assist your campaign. You can use the device to store contact information for donors or manage your busy calendar. You can archive footage of your public speaking engagements or view recorded television and radio interviews on the road. We hope you find other uses for the device as well.

The iPod is also a useful illustration for many complicated copyright and technology issues. In fact, pending legislation in the Senate will make some of your iPod’s uses illegal. For example, if Senator Gordon Smith’s “Digital Content Protection Act” becomes law, it could prohibit the transfer of digital broadcast content to personal media players and stifle American technical innovation. We believe that hands-on experience with the same devices that your constituents use can provide a new perspective on these topics.

Other legislation would make this device more useful. For example, the House has been considering Representative Rick Boucher’s “Digital Media Consumers’ Rights Act”

(DMCRA, HR 1201), which would amend our copyright law to protect American consumers and technological leadership.

What is on my iPod?
Your iPod has been pre-loaded with video, music, images, and text that is in the public domain or released under permissive terms like those provided by Creative Commons licenses. This means that everything on your iPod is free.

But that does not mean it isn’t valuable.

Far from it. In the “Notes” section, you’ll find the complete works of Shakespeare, the Constitution of the United States, and other important literarature. The audio content includes music by David Byrne, the Beastie Boys, and scores of independent artists. We also included a slideshow with 101 photos selected from the millions in flickr.com’s Creative Commons image pool. Under “Videos,” you’ll find a special presentation from Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig on the importance of balancing copyright law with technical innovation and the rights of the public. A full list of your iPod’s contents is available here:

https://ipaction.org/campaigns/ipod/content.html

If you are pleased by the richness you see and hear, we also hope that you are troubled by what you do not. In the public domain texts there are very few female and non-European authors. That is because in America, the public domain was essentially frozen in 1923, when our national chorus was only open to certain voices. The public domain has become an island, cut off from our cultural mainland and populated by ghosts.

Copyright policy shouldn’t only be concerned with expanding copyright – it should focus on calibrating these policies to support artists, the public, and access to our common heritage. We look forward to working with you and your campaign in the future to ensure American innovation continues.

Apparently, these issues are not high on Senator Conrad Burns’ priority list. IPAC recieved the iPod back with a note that read, “Thank you, but we cannot accept this gift.” There was no leagal reason for Burns to send the gift back because IPAC followed the law regarding donations to a T. So why send this small gift back? According to IPAC, Burns’ campaign spokesperson said that the iPod, “is the first time (Burns’ campaign) has received something technological” as a donation, adding that ‘it’s just not a donation that we want’ and confirming that while Burns does not presently own an iPod, ‘if he wants an iPod, he’ll buy one.'”

The concerns that IPAC raise seem pretty important and I think that sending these iPods to our nations leaders was a wonderful, creative, out-side-the-box approach to change. I think the next step for IPAC should be to send these iPods to consumers thus educating the people who vote for these elected officials.

IPAC, you can reach me a kickingattthedarkness(at)gmail.com. I’ll send you my address. I’m ready to be educated.

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Music, News, Rants

The RIAA Needs Some Good PR

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Unfortuantely for them, they keep making statements like this that alienate consumers.

“Nor does the fact that permission to make a copy in particular circumstances is often or even routinely granted, necessarily establish that the copying is a fair use when the copyright owner withholds that authorization. In this regard, the statement attributed to counsel for copyright owners in the MGM v. Grokster case is simply a statement about authorization, not about fair use.”

What does this mean? What exactly is the Recording Industry Association of America hinting at?

The RIAA is now saying that ripping your own CDs to your iPod or other portable device doesn’t constitute as fair use.

The filing also says that creating a back-up CD of an album that you purchased goes against the RIAA’s current fair use policy.

Why can’t this industry get its act together? All this will do is encourage more people to steal music or purchase music from iTunes-like online distributors. Be sure to read the article from EFF and check out the legal briefings and the legal flip-flopping that is coming to define the RIAA as an association that doesn’t care about its clients or consumers.

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News, Rants

Here’s the Line… Here’s You Crossing It

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I can’t remember how many times my Youth Ministry professor stressed the importance of never embarrassing a student. While I know that I’ve failed in the past and have embarrassed a student here and there nothing compares to this story I found today. Adolescence is tough enough without the help of jerks like this teacher from PA. What was this guy thinking?!?!?!?!

Teen says teacher made him sit on floor
Associated Press

BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – A 17-year-old high school student said he was humiliated when a teacher made him sit on the floor during a midterm exam in his ethnicity class – for wearing a Denver Broncos jersey.

The teacher, John Kelly, forced Joshua Vannoy to sit on the floor and take the test Friday – two days before the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Broncos 34-17 in the AFC championship game. Kelly also made other students throw crumpled up paper at Vannoy, whom he called a “stinking Denver fan,” Vannoy told The Associated Press on Monday.

Kelly said Vannoy, a junior at Beaver Area Senior High School, just didn’t get the joke.
“If he felt uncomfortable, then that’s a lesson; that’s what (the class) is designed to do,” Kelly told The Denver Post. “It was silly fun. I can’t believe he was upset.”

Vannoy was wearing a No. 7 Broncos jersey on Friday, because he is a fan of John Elway, the Broncos’ retired Hall of Fame quarterback.

Vannoy said he was so unnerved he left at least 20 questions blank on the 60-question test, and just wants out of Kelly’s class because he’s afraid the teacher won’t treat him fairly now that the story reached the media.

“I’m going to have to deal with him for two more nine weeks (school quarters) and he’s going to want revenge somehow,” Vannoy said Monday. “I took the test. I’m shaking. I’m furious. I didn’t know what to do.”

Kelly, who wore a Ben Roethlisberger jersey Friday, and his principal, Thomas Karczewski, didn’t immediately return messages left on their school voice mail Monday.

Big Beaver Falls Area School District Superintendent Donna Nugent said she was aware of the situation, but said confidentiality rules prevent her from commenting specifically.

“We’ll take whatever action we need to in order for the student to feel comfortable,” Nugent said.

If it were up to me John Kelly’s teaching certificate would be suspended indefinately. This man does not deserve to be in the classroom teaching children. I hope the school district comes down hard on this guy. Sadly, the only thing that will happen is that sports clothes will get banned.

Kelly,
Was it worth it?

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Rants

A Little Honesty

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Last week I sounded off on one of my pet peeves:Rude people at the movies.

In an effort to hold myself accountable I am offering up this sad revelation about my behavior at the movies.

My cell phone started ringing in the middle of the movie last night.

There, I said it.

I was humiliated. I had broken a cardinal rule. I always turn my phone off. Always. I tried to silence it as quickly as I could but I was all thumbs. I finnaly cut it off and sat there feeling completely awful.

The fact that my wife and I were two of the four people in the theatre and the fact that the battle raging on the screen muffled the sound of my cell phone brought me little comfort.

I’m sorry old man in the middle and old lady on the front row. I hope that I didn’t ruin you evening.

Books, Ministry, Rants, Theology

2 Timothy 3:16-17

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Back in August I wrote two posts based on a lecture given by noted theologian N.T. Wright. Unfortunately, these posts were completely misunderstood and I now am being accused of denying the “authority of scripture.” I believe that most of the criticism has come from individuals who only read the title of the first post, Authority of Scripture?, which is a play on the title of Wright’s lecture, and wrongly assumed that I was questioning the nature of scripture. If some had taken the time to actually read my posts and had taken care to read Wright’s words on the subject this misunderstanding might have been resolved. There is no way that someone could conclude that I or Wright disregard scripture as the Word of God based on my two posts and his lecture. N.T. Wright is a well respected and highly regarded New Testament theologian. He is no fly-by-night snake oil salesman of half-cracked ideas. Members of the Jesus Seminar quake at the mentioning of his name. He is nothing but a defender of the faith. The lecture was asking us to rethink what the word authority means. To strip-off our ideas of control and get back to what the authority of God truly is. Wright argues that God has vested His authority in scripture. Scripture, therefore, is “designed to liberate human beings, to judge and condemn evil and sin in the world in order to set people free to be fully human.”

Wright believes this and so do I.

Let me write that again: I believe that God’s authority is vested in scripture making it designed to liberate humanity, to judge and condemn evil and sin in the world in order to set people free to be fully human.

Having a blog has made me realize a couple of things. First, I need to continue working on my writing skills. This was the reason I began blogging in the first place. A blog forced me to write and to write well. Writing forces me to slow down and to choose my words carefully and thoughtfully. Part of this misunderstanding could have been resolved had I stated my thoughts more clearly. I need to continue working on my writing.

I also realized a hard truth: Some people choose to misunderstand. There are some people who loved to hate my posts on this subject because they believe that I gave them some sort of ammunition with which they in turn can use against me.

A friend once told me that it wasn’t a coincidence that both Jesus and the Pharisees ended up in the same grain field on the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-11). The Pharisses were following Jesus, watching his every move so that they could catch him “messing up.” They wanted to trap him in something that he did or said.

The same goes for this site. There are some visitors here that are looking to hurt me. It doesn’t matter what I say or do. If my beliefs don’t line up 200% behind theirs then I am condemned. There are those that are furious with what I wrote and with what I do so they talk among themselves about what to do with me.

I don’t hold anything against these people who wish to do me harm or who try and twist my words against me. Please take my tunic. It is yours. I am offering you the other side of my face. I will take your rumor and conjecture with good nature. I will try harder to communicate more clearly. Thank you.

I have sat on this post for a few weeks now. I thought that this misunderstanding would just go away but it hasn’t. And it may never go away. I’m ok with that because I know where my hope lies and I know whom I have believed. I could have gone back and deleted the posts or doctored their content but I have not nor will I do that. I wrote what I wrote for better or worse. All I can do is try harder to communicate more fully.

I still plan on writing another article on the subject of the “authority of scripture” after I read Wright’s book, The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture . The book will not be published until December so that article will be a long time in coming. I still plan on maintaining the blog. I still plan on writing about the same things: U2, God, Theology, Ministry, Books, Popular Culture. I will still continue kicking at the darkness. I am even more resolved and I remain undaunted in this task.

And I still believe that scripture is authoritative and that we are called to follow God’s Word.

Do You?

News, Popular Culture, Rants

Hidden Agenda

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Believe it or not, music executives do not have the consumers best intrest at heart.

I have been an iTunes user for 3 years now. For me, when it comes to listening to and purchasing legal music downloads nothing is easier and more flexible than iTunes. For .99 cents a song I’ve become my own DJ. I can buy only the songs I want and I can purchase most albums for $9.99. Apple also offers iTunes Originals, your favorite songs and the stories behind them from influential artists such as Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morrisette for under ten bucks. Steve Jobs, Apple’s top dog, has been adament about the .99 cent song price since iTunes inception. The music buisness embraced Apple and easily agreed to the price structure. They were despearte to break the illegal download buisness. iTunes, within a matter of days, rocked the world and turned millions of people into legal downloaders. iTunes effectively saved the music industry which, at the time, was beginning to see the first major losses of the download era. iTunes allowed the record companies to legally get downloadable music into the hands of consumers and still retain control. That is when the dollar signs began flashing. When iTunes became the phenomenom that it is, music execes suddenly turned on this new technology. Record execs began to push jobs to raise the .99 cent cost. They began to whine and complain. They again started crying that downloadable music was hurting their buisness. Jobs called the greedy. So do I.

Today I got a little hint at their greediness. A Reuters article shed some light on just how greedy record execs truly are. Warner Music’s Edgar Bronfman might be wishing he could retract a statement he made last week at an investor confrence. I’ve bolded his touchy comment below.

Record executives, however, are seeking some flexibility in prices, including the ability to charge more for some songs and less for others, the way they do in the traditional retail world.

“There’s no content in the world that has doesn’t have some price flexibility,” said Warner Music Group Corp. chief executive Edgar Bronfman at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia investor conference here. “Not all songs are created equal. Not all albums are created equal.

“That’s not to say we want to raise prices across the board or that we don’t believe in a 99-cent price point for most music,” he said. “But there are some songs for which consumers would be willing to pay more. And some we’d be willing to sell for less.”

Think about that for a second. What he is effectively communicating is that he believes that he can suck more money out of consumers for hot, popular music. He is saying that he can manipulate you, the consumer, into paying whatever he wants you to pay for your favorite artists. In theory, an artist could be an .88 cent artist one week and a $1.50 artist the next. I am begining to see what the real problem is in the music buisness. Leadership. Small-minded, money grubbing leaders.

Sony Music wants to thank you for legally purchasing their music by adding an enjoyment tax. Here’s to you, music execs! Way to ruin the party!

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News, Rants

Kick Them When They’re Down

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Last week, we all sat dumbfounded at the remarks of Pat Robertson when he called for the assassination of Venuzualen President Hugo Chavez. Robertson’s comments were inappropriate, insensitive, and bordered on barbarism.

Now, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has issued a similarly inappropriate, insensitive and barbaric statement about the Governor of Mississippi Haley Barbour.

On his blog, RFK Jr. says that he believes that the horrors of Hurricane Katrina, that leveled gulf coast cities in Mississippi this week, can be blamed on Gov Barbour’s “derailing” of the Kyoto Protocol.

He says:

As Hurricane Katrina dismantles Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, it’s worth recalling the central role that Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour played in derailing the Kyoto Protocol and kiboshing President Bush’s iron-clad campaign promise to regulate CO2.

In March of 2001, just two days after EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman’s strong statement affirming Bush’s CO2 promise former RNC Chief Barbour responded with an urgent memo to the White House.

Barbour, who had served as RNC Chair and Bush campaign strategist, was now representing the president’s major donors from the fossil fuel industry who had enlisted him to map a Bush energy policy that wouldbe friendly to their interests. His credentials ensured the new administration’s attention.

He goes on to say:

Now we are all learning what it’s like to reap the whirlwind of fossil fuel dependence which Barbour and his cronies have encouraged. Our destructive addiction has given us a catastrophic war in the Middle East and–now–Katrina is giving our nation a glimpse of the climate chaos we are bequeathing our children.

In 1998, Republican icon Pat Robertson warned that hurricanes were likely to hit communities that offended God. Perhaps it was Barbour’s memo that caused Katrina, at the last moment, to spare New Orleans and save its worst flailings for the Mississippi coast.

I am appalled at this post! I don’t care how you feel about global warming, the Kyoto treaty, or environmentalism — this statement shows absolutely no respect for those in Mississippi who have been devestated by the effects of Hurricane Katrina. How are these people better served by blaming all of this destruction on global warming? On top of that, why do we feel the need to place blame on specific people?

RFK Jr. words are just as reckless and just as assinine as Pat Robertson’s. Will they be as damning? Doubtful.

RFK Jr.’s post: “For They That Sow the Wind Shall Reap the Whirlwind”

Rants, Theology

Old Glory vs. The Glory

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I’ve talked about Tony Campolo on here before. In fact, the YSNYWC class I attended in the story I wrote yesterday was taught by Dr. Campolo. Jordon Cooper had an exerpt from a news story about Camoplo posted on his site. This section reminded me of another tale:

Campolo also objects strongly to churches becoming too patriotic. “We have reached a stage of idolatry when, in any given church in America, you’re going to run into more trouble if you remove the American flag than if you remove the cross,” he told church leaders, according to Christianity Today.

About a year ago I interviewed for a youth ministry position at a church in Dallas. During the interview the search committee told me that they were committed to strengthening their ties with the Hispanic congregation that meets in the chapel of their building. They told me that they were having difficulty making inroads with the Hispanics joining the whites in the main assembly. I thought to myself, “Man! I wish we could make that happen. I wonder what the hold up is.” Sadly, I admit that in my mind I was a little upset at the Hispanics for for what I saw as not trying.

Sunday morning, after I taught class, I walk into the main auditorium. No banners, no crosses, no visuals except for a big American flag sitting on the stage next to the baptistry.

When I mentioned that maybe the reason the Hispanics were “slow” to join the main assembly was because of the red, white, and blue I got a lot of funny looks. I was told, “No, they came to this country for a better life. They should be proud to see the flag.” I suggested that they might think about putting a Mexican flag on stage as well. More stares. Angrier stares.

Long story short, I don’t work there.

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Rants

Anonymous

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I want to take a moment and discuss everybody’s friend, Anonymous. Oh, you all know Anonymous. He/she is that guy/girl who feels compelled to say something without saying something. They are the ones who have ALL the answers but are obviously so humble that they don’t want the credit. So generous. So loving. So…. FULL OF CRAP!

Take for example this Anonymous comment left at one of the blogs I frequent. The blogger has been seriously ill. He has been struggling with this illness for the past few weeks but on Monday the pain became more acute. Here is what Anonymous had to say:

I can’t say I am that upset. Whatever suffering you and (and your wife) have, you brought it upon yourselves.

As awful as that comment was, it seems to be nothing new. This blogger gets them quite alot.

See, he’s a minister. (And it is a wonder that more ministers don’t pack up and move on because of this type of behavior.)

That’s right. Some nominal “Christian” decided to use his freedom in Christ to hurl insults at, not only the man he disagrees with but his family as well. And it is ok for him to do so because well… he’s Anonymous.

Anonymous happens all the time in the Christian community. You don’t like someone, attack them and never be caught! The internet is great for that kind of behavior. You aren’t talking to the person. You’re alone with a screen. You type in a few jabs and hone in on the jugular. “Ha, Ha,” you think. “This insult with help put them on the straight and narrow! This jab will help them see the errors of their way.”

I get these Anonymous notes all the time. Nothing this vicious or callous, mind you, but just as cowardly and just as manipulative.

So, Anonymous, if you have the guts to stab a man in the name of Jesus… leave your name instead. Let Jesus speak for himself.

In the Name of…
Micheal Jame Felker

News, Rants

Dancin’ Jack Caught in Partisan Politics

A few weeks ago, President Bush nominated John Roberts to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court left by Sandra Day O’Conner. During the speech, one young man just had to… DANCE!!!

Dancin' Dancin' Dancin' Machine

Robert’s young son, Jack, had happy feet just off camera during the announcement ceremony. It was awesome!

NOW, FOR SOMETHING DECIDEDLY NOT AWESOME:

According to the Drudge Report the New York Times is seeking the adoption records for young Jack and his sister, Josie.

Drudge writes:

The TIMES has investigative reporter Glen Justice hot on the case to investigate adoption records of Judge Roberts’ two young children, Josie age 5 and Jack age 4, a top source reveals.

Judge Roberts and his wife Jane adopted the children when they each were infants.

Both children were adopted from Latin America.

A TIMES insider claims the look into the adoptions are part of the paper’s “standard background check.”

What the crap!?!?!?!

Glen Justice, I want to hit your mama in the mouth!