I apologize for the cross posting. Hope everyone had a good time @ PN7. Unfortunetly, I could not attend due to a broken left clavicle. The Oxycodone gave me the same effect though. ;-)

In case you've been living under a rock this summer, the fight against the MPAA, RIAA, and monopolistic telecom providers is still raging. We achieved a small victory at the end of last spring's session to have the issue deferred and put into 'summer study session'. We are now _in_ 'summer study session' and hearings are beginning to commence.

What's at risk? Well, do you use MythTv or Tivo? Do you burn DVDs or VCDs of television content? Have a NAT box on your cable or DSL line? Use VPN from home? Or God forbid, do you have a splitter on your cable line in your home? Doing, possessing, or even TALKING about any of these activities could render you a felon in the state of Tennessee if this bill passes. Even better than jail time, you could be sued into bankruptcy without even being convicted. Civil penalties can be assessed at up to $50,000 per DAY per DEVICE in your possession (no need to have used it in the act). That's right kids. If you have 2 splitters on your line for one year and they go after you, the _minimum_ penalty you will receive is $876,000. That doesn't include fines or attorneys fees.

What can you do? Spend a few hours of your life sitting on your ass in a hearing room. Seriously. Just showing up was perhaps THE KEY reason why this bill was not passed last spring. There are two hearings this week. Day 1 is basically the 'Bad Guys'. Day 2 is the 'Good Guys'. Tuesday's agenda is as follows:
Tuesday, October 28, 1:00 p.m.

Stacy Briggs, Executive Director
Tennessee Cable Television Association

Brian Allen, Director of Corporate Security
Time Warner Cable

Todd Flournoy, Counsel and Director of State Legislative Affairs
Motion Picture Association of America

Jeff Yarbrough
Tennessee-based Charter Cable Operator

Jim Spears, Vice-President of Government Relations
BellSouth

Ross Loder
Tennessee Municipal League

Wednesday's agenda is:
Wednesday, October 29 at 9:00 a.m.

Jonathan Band
American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries and the American Law Library Association

Scott Lyon or Scott Kozicki
Tennesseans for Digital Freedom Association (sic) Tennessee Digital Freedom Network)

Arnold Grothues, Vice President of Industry & Government Affairs
Radio Shack Corporation

Both of these hearings should be held in the 12/14 Legislative Plaza hearing rooms, HOWEVER, if they are still under construction, they may be moved. Ask anyone at the Plaza and they should be able to redirect you. For specifics, you can contact Sen. Trail's office for exact instructions: 615.741.1066. Ask about the "Joint Committee on Communications Security" hearing. Yea. We thought it was about cable theft too.

If you wish to be actively involved, please call me or email as soon as possible. 615.429.4502.

Cheers,
Scott

This webpage will redirect you to a Google image search using a random search term based on the filename scheme used by many popular digital cameras. What results is the most random, random sampling of pictures.

From Scott: I'm having way too much fun with this...

The Google random picture generator

] With the 2003-04 National Hockey League season now
] underway, it's time for hockey fans to admit the
] game needs a face lift. Clearly, some refinishing is
] required to bring hockey back to the fast-paced,
] highly-skilled, physically-demanding sport that is used
] to be.

How to help hockey

har har...

The Real RIAA Story...

] "He pointed out a relatively remote baseball diamond that
] was enclosed in a chain-link fence," Neel recalled in an
] interview with Salon. "I could see these people behind
] the fence, with their faces up against it, and their
] hands on the wire." (The ACLU posted photos of the
] demonstrators and supporters at that event on its Web
] site.) "It looked more like a concentration camp than a
] free speech area to me, so I said, 'I'm not going in
] there. I thought the whole country was a free speech
] area.'" The detective asked Neel, 66, to go to the area
] six or eight times, and when he politely refused, he
] handcuffed and arrested the retired steelworker on a
] charge of disorderly conduct. When Neel's sister argued
] against his arrest, she was cuffed and hauled off as
] well. The two spent the president's visit in a firehouse
] that was serving as Secret Service and police
] headquarters for the event.
]
] It appears that the Neels' experience is not unique. Late
] last month, on Sept. 23, the American Civil Liberties
] Union filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Philadelphia
] against the Secret Service, alleging that the agency, a
] unit of the new Homeland Security Department charged with
] protecting the president, vice president and other key
] government officials, instituted a policy in the months
] even before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks of instructing
] local police to cordon off protesters from the president
] and Vice President Dick Cheney. Plaintiffs include the
] National Organization for Women, ACORN, USA Action and
] United for Justice, and groups and individuals who have
] been penned up during presidential visits, or arrested
] for refusing to go into a "free speech area," in places
] ranging from California to New Mexico, Missouri,
] Connecticut, New Jersey, South Carolina and elsewhere in
] Pennsylvania.

'I thought the whole country was a free speech zone.'

] Appearing in dress uniform before a religious group in
] Oregon in June, Boykin said Islamic extremists hate the
] United States "because we're a Christian nation, because
] our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christians. ...
] And the enemy is a guy named Satan."

yes... let's keep pissing off the rest of the world with our constant crusade references...

Rumsfeld defends general who commented on war, Satan

] Tootoo, in case you missed it, became the first player of
] Inuit (Eskimo) descent to play an NHL regular-season game
] Thursday night in the Predators' opening win over
] Anaheim.
]
] The 20-year-old Tootoo had his own private cheering
] section, too, with a few dozen fans on hand -- family and
] friends -- from Rankin Inlet, a small village in the
] Nunavut province about 200 miles south of the Arctic
] Circle.

you know you're doing okay in hockey when the Detroit News is talking about you

Predators' Tootoo seems here to stay

] PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Cheap Trick Avenue
] instead of Boardwalk? Hernando's Chop Shop instead of
] Reading Railroad?
]
] Black leaders are outraged over a new board game called
] "Ghettopoly" that has "playas" acting like pimps and game
] cards reading, "You got yo whole neighborhood addicted to
] crack. Collect $50."

CNN.com - 'Ghettopoly' game causes outrage - Oct. 9, 2003

] ATLANTA - Atlanta Thrashers forward Dan Snyder died
] Sunday night, six days after he was involved in a
] horrific car crash with teammate Dany Heatley.
]
] Snyder of Elmira, Ont., died at Grady Hospital from
] massive brain injuries without ever regaining
] consciousness, the team said.
]
] Police said Heatley was driving his Ferrari at about 130
] kmh on a narrow two-lane road last Monday night when he
] lost control, spun off the road and smashed into a brick
] and wrought iron fence.
]
] The car split in half. The players were thrown into the
] road.
]
] Heatley already was facing several charges, including a
] felony.

can you say "prison time"?

TheStar.com - Dan Snyder dies in hospital

] The World Beard and Moustache Championships will take
] place in Carson City, Nevada, on November 1, 2003.
] %uFEFFA panel of distinguished judges will determine
] which beards and moustaches in seventeen separate
] categories merit their owners the championship trophies
] and the coveted world champion titles. Special prizes
] will also be awarded to the youngest contestant, the
] contestant who traveled the farthest to attend, and the
] people's favorite.

Pack your bags kids, and throw away the razor!

World Beard and Moustache Championships Carson City 2003