Month: July 2007

You Can’t Afford Live Music Anymore

Music licensing companies come calling for royalties | floridatoday.com | Serving Brevard County and Florida’s Space Coast
Playing for nothing. Robin Krasny and Eddy Fischer play at East Coast Coffee and Tea. Fischer, who has been a member of ASCAP since he was 17, thinks the licensing companies have gotten a bit out of line. “It seems kind of rough that little coffee houses with no stage or no lights that were not built for live music have to come up with that kind of money,” he said. Craig Bailey.

Andrus said a friend of his who owned a restaurant that did not feature music was contacted by a company looking to charge him because it owned the rights to a Hank Williams Jr. song, “Are You Ready for Some Football?” The song preceded every “Monday Night Football” telecast, which the restaurant carried on its televisions. He said his friend simply chose to turn the volume down when the song came on.

Tiger Attack Video & Story

Wildlife Trust of India – India’s Premier Animal Welfare Organisation. Wildlife Conservation|

Delayed reports from the field and video replays of the attack by the tigress on the mahout Satya Pegu, tell a different story, where human lives were saved purely due to “quick thinking” by the female working elephant, Joymala.

For those who came in late, a large adult tigress, suspected to be the mother of the two cubs rescued from Tamuli Pathar village(adjoining Kaziranga) on May 16, severely mauled the mahout of an Assam forest department elephant, which was carrying rangers trying to dart her on the morning of May 19.

The 25-year-old mahout, Satya Pegu, who was badly lacerated, lost three fingers on his left hand, is in a hospital in Dibrugarh. Doctors are worried about the onset of gangrene and may have to amputate his left palm. Continue reading “Tiger Attack Video & Story”

New Country – Richistan

The Wealth Report – WSJ.com : Why Richistan? Why Now?
The wealthy weren’t just getting wealthier — they were forming their own virtual country. They were wealthier than most nations, with the top 1% controlling $17 trillion in wealth. And they were increasingly building a self-contained world, with its own health-care system (concierge doctors), travel system (private jets, destination clubs) and language. (”Who’s your household manager?”) They had created their own breakaway republic — one I called Richistan.blogs_wealth_chart.gif

As the chart over there on the right shows, never before have so many Americans become so rich so quickly. The number of millionaire households at every level ($1 million, $10 million, $100 million) has more than doubled over the past decade. And there are no signs that the wealth explosion will slow.

The real story behind all this wealth, however, isn’t in the numbers. It’s in the people, and how they’re changing the culture and character of wealth in America. Richistan is largely about a country in flux — one in which Old Money is being shoved aside by self-made entrepreneurs, philanthropy is changing from passive check-writing to “high-engagement philanthropy,” and the progressive new rich are changing the politics of wealth. Most of all, Richistan is about the entertaining way that today’s rich are making, spending, donating and living with their wealth. (Like the guy in my book who has a house staff of 105 people.)

Edward’s Barber Strikes Back

Splitting Hairs, Edwards’s Stylist Tells His Side of Story – washingtonpost.com
For four decades, Joseph Torrenueva has cut the hair of Hollywood celebrities, from Marlon Brando to Bob Barker, so when a friend told him in 2003 that a presidential candidate needed grooming advice, he agreed to help.

The Beverly Hills hairstylist, a Democrat, said he hit it off with then-Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina at a meeting in Los Angeles that brought several fashion experts together to advise the candidate on his appearance. Since then, Torrenueva has cut Edwards’s hair at least 16 times.

At first, the haircuts were free. But because Torrenueva often had to fly somewhere on the campaign trail to meet his client, he began charging $300 to $500 for each cut, plus the cost of airfare and hotels when he had to travel outside California.

Torrenueva said one haircut during the 2004 presidential race cost $1,250 because he traveled to Atlanta and lost two days of work. Torrenueva says he was hurt by Edwards’s response to all the flap.

“I’m disappointed and I do feel bad. If I know someone, I’m not going to say I don’t know them,” he said. “When he called me ‘that guy,’ that hit my ears. It hurt.” He paused and then added, “I still like him. . . . I don’t want to hurt him.”

Mp3.com Dead, Long Live Mp3.com

Mp3Sparks.com

As part of his deal to join the WTO (World Trade Organization), Putin agreed to shutdown the Russian allofMp3.com music site. It attempted to re-open under the Russian allofmp3.ru domain, but was shutdown again. Now it is up again as Mp3sparks.com. We have blogged this copyright struggle earlier here.

UPDATE –  Mp3sparks.com has also been shutdown now, but according to the allTunes.com website, AllofMP3.com’s six million existing accounts can still be accessed if users download the allTunes software client. Once downloaded, users can browse through its catalogue and download from the 778,861 available tracks. More here

Exercise Away Depression

Exercise stimulates the formation of new brain cells
Exercise has a similar effect to antidepressants on depression. This has been shown by previous research. Now Astrid Bjørnebekk at Karolinska Institutet has explained how this can happen: exercise stimulates the production of new brain cells. Continue reading “Exercise Away Depression”

Python & Wallaby

Kimberly Fishing :: ABC Far North Qld
The picture shows a large Olive python capturing dinner – a wallaroo or euro.

Note the size of the python, which if you look closely you can see disappearing out the right hand side of the frame. How much more of it is there, curled around the escarpment it so beautifully blends with?

It appears that the wallaby is already dead but swallowing it will require an awesome feat of strength from the python – not only to drag the ‘roo into it’s gut but also to hang on while it does so. It’s a large python but it’s still an impressive display of the incredible physiology of these reptiles. Click more for a larger view. Thanks to JR Continue reading “Python & Wallaby”