Eeek!Late breaking news! They're doing it. RIAA really is going after the grannies & grampies! Sheesh - I thought I was being funny.......

Ages & ages ago - when Napster was in full swing - I downloaded a whole mess of old folk music - some from Napster but most from more specialized sites. Music from the Civil War and - harder to find - music from the Revolution and all kind of old music. I don't really care about pop tunes but this act on the part of RIAA makes me want to sally forth (pardon the pun) and download things like crazy - sort of Nyah, nyah - come and get me. Oh - I can just see the headlines - RIAA Cracks Down on Granny with Prosthetic Hip. 'Granny' of course will reply I really hated to do it and deprive all those multi-millionaire overpaid performers of any money.... perhaps subjecting them to the hardship of having only one penthouse instead of three.....

I know, I know - right is right and wrong is wrong and as an artist I should appreciate copy rights and situational ethics are so weak they wobble - and I'm really just fantasizing here. But - doesn't it seem somehow like.... an elephant sitting down on a flea......................

Bush Raises $34.4 Million, More Than All Democrats
Kerry leads challengers with $10.9M in bank, while Dean is surging and Gephardt has surprising struggle.

– Dan Balz and Thomas B. Edsall


• $8.6M Collected by 68 Bush Backers
• Details of Campaign Finance Data
• Special Report: Campaign Finance

(From the Washington Post)

Guess who's buying the presidency?

Recently, the person who opened a MSN Community Bulletin Board group - Let's Learn Paint Shop Pro retired her group because of ill health. I had not been a regular but it brought to mind all the people on the WWW who developr free software to download, free sites to help people, free images that they share willingly. They may be the most under-appreciated members of Web Society. As more & more things become fee instead of free these people shine like beacons. We all owe them a debt of thanks.

My favorite Search engine, Google, is instituting all kind of new features. I use their Google News as my portal site. They've also got a new beta version tool bar that has a feature blocking Pop Ups. I downloaded it and will keep it if I like it. Looks promising - with the brand name "Google" it should.

I've said this before - we are no longer 'consumers' - we are now regarded as a 'cash crop'. Consider the cable company - they pile fees on top of fees - $extra for this feature and $extra for that feature. The features are usually packages that include nonentities like Lower Slobovian Tent Toss Teams along with one or two desirable channels. And don't get me started on that miserable miscarriage of technology known as digital cable. It's so bad they have to run a special channel of instructions on how to use the bloody thing. Like the people who have been unable to set their VCR clock for decades can figure out that can of worms?

And have you heard - can't believe I forgot to mention this - the latest rumor is that the Charmin people are going to start instituting a monthly fee - no more buying toilet paper outright! And there will be no refunds! Pretty crappy if you ask me - but what's the alternative - Witch Hobble aka the woodman's friend? I guess you've got to go with the trends..... face it people - we're being wiped clean!

From USA Today: "In 2002, drugmakers spent $20 million on congressional races, four-fifths of it to help Republicans. That doesn't count a $17 million television ad campaign that the industry funded to boost Republican members of Congress in close races. Those ads featured Art Linkletter defending Republicans who favored a private model for providing drug benefits. They helped the GOP solidify its grip on Congress."

Guess who just got their way with the prescription drug bill before Congress. Hey! It's government of the corporations, by the corporations & for the corporations.

Oh My Lord - I've become enamoured with George Will. The man is a 'thinking Conservative' - and yes - I do consider that an oxymoron. Heh-heh - if my Republican friends read this, I'll catch it - and most of my friends are Republican - in fact - most old people are Republican. But I digress.

I like George because he's smart and he's not cranky and he doesn't follow the party line. He thinks!. I don't always agree with him - maybe mostly I don't agree with him. But I can read his columns without the urge to regurge. I can consider his opinions and know that there is a thought process behind them. You go, George!