A Japanese whale fleet is embarking on another ‘research’ mission in the waters of the Antarctic, and part of their operation is to sla…
A Japanese whale fleet is embarking on another ‘research’ mission in the waters of the Antarctic, and part of their operation is to slaughter 50 humpback whales. The Greenpeace campaign ship, Esperanza, will be shadowing the fleet and the group is planning a non-violent protest. Having been fortunate to witness humpbacks up close, it totally astounds me as to reason why this meaningless hunt on the species continues. I, and thousands of others, signed petitions in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia during August-October 2006, which were specifically aimed at seeing this practice foiled. Unfortunately, it seems efforts have failed and the Japanese Government has won the day. Are they a heartless bunch of bastards?
Today I received my delivery of Calendars.. a good thing you might think?? However, I had to pay, at the door, an additional amount of £2…
Today I received my delivery of Calendars.. a good thing you might think?? However, I had to pay, at the door, an additional amount of £24.76 G.B.P… this is on an order that originally only cost me £27.00 GBP.!!!! This was a charge made by the good old British Government covering Import VAT and charges. So my fellow Bubblers beware the Great British rip-off!.. My calendars have each cost me almost double the original price.. I am so disappointed.. Bahhhh Humbug!
In case you hadn’t heard, Stephen Conroy (ALP’s minister for broadband) is proposing mandatory filtering of the Internet by all Australia…
In case you hadn’t heard, Stephen Conroy (ALP’s minister for broadband) is proposing mandatory filtering of the Internet by all Australian ISPs, to ensure that children do not see “online pornography” or other “inappropriate content”. If you don’t want your internet feed filtered, then users will need to opt out of the “service”. Read more about it here / A few questions for us all to consider if this goes ahead unopposed: Who will decide what is “pornography” and “inappropriate content”? How will we know what is on the list? If a site contains one piece of “inappropriate content” will the whole site be filtered? If a site is incorrectly put on the filter list – what is the appeals process? Why has this become an opt-out system when it was clearly stated that it would be an opt-in system before the election? Will this really stop children seeing inappropriate content? or will it make parents lazy? How will this filter (aka censorship) affect the speed of the internet? How will the government guard against mis-use of this filter? How long before this morphs into George Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth”? While no-one is advocating that children be exposed to unsuitable material, this scheme is highly impractical and won’t work anywhere near 100%. / In addition, the costs of such a system will be high and will undoubtedly be passed on to the consumer… Welcome to the Nanny State! I would urge people to protest against this scheme at every opportunity… / If you’re on Facebook, then you can join this group
So I just received my first copy of Popular Photography...
So I just received my first copy of Popular Photography (except mines the February 08 edition) and in there is a very very COOL article about copyrighting images and such. I’ll try to get the link of it up when they release the online version of it but for now, I can provide you with a few links to some sites they referred to in the article. Editorial Photographer’s—Copyright U.S. Copyright Office U.S. Copyright Office—Online Copyright Request Form/Information Popular Photography/American Photo Magazine Online Hope this helps everyone and I’ll post the link to the online edition of this fabulous article when it’s released!! -Brittany
For those Australian’s out in the Bubble world who have switch on the tv in the last week two you will be aware of the governments decis…
For those Australian’s out in the Bubble world who have switch on the tv in the last week two you will be aware of the governments decision to appologise to the Stolen Generations of Australia’s Aboriginal peoples. In the spirit of reconcillation (as an indigenous australian myself) I would like to invite all interested members of Red Bubble to show there support and create there own Sorry Statement and upload it to the Aboriginal Art group ” and with abit of luck the powers at red bubble will also pick up this idea and theme the home page in the spirit of reconcillation. Please feel free to share this with other bubble members – it would be great to see a ground swell happening & I will make sure that many of the elders that I know will see your sorry statements on Feb 13th. If you need to find a reason to say Sorry read below: THis is an exerpt from an e-mail I recieved recently. / From Crikey: / Mythbusters: ten sorry excuses exploded / Editor of The National Indigenous Times Chris Graham writes: There’s nothing like a little ‘sorry’ debate to get white Australia all red and puffy. Here’s a punter’s guide to exploding 10 of the more virulent myths surrounding a national apology to members of the Stolen Generations: It was done by a previous generation. / Not correct. Of all the Stolen Generations myths, this is the biggest. If it were “previous generations”, then surely there’d be no-one left to apologize to? The facts are that the removal of Aboriginal children continued well into the 1960s and early 1970s. It’s worth noting it was absolutely raging during the late 1950s, when a small, lispy man named John Howard was serving as president of the NSW Young Liberals. Saying sorry won’t deliver better results in health, housing or education. / Here’s a surprising revelation for you—saying sorry is not supposed to deliver health, housing and education. Equally, saying sorry won’t prevent governments from delivering health, housing and education. This particular objection is perhaps the dumbest of them all and is run by conservatives like Warren Mundine, Noel Pearson and The Australian. Its fundamental flaw is that it relies on the premise that Australia is so backward as a nation we can’t deliver practical outcomes while simultaneously delivering symbolic gestures. In other words, we can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. I will not be made to feel guilt and shame for something I didn’t do. / In the case of younger Australians who were not alive during the removal practices, the word ‘Sorry’ does not have to be an expression of shame or guilt. It can be an expression of empathy, as in ‘I’m sorry to hear your mum died’ or ‘I’m sorry you got hurt in that car accident’. Personally, I was born in 1972 when government started to abandon the removal policies. I don’t feel shame at my personal actions, but I do feel shame at the actions of my country. As for older Australians, many claim ‘I had nothing to do with it’. Well, that’s part of the problem – bad things happen when good people stay silent. The point is not that older Australians participated in the removal process, but that they did nothing to stop it. Saying ‘But I didn’t know it was happening’ is certainly more than sufficient to keep you out of a court of law, but it’s not enough to excuse you from a collective national apology. If you’re still confused on this front, you might recall that several years ago, John Howard apologized to Vietnam Veterans for their treatment when they returned from the war. Again, having been born in 1972, I didn’t mistreat Vietnam Veterans. But I had absolutely no problem with the PM saying sorry to them on my behalf, because I am sorry (and I ashamed for my nation) that they were treated so poorly. Some Aboriginal leaders have said an apology is not important. / Sure, but almost every one of them (hi Warren, hi Noel!) are not members of the Stolen Generations. Their views on whether or not an apology is warranted are no more or less relevant than your or my view… because none of us are victims. Aboriginal people can’t even agree on an apology. / Wow, Aboriginal people have this amazing thing called ‘independent thought’. The facts are that some members of the Stolen Generations don’t want an apology. That’s their right. But the overwhelming majority do. That’s also their right. It costs us nothing. / Contrary to popular opinion, a national apology will have no legal affect on the capacity of members of the Stolen Generations to seek compensation. As a nation, an apology costs us nothing. Period. I didn’t do it! / No, you didn’t. But you certainly benefited from it. Just as all Australians today, even some black Australians (hi Noel, hi Warren!) have directly benefited from the theft of Aboriginal land, all Australians have benefited from the removal of Aboriginal children. Why? Because almost all children who were removed to government institutions were then forced to work for the government or private citizens for little or no pay. In America, they called that process slavery. In Australia, we called it ‘apprenticeships’. / In December 2006, both the federal parliament released a report supported by the ALP and the Liberals acknowledging the stolen wages scandal. The people who performed the removals were good people who did a bad thing. / Big f-cking deal. Good people do bad things all the time, but that doesn’t mean they’re excused from apologising. It won’t affect white Australia, so why worry? / The removals practice AND the use of this issue by John Howard as a race wedge is a stain on white Australia’s recent past. Just as Aboriginal people need an apology to move on, white Australia needs to apologise to move on. Saying sorry won’t change the past. / Sadly, it won’t. But it will have a massive impact on the future. That’s the whole point. A real apology will mean an enormous amount to Aboriginal people. I still can’t fathom what sort of a nation would deny them one. Thanks in advance. Bianca Beetson / (Pinkstinks)
have you looked at the sky lately and wondered what all the plane trails are?, just plane vapour you think but i want to inform you all w…
have you looked at the sky lately and wondered what all the plane trails are?, just plane vapour you think but i want to inform you all what these deadly trails really are. I felt i should make others aware of the information i have found when researching. Please watch the following videos and then make up your own minds. / If what you see has bothered you then if you are a british citizen you can sign the petition for an investigation into these trails at: / http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/pseudoclouds/ / link link
I have just come across this on someone else page….......... people this is so important please read this photography ban...
I have just come across this on someone else page….......... people this is so important please read this photography ban please sign the petition to save our work & liberal rights! War is to answer to this….......... not photography! I would also like to mention…........ that considering China has weopans of mass destruction, has the UK governement not thought about the implications involved if they were to kill the camera manufacturing industries, and all the jobs lost. / I see another WAR starting here & this is our chance to put a stop to it! / This can’t happen, please don’t let it people!
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS THE GENETIC BILL OF RIGHTS PAINTING SERIES / by Mariam Muradian / & ...
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS THE GENETIC BILL OF RIGHTS PAINTING SERIES / by Mariam Muradian / & / C.C. Arshagra / (You can also CLICK on the individually numbered Rights images to purchase / that item from The Genetic Bill of Rights Painting Series Collection. Purchase / all 10 + The Signature Piece, Consequences / for the *complete set) THE GENETIC BILL OF RIGHTS / by The Board of Directors of the Council for Responsible Genetics / by Martha Herbert & Claire Nader PREAMBLE Our life and health depend on an intricate web of relationships within the biological and social worlds. Protection of these relationships must inform all public policy. Commercial, governmental, scientific and medical institutions promote manipulation of genes despite profound ignorance of how such changes may affect the web of life. Once they enter the environment, organisms with modified genes cannot be recalled and pose novel risks to humanity and the entire biosphere. Manipulation of human genes creates new threats to the health of individuals and their offspring, and endangers human rights, privacy and dignity. Genes, other constituents of life, and genetically modified organisms themselves are rapidly being patented and turned into objects of commerce. This commercialization of life is veiled behind promises to cure disease and feed the hungry. People everywhere have the right to participate in evaluating the social and biological implications of the genetic revolution and in democratically guiding its applications. To protect our human rights and integrity and the biological integrity of the earth, we, therefore, propose this Genetic Bill of Rights. THE GENETIC BILL OF RIGHTS / 1. All people have the right to preservation of the earth’s biological and genetic diversity. / 2. All people have the right to a world in which living organisms cannot be patented, including human beings, animals, plants, microorganisms and all their parts. / 3. All people have the right to a food supply that has not been genetically engineered. / 4. All indigenous peoples have the right to manage their own biological resources, to preserve their traditional knowledge, and to protect these from expropriation and biopiracy by scientific, corporate or government interests. / 5. All people have the right to protection from toxins, other contaminants, or actions that can harm their genetic makeup and that of their offspring. / 6. All people have the right to protection against eugenic measures such as forced sterilization or mandatory screening aimed at aborting or manipulating selected embryos or fetuses. / 7. All people have the right to genetic privacy including the right to prevent the taking or storing of bodily samples for genetic information without their voluntary informed consent. / 8. All people have the right to be free from genetic discrimination. / 9. All people have the right to DNA tests to defend themselves in criminal proceedings. / 10. All people have the right to have been conceived, gestated, and born without genetic manipulation. Spring, 2000 / Copyright. All Rights Reserved to The Council for Responsible Genetics
Just seen this in our BBC online bulletin. / Please read attached link and comment what you think. / Also please sign the petition thats on…
Just seen this in our BBC online bulletin. / Please read attached link and comment what you think. / Also please sign the petition thats on the government website. The more the merrier. If we all are getting stopped for taking photos, what is the future in amateur photography. amateur photography dying Petition link p.s. just another incident reported. take a look. (I know its from flickr but its really disturbing though for us photographers Another incident reported UK photographers rights / A short guide to photographers rights in the UK
Will the people we are FORCED to rather generously pay to represent us here in the good ol’ USA … EVER … do anything more than SCREW …
Will the people we are FORCED to rather generously pay to represent us here in the good ol’ USA … EVER … do anything more than SCREW us behind our backs and hand us a teeny, tiny, little 600 dollar “economic stimulus payment” so they can say, “Oooooooo look at all we are doing for you”?? WILL THEY EVER STOP BEING SO ARROGANT???? I seriously believe … anyone who votes for any canidate from the two major parties in this country should seriously have their heads examined. But sadly on many lines of many ballots there will be no other options … and certainly no … “none ‘o these bums!” THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ENTRENCHED IN WASHINGTON FOR FAR TOO LONG, TAKING A SUBSTANTIAL PAYCHECK FROM THE TAXES WE PAY, WHILE FEATHERING THEIR OWN RATHER COMFORTABLE BEDS … AND DON’T GIVE ONE DAMN BIT ABOUT ANY OF US! And they are laughing their way into very nice retirements … many Federal Goverment Employees … particualrly at high levels … again people WE PAY rather well … aren’t much better. The U.S. Constitution no longer starts out “We the People” ... It now clearly reads … We the Saps, the Dopes & the Suckers! You want to hear it straighter than that … go on You Tube and listen to what George Carlin has to say about voting and the people running this country. People only nervously laugh at him now. He’s not being funny people. Not at all. Yes, some comedy is based on exageration. But he just doesn’t have to exagerate nearly as much any more. Same with Lewis Black. They don’t have to try … the absurdity of reality is rapidly surpassing that of comedy. We are in trouble. BIG trouble. Folks we are seriously getting … buggered … to be polite … at every bend in the road by these ladies and gentleman in Washington, and all the other little government seats too. The two party system has taken this once great country and ruined it … ruined at least for the majority of the honest hard working women and men struggling harder and harder every day to get by. While they have been getting more and more … we have been loosing ground since the 70’s. Yes, for over 30 years now the REAL income for the Average American Family has steadily dropped as their debt has steadily grown. In that same period REAL wages for the Average American Worker have dropped and benefits slowly disappeared. The AAF & AAW have lost ground in the same period that Corporations … have “out sourced” more … / moved entire idustries out of this country … / received more and more direct support from the Federal Government ... / received more and more concessions and breaks from the Fed … and many have recorded record profits … and that list could go on and on. OK so we are still better off then folks in a lot of places and should be very thankful for all we DO have. It is good and right to be grateful and thankful But here’s the kicker ….. THEY WANT TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM US TOO! THEY WON’T STOP UNTIL THEY’VE BLED US DRY. WHY? THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO ANYTHING ELSE AND THE REAL PEOPLE RUNNING THIS CIRCUS CAN’T SEE PAST NEXT QUARTER’S PROFIT STATEMENTS. And we are supposed to be thrilled with a 600 dollar check? We are supposed to run out and spend it like kids in a candy store? Lets really mess with their minds … take the check … cash it … convert it to gold or silver … THEN BURY IT SOMEPLACE SAFE! Well I already spent half of mine … I gave it to a firend who lost their job to help them get by. Oh well I am rambling … but I do that when I am angry … and everyone should be. They have the POWER and the MONEY, but there are a helluvalot more of us than there are of them and we need to get aggressive and start DEMANDING better! Particularly from the people who prepetuate the farce of representing us in Washington. If nothing else … at least go read some of the thoughts on votenader.org. We really don’t have to put up with this bullshit … but it’s going to take a hell of a lot of work to get something back for US. And we do have to get our butts moving on this. I started MY morning almost loosing my breakfast reading what I have posted below. This is just so sickening and WRONG. Just plain WRONG. That people we have elected and we pay salaries to would even consider such a piece of legislation is a clear example of just how little they really care about the interest of the people they claim the right to represent. I’ll correct that … It’s not WRONG … It’s OBSCENE! But THIS is business everyday in Washington …. We need to get ANGRY! We need to stand up and FIGHT! We need to say ... WE WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS ABUSE ANY MORE! And make no mistake about it … it is ABUSE! REAL ABUSE! It should be illegal, it’s certainly unethical … there’s a little word long forgotten in the Halls and Backrooms of Congress and Corporate Boardrooms. Ethics! Ethics are those little things that are supposed to remind you that while you can do just about anything you want … there are times you shouldn’t … and YOU should be the one to stop yourself. WE NEED TO SAY IN MILLIONS OF LOUD VOICES …. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And we need to start saying it TODAY. Mind Your Business / You Will Lose All The Rights to Your Own Art / Mark Simon As you know, I usually handle the subjects in my articles with a sense of humor. That is not the case this month. I find nothing funny about the new Orphan Works legislation that is before Congress. In fact, it PISSES ME OFF! As an artist, you have to read this article or you could lose everything you’ve ever created! An Orphaned Work is any creative work of art where the artist or copyright owner has released their copyright, whether on purpose, by passage of time or by lack of proper registration. Like when parents give up their child to be an orphan, you can give up ownership in your creative work to be an orphan for others to use without your permission. If you don’t like to read long articles, you will miss incredibly important information that will affect the rest of your career as an artist. You should at least skip to the end to find the link for a fantastic interview with Brad Holland of the Illustrators Partnership about how you are about to lose ownership of your own artwork. Currently, you don’t have to register your artwork to own the copyright. You own a copyright as soon as you create something. International law also supports this. Right now, registration allows you to sue for damages, in addition to fair value. What makes me so MAD about this new legislation is that it legalized THEFT! The only people who benefit from this are those who want to make use of our creative works without paying for them, or from large companies who will run the new private copyright registries. These registries are companies that you would be forced to pay to register every single image, photo, sketch or creative work. It is currently against international law to coerce people to register their work for copyright because there are so many inherent problems with it. But because big business, like Bill Gates, can push through laws in the United States, our country is about to break with the rest of the world, again, and take your rights away. With the tens of millions of photos and pieces of artwork created each year, the bounty for forcing everyone to pay a registration fee would be enormous. We lose our rights and our creations, and someone else makes money at our expense. This includes every sketch, painting, photo, sculpture, drawing, video, song and every other type of creative endeavor. All of it is at risk! If the Orphan Works legislation passes, you and I and all creatives will lose virtually all the rights to not only our future work but to everything we’ve created over the past 34 years unless we register it with the new, untested and privately run (by the friends and cronies of the U.S. government) registries. Even then, there is no guarantee that someone wishing to steal your personal creations won’t successfully call your work an orphan work, and then legally use it for free. In short, if Congress passes this law, YOU WILL LOSE THE RIGHT TO MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR OWN CREATIONS! Why is this allowed to happen? APATHY and MONEY. Artists have apathy and corporations have money. We need to be heard in order to protect our incomes, our creations and our careers. GET OFF YOUR ASS! That means writing letters to our congressmen and representatives. That means voicing your opinion about how we need copyright protection, as we’ve had since 1976, that protects everything we create from the moment we create it. Currently, your work is copyrighted as soon as it’s created, whether you register it or not. This is the case around the world. However, an Orphan Works bill is also in the works in Europe. I was speaking recently with Roger Dean, the famed artist of the YES album covers, and he is greatly concerned with what will happen if Orphan Works bills become law. “This will devastate the livelihood of artist, photographers and designers in a number of ways.” Dean continues, “That at the behest of a few hugely rich corporations who got rich by selling art that they paid no part in the making of, the U.S. and U.K. governments are changing the copyright laws to protect the infringer instead of the creator. This is unjust, culturally destructive and commercial lunacy. This will not just hurt millions of artists around the world.” “On the other side of the coin,” Dean argues, “what argument will a U.S. court have with a Chinese company that insists it did its research in China and found nothing? If the cost of this is onerous for a U.S. based artist, what will it be like for artists and small businesses in emergent economies?” If an artist, whose work is as famous as Roger Dean’s, is concerned with this legislation, it should be of great concern for all of us. The people, associations and companies behind the Orphan Works bill state that orphaned works have no value. If that were true, no one would want them. However, these same companies DO WANT your work, they just don’t want to pay for it. If someone wants something, IT HAS VALUE. It’s pretty simple. Some major artist and photography associations, or I should say the managers of the associations, support this bill. The reason they support is that they will operate some of the registries and stand to make a lot of money. Some have already been given millions of dollars by the Library of Congress. Follow the money and you will see why some groups support this bill of legalized theft of everything you have ever created. Corbis and Getty Images have opposed the Bill but have a lobbyist in Washington who is negotiating behind closed doors for favorable concessions to them. They are large stock photo and stock art companies. They sell art and photos inexpensively and are trying to build giant royalty-free databases. Do you see how they could benefit from considering most art in the world orphans? Do you know who owns Corbis? Bill Gates. He doesn’t do anything unless it can make a huge amount of money. For years we’ve heard of Hollywood fighting with China to protect the copyrights and income for distributing feature films from pirated DVDs. Our government has worked with the film studios to protect their investment. Individuals in our government are NOW WORKING AGAINST US by allowing our own citizens TO STEAL OUR CREATIVE WORKS. It will be easy for them to get away with it unless we make ourselves heard. Your calls and letters do work. I’ve been involved with many instances of a single letter making a difference in public policy. Tens of thousands of calls and letters help even more. This is not empty talk. I have written letters to my congressmen and I will do so again. I do what I can to let every creator know about terrible legislation like this…thus you are reading articles like this one and you can listen to interviews I’ve posted online. CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR: / Go to http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml to quickly find the phone number, address, e-mail of every U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor and State Legislator. Forward this article to every creator you know and urge them to take a moment to protect their very livelihood. I am giving everyone the right to reprint this article in any form to help spread the word to protect our creative rights. Instead of sitting around watching TV tonight, TiVo that show tonight, write a letter make yourself heard. Letters to our government officials don’t have to be long, but they should be heartfelt. A good story helps. Tell them who you are, how this legislation negatively affects you and that you want them to vote against the Orphan Works legislation. It’s that easy! If you don’t, you will have only yourself to blame when you see other people making money from your art and you don’t see a dime. Spider-Man comic artist Alex Saviuk is also concerned about the loss of copyright protection. “When I found out all the negative aspects of the new legislation, it would almost behoove us to want to do something else for a living,” says Saviuk. “If we would have to register with all the different companies, we would never be able to make a living.” “It would impossible for me to register all my art,” continues Saviuk. “It would put me out of business.” You can listen to my complete interview with Alex online at http://www.SellYourTvConceptNow.com/orphan.html. Think this doesn’t apply to you? Maybe you don’t license your artwork? How about this? Photos on the internet could be orphaned. With tens of millions of photos shared online with services like Flickr, Shutterfly and Snapfish, there is a huge opportunity unauthorized use of your photos…legally. You could see photos you take of your family and kids or of a family vacation used in a magazine or newspaper without your permission or payment to you. You would have to pay to register your photos, all of them, in every new registry to protect them. Say the average person takes 300 photos per year (I take a lot more than that). If a registry only charges $5 per image, that is a whopping $1,500 to protect your photos that are protected automatically in the current laws. If there are 3 registries, protecting your images could cost an amazing $4,500. Not to mention the time it would take to register every photo you take. Plus, you will also have to place your copyright sign on every photo. That’s not including all your art, sketches, paintings, 3D models, animations, etc. Do you really have all that extra time and money? Plus, even if you do register, the people stealing your work can still claim it was orphaned and unless you fight them, they win. Even if you win, you may not make back your legal fees. It gets even better. Anyone can submit images, including your images. They would then be excused from any liability for infringement (also known as THEFT) unless the legitimate rights owner (you) responds within a certain period of time to grant or deny permission to use your work. That means you will also have to look through every image in every registry all the time to make sure someone else is not stealing and registering your art. You could actually end up illegally using your own artwork if someone else registers it. DOES ANYONE SEE A PROBLEM WITH THIS? Do you think the U.S. Copyright Office is here to protect you from this legislation? Think again. Brad Holland of the Illustrator’s Partnership shares his notes from a recent meeting with General Counsel of the Copyright Office. Holland: “If a user can’t find a registered work at the Copyright Office, hasn’t the Copyright Office facilitated the creation of an orphaned work?” Carson: “Copyright owners will have to register their images with private registries.” Holland: “But what if I exercise my exclusive right of copyright and choose not to register?” Carson: “If you want to go ahead and create an orphan work, be my guest!” This cavalier and disrespectful dialogue should have you seeing red. Who the hell does he think he is? Carson should be fired and RUN OUT OF WASHINGTON! None of this could happen with our current laws. Our current laws work and they protect us and our creations. The only people who will benefit from the copyright law change are those who can’t create work on their own or companies who stand to make a lot of money from using our works of art. They pay contributions to Congressmen, which is why they get what they want. We need to stand up and be heard. Every one of you needs to write your Senators and Representatives. We have to protect our livelihoods. It’s that serious. Plus, the technologies being developed for locating visual art don’t work well enough. On March 13, 2008, PicScout, one of the softwares used in the registries, stated to the House IP subcommittee: “Our technology can match images, or partial information of an image with 99% success.” A 1% margin of error is huge when you consider the millions of searches performed for art every day. That means for every million searches, 10,000 images could be orphaned. Plus, this only takes into account images registered on their system. If you have registered all your work on another system, they won’t be searched here and even though you may have spent thousands of dollars registering your creations, a new or unused directory could orphan everything you’ve ever created. This is just one of the many reasons why INTERNATIONAL LAW FORBIDS COERCED REGISTRATION as a condition of protecting your copyright. The United States is about to break international law by making us register our works. The people behind the bill say it’s not forced registration, but you won’t have any rights unless you register. THIS IS SIMANTICS! Of course, this is forced registration and we can’t stand for it! There many, many other problems with the Orphan Works legislation. As a creator, YOU MUST understand what is going on. For additional information on Orphan Works developments, go to the IPA Orphan Works Resource Page for Artists: / http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00185. This is not something that is going to go away easily. We need to be vocal NOW! This legislation has been beaten or delayed for the past 2 years and they will keep trying until it passes. This is no time to be quiet and see what happens. What will happen depends on you. Send e-mails and call your congressmen. Ownership of your own creations depends on it. Roger Dean sums this up well, “Where are the colleges and Universities in all this? Has the whole world gone to sleep?” GET ON ORPHAN WORKS E-MAIL LIST: / To be notified of the latest information on the Orphan Works bill and when we should contact our legislators, send an e-mail to illustratorspartnership@cnymail.com and ask to be added to the Orphan Works list. AUDIO INTERVIEW LINK: / I have recorded a fantastic interview with Brad Holland of the Illustrator’s Partnership regarding this bill and what it means to us as artists. Please go online to http://www.SellYourTvConceptNow.com/orphan.html to listen and learn more about how you may lose ownership of all your art and photos. This article and the recorded interview are available for anyone to use in any print or on any website. Please forward this information to every person and group you know so we can work together and protect our creations and livelihoods. Mark Simon is an award-winning animation producer/director and speaker. He speaks around the world on subjects about art, animation and tv production. His copyrighted companies may be found online at www.SellYourTvConceptNow.com and www.Storyboards-East.com. He may be reached at marksimonbooks@yahoo.com. Portions of this article use information and phrasing provided by the Illustrators Partnership.
Please help preserve our rights as photographers, artists, illustrators….by copying and pasting the following address into your browser…
Please help preserve our rights as photographers, artists, illustrators….by copying and pasting the following address into your browser you will be taken directly to the page where you can voice your protest to this bill; your letter of opposition will be sent to your congressmen…....... http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/ Thanks for your help….it will benefit all of us! Joyce
I found out about this ludicrous proposed law on Red Bubble...
I found out about this ludicrous proposed law on Red Bubble and wanted to let everyone else know what they can do about it! If you have not heard about the Orphan Works Act, then you should research it and speak out before it is too late (especially if you are an artist, writer, and/or musician)! No, this Act is not about displaced children or found animals. It revolves around works of art (including fine art, photography, writing, music, etc.) that are not registered with newly proposed agencies. ANY work not registered would be considered in the public domain. This is a dangerous concept and just goes to show how greedy and capitalistic our society, government, and big businesses have become. According to GoPetition.com: “If the Orphan Works legislation passes, you and I and all creatives will lose virtually all the rights to not only our future work but to everything we’ve created over the past 34 years, unless we register it with the new, untested and privately run (by the friends and cronies of the U.S. government) registries. Even then, there is no guarantee that someone wishing to steal your personal creations won’t successfully call your work an orphan work, and then legally use it for free. In short, if Congress passes this law, YOU WILL LOSE THE RIGHT TO MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR OWN CREATIONS!” We would be forced into a world where big business can bully us and use whatever they wanted and not be penalized for it. And, this law not only affects artists, writers, and musicians. It also affect the everyday consumer! If you are planning to get your the photographs of your cousin’s wedding developed at a Wal-Mart or other big box retailer, then you better be prepared to get every image copyrighted or you may just end up seeing them on Wal-Mart’s billboards! Gone would be the days of having rights the minute you create something. Now, if you don’t pay to protect it, then it is like no one created the image and it is up for grabs! Who wants to live in this kind of world other than greedy politicians and businesses? And, it does not surprise me that this has all happened under the Bush administration. Who were the idiots that voted for him and thought he would do us some good? Well, seems like the joke’s on YOU! In an April 10th article in Animation World Magazine, award-winning animation producer/director and speaker, Mark Simon, writes: “It is currently against international law to coerce people to register their work for copyright because there are so many inherent problems with it. But because big business can push through laws in the United States, our country is about to break with the rest of the world, again, and take your rights away. With the tens of millions of photos and pieces of artwork created each year, the bounty for forcing everyone to pay a registration fee would be enormous. We lose our rights and our creations, and someone else makes money at our expense. This includes every sketch, painting, photo, sculpture, drawing, video, song and every other type of creative endeavor. All of it is at risk! If the Orphan Works legislation passes, you and I and all creatives will lose virtually all the rights to not only our future work but to everything we’ve created over the past 34 years, unless we register it with the new, untested and privately run (by the friends and cronies of the U.S. government) registries. Even then, there is no guarantee that someone wishing to steal your personal creations won’t successfully call your work an orphan work, and then legally use it for free.” So, what can you do about it? Well educate yourself on the issues, write to your congress men and women, and sign as many petitions as your can. To get your started, check out this petition, which I have already signed: Say ‘NO!’ to the Orphan Works Act on GoPetition.com Also, be sure to check out these resources for more information: Say ‘NO!’ to the Orphan Works Act on GoPetition.com Mark Simon’s Mind Your Business: You Will Lose All The Rights to Your Own Art IPA Orphan Works Resource Page for Artists U.S. Copyright’s Office Orphan Works Page ASMP’s Update on the 2008 Orphan Works Act You can also find more information about the Orphan Works Act on Red Bubble: Helen Bascom’s Protect Your Copyright – URGENT ACTION REQUIRED Erin Jay’s Something every artist should know about! Crockpot’s The Orphan Works Act of 2008 ~ RELEASE WanderingAuthor’s Writers’ Concerns bchrisdesigns’ Say ‘NO!’ to the Orphan Works Act The Red Bubble forum dedicated to this discussion Say No to Orphan Works Thread @ Burst Anime and Manga Mike Cressy’s IMPORTANT! READ AND ACT NOW!!!
You governments so full of greed / Sell weaponry and gain wealth / Grabbing at oil / Food becoming scarce / Less affordable / Poverty hunger a…
You governments so full of greed / Sell weaponry and gain wealth / Grabbing at oil / Food becoming scarce / Less affordable / Poverty hunger and death / When will you wake up and see / That money will not save your life / That when you push the masses / Push them to their limits / Taking away their basic rights / They will retaliate / And one day will bring you down with your wealth / And false happiness. / May just be the ones that bring you death.
Alot of my surfing pictures, are taken locally here…..so i need some help if at all possibe please read and check website to help, p…
Alot of my surfing pictures, are taken locally here…..so i need some help if at all possibe please read and check website to help, proudly all the photo’s on the site are my own www.saveoilies.org The latest expansion to the Port of Port Kembla comes at a huge expense tothe local community whom will be locked out of the foreshore area on the northern side of the harbour forever. A range of recreational users including surfers, fisherman, swimmers, walkers, photographers, dogwalkers, and cyclists has been enjoying access to this area for over 30 years. The surf break is known to many as “Oilies”. On 1 November 2008 the current proposal will see security gates erected outside the Sydney Water Wollongong Sewerage Treatment Plant on Port Kembla Road, Wollongong locking out all non-business related traffic to the Port and also the foreshore area. The proposed closure is based on dubious security grounds and has involved no public consultation. Whilst there is recognition of the Ports need for security and the important role that the Port plays in economic terms for the Illawarra and the broader national economy, opportunities exist to secure the facility whilst still permitting the community access to the foreshore area. The proposed closure is contrary to the State Government Policy of maintaining community access to foreshore areas and when the gates go in this part of the foreshore will be lost to the community forever. This area has thousands of users whom will be displaced and an IRIS survey conducted on behalf of the Port Kembla Coal Terminal found that on an average summer weekend there are 165 vehicle trips per day to the foreshore in this area and this is without any promotion. The State Governments policy on urban consolidation will see increased residential densities throughout the Illawarra with a particular emphasis on more multistorey residential developments going in around the Wollongong City centre. This increase in population density will place more pressure on the finite resources of the foreshore areas. The community needs more foreshore area for recreation not less.The latest State and Local Government initiative with the Blue Mile needs to be extended to go the extra mile and secure foreshore access for the community in perpetuity. It is also incumbent upon industry to be good neighbours and respond to the needs of the community rather than being solely motivated by self-interest. A simple long term solution exists to ensure that this foreshore area is retained in public ownership with free access to all. / What needs to happen is that the Port boundary (a line on a piece of paper) needs to be changed to exclude the foreshore area in this locality and the publically owned private road needs to be dedicated back to Council as a public road. The proposed security gates could moved further south along Port Kembla Road ensuring security to the Port is maintained but not at the expense of public access to the foreshore. The land in question is already in public ownership as it is owned by the State Government whom control the Port Kembla Port Authority. Come on community – now is the time to put pressure on our State politicians to show some leadership and get community access to the foreshore area secured for generations. We feel that this matter needs to be brought to the attention of the wider community before this important community asset is lost forever. Brendan Leo On behalf of the Seawall Community Recreation Association
I remember what I was doing seven years ago today. Going on about my daily routine. Having already started classes as I attempted to get…
I remember what I was doing seven years ago today. Going on about my daily routine. Having already started classes as I attempted to get that “college degree” to better my life. It was about mid morning, sitting in the library, TV was going, and the news breaks in. They take us to the scene in New York City right after a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. / This stopped everyone in their tracks, all watching the TV closely. Our minds trying to absorb the scene we were viewing. Gasping as we watched the second plane go into the second Twin Tower. There was such a hush across the whole room, you could have heard a pin drop. / We all stared at the television, no one believing their eyes, gasping as we watched the towers crumble right in front of us. The sickest feeling coming over all of us as we watched this terrible event happen in real time. / Everyone has their opinion of who is really behind this. My personal gut feeling was our own government is behind this so the citizens would approve a war that was wanted. I will always go down stating our own government set up this massive catastrophy to have us to say Ok to a war we are still in, and probably wont ever “win”. Each person has their own views, and this isnt about who did it. It no longer matters who is behind it. What matters is how this one day event has changed America and the World. / Since this event, we all have had the word “fear” shoved down our throats. Our innocence was stolen on this day. On September 10th of 2001, everyone was going about their business, they could move about the world without a suspicision of being tied to a terrorist group. Our government here, has made every citizen feel they are the terrorists, and created a so called war against terrorism. We have been made to accept being checked at any place we go. We have a harder time just crossing the borders which we used to cross with a simple passport. / The cameras with “big brother” watching are set up in places you wouldnt ever think they would be. You are now fingerprinted just going into a court to settle a simple traffic ticket. Airports treat every single person as if they were a terrorist. I have a friend who was pulled aside and questioned and searched thoroughly because he “fit” the terrorist criteria the government has set up to decide who might/ might not be a terrorist. Their version of a terrorist, is a person who is traveling alone, no luggage, and a one way ticket, per our new government standards of who is a terrorist. All he was doing, was going to visit his daughter. / America wasnt the only country affected by this event. There were citizens from all countries in that building. So the World was affected by this, not just America. The whole world was put on lock down after this tragic event, not just America. As photographers, we cant do a simple shoot of buildings anymore without some military personel coming up and questioning us and moving us along. Simple life as we once knew and took advantage of, was totally taken away after those planes hit those buildings. / I think it’s time all the governments realize, you can not ever do away with terrorism. A person making a threat to another, is a form of terrorism, so how can we completely abolish it? We can’t. / I think it is time for people to make all governments realize, we aren’t a threat to anyone. We are only trying to make a living, and better ourselves. / It no longer matters who is behind that tragic event that happened seven years ago. What matters is how all countries around the world treat the mass population. / We are in a war we had no business being in, we were lied to, to get there. The biggest shame is the event that happened on 9/11 is used as the reason we are there. While the person “acused” of doing it, is still running around free. Meanwhile the citizens of this country and others are treated as if they were the instigators behind it. Many will make excuses trying to justify how the world is now, but there isnt any justification, as thousands of lives are being lost across the world, to accomplish something that can’t ever be stopped. If we are to really stop terrorism, then we have to start as individuals, by not making threats to another person. So to the people who were there that day, to the people who lost loved ones that day. I am so sorry for your loss and your horrible memories of 9/11. I am sorry that a handful of people who’s selfish gains have embedded a memory that wont ever die in your minds. It is a memory and a loss that shouldnt have ever happened, to end up in a useless war that probably wont ever end. / For those who read this, no I am not anti-American, I am, however very ashamed of the leaders who took this tragic event and made the mass popluation live in fear the past seven years and still trying to do so. I am ashamed at the citizens who have allowed fear to become second nature to them. I am sadden that we no longer think for ourselves and held accountable for the actions we take. I am saddened that we accept being treated as criminals when we have to do simple tasks to just make a decent living. / This date of 9/11, will be forever etched into our minds, with the vision of those towers coming down. As thousands of people lost their lives, just doing their daily routine. I think it is time the citizens of all the countries take their lives back. Let the governments know they wont get away with always trying to scare us into agreeing with them. I am tired of hearing “fear”, I am tired of watching Tv shows that are based on nothing but fear and terrorism. I am just tired. / I want to see happiness and free will come back to the people’s eyes as I look into them. I want the trust I had before 9/11 when I go into a big building. I want my old America back, I want the Old World back. I just want that innocence we had on September 10th, 2001. / It is time for Peace to come about to all of us, in our public and private lives. It is time to stop all the blaming others for events happening. It is time for us all to take a stand, and take our lives back. It’s time we stop attacking others who might believe something different then what we do. It’s time we start putting the respect for “to each his own” back, and do away with the fear tatics. May peace be with you all today, as the news medias and everyone else will remind us what happened seven years ago today. September 11, 2001 We will not, ever forget.
The Republicans tend to harp about socialism as if it is an evil thing that is to be avoided at all costs. What they don’t want you to k…
The Republicans tend to harp about socialism as if it is an evil thing that is to be avoided at all costs. What they don’t want you to know is that under the Bush and McCain bank deregulation efforts that we are currently reaping the benefits of, the debt of the banks has been socialized. That’s right, the banks can’t be allowed to lose the money they pissed away, we save them by taking on their debt which is a drastic form of socialism. The down side to that socialistic response, the banks are still free to piss away money, but they get to keep any profit they manage to make without sharing the profit with us. The government will be paid back without getting any real benefit from owning a stake in the banks. McCain’s plan to have the bad mortgages be bought by the government, is yet another attempt at making maximum profit for the banks and screwing us. The banks will sell the debt at face value, not market value. That rewards the robber barons bank owners for making bad loans and makes it much more difficult for the government to do anything but lose in the long haul. Anti-abortionists claim to be pro life, most are not (support of a death penalty automatically excludes one from truthfully being pro life). They would love to have their socialist agenda, become law. They wish to force their ideology of life beginning at conception upon everybody. They usually also are against having those most likely to become pregnant given enough information to prevent one. Just saying no doesn’t work for drug users or sexually active teens. Teens that are informed about proper methods for contraception are less likely to get pregnant, but are no more likely to engage in premarital sex. The one main place I do not want government intervention is in bedrooms or between doctors and their patients. If you are going to socialize one area that should not have needed it, why do you not socialize the one thing that would benefit the most Americans, our health care. We are not enabling our citizens to have full and productive lives under the present system. Many older Americans have to choose between eating and medicine. We DIE at a younger age than the citizens of many countries that have socialized care. To further make my point, those of us that do have coverage pay higher premiums for our insurance because ultimately the costs for the uninsured patients unable to pay are passed on to us. Why not make the system fairer for all? Medicare and Medicaid were reasonably well run programs before Bush got his hands on them. They were among the better government run systems. A health care system incorporated into that existing system would offer significant benefits to the majority of Americans. As it is now, health care varies significantly from plan to plan and state to state, so much so, that it is sometimes impossible to find coverage for older employees that were forced to find a new job when their ex employer decided to ship their job to Bangalore or Manila. Why would you be content to cover some citizens, when all of us need it?
The Theory of Bunk has been in my back pocket for a couple decades. I like to pull it out and lay it on the table now and then, wh…
The Theory of Bunk has been in my back pocket for a couple decades. I like to pull it out and lay it on the table now and then, when the moment calls for it. The Theory of Bunk is useful for the sceptic as well as the devout. It remains true wether you like it or not. The Theory of Bunk exist to humble the egos of those vertical mammals who maintain they and they alone are correct in the path of their own choosing. It is a choice… you know that, right? / The Theory of Bunk is simple. This stuff should be preschool. The Theory of Bunk concludes… “Those who adamantly claim to be singularly correct… are inherently wrong.” Sam Dantone
Beverly Eckert...
Beverly Eckert was flying to the city for a celebration of what would have been her husband Sean Rooney’s 58th birthday, reports the Press Association. Mr Rooney died on the 98th floor of the World Trade Center’s south tower. / President Barack Obama paid tribute to Mrs Eckert, whom he met last week in her role as an advocate for those affected by 9/11. She was among the 44 passengers and four crew on board the Continental Connection flight operated by Colgan Air when it crashed in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence Center. / After 9/11, Ms Eckert refused to accept a cash settlement as compensation and instead sued the government. / “I am suing because unlike other investigative avenues… my lawsuit requires all testimony be given under oath and fully uses powers to compel evidence.” Eckert wrote in December 2003 in a statement entitled My Silence Cannot Be Bought. / ExplosivesEvidence?
_Very proud of you wahini…...... / Featured in 1:1 With the News / Lets have a big …
_Very proud of you wahini…...... / Featured in 1:1 With the News / Lets have a big round of applause for CJ / / A true Bureaucracy Survivor /
Someone just bought an Anti-Fluoride tea-shirt which is great news – not only because my ego fully approves of such good taste but also b…
Someone just bought an Anti-Fluoride tea-shirt which is great news – not only because my ego fully approves of such good taste but also because every opportunity to highlight the terrible abuse of power that is mandatory medication by industrial poison is a great cause for celebration. I also recommend to all my newer version too – but perhaps it is a bit too gruesome LOL Geelong has held out so far – let us continue to do so.
It’s ridiculous what they are doing more and MORE of now with Blue Ray over regular DVD… anyone else noticed almost always when the…
It’s ridiculous what they are doing more and MORE of now with Blue Ray over regular DVD… anyone else noticed almost always when they release them both at the same time, that Blue ray gets ALL the extras/bonus features and DVD gets NOTHING or next to nothing?... it’s bullshit. talk about pushing blu ray onto people just so they can see all these extras it would take mere minutes to put onto dvd as well… but NOOOOOOOOOOoooOOoooo IF you want to see the extras you HAVE to be a blu ray owner now, like that’s so fuckin cheap in todays economic downturn to have to buy a player and a HD tv to watch it on… plus I’ve watched blu ray in the shops and I don’t even like the overly sharp scratchy film grain looking picture anyway :S might as well count the pimples on their faces as the only advantage I see in it lol It’s just another big company plow to push blu ray onto people and to screw existing dvd owners… Not happy, but that’s my 2 cents on bullshit blu ray lol Jay.
Something really irked me today and I have to get it off my chest… The phone rings…I pick it up…”Hello, this is the RFDS (Royal …
Something really irked me today and I have to get it off my chest… The phone rings…I pick it up…”Hello, this is the RFDS (Royal Flying Doctor Service) and this is our last desperate plea for help before the busy Christmas Holiday season, as you know, many people including sick children live inland and the RFDS has been there for them for over 50 years, we desperately need funds as we get no funding from the Government to keep this service going…” the day before, similar phone call from the Oncology Children’s Foundation, non Government funded so asking for us to buy tickets to raise money…. Well, I find this appalling, that no Government funding is given to these 2 groups not to mention countless others that pass by unnoticed, what is the Government funding if not essential services like the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Childrens Cancer Foundations?? So much money wasted on junkets, war, weapons, business lunches and fancy cars but no money for the Flying Doctors or kids with cancer….I am not even sure whether to be mad or sad….but I know one thing, it irked me…alot.
Below is a self- evident history of Corporate Welfare Big Business Bailouts: *ENTITY…........................DATE…....AMOUNT…......
Below is a self- evident history of Corporate Welfare Big Business Bailouts: ENTITY…........................DATE…....AMOUNT….....PRESIDENT….....POLITICAL PARTY Penn Central Railroad…..1970…..$3.2 billion….....Richard Nixon…........Republican / Lockheed…......................1971…..$1.4 billion….....Gerald Ford…...........Republican / Franklin National Bank…..1974…..$7.8 billion….....Gerald Ford…...........Republican / New York City…................1975…..$9.4 billion….....James Carter…........Democrat / Chrysler…........................1980…..$4.0 billion….....James Carter…........Democrat / Illinois National Bank….....1984…..$9.5 billion….....Ronald Reagan….....Republican / Savings & Loan…............1989…..$293.3 billion…..Ronald Reagan….....Republican / Airline Industry…..............2001…..$18.6 billion…...George H W Bush…..Republican / Bear Stearns…................2008…..$30 billion…......George W Bush…......Republican / A.I.G….............................2008…..$180 billion…....George W Bush…......Republican / Auto Industry…................2008…..$25 billion…......George W Bush…......Republican / T.A.R.P…........................2008…..$700 billion….....George W Bush…......Republican / Citigroup…......................2008…..$280 billion….....George W Bush…......Republican / Bank of America…...........2009…..$142.2 billion…..Barack Obama…........Democrat Hey Republicans. how’s that hypocrite thing working out for ya? (Bank of America has received $45 billion through the TARP which was enacted under President George W Bush, and includes $10 billion originally meant for Merrill Lynch.) LIST OF POTUS / HISTORY OF BAILOUTS *T.A.R.P. Troubled Asset Relief Program / “In October 2008, Congress passed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, which authorized the Treasury Department to spend $700 billion to combat the financial crisis.” Source
Stephen Conroy has just announced his Government will censor all internet traffic with a mandatory ISP-level filter. Over 120,000 Aus…
Stephen Conroy has just announced his Government will censor all internet traffic with a mandatory ISP-level filter. Over 120,000 Australians have taken a stand against his flawed scheme that will do little more than divert funds away from where they’re needed most, and now he plans to bring legislation before Parliament next year. Can you send him an email or fax letting him know your reaction to this announcement? http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/GreatFirewallOfAustralia Senator Conroy has made this announcement in the face of overwhelming public opposition, expert industry advice, and even calls from child protection groups to drop this scheme. It will hand over control of what we can see online to an unaccountable government body – with no way to tell what they’re blocking. Senator Conroy was planning to sneak this announcement through before Christmas, hoping we wouldn’t notice. We need to act quickly to make sure the Government is not let off the hook. Help us flood Senator Conroy’s inbox and fax machine to make sure he understands that the weight of public opinion is against him on this issue: http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/GreatFirewallOfAustralia When this legislation comes before the Senate, the Government will need to negotiate to get an outcome – and that’s where this movement is so well placed for impact. This campaign is far from over, and sending a clear reaction to this announcement is the best way you can keep it alive today. Thanks for all that you do, / The GetUp team PS – The Government’s announcement needs to be met with our reaction – they’re hoping to sneak the plan past us as we turn off for the holidays. Click here to tell Stephen Conroy how you feel about his plans for mandatory internet censorship WE MUST tell this PERSON that THE DAY THIS CENSORSHIP goes in is the SAME DAY that HIS POLITICAL CAREER ENDS”:http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/GreatFirewallOfAustralia?dc=974,477653,3 Make the point. We will not forget this.
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