[scifinoir2] FW: Open Letter to the NY Post from John Legend
Message ahar...@earthlink.net Eloquently said! MORE NEWS | MOBILE | PHOTOS | EVENTS | MYSPACE | LATEST NEWS FROM JOHN LEGEND Open Letter to the New York Post Dear Editor: I'm trying to understand what possible motivation you may have had for publishing that vile cartoon depicting the shooting of the chimpanzee that went crazy. I guess you thought it would be funny to suggest that whomever was responsible for writing the Economic Recovery legislation must have the intelligence and judgment of a deranged, violent chimpanzee, and should be shot to protect the larger community. Really? Did it occur to you that this suggestion would imply a connection between President Barack Obama and the deranged chimpanzee? Did it occur to you that our President has been receiving death threats since early in his candidacy? Did it occur to you that blacks have historically been compared to various apes as a way of racist insult and mockery? Did you intend to invoke these painful themes when you printed the cartoon? If that's not what you intended, then it was stupid and willfully ignorant of you not to connect these easily connectable dots. If it is what you intended, then you obviously wanted to be grossly provocative, racist and offensive to the sensibilities of most reasonable Americans. Either way, you should not have printed this cartoon, and the fact that you did is truly reprehensible. I can't imagine what possible justification you have for this. I've read your lame statement in response to the outrage you provoked. Shame on you for dodging the real issue and then using the letter as an opportunity to attack Rev. Sharpton. This is not about Rev. Sharpton. It's about the cartoon being blatantly racist and offensive. I believe in freedom of speech, and you have every right to print what you want. But freedom of speech still comes with responsibilities and consequences. You are responsible for printing this cartoon, and I hope you experience some real consequences for it. I'm personally boycotting your paper and won't do any interviews with any of your reporters, and I encourage all of my colleagues in the entertainment business to do so as well. I implore your advertisers to seriously reconsider their business relationships with you as well. You should print an apology in your paper acknowledging that this cartoon was ignorant, offensive and racist and should not have been printed. I'm well aware of our country's history of racism and violence, but I truly believe we are better than this filth. As we attempt to rise above our difficult past and look toward a better future, we don't need the New York Post to resurrect the images of Jim Crow to deride the new administration and put black folks in our place. Please feel free to criticize and honestly evaluate our new President, but do so without the incendiary images and rhetoric. Sincerely, John Legend DOWNLOAD EVOLVER HERE: iTunes | Amazon | Rhapsody | Napster | Zune Visit johnlegend.com for more news. EVOLVER Order from: MyPlay Amazon iTunes BIO Check out JOHN LEGEND's bio here! PHOTOS Check out JOHN LEGEND's latest photos here! VIDEOS Check out JOHN LEGEND's new Videos here! Trouble Reading This? Click Here for an HTML Version. This email was sent to dbjeff...@hotmail.com Click here if you no longer wish to receive mailings from the John Legend newsletter or to view or update your subscriptions. This email was sent by: Sony Music Entertainment | 550 Madison Avenue 24th Floor | New York, NY 10022 Click here to view our privacy policy. COLUMBIA and the Columbia
[RE][scifinoir2] Obama nixes plan to tax motorists on mileage
I'm with you there, Keith. And I'm already tagged by Big Brother, in a sense. I had to get a new wireless broadband card soon after Christmas, because my old one died a horrific death. The new one is from Sprint, and I'm just getting all of the paperwork that comes with the contract. My wireless card has a built-in GPS unit, on at all times... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Obama nixes plan to tax motorists on mileage Date : Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:09:58 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Well thank goodness for that! You can't beat me in being willing to pay my fair share of taxes or fees for the good of all. But a tax based on how much you drive strikes me as blatantly unfair. You mean my 28 MPG Camry would yield me the same tax rate as a gas-guzzling SUV or Humvee? And what about people who have no choice but to drive twenty or thirty miles a day to work (which is exceedingly common here in Atlanta), they gonna get penalized for that? So, even if you're driving a fuel-efficient cars or scooter you pay the piper? Not to mention, I don't care what anyone says, the thought of a GPS chip monitoring and reporting on my movements smacks too much of the kind of future I want no part of I can't get with that... *** Joan Lowy, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 25 mins ago WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday rejected his transportation secretary's suggestion that the administration consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive instead of how much gasoline they buy. It is not and will not be the policy of the Obama administration, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters, when asked for the president's thoughts about Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's suggestion, raised in an interview with The Associated Press a daily earlier. Gasoline taxes that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood told the AP. We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled, the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said in the AP interview. LaHood spokeswoman Lori Irving said Friday that the secretary was speaking of the idea only in general terms, not as something being implemented as administration policy. Most transportation experts see a vehicle miles-traveled tax as a long-term solution, but Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects. The idea also is gaining ground in several states. The governor of Idaho is talking about such a program. A North Carolina panel suggested in December the state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax. Rhode Island's governor, however, has expressed opposition to a panel's recommendation in December that the state charge motorists a half-cent for every mile driven in addition to the gas tax. A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say it's an Orwellian intrusion by government into the lives of citizens. Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive more fuel-efficient cars since gas guzzlers will be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers. Besides a VMT tax, more tolls for highways and bridges and more government partnerships with business to finance transportation projects are other funding options, LaHood, one of two Republicans in Obama's Cabinet, said in the interview Thursday. What I see this administration doing is this — thinking outside the box on how we fund our infrastructure in America, he said. LaHood said he firmly opposes raising the federal gasoline tax in the current recession. The program that funds the federal share of highway projects is part of a surface transportation law that expires Sept. 30. Last fall, Congress made an emergency infusion of $8 billion to make up for a shortfall between gas tax revenues and the amount of money promised to states for their projects. The gap between money raised by the gas tax and the cost of maintaining the nation's highway system and expanding it to accommodate population growth is forecast to continue to widen. Among the reasons for the gap is a switch to more fuel-efficient cars and a decrease in driving that many transportation experts believe is related to the economic downturn . Electric cars and alternative-fuel vehicles that don't use gasoline are expected to start penetrating the market in greater numbers. A blue-ribbon national transportation commission is expected to release a report next week recommending a VMT tax.
[scifinoir2] Re: Obama nixes plan to tax motorists on mileage
Let me say this about that. I live in a city. I live ten minutes from where I work. I drive less than 9000 miles a year. I live in a city that is shrinking, primarily due to white flight. A shrinking city means a shrinking tax base - yet, my shrinking city is still the work and entertainment hub for all those, black and white, who have fled. I live in a majority minority city yet every workplace I have worked in my entire adult life is primarily Caucasian. They drive into the city every day, some driving up to an hour both ways, use up the city's precious and dwindling resources, clog our highways and byways, and then drive out of the city at night without so much as a how-you-do. I live in a livable city but it becomes less livable every day because of those who use it but pay nothing for its upkeep. And I haven't even touched on how this system deepens our dependency on foreign oil - and the wars we fight to defend it. I am all for choices and the freedom to live where ever you want to and to drive as far and for as long as you want to but if the benefit of this plan was to make people think about the cost of their decisions...well, I am all for it. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: Well thank goodness for that! You can't beat me in being willing to pay my fair share of taxes or fees for the good of all. But a tax based on how much you drive strikes me as blatantly unfair. You mean my 28 MPG Camry would yield me the same tax rate as a gas-guzzling SUV or Humvee? And what about people who have no choice but to drive twenty or thirty miles a day to work (which is exceedingly common here in Atlanta), they gonna get penalized for that? So, even if you're driving a fuel-efficient cars or scooter you pay the piper? Not to mention, I don't care what anyone says, the thought of a GPS chip monitoring and reporting on my movements smacks too much of the kind of future I want no part of I can't get with that... *** Joan Lowy, Associated Press Writer â 1 hr 25 mins ago WASHINGTON â President Barack Obama on Friday rejected his transportation secretary's suggestion that the administration consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive instead of how much gasoline they buy. It is not and will not be the policy of the Obama administration, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters, when asked for the president's thoughts about Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's suggestion, raised in an interview with The Associated Press a daily earlier. Gasoline taxes that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood told the AP. We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled, the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said in the AP interview. LaHood spokeswoman Lori Irving said Friday that the secretary was speaking of the idea only in general terms, not as something being implemented as administration policy. Most transportation experts see a vehicle miles-traveled tax as a long-term solution, but Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects. The idea also is gaining ground in several states. The governor of Idaho is talking about such a program. A North Carolina panel suggested in December the state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax. Rhode Island's governor, however, has expressed opposition to a panel's recommendation in December that the state charge motorists a half-cent for every mile driven in addition to the gas tax. A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say it's an Orwellian intrusion by government into the lives of citizens. Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive more fuel-efficient cars since gas guzzlers will be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers. Besides a VMT tax, more tolls for highways and bridges and more government partnerships with business to finance transportation projects are other funding options, LaHood, one of two Republicans in Obama's Cabinet, said in the interview Thursday. What I see this administration doing is this â thinking outside the box on how we fund our infrastructure in America, he said. LaHood said he firmly opposes raising the federal gasoline tax in the current recession. The program that funds the federal share of highway projects is part of a surface transportation law that expires Sept. 30. Last fall, Congress made an emergency infusion of $8 billion to make up for a shortfall between gas tax revenues
[scifinoir2] Yo Adrianne!
Hey, Adrianne, tell me true...can Vegans wear pearls?
[RE][scifinoir2] (OT) Scriptwriters are like condoms in our industry: 'Delhi-6' writer
Can't agree with that more if I tried. If scriptwriters got more love, we'd get better product out of H'Wood. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] (OT) Scriptwriters are like condoms in our industry: 'Delhi-6' writer Date : Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:44:24 -0800 (PST) From : Said Kakese Dibinga s...@bayindogroup.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Scriptwriters are like condoms in our industry: 'Delhi-6' writer http://www.calcuttanews.net/story/468455 Said Yenga Kakese Dibinga Director General The Bayindo Group SA POB 1782 Los Angeles, CA 90078-1782 c: 1.323.599.6228 em: s...@bayindogroup.com skype: saiddibinga http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] (OT) Portrait of an (Alleged) Scam Artist
I understand that they finally found this clown. Wonder how he'll manage, under that oppressive house arrest... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] (OT) Portrait of an (Alleged) Scam Artist Date : Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:43:42 -0800 (PST) From : Said Kakese Dibinga s...@bayindogroup.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Portrait of an (Alleged) Scam Artist http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts247 Said Yenga Kakese Dibinga Director General The Bayindo Group SA POB 1782 Los Angeles, CA 90078-1782 c: 1.323.599.6228 em: s...@bayindogroup.com skype: saiddibinga http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[scifinoir2] Before Oscars, it's anti-Oscars time
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=CinemaSectionPageid=6d93e067-ffce-4868-bb9c-c82d62c910a3MatchID1=4932TeamID1=7TeamID2=8MatchType1=1SeriesID1=1247PrimaryID=4932Headline=Before+Oscars%2c+it's+anti-Oscars+time Before Oscars, it's anti-Oscars time Andy Goldberg, DPA Los Angeles, February 21, 2009 For an industry that indulges in mere entertainment, Hollywood takes itself pretty seriously. But the overbearing self-importance displayed by many who work in the cinematic trades will be exquisitely deflated Saturday night when a group of renegade movie buffs delight in naming the worst movie moments of the year. The dubious Golden Raspberry dishonours, affectionately known as the Razzie awards, are now in their 29th year and never seem to lack worthy candidates. This year, the favourite for Razzie notoriety is the grossly overrated Canadian comedy star Mike Myers, who has a leading seven nominations for his truly awful movie The Love Guru. The movie was a worthy successor to the crude and unimaginative Austin Powers series, and got its just deserves at box offices, where it was one of the year's most notable flops. The film bomb was judged to be so bad by the hardened Razzie nominators that they chose it to compete in all the major categories including acting dishonours for Myers, Verne Troyer, Jessica Alba and even Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley. But The Love Guru has plenty of competition. Also featuring highly on the list of nominees was Paris Hilton, whose every screen moment seemed to yield a Razzie nod. She was nominated for worst actress for the classic comedy The Hottie and the Nottie, worst supporting actress for Repo: The Genetic Opera and as one-half of the year's worst screen couple together with both Hottie costar Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore. Hottie will compete for worst movie with The Love Guru, The Happening, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale and Meet the Spartans. Beside Myers, the worst-actor nominees include Eddie Murphy for Meet Dave, Al Pacino for both 88 Minutes and Righteous Kill, and Mark Wahlberg, who also scored a double nomination for The Happening and Max Payne. No less than nine women are vying for worst actress, thanks to an ensemble nomination for the cast of The Women, which featured Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Meg Ryan. The other nominees are Cameron Diaz (What Happens in Vegas), Kate Hudson (Fool's Gold and My Best Friend's Girl), Alba and Hilton. The biggest winner might turn out to be German director Uwe Boll, who will be the recipient of the worst career achievement for such timeless gems as the Bloodrayne series, Alone in the Dark and House of the Dead. Boll, who specialises in adapting video games to movies was also nominated as worst supporting actor for Postal and 1968: Tunnel Rats, while his In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale is up for the worst-movie award. Alone among cinematic auteurs, he seems to actually regard being the recipient of a Razzie with the honour it deserves, and even apologised in an online interview that he would be unable to attend in person to accept the prize. I will be filming out in South Africa, so I cannot be there in person, he said. Asked whether anyone else might deserve the worst career achievement more than him, he was indignant: No one, only me, he answered. Film fans may have other opinions, but at least with the Razzies they can do something about it. The Golden Raspberry allows anyone to vote - as long as they prove that they care enough to pay a $25 registration fee.
[scifinoir2] Beyond the Oscar Spectacle, Hollywood Is Grumbling
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/business/media/22steal.html?ref=business Scene Stealer Beyond the Oscar Spectacle, Hollywood Is Grumbling By MICHAEL CIEPLY Published: February 21, 2009 LOS ANGELES SWEATY hands will finally clutch their Oscars on Sunday night, putting an end to a Hollywood awards season that may go down as one of the most downbeat in memory. Movers and shakers in the film industry dont like to grumble openly about the Oscars. After all, nobody wants to be caught talking down a ritual that has been very good, for a very long time, to a very large number of people in the glamour business. Still, the Hollywood table-talk this year has been much less about Oscar prospects and more about the process. And an overriding theme is this: The movie prize cycle had better become shorter, brighter and more popular in its bent - or some major players are pulling back. The conventional wisdom has it that Slumdog Millionaire, the big-hearted little film made in Mumbai and distributed in the United States by Fox Searchlight, locked up the best-picture award months ago. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whose voting membership is about 5,800, is increasingly foreign- and indie-oriented. The fellow best-picture nominees are The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, from Paramount and Warner Brothers; Frost/Nixon, from Universal; Milk, from Focus Features; and The Reader, from the Weinstein Company. These films have supposedly been along for an expensive ride, competing for an odd Oscar in other categories while burning up millions of marketing and promotional dollars. But they are widely reckoned to have no real hope of winning the big prize, and most have not quite hit their targets at the box office. For executives, filmmakers and publicists, the real shock came with the exclusion of The Dark Knight from this years list of best-picture nominees. It wasnt so much about admiration for the picture itself, though there was plenty of that. Insiders read the snub more as a rejection by the academy, once comfortably regarded as an adjunct of the industry that created it, of what the inner circle does best: Build complex, monumental films that move millions. To keep the mood here from curdling wouldnt have taken much of a bow toward the audience. A best-picture nomination for Wall-E, from Walt Disney and its Pixar Animation unit, if not The Dark Knight, from Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures, might have done it. Even an acting nomination for Clint Eastwood, whose crusty appearance in Gran Torino, from Warner, turned out his biggest box office to date, would have helped. But the academy gave no points for popularity. And the company folks noticed. Some executives, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect their relationships with those who vote for prizes, have said in the last few weeks that they do not expect their studios to make any movie in the foreseeable future as a specific Oscar bet. If honors happen to come, as they came to The Departed, a Warner film that was a surprise best-picture winner in 2007, so be it. But few are looking to make the next Frost/Nixon, a smart, critically acclaimed film that got Ron Howard a nomination as best director this year. Frost/Nixon has taken in less than $20 million at the domestic box office, and may not make a profit when the cost of its long Oscar-season promotional campaign is added to its relatively modest $25 million budget. AS little as a year ago, the prestige that came with an Oscar contender could seem worth at least a small financial loss to studios that could always make up for it with their summer hits. In tougher times, not so. Already, 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures have become only occasional players in the Oscar game, allowing associated specialty units, Fox Searchlight and Sony Pictures Classics, to be contenders with relatively small films. If companies like Paramount, Universal and the now-smaller DreamWorks also step back, the academy - protective of an enterprise that brings it more than $70 million a year - will almost certainly start looking for adjustments to a system that still needs big stars and the big studios that pay them. The last significant structural change to the Oscars occurred in 2004, when they were moved up a month, to late February from late March. The shift was meant to lighten the expense and fatigue factor of a movie awards season that was then consuming nearly half the year. The next step could well be Oscars in January. That idea has been popping up in conversation here lately. One version suggests compressing the Oscars into the tail end of a two-week, festival-like Hollywood awards event that would include the Golden Globes and all the various guild awards, and take place in early to mid-January. Studios could fly in their talent just once, instead of three or four times. And companies could generate a whole new kind of excitement by throwing
