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Posted by Jason Schultz
If you have a subscription to The Economist, make sure to check out their great critique of the BSA's latest software piracy numbers (BSA or just BS?; Software piracy):
IT SOUNDS too bad to be true; but, then, it might not be true. Up to 35% of all PC software installed in 2004 was pirated, resulting in a staggering $33 billion loss to the industry, according to an annual study released this week by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), a trade association and lobby group.
Such jaw-dropping figures are regularly cited in government documents and used to justify new laws and tough penalties for pirates-this month in Britain, for example, two people convicted of piracy got lengthy prison sentences, even though they had not sought to earn money. The BSA provided its data. The judge chose to describe the effects of piracy as nothing less than "catastrophic".
But while the losses due to software copyright violations are large and serious, the crime is certainly not as costly as the BSA portrays. The association's figures rely on sample data that may not be representative, assumptions about the average amount of software on PCs and, for some countries, guesses rather than hard data. Moreover, the figures are presented in an exaggerated way by the BSA and International Data Corporation (IDC), a research firm that conducts the study. They dubiously presume that each piece of software pirated equals a direct loss of revenue to software firms.
To derive its piracy rate, IDC estimates the average amount of software that is installed on a PC per country, using data from surveys, interviews and other studies. That figure is then reduced by the known quantity of software sold per country-a calculation in which IDC specialises. The result: a (supposed) amount of piracy per country. Multiplying that figure by the revenue from legitimate sales thus yields the retail value of the unpaid-for software. This, IDC and BSA claim, equals the amount of lost revenue.
Such jaw-dropping figures are regularly cited in government documents and used to justify new laws and tough penalties for pirates-this month in Britain, for example, two people convicted of piracy got lengthy prison sentences, even though they had not sought to earn money. The BSA provided its data. The judge chose to describe the effects of piracy as nothing less than "catastrophic".
But while the losses due to software copyright violations are large and serious, the crime is certainly not as costly as the BSA portrays. The association's figures rely on sample data that may not be representative, assumptions about the average amount of software on PCs and, for some countries, guesses rather than hard data. Moreover, the figures are presented in an exaggerated way by the BSA and International Data Corporation (IDC), a research firm that conducts the study. They dubiously presume that each piece of software pirated equals a direct loss of revenue to software firms.
To derive its piracy rate, IDC estimates the average amount of software that is installed on a PC per country, using data from surveys, interviews and other studies. That figure is then reduced by the known quantity of software sold per country-a calculation in which IDC specialises. The result: a (supposed) amount of piracy per country. Multiplying that figure by the revenue from legitimate sales thus yields the retail value of the unpaid-for software. This, IDC and BSA claim, equals the amount of lost revenue.
Comments (31)
+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: IP Markets and Monopolies
1. SFix on May 25, 2005 1:28 PM writes...
These industry presumptions of loss are almost always flawed. Usually they assume that every unauthorized copy of their software is an actual lost sale. While there are undoubtedly some lost sales, these studies ignore the fact that many, perhaps most people who have the unauthorized software installed on their computers would do without rather than pay full price.
Also, as the industry announce $33 billion dollars in "losses" to piracy, they also announced record profits. Therefore, increased piracy is actually correlated with increased profits.
2. Neo on May 25, 2005 3:40 PM writes...
Their methodology is even more flawed than you think. Estimating the amount of software per PC and subtracting legitimate sales leaves a residue containing not only infringing copies of software but also legitimate software that wasn't sold. Losses due to competition from freeware and open source, in other words, are counted into the "losses due to piracy"!
Of course, the BSA probably includes the lost sales due to competition from OpenOffice and Linux intentionally and hopes to pull the wool over regulators' eyes...
3. Copyrighter on May 25, 2005 7:04 PM writes...
"But while the losses due to software copyright violations are large and serious, the crime is certainly not as costly as the BSA portrays."
Certainly?!? There is nothing certain about this. In fact, one could make an argument that they're underestimating it because the calculation of software per PC could be biased downwards by people reporting fewer than are actually installed due to piracy.
But, you know, that runs counter to the Copyfight mantra, right?
4. Neo on May 26, 2005 6:34 PM writes...
5. The Bill Gates story on May 28, 2005 7:13 AM writes...
A little story.
There are two possible types of business customers for software: Large organizations with many workstations and employees, small organizations with few workstations or employees.
Large organizations buy the software that the enterprise uses and there are several reasons for this: They need the support that comes with purchased software and to avoid the loss of trust of their employees. They also avoid being blackmailed by fired employees that know that pirated software is used by the enterprise.
In this market there is very little loss for the creator of sold software because of software piracy. Because this market is so solid Bill Gates is the richest man in the world.
Then there is the small business and home computer market. Here the tendency is to use much illegally copied or legally downloaded freeware. Clearly the legally copied freeware cannot be counted as a loss in sales for by Bill's economists.
Admittedy there is much copying of for-sale software but this copying may actually increase the sale of for sale software. Bill's economists do not realize this when they calculate losses because their mathematical models were made by the economists themselves and they are not professional statisticians.
This is how it all work giving a real life example.
Joe istalls an illegally copied Microsoft Office in his personal computer at home. Because Joe likes the program he decides to use it also in the small family operated company he owns. As time goes by the company grows and Joe needs to hire non family employees. Joe then buys Microsoft Office and Bill Gates get a little richer. As Joe's company grows he buys more and more copies of Microsoft Office and Bill Gates getes richer and richer. It all started with piracy.
Bill Gates should be thankfull of piracy because it makes him richer. It has made him the richest person in the world.
But Bill Gates's economists tell him that piracy represent loss of sales and that makes Bill mad, since he is not satisfied with just being the richest man in the world. He wants to own the world. Bill Gates does not realize how much piracy actually adds to his bank account because his economists talk too much with the Alliance staff and with lawyers that have never sold anything other than their overpriced services to sucker enterprises with more money than is possible to spend.
Being that Bill has so much money, he then foolishly spent some of his money to fight piracy.
He listened to his foolish economists, got his frinds at the government to put the FBI into action. The FBI, alleging that they were fighting terrorism raided homes to clean all software from hard disks and arrest the terrorist copiers and downloaders.
Guess what?
The pirates that eventually purchase Bill's software switched to freeware in droves. Bill Gates becames poorer.
One day Bill realized that he destroyed his businees by stopping piracy which was really a promotion of freeware. Everybody swithed to freeware. Commercial software was too risky and its purchase only made the unfriendly Bll richer than any human deserved to be. Linux and Open Office took over.
End of story. End of Microsoft.
Rafael Venegas
6. Branko Collin on May 28, 2005 5:39 PM writes...
I would say there are three markets for software, and I base this guess on something I read about FOSS. It would seem that FOSS is ideal for very large and for small businesses.
Presumably large businesses like FOSS for the control it gives them (they can afford to hire programmers and so on), whereas small businesses like the price. Medium sized businesses can afford commercial products and swallow the propaganda of the anti-FOSS crowd.
I would not be surprised if reasones for using illegally obtained software occur along the same lines.
7. Neo on May 29, 2005 3:31 AM writes...
FOSS is a better bet for support than commercial software, actually. Vendors come and go, but community and user-to-user support is forever. If a closed-source product's vendor goes, you have no legal way to improve, fix, etc. the product or even peek into how it's working, nor do the geeks in the community that actually know something about code and can do the same things competently. The community can always repair, update, fix, adjust, tweak, and grok open source however, without having to go through the vendor to get information about internals and such, or get some special "source license" (Java comes to mind) to do so that depends on the vendor's continued availability and willingness to grant the community some sort of access. When the vendor is in control, and the vendor disappears, there goes most community support and inhouse support potential right there. And if they put something evil like product activation in, when they go down, you go down. No IT admin who cares about security and reliability of their systems and is worth their salary will have any companywide IT policy other than "NO ACTIVATED SOFTWARE. PERIOD!" as it's tantamount to a back door. Is giving some other company a special ability to DoS your b0xes smart policy? I doubt it. And it's not like they use such tactics just to stop piracy. They can and do use activation to force people to buy the new version (4.0 comes out, 3.0 will no longer be activatable), to shake clients down (give us more money or we deactivate you!), and assorted other nastiness. Intuit's accounting products are an example. They get old enough they no longer interoperate with the latest tax products (and older tax products are worthless), which is product tying but the DoJ doesn't care; even M$ only got a slap on the wrist after all! Now they also can't be activated once they get too old. Intuit isn't the only one, just a particularly notorious one using such tactics.
With FOSS, the community is in control. Malware "features" that improve the vendor's bottom line but cripple the product for users (timebombing/sunsetting, activation or "license server" BS, phone-home/spyware features, embedded or downloaded advertisements, etc.) can simply be removed. Such features are dead weight for users even when they aren't actively causing problems. They contribute to bloat. If they involve network activity, e.g. phone-home or activation stuff or ad-downloading, they add to security risk and may create a dependency of the app on a functioning network that isn't necessary to its function. (What do you mean I have to be connected to the Internet to use my word processor??? What sense does that make???) And every bit of extra code is another place for bugs to creep in. If it's serial #/license validation/activation code, its avowed purpose is to act as a showstopper under some circumstances, so if bugs creep in there, there are very likely to be gratuitous showstopper bugs. And indeed there are. Activation systems have yet to deploy without a lot of incompatibilities and false positives reported. And lost sales. Once word gets out that something uses activation it loses a lot of potential customers very fast. No consultant worth their fees ever recommends an activated product if there's an unactivated alternative in the same problem domain. And it's no surprise. Photoshop CE not working if you use RAID for insurance against data loss is only the latest example of a gratuitous bug/incompatibility that results nor from the app's normal functioning, but from an activation scheme or other such copy protection BS. But with FOSS, that BS is absent, and even if it weren't you could remove it at the source! Foss puts ultimate control not with vendors (though they do exist, e.g. Red Hat) but the community and, ultimately, the user. If the vendor starts to suck that's the vendor's loss but no-one else's; as it should be in a free market. There can be multiple vendors, with their own value-adds or whatever, competing. And even during times when a bit of FOSS has no vendor, it has enduring community support so long as it sees much use, and usually this includes plenty of wizards who have the source and know how to use it. The community can give much more informed support due to the source. And of course, community support is free. Support from a vendor frequently costs. And for what -- is it any better? To judge by Microsoft's slovenly bug-fixing rate, no. To judge by the amount of downtime companies experience from M$ products, no. To judge by there being no better warranty on commercial software than on FOSS, save a meagre media-defects clause with some shrinkwrapped products, no.
FOSS is undeniably superior software in every category you care to rate it on save hardware support and user interface. There are indications that it is making strides in both of these areas. It is clearly superior for server side use already -- An httpd doesn't need a user interface, since only geeks that can edit the configuration script blindfolded will be needing to interact with it in any way other than to retrieve a Web page using the graphical frontend known as a Web browser, and doesn't need to be able to talk directly to modems and laptop displays either.
8. Nathanael Nerode on June 2, 2005 2:38 PM writes...
I can't believe they include legally obtained but non-sold software (including any free-as-in-beer software as well as free, libre, and open source software) in their "piracy" estimates.
That makes their estimates less than worthless, and is deliberately misleading.
9. Wanderer on June 14, 2005 6:48 PM writes...
So, let me get this straight: They guess how much software I "should" have on my computer. They they compare that to how much they've sold. And if the numbers are different, they don't assume that I didn't add any more software than came with the system, or that I'm running Linux, or that I roll my own ... no, has to be piracy. And then, after they make that assumption that I'm using a pirate copy of, say, Microsoft Office, they pile on the further assumption that if I hadn't copied it, I would have bought the full product directly from Microsoft at full retail price, instead of using OpenOffice.org instead. Damn ... I wish the IRS would let me make assumptions like that when I do my taxes!
10. Abe Ohemian on June 14, 2005 6:56 PM writes...
Piracy? What piracy...?
Oh, you mean the violation of copyright and licensing agreements designed to perpetuate wealth and monopoly by requiring that people pay for the opportunity to use flawed software and operating systems for which they have no manual and less control.
Software and operating systems that leave user's personal and financial information at risk without recourse or the opportunity to improve the situation because the proprietary secrets are more valuable than the individual's risk?
Software from companies who purposely distribute communications software without documentation that would educate users to the risks which come built-in in order to facilitate e-commerce and trafficking of user's online habitats?
Yeah... Piracy is a problem!
11. David Walker on June 14, 2005 7:22 PM writes...
This study would also be flawed by any piece of software sold legitimately but not noticed by IDC. Say IDC is 75% efficient in noticing sold software this study might say that 25% of software is pirated without any actual piracy taking place.
12. MNU on June 14, 2005 7:40 PM writes...
Makes you wonder about the piracy claims of the RIAA...
13. Exaggerate OrNot on June 14, 2005 7:59 PM writes...
Software piracy: Hype versus reality
By David Becker Special to ZDNet
August 3, 2004, 5:19 AM PT
Q. But some folks have a problem with the apparent assumption that every pirated copy of a program is a lost sale.
A. I think the methodology behind the study is very sound. I haven't seen where anyone's pointed out anything about the methodology they disagree with. Many people don't like the number for one reason or another.
The notion that not every pirated copy represents a lost sale seems to be a correct one; I don't think anyone in our industry has ever argued it does.
Piracy stats flawed: open source proponent
4/2/2003 5:00:00 PM - BSA fails to consider impact of free software in latest report, consultant says
by Shane Schick
Russell McOrmond, an Ottawa-based Internet technical consultant with Flora Community Consulting and a proponent of the Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) movement in Canada, dismissed the BSA's findings. He said the way CAAST and the BSA calculate piracy is fundamentally flawed because it relies on estimates of PC shipments by province, the amount of software required and then compares it against software shipment data from BSA member companies. Open source software isn't accounted for.
"This is no way to count from secondary sources the piracy rate," he said. "If there was only one business model in the industry, then their numbers would make sense. But one of the things the BSA is, for obvious reasons, wanting to ignore is that there's two competing industries within this sector."
SIR – Your article on software piracy was extreme, misleading and irresponsible ("BSA or just BS?", May 21st). The headline was particularly offensive. The implication that an industry would purposely inflate the rate of piracy and its impact to suit its political aims is ridiculous. The problem is real and needs no exaggeration.
Beth Scott
Business Software Alliance
Yesterday it issued a press release announcing a piracy bust in New York which unearthed 421 CD-R burners.
Only there weren't 421 burners, but "the equivalent of 421 burners."
In fact, there were just 156. How did the RIAA account for this discrepancy?
"There were only 156 actual burners, but some run at very high speeds: some as high as 40x. This is well above the average speed," was the official line yesterday.
The implication that an industry would purposely inflate the rate of piracy and its impact to suit its political aims is ridiculous. The problem is real and needs no exaggeration.
Yeah, right.
14. cobolhacker on June 14, 2005 8:07 PM writes...
I mused about this around the same time:
The numbers are made up. The formula they use to come up with them is based on an estimate of the number of bootlegged copies multiplied by the sales prices. Seems simple enough, but its not based on any kind of economic reality. Such a formula assumes that a product is so indispensable that everyone who wants to use it is willing to pay for it. Maybe the makers of toilet paper could boast such a claim, but the makers of software probably cant. The makers of music and movies certainly cant.
I have no proof of it, but I suspect a majority of people who knowingly use bootlegged software wouldn't have paid for it in the first place.
15. Kevin on June 14, 2005 8:21 PM writes...
I wouldn't be surprised if years from now we look at the RIAA, BSA in the same light as the tobacco companies.
Microsoft, rather than using real copy protection would rather see customers pirating their software than switching to alternative products, open source or not.
I'm sure the motto in Seattle is better of pirated than not ours. Addicting the public over over again.
16. Jeff W on June 14, 2005 8:41 PM writes...
It's too bad the nitwits "elected" to represent us in Congress and the Whitewash, I mean Whitehouse, won't likely read this article. As someone who completely ditched all use of proprietary software in the last year, I am really confused by people running around copying (Piracy is the illegal raiding of maritime shipping) the half tested and woefully lacking crap the proprietary software industry has been spewing out for the last few years. If it hurts the lame companies shilling out that trash, good riddance. They can sink with the RIAA for all I care.
17. Annoyed on June 14, 2005 10:39 PM writes...
If I lie to & defraud my insurance provider over losses and other 'damages' that are purely speculative and ficticious, I go to jail as this is a criminal and illegal act.
Is there a reason why the BSA is not similarly accountable to the law? It very odd how they are seemingly permitted to defraud and commit various acts of banditry ( sueing computerless grandmothers for $millions, etc ) against the public.
18. mdes on June 14, 2005 10:41 PM writes...
There is no sound way to digest this tripe and sh!t out anything that remotely resembles any kind of truth. If any of these people made assumptions like this in school, they would have been laughed out of class.
What this means - that a pirated piece of software results in a direct loss of revenue - is that software pirates (according to the study, that's everyone who owns a computer) cost the software industry the entire profit from one paying customer per item stolen.
This means that if software sales remain consistent for 2005, but software piracy increases 16%, then the entire industry will be in the red.
Whether it is right or wrong to steal is based on your own morals, and the already unconstitutional copyright laws in place (here in the US). But don't feel bad for Microsoft or Adobe. Windows, Office, Photoshop - just a few software products that have become ubiquitous thanks to rampant piracy. The big boys made billions off of little pirates.
If you want to feel bad for someone, feel bad about the little shareware companies.
Of course the big boys do worse to these guys every day than a few thieves could ever hope to do.
19. David F. Skoll on June 14, 2005 10:45 PM writes...
There are 20 or so Intel computers at my workplace. They are all in production use.
I have paid exactly nothing for the software that runs on them, because they all run various flavours of Linux that are freely downloadable.
So according to the BSA numbers, I've pirated around $20,000 worth of software, I suppose, taking into account the retail price of Windows XP, MS Office, Adobe Acrobat, Visual Studio, and all the other proprietary software I didn't buy (because I just use the free equivalents.)
20. Wesley Parish on June 14, 2005 11:40 PM writes...
Consider this for size:
"We also look at the effect of piracy and ask whether piracy can ever be beneficial to Microsoft. This extension was motivated by analyzing data on a cross-section of countries on Linux penetration and piracy rates. We found that in countries where piracy is highest, Linux has the lowest penetration rate. The model shows that Microsoft can use piracy as an effective tool to price discriminate, and that piracy may even result in higher profits to Microsoft!"
There you have it - Microsoft clearly believes in having its cake and eating it too, in all senses of the words "having", "eating",and "cake".
21. John Penner on June 15, 2005 12:07 AM writes...
A comment made by Microsoft Founder, Chairman, and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates in 1998 and reprinted widely and often in the official media in CHINA became a lightning rod for criticism of the software giant. Fortune magazine reported that, in a presentation to business students at an American university, Gates said rampant software piracy might turn out to be a positive thing for Microsoft.
"Although about three million computers get sold every year in China, people don't pay for the software," Gates reportedly said. "Someday they will, though. And as long as they're going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade."
22. John Penner on June 15, 2005 12:09 AM writes...
"Although about three million computers get sold every year in China, people don't pay for the software," Gates reportedly said. "Someday they will, though. And as long as they're going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade."
23. James Aguilar on June 15, 2005 12:36 AM writes...
I don't think they really believe their figures. It's just like war: you do whatever the worst you can to the other guy, you try to make him suffer enough that he stops doing what you don't want him to do. If that means kludging the figures a little, OK. If that means ruining the lives of individuals by sending them to jail for a long time in order to try and convince other people to tow the line, that's also OK.
I think it's fair, though, considering that software pirates are indeed stealing revenue fairly earned from the company they target. We can't expect that we should receive amnesty from breaking the law. Just like speeding, the question is, how much are you willing to risk, how much damage are you willing to take, how much is it worth. Play the game, but don't cry about it if you, like the people an earlier poster was talking about, get caught and have to pay up big. The companies probably shouldn't pretend to be so innocent either.
24. Samuel on June 15, 2005 1:53 AM writes...
In my youth I pirated computer games and music for my own enjoyment. However, most of the rubbish I copied, particularly the music, I never really used. I certainly would not have paid money for.
However, some people have been benefited by my piracy. As you do, I grew up and got a job. I no longer feel a need to get stuff for free illegally when I can pay for it. In fact, I feel like I should pay for it, especially as I am a computer programmer by trade.
The first game I bought was called Shogun Total War. I originally pirated this as a "maybe I'll play it" game. I played enough that I considered it worth paying $100 for. I bought Medieval Total War the day it hit the shelves. I pre-bought Rome Total War. I would not have ever played these had it not been for piracy, just as I now do not play most computer games. Now that I am paying, I am more selective, so most don't even get the chance.
I pirated the album Sickness by Disturbed. Since then I have bought Sickness and Believe, and may buy the new one if it has no copy protection. Same goes for System of a Down. Two bands I would never have listened to had I not been able to listen for free (I do not listen to the radio, it is full of poo), but I now own all their albums.
This brings me to copy protection. I refuse to buy any product with copy protection or activation (I made an exception for Rome Total War).
I do not have internet at home. My work provides me with free internet that is fast. Why use dialup? So I can get viruses at home as well? I cannot activate software. Sucks for Microsoft, because I would buy Visual C# if it did not need internet, but I guess I will have to use Java instead.
Ironically, I do not listen to my Disturbed albums. My old CD player cannot read them because of their copy protection. I cannot play them on my computer (which I run all music I listen to off, then into the stereo) because they want to play by themselves and not as MP3s in WinAmp. So I had to pirate the albums I have bought once again just to listen to them.
My stance on music has become: If you want to license my listening, then you have to provide it in a form I like. Which is backed up on original CDs, which look nice in a shelf too, but ripped to MP3, and run from my home stereo, car MP3 player or walkman style MP3 player. If I can't rip it without mucking about on the net for 4 hours then I don't want it.
And if I can't run software on my computer without connecting to the internet, then I don't want that either. Having the internet means I have to worry about viruses, and security updates, and getting hacked. Not that I have anything anyone would want, but people have tried. If I want to get Service Pack X, or Patch Y, I will download it at work, burn it to CD, and take it home that way.
And hopefully no-one tracks me down and sues me.
25. Shuraneeth on June 15, 2005 4:08 AM writes...
I too have had a similar experience. When I joined our company ten years ago we were unable to afford any software for our two computers. We ran Windows & Office pirated. Today our company runs 10 computers all using legal copies of Windows and Office. We would never have been able to afford those products today if we did not use pirated versions ten years ago. We would not even know how to use that software productively if we had not been exposed to the pirated versions.
On my home computer I have a copy of Office that I "borrowed" from the office. I cannot afford Office at home, but I do use it to do some office work (and some personal stuff). I don't actually see why I should pay for a separate copy, since I already paid for it at the office and I cannot use them both at the same time. If I was forced to make a choice, I would run EasyOffice Freeware at home.
I also as a matter of principle will no longer buy copy protected music CDs. The only place I listen to CDs is in the office, but those CDs will not work on my Office computer. I already ruined one of them trying to bypass the copy protection (for a product I had legally paid). Sorry RIAA, you have lost money on me, not because of piracy, but because of copy protection.
26. CyraX on June 15, 2005 4:45 AM writes...
What about the software that I had bought and then not used it any further (upgrades etc;). In addition to that, when I buy a software (Office 98 say), I would expect that piece of software to work flawlessly else it means that I was a beta tester.
Second thing, if losses of this order are projected for getting new laws passed, then they have to roll them back when they are not that high.
Third - In thrid world countries a piece of software will definitely cost more than the per capita income. Is the price of the software justified in those countries? If not, do not project the global losses - talk about the losses per country.
Fourth - Why should one reduce piracy anyways? Over priced movies for example VCD == 300 INR but the DVD is 900 INR. Exactly why does the DVD version of a movie cost three times? Well its the same movie and the cost of producing the movie has already been counted into the VCDs.
Oh yeah how come they forgot to blame the P2P for every possible pirated piece of sw?
27. Dondilly on June 15, 2005 8:45 AM writes...
I think the possible reasoning behind the commercial software industry's inflation of piracy figures has been missed.
You just have to look at what has happened in the music industry. In many country's governments have been lobied using inflated piracy figures, claiming they are being bled dry by illegal downloads etc. What has in the long term been the prefered solution by the music industry has been taxes being applied to everything from blank tapes, CDRs, hard drives, memory cards and MP3 players and used to directly compensate the music industry.
In Europe there was even the spurious case of Sony in one division promoting their own PCs with burners for home video editting while at the same time claiming that sales of x millions of CDRs indicated widespread piracy.
The taxes being applied to these devices fails to acknowledge the ever increasing non piracy uses for the taxed devices, memory cards for cameras, PDAs as well as MP3 players as just one example.
The other thing the tax fail to account for the quality of the current artist portfolios of the music companies. It amounts to government providing subsidies for an industry that is providing a product no one wants. It is ironic that in this state of affairs and while piracy does exist. Potential customers can hear for themselves if an album is worth buying before they hand over the cash and so sales drop even further.
I think this is likely to happen in certain software sectors too. Taxes on hardware bought to run FOSS will be used to subsidise commercial vendors of overpriced software no one wants. While the vendors have no incentive to improve their product (or their attitude to potential customers) all the time they receive the subsidies.
28. Daniel Price on June 15, 2005 11:07 AM writes...
What the study seems to miss is that piracy won't affect different products to the same extent. For example, photoshop is generally pirated by people who have an interest in web/graphic design. You could argue that the chances are, if they're making any money out of web design then they'll have no choice but to buy it (and will probably want to as well). For similar reasons computer science students at university have access to cut price (and sometimes free) software so they learn to use it and get 'hooked' on it - like Kevin said earlier: "Better pirated than not ours".
Now compare photoshop piracy to computer game piracy. For games, the incentive (generally) doesn't exist to buy it if the gamer already have a pirated version - studies have shown that a large percentage of gamers would buy a copy if they couldn't get it for free. By lumping different types of software together (not even mentioning software in different price brackets), you're bound to get an inaccurate survey.
29. BM on June 15, 2005 8:20 PM writes...
So let me get this straight....
I buy a computer. I install on the machine, legally obtained copies of the software available at work at highly reduced prices as provided for under the bulk licensing agreement my employer has negotiated with the software corporations, the costs of which I claim back from my employer.
The difference in revenue between me buying a copy of the full blown personal version of the software and my perfectly legal version is counted as piracy by the BSA.
Methinks the software corps cry wolf. Personal versions cost more than corporate versions which cost more than personal versions for corporate use. In fact, personal versions cost more than the corporate and personal for corporate use versions combined. And then they claim I am the pirate?
30. Pinky on June 16, 2005 1:44 PM writes...
Perhaps the ways this study is flawed are innumerable. I cleaned up my act last year. I had pirated everything. Movies, records, business software and games. I still purchased DVD's, CD's, business software and games that I thought were truly worthy. I really would rather own a legal copy of good movies I enjoy. I really would rather own a legal copy of a CD I really enjoy. I really would rather own legal copies of useful quality business software and my favorite games. I believe much of the time, piracy is primarily a means to acquire something you can't currently afford. If I could afford all those things I loved, I would own them. I don't buy movies that I haven't watched (watch a rental or possibly watch in the theater if I have high expectations, matinee only), I don't buy music I haven't heard (and to quote Samuel from this thread, radio is poo) I don't buy business software (it's SO very expensive) that I haven't used and I don't buy games I haven't played (games are pretty expensive now, too). Since I went straight, I've probably only purchased about 15% as much software and music as I did previously.
It's not a loss if I couldn't afford it in the first place. It's not a loss if I wouldn't otherwise have interest in purchasing the software. It's still not an actual loss, losses are out-of-pocket, it cost them no money for me to digitally reproduce their product.
What is worst of all, many of the sentences being given for violators of anti-piracy laws are comparable to the maximum sentence for manslaughter while the BSA and RIAA are pushing for stiffer penalties. At least in the USA, isn't there some law or other requirement that "the punishment should fit the crime"?
Digital media piracy is most comparable to photocopying a copyrighted book.
Just because they overvalue their product is no reason to increase the penalty. If it were reason, one could publish a shareware program with a registration fee of $1 million. Users who then use the software beyond the trial period could be sued for $1 million per count and/or serve life in prison?
Just because it's easier to accomplish than other crimes is no reason to increase the penalty. If it were, then speeding should carry heavier penalties because it's even easier to accomplish.
Ridiculous extremes can show the ridiculousness of a presupposition.
According to my study, they suffer more losses for being big rich corporate whiners. I plan on buying even less, now. But they'll probably add that up as another loss due to piracy.
On another note, perhaps if Bill Gates realizes the benefits of software piracy (as quoted earlier in this thread), perhaps Microsoft's obscene prices are intentional incentive to promote piracy. That opens a whole new can of worms and paves the way for quite a conspiracy theory, including the possibility of Microsoft being responsible for releasing patches and hacks for their "pirate-safe" software to further promote piracy. But perhaps that doesn't belong on this forum.
31. Fabien Ninoles on June 16, 2005 1:45 PM writes...
It's clearly a case of interest conflicts: the business of BSA is to fight software piracy. If loss due to software piracy weren't displayed as "catastrophic", this will signed soon the end of the BSA.
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Welcome to Lake Creek Country Club
Enjoy a challenging 18-hole course tucked away in beautiful Storm Lake, Iowa. We are open to the public so anyone can join in the fun! We offer services including a fully-stocked Pro Shop, Lessons and Club Fittings, making an outing at Lake Creek virtually matchless in the area! Come join us today!

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First blog in Brazil to explore data journalism
McClatchy newspapers available on Kobo
The future of journalism is in helping communities tell their stories
Scripps works from consumers' perspective and around devices
Social Networkers are booming
Chyron to connect broadcast with social media, again
Chartbeat provides publishers better ways to measure engagement
Big Media Are Not Going To Die In 20 Years
NatGeo Today: An Amazing Magazine iPad App, A Great Brand Advertisement
News Aggregator Wavii Launches in Public Beta, Aiming To Make "Facebook Out of Google"
Wavii's Founder Adrian Aoun Talks About Wavii
Food Networks Challenges OpenTable By Launching New Reservation Website CityEats
List of the 2012 Pulitzer Winners—Digital Media Wins Its First Award
Pew Research: 20% of Americans Do Not Use the Internet, Half Of Them Just "See No Relevance"
Read It Later Rebrand As Pocket, Now Goes Free
Content Payment Platform Piano Invest More In International Expansion
Huffington Post To Launch Its Weekly Digital Magazine iPad App
"Cost Per Exposure": SAY Media Introduces New Pricing Measurement To Online Ads
Farm Journal's AgWeb Debuts Advertising Network
How Can We Do News-Marketing?
Physical Media Is Dead, Apps Shapes The Future
Never.no Unveils "Prompter"—the First Social TV App For TV Talents
Washington Newspaper Releases Paid-for HTML 5 Web App For iPad
What Should Publishers Do When Major Revenue Streams Has Gone?
Hi-Media's CEO Cyril Zimmermann: Making Real-Time Bidding To Promote Online Advertising
Arthur Sulzberger: Digital Subscription Model Offers NY Times "Incredible" Audience Data
Automated Writing VS. Journalists: What Is The Future Of Data Journalism?
Five Johnston Press Dailies Move To Weekly In Print, Daily On Digital
Mobile Survey: 48% of Publishers Hope To Boost Website Growth By Mobile Visits
IAB: Digital Advertising Revenue Hits $31 Billion In 2011, Up 22% Over 2010
5 Leadership Roles In "Digital First" Strategy That Help You Success
Digital Makes Unique TV Allies in Jacksonville
Infographic: How Social Media Is Revolutionizing Traditional News Industry?
Guardian's CEO Andrew Miller: Open Is The Theme Of Future
Two UGC Apps Will Help Newsrooms Control Chaos And Gain New Revenue Stream
Facebook Tests "Trending Articles" To Promote Social Reader Apps
Black eyes on TV broadcasters
Think about culture when going to digital
New technology eliminates ghost ads
Building content worth of paying for
Mobile local search to surpass desktop by 2015
Brightcover creates a new paywall solution
Forbes debuts new financial planning app for iPad
Why do audiences lose trust in media
Find out how Patch is failing


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Daybreak South | Dec 11, 2012 | 3:58
Crackdown on illegal docks on Okanagan Lake
People who have docks on Okanagan Lake could soon get a sinking feeling. The Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is in the middle of a pilot project. The aim is to make sure that every dock on the lake, is legal.


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Why do stars twinkle? Most of the stars are many times larger in size than the sun and from here on the earth, they look as small points of light. Stars themselves don't appear to twinkle. They appear as steady points of light when seen from the space from the scientific point of view the twinkling of stars are seen from the ground is attributed to the unsteady nature of the earth's atmosphere. In simple terms, twinkling of stars is caused by the passing of light through different layers of atmosphere. The scientific name for the twinkling of stars is stellar scintillation or astronomical scintillation. Planets do not twinkle the way stars do…….
Photo source: Google Images.


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By recording electromagnetic fields with special equipment, Glitchmachines designer Ivo Ivanov has captured a collection of hidden sounds, including audible data transmissions, noise-beds, code sequences, noise bursts, and other aural artifacts normally concealed from our sensory perception. Every imaginable source was captured, including scanners, cameras, toys, modems, hard drives, tools, appliances, motors, and much more.
Microsphere also includes a distinctive ensemble of synthetic tones and textures. This content was sourced from an assortment of boutique hardware devices, synthesizer modules and hybrid soft synths, and processed using an eclectic variety of specialized software and unconventional production techniques.
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Microsphere comes with Microsphere Sound Control, a custom Max for Live device for parameter morphing that allows for both direct and modulated control. Discover the powerful scope of Microsphere's sonic arsenal and reveal a hidden world of infinite sonic possibilities!


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May 16, 2014
Star News
Inmate charged with attempting to escape custody
An inmate who allegedly attempted to escape from the Horizon Adult Remand Centre, with two other escapees, was hauled before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court, Wednesday.
Charged with attempting to escape lawful custody is Jhavaughn Blythe, who is on a murder charge.
He pleaded not guilty and was fingerprinted.
The matter has been set for mention on May 19.
The allegation is that on Sunday, April 27, Blythe attempted to escape the Remand Centre.
He was spotted by a correctional officer atop the prison roof as he tried to escape.
On the day in question, 18-year-old Casheen Peart, otherwise known as 'Nine Star', of Church Lane district, St Thomas, and 22-year-old Omar Creary, of August Town, Kingston 6, made their way through a vent and breached the walls of the Remand Centre.
They are still at large.
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I've been a quilter since 8th grade when I started my first quilt (with no instructions or understanding of the quilt making process) inspired by the Little House books. I then began making my own clothes. Over the years I have made curtains, tablecloths, pillows, clothing, quilts to numerous to count and curently run an online store, Moonwishes Sewing and Crafts, selling sewing patterns worldwide. This helps me keep in the world of sewing while dealing with severe arthritis that doesn't allow me to sew as much as I would like. My favorite type of quilt is a log cabin, but currently I'm working to see what types of quilts I can come up with made with 2 1/2" and 4 1/2" squares and 2 1/2 x 4 1/2" rectangles--a world of possiblities!
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Wondering About Those Isles: Why Shakespeare Is Bad For The Olympics
In the early part of Danny Boyle's opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympics, actor Kenneth Branagh read Caliban's speech from Act 3, scene 2, of Shakespeare's The Tempest. It goes a little something like this:
Be not affeard, the Isle is full of noyses,
Sounds, and sweet aires, that giue delight and hurt not:
Sometimes a thousand twangling Instruments
Will hum about mine eares; and sometime voices,
That if I then had wak'd after long sleepe,
Will make me sleepe againe, and then in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open, and shew riches
Ready to drop vpon me, that when I wak'd
I cri'de to dreame againe.
It is, without question, a beautiful and heart-rending speech. Caliban, Prospero's slave, is tortured daily with pains and pinches, and this music is the only joy and beauty he has found in many years. But even that joy is a torture, he says, because it is so evanescent.
Why was that the note to start on? Why introduce us to the wonder of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales by suggesting that here was beauty that would torture our souls? And weirder, why do it moments before rending the scene with the introduction of the industrial revolution?
Too prosaic a question? Too literal? Should I, instead, just take the poetry as it is and enjoy it?
Well, how about this: why introduce us to the wonder of Great Britain through the voice of Caliban, a slave so maligned that he is driven to murder by his own shame, pain, and indignation? Why, more importantly, invite the athletes and dignitaries of former and current colonies and commonwealths to England through the voice of a slave? That can't be right.
Danny Boyle is known for telling stories that focus the best of the human spirit through the lens of the worst human behavior, so perhaps that moment was his wink and nod to his country's troubled past. If so, it seems a rather inappropriate time to make such a statement.
The opening ceremony of the Olympics should be a celebration of the host country's art and history, its best and finest, but this note suggests that Boyle did not want to offer an open England, full of joy, but rather a contrite England, perhaps one full of shame at its past misdeeds. Or perhaps a bold England, glorying in its ability to make beauty out of brutality. I can barely suggest such a thing, but then, I saw Slumdog Millionaire, too.
Or maybe this was just a wrong-headed choice of text. That is frequently the case when England chooses Shakespeare for its patriotic moments. Usually, we get John of Gaunt's speech from Richard II, you know the one:
This royal throne of kings, this scept'red isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden…
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England….
That bit of text has been used in every tourism video I have ever seen, and more than a few lager commercials besides, but it is always a poor choice. As laudatory and patriotic as it sounds, it ends with Gaunt's blunt statement that that England "Is now leas'd out–I die pronouncing it–/Like to a tenement or pelting farm…. That England, that was wont to conquer others,/Hath made a shameful conquest of itself." So, not so proud. But the better part of the speech gets a lot of airtime, despite its inappropriate context.
Now, apparently, we'll be getting Caliban's dream out of context, too. No worry about this shackled and abused boy being used as the spokesman for the games; instead, we'll cheer and champion the verse and ignore the context, as we do.
Now that is heart-rending.
I think it might be time for England to admit that as much as they love their Shakespeare, his verse is not full of great slogans. Shakespeare did not write in a patriotic age—I don't think you could pull much pro-England verse from Jonson or Marlowe either, though I could be wrong—and his strongest language criticizes his nation rather than lauding it. So move on, England. Find another great cheerleader. I'm sure John Betjeman's got a line or two!
Heidi Ostendarp permalink
And why did Boyle give Caliban's speech to a character who appears to be an affluent Victorian reader (perhaps a wealthy industrialist)? (Branagh doesn't really need the book!) Later, this educated Victorian looks on with approbation as workers raise the smokestacks. He seems to have appropriated these lines for his own purposes. It's still not clear to me to what extent Boyle's vision reflects ambivalence and to what extent it reflects thoughtlessness. With dancing hospitalized children, a giant creepy baby, and all the grim effects of industrialization, this was not the most celebratory pageant I've ever seen. It might have been the strangest.
John of Gaunt's "England Speech" is remarkable due to the fact that William Shakespeare could not possibly have known that centuries after his death his words now bear such a telling truth. That truth being that "England" and by extension the United Kingdom, has been leased out; for that is EXACTLY describes that unlawful and unconstitutional situation that now exists for the country's membership of the European Union, especially post Lisbon Treaty. It is therefore one of the most eloquent and beautiful of damning indictments of the politicians (or all three main parties) that govern us.


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A zesty side of Clyde
Bonterra Blu, a new restaurant in Clyde, got its name from a combination of names.
Bonterra, meaning "good earth," was the name of a restaurant operated by Chef Steve Howard in Fredericksburg.
The last part of the name comes from Tru Blu Catering, a catering service Chef Joel Trueblood has operated in Clyde for the last five years.
Bonterra Blu
Where: 205 S. First St., Clyde
Hours: 5-9 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays
Note: The restaurant will be closed New Year's Day.
Website: bonterrablu.com
Phone: 325-893-1951
Sampler plate
Chefs Joel Trueblood and Steve Howard describe the food at Bonterra Blu as West Texas Nouvelle, a combination of Southwest, eclectic, fresh, Cajun and bold.
The restaurant's menu changes from week to week. Here are the entrees on a recent menu:
- NOLA-style BBQ shrimp with brown butter and dirty rice
- Smoked beef tender with crawfish Rockefeller sauce
- Crab-stuffed catfish roulade with sweet chili and fried garlic
- Grilled 14-oz rib-eye with slow onions and blu cheese
- Chicken fried chicken with Creole gravy
- Jerk pork chop with wild plum jelly.
CLYDE — Chef Joel Trueblood serves up more than just food at his restaurant here. He brings some new business ideas to the table.
Trueblood is owner of Bonterra Blu, a new and different restaurant in downtown Clyde.
Besides serving a menu that changes weekly, he has developed a business model that calls for bartering, no borrowing from the bank, getting to know his food suppliers, and what he calls "urban foraging."
Trueblood's friend, Chef Steve Howard, whose resume includes working with Chef Paul Prudhomme and Chef Emeril Lagasse, joins him at the restaurant, which opened the beginning of November.
Bonterra Blu is not your typical Clyde restaurant. The bistro's mantra is "life, food, wine, art."
So what's an upscale Cajun and Creole restaurant doing in Clyde?
"It's our town — and we live in Clyde." Plus, he wants Bonterra Blu to become a destination restaurant like Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, the Beehive in Albany, or Rancho Loma in rural Coleman County, Trueblood said.
The restaurant is located in an 80-year old building in "old Clyde," as Trueblood calls it, to distinguish from the hodgepodge of businesses that have sprung up along Interstate 20.
Work began on transforming the building into a bistro a year ago. The restaurant also serves as an art gallery, featuring works from local artists and private collections. Most of the art is for sale, and exhibits will be changed about every three months.
Art adds to the dining experience, Trueblood said.
"A bistro has always been a place where you can discuss life, break bread and drink wine," Trueblood said. "When you're in my restaurant I'm not just in charge of your food, I'm in charge of your happiness."
And, Howard added, "Hopefully, you will have a good experience and hopefully when you get home you will still be talking about it."
The menu changes weekly. On Tuesdays, Howard and Trueblood look at what they have and decide what they will serve on the weekend.
Beef will be on the menu, but this is not a steakhouse. Trueblood said there already are enough good steakhouses in the area. Fresh fish and shrimp are always on the menu. Wild game, such as quail or venison, might be there occasionally. The menus are posted on the restaurant's website and Facebook page.
Neither Trueblood nor Howard believe chefs should stay in the kitchen.
"We're performing artists, that's what we do. We get on stage and perform. We practice all week, then take the stage on weekends," Trueblood said. "We're performing artists, not just cooks."
Fortunately, Trueblood said, they have good people working in the kitchen, which allows them to visit with diners.
Trueblood's wife, Trish, and their daughters, Bella and Mia, help in the restaurant.
Trueblood said he wants his customers to know him. Having a relationship between the owner and diners will be a huge component in the success of the restaurant, he said.
He also wants to have a relationship with his food suppliers — to "physically see where that food is coming from," he said. He wants to watch the owner milk the cows, to see what animals are being fed and how they are treated, and to watch vegetables as they grow and are harvested.
Trueblood wants the restaurant to develop into the premier outlet for local farmers.
Trueblood also has developed what he calls "urban foraging," finding things around town to serve or use in the restaurant.
Around town he has found pears, pomegranates, figs, apples, persimmons, black walnuts and more.
Some things such as persimmons might wind up in a sauce for ice cream, he said, adding, "Let people experience a persimmon."
Other things, such as heirloom tomatoes from a local farmer, would be served fresh in salads.
Still other things find a place in the restaurant as decorations. Trueblood has used wild asparagus as centerpieces on tables and a bowl of horse apples as an accent piece.
"People bring us things for the restaurant, knowing that's our style," Howard said.
In the 1920s Clyde was known as the "California of Texas" because of its many orchards. Some of those trees are still around, Trueblood said.
"As a chef, it's easy for me to go out and find these things and find a use for them," he said.
Trueblood even found something that he didn't know what it was — three trees with berries on them.
"I asked what they were and the persimmon lady (the owner of the persimmon trees) told me they were jujubes and then she said, 'My mother used to make cobbler with them,' '' Trueblood said.
Another example of his foraging is the old rusted shell of a panel van that he found near Santa Anna and made into the sign for the restaurant.
Trueblood calls his restaurant a "community-supported business."
Instead of a bank loan or finding investors, Trueblood put together a group who provided money for the venture. They won't make a return on their money, but will be paid back with meals. All they have to pay is tax and gratuity.
Likewise, Trueblood barters for other things he needs. For example, to fix a hole in the roof, he would offer meals to a roofer in exchange for the repairs.
"A community supported business is an experiment we feel could be done in several other areas," Trueblood said.
The restaurant also is supported by the Clyde Economic Development Corporation, which provided a three-year interest free loan and a $10,000 grant.
Jim Paylor director of the Clyde EDC and Chamber of Commerce manager, said residents of Clyde have been asking for a nice restaurant for some time.
He has eaten at the restaurant several times and speaks highly of the food.
"They've really done an outstanding job taking an old building in town and fixing it up so that it is comfortable and enjoyable to go to and have a quality meal," Paylor said.
The menu is different, he said, which is good, adding, "It's not your normal chicken fried steak place."
Trueblood, 42, was born and reared in Abilene, and graduated from Carroll High School in Southlake. He attended culinary school at St. Philip's College in San Antonio and worked in San Antonio for seven years. He worked in Northern California for two catering companies from 2001 to 2004 before moving back to this area and working at the Abilene Country Club. He began doing small dinners at people's homes which evolved into Tru Blu Catering.
Trueblood met Howard about a dozen years ago, when Trueblood showed up at Howard's Navajo Grill in Fredericksburg and offered to work for food. The two became friends and Trueblood would help Howard with catering jobs and in the restaurant. In September, Howard moved here to help Trueblood with the new restaurant.
Howard, 61, trained under Chef Paul Prudhomme and was executive sous chef (the second in command) at Emeril Lagasse's NOLA restaurant before starting the Navajo Grill in 1994. He eventually sold the Navajo Grill, which is still in business, and started the Bonterra Restaurant in Fredericksburg.
Future plans for Bonterra Blu include opening a cooking school on Mondays in January.
An events center is being built next door to the 45-seat restaurant, and Trueblood sees opportunities for catering there.
While Clyde voters approved the sale of alcoholic beverages in November, Trueblood said the cost of a liquor license is too high, but people may bring their own bottle of wine to enjoy with a meal. There is a $5 corkage fee.
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text:
The climax of Psystar's legal duel with Apple has pushed the former to the very brink of its existence. The final verdict robbed the company of its sole source of income. When the court placed a permanent injunction on the sale of Mac clones – and all unauthorized Mac derivatives - by Psystar, it appeared to be the last nail in the company's coffin, especially since all businesses not named Twitter need some form of income for subsistence. But the unyielding
company is trying to tide over these tough times by selling Linux-based desktops and T-shirts, besides begging for donations.
The company that discontinued its range of Mac clones earlier this month has now "voluntarily suspended the sale of our Rebel EFI software product." It has temporarily discontinued Rebel EFI – a boot loader that helps install OS X on any generic PC – as it first wants the court's "clarification on the legality" of the software. "In the coming days, we will again be offering complete systems but at discounted prices as they will be bundled with your choice of Linux operating system," the company announced on its website.
The company is trying hard to garner some much needed public support. From the face of it, Psystar wants to be seen as a champion of open computing. "It's your software, you should be able to use it where you want to," Psystar wrote on its site. "If you purchase an off-the-shelf copy of OS X Snow Leopard, its your right to use that software."
Image Credit: Psystar


text:
A great staple for day - wear with opaque tights when the weather cools. Shown here with a Chloe blouse, a Burberry London jacket, a Celine bag and Celine shoes (coming soon). 100% wool. Dry clean. French sizing.
Dark chocolate brown knee length wool twill shorts with pleats on the side. Shorts have a black band running along the top of the waistband, belt loops, creases down the leg, zip and hook fastenings on the front and are fully lined.
Product code: 15871 - Need help? Contact us


text:
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks opened modestly higher on Wall Street Wednesday as traders returned from the Christmas holiday.
Trading was quiet. Markets in Europe were still closed. Traders were also watching to see if a budget agreement materializes in Washington. President Barack Obama cut short his Christmas vacation in Hawaii and was returning to Washington later Wednesday to resume budget talks with Congressional Republicans.


text:
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- Full Description
The CSS Quick Syntax Reference is a 150-page syntax reference to the Cascading Style Sheet specification and style sheet language. It presents the essentials of CSS in a well-organized format that can be used as a handy reference.
You won't find any technical jargon, bloated samples, drawn out history lessons or witty stories in this book. What you will find is a CSS reference that is concise, to the point, and highly accessible. The book is packed with useful information and is a must-have for any CSS programmer or Web developer.
In the CSS Quick Syntax Reference, you will find:
- A concise reference to CSS
- Short, simple, and focused code examples for presentation semantics
- A well laid out table of contents and a comprehensive index allowing easy review
What youll learn
- How to handle fundamentals like adding styles to HTML/XHTML as well as rule structure, style precedence, element classifications and display roles, visual layout, and floating and table layouts
- How to work with CSS values like keywords, color and number values, percentage values, length values, and strings
- How to apply CSS selectors: structural pseudo-classes, the negation pseudo-class, interaction pseudo-classes, pseudo-elements, and media queries
- How to use CSS property references like universal values, visual media, paged media, and more
Who this book is for
This book is a handy, pocket quick syntax reference for experienced CSS developers as well as perhaps other programmers and Web developers new to CSS.
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Gas prices and popular (re)actionBy
So, I'm sure everyone is noticing the rising gas prices that accompany summer and it got me to thinking: do they really need to be this high? See, I've read the articles [example] about Exxon Mobile (for instance) earning record profits, and I remain skeptical that they are passing those savings onto us.
The question, however, is how to do something about it. I've received chain emails calling for various grass-roots efforts. The most reasonable of them seems to be the "don't buy from Exxon Mobile" idea. With the idea being that once they notice a hit in sales they would lower gas prices. But I don't think enough people will get organized to make such action effective, and frankly, I think they could last longer than us.
What about political action? Is the big oil "interest" too much to overcome? Why isn't gas a regulated utility, like electricity and water? [related: On Profit and Pump Prices.]
(Incidentally, I don't currently own a car. In fact I probably have one of the smallest "carbon footprints" of anyone I know. I often walk to work, carpool to school, and take flights rarely. I do, however, probably need to replace some light bulbs. And to be honest, I'd really like a car, and I just bought a couple sets of plane tickets.)
Anyway, I'd be interested to hear what my readers think. So this is your chance to voice your thoughts (and/or vent your frustration if you feel so inclined).
Update: In terms of pratical short-term solutions, GasBuddy tries to help you keep track of what prices are like at the pump in your area. A nice little resource for those of us trying to stretch our pocketbooks.
According to this article, the sharp rise in prices this year [graphic] is partially explainable by a "series of refinery outages and breakdowns." And oh yeah, they're predicting that this summer will be one of the "worst-looking" ones we've seen. Goody.


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Maison Margiela
Boxy-Fit Cotton Parka Jacket
Unfortunately, this item will not be back in stock.
Make a style statement in a sea of black coats with this Maison Martin Margiela bright-orange parka jacket. In a boxy, slightly oversized fit, you'll make a powerful impact during any downpour. The breathable cotton fabric will keep you cosy as well. This item is large to size, take the next size down. Shown here with a Maison Martin Margiela sweater, Levi's Vintage Clothing jeans and Red Wing Shoes boots.
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Solar LED Barn Light with Motion Sensor is constructed of weather resistant cast aluminum
Solar LED Barn Light with Motion Sensor features a detachable solar panel that can be placed up to 8ft away from the light fixture
Enjoy the power of the sun with this solar barn light. This LED barn light can be installed at the entryway to any building. This barn light turns on automatically at night when motion is detected within 15 feet, and also has a built-in night light so you can find the on/off pull string easily in the dark.
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The Cornell University Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) Graduate Program is an interdisciplinary umbrella program consisting of outstanding graduate students conducting state-of-the-art basic, clinical and translational life sciences research alongside their world-renowned faculty mentors and other research professionals. Housed in the heart of biomedical research at the Cornell-Ithaca campus in the College of Veterinary Medicine, the BBS program takes advantage of outstanding research facilities, the vibrant Cornell undergraduate campus and strong links to the Weill Cornell Medical College campus in New York City.
The BBS Program fosters a nurturing, student-centered community of scholars that is accessible, engaging and committed to ensuring that our graduate students reach their full potential in research, teaching and professional development. Our BBS Graduate Student Council members are available to help answer your questions about graduate student life in the BBS Program at Cornell. Feel free to connect with them today!
Stiffer breast tissue in obese women promotes tumors more
K-12 'classroom in a test tube' program expands with grant more
CBS grad student Amy Vasquez receives a 1st place award from Graduate Student Award coordinator Dr. Jessica McArt at the 2015 AABP Conference more
New Strategy IDs infertility-causing genes more


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The 27th annual SKI Magazine Readers Poll has named Whistler Blackcomb the No. 1 overall best ski resort in North America. The online survey saw 41,000 resort rankings submitted by SKI Magazine readers and ranks the top 50 North American ski resorts in a variety of categories valued by ski and snowboard enthusiasts. In addition to being voted No. 1 in overall ranking, Whistler Blackcomb also received top marks in the terrain variety, off-hill activity and après categories, solidifying the resort truly has something to offer everyone.
2014.15 SKI Magazine Results Whistler Blackcomb Achieved.
Overall Resort
Terrain Variety
Off-Hill Activities
No. 2
No. 5
Other Awards To Date 2014.15:
#1 Resort – Freeskier Magazine
Top Apres - Freeskier Magazine
Top Terrain Parks – Freeskier Magazine
Top Powder – Freeskier Magazine
#1 Resort for All-Round Familiy Activities – Holidays With Kids Magazine
#1 Resort for Teenagers – Holidays With Kids Magazine
#2 Resort for Kids' Ski School – Holidays With Kids Magazine
#1 Terrain Park – About.com
Top Family Ski Resort – About.com
#1 Best Weekend Getaway The Georgia Straight
#2 Best Romantic Hideaway The Georgia Straight
#1 Best Winter Destination The Georgia Straight
#1 Best place to buy a vacation home The Georgia Straight
#1 - 50 Best Ski Resorts The Active Times
One of BCs Top Employers by the editors of Canadas Top 100 Employers
National winner in the Canadas 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures of 2014 program in the Mid-Market category
Top 5 Best Après Hot Spots Outside Online
Top 25 Places in Canada to Visit Before You Die Whistler During World Ski & Snowboard Festival
Top 5 Spots to Snowboard in the World Travel Channel.com
Senior Friendly Resort: Silver Award SeniorsSkiing.com
BC Hydro Power Smart Leader BC Hydro
Best Ski Resorts in Canada - SnowData.com
Top 10 Ski Destinations Canadian Living
Top 10 Ski Runs & Lodges - National Geographic Traveler
Best Kids Ski School - Ski & Snowboard with Kids
One of the Worlds 25 Best Ski Towns National Geographic
One of the Best Ski Holidays for 2014.15 The Telegraph
Two of the Top 7 Summer Ski and Snowboard Camps, Momentum Ski Camps and Camp of Champions Ski.Net.com
5-Star Ski Resort SnowData.com
Top Ski Resort Size SnowData.com
Top Slope Offering and Run Variety SnowData.com
Top Ski Lifts SnowData.com
Top Snow Reliability SnowData.com
Top Slope Preparation SnowData.com
Top Orientation (Maps, Info, Signs) SnowData.com
Top Cleanliness/Hygiene SnowData.com
Top Eco-friendly Operation SnowData.com
Top Staff Friendliness SnowData.com
Top Restaurants/Ski Huts SnowData.com
Top Après-Ski SnowData.com
Top Accommodation Offering SnowData.com
Top for Families SnowData.com
Top for Beginners SnowData.com
Top for Advanced Skiers/Freeriders SnowData.com
Top Snow Park Offering SnowData.com
Senior Friendly Resort: Silver Award SeniorsSkiing.com
The 50 Best Ski Resorts in North America The Huffington Post
Power Smart Leader BC Hydro
Top 10 Worlds Best Ski Resorts Skiresorts-test.com
Best All-Mountain Terrain in the West OnTheSnow.com
Best Resort 2014 Northwest Meetings + Events Magazine
5-Star Ski Resort Test Winner 2014 Skiresort.info
ECO Award at the World Snow Awards 2014 The Telegraph Ski and Snowboard Show (London)
Top 5 Spots to Snowboard in the World Travel Channel
25 Places in Canada You Have to Visit Before You Die Notable
Top 5 Après Hot Spots OutsideOnline.com
PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola:
Guinness World Records The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola has the longest unsupported span between two cable car towers, at 3.024km (1.879miles). The cable car system connects two adjacent mountain ranges - the Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain.
Freeskier Magazine
SBC Resort Guide
Best Overall Northwest Region, Onthesnow.com
2013 Ski Club of Great Britain: Highest Net Promoter Score in the world.
Best ski destination for all round family activities -Holidays With Kids, Australia's Leading Travel Magazine
Best ski destination for Teenagers – Holidays With Kids, Australia's Leading Travel Magazine
One of Canada's Greenest Employers, Canada's Top 100 Employers, CAN
Top 10 Canadian Winter Travel Destinations for Non-Skiers (#1) Canadian Living Magazine
Top 10 Ski Destinations – 10best.com USA Today Travel
#1 Landmark In Canada, Trip Advisor, Traveller's Choice Awards
Best Gondola View in North America, Liftopia.com
One of Canada's Top Employers for Young People, Canada's Top 100 Employers, CAN
Top 25 Ski Resorts in the World, Snowaddiction.org
Best Winter Destination, Georgia Straight, Best of Vancouver 2013
Best Weekend Getaway, Georgia Straight, Beat of Vancouver 2013
Best Terrain in the West, SBC Resort Guide
Best Parks in the West, SBC Resort Guide
Best Terrain in Northwest Region, Onthesnow.com
Top 5 Canadian Resorts, Huffington Post
Best Après, SKI Magazine
Best Ski Resorts for Powder, Telegraph UK
Best Nightlife, Freeskier Magazine
Best Nightlife in Northwest Region, Onthesnow.com
Best Nightlife Overall, Onthesnow.com
Best Nightlife, TransWorld SNOWboarding
No. 2
Best ski destination for Kids' ski school – Holidays With Kids, Australia's Leading Travel Magazine
Lodging , SKI Magazine
Terrain Variety, SKI Magazine
Off-Hill Activities, SKI Magazine
Best on a Powder Day, Freeskier Magazine
Best Apres. Freeskier Magazine
Best Steeps, Freeskier Magazine
No. 3
Top Resorts, TransWorld SNOWboarding
No. 4
Dining, SKI Magazine
Digital Presence, SKI Magazine
No. 5
Best Parks, TransWorld SNOWboarding
Lifts, SKI Magazine
Top Lifts to Lap – Peak Express, Freeskier Magazine
Whistler Blackcomb has been named the No. 1 overall ski resort in North America by the readers of SKI Magazine.
The 26th annual readers' poll ranks the top 60 North America ski resorts in SKI Magazine's Resort Guide, hitting newsstands on October 16. The survey of 20,000 SKI readers is the longest running and most comprehensive survey of its kind in the winter sports industry.
Along with being named the #1 overall resort, Whistler Blackcomb ranked highly in many other individual categories, including:
- #1 overall in Terrain Variety
- #2 overall in Service, Lodging, Après, Off Hill Activities, and Digital Presence.
- Whistler Blackcomb also placed in the top five resorts for Challenge of Terrain, Lifts, On-Mountain Food, Dining, Scenery, Terrain Parks, and Overall Guest Satisfaction.
#1 Resort People would recommend
The Spike Marketing Ski Base Results 2012 survey involving 18,000 UK respondents ranked Whistler Blackcomb as the No. 1 resort they would recommend to a friend or colleague to visit.
SKI Magazine, USA
Freeskier Magazine, USA
SBC Resort Guide, CAN
Best overall in B.C., onthesnow.com, USA
Powderhounds.com, USA
Findthebest.com, USA
Top 50 Best Ski Resorts, The Independent, GBR
Best Net Promoter Score, Spike Marketing, GBR
Best in Snow Business, Canadian Ski Council, CAN
2012 BC Hydro Power Smart Excellence Awards Winner in the Power Smart Leader category, CAN
Best Apres - Dusty's Bar & Grill, Ski Canada Magazine, CAN
One of Canada's Greenest Employers, Canada's Top 100 Employers, CAN
One of Canada's Best Employers for Young People, Canada's Top 100 Employers, CAN
Best Ski Run & Lodge for Whistler Blackcomb & Fairmont Chateau Whistler, National Geographic, USA
Best Terrain: SKI Magazine, Powderhounds.com
Best Apres/Nightlife, FREESKIER, Powderhounds.com
Top Family Resort, CNN.com, Familyvacationcritic.com, USA
Best Park in the West, SBC Resort Guide
Best Terrain in the West, SBC Resort Guide
Best Lifts, Powderhounds.com
Best Winter Destination & Best Summer Destination, Georgia Straight Newspaper, CAN
Best Off-Piste, Powderhounds.com
No. 2
Steep Skiing, FREESKIER
Service, SKI Magazine
Lodging, SKI Magazine
Off-Hill Activities, SKI Magazine
Digital Presence, SKI Magazine
Romantic Getaway, Georgia Straight Newspaper
No. 3
Dining, SKI Magazine
Outside Magazine, USA
No. 4
Powder Stashes, FREESKIER
Terrain Parks, SKI Magazine
Overall Satisfaction, SKI Magazine
Scenery, SKI Magazine
No. 5
Challenging Terrain, SKI Magazine
On-Mountain Food, SKI Magazine
Lifts, SKI Magazine
Best Resort in North America, TransWorld SNOWboarding, USA
Halfpipes, TransWorld SNOWboarding
FREESKIER - "The Best"
Onthesnow.com No. 1 Favourite North American Resort 2011
Australia's Luxury Travel Magazine No. 1 Overseas Ski Resort 2011
Findthebest.com Best Ski Resort in the World
Forbes.com World's Best Ski Resorts
Yahoo.com Top Five Ski Vacations in the World
Powderhounds.com Top Overall Resorts
About.com Top Ski Resorts
The Independent 50 Best Ski Resorts
Virgin Holidays Responsible tourism Award - Highly commended
2012 Canada's greenest employer award
Value Award Winner: Up! Magazine
Best Terrain: onthesnow.com, SKI Magazine, TransWorld SNOWboarding, Powderhounds.com, and National Geographic
Best Après/Nightlife: FREESKIER, onthesnow.com, SKI Magazine, TransWorld SNOWboarding, and Powderhounds.com.
Best Family Resort: SKI Magazine (Canadian Resorts)
No. 2
Terrain parks onthesnow.com
Family onthesnow.com
Digital Programs SKI Magazine
Best Steeps - FREESKIER
No. 3
Resort in North America SKI Magazine
Lifts SKI Magazine
No. 4
Overall satisfaction SKI Magazine
"vibe" TransWorld SNOW Boarding
Top Destination in Canada Trip Advisor
Best Powder FREESKIER
No. 5
Best Family Resort in North America SKI Magazine (No. 1 in Canada)
Best Pipe Transworld SNOWBoarding
For the third year in a row Whistler Blackcomb celebrated Earth Day (April 22) as one of Canada's Greenest Employers as awarded by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers project. Whistler Blackcomb received recognition for three new energy conservation projects for the 2010/2011 ski representing over 1.3 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in electrical savings. The energy saved translates to the equivalent amount of power it takes to run 74 homes in British Columbia for one year.
Whistler Blackcomb has claimed the title of "Favorite Overall Resort" in OnTheSnow.com's Visitors Choice Awards for the second year in a row. The OnTheSnow.com Visitor's Choice Awards are an annual list of favorite resorts as ranked by user ratings from the site's 3.4 million monthly unique visitors. OnTheSnow.com also named users' top regional picks in the Far West, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Pacific Northwest and Rockies. Whistler Blackcomb ranked "Best Overall" from the Pacific Northwest region.
Whistler Blackcomb claims top spot in CondÉ Nast Traveler, FREESKIER Magazine, and Outside Magazine
Consistently ranked as No. 1, Whistler Blackcomb tops mountain resort rankings once again this season. Whistler Blackcomb placed in the top three in six "overall" award categories including:
- No. 1 "Best Place to Ski & Stay in North America" - Condé Nast Traveler's annual readers' pole (fourth consecutive)
- No. 1 "Top Resort in North America" - FREESKIER Magazine (third consecutive)
- No. 1 "Top Ski Resort in North America" - Outside Magazine.
- No. 1 "Favorite Overall" – Onthesnow.com
- No. 1 "Ski runs & Lodges" – National Geographic - "10 Best Book"
- No. 3 "Top Resort in North America" - Transworld Snowboard Magazine
- No. 3 "Top Ski Resort in North America - Ski Magazine
The annual magazine rankings rate resorts on a variety of set criteria, and Whistler Blackcomb consistently scores high in a variety of categories including terrain, snow quality, restaurants, lift capabilities, parks and pipes, snow school, lodging, amenities and much more. "Category" top three finishes for Whistler Blackcomb include:
Condé Nast Traveler
-No. 1 "Après"
-No. 2 "Dining"
Ski Magazine
-No. 1 Terrain
-No. 1 "Après"
Outside Magazine
-No. 1 "Mega-Resort"
-No. 1 Nightlife
-No. 2 Snowboarding
-No. 3 Spring Skiing
-No. 3 Scenery
Transworld Snowboarding
-No. 1 Nightlife
-No. 1 Lodging
-No. 2 "Vibe"
-No. 2 Terrain
Greenest Employer for 2010
Whistler Blackcomb has been named one of Canada's Greenest Employers for a second year in a row. Canada's Greenest Employers competition has been running since 2007 and is organized by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers project in partnership with Mediacorp Canada Inc. Applicants were judged on a variety of criteria, including uniqueness, success and longevity of environmental initiatives, as well as employee and community engagement.
Golden Eagle Award
Clif Bar has honoured Whistler Blackcomb with the Golden Eagle Award for Overall Environmental Excellence at the recent 2010 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) National Convention and Tradeshow. This is the third time Whistler Blackcomb has received this honour, which is considered the highest level of environmental achievement in the ski industry.
According to the NSAA, judges credited Whistler Blackcomb with its comprehensive approach to environmental stewardship, including its efforts to reduce waste and conserve energy. Golden Eagle judges also recognized Whistler Blackcomb's involvement in the development of the Fitzsimmons Creek Renewable Energy project; a Run-of-River project that will produce enough power to match the company's entire annual energy consumption, which includes snowguns, lift operation and on-mountain restaurants. The hydro-powered facility, which became operational in early 2010, is located entirely within Whistler Blackcomb's operating area and was produced in partnership with Innergex Renewable Energy Inc., Ledcor Power Group.
SKIING Magazine named Whistler Blackcomb No. 1
Overall resort in North America October 2009
For the 13th year in a row, readers at one of North America's premier ski magazines, SKIING, have ranked Whistler Blackcomb their choice for No. 1 resort and the resort they want to ski more than anywhere else. In addition to the terrain variety, nightlife and après ski activities always rank high. The après and nightlife scenes in Whistler Village are legendary, and it all takes place only steps from the base of the mountains.
"It's a poll of our readers, not the editors. And the readers overwhelmingly chose Whistler," says Jake Bogoch, editor of SKIING Magazine. "When our readers think of Whistler, they think of dark storms, granite-lined bowls, blocky cliffs, and long, long runs. That's why they want to go there more than anywhere else."
FREESKIER Magazine named Whistler Blackcomb No. 1
October 2009
Onthesnow.com readers rank Whistler Blackcomb North America's Favourite Ski Resort
Whistler Blackcomb has achieved the top spot as North America's Favourite Resort in the annual Visitor's Choice awards. Onthesnow.com is the most visited snow sports website and the Visitor's Choice Awards are based on guest feedback.
Onthesnow.com, which attracts an audited 2.3 million individuals monthly during the winter, gave visitors the opportunity to write reviews of all North American resorts as well as rank them in five categories; favourite resort, best nightlife, most family friendly, best downhill terrain and best terrain park. Whistler Blackcomb received top honours as North America's Favourite Resort for the second time in the past three seasons.
SKI Magazine, the resort has moved up one spot to the No. 2 position.
October 2009
Whistler Blackcomb has been named one of Canada's Greenest Employers, just in time for Earth Day (April 22). This nomination recognizes the company's some 3,800 employees for their dedication and contribution to sustainability in Whistler.
Launched in 2007, the Canada's Greenest Employers competition is organized by Mediacorp Canada Inc., the nation's largest publisher of employment-related periodicals and online directories, and published in Maclean's Magazine. This special designation recognizes the employers leading the nation in creating a culture of environmental awareness in their organizations.
SKIING Magazine named Whistler Blackcomb No. 1 Overall resort in North America
October 2008
SKIING Magazine readers have named Whistler Blackcomb No.1 ski resort in North America for the twelfth year in a row. SKIING'S Best Après Scene award went to Whistler Blackcomb, with the Garibaldi Lift Company receiving accolades for its great food and variety of live concerts. Whistler Blackcomb also received a Top 5 ranking for Backcountry Access, Steeps, and Park; as well as a Top 10 ranking for Trees.
"We survey our readers annually and ask them what they think is the best resort. But this year we tweaked the question. We asked readers where they would go if money were no object. Essentially, where they want to ski most," says Jake Bogoch, editor of SKIING Magazine. "The answer was Whistler Blackcomb. On a personal level, I get it. I've skied at Whistler for the past seven winters and can't seem to stay away."
TransWorld SNOWboarding Magazine 2009 Resort Poll ranks Whistler Blackcomb No. 1
TransWorld SNOWBoarding Magazine readers have named Whistler Blackcomb the best overall resort in North America for a third year in a row; have given its Nintendo Terrain Parks the coveted No. 1 designation for Best Park; and have named Whistler Blackcomb Top 5 in an additional nine categories.
The online TransWorld SNOWboarding Magazine Resort Poll saw 1,600 readers log on to cast their votes, ranking a total of 154 North American resorts in 21 categories. Whistler Blackcomb also received No. 1 rankings for Best Terrain Variety, Best Vibe, Best Lifts and Best Challenge, while making it to the Top 5 in the categories of Best Nightlife (No. 2), Best On-Mountain Food (No. 2), Best Lodging (No. 2), Best Snow Quality (No.3), and Best Pipe (No. 5).
"Whistler Blackcomb's unstoppable three-year winning streak in the overall resort category is a reflection of the undisputable awesome factors at work: fast direct lifts, consistent snowfall, challenging terrain, and a perfect park," says TransWorld SNOWboarding Editor Annie Fast. "The legendary snowboard scene and stacked après options don't hurt. I love that our readers get it so right."
Conde Naste - December 2008
Cond Nast Traveler readers name Whistler No. 1 in North America Whistler, BC
Cond Nast Traveler magazine, a trend-setter in the travel industry, has awarded Whistler the top spot in its annual Best Places to Ski & Stay in North America reader survey in its December 2008 issue. Cond Nast Traveler readers were asked to evaluate North American ski resorts that they had visited in the past three years, and rate each resort. Whistler received the top score on the combined criteria of Terrain and Conditions, Lifts and Lines, Local Ambience, Local Dining, and Apres-Ski/Activities. Whistler Blackcomb also received special accolades for its PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola.
Whistler also placed five of its hotels in North Americas top 25 ski hotels in the Cond Nast reader survey: Pan Pacific Whistler Village center, Four Seasons Resort & Spa, Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa, Westin Resort & Spa, and Fairmont Chateau Whistler.
SKI Magazine named Whistler Blackcomb No. 3 overall resort
October 2008
SKI Magazine's annual "Top 50 Resort Guide" named Whistler Blackcomb No. 3 for the second year in a row. In addition to a No.3 overall ranking in SKI Magazine's Top 50 Resort Guide, Whistler Blackcomb also received a Top 5 ranking in 8 categories: Terrain/Variety (No.1), Après-Ski (No.2), Off Hill Activities (No. 3), Lifts (No.3), Lodging (No.3), Dining (No.4), Terrain/Challenge (No. 5) and Terrain Parks (No. 5).
Hardy's Skiing and Snowboarding Guide 2009 vote GLC Best AprÈs-Ski Venue in North America
Hardy's Skiing and Snowboarding Guide 2009, another UK-based publication, has given the Garibaldi Lift Company the award for Best Après-Ski Venue in North America. The awards are judged by a panel of experts, including the authors of the guide, and take into account nominations supplied by readers.
Outside Magazine - November 2008
Whistler Blackcomb ranked No. 2 Best Ski Resort in North America by Outside Magazine. The November 2008 issue named the Top 15 best resorts, as judged by Marc Peruzzi, a Colorado-based ski reporter, former Outside staffer, and editor of SKIING magazine from 2003 to 2008
Onthesnow.com readers rank Whistler Blackcomb North America's Favourite Ski Resort
Whistler Blackcomb also received the designation of North America's favorite ski resort by visitors of OnTheSnow.com, a popular online snow sports portal. The website, which attracts a Nielsen-audited 1.2 million unique monthly visitors during the winter, gave its visitors the opportunity to write reviews of all resorts in North America and they chose Whistler Blackcomb as their favourite.
Where to Ski and Snowboard's Best North American Resort Development 2008
The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola received the award for best North American Resort Development 2008 by leading UK publication, Where to Ski and Snowboard.


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VIDEO: Obama's Private Sector – Winners Punished to Benefit Losers
April 15, 2013 - 7:35 am
Welcome to inter-governmental ideological interloping.
The wireless smart phone Xanadu we are all thoroughly enjoying – requires spectrum. Which is the airwaves our phones use to allow us to surf the Web, watch movies, text, telephone, etc. – all from the palm of our hand. And we need much, much more of it in the hands of the people making all this possible.
But there's good news: The President's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently preparing the rules for an upcoming spectrum auction.
And then there's bad news: The President's Justice Department late Friday demanded that the FCC rig the auction rules – and engage in government quota spectrum set asides rather than simply run a simple auction.
As this guerrilla video explains, this government-picking-losers-at-the-expense-of-winners is terrible for the future of our ongoing wireless revolution.


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Kasuri Cotton Fabric in Antique from Moda Fabrics
This lovely printed cotton offered from within Moda Fabric's Kasuri line shows off a beautiful large scale floral pattern repeated in a cool antique color scheme. A wonderful piece for utilizing on any upcoming floral themed quilt or craft, this soft and durable 100% cotton print is sure to become a valued addition to your fabric stash! Order a yard or two of this exceptional cotton print online today from us here at Beverly's and cultivate a fresh Kasuri appeal within your next creative endeavor!


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- Infowars - http://www.infowars.com -
Obama's State of the Union: More Bailouts and Spending
Posted By steve_watson On January 25, 2012 @ 6:07 am In Featured Stories,Old Infowars Posts Style,Tile | Comments Disabled
New American
January 25, 2012
President Barack Obama claimed in his third State of the Union address that he supported a policy of "no bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts." But he said this after he had outlined more than half a dozen new spending handout proposals in a speech that also praised bailouts. On taxes, Obama concluded of retaining outrageously high middle-class tax rates and increasing the tax rates on the rich: "That's how we'll reduce our deficit."
"It's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody," Obama told Congress in his January 24 prime time speech to a joint session of Congress. "We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules."
Though Obama claimed he didn't want any more bailouts, he touted the supposed success of past federal government bailouts in the State of the Union address. "Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's number one auto maker," Obama boasted of the auto bailout he worked to get adopted back in early 2009. "We bet on American ingenuity, and tonight the American auto industry is back." Obama had also supported passage of the TARP bailout bill in October 2008 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act "Stimulus" bill in 2009, and in last year's State of the Union address he heavily promoted a new stimulus bill (though he didn't label it "stimulus").
Obama also proposed new spending — or entirely new programs — where government picks winners and losers in the marketplace. One example of Obama's proposal was to continue government subsidy of so-called "clean energy" programs: "Government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground." Obama has apparently learned nothing from the $500 million Solyndra disaster.
Paul Delivers State of the Union Response
January 25, 2012
Following President Obama's annual State of the Union address, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., delivered his own response.
Check it out:
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