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Thursday, June 5, 2008

On June 3rd, 2008, two United States Internet service providers (ISPs) announced they would begin tests to slow web access for their most active customers and charge them for extra speed. Comcast and Time Warner Cable, two of the largest ISPs in North America, both made separate announcements of their plans. The actions come in the wake of an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), over whether Comcast had restricted some customers from sharing videos, music, and similar files. The FCC investigation led to a US Congress debate over whether and how much control ISPs should have over the flow of customer data.

Public interest groups complained in November 2007 to the FCC that Comcast had specifically targeted customers using applications that made use of the BitTorrent system, a popular form of file sharing. Free Press, an advocacy group that pushes for better oversight of cable operators such as Comcast, stated that Comcast practices were discriminatory towards users of the legal technology. “The cable companies see a hammer hovering above their heads and are scrambling to find ways to reduce the appearance of wrongdoing,” said Ben Scott, head of the group.

According to Roger Entner, a senior vice president from Nielsen IAG, as little as 5 percent of all Internet users may consume as much as 50 percent of all the bandwidth on the Internet. “This is the politically correct version of doing what Comcast had been doing before, though it takes the occasional [peer-to-peer] user off the hook,” Entner said. Sena Fitzmaurice, a Comcast spokesperson, said, “This says we won’t be looking at what type of traffic that there is, even though we still need to manage the network.”

Comcast’s tests are expected to begin in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and Warrenton, Virginia.

While Comcast will attempt to throttle the speed of all its high-volume users, Time Warner Cable intends to use a different method. They will meter and bill clients, charging more money for faster speeds and larger amounts of transmitted data, functioning more like a traditional public utility, such as an electric company or cell phone service. Their metered billing test will begin on June 5 in Beaumont, Texas for newly enrolled customers. “Instead of raising prices across the board, consumers who are excessive users would pay,” said Alex Dudley, a Time Warner Cable spokesman. “It is clearly the fairest way to fund the investment that is going to be required to support that use.”

An Associated Press report that Time Warner Cable will bill customers between $29.95 to $54.90USD per month has been confirmed by the cable operator, with clients charged an extra $1 for each gigabyte (GB) by which they exceed their purchased plan. Art Brodsky, communications director of Public Knowledge, a consumer advocacy group in Washington D.C., has expressed concerns about the Time Warner Cable plan. Time Warner Cable’s most expensive offering, $54.90, comes with 15 megabits-per-second of data transfer speed and a 40 gigabyte limit on total data transfer.

“An HD (high-definition) movie is 8GB or so, three movies is more than half your allowance for a month, and heaven knows what else you might want to watch,” Brodsky says. “This is not a relieving congestion scheme as much as it is a rationing scheme. All it does is protect an inadequate infrastructure from the cable company.”

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

PRS for Music is the UK’s music royalty collection society tasked with working on behalf of copyright holders, specifically authors and music publishers. Founded in 1914, the PRS is a non-profit organisation with 350,000 UK businesses holding PRS licenses. The society works in conjunction with PPL which collects fees on behalf of the copyright holders of the actual recording.So, if a cover version of a song is played on UK radio, PRS collect a fee on behalf of the original writer and publisher, whilst PPL collect a fee on behalf of the record company of the cover. In a recent Wikinews interview, Paul Campbell, founder of Amazing Radio, an unsigned UK radio station, lambasted PRS for their “barmy standard contract” and their outdated equipment. That interview can be found here.

	The music industry is changing and the way we use music is continually changing

Wikinews reporter Tristan Thomas interviews PRS, following up on Campbell and others’ criticism as well as finding out about future plans.

((Wikinews)) Firstly, thank you for the time in doing this interview.

((WN)) Last year, you were involved in a high profile dispute with YouTube. Can you briefly explain to our audience what that was all about and the final outcome of it?

((PRS)) PRS for Music was the first collecting society in the world to license the YouTube service, meaning if music videos were watched online then our members – who created them – would receive a small royalty payment. When we went to renew the licence that YouTube held we couldn’t agree as to how much should be paid and exactly what should be covered within it. We believed that music had become a much larger part of the YouTube service and that YouTube/Google should reflect the increased use of our members’ creative talent in the amount they paid.

The great thing is that we kept talking to YouTube throughout the dispute and managed to reach an agreement in September which meant that the videos could be accessed again by UK YouTube users and that our 65,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members would be paid.

((WN)) How many artists do you represent and how much did you collect during 2009 for them?

((PRS)) We represent 65,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. We haven’t released our 2009 figures yet but in 2008 we collected over £600m for them. The main sources of revenue come from recorded media (CDs, DVDs etc), international use, public performance use and use in television, radio and online.

((WN)) Paul Campbell in a recent interview with us said the following:“PRS has a barmy standard contract for using their members’ music online. It requires us to pay them a fixed percentage of ALL revenue from that website – whether or not the revenue is derived from their members’ work. So if we had 100,000 songs from non-PRS artists on amazingtunes.com, and one song from a PRS artist, we’d have to pay them a percentage of the revenue from ALL 100,000 songs. I.e., we’d have to take money out of the pockets out of non-PRS artists to pay to PRS. That would be immoral.”How do you respond to that?

((PRS)) Anyone using music in a commercial way – such as a radio station – is required to obtain the permission of those that created the music. This could be numerous writers, publishers and a record label for each song, possibly in different countries around the world. By obtaining a PRS for Music and PPL licence in the UK you are ensuring you have those permissions for over 10million musical works. Obviously much of the music used on radio comes from non-UK writers who may not be members of PRS for Music. Radio and television stations give us almost 100% accurate reports of their music use through their own playlists; this data then enables organisations such as ours to work out who should be paid and how much. PRS for Music has 144 agreements in place with similar societies around the world, resulting in us representing almost 2 million writers worldwide. If French, American, Spanish, Australian or any other writer’s music is used we will pay the respective societies so they can pay their members.

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Similarly a writer of musician may be ‘unsigned’ by that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t earn from their music when it is used by others. Many bands, writers and performers are currently unsigned but by being members of PRS for Music they ensure that they can begin earning vital royalties that allow them to continue with their musical career.

((WN)) How does the PRS ensure that artists outside the UK are properly compensated when their music is used within the UK, such as Thai or Chinese restaurants paying their PRS dues and exclusively using music which is from outside Europe?

((PRS)) As mentioned before PRS for Music has agreements in place in over 90 countries around the world to ensure that when music is used the right creators are rewarded. The system – built up over the last century – works both ways and when UK music is used internationally, PRS for Music receives royalties from foreign societies so we can pay our members. In 2008 £139.8m was collected from UK music use abroad, with the UK being one of only a few net exporters of music in the world.

((WN)) There have been a few cases in which PRS have been forced to apologise, exemplified by the threat of prosecution and a fine towards “singing granny” Sandra Burt, a shelf-stacker who sung to herself whilst stacking shelves. How has PRS moved forward from these incidents in order to ensure they do not happen again?

((PRS)) If we have made mistakes we will of course put our hands up and say so. For example when we were approached about the Sandra Burt case – by a journalist incidentally and not Sandra – we did give out slightly incorrect advice, although the questions were a little ambiguous. Once we realised our mistake we contacted Sandra to explain that she wouldn’t need a licence to sing to her customers and offered our sincere apologies. As an organisation we are very quick to admit where we get things wrong and ensure they are put right. We’re proud of our record with our customers and currently have 350,000 businesses choosing to use music in the UK.

	Once we realised our mistake we contacted Sandra

To put the complaints in context we have only have 1 for approximately every 5,000 customer contacts we make. This is an exceptionally low ratio and there are many firms who would be envious of a record like this. During 2009 our complaints fell by 50% and we appointed an independent ombudsmen who could handle any complaints if they were not resolved internally. As of January 2010 no complaints have needed to be passed on to the ombudsmen.

((WN)) How does the PRS work with musicians who are not signed to major labels, may make music available for download via their own websites or MySpace, and do not have the financial resources to protect their copyright?

((PRS)) Many of the PRS for Music membership is not signed to a major record label and we represent creators from all genres of music in the UK and abroad. By joining PRS for Music, which only costs £10 deferred to your first royalty payment, you ensure you can begin earning royalties whenever your music is played, performed or reproduced. We have worked hard to license such sites as YouTube, MySpace, Spotify and Sky Songs to name a selection to ensure our members can be rewarded when their work is used.

Our membership team also work hard to support our creators holding showcase events, offering advice of how to get their music used as well as legal and financial advice.

((WN)) Finally, what future plans do you have as an organisation in order to further protect and enhance your members work as new technologies emerge over the next few years?

((PRS)) PRS for Music will continue to be at the forefront of licensing new digital and online services to ensure creators are paid. We aim to get the balance right to ensure new products and music services can launch and develop, but that also they pay for the music they use.

The music industry is changing and the way we use music is continually changing (it always has) but we’ll still be at the forefront enabling people to use music whenever they want, and rewarding those that have created that music.

((WN)) Thank you for taking the time out for this interview. Good luck for 2010.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

	I am dismayed at the in-humane handling of cattle that has resulted in the violation of food safety regulations at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company.

In a press release today, California-based Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. indicated that it has voluntarily recalled just over 143 million pounds (65 million kilograms) of raw and frozen beef products, which is considered to be the largest single recall of beef products in U.S. history. The move follows an investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) into allegations of animal cruelty and mishandling of cattle destined for the human food chain.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) had determined that beef products produced by the Chino, California company were unfit for human consumption as the cattle had not received “complete and proper inspection.”

The recall has been designated as Class II, which the USDA describes as “a health hazard situation where there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from the use of the product.”

On Friday, Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer indicated that charges had been laid against employees of the plant alleged to have taken part in the mistreatment of cattle. “Today [Friday], the San Bernardino District Attorney filed felony animal cruelty charges against two employees who were terminated by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company,” said Schafer. “It is regrettable that these animals were mistreated and I am encouraged and supportive of these actions by the San Bernardino District Attorney in response to this mistreatment.”

The USDA learned of the possible inhumane handling of non-ambulatory (disabled) cattle at the packing plant on January 30 and has since suspended activities at the plant. “We continue to conduct a thorough investigation into whether any violations of food safety or additional humane handling regulations have occurred,” said Secretary Schafer in a press release. “On February 8, our Office of the Inspector General took the lead on the investigation. At that time, USDA extended the administrative hold on Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company products for the National School Lunch Program, the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations while the investigation continues,” said Schafer.

The FSIS reported that Hallmark/Westland had not contacted the FSIS public health veterinarian, as required, when cattle became ill or disabled after undergoing ante-mortem (slaughter) inspection, putting the company out of compliance with FSIS regulations. “Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection FSIS has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall,” explained Secretary Schafer.

The cruelty charges stem from an undercover video that reportedly showed sick cattle being moved by crews using forklifts.

“Words cannot accurately express how shocked and horrified I was at the depictions contained on the video that was taken by an individual who worked at our facility from October 3 thru November 14, 2007,” said Steve Mendell, President, Westland Meat Co. and Hallmark Meat Packing. “We have taken swift action regarding the two employees identified on the video and have already implemented aggressive measures to ensure all employees follow our humane handling policies and procedures. We are also cooperating with the USDA investigators on the allegations of inhumane handling treatment which is a serious breech of our company’s policies and training.”

The USDA stressed that it is “extremely unlikely” that the cattle involved were at risk for Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad-cow disease due to the employment of multiple safeguards. The USDA felt the recall was required, however, as the plant had allegedly violated USDA regulations.

The recall involves raw and frozen beef products produced on various dates from February 1, 2006 to February 2, 2008. For further information about the recall, consumers, media, and distributors are encouraged to contact Hallmark/Westland’s Plant Manager Stan Mendell or Food Safety Consultant Steve Sayer at (909) 590-3340 or the FSIS website, www.fsis.usda.gov.

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By Randal Muskett

The range of modern Chesterfield sofa designs is considerably more varied and extensive than traditional Chesterfield ranges. Sofas are available in virtually any colour and made from a whole host of different materials. What’s more, you can enjoy elevated seating positions with longer legs and you can buy chairs, foot stools and other pieces of furniture that are finished with the same unique and traditional Chesterfield design elements.

Leather Chesterfield sofas remain one of the most popular lines and if you want to enjoy the look and appeal of a vintage Chesterfield sofa while enjoying the benefits of buying a new sofa, you can choose from a wide selection of Chesterfields upholstered in aged or distressed leather. While leather may be one of the most iconic materials used the Victorians were also partial to the use of fabric in their sofas.

So, what Makes a Sofa a Chesterfield?

Sofa Material

While the first image of a Chesterfield that springs to mind may be one of a leather Chesterfield sofa, this isn’t necessarily the case. They can be upholstered in a variety of different materials including leather and faux leather but also velvet and corded materials.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LWlhaeCKO0[/youtube]

Sofa Colour

Any colour of fabric can also be used. Leather Chesterfield sofas are most commonly available in black and brown while blue and red are also popular colour choices. Modern colours include cream, white, and in a selection of different shades.

Traditional Chesterfield Sofa Design Characteristics

The traditional leather Chesterfield sofa has three main characteristics.

— The arms and back should be the same height forming a single uniform line across the top of the piece.

— The material that covers the frame uses deep set buttons to fix the material tightly to the frame. Chesterfield sofa purists will also expect the cushions to feature the same buttoned pattern although this is less important.

— The arms of the sofa should be rolled or tapered and will usually feature raised decorative nail heads to complete the design.

Choosing Your New Sofa

Beyond these characteristics, a traditional design can vary greatly. Modern manufacturing processes and improved materials and dyes also mean that the modern sofa, whether it’s a leather Chesterfield sofa or a fabric one, can take on many unique and stunning guises.

Whatever your preference in material, colour, design, and shape, you can find a Chesterfield sofa to suit your tastes and your room. However, to get the vintage look you should aim for those designs that are sympathetic with traditional designs – leather or fabric can be aged or distressed while low leg, buttoned designs and straight backs are the perfect profile for your vintage Chesterfield.

Various materials are used in the creation of modern Chesterfields, including less expensive but great looking fabric lines. However, it is the aged leather sofas that are among the most expensive and highly sought after by those looking for what is considered to be the best Chesterfield look. The leather is aged around the seat, head, and arm areas in order to give the appearance of being an antique sofa.

About the Author: Check out pictures and prices of

Chesterfield Sofas

Source:

isnare.com

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Monday, February 12, 2007

Cars drove home the big prize last night, from the 34th Annual Annie Awards. The animation industry’s highest honor, ASIFA-Hollywood’s Annies recognise contributions to animation, writing, directing, storyboarding, voice acting, composing, and much more.

As mentioned, Pixar took home the big prize last night, after facing stiff competition from four other Happy Feet, Monster House, Open Season, and Over the Hedge.

But the biggest winner of the night didn’t get a “Best Animated Feature” nod at all. Flushed Away won five feature animation categories including Animated Effects (Scott Cegielski), Character Animation (Gabe Hordos), Production Design (Pierre-Olivier Vincent), Voice Acting (Sir Ian McKellan as Toad), Writing (Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Chris Lloyd, Joe Keenan, and Will Davies).

Over The Hedge won awards for Directing (Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick), Storyboarding (Gary Graham), and Character Design (Nicolas Marlet).

Of little surprise, Randy Newman won an Annie for Cars in the “Music in an Animated Feature Production” category. Newman has won many Oscars for his movie music, and has a nomination this year for the song “Our Town”. Newman didn’t attend the Annies, instead picking up a Grammy for “Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media”.

DisneyToon Studios’ Bambi II won “Best Home Entertainment Production”, while “Best Animated Short Subject” went to Blue Sky Studios’ No Time For Nuts, which is based on Ice Age.

“Best Animated Video Game” went to Flushed Away The Game, while a United Airlines ad named “Dragon” won a “Best Animated Television Commercial” Annie for DUCK Studios.

1 Foster an Annie fav on TV
2 Wikinews was there
3 Related news
4 Sources

Sunday, September 7, 2008

September 7, 2008 is the 1st major day of the 2008 Paralympic games, the below article summarises all the world records and medals.

1 World Records
- 1.1 Swimming
- 1.2 Cycling
- 1.3 Shooting
2 Gold medals
- 2.1 Track Cycling
- 2.2 Judo
- 2.3 Shooting
- 2.4 Swimming
3 Medal Table
4 Sources

In the S13 class, Dzmitry Salei from Belarus set a new world record in the final of the men’s 100m butterfly with his time of 58.89 seconds.
In the S4 class, Patricia Valle from Mexico set a new world record in Heat 1 of the women’s 100m freestyle event with her time of 2:03.82 minutes.
In the SM7 class, American swimmer Rudy Garcia Tolson set a new world record in heat two of the men’s 200m individual medley with his time of 2:37.80 minutes.
In the S8 class, Peter Leek from Australia set a new world record in the first heat of the men’s 100m butterfly with his time of 1 minute and 1.01 seconds .
In the S8 class, Amanda Everlove from the United States set a new world record in the second heat of the women’s 100m butterfly with her time of 1 minute and 11.64 seconds .
In the S9 class, Tamas Sors from Hungary set a new world record in the first heat of the men’s 100m butterfly with his time of 59.38 seconds.
With a time of 4:45.43, Russian Dmitry Kokarev set a new world record in the S2 class of the men’s 200m freestyle.
With a time of 1:35.21, Chinese Du Jianping set a new world record in the S3 class of the men’s 100m freestyle.
With a time of 1:11.05, Brazilian Daniel Dias set a new world record in the S5 class of the men’s 100m freestyle.
With a time of 1:16.65, Spanish Maria Teresa Perales set a new world record in the S5 class of the women’s 100m freestyle.
With a time of 3:13.05, American Miranda Uhl set a new world record in the SM6 class of the women’s 200m individual medley.
With a time of 2:54.61, American Erin Popovich set a new world record in the SM7 class of the women’s 200m individual medley.

In the CP3 class, British cyclist Darren Kenny set a new world record in the qualifying stage of the men’s individual pursuit with his time of 3:36.875 minutes.
With a time of 4:18.961, Australians Kieran Modra and Tyson Lawrence set a new world in the B&VI 1-3 class of the men’s individual pursuit.
With a time of 1:14.936, British Simon Richardson set a new world in the LC 3-4 class of the men’s 1km time trial.
With a time of 1:21.157, Britons Ellen Hunter and Aileen McGlynn set a new world in the B&VI 1-3 class of the women’s 1km time trial.

With a score of 578, Russian Valeriy Ponomarenko set a new world in the SH1 class of the men’s P1-10m air pistol.

Christopher Scott of Australia won the gold medal in the CP4 class of the men’s individual pursuit.
Darren Kenny of Great Britain won the gold medal in the CP3 class of the men’s individual pursuit.
Kieran Modra and Tyson Lawrence of Australia won the gold medal in the B&VI 1-3 class of the men’s individual pursuit.
Simon Richardson of Great Britain won the gold medal in the LC 3-4 class of the men’s 1km time trial.
Aileen McGlynn and Ellen Hunter of Great Britain won the gold medal in the B&VI 1-3 class of the women’s 1km time trial.

Huaping Guo of China won the gold medal in the -48 kg class Judo.

Valeriy Pomomarenko of Russia won the gold medal in the SH1 class of the men’s P1-10m air pistol.
Veronika Vadovicova of Slovakia won the gold medal in the SH1 class of the women’s R2-10m air rifle standing.

Du Jianping of China won the gold medal in the S3 class of the men’s 100m freestyle.
David Smetanine of France won the gold medal in the S4 class of the men’s 100m freestyle.
Daniel Dias of Brazil won the gold medal in the S5 class of the men’s 100m freestyle.
Dmitry Kokarev of Russia won the gold medal in the S2 class of the men’s 200m freestyle.
Dzmitry Salei of Russia won the gold medal in the S13 class of the men’s 100m butterfly.
Sascha Kindred of Great Britain won the gold medal in the S13 class of the men’s 200m individual medley.
Nely Miranda of Mexico won the gold medal in the S4 class of the women’s 100m freestyle.
Maria Teresa Perales of Spain won the gold medal in the S5 class of the women’s 100m freestyle.
Valerie Grand Maison of Canada won the gold medal in the S13 class of the women’s 100m butterfly.
Miranda Uhl of the United States won the gold medal in the SM6 class of the women’s 200m individual medley.
Erin Popovixh of the United States won the gold medal in the SM7 class of the women’s 200m individual medley.

2008 Paralympics – Beijing, China
Flag	Country	G	S	B	TOT	Rank
	China	8	10	10	28	1
	USA	8	4	5	17	2
	Great Britain	7	5	3	15	3
	Australia	6	5	10	21	4
	South Africa	4	0	0	4	5

Source: Official Medal Count (update)

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byAlma Abell

We all realize that there are certain risks which are inherent in driving a motor vehicle. We can strive to be as safe as we possibly can when we drive, but we also accept the fact that there are some things which are beyond our control and that bad things can happen. If you find yourself in an automobile accident, there are some things you need to do to protect yourself and your rights. The most important point to make here is to not admit any responsibility for the accident to anyone.

If you have been injured in an accident, seek medical attention immediately. This may seem obvious, but many times injuries can put a person into a state of shock where they may not be aware of how badly they have been hurt. If you are able to get any photos of your injuries for later reference, your car accident attorney in Hartford, WI may be able to make use of them.

Your next step, if you are able, should be to make certain that your accident gets reported to the proper authorities, whether state, county, or local. You may be tempted at this point to contact your insurance company as well, but it’s better to wait until you have gathered more information for them before reporting the accident.

Try to get as much information as possible from anyone else who was involved in the accident. Driver’s license and insurance information is the bare minimum. If you can find out where they work, where they were driving to or from, or any other information that may be pertinent, it may be of use to your attorney. If there were any witnesses to the accident, try to get contact information from them, as well.

Most cell phones have picture-taking capabilities, so try to get photos of the accident scene before any vehicles have been moved. This may help an accident investigator reconstruct what happened. Even if the photos are not the best quality, they can be a big help to your case.

The next step you take may be the most crucial; contact an experienced car accident attorney Hartford, WI. He will use all of his skill and all of the resources of his firm to make certain that your rights are protected and that you receive adequate compensation for the damages inflicted. Hetzel & Nelson LLC will stand up for you and be your voice.

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Sunday, October 28, 2007

October 28, 200717:00 (UTC+1)
	Borussia Dortmund	0–0	Bayern Munich	Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund Attendance: 80,708 Referee: Markus Merk
	Tinga 45’Valdez 61’Valdez 79’Federico 79’Blaszczykowski 83’Klimowicz 83’Klimowicz 90’+1′	Match Report	66′ Sosa 66′ Altintop 70′ Toni 70′ Podolski 88′ van Bommel 88′ Ottl 90’+1′ Schweinsteiger

Bayern Munich remained undefeated in all competitions after a 0-0 draw against Borussia Dortmund. The draw leaves Bayern at the top of the table with 27 points. However, the lead is down to four points after Hamburg’s 1-0 win against Duisburg.

Franck Ribery didn’t pass a late fitness test and didn’t make the 18-man strong matchday squad. Luca Toni, Martin Demichelis an Jose Ernesto Sosa replaced Lukas Podolski, Philipp Lahm and Hamit Altintop. Jose Ernesto Sosa returned after being sidelined for almost two months after ankle surgery.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund exchanged plenty of chances and almost had a 50/50 possession between them.

Bayern Munich plays Borussia Mönchengladbach at home in the DFB Cup while Borussia Dortmund plays Eintracht Frankfurt in the same competition.