U.S. is said to pick Illinois prison to house some Guantánamo detainees

The Obama administration is expected to announce on Tuesday that it has selected a prison in northwestern Illinois to house terrorism suspects now being held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in a major step toward shutting down that military detention facility.

An administration official said President Obama had directed the federal government to proceed with acquiring the Thomson Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison in a rural village about 150 miles west of Chicago

Gov. Patrick J. Quinn of Illinois and the state’s senior senator, Richard J. Durbin, will be briefed about the plan at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. The officials, both Democrats, have been enthusiastic supporters of bringing Guantánamo prisoners to Thomson, arguing that it would bring jobs to an impoverished part of the state.

When talk of bringing Guantánamo detainees to Thomson first surfaced in late November, both Mr. Quinn and Mr. Durbin held a series of news conferences to promote the idea of turning over the empty state prison, which was built in 2001 at a cost to Illinois taxpayers of about $120 million, to the federal penal system.

Top Illinois Republicans — including Representatives Donald Manzullo, whose district includes the prison, and Mark Steven Kirk, a candidate for the United States Senate seat once held by Mr. Obama — have denounced previous talk of such a move, saying it could make Illinois a target for terrorist attacks.

But Obama administration officials argue that the prison would be secure and that it would enhance national security to close Guantánamo because it has become a global symbol and a recruiting tool for Al Qaeda.

Mr. Obama declared shortly after his inauguration that he would close the Guantánamo prison — a signature component of the Bush administration’s counterterrorism policy — within a year. But dealing with the roughly 200 detainees at the prison has proved difficult, and he is widely expected to miss that deadline.

In May, Mr. Obama proposed bringing some detainees to a facility inside the United States, including some who officials have decided are too difficult to prosecute and too dangerous to release. They would continue to be held without trial as “combatants” under the laws of war.

Under the proposal for Thomson, the Bureau of Prisons would buy the facility and improve its security. Most of the prison would house ordinary high-security inmates, but a part would be leased to the Defense Department to hold terror suspects.

It was not immediately clear how the government would pay for the prison and upgrades, but White House officials have floated the idea of including financing for it in the 2010 military appropriations bill.

Earlier this year, Congress enacted a law forbidding Guantánamo detainees to be brought onto United States soil except for the purpose of prosecution. But leading Democrats said they were open to lifting that restriction after the administration came up with a plan for how to handle the prisoners.

@'NY Times'

50 years of Bill Shankly - John Keith

(Thanx Stan)

Anfield Stars to Come Out as City Honours Bill Shankly

LIVERPOOL’S Lord Mayor is to make an on-stage tribute to Bill Shankly at the Echo Arena.

Councillor Mike Storey will commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Bill Shankly’s arrival as manager of Liverpool FC by awarding him the title of Honorary Citizen in recognition of his outstanding contribution not just to football but to the whole City.

Councillor Storey said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to recognise one of our finest special citizen’s and honour everything that he brought to the our city. Bill Shankly represented the city with distinction and never missed an opportunity to talk up the city. He really was a great ambassador for Liverpool and I thought it would be great to be able to give him some form of official recognition and fully acknowledge him as a Liverpool great”.

The Lord Mayor sought the agreement of Party Leaders Cllr Warren Bradley and Cllr Joe Anderson and will be holding a small get together for ex-colleagues, family and friends of Bill Shankly at the Town Hall on Thursday 17th December before making the award during the Shankly Show at the Liverpool Echo Arena, that evening.

Andrew Sherlock writer and director of The Shankly Show approached Councillor Storey with the idea. He said: “It has always rankled with Liverpool fans that we should have had at least two footballing knights, Sir Bill Shankly and Sir Bob Paisley, so on this special anniversary I asked the Lord Mayor if we could honour our own with a special award for Shankly – not just for what he did for LFC but for all football fans and for the life, passion and energy he brought to the City he made his home”.

Receiving the award on behalf of LFC and the Shankly family will be Brian Hall who will also be inviting friends and colleagues from the Former Players Association who, like himself, played under Shankly.

Brian said: “Bill Shankly had the greatest single impact on the development of Liverpool Football Club and on my life more than anyone bar none. It is a phrase that is used often, but of him it is absolutely true, he is a legend. It will be great to get the boys together to honour his memory”.

The Shankly Show is on for two nights only on Thursday 17th and Friday 18th of December at 8pm at the BT Convention Centre with celebration and tributes made on both nights and the Honorary Citizen’s Award to be made on Thursday 17th.

Tickets are available at BT CONVENTION CENTRE (Next to LIVERPOOL ECHO ARENA)

Dates: Thursday 17-Friday 18 December 2009 at 8pm Tickets: £25.00 and £35.00

Liverpool Echo Arena Box Office: 0844 8000 400, in person at the Liverpool Echo Arena or online at www.echoarena.com

Simply Red - Love Fire (Lee Perry Remix)

HERE
(Thanx Alex!)

Courtney Love loses guardianship of daughter to Kurt Cobain's mum & sister

TMZ reports that Courtney Love is no longer the legal guardian of Frances Bean Cobain, her 17-year-old daughter with Kurt Cobain. On Friday, the Los Angeles Superior Court assigned guardianship of Frances Bean to Kurt's mother, Wendy O'Connor, and his sister, Kimberly Dawn Cobain.

According to TMZ, guardianship reassignments like this happen when "the parent is not capable of taking care of their children." Court proceedings are sealed, so we don't know why, exactly, the court found Love to be an unstable parent.

@'Pitchfork'

Christmas light hero

Broadcast and the Focus Group - I See, So I See So

Canadian record industry faces US$6 billion lawsuit

After years of claiming consumers disrespect copyright, the major music labels in Canada are facing a massive lawsuit for copyright infringement; and where the infringer has effectively already admitted owing at least US$50 million and the full claim could exceed $6 billion. By internet law columnist Michael Geist.

Chet Baker was a leading jazz musician in the 1950s, playing trumpet and providing vocals. Baker died in 1988, yet he is about to add a new claim to fame as the lead plaintiff in possibly the largest copyright infringement case in Canadian history. His estate, which still owns the copyright in more than 50 of his works, is part of a massive class-action lawsuit that has been underway for the past year.

The infringer has effectively already admitted owing at least US$50 million and the full claim could exceed $6 billion. If the dollars don’t shock, the target of the lawsuit undoubtedly will: The defendants in the case are Warner Music Canada, Sony BMG Music Canada, EMI Music Canada, and Universal Music Canada, the four primary members of the Canadian Recording Industry Association.

The CRIA members were hit with the lawsuit in October 2008 after artists decided to turn to the courts following decades of frustration with the rampant infringement (I am adviser to the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, which is co-counsel, but have had no involvement in the case).

The claims arise from a longstanding practice of the recording industry in Canada, described in the lawsuit as “exploit now, pay later if at all.” It involves the use of works that are often included in compilation CDs (ie. the top dance tracks of 2009) or live recordings. The record labels create, press, distribute and sell the CDs, but do not obtain the necessary copyright licences.

Instead, the names of the songs on the CDs are placed on a “pending list,” which signifies that approval and payment is pending. The pending list dates back to the late 1980s, when Canada changed its copyright law by replacing a compulsory licence with the need for specific authorization for each use. It is perhaps better characterized as a copyright infringement admission list, however, since for each use of the work, the record label openly admits that it has not obtained copyright permission and not paid any royalty or fee.

The irony of having the [Canadian] recording industry face a massive lawsuit will not be lost on anyone, least of all the artists still waiting to be paid. Indeed, they are also seeking punitive damages, arguing “the conduct of the defendant record companies is aggravated by their strict and unremitting approach to the enforcement of their copyright interests against consumers.”

Over the years, the size of the pending list has grown dramatically, now containing more than 300,000 songs.

From Beyonce to Bruce Springsteen, the artists waiting for payment are far from obscure, as thousands of Canadian and foreign artists have seen their copyrights used without permission and payment.

It is difficult to understand why the industry has been so reluctant to pay its bills. Some works may be in the public domain or belong to a copyright owner difficult to ascertain or locate, yet the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Bruce Cockburn, Sloan, or the Watchmen are not hidden from view.

The more likely reason is that the record labels have had little motivation to pay up. As the balance has grown, David Basskin, the president and CEO of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd., notes in his affidavit that “the record labels have devoted insufficient resources for identifying and paying the owners of musical works on the pending lists.” The CRIA members now face the prospect of far greater liability.

The class action seeks the option of statutory damages for each infringement. At $20,000 per infringement, potential liability exceeds $6 billion.

These numbers may sound outrageous, yet they are based on the same rules that led the recording industry to claim a single file sharer is liable for millions in damages.

After years of claiming Canadian consumers disrespect copyright, the irony of having the recording industry face a massive lawsuit will not be lost on anyone, least of all the artists still waiting to be paid. Indeed, they are also seeking punitive damages, arguing “the conduct of the defendant record companies is aggravated by their strict and unremitting approach to the enforcement of their copyright interests against consumers.”

Note: Michael Geist holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. He can reached at mgeist@uottawa.ca or at michaelgeist.ca. Visit his website at www.michaelgeist.ca. The above article was circulated by Rock & Rap Confidential.

Chet Baker by Peter Slade

Lots of rare Slab stuff for you...thanx Dray!

HERE

Burma opium production up amid tension in north

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says there has been a worrying rise in the extent of opium cultivation in Burma.

According to a new UN survey, the amount of land used for growing opium has increased by almost 50% since 2006.

The UN drugs agency says the cultivation of opium poppies has risen in Burma for the third year in a row.

This is undermining efforts to rid the country of its dependence on profits from illicit crops, it says.

Over 31,000 hectares of land are now devoted to growing opium, an increase of 11% compared to one year ago.

This is still a far cry from the 1990s, when Burma was the world's largest opium producer, part of the infamous Golden Triangle.

However the head of the UN drugs agency, Antonio Maria Costa, says "the trend is going in the wrong direction".

Mr Costa says increased instability in north eastern Burma is driving the rise in drug cultivation, with ethnic militant groups using drug profits to buy arms.

The UN agency is also warning that the region is becoming a major producer of synthetic drugs like amphetamines.

Mr Costa has called for a renewed commitment from governments and donors to tackling the drug problem in south east Asia.
@'BBC'

Climate negotiations 'suspended'

Negotiations at the UN climate summit have been suspended after the African group withdrew co-operation.

African delegations were angry at what they saw as moves by the Danish host government to sideline talks on more emission cuts under the Kyoto Protocol.

As news spread around the conference centre, about 200 activists responded with chants of "We stand with Africa - Kyoto targets now".

It is unclear how matters will proceed now, though informal talks are likely.

Blocs representing poor countries vulnerable to climate change have been adamant that rich nations must commit to emission cuts beyond 2012 under the Kyoto Protocol.

But the EU and the developed world in general has promoted the idea of a new agreement. Developing countries fear they would lose many of the gains they made when the protocol was agreed in 1997.

'Losing time'
Previously during this meeting - formally called the Conference of the Parties (COP) 15 - developing countries have accused the Danish organisers of ignoring their concerns.

Some developing nations are wary of the way negotiations are progressing Developing countries split on CO2

"The president of the COP (Danish climate minister Connie Hedegaard) is absolutely committed to violate any democratic processes," said G77 chief negotiator Lumumba Di-Aping as he explained the latest development.
Last week, the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu forced a suspension after insisting that proposals to amend the UN climate convention and Kyoto Protocol be debated in full.
Kim Carstensen, director of the global climate initiative with environment group WWF, said that much more movement was needed on the Kyoto Protocol negotiations.
"The point is being made very loud that African countries and the wider G77 bloc will not accept non-action on the Kyoto Protocol, and they're really afraid that a deal has been stitched up behind their backs," he told BBC News.
While understanding the G77 position, he said the suspension could affect progress towards a deal.
"We're losing time, and that's a serious matter, because every minute we lose on one issue the chances of getting to the bottom of the next issue diminish."

@'BBC'

Kiki Picasso (Décembre 2009)

HA! The video

HA!

An attacker wielding a statuette of the Milan cathedral struck Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in the face following a rally in Milan on Sunday, and hospital officials said the blow fractured his nose, sliced his lip and broke two teeth.

Bodyguards helped Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, stunned and bloodied, into a car following an attack Sunday in Milan.

Television images showed bodyguards helping a stunned and bloodied prime minister into a car after the attack, which came as he greeted supporters after delivering a rousing speech to a rally of his center-right People of Liberties Party in central Milan.

The police detained a Milan resident identified as Massimo Tartaglia, 42, who has a history of mental illness, Italian news media reported. A prosecutor was questioning Mr. Tartaglia and a formal arrest was expected...

@'NY Times'

Welcome back...

Creation Rockers - Complete Control