Monday, 2 August 2010
HA!
A friend received this e/mail...
which reads in part:
"This is the only way I could contact you for now, I want you to be very careful about this and keep this secret with you until I make out space for us to see. You have no need of knowing who I am or where I am from. I know this may sound very surprising to you but it's the situation. I have been paid some ransom in advance to terminate you with some reasons listed to me by my employer. It's someone I believe you call a friend; I have followed you closely for a while now and have seen that you are innocent of the accusations he leveled against you. Do not contact the police or try to send a copy of this to them, because if you do, I will know, and I might be pushed to do what I have been paid to do. Besides, this is the ist time I turn out to be a betrayer in my job. I took pity on you, that is why I have made up my mind to help you if you are willing to help yourself.
Now listen, I will arrange for us to see face to face, but before that, I need $15,000. I will come to your home or you determine where you wish we meet; I repeat, do not arrange for the cops and if you play hard to get, it will be extended to your family. Do not set any camera to cover us or set up any tape to record our conversation; my employer is in my control now. Payment details will be provided for you to make a part payment of $9,000 first, which will serve as guarantee that you are ready to co-operate, then I will post a copy of the video tape that contains his request for me to terminate you which will be enough evidence for you to take any legal action against him before he employs another person for the job. You will pay the balance of $6,000 once you receive the tape.
Warning; do not contact the police, make sure you stay indoors once it is 7.30pm every day until this whole thing is sorted out, if you neglect any of these warnings, you will have yourself to blame. You do not have much time, so get back to me immediately
Note: I will advise you keep this to yourself alone, not even a friend or a family member should know about it because it could be one of them."
Now listen, I will arrange for us to see face to face, but before that, I need $15,000. I will come to your home or you determine where you wish we meet; I repeat, do not arrange for the cops and if you play hard to get, it will be extended to your family. Do not set any camera to cover us or set up any tape to record our conversation; my employer is in my control now. Payment details will be provided for you to make a part payment of $9,000 first, which will serve as guarantee that you are ready to co-operate, then I will post a copy of the video tape that contains his request for me to terminate you which will be enough evidence for you to take any legal action against him before he employs another person for the job. You will pay the balance of $6,000 once you receive the tape.
Warning; do not contact the police, make sure you stay indoors once it is 7.30pm every day until this whole thing is sorted out, if you neglect any of these warnings, you will have yourself to blame. You do not have much time, so get back to me immediately
Note: I will advise you keep this to yourself alone, not even a friend or a family member should know about it because it could be one of them."
Gotta give this scammer some credit...
DMCA notices for Radiohead's 'In Rainbows'
In 2007 Radiohead sent a shockwave through the music industry by allowing fans to download their new 'self-released' album 'In Rainbows' for whatever price they wanted to pay, including nothing. Fast-forward three years and the RIAA and IFPI are sending takedown notices to people who share that album online. What happened?
After sitting out their contact with EMI, Radiohead self-released their latest album ‘In Rainbows’ and gave fans the option to download it for the price they felt comfortable paying. Not only was this one of the best promotional campaigns of the last decade, it also brought in serious money.
Radiohead said that the scheme made more money online than all of their other albums combined. The band was obviously proud that they had bypassed the major labels successfully. In the years that followed the band members lobbied for more rights for artists, and less power for the labels.
Last year, Radiohead and several other well known artists formed a lobby group with the aim of ending the extortion-like practices of record labels and allowing artists to gain more control over their own work. The artists were unhappy with the fact that the labels, represented by lobby groups such as the RIAA and IFPI, push their anti-piracy agenda without consulting the artists they claim to represent.
Going after fans is not the solution to the problems the industry is facing, they argued.
Considering the above, it came as a surprise to us when we found out that the RIAA and IFPI are still taking anti-piracy measures on behalf of Radiohead. Both the RIAA and IFPI have been sending out takedown notices to Google (RIAA, IFPI), urging it to disable blogger accounts and filter search results where Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ is offered for free. What went wrong here?
Although some people think that the ‘In Rainbows’ album is still available for free, the free offer really only lasted a few months. After that, the revolutionary ‘pay-what-you-want’ model was traded in for traditional licensing schemes with major labels.
The download versions of the album are still self-released, but for the physical copies Radiohead teamed up with record labels such as Warner and Sony. Because of these deals, major record labels now have the ‘rights’ to a piece of ‘In Rainbows’ and they are using this power to take down copies that are distributed online without their authorization.
It is of course ironic that an album that was once seen as the next step towards a new business model in the music industry, is now heavily protected by industry anti-piracy bodies. On the other hand, it is doubtful if the takedown requests are actually legitimate because the labels have the rights to physical distribution, not digital.
TorrentFreak contacted a Radiohead representative to discuss RIAA and IFPI practices but they declined to comment. Still, with all the sensible comments the band’s members have made about sharing in the past, we assume that they don’t approve of the tactics employed by the RIAA and IFPI. Or do they?
Ernesto @'Torrent Freak'
♪♫ Bad Brains - Live in Netherlands 1988
The Bad Brains smoking and playing a couple of songs in 1988:
With the Quickness
The Prophet's Eye
I Against I
via I smoke two joints
Liverpool consider Chinese takeover bid
Liverpool could be bought by a Chinese business tycoon within days, according to a source close to the deal.
Kenny Huang, head of Hong Kong-based investment company QSL Sports Ltd, wants to take full control of the Reds, who have been up for sale since April.
"A deal has to be done before the transfer window closes [on 31 August]," a source close to Huang told BBC Sport.
"Huang has made a firm proposal. The club's board has to sanction the sale and it could be sewn up in days."
Huang has been talking for several weeks to representatives of the Royal Bank of Scotland, with the aim of taking full control of the Premier League club.
RBS are Liverpool's main creditors, owed about £237m by American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
"Kenny is the only serious bidder interested in the club and he's optimistic," added the source.
Huang is offering to clear Liverpool's debt to RBS and hand new manager Roy Hodgson funds to do business in the transfer window.
The tycoon also plans to build the club a new stadium as soon as possible.
Huang was reported to have turned down the chance to buy Liverpool in 2008 because he felt a valuation of £650m was too high. BBC Sport understands he now values the club at about £350m.
Hicks and Gillett bought the Reds in March 2007 in a deal that valued the club at £218.9m.
But the American duo have endured a difficult time at Anfield, with supporters regularly voicing their dissatisfaction at the level of debt taken on by the club after their buyout.
Last October, several hundred Liverpool fans staged a protest march against the owners ahead of their Premier League match against Manchester United.
The board's popularity with the fans disintegrated further when Hicks' son, Tom Hicks Jr, became embroiled in a row with a supporter who alleged the American had sent him abusive emails.
As a result, Hicks Jr resigned as a director of the club and parent company Kop Holdings, leading to a restructure of the board.
Gillett and Hicks have also endured a fractious relationship with each other, which early on in their reign threatened to undermine their ownership with the former revealing the partnership had become "unworkable".
In 2008, Hicks blocked Gillett's moves to sell his 50% share to Dubai International Capital group as the pair feuded over future plans for the club.
An outright £500m takeover bid by the DIC group was also rebuffed, with Hicks hinting he would attempt an outright takeover bid himself.
They subsequently patched up their differences but took the decision less than four months ago to put the club up for sale, insisting there had been numerous expressions of interest in a buyout.
British Airways boss Martin Broughton was brought in as Liverpool chairman in April to facilitate the sale of the club and along with Hicks and Gillett is part of a five-man board at Liverpool that also includes chief executive Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre.
Dan Roan @'BBC'
WikiLeaks reveals Australian weapons found in hands of Taliban
Australian weapons and equipment have repeatedly been discovered among Taliban stockpiles, raising fears that Afghan troops trained by Diggers have been pilfering military supplies.
Documents released by the WikiLeaks website show that in the past six years International Security Assistance Force troops have uncovered Australian mortar shells, a hand-grenade and other equipment when defusing roadside bombs and capturing Taliban weapons stores.
Australian soldiers have trained hundreds of Afghan army soldiers, and work alongside Afghan police.
Last December a NATO patrol found Australian equipment in a Taliban weapons cache, alongside AK-47 rifles and materials to make roadside bombs. The equipment found is used by Australian soldiers to ensure their safety during offensives, and if used by insurgents it could disrupt the distinct advantage held by NATO troops.
The Defence Department has asked the Herald not to publish any details identifying this equipment. The department is reviewing the tens of thousands of WikiLeaks documents and did not respond directly to the reports about Australian weapons, other than saying ''an important part of this review will be determining whether there are force protection implications for our personnel''.
Last year the US found there were incomplete records for about a third of $US4 billion ($4.4 billion) worth of US-purchased weapons used by the Afghan military.
US soldiers training Afghan forces have repeatedly complained about pilfering, with one US officer reported as saying: ''It's not, 'Let me teach you your job'. It's more like, 'How much did you steal from the American government today?' ''
Defence sources with experience of training in Oruzgan province doubted that Australian weapons were going missing. Such reports are ''probably a load of crap'', said one source. ''There may be a misunderstanding about what is being reported.''
Sources said Afghans usually use their own weapons, not Australian munitions, when trained by Australian troops.
The Taliban have been found to have used rifles, mortars and other weapons made in the US, Russia and China.
Rafael Epstein @'SMH'
4 добровольца едва не сгорели в лес. пожаре под Выксой
I think there was a reason that road was closed!
Do That Dance! Australian Post Punk 1977-1983
The years 1977 to 1983 saw an explosion of musical creativity in inner city Sydney and Melbourne. Following the do-it-yourself revolution of punk, young Australians were inspired to make challenging music without boundaries, to form bands, start independent labels, and to run live music venues, all outside the commercially driven confines of the mainstream industry. This groundbreaking activity laid the foundation for contemporary music in Australia. The vital output from Australian post punk has gained an international reputation.
Sydney's inner city post punk music scene revolves around a social set based in the terrace houses and industrial spaces of then run-down Darlinghurst and Surry Hills. Bands shared living spaces, rehearsal rooms, equipment, and band members, forging sounds without precedence. And for the first time, women were taking their place as equal and integral players. Inner city pubs and clubs, faced with a dwindling clientele of working men, opened their doors to the art-punk bands and an enthusiastic audience soon followed. Iconic venues included the Sussex Hotel and the Trade Union Club. By 1980, the burgeoning scene also gave rise to the independent labels M Squared and Terse Tapes.
Melbourne's post punk scene is defined by distinct locations, and ideologies - the North Fitzroy Beat; St Kilda's Crystal Ballroom; and the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre. Led by Melbourne's most infamous band the Primitive Calculators, the North Fitzroy Beat gave rise to the anarchic Little Bands movement, with the Calculators inviting anyone to step up and use their music equipment. Meanwhile 'south of the river', St Kilda was the decadent playground of larger-than-life groups such as the Birthday Party, the Moodists, and the touring Go-Betweens. The Clifton Hill Community Music Centre was an experimental space for a strange mix of Melbourne intelligentsia, music academics, and precocious post-punks, giving rise to the groups Tsk Tsk Tsk and Essendon Airport.
Part 1 (Sydney) - Download Audio
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