12:15 p.m. PT: Remember Margaret Seltzer, aka Margaret Jones, the woman who wrote a memoir about being a half white, half Indian child growing up in a foster home in South Central Los Angeles and joining a gang?
You may recall that she was exposed as a liar. She’s not half Indian, didn’t grow up in a foster home, and wasn’t a gang member. See Crips, Bloods, and Rats for background.
In a video recorded before she was exposed, she explains what her “life” was like. Margaret Seltzer has serious fantasy want-to-be-down issues. Homies. I still can’t get over that. I haven’t heard anybody talk like that in years. Anyway, watch and listen as Seltzer makes up stuff. With a straight face:
9:15 a.m. PT: I’ve blogged about a case called Atlantic Recording Corporation v. Pamela and Jeffrey Howell a few times, and I wanted to give you an update.
You may recall that the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) sued a couple for transferring copyrighted digital music files to a peer-to-peer network (P2P) called Kazaa.
According to an earlier RIAA motion for summary judgment, Jeffrey Howell admitted to loading Kazaa file-sharing software onto his computer and placing the files at issue into the folder. The court granted the motion for summary judgment. (A summary judgment means that a court makes a judgment in a case without a full trial.)
Howell later said he admitted no such thing. In his motion to reconsider, he admitted creating a Kazaa account, installing Kazaa software, and authorizing “certain types of files to be shared through KaZaA.” But he denied placing copyrighted files into the shared folder or authorizing sharing those files. He claims that his computer placed the files into the Kazaa folder.
It wasn’t me. It was my computer! Sounds strange (as a defense), but it makes a difference legally.
The RIAA filed another motion for summary judgment. On Monday, a federal court denied it on two grounds. Download the 17-page order in PDF.
As I mentioned before, the RIAA wants to nab people on a “make available” claim. If a user has placed copyrighted files in a P2P folder, the files have been made available for distribution. Regardless of whether the user intends to distribute the files or actually distributes the files, he has infringed copyright and should be held liable.
7:41 a.m. PT: I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve talked trash about California:
“Hey, if the Mexicans want California, give it to them!”
“Full of liberals and illegal aliens!”
“If the entire state sank into the Pacific, would anybody care?”
“Hollywood and gangs. Corrupt and dangerous!”
But every time I travel here to visit my sister (who works full time and attends John MacArthur’s Master’s College), it’s always a pleasant shock to the system. I’m so used to DC’s overcast days, the bright sun is jarring. I wake up to sunshine and a view of the hills, and I forget whatever it is I don’t like about the “left coast.” Sis thinks I should move out here, especially since I’m interested in how digital technology is changing the music industry. I can learn about that anywhere, thanks to digital tech, but doing it in California certainly has its advantages.
11:20 a.m. PT: Sin’s earthly consequences can be debilitating, humiliating, and heartbreaking, but the eternal consequences are deadly. God calls his people to be holy, a tall order for fallen humans.
Reading about the struggles of fellow Christians is always heartening. No man is without sin, but it’s encouraging to know that one can overcome specific sins. I’m reading a book called Secret Sex Wars: A Battle Cry For Purity, a collection of essays written by black Christian men about sexual sin — how to break the chains, how to strive toward God’s requirement of holiness, etc.
I met one contributor at my sister’s church yesterday. (I’m in CA visiting sis for a couple of weeks.) Paul Felix co-wrote the introduction and penned an essay in the book titled “Living According to the Will of God.” Other essays include “Learning from Men Who Have Fallen,” “Putting Sin to Death,” and “Training Our Sons to Overcome Sexual Temptation.”
Secret Sex Wars was edited by Robert Scott, an instructor at the Los Angeles Bible Training School and a professor at Biola University (in La Mirada, CA), organizer and sponsor of the annual God Blog Conference.
8 a.m PT: Silly, overreacting, hyperbole-uttering black politicians bored with the important work they should be doing will have to get over themselves. The Supreme Court has spoken: it is not unconstitutional [or racist] to require voters to present photo identification before voting. (Source) Always reminded of the Stepin Fetchit stereotype whenever black liberal politicians [...]
8:21 a.m. PT: Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.” In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I [...]
Greetings! Yes, I still breathe. Just taking a blog break. I wanted to update the entry below, originally published on April 7, 2008. Steve at Hog on Ice wrote a response to my post called Abstinence and the Suburbs. While I don’t agree with everything he writes, his point of view is worth noting. He [...]
***Scroll down for updates*** Since I started blogging about digital music late last year, I’ve heard from readers who say they don’t listen to popular music but find the whole illegal downloading and file sharing debate interesting. Others have suggested artists and bands I might like, and some said they’ve become fans of artists I [...]
I’m geeking out over this news. Have you heard? Flickr users with Pro accounts ($25 a year) can now upload videos along with photos (90-second limit). I’ve got at least 50 short clips from family gatherings and other events going back to 2005. They were on two hard drives, waiting patiently for me to convert [...]
*Scroll down for updates* I had the pleasure of interviewing country singer Rissi Palmer a couple of weeks ago for Christian Music Today. She spoke openly about her faith and its influence on her debut album and career. Check it out. Also see my review of Rissi’s album and Glimpses of God: Hanson: The Walk. [...]
So I’m reading a post about another Radiohead-related “innovative” move, a social networking space called Waste Central. I don’t know if Radiohead’s officially endorsed the site, but fans are creating profiles and blogs, uploading photos, music, and videos, signing up for special e-mail addresses, inviting friends, and communicating with other members on W.A.S.T.E. (which, by [...]
I don’t listen to rap. I don’t know anything about rapper/producer Jay-Z’s music. Even if my life depended on it, I couldn’t tell you a thing other than “rapper.” But his deal, announced yesterday, is noteworthy. Many Millions Jay-Z dumped his record label, Def Jam, and cast his lot with Live Nation, a concert promotion [...]
“With that malignant envy which turns pale, And sickens, even if a friend prevail.” – Charles Churchill Notes on Envy I allow myself a couple of minutes to wallow in bitter blogger envy every time I read about some blogger’s success, like landing a fat book deal. And then I pick myself up off the [...]
Do a Google search on any band or individual artist. Go ahead. I’ll wait. The top three search results turned out to be an official web site, a Wikipedia page, and a MySpace page, right? If you want to know more about a band or individual artist — where they’re from, how long they’ve been [...]
Illegal file sharing and baby killing. What a combination! All in a day’s blogging… Don’t like black folks? Planned Parenthood wants you. Just pick up the phone, call Planned Parenthood, admit you don’t like black people, and request that your donation go toward the destruction of black unborn babies. Margaret Sanger’s dream lives on! You [...]
9:15 a.m. PT: I’ve blogged about a case called Atlantic Recording Corporation v. Pamela and Jeffrey Howell a few times, and I wanted to give you an update. 
