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ZDNet - Statement of Lars Ulrich: Lars Ulrich of Metallica testifies against Napster before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The article has three pages, linked by "Continue" links at the end of each page. The third page's "Continue" link is labelled "Now Check Out The Ultimate Napster Guide". It points to a page advertising Napster and giving download and installation instructions. Talk about slapping Mr. Ulrich's face. I think that Metallica would do better to work with Napster on a micro-payment scheme. Most of the people who download pirated music would be happy to pay a dime per song or a dollar per album. I certainly would. [faisal]
Charley Reese at the Orlando Sentinel - That it's politically incorrect is 1 more reason to love 'Patriot': nice review of The Patriot. It's on Mr. Reese's short list of favorite films. [lew]
One reviewer said that a scene in which two small boys and their father ambush a British patrol raises the specter of Columbine High, now the shrine for the gun-control crowd. The critic, however, couldn't be more wrong.Two young boys attacking armed troops who had just killed their brother and torched their home is indicative of the mentally healthy and moral culture that existed in America at the time of the revolution.
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The film's R rating is attributable to the violence in the battle scenes, certainly too intense for preschoolers or especially sensitive children. But I wouldn't hesitate to take preteens to see it. The violence is in the context of morally just war, and although love of family, country and neighbors is celebrated, war is not. It is shown as it is -- bloody and cruel.
Wired - 'Carnivore' Eats Your Privacy: Carnivore is the FBI's internet monitoring system. Everyone's talking about this today. [lew]
"It's the electronic equivalent of listening to everybody's phone calls to see if it's the phone call you should be monitoring. You develop a tremendous amount of information," Mark Rasch, a former federal prosecutor, told the Journal.Representative Bob Barr (R-Ga.), a conservative privacy advocate, said, "If there's one word I would use to describe this, it would be 'frightening.'"
AP via Capitol Hill Blue - FBI e-mail Snooping Device Attacked: another Carnivore story. [wnd]
bob lonsberry - U.S. Can't Solve African AIDS Problem: At the world AIDS conference in South Africa, they're blaming America for their problems. "It's genocide." What exactly are we doing? Neglecting to throw billions of dollars at them. Nonsense.
By "sitting back and doing nothing," they claim, the United States is responsible for what befalls the African victims of this hideous disease.Horse crap.
The solution to Africa's problems lies in Africa. It is a continent of adults, not children. If it wants to be taken seriously, it must act seriously. And responsibly. In this matter, and in all others.
Unnoticed this week was a speech by Kofi Anan, the secretary general of the United Nations, in which he said that the problems of Africa were the creation of Africa. That it is a continent given to war and kleptocracy and inefficient and corrupt government. He said this tendancy has lead to poverty, starvation and disease.
Jude & Patricia Wanniski at WorldNetDaily - Patricia reviews the latest Potter book: It took Patricia Wanniski four hours to devour Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Don't know how she read 734 pages that fast. She liked it. This article is her review. [wnd]
Most importantly, Harry's desire to do good, to do what is right, is central to the premise of the books. He seeks the truth, even when it will cause him pain. And, although it is a magical world, things don't always turn out happily, particularly in the latest book, which sets up the action for the remaining three volumes. But as long as young Harry continues to make the right choices and believe in himself, he is a heck of an example for children. Loyalty, bravery, friendship and honor mean something in Harry's world. Virtues have value.Now that's magic.
