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MPAA Names Dan Glickman To Replace Jack Valenti
Zordak writes "Fox News is reporting that the MPAA has chosen a new chief to replace Jack Valenti. Dan Glickman is an avid Linux user, a well-known consumer advocate, vehemently critical of the DMCA and a member of the EFF. Ha ha. Just kidding, Dave Barry style. Dan Glickman is actually a seasoned Washington politician, having served as a Kansas representative and agriculture secretary under President Clinton. He has previously been a lobbyist for the Walt Disney Corporation, and his son is the producer of such quality fare as 'Shanghai Knights' and 'Rush Hour.' Don't be looking for that 'approved' Linux DVD player soon."
I thought there was already one...
There's a very informative biography on him here.
An effective signature identifies a particular user amongst a base of thousands.
Under Glickman's leadership, USDA has restructured and modernized its enormous, decentralized field office structure, helping cut administrative and overhead costs by about $4 billion. He also has taken a strong, personal interest in civil rights. The Department has recently reviewed its civil rights practices for the first time and has dramatically improved its commitment to fairness and equality, in both treatment of its employees and execution of its programs. At Glickman's direction, the Department settled one of the largest civil rights class action suits filed against the U.S. Government.
Unfortunately, I didn't get interested in local politics until nearly the end of his term in office, so I can't say too much about his political leanings...
Microsoft delenda est!
Only $4.95!
Okay, here's some background to catch you up on things (you've clearly been on vacation for a while).
1) Watching a DVD in the United States is ILLEGAL, unless you're using an approved player. Fines and jail time. Not enforced, but it's the law, and it makes people skittish. I find that skittishness reasonable.
2) There is one approved DVD player for Linux, called LinDVD. It's been available for years, except nobody has ever managed to get a copy of it. It's vaporware. Seriously--try to buy this software and see how far you get.
3) All other DVD players work great, but are not approved, and therefore the use of these players in the United States is a criminal act.
I personally don't give a crap and take the "no cop, no stop" approach to the DMCA. I'll watch my movies on my computer until they start arresting people for it. Then I'll stop and move to Canada.
You know the old saying "You can't teach and old Dog... Blah, Blah, Blah."
Like we are all suprised. I mean come on, you Didn't think thay would pick someone, that actuaqlly gave a DAMN, or actually understands something other that the party line.
Begin Snippet-- Before his election to Congress in 1976, Secretary Glickman served as president of the Wichita, Kansas, School Board; was a partner in the law firm of Sargent, Klenda and Glickman; and worked as a trial attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He received his B.A. in history from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the George Washington University. He is a member of the Kansas and District of Columbia Bars.
Secretary Glickman serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange; Communities in Schools; America's Second Harvest; Food Research and Action Center; RFK Memorial Foundation; and The Farm Foundation. He is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. He is also on the International Advisory Board of The Coca-Cola Company; co-chairs the U.S. Consensus Council (with former Governor Marc Racicot) and The Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology (with former Congressman Vin Weber). He has been a senior fellow and part-time instructor in the public policy departments at Georgetown University and Wichita State University.
Lifted from http://www.iop.harvard.edu/who/director.html
End Snippet--
And to add to the List "head Shill for the MPAA"
My cat's picked up a Hammer. HEY! Put down that Hammer. Put Down that Hamm...THUNK!
Sonny Bono is the singer (sonny & cher turned congressman who gave us the copyright extensions.
Bono is the U2 singer and guitarist. Lately, he's been lobbying various governments to forgive 3rd world debt.
Any relationship with Mickey was coincidence
Not at all. Disney heavily lobbied for this extension to get it passed shortly before a bunch of Disney's IP passed into the public domain. These facts are well documented, for example here, and here, and a lot more places like those. Just because the laws in Europe had protection terms of that length doesn't mean that those terms make sense. And just because someone at the USPTO says that the extension "ensures that American creators will enjoy the same term of protection in Europe as is provided to their European counterparts." doesn't mean that that's the real reason the extension was passed.
I suggest that those developers involved in software projects which are impacted by MPAA policies get in contact with Dan and present their cases in a reasoned and non-confrontational way. We may be able to partially turn around MPAA silliness.
"Jackie Chan kicks ass (literally). "
Nooo Bruce Lee kicked as literally, Jackie Chan was trained in Chinese Theater i.e Kinking ass (figurativly)
I like his movies, and still think 'The Big Brawl' is one of his best.
He is starting to do fewer of his own stunts. Don't blame him, he is getting a little old to be jumping from one building to another.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
uh, Gorbachev's policies are seen by most of the world as having ended the cold war. the idea that it was all thanks to Reagan and star wars is something the Republicans came up with and only an American would believe.
What part of "military-industrial complex" did you miss, there? Of course Lockheed has good engineers working for them, but the existence of Lockheed comprimises military decisions. Like the Joint Strike Fighter. The US Army has no use for that shit, we're paying for the design so Lockheed can sell it to Israel and everything, because the Eurofighter and that French one are making the F-14 and everything obsolete, and we won't let them sell the F-22 to anybody else for another 20 years or so.
We're blowing billions of federal dollars that could be used for body armor or whatever solely to make money for Lockeed, because they make the best fighting craft in the world, and as such the military feels it owes them loyalty. That's what we call the military-industrial complex.
Let's see -- TR started the Forest Service and many national parks -- no Republican since has ever been so environmentally conscious.
Hello? Nixon? Clean Air Act... Clean Water Act...