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Judge Orders Record Company Execs To Duluth
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "Lest there be any doubt that District Judge Michael J. Davis, presiding over the Duluth, Minnesota, case, Capitol Records v. Thomas, really does 'get it' about the toxic effect the RIAA, its lead henchman Matthew Oppenheim, and their lawyers have had on the judicial process, all such doubt should be removed by the order he just entered (PDF). It removes control of the decision-making process from the RIAA, Oppenheim, and the lawyers. In the order Judge Davis spells out, in the clearest possible terms so that there can be no misunderstanding, that at the extraordinary 2-day settlement conference he has scheduled for later this month, each record company plaintiff is ordered to produce an 'officer' of the corporation, or a 'managing agent' of the corporation, who has corporate, decision-making, 'power.' The judge makes it clear that no one who has 'settlement authority' with any limits or range attached to it will be acceptable. This means that 'RIAA hitman' Matthew Oppenheim will not be able to control the settlement process as he has been permitted by the Courts to do in the past."
Oh no, here comes an S!!! Doh.
Yes, sort of. Most of Minnesota is full of good straight-laced conservative liberals who would be absolutely mortified to discover they were racists, even though many of them are. And Duluth is small and has a lot of links to the rural communities surrounding it, so it's got this kind of odd mix of "We're liberal and open-minded, really! *BIG GRIN*" and "We're provincial hicks." going.
Economically, Duluth was suffering mightily from the decline of the steel industry in Minnesota. Now it seems to have stabilized and is growing very slowly. It does not have anywhere near the vibrancy and energy of San Francisco going though.
Aesthetically, Duluth is kind of the ruralish town that became a city. Lots of open spaces and forest still left. There are a few interesting buildings there, but nothing to compare to the variety or aesthetic quality of San Francisco.
Regionally, Duluth is Minnesota's most important port city. Duluth, through the Great Lakes, has access to the ocean. It's the easternmost place you can get without going through the Panama Canal if you start in Europe. So, in some ways it has a lot of resemblance to San Francisco in this regard.
Need a Python, C++, Unix, Linux develop
You are right, Sarah would have been so much better.