We’re got a new DIGG feature at the top. Try it and let me know what you think.

did I get the zed?

Hi, Jane

Jane Hamsher @ 1

We’re got a new DIGG feature at the top. Try it and let me know what you think.

mmm, I must be dense or something. I clicked on it and…nothing happens.

good question, Toby.
I know we let TRex “zed” his own thread once, but it was his birthday…

FunnyDiva

Hi Jane!

Funnydiva2002 @ 5

good question, Toby.
I know we let TRex “zed” his own thread once, but it was his birthday…

FunnyDiva

And for the therapod, nothing is too much…

Good afternoon to you, Jane!

Toby Wollin @ 2

did I get the zed?

In a word, no. Make room for the proprietress…*g*

Biodun @ 9

Toby Wollin @ 2

did I get the zed?

In a word, no. Make room for the proprietress…*g*

Ker-ack!! Take that!!
Oh, no, Biodun..I didn’t mean it..I’ll put the zed back….
No wire hangers!!!

Jane Hamsher @ 1

We’re got a new DIGG feature at the top. Try it and let me know what you think.

How does ths work? I tried to register and it says someone already is using my handle.

Biodun @ 9

Toby Wollin @ 2

did I get the zed?

In a word, no. Make room for the proprietress…*g*

Every once in a while I get lucky.

I try not to take undue advantage of the fact that I know in advance when posts are going up, though.

The web is the future of media, entertainment, the arts, education, business, sports, politics - you name it.

I’ve been teaching a course in Music Appreciation in college now for seven years. When I started, wikipedia was in its infancy, and very unreliable. Now it is a useful tool for students and educators alike (and kids need to know the rules on attibution more than ever!!!). Seven years ago YouTube didn’t exist. Now I could teach my course from it. Things are changing so fast.

For Jane to use the BG writer’s problem as an example shows how fully employers realize the vast potential out there for profits on the web. They and their stockholders are being greedy - it’s as simple as that…

Toby Wollin @ 4

Jane Hamsher @ 1

We’re got a new DIGG feature at the top. Try it and let me know what you think.

mmm, I must be dense or something. I clicked on it and…nothing happens.

You have to create an account, they don’t ask for a lot of info. Click on the yellow digg and then, I think,look at the top blue navigation bar to sign up. maybe “my account” just can’t remember exactly.

Jane Hamsher @ 1

We’re got a new DIGG feature at the top. Try it and let me know what you think.

Before I join - what is it?

the theme MUST be that intelectual property needs to be rewarded with portions of the profit that the suppliers created for the investors

without the suppliers of this property there is NO profit, these people need to be compensated for their talent and their work

that’s the way this needs to be framed, we need to take “ownership” away from the investors, the monetary investors are merely one facet in those that need a return on what they’ve invested

very simple stuff here, you buy this kind of property is is multi faceted ownership

“The WGA really needs to take a stand on new technologies now, and this is a very specific example of what will keep happening if they don’t.”
The problem as I see it is that no one out there knows what technologies are going to be developed. No one. When I was at Newhouse (Syracuse Univ) in 1974, the hottest thing was 1″ wide videotape. We were editing film with razor blades. There was no such thing as personal computers. There were tape casettes. Look what has happened to people who were making recorded music in the 70s - their music is now being sold as cds, individual tracks, downloaded..sliced, diced, etc.
And the artists are still being screwed, except for the ones who are selling their own.
As long as the writers do not build a sufficiently broad net for their work, they will continue to get screwed every time the production houses figure out a new way to slice,dice and sell their stuff. They will continue to make money off the writers’ work…ad infinitum.
Personally, if I were a writer, I’d want these sorts of payment rights to be a family asset that could be passed down to my kids.

…ah, Hollywood, my Hollywood…

(I work as an editor in the animation industry, and can verify that the requests for freebies have gotten way worse over the years. and, shamefully, I have to admit that we’ve given far more than we should have.)

Jane:

I try not to take undue advantage of the fact that I know in advance when posts are going up, though.

Yes indeed: I notice that your zed comment is at 11:56, while your post itself is time-stamped at 11:57. Time travel perhaps? The future happens before the past. That sorta thing. *G*

annagranfors @ 18

…ah, Hollywood, my Hollywood…

(I work as an editor in the animation industry, and can verify that the requests for freebies have gotten way worse over the years. and, shamefully, I have to admit that we’ve given far more than we should have.)

As we say here at home: Why buy the cow when you can milk it through the fence?

Great exposition on the merits of WGA position.

(for what it’s worth, I hope my defense of Freston on last WGA thread, wasn’t taken as rejection of WGA position that they should be paid for the material they create).

Ed*ard Teller @ 15

Jane Hamsher @ 1

We’re got a new DIGG feature at the top. Try it and let me know what you think.

Before I join - what is it?

Take a digg tour
or
How digg works

Question- I know that for SAG you have to make a certain amount per year to be eligible for certain union benefits like health insurance (which is not free).

Is this the case also for WGA? If so, then that’s an extra dimension re: payment to writers.

I heard the series “24″ has already been affected by the strike, but that management had solved the problem by changing its name to “12 1/2″. *g*

Off topic, sorry

Wanna know why DiFi is squishy on telecom immunity?

It has absolutely nothing to do with quid pro quo does it?

No! Of course not (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

That guy wrote Field of Dreams?

I bow in his general direction.

digga digga bopp

john in sacramento @ 25

Off topic, sorry

Wanna know why DiFi is squishy on telecom immunity?

It has absolutely nothing to do with quid pro quo does it?

No! Of course not (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

OK I surrender..there vote is so much bigger than mine.

Some people seems to be more clueless than others. Comment currently on the front page at LATimes.com:

…strikers usually are just worker bees striking for a living wage and security. However, in the case of the writers’ strike management is up against a level of greed that almost matches its own. Then throw in incalculable vanity and ego and you’ve got Hollywood at its loveliest.
-Kim

The writers for the Simpsons get it: they don’t think the stuff online (’webisodes’?) is ‘promotional material’.

Off topic but received from the AFL-CIO family activist alert:

Congress recently passed a health and education bill with much needed help for our workers, veterans and children.

But President Bush vetoed the bill. Apparently he’d rather spend half a trillion in Iraq than provide a fraction of that for our needs here at home. And this week, Congress will have the chance to override Bush’s veto.
Click here to tell (your rep) to stand up to Bush and invest in America’s priorities.
The White House has called the bill “wasteful.” In fact, the funding contained in this labor, health and education bill is absolutely critical. Among other things, it contains:
$3.4 billion for state unemployment insurance and employment services.
$340 million to strengthen mine safety protections.
$183 million to enforce wage and hour laws.
$37 billion for school districts across America.
$16.4 billion to lower costs of student loans.
$2 billion for affordable, high-quality child care for low-income families.
$7 billion for Head Start programs.
$2.2 billion for community health centers.
The U.S. House passed the bill with strong bipartisan support and came up just three votes shy of a veto-proof majority.
(your reps) vote could make the difference.
It’s time Congress stood up to President Bush and his misplaced priorities. Tell Congress to override the Bush veto:

Chimpy only believes in Head Start for Billionaires.

mui @ 30

Chimpy only believes in Head Start for Billionaires.

it’s not easy to be born on third base.

Video of studio execs bragging about the money to be made from the internet. Scumbags.

U R a funny guy, Hugh.

I’m on a plane back to DC in a few but want to put your scroll.

Corrected first draft found of Field of Dreams:

Ray, people will come Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won’t mind if you look around, you’ll say. It’s only $20 per person. They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they’ll walk out to the kitchen bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect evening afternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baseboards baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game and it’ll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been the Iowa Caucuses baseball.

Somehow, that didn’t play well for the focus groups.

puppethead @ 32

Video of Studio execs bragging about the money to be made from the internet. Scumbags.

But remember - they see it as their RIGHT to do this…and anything or anyone who infringes on that right …ticks them off.

Webisodes, webisodes. Why doesn’t surprise me the writers are being ripped off, dishonourably treated, because it is in a way a matter of honor. Fair treatment.

selise @ 30

mui @ 30

Chimpy only believes in Head Start for Billionaires.

it’s not easy to be born on third base.

that silver spoon in the mouth can be really dangerous when sliding back into third base on a pick-off attempt.

selise @ 31

mui @ 30

Chimpy only believes in Head Start for Billionaires.

it’s not easy to be born on third base.

Selise, did you get my e-mail?

puppethead @ 32

Video of studio execs bragging about the money to be made from the internet. Scumbags.

That actually reminds me somehow of the recent post here on Alaskan politicians bragging about being corrupt. Kinda psycho.

What Digby Said:

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com.....se-by.html

re: fisa and lobbying: ann in az inspired me this morning with her talk of group faxes… so i went and a group vCard that includes all the senators - if it works like i think it should, you can import it into your email program and have phone #, fax #, email, and dc snail mail addresses.

if it works, and is useful - i’ll do the house of representatives too (that will take me longer!).

but first i need a beta tester i can send the file to and who will test it. if it works, i’ll post it somewhere for downloading.

any volunteers?

Ann in AZ @ 38

Selise, did you get my e-mail?

yes! it worked brilliantly - and you inspired me to go a bit crazy… (see my note above).

ygm. i sent you the file, in the hopes that you would give it a test drive.

selise @ 41

re: fisa and lobbying: ann in az inspired me this morning with her talk of group faxes… so i went and a group vCard that includes all the senators - if it works like i think it should, you can import it into your email program and have phone #, fax #, email, and dc snail mail addresses.

if it works, and is useful - i’ll do the house of representatives too (that will take me longer!).

but first i need a beta tester i can send the file to and who will test it. if it works, i’ll post it somewhere for downloading.

any volunteers?

n e w t o n u s r
at
aol dot com
:)

Its amazing how so many artists and writers are actually givers, but studios, the music industry and publishing companies seem to want to hold the work hostage. It’s ok to want to make a profit. But to be absolutely draconian about it . . . Disney?!?

OT, via bmaz at emptywheel’s site:

The University of Florida is paying Alberto Gonzalez $40,000 for a speech — i.e., they’re paying him hush money. Can you imagine how fucking angry you’d be if you were a UF faculty member or student?

http://thenexthurrah.typepad.c.....l#comments

SEE ALSO Joss Whedon’s gratifyingly frequent posts on this at whedonesque.com.

(why I love Joss, number 987 in a series: so obviously “on our side”)

charlie don’t surf @ 40

What Digby Said:

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com.....se-by.html

Important stuff there:
“The propensity to exploit in competitive “glamour” fields is very, very strong and it was always about making sure that those who weren’t on the A-list could make a decent living and build normal middle class lives. (And from the beginning many of the A-list marched in solidarity with their less rich and famous brethren. It may even have been partially in self-interest. Show business may be one of the most insecure professions on earth.)”
Ding, ding, ding!!!
This is the point — the successful ones march with those who struggle to help the less fortunate ones. Today’s “high flyer” is tomorrow’s “cancelled show” - so it always helps to support one another.
That is why it is important. And that is why we need to care.

My wife’s been watching “Ugly Betty” on ABC.com. I noticed last night the video is shown in a screen with a Kleenex logo prominently displayed at top throughout and Kleenex commercials in the spot where ads would be shown on broadcast TV.

So Kleenex isn’t paying anything to ABC for that, right? They’re not being charged by ABC based on any sort of cumulative audience, correct?

When I watched those webisodes for the first time I remember thinking “man, that is some good writing.” I can’t believe they didn’t get paid for them.

newtonusr @ 43 -

thanks! ygm.

the idea was that the contacts could be used for sending faxes to a group of phone numbers. but i haven’t gotten that far yet - ann in az did it this morning, though… so i hope it is doable.

brendan @ 45

OT, via bmaz at emptywheel’s site:

The University of Florida is paying Alberto Gonzalez $40,000 for a speech — i.e., they’re paying him hush money. Can you imagine how fucking angry you’d be if you were a UF faculty member or student?

http://thenexthurrah.typepad.c.....l#comments

Any students there who want to ask Gonzo about his third torture memo?

mui @ 44

Its amazing how so many artists and writers are actually givers, but studios, the music industry and publishing companies seem to want to hold the work hostage. It’s ok to want to make a profit. But to be absolutely draconian about it . . . Disney?!?

Musicians have long known all this. Didja know whan when you sign a recording contract, they own the copyrights in perpetuity? If they take your stuff off the market, they still own the rights.

Sign a book deal, on the other hand, and you typically get your copyright back if the publisher takes it out of print.

But, say, your label deal expires and your album is no longer available. You would owe the original record company royalities were you to re-release your own stuff years later.

Q: How do you become a millionaire in music?

A: Start out with at least two million dollars.

annagranfors @ 46

SEE ALSO Joss Whedon’s gratifyingly frequent posts on this at whedonesque.com.

(why I love Joss, number 987 in a series: so obviously “on our side”)

Buffy the Vampire slayer rocked.

Aren’t the days of people getting paid for their writing and intellectual property coming to an end? I mean no one is going to pay for TV anymore now that you can just download it from the net for free and there must be 2000 blogs on every topic under the sun so paying for news is over, and now there are people giving away books and video podcasts and movies.

Old media is dead. Content and information is free.

Selise,
does this mass fax work only with OUTLOOK?

selise @ 50

newtonusr @ 43 -

thanks! ygm.

the idea was that the contacts could be used for sending faxes to a group of phone numbers. but i haven’t gotten that far yet - ann in az did it this morning, though… so i hope it is doable.

I can’t do it on this computer. I remember once group faxing something and getting a snippy reply from Arlen Spectors staff.

Jane, thaks for keeping this on the front burner, and cudos to Edwards for making an appearance. Maybe that will be enough to get more coverage.

LA Times is revealed and shamed. Dead tree media, soon to be completely dead, I hope. The small tabloids produced for/by local communities are really good here.

Writers are just now riding point for a large number of other workers and future workers.

Huge Buffy fan here.

Season Six rocked.

Folk singer John McCutcheon is a great fan of labor, and uses many old labor songs in his recordings and concerts. I’ve heard him tell the story of one of his Australian tours, where an older, tattooed guy kept showing up at show after show. Finally, out of sheer curiousity, he went out during the intermission and found the guy, who requested a specific song. “I know the song,” says John to the fan, “but I’ve never performed it. How about something else.” The answer was blunt: “No.” The reason is that the fan had been a union electrician who helped to build the Syndey Opera House, and during the construction Paul Robeson pulled up in his limo, sang a full concert for the construction crew on the site of the Opera House, and concluded it with that specific song. “It was like we were in church,” said the electrician, “all singing with tears running down our faces.”

The song?

Joe Hill
(words by Alfred Hayes, music by Earl Robinson)

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you and me
Says I, “But Joe, you’re ten years dead”
“I never died,” says he (2x)

“The copper bosses killed you, Joe
“They shot you, Joe,” says I
“Takes more than guns to kill a man”
Says Joe, “I didn’t die”

Standing there as big as life
And smiling with his eyes
Joe says, “What they could never kill
“Went on to organize!”

“From San Diego, up to Maine
“In every mine and mill
“When workers fight and organize
“It’s there you’ll find Joe Hill”

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you and me
Says I, “But Joe, you’re ten years dead”
“I never died,” says he. (2x)

Joe Hill is obviously still walking . . .

BobbyG @ 52

mui @ 44

Its amazing how so many artists and writers are actually givers, but studios, the music industry and publishing companies seem to want to hold the work hostage. It’s ok to want to make a profit. But to be absolutely draconian about it . . . Disney?!?

Musicians have long known all this. Didja know whan when you sign a recording contract, they own the copyrights in perpetuity? If they take your stuff off the market, they still own the rights.

Sign a book deal, on the other hand, and you typically get your copyright back if the publisher takes it out of print.

But, say, your label deal expires and your album is no longer available. You would owe the original record company royalities were you to re-release your own stuff years later.

Q: How do you become a millionaire in music?

A: Start out with at least two million dollars.

There are issues in publishing as well. Scholarly publishers particularly STM, take researchers work, publish it and sell it back to the libraries (when often their instiutions supported the research to begin with). So end up paying for the work thrice fold. Things like that. They make a stink on Document Delivery, and have on Xerox and ILL. Fair Use to them is a bane, when the whole idea should be exchange of scholarly ideas.

If you don’t live in the So-cal area, there is a way that you can help all on your lonesome. If you have the fortitude for it, cancel your Cable subscription and tell the cable company that you are canceling it because of the writers strike, and won’t be back untill the strike is resolved. It works on three levels

1) if enough people do this, you start getting the cable companies screaming at the TV/movie executives about losing customers, opening another flank against them basically.

2) You probably watch too much TV anyway, plus we seem to be getting more and more of our information and entertainment online, so it’s not that bad (though try to stay away from downloading your shows through the networks’ sites, after all this is the main beef that the writers are having).

3) When the strike ends, and you sign up, you get 2-3 months of teaser rates which are like half of a regular bill.

Turned in my cable box today, and I feel great.

jane hamsher @ 58

Huge Buffy fan here.

Season Six rocked.

I loved the Glory season. Don’t remember which one that was.

selise @ 50

newtonusr @ 43 -

thanks! ygm.

the idea was that the contacts could be used for sending faxes to a group of phone numbers. but i haven’t gotten that far yet - ann in az did it this morning, though… so i hope it is doable.

Most excellent!
Populated Address Book, Palm Desktop and Entourage like a charm.
Thanks loads!

BobbyG @ 52

mui @ 44

Its amazing how so many artists and writers are actually givers, but studios, the music industry and publishing companies seem to want to hold the work hostage. It’s ok to want to make a profit. But to be absolutely draconian about it . . . Disney?!?

Musicians have long known all this. Didja know whan when you sign a recording contract, they own the copyrights in perpetuity? If they take your stuff off the market, they still own the rights.

Sign a book deal, on the other hand, and you typically get your copyright back if the publisher takes it out of print.

But, say, your label deal expires and your album is no longer available. You would owe the original record company royalities were you to re-release your own stuff years later.

Q: How do you become a millionaire in music?

A: Start out with at least two million dollars.

The f*ckers. That is the industry.

Dave@48
That’s called “product placement” and yes, it’s all for MONEY. Or did you imagine that they were doing it out of kindness?

I suggest that if you don’t like it, write the show. The writers and actors have been fighting this product placement for a long time. Think about it: Tom Cruse uses a Kleenex from a labled box. How much money does he get? Probably none. He refuses to use Kleenex. But not many actors have that clout. You will be seeing more of this crap if you let it go on.

It started, it is rumored, when Steven Speilberg wanted to use M&Ms to attract ET, but they turned him down. He went to Reeses and they had no such qualms. Reeses made a mint on this free plug. Thereafter, companies beseiged the studios with product. Free stuff! The worst possible offender, to my mind, is that overrated hack, Steven Kind, who actually uses specific product names in his so-called “novels.” I can imagine he has a warehouse full of free stuff.

DGAS

Thanks for the hot tip, Jane. As a Local 399 member in the industry I’ll be proud to represent the Teamsters and share my views and encouragement with Edwards…. to basically reinforce his emerging stance of openly accusing big business of being anti-American and anti-worker.

annagranfors @ 45

SEE ALSO Joss Whedon’s gratifyingly frequent posts on this at whedonesque.com.

(why I love Joss, number 987 in a series: so obviously “on our side”)

anna- maybe you can answer my question above as you’ve said you have family in the bidness:

Question- I know that for SAG you have to make a certain amount per year to be eligible for certain union benefits like health insurance (which is not free).

Is this the case also for WGA? If so, then that’s an extra dimension re: payment to writers.

mui @ 64

BobbyG @ 52

Musicians have long known all this. Didja know whan when you sign a recording contract, they own the copyrights in perpetuity? If they take your stuff off the market, they still own the rights.

Sign a book deal, on the other hand, and you typically get your copyright back if the publisher takes it out of print.

But, say, your label deal expires and your album is no longer available. You would owe the original record company royalities were you to re-release your own stuff years later.

Q: How do you become a millionaire in music?

A: Start out with at least two million dollars.

The f*ckers. That is the industry.

Yep. And, y’know this little dustup with Regnery? Shunting off their wingnut books to their subsidiary “book clubs” to avoid nearly all royalties? That’s been common practice in recording for decades. Artists get nothing for the “record club” sales, or for those cheesy cable TV advertised compilations.

PLUS, your recording contract gets billed for all of your production costs — including your music video. Lots of “successful” musical artists come out of their deals owing the company money (not even addressing here the felonious bookkeeping tricks they employ as well to siphon off monies owed. Kenny Rogers once said “I never had an audit done that didn’t at least pay for itself.”).

mui @ 44

Its amazing how so many artists and writers are actually givers, but studios, the music industry and publishing companies seem to want to hold the work hostage. It’s ok to want to make a profit. But to be absolutely draconian about it . . . Disney?!?

Yes, Disney. Their attitude is “hey, there are ten more like you in line for your job so sign the contract as we wrote it…” A friend of a friend had the smarts to retain the rights to work he had already created before working for Disney. Many are so intimidated they wouldn’t have challenged that.

do-si-do @ 70

mui @ 44

Its amazing how so many artists and writers are actually givers, but studios, the music industry and publishing companies seem to want to hold the work hostage. It’s ok to want to make a profit. But to be absolutely draconian about it . . . Disney?!?

Yes, Disney. Their attitude is “hey, there are ten more like you in line for your job so sign the contract as we wrote it…” A friend of a friend had the smarts to retain the rights to work he had already created before working for Disney. Many are so intimidated they wouldn’t have challenged that.

They’re the only company I have ever heard of that gave the yea old Library of Congress Program for the Blind and Handicapped sh*t.

itwasntme @ 65

The worst possible offender, to my mind, is that overrated hack, Steven Kind, who actually uses specific product names in his so-called “novels.” I can imagine he has a warehouse full of free stuff.

IIRC, another truly awful example of this is Tom Clancy being paid by armaments manufacturers to put their weapons in his books and play up their effectiveness, to promote actual hardware sales to the Pentagon and elsewhere.

BobbyG @ 69

mui @ 64

The f*ckers. That is the industry.

Yep. And, y’know this little dustup with Regnery? Shunting off their wingnut books to their subsidiary “book clubs” to avoid nearly all royalties? That’s been common practice in recording for decades. Artists get nothing for the “record club” sales, or for those cheesy cable TV advertised compilations.

PLUS, your recording contract gets billed for all of your production costs — including your music video. Lots of “successful” musical artists come out of their deals owing the company money (not even addressing here the felonious bookkeeping tricks they employ as well to siphon off monies owed. Kenny Rogers once said “I never had an audit done that didn’t at least pay for itself.”).

I think I heard Patsy Cline died broke.

do-si-do @ 70

mui @ 44

Its amazing how so many artists and writers are actually givers, but studios, the music industry and publishing companies seem to want to hold the work hostage. It’s ok to want to make a profit. But to be absolutely draconian about it . . . Disney?!?

Yes, Disney. Their attitude is “hey, there are ten more like you in line for your job so sign the contract as we wrote it…” A friend of a friend had the smarts to retain the rights to work he had already created before working for Disney. Many are so intimidated they wouldn’t have challenged that.

Back when I was in music, I came within a baby hair of landing one of my tunes with the Oak Ridge Boys. Had an inside track ‘cuz one of my best friends, Jellyroll Johnson, is a long-time well-known Nashville studio harp player (Judds, Randy Travis, Kim Carnes, etc).

They told me I’d have to give up my publishing.

Nope. Sorry.

Elliott @ 55

Selise,
does this mass fax work only with OUTLOOK?

i hope not! but, i have no idea how to do the mass fax - haven’t gotten that far yet (although i vaguely remember having some thought about this back during the protest of alito nomination)…. maybe ann in az or newtonurs or someone else can give you more info - i’m going to take a look at that tonight to see if i can figure it out for my macs.

mui @ 71

do-si-do @ 70

Yes, Disney. Their attitude is “hey, there are ten more like you in line for your job so sign the contract as we wrote it…” A friend of a friend had the smarts to retain the rights to work he had already created before working for Disney. Many are so intimidated they wouldn’t have challenged that.

They’re the only company I have ever heard of that gave the yea old Library of Congress Program for the Blind and Handicapped sh*t.

That’s pretty good…they’ve also gone after a daycare here in the Bay Area for playing their videos for a “commercial audience”. ROFL.

RonD @ 72

itwasntme @ 65

The worst possible offender, to my mind, is that overrated hack, Steven Kind, who actually uses specific product names in his so-called “novels.” I can imagine he has a warehouse full of free stuff.

IIRC, another truly awful example of this is Tom Clancy being paid by armaments manufacturers to put their weapons in his books and play up their effectiveness, to promote actual hardware sales to the Pentagon and elsewhere.

Clancy is on my banned list. I think he is a big Repuke. EDIT: My *personal* banned list.

mui @ 56

selise @ 50

newtonusr @ 43 -

thanks! ygm.

the idea was that the contacts could be used for sending faxes to a group of phone numbers. but i haven’t gotten that far yet - ann in az did it this morning, though… so i hope it is doable.

I can’t do it on this computer. I remember once group faxing something and getting a snippy reply from Arlen Spectors staff.

bummer. well, would having all the contacts make sending out the single faxes easier?

selise @ 75

Elliott @ 55

Selise,
does this mass fax work only with OUTLOOK?

i hope not! but, i have no idea how to do the mass fax - haven’t gotten that far yet (although i vaguely remember having some thought about this back during the protest of alito nomination)…. maybe ann in az or newtonurs or someone else can give you more info - i’m going to take a look at that tonight to see if i can figure it out for my macs.

thanks!

selise @ 78

mui @ 56

I can’t do it on this computer. I remember once group faxing something and getting a snippy reply from Arlen Spectors staff.

bummer. well, would having all the contacts make sending out the single faxes easier?

Wait do you need my email?

mui @ 77

RonD @ 72

IIRC, another truly awful example of this is Tom Clancy being paid by armaments manufacturers to put their weapons in his books and play up their effectiveness, to promote actual hardware sales to the Pentagon and elsewhere.

Clancy is on my banned list. I think he is a big Repuke. EDIT: My *personal* banned list.

He is. During the 2004 campign, I heard him say to an interviewer who had asked about tax cuts for the rich,” Well, if they can’t figure out how to make 100 grand a year, why should anyone listen to them?” Or something to that effect. I was sick.

Valley Girl @ 68

annagranfors @ 45

SEE ALSO Joss Whedon’s gratifyingly frequent posts on this at whedonesque.com.

(why I love Joss, number 987 in a series: so obviously “on our side”)

anna- maybe you can answer my question above as you’ve said you have family in the bidness:

Question- I know that for SAG you have to make a certain amount per year to be eligible for certain union benefits like health insurance (which is not free).

Is this the case also for WGA? If so, then that’s an extra dimension re: payment to writers.

Valley Girl, do you comment at TPM as VG? Greg Sargent has an update on the brouhaha that occurred yesterday…

Speaking of Battlestar, I’m assuming Season 4 will be delayed. Does anyone know?

mui @ 80

selise @ 78

bummer. well, would having all the contacts make sending out the single faxes easier?

Wait do you need my email?

Let me know.

sorry for all the OT, jane. hope it’s ok with you…

p.s. i watched buffy and after that bsg - last two shows i watched and liked… and this from someone who goes weeks without turning my tv on (had to even get bsg from itunes since i don’t have cable). how cool is it that starbucks is a woman?

annagranfors @ 18

…ah, Hollywood, my Hollywood…

(I work as an editor in the animation industry, and can verify that the requests for freebies have gotten way worse over the years. and, shamefully, I have to admit that we’ve given far more than we should have.)

A man named David Hilberman passed away a few months ago. He was the art director on Bambi and Sleeping Beauty. He staked his entire career on forming the Animator’s Union. It got him blackballed (thanks to Disney), and while he certainly did work again, my feeling is that management probably tried to get in the way every time. David used to say “just because you’re creative doesn’t mean you don’t have a family to feed, rent to pay, and kids to put through school.” Why should the owners get it all. If you’re a worker, you need the union! The writers had better get this done now, or everyone will suffer, because the studio heads will figure, well, we broke the writers, we can break the animators or even SAG.

Frank Probst @ 83

Speaking of Battlestar, I’m assuming Season 4 will be delayed. Does anyone know?

I don’t know. But someone on an earlier thread told me that I had a lot of good political stuff conveyed in there. So I am keen to try and watch.

“‘Oh, we’re not going to pay anybody to do this. ‘”

Why does this attitude surprise anyone, really? My self-employed husband gets hit with this “I want it for free” crap all the time. He has his own mini-strikes and work stoppages when people don’t pay him. The clients that do this act all surprised. Like, my parents just give me everything I want, why don’t you? I don’t like paying for things.

He has perfected his “why don’t you grow up” look over the years.

newtonusr @ 63

selise @ 50

newtonusr @ 43 -

thanks! ygm.

the idea was that the contacts could be used for sending faxes to a group of phone numbers. but i haven’t gotten that far yet - ann in az did it this morning, though… so i hope it is doable.

Most excellent!
Populated Address Book, Palm Desktop and Entourage like a charm.
Thanks loads!

great! i will post the file and leave a link in this thread for any firepups who want it to help them lobby our senators. in the next few days i’ll try to put together one for representatives.

Adam T @ 54

Aren’t the days of people getting paid for their writing and intellectual property coming to an end? I mean no one is going to pay for TV anymore now that you can just download it from the net for free and there must be 2000 blogs on every topic under the sun so paying for news is over, and now there are people giving away books and video podcasts and movies.

Old media is dead. Content and information is free.

Yeah, if you like crappy content. Why should the writers bang their heads against a wall if they’re not getting paid! Content is not free, and the free sights are crap!

RonD @ 81

mui @ 77

Clancy is on my banned list. I think he is a big Repuke. EDIT: My *personal* banned list.

He is. During the 2004 campign, I heard him say to an interviewer who had asked about tax cuts for the rich,” Well, if they can’t figure out how to make 100 grand a year, why should anyone listen to them?” Or something to that effect. I was sick.

I have to break it to someone I know who loves spy novels. Gently. I have hated that author for a while, but now we have evidence.

Selise,

If you do figure our how we can “broadcast” faxes to congress critters… can you put together a how to as a post or something so when we need to fax em, we are good to go?

mui @ 87

Frank Probst @ 83

Speaking of Battlestar, I’m assuming Season 4 will be delayed. Does anyone know?

I don’t know. But someone on an earlier thread told me that I had a lot of good political stuff conveyed in there. So I am keen to try and watch.

That’s putting it mildly. The first part of the third season was essentially a sci-fi version of our occupation of Iraq.

CTuttle @ 81

Valley Girl @ 68

anna- maybe you can answer my question above as you’ve said you have family in the bidness:

Question- I know that for SAG you have to make a certain amount per year to be eligible for certain union benefits like health insurance (which is not free).

Is this the case also for WGA? If so, then that’s an extra dimension re: payment to writers.

Valley Girl, do you comment at TPM as VG? Greg Sargent has an update on the brouhaha that occurred yesterday…

No, CT. I only comment here, and occasionally at BradBlog (more so in the past) and always as Valley Girl.

mui @ 80

selise @ 78

bummer. well, would having all the contacts make sending out the single faxes easier?

Wait do you need my email?

no, i’m going to upload the file and post a link to it.

itwasntme @ 64

Dave@48
That’s called “product placement” and yes, it’s all for MONEY. Or did you imagine that they were doing it out of kindness?

I suggest that if you don’t like it, write the show. The writers and actors have been fighting this product placement for a long time. Think about it: Tom Cruse uses a Kleenex from a labled box. How much money does he get? Probably none. He refuses to use Kleenex. But not many actors have that clout. You will be seeing more of this crap if you let it go on.

It started, it is rumored, when Steven Speilberg wanted to use M&Ms to attract ET, but they turned him down. He went to Reeses and they had no such qualms. Reeses made a mint on this free plug. Thereafter, companies beseiged the studios with product. Free stuff! The worst possible offender, to my mind, is that overrated hack, Steven Kind, who actually uses specific product names in his so-called “novels.” I can imagine he has a warehouse full of free stuff.

I don’t read Stephen King- (is this who you meant?) but I know from googling a while back that he is a great supporter of progressive causes. Does that help?

cynic @ 90

Adam T @ 54

Aren’t the days of people getting paid for their writing and intellectual property coming to an end? I mean no one is going to pay for TV anymore now that you can just download it from the net for free and there must be 2000 blogs on every topic under the sun so paying for news is over, and now there are people giving away books and video podcasts and movies.

Old media is dead. Content and information is free.

Yeah, if you like crappy content. Why should the writers bang their heads against a wall if they’re not getting paid! Content is not free, and the free sights are crap!

Well the beauty of the library is that they pay for content that is not free so the public can have. More and more that’s including licensed databases. Unfortunately licensing is becoming another way of screwing libraries. Unless of course the institution is Yale University and has untold amounts of money for libraries.

Frank Probst @ 93

mui @ 87

I don’t know. But someone on an earlier thread told me that I had a lot of good political stuff conveyed in there. So I am keen to try and watch.

That’s putting it mildly. The first part of the third season was essentially a sci-fi version of our occupation of Iraq.

Oh then I’ll have to watch.

selise @ 95

mui @ 80

Wait do you need my email?

no, i’m going to upload the file and post a link to it.

Okay you rock and if you ever need my email let me know.

Aah, Mahalo, VG! I was just checking… it’s an interesting exchange, here’s part II…

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.c.....s_in_w.php

selise @ 95

mui @ 80

Wait do you need my email?

no, i’m going to upload the file and post a link to it.

All you need is a good fax program and an unlimited service phone line. We do it all the time, but we send out press releases. It’s a chore to put them in by hand, but our software imports from a flat txt file, then all you do is push the send-now button and go to bed.

Off on the business of the Queen. See everyone later.

cynic–they ain’t gonna break the writers. you can tell. people know there’s a lot at stake here.

Valley Girl–as I said, I’m an editor and as such represented by IATSE, so the rules are probably at least a little different. in my case, we build up a “bank of hours” against long periods of unemployment. in short, during the boom periods where there’s lots of work, hours go into this bank. by way of illustration, I’ve been laid off since March (!), but my insurance is still going strong. (she said, optimistically…gotta go refill the meds today and hope they don’t say “ahem”.)

the short answer to your question, though, is that you do have to work a certain amount of hours for insurance to kick in, if you don’t have the aforementioned bank built up. (there are provisions to buy the coverage, too, but they’re pretty prohibitive if you don’t have any $$ coming in.)

Keep in mind, too, that these “producers” the writers are picketing include (but are not limited to) the networks — which means the writers are ultimately standing against the same parent corporations that are looking to screw every one of us.

itwasntme @ 57

Jane, thaks for keeping this on the front burner, and cudos to Edwards for making an appearance. Maybe that will be enough to get more coverage.

LA Times is revealed and shamed. Dead tree media, soon to be completely dead, I hope. The small tabloids produced for/by local communities are really good here.

Writers are just now riding point for a large number of other workers and future workers.

When Reagan took down the air traffic controllers, union workers began to live in a chill that has lasted til now.

We should see that this is about more than the writers. It is about workers. The reason that celebrities on the lines is important is that our media is celebrity driven.

I hope celebrities will continue to stand with workers and that we will stand with workers. Phil Robinson is eloquent and right. We are in a new time of technology, and it is very important that workers are included in benefiting from it.

Jane, thank you for highlighting the writers’ strike as well as the need for workers in hospitals to be treated fairly. I may not be in complete agreement on smaller issues which are particular to Boston, but I am in total agreement that workers must be treated fairly.

New Phoenix Woman upstairs…
Happy Birthday, Gilly!

annagranfors @ 103

cynic–they ain’t gonna break the writers. you can tell. people know there’s a lot at stake here.

Valley Girl–as I said, I’m an editor and as such represented by IATSE, so the rules are probably at least a little different. in my case, we build up a “bank of hours” against long periods of unemployment. in short, during the boom periods where there’s lots of work, hours go into this bank. by way of illustration, I’ve been laid off since March (!), but my insurance is still going strong. (she said, optimistically…gotta go refill the meds today and hope they don’t say “ahem”.)

the short answer to your question, though, is that you do have to work a certain amount of hours for insurance to kick in, if you don’t have the aforementioned bank built up. (there are provisions to buy the coverage, too, but they’re pretty prohibitive if you don’t have any $$ coming in.)

Anna:
I hope to hell they won’t break the writers. But they broke PATCO, (air traffic) and I still worry about flying. The writers are 100% right, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be a hell of a fight. I don’t think they can break SAG or AFTRA or the IBEW, but as you see in our government, it’s the little nibbles that count.

annagranfors @ 103

cynic–they ain’t gonna break the writers. you can tell. people know there’s a lot at stake here.

Valley Girl–as I said, I’m an editor and as such represented by IATSE, so the rules are probably at least a little different. in my case, we build up a “bank of hours” against long periods of unemployment. in short, during the boom periods where there’s lots of work, hours go into this bank. by way of illustration, I’ve been laid off since March (!), but my insurance is still going strong. (she said, optimistically…gotta go refill the meds today and hope they don’t say “ahem”.)

the short answer to your question, though, is that you do have to work a certain amount of hours for insurance to kick in, if you don’t have the aforementioned bank built up. (there are provisions to buy the coverage, too, but they’re pretty prohibitive if you don’t have any $$ coming in.)

Thanks for info. irrc SAG insurance option was based on income, not hours. The banking system you have sounds like a good thing. Hoping someone from the WGA might comment to explain how the insurance thing works in that union.

Yes, I meant “overrated hack Steven KinG”. I’m glad he’s for progressive stuff, tho. Nice man, I’m sure.

itwasntme @ 109

Yes, I meant “overrated hack Steven KinG”. I’m glad he’s for progressive stuff, tho. Nice man, I’m sure.

Among other things, he and his wife own a progressive radio station in Bangor ME. (Probably the only progressive radio station in the state.) And, last time I checked, he had given lotsa dollars to various progressive causes.

Elliott @ 55

Selise,
does this mass fax work only with OUTLOOK?

I use Outlook Express, but I can fax from word to anyone in my address book. I do have to be careful to put the 1 in before long distance calls, but it’s great, because say a different bunch of Senators next week needs a fax, all you would have to do is select which ones should form a new or different group, and you can send to them. Or, say Russ Feingold is in both the Intel and Judiciary committees and you’re sending faxes to both, you can take him out of one group temporarily.

Ann in AZ @ 111

Elliott @ 55

Selise,
does this mass fax work only with OUTLOOK?

I use Outlook Express, but I can fax from word to anyone in my address book. I do have to be careful to put the 1 in before long distance calls, but it’s great, because say a different bunch of Senators next week needs a fax, all you would have to do is select which ones should form a new or different group, and you can send to them. Or, say Russ Feingold is in both the Intel and Judiciary committees and you’re sending faxes to both, you can take him out of one group temporarily.

maybe we can have a little tutorial after people grab the contact file from me? hint, hint… *g*

i’ve just cleaned up the file a bit, so i’ll email you and newtonusr with the latest one i’m going to post - or you can just down load it later… just wanted to let you know there is already a newer version.

selise @ 112

Ann in AZ @ 111

I use Outlook Express, but I can fax from word to anyone in my address book. I do have to be careful to put the 1 in before long distance calls, but it’s great, because say a different bunch of Senators next week needs a fax, all you would have to do is select which ones should form a new or different group, and you can send to them. Or, say Russ Feingold is in both the Intel and Judiciary committees and you’re sending faxes to both, you can take him out of one group temporarily.

maybe we can have a little tutorial after people grab the contact file from me? hint, hint… *g*

i’ve just cleaned up the file a bit, so i’ll email you and newtonusr with the latest one i’m going to post - or you can just down load it later… just wanted to let you know there is already a newer version.

Does this mean I have to take the ones I already put into my address book out? I left you a note upstairs (I think around #23).

Ann in AZ @ 113

selise @ 112

maybe we can have a little tutorial after people grab the contact file from me? hint, hint… *g*

i’ve just cleaned up the file a bit, so i’ll email you and newtonusr with the latest one i’m going to post - or you can just down load it later… just wanted to let you know there is already a newer version.

Does this mean I have to take the ones I already put into my address book out? I left you a note upstairs (I think around #23).

it should just update your old ones (at least that’s what apple mail does)… but it really doesn’t matter this time - the numbers are all the same. but i’m sure that there will be corrections and updates in the future.

The LA Times is in fact covering the writers’ strike (and not doing it badly), but you have to hunt a bit for it. They have a sort of blog covering it, with posts going up every day. I don’t know if they have it under ‘entertainment’ or under ‘business’, but here’s a linky to their blog coverage.

itwasntme @ 65

Dave@48
That’s called “product placement” and yes, it’s all for MONEY. Or did you imagine that they were doing it out of kindness?

Actually, I think you misunderstood. The Kleenex box wasn’t in the show itself. The Kleenex logo was on the video player playing the show.

The point being, Kleenex had paid to sponsor the internet showing of “Ugly Betty”. An internet showing the networks claim they don’t make money from.

nwithers @ 61

If you don’t live in the So-cal area, there is a way that you can help all on your lonesome. If you have the fortitude for it, cancel your Cable subscription and tell the cable company that you are canceling it because of the writers strike, and won’t be back untill the strike is resolved.

You may feel good, but I’m not sure you’re accomplishing anything. You raise an interesting point. How do we use the internet to agree on some mass action? I don’t know if facebook is the answer. I tried to join FDL but couldn’t find it. I believe we all must show solidarity with the writers. I’d suggest none of us go to a movie until the strike is over. (a bit less dislocating than no television)

The point is if I stop going to the movies no one notices not even if I write every movie studio to tell them what I’m doing. It only works with lots of people. If we hit them in the pocketbook, we won’t have to write to tell them what we are doing. The question is how to do it? If we do it, the method will be available for other activities.

Really, I do care. My father and uncle were union guys where unions really counted, so I intimately understand why they should be supported even though they have a lot of support because of the glamour of their industry. I do wish I could take some of that on attention and drop it the Veterans Day 18 in Boston.

You should care some about the elderly veterans arraigned today and yesterday in Boston. Its easy to talk the antiwar talk but they walked the walked. I have a diary up at the orange with their request for help, but I wish someone more visible would take this up. I wrote to many, many high traffic blogs asking them to expose this, but in fairness they can write about what they want, even if bashing bobo brooks for the zillionth time isn’t going to get our country back.

I wish I had a bigger microphone…not for my sake, but for theirs, as I have been talking with these men and have come to greatly admire what they are doing. I won’t post a link because I will not whore that far. So if you want to learn a bit about these people and help them out with a letter or call, go on over, find the diary and help.

John Edwards has union workers’ souls in his heart. He would be that most overused word–amazing–in what he could accomplish for organized labor. That’s only one reason, among many, why he deserves our support.

Question- I know that for SAG you have to make a certain amount per year to be eligible for certain union benefits like health insurance (which is not free).

Is this the case also for WGA? If so, then that’s an extra dimension re: payment to writers.

Since you’ve asked twice and no one else answered, I will. Yes, it’s also true for the WGA. And sadly, nearly half their membership did not make enough last year to qualify for health insurance. These aren’t rich people here. There are a handful of writers who pull down good money (often ones who also are showrunners, actors, etc.), but the majority are as screwed as anyone else.

I work with digital technologies, including digital video.

One key technical fact about digital video is that one can attach bits of computer code to specific frames within any digitized timeline. That opens up a host of options for ‘repurposing’ any specific storyline, timeline, or video clip.

The details are too complicated to explain here, but this technical fact enables whoever has legal ownership of an intellectual property to ‘repurpose’ it in a multitude of ways: film, video, online, on mobiles… digital technologies are portable, easily cloned, and can be mixed, mashed, and reused almost endlessly.

Writers should be paid for every single ‘purpose’ in which their content is formatted. There’s nothing complicated about that basic fairness issue.

(And, FWIW, any studio exec who wails about the prohibitive costs of ‘repurposing’ content for the web, or iPods is either an idiot who overpaid for services, or else a lying sack of sh*t. Or both. So ignore the ‘oh, it’s so expensive to put it on the web‘ argument because from a technical point of view it’s complete bullsh*t.)

What I find baffling about this strike is how the studios were so blindly stupid as to let it happen. The web is still exploding. Audiences are growing. So why wouldn’t you do everything possible to keep your creative people happy?

Maybe I’m confused, but its as if the studios are saying, “Well, Bill Shakespeare, we’ll pay you for performances at the Globe, but never any performances on tv, or film, nor on the web.” I’m sorry, but the stupidity of that just amazes me!

IIRC, William Shakespeare joined together with his fellow actors and ended up creating a legal corporation that split the profits from all performances at the Globe Theatre. That cut him in for a good share of the profits; before that, he’d only been a hired hack.

Too bad the writers can’t figure out a way to create their own unionized studio, and tell the greedy beggars who are too daft to treat them fairly to go p*ss off.

Digital media means new audiences, new products, and new revenue. For the writers to hand all that over to the studios would be brain dead, or insane. Or both.

The writers need to win this one.
At least, that’s one woman’s view in looking at this issue through the lens of digital technologies.

You may feel good, but I’m not sure you’re accomplishing anything. You raise an interesting point. How do we use the internet to agree on some mass action?… …If we hit them in the pocketbook, we won’t have to write to tell them what we are doing. The question is how to do it?

Well, I’m accomplishing a small bit by myself, $75 a month and a tick on their disconnect databases. As far as the agreement for mass action, that is the bit right here. Nice thing about canceling your cable (or not going to movies), is that you do it your self, and you convince enough other people to do it, then you have a force that scares those in power because it can’t be stopped without bringing the entire thing down. If a million people stopped watching cable, would they force people to buy cable? (not yet anyway)

That’s why I post on the forums about what I think is a good idea. If somebody with more voice takes it up (and if anybody does, take it with my blessing), wonderful. I did my bit, that’s all I can do. (my blog sucks and I haven’t updated it in three months, but I’m planning to work for Udall in NM, what else can I do right now?)

puppethead @ 32

Video of studio execs bragging about the money to be made from the internet. Scumbags.

Enron all over again?

The smartest scumbags in the room?

Toby Wollin @ 47

charlie don’t surf @ 40

What Digby Said:

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com.....se-by.html

Important stuff there:
“The propensity to exploit in competitive “glamour” fields is very, very strong and it was always about making sure that those who weren’t on the A-list could make a decent living and build normal middle class lives. (And from the beginning many of the A-list marched in solidarity with their less rich and famous brethren. It may even have been partially in self-interest. Show business may be one of the most insecure professions on earth.)”
Ding, ding, ding!!!
This is the point — the successful ones march with those who struggle to help the less fortunate ones. Today’s “high flyer” is tomorrow’s “cancelled show” - so it always helps to support one another.
That is why it is important. And that is why we need to care.

Thanks for noticing my minimalist post, Toby. You have cut straight to the “nut graf” (as writers would describe it). Digby’s summary of the labor movement in Hollywood is the best I’ve read so far. It truly is all about Solidarity.
I’ve worked around the fringes of the “competitive ‘glamour’ fields” of Hollywood and if you make the least complaint about work or wages, the instant response is “if you don’t want to do the job, there’s a thousand people who do.” And the solidarity of workers via the Unions is the only thing to prevent this rush to the bottom.

Valley Girl @ 110

itwasntme @ 109

Yes, I meant “overrated hack Steven KinG”. I’m glad he’s for progressive stuff, tho. Nice man, I’m sure.

Among other things, he and his wife own a progressive radio station in Bangor ME. (Probably the only progressive radio station in the state.) And, last time I checked, he had given lotsa dollars to various progressive causes.

I’d also heard rumors that he was a hard core Bushite…then checked his campaign contributions. Boy that was a surprise!!

Steven King’s Campaign Contributions

The announcement that Edwards will walk on Friday is no surprise. Labor would have no better advocate as President.

readerOfTeaLeaves @ 121

I work with digital technologies, including digital video.

I wonder if the powers that be on this blog would object to having an optional email registry for members or commenters. readerOfTeaLeavews works in digital technology. I’d like to discuss with him (or her) the use of the internet as a means of organizing us, the rank and file. It’s all well and good to say we’re for the writers and to march with them if we happen to be in LA, but we aren’t doing anything. We are talking the talk, but not walking the walk even when the walk is something as insignificant as not going to the movies.

BTW nwithers I’ve decided to stop going to the movies until the strike is settled. I doubt this will make Hollywood moguls tremble, but it will have to do until the real thing comes along.

People need to get paid for the work they do.

Why Hollyweird would try to make itself an exception to this golden rule is beyond greed.

Good writers are very important to any creative endeavor.

Pay them!