Three Strikes
I told a couple of people that I was going to have a good vent about Spotify (and, by default, bottom-feeding so-called Metal "fans," and Metalsucks)...that was on Friday, it's now Sunday and I'm finally getting to it. The reason it has taken me so long is because I wasn't in the mood to get all cranky again. I'm still not in the mood to get into this, but I feel that it does need to be said.
Prosthetic Records is now the third label to kick Spotify to the curb. Hallelujah, Lord let the exodus continue! Following in the footsteps of Century Media and Metal Blade, Prosthetic, like the aforementioned, are vacating because they don't care for Spotify's business model.
I first came upon this tasty bit of news on (wait for it) Metalsucks. Yeah, and I made the mistake of reading some of the comments. Once again, I can't believe the lack of understanding in this community. But, as always, it comes down to entitlement. These people still can't seem to get it that they are not, in any way, entitled to the music! It's a privilege, not a right! Some of the commenters were actually bragging about illegally downloading music! (I should mention, as Jens Ryland pointed out, many of these posts may have been trolls. I have to admit, the thought that some of these commenters could actually be Metalsucks staff posing as trolls posing as genuine "fans" did cross my mind...several times...would you put it past them??)
While researching this story I came across this gem which shows the payout from various sources. Because it is so large I've cut it up into two pieces, but you can view it in full here. To view it on my page simply click each image.
Prosthetic Records is now the third label to kick Spotify to the curb. Hallelujah, Lord let the exodus continue! Following in the footsteps of Century Media and Metal Blade, Prosthetic, like the aforementioned, are vacating because they don't care for Spotify's business model.
I first came upon this tasty bit of news on (wait for it) Metalsucks. Yeah, and I made the mistake of reading some of the comments. Once again, I can't believe the lack of understanding in this community. But, as always, it comes down to entitlement. These people still can't seem to get it that they are not, in any way, entitled to the music! It's a privilege, not a right! Some of the commenters were actually bragging about illegally downloading music! (I should mention, as Jens Ryland pointed out, many of these posts may have been trolls. I have to admit, the thought that some of these commenters could actually be Metalsucks staff posing as trolls posing as genuine "fans" did cross my mind...several times...would you put it past them??)
While researching this story I came across this gem which shows the payout from various sources. Because it is so large I've cut it up into two pieces, but you can view it in full here. To view it on my page simply click each image.
What this little table shows is that artists aren't making any money from streaming audio and if they're not making any money then they're not going to be making any music, either. I don't know about y'all, but I happen to appreciate what it is my favorite bands do. And because I appreciate it, I would like them to continue to do it. But in order to continue to do what it is they do that I love so much, they need to have time and money.
There are a lot of folks over at Metalsucks and Blabbermouth who seem to be convinced that streaming audio is the future of music. Well, if this is the future then it's going to be a pretty quiet one, because smaller bands aren't going to be able to support themselves on what Spotify and their ilk are trying to pay them.
Thing is, I seem to remember a time when cassette tapes were thought to be "the future." They were so much better than vinyl records; they were going to revolutionize the industry! Uh, yeah. It's easier to get vinyl now than a cassette tape, as vinyl is making a very definite comeback with more and more musicians choosing to add vinyl to their format offerings. It's impossible to predict what "the future" is because there will always be some new innovation that makes the past seem ludicrous. But as we've seen numerous times with fashion, the past always makes a comeback.
The folks who are claiming this is the future are operating in a vacuum...and nature abhors a vacuum. I've been trying to come up with the silver bullet that will finally explain it to these people but I realize that I'm talking to a brick wall...Regardless, I'm going to give it a go.
Intellectual property is no different than physical labor; you, the bottom-dwelling Metal "fan" who works in the construction trade, selling your labor (for minimum wage) and illegally downloading music, are no different than the intellectually superior Metal musician who is selling their intellectual property to you, for less than minimum wage and getting ripped off anyway. Now you tell me, is your physical labor any more important than their mental labor? Let me help you here, the answer is NO! You want to talk about entitlement? Everyone is entitled to an honest wage and when you take something that you are not entitled to, you are robbing the people who created it of an honest wage. Would you like it if your boss made you work for free? I thought not. Then why would you make them do it?
Here's something else to think about. It seems as though you aren't willing to spend money on CD's but you are willing to spend money on concert tickets...so, if they don't have the money to go on tour because y'all are stealing their music, then what? That just makes no sense...you'll pay the same amount (or very often much more) on a concert ticket but you give birth to a farm when asked to buy a CD?! And then you spend as much as, if not more than, the cost of a CD at the show to by T-shirts and posters and whatnot, and I just love those of you who say that bands don't make any money on CD's but they make all their money on merch...well, they won't be making any money that way either if they can't tour, now will they?
People talk a lot about transparency...maybe we should have a revelation on just how much it costs a band to put out their music and go on tour because apparently y'all think it's dirt cheap!. Maybe then you'll get it?
I know it will never happen, but just once I'd like for a bunch of bands to go on strike. Like at Wacken, say...all the bands on the bill just stage a sit-in protesting the lack of support they are getting from the likes of the Metalsucks and Blabbermouth Gimme Gimme Generation. I would actually pay money to see that.
There are a lot of folks over at Metalsucks and Blabbermouth who seem to be convinced that streaming audio is the future of music. Well, if this is the future then it's going to be a pretty quiet one, because smaller bands aren't going to be able to support themselves on what Spotify and their ilk are trying to pay them.
Thing is, I seem to remember a time when cassette tapes were thought to be "the future." They were so much better than vinyl records; they were going to revolutionize the industry! Uh, yeah. It's easier to get vinyl now than a cassette tape, as vinyl is making a very definite comeback with more and more musicians choosing to add vinyl to their format offerings. It's impossible to predict what "the future" is because there will always be some new innovation that makes the past seem ludicrous. But as we've seen numerous times with fashion, the past always makes a comeback.
The folks who are claiming this is the future are operating in a vacuum...and nature abhors a vacuum. I've been trying to come up with the silver bullet that will finally explain it to these people but I realize that I'm talking to a brick wall...Regardless, I'm going to give it a go.
Intellectual property is no different than physical labor; you, the bottom-dwelling Metal "fan" who works in the construction trade, selling your labor (for minimum wage) and illegally downloading music, are no different than the intellectually superior Metal musician who is selling their intellectual property to you, for less than minimum wage and getting ripped off anyway. Now you tell me, is your physical labor any more important than their mental labor? Let me help you here, the answer is NO! You want to talk about entitlement? Everyone is entitled to an honest wage and when you take something that you are not entitled to, you are robbing the people who created it of an honest wage. Would you like it if your boss made you work for free? I thought not. Then why would you make them do it?
Here's something else to think about. It seems as though you aren't willing to spend money on CD's but you are willing to spend money on concert tickets...so, if they don't have the money to go on tour because y'all are stealing their music, then what? That just makes no sense...you'll pay the same amount (or very often much more) on a concert ticket but you give birth to a farm when asked to buy a CD?! And then you spend as much as, if not more than, the cost of a CD at the show to by T-shirts and posters and whatnot, and I just love those of you who say that bands don't make any money on CD's but they make all their money on merch...well, they won't be making any money that way either if they can't tour, now will they?
People talk a lot about transparency...maybe we should have a revelation on just how much it costs a band to put out their music and go on tour because apparently y'all think it's dirt cheap!. Maybe then you'll get it?
I know it will never happen, but just once I'd like for a bunch of bands to go on strike. Like at Wacken, say...all the bands on the bill just stage a sit-in protesting the lack of support they are getting from the likes of the Metalsucks and Blabbermouth Gimme Gimme Generation. I would actually pay money to see that.
Amerika Ist Nicht König!
I used to love debating. I always wanted to be the "whip" (you know, the person at the end who pulverizes the opposition with their own arguments and leaves them squirming in their seats...yeah, that whip) because I enjoyed using the oppositions arguments against them. It was exciting and made me feel powerful and superior. I always had to be right, so I knew I could counter any argument. And it was okay back then because people would set aside their personal feelings on the topics debated and a good discussion would ensue. Back in the "olden days" that was how it was done. You would even have to debate a topic on the side you were against, and everyone would learn something by being required to debate both sides of a subject.
Apparently that's not so anymore. These days people get too emotional about the topics being discussed and they never bother to research the other side. Now it's all very personal. I'm not saying that it was totally impersonal back in the Dark Ages, but it seemed to me (at least when I was debating) that we were more inclined to learn both sides of the issue, if for no other reason than so that we could properly and completely put forth our own side. And we would never consider bashing the people we were debating against. Now it's all degenerated into ad hominim argument, where, as soon as someone's side starts to lose, they viciously attack the other people's character instead of putting up an honest argument. You can see that in political debates (anyone catch any of the recent Republican Presidential debates??! And these are our prospective leaders??? Lord have mercy...).
A perfect example is a massive argument raging over at The Local - Sweden...it's an argument that is beyond stupid and shows how little people are paying attention. The argument is over the continued use by The Local of the word "elk" to refer to a moose...
Several people have pointed out in the comments section that European "elk" is the North American "moose" and the North American "elk" is actually a species of deer; not an "elk" at all. The argument is between Americans and Europeans with the Americans getting all mouthy to The Local writers because they keep calling "moose" elk. (At this point my eyes are killing me from all the eye-rolling, but I'll try to keep up)
The problem here is that the Americans can't seem to be bothered to pay attention to the (quite stellar) education by the non-American readers who keep repeatedly informing the Americans that the Swedish "elk" is, in fact, an elk and the North American "elk" is, in fact, not an elk!
So, for those who need some educating, here it is:
The Eurasian "elk" is the Alces alces and looks like this:
Swedes use moose in English because it is a cooler word and as a sop to our American cousins, who are more sensitive about these things. (Emphasis added)
While the Americans and the British can go on squabbling over who has the right to claim the English language as their own, one thing is for certain - the Swedes do not have that right and would never claim it.
The underlying factor is that animals all have a latin name (in this case alces alces) so the imperialist linguistic tendencies of the US/UK should be given a reality check." (sic)
And there it is...seriously, it makes me crazy that Americans think they are smarter than everyone else when it's very often the American that is wrong. This Swede has to point out that using the term "moose" to describe what is rightly an "elk" is "a sop" to assuage the superiority complexes of Americans. Contrary to popular American (especially US American) belief, we are not superior to other nationalities and it will be a Hallelujah Day when Americans as a whole get a clue and stop thinking that!
The Swedish "elk" is an elk so stop having a cow when they call it that.
Oh, and who died and made the US the World Police? But that's a rant for another day.
Apparently that's not so anymore. These days people get too emotional about the topics being discussed and they never bother to research the other side. Now it's all very personal. I'm not saying that it was totally impersonal back in the Dark Ages, but it seemed to me (at least when I was debating) that we were more inclined to learn both sides of the issue, if for no other reason than so that we could properly and completely put forth our own side. And we would never consider bashing the people we were debating against. Now it's all degenerated into ad hominim argument, where, as soon as someone's side starts to lose, they viciously attack the other people's character instead of putting up an honest argument. You can see that in political debates (anyone catch any of the recent Republican Presidential debates??! And these are our prospective leaders??? Lord have mercy...).
A perfect example is a massive argument raging over at The Local - Sweden...it's an argument that is beyond stupid and shows how little people are paying attention. The argument is over the continued use by The Local of the word "elk" to refer to a moose...
Several people have pointed out in the comments section that European "elk" is the North American "moose" and the North American "elk" is actually a species of deer; not an "elk" at all. The argument is between Americans and Europeans with the Americans getting all mouthy to The Local writers because they keep calling "moose" elk. (At this point my eyes are killing me from all the eye-rolling, but I'll try to keep up)
The problem here is that the Americans can't seem to be bothered to pay attention to the (quite stellar) education by the non-American readers who keep repeatedly informing the Americans that the Swedish "elk" is, in fact, an elk and the North American "elk" is, in fact, not an elk!
So, for those who need some educating, here it is:
The Eurasian "elk" is the Alces alces and looks like this:
The North American "elk" is the Cervus canadensis and looks like this:
Just because the Alces alces is called "moose" in the USA and Canada does not mean that it is not an "elk," and just because the Cervus canadensis is called "elk" in the USA and Canada does not mean that it is. One of the comments on a recent elk-related news item said it best, so I'll simply copy and paste it here:
"13:05 September 7, 2011 by stenhuggaren
it is not that hard to understand.Swedes use moose in English because it is a cooler word and as a sop to our American cousins, who are more sensitive about these things. (Emphasis added)
While the Americans and the British can go on squabbling over who has the right to claim the English language as their own, one thing is for certain - the Swedes do not have that right and would never claim it.
The underlying factor is that animals all have a latin name (in this case alces alces) so the imperialist linguistic tendencies of the US/UK should be given a reality check." (sic)
And there it is...seriously, it makes me crazy that Americans think they are smarter than everyone else when it's very often the American that is wrong. This Swede has to point out that using the term "moose" to describe what is rightly an "elk" is "a sop" to assuage the superiority complexes of Americans. Contrary to popular American (especially US American) belief, we are not superior to other nationalities and it will be a Hallelujah Day when Americans as a whole get a clue and stop thinking that!
The Swedish "elk" is an elk so stop having a cow when they call it that.
Oh, and who died and made the US the World Police? But that's a rant for another day.
Guilty Pleasures
I have a confession to make...I love Project Runway. This is the third season I have watched it and I have to say I'm somewhat addicted (not completely though, because if there was something I wanted to watch more then I wouldn't have a problem doing that). Not sure why I like it so much...although I suppose it has something to do with the designing, 'cause it sure ain't the reality aspect -- I detest most reality shows. In fact, the only other reality shows I can even stomach are Deadliest Catch and America's Next Top Model (that's a story for another time). Either that, or it's because I love Tim Gunn...
In every season there seems to have to be some über caustic Prima Dona who makes an ass out of him/her-self. In this season it's Josh McKinley. I don't know where to begin about Josh without sounding like a homophobe or a total hater (which I'm not)...but he has got to go. He made a point during judging tonight that his design alone should keep him in the race because it's a "design" show...well, yes, that's true, but that doesn't excuse his behavior/attitude.
One of the points that Heidi, Michael, and Nina have been trying to drum home with this present group (a point that at least certain individuals seem to keep missing) is the need to be able to work with other people. This season I have seen more group challenges than in previous seasons and I think that's a direct result of the lack of cooperation among the contestants. While Josh is right and it is a design competition, what he's failing to realize is that, in the real world, he's going to have to work with other people, even if he's doing his own designs...at least, if he ever wants to actually work!
So, he didn't go home this episode...unfortunate, that. The designer who did leave wasn't half as bad as she was made out to be. Where Josh somehow came out better through the group challenges, Becky did the opposite. The judges basically told her that she should have exerted more independence but what they don't realize is that sometimes you just can't do that...at least, not unless you're an unbending bully like Josh. For people like Becky, it's often the better part of valor to be the one who bends...unfortunately for her, that meant getting the boot.
There is a moral to this story...don't be an insufferable prick. Sure, you might get your way in the short term, but bullies don't always make out like bandits (re: Pint-Sized Bully Pays...When Victim Fights Back), and nobody likes a bully (that's right, those "friends" you think you have? They don't like you. And the other bullies? Yeah, they don't like you either).
I'll get off my soapbox now...two nights in a row is just too much pontificating. But go check out the designs through the image link if you haven't been watching. Remember, these may be the people who dress you in the future, so you might want to get acquainted.
In every season there seems to have to be some über caustic Prima Dona who makes an ass out of him/her-self. In this season it's Josh McKinley. I don't know where to begin about Josh without sounding like a homophobe or a total hater (which I'm not)...but he has got to go. He made a point during judging tonight that his design alone should keep him in the race because it's a "design" show...well, yes, that's true, but that doesn't excuse his behavior/attitude.
One of the points that Heidi, Michael, and Nina have been trying to drum home with this present group (a point that at least certain individuals seem to keep missing) is the need to be able to work with other people. This season I have seen more group challenges than in previous seasons and I think that's a direct result of the lack of cooperation among the contestants. While Josh is right and it is a design competition, what he's failing to realize is that, in the real world, he's going to have to work with other people, even if he's doing his own designs...at least, if he ever wants to actually work!
So, he didn't go home this episode...unfortunate, that. The designer who did leave wasn't half as bad as she was made out to be. Where Josh somehow came out better through the group challenges, Becky did the opposite. The judges basically told her that she should have exerted more independence but what they don't realize is that sometimes you just can't do that...at least, not unless you're an unbending bully like Josh. For people like Becky, it's often the better part of valor to be the one who bends...unfortunately for her, that meant getting the boot.
There is a moral to this story...don't be an insufferable prick. Sure, you might get your way in the short term, but bullies don't always make out like bandits (re: Pint-Sized Bully Pays...When Victim Fights Back), and nobody likes a bully (that's right, those "friends" you think you have? They don't like you. And the other bullies? Yeah, they don't like you either).
I'll get off my soapbox now...two nights in a row is just too much pontificating. But go check out the designs through the image link if you haven't been watching. Remember, these may be the people who dress you in the future, so you might want to get acquainted.
Hate Is Not The Opposite Of Love
Two things have happened this morning that suggest today is going to be...interesting (bear in mind, I began writing this at 10 minutes to 7 am so I've got loads of the day left in which more "interesting" things can happen).
The first incident occurred very early this morning and had me freaking out for several hours -- I had an alarming dream in which I found out that someone I care about had died. As far as I'm aware "Gustav" still has a heartbeat, so I'm hoping that, like the Death card in a Tarot deck, the "death" in my dream was just a metaphor for certain events that appear to have recently transpired in the life of "Gustav".
The second event, and the one I'm going to focus on, happened just a short time ago on Facebook. Someone I was "friends" with has deleted me. To be honest, I have been expecting it for ages now, I'm a bit surprised it's taken this long. But the reason I was deleted today of all days (I'm sure) is because of something I said on a post of this person's this morning. The original rant went something like, "I'm not really a hater, it's just that some people make it easy to hate them." My response to that was that you have to care in order to hate, and why do you care about someone you obviously consider insignificant?
That's a good question. There's an awful lot of "hating" in the Metal community (yes, the person in question is a member of that community) with people professing hatred toward people that, in the very next breath, they proclaim to not care about.
Sorry, but you can't hate someone you don't care about. Either you don't care, or you hate, you can't do both. Too many people think that hate is the opposite of love but that's just not true. Love and hate are on the same side of the coin. The opposite of love, and therefore the opposite of hate, is indifference. If you truly "don't care" about someone then you don't care! You don't care what happens to them and their thoughts, feelings, and actions make no difference to you; they don't affect you positively or negatively. But as soon as you claim that you hate someone, then that shows that you care about them. You care about what they are saying and what they are doing. You care enough about them that you are letting it affect you...and to hate them for that means that you care a lot!
Over the last couple of days I have been doing some serious research into certain things that interest me within the Metal community and I've been coming across more and more evidence that many in this community are full of crap. Don't worry, I still like you, I just think you need to get a clue.
There's a lot of focus on hating one group or another for whatever reason and many of the loudest screamers are shouting about how things need to be one way for them and another way for "the masses." A recent example is Behemoth's Adam "Nergal" Darski being "crusaded" against by the Catholic Church. I find the reaction to this laughable. All the pro-Nergal folk are railing against the Church for doing exactly what the Metal community have been doing to the Church for decades! Hell-o! Turnabout is fair play. You expect them to sit back and take your vitriol but you get your nose out of joint when you get what you've just served! Poor babies.
And why is it that all of your ire is seemingly reserved for Christianity? As a student of history I'm well aware that it's not only Christians who have waged wars and forced their belief systems on others. So why focus only on them? My guess is that you care. You care a lot. And what you care so much about is the fact that you are confused by the fact that you care. Do you even know what you believe? Do you even know what they believe? Some of you profess to be against them because of their morality but you obviously fail to realize that morality is vitally necessary to the survival of any group! How many of you vilify those that the media tells you are guilty of a crime? Well, if "morality" is so useless then where's the crime?
Morality is not a Christian construct. Our societies have certain rules governing the conduct of the people in them. Those rules are necessary because without them we would be living in chaos. And those of you who think that would be fine better take a good hard think about what that actually means. Even the most Chaos-loving organizations are just that, organized. Where there is organization there can be no chaos and where there is chaos there can be no organization. Think about what you believe before you hypocritically force that belief on another.
The first incident occurred very early this morning and had me freaking out for several hours -- I had an alarming dream in which I found out that someone I care about had died. As far as I'm aware "Gustav" still has a heartbeat, so I'm hoping that, like the Death card in a Tarot deck, the "death" in my dream was just a metaphor for certain events that appear to have recently transpired in the life of "Gustav".
The second event, and the one I'm going to focus on, happened just a short time ago on Facebook. Someone I was "friends" with has deleted me. To be honest, I have been expecting it for ages now, I'm a bit surprised it's taken this long. But the reason I was deleted today of all days (I'm sure) is because of something I said on a post of this person's this morning. The original rant went something like, "I'm not really a hater, it's just that some people make it easy to hate them." My response to that was that you have to care in order to hate, and why do you care about someone you obviously consider insignificant?
That's a good question. There's an awful lot of "hating" in the Metal community (yes, the person in question is a member of that community) with people professing hatred toward people that, in the very next breath, they proclaim to not care about.
Sorry, but you can't hate someone you don't care about. Either you don't care, or you hate, you can't do both. Too many people think that hate is the opposite of love but that's just not true. Love and hate are on the same side of the coin. The opposite of love, and therefore the opposite of hate, is indifference. If you truly "don't care" about someone then you don't care! You don't care what happens to them and their thoughts, feelings, and actions make no difference to you; they don't affect you positively or negatively. But as soon as you claim that you hate someone, then that shows that you care about them. You care about what they are saying and what they are doing. You care enough about them that you are letting it affect you...and to hate them for that means that you care a lot!
Over the last couple of days I have been doing some serious research into certain things that interest me within the Metal community and I've been coming across more and more evidence that many in this community are full of crap. Don't worry, I still like you, I just think you need to get a clue.
There's a lot of focus on hating one group or another for whatever reason and many of the loudest screamers are shouting about how things need to be one way for them and another way for "the masses." A recent example is Behemoth's Adam "Nergal" Darski being "crusaded" against by the Catholic Church. I find the reaction to this laughable. All the pro-Nergal folk are railing against the Church for doing exactly what the Metal community have been doing to the Church for decades! Hell-o! Turnabout is fair play. You expect them to sit back and take your vitriol but you get your nose out of joint when you get what you've just served! Poor babies.
And why is it that all of your ire is seemingly reserved for Christianity? As a student of history I'm well aware that it's not only Christians who have waged wars and forced their belief systems on others. So why focus only on them? My guess is that you care. You care a lot. And what you care so much about is the fact that you are confused by the fact that you care. Do you even know what you believe? Do you even know what they believe? Some of you profess to be against them because of their morality but you obviously fail to realize that morality is vitally necessary to the survival of any group! How many of you vilify those that the media tells you are guilty of a crime? Well, if "morality" is so useless then where's the crime?
Morality is not a Christian construct. Our societies have certain rules governing the conduct of the people in them. Those rules are necessary because without them we would be living in chaos. And those of you who think that would be fine better take a good hard think about what that actually means. Even the most Chaos-loving organizations are just that, organized. Where there is organization there can be no chaos and where there is chaos there can be no organization. Think about what you believe before you hypocritically force that belief on another.
The Entitlement Era
There is a new bitch-fest going on over Spotify, the Swedish streaming audio service. It was essentially started by Metalsucks writer/co-founder Ben "Vince Neilstein" Umanov. Apparently he's got his panties in a bind because both Century Media and Metal Blade have pulled their catalogs from Spotify.
According to what I've read (and bear in mind I haven't done a particularly thorough research job on this because it makes me angry to even think about this), Spotify are not paying the artists diddly squat for the right to put their music on the site. Essentially, they are robbing Peter in order to allow Paul to have his cake and eat it, too. Because this issue makes me teeth-grindingly pissed off I responded to the post linkd above (it's the blog of Borknagar guitarist Jens Ryland) with the following diatribe:
Two points that seem to be missed in all this:
According to what I've read (and bear in mind I haven't done a particularly thorough research job on this because it makes me angry to even think about this), Spotify are not paying the artists diddly squat for the right to put their music on the site. Essentially, they are robbing Peter in order to allow Paul to have his cake and eat it, too. Because this issue makes me teeth-grindingly pissed off I responded to the post linkd above (it's the blog of Borknagar guitarist Jens Ryland) with the following diatribe:
Two points that seem to be missed in all this:
1) Society has become full of the belief in their own entitlement.
2) If it’s all so great and you’d “pay more” for the service, then why the hell don’t you just buy the album? Because you’re a lazy git.
First point, it sickens me to read all this BS about how the music has got to be more accessible and cheaper. What’s being ignored is the fact that this is a business, not charity. Jens, you are not simply an artist, you are a business man — this is your work, and you should be getting paid for it regardless of the mode of delivery. Period. End of story.
The reason that services like Spotify even exist is because people have become so caught up in the belief in their own entitlement that they actually believe that they have THE RIGHT to have the music. What they are blind to, is the fact that it’s a privilege, not a right. And with a privilege there is a responsibility. In this case, that responsibility is to pay the people who give it to you (meaning the musicians who create it).
Unfortunately, it’s no longer just music that is getting shafted by this entitlement mentality, now it’s books and movies and loads of other things.
Entitlement issues are at the heart of most problems; someone has an all-consuming belief in their right to something, so they do all in their power to make sure they get it — as cheaply as possible, because (heaven forbid!) they should have to actually shell out money. But there is no such thing as a free lunch; someone, somewhere, at some time, is going to have to pay. Even in a barter society you are trading something for something.
Second point, I keep reading all these people say they have the premium service and they would gladly pay more for it…well, if you’re willing to pay more for it then why are you bitching about the price of a CD or an LP?! Why not do as you say and actually support the bands by buying the CD/LP? The argument then is that “it’s so much more convenient.” Convenience. Yeah, it’s convenient because you’re too damn lazy to get the other formats. They like to say garbage like, “well I can have 5,000 songs at my fingertips!” Sorry, do you actually listen to all 5,000 songs at the same time? No? I thought not. It’s not actually going to kill you to take a CD in the car with you…just thought I’d point that out.
I am so sick of this entitlement attitude. They all claim they are supporting the musicians, but then they turn around and rip you off.
If It's Free Take Three
Very often I see offers from bands or stores that say something like, "you get (insert item A here) free when you buy (insert item B here)." Obviously I have a problem with this or I wouldn't be blogging about it. But here's the problem I have...if you have to buy something to get the "free" stuff, then the stuff isn't actually free, is it? Regardless of what you paid for the entire package, you are still paying for it!
The wording in offers like this is simply semantics -- you aren't actually getting anything free, you are simply getting it for a reduced rate. It's the same with offers such as, "buy one, get one half off," or "buy two, get the third free." In both cases you are simply paying less for more -- but you are still paying for all of it.
"Wait, how does that work?!"
Well, duh...
In order for something to be truly free, you would have to not spend any money to actually get it. So, when a band tells you that you get,
"FREE POSTER when you purchase the Sepultura T-SHIRT + ALBUM PACK or the DOUBLE VINYL of KAIROS at: http://bit.ly/sepnbusa,"
then you know that you are paying for the poster because, in order to get it, you have to buy the other stuff. Simple as that. What these offers are is actually cleverly worded false advertising because nothing you're getting is actually free.
A good example of something that is actually free is the free samples you get in grocery stores. Those are free because you don't have to buy anything to get it. And as my dad says, "if it's free, take three."
So, for all you out there who like to give away free stuff...don't call it free unless it actually is.
The wording in offers like this is simply semantics -- you aren't actually getting anything free, you are simply getting it for a reduced rate. It's the same with offers such as, "buy one, get one half off," or "buy two, get the third free." In both cases you are simply paying less for more -- but you are still paying for all of it.
"Wait, how does that work?!"
Well, duh...
In order for something to be truly free, you would have to not spend any money to actually get it. So, when a band tells you that you get,
"FREE POSTER when you purchase the Sepultura T-SHIRT + ALBUM PACK or the DOUBLE VINYL of KAIROS at: http://bit.ly/sepnbusa,"
then you know that you are paying for the poster because, in order to get it, you have to buy the other stuff. Simple as that. What these offers are is actually cleverly worded false advertising because nothing you're getting is actually free.
A good example of something that is actually free is the free samples you get in grocery stores. Those are free because you don't have to buy anything to get it. And as my dad says, "if it's free, take three."
So, for all you out there who like to give away free stuff...don't call it free unless it actually is.
Luckiest Girl Alive!
Wow! It really must be my lucky week, two notifications of lottery winnings in one week! Yep, that's right, folks, I just got the mail today and there is yet another prize notification! This time my prize could be as much as $1,100,000!!! Man, and that other one only offered me a piddly $50,000 -- that's chump change compared to what I could win if I call this toll-free number and give them my prize entry ID number...
Funny thing is...they claim it's my second notice...I don't recall ever receiving a first notice...but hey! It's over 1 millllllion dollars so who cares if I only got one stinkin' notice, obviously this is the important one! Never mind that I never actually entered this sweepstakes (or the other one, for that matter...must have been my evil twin).
Funny thing is...they claim it's my second notice...I don't recall ever receiving a first notice...but hey! It's over 1 millllllion dollars so who cares if I only got one stinkin' notice, obviously this is the important one! Never mind that I never actually entered this sweepstakes (or the other one, for that matter...must have been my evil twin).
So, a brief scan of the internet has confirmed that yes, this is also a scam. But I give these fellows much better marks for delivery; although the envelope and front of the letter give absolutely no indication of who the hell it's from, the back tells you it's Strike It Rich VII Sweepstakes. These fellows did it much better with the presentation; the paper is much higher quality, the letter looks official and the envelope has a cellophane strip. Much better delivery, I give them 8.5 out of 10 (the yahoo's from Friday only get a 2/10...and they should consider themselves lucky they got that much!). The point and a half they missed was for the fact that, upon first glance, I thought it was a collection notice...So they lose a full point for scaring the hell out of me and half a point for lack of identification. Had they made it look more like Publishers Clearing House (you know, friendlier) then I would have given them 9.5/10...they still lose half a point for not having their name on the envelope or the front of the letter.
Interesting days ahead...can't wait to see what tomorrows post brings me...I have contacted the people being ripped off with the first scam but have not heard back from them yet. I will keep you posted on that and any further mailings from slimy schemers.
The Joke's On You!
So, I received a check in the mail today. It was not something I was expecting but the figure was certainly a nice one -- $2,900.25! Woohoo! Apparently, I have won some lottery called De-Lotto North American and European Sweepstakes Lottery (which was allegedly held on the 28th of October, 2010...and I'm only just now receiving my notification?! Geez...).
According to the fancy letter I received, I am entitled to $50,000! Damn! Man, I sure could use that money...But there are a few issues I have with this whole thing.
1) The quality of paper it's printed on is...well...crummy. It's not business paper, it's the same stuff I use at home. In fact, the stuff I use at home may actually be better quality.
2) The photo of the $25.5 million winner is in black and white...and the quality is worse than the paper it's printed on.
3) Speaking of the photo...in the letter it states the total prize money is "$4 Million US dollars that was shared among the other 80 declared winners." If the total moneys only equaled $4 million then why does the check in the photo show $25.5 million?
4) There are spelling/grammar/formatting errors. No self-respecting business would send out a notification with spelling/grammar/formatting errors.
5) The phone number. It's a Montréal cell phone (I know because I Googled it) but the letterhead is for a New York address (I suppose it's possible that someone in a New York office would have a Montréal cell phone, but I somehow doubt they would use it to receive business-related calls).
6) The check. The letterhead is from RMD Securities, Inc of New York, NY, but the check is drawn on the Omaha State Bank and is from the account of Consolidated Water Solutions, Inc, of Omaha, Nebraska...erm...okay. I checked up on this Consolidated blah blah blah, and it turns out they are a legit company -- selling water softening equipment. Um...what? Why would this company be sending me a check for $2,900.25 in conjunction with this lottery?
7) The check. I found an article called, Spotting The Foreign Lottery Scam, in which the author, Mary Finn, explains what to look for in a fraudulent check...and everything she says to look for is present on this check.
So, maybe you're wondering how this all works. Well, this scam is run in the following manner:
The scammers send you a letter informing you that you are entitled to "X" amount of money, and, oh yeah, here's a check to help cover the "clearance fee" (or taxes on the amount you are to be paid), which you must send to them in order for them to finish processing your claim and send you the entitlement. *smirk* In order to do this, you must call "Y" number and speak to "Z" individual in order to verify your file. Once your file is verified, then you must deposit the check and then send them back the "clearance fee," after which time they will send your award to you.
Okay, that's how it's supposed to work...but here's what actually happens:
You call their number to let them know they have a live one, you then deposit the check in your account and send them the fee, which gives them access to your account, which they are then free to drain at some later date, and the check they sent you bounces and they leave you paying the price.
Well, that's nice.
I have no doubt that there are people who aren't as cynical as I am and wouldn't do the finger work in order to determine the legality of this thing. I admit, when I saw that check for nearly $3,000 my mind went cha-ching! And I thought about all the bills I could pay off with $50,000. But then I came to my senses and did some "verifying" of my own...
And then I got the phone number for the water filtration company, which I intend to call tomorrow and let them know there are some dirt-bag scammers using their bank account. So, while these guys think they're getting one over on someone else, they have picked the wrong chica!
So, Whatever-you-name-is Scammer, the joke is firmly on you.
According to the fancy letter I received, I am entitled to $50,000! Damn! Man, I sure could use that money...But there are a few issues I have with this whole thing.
1) The quality of paper it's printed on is...well...crummy. It's not business paper, it's the same stuff I use at home. In fact, the stuff I use at home may actually be better quality.
2) The photo of the $25.5 million winner is in black and white...and the quality is worse than the paper it's printed on.
3) Speaking of the photo...in the letter it states the total prize money is "$4 Million US dollars that was shared among the other 80 declared winners." If the total moneys only equaled $4 million then why does the check in the photo show $25.5 million?
4) There are spelling/grammar/formatting errors. No self-respecting business would send out a notification with spelling/grammar/formatting errors.
5) The phone number. It's a Montréal cell phone (I know because I Googled it) but the letterhead is for a New York address (I suppose it's possible that someone in a New York office would have a Montréal cell phone, but I somehow doubt they would use it to receive business-related calls).
6) The check. The letterhead is from RMD Securities, Inc of New York, NY, but the check is drawn on the Omaha State Bank and is from the account of Consolidated Water Solutions, Inc, of Omaha, Nebraska...erm...okay. I checked up on this Consolidated blah blah blah, and it turns out they are a legit company -- selling water softening equipment. Um...what? Why would this company be sending me a check for $2,900.25 in conjunction with this lottery?
7) The check. I found an article called, Spotting The Foreign Lottery Scam, in which the author, Mary Finn, explains what to look for in a fraudulent check...and everything she says to look for is present on this check.
So, maybe you're wondering how this all works. Well, this scam is run in the following manner:
The scammers send you a letter informing you that you are entitled to "X" amount of money, and, oh yeah, here's a check to help cover the "clearance fee" (or taxes on the amount you are to be paid), which you must send to them in order for them to finish processing your claim and send you the entitlement. *smirk* In order to do this, you must call "Y" number and speak to "Z" individual in order to verify your file. Once your file is verified, then you must deposit the check and then send them back the "clearance fee," after which time they will send your award to you.
Okay, that's how it's supposed to work...but here's what actually happens:
You call their number to let them know they have a live one, you then deposit the check in your account and send them the fee, which gives them access to your account, which they are then free to drain at some later date, and the check they sent you bounces and they leave you paying the price.
Well, that's nice.
I have no doubt that there are people who aren't as cynical as I am and wouldn't do the finger work in order to determine the legality of this thing. I admit, when I saw that check for nearly $3,000 my mind went cha-ching! And I thought about all the bills I could pay off with $50,000. But then I came to my senses and did some "verifying" of my own...
And then I got the phone number for the water filtration company, which I intend to call tomorrow and let them know there are some dirt-bag scammers using their bank account. So, while these guys think they're getting one over on someone else, they have picked the wrong chica!
So, Whatever-you-name-is Scammer, the joke is firmly on you.
BELOW: The letter of notification of winnings.
Beauty Is Only Skin Deep...
Some people have questioned why I don't put more/better pictures of myself on the various sites I frequent on the internet. Well, let me explain it to you like this:
Let's say your significant other gets horribly burned in an auto accident. Are you going to dump him/her because he/she is no longer hot/beautiful? I should certainly hope not!
Looks are not important. Period. End of story. If you don't like someone then looks don't matter and if you do like someone then looks shouldn't matter. If they do, then you should check your motivation for being in a relationship with that person. And if you're not in a relationship then maybe your shallowness is the reason.
Looks should never be the basis for a relationship. How many divorces happen because someone has found someone younger, better looking? And why does this happen? Because society has forgotten that a truly lasting and worthwhile relationship cannot be based on the superficial; and that's what looks are, they're superficial, they can change in an instant.
Stop worrying about the external and start worrying about what's inside, because, when gravity and old age and the vagaries of human existence have taken their toll, that's what's going to be left.
Let's say your significant other gets horribly burned in an auto accident. Are you going to dump him/her because he/she is no longer hot/beautiful? I should certainly hope not!
Looks are not important. Period. End of story. If you don't like someone then looks don't matter and if you do like someone then looks shouldn't matter. If they do, then you should check your motivation for being in a relationship with that person. And if you're not in a relationship then maybe your shallowness is the reason.
Looks should never be the basis for a relationship. How many divorces happen because someone has found someone younger, better looking? And why does this happen? Because society has forgotten that a truly lasting and worthwhile relationship cannot be based on the superficial; and that's what looks are, they're superficial, they can change in an instant.
Stop worrying about the external and start worrying about what's inside, because, when gravity and old age and the vagaries of human existence have taken their toll, that's what's going to be left.
I've Got Your Fireworks Right Here!!
I have come to the conclusion that I hate fireworks...or, maybe I just hate the insensitive pricks who shoot them off in residential neighborhoods for two freaking hours! I was lying there in bed...trying to get to sleep...but it's too hot and I can't breathe because my nose is stuffed up...and there are at least four insensitive (insert string of colorful expletives here)'s shooting off fireworks on at least two sides of my house. I'm talking, within walking distance... I'm talking, within I-can-watch-the-show-from-my-balcony distance.
Y'know, I probably wouldn't mind so much if it were just one person/family and it were for one night only...but this BS has been going on since Friday! Friday night I could hear the fireworks from Romney Stadium, last night it was people somewhere in town, and tonight it's people in my own freaking back yard!
Maybe I wouldn't hate it so much if I didn't have to get up at dark thirty to deliver the local newsrag, but not everyone is lucky enough to have the 4th of July off.
But that's okay...For New Years, I'll be sure to purchase a large quantity of the largest, loudest, most obnoxious explosives legally available to the civilian public and set them off one-by-one so they last for...oh, how does three hours sound?
Y'know, I probably wouldn't mind so much if it were just one person/family and it were for one night only...but this BS has been going on since Friday! Friday night I could hear the fireworks from Romney Stadium, last night it was people somewhere in town, and tonight it's people in my own freaking back yard!
Maybe I wouldn't hate it so much if I didn't have to get up at dark thirty to deliver the local newsrag, but not everyone is lucky enough to have the 4th of July off.
But that's okay...For New Years, I'll be sure to purchase a large quantity of the largest, loudest, most obnoxious explosives legally available to the civilian public and set them off one-by-one so they last for...oh, how does three hours sound?
To Be Or Not To Be...Responsible
Yesterday morning I found a St. Bernard roaming the town. I've seen him before, in fact I saw him just the day before, but this time was different -- he was clearly injured. I don't know who be belongs to (he has tags) so I had to call Animal Control to come pick him up. I never found out if they did...I hope so, because he's hurt and needs medical attention. But this morning in the newspaper, the front page story is about a dog who was picked up by the Smithfield police and then left in an outdoor kennel, and subsequently died from the exposure and dehydration.
I am worried about the St. Bernard. But here's the real reason I'm writing this...the owner of the dog claimed that Lola, a yellow lab, was a member of her family. I have a hard time with this because of the circumstances surrounding what has happened.
Here's the story:
On Thursday, Lola was "let our for an early morning walk." She was found and picked up by a local police officer and taken to the city's temporary animal holding facility. She was placed in an exposed outdoor kennel and left there until she was found dead on Monday. According to the police, the officer in question put her in the kennel pending transportation to the humane society shelter, which is standard procedure. He then got "sidetracked" and forgot about her until the following Monday.
Here's the problem:
The dog owner claims that she called the Humane Society, several vets, and placed ads in the Herald Journal, on CacheValleyDaily.com, and KSL.com. She didn't bother to call the police. The dog had no tags or tracers and the police couldn't readily identify to whom she belonged.
If your dog is a member of your family don't you think you would ensure that animal's safety by, at the very least, having it tagged so that, in the event of it's being picked up by the police, it can be identified and returned to you as quickly as possible? Don't you also think you would call the police as soon as the animal is determined to be missing? Of all the people who are likely to pick up a stray dog, the police are your best bet.
I am not excusing the conduct of the officer in question -- what he did was wrong and deplorable; however, as a dog owner, you have certain responsibilities and one of them is to license your pet and have that license on the animal at all times! As a dog owner you should also be aware that it is illegal to allow your pet to run at large within the city, which is what this owner was allowing at the time of Lola's disappearance. This tragedy could have been avoided had Lola's owner been more responsible. Not allowing the dog to roam free and having her collared and tagged would have been the only things necessary to have prevented her death.
So, while the officer is directly responsible for the dog's death, the owner of the dog is indirectly, and therefore, also, responsible for her death. If you truly love your dog and consider it a member of your family then take the necessary precautions to prevent this type of thing from happening; have your dog collared and tagged, micro-chipped, and never allow it to roam outside of your yard unsupervised.
I am worried about the St. Bernard. But here's the real reason I'm writing this...the owner of the dog claimed that Lola, a yellow lab, was a member of her family. I have a hard time with this because of the circumstances surrounding what has happened.
Here's the story:
On Thursday, Lola was "let our for an early morning walk." She was found and picked up by a local police officer and taken to the city's temporary animal holding facility. She was placed in an exposed outdoor kennel and left there until she was found dead on Monday. According to the police, the officer in question put her in the kennel pending transportation to the humane society shelter, which is standard procedure. He then got "sidetracked" and forgot about her until the following Monday.Here's the problem:
The dog owner claims that she called the Humane Society, several vets, and placed ads in the Herald Journal, on CacheValleyDaily.com, and KSL.com. She didn't bother to call the police. The dog had no tags or tracers and the police couldn't readily identify to whom she belonged.
If your dog is a member of your family don't you think you would ensure that animal's safety by, at the very least, having it tagged so that, in the event of it's being picked up by the police, it can be identified and returned to you as quickly as possible? Don't you also think you would call the police as soon as the animal is determined to be missing? Of all the people who are likely to pick up a stray dog, the police are your best bet.
I am not excusing the conduct of the officer in question -- what he did was wrong and deplorable; however, as a dog owner, you have certain responsibilities and one of them is to license your pet and have that license on the animal at all times! As a dog owner you should also be aware that it is illegal to allow your pet to run at large within the city, which is what this owner was allowing at the time of Lola's disappearance. This tragedy could have been avoided had Lola's owner been more responsible. Not allowing the dog to roam free and having her collared and tagged would have been the only things necessary to have prevented her death.
So, while the officer is directly responsible for the dog's death, the owner of the dog is indirectly, and therefore, also, responsible for her death. If you truly love your dog and consider it a member of your family then take the necessary precautions to prevent this type of thing from happening; have your dog collared and tagged, micro-chipped, and never allow it to roam outside of your yard unsupervised.
Shut Your "Mayhole!"
Leave it to a "femme genderqueer" (whatever the hell that means) to take offense at a tradition that is now wholly meaningless.
According the The Local-Sweden, Alexander Alvina Chamberland, co-founder of the group Midsommarfitta (erm...that would be "Midsummer C*nt" in English), is trying to change the way Swedes celebrate the traditional Midsummer festival. Instead of dancing around a maypole, he wants people to dance around a vagina...Yes, that's right, a vagina. He sees the traditional maypole as a sexist phallic symbol. He also sees the tradition of girls picking flowers to place under their pillow in hopes of dreaming about their future man as "heteronormative and patriarchal." So, instead of dancing around a male symbol he wants people to dance around a female one...
Ugh...where to start, where to start...
First of all, as I mentioned at the beginning, the Midsummer festivities no longer hold the same meaning they once did, so to get all bent out of shape over dancing around a meaningless pole and having a bit of fun is just stupid.
Second, instead of elevating the male these yahoos want to elevate the female. Soooo, instead of forcing oppression by one group, you'd like to force oppression by another group. Yeah, okay, that makes sense...NOT. Look, any time you try to venerate one gender over the other you are, by turns, doing to the one group what you don't want to be done to the other. How is that really helping? I heartily disagree with feminism just as I heartily disagree with chauvinism; male is not better than female and female is not better than male; and by trying to venerate one over the other, that's what you are saying - that one is necessarily better than the other. Isn't that mentality what has caused so many problems in the past (or in certain areas of the world still causing problems)? We're all equal, get it?
Third, (this kind of goes back to what I said in point one) if the tradition is not to your taste then you have every right to celebrate it as you wish, and you can let people know that's how you're going to do it, that's fine, whatever; however, don't try to force your way on others by belittling or harassing them for doing it the way they want to. And yes, that's what I feel this guy is doing. It's all in the delivery.
And finally, he goes on to complain about how people often accuse feminists of having no sense of humor, "and then when we do, people complain that we're ridiculous." When all you seem to do is be on the offensive then yeah, you seem a bit humorless. But is this his way of saying that the Midsummerfitta is all a big joke? (Well, yeah, it is a joke...) That we shouldn't take it so seriously? Then why all the feminist rhetoric? Since we're speaking in sweeping generalizations here...feminists often accuse others of being anti-female if we don't readily support the feminist agenda, and that's just silly. Just because I don't support the feminist agenda doesn't mean I'm anti-female, I AM female for Pete's sake! So of course I'm not anti-female! What I am is anti-feminist/anti-chauvinist. I will not support any agenda that places one gender over the other, period, end of story.
Do I have a problem with this guy and his friends dancing around a vagina? No, I just think it's kind of stupid. But then, I think dancing around a pole is kind of stupid too. Do I have a problem with this guy and his friends trying to convince everyone and their dog to do it? Yes, I do. If you want to put up your little facebook page and "get the word out," fine, whatever, but don't go spewing your feminist claptrap in the news media in order to get your message across.
According the The Local-Sweden, Alexander Alvina Chamberland, co-founder of the group Midsommarfitta (erm...that would be "Midsummer C*nt" in English), is trying to change the way Swedes celebrate the traditional Midsummer festival. Instead of dancing around a maypole, he wants people to dance around a vagina...Yes, that's right, a vagina. He sees the traditional maypole as a sexist phallic symbol. He also sees the tradition of girls picking flowers to place under their pillow in hopes of dreaming about their future man as "heteronormative and patriarchal." So, instead of dancing around a male symbol he wants people to dance around a female one...
Ugh...where to start, where to start...
First of all, as I mentioned at the beginning, the Midsummer festivities no longer hold the same meaning they once did, so to get all bent out of shape over dancing around a meaningless pole and having a bit of fun is just stupid.
Second, instead of elevating the male these yahoos want to elevate the female. Soooo, instead of forcing oppression by one group, you'd like to force oppression by another group. Yeah, okay, that makes sense...NOT. Look, any time you try to venerate one gender over the other you are, by turns, doing to the one group what you don't want to be done to the other. How is that really helping? I heartily disagree with feminism just as I heartily disagree with chauvinism; male is not better than female and female is not better than male; and by trying to venerate one over the other, that's what you are saying - that one is necessarily better than the other. Isn't that mentality what has caused so many problems in the past (or in certain areas of the world still causing problems)? We're all equal, get it?
Third, (this kind of goes back to what I said in point one) if the tradition is not to your taste then you have every right to celebrate it as you wish, and you can let people know that's how you're going to do it, that's fine, whatever; however, don't try to force your way on others by belittling or harassing them for doing it the way they want to. And yes, that's what I feel this guy is doing. It's all in the delivery.
And finally, he goes on to complain about how people often accuse feminists of having no sense of humor, "and then when we do, people complain that we're ridiculous." When all you seem to do is be on the offensive then yeah, you seem a bit humorless. But is this his way of saying that the Midsummerfitta is all a big joke? (Well, yeah, it is a joke...) That we shouldn't take it so seriously? Then why all the feminist rhetoric? Since we're speaking in sweeping generalizations here...feminists often accuse others of being anti-female if we don't readily support the feminist agenda, and that's just silly. Just because I don't support the feminist agenda doesn't mean I'm anti-female, I AM female for Pete's sake! So of course I'm not anti-female! What I am is anti-feminist/anti-chauvinist. I will not support any agenda that places one gender over the other, period, end of story.
Do I have a problem with this guy and his friends dancing around a vagina? No, I just think it's kind of stupid. But then, I think dancing around a pole is kind of stupid too. Do I have a problem with this guy and his friends trying to convince everyone and their dog to do it? Yes, I do. If you want to put up your little facebook page and "get the word out," fine, whatever, but don't go spewing your feminist claptrap in the news media in order to get your message across.
I Am Vengeance!
Today started out much like any other; neither good nor bad. Then I got a phone call. It was a crap company trying to get money out of me for something I don't have because I sent it back. But because I didn't send it back "the right way" I am being charged for it...
Let this be a lesson to you: always, but always, check out a company through the BBB and/or the Complaints Board. Heck, even a simple Google might bring up something that would deter you from getting involved with a crap company. Don't learn the hard way cuz it sucks.
So, yeah, I'm pissed off. But there's always one thing that helps me when I'm ready to spit nails (no pun intended): Naglfar! More than once I have listened to Sheol (and screamed along) in order to become de-pissed off. It rarely fails. So listen with me now as we all decompress...
Let this be a lesson to you: always, but always, check out a company through the BBB and/or the Complaints Board. Heck, even a simple Google might bring up something that would deter you from getting involved with a crap company. Don't learn the hard way cuz it sucks.
So, yeah, I'm pissed off. But there's always one thing that helps me when I'm ready to spit nails (no pun intended): Naglfar! More than once I have listened to Sheol (and screamed along) in order to become de-pissed off. It rarely fails. So listen with me now as we all decompress...
But Of The Tree Of Knowledge Of Good And Evil, Thou Shalt Not Eat...
Those of you who know me, know that I am not a fan of Apple...in fact, I detest Apple and all it stands for. I have had nothing but trouble with it ever since I got my MacBook Pro from that stupid school. I get a headache whenever I try to look for compatible components for non-Apple product MP3 players (because, for some stupid reason, nobody seems to think people buy anything other than Apple iPods). When the iPad came out I strained my eyes rolling them so much. So, I took great pleasure in the South Park season premier when they ragged on Apple (and the Human Centipede) and I read every article that suggests the golden throne Jobs sits atop is really more of the porcelain variety.
So, I was interested to read two news items this morning that reveal to the world that Steve Jobs and his Apple cronies are big, fat liars. Ever since I got my laptop I've been told that there are no known Mac viruses...in fact, I was told exactly that by the guy at the Apple store when I raised the concern that my computer was acting as if it had a virus...So, imagine my interest when my buddy James tells me he's come across a Mac virus! What's this? I almost didn't believe him...or, I didn't believe him enough that I downloaded the offending software myself...because I had to see, I had to know! And lo and behold...! Just so you know, if you ever come across a font calling itself "Pastor of Muppets," don't download it! At least, not if you have a Mac...can't be sure if it works on a PC but after the pain I went through to get rid of it from my Mac, somebody else is going to have to test that one out! So yeah, it was "only" a Trojan, but still!
But then, a couple weeks ago when I installed new anti-virus software for my troubling Mac, the software informed me that I had over a dozen security threats! They were Trojans...my computer was littered with them. No, they weren't "viruses" but frankly, I couldn't care less about the differentiation between virus, Trojan, or even worm. They are all destructive in one way or another and they are all created by people who are trying to damage others. In other words, they're all bad. Period. End of story. So, while there may not be a Mac "virus," that doesn't matter because the other malware is bad enough and a Mac virus is no doubt in the works.
See, the reason that Apple products have thus far been largely spared the same fate as PC's is because, up until now, Apple has been a niche market, appealing only to people who don't know any better. But now, with the introduction of all of it's "i" products, Apple is going heavily mainstream...and now they're starting to feel the heat. With more and more people buying into the Apple flimflam the company is increasing its exposure to nasty people with nothing better to do than try to scam or otherwise harm people. By maintaining the attitude that Apple products are so well protected from security threats you don't need anti-virus software, you lull (some) people into a false sense of security, and that's when they become most vulnerable. It's only by virtue of my paranoia (and a previous experience with malicious software) that I have downloaded anti-virus software to my Mac...and clearly it wasn't a moment too soon!
The attitude at Apple is criminal and they should be held accountable for it. Certainly not in the way that hackers and creators of malicious software should be held accountable, but Apple should be held accountable for the security of their product.
So, what I'm trying to get across here is, if you own a Mac then be sure to get anti-virus software for it (yeah, it's not easy because so few companies make software for Mac...but it's not impossible). Don't be a fool and eat the Apple!
Madness Doesn't Even Begin To Cover It...
For the last two days I have been trying to get to my blog...I don't know what is going on with the host (maybe the virus is killing it??) but I had to go to Safari in order to get here...turns out I can get here on Internet Explorer, too, just not my beloved Firefox. But after a couple of emails to customer support, three different browsers, and a password change, I am back.
And that brings me to why I'm posting this. Unless the powers that be nix it, my plan is to go to Central Cemetery in Spring Glen. This cemetery is also known as the Austrian and Slovenian Cemetery. There are 69 people there (no jokes please...), or at least that's how many are listed on Find A Grave as being there. The idea is to go there and take grave pictures to post on both FAG and my blog (not necessarily in that order). That's the plan. That's what dang well better happen since I've been planning this for weeks. But the weather seems determined to crush my puny human plans.
Which is interesting...since, last week I went to Lewiston Cemetery and the rain held off as long as I was in the cemetery actively taking pictures. It rained like a hurricane on the drive up there, stopped raining while I was taking pictures, and then rained heavily when I thought I was done...only to stop again when I realised I'd missed a few people! There were some workers there who stopped by to tell me they thought it wasn't raining because I was there; they asked me to stay.
So, if I'm supposed to go to Spring Glen then everything will work out. Since I dearly want to, let's pray that I'm supposed to go to Spring Glen, okay?
And that brings me to why I'm posting this. Unless the powers that be nix it, my plan is to go to Central Cemetery in Spring Glen. This cemetery is also known as the Austrian and Slovenian Cemetery. There are 69 people there (no jokes please...), or at least that's how many are listed on Find A Grave as being there. The idea is to go there and take grave pictures to post on both FAG and my blog (not necessarily in that order). That's the plan. That's what dang well better happen since I've been planning this for weeks. But the weather seems determined to crush my puny human plans.
Which is interesting...since, last week I went to Lewiston Cemetery and the rain held off as long as I was in the cemetery actively taking pictures. It rained like a hurricane on the drive up there, stopped raining while I was taking pictures, and then rained heavily when I thought I was done...only to stop again when I realised I'd missed a few people! There were some workers there who stopped by to tell me they thought it wasn't raining because I was there; they asked me to stay.
So, if I'm supposed to go to Spring Glen then everything will work out. Since I dearly want to, let's pray that I'm supposed to go to Spring Glen, okay?
Not Exactly What The Doctor Ordered...
So, I have been doing this medical transcription training for several months now...to say it's a chore is beyond understatement; it's torture. Basically, I hate it. But it has gotten me thinking. The way that medical transcription works is, a health care professional dictates their notes and some sorry sack gets to listen to it and try to figure out what the hell they're saying. Sounds fairly simple, right? WRONG!
The problem is that doctors don't seem to understand that the notes they dictate need to be understandable. There are some that do very well, they speak at a moderate speed, they don't mumble, and the recording itself is crystal. These are the good ones! But some of them are nearly impossible to figure out...at least, not without a lot of time and stress. They mumble, they speed read or they have so much static or noise in the background that you can barely hear the words! I'm not a computer...I can't filter out the static or make the sound quality better, I can only do what I can do.
As a result, this course has been murder on me. It's not fun, it's not interesting, it's a crime. I know, I know, "why are you still doing it then?!" Because certain people are desperate for me to. Trust me, if it was truly up to me I'd be done with it...would've been done with it ages ago.
But my predicament has prompted thoughts into a few changes to the program. The issue is the recordings themselves. Again, there are doctors who do very well and those are fine. But for the vast majority of the doctors that I have had the misfortune to come across, they, and all the poor transcriptionists who get stuck with their crap, would benefit from some sort of computer program that can end this problem forever.
What I'm talking about is a program that is essentially a template where all they have to do is fill in the blanks (surely they can manage that??!). Another issue is that there is no industry standard -- yes, there are standards, but they're only suggestions. Each transcription company can make their own "standard" and the standard can change from client to client. They need to have one industry-wide standard for each type of report and one program that allows the doctors to fill in the blanks. After that, (because doctors aren't exactly perfect) they would have an editor come along and make sure the report is legible. But nobody would have to listen to someone who sounds bored and is in such a hurry that they dictate the physical examination at Mach 2!
So, for all you programmer types, you want to make lots of money? Develop a program that does this. I, for one, will thank you effusively. Oh, and if anyone knows of a good job that won't start until the second week of August...let me know.
The problem is that doctors don't seem to understand that the notes they dictate need to be understandable. There are some that do very well, they speak at a moderate speed, they don't mumble, and the recording itself is crystal. These are the good ones! But some of them are nearly impossible to figure out...at least, not without a lot of time and stress. They mumble, they speed read or they have so much static or noise in the background that you can barely hear the words! I'm not a computer...I can't filter out the static or make the sound quality better, I can only do what I can do.
As a result, this course has been murder on me. It's not fun, it's not interesting, it's a crime. I know, I know, "why are you still doing it then?!" Because certain people are desperate for me to. Trust me, if it was truly up to me I'd be done with it...would've been done with it ages ago.
But my predicament has prompted thoughts into a few changes to the program. The issue is the recordings themselves. Again, there are doctors who do very well and those are fine. But for the vast majority of the doctors that I have had the misfortune to come across, they, and all the poor transcriptionists who get stuck with their crap, would benefit from some sort of computer program that can end this problem forever.
What I'm talking about is a program that is essentially a template where all they have to do is fill in the blanks (surely they can manage that??!). Another issue is that there is no industry standard -- yes, there are standards, but they're only suggestions. Each transcription company can make their own "standard" and the standard can change from client to client. They need to have one industry-wide standard for each type of report and one program that allows the doctors to fill in the blanks. After that, (because doctors aren't exactly perfect) they would have an editor come along and make sure the report is legible. But nobody would have to listen to someone who sounds bored and is in such a hurry that they dictate the physical examination at Mach 2!
So, for all you programmer types, you want to make lots of money? Develop a program that does this. I, for one, will thank you effusively. Oh, and if anyone knows of a good job that won't start until the second week of August...let me know.
The Uncredible Machine
I wasn't going to bother commenting on or posting this because everyone and their mom are going on about it. Well that, and I must confess to being a little peeved with Herr Håkansson at the moment (seriously, I let you off the hook about Skåne and Blekinge and now you're avoiding me?! WTF?). But something occurred today that made me decide I needed to say something about it...and if I'm going to say something about it then I may as well post the damn thing.
I'm talking about the song, Warschau 2: Headhunter Halfmoon, from Marduk's newest EP, Iron Dawn, which will be available for sale in the US the day they appear at the Maryland Deathfest (27 May 2011, for those who don't already know). What occurred today that made me change my mind, was a perfect example of what I am constantly complaining about -- lack of research.
Metalsucks posted the video for the song with some totally ridiculous commentary that showed they hadn't bothered to do their research. It all centered around the question of what the title actually means.
According to Metalsucks, "'Warschau,' for those that don't know, is just how funny people from countries that don't matter say 'Warsaw.'" I find it fascinating that he would say such a thing. Warschau is the German spelling/pronunciation of Warsaw and I find it hard to believe that Germany is a country that "doesn't matter." He then goes on to wonder why the song would be called "Warsaw 2." Clearly, if he has to ask then he doesn't know very much about Marduk...he's, no doubt, simply regurgitating whatever he's been told to. As one astute commenter noted, it's called "Warsaw 2" because it's a sequel (if you will) to the song Warschau on their album Plague Angel. Simple research could've worked that out.
He next questions the subtitle, Headhunter Halfmoon. I can only speculate on what that might refer to, and since I don't know and haven't asked Morgan, then I won't bother speculating (it's a research thing...). But if I seriously wanted to know, I could simply ask! Morgan will tell you. As long as you don't ask for deeper meaning he'll tell you what it refers to. It's not that hard!!!
The problem with people who don't do research is that they lose credibility. I'm a little surprised, and yet not at all surprised, that nobody bothered to call me out on the "error" I made in my post about the German census. Since it was a test, then no harm, no foul. But had I genuinely not known that a national census is not, by any stretch of the imagination, anonymous, then I would have lost credibility. Just as Metalsucks lost credibility when they didn't bother to check their facts before posting. And if they didn't want to check facts, then they shouldn't have opened the door.
Which brings me to another issue...if you ever hear Morgan say that Chernobyl means wormwood, then don't you believe him. Because he's wrong.
There is a common misconception that Chernobyl means, or refers to, wormwood. It doesn't, it actually means black stalks/grass and it refers to mugwort. Perhaps the misconception arose because both wormwood and mugwort belong to the same species -- Artemesia -- and have similar properties.
Mugwort, or Artemesia vulgaris, "is a perennial plant that can be found in waste places, ditches, bushy areas, and along roadsides and fences in Europe, Asia, and North America" (Lust, John. The Herb Book. New York: Benedict Lust Publications, 2009. Print). When used properly it stimulates the appetite, digestion, and gall bladder, and acts as a purgative (makes you puke), among other things. When used improperly it can kill you.
Wormwood, or Artemesia absinthium, "is a silky perennial plant found in waste places and along roadsides from Newfoundland to Hudson Bay and south to Montana. It is a native plant in Europe, from where it was introduced into North America" (Lust, John. The Herb Book. New York: Benedict Lust Publications, 2009. Print). When used properly, it destroys parasites, inhibits the growth of microorganisms, prevents spasms, induces burping and flatulence, promotes bile flow into the duodenum, reduces fever, stimulates digestion, and acts as a general stimulant. When used improperly, it can kill you.
And now that we know the difference, and that Chernobyl doesn't mean wormwood (no matter how awesome that would be from an apocalyptic perspective), here is the song that started the whole diatribe:
I'm talking about the song, Warschau 2: Headhunter Halfmoon, from Marduk's newest EP, Iron Dawn, which will be available for sale in the US the day they appear at the Maryland Deathfest (27 May 2011, for those who don't already know). What occurred today that made me change my mind, was a perfect example of what I am constantly complaining about -- lack of research.
Metalsucks posted the video for the song with some totally ridiculous commentary that showed they hadn't bothered to do their research. It all centered around the question of what the title actually means.
According to Metalsucks, "'Warschau,' for those that don't know, is just how funny people from countries that don't matter say 'Warsaw.'" I find it fascinating that he would say such a thing. Warschau is the German spelling/pronunciation of Warsaw and I find it hard to believe that Germany is a country that "doesn't matter." He then goes on to wonder why the song would be called "Warsaw 2." Clearly, if he has to ask then he doesn't know very much about Marduk...he's, no doubt, simply regurgitating whatever he's been told to. As one astute commenter noted, it's called "Warsaw 2" because it's a sequel (if you will) to the song Warschau on their album Plague Angel. Simple research could've worked that out.
He next questions the subtitle, Headhunter Halfmoon. I can only speculate on what that might refer to, and since I don't know and haven't asked Morgan, then I won't bother speculating (it's a research thing...). But if I seriously wanted to know, I could simply ask! Morgan will tell you. As long as you don't ask for deeper meaning he'll tell you what it refers to. It's not that hard!!!
The problem with people who don't do research is that they lose credibility. I'm a little surprised, and yet not at all surprised, that nobody bothered to call me out on the "error" I made in my post about the German census. Since it was a test, then no harm, no foul. But had I genuinely not known that a national census is not, by any stretch of the imagination, anonymous, then I would have lost credibility. Just as Metalsucks lost credibility when they didn't bother to check their facts before posting. And if they didn't want to check facts, then they shouldn't have opened the door.
Which brings me to another issue...if you ever hear Morgan say that Chernobyl means wormwood, then don't you believe him. Because he's wrong.
There is a common misconception that Chernobyl means, or refers to, wormwood. It doesn't, it actually means black stalks/grass and it refers to mugwort. Perhaps the misconception arose because both wormwood and mugwort belong to the same species -- Artemesia -- and have similar properties.
Mugwort, or Artemesia vulgaris, "is a perennial plant that can be found in waste places, ditches, bushy areas, and along roadsides and fences in Europe, Asia, and North America" (Lust, John. The Herb Book. New York: Benedict Lust Publications, 2009. Print). When used properly it stimulates the appetite, digestion, and gall bladder, and acts as a purgative (makes you puke), among other things. When used improperly it can kill you.
Wormwood, or Artemesia absinthium, "is a silky perennial plant found in waste places and along roadsides from Newfoundland to Hudson Bay and south to Montana. It is a native plant in Europe, from where it was introduced into North America" (Lust, John. The Herb Book. New York: Benedict Lust Publications, 2009. Print). When used properly, it destroys parasites, inhibits the growth of microorganisms, prevents spasms, induces burping and flatulence, promotes bile flow into the duodenum, reduces fever, stimulates digestion, and acts as a general stimulant. When used improperly, it can kill you.And now that we know the difference, and that Chernobyl doesn't mean wormwood (no matter how awesome that would be from an apocalyptic perspective), here is the song that started the whole diatribe:
P.S. If you would like references to prove that I'm not lying about the etymology of Chernobyl, leave a comment and I will send them to you.
The Grave Police
As anyone who actually reads my blog knows, I am a genealogy/cemetery addict. I love doing genealogy and I love going to cemeteries. That's why I'm a member of Find A Grave. I love the fact that I can find almost anyone on that site, and if I can't find them there, then I can indulge my genealogy addiction and find them through their cemetery and put them in Find A Grace so that others can find them, too. I volunteer to take photos for other people who may not be able to travel up here to find their people. I love to do that, too, because I am helping someone else who may also enjoy the same addictions.
There are certain members of Find A Grave who seem to think this is some sort of competition...the goal? To get on one of the Find A Grave "Top Contributor" lists. Now, I'm not saying that everyone who winds up on those lists is a glory hound, but I happen to be very aware of at least one who is.
Really, if you're going to perpetrate a fraud then you should have a better plan than simply creating dummy accounts that you use for nothing but requesting photos which your main account then immediately posts. And if you are going to do it this way then you should seriously consider coming up with email addresses that aren't virtually identical. Your desire to artificially inflate your volunteer photo numbers is touching...in a heartburn sort of way...but it gets incredibly irritating when my inbox gets stuffed with bogus photo requests.
But these aren't the only problem people on the site. There are definitely others who, while not necessarily doing it to get on the list, are hording memorials that they have either no time or no inclination to maintain (or they are compeltely inactive).
This presents certain problems for those of us who are trying to get information corrected or added. Memorial managers who don't respond to correction requests force active members to involve the site management who may or may not respond either! This means that information is not being updated and memorials are being unnecessarily neglected. There needs to be some sort of recourse for this situation. Maybe Find A Grave needs to hire a few more people?
Don't get me wrong, I love the site, I appreciate what it does and what it represents, and I've had a blast adding and updating memorials. I just wish that other people felt the same way about it that I do...
There are certain members of Find A Grave who seem to think this is some sort of competition...the goal? To get on one of the Find A Grave "Top Contributor" lists. Now, I'm not saying that everyone who winds up on those lists is a glory hound, but I happen to be very aware of at least one who is.
Really, if you're going to perpetrate a fraud then you should have a better plan than simply creating dummy accounts that you use for nothing but requesting photos which your main account then immediately posts. And if you are going to do it this way then you should seriously consider coming up with email addresses that aren't virtually identical. Your desire to artificially inflate your volunteer photo numbers is touching...in a heartburn sort of way...but it gets incredibly irritating when my inbox gets stuffed with bogus photo requests.
But these aren't the only problem people on the site. There are definitely others who, while not necessarily doing it to get on the list, are hording memorials that they have either no time or no inclination to maintain (or they are compeltely inactive).
This presents certain problems for those of us who are trying to get information corrected or added. Memorial managers who don't respond to correction requests force active members to involve the site management who may or may not respond either! This means that information is not being updated and memorials are being unnecessarily neglected. There needs to be some sort of recourse for this situation. Maybe Find A Grave needs to hire a few more people?
Don't get me wrong, I love the site, I appreciate what it does and what it represents, and I've had a blast adding and updating memorials. I just wish that other people felt the same way about it that I do...
There's Privacy, And Then There's Just Stupid...
So the German government has finally decided to count their population, something that hasn't been done since the re-unification. To people in countries that regularly get counted this seems pretty run-of-the-mill...but not to the German people! They are up in arms over the census because they feel that it is an invasion of privacy and they have been staging protests in West-Berlin and Köln and even called for a general boycott. But at least one group is tackling it a bit differently.
According to an article in The Local.de, a fake census form, that mimics the real one, has been sent around the country. Turning up in mailboxes, sans envelope, the Berliner Zeitung reports that the form is the same as the official version but contains questions about drug use, surgical augmentation, and even asks whether you are "heterosexual or not heterosexual."
Apparently the German people are a little unclear on the function of a national census, and have been since the first censuses were held in the 16th and 17th centuries. For those who are a bit hazy on the details, let me explain: a census is used to determine the population size and make-up. Census figures help a government to better determine where money should go and how well the country is doing in terms of education and employment. In the US, census figures are also necessary to determine representation in the government (and if you choose not to fill out a census form then you are telling the people who fought to give you representation that you don't care that they did that!). In the history of German census-taking, censuses were a way for the government to determine how many soldiers a state would supply the army -- the smaller you were, the smaller your contribution. It was also used to determine shares of revenue -- the bigger you were the bigger your share.
Therefore, the purpose of a census is not to invade the privacy of the individual citizen, but to make the government of those citizens more effective. Censuses are anonymous, just like political or consumer surveys. If you think that the government is going to use a census to target your criminal activities then you are wrong...that's what the police are for. So let the government find out how many of you there are and whether you finished high school or not, so that they can better govern you. Anything else is just stupid.
According to an article in The Local.de, a fake census form, that mimics the real one, has been sent around the country. Turning up in mailboxes, sans envelope, the Berliner Zeitung reports that the form is the same as the official version but contains questions about drug use, surgical augmentation, and even asks whether you are "heterosexual or not heterosexual."
Apparently the German people are a little unclear on the function of a national census, and have been since the first censuses were held in the 16th and 17th centuries. For those who are a bit hazy on the details, let me explain: a census is used to determine the population size and make-up. Census figures help a government to better determine where money should go and how well the country is doing in terms of education and employment. In the US, census figures are also necessary to determine representation in the government (and if you choose not to fill out a census form then you are telling the people who fought to give you representation that you don't care that they did that!). In the history of German census-taking, censuses were a way for the government to determine how many soldiers a state would supply the army -- the smaller you were, the smaller your contribution. It was also used to determine shares of revenue -- the bigger you were the bigger your share.
Therefore, the purpose of a census is not to invade the privacy of the individual citizen, but to make the government of those citizens more effective. Censuses are anonymous, just like political or consumer surveys. If you think that the government is going to use a census to target your criminal activities then you are wrong...that's what the police are for. So let the government find out how many of you there are and whether you finished high school or not, so that they can better govern you. Anything else is just stupid.
Not My Brother's Keeper
I have been sitting on a news story for a while now, that I had all but decided not to get all worked up about...then I had a good think about it this morning and decided that something needs to be said. The story is from The Local (Swedish edition) and some of the comments on it initally sounded rational...until I checked out the newer comments this morning. Some of the comments sounded very 1984-ish to me - suggesting that people who have tattoos are somehow bad, while people who wear suits and ties are all good. Obviously, if you've been paying any kind of attention, then you are well aware that people in suits and ties commit crimes, too. I'm sure there were people who thought Bernie Madoff and Rod Blagojevich were good guys!
Some proverbs pop into mind here: don't judge a book by it's cover; walk a mile in someone elses shoes; judge not that ye be not judged; etc.
The article in question concerns a teacher in Sweden who was criticized by a local politician because he has tattoos and spiky hair. His name is Sam Aalto and he teaches (at least for now) at Vasaskolan in Skövde, in western Sweden. Surprisingly, (and in a totally awesome turn of events!) the school board is backing the teacher because he is a "highly competent" teacher "liked by colleagues and students alike."
So this raises the question, should teachers have to look like a Wall Street lawyer to be able to teach children? Obviously, the answer is no. The emphasis placed on the look of the teacher totally ignores the more important question of whether that teacher is competent and effective. Just because you wear a suit and tie doesn't mean you can teach and just because you have tattoos doesn't mean you can't! There are some people who are born teachers and people shouldn't discount them simpley because of a fashion or lifestyle choice.
Interestingly enough, this isn't the first time a teacher has been villified for his preferences.
In June of 2008, Emil Koverot, of the band Blodsrit, was fired before he even set foot in a classroom because he was in a Death Metal band, a fact that the school's principal knew when he hired him! According to Koverot, the dismissal was becasue the other staff and student's parents couldn't accept the fact that he was in a hard rock band. According to the principal, the dismissal came after he reviewed the band's lyrics with lawyers from the Swedish Asscoiation of Regions and Local Authorities (SALAR), and determined that the lyrics "conflict with the school's values."
It happened again in May of this year, in Germany, when a trainee high school teacher in Stuttgart was given an ultimatum: give up your traineeship or quit your gory metal band, Debauchery. Thomas Gurrath was a trainee teacher in politics, history and ethics at Hegel Gymnasium in Stuttgart's Vaihingen district. This all came about after a supervisor at the school discovered some of the band's material on their website and told the education authorities. Gurrath was given the ultimatum "on the grounds that non-violence was a key aspect to the image of the teaching profession -- and one that Gurrath could not plausibly represent to his pupils if he stayed in the band."
Perhaps tellingly, both Koverot and Gurrath responded by saying that it's only music and they don't necessarily condone the contents of their own lyrics.
I have 2 problems with this whole situation.
The first issue is that which I have already pointed out above: just because you look a certain way or listen to a certain type of music that doesn't mean you are a criminal or otherwise reprehensible individual. And it certainly doesn't mean you can't effectively teach.
The second issue is a little more problematic for me...both of these men have said that they don't necessary condone the lyrical contents of their music. If that is true then why put it in there? I am well aware (and perhaps they are not) that there are certain people who believe that whatever a band sings about, they mean. I personally don't think the average band means even 95% of what they write about.* To me it's entertainment just like a horror movie, but there are people who take it deadly serious, and not just the fans.
So, the problem (for me) is where do you draw the line. Should musicians take more responsibility for what they write.** If that's the case, then any writer can be held responsible for the actions of others who misinterpret their work. It becomes a very slippery slope. Where does personal responsibility end and social responsibility begin? And that's the real issue here. The people who are against the Sam Aalto's, Emil Koverot's, and Thomas Gurrath's of this world are suggesting that they are somehow better than these people. They are placing their personal prejudices above the education of their children. If any of these men is an ineffective teacher then he shouldn't be teaching, but that goes for all teachers, everywhere, not just the ones that look different or listen to different music.
Stieg Larsson made this point quite well in his book, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest (if you haven't read it you should...some very good points are made during the trial portion): People aren't always what they seem. We need to stop basing our opinions on the external and start paying closer attention to the internal.
*That percentage changes based on the band, of course, as there are a plethora of topics bands can, and do, write about and some of them are very serious -- mostly the socio-political bands.
**I am not suggesting (NOR EVER WOULD) that musicians are responsible for another persons actions. The situation in the 80's when various bands were prosecuted for murder/deaths associated with teenagers who allegedly took the music a bit too seriously are a perfect example of society blaming the wrong person. The people who commit crimes after allegedly listening to, and taking to heart, the music of anyone, are still responsible for their own behavior. What I am saying is that bands ought to make it clear that they are not condoning the things they are singing about...and yes, I realise this goes to the credibility of the band...blah, blah, blah...but if you don't really condone the things you are putting out there then you don't really have any credibility anyway, now do you?
Some proverbs pop into mind here: don't judge a book by it's cover; walk a mile in someone elses shoes; judge not that ye be not judged; etc.
The article in question concerns a teacher in Sweden who was criticized by a local politician because he has tattoos and spiky hair. His name is Sam Aalto and he teaches (at least for now) at Vasaskolan in Skövde, in western Sweden. Surprisingly, (and in a totally awesome turn of events!) the school board is backing the teacher because he is a "highly competent" teacher "liked by colleagues and students alike."
So this raises the question, should teachers have to look like a Wall Street lawyer to be able to teach children? Obviously, the answer is no. The emphasis placed on the look of the teacher totally ignores the more important question of whether that teacher is competent and effective. Just because you wear a suit and tie doesn't mean you can teach and just because you have tattoos doesn't mean you can't! There are some people who are born teachers and people shouldn't discount them simpley because of a fashion or lifestyle choice.
Interestingly enough, this isn't the first time a teacher has been villified for his preferences.
In June of 2008, Emil Koverot, of the band Blodsrit, was fired before he even set foot in a classroom because he was in a Death Metal band, a fact that the school's principal knew when he hired him! According to Koverot, the dismissal was becasue the other staff and student's parents couldn't accept the fact that he was in a hard rock band. According to the principal, the dismissal came after he reviewed the band's lyrics with lawyers from the Swedish Asscoiation of Regions and Local Authorities (SALAR), and determined that the lyrics "conflict with the school's values."
It happened again in May of this year, in Germany, when a trainee high school teacher in Stuttgart was given an ultimatum: give up your traineeship or quit your gory metal band, Debauchery. Thomas Gurrath was a trainee teacher in politics, history and ethics at Hegel Gymnasium in Stuttgart's Vaihingen district. This all came about after a supervisor at the school discovered some of the band's material on their website and told the education authorities. Gurrath was given the ultimatum "on the grounds that non-violence was a key aspect to the image of the teaching profession -- and one that Gurrath could not plausibly represent to his pupils if he stayed in the band."
Perhaps tellingly, both Koverot and Gurrath responded by saying that it's only music and they don't necessarily condone the contents of their own lyrics.
I have 2 problems with this whole situation.
The first issue is that which I have already pointed out above: just because you look a certain way or listen to a certain type of music that doesn't mean you are a criminal or otherwise reprehensible individual. And it certainly doesn't mean you can't effectively teach.
The second issue is a little more problematic for me...both of these men have said that they don't necessary condone the lyrical contents of their music. If that is true then why put it in there? I am well aware (and perhaps they are not) that there are certain people who believe that whatever a band sings about, they mean. I personally don't think the average band means even 95% of what they write about.* To me it's entertainment just like a horror movie, but there are people who take it deadly serious, and not just the fans.
So, the problem (for me) is where do you draw the line. Should musicians take more responsibility for what they write.** If that's the case, then any writer can be held responsible for the actions of others who misinterpret their work. It becomes a very slippery slope. Where does personal responsibility end and social responsibility begin? And that's the real issue here. The people who are against the Sam Aalto's, Emil Koverot's, and Thomas Gurrath's of this world are suggesting that they are somehow better than these people. They are placing their personal prejudices above the education of their children. If any of these men is an ineffective teacher then he shouldn't be teaching, but that goes for all teachers, everywhere, not just the ones that look different or listen to different music.
Stieg Larsson made this point quite well in his book, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest (if you haven't read it you should...some very good points are made during the trial portion): People aren't always what they seem. We need to stop basing our opinions on the external and start paying closer attention to the internal.
*That percentage changes based on the band, of course, as there are a plethora of topics bands can, and do, write about and some of them are very serious -- mostly the socio-political bands.
**I am not suggesting (NOR EVER WOULD) that musicians are responsible for another persons actions. The situation in the 80's when various bands were prosecuted for murder/deaths associated with teenagers who allegedly took the music a bit too seriously are a perfect example of society blaming the wrong person. The people who commit crimes after allegedly listening to, and taking to heart, the music of anyone, are still responsible for their own behavior. What I am saying is that bands ought to make it clear that they are not condoning the things they are singing about...and yes, I realise this goes to the credibility of the band...blah, blah, blah...but if you don't really condone the things you are putting out there then you don't really have any credibility anyway, now do you?
