Daily Archives: January 31, 2009

YouTube censors Antony and Johnsons, isn’t that silly

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Antony and the Johnsons, banned in Boston

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, January 31, 2009

Yesterday I wrote about a cool new group and their video Epilepsy is Dancing. When I checked my stories at 4:30 PM, my computer locked up. Apparently, YouTube had taken the video down “because it is supposedly indecent!” Although stunning and provocative, the video is hardly indecent, more of cross between Midsummer Night’s Dream meets Debussy’s painter. There is quite a bit of indecent material on YouTube and this video is art not indecent. What is startling is the combination of disability and sexuality, one of the taboos yet in our society.

The video is so well done, with the lyrics, music, dancing and cinematography I recommend it for viewing by adults and children, pre-teens and older, to teach them about epilepsy. It will allay fears about disability and help us to understand another state of human existence. Most children have already seen more sexuality on daytime soaps and rock videos. Of course, nothing is more immoral and disrespectful to life than the brutal violence shown in movies and TV.

Here is the video on PitchFork TV.
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Music copyright is a world gone wrong

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By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada January 31, 2009

Mike Masnick over at TechDirt has this thing about copyright. It’s his regular obsession. The post Yes, Artists Build On The Works Of Others… So Why Is It Sometimes Infringement? makes the point that we need to be able to transform other works of art. In the current frenzy to copyright, patent and tie down the last nickle from each idea we have we’re stiffling the collective creative process. Musicians, especially the starters, are encouraged to copyright your songs to get compensation for your work. Maybe you’ll get rich one day. Wow, that would be exciting. Wrong, totally improbable that a new artist trying to create original music will write something that makes a million dollars, especially if they build walls around it. It was not how music, especially rock and roll, got so great. Instead of registering your songs with Socan, just send them out to the world on the Internet and see if anyone likes them. You automatically have a copyright by law.
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A little neighborly concern may help avert tragic situations

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From BattleCreekEnquirer.com

The death of Marvin Schur should make all of us think about our roles as neighbors and community members in a world where we increasingly are isolated from one another.Schur is the 93-year-old Bay City man who was found frozen to death in his house Jan. 17. The local utility company had installed a power-limiting device on Schur’s house because he owed more than $1,000 in unpaid electric bills.
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