Prince's new collection
Msn.com is streaming Prince's new collection of music-Planet Earth
http://music.msn.com/music/ListeningBooth?GT1=10190.
I say collection of music because I don't know what to call the collection anymore. Album doesn't seem appropriate. When I think of an album, I think of an LP or phonograph record. Although an album could really be any collection of items, album just doesn't sound right for digital items. Anyway, record album already borrowed the term album from photo album because the earliest records were kept in books resembling photo albums. With digital music, there is no physical case or book or even medium for the collection of songs.
CD seems totally wrong since a cd is just the medium, like vinyl records. I wonder if there is a new word for the digital age to express the concept of album? How about Song Book?
NBA, David Stern, and the Phoenix suspensions
There has been so much talk recently about the suspensions of the two Phoenix Suns players and the "fairness" of the rule. Mr. Stern states that "the rule is the rule" and is as clear as black and white. Many of the talking heads on tv and radio are railing against the ruling, most citing either inconsistency or unfairness as their objections. I don't understand the inconsistency argument since the NBA has, in my opinion, been very consistent in applying the rule and fairness is such a vague argument. The question is whether the rule was properly interpreted and administered. Mr Stern argues that there is no gray area in the rule and the rule forces him to supsend the players and there is no discretion. I respectfully disagree. Here is the rule as it appears in the NBA rule book:
"During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench. Violators will be suspended, without pay, for a minimum of one game and fined up to $35,000. The suspensions will commence prior to the start of their next game. A team must have a minimum of eight players dressed and ready to play in every game. If five or more players leave the bench, the players will serve their suspensions alphabetically, according to the first letters of their last name. If seven bench players are suspended (assuming no participants are included), four of them would be suspended for the first game following the altercation. The remaining three would be suspended for the second game following the altercation. "
I wish the talking heads and especially Dan Patrick, who had an especially testy interview with Mr. Stern, would have asked one simple question-What distance is defined as the immediate vicinity of their bench? Since immediate vicinity is not defined, it seems as if Mr. Stern could have very legitimately cited that since the players were still within a reasonable distance of their bench (Stoudemire did cross the coaches line but he was still within few feet of the Suns coaching staff, Diaw never even cross the coaches line). Since it was a dead ball situation, there shouldn't be a penalty for simply being on the court, players are often on the court during dead ball situations. This particular situation was directly down the line from the bench so therefore you could see the coaches line but what about something that happens across from the bench? What then constitutes "immediate vicinity"? Unfortunately, after all the discussions on this, I am no closer to understanding when a player violates the rule.
CA Panel OKs College Aid for Illegal Residents
"The California Dream Act, as it's known, would enable undocumented immigrants to seek money from some programs," the Fresno Bee reports. Wow, this is really weird. American citizens that have had a drug conviction are not entitled to Federal Aid but illegal non citizens in CA can receive some aid? How does a person who has no legal right to be in the state of California have a right to financial aid? How does this even make sense? Some argue that they or their parents pay taxes so they are entitled. That argument doesn't really hold water. The fact that you pay taxes doesn't trump citizenship. Anyone can pay taxes, after all that is usually just a cost of doing a transaction (buying something, receiving a wage, etc.). However, citizen is something entirely different. Citizens have rights and responsibilities that non citizens don't have. Illegal non citizens shouldn't even have the rights of legal non citizens.
You can read the complete June 21, 2006 article on-line http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/12347553p-13077967c.html.
Hands off MY Social Security?
Senate Majority lead Bill Frist had a chance meeting with protestors from Americans United to Protect Social Security. The protestors had signs proclaiming "Hands off My Social Security! Catchy, but wrong. As currently constructed, no one has a personal social security account, as implied by the "My Social Security" phrase. Social Security is currently a "pay as you go" government program. The payroll taxes that are paid today support current social security recipients, they are not put in an account with your name on it. That would be a Personal Savings Account (PSA), one of the proposals put forth by President Bush that the protestors are presumably protesting. A sign proclaiming "Hands off Social Security" would be more apropos. As with any other government program, once the tax is paid, the money belongs to the government and it decides what to do with it. A PSA would indeed belong to the person and any changes to the rules governing them could be met with signs declaring "Hands off MY Social Security!"
