tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23412801928841666822024-03-05T04:05:07.112-08:00The Raleigh OutsiderThe Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-67521226753639509722010-04-19T11:02:00.001-07:002010-04-19T11:02:27.318-07:00I have been really busy with work related stuff. I am gonna pick this blog back up with a post about my visit to the NCMA this coming weekend.The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-18343136106410185212010-04-02T08:59:00.000-07:002010-04-03T13:50:09.260-07:00Broken Social Scene and Flavor Flaaaavvvv at Raleigh's Hopscotch Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgfM-AmeWOY9tYOijpUjItT10lT7FStyCSo4jvdO2EEaD1YFoCFXx47zQh9DwrlPNdGwR96ArDR5-PjBCYOp2dgUOmTZuh8OeHd1tw131LpfkCzc0NNKPkP2344FhxQeZpcDdFbxLrn4/s1600/gif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgfM-AmeWOY9tYOijpUjItT10lT7FStyCSo4jvdO2EEaD1YFoCFXx47zQh9DwrlPNdGwR96ArDR5-PjBCYOp2dgUOmTZuh8OeHd1tw131LpfkCzc0NNKPkP2344FhxQeZpcDdFbxLrn4/s320/gif.gif" /></a></div><br />
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Earlier this week, Indy Weekly announced the lineup for the Hospcotch festival and it included headliners Broken Social Scene Public Enemy with Flavor Flav and Panda Bear.<br />
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This three day fest will also include many well known Triangle artists such as I was Totally Destroying It, Megafaun, and Rosebuds. Personally, I am most excited by the appearance of experimental indie rockers Broken Social Scene and noise rockers No Age. Now, if only they were both playing on the same day I wouldn't have to chose between them since I really can't make every day of the festival. No matter what this festival looks like its gonna be a great time, and here's to hoping this becomes a yearly even like Sparkfest. I also haven't had a chance to attend any events on the new plaza in downtown Raleigh, so it will be interesting to see how this works out. They just need to hurry up and release the full festival schedule so I can decide between No Age and BSS. <br />
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More details below:<br />
<a href="http://hopscotchmusicfest.com/">http://hopscotchmusicfest.com/</a>The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-3383205069763790932010-03-25T07:34:00.000-07:002010-03-25T07:34:15.341-07:00More campy ace double scifi goodness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3108nJnPgD3Pd7OpPwaTzKQPdXuDFc0NEV-eTfTcAx3calEE30xACkoEQwbujJ97_UTcpQP_vfLeUL6aKSeffEl9zzN7_-bNJ7_gmgWF7vJjU9eKZaYtHaONxrq1L1y_Yi-PaJinlRqo/s1600/IMG_2851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3108nJnPgD3Pd7OpPwaTzKQPdXuDFc0NEV-eTfTcAx3calEE30xACkoEQwbujJ97_UTcpQP_vfLeUL6aKSeffEl9zzN7_-bNJ7_gmgWF7vJjU9eKZaYtHaONxrq1L1y_Yi-PaJinlRqo/s320/IMG_2851.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I just picked up a few new Ace Doubles at Reader's Corner here in Raleigh for only 50 cents each. It seems whoever sold these books was a big fan of E.C. Tubb and Juanita Paulson. <br />
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I think favorite cover is the at the top. I am really enjoying sharing these, so whenever I get some new ones I'll try to make a post.<br />
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Well the North Carolina Lottery commission seems to be closing in on those so called Sweepstakes Centers I mentioned in an <a href="http://theraleighoutsider.blogspot.com/2010/02/great-sweepstakes-center-scandel.html">earlier post</a>. Today the State Education Lottery sent letters to retailers who operate such video gaming devices warning that if they are convicted of felony gambling charges, they will lose their license to sell lottery tickets. The state senate also says that it plans on outlawing sweepstakes cafes once it reconvenes for the May session of the legislature. As I mentioned in my earlier post I definitely see these sweepstakes centers as a problems, especially considering that they are practically popping up anywhere and everywhere. It is also rather disturbing that some are open 24 hrs and some actually let minors in (I wonder if they are able to gamble?). However, I don't really see the purpose of moving toward an outright ban of these mini-casinos. It just seems like with very strict regulation, and heavy taxation or licensing requirement these places could serve as a handy revenue source for the state. I guess we'll have to just wait and see what happens come May.<br />
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<a href="http://www.wral.com/news/local/wral_investigates/story/7287280/">http://www.wral.com/news/local/wral_investigates/story/7287280/</a><br />
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The above picture is a photograph from the WRAL post that is linked above.The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-10155132520605072742010-03-21T19:55:00.000-07:002010-03-21T20:02:26.536-07:00Woot! Health Care reform passed by The House!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1FU30jB8Go7nNCdefgHc9Mu0NbsX52sNb426ZSjzbdIXRfHMBrz1sjgvTzWs8vq5FdTpFuRZaa9NX6pHEDWjreDFiw5UL7eLWww6BFKcUMv_m_PMzapkmGkojr7kFhKwuPzly3HIyE0/s1600-h/250px-Nancy_Pelosi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1FU30jB8Go7nNCdefgHc9Mu0NbsX52sNb426ZSjzbdIXRfHMBrz1sjgvTzWs8vq5FdTpFuRZaa9NX6pHEDWjreDFiw5UL7eLWww6BFKcUMv_m_PMzapkmGkojr7kFhKwuPzly3HIyE0/s200/250px-Nancy_Pelosi.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div> <br />
I spent hours watching this tonight and I am so happy that Congress is finally coming to their senses and doing something about this problem. I really feel that this is a historic vote and the first real win by the Obama administration. It doesn't have everything in i that I would have wanted, but honestly after the months and months of BS that we have experienced, it is amazing that that it happened at all. In my opinion, if this is signed into law it is on par with medicare or social secure or even the civil rights movement (though this might be a bit of a stretch). I will gush about this when it is signed into law, but I am really excited by the fact that this has been passed by the house tonight. Also, I will admit to geekily chanting "Yes we can!" with house members when vote number 216 showed up on the screen. I have had my doubts, but I feel like I am finally seeing my vote for Obama and this congress pay off. <br />
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<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/21/health.care.latest/index.html?hpt=T1">http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/21/health.care.latest/index.html?hpt=T1</a>The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-85300086671911745072010-03-20T15:14:00.000-07:002010-03-20T15:14:46.301-07:00Texas whackjobs and the death of American education<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTNgb_TMLLSIaGrZlEyG55Nwc9JB5RGTsWwQ6nF85f27uVk_auXV124bBWpVbW0_JdoJfHKFoLgksx7pao109I7-5_01EbSJcM6YuSHPoW7amk3xCdHr1ZlOUcyD71drhV7ES-ktCnpg/s1600-h/thomas-jefferson-big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTNgb_TMLLSIaGrZlEyG55Nwc9JB5RGTsWwQ6nF85f27uVk_auXV124bBWpVbW0_JdoJfHKFoLgksx7pao109I7-5_01EbSJcM6YuSHPoW7amk3xCdHr1ZlOUcyD71drhV7ES-ktCnpg/s200/thomas-jefferson-big.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
The more I read about this situation the angrier I get. It is just beyond me who decided that we would put the future of our children's education n the hands of such a small and extreme group of fundamentalists. The Texas school board has an undue amount of power when it comes to textbook publishing, and it has made the decision to rid history books of any trace of Thomas Jefferson. <br />
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That's right. They've decided it that they would remove Thomas Jefferson altogether because of his support of a divided church and state. I mean yes, I agree that Jefferson had his issues, particularly with one Sally Hemmings, but he was instrumental to the founding of our nation and to have a our kids not learn about him in school is a crime. These whackjobs in Texas have edited out the civil rights movement, slavery, the suffragettes, Japanese internment and a multitude of other events that are essential to our understanding of Americaness. What's more they have chosen none other than that raging alcoholic congressman, Mr Joseph McCarthy, to raise to the status of American hero for his efforts against the Commies. <br />
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What makes this situation worse is that what happens with the Texas school board effects what goes into textbooks elsewhere, as textbook publishers have to conform to their standards in order to reach the massive Texas textbook market. Also, because of the California budget deficit, California's larger textbook market has far less sway on the textbooks as they have had to put off ordering new books until 2014. Because Texas is such large market, textbook makers are more likely to make their books conform to its standards and then sell them unchanged in other states as well. Essentially the Texas school board has doomed many of our children to an ignorance when it comes to the history of the United States. They are literally changing American history to fit their far-right wing agenda with no regards for the true sequence of events that make our nation's history. We can only hope that these changes can be undone in the near future and Texas' and the nation's children can get off of this path can only lead to more ignorant close minded citizens.<br />
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Sources: <br />
<a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2010/1001.blake.html">http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2010/1001.blake.html</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124861233">http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124861233 </a><br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html?scp=2&sq=texas+conservatives+mckinley&st=nyt">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html?scp=2&sq=texas+conservatives+mckinley&st=nyt</a><br />
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<a href="http://banmilleronbusiness.com/files/thomas-jefferson-big.jpg">Picture source</a>The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-7750256963376282362010-03-07T15:28:00.000-08:002010-03-09T11:33:47.490-08:009 Amazing Campy Ace Books sci fi coversWhile I as going to school Grad school in Ohio, my favorite bookstore had a great selection of Ace Doubles that were 2 or 3 bucks a pop. After months of rifling through them, I couldn't resist buying a few because of the amazing 1960s style art that was on each side of their covers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Each "double" includes 2 scifi novellas with its unique cover art on each side of the front cover for the unique stories. The stories were enjoyable, but really I love these books for the amazing and kitschy cover art. At the bottom I also included the art from the Phillip K Dick novel "The Crack In Space" which is standalone single novel whose cover is full of campy goodness as well. I can't get enough of these things and I will almost definitely be purchasing more the next time I stumble on them in a local bookstore. If you love these like I do I suggest you go check out the site <a href="http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/ace-books">http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/ace-books</a> They have a bunch of these books and a ton more great pulp scifi, horror, and westerns among others. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULm1ktZzDLEojuMwRIp04yMGT_6HgpFsGmWr0qhEC9ZqWUOxHJqkzKeyaWVF4-Oem3RQAbAY1fNEhtTJZBPSEuNcZz6SuX7utX74uG8_OTyKQC8SimLd2n4Doduf7i0qlnanIFOvoBPs/s1600-h/IMG_2751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULm1ktZzDLEojuMwRIp04yMGT_6HgpFsGmWr0qhEC9ZqWUOxHJqkzKeyaWVF4-Oem3RQAbAY1fNEhtTJZBPSEuNcZz6SuX7utX74uG8_OTyKQC8SimLd2n4Doduf7i0qlnanIFOvoBPs/s320/IMG_2751.JPG" /></a></div>The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-54403420541245940502010-03-02T16:43:00.000-08:002010-03-02T17:02:43.859-08:00The Destruction of the New South<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNU52vVhO6yPA4Qhg8tNFQG0i23tbcUtO1nnFcRkCDjh5GIfJ-GEyAulWoWfd4TzVvIOLum2ih8kmB7ni1A85DOyd6ex1S5tQXrEXQ3vZSfB4Iwap4QFVPY_mWl9ylsP7gi38OB9-l5Os/s1600-h/wakeco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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Well, I quite enjoyed Raleigh Gawkers <a href="http://www.raleighgawker.com/the-exhaustive-guide-on-why-your-school-system-sucks-part-one">assessment</a> of the situation, but I really thought I needed to add my own voice to the fray. As many of you know, The Raleigh school board has been taken over by people who decided that our busing program needs to be scrapped. To me, this move is nothing short of a racist, classist attempt by these parents to keep certain people out of "their" schools. In the New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/02/us/AP-US-NC-School-Desegregation.html">today</a> , they focus on the fact that Raleigh was once a leader in creating a kind of model for desegregation that if reversed could easily spiral out of control to the point of resegregation.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>It seems like we were looking the other way and a small group of privileged white parents have hijacked the school board and are trying to push us back into pre-1976 era Raleigh public schools when there were two school districts. One, the Wake County was largely white and more wealthy, while the Raleigh City Schools was largely poor inner city minorities. This push to de-integrate (because that's what this is) the schools will push our school districts back in that direction. Access to resources will once again be limited for those in lower economic brackets as they were before the busing program which deny opportunities for those students. As the New York Times article points out, this de-integration has already been done in Charlotte with disastrous results for those students. We do not want to continue down this path, because what lies ahead can only be worse for the citizens an children of our city.The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-87916006417596210332010-02-28T08:00:00.000-08:002010-02-28T12:44:02.452-08:00Geektastrophy 1: Caprica , first impressions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLf2inSzHO0NCaJncs35GOhV3bOV_8BLq5AwYtoX5z070LJ-rC5gmYSOaFNKMg4av27j1lvyOEj8jDBv6SkkCYlzuj4gLw01DJjoLHXk5u0V_VzO9tIJ9F_rTURQo75nZpaUN7lJxLng/s1600-h/Caprica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDLf2inSzHO0NCaJncs35GOhV3bOV_8BLq5AwYtoX5z070LJ-rC5gmYSOaFNKMg4av27j1lvyOEj8jDBv6SkkCYlzuj4gLw01DJjoLHXk5u0V_VzO9tIJ9F_rTURQo75nZpaUN7lJxLng/s320/Caprica.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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As with many scifi geeks, I have been a huge fan of the reimagined version of <i>Battlestar Galactica</i>. I didn't much care for the cheesy, 1970s version of BSG as it always just seemed to be a Star Trek rip-off that paled in comparison. However, I do love the fact that Battlestar Gallactica footage was stolen for the movie "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0655450/">Space Mutiny</a>" (Can we say Big Mclargehuge?) which is featured in one of my favorite Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes. Anyways, the 2003 iteration of Battlestar focused on the quest for survival by a small group of humans in the face of total destruction at the hands of the cylons. It deals with interesting overarching themes including the nature of humanity and artificial intelligence, as well as very compelling discussions of the nature of war, terrorism, and god. And yes, there certainly were a lot of points where BSG stumbled in the first couple of seasons, but while it was on, it was a series that I couldn't wait for the next episode to air. <br />
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Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica</span></div><span class="left-caption"><br />
<a href="http://www.syfy.com/caprica/"><i>Caprica</i></a> is a prequel set 58 years (is this really enough time?) in the past that deals with years leading up to the Cylon revolt within the 12 Colonies. In particular the series focuses on Daniel Graystone, who is in the process of creating the Cylon centurions, The Adama family (Sam and Joseph) Dad and Uncle of William Adama from the Caprica series, and the activities of the extremist group known as the Soldiers of the One Cult. First the good. Zoe, the cylonized main character has the potential to turn out to be very interesting, what with being the first free thinking cylon who is trying to escape the clutches of Graystone's lab on quest for something or other for the Infinite Cult (which I will discuss below). Secondly, I definitely like the Cosa Nostra aspect of Joseph Adama's ethnicity, as that could lead in very interesting directions. I am a mob fiction obsessee (Godfather, Goodfellas, Grand Theft Auto, Sopranos- I love it all) so I can get behind almost anything that involves a well thought out organized crime sub plot. Also, I really am interested in the character of Sam himself, and I am curious how it will eventually end up effecting Bill Adama's young character who Sam is basically putting through the training not unlike the schooling of one Henry Hill. <br />
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Ok, now let's talk about the Soldiers of the One nonsense. Why? Please, somebody tell me why this had to involve some terrorism BS subplot that only seems to be there so that this series can be relevant. I get it. They got sucked into a cult that is not unlike the cult of fundamentalist Islam blah blah blah... I just feel that the concept of terrorism and extremism was sufficiently dealt with by BSG, where there were plenty of extremists (cylons) blowing themselves up for their cause. One more thing is that I'm having a really hard time feeling anything at all about the very wealthy Daniel and Amanda Graystone and how hard it is to be them. It's not only they are not only unlikable, but I don't even have the energy to feel much of anything for either one of them. Part of the problem is that the Graystones can't even hold a candle to the genius and glamorous Gaius Baltar and of course there's no equivalent to "Six" in <i>Caprica</i>. I only compare them because Gaius and Daniel are both supposed scientific geniuses who greatly change the face of humanity through their scientific developments. This is perhaps an unfair comparison, but Daniel Graystone or his wife have not yet appeared the least bit interesting beyond being the parents and (in Daniel's case) creator of cylon Zoe Graystone. I guess we'll see where they go with the whole restructuring the V-world. <br />
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So, these are a few of my first impressions of the series up to the episode "Gravedancing". As I am a cable lacking peasant, I will not get a chance to see the newest episode until Wednesday. I am eager to see how this series develops as, despite my doubts, I believe it has a great deal of potential. I am still hesitant because I just don't feel that really grabbed by the plot line like I did with BSG.</span>The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-10737747669441021442010-02-16T15:36:00.000-08:002010-02-16T19:05:12.997-08:00The Great Sweepstakes Center ScandelI am well acquainted with the idea of legalized gambling as there are many riverboat casinos in different areas of my home state of Illinois. The closest one to my hometown in central Illinois was about an hour away on the Illinois River in Peoria. I think gambling can be a great revenue source for a state, but it has to be controlled and highly regulated or it has the potential to be very harmful to an area. In <a href="http://www.wral.com/news/local/wral_investigates/story/6988331/">North Carolina</a> (and several other Southern states) there is a bizarre loophole that allows computerized slot machines to be placed in Sweepstakes centers throughout the state.<br />
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Honestly, until I noticed that there was a sweepstakes center right down the street from me, I had no idea how common these sweepstakes centers were. The sweepstakes center close to me is basically a room with two long rows of computers and someone tending the front desk(and looking disapprovingly out the front window). As I said, is a loophole allows them to sell internet or cell phone time for a variety of casino games to be played on their computers. They are able to get around gambling rules because by selling the computer and cell phone time, they are not actually selling access to gambling. Additionally, players are not actually given cash, but rather receive vouchers to be exchanged for cash. Once I figured out what the sweepstakes centers, it occurred to me how rough the customers tended to look and how truly sparse the furnishings were. I was also a bit disturbed by the fact that they were open from 10AM-2AM and I kind of wondered what the patrons leaving the establishment at 2AM would look like. <br />
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There is just something disturbing about the idea that that casinos could spring up all over town because of this strange loophole. Areas around Casinos (I'm looking at you Peoria Illinois) are often the kinds of places you want to avoid after dark. I'm all for casinos and I love the lottery, but I really think that letting gambling run wild and unregulated like this could be very harmful. I say tax the heck of them and regulate where they can set up shop and I think you could cushion the damage and still make some money for the state. I mean honestly, I don't see why the state can't use this problem as a way to gain an alternative revenue stream that would put a dent in the state's budget shortfall.<br />
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<a href="http://www.wral.com/news/local/wral_investigates/story/6988331/">http://www.wral.com/news/local/wral_investigates/story/6988331/</a>The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-7294965367909449052010-02-12T17:34:00.000-08:002010-02-12T17:34:52.669-08:00Streaming music gets a swift kick in the faceIt seemed to me that music companies had the perfect deal, or at least a new and improved deal. Finally they'd found a way to get around the rampart file-sharing that had cut a huge sized chunk out of their profits. After years of suing their customers to recoup the losses from filesharing, there seemed to a light at the end of the tunnel. <a href="http://last.fm/">Last.fm</a> and others in the U.S. as well as the apparently awesome <a href="http://www.spotify.com/">Spotify</a> in the UK and Europe served as a way for consumers to get music outside of the deadly filesharing.<br />
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These sites were known to pay a great deal for the use of their songs and served as a alternate revenue stream for the music companies. Personally I have been looking forward to U.S. launch of Spotify which is supposed to sometime this year.<br />
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All in all, things seemed to be at least going somewhat in the right direction, but of course, the music companies once again found a way to shoot themselves in the foot. Earlier this week Warner Music <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&oi=news_result&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAkQqQIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wired.com%2Fepicenter%2F2010%2F02%2Fwarner-wont-drop-spotify-in-europe-but-could-shape-us-launch%2F&ei=zfB1S8nGDZSXtgfq982fCg&usg=AFQjCNEWVt5V-9FNcK9MLroR_MCkxmHdiQ&sig2=gNqWcHHw7T_E1uVGf7ty-A">decided</a> that it would not allow any further streaming music contracts. Now, I understand the fact that they sunk a ton of money into the recently defunct imeem.com, but come on hasn't the spotify contracts paid off in Europe? Come on, give it up Warner, Americans are not suckers anymore than Europeans. By blocking streaming music you have essentially blocked Spotify, which really can't launch without the Warner catalogue. Once again, the music industry has managed to put itself n position that can only result in continuing loss of profits. I sort of wonder how long its going to be before there is nothing left on my Last.FM playlist whatsoever. I'd like to say that I think the music companies will come to their senses, but past evidence would suggest otherwise. <br />
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Wired Link: <span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">http://bit.ly/a7YPgw</span></span>The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-34972194530795951942010-02-08T16:36:00.000-08:002010-02-08T20:20:54.964-08:00The Great Super Bowl Sell Out and The Super Bowl's Ban on Female PerformersAfter the scandalous appearance of songs by both Arcade Fire and Grizzly Bear, hipsters and indie music fans continued the endless tail chasing that attempts to protect underground culture by kicking those out who do not adhere to a code of rejecting mainstream culture. So it was no surprise that when the Grizzly Bear song "Two Weeks" was featured in a VW commercial and Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" was used in a NFL commercial that was supposed to benefit Haiti earthquake victims.<br />
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And while I tend to agree with part of this sentiment, if done right its really hard for me to dredge up the indignation that many people have expressed as a result of each of these slights. I suppose the fact that my days of screaming "sell out!" are over may mean that I am obsolete or yuppified in the eyes of hipster culture and I'm willing to accept that. But honestly I'm not going to let a NFL commercial (although this hurts a little bit more) or a car commercial diminish my love for either Arcade Fire or Grizzly Bear's music. We can talk if their music starts to suck...<br />
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A second thought I have was in regards to the dreaded halftime show, which, even before Janet and Justin was mildly unpleasant. Since the wardrobe malfunction in 2005, there have been a plague of dried up has-been male rock stars and Prince, who is no Spring chicken either. Which leads me to ask, will the NFL ever trust a woman to perform in a Super Bowl again? Honestly, is America so afraid of female sexuality that we have to keep the proverbial chastity belt locked firmly in place and prevent any expression of femininity during the super bowl halftime show. Not that I'm complaining, as I would gladly take The Who (aka That CSI Band) over Britney Spears or whatever crappy pop diva replaces her, but this blatantly sexist approach is just sad.The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-81455117562130236432010-02-07T13:50:00.001-08:002010-02-07T13:50:55.693-08:00Testing out my sms posting. I am currently working on a post about biz centers/ sweepstakes centers (legalized gambling) in North CarolinaThe Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-79741111132885542422010-02-07T10:16:00.000-08:002010-02-10T05:25:42.315-08:00Jennifer Government and Corporate PersonhoodI am having a really hard time getting started with this blog. RDU Gonna Eat is so much easier because we have a specific topic that we focus on all the time. We go to a restaurant, and then write about what we ate. Or, we cook something and then we right about how that went. So I need to brainstorm some generally more structured ideas for this blog or something.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6C55SwEFk8HlC_jPYlrnQ_QZDY8ZlGGqJFYCWOdNGLaoljMCAKnzcXRGWEg1XniMmcjWVmx0T3cJW3MJeK5pH1X44IX1BblGv7qBegZUJmh8fHQpAidNy3hFTogflcQVm0DtDy51UTh4/s1600-h/429275477v11_350x350_Front.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435564090071968130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6C55SwEFk8HlC_jPYlrnQ_QZDY8ZlGGqJFYCWOdNGLaoljMCAKnzcXRGWEg1XniMmcjWVmx0T3cJW3MJeK5pH1X44IX1BblGv7qBegZUJmh8fHQpAidNy3hFTogflcQVm0DtDy51UTh4/s200/429275477v11_350x350_Front.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
Anyways, I thought I would do a little post on Corporate personhood because it generally scares the crap out of me. As you may have heard the wonderful Supreme Court has decided that corporations have the right to free speech, which essentially struck down much of the progress that has been made (it isn't much) in the past 20 years. This decision was followed immediately followed by the ironic declaration by liberal public relations firm <a href="http://www.murrayhillweb.com/pr-012510.html">Murray Hill Incorporated</a> that it will <a href="http://bit.ly/cVHfOD">run for congress in Maryland's 8th district</a> . And while I appreciate the wit of Murray Hill as well as the <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/MHIncCongress.430817375">Corporations Dream Too T-shirts</a>, I couldn't help but be a bit terrified by this whole situation.<br />
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As I thought about this situation I couldn't help but be reminded of one of my most favorite books of all time.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nEaaIw-fMLOg0vqmYxZJoa-bWpE9UzL4CI_iSpQzvD9AfBwxuTvJRTivtniBBhLIBcsmWciduV2OgXEsVmXo3elG_Kbh8DnUF1qFgAnGjDk_u-8RxtYDBs1NVqM8G8uSqZn32zon-Gw/s1600-h/Jennifergovernment.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435167161985082754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nEaaIw-fMLOg0vqmYxZJoa-bWpE9UzL4CI_iSpQzvD9AfBwxuTvJRTivtniBBhLIBcsmWciduV2OgXEsVmXo3elG_Kbh8DnUF1qFgAnGjDk_u-8RxtYDBs1NVqM8G8uSqZn32zon-Gw/s200/Jennifergovernment.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 107px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 143px;" /></a><br />
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Now, I realize that Max Barry's Jennifer Government focuses a bit more on branding, but it still illustrates the dangers of unfettered corporate power. In the book American capitalism has been let run wild to the point that all branches of government have been privatized and only the corporations have been organized into two rival warring factions. Finally, people take on the names of the companies or agencies they work for (e.g. Hack Nike, Jennifer Government).<br />
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Since we have now given corporations the power of free speech and therefore essential personhood what is to stop them form running for office taking even more of the power in this country? I don't think we are going the way of the government being made impotent as in Jennifer Government, rather I think this most recent step by the Roberts court is a step toward Corporations becoming the government. As absurd and unlikely as Max Barry's vision of a corporate controlled future once seemed, I am afraid something not so dissimilar seems to be coming to fruition. If corporations can now run for government and have all of the rights of an individual, it's only so long before we stopping Senator McCain or Senator Kerry and begin having Senator Newscorp and Senator Wal-Mart.<br />
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Link to Max Barry's home page: <a href="http://www.maxbarry.com/">http://www.maxbarry.com/</a><br />
Also, the Jennifer Government game Nationstates (not sure if this is still in working order)<br />
<a href="http://www.nationstates.net/">http://www.nationstates.net/</a>The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-5589278487344530022010-01-30T13:16:00.000-08:002010-02-07T13:24:24.124-08:00A snowy Raleigh Day!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXAiDoOKlEYajDkfjClIyYYtC7tWpkvxjnGd4cHAQNdryTygYoerMNQUcqD8kUxafbmPzJ63Wj-lxe-sSDwnPsDY_WdbDCrn5y7AUBSK4wUdM-7j200zzrfWr4zf1UmSd5VPUVPW6WpI/s1600-h/IMG_2479.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432650550392002930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXAiDoOKlEYajDkfjClIyYYtC7tWpkvxjnGd4cHAQNdryTygYoerMNQUcqD8kUxafbmPzJ63Wj-lxe-sSDwnPsDY_WdbDCrn5y7AUBSK4wUdM-7j200zzrfWr4zf1UmSd5VPUVPW6WpI/s320/IMG_2479.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
I keep getting side tracked and never get around to adding a proper post on this blog. I swear there will be well thought out content here at some point. But for now here are a few pictures from our lovely snow day here in Raleigh. I was amazed at how slowly the roads were cleared after the snow, and also what is the deal with people sledding in the middle of the road? Anyways, everybody should go out and enjoy the snow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvmE1Kg8qf045ZHxrNCi3WPxcUxS6XI6xpMoPSfV4CbB-fracWapQ-rcGaY8IuXr_iiegpI-iahsH5vtJvSVj5yQQjz-Kt6JFBbG_HibrKQbH9j8Wwv86NvGVmaEDTFM2gtNbvZbgz8k/s1600-h/IMG_2478.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432650715853252034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvmE1Kg8qf045ZHxrNCi3WPxcUxS6XI6xpMoPSfV4CbB-fracWapQ-rcGaY8IuXr_iiegpI-iahsH5vtJvSVj5yQQjz-Kt6JFBbG_HibrKQbH9j8Wwv86NvGVmaEDTFM2gtNbvZbgz8k/s320/IMG_2478.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqacm-Bd-wmo2WvjP2h7jqGJJvJ43bW2OQuH3gLYXd0m5KCluBwAugYzmkNYnjcppHRNExaM_D1QA24jq58i7NRCc5VgigriOUO-yurIW9WLSIy8Gte6RheDtIn8h06Cqhm6VLtBSS9o/s1600-h/IMG_2493.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432651338508026194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqacm-Bd-wmo2WvjP2h7jqGJJvJ43bW2OQuH3gLYXd0m5KCluBwAugYzmkNYnjcppHRNExaM_D1QA24jq58i7NRCc5VgigriOUO-yurIW9WLSIy8Gte6RheDtIn8h06Cqhm6VLtBSS9o/s320/IMG_2493.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2lTe7-z6MYJzBGToMjDDkFs9CBGeb08W5iw3wcdIyqe5vbaLEnkxUalQU4XoZMnA11nbqfje1YjdLz4alRMJnlyW-7TEwQQ7NRcKFxb_rDLss0o6XqMQ9fLMp9evB-ymthHiBHZFcZg/s1600-h/IMG_2495.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432651952377426642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2lTe7-z6MYJzBGToMjDDkFs9CBGeb08W5iw3wcdIyqe5vbaLEnkxUalQU4XoZMnA11nbqfje1YjdLz4alRMJnlyW-7TEwQQ7NRcKFxb_rDLss0o6XqMQ9fLMp9evB-ymthHiBHZFcZg/s320/IMG_2495.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsFU502qZ72CP4DSLmUOiejHo1kXUarZLGt715_Xnr4PYVL2Hbda8j3a1Gbl_JmfvQopOFbd8HCx6vbT2LzBvXSinP2VKWZ7Vrk8ALC_ud9j3wqsHP7LtU9kn-pknGH5Pu4hR3AHK9Ig/s1600-h/IMG_2492.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432652612475976290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsFU502qZ72CP4DSLmUOiejHo1kXUarZLGt715_Xnr4PYVL2Hbda8j3a1Gbl_JmfvQopOFbd8HCx6vbT2LzBvXSinP2VKWZ7Vrk8ALC_ud9j3wqsHP7LtU9kn-pknGH5Pu4hR3AHK9Ig/s320/IMG_2492.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-3821546254604967622010-01-23T11:07:00.000-08:002010-01-26T09:11:55.954-08:00Farewell Coco<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiNipYYcHmH40kkkZ7M5iWhASBNox-v-V439r7PhP286_kHMi-ZjN5TR2JWVU-ZtAHkTl0bQ5a5Qnhzk0gSogJUrau68skITVZNnOGCIk-1ghduKb1f0vlqTcH93ZI8LxL5sUZKoQkfE/s1600-h/s244789927905_9972.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiNipYYcHmH40kkkZ7M5iWhASBNox-v-V439r7PhP286_kHMi-ZjN5TR2JWVU-ZtAHkTl0bQ5a5Qnhzk0gSogJUrau68skITVZNnOGCIk-1ghduKb1f0vlqTcH93ZI8LxL5sUZKoQkfE/s320/s244789927905_9972.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430318405794127186" border="0" /></a><br />I thought about writing a long post about our beloved Coco for my first full post, but I decided was a bit cliche even after being quite moved by the other night's final Tonight Show with Conan. A million other bloggers and websites have done that for me and likely done it much more succinctly, so I will just say farewell Conan, I wish you the best.The Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2341280192884166682.post-40899274470708222652010-01-23T08:14:00.000-08:002010-02-10T11:14:07.098-08:00Well, to start let me introduce myself. I am one half of the blogging team that writes the Raleigh food blog RDU Gonna Eat That (<a href="http://rdugonnaeatthat.wordpress.com/">http://rdugonnaeatthat.wordpress.com/</a>) . My name is Tony, and as my wife and I have been writing our foodie blog I always find myself having ideas for posts that don't really fit our modus operandi. So this blog will focus on those topics including my movie, music, and political interests. Of course, since I have titled this blog The <span style="font-style: italic;">Raleigh</span> Outsider, I am also going to focus on some issues inside the Beltline and the greater Triangle area. Finally, since I do a majority of the photography for <span style="font-style: italic;">RDU Gonna Eat</span>, I will add as much as possible to this blog. I hope you enjoy and I look forward to your feedback. Feel free to check out my about for more info (which I will update toute suite).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasp9OF8WauDwHxmQld48KY2p5-qW3rW2-sK7I9lCuboHVzH1_i8BL9v1WqLC-PiiW5S0tGemQx7-4XTW4JoanGE-9sGSIVxRYcHLIpWq24wQo13UEz_e97ULKOTotl3VF3EjiXoH8MNA/s1600-h/IMG_2456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasp9OF8WauDwHxmQld48KY2p5-qW3rW2-sK7I9lCuboHVzH1_i8BL9v1WqLC-PiiW5S0tGemQx7-4XTW4JoanGE-9sGSIVxRYcHLIpWq24wQo13UEz_e97ULKOTotl3VF3EjiXoH8MNA/s200/IMG_2456.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Oh Yah, and I love Star Wars so I will often place Star Wars related images in random places so bear with me. This is a Biggs action figure in case you were curious.<br />
-TonyThe Raleigh Outsiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894233037260559352noreply@blogger.com0