Comfort Zone

If Ilya Bryzgalov were asked to compare his first season in Philadelphia to the title of a book, he very likely would go with “Life, the Universe and Everything,” by Douglas Adams.

THE GOALIES

REESE & LEIGHTON

Goaltending coach Jeff Reese and goalie Michael Leighton work on drills at the Flyers practice facility.

• BRYZGALOV: Best Saves of 2011-12
• LEIGHTON: Reese and Leighton back together

After all, it was a whirlwind of a first thrill ride through the corkscrew of a pressure cooker that is hockey in Philadelphia.

It is especially so for a goalie, who all too often is the forgotten man when the team wins – with the exception of a shutout or a stand-on-your-mask performance in the crease – but is the direct target of the public ire when a game goes badly.

And while that is unfair, it’s the way things are in this town, and the way they will always be – until someone not named Bernie Parent skates around the ice in goalie gear hoisting a silver chalice overhead.

And while Bryzgalov may have had a perceived rocky start to his time in Philadelphia, a closer glance at his season shows that it wasn’t as lost as it was often pointed out to be.

After all, Bryzgalov had the best goals against average [2.48] of any Flyers goalie since the lockout – when rules changes were made to increase scoring.

He also won 33 games. That tied for the most since Roman Cechmanek won 35 in 2000-01.

Oh, and he had six shutouts. That would be more than all Flyers goalies combined for in the previous two seasons and tied for the most by one Flyers goalie since Cechmanek had 10 in 2000-01.

“I don’t think last year was as bad as everyone else thinks,” said Flyers goalie coach Jeff Reese. “I agree that there were some ups and downs and I think it was a big time learning experience for him coming from Anaheim and Phoenix.

“But if you look at his numbers, they weren’t too bad and he beat the team [Pittsburgh] that a lot of people thought was going to win the Stanley Cup. I know it was a wide-open series and that it was enjoyable to watch for everybody except goalies and goalie coaches. But, both of those teams can score goals – and he won the series. He took a lot of criticism, but he won the series.  Then, the New Jersey series was a completely different series, and I thought he was one of our best players.”

Now a new season approaches, and yet questions remain about the Flyers defense and goaltending. And while the defensive questions are fair – after all the Flyers missed out on a couple of big time free agent acquisitions and lost two more defensemen to summer injuries – the goaltending situation is pretty much a known entity.

There’s Bryzgalov, who bears the weight of the Philadelphia hockey universe – unfairly at times – on his shoulders.
However, this is Philadelphia – and while the most scrutinized athlete in town is usually the quarterback of the football team, the hockey goalie is certainly a close second.

It’s going to be up to Bryzgalov to quell the rabble who put such an intense focus on him – and the fact that he has a lengthy and pricey contract.

“I think last year was a learning experience for all of us with Bryz,” Reese said. “It was all kind of new for us and we were trying to help him through it. Did it help? I don’t know. Did it make it worse? I don’t know.

“My focus for him [this season] is not going to be so much the off ice stuff, but rather getting his game to a point where he can be more himself. I say that because when things aren’t going so well and you’re still being funny in the press – it’s not so funny. But when things are going good, it’s all O.K. So our focus is to get Bryz playing to where he can be himself and be more consistent.”

Like he was during the month of March.

Bryzgalov had a stretch last March of 13 starts in which he went 10-2-1 with a 1.21 goals against average, a .957 save percentage and four shutouts.

It was truly a stellar run of games for a goalie.

“When I saw him have a stretch like that  – I didn’t even see [Nikolai] Khabibulin have a stretch like that [in 2004 when Reese was the goalie coach in Tampa Bay and they won the Stanley Cup],” Reese said. “Khabibulin never had a stretch like those 13 games Bryz had in March.

“My point is, [Bryzgalov] can do that – we just need him to do it more consistently. Then he can be himself.”

There were other pressures than just being thrown to the lions in a hockey rabid market starving for a champion.

He had to move his family to the Philadelphia area, find schools for his children, get to know his new teammates and feel the pressure of a smart, hard-working, young goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky who was pushing him every day.

“He’s settled now,” said Reese. “He’s got a house, his kids are in school – he knows what to expect. He’s going to be much better.”

And it will help that the 23-year-old Bobrovsky will be fighting for a job in Columbus rather than Philadelphia and that Bryzgalov will be backed up by a veteran like Michael Leighton.

“Michael had some bad luck after 2010,” Reese said. “He ran into the injuries and it was hard for Michael to get back because of how Bob was playing. But what convinced us that he was good for this role was how he handled last season.

“He went down [to the Phantoms] and had a terrific attitude. He brought a calmness to the young guys and a winning attitude. A lot of guys in his situation would have said, ‘I’ll just go down there, make my money and move on.’ He didn’t do that. That carried over as to the reason we signed him. [General Manager Paul Holmgren] was really impressed with his work ethic and his attitude, and that’s why he’s back.”

It will also help Reese as a coach that both Bryzgalov and Leighton play a similar style in goal.

“We can work on similar things – beat the pass, play deeper in net, those sort of things,” Reese said. “The team won’t have to adjust one night to the next depending on what guy was going to play in net.”

It also helps that Leighton isn’t a real threat to steal the starting job from Bryzgalov.

“Bryz is going to play most of the games,” Reese said. “[Michael] is aware of that. It’s a role that he’s going to have to put the effort in and be prepared for it. It’s a job that he has to take a lot of pride in. This might be his last kick at the can. He knows that if he has a good rapport with Bryz and things go well, maybe he can get a few more years out of it.”

The Flyers have set it up for Bryzgalov to do nothing but succeed. Reese is committed to that. Leighton is committed to that. The rest of the coaches and management is committed to that.
Now, it’s up to Bryzgalov to provide the missing link.
“This year he knows what to expect,” Reese said. “He’s a big boy. The focus for me is going to be on the ice.

“He is a bona fide number one goalie in this league and he’s good enough to win the Stanley Cup. Now, will we do it? We’ll see. But he’s good enough.”

To contact Anthony SanFilippo email him at asanfilippo@comcast-spectacor.com or follow him on twitter@AnthonySan37

Paul Ryan’s speech in Tampa….Yawn…..

 

Who cares about the wife has to say because she is a weird person…I just don’t care what she has to say and her entire state of being is a complete farce, but if you’ve seen any coverage of Paul Ryan‘s speech in Tampa, you know that the consensus among journalists and independent observers is that it was … factually challenged.

He lied about Medicare. He lied about the Recovery Act. He lied about the deficit and debt. He even dishonestly attacked Barack Obama for the closing of a GM plant in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin — a plant that closed in December 2008 under George W. Bush. He also failed to offer one constructive idea about what he would do to move the country forward.

The Following was taken from the Daily beast:

I ran into an old friend tonight after Paul Ryan’s speech. We shared a beer at a nearby hotel lounge, where he put a question to me in an amiable way: For the past 20 years, I’ve been urging Republicans to take a harder line on entitlements. Now here at last in Paul Ryan is a Republican willing to do just that. He’s intelligent, knowledgeable, serious, and committed. Exactly what I’ve been hoping for all these years. So why aren’t I applauding?

It is ironic. Had the GOP nominated a Paul Ryan in 1996, I’d have whistled louder than anyone in the hall.

But 1996 was not a year of deep economic malaise in the United States. And in 1996, the baby boomers still had many years of working life ahead of them. A proposal to load all the burden of change on people under 55 would not have wrought nearly so much unfairness then, when the retirees were overwhelmingly drawn from the population that had experienced Depression and war, than it is today. Today, it is the retirees and near-retirees who have the full benefit of economic expansion. It is the younger Americans on whom the sacrifice will be entirely loaded who have faced the hardest economic times.

So when Paul Ryan talks about the courage to face America’s problems, I keep thinking: there are in fact two problems here, one chronic (entitlements) and one urgent (unemployment). The Republican party seems to have united around a program of ignoring the urgent in favor of the important.

True, Ryan’s speech last night promised that action on entitlements and other spending would somehow translate into jobs. But he omitted to explain how that would work, and few economists would find convincing the economic theory in his plan.Even the most economically literate Republicans have trouble wrapping their minds around the ways that this recent economic trauma differs from that of 1979-80: no high interest rates for the Federal Reserve to cut and thereby accelerate growth; no inflation to be curbed by higher production stimulated by tax cuts; etc. If the crisis of today is basically similar to that of 1979-80, then they can believe that the 1979-80 remedy will work again as it did then. That’s the real promise of Paul Ryan.

And here maybe is where the vice presidential candidate’s youth plays unconsciously powerfully in his favor: by reviving the arguments and policies of 30 years ago – by invoking the still powerful name of Jack Kemp, a hero to many in this hall back when they were even younger than Ryan is now – he makes the attendees feel young again and that their world is new.

Related articles

• The 5 Biggest Lies in Paul Ryan’s RNC Acceptance Speech (politicususa.com)
• Paul Ryan’s Hypocritical Attack on Barack Obama – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
• Paul Ryan Republican National Convention Speech: V.P. Candidate Leads Assault on Obama (thehollywoodgossip.com)
• Fox News calls Paul Ryan a liar (deathandtaxesmag.com)
• Obama lied about Janesville GM auto plant, not Ryan (twitchy.com)

 

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BIG NEWS: Last night, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Raul Grijalva won a competitive primary in Arizona — defeating a conservative challenger.

Thousands of PCCC members helped Grijalva win because we know that whether he’s on the floor of Congress or appearing on The Rachel Maddow Show, Grijalva is a bold progressive champion.

Click here to send a congratulations note to Rep. Raul Grijalva, and we’ll deliver it to him!

Grijalva was targeted for attack by a secretive SuperPAC run by Republicans and funded by anonymous donors. They know he is one of the national faces of the progressive movement.

Thousands of PCCC members chipped more than $30,000 in to help Grijalva achieve last night’s victory. This is the second time PCCC members have come through for this progressive champ.

In 2010, when Karl Rove and the Tea Party targeted Grijalva for defeat, our Call Out The Vote program made over 44,000 calls to his district and we donated nearly $40,000 in grassroots donations. He won by 6 points after a tight race.

Send a congratulations note to progressive champion Raul Grijalva — click here.

Thanks for being a bold progressive. And helping other bold progressives win.

Going Once, Going Twice, Going Three times and….. Time is almost up! The Prevent Child Abuse America auction closes this Thursday at 3:00pm ET

Society Against Child Abuse Posted by SocietyAgainst ChildAbuse (cause leader)

note Going Once, Going Twice, Going Three times and….. Time is almost up! The Prevent Child Abuse America auction closes this Thursday at 3:00pm ET. Place your final bids on the chance to play a game of H.O.R.S.E. against Chris Paul, enjoy a four-star Caribbean vacation, win a 2012 NBA All-Star autographed basketball or two tickets to the 2012 Ryder Cup! To… See more View, share, or add a comment: http://links.causes.com/s/clDG5e?r=0Zuw

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ELIZABETH WARREN’S PRIME-TIME CONVENTION SPEECH!

 

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Today the Republican Party approved a platform that The New York Times called “more aggressive in its opposition … to gay rights than any in memory.”

The intolerant document calls for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. It condemns President Obama for not defending the Defense of Marriage Act. The platform fails to recognize civil unions for gay couples, and it rejects the “use of the military as a platform for social experimentation” — a veiled dig at the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

This platform, which was written at the direction of Mitt Romney‘s campaign, defines the Republican Party today.

It’s a sharp reminder of what we stand to lose if Romney and Ryan take the White House this November. One party supports our right to be equals in the eyes of the law, the other rejects it.

There is a clear choice in this election for the LGBT community and allies.

We’ve got to fight for the only candidate who has our back. Join Obama Pride on Dashboard, the campaign’s online field office, and stay informed about campaign news, events, and opportunities to volunteer:

http://my.barackobama.com/Join-Obama-Pride-on-Dashboard

Thanks,

Jamie

Jamie Citron
National LGBT Vote Director
Obama for America

With Hurricane Isaac impacting Florida, the Republican National Convention cancelled its first night and vowed extra protection for delegates. Huffington Post, Politico, The Nation, and other media are already reporting on our ads holding Republicans accountable.

With Hurricane Isaac impacting Florida, the Republican National Convention cancelled its first night and vowed extra protection for delegates.

This comes after Republicans like Paul Ryan voted repeatedly to leave Florida out in the cold — denying funding for disaster detection and relief.

Can you hold Republicans accountable by chipping in $3 toward our new online ad campaign educating Florida voters about this key fact? Click here.

Huffington Post, Politico, The Nation, and other media are already reporting on our ads holding Republicans accountable.

We don’t know yet what will happen when Hurricane Isaac makes landfall. But we do know that millions of Americans rely on the federal government to make lives whole again after natural disasters.

Republicans have denied help for communities destroyed by natural disasters. And Paul Ryan’s budget would cut billions for victims of hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, and wildfires. 

Every $3 allows us to reach 3,000 more voters in the critical swing state of Florida.

Contribute $3 today and help us hold Republicans like Paul Ryan accountable to Florida voters.

Thanks for being a bold progressive.

NEWS: The Animal Legal Defense Fund, and concerned local citizens, Ben the Bear has been rescued from abhorrent conditions at a North Carolina roadside zoo

I’m thrilled to share some exciting news with you. After a long and hard-fought battle by PETA, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and concerned local citizens, Ben the Bear has been rescued from abhorrent conditions at a North Carolina roadside zoo and will now live out his life at Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), a beautiful accredited wildlife sanctuary in northern California.

Now, Ben is thriving, enjoying acres of rolling hills, rubbing his back on trees, bathing and splashing in his pool, and napping in soft beds of natural foliage. Click here to learn more about Ben’s journey from a roadside hellhole to a wildlife sanctuary.

Although PETA was able to rescue Ben, our work to save the other suffering animals who still languish in appalling conditions at Jambbas is not over. Click here to send an e-mail urging officials to revoke its license. Let’s finally see this cruelty end for good. Thank you for your compassion!

P.S. You can help PETA save more animals like Ben from abuse and neglect by becoming a member of PETA’s Investigations & Rescue Fund today.

2012 Annual Fund for Animals, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) campaign

 

			Dear Don,I’m pleased to announce the 2012 Annual Fund for Animals, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals‘ (PETA) campaign to raise $150,000 to help stop animal abuseand create a more compassionate world for all animals.Don, will you help us meet our goal? This vital fund will provide us with desperately needed resources to help the animals who need us the most, including the following: Pigs, calves, chickens, and others who face a short, horrific life on factory farms Dogs, foxes, and other animals who are electrocuted, strangled, and skinned alive by the bloody skins industry Chimpanzees, elephants, and other animals who are abused, beaten, and kept in chains for circuses and other cruel forms of “entertainment” Rabbits, mice, cats, and the other animals who make up the millions who are burned, blinded, or poisoned in cruel and archaic animal tests. PETA is making landmark changes for animals who are suffering in fear and loneliness around the world. Through groundbreaking undercover investigations, daring animal rescues, and the eye-opening campaigns that PETA is known for, we save countless animals every year from suffering and abuse, but we cannot do it alone. We’ve set this important fundraising goal to allow us to respond to the new calls for help that arrive every day. Without the continued dedication of supporters like you, our effectiveness as the world’s leading animal rights organization could weaken—and more animals could suffer and die as a result. Please take just a moment right now to make a generous contribution to PETA’s 2012 Annual Fund for Animals to support our work to save dogs, cats, rabbits, piglets, calves, and countless other animals from abuse and neglect. In addition to helping change the lives of animals for the better, if you can give $16 or more you will receive a subscription to our colorful and informative magazine Animal Times and exclusive discounts on merchandise through PETA’s online catalog. Your 2012 Annual Fund for Animals gift today will help PETA strengthen our lifesaving efforts for all animals who need our help—including those who are being used in deadly experiments, killed for fashion, forced into “entertainment,” or slaughtered for food. All this cruelty must be stopped. And as long as people continue to ignore animals’ pleas, it’s up to you and me to speak up for them. May I count on your help today? Your gift right now to PETA’s 2012 Annual Fund for Animals will move us closer to meeting our goal of $150,000 to support our work to stop animal abuse whenever and wherever it occurs. Very truly yours, Ingrid E. Newkirk President P.S. PETA’s 2012 Annual Fund for Animals directly supports our most important campaigns for animals. Please help strengthen our efforts for the remainder of 2012 by making a secure gift online right now.

Related articles

• Always There For Animals… (sunsetdaily.wordpress.com)

 

I booked the first Russian band (Gorky Park) EVER To record In The USA back in 1989 and now I ask…will three courageous women of Pussy Riot remain in prison for years?

 

I booked the first Russian band (Gorky Park) EVER To record In The USA back in 1989 and now I ask…will three courageous women of Pussy Riot remain in prison for years?

Will three courageous women of Pussy Riot remain in prison for years? We can help answer that question with solidarity.

Free Pussy Riot! Nadezhda (Nadya) Tolokonnikova, one of three Pussy Riot performers now in prison

Share this action on Facebook

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Please click here to sign the RootsAction.org petition to free Pussy Riot.

For the “crime” of performing a song against Russia’s president Vladimir Putin in a Moscow church, three women in the Pussy Riot band — Yekaterina Samutsevich, Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova — have each been sentenced to two years in prison.

But a court hearing in early September could reduce their sentences. There’s no time to lose.

“We emphasize that we advocate for non-violence and hold a grudge against no one,” the three women wrote in a recent letter. They added that “our laughter is, in a sense, laughter through the tears, and our sarcasm is a reaction to the lawlessness.”

After a trial that sometimes was no more logical than the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, these women should be free, not locked up in prison!

By clicking here — and by forwarding this email to your friends — you can let Masha, Nadya and Katja know that you’re taking action in solidarity with Pussy Riot. Your clicks will send an email to President Putin.

Days ago, RootsAction phoned Moscow and talked with Nadya Tolokonnikova’s husband, the artist and Pussy Riot activist Pyotr Verzilov. We were proud to tell him that RootsAction is launching this major online petition campaign in the United States.

Please take action now — so history will show that when Russian autocrats cracked down on these brave feminist activists because of their demonstrated commitment to human rights, free expression and democracy, huge numbers of Americans responded with love and solidarity!

• Click here to sign our petition for freedom for Pussy Riot!
• Forward this email to everyone you can think of!

— The RootsAction Team

P.S. Our small staff is supported by contributions from people like you; your donations are greatly appreciated.

P.P.S. RootsAction is an independent online force endorsed by Jim Hightower, Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Daniel Ellsberg, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Klein, Bill Fletcher Jr., Laura Flanders, former U.S. Senator James Abourezk, Coleen Rowley, and many others.

 

Day Five: Carolina In the Morning (Evening)

I dont really got much to go off about tonight…Great show…Great time…And, it was great seeing a bunch of people I have not seen a In one case, we have not seen each other since NYE or jaN 1 i should say…So that was cool hanging with them tonight and again…i wish things sucked but that fact that it was smooth sailing…show was excellent, people were great tonight…the Pitt was wide opened…regardless, back to Nj tomorrow….Back to work in da city on tues….

SET ONE

AC/DC Bag

The Moma Dance

Heavy Things

Ocelot

Funky Bitch

Bathtub Gin

 Fluffhead

 Alumni Blues >

 Letter To Jimmy Page >

 Alumni Blues

 Tube

 My Sweet One

 David Bowie

SET TWO

 Crosseyed And Painless >

 McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters

 Mike’s Song

 Bouncing Around The Room

 Axilla I

 Tweezer

 Harry Hood

 The Horse >

 Silent In The Morning

 Weekapaug Groove

 Suzy Greenberg

ENCORE

 Big Black Furry Creature From Mars

 Tweezer Reprise

Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina
In the morning
No one could be sweeter than my sweetie when I meet her
In the morning,
When a morning glory
Went around the door
Whispering pretty stories
I long to hear once more.

Rolling with my girly where the dew is pearly early
In the morning.
Butterflies all flutter up and kiss each little buttercup
At dawning.
If I had Aladdin’s lamp for only a day
I’d make a wish and here’s what I’d say:
Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina
In the morning!

When a morning glory
Wind around the door
Whispering pretty stories
I long to hear once more.

Rolling with my girly where the dew is pearly early
In the morning.
Butterflies all flutter up and kiss each little buttercup
At dawning.
If I had Aladdin’s lamp only a day
I’d make a wish and here’s what I’d say:
Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina
In the morning.

Day Four: Oh Atlanta Mista (Latex) in the day and Pissing In Phish Phans Ears at Night…

 

During the day hanging at the GMC Club with Mista (latex), Lucky and the rest of the staffers. Excellent lunch and an intro to the new energy drink we are gonna start to push now. The cool thing is that was on the street of the GA Dome…en route to MLK street and where we met at that club, is a landmark because they used to have meetings at that place and across the street…with Martin Luther King and I forget whom else..they have a monument out front or a historic sign. So thats cool seeing that part of history and also…the worlds first URBAN wal mart is being built two properties away from that club. But it was the cleanest so called “hood’ as its described to me that i have ever seen in my life….

During the day hanging at the GMC Club with Mista (latex), Lucky and the rest of the staffers. Excellent lunch and an intro to the new energy drink we are gonna start to push now…And, you know those times when you can piss in the ears of Phish Phans and they would still like it, well the Atlanta phans are at the front of the line…And, Lakewood is the worlds worst venue ever (even though I generated the deal memo for it in 91ish) with the world worst parking system. They cant accomdate squat near that venue. Its not that nice inside..it reminds me of that hartford place where the back drop are warehouses….I feel bad since I generated that deal memo in  starting up that place back in 91 or 92…it was an MCA concert venue….Besides too, I have never seen collectively, and of course as a generalization, a biggest assembled of the dumbest idiots in one squared area. I was marveling at watching these people and honestly, i want to get the phuck back up east. They dont take to my type around these parts and its really freaking me out big time. Although, everyone and i mean every fucking guy, does want to touch me…Its a wild phenomenon because i just dont get it. You know when you graze another human or you know when you are mistakenly stepping on their toe and dont know and you get all embarrassed, etc…i dunno man…everyone touches people around here and I dont mean with hands, etc…and a pat on the back..i mean leg hairs touching your skin ever so delicately and I sit there like am I the Only one that feels it…tonight..i finally did it..I asked some guy if he was gay…I just did not get why he wanted to lean on me. I would never act that way towards another human unless i was with the woman…I would certainly never lean on another guy. I was also thinking some mainstream people or college kids think that is part of the scene and that its some hippie thing to be touched and to slobber all over each other but its not a mosh pit…thats my issue….But yeah…i have heard about it but maybe people are gay at Phish…which is fine but i would rather you just come on to me if thats the game….god knows girlz dont touch me at shows…which again is fine although that one girl over new years asked me if i were gay for trey…quote unquote mind u….I dunno man…some phish people are just tools…I had one douche girl spill beer on me after an ash he flew down from her ciggy on to my leg…and when I ask her to watch the ash too after she spilled the beer…i was looked at as the uncool guy i think….its wild….i also love it when (and its happened more than one time on this trip) someone asks you if they are bothering you or if they are in your space and then you reply saying yeah…but then they shrug their shoulders and not move anyway. I just dont think I get into other peoples space. No one has ever had to ask me to watch my flailing arms, and/or watch or stop it with my dancing body ever…I dont think…unless i am blocking it out and I am person that does go nuts at shows….but again..if i hit or graze anyone..i make sure that i give them an I am sorry…right away and i make sure or try to not do it again…whatever…whatever…what the fuck ever….I was going to ask if any world leaders came out of this state and I think jimmy carter was a peanut farmer from GA….i am back at the room…I dont want to go out and I want to bail as early as possible;le tomorrow,,,oh and also..there is NO MSNBC in my hotel cable selection..I have like 60 some stations at the Artmore…no MSNBC…and then in Bama…it was up in the 185 range…whelp…tomorrow in NC and then back up to jersey….and last…if you dont think that i do not gert that worst of shows is still the best ever….you are a phucking idiot too…like the people from ATL…actually very last…I used to know some very cool people from this area…that Kyle chandler and dan East and Frank something are all from this are and again….i did not get that southern hospitality and conversly, everyone looked at me like i had the plaque…Even that gross asian woman that was working the live nation merch table at lakewood used part of her fifteen minutes of fame…tonight…considering all that power she had when she would take her sweet ass time when dealing with  transactions…But even trey and paige at the end of the set…were like “shall we” do another tune and they both cracked up knowing they were not gonna and nor should they have wasted any more songs that could be played at other places….The other thing too is if there are to many people on the floor area in the pitt..it detracts from the playing because no one moves…they do that dumb ass head bop…and stand there like a lumux (sp?)…but then the band cannot play off that or if it is that way…its not a good way to feed off each other and visa versa…but then again…no one gets it…like the dude that thought I was an ass for eventually getting in from them…after they of course pushed everyone back against the pitt fence/gate…but as long as they had room i guess…whatever…psyched for carolina in the am….

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Aarons Amphitheatre at Lakewood
2002 Lakewood Way
Atlanta, GA, United States

SET ONE

Cars Trucks Buses

Wolfman’s Brother

Runaway Jim

Ya Mar

Alaska

 My Soul

 Wilson

 Maze

 Roses Are Free

 Backwards Down The Number Line

 Character Zero

SET TWO

 Kill Devil Falls

 Golden Age >

 Free

 Light >

 Wading In The Velvet Sea

 Chalk Dust Torture >

 What’s The Use >

 Joy

 Run Like An Antelope

ENCORE

 A Day In The Life

 

Day Four: Oh Atlanta

They got a place down Kentucky
Right down near Ohio
Where you can watch the planes at night
People line up to watch each flight
I said watchin’ them planes
I wish I was on one
I’m sittin’ here thinkin’ ’bout my red head dream
If I could only see her tonight
Oh Atlanta, Oh Atlanta!
I said yeah! yeah! yeah! Atlanta, got to get back to you
Well you can drop me off on Peachtree
I got to feel that Georgia sun
And the women there in Atlanta
They make you awfully glad you come
I said watchin’ them planes
I wish I was on one
I’m sittin’ here thinking ’bout my crazy dream
If I could only be there tonight
Oh Atlanta, Oh Atlanta!
I said yeah! yeah! yeah! Atlanta, got to get back to you
We make a day and how just you and me
But the music plays all night
They got the boogie band blowin’ that’s bound for hell
And when they get to movin’ they never stop
You just keep on playin’ that down home beat
You just keep on layin’ it down hot
I wish I was on one
I’m sittin’ here thinkin’ bout my red haired dream
If I could only see her tonight
Oh Atlanta, Oh Atlanta!
I said yeah! yeah! yeah! Atlanta, got to get back to you

Day Three and A Half: Alabama Getaway

SET LIST

SET ONE

 Possum

 Cities

 Sample In A Jar

 Timber Ho

 Back On The Train

 Lawn Boy

 Down With Disease

 Gumbo

 Ginseng Sullivan

 The Wedge

 Julius

 Cavern

 While My Guitar Gently Weeps

SET TWO

 Rock & Roll >

 The Lizards

 Halley’s Comet >

 Sand >

 Twist

 Birds Of A Feather

 Boogie On Reggae Woman >

 2001

 Waste

 Slave To The Traffic Light

ENCORE

 Good Times, Bad Times

That was great phun. They were having phun on stage…They had tyo hone in phisman two times which was phunny…at one point…mike was bending over to look through the drums or symbols trying to get his (fishmans) attention but that did not even work…mike had to bend even further down a mili inch before finally getting him to help end that song…I dont why but I loved it….and i assume the dance the dude was doing in the front row was for Birds….I was thinking…eagle? what song has eagle in it? I loved last nights show..and really…aside from one person standing behind me for like three songs…before I had to ask him to merely “do the right thing in life” and by that I meant leave but ya know…..aside from that issue which is a non issue quite frankly…although he may have yelled that I asked him to leave when again…i did not ask him to leave…the night was a great one…BTW, I still have no clue why another guy…wants to allow the touching of another sweaty guy….hit them or visa versa…at a show..I mean i am into togetherness but not that way…I just dont touch other people when I invade peoples space….And, the gap between the first row and the stage rivals the gap at Coventry but also, they did not even care where you sat in that first level pavilion area. As long as you had a band on, you could go wherever so thats kind of cool….I wish more amps were that way…GA down low with seats…I doubt there are any now that I think about it…the unique venues like the Greek and SB Bowl, etc…are GA….which is why i love those venues…same with the frost…Thats my favorite venue i have ever seen a show….anyway….again…great show…as always….stay in touch…stay in touch….see ya in ATL…I’m driving after the show with this dude named Steve. He was set up next to me in the third row on Gordons side and check this out…his car full of people….were busted ten minutes into being in that Bama parking lot….he bailed from scene which i get but i also gather he some shit in that car too…They had dogs that I guess went nuts but then again…allowing police dogs in a Phish concert parking lot is gonna have that dog barking like crazy every second he is in it….but I made sure he could stay over but the fact is that I lost him (and my Maryland basketball) sweatshirt so i hope hes cool and really hope his phriends get out of jail ok. I did text him, but I have not heard back from him since before I left for the Mista Meeting in ATL…

Day Three: Rocky Top Tennessee

Alum cave bluffs…could only do a bit more than five miles yesterday…had to bail by one for Oak Mountain in Pelham Alabama…I did get to have a sick pancake breakfast in downtown Gatlinburg…And, then off to the Birmingham area for a few hours….

 

Day Three: Alabama Getaway…

Alabama Getaway

32 teeth in a jawbone, alabama trying for none,
Before I have to hit him, I hope hes got the sense to run.
Reason the poor girls love him, promise them everything,
Why they all believe him? he wears a big diamond ring.

Alabama getaway, getaway. alabama getaway, getaway,
Only way to please me, ya just gotta leave and walk away.

Major domo billy bojangles, sit down and have a drink with me,
Whats this about alabama? it keeps a coming back to me.
Heard your plea in the courthouse, witness box began to rock and rise,
49 sister states all had alabama in there eyes.

Alabama getaway, getaway. alabama getaway, getaway,
Only way to please me, ya just gotta leave and walk away.

Major said why dont we give him rope enough to hang himself?
No need to worry the jury, this kind takes care of themselves.
23rd psalm major domo, reserve me a table for three,
Down in the valley of the shadow, just you, alabama, and me.

Alabama getaway, getaway. alabama getaway, getaway,
Only way to please me, ya just gotta leave and walk away.

Mitt Romney is releasing his energy plan…

Right now Mitt Romney is releasing his energy plan. In its 21 pages are promises to the fossil fuel industry for nearly everything on its wish list—more fracking, more oil drilling, and more freedom to pollute.

What the plan doesn’t have is a single mention of climate change. We’ve been wondering just what Mr. Romney’s views on global warming are, and his silence is becoming deafening.

Will you sign our petition asking Mitt Romney two simple questions?

1) Do you disagree with the scientific consensus that humans are heating the planet?

2) What do you plan to do about it?

The stakes are too high to leave climate change out of the national conversation. When we get enough people to sign onto this challenge, we’ll deliver it in an unforgettable way to the Romney HQ in Boston in September. We can’t say much more about the delivery just yet, but suffice to say it’ll get Mr. Romney’s attention.

>> Click here to add your voice.

We do have some new clues to his thoughts on climate change. Mr. Romney’s choice for Vice President, Rep. Paul Ryan, supports maintaining huge tax breaks for oil companies, cutting subsidies for clean energy, and he has accused climate scientists of using “statistical tricks” to fool the public about the threat from climate change.

But if they are elected, Ryan won’t be in the Oval Office—Mr. Romney will. We need to know what he thinks about climate change, and we need to know now.

Climate Challenge: Two Questions For Romney

DEAR MR. ROMNEY:

1. Do you disagree with the scientific consensus that humans are warming the planet?
2. If not, what do you plan to do to solve the climate crisis if you are elected President?

Given that the EPA, the Supreme Court, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and every scientific academy in every country in the world all have said that humans are warming the planet and that strong action is needed, the American people need to know your stance on climate change and what you plan to do about it.

When it comes to the climate crisis, Mitt Romney has been evasive and inconsistent. The stakes are too high to play politics with the planet, so we’re issuing Mr. Romney a direct challenge by asking him two simple questions.

Mitt Romney now has an energy plan. In its 21 pages are promises to the fossil fuel industry for nearly everything on its wish list–more fracking, more oil drilling, and more freedom to pollute.

What the plan doesn’t have is a single mention of climate change. Romney doesn’t talk much about how humans are warming the planet while campaigning either, and when he does, his words are down right scary. He calls cap and trade, a Republican idea, a “radical feel-good” policy that would have “devastating results for people across the planet.” He has said that on Day 1 of his administration that he would approve the Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring 900,000 barrels of the world’s dirtiest oil, tar sands crude from Canada, down through the US for export.

So taking a close look at Romney’s other climate and energy policies seems like a smart thing to do. Of course it’s also a good idea to consider these policies given what we now know for certain: climate change is happening, it’s very serious, and we need to act now.

Click to read more about Romney’s Record on Climate, Clean Energy, and Fossil Fuel Subsidies >>

Roots Action: Why are Obama and Biden saying opposite things about Social Security?

Why are Obama and Biden saying opposite things about Social Security?

Last week, the Vice President declared: “I guarantee you, flat guarantee you, there will be no changes in Social Security.”

Sounds good. Except, also this month, the New York Times reported the President “particularly believes that Democrats do not receive enough credit for their willingness to accept cuts in Medicare and Social Security.”

So, which is it — flat guarantee of “no changes” or proud “willingness to accept cuts”?

Most Americans favor taxing the wealthy, reducing military spending, and expanding rather than cutting Social Security and Medicare.

The Romney-Ryan platform includes big cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

It’s time we asked the President and every member of Congress to commit to not cutting a dime from Medicare or Social Security.

There’s a good cop / bad cop routine underway, but it’s Social Security and Medicare that are getting rubber-hosed in the back room.

Rather than giving credit to those who compromise with Paul Ryan’s agenda, let’s shift the range of the debate by insisting that any cuts be cuts to the military, the wars, the fossil fuel subsidies, the prison industry, or the banker bailouts.

No compromise on Social Security or Medicare!

Please forward this email widely to like-minded friends.

– The RootsAction.org team

P.S. Our small staff is supported by contributions from people like you; your donations are greatly appreciated.

P.P.S. RootsAction is an independent online force endorsed by Jim Hightower, Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Daniel Ellsberg, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Klein, Bill Fletcher Jr., Laura Flanders, former U.S. Senator James Abourezk, Coleen Rowley, and many others.

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Background:
New York Times: Obama Is an Avid Reader, and Critic, of the News
NBC News: Biden Guarantees: “There Will Be No Changes in Social Security”

Always There For Animals…

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			Dear Animal Lover, An on-call PETA fieldworker discovered Nikita confined to a pen with little more than a sheet of plywood to protect him from the fierce winds and driving rain of a hurricane. PETA’s emergency response team rescued him, arranged for him to be neutered by PETA’s mobile clinic, and eventually found him a new home, where he gets the love and affection that he deserves. By making a tax-deductible gift right now, you’ll be helping to provide us with the resources that we need to save more animals like Nikita. Whether we’re helping an animal abandoned to the elements during a devastating natural disaster or ensuring that a scared stray cat in Washington gets urgently needed veterinary care, PETA is there for all animals whenever and wherever they need us most. Each year, PETA’s team of caseworkers and researchers receives thousands of calls and e-mails about animals in need of help. Regardless of what time of day or night the call comes in or how many animals are at risk—a whole herd or a single individual—each and every cry for help is responded to quickly and expertly. In recent months alone, the team has accomplished the following: Saved two little dogs trapped inside a car after being abandoned following their guardian’s arrest in Virginia Helped arrange for a herd of cows in Pennsylvania to be moved to a lush pasture after they were found mired in mud and filth Responded to a report of an underweight Doberman in Indiana who had been beaten daily with a belt and got him away from the abuser and into a loving home Coordinated the rescue of a terrified cat in Ohio who had spent four long days and nights trapped up in a tree in the wind and rain Arranged for the surrender of 13 badly neglected dogs who had been locked in a filthy, junk-filled Georgia backyard so that they could be treated and placed in new homes This is just a tiny sample of the many cries for help that our team responds to in any given week. When local authorities are unable or unwilling to help and people are unsure what to do, it’s often PETA’s dedicated staffers who are called upon to stop the cruelty and save animals’ lives. And they do. Please make as generous a gift as you can today to help us do even more for animals. While natural disasters like the one that put Nikita’s life at risk may not occur every day, animal emergencies do. By making a secure donation online right now, you’ll be helping to ensure that PETA is always there to respond to animals in crisis. Thank you for your compassion and support of this life-changing work. Kind regards, Ingrid E. Newkirk President P.S. PETA responds to thousands of urgent calls reporting animals in need of help every year. Your special gift today can help save an animal in need tomorrow.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is proud to announce our new blog – The Daily Change.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is proud to announce our new blog – The Daily Change.

It will be spearheaded by former ThinkProgress investigative blogger Zaid Jilani. On this site, we hope to achieve 3 goals.

1) Investigative activism. Through practices normally associated with investigative journalism, we will break actual news on this blog. There will be a special focus on campaign finance issues – including connecting the dots between politicians, their donations, and their issue positions.

What’s unique about this blog is that it will go beyond merely reporting the problems. By connecting this blog with our million-person email list, we will empower people to solve the problems reported on this site. Hence, the concept we’re coining here – investigative activism.

2) Elevating progressive movement voices. There are a lot of great movement thinkers who offer reporting and commentary that’s much more insightful than what you hear in the corporate media. Many of these thinkers believed in the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and supported our activism when we were just getting off the ground, for which we are very thankful.

PCCC members deserve to be aware of these inspiring voices. On this blog, we will highlight these progressive movement voices – starting today.

3. Fostering community among PCCC members. Email is very useful for communicating with a million bold progressives. Through email activism, we’ve drafted Elizabeth Warren for Senate, revived the public option from the dead, successfully pressured the White House and congressional leaders on many issues, flipped control of the Wisconsin Senate, and achieved many other victories since our launch on January 7, 2009.

But email has its limitations. We hope this blog can go beyond email to foster an ongoing sense of community and conversation among our members.

We predict that some major activism campaigns will inspired by the comments on this blog. So if something in one of our posts sparks your interest, or if you have a thought to add, please please share it. Chances are, many others will agree with you. And the PCCC co-founders and team will read your comments and engage.

To kick the conversation off, we’d like to focus on one of the issues of the day: Paul Ryan’s budget. We know that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan support ending Medicare. But our friend Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks online showand Current TV show, explains some of the lesser reported extremism in Ryan’s plans:

What do you think about that? And what are some other facts about Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney’s budget plans that you think people should know?

Day Two: Rocky Top Tennessee

A day of recreation is spent doing the white water trip from the upper part of the river and then with a kayak for the lower part of that river. Dinner at the Alamo where the sign at the bar reads, “No Fire Arms Allowed At The Bar” and then I passed out till now…Doing some hikes today before i head to Alabama…

Share this:

Day One: Rocky Top Tennessee

A few rookie mistakes on way out day one from South New Jersey. I (drank two of those things KG gave me rather than drinking an actual coffee and by the time I got to the highway, I was ready to fall back to sleep and then I slept right through to 5AM. I did not even get up at all which usually, i am up every hour leading up to when I wanna get up, but anyway, I did get out by 607AM and I did get to the Smokeys by 5PM. Last nights show BTW…in KC…at The starlight…One of the nicest venues in america, seemed fine. Anyway, Gatlinburg is like the Solvang of the east. Its a total throw back and so much that i was overwhelmed by it. The entire town is one big playland. They have miniature golf courses set in the hill and there are bears everywhere. One came into the lot before heading to the creek behind the Crystelle Creek Restaurant & Grill. I had some blackened mountain trout and then I called it a day. And, we saw a bear walk through the parking lot and into the creek in the back of the resteraunt. I did not have my phone or camera on me but I went to grab it and never saw another bear though….BTW, MSNBC is on like channel 189. I assume not too many people in this area, watch that network. It was phunny and also, I am near Dollyworld which i find out that is an amusement park with what is described as a sick roller coaster called the eagle. They give you the sensation of flying but I don’t have the time to do en amusement park. Plus, I also think University of Tennessee may be close too. There is Tennessee logos everywhere and i pass by two Tennessee mail boxes at houses on this hill where i have the house. One of the mail boxes is a 4 foot T (University of TN logo) so thats (spirit) kind of cool to see and also, TN football is right around the corner this season. I also passed James Madison University which is where Lefty (Drisell) went after the Bias debacle. They have a huge stadium that is all purple and then I would bet I was neat VA tech too. Virginia is great with the 70MPH speed limit but there were troopers every 50 miles through that state. I almost saw a double trailer Fed Ex truck almost bite but luckily for everyone on that road, he gained control but there was one second or so that everyone slowed down thinking it was gonna go…but again, after a few quick jolts, we was good…Thank everyone’s god for that to have not been a bad accident. Anyway, this area in TV, Gatlinburg is the craft capital of the world I think. There must be thousands and I am not joking (maybe high hundreds) of boutiques and pottery stores and crafty stores and/or antique stores every where. In the hills….on the parkway and in town. And, its surreal too, Gatlinburg has a hard Rock Cafe…a Ripley’s and an Aquarium which is freaky since we are in the middle of america, but anyway, but then everything else is local people that run the restaurants and stores. I think there may be a bunch of NOLA transplants up here now too….regardless, tomorrow, I am hitting the Pigeon River for some white water rafting and then some kayaking later on too…and, tomorrow night, I am hitting the town of Gatlinburg for before trying to find this place called Smokeys…..PS: I came up with an amazing concept for a reality show on TV…Im gonna implement it this year and next year at S2e.TV.

Related articles

• In The Smokey Mountains Til Phriday Pholks…See y’all on the other side down in Alabama at The oak Mountain…..(Skipping Starlight…) (sunsetdaily.wordpress.com)
• Top Five Attractions in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (epicatravel.com)
• 2012 Tennessee Football Preview: The Dooley ’12 Campaign (sbnation.com)

Feel The Excitement!

The Republican Party has just approved its platform for this election, and it includes an abortion plank…

Tell Mitt: Disavow GOP platform’s horrific abortion plank

The Republican Party has just approved its platform for this election, and it includes an abortion plank that couldn’t be more extreme.

Not only does it call for a Constitutional amendment that would ban abortion all cases – including rape and incest – it might even ban in vitro fertilization (IVF). (source)

Mitt Romney is the Republican Party choice for president. Either he agrees with this draconian approach, or he should have the influence to disavow it and demand it be removed.

Which is it, Governor Romney?

Send Mitt Romney a message: Tell him he needs to either disavow this plank, or admit he supports this draconian approach.   

Forcible rape, as defined in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program; Attorney General Eric Holder Announces Revisions to the Uniform Crime Report’s Definition of Rape Data Reported on Rape Will Better Reflect State Criminal Codes, Victim Experiences on Jan. 6 This year!

Attorney General Eric Holder Announces Revisions to the Uniform Crime Report’s Definition of Rape Data Reported on Rape Will Better Reflect State Criminal Codes, Victim Experiences

U.S. Department of JusticeJanuary 06, 2012

Office of Public Affairs(202) 514-2007/TDD (202)514-1888

WASHINGTON—Attorney General Eric Holder today announced revisions to the Uniform Crime Report’s (UCR) definition of rape, which will lead to a more comprehensive statistical reporting ofrape nationwide. The new definition is more inclusive, better reflects state criminal codes and focuses on the various forms of sexual penetration understood to be rape. The new definition of rapeis: “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” The definition is used by the FBI to collect information from local law enforcement agencies about reported rapes.

“Rape is a devastating crime and we can’t solve it unless we know the full extent of it,” said Vice President Biden, a leader in the effort to end violence against women for over 20 years and author of the landmark Violence Against Women Act. “This long-awaited change to the definition of rapeis a victory for women and men across the country whose suffering has gone unaccounted for over 80 years.”

“These long overdue updates to the definition of rape will help ensure justice for those whose lives have been devastated by sexual violence and reflect the Department of Justice’s commitment to standing with rape victims,” Attorney General Holder said. “This new, more inclusive definition will provide us with a more accurate understanding of the scope and volume of these crimes.”

“The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Advisory Policy Board recently recommended the adoption of a revised definition of rape within the Summary Reporting System of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program,” said David Cuthbertson, FBI Assistant Director, CJIS Division. “This definitional change was recently approved by FBI Director Robert S. Mueller. This change will give law enforcement the ability to report more complete rape offense data, as the new definition reflects the vast majority of state rape statutes. As we implement this change, the FBI is confident that the number of victims of this heinous crime will be more accurately reflected in national crime statistics.”

The revised definition includes any gender of victim or perpetrator, and includes instances in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity, including due to the influence of drugs or alcohol or because of age. The ability of the victim to give consent must be determined in accordance with state statute. Physical resistance from the victim is not required to demonstrate lack of consent. The new definition does not change federal or state criminal codes or impact charging and prosecution on the local level.

“The revised definition of rape sends an important message to the broad range of rape victims that they are supported and to perpetrators that they will be held accountable,” said Justice Department Director of the Office on Violence Against Women Susan B. Carbon. “We are grateful for the dedicated work of all those involved in making and implementing the changes that reflect more accurately the devastating crime of rape.”

The longstanding, narrow definition of forcible rape, first established in 1927, is “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.” It thus included only forcible male penile penetration of a female vagina and excluded oral and anal penetration; rape of males; penetration of the vagina and anus with an object or body part other than the penis; rape of females by females; and non-forcible rape.

Police departments submit data on reported crimes and arrests to the UCR. The UCR data are reported nationally and used to measure and understand crime trends. In addition, the UCR program will also collect data based on the historical definition of rape, enabling law enforcement to track consistent trend data until the statistical differences between the old and new definitions are more fully understood.

The revised definition of rape is within FBI’s UCR Summary Reporting System Program. The new definition is supported by leading law enforcement agencies and advocates and reflects the work of the FBI’s CJIS Advisory Policy Board.

Click here to read a blog post from Director Carbon on the importance of the new definition of rapeto our nation’s law enforcement, and for survivors of rape and their advocates. Click here to listen to the FBI’s podcast.

Definition

Forcible rape, as defined in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, is the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will. Attempts or assaults to commitrape by force or threat of force are also included; however, statutory rape (without force) and other sex offenses are excluded.

Data collection

• The UCR Program counts one offense for each female victim of a forciblerape, attempted forcible rape, or assault with intent to rape, regardless of the victim’s age. A rape by force involving a female victim and a familial offender is counted as a forcible rape and not an act of incest. All other crimes of a sexual nature are considered to be Part II offenses; as such, the UCR Program collects only arrest data for those crimes. The offense of statutory rape, in which no force is used but the female victim is under the age of consent, is included in the arrest total for the sex offenses category. Sexual attacks on males are counted as aggravated assaults or sex offenses, depending on the circumstances and the extent of any injuries.
• For this overview only, the FBI deviated from standard procedure and manually calculated the 2009 and 2010 rates of females raped based on the national female population provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Overview

• There were an estimated at 84,767 forcible rapes reported to law enforcement in 2010. This estimate was 5.0 percent lower than the 2009 estimate and 10.3 percent and 6.7 percent lower than the 2006 and 2001 estimates, respectively. (See Tables 1 and 1A.)
• The rate of forcible rapes in 2010 was estimated at 54.2 per 100,000 female inhabitants.
• Rapes by force comprised 93.0 percent of reported rape offenses in 2010, and attempts or assaults to commit rape accounted for 7.0 percent of reportedrapes. (Based on Table 19.)

Expanded forcible rape data

Expanded offense data are the details of the various offenses that the UCR Program collects beyond the count of how many crimes law enforcement agencies report. These details may include the type of weapon used in a crime, type or value of items stolen, and so forth. In addition, expanded data include trends (for example, 2-year comparisons) and rates per 100,000 inhabitants.

Expanded information regarding forcible rape is available in the following tables:

Trends (2-year): Tables 12, 13, 14, and 15

Rates (per 100,000 inhabitants): Tables 16, 17, 18, and 19

Pre-Order Webcast of Friday’s Sold Out Birmingham Show at LivePhish.com

Pre-Order Webcast of Friday\’s Sold Out Birmingham Show at LivePhish.com.

This Friday, August 24, Phish will play a sold out show at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Birmingham, Alabama. The show will be webcast live at LivePhish.com. The webcast is available for pre-order now, along with a Summer 2012 Tour t-shirt (a brand new color variation that’s not available on the road).

LivePhish.com will broadcast a 9-camera, high definition shoot with high quality audio mixed live. You can tune in on your large screen TVs via HDMI-equipped PCs or Macs, as well as on Android devices.

To pre-order, visit: http://www.livephish.com/phish/Oak-Mountain-2012-Webcast.asp More…

Phillies Pick Up Another Game to Be Tied in the Standing With the Mets; Last Week/This weeks Goal….Check…..

East	W	L	PCT	GB	E#	WCGB	L10	STRK	HOME	ROAD	LAST GAME	NEXT GAME
Washington	76	46	.623	-	-	-	7-3	W2	35-23	41-23	8/20 vs ATL, W 5-4	8/21 vs ATL, 7:05 PM
Atlanta	70	52	.574	6.0	35	-	5-5	L3	36-29	34-23	8/20 @ WSH, L 4-5	8/21 @ WSH, 7:05 PM
NY Mets	57	65	.467	19.0	22	10.0	3-7	L2	28-31	29-34	8/20 vs COL, L 1-3	8/21 vs COL, 7:10 PM
Philadelphia	57	65	.467	19.0	22	10.0	6-4	W3	27-33	30-32	8/20 vs CIN, W 12-5	8/21 vs CIN, 7:05 PM
Miami	56	67	.455	20.5	20	11.5	5-5	W1	29-31	27-36	8/20 @ ARI, W 12-3	8/21 @ ARI, 9:40 PM

Phillies Pick Up Another Game to Be Tied in Standing With the Mets; Last /This weeks Goal….Check…..

In The Smokey Mountains Til Phriday Pholks…See y’all on the other side down in Alabama at The oak Mountain…..(Skipping Starlight…)

Wish that I was on ole rocky top,
Down in the tennessee hills.
Ain’t no smoggy smoke on rocky top,
Ain’t no telephone bills.

Once there was a girl on rocky top,
Half bear the other half cat.
Wild as a mink, sweet as soda pop,
I still dream about that.

Rocky top, you’ll always be
Home sweet home to me.
Good ole rocky top,
Rocky top tennessee, rocky top tennessee.

Once two strangers climbed on rocky top,
Lookin’ for a moonshine still.
Strangers ain’t come back from rocky top,
Guess they never will.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/nitty+gritty+dirt+band/rocky+top_20101246.html ]
Corn won’t grow at all on rocky top,
Dirt’s too rocky by far.
That’s why all the folks on rocky top
Get their corn from a jar.

Rocky top, you’ll always be
Home sweet home to me.
Good ole rocky top,
Rocky top tennessee, rocky top tennessee.

Now I’ve had years of cramped up city life,
Trapped like a duck in a pen.
Now all I know is it’s a pity life
Can’t be simple again.

Rocky top, you’ll always be
Home sweet home to me.
Good ole rocky top,
Rocky top tennessee, rocky top tennessee.

Rocky top tennessee, rocky top tennessee.
Yeah rocky top tennesee eee eee eee.

McFly…McFly…..It’s Hunter Pence bobblehead night at the Phillies tonight. One problem: the Phils traded Pence last month….

It’s Hunter Pence bobblehead night at the Phillies tonight. One problem: the Phils traded Pence last month.

Ticket holders for tonight’s game at Citizens Bank Park will receive a Hunter Pence bobblehead. (Credit: Phillies)

Reporting Mike DeNardo - By Mike DeNardo

Hunter Pence wears a San Francisco Giants uniform now, but all fans at Citizens Bank Park tonight will get a bobble figurine of Pence in a Phillies uniform. The giveaway was planned for months, so when Pence was traded on July 31, Phillies’ Director of Merchandising Scott Brandreth says the team had a decision to make.

“We kind of immediately talked with the sponsor, Liberty Mutual, and Hunter himself. We got him involved a little bit. And he was supportive — ‘I’d still like this to be given away. It’s a great honor.’  And I think it was pretty unanimous by us that we should give it away.”

Plus, Brandreth says the dolls were already in production.

“A.) It’s on our schedule. We’ve told people that we were going to give it out and a lot of people have bought tickets for the game to get the item. And you know what?  It’s a collector’s item anyway even as it is. And now, maybe a little bit more of a collector’s item.”

Brandreth expects fans will still enjoy the long-planned bobblehead giveaway — even if Hunter Pence does wear a different uniform these days.

“He played here for, I guess a solid year, and he was a big part of the 102 wins a year ago. So, I think people still like him and they wish him well. So it’s a little collector’s piece of a small piece of Phillies history.”

Before now, the Phils had never given out an item tied to a traded player, but there is precedent:  the Indians gave away Victor Martinez bobbles in 2009, days after he was traded to the Red Sox.

Flyers re-sign Hartnell to multi-year extension

The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that they have re-signed 6-2, 210-lb left wing Scott Hartnell to a multi-year contract extension, according to General Manager Paul Holmgren.

“We are pleased to announce that we have agreed with Scott on a multi-year extension,” said Holmgren. “Scott has been a very good player for us over the last five seasons and we look forward to many more good years to come.”

“I am very happy to be staying in Philly to continue my career playing in front of the best fans in the NHL,” said Hartnell. “I would like to thank Mr. Snider and the entire Flyers organization.”

Hartnell, 30 (4/18/1982), appeared in all 82 regular season games this past season, where he posted 37 goals and 67 points, both of which were career-highs, while matching his career high in assists (30). He recorded 16 goals on the power play, which ranked second in the National Hockey League, while his 37 goals ranked sixth in the NHL. He was also named to his first All-Star Game this past January.

Hartnell also recorded a career-high in shots on goal (232) and finished the season with a plus-minus rating of plus-19 to go along with 136 penalty minutes. He also added eight points (3G-5A) in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Over parts of five seasons with the Flyers (2007-08 to 2011-12), Hartnell has appeared in 407 out of a possible 410 games played, never missing more than two games in a season. He has recorded 129 goals and 134 assists for 263 points. He has 38 points (16G-22A) in 68 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including 17 points (8G-9A) in 23 games during the Flyers run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.

Over his 11-year career in the NHL with the Flyers and Nashville Predators (2000-01 to 2006-07), Hartnell has recorded 222 goals and 252 assists for 474 points and 1,279 penalty minutes in 843 regular season games. He has also recorded 44 points (19G-25A) in 84 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Hartnell was acquired by the Flyers, along with defenseman Kimmo Timonen, in a trade with the Predators in exchange for a first round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft on June 18, 2007.

A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, Hartnell was originally selected in the first round (sixth overall) by Nashville in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

Get a jump on securing your 2012-13 Flyers full or partial season ticket packages today! Flyers season ticket holders receive great benefits including discounts from box office pricing. Reserve your tickets today by visiting PhiladelphiaFlyers.com or call 215-218-PUCK (7825).

Remove Akin from the House Science and Technology Committee., Its Not Like The Guy Knows Anything About Sceince Anyway….

Tell Boehner: Remove Akin from Science Committee

SEE OUR POSTED FROM FROM YESTERDAY

SIGN THE PETITION NOW TO GET RID OF THIS GUY!

Sign your name to call on Speaker John Boehner to remove Rep. Todd Akin from the House Science and Technology Committee.

Republican Congressman Todd Akin told a Missouri news station:

“First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare… If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

The notion of “legitimate rape” is insulting. But this isn’t the first time Akin went down this path. In 2011, Rep. Akin co-sponsored House bill H.R. 3 that proposed redefining rape to only cases of “forcible rape” to deny access to women’s health services. Paul Ryan supported it too.

It is outrageous that someone with Rep. Akin’s views and appalling ignorance is on a committee devoted to overseeing science policy.  This is something that John Boehner can and must change right now.

Tell Speaker Boehner to immediately remove Rep. Akin from the House Science and Technology Committee.

http://www.leftaction.com/action/tell-boehner-remove-akin-science-committee

Big Brother 14 Half Way Mark is This week/Last Week! (Synopsis by Evil Dick Too)

You know whom is hot BTW? Brittany from BB…sick body too….Oh shit…I take that back please…i just found out she is 22….she looks older but regardless….

There is still some dead weight to sift through before the end…The half way point was just this week….I knew Boogy was going for the cash and Dan is such a pussy…hes going for safety and duh…that blonde ditz…what the fuck ever…..shes crawling along a half a mile per hour….danielle fell on her face 8 times, boogy wins another 10K while britt gets safety this week…and then the chef…who just that he “aint won nothing” which of course means that he won something with that double negative but anyway….if we translate that to regular english, i assume that he meant that he has NOT won anything yet…..i guess shane is the man again this week….

Oh and hey..lets check in on Evil Dick…about BB14 Rumors, the new house guests and lets see what he has to say on the reality TV Zone:

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A Message From Evel Dick.

2016 The Movie; On Fence (Not that it would sway how I feel anyway) Whether to View This Doc Film!

I don’t know about whether I should see this documentary film. I have never seen Shindlers List and thats the guy that made it. It seems likes its done well and it seems like it could be informative but at the same time, I never really like attack types of doc films, let alone ones about this President.

I think its also ridic for it to come out right before the election but then again, Michael Moore did it with some film before one of the last two elections….

I mean I am not going to a theatre, but i am even wondering if i should decipher it on Video….at home….

Whatch you talking about Willis? Legitimate Rape? Lets be literal about using those two words together now….Is this guy for real, does he realize hes a guy describing something he could never describe ever in this life time?

Phuck Me…LOL…he says the body has its own way (i assume anti bodies of sort?) of working itself out during or after I should say…sorry….a legit rape…OMG…what the fuck is going on here unis?

LOL…he says the body has its own way of working itself out during a legit rape…Thats better than the legit rape term or whatever…so maybe there are antibodies that fight what are legitimate rapes…I keep saying legitimate rape out loud while work just to figure out of it can be used in a real sentence. Like can there be a legitimate rape. I don’t count role play BTW….Regardless, I feel like I am using the N word…its that bad of a thing to say about a woman that has been raped….legitimately….like if I was chick..Id say fuck you, you asshole for saying that sentence….to his face and I would maybe even pop him in the face for saying it…those are fighting words…for anyone to say that about a rape victim, they deserve to be hit square in the face so they never say anything about rape again…ACTUALLY…I HAVE THE ANSWER…LETS GET A GAY PERSON TO LEGITIMATELY RAPE HIM UP HIS WHITE BREAD ASS…Oh shit though…he cant get preggo so I guess that would NOT negate my theory if you will….

Im a guy and I am pissed at this one and honestly, as much as i don’t wanna read into this story, I could not help it.

I just posted on someones forum that Ill bet they (GOP) think its what happens when you use aspiron between your legs as birth control…But serious….WTF? How does that guy make a comment about something he cant even feel? How do poeople do that unless is he talking for his district or constichuancy (sp?) or whatever that  term? If thats the case, fine…but man..these whiter than white men…need to shut the fuck up when it comes to women’s needs for gods sakes…this is so illogical…leave my women alone…please…jeez….let them make their own decisions all of the time…and every day…go worry about about anything else,m but women’s fucking abortion rights…or, bring a chick to the table…OK? I want all of the women that GOP to step up that want these laws set back in place…And, then Ill back it and Ill talk highly about your convictions in life and with your party but man…sh8ut the fuck up…..shut up..”legitmate rape“…think about that literally…you cant even say that sentence without sounding like total kook….a moron would only use that term along with the act being raped….who the fuck voted this guy in and I think its in the Rams state….I gotta buy that team and move them back to LA…..

Republican Senate Nominee Explains That Women Don’t Really Get Pregnant From ‘Legitimate Rape’

 Louis Peitzman

 Get ready for some cold, hard science facts.

Rep. Todd Akin, the Republican nominee for Senate in Missouri, doesn’t think abortion in the case of rape is really an issue. That’s because he has it on good authority that women don’t get pregnant from “legitimate rape” anyway.

First of all, from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.

The nonsense term “legitimate rape” aside, this claim is based on the belief that the female body won’t let itself become pregnant during a rape, I guess because the women don’t want to have a baby?

That does nothing to explain all the children born from rape and incest, or any number of accidental pregnancies. Women get pregnant without willing it all the time. Perhaps Rep. Akin would argue that their bodies simply weren’t working hard enough.

But seriously, thanks for your insight, legitimate contender for public office in 2012.

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DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION COMPARISON SHEET AWAL - CD Baby - The Orchard – IRIS – IODA - Reverbnation - FineTunes - KVZ Music - KIR Records – Symphonic Distribution – OneRPM – Zebranation – Virtual label – PVipe – Clockwize – KUDOS – Square One Music – Distribution Select – BFM Distribution – 24 Hour Distribution – Dash N Go – Didg – 101 Distribution – Song Cast Music – Ditto Music – Mondo Tunes – Catapult Distribution – Zimbalam – In Grooves (Any Companies that have BOLD Lettering, has been evaluated below and anything not in BOLD is coming Soon!) Distribution Company (Includes Aggregators) Upfront Cost Sales Fee (%) Opt Out Time Frame Time Frame Take Down Exclusivity Physical Product On Demand Marketing Efforts Payment Thresholds Overall 10 Point Rating AWAL $0.00 15% 30 days 90 days No No No Yes $50 5 Overall Notes: I did NOT have a good experience trying to get things going with this company. They are very hard to communicate with as far as time frames to make sure your product gets placed at retailers. We decided not to work with this company and doing so, it was not that bad of a situation when all was said done. However, the contract is vague, and, in defense of how they worked with our labels and artists, they were very easy and very applicable to when it came to our parties not executing the deal. There was none of our music placed up online and aside from time to go through the processes, this was not an awful situation. They never collected any of our money in any way. They also get your product into a ton of stores. Distribution Company (Includes Aggregators) Upfront Cost Sales Fee (%) Opt Out Time Frame Time Frame Take Down Exclusivity Physical Product On Demand Marketing Efforts Payment Thresholds Overall 10 Point Rating CD Baby $49.00 9% 30 days Perpetual Yes Yes No Yes $20 8 Overall Notes: First thing to note is that signing up to CD Baby’s digital service means you also have to sign up to their physical program, and send them at least 5 physical CD’s. On top of the signup fee, you’ll also need to pay them $20 to set up a UPC for you [we do this for free], then they’ll take 9% of the revenue that comes back from their online retail partners [slightly less than 10%]. Their signup fee is a flat, per release deal, and they now offer a fee to release “singles” for $9.95. CD Baby is best suited for new artists and overall is a great system that seems to work like a machine. I use their Film Baby and Book baby which I am very happy with and I have had one album at CD baby. You do NOT have to worry about getting paid and you get paid like clock work every pay period. They are NOT a company that is going anywhere and therefore all young artists can be secure in that regard. They offer marketing tools like a store at Facebook, Download Cards (for a fee), web hosting plans and they do happen to offer anything an artist may need to set up and work their product. I also feel that business plan of combining the likes of Discmakers and CD Baby, is a great one for music artists today.  Distribution Company (Includes Aggregators) Upfront Cost Sales Fee (%) Opt Out Time Frame Time Frame Take Down Exclusivity Physical Product On Demand Marketing Efforts Payment Thresholds Overall 10 Point Rating Reverbnation $119.95 & $94.95 Accordingly $59.95 & $34.95 (Plus $59.99 Take Down Fee) 15% 30 days Remains To Be Seen – Never No Yes (On-Demand) Yes Yes $20 1/2 Overall Notes: They have two plans. One gets your product into 40 Plus stores and the lowered price gets you into 30 plus stores. They have since changed up their pages that did say that they had one time fees but what I want to do now, is take you on the life cycle of one account (Kevin Hart), which they refuse to take down to this day. They have also added terms along the way to help them gain more fees. It is absolutely impossible to get them to take down your product and in getting it taken down, they add fee after fee. For instance, we had “abandoned” the digital distribution after about a year and to take that down that album, we had to pay a $20 reinstatement fee, and then we had to buy the year of digital distribution which was another $60.00 just to pay another $30.00 to take it down. And, we had used what was a balance in that account just a day after we had transferred money to the payPal account. And, rather than taking the money from the balance in the account, that company put back the money that had been transferred to the Paypal bank. That in turn, created a situation where we had to transfer lesser money that month, and then wait to get paid the balance due a month later. As far as getting paid your own money every pay period, they post your money however, they hold that money for 60 days. It comes up as 30 days but its not because its always posted before that last period, and then to get your money, it takes anywhere between two (2) and five (5) days to get the money into your PayPal account (which then takes another two days to get the money into your actual bank account) At least today, they have adjusted their FAQ and/or term sheet, to reflect those fees but they were not listed there when we signed up. And, further, they have also since adjusted the lie that the ONLY fee they take, is the initial one. Now, it does not say anything like that on their site. They have since stopped lying to gain business, but it also took putting them, and many retailers, on legal notice. We are still waiting for them to NOT collect any more money, however, they continue to do it to this day. But they went from not charging any fee to me complaining about that lie, because in fact, you cannot start that process at Reverbnation, without paying the take down fee. I have therefore paid out a total amount of $150 to set up and take down one artist title. Plus, if you consider the total accumulated amount of money of all of the closed artist accounts, that have NOT met their $20.00 threshold, Reverbnation gained over $200 of our artists money for free.  And, when calling them out on the way conduct their business, they point to some made up term on a FAQ as their binding contract that again, evolves every day to suit their needs, and that came about after they realized that most bands that are credible in this industry, would not use a company like reverbnation, unless they were amateur and not established in any way. They make 100% of that money. Its a rather high tech and pretty way to scam many young artists out of their money. I would love to get an audit done of that company, to figure out the amount of money they gained that way. I will eventually find out how much money they have extracted from artists that way. And also, even though you abandoned your title and project, they still collect that money and again, if that account is closed at Reverbnation, they not only collect that money, they keep 100% of your money. You must get the retail outlet to take that down by what I call the roots, and to “point” any accounting to new and proper distribution company. Reverbnation will NOT only NOT help, they are pro active in scamming clients this way. Now, I don’ know why anyone would use this company, and pay those fess, when every other company on this planet, is half that cost and they work with artists and not against them. Distribution Company (Includes Aggregators) Upfront Cost Sales Fee (%) Opt Out Time Frame Time Frame Take Down Exclusivity Physical Product On Demand Marketing Efforts Payment Thresholds Overall 10 Point Rating The Orchard $0.00 30% No 1-5 yr Yes Yes No Yes (Licensing) None 8 Overall Notes: The ONLY real issues I had with this company was the communication between myself and their label partner. It seems like at that time I thought about working with the Orchard, they had a lot of kids running around that office. I like the business plan with their acquisition of the NIN catalog and by acquiring the entire TVT records catalog. I like that business plan of them owning the copyrights. It reminds of how a major label would work. They have also since combined partnerships with the IODA (IODA also recently bought the IRIS company) company, and they will all be worked via the Orchard today. Distribution Company (Includes Aggregators) Upfront Cost Sales Fee (%) Opt Out Time Frame Time Frame Take Down Exclusivity Physical Product On Demand Marketing Efforts Payment Thresholds Overall 10 Point Rating IODA $0.00 30% No 1-5 yr Yes Yes No Yes (Licensing) None 8 Overall Notes: Bought Out By The Orchard. Now A Part Of The Orchard System. Distribution Company (Includes Aggregators) Upfront Cost Sales Fee (%) Opt Out Time Frame Time Frame Take Down Exclusivity Physical Product On Demand Marketing Efforts Payment Thresholds Overall 10 Point Rating IRIS $0.00 30% No 1-5 yr Yes Yes No Yes (Licensing) None 8 Overall Notes: Bought Out By IODA. Now A Part Of The Orchard System. Some elements are exclusive but not master recordings. High threshold and long terms require careful consideration. Very Hard to take down your material but again, that was when it was IRIS. They did not respond to any calls, emails or any letters for months. It took sending out a fake press release and spending money on legal to get them to start the take down process, and to pay everything to do the artists they collected money for in that span of time. It was obvious why they had to be bought out by the IODA company. Distribution Company (Includes Aggregators) Upfront Cost Sales Fee (%) Opt Out Time Frame Time Frame Take Down Exclusivity Physical Product On Demand Marketing Efforts Payment Thresholds Overall 10 Point Rating TuneCore $49.99 $0.00 No 6 months No Yes Yes (Amazon) No $0.00 9 Overall Notes: They really have it together in every way. As much I want to find something off about the work done by the staffers at Tunecore, but they are very good to great at their jobs. Money / Accounting comes in like clockwork every couple weeks. Their customer service has grown to be perfect today. The ONLY real negative issue I had was at first and only with regard to them making our physical product. That had since been worked out, however, there was a time line broken at that time in 2007. Things in that regard work perfect today. Their royalty accounting is top notch and they show money received to the 15th of decimal point. They also seem to get things placed at retail, within days from the submission. They boast(ed) to having an 8 point process to determine what retailers that work which I love the concept, but they do only deal with a precise set of retail outlets. They work only with iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, I Heart Radio, Spotify, REAL/Rhapsody, MySpace Music, MediaNet, Nokia, Zune/X Box Live, Verve Life, Google Play, SIMFY, MUVE, Rdio and they charge either a flat fee of $49.99 (plus $49.99 Annual renewal fees) or you can purchase being placed in stores a la carte, for $0.99 cents per store. Distribution Company (Includes Aggregators) Upfront Cost Sales Fee (%) Opt Out Time Frame Time Frame Take Down Exclusivity Physical Product On Demand Marketing Efforts Payment Thresholds Overall 10 Point Rating KVZ Music $0.00 15% 30 days 60-90 days (2 Year Term) Yes / Not Contractual No No No $50 2 Overall Notes: This is a an unusual situation because even though I have had my issues with regard to getting paid on time, and even though I have had issues with regard to communication between our two companies, I also feel they were a victim of being lumped into the companies that pirate music. If you use this company, be careful with all meta data because they have made a lot of mistakes with text copy and its not necessarily them as workers, its about that admin system. You have to write exactly how you need it without any mistakes and some of their listings of our product, was inconsistent with things like the Pline and the Copyright name. Most songs if not all though, we entered in perfect. I don’t know if that’s an issue that was our data entries fault, or whether the system in the admin section at KVZ is hard to deal with or figure out and/or if it was them that made those typos and/or added in the wrong information. Regardless, if you check your data entry work, you should be ok and also, the way that you get paid is a bit old in the sense that you must take your Excel Spreadsheet they post every pay period, add up the numbers in Euros. And, then you must send them invoices as opposed to getting the money automatically placed into your account, and even though they state it takes 3 to 5 business days, its always taken a longer amount of time to get the money. In the last pay period, it went weeks before we saw any of the money due and invoiced for that period. You will also have to pay some type of fee to get your money from this company (maybe not in Europe, but for American bands and companies). If you use PayPal to transfer that money from KVZ, you will no doubt have to  pay a percentage of that money, to PayPal. Also, if you do use a bank wire transfer, you are also subject to paying that fee from your bank. The other issue that should be spelled out more on their contracts, is what “third parties” they use because in most cases for bands and labels, you can go direct to those companies yourself and that way, get paid 85%, rather than 85% of 85% (of 100%). As far as the customer service, when you get the attention by their staff, they have been very hard to deal with and they also are proactive with their effort to be antagonistic and most of all, they withheld payment based on those childish tactics. It was very rough dealing with the staff people at this company. At first, I thought it was the language barrier but then I realize that they put other things in front of paying their bills. The main rep and maybe the owner was not only very loose with his words and comments to our complaints and legal notices, he lied in writing, on a forum and on our blog, many times. Plus, his comments were ramblings that made no sense to anyone that knows English and that’s when we started to feel bad about the people that work at this company. I assume they are just learning how to deal which is great for anyone in this industry, but they did let intangibles like self conscious issues come first and before paying their bill. As far as them taking down any product, we fought tooth and nail so to speak, to get out of the deal. I feel they should list any and all third parties used to work any copyrights. I also feel that farming out this work, takes money from artists and from labels in such an unnecessary way. Most entities in this industry would go to direct to say IODA or The Orchard, rather than again, giving up that money for no reason. Its not bad if you spell it out that way and it is shady if that information is hidden in any way. Last, after that last pay period, they did send us our spreadsheets the day of the due date (exactly 45 days after the last quarter). We sent them our invoice the day afterward and we should be paid in a timely way. I had replied to them on a public forum saying that even though they were self conscious about me not telling people that eventually paid us after like three weeks of fighting for it, that we shall see how they act in that next pay period. Therefore, I do want to give credit where credit is due because like I just said in this paragraph, they were pro active in sending us those spreadsheets. We will see if they pay within the 3 to 5 business days they say they will and even though we have NOT been paid yet, its ONLY been 2 to 3 business days since we received that conformation. Overall, I don’t know what to say about this company. I don’t want to hate them but they did treat us horribly a few months ago. Maybe time will heal that about it, but I do want to give them credit for trying. Honestly speaking in writing because I do NOT have to way these words, but I had them at a SIX (6) out of my TEN (10) before I wrote my description or about my experiences with them, and after I rehashed it today, I lowered it to a ONE (1) for effort. I get angry when discussing what I had to deal with those weeks I tried to get my very own money. They did pay what they are calling a FINAL PAYMENT to us this pay period, in a timely way. Distribution Company (Includes Aggregators) Upfront Cost Sales Fee (%) Opt Out Time Frame Time Frame Take Down Exclusivity Physical Product On Demand Marketing Efforts Payment Thresholds Overall 10 Point Rating Symphonic Distribution $0.00 30% 30 days 60-90 days (2 Year Term) No No No Yes $300 9 Symphonic Distribution(Plan #1) $0.00 20% 30 days 60-90 days (2 Year Term) No No No Yes $500 9 Symphonic Distribution(Plan #2) $200.00 10% 30 days 60-90 days (2 Year Term) No No No Yes $500 9 Symphonic Distribution(Plan #3) $200.00 ($50 Per Title) 100% 30 days 60-90 days (2 Year Term) No No No Yes $500 9 Symphonic Distribution(Plan #4) $500.00 100% 30 days 60-90 days (2 Year Term) No No No Yes $500 9 Overall Notes: I recently started to use Symphonic. I believe they either started as one of those places that gets dance and electronic music into the Beatports and DJ places accordingly, however, they have grown to deal with all outlets. And even though I feel like I am walking away from a house built out of a deck cards (meaning waiting for something to go wrong), this may be one of the best systems in place today. They have plans for every walk of life which makes me skeptical but then at the same time, they have been good to deal with first hand. They also have an array of partners and therefore, if you work electronic music along with rock and say Urban or rap, they will apply your titles to each outlet accordingly. Which is hard t be that detailed and then they have many plans in place. You can pay money upfront and receive 100% of the royalty money and//or a portion depending on your plan and then they offer percentage based plans. I, honestly, put them through what I consider to be a grueling process and that’s why I am impress with their customer service. What I put them through is not appealing to most retailers and that’s why I was impressed with their customer service and again, that they did adhere exactly to what I needed today. They offer a lot of ancillary services (Mastering, recording, Marking / Promotion, Piracy Protection, Licensing Efforts, Music Publishing Services, Web Design & Graphic design, etc.). They seem to have a great business plan. We will see how this deal pans out over the next few years. Distribution Company (Includes Aggregators) Upfront Cost Sales Fee (%) Opt Out Time Frame Time Frame Take Down Exclusivity Physical Product On Demand Marketing Efforts Payment Thresholds Overall 10 Point Rating One RPM $0.99 Per Store 15% 30 days 60-90 days (2 Year Term) No No No Yes No 6 Overall Notes: My ONLY pet peeve with One RPM, is that with any pay to play service, it should guarantee placement and I paid to have every artist placed at JB Hi Fi and I have not seen one title of mine, placed at that store. Therefore, I can’t trust them to have done it for stores we do NOT have access which again, were paid for ahead of time. I use their Mobile Services and Latin America services and because of it, I am shifting everything to another company to do this same work, but I put us on a percentage basis. That way there is NO up front money. However, their interface is second to none. their system is pretty high tech. I love the way you can pick and choose your retailers. Its very easy to use and again, top notch programming.

DEFINITIONS   OVERALL CONTENT: Everything written here is based on actual experience between myself and any of the companies listed in this part of the blog. There is no hearsay and again, everything listed here on these pages, is based on pure experience, however, some of the terms are subject to have changed (please see below to contact us about any changes needed to be made) considering the landscape of this part of the  music industry today. There is paperwork that is legally binding providing any business science behind any content in this listing.Also, aside from Tunecore and where noted above in each listing, all of these companies have a list of the same retail outlets. They alls seem to boast about getting songs and music into the same list of stores. I assume its some network because in some cases, these outlets are not even operable toady.Further, I have no direct tie to any of these companies and even though we do us some of them to this day, I honestly think its the lesser of all evils and that they all pretty much suck in some way. There is no way any of these companies have done the work to score a so called “10″ (ten) or a perfect score by my standards of working music, and I am talking that none of these companies get close to the perfection level. I also want to say that I have learned more about the landscape of the distribution over the last 4 years, than ever in my life. In some cases which I have stated about myself, I was maybe less [patient than I should have been at that time. I wanted instant gratification day one, and I had no idea of the process and time it took to work music digitally into stores.Overall, the ONLY reason I am posting this in my blog is to help anyone to never go through what I have gone through over the last few years. I feel great about this part of my life today, but it took a lot to get to this point time and I am NOT even 100% satisfied. Plus, there are corrupt companies that are scum bags that continue to take advantage of the control they have over the accounting and in some cases, they continue to take it upon themselves to collect that money. And, we have no way to stop that piracy.Oh and very last is that of the retailers that complied with doing the right thing with regard to taking down any illegal product, Amazon is awful, but at the same time, do like 13% of the marketplace. Its hard to get legal on that company when its much of your revenues. And, conversely, eMusic, REAL/Rhapsody and MySpace Music were absolutely on it when it came to dealing with that type of an issue. I am going to do another sweep around retailers and the next thing will be to make sure these retailers pay artists.As far as digital distributors, the worst company to deal with by far is REVERBNATION. They are against the artist. They make no bones about it and their marketing tools to entice the client, are based on lies. They are by far the worst company with regard to control, online today. They disguise themselves as a powerful player in this industry, but the fact is that they NOT only scam you business, they will NOT allow to get out of it. I marvel at how corrupt that company is towards artists and I do think if you do NOT get roped into paying to play if you will, Reverbnation is an ok marketing tool. Though its dated today and that company is best suited for bands that suck, and that can’t get any type of distribution in any way. And, any music artist that would use their digital distribution service, is again, either very poor musically and/or can’t get any of the others to distribute them. You have to be an idiot to use this company unless you don’t mind spending however much money to get and to get out of that situation. When in fact, no other company on this planet, acts that way towards its artists. I can safely say that Reverbnation will NOT be a company in this industry within the next few years. I have that in writing today and I have said that to people in writing now, three times this year. No one that acts that way towards music artists, is doing well in the board scheme of life.Distribution Company (Includes Aggregators): Platforms are places people go to watch or buy films; aggregators are conduits between filmmakers/distributors and platforms; distributors usually take more rights for longer terms. And some companies combine more than one of these functions. They are the main conduits between labels, artists and retailers and various outlets that play or sell music.Upfront Cost Any fee related to setting up your product in any way. Companies in this part of the music industry, do it either way. There are companies that charge up front fees and then in turn do NOT take any percentages of any sales. There are companies that cost you a set up fee and then they also take a percentage of every sale. And, then there are companies that have ZERO or no set up fee, and then you pay them ONLY a percentage of every sale. determining what is cost effective and most efficient and/or best suited for your project, is an article in itself, but I am in hope that this helps people figure it out a little better now that its laid out in one list. Payment Threshold: The amount of money you must accumulate in your account, to be able to transfer a payout. If you do not earn that amount each pay period, that distributor holds that money until any sales revenues hits that “threshold” amount of money. All companies work different and have different amounts and some do NOT have any thresholds and would pay you no matter how low amount of money. Sales Fee (%): The percentage of any sales revenue, that the distributor makes on any sale, and then keeps for its fee. Opt Out Time Frame: Many companies offer termination after a specific term is set. It can be done monthly, yearly, two (2) year deals, three (3) year deals and in one case, a five (5) year deal. Upon termination, it takes up to six months on a good day, to actually get retail to do one of two things, take your product down from the system so it does NOT show and/or retailers merely “point the accounting” to your new distributor. That way they do not have to do the work to take music down, and then place the same thing right back up with the same exact situation. The problem with the latter is that it can create an effect where you have multiple listings up at retailers. The other problem with this way of dealing is that it derived from the computer industry and not the music business. That way of dealing is how the early online companies, dealt with changing music from distributor to distributor. For instance, if you have listing as Sunset records for three years and then you start using Interscope or maybe you change your label name or maybe you switched Indy’s, etc., if it does NOT read exact, and / or internally for them, if the text copy does “match” exact, you could feasibly have another listing posted, with that new information. Time Frame Take Down: Also, regarding the opt out period and its misconception that it can happen instantly, is just not scientifically true by any means and never have I seen any take down process be easy, and done in a timely way. I have NEVER seen it where every last title gets taken down from every ;last retailer. Amazon is awful at talking product down from its servers. And, even a “30 day opt out period” may seem like it gets done in that span of time, I have never seen it happen in my life so plan accordingly and keep on it. Plus, you may want to contact retailers direct to make sure there are no multiple listings. In many cases like I emphasized about here, “opting out” of old deals can very much lead to multiple listings of the same exact title. Exclusivity: Some companies want to work your titles and copyrights, exclusively during its Term. Some do not, however, I urge anyone to work it where its as exclusive as possible and what I mean is that if you use say Tunecore, which is a company that has a certain number of retail outlets they service. I could see using another company to get you in every other outlet, but again, I recommend that you do NOT overlap and/or have multiple listings from different companies. It creates havoc with regard to accounting and there is never a doubt that you would be losing out money in some way. In some cases, I have seen artists pay a fee, and yet have to collect some of that money from the other company that takes a percentage. It adds insult to injury so to speak which is why its important to plan this out well before you close any deals. Another piece of advice is that everyone should think in terms of quality over quantity. Companies van boast about being in 500 stores, but if they don’t pay or if they go under or bankrupt, they keep 100% of your money. Its best to know what company is placing what into stores, in every way. Physical Product: This tells you whether you can work physical product like CDs and DVDs through them and into stores. Some are purely digital only and some use third parties and some have it under its own roof. On-Demand Production: This to me, is a form of digital distribution but I pay my artists a flat fee for any On-Demand sale. Reverbnation has an in house On-demand system for not only CDs, but also for a small amount of merchandise (T Shirts). And, most other companies will use Amazon On Demand which used to be Create Space. They do things in an automated way. You add artwork, music files, text copy, etc., all through your companies, and then rather than having to stock up product to house in your office, studio or closets, as consumers buy your CD, its make in automated way at that time after the sale. They have film on demand system at Amazon/Create Space Marketing Efforts: This shows if the company offers any types of marketing tools in any way. In many cases, some of these companies offer ancillary services like marketing, licensing, publishing, etc., on top of any digital distribution. Some are included gratis and in some cases like at TuneCore, you can pay for say, its Songwriters Service. Reverbnation has excellent free marketing tools and the Orchard seems to have a good hand in licensing. Overall 10 Point Rating: The ratings are based on experiences and I have done everything in a real and non partisan way. I tried to pat some heart and should behind it but as far as business science, I do have a 15 point rating system that gets us to these numbers or ratings. Those numbers get added up and then divided by TWO (2) as the way to gain the zero (0) through ten (10) rating number. The only intangible are with my comments and that guides me to the final number. I either add up and/or add down accordingly and considering my experiences. If you work at another Distribution Company that is not listed on this chart, and you would like it to be listed, contact us at any time. If you are you a Distribution Company that feels the information placed here has been written in error, is wrong in any way, and/or is outdated in any way, please feel free to contact us at any time to tell us about it.