I'm not sold on the idea that they have a right to their content and have the right to protect it. I think once you sign a song out loud it belongs to the culture. It is legal to tape a song you hear playing, but not download the file that is made from that recording. Sounds kind of futile to me. And this craziness is what is leading smart artists to take their art directly to the public via the internet, and avoid the pimps altogether.

I see lots and lots of interesting looking independent films on Netflix. And to have them streaming as opposed to ordering them is a real game changer.

I tend to think that music reflects the spirit of the times. I noticed this back in the 90s when I was going through some really profound life changes. It felt like I could relate to an overwhelming number of songs. It seemed like so many had the same theme of finding yourself, finding your purpose for living, and finding God. Recently it has come to me that the spirit of this age is coming home, finding home, being at peace. I can't tell you how many songs I have heard lately with this same theme. The interesting thing is that songwriters usually write what comes through them, not what they set out to write. Or at least that is how it is for the best ones. They have no idea where the songs come from.

I remember those dark days and someone confronting Ann Coulter about the meaning of the huge GOP losses. She claimed very confidently that despite the appearance it was actually the Dems in the death throes. How prescient of her!!

Rush does not talk about ANY of the other talk show guys, because he does not listen to any of them. And frankly, I 'm glad - I get tired of Savage and Levin sniping at other conservatives - I don't care about their personal issues with one another. Just give me your opinion about the political issues. I realize there are differences, but let us decide what we agree with or not. they don't have to be so castigating toward one another. It's a real turn-off!

That being said - Andrew ROCKED last night - more of this please!

YAY! It's on here now!!! Good drive home tonight!

I like the line "I am not calling people to atheism, merely asking that each keeps his faith in his own heart, rather than being a pain in the neck on the streets."

I have to wonder how many would choose to be Muslim if it were a free choice for many of them to make without htreat of death or dismemberment?

I was there - what a rag tag sad looking bunch they were. I regret not going over there and "interviewing" them - asking how they decided to organize, what their issues were ,etc.

I think this is very interesting reading, but all it points out is that religion misunderstands God - we cannot begin to fathom God's Plan. All religion has it's roots in Babylon - it is appeasement in hopes of favor. Prayer should not be about trying to control or influence or manipulate the forces in the world (growing back amputee limbs, etc), but rather to align one's self with the Powers That Be. Evangelical Christianity teaches that this world is all there is - once this life ends one is judged and eternity is spent in bliss or torture. This is essentially the Ancient Egyptian view of things. No one has ever returned to tell us, so we cannot know.
This argument still does not explain the mysteries of existence. I am not arguing that all phenomena does not have laws that can or will be understood in scientific terms at some point in the future. This does not negate the existence of God - only our perception of what God is or is not. At the very least God is simply the Powers That Be - the collection of all the physical laws we currently understand and those we will and the ones we may never know.

But how interesting is it that the current popular physics theory is string theory, which holds that there are anywhere from 11 to 27 dimensions of existence, most of which are unaware of the other existences? If you take the emotionalism of religion out of this, it sounds a lot like a scientific explanation of the spiritual world.

The comment by Robin is me - I still have not gotten the hang of how this board works - I always forget to log in. Apologies for the confusion.