Net Neutrality: This is serious, No it's a National Emergency

If you don't know who Tim Berners-Lee then I encourage you to click on the link, and read his Wikipedia entry so I will say he is justified in making the following statement.

"When I invented the Web, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission. Now, hundreds of millions of people are using it freely. I am worried that that is going end in the USA."

If you think that my standing on a soap box, and screaming at the top of my lungs for you to get active politically has been a lot of Hype, then I would like you to read the linked article and watch the video.

I will say it again. The Telcos by technology advances are being made irrelevant, the only business model in their future is that of moving bits and bytes. In 20 years no one will have a hard wired copper based telephone in there home, everyone will be using IP or similar technology, and people's primary data provider will either be the cable company or the company that has purchased the telco, and converted all of it's infrastructure to IP based technology. Current and Future technology will eliminate the need to have a hard wired phone in your homes and this has them scared to death.

No some will argue my economic outlook on this but because the telcos are positioning themselves to be the traffic cops setting speed limits and how much the tool booth charges are going to be they are angling to make sure that they are still in business in 20 years and that they can control the flow of data.

They know if they don't squash Net Neutrality they will be on the loosing side of the equation. This is why they have spent millions on a advertising campaign to hood wink the general public, we know it, they know it, they are using Congress to save their business model. They will do everything in their power at any cost.

This is why Net Neutrality is not only serious but a National Emergency. dig.csail.mit.edu]

http://www.savetheinternet.com/

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose was arrested in Stockholm early on Tuesday morning after allegedly biting a security guard in the leg at his hotel, police have said.

Rose - who performed in the Swedish capital on Monday evening - was held in jail by prosecutors on suspicion of attacking and threatening the guard.

He was also held on suspicion of causing damage to the Berns Hotel where the alleged scuffle took place, police spokeswoman Towe Hagg announced.

Rose could be kept in jail until Friday, when prosecutors must decide whether to ask a court to order him remanded in custody, Hagg said.

Guns N' Roses were scheduled to perform in Norway's capital Oslo on wednesday, but it was unclear whether the concert would be cancelled, Catarina Oscarsson, a spokeswoman said for concert organiser Ema Telstar.

Oscarsson said the band was not travelling with a media spokesperson and would not comment on the arrest.

Hagg said Rose was intoxicated during the confrontation, which broke out shortly before 7am, and was not questioned by police until after he sobered up. Source>>>

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Black Holes & Revelations is out July 11 in the US. Knights Of Cydonia is the first single you should be hearing on radio now.

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TOUR DATES

18-Jul San Francisco - The Concourse
19-Jul Los Angeles - Greek Theatre
21-Jul San Diego - Soma
22-Jul Phoenix - Celebrity Theatre
24-Jul Denver - Fillmore
26-Jul Minneapolis - State Theatre
27-Jul Chicago Aragon - Ballroom
28-Jul Detroit - State Theatre
30-Jul Toronto - Docks Concert Hall
31-Jul Montreal - Cartier Pier
2-Aug Boston - Bank Of America Pavilion
3-Aug New York - Hammerstein Ballroom
4-Aug Philadelphia - Electric Factory
6-Aug Atlanta - Tabernacle

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http://www.savetheinternet.com/=faq

What is this about?

This is about Internet freedom. "Network Neutrality" -- the First Amendment of the Internet -- ensures that the public can view the smallest blog just as easily as the largest corporate Web site by preventing Internet companies like AT&T from rigging the playing field for only the highest-paying sites.

But Internet providers like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast are spending millions of dollars lobbying Congress to gut Net Neutrality. If Congress doesn't take action now to implement meaningful network neutrality provisions, the future of the Internet is at risk.

What is network neutrality?

Network Neutrality -- or "Net Neutrality" for short -- is the guiding principle that preserves the free and open Internet.

Net Neutrality ensures that all users can access the content or run the applications and devices of their choice. With Net Neutrality, the network's only job is to move data -- not choose which data to privilege with higher quality service.

Net Neutrality is the reason why the Internet has driven economic innovation, democratic participation, and free speech online. It's why the Internet has become an unrivaled environment for open communications, civic involvement and free speech.

Who wants to get rid of Net Neutrality?

The nation's largest telephone and cable companies -- including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner -- want to be Internet gatekeepers, deciding which Web sites go fast or slow and which won't load at all.

They want to tax content providers to guarantee speedy delivery of their data. They want to discriminate in favor of their own search engines, Internet phone services, and streaming video -- while slowing down or blocking their competitors.

These companies have a new vision for the Internet. Instead of an even playing field, they want to reserve express lanes for their own content and services -- or those from big corporations that can afford the steep tolls -- and leave the rest of us on a winding dirt road.

What's at stake?

Decisions being made now will shape the future of the Internet for a generation. Before long, all media -- TV, phone and the Web -- will come to your home via the same broadband connection. The dispute over Net Neutrality is about who'll control access to new and emerging technologies.

On the Internet, consumers are in ultimate control -- deciding between content, applications and services available anywhere, no matter who owns the network. There's no middleman. But without Net Neutrality, the Internet will look more like cable TV. Network owners will decide which channels, content and applications are available; consumers will have to choose from their menu.

The Internet has always been driven by innovation. Web sites and services succeeded or failed on their own merit. Without Net Neutrality, decisions now made collectively by millions of users will be made in corporate boardrooms. The choice we face now is whether we can choose the content and services we want, or whether the broadband barons will choose for us. More>>>

LINCOLN Financial Field's scalping policy, as stated on its Web site, prohibits "the resale of an event ticket at a price higher than face value, regardless of the price paid for the ticket and regardless where the resale occurs."

But when the Eagles' Web site - separate from the Linc's - announced June 14 that single-game tickets for next season had sold out within an hour, the story ended on this hopeful note: "Still looking for tickets? Go to RazorGator.com where fans can buy or sell tickets... "

Indeed, thousands of tickets are advertised there, but at prices that violate the 25 percent markup limit under Pennsylvania's anti-scalping law.

Cowboys-Eagles tickets, for example, average around $400 apiece on RazorGator, with some running as high as $900. The face value of the tickets runs from $65 to $80 for seats in the stands and as high as $350 for the enclosed Club seating area.

The lack of access to tickets except from scalpers has left more than a few Eagles fans mighty ticked off.

"When this happened, we got a flood of calls from people who said the ticket sales [from the Eagles Web site] were closed in a matter of seconds, literally seconds," said WIP-AM sports-talk host Angelo Cataldi.

"Now regular Joes can't go see a game unless they pay four or five times the value, and the team is actually suggesting that they go to scalpers," said Tony, a longtime Eagles fan who declined to give his last name to the Daily News.

He and others who vented their fury on talk shows and Internet sites wonder if the Eagles shoveled tickets this year to RazorGator in return for a piece of the scalpers' action.

The Eagles insist they did no such thing. "This is crazy," said Eagles president Joe Banner.

"The same number of single-game tickets were available this year as last year, and it's more than when we were at the Vet," Banner said. "What was different this year was that, in response to fan complaints, we made them available through the Internet as well as Ticketmaster, so they went that much more quickly."

While no evidence has emerged of an improper relationship between the Eagles and RazorGator, the quick sellout of tickets and the Birds' promotion of the site clearly have touched a nerve.

The controversy in part reflects fans' schizophrenic attitude toward ticket-scalping: We hate getting gouged for seats, but at times will pay a fortune to anybody willing to part with a ticket for the big game.

And while ticket resales at more than a 25 percent markup are illegal in Pennsylvania, they are widely practiced - and authorities say an out-of-state Web site like RazorGator is probably beyond the reach of state law. More>>>

College sports ticket scalping has evolved from shady guys clutching money rolls outside the stadium to brokers with 1-800 numbers to slick Internet sites. The teams whose tickets changed hands, of course, didn't see a dime.

But with the proliferation of ticket-resale services, some university athletic departments are adopting a new strategy: If you can't beat 'em, promote 'em.

Colleges increasingly are partnering with ticket-sales businesses or setting up their own resale programs. The shift in philosophy provides athletic departments with a piece of the huge secondary market, helps combat ticket cheats and ensures that more fans will be in the stands.

Although the spread of ticket-buying options makes it easy for sports fans to comparison shop, free-market forces also can drive up prices.

This month, Oregon State agreed to a sponsorship deal with StubHub, an online service that connects secondary ticket buyers and sellers. OSU is one of seven athletic departments partnered with StubHub, based in San Francisco, and the fourth in the Pacific-10 Conference -- the others being USC, Stanford and California.

"We still want Beaver fans to buy their tickets through us directly, because that directly affects us," said Mark Massari, general manager of Beaver Sports Properties, which handles OSU sports sponsorships. "But as long as these guys were out there and they were going to market their services, we figured, why not spend some money with us?"

Security breeds growth

StubHub, and a handful of similar Web sites, acts like other sites that sell goods online -- eBay and craigstlist, for instance. But unlike those sites, StubHub and other ticket-specialty sites guarantee the authenticity and timely arrival of the tickets they help people buy and sell.

The deal works like this: People with tickets post information on the site, naming whatever price they think someone will pay. Prospective buyers can compare the options for an event.

When a transaction is made, the seller pays StubHub a 15 percent surcharge on the sale price -- $115 for a ticket priced at $100, for instance. The buyer of the same ticket pays StubHub a 10 percent surcharge.

StubHub then sends the seller a FedEx envelope with the buyer's address on it. If for some reason the buyer doesn't get what he paid for, or get it on time, the company promises to provide similar or better tickets, or refund the buyer's money. Sources>>>

My Chemical Romance, All American Rejects, Head Automatica, Rose Hill Drive, and more TBA!

New Ticket Deal*** :For every ticket bought for Aerosmith the customer will receive 1 free Sammy Hagar Lawn Ticket.

The ticket must be bought at Tweeter Center Box Office or EFC Box Office. Starts June 24 at 10AM through June 26 at 6PM.