Monday, December 13, 2010

Too Much to Upload!

I attended yesterday, the Tea Party Event at Fanuel Hall. The bottom floor was filled to the walls. The second floor was partially used. The entry was packed non stop. The tables of participants had books and materials and T Shirts to commemorate the Tea Party.

It was a lot of fun. I started on the second floor balcony. I can never find plugs in this place. I used up my battery and decided to go to the first floor during an intermission. In all I taped 5 hours. A lot of time to upload. 10 minutes uploading is 1 hour. You do the math.

I also covered the past month Chanuka at the Statehouse. The Judicial pick Committee Governors Council which was also 5 hours. I did a private video for a vocalist and all that and more is keeping be busy.

I also had a crash to the computer, a phone address book and yesterday I was watching the tube, and suddenly my TV went dead. I clicked back on and later realized my phone was dead. So I could not make some important calls. This morning same thing. I replugged the wi fi box and the phone came back on. We have so many power outages and now this. Comcast shot my phone is all I can say. No other electrical stuff went out. What would you think?

You can order any of the above on a dvd by sending a donation of 20.00 that would include postage.

thanks ja

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Shopping for Stories!

Yesterday, I spoke with a gentleman, that had gone shopping at Walmart. He shops Seabrook, NH and Portsmouth, all the time. He said two things. First, the two stores price the same object with different prices. So, beware if you return an item and the price is lower. Return to the store you purchased it from.
Second, he was shopping in the mens department. They had a display for Christmas. According to his statement, the display was a reindeer with a red nose in the shape of a penis. Did you see that?
I say let's all do ourselves a favor. Take a camera. Use your phone cameras. You can snap a picture anywhere the public goes. Yes, in a store it is ok. In this case no permission needed it is a display. In case, you offend someone, be careful.
I am on the look-out all the time. I watch everything. Get used to looking for stuff, when your out. Not that we are not being programmed by the MBTA or anything. But this is a quick story, the TV news would love to see.

Surfing the Web for Media

I just got stuck surfing and found this great site. http://broadcastingcable.tradepub.com/, This site will give you free information on lots of media terms. Includes a link to compare phones. I think this is a must have.. JAldrich

Freepress.net web news must read

I love www.freepress.net, and some of my readers think I am nuts. However, here is a sample of the work this group does to educate YOU to your rights being taken away, by well meaning people. Get over it. Support Net Neutrality dummies!


Will Genachowski Get Needed Net Neutrality Votes?
With the FCC set to vote on Chairman Julius Genachowski's potentially painfully underwhelming new Net Neutrality rules, lobbyists are out in force in D.C. -- working overtime to get commissioners aligned with their thinking. With the agency's Republicans set to likely vote against the rules, all lobbying effort has focused on Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Michael Copps.
Karl Bode, Broadband Reports
Stakeholders Target Copps on Net Neutrality Lobbying Efforts
In the wake of the FCC's announcement about a December vote on a Net Neutrality order, the bulk of lobbying on the matter has been directed to FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, a review of disclosure documents found.
Eliza Krigman, National Journal
AT&T's Perversion of Free Speech to Control the Internet
Poor AT&T. First, we get the official word courtesy of Consumer Reports that Ma Bell is the planet's worst major wireless carrier. Now we hear the embattled giant is worried its First Amendment rights are about to be violated by those meanies at the FCC.
Bill Snyder, InfoWorld
FCC: Two-Thirds of Net Sub's Connections Aren't Up to Speed
The FCC released its latest Internet Access Report and it concludes that more than two-thirds of the reported Internet access connections were too slow in one or both downstream and upstream measures to qualify as high-speed according to the FCC's benchmark in the FCC's Sixth Broadband Deployment Report.
John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable
FCC Ponders Ways to Avoid Cable Blackouts
Seeking to end the brinksmanship that left many cable television customers in the Northeast without access to the first two games of the World Series this year, the FCC will consider changes to the rules governing negotiations between cable providers and broadcast networks.
Edward Wyatt, New York Times
Retrans Reform Fans Call FCC NPRM 'First Step'
Early reaction was generally positive to the news that the FCC would be issuing a rulemaking on retransmission consent, likely within the first quarter of 2011, though fans of reform were calling it a first step and suggesting more work needs to be done.
John Eggerton, Multichannel News
FCC Proposal Draws GOP Fire
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps wants to hold TV broadcasters to higher standards by requiring local programming to pass a test every four years to keep operating on the nation's airwaves. The proposal, has put the media industry on the defensive and caught the eye of Republican lawmakers, who worry that the FCC wants to dictate the content of over-the-air TV programming.
Kim Hart, Politico
Verizon Took $1.5 Billion in Bailout Money
According to new government disclosures reported, Verizon took $1.5 billion in government money during the financial crisis. Verizon's certainly not alone, the government provided help to a large number of companies. But it is interesting in Verizon's case that it has seen billions in tax cuts and various subsidies for obligations they've been able to wiggle around and under.
Karl Bode, Broadband Reports
Fox News Channel Seeking Higher Fees
News Corp. is looking to increase subscriber fees for Fox News Channel in a new round of negotiations with distributors.
Jon Lafayette, Mutlichannel News

Reporting for the Courts

Last Week the Globe had an article that the SJC was going to allow Cameras, and New Media to enter the Supreme Judicial Court arena. Rule 1:19 is where to find the details of the Amendment they made to the rule. I am thrilled with this. It might not be perfect but it establishes a request process and it establishes a form of Identifying Press in the Commonwealth and beyond. Hopefully, it will place a stampede to the seat for the Press. And that the contents will be accessible by the public somehow. And that the contents will be accessible by Litigants as well.

As a ground breaker in the process, I have taken the liberty I possess by Constitutional rights and have been speaking daily with the Powers that be that control this arena. I had a meeting in the spring with the information office of the Supreme Court. I dumped a pile of information off for them to consider on my efforts to track and archive public works video records at the Legislative level. I wanted to be able to be a part of the media pool that was given access to the Courts and wanted them to evaluate my request. I specifically stated that Media had changed and as we experienced changes in our information world the Courts should address the matter collectively.

Several members of Comflm, are accessing Courts and have met difficulty but are pursuing this. I personally, as head of Comflm, wanted to see a process that my members could apprise themselves of to be respectful of the Courts but be able to access it. I did not support being aggressive with this matter. I believe my approach has worked to affect the Legislature slowly over time and to take the matter seriously enough to stay with it until accomplished.

I have been regarded as a side attraction not a serious contendor at most points. I have much to say on the oppositional experiences I have sustained in this battle. It is a battle none the less, and the extreme consequences that can happen are foreseeable. However, the effects of the conversations with the Supreme Court Information Office are amazing. I relinquish my demands for affirmations at this time, as the progress is the higher order of business.

I exhort every citizen of the Commonwealth to examine the Supreme Court Amendment and make a comment. Even if they are swamped with comments, the effort will be clear to them the public are invested in this discussion and need to be recognized by the Court they have allowed to be elected by a Commission they have hired defacto. It is also possible for the Court to be removed by the people at any point with prejudice.

When it comes to the law, it turns slowly, so let's not let this urgent moment go by to address the January 28 deadline for public comment.

Court Watching Week

This week I was in Court twice. I was in Newburyport District and Cambridge Probate.
Both cases were Pro Se. However, I was informed an Attorney was present at the second case, the Judge ruled the trial had to go forward, without 2 witnesses.

I will say, that both these women were amazing and held their composure with most high professionalism and high kudos from this Reporter. Both had troublesome Judges to deal with and were able to take them on with keen accuity. Both had the possession of true Litigators. I am amazed at their knowledge of the law pertaining to their cases. I also, know there are states that allow a person to become a Lawyer by shadowing and this state should look into this themselves.

As a Journalist Citizen Reporter, I will say both Courts were reluctant to have the cases Videotaped. I have a vision for this to be normal in the Court. Public Record Law needs to come up to the plate in many circumstances. People need to move on but as Atty Prociotto stated, to not be able to obtain public records without huge fees is ridiculous and a travesty. He paid as an Attorney 50,000 dollars to obtain his records from the Court of his own case. Certified copies.

I will say that when the Court wishes technicalities such as Certified copies can toss a case out. Not so in Fridays case in Cambridge. The Judge was emphatic to the Litigant that any copies of the trial before him was to be returned from the parties home. That information was to be impounded and was illegal to possess. "How did you get the copies"? Even though the case has been before the Court 10 years, the question remains imcomprehensible that the Litigant party, mother of a child confiscated by the Court system would be denied copies of her sons records.

This is a nightmare and that Court has asked that a gag order be applied to the case to squash any further investigations into the matter this mother Litigant is concerned with. It is apparant that this mother a disabled woman who was asked repeatedly to stand before the Court to express her case was treated this disparagingly by the officiating Judge. He is not aware of any disability rights and should be repremanded at least for this injustice.

This is just cause in my belief for a new effort to videotape a Court Hearing is urgent and should be implemented immediately when there is a legal disablilty in progress in a party affected in trial. These cases need monitoring for many reasons. Professional Therapists State DSS and others are called to give testimony. In this case it was not clear how the progression of disease had put a cloud of denial on the case before them. All parties were involved for years and the Litigant mother was clearly in a progressive ailment with great stress in pain and process to remain standing. That was defiantly disregarded with prejudice by the officiating Judge.

I was shocked and deeply troubled by this behavior by a member of the Judiciary.