Free Republic

Now that M.J. is dead, who has the rights to the Beatles songs—and will we be able to buy them on iTunes? The publishing rights to most of the Beatles' biggest hits are owned by one entity, a joint venture between the late Michael Jackson and the music arm of Sony Corp. It's called Sony/ATV, and it also owns the rights to songs written by Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Taylor Swift and, oh yes, the Jonas Brothers. But Sony/ATV does not handle the recordings of Beatles songs. Two other companies do that, so whether you'll ever download "Come Together" off...

It appears the Vainly Unfair magazine hit piece, the product of a collaboration between Obama-supporting liberal editor Todd Purdum and a few traitors within the McCain campaign organization, is backfiring. In the uproar that has arisen in the wake of the smear job, some former McCain staffers are standing up to defend their 2008 vice presidential candidate, and, unlike the anonymous anti-Palin leakers quoted in the politically-motivated article, those speaking out in favor of Sarah Palin aren't afraid to let their names be known: "She's a fine person, with unique and unteachable political skills," said Mark Salter, a senior adviser...

When a $2.5billion international venture is being planned you might expect there to be hours of debate over what to call it. Yet branding is not the forte of some companies, it seems. Russian Energy giant Gazprom has inadvertently walked into a racism row with the announcement of its joint venture in Nigeria - Nigaz. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Nigerian counterpart Umaru Yar'Adua last week agreed the deal to build refineries, pipelines and gas power stations in Africa's most populous nation. The name is meant to be an amalgamation of 'Nigeria' and 'Gazprom', pronounced 'nye-gaz', but it can...

Link only, per FR copyright rules

Helen Thomas hits White House for lack of transparency Thursday, 02 July 2009 11:11 President Barack Obama answered pre-selected questions Wednesday afternoon about health care sent in from emails, Facebook and Twitter. CBS’ Chip Reid and columnist Helen Thomas thought this reflected a lack of transparency at the White House. “It feels like the concept of a town hall, I think, is to have an open public forum. And this sounds like a very tightly controlled audience and list of questions. Why do it that way?” asked Reid.

Thousands of kidney cancer patients are likely to lose out on life-prolonging drugs. The NHS rationing body, NICE, has confirmed a ban on three out of four new treatments. It has reversed its position on just one, Sutent, which will now be allowed for patients with advanced cancer. But campaigners who fought NICE's original blanket ban said this was not enough. They said some patients with heart problems cannot tolerate Sutent. Kate Spall, head of the Pamela Northcott Fund campaign group, said the ruling meant that fewer than half of newly diagnosed patients would be eligible for therapy. She added:...

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Rejecting the return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, Honduras' interim leaders dug in for a fight on Thursday after governments across the region demanded the deposed leftist be restored to power. In the worst crisis in Central America in a decade, Zelaya was toppled by troops and whisked out of the country on the weekend in a widely condemned coup after he angered opponents with plans to amend the constitution to lift term limits. The Organization of American States on Wednesday issued a weekend deadline for the interim government to reinstate Zelaya, in a standoff that is...

Don't know how to search for this but wanted to make sure it got views. Funny how drawings can say so much and be right on point at the same time.

Thinkers in the ancient world sought to plumb the depths of ultimate reality. With that quest for ultimate reality came the birth of the discipline of philosophy. Some philosophers focused on one particular aspect of philosophy called metaphysics (ultimate being). Others focused their attention on epistemology (the science of knowing). Still others stressed in their investigation the basic principles and elements of ethics (the study of the good and the right). And others focused on the ultimate foundations for aesthetics (the study of the beautiful). One philosopher stood out as being deeply involved in the study of all of these...

Let's see if I have this straight. Candidate Obama promised “no new taxes for 95 percent of the people” (about 30 percent of whom pay nothing anyway). That means all new programs are to be paid for by the remaining 5 percent. Right so far? Candidate Obama sharply criticized John McCain for proposing a health care benefits tax. Obama has given or has proposed to give billions of dollars to Chrysler, General Motors, foreign banks, AIG, unions, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Morgan Stanley, ACORN and even organizations, states and banks that didn't want it. (Of course California, the least frugal...

Propaganda 101 disarm the opposition by introducing assumptions that will not allow for any form of argument or disagreement. If I have to hear one more propaganda phrase from Obama , Axlerod and Gibbs in the form of "I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE" ( On What? How can we agree when you start every sentence with this phrase so there is no opportunity to argue on a point you have yet to make?) "ALL EXPERTS SAY" (Straw man technique. Who are you speaking of? Could it be same people who debated man-made global warming still looking for those clowns....

The anti-Obama group, Our Country Deserves Better PAC, has announced that it will launch an advertising campaign featuring a video claiming that Obama is using tactics common to Hitler’s Germany. An audio teaser video has been released as a fundraising tool to buy time to air the ad. The ad lists a series of actions including the report ordered by the Bush administration on right wing extremists released by the Department of Homeland Security after Bush left office. They quote an un-named Congressman saying, “They proposed a civilian security force and an American congressman warned it was exactly what Hitler...

I know neither but telling video showing his lies at site.

New York, NY (CNS) - A book that has been dubbed "The Catcher in the Rye" sequel has been banned. A Manhattan federal judge rules that the new novel infringes author JD Salinger's copyrights. The reclusive author of the 1951 classic filed the lawsuit against Swedish author Fredrik Colting for his new novel "60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye." Salinger's legal team contends that the new book is a "rip-off" and the main character, a Mr. C, is an "infringement" on Salinger's main character, Holden Caulfied." U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts ruled that Colting, 33, who wrote under the...

A member of the Saudi royal family has called for the assets of his brother to be frozen. Prince Khaled bin Talal denounced his brother's media empire in an unprecedented public attack from within the ruling family.Prince Khaled accused Prince Walid bin Talal of disseminating vice and violating the rules of Islamic Sharia in the conservative kingdom. Prince Walid is one of the richest businessmen in the world.It has long been known that there is a split within the ranks of Saud family between liberals and conservatives. Prince Khaled said he had been forced to speak out after quiet efforts...

This Backgrounder examines illegal immigration-related document fraud and identity theft that is committed primarily for the purpose of employment. It debunks three common misconceptions: illegal aliens are “undocumented;” the transgressions committed by illegal aliens to obtain jobs are minor; and illegal-alien document fraud and identity theft are victimless crimes. It discusses how some community leaders rationalize these crimes, contributing to a deterioration of the respect for laws in our nation, and presents a variety of remedies, including more widespread electronic verification of work status (E-Verify and the Social Security Number Verification Service) and immigrant outreach programs to explain the ramifications...

Captive soldier Gilad Shalit was made an honorary citizen of Rome on Wednesday. Gilad's father, Noam Shalit, accepted the honor in his stead at a ceremony at city hall as part of a campaign led by the mayors of both Rome and Paris. Earlier in the day Shalit held a series of meetings with Italian officials, including Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and the presidents of the parliament and senate. The main event was held at Julius Caesar Hall on Rome's Capitoline Hill. Mayor Gianni Alemanno told those assembled of his ties to the Shalit family and to Israel. He met...

MICHAEL Jackson's 500 million-dollar will names Supremes singing legend Diana Ross as his children's potential guardian, it was revealed yesterday. The will leaves his ex-wife Debbie Rowe - mother of two of the children - NOTHING. During a day of bizarre developments, it also emerged that the superstar will probably be buried near his grandmother in LA - after the expected funeral at his former Neverland home in California hit problems. Family ... Jacko and his kids Jacko, 50, chose his beloved idol Diana, 65, as carer in the event that his mother Katherine died before him, or was unable...

Washington, DC (AHN) - The number of Americans with no health insurance has increased by almost 3 million people from 1997 to 2008, according to a recent federal study. The study found that about 15 percent of all Americans, or about 44 million people of all ages, have no health coverage.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, "Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimated from the National Health Interview Survey, 2008," was conducted to gauge the latest health insurance estimates in the country.Among other findings, it showed Massachusetts has the lowest percentage of uninsured people under the age of...

WASHINGTON -- Insurgents captured an American soldier in eastern Afghanistan, according to a U.S. military spokeswoman. Capt. Elizabeth Mathias said the soldier has been missing since Tuesday and that the military was using "all our resources to find him and provide for his safe return." The soldier wasn't taking part in the major military operation launched in the southern Taliban stronghold of the Helmand River Valley. The new operation is an early test of the Obama administration's new strategy for beating back the resurgent Taliban and stabilizing the country in advance of this summer's presidential elections. Operation Khanjar, or "strike...