Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Rant (Ver 1.032106)

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LOADING ANGER MODULE...
RIGHTEOUS FURY EXECUTING...
BEGIN RANT...
      It works like this: If you write a book, you own it. If you write a song, you own it. If you write a short story, you own it. What is so hard about that? What is so hard about understanding that you shouldn't steal from other people's works? Are you stupid or what?
      Forgive me if I seem abrupt, but I've had it up to here with hacks stealing other people's work and listening to them justify it. They toss around "fair use" even though they don't have the slightest understanding of what it means. They say that it's okay to use other people's words because "it's for charity." They say that it's okay to photocopy plays, books, articles in large quantities because "we're giving them away free." They say that they have a friend who has a cousin who has a brother who is dating a lawyer and she said it was okay.
      And if you call them on their twisted thinking, they look at you with wounded eyes and quietly say they were just trying to be "creative."
      Let me make it real simple for you. If you steal someone's work, it's theft. Forget about "copyright infringement." Those two words have been tossed around so much that they've practically lost meaning. Let's call it what it is: It's theft. It doesn't matter if you bought the book, the CD, the video, the script, you still have no right to use it to create new works, to adapt it into other forms, to film it, to tape it, to sample it. WHAT IS SO HARD ABOUT THIS?
      This will be even simpler. If you steal someone's work, you have no morals. You can babble on about fair use and claim your theft hurts no one and even misquote the copyright laws, but you're nothing more than a common crook. That's all you are.
      If you think you might be in violation of copyright, please go to the site for the United States Copyright Office. They have plenty of explanations of what is and isn't copyright theft.
END RANT
EXIT PROGRAM
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Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Seven things

Tech memed me so here it is!

A. Seven things to do before I die:
1. Write the story of my life.
2. Go back to college.
3. Pay off my home.
4. Give more to my church.
5. Spend more time with my nieces.
6. Spend more time with my family.
7. Spend more time in prayer.

B. Seven things I cannot do
1. Play any sports!
2. Enjoy rap or hip-hop music.
3. Listen to any talk radio.
4. Sew a straight line.
5. Use a microwave properly.
6. Wear white.
7. Change the oil on my car.

C. Seven things that attract me to anyone
1. Stability and intelligence.
2. Church-goer.
3. Kindness.
4. Non-drinker.
5. Non-smoker.
6. Sense of humor.
7. Looks fine! :)

D. Seven things I say more often
1. Good morning. How may I help you?
2. Bless you.
3. Have a good day.
4. Whatever you say.
5. S..t! (I'm ashamed to admit it!)
6. Whew.
7. I hear that.

E. Seven books I love
1. The Bible.
2. Any Grace Livingston Hill books.
3. Books about living a Christian life.
4. Black history books.
5. History in general.
6. Historical romances but not the ones with naughty parts.
7. Current events.

F. Seven movies I like
1. The original Star Wars movies.
2. Anything with Denzel Washington in it. But not his violent roles.
3. The Indiana Jones movies.
4. Romancing the Stone. The most romantic film ever.
5. Steel Magnolias.
6. The Color Purple.
7. The Way We Were.

G. I don't know seven people on the Net who haven't already been taggged. So anyone who wants to do it, should do it! :)