Sad News About the Black History Museum

From Channel 2 News:

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ The Idaho Black History Museum has laid off both staff members and cut its hours to just one day a week because of budget problems.

Board member Carolyn Casey says the museum needs about 100-thousand dollars a year to cover salaries and operating expenses. But at the main fundraising event in February, the museum raised less than half of that.

This would sound like a great project for bloggers to get together on. Unfortunately, from my experience blogathons are more likely to make bloggers feel better rather than alleviating the problem and raising money.

I’ve always wanted to visit the museum, but work’s gotten in the way. A couple years back with my in-laws out here, I went to go to the museum and found to my chagrin Howard Dean had co-opted it for a fundraiser, so I still haven’t been there yet. Maybe soon.

Good Deal

From Reuters:

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Online video sites that sell shows and movies such as Apple Inc.’s iTunes will likely peak this year as more programming is made available on free outlets supported by advertising, according to a study released on Monday.

Sales of movies and television shows are expected to almost triple to $279 million in 2007 from an estimated $98 million last year. But unless the average consumer begins paying for their online video en masse, growth in sales will likely peter out next year, according to Forrester Research.

“In the video space, iTunes is just a temporary flash while consumers wait for better ways to get video. They’re already coming,” said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey, the author of the study, who also called the paid download video market a “dead end.”

Forrester estimated that sales growth is not likely to triple or even double in 2008 and beyond, after early adopters and media addicts have already started using the services.

Confusion over different video file formats, difficulties watching downloaded videos on television screens and other technical problems have kept average users from paying for shows online.

Efforts by traditional media distribution companies to make more of their shows available for free on the Internet — including the Hollywood-backed film service MovieLink, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s service and Amazon.com Inc.’s Unbox service — are also working against paid services.

Led by Walt Disney Co.’s ABC.com, TV networks including News Corp.’s Fox are offering some hit shows online for free.

Good news for consumers indeed. Here’s to the death of Itunes video. The whole concept of buy videos you watch on your computer online has always struck me as a tad absurd, particularly if you’re talking about shows that you would TIVO normally.

Of course, what I’m waiting for is for Internet video to advance to the point where you can subcribe to a single channel or single show for a simple price and enjoy all the episodes that are playing that month. For some reason, Universal decided to short Dragnet fans, release Season 1 in a no-thrills box set that still cost around $35 for 17 episodes with one radio episode thrown in. For now, the option to see more Dragnet is either:

1) Subscribe to Digital Cable, and pay for all the tripe that goes with it to get TV Land.

2) Buy a bootleg set offline.

The former I refuse to do on principle, the latter is illegal and immoral. Whether I like it or not, Universal Owns the Copyright. The good news is that the second season of Dragnet should lapse into the public domain in 2043, so at last I’ll be able to get the DVD.

No More Ms. Nice Cat

In a great (albeit a tad odd for Mother’s Day) post Cat lays down the law:

I am so tired of people thinking that Christians have to be “nice.” Folks, Christ didn’t die to make me “nice,” He died to save me from my sins. He died to ransom me out from under the wrath of God. He died to give me life, and to give it to me abundantly. He died to make me HOLY, separated unto Himself.

He didn’t die to make me “nice.”

Let’s take a little look at being holy, for instance. The one truly holy being in all the Universe is God Himself – and God isn’t “nice.” He is good, He is loving, He is perfect… But He isn’t “nice.”

God is the Judge of all the Earth, and He will do what is right – including punishing the unrepentant wicked. He will also punish the unrepentant “good.” He has clearly stated that all of our so-called “good” works are like filthy rags (the original means used menstrual pads, guys), and that without faith, it is impossible to please Him. He demands that we worship Him; that we have no other gods before Him; that we not blaspheme His name; and that we love Him with all our hearts, minds, soul and strength. He has offered a way – His way – to make us perfect and holy in His sight, but if we don’t do it His way, we have no other hope of heaven. If we don’t do it His way, we go to hell.

Not very “nice.”

Amen. Preach it.

Conservative Podcast: Is the GOP Breaking Up?

Tonight a discussion of what a Hagel/Bloomberg Independent Candidacy could mean for the GOP, Congressional Corruption, Ron Paul’s earmarks, a showing of Brokeback Mountain to 8th Graders, and a reason that partially explains the “scientific consensus” on evolution.

Click here to download. Click here to add my podcast to your I-tunes.

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Related:

CBS News:

Hagel-Bloomberg in ‘08: You Never Know

Wizbang Blog:

Surprising: New Yorkers Prefer Bloomberg over Giuliani, not just as Mayor but as President, too

Outside the Beltway:

Ron Paul Loves Earmarks

Save the GOP:

Sanford Slams GOP on Eve of Debate

Green Eye Shade:

John Campbell: The Democrats’ FY08 Budget: Setting a Dangerous Course

Red State:

John Boehner’s Stooges Think the Conservative Base Is Ignorant and Stupid

Fred Waiting Until July

Cybercast News Service:

NYC Mayor Agrees to Follow Virginia Law in ‘Gun Stings’

Fox News:

Chicago Board of Ed Sued for Teacher Allegedly Showing ‘Brokeback Mountain’ in Class (Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin)

Evolution News and Views:

Iowa State Professor Who Was Denied Tenure Exceeds Department’s Tenure Standard by 350%

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Random Yak, A Blog For All, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, The Pet Haven Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, The Magical Rose Garden, third world county, stikNstein… has no mercy, The World According to Carl, Pirate’s Cove, Dumb Ox Daily News, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Podcast #255: Rudy Giuliani: Public Servant or Psychologist?

A look at Rudy Giuliani’s strange pyschoanalysis of citizens who disagree wtih him.

Click here to download. Click here to add my podcast to your I-tunes.

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Related:

You Tube:

Rudy Giuliani Takes a Phone Call

Tucker Talks About Giuliani’s Hatred Of Ferrets

Rudy Giuliani