So Much For The Cops Being Peaceful…

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I can’t even believe the violence that was inflicted on peaceful protesters between 4th and 5th Street on Market today. Luckily, I got everything I saw on tape, so I’ll be uploading it over the rest of the day.
There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the cops’ behavior. They would tell us we had to get out of the street, and most of us would, and then they would tell us we had to get off of the sidewalk and move to the another block. And when we got to the end of the block, there would be another line of cops telling us we had to go back (presumably into the other line of cops, or into the street where we also weren’t supposed to go).
I’ve got footage of two different people that were attacked and then interviews with both of them afterwards. There was also number of peaceful, artistic demonstrations (in between our being intimidated and beat up by the cops).
Back in a flash!

Footage From This Morning’s Protest In San Francisco

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Here’s what I’ve got so far.
Note that there are “web size”, “email” and “edited email” (small) versions available and also some gif files.
You’ll want to upload the pictures on to your own site so they download quickly in a browser.
Here’s the directory where I’ll be uploading stuff all day:
Market Street Protest Footage – San Francisco – March 20, 2003
Story that goes with this footage:
So I walked from 16th and Valencia over to Market Street (about 8 blocks) and then one block over to where Market meets Haight. The entire intersection (all 5 parts of it) was blocked off and cars were forced to wait at a standstill. The cops appeared to be nowhere in sight. (But apparently they were close by and just monitoring the situation, rather than interfering with it.)
Over about 10 or 15 minutes, the protesters announced that their work at that intersection was done and that they were moving on to Van Ness and Mission.
The protesters moved out of the way and the cops rode in on their motorcycles (2 of them) and a few protesters worked with the cops to get the stuff out of the street and get traffic moving again.
Then a funny thing happened: all of the cars that had been forced to wait honked their horns in support of the protesters!
Okay I’m off to 4th and Market where I guess a different group of protesers have taken things over there.
I’ll be back later this afternoon!


Speaking Of Which — Where the heck’s my email address anyway?

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From the “move along, there’s nothing to see here” department, my last posting reminded me that a friend pointed last week that my email isn’t actually located anywhere on my radar site.
Um. Sorry about that — I’ve added it (lisarein@finetuning.com) to my A-Z listing.
There. Now re-read my last post and pretend that my email was actually available on my blog site when I posted it… (DOH!)

More On Why Privacy Should Be The Rule And Not The “Opted-Out” Exception

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This is a follow up to my earlier post regarding cellphone numbers being added to 411 lists, which I still think, as it stands, is a really bad idea.
There’s more at stake here than the (I believe, still valid) concern of actually be charged money by your phone company every time you are contacted by a telemarketer, which would also be horrible and unfair to consumers, but isn’t nearly as worrisome as establishing a practice of charging people extra if they don’t want their personal information sold.
If discounts are offered to people that are willing to allow their number to be included in a directory, that’s one thing. But again, it would need to be properly represented to the consumer that they were trading something valuable — their personal information — for a discount.
That said, it’s not only about telemarketers. It’s about privacy. If I want someone to have my cell phone number, I’ll give it to them. Otherwise, they can email me and request it, and if I want to give it to them, I will.
In general, I would rather be emailed than called on the phone — especially from people I’m not expecting.
The way it is now, I have a little control over who calls me on my already too busy telephone. I should not have to pay money to have my number remain unlisted. It is a right, not a privilege, in my opinion.
This is the wrong direction for these kinds of services to go — making people opt-out of having their information made public. They should always have to explicitly opt-in to such services. This is dangerous if giving up one’s personal information in order to participate in a basic communications service, such as cell phones, becomes the exception, and not the rule.
Hope this clarifies my broader privacy concerns surrounding these types of policies.

Natalie Merchant Decides To Break Free From Traditional Music Industry Ball and Chains

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Natalie Merchant, No Strings Attached
By Jon Pareles for the NY Times.

When her Elektra contract expired in August 2002, she chose not to renew it or to seek a deal with another major label. “I would make a big-budget pop album, followed by a year of touring and promotion and then some downtime for recovery,” she said. “I don’t even know if I was writing music that was appropriate for that mold.” Instead she will release her next album, a collection of traditional songs called “The House Carpenter’s Daughter,” on her own label, Myth America Records. It is to be released June 1 through Ms. Merchant’s Web site, nataliemerchant .com, and July 1 in stores.
Recorded on a modest budget, marketed primarily to existing fans and not relying on radio exposure, “The House Carpenter’s Daughter” breaks free of the commercial pressures that have turned major-label releases into risky gambles that can cost a million dollars in promotion alone. In contrast, Ms. Merchant’s transition suggests the model of a sustainable career for a musician who is no longer eager to chase hits.

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