Now China gets to experiance shitty music videos...

Viacom extends MTV reach in China
By Alexandra Harney in Hong Kong
Published: September 23 2004 22:00 | Last updated: September 23 2004 22:00

Viacom is extending its reach into China in a partnership with Beijing Television and expanding distribution of MTV, its music channel, in the southern province of Guangdong.

The US media conglomerate expects the number of households receiving MTV's 24-hour channel in Guangdong to triple, bringing its total distribution of the service in China, including Hong Kong, to almost 10m households by the end of this year.

The alliance with BTV follows its announcement in March of a joint venture with Shanghai Media Group the first such partnership since China eased its ban on foreign investment in local production companies. Sumner Redstone, Viacom chairman and chief executive, said the group's Paramount Pictures was also discussing possible collaboration, including co-production, with SMG.

“There is no limit to our appetite here,” Mr Redstone told the FT.

While the joint venture with SMG is focused on children's programming, Viacom and BTV will concentrate on music and entertainment content.

These programmes, which will be offered for syndication to channels in China and overseas, will not necessarily carry the MTV brand. They will, however, contain “MTV-type” content, Mr Redstone said.

Viacom brushed off rumours that progress in the venture with SMG had stagnated because it had not obtained official approval.

“We have their verbal okay. They've told us to move ahead as fast as we can. They've assured us we can get anything official that we need,”Mr Redstone said. .

In Guangdong, where MTV won landing rights last year, the group will expand its distribution in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, and roll out MTV in two other unnamed cities. The move would broaden MTV's reach from 1m to 3m households in Guangdong. This is added to 600,000 households in Hong Kong and about 6m sets in hotels and compounds.

MTV was one of the first foreign networks to be granted landing rights in China, winning approval for 24-hour broadcasts in Guangdong in April 2003.

China Entertainment Television was the first foreign media group to win broadcasting rights in China in 2001.

Viacom also said that China Central Television had agreed to take on additional programmes from Nickelodeon, Viacom's children's channel. Talks are under way with CCTV about licensing consumer products linked to the SpongeBob, SquarePants series.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/2fcdda54-0d5a-11d9-a3e1-00000e2511c8.html

Just what we needed to send over to China. Next thing we'll be seeing is Real World Bejing or Punk'd on the Great Wall. What is this world coming to. The whole global community thing is getting a little out of hand, its nice to know we have this cultural exchange and such but then you get to slipping crap like this in... well who knows what you're doing then.

-T.

Who likes losing freedoms...

Aparently some americans like it. I was watching the news yesterday and they were discussing a passenger profiling system that was tested this past June. It looks at everything about a passenger; how they paid for the ticket, what meal they had, they can document any converstaion you may have aboard the aircraft... . Then if they don't like what they see, your name gets placed on a watch list and you could be barred from flight. Hmm the government never makes mistakes so no one would ever be put on that list without really needing to be on it wouldnt they ?

When interviewed a handful of people felt that anything so that we can be safe is a good thing. Well folks thats incredibly assinine, you'd give up everything then for the sake of being safe? Freedom of speech ? Yea sign my ass up, moron. And then people badmouth the ACLU ? At least there are people out there looking out for the greater good of society.

http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=16515&c=282

Many Questions Remain About Passenger Profiling System, ACLU Says

September 22, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACLU Responds To First Official Written Descriptions Of TSA’s "Secure Flight" Program

<>

NEW YORK--Despite the publication of three new documents describing a new airline screening program the government calls "Secure Flight," many questions remain about the program and it is far from clear that it solves the problems that bedeviled its controversial predecessor CAPPS II, the American Civil Liberties Union said today.

"Secretary Ridge said that a stake was being driven through the heart of CAPPS II," said Barry Steinhardt, Director of the ACLU’s Technology and Liberty Project, referring to the previous passenger screening proposal, which the government abandoned. "But it appears that the vampire may be climbing out of its coffin once again."

Steinhardt said that the published notices provided too little detail for the public to determine whether Secure Flight represents a genuine improvement over the predecessor CAPPS II program - and that he feared that many of the problems with the original proposal remain. For example, it appeared that security decisions will be made based on frequently inaccurate information contained in secret "black boxes " maintained at the Terrorism Screening Center that are completely inaccessible to the public and effectively shielded from scrutiny or correction. According to news reports, the Terrorism Screening Center will maintain watch lists that will be used under Secure Flight for identifying passengers to be screened as "selectees" or placed on a "no-fly" list, leaving innocent travelers who are caught up in the system with no fair way to have their names removed.

Further, Steinhardt said, the TSA has not really demonstrated that the new system will actually be effective in stopping terrorists.

"CAPPS II would have rendered secret, unreviewable judgments of individuals based on some secret TSA process. It’s not much better if secret, unreviewable judgments will now be based on a secret terrorist screening process," he said. "The government has sought to downplay the significance of what it intends to do in the airline passenger screening area, in part by focusing its program descriptions on a ‘testing phase,’" Steinhardt added. "But it appears far too likely that our nation will end up saddled with an ultimate end product resembling CAPPS II."

TSA officials announced the advent of Secure Flight in August, but until the release of documents on Tuesday, no details of the new program were available in writing. Among the new details released is the government’s plan to require the airlines to turn over the passenger name records (PNR) details of all their customers who flew during the month of June 2004. That data would be used for "preliminary tests."

"Passenger name records often contain a great deal of information about individuals and their travel," Steinhardt explained. "The government says it will only use name, telephone, address, and domestic flight segments. So why are they ordering airlines to turn over ‘any other information’ they have in each record? Why does the government need to find out who has ordered a Kosher or Halal meal, or potentially even who has slept with whom in a hotel room - all information that is sometimes contained within PNR records."

"Congress needs to step in and require the Government Accountability Office to perform the same objective evaluation of this program -- looking at both its effectiveness and its impact on privacy -- that it did for the CAPPS II program."

For more information about no-fly lists, including a link to theGAO report on CAPPS II, go to www.aclu.org/nofly.

Cat Stevens is a Terrorist ?!?

Cat Stevens refused US entry

(Filed: 22/09/2004)

The singer Cat Stevens has been escorted from a diverted transatlantic flight and refused entry into America flight by FBI agents.

	Cat Stevens: on US 'watch list'

The pop star, who converted to Islam, was denied entry because his name was said to be on a government security "watch list".

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said he would be returned to Britain today.

Flight 919 from London diverted 600 miles to Bangor International Airport yesterday, landing at around 7.30pm BST, after US security officials were told Stevens was aboard.

He had been allowed to board the flight after United Airlines officials initially failed to spot his name, which he has changed to Yusuf Islam.

Passengers, including the British pop group Marillion, were told the diversion was due to refuelling. They arrived in Washington six hours late.

Stevens, who was denied access to Israel four years ago, was detained and questioned. His 21-year-old daughter was allowed to enter America.

Stevens had a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including Wild World and Morning Has Broken.

Last year he released two songs, including a re-recording of his 1970s hit Peace Train, in opposition to the war in Iraq.

He abandoned his music career in the late 1970s and changed his name after being persuaded by orthodox Muslim teachers that his lifestyle was forbidden by Islamic law. He later became a teacher and an advocate for his religion, founding a Muslim school in London in 1983.

So our parranoia has reached an all time high aparently. It's Cat Stevens for godsakes. This man is a folk singer, the man sings a song called peace train, yea thats a terrorist. He's not even a fundie Islamic follower. Thank you US government from saving me from this threat, of course theres probably more true terrorists streaming over the border in Canada mind you but oooh boy that Cat Stevens, watch out boys he's a live one. ugh.

Things I wish I had the coin for but don't

http://www.rally.subaru.com/rally/servlet/CarBuildingDetail?part=1&imageId=0


I wish I had the money to do this. I want to drive like a madman through the woods in a 300 hp all wheel drive car.