Why Apple doesn't need Universal Music

If users can’t buy Universal music for their iPods from iTunes, then they’ll either rip a CD or download it illegally elsewhere. On average, music bought from iTunes only accounts for 3% of songs on every user’s iPod. Either way, it won’t impact on iPod sales, which is where Apple makes most of its music-driven revenue, anyway.

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Fuzzy Bush math

You're about to hear that the budget deficit is falling. Don't believe it, warns Fortune's Allan Sloan. The deficit is much, much bigger than you think.

By Allan Sloan, Fortune senior editor-at-large

(Fortune Magazine) -- There will be lots of celebrating in Washington next month when the Treasury announces that the federal budget deficit for fiscal 2007, which ends September 30, will have dropped to a mere $158 billion, give or take a few bucks.

That will be $90 billion below the reported 2006 deficit and will be toasted by the White House and Treasury as a great accomplishment.

But I have a nasty little secret for you, folks. If you use realistic numbers rather than what I call WAAP - Washington Accepted Accounting Principles - the real federal deficit for the current fiscal year is more than 2-1/2 times the stated deficit.

See the entire article here.

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Are You A Gay Senator

Check this out to see if you are a Gay Senator. You never know till you take the test. (I failed, whatever that means.)

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Sold my Hat at Kenny Chesney

I went to my first Country Concert this last Thursday. We saw Kenny Chesney at Madison Square Garden. On the way to the concert I was wearing my old Cowboy Hat that I wear on Vacation. It had been crumpled and sat on and I was going to throw it out but Regina said to wear it. In the city we met a few friends and got something to eat before the concert.

On the street a camera crew approached us to talk about Kenny Chesney. They wanted a man and since I was not the Country Music fan our friend John answered their questions on camera. Before he went on, I gave him my hat to wear. He kicked a-- on camera and I am confident my hat will end up on A&E for a biography of Kenny Chesney. But that's not the end of the story....

At the concert--after a few beers--I was on line getting, what else, another beer. Kenny Chesney was playing and the crowd was hopped up. Then a guy (probably drunk) came up to me and said he wanted to buy my hat for $50. I wasn't going to sell it to him because I told him he was too drunk and probably didn't know what he was doing. He was with a friend who did not try to stop him and the guy proceeded to pull money out of his wallet. He said he didn't have a ten dollar bill so he handed me $60!

I gave him my hat.

I hindsight I might have been able to make change.

Needless to say, my first Country Concert was a success.

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blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, AHA!
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Lon S. Cohen
Writer
blahblahblah@lonscohen.com

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To Good To Be True!

Found on CNN.com:

(CNN)–Senator Larry Craig is hiring some big guns from the legal world, including Michael Vick's lawyer, to represent him in his upcoming legal proceedings.Craig said he has retained Vick's attorney, Billy Martin, to handle most of his legal affairs. He said he has retained Stan Brand, who represented Major League Baseball in connection with the congressional investigation into Major League Baseball’s steroid policies, to handle issues pertaining to an investigation by the Senate Ethics committee.

(If that's not enough:)

Also from CNN.com:

President Bush called Craig after Saturday's announcement.

"He told him he knew it was a difficult decision for him and he wished him well," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.

The White House's position is that "Sen. Craig made the right decision for himself, his family, his constituents and the U.S. Senate," Stanzel said.

(In light of my recent post this is too ironic! In addition, Craig is in a state of denial... I mean he is denying he is guilty.)

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