So here is an interesting article About AP wanting rights or money or something over that famous Obama picture. The thing that is weird is someone from AP helped write the article. Go to yahoo and check out the story or if you don't want to here it is. That assumes that they don't sue me for passing the story along.

NEW YORK - On buttons, posters and Web sites, the image was everywhere during last year's presidential campaign: A pensive Barack Obama looking upward, as if to the future, splashed in a Warholesque red, white and blue and underlined with the caption HOPE.

Designed by Shepard Fairey, a Los-Angeles based street artist, the image has led to sales of hundreds of thousands of posters and stickers, has become so much in demand that copies signed by Fairey have been purchased for thousands of dollars on eBay.

The image, Fairey has acknowledged, is based on an Associated Press photograph, taken in April 2006 by Manny Garcia on assignment for the AP at the National Press Club in Washington.

The AP says it owns the copyright, and wants credit and compensation. Fairey disagrees.

"The Associated Press has determined that the photograph used in the poster is an AP photo and that its use required permission," the AP's director of media relations, Paul Colford, said in a statement.

"AP safeguards its assets and looks at these events on a case-by-case basis. We have reached out to Mr. Fairey's attorney and are in discussions. We hope for an amicable solution."

"We believe fair use protects Shepard's right to do what he did here," says Fairey's attorney, Anthony Falzone, executive director of the Fair Use Project at Stanford University and a lecturer at the Stanford Law School. "It wouldn't be appropriate to comment beyond that at this time because we are in discussions about this with the AP."

Fair use is a legal concept that allows exceptions to copyright law, based on, among other factors, how much of the original is used, what the new work is used for and how the original is affected by the new work.

A longtime rebel with a history of breaking rules, Fairey has said he found the photograph using Google Images. He released the image on his Web site shortly after he created it, in early 2008, and made thousands of posters for the street.

As it caught on, supporters began downloading the image and distributing it at campaign events, while blogs and other Internet sites picked it up. Fairey has said that he did not receive any of the money raised.

A former Obama campaign official said they were well aware of the image based on the picture taken by Garcia, a temporary hire no longer with the AP, but never licensed it or used it officially. The Obama official asked not to be identified because no one was authorized anymore to speak on behalf of the campaign.

The image's fame did not end with the election.

It will be included this month at a Fairey exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and a mixed-media stenciled collage version has been added to the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.

"The continued use of the poster, regardless of whether it is for galleries or other distribution, is part of the discussion AP is having with Mr. Fairey's representative," Colford said.

A New York Times book on the election, just published by Penguin Group (USA), includes the image. A Vermont-based publisher, Chelsea Green, also used it - credited solely to Fairey_ as the cover for Robert Kuttner's "Obama's Challenge," an economic manifesto released in September. Chelsea Green president Margo Baldwin said that Fairey did not ask for money, only that the publisher make a donation to the National Endowment for the Arts.

"It's a wonderful piece of art, but I wish he had been more careful about the licensing of it," said Baldwin, who added that Chelsea Green gave $2,500 to the NEA.

Fairey also used the AP photograph for an image designed specially for the Obama inaugural committee, which charged anywhere from $100 for a poster to $500 for a poster signed by the artist.

Fairey has said that he first designed the image a year ago after he was encouraged by the Obama campaign to come up with some kind of artwork. Last spring, he showed a letter to The Washington Post that came from the candidate.

"Dear Shepard," the letter reads. "I would like to thank you for using your talent in support of my campaign. The political messages involved in your work have encouraged Americans to believe they can help change the status quo. Your images have a profound effect on people, whether seen in a gallery or on a stop sign."

At first, Obama's team just encouraged him to make an image, Fairey has said. But soon after he created it, a worker involved in the campaign asked if Fairey could make an image from a photo to which the campaign had rights.

"I donated an image to them, which they used. It was the one that said "Change" underneath it. And then later on I did another one that said "Vote" underneath it, that had Obama smiling," he said in a December 2008 interview with an underground photography Web site.

___

Associated Press writer Philip Elliott in Washington contributed to this report.

I wonder how this will effect that site that has the Obama stuff you can get on T-shirts and stuff.

So for those of you who watch TV I'm sure you have seen all the ads about the conversion of An Analog signal to a digital signal. I think that it is a bad Idea for a few reasons. The first one is that I don't think a digital signal is better. Anyone who has Digital Cable knows what I mean. There is what is known as a digital glitch and maybe it is just me but it is way worse then a fuzzy or snowy picture. For those of you who watched the superbowl at (e:Drew)'s place there was a time when it happened for some reason and you saw how nasty it was. I have had that same thing happen when watching fox. The second reason I think it is a bad idea is that this hurts the poor. Yes people can get a rebate for $40 and get a box so they will be able to watch TV but the rebate doesn't cover the entire cost of the box. How is someone who doesn't have enough money for cable and can't get a new TV going to have money to do this. I think that this is a way to try and get the economy going. By the way has anyone even heard of any of these companies that make these boxes I haven't.

My biggest problem is all the wrong information that is being told to people. Time Warner by the way is full of shit. They put all these ads on saying if you have cable you are covered. Well that is a fucking lie and here is why. Remember when they had that dispute where you couldn't get anything on WIVB was that CBS and the CW. Lets say they get into a dispute with another station like NBC (yes that is coming up in the future) or ABC. What you would have done in the past was just use those old rabbit ears or go out and buy some new ones. But now with the digital conversion if NBC isn't carried and you have an old TV that won't work. I think Time Warner wants to get people not get the boxes so they have more power, I also think that there ads are misleading. They are telling people you don't need to get the box just sign up for us. But what happens if what I said earlier happens. Or what if you lose your job and cut cable how would you get any TV then well you wouldn't.

What I did was apply for two coupons and then I bought my second box today. Yes I do have cable. Here is the reason I did that. If one of the networks gets dropped by Time Warner with out the box I won't be able to get that station. With out the credit the boxes run from about $50-$80 it would cost more to get them then. The other factor is what If I lose my Job and then I don't have the boxes and I don't have the money to get them, then what? The one thing of Rabbit ears I do have is pretty old and connects with screws so I think I will have to get new rabbit ears if I need them.

I want to make it clear that I don't know about what the other cable companies are doing so that is why I didn't attack them Like I did my company Time Warner. Yes sometimes I like them and some times I hate them. Overall there has been lots of information about this through ads with websites and numbers people can call. That being said a lot of people still don't really understand what is going on with the conversion. I think that I understand it pretty well but do get why people are confused and things like HDTV and the fact that there is HDRadio and all kinds of terms just makes things messier. Here is article I found on Yahoo today about the conversion date being changed.

WASHINGTON - After weeks of debate, Congress is giving consumers four more months to prepare for the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting.

The House voted 264-158 on Wednesday to postpone the shutdown of analog TV signals to June 12, to address growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready by the Feb. 17 deadline that Congress set three years ago. The Senate passed the measure unanimously last week and the bill now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature.

The change is being mandated because digital signals are more efficient than analog ones. Ending analog broadcasts will free up valuable space in the nation's airwaves for commercial wireless services and emergency-response networks.

The delay is a victory for the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress, who maintain that the previous administration mismanaged efforts to ensure that all consumers - particularly poor, rural and minority Americans - will be prepared for the switchover.

The Nielsen Co. estimates that more than 6.5 million U.S. households that rely on analog TV sets to pick up over-the-air broadcast signals still are not ready. People who subscribe to cable or satellite TV or have a newer TV with a digital tuner will not be affected.

"The passage of this bipartisan legislation means that millions of Americans will have the time they need to prepare for the conversion," White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said in a statement.

Wednesday's vote came one week after House Republicans blocked the bill under a special fast-track procedure that required two-thirds support to pass. This time, the bill passed the House under a regular floor vote, which requires a simple majority.

Among Democrats, 241 voted for the bill, while 10 voted against it. Among Republicans, 23 voted for the bill, while 148 voted against it.

Speaking on the House floor Wednesday, Rick Boucher, D-Va., chairman of the House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, said a delay was needed to prevent the digital transition from becoming a failure.

"It is unfortunate that Congress had to take additional action on this issue, but the prospect of leaving millions of consumers in the dark was simply unacceptable," subcommittee member Edward Markey, D-Mass., added.

Opponents of a delay warned, however, that the move will confuse consumers, create added costs for TV stations that will continue broadcasting both analog and digital signals for four more months and burden wireless companies and public safety agencies waiting for the airwaves that will be vacated by the switchover.

"It's time for us to move forward on this and keep our word to the American people," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., calling for the transition to proceed on Feb. 17.

Democrats have tried to address these concerns by allowing broadcast stations to switch to digital signals sooner than June if they choose, potentially freeing up spectrum for public safety early. But it is unclear how many TV stations plan to take advantage of this option.

The Consumer Electronics Association, meanwhile, is warning that a delay could result in a shortage of converter boxes that translate digital signals back into analog ones for older TVs. Manufacturers and retailers have planned inventory based on a Feb. 17 transition date.

The new administration called for the digital transition to be postponed after the Commerce Department last month hit a $1.34 billion funding limit for coupons that subsidize converter boxes for consumers. The coupon program allows consumers to request up to two $40 vouchers per household to help pay for the boxes, which generally cost between $40 and $80 each and can be purchased without a coupon.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the arm of the Commerce Department administering the program, is sending out new coupons only as older, unredeemed ones reach a 90-day expiration date and free up more money. The NTIA has more than 3.7 million coupon requests on a waiting list - and those people would not receive their coupons before Feb. 17.

A separate measure, part of the economic stimulus proposal working its way through Congress, would add $650 million in funding for the coupon program.

Democrats on Capitol Hill and at the FCC have also questioned whether the government has provided enough on-the-ground support to help consumers hook up converter boxes - or whether enough call center resources have been arranged to handle what could be an avalanche of requests for help.

"The country is not prepared to undertake a nationwide transition in 12 days without unacceptably high consumer dislocation," acting FCC chairman Michael Copps said in a statement. "We've got a lot of work to do, but we now have an opportunity to do it better."

The National Association of Broadcasters also welcomed the delay. The group said it will provide new television spots to promote the June 12 deadline, and work with stations to coordinate additional analog shut-off tests to raise awareness and help consumers prepare.

One other thing that is odd for places like Buffalo is that Canada is changing to digital also but they are doing it at a different date that I don't remember when it is. So for people who want to get those channels they need a box that can take both analog and digital signals I think that is called a pass through box but not sure about that.

Before I talk about the game I just want to thank (e:Drew) and (e:Janelle) for having the super bowl party, it was a good time. Oh yeah and the house is pretty nice and the set up for the game was cool. It was nice to see some (e:peeps) there . I didn't know any one who wasn't from the site but a few people looked like I have seen them someplace before but no idea where I would have. For those of you who didn't watch the game home you had fun also. That chili was pretty good, not that I have ever had one I didn't like. Oh and that brown dip with the beans was pretty good also.

There have been teams that I have really liked that have won Superbowls like The 49ers, Raiders and Redskins so it is tough to base how good the game was on the result. I also remember really enjoying the Bills one until "Wide Right" but don't really remember any of it. In terms of how good a game it was I can only compare it to games that I have seen and compared to what I can remember it was a pretty good game. Of course though watching a game in a group vs. by ones self is always different. I didn't read the article on line since I didn't have time but some writer called this the 2nd best Superbowl of all time and The Steelers best.

I watched a bunch of Pregame before I went to the store to get stuff. I found it interesting that Micheal Phelps smokes or smoked weed, and now it is an issue. Hey maybe it is just me but I assumed it has smoked it for years. He is a white boy who listens to not sure if it would be hip hop or rap and I assumed he has been to plenty of parties with weed. It is to bad he said he is sorry. I know being an athlete can make things like smoking weed tough to admit but as long as he didn't use it a performance enhancer who cares. I get that people think of him as a role model but he isn't he is an athlete.

Here are some shots from my way to the party.








Then before the game like any other party with (e:strip)pers everyone was pretty much in the kitchen so here are the candid shots I got.

















Then it was time to eat and watch some pregame stuff.





















The next batch should be from the game. You will notice that there are pictures of the game going on. I assume that they look good I will see just when everyone else does when this is published. In theory they should look good since it isn't a TV screen with lines it is something projected but who knows.

















The Boss at Halftime seemed pretty good to me, but I'm not a big Springsteen fan.


















Some more pictures from the game and the activities































I admit I didn't answer if it was the best Superbowl game ever and I knew I never really could, it would be to hard to do. I know that it was a very good one, and that there where some pretty good ads on. I'm sorry that I don't have a link for people who want to watch them again or watch ones maybe they missed, not sure what my favorite one was. All in all the Superbowl is a great event for many reasons and it was nice to see everyone there and again thanks to Drew and Janelle. Here is the final thing of pictures of the 6 time world champion Steelers.

So last Night HBO had an interesting line up on. They Had "Meet The Spartans" I thought it was funny yes in some places it goes a little bit wacky. But all in all it was very good. The only thing I didn't like is it was PG-13 and I thought I heard a swear bleeped or at least it sounded mudled or something. There must be an R version or a Not rated version someplace. Carmen Elektra is smoking hot and we could have seen more of her then the fans got to see. But all in all it was pretty good. That was followed by Lisa Lampinelli (not sure how to spell her name). She is known as the Queen of Mean and is brutal but I found her pretty funny it was a great show. By the way she pretty much makes fun of everybody. Is she raunchy yes but she is funny, if you have seen any of the roasts that they show on Comedy Central she was most likely one of the people on it. I have all ready seen 300 so I didn't watch it. But I find it interesting that the had the Parody and original lined up like that.

So during SNL I Saw that Heroes starts up on Monday and the NBC page has info and all kinds of stuff on the shows and Super Bowl stuff and SNL. In terms of SNL they have multiple ways to watch video from last nights show. I like that they Got the real McGuiver Richard Dean Anderson to play in the mockery of his own show and all the Pepsi stuff was funny to me also. Then the entire Diaper that you can eat thing was funny. Then the Paterson stuff was funny on weekend update. All in all a great show and Steve Martin Sings a song with a band, all in all a great show I thought. By the way the 1st part of the pregame starts in just over and Hour then I guess the net work stuff starts at 1pm, go Steelers!!!!!!!!!!!

I wasn't sure if I should put this post under photos or sports and so that got me to ask a question. Would there be a way in the New Version of (e:strip) that I keep hearing is coming out soon to have multiple categories for blogs? For example if someone goes on a Vacation and takes pictures it could be travel, photos and then maybe some other one like Family if they visited family, just an idea.


So for you fans of Monster Trucks you can still go tonight, the trucks are there for two nights and they race and do freestyle and then they have some smaller trucks race and some freestyle motocross. I Had A good time. I'm not good enough to get great pictures of the trucks in action they come out blurry or dark it seems so I may not post any of those. Before the event they have a Pit Party and those are the pictures below.

But first some Pictures of Downtown Buffalo Before the show

























Ok now onto the monster trucks







































































































Hope these pictures were or are Ok. I know I had a fun time on this superbowl weekend doing something that had nothing to do with football and I hope everyone who goes to the show tonight enjoys them selves and there are no one gets killed.