Blog Baltimore

Sen. Ben Cardin - At this time Ben Cardin is not for PIPA and SOPA

Sen. Barbara Mikulski - Still waiting for a reply.

Information about SOPA and PIPA and why it matters can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOPA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PROTECT_IP_Act

EDIT 1.24.2012

I’ve received a response from Sen. Mikulski to which she basically responded that she understands the needs for stronger laws preventing piracy. She also understands that PIPA may not be the best way.

Thank you for writing to me about copyright law. It’s good to hear from you.The PROTECT IP Act (S. 968) would give the Department of Justice (DoJ) authority to identify and take legal action against websites that market counterfeit or pirated goods.  Illegal downloading of movies, TV shows and music is a real problem that harms industries, kills jobs and hurts our economy.  We need strong copyright laws to protect the creative property of artists, and it is important that these laws be followed.  However, I share your concerns about this bill.  We need to make sure that the solution isn’t worse than the problem.  Any efforts to strengthen the protection of copyrighted materials must be well planned, avoid unintended consequences, and must not stifle free speech or innovation.There are a number of provisions in the bill that I am concerned about, particularly language affecting Domain Name Servers (DNS).  Legislation as wide-ranging as this needs a more open and thorough review from all sides of the debate.  I am pleased that Senator Leahy — the author of the bill — has said he is open to changes to address this and other issues.  The current language in the bill needs to be improved before I could consider supporting its final passage. S. 968 has been passed out of the Judiciary Committee and is awaiting action by the full Senate.  Knowing of your views is helpful to me, and I will keep them in mind as Congress continues to debate this issue.Thanks once again for writing.  Please let me know if I can be of assistance in the future.

Sincerely,  Barbara A. Mikulski United States Senator 

The pre show is awkward…very awkward. Not finding it funn.

At almost 2pm on the 23rd of August, the Univ. of Maryland area felt a rumble. Possible earthquake in Baltimore?

In a previous post listed below I commented about the State of Maryland banned the sale of cigars from online vendors. This through phone, fax, and Internet. Well a recent email has been sent out, stating that at this time they are deferring the ban on premium cigars to people in Maryland. This does not mean that we are not still supposed to pay taxes, it just means that we can purchase cigars online again!

http://www.blogbaltimore.com/2011/05/state-of-maryland-says-no-more-to-buying-cigars-online/

I saw a lady the other day at the McDonald’s on S. Paca and Baltimore St. with a black bandanna and lots of piercings sucking her thumb. She was an older lady and she looked a bit weathered. I wanted to ask her if one thumb was longer than the other but she didn’t look like she was a nice person, so I refrained.

It has been a while since I have written a post. I have been busy and have not been getting out much. Baltimore has been quiet for me. I personally have not noticed many changes, however I have not been getting out much.

I will say that I have noticed more bikers out commuting. This is a great thing to see as people are realizing it is really not that hard. The exercise and money saved is great!

Watching the game at Looneys in Canton Square. Decent crowd. Not quite packed…yet.

I’m using a new Android application called Open Spot that helps you find and share open parking spots you see on the street. The more people that use it, the better it gets, so tell all your friends.

You can check it out here:   http://openspot.googlelabs.com.

You can download it at: http://openspot.googlelabs.com/download.html.

Just a random snap shot

Thanks channel 13 news for parking your van in one of the worst spots in the trolley lanes, illegally. You created a beautiful blind corner which could have caused a serious bike accident that close to Pratt st.

On the bright side, if a biker got creamed because of your blatant disregard for the law, you’d be the first on the scene to report on it.