| Ruling near on Abu-Jamal jury
In the nearly 26 years since his conviction for the murder of Officer Daniel Faulkner, the international tempest over Mumia Abu-Jamal has fixed primarily on this question: Did he do it, or was he framed by Philadelphia police? Yet inside the chambers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Abu-Jamal's innocence or guilt is not the issue. Since May, three judges have been weighing whether to reinstate his death sentence, overturned in 2001. If they do, his last hope will be the U.S. Supreme Court, which hears fewer than 2 percent of all petitions filed each year. The Third Circuit's decision, expected soon, will be based on knotty constitutional questions relating to the fairness of his 1982 trial in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court and subsequent state appeals: Were the jury instructions confusing? Was the trial judge biased in a later hearing? In addressing the jury, did the prosecutor downplay the likelihood of a capital sentence's ever being carried out? And - a key contention in Abu-Jamal's appeals - were African Americans purposely excluded from the jury? He was convicted by 10 white and two black jurors on July 2, 1982.
Free net music to end CDs
Mr Klepfisz, 52, has been working on Qtrax for eight years, initially in Melbourne and more recently in his New York base. Artists and record labels were supporting Qtrax to stem a losing fight against stolen music, he said. And Qtrax would compensate artists unlike illegal music download sites, he said. Record companies will get an equal split of advertising revenue and royalty fees it collects from Qtrax. A recent music industry report by Jupiter Research said for every song sold online, 100 were stolen. Ninety-four per cent of those online were unwilling to pay for music, the report added. "I think the record companies realise their attempts to make up for lost sales are not working," Mr Klepfisz said. "The compact disc – as the main conveyer of mainstream music – is dead.
Wide-open race now heads to N.H.
What we have seen is a new day in American politics,'' Huckabee said. ``It starts here in Iowa, but it doesn't end here. It goes all the way through the other states, and ends at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. one year from now.'' Many Republican voters were casting about for a rock-solid conservative in a race that included candidates with moderate records on abortion, gay rights and immigration. Iowa voters connected with Huckabee, a Baptist minister and former Arkansas governor known for homespun quips. ''It seemed there was a piece missing in the race, and everyone was waiting for that one candidate, that perfect candidate,'' said Iowa GOP Chairman Ray Hoffman. ``In the end, the conservatives picked Huckabee, and that's where his strength came from.'' Driving Obama's win, roughly 239,000 Democrats -- 115,000 more than in 2004 -- turned out to schools, libraries and churches to stand in their candidate's corner.
Rodriguez's agent: Coach will have no comment
Rodriguez's agent responds to document-shredding allegations..... Wow, this points the finger back at WVU. I hope WVU has an accounting course maybe their school officials can take it. If what RR's lawyer stated is true WVU is in pretty sad shape......GO Blue....I can't wait till next season.. .
Beware the Hidden Perils of Loyalty Promotions
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On the record: an interview with PG&E's Peter Darbee
The other big component of our cost is natural gas, which is the fuel that generates the electricity. That actually has come down recently. But one of the concerns that I do have is if we see a closer relationship to the price of oil, which of course has gone through the roof. Q: What do you see happening this winter when people start really using a lot of gas? A: One of the things that we were able to convince the (California Public Utilities Commission) of in the last couple of years is to permit us to enter into long-term contracts. So by this time, we have actually purchased a large part of the gas for the coming year. I think during this winter prices should be reasonably constrained. Q: Do you see the same kind of price spikes for gas that we saw in the last couple of winters? A: We don't foresee that right now, but we're in a very volatile time with respect to energy as evidenced by oil approaching $100 per barrel.
Industry sirens: round up of the weekly corporate flair-ups
So, it's 2008, a brand new year, new hopes dreams and aspirations, but seemingly the same old story for the music industry. Sinking ship, no dinghies, the usual crap. Here's a handy summation of what's getting their collective Armani pants in a twist. Firstly, it's no surprise to hear, but record sales dropped by 11% in the United Kingdom in 2007. Statistical kingpins, the British Phonographical Industry put it down to ‘copyright theft and difficult retail conditions'. And definitely not god-awful albums. The year's biggest sellers on the British mainland were troubled songstress Amy Winehouse and troubling songtress Leona Lewis in that order. Winehouse shifted 1.85m albums although she had a ten-month headstart on Lewis' Spirit, which didn't sell too few less. It's not too bad though – record sales are up 26% compared to those a decade ago.
Epic performances promised greatness
SOME members of the international press contingent attending the 2005 Venice Film Festival dubbed it the Heath Ledger Film Festival, because he appeared in three films in the official section of 25 features that year, a first for an actor at a major festival. He was slyly amusing as Jacob Grimm, opposite Matt Damon's Wilhelm Grimm, in Terry Gilliam's cheerfully baroque The Brothers Grimm; he was as dashing and as romantic as you could wish in Lasse Hallstrom's Casanova; and he was desperately moving as the lonesome cowboy whose life is changed by a sexual encounter with another man in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain. He was only 25 when he made these films and the astonishing versatility he displayed in all three confirmed him as one of the best young actors of his generation.
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