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We're proud to republish this article by Dr. Joshua Z Ellis. What About The Artist, Stupid? I'm sick of being told that I ought to give my work away for free, or hold out a little tin cup and simper at my patrons until they condescend to drop a penny or two my way. Fuck all y'all. I'm not trying to rip anybody off. I don't sue teenage girls. I don't put the anti-piracy PSAs in front of crappy Hollywood blockbusters. I'm an independent musician who writes, records and produces my own work. I don't want to get screwed by a record label; I'd prefer to make less money and sell my work directly to my audience. If that means I never become wealthy, fine: that's my choice and I've made it, along with thousands of other musicians like myself. But instead of being applauded for our efforts to reach out directly to our listeners, we get carped at by a bunch of nerds who claim to be civil libertarians but act more like lobbyists for the p2p software industry.

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http://www.alternativenation.net/photos/data/500/479US_flag_burning_-thumb.jpg"We know that Iraq and the al-Qaeda terrorist network share a common enemy - the United States of America." President George W. Bush, Cincinatti, October 2002 One of the central tenets of the USA's rush to war with Iraq in 2003 was the oft-repeated claim that Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda had some kind of agreement in place, even an alliance of sorts. The fact that the radical extremists of the latter held Saddam and Iraq in something rather less than high esteem - owing largely to the country's secular status - was of no consequence to the hawks of little Bush's administration, as they sought to link the horror of September the 11th with the justification for another Gulf war in the minds of the American people. That it worked - against all the available evidence; the 9/11 Commission concluded that "there was no collaborative...

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Should the gigging community 'pay to play' gigs? I'm going to try and discuss this firey topic, in the hope that it ignites a discussion. Background Most of you know that I run Alternative Nation, arguably the largest alternative community website in the UK. Over the last few years I've also started to get involved in the running of gigs/events in Glasgow. In the process I've encountered the ups and downs of the gigging scene, I've chatted with bands and with fellow promoters (a number of whom are members of the Alternative Nation community). We've run 'free to play' events and also 'pay to play' events. Our current format is pay to play, for the record, but I'll try and keep this as impartial as possible, weighing up the pros and cons of both. I'll also be using our experiences as reference to why we ended up going pay to play. Free to play Bands are given a set amount of tickets which they have to try and sell. A cut then goes to the promoter with the band keeping the...

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It's nearly May Day. Traditionally the international day of the labour movement, and - more recently - the day when the anarchists, communists, and general left wing lunatics come out to play, right? Right. They do. It's true. If there's one day this year you can guarantee a Starbucks window is going to meet it's sorry end, it's this Saturday. Happily, however, these people are a minority. Vocal, maybe; but more frequently blown out of all proportion by an establishment media all too aware of which side it's bread is buttered on - editors' wages are not paid by the protesters, but by the massively rich elite that own the publications they work for. The so-called 'anti-globalists' are all too often vilified as out to destroy the state, end capitalism, and set up some fantastical workers' utopia. Some probably are (like about seven, maybe), but as far as the rest of us are concerned… bollocks. Even the term 'anti-globalist' is misleading; what is 'globalisation'? It's far...

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“Marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman…We must do what is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage,” President Bush remarked in an early February statement published on CNN’s Law Center website. In what seems a well-intentioned attempt to preserve sanctity, President Bush advocates a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage; however, what does preventing same-sex marriage actually accomplish? But first, is it fair to assert that the sanctity of marriage will not exist if couples are of the same gender? Only one of the synonyms of the word sanctity – religiousness –pertains to the Christian ideal of marriage: a man and woman joined in matrimony. Devotion and goodness, two other synonyms of sanctity, don’t apply only to the religiously inclined though. Same-sex couples may not fall under the traditional idea of couples that the Bible defines, but sanctity still exists in their relationships between one another; to even suggest that...

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Journalist and retro kid Lola O'Donnell decries the death of glamour. Glamour is dead. The retro metal clips have all but fallen off, the material is worn, and the actual garters have lost their twang… What’s worse, it's my fault. Things so precious as vintage suspender belts should be kept for special occasions, not worn under jeans… but what other choice does the modern woman have? When I finally get a new job, and enough money to afford such frivolity, I'll get another, I've promised myself. Appearances simply have to be kept up. Perhaps I’ll treat myself to some new stockings too, ones without holes, with a backseam, the kind that seem to warrant such disparaging looks from would-be knee-jerk ‘feminists’ and the Gran-coat brigade alike. There really is nothing like a pair of fully fashioneds to get a gal in the mood, although for what I'm not quite sure. The lack of people that would marvel at contrast seams, or a fine Cuban heel should render the need for fabulous...

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Of the three major international agencies - the United Nations, the World Health Organisation, and the World Trade Organisation - it is the latter that has traditionally been the focus of the liberal left's wrath, and understandably so: the United Nations is devoted (regardless of how well it may actually function) to the upkeep of international law and the prevention of conflict; the WHO does fine work but remains largely anonymous, barring the odd global health scare when it incurs Canadian wrath, such as the recent outbreak of SARS; but the WTO is dedicated to the promotion of unbridled free trade, regardless of consequence. It's the pariah of choice for anyone with even a smidgen of social conscience. But must it necessarily be so? One of the most striking things when we compare the UN - A Good Thing - and the WTO - A Bad Thing - is in regard to their decision-making structure; one is startlingly democratic (well, as democratic as these things can be without actually...