Sarge Reports
Well let’s see what is being passed off as a good weekend show for a progressive show. How about these guys?
From Diverse Online
Current News
Profiteers Snap Up Domain Names Related To Virginia Tech Shooting
By
May 9, 2007, 08:11
Summary:
BLACKSBURG, Va.
Within minutes of the Virginia Tech massacre, online domain names related to the tragedy were snapped up by people hoping to sell them off for a profit or use them to link to advertisers.
Story:
BLACKSBURG, Va.
Within minutes of the Virginia Tech massacre, online domain names related to the tragedy were snapped up by people hoping to sell them off for a profit or use them to link to advertisers.
The cost of registering such domains is generally less than $10, but some are now being auctioned off for thousands, a practice experts say has become commonplace.
“Any time there’s a big news event, people go register the domain names,” says Christine N. Jones, general counsel for GoDaddy.com, the world’s largest domain registration service. “Nine-eleven they did it, Katrina they did it, the tsunami in southeast Asia they did it.”
A few hours after the rampage, Fred McChesney, a 48-year-old Phoenix man began buying dozens of names, including CampusKillings.com, VirginiaTechMurders.com and SlaughterInVirginia.com.
McChesney says he saw it as an opportunity to show his contempt for firearms by featuring anti-gun content on the domains he is selling, but he also saw it as an opportunity to cash in.
“Everyone is profiting off of this,” McChesney says. “I’m not hurting anyone.”
But the profiteering has drawn harsh criticism by those affected by the killings.
“If anybody is working to make a profit off of this tragedy by selling these kinds of things, it’s just a crying shame,” says university spokesman Mark Owczarski. “Obviously, you wouldn’t want anybody to make a profit off something as horrendous as this.”
Jeremiah Johnston, chief operating officer for domain name broker Sedo.com, says his company has shut down domains named after the victims as well as dozens of others related to the tragedy, including BlacksburgBloodbath.com and SchoolSlaughter.com.
“We do feel that they fly in the face of our offensive domain policy,” Johnston says. “It is quite tasteless.”
GoDaddy.com shut down one site purporting to raise money for the victims’ families after university officials said they were not aware of any such charity, says Jones.
In general, there are few restrictions on what people can register. The Internet’s key oversight agency, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, has arbitration procedures for resolving disputes, but they cover only trademarks and service marks., which can include names of celebrities.
Federal laws also focus on trademark owners, not the names of non-famous individuals, meaning that people have been free to purchase domains with victims’ names. That would require families or friends who wanted to memorialize a victim online to purchase the domain name from them.
“It’s kind of exploitative, but it’s not really cybersquatting,” says University of South Carolina cyberspace law professor Ann Bartow. She says that domains registered in the names of victims are “socially, normatively disgusting, but it’s not trademark bad faith.”
The practice of purchasing domain names for profit following tragedies persists in part because society has not reached the point of outrage, suggests psychologist Robert Butterworth of International Trauma Associates in Los Angeles.
“We haven’t gotten to the point yet where we say ‘Shame shame,’” says Butterworth, who specializes in the psychological effects of mass tragedies. “This is kind of ahead of the curve a little.”
McChesney, who has been “hugely anti-gun” since his brother shot him in the face with a BB gun when he was a child, says he hopes to use some of his domains to draw attention to what he calls an epidemic of gun violence in America.
He also plans to give away his memorial domain names to Virginia Tech students, and has donated one so far. He hopes to sell other domains, such as VaTechTheMovie.com, to companies. So far, he has not sold any.
He does, however, understand that many will vilify him. But he says he does not think he’s doing anything wrong.
“What I’m doing is the equivalent of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,” he says. “Period.”
— Associated Press
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© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
KPHX has added this guy as a progressive host on the weekends. This is NOT progressive Dr. Newcomb but then I am not sure you are or even care. Shame on you DOCTOR!!!!
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I attended the relaunch meeting of KPHX tonight and felt I should inform those who visit this site of my impressions. I was actually very shocked at what I heard and must say it lacked information, had revisionist history, and in some cases, straight out lies. I will touch a few.
Mike Newcomb said he has contacted all former host of KPHX which I know is not exactly true. I have been in Phoenix over 2 years, tried to make contact with Newcomb and never could find a way to break his cone of silence. Finally I talked with him for the first time ever except on the radio back in the time after the start of Nova M, and when he had a show in the mornings. I asked him if he knew who I was and told him after he confirmed he did know me, which was after his statement. I also asked him if he knew that I had a show on KPHX and still have a show that is broadcast in Mississippi which he said he did. Now if he had contacted every host from KPHX doesn’t seem someone is blowing smoke here?
He failed to mention any advertisers but said he had lots of sponsors and advertisers which seems strange that he didn’t name a single one. HMMM!!!
He also stated that when he ran for governor back in 2002 he made a central issue of education since Arizona was the last ranked state in education, which I know is not true since I lived in the state that was last at that time and was working to get the people of Mississippi to realize they needed to be ashame of our bottom feeder position, but now Arizona is indeed last but not then. A little revisionist history anyone?
Newcomb did not mention “On (one) second thought network” which lasted less than a week and he was the one who headed it. He also didn’t mention that he took control of the founders club for Nova M and ignores any request to have these funds stopped on those who have automatic payments. Neither did he mention that he has stiffed people of money they were contactually entitled to and while he paid them some, what was suppose to be to pay their tax due, he failed to get their tax information and kept the money himself. Hmm think we have seen this dog and pony show before haven’t we? How did that work out?
I am also reminded that in the first few days after his return to KPHX that the subject of Joe Arpaio was mentioned and he stated that he liked Joe and didn’t have a problem with him, and when asked by a caller about his impression of Dan Saban who was running against Arpaio and had appeared on almost every show on KPHX, had been the focal point of several activities, and spent thousands of his campaign dollars advertising on KPHX, Newcomb replied, “Oh is he running?” Funny since it is most likely that Saban’s ads ran during his show at some point. I asked those who would have known and they told me Newcomb was aware of Saban’s campaign BEFORE telling this to that caller. I suspect Newcomb feared the anger of Arpaio and threw Saban under the bus to avoid dealing with Arpaio.
Sadly, as much as I would like to say more, I can’t do so without violating trust, but the simply truth is Mike Newcomb is just NOT the one to bring progressive radio back to Phoenix and much to my sorrow, I have to say I would not trust him to take care of my garbage unless he comes clean and revises these things and others. I would love to be back on the air here in Phoenix, but Newcomb impressed me as just being more of the same dishonesty that has led us to this situation here. I really wanted to believe the man and hoped I would find a guy I could trust and believe in, instead I couldn’t have been less impressed. My evaluation: STAY CLEAR OF THIS GUY!!!!