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The author reflects on the focus on the disproportionate impact starter disabling devices have on minorities and those in economically impoverished areas, where lower credit ratings are accepted and predatory lending schemes thrive in the U.S.

The article discusses an atomic artillery cannon developed by the U.S. Army during the mid-20th century. According to the article, the cannon, nicknamed "Atomic Annie," was tested at Camp Desert Rock in Nevada on May 25, 1953. The article discusses the threat of an invasion of western Europe by the Soviet Union during the early Cold War, describes the design of the atomic cannon, and discusses the role of designer Robert Schwartz in the development of the cannon and ammunition.

Presents news briefs related to the video recordings industry in the U.S. as of September 1, 2003. Launch of the film "Hulk" by Universal in DVD and VHS format; Number of video copies of the film "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" sold by New Line during its first day sale in August; Increase in the value of stocks of online rental retailer Netflix.

Presents an update on the U.S. video recordings industry as of December 23, 2002. Issues addressed by a jury in San Jose, California for their decision to acquit Russian software firm ElcomSoft from charges of violating provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act; Demand for the Sims Online videogame as of December 17, 2002; Increase in the revenue of Take-Two Interactive, developer of the videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as of the fourth quarter of 2002.

Presents updates on the video business in the U.S. as of January 2004. Withdrawal of the trade secrets lawsuit filed by the DVD Copy Control Association against Andrew Bunner; Arrest of Russell Sprague by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for Internet film piracy; Plan of Maverick Entertainment and National Lampoon to release the animated series "Mr. Wong."

Reports on issues associated with the development of high-definition digital video-disc (HD-DVD) format in the U.S. as of June 2, 2003. Reactions from several broadcast studios regarding the HD-DVD format; Features of the Blu-ray system for video production; Difference of Blu-ray discs with DVD; Concerns of several studios on the potential impact of the introduction of the HD-DVD format on the DVD technology in the U.S.; Requirements from several production outfits regarding the introduction of the HD-DVD format in the U.S.

The authors suggest aligning resources to increase student growth and achievement through meaningful professional development (PD) in the U.S. It notes the PD for instructional and support staff which emerged as the key component in effectively applying resources to achieve mission. The authors also offer tips for PD including coherent focus, planning and scheduling based on the convenience of presenters or the central office, and evaluating and refining.

The article discusses views of veterinary practitioners about the crossroads of neglect and abuse and the debate about client rights versus animal's need for quality medical care in the United States. According to one veterinarian, people appear to feel that they cannot define cruelty or negligence, they just know it when they see it. He believes there is no accurate definition to pinpoint some of these cases. Another veterinarian believes that practitioners have the option to report abuse of animals by owners. However, he cautions that once the word gets out, these people will top coming in, and then the animals get no care.

Reports on United States-based Universal Studios Pay-Per-View's video-on-demand (VOD) deal with Intertainer Inc. as of February 19, 2001. Terms of the VOD business agreement; Implications for the VOD market.

The article focuses on the implications of the decreased DVD sales in the U.S. It states that the revenue of Walt Disney Co. and News Corp. has declined which is largely attributed to the reduced DVD sales. It also explains how the economic recession and the increased demand for videogames have affected the sales of DVDs.

The article reports on the effect of the economic crisis on media and technology companies in the U.S. It mentions that part of the effect of the crisis are the $2.9 billion operating loss of Sony Corp., the mass layoffs at Microsoft Corp., the 800 job cuts at Warner Bros., and the restructuring plan of the American Broadcasting Co. It adds that along with the business failures is the decline of consumer spending on DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

The article reports that the Blockbuster MediaPoint set-top box has dropped the Movielink video on demand (VOD) platform in favor of Sonic Solutions' CinemaNow platform in the U.S. Blockbuster has been using Movielink to deliver movies over the Internet. The CinemaNow platform can support more user-friendly progressive downloads than Movielink.

The article reports on the performance of the U.S. consumer electronics sector in 2008 as the industry awaits the staging of the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, in first week of January. It notes that retail sales in November and December 2008 have declined 5.5% and 8%, respectively, compared to the prior year. Meanwhile, electronics sales has plunged 26%. It also cites the ripple effect of the dip in high-definition television (HDTV) sales.

The article focuses on the triennial review of the anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) conducted by the U.S. Copyright Office. It states that the DMCA makes circumnavigating encryption a violation, regardless of the hacker's purpose. It notes that the Copyright Office is required to review the impact of the anti-circumvention rule and fair use, and eventually make recommendations to the Librarian of Congress relative to the results of the review.

The article comments on the acquisition of CinemaNow Inc. by Sonic Solutions Inc., and the move of Apple Inc. to add Highbandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCT) to its MacBook laptops in the U.S. It is expressed that the acquisition will integrate the iPod/iTunes service of CinemaNow into an easy-to-use, licensed package. The author argues that the initiatives will enhance the competition in the movie download business.

The article reports on the decision of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group to abandon its support for Toshiba, Kabushiki Kaisha's HD DVD format for Blu-ray disc in the U.S. Warner Bros. president Kevin Tsujihara stated that the studio's focus has changed from managing in-home movie business to managing for margin. He adds that since consumer spending in the market is flat, the company is converting the DVD rental market to video-on-demand.

The article reports on the move of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to postpone the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) effort to enable studios to offer a high-definition video-on-demand (VOD) window before digital versatile disc (DVD) and Blu-Ray. The request for extension was to allow more time to study the issue. In addition, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. plans to have a promotional stream of Hancock to Bravia High Definition televisions (HDTVs) prior to DVD. INSET: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

The article reports on the speculation of Japanese press concerning the proposed plan of Toshiba to introduce a super up-converting DVD player in the U.S. The speculation was touched off in the report of the journal revealing that the super-up converting DVD player would be released by the end of 2008. Moreover, it is noted that the report did not talk about the pricing of the new player and the plan of the company to keep the new player proprietary or lease it to other manufacturers.

The article reports that the major film studios in the U.S. are working with cable and satellite operators to offer high definition movies by video-on-demand after their theatrical debut and ahead of their release on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. News of the plans is contained in a petition filed with the Federal Communications Commission by the Motion Picture Association of America.

The article comments on various developments relevant to online media retailers in the U.S. in April 2008. Key issues discussed include Netflix's announcement that it will reduce its projected subscriber growth and earnings guidance for 2008, as well as the increase in the net income of Amazon in the first quarter of 2008.

The article reports that Apple Inc.'s iTunes music store has exceeded Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as the largest music seller in the music retailing industry in the U.S. A report from the NPD Research showed that Apple has sold more albums in January and February 2008 compared to any other retailers. It is claimed that the retailer's distribution strategies and new modes of retailing have brought implications for traditional video retailers. INSET: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

The article highlights the completion of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's investigation on broadband network management practices triggered by the apparent interference of Comcast with BitTorrenttraffic on its high-speed Internet service. Comcast argued that BitTorrent users consume disproportionately large amount of bandwidth because of the nature of the application. Other anti-piracy initiatives of film studios are cited.

The article comments on Warner Bros.' decision to release its high-definition movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. It discusses the battle between Blu-ray and high-definition DVD in the United States. The article also reports on the expectation that Warner's decision to embrace Blu-ray Disc would bring clarity to the high-definition DVD business.

The article reports that both Paramount and Universal companies have failed to land in what is considered as the safest spot in the high-def DVD sweepstakes in Hollywood., the third place. Accordingly, the third studio gets a good deal because it can put the new venture over the tipping point to success. The third spot has reportedly been already taken by Warner Bros.; therefore, it places itself to go exclusive in the format. Because of these, both companies now race for fourth.

The article reports on the forecasts of the entertainment analysts regarding the status of the DVD sales in 2008 in the U.S. According to a Wall Street analyst, the slowing sales of DVDs is underselling studio profits and could affect the valuations of several major media firms. Furthermore, senior entertainment analyst Alan Gould states that the results from the fourth quarter of 2007 point to softer that the expected sales of movie and television (TV) shows on DVD.

The article reports that the Motion Picture Association of America is joining forces with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a diverse collection of other industry-groups for an anti-piracy campaign. The group unveil a six-point program that would amount to a major realignment of federal law enforcement efforts if enacted.

The article highlights a meeting of the United States House Energy and Commerce Committee with industry executives to debate Internet neutrality. According to HDNet founder Mark Cuban, constrained bandwidth creates conflicts between consumers and broadband providers and therefore there is a need to create more bandwidth.

The article reports on the acquisition of MovieBeam Entertainment by Movie Gallery Inc. in the U.S. Movie Gallery will then own all the assets, technology and operations of MovieBeam, a near-on-demand movie service. Although terms of the deal were not disclosed, its initial cost would amount to less $10 million. Movie Gallery said it plans to develop the services of MovieBeam which is providing movies from most of the major studios via set-top box.

The article reports that U.S. hackers who are trying to break the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) copy-protection system seem to prefer cracking the high definition (HD) DVD format over Blu-ray disc. A hacker calling himself Muslix64 launched the first successful attack on AACS. He used an HD DVD software player to discover where a movie's unique title keys are held in memory during playback. He was able to extract the key so that the movie could be decrypted.

The article highlights the Consumer Electronics Show held January 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The means and methods for moving video from the point of acquisition to some other location or screen for viewing were discussed at the conference. CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves described the network's plan to let viewers clip and "sling" snippets from its shows to friends over the Internet using a Slingbox.

The article reports on developments concerning inter-industry discussions on approving an on-demand DVD-burning system using CSS encryption. It discusses the possibility that commercial deployments of in-store burning could begin at major retail chains in the United States before the end of 2007. MOD Systems has announced a deal with Sonic Solutions to integrate Sonic's DVD burning software into its retail platform.

The article reports that Sonic Solutions Inc. will commercially launch a download-to-burn program in the U.S. to allow in-home and in-store burning of film downloads to DVDs. The program called Qflix allows burn-to-DVD using the same content scrambling system copy-protection technology that is used on commercial DVDs.

The article reports on the increasing competition in the high definition (HD) video industry in the U.S. Warner Home Video has launched its Total HD disc, a type of disc that will play movies in either HD DVD or Blu-ray players. LG Electronics will also introduced a dual-format HD player that can play both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs.

The article reports that a hacker claimed to have broken the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) copy-protection system on high density DVD and Blu-ray disc in the U.S. The hacker, who has been calling himself Muslix64, was able to write a Java-based command-line utility for Windows called BackupHDDVD that allowed him to move unencrypted files of some movies to his hard drive. Muslix64 even posted a video on YouTube and then released the source code for others to try.

The article reports on the approval of a new type of recordable disc that will accept movies encrypted with cascading style sheet, during the DVD Forum in the U.S. The move was considered important due to the widespread use of another copy protection protocol that carried the risk of incompatibility between burned discs and standard DVD players. Final written specifications for the new discs are to be presented for final approval by the Forum's Steering Committee.

The article reports on the legal and legislative battles over the right to space-shift music from a cassette disc in the U.S. A few years ago, the Supreme Court has settled the question of whether time-shifting of copyrighted works is a fair use under U.S. law. As a result, makers of devices that facilitate such non-infringing copying cannot be held liable. In fact, the settled principle led directly to the introduction of the digital video recorder, the iPod, and the personal computer.

The article reports on the list of all the medium formats, both physical and digital, which was published by the Web site CDRInfo and supported by Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 in the U.S. It is asserted that despite the information in the list was known before, the compilation provides a valuable example of Sony's strategy for making its game console the focus of the digital living room experience.

The article relates the author's views concerning the increase in number of registered lobbyists in the U.S. The author has stressed that there are a lot of reasons for the increase, from the surge in the number of trade associations, to the exploding cost of election campaigns, to Republican control of the Congress. He stressed that the debate over the proper balance between technological innovation and intellectual property rights has gone on more or less unabated.

The article reports on the deal of Software maker Sonic Solutions that add Macrovision's analog and digital copy-protection technologies to Sonic's suite of digital video discs (DVD) authoring and burning tools in the U.S. According to the two companies, the agreement aims at spurring the market for on-demand burning through retail. Retailers will be given the tools to create DVDs with the same quality and content protection found on commercially manufactured discs.