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Articles by Paul C. Rapp
The Curious Female (1970)
"The Curious Female" - 87' - Estados Unidos Ciencia Ficción Nudity Sexo Puntúala Insertar En el año 2177, el mundo está bajo el control de una computadora maestra. Sin embargo, para la recreación, las personas pueden ver cintas de sexo. En el año 2177, el mundo está bajo el control de una computadora maestra. Sin embargo, para la recreación, las personas pueden ver cintas de sexo.
Financing space-derived data as commodities
The growth of commercial satellite systems raises questions about how to finance them, and what to do with the assets when a company defaults. (credit: OneWeb) by Lucien and Paul Rapp Monday, March 21, 2022 The once-exclusive place—still dominant today—of states in civil and military space activities has for a long time concealed the difficulties of their financing.
The Divide: NIMBYism v. Homelessness in Saratoga Springs - The Alt
The city of Saratoga Springs is facing a dilemma when the temperature drops below freezing: Where to shelter their homeless human beings – in the city proper or bus them to parts unknown? The divide between compassion and property values in this quaint upstate city continues to be unbridgeable. Last Friday the historic Saratoga Racetrack opened for another season of thoroughbred racing. The city of Saratoga Springs celebrates the “Sport of Kings” better than any place else in America.
Looking up: Free speech? - The Alt
You’ve seen a lot of talk about free speech recently, especially from the right wing. People cry “free speech!” when disinvited from a speaking gig because they advocate violence or pedophilia (or, frankly, just don’t add anything to the political discourse except outrageous extremism). They cry “free speech” when other people use their own free speech to disagree with them, or organize a protest about what they said, or talk about their public affiliations in a more high-profile forum.
Rapp On This: Nothing to see here - The Alt
Albany in the news! Albany author sues Chelsea Clinton! The headlines appeared mostly on second-tier, sketchy, alt-right news sites: “Author Nails Chelsea Clinton With Lawsuit”, “Writer Sues Chelsea Clinton For Stealing His Book Idea”, “Chelsea Clinton Sued For Ripping Off Idea”, “Chelsea Clinton Just Got SUED in Federal Court. She’s Screwed!” “Look Who Just Got Slapped With A Federal Lawsuit — Is It Over For Her?” I got sent an article from the New York Post. And WNYT did a serious piece on it.
The Divide: Abandoned & Vacant Buildings and Lots – More Tools Required - The Alt
Municipalities—especially cities, following the out-migration of their residents to the suburbs in the mid-twentieth century—have been trying to find ways to address and mitigate the problem of abandoned and vacant buildings and lots.
Looking Up: Proud Boys Backlash Was Justified - The Alt
Here are some things that are scary: Mob justice. Vicious gossip. The way the Internet allows people to be less kind and jump to conclusions. Here are some other things that are super scary: Murder and death threats. Militarized hate groups on the rise. Moral relativism, and the inability to appropriately prioritize dangers in a given situation.
The Divide: Fireworks and Firearms - The Alt
The Fourth of July celebrations have come and gone. Meanwhile, on June 19, PEDIATRICS – Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, released a report on “Childhood Firearm Injuries in the United States.” The complaints about illegal fireworks continue loud and clear, even a week after the Fourth, both in traditional media and on social media. But the reaction to the report on childhood firearm injuries barely gets a peep.
Looking Up: Meanwhile, tax reform - The Alt
In our news cycle, tax reform has been many times over eclipsed by Comey, attempts to gut the Affordable Care Act, and any number of other shenanigans.
Ms. M: True Love Is Intentional - The Alt
From the beginning of time, whether poet or king, nearly all humans have tried to explain the universal force called love. Expressed through many different beliefs, cultures, and traditions, it’s an ideal so broad, its meaning is literally something different to each and every person. When we’re young, we think we’re in love with someone because of the way they make us feel.
Rapp on This: Drake's Pound Cakes - The Alt
If you’re in music recording, and especially in hip hop, you know what a mess licensing samples is. If you wanna use a sample from an existing recording legally, you have to contact both the relevant record company (which controls the recording) and the publisher (which controls the composition). Requests don’t get answered, and if they do, the rights owners can ask for any license fee they want, or they can just say no.
Looking Up: One small step toward affordability? - The Alt
Like most of the country, Albany has many residents who cannot find housing they can afford. Now, Albany is not Seattle or San Francisco. Our housing affordability challenges stem more from lack of income than from absurd housing costs. It is mostly people at the lower end of the income scale that have trouble finding homes they can afford—especially homes in decent condition.
The Alt Into 6/2/17 - The Alt
Here are the things that got our writers through this crazy week. This may be blasphemy to some, but in my mind, Neil Gaiman isn’t so much a writer as he is an ideas man–not unlike one of my favorite authors Phillip K. Dick. American Gods, the novel, was brimming with great ideas but the plotting, narrative, and dialogue were all a bit stilted. The concept of gods immigrating to America on the backs of the people who believed in them is enrapturing.
Rapp on This: What me, plagiarize? - The Alt
So last week Time magazine unveiled its current cover: the White House, looking like it’s being painted red, with brightly colored Russian orthodox “onion domes” coming out of the roof. Quite the striking graphic commentary about the increasingly clear and horrifying influence the Kremlin has on the shitgibbon and his minions.
MASS MoCA's crazy summer - The Alt
A day before the info is released to the public, The Alt is pleased to offer its readers an exclusive look at some exciting additions to MASS MoCA’s FreshGrass lineup. The newly announced artists include Shovels and Rope, Sarah Jarosz, Crooked Still (who reunites for their only show of 2017), The Lil Smokies, Red Baraat, Dom Flemons, Sunny Jain, Mike and Ruthy, Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards.
Win tickets to Good Charlotte at Upstate Concert Hall - The Alt
Your pop-punk pals from the early aughts are back at it and playing Upstate Concert Hall on Thursday at 6:30 PM. Want to see them for free? Of course you do! Get your name on the guest list with one guest by sharing a picture to Facebook or Twitter of yourself holding a copy of The Alt. Don’t forget to tag @thealtweekly! We’ll be announcing the winners on Twitter and Facebook on Wednesday at 5 PM. VIDEO
Opinion: The Capital Region needs a public option for the internet - The Alt
At its meeting on May 18, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will decide if net neutrality lives or dies. Put simply, net neutrality means that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Verizon and Spectrum have to treat all of the data coming through the line in a neutral way. Once you pay for access to the Internet, you get the whole Internet, no gotchas, gimmicks, or bamboozles.
Reliving Emo's early years with Say Anything at Upstate Concert Hall - The Alt
Max Bemis took a sloppy swig from his can of Red Bull and cocked his head at the crowd. “There’s something about you guys,” he said coyly. “Have you ripened?” These fans–with arms reaching out to meet him as he jumped offstage to meet them, wielding his mic like a dagger–have grown up with the Say Anything lead singer and the fellow band members shredding onstage.
Wurliday debut single "Active Love" from forthcoming EP - The Alt
Guitarist and composer Justin Henricks’ newest brainchild, Wurliday is a soul-ed out throwback group that deals with timeless material. Henricks and Arielle O’Keefe of Girl Blue collaborated on the lyrics for much of the album, and O’Keefe also appears along with vocalists Jennifer Hartswick of Trey Anastasio Band, and Tyrone Hartzog of The Chronicles.
Rapp on This: Updates on Fearless Girl, right to disappear - The Alt
The music world awaits a determination from the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (the federal appeals court that’s so hated by the shitgibbon), in the Blurred Lines case, in which a jury found that the 2013 Robin Thicke / Farrell / T.I. monster hit infringed the 1977 Marvin Gaye song “Got To Give It Up”. Which it doesn’t.
Garry Tallent of the E Street Band discusses his new record - The Alt
Garry Tallent is the lone original member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street band. Last year, Tallent released his first solo record Break Time, and just hit the road with his recording band, that includes Rensselaer native and member of Los Straitjackets Eddie Angel. The band is playing at The Hangar in Troy on Tuesday, May 9, 8 PM. Eddie emailed me, asking if I want to ask Gary any questions. Duh! Q: How’s the tour going so far? Any surprises?
The Divide: How eco-friendly is SUNY Poly's ZEN building? - The Alt
The final week of April is full of events reminding us that we have a moral obligation to protect our planet from environmental abuse and degradation. And, while the divide between the reality of climate change and the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” administration we have in Washington is “great” (to quote Trump and his most-used word), locally we can work on ways to be environment-friendly.
Looking Up: The Trial - The Alt
As I write this, the trial of two of the young women at the center of what has become called the UAlbany/CDTA “bus incident,” was beginning. If you follow local news at all, you’ve heard a basic narrative of this incident that goes something like this: There was a fight on a bus, and three black women, students at the University at Albany, reported to police having been attacked by a group of white students after a racially tinged exchange, while being called racial slurs.
Rapp On This: Raging scum - The Alt
In 1989 a sculptor named Arturo DiModica stuck a 16 foot-long, 2 1/2 ton brass sculpture of a bull in front to the New York Stock Exchange. Without any kind of permission from anybody. He said the sculpture was in reaction to the stock market crash of 1987 and a symbol of “the strength and power of the American people.” He also mentioned that he had four more identical sculptures for sale.
The Comptroller report on Polystyrene was flawed - The Alt
In March, the Albany County legislature narrowly defeated Local Law “S”, a bill to extend the existing ban on the use of polystyrene in the food service sector to all food establishments as defined by the law. While most Democrats voted for the bill, the Democratic leadership and all Republicans did not, despite the extremely strong public support for this bill.
Rapp On This: Seeds and stems might break my limbs - The Alt
Living in Western Massachusetts has its perks: gorgeous scenery, rich history, high culture up the wazoo, and now . . . legal weed! As you know, the people of the Commonwealth fired it up last year and voted to legalize marijuana, so now it’s perfectly legal for folks to own and grow their own kush. We heard all the hazy arguments we’ve been hearing for decades, “gateway drug” this, “more study is needed” that, and “dangerous to children” the other thing.
Songfest '17 at The Egg - The Alt
If you’re a local musician in the Capital Region then you’ve most likely dreamt of playing The Egg. The peculiarly shaped downtown Albany venue holds a certain level of prestige around here, as it hosts gobs of internationally acclaimed touring acts (comedians, musicians, various other performers) and therefore functions as a beacon to the entertainment world beyond the 518’s borders.
Aficionado: Reborn . . . on their own terms - The Alt
The crowd packed in, forming a possessive bubble around the seven-member band they had been missing–or had completely missed out on–for the past four years. Lead singer Nick Warchol led the group and their spellbound audience on a warpath of sound, leaning into the microphone, coming within inches of the faces of his audience as they echoed back the lyrics. “Your confidence is intimidating,” the basement shouted along with Warchol and fellow vocalist Laura Carrozza.
Indie 2017: A quarter in review - The Alt
It’s hard to believe that we’re already a quarter of the way through 2017, especially since the hangover from 2016—a year that bewilderingly delivered phenomenal music up until the bitter end (RTJ3 dropping on Christmas Eve felt like a cruel prank toward exhausted critics who thought they finally had breathing time after a particularly difficult AOTY list season)—lingered until very recently.
The Divide: Governor Cuomo, Tear down that highway! - The Alt
On March 19, Governor Cuomo announced a $1.8 billion plan to revitalize the South Bronx by ‘boulevardizing’ the Sheridan Expressway (Interstate 895). In January of this year, the Governor directed the New York State Department of Transportation to study options for replacing Interstate 81 in Syracuse with a “community grid” road system.
Exclusive interview with Bryan Ferry - The Alt
I’m not a fanboy of many artists, but I am for Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music. Roxy was one of the first true art-rock bands, playing with pop form, incorporating brutal rock beats and intricate, often very funny, wordplay. I can make a very good argument that they are the second most influential band in the history of rock. It is one of the great musical enigmas that Roxy was huge everywhere in the world but here. Bryan Ferry has gone on to make remarkable solo records.
The Divide: Ribbon Cutting! - The Alt
On March 1, the ceremonial ribbon cutting for the Albany Capital Center convention center was held with great joy and relief. Relief, because after twenty years of waiting for this to happen, it finally happened. Joy, because now Albany had another convening venue to attract visitors to New York’s capital city.
Rapp On This: Don’t you forget about me - The Alt
Oh my. Our friends at Techdirt are reporting that a “right to be forgotten” bill has been introduced in the New York legislature. As we’ve discussed here before, “right to be forgotten” laws have been enacted recently in a couple of places around the world, including the European Union. These laws are based on some supposed “human right” that those goofy Europeans cooked up that says you’re entitled to have embarrassing things in your past “forgotten” on the internet.
The Divide: The future of public transportation - The Alt
The recent passing of Lucile Brewer, the founder and chair of the local advocacy group Citizens for Public Transportation, got me thinking about the future of public transportation, both here in the Capital Region and in the rest of the country. Before getting into what I see as current and future challenges facing public transportation services, I just want to say a few words about Lucile. I first met Lucile while working at my family’s restaurant, Calsolaro’s, in the early 1970s.
Rapp On This: The truth won’t set him free, but . . . - The Alt
Remember Christopher Porco? The Delmar guy who was convicted of ax-murdering his father and the attempted murder/maiming of his mother? He’s cooling his jets in Dannemora, doing 46 to life, but he’s keeping busy chasing around Lifetime Television for its 2013 cable-TV movie The Romeo Killer, which was based on the murder, the investigation into it, and Porco’s trial. Did you see it? No? It sucked! You won’t even get any local ju-ju out of it because it was filmed in Vancouver, for crying out loud.
Resistance: Make Schenectady a sanctuary - The Alt
Today, I stood, with a group of about seven other Schenectady activists, in a Schenectady City Council Committee meeting, holding a sign that said “Prove You Represent Everyone.” The Council was set to discuss whether or not Schenectady should be a sanctuary city, and the discussion item was unexpectedly cut from the agenda — no matter. We stood there anyway, with our signs aloft, in the corner where the councilmen and women could see us.
The only silver lining - The Alt
It’s not just that Barack Obama was the first African American President. He’s an awful lot like us, which we appreciated. Like my two sons, he had a black father and a white mother. Like my husband, he is from Chicago, had an immigrant parent, and was raised largely by a single mom. It always felt like the Obamas were a family that we might have over for dinner, people so downright earthy and cool they could be friends we knew from college or from our travels.
Looking Up: Speak up, nonprofits! - The Alt
Amidst the chaos of the past couple weeks there has been at least one positive change—a lot more people are starting to stand up and speak out about issues that concern them. I have personally had people seek out my advice for their first-ever calls to legislators and spoken to many first-time protesters. Many, many, more individuals have dramatically stepped up their commitments (myself included) to call, show up, resist, intervene, and generally be a visible presence for justice in the world.
Ask Ms. M: Orgasm Blackouts, V-Day Vibrators, Kicking the Love Drug - The Alt
ever put in a place as sacred as her vagina! I’ve been a major fan of There is nothing sexier than a secure man, NTBAV! Shopping releases endorphins and dopamine in the brain, so why not do it together? Browse in-shop or online to see what piques her interest. Look for items made out of medical grade silicone rather than plastic.
Rapp On This: The Brady Bunch - The Alt
OK, Super Bowl LI has come and gone and whatever happened happened. There’s a lot of sentiment for the Patriots over here in the Berkshires, but being a Buffalo boy, I’m kind of ambivalent about the Patriots, and increasingly, about football altogether. But I can’t hate the Patriots, and here’s why. About 20 years ago my ex’s Uncle George, a sweet old guy, took me golfing at Dorado, the PGA championship golf course and resort near San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Looking Up: 8 Reasons to Stop Moralizing About “Peaceful� Protest - The Alt
On the 21st we saw some of the largest protests this country has ever seen. It was truly amazing, but of course the real work is yet to come. There are a huge number of people new to or renewed in being civically engaged and seeing the need to protest. (Yay! Welcome!)  There’s also been an upsurge in the debate around acceptable tactics for protest, specifically along the scale of how legal or disruptive it is.
Resistance: Why you should choose an urban school district - The Alt
When I was ten years old, just as I was about to enter middle school, my parents moved from Schenectady to Niskayuna. Howe Elementary school had been good enough for my immigrant parents, but Mont Pleasant Middle School? Not so much. They had heard bad things. Gangs. Academic underachievement. Chaos in the classroom. My parents were on a path of upwards mobility in this country, and that meant that I was too—no matter how much I protested that I wanted to stay in a school system with my friends.
The Dildo Girl: Love On The Brain - The Alt
It’s wild, exhilarating, and euphoric. You’re happier than you could have ever imagined or dreamed. What is this thrilling feeling that makes you feel so powerful and ecstatic that you could conquer the world? Two days later you haven’t heard from your newly found beloved. You tell yourself it’s no big deal. Everyone gets busy. Another two days go by. Still, nothing. Your heart sinks and hope dwindles. Despair transforms into insecurity. You check social media.
Rapp on This: Get it back - The Alt
We’re all feeling the same dread, fear and loathing.  Alrighty, then, let’s talk about copyright law.  Maybe we’ll all feel better. Or more confused. Paul McCartney just sued Sony/ATV, the massive music publishing company that owns, among other things, all of The Beatles’ songs written by Lennon and McCartney. Paul wants his 50 percent share of the songs back.
TMI: I love Albany’s red light cameras - The Alt
One of the last things I ever wanted to do in a column was write about the behavior of drivers. The subject unfailingly makes the author sound like a grumpy old person with nothing better to focus on. But for me and my family, drivers and their behavior in Albany has become fairly personal and at times feels like a matter of life and death. Albany’s traffic control cameras have always been controversial.
Rapp On This: They know when you’ve been bad or good - The Alt
Well, this was just a matter of time. Dateline Bentonville, Ark., a town most notable for being the corporate home of Walmart: police there sent a request to Amazon for all data (including voice recordings), collected by a local Amazon customer’s Echo device. The Echo, if you don’t know, is one of those voice activated thingees that can answer questions, interact with your computer, and run various smart appliances in your house via vocal commands.
Fighting for our values going forward - The Alt
As we enter the New Year, it’s more important than ever to reaffirm our commitment to progressive values and causes. I fought hard to elect Hillary Clinton because I love being mayor of the vibrant, diverse city of Albany and I wanted a partner in the White House who would fight for us. To my great disappointment and worry, Hillary Clinton isn’t going to be President–Donald Trump is. And it’s important that we understand what that means as we move toward Inauguration Day on Jan.
The Divide: Time for the Convention Center Authority to be responsible citizens - The Alt
“Divide� is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as “. . . a boundary between two things . . .�.  This column will discuss people and politics and the issues that affect our Capital District community, the State, and the country.  Especially the issues where governmental action (or inaction) either helps to fill in the gap in The Divide, or widens The Divide. I recently checked out the Albany Capital Center on Eagle Street.
Please, stay in 2016-don’t follow us into the New Year - The Alt
As we say goodbye to 2016 and say hello to 2017, many people will have a “best ofâ€? or “worst ofâ€? list of the past year. I decided to do something different, I have a list of things I hope stay in 2016, and not crossover into 2017. Now keep in mind I’m a cranky old man who hates just about everything, so don’t get too worked up on my list. This list is in no particular order, btw.
The Divide: ACCA must act responsibly - The Alt
“Divide� is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as “. . . a boundary between two things . . .�. This column will discuss people and politics and the issues that affect our Capital District community, the State, and the country. Especially the issues where governmental action (or inaction) either helps to fill in the gap in The Divide, or widens The Divide. I recently checked out the Albany Capital Center on Eagle Street.
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