MGMT to Sue French President

A hilarious bit of MGMT news - France's conservative UMP party, led by President Nicolas Sarkozy, illegally used "Kids" in two online videos and at campaign events. And MGMT is suing their asses for compensation. From NME:

Sarkozy has admitted using the song at the UMP party's national congress, but claims the lack of permission was a mistake and offered the band one euro as a gesture, reports BBC News.

The duo rejected the offer and are now seeking compensation. Their lawyer, Isabelle Wekstein, said, "This offer is disrespectful of the rights of artists and authors. It is insulting. We are dealing with acts of counterfeiting, an infringement of intellectual property."

A fee of 53 Euros (£47) had initially been paid to gain use of the song, but Wekstein said that the sum was not enough to cover repeated plays of the song in the online videos.

According to Prefix, ideological opposition to the conservative organization is also a motivating factor. This is additionally funny because the UMP is strongly in favor of copyright laws, and is currently pushing a law calling for tougher penalties for infractions.

If anyone can find these campaign videos online, we will post them. In the meantime here is a video of MGMT on French television, apparently explaining the meaning of Thanksgiving:

[via You Ain't No Picasso]

Prefix Mag: French Political Party Steals "Kids"
BBC: MGMT to sue Sarkozy for Music Use
NME: MGMT Suing Nicolas Sarkozy Over 'Kids'
Pitchfork: MGMT Grapple with the President of France

[Thanks to Sayre Sundberg '11 for sending this in like, a week ago]

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy the turkey / tofurky / non-traditional deliciousness!

Motorcycle Parade

Today at 1pm there was what seemed like a motorcycle parade flying down high street. The procession started with a cop car and then was followed by 5 straight minutes of pure motorcycle madness (they continued going even when they had the red light).

Everyone had their faces covered, and some wore skeleton masks. At the end there was a slew of black cars with flashing headlights, and finally, one unmarked cop car. If anyone has more info on what this was or also witnessed the event and took pictures, please comment!

[Edit] According to the Middletown Eye, the Renegade Pigs Motorcycle Club were having their annual turkey ride for the American Red Cross, where they donated several turkeys to families in need. Seems like these renegades were in a spirited mood.

[Photo courtesy of Ed McKeon]

Thanksgiving Celebration Dinner at Usdan

Tickets to Thursday's Thanksgiving dinner at Usdan are still available:

Join us for our family-style Thanksgiving celebration dinner for the students served by volunteer Wesleyan faculty and staff in USDAN Marketplace (2^nd Floor). Both dining rooms will be arranged family style with most tables seating 12 people. Seating arrangement is on first come first serve basis in groups of 12. Vegan options will be available.

There will be two seatings for that evening:
* 5:00 p.m. – Please arrive by 4:45 pm.
* 7:30 p.m. – Please arrive by 7:15 pm.

RESERVATION BY TICKET: Here’s how the reservation is taken:
1. Decide which seating you and your friends want to attend
2. Pay at any register in USDAN Marketplace (2nd floor) or Café (1st floor).
3. Two Payment Options:
a. Meal Plan – Pre-pay $3.00 with points or cash & swipe a meal for $9.25 on your card the day of the event
b. Points, Cash or Credit Card – Pre-pay $12.25 at the register
4. Upon purchase of the ticket, you get a receipt from the cashier and bring it to the USDAN information desk located in the 1st floor.
5. Tell which seating you want, and the ticket will be dispensed.

ACTIVITIES THAT EVENING: There will be a handprint turkey drawing contest that evening -white placemat & crayons available. Bring out your creative side! The winners of the contest will have their art work displayed in Marketplace, and will receive jars of local artisan made jams.

Date: Thursday, November 20
Time: 5:00 and 7:30 pm
Place: Usdan Marketplace