A recent survey shows that Americans' download media files from both approved and, well, less approved sources in about equal proportions (found on Smart Mobs ). An even more interesting statistic is that 48% of respondents cited using other sources, such as aim and email, than online stores and p2p networks.

Coupled with that news, what are we to make of recent figures from the RIAA that CD sales are up? Boing Boing has the drawn the obvious conclusion:

So is it possible that CD sales and P2P are decoupled (as all the quantitative, independent research indicates), and that the downturn in CD sales is better laid at the feed of bad business, a bad economy, fewer albums and more things competing for entertainment dollars

That's what I immediately thought on my way home tonight when I heard that students at Georgetown had staged a hunger strike to protest the wages paid to university Janitors. Now, I'm not against anyone getting paid or getting a raise but this incident smacks more of self-righteous, feel-good whiny Liberalism than anything else. It's an issue chosen by some activists to make a point and look good - much like the Republicans in the current Schiavo case. Instead of market forces driving up the janitor's wages, they've been artificially driven up. I'd love to get paid more too, who wouldn't, but there are very real reasons why we all can't use hunger strikes to get more bling. If you don't understand, Cafe Hayek has an illuminating explanation.

Why was the pre-strike janitorial wage as low as it was? Answer: because Georgetown University discovered that, at that wage, it got as many janitors as it needed, of sufficient quality, to perform the desired cleaning services. To pay more would have been an act of charity to the janitors and not a act of commerce.

If janitors really weren't getting paid a living wage, you know what would happen? Some of the would ask for a raise, some would have to move away or look for another line of work. There would be fewer janitors to fill the positions and companies who need them would have to offer better compensation to attract them. Or am I just a bad armchair economist?

I read somewheres that we're coming to about the half way point for qualification for next year's world cup. Now is where it starts to get real serious and games mean more and more. For the US national team this means playing Mexico in Azteca stadium this Sunday at 1pm. This game will be a blast to watch so if you can, try to catch it on ESPN or Univision. Foxsports.com writes up on the history of this regional rivalry, which has tilted decidedly in the US' favor over the last 15 years. The article also has this gem of a quote from national team coach Bruce Arena:/p>

"I giggle sometimes when I look back and I see lineups we played in 1999 and 2000," Arena said. "I look at those lineups and I say those players would never step on the field today for U.S. soccer. So that means the coach has either gotten better, or the players are getting better. Or maybe both."

I can't get the picture of Arena giggling like a little school girl out of my head. Who could he be laughing over, great American players like Roy Lassiter, Richie Williams, David Regis? Its actually pretty hard to tell, if you look at the USA lineups up to 1999 there are many names on there that are still with the national team and most of the rest have retired.