Colonel Klink becomes appalled, Paul.
Thursday, October 31, 2002
Wednesday, October 30, 2002
In July 1994, syndicated business columnist Allan Sloan wrote: "For lawyer-haters, the case of Weil Gotshal & Manges vs. Posner is a delicious spectacle. A tough, savvy bunch of lawyers decided to lend their prestige and talent to a well-known corporate lowlife in return for fat fees. Then Posner stiffs them. Think of it as selling a piece of your soul and getting paid with a rubber check."
Thursday, October 24, 2002
Workers Paying More for Health Insurance
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD
Sept. 9, 2002 -- You may be paying more than ever for health insurance, but you're actually getting less, according to a new survey. Researchers say rising healthcare costs and a fledgling economy have prompted the biggest increase in health insurance premiums in 12 years. And employers are passing along those added costs to their workers.
The survey shows that premiums paid by employers have risen 12.7% from spring 2001 to spring 2002 -- now totaling $3,060 for single coverage and $7,954 for family coverage. Meanwhile, the amount an employee pays for health insurance has grown by 27% to an average of $454 per year, and the employee-paid share for family coverage has gone up 16% to an average of $2,084 per year.
...
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD
Sept. 9, 2002 -- You may be paying more than ever for health insurance, but you're actually getting less, according to a new survey. Researchers say rising healthcare costs and a fledgling economy have prompted the biggest increase in health insurance premiums in 12 years. And employers are passing along those added costs to their workers.
The survey shows that premiums paid by employers have risen 12.7% from spring 2001 to spring 2002 -- now totaling $3,060 for single coverage and $7,954 for family coverage. Meanwhile, the amount an employee pays for health insurance has grown by 27% to an average of $454 per year, and the employee-paid share for family coverage has gone up 16% to an average of $2,084 per year.
...
Hypertext Links
Hypertext Links: Whither Thou Goest, and Why by Claire Harrison
The link is the basic element of hypertext, and researchers have long recognized that links provide semantic relationships for users. Yet little work has been done to understand the nature of these relationships, particularly in conjunction with the purposes of organizational/informational Web sites. This paper explores the semantic and rhetorical principles underlying link development and proposes a systematic, comprehensive classification of link types that would be of use to researchers and Web production teams.
Contents
Introduction
Semantics: The "Whither" of Linking
Rhetoric: The "Why" of Linking
Why a Classification of Links?
The Classification of Links
Conclusion
Hypertext Links: Whither Thou Goest, and Why by Claire Harrison
The link is the basic element of hypertext, and researchers have long recognized that links provide semantic relationships for users. Yet little work has been done to understand the nature of these relationships, particularly in conjunction with the purposes of organizational/informational Web sites. This paper explores the semantic and rhetorical principles underlying link development and proposes a systematic, comprehensive classification of link types that would be of use to researchers and Web production teams.
Contents
Introduction
Semantics: The "Whither" of Linking
Rhetoric: The "Why" of Linking
Why a Classification of Links?
The Classification of Links
Conclusion
Washington Post mispells 'catalog'
The Virtual Acquisition Shelf and News Desk Libraries and Librarians
Source: The Washington Post
"Librarian Looks for Clues In Mountains of Old Maps"
Meet R. Lee Hadden. "[He's] a reference librarian at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), who started indexing USGS's vast catalogue of Afghanistan-related resources soon after the 9/11 attacks. The USGS library, a scientific warehouse in Reston that collects journals and data about national resources, has 12 miles worth of books and 26 tons of maps."
Link Directly To This VAS&ND Post posted by g price on Thursday, October 24, 2002
The Virtual Acquisition Shelf and News Desk Web Search--Google
Source: News.Com
"Google Excluding Controversial Sites"
From the article, "Google, the world's most popular search engine, has quietly deleted more than 100 controversial sites from some search result listings. Absent from Google's French and German listings are Web sites that are anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi, or related to white supremacy, according to a new report from Harvard University's Berkman Center. Also banned is Jesus-is-lord.com, a fundamentalist Christian site that is adamantly opposed to abortion. Google confirmed on Wednesday that the sites had been removed from listings available at Google.fr and Google.de. The removed sites continue to appear in listings on the main Google.com site." "To avoid legal liability, we remove sites from Google.de search results pages that may conflict with German law," said Google spokesman Nate Tyler. He indicated that each of the sites that were delisted came after a specific complaint from a foreign government." It will be interesting to see the complete list of sites and determine if they're still available from other general search engines.
See Also: You Can Find Additional Information and a List of Sites from the Berkman Center Site
"Google Excluding Controversial Sites"
From the article, "Google, the world's most popular search engine, has quietly deleted more than 100 controversial sites from some search result listings. Absent from Google's French and German listings are Web sites that are anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi, or related to white supremacy, according to a new report from Harvard University's Berkman Center. Also banned is Jesus-is-lord.com, a fundamentalist Christian site that is adamantly opposed to abortion. Google confirmed on Wednesday that the sites had been removed from listings available at Google.fr and Google.de. The removed sites continue to appear in listings on the main Google.com site." "To avoid legal liability, we remove sites from Google.de search results pages that may conflict with German law," said Google spokesman Nate Tyler. He indicated that each of the sites that were delisted came after a specific complaint from a foreign government." It will be interesting to see the complete list of sites and determine if they're still available from other general search engines.
See Also: You Can Find Additional Information and a List of Sites from the Berkman Center Site
posted by g price on Thursday, October 24, 2002 VAS&ND
Source: News.Com
"Google Excluding Controversial Sites"
From the article, "Google, the world's most popular search engine, has quietly deleted more than 100 controversial sites from some search result listings. Absent from Google's French and German listings are Web sites that are anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi, or related to white supremacy, according to a new report from Harvard University's Berkman Center. Also banned is Jesus-is-lord.com, a fundamentalist Christian site that is adamantly opposed to abortion. Google confirmed on Wednesday that the sites had been removed from listings available at Google.fr and Google.de. The removed sites continue to appear in listings on the main Google.com site." "To avoid legal liability, we remove sites from Google.de search results pages that may conflict with German law," said Google spokesman Nate Tyler. He indicated that each of the sites that were delisted came after a specific complaint from a foreign government." It will be interesting to see the complete list of sites and determine if they're still available from other general search engines.
See Also: You Can Find Additional Information and a List of Sites from the Berkman Center Site
"Google Excluding Controversial Sites"
From the article, "Google, the world's most popular search engine, has quietly deleted more than 100 controversial sites from some search result listings. Absent from Google's French and German listings are Web sites that are anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi, or related to white supremacy, according to a new report from Harvard University's Berkman Center. Also banned is Jesus-is-lord.com, a fundamentalist Christian site that is adamantly opposed to abortion. Google confirmed on Wednesday that the sites had been removed from listings available at Google.fr and Google.de. The removed sites continue to appear in listings on the main Google.com site." "To avoid legal liability, we remove sites from Google.de search results pages that may conflict with German law," said Google spokesman Nate Tyler. He indicated that each of the sites that were delisted came after a specific complaint from a foreign government." It will be interesting to see the complete list of sites and determine if they're still available from other general search engines.
See Also: You Can Find Additional Information and a List of Sites from the Berkman Center Site
posted by g price on Thursday, October 24, 2002 VAS&ND
Wednesday, October 23, 2002
Music News from Oz
Pink wants to party with Kylie
Singer Pink would never choose one of her own songs to get a party in full swing - she'd much rather the vocals of Kylie Minogue.
The ‘Get The Party Started’ hit maker admits she's such a huge fan of Kylie’s 2001 chart-topper ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’, it would be her track of choice to keep her guests entertained.
She says, "There are too many great songs to get the party started to – Prince has a million of 'em! "For hip-hop, my favourite is Tupac’s ‘California Love’. But for a dance song it's ‘Can't Get You Out Of My Head’ for sure. "That's the one I love to dance to right now - we love us some Kylie. She's cute as hell, and she's really tiny. I'm tall compared to her." (wenn)
Pink wants to party with Kylie
Singer Pink would never choose one of her own songs to get a party in full swing - she'd much rather the vocals of Kylie Minogue.
The ‘Get The Party Started’ hit maker admits she's such a huge fan of Kylie’s 2001 chart-topper ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’, it would be her track of choice to keep her guests entertained.
She says, "There are too many great songs to get the party started to – Prince has a million of 'em! "For hip-hop, my favourite is Tupac’s ‘California Love’. But for a dance song it's ‘Can't Get You Out Of My Head’ for sure. "That's the one I love to dance to right now - we love us some Kylie. She's cute as hell, and she's really tiny. I'm tall compared to her." (wenn)
Monday, October 21, 2002
law.com The Humans Behind the Headnotes
Mark Voorhees
AmLaw Tech
09-09-2002
Early on the morning of Dec. 13, 2000, shortly after arriving for work at West Group in Eagan, Minn., Chip Allen was in a foul mood. Late the night before, the U.S. Supreme Court had stopped the recount of votes in Florida and handed the 2000 election to George W. Bush. Allen was not upset by the outcome but by how the justices reached it. Allen's first assignment of the day was to summarize the case and write the headnotes. He had to do it quickly and correctly, and neither was easy.
Mark Voorhees
AmLaw Tech
09-09-2002
Early on the morning of Dec. 13, 2000, shortly after arriving for work at West Group in Eagan, Minn., Chip Allen was in a foul mood. Late the night before, the U.S. Supreme Court had stopped the recount of votes in Florida and handed the 2000 election to George W. Bush. Allen was not upset by the outcome but by how the justices reached it. Allen's first assignment of the day was to summarize the case and write the headnotes. He had to do it quickly and correctly, and neither was easy.
law.com King of the Bloggers
Law Professor Glenn Reynolds: the Web's 'InstaPundit'
Jeffery Knight
The American Lawyer
09-12-2002
Glenn Harlan Reynolds is a celebrity law professor for the Information Age. He teaches law and technology at the University of Tennessee College of Law. He writes books and articles with titles like "Outer Space: Problems of Law and Policy." He produces techno music under the name Mobius Dick.
And he blogs.
A blog -- it's shorthand for "Web log" -- is like a personal bulletin board. It's a place to post anything you care to write about, whenever you care to write about it. Then you hope someone out there in cyberspace stops by and starts to read.
Reynolds, 41, named his blog InstaPundit. On it, this self-described "disenchanted libertarian Democrat" posts his thoughts on material that he excerpts from a mountain of other blogs, Web sites and reader e-mail. He includes
Law Professor Glenn Reynolds: the Web's 'InstaPundit'
Jeffery Knight
The American Lawyer
09-12-2002
Glenn Harlan Reynolds is a celebrity law professor for the Information Age. He teaches law and technology at the University of Tennessee College of Law. He writes books and articles with titles like "Outer Space: Problems of Law and Policy." He produces techno music under the name Mobius Dick.
And he blogs.
A blog -- it's shorthand for "Web log" -- is like a personal bulletin board. It's a place to post anything you care to write about, whenever you care to write about it. Then you hope someone out there in cyberspace stops by and starts to read.
Reynolds, 41, named his blog InstaPundit. On it, this self-described "disenchanted libertarian Democrat" posts his thoughts on material that he excerpts from a mountain of other blogs, Web sites and reader e-mail. He includes
Law Library - Electronic Evidence Discovery and Computer Forensics Law Library
Kroll Ontrack attorneys have put together several resources to help you learn more about electronic discovery and computer forensics, and stay abreast of current case law and news.
Current Kroll...
Kroll Ontrack attorneys have put together several resources to help you learn more about electronic discovery and computer forensics, and stay abreast of current case law and news.
Current Kroll...
Judge Refuses to Block Harrods Libel Suit in Britain
Mark Hamblett
New York Law Journal
10-21-2002
The Wall Street Journal's bid to have a federal judge in New York block a purportedly frivolous libel suit in England has been denied.
In a case that started out as an April Fool's joke, Judge Victor Marrero of the Southern District of New York declined to apply the Declaratory Judgment Act and issue a ruling preventing Harrods department store from suing the newspaper.
"To the question 'What is in a joke?' this lawsuit gives a decidedly wooden answer: a federal case," Judge Marrero said in Dow Jones & Co. Inc v. Harrods Ltd., 02 Civ. 3979.
The dispute began on March 31, 2002, when a mock press release announcing Mohammed Al Fayed's intention to offer shares in a floating version of Harrods moored in the Thames River was misinterpreted by The Wall Street Journal as an announcement to "float shares." The newspaper ran an item on the supposed offering on April 1.
After realizing the hoax, the newspaper published a correction the following day. But three days later, on April 5, it printed an item about the April Fool's joke, in which it conceded being taken in by the prank. And although the newspaper intended the piece to be tongue in cheek, Al Fayed and Harrods were not pleased by "The Enron of Britain?" headline.
Lawyers for Harrods said the article caused serious damage to the company's reputation, and demanded a correction and an apology as well as the payment of "substantial damages."
When the Harrods lawyers asked for disclosure of Wall Street Journal circulation figures and the number of hits on the newspaper's Web site for Great Britain, Dow Jones & Co. Inc., the paper's parent company, filed suit in the Southern District of New York on May 24 seeking to block a London action that Harrods ultimately filed five days later.
Judge Marrero said that Dow Jones was eager to avoid a trial in Britain because libel laws there are far more friendly to plaintiffs.
He said the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201(a), "was designed as a means to facilitate early and effective adjudication of disputes at a time when a controversy, though actual, may still be incipient, but before it expands into a larger conflict."
But Marrero said the case fell short of being an "actual controversy," because Dow Jones had offered only an "abstract tower of hypotheticals stacked like a house of cards on suppositions piled on top of speculations."
The judge said that if he were to grant the relief sought by Dow Jones, "the conflict may be fully resolved," but only if the courts in the United Kingdom and elsewhere recognized and enforced the New York court's judgment.
Dow Jones had argued that a declaratory judgment was appropriate because it would be freed from "vexatious and oppressive" litigation abroad. The company said that its assets in the United Kingdom were minimal, that no court in the United States would find for Harrods under the law of defamation in this country, and that the expense of defending the action would be significant.
Essentially, Marrero said the company was seeking to apply the act "as a defensive shield, a preemptive means to immunize a litigant" from the costs of litigation.
But Marrero said there was nothing in the statute or the pertinent case law that supports using the act to serve "such a sanctuarial purpose." The judge said it made no difference that the "asserted harmful conduct relates to an exercise of First Amendment rights."
SETTLED DOCTRINE
Moreover, the judge said, it is settled doctrine that the "authority of federal courts to enjoin foreign lawsuits" involving litigants within their jurisdiction "should be used sparingly and granted only with care and restraint."
And even though Dow Jones considered the April 5 article as a "jocular response to Harrods' April Fool's prank," and the judge doubted whether there was any real injury caused by the Enron remark, he said it could not be "summarily declared" that the Harrods action must be dismissed as a matter of law "as frivolous and motivated by bad faith."
Jack M. Weiss of Los Angeles-based Gibson Dunn & Crutcher represented Dow Jones. Zachary Carter of Minneapolis-based Dorsey & Whitney represented Harrods.
©2002 Law.com
http://www.law.com
Illiterate reporting by WSVN channel 7 in Miami. Count the verbs in this story:
Monday, October 21, 2002
Local News
10/18/2002
Alonso's Furniture Confiscated
Printable version
E-mail this story to a friend
WEST MIAMI -- Police raiding the home of former Miami-Dade Commissioner, Miriam Alonso -- for the second time.
But this time, officers walking away with furniture instead of documents.
Police accusing Alonso of mishandling 130-thousand dollars in political donations -- confiscating the furniture they say was received as a kick-back.
Detectives say Elba Morales, the aid and confidant of Alonso was forced to purchase 15 thousand dollars worth of furniture for the alonso's.
A claim the former commissioner vigorously refutes.
Miriam Alonso, the Former Miami-Dade County Commissioner says, "It is my property it is my dining set. It was purchased in 1997. Two sofas in the family room. Frankly, I have not taken anything from anyone and what I want is the same opputunity. To defend myself and to have the same rights that everyone American citizen has."
Lawyers for alonso say the act was a simple measure to embarrass and humiliate the former commissioner.
Police now planning to tack on three more charges for unlawful compensation, money laundering and grand theft to Alonso's already stacked legal problems.
Monday, October 21, 2002
Local News
10/18/2002
Alonso's Furniture Confiscated
Printable version
E-mail this story to a friend
WEST MIAMI -- Police raiding the home of former Miami-Dade Commissioner, Miriam Alonso -- for the second time.
But this time, officers walking away with furniture instead of documents.
Police accusing Alonso of mishandling 130-thousand dollars in political donations -- confiscating the furniture they say was received as a kick-back.
Detectives say Elba Morales, the aid and confidant of Alonso was forced to purchase 15 thousand dollars worth of furniture for the alonso's.
A claim the former commissioner vigorously refutes.
Miriam Alonso, the Former Miami-Dade County Commissioner says, "It is my property it is my dining set. It was purchased in 1997. Two sofas in the family room. Frankly, I have not taken anything from anyone and what I want is the same opputunity. To defend myself and to have the same rights that everyone American citizen has."
Lawyers for alonso say the act was a simple measure to embarrass and humiliate the former commissioner.
Police now planning to tack on three more charges for unlawful compensation, money laundering and grand theft to Alonso's already stacked legal problems.
Wounded nation needs to cry, mourners told - smh.com.au
...
Within the Anglican Church of Australia, tensions are emerging over comments made by the Anglican Primate, Archbishop Peter Carnley, on Friday in Perth.
"Given the bombing of Afghanistan and the dispersal in disarray of al-Qaeda and Taliban forces, and Australia's high-profile support of President George Bush's stance in relation to a possible war on Iraq, it was surely only a matter of time before Australian lives were sacrificed in some form of retaliatory action," he said.
His suggestion that Australia's close links with the United States may have prompted the attack was rejected by the US Ambassador to Australia, Tom Schieffer.
Mr Schieffer said it was not a question of opting to be "on or off" the terrorists' list.
Terrorists struck for their own reasons and without warning, he said.
The Anglican Diocese in Sydney was also distancing itself from Dr Carnley's comment yesterday. The Bishop of South Sydney, Robert Forsyth, said the Primate was expressing a personal view.
"These are not the views of the Anglican Church and he does not speak for the Anglican Church in Australia," he said.
...
Within the Anglican Church of Australia, tensions are emerging over comments made by the Anglican Primate, Archbishop Peter Carnley, on Friday in Perth.
"Given the bombing of Afghanistan and the dispersal in disarray of al-Qaeda and Taliban forces, and Australia's high-profile support of President George Bush's stance in relation to a possible war on Iraq, it was surely only a matter of time before Australian lives were sacrificed in some form of retaliatory action," he said.
His suggestion that Australia's close links with the United States may have prompted the attack was rejected by the US Ambassador to Australia, Tom Schieffer.
Mr Schieffer said it was not a question of opting to be "on or off" the terrorists' list.
Terrorists struck for their own reasons and without warning, he said.
The Anglican Diocese in Sydney was also distancing itself from Dr Carnley's comment yesterday. The Bishop of South Sydney, Robert Forsyth, said the Primate was expressing a personal view.
"These are not the views of the Anglican Church and he does not speak for the Anglican Church in Australia," he said.
International eyes search for hidden jigsaw pieces
By Neil Mercer
October 21 2002
Federal agent Steven Hunt peers into the microscope trying to identify fingerprints. It's just one tiny, but perhaps critical, part of the jigsaw puzzle that is the biggest police investigation in Australian history.
Agent Hunt was one of about 17 investigators working yesterday morning in the Australian Federal Police command post. The post has been established in a Bali hotel.
In a rectangular room not much longer than a cricket pitch, laptops line the work areas while maps of Bali and photos of the bomb site are on the walls and boards.
At a long table in the centre of the room, other agents look at statements, discussing and analysing the growing mountain of information and intelligence.
Already, police have identified 450 Australians from whom they will have to take statements,
and that number is growing every day.
The Australian side of the joint investigative team now comprises 105 police and experts, 81 of whom are Australian. There are also four terrorism specialists from New Scotland Yard, three agents from the FBI and forensic experts who were involved in
the investigation of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Others come from Japan, France, New Zealand and Germany.
The joint chief investigator, assistant commissioner Graham Ashton, has likened the massive crime scene to a jigsaw puzzle.
"Like with any jigsaw it will have a pattern to it and you want to find the next piece of the pattern," he said .
Yesterday, the members of the team, some in shorts and T-shirts, were busy trying to put it all together.
Net begins to close in on Indonesian extremists
By Matthew Moore, Herald Correspondent in Jakarta, and agencies
October 21 2002
Indonesian police yesterday announced the formal arrest of the Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, who is accused of terrorist activities, but said they had no plans to remove him from his hospital bed, where he has been since collapsing on Friday.
Police first detained Abu Bakar in hospital in the Central Java town of Solo for a 24-hour period from Saturday before announcing yesterday that they had tightened their legal hold on him. "At around noon we officially changed his status into a police detainee," said the national director of criminal investigations, Brigadier-General Aryanto Sutadi.
...
Singapore and Malaysia have accused Abu Bakar of being the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), which wants to incorporate several Asian countries, including Indonesia, into a giant Islamic state.
The Immigration Minister, Philip Ruddock, yesterday confirmed Abu Bakar entered Australia "on a fairly significant number" of occasions during the 1990s, usually under an assumed identity. The Australian Government has said it believes JI is probably responsible for the Bali bombings, something Abu Bakar strenuously denies.
...
Abu Bakar's lawyer said police had told him they might extend his client's questioning. The move on Abu Bakar came after Western governments, including the United States, Australia and Japan last week increased their pressure on Indonesia to crack down on terrorism and find those responsible for the Bali bombings.
Indonesia's Defence Minister, Matori Abdul Djalil, said at the weekend that Abu Bakar was linked to al-Qaeda and that his right-hand man, known as Hambali, was behind many of the country's terrorist bombings.
...
Early on Saturday Indonesia's cabinet enacted a new anti-terrorism regulation giving police broad new powers to detain terrorism suspects without charge.
However, Abu Bakar's sudden illness may undermine attempts to quickly interrogate terrorism suspects identified by the senior al-Qaeda figure Omar al-Faruq.
Al-Faruq was interviewed last week by Indonesian police who said they were convinced by his allegations made first to the CIA in September that Abu Bakar played a key role in a series of church bombings that killed nearly 20 people in Christmas 2000 and was planning a car bomb attack on the US embassy in Jakarta for September 11.
There are also reports that al-Faruq told the CIA that money controlled by al-Qaeda's leader, Osama bin Laden, was used to buy explosives for the Bali attack.
Al-Faruq told the CIA that $US74,000 ($135,000) was transferred from bin Laden to JI.
Al-Faruq's claims add weight to those that the Bali bombings were part of al-Qaeda's worldwide campaign against the West.
People For the American Way The White House
The Bush administration has welcomed, encouraged, and participated in these right-wing campaigns. And Bush continues to make it clear that he has the interests of the Religious Right in mind, pledging to nominate judges in the mold of Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, and promising recently to appoint only "common sense judges who understand that our rights were derived from God."
The numbskulls who published this think it is a negative. It's a frigging endorsement! Praise the Lord.
The Bush administration has welcomed, encouraged, and participated in these right-wing campaigns. And Bush continues to make it clear that he has the interests of the Religious Right in mind, pledging to nominate judges in the mold of Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, and promising recently to appoint only "common sense judges who understand that our rights were derived from God."
The numbskulls who published this think it is a negative. It's a frigging endorsement! Praise the Lord.
Sunday, October 20, 2002
Arc of a diva
After two decades of Eurostardom, Kylie Minogue's brand of glossy retro-disco may finally conquer America. Good -- she's just what we need right now.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Charles Taylor
March 7, 2002 | I was in England during the Christmas season of 1987 when Kylie Minogue's first hit, a cutesy-poo version of Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion," became inescapable. I grumbled so predictably whenever it came over the radio or on "Top of the Pops" that the first few notes were enough to get my British then-girlfriend laughing at how much it irritated me.
So how, 15 years later, did I wind up standing in line at the Times Square Virgin Megastore, possibly the only straight man in the crowd, waiting for Minogue to autograph "Fever," her new CD? Although Kylie fizzled out in the U.S. after "The Loco-Motion" became a hit here, she went on to a huge career in Europe (30 million-plus records sold), first under the tutelage of Brit-pop schlockmeisters Stock, Aitken, Waterman and then, briefly, in a commercially disappointing fling with alternative rock. But apart from the occasional gossip column appearance, or a photo layout in some Euro lad-mag, in which she didn't look much like the perky teenager in cutoff sweats I remembered grinning her way through "The Loco-Motion," I had barely thought about her.
That is, until early last year, when a Welsh friend returned to New York from a Christmas visit home. My buddy, whose musical tastes overlap with mine, told me that several U.K. critics had listed the Minogue album "Light Years" on their year-end best-of lists. Since British music critics tend to be less embarrassed about the transitory pleasures of pop than their American counterparts (who seem more concerned about writing for the ages), I considered the possibility they might be onto something. But I didn't actually pick up "Light Years" until a couple of months later, after seeing Kylie as the Absinthe Fairy in "Moulin Rouge," a saucier version of that earlier movie sex fantasy, Walt Disney's Playboy Bunny-esque Tinker Bell. . . .
Amen to that. Kylie is God-sent.
After two decades of Eurostardom, Kylie Minogue's brand of glossy retro-disco may finally conquer America. Good -- she's just what we need right now.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Charles Taylor
March 7, 2002 | I was in England during the Christmas season of 1987 when Kylie Minogue's first hit, a cutesy-poo version of Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion," became inescapable. I grumbled so predictably whenever it came over the radio or on "Top of the Pops" that the first few notes were enough to get my British then-girlfriend laughing at how much it irritated me.
So how, 15 years later, did I wind up standing in line at the Times Square Virgin Megastore, possibly the only straight man in the crowd, waiting for Minogue to autograph "Fever," her new CD? Although Kylie fizzled out in the U.S. after "The Loco-Motion" became a hit here, she went on to a huge career in Europe (30 million-plus records sold), first under the tutelage of Brit-pop schlockmeisters Stock, Aitken, Waterman and then, briefly, in a commercially disappointing fling with alternative rock. But apart from the occasional gossip column appearance, or a photo layout in some Euro lad-mag, in which she didn't look much like the perky teenager in cutoff sweats I remembered grinning her way through "The Loco-Motion," I had barely thought about her.
That is, until early last year, when a Welsh friend returned to New York from a Christmas visit home. My buddy, whose musical tastes overlap with mine, told me that several U.K. critics had listed the Minogue album "Light Years" on their year-end best-of lists. Since British music critics tend to be less embarrassed about the transitory pleasures of pop than their American counterparts (who seem more concerned about writing for the ages), I considered the possibility they might be onto something. But I didn't actually pick up "Light Years" until a couple of months later, after seeing Kylie as the Absinthe Fairy in "Moulin Rouge," a saucier version of that earlier movie sex fantasy, Walt Disney's Playboy Bunny-esque Tinker Bell. . . .
Amen to that. Kylie is God-sent.
Welcome to the HR Solutions Center
Harassment Created Hostile Work Environment And Employer’s Investigation Was Inadequate (10/1/02)
8th Cir.
Evidence Was Sufficient To Prove Employer Retaliated Against Plaintiff For Exercising His ADA Rights And To Support Award Of Punitive Damages
TX Sup Ct
Harassment Created Hostile Work Environment And Employer’s Investigation Was Inadequate (10/1/02)
8th Cir.
Evidence Was Sufficient To Prove Employer Retaliated Against Plaintiff For Exercising His ADA Rights And To Support Award Of Punitive Damages
TX Sup Ct
Saturday, October 19, 2002
Left: Australian relatives of a bomb blast victim hug each other during the memorial service. Picture: AP
Right: Australian Prime Minister John Howard talks at the memorial service in Denpasar. Picture: AFP
Click to see more and
God bless Australia
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda You'll come a waltzing matilda with me And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Down came a jumbuck to dri-ink at that billabong
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee
And he sang as he stuffed that jumbuck in his tucker-bag
You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda You'll come a waltzing matilda with me And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred
Up rode the troopers, one, two, three
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag?"
You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda You'll come a waltzing matilda with me And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Up jumped the swagman and sprang into that billabong
"You'll never take me alive!", said he
And his ghost may be heard as you pa-ass by that billabong
You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda You'll come a waltzing matilda with me And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me
Kylie's Place Congratulations, Kylie ! for winning 5 Australian Music Industry ARIA Awards.
-best pop release, Fever
-best single, CGYOOMH
-highest selling album, Fever
-highest selling single, CGYOOMH
-outstanding achievement award, most successful solo artist in Australian music history.
She's the "Singing Budgie" with "no voice", "no talent" and "no class". Yes that's the same one.
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Friday, October 18, 2002
THERE’S BEEN A RECENT retread of the weblogging phenomenon following a few articles at PC Mag, Time, and The Morning News. After posting my own short list of things that ought to be banned from weblogs, I realized that a list of things to be encouraged would be more useful. Some people are new to weblogging. Others want to raise the bar. In the end, everybody wants better sites, and some of these suggestions might help.
The bulk of this advice focuses on writing, which is generally at the heart of weblogs. All of them are obvious yet often ignored, to the detriment of both the readers and the writers. They’re aimed at people trying to improve the general appeal of their weblogs, but folks writing privately for friends and family might also find them useful. We’ll begin with an example.
Professional vs
The bulk of this advice focuses on writing, which is generally at the heart of weblogs. All of them are obvious yet often ignored, to the detriment of both the readers and the writers. They’re aimed at people trying to improve the general appeal of their weblogs, but folks writing privately for friends and family might also find them useful. We’ll begin with an example.
Professional vs
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
World eBusiness Law Report - Copyright Gator ordered to stop popping up
A US federal court has issued a preliminary injunction in WashingtonPost Newsweek Interactive Co LLC v The Gator Corporation (Civil Action 02-909-A, ED Va July 15 2002) barring software company Gator from causing its controversial pop-up advertisements to be displayed on users' screens while they are viewing the websites of the plaintiff publishers. The order, if it stands, will threaten the business model of Gator and other internet advertising services that use similar software implanted on a user's computer to deliver unauthorized ads.
A US federal court has issued a preliminary injunction in WashingtonPost Newsweek Interactive Co LLC v The Gator Corporation (Civil Action 02-909-A, ED Va July 15 2002) barring software company Gator from causing its controversial pop-up advertisements to be displayed on users' screens while they are viewing the websites of the plaintiff publishers. The order, if it stands, will threaten the business model of Gator and other internet advertising services that use similar software implanted on a user's computer to deliver unauthorized ads.
VeriSign loses another 'domain slamming' suit
VeriSign, a leading domain name registrar, has lost a fourth lawsuit over its aggressive customer acquisition campaign. The campaign involved the mailing of a controversial "domain name expiration notice" to competitors' customers, encouraging them to switch to VeriSign.
The plaintiff, Go Daddy Software Inc, filed its 'domain slamming' lawsuit in an Arizona federal court, alleging consumer fraud, deceptive advertising and misappropriation of trade secrets. The court ordered VeriSign to discontinue the marketing campaign, enjoining VeriSign from sending the notices to, specifically, Go Daddy's customers and, more broadly, any other competitors' customers.
The Go Daddy suit comes on the heels of previous actions filed by BulkRegister, the California Consumer Action Network and a class action on behalf of all consumers making similar claims against VeriSign. BulkRegister won a preliminary injunction in a Maryland federal court (see VeriSign enjoined from 'domain slamming'). Christine Jones, Go Daddy's general counsel, is reported as saying that VeriSign interpreted the preliminary injunction to apply narrowly to only BulkRegister's customers.
Three years ago, VeriSign held 100% of the '.com', '.net' and '.org' (CNO) market, but this was down to 38% in April 2002 according to SnapNames.com, which tracks the industry. In the meantime, Go Daddy has risen from 47th place to sixth place in the past 18 months, largely due to its heavy discounting. BulkRegister, which places fifth in the CNO rankings, claims it was shocked to learn that VeriSign was continuing to mail the notices.
VeriSign's aggressive marketing tactics are not without risk. Despite its brand name advantage (possibly jeopardized by this negative publicity), VeriSign appears to be pursuing a high-risk strategy to avoid a flat-out price war with its lower-priced competitors.
Douglas Wood and Linda Goldstein, Hall Dickler Kent Goldstein & Wood LLP, New York
VeriSign, a leading domain name registrar, has lost a fourth lawsuit over its aggressive customer acquisition campaign. The campaign involved the mailing of a controversial "domain name expiration notice" to competitors' customers, encouraging them to switch to VeriSign.
The plaintiff, Go Daddy Software Inc, filed its 'domain slamming' lawsuit in an Arizona federal court, alleging consumer fraud, deceptive advertising and misappropriation of trade secrets. The court ordered VeriSign to discontinue the marketing campaign, enjoining VeriSign from sending the notices to, specifically, Go Daddy's customers and, more broadly, any other competitors' customers.
The Go Daddy suit comes on the heels of previous actions filed by BulkRegister, the California Consumer Action Network and a class action on behalf of all consumers making similar claims against VeriSign. BulkRegister won a preliminary injunction in a Maryland federal court (see VeriSign enjoined from 'domain slamming'). Christine Jones, Go Daddy's general counsel, is reported as saying that VeriSign interpreted the preliminary injunction to apply narrowly to only BulkRegister's customers.
Three years ago, VeriSign held 100% of the '.com', '.net' and '.org' (CNO) market, but this was down to 38% in April 2002 according to SnapNames.com, which tracks the industry. In the meantime, Go Daddy has risen from 47th place to sixth place in the past 18 months, largely due to its heavy discounting. BulkRegister, which places fifth in the CNO rankings, claims it was shocked to learn that VeriSign was continuing to mail the notices.
VeriSign's aggressive marketing tactics are not without risk. Despite its brand name advantage (possibly jeopardized by this negative publicity), VeriSign appears to be pursuing a high-risk strategy to avoid a flat-out price war with its lower-priced competitors.
Douglas Wood and Linda Goldstein, Hall Dickler Kent Goldstein & Wood LLP, New York
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Some words of Steven Wright
"I woke up one morning, and all of my stuff had been stolen...
and replaced by exact duplicates."
Here are some more of his gems:
I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back.
Half the people you know are below average.
99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so
good.
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand.
The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the
cheese. (Think about it some more.)
OK, so what's the speed of dark?
How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?
If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked
something.
Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be
lazy.
Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now.
I intend to live forever.....So far, so good.
If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet
engines.
What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made
your horn louder."
Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you
need it.
The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of
the bread.
To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from
many is research.
The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.
The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to
catch up.
The colder the x-ray table, the more of your body is required
to be on it.
Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have
film.
"I woke up one morning, and all of my stuff had been stolen...
and replaced by exact duplicates."
Here are some more of his gems:
I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back.
Half the people you know are below average.
99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so
good.
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand.
The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the
cheese. (Think about it some more.)
OK, so what's the speed of dark?
How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?
If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked
something.
Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be
lazy.
Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now.
I intend to live forever.....So far, so good.
If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet
engines.
What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made
your horn louder."
Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you
need it.
The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of
the bread.
To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from
many is research.
The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.
The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to
catch up.
The colder the x-ray table, the more of your body is required
to be on it.
Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have
film.
Monday, October 14, 2002
BEST QUOTES [we do not vouch for these]
1) "Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can
fake whole relationships." (Sharon Stone)
2) "Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks
or where he lives, but he never forgets oral sex, no
matter how bad it is." (Barbara Bush)-
3) "Ah, yes, divorce..., from the Latin word
meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his
wallet. " (Robin Williams)
4) "Women need a reason to have sex. Men just need
a place. " (Billy Crystal)
5) "Instead of getting married again, I'm going to
find a woman I don't like and just give her a house"
(Rod Stewart)
6) "Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is
a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men
dressed like black pimps." (Tiger Woods)
7) " Women complain about premenstrual syndrome,
but I think of it as the only time of the month that
I can be myself. " (Roseanne)
8) "According to a new survey, women say they
feel more comfortable undressing in front of men
than they do undressing in front of other women.
They say that women are too judgmental, whereas, of
course, men are just grateful. " (Robert De Niro)
9) AND THE NUMBER ONE QUOTE IS: " See, the problem
is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and there is only
enough blood to run one at a time. "(Robin Williams)
GoodQuotes.com - Funny and Inspirational Quotes
Murphy's Laws
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.
Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view.
Two wrongs are only the beginning.
If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Every solution breeds new problems..
If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then..
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
Exceptions prove the rule ... and wreck the budget.
Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.
Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Trust everybody ... then cut the cards.
Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
Everything takes longer than you think..
Two wrongs are only the beginning.
Murphy's Laws
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.
Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view.
Two wrongs are only the beginning.
If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Every solution breeds new problems..
If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then..
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
Exceptions prove the rule ... and wreck the budget.
Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.
Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Trust everybody ... then cut the cards.
Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
Everything takes longer than you think..
Two wrongs are only the beginning.
UNNATURAL ACT? ANGLING FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Getting workers to buy into knowledge management can be tough going, but benefits abound.
Knowledge Management
From the Economist Intelligence Unit.
No connection to the wartime, British Thermal Unit.
New Alexandria Library: A temple of knowledge
Nature 419, 556 - 557 (2002); doi:10.1038/419556a
New Alexandria Library: A temple of knowledge
The Library of Alexandria was the ancient world's premier seat of learning — its eventual destruction an intellectual tragedy. Can its spirit be revived in modern-day Egypt? Alison Abbott visits the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
A statue of Toth, protector of the scribes, watches over the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's reading room.
Euclid wrote his Elements of Geometry there. Herophilus identified the brain, rather than the heart, as the centre of intelligence. Eratosthenes estimated the Earth's circumference with an error of just 140 kilometres. And Hipparchus calculated the year's length to within 6.5 minutes.
Nature 419, 556 - 557 (2002); doi:10.1038/419556a
New Alexandria Library: A temple of knowledge
The Library of Alexandria was the ancient world's premier seat of learning — its eventual destruction an intellectual tragedy. Can its spirit be revived in modern-day Egypt? Alison Abbott visits the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
A statue of Toth, protector of the scribes, watches over the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's reading room.
Euclid wrote his Elements of Geometry there. Herophilus identified the brain, rather than the heart, as the centre of intelligence. Eratosthenes estimated the Earth's circumference with an error of just 140 kilometres. And Hipparchus calculated the year's length to within 6.5 minutes.
FOR THE TECH SAVVY, THE BUZZWORD IS BLAWG
Simple Web Sites Let Lawyers Share Knowledge, Opinions
BY JASON KRAUSE
Ernest Svenson is a blawger, and he doesn’t mind saying so.
Svenson, technology partner with Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan in New Orleans, runs Ernie the Attorney, a typical Web log, or blog for short. A blog is basically a simple Web site with plain text messages usually written by one person, along with related news snippets or hyperlinks to articles.
Svenson’s site has a mix of tidbits about blogging and technology, and general-interest news items with running commentary Svenson writes in his spare moments. And, because his blog deals with law-related matters, it fits into the subcategory of blawgs.
For Svenson, blawging started as a diversion. "This was just an interesting thing I was experimenting with in my spare time," he says. "But when I started getting hits from more people other than just my family, it became clear that this was turning into something bigger than just a vanity project."
A small but growing number of lawyers are turning to Web logs as a tool for their law practice. Blawgs resemble a kind of self-published, online newsletter. They are being touted as a communications tool to reach the nation’s lawyers, a public relations tool to display a lawyer’s knowledge of the law, and even a knowledge management system for lawyers to share expertise within a firm.
Setting up a blawg is easier than building a Web site, thanks to a number of free services, like blogger.com. However, most blawg publishers say the free services tend to crash, which is why most have upgraded to a paid service, usually costing about $40 a year.
Once blawgers set up the basic design of their sites, all they need to do is send their postings to their Web log service. Readers can often comment on the site, creating a feedback loop between the reader and blawger.
But what interest might someone’s random musings be to the average lawyer? Blawgers say that these kinds of Web pages allow them to communicate with people of a shared interest, creating a place for lawyers to keep up with the latest news and ideas in their field.
"Almost every law firm is trying to build a knowledge management system for itself to take advantage of the expertise within the firm," Svenson says. "But with blawgs, it happens organically. If you gave your lawyers their own blawgs, pretty soon everyone within the firm could see who knows the most about different topics."
Eugene Volokh, a UCLA School of Law professor, runs The Volokh Conspiracy, a blawg for readers interested in technology and civil liberty issues. He believes blawgs are a natural outlet for lawyers to fully immerse themselves in their field.
"To me, it may not be entirely practical, but lawyers are a gregarious people, … [and] a lot of them don’t have an outlet for their interests," he says. "Blawgs give them that."
The number of people reading blawgs is still small but growing. A popular site like Instapundit might get 50,000 hits a day. Volokh says he registers 3,000 to 3,500 visitors most days.
"It’s a great PR tool, too," Volokh says. "I’ve never met Howard Bashman, but if anyone ever asks me if I know an appellate lawyer in Pennsylvania, I’m going to recommend Bashman because I’ve read his blawg [How Appealing] and found him to be insightful and well-informed."
But the main concern for lawyers will probably always be that Web logs can be too time-consuming to read, to create or to maintain. The Web log publishers who commented for this story typically spend an hour or more a day working on their site, either at work or after hours.
"Are blawgs useful or just a waste of time? I’d say neither," Svenson says. "It’s too early to say exactly what their usefulness is, but it’s clear something interesting is happening."
Other popular blawgs include the following:
• Scotusblog is all about goings on at the U.S. Supreme Court, published by Goldstein and Howe, a law firm specializing in supreme court cases.
• Law Meme is a legal Web log from the Yale Law School.
• Lessig Blog, it should be no surprise, was launched by Lawrence Lessig, one of the best-known legal scholars on Internet-related issues.
• West Virginia Supreme Court keeps lawyers updated on the latest news, decisions and other announcements from that state’s supreme court.
• The Trademark Blog is aimed at trademark lawyers. It is written by Marty Schwimmer, a trademark attorney.
©2002 ABA Journal
Simple Web Sites Let Lawyers Share Knowledge, Opinions
BY JASON KRAUSE
Ernest Svenson is a blawger, and he doesn’t mind saying so.
Svenson, technology partner with Gordon, Arata, McCollam, Duplantis & Eagan in New Orleans, runs Ernie the Attorney, a typical Web log, or blog for short. A blog is basically a simple Web site with plain text messages usually written by one person, along with related news snippets or hyperlinks to articles.
Svenson’s site has a mix of tidbits about blogging and technology, and general-interest news items with running commentary Svenson writes in his spare moments. And, because his blog deals with law-related matters, it fits into the subcategory of blawgs.
For Svenson, blawging started as a diversion. "This was just an interesting thing I was experimenting with in my spare time," he says. "But when I started getting hits from more people other than just my family, it became clear that this was turning into something bigger than just a vanity project."
A small but growing number of lawyers are turning to Web logs as a tool for their law practice. Blawgs resemble a kind of self-published, online newsletter. They are being touted as a communications tool to reach the nation’s lawyers, a public relations tool to display a lawyer’s knowledge of the law, and even a knowledge management system for lawyers to share expertise within a firm.
Setting up a blawg is easier than building a Web site, thanks to a number of free services, like blogger.com. However, most blawg publishers say the free services tend to crash, which is why most have upgraded to a paid service, usually costing about $40 a year.
Once blawgers set up the basic design of their sites, all they need to do is send their postings to their Web log service. Readers can often comment on the site, creating a feedback loop between the reader and blawger.
But what interest might someone’s random musings be to the average lawyer? Blawgers say that these kinds of Web pages allow them to communicate with people of a shared interest, creating a place for lawyers to keep up with the latest news and ideas in their field.
"Almost every law firm is trying to build a knowledge management system for itself to take advantage of the expertise within the firm," Svenson says. "But with blawgs, it happens organically. If you gave your lawyers their own blawgs, pretty soon everyone within the firm could see who knows the most about different topics."
Eugene Volokh, a UCLA School of Law professor, runs The Volokh Conspiracy, a blawg for readers interested in technology and civil liberty issues. He believes blawgs are a natural outlet for lawyers to fully immerse themselves in their field.
"To me, it may not be entirely practical, but lawyers are a gregarious people, … [and] a lot of them don’t have an outlet for their interests," he says. "Blawgs give them that."
The number of people reading blawgs is still small but growing. A popular site like Instapundit might get 50,000 hits a day. Volokh says he registers 3,000 to 3,500 visitors most days.
"It’s a great PR tool, too," Volokh says. "I’ve never met Howard Bashman, but if anyone ever asks me if I know an appellate lawyer in Pennsylvania, I’m going to recommend Bashman because I’ve read his blawg [How Appealing] and found him to be insightful and well-informed."
But the main concern for lawyers will probably always be that Web logs can be too time-consuming to read, to create or to maintain. The Web log publishers who commented for this story typically spend an hour or more a day working on their site, either at work or after hours.
"Are blawgs useful or just a waste of time? I’d say neither," Svenson says. "It’s too early to say exactly what their usefulness is, but it’s clear something interesting is happening."
Other popular blawgs include the following:
• Scotusblog is all about goings on at the U.S. Supreme Court, published by Goldstein and Howe, a law firm specializing in supreme court cases.
• Law Meme is a legal Web log from the Yale Law School.
• Lessig Blog, it should be no surprise, was launched by Lawrence Lessig, one of the best-known legal scholars on Internet-related issues.
• West Virginia Supreme Court keeps lawyers updated on the latest news, decisions and other announcements from that state’s supreme court.
• The Trademark Blog is aimed at trademark lawyers. It is written by Marty Schwimmer, a trademark attorney.
©2002 ABA Journal
RODENT REMORSE
Walking the Fine Line Between Having Fun and Giving Offense
BY THE RODENT
A number of years ago, former junk bond king Michael Milken was released from prison. As a condition of his release, Mr. Milken was required to obtain a job. He took a position in his lawyer’s office as a paralegal.
In the next issue of The Rodent newsletter, it was noted that Milken had changed his mind and declined the conditions of his parole. He was then quoted saying that incarceration was preferable to working with a bunch of lawyers, and that making license plates in the pen was more interesting than summarizing depositions at The Firm. The piece went on to say that prison guards treated Mr. Milken better than law firm associates did, and that the warden was "a much nicer guy" than The Firm’s managing partner.
Obvious satire, right? Well, it was satire–but evidently not so obvious. A paralegal association asked to reprint the article in its monthly publication. A week or so after it appeared, I received a call from the editor. She wanted to confirm that the story was accurate because some readers weren’t sure.
Seems I had a similar experience with an article I wrote last month for this publication in a column that made references to estate planning attorneys. Satire or not, some estate planning lawyers were offended. An apology appeared in the Sept. 27 issue of eReport saying the article was "disappointing to many."
While I admit that my columns are often disappointing, they are never meant to offend. The main reason I continue to write is the feedback I get that The Rodent brings a bit of color to a profession that, let’s face it, can be a grind. And I generally don’t worry about offending lawyers. To their credit, attorneys are probably more self-critical than any other professionals. I doubt there are any Rodent-like columns appearing in publications for plumbers or surgeons or stockbrokers. The fact that an American Bar Association publication runs The Rodent column says great things about our profession.
The most common complaint I hear about my articles is that they don’t go far enough. I once wrote an article making fun of judges–only after several of them begged me to do it. And guess what. I got a ton of letters from judges saying I hit the nail on the head and telling me things about their own courtrooms that I could have used. That sort of feedback makes me feel like The Rodent is a mammal of the people.
I also want to mention that I do exercise some discretion in my writing. I am careful, for instance, not to attack individuals based on their membership in certain protected classes–race, religion, gender, law firm office manager.
I also know that it is wrong to make gross generalizations about people, even if gross generalizations can be really funny.
In my newsletter, I used to write personality profiles of law firm characters. There was the of counsel, the bow-tie-wearing partner, the first-year-son-of-a-client associate, the senior executive secretary. This feature contained nothing but gross generalizations, and it was hugely popular. I think maybe gross generalizations can also be accurate. Many readers said they were sure I worked at their firm because I had perfectly pegged someone in their office.
So, going forward, I hope it helps to know that The Rodent is just for fun. At the same time, I don’t mean to tell anyone to lighten up. That’s not something you tell any lawyer. I do, however, want to tell estate planning lawyers that I have an upcoming column making fun of patent attorneys that I think they’ll find hilarious.
©2002 ABA Journal
Walking the Fine Line Between Having Fun and Giving Offense
BY THE RODENT
A number of years ago, former junk bond king Michael Milken was released from prison. As a condition of his release, Mr. Milken was required to obtain a job. He took a position in his lawyer’s office as a paralegal.
In the next issue of The Rodent newsletter, it was noted that Milken had changed his mind and declined the conditions of his parole. He was then quoted saying that incarceration was preferable to working with a bunch of lawyers, and that making license plates in the pen was more interesting than summarizing depositions at The Firm. The piece went on to say that prison guards treated Mr. Milken better than law firm associates did, and that the warden was "a much nicer guy" than The Firm’s managing partner.
Obvious satire, right? Well, it was satire–but evidently not so obvious. A paralegal association asked to reprint the article in its monthly publication. A week or so after it appeared, I received a call from the editor. She wanted to confirm that the story was accurate because some readers weren’t sure.
Seems I had a similar experience with an article I wrote last month for this publication in a column that made references to estate planning attorneys. Satire or not, some estate planning lawyers were offended. An apology appeared in the Sept. 27 issue of eReport saying the article was "disappointing to many."
While I admit that my columns are often disappointing, they are never meant to offend. The main reason I continue to write is the feedback I get that The Rodent brings a bit of color to a profession that, let’s face it, can be a grind. And I generally don’t worry about offending lawyers. To their credit, attorneys are probably more self-critical than any other professionals. I doubt there are any Rodent-like columns appearing in publications for plumbers or surgeons or stockbrokers. The fact that an American Bar Association publication runs The Rodent column says great things about our profession.
The most common complaint I hear about my articles is that they don’t go far enough. I once wrote an article making fun of judges–only after several of them begged me to do it. And guess what. I got a ton of letters from judges saying I hit the nail on the head and telling me things about their own courtrooms that I could have used. That sort of feedback makes me feel like The Rodent is a mammal of the people.
I also want to mention that I do exercise some discretion in my writing. I am careful, for instance, not to attack individuals based on their membership in certain protected classes–race, religion, gender, law firm office manager.
I also know that it is wrong to make gross generalizations about people, even if gross generalizations can be really funny.
In my newsletter, I used to write personality profiles of law firm characters. There was the of counsel, the bow-tie-wearing partner, the first-year-son-of-a-client associate, the senior executive secretary. This feature contained nothing but gross generalizations, and it was hugely popular. I think maybe gross generalizations can also be accurate. Many readers said they were sure I worked at their firm because I had perfectly pegged someone in their office.
So, going forward, I hope it helps to know that The Rodent is just for fun. At the same time, I don’t mean to tell anyone to lighten up. That’s not something you tell any lawyer. I do, however, want to tell estate planning lawyers that I have an upcoming column making fun of patent attorneys that I think they’ll find hilarious.
©2002 ABA Journal
Wednesday, October 09, 2002
Copyright Website
Welcome to the Copyright Website! This portal provides real world, practical and relevant copyright information for anyone navigating the net. Launched on May Day '95, the Copyright Website strives to lubricate the machinations of information delivery. As spice is to Dune, information is to the Web; the spice must flow. Or, if you prefer another metaphor, take the blue pill and I'll show you just how deep the rabbit hole goes
Welcome to the Copyright Website! This portal provides real world, practical and relevant copyright information for anyone navigating the net. Launched on May Day '95, the Copyright Website strives to lubricate the machinations of information delivery. As spice is to Dune, information is to the Web; the spice must flow. Or, if you prefer another metaphor, take the blue pill and I'll show you just how deep the rabbit hole goes
Tuesday, October 08, 2002
We've been experimenting a lot today with this outstanding xrefer research tool from the UK. Looks like the full featured version is only available to libraries and institutions but the material I have been finding and exploring is outstanding. The cross reference features, embedded hyperlinks, and relatedness of the taxonomy are very powerful. I can't put a table with the search button here in the body of the weblog foir some reason (must conflict with blogger's css template), but I have put it in a box to the left. Look for this logo:
They have combined aand interlinked about 100-120 reference titles from several top UK publishers. Check it out.
The material below from the famous Oxford Dictionary of Art came from this tool and I have restored the embedded hyperlnks plus added a few extras as an experiment.
They have combined aand interlinked about 100-120 reference titles from several top UK publishers. Check it out.
The material below from the famous Oxford Dictionary of Art came from this tool and I have restored the embedded hyperlnks plus added a few extras as an experiment.
Monday, October 07, 2002
Want to say “fox” in a different language? Foxes can be found just about everywhere and everyone seems to have a different word for them! Here’s a list compiled from various sources around the ‘net, most notably the Oz Foxes Foxweb and Mike Micucci’s fox page, and also from several folks who were kind enough to write me with additions:
Abenaki Tribe Wokwses Gaelic Sionnach
Arabic Shu'Al German Fuchs/ Fuchslein
Assiniboin Tribe Toka no (grey fox) Hindi Memri
Bahasa Indonesia Rubah Hungarian Roacuteka
Irish Gaelic Mauda Rua
Bengali Sheyal Italian Volpe
Breton Louarn
Cherokee Tribe I na li (black fox) Japanese Kitsune
Chinese Hu Latin Vulpes
Malay Musang
Choctaw Tribe Chu la Meneomi Tribe Wa ko
Creek Tribe Tso la Nez Perce Ti li pe
Norwegian Rev
Croatian Lisica Pawne Tribe Kiwaku (white fox)
Czech Lishka
a.k.a. Liska :) Polish
Lis
Dakota Tribe Toka la luta Portuguese Raposa
Quechua Atoq
Dutch Vos Russian Lisha
English Fox / Vixen Spanish Zorro
Finnish Kettu,
Repo Shawnee Waakoce'thi
French Renard Swedish Räv
Farsi Rubah Turkish Tilki
Welsh (fox/vixen)
Cadno/Cadnawes
Llwynog/Llwynoges
Madyn
Abenaki Tribe Wokwses Gaelic Sionnach
Arabic Shu'Al German Fuchs/ Fuchslein
Assiniboin Tribe Toka no (grey fox) Hindi Memri
Bahasa Indonesia Rubah Hungarian Roacuteka
Irish Gaelic Mauda Rua
Bengali Sheyal Italian Volpe
Breton Louarn
Cherokee Tribe I na li (black fox) Japanese Kitsune
Chinese Hu Latin Vulpes
Malay Musang
Choctaw Tribe Chu la Meneomi Tribe Wa ko
Creek Tribe Tso la Nez Perce Ti li pe
Norwegian Rev
Croatian Lisica Pawne Tribe Kiwaku (white fox)
Czech Lishka
a.k.a. Liska :) Polish
Lis
Dakota Tribe Toka la luta Portuguese Raposa
Quechua Atoq
Dutch Vos Russian Lisha
English Fox / Vixen Spanish Zorro
Finnish Kettu,
Repo Shawnee Waakoce'thi
French Renard Swedish Räv
Farsi Rubah Turkish Tilki
Welsh (fox/vixen)
Cadno/Cadnawes
Llwynog/Llwynoges
Madyn
The OzFoxes FoxWeb: All About Foxes PART 1: THE TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
The fox is a canid (family Canidae), distantly akin to coyotes, jackals, and wolves; but they are a distinct and separate animal, having formed their own genetic group 11-12 million years ago. They belong to the Order Carnivora and are indeed carnivores (meat-eaters); but they also eat fruits and grains, so by diet they are more properly omnivores... but that's a matter for taxonomists.
Foxes cannot cross-breed with dogs or other canids, having a different number of chromosomes. If you see a foxy-looking dog, that's exactly what it is: a dog with foxy features, not a dog-fox cross.
The fox is a canid (family Canidae), distantly akin to coyotes, jackals, and wolves; but they are a distinct and separate animal, having formed their own genetic group 11-12 million years ago. They belong to the Order Carnivora and are indeed carnivores (meat-eaters); but they also eat fruits and grains, so by diet they are more properly omnivores... but that's a matter for taxonomists.
Foxes cannot cross-breed with dogs or other canids, having a different number of chromosomes. If you see a foxy-looking dog, that's exactly what it is: a dog with foxy features, not a dog-fox cross.
Here is a different and probably better version of Cow Politics. Politics Made Easy: The Two Cows Philosophy
At least it has more entries than the one previously posted here.
At least it has more entries than the one previously posted here.
Sunday, October 06, 2002
Amazing to me that those who think the press are sacrosanct and should never have to reveal their sources or the substance of their private conversations and imagery that may lead to the solving of a horrible atrocity, or the prevention of a future mass child murder, or the proper disposition of evidence and justice in a fair trial, tend to be the same people that want the Intelligence Community to reveal their sources and methods to the press.
It is as absurd to me as those who want to legalize drugs and il-legalize (if you will) a law-abiding citizen's right to bear arms to protect his family and community from unchecked crime.
[Disclaimer: This is NOT an ad hominem argument.]
It is as absurd to me as those who want to legalize drugs and il-legalize (if you will) a law-abiding citizen's right to bear arms to protect his family and community from unchecked crime.
[Disclaimer: This is NOT an ad hominem argument.]
BECAUSE WE GOOD PEOPLES! SKINNY PIMP DOT COM
This is a doorway age to adult content. I haven't gone past the doorway, but think the disclaimer is interesting citing as it does the Fair Use doctrine.
This is a doorway age to adult content. I haven't gone past the doorway, but think the disclaimer is interesting citing as it does the Fair Use doctrine.
refdesk.com An outstanding resources:
VISION STATEMENT: Refdesk is not about revenue. Refdesk is not about traffic. Refdesk is not about promotional vehicles or any form of commercialism. Refdesk is only about indexing quality Internet sites and assisting visitors in navigating these sites. At Refdesk that is all that counts and that is all that will ever count.
Avaritia facit Bardus - Greed makes you stupid.
VISION STATEMENT: Refdesk is not about revenue. Refdesk is not about traffic. Refdesk is not about promotional vehicles or any form of commercialism. Refdesk is only about indexing quality Internet sites and assisting visitors in navigating these sites. At Refdesk that is all that counts and that is all that will ever count.
Avaritia facit Bardus - Greed makes you stupid.
Friday, October 04, 2002
The Word Spy - metrosexual
(MET.roh.sek.shoo.ul) n. A dandyish narcissist in love with not only himself, but also his urban lifestyle.
—metrosexuality n.
-----------
The only problem facing the metrosexual in an otherwise carefree existence is the inescapable effects of ageing. If 30 is 45 in gay years, then 26 is retirement age for the metrosexual — and no amount of biotechnological, rehydrating, whale sperm dermo-care can alter that.
—Jonathan Trew, "I love me so much," The Scotsman, July 24, 2002
there's more . . .
metrosexual
(MET.roh.sek.shoo.ul) n. A dandyish narcissist in love with not only himself, but also his urban lifestyle.
—metrosexuality n.
-----------
The only problem facing the metrosexual in an otherwise carefree existence is the inescapable effects of ageing. If 30 is 45 in gay years, then 26 is retirement age for the metrosexual — and no amount of biotechnological, rehydrating, whale sperm dermo-care can alter that.
—Jonathan Trew, "I love me so much," The Scotsman, July 24, 2002
there's more . . .
Cow Theory Of Government 9-18-2
DEMOCRAT
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
You feel guilty for being successful.
You vote people into office that put a tax on your cows, forcing you to sell one to raise money to pay the tax.
The people you voted for then take the tax money, buy a cow and give it to your neighbor.
You feel righteous.
Barbara Streisand sings for you.
SOCIALIST
You have two cows.
The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.
You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
REPUBLICAN
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
So?
COMMUNIST
You have two cows.
The government seizes both and provides you with milk.
You wait in line for hours to get it.
It is expensive and sour.
CAPITALISM - AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
DEMOCRACY - AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
The government taxes you to the point you have to sell both
to support a man in a foreign country who has only one cow,
which was a gift from your government.
BUREAUCRACY - AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
The government takes them both, shoots one, milks the other, pays you for the milk, and then pours the milk down the drain.
AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one.
You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows.
You are surprised when one cow drops dead.
You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.
Your stock goes up.
FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike because you want three cows.
You go to lunch.
Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains.
Most are at the top of their class at cow school.
GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer,
give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour.
Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.
ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows but you don't know where they are.
While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman.
You break for lunch.
Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You have some more vodka.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
You count them again and learn you have 12 cows.
You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.
You produce your 10th, 5-year plan in the last 3 months.
The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.
FLORIDA CORPORATION
You have a black cow and a brown cow.
Everyone votes for the best looking one.
Some of the people who like the brown one best, vote for the black one.
Some people vote for both.
Some people vote for neither.
Some people can't figure out how to vote at all.
Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which is the best-looking one.
NEW YORK CORPORATION
You have fifteen million cows.
You have to choose which one will be the leader of the herd, so you pick some fat cow from Arkansas
Source: email
Notice if this joke failed to offend you, particularly, please write to the webmaster and he will find something to offend you, particularly. We aim to please.
DEMOCRAT
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
You feel guilty for being successful.
You vote people into office that put a tax on your cows, forcing you to sell one to raise money to pay the tax.
The people you voted for then take the tax money, buy a cow and give it to your neighbor.
You feel righteous.
Barbara Streisand sings for you.
SOCIALIST
You have two cows.
The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.
You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
REPUBLICAN
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
So?
COMMUNIST
You have two cows.
The government seizes both and provides you with milk.
You wait in line for hours to get it.
It is expensive and sour.
CAPITALISM - AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
DEMOCRACY - AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
The government taxes you to the point you have to sell both
to support a man in a foreign country who has only one cow,
which was a gift from your government.
BUREAUCRACY - AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
The government takes them both, shoots one, milks the other, pays you for the milk, and then pours the milk down the drain.
AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one.
You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows.
You are surprised when one cow drops dead.
You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.
Your stock goes up.
FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike because you want three cows.
You go to lunch.
Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains.
Most are at the top of their class at cow school.
GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer,
give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour.
Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.
ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows but you don't know where they are.
While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman.
You break for lunch.
Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You have some more vodka.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
You count them again and learn you have 12 cows.
You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.
You produce your 10th, 5-year plan in the last 3 months.
The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.
FLORIDA CORPORATION
You have a black cow and a brown cow.
Everyone votes for the best looking one.
Some of the people who like the brown one best, vote for the black one.
Some people vote for both.
Some people vote for neither.
Some people can't figure out how to vote at all.
Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which is the best-looking one.
NEW YORK CORPORATION
You have fifteen million cows.
You have to choose which one will be the leader of the herd, so you pick some fat cow from Arkansas
Source: email
Notice if this joke failed to offend you, particularly, please write to the webmaster and he will find something to offend you, particularly. We aim to please.
KM Europe 2002, knowledge management conference and free exhibition An effective KM programme is one that is tightly aligned to the achievement of your business objectives producing measurable returns on investment. In addition, KM is capable of:
Promoting better and smarter working
Boosting productivity
Maximizing efficiency
Establishing competitive advantage
Fostering collaboration
Stripping out costs
Promoting better and smarter working
Boosting productivity
Maximizing efficiency
Establishing competitive advantage
Fostering collaboration
Stripping out costs
askSam - Surf Report 21 - Knowledge Management Knowledge is power. At least, that is how it has been treated at most companies since the beginning of modern economics. Hoarding information and knowledge has long been one of the key ways individuals and departments maintain their position and status within the corporate hierarchy. Unfortunately, this model no longer serves the best interests of businesses and other organizations. Knowledge management, in which information and knowledge are appropriately, clearly, and effectively kneaded throughout all the layers of the organization, is one of the critical keys to survival and success.
From Knowledge Economy to Knowledge Ecology?
FEATURE ARTICLE
"From Knowledge Economy to Knowledge Ecology?
- IBM's David Snowden Maps a 'Third Way'
for KM at Open University Seminar"
By Andrew Everest
Monday 8th of July saw David Snowden, Executive Director of the IBM
sponsored Cynefin Centre for Organisational Complexity, acknowledged
KM 'guru' to governments, corporations and their ilk, deliver an
agenda-setting lecture at The Open University on the next generation
of Knowledge Management.
Entitled "Complex Acts of Knowing - beyond the baleful influence of
the 'tacit' and 'explicit' words", the lecture, hosted by the Open
University Library & BBi (Beds and Bucks Information), gave Mr Snowden
a platform to outline an iconoclastic 'organic' approach to KM.
Offering effectively a 'third way' for KM, his approach does away with
previous simplistic notions based purely on knowledge capture, and
focuses on employing and exploiting traditional human knowledge-
building instincts and behaviours. It conceptualises 'knowledge' as a
flow, rather than a confinable commodity, in need of channelling and
divining rather than control, and suggests use of a variety of
'pragmatic', sometimes unorthodox techniques to bring knowledge to the
surface. With references to channelling of flows and the unorthodox,
and a mysterious Welsh-/Druidic-sounding Moniker, one might have been
be excused for thinking this new 3G KM had something of the 3rd Age
about it!
FEATURE ARTICLE
"From Knowledge Economy to Knowledge Ecology?
- IBM's David Snowden Maps a 'Third Way'
for KM at Open University Seminar"
By Andrew Everest
Monday 8th of July saw David Snowden, Executive Director of the IBM
sponsored Cynefin Centre for Organisational Complexity, acknowledged
KM 'guru' to governments, corporations and their ilk, deliver an
agenda-setting lecture at The Open University on the next generation
of Knowledge Management.
Entitled "Complex Acts of Knowing - beyond the baleful influence of
the 'tacit' and 'explicit' words", the lecture, hosted by the Open
University Library & BBi (Beds and Bucks Information), gave Mr Snowden
a platform to outline an iconoclastic 'organic' approach to KM.
Offering effectively a 'third way' for KM, his approach does away with
previous simplistic notions based purely on knowledge capture, and
focuses on employing and exploiting traditional human knowledge-
building instincts and behaviours. It conceptualises 'knowledge' as a
flow, rather than a confinable commodity, in need of channelling and
divining rather than control, and suggests use of a variety of
'pragmatic', sometimes unorthodox techniques to bring knowledge to the
surface. With references to channelling of flows and the unorthodox,
and a mysterious Welsh-/Druidic-sounding Moniker, one might have been
be excused for thinking this new 3G KM had something of the 3rd Age
about it!
Thursday, October 03, 2002
A Review of
Richard Lanham's
The Electronic Word
Rather than experiencing a complete return to an oral-based culture, the electronic media of our time reintroduce elements of oral culture into our consciousness and will fuse strangely with print literacy.
For instance, it seems likely that in twenty or thirty years time, schoolchildren will hand in homework assignments that are extremely hypertextual: the assignments will involve the production of 'texts' that combine sound, animation (and video), graphics, and hot-spots to other information located in the electronic text world. And they will also involve text.
Richard Lanham's
The Electronic Word
Rather than experiencing a complete return to an oral-based culture, the electronic media of our time reintroduce elements of oral culture into our consciousness and will fuse strangely with print literacy.
For instance, it seems likely that in twenty or thirty years time, schoolchildren will hand in homework assignments that are extremely hypertextual: the assignments will involve the production of 'texts' that combine sound, animation (and video), graphics, and hot-spots to other information located in the electronic text world. And they will also involve text.
Wednesday, October 02, 2002
Magna Cum Loud
The art of DJing has come a long way. How far? A new school is drawing students from Wall Street and beyond.
FORTUNE
Monday, October 14, 2002
By Daniel Roth
Singer Angie Stone has a nice hit in "Wish I Didn't Miss You." The song is danceable, features appropriately vacuous lyrics, and has an infectious groove. But, for Eric Schimmel, "Wish" has a major flaw: Its tempo doesn't match King of House's "Billie Jean Club Remix."
It's a DJ's worst nightmare. And Schimmel, 31, is determined to be a DJ. By day, Schimmel's a vice president in emerging markets for Credit Lyonnais, but at night he's been spinning at a restaurant in Manhattan. Now's he's preparing for the big leagues: a chance to DJ at a club in Ibiza, Spain. He knows these two records played back to back will be a hit with the dancers, but he has to get it right. So on a humid Friday night in August, Schimmel--suit jacket off and tie loosened--stands behind two turntables with his tutor, a 34-year-old giant by the name of DJ Kwest.
As Stone's song plays, Schimmel puts one finger in the air, flicking it up at each of the snares and down at the bass drum. Finding the beat, he reaches for the mixing board that rests between the spinning records and slowly inches over a lever that should seamlessly stitch the songs. The result is a mess of drums and ...
The art of DJing has come a long way. How far? A new school is drawing students from Wall Street and beyond.
FORTUNE
Monday, October 14, 2002
By Daniel Roth
Singer Angie Stone has a nice hit in "Wish I Didn't Miss You." The song is danceable, features appropriately vacuous lyrics, and has an infectious groove. But, for Eric Schimmel, "Wish" has a major flaw: Its tempo doesn't match King of House's "Billie Jean Club Remix."
It's a DJ's worst nightmare. And Schimmel, 31, is determined to be a DJ. By day, Schimmel's a vice president in emerging markets for Credit Lyonnais, but at night he's been spinning at a restaurant in Manhattan. Now's he's preparing for the big leagues: a chance to DJ at a club in Ibiza, Spain. He knows these two records played back to back will be a hit with the dancers, but he has to get it right. So on a humid Friday night in August, Schimmel--suit jacket off and tie loosened--stands behind two turntables with his tutor, a 34-year-old giant by the name of DJ Kwest.
As Stone's song plays, Schimmel puts one finger in the air, flicking it up at each of the snares and down at the bass drum. Finding the beat, he reaches for the mixing board that rests between the spinning records and slowly inches over a lever that should seamlessly stitch the songs. The result is a mess of drums and ...
Subject: Mechanics Gripes
After every flight, pilots complete a gripe sheet which conveys to the
mechanics problems encountered with the aircraft during the flight that need
repair or correction. The form is a piece of paper that the pilot completes
and then the mechanics read and correct the problem. They then respond in
writing on the lower half of the form what remedial action was taken and the
pilot reviews the gripe sheets before the next flight.
Never let it be said that ground crews and engineers lack a sense of humor.
Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints and problems submitted by
QANTAS pilots and the solution recorded by maintenance engineers.
By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident.
P = The problem logged by the pilot.
S = The solution and action taken by the engineers..
**********************************************
>>P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
>>S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
>>
>>P: Test flight OK, except autoland very rough.
>>S: Autoland not installed on this aircraft.
>>
>>P: No. 2 propeller seeping prop fluid.
>>S: No. 2 propeller seepage normal. No's 1, 3, and 4 propellers
>>lack normal seepage.
>>
>>P: Something loose in cockpit.
>>S: Something tightened in cockpit.
>>
>>P: Dead bugs on windshield.
>>S: Live bugs on backorder.
>>
>>P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 fpm descent.
>>S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
>>
>>P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
>>S: Evidence removed.
>>
>>P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
>>S: DME volume set to more believable level..
>>
>>P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
>>S: That's what they're there for.
>>
>>P: IFF inoperative.
>>S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
>>
>>P: Suspected crack in windshield.
>>S: Suspect you're right.
>>
>>P: Number 3 engine missing.
>>S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.
>>
>>P: Aircraft handles funny.
>>S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.
>>
>>P: Target radar hums.
>>S: Reprogrammed target radar with words.
>>
>>P: Mouse in cockpit.
>>S: Cat installed.
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