Posts Tagged: politics

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30
Aug 10

Cartoon: So Sue Me

If you own a big tech firm, you aren’t Microsoft, and you weren’t named in the patent lawsuit filed this week by Paul Allen’s Interval Licensing, well… you’re probably looking deep into your soul today and asking where it all went wrong. If you aren’t a defendant - which includes AOL, Apple, eBay, Facebook, Google and Yahoo! - why not?

…Craig, click on the legal status tab for something perhaps even more intriguing: if I’m reading it correctly, that patent appears to be collateral, put up by AOL and currently held by the Bank of America. (Bear in mind that I have precisely zero legal expertise in this area. In fact, I have what I would describe as negative legal expertise: I am capable of reducing the net legal knowledge of a room simply by walking into it. It’s my admittedly meh superpower.)

Doug, that’s an interesting but unintended read of the first one-third of the sentence. (Anyone else reach the same conclusion?) If you grasp the nettle, steel your nerves and follow the sentence all the way to the end, though, then:

1) you should be sure to rehydrate after the long journey (my old J-school profs would flay me for writing such a lengthy lead), and

2) you’ll probably realize that these are three conditions followed by a conclusion: if (a) and (b) and (c) then (d). You apparently read it instead as “If (a) then (b) and (c), and Error:…

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Cartoon: So Sue Me

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29
Aug 10

U.S. Stocks Fall for Third Week, Longest Decline Since February

U.S.

…P 500 ended the week down 0.7 percent at 1,064.59 after slumping 1.5 percent on Aug. 24 and rising 1.7 percent yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 62.97 points, or 0.6 percent, to 10,150.65, extending its decline to 3 percent this month.
Investing in stocks is like being on a tightrope right now, said Michael Mullaney, who manages $9 billion at Fiduciary Trust Co. in Boston. The chance that we get economic acceleration is virtually nil. We re in the midst of a double dip in housing that s going to weigh heavily in the consumer s mind. Bernanke s comments were positive. If he d said anything less than that, it would be surprising.
The…

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U.S. Stocks Fall for Third Week, Longest Decline Since February

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24
Aug 10

Home Sales Plunge 27 pct. To Lowest in 15 Years

Previously occupied home sales sink 27 pct. to lowest level since 1995 as economy weakens…………………………

…Sales of previously occupied homes in the United States fell 27 percent in July, the weakest showing in 15 years, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. It was the largest monthly drop in the four decades that records have been kept.

Potential buyers are hesitating because they think home prices still have further to fall. Potential sellers - those with the stomach to put their homes on the market at all, anyway - are reluctant to lower their prices.

“It really is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” said Aaron Zapata, a real estate agent in Brea, Calif. “If all buyers perceive that home prices are coming down, then they will stop making offers - and home prices will come down.”

While the standoff plays out, home sales are plummeting.

Sharp declines were recorded in each of the four regions the group tracks. Yet the pain is being felt unevenly from state to state and city to city. Some markets are rebounding even as others languish.

Sellers in sluggish markets like Las Vegas and Chicago can…

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Home Sales Plunge 27 pct. To Lowest in 15 Years

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24
Aug 10

10 Prep Schools That Cost More Than Elite Universities

Prep schools, especially those on the East Coast, are assembly lines for minting rich and famous people.

…If more public schools felt that way, then private schools might not be quite so popular these days.
Middlesex School has a pretty long list of well known alumni, including one Vice Presidential candidate (Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.) and one presidential candidate (Bill Richardson). It’s also a strong sports school, requiring all underclassmen to play competitive sports three seasons of the year.
Middlesex’s need to compete in sports actually contributed to a controversy that Middlesex is now famous for. The school pushed to develop a section of Concord’s Estabrook Woodlands, a parcel of land held dear by locals as a wild place, thoroughfare of naturalist Henry David Thoreau, and fighting ground of the Civil War’s Minutemen.
Despite the disagreement of many students, alumni, and local residents, the school finished stamping out 11 acres of this coveted wood to build tennis courts, turf fields, and what are probably some really nifty waterless toilets. Hopefully, this painful development will at least pay off…

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10 Prep Schools That Cost More Than Elite Universities

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23
Aug 10

How the Greek Economic Crisis Saved Americans $12 Billion

As global economic woes continue, Americans are asking when times will get better. It turns out there may be at least some silver lining for us on this side of the Atlantic as a result of the recent Greek financial meltdown.

…Once again, HP supports the frame that the Greek government was wrong to pay its employees well so that they can have a decent quality of life. According to MSM, only super aholes like the kcock brothers are allowed to have decent living conditions.
For years Greece had the lowest standard of living in Europe. The Goldamn sux bankers should not have extended the Greeks credit if they were a bad risk. But it wasn’t about the risk so much as it was about controlling the debt. Cause when you control the debt then you can squeeze the balls till they hurt, as the greeks are finding out and we will soon, too.

Government should work for the people instead of people working for the government….

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How the Greek Economic Crisis Saved Americans $12 Billion

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20
Aug 10

A Low Score for Credit Bureaus

How many of us have fought with Equifax, Experian or TransUnion to get errors removed from our credit reports? For five years running, my own report has included an account with American Express I’ve never had, which, of course, I keep telling the credit bureaus, to no avail.

…(Aug. 18) — When President Barack Obama signed the financial reform bill into law in July, it definitely seemed like a sign of real change. But, as it stands now, it just looks like more of the same.We all want to see Wall Street excesses reined in and a future financial collapse avoided, but, as it turns out, the new reforms do next to nothing to address one of the biggest sources of frustration and hassles for everyday consumers: the credit bureaus.ANOTHER VIEW The credit bureau industry takes accuracy seriously — preventing, finding and fixing mistakes quickly, says Norm Magnuson of the Consumer Data Industry Association.How many of us have fought with Equifax, Experian or TransUnion to get errors removed from our credit reports? For five years running, my own report has included an account with American Express I’ve never had, which, of course, I keep telling the credit bureaus, to no avail.How many of us continue to see our current status tarnished by a late payment from before Jesus was a baby? Or…

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A Low Score for Credit Bureaus

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17
Aug 10

Ovulating women buy sexier clothing: study

Women buy sexier clothes when they’re ovulating, researchers from the University of Minnesota found in a study they say could impact how products associated with looks are marketed. If you look more desirable than your competition, you are more likely to stand out.

…WASHINGTON (AFP) Women buy sexier clothes when they’re ovulating, researchers from the University of Minnesota found in a study they say could impact how products associated with looks are marketed.

“The desire for women at peak fertility to unconsciously choose products that enhance appearance is driven by a desire to outdo attractive rival women,” said Kristina Durante, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management and lead author of the study.

“If you look more desirable than your competition, you are more likely to stand out.”

The researchers found that ovulating women chose sexier clothing and accessories for themselves after being shown photographs of attractive local women than when they were shown photos of unattractive women from their area or women who live more than 1,000 miles away.

Women who were not ovulating did not make the same choice, and the ovulating women made it unconsciously, the researchers found.

The aim of preening during ovulation is…

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Ovulating women buy sexier clothing: study

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12
Aug 10

Seeking Social Return on Investment

Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, describes how her firm is seeking to reinvent philanthropy. By following rigorous business principles, Novogratz has helped fund entrepreneurs developing solutions for clean water, sanitation, and malaria — withthe larger aim of eradicating poverty.

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Seeking Social Return on Investment

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11
Aug 10

Born of Rivalry: How Conflicts Create Corporate Giants PICS

There’s one motivating factor that isn’t typically discussed inbusiness school: sour grapes. A close look at history reveals thatmany household brands—as well as some hyped up-and-comers—were born ofvengeance and betrayal.

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Born of Rivalry: How Conflicts Create Corporate Giants PICS

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11
Aug 10

Man Attempts to Trademark "Ganja" with U.S. Patent Office

On April 1, the U.S. patent office announced a new trademark: “Processed plant matter for medicinal purposes, namely medical marijuana.” The category was killed three months later when the Wall Street Journal asked about it, but in the meantime ganjapreneurs nationwide filed some very interesting pot trademarks.

…On April 1, the U.S. patent office announced a new trademark: “Processed plant matter for medicinal purposes, namely medical marijuana.” The category was killed three months later when the Wall Street Journal asked about it, but in the meantime ganjapreneurs nationwide filed some very interesting pot trademarks — with some of the most colorful coming from Colorado.
At least 20 of the 151 or so applications filed for the new trademark came from Colorado — and there are likely more, filed by trademark lawyers and experts in other states working on behalf of Colorado entities. Some were from local dispensaries trying to protect their name, like the ReLeaf Center and Total Health Concepts. Others were for pot services such as Nug Source, an ad company. And then there were pot products, like “MountainMedibles,” a line of pot-infused edibles purportedly ranging from bagel chips and egg rolls to instant noodles and matzo, as well as “Dr. Canna Cola,” a name we assume speaks for itself.

Yes, someone tried to…

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Man Attempts to Trademark "Ganja" with U.S. Patent Office

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