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February 6, 2006

22:24

Yeah, yeah, another stupid open thread.

Categories: Blogs
22:10






Washington conducting electronic surveillance.
Categories: Blogs
21:44

Yeah, yeah, another stupid open thread.

Categories: Blogs
19:50
Uh, Washington?

Alberto: President Washington, President Lincoln, President Wilson, President Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance on a far broader scale.


Aside from the rather obvious issue of, you know, lacking electronic communications at the time, what war was President Washington fighting?
Categories: Blogs
19:46
Two snaps up. Go see it.
Categories: Blogs

February 3, 2006

11:56
Are these view well-reflected in the press and punditocracy? Among unnamed Democratic consultants frightened of Karl Rove?

A new Gallup Poll, conducted in late January, reveals that just 39% of Americans approve of the way President Bush is handling Iraq, with 58% disapproving.

Over half (53%) now say the administration "deliberately misled the American public about whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction," with 46% disagreeing. Gallup notes that this finding is "essentially reversed" from one year ago.

Further, some 51% say the U.S. "made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq." Yet, despite this, only 17% expect a significant reduction of U.S. troops in Iraq in the next year.


(via Mia Culpa)
Categories: Blogs
11:53

Hold, threads!

Categories: Blogs
09:04
For some reason I noticed this awhile back and have keep checking back every few days and I have yet to find any more information. On January 21 it was reported that Katherine P. Singleton was killed in Iraq. There have still been no details released by the military and no further reporting on the subject.
Categories: Blogs
08:54
I could spend my life doing blogger ethics panels.

Oddly, though, no one has asked me to.
Categories: Blogs
08:47
This kind of thing is so common that we usually don't even notice it. Not just common, but universal. Business news is reported almost entirely from the perspective of how it will be likely to affect monetary policy first and the stock market second and on not on how it might actually affect most readers of the newspaper.

Speaking of business news, what the hell happened to NPR's Marketwatch? It used to be a pretty decent business show with a slightly different perspective from what you usually get. At least when I've heard it recently it's sounded like it's been taken over by John Stossel.
Categories: Blogs
08:31
Once again the under bet wins. It's won almost every time over the past few years. Consensus forecast was 250K new jobs, actualy number was 193K.


It's decent news, but nothing to get excited about. Still we're the closest we've been to a "getting tighter" labor market since Bush took office.
Categories: Blogs
08:15
God I hate this shit, and I wish "our side" was better on these issues.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Several consumer, arts and public interest groups today jointly sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee condemning provisions in the Trademark Dilution Revision Act (H.R. 683) that weaken protections for individuals and small businesses that refer to companies by their trademarks. The groups - the American Library Association, Public Citizen, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowledge, Professional Photographers of America, the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, and National Video Resources - also suggested minor changes to the bill that would maintain protection against big companies when people cite their trademarks.


Consumers and artists are currently protected from being sued for trademark infringement by companies if the use of the trademark is for "fair use" - a use that must meet a complex legal test - for news reporting/commentary, or for non-commercial use, but the recently passed House version of H.R. 683 eliminates the current non-commercial protection that the public receives. For instance, when Don McLean sang about driving his Chevy to the levee and finding the levee dry, the songwriter could have been sued for trademark dilution under the current language of the bill. Or when Walter Mondale criticized Gary Hart during the 1984 primaries by using Wendy's slogan, "Where's the beef," the remarks could be considered a trademark violation under the bill as passed by the House. According to the groups, this measure would severely limit small business owners, artists, photographers, illustrators and consumers from mentioning or using references to companies' trademarks. The result would force individuals who are being sued by companies to use a defense that is more difficult to prove.


"Unfortunately, some trademark owners are not content with using trademarks to inform consumers of their sponsorship, but would like to expand the trademark laws to interfere with robust commentary," the letter from the groups said.


The original purpose of trademark law was to protect consumers from confusion, not to protect the sanctity of a brand.
Categories: Blogs

February 2, 2006

22:08

Poor threaded one.

Categories: Blogs
22:00

Threading softly to the river.

Categories: Blogs
21:21

When you had left our pirate thread.

Categories: Blogs
20:39
Barry reminds us that it's time for the monthly jobs report and so I have a chance to make my over/under bet. Consensus forecast is 250K new jobs. I'm going to go with the under bet, though my guess is that it won't be much under. There have been, for this administration at least, some relatively positive labor market noises recently.
Categories: Blogs
20:07
Link:

A well-traveled photograph of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar being embraced by President Bush prior to Tuesday's State of the Union address triggered a rush of Internet donations to one of Cuellar's Democratic primary rivals Thursday.

Within hours of a call to arms being posted on two liberal-leaning political blogs, the Daily Kos and Eschaton, former congressman Ciro Rodriguez's campaign received 263 cyber contributions totaling nearly $12,000, according to ActBlue, a Web-based clearinghouse for Democratic candidates nationwide.

“This may be billed as a Democratic primary, but in this solidly Democratic Latino-majority district, Republicans needed a Republican in sheep's clothing like Cuellar to have a chance of winning,” the Daily Kos blog post read.

Oscar Sanchez, a spokesman for the Rodriguez campaign, said the photograph of Bush holding a smiling Cuellar's head between his hands struck a nerve among Democrats.

“It really shows that Democrats want a real Democrat in Congress,” Sanchez said.


Making news means making Mo.

You can help here.
Categories: Blogs
19:05
What every American, Jewish or otherwise, should know about him.
Categories: Blogs
17:54
Blogs should be different than they are.
Categories: Blogs