Woman Buys Gloves For Entire Tacoma School
Thursday, December 18, 2008
TACOMA, Wash. -- A woman who saw children Monday with no mittens bought 300 pairs of gloves and donated them Tuesday to Stanley Elementary School in Tacoma.
For complete article, click on link below.
http://www.kirotv.com/news/18309510/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news
Friday, December 19, 2008
Can A Blog Be Sued For Defamation?
Isn't It All Free Speech?
Excerpt By: Kelly O'Donnell - Global Legal Network
This is a knotty issue, but a short answer would be, generally, that a blog owner whose blog has published obnoxious materials can be held harmless while a blogger using the site can be liable. The Communications Decency Act of 1996 is a protector of blog owners. It states, in section 230, that it "precludes courts from entertaining claims that would place a computer service provider in a publisher's role." As to how the court sees blogs, in general, overall, the US Supreme Court has ruled that blogs are similar to news groups, saying "in the context of defamation law, the rights of the institutional media are no greater and no less than those enjoyed by other individuals and organizations engaged in the same activities."
For bloggers, all Defamation legal rules apply to their posts. But there are many complications in applying them. First, many people who post online comments, and probably those tending to make the most inflammatory and false statements, will do so anonymously, for obvious reasons. So the first threshold is identifying the blogger making Defamatory claims. Several things make this difficult, as well. Since the blogger probably will not identify themselves when the issue comes to light, there needs to be a legal process that allows identification. They can be traced by high-tech means, but a court must agree via summary judgment that all the elements of Defamation have been met. This technology does have some limits, as well, as it can be stymied through use of "Proxies," which mask the true origin of the blogger. Also, the website owner may not cooperate in the search, as well.
A recent case showed how powerful Defamation laws, applied online, can be. In November 2006, a Florida woman, Sue Scheff, was awarded $11.3 million in damages in Broward County Circuit Court, in one of the biggest awards ever tolled. The suit was filed for Internet defamation, and the jury found a Louisiana woman had posted caustic messages against the Scheff and her company, claiming she was a "con artist" and "fraud". The jury found the charges were completely false, so the Louisiana woman had no defense. Interestingly, Scheff's attorney had offered to settle the case for $35,000 before it went before the jury.
Excerpt By: Kelly O'Donnell - Global Legal Network
This is a knotty issue, but a short answer would be, generally, that a blog owner whose blog has published obnoxious materials can be held harmless while a blogger using the site can be liable. The Communications Decency Act of 1996 is a protector of blog owners. It states, in section 230, that it "precludes courts from entertaining claims that would place a computer service provider in a publisher's role." As to how the court sees blogs, in general, overall, the US Supreme Court has ruled that blogs are similar to news groups, saying "in the context of defamation law, the rights of the institutional media are no greater and no less than those enjoyed by other individuals and organizations engaged in the same activities."
For bloggers, all Defamation legal rules apply to their posts. But there are many complications in applying them. First, many people who post online comments, and probably those tending to make the most inflammatory and false statements, will do so anonymously, for obvious reasons. So the first threshold is identifying the blogger making Defamatory claims. Several things make this difficult, as well. Since the blogger probably will not identify themselves when the issue comes to light, there needs to be a legal process that allows identification. They can be traced by high-tech means, but a court must agree via summary judgment that all the elements of Defamation have been met. This technology does have some limits, as well, as it can be stymied through use of "Proxies," which mask the true origin of the blogger. Also, the website owner may not cooperate in the search, as well.
A recent case showed how powerful Defamation laws, applied online, can be. In November 2006, a Florida woman, Sue Scheff, was awarded $11.3 million in damages in Broward County Circuit Court, in one of the biggest awards ever tolled. The suit was filed for Internet defamation, and the jury found a Louisiana woman had posted caustic messages against the Scheff and her company, claiming she was a "con artist" and "fraud". The jury found the charges were completely false, so the Louisiana woman had no defense. Interestingly, Scheff's attorney had offered to settle the case for $35,000 before it went before the jury.
From The Daily "A" - The Port/Tongue Point Secrecy Versus The Public's Right To Know
12/17/2008 12:25:00 PM
Port hits secrecy snag on Tongue Point!
Sale is confidential, but county wants to make meetings public
By CASSANDRA PROFITA - The Daily Astorian
Port of Astoria leaders are worried about keeping the details of their North Tongue Point purchase confidential as Clatsop County leaders move to arrange a public analysis of the deal.The Port has asked the county for an undisclosed sum of video lottery funds to pay for part of the confidential North Tongue Point purchase price.
Click on link below for full story.
http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=56825&TM=42591.39
Port hits secrecy snag on Tongue Point!
Sale is confidential, but county wants to make meetings public
By CASSANDRA PROFITA - The Daily Astorian
Port of Astoria leaders are worried about keeping the details of their North Tongue Point purchase confidential as Clatsop County leaders move to arrange a public analysis of the deal.The Port has asked the county for an undisclosed sum of video lottery funds to pay for part of the confidential North Tongue Point purchase price.
Click on link below for full story.
http://www.dailyastorian.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=56825&TM=42591.39
Monday, December 15, 2008
10 Things To Never Say To A Car Dealer
Even in a "Buyers Market" it pays to watch what you say.
By Sam Foley of MSN autos
So you’ve decided to buy a new or pre-owned car. You know the make, model and year of the chariot. You even know what features you want. Now it’s time to head to your local dealer and sign on the bottom line, right? Not by a long shot. It’s now time to negotiate price. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, here are 10 phrases you should never utter in earshot of a car dealer — and why..........
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/listarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=765384&topart=luxury
By Sam Foley of MSN autos
So you’ve decided to buy a new or pre-owned car. You know the make, model and year of the chariot. You even know what features you want. Now it’s time to head to your local dealer and sign on the bottom line, right? Not by a long shot. It’s now time to negotiate price. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, here are 10 phrases you should never utter in earshot of a car dealer — and why..........
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/listarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=765384&topart=luxury
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