Dowbrigade

Michigan
Attorney General slams ‘bogus’ anti-spam group

Remove.org, the "Do Not Spam" list outfit, has been
accused of making false claims about its offering and even spamming
people itself.

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox yesterday issued a legal notice
to Remove.org warning the company that it faces a potential lawsuit
under the Michigan Consumer Protection Act for deceptively marketing
its supposedly anti-spam service to consumers

In a hard-hitting statement, Cox said: "This organisation’s
Web site is decorated with the American flag and the Statue of Liberty,
yet there are few more un-American practices than lying to the public
about being a charity recognised by the IRS. Remove.org‘s blatant deception
is a slap in the face of the many legitimate charities that take pains
to comply with state and
federal charity laws.

"The representations this company makes about its service are outrageous.
The boastful claim that consumers will see ‘no more annoying and offensive spam’
is itself offensive."

from
the Register

Using the Internet may harm, not help, people find a job

That surprising finding will be presented Tuesday (Aug. 18) during a
session on economic sociology at the annual meeting of the American Sociological
Association in Atlanta by Christine Fountain, a University of Washington
doctoral student.

"The punch line is everyone thinks the Internet is a great new way to
help people find a job. But it really is not," said Fountain, who
used a sample of monthly U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics
data of 50,000 American households to track two groups of unemployed
workers.
.
Fountain said the prime reasons for this were the quality of job information
available on the Internet, the surge of people using the Internet as
a job search tool and the flood of resumes that has made it more difficult
and time-consuming for employers to sort through job applicants.

"There is a distinction between having a lot of information from
the Internet and the quality of that information," she said. "There
is a lot of information on the Internet that is very useful, but not
necessarily
about jobs. Sites such as Monster.com don’t tell you which jobs you are
suited for and those where you have a real chance of being hired."

from Eureka Alert

There is no such thing as coincidence, right?  So I knew there
was a hidden message somewhere when I heard and read the word "slugabed"
for the first time in my life within two minutes of each other.

I read it first, in an amusing
and informative column in the Boston
Globe Health and Science, dealing with genetic regulation of the body
clock.  It concludes with the logical assertion that having a nice
mix of morning people and night owls evolved to serve the tribe’s need
to have someone alert and on guard 24/7. The word was interesting and novel
enough that I
looked it up.

Immediately afterward, I heard the word spoken, by Dennis Quade to a
comatose Meryl Streep in an opening scene of "Postcards
from the Edge"
which I had somehow avoided seeing until last night.

So what is the hidden message?  Too soon to tell.  As soon
as this damn summer semester ends Friday I will be doing some in-depth
research on the whole state of being "slugabed".We’ll see where that
gets me…

The
objectification, commercialization and mythification of the presidency
took another giant leap forward today with the announcement that a Chinese
company will soon begin selling George Bush Action Figures in the US.

When President Bush landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln, many commentators believed it would figure prominently
in his reelection campaign. What the commentators did not predict is
that Bush would become his own G.I. Joe doll.

For just $39.99, you get a plastic model of Bush wearing flight suit,
survival vest and parachute harness, jauntily carrying helmet and oxygen
mask — just as Bush did on May 1 after climbing out of his S-3B Viking
aircraft.

And of course, the doll is made in China! Blue Box Toys, a Hong Kong-based
company, will be distributing the Bush dolls here through KB Toys
starting Sept.
15.

from the Atlanta Journal Constitution

A blind man has set a world record by reaching a speed of
144mph in a $93,000 Jaguar XRJ 4.2

Mike Newman was alone behind the wheel of the super-charged car during
the record bid at an old aerodrome at Elvington, York.

Mr Newman, a bank manager from Sale, Cheshire carried out the bid in aid of Guide
Dogs For The Blind.  In an emotional celebration, in which he hugged his
wife Kristen, 15-year-old daughter Becky, son Sam, 13, and guide dog Ross, Mr
Newman
said it felt fantastic
to have broken the record. He was in constant radio contact with his stepfather,
also named Mike Newman, who followed at a distance and gave him directions.  from
Ananova