Because the law says that illegal advertising is a crime. So is advertising a price of, say $9.99, and then ringing it up as 19.99 at the register. (My former employer JCPenney got a huge fine for that.) So is making claims that are deceptive or misleading (see the lawsuits about 100MPG magnets for cars). I surmise that if this NAC company went before a judge, he would say the use of only positive reviews while leading the customer to think he/she is seeing ALL reviews, is deceptive and misleading.
We were discussing MEDICINE and the insurers in that market, not hotel rooms. The advent of the government/public option in the UK eventually killed-off the private medical insurers, so what you have now is a monopoly. And monopolies are shit (take-away the right of choice).
>>>it really surprising that any sufficiently complex field has jargon?
Products that are intended to be consumed by the average person on the street should not include jargon - that includes not just user manuals but also laws. The Patriot Act should be written in plain English, so the citizens can understand it and obey it. Or else nullified by a jury on the grounds that the defendant can not reasonably be expected to obey a law he can not read.
"...indeed is our Constitution a complete felo de se [act of suicide]. For intending to establish three departments, coordinate and independent, that they might check and balance one another, it has given, according to this opinion, to one of them alone the right to prescribe rules for the government of the others, and to that one, too, which is unelected by and independent of the nation. For experience has already shown that the impeachment the constitution has provided is not even a scare-crow . . . The Constitution on this hypothesis is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary, which they may twist and shape into any form they please."
Boy that sounds familiar. Police can enter our homes without warrant. The right of free speech does not apply if it's "wrong" speech. Products can be banned from sale simply because the Supreme Court says they can be banned. Even the right to grow corn or potatoes in your own backyard has been taken-away by the Supreme Oligarchs.
>>>whatever the judiciary thinks is what the law means.
Founder of the Democratic Party, Thomas Jefferson: "The question whether the judges are invested with exclusive authority to decide on the constitutionality of a law has been heretofore a subject of consideration with me in the exercise of official duties. Certainly there is not a word in the Constitution which has given that power to them more than to the Executive or Legislative branches."
"But the Chief Justice says, 'There must be an ultimate arbiter somewhere.' True, there must; but does that prove it is either party? The ultimate arbiter is the people of the Union, assembled by their deputies in convention, at the call of Congress or of two-thirds of the States. Let them decide to which they mean to give an authority claimed by two of their organs."
"The Constitution . . . meant that its coordinate branches should be checks on each other. But the opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what not, not only for themselves in their own sphere of action but also for the Legislature and Executive in their spheres, would make the Judiciary a despotic branch."..... "To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions is a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men and not more so."
Laws should be written in plain English, so that when a law reads, "A killer shall be jailed 10 years for each person he/she killed," there is no wiggle room for the judge to twist or distort the meaning. The words are simple and have definite meaning.
>>>Representatives vote for the "patch", but citizens only have to read the final document.
That assumes you can trust whoever scoured through the previous 20 bills and compiled the version viewable by citizens. I personally do not. When the EU eventually passes the Lisbon Treaty, I'm sure they will publish a readable version online, but I'm still going to go back and read the actual bills/laws.
The problem won't be "running out of oil" but having a scarcity that drives the cost sky high. Oil will become rare like gold or silver or copper, and therefore expensive to acquire.
This is expected to happen as soon as 2010, although with the downturn of the economy, we may not feel the effects until 2015.
I guess I happen to live in one of those shitholes you are complaining about. Please, get a life. Get out and smell some fresh (and not so fresh due to cattle and other farm animals) air! More importantly, get out to where the only other human within 20 miles are any companions you brought with you.
I've been to 3rd world countries and even lived in them, and you don't have a stinking clue as to what exists within this country if you think your twisted vision of the USA outside of the metro areas is anything like what you are talking about.
+ 1 . Too many Americans think the world revolves around their urban area, and ignore the people that live in-between. That's why I've done my cross-country trip twice in the last five years. It gives you a sense of perspective when you realize there's more to the world, and alternative non-urban lifestyles, other than what's inside the beltway that circles your city.
>>>FAA...many of them are able to fly for free (on a space available basis)
This is how urban legends and false rumors spread. I worked for the FAA, and *nobody* got a free ride on planes, not even upper-level management. We had to pay for the tickets just the same as anyone else, and then get reimbursed by the government for travel expenses.
1000 miles with speed limits of 75-80 in most central states can be done in 13 hours. I would getup early, say 5 am and arrive at my destination at 6 or 7pm. I've done that many times.
A train would require two days, with many stops and switchovers to other trains, and therefore be inconvenient; whereas with a car you have everything in one convenient spot (the trunk or rear seat) with entertainment (radio) and a familiar environment.
Ahhh come on! Apple Corporation for the last 25 years has *bragged* about the fact you don't need to know how to use computers, in order to use their Macintosh. In the early 80s versions they didn't even use file hierarchies because they didn't want to confuse the users.
"Tyranny by the majority" is the phrase you're looking for. It's why Democracy does not work - it results in the minority being trampled underfoot. Just talk to an American citizen from the 1940s who was unfortunate enough to have a parent from Japan.
Okay random guess - perhaps preparing your body for a specific strain of influenza, weakens its ability to deal with other generalized attacks from other strains (including H1N1). Kinda similar to studying for a test - if you put all your focus on chapter 9 of the textbook, it diminishes your ability to deal with chapters 1-8 because you're not properly prepared.
I would consider it illegal advertising. The site misleads customers to believe they are reading actual user reviews (ALL reviews), which is simply not true. It's misleading and deceptive.
If I found a site like that, I'd report them to consumeraffairs.org, FTC.gov, and any other site I can think of which screens companies. Hopefully the FTC would act to fine that company, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Well most Apple users are communications majors, reporters, or video technicians. They really don't understand how computers work - they just use them.
I've always thought, rather than have revision-upon-revision-upon-revision, so that you have to dig through 20 different bills to arrive at the final document, they should just republish the whole U.S. Code with the changes made. That way you only need to look at one document - the final one. It's not as if we're running out of electrons or paper.
The reason this popped into my head was because of the EU's Treaty of Lisbon. It will have the same force of law as a Constitution, but only consists of a series of "strike that" and "change this" revisions to other prior documents, which makes it rather difficult to read.
The more you talk, the more I wonder if you're a lawyer yourself. Look at this: "If the first party of the first part torts the second party of the first part, then the first party of the second part shall impression the first party of the first part for 20 years unless the violation happened in the second half of the fiscal year (defined in section 12.2.1, 20.6.7, 30.7.6) which shall be 19 years minus any accumulated abrogance that occurred prior to conviction."
How the hell am I supposed to obey that frckuing shitty law??? This is the kidn fo shit lawyers write, and for you to sit there and DEFEND this shit makes me think you're a lawyer yourself, who wants to continue the stupid practices of your dishonest profession.
GRERR!@
I apologize for getting angry, but I just think it's stupid. Laws should be written usign worde I can udnersgtand!!!! Good God. I'm a triple-degreed college grad and I can't even read the U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act! It's completely incompressible. I'm probably in violation of the Act right now, and wouldn't even know it because I can't understand the damn thing. The Patriot Act should be written in plain English for plain people so they can obey the law, rather than stumble around blindly.
When the U.S. was formed it was debated if laws should be published in both English and German. But the 1789 Congress decided the Germans were already learning English, so it wasn't really necessary. I'd say the same is true today - an immigrant may only know Spanish, but he does learn English rather quickly just to survive day-to-day.
As for your typical high school grad, the average reading ability is 8th grade so if laws were written at a 6th grade level, all but the dumbest Americans would understand what they mean. Which is certainly better than the current condition where almost nobody understands them.
>>>Then progressives are idiots for expecting the hospital [correction: corporation] to eat it.
Well most progressives are highly-educated college grads, not idiots. And frankly I'd rather see the cost for poor persons be borne by the megacorps, rather than by me the taxpayer.
>>>I wouldn't put the UK up as a success story
I wasn't. I wqas using it to demonstrate how the government/public option resulted in the death of private insurers in the UK.
Already done, about one week after the "you lie" incident. Now if you want government care you have to show your ID to prove you're a citizen. As for poor people getting free healthcare in the ER, that money comes out of the megacorp's pocket.
i.e. The ultrarich megacorp covers the cost of the poor who have no money. As it should be. People say our healthcare system is broken, but that statement makes me think it's almost perfect and just needs some tweaking. Is it expensive? Well of course. So is repairing your car or your house. Turning the repair of your car, your house, or your body over to government is not going to magically make those costs become free.
>>>The interstate corridors are probably the parts of the country I *wouldn't* want to show off.
Perhaps not, but driving the interstate is something I do almost every day. So do most Americans. Also the interstates are how we get our bills in the mail, our packages ordered off amazon.com, our food shipped from the farms to the stores. That's our real culture, like it or not. (shrug)
As for France, it's been almost twenty years since I've been there so maybe things have changed, but my impression was one giant suburb. Definitely not the same as driving across the states. Perhaps if you were driving across southern Russia, then that would be closer.;-)
An undercover Fed acting as an illegal alien was able to bypass the Mexican border by simply bribing the guard 50 dollars. The guard left the illegal into the U.S.
Microsoft's not a monopoly either, but they were still accused of monopolistic practices and forced by the EU to open their Windows setup to multiple browsers (the "choose your browser" install popup). If Apple continues down this path, considering the iStore and iTunes represent 85% of all online music sales, then they too will be forced to open-up their software by the EU or the US DOJ.
So:
Is there a method Palm can use to import my iStore-purchased music into their devices, and not break the law or USB-IF rules?
Slashdot Mirror
>>>Why is this illegal?
Because the law says that illegal advertising is a crime. So is advertising a price of, say $9.99, and then ringing it up as 19.99 at the register. (My former employer JCPenney got a huge fine for that.) So is making claims that are deceptive or misleading (see the lawsuits about 100MPG magnets for cars). I surmise that if this NAC company went before a judge, he would say the use of only positive reviews while leading the customer to think he/she is seeing ALL reviews, is deceptive and misleading.
>>>hotel services (upmarket rooms).
We were discussing MEDICINE and the insurers in that market, not hotel rooms. The advent of the government/public option in the UK eventually killed-off the private medical insurers, so what you have now is a monopoly. And monopolies are shit (take-away the right of choice).
>>>it really surprising that any sufficiently complex field has jargon?
Products that are intended to be consumed by the average person on the street should not include jargon - that includes not just user manuals but also laws. The Patriot Act should be written in plain English, so the citizens can understand it and obey it. Or else nullified by a jury on the grounds that the defendant can not reasonably be expected to obey a law he can not read.
P.S. Another Jefferson quote:
"...indeed is our Constitution a complete felo de se [act of suicide]. For intending to establish three departments, coordinate and independent, that they might check and balance one another, it has given, according to this opinion, to one of them alone the right to prescribe rules for the government of the others, and to that one, too, which is unelected by and independent of the nation. For experience has already shown that the impeachment the constitution has provided is not even a scare-crow . . . The Constitution on this hypothesis is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary, which they may twist and shape into any form they please."
Boy that sounds familiar. Police can enter our homes without warrant. The right of free speech does not apply if it's "wrong" speech. Products can be banned from sale simply because the Supreme Court says they can be banned. Even the right to grow corn or potatoes in your own backyard has been taken-away by the Supreme Oligarchs.
>>>whatever the judiciary thinks is what the law means.
Founder of the Democratic Party, Thomas Jefferson: "The question whether the judges are invested with exclusive authority to decide on the constitutionality of a law has been heretofore a subject of consideration with me in the exercise of official duties. Certainly there is not a word in the Constitution which has given that power to them more than to the Executive or Legislative branches."
"But the Chief Justice says, 'There must be an ultimate arbiter somewhere.' True, there must; but does that prove it is either party? The ultimate arbiter is the people of the Union, assembled by their deputies in convention, at the call of Congress or of two-thirds of the States. Let them decide to which they mean to give an authority claimed by two of their organs."
"The Constitution . . . meant that its coordinate branches should be checks on each other. But the opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what not, not only for themselves in their own sphere of action but also for the Legislature and Executive in their spheres, would make the Judiciary a despotic branch." ..... "To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions is a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men and not more so."
Laws should be written in plain English, so that when a law reads, "A killer shall be jailed 10 years for each person he/she killed," there is no wiggle room for the judge to twist or distort the meaning. The words are simple and have definite meaning.
>>>Representatives vote for the "patch", but citizens only have to read the final document.
That assumes you can trust whoever scoured through the previous 20 bills and compiled the version viewable by citizens. I personally do not. When the EU eventually passes the Lisbon Treaty, I'm sure they will publish a readable version online, but I'm still going to go back and read the actual bills/laws.
The problem won't be "running out of oil" but having a scarcity that drives the cost sky high. Oil will become rare like gold or silver or copper, and therefore expensive to acquire.
This is expected to happen as soon as 2010, although with the downturn of the economy, we may not feel the effects until 2015.
I guess I happen to live in one of those shitholes you are complaining about. Please, get a life. Get out and smell some fresh (and not so fresh due to cattle and other farm animals) air! More importantly, get out to where the only other human within 20 miles are any companions you brought with you.
I've been to 3rd world countries and even lived in them, and you don't have a stinking clue as to what exists within this country if you think your twisted vision of the USA outside of the metro areas is anything like what you are talking about.
+ 1 . Too many Americans think the world revolves around their urban area, and ignore the people that live in-between. That's why I've done my cross-country trip twice in the last five years. It gives you a sense of perspective when you realize there's more to the world, and alternative non-urban lifestyles, other than what's inside the beltway that circles your city.
>>>FAA...many of them are able to fly for free (on a space available basis)
This is how urban legends and false rumors spread. I worked for the FAA, and *nobody* got a free ride on planes, not even upper-level management. We had to pay for the tickets just the same as anyone else, and then get reimbursed by the government for travel expenses.
1000 miles with speed limits of 75-80 in most central states can be done in 13 hours. I would getup early, say 5 am and arrive at my destination at 6 or 7pm. I've done that many times.
A train would require two days, with many stops and switchovers to other trains, and therefore be inconvenient; whereas with a car you have everything in one convenient spot (the trunk or rear seat) with entertainment (radio) and a familiar environment.
Ahhh come on! Apple Corporation for the last 25 years has *bragged* about the fact you don't need to know how to use computers, in order to use their Macintosh. In the early 80s versions they didn't even use file hierarchies because they didn't want to confuse the users.
"Tyranny by the majority" is the phrase you're looking for. It's why Democracy does not work - it results in the minority being trampled underfoot. Just talk to an American citizen from the 1940s who was unfortunate enough to have a parent from Japan.
>>>The guy either lied or he's incompetent. Either way, fire the bum!
If we held fast to this theory, we'd have to fire the entire Parliament, since they don't even bother to read the legislation placed in front of them.
Okay random guess - perhaps preparing your body for a specific strain of influenza, weakens its ability to deal with other generalized attacks from other strains (including H1N1). Kinda similar to studying for a test - if you put all your focus on chapter 9 of the textbook, it diminishes your ability to deal with chapters 1-8 because you're not properly prepared.
(shrug)
I would consider it illegal advertising. The site misleads customers to believe they are reading actual user reviews (ALL reviews), which is simply not true. It's misleading and deceptive.
If I found a site like that, I'd report them to consumeraffairs.org, FTC.gov, and any other site I can think of which screens companies. Hopefully the FTC would act to fine that company, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Well most Apple users are communications majors, reporters, or video technicians. They really don't understand how computers work - they just use them.
If Microsoft is a monopoly based upon its market penetration, then so too is the iStore.
I've always thought, rather than have revision-upon-revision-upon-revision, so that you have to dig through 20 different bills to arrive at the final document, they should just republish the whole U.S. Code with the changes made. That way you only need to look at one document - the final one. It's not as if we're running out of electrons or paper.
The reason this popped into my head was because of the EU's Treaty of Lisbon. It will have the same force of law as a Constitution, but only consists of a series of "strike that" and "change this" revisions to other prior documents, which makes it rather difficult to read.
Perhaps that was done on purpose.
The more you talk, the more I wonder if you're a lawyer yourself. Look at this: "If the first party of the first part torts the second party of the first part, then the first party of the second part shall impression the first party of the first part for 20 years unless the violation happened in the second half of the fiscal year (defined in section 12.2.1, 20.6.7, 30.7.6) which shall be 19 years minus any accumulated abrogance that occurred prior to conviction."
How the hell am I supposed to obey that frckuing shitty law??? This is the kidn fo shit lawyers write, and for you to sit there and DEFEND this shit makes me think you're a lawyer yourself, who wants to continue the stupid practices of your dishonest profession.
GRERR!@
I apologize for getting angry, but I just think it's stupid. Laws should be written usign worde I can udnersgtand!!!! Good God. I'm a triple-degreed college grad and I can't even read the U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act! It's completely incompressible. I'm probably in violation of the Act right now, and wouldn't even know it because I can't understand the damn thing. The Patriot Act should be written in plain English for plain people so they can obey the law, rather than stumble around blindly.
When the U.S. was formed it was debated if laws should be published in both English and German. But the 1789 Congress decided the Germans were already learning English, so it wasn't really necessary. I'd say the same is true today - an immigrant may only know Spanish, but he does learn English rather quickly just to survive day-to-day.
As for your typical high school grad, the average reading ability is 8th grade so if laws were written at a 6th grade level, all but the dumbest Americans would understand what they mean. Which is certainly better than the current condition where almost nobody understands them.
>>>Then progressives are idiots for expecting the hospital [correction: corporation] to eat it.
Well most progressives are highly-educated college grads, not idiots. And frankly I'd rather see the cost for poor persons be borne by the megacorps, rather than by me the taxpayer.
>>>I wouldn't put the UK up as a success story
I wasn't. I wqas using it to demonstrate how the government/public option resulted in the death of private insurers in the UK.
>>>what if they modified the bill to require ID
Already done, about one week after the "you lie" incident. Now if you want government care you have to show your ID to prove you're a citizen. As for poor people getting free healthcare in the ER, that money comes out of the megacorp's pocket.
i.e. The ultrarich megacorp covers the cost of the poor who have no money. As it should be. People say our healthcare system is broken, but that statement makes me think it's almost perfect and just needs some tweaking. Is it expensive? Well of course. So is repairing your car or your house. Turning the repair of your car, your house, or your body over to government is not going to magically make those costs become free.
>>>The interstate corridors are probably the parts of the country I *wouldn't* want to show off.
Perhaps not, but driving the interstate is something I do almost every day. So do most Americans. Also the interstates are how we get our bills in the mail, our packages ordered off amazon.com, our food shipped from the farms to the stores. That's our real culture, like it or not. (shrug)
As for France, it's been almost twenty years since I've been there so maybe things have changed, but my impression was one giant suburb. Definitely not the same as driving across the states. Perhaps if you were driving across southern Russia, then that would be closer. ;-)
An undercover Fed acting as an illegal alien was able to bypass the Mexican border by simply bribing the guard 50 dollars. The guard left the illegal into the U.S.
It still sounds like BASIC is closer to "plain language" than Cobol.
Microsoft's not a monopoly either, but they were still accused of monopolistic practices and forced by the EU to open their Windows setup to multiple browsers (the "choose your browser" install popup). If Apple continues down this path, considering the iStore and iTunes represent 85% of all online music sales, then they too will be forced to open-up their software by the EU or the US DOJ.
So:
Is there a method Palm can use to import my iStore-purchased music into their devices, and not break the law or USB-IF rules?