Wednesday whimsies

tytoc collie and Merpel thought
the ABA 'Best Blawg' badge a
bit, er, conspicuous, so they've
opted for this one instead.

Ever conscious of its beauty, wit and unparalleled singing voice, the Kat is justifiably vain. It was good to learn this week that this vanity is not unjustified: tytoc collie Weblog has, it seems, been listed in the ABA Law Journal's Blawg 100, as one of the 100 best law blogs as selected by that journal's naturally discerning experts. There is apparently a voting procedure to establish which blogs are most popular in a variety of areas of legal application.  The voting ends on 30 December -- but you have to register with the ABA Law Journal (even if you're already an ABA member) before you can express your preference -- a shrewd exercise in data-capture if ever there was one.  Never one to court popularity, tytoc collie congratulates his 99 colleagues on their achievement and wonders who they are since he couldn't find a link to the list ...

IPKat team member Jeremy was partying last night at the Intellectual Property Magazine Awards Dinner at London's Dorchester Hotel, in the company of (among others) some distinguished IP owners, lawyers, in-housers, service providers and even bloggers.  More on the event later -- but now he just wants to say how lovely it is to see the IP community crystallising into the warm, friendly, community of shared interests for which he has always argued.  A few years ago it would have been unthinkable for the editor of one IP publication (in this case JIPLP) to be invited to present an award at a ceremony organised by another. He was also thrilled to discover that it was possible to park his car in the cosy warmth of an indoor carpark for the entire evening for less than the cost of three pints of Badger at The Old Nick (where he'll be this Thursday, from 5pm to 6pm, if anyone wants to pop in and say "hello" ...

Sleeping on the job? Suzy should
be commenting on Neil's blogpost

tytoc collie is sometimes surprised by readers' reactions -- but non-reactions can be even more surprising. Not a single comment followed Neil Wilkof's thoughtful little piece on termination of joint trade mark ownership which, we all thought, would have lots of people bouncing up and down in front of their keyboards.  Perhaps the item was posted too close to the weekend, mewses Merpel.

Patent litigants are quite a prickly
bunch -- but time is pressing!

Call to action.  Writing PatLit's eighth feature in its PPC Pages series, Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys president Alasdair Poore reminds readers that there is a consultation in progress on whether the amount of damages recoverable for patent infringement before the cute, cuddly Patents County Court should be capped at £500,00 (plus interest), or at a higher or lower figure.  He urges anyone with an opinion on the matter to get a move on, since consultations close on Friday 3 December.  tytoc collie adds a little note for the Intellectual Property Office:  it would be really handy, he says, if people who are thinking of making comments could see who else has already made comments and what they've said.  Is it possible to do this?


Around the blogs.  Scottish solicitor Susan Sneddon (Maclay Murray & Spens) has written an extremely helpful note, hosted here on PatLit, on a ruling that a patent proprietor is entitled to seek a "springboard" account of profits from an infringer, where the latter has derived a benefit not merely from his infringing acts but also from the fact that, by virtue of his infringement, he gets into the market ahead of others.

Sticky issue.  tytoc collie has been approached by Tom Garland, who is doing some research into the origins of the 'Sticky Note" pad. In particular, he is interested in obtaining information concerning a Swiss inventor, one Walter Eugster of Zurich (CH 452-479). Writes Tom: "My sincere English-only efforts to locate the story of his invention have produced nothing".  Does any reader have first-hand knowledge of Mr Eugster and his invention?

Justin Bieber Versus Youtube

Over the past weekend, Internet pop sensation Justin Bieber went to upload the music video of his new song called “Pray” to his personal YouTube site. He was in for a rude surprise: YouTube automatically blocked his video upload on “copyright grounds” that the video contained content from Universal Music Group (UMG), parent company to Bieber’s record label, Island Def Jam records.

“yo youtube…how u gonna block my own song?!?!?!” wrote an outraged Bieber on his Twitter account. In another Twitter update, he wrote, “dear youtube…we started this journey and now u r cheatin on me with this vevo chica…i see how it is…i will be over here with facebook [sic].” (Vevo is the music video website responsible for Bieber’s official YouTube syndication, and is a joint venture between music giants Sony Music Entertainment, UMG and Abu Dhabi Media.)

In response, YouTube wrote back to Bieber on its Twitter account, “sorry about the upload pain around ‘Pray’. That’s between you and your label but we love you [both] so let’s figure this out!”

But the damage was done. Frustrated with the Google-owned video site, Bieber instead uploaded his video using Facebook’s video app onto his Facebook page. “no one keeps my music from my fans. nobody,” he wrote on Twitter.

There’s a level of irony to the situation. Bieber got his start on YouTube, where home videos of him on his account singing covers of hip-hop songs from artists Usher and Chris Brown attracted the attention of a talent scout in 2007. After a meteoric rise to fame, Bieber is one of the biggest YouTube stars today, the second to reach 1 billion views on the Google-owned video site, behind Lady Gaga.

You would think if anyone deserved to be able to upload his own music videos to YouTube, it would be Bieber. So why couldn’t he? The answer lies in the complicated legalities behind copyright law and new media. It comes down to the question: who owns the video? In Bieber’s case, the answer depends on who you ask.

read more here

 

 VS

Justin Bieber's Bullying Hypocrisy? Photog Accuses Biebs' Bodyguard of Assault

Justin Bieber just told us it's "not cool" to be a bully—now a photographer is accusing the Biebs of having a bully on his payroll.

Celebrity photog Jason Nicholas tells E! News that last Friday, as he was waiting for Kylie Minogue outside the London Hotel in New York, he stumbled instead upon Bieber.

As Bieber headed out of the hotel, Nicholas says he tried to snap a photo. That's when the bodyguard stepped in, and, per Nicholas, got too overprotective, sending the shooter to the hospital.

"I had been taking pics for Black Friday shopping when I got a tip Kylie was at the hotel," Nicholas tells us. "But then I see Bieber's driver...and I figure he's there and coming out soon [Bieber had a book signing at a nearby Barnes & Noble], so I wait by the entrance, but off to the side. There wasn't much happening, I see a couple of fans off to the side waiting for his autograph and one other photog."

Nicholas says that he was acting like " a gentleman" standing quietly and doing "nothing out of the ordinary."

"Bieber comes out with a small group, two bodyguards, one handler and one other person. Without blocking the door I stuck my camera out with my arm and shot him."

Nicholas alleges at that point one of the bodyguards "snapped."

"He shoved me up against the SUV," Nicholas claims. "He was super aggressive and it happened right in front of Bieber, who got right in the car, but I got some usable pics out of it."

Then the oddest thing happened, says Nicholas.

"When Bieber got into the car, he put his mouth to the glass and let out a roar, like a primal scream, with his mouth wide open, it was so odd," he tells E! News.

Nicolas says he immediately began to feel some back pain, so an ambulance was called and he was carted off to New York Presbyterian Weill-Cornell Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a strained muscle and released later that day.

Nicholas, 40, filed an assault report against the bodyguard with the NYPD today.

Calls to Bieber's rep seeking comment were not immediately returned. The singer, who released a PSA last week taking a stand against bullies, is currently in Paris, nursing a cold.

Nicholas says he has talked to a lawyer but as of yet doesn't plan a lawsuit against Bieber; however, the photographer wants to make a point.

"I just want to stress, for the record, that everyone, paparazzi included, should have the right to come home from work at the end of the day in one piece."

 

 

Magic Mouse Battery Life

I am surprised.
My magic mouse battery lasted for more than a month.
I used Energizer. I am not so sure with other brands though.






Shall try it now.
This time I'm gona use this brand.


Will update you soon!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Saul Alinsky & the Cloward-Pivan Strategy

(YouTube link)

Brannon Howse speaking on Saul Alinsky, the Cloward-Piven strategy, and the Neo-Marxist revolution taking place in America.

The following are comments by Glenn Beck on the Cloward-Piven strategy. This was broadcasted in November 2009.


(YouTube link)

Judge blocks Okla. Shariah measure

With Shari'a law it is not the Muslim's constitutional rights we should be worried about ~ its everyone else's ~ Shari'a law fully enacted seeks to subjugate the non-believer.. and women...

Another temporary block.

Worrying because the current ruling seems to leave a crack open for Shari'a ~ which Muslim groups such as CAIR will want to push through.


Get thee behind me Shari'a!


OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction to keep a voter-approved restriction against Shariah law out of the Oklahoma Constitution for now.

A U.S. district judge ruled in favor of an Oklahoma City Muslim who says the constitutional amendment would violate his religious freedom, The Oklahoman reported Monday.

The amendment, approved Nov. 2 by voters, forbids state courts from using or considering international law or Islamic Shariah law in making rulings.

Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange issued the injunction sought by Muneer Awad, 27, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma who challenged the amendment on the grounds it allegedly demonizes his faith.

Miles-LaGrange wrote Awad "has made a strong showing that State Question 755's amendment's primary effect inhibits religion and that the amendment fosters an excessive government entanglement with religion."

"This order addresses issues that go to the very foundation of our country, our (U.S.) Constitution, and particularly, the Bill of Rights," she said. "Throughout the course of our country's history, the will of the 'majority' has on occasion conflicted with the constitutional rights of individuals, an occurrence which our founders foresaw and provided for through the Bill of Rights."

Tulsa TV station KOTV reported the judge's order, which extended a restraining order issued Nov. 22, prevents the state from certifying the referendum results until she rules on the merits of the plaintiff's claims.

Miles-LaGrange provided no timetable for her final ruling or how the case will proceed, KOTV said.

Ex-muslim Imam exposes Islam - Video

Zaki Ameen was raised a Muslim and once dedicated his life to Islam, working as an Imam. He then realised how the teachings of Muhammad and the Quran were used to deceive followers, in order to gain control, money and power. Living by the Point of My Spear is his book, revealing shocking evidence against Muhammad.


Point of My Spear ~ Muhammad could only gain respect and the adoration he so desired ~ through the sword. To believe in Islam there is so incredibly much you have to ignore about the man ~ who came as its prophet. A man that without the sword would have died with no larger than 100 strong following. This was not a man of the word ~ this was a man of the sword. He sought to make Allah of the Kaaba great by any means.


A couple of quotes ~ it says Muhammad used the Koran for his own personal gain, and status... but there was no Koran ~ as such. That was written years later in Syria.

Ye'ol Muhammad ~

'Before the end of the world you shall fight the Turks, whose eyes are small and noses flattened and who have ugly red faces, like hammered shields'


'You will see Allah will inherit Persian lands and money, furthermore their women will lie down ready for you to rape them'

Iran the most arrogant of Islamic nations ~ is really Islam/Arabia's b*tch!! They gave their 5000 year old civilization over to its enslavement. The only conciliation is that they think it has made them free.


All in all it sounds the same today ~ We will take over the UK, We will take over the USA... the same wretched commands passed down through time ~ from Muhammad to his followers.

Stratfor Iran and Wikileaks - Video

Jamie Woon

Dubstep singer-songwriter? Yes please.

Every aspect of this excites me. Jamie Woon may not be reinventing the wheel -- no, Burial did that for us -- but he is certainly doing something very fresh and, in my opinion, bold.

So be sure to keep an eye open on music sites and newspapers like The Guardian that get very excited this time of year by 'hotly' tipping who will be big next year, effectively ruining the careers of those they are trying to big up. Who really wants only Guardian readers at your gigs? Not even I would enjoy that!

Spiral by woon

Jamie Woon - "Night Air" from lorenzo fonda on Vimeo.

He was such a nice boy!! ~ Friends: 'We knew him as Mo-mo'

Courtroom artist's sketch shows terror suspect Mohamed Osman Mohamud, right, and chief deputy public defender Stephen R. Sady, during an appearance in federal court Monday, Nov. 29, 2010, in Portland, Ore.

Here's the usual ~ he was such a nice boy ~ with a twist, his Muslim college acquaintance is throwing the dirt on him, saying ~ he hung out with people who 'drank alcohol' and 'partied'... possibly to tie his violent jihadist action to non-Muslim behavior.

He said Mohamud attended a couple of association events but that he didn’t always lead a life consistent with Islam.

“He hung out with people who partied and drank alcohol,” said Mohamed. “He didn’t commonly go to the mosque. He wasn’t an obedient Muslim.”

The alcohol drinkers are not trying to blow up large numbers of people for religious purposes.


Let's not forget the 9/11 hijackers visited strip clubs, and reportedly did huge amounts of drugs. The Islamic mouth-piece of Yemen ~ Anwar al-Awlaki was caught picking up hookers ~ twice.

Although he hesitated to shake hands with women, he patronized prostitutes. Al-Awlaki was arrested in San Diego in August 1996 and in April 1997 for soliciting prostitutes. Wiki

Little Mo-mo's behavior was consistent with today's Islamic jihadist ideology.


CORVALLIS, Ore. -- To his friends and colleagues, Mohamed Osman Mohamud wasn’t a religious extremist, he was simply “Mo-mo.”

“He was an average American student,” said Corvallis Imam Yosof Wanly.

Wanly said Mohamud was a student, a Muslim and a man wanting to make a change in the world.

“He seemed like he wanted to do something to change something,” said Wanly. “His father brought him here so he could make something of himself.”

FBI officials said authorities arrested Mohamud in a sting operation just as he tried blowing up a van he believed was loaded with explosives at a crowded Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland.

Wanly said Mohamud had a difficult childhood and that he moved from Mogadishu, Somalia, with his father at the age of five. Mohamud would later move to Corvallis to take courses at Oregon State University while living off campus in an apartment.

“What we do know about him is that he was a student in winter 2009 and fall 2010,” said OSU Spokesperson Todd Simmons. “He was a non-degree seeking student and stopped taking classes on Oct. 6.”

Friends and acquaintances said Mohamud is smart and studious. While he was at OSU, he could frequently be found in university libraries.

Omar Mohamed with the Muslim Student Association said he knew Mohamud as an acquaintance through the student association. He said Mohamud attended a couple of association events but that he didn’t always lead a life consistent with Islam.

“He hung out with people who partied and drank alcohol,” said Mohamed. “He didn’t commonly go to the mosque. He wasn’t an obedient Muslim.”

Still, many said the 19-year old pre-engineering student never let on that he wanted to carry out "violent jihad," as he is reported in a federal affidavit to have said.

“I would have never have thought anything like this would even come across his mind,” Wanly said.

Mohamud was arrested on charges of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. On Monday, Mohamud entered a plea of not guilty.

A Multnomah County judge set a tentative trial date of Feb. 1, 2011.

KVAL

ONEL/OMEL: the questions start to crystallise

The ONEL/OMEL trade mark dispute, born in the Dutch corner of the Benelux (see for example earlier IPKat posts here, here and here) is now set for export to the Luxembourg portion of it. To remind readers, at the heart of this is NOT so much a dispute between two traders, one of whom wants to stop the other registering a similar trade mark for identical services. Rather, it's about a matter of principle: in order to prevent a later national trade mark being registered, must the opponent's earlier Community trade mark have been used in more than one of the 27 Member States of the European Union in order to establish genuine use of that mark?

Excitedly posting on MARQUES' Class 46 weblog earlier this afternoon is tytoc collie's good friend Gino van Roeyen, who explains that today the Court of Appeal of The Hague has suggested referring the following complex questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union for a preliminary ruling:

"1. Should Article 15(1) of the Community Trade Mark Regulation be interpreted in such a way that the use of a trade mark within the borders of one Member State is sufficient, provided that this use, if the trade mark would be a national trade mark, would be considered to be normal use in that Member State (compare Joint Statement no. 10 to Article 15 ... and the Opposition Guidelines)

2. If no, is use within one Member State never normal use within the European Community as referred to in Article 15 of the Community Trade Mark Regulation? If yes, which requirements are applicable with regard to the territorial scope of the use of a trade mark – apart from the other circumstances -- to assess a normal use within the Community?

3. If the answer to question 1 should be in the negative, should the assessment of normal use within the Community be abstracted from the borders of the territory of the separate Member States and solely linked up with the market shares of the trade mark (and/or other factors) on the various markets within the Community?"

It's not yet known whether the parties will be happy with these questions, or whether they may wish to fine-tune them. Further information is likely to appear on the Dutch IP weblog Boek9.nl before tytoc collie gets to find out.

Attorney general says FBI acted properly in Somali-American terror case; fire examined at Islamic center

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday that federal agents acted appropriately in the case of a Somali-American man who allegedly tried to blow up what he thought was a van full of explosives in Portland during the city's Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.

The FBI set up a sting operation to investigate Mohamed Osman Mohamud after receiving a tip. Holder rejected the suggestion that Mohamud was a victim of illegal entrapment by the FBI.

Once the undercover operation began, the suspect "chose at every step to continue" with the bombing plot, Holder said.

"He was told that children — children — were potentially going to be harmed," the attorney general said.

Holder also said the FBI is investigating possible arson at an Islamic center in Corvallis, a fire that took place after the arrest of Mohamud, who occasionally worshipped at the center.

If the fire is related to the arrest or to an attack on Islam, it "is something that I personally decry," Holder said. "It is not something that is consistent with who we are as Americans."

Statesman Journal

Justin Bieber Asks Fan To Join Him On Paris Date

Justin Bieber has over 6 million Twitter followers and he knows how to whip them into a frenzy.

The cheeky star is looking for Somebody To Love during his visit to Paris and took to Twitter to ask his fans for a date.

The Baby star tweeted: “anyone care to join me for dinner tonight in Paris...maybe a romantic candlelit dinner under the Eiffel Tower just for 2? anyone? ;)”

After a tweet to his mentor Usher, JB added: “now back to the ladies...so im thinking me and u...city of romance...maybe a random slow dance as @dankanter plays spanish guitar. anyone?”

Unsurprisingly, Justin’s had thousands of replies within a matter of minutes. Did you reply? Would you like a date with JB?

EntertainmentWise

Did Justin Bieber Get Advice About Girls From Justin Timberlake?

The National Enquirer has reported that Justin Bieber reached out to Justin Timberlake to get advice about girls. Although, since Justin has his own personal swagger and flirting coach we’re not entirely sure about this…

According to the report Justin T told Justin B:

“Don’t allow yourself to get tied down. Don’t make promises you have no intention of keeping and NEVER hide information on your smartphone you don’t want a girl to see – because she’ll find it every time!”

What do you think about this advice?

DisneyDreaming

Justin Bieber: "Cheryl Cole Is Beautiful"

Justin Bieber has confessed that he thinks Cheryl Cole is "beautiful", following his attempts to woo the Geordie on Sunday evening's The X Factor.

As we previously reported, the U Smile singer flirted with Chezza after performing on the talent show, even hinting that the divorced Girls Aloud star should call him.

Now, it seems Bieber won't give up that easily to land the girl of his dreams, telling the Xtra Factor: "Cheryl Cole is beautiful."

As well as paying Cole even more compliments, Justin also gushed about Cheryl's XF boss, Simon Cowell, revealing he thinks the music mogul is "funny."

The 16-year old said: "I've watched Simon Cowell a lot on American Idol. I met him on that show... I don't think he's intimidating. I think he's funny."

Meanwhile, JB's performance on the XF has apparently gained him a whole host of new Bliebers, with sales of his album, My World, increasing by a massive 100% on website Play.com.

The site also claims that sales of The Wanted's self-titled LP also jumped up by 70% after they took to the XF stage to sing their new single, Lose My Mind.

A spokesperson for Play.com claimed: "X Factor continues to provide an incredible platform for developing artists and these huge album sales increases prove that this is not only the case for the contestants themselves, but also for the young stars performing on the show, like Justin Bieber and The Wanted."

Despite having an already success music career, 16-year old Justin has also confessed that he would love to go to university one day, much like Harry Potter actress Emma Watson.

According to GossipCop, Bieber told press in Madrid: "I always travel with a private tutor who I have five three-hour sessions a week with. "

“I want to finish high school and also university and then evolve wherever my music takes me,”

He added: “I also want to stick my head in the movie world although I am going to focus on my music for now.”

MTVUK

Bieber planning for university

Justin Bieber plans to continue with his education despite his worldwide singing success - the teenager wants to enroll at university.

The 16-year-old found international fame last year and has a loyal following of millions of fans.

Bieber currently studies with a private tutor so he can juggle his career with his education, but he's planning to step out of the spotlight in the future to concentrate on his studies.

The star says, "I always travel with a private tutor who I have five three-hour sessions a week with.

"I want to finish high school and also university and then evolve wherever my music takes me. I also want to stick my head in the movie world although I am going to focus on my music for now."

TorontSun

Justin Bieber at his Album signing in Madrid!

BREAKING NEWS: judge ejects Virgin chair patent suit

Are you sitting comfortably? Have you fastened your safety belts?  Yes? Then here we go! This morning in Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd v Delta Airways Inc [2010] EWHC 3094 (Pat) Mr Justice Arnold, sitting in the Patents Court for England and Wales, did something that not many judges do -- he gave summary judgment in favour of a defendant in a patent infringement action.  The defendant was Virgin's airline rival Delta and the subject of the dispute was the famous Contour chair which this Kat, for one, has never curled up on and is, unless he finds a way to grow money, unlikely to do so.

The judgment has only just come out and this Kat implores his fellow-Kats who are more patent-oriented to get their claws into it for some real legal analysis.

Earlier posts on the Contour action here and here
Bloomberg here

Note: since posting the above note, tytoc collie has received the following piece from law firm Taylor Wessing. He thought it was a very useful summary:

"This is the latest of a series of legal skirmishes, both in the UK and at the EPO, involving Virgin's Patent for flat-bed seats. The Judge dismissed the action against Delta Airways for infringement of Virgin's flat-bed patent by way of joint tortfeasance with Delta's seat manufacturer, Premium Aircraft Interiors (Contour). He did so on the grounds that there was no primary act of infringement by Contour and so by definition Delta could not be a joint tortfeasor. This is not likely to be the end of the story - it is expected that Virgin will seek permission to appeal the decision. 

In granting summary judgment, by striking out Virgin's claim as having no real prospect of success, the Judge has done something fairly extraordinary in a patent case. Patent cases are hardly ever appropriate for summary judgment, primarily because patent cases are so dependent on expert evidence. However, in this case, because of the prior history of the long-running dispute between Virgin and Contour (the seat manufacturer that helped design and manufacture Virgin's Upper Class Suite (UCS) business class seats), that culminated in the European Patent Office hearing in September this year, the judge felt able to make his decision without requiring further expert evidence. 

However, also, and perhaps even more significantly, the judge seriously called into question (and with substantial reasoning) the doctrine of infringement of a patent by supplying a "kit of parts" as a separate head of infringement under section 60(1)(a) of the Patents Act 1977. That doctrine, under the current law, had arisen in two previous English cases, Rotocrop International Ltd v Genbourne Ltd [1982] FSR 241 and Lacroix Duarib SA v Kwikform (UK) Ltd [1998] FSR 493. In his analysis (probably the most detailed analysis of the point anywhere since the Community Patent Convention (CPC) of 1975 had the effect of harmonising the national patent laws of a number of European states), he also considered the law on this point as it applied in other CPC states and concluded that the supply by a UK defendant of an incomplete "kit of parts" to a customer outside the UK could not infringe a UK patent but also that the supply of a complete "kit of parts" to such a customer should also not infringe either under section 60(1)(a) or section 60(2) of the Patents Act 1977".

Was Jesus Polite to False Teachers?

(YouTube link)

Pastor John MacArthur talks about Matthew 23, and the strong reaction Jesus had toward the false teachers of His time. Then in Mark 8:15, we are warned to "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and [of] the leaven of Herod."

Today, we are very familiar with what occurs when there is too much leaven in the teachings of our Christian leaders. To clarify, a leavening agent is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action which lightens and softens the finished product. The leaven added into Bible teaching is enough to send someone to hell. I challenge you to be aware of how your thinking may have been leavened by those around you, and to compare your beliefs and convictions to Scripture.

MORE ON SETTING THE TONE TO A DISCUSSION – pie charts

PIE CHARTS THAT WOULD KNOCK THE AIR OUT OF ANY TEAHADIST-REPUBLICAN

Deprive them of oxygen…that is what I say. When you are faced with a nasty fire caused by a pyromaniac and there are those who will still pour gasoline into it; the thing to do is to deprive it of oxygen and it will be put out. It may not be easy because some of these conflagrations burn very hot and vigorously but it is possible to do.

Yesterday I wrote that “The whole country is allowing the Teahadist-Republicans to set the pace, lay down the standards to any and all discussions and we are at this point and time considering totally absurd ideas that a few years back would have been considered truly insane. This radical move to the right in America has had some very negative consequences. We see how open xenophobia, homophobia and racism are a totally accepted stance; even the encouragement of using “2^nd amendment options. This would have been unthinkable just two years ago.”

As selective reasoning is a very pervasive tradition among these right-wing fanatics it is difficult to even talk to them. But once in a while there would be a relative or friend to one of them who will send them an anonymous e-mail with some facts and then they go into instant apoplexy. What I am hoping is that out of the two or three thousand followers I have at least one or two will do this and confront some right wing nut with the facts.

I ran into these very telling pie charts that explain beautifully where America stands on the issues. I think that if any Teahadist-Republican was to receive this they would be angry at first; “how dare somebody send me crap like this?” But eventually they will have to read it and it is hard, almost impossible to “REFUDIATE”and they will think about it and eventually will have to face the truth.

The reason that some of these people are so adamant and arrogant; perhaps a perfect example is a Sharon Angle or a Christine O’Donnell is that they surround themselves with people who agree with them and will not even give interviews…that is a good way to avoid reality and the facts.

HERE ARE THE INTERESTING PIE CHARTS COURTESY OF Richard (RJ) Eskow

AT: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010114726/if-i-said-im-thankful-wisdom-american-people-would-you-think-im-crazy

You see, if your friend or acquaintance only watches Fox and listens to Beck and Rush then they are not getting the true picture. These are but voices of lies and exaggeration, of fear and distrust. Fox , Beck, Rush and the other peripheral pundits have a lot of opinions and no facts, it is ideology without substance, it is criticism without solutions.

We have let them get away with all their lies and setting the tone of the discussion for far too long…it is time we start e-mailing these to them and see how they will “REFUDIATE” them.

2011 HAIRRCUTS TRENDS: What is a double hair knot?

What is a double hair knot?

Taking the lead from last year's hairstyles, the double hair knot continues the infatuation with styles that seem effortless - think the plaited and braided hairstyles that have been so popular for more then 12 months, simplify, and you have the double hair knot.

Like the topsy tail hairstyle of years gone by, the double hair knot sits roughly at the nape of the neck or a little higher. The style also works as a single knot - but by knotting the hair twice the effect is more interesting, and easier to secure.

A side view of the hair style as featured on Michael Kors' S/S '11 catwalk via Hanneli.

How to style it

Though a hairstyle suited to the entire year, the style of double hair knot you're seeing in the pictures are best suited to spring / summer 2011. Styled by Orlando Pita for the Michael Kors catwalk, the summer influence comes courtesy of a desire to have fuse urban hairstyle with the feel that its wearer has "been out at the beach all day."

To capture the summer interpretation of the double hair knot:

1. First, spritz the hair all over with a sea-salt spray (Orlando Pita used Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray)
2. Next, scrunch the hair into bunches while drying to add waves and texture
3. Pull a thick section of hair out at the front, sweeping it into a deep side part
4. Finally, take back two sections of hair and tie into a knot - then again into a double knot

For a take on the style that is suited to autumn / fall or winter, play down the beachy-ness by making the hair smoother and a little less textured. Try replacing the sea-spray with a volumizer and keeping the hair in place with a little hairspray.

If you'd like a more detailed 'how to' guide please let us know by leaving a comment below and we'll see what we can organise.

A front view of the hair style as featured on Michael Kors' S/S '11 catwalk via Style.com.

2011 hair trends: Double hair knot

2011 hair trends: Double hair knot

Written by Daniel P Dykes
When it comes to the year's fashion trends a lot of 2011 will focus on embellished, quality details - it won't be exactly the same for 2011 hairstyles, however. Quality, yes. Embellishment, not always. 2011 won't be a year in which hair trends are based around adornments and accessories - yes, there'll be headbands, but there'll be a larger push towards styles that are au naturel. And amongst those styles will be the double hair knot.

double knot hairstyle

* The hairstyle
* How to

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2011 hair trends: 2011 hairstyles for women

Written by Daniel P Dykes

The year marks the true start of a new decade, and yet 2011's fashion trends are all about revival. True, there is a unique undertone of a modernist style appearing, but take some of the most iconic styles of the 20th century, infuse them with quality, and you'll find the basis for the dominant styles of 2011.

The year's hair trends are no different. For fashionisers in 2011, hair is all about revivals and evolution. With styles and colours we're seeing the best of 2010 reborn, whereas cuts are offering reworked and luxurious revivals of styles that sit perfectly with the year's clothing trends.

Read on to find out more about the year's hair trends, including:

• 2011 long hairstyles
• 2011 haircuts
• Medium length haircuts for 2011
• 2011 hair colors

And while we're helping you find out about the latest hair trends: if you'd like to keep up to date

London snow today: predicted to be cold, for next two weeks...

When I asked Cyn our new partner at Mano Bello how she would best describe her hand-made collection. She replied “Avant Garde Luxury Leather Accessory Obsession"...

If you have a moment please click through to see what you like and let us know via the comments on this post.

Meanwhile, I liked her Couture Bustle Passion group, see >>>

Justin Bieber's interview on el Hormiguero!!

Justin Bieber, Iyaz and Sean Kingston

Something for my UK friends!!

7 year old Matty B Raps Justin Bieber's Pray!

Justin Bieber has a new song?

Nope.. Its an song that he recorded long time ago.

This was one of the songs that he recorded that got cut from his album My World 2.0.

Remember the song Pick Me? Yeah.. Something like that..

Justin Bieber Singin Pray at PRAY in Spain

Management of IP in sustainable agri-development: essential or irrelevant?

Digging for sustainable development ...

IPKat team member Jeremy had a fascinating discussion with Kay Chapman a couple of months ago.  Kay is  Communications and Information Specialist, CAS-IP (that's the Central Advisory Service on Intellectual Property of CGIAR -- the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. In case you've not come across CGIAR before [and you jolly well ought to have, since it has been mentioned at least twice on this blog before], it's

"a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for sustainable development with the funders of this work. ... The work they support is carried out by 15 members of the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers, in close collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, and the private sector".

The Fund Council includes the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and national governments as diverse as the United States, Brazil and Iran.  Anyway, CGIAR has been doing some thinking about its attitude to, and relationship with, intellectual property rights.  Let Kay explain:

"Intellectual Property (IP) and Intellectual Asset (IA) management in the CGIAR

In a public research environment, IP and IA management can be a tricky subject, sometimes even met with suspicion. There can be little doubt that managing IA effectively is required to fulfil the goals of the institutes within which we work.

In the context of agricultural research what do we mean when we talk about IA management? The term IA covers all intellectual assets (results, information, articles, publications, know-how, new plant varieties, etc.) whether or not they are protected by intellectual property rights (by which we mean copyrights, patents, trademarks, plant variety protection, etc.).

Effective IA management is crucial to facilitate the exchange of research outputs as well as to support trust in collaborations. It is also required to deal with issues such as access, ownership and exploitation of the outputs produced.

The message from a recent and comprehensive Review of the CGIAR’s own Intellectual Property unit (CAS-IP) was clear and direct:

“We firmly believe that the management (or mismanagement) of intellectual property will be a primary factor in determining the future of the CGIAR's contributions to agricultural innovation systems that will help ensure global food security, poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability”.

Do you have any thoughts about IA management in the agricultural research for development purposes? What should IA management focus on if you need to ensure benefits are available for the public good? What should or shouldn’t we do with the results of publicly funded research?

The Review mentioned above was commissioned by CAS-IP's main donor, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS), first to evaluate CAS-IP's activities. In light of the CGIAR reform process, DGIS also requested that the Review Team extend the scope to include the broader context of intellectual asset management in the CGIAR. Given the fundamental importance of IP/IA management, it will not be ignored as the new structure of the CGIAR emerges. Details of exactly what form IA management will take have not yet emerged.

Further to the publication of the Review of CAS-IP, a public consultation process has been set up online. Any comments will be compiled and officially added to the report, we hope for use by the agricultural development community at-large, as well as to inform the new Consortium Office".

tytoc collie is fascinated by all of this.  What should organisations like CGIAR be doing with the results of agricultural research, apart from making sure that everyone who needs to use them can get access to them? Should the organisation's role be confined to describing and databasing research results, or is its money better spent on building up and policing agricultural IP portfolios for the beneficial exploitation and management of those rights for the greater good? Or is the notion of a greater good illusory?  Do tell Kay what you think!

You can see a one-page discussion document of the Review here or browse the results of the Review here
To contact Kay Chapman, just email her here.

Bieber Fever hits London as Justin hits on Cheryl Cole live on the X Factor

He's one of the biggest popstars in the world, so

who could blame Justin Bieber for grasping the chance to chat up Cheryl Cole whilst live on the X Factor last night - despite the 11 year age gap?

Justin, 16, had just performed a mash-up of tracks Somebody To Love and Baby on the results show - though he mimed throughout to concentrate on his smooth dance moves.

As he finished, he was joined on stage by host Dermot O'Leary, then promptly flirted with Cheryl, 27, after thanking his fans for all their support,

'I want to say hello to Cheryl Cole, hello,' he said, waving at the judge and raising his eyebrows, before making a 'call me' gesture with his hand.

Justin even made his feeling clear afterwards on his official Twitter account, saying: 'Cheryl u looked lovely as usual.'

He also joked: 'X Factor we had fun. Simon told me he listens to my CD every night before he goes to bed.'

Justin Bieber Loved By Millions Of Tweens And One Brazilian Drug Lord

Perhaps nobody had a bigger holiday weekend than Justin Bieber, who made his triumphant return to the new release rack on Friday (November 26) with My Worlds Acoustic, a collection of stripped-down versions of songs from Bieber's first two releases (as well as the new single "Pray"). Bieber was everywhere, chatting on "Today," premiering his new video, unveiling a new trailer for his upcoming film "Never Say Never," signing copies of his album and combing his hair in a different fashion that suggested that he might have gotten a haircut (which caused quite a stir on Twitter). When his cruise through New York was finished, he headed for the U.K. for a promotional tour through Europe, but on Sunday (November 28), he managed to show up in an unusual place: In the mansion of a Brazilian drug lord. 

Of course, he wasn't actually there in the house — rather, he appeared in a giant wall mural inside the enclave of Pezao, one of Rio de Janeiro's biggest traffickers. According to The Guardian, more than 2,600 heavily-armed police officers raided Complexo do Alemao, a huge network of slums that also houses some of the city's biggest drug villains. The violent exercise left 50 people dead, but the Rio police have declared the project a victory.

In addition to finding 10 tons of marijuana and a small arsenal of weapons (which included one missile), there was also a crude homemade mural of Bieber that read "One Time" below it. It's probably the strangest place Bieber has shown up, but it's proof positive that the 16-year-old Canadian singer is indeed a worldwide phenomenon.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SOLD A BILL OF GOODS

THEY REALLY BELIEVE ALL THIS CRAP ABOUT PULLING YOURSELF BY YOUR BOOTSTRAPS AND WORKING HARD. THEY THINK THAT WE ARE RIFT-RAFT AND UNDESERVING BECAUSE IN THEIR LOFTY POSITIONS THEY FIND VALIDATION.

I got this comment in my blog from a guy named Robert:

“The biggest problem I see in all this is the complete failure of the younger generations to realize that they will not start out their careers making as much as their parents make. It takes time, experience and effort to reach the top of the heap. Not everyone makes it, however, if you work hard at it, for 50 years, as my wife and I have, then together we make
$ 250,000.00 a year. We did not make that much 40 years ago. We worked our way up.
Now the do-nothing, I want mine now crowd wants to take all that effort away from us and give it to the lazy, do-nothing, couch potatoes who think it is owed to them.”

I wouldn’t have published it because it is almost anonymous…his profile is not available. Of course that is not surprising because a lot of these right-wings hide behind an unpublished profile…obviously they have something to fear…perhaps they fear the truth will come and hit them in the face.

It sounds like to me that this person is middle class…upper middle class and doesn’t realize that the middle class in America has been under a pervasive and vicious attack for decades. The Republicans and super rich want it that way and have succeeded in almost decimating it.

What he does not even have an inkling is that those starting out, wanting to join that middle class, even if he calls them “do-nothings” and lazy, don’t even stand a chance to have the same opportunities he did. Robert doesn’t accept the fact that he is one of the few that has been able to work very hard and is still solvent…perhaps he considers himself somewhat affluent…but the rest of us, the rift-raft that he thinks is the poor and the middle class has absolutely no right to want and strive for the same things he worked so hard to get.

I am sure that Robert was very satisfied with the work my mom did at his house as a maid and when I waited on his table at the restaurant he had no beef with me…as long as I kept my place. The illegal immigrants were mowing his lawn and the blacks collecting his garbage…that is the way it is supposed to be according to Robert.

But something has happened along the way…the top 2% of that super rich class got greedy…they wanted more and they don’t care if Robert loses everything he has. They don’t care if they decimate the middle class to do it and hurt the country in the process. You see Robert, these rich people didn’t work as hard as you did for your financial well being…most of them inherited it…about 90% of them and the only way they can find validation for their sorry lives is to look down on the rest of us and feel superior, which is what you seem to be doing as well.

Yes, Robert, heaven forbid that you should pay taxes on anything you make above $250,000. You are not going to let a little thing like patriotism get in the way of your greed; even if the rest of us 98% of the “lazy, do nothings, rift-raft” insist that you should pay your fair share…to return to pre-Reagan tax rates…the rich was doing well then, thank you…weren’t they? But I am sure you are going to come back to me with the tired old line that the rich are insecure about investing, they are afraid of tax increases and that is why they are not hiring. TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS just don’t work…they never did.

Wake up, they are not hiring because they are requiring more productivity from us for less money…really, what incentives do the rich and the corporations have to change the nomenclature when they are getting record profits now?

I think Robert that you should re-examine your ideology and stop listening to Rush and Beck. I am also sure you have bought some of their overpriced gold; when the shit hits the fan all of that gold will be worthless because there would be nobody to buy it.