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Posts Tagged “

Corporations

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copyright

Leaked ACTA Treaty Will Outlaw P2P

ACTA—the misleadingly named "Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement"—is the worldwide copyright treaty that's being negotiated behind closed doors, and that will create a sort of global DMCA if continues in its current state. Now Wikileaks has posted a draft of the treaty, and Boing Boing's Cory Doctorow gives his take:

Among other things, ACTA will outlaw P2P (even when used to share works that are legally available, like my books), and crack down on things like region-free DVD players. All of this is taking place out of the public eye, presumably with the intention of presenting it as a fait accompli just as the ink is drying on the treaty.

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3:25 PM on Fri Jun 6 2008
By Chris Walters
10,260 views, 141 comments

tax burden

Corporations: "Tax-es? What Are These Things You Call Tax-es?"

Hope you enjoyed your tax burden this year, because you're helping carry the weight of loophole-savvy corporations that enjoy many of the legal benefits of real, live human citizens, but exist in a weird, semi-tax-free world.
A 2004 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found that 61% of American corporations, including 39% of large companies, paid no corporate income taxes between 1996 and 2000. Last year, corporations shouldered just 14.4% of the total U.S. tax burden, compared with about 50% in 1940.
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8:28 PM on Fri Apr 18 2008
By Chris Walters
4,236 views, 71 comments

Latest by n/a: @nequam: Awesome. more »

law

Exxon May Have Its Punitive Damages For Valdez Spill Cut In Half By Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is currently considering whether to halve the punitive damages levied against Exxon for its massive 1989 oil spill from the Exxon Valdez tanker, from the current $2.5 billion to something more like $1 billion. Exxon claims the higher number amounts to excessive punishment. According to the New York Times, the decision may come down to a tie with four justices on either side; Justice Alito is not participating because he owns Exxon Mobile stock. The Exxon Valdez disaster "caused a 3,000-square-mile oil slick and still affects Alaska's fisheries after nearly 19 years." More »

12:34 PM on Thu Feb 28 2008
By Chris Walters
4,369 views, 87 comments

Latest by n/a: Of course EXXON can't afford it now...they have to send that money to help pay for John McCain's campaign. You don't think a Republican Supreme Court would short change a Republican politician's chances of election ?? more »

identity theft

Employees Play With Your Private Data And There Is Nothing You Can Do About It

Why play solitaire when you work for the utility company and can look up the mayor's phone number? An Associated Press investigation reveals that casual snooping is widespread among employees who have access to large customer databases. According to one utility executive, it would be "difficult, if not impossible" to ferret out employees who use sensitive data for identity theft. More »

11:19 AM on Sun Feb 24 2008
By Carey
5,557 views, 50 comments

Tony Blair will join JPMorgan Chase & Co Inc, the third largest bank in the U.S., as a senior advisor. We wonder if Countrywide is courting President Bush for a similar position in 2009. [Reuters]

6 comments

corporations

Chiquita Restructures, Cuts 160 Management Positions

Militia-funding banana company Chiquita has announced a big restructuring plan that will eliminate 160 management jobs, including 21% of the top three tiers of management, for a savings of $60-80 million dollars in 2008. The company says it will use the savings to pay down debt. It doesn't mention, however, that last month it was fined $25 million for financially supporting both left- and right-wing paramilitary groups in Colombia from 1997 to 2004. More »

9:14 AM on Tue Oct 30 2007
By Chris Walters
684 views, 11 comments

public relations

Has Procter & Gamble Hijacked Amex's $5 Million Members Project?

Accusations are flying that Proctor and Gamble has hijacked Amex's "Member's Project," in an attempt to sell water purifying technology. The project is a contest in which Amex will fund one charitable project (proposed by its members) to the tune of $5 million dollars. More »

10:31 AM on Tue Jul 31 2007
By Meg Marco
3,380 views, 23 comments

helvetica

The Font Of The 20th Century

The miscellany gods at Slate have compiled a slideshow describing how companies such as American Airlines, Sears, Target, ConEd, Verizon, and the New York Subway system use the font Helvetica to convey a sense of "modern efficiency with a human face."
Ultimately, Helvetica is a cipher—and this is the key to its success. It can be authoritative or ironic, sober or idealistic, corporate or cozy. It's the tofu of typefaces: bland in itself but ready to absorb whatever flavors you add to it. It's clean, legible, and well-designed, but its real power lies in its uncanny mutability.
Though we seldom think of many of the companies using Helvetica as efficient, it's nice to know what they were striving for when they chose their font. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER More »

1:37 PM on Sun May 27 2007
By Carey
2,271 views, 34 comments

Latest by dcndn: I can't believe they'd choose a sans-serif font as "Font of the Century;" what a disaster. Helvetica and its stylistic ilk look like they were drawn with crayons: obese, inelegant, and hard to read. Give me a Garamond more »