Fashionistas you have arrived 3-25-03 - 10-3-03

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by bilmore
One word: Government ser . . . .

OK, two words: Government Services.

I live in DC, man, I don't get anything when I pay my taxes. That's not a purchase. And I'm definitely not a customer.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by mr. bob dobolina
Is it just me or is he looking more and more like Don Knotts with each passing year.

It's just you, socky.

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
So you'll forgive the non-paying client who says "well, I know I paid you $20k last month, but I don't think I've gotten that much value from the work, so keep working for free"?

Personally, I haven't paid more for a CD than I thought it was worth to me at the time. Nor have I purchased anything else that wasn't worth it to me at the time. I'm the guy all economists assume everyone is like, apparently.

You're completely rational in every decision you make?

God that sounds boring.

And of course that's the flaw in much of economic theory. That it's based on rational decision making. The human race is FREQUENTLY irrational. I know I am at times. Especially when I'm drunk.

Are there any real world studies on the accuracy of the prisoner's dilemma?

[ltl/fb]

TM, as quoted by Sidd: "Some white things are cool."

How self-hating is that? TM, babe, you need to get into therapy pronto.

Anyway, the shirt in that picture looked super-silky. It made me want to run my hands all over The International Male while we shared a Skillet Sensations (TM) dessert.

But alas, The International Male had an unfortunate incident with his Low-Fat Roma Chicken Rollup last time he was at our favorite classy restaurant. Oxygen to his brain was cut off for so long that he now has the mental capacity of a 17-month-old baby. He is with us no more.

Whoa, wait, maybe he is logging in as Self-Employed Fluffy.

(Note: I really hope he didn't post while I was typing this and researching Applebees menu.)

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?
Oh boy. How ya gonna keep Paigow down on the farm once she's seen Karl Hungus?

You know, when Paigow talks about going "down on the farm" it's not the same as the old saying about being kept down on the farm. Just thought you should know.

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by tmdiva
The adjectival form of "copyright" is not "copywritten."

tm

Don't keep us in suspense, woman! What is it? You are such a tease.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
So you'll forgive the non-paying client who says "well, I know I paid you $20k last month, but I don't think I've gotten that much value from the work, so keep working for free"?

Personally, I haven't paid more for a CD than I thought it was worth to me at the time. Nor have I purchased anything else that wasn't worth it to me at the time. I'm the guy all economists assume everyone is like, apparently.

Burger, my man, my theory is pretty damn simple.

By stealing music off the net, we are working a sort of chemotherapy on a dying industry. Music is a bloated sow of a business, with legions of go-between men suckling at the teat of the artists, consumers and manufacturers. Too many mouths to feed create shitty product aimed at maximum quick cash.

By squeezing the industry and pushing out many of the extra mouths, you create a leaner business which better benfits the consumer. Shit, look at how the chains are already beginning to lower the prices of many new cds to compete.

The stealing is justified because the industry/consumer relationship was inequitably tilted horrendously in favor of the industry. The only way to lower the prices and remedy the inequity was something as drastic as file sharing. When Jack Valenti and the folks at the labels cry that they're being put out of business, they are incorrect. They're putting themselves out of business by fucking the consumer dry. Just because people will continually buy what you sell does not mean you can forever inflate prices while simultaneously degraded product quality. The industry is getting exactly what it deserves.

[Jack Manfred]

Originally posted by Aloha Mr. Learned Hand
As for Fountains of Wayne, that CD is also in heavy rotation for me right now. Great driving music. One of the best odes to a MILF you'll ever hear.

"Stacy's mom has got it going on..."

I saw the video for "Stacy's Mom" while channel surfing this weekend. They got Rachel Hunter to play the MILF. This might be the greatest use of a hot woman in a video since Billy Idol's "Cradle of Love" video. (Whatever happened to that girl/woman?)

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?
You're completely rational in every decision you make?

No, but I don't feel ripped off by music companies. I've not bought lots of albums because I didn't think they were worth it. Are there some I wish I didn't buy? Sure, but I don't feel ripped off; just disappointed. Like anyone, I wish music was cheaper. I wish houses and Mercedes were cheaper too.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Burger, my man,...By stealing music off the net, we are working a sort of chemotherapy ...By squeezing the industry ...you create a leaner business which better benfits the consumer....stealing is justified because the industry/consumer relationship was inequitably tilted ...remedy the inequity ... They're ...fucking the consumer dry.... The industry is getting exactly what it deserves.

Please join SD and me for a round of "We shall overcome...":guitar:

[W.W.L.D.]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Nor have I purchased anything else that wasn't worth it to me at the time. I'm the guy all economists assume everyone is like, apparently.

How much does an iced coffee go for these days at Starbucks?

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
The real issue on the RIAA thing is the statutory damages clause. . . .

Sounds like you want the penalty for a transgression (any transgression, not just the music stuff) to be a market-set "price" for engaging in the prohibited behavior, so you can perform that behavior at will, like a mutually agreeable transaction. Doesn't work that way, though. There is a certain amount of punitiveness and deterence built into any penalty - i.e., it has to cost more to get caught than the missed opportunity cost of NOT engaging in the behavior - for a penalty to work. Plus, you need to factor in the extremely small chance of being caught, and the high costs involved in that catching.

Price is set by agreement, and, if you attempt to take someone else's shit without that agreement, you live with the declared price when caught.

And no one can ever rip you off with high prices if you honor the idea that, without agreement, you don't take OP'sS.

[NotFromHere]

Did anyone else miss the "having sex with a client is a no-no" in law school?" Don't public defenders know that the mirrors are two-way?

Former King County public defender Theresa Olson has agreed to give up practicing law for a year for having sex with her client in a high-profile triple-murder case last summer in the King County Jail.
The disciplinary board of the state Bar Association voted 9-1 Friday to accept the settlement, which includes Olson seeking a psychological evaluation and completing a year of professional probation when she returns to the courtroom.

The Bar Association has sent the agreement to the state Supreme Court to approve, but it would be unusual for the court to reject such a settlement, said Judy Berrett, a spokesman for the association.

"She's an excellent lawyer and she's hoping to get this behind her and move on and get back to practicing law," said David Allen, Olson's attorney.

Olson, 44, was suspended from her job at The Defender Association, the county's largest public-defense firm, last August after jail guards reported that they saw her having sex with Sebastian Burns, 27, in an interview room at the jail. She was Burns' lead counsel in his trial in the 1994 slayings of Tariq and Sultana Rafay and their daughter, Basma, in their Bellevue home.

Olson was promptly removed from the case, and the county filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against her and The Defender Association seeking repayment for the costs of finding a new lawyer for Burns and subsequent delays in his trial.


Attorney Robert Boruchowitz, director of The Defender Association, said, Olson resigned her job at the agency a few months ago, ending her unpaid suspension. "Theresa Olson is a fine attorney, and we appreciate the 16 years of dedicated representation she gave to our office and our clients," he said.

In the settlement, Olson agreed that she had "sexual contact" with Burns, but not sexual intercourse, her attorney said. But she agreed with the rest of the professional-ethics allegations.

In deciding whether a suspension was appropriate, instead of disbarrment, the association said that Olson is an experienced lawyer who should have known better than selfishly take advantage of a vulnerable person - since Burns was locked up and had no choice of lawyers.

On the other hand, the board said, Olson had not been disciplined before and has been cooperative and remorseful.

The board also pointed out that a similar recent case resulted in the same punishment: Three years ago, the state Supreme Court suspended attorney Lowell Halverson, a former Bar Associatoin president, for a year for having a sexual relationship with a client he represented in a divorce case.

For the past year, Olson has been working on civil-law cases, but wants to return to criminal-defense work after her suspension is over, Allen said. It hasn't been decided what firm she might work for. Allen didn't say what Olson would do for the year she cannot practice law.

sex with client is bad

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
You know, when Paigow talks about going "down on the farm" it's not the same as the old saying about being kept down on the farm. Just thought you should know.

You clearly haven't seen Karl Hungus.

Domestic nihilists pale in comparison to their european counterparts.

Donny: Are these the Nazis, Walter?
Walter Sobchak: No, Donny, these men are nihilists. There's nothing to be afraid of.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
They're putting themselves out of business by fucking the consumer dry. Just because people will continually buy what you sell does not mean you can forever inflate prices while simultaneously degraded product quality. The industry is getting exactly what it deserves.

Yes, and free downloading is helping them stay in business.

I'm not trying to defend the current structure of the music industry. There's lots of inefficiency, bullshit middlemen, and exploited artists. There's plenty of collusion that jacks up prices. And there's lots of shitty music.

Well there's solutions to all of those that don't involve stealing:

1) Don't buy shitty music. An efficient industry isn't necessarily going to turn out good music at a higher rate than the current one. What will turn out good music is money flowing into artists that people like to listen to. You have to give them a way to sell there music so they can eat. Even Mozart got paid.

2) Attack the anticompetitive practices, which has been done (incidentally, the FTC issued a decision on some brazen price fixing of three tenors cds today).

3) Provide a more efficient distribution mechanism. Apple's music store, and buymusic and all of the other online sellers will revolutionize the way music is created, distributed, and sold. It has the potential to eliminate all the A&R guys, all the bullshit and whatnot. Any indy artist records some tracks, gets apple to allow previews, and sell it.

Downloading illegally advances none of this.