"Some corporations dump toxic chemicals into our rivers, others spit poisonous toxins into the air. Then there's Abercrombie and Fitch."

In response to "bad" speech, more speech leads to self censorship, on the basis of financial self interest.

Democracy meets capitalism at its finest.

A Clothier Gets a Dressing Down

A vigorous assessment of how our language is best written and spoken and how we can use it most effectively, this guide is the ideal handbook of language etiquette: friendly, sensible, reliable, and fun to read.

In case you need a refresher ...

The Columbia Guide to Standard American English

Richie's bad words come two months after a little-noticed -- and, many say, nonsensical -- ruling by the Federal Communications Commission that appeared to sanction what government officials called "the F-word," as long as it is used as an adjective. Critics say the decision further unleashed the potty mouths they believe are taking over radio and television.

Navigating The Linguistic Complexities Of The Simple Life

[I explored] the frontier of free speech in China in the information age, and it reflects real progress. Exciting times are coming to China again.

Coffee, Tea or Freedom?

"It's a rock album. I like rock, I like the feel of it, the feel of punk, and it works well with North African music."

Rhapsody subscribers can listen to four of Taha's albums and three compilations on which he appears. About Taha and his album "Made in Medina", All Music Guide had this to say:

Rachid Taha is not the first artist to blend Arab and Western musical styles, but he is certainly one of the most innovative. The album is brimming with the exotic and the familiar. Like a sumptuous banquet, Medina is a rich mix of dishes, one that will tempt even the most jaded palette.

Rachid Taha: Rock 'n' Rai

Powell said, "Godfather, I hereby appoint you secretary of soul and foreign minister of funk."

James Brown appointed to funk up US Government

The Copyright Board of Canada imposed a government fee of as much as $25 on iPod-like MP3 players. The money collected from levies goes into a fund to pay musicians and songwriters.

Coming up next week on "The Illogical Canadian", legal experts will attempt to explain a new ruling that makes it legal to use stolen credit cards, although actually stealing the cards in the first place remains a felony.

Canadian Ruling on Web Music

This is a Google Bomb. Pass it on.

It occurred to me that SiteFinder does not even show up on the first page, let alone at the top, of a Google search for "evil", whereas PowerPoint is number seven. This situation must be rectified. Note that evil is a high mountain to climb; perhaps "most evil" is a better first target. You decide.

Evil

Consider the three preceding log entries in the context of Internet governance. Rinse and repeat.

It's the 35th anniversary of the tragedy of the commons, and Science Magazine is celebrating with a special issue.

Be sure to check out the article by Elinor Ostrom. Here's the abstract:

Human institutions -- ways of organizing activities -- affect the resilience of the environment. Locally evolved institutional arrangements governed by stable communities and buffered from outside forces have sustained resources successfully for centuries, although they often fail when rapid change occurs.

Ideal conditions for governance are increasingly rare.

Critical problems, such as transboundary pollution, tropical deforestation, and climate change, are at larger scales and involve nonlocal influences.

Promising strategies for addressing these problems include dialogue among interested parties, officials, and scientists; complex, redundant, and layered institutions; a mix of institutional types; and designs that facilitate experimentation, learning, and change.

The Tragedy of the Commons