Free Republic

Hurricane-relief Guardsmen tossed out of armory - for Victoria's Secret show The Victoria’s Secret show must go on — even if it means kicking out hardworking men and women in uniform. Dozens of National Guardsmen, and Army and Air Force personnel who have been sleeping at Manhattan’s Lexington Armory in between hurricane-relief shifts are being booted — to make room for Victoria’s Secret models in anticipation of Wednesday’s runway show. About 300 uniformed personnel have been bunking down at the armory at various times since Sandy hit. But their numbers will be reduced to 60 by Wednesday for the event,...

Mayor Bloomberg’s Response to Sandy Leaves Many New Yorkers Out in the Cold The mayor has brilliantly stage-managed his handling of the storm, but outside the city’s affluent precincts numerous angry residents feel abandoned by his administration as days have passed and help has remained distant, writes Harry Siegel. “Are you from OEM? Or FEMA?” “No, we’re from Brooklyn.” That was the exchange when, after nearly six hours, the volunteer group I spent Sunday with finally managed to deliver supplies— flashlights, blankets, winter jackets, baby supplies, and pet food—to Staten Islanders who’d been rocked by Hurricane Sandy. On television, New...

I just got off the phone with the manufacturer of the new notebook computer I just bought, Acer, and the publisher of the operating system installed on that notebook, Microsoft. You see, since I just purchased a brand new computer with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, I was under the impression that I should actually receive Windows Media Center Edition 2005. But it turns out that I was woefully naive about buying computers. That's an odd statement for me to make, since I am a computer professional at least eight hours per day. I support Windows for a living....

Microsoft has begun wielding the law hammer against dealers it believes have been selling counterfeit software via eBay and other auction websites. Today, the company announced legal actions—both civil and criminal—against 55 resellers of Microsoft software in 11 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, the UK, and the US. The software giant tracked down the dealers via the Windows Genuine Advantage program, using "tips submitted from consumers." Those who bought counterfeit software that subsequently failed to be validated via WGA were asked by Microsoft where they purchased the software after they contacted the company...

Imagine the following: It’s a beautiful Labor Day weekend. Sunny, cloudless, 80 degrees. Backyard barbecues are fired up all over the metropolitan area, and the beaches of New York City, New Jersey and southern Long Island are jam-packed with bathers. The only sign that something unusual is happening is the relatively big waves rolling up on Coney Island. It’s a surfer’s paradise. Mike Lee isn't enjoying the long weekend. For the last two weeks, Lee, the Director of Watch Command at New York City's Office of Emergency Management, has been observing a series of weather systems form off the western...

...In the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's annual list of jurisdictions with the worst litigation environment, Illinois is home to three of the top 15 counties: Madison, Le Clair and Cook (Chicago). So it's nice to see that the Supreme Court of Illinois has decided to rein in a local judge.... In a welcome display of common sense, a 6-0 court last week reversed a $1.05 billion judgment against State Farm Insurance Co. The case-- Avery v. State Farm-- was ostensibly about the parts used to repair cars covered under State Farm policies. The policies specified the use of "non-original equipment,"...

New MSFT license provision may force Windows users to buy extra licensesPosted on Thursday, August 22 @ 19:50:20 EDT by staff When is an operating system license not an operating system license? When it's a Microsoft "Volume Licensing Program" license, apparently.According to a new mailing being sent by the convicted monopolist, even those who pay Microsoft for membership in its bulk licensing program do not get "full" licenses for Windows. It's part of the company's latest push to force original equipment manufacturers to preload Windows. "Some customers believe they can acquire full operating system licenses through their Microsoft Volume...