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 "Cease and Desist" letters can be rather assertive.  By definition, they assert someone’s rights.  But, they need not always frighten the recipient.  See this link for a response to one such cease and desist letter.  San Antonio’s own Freetail Brewing Company received a cease and desisist letter regarding its use of the name "Hoposaurus Rex."…

Judge Sam Sparks, a U.S. District Judge in Austin, has addressed the very important issue of beer in Texas.  As the judge notes, no one would question the sincere interest of Texans in their beer.  Authentic Beverages Company Inc. filed suit regarding Texas’ beer statutes.  The statutes and regulations divide beer distributors into three tiers…

 A few months back, the US Army in Afghanistan started tweeting about events in that war zone.  They tweeted when the terrorists attacked civilians and killed women and children.  The Taliban responded with a tweet critical of US forces.  See report of one exchange between the good guys and the Taliban.  In this exchange a…

I spent twelve months in Iraq.  We taught and coached Iraqis on the finer points of democracy.  I served with some 140,000 other soldiers and service members.  As soldiers, I thought we did pretty well under the circumstances.  For a country long accustomed to strong central governance, there was visible progress on their ability to…

There is a story making the rounds of the internet about a man named Dave who ordered some gaming controllers.  He paid for them and expected to receive a pre-order discount.  Ocean Marketing’s Public Relations representative, Paul Christofor, however, had bad news for him.  Paul told Dave via email that he placed an order, the…

 What are the most costly Human Resources errors?  The good folks at Delaware Employment Blog mention four:

  •  Failure to engage in the interactive process required by the Americans with Disabilities Act

That is, Ms. DiBianca refers to HR’s failure to adequately consider requests for accommodation.  The employee need not mention the word "accommodation."  The employee…

The corporate world can be harsh.  Mega Corporation takes over slightly Smaller Corporation.  New management takes over the local sales office.  For unknown reasons, new management decides they need new sales representatives and a new regional manager.  New management lays off seven people total in the local office.  Four out of the seven have just…

Many web sites today provide a forum for  patients, clients and customers to criticize professionals.  But, some professionals require their patient to sign an agreement in which they agree not to criticize the health care provider.  Now, one dental patient is suing her dentist to overturn the agreement she signed.  See ABA Bar Journal report…

Tort reform comes up in Texas every couple of years.  "Million dollar lawsuits are ruining the Texas economy," I have heard off and on since the 1970’s.  Tort reform does tend to attract Republican support.  I agree there is always room for improvement, but the claims are often overblown.  The "lemon law king" of Wisconsin…

The party hardy guys from France are going home.  The two French brothers were arrested because they broke into the Bexar County Courthouse after a night partying on the Riverwalk and elsewhere.  The initial concern was that they were terrorists – apparently because they were of Moroccan descent and their motive for breaking in was…