Microsoft Lawsuit
By Ed Fallon
Dear Friends,
In terms of our usual updates, this one will
strike you as odd. Today, were not advocating for an issue. Instead,
were helping you, Joe and Jane Average Citizen, participate in a
class-action lawsuit that will land you $100 - $200 and help keep
Corporate America more honest in the future.
Perhaps youve not
heard about the Microsoft class-action lawsuit? There certainly hasnt
been a lot of news about it. One of our supporters is familiar with
the case in detail, so weve been privy to the inside skinny. In a
lawsuit that Roxanne Conlin shepherded through the legal system, it was
determined that Microsoft engaged in anti-competitive practices,
preventing improved consumer products from reaching our desktops.
Basically, it was attempt by Microsoft to lock down and control the
market.
If you are a resident of Iowa and believe, to the best
of your recollection, that you purchased a Microsoft product between
1994 and 2006, you are eligible to file a claim. It's understood in
the lawsuit that few people will have records of computer-related
purchases stretching back over thirteen years. Since Microsoft
products were pre-installed on almost all PCs during those years, if
you purchased a computer you likely bought Windows and Microsoft Word
or Microsoft Office. Your best estimates on what you purchased and
when will suffice.
To file a claim go to
www.iowamicrosoftcase.com. All you need to do is indicate to the best
of your recollection the year, product(s), and, generally speaking,
where they were purchased, e.g., Dell online, Comp USA, Best Buy, etc.
The claim was set up to be bare bones because there just is not much
more information people will be able to recall.
So, with that in
mind, each and every one of you who bought a computer during that
thirteen-year period should consider it your civic responsib ility to
file this claim. You have until December 15 to do it. If Iowans dont
claim the money approved in the settlement, it merely reverts to
Microsoft, so please feel free to forward this information to others to
encourage the broadest possible participation.
Youll help send
a message that Iowans believe in holding big companies accountable . .
. and youll get reimbursed for your efforts!
Thank you,
Ed Fallon
P.S.
On an unrelated matter . . . the Iowa Bicycle Coalition is working to
pre-sell 500 Share The Road license plates. The plates are a rolling
billboard to encourage more bicycling and reinforce the message to
motorists that safety is a life-and-death matter. The basic plates are
$35. Personalized plates are $60. Funding goes to bicyclist safety
education and motorist awareness. The coalition hopes to reach their
goal by December 1. Application and instructions are at
www.iowabicyclecoalition.org/strplate.htm.
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Friday, November 30
Microsoft Lawsuit
by
Sam Garchik
on Fri 30 Nov 2007 08:32 AM CST
Monday, November 26
Go Jump In A Lake
by
Sam Garchik
on Mon 26 Nov 2007 09:07 AM CST
Go Jump In A Lake
By Ed Fallon Seriously. I promise not to write about the global climate crisis every week. And I promise to keep todays Update short. But this is such an important issue that I have to bring your attention to an upcoming event that didnt make the Update last week. Its a special event, not just because its important, but because its fun . . . for some people . . . perhaps. On December 8th, representatives of nations the world over will gather in Bali for talks on climate change that will, hopefully, lead to the next generation of the Kyoto Treaty. Rank-and-file citizens around the world will mark the start of these talks with the Third International Day of Action on Global Warming. In Des Moines, local activists are organizing the "Polar Bear Plunge." People passionate about tackling global warming, or simply inclined to acts of insanity, are invited to a rally followed by a j ump into Gray's Lake at 12:00 noon on December 8th. The theme of the event is Keep Winter Cold, which may be a hard sell for Midwesterners on a brisk December day; but talk with any polar bear you meet on the street and you wont see a lot of enthusiasm for warmer winters. Organizers are encouraging participants both those who, like Lynn, will take the plunge literally and those who, like me, choose to regard plunge as metaphorical to write a letter or sign a petition letting Congressman Boswell know how important it is that he support the Safe Climate Act (HR 1590). Among leading Iowa Democrats, Boswell is alone in his lack of action on global warming. Iowas other Democratic Congressmen Braley and Loebsack support the bill. (Please thank them if you live in their districts.) Just last week, Chet Culver joined governors throughout the upper Midwest to form a regional pact to reduce global warming pollution 60% 80% by 2050. Frank Cownie, mayor of Des Moines, is gaining a national reputation as one of the countrys most proactive mayors on global warming. Every top Democratic presidential candidate has come out with a plan to tackle global warming. On the Republican side, John McCain is talking about it. The Iowa Farmers Union, the United Steelworkers of America, key environmental organizations and religious leaders have publicly called on Boswell to do everything he can to address global warming. Yet not only has Boswell declined to sign-on to the Safe Climate Act, he is supporting a fuel economy bill that is weaker than what President Bush called for in his State of the Union address. On December 8th employing the creative notion of plunging oneself, polar-bear style, into water a degree or two above the temperature of ice Des Moines-area residents will have yet another chance to impress upon Congressman Boswell the importance of jumping on boa rd the climate-change bandwagon. For more information, to help organize the event or to discuss the latest fashion in winter bathing suits, contact Kelly Mitchell at kelly.mitchell@wdc.greenpeace.org or (818) 282-0168. Thanks for reading, and I hope we get to spend part of a day at the beach together next month. Saturday, November 17
Action on Coal Plants
by
Sam Garchik
on Sat 17 Nov 2007 07:58 AM CST
Action on Coal Plants By Ed Fallon |
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