Here are the direct links to the groups.

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=13185520994

LinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=79807

Please note that you must be a member of Facebook or LinkedIn to view and join the groups there.

Finally, if you have any questions about this initiative, please e-mail me at steve@imparl.com.

Hat tip to Rick Myers.

It’s helpful to have a basic introduction to some of the potential legal issues like those attorney Walker-Osborn has provided.

The International Olympic Committee has admitted it knew China planned to block some Internet access for journalists covering the Beijing Olympic Games, despite promising media freedom.

IOC spokesman Kevan Gosper said Wednesday some International Olympic Committee officials had negotiated with China that some sensitive Web sites would be blocked because they were not related to the games.

Olympic organizers previously had promised foreign reporters unrestricted media access during the games, from August 8 through August 24.

But foreign journalists in Beijing reported today that they have been unable to access Web sites for the human rights group Amnesty International, the Falun Gong spiritual movement, and the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Amnesty International is appealing to the Beijing and International Olympic committees to fulfill their commitment to full media freedom.

Reporters Without Borders published a guide on the Internet today with tips for journalists working in China. The guide advises how to get around Internet firewalls, and how to lock computer files and find safe translators.

The Paris-based organization advises reporters to conduct phone calls and write e-mails knowing that they may be monitored.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

Source:  Voice of America News, July 30, 2008

Here are a few links to additional coverage:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/07/30/ST2008073002956.html

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/07/2008-summer-o-1.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sally-jean-kearney/china-tear-down-that-grea_b_115955.html

The IOC now has egg on its face, as it should.  To put it bluntly, they lied.  Their actions with respect to freedom of speech and freedom of the press in China are deplorable.  The IOC has convinced me that the modern Olympic games are now mainly about money; sport is entirely secondary.

As an athlete, albeit a lower-level amateur and recreational athlete, this news saddens me.  By these actions, the IOC has lost credibility.  Whatever happened to the “glory of sport” and the “honor of our teams” that the Olympic games are supposed to embody, as stated in the athlete’s oath recited at the opening ceremony of each quadrennial gathering.

The IOC imposes harsh sanctions on athletes who are found to have engaged in doping or have used banned performance-enhancing drugs.  While such punitive measures seem quite appropriate in the abstract, the IOC has now lost significant moral authority to impose any sanctions upon anyone.  They engaged in secret, underhanded, behind-the-scenes dealing to placate China’s Communist leadership and they lied when they said the news media would have unrestricted access to Internet sites from within China.  They outright lied. Plain and simple.

I think the modern Olympics have long outlived their usefulness.  I no longer see any justification for the extravagant sums of money spent around the games, and I certainly don’t want to see them come to my home city of Chicago in 2016.

It’s time we abolish the IOC and the modern Olympic games.  Let’s take the resources spent on them and use those resources to promote things like these:

• better physical education for children and young adults in schools;
• expanded and improved sports programs for people with various kinds of disabilities;
• more health and fitness initiatives in the workplace, in all sectors of the economy; and
• sports and fitness programs for senior citizens.

Enough of showering elite athletes–a tiny fraction of one percent of all athletes worldwide–with such a disproportionate share of economic resources allocated to sport.  Enough of the political gamesmanship that seems to creep into every Olympic games at some level.  Enough of the professional athletes replacing amateur athletes at the games.  Enough of the IOC and it’s sneaky, cowardly dealings.

Get rid of it all and use the resources for the immediate benefit of more people.  Sport is for everyone, not just the few who are extraordinarily athletically gifted.

Many of you know that I am a guest blogger and regular contributor at the JD Bliss Blog. I’m thrilled to post this announcement about Carolyn Elefant’s upcoming webinar.

JD Bliss is proud to announce a new webinar on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 12:30 PM EST:

From BigLaw to YourLaw: The Secrets of Starting and Growing a Successful Solo Law Practice

with

Carolyn Elefant, Esq.
Attorney, Author, Blogger and Consultant

During this 60-minute webinar, Carolyn Elefant, Esq., successful solo attorney, author of Solo by Choice, and publisher of the popular MyShingle blog for solo lawyers, will cover the nuts and bolts of starting up and growing your own successful solo law practice.

Attendees will learn:

• The 9 reasons lawyers leave law firms to start their own practices
• How to evaluate whether starting your own law firm is the right choice for you
• How to write a business plan for your new firm
• Techniques to identify potential clients and markets
• 3 easy marketing tools to help build your reputation
• How to negotiate an amicable departure from your current firm without “burning bridges”
• And much more. . . . . .

Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 12:30 pm EST

Location: Participate remotely from the comfort of your own office or conference room via a webex connection!

We look forward to greeting you!

I’m reading Carolyn’s new book, Solo by Choice, and am thoroughly enjoying it. I recommend that you read the book and attend her webinar on June 3 to take advantages of these opportunities to learn about solo practice from Carolyn’s extensive experience and clear, practical, and interesting way of presenting information about this exciting sector of our profession.

https://twitter.com/steveimparl

1. Introduction
2. The 7 Characteristics of Good Domain Names
3. The Process of Researching Domain Names
4. Keyword Research
5. Prefixes and Suffixes
6. Tools and Resources
7. Registering and Managing Domain Names

The book is well-written, well-organized, and filled with helpful tips and examples. I like the presentation: there are numerous headings for subtopics and the discussions of those subtopics are brief and to the point. I also really like that the e-book is published as a plain PDF document; it does not contain any of the nefarious digital rights management (DRM) mechanisms that have rendered some of my other e-books unusable.

I just bought Killer Domains this morning and have not read all of it. Also, the book is not specifically about the legal issues related to domain names. However, because of my commitment to a mindfulness-based, holistic law practice, I believe that we lawyers can do a much better job of representing our clients if we understand as much as we can about the commercial, technological, and social settings in which our clients operate their businesses. In this case, learning more about the marketing aspects of selecting and using domain names will help me serve my clients better. I am eager to read all of this book.

I hope you will enjoy this book and I am confident that you will find it useful.

Disclosure of interest: Daniel Scocco is one of my clients.

I still have a lot more content to add in the latter category–the more or less permanent pages–but I am happy with the progress so far.  As long as I can remind myself that there really isn’t some Platonic ideal of a Web site or blog that I must discover and implement, I will be motivated to continue updating this site.

If you have a blawg, or even a law-related blog, that isn’t on my list and would be a good addition to it,  please e-mail me at steve@imparl.com and I can probably add a link for you.  While they’re not required, I do, of course, appreciate reciprocal links.

Alternatively, you can post the name of your blog and its URL in the comments, but I have to tell you that e-mail is probably a better way to get my attention.  Thanks!

That is the brief introduction to the site. Thanks for visiting it. In order for us to get better acquainted, I invite you to visit my “About Steve” page where you will find some background information about me, as well as my professional and personal interests.

If you have any questions or would like information about my professional services, please e-mail me at steve@imparl.com.

All the best to you.