Legal Stuff ...

Copyright notice:

All written material appearing on this website, and the website itself, is copyright by Paul Richard Harris. In the case of articles, they are copyright from the date that appears in the footer or publication header. If you wish to reproduce any complete document, you must include the source URL and attribution to Paul Richard Harris. Any material that originally appeared on the Power and Interest News Report (www.PINR.com) will also require the permission of the publisher at that site.

Bear in mind that I am licensed as a paralegal, so there's a reasonable chance I am aware of the law and know my own rights.

Fair Use:

This shadowy concept of copyright law allows for limited use, in appropriate circumstances, of copyright material without requesting the permission of the author or copyright holder. For example, if I wish to write a review of someone’s book, it is perfectly acceptable for me to quote parts of that book to illustrate my review without requiring permission from the author.

It would never be acceptable for me to use a substantial portion of someone else’s work as though it was my own work. I must give proper attribution to that author; to me, that is not merely a matter of law but a matter of common decency which is, alas, not very common. Legally, that may not apply to works which are in the public domain but so far as I’m concerned, if it ain’t yours, don’t use it without saying where you got it. (You might want to read my article entitled 'Lessons Learned' on the My Words page.)

I have no objection to anyone ‘borrowing’ a sentence or two from my work. While I would prefer that you acknowledge where you got it, I will not come after you armed with a troop of attorneys if you don’t. Anything more substantial than a sentence or two requires my permission and, depending on how you intend to use it, may cause me to arm the attorneys with photon torpedoes and drop shields. If you are in doubt, please contact me … it will save both of us a big mess.

Oh yes: if you use any of my material, no matter how small, to support any illegal activity or in support of any cause or agenda which smacks of racism or religious intolerance or any other form of human or animal abuse as defined by me, please be warned that all my lawyers are really big guys. If you are in doubt … well, you know the drill.

Caveat Lector:

All material appearing on this website is the opinion of the author. Where facts are referenced, they were researched at the time of writing and to the extent of the writer’s ability to verify, they were accurate. I can’t do anything about things that have changed since the writing was done and sometimes, despite my best efforts, errors may have crept in during the night when I wasn't being vigilant; if any facts are discovered to be in error, the writer would appreciate being advised.

But there is a lot of stuff here that just comes out of my head and as authoritative as it may sound, it is just opinion. So try to read critically; if they didn't teach you how to do that in school, go take a course. You might want to start here at The Critical Thinking Community. And please try to separate the medium from the message: you don't have to like me to agree with my thoughts. (I think William F. Buckley, to pick one at random, is a superb writer and able to express his viewpoints with skill, but I would never want to be left alone with him.)

If you simply disagree with my opinion, I’d be happy to hear from you although I confess that fawning adoration will always earn you my fullest attention. Regardless of why you write to me, I will enter into written debate with you; it is entirely possible for you to change my mind and I would be happy to acknowledge your ability to convert me to your way of thinking. If you are writing to me just to be rude, save your fingertips … I’ve heard it all before.

WARNING:

While the Internet is an incredibly useful and entertaining medium, nothing you see on this website is intended to encourage you to waste even more of your time at your computer, time that would be far better served by reading a book or playing outside.

Please note the navigational buttons on the left side of the page. Anyone old enough to remember the fifties or sixties will be aware that someone, somewhere, is sitting with his or her finger on 'THE' button, poised to blow the world to pieces. So far as I am aware, clicking on any of the buttons on the left will merely take you to the page indicated. If you click one of the buttons, however, and it turns out to be 'THE' button and destroys us all, please know right now that I will disavow any responsibility. Just thought you should know that.

Page last updated: May 21, 2008