4 The Hampton Roads Messenger Editorial Hail to the Chief’s Popularity
year. Both democratic and republican members of Congress all vie for an opportunity to shake the President’s hand before and after his speech. Although they may not agree with his polices, they appear to genuinely admire the Commander in Chief. In fact, I do not believe there has been a President in the history of this country, who was as popular as President Barack Obama is today.
I had the opportunity to meet BY ANGELA JONES It is interesting to see that people
are still so excited about seeing President Obama. I was at Naval Station Norfolk recently, when Air Force One landed amongst a crowd of about forty cheering and adoring fans of the President, when he came to Hampton Roads and spoke at Norfolk State University. Young and old, rich and poor, black and white, the President has admirers throughout the spectrum. An estimated 11,600 people braved the scorching summer heat to get a glimpse and be within earshot of the President at NSU.
It seems that, no matter what
people’s political views are, when they have an opportunity to meet President Obama, they become giddy. For some reason, some women, who have the opportunity to meet the President, no matter what hour of day or night, decide to dress like they are going to a night club. I found it to be extremely odd that with temperatures rising above 90 degrees, in the middle of the day, there were women who were wearing sequined tops and mini-skirts. I guess they want to do their best to get noticed by the President.
Everyone’s love for President
Obama is also evident when he gives the State of the Union Address every
President Obama, before he was elected, when he spoke at a Jefferson Jackson dinner in Richmond, VA. Even with more than 1,000 people present, President Obama has the ability to make one feel as though they are the only person in the room.
President Bill Clinton had a
certain rock star swagger of his own, playing the saxophone on late night television shows; still, President Obama’s laid back, cool demeanor and quick wit would make him unbeatable in a competition for the most loved U.S. President. I believe his appeal goes even beyond that of President John F. Kennedy. President Obama is loved throughout the world. I’m not sure if his mass appeal is a product of his tailored exterior or the confidence he exudes from within.
While voters may no longer be
filled with “Hope” they are still filled with adoration for the President. If anyone says they would not want to meet President Obama, they are probably not being honest or they have been living under a rock for the last four years. If U.S. presidents were selected according to their popularity alone, President Obama would win the 2012 election hands down. Unfortunately, the Electoral College, the actual process which elects the President of the United States, will have its say after the popular votes are counted. Whether or not President Barack Hussein Obama is re-elected to a second term, he will go down in history as the most charismatic and revered Commander in Chief, ever.
Volume 7 Number 1
September 2012
Your Opinion Matters Did Apple Dupe Us All?
BY TONG-HYUNG KIM Set aside all
the hanky panky about the U.S. jury’s $1.05 bil. verdict in favor of Apple over Samsung Electronics in their
patent
dispute. The real
issue is whether the framework of the century-old patent laws, which served as the basis for the San Jose decision, has outlived its essential usefulness for inspiring innovation.
The essential process of this
involves building upon and improving the works of others. This was precisely the real genius of the late Steve Jobs as he converted the touch-screen computer from a colossal flop to a mainstream consumer device and invented smartphones on the basis of ideas that he couldn’t claim to be his and his alone.
As described in a New Yorker
piece, the Apple founder’s talent was “more editorial than inventive.”
Thus, there is more than a hint of
irony that Apple has been as aggressive in exploiting the structure of patent laws, which are tied to the idea that innovation is wholly a product of isolated, individual brilliance.
In throwing out Apple’s patent case
against Google in July, U.S. Appeals Court Judge Richard Posner ridiculed Apple’s claims over several functions like swiping to unlock a phone to register his disdain over how absurd patent wrangling between technology companies are becoming.
For Posner, the San Jose verdict may elicit the same response.
Kim Ki-chang, a Korea University
law professor who has been actively involved in technology-related legal debates here, described Apple’s legal moves as a gross abuse of intellectual property law.
“I think the whole case highlights
the limitations and side effects of patent laws, which I believed need to be entirely rebooted. Throughout its short history of around 100 years, the supporters of patent laws described them as a key requirement to inspire innovation. In reality, however, it has been killing innovation and providing an easy way for dominant companies to cement their dominance, fair trade ideals be damned,’’ Kim said.
“So does this mean that Apple is
the only handset maker in the world that should be allowed to produce smartphones with curved corners? We live in a highly-developed, complicated world where it’s impossible for a company to produce a product without stepping on a patent or two. Now, only the biggest companies that can swallow enormous legal fees are allowed to defend their market positions, while smaller firms are easily buried under a pile of lawsuits, taking innovation with them.
“Competition laws provide wide
access to critical technologies under the principles of reasonable and non- discriminatory licensing. So while Samsung can’t get paid extra for its essential technology in wireless patents, Apple can get paid massively for design patents that are considered trivial, and there is some irony in this.’’
Kim claims that it would be ideal
to expand the areas covered by the principles of “fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms,’’ which are aimed at allowing companies to access wider ranges of technologies by paying licensing fees.
Letter to the Editor: Last Month’s Edition
BY ROBIN SIMMONS-BLOUNT
Established 2006 Angela Jones, Publisher Chris Parks, Editor
Rae Willis, Graphic Designer Ida Davis, Contributing Writer
PO Box 10354 ● Norfolk, VA 23513
Sales and Information 757-575-1863
info@hamptonroadsmessenger.com Copyright pertaining to contents of this edition. All rights reserved.
I enjoyed reading articles from
the August edition of the Hampton Roads Messenger. I found the articles informative and educational. I was pleased with the approach your publisher took with the editorial which pivoted on what is important.
It is easy to encounter individuals in
the workplace bonding with Facebook dialogue with more concentration than physical encounters with colleagues in the dining hall. I have observed colleagues avoid passing an amicable greeting of compassion and concern for their fellow man( How are you doing? How is your family?) to launch into remarks from a Facebook rendezvous with people that they have never physically met.
Facebook is away to avoid people it
is perfect for teaching us how to build acquaintances versus true friendships. Facebook is like a celebrity page it celebrates the victory and the good times but you never see the process of how people get there. It announces the event and removes the testimony.
The testimony is how we learn from
each other. A true testimony inspires a dream that provides the seed for the next success story to grow. I do not have a Facebook page, I do not tweet and I do not text because I like conversing and laughing with people and not screens. I do not look at Facebook as an icebreaker for me it’s an icemaker!
I am sharing your paper with friends.
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