BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

by Kathy Krajco Then there is the other side of the coin, which is an even more menacing sign of bad faith — what narcissists do to the images of others. Consumed with pathological envy, they make themselves look good the bogus way, by making others look bad. Overall, individuals high in narcissism displayed amplified responses to social comparison information, experiencing greater positive affect from downward comparisons and greater hostile affect from upward comparisons. — Bogart, L.M., Benotsh, E.G. and Pavlovic, J.D. (2004), Feeling Superior but Threatened: The Relation of Narcissism to Social Comparison, Basic and Applied Social Psychology, Vol. 26, Iss. 1, pp. 35-44. In other words, malignant narcissists feel that praiseworthy information about you diminishes them, and they feel that denigrating information about you elevates them. Hence, like the rapist, narcissists must tear their betters "down off that pedestal" by maligning them. Therefore "malignant"...

by Kathy Krajco There is no end of gobbledygook out there on the Web about "forgiveness" and "healing." My theory is that it all stems from thinking it a virtue to believe things that defy belief. Then you're stuck having to believe some things that make no sense. The result is tortuously gymnastic twists and turns of logic in oxymorons that call things what they ain't. Just what do people mean when they talk about "forgiving" a narcissist or abuser? I dare say they haven't the foggiest idea what they mean. They have bastardized the word forgiveness by abusing it to mean some vague kind of warm, fuzzy feeling you're supposed to get when your anger passes. Some say that forgiveness is "giving your anger to God." Okay, what the hell does THAT mean? The only way I know of to "give" your anger to anyone is to get angry at them. So, why on earth would you give your anger to God? Wouldn't it be nicer (and smarter) to give ...

Lawsuits Against Bloggers Seen Rising Since 2004, 159 Court Actions Have Targeted Citizen Journalists for Libel and Other Charges By HUMA YUSUF When Christopher Grotke answered a late-night knock on the door, he did not expect to find the deputy sheriff on his doorstep serving notice that he was being sued. Nor was he prepared for the charge: libel. Someone had posted a comment on his citizen-journalism Web site, iBrattleboro.com, stating that a woman in Brattleboro, Vt., was having an extramarital affair. The accused woman then sued Grotke and his Web site co-founder for failing to edit or delete the comment. The blogging community increasingly is subject to lawsuits and threats of legal action running the gamut from subpoenas to cease-and-desist notices. Since blogging became popular in about 2004, there have been 159 civil and criminal court actions involving bloggers, according to the nonprofit Media Law Resource Center (MLRC) in New York. Seven cases have resulted in verdicts agai...

HEY, SHE DOESN'T WANT TO DIE! UPDATE: A friend from my paralegaling days sent me this early this morning. I apologize I am usually at the gym or the doctor in the mornings and don't see these things right away. The full text of Ms. Allaithy's Complaint - Click here Unfortunately I understand now what this girl is going through, because in some ways - I have been there. I myself, have my lawyer asking me every once in a while as my divorce is being finalized, if she can finally (as she says) file charges for "Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress" and "Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress" on a third party. She's seen all the evidence and believes I have a strong case. In deferrence to the family of the third party, and because of the kind of person I am - have refused. Now, there's additional libel charges possible. So it's come up again. What's unfortunate is that MSM is buying this old story! The WOMAN is "scor...

Criticism or Blogging? Q. One employee maintains a blog which has made some unflattering remarks about the company. Can I take action against the blogger? A. Blogs are basically diaries which are made available through the Internet to all cyberspace. Some have a tight focus; others comprise an unstructured pastiche of personal, professional, and social commentary. The most popular ones are read daily by hundreds of thousands of readers and further clipped by other blogs, and so reach audiences in the millions; the majority are seen by a few hundred people each day. Recent months have seen a number of high-profile cases of bloggers who were fired for crossing the line of what was acceptable to their employers. In turn, a simmering debate has developed over the appropriate ethical parameters. Employer objection to blog content takes a number of forms: Content is unseemly. For example, a flight attendant was fired for posting photos that lacked the modesty and reserve which the airline n...

Privacy, Free Speech and Anonymity on the Internet On Friday, January 11, 2008; 12:00 PM -- Daniel J. Solove, associate law professor at George Washington University and author of "The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor and Privacy on the Internet," will be online Friday, Jan. 11 at Noon ET to resume his discussion about the Megan Meier-MySpace suicide case and the growing concern over the "Google Generation." Daniel J. Solove, Associate Law Professor, George Washington University and Author, 'The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor and Privacy on the Internet' CLICK HERE FOR HOW TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS & JOIN THE DISCUSSION READ MORE: DEATH BY 1000 PAPERCUTS - MEGAN MEIER/MYSPACE LIBRARY