No Crock: Blogger Protects the Anonymity of its Users

This was in the NY Times today:

Blogger at Center of Lawsuit Is Identified
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 4, 2006

SMYRNA, Del., Feb. 3 (AP) — The mayor of Smyrna has identified the author of Internet writings at the center of a defamation suit that led to a recent state court ruling protecting the anonymity of Internet authors.

The mayor, Mark Schaeffer, said Thursday that a stepdaughter, Cristina Rawley, who lives with him and his wife, was the author of the writings.

The writings attacked a town councilman, Patrick Cahill, and his wife and prompted Mr. Cahill to sue Mr. Schaeffer for defamation and ask the court to force the Internet service provider to disclose the identity of the author.

A Delaware Superior Court granted the request, but in October, the Delaware Supreme Court overruled the order, saying that the author could remain anonymous.

Chief Justice Myron Steele compared anonymous Internet speech to anonymous political pamphleteering, a practice the United States Supreme Court characterized in 1995 as "an honorable tradition of advocacy and dissent."

Robert Katzenstein, a lawyer for Mr. Cahill, said this week that his client would proceed with the defamation suit.

Mr. Schaeffer said he would ask the court to dismiss him as a defendant in the suit, which would leave his 25-year-old stepdaughter as the sole defendant.

Mr. Schaeffer and Mr. Cahill, who are neighbors, have been involved in legal disputes for several years.

ExxonMobil reports largest net income in U.S. history

What a Crock!!!

Exxon Mobil posts record 4th-quarter profit of $10.71 billion
By LYNN J. COOK

ExxonMobil reported today it earned $10.7 billion on sales of $99.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2005, making it the best quarter the company has ever seen.

For the full year, ExxonMobil, the largest public traded energy company in the world, booked profits of $36 billion on sales of $371 billion.

Howard Silverblatt, a stock market analyst for Standard & Poor's, told the Associated Press that ExxonMobil's profit for the year was the largest annual reported net income in U.S. history. The previous high was ExxonMobil's $25.3 billion profit in 2004, according to Silverblatt.

ExxonMobil also raised its dividend by another 10 percent. The cash dividend of 32 cents per share will be payable on March 10.

Henry Hubble, ExxonMobil's vice president of investor relations, said in a conference call this morning that the company has paid a dividend for more than 100 years and has raised it for the last 23 years in a row.

In the exploration and production segment, ExxonMobil's quarterly profits exploded to $7 billion, thanks to high crude oil and natural gas prices. In the refining and marketing segment, the company posted a profit of $2.39 billion for the three-month period, thanks to higher refinery margins.

In a written statement, ExxonMobil Chairman Rex Tillerson said, "There is a great deal of public interest in global energy prices. We recognize that consumers worldwide want and need reliable supplies of affordable energy — to fuel their vehicles, light and heat their homes and run their businesses.

"Our strong financial results will continue to allow us to make significant, long-term investments requires to do our part in meeting the world's energy needs."

In mid-morning trading, ExxonMobil's shares jumped $1.68 to $62.97 per share on the news.