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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>Keith,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>Your signature contains a definition of a racist. I wonder what you call someone who makes blanket statements about unions, "big business", and "republicans". I will be kind and call it stereotyping. It takes some effort and intelligence to research issues and discuss them on their merits instead of categorizing things according to labels, political talking points, and sound bites. But of course, this requires that we think, which is more work than many people are willing to do.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>Respectfully (your Republican friend),<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black'>Rick<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Rick Quatro<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Carmen Publishing Inc.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>*** 585-283-5045 *** NEW NUMBER<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>rick@frameexpert.com<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>http://www.frameexpert.com<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center id=stopSpelling></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:21:53 -0700<br>From: keith.smyth@att.net<br>Subject: Re: framers Digest, Vol 77, Issue 17<br>To: framers@lists.frameusers.com<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Ken, it might be a good idea to inform you MANAGER of the Third Tort Law.<br><br>You need to protect yourself by getting written instructions on what to include, and not include in the document. I saw this happen to an individual I was working with. Fortunately, he had signed instructions from the Product Manager to not include some safety instructions, as it would "upset the customer". So when a customer got burned badly, the customer went after the company, the company went after the writer, and the writer offered up the program manager, who got fired, and sued. Yeah, CYA.<br><br>Tort's Third Law<br>It is a good idea to be versed in Tort Law, specifically Tort's Third Law. The emphasis of the Tort Law is consumer protection. Tort Law did for the consumer what the unions did for the worker. According to the Third Law, "A product is defective when, at the time of sale or distribution, it contains a manufacturing defect, is defective in design or is defective because of INADEQUATE INSTRUCTIONS OR WARNINGS."<br><i><br>This is important to any of us in the technical writing domain, as it puts the onus on us to provide adequate (and standard) instructions, which includes warnings in the instructions (and on labels if that is a part of our job). Most writers are completely oblivious to their responsibility under the Tort Law and many companies are equally oblivious (or choose to ignore).<br>As such, they are also ignorant to the fact that they can be sued in a liability action, as a company and as individuals, for their failure to provide adequate instructions and warnings.</i><br><br>To make matters even more complicated, it's a double-edged sword for a writer. Business loves to hate the Tort Law and tends to kill the messenger. If you, as the writer, are doing a proper job, you are the messenger.<br><br>There are also very few places that teach you this stuff - even the university tech writing courses overlook it.<br>If you muck around without knowing the standards and the law, you could get yourself and your clients sued.<br><br>BTW, The Big B (big business) is currently throwing a lot of money at our political types to try and weaken the Tort Law and relieve themselves of the burden of liability (recalling those bloody toys that kill or maim kids is such a blessed nuisance and just munches away at the bottom line).<br><br>In addition, any politicians who do not play ball will find themselves up against some pretty big bucks intent on running them out on a rail. The republicans in particular are fond of coming to the aid of Big B and can be counted on to slam dunk your protection under the current law.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>--<br>Keith L. Smyth<br>President<br>Smyth Consulting<br><i>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</i></span><i><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br></span></i><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Voting for someone because they are black is as racist<br>as voting against someone because they are black.<span style='color:black'><br><br>Beware an intrusive government.<br><br></span><span style='color:red'>GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES</span></span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><br></span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br><i>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</i><br>Technical Documentation Consultant</span><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></body></html>