"The Supreme Court should decide a case by the end of this month that seemingly pits multiple issues -- all dear to liberal hearts -- against each other: the First Amendment versus decent working conditions overseas and consumer protection," Lisa J. Danetz writes for TomPaine.com. The case, Nike v. Kasky, centers on whether or not Nike violated California's truth-in-advertising laws with its statements about the working conditions in its overseas factories.

"What seemed to be a groundswell of protest materialized last week when WorldCom Inc. lawyers arrived at federal court for a hearing on whether the company's agreement to pay a $500 million fine was sufficient punishment for its mammoth fraud. ... Outside the courthouse, a small group of demonstrators rallied" including the Gray Panthers. "The outpouring, though, was hardly spontaneous. Several of the opponents, including protest organizers and petitioners, had ties to Issue Dynamics Inc.

The American Plastics Council recently launched a new marketing campaign that targets women and children. APC, through its ad agency Grey Worldwide, will spend $19 million on TV and print advertising, one of its lowest marketing budgets in the 11 year history of the trade association, MediaPost reports. "Because one of [APC's] targets is mothers of infants, Grey has gotten the American Plastics Council spots on The Newborn Channel.