Balance Sheet.

• Author: Taylor, Jeff A.
• Position: Brief notes - Brief Article

* Wind Socked. An appeals court beats back the heirs and publisher of Gone With the Wind to allow the sale of The Wind Done Gone (see "Tomorrow Is Another Day in Court," July), confirming that the right to parody has yet to be consumed by ever-expanding copyrights.

* Repo Fans. One man's bust is another man's boom. BMWs, Benzes, and Lexuses: All are fodder for a bustling repossession business in Silicon Valley, proof that the laws of economics have not been repealed.

* Testing Test. From Massachusetts to Michigan to California, parents and students question public school curricula built around standardized tests that only serve to rank schools and reward teachers. The deluded Business Roundtable rushes out a "Testing Backlash" booklet, mistaking the tests for real metrics. One key difference: Failing schools don't go out of business.

* The Chronic. The majority of the testimony before a Jamaican national commission on marijuana favors decriminalizing ganja. The commission's final report to the prime minister is expected to recommend some loosening of the laws.

* Online and Upward. Jupiter Media Metrix, a New York-based research firm, finds Web usage continues to ramp up. In March, 107 billion online minutes were measured, compared to 50 billion back in 1999. Four companies--AOL Time Warner, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Napster--accounted for half of all time spent on the Web.

* Car Tracks. The Firestone vs. Ford battle over faulty tires and crummy Explorers careens...