Carriers like Time Warner and Verizon( VZ) Fios can badmouth Netflix all they want.

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"LeMond has missed no opportunity since 2001 to badmouth Lance Armstrong, " said Mr. Armstrong's attorney, Tim Herman.

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You might even badmouth your boss or company with colleagues or (worse yet) with customers or suppliers.

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The Brit has a pretty zen approach to those who badmouth her writing: "Somebody likes it, " she said with a shrug.

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That Democrats would badmouth what George Bush wrought in 2003 is predictable.

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Never badmouth a former supervisor, co-worker, or organization in an interview situation.

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Treat everyone you meet with respect and professionalism, and don't badmouth co-workers.

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But that so many supposedly objective observers and business journalists badmouth that legislative act is astonishing, a manifestation of both how poisoned our politics have become and, even more alarming, of how economically illiterate or lazy so many seemingly smart people are.

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