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Beachhead - Pirates and Pollywogs
"maddog, maddog", came the voices. Of course, I knew what this meant; it was the weekly meeting of the Pollywogs, a group of young friends who wanted to learn more about the history of computers. They came to the small restaurant where I had dinner on Saturday evenings, the Alideia dos Piratas, to ask questions and receive the best answers that I could give.
"Boa noite", I said (being most of the Portuguese I know), "what can I do for you tonight?" "Tell us about pirates", they answered in unison. "Pirates?" I questioned, "this seems a little off subject...you normally are interested in computer information, why this interest in pirates?" "Software pirates", they answered, and now I saw the connection.
"What most people call software piracy is a complex issue", I said. I continued:
In the earliest days of computers, both hardware and software were incredibly expensive. The people who could afford the hardware of the computers also usually could afford the cost of the software. Likewise, software was typically created as a service for the customer. Manufacturers supplied the operating system software for their own computer systems, so their customers could use their hardware, and applications were written specifically for a particular customer as a service. When customers "bought" software, usually the license did not specify how many computers they could run it on, and customers "owned" the software they had purchased.
As time went on and computers became manufactured in larger quantities, the price of hardware dropped considerably, but software remained expensive. So, people thought about manufacturing software the same way they manufactured hardware. This software typically would be delivered only in binary form, at a fraction of the cost, but you would not own the software, just the right to use it under terms of a license. The creator of the software still "owned" it. This is what most people are used to in today's market.
Although this was adequate for a lot of the world's market, it had some artificial limitations. Depending on the license, restrictions were made as to whether the software could be re-sold or re-used. Although older hardware might be re-sold to people who could not afford to buy new hardware, the old software could not be re-sold. Ironically, repopulating an old computer system with fresh copies of the software it originally came with might cost more than buying a new computer with the software already "bundled".
André gave me a knowing look. He told the group about his grandmother who was given a used computer, but it had no software on it. The person giving it to her had stripped the software off, to be "legal". The software alone would have cost her $2,000 US to replace, just to do simple word processing and some manipulation of her digital camera pictures. His grandmother was now a "software pirate".
I continued:
As the prices of the hardware dropped, the prices of the commercial software necessary to "do business on the Internet" stayed the same or even went up. While new computer systems with high-speed CPUs, lots of memory and disk space dropped in price to hundreds of US dollars, the software to run them stayed the same or rose in price to thousands of dollars.
It is interesting to note that commerce has moved in time from viewing the computer as a luxury in business to a necessity in business. It is difficult, if not impossible, for a business to exist without using computers and/or being tied to the Internet. Yet for people whose monthly income was measured in tens of dollars, this meant they could not afford the computers they were told they needed to do business today.
Enter software piracy. When caught between the proverbial rock and the hard place, people started to copy software and distribute it to people who needed it. People realized it did not cost $600 US to make a shiny plastic disk and that they could get the equivalent disk at their local CD store for $2 US. I mentioned that one time at a conference and a voice from the back of the room said, "One US Dollar!", a tough negotiator.
Nevertheless, this copying and selling of the software is illegal, and it is against the wishes expressed in the license as well as (in most cases) against the wishes of the software creator.
"It is as wrong as stealing a bicycle or a car, or photocopying a book for re-sale. It teaches a disrespect for the law that filters down to other issues", said Pablo. Pablo is studying to be a doctor, but is also active in his Software Livre! club. He went on to say, "In addition, stolen software does not typically allow for the thief to go back to the creator of the software to ask for patches, extentions or training. And there is no pride in stealing software."
"Why don't companies do more to protect their software?" asked one of the members of the group.
"Ironically, companies who scream the loudest about software piracy often admit to encouraging it", I said, and continued:
A South American product manager of a large software company based in Redmond, Washington, once admitted to me that they "help out" people that they know have pirated their software, providing patches and information to them. "It keeps these people from using alternatives", he told me. Yet, in the same country, this company is an active member of the Business Software Alliance, which often audits companies to see whether they are using unlicensed software and oversees the legal actions against them.
The group agreed that this seemed more than a little hypocritical.
Cesar told us that this same Redmond-based company often provides "free" distribution for "Education" or "Digital Divide" reasons. The latest edition of this software can run only three applications at a time, and other similar restrictions makes their software even more useless. "The motivation behind this is so transparent, it is enough to make a person laugh or cry. They hope to keep the buyer of the computer from trying a truly free operating system and software", he said.
Pablo pointed out that free software cannot be stolen. "You cannot steal something that is licensed to you freely. There may be a request with the free software that you acknowledge the person or company that wrote it, but this is typically a low- or no-cost request, easily done."
Finally, I said:
Free (free as in freedom) software, allows people with little money to help contribute to the software in many ways. They can contribute to the development, to the documentation, to the testing or to the promotion of the software. They even can sell support and training, making a living off of it, instead of a drain. They do not have to worry about the Business Software Alliance. This means that people who have little money still can contribute to the advancement of the software they use. They can join the software community with pride, not as a handout, and not as a thief.
Although you think I may be talking only about so-called third-world countries, how many businesses anywhere have "enough" money?
Marlon told us about his uncle who needed several pieces of very expensive software, available only from the United States and available only in English to run his business. The software would have cost him more than $2 million US, but more important, it would have forced him to teach his employees enough English to use the software. Instead, his uncle found a free software programmer who duplicated exactly what the uncle's business needed using MySQL, Perl, FreeGIS, Apache and other free software products. His uncle paid the software programmer money to create the software needed, and the software worked in Portuguese, not English. The money also stayed locally, buying local food, local housing and paying local taxes.
"Enough!", I said, "Enough talk about software pirates and software piracy. If you do not start your football game now, it will be too dark!"
And while the younger Pollywogs went off to play their game on the sand, the older ones and I put on our jackets, watching the sun drop down behind the trees and the stars come out over the water.
Jon "maddog" Hall is the Executive Director of Linux International (www.li.org), a nonprofit association of end users who wish to support and promote the Linux operating system. During his career in commercial computing, which started in 1969, Mr Hall has been a programmer, systems designer, systems administrator, product manager, technical marketing manager and educator. He has worked for such companies as Western Electric Corporation, Aetna Life and Casualty, Bell Laboratories, Digital Equipment Corporation, VA Linux Systems and SGI. He is now an independent consultant in Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Business and Technical issues.


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Apple Inc has invited Chinese journalists to an event in Beijing on September 11, a company spokeswoman said, just hours after it is widely expected to unveil its newest iPhone models in the United States.
The event will mark the first time that the company has held near-simultaneous briefings in the United States and in China, the world's biggest mobile phone market where Apple has been losing its star power to rivals like Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.
"Apple has hosted satellite events in London and Tokyo in the past," Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu told Reuters about the upcoming Beijing event. "It will be a broadcast of what happened in California."
Wu declined to give details on what would be announced.
News of the Beijing event fuelled speculation that Apple may announce a long-awaited deal with China Mobile Ltd, which is the world's biggest mobile phone company by customers and the only major Chinese carrier that does not have an agreement with the U.S. tech giant.
Top executives from Apple and China Mobile met in China in late July, bolstering expectations that an agreement was near.
Some analysts, however, said Apple was likely to unveil a new product at the event and cut the months-long waiting time Chinese consumers have had for the latest iPhone.
"I think the primary purpose of the event will be for a new product launch," said Sandy Shen, a research director with consultancy Gartner in Shanghai. "Though an announcement with China Mobile is possible … I won't hold my breath."
Apple slipped to seventh place in second-quarter smartphone sales in China, according to research firm Canalys. Its China revenue for its fiscal quarter ended June 29 plummeted 43 percent from the previous period and 14 percent from the same quarter last year.
Apple is expected to unveil a less-costly iPhone at an event at its Cupertino, California, headquarters on September 10. Analysts have said Apple needs a lower-priced device to drive growth in emerging markets such as China, where most consumers cannot afford its full-priced models.
Source : Reuters

subset: commoncrawl


text:
FR Doc E8-24990[Federal Register: October 21, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 204)]
[Page 62488]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
Joint Audit Committee Operating Agreement
AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
ACTION: Reopening comment period.
SUMMARY: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``Commission'') is
reopening the comment period for interested parties to comment on the
Joint Audit Committee Operating agreement which was submitted to the
Commission for approval pursuant to Commission Regulation 1.52.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before November 13,
ADDRESSES: Interested persons should submit their views and comments to
David Stawick, Secretary, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three
Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581. In
addition, comments may be sent by facsimile transmission to (202) 418-
5521, or by electronic mail to [email protected] Reference should be
made to ``Joint Audit Committee''. This document also will be available
for comment at http://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas J. Smith, Deputy Director and
Chief Accountant, or Jennifer Bauer, Special Counsel, Division of
Clearing and Intermediary Oversight, Commodity Futures Trading
Commission, [email protected], Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20581. Telephone (202) 418-5472.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 11, 2008, the Commission
published for public comment an amended operating agreement submitted
by the Joint Audit Committee for approval under Commission Regulation
The Commission established a 30-day period for submitting public
comment on the proposed JAC agreement, ending October 14, 2008. By
letter dated October 9, 2008, an association of futures industry
participants, whose members include firms that are registered as
futures commission members, requested an extension of the original
comment period. In response to this request, and in order to ensure
that an adequate opportunity is provided for submission of meaningful
comments, the Commission has determined to reopen the comment period on
the approval of the JAC agreement for an additional 30 days as
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 15, 2008 by the Commission.
David A. Stawick,
Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. E8-24990 Filed 10-20-08; 8:45 am]
Last Updated: October 21, 2008


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Religious Liberty Dominates Bishops' Meeting in Atlanta
Religious-freedom issues dominated the U.S. bishops' spring meeting in Atlanta.
ATLANTA — As the U.S. bishops continue their battle against the federal government's contraception mandate, they have been under increasing pressure to focus on a defense of the free exercise of Catholic institutions and set aside the issue of conscience protections for individual employers who oppose the new regulation on religious or moral grounds.
But Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, the chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, embraced the conscience rights for small businessmen and other employers who oppose the inclusion of contraception, abortion drugs and sterilization in private employee health plans.
Archbishop Lori delivered the opening statement June 13 at the bishops' conference spring meeting. The address marked the start of a spirited interlude of speeches and discussion on domestic religious-liberty concerns, followed by two presentations on threats to international religious freedom abroad.
Archbishop Lori noted the drum beat of critics who want the conference to limit the scope of its agenda.
"The idea that individual persons have a right to conscientious objection, as against coercive government action like the HHS mandate — though firmly established in both the teaching of the Church and the policy of the conference for generations — has not merely been called into question, but mocked as some kind of novel or marginal theory," he said.
Archbishop Lori's firm stance was backed up by a strong statement from the papal nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who attended the meeting.
"It goes without saying that the Catholic Church in the United States is living in a particularly challenging period of its history," Archbishop Viganò told the Atlanta meeting, making it clear that Pope Benedict XVI endorsed their initiative.
"Of course, I am thinking of the whole question of freedom of religion and of conscience," the nuncio added, in a departure from more diplomatic language. "The Church must speak with one voice. The fundamental tactic of the enemy is to see the Church divided." The nuncio suggested that the Pope's addresses during the U.S. bishops' recent ad limina visits provided a road map for the future.
A host of constitutional scholars and commentators have waited to see how the bishops would likely respond to the mounting pressure to backtrack on individual conscience rights. Alarm bells went off after some bishops seemed to reserve their ammunition for challenging the mandate's narrow religious exemption for Church-affiliated institutions and ignored the concerns of small businessmen.
Two days before the bishops met in Atlanta, ThePublicDiscourse.com, a website that addresses such issues and is closely affiliated with Robert George, the professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University and a leading Catholic public intellectual, posted a defense of conscience rights.
"The key to understanding conscience rights correctly is to recognize that there is a world of difference between a law that makes me do something I don't want to do and a law that makes me do something I have an obligation not to do. The former is an annoyance, the latter an assault on my moral integrity," wrote Melissa Moschella, who recently earned her Ph.D. in politics at Princeton.
"[As a] pluralistic liberal democracy, we should indeed bend over backwards to craft our laws so that individuals will never be unnecessarily coerced into violating their consciences."
'The Catholic Both/And'
Archbishop Lori, for his part, laid out the principles that have shaped the conference's statements and efforts to pursue legal and legislative remedies to the contraception mandate approved on Jan. 20. He stressed that they did not only address the federal government's unacceptably narrow religious exemption, which excludes Catholic hospitals, universities and social-service agencies, but also endorsed individual conscience rights.
The USCCB administrative committee unanimously approved "United for Religious Freedom" at its March meeting. It "discusses the concerns of both institutions and individuals; and among institutions, both the religious and the non-religious," he said.
"[I]t shows concern for the consciences not only of employers, but also of the various other stakeholders in the health-insurance process, such as insurers and employees." An expansive defense of religious liberty, he said, "exemplifies the Catholic both/and," which is more inclusive and, therefore, unifying.
"The document reflects the full breadth of the applicable Church teaching on religious liberty, not just parts. In this way, the document foresees and forecloses some of the potential divisions that our opponents would create among us."
A subsequent — and more extensive — statement of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty," he noted, also moved beyond a defense of Catholic institutions to embrace "[o]ther Christians; Jews, Muslims and all people of faith; even those who reject religion altogether — the right to religious freedom belongs to all of them," he stated.
"That is because religious freedom is not only their legal right and proud heritage as Americans, but also a universal human right, one that flows directly from their inherent dignity as human persons."
In further comments on the "Fortnight for Freedom," which the Ad Hoc Committee proposed in "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty," he noted its spiritual focus.
"It involves public action, yes — but it is primarily a matter of prayer and education," he added, outlining plans for educational and public initiatives that highlight Church teaching on religious freedom, inform the public about ongoing threats to the first freedom, and affirm the need for prayer to change hearts and minds to embrace freedom.
The fortnight began on June 21, with a Mass at the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore, and ends July 4, with another liturgy at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
Internal Conflicts
Critics have argued that the bishops' heavy focus on religious freedom marked a dangerous shift into partisan politics during an election year.
Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne wrote that the bishops' "Fortnight for Freedom campaign [a 14-day period of prayer, education and action in support of religious freedom] is looking more and more like a direct intervention in this fall's elections."
But Archbishop Lori rejected that suggestion.
The fortnight "is strictly about the issue of religious freedom, at all levels of government here in the U.S., as well as abroad — it is not about parties, candidates or elections, as some others have suggested."
He made it clear, however, that the barrage of criticism and attacks from within the Church and without had not diminished his passion for the cause of religious freedom.
The criticism, he said, "should prompt us to do exactly the opposite, for they show us how very great is the need for our teaching, both in our culture and even in our own Church."
During their discussion about the mandate, several bishops acknowledged that internal Church conflicts, including the very public dispute between the Vatican and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, had weakened their effort to present a united front. Yet the bishops also said they continued to receive support from across the nation.
Mother Joan Paul, who heads the School Sisters of Christ the King, based in Lincoln, Neb., told the Register that she and her fellow sisters stood with the bishops and that one sister had stepped forward to be a plaintiff in a legal challenge to the mandate filed by the attorney general of Nebraska.
"As Catholic educators, we are vitally concerned for the future of our youth and their basic rights. Right now, this issue is critical, and we will do all we can to fight against this mandate," said Mother Joan.
"But our ongoing mission is to empower our youth to become an 'engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity,' as Pope Benedict put it. In the words of Archbishop William Lori at today's USCCB meeting, the 'tools' we can give them are: the love of Christ and the truth about the human person."
Radical Secularism
Other speakers addressed a spectrum of threats posed to the free exercise of Catholic institutions and individual believers in the U.S. and abroad.
Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad, who serves as president of Caritas Iraq, described the catastrophic consequences of wartime violence on the vulnerable Christian minority that has witnessed the flight of co-religionists out of their homeland.
"We have freedom of worship, but we do not have freedom of conscience or of religion," Bishop Warduni told the assembly. "If someone becomes a Christian, they could be killed very easily."
Tom Farr, the director of the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown University, reminded the bishops that religious freedom is being pushed to the sidelines in parts of the United Kingdom and Western Europe, the cradle of religious liberty, where secular currents have sought to suppress the public expression of Christian faith.
Farr, in an interview, defended the bishops' focus on individual conscience rights.
"Archbishop Lori's argument was not new. He was reflecting a long-standing position of the Catholic Church, i.e., that every religious actor — whether individual or institution — must have full equality under the law. This means the right of Catholics and non-Catholics, Christians and non-Christians, to participate in civil society and politics on the basis of their religious beliefs," said Farr.
Speakers made it clear that the emergence of threats to religious freedom in Europe and the U.S. reflected the rising power of secular forces. "Perhaps the reason we see a loss of religious freedom today is that we are turning a corner in our collective view of religion. We are not exactly like France, where only 4.5% of Catholics go to Mass weekly (down from 27% in 1965). But we are measurably less religious than we were a few decades ago," suggested John Garvey, the president of The Catholic University of America and a constitutional scholar who has advised the USCCB's Committee for Religious Liberty.
In an eBook released June 19, True Freedom: On Protecting Human Dignity and Religious Liberty, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, the USCCB's president, recalls Blessed John Paul II's encyclical The Gospel of Life and explains how a culture of death that brooks no constraints on its view of freedom will ultimately attack religious beliefs that counter its utilitarian ethos.
Archbishop Lori offered a similar observation. Attacks arising from secular forces and dissident Catholics, he suggested, "show us how far we have fallen and how far we have to climb before we can rest assured that religious freedom stands on firm footing."
Looking out to the assembly of bishops, he vowed, "We will not fail."
- Keywords:
- July 1-14, 2012


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Huawei and ZTE are not the only companies releasing Android based smartphones at CES in Las Vegas. Joining them is Lenovo, which released its flagship smartphone earlier today at CES, the Lenovo K900.
The K900 sports a massive 5.5-inch IPS screen with 1080p Full HD resolution protected by Gorilla Glass 2, 2GGB of RAM, 16GB of on-board storage, microSD card slot, a 13MP F/1.8 camera at its back accompanied by dual-LED flash, and a front-facing 1.9MP camera with 88-degree viewing angle.
The handset is made of stainless steel alloy plus polycarbonate body inside an impressively thin 6.9mm body. Perhaps, the most interesting part of the Lenovo K900 is the processor ticking inside it. Last year, Lenovo was among the first companies at CES to announce an Intel Medfield based phone, the K800. This year, they continue that tradition with the K900, which sports Intel's latest mobile SoC – Clover Trail+, a dual-core chip that is clocked at an insanely high 2GHz.
At the moment it is unknown how Clover Trail+ performs compared to other mobile SoC solutions like the Tegra 4, Apple's A6X and Samsung's Exynos series. The company did not mention anything about the pricing or release date of the K900, or which version of Android it will run out of the box.


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Welcome to Through the Eyes of Hope
Photojournalist Linda Smith first traveled to Rwanda in 2006 where she spent much of her time behind the camera. The Rwandans were captivated by the photographs that Linda took since many of the children and adults she photographed had never seen an image of themselves. Linda recognized the potential that the camera held for the children, by not only providing them with documentation of their lives but also allowing them to experience a sense of joy and fun.
What we've been up to
In November 2009, one of the beloved photography students Emile Iradukunda passed away. It was always Emile dream to become a photographer.
Meet some of our artists


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Statice, sea lavender
Limonium species
Plants of Home and Garden
Most Limoniums are tender perennials grown as annuals, started from seed, indoors, in early spring, just covered at 60-75F/15-24C, and set out later, or sown directly outdoors some time later. May also be sown when fresh in fall. Fertile, well-drained soil, and sun; dry and saline conditions tolerated. Division in spring or root cuttings, in winter, used also to propagate
Limonium tataricum, German statice, a hardy perennial, may be sown outside in spring; hardy in zones 3-9. Limonium suworowii must have dark to germinate
See Also
Common lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Related Topics
|Copyright © 2020,
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California has become a key battleground in the race for the Democratic nomination for president. Yesterday, both candidates sent their top surrogates to Los Angeles. KPCC's Frank Stoltze visited an African American church where former President Bill Clinton was speaking on behalf of his wife. KPCC reporter Brian Watt was at two other local churches.
Web Resources
Hillary Clinton's campaign Web site
Barack Obama's campaign Web site
Frank Stoltze: Former President Clinton visited three African-American churches in Gardena, Norwalk, and South L.A.
Reverend Frederick Murph: The man who is a president for all people for all times, none other than William Jefferson Clinton! [Crowd cheers] Come on, stand up, give him a big hand!
Bill Clinton: All my life I've been waiting to vote for an African-American for president. [Crowd laughs and applauds]
Stoltze: At Brookins AME Church, Clinton struck a softer tone than he did in the South Carolina primary as he sought to drum up support among a black electorate that's been shifting toward Barack Obama. He never mentioned Obama by name. Instead, he focused on his wife's experience.
Bill Clinton: She did things that changed other people's lives, and she's done it in the Senate. And I want her to be president because she believes nobody should be invisible, or left behind, or ignored.
Linda Gantt: I appreciated what he had to say, but I'm still undecided.
Stoltze: Linda Gantt, a registered nurse, said she's still deciding between Hillary Clinton and Obama. She chastised the media for saying black women are particularly torn.
Gantt: We can differentiate between the candidates positions, as opposed to picking a president based on race or gender.
Stoltze: Edward Jordan loves Bill Clinton. The real estate attorney was glad to see him visit his church, especially after some of the racially charged comments by the former president and his wife.
Edward Jordan: I don't really use the term race card, but did I not like it, did I think it was off color? Sure.
Stoltze: Jordan's voting for Obama. Wendy Smith works in marketing. She's been sorting through campaign literature. She still hasn't made up her mind.
Wendy Smith: I was up at three o'clock this morning reading over my campaign, yes! Yeah, I'm a little extremist. But yeha, I was reading some more.
Stoltze: Smith says she usually votes by mail, weeks in advance. Not this year.
Brian Watt: I'm Brian Watt outside the West Angeles Church of God in Christ on Crenshaw Boulevard. This was one of the congregations the former president didn't visit, and the trend among likely voters here was moving decidedly against another Clinton in the White House.
Walter Largent: At this time, I'm gonna change my mind from Clinton to Obama. And I'm going to vote for Obama, as well as my family.
Watt: Seventy-seven-year-old Walter Largent lives in South L.A. and teaches adult education classes in Compton. He, his son, and his three daughters have done a lot of talking recently about the Democratic nominees.
Largent: Mrs. Clinton, I think, I have nothing against her, but I think it's time for Obama to become president.
Watt: Forty-nine year old Carole Michaux also attended the early service at West Angeles and, like Walter Largent, she's picked Obama. The human resources rep for the Salvation Army lives in Westchester, but she grew up in Chicago. That had her leaning Obama's way for a while. She said his resolve in recent weeks really solidified her support.
Carole Michaux: After all the hoopla at the first few primaries, he's had a very strong sense of the direction he wants to take, which is a good direction.
Watt: By "hoopla," Michaux meant the sharpened attacks she believed Senator Obama had endured from Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Michaux: When he got past all the political games that they were playing, and went to the issues, and that's when I made my decision, is when I started hearing how he felt about all the issues.
Watt: There were too many churches for any campaign to reach, but that didn't mean people weren't thinking and talking about politics. At St. Bernadette Catholic Church in the Baldwin Hills area, 27 year old Letif Leffall said he'd been leaning toward Hillary Clinton because he's a big fan of her husband.
Letif Leffall: I definitely looked at her candidacy as an extension of his presidency, but at this point, I really feel like Obama might be a better choice, just for the fact that he's coming with a little bit of something new.
Watt: Most voters in this unscientific survey acknowledged that Hillary Clinton's also a good candidate. And if she wins her party's nomination, most said they'd support her in November's general election.


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Cardioversion is a procedure to restore your heart's normal rhythm from a fast or irregular rhythm (arrhythmia) in the top or bottom chambers of your heart. You may have the procedure in a hospital or surgery center. It's often done on an outpatient (same day) basis. During the procedure, your doctor will give you medication to minimize discomfort. Then the doctor gives you a brief electric shock. This helps your heartbeat become normal again. In most cases, you can go home within hours of the procedure.
Tell your doctor what over-the-counter and prescription medications, herbs, and supplements you are taking.
Take medication as directed. Your doctor may prescribe anticoagulants (blood thinners), depending on your situation. They help prevent blood clots from forming. Your doctor may order an ultrasound called transesophageal echocardiography. This will help your doctor figure out if you need a blood thinner.
Ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of cardioversion.
Sign your consent form.
Don't eat or drink anything for 8 to 12 hours before your procedure.
Follow any other instructions your doctor gives you.
Arrange for an adult to drive you home after the procedure.
Your health care provider will place small pads (electrodes) on your chest to record your heartbeat at all times.
Your health care provider will place an intravenous (IV) line in your arm. This gives you medication (sedation) that keeps you free of pain. You'll feel sleepy.
Your health care provider will give you oxygen through a soft, plastic tube in your nose.
Pads will be placed on your chest and back. Your health care provider will give you a very brief electric shock through the pads. Remember, because of sedation, you won't feel the shock.
Your doctor will watch your heartbeat to make sure your normal rhythm has been restored.
Your health care provider will monitor you until you are fully awake. Then you'll be able to sit up, walk, and eat.
In most cases, you'll be able to go home after the sedation wears off. This usually takes a few hours.
For a few days, the skin on your chest may feel a little sore, like a mild sunburn.
Don't drive or operate heavy machinery for 24 hours after the procedure.
The day after your procedure, try to take it easy. Take medication as directed.
Call your doctor if you notice skipped beats, a rapid heartbeat, or chest tightness. These may be signs that an irregular heartbeat has returned.
Vidant Health can connect you to health care professionals to help you understand your condition and guide you through the treatment process. Let's chat.


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Mark Levie, MDPreceptor
The Fellowship Program in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine Montefiore Medical Center trains specialists in obstetrics and gynecology who, at the completion of their training, will be prepared to provide advanced minimally invasive surgical management to women with complex gynecologic conditions. The fellows will also have developed the requisite investigative and scholarly skills to pursue research and academic careers. This training program offers wide exposure to advanced minimally invasive surgery as well as a state of the art laboratory where research and training can be maximized.
Fellows are exposed to a broad variety of experiences during their training. In addition to routine laparoscopic procedures, specialists from each division in the department participate in the education of the advanced minimally invasive fellow. The fellows participate, under faculty guidance, in multiple procedures including:
• Robotically assisted laproscopic surgery• Laparoscopic cancer staging and lymph node dissection• TVTs• Laparoscopic retropubic procedures and vault suspensions• Laparoscopic tubal re-anastamosis• Resection of endometriosis
In addition, the fellow may rotate through the Department of Surgery in order to further enhance learning in bowel resections, cholecystectomies and bariatric surgery. Advanced hysteroscopic procedures including myoma resection and endometrial ablations are also routinely performed. Fellows are required to perform research during protected time and play a large role in the education of residents in laparoscopic surgery.
Dr. Mark Levie is the preceptor of the Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS), which is affiliated with the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) and the Society of Reproductive Surgeons (SRS). He is the Chief of Gynecology at the Moses Division of Montefiore Medical Center as well as the Gynecologic Director of the Montefiore Institute for Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS). This center was opened in 2001, and is a state of the art training facility with laparoscopic virtual reality simulators, suturing boxes, robotics, and animate lab. The Institute has been designated as a regional training center by Gynecare Worldwide (Division of Ethicon, Inc.), and Dr. Levie runs training courses for physicians within the region on advanced endoscopic and hysteroscopic techniques. More recently, Dr. Levie has been working with Conceptus, Inc. and was an investigator in their post FDA trial, and also worked with Olympus and Kael Storz to develop training videos for the EssureTM system. Montefiore has been designated as an Essuretm training facility. Dr. Levie was the Director of the 2003 Departmental annual conference, Autumn in New York, the topic of which was Minimally Invasive Surgery and the Alternatives, attended by over 350 healthcare providers.
Applications for this fellowship can be obtained from the AAGL website at http://www.aagl.org.
Scott G. Chudnoff, MD, MSDmitry Fridman, MD
Eric Liberman, DO
Holly Luts, MD
Sophia Palmer, MD
Ja Hyun Shin, MDJustin To, MD
Julia Keltz, MD
Jed Shortz, MD
Sukrant Mehta, MD
Chudnoff S, Einstein M, Levie M. Paracervical Block Efficacy in Office Hysteroscopic Sterilization: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2010; 115(1)26-34.Levie M, Weiss G, Kaiser B, DaifJ, Chudnoff SG. Analysis of Pain and Satisfaction with Office-BasedHysteroscopic Sterilization. Fertility and Sterility 2009; epub ahead of printLevie MD, Chudnoff SG. Prospective Analysis of Office-Based Hysteroscopic Sterilization. Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology 2006; 13(2) 98-101.Levie MD, Chudnoff SG.(2005). Office hysteroscopic sterilization compared with laparoscopic sterilization: a critical cost analysis. Journal of Minimimally Invasive Gynecol.ogy 2006; 12(4):318-22.


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Curt Linderman Sr.
January 17, 2012
Once again the tyrannical claws of the medical industrial complex, supported by big brother government, have grazed the flesh of an intelligent, educated mother that has refused to bow down to the lies of the vaccine agenda.
Rachel Garmon, a resident of the Centre County area of Pennsylvania, recently took her 2 ½ year old son to an appointment with a new pediatrician. Mrs. Garmon states in her recent interview with Alex Jones that her visit with the doctor was going well. The pediatrician even stated that the boy looked very healthy. This was of course until the good doc found out that Rachel had never vaccinated her son.
Suddenly, the visit took a turn for the worse as the pediatrician, classically trained in the heretical arts of poisoning young children in the name of health, began to attempt the indoctrination of vaccination into this wayward mother. Rachel however, stood her ground and explained to the doctor that she had "strong convictions against vaccinating (her) son and he was not going to get any shots."
Rachel also refused to sign the self incriminating form designed by the American Academy of Pediatrics that basically states that you are a horrible parent for not protecting your child with poisonous vaccines. This is a document that no parent should sign as this can be used against you when CPS or Children and Youth Services begin to push their agenda in a family court situation. By the end of the appointment, Rachel stated that she felt that the visit had ended on a good note and really didn't feel as if there was any need to be concerned with her decision not to vaccinate.
Mrs. Garmon spent the weekend out of town visiting her sister and upon returning home, she witnessed two notes attached to her door. These notes were from a Pennsylvania State Trooper asking her to contact her "ASAP". The first attempt failed due to the late hour but the following day, Rachel was successful in reaching the state trooper and was informed that the doctor that Rachel had visited the week prior had contacted the department to file a report regarding her suspicious behavior. The doctor apparently told the trooper that Mrs. Garmon had come to her office with her son, refused to give her identification and had acted "suspicious".
When was the last time you had to show your driver's license to see your doctor? Mrs. Garmon told the trooper that she had not been asked for her identification and that she felt that this issue was in regards to her decision to not vaccinate her son. Could the "suspicious" actions be of a mother that educates herself on issues regarding her child's health and wellbeing? In today's world of following orders like lemmings to the cliff's edge, perhaps this could be construed as "suspicious". The state trooper also stated that the pediatrician had called Children and Youth Services.
In the interview with Alex on Tuesday I would have to surmise that this doctor has picked on the wrong woman. Rachel is a popular mother and respected member of the community, a Sports and Wellness Director for a well known community based organization and a well educated citizen of Pennsylvania. She also seems quite prepared to take this to the next level and this level should be pressing charges on a pathetic pediatrician that files false and misleading reports with the Pennsylvania State Police.
Mrs. Garmon was contacted eventually by the pediatrician via voice mail and stated that she had no idea what she was talking about regarding the visit from the state authorities. Judging from the conversation between the state trooper and Rachel we can only assume that this pediatrician is as much a liar as she is a minion of the eugenics-inspired vaccine movement.
Mrs. Garmon was fully within her rights as a parent, an American citizen and a resident of the state of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is one of many states that allows vaccination exemptions for both religious and medical reasons (1) while some states also allow philosophical exemptions and Mississippi and West Virginia allow only medical ( a direct violation of its citizens Constitutional Rights). Mrs. Garmon's desire to fight the powers that be and her intention on bringing this to the attention of the public and the Alex Jones Show audience is to be commended. As more mothers and fathers become educated on the true nature and intentions of the vaccine agenda, big brother and the medical industrial complex will be forced to either show their hand or fold their cards.
Because of Mrs. Garmon's decision to not vaccinate her child, her son has had only one ear infection in 2.5 years, has few if any colds or coughs and is "the healthiest child" she knows. I urge all of our readers to research their own state's vaccine exemption laws, educate themselves and be armed with that knowledge the next time a pediatrician or school system threatens their poisons on their children.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


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Re: Water for Elephants (movie and book)
Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2011 6:20 am
I was meaning post-Twilight. The critics who are running him down probably didn't see any of his pre-Twilight flicks. And I remember plenty of reviewers criticising his performance in Remember Me, too. I thought he did well there, but I did pick up quite a few accent failures, on his part and on Pierce Brosnan's. Didn't pick up any from Emilie de Ravin, though.smitten_by_twilight wrote:
Check his bio, I think there's a few. But the best may be Remember Me. If anyone hasn't seen it, do - not only is Rob really, really great in it, but the whole movie is great. Rent it, though, because you may need to watch it twice. The ending literally felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach.


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Owens Continues Lucas Oil Dominance With Attica Win; Shaffer Gets 1st UNOH All-Star Victory Of Season
By Brian Liskai
(Attica, OH) Jimmy Owens hopes the Lucas Oil Late Model Series comes back to Attica Raceway Park next season. The Newport, Tennessee driver continued his stronghold on the series with his 7th victory Friday on Detroit Chocolat Night.
It marked the first ever appearance of the Lucas Oil Late Model Series at "Ohio's Finest Racing" speedplant. The 50-lap feature had only one caution, that coming on lap 35. Owens took the lead on lap six and led the remaining 44 laps, pocketing $10,000 for the win. Brian Birkhofer came home second followed by Earl Pearson Jr., John Blankenship and Steve Francis.
"I have to thank all these great fans for coming out tonight! This is our first time here, and we really like this place," said Owens, who started third in the race. "We had a super car all night long! I think the first two finishers picked the same tire compound to run, and it paid off."
Owens made a daring move to the inside of the track on the opening lap to take the lead from Russ King and Birkhofer. King fought back and took the lead from Owens on lap three and led the race for three circuits until Owens got back by him. King then held the second spot, using the top groove on the racetrack. Birkhofer got by King for second on lap 12 and stayed there for the remainder of the race.
"I have to thank my car owner Mike Reece, Reece Monument Company, Sunoco Race Fuels, Red Line Oil, Gantte Appraisals, Midwest Sheet Metal, and all of my other sponsors for making this possible. It is a great way to start the weekend and hopefully we can go to Portsmouth and I-77 with the same results," said Owens.
Birkhofer was in the ASi Racewear, MB Customs Chevrolet and was racing for the first time in three weeks after breaking his hand last month. "We didn't have anything for Jimmy tonight; he was too strong. To come here after being off for so long and to run well with these guys felt really good. I will probably sleep pretty well tonight. It's going to be a long weekend!"
Earl Pearson Jr had a solid run after a couple tough races last week. "It feels good to have a top three finish here. We have only been here once before and that was nine years ago. The crew has worked hard over the last two weeks and we have had a lot of misfortune, so we needed a good run," said the driver of the Bobby Labonte, Lucas Oil Products, Longhorn Chevrolet.
It's hard to believe Tim Shaffer came into the night's racing having not found victory lane with the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champion Sprint Cars. The Aliquippa, Pennsylvania driver has pretty much dominated the series over the past four years, winning 40 series features in that time spend and four straight All Star championships. But, this season has been a struggle though "The Steel City Outlaw" has numerous seconds and thirds and sits second in the series' national points.
That all changed Friday night. Shaffer used the track's treacherous high line to pass Dale Blaney on a restart with six laps to go and went on to score his first All Star win of 2013. It is the 52nd career series win for Shaffer who now has 11 career victories at Attica.
"Finally. This is for this crew. Cody Jacobs, James Chambers and Jim Roby have worked their tails off and my owners Janet (Holbrook) and Aaron (Call) didn't give up on us," said Shaffer beside his Kistler Engines/J&J Auto Racing/VRP Shocks backed #83.
"The late models really changed the track. Getting in to turn one on the high side was tricky. I tried the bottom early and it just wasn't working. Everyone else was down there so I decided to go up top and the car was great," added Shaffer. "This win was huge for us. It gives me, the crew and everyone a little boost….some confidence. But, this is dirt track racing. That's the beauty of it…it can all change in one night."
Blaney, who took the lead from Stuart Williams with nine laps to go and held the point for four laps before Shaffer got around, would bring his Ti22 Performance/GF1 Chassis home in second.
"It might have been interesting if that caution wouldn't have come out (on lap 24). I thought Stuart would go up there and try it and when I saw Shaffer up there I knew I was in trouble. My car was good. Hats off to Shaff and those guys…they have worked hard all season. We'll take second and try for better tomorrow," said Blaney.
Local driver Chris Andrews, who scored his first career UNOH All Star win at Attica earlier this season, would bring his Burmeister #16 home in third.
"Any time you finish behind those two guys you can't feel bad. For the second time in two weeks we had a tire go down and it might have cost us another win. But, we'll take third," said Andrews beside his K&N Filters/Lucas Oil/Adkins Sanitation/Kistler Engines backed machine.
Several drivers experienced tire issues throughout the night, causing a jumbled starting grid for the 30-lap UNOH All Star feature. Wayne Johnson and Stuart Williams would bring the field to the green with Johnson grabbing the lead over Williams, Andrews, Shaffer, Greg Wilson, Blaney, Dean Jacobs, Danny Holtgraver and Byron Reed. Williams would drive under Johnson for the top spot on lap two just as the caution flew for a D.J. Foos spin.
Williams would pull away when the green flew with Andrews racing to Johnson's outside to grab second on lap four while Blaney took third a circuit later. With nine laps in, Andrews and Blaney were closing on Williams as Shaffer and Wilson rounded out the top five.
The leaders were nearing heavy lapped traffic by the 12th circuit and Andrews was gaining quickly on Williams with Blaney staying close. Williams would hit the back of the field by lap 16 as Blaney moved into second. With 18 laps in Shaffer had found the top groove to his liking and was closing on Williams, Blaney and Andrews. Blaney would slide under Williams in turns one and two on lap 19, but Williams diamond the corner to hold on to the top spot.
Blaney would drive under Williams for the lead on lap 21 with Andrews, Shaffer, Wilson and Brian Lay in pursuit. Shaffer would drive into third on lap 22 but his march to the front would have to wait as Jody Keegan took a tumble in turn one. He was okay.
On the restart Blaney led Williams, Shaffer, Andrews, Wilson and Lay. But, Lay would experience front end damage and coasted to a stop in turn one to bring out the caution. When the green flew, so did Shaffer – to the very top of the track as he drove by Blaney for the lead with Andrews taking third.
Shaffer would pull away for the win with Blaney, Andrews, Wilson and Holtgraver rounding out the top five.
8-30-13 Detroit Chocolat Night
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (31 cars)
RED BUCK Fast Time Group A: Brian Birkhofer/ 14.750 seconds
RED BUCK Fast Time Group B: Jeff Babcock / 14.949 seconds
Wiles Drive Shafts Heat Race #1 (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Brian Birkhofer, Jason Jaggers, Dennis Erb Jr., Doug Drown, Mike Bores, Matt Irey, John Bores, Billy Moyer Jr.
Eibach Springs Heat Race #2 (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Jimmy Owens, Steve Francis, Billy Moyer, Eddie Carrier Jr., Jon Henry, DJ Miller, Coby Bartram
Simpson Performance Products Heat Race #3 (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Russ King, Jeff Babcock, Jared Landers, Casey Noonan, Jason Feger, Ryan Missler, Tim Sabo, Nate Potts
FK Rod Ends Heat Race #4 (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Earl Pearson Jr., John Blankenship, Rusty Schlenk, Ryan Markham, Garrett Krummert, Dusty Moore, Josh Haynes, Cody Scott-DNS
CV Products B-Main #1 (12 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): Jon Henry, Jason Feger, Mike Bores, Matt Irey, Ryan Missler, Garrett Krummert, Dusty Moore, Tim Sabo, Billy Moyer Jr., Coby Bartram, Josh Haynes, John Bores, Nate Potts, DJ Miller, Cody Scott-DNS
Feature Finish (50 Laps): 1. Jimmy Owens, 2. Brian Birkhofer, 3. Earl Pearson Jr., 4. John Blankenship, 5. Steve Francis, 6. Russ King, 7. Dennis Erb Jr., 8. Billy Moyer, 9. Jeff Babcock, 10. Eddie Carrier Jr., 11. Rusty Schlenk, 12. Doug Drown, 13. Billy Moyer Jr., 14. Jared Landers, 15. Matt Irey, 16. Casey Noonan, 17. Jason Jaggers, 18. Jon Henry, 19. Ryan Markham, 20. Jason Feger, 21. Mike Bores, 22. Garrett Krummert, 23. Ryan Missler, 24. DJ Miller
Race Statistics
Lap Leaders: Jimmy Owens (Laps 1 – 2); Russ King (Laps 3 – 5); Jimmy Owens (Laps 6 – 50)
Caution Flags: Jason Jaggers (Lap 35)
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: Billy Moyer Jr.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Emergency Provisionals: none
RED BUCK Fast Time Provisionals: DJ Miller
Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Eddie Carrier Jr. (Started: 15th, Finished: 10th, Advanced: 5 positions)
Keyser Mfg Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Jimmy Owens Allstar Performer of the Race: Earl Pearson Jr.
Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Jimmy Owens
JRi Shocks/Dunn Benson Ford Rookie of the Race: Billy Moyer Jr.
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing Engines
Ohlins Shocks Chassis Builder of the Race: Bloomquist Race Cars
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Chris Fox (Earl Pearson Jr.) HAWK Performance Fastest Lap of the Race: Russ King (Lap #4; 15.404 seconds)
Time of Race: 17 minutes 02 seconds
UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions (35 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position
Qualifying – Kistler Engines: 1. 22-Cole Duncan, 12.777; 2. 11N-Randy Hannagan, 12.863; 3. 57X-Andrew Palker, 12.960; 4. 53-DJ Foos, 12.967; 5. 23-Jimmy Light, 13.024; 6. 45L-Brian Lay, 13.040; 7. 46AU-Stuart Williams, 13.052; 8. 77-Wayne Johnson, 13.084; 9. 2-Dale Blaney, 13.086; 10. 83-Tim Shaffer, 13.090; 11. 16-Chris Andrews, 13.090; 12. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.122; 13. 45-Danny Holtgraver, 13.161; 14. 97-Dean Jacobs, 13.162; 15. 9X-Rob Chaney, 13.170; 16. 9Z-Duane Zablocki, 13.175; 17. 5R-Byron Reed, 13.196; 18. 80-Trey Gustin, 13.212; 19. O-Christopher Bell, 13.217; 20. 35-Stuart Brubaker, 13.232; 21. 40DD-Caleb Griffith, 13.283; 22. 60-Jody Keegan, 13.284; 23. 4M-Kody Kinser, 13.302; 24. 29-John Ivy, 13.321; 25. 40XL-Mike Linder, 13.323; 26. 55-Brad Bowman, 13.323; 27. 24H-Bryan Sebetto, 13.366; 28. 54-Cap Henry, 13.368; 29. 787-Jimmy Pooler, 13.371; 30. 40-Caleb Helms, 13.519; 31. 17H-Jared Hortsman, 13.649; 32. 49-Shawn Dancer, 13.785; 33. 5T-Travis Philo, 13.854; 34. 17-Scott Euler, 14.250; 35. 97X-Rodney Hurst, 15.793
Heat 1 – Kears Speed Shop (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 5R-Byron Reed[2] ; 2. 45-Danny Holtgraver[3] ; 3. 40DD-Caleb Griffith[1] ; 4. 2-Dale Blaney[4] ; 5. 23-Jimmy Light[5] ; 6. 40XL-Mike Linder[7] ; 7. 5T-Travis Philo[9] ; 8. 787-Jimmy Pooler[8] ; 9. 22-Cole Duncan[6]
Heat 2 – All Pro Aluminum Heads (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 60-Jody Keegan[1] ; 2. 80-Trey Gustin[2] ; 3. 83-Tim Shaffer[4] ; 4. 97-Dean Jacobs[3] ; 5. 45L-Brian Lay[5] ; 6. 11N-Randy Hannagan[6] ; 7. 55-Brad Bowman[7] ; 8. 40-Caleb Helms[8] ; 9. 17-Scott Euler[9]
Heat 3 – Dragon Race Fuel (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 16-Chris Andrews[4] ; 2. O-Christopher Bell[2] ; 3. 9X-Rob Chaney[3] ; 4. 46AU-Stuart Williams[5] ; 5. 24H-Bryan Sebetto[7] ; 6. 57X-Andrew Palker[6] ; 7. 17H-Jared Hortsman[8] ; 8. 4M-Kody Kinser[1] ; 9. 97X-Rodney Hurst[9]
Heat 4 – Kinsler Fuel Injection (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 29-John Ivy[1] ; 2. 35-Stuart Brubaker[2] ; 3. 54-Cap Henry[7] ; 4. W20-Greg Wilson[4] ; 5. 77-Wayne Johnson[5] ; 6. 53-DJ Foos[6] ; 7. 49-Shawn Dancer[8] ; 8. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[3]
Dash – Outerwears Performance Products (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature)
1. 77-Wayne Johnson[1] ; 2. 46AU-Stuart Williams[5] ; 3. 45L-Brian Lay[2] ; 4. 83-Tim Shaffer[3] ; 5. 16-Chris Andrews[4] ; 6. 2-Dale Blaney[6]
B-Main – MSD Ignition (12 Laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 57X-Andrew Palker[2] ; 2. 11N-Randy Hannagan[1] ; 3. 53-DJ Foos[3] ; 4. 55-Brad Bowman[7] ; 5. 5T-Travis Philo[12] ; 6. 40-Caleb Helms[9] ; 7. 17H-Jared Hortsman[10] ; 8. 787-Jimmy Pooler[8] ; 9. 40XL-Mike Linder[6] ; 10. 17-Scott Euler[13] ; 11. 4M-Kody Kinser[5] ; 12. 49-Shawn Dancer[11] ; 13. 22-Cole Duncan[-] ; 14. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[4] ; 15. 97X-Rodney Hurst[14]
A-Main – University of Northwestern Ohio (30 Laps)
1. 83-Tim Shaffer[3]; 2. 2-Dale Blaney[5]; 3. 16-Chris Andrews[4]; 4. W20-Greg Wilson[6]; 5. 45-Danny Holtgraver[7]; 6. 11N-Randy Hannagan[13]; 7. 46AU-Stuart Williams[2]; 8. 40DD-Caleb Griffith[19]; 9. 5R-Byron Reed[10]; 10. 23-Jimmy Light[11]; 11. 55-Brad Bowman[22]; 12. O-Christopher Bell[17]; 13. 57X-Andrew Palker[14]; 14. 9X-Rob Chaney[9]; 15. 24H-Bryan Sebetto[23]; 16. 80-Trey Gustin[16]; 17. 54-Cap Henry[24]; 18. 53-DJ Foos[15]; 19. 35-Stuart Brubaker[18]; 20. 77-Wayne Johnson[1]; 21. 97-Dean Jacobs[8]; 22. 45L-Brian Lay[12]; 23. 29-John Ivy[21]; 24. 60-Jody Keegan[20]
Hard Charger: 40DD-Caleb Griffith[+11]
©2013 – Results Provided by: Computer Man Inc. Fremont, OH


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Livestock management
Management of livestock must take into account variable seasonal factors, fluctuating markets and declining terms of trade. The most successful producers have a good knowledge of market requirements, matching product quality to suit. There are many factors that can determine the productivity and profitability of a livestock enterprise. These include the supply and quality of feedstuffs, the use of the most appropriate genetics, ensuring high health standards, optimising housing or environmental conditions, meeting quality assurance requirements, and having a sound knowledge of market requirements. This requires good communication along the value chain.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has technical expertise in a range of areas related to livestock management but acknowledges that there are many other sources of information that producers should be encouraged to seek out. There are many grower groups who play an important role in encouraging discussion amongst producers to improve adoption of new technology, as do private consultants and university scientists.
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Wide Rectangular Open Top Brass Lantern
Make a warm, romantic display using votives in this glass lantern with brass detailing.
We love the simplicity of its design, making it all the more appropriate for a modern setting.
Please note - candle not included.
We are only able to sell this item over the phone or in our stores. If you wish to purchase, please click the button above to call or visit us in store where we would be very happy to help.
Wipe Clean
H: 30cm
W: 15cm
L: 30cm


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Includes new 2.0-litre diesel engine, new transmission and added features
New Delhi – General Motors India today launched the all-new Chevrolet Cruze at a ceremony in New Delhi presided over by Lowell Paddock, President & Managing Director, General Motors India. The new Cruze comes with a new 2.0-litre diesel engine which is the most powerful in its segment, along with a new manual transmission and added features. However, t maintains the nameplate's coupe-like design proportions, comfortable interior and class-leading amenities.
Three variants – the LT and LTZ with GM's next-generation six-speed manual transmission and the LTZ with an automatic transmission – are being offered in seven exterior colors. The new Cruze goes on sale at Chevrolet dealers across India starting today.
"The Cruze has received an overwhelming response from consumers across India, since its launch in 2009," said Paddock. "We expect the newest member of the Cruze family to continue to exceed the expectations of car buyers and stand out against the competition in its segment."
New Diesel Engine
The new Cruze is powered by GM's all-new FAM Z 2.0-litre diesel engine. It features a high-performance common rail fuel injection system and advanced electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) with intercooler.
The engine provides maximum low-speed boost for high torque and power density with higher elasticity across the rpm range. The 16-valve DOHC engine generates peak power of 166 ps at 3,800 rpm and peak torque of 380 Nm at 2,000 rpm, enabling the Cruze to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 9 seconds.
The engine also features direct injection with a solenoid injector capable of injecting very small quantities of fuel in extremely short intervals at pressures of up to 1,800 bar. The improved mechanical design of the cylinder head and valvetrain provides 180 bar of maximum in-cylinder pressure for increased power and torque.
A high-capacity EGR cooler along with a reduced compression ratio of 16.3:1 controls nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions without sacrificing high power density. A new cylinder head port design provides increased air flow and variable swirl control by incorporating Cobra-shape intake ports. This further improves performance and cuts emissions.
A two-piece oil pan with an acoustic metal lower section and a Balance Shaft Module (BSM) with twin counter-rotating balance shafts in the oil sump reduce noise, vibration and harshness. A chain drive camshaft with hydraulic chain tensioners ensures maintenance-free operation.
New Transmission and Features
The new engine in the Cruze is complemented by a new F-40 six-speed manual transmission that features a cable shift mechanism with hydraulic clutch operation. Its three-shaft design has gear ratios that are optimized to suit Indian driving preferences and conditions.
Among the new amenities are PEPS – Passive Entry Passive Start with Push button start/stop, which is now standard in all variants, a six-way power adjustable driver's seat, a power express driver up/down window with pinch protect, clutch footrest and premium speakers. Front fog lamps, tilt & telescopic steering, chrome door handles and Up-level smart screen are available on the LT variant.
A Proven Model
India is one of 140 markets that offer the Cruze. The Cruze led the Chevrolet brand with global sales of more than 180,000 units in the first quarter of 2012, a nearly 20 percent increase over 2011, making it the best-selling Chevrolet nameplate around the world.
"The Cruze is all about value, refinement and power-packed performance combined with an array of unique features," said Paddock. "When you add it all up, it offers everything any discerning Indian car buyer could want in a sedan at a price point that represents uncontestable value for money. As a result, we expect the new Cruze to be a hit." We believe this vehicle is the right product for India right now because of its unique features and fine tuning that meet the requirements of local consumers as well as local climate and driving conditions. The all-new Cruze will allow GM to continue building on the Chevrolet brand's success nationwide, he added.
To enhance the Chevrolet buying experience, GM India continues to expand its dealer network. It now has 279 sales points and 272 authorized service outlets across the country.
About General Motors India:
General Motors India has completed 16 years of operation in India. It started its journey in 1996 and now offers products under the Chevrolet brand, which was introduced in India in 2003. Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet is celebrating its centennial as a global automotive brand. Last year, about 4.25 million Chevrolets were sold in more than 120 countries, or one every 7.4 seconds. Chevrolet, one of the fastest growing automotive nameplates in India, provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value.
With a wide range of product portfolio including Chevrolet Captiva, Chevrolet Optra, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Aveo, Chevrolet Aveo U-VA, Chevrolet Spark, Chevrolet Beat and Chevrolet Tavera for sale in India, GM India operates state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Halol, Gujarat and in Talegaon, Maharashtra. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.co.in


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Topic: FLGS Profit Margins (Read 9988 times)
David Artman
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FLGS Profit Margins
July 22, 2008, 08:03:53 AM »
Splitting from a thread in which it was ignored:
Does anyone know what an FLGS expects in terms of per-book-sale profit, on a book-only RPG product?
I am thinking there's a percentage range. I ask because I want to list a book MSRP and individual-sales at a higher price than the price for dealers or if bought in bulk (10+).
Designer -
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Ron Edwards
Global Moderator
Posts: 17707
Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #1 on:
July 22, 2008, 08:32:40 AM »
Hi Dave,
The percentages wiggle around a bit, but here's the basic idea as it stood through most of the last fifteen years: 40%, 60%, and 100% of cover price through the three tiers.
The Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is the starting point. The publisher sells the book to the distributor at 40% MSRP. So for one copy of my game Sorcerer, set at $20, I get $8 from the distributor, and I'm done, that's my money for that book. My profits are less printing; say, $8 - $6 makes a profit of $2.
The distributor then sells it to the retailer for 60% MSRP, in my case $12, making a profit for him of $4.
The retailer then sells it to a customer, getting $20, for a profit of $8.
All sorts of things modify this, including various cut-rates on bulk, minor shifts in percentages into the 9's or 7's or 3's, negotiations that concern what's decided for title X as opposed to title Y from a given publisher, and so on. These details move around all the time. Recently, the fulfillment houses often set slightly-unusual standards as a selling-point, usually favoring the retailer over the distributor.
The major issues, though, concern shipping costs, exclusivity, and buy-back. Who pays the shipping at each of the two steps, and when (before or after)? Does the distributor punish either retailer or publisher for using another distributor in tandem? Can the retailer return books that don't sell to the distributor, and/or can the distributor return books that don't sell to the publisher? These are crucial questions which get answered in different ways at different times, and how they get answered really create a sea-change for everyone involved.
I have taken my eyes off these issues for the past two or three years and cannot characterize the situation very well right now. I
say, however, that
those issues are answered, changes the publisher's best-strategy decisions profoundly.
One last point, which is kind of a major elephant in the room: in the U.S., and probably in other places, the MSRP is not obligatory. A retailer really can sell anything in his store for whatever price he wants. Sorcerer's little bar-code says 2000 ($20) on the back, but he can price it in his store at $45, $4.50, $100, $0.50, or any-damn-whatever as he sees fit. So the whole ironclad-feel of starting with the MSRP, as if it were some kind of natural law, is misleading.
Best, Ron
Posts: 863
Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #2 on:
July 22, 2008, 09:04:22 AM »
One thing to keep in mind is that on that $20 book, the $8 the retailer makes isn't just to make a reasonable profit off the $20 book he sold. It's also there -- some might say primarily there -- to cover the costs of all products that have been bought but haven't sold (and maybe won't). So while $8 on $20 sounds hefty (it's like 40%), it's an $8 that gets eaten up very, very fast by the risk factors and other costs associated with running a store. It ain't a cheap enterprise.
Fred Hicks
Don't Rest Your Head
Spirit of the Century
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Ron Edwards
Global Moderator
Posts: 17707
Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #3 on:
July 22, 2008, 09:23:51 AM »
That's true. The publisher has his printing cost to deduct from his $8, and the retailer has God-awful costs to deduct from his $8.
In the past, the distributor has been described as the "holder of the debt," especially when they accept buybacks. That's an interesting and debatable topic that I just realized could be a threadjack on my part.
So! Anyway, back to the original question, if anyone knows about the current percentage standards and variations of the three-tier system, especially if they've wiggled away from what I described, please post about them.
Best, Ron
David Artman
Posts: 606
Designer & Producer
Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #4 on:
July 22, 2008, 10:14:46 AM »
Ah, I should clarify, I see. I am not going three-tier (yet, even if I could). This is probably all-Lulu. I want to offer a softbound and a hardbound option. The MSRP (my price at Lulu) will be X (soft) and X+cost-of-binding (hard)--in other words, a static "up-charge" or "profit" after printing costs, before shipping charges; no premium pricing of the hardbound (a bit of rounding, at most).
So I want to figure out what profit is an amount which allows me to reduce by a percentage that gives the retailer reasonable profit without stripping me of all earnings. From what I read above, it sounds like 60/40 is the way to go:
MSRP = 2 * print cost
Dealer/Bulk = 1.2 * print cost
That works out to a 40% profit for the retailer, before shipping (which ought to vary based on quantity ordered and location, so I can't really factor that... can I?).
Seems like a pretty deep discount, to me--I give 80% of the net profit on an MSRP sale to the dealer. But if that's how it works....
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Icehouse Games
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Posts: 863
Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #5 on:
July 22, 2008, 10:21:58 AM »
Honestly most retailers will look at a 40% discount as too small. IPR gave retailers a 42% discount for a long time and many weren't willing to take us up on it. We increased it to 45% recently and got a lot of happiness from the retail sector as a result.
On the flipside, across the pond in Europe, a 40% discount is huuuuge.
Fred Hicks
Don't Rest Your Head
Spirit of the Century
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Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #6 on:
July 22, 2008, 12:14:46 PM »
David, since you're working in percents you'll have to add an additional charge up for the hardcover, or as you do, work in multipliers rather than adding a fixed figure.
If a book costs say, 10 to print in softcover, and you sell it in 20, you'll get 12 from the retail.
If the hardcover book costs 15 to print, and you sell at 25, you'll get 15 from retail, which is not 5 more. (You spend 1.5 times as much, but earn 1.25 times as much).
If you sell direct through Lulu, the math looks a bit different, as they take 20% of post-printing revenue.
From the first case you'll get 18 (10 printing+0.8*10), for a net profit of 8.
In the second case you'll get 22, for a net profit of again, 8.
So the calculation differs whether you sell only through (to?) Lulu, where the earning is calculated based on figures that remove the printing from the equation, or to retail, where their figures are MSRP based.
I hope I didn't get anything wrong.
Guy Shalev.
Cranium Rats Central
, looking for playtesters for my various games.
CSI Games
, my RPG Blog and Project. Last Updated on:
January 29th 2010
Posts: 309
Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #7 on:
July 22, 2008, 03:17:56 PM »
Hi All,
Retailers love to get a 50% discount on the product from their distributors. But that only happens for larger stores hitting volume orders and on certain product lines. Lines such as D&D tend to be capped at a 44-45% discount and Magic is capped lower at about 42% discount. Fantasy Flight has their mega big box board games capped all the way down to a 38% discount. By "capped", this generally means they sell to distributors at a lower than normal wholesale discount so the distributor has to in turn give the retailer a lower discount. Some distributors will play with those numbers and eat some of that loss on certain product lines to attain a market advantage, but otherwise the "average" is as listed above.
Retailers, while they have to evaluate individual games and lines by themselves, they must also watch and track to aggregate affect of discount and sale price on their overall cost of goods sold. That means that while a retailer might be getting a 45% average discount (48-50% for a lot of stuff, but lower discounts on their WOTC, Upper Deck, Fantasy Flight, etc stuff) on all products they buy, that's only 45% of MSRP. If they have rewards programs, sell merchandise on sales often, have to liquidate dead merchandise at cost or at a lost, all of that influences their true gross profit margin (defined as, profit from the sales after subtracting all costs of goods sold, but before any other expenses).
A general goal most current hobby retailers strive for is to have a cost of goods sold no greater than 60%, but once you factor sales, theft, liquidations and whatnot, its a difficult goal to achieve. I am personally of the opinion that the entire business model, as based on those numbers, is simply unsustainable for anything but the largest stores. Mod sized and smaller stores can only sustain themselves by the owners working for less than peanuts.
For instance, the bulk majority of mid sized and smaller stores are grossing only between $150,000 and $200,000 a year. Let's run some numbers.
1) Since they aren't a large store they aren't getting the best volume discounts from their distributors. So average discount may be more like 43% instead of 45%.
2) They have a smaller customer based for which to help absorb poor purchasing decisions (ala, smaller number of people that are likely to gobble up some obscure product that has no following. Or the hot collectible product that suddenly turns cold leaving the retailer with way too much inventory). This leads to more merchandise needing to be liquidated in store or sold on e-bay or gotten rid of in other means that generally net significantly less than MSRP. So while a large, strong and healthy store might be striving for a total gross margin of 40%, the bulk majority of stores are far more likely to be around 35-38%. Let's say 37%.
3) Let's assume they aren't completely floundering. Let's say they have gross sales of $200,000 per year. On those sales their gross margin is just $74,000.
4) Let's take about 2% off of up to 60% of their total sales to account for credit card merchant fees they have to pay as a cost of doing business. That's 2,000 gone. Down to $72,000.
5) Knock off $1500 a month (minimum) in total property based overhead (rent, utilities, cleaning supplies, internet, phone lines, etc) and that knocks off $18,000 per year, leaving just $54,000.
6) In addition to basic property overhead, stores do have to have upkeep. New fixtures bought occasionally. Gaming tables and chairs need replacing. Software upgrades. New signage. Replacing burnt out lights, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, etc. If a store can manage all of that on an average of $50 or less per month, they are squeezing a dime out of a penny. But let's say that's what they are doing. That's another $600 gone. Down to $53,400.
7) Got to have a marketing budget. Whether its getting spent on fliers, print ads, yellow pages listings, tournament prizes to generate hypes, or whatever, if they are spending just $100 a month in total on this, I assure you, they are spending far too little. But let's with that. Another $1,200 gone. Down to $52,200.
8) Insurance is a must. Liability at minimum, but most likely some protection for the valuation of the stock and other assets as well. $75 a month or more. $900 more per year. Down to $51,300.
I can carry this example into the extreme because there are a lot more bills to pay yet. Lot of nickle and dime stuff that begins to add up. But the most critical point here is, while that gross has been shrinking, I haven't even talked about salaries for the owners, other employees, and any benefits for any of them. Much less an actual profit for the store.
Now, if a store's business model could capture just 10% more of MSRP and bring their gross margin to 47% instead of 37%, it would be a vastly different picture. That's another $20,000 to spread around to help cover the operations of the business and pay the staff.
Ryan S. Johnson
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Ryan S. Johnson
Guild of Blades Publishing Group
David Artman
Posts: 606
Designer & Producer
Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #8 on:
July 23, 2008, 08:36:15 AM »
Great break-down, Ryan... but now I'm more confused. :}
So I need to do a breakdown closer to 50-50 of MSRP, to be "attractive"? OK--that's my point, after all: I want retailers to WANT to carry a copy or three, not feel like it's high risk for low payout.
I didn't know about the 20% of profit that Lulu takes... that could radically change my plans (i.e. from POD to small-press). That makes them "quasi-three-tier" (they take as much as a normal distributor) which seems to me to be utterly counter to indie publishing. *sigh*
Let's get a bit more concrete--Lulu tells me they want $16 for a 100-page, casebound, B&W interior (color cover).
I want to grant retailers their wonderous 50% of MSRP while still making, say, $5 per book. Now I'm looking at
2 * ( 16 + 5 ) = $42
42 - 16 = $26, of which Lulu wants 20% ($4.60)... which eats my measly $5. So....
2 * ( 16 + 9 ) = $50
50 - 16 = $34, of which Lulu takes $6.80, leaving me with $2.20. Wow... $2.20 if I let a retailer sell it, versus $27.20. And I got a frigging $50 brick trying to sell--LONG odds. The soft cover should be quite cheaper, but I don't know if it'll get down to the $20-ish range I think it needs to hit to be a good bang for the buck.
Hmmm.... maybe I should forget about retailers... or Lulu... or POD, in general?
I found an interesting case study, just now:
Hmmm... what can folks tell me about Lightning Source? Seems like they can offer distribution (hence, retailer contact and profitability), which Lulu sort of lacks, from what I've seen so far. And that study above talks about nice profits all round--selling directly earns more, obviously; but they seemed to do well while still offering a 44% margin for the store. Does LS not have a "fee" like Lulu's 20%?
I got time to figure this all out--'til the end of the year, frankly (if not a bit past). But when that time comes, I need to hit a number and hit it hard, so I can begin to do a bit of pre-promoting while I deal with proofs and such.
Designer -
Icehouse Games
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First Oni
Posts: 37
Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #9 on:
July 23, 2008, 08:48:17 AM »
Just went to Lulu.com and i think you'll be surprised. Let's way you wanted to do a 100-page, B&W 8.25x11 Perfect bounds for 50% to the retailer.
Retail Royalty (how much you make): $5.00
Lulu Fee (how much they want): $1.25
Manufacturing cost per unit (how much it costs to print each book): $4.50
Retail Markup (how much the store makes): $10.75
Total Retail Price (how much the customer pays for it): $21.50
That's what their calculator says at least. And i'm pretty sure it's more for hardcover.
Eloy Lasanta, CEO of Third Eye Games
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Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #10 on:
July 23, 2008, 10:46:34 AM »
If case bound means the same thing as hard cover, then yeah, you face a mighty challenge trying to POD print them and still be able to wholesale the product. There are no POD printers that can do hard covers anywhere near affordably.
Perhaps you should have a regular perfect bound edition that you can sell both direct and via wholesale. Then have a special edition that is the hard cover that is only available direct from you (or direct from your Lulu store front, that is).
Lighting Source can offer distribution through the book industry. They are owned by Ingrams Book Distributors, who is the worlds largest book distribution company. That industry works on slightly smaller margins, on average, than game retailers, but they are offset by the fact they get returnability on many of the mainstream products they sell. Your POD book wouldn't have returnability (as I know) it, and hence it would largely be a "special order" item by most stores and chains. Still can lead to some sales, but its a definite restriction to broader sales. It should also be noted that very, very few game retailers order product from Ingrams or other book distributors. And typically when they do its to order some WOTC product as a hedge against broken street dates, not as a means to order small press or indie games.
Ryan S. Johnson
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Ryan S. Johnson
Guild of Blades Publishing Group
Posts: 863
Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #11 on:
July 23, 2008, 11:03:15 AM »
Agreed. Options are pretty much either give up your dreams of doing hardcover via POD, give up your dreams of selling to retail, or make your peace with selling a thin hardcover for $50. (Though that said you MIGHT be able to get a dollar or two margin back by picking a POD provider other than lulu to print a hardcover.)
It's rough.
Fred Hicks
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Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #12 on:
July 23, 2008, 12:07:13 PM »
David, I ran some numbers for you.
X=Final price.
Y=Print cost. The different Ys mark that the printing costs are different.
If printing via Lulu, normally:
If Printing via Lulu retail (note, they take 20% off of what you make post Retail discount, which is set at 50% flat, but their printing costs is also much much lower than what it is normally. I don't know what stipulations they make on retail, and what sort of retailer you need to be in order to apply for these orders):
If printing via someone who doesn't take from your profit directly, and you still want to offer 50% retailer discount:
If you want to calculate costs while taking into account that there will be people taking a percent off of your MSRP (The X), but an unknown figure. This is basically what was done above, but not simplified:
X-[(Percent of discount*X)+Y]=Z
If you go through multiple steps, and you also go through people who take from your profit, or from your profit before selling to retail:
The Lulu Retail figures (both someone who takes from your MSRP and from your profit) are: X-[X/2+Y+0.2*(X/2-Y)]=Z
The Lulu non retail figures (as above, but they don't take your retail discount into account when calculating how much to take from you): X-[X/2+Y+0.2*(X-Y)]=Z
Hope this helps.
Guy Shalev.
Cranium Rats Central
, looking for playtesters for my various games.
CSI Games
, my RPG Blog and Project. Last Updated on:
January 29th 2010
David Artman
Posts: 606
Designer & Producer
Re: FLGS Profit Margins
Reply #13 on:
July 24, 2008, 09:30:34 AM »
Lulu looks better; thanks for the math, Oni and Guy.
I like the idea of soft-cover retail; hard cover "direct buy" "special edition." It prevents me from "competing" with retailers (as they wouldn't want the hard cover for low margins), still gives me a tidy profit on each sale of it, and maybe some customers will want to buy it just to get more money direct into my hands (it can happen!). The hard cover could even become the more-attractive option, given that that the price differential can remain low, if I'm not trying to pad to account for retailer gross margin.
I'll concede the observation that game retailers don't look to Lightning Source; hopefully they will get setup and deal with Lulu, if approached--I doubt there's retailers watching What New at Lulu (or whatever) for new offerings.
I reckon I've got enough numbers to go forward with a publishing plan. Thanks, everyone, for your help and advice!
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By honeybee13 · PostedHi. What reason/s have they given you for declining please? HB
get the FOS done and see. i have a feeling you might not need to do the latter.
Noted, thanks re-draft it is then 🙄 If it does go to FOS and its upheld can I also go for the throat and apply to set aside the suspended judgement (consent order) based CCA sections 86E not providing default sum notices 86(5) not entitled to enforce agreement 87(1) and 88(2) leading to unlawful repudiation of the credit agreement. Just an idea.
CB ....this conclusion is true. as for PB, i can assure you that user most probably ( well i know but shouldn't say} holds the record here for the most reported posts by users as well as from those of the site team concerning his posts. if you hold on someones username further info can be seen. however , a bit like say vodaphone or virgin media , very large companies with millions of customers will get the most complaints made against them...and that equates to posting levels here too. as for 'royalties account holder' that again merely points, by a default label in the software package we use, to the number of posts made. one could further this by noting were we to agree with all their posts they would be on the siteteam... i will leave you to understand why not ..... don't think anyone did? regards DX
By Crimebodge · PostedIs it just that? Oh I thought it was because of all the effort he and others made to rightly bring DCBL to court. But he just got lucky there I suppose. Lucky he didn't bring his complaint to this forum first because if he had of done, he'd be £10K poorer right now. And for something that Peterbard describes as benefitting from being newsworthy, I am struggling to find all the news reports that refer to it. Confucius say "he who backpedals, falls off bike." I'm not surprised in the least that you, a gold account holder on this forum, would adopt a dismissive attitude to this well deserved victory in court against DCBL, however I'm curious as to why you opted to reduce the issues at stake to being 'simply' about ' the EA fell foul of the regulation which defines "relevant premises". That certainly wasn't any argument that Iain Gould furthered and he's a civil actions lawyer whom, dare I say it, know a hell of a lot more about trespass and misuse of private information than you do. The judge never mentioned "relevant premises" either. Not during the hearing or in his judgement. And you never mentioned it either prior to know. In fact, in the original in the original 2018 thread you even went so far as to suggest that whatever address was on the writ was irrelevant because, "interestingly, if the address is not a requirement it would not be possible to sue the bailiff for wrong attendance under section 66." Not that your wrongfully held opinion that non debtors are also subject to the Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 matters, because as I had already pointed out in the first video because the claimant wasn't suing for wrong attendance under section 66. He sued for trespass. Part 66 never applied to him because he was not the debtor and never had been. You and the likes of DCBL can disregard that obvious point as much as you like, but bailiffs do not have a blanket immunity from trespass. Have a look at the article Iain Gould has written on his blog about the case. It might help you understand the tort of trespass in some small way, and might help you adopt a more balanced approach to those poor sods who owed no debt and have had their homes raided and their privacy breached by EAs, and then - to add insult to injury - they come to you looking for help. What makes it worse is that your defective understanding of when an Enforcement Agents action can give rise to trespass is backed up by your site team members who think it's their job to echo your mistakes not by justifying what you say - because they can't - but by making defamatory remarks at the expense of those who give the 'correct advice'. Unlike you and your team members I don't hide behind the protection of anonymity. Nobody can hold you to account if you get it wrong, or heaven forbid, if it turns out you have been working for a firm of debt collectors all along. To add to this, you don't seem to care much about removing libellous remarks from your forum when a legitimate complaint is raised. To respond to Bank Fodders comment that "At some point in the video it has screenshots of this forum and the narrative suggests that some people agree that an enforcement agent has the power to enter into a property to check on identity. I think that it is intended that the CAG is associated with this belief." Seriously? I have to point it out to you. Maybe it has something to do with key members of this forum smearing me on the original thread by saying how wrong my narrative was and then implying I was a Freeman of the Land. Maybe it had something to do with Gold Member Peter Bard leaving this comment on the same thread that stated: "The point I was trying to make is that the EA will not be as interested in paperwork as in physical proof that the debtor does or does not live there. As said there is no requirement for an address on a warrant, in fact the debtor may live at several addresses and the bailiff may attend to serve at any of them. The warrant is against the debtor, not the debtor at an address. It requires only enough info to identify the person.( see CPR wherever it is). The bailiff will be much more interested in getting in and checking for clothes in wardrobes, sleeping accommodation, letters etc." I'm sorry if that wasn't enough for you to justify me bringing that point up in the video. I did consider coming here before I completed it and asking those members if they intended to maintain their position that the Enforcement Agent had acted within the law but strangely the forum account I had used to make my first and only posting on this forum in 2018 - to counter the smears - would not allow me to sign in. Far be it from me to draw any conclusions about my input not being welcome here, I figured Peterbard and some of the key members here would use their creative skills at providing a blanket immunity from civil liability for all EAs by misinterpreting key legislation in their behalf. It looks like I was right about that also. Unfortunately I have given in to temptation, and am choosing to respond, even though I know how utterly futile it is.
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Jennyripper1974 posted a post in a topic,I'm in desperate need of help
I bought some clothes online in may through Evans and paid through PayPal
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I put in a dispute through PayPal but I didn't get any emails to escalate the case - PayPal closed it.
evans said they couldn't refund the money because PayPal have cancelled the refund because of the open dispute
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they said the dispute had been closed but Evans at no point had attempted a refund.
fast forward to today
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all I get is PayPal have cancelled refund because dispute is still open.
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Photos of Models Natalia Vodianova, Raquel Zimmermann, Maryna Linchuk, Edita Vilkeviciute, and More Without Retouching
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Macabre Bio
Corporate Death : guitar and vocals Nefarious : bass and vocals Dennis The Menace : drums
MACABRE have been delivering their masterful tales of bizarre true crime for over fifteen years without ever having a single line up change. Brilliant musicianship combined with diverse songwriting and storytelling have established them as genuine originals. Each song takes you on a historical journey, telling tales of horror.
MACABRE's intense drumming combined with seven string guitar and six string bass attacks create music that crosses boundaries and barriers. Not to be constrained by any single musical style, MACABRE combine folklore, nursery rhymes, classic, jazz, rock, punk and certainly healthy doses of real metal to deliver their refreshing no two songs alike releases. "Murder Metal", the title of their latest release, refers to MACABRE's signature style. First heard on their 1987 release "Grim Reality", it's a genre of one. Fast, heavy and furious, with a focus on things that make happy shiny people cringe, the original members, Corporate Death (guitar and vocals), Nefarious (bass and vocals) and Dennis The Menace (drums) are still together. Macabre's vocals aren't delivered with death metal's sewer-pipe growl, but are belted out with knife-edge precision, interspersed with Corporate Death's patented (back when he was a toddler) screech.
MACABRE have brought mayhem to the world in the past decade, playing in dozens countries. MACABRE's rabid fans, relish the band's tight and increasingly sophisticated music; they exult in their musical chops as much as in the band's sense of humor, their killer music, and its deadly subjects.
"Murder Metal" is produced by Neil Kernon (Judas Priest, Cannibal Corpse, Queensryche). He did a masterful job on MACABRE's 2000 magnum opus, "Dahmer" - a twenty-six song life story of the man who made Milwaukee infamous. Corporate Death, serial killer scholar and connoisseur, attended the trial, taking extensive notes that became the basis for the concept album.
Like MACABRE's beloved 1993 classic "Sinister Slaughter", Murder Metal's 13 tracks encompass tales about a lethal assortment of serial killers. It spans the centuries, ranging from a ditty about the 16th century "Werewolf of Bedburg", through "Jack the Ripper" in the 19th century, to a host of more recent murderers like the "The Iceman" and the "Hillside Stranglers". The band revisits Fritz Haarman, the German butcher whose tasty sausages made unsuspecting cannibals of his customers. The new song is sung in Fritz' native tongue.
Asked if he could make up any of these fiendish tales, Corporate Death admitted, " I could, but then it wouldn't be true crime."
File Murder Metal under non-fiction.
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