Complaint Department discussion

This topic has no topic. Talk about anything.

You really want me to go first.

Sometimes I think there are two of me.
I therefore talk to myself, often in different voices.The other me is better educated and tells better stories.
I was once swallowed by a whale, oh wait that was a past life and not another me.
Then there was the time when my long hair was the secret of my great strength, at least until male pattern baldness kicked in.
Mirrors reflect more than your visage, they reflect your karmic values.

i feel so alone. im bi, go to a catholic school, and only have one bi friend. i tried going to a youth lgbt group, but nobody else was there. i dont know what to do. a while back i tried to go out with a guy, but he never replied and im alone. i dont know what to do.

Hi Julia,

Welcome to the Complaint Department. You've come to the right place to vent!

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time. Hang in there and remember there are people here who will talk/listen to you. Do you have a favorite hobby, favorite TV show or read a lot? I love to read and I watch way too much TV. I'm always willing to talk books. :-)

Julia wrote: "i feel so alone. im bi, go to a catholic school, and only have one bi friend. i tried going to a youth lgbt group, but nobody else was there. i dont know what to do. a while back i tried to go out ..."

Without a LGBT community center it is very difficult to find anyone to talk to and make friends. My friend Karen who was a young adult was always going to events trying to meet someone she clicked with. It was a very, very long time before she found the perfect person. Ironically, although Karen lived in a small town rural area she eventually met a woman who lived less than a mile away. Over time it worked out that they were very compatible and these two women have been a couple for years now. I wish I had a overnight solution or even a suggestion but all I can say is all good things take time and you just have to keep participating wherever you can to meet friends and perhaps someday a girlfriend. This is a very unsatisfying answer I know, but just don't give up hope and know that eventually you will find someone who will fill the emptiness you feel now.

Sending warm hugs and best wishes!

thanks. im probably going to switch schools next year and go to a public one....they sometimes have their own lgbt student groups. im also hoping that more people will be out because of that, and so ill find someone there.

Julia wrote: "thanks. im probably going to switch schools next year and go to a public one....they sometimes have their own lgbt student groups. im also hoping that more people will be out because of that, and s..."

That's great Julia. I'm sure public school is a much better place to meet someone than a religious school. I wish you the best!

thanks! i wish everyone here the best as well!!!


but on facebook, my uncle starting making mean comments about my lgbt pride posts, and i thought i could trust him, and he told me that stuff wasnt important and it made me cry. i am so sick of this

i cant do this anymore. the children's aid is making me leave my foster mom (who is the only mother i have ever really had) and making me move to another city in the middle of the school year with an aunt and uncle i don't really know much. all because the children's aid didnt feel like 10 years of religious homophobic abusive idiotic aunt and uncle (not the ones im moving too) wasnt enough to take me away for good. they told me a few days ago....and im moving in like a week. they lied to me, too.

Hi Julia,

Like I said in the the other topic you posted in I'm sorry that social services and life has you all down but Preston is right, things do get better over time. Go all out in making LGBT friends in your new school Ottawa. I hope that in few weeks you will have made some friends and soon you might even have a really good friend you could talk to. It really helps to talk about it.

Hugs! Boyd

Boyd wrote: "Hi Julia,

Like I said in the the other topic you posted in I'm sorry that social services and life has you all down but Preston is right, things do get better over time. Go all out in making LGBT ..."

i get that, but i love my foster mom so much

I need a job


Kelsey Moore
9243 Kardel Dr.
St. John, IN 46373

Email please at: kelseyjayne25@yahoo.com



Work Experience

Cashier Receptionist, Van Drunen Ford, September 2010-August 2013

• Responsible for morning deposit, mail delivery, answering phones

• Gained more experience with customer service

• Remained organizational with filing paperwork

• Good with computers and counting money



Librarian Assistant, Lake County Library, October 2007- October 2010

Gained excellent skills in how to address and help people

• Supervised new workers

• Used organizational skills to keep things neat and easy to find

• Gained Dependable reputation

• Maintained displays



Extracurricular Activity:

Volunteer, St Margaret Mercy Hospital, April 2009- October 2010

• answered telephones for family of patients in same-day surgery

• helped people find relatives/specific place in building





Other Skills:



MS Word>10yrs experience

MS Powerpoint>6yrs experience

MS Excel> 3yrs experience

Typing Speed>40wpm





Education

Heritage Christian High School- Dyer, IN

Graduated: May 2009 with a GPA of 3.0





References:



Andrea Boss, Bodyshop Advisor (219)-512-4271

Barb Harvey, Finance Manager (708)-946-6834

In case anyone misses this in Artists' Promotion, A major exhibition about comics as anarchy is now open at the venerable British Library, and includes a good section on the role in Britain of gay comics. I'm pleased to say that out own Complaint Department member Oliver Frey (also Zack) is represented there and in the accompanying book. Those who like comics may find the Times Higher Educational supplement article by Will Brooker of interest. Note Oliver gets a mention in paragraph 6!

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk...

I'm not an Amazon-hater, but the giant is causing lots of concerns, and not just with Hachette in the US. This news item is from the British Bookseller trade paper.

UK publishers have raised concerns about Amazon’s new contractual arrangements, with the giant retailer pressing for improved terms from a number of publishers, even as its stand-off with Hachette Book Group continues in the US.

Along with improved discounts on wholesale contracts, Amazon has introduced a number of new clauses in publisher contracts. One causing particular worry is a proviso that should a book be out of stock from the publisher, Amazon would be entitled to supply its own copies to customers via its print-on-demand facilities.

Meanwhile in a separate development, the European Union's Directorate General for Competition is understood to have approached major UK publishers over an investigation into Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clauses—the terms came under the spotlight during the inquiry into the shift to the agency model ins 2010, but the EU is looking at a new review focused specifically on MFN.

The EU move comes as Amazon and Hachette USA continue to tussle over terms. At an investor presentation at the end of May, Hachette Livre chief executive Arnaud Nourry said Amazon was seeking to “dramatically change terms”. It is understood that there are some parallels between the terms on offer to Hachette USA and publishers in the UK. The New York Times reported that Amazon is asking for payment for a range of services, in what the paper called “similar to so-called co-op arrangements with traditional readers, like paying Barnes & Noble for placing a book in the front of the store”.

In the UK a number of publishers spoken to as part of The Bookseller's investigations into the Hachette dispute said Amazon was also now putting them under "heavy pressure". According to the sources, new demands include adjusting terms so that e-books and physical book terms have parity; the adjustment is said to be in the direction of "p", which traditionally attracts a higher percentage for the retailer compared with "e". Amazon is also understood to be targeting academic terms, which have historically been more favourable to the publisher. The retailer also wants to impose a ceiling on the digital list price of e-books in preparation for 2015 when the retailer will have to begin imposing the standard 20% rate of VAT on digital titles.

New contracts are also said to include MFN clauses, whereby books cannot be sold for a lower price than Amazon's anywhere, including on a publisher's own website. Amazon is also understood to want matching terms where a publisher enters into a new business arrangement, for example with a subscription service. Publishers told The Bookseller that MFN clauses had disappeared from contracts, but were now making a reappearance.

Another clause of particular note requires publishers to guarantee they have books in stock, allowing Amazon to do print-on-demand editions to customers – with extra terms benefits – should books be out of supply. The clause has echoes of a demand made in 2008 that small publishers use its POD service, with Amazon arguing at that time that it could “provide a better, more timely customer experience if the p.o.d. titles are printed inside our own fulfilment centres”. Publishers are worried that the clause would allow Amazon to effectively take over their stock-control.

Meanwhile, the use of MFN clauses is thought to have come under the Brussels spotlight, with the same EC competition authorities which earlier investigated publishers over agency pricing. Within the last few weeks, it is understood that some publishers' sales personnel have been summoned to meetings in Brussels, said to be "much more friendly" than the meetings held while agency pricing was being investigated.

The EU has investigated MFN clauses in the past, but has never ruled them illegal. However, under the terms of price-fixing settlements entered into by the five settling publishers in 2012, those publishers are forbidden until 2017 from entering into any agreement for e-books which contains a retail price MFN clause.

A spokesperson for the European Union's Directorate General for Competition refused to confirm or deny that it launched a new preliminary investigation into the matter. It said it was continuing to monitor the e-book market, but declined to give specifics.

Despite being contacted several times today (23rd June) Amazon's UK press office has not responded to a request for comment.

So what you mean bad Amazon is doing a hatchet job on innocent Hachette but I don't get if EU is good or bad or indifferent here. I need to know who to cheer for when blood is shed. Some of us 'mericans don't get the EU thing cause sometimes they are evil (size of cucumbers) and sometimes they are great (no passports to hassle with within Europe.) So I'm feeling kind of dumb.

Oh dear, this is concerning for those that it could affect.

@Preston: You are not dumb so stop feeling like you are! *cuffs you upside the head*

Preston wrote: "Some of us 'mericans don't get the EU thing cause sometimes they are evil (size of cucumbers)..."

It isn't size that is the question it is that, no matter how long, they must be straight and not bent at all, so it's a homophobic edict.

As to whether the EU is good or evil, it depends which side of the Channel you sit now. Most English think it's evil (but they're stupid), the Welsh are half and half, while the Scots love it (started by the French, y'see) and because they believe if they become independent, the EU will bung them loads of dosh like Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Italy got.

i now have a boyfriend and i passed all my subjects!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

♥★Julia wrote: "i now have a boyfriend and i passed all my subjects!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Good going ♥★Julia :-)

thank you :D

♥★Julia wrote: "i now have a boyfriend and i passed all my subjects!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Congrats! Be sure to take him out for an occasional walkie, they like that. ;)

I'm sure you look hot in a leather neck collar, Rick… especially on a short leash ;-))

Roger wrote: "I'm not an Amazon-hater, but the giant is causing lots of concerns, and not just with Hachette in the US. This news item is from the British Bookseller trade paper.

"New contracts are also said to include MFN clauses, whereby books cannot be sold for a lower price than Amazon's anywhere, including on a publisher's own website.

"Another clause of particular note requires publishers to guarantee they have books in stock, allowing Amazon to do print-on-demand editions to customers – with extra terms benefits – should books be out of supply."

These two items stand out to me as particularly onerous. As a consumer I want to find the best deal. If Amazon gets to set the lowest price then they become like a Wal-Mart. They can undercut other businesses then raise prices once their competitors go under. I think it should be the individual businesses that decide what prices they set for the products they sell.

And as someone interested in IP, I don't want a third party able to go out and print copies of IP just becuase they are out of stock. Publishers may want to limit the quantity of a book or change the features of a printed book (such as cover or preface or whatnot). No one should be able to just go and print someone else's IP just because "we don't have any more in stock."

Agreed, Dusty! In the shallow name of progress, Amazon is rewriting the "rules" of the game; and it's an excuse to use the argument that the Amazon experience is that the customer can buy anything, whenever, forever. And now they're selling the Kindle Unlimited subscription derive– 600,000 titles available for $9.99 a month. That has set a lot of authors grinding their teeth.

How does the Kindle Unlimited "thing" impact authors? From a layperson perspective I would think Amazon should be able to do anything they want with the books they have contracts with to provide. I would think that Amazon would have to have a contract with the authors to provide the books in this subscription format and that the authors get money from it. This would need to be a separate contract from selling the books or a clause in the selling contract that specifies the royalties that the authors get.

The short news clips I read said that not all publishers are represented and not all books are available. 600k seems a relatively small number. How many of those books are public domain?

I just don't have a good understanding of the issue to wave my support flag for either side.

I looked at over titles and some blurbs for 150 books in the Kindle Unlimitedand couldn't find a single one that was worth reading in the genre I read. It seems they purposely selected trash and not even the good kind of trash.

I wouldn't even use Kindle Unlimited if it was free (which it is for 30 days.)

That's the way those things usually go. It's harder when you have a particular genre you prefer and the service in question doesn't have any books worth reading in that genre.

Here's some additional info (from https://www.facebook.com/DearAuthor/p...)

"Check out Kindle Unlimited: 600,000 ebooks and 7000+ audiobooks for $9.99 just posted at Dear Author.

The news of this leaked two days ago when Amazon posted this and then took it down, but the internet remembers forever. Cached pages showed Kindle’s new subscription service called Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon has now launched the service. It is US only for now but there are plans to make it available internationally. The books in the catalog are Amazon imprints, self published books and books from smaller publishers like Kensington and Scholastic. There are no big 5 participating at this time.

The self published authors are those that have chosen Kindle Select. It should be noted that some of the big name self pubs like Bella Andre are participating without being part of Kindle Select.

Kindle Select means you make the book exclusive to Amazon.

The following is the press release and a promotional video:

Introducing Kindle Unlimited: Unlimited Reading and Listening on Any Device—Just $9.99 a Month

Read freely from over 600,000 books—available on Kindle devices, as well as free Kindle reading apps for iOS, Android and more

Listen to thousands of audiobooks from Audible, or switch easily between reading and listening with Whispersync for Voice

Enjoy best sellers including the Harry Potter series, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Hunger Games trilogy, Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, and Flash Boys

The most cost-effective way to enjoy audiobooks such as The Handmaid’s Tale, Life of Pi, and Capital in the Twenty-First Century

Start a free 30-day trial today

SEATTLE—July 18, 2014—(NASDAQ:AMZN)—Amazon.com today introduced Kindle Unlimited—a new subscription service which allows customers to freely read as much as they want from over 600,000 Kindle books, and listen as much as they want to thousands of Audible audiobooks, all for only $9.99 a month. Finding a great book is easy, and there are never any due dates—just look for the Kindle Unlimited logo on eligible titles and click “Read for Free.” Customers can choose from best sellers like The Hunger Games,Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and The Lord of the Rings, and with thousands of professionally narrated audiobooks from Audible, like The Handmaid’s Tale and Water for Elephants, the story can continue in the car or on the go. Kindle Unlimited subscribers also get the additional benefit of a complimentary three-month Audible membership, with access to the full selection of Audible titles. Kindle Unlimited is available starting today and is accessible from Kindle devices or with Amazon’s free Kindle reading apps. Start your free 30-day trial today at http://ift.tt/1qNCaDv.

“With Kindle Unlimited, you won’t have to think twice before you try a new author or genre—you can just start reading and listening,” said Russ Grandinetti, Senior Vice President, Kindle. “In addition to offering over 600,000 eBooks, Kindle Unlimited is also by far the most cost-effective way to enjoy audiobooks and eBooks together. With thousands of Whispersync for Voice-enabled audiobooks to choose from, you can easily switch between reading and listening to a book, allowing the story to continue even when your eyes are busy. We hope you take advantage of the 30-day free trial and try it for yourself.”

Kindle Unlimited features include:

Unlimited reading: Access over 600,000 books including best sellers like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Harry Potter series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt, Water for Elephants, Oh Myyy! – There Goes The Internet, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, All the King’s Men, Wonder Boys, Ask for It, The Princess Bride, The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts, The Atlantis Gene, Kitchen Confidential, The Sisterhood, Crazy Little Thing, The Blind Side, and The Giver,plus thousands of classics such as Animal Farm, To the Lighthouse, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Cat’s Cradle,and The Good Earth, as well as books featuring beloved children’s characters from Sesame Street, and useful reference titles including books from the For Dummies series and Lonely Planet travel guides.

Unlimited listening: Keep the story going with unlimited access to more than 2,000 audiobooks from Audible with Whispersync for Voice, and switch seamlessly between reading and listening to customer favorites like the Hunger Games trilogy, Life of Pi, The Handmaid’s Tale, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, The Great Santini, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Winter’s Tale, Boardwalk Empire, El Narco, Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog, The Finisher, Johnny Carson, The Stranger I Married, and Life Code.

Kindle exclusives: Choose from hundreds of thousands of books only found on Kindle, includingBrilliance by Marcus Sakey, The Hangman’s Daughter series by Oliver Pötzsch, War Brides by Helen Bryan, Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct and Matthew Hope books, When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde,Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath, Chasing Shadows by CJ Lyons, and Sick by Brett Battles.

Short Reads: For a quick escape, select from thousands of books that are 100 pages or less, including Kindle Singles from Stephen King, Andy Borowitz, and Nelson DeMille, and short fiction from Amazon Publishing’s StoryFront imprint.

Free three-month Audible membership: In addition to the thousands of professionally narrated audiobooks from Audible included in Kindle Unlimited, subscribers get a complimentary three-month Audible membership, with access to more than 150,000 titles.

Popular Kindle features: Enjoy all the great Kindle features customers love such as Whispersync, Popular Highlights, X-Ray, customer reviews, and Goodreads integration.

Read and listen everywhere: Access across Kindle devices and free Kindle reading apps for iPhone, iPad, Android tablets and phones, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, PC, Mac and Windows 8—so you always have your library with you and never lose your place.

For more details on Kindle Unlimited, visit http://ift.tt/1qNCdyZ.

For the author, when you enroll in Kindle Select, you are included in Kindle Unlimited.

Kindle Unlimited is a subscription program for readers that allows them to read as many books as they want. The Kindle Owners’ Lending Library is a collection of books that Amazon Prime members who own a Kindle can choose one book from each month with no due dates. When you enroll in KDP Select, your books are automatically included in both programs.

An author is paid from a fund that Amazon sets up. Historically that fund has paid around $2.00 a borrow through the Kindle Owner’s Library. Now it will pay a portion when at least 10% of the book is read. Kindle Unlimited selections qualify when customers select them for the first time and read more than 10% of the book; KOLL selections qualify when customers download them.

When the book is free, Amazon won’t include it in the KU or KOLL programs. In an effort to provide the best reader experience, note that on the days your book is offered for free, it will not be included in Kindle Unlimited or the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.

That’s about all I know folks."

Roger wrote: "I'm sure you look hot in a leather neck collar, Rick… especially on a short leash
;-))
"

Promises, promises...

Lori wrote: "That's the way those things usually go. It's harder when you have a particular genre you prefer and the service in question doesn't have any books worth reading in that genre."

Which is also (one reason anyway) why I no longer have a Netflix account.

Rick wrote: "Which is also (one reason anyway) why I no longer have a Netflix account. "

I sometimes think about dropping my library account for the same reasons, but it's free and that would be silly. ;0) I've had no complaints about Netflix myself, but I heard complaints about Blockbuster before they shut down.

Which is one reason why I no longer have a Blockbuster account: they shut down. I gave up my Netflix account because now I can get Netflix for free for 30 days unfortunately I don't use my television so the $8.95 a month was a waste. It's rumored thatNetflix will raise it's rates for new customers at some point in the future but existing members would keep the same rate so if I ever want to watch Netflix again I might have to pay more. I can use my Apple TV on my TV set but I have yet to find anything for either paid or for free worth watching on Apple TV. I can't cancel my Apple TV because like Lori's library card access is free, I have my library card even though their collection on M/M Romances and Gay Fiction e-books is only about 5 e-books.

Ludlow Library has never heard of M/M Romance and they think Gay Fiction is a genre devoted to bright, jolly, frolicsome subjects well, maybe the last is correct.

Surprisingly, the Albuquerque-Bernalillo Library System has an advocate for M/M and LGBT+ fiction (and nonfiction), both hard and electronic. Every time I go browsing, I find something new that sounds interesting. Quite a bit of it seems to be aimed at the YA/NA crowd too.

e-books

Roger wrote: "Ludlow Library has never heard of M/M Romance and they think Gay Fiction is a genre devoted to bright, jolly, frolicsome subjects well, maybe the last is correct."

I will admit that my own thinking for gay fiction is Tipping the Velvet, which is not bright, jolly, or frolicsome.

Dusty Bibliophile wrote: "I will admit that my own thinking for gay fiction is Tipping the Velvet, which is not bright, jolly, or frolicsome.
..."

I never read the book, but the TV version was steamy (that's TeleVision, BTW)

;-))

Anyone here

No one here but us chickens.

I'm here…

Hi!!!

Hi Nia! Well, I was here, then I had to go out to buy 84 floor tiles from a local place, put them in the boot (trunk) of my car, drive them back and then unload them, so I am now worn out!

Nia wrote: "Anyone here"

I'm always here but I try not to make too much noise and wake everybody up.

Lol

Roger wrote: "Hi Nia! Well, I was here, then I had to go out to buy 84 floor tiles from a local place, put them in the boot (trunk) of my car, drive them back and then unload them, so I am now worn out!"

In your email you said 81 floor tiles. Are you trying to confuse me more than I already am?

……

@Preston- I love your profile pic!! Hehe

Preston wrote: "In your email you said 81 floor tiles. Are you trying to confuse me more than I already am? ..."

I fact It was 74 because I had a pack of 10 left over from the previous work. (Sorrreee)

Roger wrote: "Preston wrote: "In your email you said 81 floor tiles. Are you trying to confuse me more than I already am? ..."

I fact It was 74 because I had a pack of 10 left over from the previous work. (Sorr..."

You told me 81, you told Nia 84, now it's 74, 10 leftovers. How are Nia and I supposed to count on you when you can't count!

♡ Love, Preston

I only just scraped through Elementary Maths at )-Level and again Advanced Maths at A-Leve, so how am I supposed to be able to count, huh? ♡♡♡