Stop Silencing Ryan Anderson!

Two days ago Heritage Foundation spokesman Ryan Anderson declared victory over the review "trolls" at Amazon when his new anti-gay book hit #1 in a niche category nobody had ever heard of. But that victory was apparently empty boasting as today the Heritage Foundation itself published a furious reaction to those negative reviews in an article which includes screencaps of comments made here on JMG. The Heritage Foundation and Anderson are particularly furious about one Amazon review which includes a photo from a concentration camp.

We might take Anderson's complaint about the Holocaust photo seriously if he had ever once spoken up about the many, many, many times his conservative colleagues used Nazi imagery and phrases to characterize the LGBT civil rights movement. Visit Breitbart, World Net Daily, BarbWire or virtually any other far right-wing site and you'll find stories illustrated with the rainbow flag overlaid with a swastika, typically with a headline that includes the words "Gaystapo" and "homofascist."  Until Ryan Anderson calls out those websites and writers by name, we'll find it very hard to summon any sympathy for his outrage over anonymous Amazon reviews.

LIST: America's Most Well-Read Cities

Via Business Wire:

Amazon.com today announced its fifth annual list of the Most Well-Read Cities in America – just in time for summer reading season. The ranking was determined by compiling sales data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format from April 2014 to April 2015, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 500,000 residents. Seattle, Wash., the home of Amazon headquarters, not only purchased the most books overall but also purchased the most Kindle books, magazines, and newspapers. Washington, D.C. residents, ranked #5 overall on the list, prefer the print book, outranking Seattle as the city with the most purchases of print books. California is for readers with three cities making the top 20 list this year: San Francisco, San Diego, and San Jose.

The most-purchased book in seven of the above cities was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

OHIO: Parents Sue Amazon After Son Overdoses On Caffeine Powder

Via the Associated Press:

The parents of an Ohio high-school student who overdosed on caffeine powder last May have filed a lawsuit against Amazon and the powder’s manufacturer, claiming they failed to provide suitable warnings. Doctors caution that people can overdose with ease. Dennis and Katie Stiner of LaGrange, Ohio claim the online retailer sold the Hard Rhino caffeine powder to a classmate of their son. Logan Stiner, 18, was found dead inside the family home last May, after consuming the powder. Medical examination declared the cause of death to be “cardiac arrhythmia and seizure caused by acute caffeine toxicity.” Amazon has declined to comment on the lawsuit, but the company did stop selling Hard Rhino after another man died in Georgia last summer. “Parents should be aware that these products may be attractive to young people,” the Food and Drug Agency said in an advisory issued, in December 2014, urging consumers to “avoid powdered pure caffeine” as it is “nearly impossible to accurately measure” a proper dosage at home.

The Hard Rhino powder has 4700mg of caffeine per teaspoon. An average cup of coffee contains about 320mg.

TV Binge-Watching Linked To Depression

This can't be very surprising. Via Variety:

Put down that remote control, binge watchers, and get some fresh air. A new study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin discovered that viewers who gorge on multiple TV episodes in one sitting may be doing so to cope with feelings of depression and loneliness. “Even though some people argue that binge-watching is a harmless addiction, findings from our study suggest that binge-watching should no longer be viewed this way,” said Yoon Hi Sung, author of the study. The study, which included more than 300 people ages 18-29, also linked binge-watching to a lack of self-control, fatigue and obesity.

Now excuse while I get back to my Law & Order marathon.

Tomorrow: Watch Transparent For Free

Via Yahoo News:

Transparent is putting Amazon on the map for original programming in a bigger way than any of the company’s other shows have. And there are awards to prove it. Jill Solloway’s series earned two Golden Globes earlier this month. One was for best television comedy or musical; Amazon knocked off Netflix’s Orange is the New Black to win that one. The other went to series lead Jeffrey Tambor, who has received universal praise for his performance in the show’s first season. And on Saturday, Amazon will use all of that buzz to sell a whole ton of new Prime subscriptions. The company will make Transparent's entire first season free to stream for all customers, not just those paying yearly for Prime.

Corporations To SCOTUS: Uneven Marriage Laws Are Burdening Our Business

Thirty major corporations have filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to hear AFER's challenge of Virginia's same-sex marriage ban. On the list: Amazon, CBS, Deutsche Bank, eBay, Intel, General Electric, Levi Strauss, Nike, Oracle, Pfizer, Staples, Target, and Viacom. In general, the brief argues that the nation's uneven patchwork of marriage laws places an undue burden on corporations. An excerpt:

Amici include technology, materials, financial services, pharmaceutical, apparel, and entertainment companies; hoteliers and restaurateurs, service providers, consultants, and designers. Amici all share a desire to attract and retain a talented workforce. We are located or operate in states across the country, some of which recognize marriages of those of our employees whose spouses are of the same sex, and others that prohibit marriages between same-sex couples and refuse to recognize existing same-sex marriages. This dual and continuously shifting regime uniquely burdens amici. This legal uncertainty exposes us, as employers, to unnecessary cost, risk, and administrative complexity. In addition, this irresolution hampers our efforts to recruit and retain the most talented workforce possible, placing us at a competitive disadvantage. Our success depends upon the welfare and morale of all employees, without distinction. The burden imposed by inconsistent state laws of having to administer complicated schemes to account for differential treatment of similarly situated employees creates unnecessary confusion, tension, and ultimately, diminished employee morale.

Hit the link for the full list of corporations.

TRAILER: Transparent

Via CNET:

Amazon's original-TV-series push, overshadowed by Netflix since its beginning, is taking a couple of pages out of its bigger rival's playbook with Amazon's next show. Amazon said Wednesday that it will release all 10 episodes of "Transparent" on Prime Instant Video in the US and UK on September 26. Like Netflix's programs, the dark comedy has critical buzz and a creator with impressive bona fides. Also like Netflix, Amazon will make it available in a big, binge-able bunch.The half-hour dark comedy from Jill Soloway, an Emmy-nominated writer on "Six Feet Under" who won a directing award at Sundance last year, tracks a Los Angeles family as its patriarch's secret life comes out. Skirting outright spoilers, the series' title is a pun. It stars Jeffrey Tambor -- known for playing George Bluth Sr. in Netflix's "Arrested Development," among his long list of credits -- as well as Judith Light, Gaby Hoffmann, Amy Landecker and Jay Duplass.

Amazon Unveils Its First Cell Phone

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos today unveiled his company's first cell phone, the Fire Phone. First-look reviewers are (mostly) impressed. Via The Verve:

The Fire Phone has a 4.7-inch HD display, aluminum buttons, a Qualcomm processor, Adreno 330 graphics, and 2GB of RAM. Bezos talked a lot about the phone's build, from the injection-molded connectors to the chamfered edges. There's a set of stereo speakers that Bezos promised are better than your average phone, and a set of headphones he swears that won't tangle. (That last bit sounds impossible, but we'll have to wait and see.) There's also a 13-megapixel camera, an f/2.0 lens, and optical image stabilization. Bezos compared the Fire Phone to the iPhone 5S and the Samsung Galaxy S5, saying that no matter the situation the Fire Phone will take better shots. There's a quick-access shutter button on the side, and unlimited cloud storage for your photos. That's where Amazon has an advantage, really, its ability to do cloud storage cheaply and well.

More details from Engadget:

Amazon's first ever phone has a 4.7-inch Gorilla Glass display with a HD resolution screen (we're assuming it's 720p). That makes it the same size as the Moto X, which was also supposed to be a phone for the masses. It also has a rubberized frame with aluminium buttons, a quad-core 2.2GHz processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM. As for the camera, there's a 13-megapixel rear-facing one equipped with a f/2.0 lens and optical image stabilization. The phone's display will have 590 nits of brightness, dynamic image contrast and a "circular polarizer," though we're not entirely clear on what that means yet. There's also a dedicated camera key and luckily for all you amateur photogs, it'll come with unlimited cloud storage for photos as well. It's available from AT&T for $199 if you want the 32GB version, or $299 if you prefer the 64GB. If you'd rather go off-contract instead, you can get phone directly from Amazon for $649 for 32GB and $749 for 64GB.

The phone has already appeared on the Amazon site, but the product links aren't live at this writing. The shipping date is listed as July 25th.

Linda Harvey Is Back On Amazon

Linda Harvey's "ex-gay" book returned to Amazon on Friday, along with a dozen new 5-star reviews. Ten days ago Harvey claimed to have withdrawn the book from the site because evil gay bloggers were encouraging bad reviews from people who hadn't even read it. Amusingly, some of the new reviewers freely admit that they haven't read the book. A sample: "Having read all the smearing, venom-dripping 'reviews' written by the homosexual activist fascists, my next move will be grabbing my Kindle and downloading this book. It is obvious that the negative reviews have the full-blown agenda of the homosexualist movement behind them. To me, that's like the 'Banned in Boston' that used to make a movie a must-see." (Tipped by JMG reader Timothy)

The Friendly Atheist Reviews Linda Harvey

Last week Linda Harvey screamed that Amazon didn't pull her book because it advocates the torture and brainwashing of LGBT children, SHE pulled it herself because of nasty reviews spurred by evil gay bloggers.  The Friendly Atheist has read Harvey's book and today posted a review. An excerpt:

Harvey says that “hundreds” of organizations in the U.S. can help gay people work through their feelings and turn straight, and that plenty of “converted homosexuals” will tell you that it really works. Never mind that the most prominent ex-gay organization Exodus International shut its doors and its president said homosexuality is unchangeable — Harvey says he’s not a good representative of the ex-gay movement because “there seems to be a lot of confusion going on in his life.” If you insist…

Later, she defends parents who kick their gay children out of their homes. She suggests that children whose parents don’t try to shield them from homosexuality will commit suicide. She says that it’s the responsibility of churches to try to warn people about homosexuality. She suggests that gay teenagers are the victims of broken homes or sexual abuse. She waxes poetic on Sodom and Gomorrah. And finally, she says that God is the answer to a troubled life of homosexuality.

Hit the link and read the full review.

Linda Harvey: I Pulled My Book From Amazon Myself Because Of Gay Bloggers

"I saw the rotten reviews, a smear campaign by those who had not read the book, and the publisher attempted to get Amazon to pull the ad hominem reviews, but they were not immediately responsive.  So, since the book is brand new and I didn't want it to be harmed by this uninformed and vicious campaign stimulated by 'gay' bloggers, I decided to pull the page for now. We have the option to re-post it, but hopefully by that time, the book will have been read by others who will be honest and sincere, and at any rate, fair in providing review. This book reflects concern for all students, concern about the damage homosexual behavior and activism is doing in young people's lives and to our country. Anyone who reads the book with an open mind and a fair appraisal will not think it's hateful, but exactly the opposite." - Ex-gay torture and brainwashing advocate Linda Harvey, speaking to the Christian Post.

Linda Harvey's Book Pulled From Amazon

Back2Stonewall reports that Linda Harvey's book, Maybe He's Not Gay, has been pulled from Amazon after complaining emails. Harvey has not promoted the book's availability on Amazon and it remains on sale at Next Century, a small self-publishing outlet. Back in October, Amazon pulled thousands of "abuse-themed" e-books, some of which depicted rape, bestiality, and incest. That move was criticized by some as the sweeping deletions apparently included titles that might be considered mere erotica that didn't touch on rape, incest, etc. I'm unaware of any other "ex-gay" books having been pulled from Amazon under their "abuse-theme" rule, if that's why Linda Harvey's book has been pulled.

Headline Of The Day

Details.

Amazon Strikes Deal With USPS For Sunday Deliveries In LA And NYC

Amazon has struck a deal with the US Postal Service who will begin delivering their packages on Sundays.

Starting this week, the postal service will bring Amazon packages on Sundays to shoppers' doors in the Los Angeles and New York metropolitan areas at no extra charge. Next year, it plans to roll out year-round Sunday delivery to Dallas, New Orleans, Phoenix and other cities. Getting packages on Sundays normally is expensive for customers. United Parcel Service Inc. doesn't deliver on Sundays, according to a spokeswoman. And FedEx Corp. said Sunday "is not a regular delivery day," though limited options are available. The deal could be a boon for the postal service, which has been struggling with mounting financial losses and has been pushing to limit general letter mail delivery to five days a week. Spokeswoman Sue Brennan said that letter mail volume is declining "so extremely," yet package volume is "increasing in double-digit percentages."

Matt Drudge is very upset!

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Buys Washington Post For $250M In Cash

From the Washington Post itself:

The Washington Post Co. has agreed to sell its flagship newspaper to Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos, ending the Graham family’s stewardship of one of America’s leading news organizations after four generations. Bezos, whose entrepreneurship has made him one of the world’s richest men, will pay $250 million in cash for The Post and affiliated publications to the Washington Post Co., which owns the newspaper and other businesses. Seattle-based Amazon will have no role in the purchase; Bezos himself will buy the news organization and become its sole owner when the sale is completed, probably within 60 days. The Post Co. will change to a new, still-undecided name and continue as a publicly traded company without The Post thereafter.

Even the Post seems surprised by this news.

Amazon To Launch Streaming Video Device

Amazon is readying a new video streaming device similar to Roku and Apple TV.

The e-commerce giant is planning to introduce a device this fall dedicated to streaming video over the Internet and into its customers’ living rooms, according to three people familiar with the project who aren’t authorized to discuss it. They say the box will plug into TVs and give users access to Amazon’s expanding video offerings. Those include its à la carte Video on Demand store, which features newer films and TV shows, and its Instant Video service, which is free for subscribers to the Amazon Prime two-day shipping package. The Amazon set-top box will compete with similar products, such as the Roku, Apple TV, and the Boxee Cloud DVR, along with more versatile devices such as the Playstation 3 and the Xbox. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.

Amazon is expected to enable Netflix and Hulu on the new device.

Websites Ordered To Charge NY Sales Tax

In a case that may be headed for the Supreme Court, a New York appeals court has ruled that out-of-state websites such as Amazon must charge state sales tax.

The case, combining two brought by Amazon and Overstock.com Inc, was decided by the New York State Court of Appeals by a vote of 4-1. "It's unfortunate and the (U.S.) Supreme Court ought to look at this," Overstock acting Chief Executive Jonathan Johnson told Reuters by phone. "We have states saying different things," he said, citing a ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court that a similar tax was not permissible. The U.S. Supreme Court typically accepts cases where lower courts issue conflicting opinions. "The ruling by the New York Court of Appeals conflicts with both the U.S. Supreme Court's precedents and with contrary decisions by other state courts that have looked at the same issue," an Amazon spokesman said by email.

Amazon already charges sales tax in states where they have physical presence. Eight other states have passed laws similar to New York's.

Forbes Issues 2013 Billionaires List

According to Forbes Magazine, there are presently 1342 billionaires in the world. Other notables on the list: Michael Bloomberg (#13, $27B), Jeff Bezos (#19, $25B), Sergey Brin (#21, $23B), George Soros (#30, $19B), Mark Zuckerberg (#66, $13B), Rupert Murdoch (#91, $11B), Giorgio Armani (#131, $8B),  Donald Trump (#423, $3B),  Oprah Winfrey (#503, $3B), and Peter Thiel (#931, $1.6B).

One Million Moms Vs Amazon

What took them so long?

Dear Joe, Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite commercial promotes gay marriage. Instead of Amazon remaining neutral in the culture war while showcasing how their product has no glare even at the beach, they chose to promote sin. The commercial starts off with a guy and a girl sitting on the beach with their Kindles. At the end, the girl mentions her husband is getting her a drink, and the guy says, "So is mine." They both turn around to see their 'husbands' waiting for their drinks. Both men at the bar wave to their spouse. Homosexuality is wrong just like other sexual sins of heterosexual sex before marriage, adultery, and pornography, but Amazon has chosen to promote gay marriage in their advertisement. This ad has been airing during programs such as "American Idol" when children are likely watching. These commercials are airing nationwide and are damaging to the minds of young children and adolescents.

Their attached form letter demands that Amazon "pull this commercial immediately" or "at least" edit out the ending that reveals that the man is gay.

New Kindle Ad Is Gay-Inclusive

You know who ain't gonna like this!

(Tipped by JMG reader Bstewart23)