In the 1930's the Power Cartel refused to construct their power distribution systems in rural areas because it was TO EXPENSIVE. When the Roosevelt administration founded the Tennessee Valley Authority the power Cartels fought government deployment of power distribution systems in rural areas, like the ISP"s are doing against broadband WAN deployment by Government Agencies. See discussion in this article:
Here in Central Florida the City of Mount Dora and the City of Leesburg constructed their own power distribution systems which they still operate. Residents receive a combined Water, Electric and Trash pickup bill.
1) Read this driver could not shut engine off: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/toyota-pay-12b-hiding-deadly-unintended-acceleration/story?id=22972214 ABC News first reported the potential dangers of unintended acceleration in an investigation broadcast in November 2009. The report said hundreds of Toyota customers were in “rebellion” after a series of accidents were apparently caused by the unintended acceleration. Two months before, Highway Patrolman Mark Saylor and three members of his family had been killed after the accelerator in his Lexus had become stuck on an incompatible floor mat. Saylor was able to call 911 while his car was speeding over 100 miles per hour and explain his harrowing ordeal right up until the crash that ended his life. EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: Runaway Toyotas
2) Driver killed when vehicle became trapped between crossing arms Page 1 to 4 here: http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/metronorth-train-accidents/
1. Push button ignition switch killed some people when the throttle stuck and the driver could not shut off engine which resulted in a fatal crash. There was a way to stop engine in an emergency but drivers are not advised how to do so.
2. A driver was killed because they could not exit the vehicle in time when railroad crossing gates trapped them. A news story showed how a driver could easily drive through and break off a railroad crossing arm because they are designed to be easily broken off. If a driver is caught between railroad gate crossing arms and vehicle program will not allow the driver to drive into and break off an arm to escape a collision with a train, without a series of steps, to override the collision avoidance system, it is dangerous.
The internet is becoming a dangerous place like those neighborhoods where if you enter you leave in a coffin. I have done business with several companies that have reported being hacked. I have already had several different credit cards replaced because the issuer or a vendor detected someone trying to place a fraudulent charge on the account. At least with snail mail identity thieves cannot steal your personal information. As a result broadband users may be forced to stop using the internet for any purpose that involves money since the financial risks will be to great.
In the old days when you flew, the stewardess would ask Coffee, Tea or Milk. When you access the Keurig website an audio announcement should say use Keurig Cups or Screw You. Customers that purchased the Keurig refillable filter cup have been shut out. I guess only non Keurig refillable filter cups will work with the modification illustrated. How long before Keurig will demand that YouTube take down the video.
For some reason the discussion regarding the subscriber obtaining their own modem and router, to avoid having their modem/router used by Comcast as a public Hotspot, fails to point out that EMTA's required for voice telephone service are either not available or very costly. There have been a discussion of subscribers using Comcast's EMTA and their own router to avoid the monthly cost for the modem, in other forums. That does not guarantee that Comcast will not provide Digital Voice Customers an EMTA with a WiFi access point and activate it without the subscribers knowledge or approval. Furthermore there are only three non overlapping channels in the 2.4 GHz band so in congested locations like multifamily dwellings, the Comcast Public access point can degrade the subscribers speed because of additional WiFi congestion.
Back before tracking devices were included in cell phones the feds needed an excuse to require them. The excuse was the little old lady that rolled her car. She called the emergency number but paramedics could not find her. That was the excuse the feds used to mandate that all cell phones must include a tracking device. The feds claimed the tracking device would be activated only after the user dialed 911. Typical fed fraud. Now tracking device cannot be shut off. On the other hand a little old lady was run off an elevated section of I-595 in Fort Lauderdale about five years after tracking devices were required. She could not reach 911 because her cellphone signal was blocked. The only reason she survived was that a road crew saw her wrecked car when they repaired the damage her accident caused.
This crap has been going on for years. When I lived in Fort Lauderdale there was Hacienda Village, a notorious speed trap which was disenfranchised in 1984, 30 years ago. This article in Wikipedia discusses the fate of Hacienda Village.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacienda_Village
Usually these scams come under close scrutiny when one of their scammers (officers) cite the wrong person:
"(allegedly having its charter revoked after the HVPD cited an influential state representative for a traffic infraction)"
Actually the land Hacienda Village rested on, is now under the I-95 Interchange where State Road 84 and I-595 crosses I-95 and was purchased through the eminent domain law.
They couldn't let go. In the mid Fifties a charity lost it's disease, Polio. When Polio was conquered the March of Dimes, The Mothers March On Polio, did not disband even though they had no disease to fight. They simply changed their purpose, birth defects The Mothers March On Polio, became the Mothers March On Birth Defects. After all there will always be birth defects.
I am close to 70 Years old and remember when the only programming cable carried was over the air programming and perhaps a channel that showed the time, temperature and some local advertising. During Broadcast Televisions golden age up to the mid 80's, networks would be proud to announce when a new station went on the air, or when a cable system was activated and began carrying the programming, of a local station, affiliated with with the network. That announcement was an eyeball report to sponsors to announce there were more viewers to watch the sponsors advertisements. That changed in the early 80's when cable systems began carrying programming transmitted via satellite. The first programs that bit the dust were network movie nights. For example the NBC Monday Night Movie was dropped because by the mid 80's eyeballs with plenty of discretionary income already viewed the movies on HBO or some other premium channel. Networks executives began crying to federal lawmakers that their advertising revenue was dropping. The networks lobbying efforts paid off when network executives convinced lawmakers to throw TV Stations a bone to make up for lost revenue, with retransmission fees. The reason is that subscribers now had a choice of more than three network stations and a few independents.
I am moving to a condominium where standard basic cable service is paid through our HOA fees. Until January of this year those customers not subscribing to additional services were anonymous. All residents had to do was plug in cable ready televisions to receive 75 channels. All residents were notified last fall that the cable company was going all digital and viewers would have to pick up Digital Terminal Adapters in order to continue to receive programming. Two would be supplied under the Bulk Billing Contract. Additional DTA's would be available at a $2.00 per month rental fee. I contended that this was a price increase since before the change residents could install as many TV's as there were cable TV outlets in the apartment. Normally when a resident subscribed to additional services they were offered promotional rates for the first six months to a year. When I picked up the required DTA's in in January in order to continue to receive the programming that the HOA paying for, I asked the representative if picking up the DTA's would affect my status as a new customer. The representative said it would not.
When I attempted to sign up for new service last month I asked if there were any promotions, the representative stated I would not be entitled to a new customer promotional rates because when I picked up the DTA's I established an account and now was a customer. So I was screwed because the representative lied to me and provided incorrect information. The rate I was quoted in January for the services I requested, was $139.00 per month. The non promotional rate I was quoted last month was $201.00 per month an increase of $62.00 per month or $744.00 over one year.
Once the authorities target and access a citizens computer, they can upload illegal felonious content without the owners knowledge. Like when the cops plant an illegal substance on a person then arrest them for possession of an illegal substance. One citizen got lucky when a computer technician reported him for possessing illegal images. After the arrest a computer forensic expert determined the citizen a victim of a malware attack that allowed unauthorized third parties to use his computer as a drop box. The prosecution was short circuited because there was no way to determine who uploaded the illegal images. A judge dismissed the case.
Amazing. I would have expected the Girl Scouts to advise the MPAA to shove it as a result of this shakedown by ASCAP in 1996. How quickly they forget.
From the New York Times December 17, 1996: "Like everyone else, Mr. Berle had read with disbelief that the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers wanted to charge the Girl Scouts -- the Girl Scouts! -- for songs around the campfire."
The entire story can be read here: http://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/17/nyregion/ascap-asks-royalties-from-girl-scouts-and-regrets-it.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
Where is the NSA when you need the NSA. Conservatives that want to implement draconian laws about restricting the uses of the internet always claims that the restrictions are about protecting the children. I don't hear the conservatives cries, that failing to continue to support correcting security issues related to Windows XP endangers the children. While Bill Gates is interested in helping the children in foreign countries, Microsoft is unwilling to protect the children using Windows XP, by failing to continue to patch XP security issues. If one goes through most newspapers archives, since Windows XP was introduced, they will find articles about organizations that refurbishes old donated computers and gives them to poor children. A family that cannot afford a computer for their children cannot afford a new operating system or have the technical skills to install the new operating system, even if the hardware will support the new operating system. Unless Microsoft forces XP users to stop using their computers, all of those unpatched computers will serve as vectors to spread viruses.
When Keurig's management mentions customer safety they are hypocritical. Keurig failed to properly test a Mr. Coffee Keurig Pod Coffee maker they licensed. As a result a recall was ordered on August 30, 2012 here: http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2012/Mr-Coffee-Single-Cup-Brewers-Recalled-by-JCS-Due-to-Burn-Hazard/
Furthermore Keurig management failed to learn from Tassimo's experience with proprietary pods. In 2006 most stores that sold small appliances sold Tassimo coffee makers. I am now unable to find Tassimo brewers sold anywhere but on line. I was originally a Tassimo customer but replaced the Tassimo with a Keurig around 2009 because it was difficult to find Tassimo Pods and because of Tassimo's restrictions preventing me at the time, from making French Vanilla Coffee in the Tassimo Brewer. By requiring customers to use proprietary pods, Keurig management is writing there own epitaph.
It was reported that building departments here in Florida have been using satellite imaging to find property improvements where the owner did not apply for building permits or receive inspection certificates. Unfortunately there have been some homeowners accused inaccurately, of improving their property without a permit because the building departments were incompetent at record keeping. In many cases the improvement had been permitted and inspected. In one case a homeowner was accused of having a sun room (enclosed porch) on their property, observed via satellite, that the building department claimed was constructed without permits or inspections by the previous owner. The current owner was ordered to remove it, bring it up to current code or pay a $250.00 a day fine if the property did not comply within 30 days.
The building department wound up with egg on their face when the current property owner checked the document package, the previous owner gave them at closing. The current property owner found the building permit and inspection certificate for the sun room in the package. The management of the building department did not keep accurate records of the building permits and inspections. In this case the homeowner was assumed guilty until they proved themselves innocent.
It appears that the copyright parasites, by promulgating these bogus figures, are trying to establish a foundation by claiming bogus losses, to establish a fee for all broadband subscribers to be paid to them. The RIAA successfully convinced lawmakers to mandate a fee to be added to the price of high fidelity cassettes and music CDR's to compensate the record labels for bogus losses caused by home copying, even if the media in question was never used to copy copyrighted material. So the copyright parasites are looking to be paid something for nothing JUST IN CASE.
Problem solved here in Florida. Authorities will send the ticket to the owner. We have traffic signal cameras all over Central Florida. If a vehicle runs a red light the owner receives the citation even if they were not driving the vehicle. In one case an vehicle owner was ticked while the vehicle was in the possession of the dealer servicing the vehicle. The vehicle was driven by a mechanic taking it out for a test drive. Then came the BS when the dealer tried to weasel out of the fine. It turns out that the work order had a time stamp and the time stamp proved who had control of the vehicle. Dam the Constitution full speed ahead.
I wonder if Amazon Management is changing policies to bleed more money out of customers. I am a prime member which means that I am entitled to free two day shipping on any item sold directly by Amazon.com when I purchased my membership.
Two days ago I attempted to order some low cost merchandise from Amazon (under $10.00). Each item had a flag beside it "ADD ON ITEM". When I added the item to the cart it did not give me an opportunity to go to check out. When I clicked on the ADD ON ITEM flag, a text box appeared indicating that the items were add on items and would include free shipping if I purchase merchandise that costs $25.00 or more. I was not given a way to pay for shipping in order to obtain the merchandise without purchasing other merchandise for $25.00 or more. When I purchased my prime membership one of the features of the membership was free shipping even if the cost of the merchandise was less than $25.00.
It took me several minutes to find a way to contact Amazon. The customer service representative had to manually enter my order in order to enter it into their system.
I wonder if the scheme effecting customers moving to Canada, preventing customers from taking books that they purchased to Canada, is another method to squeeze more money out of the customer. The reason I like hard copy books is that the publisher cannot dictate where I can read the book and when traveling, an airline stewardess cannot force me to put my book away during takeoff and landing.
Instant replay, ISP'S are using the same scheme as the power cartel used in the 1930's.
In the 1930's the Power Cartel refused to construct their power distribution systems in rural areas because it was TO EXPENSIVE. When the Roosevelt administration founded the Tennessee Valley Authority the power Cartels fought government deployment of power distribution systems in rural areas, like the ISP"s are doing against broadband WAN deployment by Government Agencies. See discussion in this article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority
Here in Central Florida the City of Mount Dora and the City of Leesburg constructed their own power distribution systems which they still operate. Residents receive a combined Water, Electric and Trash pickup bill.
Re: The bear rule.
1) Read this driver could not shut engine off:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/toyota-pay-12b-hiding-deadly-unintended-acceleration/story?id=22972214
ABC News first reported the potential dangers of unintended acceleration in an investigation broadcast in November 2009. The report said hundreds of Toyota customers were in “rebellion” after a series of accidents were apparently caused by the unintended acceleration. Two months before, Highway Patrolman Mark Saylor and three members of his family had been killed after the accelerator in his Lexus had become stuck on an incompatible floor mat. Saylor was able to call 911 while his car was speeding over 100 miles per hour and explain his harrowing ordeal right up until the crash that ended his life.
EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: Runaway Toyotas
2) Driver killed when vehicle became trapped between crossing arms Page 1 to 4 here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/metronorth-train-accidents/
Programming makes bad decision for driver!
1. Push button ignition switch killed some people when the throttle stuck and the driver could not shut off engine which resulted in a fatal crash. There was a way to stop engine in an emergency but drivers are not advised how to do so.
2. A driver was killed because they could not exit the vehicle in time when railroad crossing gates trapped them. A news story showed how a driver could easily drive through and break off a railroad crossing arm because they are designed to be easily broken off. If a driver is caught between railroad gate crossing arms and vehicle program will not allow the driver to drive into and break off an arm to escape a collision with a train, without a series of steps, to override the collision avoidance system, it is dangerous.
Identity theft may cause abandonment of the Internet
The internet is becoming a dangerous place like those neighborhoods where if you enter you leave in a coffin. I have done business with several companies that have reported being hacked. I have already had several different credit cards replaced because the issuer or a vendor detected someone trying to place a fraudulent charge on the account. At least with snail mail identity thieves cannot steal your personal information. As a result broadband users may be forced to stop using the internet for any purpose that involves money since the financial risks will be to great.
Re: And the current ad on my page...
The next generation Keruig will require that it be connected to the internet in order to function. Microsoft will handle activation.
Keurig's new DRM attempt.
In the old days when you flew, the stewardess would ask Coffee, Tea or Milk. When you access the Keurig website an audio announcement should say use Keurig Cups or Screw You. Customers that purchased the Keurig refillable filter cup have been shut out. I guess only non Keurig refillable filter cups will work with the modification illustrated. How long before Keurig will demand that YouTube take down the video.
What about Digital Voice Telephone Service
For some reason the discussion regarding the subscriber obtaining their own modem and router, to avoid having their modem/router used by Comcast as a public Hotspot, fails to point out that EMTA's required for voice telephone service are either not available or very costly. There have been a discussion of subscribers using Comcast's EMTA and their own router to avoid the monthly cost for the modem, in other forums. That does not guarantee that Comcast will not provide Digital Voice Customers an EMTA with a WiFi access point and activate it without the subscribers knowledge or approval. Furthermore there are only three non overlapping channels in the 2.4 GHz band so in congested locations like multifamily dwellings, the Comcast Public access point can degrade the subscribers speed because of additional WiFi congestion.
Same lie as used to force tracking devices in cell phones.
Back before tracking devices were included in cell phones the feds needed an excuse to require them. The excuse was the little old lady that rolled her car. She called the emergency number but paramedics could not find her. That was the excuse the feds used to mandate that all cell phones must include a tracking device. The feds claimed the tracking device would be activated only after the user dialed 911. Typical fed fraud. Now tracking device cannot be shut off. On the other hand a little old lady was run off an elevated section of I-595 in Fort Lauderdale about five years after tracking devices were required. She could not reach 911 because her cellphone signal was blocked. The only reason she survived was that a road crew saw her wrecked car when they repaired the damage her accident caused.
Crap Florida Speed Traps
This crap has been going on for years. When I lived in Fort Lauderdale there was Hacienda Village, a notorious speed trap which was disenfranchised in 1984, 30 years ago. This article in Wikipedia discusses the fate of Hacienda Village.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacienda_Village
Usually these scams come under close scrutiny when one of their scammers (officers) cite the wrong person:
"(allegedly having its charter revoked after the HVPD cited an influential state representative for a traffic infraction)"
Actually the land Hacienda Village rested on, is now under the I-95 Interchange where State Road 84 and I-595 crosses I-95 and was purchased through the eminent domain law.
Same happens when a charity loses it's disease.
They couldn't let go. In the mid Fifties a charity lost it's disease, Polio. When Polio was conquered the March of Dimes, The Mothers March On Polio, did not disband even though they had no disease to fight. They simply changed their purpose, birth defects The Mothers March On Polio, became the Mothers March On Birth Defects. After all there will always be birth defects.
Reality of retransmission law.
I am close to 70 Years old and remember when the only programming cable carried was over the air programming and perhaps a channel that showed the time, temperature and some local advertising. During Broadcast Televisions golden age up to the mid 80's, networks would be proud to announce when a new station went on the air, or when a cable system was activated and began carrying the programming, of a local station, affiliated with with the network. That announcement was an eyeball report to sponsors to announce there were more viewers to watch the sponsors advertisements. That changed in the early 80's when cable systems began carrying programming transmitted via satellite. The first programs that bit the dust were network movie nights. For example the NBC Monday Night Movie was dropped because by the mid 80's eyeballs with plenty of discretionary income already viewed the movies on HBO or some other premium channel. Networks executives began crying to federal lawmakers that their advertising revenue was dropping. The networks lobbying efforts paid off when network executives convinced lawmakers to throw TV Stations a bone to make up for lost revenue, with retransmission fees. The reason is that subscribers now had a choice of more than three network stations and a few independents.
Screwed by cable company after picking up DTA's.
I am moving to a condominium where standard basic cable service is paid through our HOA fees. Until January of this year those customers not subscribing to additional services were anonymous. All residents had to do was plug in cable ready televisions to receive 75 channels. All residents were notified last fall that the cable company was going all digital and viewers would have to pick up Digital Terminal Adapters in order to continue to receive programming. Two would be supplied under the Bulk Billing Contract. Additional DTA's would be available at a $2.00 per month rental fee. I contended that this was a price increase since before the change residents could install as many TV's as there were cable TV outlets in the apartment. Normally when a resident subscribed to additional services they were offered promotional rates for the first six months to a year. When I picked up the required DTA's in in January in order to continue to receive the programming that the HOA paying for, I asked the representative if picking up the DTA's would affect my status as a new customer. The representative said it would not.
When I attempted to sign up for new service last month I asked if there were any promotions, the representative stated I would not be entitled to a new customer promotional rates because when I picked up the DTA's I established an account and now was a customer. So I was screwed because the representative lied to me and provided incorrect information. The rate I was quoted in January for the services I requested, was $139.00 per month. The non promotional rate I was quoted last month was $201.00 per month an increase of $62.00 per month or $744.00 over one year.
Use Of Malware As 'Augmenting Content'
Once the authorities target and access a citizens computer, they can upload illegal felonious content without the owners knowledge. Like when the cops plant an illegal substance on a person then arrest them for possession of an illegal substance. One citizen got lucky when a computer technician reported him for possessing illegal images. After the arrest a computer forensic expert determined the citizen a victim of a malware attack that allowed unauthorized third parties to use his computer as a drop box. The prosecution was short circuited because there was no way to determine who uploaded the illegal images. A judge dismissed the case.
Ascap Asks Royalties From Girl Scouts, and Regrets It
Amazing. I would have expected the Girl Scouts to advise the MPAA to shove it as a result of this shakedown by ASCAP in 1996. How quickly they forget.
From the New York Times December 17, 1996:
"Like everyone else, Mr. Berle had read with disbelief that the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers wanted to charge the Girl Scouts -- the Girl Scouts! -- for songs around the campfire."
The entire story can be read here:
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/17/nyregion/ascap-asks-royalties-from-girl-scouts-and-regrets-it.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
To conservatives it is about protecting the children.
Where is the NSA when you need the NSA. Conservatives that want to implement draconian laws about restricting the uses of the internet always claims that the restrictions are about protecting the children. I don't hear the conservatives cries, that failing to continue to support correcting security issues related to Windows XP endangers the children. While Bill Gates is interested in helping the children in foreign countries, Microsoft is unwilling to protect the children using Windows XP, by failing to continue to patch XP security issues. If one goes through most newspapers archives, since Windows XP was introduced, they will find articles about organizations that refurbishes old donated computers and gives them to poor children. A family that cannot afford a computer for their children cannot afford a new operating system or have the technical skills to install the new operating system, even if the hardware will support the new operating system. Unless Microsoft forces XP users to stop using their computers, all of those unpatched computers will serve as vectors to spread viruses.
Keurig hypocritrical
When Keurig's management mentions customer safety they are hypocritical. Keurig failed to properly test a Mr. Coffee Keurig Pod Coffee maker they licensed. As a result a recall was ordered on August 30, 2012 here:
http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2012/Mr-Coffee-Single-Cup-Brewers-Recalled-by-JCS-Due-to-Burn-Hazard/
Furthermore Keurig management failed to learn from Tassimo's experience with proprietary pods. In 2006 most stores that sold small appliances sold Tassimo coffee makers. I am now unable to find Tassimo brewers sold anywhere but on line. I was originally a Tassimo customer but replaced the Tassimo with a Keurig around 2009 because it was difficult to find Tassimo Pods and because of Tassimo's restrictions preventing me at the time, from making French Vanilla Coffee in the Tassimo Brewer. By requiring customers to use proprietary pods, Keurig management is writing there own epitaph.
Snooping via satellite not invented in Lithuania And Estonia
It was reported that building departments here in Florida have been using satellite imaging to find property improvements where the owner did not apply for building permits or receive inspection certificates. Unfortunately there have been some homeowners accused inaccurately, of improving their property without a permit because the building departments were incompetent at record keeping. In many cases the improvement had been permitted and inspected. In one case a homeowner was accused of having a sun room (enclosed porch) on their property, observed via satellite, that the building department claimed was constructed without permits or inspections by the previous owner. The current owner was ordered to remove it, bring it up to current code or pay a $250.00 a day fine if the property did not comply within 30 days.
The building department wound up with egg on their face when the current property owner checked the document package, the previous owner gave them at closing. The current property owner found the building permit and inspection certificate for the sun room in the package. The management of the building department did not keep accurate records of the building permits and inspections. In this case the homeowner was assumed guilty until they proved themselves innocent.
Copyright parasites want you to pay something for nothing!
It appears that the copyright parasites, by promulgating these bogus figures, are trying to establish a foundation by claiming bogus losses, to establish a fee for all broadband subscribers to be paid to them. The RIAA successfully convinced lawmakers to mandate a fee to be added to the price of high fidelity cassettes and music CDR's to compensate the record labels for bogus losses caused by home copying, even if the media in question was never used to copy copyrighted material. So the copyright parasites are looking to be paid something for nothing JUST IN CASE.
How Will The Law Deal With Autonomous Vehicles
Problem solved here in Florida. Authorities will send the ticket to the owner. We have traffic signal cameras all over Central Florida. If a vehicle runs a red light the owner receives the citation even if they were not driving the vehicle. In one case an vehicle owner was ticked while the vehicle was in the possession of the dealer servicing the vehicle. The vehicle was driven by a mechanic taking it out for a test drive. Then came the BS when the dealer tried to weasel out of the fine. It turns out that the work order had a time stamp and the time stamp proved who had control of the vehicle. Dam the Constitution full speed ahead.
Amazon Policies
I wonder if Amazon Management is changing policies to bleed more money out of customers. I am a prime member which means that I am entitled to free two day shipping on any item sold directly by Amazon.com when I purchased my membership.
Two days ago I attempted to order some low cost merchandise from Amazon (under $10.00). Each item had a flag beside it "ADD ON ITEM". When I added the item to the cart it did not give me an opportunity to go to check out. When I clicked on the ADD ON ITEM flag, a text box appeared indicating that the items were add on items and would include free shipping if I purchase merchandise that costs $25.00 or more. I was not given a way to pay for shipping in order to obtain the merchandise without purchasing other merchandise for $25.00 or more. When I purchased my prime membership one of the features of the membership was free shipping even if the cost of the merchandise was less than $25.00.
It took me several minutes to find a way to contact Amazon. The customer service representative had to manually enter my order in order to enter it into their system.
I wonder if the scheme effecting customers moving to Canada, preventing customers from taking books that they purchased to Canada, is another method to squeeze more money out of the customer. The reason I like hard copy books is that the publisher cannot dictate where I can read the book and when traveling, an airline stewardess cannot force me to put my book away during takeoff and landing.