bathroom water
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For the purposes of the USA Today Bestseller Medical Thriller Author Publishing Collaborative Boxed Set program, Genius Media shall not incur any publication and promotion expenses of any nature in excess of the fees paid under the terms of its author agreements and shall have no power to obligate [redacted] or any other author for any publication and promotion expense above author fees paid whatsoever.There's a "cash call" prohibition and an expense cap. But Kairos wanted writers to believe otherwise, so it could inflate expenses and ensure a loss.
In 2013-15, I hired Mr. Bastian as a ghost writer and later co-author of a novel we wrote together called Henry and Tom, sold through Amazon/Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).You'll note a reference to a bankruptcy. Wid Bastian filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition on January 13, 2020.
In mid 2015, Mr. Bastian embezzled money from a joint bank account we opened to pay for marketing campaigns for Henry and Tom. Rather than pursue embezzlement charges, I hired an expensive lawyer in Washington DC to transfer all rights for Henry and Tom to me in exchange for a $4K payment to Wid and a non-disparagement clause for both of us. This seemed at the time like the most expedient and cost effective way to deal with all the problems Mr. Bastian had caused.
I thought this matter was concluded until recently when Amazon/KDP informed me that a debt collection firm had placed a lien on Henry and Tom due to a bankruptcy filed by Wid Bastian/Genius Media Inc. KDP is currently sending my royalties to the collector per the lien. I have filed formal complaints with Attorneys General in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York in an attempt to have the lien removed in states where the debt collectors are registered. I have also filed formal complaints against Wid and Genius Media Inc. with the Attorney General of Utah and the County Attorneys Office in Providence, Utah.
I think blogs like this are creating awareness of the depth and extent of Wid’s continuing criminal activities so we can all work together to stop him from doing this to others and get him to face justice.
The last few weeks have seen Virginia racked by government scandals, including Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring’s histories with blackface, and allegations of sexual assault against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax. Democratic Party leadership has since swiftly called for the resignations of Northam and Fairfax — demands that some on both sides of the aisle […]
A quick-thinking Helsinki bakery has saved itself from financial ruin due to the new coronavirus pandemic by creating a cake that looks like a toilet roll.
Volunteers clad as Superman and Spider-Man sprayed disinfectant against the coronavirus on Indonesia's island of Java, flanking a colleague wearing the winged helmet of local superhero Gatotkaca who shouted, "Wear masks, wash hands and stay alert."
As Thailand's capital cautiously reopens many restaurants shuttered over coronavirus fears, the feline "employees" of the Caturday Cafe are back at work.
David wastes no time dropping us into Paris at dawn, right around the time we’d be stumbling off a too-brief-to-be-restful redeye, where the lights in cafes are flickering on, followed by the coffee machines. Baguettes are picked up in paper sacks that will be served with butter and jam. He explains that cafes are the living rooms of Paris, places where artists and writers have long worked, attracted by the heat that their homes lacked, and the wine, and remain places to meet friends outside your too-small apartment, freeing you from having to clean up before people come over. From café au lait to chocolate chaud (hot chocolate), citronnade (lemonade), into l’heure de l’apero (a time to unwind with a drink before dinner) to the craft cocktail movement of the last decade, the book is a bit of a dreamland, so perfect for those of us who desperately miss wandering right now.
Second member of banned folk group dies in country where few political protest options remain
İbrahim Gökçek died at an Istanbul hospital after almost a year on hunger strike protesting against the detention of his wife, Sultan. She was still in prison, rather than at his side, when he died in intensive care on Thursday, two days after abandoning his strike.
Gökçek, a bass guitarist, is the second member of the banned left-wing folk music band Grup Yorum to die in just over a month after launching hunger strikes over the Turkish state’s treatment of their band: 28-year-old Helin Bölek, a singer, died on 3 April after 288 days of fasting.
Continue reading...Cherished figures from pillar of country’s culture among the dead, as virus hits working-class areas
Like so many of his neighbours in Madureira – a working-class neighbourhood considered Rio’s “cradle of samba” – Álvaro Silva was a diehard supporter of the local samba school, Portela.
Just a few weeks ago the 76-year-old percussionist watched in delight as the group to which he had dedicated more than half of his life took to the streets for its annual carnival procession.
Continue reading...From that initial cold forkful to just the right amount of cheese, we’ve settled it – this is how you should be enjoying your beans
Forget whether the dress was blue or white, or if there was room for Jack on that floating debris – the most heated debates of our generation revolve around food. Does the jam or cream go on a scone first (and how do you pronounce scone)? Does pineapple belong on a pizza? And should your Heinz ketchup be kept in the fridge? (For the record: jam then cream; rhyme it with “gone”; certainly not; and yes, definitely. Glad we cleared that up.)
But few foods have triggered so many lengthy debates as the satisfyingly saucy baked bean. A British icon, the fierce loyalty these delicious legumes stir up is unparalleled. Which is the best bread to put them on? Is it OK to eat them cold? And should they really be touching other food on the plate? We’re here to solve these saucy conundrums once and for all. (Please note: the editor’s decision is final.)
Continue reading...With disinformation connecting coronavirus to 5G masts, fortune cookies and eating bat soup, here are some of the worst examples of misinformation surrounding the pandemic
If there’s one thing we know about Covid-19, it is that the pandemic is incredibly infectious. At the same time, the volume of disinformation from doctored photos to false rumours and hoax videos spreading online has grown at a worrying pace.
In etymological terms, the word “viral” comes from the stem word “virus”. And the viral misinformation can be a danger in itself. Just think of the recent petrol bomb attacks on 5G phone masts because of a widely believed – but unfounded – link to coronavirus.
Continue reading...After the justice department dropped charges against Trump’s ex-national security adviser, Obama expressed fear the US is headed in a dangerous direction
Barack Obama has reportedly said the “rule of law is at risk” in the US, after the justice department said it would drop its case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Related: For Trump, l'etat, c'est moi. Attorney General Barr does whatever he wants | Lloyd Green
Continue reading...Labour’s shadow foreign secretary says coronavirus crisis exposes ‘myth of exceptionalism’
Lisa Nandy has said the government’s “go it alone” approach left Britain unable to to prepare for the coronavirus crisis as she urged Boris Johnson to spearhead international cooperation to create and distribute a vaccine.
In her first newspaper interview since becoming shadow foreign secretary, the former Labour leadership candidate said the aftermath of the pandemic should mark a “serious reckoning” about Britain’s role in the world. She criticised the “myth of exceptionalism”, which she said was part of the country’s self-image.
Continue reading...NHS staff from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds may be given roles away from the frontline under plans to reduce their disproportionately high death rate from Covid-19.
The Guardian revealed last week that minority groups were over-represented by as much as 27% in the overall Covid-19 death toll. Additionally, 63% of the first 106 health and social care staff known to have died from the virus were black or Asian, according to the Health Service Journal.
Senior reporter Haroon Siddique looks at the figures and explains why BAME people may be more at risk.
When councils were instructed to provide accommodation for their homeless population to protect them from coronavirus, Mike Matthews, owner of the Prince Rupert hotel in Shrewsbury, was one of the first to step in. The decision was part business decision to save his hotel, part philanthropy to help homeless people he admits he usually ignored. The new residents, including a former employee, feel it has given them some dignity back and offered them a rare feeling of family and safety. They also know this cannot be a permanent change to their lives, so what happens next?
Continue reading...Lebanon’s coronavirus lockdown has sent an economy already in deep trouble into freefall, and many are struggling to survive. Gino Raidy is an activist who was prominent during the October 2019 anti-government corruption protests. Now, with many fearing hunger and believing there is nothing left to lose, he is helping to keep demonstrators safe as they demand real and lasting change
Continue reading...Have you been keeping up with the news?
What reason did the government give for not joining the EU procurement scheme on four separate occasions?
Brussels had the wrong address so we never got the email
We weren’t allowed to because we had left the EU.
All the European ventilators had the wrong plugs.
In her evidence to the home affairs select committee, did Priti Patel say that the reason passengers weren’t tested on arrival at airports was because...
The UK had too many international air passengers
The UK had too few international air passengers
The UK had both too many and too few international air passengers
The communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, owns three homes, two of which are in London. Where is the third which he visited in contravention of lockdown rules?
Exmoor
His constituency of Newark
Herefordshire
What did the Daily Mail think VE Day stood for in its readers’ offer for a 75th Anniversary Celebration coin?
Victory in Europe
Victory for Europe
Victory over Europe
Who was visited by the police after breaking lockdown to go to Dover to make a video about his failure to find any illegal immigrants?
Richard Tice
John Redwood
Nigel Farage
How many people in South Korea (population 52 million) have died from the coronavirus?
256
2,560
25,600
What did Donald Trump suggest people should think about using to help them beat coronavirus?
Sunbed courses
Dettol
Chloroquine
What is France selling to help pay for the coronavirus crisis?
The Arc de Triomphe
The wine cellar of the Elysee Palace
Its national collection of antique furniture
How long do you get on a free Zoom conference call?
30 minutes
40 minutes
60 minutes
What was Boris Johnson doing when he took 10 days off in Chequers in February during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic?
Recovering from his 10-day break to Mustique at the New Year.
Sorting out his complicated private life.
Helping Carrie Symonds arrange a baby shower for her friends.
What was the name of the two doctors who cared for Boris Johnson in St Thomas’ after whom he named his son?
Imran
Ranjit
Nicholas
What aliases did the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, use for his second job as an internet marketeer when first elected as an MP?
Maurice Blue and Archie Stoat
Mostyn Orange and Torquil Beaver
Michael Green and Sebastian Fox
How many coronavirus tests did Priti Patel tell a Downing Street press conference had been carried out?
300,034,974,000
3,000,349,740,000
30,034,974,000
Who is being lined up to take the blame for the inevitable public inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic?
The EU
Matt Hancock
Meghan and Harry
How much will a mug of coronavirus breakout star, Chris Whitty, cost you from the ‘Chris Whitty Appreciation Society’?
£8
£10
£12
What did deputy chief medical officer, Jenny Harries, tell a Downing Street press conference in March that couples should do?
Separate
Stop being so needy
Move in together
Banksy has donated a new artwork to Southampton general hospital. It depicts a boy holding up
A testing kit
A Boris Action man
A nurse doll
Where is Tom Cruise’s new film set to be shot?
The International Space Station
Richard Branson’s Necker Island
The Nightingale Hospital in London
What was Meghan reading to her son Archie in his first birthday video
Lights! Camera! Action!
Duck! Rabbit!
Duck! Never!
15 and above.
Excellent: give yourself a round of applause
11 and above.
Well done: you seem to have been paying attention to the news
7 and above.
Not bad: you appear to have been trying to keep with events
0 and above.
Risible: were you trying to get the answers wrong?
3 and above.
Very poor: do you follow the news at all?
Continue reading...Five-point plan to protect renters comes as poll shows 1.7 million people fear unemployment
Labour is calling on the government to draw up emergency measures to protect renters beyond June as polling shows up to 1.7 million people in the private sector fear that they will lose their jobs this summer.
Dire economic forecasts released this week, including a Bank of England warning that the country faces its worst recession in 300 years, has prompted Labour to rapidly escalate its call for current protections for the rented sector, like the three-month ban on evictions in England and Wales, to be extended.
Continue reading...Security council had spent weeks seeking resolution but Trump administration opposed mention of organization
The US has blocked a vote on a UN security council resolution calling for a global ceasefire during the Covid-19 pandemic, because the Trump administration objected to an indirect reference to the World Health Organization.
The security council has been wrangling for more than six weeks over the resolution, which was intended to demonstrate global support for the call for a ceasefire by the UN secretary general, António Guterres. The main source for the delay was the US refusal to endorse a resolution that urged support for the WHO’s operations during the coronavirus pandemic.
Continue reading...Mike Pence’s press secretary tests positive to coronavirus; China reports one new case; Russia reports 10,000 new cases for sixth day in a row
Donald Trump has said coronavirus will “go away without a vaccine” and is expecting 95,000 or more deaths in the US, as Mike Pence’s press secretary tested positive for coronavirus.
The president’s comments, at an event with Republican lawmakers, capped a horror week in the US, in which it was revealed unemployment had risen to 14.7%, up from 3.5% in February, with 20 million people losing their jobs in April.
Continue reading...When @JoshuaPotash shared this cute video on twitter, people couldn't handle the thought of a cute little squirrel going to a place where everybody knows its name.
This video is from 2017 but it just makes us feel so warm and happy that we had to let it surface once more!
The video is only a bit over a minute but filled with a lot of emotions, excitement, and love, that you can just feel.
Elephants are truly remarkable animals, so intelligent and gentle, you can just tell they have a big heart.
It’s the end of the academic semester for many students around the globe, so here comes the flurry of DIY projects. Always a great time to check out all the cool hacks from our readers all over the world. One project that piques our interest comes courtesy of [Jason Ummel] …read more
[a-RN-au-D] was looking for something fun to do with his son and dreamed up a laser blaster game that ought to put him in the running for father of the year. It was originally just going to be made of cardboard, but you know how these things go. We’re happy …read more
This video is an oldie but goldie. Joseph Gordon-Levitt turns the tables on the paparazzi that were bombarding him with cameras and questions. It's a curious thing to see how the paparazzi react when being fed a ration of their own medicine. It's almost as if they don't like it, like really don't like it.
Yay, this fun little Tumblr thread involves a barista dude talking about his overwhelmingly positive antics, at the cafe. Sounds like some people get with that energetic flow, while others want nothing to do with the bubbly optimism. Either way, it sounds like this barista is completely at peace with where they are in the game of life, and thus decided to have fun with the moment as it is. Those drink nicknames are something else.
If you're like anyone else, it's hard to escape garbage moments made possible by shortsighted people who aren't thinking with everyone's best interest in mind. There are crook landlords, people stealing crap, and some massive disrespect just floating around the world. This trashiness belongs on Garbage Island.
Get ready to soak up all this random knowledge about just how wild medieval battle tactics were. It's a true rollercoaster.
We try to stick to our “no more than once a week” posting pattern out of respect for your overstuffed inboxes, but I think you’ll see why we had to deviate. Jim’s publisher has revealed Chris McGrath’s gorgeous cover art for the second of the two Dresden novels coming out this year, Battle Ground! Battle [...]
Artificial intelligence can tell whether a human or a bot is posting on Twitter based on how regularly they post and how much they reply to others, which could help identify fake accounts
People born prematurely may have weaker hearts that recover less well after exercise, potentially explaining their increased risk of heart disease