I completely agree. Compare Prince with artists like Ted Nugent. He is almost always touring. He has a huge presence on the internet with his web sites and forums. This past weekend he had Amazon sell a special album for 76 cents. You may disagree with him politically, but he is a very savvy businessman and musician.

For the legislator's it's simple. If you vote against cops, it will be used against you by your opponents and the police associations/unions will tell their members to not vote for you. As for the rest, most people are more likely to trust the word of a police officer over others. Unless the officer's behavior on the stand is just awful, he is almost always given the benefit of being considered more trustworthy.

I'm not sure if they will provide the amplification you need, but look at the electronic hearing protection offered for hunters. The in the ear models run anywhere from $30 to $400. As to why the medically prescribed ones cost so much. That is simple. Insurance pays for them for most people.

I did notice that they would be charging if it was shipped outside the USA. I think Acer probably went with a single source for shipping the DVDs, instead of going with regional or country sources. This means that, if your are outside of the 48 contigous states of the USA, you pay shipping.

I recently purchased an Acer laptop (hey, it was cheap and I'm just using it for surfing). Since I didn't choose overnight shipping, it was free. I may not get the DVD for a week or so. But, I'm not in a hurry either. I think this really depends on the shipping you choose and the manufacturer you buy from.

In my almost 39 years on this planet, I have learned that as soon as someone says "It's for the children," I need to say no and make sure that my wallet is secure.

It also means no reason to own the merchant ship. These companies are in business to make a profit, not shoot pirates.

Due to activities of privateers and pirates in the past, many nations have laws against armed merchant vessels being allowed in their harbors and/or waters. This is the reason the companies want devices that won't be considered weapons by these countries, Afterall, what good does it do to arm the vessel if it can't dock anywhere.

This depends on the commander you have. Most commanders won't attempt to heavily enforce this regulation. However, there are commanders who will. They are what is commonly known as "micro-managers." They give their little subordinates little leeway, and often insist on making all decisions. Some of the micro-managers will give up because of the increased work load. However, some will just choose to blanket disapprove of all electronic communications.