Not long ago at the Redondo Beach Whole Foods, I saw a ragged man carry a 12 pack of beer out of the store, get on a bicycle, and ride away. As he did so two Whole Foods employees were following him and yelling for him to come back. I soon asked why they did not physically stop him, and was told that employees were only allowed to call the police. One said that if an employee had even touched the shoplifter they could be fired. (Note - this retail complex did not seem to have any private security guards.)

Yes, I thought of K-LOC's as I read this.

I recently learned that a number of "fringe" Christians believe that any research using DNA is part of a scheme to eventually turn humans into monsters. Specifically the author Stephen Quayle has written a number of books on what I would call "crackpot Christian" topics.

Note - I am aware that only a small percentage of modern Christians believe such things.

TWR

Hi

Just like with Apple, no one has to buy a HP printer.

TWR

Hi all -

Around 1993 there was a brief attempt to limit used CD sales, but since that was before the web really took off I suppose it is largely forgotten online. It is probably best remembered for the prominent role Garth Brooks took in the public debate. So this recent attack on amazon.com and used books should come as no big surprise.

To summarize, in late 1992 Wherehouse became one of the few major music chains to sell used CD's. The NARAS and some recording artists spoke out against this, and perhaps the climax came on Aug 5, 1993 when it was announced in writing that the new Garth Brooks album "In Pieces" would not be sold to stores selling used CD's. There was an uproar of protest including events where Garth Brooks recordings were publicly burned, and within a few days this policy was retracted by distributor CEMA and/or Thorn-EMI.

I was able to find one link to a L.A. Times story from Aug 8, 1993 about the end of this:

http://www.planetgarth.com/gbnews/garth049.shtml

It seems obvious to me that we can expect to "license" rather than buy music from the major labels in the future, and such licenses will explicitly prohibit the transfer of your license without prior consent, or several hundred words of similar legal babble.

TWR, Torrance, CA