About a week ago Editor in Chief Johnas Presbyter broke with an approximately two year old editorial policy and published a link to a case study costing over $3,000 ( SEE: WE MAKE A DISCOVERY, AND MAKE A PLEA). We wish to repeat that it is our policy to never recommend a book that we can not afford to acquire and review. Presbyter has again stepped up to the policy line and tap danced on it. The Board has jerked his chain severely but we are not dismissing him. It is clear to us that our policy has to be revisited. We are sure that we are not going to allow the recommendation of any works we can't afford to acquire and review. That threshold of course, will rise over time.
Not recommending of course, is not the same as never mentioning. We realize that some researchers may actually need to locate and utilize some of these hyper expensive reference works. Meanwhile we note that over 100,000 new visitor readers have joined us since this issue first arose. Below is a reprint of the post that launched our present policy. We would deeply appreciate your comments in the comment section below this post on any particulars that we should incorporate into our coming revised policy. For example should we provide a link to such expensive volumes or a link to an additional source of information on how to obtain one? In Johnas' recent interpretation of policy he surrounded the link by red letter warnings concerning the price. Even if one of our readers were to hit the link accidentally that does not order the book. A click on our link only takes our visitor to the description page of the work at Amazon. A number of additional clicks and the use of a form of payment like a credit card are still required to order any publication. We don't think that anyone can accidentally buy any book but would you as patrons like to see more safeguards against accidental purchase of the extraordinarily high priced or are the visible warnings in WE MAKE A DISCOVERY, AND MAKE A PLEA sufficient?
Og, Chairman of the Board AAIS, General Manager AAB
EDITOR'S NOTE */30/2016 We are no longer an Amazon Portal and receive no commissions on books ordered through any still existing links. We have not decided yet if we will pull down all links to Amazon, or install occasional links for our readers to look at excerpts or read reviews. Remember if you are from Louisiana or another Socialist jurisdiction , if you purchase anything over the Internet you are liable for the sales tax and must pay it with your state income tax return annually.
11/9/2012 NAMAZU Suggestions
NAMAZU STIRS UP CONTROVERSY WITH AMERICAN ADMIRALTY BOOKS BOARD OF DIRECTORS. EDITOR JOHNAS PREBYTER CALLED ON THE CARPET. NAMAZU "SUGGESTION " PULLED FROM PUBLICATION BUT THE CATFISH WINS NEAR TOTAL CREATIVE CONTROL OF POSTS.
Namazu the Earth Shaker , Newly Hired AAB Analyst, Gets Editor in Hot Water |
After reading and approving for release ""NAMAZU FULLY LOADED : AMERICA'S" FUTURE, Editor Johnas Prebyter asked the author for some suggested readings. The giant catfish "force of nature personified", a title we learned he prefers to "former Japanese giant catfish demigod" gave the editor two titles that he felt would help readers understand and confirm his opinions, predictions, and warnings that were contained in his two part post published right after the Presidential election. Prebyter posted both "suggested readings" immediately after the post. Unfortunately one was a special oil industry insider advice sheet retailing for $4,500 per down load. Prebyter published both "suggested readings" with only a minor disclaimer concerning the price of the first "suggested reading". Alarm bells went off in the weekly directors meeting.
The directors felt that given the price of the suggested data that Prebyter failed to post a sufficient disclaimer with the title, and most especially failed to draw the distinction between an American Admiralty Books "Recommended" publication that has gone through the corporate review process and a mere suggestion by the author of a particular post. It was felt that the on line book store could not afford to purchase data as expensive $4,500 per down load for their traditional review. A resolution was passed that in the future American Admiralty Books will not allow any authors to suggest publications or salable data of any sort the retail price of which would put it beyond the range that any director would consider for his or her personal or professional library acquisition. They required Prebyter to pull the hyperlink to the expensive document and to write a new disclaimer. It was noted that the disclaimer was to insure that the public understood that the published work was being removed only because its price put it out of the range of publications that the book store could evaluate, and was not a judgement on the work's content, or the potential utility of the content to the reader.
The board then turned their attention to the posts of the Great Catfish in the little over a week since he was hired by Prebyter. It was noted that, in that week Namazu had managed to insult Al Gore and respond to criticism from the religious right. He also managed to chide Rush Limbeaugh, suggest an investigation of Senator John McCane, issue a negative criticism of the Coast Guard's equipment approval process and policies, compliment actor Kevin Costner on his oil spill recovery invention , and accuse Barrack Obama of tap dancing on the line between sharp political practice and corruption involving some LNG plant and oil drilling permits. It was decided to confront the "Earth Shaker" as he is nicknamed on the hydrophones.
Namazu readily agreed to American Admiralty control of book suggestions based on price. However he refused to take back, tone down, or go easy on "any mere mortal with a big title and a small brain".
In the end Namazu threatened to resign and take his new following with him to another part of the Internet if the board didn't agree to amend his contract and grant him "complete creative control." The deal was struck and both Prebyter and Namazu retain their jobs and Namazu has complete creative control of all products under his byline.
Meanwhile visitors to the on line book store are clicking on Namazu Fully Loaded: The Future of America. day and night for two days and counting. Prebyter has decided to continue to position the post near the top of the blog. Namazu is off in the Sea of Japan doing research on his next post which will get back to coastal environmental issues. This Catfish is a new voice on the Internet, an interesting and certainly politically incorrect voice.
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