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V 7:2 Jan 19, 2012
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BK Communiqu�

"If corporations are people, why can't we put them in jail? "   

                                         -- OWS Protest Sign

Spotlight
People and Personhood

The Book:
Corporations Are Not People: Why They Have More Rights Than You Do and What You Can Do About It

 

Why Read It? The January 2010 Supreme Court Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision made the legislation  official: corporations, as legal persons, are now entitled to exercise their alleged free-speech rights in the form of campaign spending, effectively enabling corporate domination of the electoral process.

 

Activist, lawyer, and author Jeffrey Clements details the decision's impact on the American political landscape, economy, job market, environment, and public health -- and addresses how the decision permeates our daily lives, from the quality of air we breathe to the types of jobs we can get. Most importantly, he offers a solution: a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United and tools readers can use to mount a grassroots drive to get the amendment passed.

 

Read an excerpt here and buy the book for 30% off.
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For media review copies, please contact Katie Sheehan.

For academic review copies, please contact Mike Crowley.

Publishing News
Corporations Are Just Like You (Only Way More Powerful)

In this issue of the Communiqu�, we explore the ramifications of the infamous Citizens United case, which established that corporations have the same legal rights as people in terms of campaign spending and free speech.

Those who think that this piece of legislation is only of concern to politicians or businesspeople are sorely mistaken. Author Jeff Clements provides Five Ways That Corporate Personhood Affects You Directly. 
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Other News   
 
+ A new book about the Obamas reveals a tough side of the First Lady.
 
+ Guess who got featured in a nice little write-up from Publishers Weekly? Us! 
 
+ Certain industry insiders are already talking about the beginning of the end for Barnes & Noble.
 
+ At least one author has made a smooth transition to the digital realm with over five million copies of his book sold in e-book format.
 
+ An extended excerpt is available from the as-yet-unreleased latest book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series (on which HBO's popular Game of Thrones is based). 
 
+ Not everyone is a fan of Game of Thrones, however. Salman Rushdie calls the television series "garbage."
 
+ Despite the stereotypes about men and technology, women dominate the buyer's market for reading tablets.
 
+ Want to buy e-books but still support your local indie bookstore? Now you can do both. 
 
+ In an ironic twist, Chinese authors are suing Apple over illegal e-book downloads.
 
+ Publisher Michael Hyatt (who has over 100,000 Twitter followers) lists twelve ways to acquire more followers.
 
+ Recently unsealed records show that J. R. R. Tolkien was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1961 with C. S. Lewis's backing,  but was rejected for "poor prose."
 

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Freebies 
 
+ Free Excerpt from a New York Times Bestseller: Imperfect Justice, by Jeff Ashton. Read an excerpt here.

+ Free Resources: Feed your sense of paranoia with the searchable database of phobias. 

+ Free Software: Fifteen perfectly solid alternatives to popular desktop software can be found here.
BK News Special
Just a reminder -- the available slots for our  twentieth anniversary celebrations are filling up, so if you haven't registered yet, now would be a darn good time to do so registering now would be a good idea. Another reason to register right away? Were offering some steep discounts to those who purchase tickets early. For more information and registration, click here.
Free E-Book (for 48 Hours)
For forty-eight hours, we are giving away e-copies of our bestselling title Unequal Protection: How Corporations Became "People" -- and How You Can Fight Back by Thom Hartmann. You can download it here. In thanks for your loyal readership, this e-book will be available as a free download exclusively for BK Communiqu� subscribers. But act fast! After midnight on January 20, 2012, you're going to have to plunk down $19.95 like everyone else.
Bonnie Blogs
I'm Bonnie Kaufman, Editorial Associate and Digital Community Builder (and a fan of cats that groom humans). I practically live online and come across some amazing and amusing things. Here are some of my recent favorites:

1. Still confused about these internet blackouts? Here's what you need to know about this thing called SOPA.

2. Why is the new The Great Gatsby movie being made in 3-D?

3. Apparently nothing adds to the liveliness of wine more than a meteorite.

4. So what was especially notable or embarrassing this year at the Golden Globes?

5. From Horror to Horticulture: an actress who starred in a box-office smash decides to give it all up and farm pot.
Books We're Working On
Title: Managing for People Who Hate Managing

Author: Devora Zack

Releases: Fall 2012

Synopsis: Following up on the tremendous success of her first book, Networking for People Who Hate Networking, Devora now tackles the field of management and managers who hate being managers because of, you know, all that management!
We Recommend
Free Speech for People aims to reclaim democracy for citizens by enacting a constitutional amendment that puts people ahead of corporations. This campaign is not just some noise-making site where people complain, but an actual how-to resource for supporting and putting forward a constitutional amendment that would stop corporate domination of the democratic process.

Visit the site and join the movement

+ Learn more about why corporate personhood is a problem
+ Learn more about what is the best solution
+ Gain information and access to various resources
+ Get involved and become active right away
End Notes



  
 
Last time, I issued this challenge. Since nobody got it right (though some were close), all those who guessed incorrectly must send me chocolate or risk being "outed" in the next issue.Oh, the answer can be found here

And your next challenge can be found here.

Email me with any comments or rants as well as the thirty-five ideas that I wish I'd thought of first.

And if you enjoyed the challenge of this game, why not try something utterly morbid and pointless from Japan such as this twisted game?

                       Jeevan    
P.S. -- this isn't real, is it?
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