Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Monkey Business at Amazon
http://www.evolutionnews.org/2014/08/monkey_business088991.html ^

Posted on 08/14/2014 6:01:35 PM PDT by truthfinder9

Hmm, what's this? We noticed that overnight eight 5-star reviews for Stephen Meyer's book Darwin's Doubt were mysteriously erased. Just vanished. Since these were positive reviews, it is unlikely they were "abusive" which is the normal criterion that Amazon has for removing reviews. Interesting.

These kinds of shenanigans always seem to happen when our critics are feeling maximally pressed because they can't answer our arguments on the merits. They thus see the need to resort to schemes and tricks. It's an admission of intellectual defeat.

We've also heard claims about people trying to reshelf Meyer's book in the religion section at the bookstore or get it officially reclassified as a Christian title instead science, and so on. University of Chicago biologist and evolution defender Jerry Coyne applauds such efforts. Anything to avoid a real debate.

No words could be more appropriate than those of Coyne's University of Chicago colleague, mathematician Leo Kadanoff, in thanking William Dembski for his presentation there yesterday:

"I think the ball is in the court of people who believe in evolution. They have to deal with these questions. ...Bill [Dembski] has made his case and we should all go home and think."

So...that was yesterday, and hours later someone is trying to sweep the positive reviews off the Amazon page for Darwin's Doubt. No doubt a coincidence.

Dr. Kadanoff, whose own views on intelligent design we don't know, thinks Darwinists should man up and address the evidence for ID rather than dodging, as per their usual custom. That would be most welcome.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: amazon; censorship; darwinsdoubt; evofundies; evolution; science; skullduggery; stephenmeyer
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-95 next last

1 posted on 08/14/2014 6:01:35 PM PDT by truthfinder9
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: truthfinder9

Wait! People believe the Amazon reviews are real? Seriously??


2 posted on 08/14/2014 6:04:50 PM PDT by Drango (A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Drango
Wait! People believe the Amazon reviews are real? Seriously??

"Dear Penthouse,

My car broke down near a farmer's ranch....."

3 posted on 08/14/2014 6:07:57 PM PDT by eddie willers
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: truthfinder9

When they’re not pretending to be scientists, they are pretending to be victims. It’s this type of shenanigans that drive people away from religion.


4 posted on 08/14/2014 6:08:28 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: truthfinder9

Sometimes the reviews at Amazon are quite hilarious.


5 posted on 08/14/2014 6:09:58 PM PDT by mylife
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: eddie willers

I thought farmers had farms.


6 posted on 08/14/2014 6:11:07 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: mylife

Amazon really should not be selling books, period. There have been instances of non payment of royalties to authors, blocking purchases of conservative books, and now their ongoing attack on Hatchette Books and their authors. Unbelievable sneaky, lying, liberals trying to control what people read and who gets paid.


7 posted on 08/14/2014 6:12:32 PM PDT by Kackikat (ELECTED officials took an OATH...Time to honor it....be a Patriot.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: eddie willers

ow i don’t think i ever read any of those/s


8 posted on 08/14/2014 6:14:06 PM PDT by kvanbrunt2 (civil law: commanding what is right and prohibiting what is wrong Blackstone Commentaries I p44)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: truthfinder9

I don’t pay any attention to or participate in their reviews. I saw one not long ago where an idiot gave an outstanding, classic CD a one star rating because the moron thought that he/she was ordering the sheet music for a song that was on the CD and ordered the CD by mistake instead. Duh? Had to be an “unaccompanied” Obama voter.


9 posted on 08/14/2014 6:14:06 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (America is not a refugee camp! It's my home!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: truthfinder9; All

um - according to my Amazon page - it has 399 5 star reviews - there are two listings of the book - one with only a few reviews total - but the first listing has 399 FIVE STARS - overwhelmingly the majority of reviews.

You may be doing AMAZON an injustice, Truthfinder9?


10 posted on 08/14/2014 6:15:27 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (Christian is as Christian does - by their fruits)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Moonman62

And they have daughters that can shoot.


11 posted on 08/14/2014 6:15:53 PM PDT by Red_Devil 232 ((VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: mylife

This is just one account of what is going on with Amazon and their indie publisher owned by them, Createspace:

http://jeanettevaughan.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/back-by-popular-demand-the-amazon-rip-off/

There was a petition by famous authors against Amazon and how they were trying to destroy Hackette Publishing.

They will give away authors works for free on that Amazon Prime and not pay the author royalties.

Amazon should only be allowed to sell products that can not be held hostage for royalties.


12 posted on 08/14/2014 6:16:48 PM PDT by Kackikat (ELECTED officials took an OATH...Time to honor it....be a Patriot.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Kackikat

We do have authors on FR whom Amazon regularly gives away works of for free.


13 posted on 08/14/2014 6:19:28 PM PDT by mylife
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Moonman62

Don’t stop him...he’s on a roll.


14 posted on 08/14/2014 6:20:09 PM PDT by Osage Orange (I have strong feelings about gun control. If there's a gun around, I want to be controlling it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: eddie willers

Amazing...the exact same thing happened to my car. (except it was next to a women’s cheer-leading college)


15 posted on 08/14/2014 6:22:18 PM PDT by Drango (A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: FlingWingFlyer

can’t you ignore those and read the helpful ones. i try to use every bit of information out there. it can be overload but. think back to when you took your neighbors advice. or brand names meant something. ge is selling it’s appliance division to electrolux. I don’t even know where ge is building their crap anymore. hopefully electrolux can make a product that will last longer than several weeks.


16 posted on 08/14/2014 6:23:53 PM PDT by kvanbrunt2 (civil law: commanding what is right and prohibiting what is wrong Blackstone Commentaries I p44)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: FlingWingFlyer

Never ceases to amaze me.

400 people give something 5 stars and one sourpuss says if I could give it zero I would!


17 posted on 08/14/2014 6:28:05 PM PDT by mylife
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: mylife

I have researched this enough to know it is widespread and there is a button Amazon has to turn off or turn on about sales of certain author’s books or they say it can’t be shipped for a long period of time to encourage buyers to get something else, a lot are Hatchette authors ( and I don’t personally know any Hatchette authors but I sympathize with them)have been under attack for a couple of years now.

In 2005 Amazon moved their main offices to Luxemburg across the pond to prevent paying US taxes, and they owed 6 billion dollars at one point, that’s why O Drama can jerk them around and get them to do his bidding...he held that one speech at their Warehouses in 2012 or 2013.

When I heard Amazon was going to send drones to deliver to people, I thought ‘NO’ that could be dangerous the way the government could take control of drones, sheesh....but that was somehow postponed or squelched for mean time.

I want Penquin-Randam House to surge forward, as they are the closest competitor to book and e book sales in competion with Amazon, and at least P-R are decent according to authors I have read.


18 posted on 08/14/2014 6:28:53 PM PDT by Kackikat (ELECTED officials took an OATH...Time to honor it....be a Patriot.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Billthedrill

Ping. Interesting points of discussion in the thread.


19 posted on 08/14/2014 6:30:34 PM PDT by Publius ("Who is John Galt?" by Billthedrill and Publius now available at Amazon.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Kackikat

I know nothing of their publishing practices.


20 posted on 08/14/2014 6:32:38 PM PDT by mylife
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-95 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson