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With sales expected to triple over the next three years, the publishers and Apple, Inc., whose iPad readers are a major competitor in the ebook market (along with the Barnes & Noble Nook and Amazons various Kindle models), were feeling huge market pressures.

The competition was primarily coming from Amazon, which had offered electronic versions of books for an initial price of $9.99, far below the list price of new hardcovers, now approaching $30 or more. Amazons customer base, which appreciated the lower cost of versions that, after all, did not have to be printed on paper or sold via physical stores, snapped up the electronic books by the millions.

So, the Justice Department alleges, publishers like Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and Penguin, along with others, conspired with Apple to seize control of the ebook market from Amazon and drive up prices on downloadable versions.

Some of the publishers have settled with Justice without admitting liability, while Apple and others are fighting the conspiracy charges.

The DOJ says the companies feared that Amazons low prices would cause consumers to demand reductions on the cost of all books, and eventually lead Amazon to sell content directly to readers, bypassing traditional publishers and aiding Kindle sales.

The publishers and Apple argue that Amazons market dominance was leading to it becoming a monopoly, driving competitors out of business by selling below cost.

But the DOJ says retailers were being denied the right to set their own prices by the conspiracy. That seems right: Consumers, not cartels, deserve to benefit from lower-cost methods.

Its not only the bottom line, its the last word.

The Times Argus of Barre, Montpelier (Vt.), April 20, 2012

Ben Cohen is doing his bit.

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New England editorial roundup

18-04-2012 15:59 First official track in FL Studio Still learning some things so don't bash about the bad things, just let me know what I can improve on. Constructive criticism is appreciated ! Comment, rate, support. ONE LOVE , spread it ! (GOD use to be what i called myself)

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EVOl-ve - Rave Scene Swagg (Original Mix).wmv - Video

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of 9-1-1 Education Month, Smart911 is kicking off a new webinar series titled "Understanding the Citizens We Serve." The first edition, "Understanding and Responding to Citizens with Autism," takes place on April 26 to mark National Autism Awareness Month. While open to all, the webinar will focus on how 9-1-1 telecommunicators and public safety personnel can most-effectively interact with and assist people with autism. A service of Rave Mobile Safety, the trusted software partner for campus and public safety, Smart911 is a public/private partnership creating a first-of-its-kind, critical caller database that is already helping citizens and emergency responders across 20 states.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120409/NE83750LOGO )

"Understanding and Responding to Citizens with Autism" will feature Dennis Debbaudt of Autism Risk & Safety Management, a website offering training and resources for law enforcement, emergency first responders, parents, educators, care providers and the autism community. A law enforcement trainer and author on the subject, Debbaudt is also the proud father of a young man with autism. While the public is invited to attend, the webinar's content is aimed at providing police, fire, emergency medical services and 9-1-1 telecommunicators with techniques for diagnosing and responding to emergencies that involve people with autism.

There is no cost to attend "Understanding and Responding to Citizens with Autism" and those interested should register online. The webinar is supported by Autism Speaks and the Autism Safety Project. Smart911's website is also now hosting blogs contributed by Autism Speaks chapter members throughout the U.S. in order to draw further attention to issues that people with autism and their families face

Smart911 is a national system that is entirely private and secure. Citizens can create safety profiles for free at http://www.Smart911.com, entering vital data they want made available on themselves and family members, a residence, even pets. This can include details on medical conditions, disabilities and/or special needs, children's photos, home addresses of cellphone callers, floor plans and other pertinent information. Smart911 delivers this information automatically to telecommunicators, enabling responders to be more effective because they have access to critical health and logistics information before arriving at the scene of an emergency. Smart911 supports the critical need to effectively capture and manage data for special needs citizens.

"While Smart911 safety profiles enhance the delivery of emergency services for everyone, it has proven very effective in helping individuals with special needs and their families," said Tom Axbey, president and CEO, Rave Mobile Safety. "This has brought us into close contact with the autism community, and as a result, this webinar will offer very valuable information to those involved in public safety. At the same, the general public shouldn't hesitate to participate; the specific details and overall educational value will be useful for everyone."

About Rave Mobile Safety

Rave Mobile Safety is the most trusted software partner for campus and public safety. Used by leading Institutes of Higher Education and State and Local Agencies, the award-winning portfolio of RaveAlert, RaveGuardian, Eyewitness, Smart911 and SmartPrepare enables millions to feel safe, secure and connected. Rave Mobile Safety is headquartered in Framingham, MA. For more information please visit http://www.ravemobilesafety.com

Media Contact: Marty Querzoli Davies Murphy Group pr@ravemobilesafety.com (781) 418-2433

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Smart911 Honors 9-1-1 Education Month with Kickoff of "Understanding the Citizens We Serve" Webinar Series

Enlarge Courtesy of Magnum PR

Orbital is, from left to right, Paul and Phil Hartnoll.

Orbital is, from left to right, Paul and Phil Hartnoll.

When brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll began making their own version of the American house music and techno sweeping through English pop in the late 1980s, they took their name from the motorway that circles London's suburbs and, back then, linked the new rave scene together. The two were from Sevenoaks, a southeastern exit on the Orbital, the moniker they've recorded and performed under ever since.

Right from the start, with their 1990 debut "Chime," Orbital specialized in big, warm riffs that were equally effective at moving masses of bodies in a field or causing outbreaks of air-keyboard among those listening on the radio. When they performed, the pair almost always played live. Most acts that don't just DJ on stage sound harder, techier. But the Hartnolls wrote tunes whose repetitiveness seemed integral to their melodic structure, not incidental to it one of their big live favorites was titled "Lush," and that's a canny self-description.

Orbital became one of the premier festival groups of the '90s, not just at big dance-music events in the U.K. like Tribal Gathering but at the rock-oriented Glastonbury too. That extended, partly, to the U.S., where the brothers frequently got over with tracks like the guitar-shredding "Satan" and "The Box," featuring a dulcimer. But Chemical Brothers-style chart crossover eluded them, and in 2004, after seven albums and endless tours, the Hartnolls decided to part ways professionally.

It wasn't too surprising when Phil and Paul began performing their classics again in 2009 the lag time between "retirement" and getting back in the game is growing smaller by the year. But while most reunion albums sound like the uninspired, profit-taking ventures they are, Orbital's eighth non-soundtrack album, Wonky, sounds refreshed, as if the duo's time off together had rejuvenated them creatively.

As Phil Hartnoll told me in two separate Q&A sessions conducted for The Record in August 2011 and March 2012 some of that can be put down to the fact that much of the music was written for them to play out, injected in between their hits, like "Halcyon And On And On" and "Impact (The Earth Is Burning)."

You had a ringside seat to the American record biz trying to sell electronic dance music to America in the '90s. What was your impression of the music's popularity in America at first?

PHIL HARTNOLL: We came over with Meat Beat Manifesto in 1992. That was our first proper tour of America. We had people little ravers following us around from gig to gig. The geographical size of England is so small it's a breeding ground for subcultures. When we went over to America, with the huge enormity of it, you [had] little pockets of ravers and rave culture in every little town and every city that we played. But it was never on a national scale at that point. It was represented quite a lot, in each little city, but the only way of talking from city to city was via the Web. The ravers had uniforms: the big baggy trousers, the Dayglo, pacifiers. They pretty much stayed uniform in that. It was the same nationally. They had their own little dress code.

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Orbital: The '90s Revival Is On (And On)

LONDON, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Thomson is excited to announce the launch of its Summer 2013 programme, with the latest editions of Thomson'sFlorida,Summer Collection, andFarawayShores brochures. The new brochures showcase the launch of the Thomson Airways 787 Dreamliner, more hotels offering exclusivity and unique holiday experiences, than ever before, plus new Sensatori and Thomson Couples hotels and new destination of Costa Almeria. Summer 2013 holidays will go on sale as of Thursday 26 April."Summer 2013 is shaping up to be one of our most exciting launches ever," says Garry Wilson, Purchasing and Product Director for Thomson.

"We are thrilled that our customers are going to be able to experience the benefits of travelling on the Dreamliner on our most popular long haul routes. We know that this addition to our fleet will set us apart from our competition and we'll be able to give our customers the best possible start to their holidays."

"In line with our strategy of offering customers holidays they cannot get elsewhere, we've been working to ensure that more hotels than ever are being offer exclusively by Thomson to our customers in the UK. This is the way the business has been taking for a few years, as we have found that when we are able to work more closely with hoteliers, we are able to tailor the hotels around our customers. I am confident that our customers will really appreciate this move, as it will mean that their hotels are more in tune with their needs and wants."

NEW: THOMSON 787 DREAMLINER

Thomson Airways, the airline for Thomson and First Choice, is the UK's first airline to take delivery of Boeing's new 787 aircraft - the Dreamliner. From 1stMay 2013, holidaymakers heading to Cancun, Mexico and Sanford, Florida from Manchester, London Gatwick, East Midlands and Glasgow will have the opportunity to travel on the brand-new aircraft.

Hailed as the greatest advance in air travel for passengers in recent years, the Dreamliner will revolutionise air travel for Thomson Airways customers through significant advances in in-flight comfort and wellbeing. The new Dreamliner routes will be included in theFloridaandFarawayShoresbrochures.

NEW: HOLIDAYSONLY FROM THOMSON

From May 2013, 90% of Thomson's holidays will be availableOnly from Thomsonto UK customers. By increasing the number of properties offered exclusively by Thomson in the UK, we hope to be able to offer customers the best holidays in the market. The hotels have been handpicked by our product and purchasing teams, further to customer feedback, and Thomson will be working with hoteliers to ensure that all of our hotels are tailored exactly to our customers' needs.

NEW: SENSATORI AND THOMSON COUPLES HOTELS

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Thomson Announces Summer 2013 Programme