I found this in Chuck Shepard's News of the Weird.

Pushing the Advertising Envelope: A State University of New York at Buffalo professor, in a recent ecology journal, expressed confidence that eventually butterflies could be genetically altered to permit advertising logos and other designs on their wings. And in March, the British video game company, Acclaim Entertainment, announced it would "raise advertising to a new level" by offering to pay relatives of the deceased a fee if it could put small billboards on gravestones.

SnuggleBunny

Kind of brings to light the problems with an out-of-control, unregulated, free market economy. There really needs to be limits to advertising and exploitation of the commons - ohhh, right, there are! Its just that some companies ignore the law.

Speaking of the law, has anyone ever written Congress about the advertising litter on our highways?

DenverShark

If it's ever discovered that telepathy is real, it wouldn't be long before advertisers would invent "thought broadcasters".

Just think, for only a billion dollars, you could thrust a belief in your product deep into the mind of every human on the planet. Product? Hell, why stop there? What about political party? Religion?

I shudder.

LAST EDITED ON 04-01-02 AT 09:11 AM (CST)

>by offering to pay relatives of the deceased a fee
>if it could put small billboards on gravestones.

If people want to desecrate a loved one's tombstone for a fee, go for it. It's on private property, it might be regulated by city ordinance and taxes will be paid.

I suppose next we will be hearing, "Today's funeral is sponsored by..."

-Spellchecker

Uh... have any of you checked the date?

=======================================

Beastie.

=======================
Beastie

>Uh... have any of you checked the date?
>

Very good.

And just when I thought it was all a joke, I got home tonight there was a pre-recorded message on my answering machine asking if I was interesting in "working from home".

But, that was not funny.

-Spellchecker

got home tonight there was a pre-recorded message on my answering machine asking if I was interesting in "working from home".

You need to write to your state legislator and ask him to propose a new law. It's illegal here in CT to call anyone and play a recorded message.

And they're serious about it.

Actualy, I think the FCC has a rule about tht as well; you should check at fcc.gov.

Redstone

Minnesota state law already makes it illegal to do this. It's illegal under Minnesota Statutes 325E.27, which states:

A caller shall not use or connect to a telephone line an
automatic dialing-announcing device unless: (1) the subscriber
has knowingly or voluntarily requested, consented to, permitted,
or authorized receipt of the message; or (2) the message is
immediately preceded by a live operator who obtains the
subscriber's consent before the message is delivered. This
section and section 325E.30 do not apply to (1) messages from
school districts to students, parents, or employees, (2)
messages to subscribers with whom the caller has a current
business or personal relationship, or (3) messages advising
employees of work schedules.

The message was from K&S Enterprises and they were looking for "teachable people" to work from home. To listen to (another) pre-recorded message and for a free 14 page brochure, call 1-800-716-3431.

-Spellchecker

Hey, she helpfully gave her real name and snail mail address on this page:

http://heartlandhelpwanted.com/Search/detail.cfm?SN=12&ID=217

It's amazing what you can find with a Google search. And by doing a quick search at qwestdex.com, I found both of their home phone numbers. (Which I won't be posting here, but they're easily found anyway.)

Go get 'em.

>Actualy, I think the FCC has a rule about tht as well

But the FCC doesn't take enforcement action. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991 merely gives individuals a private right of action. You can collect $500 (tripled if the caller knowingly and willfully violated the law) if you take the time to bring suit and you get a clueful judge (some aren't).

>>Actualy, I think the FCC has a rule about tht as well
>
>But the FCC doesn't take enforcement
>action. The Telephone Consumer Protection
>Act (TCPA) of 1991 merely
>gives individuals a private right
>of action. You can collect
>$500 (tripled if the caller
>knowingly and willfully violated the
>law) if you take the
>time to bring suit and
>you get a clueful judge
>(some aren't).

Hi:

Actually, I think it's the TCPA of 1996, and the fine is $500 for each occurrence if they call you 3 or more times after you asked them to stop.

I get pre-recorded calls from the work at home slime. They use a sequential dialer, so even with an unlisted, unpublished number, they can get to you. Here in Colorado, you can press *57 (costing $1) immediately after the call to report it to the Annoyance Call Bureau as a crank or threatening call. The Bureau said I could do a *57 and then call them at 800.582.0655. They could call law enforcement to get my number deleted from the calling list.

Also, this summer, there is an opt-out law going into effect here in CO. You can place your number on a do not call list that telemarketers have to use. It is quite clear that every state needs such legislation (some other states have it). But that's not enough, since even that legislation is written to favor the telemarketer. The legislation should "opt-in", not "opt-out", meaning that you have to ask to receive solicitations. Unfortunately, the Direct Marketing Association has been very effective in blocking national legislation that protects consumers' rights and privacy.

I use the following reference pages for telemarketing issues.

http://www.ecofuture.org/jmtelem.html
http://www.antitelemarketer.com/
http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/telemarketing.html

DenverShark

All of these lists and laws are nice and all, but they're as effective as the sign laws on the books. In other words, about zilch.

I have a better than 99% effective method of preventing sales phone calls. I pay the phone provider about $7/month to block incoming calls that do not provide caller ID.

(Callers without caller ID can still get through, but they have to record their name. I hear a quick recording which says, "You have a call from {whoever}. Do you want to take it?")

I was getting 5 hangups per day and 3 sales calls. In the last six months I've probably gotten 3 sales calls and 0 hangups -- TOTAL.

My house is my own again.

I have "call-me-not". One time charge of $50.

In TX the charities and so called "non-taxable" are exempt from the TX "Do Not Call List"
This device eliminates everything and everybody. I may get one call a month from some idiot that doesn't understand that particuliar part of "NO".

For more info see http://callmenot.com

GreatWhite-BH (GW)
Texas Chapter - CAUSS

GW

>Actually, I think it's the TCPA of 1996, and the fine
>is $500 for each occurrence if they call you 3
>or more times after you asked them to stop.

No, it's TCPA of 1991. See the FCC web site at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tcpa.html

There is now an on-line complaint form at that FCC web site. An e-mail address for complaints is also listed. However, getting all of the information that they want is not easy.

Although the FCC may not take action until you have been harassed multiple times, the law doesn't give the telesleaze any free bites at the apple in terms of the private right of action. You can file suit on the first call. A couple of years ago, one of those web sites (perhaps junkbusters) had a link to a list of lawyers that would handle such suits.

Bulldog:

You're right, I stand corrected. Thanks for the update.

DenverShark

The advertising on gravestones thing is real. That news was out about two weeks ago.

Read about it here (you may need to cut 'n paste):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/computergames/story/0,11500,667942,00.html