Regulators in the US are cracking down on operators of an “extended vehicle warranty” telemarketing scam with action that could see the responsible parties face a lifetime ban from the vehicle warranty industry. Under proposed court orders drawn up on March 23rd, three companies — American Vehicle Protection Corporation (AVP), CG3 Solutions, and Tony Gonzalez Consulting Group — and their owners would be permanently banned from both the extended automobile warranty industry and all outbound telemarketing.

In February 2022, the FTC charged AVP and the two affiliated companies with violating the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule. In its complaint, the FTC alleged that AVP falsely claimed to represent dealers and manufacturers, offering fraudulent “bumper-to-bumper” and “full vehicle” coverage policies to customers for between $2,800 and $3,400. According to the FTC, AVP placed hundreds of thousands of unsolicited calls to American consumers (including individuals on the federal Do Not Call Registry) and didn’t honor its 30-day cancellation and refund policy. The complaint claims these scams have fleeced US consumers out of over $6 million since 2018.

“AVP misled consumers about who they were and what they were selling and called a large number of consumers who were on the FTC’s Do Not Call List,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a press release. “Today’s order banning five defendants from the industry and imposing a monetary judgment of $6.6 million continues the Commission’s aggressive crackdown on telemarketing fraud.”

All three companies, along with individual defendants Tony Allen Gonzalez and his brother, Charles Gonzalez (who both own and / or manage the companies), have agreed to the terms of the proposed court orders. The monetary judgment of $6.6 million is largely suspended based on the defendant’s inability to pay. The FTC still has an ongoing case against another company involved in the lawsuit — Kole Consulting Group and its owner and manager, Daniel Kole — which will continue.

It can often feel impossible to completely avoid malicious spam calls, though a study from spam blocker app Robokiller indicates things are actually improving. Robocall reports have plummeted in recent years, falling from 1 billion to fewer than 7 million in the US between June and September 2022. Last year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took action against another auto warranty scam robocall campaign, imposing its largest-ever fine (almost $3 million) as part of its ongoing steps to stop annoying auto warranty spam calls. The FCC has also taken similar action to prevent robotext spam, which now significantly outpaces robocalls, introducing new laws that require mobile service providers to block automated text messages that are “highly likely to be illegal.”

Alice Oseman’s seminal graphic novel series Heartstopper has joined the growing list of LGBTQ+ books banned in certain parts of the US.

According to the Florida Freedom to Read Project, more than fifty books were banned in the Clay County school district in Florida last week (24 March), many of which are written by LGBTQ+ authors or discuss sexuality or gender identity.

The list of banned books includes the first three volumes of Oseman’s Heartstopper, as well as her 2016 novel Radio Silence, which features a number of queer characters.

Other books removed in the latest round of book bans in the district include LGBTQ+ young adult romance novel One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva, and comic A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns.

The Florida Freedom to Read Project shared that a total of 355 books have now been removed from the school district since July 2022.

Along with LGBTQ+ books, the bans are impacting Black authors and books about and racism and racial justice.

Responding to the Heartstopper ban, Alice Oseman decried the growing number of book bans as thinly-veiled homophobia.

“Racism, homophobia and transphobia are thriving under the guise of ‘concern for children’. This is not just a US issue either,” Oseman warned. “We’re seeing the exact same ‘concern’ here in the UK.”

She also shared a statement by the Florida Freedom to Read Project, with the quote: “Indoctrination happens when you remove access to ideas.”

Rising anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment has led to a record number of individual book bans in the US, with one report indicating that 2,532 books were banned in the 2021/2022 school year. 

More than half of those banned feature LGBTQ+ characters or discussions. 

A separate report indicates that there were around 1,200 attempts to ban books in the US in 2022, more than double the record set in 2021.

Last week (22 March), a school district in New York received a bomb threat due to the simple fact that it stocks LGBTQ+ books. Meanwhile, staff at a library in Cork, Ireland, were called “paedophile slurs” because the library had LGBTQ+ literature on the shelves.

One of the most-banned books in the US is This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson, who recently hit out at the “organised attack” on LGBTQ+ literature.

“What we’re seeing now is a really organised attack on books because the far-right is out of ideas. What else can you attack but trans healthcare, drag queens, books,” Dawson said in an Instagram statement on 26 March.

“So I just want to say a huge thank you to all the librarians and educators who are defending freedom of speech and the right for young LGBTQ+ people to see themselves in books. Stand strong in full solidarity.”

The post Alice Oseman slams ‘thriving’ homophobia following Heartstopper book ban in Florida appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

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metalheadsforblacklivesmatter:

“Walkable city” is not “City where to have to walk everywhere.”

“Walkable city” is.

1. Sidewalks big enough to fit you, your stroller, your wheelchair, your guide dog, or anything else you need when you’re getting from one place to another.
2. Safe crosswalks frequent enough so you don’t need to walk in traffic.
3. Bike lanes to keep bikes out of foot traffic and car traffic.
4. Accessible and affordable public transit.
5. Cities where the essentials are close enough you can travel on foot (or in wheelchair)
6. Cities where it’s reasonable to be able to get from point a to point b without requiring you, yourself, to drive

People get so caught up in the “Walkable” part of the term and like to spout “Walkable cities are abelist because not everyone can walk”.

Bitch. The modern city structure is abelist because not everyone can drive. And classist because not everyone can afford a car and it’s pretty damn impossible to get a job if you don’t have a car.

Walkable cities are cities where people can reasonably get from pointA to pointB without requiring a motor vehicle.

“But fae. Disabled people have issues using the paths in modern cities.” Bitch abled people can barely use the paths in modern cities. That’s kind of the fucking problem.

Also walkable cities have fucking benches. Not only for disabled people. But sometimes you just twist your ankle and need to sit for a moment.

“Put fae. If you have benches, homeless people will sleep on them.”

Then get fucking housing for the homeless. Problem solved. They’ll sleep in their nice warm homes instead of on the benches.

-fae