ABFFE Affiliate Program to Include Bookmarks

Last year the American Bookseller's Foundation for Free Expression introduced an affiliate program with 2020 Vision from Sarasota, Florida.

Paragraphs has been pleased to participate in this agreement with 2020 Vision, an independent supplier of reading glasses since we are able to offer a nice selection while also supporting a cause that is important to anyone who values the free exchange of ideas, especially those found in books. Over the last 12 months, 2020 Vision has contributed $1 for every pair of reading and sunglasses sold to independent bookstores, and the result has been a donation of more than $12,000 to ABFFE.

Now, a new member has been added to the affiliate arrangement between members of the American Bookseller Association and the ABFFE.

emotionGallery, introduced their offer to contribute $1 for every 10 bookmarks it sells to independent bookstores at this year's Book Expo America. I have finally ordered and received our selection of bookmarks from emotionGallery.

“We were very pleasantly surprised by the reaction of all the booksellers we met at BEA,” Sebastien Guttmann, emotionGallery’s managing director, said. “It gives us even more confidence that our products will perform well in the American market.”

Each bookmark is animated 3-d. The dolphins jump, the horses run, the hummingbird has wings that flutter. I can't decide which my favorite is -- today I think it might be the gold fish that have fins that move and a mouth that opens and closes.

I love these bookmarks and I like the idea that our purchase of them also helps support freedom of expression. These are 3-d animated bookmarks and I think they are going to be a popular addition to our sideline selections at Paragraphs.

ABFFE joins 2020 Vision at Paragraphs

I am continuously surprised when I read that some well-meaning parent group or school board is challenging the presence of certain books or materials in school or public libraries. Of course, this is nothing new, censorship in many forms has been around forever and we will probably never see the day when it becomes unnecessary to guard against any attempt to limit the free expression of ideas. While I recognize that there are some things that don't deserve ever to be printed, much less read, the right to do so must remain unfettered by any governmental authority. This is the fundamental basis of our democracy.

This is another reason I am proud to be a member of the American Bookseller's Assn. As an organization, they are committed to fighting against censorship.

Founded by the American Booksellers Association in 1990, ABFFE’s mission is to promote and protect the free exchange of ideas, particularly those contained in books, by opposing restrictions on the freedom of speech; issuing statements on significant free expression controversies; participating in legal cases involving First Amendment rights; collaborating with other groups with an interest in free s peech; and providing education about the importance of free expression to booksellers, other members of the book industry, politicians, the press and the public.

To further support the work of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, 2020 Vision USA, a Sarasota, Florida, direct importer of reading glasses and sunglasses, has agreed to contribute $1 to ABFFE for every pair of glasses it sells to independent bookstores.

"We are very excited to have the support of 2020 Vision USA," ABFFE President Chris Finan said. "We hope that contributions from 2020 Vision and other sideline vendors will provide an important new source of the money we need to protect the First Amendment rights of booksellers and their customers."

And now, I am proud to say, Paragraphs has joined in the effort and will be carrying a wide selection of reading glasses and later this summer, sun readers from 2020 Vision. A family business founded in 1996, 2020 Vision offers a huge inventory of high fashion Italian designs.

Buying from 2020Vision allows us not only to support the cause of free expression but is also a way to recognize our commitment to independent businesses. 2020 Vision sells to bookstores across the country, including Books & Books in Miami, so I think we are in good company and can be assured of having the newest and most fashionable styles, something I would never be able to provide on my own.

So if you need a new pair of reading glasses, come in and look for something that has a little pizzazz. I think you will be pleased with the selection and the price -- and you will be helping support a good cause at the same time.

Free Expression Threatened by "Libel Tourism"

From the American Booksellers Foundation For Free Expression:

On Wednesday, September 10, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) joined 18 groups in issuing a statement urging members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to support the Freedom of Speech Protection Act of 2008 (S. 2977), legislation that provides that foreign libel judgments cannot be enforced in the U.S. if the speech is not actionable under U.S. law. The groups are concerned about the growing threat posed by libel suits that are filed in foreign countries in an effort to intimidate American writers and publishers.

As a recent example of libel tourism, ABFFE cited the lawsuit filed by Saudi billionaire Khalid Salim bin Mahfouz against Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, an American expert on terrorism, over statements in her book, Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed and How to Stop It (Bonus Books).

Although the book was never published in England and only 23 copies have been sold there via online booksellers, Bin Mafouz brought suit in an English court. Under British law, the burden of proof in the first instance is on the defendant to prove the truth of any allegedly libelous statement. Faced with the prospect of enormous legal costs to meet this burden, and objecting as a matter of principle to having to litigate in England without having published her work there, Ehrenfeld refused to defend the suit. The English court entered a default judgment, enjoined further distribution of the book in the U.K., and awarded substantial damages and legal fees.

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