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WE Seal Of Approval Program
WE Seal of Approval Program (WSA) was a consumer protection/anti mail fraud program that assisted collectors of nostalgia between 1970 and 1984 who had been victimized by fraudulent advertisers in hobbyist magazines. It aided collectors of comic books, Star Trek, movie memorabilia, pulp magazines, and baseball cards. Comic fandom historian Sean Kleefeld has dubbed it "an ersatz Better Business Bureau for the comic fandom industry while it was moving from amateur to professional capabilities." Origins WSA was started by Stanley Blair, a retired accountant and publisher of ''Stan's Weekly Express'' (also known as ''WE''), an early adzine for collectors started in 1969. When one of the advertisers proved fraudulent Blair took it upon himself to gather evidence and cooperate with appropriate authorities in the capture and prosecution of the defrauder, with restitution made to the victims. Blair had personal expenses of just over $200 for pursuing the case. Ron Frantz notes "The gratefu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Consumer Protection
Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent businesses from engaging in fraud or specified unfair practices to gain an advantage over competitors or to mislead consumers. They may also provide additional protection for the general public which may be impacted by a product (or its production) even when they are not the direct purchaser or consumer of that product. For example, government regulations may require businesses to disclose detailed information about their products—particularly in areas where public health or safety is an issue, such as with food or automobiles. Consumer protection is linked to the idea of consumer rights and to the formation of consumer organizations, which help consumers make better choices in the marketplace and pursue complaints against businesses. Entities ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It shares jurisdiction over federal civil antitrust law enforcement with the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Department of Justice Antitrust Division. The agency is headquartered in the Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington, DC. The FTC was established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914, Federal Trade Commission Act, which was passed in response to the 19th-century monopolistic trust crisis. Since its inception, the FTC has enforced the provisions of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, Clayton Act, a key U.S. antitrust statute, as well as the provisions of the FTC Act, et seq. Over time, the FTC has been delegated with the enforcement of additional business regulation statutes and has promul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fandom
A fandom is a subculture composed of Fan (person), fans characterized by a feeling of camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices, differentiating fandom-affiliated people from those with only a casual interest. A fandom can grow around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like a Media franchise, franchise or an individual celebrity, or encompassing entire hobby, hobbies, genres or fashions. While it is now used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject, the term has its roots in those with an Sports fandom, enthusiastic appreciation for sports. Merriam-Webster's dictionary traces the usage of the term back as far as 1903. Many fandoms are overlapped. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michigan State University Libraries
Michigan State University Libraries (MSU Libraries) is the academic library system of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. The library system comprises nine branch locations including the Main Library. As of 2021–22, the MSU Libraries ranked 26th among U.S. and Canadian research libraries by number of Volume (bibliography), volumes (8,543,550 volumes) and 7th among U.S. and Canadian research libraries by number of titles held (10,858,158 titles).Shaneka Morris & Gary Roebuck, ''ARL Statistics, 2021-22'', Association of Research Libraries (2021), pp. 47-54 https://publications.arl.org/ARL-Statistics-2021/ The Africana Collection is one of the largest of its kind in the nation with a collection of over 200,000 items. Other significant collections include the G. Robert Vincent Voice Library, the largest academic voice library in the nation, containing a collection of over 100,000 hours of audiobook, spoken word recordings and includes the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Krause Publications
Krause Publications is an American publisher of hobby magazines and books. The company was started by Chester L. Krause (19232016) in 1952 and published '' Numismatic News''. In the coin collecting community the company is best known for its '' Standard Catalog of World Coins'', a series of coin catalogs commonly referred to as ''Krause-Mishler'' catalogs or simply ''Krause'' catalogs; they provide information, pricing, and Krause-Mishler (KM) numbers referring to coin rarity and value. Krause-Mishler (named for Krause and longtime employee Clifford Mishler) numbers are the most common way of assigning values to coins. The first edition was published in 1972. In addition, they established the Coin of the Year Award, first issued in 1984, for excellence in coinage design. In the paper money collecting community, the company is known for its paper money catalogs. In 1975, the first edition of the seminal '' Standard Catalog of World Paper Money'' authored by Albert Pick wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Groth
Gary Groth (born September 18, 1954) is an American comic book editor, publisher and critic. He is editor-in-chief of ''The Comics Journal'', a co-founder of Fantagraphics Books, and founder of the Harvey Awards. Early life Groth is the son of a U.S. Navy contractor and was raised in Springfield, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. area.Matos, Michelangelo"Saved by the Beagle," ''Seattle Arts'' (September 15, 2004)./ref> He read his first comic book in a pediatrician's office. Career Fanzines and pop culture conventions Inspired by film critics like Andrew Sarris and Pauline Kael, and gonzo journalists like Hunter S. Thompson, the teenage Groth published ''Fantastic Fanzine'', a comics fanzine (whose name referenced the Marvel Comics title ''Fantastic Four''). In 1970, 1971, and 1973 he organized Metro Con, a comics convention held in the Washington, D.C. area. Later, after turning down an editorial assistant position at Marvel Comics in 1973, Groth worked briefly as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Light (comics)
Alan L. Light (b. September 15, 1953) is a publisher involved in comics and pop culture fandom. He is best known as the founder of ''The Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom'' (later known as the ''Comics Buyer's Guide''), which was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. Publishing ventures Light grew up in the Quad Cities region of Illinois and Iowa; his first foray into publishing was as a 16-year-old when he produced the comics fanzine ''All Dynamic Magazine''. ''The Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom'' As a 17-year-old in February 1971, Light founded ''The Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom'' (''TBG'') as a tabloid-format monthly newspaper. Run out of Light's parents' basement in East Moline, Illinois, ''TBG'' began primarily as an advertising venue – known in comics fandom as an "adzine", i.e. a fanzine devoted to ads. ''TBG'''s frequency was soon changed to twice-monthly, and prominent fans Don and Maggie Thompson began a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Federal Bureau Of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement agency. An agency of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is a member of the United States Intelligence Community, U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the United States Attorney General, attorney general and the Director of National Intelligence, director of national intelligence. A leading American counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of Federal crime in the United States, federal crimes. Although many of the FBI's functions are unique, its activities in support of national security are comparable to those of the British MI5 and National Crime Agency, NCA, the New Zealand Government Communications Security ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Postal Inspection Service
The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), or the Postal Inspectors, is the Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service. It supports and protects the U.S. Postal Service, its employees, infrastructure, and customers by enforcing the laws that defend the United States' mail system from illegal or dangerous use. Its jurisdiction covers any crimes that may adversely affect or mail fraud, fraudulently use the U.S. Mail, the postal system, or postal employees. With roots going back to the late 18th century, the USPIS is the country's oldest continuously operating federal law enforcement agency. There are approximately 200 federal crimes that can be committed which involve the mail. Therefore, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's activities are broad and ever-changing. In 2021, postal inspectors made 5,141 arrests leading to more than 3,700 convictions, mostly involving mail theft, mail fraud, and prohibited m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rocket's Blast/Comics Collector
''Rocket's Blast Comicollector'' (''RBCC'') was a comics advertising fanzine published from 1964 to 1983. The result of a merger with a similar publication, ''RBCCs purpose was to bring fans together for the purpose of adding to their comic book collections. It also proved to be a launching pad for aspiring comic book creators, many of whom corresponded and exchanged their work through ''RBCC'', and published work in the fanzine as amateurs. ''RBCC'' featured fan-generated art, original articles, and advertisements from comic book fans and dealers. Debuting in the pre-direct market era (before the proliferation of comics retailers), ''RBCC'' was one of the first and largest forums for buying and selling comics through the mail — often, the only way for fans to acquire back issues was through advertisements in ''RBCC''. And, as ''ComicSource'' wrote, "''RBCC'' was also an educational forum, with rich articles devoted to comics and creators long absent from the newsstands, such as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comic Books
A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative, usually dialogue contained in word balloons emblematic of the comics art form. ''Comic Cuts'' was a British comic published from 1890 to 1953. It was preceded by ''Ally Sloper's Half Holiday'' (1884), which is notable for its use of sequential Cartoon, cartoons to unfold narrative. These British comics existed alongside the popular lurid "penny dreadfuls" (such as ''Spring-heeled Jack''), boys' "story papers" and the humorous ''Punch (magazine), Punch'' magazine, which was the first to use the term "cartoon" in its modern sense of a humorous drawing. The first modern American comic book, American-style comic book, ''Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics'', was released in the US in 1933 and was a reprinting of earlier newsp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Self-addressed Stamped Envelope
A self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE), stamped self-addressed envelope (SSAE), or stamped addressed envelope (SAE) is an envelope with the sender's name and address on it, plus affixed paid postage, that is mailed to a company or private individual. Uses Important uses for SASEs are when requesting information about products or services, or when sending manuscripts to literary agents. SASEs are used when communicating with companies, charities or celebrities (for fan post), in cases where each recipient can afford the cost of a single stamp and envelope, but it would be a burden on the organization to pay for the postage on all the letters it sends out. One of the most common uses is when companies are legally required to send something upon request, such as a "winners list" at the end of a sweepstakes; the company will require a SASE to be included with the request to avoid paying postage. SASEs are also vital in the hobbies of autograph collecting and amateur radio. An ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
