The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 10.0744 Monday, 26 April 1999.
[1] From: Dana Wilson <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Saturday, 24 Apr 1999 13:20:01 -0700 (PDT)
Subj: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
[2] From: Alexander Houck <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Saturday, 24 Apr 1999 14:39:54 -0700
Subj: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
[3] From: William Kemp <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Saturday, 24 Apr 1999 18:57:13 -0400
Subj: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
[4] From: David P. McKay <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Sunday, 25 Apr 1999 00:29:48 EDT
Subj: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
[5] From: David P. McKay <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 1999 10:41:28 EDT
Subj: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
[6] From: Marilyn A. Bonomi <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 1999 23:25:12 -0400
Subj: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
[7] From: Bob Dennis <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Monday, 26 Apr 1999 11:31:04 -0400 (EDT)
Subj: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: Dana Wilson <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Saturday, 24 Apr 1999 13:20:01 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
Comment: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
Meg wrote:
>At UCLA, members of the English Department have
>exchanged a bit of email
>recently regarding plagiarism and internet paper
>mills.
How do you answer the challenge that the Bard neglected paying tribute
to Solomon who he quoted(plagiarised?) in reminding, there is nothing
new under the sun.
Yours in the craft,
Dana
[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: Alexander Houck <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Saturday, 24 Apr 1999 14:39:54 -0700
Subject: 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
Comment: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
As a college student I find it insulting to hear that "friends" of mine
would use such assets on the Internet. Unfortunately, I know that
people use this at my school, but I am proud to say that I will never
stoop to the level of presenting something that isn't my own work. Not
only does it reflect badly on the student themselves, but it is
disrespectful the teacher or aide who reads the paper assuming that the
student wrote it. Plagiarism can be a real problem, hopefully we can
stop this problem by discouraging such conglomerates as Amazon.com to
stop their promotion of plagiarism.
Alex Houck
Santa Clara University
[3]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: William Kemp <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Saturday, 24 Apr 1999 18:57:13 -0400
Subject: 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
Comment: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
Can Meg Powers Livingston summarize the evidence supporting her claim
that amazon.com sponsors an internet paper mill? I'm open to persuasion,
but on its face the claim seems unlikely.
Bill Kemp
[4]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: David P. McKay <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Sunday, 25 Apr 1999 00:29:48 EDT
Subject: 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
Comment: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
After reading Meg Powers Livingston's posting, I logged on to
Junglepage.com to see for myself. Their advertisement, copied below,
does not even try to hide what they are doing, as some of the other
papermills do. And Amazon.com is listed as a sponsor. I have written to
Amazon.com to express my objections and to say that I will no longer be
purchasing from them. I agree with Prof. Livingston, and would
encourage everyone to write.
David P. McKay
Junglepage.com's ad:
We've all been through it. The parties, the late nights, did we mention
the parties and ohhh, homework, quizzes, FINALS! Well, you're in luck...
Let our team of expert writers help you out with your project. We know
you have a busy schedule...our full-time staff of expert writers will
ensure you a well thought out, well written essay for your research or
school assignment.
At JunglePage.com, we are confident that you will receive the highest
quality custom paper available anywhere. Our full time staff of expert
writers are all college graduates and all have an emphasis in writing.
Their expertise will help you in further understanding your assignment
and completing it yourself with a high grade.
[5]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: David P. McKay <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 1999 10:41:28 EDT
Subject: 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
Comment: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
I just thought that the list might be interested in the email I received
back from Amazon.com.
In a message dated 4/25/1999 1:17:26 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. writes:
>Dear David,
>Thanks for writing to us at Amazon.com with your concerns.
>You are not the first to write us with information regarding
>Junglepage, and I can certainly understand your feelings. I agree that
>the selling of pre-written papers is very unethical.
>I have visited Junglepage in the course of my own research and I don't
>believe that they are accurate in their representation of our
>relationship with them. For example, they claim that Amazon.com is
>one of their sponsors. In fact, Amazon.com does not currently sponsor
>anyone.
>It is my belief that perhaps Junglepage is involved in our Associate's
>Program. I will forward your message to the Associate's department so
>that they may further investigate Junglebook's relationship with us
>and take the appropriate course of action.
>We appreciate your feedback regarding Junglepage and please rest
>assured that we are looking into the matter.
>Best regards,
>Kristi B.
>Amazon.com
[6]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: Marilyn A. Bonomi <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 1999 23:25:12 -0400
Subject: 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
Comment: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
>Amazon.com sponsors some of these
>internet paper mills, including a site at
>http://www.junglepage.com/asp/index.asp.
Two comments:
1. While complaints certainly are appropriate, I'd encourage all
SHAKPERians to deal whenever possible w/ independent booksellers rather
than the two online book behemoths. Keep the indies in business! Find
the title you want (new or used) at www.bibliofind.com or
www.bookfinders.com (Note: I neither own nor profit in any way from an
independent bookseller- except by getting books I want and great
service.)
Either site will give you an amazing assortment of places to shop.
Incidentally, the book behemoth out-of print services go to these same
sites, find your title for you, buy it, then mark it up several hundred
percent for having done all that onerous labor <g>. Even obscure titles
often can be found using one of these sites.
2. Actually, anyone can put a link to Amazon, or CDNow or any other
commercial site on their sites. My daughter has a CDNow link on her
page. What happens is that when someone goes to the business (Amazon,
CDNow) from another page, the commercial site credits the originating
site w/ something. CDNow gives my daughter free CD's after a certain #
of people actually BUY CD's after linking from her site. The commercial
sites don't even have to ask to be linked; people simply pick up the
link button on their own.
"junglepage.com" is listed in internic as being owned and operated by
the following company/person. to whom complaints might well be sent,
along with complaints to Amazon:
Registrant:
Jungle Page, Inc. (JUNGLEPAGE-DOM)
19200 Von Karman Ave.
Irvine, CA 92612
Domain Name: JUNGLEPAGE.COM
Administrative Contact:
Moayedi, Nima (NM2674) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
949-622-5544 (FAX) 949-922-5589
Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
Moayedi, Nima (NM2675) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
949-622-5544 (FAX) 949-622-5589
Billing Contact:
Moayedi, Nima (NM2674) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
949-622-5544 (FAX) 949-922-5589
Record last updated on 15-Dec-98.
Record created on 25-Sep-98.
Database last updated on 24-Apr-99 17:55:59 EDT.
[7]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: Bob Dennis <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Monday, 26 Apr 1999 11:31:04 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
Comment: Re: SHK 10.0742 Amazon.com and Paper Mills
>At UCLA, members of the English Department have exchanged a
>bit of email recently regarding plagiarism and internet paper
>mills. One exchange revealed some info I'd like to share:
>Amazon.com sponsors some of these internet paper mills, including
>a site at http://www.junglepage.com/asp/index.asp. I would like
>to encourage college instructors and other concerned members of
>this list to cease doing business with Amazon.com and to write
>them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. regarding their irresponsible
>sponsorship of plagiarism and academic dishonesty.
>Thanks for your time,
>Meg Powers Livingston
>UCLA Department of English
You might approach this situation a bit more cautiously.
There are legitimate requirements for banks of professionally rendered
essays, notes, scribblings, etc. That a student's need for a paper is
NOT one of those "legitimate requirements" does not give anyone the
right to campaign against the economic livelihood of Amazon.com, which
is protected under the Constitution of the United States (privileges and
immunities clause??). You have not demonstrated any "irresponsible
sponsorship ..." of anything by Amazon.com. A student might purchase
material in many different places... Do you boycott bookstores because
some students buy materials there which they later copy and present as
their own, or because they offer Cliff's Notes to purchasers?
A certain type and percentage of students have always sought and paid
for assistance in their assignments. Some professors REWARD this
behavior with better grades. I personally know of a case where a
doctoral candidate failed miserably his oral exams and was later given
the answers for a re-test by his advisor; he now has his doctorate and
holds a university professorship. In another case a woman was caught
copying papers repeatedly from numerous sources; when discipline was
instigated, the Dean told me personally, "Some people don't know the
difference between right and wrong, so we just have to let them go ahead
and graduate." She has her college degree on the same parchment that
many of the others of us do.
I am not suggesting such occurrences are commonplace, but, your problem
with cheating on papers is nothing new, and does not seem to have a
uniform response within the academic community. Some professors take
the matter seriously and do their own spade work; some skip over it,
accepting a certain percentage of failed educational goals. I'm
probably waltzing very close to the emperor's new clothes here.
The only new aspect in the situation you describe is that the cheating
is done quicker and cheaper via the internet. The problem does not,
however, become the problem of the sellers, who are filling a market of
both legitimate and not-so-legitimate needs. The problem remains in the
purview of the professors, who are paid to teach and evaluate students.
If there is a student whom you can prove copied a work for an
assignment, then fail the student, not Amazon.
I respectfully suggest the moderator not pass along direct attacks
against particular business establishments, just as direct attacks on
persons are not allowed. This would be a good policy, if only for the
safety of SHAKSPER.
Sincerely,
Bob Dennis
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.