LIMITED EDITION PRINTS - TOMMY COOPER

Within a week or so the first of a series of limited edition prints will become available for sale. There will only be fifty copies of each one, making them an extra special collector's item. Each print will come with a letter of provenance from me. Each print will be printed on art paper and signed by me (and dedicated to the purchaser if so wished), ready for mounting and framing. 

More details to follow soon.

To George Osborne

To George Osborne,

You claim that Mick Philpott’s behaviour is the result of being on benefits. Then please explain the following by that theory. During Philpott’s teenage years to the age of 21, he was employed in the army. For two years in that period he dated a young girl named Kim Hill. When Philpott decided a dress Kim was wearing was too short, he shot her in the groin with a crossbow. When Philpott decided Kim wasn’t paying enough attention to him, he cracked her kneecap with a hammer. When Kim dumped him, he stabbed her over a dozen times as she lay in bed and when Kim’s mother tried to help Kim, he stabbed her as well. At the age of 21, the fully employed Philpott was convicted of attempted murder.  Mr Osborne, Please explain how (in your theory) the fully employed Philpott was somehow influenced by benefits to behave like that towards Kim Hill and her mother.

The truth of Mick Philpott’s history of violence and abuse to people is that whether he was on benefits or was fully-employed, he would still be the same immoral person in either instance.  

Here is another question for you Mr Osborne. How do you expect unemployed people to be given work when you have tarred them with the same brush that you have used on Mick Philpott to make anyone on benefits appear to be as bad as Jack the Ripper? 

Change of Web Address

As of today, the web address of my Ebay shop has changed. This is due to my changing my bookshop name from John Helvin's Books to John Helvin. This is all part of slowly bringing everything under the one brand name. Another change to take place later in the year is that the US mirror site for John Helvin's Books, johnhelvin.com, will be merged into my main website. That link will automatically redirect to johnhelvin.net when the change is completed. There will be some subtle redesigning of my website to accommodate the changes.

Here is the new web address of my Ebay Shop http://stores.ebay.co.uk/JOHN-HELVIN

We are performing an annual stocktake over the next few weeks and so that seemed an appropriate time to make the change; the reason being that very little will be listed on Ebay during the stocktake.

None of our other sites will be effected during that time.

Dai Vernon Desktop Wallpaper

Another free desktop wallpaper; this time of a detail of my portrait of Dai Vernon. As before, the usual terms apply. This is free to download and use but only for non-commercial purposes; the image is copyright and legal action may be resorted to if the image is used for any money making purposes. The colour of the image has been intensified on a stylistic whim.

800 x 600

1024 x 600

1024 x 768

1280 x 1024

1680 x 1050

1920 x 1080

The Devil Laments Cameron's Christmas Carol

I used the quote from Dickens below last December on my Facebook page in regards to criticism of ATOS.  Like a lot of people, I felt critical of the government creating and allowing such an appallingly unfair process; in particular, I was horrified to hear of people having died of their illness not long after ATOS claimed they were fit for work and should have their benefits stopped. 

I didn't realise that Cameron would provide an even bigger reason to quote it again: 

 'I wish to be left alone,' said Scrooge. 'Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don't make merry myself at Christmas, and I can't afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned—they cost enough: and those who are badly off must go there.'

 'Many can't go there; and many would rather die.'

 'If they would rather die,' said Scrooge, 'they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, 1843. 

 And 169 years later, when we are supposedly better than back then, Prime Minister Scrooge policies exist; you can find the details here at The Independent. You can read how Cameron and his chums laughed as he described the welfare policies that are going to make "the poor poorer."

Meanwhile, the Devil laments...

James Randi Desktop Wallpaper

One more desktop wallpaper; this a detail of my sketch of James Randi. As before, to download simply either click on the link and the image will load in a new window and you can download it from there - OR - right click on the link and download from the options that appear.

To be repetitive, the image is copyright and is only to be used in a non-profit way. Any commercial use will result in appropriate action being taken.

800 x 600 

1024 x 600 

1024 x 768 

1280 x 1024 

1680 x 1050 

1920 x 1080 

Penn Jillette desktop wallpaper

Here is more desktop wallpaper as promised. It is a detail of a sketch of Penn Jillette. There is more to be found at my website http://johnhelvin.net and at this website http://magicianstheexhibitiononline.com 

800 x 600
 1024 x 600 
 1024 x 768 
 1280 x 1024 
 1680 x 1050 
 1920 x 1024 

To download the wallpaper either 

(1) Click on the link and the image will load into a new window and you can download it from there. 
(2) Right click on the link and choose to download the file.

The artwork is copyright. Use of the wallpaper is free provided the image is not used for profit in any way.

FREE DESKTOP WALLPAPER

Recently on Facebook I made available a small selection of desktop wallpaper I have designed; some are photographs by me or a detail of pieces of artwork of mine. I asked for input on the different screen sizes that people would like them to be and below are links to  jpegs based on people's replies.

Although they are free to download, use or pass on to friends, the copyright remains mine and anyone found selling them or using them within any 'paid for' product  may be subject to legal action. 

This is the first design; more designs are to follow over the next few weeks.

 

To download, click on your chosen screen size below, the picture will be loaded into a new window, then right click the mouse on the image and choose the menu option to save the picture.

800 x 600

1024 x 600

1024 x 768

1280 x 1024

1680 x 1050

1920 x 1080

Harlan Ellison, You Rock!

The great writer Harlan Ellison comments on those who want someone to work for free "because it will bring them publicity." It's relevant to every writer, artist, magician, etc that has ever been asked to work for free in exchange for supposed publicity. 

Ebay's New Product Codes Feature

Ebay has many virtues but being consistent is not one of them. They have an obsession with tinkering and changing their listing requirements and features. One of the latest changes is that sellers should include a product code in their listings. This will enable Google Product search to find them and include them in searches. All well and good until you try to use the product code feature on Ebay's TurboLister software. Rather than simply including the product code in the listing, Ebay uses the code to find extra information it can include in the listing. This doubles up on a feature that Ebay TurboLister already has called 'find item specifics.' 

I use the 'find item specifics' as little as possible because the details it finds are nearly always inaccurate and mislead customers. The new product code feature has the same problem. Here is an example.

I wrote a listing for the book, Butler's Lives of the Saints and gave the ISBN, as is now expected by Ebay. In return, without my consent or prior knowledge, Ebay included information they had in relation to that ISBN. Their information has the wrong publisher and the wrong year of publication. The information obviously relates to a different edition and the contradiction is obvious in their own data. The edition I am selling was published in 1985. Ebay have added to my listing that it was published in 1999. They then confuse matters by also including the information that the book went out of print in 1996 - three years before they say it was printed. When a customer reads that information, what is he or she to believe?

In order to avoid customer complaints I have avoided using the 'find item specifics' for years and now I am going to have to avoid using the 'product code' feature as well. Though for how long I and other sellers will be able to do that I do not know. The sellers newsletter from Ebay explaining the new feature contains subtle hints that they want all Ebayers to use the new feature - and so, eventually, it may become compulsory.

If it does, it will be likely that Ebay is willing to accept the loss of a large number of its booksellers. They have a brash attitude when it comes to putting in place policies they know will not be liked. A few years back they more than doubled the fees for business sellers and their email notice that it was happening finished with a link to a page for business Ebayers to close their account if they did not like it.