In 2013, Herbalife, facing a full-on assault from a hedge fund manager still bitter about not rowing varsity crew at Harvard; a class action lawsuit inexplicably emanating from Salt Lake City; and several ominous Sword of Damocles style government inquires… added a mandatory arbitration and class waiver provision to its ridiculous consumer “contract”.
Here’s the first version of that provision. (Please make sure to read every word carefully because it’s desperately important to the story. I can’t overemphasize the importance of reading the provision, in its entirety, before continuing.)
SECTION 29 ARBITRATION AGREEMENT FOR DISPUTES BETWEEN MEMBERS AND HERBALIFE
Jessie Conners Tieva is a scammer who’s spent most of the last ten years fronting for various Utah fraud operations. She’s a grinder–always out on the road, talking about doing things she’s never done. Jessie is one of the few scammers who I’ve had the pleasure of heckling in person. When we met in a half empty hotel conference room in Chicago six years ago, she was fronting for the Robert Kiyosaki Rich Dad Poor Dad Utah-backed op.
This week Jessie and her husband Matt Tevia were busted by the FTC and the Minnesota Attorney General for operating a short-lived hustle called Sellers Playbook.
The Fake News should be running the headline:
Trump University “Professor” and Failed “Apprentice” Busted for Fraud
This is my most viewed video. It’s amazing. I won’t pretend that I don’t love it–the greed, the panting, the epic drama of secret audio recordings.
It’s been floating around the internet for eight years now, but it’s not allowed on YouTube. My heartbreaking work of staggering genius has been taken down from the big social media sites an absolutely uncomical amount of times.
This article is brought to you by the advertising that brings you Slate.
I started sometimes reading Slate when Slate started publishing stuff to read. Slate, an exclusively online news magazine, was one of the first of its kind. I thought it was going to change the world. Back then I naively thought that just about everything that was happening on the fledgling web was going to change the world.
Oh, M&M’s have their own website now? This is going to change the world!
Bloomberg reports that top YouTube stars can expect poverty level wages. That doesn’t surprise you because you’re sophisticated (and good looking, and smart, and conscientious) and you read a site taglined: “… you can’t make money online.” But other–lesser–people are surprised.
Straight to the guts:
Breaking into the top 3 percent of most-viewed channels could bring in advertising revenue of about $16,800 a year, Bärtl found in an analysis for Bloomberg News. That’s a bit more than the U.S. federal poverty line of $12,140 for a single person. (The guideline for a two-person household is $16,460.) The top 3 percent of video creators of all time in Bärtl’s sample attracted more than 1.4 million views per month.
That’s almost enough money to buy gas, drive to the library, and take a nap.
One in 3 British children age 6 to 17 told pollsters last year that they wanted to become a full-time YouTuber. That’s three times as many as those who wanted to become a doctor or a nurse.
You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney–and obviously you cannot–then screw you.
That’s how the law “works” for real people. The system is built for, and run by, powerful synthetic people. Corporations, cartels, partnerships, shells, professional associations, unions, and government agencies are “the people”–the people are the pawns.
When Herbalife needs lawyers to fight off fraud claims, they get to pick from the biggest and the bestest. It makes no difference that their business model is a blatant deception bringing about a humanitarian crisis. Members of the legal monopoly don’t have to care about petty triflings like morality. Herbalife’s got the cash to put up a huge retainer–and to pay legal bills larger than the operating budgets of most companies–so the “best” lawyers and law firms are immediately available to them… less than no questions asked.
“Our new name, Herbalife Nutrition, reflects our strategic transformation as a leader in the nutrition industry.”
They’ve strategically transformed into a leader in nutrition. But they don’t sell food; they sell food replacements isolated from commodity crops and industrialized into unnatural pills and powders. It’s the opposite of everything that science, and life, has to tell us about nutritiousness.
The shifty internet marketing outfit Cambridge Analytica, attached to the shifty editor of internet propaganda site Breitbart.com, attached to the shifty too-old-for-the-internet billionaire Robert Mercer; mined Facebook data and used it to target voters.
Also, if you need any Ukrainian prostitute type stuff… that’s a yes for Cambridge Analytica. They do it all - from spamming, to expounding on spamming, to pretending that they know a guy who knows a guy who does murders while spamming.
On September 18, 2017, myself (an online activist) and my longtime friend Etan Mark (an offline litigator) filed a federal class action lawsuit against Herbalife’s fraudulent Circle of Success event system.
The suit doesn’t accuse Herbalife of being a pyramid scheme, or make any claim for damages related to the purchase of Herbalife’s products. Instead, it focuses on a cartel of shady creeps who run a dirty side business mandating that victims spend small fortunes attending a never-ending sequence of expensive events.
Live events are the backbone of the Herbalife scam, and of the scam industry in general; the draw and the glue that makes all of the life ruining possible. It can’t be “too good to be true” when you can see other people believing that it is true. The best weapon against nice people is other nice people.
It’s July 25th, 2009 :: James Arthur Ray’s Creating Absolute Wealth seminar is not going very well :: which is to say … someone is dead. Dead … as in … not coming back to life :: game over :: no respawns :: holy fucking shit someone is DEAD dead. Not a few months or a year after being bankrupted and manipulated by a useless seminar series. She’s dead right RIGHT NOW :: In the middle of an outrageously irresponsible ‘game’ :: on our watch. What should we do?
Satan: Oh I know :: Let’s have a fancy party!
James Ray International Staff: Great idea big guy! We’ll call it a ‘Gala Celebration’ and there will be much merriment and pretending. That sounds so much easier than finally coming to terms with the risks so inherent in our ultra-aggressive human hating strategies {which sounds totally lame}. LET THERE BE DANCING!!
Thank the gods that someone has finally sacked-up and started taking a stand for the little guy on the Internet :: Sticking it to the heartless scammers who abuse the webz to part nice people from their money. Of course we all know the mighty warrior of which I speak ::
:: Harlan D. Kilstein ::
Angel :: Humanitarian :: Mother Fucking Hero
Recently Not-Doctor Kilstein has started protecting Gotham by publishing ‘anti-scam’ videos {please … hold your applause until I finish}. He’s been using them to try and drive traffic to his own $3k per head scam page :: and since it’s the Jedi Ninja King of Copywriting we are talking about here :: each video is supplemented by some powerful copy ::
Colleen Conaway died at the Horton Plaza Mall on July 25, 2009 while attending a James Arthur Ray event in San Diego. As I’ve previously reported … this event was not previously reported. Colleen’s death was treated as a suicide by the local press and law enforcement. That is unfortunate :: because the circumstances surrounding Colleen’s death darkly foreshadowed the recent horror show in Arizona.
Colleen’s sister Lynn was kind enough to speak with The Droid {thanks Lynn!} :: I’ve also spoken to other attendees of the Creating Absolute Wealth seminar who are not anxious to be mentioned on this forum. The damn near snarkless details below ::
Prior to her association with Death Ray and his band of Demon Thugs :: Colleen had not been a regular attender of seminars :: or a person particularly devoted to the self help movement. She was just kind of a normal, fun, outspoken lady who liked normal stuff.
A short time ago :: in a galaxy called ScammerNet Marketering 5.0 beta :: there existed a dumpy little troll that we call Not-Doctor Harlan Kilstien {because he isn’t a doctor}. The dumpy troll needed to sell a lot of scam product to pay for his fake-pimp lifestyle {drivin’ roun’ Boca in a super dope sleeveless T-shirt :: shoutin’ at da hoes :: windows quarter way down pumpin’ Counting Crows latest CD at 4.5 - 5 on the factory speakers :: joinin’ all the freshest ‘masterminds’ :: shit like that}.
But times are tough out there for scammers. Especially for ugly ones :: with ugly souls :: and ugly lies :: and ugly lives. Oh and then there is this Droid … he’s like … kind of been a problem.
Without enough fresh kills to support daddies demons :: Kilstein turned to retapping his list of previous victims. Is there anyone with a single penny left that he could suck dry?
James Arthur Ray :: Death Ray! … that’s what everyone else is going with … Death Ray … it’s pretty cool actually. I’m going to accept it … I was thinking about something more like Rat Fucker {no good for TV} :: or :: You’re Dead to Me You Fucking Slime Licking Pox on a Pox Ridden Twinkie Eater Etc. :: a bit long and nonsensical. So Death Ray it is.
Who killed Colleen Conaway? Question not answered :: But it is in the NY Post {link}. The Post reports that Colleen’s body was found without identification {like the sweat lodge victims} :: and that
“After the jump, Ray and his staffers left the mall knowing that Conaway was missing from the group, according to authorities.”
The attendees had been stripped of their ID’s :: wallets :: jewelry :: phones :: and clothes. They were dressed up in ratty clothes and told to wander around like homeless people. An absolute necessity on the path to Creating Absolute Wealth.
