Let There Be Light!

As I work in the local Wal-Mart, sweeping the floors, I scan the shelves. I do this to remind myself where the merchandise is. This is to be useful to our customers when they ask where something is. Besides, it's more interesting than simply staring at white tile for hours at a time. During my meandering, recently, I happened to hit the cereal aisle. And there on the shelf were the latest offerings from Kellogg's. Cereal boxes with ugly, bland panels down the front of the boxes announcing Earth Month.

I got news for Kellogg's: I won't be purchasing any items publicizing yet another Eco-Scam. Maybe this is good PR for your company, but I haven't fallen for the scam. But they did remind me that Earth Hour was here, and the Leftist, Capitalist-hating MSM were once again shilling for their masters. Each time one of these celebrations arises we are inundated with puff-pieces proclaiming the importance of the event, how truly compassionate the organizers are, how saintly all who observe the special moment will be.

Screw them! All of it is based on the same scam - Human-induced Global Warming/Climate Change. All of it is phony, but it sells. And it convinces the poor-thinking that they can help save Mother Earth if they just turn off their lights for an hour! Once a year! Whoo-Boy!

And you know that the elite Leftists who shill for these morons will still have their TVs going, their video-games running, their other appliances humming along. But, by cracky! if the "masses" turn off their lights off an hour, all will be well. Another canapé, my Dear?

Let's take a look at how Earth Hour has worked in the recent past, shall we? It ain't just the Eco-Moonbats in the USA that fall for this garbage. From Sri Lanka comes this Astronomy site of the Sri Lankan Astronomical Association, which reminds us of last year's Earth Hour:

Earth Hour

Millions of people in cities across the U.S. and around the globe turned their lights off for one hour on Saturday, March 29, 2008 to make an unprecedented and highly visible global statement in support for action on climate change, energy conservation and light pollution. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world's largest conservation organization, which organized and coordinated the inaugural global event reports that an estimated 36 million Americans took part in Earth Hour. According to a survey by Zogby International, approximately 16 percent of the U.S. adult population reported taking part in Earth Hour and 78 percent were aware of the event, which took place globally in more than 400 cities in 35 countries across all 7 continents. During the week leading up to the event, there were more than 6.2 million unique visitors to the www.EarthHourUS.org website.


Beyond the four official US flagship cities of Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco, WWF estimates that more than 100 cities and towns across the nation took part in the event, including Miami, Denver, Honolulu, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and St. Louis and many others. Iconic landmarks in the US going dark included the Golden Gate Bridge, Sears Tower, Empire State Building, Coca-Cola billboard in Times Square, Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta), US Airways Arena (Phoenix), Alcatraz and others turned off their lights to symbolize the need to take action on climate change.


World Wildlife Fund is already gearing up to bring even more people, cities, and organizations for next year's Earth Hour on March 28, 2009 from 8:30-9:30 pm during IYA. Meg Pearce, director of Earth Hour USA, convinced the worldwide Earth Hour staff that postponing Earth Hour by a half an hour during IYA would include more of the population invested in preserving dark skies. (The skies are still bright at 8pm for the population located on the western edges of timezones.) The collaboration between Earth Hour and the IYA Dark Skies Cornerstone Project is a natural connection and requires no funding. Not only does the Earth Hour program allow the public to see the dark skies from the cities, it also helps conserve energy. It will give families a chance to walk out their door to see the stars, realize how much light pollution there is, find out from the Earth Hour website how much energy and money is wasted and at the same time, spark a child's imagination. [yeah, indoctrinate them when they're still young and impressionable!]

[...]

(emphasis mine)

Ahhh, yet another Eco-scam, and another one that didn't prove effective in anything but brain-washing the usual percentage of mental midgets. From Australia - 2007 - is this simple proof.



As they note:

The above pictured chart demonstrates that during the "Earth Hour" itself, Sydney used around the same amount of electricity as it had the two nights of similar levels of electricity use at the same time.


However, "Earth Hour" spectacularly caused a massive spike in electricity use in the two hours preceding the "Earth Hour" revealing the whole concept to be little more than a public relations scam and a contributor to global warming. Presumably this occurred as people brought forward the electricity using activities they had wanted to avoid during "Earth Hour."

The electric consumption barely changed during Earth Hour last year, while it rose greatly for the two hours preceding Earth Hour. This is similar to a Commie waving an American Flag. Good show for the Leftist Media, and "proof" to the perpetually silly that the Commie is a loyal American and not a bloodthirsty Communist. In reality, it's all for show.

Do we really want our Nation, our world, to be as technologically-challenged, or impoverished as North Korea? In North Korea, that Worker's Paradise, Earth Hour is continual, running for decades. The ruling elite is, certainly, exempted from such mundane things. It's the people of North Korea who shiver in the cold, squint in the darkness, and starve to death under the Tyranny of Communism. The North Korean people have no choice in the matter, indeed, they have no voice.



Which is what the Leftists in power in the USA would love to see happen here. So why not take a small, snarky stand against the bringers of Darkness? Before the Block Snitches report you to the OFA. Take the Red State Pledge and turn on all your lights from 8:30PM to 9:30PM tonight. "Let there be Light!" as Maggie reminds us, at The Climate Scam.

"I do solemnly swear that I will honor Earth Hour by turning on every light in my residence at 8:30 p.m. on March 28, 2009, for one hour. God said, "Let there be light." Who are we to argue?"

Who, indeed? Light up!
Note: Here's an astute quote from windfarms:

"Earth Hour is not about the environment. Global warming is not about the environment. Climate change is not about the environment.

I want each and everyone of you that think global warming is real to go stand in front of a mirror. Now, take a good hard look. When was the last time the person you see in the mirror actually questioned, I mean really questioned what you were told to believe.

Turn off the TV, don't listen to the radio, don't read a newspaper for two weeks. Now, take those two weeks and ask yourself why you haven't asked any hard questions about the people who keep screaming global warming at you.

What do they want from you? Even if the world was in peril, it's not, what could you do?, nothing, that's what. So why do they keep telling you that saving the world is your responsibility. What the hell do they want from you?
.
Your Freedom "

More on the OFA here, here, and here. Imagine the outrage had a Republican President been involved in just such a Fascist/Communist activity? Hmmph! You have a voice! Make sure it is heard!

George Carlin Nails the Enviro-Whackos

From American Thinker, Gregory Young posts, "The Cure for Global Warming Alarmists" with this reminder of how dead-on George Carlin could be. In one of the late Comedian's final appearances, Carlin lampoons the alarmists.



Young also exposes those same alarmists for their bizarre proposals. In his post, "Global Warming Alarmists Propose Limiting Population ... to the Point of Extinction", Young notes, in closing,

"Indeed, the authors purposely fail to mention that their proposal puts humanity on a fast-track extinction curve, as reproduction rates fall below population replacement rates. Surely, as statisticians they know this well. Within a few generations, there wouldn’t be any one around to measure, least wise care, about carbon emissions. We would all be dead.

But golly, we would save the planet! Just goes to show you, Liberals are all about death and destruction. They absolutely live for it!

I’ve got a thought, why not have liberals first show us how it’s done…. Go ahead liberals -- take the lead in this thing. Limit your own population first, and the rest of us might, “maybe,” consider what you have to say."

Yeah, maybe!

Animal Husbandry & Your Elected Officials

It always amazes me to discover just what level of incompetence we Americans manage to reach in our public officials. Perhaps it shouldn't amaze, but it does. As technologically advanced a nation as we are, our electorate can still put into public office people whose mental capacities are on a level with a door knob. And we then expect these same nitwits to make laws regarding matters of scientific importance, not to mention simple matters of social behavior.

From the St. Petersburg Times, comes this gem, reported by Adam C. Smith:

Loser of the week
Larcenia Bullard. The Democratic state senator from Miami has a penchant for eye-rolling statements, but she outdid herself when discussion about the bestiality bill included mention of animal husbandry. "People are taking these animals as their husbands? … So that maybe was the reason the lady was so upset about that monkey?" Bullard asked, referring to a Connecticut woman mauled by a pet chimpanzee. Doh!

Miami has had its share of oddballs elected to office. The knack of Miami politicians, and police, to receive Federal Indictments is sometimes staggering, though it has never reached the stratospheric heights of Chicago. We all remember the murder, and drug charges filed against Miami police, don't we? Still, Miami has never quite managed to pull off the kind of shining moment of idiocy that State Senator Bullard managed.

Fact is, she even found herself on Keith Olbermann's plate for dissection. Just how silly does a Democrat have to be to get pilloried by the High Priest Of Democrat Worship?

In case you think that maybe Ms. Bullard is simply poorly educated, I might add that she is a college graduate. Her Florida Senate Bio includes: Nova University, M.S., 1991, Antioch University, B.A., 1973, not to mention an A.A. at Temple University in '71. That could mean anything, I admit, but then you have to wonder how she could graduate without any inkling of what 'animal husbandry' is. Did I mention that she's been a teacher, too?

Yep, a teacher and a school administrator, not to mention an educational consultant, and a "community activist"! Wow! All that education and she still has no clue what is meant by animal husbandry? That doesn't speak well of our teachers, now does it? And this is a State that is heavily agricultural, and was once one of the largest cattle producers in the nation. Indeed, Bullard is Vice Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Oy!

Now, to give credit, Bullard is not always lost, though she does have an odd idea of just what is important to the electorate in times of economic turmoil - brought to you by her own Democratic Party. From Michael Peltier: And now for the important stuff on March 1st of this year, we discover:

As lawmakers prepare to return for what is expected to be a budget crunching (or is that crushing) session, let's not forget that lawmakers also have other important work to do.
[...]
Why not, for example, spread a little credit where it's due. Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami, has offered a pair of resolutions to honor our progenitors. SB 296 and SB 298 call on the Florida Senate to formally honor mothers and fathers around the state.

"The highest ideals and noblest principles of humanity find their most exemplary expression in the sacrifice and devotion of mothers, and no sincere human being can deny the importance of a mother in the life of a child," Bullard says of Florida moms.

Bullard also sends kudos to Florida dads. "American tradition of a productive society and a secure home has depended in great part on the hard work and sacrifice of fathers who tirelessly seek for their children a better life and greater opportunity than they themselves have known." Bullard's bill proclaims.

Wow! Who knew?

And Ms. Bullard gets re-elected, time and again. First the State House, then the State Senate.

By all accounts, Larcenia Bullard is a nice woman, full of pleasant ideas - who else would have pushed so hard to get Key Lime Pie designated Florida's State Pie? - and good intentions. But is that enough for elective office? Aren't we seeing just how dangerous it is for good-intentioned, uninformed or clueless people to be elected to office? And aren't we seeing the very apex of that dangerous action with the elevation of the inexperienced, good-intentioned, Community Activist, Barry "O"?

And just in case you think I'm being rather mean, let's not forget that the Bullard's have made Florida elective office their family business. Senator Bullard's son Dwight M. Bullard was elected to the State House in 2008. Her husband - not to be confused with animal husbandry - Edward B. "Ed" Bullard, served in the State House from 2000 to 2008. Young Dwight has taken the seat his father left due to term limits. Nice, huh?

How much longer can we afford all these terribly nice, utterly incompetent people?

RTN: Digital TV Nostalgia

RTN, the Retro Television Network, is one of the fun things that I discovered once I got my converter box to be able to continue receiving broadcast television. The Wal-Mart store where I work announced to all the Associates that the switch to digital from analog was going to happen, and there would be government-issued coupons to mediate the cost of the boxes.

I don't watch enough television to justify paying for cable - not even for basic cable! - but I do still watch some. So I followed the instructions the Store Manager gave us, went to the government website, and ordered the coupons - two of them, since I have two TVs - and they came in the mail fairly soon. No, I didn't wait until the last minute and whine that there wasn't enough time. Losers!

Meanwhile the local stations have already added some digital stations, so, for example, our PBS station, which is on channel 3, now has four stations: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4! Some of the programming is interesting, some is a bore - do we really need all day programming of the Florida Legislature?

Anyway, a few weeks back I found one local station was no longer airing yet another digital weather channel - good Lord! How many weather channels do ya need? - but had added the RTN channel. The Retro Television Network! Cool Beans!

Now, the website is one of the crappier efforts I've seen, but the broadcast offerings are nostalgia to the Nth degree!

Among the things I found was Adam-12, Dragnet, Kojak (Who loves ya, Baby?), and a lot more. But two shows brought back some fun memories: The Rockford Files, and Magnum, PI. Those two had recurring guest stars who I fell in love with. Okay, so they're TV crushes, but so what?

The Rockford Files, which starred James Garner, was a funny, action-filled series following the exploits of an ex-con Private Investigator named James Rockford. It turns out that this very successful TV series cheated Garner out of his share of the profits by the use of funny accounting. A shame, and the idiots who played games with the numbers should have been jailed. But I digress, as is my wont.

One of the recurring characters on The Rockford Files was the attorney Beth Davenport, played by the lovely Gretchen Corbett. Corbett appeared in 32 episodes of the Rockford Files, even though some were merely for a scene or two. Corbett was lovely, smart, talented, and I got a crush on her!

As Wiki reports:

"... Corbett joined the series as a recurring regular to portray his beleaguered lawyer and sometime lover. Corbett left the series at the end of the fourth season over a salary dispute, though Corbett herself was not looking for more money: the dispute was between the show's producers and Universal (who owned Corbett's contract as a contract player). Corbett went on to do quite a bit of other television, eventually returning to play Davenport again in the Rockford Files TV movies of the 1990s."

Funny how the money boys at the production company were messing with the books very early on, huh?

Gretchen Corbett has done films, TV, and theater, and this image from around 2007 shows she's still smokin'! Can you blame me for having a crush on her?

Anyway, I watch some Rockford Files, now, and get some nostalgic jollies. It's better fare than a lot of televised programs these days!


Some lawyer Cheesecake!


Along with The Rockford Files there's Magnum, PI, which starred Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, former Naval Intelligence officer turned Private Investigator. Takes place in Hawaii, so there's a lot of pretty scenery, with loads of action, and some very smart, funny dialogue. And there's also the recurring character of Assistant District Attorney Carol Baldwin. Baldwin is played by Kathleen Lloyd (the original Baldwin was played by Maureen McCormick) in 21 episodes. Actually 20, as Lloyd's first appearance on the show was as Bridget Archer. Anyway, Kathleen Lloyd is one of those actresses who remind you of the Girl Next Door one moment, and raise your blood pressure the next.

Both of these shows had something interesting: smart, successful, pretty women as recurring characters. Nothing sleazy about them. And they were possible love interests to the main characters. Lloyd had a recurring role in quite a few shows through the years. But it was on the Magnum, PI show that I fell in love with her. And can you blame me? Look at her! What does that smile say to you?

Oh, my! I always wished she'd been used more often in the show. Her character has this tough lawyer front, but then Lloyd imbues Baldwin with such a sweetness 'out of the office' that you are simply in love with her. Well, I was, anyway!

Both shows - The Rockford Files, and Magnum, PI had a long list of familiar faces appearing in guest roles, and some new faces that went on to some success after the shows. And, of course, many actresses of great beauty adorned these productions week after week.

But for me, these two lovely actresses were my only TV crushes. *sigh*

Ain't they beautiful?

Blue Spring Run

Blue Spring Run is a pretty place. I found it while doing a morning search for "Spring" following a quick search for "Moose". How did I go from one to the other? That, Folks, is where our minds differ! Hah!

Anyway, Blue Spring Run is within the confines of Blue Spring State Park, which is in Volusia County on the east, Atlantic coast of Florida, north of Orlando. It is part of the Florida State Parks department, and one of the decent investments of taxpayer money. Nobody wants to see pavement from horizon to horizon. Not in Florida!

The spring was visited by botanist John Bartram in 1766. Later on, the park was acquired by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (1972) to kick-start its Manatee Protection Program.

Click on the images to embiggen them!

Blue Spring State Park is located in Volusia County, Fla., two miles west of Orange City and adjacent to the St. Johns River. The park encompasses 2,483 acres of land with a variety of ecological habitats, including Blue Spring and Blue Spring Run. The spring and run have an estimated area of four acres and a length of 2,336 feet from the upper edge of the spring boil pool to the point of confluence with the St. Johns River.

Blue Spring is a first magnitude spring, meaning that it has a long-term average flow of at least 100 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 65 million gallons per day (mgd). Blue Spring and Blue Spring Run are classified as Class III waters by the state of Florida, meaning their designated use is for public recreation and the propagation and maintenance of healthy populations of fish and wildlife. The spring and run are also designated as “Outstanding Florida Waters” because they are located within a state park.

Water quality in the spring and run is characteristic of its source, the Floridan aquifer, exhibiting high water clarity, high dissolved solids, little or no oxygen, and stable temperature. The spring water remains at a nearly constant temperature of 73° Fahrenheit (°F) or 23° Celsius (°C).

Blue Spring is internationally famous as a winter, warmwater refuge for the endangered West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris). The manatee is a tropical to subtropical species adapted to warm water that, in Florida, is at the northern edge of its geographical range. Due to their low metabolism, manatees have difficulty withstanding cold conditions and, therefore, they need to find a warmwater refuge during cold weather. Blue Spring is the only large naturally occurring manatee warmwater refuge on Florida’s east coast for the St. Johns River manatee population. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has designated the spring and run as critical manatee habitat.

Manatees seek refuge in the warmer waters of Blue Spring Run when the temperature of the river drops below 68°F (20°C). Manatees typically begin congregating in the spring run in November and leave in March. The period between November 1 and March 31 is referred to as the “manatee season.” Manatee use of Blue Spring Run as a winter, warmwater refuge has increased dramatically since 1978, when routine manatee counts began. Based on counts performed for daily surveys, the maximum number of manatees observed on a single day has increased nearly seven-fold, from 28 in 1978 to 182 during the 2005 manatee season.

During the manatee season, manatees congregate in the spring run immediately upstream of the point where the cold, dark St. Johns River water meets the warmer, clear spring water. Where the spring water mixes with the St. Johns River, water clarity drops due to the relatively high dissolved color (tannic acid) in the river. This interface is referred to as the dark water intrusion, and is easily seen by the casual observer.

It's kind of funny, if you think about it. Manatees are doing fairly well in Florida. Partly because of official protection, but also because of places like power plants. The cleaned outflow of waste water from the plants is warm. And it attracts the manatees when the weather gets cold. They will travel quite a distance to find the power plant outflow so they can enjoy the warmth of the waters.


Eventually the Blue Spring Run empties into the St. John's River. So it goes from crystal clear to the brown of the river. The St, John's has a high content of tannic acid - natural, by the way! - which makes everything that sets in the water for any length of time start to turn brown.

In fact fossils discovered in the river bed tend to be a golden brown color, rather than white or gray. Yes, there is a lot of fossil digging going on in the state of Florida. Archaeology is alive and well in Florida.

I thought you might like to see some of the pretty areas of Florida. And this is certainly one of them! Have a great day!

The Spring Approacheth!

Yeah, it's been awhile since I last posted here. I have been quite the busy feller. With two writing courses I am Mentoring it takes an act of will to pull back from reading the writing assignments of my fellow writers and go off on my own tangent.

What's to write about? After all, my blogging friends have been covering the destruction of the American economic system in great detail, tracking the humorlessness of Barry "O", watching Michael Steele reveal his lack of understanding of the Leftist MSM, and so on. I could add to the thunder, but I just don't have it in me.

Not yet!

Anyway, what sparked me this morning, aside from the bright sky, cool breezes, and whispering fragrances of the morning, was what a friend emailed to me. This is a reminder of many things, Folks. But most of all it's to let you all know that Spring is approaching. And with it warmer temperatures - happens every year, even though it surprises James Hansen and Al Gore each time - green growth, and animals on the move.

Kissed by a Wild Moose

Bill is standing on his back deck which is about two feet off of the ground. Bill is about six-foot one, and 250 lbs, so this Miss Moose is a fair sized critter.

Click on the image to get a better view!




Are you ready for the snow to melt and wash away? Ready to put away the Parkas and mukluks? It's coming! And the sky won't fall, the Polar Bears won't pass into extinction, and we won't see New York City flooded to the tenth-story of every building by the rise of the Oceans. It will simply get warmer as it's done for millennia past.

The Spring Approacheth!

What Stupid Looks Like

Islam In Action had this adorable American Peacenik, from Cleveland, babbling about the Gaza situation. He is speaking for something called the Middle East Peace Forum of Cleveland, which seems to stand for over-running Israel with the barbarous Pseudostinians (The Right To Return! The Right To Return!), but not for Jewish "ethnic cleansing" of Pseudostine. You have to watch the whole thing. It will make you cringe, but at the end you have to wonder ... How does an American adult get to be quite that stupid?

I suppose it's a matter of being over-educated in the Liberal morass of brain-washing that is happening in the Universities, and has been for decades. It's the attitude of Don't try to confuse me with facts! Everybody knows what's the real truth!

We should, perhaps, be working to end the immigration of all Muslims into our nation before we lose every shred of Freedom we possess, and begin to look upon the Death Cult of Islam as we do on the Ku Klux Klan: a Hate group with Terrorist tendencies.

If we fail to meet the menace posed by this Death Cult we will surely begin to slide into that swamp of violence that is surging across oh-so-superior Europe. Israel will fight for the lives of the Jews there. But how soon will we Americans have to fight for the lives and safety of Jews right here? Once they have their way the Muslims will go for the Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, and so on. They will not stop until they cleanse the world of all belief systems other than Islam. That is Truth and Fact.

Very soon, indeed, if ninnies like Don Bryan have their way. The Stupid leading the Moronic. Time to Cowboy up, Folks!

Watch:



Hat tip to Always On Watch!

Good News & Bad News to Start Your 2009

Here's the good news to start the New Year: "Jobless claims drop by much more than expected." The bad news? The MSM doesn't understand what it means and so implies it must be due solely to seasonal reasons. Can't be true good news if Bush is still the President.

As Randall Hoven writes:

"The "recession" we are currently in (which started last December, according to the NBER) was based largely on employment figures, not GDP. The number of people employed peaked last December 2007 and decreased every month since. The cumulative loss so far? There were 1.38% fewer jobs in November 2008 than in December 2007.

Hoven, again, on December 3rd: (The National Bureau of Economic Research, the official caller of recessions, recently said we are now in a recession that started one year ago, in December 2007.
[...]
This struck me as odd. Not that I don't believe we are in a recession now, but the starting date of December 2007 just seemed too early to me. To see if this made sense, I looked at some underlying economic data and the NBER's explanation, such as it is. Why this might be important, I'll explain later.
The rule of thumb for defining a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative real growth in GDP. This is now the second recession called by the NBER in the two terms of President George W. Bush, yet in neither case were there two such consecutive quarters. In fact, at no time in Bush's Presidency were there two such quarters.)

Real GDP growth in the US actually went up the first two quarters of the year, despite going down in Europe at that same time. US GDP finally relented in the third quarter, shrinking at an annual rate of 0.5%.
So that is what we know about our "recession" to date: real GDP growth of positive 0.8% for the first 9 months of 2008, and a decline of employment by 1.38% in the first 11 months. Those are not "Depression" numbers by a long shot. They are not even normal recession numbers: the employment decline was more than 1.38% in 9 of the 10 previous recessions since World War II. (Yes, I know, we're not out of this yet. But the current numbers are not alarming in any historical sense.)
And now we are hearing good news on jobless claims."

Well, we're not really hearing the good news, just yet. That won't begin until The One is crowned on January 20th. Until then the MSM-driven theme of approaching Depression will continue. That means the Feds will continue to pretend they can fix what they broke. And they will take your money, flush it down the government toilet, and demand you give more. That's how it works in a Socialist economy. And that's what the MSM, the Democratic Party, and the Left want: a Socialist economy in which they are the Commissars, and you, you ignorant hicks, are their Serfs.

Those multi-Trillion dollar Federal bailouts won't fix anything, but they will prop up moribund companies past their proper shelf-date, lend legitimacy to Organized Labor's 'theft of services' modus operandi, and give the government drones much more power over you and your everyday lives. The very idiots whose lack of knowledge regarding economies, and how they work, have hamstrung American industries, destroyed banks and lending companies, will remain in place. They will continue to accept the bribes that come with oversight of their own financial supporters in business and Labor. They will continue to amass fortunes stolen from hard-working Americans and given to non-working Americans in hopes of securing their votes. It does seem to work for them, doesn't it?

So, you know the good news, which is that the economy and the unemployment rates are doing fairly well. And you know that the usual suspects will say to you, "Who you gonna believe? Me or your lyin' eyes?" Who do you believe, eh?

Happy New Year!

Somewhat related: 50 years later Fidel Castro remains a lying, murderous bastard and the MSM still loves him.

Anthropogenic Global Warming still ain't happenin'! But the Left still pushes the fairy tale. Seems volcanoes are warming the Arctic. Have you been told this?

Pseudostinian Terrorists remain cowardly weenies; Israel shows it still has a pair.

Al Franken, nitwit, continues to try to steal the Minnesota election.

And to all the Pacifists out there who decry all Violence as useless, I leave you with this quote from the late, great Robert A. Heinlein:

"Anyone who clings to the historically untrue -- and -- thoroughly immoral doctrine that violence never solves anything I would advise to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler would referee. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor; and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Breeds that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and their freedoms."

Happy 2009!

Be safe. Be smart. Remember: there is no such thing as "tipsy" driving! So drink responsibly and stick around for another year, all right?

Have a Happy New Year! May success, happiness, and good health be yours in 2009!

Whoo-Hoo!

An Update on benning's World: Why Not, Right?

F2K is over, Lesson-wise, and all that’s left is our session's-end Short Story Contest. We began the session with nearly 500 writers, of many levels of expertise. Some are already published and are merely looking for a kick-start, or a refresher in the very basics of Fiction Writing. Some are newbies, wishing to learn enough to be able to express themselves in a writing venue, and perhaps to see if they have the talent to go on and get published. And the rest are somewhere in between.

When I was a student in F2K I found it a fun, friendly place, with so many things to discover and learn, so many new people to meet, so many opportunities to stretch whatever writing muscles I had. Through F2K I got the gumption to submit my very first short story to an online magazine. And they were impressed enough with it to publish it - and they paid me for my story, too! Not to mention my second, third, and fourth, as well!

Three runs through the F2K sessions and I was invited to become one of the Mentors, which eventually turned into my being asked to become the Mentor-in-Chief. What that means is I get the emails complaining about passwords that don’t work, assignments that have mysteriously disappeared, and hurt feelings from un-diplomatic feedback. But, y’know, it’s gotta be done, and I remain humble that our Founder and Leader, Bob Hembree, who created the free course, not to mention our entire Writers’ Village University, thought I could do the job.

Now, as I said, we’ve gotten down to our session-ending contest, which is more important than ever. The prize is to be published in a real-life paper magazine, get a small payment - I think it’s $25 - and to have a published work on one’s resume. Yes, it may sound small, but it’s not! Some online ezines accept and publish stories, but pay nothing - “It’s an honor to simply be published!” - which means your work is worth nothing at all.

With our numbers dwindling as the weeks went on - we never finish with the same number as we started - I was worried that our students wouldn’t submit enough contest entries to make it a real contest.

Silly me!

We got 27 entries. 27! That’s a lot of short stories by aspiring writers. And our task, as Mentors, was to read each one, and then put them onto a list of our favorites. I listed every one, from my top to the least. Not one of them was a dog, not one of them was a waste of reading time. I was thoroughly proud of my F2K writers! 27 short stories entered into our contest! Now, with our Mentors having submitted their own lists, I had to meld them into a Top Five or so, and post that for the Mentors to vote on. Yes or No?

When they all have decided whether or not the list will do, we will notify our Fearless Leader and hand that list to him. If he accepts it we tell the writers who are Finalists that they are now part of what Bob calls the F2K Masters Workshop.

What does that mean for them? They’ll have a specified time to edit their works, in the Workshop, for the publisher. Then the publisher will choose the winner. So it ain’t over yet! But, dang! It’s close!

I don’t know if you understand what this means to new writers. For weeks now these men and women, from all across the country, indeed the world, have worked together, given feedback to each other, watched as they all learned, grew as writers, and discovered that it ain’t easy to be a fiction writer. And now 27 of them had the guts to write a brand-new short story - the contest has a rule about the content of the story so you can’t just resurrect an old favorite! - submit it to their Mentors, and wait for someone to judge their work.

Trust me, when my first short story was published, even though it was an online-only ezine, I was so happy and proud I could scarce get my head through the door! And so it will be for these folks who become Finalists. Their writing was judged to be good enough to be a Finalist. Good enough to be considered for publication. Good enough!

It’s a great feeling. And I’m so happy for these men and women I am ready to bust a gut! All of them are Writers! Whoo-Hoo!

And that’s what’s been going on in benning’s world. Writing, Mentoring, and reading the works of new authors!

Oh, and nibbling M&Ms, too!

Whoo-Hoo!

If you're interested in learning some of the basics of Fiction Writing, we begin our next session in early February of 2009. The course is free, lasts for about eight weeks, and consists of six lessons - not to mention an Orientation Week - and usually a session-ending writing contest. F2K is geared toward fiction writing, and aims to get you proficient enough to write a short story by the end. We also offer more one-on-one Mentoring for a small fee of $25.

You don't have to be a member of our parent organization - Writers' Village University - to register and attend. All you need is a desire to learn or re-learn some of the basics of fiction writing, and the ability to take criticism without bursting into tears. We hold weekly chat sessions, too. So think about signing up, all you writers out there. I'll be Mentoring again, as I expect most of our present Mentors will.

I hope to see some of you there, come February!

... And How Have You Been?

Well, F2K is almost over. Nothing remains but the late assignment posts and contest submissions from our students. Then we Mentors will choose which submissions are the finalists and toss them into what we call the Masters Workshop so they can edit and polish their tales. The winner will be published in the T-Zero magazine and receive $25, along with a copy of the Spring Issue. Not bad for a writing course, right?

January will find me Mentoring another writing Class based on the book, "Between The Lines" by J. P. Morrell. I did this once before and it was a learning experience, let me tell you. I don't really care for books about 'how to write' since they tend to get a writer over-thinking. But this one was very helpful. And Mentoring another class will be fun, as well as tiring. I can't recall how long the class runs, but it might even overlap our next F2K session which begins in ... wait for it! ... February!

I'm a very busy volunteer at Writers' Village University, these days. That's why I simply stopped blogging after Election Day. Not to mention the fact that I was also entered in the 2008 edition of NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month - which I finished. Finished! Over 50,000 words written in a month! Maybe not what a professional novel writer would do, but pretty good totals for me. And I was Mentoring that F2K class the whole time, too!

Yeah, I'm bragging a little. I think I can see the end of my Young Adult SF novel. And that's a plus. I've been noodling this for close to a year, but finally got down to it, and pounded it out. It helps when the story just sort of unfolds before you, and it has, for the most part. Once that's finished - the first draft, at least - then I will go back to my unfinished SF novel, "Space Pirates" and get it done. That one has been tickling my mind for awhile. Time to get it done, right?

Let's see ... Thanksgiving found me at my Folks' for supper, which was excellent! My step-sister was visiting from 'up north' and we had a good time chatting, nibbling, and drinking. When I left Mom not only gave me a heap of left-overs - yum! - but my step-Dad wrapped the turkey carcass for me to take, too. Simmered for a few hours, that carcass fed me for three days, and I have turkey broth left. Not bad, right?

I hope your Thanksgiving was a good one.

I'm not terribly happy with the election results, especially as the MSM remains in the pocket of the Socialist Democrats and is hurrahing the coming Coronation of their choice for our national Messiah. The Georgia U.S. Senate run-off shows that the Dems are not as popular and all-powerful as they claim. Al Franken, unfunny as ever, is trying anything he can to pull out a victory from his defeat in the Minnesota U.S. Senate race. I figure any state that elects an idiot to office gets precisely what they deserve. Maybe Minnesotans aren't completely foolish, eh?

Why the heck aren't all ships, plying the seas off Somalia, armed? Why aren't we blowing those murderous Pirates to Kingdom Come? The companies insuring those vessels should demand they be armed and sailors be trained in use of those arms or refuse to insure the vessels. The naval forces 'protecting' that shipping lane, and any others in the world pestered by Pirates, should stop trying to capture them and simply annihilate them. Any pirates captured should be hanged. Immediately. Or keel-hauled. Or simply shot and tossed over-board. It's not a criminal justice issue, folks, it's a war on the High Seas. Time to bring down the hammer.

I have more, but to heck with it! Time to make breakfast. I'm kinda back. And still busy.

Take care!

I Done My Duty!

I finished work, hopped in my decrepit car, and motored over to my local Polling place. In this case it's amid the Florida Extension Service's Botanical Gardens. Quite a nice place to wander through on the way to vote. The day has been overcast - and lightly misting - but the air was fresh and cool. Nice!

I'd put a photo up, but I'll be danged if I can find one!

Inside, expecting long lines, since the MSM has been touting the huge lines and long waits for early voting (trying to discourage voting?), I was very happy and surprised to find no lines! Cool beans! It was a steady trickle of voters, but no waiting at all.

I went in, looked around, asked the older gentleman at the door where the long lines were - "Long lines? Hahahahah!" he chuckled and gave me a huge smile - and went to the row of tables marked "Step One". And I was on my way. The ladies manning the desks were very friendly, knew what they were doing, and pointed me to each step along the way. Finally, ballot in hand I went to one of the privacy tables, marked my ballot, and headed for the funny machines that suck your ballot in.

Stick your ballot in the slot, in it goes, the screen says it's scanning your ballot. Then it reads something like, "You have voted! Thank You!"

Well, that made me smile. I always feel good after voting. I turned and handed the man at the rear door my pen and ballot cover, he gave me a sticker, and out I went. As I passed the front door where I had entered, I leaned in and called out, "Thank you very much!"

Tha ladies looked over, smiled, and answered, "Thanks for voting!" Dang! That made me feel good, too!

I had one huge smile on my face!

Down the hall and out the door, past the big, softly swaying trees, and back to my car.

The Constitution of the United States guarantees my right to vote. Having that right it is up to me whether or not I vote. To me it is a duty as a free American to vote. I saw my duty. I voted!

How about you?