I found this in a blog entry on Neil Gaiman's site. I know, I know, it seems like everything I post here came from there, but I only pass on things I think are worthwhile, interesting, or both.
The site in question, The Literacy Site is something I think is worthwhile. I'm not going to try and explain the intricacies of the site, as I don't really understand them myself, but if you click on the button in the center of the page you help children that cannot otherwise afford books receive the gift of literacy. I cannot stress enough how important I think it is for children to read. And I'm not talking about the microwave instructions on a tasty (or not-so-tasty) instant dinner. There are countless books out there waiting to be discovered by the new generations, and if I can help by clicking a button on a website, I'm willing to do that. I hope you are, too. The best thing about it, too, is that it's absolutely free. Imagine that.
Also, after you click on the button, it will direct you to a page with other, similar programs listed. Feel free to click those, too.
Anyway, I just thought it was amazing and wanted to share.
I have another book signing scheduled at Hastings in Maryville on Saturday, Dec. 11 from 5-8 PM. For more information, you can call Hastings at (865)-977-7111.
It promises to be great fun. Please try to make it out!
So, it's finally set in that we have four more years of Bush and his "mandate" ahead of us. Four more years of eroding civil rights, and four more years of waking up every morning to ask myself "Who are we going to go to war with next?" But now, I think I have the added bonus of waking up to wonder when the draft is going back in effect and I have to worry about whether I'll be called to go fight and die for some oil tycoon's increased profit margin.
If I'm coming across like I'm bitching, I'm sorry. It's just really got me down.
There are times when I wish our nation would reclaim our pre-WWII stance of neutrality. There's a lot to be said for minding your own business and keeping your beak out of where it doesn't belong.
Oddly enough, at the same time I'm wishing that we would leave the rest of the world alone, I find myself wanting to leave this place and try out a new government. But where to go? And would it even be worth it? I know I should stay here and try to make things better, but there comes a time when you have to cut your losses and move on to something else. Is the US so hopelessly lost that we have to do that?
I love this country. I love the fact that I am free to do whatever I want (within reason). I love the fact that I'm free to write what I want and do whatever I want with those writings. But I have to say I'm really scared about the future, and it's got me bummed out.
Oh well, enough of the whining...
In good news, I've got a little over 140,000 words on the sequel to Forgotten Prophecies. I think I may have the first draft done within the next couple of weeks. The ending has changed, dramatically, and so, too, has the tentative title. It looks like the next book, the third in the series, will be titled The Crystal Skull, and this one is going to probably be called Passage of Darkness. Or, at least, something like that. I'll keep you updated when I figure it out for sure.
The manuscript is at almost 450 pages, and I project it will take at least another 50 or so to finish it out, though I thought that when I was at about 300 pages, too.
Anyway. Thank you all for letting me rant and whine for a minute. I'll do my best to keep these sorts of things from happening too often.
In the meantime, feel free to email me with thoughts, comments, or just to say hi.
there is an article here talking about an American scientist that claims to have found Atlantis between Syria and Cyprus. There isn't any concrete proof, but it's still an interesting read.
I'm not sure if all of you have heard or not, but there is quite a bit of evidence coming out to support the theory that the Election was plagued by fraud. This happened mainly in counties that were using the Diebold e-voting machines that did not create a paper record. There was one county in Ohio that mistakenly gave Bush a total of over 4000 votes. The real problem was, there were only 600 or so people that voted in that county.
If you're interested in having Congress investigate this in order to learn whether it was caused by honest glitches or more sinister motives, click here and sign the online petition. The more people that sign the better.
I haven't decided what side of the fence I sit on this issue yet, but I definitely think it's worth having Congress look into it.
I really wanted to write something about the election yesterday, but I felt too sick about it to put anything remotely coherent together. I'm not sure how well I'll do today, either, but I figured I'd at least give it a go.
Alternating between disbelief, anger, and sadness, yesterday was one of the hardest days I've had to make it through in quite some time. I really believed that our nation would stand up and see through the smoke that surrounds President Bush. I thought it would become clear to them that his is an administration based on fear, mistrust, and hate.
I can't tell you how sad I am that I was wrong.
Based on the exit polls, somewhere around 84% of the people that voted for Bush said it was because of "moral" reasons. Meaning, or so I believe, that abortion is wrong and is the single most important issue in their lives. To this I have to ask: what is wrong with them?
How can a woman's choice to have a child or not possibly be more important than the state of our economy as a whole? How can it be more important than thirty years of environmental law being swept away so that the largest polluters in the world can go on polluting, filling their pockets even more at the same time? How can it possibly be more important than an unjustifiable war that has resulted in the deaths of over a thousand Americans, and will lead to many more deaths in the years to come?
Do the people that cite his "moral" leadership as the number one reason to vote for him not care that we, the middle and lower classes, are now poorer because of his policies? Or do they just not realize what's happening?
Don't get me wrong. I have no real problem with the people of this nation that decided Bush was the right man for the job. I do not wish them ill will, though there were times yesterday when it was all I could do to speak civilly to anyone, but I would like for them to step back and take an objective look at the state of our world as it is today. Do they honestly believe that the world is in better shape than it was four years ago? Do they honestly believe that we can expect anything to change for the better in the next four years?
If so, I wish they could explain it to me.
I wish that I could see some future that doesn't include the deaths of thousands of troops, the further weakening of our civil rights, and a greater gap between the haves and the have-nots. But I can't. I hope with all of my will that I'm wrong, but only time will tell.
Now that the Republicans have won control of everything, those of us interested in justice, compassion, and tolerance are really going to have our work cut out for us. It's tempting to just pack up and relocate to another country--I actually started investigating the possibility myself yesterday--but we can't give up hope. Not yet, anyway.
It is now our civic duty to fight the Right with everything in our power. They are masters of underhanded tactics, and it will be no small feat to learn how to combat that, but overcoming their tricks is something that must be done.
I ask you, all of you, to keep heart and remember that this is not total defeat. It is simply a set-back that we must work through if we are to reclaim the true ideas of our nation, those beloved concepts of liberty, justice, tolerance, and--above all else--equality.
Being that I voted a little over two weeks ago, I have nothing to do today but watch helplessly as people make their way to the polls to pick who they think will best lead our country over the next four years. I seriously considered heading down to the polls so I could physically watch as people milled in and out, but, alas, I have to work. Bleh.
Seriously, though. If you are a registered voter, please go out and cast your ballot. I think it's fairly obvious who I'm pulling for (Were the banner ads at the bottom of the pages too obvious?), but I really don't care who you vote for as long as you vote.
I think we've reached a very scary moment in history when we could learn forever that our votes either really don't matter or that we see our ability to participate at all dwindle. I really hope I'm just being paranoid. Of course, the real problem with paranoia is that you're usually right about half the time. Regardless, I think the best way to fight either of these hapening is to vote. I'm not saying it makes sense, it's just a feeling I have.
Anyway, I'll stop bothering you now. But I want to close with this:
if you haven't voted yet, please go. I'm begging. Please, just go vote.