The Leonids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle. They get their name from the constellation Leo from which they appear to radiate. The annual meteor shower is extremely regular in its timing and can potentially be visible for days. This year's Leonids meteor shower peaks on November 17/18 in which maximum intensity can be as much as 100 "falling stars" per hour.
As the days get colder and shorter, the return of the Leonid meteor
shower grows closer as well. The annual shower lasts from November 10
through the 23rd and peaks before dawn November 17. Unfortunately, Full
Moon arrives November 21, so its light will interfere with meteor
watching until after midnight.
While it can't compete with last year's spectacular display, this
year's show still promises excitement. “Observers under a dark sky can
expect to see around 20 meteors per hour radiating from the
constellation Leo the Lion,” says Astronomy Senior Editor Richard Talcott. “The best time to watch on the 17th comes once the Moon sets around 3 a.m. local time.”
For More
Monday, November 15, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Weekend Wise Words
Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for yourself.
Henry James
Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching every air-borne particle in its tissue.
Henry James
Henry James
Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching every air-borne particle in its tissue.
Henry James
Friday, November 12, 2010
Global Warming, does it matter?
Why does it matter, if global warming is real or not?
There are always big arguments when this topic comes up, is it real, is it false, is it a conspiracy, what is it?
Who Cares? I'll say it again: WHO CARES!?
Isn't it just, a good idea, that we try...to make... (wait for it) the planet, Cleaner?!
Isn't that better, for EVERY one? Not to mention, it creates jobs? Don't we need more jobs right now? Don't we need more spending in the economies of the world?
So, what is the argument? Maybe I should say, IS there an argument that actually shoots down working on cleaning up the planet?
And if you think we shouldn't clean up the planet, clean up how we dump waste, what the hell does your own house look like? Is it a pig sty? Or is it clean?
There are always big arguments when this topic comes up, is it real, is it false, is it a conspiracy, what is it?
Who Cares? I'll say it again: WHO CARES!?
Isn't it just, a good idea, that we try...to make... (wait for it) the planet, Cleaner?!
Isn't that better, for EVERY one? Not to mention, it creates jobs? Don't we need more jobs right now? Don't we need more spending in the economies of the world?
So, what is the argument? Maybe I should say, IS there an argument that actually shoots down working on cleaning up the planet?
And if you think we shouldn't clean up the planet, clean up how we dump waste, what the hell does your own house look like? Is it a pig sty? Or is it clean?
Screenwriting, sales and "making it"
When you are working hard, writing, trying to become a writer, you tend not to think about what happens once you actually become, a writer. What do you do if you start having money come in? What if you make it big?
Its a big concern. Do NOT spend lavishly, do not show off by spending money. Do, take half of your money, and invest it (CAREFULLY), do take 10% and BLOW IT, have fun, go nuts, you've earned it and you deserve it. Use the rest to pay bills, buy supplies, whatever you really need.
Then, get back to work. Work harder now. You are almost there. Making one big sale, or starting to get an income, does not mean you've made it. If you are still doing it, five or ten years down the road, then you can look back and think, "Yes, I've made it!" But knowing you "made it" is a hindsight kind of thing. If you make it a now thing, or a foresight thing, then you are setting yourself up for failure. Or worse. Like the Lotto winner, who has nothing, is suddenly rich, then suddenly broke, and suddenly massively in debt, worse than ever before; do not, end up like that. Be paranoid, be wary, aware, careful and thoughtful. Set your self up for success not only in your writing, but also, and obviously and most importantly, in your budget.
After all, why are you working to become a writer? Because of the Art of it? The catharsis? The money? If you're doing it with the money, well, get another career. You'd best be doing it for the Art, the process. Then, you cannot fail. If you are doing it for the money, when you finally get some, be sure it stays. So, don't blow it all; invest it; and invest what you've achieved by continuing: write more, divest (money and effort).
If you are screenwriting, write a novel. If you are a novelist, start a blog (get a readership, use ads, make money off it), or better yet, start a blog first, its great practice and good for discipline. Obviously, I have a blog. I do two articles a day, try to write them as far beforehand as possible, edit whenever I can, and my more thoughtful writing has only gotten better and faster from it.
A blog is a bit of work. You don't have the time to perfect it, unless that's all you do, or your have an assistant, or editor, but few of us have that luxury.
I was just reading Script magazine, an article called Mo' Money Mo'. I use Final Draft screenwriting software and it comes with their great magazine, "Script" which I keep a yearly subscription to ever since.There was a great article this latest edition about a beginning screenwriter's finances once you make that first sale. I can't offer the article but here's the link to the Nov/Dec edition: (http://www.scriptmag.com/2010/11/04/whats-new-in-the-novdec-issue-of-script/)
I can offer you this article from Script, however: 8 Financial Tips for Writers.
Best of luck!
Its a big concern. Do NOT spend lavishly, do not show off by spending money. Do, take half of your money, and invest it (CAREFULLY), do take 10% and BLOW IT, have fun, go nuts, you've earned it and you deserve it. Use the rest to pay bills, buy supplies, whatever you really need.
Then, get back to work. Work harder now. You are almost there. Making one big sale, or starting to get an income, does not mean you've made it. If you are still doing it, five or ten years down the road, then you can look back and think, "Yes, I've made it!" But knowing you "made it" is a hindsight kind of thing. If you make it a now thing, or a foresight thing, then you are setting yourself up for failure. Or worse. Like the Lotto winner, who has nothing, is suddenly rich, then suddenly broke, and suddenly massively in debt, worse than ever before; do not, end up like that. Be paranoid, be wary, aware, careful and thoughtful. Set your self up for success not only in your writing, but also, and obviously and most importantly, in your budget.
After all, why are you working to become a writer? Because of the Art of it? The catharsis? The money? If you're doing it with the money, well, get another career. You'd best be doing it for the Art, the process. Then, you cannot fail. If you are doing it for the money, when you finally get some, be sure it stays. So, don't blow it all; invest it; and invest what you've achieved by continuing: write more, divest (money and effort).
If you are screenwriting, write a novel. If you are a novelist, start a blog (get a readership, use ads, make money off it), or better yet, start a blog first, its great practice and good for discipline. Obviously, I have a blog. I do two articles a day, try to write them as far beforehand as possible, edit whenever I can, and my more thoughtful writing has only gotten better and faster from it.
A blog is a bit of work. You don't have the time to perfect it, unless that's all you do, or your have an assistant, or editor, but few of us have that luxury.
I was just reading Script magazine, an article called Mo' Money Mo'. I use Final Draft screenwriting software and it comes with their great magazine, "Script" which I keep a yearly subscription to ever since.There was a great article this latest edition about a beginning screenwriter's finances once you make that first sale. I can't offer the article but here's the link to the Nov/Dec edition: (http://www.scriptmag.com/2010/11/04/whats-new-in-the-novdec-issue-of-script/)
I can offer you this article from Script, however: 8 Financial Tips for Writers.
Best of luck!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Veteran's Day - Homeless female veterans
I wish all veterans everywhere, who have had to experience the flawed life that is war, all the best on this Veteran's Day. I have thankful thoughts for all those soldiers, who over the history of our country, have given the greatest sacrifice, for this nation to continue protect its citizenry and help the peoples of the world.
When I was younger I had an argument about why women shouldn't be in the military same as men. I thought women should have equal rights to do whatever they want. I was told that one good reason against women fighting in the military (this from an old war dog Sergeant) was that war is damaging, and when the guys come back, they need a stable half of the country to turn to. That we need to maintain at least a half of the country during war, as a stable immovable object for the nearly irresistible force of returning damaged soldiers to come home to and be healed by. I'm not saying I agree with this theory or not; okay I do a little bit, but not completely. I believe the same is true, but for both men and women. I suppose, if women want to go to war, its their right to choose to do so. I'm just sorry anyone has to.
The other side of that argument is, exactly our current situation, where we now have women being obviously damaged from war, too. Do I want women walking around the country who are just as damaged as men are from war? No. But then, I don't want to see men walking around like that either.
All that being said....
From NPR:
"Over the past decade, the number of female veterans who have become homeless has nearly doubled to roughly 6,500, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Most of them are younger than 35.
That's about 5% of the female military force. That's about 1 in 7 of a force smaller than the male military forces. 1 in 8 of male vets have mental problems. 43% of males of the male vet population are homeless. Mental health cases among war vets grew 58% from 2006 to 2007 (VA records)."
From Old Guard Riders (URLs below):
"Roughly 56 percent of all homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 12.8 percent and 15.4 percent of the U.S. population respectively.
"About 1.5 million other veterans, meanwhile, are considered at risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing."
From NCHV.org:
"Although “most homeless people are single, unaffiliated men… most housing money in existing federal homelessness programs, in contrast, is devoted to helping homeless families or homeless women with dependant children,” as is stated in the study “Is Homelessness a Housing Problem?” (Understanding Homelessness: New Policy and Research Perspectives, Fannie Mae Foundation, 1997).
"Although flawless counts are impossible to come by – the transient nature of homeless populations presents a major difficulty – VA estimates that 107,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. Over the course of a year, approximately twice that many experience homelessness. Only eight percent of the general population can claim veteran status, but nearly one-fifth of the homeless population are veterans."
Okay....
Having just heard on the radio today that we are 17 trillion dollars in debt now, we simply do not have the money to continue fighting these wars. Unless other nations have an investment and are willing to pay us to be the World's Police Force (wasn't that supposed to be the what the UN eventually does?), and give us cold hard cash, or the comparable powers in barters of some sort; then, we really need to get a hold on our debt.
We need to take care of our soldiers, male and female. When they go to war they should NOT arrive without proper equipment, which keeps happening. When they return, they need help and we need to SEE that they have reestablished themselves as happy and productive citizens, up to the capacity that they will allow us, and perhaps even just a little more. This is not only about our military, but other areas in our economy that need proper address. And we simply do not have the money, we need to stop living on credit and reinvent ourselves.
We also need to pay Teachers a fair wage for what we expect from them and what our country NEEDS for the future. We already know about our Healthcare situation and have to wonder if the new Republicans will set us back in history for the ground we've already achieved; OR, if they will fix it, which is what is needed?
There are a lot of things we do need to do for our civilian citizenry. They should be coming first. But when you choose to send soldiers into horrors, you need to make them a first cause concern. That leaves us with two first causes when there can only be one, at least at this time in history. Hopefully, if we use our brains, we will eventually see our economy at a state where we can afford appropriate priorities.
So what do we do? No, I don't know, I'm asking you. Because I know, someone is out there, who has the answer. They just need to speak up, push it through, see something done to put us on the right track.
Because we cannot, do nothing.
See also, my previous article a few months ago on soldier suicides:
Suicide in the military
See also:
PTSD and Marijuana
Articles used in this commentary:
NPR
Old Guard Riders
NCHV.org
When I was younger I had an argument about why women shouldn't be in the military same as men. I thought women should have equal rights to do whatever they want. I was told that one good reason against women fighting in the military (this from an old war dog Sergeant) was that war is damaging, and when the guys come back, they need a stable half of the country to turn to. That we need to maintain at least a half of the country during war, as a stable immovable object for the nearly irresistible force of returning damaged soldiers to come home to and be healed by. I'm not saying I agree with this theory or not; okay I do a little bit, but not completely. I believe the same is true, but for both men and women. I suppose, if women want to go to war, its their right to choose to do so. I'm just sorry anyone has to.
The other side of that argument is, exactly our current situation, where we now have women being obviously damaged from war, too. Do I want women walking around the country who are just as damaged as men are from war? No. But then, I don't want to see men walking around like that either.
All that being said....
From NPR:
"Over the past decade, the number of female veterans who have become homeless has nearly doubled to roughly 6,500, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Most of them are younger than 35.
That's about 5% of the female military force. That's about 1 in 7 of a force smaller than the male military forces. 1 in 8 of male vets have mental problems. 43% of males of the male vet population are homeless. Mental health cases among war vets grew 58% from 2006 to 2007 (VA records)."
From Old Guard Riders (URLs below):
"Roughly 56 percent of all homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 12.8 percent and 15.4 percent of the U.S. population respectively.
"About 1.5 million other veterans, meanwhile, are considered at risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing."
From NCHV.org:
"Although “most homeless people are single, unaffiliated men… most housing money in existing federal homelessness programs, in contrast, is devoted to helping homeless families or homeless women with dependant children,” as is stated in the study “Is Homelessness a Housing Problem?” (Understanding Homelessness: New Policy and Research Perspectives, Fannie Mae Foundation, 1997).
"Although flawless counts are impossible to come by – the transient nature of homeless populations presents a major difficulty – VA estimates that 107,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. Over the course of a year, approximately twice that many experience homelessness. Only eight percent of the general population can claim veteran status, but nearly one-fifth of the homeless population are veterans."
Okay....
Having just heard on the radio today that we are 17 trillion dollars in debt now, we simply do not have the money to continue fighting these wars. Unless other nations have an investment and are willing to pay us to be the World's Police Force (wasn't that supposed to be the what the UN eventually does?), and give us cold hard cash, or the comparable powers in barters of some sort; then, we really need to get a hold on our debt.
We need to take care of our soldiers, male and female. When they go to war they should NOT arrive without proper equipment, which keeps happening. When they return, they need help and we need to SEE that they have reestablished themselves as happy and productive citizens, up to the capacity that they will allow us, and perhaps even just a little more. This is not only about our military, but other areas in our economy that need proper address. And we simply do not have the money, we need to stop living on credit and reinvent ourselves.
We also need to pay Teachers a fair wage for what we expect from them and what our country NEEDS for the future. We already know about our Healthcare situation and have to wonder if the new Republicans will set us back in history for the ground we've already achieved; OR, if they will fix it, which is what is needed?
There are a lot of things we do need to do for our civilian citizenry. They should be coming first. But when you choose to send soldiers into horrors, you need to make them a first cause concern. That leaves us with two first causes when there can only be one, at least at this time in history. Hopefully, if we use our brains, we will eventually see our economy at a state where we can afford appropriate priorities.
So what do we do? No, I don't know, I'm asking you. Because I know, someone is out there, who has the answer. They just need to speak up, push it through, see something done to put us on the right track.
Because we cannot, do nothing.
See also, my previous article a few months ago on soldier suicides:
Suicide in the military
See also:
PTSD and Marijuana
Articles used in this commentary:
NPR
Old Guard Riders
NCHV.org
8 "Must Knows", about Zombies
George Mason University anthropology professor Jeffrey Mantz teaches a
class on zombies and their cultural importance. We asked him to prepare us for
the invasion with this list of things everyone should know about
zombies.
1. They Are Everywhere
Across many cultures around the world, there is a concern that the dead could return to walk among the living. Sometimes these ghouls are merely tricksters who are having fun at our expense; other times they are vengeful creatures who were treated poorly in life and are exacting revenge. Perhaps it's a mother who died in childbirth. But there are very few places in the world where you won't find them.
2. Most Will Eat You If You Get Too Close
These days, zombies are basically understood to be ghouls who consume the living. In fact, a large proportion of those who study zombies argue that they are basically a metaphor for consumption. George Romero's Dawn of the Dead famously suggested this, showing zombies wandering through a mall in a strangely similar way to when they were humans. So if zombies represent how we are when we are at our worst (say, the morning after Thanksgiving outside an electronics store that is practically giving flat-screen televisions away), we should be very afraid.
3. Zombies Don't Always Attack The Living
In some cultures, including much of the African and Caribbean traditions from which the word "zombie" originated, zombies are more mindless servants that do the (more often bad, but sometimes quite neutral) bidding of a zombie keeper who has possessed them. In such cases, zombies tend to represent particular kinds of slave or labor relationships.
4. A Zombie Attack Is Probably The Worst Thing That Can Happen To You
The reason zombies are so terrifying to us is because they represent one of our greatest fears: a loss of our autonomy, our ability to control our bodies and minds. It is fitting that these monsters have been largely represented as rotting corpses, because that's literally what they do to human beings: They decompose us individually and assimilate us into a giant, undifferentiated horde, just like the Borg in Star Trek (which essentially was one, roving, intergalactic zombie).
5. Of All The Undead Things You Could Become, Zombies Are The Worst
As opposed to vampires, which are often represented as seductive, youthful superhuman creatures (or more recently as overly emotive teenagers), zombies are almost always cursed with an irreversible, less-than-attractive subhumanity in the single-minded pursuit of some task or thing (such as flesh or brains). With only a few imaginative exceptions, zombies cannot love, laugh or live freely.
6. They Have Become Fast — Because Our World Is Fast
Zombies, like LOLcats videos, have gone viral; and when things go viral, they move fast. As the themes of zombie films have shifted from Cold War worries about the slow chemical effects of radiological exposure (the source of zombie outbreaks in films like Night of the Living Dead) to terrorism-era fears about rapid bacteriological exposure (for example, in 28 Days Later or Resident Evil), the zombies have similarly accelerated. The more rapid our lives, communications, transportation and technology, the more quickly threats to them are experienced.
7. Oh, Yes, Zombies Are Real
Scientists have discovered and manufactured bacteria, viruses and parasites that have zombie-inducing qualities. And stem cell and nanotechnology research offer real possibilities for the reanimation of tissue. There is also significant debate as to whether zombie neurotoxins exist; there is a whole branch of pharmacology devoted to determining whether such compounds can be found in nature.
8. You May Have Already Been Bitten
The digital age is beginning to fundamentally change the ways in which human beings interact with each other. Immersion into our smart phones and our second lives in virtual worlds offer novel and exciting experiences, but also erode the lived, bodily dimensions of our humanity. The impact of technology on society is hardly new, but it certainly has accelerated in the past 20 years. So given the recent explosion of the undead in popular culture, one should wonder whether all of this might be suggesting an imminent zombie apocalypse? Or, perhaps, we are already in the thick of it.
NPR article
1. They Are Everywhere
Across many cultures around the world, there is a concern that the dead could return to walk among the living. Sometimes these ghouls are merely tricksters who are having fun at our expense; other times they are vengeful creatures who were treated poorly in life and are exacting revenge. Perhaps it's a mother who died in childbirth. But there are very few places in the world where you won't find them.
2. Most Will Eat You If You Get Too Close
These days, zombies are basically understood to be ghouls who consume the living. In fact, a large proportion of those who study zombies argue that they are basically a metaphor for consumption. George Romero's Dawn of the Dead famously suggested this, showing zombies wandering through a mall in a strangely similar way to when they were humans. So if zombies represent how we are when we are at our worst (say, the morning after Thanksgiving outside an electronics store that is practically giving flat-screen televisions away), we should be very afraid.
3. Zombies Don't Always Attack The Living
In some cultures, including much of the African and Caribbean traditions from which the word "zombie" originated, zombies are more mindless servants that do the (more often bad, but sometimes quite neutral) bidding of a zombie keeper who has possessed them. In such cases, zombies tend to represent particular kinds of slave or labor relationships.
4. A Zombie Attack Is Probably The Worst Thing That Can Happen To You
The reason zombies are so terrifying to us is because they represent one of our greatest fears: a loss of our autonomy, our ability to control our bodies and minds. It is fitting that these monsters have been largely represented as rotting corpses, because that's literally what they do to human beings: They decompose us individually and assimilate us into a giant, undifferentiated horde, just like the Borg in Star Trek (which essentially was one, roving, intergalactic zombie).
5. Of All The Undead Things You Could Become, Zombies Are The Worst
As opposed to vampires, which are often represented as seductive, youthful superhuman creatures (or more recently as overly emotive teenagers), zombies are almost always cursed with an irreversible, less-than-attractive subhumanity in the single-minded pursuit of some task or thing (such as flesh or brains). With only a few imaginative exceptions, zombies cannot love, laugh or live freely.
6. They Have Become Fast — Because Our World Is Fast
Zombies, like LOLcats videos, have gone viral; and when things go viral, they move fast. As the themes of zombie films have shifted from Cold War worries about the slow chemical effects of radiological exposure (the source of zombie outbreaks in films like Night of the Living Dead) to terrorism-era fears about rapid bacteriological exposure (for example, in 28 Days Later or Resident Evil), the zombies have similarly accelerated. The more rapid our lives, communications, transportation and technology, the more quickly threats to them are experienced.
7. Oh, Yes, Zombies Are Real
Scientists have discovered and manufactured bacteria, viruses and parasites that have zombie-inducing qualities. And stem cell and nanotechnology research offer real possibilities for the reanimation of tissue. There is also significant debate as to whether zombie neurotoxins exist; there is a whole branch of pharmacology devoted to determining whether such compounds can be found in nature.
8. You May Have Already Been Bitten
The digital age is beginning to fundamentally change the ways in which human beings interact with each other. Immersion into our smart phones and our second lives in virtual worlds offer novel and exciting experiences, but also erode the lived, bodily dimensions of our humanity. The impact of technology on society is hardly new, but it certainly has accelerated in the past 20 years. So given the recent explosion of the undead in popular culture, one should wonder whether all of this might be suggesting an imminent zombie apocalypse? Or, perhaps, we are already in the thick of it.
NPR article
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Delta Airlines - Time for a boycot
I received this email from someone very close to me today. I'm not surprised to hear this from an airline that started as a bunch of dust croppers. I had always received the best service with Northwest Orient and I was very sad to hear the day they were bought by Delta, that basically, Joe Bob Clampett was buying Tifini's. So sad.
The email said the following:
"As you all probably have heard by now, on November 3rd the Northwest Flight Attendants at Delta Airlines lost our union and our 63 years of collective bargaining rights and protections by the slim margin of 165 swing votes. I am outraged at the level of interference conducted by Delta management during the representation election. They spent millions on an anti-union campaign which created a hostile work environment, caused division in our ranks, and made a mockery of the voting reforms recently implemented by the National Mediation Board. We are asking the NMB to investigate the election and the interference.
"We have helped build the second largest airline in the world, making significant contributions to Delta's success, for which they are now benefiting with record breaking profits; yet our pay remains less than it was 20 years ago, and we are now subject to the possibility of them outsourcing our jobs, or any policies Delta feels like implementing.
"I am asking all of my friends and family to please sign the petition, "Tell Delta to Stop Union Busting" At http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tell_delta_to_stop_union_busting If you are so inclined, a letter to your state Senators and Representatives via mail, phone or e-mail requesting their support, could greatly help our chances of gaining a legal contract with Delta Airlines in the future. I would be happy to send a sample letter if you are interested.
"Thank you all so much for your support, it is very much appreciated."
Please help the Delta (ex-Northwest Orient Airline) Flight Attendants.
The email said the following:
"As you all probably have heard by now, on November 3rd the Northwest Flight Attendants at Delta Airlines lost our union and our 63 years of collective bargaining rights and protections by the slim margin of 165 swing votes. I am outraged at the level of interference conducted by Delta management during the representation election. They spent millions on an anti-union campaign which created a hostile work environment, caused division in our ranks, and made a mockery of the voting reforms recently implemented by the National Mediation Board. We are asking the NMB to investigate the election and the interference.
"We have helped build the second largest airline in the world, making significant contributions to Delta's success, for which they are now benefiting with record breaking profits; yet our pay remains less than it was 20 years ago, and we are now subject to the possibility of them outsourcing our jobs, or any policies Delta feels like implementing.
"I am asking all of my friends and family to please sign the petition, "Tell Delta to Stop Union Busting" At http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tell_delta_to_stop_union_busting If you are so inclined, a letter to your state Senators and Representatives via mail, phone or e-mail requesting their support, could greatly help our chances of gaining a legal contract with Delta Airlines in the future. I would be happy to send a sample letter if you are interested.
"Thank you all so much for your support, it is very much appreciated."
Please help the Delta (ex-Northwest Orient Airline) Flight Attendants.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)