A Good Egg

This video is catchy.

Re-thinking: Voting Rights

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FELONS_VOTING?SITE=FLMYR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

A bill that would automatically return voting rights to felons after they complete their sentences has been introduced by a Florida legislator who is still in office even though he is a convicted felon. The bill introduced Thursday by state Sen. Gary Siplin would change the state's long-standing constitutional ban on felon voting. Now, a felon's rights can only be restored by the state's clemency board, which must hear each case in a process that can take months or years.

Florida is one of just three states - all in the South - that don't automatically restore voting rights after completion of a sentence, said Senate Minority Leader Steven Geller. Siplin, a two-term Democrat from Orlando, was convicted in August on felony grand theft charges for having employees work on his 2004 re-election campaign on state time. He was sentenced last month to three years' probation and 300 hours of community service, but that has been postponed pending his appeal.

Because there is a huge difference between being a felon and being a convicted felon and that difference often hurts those with the least resources and benefits those with the most, the law in Florida and those 2 other states needs to change.

Justice may be blind, but she isn't poor.

The poorest who cannot pay for the slickest of law firms are more likely to be falsely convicted (or convicted on the highest charges instead of lessor misdeamer charges) and then when they are released the voting ban keeps their interests from mattering to politicians who vote based on who might vote for them and who can help them get re-elected.

Since there have also been allegations made about people who are not felons being stopped from voting because they were flagged as felons, this system is ripe for misuse and outright fraud.

Decorating The Christmas Tree

I found this Christmas video charming. Check it out.

Carnival For Book Writers 11

Welcome to the December 23, 2006 edition of carnival for book writers.

craft

In Are You Writing A Book Based on Your Life? Tips from an Author posted at Dragon Slayer, we get tips and thoughts for those writing autobiographical pieces.

marketing

In Censoring The Critics posted at Self Publishing Blog, we get a discussion of how to get a book reviewed and generate buzz if the regular book critics won't look at it.

marketing non-fiction

In the voltage gate: National College Media Convention Wrap-up posted at The Voltage Gate, we get information from the convention including ideas for how to turn a magazine feature into a book.

the writers life

In NaNoWriMo: The Path to Enlightenment? posted at Dragon Slayer, we learn how writing her live autobiography is changing one woman's life.

In BusinessWeek Editor speaks! posted at Passion, People and Principles, we hear from John Byrne, who in a special Business Masterclass guest interview, shares the lessons of his personal career trajectory from writer to magazine editor.

In Tip for Aspiring Writers #249 posted at Rickety Contrivances of Doing Good, we get a post that begins with a request: If you're an aspiring writer, please don't send your unpublished manuscript to Local Published Author. LPA will almost certainly have neither the time nor the inclination to read it. There are much better ways to get feedback, like classes and community critique groups.

In "What You Know" Leading To "Who You Know" posted at James, we get a lesson in not assuming that your internal critic is a qualified critic.

In How to deal with information overload, posted at Paul, we get some advice for people who are drowning in data.

That concludes this edition.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival for book writers using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival for book writers blog carnival blogging writing literary agents books publishing

Minnesota Dancing Christmas Lights

It's fun to watch this video, but I'm not sure I'd want to live across the street from this house if this light show keeps repeating itself through Christmas.

Celebrating Christmas In NY

This video shows some expected and unexpected holiday displays in New York.

Seeking Posts About Book Publishing For Carnival

The deadline for submissions to the 11th edition of the Carnival For Book Writers is Wednesday night (20th) at 11 pm.

If you've written or read a post related to the process of writing, publishing or marketing books which you think would be of interest to those who write books, please nominate it.

Posts that give first-hand insight into the process of writing a book and/or getting it published and sold are especially welcome. That includes interviews with industry professionals or information about changes in the industry.

The process is simple. All you have to do is go our carnival submission form and provide the permalink and fill in the rest of the form.

If you want to get a sense of what I'm looking for go to http://carnivalforbookwriters.blogspot.com and read previous editions.

The 11th edition will be posted here on Dec. 23.

Technorati tags: carnival for book writers blog carnival blogging writing literary agents books publishing

Christmas Message To A Favorite Teacher

Check out this Christmas message created for a favorite teacher.

Christmas Gala, Mythbusters Style

For those who love chain reactions video.

Word Of Mouth Just Ain't What It Used To Be

Washington Post

The Federal Trade Commission yesterday said that companies engaging in word-of-mouth marketing, in which people are compensated to promote products to their peers, must disclose those relationships.

I don't know if this change is a response to so many people fast forwarding through commercials, but to engage in deceptive practices such as hiring actors to go out in busy areas to demonstrate products such camera phone are problematic since what seems like feedback from a happy customer -- "I love my phone" -- is instead carefully crafted manipulation.

If a program is open for all to see -- such as current customers getting a discount on their bill when they refer a new customer -- I don't have a problem with it as long as the methods aren't exploitive or manipulative.

I suspect another reason companies want to circumvent the FTC is so they will not bound by truth in advertising rules and won't be held accountable for intentionally decieving potential customers.

Farewell Peter Boyle

I always smile when I watch Peter Boyle as Dr. Frankenstein's monster in this clip from Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein.




Then there's this scene with Gene Hackman

Barack Obama's Big Announcement

If you missed Monday night's announcement, check out this video.

Re-thinking: Holiday Dining

For those trying to figure out how to move your dining tables at the holidays, watch this video.

Re-thinking: Fighting Terrorism

AP

Economist Muhammad Yunus accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Sunday for his breakthrough program to lift the poor through tiny loans, saying he hoped the award would inspire "bold initiatives" to eradicate a problem at the root of terrorism.

Yunus, a 66-year-old Bangladeshi, shared the award with his Grameen Bank, which for more than two decades has helped impoverished people start businesses by providing small, usually unsecured loans known as microcredit.

When most of us think of fighting terrorism,we think fighting those who are past the point of changing their path, we rarely think of fighting terrorism by helping the poor.

Just as in other areas, prevention is cheaper than waiting for a problem to flair up and then attacking it.

The sort of help that Muhammad Yunus offers is an alternative to the exploitation of the poor (sweatshops, etc.) or the type of aid which does nothing to address the underlying dynamics that foster poverty.

Often simple solutions are ineffective solutions, but sometimes simple solutions are the best solutions. It's just a matter of looking at the problem with true understanding of the underlying dynamics and respect for the humanity of those who may eventually feel so exploted that they are willing to fight any way they can.

Re-thinking: Child Abuse

Bill O'Reilly found a YouTube video where a girl (reportedly 8 years old) begins by criticizing what he said on the Oprah Show about violence coming from kids, like her, who play video games and listen to rap music. Her language was such that O'Reilly had to bleep her, but it wasn't her use of profanity that got O'Reilly worked up, it was her rejection of Religion.

In his selective use of clips O'Reilly omits her opening and he omits this: "... The fact is that the way to stop children from getting mixed up with gangs and violence is treating us like human beings ... We need to be taught empathy and you grown ups need to learn what that means."

Based solely on that video, he accused the girl's parents of child abuse. The way he did so came across as very creepy, but that may have just been me.

What was more interesting was Wendy Murphy's take on the greatest danger to this child.

[transcribed from the YouTube video] "Using a child as a tool to promote propaganda, political propaganda, about which the child understands nothing. I guarantee you that a child of that age has no idea what she is saying. That is the ultimate inhumane treatment of a child. And you know what the worst part is, and I'm sure the parents are responsible for this, they've got a child on the world stage. A completely vulnerable child making very incendiary and provocative statements about things people have strong feelings about. I mean to accuse the Republicans of mass murder basically." [O'Reilly interrupts] "But what if some nut wants to hunt this family down? They're going to look for this kid ..." [O'Reilly interrupts]

The irony of course is that Bill O'Reilly's decision to broadcast only the most inflammatory parts of what this girl said, omitting of course what she said about him, will -- if Wendy Murphy is right -- increase the danger to this child. If the parents are guilty of exposing their daughter to nuts, then Bill O'Reilly is guilty of pointing even more of those nuts her way.

This girl is certainly not the only child who has been used by those with a political agenda. Many conservative Christians teach children even younger than this one to be as vocal as the girl in the video O'Reilly disdains.



Here's the full video that Bill O'Reilly attacks. (warning contains unbleeped profanity).


Here's an unrelated VBlog where a man muses about whether Jesus Camp abuses children.

Flatulence Forces Plane to Land

AP

An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing Monday morning after a passenger lit a match to disguise the scent of flatulence, authorities said.

I know that airline staff have to assume the worst, but sometimes what's suspicious is not malicious.

Stealing Salmon

This ad made me smile at the utter nonsense of many ads that claim to show you how they go the extra mile for quality.

Re-thinking: Tracking Your Movements

If you've purchased a Nike+iPod Sport Kit or receive it as a gift, you need to be aware that the signal from transmitter that goes in the runner's shoe can be picked up by other devices besides the receiver that comes with your kit.

If you want the full scoop, read the technical report which was posted online on Nov. 30. Here's the story from Wired.

The transmitter is also small enough that someone who wants to track your movements may decide to slip it somewhere you won't notice it.

This is the must have gift of the season for all stalkers. Please, give them something else instead.

The good news is that you can turn the transmitter off when you aren't using it.

Re-thinking: Stirring Your Coffee

Here's a video of a product for those who love gadgets.