Hurricanes frequently happen

The politically-correct and taxpayer-funded global warming movement has critics who say, essentially, that the conclusion is not supported by the evidence.  But the critics don't get the funding.  

Scriptwriting in one page

Wired has published a short article about how to write a script.  Called Turn Anything Into a Screenplay, its utter simplicity could serve to keep new writers on track.  If you feel inspired after finishing the article, be sure to check out Screenwriting Sanctuary.

G8, not Olympics, real threat

As Bush and other world leaders gather in Japan for their annual G8 conference, some reporters are asking them why they aren't boycotting the Olympic Games in China next month.

Critics have called for world leaders to boycott the ceremony to protest China's repression of dissidents and support for pariah states Burma and Sudan.

Boycotting the Olympics would hurt the Chinese not the Chinese leaders, nor would it make the government loosen its restraints on domestic freedom. As for China's support of pariah states, they have plenty of company.

If people want to protest an abominable event, they should rise in opposition to the G8 itself. Consider:

Meeting in a resort on the northern Japanese island Hokkaido, the leaders of the G-8 nations – the United States, Japan, Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Canada and Italy — will work through a packed three-day agenda: global warming; soaring energy and food prices; economic uncertainty and financial turmoil following the collapse of the U.S. housing market; and the nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran.

When world governments gather to "do something" about any problem, the results are predictably bad. Governments treat problems through the force of decree or legislation -- or sometimes war. Such intervention is the common pedigree of most problems facing us today. Politicians like the phrase "all options are on the table," but that's just another lie. "All options" never means de-controlling, never means free markets and free trade, never means staying free of foreign entanglements.

"I am for free commerce with all nations, political connection with none, and little or no diplomatic establishment. And I am not for linking ourselves by new treaties with the quarrels of Europe, entering that field of slaughter to preserve their balance, or joining in the confederacy of Kings to war against the principles of liberty." --Thomas Jefferson to Elbridge Gerry, 1799. ME 10:77

The problems G8 members will discuss are largely creatures of government meddling.

Headlines

I was greeted this afternoon by these headlines on my iGoogle page:

Navy's newest attack sub christened

and below it,

How to be safe in a foreign country

I have some questions:

1. Isn't there something unholy, or at least contradictory, about "christening" an attack sub? When was the last time we needed a super-duper attack sub to defend our country?
2. It's nice to know how to be safe in any country, so why limit the discussion to foreign countries? Does the article tell us how to be safe in a country that repudiates its constitution?

A second book by Halloween?

When you're trying to sell a product you think of as many ways as you can to attract customer interest. Of course, there's nothing like a highly desirable product that sells itself, right? But then, even an intriguing product like Amazon's Kindle has to be priced right to generate huge sales. Amazon claims the Kindle sells as fast as they can get it, but I know they won't sell to me until the price takes a big nosedive.

I have several things in mind to increase sales of Flight. One, of course, is to lower the price. I cut the price the other day then noticed Amazon had tacked on a "sourcing fee" equal to amount I had lowered it, $2. I intended the $2 reduction to benefit customers and boost sales, but Amazon has scooped it up. They've scooped up nothing so far. I've contacted CreateSpace for an explanation. I really hope it's a mistake.

[If it's not a mistake, it might be a penalty for not using BookSurge for creating and editing the book. I did everything through CreateSpace -- another Amazon company -- but BookSurge apparently doesn't like people bypassing them. In doing a Google search I found discussions about that and about certain books getting hit with huge sourcing fees that Amazon claims are difficult to obtain. But my book had been with Amazon for a month without a sourcing fee. It's in stock, requiring no additional work on their part that I'm aware of. And I perused a list of other CreateSpace books for sale on Amazon and couldn't find any that had a "sourcing fee." Quite possibly all the books I looked at took the pricey path through BookSurge. At any rate, I'm hoping Amazon removes the penalty fee on my book. It benefits no one.]

Another thing that would help sales is good reviews. I've mailed complimentary copies to several people hoping for a good word somewhere but so far nothing. I will continue looking for potential reviewers.

Third, it would help if my book were paired under Amazon's "Better Together" promotion with another that sells well, so . . .

Why not write another one myself? I'm tentatively planning a nonfiction book based on the research and writing I've been doing on money and banking.

Both books would have a better chance if they were ready for the year-end shopping season. Having them both "Better Together" by Halloween would be ideal.

Yet another possibility is to contact traditional publishers. With the popularity of Revolution, which has moved up to No. 1 on Amazon, I might be able to get one or two of them to take a look at mine.

Amazon No. 16: Ron Paul's Revolution

The demand for Ron Paul's new book is enormous, today sitting at No. 16 on Amazon among all books, and holding the top spot in these categories:

#1 in	Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Political
#1 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Political
#1 in	Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Political Science > Political Doctrines

Congratulations, Dr. Paul. Even if you're not a Ron Paul fan, his book is worth reading if only for the government corruption it exposes. My review of Paul's book can be found here.

We have lost our belief that freedom works, because we no longer have the imagination to conceive of how a free people might solve its problems without introducing threats of violence -- which is what government solutions ultimately amount to. [p. 85]

CreateSpace

About two weeks ago I was exploring ways to get my book listed on Amazon and discovered CreateSpace, one of Amazon's companies. CreateSpace has no upfront charge for posting a book and will even get you an ISBN for no charge. If you already have an ISBN, fine. I didn't.

I was able to upload my manuscript and have it accepted immediately because the specs (6x9") were the same as Lulu's.

The challenge was the cover. It took me three days of trial and error to get it accepted, but I like the results better than the one I made for Lulu. I'm not a layout artist, nor do I have software that lets me do anything fancy.

Once the cover and contents were accepted, I ordered a proof copy and it looked good. I signed off on it and first noticed its listing on Amazon late Thursday, April 3. It looks good. And it's posted at a competitive $16.95.

So, with CreateSpace as my publisher I've obtained an Amazon listing for my book, for no upfront charge. Lulu was unclear about whether they could get an Amazon listing, and they wanted $100 for an ISBN. If someone wants a hardbound copy, I'll have to order through Lulu because CreateSpace doesn't do hardbound books. At the moment I'm not concerned that I don't have a hardbound offering on Amazon.

On Saturday, April 5, I noticed the book had already sold four copies through Amazon. I don't know who ordered them, and I never will know because of Amazon's privacy policy. I just know it wasn't me. I'm pleasantly amazed at the quick sales. I would make almost nothing on any book I sold through Lulu. Under my agreement with CreateSpace, I make a decent royalty on each book sold.

I'm very happy with CreateSpace and Amazon.

If you really write well and have a way of marketing your work, you could make good money this way.

Barbarous Relic Blog

Fortunately, the new 36-hour day allows me enough time to add another blog to my plate, this one devoted to "the world of monopoly money and central banking." The blog is part of my barbarous relic website.

I'm using Apple's iWeb to manage the blog, which so far has been satisfactory. It would be nice if it worked like this one, where all I have to do is click a button that says create post, then another called publish post when I'm done. Since I don't have a .Mac account, I have to FTP the updates myself. I use Panic Software's Transmit for that task. No real complaints about either iWeb or Transmit so far. I'm a big fan of easy-to-use yet powerful software that is low on bugs.

Ordering prints through Apple's iPhoto

Yesterday (Tuesday) I decided to order prints from Preston's party and other events and send them to my mom in Pennsylvania. I selected 75 high-res photos and uploaded the order a little before noon. They were processed in California and flown to Memphis during the night. They were then flown to Philadelphia a little later. At 10 this morning a FedEx driver handed the prints to her. For less than $20, 75 photos of my choosing went from images on my computer to prints in my mom's hand in less than 24 hours. And I could've saved $6 if I had sent them standard shipping instead of express. The price per 4x6" print has dropped from 19 cents to 12 cents, and overnight shipping is $9.99. Don't these people know about inflation?

What a great deal.

Preston's birthday

My grandson Preston turned three on Monday, coincidentally the birthday of the great anarchist - economist, Gustave de Molinari. He had a party on Saturday and received some special gifts on Monday.


The monster truck moonwalk . . .


. . . was a big hit with the kids.


Testing his new bike, which has both front and rear brakes.


After doing a spin-out in his new car.


Beating granddad to the finish line.

I also took some video:

They made it

The cover looks pretty good, for the most part. But check out the margins below.



I have some work to do.