Monday, September 13, 2010

Book Drum Grows with Book Lovers



Book Drum is becoming ever more popular among book lovers as the following testimonies by some of the most celebrated authors of our times.


It's an exciting new way to review a book, and I am honored that you did it.
– Anne Rice, author of Interview with the Vampire

Book Drum is the perfect companion to the books we love, bringing them to life with immersive pictures, videos, maps and music.

I'm very pleased by this wonderful and enthusiastic response to my book.
– John Banville, author of The Sea

Whether it’s video of the Rockettes in The Catcher in the Rye, the Italian opera tracks that accompany Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, the historical context and maps of The Odyssey, stunning South American photography for In Patagonia, or video of Kabul kite fighting for The Kite Runner, we take readers beyond the page to enjoy interactive content alongside their favourite books.

Great, and great idea. Thank you.
– Paulo Coelho author of The Alchemist

With the next generation of e-readers in mind, we’re building the biggest library of multimedia companion content for books on the Internet. Designed using Wiki principles, anyone can contribute to it, adding to and refining each others’ work, making Book Drum one of the liveliest online communities for booklovers worldwide.

Thanks so much for putting Mukiwa on Book Drum. It looks great.
– Peter Godwin, author of Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa

Book Drum’s remarkable range of interactive content is particularly valuable to students and teachers, with over twenty A-level/GCSE set texts already profiled. Each book Profile consists of:

Bookmarks: page-by-page commentary and illustration of the text
Setting: description and illustration of the main places or themes of the book
Glossary: foreign, invented and tricky words deciphered
Summary: objective synopsis of the book
Review: subjective analysis and evaluation of the book
Author: biographical information, interview videos, links and photos


Book Drum was founded by:

• Mark Negus – Book Drum’s webmaster and software designer is a freelance consultant who has worked on projects as diverse as the London Stock Exchange and Big Brother voting.

• Hector Macdonald – Book Drum’s editor is the author of bestseller The Mind Game, The Storm Prophet and The Hummingbird Saint. He grew up on the coast of Kenya, and has worked as an English teacher, wildlife reserve gofer and business strategist.

• George Pennock – Book Drum’s business director has spent most of his career helping entrepreneurs fund and develop their ideas. He is a financial advisor with Barclays Wealth and a founding partner of Beamreach Capital.


Visit Book Drum today at http://www.bookdrum.com/.

Contact:

Chris McCafferty/Kaper: (chris@kaper.uk.com)

Hector Macdonald: (editor@bookdrum.com)


I am both impressed and grateful--in fact amazed and honoured is nearer the mark!
– Robin McKinley, author of Beauty

Sunday, April 11, 2010

World Audience Publishers

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

In the Footsteps of Dracula


The follwoing review of In the Footsteps of Dracula: A Personal Journey and Travel Guide by Steven P. Unger was posted at Book Pleasures by reviewer Lois Henderson.

Author: Steven P. Unger
Publisher: World Audience
Edited by M. Stefan Strozier.
ISBN: 978-1-935444-53-4


The Introduction to Unger’s travelogue describes the work as follows: ‘In part, In the Footsteps of Dracula: A Personal Journal and Travel Guide is a memoir for the armchair traveler, with pictures and descriptions of every site that is closely related to either Bram Stoker's fictional Count Dracula or his real historical counterpart, Prince Vlad the Impaler. The memoir is divided into sections that first follow in the footsteps of the fictional Count Dracula, and then in the footsteps of Vlad the Impaler from his birth to his death and burial, Part V, titled "Nuts and Bolts: A Practical Guide to the Dracula Trail". "Nuts and Bolts" includes an itinerary for the entire Dracula Trail, with recommended lodging and restaurants; as well as detailed transportation directions and the cost for traveling from one location to the next in sequence. The Dracula Trail begins and ends in London for the English portion and in Bucharest for traveling in Romania.’

Clearly, this book is extremely well organized and logical in its presentation. It is also extremely well written – the reader is swept along for the ride through the relatively unspoiled Romanian countryside, while the exploration of English sites takes place at a slightly more leisurely pace, in keeping with Bram Stoker’s research orientation. Steven describes his intention with this work as that of ‘stripping away the layers of myth about Count Dracula and Prince Vlad the Impaler to find the reality within’.

Steven’s close familiarity with the text of Dracula enables him to compare elements of the novel that are incongruous with the Transylvanian reality, due to Bram Stoker never having visited the area of which he wrote in such glowing mythical terms. Throughout this guide, he quotes relevant parts of the novel that tie in with his personal observations of the unfolding landscape – definitely enough to entice the avid reader back to savor the original source once more.

The detailed description of Vlad Dracula’s rule on the Wallachian throne serves, in blood-drenched style (accompanied by appropriate authorial warnings of the graphic nature of such text), to contextualize the legend of Dracula. Though the references to graveyards, churches and historic ruins abound, due account is also taken of the exploitation of the Dracula legend by the tourism industry in both England and Romania. Not that the author himself does not benefit from such enterprise, as he avails himself of the hospitality of numerous hotels and bed and breakfast establishments. Though giving full praise where such is due, as with the Bed & Breakfast Coula in Sighişoara, which he rates as ‘hands down my favorite place to stay in my favorite town in Romania’, he also does not hesitate to advise about those that he finds to be not so appealing.

In the Footsteps of Dracula is filled with full color photographs of the people and places that Unger encounters on his travels. From the quaint fishing village of Whitby, where the novel Dracula was conceived and partly written, to the rugged Carpathian montane landscape surrounding the Borgo Pass, the site of Count Dracula’s ‘vast ruined castle’, Steven captures the essence of his environs. By identifying key components of the photos, which he relates to Bram Stoker’s text, their contents take on special significance and meaning for the reader. In his depiction of multiple Romanian street scenes, Steven encapsulates the medieval other-worldly feel of such towns as Tărgovişte and Sighişoara through which he travels. His inclusion of numerous photographs of young people garbed in Gothic attire, most of whom were captured while attending Whitby’s annual Gothic Festival, will no doubt also appeal to the younger reader.



About the Reviewer

Lois has a MA General Linguistics, BA (English) Honors, Higher Education Diploma, Higher Diploma in Library and Information Science - indexer of more than 130 books; editor of dozens of theses and study manuals at university and college.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival and Screenplay Competition


Submit now to the L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival and Screenplay Competition - one of Moviemaker Magazine’s 2009 “Top 25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee”! Now accepting entries in the following categories:


Feature Comedy Screenplays
Short Comedy Screenplays
Half-Hour Comedy Pilot Scripts
Short Comedy Films (30 minutes or less)


L.A. Comedy Shorts is currently the largest comedy film festival in the United States, dedicated to introducing the newest and hottest comedic talent to the industry. Sponsored by Will Ferrell and Judd Apatow's website FunnyOrDie.com, LACS is four, funny-packed days of screenings, parties, and panels, plus a star-studded red carpet awards event. Adam Carolla hosted last year’s gala, where actor/director Bobcat Goldthwait was honored with the first annual ‘Commie’ achievement award and Mark Hamill presented the Movie Magic Screenwriter Screenplay Competition award for best comedy screenplay.


In addition to exposure to the large industry and media presence at the festival, winners receive meetings with industry heavyweights, cash, and prizes. The 2009 winners met with Mosaic Media Group (Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, Elf), heads of production at Benderspink (The Hangover, American Pie), Generate (Comedy Central’s Chocolate News), Atomic Wedgie (a division of Fremantle), and Atom.com (Comedy Central's Atom TV). Winning films were also featured on the main player at FunnyOrDie.com. All finalists receive cash awards and Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 software!


Think you’re funny? Submit today! (Late Deadline: 12/02/09, Extended Final Deadline: 12/18/09)


As a special discount for Write Brothers fans… enter promo code "writebros" and get $5 off when you submit through the LACS website!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

ErnestDempsey Interviewed

Publisher Victor R. Volkman spoke with author Ernest Dempsey about his new collection of short stories The Blue Fairy and Other Tales of Transcendence. Ernest Dempsey has authored four book and, in just the past few years, seen the publication of his poems, essays, short stories, and literary reviews worldwide. He is now the editor-in-chief of the print quarterly Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing (www.recoveringself.com) and also works as the country editor for Pakistan on the celebrated internet news channel Instablogs. Dempsey's The Blue Fairy takes a subject that has been dreaded for centuries - Death.

In the book, he explores the manysides to the subject that make the final departure a meaningful reality of existence. Inspired mostly by real-life experiences, Dempsey's The Blue Fairy ingeniously integrates dying with living. It is a book for the soul.

Friday, April 3, 2009

W.I.S.E ( World Intellectuals' Social Establishment )

W.I.S.E. is an international organisation dedicated to the enhancement of intellectuals' communications and to the protection of their rights.
PRLog (Press Release) – Apr 03, 2009 – Started by Prof.(h.c.) Askin Ozcan, many years ago, W.I.S.E. endeavors to enhance the communications of intellectuals both among themselves and with the masses and to protect the rights of intellectuals, with the belief that this will result in the increased resolution of the world problems and in the betterment of living conditions for all, globally. W.I.S.E. aspires to achieve its goals by means of educational seminars, congresses, publications, multi-media publicity, an international network of associations and social clubs, cafes; international lecturer exchange service and close ties with the universities. It also aspires to issue an "intellectuals' passport" to the members, hoping that this will, sometime in the future, result in visa-free global movement of the intellectuals.

The manifesto of W.I.S.E was first published by Prof.(h.c.) Askin Ozcan in PEACE PROGRESS magazine in India, when Prof.(h.c.) was Associate Secretary General of I.A.E.W.P. (NGO- U.N.) and its delegate at U.N. Vienna.

W.I.S.E. found then much adherence and attracted much interest from the intellectual circles in many countries. Now, owing to the lack of financing, its organisation is undergoing a stand-still. Prof.(h.c.) Ozcan says, " Maybe by an agressive re-appearance of W.I.S.E. and its principles in the world intellectual media, we can cultivate some capital and new leaders for this organisation. The increased internet resources can be just what W.I.S.E. might be needing for its re-birth and growth." The idea of intellectuals' associations and communications and their value for solving the world's problems is a long recognized issue both by U.N.E.S.C.O. (its magazine had devoted an issue to this topic many years ago) and by well-known universities.

Web-site for Prof.(h.c.) Askin Ozcan: http://www.xlibris.com/AskinOzcan.html

Prof.(h.c.) Askin Ozcan is the author of : THE SECOND VENICE, SMALL MIRACLES, STOCKHOLM STORIES, WISDOM IN SMILE, LIGHTNING AND A BOUQUET OF ROSES, THE MINI-SUBMARINE which are available at 200 internet bookshops (incl. www.amazon.com, www.bn.com, www.libreriauniversitaria.it, www.ibs.it, www.alibris.com, www.adlibris.com, www.fishpond.com.au, www.infibeam.com, www.loot.co.za) and via 25.000 bookstores and writes regularly for: www.thesop.org, www.newsblaze.com, www.thesepultimes.com, www.americanchronicle.com, http://thesop.org/index.php?article=7680 http://newsblaze.com/story/20081217072706tsop.nb/topstor ...
# # #
Author: Has six published titles in the U.S.A. Also many articles published internationally. Currently writer at www.thesop.org, www.newsblaze.com, www.theseoultimes.com, www.americanchronicle.com

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Win a Free Book!

What are book clubs reading? How often do they meet? Do they enjoy speaking with authors? Reading Group Guides is going to find out the answers to these questions and more with the 2009 ReadingGroupGuides.com survey.

The goal of the survey is to identify trends and topics that are of interest to book groups. The information will be shared with publishers and authors so they can provide the resources needed to enhance book group meetings and discussions.


The survey is only open to readers who are in book clubs. The survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=JZxioOza4dvM_2byCHuqQb0A_3d_3dThe survey will take about 12-15 minutes to complete. As a token of the appreciation for filling it out, ReadingGroupGuides.com will award all participants (U.S. and Canadian residents only) with a free book, generously provided by their publishing colleagues. See the full list of 28 titles, each of which is perfect for a book group discussion, at: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/surveys/2009-reader-survey.asp.


We hope you will mention the survey on your site and encourage your readers who are in a book club to participate. And if you are in a book club, we hope you'll take the survey yourself. The survey will close on April 30th, or as soon as 2,500 prizes have been awarded, so visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=JZxioOza4dvM_2byCHuqQb0A_3d_3d to answer the survey now!


Other Sites of Interest








Wednesday, February 4, 2009

What Kind of Literature Do We Need in the 21st Century?


The first decade of the 21st century is approaching its end. The Internet has revolutionized the world of communication, including that of reading and writing. Numerous online publications, discussion forums, blogs, and other publishing venues have opened up and continue to emerge, making the world wide web a truly global community of readers, writers, editors, and publishers. So what trends are evolving in our new world of literature? What kinds of stuff do the modern readers want to read and contemporary writers want to write? Is there some common point(s) that characterizes the 21st century literature? This is the topic we are going to discuss in our next issue of The Audience Review. Please send your opinion on the topic What Kind of Literature Do We Need in the 21st Century?

The opinion should be brief (up to 300 words) and should be sent via e-mail to dempsey87@gmail.com or vianna_renaud@yahoo.com. Please include the following information with your opinion.


Name:

Age:

Sex:

Profession:

Location (City and Country):

Looking forward to receiving your views,

Ernest Dempsey
Editor in Chief
The Audience Review
http://www.worldaudience.org/

Friday, January 23, 2009

INTERFAITH FREEDOM MARCH

Look around you and tell me what world you live in: one dominated by war or immersed in soothing peace? Given all the mayhem we witness through the media (and many a time directly all around us), the answer seems to be a world occupied by war. But there are people like Frank Romano who not only believe in peace but are also actively involved in precipitating peace in the world. Here is Frank's latest update on his peace efforts in the Arab-Isreal region.

INTERFAITH FREEDOM MARCH

The Interfaith Freedom March will take place on Feb. 23rd, 2009. The group which will set out at 10 am ---------- in front of Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, West Bank-------- to Rachel’s Tomb, near Bethlehem, West Bank.

The marchers will walk in the light of the creator, following the principles of non-violence and respect for all creatures which are common denominators among the Peoples of the Book (ahl al-kitab) who reside in the area, as it is written in their Holy Scriptures of the Qur’an, the Torah, the New Testament, and in other texts. Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sufis, Kabbalists, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists, etc., and members of all faith communities are welcome.

The truth is that residents of the area are ready for a durable peace, even those who were not ready a year or two ago. Similar to the situation in Ireland and other conflict areas, residents of the area have become fed up with, as well as exhausted and disgusted by the violence and truly seek peaceful coexistence.

As a result, many are laying down their arms, working on interfaith projects to take religion/spirituality out of the conflict and working within the political system to bring about change in a permanent, nonviolent way.

A purpose of this march is also to counter-balance the filtered and false information about the suffering of the people in the area, notably Palestinians and Israelis. Their suffering has become invisible in the face of narratives with no basis in reality and exaggerated reporting on incidents of violence and subsequent retaliation, often dominating the news and distracting the world from focusing on the day to day suffering of the residents in the area.

Moreover, removing all West Bank settlements would help in diffusing the tension accelerating since 1967.

As such, the occupation of the West Bank must end as a precursor to peaceful coexistence on the condition that adequate security measures are taken by both sides to preserve the peace.

Another purpose of this event is to facilitate working together of all active freedom/peace/human rights groups in the area and in the World. It is also dedicated to building on humanitarian efforts to improve the education of people in the area (cross-cultural dialogues, mixed student programs, etc.) and to improve the economic environment.

This event will set up a concerted and consistent effort in furtherance of freeing the area from the terrible bondage of continued conflict.

Let this march be a precursor to freedom through love and understanding by bringing all people together, as brothers and sisters and as children of the creator, showing the world that all people want peace in Israel and Palestine.




Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Call for Submissions on Mothering

I just got an update from the Association for Research on Mothering (ARM) on their extended deadline for receiving submissions on 'mothering'. The announcement is pasted below.

Wishes

Ernest Dempsey


CALL FOR PAPERS
In celebration of Mother’s Day,


The Association for Research on Mothering (ARM) and MAMAPALOOZA are hosting a two-day conference!

"MOTHERS GONE MAD: MOTHERHOOD AND MADNESSOPPRESSION AND RESISTANCE"

Thursday, May 28 - Friday, May 29, 2009 in New York City, venue TBA

FEATURING A KEYNOTE ADDRESS


BY:PHYLLIS CHESLER




ANDPAULA CAPLAN, Ph.D.


“Who Decides If Mothers Are Crazy? From Freud’s Mother to Today’s”
We welcome submissions from scholars, students, activists, artists, community agencies, service providers, journalists, mothers and others who work or research in this area. Cross-cultural, historical, and comparative work is encouraged. We encourage a variety of types of submissions including academic papers from all disciplines, workshops, creative submissions, performances, storytelling, visual arts, and other alternative formats.

Topics can include (but are not limited to):
Motherhood, Art, and Madness; Histories of Maternal Resistance; Historical Perspectives on Madness and Motherhood; Mothers, Madness, and Medicine; Maternal Anger; Mother Blame; Maternal Guilt; Racial Oppression, and Motherhood; Motherhood and Mental Illness; Psychoanalysis and Motherhood; Cultural Representations of Murderous Mothers; Depression, and Domestic Violence; Politicizing Motherhood: Maternal Activism; Post Partum Depression; LGBT Mothers, Oppression, and Resistance; Mothering and Disability; Mothers who kill; Motherhood in the News; Resistant Motherhoods; Momism and Oppression; Mothers who Live on the Edge; Working Mothers and Society; Raising Activist Children; Menopausal Mothers; Mothering and Eating Disorders; Demonizing ‘Bad’ Mothers; Madness as Agency and Resistance; Infanticide; Matricide; Grief, Bereavement and Loss; ‘Good’ Mothers versus ‘Bad’ Mothers, Medicalization of Maternity; Incarcerated Mothers; Mothers and Addiction; Psychology, Psychiatry and Mothers; Healing and Recovery; Feminist Mothering


EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS – February 3, 2009


*Please email 250 word presentation abstract and 50 word bio to http://us.mc568.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=arm@yorku.ca
MAMAPALOOZA Inc. connecting Mothers through Music, Art, Activism and Education for Cultural, Economic & Social awareness. MOMS ROCK!


Mamapalooza serves as a resource for mothers seeking support, awareness and education in the arts, entrepreneurship and areas of mental and physical health. We are a cultural and social service hub, fostering talent, and providing a network for professional advancement, creative fulfillment, and financial education, encouraging well-being for women and families. Founded in 1998 the Association for Research on Mothering (ARM) is the first and still only international feminist research devoted specifically to the topic of mothering-motherhood. Our mandate is to provide a forum for the discussion and dissemination of research on motherhood and to establish a community of individuals and institutions working and researching in the area of mothering and motherhood. ARM houses the Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering, Demeter Press, and the feminist mothers group MOTHER OUTLAWS.


Association for Research on Mothering (ARM)


Demeter Press 726 Atkinson, York University4700 Keele StreetToronto, ON,Canada, M3J 1P3
416-736-2100 x60366
(fax) 416-736-5766

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

New Year Bragging


Clocks are ticking and hearts following their rhythm – we are in 2009 now. Let me wish everyone a very Happy New Year on behalf of World Audience Publishers. Was 2008 a special year for you? If so, what was especially special about it? Here is what I found in the year that just departed in the irretrievable train of time.

This year (and I mean 2008, of course) I took over as the chief editor of The Audience Review – a dream coming true, as I may put it tritely – and had some of the most remarkable interviews with scientists like Dr. Niall McLaren, Dr. Uner Tan, Dr. Robin Kelly, Dr. Rodger Murphree, and Dr. Rachel Herz. A number of other great conversations with novelists, poets, and writers of nonfiction filled my time with the greatest conceivable joy. My second poetry book Two Candles was published by Matt Ward’s My Lucky Guitar Press. All this journey in the writing life gave me enough reason to brag the way I am doing in these lines – a pleasure apart!

But that is certainly not all. In the form of a new online news channel Instablogs, where I am now the country editor for Pakistan, I started a part-time career as a citizen journalist. The supervising team of Instablogs comprises a group of very talented and well-educated people, mainly from Shimla (northern side of India), who are doing some really exciting work in a kind of interactive online journalism from all parts of the world. My experience of citizen journalism is rich and rewarding at this community; and it reminds me to tell you that anyone can be a part of our community. All you need is just register at the site (for free) and share your views with the world; and if you have a story to tell, you may find your voice in a video file watched by people from the entire world (made available at Youtube). Exciting, isn’t it?

For 2009, I have big big BIG plans. Victor Volkman’s Loving Healing Press is going to publish the first 12 issues of our newsletter Audience Buzz in book form. Also, World Audience is almost finished with editing my storybook The Blue Fairy and Other Stories, which is a collection of short stories on the theme ‘death’. So stay tuned! And that is only the beginning of the year. Hopefully(and I do mean it), I’ll finish my novel this year (now I mean 2009, of course) and start working on more ideas that inhabit the corners of my mind since antiquity!

With warm wishes in mild winter,

Ernest Dempsey

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

December Writing Contest at Litmocracy

Here is a writing contest call from Dave Scotese of Litmocracy. Hurry to enter and win a prize!

Ah, December, season of joy and giving, season of bells-a-ringing, of snow softly falling…
Ha! December! Season of mobs and trampling, season of prices-a-rising, of cold and shoveling!
Aren't you tired of warm and fuzzy Christmas stories? Litmocracy's contest for December is a tribute to the decline of real, heart-felt Season's Greetings. Get cynical, it's ok! Get it all out now, so you can enjoy a relaxed, fun, and warm holiday season. Let's make this interesting:

Special Tags + : Your story MUST INCLUDE a palm tree and a cowboy hat.
Special Tags - : Your story CANNOT INCLUDE reindeer, real Christmas trees (fake ones are allowed), or the man himself, Santa Claus (feel free to dress up uncle Jimmy in your story, but no reference to the REAL Santa).


Word Count: 2000 words (yes I'm generous, it IS the season of giving after all)

Please refer to the Litmocracy contest guidelines here

Post your December Satire contest entry here Good luck all!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Saving Poor Children

It is a shame that despite huamnity's access to other planets in the galaxy, we have millions of children on our very ownearth who are living in misery due to poverty. In response to my recent post about a poor Afghan girl being saved from a begging life by the Children Foundatiton, the customer service manager of the foundation sent me the following message. I think we agree with the coda: 'together, we can change the world.'

Ernest

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Dear Mr. Karim Khan,

Thank you very much for your kindness and support. Your article would cause a profound public awareness. I thought to share a little more in depth with you of who Child Foundation is and what we do.


Child Foundation is an international nonprofit organization that helps children in need to remain in school. As a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in special consultative status with the UN, ECOSOC. Child Foundation supports the 2015 Millennium Development Goals and is actively pursuing the following three goals:

· Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
· Achieve universal primary education
· Promote gender equality

Child Foundation believes that education and training are vital ingredients for enabling transformation and change to take place in a child’s life, especially when a family is experiencing dire poverty and has no available resources or support. By providing humanitarian relief and aid to underprivileged children, Child Foundation helps children to reach their full potential, eliminating child exploitation, such as boys entering the workforce prematurely, and girls being forced into early matrimony.


To keep you update, I will forward our monthly e-newsletter and welcome your feedback. Your readers can always visit: http://www.ChildFoundation.org or contact us between the hours of 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays.


I feel confident that together, we can change the world, .....one child at a time.

Best Regards,
Hossein Salehi
Outreach and Customer Service Manager
Child Foundation-Main Office
CF-Salehi@ChildFoundationUSA.org
Tel: 503-698-4084 • Fax: 503-297-1546
P.O. Box 463 • Portland, OR 97207
Please visit us at: www.childfoundation.org

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Happy Green 2009 Video Contest


Emerging online environment-friendly community Eco Green Projects is hosting a free video contest in collaboration with Sketch Firm, offering exciting prizes and invaluable publicity to participants. The contest aims at raising global awareness on eco-conscious lifestyle and the importance of eco-green projects.

Contest submissions should be made via web link (Youtube, MySpace Video, Google etc). Participants are required to send the following submission information via e-mail to livegreen@ecogreenprojects.com:

Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
E-mail:
Website:
MySpace Page (if applicable):

It is important to remember not to send the actual videos to the above e-mail address. The deadline for all submissions is January 31, 2009. Every participant will receive email confirmation of his/her submission within 24 hours of the submission. Selected winning entry will be notified by February 10, 2009. The winning entry will be awarded with a free customized MySpace layout, designed by Sketch Firm, valued at over $1000.

Any questions regarding the contest may be e-mailed to livegreen@ecogreenprojects.com.

Good luck!
Eco Green Projects
http://www.ecogreenprojects.com/

Friday, November 21, 2008

World Audience Publishers to Hold a Seminar for Authors


The World Audience Publishers, with over 100 titles and 2 print quarterlies on their credit, is going to hold a seminar on ‘How To Be A Successful And Wealthy Author’ in December 2008. The two-plus-hour seminar will tell authors how to market their books successfully online.


This two-hour-plus seminar will be led by Mike Strozier, a successful publisher and CEO of the World Audience Publishers of more than 100 books and by a writer, Jay P. Granat (PhD), who has made more than a million dollars through publishing books, CD’s, videos, audio cassettes and manuals. Mike Strozier will explain how publishing works today and what writers need to understand to be successful in this rapidly changing industry. He will also detail online marketing for writers.

Jay P. Granat, has written four books which were published by three different companies. He has successfully developed and marketed a dozen successful informational, self-help products and programs. Jay writes a weekly column for three newspapers and is a guest columnist for several web sites. He is the founder of stayinthezone, drjaygranat, and expandyourpractice.


The seminar will answer aspiring and emerging authors’ questions about writing and publishing as a business. The event is scheduled for Monday, Dec 8th, 2008, at 6 to 8 p.m. at 1060 Main St., Suite 307, River Edge, New Jersey. Participants will be able to join for a small fee of $150.
Information on the seminar is available with Mike and Dr. Granat.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Open Letter to Citizen Bush

I am an America citizen. I address you as a citizen that you will shortly become. As equals, you need to avoid me at all costs. I, however, am going to pursue you, and hound you until the day you die, and even beyond your grave, with my words.
The last 8 years have been the worst years that I have witnessed America suffer in my lifetime. Those years must be among the worst our nation has ever endured. This misery was brought about practically single-handedly by you, though many stood idly by, such as the newspaper press.

How can one person cause such havoc? You have the personality of a goat, or perhaps an ass. Simply witnessing your election in 2000 was uninspiring. You were not justly elected to become president of the United States. Our Supreme Court had to vote you into office by a vote of 5-4. You lost the popular vote. There was voting suppression, and tampering with ballots. The election of 2000 that brought you into office was a farce, and the world laughed at us for the first of many times to come in the next 8 years.

Once in office, you ignored your duties, much as I recall your father playing golf while I was working 23-hour-days, as a soldier in Germany preparing to go to war in Iraq during the Persian Gulf War. You were rarely at your desk and often on vacation. You moved the White House to your ranch in Crawford, Texas, a brazen act and the first of many of its kind. This act seemed to denote your style, too, one of defiance with the very office you hold. It is one thing to defy and challenge; it is quite another thing to defy your own position as leader. Action such as this demonstrates a certain bitter, deep-seated hatred of a personal nature. As a person, you have no humor or feeling or compassion for others. You also have a strange, false bravado, a machismo that is almost comical. As a physical presence, you have a sheepish, rather ugly appearance. You are not intimidating; yet, you insist that you are. Thus, you present a strange quality, part comical, part idiotic. To say you are ineloquent is to say the sky is blue. But, as with many of your actions, you take your failures to brave new lows; you turn a certain dialect into something that Americans have come to hate and despise, and even commiserate in shared misery. Initially, your inept style was something that you rejoiced in, to the pain of death of your countrymen, such as when you said, “Bring ‘em on” in the dialect that I speak of, about our brave soldiers fighting in Iraq. You comments caused the deaths of some of those soldiers, as a result of that stupid comment. Perhaps, you feel that by showing such a fearless lack of thinking others will respect the nature of the power that you wield.

Then came 9-11, and here was an event seemingly tailor-made for your rough personality. And, for a brief period, you seemed to think, act, and talk like a president. There have been numerous allegations of conspiracy around 9-11. Like all things, there is some truth to be found within. At the very least, by going on vacation as president, you were ill-equipped to handle this crisis and shocked by it. Had the last plane finished its mission, our nation would have been finished. But it did not and we survived, because we are a strong people. Surviving your legacy will make us even stronger. Your lack of leadership squandered the world’s good will toward America in 2001. You sent us to war in Afghanistan but have not achieved your mission to this day because the Taliban have returned, and our causalities are at all-time highs in that conflict. And the mastermind of 9-11 remains at large, as does many of his lieutenants. You often claim that we have killed or captured many of the enemy; but how many of them remain at large?

Then we went to war with Iraq. The reason we went to war was proven to be a lie. That lie was premeditated. We are fighting a premeditated, preemptive war based on a lie, in Iraq. And, we have been fighting it for 6 years. After the initial battles, which we won, you again showed your indecision. For all of your bravado, you can be a very indecisive man. As a result, Baghdad fell into chaos and there was widespread looting. The leaders and generals that you appointed were as inept as you are, and their bad decisions sealed our fate for what may be decades in that country. Many thousands American servicemen have now died in your premeditated, preemptive war based on a lie. Thousands died on 9-11, and you had a hand in their deaths. Your total of American dead will likely close in on tens of thousands before you leave office. These are deaths that you personally caused, by idiocy, negligence, and stupidity. And worst of all, you seem to remain proud of these dead. Like 9-11, to talk of conspiracies is often not wise; but still, if you are capable of killing Americans – many who died in the most heinous ways – surely you must have committed other acts upon Americans of which we have no knowledge. Perhaps we should learn your other crimes.

To create your war state, you changed our constitution and expanded the powers of the presidency to levels heretofore unseen. You also greatly increased the power of the vice-president, to a level not envisioned in the Constitution. Next, you began a systematic operation of torture against our enemies and opened Guantanamo Bay. Your plan of torture and rendition was eventually revealed. Amazingly, however, you persist in the righteousness of your acts in your plan. If I ever meet you in person, I will spit in your face and challenge you to torture me. I feel you are a coward to not take up my challenge.

There were other failures, almost too many to cover. Your actions, or the lack of them, devastated New Orleans, and again we were laughed at by the entire world. Your corrupt pardons of fellow criminals in your administration are noteworthy. You have done nothing for our economy, which is now in a violent spiral. You have not helped Americans with health care or fair wages or quality of living. You greatly expanded the military’s role in spying on Americans, whether legal or not. You oversaw the passage of legislation to restrict Americans’ rights.
All of these things are familiar to all Americans – almost to the man, woman and child, as if reciting a nursery rhyme chanted by Satan. And all of America hates you with a passion that burns brightly. We Americans truly, madly, and deeply despise you, in a way that I have never witnessed before against any politician. In fact, I have never seen any person hate another person the way that all Americans hate you, with a sense of personal hatred, seething animosity, pulsing with cruel delight. For myself, it’s your lack of recognition of your failures, and our hatred of you, that most get under my skin. It’s your admitted belief – professed to this day – that you will be proven right by history, that is truly regrettable. It’s a quality that your vice-president shares with you. You are not content with failure and the pain that you blindly inflict; you must perpetuate those things with all the established power that you have, for as long as humanly possible. To accomplish this, you rely greatly on words, at last. Words trouble you, and you do not speak clearly or accurately. The prepared argument that you deliver is offensive and arrogant. And we must endure your atrocious lies, which you deliver with a straight face – and even the occasional grimace and smirk (another quality you share with your near-death vice-president). For, to weaken in your argument would lead to your overthrow, because your argument is all you have, or have ever had. Thus, you create a sickening, shameful situation, without end.

I think it is a mistake to recognize your authority for another day. The American people think otherwise, and I must respect that decision. But there will be an end, because you are only human. You will soon be gone. And my words will follow you. You do not understand what it means to be an American. Your soul is poisoned, and the rot of it has infected the fabric of our great land. It is necessary to purge your great evil from our nation, so that we might become Americans again. The vastness of your failures is staggering. The sheer numbers of American deaths that you have caused for little to no gain is incomprehensible. When you are gone, we will praise God that you are gone. There will be an awesome silence at your departure, as if Lucifer had just exited the room. The evil housed in your soul is unimaginable, unfathomable. The feats that you are capable of lie beyond understanding. I, personally, wish you no harm. I, for one, forgive you. But you are no American. You have lessened my country. You have hurt and killed my fellow citizens, on account of your black, unyielding, psychological vendettas. America is a diminished land because of your actions, greatly diminished. No action that you have taken at home or abroad, in war or peace, will reverse that, despite your continuing arguments to the contrary.

In closing, I urge you to consider the hopelessness of your fate. Think, even if it is too late for that. But for the grace of God do we comprehend our sins, and the evil that is housed in your soul. Attempt to reconcile with your failures in your last months in office. There is nothing more that can be done than that. Consider humanity, though you will never grasp it. Feel for Americans, though you are not an American. Try to love your country, America, even if you hate it and wish death and destruction upon it.


M. Stefan Strozier
(A True American)

Monday, September 15, 2008

On Food Safety

Recently I happened to exchange bit of correspondence about food safety with Janice who is developing a website http://farmcommunities.com/ on green living and eco-friendly communities. Having recently witnesses a case of food poisoning in our university, I felt intrigued about sharing my correspondence with readers (after having Janice’s permission for it).

Janice: I wish more people would take the time to understand what they areconsuming. It's especially alarming here in the United States. The majority preferring the quick and cheap over quality and nature.

Me: Well, just last week I took my friend and colleague Asher to see a doctor in the nearby hospital. Asher was having diarrhea with blood in it. He told me he had taken his supper at the hostel mess (his wife not being home to cook for him) and it left him listless with motions. Later, I learnt from the canteen’s waiter that many people had suffered that problem since three dishes (two of them made of meat and one of red beans) were unclean. He told me that at the mess, it is common practice for the waiters and cooks to mix the leftover with fresh dishes of the same kind and serve them again, without freezing or boiling. Just imagine what we are eating here. Since that day, I always go out to eat. But who knows what I am eating there too?

Janice: Wow! Mixing old food with fresh food! I bet that happens more often thanwe think. I'm sure we are all exposed to unsanitary food throughout ourlives and in some ways it helps develop immunities but it just seems things are deteriorating all around. Becoming vegetarian was one of the best decisions of my life. I rarely eat out anymore as well. I don't even trust the local food market for any freshfruits and vegetables. I only purchase from an organic market and even thenI wonder if things are as they seem. Businesses are so consumed with the bottom line they will sacrifice us allfor their benefit. I read a disturbing story about a Chinese baby formulamaker that admitted to adding toxins to the baby formula in order toachieve higher nutrient gradings on the formula. A lot of children in China have died recently because of it. Too many souls have fallen dark to the mighty profit margin.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Farm Communities: Poll on Environmental Issues

As the consciousness to conserving and ameliorating our environment grows, new green websites are appearing online with purposeful material about environment-friendly lifestyle. More recently, a new website called Farm Communities has been born on the web, aiming at creating and improving general awareness about environment related issues, with special emphasis on establishing eco-friendly communities. The website is expecting to grow into an interactive venue for people who want to learn about ecological issues, green living, and communities themed around green living. This growing site is now inviting people from all walks of life to express their opinion on what environmental issue is the biggest concern for them. The poll allows one to opt for one among 6 burning issues in environmental consciousness. You may visit http://farmcommunities.com/ and opt for the issue that concerns you most. Statistics obtained so far are displayed instantly after you vote. So rush to the site and poll your vote!

Ernest Dempsey

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Which Animal to Become?


Hi Folk!

Okay, I thought of posting the result of that poll on the question of what animal would you choose to become, if given a chance. I did not receive many responses but that is of course not a grievance. Life is busy for all of us and many of you are still away from your computer systems. So the poll statistics are pasted below. Click on the image to see the graphic representation of the poll result.

Total Responses Received: 30

Flying Bird: 8
Dogs/Wolf: 5
Predator Cats (Lion, Cheetah, Panther): 3
Mink/Raccoon: 2
Tortoise/Turtle: 2
Miscellaneous: 9

You can clearly see that, from the responses that arrived, flying birds are the most inspiring animals – at least to the people I know. This is a pleasant thing to look at since my own vote was for this category. Being a dog lover, it was really tough to choose between ‘dog’ and ‘flying bird’ but then the freedom aspect of flight took over and I joined the flock.

As for the categories, I grouped the closely matching animals together. Some of you may frown over this but I think I’ll excuse myself with the explanation that generalizing is the best way create meaning without spending dozens of hours over a matter. Let’s hope your personal definitions of animals don’t radically disagree with mine. Among the ‘miscellaneous’ category, each person named a different animal. Here is the list: Panda, Squirrel, Monkey, Amoeba, Goat (a black one), Flightless Bird (Penguin), Fish (Orca Whale), and Rabbit.

Finally, I got this response to the poll question from my brother Shais (he’s an MA in Philosophy): ‘Hello Bro! Man is, from the beginning, a social animal. So I am not ready to become an animal twice!’

Have a nice time,

Ernest Dempsey

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Adieu Mon Ami!

7: 24 pm
Friday August 29, 2008

This morning I felt very good because I restarted writing my novel last night, after a hiatus of about 4 years. What a feeling it was! Writing again the book of my dreams! It filled me with such ebullient energy that sleep deprivation due to power crisis lost to the comfort of my creative spirit. When my friend Zahid came up to visit me at about 10: 30 this morning, I instantly started cheering him up, thinking how very low-spirited he looked. Of course, it was me who was high on my sudden revival of that fiery passion for completing my very own novel. Taking him to have a cold drink at the fast food point nearby, I started to chat with him about what he’d do after he immigrates to Australia. Then came this disastrous news, striking me dumb. One of the waiters at the restaurant said, ‘the dogs roaming in campus were just poisoned by the municipal team.’ It was lightning that struck me. Poisoned! I looked at that young frisky pup that was about to grow into a healthy dog in some months, the one who visited the students sitting in the restaurant’s lawn, one by one; and trusted them as friends. He had no name but only an abstract impression of being a friend; a friend of all he saw there. How innocent and trusting he was, going from one group of people at a table to another, expecting food and a show of love. I don’t know how many people welcomed him, except that I loved him and shared a little of my food with him; stroked him gently on his back and silently assured him that there was one person who did not see him as a filthy little thing whose life didn’t matter. And he had started knowing me as a friend; coming to me from a distance, leaping over my chair in play. And there he was, right in front of my eyes, poisoned!

‘Was he poisoned too?’ I asked the waiter out of my darkness, struggling for my voice.

‘Yes, in minced meat,’ he said. ‘The older dogs sometimes survive the poison but the younger ones die soon.’

So my friend was going to die and I could not do anything. No even express my gear and anger, even in the most benign way. What cruelty! Where am I living? A culture that is so perverted, so nasty, so horribly ugly that an innocent creature is poisoned but the hands that shed the blood of thousands is adorned with gold and bank accounts full of money. I could not rush my friend to a doctor, not anywhere, since there is no facility for saving animals, except for those that meet the wicked demands of food and accessories for their human owners. Even they get slain when they are considered useless. But more horrible and shameful is my culture’s covert abandonment of concern for animals; killing the very spirit to help them when they are in pain; killing the friendliness in us. What a shame!

I didn’t get my lunch. Everything, everyone, felt so ugly; so inhuman and unbearable. All I kept thinking was just wishing my friend to somehow survive this cruelty. But I knew he wouldn’t. I rushed to my hostel room and cried myself out on my bed. It left me exhausted and I slipped into deep sleep.

In the evening, I came back to my office, feeling empty as a drum. I looked about the place where my friend used to walk, sit, and lie down. The place was empty, as empty as myself of my spirit. As usual, I went to take the evening tea in the restaurant and my horrible nightmare was true; he wasn’t there. My heart is wrenching as I write these lines. How can I stop this madness? How can I save life from what has become the greatest threat to it: humans? I feel so helpless, insignificant, and world weary that I think of my late uncle’s suicide as perfectly justified. However, I don’t have the guts to follow the same route. I would rather save myself and shamelessly live on by penning down my anguish and sharing with people who understand.

‘You are most probably gone my friend; killed mercilessly by creatures who are more powerful and much more cunning and wicked than your species can ever become. I am so sorry I couldn’t save you! I read somewhere that consciousness survives physical death. If you can hear me, please don’t exclude me from your list of friends. Thin of me as a dog, an innocent creature who won’t hurt you. I am not human; I am not one of these filthy things. Trust me my friend, just as you trusted me here. I don’t know how long will you live in my memories but perhaps these words will keep you alive to me. And yes, one more thing. I’ll light a candle for you tonight. Just once! Goodbye my friend!’

In humble shame and grief,

Yours,

Ernest Dempsey