By the application of nanotechnology, scientists can possibly increase the efficiency of this "green tech" solution to our fossil fuel dependency.
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The Tuskegee Airman experiment was supposed to fail. It was the pseudo-science of Eugenics as practiced by the military: blacks were not seen as "smart enough" to pilot high performance aircraft in combat. Just as blacks were not seen as "smart enough" to quarterback for an NFL team before Doug Williams.
Whether you support President Obama or Juan Williams, the issue is the same: they, being black aren't "smart enough" to govern a country or ask a presidential candidate a question regarding relating to a black electorate. As of December 2011, the economy is not "great," but it is better than it was:
Red Tails mustbe supported because it is not fiction, it is ignored history that supports a preconceived bias for a certain segment that needs our debasement for their own elevation.
That is why black speculative fiction must be written, purchased, supported. We can - to paraphrase Karl Rove - "create our own realities," not in support of dreamed empires, but in support of our, and our children's esteem.
ABC News: Red Tails movie honors Tuskegee Airmen
Washington Post: Luke Weathers Jr., Tuskegee airman, buried at Arlington as ‘Red Tails’ movie released
WHODATHUNKIT? Call me "human guinea pig."
Khamun Cross was born to do one thing and that was to watch Sanna Steele, a woman so unique and special he would risk his all to have her. So what, that in his job of watching her, he happens to prowl the streets, hunting the very things that go bump in the night. Even monsters or everyday looking people that steal humans’ souls become Khamun’s victims, and he brings with him a power, a vampirism, that would send one straight to the dark.
Khamun craves the darkness in his victims as if it were his own personal dinner, but not as much as he craves the very woman he has been ordained to watch over as her Guardian Angel. Sanna Steele is just your average twenty-seven year old, with your everyday hopes, dreams and insecurities. She is clueless about the war that is secretly raging around her in the streets of St. Louis. A war she will soon become a part of. But what is so special about Sanna that the very things that go bump in the night, seeks to snatch her from her very existence in life?
This story by me, Kai Leakes delivers a classic tale of good versus evil in this supernatural thriller. ~COMING JULY 2012
Seriously, with nano-enhanced technology, scientists are hoping to enhance hearing on the nano-lengh scales. Beyond "Who-ville" it would be cool to listen to what an atom "sounds like."
She was waiting for him to do something, but he had no idea what that something was. Unable to focus, Talib closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, like his mother showed him when they used to practice yoga together. He exhaled, grounding his thoughts on the cycle of breath and loosening his body. The day's surprises had manifested in tension in his chest. Lifting his shoulders up to his ears, Talib held them there until he exhaled again. Sene began to sing in a hushed tone. Though, Talib couldn't decipher the words, her low voice calmed his nervous energy. He thought it was a chill passing through, but found himself vibrating from his feet up to his head. Keeping his eyes closed in spite of himself, Talib found that he was beginning to understood Sene's song. And he felt his head pulsate. It reminded him of a headache, only, it was soothing—almost blissful. His eyes shot open. Sene was still singing with hers closed. Talib focused his energy in her direction.
I chose to come here, didn't I? But I forgot what I was supposed to do.
Sene looked at him, smiling. “Yes, Amma sent me through the bummo to remind you.”
“The what?”
“The bummo.” Sene crossed her hands, studying them intently at them as she attempted to form two carrots with them. She cast a bird shadow across the room, explaining, “It's a sort of bridge between our dimensions.” Trying again, “Amma dug a hole and anchored it. He planted me in it, but I had to find my way to the other side. To you.”
“And this Amma person, is he a physicist?”
“ He is the eldest spirit among us. I think you'd call him a god here.”
Skeptical, Talib seemed to distance himself from the idea.
“Not the way humans understand it. He taught us how to turn thought into matter and gave his powers away, save for one. Amma's sole duty, now, is to lead the dead spirits home.”
Talib opened his mouth to speak, but waited for his mouth to catch up with his mind. “How long have I been here, Sene?”
“It doesn't matter. Time is action. The potential of activity is future, the summation is past, and now is upon us. We must move.”
Lizards and robotics: WHODATHUNKIT?
On the national celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, you put out the political dog whistle to a South Carolina audience that “blacks should want jobs, not food stamps,” and calling our nation’s first African American president the “food stamp president.” You also disrespected the moderator – Juan Williams – by calling him by his first name (almost like calling him “boy”), when he called you by your former title of “Speaker.” I wonder if you’d been so bold if Herman Cain were still in the race?
On my blog post September 16, 2010, I wrote about poverty, particularly those that had been driven into poverty due to the recession.
One of those people…was me.
I also posted an article from Black Voices regarding the extreme effort college-educated African Americans were putting forth to get jobs with not as demonstrative success as the rest of the country.
That was also…me.
I have a degree in Engineering Physics from North Carolina A and T State University. I worked in a warehouse at UPS with that degree, slinging boxes between the hours of 3 – 9 AM, Monday – Friday making $6.52/hour. Do the math…
And yes, Mr. Gingrich, I went on food stamps…, with a degree in Physics.
I wrote a blog that became a book that described my angst, my self-doubt, my hurt pride, my desire to provide for my family in the manner I’d trained myself in the sciences to provide.
I now work in New York back in the industry I’d left eight years ago, making an income that allows me to provide for that same family…honorably. That was not a government program, sir: that was the Grace of God.
You cannot logically paint a broad brush on any one group’s desire over another to remain on food stamps – your data and political dog whistle is quite inaccurate: “Despite significantly higher participation rates for Blacks and persons of Hispanic origin, 65 percent of all participants were White.” (Census.gov)
I am not running for president, I am the “We the People” you’re running in the GOP primaries to qualify to govern.
Your behavior in this primary process is an abomination to the political process the Founding Fathers – you say you revere – established.
The day after celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. your crass, unprofessional comments demean the station you supposedly “occupy.” Perhaps after your bath, may I suggest soap applied to the orifice in front of the oval called your face? Please be suitably aggressive in application.
I don’t debate, but I do vote! If you were to get the nomination by some stretch of a miracle, you won’t be getting mine.
Got another cool idea today while trying to think up something for an anthology. Much too involved for what they're looking for (sorry, Matt) and I'll just have to go it alone. But it's much too hot an idea--at least to me--for me to idle on it. I have to get it down now before it cools. Any writer worth his salt will tell you a cooled idea is as good as dead. Can't tell you too much, but it's call It's Dead and it approaches zombies in a very unique way.
Using a Star Wars metaphor to talk about Dark Matter.
Available on Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble as ebooks, and with new cover art soon to re-release as a paperback...check it out! Fans of Margaret Atwood or Octavia Butler might like First Cause. Description and links are below.
From Smashwords:
Ebook Short Description
Journalist Adam Grey has just woken up in the hospital, a week after the world was thrown into chaos by a battery of explosions. A woman named Angela, whom he recently met, might have something to do with the attacks. As the truth emerges, it will challenge their conventional assumptions about what it means to be human.
Extended Description
The world is in chaos from a two-day battery of explosions in many of its major cities.
A week after the explosions, journalist Adam Grey wakes up in the hospital. He pieces together the events leading to his injury, involving a woman named Angela.
Senator Cyrus Reardon has been appointed the new President of the United States' decimated government. A politician who isn't generally fond of his peers, he's faced with leading a discordant provisional Cabinet, addressing the nation's growing panic, and trying to separate fact from fiction.
Confronted with the truth behind the attacks, they--along with the world at large--are forced to reconsider conventional assumptions about human nature and possibility.
First Cause on Amazon's Kindle
The State Of Black Science Fiction
Day 1
I believe that Black Science Fiction as a genre is in its infancy.
Historically as a rule, black involvement is science fiction has been that of secondary support roles or those that do not show us in a positive light. There have a few exceptions to that rule. To counter that, Blacks have been slowly infiltrating the science fiction genre. One way has been to create our own media that portrays us in a positive light. This black science fiction genre continues to grow and spread.
It is not enough to simple be included but audiences are demanding that we play center stage in the realm of science fiction. This demand is not limited to acting but behind the scenes in such areas as development, writing, as well as ownership.
It has not been widely publicized but truly great things going on in a close knit independent underground culture of black sci-fi. There has recently been a boom in independent black science fiction related conventions, sites, magazines, books, movies, shows, animation movies and yes even toys.
There continues to be a wealth of talent in all areas of black science fiction. The challenges faced however include, financing, marketing, promotions, distribution and support to make the gains sustainable. There are great things to come. As time passes solutions to the challenges will be minimized and those involved will gain greater audiences and recognition which in turn will help the genre grow and flourish.
Jarvis Sheffield, M.Ed
Administrator
www.BlackScienceFictionSociety.com
Check out the other members of this Online Black History Month Event:
L. M. Davis, Author--began her love affair with fantasy in the second grade. Her first novel, Interlopers: A Shifters Novel, was released in 2010, and the follow-up Posers: A Shifters Novel will be released this spring. For more information visit her blog http://shiftersseries.wordpress.com/ or her website www.shiftersnovelseries.com.
Milton Davis, Author – Milton Davis is owner/publisher of MVmedia, LLC . As an author he specializes in science fiction and fantasy and is the author of Meji Book One, Meji Book Two and Changa’s Safari. Visit him: www.mvmediaatl.com and http://www.mvmediaatl.com/Wagadu/
Margaret Fieland, Author-- lives and writes in the suburbs west of Boston, MA with her partner and five dogs. She is one of the Poetic Muselings. Their poetry anthology, Lifelines http://tinyurl.com/LifelinesPoetry/ is available from Amazon.com Her book, "Relocated," will be available from MuseItUp Publishing in July, 2012. The Angry Little Boy," will be published by 4RV publishing in early 2013. You may visit her website, http://www.margaretfieland.com.
Valjeanne Jeffers, Author -- is an editor and the author of the SF/fantasy novels: Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend and Immortal III: Stealer of Souls. Her fourth and fifth novels: Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds and The Switch: Clockwork will be released this spring. Visit her at: http://valjeanne.wordpress.com and http://qandvaffordableediting.blogspot.com/
Alicia McCalla, Author- writes for both young adults and adults with her brand of multicultural science fiction, urban fantasy, and futurism. Her debut novel, Breaking Free will be available February 1, 2012. The Breaking Free theme song created by Asante McCalla is available for immediate download on itunes and Amazon. Visit her at: http://www.aliciamccalla.com
Carole McDonnell, Author--She writes Christian, speculative fiction, and multicultural stories. Her first novel is Wind Follower. Her short fiction has appeared in many anthologies and have been collected in an ebook, Spirit Fruit: Collected Speculative Fiction. Visit Carole: http://carolemcdonnell.blogspot.com/ or http://writersofcolorblogtour.blogspot.com/
Rasheedah Phillips,Author--is the creator of The AfroFuturist Affair in Philly. She plans to debut her first spec/sci-fic novel Recurrence Plot in Spring 2012. You may catch her ruminating from time to time on her blog, AstroMythoLosophy.com.
Nicole Sconiers, Author-is also a screenwriter living in the sunny jungle of L.A. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles, and she recently published Escape from Beckyville: Tales of Race, Hair and Rage. Visit her: http://nicolesconiers.com/index.html
Jarvis Sheffield, M.Ed. is owner & operator of TheDigitalBrothers.com, BlackScienceFictionSociety.com & BlackCommunityEntertainment.com. Visit him: http://www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com/profiles/blog/list?user=2stjwb1h216fd
"Welcome to Suffering Shack, if we didn't beat it, you shouldn't eat it. Can I take your order, tonight?"
"Um, we're new in town and heard from a friend about the food here and wanted to know if we could get an order of your cuisine, to go."
"Certainly, sir, thank your friend for us. What would you like to order?"
"We have heard about your beef burgers and their particularly excellent "fear factor" flavoring. Can you tell us more about it?"
"Absolutely, which one are you looking at? We have the Fear Factor Special, with enhanced horn removal torture, or would you prefer the Bolt Gun Special, where the animal is shot clearly through the skull but not killed immediately. The fear in that burger is absolutely palpable, so I am told."
"Do both of these come with the Dangling from the Hooves, Blood Sauce?"
"Of course, made from the bleeding out of the animal as it hangs and expires. The fear rich blood is captured and processed with all natural ingredients."
"Is it true the animals are sent directly while still living into the meat grinder?"
"Of course, sir. At Suffering Shack we pride ourselves on the flavor of our factory grown beef. We use the best antibiotics, lowest quality feed grain, often enhanced with the entrails of animals from earlier in the week."
"Do you still provide the milk cows for the children's meals? The ones with the reduced lifespan who have never been exposed to fresh air?"
"Yes, ma'am, our children's burgers are made from the finest milk cows, whose lives have been shortened by the extreme schedule of extracting milk from them, feeding them corn instead of grass, and with a hole in the side we can reach inside them to ensure they are properly secured from bacteria until the moment of their early and untimely death. We take up to sixteen years from these animals lifespan and give it to you in your Children's Special Meal."
"Father, do they have anything besides beef?"
"I'm certain they do. Young lady, do you serve fish at Suffering Shack?"
"Yes sir. Our best seller is called the Last Fish Filet, made from the last fish able to be hunted near into extinction. Using giant trawler fleets, we scour the oceans for the last of the fish of the oceans and turn them into the Last Fish Filet. Made from a variety of white fish meat processed right at sea onboard our factory ships. For flavor, we add a variety of dolphin and porpoises that are caught in the nets as well."
"Dolphins? Doesn't that taint the overall flavor of the fish?"
"No, at Suffering Shack, its the suffering that adds the flavor. We include a percentage of whole dolphin in each catch, asphyxiating right on the deck of those ships, and then slid as they are expiring into the fish preparation center. Then that suffering is flash frozen and prepped at our breading factories and shipped directly to Suffering Shacks worldwide. Guaranteed to have at least twenty percent dolphin in each patty."
"Aren't dolphins considered intelligent?"
"No, young sir, since the Fishing Accords of 2033, no animal living in the oceans is considered sentient or intelligent allowing us to continue to fish at the levels we do today without interference from groups like GreenPeace or PETA."
"I am very hungry today, young lady, I would like to sampler your Whaler's Surprise."
"I am sorry to report sir, that menu item was discontinued just today. Let me clear that from the menu. We have unfortunately hunted killer whales to extinction and can no longer provide that as a choice on the menu."
"I was so looking forward to that. Do you have any other whales you can offer instead?"
"Please wait a second while I check the whale meat rosters. Ah yes, we have some Blue Whale, that can be shipped via orbital drop in less than fifteen minutes. It's very rare, and will have a surcharge for the suborbital delivery."
"I want the best, it was killed by harpoon, the old fashioned way, yes?"
"Yes, sir, I have read the manifest and this whale was killed in the classic methods. The manifest said it was hunted for two weeks and had several near misses before its eventual capture. It would have appeared to put up quite a struggle."
"Excellent, I will pay whatever it costs. We are sparing no expense for our anniversary. Two hundred years of happy marriage. Speaking of which, what would you like to order, my dear?"
"I am interested in trying the veal. I hear after plucking it from its mother's womb, it is suspended never touching the ground to keep it tender. It has never been exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the sun, enhancing its disorientation. I understand from the literature, they are fed but the diet is designed to keep them supple and delectable. It's rumored to not be the best for their development, rumored mostly to keep them alive but in a state of perpetual hunger. It sounds so exquisite."
"Yes, ma'am, we do have several veal choices on the menu, The Sun Never Rises Veal Patties, or the new Never Walked a Day grilled variety, unbreaded for the flavor of pure misery."
"I will have the Never Walked a Day. Don't like that breading they use on the patties."
"Will there be anything else, sir?"
"Yes, my older son and daughter have made their choices. My son is interested in hearing more about the "Candy of Meats" specials."
"Certainly. The "Candy of Meats" is our pork line of products. It is one of Suffering Shack's signature products. We take the greatest care in our factory production of pork, keeping it in the tightest of quarters of any of our food products. Their diet, literally anything we can find, mostly genetically-engineered bio-fodder along with hormones, is crafted to cause them the fastest and most uncomfortable growth possible. Some become so massive they cannot walk and are dragged to their processing facility."
"That seems as if it might cause a bit of flavoring, young lady but we are connoisseurs of suffering, this sounds as if it could only give nutrition to the smallest of my children."
"Not to worry, sir, our processing includes the dipping of the animal into vats of boiling water to sear away the upper layers of skin and hair to make the processing easier. They are alive during this process and it should be excruciating as the upper layers of the skin are sloughed off after dipping. Immediately afterward, they are bled and their organs removed, often while they are still alive due to the need to keep up with the demand, hence the name, the Candy of Meats."
"That sounds much better, young lady, I want only the best for my children. What is this tiny disclaimer I see flashing beneath all of the Candy of Meat products?"
"Oh, that. Ma'am that is a notation indicating our farms occasionally produce a variety of dangerous pathogens which may escape into the ecosystem of surrounding communities. The list includes e. coli and listeria, which are especially dangerous to Humans, Fogro and Maledictons. The meat may also contain a variety of said pathogens in dangerous densities, so we recommend those communities avoid the Candy of Meat products as a safety precaution."
"Nothing to worry about, my dear, those pathogens are a flavor enhancer to us, so Junior can eat as much as he can carry. Give us one of every product on the Candy of Meat line, my son is a growing boy."
"Do you have anything, that hasn't suffered unduly?"
"Please forgive my daughter, she is a Sufferingarian. She is trying to reduce the suffering of food in her diet. We hope it's just a phase."
"Yes, miss. Suffering Shack prides itself on catering to the growing Sufferingarian Movement and have a line of Kosher products from our facilities in Canada, Turkey, and New Africa. In the U.S. we are a Suffering Community and proud of it. In our Kosher lines, we have our "Gently Managed" product lines. Animals are raised in communities where they are allowed to move, breath and see the sun. They are each given handlers who make every effort to ensure as little difficulty in their lives as possible until they are prepared in their Kosher facilities. We also use organic wheat, corn and grains instead of our standard "Franken-food" engineered plants in all of our Gently Managed lines. We are certain your daughter will receive an absolutely minimum dosage of misery, pain or suffering in her food. Our Misery Free Brand, is completely vegetarian but absolutely the most expensive product line as everything is hand-raised, no chemicals are used and live insects are allowed free reign as pesticide use are absolutely forbidden."
"Oh Daddy, that sounds absolutely perfect. Can I have anything off of the Misery Free Label?"
"But Honey, how will you learn to be a terrible overlord of an entire world if you have a misery-free diet. Remember, you are what you eat?"
"Let the child be. If she wants to live misery-free, we should embrace her choices. Besides, we know you always planned to leave the planet to Junior anyway."
"This is true. With so much suffering made illegal in the galactic empire, its getting so a tyrant can't even torture his own food anymore. Young lady, do you have our order?"
"Yes, sir, your whale has arrived and will be prepared to your satisfaction. The rest of your orders will come with sides of Freedom Fries, made by hand in factories in outsource nations that still use human child labor, the younger the better, genetically-enhanced salad greens enhanced with fish and tiger genes, harvested before species became extinct for hardiness and enhanced flavors. Your order will be twelve thousand American dollars. We accept Intergalactic Express, Indentured Servants Exchange, let me check, your meal would require three sentients for at least four years and two thousand hours of work. We do not accept Galactic Credits as the exchange rates vary too much for real-time purchases."
"Do you accept gold?"
"Yes, sir, gold is still an acceptable currency. We would find Linimiran Bars to be acceptable. In keeping with our standards and company policies. Suffering Shack prides itself in only accepting currencies harvested under slave labor with a toll of no less than twenty lives per ounce."
"Very good, young lady. Your service has been exemplary. You represent your company well. Do you enjoy the food served in your restaurant?"
"In keeping with company policy, we are forbidden to eat anything else, except with medical dispensation. I am currently under a doctor's care so I am exempt."
"I notice you don't serve chicken on your menu any longer. Can you tell me why?"
"Sir, Suffering Shack has standards. With the things they do to chickens in factory farms, even we have to draw the line somewhere."
Suffering Shack © Thaddeus Howze 2012. All Rights Reserved
A lot of things were suggested in Star Trek that have become reality - sliding doors in department stores, I-Pads, cell phones, teleportation and now Magnetic Memory.
Missed my sexy flash tale? Swing on by and check it out. Warning, it’s a hot one. ;o) (For Mature Eyes Only) http://yvonnenicolas.wordpress.com/category/flash-fiction-friday/
Explore the links: Doc was a "Trekkie," and the embed at the Trekkie link is a speech never quoted in the media. His courage and sacrifice allowed us all to "live long, and prosper." I was a freshman at NC A&T State University when this song dropped:
Something to Brighten Your Day: Nuff said. Grins and giggles, and you might learn some Calculus out of the deal.
Theory: it's a word that's confused with uninvestigated opinion, so politically if one doesn't want to accept the implications of Evolution or Global Warming, "theory" is supposed to disqualify any further discussions.
From Wikipedia:
"Social Darwinism is a term commonly used for theories of society that emerged in England and the United States in the 1870s, seeking to apply the principles of Darwinian evolution to sociology and politics.[1] It especially refers to notions of struggle for existence being used to justify social policies which make no distinction between those able to support themselves and those unable to support themselves. The most prominent form of such views stressed competition between individuals in laissez-faire capitalism but it is also connected to the ideas of eugenics, scientific racism, imperialism,[2] fascism, Nazism and struggle between national or racial groups."
I get that, and chiefly as a member of a group that's been used on, identify with the concern. However, with global warming there will come a point where there's "no turning back" and no starships to Exodus us to the stars.
The Bible has also been twisted to justify slavery as well as a perpetual curse of servitude. Mainstream Mormonism has since repudiated the notion of lighter skin being a sign that you did something right in the pre-existence during the war in heaven, and dark skin, well...we were "neutral"; we did not pick sides, our skin a sign of "the curse" (Mormon eschatology). Before the 2008 presidential elections, a friend forwarded a photo from England of an American riding a Harley. On the back of his T-shirt, this statement: "N----r please! It's the WHITE HOUSE!"
Any dominate group that wants to remain dominant latches on to the most convienient theory that justifies their already set opinions of themselves. It is a pathology that self-esteem is only justified by another groups subjugation and misery.
Pythagoras would have a time today!
Neutrinos are known to exist, but no one at this time knows how much a "neutrino mass" is. They are similar to the electron, yet don't carry an electrical charge (i.e. "neutral").
I admit that I’m an art slut. If a stunning work of art is set before me, I’m instantly distracted. The same goes for erotic art. ^_^ Every now and then I come across a piece that inspires me to write a story. Swing by and check it out. Be warned, it’s erotic art that has explicit material. Enter with caution. http://yvonnenicolas.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/inspired-by-art-1-insatiable-xxx/
