http://www.shorpy.com/node/5867

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Coleman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_B._Wells

This is my favorite photo of her:



Man, I want a mug shot like that!

I stole this from a locked entry on my flist because it's too good to pass up!

'Stoned wallabies make crop circles'

And as noted before, the comments make the article even better.  Boy, some people just can't take news seriously.  Kind of reminds me of Amazon's Bic Pen.

After finishing Godzilla vs Mothra and getting my agent's notes back on the Angola Affair, I decided that I would set the Bee Book in 'present day' and try really hard not to commit to a year.

But I'm reading Blood of Brothers by Stephen Kinzer



and there is so much crazy stuff that happened in the country during the 70s and 80s.  (I haven't gotten much further than that in my research, but it seems things slowed down).  Bad for Nicaragua, a gold mine for me.  I mean, the country ran out of cans and boxes and had to resort to drinking juice out of plastic bags.  Come on!  How could I not find a way to use that?

Then I thought, well I could just up the POVs to three people, set one in the 70/80s and have their story conflict with the other two right at the climax in a way that would be both shattering and logical .... oh right, I'm trying to get away from that 3 person POV thing.  Nuts. 

Or maybe I could cut the character based off Thomas Edison and replace her with a disillusioned Sandinista ... ah, but I really liked that backstory and the whole conflict with the other protag.

What to do, what to do.

How could a book this cherry ever go out of print?



Clearly, this represents the start of the end for us.

for me, anyway.

A novel idea: The machine that can print off any book for you in minutes


 

Oh what I could do with a story set here!

Antarctic Oasis - A Haunting Journey

Four artists sail to an Antarctic island and find the remains of an abandoned whaling station. They bring back haunting pictures of a derelict industrial ghost town set against a spectacular landscape.

Was a teenager (14-18) during the Civil War.  He worked as a telegraph operator sending news back and forth.  I find it very interesting, then, that I can't find anything on his views of the war or slavery or race.

sub⋅duc⋅tion  /səbˈdʌkʃən/  [suhb-duhk-shuhn]  A geologic process in which one edge of one lithospheric plate is forced below the edge of another. The denser of the two plates sinks beneath the other. As it descends, the plate often generates seismic and volcanic activity (from melting and upward migration of magma) in the overriding plate. Compare obduction.

So there are four major companies in the US that still manufacture landmines:

1. General Electric
2. Alliant Techsystems
3. Lockheed Martin
4. Raytheon

Much as I like the idea of going after LM or Raytheon, I think I'll stick with ATK (just know,GE that I never buy your lightbulbs. Because you suck).


Here's why ATK -- they are the largest makers of AP mines (anti-personal, aka landmines). They also make cluster bombs* and DU munitions. And we all know my feelings toward DU. Since they also make critical componants for Minutemen III missiles, it stands to reason that my activist character would have run across/protested them at some point. Maybe even been arrested. Like these people:



At 8:00 this morning, eight anti-war protesters lay sprawled on their backs across the entry into Alliant Techsystems' Federal Cartridge in Anoka, their arms linked arms through PBC pipes reinforced with chicken-wire and black duct tape. A dozen of their cohorts stood nearby holding signs declaring, "Silence is Complicity" and "Fuck This $hit," with a cloth banner ("Stop the War Industry") thrown in for good measure.

I've noticed that authors like to carry themes over from novel to novel. Landmines would be mine.

Wiki tells me they operate in these states:

ATK Armament Systems

Currently the largest ammunition manufacturing entity in the world with operating facilities throughout the US.[1]

• Headquarters in Clearfield, UT
• Mesa, Arizona
• Oroville, California
• Lewiston, Idaho
• Richmond, Indiana
• Anoka, Minnesota
• Independence, Missouri
• Clearfield, Utah
• Radford, Virginia
• Onalaska, Wisconsin

ATK Missions Systems

• Headquarters in Baltimore, MD.

ATK Space Systems

Currently world's top producer of solid rocket propulsion systems.

• Headquarters in Magna, UT.

And here are some possible villain names: Current members of the board of directors of Alliant Techsystems are: Daniel Murphy, Frances Cook, Martin C. Faga, Ronald Fogleman, Cynthia L. Lesher, Douglas L. Maine, Roman Martinez, Mark H. Ronald, Michael T. Smith, and William Van Dyke.

Also, Global Secuirty, how dumb do you think I am? Non-Self-Destructing Anti-Personnel Landmine Alternatives

*Hey, did you know that cluster bombs cost between $14k and $40k to manufacture? Call me UnAmerican, but I would be down with dropping a few less of them and putting that money toward our schools and healthcare. 'Cause I'm a crazy radical like that.

And now, a song

omg, lava tubes and bats!  I have to work this into the story somehow.

Although Masaya remains technically active, presently Masaya emits a steady cloud of steam and gaseous fumes for which you need to wear protective gas masks. You are able to walk right up to the crater's edge. When Masaya's fumes are blown to the other side of the crater you can see the parrots that live in the crater's rim as they fly about inside the fumeous gases. At night you can look directly down into the crater's belly and observe the rich red lava far below. A nearby trail allows you to easily visit the ancient lava tube that runs below Masaya and observe the three kinds of bats that live there: Nectar Bats, Fruit Bats and Insect Bats.







... Masaya was the picture-perfect volcano, with a giant crater on the top and massive amounts of steam and poisonous gases bellowing out. Adding to the atmosphere created by the smoke, there is a giant cross near the crater which was placed there by Spanish Priests to exorcise demons from the volcano. I´m not sure whether it worked... At the summit of the volcano there was a beautiful view of Lago de Nicaragua and Lago de Managua, and of the smoking crater at sunset. We then went down to see a bat cave! ... there were Thousands of bats, and to be honest it´s a pretty intimidating setting. There are 16 lava tubes around Volcan Masaya, which actually used to be one big tube but these were separated over time. A lava tube is basically a cave which formed when gases hot through molten lava - the lava hardened around this vent, creating a cave. It was really neat to walk through. Volcan Masaya was the site of human sacrifices long ago by indigenous people in Nicaragua. Mostly virgin women and children were sacrificed (although the occasional warrior volunteered as well) to honor the Gods. Apparantly skeletons of these sacrifices have been found in some of the lava tubes... creepy! But also awesome!! Lastly we tried to see the lava in the crater below the smoke. To avoid getting poisoned by the fumes we wore gas masks. I did manage to see a faint glow of the lava, but it was difficult with all the smoke! Also I was tentative of leaning too far over the crater, didn´t want to become an accidental sacrifice.

lava roof






...Andrew got nicked by a bat, creating the joke (funny at the same): “What sound does a bat hitting Andrew make?” Answer: *sound of Andrew screaming like a girl*. (ok, so Andrew didn’t really scream like a girl, but its funnier that way).

We exited the lava tunnel, returned our hard hats and flashlights and got back in our van for our last stop of the night. We were issued gas masks, which our guide assured us were really not needed tonight. Then, by the light of his flashlight, he lead us through the dark to the edge of the crater, and, warning us not to get to close, let us all lean over the edge and view the glowing lava below.










 

...Our next stop was a small cave entrance where we watched hundreds of bats fly out in their daily evening quest for food.  I had seen this in Thailand as well but from a distance.  Now I was actually sitting in the mouth of the cave as the bats flew past me!  Very cool!

From there we went to a lava tube and walked 280 meters down the tube.  Lava tubes are formed when slow moving lava hardens on the outside edges as it cools.  After the hot lava has finished flowing, a hollow tube is left within the hardened lava. 

This tube had quite a few tree roots that had found a crack in the rock and were in search of water.  The wet cave was also beginning to develop stalactites but they were very small, only a few centimeters.  And of course it's a perfect home for bats.

The last stop of the evening now that it was good and dark, was the west edge of the crater...and I do mean edge!  There was no fence or safety railing.  This is the windward side of the crater so we were given gas masks which helped somewhat with the fumes but were my eyes burning! 



... the light was playing with the gasses and the clouds. At times it looked as though the sky was on fire. ...We got out and took a short walk to old lava tubes. They were very large. The first one he took us too was filled with bats and they everywhere. It was amazing. We would leave our lights off for a moment and they would begin swarming. Very quickly we would turn them back on in hope of capturing photos and videos. After a few minutes of this we walked to another lava tube and entered it.  There were bats there also but nowhere near as many due to all the tourists. The walls were speckled with different colors and reflective materials.  We walked in about a half mile and the tube stayed wide thoughout the whole tube. It did widen in some parts and some areas were big enough to build a house.

I don't know how I'm going to work a volcano into the book, but I am and it's going to be this one even though location-wise it's not convenient.

It's open every day from 9AM-5PM and the entry cost is $3.

 




 




 






Masaya Volcano Eruption (omg, this was the most excitement those people have ever seen!  From now on their stories will be, "I ever tell you about the time the volcano erupted?")




I stole this guy's writing from his website:  (but, dude, it's research! not plagiarism)

Volcano Masaya stands just over 1000 meters high and is easily accessible from the Interamericana highway, the main road that connects Grenada, Masaya, and Managua. I jumped on the expresso bus and asked the driver to drop me off at the Volcano park entrance, about 30 minutes outside of town. The expresso bus is the fast bus, and fast they go. They are drastically underpowered diesel buses that seat approximately 20 people, but somehow make room for 30, along with all the junk each passenger brings along. Once the bus gets up to speed they generally don't slow down for anything or anyone. So, they habitually blast the horn as they race past side streets, warning pedestrians that they are coming. So, if you hear a horn in Nicaragua, get the hell to the side of the road.

The hike to the top of the peak was incredible and provided stunning views of the lava flows, crater, and surrounding nature. Despite it being a 7 kilometer uphill battle, I enjoyed every minute of it. I proudly reached the summit in 1 hour and 46 minutes which included a short stop at the visitor museum which was entirely in Spanish. Obviously I didn't stay long there and hit the road quickly thereafter. The crater emits smoke, gases, and ash that would make any person nervous, including me. Nicaragua simply doesn't have safety standards to that of the U.S, so entering at your own risk took on an entirely new meaning. In fact one sign at the top instructs people to hide under their cars if rocks or lava shoot out of the crater. Sweet. Andrew aint got no car to hide under...just a backpack full of bananas and granola bars.
I was shocked by the rawness of the crater and the intense activity. I was able to walk right up to the side of the crater and look down into the scary, deep hole. If only I had a ring to throw inside and free the world of all evil.

Managua, Nicaragua November 1984 Managua, with an estimated population of over 1 million, is the capital of Nicaragua and is located on the Central American volcanic axis. Five large, water-filled calderas show the northwest-southeast alignment of this single range of volcanoes through the region. The single smoke plume seems to emanate from an unnamed fissure vent west of the water-filled Nindire Caldera and Masaya Caldera (the larger, roughly circular feature east of the smoke). A radial drainage pattern west of the smoke indicates forested slopes on the flanks of a much older volcano. Two water-filled calderas appear on the peninsula northwest of Managua. The two large bodies of water-part of Lake Managua (north of Managua) and the northwestern part of Lake Nicaragua (east edge of the photograph)-are two freshwater lakes connected by a short river that flows from Lake Managua into Lake Nicaragua, ultimately emptying into the Caribbean Sea. Visible are airport runways (north margin of the photograph) and agricultural fields, many of which have circular irrigation patterns, in the fertile garden valley (northeast corner of photograph).

http://www.zonu.com/mapas_nicaragua/volcano_of_masayax.htm 
 

When I wrote GvM I downloaded hundreds of pictures off the web and into a research file.  And then my hard drive died.  So this time, I'm going to put them on my blog.  This works out well for me because I can keep the links and descriptions with the photos and organize them in overlapping ways.

But it might be annoying for people who are on my flist.  So I'm going to put them under a filter.  If, on the crazy off chance, you want in (perhaps you have a test coming up about Nicaragua, or maybe you just like volcanoes) let me know.  Otherwise, you're out.

ETA:  I think I'll leave the entries filtered for a week and then unlock them.  (Because all that goodness shouldn't be hidden under a bushel)

Pregnant Woman Hit By Car While Running From Bear

The headline pretty much sums up the whole article.  Also, usually you don't want to run.

After researching the 2004 tsunami and 2005 Hurricane Katrina for GvM, I was interested to learn about these two disasters in Nicaragua. Mostly because of the lack of rebuilding. Which is how I stumbled on to Bob's Blog. And now I'm going to steal two of his photos for my research.



He says:

Along with much of central Managua, the cathedral was destroyed in the December 1972 earthquake which took upwards of 20,000 lives, and left 3/4s of the city's population, then about 400,000, homeless. Through the newly-formed National Emergency Committee, Somoza, the last dictator of the Somoza dynasty which had ruled since 1936 and head of the ruthless National Guard, personally administered the tens of millions of dollars of international relief aid. Predictably, much of it simply vanished and lined many a pocket, creating one of the first major upsurges of popular support for the insurgent FSLN (Sandinista) guerillas.

The Casitas volcano in western Nicaragua. The slopes of the volcano were almost entirely deforested in the late 1960s and early 1970s. On 30-Oct 1998, torrential rains brought in by Hurricane Mitch filled the volcano, forcing the slope, pictured here, to collapse. It produced a massive river of mud more than a kilometre wide that swept through the area, killing nearly 3000 people immediately, taking out several villages and smaller settlements, and displacing several thousand. Some survivors, stuck in the mud for several days, had limbs amputated. Near Posoltega, Nicaragua, early April, 1999. (Not a particularly good scan of a print of a slide.)

You know, if this whole writing thing doesn't pan out, there's always option B.  Entrepreneur.



Ha! That website makes me happy every damn day.

I'm doing research for the Bee Book and have settled on Nicaragua as my country so that way I can work in a School of Americas theme.  This is always my favorite part, the research.  So far, I've found the best place to start is with travel guides, like the Lonely Planet.  I am not disappointed.  

pg 20

"Stay away from the cocaine -- if there's a potential tourism disaster waiting to happen in these regions, it's this one.  Besides, that shit will kill you."

I like the opening theme song for Lie to Me, so I looked it up on YouTube. Yeah. Okay, so the photo doesn't change, so what? That's not what's important. What's important is that the song is 3:10 long.

Then I went to Ryan Star's MySpace page to see what else he's got. BUT, the song (Brand New Day) is only 1:03 there.

He had to cut off over 2 minutes of his song! 2 of the 3 minutes ... gone.

Damn. And I thought editors were tough. Also this was hilarious.