Brummet's Conscious Blog

-- Announcement -- SAVE THE FROGS DAY EVENTS TAKING PLACE IN 20 COUNTRIES TODAY Largest Day of Amphibian Education And Conservation In Planet’s History Amphibians are rapidly disappearing around the planet, and a worldwide effort is underway today to save them. The 2 nd Annual Save The Frogs Day, taking place today, is the largest day of amphibian education and conservation action in the planet’s history. Over 80 Save The Frogs Day events are being held in 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Ireland, Madagascar, India, South Africa, and Australia. The events are being coordinated by SAVE THE FROGS!, America’s first and only public charity dedicated to amphibian conservation. Amphibian populations worldwide have been declining at unprecedented rates, and nearly one-third of the world's amphibian species are threatened with extinction. Up to 200 species have already completely disappeared in recent years. “Habitat destruction and an infectious disease c...

-- Brummet's @ the Watery Tart Blog -- Check out the Brummet's Guest Blogging " You've Signed the Contract - Now What? " at Watery Tart Blog: http://waterytart23.blogspot.com   -- Writer-Related Interview -- Lillian will be joining host of the Page Readers radio show, Nanci Arvizu, for a 1/2 hour interview at  10 AM (pacific) this morning. The show will be archived for those who cannot make the live episode:   http://www.blogtalkradio.com/page-readers We'll be discussing working with a spouse as a co-writer, sharing an office, learning to accept each others limits and skill range... Promotions take up a majority of a writer's time and so few out there realize how hard one has to work for just a few book sales. So we will discuss the reality of the career, how to create a plan and stay organized.  Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio shows and free resources and more at: www.brummet.ca

-- Authors Read Radio -- Yesterday on Authors Read radio we had the honor of featuring a ward winning author Swati Avasthi. She received her B.A. from the University of Chicago in theater and literature, and her short fiction has been included in several journals and her first novel, Split , is a young-adult novel about a 16-year old boy named Jace who shows up on his brother's doorstep with a bruised face, courtesy of dear old dad, and a secret. Split is the story of what happens after you get out and how to live again. Check out the archived episode by clicking on the hyper-linked book title, or click on Authors Read radio and access any episode you would like to hear from there.  -- Spotlight Feature -- Check out our spotlight feature at: http://virtualbooktourcafe.weebly.com -- Writer Interview #10 -- As many of you are already aware, we are participating in a special event throughout April & May (Poetry & Library Month), helping to sp...

-- Quote of the Day -- " Every victim of crime - no matter who they are,  where they live or the way in which they were victimized, should be treated with compassion and respect for their dignity. "   ~ www.victimsweek.gc.ca --Conscious Living Events -- Wednesday, April 28 Greening PUSD Location: Willow Grove Elementary School MPR San Diego, California (USA) When: 6:00PM Info: # 858-674-5610 http://greeningpusd.wordpress.com April 26 – May 2:  National Victims of Crime Awareness Week  April 27: Canada Book Day Info: According to Wikipedia.com " Canada Book Day is celebrated on the same day as World Book & Copyright Day, ...to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright ." -- The Plight of Rainforests -- * Source: Rainforests – The burning Issue, from the Prince of Wales Rainforest Project, a part of the Prince’s Charities. Did you know that... Ov...

-- Quote of the Day --   "The faster I write the better my output. If I'm going slow I'm in trouble. It means I'm pushing the words instead of being pulled by them."  ~ Raymond Chandler     -- Writer Interview #9 --  *Interview with “Swimming With Wings” Author, Lee Libro,  on the Importance of Writing Groups Lee Libro is a fiction writer who has just released her first novel, Swimming With Wings, this past March. The title is a metaphor for soul searchers, who can’t quite find themselves within the confines of the social mores of their time. Lee manages a blog called Literary Magic that helps readers and authors connect, aid in book club selections and sharpen writing skills. According to Lee, “ words have magic. It's up to us to conjure and cast spells with them ”. Find Lee at: www.literary-magic.com Q: Do you belong to a writers’ group? A: Yes, I belong to a critique group with the Sarasota Fiction Writer's Group and I'm a...

-- Writer Interview #8 :) -- As many of you are already aware, we are participating in a special event throughout April & May (Poetry & Library Month), helping to spread literacy and the love of reading to a wider audience. David Fingerman is our featured author of the day, and he can be found at: www.davidfingerman.com. * BK Walker has been behind this - the full schedule for the participating authors is: http://bkwalkerbooks.weebly.com/virtual-book-tours.html Q: So, David – tell us, what motivates you to write? I hate to sound cliché (a terrible thing for a writer) but pretty much everything motivates me to write. I can be taking a walk and something might catch my eye, or sitting in a restaurant and inhale an odd scent or overhear a snippet of conversation, or even be staring at my computer screen when I'll get a flash of an idea. Then my brain goes " What if . . .?" And with a little twisting around ~ there's the beginning of a new story. I...

-- Conscious Living Events -- Today, April 22 is both: Earth Day & Administrative Professional’s Day . Administrative Professional’s Day was first put in place back in 1952 when it was used to encourage people to consider secretarial careers. Today it is celebrated world-wide to honor administrative professionals for their often unrecognized contribution to the organization's success. For Earth Day and in fact for Earth Month (April), there are likely a lot of eco-events happening in your community today and throughout this upcoming weekend. Locally we have some interesting alternative energy and energy efficiency workshops going on, and New York City is hosting one of the largest student run events in the world... BC Interior Eco-Workshops to Check Out: Info: Bring yourself up to date on all home heating systems - Wood, solar, Propane, LP gas and using electricity. What’s the latest and how to apply for grants and incentive programs. Workshops are free with pre-registratio...

-- Quote of the Day -- “B eing an author (who’s joined writer’s organizations), there is so much information – so much to weave through and trying to find out what is right. …So being a part of these organizations they help to weave through the information, find the right information, being able to network with their members and gain marketing tips from them – it is very helpful. …I also belonged to a local writer’s group really helped me in that it gave me the courage to write my first book .” ~ ~ Barbara Techel Today's quote was derived from the Conscious Discussions interview with Barbara on March 9th... Titled: Animal Therapists - where she discussed her volunteer work using her disabled dog to help others. * Check out the interview by clicking on the hyper-links above. -- Writer Interview #7 -- April 21 - Margaret West is here today to share here experiences in the world of writing within the paranormal, romance genres. A professional UK-based writer for over 20 years, she...

-- Quote of the Day -- “The call to change began as most transformations do; a subtle form with no discernible texture, a microscopic breeze that signals a change in wind direction, a little voice speaking in tongues – that we either trust without knowing why, or ignore at our own peril.” ~ Jeff Brown, author of: Soul Shaping -- Green Building -- Green building is catching on and since today’s construction standards has buildings life cycle lasting 100 years – the need to build more efficiently just makes sense. This is why such programs as LEED ( Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ) exist. The public sector is very much aware of the benefits of owning a green home and real estate reflects this trend with a 9% increase in estate values. Some options that are really neat for people to consider are Solar Hot Water systems which can provide, according to Michael Jessen’s article “Global Warming Doing the Right Thing”, 30% of a home’s hot water needs. Geothermal heating... thi...

-- Quote of the Day -- “ Mankind has a genius for survival, often only manifested at the eleventh hour. Now is the time when we must act together to avoid the catastrophe of climate change. Saving the rain forests will be an essential first step. Deforestation is one of the largest contributors to climate change. Rain forests provide countless services to humanity, often unnoticed .” ~ The Prince of Wales -- Bottled Water -- There are numerous environmental concerns with bottled water: the production and consumption of bottled water consumes energy, pollutes the environment, and contributes to global warming. Producing the plastic bottles uses energy and emits toxic chemicals, environmental implications of bottled water. Transporting the bottled water across hundreds or thousands of miles spews carbon dioxide into the air, complicating our efforts to combat global climate change. And in the end, empty bottles are piling up in landfills. * Source for statistics below: TakeBackTheTap.org...

-- Quote of the Day -- “ In 2005, Americans used and discarded 14.4 billion disposable paper cups for hot beverages. If put end-to-end, those cups would circle the earth 55 times. Based on anticipated growth of specialty coffees, that number will grow to 23 billion by 2010—enough to circle the globe 88 times. Based on hot cup usage in 2005, the petrochemicals used in the manufacture of those cups could have heated 8,300 homes for one year .” http://www.metaefficient.com/bioplastics/innovation-biodegradeable-coffee-cups.html -- Conscious Celebrations -- April is an incredibly busy, and exciting month - so many proactive actions happening across the globe... We've done our best so far to celebrate activities and celebrations for April; Poetry Month , Library Month , Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month , Prevention of Child Abuse Month, Autism Awareness Month ... and we'll continue to offer great tips, interviews and resources for these celebrations all month long on our blog...

-- Writer Interview! -- Today we speak with: James C. Wallace II, originally a native of West Virginia, with his wife Amanda, their 5 children and 12 grandchildren, now serve as the Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma, Sovereign Ruler of Oz and endeavor to fulfill her royal command to tell the tale of her newest Royal Magician to the children of the Great Outside. Obviously the joy of storytelling is a passion in their life. James is here to give some insight into the world of writing; to find out more about him go to: http://magicianofoz.blogspot.com Q. Tell us something about yourself. A. I am, above all else, a parent and grandparent. This defines my world and it is from that definition that I embrace a number of other disciplines. These include being an Educator and Advocate for Youth Literacy. In addition, I am an Astronomer, as well as a Magician. I took up Astronomy and Magic in 1970 and have continued a life-long love of these subjects ever since. Education and Youth Literacy are m...

-- Quote of the Day -- " It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult ." ~ Seneca -- Chatter -- The Brummet's Muse newsletter goes out this morning - sign up via the widget on the top right on this site if you'd like to receive a copy. This newsletter goes out every 2 weeks via email. Our Canadian Authors MySpace Blog was just updated: http://blog.myspace.com/canadianauthor -- Conscious Living Events -- April 16-17 China International Recycling Conference & Exhibition. New Century Grand Hotel - Hang Zhou, (China) Info: www.chinairc.org April 19- 25 Bauma 2010 Munich, Germany; New Munich Trade Info: www.bauma.de/en -- Steel Recycling -- Steel recycling rates have made the industry very eco-friendly with between 28 and 90 percent recycled content in today’s manufactured steel products. Steel holds the record for the highest recycling rate of all materials currently accepted in recycling waste man...

-- Quote of the Day -- " If you're going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts to flow ." ~ Louis L'Amour -- Taking Literacy for Granted -- Today's post comes from Fiona Ingram who is here to share her thoughts on childhood literacy, a passion of hers. Fiona’s earliest story-telling talents came to the fore when, from the age of ten, she entertained her three younger brothers and their friends with serialized tales of children undertaking dangerous and exciting exploits, which they survived through courage and ingenuity. After 15 years in the field of journalism, Fiona has released a children’s adventure series, Chronicles of the Stone – the first installment of this series has already been released and the second is on the way. Find Fiona at: http://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com I love this piece Fiona wrote for us ...

-- Quote of the Day -- " A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket. " ~ Charles Peguy * Keep dropping by to find writer interviews and special guest posts throughout April & May! Check out the 5 writer interviews we've posted on our blog so far by scrolling down and browsing previous posts. -- Conscious Discussions -- In honor of Poetry Month (April, 2010) we decided to set up a special day for poetry readings today (April 13): www.blogtalkradio.com/consciousdiscussions * Today's episode will be archived for anyone who would like to access it at their convenience. Simply click on the URL above to find the radio program and all our archived episodes. Here's one of the poems I'll be reading today: True Knowledge *Excerpted from the book Towards Understanding . by Lillian Brummet: Each of us is motivated either by intuition of self-servance. Dented and buffered by our d...