How Many Aspiring Writers Do We Have?

Off-topic Chatter
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Folks, I have not been around as much. And as tempting as the group buys and awesome deals have been at BLF, I have had to make some sacrifices. These have come in the form of spending money and freedom--having to work tirelessly long hours to put away some start-up money.

Money for what, you say? For the new business. It has been my goal for some time now to start my own online magazine, and the vision has now culminated and is a mere two months off. I'm so excited that now that it's here I don't know how to react. The going live date is to be Jan 1, 2016.

My vision came from: 1) left-wing-centered journalism leaving a bad taste in my mouth, 2) the desire to "bend the rules" by expressing a wider range of views, and 3) promoting a spirit of debate to counter the ever-sensitive political correctness that permeates this day and age.

Now, I have worked and networked to get a pretty solid idea on how to go about this, and as I've been a tabloid columnist in the past, I wasn't totally in the dark. All of that to say, I will be needing writers. These writers should be people who have passion for self-expression, reviews, etc., but who also have a great command of the English language and the ability to write at a college level.

There are a number of talented reviewers around here, and I'd like you to feature some of your content - geared toward the open, non-flashy market, of course - as I will be having a survival gear segment featuring flashlights, knives, backpacks, etc. But, you are not limited to these categories by any means.

This is a superb opportunity for those who are aspiring writers and who want to see their name in print. This is an online resume and a means to a new career even. And although this would not be for payment initially, the site will be set to make money, in time. The hardest part of writing is right up front--being recognized. But once that happens, if you know anything about Amazon affiliate marketing, it is easy to start getting commission checks. But I want to be clear, the real huge benefit here is a shot at writing for a paper. Anyone who has tried to write for the paper has heard: "Have you been published before?" which usually leads to a rejection since, if the person being asked doesn't have any clout, they don't have much chance. You'd have a byline, a short summation, and a pic, plus a link back to your home hangout. This is like an internship, or in law enforcement terms, like a reserve position where no payment is given, but you have your foot in the door when full-time pay-based work becomes available.

I wanted to gauge interest in this post and see where things go. Those with the real power to influence thought in this country are the media outlets, and I think it's time to exert a little force as I am able to. Topicality is pretty much yours, as is how often you are willing to contribute. Only, generally, you'd need to stay with marketable, consumer-relevant topics, such as "3 ways to make the most of LinkedIn," "5 Reasons You Aren't Getting Call-backs," "What I learned From Using Three Samsung Galaxy 4 Phones," etc. Here are a few of the categories:

Entertainment |

- Movies

- Indie films

- Books

- TV shows

- Videogames

Food |

- Renowned eateries

- Holiday recipes

Family & Community |

- Religion

- Activism

- Politics

Faith & Philosophy |

- Apologetics / Atheism / World religions / debate

Health & Wellness |

- OMAD "one mean a day"

- Supplementation and nutrition

Gear ‘n Fear |

- Flashlights

- Knives

- Pistols

- Survival kits

Business, Self-Improvement, & Life-hacking |

- quick cash

- de-cluttering

Technology |

- laptops

- tablets

- iphone

- android

Autos |

- reviews

Travel |

- Places to see

Lifestyle |

- spicing up the bedroom

- Dating

- Marriage

- Kids

- Parenting

- Pets

Comics |

Weird News |

The possibilities are pretty much endless. This is a grassroots effort at expanding influence over a broad spectrum, and I am dead serious about it! Quite a number of people have already committed to joining. All I'd need from you over the course of the next two months is a PM that expresses your area(s) of interest, your formal experience writing (if any), how often you'd be willing to commit, a pic, a homepage online (if you have one), a desired bio description, and a pen name (if desired). Finally, submit to me or link to three writing samples. I'm also open to new pitches in this thread with ideas on how you think I should take this. Everyone is encouraged to weigh in!

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Flashlights are no longer just for night time outdoors. They are now pocketable cordless lighting, capable of lighting up things of interest in lighted rooms or in shadows in the daylight.
The great 20th Century philosopher Bertrand Russel wrote a book entitled Why I am not a Christian. In the worst cases, religion can be destructive: Believing that God plans for us can distract one from ones moral duty to plan for the future of our species.
Experiments have shown that world really is quantum mechanical. That is much weirder than most people, maybe even most physicists, realize; but denying it leads to nonsense like loss of causality. The world we see is a sort of shadow of a vastly more complicated quantum world that keeps shedding invisible alternate versions of itself. This is without even including recent developments.
Invisible paint: How do stealth technologies work? Infrared signature is actually controlled by paint. A multi-layer sheet with IR reflection chosen to match the sky is broken up, mixed with a volatile liquid and painted onto the under side of an airplane. The emission from the hot jet exhaust can be hidden by a shelf of porous ceramic under it. Edges have blended electrical conductivity, not to define a location from which radar can scatter. Edges are parallel to reflect all in the same direction. Surfaces are sometimes flat to reflect in only one direction.

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PM sent.