Sometimes Life becomes a Legend of Glory

Coming Soon: Martin the Snow Dragon  (c)2011 wlk photography

 Mother Nature's wildlife, wherever it may be in the world, can be  incredibly  huge and magnificent.  Some animals are imaginary,  the inspiration of legend and lore.

 I write fiction, but today--I also yield to the lure of  high adventure.Why? Dragons.
From what I understand of dragons, they are diverse, amazing, and  fierce.  They have big teeth. Storytellers admire them, big and small, flying or not, and they are usually hungry. The question arises, how does one avoid becoming part of the dragon food chain?  With much research, we found out!
 
It turns out that  Glory Lennon yes,  that Glory, our  dedicated gardener, she  of maple tree fame, also loves critters of all kinds.  While on vacation in the Everglades in Florida,  she took some beautiful pictures of turtles, cranes, and even a picture of a --well...for now,  we'll call it a dragon. 
A  real 'we-wanna-gobble - Sir Tommy & Princess Glory-if-we-get-a-chance Dragon.  A big one. A legend in the making.....
Once upon a Time,  as the ultimate legend reveals, it seems that lucky Sir Tommy-the Dragon-killer  was traveling  down a dangerous, enchanted path to Everglade Castle in the warm noonday sun. As misfortune would have it, a gigantic dragon blocked the way as it had for centuries, eating small animals and threatening knights, weary travelers, fair maidens and little children alike that wished to travel the enchanted path.
"Foresoothe, be aware of the great dragon!" the  wise villagers along the flowered path warned.  
As good fortune would also  have it, the sun shines equally upon the handsome, the wise and the brave.
Sir Tommy, never one to be dismayed or discouraged by warnings of wise villagers or  dragon breath, --and highly experienced in such erstwhile adventures, -- cleverly avoided being eaten by cleverly promising the Dragon a much better snack followed close behind him. 

  "Foresoothe!"  Prince Tommy sayeth  to the dragon, " Thou wouldst  spoil thy afternoon repast by partaking of  a mere Prince?    Princes are tough as monkey-muscles  and wear shining armour of the toughest steel!   Wouldst thou wish such indigestion upon thy greenish belly  whilst a much safer, tastier snack followeth close behind,  oh feared and noble Dragon"?

The Dragon roared at Sir Tommy, shaking the very earth.

"Attemptest thou to fool me, the keeper of this enchanted path, with that old rag of a tale of mortals and those  simple-minded  Trolls lurking under bridges ?" he demanded.
He roared again.  When the echos from the distant mountains ceased, Sir Tommy spoke.

"Not I,  Fearless Dragon"  Sir Tommy offered boldly.  "Avert thy squinty reptilian eye to that tasty high-noon repast fast approaching!"

The dragon squinted down the enchanted roadway with one jaded reptilian eye.
Spying a fair Princess in the distance, the Dragon was persuaded to agree wholeheartedly.

"'Tis not indigestion I would have willingly this day, --- so pass then safely,  knave,  for yon I spy a far better lunch than thy gristled  bones this noon!"  the great beast roared.

"Oh help, me, oh help me kind Sir!  O' do tell, a dragon, foresoothe, a veritable dragon!  Help!"

That opportune and frantic commotion was heard in the distance along the enchanted path,  and the fairest of maidens was easily observed, waving her delicate silk handkerchief in the warm summer breeze.

"'Tis nought but lunch!" sayeth the dragon,  smiling  and showing many huge, sharp teeth.

Prince Tommy  laughed boldly and quickly stepped past the great beast guarding the narrow roadway, for the Dragon was enchanted completely  into distraction, as he admired the approaching maiden.

  "Beware, Dragon, yon Princess is tougher than thou mayest guess!"

"Come closer, fair maiden, that I may dine today on the fine repast offered by yon worthy knight!" the dragon said to the Princess, drooling mightily. 

"Feared Dragon,  'tis I, Princess Glory Zeitgeist  of Gardens that  shall pass hither this day in spite of yon pool of  drool!" the Princess boldly stated, drawing her jeweled sword of the purest silver.

The fairest of maidens, yes,  none other than our  gardening Princess Glory herself, (whilst dreading the possibility of becoming  part of a main course or midday snack  for such a villainous beast), bravely strode onward  to challenge the great dragon.

 "Fear not, but step wisely, Fair Princess!" the Prince shouted bravely from the other side, " tarry not long this day, for thy flameless, woeful dragon can run seven  furlongs in the wink of a newt's eye!"

 The reader at Incoming Bytes  can only imagine the glint in the great Dragon's eye and the drool pouring from the slavering jaw.  The tiny, hapless maiden approached the point of no return  on the enchanted path to doom, her sword of purest silver drawn at the ready.

With willful pause, we must wonder, for how shall our fair maiden flee, on such tender, fleeting feet  past a dreaded 20- foot-long dragon -- on a mere 15 foot wide enchanted pathway? --Fair reader, understandest thou the gravity of such challenge?

Now, being wise in the ways of fairy tales,  one  might  be persuaded to allow the reader to suffer no trepidation for Princess Glory's life, for the optimistic inner mind has already undoubtedly predetermined that her  very own   " Sir Thomas the Dragon-Killer "  should be standing guard, ready to rescue her with his gallant steed and jeweled sword of razor-sharp surgical stainless steel.
   
Foresoothe!  It seems not.  Instead he calleth  out to yon dragon  "Smile!"  distracting the great beast seven times,  coming to the rescue of the fair maiden  with nought but camera and zoom lens,  and  happily  recording seven pictures  of    " Princess Glory and the Dragon !" for posterity.

Clearly, our fair maiden had little other choice than to tap the very nose of the great Dragon seven times with her sword of purest silver, putting him into the deepest slumber for seven years.
  
It seems if legends of  life are to continue to contain drama  and promote independence of Princesses collectively,  Princess Glory was indeed  rescued from that very big dragon  by her own bold demeanor and magic.  Prince Tommy and Princess Glory lived happily ever after,  soon returning to cold, snowy, but much safer Poconos Castle.

                                                         The End.

By the way, it wasn't a fierce  hedgehog that had the big, big teeth.  You can see a picture of a real dragon wanna-be alligator right here on Glory's  post --and as you know, pictures don't lie. It seems that even today, legends and lore may be generated as the product of arcane poetic license.

So you see, our Glory  is far more than just your ordinary garden Princess. She knows how to tame fierce beasts, is equally handy with jeweled swords of the purest silver or garden loppers--and she can run fast too.
What a brave girl!   No wonder she likes gardening and maple trees,  rooting p.c.c. (Poconos Castle Coleus), --and.... even snow--better.
 We  have to wonder if our Princess has spotted Martin the Snow Dragon yet....



That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The trouble with Word Mills: Writers Beware.

The truth always comes to Light

As a writer it is always in my own best interest to pay a lot of attention to what is going on in the publishing industry. 
Writers in North America may be on the move.  Discontent and unhappiness with "word mills"  in the  internet writing community is growing.  It appears to be with some  justification. 
 Such is the current state of the business of "Word Mills," incorporated publishers  that collect, grab possession of,  market, and sell written works from authors and writers.  

It is not difficult for neophyte writers to be taken into this trap.  Writers starting out need somewhere to start, a forum to publish their work in--perhaps the start of an illustrious writing career.  Submissions from new, untested and inexperienced writers are welcomed.
None of the word mills  pay much for articles --essentially pennies --for hours of work crafting beautifully-written articles, How-to Guides, and creative work including short stories, poetry and other genres of work --even if  written by the most skilled, highly qualified freelance writer.


There is a growing movement to challenge the right of publishing "word mills"  like Helium.com ,  Associated Content.com  and others to claim ownership of  the right to commandeer  a writer's copyright in perpetuity. 
Much negative feedback is occurring.  The discussion is growing, and participants should be paying attention with good reason.  
 Good writers are disgusted, packing it in and leaving. Why?   The truth always comes to light.
 
In North America, copyrights belong exclusively to the creator of a  written work or other form of creative work unless those rights are specifically SOLD to another party.  This honourable process has been thwarted. 


To allow a writer to post an article on a site for exposure and readership,  publishers like Helium, Associated Content and countless others  seize the right to a perpetual license  for free use of the author's copyright.  
The reader should pay particular attention to this  fact.    It is NOT a  "one time use" claimed,  but permanent use --and  includes  the right to sell an author's work at any time without acknowledgment or compensation.


A  "content Word Mill", can,  at it's free will, sell an absentee writer's work --and under heavily-skewed TOS,  (terms of service) NOT  be obligated -- to provide any compensation, acknowledgement or by-line.  Once an article is submitted, the writer is simply offered no choice in the matter.
  Normally a publisher is supposed to pay writers when works are sold for any purpose but this requirement can also  be easily thwarted.   Articles may be sold repeatedly--without notifying or  paying any compensation to the author.    
"Stock content" articles are sold to third party publishers and token fee of a few dollars  (i.e. $5.00)  is paid to the writer.
A small revenue share arrangement for "hits" on the articles and associated commercial ad content may also  be paid to the writer.  Such "revenue shares" may be only pennies each month--or none at all.

If a  writer chooses to dissociate himself with the site for any reason,  and is no longer considered to be  "with " the site,  that sales and revenue share is happily absorbed by the publisher, leaving the writer with no compensation or redress for earnings and for articles sold to third parties.  
Increasingly,  it appears that  TOS (terms of service) of word mills  are a very serious bone of contention.  Terms of service are usually written for the benefit of the publisher and worse yet, they can be rewritten and redefined at any time, with no input from the thousands of writers such changes affect negatively.  

Discontent with treatment of writers is becoming a serious  issue--writer discontent is growing.  The dignity and self worth of writers is being ignored;    at times core issues of  respect for the welfare or dignity of writers  even appear to be an issue.   Many writers who have been with "Word Mills" are, as a result, disheartened.   There is much negative press being generated. 

Should any publisher or content Word Mill be allowed to commandeer the right to use a copyright in perpetuity contrary to the wishes of a writer?  Here at Incoming Bytes  we  think not. 
 Recent algorithm changes in  Google's unique-content " Panda" program have also  severely reduced the income paid to writers, -- in  cases from hundreds of dollars per month to mere pennies.  
The individual reader of Incoming Bytes  must decide if they believe a "Word Mill"   increases it's  profit immensely from such changes ---while the  writers,  the producers of the valuable, marketable content, struggle and scramble in real life --to try to earn lost income --and in many cases, even a basic  living.
 Issues of trust or a questionable editing policy  are always sources of irritation and trust in any writer/publisher relationship.  Lack of respect often comes into play, creating difficult situations.
Games can be played by enthusiastic  Word Mill supporters, by  unskilled  editors, or equally by the process of malicious favoritism,  placing poor quality work  in a  higher "ranking" than superior work.   The reader should understand that "Top-rated articles" are the displayed content seen  by the visitor to any Word Mill site; lower-rated articles are usually  down-listed, hidden and thereby ignored, earning nothing.  
The fact is, the readership generates the income and the Word Mill decides which articles are convenient to read.

 Perhaps this discontent and signs of cracking in the "Word Mill" publishing industry is best summed up by the phrase:

" Word Mills no longer offer credibility and writers no longer trust you".   
 Here at  Incoming Bytes  the old adage  "the Pen is mightier than the sword"  comes to mind.  

Let the neophyte writer be forewarned. Times are changing.





That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Endangered Sea Turtles: Extinction by Economic Destruction?

Sea Turtles laying eggs in Costa Rica

At Incoming Bytes  we recognize there is economic necessity at times.  Times are tough. There are a lot of things in the world that are not pretty.  There are many, many "problems".  
As such, I have to ignore a lot of things that are wrong in the world, but  some things are just too outrageous to ignore. 

This is the theft of sea turtle eggs  that are "harvested" for sale.   It is not "just a few eggs to eat".  
We no longer have  to wonder why the sea turtle population is declining.    Words are not enough to describe this "economic necessity" in this enlightened day and age.

Pictures are worth a thousand words.

We no longer have to wonder "why" the sea turtle population is "declining".   It most certainly is not from "global warming".

It is clearly  time to find economic alternatives for these people.  Do they have any other income? Perhaps not.  
Does this make YOU angry?    These photos  made me incredibly angry. 
 Clearly they are grabbing as many eggs as they can.  To eat?  No. To SELL--thousands of them. 

At Incoming Bytes we believe it is time for  the international community to "spread the wealth" so  "harvests"   and assaults on endangered species in nature like this  one  are NOT necessary. 

I thank the *photographer and individuals that forwarded these pictures to me.  

NOTE *All photo credits are reserved for the people that took the pictures. 


that's my story and I'm sticking to it.