We Should Have Known . . .

. . . that our daughter would want to be an actress when she grew up.

From concerts and plays involving Beanie Babies and other stuffed animals when she was old enough to talk and sing . . .

to small parts in Camden Area Players little theatre productions like The Pied Piper . . .

And roles, since she was five, in our annual family murder mysteries such as the part of Diana Rush in Murder at the Disco . . .

To a leading role as Alice Sycamore in the Camden County High School Theatre Department's production of You Can't Take it With You.

She saw her first musical (Cats) when she was six and The Lion King on Broadway at nine. For her 16th birthday, she is going to see Rent. She breezed through being filmed with us on our Book Tours and later for the Discovery Channel like a pro. Frank and I like to imagine that they'll soon be putting a star on her dressing room door!

Global Warming

While parts of the country are blanketed under feet of snow, the South is wondering if it is actually going to experience a winter this year.



Normally by the end of January, our lawns are brown and the flowers have died back and are awaiting the breath of spring. But this year, already more than a third of the way through Winter, we have yet to experience even one day under freezing. And, while its chillier today (we're expecting a high around 60 degrees Fahrenheit), yesterday it was a warm 70.


Even my Tulip Poplar and azaleas have been fooled into thinking Spring has returned.

You can't tell me that all is right in the world. I think the below ad for the Environmental Defense Campaign says it all:

Tick



Facts about the Environmental Defense campaign
Three-quarters of all Americans accept that global warming is real, but only one-third believes that it requires immediate attention and action. These ads mark a watershed moment in the effort to stir the public’s consciousness about global warming.

In a survey conducted by pollster Whit Ayres of Ayres, McHenry and Associates, 71 percent of Americans recognized that global warming is happening and more than half attribute the problem to human activity. But while an overwhelming majority (70 percent) of people polled agree that it’s possible to reduce the effects of global warming, only three-fifths (59 percent) thought it was possible they could do something about it as individuals.

The Ad Council has created some of the most iconic media campaigns of the past century, including Smokey Bear, Vince and Larry the Crash Test Dummies, Iron Eyes Cody (the “Crying Indian”), “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk,” and campaigns on polio, AIDS and drug use.

The site, www.fightglobalwarming.com, includes lots of ways for individuals to join the fight against global warming:

• Calculate how much global warming pollution you create
• Get tips on getting better mileage out of your car
• Find out why you should start changing your bulbs and how to pick the best energy efficient light
• Learn how to neutralize your pollution through offsetting.

Abaddon

My fantasy novel in progress, Abaddon, now has a blog of it's own at Abaddon

Nike's Psyche will resume its original role as my personal blog.