If you ever check up on me on this blog, you know that I am a huge science fiction and fantasy fan. Two out of three novels that I read are typically in the science fiction and fantasy genre. One of the greatest writers of that genre was Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan, whose real name was Oliver Rigby, wrote the eleven novels that made up the series, “The Wheel of Time”(and a prequel) but tragically passed away two years ago before he was able to finish the 12th and final installment of the series. I spent literally hundreds of hours of my life reading and following his characters through this amazing story, and it was devastating when Rigby passed away without completing it. After his passing, Rigby’s wife asked writer Brandon Sanderson to take up the daunting challenge of taking Oliver Rigby’s extensive story notes and turning them into that final novel. Tor Books has announced that the novel will be published in three installments, with the first being published November 3. As a long time reader of Rigby/Jordan’s work, and a new reader of Sanderson’s work, I can’t tell you how excited I am that this story is continuing.

Story from Dragonmount follows:

`Dragonmount` | News

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A MEMORY OF LIGHT to be released in 3 volumes. + Release date
Posted by Jason on March 30th, 2009 in the A Memory of Light, Brandon Sanderson, JordanCon category

Tor Books announced today that A MEMORY OF LIGHT, the 12th and final novel of The Wheel of Time series, will be initially released as three separate volumes. The first volume will be entitled THE GATHERING STORM and will go on sale November 3, 2009.

Here’s the press release:

Tor announces The Gathering Storm, Book Twelve of Robert Jordan’s legendary Wheel of Time® fantasy series

Tor Books is proud to announce the November 3rd, 2009 on-sale date for The Gathering Storm, Book Twelve of The Wheel of Time and the first of three volumes that will make up A Memory of Light, the stunning conclusion to Robert Jordan’s beloved and bestselling fantasy series. A Memory of Light, partially written by Jordan and completed by Brandon Sanderson, will be released over a two-year period.

Robert Jordan, one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th and early 21st centuries, passed away in 2007 after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis. Brandon Sanderson, the New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn books, was chosen by Jordan’s editor—his wife, Harriet McDougal—to complete the final book.

The Wheel of Time series has sold over 14 million copies in North America and over 30 million copies worldwide with translations into 28 languages. The last four books in the series were all #1 New York Times bestsellers, and for over a decade readers have been eagerly awaiting the conclusion to the epic story.

Harriet McDougal said on the process behind A Memory of Light: “The scope and size of the novel was such that it could not be contained in a single volume, It was a piece of marvellous good fortune that Brandon Sanderson undertook the work. He is a great pleasure to work with, as well as a wonderful writer.”

President and Publisher of Tor Books, Tom Doherty, also expressed his happiness with A Memory of Light, saying: “It is a magnificent closure to a great American epic fantasy whose journey began almost twenty years ago. There is no way Robert Jordan would have squeezed it to a single volume, and somehow it seems fitting that what began as a trilogy will also end as one.”

The first ever JordanCon will take place this April 17th – 19th, 2009 in Alpharetta, GA. Harriet McDougal, Tom Doherty, Brandon Sanderson, and other members of “Team Jordan” will attend as featured guests and speak personally on The Wheel of Time and The Gathering Storm and the stories behind the rich literary legacy of Robert Jordan. JordanCon will also include a special preview of The Gathering Storm.

This year will also see major publications of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time comic books and graphic novels with the launch of The Eye of the World comics in May and the New Spring graphic novel with bonus material in November. The Dabel Brothers will be releasing the comic book series, which will then be collected and published as graphic novels by Tor Books.

Universal Pictures acquired the movie rights to The Wheel of Time in August 2008, and currently plan to adapt The Eye of the World as the first movie.

So there you have it, folks. A Memory of Light will be divided into three volumes. According to Brandon Sanderson, the titles of volumes 2 and 3 are tenatively “Shifting Winds“, and “Tarmon’Gaidon“. The release dates of the second and third novels are not known at this time. (See the note below abour Brandon’s blog post for more information about these items)

In past interviews Brandon Sanderson has said that if A Memory of Light was split, it would still be a treated as a single novel. He has also said on his blog and in interviews that he will push to have an “omnibus” edition published after the third volume is out. In this way, if you prefer to read the complete novel in one piece, the omnibus will provide that opportunity.

Also, neither Brandon or Harriet or Tor has any intention of inflating the size of these books. We’ve known for a long time that this book was going to be huge, and the possibility existed that it would be split up.

To go along with this news, we did an interview with Harriet where she was kind enough to give us some more answers.

Be sure to check out our updated page for A MEMORY OF LIGHT. It will give you a nice summary of everything we know so far about the book, as well as links to various interviews and announcements.

NOTE: Brandon Sanderson has posted an article about this news on his blog. He addresses directly the concerns of various upset fans. If you are frustrated by this news, please read his article.

About false rumors: There have been rumors floating around which supposedly contain the cover artwork for the book. While the artwork might actually be a mock-up for the cover, it has NOT been approved by Brandon, Harriet, or even Tor. It was probably an in-progress image that somehow found its way out of the Tor offices. We’ll be one of the first to show you the actual book cover once its ready.

What do you think of this news? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, or on our community forums.

Children of the Mind (Ender, Book 4)

Knowing and understanding Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals is essential to knowing and understanding the tactics that the statists, liberals, and socialists will use when they attack you for your conservative principles. DirtyRottenScoundrels has written twelve rules that conservatives should follow when we fight back:

DirtyRottenScoundrels » Blog Archive » Rules for Radicalized Conservatives

Rules for Radicalized Conservatives

Join us free at http://logchoice.ning.com – our new Conservative Activism Communication website – Get off the sideline and help us fight!
~~~~~~~~~~~~

In response to Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, I came up with twelve rules I think we should all adhere to in order to actively fight the liberal-socialist scum who are attempting to take control of every aspect of our lives:

Rules for Cons #1: Be informed and use irrefutable facts. Understand that liberals employ false logic (anti-American arguments are the only good arguments, while pro-American arguments are always bad arguments). Therefore, it is not worth your time or energy to “debate” a liberal. If you decide to engage one, be armed with well-documented facts that will destroy their fallacies. Liberals are hypocrites and liars. They are also poor losers. Expect ridicule and insane viewpoints from them.

Rules for Cons #2: Dismiss Political Correctness for the Marxist cultural doctrine that it is. It was designed by radicals to weaken and then destroy Western Civilization. If someone calls you a racist, recognize they are losing the debate. When they play the race card, toss it away and don’t play their game. All they will do when they are losing is change the rules.

Rules for Cons #3: Recognize and treat liberals for what they are: Anti-American. No matter what a liberal claims, unless he understands and believes in our Constitution, genuinely respects our historical and religious heritage, and actively supports the rights of ALL Americans, and not just of “Progressives,” he is irrefutably anti-American (and therefore, a member of the enemy within). View and treat him as such.

Rules for Cons #4: Expose and refute liberal media bias and disinformation.The Media is not a dispassionate Fourth Estate whose purpose is to counter political excesses and overreaching in our government (if it ever was). It is now solely a propaganda machine for the Fifth Column. A nation cannot be free without a free, unbiased media. We are not free.

Rules for Cons #5: Disobey and legally fight unconstitutional laws. Because Congress has for decades been derelict in its duty to steward our tax monies efficiently and wisely, we must now band together and NOT pay federal taxes. As long as Congress ceases to represent We the People, we must not provide them with OUR money. Imprisonment and fines may be levied. But we must not let our government treat us as cash cows to milk for their own purposes.

Rules for Cons #6: ALWAYS stand up for and uphold the Constitution. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. WE have the true power in this nation, as documented in our Constitution. READ it and study it. Educate yourself on all available documents written by our Founders and Framers. Be proud of who you are and just how remarkable our Constitution really is!

Rules for Cons #7: Respect and remember the sacrifices made by our countrymen and women. NEVER forget the price they paid in blood and limb, and in lost dreams and potential. They chose to fight for this country, and in too many cases, ceased to exist so that our country could continue. They enabled you to enjoy the freedoms you have, and now, you must do the same for our future generations.

Rules for Cons #8: Preserve the spirit and principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution at all costs; and never forget our religious roots. Teach your children about American Exceptionalism. Establish educational programs and foundations to drown out the stream of liberal indoctrination that is demoralizing and perverting our youth, and turning them into dependent, weak-willed parasites on society. Instill in our youth a solid sense of self-reliance, self-determination, faith, respect, and courage. And, never allow our nation’s sovereignty to be diminished or to be subject to control by corrupt agencies, such as the United Nations.

Rules for Cons #9: Be willing to fight against governmental tyranny, as our forefathers instructed. Know that GOD, not our government, made us free. If our government attempts to take away our rights, it is no longer legitimate. It’s your choice to live free or to be enslaved.

Rules for Cons #10: Exemplify moral values in your everyday lives. Loyalty is a crucial American character trait. Despite powerful temptations, be ever faithful to your family, your country, and to our Creator. Only Jesus was perfect. If you do fail to uphold your values, do right by the aggrieved and make restitution. Resign immediately from any post of leadership until such time as others believe you are truly contrite and have proven it.

Rules for Cons #11: Organize and support your fellow Conservative; especially when it is inconvenient to do so. Never leave a patriot behind. Be “an American.” Also, encourage, support, and fight for others in need, or anyone who is being oppressed. Liberty is a universal right. Always be courageous in the face of evil arrogance. Act and do what is right. Indecision and ambivalence leads to moral equivalence, and that allows evil to flourish.

Rules for Cons #12: Recognize, name, and then fight the enemies of this land. We are in the midst of a culture war. It is not a genteel discussion that follows Robert’s Rules. It is a gutter fight. Expect to get bruised. Be willing to parry, thrust, and coupe de grace. Investigate, analyze, and expose the enemy. Make no mistake: Progressives have been at war with Americans for decades. Either fight, or they will succeed in turning this country from a representative republic into a despotic oligarchy where the individual has no rights.

• Democratic house leaders censoring Republican communication with constituents http://tr.im/tLuV #
• Take the blue pill get universal health care, take the red pill keep your liberty. #tcot #
• Sitting at the dentist in SLC. Whole family checkup. I'd grit my teeth but Dr. says it's bad for me. #
• Obama says "The time for talk is through" on health care — but doesn't know what's in the House bill http://is.gd/1Gwda via @allahpundit #
• What all 'progressives' have in common: They either hate themselves, or they hate everyone but themselves. #
• Obama's current approval ranks 10th out of the 12 most recent presidents at this point in their tenures. http://tr.im/tffs #

• "It's not an option." http://tr.im/sIsB Dems healthcare bill makes it illegal for a private company to sell you private insurance! #
• "When we said, 'Stimulus will never work, no matter how big it is,' that wasn't a dare." http://tr.im/s9od #tcot #

I was having a cordial political discussion with some people today and, as is often the case, someone made the comment that there will be new elections in 2010, and we will be able to take back America. This is a democracy after all. But is it? Is what we live in really a democracy? Sure, we all get to vote, but how are we casting our votes? For who? And why?

A democracy is a system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives, and as such, it is the common people who are considered as the primary source of political power. A democracy also assumes the existence and practice of the principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

Does that accurately describe the country we live in now? Have you ever looked at the people around you at work — who are complaining about overtime and wondering if the boss will figure out that they weren’t really sick on Friday — and told yourself, “These people, together with myself, rule this country,” without laughing at yourself afterword? Have you ever spent a moment at the local saloon — where the “common people” are hanging out, drinking, laughing, groping each other and spilling beer on their shoes — and thought solemnly, “Right here, in this room, is where the primary source of political power in our nation grows from,” and kept a straight face? Have you ever just looked in the mirror and said, “This is my country. I am a respected individual, and this nation recognizes my social equality,” and didn’t fall over on the floor laughing uncontrollably? I didn’t think so.

So, what happened? If the founding fathers were so careful to set up a government that would always represent “We the people,” how did it all go so wrong? Simple. We sold the farm.

Picture this:

Farmer George Augere has been tilling his fields for 50 years. The Augere Farm usually made enough money to support his immediate family, and he also provided jobs for many of his extended family members. On the day of his retirement, the farm supported George, his wife, three of their five children, six of their eleven grandchildren, two siblings, two cousins, three nephews, an uncle, and Mr. Davis, who had worked for George since he was young.

Sure, there had been rough times. The three years of drought back in the late nineties almost bankrupted them, but they survived. Then, when Aunt Irma got sick a few years back, they couldn’t afford a nursing home, but everyone chipped in and made her as comfortable as possible during her last months. Yes, George had been forced to borrow money sometimes to keep the farm going, but when he did he worked tirelessly to pay off the loans.

The days were long, and the work was hard, but like the generations of farmers before him, George was proud of the fact that he has been able to provide a future for his children and grandchildren, and given them the opportunity to build upon his success. He hoped that they would have the same chances to excel in their lives that his father and grandfather had given him.

When George decided to retire, he left it up to the family to decide who would inherit the reins of the Augere Farm. He left each family member an equal share of the farm with the only caveat being that every year a new election would be held to determine who would run the farm for the next 12 months. George’s nephew Barry was a great guy, and everyone liked him. He always knew just what to say, and he always knew just the right time to flash his pearly smile. He had the ability to make almost everyone in the family follow his lead, no matter where he thought to lead them, and it was no surprise when they voted to make him the new leader of the farm.

Right away he went to work making changes. He convinced them that they needed to trade in that old John Deere — it may have been twenty years old, but it had still run just fine — for a brand new Jinma tractor. Yes, it was $30,000 for a smaller tractor, but the new one was better for the environment, and of course Barry was good friends with the sales representative. He talked them into laying off Mr. Davis, who had worked for them for over thirty years, and replaced him with a couple of illegal immigrants, who worked for less money. Later, he switched to a hybrid seed stock. Sure, it was much more expensive, but Barry explained to the family that these new plants were better for the environment, and used less natural resources to grow.

Barry made all kinds of promises to his family as he led the farm into new directions. “We won’t have to work as hard for what we want,” he said. “Everyone who works on the farm should be equal,” he beamed. “Every family member and employee who works for this farm will make as much as he needs to live, but will only have to work as hard they are able,” he boomed!  Over the next few years, he promised and gave them more and more, and every year they re-elected him. Under Barry’s leadership, most of the family got new cars, and built new houses, and were able to go on vacations that they had only dreamed of before. He even convinced them to let the two illegal immigrants participate in future elections and gave them enough money to build new houses and buy new cars of their own. When Uncle Charlie, who was nearly 90 now, fell ill, Barry convinced the family to fund his stay in the best nursing home money could buy. Nothing was too good for a member of the farm. Barry’s family cheered him and told him that they wanted him to be in charge of the farm forever.

Barry’s cousin John, however, wasn’t as enamored with Barry as the rest of the family. John wasn’t as good as Barry at rallying the family behind him as Barry was, but he understood simple math. He eyed the family’s finances warily, and wondered how the family could afford such extravagance with the modest income of the Augere Farm. He asked, “Where is all this money coming from, Barry?”

“Everyone knows that you have to spend money to make money,” Barry answered.

“But where is it all coming from,” John persisted.

“Well, I took out a mortgage on the farm,” Barry told him, “but don’t worry, we won’t have to pay it off for decades.”

John asked fearfully, “How are we going to make payments on it?”

“Easy,” Barry answered, “Uncle Bill, and Cousin Warren both work extra jobs and have a lot more money than the rest of the family. They are just going to have to chip in a little extra to pay the interest on the loan.”

John was beside himself. He went to the rest of the family and explained to them that Barry’s plan would bankrupt the Augere Farm. His protests fell on deaf ears however, and the rest of the family thought John was just a troublemaker. Even Bill and Warren thought that Barry was doing a great job, and wouldn’t hear of replacing him in the next election. “He’s so smart, and so caring,” they said, “we don’t mind paying a little extra.”

After a while though, as Barry spent more and more money keeping his family happy, and now the families of his immigrant workers, the size of the mortgage against the farm grew. Soon, Bill and Warren were told that they would have to work a little harder at their second jobs and contribute a little bit more to the family’s finances. Cousin Brad and Nephew Mike were also told that they would have to start working a little harder and contributing more. “From each according to their ability, guys,” Barry told them. “You have a responsibility to take care of your family.” Over time, more members of the family were asked to contribute a little bit more the benefit of the others. Brad and Mike were asked to contribute even more, and Bill and Warren were asked to give up almost all of their income from their second jobs to support the farm.

Later that year, hardly anyone noticed when when Uncle Bill stopped showing up for work at the farm. Barry noticed when Bill’s check didn’t get deposited in the bank that month, though, and went looking for him. He found Bill’s house empty and his car gone. After a little investigation he learned that Bill had quit his second job and moved out of the state where he had started his own farm with Mr. Davis as a partner. Then Warren lost his second job due to budget cuts and was no longer able to contribute extra money to the farm every month. Brad broke his leg in an accident and could no longer work at all. Mike was told that he would have to work even harder.

Over time, one by one, several more of the hardest working members of the family resigned and moved away. The Augere Farm began to suffer, and its income began to shrink.

“I told you,” John cried. “You can’t keep spending money like this and expect the farm to survive.”

“Nonsense,” Barry answered, “I’ll just borrow a little more money. We’ll get through this.”

And that’s what he did. He took out another mortgage on the farm, and took out loans against the homes his family had built during the last several years. “Don’t worry,” he told them, “we won’t have to pay these loans off for years to come.”

The next few years were a little tougher. More of the hardest working family members gave up and moved away, and with each one that left the farm produced less and less. The family who remained, though, demanded more and more from Barry. He sold off the harvester to pay the interest on the loans, and then borrowed a little more to buy a new car for his daughter. During the following fall harvest he had to rent a harvester, and sold the tractor in order to pay for it. It became a never ending downward spiral. Realizing that he was in trouble, Barry started looking for a solution.

He found that solution in Mr. Yen, who agreed to take on some of the Augere Farm’s debt in exchange for the land. “You can stay there and work the land,” he told Barry, “nothing will change, other than how the land is titled. Instead of paying all that interest on the loans, you’ll just have to pay rent. Besides, I’ll pay you a little under the table so you’ll have some money in your pocket when all is said and done.”

“But what about my family?” Barry asked.

“I can’t give you enough to pay off all of their debts,” Mr. Yen told him, “and I can’t employ them all. I run a tight ship. But you’ll be taken care of, my friend.”

“Okay,” Barry relented, “let’s do it.”

And just like that, Barry sold the farm.

What happened to George’s farm is exactly what is happening to our country. The votes of our electorate are being bought with promises of extravagant benefits to the “common people.” The problem is of course, that all of these benefits have to be paid for someday, by someone. The crime wasn’t Barry selling the farm to Mr. Yen, the crime was committed when the family sold the farm to Barry for a few material promises and a pretty smile. The crime was selling out the future for a little extra stuff today.

The Obama administration is telling us that only the rich will have to pay more so everyone else can have free health care. Only the rich corporations will have to fund the new environmental revolution. He tells us that all of the common people deserve economic justice and equality. In short, the government is buying the votes of the American people, and it has destroyed our democracy. Our president, our congress, and our supreme court have all thrown their hats into the bidding circle, looking to buy the farm, and then sell it down the river.

These are lies that they tell us for one purpose, and one purpose only. To stay in power. And in order to keep that power, they are willing to buy our votes with our very own souls. In the end, all it will cost us is our freedom.

2010? Maybe we can take back our country, but I’m not optimistic. We still have too much wealth in this country for Obama and his lackeys to buy votes with. They’ll bankrupt us eventually, though. Even Vice President Biden said so. When that happens, maybe real democracy can make a comeback.

Until then, welcome to augereocracy, where control of the government goes to the highest bidder.

augereocracy

au·ger·e·oc·ra·cy [aw-jeer-ee-ok-ruh-see]
-noun, plural -cies.

1. a puppet republic where the members of the supposedly democratically elected government received the majority of the votes by promising the most benefits (ie. kickbacks, bribes) to the voters
2. a government that provides increasingly greater benefits to its electorate in order keep power.
3. a state or society characterized by a formal relinquishing of rights in exchange for perceived financial benefits.
4. political or social inequality resulting from class warfare and wealth redistribution.
5. majority rule, where such majority is purchased through the promise of personal benefit.
6. a system of government in which the power, which used to be vested in the people, who ruled either directly or through free elected representatives, is now solidly controlled by a select few who have purchased that power from the people by promising ever increasing benefits from the treasury.
   

Origin:
2009; [root: augere (Latin, present infinitive) - 1. increase, augment; 2. enlarge, spread; 3. lengthen; 4. exaggerate; 5. honor, enrich; 6. (figuratively) exalt, praise. - rel. auction]

Related words or phrases for : augereocracy
socialism, communism, progressivism, voter auction, bribery, influence peddling

example: “The people in this country have forsaken their democracy and sold their votes and control of our government to the highest bidder in exchange for free healthcare and rent controlled housing. We are now an augereocracy.”

Yep. This is what it’s all about. The key words? “Global Governance.” The plan isn’t to green the world. The plan is to rule the world.

Gore: U.S. Climate Bill Will Help Bring About ‘Global Governance’ | Climate Depot

Gore: U.S. Climate Bill Will Help Bring About ‘Global Governance’  

Climate Depot Exclusive

Friday, July 10, 2009By Marc Morano  –  Climate Depot

Former Vice President Al Gore declared that the Congressional climate bill will help bring about “global governance.”

“I bring you good news from the U.S., “Gore said on July 7, 2009 in Oxford at the Smith School World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment, sponsored by UK Times.

“Just two weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed the Waxman-Markey climate bill,” Gore said, noting it was “very much a step in the right direction.” President Obama has pushed for the passage of the bill in the Senate and attended a G8 summit this week where he agreed to attempt to keep the Earth’s temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees C.

Gore touted the Congressional climate bill, claiming it “will dramatically increase the prospects for success” in combating what he sees as the “crisis” of man-made global warming.

“But it is the awareness itself that will drive the change and one of the ways it will drive the change is through global governance and global agreements.” (Editor’s Note: Gore makes the “global governance” comment at the 1min. 10 sec. mark in this UK Times video.)

[Read More...]

• Going out for Thai food tonight! mmmmmm #
• I fire an employee with no reason I have to pay them unemployment. They quit any time-no notice, no reason-and it costs me time AND $$ Argh! #
• New Singletrack Mafia post: http://tr.im/rkAw – Red Canyon Rim Trail – July 6, 2009 – Photos #mtb #
• Happy Independence Day!!!! #

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