TheBlackFox

Which VARF are you rumour-milling about? I've been attending and/or setting up a very successful booth at VARF for 5 years (6 if you count the coming season).

well done, mates.

Sad to say. . .. we're still a bit behind but Pyrates Way #11 has gone to press this very day. Included in her pages is information on Grace O'Malley, Jeff McCay's Pyrate Screenplay, A look back at Pirate Master (with more info than you expect), and tons more. The best part of gettin' yer hands on a subscriber's version of Pyrates Way #11 is the FREE booty. Of course, we include free booty in every issue. . . . it's what's made us the most popular pyrate magazine! This issue we fulfill a promise long past. . . we extend our issue count to #5 on the year with our own "Scallywags" magazine for kids. This small addendum to our usual feast of pyrate delights is directed at the wee ones who we need to break into the sweet trade as early as possible. Subscribe before January 15th and you'll be sure to get this free booty in the mail. Thanks for hangin' in there with us mates. . . . we're on our way to catchin' up to the seasons and gettin' back on track to being a rightful quarterly again.

Here be my shots in bulk (10 Pages) from PhotoBucket. . . the best will be found in an upcoming issue of The Pyrates Way. . . http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z312/SirBlackFox/Pyrates%20Way/2009%20Pirates%20In%20Paradise/

Heading to the airport in 7 hours. . . to beat the Philly traffic (so the wife doesn't have to endure, that is). . . .flight out sometime after noon. . . Into Miami in the mid afternoon then onto Key West prior to 7pm. Going First Class all the way and looking forward to rum, pyrates, mates, wenches, and rogues . . . . and mayhaps a bit of history tossed in for seasoning. Let's Get This Party Started, shall we?

Sorry if I didn't answer every email and pm about the lateness of the issues. . .with all of the information on the website, I found that repeating something that any pirate with a lick of sense could find out on their own. again was not covered under the umbrella of "customer service." I don't respond well to whiners so I don't respond at all to them. If you're too lazy or not smart enough to check a website for publication dates that were ALWAYS updated, that's your problem mates. . . not mine. I'm a one-man business busting my butt to deliver what I think is a high quality product that, unlike other magazines, never, ever skips an issue. . . . it might be 10 months late. . . . but not skipped. I don't have time for lazy pirates looking for an excuse to complain. Yeah. . .I'm a bit defensive over what I do for a living. . . not for just a hobby like most pirate enthusiasts. Refunds for a subscription balance are always available. . . no questions asked.

'ere's a quick update on our slow journey to catching up with time! Issue #10 - Now in the mail to folks (with free music CD) Issue #11 - Going to press before I git to PiP - should be mailed out prior to xmas (with free Scallywags magazine for the kids) Issue #12 - Layed out - estimating a mailing mid-January 2010 ( Two from Set #3 of Pyrate Trading Cards included) Issue #13 - 1/2 Layed out - estimating a mailing mid February 2010 ( Two from Set #4 of Pyrate Trading Cards included) Issue #14 - Will be at least 1/2 PiP coverage and estimated out mid March ( Two from Set #5 of Pyrate Trading Cards included). . . putting us back on track in a true quarterly fashion . . . thank the gods that subscriptions and advertisers have returned! . . . and we continue to provide free booty with every issue!

Flying into Key West the day before Turkey Day and staying all the way through Dec. 8th. Should make for a nice vacation and work combined for The Pyrates Way. Just picked up a new 650 - 1300 zoom lens for the Nikon and a heavy duty tripod for it. . . . so dress yer best because at least half of the Winter 09/10 Pyrates Way will be dedicated to the event! Speaking of dress. . . . have to get me some more pyrate clothing for the extended stay. Looking forward to passing rum with ye in just a matter of weeks!

Mistress Fetch/Magpie/Angi/Wench of the year 2006 will be escorted by yers truly to both days of the festival. We're lookin' fer a splendid good time with our mates!

Issue 10 will be ready for mailing in just a few weeks! The FREE music CDs for subscribers are being pressed right now. . . . #11 is being edited #12 is layed out! We should be all caught up by Autumn. . . .(finally). . . . HUZZAH! oh and thank ye subscribers for yer continued patience!

See you there mate. . . m'mates and I will be there both days, enjoying the sounds of The Pyrates Royale. . . 'tis a weekend to enjoy the faire whilst stumblin' about in our pyrate bests! No work. . . just there to play and drink and oggle wenches. . . and did I mention drink? . . . and once ye pick out a fine cutlass. . . . you can even wear it there! (peace-tied of course) Huzzahh!

happiest of birthdays to ye luv. . . . may your day be filled with booty

It took a few days but I finally finished the re-design of The Pyrates Way website http://www.pyratesway.com The only empty pages at the site are the answers to the crossedsword puzzles and a lot of new features and information have been installed. You'll also notice that the wholesale costs and the advertising costs have dropped dramatically as we continue to give potentional advertisers a break during this sagging economy. Let me know if you have any issues with it.

Coming this autumn: The Concordium http://www.theconcordium.com/

http://68.83.111.138:8000/listen.m3u The station will be off and on again until July 4th as we test new ways to mix the music, interviews, and live broadcasts. Right now there's a mix of various music genres, original songs, interviews and commercials. . . there's no structure yet. . .like I said. . .just testing. I've canned about 100 hours of nautical music, interviews, etc. . . the site's in test mode now but will go live with a big promotion on July 4 when we broadcast our 3rd Anniversary / Pirate Master Reunion Party live all day from the home of Louie Frase I use Nicecast (it's a Mac-based broadcasting application) the author/talent licensing is a monthly cost for using the copyrighted commercial music that we'll be including is a separate fee that's pretty expensive but worth if if we want to keep the music fresh.

Thank ye for all yer support, mates. Having ye at my back, giving motivation will get me through this rough task. I'm into the second week of m'program and down almost 10 lbs. . .I know it's "water weight" but I care not. . . it's 10 lbs I didn't have two weeks ago and therefore a victory! I shall keep at it!

The Thing that Couldn't Die (1958) A psychically gifted young woman discovers a centuries-old crate buried on her aunt's ranch. Opening it, her family discovers the living head of Gideon Drew, a 16th century devil worshiper who was beheaded by Sir Francis Drake. Mystery Science Theater 3000 reviewed it (gave it a proper mocking, too)

. . . and he be BIG and IMPOSING enough to be the first male pirate to grace the cover of The Pyrates Way magazine! Plus. . .and he'll hate for me to expose him. . . but ye'll not find a nicer mate on any sea, and I'm blessed to call him a friend.

If it's fiction then presumably all those substantiated facts are just fantastic coincidence Agreed. . . . what's history if not a linear series of fantastic coincidences?

The story of Kevin's attempts to settle this matter are in the very next issue of The Pyrates Way magazine along with the photo spread from the Ocracoke remembrance. The issue should be out by mid-June. . . . we're still a bit behind with issues due to the economy's impact on advertisers but should be caught up later in the year.

Bust him out, says I. We be needin' a crack team of pirate-SEALS to infiltrate and collect said booty. Ye boyos go rescue the box and I'll stand by here in relative safety (like Marlon Perkins in the old "Wild Kingdom" shows when he often sent "Jim" to near-death, one-on-one experiences with vicious critters). Get back to me on that, will ya?

In the same vein that Gone with the Wind was based on facts. The War Between the States DID happen. . . Johnson's fictional accounts based on facts is very similar. Using Johnson/DeFoe's book as a reference will absolutely call an author's claim of "factual data" into question.

I just happened upon the last casting call for NBC 's The Biggest Loser Season 8 . . . so in one day I put this tape together and sent it off with high hopes. I got as far as a call back for more medical info. . . and that was it. I refuse to carry this weight around for another year to be re-cast. . . so I'm going to eat better, head to the gym and document my progress on YouTube starting May 1. EDIT: I set up www.porkypirate.com at which I'll keep a video blog. - make m'own TV show says I!

Obviously you don't know much about the book. The 1926 copy is the reprint of the fourth edition and combines both volumes in one. I have several versions of the book including two of the twopenny portions from 1734 (kept in the safe deposit box) and two other more modern versions of the volumes which I've yet to crack open (I use the 1926 version most often, as it contains crib notes on the pages that my grandfather jotted onto as a boy, growing up in NC).This version was edited by Arthur L. Hayward and not the 1925 version of which Philip Gosse said that there were "old documents which have proved his (Johnson's) good faith." The widely-respected historian Robert Moore convinced the world that Defoe was Johnson in 1939. It wasn't until the late 1980s that anyone challenged that notion. In my opinion, I tend to agree with Gosse's idea that Johnson was probably a pirate himself and the embellishments in the book are based on fact (based sometimes very, very loosely on facts). I think a lot of this info is spelled out in the newer paperback Lyons Press version, edited by David Cordingly (2002). I've been working with an author on an article about Captain Charles Johnson for a future issue of The Pyrates Way . . . which is why I've got the info at my fingertips. Of course I'm always open to a good argument and a view of opinions other than mine. . .opposition always reveals the truth!

There's a lot of fiction written during the same period. . . it's the validity of the information that's in question. but he never lists these eyewitnesses, captive pirates or others as sources. . .no names, no documentation. . .nothing I agree. I said it "might have well," meaning it's as much fiction as anything DeFoe wrote, not that DeFoe wrote it . . . damn good fiction with a wealth of period atmosphere. . .but fiction nonetheless as authenticated by the Library of Congress "FIC" notation.