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Readers!

 

The time has come for my annual short pre-Thanksgiving/Christmas fund drive for Behind The Black. I must do this every year in order to make sure I have earned enough money to pay my bills.

 

For this two-week campaign, I am offering a special deal to encourage donations. Donations of $200 will get a free autographed copy of the new paperback edition of Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8, while donations of $250 will get a free autographed copy of the new hardback edition. If you desire a copy, make sure you provide me your address with your donation.

 

As I noted in July, the support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.

 

In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.

 

Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.

 

Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:

 

1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.

 

2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
 

3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:

 

4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
 
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652

 

You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.


Birthday bleg

3:15 pm

Behind the Black officially premiered July 1, 2010, and has been up and running now for twenty months. I make it a point to post often and regularly on issues of space, science, technology, politics, and history, subjects that interest me personally. Except for one short period a year ago when family matters kept me away from the computer for several days, I have managed to update the webpage frequently every day during that entire time.

Because of this, traffic to the site has steadily grown. For this I thank you, my readers, especially those who love to add their own two cents to the webpage in the comments. While I certainly do not agree with all those who comment, I very much appreciate the open and intelligent nature of the discussion.

During that time I have resisted begging for contributions. Though I added a tip jar link to the webpage about three months ago (located in the right column below the search box), I have made very little note of it because shilling for dollars seems crass, and I feel that if I am doing a good job people will naturally look for it in order to donate to the webpage to keep it going.

However, today is my birthday, so I feel I have the right to do some self-promotion. Moreover, for the past fifteen years I have made my living as a freelance science writer. The business, however, is changing, and I am finding that I am becoming increasingly reliant on the income I make from at my own website over that earned by selling articles to magazines.

Thus, if you are a regular reader of Behind the Black, please consider giving the website a donation, no matter how small. Not only would I appreciate it greatly, it will help make it possible for this website to continue and grow.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

9 comments

9 comments

  • Kelly Starks
    February 5, 2012 at 6:11 pm

    I was honestly going to subscribe – you grovel well, and it is your birthday- and found my paypal accounts locked now that I pulled my checking account from it.
    ;/

    Not my best weekend.

  • JGL
    February 5, 2012 at 9:22 pm

    Dear Mr. Zimmerman,

    Happy Birthday.

    When will you look into and do a story on Andrea Rossi’s E-cat energy catalyser (L.E.N.R.) ?

    Very interesting technology and I beleive he has a device under U.L. application and also an application with the patent office.

  • Walter Walkie
    February 6, 2012 at 4:24 am

    Mr. Zimmerman thank you very much for your work on this site! By stopping by here once a day I am alerted to many intersting things I would have missed otherwise . I can’t afford to donate at the moment but I will say I often post links to your site elsewhere and tell my friends and family about you . one of these days I’m going to get a real job …. i’m so tired of parking cars . and happy birthday!

  • Walter Walkie
    February 6, 2012 at 5:09 am

    holy smokes i just read the cold-fusion wikipedia article . it is kinda long

  • jwing
    February 6, 2012 at 7:01 am

    From one transplanted New Yorker to another, I will be donating to your site. I don’t normally donate to websites but honestly, your site is one of the most infomative, eclectic non-news sites I’ve experienced. I most enjoy the science angle. Please don’t change it to a more current news site as I believe this is its greatest appeal. Hope Arizona is treaing yo well…and don’t forget to visit the Black Hills of South Dakota as we have some excellent caves (Wind Cave and Jewel Cave). If you visit Rapid City, don’t hesitate to email us. We’d love to meet you at a local public house on us. Jim

  • Mike
    February 6, 2012 at 4:32 pm

    Happy Birthday Bob! I discovered you and your website listening to The John Batchelor show, and find both your interviews and site to be informative and interesting. Please keep up the excellent work.

  • Kelly Starks
    February 6, 2012 at 5:34 pm

    Could have sworn I included a happy Birthday wish! :(

    Hope you had one!!

  • Ron #SNY9 (AKA "Gordon" :-)
    February 6, 2012 at 10:29 pm

    Happy Birthday Bob! Spoke with you a few months ago on The Space Show. Will try to make a donation soon. That reminds me; gotta go check PayPal. Expecting some money myself :-)

  • David K. Williams
    July 3, 2012 at 12:46 am

    Do you have an address, perhaps a PO box to which I can send a check? Keep up the good work.

    -David

Readers: the rules for commenting!

 

No registration is required. I welcome all opinions, even those that strongly criticize my commentary.

 

However, name-calling and obscenities will not be tolerated. First time offenders who are new to the site will be warned. Second time offenders or first time offenders who have been here awhile will be suspended for a week. After that, I will ban you. Period.

 

Note also that first time commenters as well as any comment with more than one link will be placed in moderation for my approval. Be patient, I will get to it.

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