Can someone review what I've written?
We also will need an email address for the press to contact us with. council@tfes.org or something like that.
Factual, but it doesn't grab attention. I'm going to go out on a limb and write something a bit more provocative. Feel free to poo-pooh it.
Trouble brewing on Flat EarthThe world famous Flat Earth Society is undergoing a seismic shift. Internal wrangling has forced the society into two factions with the rebel Flat Earthers setting up their own rival website and flat earth library.
Strangely it isn't ideology that separates the warring flatties, but the way in which the society is run. For the past 9 years it has been lead by its President, Daniel Shenton. Critics argue that he is more of a dictator than a president, having never had an election and bestowed the title and position upon himself. Harsher critics yet, claim he is nothing more than a domain squatter. However, his proponents argue he re-birthed the organisation and without him it would not have its current following.
With more than half of the resident Flat Earthers breaking away, this new branch of the society has elected a 'Zetetic council' to preside over affairs. These 5 Flat Earth experts are looking to be far more aggressive in their promotion of the society and wish to publically challenge and embarrass the globular establishment. This harks back to a more pro-active Flat Earth Society of yesteryear, where challenges were issued to prove earth was not flat with cash incentives, law suits were regularly filed (and won) and scientific heavy-weights were debated with ferocity in the public arena.
The modern Flat Earth Society itself, has undergone many changes in its 150 year history. It was originally founded by Dr Samuel Birley Rowbotham, an inventor, academic and physician who became a pioneer of the soft drinks industry and became a very wealthy man in his own right. He published many texts including one of the most prominent works of its type "Earth Not a Globe" but also used the society as a readymade sales force selling Dr Birley's Syrup of Free Phosphorus which was an early forerunner of what we would today call 'cola'.
The society passed through the hands of wealthy heiress Lady Blount and onto the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in Zion (Illinois) run by John Alexander Dowie and his successor Glen Wilbur Voliva through the early part of the 20th century. It was during this time the society became synonymous with religious cults and biblical literacy, an image its detractors are still keen to portray to this day.
By the 1950s the society was being run by Samuel Shenton (no relation to the aforementioned Daniel Shenton), and was once again focussing on empirical based research regarding earth's shape. Shenton was a signwriter by trade. He produced many documents and newsletters and lectured tirelessly during the space race of the 1960s. He won over many supporters, but lost momentum and by the time of his death the organisation's membership had dwindled to just 24. This lull was short-lived with his successor Charles K Johnson swelling the official register to over 3000 before the society once again fell into disarray after his death.
Perhaps current events should come as no surprise to such a colourful organisation with its rich chequered history. The only likelihood is that it will be every bit as fascinating to see what happens next.
Ok, that's it. I've had a few beers so I'm not at my literary best, but the intention is to be provocative, give information about the society and to get people to try to find out more.