Starcherone Books to become Imprint

Recently independent publisher Starcherone Books announced on their homepage that they will become an imprint of Michigan-based Dzanc Books (a relatively young publisher still). Starcherone says that their editors will retain editorial control with Dzanc taking over production and distribution of Starcherone's books. In 2011, Starcherone and Dzanc plan to release The Girl with Brown Fur, and the anthology 30 Under 30 edited by Blake Butler and Lily Hoang.

I am surprised that Dzanc is acquiring Starcherone as Starcherone has been a round for a while well Dzanc is new (though growing rapidly).  For more information on this, you can visit Starcherone's website http://starcherone.com/

Kinda Ironic

So, I am a May baby. Which means basically nothing, but since my birthday is coming up it means I had to renew my vehicle registration and this year I had to renew my driver’s license as well. I find it funny that I had to pay $62 dollars for a piece of paper and sticker whereas the plastic card that is a driver’s license is only $18.

Why are registration feels so expensive compared to license fees? Although, I guess I shouldn’t complain as my grandfather (another May baby) owed $128 for his renewal. Gotta love make, model, weight class, and year produced which causes the amount you owe to change from person to person, vehicle to vehicle.

Carnism = Sexism & Racism

I am not against feminism or anything, but I have to say that some of these people come up with the most absurd theories. The newest one in being that eating meat, or “carnism,” is akin to racism and sexism. At least according to Dr. Melanie Joy. For the scoop, check out the original articles posted on CampusProgress.org. http://www.campusprogress.org/books/5348/how-eating-meat-is-like-sexism-and-racism

In my opinion, why do humans eat meat? It is not because it is some senseless thing we are taught from birth. Meat does bring in needed nutrients (iron, protein, and more) and it was a big staple to our ancestors before farming was invented (can you “invent” farming?).

There is nothing wrong with being a vegetarian or a vegan, but they miss out on the protein and other goodies meat provide. They also have to be very careful and make sure they are eating a well-balanced and supplemental meal (which quite a few vegetarians and vegans actually ignore). You need to make up for what you are not getting by adding meat into your diet.

You don’t need meat everyday. You won’t die without it, but to say that a person who eats meat is as bad as a racist or sexist is too extreme. It’s like those radical feminists who link pregnancy to a parasitic relationship that invades a woman’s body unfairly. (No, I am not making that up, I studied it in a philosophy class in college.)

But read the article for yourself and make your own judgments. I won’t give up eating meat. I am not a racist nor a sexist. Nor am I a total feminist, which makes some of my more radical friends cringe, but hey, not all girls today have to be feminists, right?

Twitter Etiquette – Who Knew?

This article from online magazine Nerve explores the new social networking device Twitter (which, yes, has been around for a while now).

Basically, it tells you what NOT to do when you tweet. And I can definitely agree. Why Twitter about the most inane happenings in your life? It’s amazing how much drudgery is tweeted in 140 characters or less.

To check out the “Nine Essentials of Twitter Etiquette,” click here: http://www.nerve.com/dispatches/cutler/nine-essentials-of-twitter-etiquette/

This is the essential guide for those who tweet and for those just thinking about starting.

Funny Times Comic

I think this comic expresses how a lot of us feel about our jobs at some time or another. If we weren’t crazy when we started, we sure are now.

comic from The Funny Times website on their “About the Funny Times Staff” page.

Human Vultures

As I get older, it becomes increasingly clear that death, or the prospect thereof, turns humans into vultures. Now, not every person faced with the death of a loved one (or relative) turns into a money-grubbing, back-stabbing, hoarder and thief, but it seems to be a more common occurrence.

When my great grandmother was moved from her house to a nursing home, certain children swooped in on the empty house and began removing valuables without their siblings (or mother’s for that matter) consent or permission. Valuable things went missing, no one would admit that they were the ones who actually took it. Finger pointing and blame went all over and it just became ridiculous.

Even more ridiculous was trying to divide the property after my great grandmother’s death. Certain daughters believed they were entitled to more regardless of the constructs of the will.

Having heard and seen other families go through the same (or worse) inheritance struggles has only cemented into my mind the belief that death brings out the worst in people. What I find really amusing is when children start yelling at their parents for wasting away “their” (the kids’ not the parents’) money. How is it the children’s money when it is the parents’? Simply put, inheritance. As parents age, many children begin contemplating inheritance and what they can expect when their parents kick the proverbial bucket. It is disgusting.

But, I suppose the children who are straightforward and openly take stuff and start claiming their parents’ property is at least more honest than the underhand ones who sneak and steal. Recently, a neighbor’s wife was hospitalized with cancer. Her children don’t even visit her, but they go to her house and take her stuff. One child even steals money out of her purse. The father put his foot down and said they can’t take it, but what do they care? They come in and take it anyways. Besides, their dad is 85, he’ll be dead soon, too, so why does he need the stuff.

One son-in-law actually said that to his face. Unbelievable. As if having his wife of 50+ years in the hospital dying of cancer isn’t enough, he is faced with ignorance and greed from his children who should be giving their love and support.

Inheritance. Whatever. It is money for nothing. It doesn’t rightfully belong to anybody but the originators. I can understand getting back that which you have gifted to the deceased, but to go in willy-nilly and claim everything of value in sight is just plain, old-fashioned greed in any book.

My grandparents are doing their best to divide up the assets and to give back gifts before they die in order to help stop silly things like this from happening. But you never really know what will happen after you die and how the people around you will react.

Unfortunately, every family seems to have a vulture of some kind lurking in their midst, making an unhappy event even worse.