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On Sex, Gender, and Moral Superiority

March 21, 2008 by Clair Button.

Clair Button On Sex, Gender, and Moral Superiority
One need only observe nature to understand that the female gender is morally superior to the male, and that the latter sex, being subject to the vicissitudes of severe hormonal imbalance, is prone to senseless violence and destructive impulses. On this point, I agree entirely with Ronald Reagan, although I have not spoken to him lately to determine if he has changed his opinion.

Whether or not such mindless behavior, being controlled by bodily processes other than the intellect, can be considered moral, or rather immoral behavior, is beside the point. One need only consider the result. For example, we planted some lovely young willows into our yard, anticipating that within a few years, they would become beautiful, mature specimens of rust and yellow hued branches, gracefully arching overhead and providing dappled shade. Realizing quite fully that we share our neighborhood with a significant number of wild deer that come regularly to inspect our flower beds, we anticipated some opportunity to observe the gentle creatures nibbling on the branches. And certainly, were we to rise sufficiently early on a winter or spring morning, we could count on seeing at least one doe with her fawn sampling the dormant buds if not more. Yet willows sprout vigorously, and are quite well adapted to occasional browsing by wildlife. So my wife and I were not adverse to the idea of sharing the bounty of our sweet pussy willows.

However, in the dark of night, as all shameful villains and vandals are wont to enjoy the cover of darkness, the male of the species has left his mark. Not satisfied that we have left these delectable treats unfenced for his gustatory pleasure, he has seemingly determined that since he could not eat it all, he would destroy what he could not eat, leaving none for others in his herd unless they picked it up from the ground before it dried and turned black. No, this year there will be no tall waving branches or shade, only the grotesque, malformed remnants of his unreasoning brutal presence.

Should I be so fortunate as to find that devil in the forest later this fall and legally put an end to his malicious activities, I do know that there shall be no “once and for all” to it. As these things tend to go, the miscreant has no doubt already had time to procreate and pass along all the miserable, self-indulgent, and evil aspects of his character so deeply encoded in his genes. Or if not, his evil twin, or father, or uncle is out there somewhere, making sure there will be no end to mischief. After all, he got those behavioral traits somewhere.

Clair Button is the author of the Thomas Kreuger Mystery Series, and occasionally makes attempts at humor.

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Greetings from my little niche in the writing world

February 21, 2008 by Linda Bergeron.

Linda Bergeron Newly organized home office – ah, at last. The poems have finally landed in an alpha file of standard folders (instead of the latest one loosely tucked in the front of an assigned notebook). I’ll be checking into the next entry deadline this morning.

The writing table went from obscurity under papers in the middle of a crowded room to a deserved place in front of the window-with-a-view. (Why did I wait so long?)

And the hardest task, but most rewarding when done right: reining in the obstinate self from a litany of diversions and distractions to the important work – facing the white page.

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What is a BISAC code?

February 20, 2008 by Clair Button.

What are BISAC codes?

As I was working with one member of our Writers Guild of Eastern Oregon to design her website as a standard and model for our group, she asked the question, “What are BISAC codes?” It was one piece of information I believed we should include in the data about her books. Why? Because my first publisher told me that was industry standard data, and necessary.

When I self published later (don’t even ask about that #@*&% subsidy press publisher), I continued to follow that advice because I did a little research and discovered the purpose of the codes.

BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) codes are a “standard used by many companies throughout the supply chain to categorize books based on topical content.”

The codes are often required for participation in many publishing industry databases, which may seem obscure to those of us involved only in writing. However, you can understand it more clearly if you realize that those codes provide your local bookstore manager a means to categorize, store, and decide how to display your book. Without your knowing it, those codes may be incorporated in the bar code on the book cover.

BISAC codes are established and controlled by the Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG), the industry’s leading trade association for policy, standards and research. Membership consists of publishers, manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, librarians and others engaged in the business of print and electronic media. The BISG mission “is to create a more informed, empowered, and efficient industry supply chain.”

When you think about participating in the book industry as a publisher, recognize that electronic standards, efficiency, and reducing the operating costs of your suppliers, distributors, and retail outlets are part of your mission, too. Take the time to look up and list your own BISAC codes. http://www.bisg.org/standards/bisac_subject/index.html

Article by Clair Button, Writers Guild of Eastern Oregon, www.wgeo.org

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