I am pleased to announce that my sci-fi novel, “Traveler,” has been acquired by Mbedzi Publishing, and will come out in October!
Mbedzi, owned by Karen Matibe, is based in Texas. They are a dynamic and creative independent publisher, whose authors have won several national book awards. One of their books, “Hade’s Gambit,” is co-written by my friend and Kirkwood colleague, Jed Petersn.
I am honored and excited to be a part of the Mbedzi stable and can hardly wait to polish up the book with crack Mbedzi editor, Elizabeth Humphrey, look at cover designs, read galley proofs and all that author stuff.
I predict that a consequence of the horrific Boston bombing will be a change in how we dispose of stuff in public places and at public events.
Trash cans are about to disappear, or radically change.
We visited London last fall, where our son Alex was studying abroad. Walking to the Tube one morning, I looked around for a place to get rid of my coffee cup. There wasn’t a trash can to be seen anywhere. I asked Alex about it, and he remarked that there were very few trash cans anywhere in London.
I eventually found one, but it was a clear plastic bag hanging from the wall. As time went on, I noticed that this style of refuse container in a lot of places.
When I was Alex’s age, bombings in London and Ireland were somewhat common, as a result of what the Irish called “The Troubles.” It was obvious that one lesson British authorities learned was not to place large, opaque containers, which could also become shrapnel themselves in public places.
I predict the same thing will happen soon in the U.S., if it isn’t already.
As a foornote, in looking for pictures to accompany this post, I ran across this shot of a bomb-proof trash can put into place for the 2012 Olympics, with space for ads.
Ahh, commerce.
I’ll bet we start seeing these soon as well.
Regardless, if I had stock in companies that make garbage cans, or mailboxes, for that matter, I think I’d sell it.
I hope the Gazette soon puts a moratorium on complaint emails from out-of-towners who receive tickets from speed cameras. This one really takes the cake.
This guy says he was going to bring his company to Cedar Rapids, but not any more!
Why? Because he was caught doing NEARLY 80 MILES AN HOUR THROUGH DOWNTOWN.
The nerve. What was Cedar Rapids thinking, not wanting someone to drive almost 30 mph over the speed limit?
And, I’m sorry, but these complaints that speed cameras somehow infringe on our liberty is hogwash. If you broke into a store and were caught by a burglar alarm rather than a passing cop, you’re just as guilty.
You drive eighty miles an hour, you get a ticket, it’s on you. Blaming the device is just being a spoiled brat.
I hope you find a town to locate your company in that doesn’t bother to enforce it’s laws. Let me know how that works out for you.
