Another Infrequent Internet Roundup January 14, 2009

I don’t know which is scarier, the fact that humans are forcing animals to evolve much faster than they normally would, or the fact that I’m not the least bit surprised by it.

Forward this article to every deluded fruitcake you know who tries to justify hunting (especially trophy hunting) as a form of “preservation.” Who do they think they are kidding?

Don’t know what to do when you catch someone violating an environmental-protection law? Click here.

Shashi Abraham, mother of fashion designer-turned-convicted rapist Anand Jon, is reportedly in India approaching wealthy-looking hotel guests and asking for money to pay for her darling demon spawn’s appeal. Let’s hope the crappy economy thwarts her little fund-raising effort.

And on a lighter note, here’s another great “Letter from the Editor” courtesy of Wilhelmina Slater. This one makes me wish I could afford Stella McCartney’s fabulous shoes, but for now NeuAura does a damn good job of meeting my shoe needs.

Why is it… September 19, 2008

…that some people think I’m a rich trust-fund brat or something to that effect?

Seriously, I’m not. Prissy? Sure. Rich? I wish!

I live in a neighborhood that has taken a dive in the past two years. I do not have luxuries like cable TV or a working set of speakers. I’ve been sleeping on an air mattress with a slow leak for months because I have needed a new bed for years and don’t yet have the funds to replace the beat-up, sagging one I’ve had since 1986, which has probably made my back problems even worse. I can’t even get our static-plagued phone line fixed (the phone company refused to install the line and doesn’t consider it their problem, and we had to fire the tech guy who did).

Rising fuel costs and the crumbling dollar have been killing small retailers for the past several months. I have worked way too hard on this business to throw in the towel, so I am standing my ground.

I was raised to believe that talking about money was vulgar (exceptions: discussions with financial consultants, accountants, bank loan officers, etc. and setting family budgets – and even then it should be kept brief). Haggling? Fit only for the flea markets (and even there I refuse to do it on principle). In our culture, one builds a relationship with a vendor over time and if they extend any special offers, great. (And believe me, if you patronize a good one really well for at least a few years it’s more likely to happen.) If not, one certainly shouldn’t be so rude as to ask. Really, cheapening things has killed and buried Main Street USA.

I realize not everyone is going to share my values and ethics, but that’s hardly an excuse for such disrespectful behavior.

And I’m not the only vegan retailer with similar feelings.

On an unrelated note, I cried buckets watching BONES the other night. If I had the space, funds, time, and landlord’s permission for a dog I probably would have started looking up dog rescue groups. I am rather fond of my best friend’s dog, a Dalmatian/pit mix she found abandoned on the side of a desert highway.