Of Gerbils and Google

You can learn a lot of stuff using Google. Usually, a Wikipedia entry is extremely useful, but in the case of "Gerbil" it doesn't give as much information as I would like. For instance it says that Gerbils are illegal in California, but it doesn't say why. It also make absolutely no mention of Richard Gere.

For that information you will have to google "gerbils richard gere" and about.com will fill you in with an amusing and well written piece on this Urban Legend. http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/celebrities/a/richard_gere.htm

Ahhh, so THAT'S why they are illegal in California!!! you say . . . Gerbil ABUSE! Crazy, liberal, Hollywood publicist PETA types attempting damage control! Well, no, not exactly.

If you google "Gerbils Illegal California" you'll learn from Dr. Sue of Davis, Ca. http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/vme/DrSue/gerbil.html that gerbils are hardy, eat a wide variety of plant material, have few natural enemies, and breed like, well . . . gerbils. The California Agricultural Community fears widespread crop damage should gerbils escape their little wire cages, wheels, habitrails, and celebrity orifices to roam free in the Golden State. I would have to disagree that they have few natural enemies, as they certainly do look like tasty little morsels (Moo Goo Gerbil Gai Pan, anyone?), but who am I to argue with Dr. Sue.

But, I digress . . . I really wrote this post to thank the family of John Steinbeck for working to extend the opt out date in the Google Author Settlement. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6654845.html

The new deadline is September 4, 2009. Remember this, as you WILL want to opt out. If not for Steinbeck and his descendants I would have been totally unaware of the deadline and would have been miserable knowing Google was controlling the licensing rights to my book.

Thank you again Gale Knight Steinbeck, this mouse is very grateful.