BunkBlog

Poppy Brite’s age is only a couple years greater than mine. Ten years ago, she was a big star in publishing. Now, she has a new book out and is still a big star in publishing (maybe a slightly smaller one). I, on the other hand, have no degree and a soulsucking job.

*sigh*

Michigan Preparing to Let Doctors Refuse to Treat Gays

The bill allows health care workers to refuse service to anyone on moral, ethical or religious grounds.

Wouldn’t refusing to treat anyone be against the basic tenet of medical ethics? Just sayin’.

MT-Blacklist is a wonderful, wonderful thing. In just the past day, it has blocked 8 comments from porn or drug spammers.

A Shirt for Kitiara. hehe

Jolt Gum – nuff said.

Dilbert predicts the next step in reality TV.

I don’t know if we’re using area code 256 yet, but if we are, whoever has 256 -963-2229 has a very entertaining way of keeping track of that phone number. hehe

Here’s a quick summary of where your family’s taxes go. What’s impressive is that $4690 per household more is spent than is taken in. So, if you have one child, add that to his tax burden as he ages.

This is also the most federal spending per household since WW2. It’s a good thing we have those conservative Republicans in power, keeping government small, isn’t it?

Because Lysa did it and Aaron did it, I have to go along I suppose.
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From the inimitable TDJ, we have this wonderful news item: Performers Whip Easter Bunny At Church Play.

This whole Passion Play revival is getting a little too surreal.

Watch Condoleeza Rice tapdance! Hear the amazingly convoluted double-speak! See the commissioners smirk! Ah, the joys of a public circus.

Poppy Brite says, “Thanks for Nothing (Literally)” in her recent post. This dovetails nicely with a recent article in Salon dealing with the woes of a self-described mid-list author. Based on the outpouring of love Ms. Doe received, it’s a good thing she remained anonymous.

Seriously, anyone who has ever had any slight glimmer of hope of becoming a world-famous author and live the jet-setting lifestyle of the rich and famous had to have done a modicum of research and found out the worst-kept secret of publishing. That secret? Glad you asked. Most writers are poor or have “real” jobs that allow them to write without worrying about the money from the publisher. The vast majority of writers do not earn a living at it, even the famous ones. In addition to the indomitable Doc Brite, Steven Brust has mentioned his money woes in passing during recent months.

Stupid Iraqis

If you wanted the U.S. to leave your country, you should really stop shooting at us. Maybe that would have worked under Clinton or Bush I, but we’ve got a new cowboy in town. Think of the Sean Connery quote from the Untouchables, “If he sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue.” That’s the new modus operandi of the U.S., ok? Get it straight and stop getting yourselves (and our soldiers) killed. Geez.

According to one set of data, manufacturing jobs have fallen 22 percent in the past 20 years, but output from manufacturing has risen 77 percent. Similarly, farming jobs have fallen 33 percent, yet farm output has risen 96 percent. This leads into an interesting ponderance, wherein my compassionate liberal side wars with my hardnosed libertarian side.

I think most people can see there is a trend here. We are (going against all known mathematics) able to do more with less. The problem, of course, is that there continue to be *more* of us, as well. So we need fewer people to do the work, yet we have more people. This is an exponential problem, as our industrial efficiency increases and population increases.
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The Science Fiction Museum is gonna open soon. Time to move to Seattle!

Here’s a heck of a shirt for ya: Janet Jackson Breast Shot. Bizarre stuff.

Air America Radio – neither fair nor balanced, but a nice counterpoint to Rush and Coulter and Savage…

Girl Banned From Prom For Smoking Away From School

Here’s a girl, 18 years old, who smokes. Now, smoking is stupid but it’s not criminal. She doesn’t smoke at school, she smokes elsewhere. This, however, somehow affects her eligibility for extracurricular activities. Huh?

Proving once again that public schools are counterexamples to the democratic freedoms and principles this country was founded on. Sure, we have to limit some freedoms in schools. We don’t want the kids to yell and scream and shoot firearms while conducting various religious rituals. But, c’mon! How does this girl doing something legal and not immoral while nowhere near school affect her schoolwork in any way? Stupid rules.

CBS had a puff piece on The Olsen Twins online from December 2003. Here’s a quick excerpt.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen aren’t just rich and ambitious, they’re mini-moguls. And they’re already worth, by some estimates, $40 million each and counting.

Did you know that the Olsen girls are not identical twins but fraternal? Amazing, I know.

More importantly, did you know that it’s quite possible these two girls (now 17 years old) may be billionaires by the time they turn 18? Damn, I’m a failure.

W.House Looks for Rice Compromise

The White House looked for a deal on Monday with the Sept. 11, 2001, commission under which national security adviser Condoleezza Rice would appear in private before the panel, but it refused to budge in the face of demands she testify in public and under oath.

What exactly are they afraid of? Why would a public servant who has done nothing wrong want to avoid testifying publically under oath about their honorable and competent actions? Just sayin’.