Category: Burningbird

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Just Shelley

Blanc Mange

If we look hard enough, we can find the lowest common denominator among us, and we can beat down the peaks and fill in the valleys and take comfort in the sameness among us.

And one spark of beauty, one ray of true art, can multiply, like the loaves and the fishes, to feed the millions. And when we shake the dirt of this ball of mud from our feet, no one will be left behind. We’ll all travel faster than the speed of light, because that is our destiny and destiny cannot be denied.

But there will be no room for difference on the flight, it will be crowded. We must all turn and breath in synch. That’s okay, though. As long as we’re all together. All the same, each holding our one spark of beauty, the last ray of true art.

Categories
Burningbird

Email problems

I had email auto responding on and off this week and just found out today that it was not forwarding emails on to me. I’m not sure what happened to the email, but it didn’t get through to me.

If you’ve sent an email, especially in the last week, and have been expecting a response, you might want to send it again because I may not have received it.

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Just Shelley Political

What did you do to fight the war, Daddy?

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

Lest you all think that we in America speak in the same voice as Bush, and lest you all think that we America are doing little to fight this upcoming war in Iraq, think again.

I was contacted about a job just across the river in Illinois that I was a perfect fit for about three weeks ago. I had the skills, I had the experience, and most importantly, I had a secret government clearance that could be quickly activated. This, combined with my previous experience having worked on defense systems gave me the edge for a job. A good job. It would have been a good job.

A job working on a system for the military to be used in whatever capacity in the Middle East. What kind of system, what type of work, I don’t know.

I did not pursue this job, and declined the opportunity with the recruiter, telling them that the job is incompatible with my beliefs, and that the government would not care for my continued protestation against Bush and his actions in the Middle East.

I didn’t say anything about this three weeks ago as I figured you all would think I was an idiot. I felt like an idiot afterwards. And maybe I am — a principled idiot, without a fucking job in a really lousy economy.

I didn’t put my blood on the line, but I put my future, and that will have to do.

Categories
Diversity Writing

The perfect woman

Ladies! Ladies! Please stop your housekeeping for one moment and pay attention to some absolutely vital information. A wonderful new treat is heading to the bookshelves in February, ladies. I know that you’re all shivery in anticipation just from my introduction, but be sure to fold your towels and take the curlers out of your hair before you rush past your 5.3 children on the way to the store to buy it.

What is this new treat? Why, dear hearts, it’s none other than Phyllis Schlafly’s newest book, Feminist Fantasies! Isn’t this just the biggest thrill!

Now, now, don’t swoon. I know that we couldn’t ask for a better valentine’s present, and you’re all agog in anticipation.

Don’t pee your panties, ladies, but there’s more — none other than Ann Coulter has written the forward to it! Yes! I would not josh you, ladies! Ann Coulter, herself! I am beside myself. Just beside myself.

Now you can tell that big, strong man in your life what to get you for Valentine’s Day instead of a silly box of chocolates (not to mention that you’ve gained a few pounds anyway, darling, and nothing turns that handsome man of yours off more than bulky thighs). Just make sure you re-assure him that you won’t take time out from your wifely duties to read it. You tell Charlie that Charlene, Charlie Joe, Billy Chuck, Cherrie Charlie, and Bob are more important than a book, even one as important as “Feminist Fantasies”.

However, since I am such a tease I thought I would re-print some of the advanced review of the book. Just for you, my darlings.

Just for you.

 

So, this feminist writer in her thirties started interviewing smart young women in their twenties and she learned quite a lot. She discovered that, among women in their twenties, “feminism has become a dirty word.” She discovered that young women in their twenties have concluded that feminists are “unhappy,” “bitter,” “angry,” “tired,” and “bored,” and that the happy, enthusiastic, relaxed women are not feminists. The writer found that young women are especially turned off by feminism because of its “incredible bitterness.” She admitted that “feminism had come to be strongly identified with lesbianism.”
…
The Wall Street Journal ran a series of news stories about the disruption in corporations and law firms caused by the wave of pregnancies at the managerial and professional levels. Since more women hold high-level jobs, their time off for pregnancy has caused serious company disruptions. In the past eight years, the number of women over thirty having a child has almost doubled

A study by the advertising firm of Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborne discovered that “the professional homemaker is a happy woman who feels good about herself and her ability to stick to her decision to remain at home, even under strong societal pressure to find an outside job.” She is feminine and traditional; she is not feminist.

 

I’m so excited about this book, my dears, that I’ve decided to celebrate it’s publication with a series of weblog postings focusing on Phyllis Schlafly and her impact on culture, titled The Perfect Woman in the inaugural launch of the new Evil Woman weblog.

Coming to a browser near you, February 5th.

Categories
Writing

Who is Ray and why is he on my book?

I’ve always been partial to Amazon, but as an author I have to say that the company’s data systems suck.

For instance, if you search on my name, “Shelley Powers”, you’ll find several of my books, such as Essential Blogging, Unix Power Tools 3rd edition, and so on. However, you’ll also find me on a few other computer books I’ve either never been involved with, or only peripherally involved with.

For instance, you’ll find Sybex’s Mastering Visual C# in my authored list, but you won’t see my name on the book. The reason why is because I pulled out of the C# book when I found out how Sybex handles its authors — poorly. I then high tailed it back to O’Reilly just in time to be a pain in the butt to Simon St. Laurent, my current editor.

However, once your name has been linked to a book in the vaults of Amazon’s data jungle (was that a mixed metaphor?), it’s linked for life. No matter how many times you write them, they won’t fix the problem.

My name is also linked with the Webmaster’s Guide to the Wireless Internet, and all I did for Syngress is create the outline for them. That’s it.

A few of the books in the list are Spanish and Portuguese language versions of some of my books. They’ve always liked me in Brazil for some reason. I’m a big hit there. I’m also a hit in Russia, and have Russian language books for Developing ASP Components and Dynamic HTML. What’s odd is my name looks different on both.

There’s another Spanish-language book with the title “Curso Completo de Cata de Vinos”. I’m not completely sure of the title, but I’m sure I never wrote a book on wine, or have ever been approached to write a book on wine. Now, if I was ever approached to write a book on margaritas…

What was a shocker for me, though, was when I discovered that Amazon has put another author’s name, a Ray Lischner, on my baby, my “Practical RDF”. Who the hell is Ray Lischner, and why is he on my book? That’s my book. Mine! Mine! Mine! Well, and O’Reilly’s, too.

What’s worse is that now that he’s been linked with the book in the Amazon vaults, he’s there for life. Grrr.