So some evangelical middle-aged church ladies in righteous pastel polyester show up at a local strip joint bright and early this past Sunday morning. They are there to offer consolation prizes to the 20 or so exotic dancers who’ve been told at 2:00 AM (after working a long and...
Slings & Arrows
One Fish, Two Fish, Dead Fish, Cold Fish
First, it was 6,000 dead pigs floating in Shanghai’s water supply. Then, 1,000 dead ducks surfaced in the Sichuan River. Now, hundreds of thousands of dead fish are floating in the Fu river in Wuhan, capital of the central province of Hubei. Workers are digging trenches along 25...
Power Plants, Power Trips, and the Powers That Be
More than two years after the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, Japan has finally admitted what local fishermen, independent investigators, and everyone else on the planet (save perhaps our friends at FOX news) already knew: hundreds of tons of heavily contaminated radioactive ground water continue to flow daily into...
My Kingdom for an Outlet
MIRTH has been on vacation. It wasn’t a mirthless one, mind you; I went back east to spend a few weeks with my fine fun family. Urging me years ago to start writing, my mother said, “I know you’re just waiting until we’re all dead so you can tell...
Turkey Necks, Terrorists, and Truths
“You’ll have to wait longer,” says the pretty little chicklet behind the Motor Vehicle counter, eyeing me warily. “Homeland Security red-flagged you. I gotta get my supervisor.” She takes a vague offhand look around the crowded room. Now, I know that Husband, Son #1, Girlfriend of Son #1, and...