Problem is, price controls don't do anything other than increase scarcity, and the scarcity itself acts as an inflating pressure. Whee!
* * *
Zero tolerance is taken to its usual absurd extreme. A high-schooler had a picture of an AK-47 as his laptop's desktop, and was suspended from school for it.
If it had been two guys humping, he might have gotten a stern talking to about when it's appropriate to display pronography.
* * *
Sylvester Stallone is an idiot. Just as his movie Bullet to the Head is coming out he's out there talking about how the US needs more gun control laws.
He supports confiscation of handguns while he himself apparently has a CCW permit. Typical liberal hypocrite.
* * *
News from Chicago and Illinoistan:
Weer'd talks about Chicago police prioritizing 911 calls. You don't need a gun! The police will protect you from those nasty criminals! ...when they finish with the fifty shootings they've had this week.
We've seen this kind of thing already happen in Britain, where police hardly bother with property crimes in which no one was injured. Once the personal ownership of firearms was banned there, the crime rate skyrocketed--especially since civilians are not allowed to protect themselves--and the cops can't be arsed to do anything about burglary or vandalism. But if you're an otherwise law-abiding citizen and you turn out to have a gun...!
Also from Weer'd: why there are no gun shops inside Chicago city limits.
JayG: Chicago judge is certifiably insane but still working as judge? This must be another one of those complicated legal things that we civilians are too stupid to understand, so we should just shut up and let our betters take care of things. Or something.
*sigh*
* * *
Monty brings the DOOM! and it's full of plenty of impending disaster.
He starts off with a few links about demographics in first world countries. And Monty's third link says:
When Medicare was established in 1965 and when Social Security was vastly expanded in 1972, America was accustomed to the high birthrates of the post-World War II baby boom. It was widely assumed that the baby boom generation would soon produce a baby boom of its own.Those assumptions included the continued legal restrictions against abortion as contraception. The historically high birth rates occurred during times when having a child out of wedlock was frowned upon by society, when extramarital sex was discouraged, and before the Pill.
The sexual revolution did for all of that, though. Not just here, but in Japan and Europe and the entirety of the first world.
* * *
Oprah rubs foreskin cream on her face to prevent wrinkles. I guess it's a short step from there to sucking the stem cells from fetuses.
* * *
Mom loved Fritz Kreisler's music. I'd never heard of him before she asked for a CD of his music one Christmas.
* * *
As for me, I'm suffering from sinusitis again. It's gotten bad enough that yesterday I had a fever and wanted only to remain in bed the entire day. But Mrs. Fungus needed to go to the DMV to get her new name and address on her license, so I dragged myself into the shower and off we went.
We had dinner at Pepe's, and it was less than good. My tacos were all right, but her nachos were made with that awful yellow plastic ("pasteurized process cheese food") instead of chihuahua cheese and they were basically inedible.
After that, we went home and watched Signs, which I was less than thrilled over; it lived down to my expectations and I kept making wisecracks. Finally during the "group hug" scene at the dinner table I said something which set off Mrs. Fungus ("You're horrible!" But it's hard to think she really believes that when she's laughing so hard) and that set me off, to the point that I couldn't stop laughing. Me? Punchy? Naah!
But owing to my illness and the attendant fatigue, I went back to bed after Mrs. Fungus left for work, and slept until after 5. I bestirred myself long enough to go pick up my RX for Amoxicillin and some dinner. Culver's--the first time I've gone to Culver's in at least two weeks, and they stiffed me on my french fries. I got my burger (and it was right, thank God) but no fries--and in my condition I just can't summon the energy to complain about it. And to be honest I don't need to eat all that deep-fried starch, anyway.
To be fair this is only the second time they've messed up my order--and the last time, they gave me a large order of fried cheese, which is some $5 worth of extra food. So it all kind of evens out, I suppose.
So here I sit now, having had dinner and my first dose of Amox, and all I really want to do is to go back to bed.
* * *
The other day Mrs. Fungus and I finally started season 5 of Babylon 5, after putting it on hiatus for a few days. Strangely enough, I don't remember very much of season 5 at all, even though I knew most of the major plot points of the first four seasons. Season 5 aired after I moved to Cedar Rapids, and I had cable TV so it came in crystal clear, and I know I recorded it...but apparently I had other things on my mind at the time, because I barely remember any of it.
The box set of the 5th season doesn't include liner notes (either I got stiffed, or it just didn't come with them--probably the former) so I can't even glance at the booklet to read the synopses of the episodes.
Still, I do remember Byron the whiny bitch telepath showing up, that annoying Fabio wannabe that I just want to shoot on sight. And, of course, Captain Lockley, Ivanova's replacement, who is irritating as all get-out. I remember a few other details. Otherwise, nothing; even the opening theme was a total surprise to me.
To be fair, it's been 16 years since I saw it. Still.
So we have 20 eps left in the series, and then we'll move on to watching something else, though I'm not sure what.
* * *
Anyway, I'm sure it surprises no one that posting here has been erratic since I got married and Mrs. Fungus moved in. Gee, we only completely upended our entire lives; what's the problem?
It's going to take some time for routine to reassert itself, is all. I'm sure none of you mind all that much. At least, I hope not.