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Diary #824

For the past two weeks, the pullets have lived in their nursery in the henhouse; the heat lamp is still on 24 hours a day, and every day about noon or so I top off their food and change their water.  This was taken immediately after doing that, which is why you can hear the water burping as the tray fills up.  The reason it’s up on the cinder block is to keep them from clogging it up with shavings when they scratch; at this stage it’s the feeder which gets clogged instead, but as long as I clean it once a day it isn’t bad enough to stop them from eating.  You can see that the turkey chick has now caught up with the pullets, and by the time they’re out of the nursery completely on May 17th, it will be noticeably larger.  The next change, however, will be this coming Sunday; the heat lamp will go on the timer so it’s only on at night, and in the daytime I’ll open up the coop as it is in this video, then herd them back inside every evening.  Every two days I’ll shorten the timer by half an hour, so their hours of darkness will slowly increase until it’s time to shut off the lamp for the summer, and by that time the hens will have stopped trying to harass them, and we’ll be settled into our routine until it starts to change again in late September.

Endless Sunday

When I was a schoolgirl, Sundays didn’t really feel like days off.  It wasn’t just that I had to go to church, although that was certainly a factor; it was mostly because there was a school day looming over Sunday afternoon like a beetling cliff above a mountain meadow.  Even if I didn’t have homework due, my mother still enforced an early bedtime on school nights, and even after I escaped the house the knowledge that I would not be free to spend the next day as I pleased was enough to cast a pall over Sunday activities.  And since none of the jobs I had after 1987 had traditional Saturday-Sunday weekends, that inability to feel free of looming responsibilities eventually seeped into every day off, aggravating my lifelong characteristic inability to relax into a lifelong Sunday-shaped pathology: unless I was actually under the influence of a drug, whatever tasks I might have to accomplish were always lurking behind me, impossible to ignore regardless of my efforts to pretend they weren’t there.  But now, five years into my retirement, I’m at last starting to have a little success in convincing myself that there really aren’t any obligations haunting my free time.  Sure, I need to go to town once a week for groceries, and several times a year I need to go into Seattle, and occasionally I have some other responsibility to deal with (beside my daily blog work and household chores, which are never completely done).  But other than that, it matters very little if I choose to spend a few hours reading for pleasure, or occupy my time in some frivolous but interesting pastime, or finish my next book in September rather than July.  And maybe sometime in the next few years, I’ll be able to exorcise that Sunday haunt once and for all.

Links #823

I don’t think they’re aliens, I think they’re demons.  –  J.D. Vance

I’m not sure why I’ve never posted this song, since it’s been periodically going through my head for years now and I think you’ll agree that though it has never completely stopped being timely, it’s especially timely right now.  The links above it were provided by Franklin Harris, Ed Krayewski, Radley Balko, C.J. Ciaramella, Rick Horowitz, and IncarcerNation, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

The political incentive to vote for anything labeled “child protection” is enormous.  –  Juan Vasquez

Surplus Women

Most of the victims of serial killers are typically sex workers:

Prosecutors have charged a man [responsible for] some of the deaths linked to the “Texas Killing Fields“, an area near Houston where the bodies of dozens of women were found beginning in the 1970s…the bodies of more than 30 women were found there…[over the years, probably from] multiple perpetrators…[but] James Dolphs Elmore Jr….[has been indicted for the murders] of 16-year-old Laura Miller and 30-year-old Audrey Cook, whose bodies were found…in 1986…prosecutors [were] also…seeking indictments against Clyde Hedrick…Elmore’s longtime friend.  But…Hedrick died by suicide last month before the grand jury came back with a decision…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1503)

Puritans consider damage to women’s livelihoods a feature of their censorship schemes:

…Nearly 50 percent of the U.S. population now lives in states with age verification laws that target adult content on the internet.  These laws [not only] restrict freedom of expression for adult consumers, but [also] are proving even more costly for the people who actually work in…adult entertainment…Over 45 percent of sex workers have seen a noticeable drop in their income…[and] nearly 98 percent of [them]…attribute at least some of this to the “war on porn,” which includes age verification laws.  The average income for an online sex worker…clocks in around $58,700 annually—but 38 percent…report making only between $10,000 and $40,000 annually.  More than half…have income from outside of the adult industry, while about 35 percent are solely dependent on adult work…so when it comes to age verification laws, clearly much more is at stake than the freedom of the consumer…

Mad Libs (#1586)

Microsoft admits its chatbot is merely an error-prone toy:

An update to [Microsoft’s] Terms of Use document for Copilot on October 24, 2025 [states]:  “Copilot is for entertainment purposes only.  It can make mistakes, and it may not work as intended.  Don’t rely on Copilot for important advice.  Use Copilot at your own risk”…[unfortunately,] a…[dis]couraging statement from an anonymous Microsoft spokesperson [says] the disclaimer…will be altered [to something less honest] with [the] next update…

I Spy (#1590)

Privacy as we once knew it is a thing of the past:

…Ron Wyden [and five other politicians] sent a letter to [Trumpist henchwoman] Tulsi Gabbard, [saying]…“We…urge you to let the American people know what, if any, impact the use of commercial…VPN…services can have on their privacy rights against warrantless surveillance”…since the [politicians] have access to classified intelligence, they may have seen evidence that…VPN providers…might [already] be a target for the…NSA[, which] can conduct [surveillance] …through the controversial [FISA] Section 702…which allows…warrantless surveillance of [any] US persons…communicati[ng with any entity outside] the US[, including VPN companies]…

To Molest and Rape (#1606)

Hey, female cops; how’s that collaboration with the police state working out?

Washington County [Utah has] agreed to [reward typical and representative] Sheriff Nate Brooksby [with] $100,000…after he abruptly resigned following [his repeated] sexual harassment …[of female staff and at least one] deputy’s wife…Brooksby [also] interfered in an investigation into Jeff Johnson, [his pet] deputy…[who] was charged with…[stalking people via] criminal investigation records…Brooksby [claimed his victims wanted it but also]…offered his resignation [in exchange for a payout]…

Part of the Picture (#1610)

Puritanware has a long history of security issues:

At least three people warned Quittr, an app that [claims it can] help men stop masturbating, about serious security issues for months, but the creators of the app didn’t fix them until weeks after 404 Media reached out for comment multiple times [and courteously refrained from naming it until it was fixed]…Quittr’s founder, Alex Slater…[didn’t bother fixing his product because he was too busy living] the opulent lifestyle the success of Quittr has afforded [him], including driving exotic super cars and living in a Miami mansion…

Walled Garden (#1619)

A politician who cares about civil rights is a rare bird these days:

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers [has] vetoed an age verification bill…cit[ing] First Amendment problems and the practical impossibility of implementing age-gating systems without creating new privacy risks for every adult forced to hand over identification just to browse the internet…the age verification bills proliferating across state legislatures share a common DNA — and much of it traces back to lobbying efforts by large technology companies and third-party identity verification vendors who stand to profit enormously from mandatory compliance regimes…who[se]…burden…falls disproportionately on smaller operators while giving large platforms — which already collect vast amounts of user data — a structural advantage…age verification mandates are functionally a surveillance infrastructure project dressed up as child protection

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

A Fable

Once upon a time there was a vast jungle full of many different kinds of creatures, who made so much noise only the loudest of them, the elephants and the asses, could clearly be heard amid the din.  Naturalists often visited the jungle and sometimes focused on one animal or another, filming them and talking about them for nature shows.  Now in this jungle there lived a little bird of a fairly rare variety, and though it wanted to be heard the naturalists could never make out its tiny voice amid the cacophony, so they never talked about or even thought about the little bird, and neither did anyone else.  Eventually, the little bird got tired of singing its little song for no one to hear, and so it simply stopped singing and minded its own business.  Now, a few thoughtful explorers had seen the little bird and knew it existed; an even smaller number had even heard its little song.  So they said to the naturalists, “Maybe the naturalists should consider that little bird’s quiet little song, even though few ears are good enough to hear it.”  But the naturalists were always accompanied by an unruly gang of fans, and rather than admit that perhaps their idols should be more aware of rare creatures, they blamed the little bird, saying, “If little birds want to be heard, they should peep at the exact same time as the elephant trumpeting or the asses braying, so they can be heard along with those other animals.”  When the thoughtful explorers pointed out that merely increasing (by some infinitesimal amount) the noise made by other creatures with whom they had nothing in common was hardly likely to call attention to the little bird in any way, the gang members merely asked if the explorers wanted the “bad” animals to win, and declared that if the little bird really wanted to be heard, it should have been hatched as an ass or elephant.  Then they congratulated themselves on their great wisdom, and resumed arguing over whether the elephants’ trumpeting or the asses’ braying made lovelier music.  And they were so preoccupied with their argument that none of them noticed when a wildfire started and burned them all up together, elephants and asses and naturalists and fans and explorers, and the little bird too. 

The concept of “free sex” is largely a male fantasy.  –  “Waiting for Lightning

In the online world, as in the real one, you don’t get something for nothing.  –
Something for Nothing

Even the finest thespian can’t conjure Hamlet out of lackluster dialogue draped carelessly over a checklist.  –  “In Flux

[Those] who declare CGI “art”, or even declare it superior to real human-created art, are soulless clowns whose opinions should be rejected by anyone who cares about beauty, life, and humanity.  –  “The Philistine Majority

Librarians should not be used as a filter for political agendas.
–  Luanne James

The Vultures Descend (#1430)

Two years later, this decision is still standing:

…Indiana’s…Religious Freedom Restoration Act…[of] 2015….was one of many such state laws passed [by]…evangelical Christians to [privilege]…their beliefs [above those of other religions]…Hoosier Jews for Choice saw an opening for Jews to…[use] the same law…to [protect Jews’] access to abortion…[and] Judge Christina Klineman [recently] upheld a 2024 decision…permanently blocking enforcement of the state’s abortion ban for plaintiffs with sincere religious objections…the case is [now] headed to the Indiana Supreme Court…[Naturally, forced-birth fanatics are angry.] “Indiana’s religious freedom laws were passed for the purpose of [enshrining Christian] religious practice [in law], not to protect the [beliefs] of [others from laws justified by Christian dogma],” [said] Alexander Mingus…of the Indiana Catholic Conference, [absurdly declaring Judaism a] “Religion…that preach[es] violence [which is] not protected by religious freedom claims”…Jews [view] the fetus as “potential life,” gaining the legal status of nefesh, or personhood, at birth…

Dirty Amateurs (#1445)

This is the second article I’ve seen on this fungus in two years:

Infectious disease experts…are working to educate doctors about a new…STI…which recently caused an outbreak of at least 30 cases in Minnesota…the fungus Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII (TMvii)…spreads through intimate contact and has predominately been seen among…gay men.  It causes painful, coin-sized rashes on the arms, buttocks, trunk, legs and genitals.  While infections can be treated with oral antifungal medications, treatment can take several weeks [and]…TMvii can resemble other skin conditions…so proper evaluation is important…TMvii [was first] identified in 2023 in Europe among men who had recently traveled in Southeast Asia.  The first U.S. case was reported in New York in 2024…[and] the Minnesota outbreak…began [last] July…

Do As I Say, Not As I Do (#1463)

It’s heartwarming to see goons snitching on each other:

The national chief of the Border Patrol, Michael Banks, was known among colleagues for taking regular trips abroad to [hire] sex w[orkers in places where it is legal, such as]…Colombia and Thailand[, instead of simply raping them in the US as CBP policy demands]…Kristi Noem [covered for him, but once she got the sack the snitches got loose.  One said,] “If you have the character where you’re going to go [hire consenting] third-world country women [instead of deceiving, raping, and robbing migrant women right here in the US and then deporting them], it’s just not cool in my book”…

A Moral Cancer (#1520)

Because obviously prohibition doesn’t ruin enough lives yet:

By pushing a 75 percent wholesale tax on nicotine pouches, New York…Gov. Kathy Hochul [claims she’s] address[ing] “a public health concern.”  That rationale is absurd on its face, since this tax would sharply raise the cost of a nicotine product that is far less hazardous than cigarettes, perversely discouraging smokers from making a switch that could save their lives…tobacco smoke…contains myriad toxins and carcinogens, and…the Biden [FDA]…authorized the marketing of Zyn nicotine pouches [because]…”nicotine pouch products…benefit…adults who use cigarettes and/or smokeless tobacco products and completely switch to these products”…the Royal College of Physicians estimates that “the hazard to health” from e-cigarettes, which likewise do not contain tobacco or burn anything…”is unlikely to exceed 5% of the harm from smoking tobacco”…

Due to its absurdly-high taxes, 55% of cigarettes smoked in New York are black market.  But I guess Hochul wants that to also be true of smoking-replacement products, and to give the NYPD another excuse for violence against citizens.

Divination (#1530)

These tests “have an error rate so high that they’re akin to ‘witchcraft, phrenology or simply picking a number out of a hat’.”

Colorado recently enacted a law protecting [citizens from wrongful] arrest…due to [cops’ misuse of unreliable] roadside tests for drugs…police can no longer make arrests solely for misdemeanor drug possession based on the results of colorimetric field drug tests and instead must issue suspects a summons to appear in court.  The act also requires courts, before a defendant enters a plea in a case where a field test was used, to inform defendants of the known error rates for the tests and their right to request testing from a forensics laboratory…[cop]s’ use of unverified drug field tests…result[s] in [an estimated 30,000] innocent people being arrested, jailed, and prosecuted…[every year.  Cop]s around the country have jailed innocent people…[for] “presumptive positive” results on bird poopdonut glazecotton candy, and sand from inside a stress ball

Field tests are exclusionary tests; in other words, they are designed to tell whether something is not X substance.  A positive result does not mean “This substance is X”; it means “this substance might or might not be X”.  But cops are too stupid to understand the difference, and wouldn’t care if they could.

Mad Libs (#1595)

We are now in the early days of a dark age:

[Lazy, dishonest] researchers are increasingly using…LLMs…to…conduct literature searches, write manuscripts and format bibliographies…[resulting in a flood of] non-existent academic references…One analysis of nearly 18,000 papers…found a sharp increase in [fake] references…tens of thousands of 2025 publications, including journal papers and books, as well as conference proceedings, probably contain [incorrect or fake] references generated by [chatbots]…researchers are concerned that the problem will soon get out of hand…[and academic publishers are trying to] decid[e]what to do about hallucinated citations that make it into the published literature…

Thought Control (#1625)

They’re going to have trouble finding a competent professional willing to play their “What books will we censor today?” game:

A Tennessee library board has fired the county’s top librarian for refusing to comply with its [demand] to [hid]e more than 100 LGBT…books f[or juveniles in]…the adult section…Luanne James…said that [hid]ing the books would violate…residents’ First Amendment rights and compromise her professional obligation against government-mandated [censorship]…Last fall, a…Wyoming library director w[as awarded] $700,000 to settle a lawsuit after her firing [but wannabe censors]…Cody York…and…Caleb Tidwell [don’t care because it isn’t their money James will get when she wins a similar lawsuit]…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Diary #823

As you can see, the chicks are in the nursery now.  And even though the turkey is two weeks younger than the chickens, she’s nearly as big already.  They’ll be confined full-time for two more weeks, then starting on the 19th they’ll be allowed to roam around the chicken yard during the day and only confined at night.  Since they’re faster than the adult hens they can get away from aggressive hens in the daytime, whereas at night the door is closed so they’re cooped up in a small space.  But after being near them for seven weeks, the adults generally lose interest, so I don’t have a pecking problem.  And despite the turkey being younger, her (?) size will soon protect her.

Links #822

Tidying up the house…with hatred in her heart.  –  Bryan Polanco

I recently discovered this funny recording, which was Chubby Checker’s first hit (a year before “The Twist”); in fact, he got his nickname “Chubby” due to his spot-on imitation of Fats Domino.  The links above the video were provided by Mike Siegel, Kevin Wilson, Ryan Marino, IncarcerNation, Mistress Matisse, and The Onion, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Easter 2026