Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

I am trying out Akismet on the Bitches today to see if it can put a stop to some of the irritating as hell comment spam we’ve been attracting. However, if this interferes with your ability to comment, please let me know via and let me know if you were a logged in user or not, and what happened when you tried to say howdy.

Thanks - and my apologies for the unavoidable delay, mind the gap, and thank you, drive through. 

You stumble across a new post from Candy on Smart Bitches. Marvelling at her impeccable grammar and foul-mouthed erudition, you suddenly realize this is a post about Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. What do you say to yourself?

• “Holy shit! Fighting Fantasy gamebooks! I remember those. They were even better than Choose Your Own Adventure!” Turn to paragraph 73.
• “What the hell is Fighting Fantasy? Or a gamebook? What kind of nerd vortex have I fallen into?” Turn to paragraph i.

We’ve mentioned the Romance Novel Magnetic Poetry Kit before on this website. I’ve been the proud owner of a set for the past couple of years--a friend of mine gave a set to me as a birthday present a little while ago, and I’ve put it to good use. I use the poetry to hold down photos on the fridge, with the words acting as commentary as well as anchors; below are my two favorite uses.

Bitchery reader Joanne sent me this fascinating link, which she found hunting for information regarding our curiously Photoshopped (maybe) leg model of pink flippy skirtdom. A leg model reveals the behind-the-scenes action, and discusses photo shoots and imperfections. Fascinating.

I still strongly suspect that our model is the same, with the leg moved over and the trenchcoat Photoshopped on top of the skirt - which would account for the strange angle at which that skirt is blowing - but I still haven’t found any proof. Either way, I still can’t walk like that without falling flat on my face.

And in a complete change of subject, while reading about children’s books yesterday, I came across a very interesting profile of a children’s book by Louise Fitzhugh, of Harriet the Spy fame, that almost was, but wasn’t. Sort of. 

The New York Times is reporting that the United Nations has suspended relief supply to Myanmar because the military has seized the food and supplies that were delivered earlier this week.

Paul Risley, a spokesman for the United Nations World Food Program, said, “all the food aid and equipment that we managed to get in has been confiscated.” He said the World Food Program was suspending the few flights that the Myanmar authorities had so far allowed to enter the country until the matter was resolved.

Myanmar said it had turned back one relief flight because, in addition to disaster relief supplies, it carried disaster assessment experts and an unauthorized media group

As international aid organizations scramble to facilitate any aid that might possibly reach the people stranded and starving following the cyclone, the government in Myanmar will not process visa applications and turns away flights that contain aid that it says also contain unauthorized personnel.

In New York, United Nations officials all but demanded Thursday that the government open its doors.

“The situation is profoundly worrying,” said Mr. Holmes, the United Nations official in charge of the relief effort, speaking in unusually candid language for a diplomat. “They have simply not facilitated access in the way we have a right to expect.”

Mr. Holmes’s predecessor in that job, Jan Egeland, said, “children are going to die from diarrhea because of this government’s inaction.”

The military junta has said it is “grateful to the international community for its assistance — which has included 11 chartered planes loaded with aid supplies — but the best way to help was just to send in material rather than personnel.” One wonders what exactly the international aid community can expect the junta to do with that “material” in light of its inability to warn and care for its citizens.

I don’t have enough words for how angry and outraged I am. ETA: I can think of a few more super powers I’d like today.

Updated 2:00pm EST: NPR is reporting that the UN World Food Program will resume aid flights, though the first shipment of high energy biscuits are still confiscated and have not yet been released by the military junta controlling Myanmar: “[World Food Program spokesman Paul] Risley said that Myanmar’s refusal to allow international aid workers into the country was ‘unprecedented in modern humanitarian relief efforts.’” But storms are brewing - literally:

A U.N. weather agency is forecasting heavy rains next week in Myanmar.

The official death toll from Saturday’s cyclone and tidal surge stands at nearly 23,000. But officials fear it will go much higher, with the lack of safe food and water.

Like hot and humid weather following Katrina, the atmosphere compounds the problems made already untenable by government idiocy of intolerable levels. (Thanks to Lucinda Betts for the link)

ETA: Shiloh Walker is hosting a charity auction of a heaping pile of ARCs and signed books, the proceeds of which go to Save the Children. Bid early, bid often.