When a country exhausts cemetery space and declares cremation is illegal, where do officials go with dead citizens? They draft plans outlawing death.
Under the bill, those who die suffer no penalties. Now there’s some sharp legislation teeth.
This is the nifty thing about government: passing laws is cheap – no matter how ridiculous – and voters rarely hold leaders accountable poor or nonexistent enforcement. And that’s about all the politics my stomach can take for the next six months.
Ever wondered what the lethal dose of your favorite caffeinated beverage is?
NOTE: To the Canadian contingent, Tim Horton’s is not on the list.
The hard work of The Eight continues. Considering everyone is an unpaid volunteer, I’m impressed by their diligence and efforts. While the proposed November 23, 2005 deadline struck me as a nice concept, given holiday preparations, illnesses, and traffic, I never expected most readers to hit that date. One did, and several others came in a few days later. Five to seven weeks is a far more realistic turnaround time.
Next time around, I’ll pick a date seven weeks from the initial distribution, and one not during a holiday season. This will be with the understanding that some might need an extension. Eight weeks for The Eight – a catchphrase I can love.
This Friday, I’ll meet with members four and five for feedback review. The following week, I have a tentative session – pending work schedules – scheduled with number six.
Number Seven is a major wild card. Honestly, not sure when they will finish, but likely right before Christmas.
Due to a meltdown at his employer – mass layoffs led to the overtime or unemployment line conversation – number eight has been excused without prejudice. A man’s gotta eat, after all.
And that’s where The Eight stand.
In the meantime, the query letter is ready, as is a three page synopsis. Revisions will take two to three weeks, so this project won’t reach agents until mid January. Even though the initial contact only includes 10-25 pages of the novel – I compiled a list of agents who encourage sample chapters along with the query – I’m not shopping the project until the manuscript is done. When they request the whole book, I can fire it off the following business day, without wondering if I missed something.
December 9, 1980. St. Louis, Missouri. A bus of grammar school students. Destination: a private school, denomination undisclosed.
Most rides, the kids talk soccer, basketball, or baseball; the current sporting season decides the conversation. Today it’s current events. Last night someone died. A big someone, who mattered with a Capital M.
The kids know his songs, but not his face. They know his melodies, but not his music. They don’t understand what that dead man meant to their parents, but they do know he was important. Others say, they will never understand this connection, because his was the voice of another generation.
Critics said his music would never last. A flash in the pan, they said. Forty years later, John Lennon’s pan is still on fire. Yeah, yeah, yeah.