power, power, everywhere...

I must admit that at first I was shocken then impressed by the early transfer of power to the Iraqi President. but now I feel like it's a poor move.

the fact is, it acknowledges a very true but very disturbing fact: that the government can't currently control what goes on in the country, and has to accomodate the terrorists inside. as any student of intl relations will tell you, it's the job of a state to have a monopoly on the legitimite use of force within its borders. how can it be good to found a state two days early, essentially because one cannot fulfill that basic function of a state?

and what of the Iraqi election in January? handovers among elites can be moved up, but elections cannot. so January 2 shall be the real wait and see date. along with a certain other election tuesday in November, of course.

meanwhile, I'm heartened by the fact that the Supreme Court had the good sense to give legal recourse to the detainees in Guantanamo Bay. the more the US applies the concepts of rule of law within its borders, the less other countries will fear and balance against us. Shame on the Bush Administration for rejecting basic enlightenment principles of law, justice, and rights, effectively letting the terrorists win. and cheers to the six members of the supreme court who saw the light.

Flying Squid

The New York Times describes the history-making Spaceship One as "squid-like". I'm not quite sure I agree. However, nothing else immediately comes to me. However, I still don't like "squid-like". Regardless, this could be a huge deal over the course of the next decade. Let's hope it adds up to something. After all, every neocon/libertarian member of the Cabal should be jumping up and down over private space flight, right?


Update: the squid is gone.  It was ruining the layout of the page.  For any distress I caused, I'm truly sorry.

The Future

Well, I'm back in Chicago after a little under a week spent in Indy. I have little to report. The Cabal seems to have gone into hiding. Perhaps after summer gets a little boring, we'll all get back to it.

Twice wounded

There was some sourness here at the Cabal over the death of President Reagan. I didn't have much to add to it. Like him or not (I do) the man forever changed the dialog in this country. Our political life will never fully be out of the shadow of Ronald Reagan, just as it will never emerge from the shadow of FDR. America owes the man who loved her so dearly that we honor his legacy through continued optimism and a remembrance of the value of freedom. Reagan was an American original. His suspicion of the American government was matched only by his admiration for the spirit which walked among its people.

Another American original passed away this past week. Ray Charles, whose death will, I fear be overshadowed by that of our 40th president, left us at 73. The blind man who can make miraculous music will forever be an inspiration. He is an embodiment of the American spirit: its heart, its determination, its soul. His music was our music. And oh, how that man could play the piano.

God bless you, Ray and Ron. You'll be missed.

...dead presidents

now, now, mr. cohen.

while Ronald Reagan was not the best president ev-uh, as some conservatives would have you believe, I think it's clear that whatever one's opinion, it's in poor form to speak so ill of the dead.

actually, it's an interesting non-event as the nation has had lots of time to consider the Reagan legacy without him in the spotlight.

the 80's are a hugely influential time in US history--a time of progress that really set the nation on the course for its current position. there were bad aspects to the 80's as well, I'll admit. the music and hairdo's alone should have to answer to the international fashion criminal court.

nevertheless, whatever one's opinion, it's clear that Reagan served the country well, and should be spoken of kindly.

good and bad

today is a good and bad day.

the new harry potter movie was released. I saw it at midnight. it was a qualitatively better film--amazingly directed. cheers to Cuaron for producing a truly remarkable work.

on the other hand, today is the 15th anniversary of Tiananmen Square, an event that truly indicates how crappy communist regimes can be, and should remind us that brutal regimes still exist in this world, and how valuable and sacrosanct we should really hold rights to be.

p.s. - down with capitalism (lower-case "c")

Should I send myself to teen boot camp? Or, "your family values," coming right up.

This questionnaire, designed to help parents deal with difficult teens, asks such charming questions as:

"Has your teen's appearance and/or personal hygiene changed?"

"Does your teen seem to demonstrate a lack of motivation?"

"Does your teen engage in activities you don't approve of? "

"Does your teen seem to constantly be in opposition to your family values?"

My teen, or, rather, my 20-year-old self, is somewhat disheveled when 10th week comes to an end. My "teen" has, at times, demonstrated a lack of motivation.

The other two questions above are just too vague, though. I'm not sure what to do with these "activites" that parents don't approve of--depending on who the parents are, these activities could include reading, talking on the phone, eating potato chips, snorting cocaine, refusing to snort cocaine...

And what exactly is meant by "your family values"--your family's values, or your values, which are somehow family-related. It's unclear. Please, please, do not send your teen to boot camp. The end.

Too hot for the subway

A gruesome story: It seems a model was randomly shot in the shoulder as the subway she was riding approached Times Square. While getting randomly shot on the subway is never a good thing, it's especially bad that now even models are not immune.

"'Monica is a willowy beauty and an absolute sweetheart,' said William Michals, a veteran Broadway actor."

While New Yorkers have long grown accustommed to stout, repulsive, and obnoxious people getting shot on the subway, clearly we've reached a new low.

There is also much commentary on the appearance of the shooter, who seems to be something of a Kurt Cobain wannabe, aesthetically: "Investigators described him as white, about 30 years old, of medium build and about 5-foot-8 with shoulder-length, wavy blond hair..."The police said witnesses described the gunman as having a 'scruffy' or 'grunge' look about him. He was wearing gray pants and a tan jacket, and carrying a gray bag."

abolish the penny

hear hear!

one reason I loved being in france pre-Euro, is that they NEVER used one-centime pieces.

Safire's wrong, however, that the Europeans don't have Euro-pennies, because they do. they're small, copper, and exceedingly annoying, especially because the europeans also have a two-cent coin.

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in other news, check out the rather depressing but very interesting series in the nytimes on life in las vegas (official residence of yours truly). if ever there were a case to be made that the transfer to a service economy is a mixed bag, and that capitalism can be awfully depressing sometimes, this would be it.

olympic movements...

so, according to Santiago Calatrava (architect of the athens olympic stadium and, among other things, the milwaukee art museum--the back drop to the picture in my profile), the olympic stadium will indeed be ready for august. that's a small relief, but I somehow wonder if he should be getting credit for this, as it was supposed to be open for august. I'm just against people getting credit for things they didn't do.

in other news, the international olympic committee has teamed up with unaids (the un body on hiv/aids, where I interned for a summer) and the intl federation of red cross/red crescent to promote hiv/aids awareness. dunno what change they think they're going to bring about, but it's still cool to see some high-level action and recognition. if nothing else, athletes will likely get condoms, and that's always a good thing...nothing like having to do a worldwide search for the father of a baby conceived at the olympics.

ps - phoebe and aaron should write a letter describing the official position of the cabal on sullivan's illness, condemning his record of lies, deceit, and treachery, and asking that he shape up, lest we find ourselves obligated to forcibly remove him from his post.

Is it Red Lobster, or is it a New York drinking fountain?

It turns out that NY tap water isn't kosher:

"These rabbis have recently discovered that there are tiny creatures, called copepods, in the unfiltered water that streams into the city from upstate. These tiny organisms are harmless. But they are crustaceans. And crustaceans are not considered kosher."

I disagree with these rabbis--if the thing can't be turned into tempura, put into a paella, or killed in a trap, it's not a crustacean.

The article then takes a turn for the disgusting:

"'It would be like swallowing a couple of gnats if you were outdoors on a summer evening,' Mr. Cohen said. 'But it's not like you're ingesting thousands of them.'"

"Laser Shum, of Midwood, is still drinking tap water.'If you take a microscope, you'll see a lot of things you don't want to see,' Mr. Shum said."

Amen to that.

Irrelevant for those who do not obsess over Andrew, but...

I have no idea what's going on with Sullivan--I, too, have always wondered what his "I'm a little bit sick" posts are about--are we to read this as signs that he is seriously ill (given that he is, after all, at least potentially seriously ill at all times), or is he simply taking a much-deserved blog break? I'd imagine that minor illness, as opposed to full-on illness or wellness, would actually increase blogging.

Was reading something online (not going to look for it at 3:48, though) about Sullivan being a "homocon"--a fair assessment, but sounds very sci-fi. This suggests that the future will be gay and conservative. The Cabal can only dream.

Not Fooling Anyone

As anyone who reads this blog surely knows, Andrew Sullivan had a "stomach bug" this weekend and was unable to blog. To Mr. Sullivan I say this: "Andy, you ain't foolin' nobody." Perhaps he is sick, but I'd bet against it. Last post: Thursday before Memorial Day, next post, late Monday night. The guy just took Memorial Day weekend off! Now, to make myself clear, I don't have a problem with it. I just wish he'd be straight (no pun intended) with those of us who read him all too regularly. I'm not angry, just disappointed. The next time Mr. Sullivan wants to take a weekend off to relax, watch the Stanley cup (or whatever the hell he does), play with his beagle and eat a Johnsonville Brat, I wish he'd just say so. Otherwise it's just a vacation full of laughing at sympathy emails. Or maybe sick in bed with the flu. To Andrew Sullivan: "Get well soon" or "Go to hell". You'll know which is appropriate.