I Give Up

After some five of my friends did these little quizzes, I couldn't resist. So just how much do you know about me? You may not like the answer. But can you risk not knowing? HIT ME.

Palestine? What's that?

At this pace the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be completely eclipsed... 57 Hindu nationalists killed in India by Muslim extremists who attacked their train with rocks and kerosene. I know there are a lot more people in India, but still that's a lot of folks to kill in one attack. Too bad forgiveness didn't make it into non-Christian religions... and too bad many Christians forget that it's the fundamental of our own faith.

I've Lived Here All My Life

And I still don't get it. Yesterday I biked to school with my shirt off; it was 60 and sunny. We played a vigorous game of ultimate frisbee, and I biked home at night in just a t-shirt (though I added gloves partway).

Today? It was overcast. Then it rained. Now it's snowing. Heavily.

Tomorrow? Whaddya think I am, Nostradamus?!

The Denis Sullivan Show

Professor Sullivan, my good friend, mentor, and advisor was a talkshow guest on WBUR 90.9 NPR this evening. He sounded really unnatural, and I didn't hear him say too much. They were, of course, talking about the Saudi Peace Proposal. His take? The motives and reasons for waiting until now are not important; what's important is to make sure that peace is reached. At least, that's how I understood it, so correct me if someone who heard more heard differently. But hey, I have to brag about my top dawg in polisci hittin' the airwaves!

I Concede

I meant to do this last night, but I concede to Mer and Dave in the competition. I'm just getting bad vibes from the whole competitive thing, and I think it would be a lot more fun to just be able to blog and link as before without being judged. Sorry if I'm ruining anybody's fun. I'll stay in to place third if you guys want, but my heart's really out of it as a contest. Yes of course it's partly because I know I'm not going to win, at least not if I keep writing what I enjoy writing. Dave and Mer are funnier and more entertaining and deserve to get more hits than I do, but I'd rather remain in ignominy as a wanna-be intellectual blog than gain popularity doing something that I don't enjoy quite as much. May the best blogger win of the two that are left, and hey, if Jon or anyone else wants to join in, I can be an extremely objective judge.

Happy Purim

To all my Jewish readers! Actually, Purim is a holiday Christians might want to pay more attention to than we've traditionally done. It celebrates the deliverence of the diaspora Jewry of the Persian Empire from the arrogant Haman. Though my modern-orthodox friend Josh says it's basically an excuse to get completely completely verschnikkered, the principles of humility, racial tolerence, and justice, as well as God's care for those outside the land of Israel, are valuable lessons for any time. So tip that Schnapps, and have a great Purim!

News Digestion

There's a lot in the news today, and I better let the experts say it. Today's thumbs-up list includes Ben-Eliezer, Arafat, and even Sharon, all of whom are being conciliatory. On the thumbs-down list is Hillary "I'm a Jew Just Like I'm a New Yorker" Clinton. I guess I could give Saudi Crown Prince (and acting regent) Abdullah a thumbs down for refusing to meet with Israelis, but it's hard to be critical when he just made this major peace proposal yesterday.

TEL-AVIV - Ben-Eliezer said in a statement that the plan ``contains positive elements and should be encouraged.'' He also said that ``it must not be rejected,'' a comment apparently aimed at hard-line Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Associate Press, via nytimes.com

JERUSALEM - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton drank coffee today at a pizzeria destroyed by the blast of a suicide bomber and rebuilt weeks later, and she blamed Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, for violence in the region.
New York Times

RIYADH - No official Saudi-Israeli visits will be held to discuss a recently floated land-for-peace proposal until an Arab-Israeli settlement is reached, according to a Saudi newspaper editorial Tuesday.
Ha'aretz English Edition

UNITED NATIONS - The Palestinians have circulated a resolution dropping the demand for sending international monitors to the Middle East in hopes of avoiding a U.S. veto, according to a Security Council diplomat. The move comes as the Security Council is to begin debating the situation in the Middle East on Tuesday.
Ha'aretz English Edition

JERUSALEM - The United States must express its firm support for a new Saudi peace plan if it is to succeed, a senior Palestinian official said Tuesday as three Palestinians, including a 15-month-old baby and her mother, were wounded by Israeli tank fire in the Gaza Strip.
AP, via Yahoo News

WEST BANK - The Israeli army this week effectively suffered its heaviest losses yet since the outbreak of the in late September 2000, losing eight soldiers, including a high-ranking officer known among Palestinians as the commander of covert missions to assassinate Palestinian activists in the West Bank.
Al-Ahram Weekly

JERUSALEM - Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat endorsed Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud's peace plan yesterday, said Henry Siegman, a senior fellow and director of the US/Middle East Project at the Council on Foreign Relations, who met with Arafat yesterday...When Siegman asked Arafat whether his statement implies he accepts Jewish sovereignty over the Western Wall, he answered affirmatively..."The Saudis see themselves as the guardians of Moslem interests, which include Jerusalem," Siegman said. "They knew exactly what they were doing. This is not something some PR firm said they should do to improve their image."
Jerusalem Post

What's Wrong With This Picture?
Look closely... you won't see it at first!

Ariel "The Peacemaker" Sharon?

Reports are that the Saudi royal family for the first time ever has proposed a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It's a good old-fashioned land for peace deal with a serious Arab bias, but hey, talking is a start. I am gladdened to see that I am not alone holding this viewpoint. And I'm surprised to find Arik Sharon as one of my stranger bedfellows on this issue. I guess he's realizing (finally) that he can't sustain Israel this way, and he has to divest Palestine somehow, sometime, since the autonomy-model peace process failed so ignominiously.

At Camp David II, Bill Clinton was quoted as saying that the sides had to come to peace because the alternative was unthinkable. That statement alone gives Clinton some respect in my eyes; he was so right, and it's enough to make one weep to see how fruitlessly these two sides have fought for a year and a half now! May the Good Lord raise up leaders on both sides who have the balls to compromise.

Progress Reports

I'm resting a little easier tonight since a few professors have had the decency to get back to me with some overdue grades. If I stay on pace in French, Macro Theory, and International Conflict and Negotiation, I'll do fine in all three. I wasn't desperate (yet), but it was close. So now I have a false sense of security, which sure is nice for a change.

Finals? What finals?

Looking Better?

Winter is ending in New England, and I feel the need for a sunnier, springier blog layout. That's besides the optometrist bills I've been receiving in the mail from faithful readers...

Comic Relief

My good friend David finally got going on his new blog, but he certainly started off with a bang! This is one of the funniest things that's ever happened to either of us, so I'll copy it verbatim, but I'll correct his content occasionally (never mind the grammer).

Greetings to all my loyal readers! I'm glad to see you've stopped by to enjoy my latest musings. First things first, do u know what a "mon cheri" is? Well, to make a short story long let me go back to last weekend. I had the honor of house sitting the Weston's hous, dog (a very friendly big german sheperd, note emphasis on friendly), and cat (boo). I enjoyed my stay there immensely except for two events. After a fun night spent with Salim, Meredith, and Salim's Dad (from who I learned more about houses in Brookline then I ever wanted to know), Salim and I were left to spend the night at the Weston's. We headed upstairs with the dog following us and trying to particapate in our conversation by licking and nudging us (Side Note: Is there anything more annoying then when you are on a computer using a mouse and a dog comes up and repeatedly lifts your arm up with your nose causing the screen in front of you flash in flicker right in the middle of an imporntant activity, guess u have to experience it) Anyways, as is the tendency with me and Chops, I was slowing falling to sleep in my bed while Chops waxed poetic about life, liberty, and love (in other words school, parents, and girls). The dog slowly drifted off to sleep to the melancholy tune of Chop's tales. Meanwhile as Chops began to reach the crescendo of his talk culminating with his description of an ideal wife (or something along those lines), my spirits were somewhat revived. Moved by some allusion to God and marraige, I (being the more spiritually minded, thus the partially divine musings, two of us) ventured interupt Salim's eloquent talk and ask a question about Paul's view on marriage. Salim proceeded to describe how some people are called to celibacy. Momentarily stunned but suddenly wide awake, I raised my hands heavenward and pleaded rather fervently, "Dear God Don't Let Me Remain a Virgin Forever!" The dog jumps off the floor and unto my bed nestling his nose into my chest!!!

OK, so of course he's an angel and I'm girl-obsessed. Let's just say it's a two-way street. Bias aside, he's leaving out one of the funniest parts of the story. First of all, the dog is a she not a he! OK, so she jumps up on him the minute he says "virgin" and starts nuzzling his chest and trying to get REAL close. We're cracking up like crazy, but he gets her settled down next to him, and we start to get back to our conversation. Not 10 seconds later, he repeats the word "virgin" in approximately the same context, and with the exact same result from the dog!

>>>>>> I'm still getting over the shock and trying to figure out what God was trying to tell me threw all that.... After going to bed slightly perturbed and more then a bit perplexed, I awoke the next morning and Salim and I decided to get the dog some exercise in the back yard. Unfortunately, after our run in the yard we turned to go back inside only to find we had locked ourselves out!!! Much to our dismay, we found that the Weston's had securely locked all their windows and doors rather securely. After a careful examination of the premises, we realized the only way to enter house was through a small hatch window on the steep roof of this two story house. Luckily for us, a rather rancid smell from one of our trips to release the hostages had forced (literally forced in order to avoid suffication) us to open the bathroom window. Salim eagerly pointed out that I being the string bean that I am had a much better chance of fitting through the window then he did. Seeing his point, I made like SpiderMan and hoisted myself onto the roof of their porch and then climbing their roof and entering the window from the side. After a good few minutes of assessing the best way to get through the window (no easy task mind you) (made much more difficult by Chop's incessant rain of advice), I slid threw the window I had a moment or too of worry as my feet felt for the ground (i kinda felt like the Grinch going down the chimney; ya know the line i"f Santa could fit so could the Grinch", yeah i knew u knew that one) but I got threw just find with a few minor scraps. I unlocked the door and Chops came in to congratulate me on my rather herioic success; I headed back out to tend to the dog; Chops followed but foolishly assuming I had not yet unlocked the door proceeded to RELOCK IT!!! Let's just say I refused to go back on the roof. Thus, Chops was forced to do his best "Santa" immatation. Defying laws of gravity, Chops made it up to the window. Then, the unexplainable happenned Salim decided to go threw the window HEAD FIRST!!! Standing flabbergasted and resting my hand on the stone wall to steady my weakening legs, I stared at chops who after his head first dive into the window had assumed a "Pooh in the Bee's Nest" position. My horror turned to laughter as I saw only Salim's butt sticking out the window and his feet flailing in the air in all directions. With tears rolling down my face, I finally saw dissappear into the window.

I was not stuck. I did wave my feet in the air, mostly for dramatic effect, since David was cracking up like a lunatic behind me. I paused - a lot shorter than any of David's half dozen pauses - to get firm footing with my hands (so would that be handing?) on the sink and the back of the toilet. When I was sure of my grip, I slid my legs through and completed a slow-motion flip, coming down with my back arched and landing squarely on both feet in the middle of the floor. It was fun.

For the record, I had opened the window to let steam out after a shower. The hostages had been released the previous evening, to wide international acclaim.

And last and quite possibly least, when I left for class, David was on his hands and knees scrubbing an astounding amount of dog feces, which had come in on his shoes, off the carpet.

Well told, David, but not quite as well as the Shoe Story, lol.

Moving

We are moving. Our house was listed like yesterday. We've spent a lot of time looking in Brookline, which is our exclusive destination. We'll probably end up paying more there for a condo then we get for our well-maintained, large Victorian here in Milton (which should sell for a half million). My mother and I stopped at three places today. The last was really nifty, but was also preliminarily quoted at $850,000. Ouch.

My parents got my hopes up early on that we could actually buy two places: they'd save enough money by buying a smaller place that they could buy another apartment, this one in much cheaper Boston, to be a "college guys' flat", where I'd live for almost-free and my friends would live cheaply. Dreamhouse? You betcha! But the way it's looking, they're going to have spend some $600,000 on the main condo and count on me moving out soon even without their help. If that's the case then I really get the short end of the stick - I'll be sharing a room with my 9-yr-old brother when I'm at home, and the size of the place will pretty much squeeze me out like a zit, and I'll be out in the wild pretty soon. Ah well, you can't live off your parents your whole life. But you can try.

Bambino's Curse Archive...let's for a moment presume that there really is a Curse. The point is not that a spirit from another realm, i.e., Babe Ruth's ghost, is gumming up the works for the Sox. That's small-scale, ancestor-worship type stuff. What we are talking about with the Red Sox is cosmological. As I've said before, it's Yahweh (the all-powerful Creator of the Universe) who has it in for the Sox. This, I think, is indisputable. I mean all you would have to say is ''Game 6.'' Only a God who would punish wrongdoing unto the ''third or fourth generation'' could come up with creative punishment like that.

Hmmm... I think this aptly sums up Christian singleness:
m d zelie: But that doesn't stop me from wanting to wrap my arms around a girl and take evening strolls and go to movies--man, am I missing out or what?
m d zelie: Apparently God doesn't think so.

It's a very odd dichotomy, and we don't like to admit it, but we're really never sure when and how to begin dating/courting/whatever you call it. At least, that's for those of us who haven't begun. And those who have, I suspect (and I know, in a few cases), are never really sure whether they should have begun when and how they did. I'll keep you posted if the answer to all our questions is suddenly written on the sky or something, but don't hold your breath. Just remember that tension is good, and if we never had to give anything up, we'd basically be infants, like some people I know.

More Intelligent Life

m d zelie: Mer's are pretty lame so far.

Intelligent Life

Honestly, I've always enjoyed little tests, but wondered if there was any intelligent life behind them. Well, thanks to Iain Murray to the link to a test that matches your own philosophy with a well-known philosopher. I know it's just as dumb as every other test in a lot of ways, but given how little I know of the great philosophers, it was interesting to see whom I matched.

I came out a 100% match with Augustine, with a big drop down to 76% with Aquinas and 70% with Spinoza. Dead last was Hobbes at just 10%. Hmmm... no surprises.

I Thought She'd Be Mad

And yeah she pretended to be at first, but Meredith was OK with the "Pretentious Princess" link. I guess the truth doesn't hurt too much if you're used to it... But anyway, I helped her set up a hit counter and comments, so now she can be depressed like every other blogger who does those things only to find out that the world has not indeed beat a path to their door. David is still slacking, all he's done is put up an initial welcome message.

Oh, and the main reason I wrote this post was so Mer will look at my blog. Her policy with reading other blogs? "Only if they're about me." Pretentious Princess? I'll say!

Bush + Jiang

OK, liberals, let your guard down and admit that Bush got it right this time. He was conciliatory with the Chinese, affirming American support for "peaceful resolution" of the Taiwan issue, not saying "we support Taiwanese independence." And a positive externality of the "axis of evil" statement combined with this visit may be that China feels a little better about Bush, since he didn't list the Middle Kingdom on his hit list. I think Bush has a much clearer mandate for cooperating with the CCP than Clinton did. Whereas Clinton was receiving money from them and was only positive towards them, Bush can approach them from a position of metered national interest, and make sensible deals that are truly representative of the cordial but distant relationship currently existing between the U.S.A. and the PRC.

On a side note, what specifically impressed me was Bush's asking Jiang to go to Kim Jong Il for him. That's a very diplomatic move, since it implicitly recognizes Chinese regional hegemony, and is a non-threatening way to approach the DPR Korea since it's not a purely Western move, and is at the same time a stronger approach, since China is backing the U.S. request for negotiations.

Bush may not be a diplomat, but a man who knows his limits and surrounds himself with experts is the wiser man in the eyes of the wisest ruler (Solomon).

I Must Say

I must say that I consider the following a truly inspired piece of writing by Jonathan the Just and Unkissuptoable:

Say hello to your judge everybody (applause) Please send me a link to your blogs so I don't have to hassle myself copying the web addresses. I'll send out preliminary comments when you write me back. Other commments will be forthcoming whenever I deem it worthy to share my thoughts. (probably twice a week or something) I'll base my comments and ratings on a number of standards inlcuding but not limited to general appearance, content, title, number of hits/day, and number of updates. All grades are based on the judge's discretion. I do have a fragile psyche and may "feel pressured" to change my decision especially if money is involved (I'll be sending all of you a self-adressed stamped envelope) hint hint.. That's all and may the best man/women(person, I guess) win. Judge Jonathan

Milosevic & Swift

Wow. The Western justice system is truly amazing. Nowhere else in the world would a man so widely hated as Slobodan Milosevic be allowed to personally cross-examen a witness against him, a witness who saw his family massacred by soldiers serving under Slobo's government. I am proud to be part of a system so rooted in the supremacy of law that it refuses to deal summarily with even this persona non grata.

Of course, being a Bostonian I'm aware that Tooky Amirault, who's been jailed for child molestation for 16 years since a controversial 80's trial, was denied a sentance commutation by Jane Swift, the Worst Governor In the History of Massachusetts. I don't know enough about this case to form an intelligent opinion; I was a child myself when the dirty deeds allegedly occurred. However, I do know Jane Swift's politics, and I would estimate that she alone has managed to put the cause of women in Massachusetts politics back a good 20 years. The Republican party is reaping the whirlwind it sowed back when Celucci picked a running mate for gender and residence (Western Mass) instead of for substance. Well, barring a reverse miracle, we'll have a new governor next year, and I'm 99.9% sure it won't be a "she".

With friends like these...

Who needs enemies? Dave, his brother Jon, and I suspect Meredith got me booted from AIM by warning me like 10 times in a row, which was rather unkind, considering I was trying to figure out a time to meet with a group of 7 people on Friday and now I can't use AIM... and twice I've called Kristina's and her roommate says it's not a good time, call back in half an hour. You'd think I was the IRS the way she talked to me... man.

Anyway, those two decrepit cretins dragged their lousy selves online and are now plugging along at http://dwhill.blogspot.com and http://nuprincess.blogspot.com respectively. Check 'em out: now you have my permission since the competition has been changed; now David's brother is going to do the judging. He's promised to be honest, but we're talking about a guy who aspires to be a lawyer. Let's just say I'm glad there's no cash involved. My early pick? Meredith, since Jon could never ante up the respect it would take to recognize either David or I as the true winners.

So who really benefits from this? YOU DO. The content will be better and more frequent as I'm spurred on by friendly competition, over which I will run roughshod. So you benefit! And you didn't pay a dime... say, I should figure out a way to charge admission to the blog! That'd be a big hit!

Body Count

The past seven days have been ugly in Israel, with 15 Israeli dead and 45 Palestinian dead, according to the NYTimes. I guess you could say the fact that only a fifth of each number have been civilians, but 12 civilians dying in a week should be an abomination, not an accomplishment, imho. And is it just me, or do pitched battles between opposing security organs comprise a war? Hey, we're not in denial or anything here are we...

Friends

My good friends David and Meredith have always made fun of this blog. The normal line is "why would I ever want to read your blog", implying that I could never write anything worthwhile, and that a blog is a waste of time. Well, they both convinced themselves with no help from me besides my shining example of solidity to start blogging themselves. When they're up and running I'll put up links, but I urge you not to waste too much of your time reading the drivel that their feeble minds might churn out.

he who laughs last laughs longest

Resolved

Ladies and gentlemen, below is the result of three days of negotiation and compromise at HNMUN. My pride and joy... ladies and gentlemen, I give you....


RESOLUTION A-2!!!

RESOLUTION:

COMMITTEE:            Legal

TOPIC:                        Extradition Law

SIGNATURES:           Mexico, India, Norway, Austria, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Jamaica, Peru, DR Congo, El Salvador, Kingdom of Sweden, Belize, Bangladesh, Chad, Madagascar, Oman, Croatia, Russia, New Zealand, Ireland, Holy See, Morocco, Tanzania, Israel, Brazil.

 

Realizing that expansion of international extradition law is vital to the peace and security of the world,

Recognizing the barriers to this expansion, namely the question of national sovereignty and reconciling various criminal codes and punishments,

Recalling the Model Treaty on Extradition

Be it hereby resolved that the General Assembly of the United Nations:

1.         Recognizes the inviolate sovereignty of all member states;

2.         Calls for the International Law Commission to serve member states on a voluntary basis by:

            a.  Comparing concessions in existing bilateral extradition treaties, and matching up states with similar concessions under the principle of reciprocity, for the purpose of facilitating and streamlining the signing of bilateral extradition treaties,

            b.  Facilitating any group of nations that desire to create a multilateral extradition treaty,

            c.  Standardizing the language of extradition treaties, for ease of comparison and interpretation,

            d.  Being comprised of international legal experts representing regions from the entire world.

            e.  Compiling of a comprehensive body of information on currently existing bilateral and multilateral extradition agreements worldwide and the provision of that information to all member states to facilitate greater international cooperation,

            f.  Keeping in mind the legal, procedural, and moral differences among nations and cultures;

3.         Recommends that the Model Treaty on Extradition, as drafted by the Seventh and Eighth United Nations Crime Congresses, be utilized by member states as a framework for establishing extradition relationships between states when in harmony with those states’ legal and cultural norms;

4.         Further supports a convention with the purpose of facilitating the definition and international codification of transnational criminal offenses, including destruction of state or human life, drug trafficking, money laundering, organized crime and further discussion of other areas of concern, to be determined by an assembly of all member states and legal experts not more than three monts past this date;

5.         Calls for the establishment of a voluntary fund, overseen by the International Law Commission, dedicated to aiding interested states in need of the development of their legal systems including, but not limited to, advising state legislative bodies, rendering logistical support, and the training of court officials in order to provide greater cooperation in the extradition process.

6.         Reaffirms the role of the International Court of Justice in resolving disputes between states on the interpretation of extradition and other treaties;

7.         Emphasizes the need for all member states to sign and ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court; and

8.         Calls for establishing a mechanism by which nation-states can share information on trans-national criminals to facilitate greater cooperation in global law enforcement and prevention of international crime.

9.         Encourages states to create with regional neighbors and organizations bilateral or multilateral treaties regarding extradition in order to facilitate stronger law-enforcement with regards to transnational crimes while preserving individual state sovereignty;

10.       Reaffirms that all extradition treaties must be interpreted in light of the principles of international law, friendly relations among nations, and those of human rights.

Friends In Low Places

One of the few reasons to avoid having friends in high school is when they have vacation and you don't.

On the plus side of course, our summer is way longer, and we do way cooler stuff when we get school off.

Honorable Mention!

The MUN ended well, and I almost got a second resolution of mine passed, but Russia pulled some strong-arm tactics and took advantage of the shortness of time to table mine and let the committee adopt his. Ah well, both he and I, as well as the U.S. received Honorable Mention awards! I was thrilled - it's only the 4th time in Northeastern's tenure at HNMUN that we've received an award (the 3rd time being 10 minutes earlier when my friends Michael and Ted were similarly honored for their efforts). I think the Best Delegate awards for my committee went to Romania and Japan, something I completely fail to understand. I just don't get it. Harvard is notorious for giving awards to fancy schools and ignoring N.U. and other non-Ivies. So I don't put too much stock in my little piece of paper, but I'm glad to bring it home to N.U., as I think our delegation, if not I myself, really deserve a little recognition.

Almost there

The Model is almost done. So am I. It's been an eventful two days, with two resolutions being developed on Friday afternoon on Extradition Law. Mine (I am Mexico), co-written with India, Panama, Norway, and others, was relatively weaker, but much clearer and in all humility better-written. The other draft resolution was from Slovenia, Romania, Russia, USA, Canada, etc. They pushed (unbindingly, of course) for a multilateral extradition treaty, which most non-western states fear would infringe on our sovereignty. Sweden, who deserves the best delegate awardn IMHO, worked very hard to bring the two to a concensus, as did I. That was tried for hours, and failed.

Both drafts were introduced in committee within minutes of each other. We debated the merits of each for a while, and then an amendment process on the other resolution began. We introduced, debated and passed or rejected some 11 amendments to Draft Resolution A-1. That took a couple hours on Friday night and most of Saturday morning. We got really, really good at it. On the other hand, we were getting NOWHERE, and had a whole 'nother topic yet to be discussed! So the Chairs decided we needed to move on, which we were going to do anyway.

The turning point: a working lunch between Sweden, Russia (a law expert), Angola, myself, Kuwait (anti-everything) and the Bahamas (for mine), as well as North Korea, who was just there for the company, and Romania, who chatted, but didn't participate in the compromise. The compromise was to remove one or two controversial points from A-2 (mine) and add some more of the stuff from A-1 to it than we'd already added. However, introducing those changes was slow: it took an hour and a half to race through the paperwork that was ahead of our "Sweeping Change Amendment"! Besides, Slovenia and the U.S. among others were not happy at all - they saw that the momentum was shifting away from A-1. After arduous amendments, divisions of the question, caucuses, motions to close debate, more divisions of the question, and many procedural motions, I finally found myself feeling sick to my stomach and entirely unable to speak or sit still: we were in voting procedures. By a great misfortune, the other resolution was first, so it had a distinct edge. We voted. It fell, 30-48 with a lot of abstentions (which are essentially No votes). A-2 came before the committee. After 20 minutes of rejecting proposals (4, count 'em, 4), we moved to vote. Ireland, an ally of mine, counted as best he could. The Holy See (a protestant female, for the record) was next to me, comforting me and encouraging me with. Ireland said that we'd come up 6 short. I didn't know what to think - that wasn't official, and I refused to think about it. The Chairs conferred for what seemed an hour, but was probably 45 seconds, and then the Director of the Legal Committee stood at the podium, took up the gavel and proclaimed "This resolution PASSES!!!!!".

WHACK! The gavel cam down, and pandemonium broke loose. It's been a good, good day. And the taste of victory is sweet as summer rain!

!Celebramos!

I'd just like to announce that every angel in heaven is celebrating right now! You all know why... :-) ! And of course, espanol es la lengua de los angeles. Don't ever let anyone tell you that AOL Instant Messanger is worthless.

HNMUN

I won't be posting much this weekend, because I'm representing Mexico in the Legal Committee of the Harvard National Model United Nations, pushing resolutions on international extradition and patent law.

DISCONTINUED

It has come to the attention of Tony and the Diplomatic Corp diplomacy club that Salim has been discontinued. The following announcement was released by Furthfolk, Inc.

The 2001 Edition of Salims have indeed been discontinued. Please apply at http://instantreplay.blogspot.com for a 2002 edition.

The 2002 Edition comes with an all-new pair of jeans and some nifty surprise gadgets from Christmas. The 2002 Edition is also slightly more mature, crashes less frequently, and can process more homework per week than the 2001's. Early tests have shown that the 2002 is more joyful and spends more time in prayer than the 2001, an upside for anyone needing top performance many days in a row.

Critics say that the 2002's have not been tested for staying strength and may have a high frequency of burnout, but the test results are all positive so far.

Please send in all applications by March 15. Shipping and handling is at a new low - $199 inside the continental U.S. Actually, handling is not advised. You can pay in weekly installments at an accepted rate of $10 an hour, 40 hours a week, but if he gets a better offer at the State Department he might run off. Get a plan including weekly installments at no interest for a limited time!

Sovereign Immunity?

The presiding judge, Richard May, said that the court had already ruled on its own legality and that Mr. Milosevic's views "are entirely irrelevant."

Well, it's a good thing the court decided that it was itself a legal entity... The quote does rather wryly summarize the hopes and fears for the International Criminal Tribunals and the idea of a world justice system. The court says that it is legal, therefore it is? Where does the consent of the governed come in here? This is certainly no democratic system. On the other hand, it shows the wonky, ideal-world nature of international law, which is largely independent of politics, and therefore likely to judge by the merits of the case... but by whose merits?

The ousted Yugoslav leader said he would not begin his statement because there were only 30 minutes left before the court was to adjourn, and he did not want to be interrupted.

Call me a master of the obvious, but I'm guessing Mr. Milosevic will well exceed half an hour in his opening speech. This has got to be the most entertaining trial in a long time, as well as one of the most relevent. If he loses - and all the odds are against him - it could spell the end of sovereign immunity for ousted dictators. Of course, there are both positives and negatives associated with that. On the plus side, it's a true administration of justice against someone who has abused their office egregiously, and caused pain and suffering on a scale that Jack the Ripper could only dream about. Also, future dictators may tread more softly on the backs of their subjugated citizenry. On the negative side, it may make other dictators more recalcitrant and unwilling to leave their position quietly. Paranoia has never been a good thing in the hands of a man with a personal army, and the threat to other dictators could entrench them and cause more suffering than it prevents. Either way, Milosevic has proven a worthy opponent for any gladiator willing to meet him in the ring.

"Beyond the nationalist pretext and the horror of ethnic cleansing, beyond the grandiloquent rhetoric and the hackneyed phrases he used, the search for power is what motivated Slobodan Milosevic."

Enter Carla Del Ponte in shining armor. She's a prosecutor of the highest caliber, with more grit than a sandman's teeth. Her style is as bluntly eloquent as you could ask for; the only time you'll ever hear her beating around the bush is if "around the bush" happens to be Slobodon's middle name, and her impeccable English serves her well against the equally eloquent Serb. I'm putting all my money on Del Ponte, and I'd hold her up as a true role model for today's International Affairs majors. Stay tuned - I'll be sending around a petition to have the Statue of Liberty remodeled after this freedom-lovin' justice-babe.

Thanks to the NYTimes Online for the quotes.

European and Islamic Foreign Ministers Meet in Istanbul

I wrote this for extra credit in my International Conflict and Negotiation class. Hope the context is clear enough for you to enjoy and digest it.

On the surface, European and Islamic foreign ministers seemed to have a productive meeting yesterday in Istanbul. The Europeans stated a strong stance in favor of a Palestinian state, not a new stance, but one that has been gaining momentum. For their part, Islamic ministers were quoted with unremarkable sentiments about Israel, the U.S. and the "War on Terrorism."

So why do I say this meeting was productive on the surface only? Because no real negotiation occurred in Istanbul. This is by no means to say that the meeting was anti-productive. But each bloc or nation's stance was already firmly prepared, and the meeting was essentially a photo-op. Now, photo-ops and surface productivity are vital in international relations, and have intrinsic value of their own. What I am driving at is the fact that each country or bloc's stance and statements must be looked at in a void: the European position was probably not affected by anything that went on in Istanbul, nor were the Islamic nation's statements anything that they haven't reiterated ad nauseum whenever faced with a microphone. Thus, we must discuss each position separately, and since the European stance is the new and interesting one, I will focus now on the motivations for and consequences of the European statements.

Motivations

Since Israel established herself in the 1967 Six-Day War, Europe has ceased to see Israel as a victim. This is in contrast to dominant Israeli and American views, which continue to reinforce the idea of Israel as a small state surrounded by stronger enemies. Furthermore, many Europeans have come to see Palestinians as victims, while the majority of Americans and Israelis have not. Thus, Europe feels more of a moral imperative to protect Palestinians than Israelis, and acts accordingly.

From a domestic political point of view, European politicians do not pay a high price for criticizing Israel, as American politicians do. Many E.U. members have large Islamic minorities, and support for Palestine will pay political dividends. On the negative side, support for Israel could anger the same constituency and could make Europe a more likely target for terrorists. While the E.U. fully condemns terrorism against the U.S., it would honestly rather see terrorism in NewYork than in Paris or Frankfurt.

The European Union does maintain good ties and engage in heavy trade with Israel, and considers the U.S. a vital ally, and therefore will not make demands of Israel beyond a certain point, but at the same time it tries to influence U.S. policy towards Israel to accommodate their own desires. The European position may be slightly overstated to accommodate the anti-Israeli audience in Istanbul and to encourage the American administration to compromise with the E.U.

Lastly, from a realpolitik point of view, Europe has a vital interest in maintaining good relations with Islamic states. Europe is more dependent than the U.S. on Persian Gulf oil, borders Turkey, and very nearly borders North Africa. Europe may be in range of Iraqi missiles, and is certainly in range of state-sponsored terrorism if such states ever decided Europe needed a nudge. Unlike the U.S., which is supremely confident in its defense system and military strength, Europe feels compelled to take a more conciliatory stance towards threats that are not yet, but could become, enemies. Calling for the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state is a very good way of convincing any possible Islamic threats that Europe is helping them now and should not be attacked.

Consequences

A glaring oddity in yesterday's AP story jumped out at me: Europe is calling for the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state. So why not recognize it themselves? Arafat has declared statehood a number of times, most notably in 1988. Certainly if the E.U. would agree to recognize it immediately, Arafat would agree to make any necessary pronouncements. But the E.U. obviously does not want to recognize a Palestinian state - it wants the U.S. or Israel to recognize a Palestinian state. If that occurred, Europe would certainly be right behind, but the E.U. seems loath to take any real leadership on this issue, deferring to, despite disagreeing with, the powerful U.S.A.

The likely consequences of the E.U. pronouncement are a slight increase in the warmth of relations between the E.U. and Islamic states (hence the announcement's venue), a slight increase in the warmth of the fire under Colin Powell's chair, and a slight increase in the warmth around Ariel Sharon's collar. The announcement was not earth shattering, but the Arab and other Islamic ministers love the chance to be seen agreeing with reputable, U.S.-approved Europeans and feel quite vindicated every time a non-Islamic country condemns Israel. Colin Powell and other U.S. decision-makers are going to have to stew over whether and how to respond to our European allies' desire for a shift in our policies towards Sharon, and how to deal with a problem which really isn't going away. Lastly, Ariel Sharon and other Israeli hawks, who are hot under the collar to begin with given the situation in Israel, will only get madder when they hear this announcement by the E.U. Sharon has agreed to the principle of a Palestinian state, though in his mind it would be stripped and denuded of most of the trappings of statehood, but he is in no hurry to be the Israeli Prime Minister who actually has to sign the papers.

Conclusion

Is the E.U. helping the "peace process"? Are they as disinterested as they would like us to think, or do their own interests and fears govern their politics? I posit that they are helping, though whom they are helping is another question. Arafat is certainly helped and encouraged, as are Israeli doves. But while this in general encourages Palestinians, will they really be helped? If this leads to a premature or dictatorial Palestinian state, or a pitched war, the lot of the average Palestinian may get even worse, if that can be imagined.

While the cliché is probably true that no state is disinterested, Europe is about as disinterested a supporter as the Palestinians are likely to find. Having firmly supported Israel in the past, Europe has credentials of at least having seen both sides of the conflict. Yes, Europe has an interest in the outcome of the Arab-Israeli conflict. No, Europe is not trying to benefit itself primarily. The E.U. may accrue marginal benefits from support of Palestinian independence, but ultimately the bulk of the benefits from this action are paid out to Arafat and others directly involved in the Palestinian cause.

The Daily

Since you asked, this site has been hit in the past day of two in response to Google searches for "the farsighted see better things", "history of instant replay" (See? I'm so famous there's history sites about me!! A legend in his own mind, that's what they say), and of course "dilbert hell freeze". A million monkeys at a million typewriters eat a lot of bananas.

Oh, and I'm going to add links to the Bambino's Curse, a sox fan-blog, and to my old linkfriend in Nowhereville, who's been back in town for a while.

UPDATE: Since I posted this, my 600th hit in the past 60 days came from someone who was searching at Google for "from the heart of the world the elder brother's warning review questions". A million monkeys......

Frat Party II

OK, so I know you were all desperately wondering how my first frat party went. Well, I guess it was like all things of the world - average. I still have never encountered an event, location, or activity that gives a rush or a joy equal to the Holy Spirit. This party, hosted by NU's unrecognized Jewish frat, had about 40 guests, and my freshman friend Josh was the main protaganist. He was also the heaviest drinker, as far as I could tell, but he remained cognizant throughout the evening. I left at 12:45, as it was getting to be a drunk party with only a few sober folks left. I almost decided to stay longer, as my friend Alejandra had just arrived with her Brazilian posse, but I had to get up in the morning so I left despite her protests. What passes as dancing today is a pathetic, lewd jiggle with no pretension at art. Actually, there is one pretension, which amused me: before "freak-dancing" the gentlemen offers the lady his hand, and when she places her hand in his, he twirls her under his arm, and proceeds with the orgiastic little event. I don't know why, but way more girls wanted to dance than guys. I guess they just enjoy it.

Anyway, you know it's time to leave a party when you can't keep your mind on the fun and exciting things there, but keep wishing you'd remembered to have a quiet time, or you keep thinking about your next quiet time. Not that I'm well-developed in that department - I'm not! I should be on to solid food at this point, but I still spend most of my time praying simplistically and though when I was a child it was appropriate to think, speak, and pray as such, now that I'm becoming a man I really ought to move beyond my childish ways. So, I probably won't be going to (m)any more parties, but not because I was so incensed or disgusted or above it all. Mostly 'cause I was bored.

The End

You read it hear first. I could be completely wrong, but the war on terrorism is over. Yeah I know we're making noise about the Axis of Evil (it's the Nazis, Japs, Soviets, and Darth Vader all combined!), and we're sending shipments of red paint to Somalia, so everybody can paint little bulls eyes on their heads for the bombers, but I really think it's over for now, at the scale it was at. Now it'll be a low-level, continuous conflict, but not a war. Maybe.

Frat Party

I may regret this later, but I'm going to a Jewish frat party tonight at Northeastern. I won't drink, just observe, and leave when it completely degenerates. I'm always told that if I went to parties I'd enjoy them, so I'll be able to say with experience now whether I do or not. I'll keep you all posted on the verdict.

Counterpoint

The Northeastern News printed the predictable counterpoint to my editorial of a week ago. The downside is the author absolutely ripped me, and did make some valid points in favor of abortion using pretty good English. The upside is that she discredited herself by her frequent use of generalizations and ad hominem attacks, stating in the first paragraph that I had "attempted to mask [my] personal agenda" by "using a thesaurus and some Introduction to Politics notes". Little does she know, I've never taken Intro to Politics. ;-)

In all seriousness, though, she never addresses the issue which I brought up. I would challenge any abortion advocate to either (a) intelligently refute my reasoning for the humanity of a fetus, or (b) state that even though the fetus is human, it may be killed anyway if that is deemed appropriate by the mother. Until my arguments are addressed, I consider myself unrefuted.

Naturally, I'd like to write back to the News, demanding an apology for the attacks against me, and exposing the fact that her whole refutory piece was off-topic (it dealt mostly with social, not constitutional, issues, and is thus valid in its own right but not as a counterpoint to my piece). However, I think it would be unprofessional, unscholarly, and probably unchristian to let myself be caught up in a war of words in my own defense. To defend myself I have to be too offensive to her for this to remain in the realm of scholarly debate, where it ought to in a university newspaper. I would, of course, feel vindicated if somebody else wrote in my defence, or to refute her tangential (but valid) points on social issues. I would feel even better if a pro-abortion professor wrote in calling her down for inappropriate argumentation, but that's a selfish desire to say the least.

Prophet Bowl?

This was forwarded to me by my pastor, who is generally skeptical about prophecies, though he believes it does happen. I don't make any claims about its validity, but even if you don't believe in prophecies, this should be entertaining. And if you do, take this and examine it in prayer if you think it's worthwhile. Enjoy.

In a message dated 2/3/02 6:01:18 PM, NEHarvestPrayer writes:
Something to puzzle on during the Super Bowl. On April 23, 1996, I woke up early with a very vivid dream. Since this is not a common occurrence for me (and because Sue and I had fallen asleep praying for direction about our future) I ran downstairs and wrote the whole thing out in my journal. Frankly, it didn't make a lot of sense to me then, but it was so vivid and so unusual that I've puzzled over it quite a bit over the past five and a half years. It could have been nothing more than the results of an over active imagination or a bad anchovy on my pizza the night before. However, if it does have any divine meaning, I wonder what YOU think it might mean.

In the dream, I was in a bowling alley with extremely slippery lanes. Throughout the entire dream I was having the hardest time just getting into the right lane, let alone keeping my balance. Someone turned on a TV set. A "pregame" show was on. I thought it was for the Super Bowl, but nobody in the dream actually said that. However, instead of talking about football, they were talking about revival. The first commentator said, "Most Americans don't even realize that revival has already broken out all over the world." Then he specifically mentioned Korea, Great Britain, and a few other places which I think included Africa, Latin America (Argentina) and Canada. The second commentator said, "Yes, most Americans are not even aware that revival has already begun in other places around the world - but soon they will be!"

Then he showed a special feature on one player. He was wearing a New England Patriots' uniform. His number was 23, but somehow also 32. The idea was that, even though nobody would have expected it, this guy was the key to the game. The piece concluded with, "Watch out for number 2/3/2. He's ready to explode." In the dream, it was somehow obvious to all of us watching TV that the commentators were right about their prediction and we wondered if this was a rerun of the pre-game show AFTER the game was over. The show concluded with the first commentator saying, "That's all for today, folks. Coming up next: the Patriots' game." In the dream, I looked at the clock in the bowling alley and it read '2:28:30.' In my mind I thought that meant that the game started in 1:30 minutes." Then I woke up. I looked at the real clock. It was 5:23. I ran downstairs, wrote down the dream and I've been puzzling on it ever since. What do you think it means? (I'll give you my attempt at an interpretation AFTER the game.)

_________________________________________________________________________

In a message dated 2/3/02 10:21:18 PM, NEHarvestPrayer writes:
Okay, now that the game is over and I don't feel like a complete idiot, let me tell you the whole story. In early October, the NFL announced that the Super Bowl would be pushed back one week because of the lost week following September 11. That put the Super Bowl in February for the first time in history-2/3/2 to be exact. My 15-year-old son, Jordan and I were in the car when we heard the announcement on the radio. Suddenly, I remembered the dream. I repeated it to Jordan and then said, "Wouldn't that be something if God was giving us the heads up that the Patriots winning the Super Bowl would be an indicator of major spiritual awakening about to break out in America--maybe even in New England."

Now understand, at that time the Patriots were 1-3. Their All-pro quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, was nearly killed and lost for most of the season in a freak injury and their All-Pro wide receiver, Terry Glenn, had just been suspended for the season. A quick-thinking Jordan said something like, "If God is telling you the Patriots are going to the Super Bowl, we should put a bet on them." (He's a smart kid, huh?) I merely replied that if it really was from God, I'm sure he didn't tell us so we could bet on it." (Although at Danny Sheridan's 10,000 to 1 odds, it was tempting.) A skeptical Jordan and his barely believing Dad agreed to watch and wait.

Well, as you now know, the Patriots went on a 11-3 tear, winning the AFC East Championship. The dream took on a new life in our household. On January 1, I put in the first page of my Journal for the New Year. I began to ask God what it all meant. On January 2, I focused on praying about the meaning of the slippery bowling alleys. The next day (1/3) the headline at the top of the Boston Globe Sports page read, "Bowling Allies in Foxborough" (the city where the Patriots play their home games.) The article was about Patriots Tom Brady and Lawyer Milloy being allies in the Pro Bowl. But God had my full attention. I suspect that the awakening, or our role in it, has something to do with contending with slippery allies. Later that morning, as I was driving to Lexington Christian Academy to speak in their chapel, it occurred to me (I am not pinning any of my very fallible interpretations on God) that the time on clock on the wall in the bowling alley--2:28:30-could be the scripture reference Joel 2:28-30, which begins, "In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh." I watched the January after a week long fast and a three-day prayer retreat in Cambridge, MA (more on that in some other email.) The game took place during the four hours of the only significant snowfall in Boston so far all winter. The Patriots won the game on a bizarre replay reversal of a fumble by their quarterback-Tom Brady. The next morning, as I sat in church, it occurred to me that the game might have had two meanings. 1) That God was reversing His judgments against New England, and, 2) He was covering New England in His mercy (the snow.) Later, our senior Pastor's wife reminded me that the major prayer emphasis of the 30,000 who gathered for "The Call New England" on 9/22 was that God would reverse His judgments against New England and cover us with His mercy. I am not a prophet or the son of a prophet, but it is my opinion that God already has (or is about to) initiate a major spiritual awakening everyone in America will be aware of soon. Since this is what Northeast Harvest prayer is all about, it would behoove us all to pray.

I'd love to hear your insight into it all.

Central Park? Ohhhh, you mean Amazon.com Park!

The New York Times reports that Giuliani's successor, Bloomberg (and yes, he will always be known as Giuliani's successor), is going to start selling naming rights to parks and stadiums in NYC (ok, so he might be known as the guy who sold Central Park). Well, even though I'm poking fun at 'berg, I do like his idea. My father, the transportation expert, has always held that the same should be done with street names to raise money for the town. OK, who has an emotional attachment to "Belcher Circle"? Wouldn't "Beech Way" or "Driscoll Drive" sound much better? And what a great anniversary present... "Honey, I had our street named 'November 30 Boulevard!'"

CHAMPIONS

What a game. What a game. WHAT A GAME!

I don't think I can describe the emotional roller-coaster this team has taken us on. It's like a movie, except if it were a movie, you'd say "that's too contrived to ever really happen." This plot is more fantastic and unbelievable than plots of sports movies! Pulling ahead early, scoring just before halftime, holding the "explosive" Rams offense to just 3 points in as many quarters. What a rush. Then watching them score to get within a touchdown, knowing we needed to hang tight, because they were still a good offense. Having one of my friends say "you know they're almost going to score another touchdown?" Watching two great plays in the endzone by the Pats defense. Seeing the 96-yard return and celebrating like maniacs. Finding out there was holding on the play, and seeing the Rams score again. Watching everybody, including the refs, racing to move play along as the clock expired. Getting those precious first downs. Adam Vinatieri runs on the field - we're going nuts - it's up, it's perfect. ABSOLUTE MAYHEM. HOURS OF IT.
I've never seen a party like this. After the game we ran around the neighborhood, yelling and stuff. Then I drove everybody home from my friends' house on my own way home - right through Allston and the colleges. I was probably the only sober driver on the roads, and it was amazing. People running through the street screaming, I and every other driver honking horns so much it made Cairo seem like nothing. Half the time our windows were open and we were giving five to the revelers who crammed the streets. Flags galore - we put a lot of stock in the fact that it's the Patriots and patriotism and stuff, so there was a lot of U.S. pride. In Brighton Center two guys were holding a flag so that all the cars had to drive under it like a car wash... what a party! WHAT A GAME!

I Halt Smurf

A Film Hurts
I'm Half Rust
It's Harmful
Armful Hits
Mulish Fart
Ah, Firm Slut
U Rams Filth!
Salim Furth.

Silence Wears Golden Spandex

St. Louis is bragging now and talking up their vaunted offense and overrated defense. Everybody westawusta (if you don't know what that means, then you are) thinks they're gonna win. A 14 point spread? Seriously? We almost beat them in November, and we're a lot better now. My prediction is that if a movie is to be made of this Super Bowl, it will have to be titled "The Silence of the Rams."

Walk _______ And Carry A Big Stick

Honestly, it's a bad practice to name your enemies. And especially to threaten to invade them. Really, even if you have the U.S. army at your back - if we didn't learn our own vulnerabilities in 2001, what did we learn? Bush's State of the Union address was obviously geared towards the domestic audience, as are most of his actions, but even so, refering to Iran as part of an "axis of evil" is pretty rough. I thought the point was to AVOID World War III, not to win it...

The "Metro" mini-newspaper today reported British queasiness about Bush's speak. A spokesman for Parliament diplomatically noted that "in the U.K., we do not view foreign affairs as a struggle between good and evil." For a president who campaigned on a plank of humility in foreign affairs, Bush has proven woefully arrogant in most of his dealings abroad. He isn't proud in a patronizing way, as Gore would have been, but he's proud in a parochial way, and it's hurt the U.S.'s image and substance worldwide. I like most of Bush's foreign policies, at least outside Israel and Palestine, but I consider his promise of humility (in the second debate) to be a broken promise.

A Demon Behind Every Bush

Liberals sometimes make fun of old-timey preachers who believe that "there's a demon behind every bush." It just struck me that plenty of liberals these days seem to think there's a demon behind every Bush.

BAD NEWS!!!!

ALL CHRISTIANS, JEWS, MUSLIMS EVERYWHERE! WE NEED TO GET TOGETHER AND START AN EMAIL CAMPAIGN TO SAVE GOD! IT'S A TRUE FACT - GOD IS GOING TO BE BROKEN UP INTO MINOR DIETIES! EVERYBODY PLEASE EMAIL JUDGE SCHOFIELD TO MAKE HIM OVERTURN THAT DECISION!!! WE'LL LOSE OUR GOD AND WILL NO LONGER BE A PEOPLE!! COPY THIS INTO AN EMAIL AND FORWARD IT TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, OR GOD WILL PUNISH YOU WHILE HE'S APPEALING THE JUDGE'S DECISION! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SAVE GOD, DON'T LET HIM DOWN AFTER ALL HE'S DONE FOR YOU!

And how could I keep the whole Christian theme going on this blog if God is subdivided... I guess I'll have to go with the new local deity.

Bloggies

The second annual Bloggie Awards have come out. Props to Wil Wheaton Dot Net for sweeping away the competition. (Frankly, I don't think Wil is nearly as funny as Davezilla, but that's my opinion). I think there should be an award for "Most Obscure Blog." That would get the masses involved... all of us non-A-listers. Well, there are always the Anti-Bloggies, but you have to be really off the wall to get in there.