Don't Call It a Comeback

(I hope these articles aren't too dated.)

This is a very long article, but it's a very interesting read on ISIS and its ultimate goals.

Is Top Chef slipping?

This is justice in the streets, where it's real.

Though it was obvious to many who thought Obama was being cagey in order to win the nomination, it still kinda sucks when these stories come out.

It seems as if gay rights supporters don't care how they win, just as long as they do.  The process is why I even care a little about the issue, so the fact that stories like this are coming out is a bit uplifting, even if the issue isn't improving.

This place will be amazing - at minimum, the concept is great.

This seems like a place where conservatives could push back on social/cultural issues with some credibility.

This feels like a first-world problem.  That said, I'm proud of my buddy Russell Berger, who is one of the main spokesmen for CrossFit but also a high school classmate of mine.

Chipotle is shunning GMO foods, and it's totally ridiculous.

Responses:

1. That is absolutely amazing.  Yes, I'd miss the space, but maybe this should be part of the urban affordable housing discussion (maybe those fixtures are on the expensive side, but you could rent so many of those units compared to conventional apartments to more than make up the money).

2. Which app, the insomnia one?  I think therapy has probably helped more than anything.  That and regular exercise.

3. Was the inspiration for our picnic?  In any case, I will consider it for lunch in the future.  (We have the desk space, that's for sure.)

4. This is a very reasonable discussion being held by reasonable young people about something in which they could have a tremendous about of financial and career interest on the line.  Whatever the ratio that they come up with, where is this in like every other debate going on right now???

5. This sounds like the wrong people (i.e. PETA types) just managed to get involved (very predictably).  Next time we need some free publicity, maybe we should antagonize some feminists?

6. So the lesbian couple got no cake and probably turned a couple into martyrs for their own cause, not to mention ruining their livelihoods.  Someone tell me again why this represents progress.

7. They're not locking all of the doors at night, are they?

R2R:

1. Agreed.  They've more than cooperated with UVA and the university community, and there are no allegations of sexual assault that can currently be pinned on their frat (which is usually enough to say "they aren't rapists").  And they continue to exercise a tremendous amount of self-restraint.  Good for them, and hopefully people are taking notice.

2. He claimed that having such a record can make it difficult to open restaurants that serve liquor.  I haven't heard about the law enforcement thing, but I imagine that the conviction would disqualify him.  It does raise a related question of how long a person's criminal record should follow him, though.

5. As long as it's honest, I'm okay with discussing the narrative in a way that protects the innocent (i.e. otherwise innocent American Muslims).  I think a lot of the people who want to call it "radical Islam" are people who want to influence policy (e.g. conservative journalists) and who think that the Administration's characterization is part of a grander scheme of political correctness (i.e. protection of minorities in this country from any possibility of unfair characterization or discrimination) that they otherwise oppose.  It's just the latest iteration of it.

B