Random Notes, June 2026

 It's summer break and I have a little down time to write:

+ Almost total capitulation. It's almost as if the old man didn't even read the document. Iran received a slap on the wrist, essentially for a war they didn't technically start, and naturally Israel is furious. Granted, when you have buffoons like JD Vance and Marco Rubio doing negotiating on your behalf, what do you expect? The Middle East is much more complex situation than just "let's bomb Iran," especially if the rationale is nubilous.

+ The annual SCOTUS decisions make me more queasy with each passing June. What should've been a clear-cut defense of the 14th amendment only passed by a 6-3 decision, while a scant handful of trans-femme prep athletes have been all but banned from playing sports. 

+ My Royals are foundering and the Vegas oddsmakers say Matt Quatraro will be the next manager fired. Our pitching struggles aren't his fault --our entire Opening Day rotation has seen IL time-- but we're not scoring runs to compensate. What worked two seasons ago isn't working now. Something has to give.

+ With no school until the third week of August, my budget is fairly limited. I took one kinda-sorta road trip to Wisconsin in mid-June and another in early July, but beyond that I can't afford to fly anywhere or do anything particularly ambitious. In the meantime, please follow Stu News and support the Patreon to at least help with some overhead.

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Random Notes, June 2019

What's new?

+ Writing about Donald Trump on this blog has grown rather difficult, insofar that I struggle to offer a fresh and unique vantage point. This is especially because we all have a pretty clear idea of who President Trump is. The decision to back out of bombing Iran, and the postponement of ICE raids on undocumented immigrants --both 11th hour, both in complete haste-- has shown us the cowardice underneath the bluster. Nearly 2 1/2 years into office, we're all well aware that his tactics are loggerheads and threats, not discipline and critical thinking.

+ Theresa May bit more than she could chew. Her three-year stint at British Prime Minister will be undoubtedly defined by her support of Brexit and her abject inability to set any feasible plan into motion to leave the European Union. The majority of Britons know Brexit was both a mistake and a right-wing pipe dream. Here's hoping her successor changes course.

+ My latest summer of travel is in full swing! Since late May, I've already been to Omaha, South Bend, and Des Moines, and tomorrow I'm taking a day trip to the Beloit/Janesville area. With the exception of Des Moines this is all familiar terrain, but I'm making a conscious effort to see and do new things in each city. Besides my week in Scotland in late July (see WU #620) and my third trip to Baltimore in 15 months, I have tentative plans to visit more mid-western cities, while catching minor league baseball games.

Next Week: at long last, my 14th annual Fantasy Emmy Ballot.

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Squawk Like an Egyptian

First it was Tunisia, then Egypt, and now Bahrain and possibly Yemen. What's most remarkable is that these revolutions were largely non-violent; the cradle of civilization has a long, brutal history of mutilation and bloodshed, so what has happened in the last three weeks has been a remarkable leap in progress not just for Egypt but the Mediterranean and Middle East in general. Hosni Mubarak had to go, no question, but what happens now? Stability is absolutely crucial, but temporary military control is seldom truly temporary. The influence of Islam extremists could be potentially troubling.

I'll concede that passive resistance won't work everywhere. One of my peacenik pals on Facebook commented that a violent overthrow of North Korea, beginning or concluding with the assassination of Kim Jong-Il, would be the only such act of bloodshed that she would ever endorse. Some semblance of reform will come to Iran someday, though it won't happen overnight and will likely need American intervention. On our end, combat in Iraq is more or less over, but Afghanistan still teeter-totters between building a democracy and eating itself whole. For all we know, 2011 in the Middle East could be a repeat of the European uprisings of 1968, and the chaos in Cairo is their Prague Spring. All that matters right now is finding a system that works, represents the people in the fairest way possible, and rejects the trend of extremism for something civil and just.

Other notes:

+ Mom Update: it's been more than six months since my mother's stroke, and she's still doing pretty well. In fact, we found out yesterday that in spite of her treatment last year, her hepatitis has now been completely eradicated. Earlier this week she began babysitting some neighbors' kids for a little side income, so I guess it's just business as usual.

+ Improv Update: for anyone in or around Chicago on February 28th, I'll be having my Level 4B class performance at IO. We'll be performing during the 7pm that night in the Cabaret (downstairs) Theater and admission is free to the general public. Drop me a line if you'd like more details.

+ Pitchers and catchers reported to the Kansas City Royals' training camp today. Oh well, there's always 2012. ;)

Next week: the year in music, 1981.