According to Jewish educator and comics fan and writer Alan Oirich, artist Gil Kane based his design of the large-headed, balding Guardians of the Universe in DC's Green Lantern on David Ben-Gurion.
You be the judge:
Image from Cracked
First, according to the Online Etymological Dictionary the origins of word "Free" are rooted in a context of "love":
O.E. freo "free, exempt from, not in bondage," also "noble, joyful," from P.Gmc. *frijaz (cf. M.H.G. vri, Ger. frei, Du. vrij, Goth. freis "free"), from PIE *prijos "dear, beloved" (cf. Skt. priyah "own, dear, beloved," priyate "loves;" O.C.S. prijati "to help," prijatelji "friend;" Welsh rhydd "free"). The adv. is from O.E. freon, freogan "to free, love." The primary sense seems to have been "beloved, friend, to love;" which in some languages (notably Gmc. and Celtic) developed also a sense of "free," perhaps from the terms "beloved" or "friend" being applied to the free members of one's clan (as opposed to slaves, cf. L. liberi, meaning both "free" and "children"). Cf. Goth. frijon "to love;" O.E. freod "affection, friendship," friga "love," friðu "peace;" O.N. friðr, Ger. Friede "peace;" O.E. freo "wife;" O.N. Frigg "wife of Odin," lit. "beloved" or "loving;" M.L.G. vrien "to take to wife, Du. vrijen, Ger. freien "to woo."
The term "Patriot" finds its origins in the word patriote or "fellow countrymen", though in political terms it evolved into somewhat of an insult:
Meaning "loyal and disinterested supporter of one's country" is attested from 1605, but became an ironic term of ridicule or abuse from mid-18c. in England, so that Johnson, who at first defined it as "one whose ruling passion is the love of his country," in his fourth edition added, "It is sometimes used for a factious disturber of the government.""The name of patriot had become [c.1744] a by-word of derision. Horace Walpole scarcely exaggerated when he said that ... the most popular declaration which a candidate could make on the hustings was that he had never been and never would be a patriot." [Macaulay, "Horace Walpole," 1833]
But the term Patriotism was not always an insult, nor was always used as a political sledgehammer to sell flag pins. According to Harvey Chisick's Historical Dictionary of the Enlightenment, "patriotism" could be defined as something akin social egalitarianism and justice:
Unlike the situation in the 19th century, when nationalism tended to be exclusive and confrontational, during the 18th century patriotism belonged with such inclusive and cohesive values as humanity and beneficence. In the course of the second half of the 18th century, a person who provided relief for the poor, or objected to excessively harsh penal laws, or who criticized institutions such as serfdom or slavery, was likely to be described as a good patriot." (p. 314) [emphasis original]
My hope for this 4th of July our nation can look back to the history of these important words not be lost amongst the ever-spiteful partisan rhetoric which continues to divide our country. I hope that we can spread freedom - in all senses - to our fellow citizens of the world and that we remember the message of what it once meant to be a true patriot.
While I'm not optimistic, I am proud to live in a country where I have the freedom to dream.
]]>Apparently this is not an uncommon problem with Thinkpads. One theory is that the problem is with the inverter but someone else had to replace the whole screen.
After doing some fiddling, I found that my problem was be solved - at least temporarily by dimming the screen down from full brightness. I have no idea exactly what the problem is or why this worked, but if you're having similar trouble you may want to try dimming your screen before shelling out hundreds for a new screen - or thousands on a new computer. So far it seems to work ok for me, but I have no idea how long it will last. Minimally it should make backing up easier while you go computer shopping.2
Please let me know if this was a helpful solution.
Update: Turns out this solution lasted one day - a valueable day for backups, mind you, but one day. If this works, do not close the screen.
. 1. Yep, that's right - an IBM Thinkpad - was one of the last runs before the change to Lenovo.
2. Thankfully, I actually ordered a new Thinkpad on sale earlier in the week before the screen went dark. I did notice some screen problems, but I was having more performance and HD issues typical of a computer several years old.
The period of counting the Omer is also a time of semi-mourning, during which the Halakha forbids haircuts, shaving, listening to live instrumental music, or conducting weddings, parties, and dinners with dancing.
But even in matters of custom there can be multple opinions. For example, every year I get several e-mails asking about what types of music are permitted during the 'Omer. Some distinguish between live and recorded music, others avoid music with instruments. While I personally find these distinctions inconsequential since the entire practice is a matter of custom, let it not be said that here at YUTOPIA we are completely intolerant of minhagim. And so in honor of Sefirat Ha'Omer, I've decided this year to compile my favorite a capella videos from YouTube.1
]]> Covers and MedleysUNC Achordants - Carry on My Wayward Son (Kansas)
Mile 21-a - The Chain (Fleetwood Mac)
University of Rochester Midnight Ramblers - Just What I Needed (The Cars)
Also see their good but disturbing Disturbia.
Oxford University's Out of the Blue - Fat Bottom Girls (Queen)
Casual Harmony - Karma Police (Raidiohead)
Straight No Chaser - Sitcom Theme Medley
Also see: Teen Sensation Medley
Scrubs - Don't Fear the Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult) (Brilliantly done)
Original Songs
Davinci's Notebook - Title of the Song
The Klein Four Group - Finite Simply Group of Order Two (Extremely Geeky)
Honorable Mentions
As always, suggestions welcome in the comments.
1. If you're wondering how I picked these particular vids, I have a few guidelines for what I was looking:
According to Jewish educator and comics fan and writer Alan Oirich, artist Gil Kane based his design of the large-headed, balding Guardians of the Universe in DC's Green Lantern on David Ben-Gurion.
You be the judge:
Image from Cracked
The intent of these shiurim is not to get people to the level of pesak and as such we did not explore the vast teshuva literature on the subject. Rather the goal was to provide working definitions and explain the laws and principles underlying the various halakhic disputes. Most sources are from the Talmud, Rambam, and Shulhan Aruch.
I decided to split this shiur into three parts:
All three shiurim have been added to YUTOPIA's Source Sheet Archive.
As always, comments and corrections/suggestions are welcome!
]]>I currently have 8,000 points left which translates into one $50 donation and three $10 donations.1 The question is, where should it go?
]]> This is a surprisingly difficult decision. I've been trying to come up with some plan for maximizing how much good can be done. Since AmEx deducts 2.25% per donation to "cover processing costs," I know I'm better off giving at least $50 to one organization.Years ago I wrote about charity navigator2 which has been helpful to some extent, though not all charities are listed in GuideStar. But this doesn't make the decision any easier. For example, here are the some3 charities I'm currently considering:
I'm open to more suggestions, but I'm more curious how people make such decisions. For myself at least, I'm realizing that I tend towards smaller charities with a focused mission. To the loyal readership out there: what are your criteria and inclinations regarding donating to charities?
I'll add a comment when I've made a decision, but at least I know that for this decision, there's no real wrong answer.
1. I'm restricted to 1,000 and 5,000 point denominations.
2. In an update to that post, the Masorati Foundation has made significant improvements since then, now earning a 4 star rating.
3. This is not an exhaustive list, but just one to show how difficult the decision can be. I mean, how do you answer the question: "should I help battered women or sick children?"
I'm not writing them up because to be perfectly honest most of what I did was done before, and much better than I could ever hope to do. In particular I borrowed heavily from Saul Lieberman's Greek in Jewish Palestine / Hellenism in Jewish Palestine, Ephraim Urbach's The Sages: Their Concepts and Beliefs, and Haham Jose' Faur's new book The Horizontal Society which I hope to review shortly.
Still there are those who may be interested in the source sheets, which may be downloaded in PDF:
Rabbinic Reactions to Greek Culture
Rabbinic Responses to Christian Thought.
Also, I'm going to be posting future source sheets - and slowly migrating old ones - to a new section of YUTOPIA: http://joshyuter.com/shiurim/
Enjoy!
]]>As longtime blog readers know, that last condition was a tough one to overcome.
At any rate, I'm posting my article "A Fair And Balanced Approach To Jewish Social Justice" and I plan on revisiting the motivations for the article at some later point.
]]> Reprinted with permission from the Institute for Jewish Ideas and IdealsIntroduction
Increased awareness of Judaism's teachings on social justice is important. As advocates often point out, social justice is not external to Judaism but is pervasive throughout the laws and ethics of Jewish tradition. From the individual perspective, we believe that each human was created in the "reflection of the divine" (Bereishit 1:27), and as a people we are charged with being a "light unto the nations" in order to bring God's salvation across the earth (Yeshayahu 49:6). The sages of the Talmud introduced the doctrine of "Tikkun Olam," repairing the world, as a legitimate justification for legal innovations. From one point of view, all the commandments serve to achieve the end of perfecting ourselves and our society.
Determining, though, which causes or methods represent the Jewish ideal of social justice is a difficult challenge. Would an issue such as vegetarianism - notably supported by R. Abraham Isaac Kook - be considered a Jewish social justice issue if the Torah not only permits (Devarim 12:20) but occasionally requires eating meat (Shemot 12:8)? Furthermore, even granting a consensus regarding the legitimacy of a cause, there may be valid disagreement on how to implement solutions. For example, there are several strategies in which people could help the poor. Welfare and charity offer immediate short-term relief, but are not terribly helpful in the long term and could provide disincentives against self-improvement. On the other hand, training programs which help individuals become self sufficient will take more time; for Rambam this sort of charity is the highest level one can give (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Charity, 10:7). People may share the same goal, but could disagree as to the social justice merits of a particular method.
This discussion is further complicated by the relationship between religion and politics to the point where political policies and religious ethics become blurred. In 2005 seven Jewish social justice groups opposed the nomination of Justice Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. These groups opposed Alito not only for perceived disregard of civil liberties, but also for his positions on interstate commerce and abortion. These complaints in the name of "social justice" assume a particular social and political outlook, which even if compatible with Judaism, is not necessarily mandated by Torah.
Finally, imbuing social justice discussions with religious rhetoric may approach fundamentalism. Policies such as supporting rent control or raising the minimum wage are sometimes advocated not on economic merits, but as a religious mandate - one which is not only representative of the entire faith, but incumbent on all Jews. Or to put it another way, this is the difference between promoting environmentalism on social grounds or asserting that God demands we purchase hybrid vehicles or change our light bulbs.
Without advocating or critiquing any particular cause, agenda, or policy, I would like to suggest here that the Torah's general model of social justice is not one of utilitarianism promoting the greatest good for the greatest number of people, nor does it consider the plight of the domain of the destitute or disadvantaged exclusively. To the contrary, the Torah's model of social justice strives for individual judicial equality for all members of its population. In other words, the test for Torah-based social justice would be: does the policy adequately account for the rights and needs of everyone affected.
Balance in Jewish Law
One area in which we find such a balance is in the distinction and designations of the ethics of hesed, compassion. Biblical law provides social and economic protection for the most vulnerable and isolated members of society. In particular, the gerim, orphans, and widows are singled out as groups which one may not oppress (Shemot 22:20-21). The poor are also considered a protected class of sorts in that Biblical law requires that the poor be supported (Devarim 15:4-9) and mandates specific mechanisms for their support such as leaving a portion of the harvest for them (Vayikra 23:22).
But there are limits to hesed, particularly in the area of justice. The Bible considers it a perversion to favor the poor over the wealthy (Vayikra 19:15), affirms the same civil law for the ger and everyone else (Vayikra 24:22). In civil matters, maintaining judicial integrity is so important that R. Yonatan states, "any judge who takes from one and gives to the other inappropriately God will take from him his life" (B. Sanhedrin 7a). Furthermore, there are limits with respect to charity. Despite the call for hesed and obligations for charity, the Talmud limits how much one is allowed to give to 20% lest the giver become poor himself, creating yet another imbalance in the society (B. Ketuvot 67b).
Viewing the complete picture of Jewish law, we find that Judaism expects compassion but it does so recognizing that the functioning society cannot become one-sided, favoring one group over another. We must provide hesed; but focusing entirely on one group of the population will lead to a different form of social injustice.
The concern for balancing multiple interests is also present in the laws relating to worker's rights. The Bible demands that employers pay their workers on time. (Vayikra 19:13). The Talmud elaborates, teaching that an employer who withholds his worker's wages violates six biblical laws including stealing (B. Bava Metziah 111a). Furthermore, Jewish law would seemingly mandate employers to provide safe working conditions under the general prohibition of negligently causing damage to someone else, even with the intent of compensating afterwards (B. Bava Batra 22b).
These laws protecting the worker cannot be taken in isolation of the broader labor legislation. Just as the Torah requires the employer to meet certain obligations to his employees, it also requires the employees to maximize their productive efficiency while on the job. In fact, the sages shortened the birkat hamazon and amida (B. Berakhot 16a) to minimize the time taken from their work obligations to their employer. Some were so careful about not wasting their employer's time and money, that they would not even greet sages as they passed by (B. Ta'anit 23a, B. Kiddushin 33a).
The point here is not to equate the suffering of mistreated workers with the financial costs of inefficiency. The Torah is certainly concerned with the potential exploitation of the weak. However, this sensitivity in no way precludes similar concern for the other side of the equation. As such, it is inadequate to describe Jewish law as being favorably biased to either the worker or management, but rather towards a mutually beneficial interaction.
The Examples of Tikkun Olam
This sort of balance is present in the specific cases where the Sages acted in the interests of Tikkun Olam to address several forms of injustice. For example, one type of injustice is the direct and unilateral actions of an individual to manipulate the legal system. In this regard, the Sages instituted laws to prevent such abuse, particularly in the areas of divorce (B.Gittin 4b). For example, a husband who sends his wife a document of divorce cannot convene an ad hoc court to nullify the document while in transit. In these instances, the concern is to close legal loopholes to prevent exploitation.
However, where there are two legitimate parties to consider, the Sages employed Tikkun Olam to balance both of their respective needs. Consider the innovation of Hillel's prusbol (Mishnah, Gittin 4:3). The Bible commands that all loans be forgiven with the shemita year (Devarim 15:2). Naturally this proved to be a disincentive for lenders to loan money with the increased risk of loss. Hillel noticed that although the Torah forbids withholding loans on such grounds (Devarim 15:9), people were not lending money because of the shemita year. Consequently, Hillel instituted the prusbol, a mechanism by which loans would not be automatically forgiven with the shemita year, for the sake of Tikkun Olam, a policy for the benefit of society as a whole.
At first glance, it appears that the beneficiaries of this Tikkun would be the borrowers since lenders would be less reluctant to loan money before shemita. But the only way in which this Tikkun could be achieved was to address the fears of the supply side lenders, to protect their interests as well. In addressing the problem of a tighter money supply, Hillel did not only focus on the plight of the borrowers by compelling lenders to loan, even though Hillel would have explicit biblical support to do so. Rather, the Tikkun Hillel enacted benefited both parties of the transaction such that the interests of both borrowers and lenders were protected.
We also find the balanced nature of Tikkun Olam regarding the tragic instance of a captured Jew. According to the Mishnah, Gittin 4:6, it is forbidden to pay excessive sums of money to redeem captives. From a social justice perspective we can sympathize with the captivity of any human being, and our emotions may dictate that we save someone regardless of the cost. Indeed, the Sages consider redeeming captives in particular to be "a great mitzvah" (B. Bava Batra 8a-b). On the other hand, overpaying for hostages provides incentive for enemies to take hostages again in the future. Despite noble intentions, by saving one life one would actually be jeopardizing the well being of others. In the balanced model of Tikkun Olam, such an exchange of one injustice for another is unacceptable, for we cannot substitute the suffering of one with the suffering of another.
Conclusions
The Torah's balanced model of social justice provides a useful framework for evaluating the various contemporary social justice issues. It reminds us that however noble a cause may seem, we need to consider the ramifications of a policy and who might be affected. Jewish law dictates certain protections for the underprivileged, while simultaneously acknowledging the risks, ramifications, and potential unintended consequences of any solution. Consequently, social justice policies and causes advocated in the name of Judaism should similarly take an equally thoughtful and balanced approach.
Furthermore, given the above parameters of social justice, it is less likely to maintain fairness with more ambitious policies. Simply put, the more people who are affected by a policy, the greater the likelihood that one side will suffer some form of loss. For example, a policy of universal health care may assist some of the currently uninsured but will most likely result in negative unintended consequences for other patients, doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, and drug manufacturers. In contrast, recall that despite the global implications of Tikkun Olam, the Sages invoked the principle for a relatively narrow set of circumstances where fewer individuals are affected such as borrowers or captives, but not for large scale social engineering. This is not to say that such endeavors should never be pursued, only that careful thought be used to formulate and justify polices in the name of religious social justice.
Most social justice causes are motivated by the fundamental concern for human welfare. But as we approach such issues with compassion for one group of people, where applicable, we cannot withhold compassion from others or ignore negative repercussions which may be caused by our actions.
]]>I can hardly believe how long it's been since I've last written anything. I've barely had time to get basic derashot out, let alone formulate for intelligible posting (maybe next year :-). Consider that for the months of September and October I was commuting from Springfield to the LES for every Shabbat and Chag, packing, unpacking, and writing derashot. Then for some reason things just keep popping up that I haven't had the time to think let alone research and write.
So I'm sticking my head out to say that yes I am alive and well, just too distracted with many life and shul details to write more - though I must say I've been feeling the absence of not writing.
Right now I'm prepping a shiur for Dec 25 on Talmudic Responses to Greek and Christian Culture. Of course it's not going to be close to comprehensive but it serves a double inyanei deyoma.
God willing I'll try to make more time to write. I've really missed this place.
]]>What's parsonage you may ask? The term originally referred to a rectory or dwelling of the priest on the premises of a church. These days it's more associated with a tax benefit given to clergy members where housing expenses are paid with pre-tax dollars (simplified definition). Quoth the IRS:
A minister who is furnished a parsonage may exclude from income the fair rental value of the parsonage, including utilities. However, the amount excluded cannot be more than the reasonable pay for the minister's services.
The catch is that clergy are also considered "self-employed" which means we get nailed double when it comes to social security, paying both the employee and employer side of things. However, there is one interesting loophole:
The fair rental value of a parsonage or the housing allowance is excludable from income only for income tax purposes. No exclusion applies for self-employment tax purposes. For Social Security purposes, a duly ordained, licensed or commissioned minister is self-employed...However, you can request an exemption from self-employment tax, if you are conscientiously opposed to public insurance for religious reasons.
Even if a Rabbi were to go Milton Friedman in lomdus on the IRS, I'd have to guess that most Rabbis do in fact participate in social security.
Still I'd love to hear from any Rabbi who has in fact used this exemption - and the arguments they've used.
]]>Literature Professor Joy Ladin, formerly known as Jay Ladin, 47, showed up for her first day of school sporting pink lipstick, a tight purple shirt and a flirty black skirt.1
Naturally some of YU's religious faculty are none too pleased with this arrangement. Hence the quote from R. Tendler:
"He's not a woman. He's a male with enlarged breasts," said Rabbi Moshe Tendler, a senior dean at Yeshiva's rabbinical school and a professor of biology and medical ethics. "He's a person who represents a kind of amorality which runs counter to everything Yeshiva University stands for. There is just no leeway in Jewish law for a transsexual."There is no niche where he can hide out as a female without being in massive violation of Torah law, Torah ethics and Torah morality."
Let me state for the record that although I am his student, I am in no way R. Tendler's spokesperson - he is quite capable of expressing himself without my help and the following explanation does not necessarily represent his views.
That said, in the past R. Tendler has often provided quotes, which when taken as soundbites may seem fanatical. However, his quotes are usually the summation of a logical and coherent (although occasional controversial) argument which does not often get reported.
In this case, I believe that R. Tendler is making two arguments. The first is that Jewish law does not recognize sex changes as a legitimate change in one's halakhic status; if someone was born male, then Jewish law considers him to be a male regardless of any subsequent medical procedures. That being the case, R. Tendler's second point is that independent of any potential halakhic problems with the sex-change operation itself, a man who lives and acts as a woman would wind up violating multiple prohibitions as well as the moral spirit of Jewish law.
While certainly not politically correct, R. Tendler's position is defensible. Gender, according to Torah Law, is not (only) a social construct but a biological designation and thus not subject to change. Furthermore, as we have discussed elsewhere, the dual Torah is particularly sensitive and restrictive regarding matters of sexual impropriety such that by living as a woman Prof. Ladin would no doubt be violating some part of the Torah. As a prominent figure within a religious institution, R. Tendler is certainly within his rights to express this pesak.
The next question is why R. Tendler would give such a quote in the first place, given the expected backlash. Politically speaking, even if one were to agree with R. Tendler's statements, it would probably be wiser not to voice them in such a tone in a public forum. As the article notes, it is unlikely that YU will risk yet another sex discrimination related lawsuit by firing Prof. Ladin, and I doubt R. Tendler thinks he's going to change anyone's mind.
My sense is that R. Tendler felt the need to set the record straight regarding what he saw as YU condoning something which he sees as halakhically unacceptable. Furthermore, I am guessing R. Tendler is reacting adversely to society's increasing acceptance and tolerance of GLBT lifestyles, not so much as a matter of an illegitimate identity, but of being violations of Jewish law as he sees it.
I have no doubt that R. Tendler's comments will generate much discussion and likely criticism and ridicule.
I can also predict that R. Tendler will not care one bit.
1. Though from the looks of the Post's picture, the skirt does appear to cover the knees.
As you might expect, it's a big change for me being my first rabbinic position - especially on top of all the craziness in my life over the past few months.2 Still, I'm very excited to be taking on this new challenge and hopefully work on myself in the process.
In terms of blogging, I'm going to have to be even more careful with what I say up here. Obviously some things will have to be "off limits," but I on the other hand since I'll be doing more teaching I should be able to post more Torah as derashot or some shiurim.
I'm still looking for apartments on the LES, but thankfully I'm getting help from the community and the great people at LoHo Realty, so for the time being I've been commuting into the city.
So that's the scoop. If anyone out there is interested in the community or wants to come by for a visit, please let me know!
1. The website could use some work, but I hope to add my expertise in that area as well.
2. Plus since it's technically a part-time position I'm currently taking classes in Revel, possibly en route to a PhD in Talmud but that part is still tentative.
For the most part, the trojan is more of a nuisance than a critical problem - the computer will still function despite the annoying prompts. However my infection was severely worse in that the trojan disabled control panel, task manager, and even locked me out of editing the registry. This meant that I couldn't remove the trojan either with an anti-virus program or manually.
When I was first infected with the trojan, I needed to pay someone to recover data and reinstall the machine. The second time - yes it happened twice - I was able to handle it myself, though the process was still time consuming. If you're having trouble with your thinkpad, here are my suggestions for the homemade nuclear option:
1. Backup Data Files: Fortunately I recently purchased an external hard drive (I can officially recommend the Lacie Rugged line). As far as I can tell the trojan will not be transmitted through an external backup of data files.
1a. Backup Installation Files: If you have "must have" programs on your machine, it's sometimes useful to save the installation files so that you don't need to spend time redownloading everything. Furthermore, if you're using a free anti-virus or spyware program, you'll probably want the latest versions installed immediately as well. Even with the trojan, you should still be able to download the exe files and backup to your hard drive.
2. Reboot Computer, Press F11 While Rebooting: This will effectively wipe your machine to the system defaults from when you first got the computer. Yes, you will need to reinstall all programs but you'll also find your computer will work faster.
Like I said, this solution time consuming and it's technically not really a "fix" in that you're wiping your machine and starting over. However, I can say that it works and you can do this without paying anyone.
As a final aside, I should hope that none of my Loyal Readers are gullible enough to shell out the $50 to purchase the advertised anti-virus program. The techie who fixed my computer said that there were people who did get the program, and surprise surprise, it didn't help.
]]>I'd consider it a work in progress so any feedback or comments would be appreciated.
Within the new guidelines, that is.
]]>Today I am very pleased to announce that the transition appears to be complete. Thanks to a great deal of hacking and the good support people at tweakedhosting.com, both the chords and guitar database are up and running at their new homes:
The new site for YUTOPIA is:
The Jewish guitar chords can be found appropriately enough at:
For the time being YUCS is redirecting all traffic to the new site,2 but since I don't know how much longer YUCS will be in operation, I'd like to ask if you could please update your links and feed subscriptions accordingly.
I don't have metrics just yet, but it does seem the site runs slightly slower and loads a little weirder than before. On the plus side, I've sorted out most of the new glitches and thanks to the new system I've even added some cool features such as this nifty little new contact form for direct spam-free feedback.
It also seems to be a good time to update the Blogroll on the side. If you'd like to exchange links or if you're already linking and would appreciate the reciprocity, please let me know.
Thank you all very much for your help and support. It's been an exciting time lately, and it doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon.3 I hope I'll be able to continue sharing in the next adventures of my little YUTOPIAN world.
1. And if and when it ever does go down, I'll write up a history. Tentative title: "From 501 to 404." (Yes, that's an obscure but relevant reference).
2. Some pages might not be working due to previous movabletype upgrades. I'll fix those as they come up.
3. Another big announcement forthcoming, and no I'm not getting engaged.
