I'm currently looking for an apartment in Washington D.C. for the summer-- the ideal dates would be something on the order of June 14-August 20, and as I lack a car it's important that it be readily accessible to public transportation (preferably the Metro). If anybody has information, or best of all an apartment, to offer, please send me an email.

I apologize in advance for the fact that I may repost this in the near future.

Enjoy your weekends.

Julian Sanchez brings up the "desperate libertarian tendency to apply the l-word to any work of popular culture that shows even the most meager individualist or pro-market strand" and then deftly makes the case that the S&M romance Secretary really is libertarian, honest. This is fairly reasonable--the movie does emphasize the importance of differing reasonable conceptions of the good, and goes beyond Rawls into Tomasi territory by pointing out just how much accomodation such pluralism really requires (in the case of Secretary, some relaxation of workplace regulations!).

But all this is just by way of introducing my own claim that, if you really want thoughtful, pop-culture libertarianism, you should tune in to Gilmore Girls.

Okay, I'm not completely serious. But the show--which chronicles the life of a single mother and her teenage daughter in a small New England town--really does have its libertarian moments.

Consider: how many other WB-style dramas deal seriously with the abuse of eminent domain? From episode 3.03:

TAYLOR: You’re missing the big picture here, townsfolk. Now, this wonderful business belongs in Stars Hollow – whether Luke rents the space willingly or not.
LUKE: How would I not rent it willingly?
TAYLOR: I’m talking about eminent domain, my friend. Check the town’s bylaws. If a three-fourths majority finds it necessary to use the space for a specific function, the landowner must concede.
LUKE: That’s for taking over houses to turn into hospitals during a national emergency like the Civil War. If you wanna turn this place into a Civil War hospital, be my guest!
TAYLOR: Some would attest that the succor that my soda shop is going to offer is on the same level as the comfort that a hospital could provide.

It's not just that, of course. There's a constant theme of governmental meddling and the dark side of the communitarian dream, marred only slightly by the fact that the actual protagonists seem blissfully unconcerned by the big picture. Useless stop lights, corrupt building codes, the dangers of agenda-control--it's all there.

Plus, it's really heartwarming. And faster dialogue than your average show!