Good word of the day:

Word of the Day for Wednesday March 17, 2005

cabal \kuh-BAHL; kuh-BAL\, noun:
1. A secret, conspiratorial association of plotters or
intriguers whose purpose is usually to bring about an overturn
especially in public affairs.
2. The schemes or plots of such an association.

intransitive verb:
To form a cabal; to conspire; to intrigue; to plot.

[...]

Cabal derives from Medieval Latin cabala, a transliteration of
Hebrew qabbalah, "received," hence "traditional, lore," from
qabal, "to receive." The evolution in sense is: "(secret)
tradition, secret, secret plots or intrigues, secret meeting,
secret meeters, a group of plotters or intriguers."

And qabbalah is what that Madonna woman was getting up to - gnosticism by a different name I suppose.

In other news, someone seems to have replaced my trousers with sheets of lint.