Ruminations on Current Events

Friends,

I've been sitting on this Anthony Weiner thing for a couple of days, trying to pull the lens back in order to look at what it all means. Obviously, it is fun to snicker about his last name and what part of his anatomy that got him into trouble. It is also mildly entertaining to consider the level of discourse this usually-verbally-dexterous politician seems to have sunk. The connections to Bill Clinton are also somewhat tittering.

And then there is on-going sense of bewilderment of "who did he think he was?" While watching the press conference on Tuesday, part of me wanted him to respond, "Just a guy," when the media asked that question. I also kind of wanted him to say that he was being a GIANT idiot.

Then I read Alec Baldwin's fascinating piece, posted on the Huffington Post, entitled, "Anthony Weiner is a Modern Human Being." What I find compelling about what Baldwin says is the reminder of the availability of such online behavior. Consider this:

We tell ourselves that these devices help us communicate more effectively. What they actually do is allow us to bypass the person lying right next to us, across the room from us or at an airport heading home to us, in order to meet our immediate, even inconvenient, needs. To bypass their moods, their current view of us and their own desires, or lack thereof.

There is something to be mined here. You may be in the most loving, generous, safe and profound relationship ever. But. There are potentially millions of people out there that you haven't met yet. And they just might love you.

Of course there are a hundred problems with this, not the least of which is the fact that Weiner is a married man, with a smart and talented (and maybe pregnant?) wife. I am not interested in the series of questions about whether or not it is cheating: I think that determination is between Weiner and his wife; his press conference clearly indicated that, to them, it marked a betrayal of some sort. Which is, I think, a form of cheating. So, why did he do it?

Because he could. Nothing more complicated than that. Because he is, in Baldwin's words, "a modern human being."

I reach the same conclusion that Alec Baldwin did, and probably a lot of others. I would like to add my own take on this. I think that fidelity is a difficult and challenging thing; I have wrestled with it myself over the years, before the Internet and Facebook and YouTube and Twitter made it that much easier. How fun is it to live chat with an old flame? Or an old prospective flame? Or a co-worker? Or someone you read about and think is smart/sexy/gets you...whatever. But too many people I know but their real-life, flesh and blood, "til death do us part" relationships in jeopardy because it is just so damn easy.

And it is ultimately sad.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
Volansky

Remember me?

Hi Friends,
I woke up the other morning feeling a bit adrift -- I had submitted my dissertation and did not know what to do with myself.

I had been working on writing this thing for three years, doing the research for another two. And then, BAM, done. What's a girl to do?

Obviously, there are school things -- department chair, faculty council chair, courses to prep. There are naturally plays to read. But gosh, what a weird feeling.

If one person comments on this, then I'll continue to offer insights into our changing world. Or even if no one comments...I bet I'll continue. My fingers need to be kept occupied.

Final two thoughts: I'm reading Colum McCann's LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN and man is it good. You might pick it up, if you are looking for a good read.

Other thought: I could not have survived finishing my dissertation without these guys. I feel a little like I am cheating on Bruce with them, but heavens to murgatroyd they are damn fine.

And remember:

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,

V

How the heck are you?!

hello, friends,

i really should not be blogging because i simply have too much work to do. but i had a really compelling conversation on saturday night with some friends that has been nagging at me and so i felt like i needed to share.

the discussion (full disclosure: there was wine involved) began as an investigation of the pros and cons of bailing out the big three -- GM, Ford and Chrysler. should we or shouldn't we? we drifted around that for a while, recalling the problems (and, at my insistence, the lack of congressional oversight) of the financial bailout. why bail out companies like AIG and not the automotive industry. there was general disdain about the UAW, and the suggestion that some industries needed to fail so as to correct the market.

let me say that i don't pretend to understand the market. i simply was asking about what was going to happen if the US lost 2.1 million job , according to this website.

here's what it says:

The EPI paper, titled When Giants Fall, estimates that a total collapse of all three U.S. auto makers would result in the loss of up to 2.1 million American jobs within the next year. Tax revenue losses and additional governmental costs would top $150 billion within three years if the three companies enter bankruptcy.

Without cars to export, the U.S. trade deficit would rise by $109.3 billion, the study also found.

The job numbers encompass direct job losses from the automakers' potential shutdown, as well as indirect job losses in technical and service industries and vehicle production-supported industries, such as auto parts, electronics, steel, tires, aluminum and plastics. The study also estimates the loss of "re-spending" jobs as a result of the wages lost by workers in motor vehicle industries and other sectors supported by car production.

The study's author, EPI economist Robert E. Scott, said that Congress should act quickly to provide a bridge loan to the auto industry, noting that it is an investment that the U.S. government will likely recover with interest.

"It is in the national interest to invest in a bridge loan now, rather than pay the consequences of bankruptcy for one or more domestic auto-makers," Scott said.

"The domestic auto-makers don't have the same bankruptcy and restructuring options as the airline industry does," Scott explained. "Customers are unwilling to purchase a vehicle from a company that might not be able to offer a warranty or repairs."

The study estimates the loss of jobs by industry, with manufacturing leading the pack. Motor vehicles and parts and transportation equipment also stand to lose tens of thousands of jobs.

The EPI study can be viewed at http://www.epi.org/briefingpapers/227/bp227.pdf.

For more information about the Economic Policy Institute, go to http://www.epi.org, and for more about the Keystone Research Center, go to http://www.keystoneresearch.org.

SOURCE: Keystone Research Center

consider the fact that 12.5% of all americans live in poverty, according to the US census

consider the fact that while it is admirable that 72.5% of americans have internet access, there are still 27.5% who do not.

are we living exclusively in a world of darwinistic survival of the fittest? my friend suggested that there were some people who would not or could not take advantage of the opportunities offered to them and that some in our country would always "just fail." is this okay? am i just a pollyanna, or do i have my sense of social justice out of whack?

can you sleep at night?

think about what jimmy carter said (thanks sister sue): "a peaceful world cannot exist when one third is rich and two thirds are hungry."

my friend is a just and admirable person, concerned about family and survival. there is compassion and responsibility. so if THIS friend thinks this way...

think about it.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky

where do we go now?

Well, the Phillies won the World Series. And our guy got into the Oval Office. There was definitely an excitement/anticipation vacuum happening there for a few days. Is Chinese Democracy the most important thing to look forward to? I might argue yes, but it's a kind of apathetic yes. And most of you pirates have probably already downloaded the thing. I am a dinosaur in that I like to "buy" albums in the "store." Strange, I know. I actually like reading the liner notes and looking at the cover art. Is that so wrong?

At any rate, I can't think of anything in the immediate future worth getting ramped up about. Christmas? Inauguration Day is too far afield to think about, there is much to be done before then. If anyone has any thoughts on something to get excited about in the upcoming weeks, I would love to hear it.

yes, we did

Yes, we did.

Here is the transcript. It is worth a read.

politics as usual

Let's not talk about the debate, or the economy, or Iraq, or anything else from this election.

Thought: while living overseas, I paid zero attention to American politics in general and just barely enough attention to the presidential elections as to confirm the nature of my vote.

Now that I am home, and now that it is an election season, it seems I'm as obsessed with the electoral map and outlining key issues as I am with the Phillies. But I wonder how I'm going to feel exactly one year from today. Am I going to care as deeply or as passionately or as consistently about, say, the selection of Supreme Court justices?

Honestly? No. Sad. How about you? Will you care a year from now?

I have spoken to a few people recently about the 24-hour news cycle. I know I am not crazy about it, but I've had a hard time figuring out why. But I think I'm onto something.

I think that the constant flow of news makes it difficult for us to separate the signal from the noise. Is the ACORN thing important? How about ties to the Keating Five? Maybe yes, maybe no. But when those things get as much air time as the war, there is a problem. Is there any way to fix this problem?

Well, I have a thought. The pre-election voter registration drives and calls to activism are great. Truly American. But where does all that energy go once the election is over? Why does it seem like we only care about these issues in the months leading up to a big November?

Lobbyists and political activists often get a bad rap in this country, sometimes for good reason. But one thing they do is keep a constant focus on issues at hand, regardless of whether it's October 2008 or February 2006.

I think all of us need to be doing that, in a very real way. Perhaps I am underestimating America (or at least the readership of this blog) when I say that I doubt any of you out there are as politically active or vocal as you are during election season. But if that were the case, then none of those campaign tricks would make a bit of difference in the polls or in the outcome of the election. However, close observation of the polls reveals that those campaign tricks do, in fact, work. What does that tell us?

The 24-hour news cycle is not going away. So it is up to us to demand real news, all the time, so that when election time comes around, none of the nonsense will get in the way of figuring out who the candidates are and what they stand for. The candidates themselves will be forced to outline these things clearly, and the media will be forced to convey this information to the consumers. Think of it as trickle down pandering.

One final point, in the form of a question: who is the politician pictured?

rednecks for obama

There is a lot of crap hurling out there today (Ayers, Keating, etc.) but little I deemed to be of newsworthy note. This, though, speaks to me.

My dad has been steadily warning that what he calls the "Bubba vote" could come into play at the last minute in the election. That is to say, a lot of folks will get behind the curtain and find themselves unable to pull the lever for a black man. It certainly is something worth thinking about.

So when I saw this tidbit, http://www.truveo.com/Rednecks-For-Obama-At-DNC/id/3175192384 I felt that perhaps getting the word out about these guys could be helpful to the cause.

"We hunt, fish, drink beer and support Barack Obama," said Tony Viessman, one of the group's two, count 'em, two, members. "He ain't gonna take your guns away, don't you worry about that."

Spread the word.

PS: Jeff Foxworthy was quoted in the article with a definition of redneck. He said it is "a glorious lack of sophistication." I like that.

da doo run run run . . .

Or maybe that should be "bomb, bomb, bomb/bomb bomb Iran." One of those classics.

The da doo run run run thing is sort of a lame joke about the debate last night being essentially a re-hash of the first. Somebody on a blog last night said that they tuned in 15 minutes late and only realized it wasn't a televised repeat of the first debate when they saw Tom Brokaw. I don't know if they were being serious or not, but I understand the sentiment.

A buddy just said he was bored during the thing. I wouldn't say I was bored, but it definitely was not as emotion-inducing as the Biden-Palin battle. At the very least, I was screaming at the television about 60% less last night than I was during the vice presidential debate.

Having said all that, while my allegiances are pretty clear, I don't feel like I'm being partial when I say that Obama was the clear victor. Whether you agree with his policies or not, he was more clear and concise in his explanations. I feel as though I understand better what he wants to do than I do McCain.

I read a bit of the Fox News website this morning, which I usually do not do. I stick to the BBC, and generally try to avoid sites that are going to be overwhelmingly partial. But because I felt that Obama was so clearly the winner, I was interested to hear how the conservative arm of the media was going to spin it. Interestingly enough, most of the pundits on there conceded victory to Obama. Sure, they had their gripes, but I think that even they know that many of those gripes are unfounded. They complained about the town-hall format, which, as we all know, was McCain's choice. They complained about Brokaw. I couldn't imagine a more impartial or intelligent moderator. And, most curiously, at least for me, they complained about Obama's eloquence. They said he was too cool and smooth and smart. Hmm.

That's all for today, my friends.

veep

And, you know, if speeches aren't your thing, there's always this:

springsteen

I know there are some rabid Bruce fans who read this blog. I am a moderate Bruce fan. But I became a bit more of one this past weekend after seeing him at a rally for Obama in Philly. It was a decent show that included a good speech. Here's a transcription:

“Hello Philly,

“I am glad to be here today for this voter registration drive and for Barack Obama, the next President of the United States.

“I’ve spent 35 years writing about America, its people, and the meaning of the American Promise. The Promise that was handed down to us, right here in this city from our founding fathers, with one instruction: Do your best to make these things real. Opportunity, equality, social and economic justice, a fair shake for all of our citizens, the American idea, as a positive influence, around the world for a more just and peaceful existence. These are the things that give our lives hope, shape, and meaning. They are the ties that bind us together and give us faith in our contract with one another.

“I’ve spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality. For many Americans, who are today losing their jobs, their homes, seeing their retirement funds disappear, who have no healthcare, or who have been abandoned in our inner cities. The distance between that promise and that reality has never been greater or more painful.

“I believe Senator Obama has taken the measure of that distance in his own life and in his work. I believe he understands, in his heart, the cost of that distance, in blood and suffering, in the lives of everyday Americans. I believe as president, he would work to restore that promise to so many of our fellow citizens who have justifiably lost faith in its meaning. After the disastrous administration of the past 8 years, we need someone to lead us in an American reclamation project. In my job, I travel the world, and occasionally play big stadiums, just like Senator Obama. I’ve continued to find, wherever I go, America remains a repository of people’s hopes, possibilities, and desires, and that despite the terrible erosion to our standing around the world, accomplished by our recent administration, we remain, for many, a house of dreams. One thousand George Bushes and one thousand Dick Cheneys will never be able to tear that house down.

“They will, however, be leaving office, dropping the national tragedies of Katrina, Iraq, and our financial crisis in our laps. Our sacred house of dreams has been abused, looted, and left in a terrible state of disrepair. It needs care; it needs saving, it needs defending against those who would sell it down the river for power or a quick buck. It needs strong arms, hearts, and minds. It needs someone with Senator Obama’s understanding, temperateness, deliberativeness, maturity, compassion, toughness, and faith, to help us rebuild our house once again. But most importantly, it needs us. You and me. To build that house with the generosity that is at the heart of the American spirit. A house that is truer and big enough to contain the hopes and dreams of all of our fellow citizens. That is where our future lies. We will rise or fall as a people by our ability to accomplish this task. Now I don’t know about you, but I want that dream back, I want my America back, I want my country back.

“So now is the time to stand with Barack Obama and Joe Biden, roll up our sleeves, and come on up for the rising.”

email thoughts

I have been writing to some of my friends overseas for an international perspective on the election. Aussie ex-pat living in Thailand Ian Slater and I have bounced back and forth a bit over the last couple days. I wrote him this email today. I liked it, and I think it says a lot of what I am thinking about the whole thing, in very general terms. As I am too lazy to really write anything for the blog itself, I'll just copy and paste this email.

Slates--

Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

I didn't think it was possible that I could become as obsessed with any mainstream media event as I was with the Olympics, but, perhaps because the consequences are so great, I've been pretty much glued to this election coverage. Because of that, I could probably write several hundred screens here. I'll try to keep my thoughts in check, and then maybe go type something up for the blog.

Anyway, getting into it . . .

I generally believe that a lot of people vote from a fairly narrow perspective. The obvious one there is the pro-lifers, who would rather set fire to an ob/gyn's office than vote for a pro-choicer. Haha. You have your death penalty people, your NRA enthusiasts, etc., who vote for candidates based on those single issues.

Having lived overseas for so long, I've figured out that the motivation behind my vote is, largely, how the candidates a) view the rest of the world and b) are perceived by the rest of the world. Which, incidentally, is why I wrote to you and a handful of my other non-American friends for thoughts. I just wanted to confirm my suspicions that, yes, the majority of the rest of the world wholeheartedly supports Obama. (By the way, I trust there was no question in your mind that I am an Obama supporter.)

Saying something like "I cast my vote largely on how the candidate is perceived by the rest of the world" would no doubt get me in hot water with your standard middle American. In fact, it has before. But what I try to explain to people is that it's not so much that I am swayed by the opinion of the rest of the world, it's just that I realize that our world is so small, the value placed on our choice president so great, that I think the wrong choice by the American people can potentially reflect so badly on us and our government that I think it can actually harm us more than we even realize. Putting a guy like McCain in office tells the rest of the world that we are more or less ok with how the country has been run, both inside and out, for the last 8 years. It tells the world that we are looking for a fight. It tells the world that we are going to put our interests first, militarily and financially, and that you better get the hell out of our way. Putting the wrong guy in office can hurt us economically, can charge up terrorists, can make small countries with cowboy leaders like North Korea and Iran want to step up and get in our face. Is that making America safe? Is that protecting American interests? Is that helping our economy? I think not.

I am all for a strong America. But I think you don't have to be a bully to be strong. To take it one step further, bullies are usually bullies because they are hiding some deep-seated insecurity or weakness. And, anyway, what usually happens to bullies? They get knocked on their ass, usually by somebody much smaller.

At this point, I think that the only people who still believe that America is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the military and economic world are a small few Americans. The rest of us realize that our economy is weak, our dollar is sagging, and all of the guns in the world just aren't strong enough to win wars anymore. Perhaps we need a different approach.

There is strength in understanding, diplomacy, compassion. Obama represents those things.

Now, like you said, whether Obama has the ability or capacity to deliver on these things remains to be seen. That is definitely part of the intrigue of this election for me. And I'm sure if you ask even the staunchest Obama supporters who have fallen for him hook, line, and sinker, even they will admit, deep down, that they really have no clue if he's going to be able to accomplish what he says he's going to accomplish.

You know what, though? I'm willing to take that risk.

Or, to put it as a friend of the family put it the other day, "It's all bullshit. But I'm willing to buy Obama's line of bullshit over McCain's line of bullshit." You could probably apply that line to any election, anywhere, when you get right down to it.

One final thing. You mentioned that bit about Kennedy being unqualified, a fraud. First off, Jesus Mary & Joseph, don't let my mother hear you say that. She'd swoon.

I think a lot of other people, Americans and non-Americans, would also take umbrage to that statement. Why? Well, not necessarily because Kennedy was . . . . Kennedy. (One of the talking heads the other day said, in reference to comparisons between Barack and JFK, "Even Kennedy wasn't Kennedy." I liked that.) Anyway, getting back on track, in the world of politics today, perception is reality. It IS all bullshit. Beauracracy is so slow, the global economy is so big, world events are so out of control, that, unless a guy is extraordinarily bad, as Bush is, it would be hard for a single person anywhere on the planet, even the president of the United States of America, to fuck the world up completely. By the same token, unless he is some sort of diety, it would be hard for a president to heal all the wounds of the world. While people get pretty passionate about Barack, I don't think anybody believes that he's going to step in there and every problem is going to magically disappear.

But having said all that, I think people WANT to believe in this guy. He inspires people. He makes people want to do good. He makes people want to work to heal the problems. He makes people want to repair America's reputation in the world, he makes people want to search for solutions to environmental problems, he makes people want to search for solutions to economic problems. And that, for me, is enough. I am an optimist, and as trite as it might sound, I believe in the goodness of people, and I believe in the goodness and strength of the American people. Do I think Barack Obama can singlehandedly accomplish all that he says he is going to accomplish? Of course not. But do I believe that he can move people's hearts and minds? Yes, I do. We've had plenty of the moving of physical things these last 8 years, and not enough of moving of intangibles. I think people sense that, and I think that's why he's become so popular.

McCain is promising change, to shake Washington up. But what I think he's missing is that it's way, way beyond Washington. It's bigger than Washington, bigger than politics. Perhaps he can bring about some change in the way the governing of this country is conducted, but I don't think that's enough. He needs to bring about change in the attitudes of this country, and change in the way we view the rest of the world. Obama understands this on levels that he just doesn't get.

So there ya go, Slates. I think it got a little out of hand on me. I hope you're still reading.

I miss Thailand. Have a frosty Leo (or whatever your beer of choice is these days) for me.

peace--
RV

getting back into it

Middle of the 9th. Phils have just scored 6 to go up by 3. Miraculous, kind of. I am at (what I shall always call) Pat's Pub in Haddon Twp, NJ. I turn to my buddy and say, "I hope they don't fuck it up." Thus is the plight/mindset of the consummate Philly sports fan.

Got a text this morning from Chris D. He said he loved watching Johan Santana dominate only to be foiled in the end once again.

So, moving toward "the point."

Santana is a great pitcher who often seems to find himself in the unfortunate circumstances of pitching superbly, only to have his Mets blow it and leave him with a loss or a no-decision.

Gut question: do you feel sorry for him? (Try not to let your allegiances, wherever they may be, influence your answer.)

Another scenario:

I play hoops with a bunch of guys every Monday night. Mostly, everybody is around the same skill level. Mostly, it is friendly competition. Competitive, but friendly.

There's one guy who is a little slower, a little less athletic than the rest of us. Nice guy. But slow, not a great basketball player. However, he has a little 8 foot jumper that is quite consistent. If you slack off of him, he hits it. If you get up in his face and play hard D, it is very easy to shut him down.

Again with the gut: what would you do? Would you ease up on him in light of his slightly lower skill level, or would you exploit it?

Me and a couple of the other guys have been discussing this conundrum recently. At times we think that as it is friendly competition among 30-something guys who are just trying to fend off the beer gut, it probably isn't necessary to get up in his grill and shut him down. It seems like this is unnecessarily assholish behavior that's just going to make him upset and ruin his Monday workout. But then, at other times, everybody on the court is trying to WIN, and you should do whatever you can to help your team do so, even if that means blocking this guy into next Tuesday every time he puts up a shot.

Probably, as with all things, the answer is somewhere in the middle. Play him tough sometimes, ease up sometimes. As we are all in varying stages of fitness, that's how everybody pretty much plays defense on everybody else anyway.

But the fact remains that most of us could, without exerting too much effort, shut the guy down. If we wanted to. Hence, the question.

This discussion has meandered naturally to a discussion I've had with another friend over the years regarding dodgeball on elementary school playgrounds. She is against it, I am for it. You can probably figure out the arguments for both sides if you think about them for a second, but I'll gove over them anyway.

Her: dodgeball is barbaric, lord-of-the-flies-ish. Kids don't need to get pegged by a ball at that age.

Me: the world is a tough place. They're going to get pegged, in one form or another, sooner than later. They might as well start toughening up early.

Her: there's plenty of time for that. Let them enjoy their childhood.

Me: if left to their own devices, kids will "enjoy their childhood" by playing competitive sports or, worse, being outright mean to each other. Fighting, hurling insults. We are an inherently aggressive species, and that starts off early.

Her: well, adults should not contribute to kids hurting and abusing each other by encouraging dodgeball on the playground. They should be fostering more community-centered activities.

Me: I think adults chaperoning dodgeball games is just what the doctor ordered. We ARE aggressive creatures. Rather than letting that aggression run rampant, channel it. Let the kids be competitive with each other, but teach them how to do it with rules, and respect for the game, and respect for each other.

And on and on. Obviously, I've painted my own arguments in a more positive light because, well, I am doing the writing. She ain't here to defend herself, so I am capitalizing on that advantage. Does that make me a bad person?

So to recap, think about the questions:

Do you feel sorry for a pitcher who plays well but whose team often blows it for him?
Would you play aggressively against a weaker opponent in a competitive/friendly weeknight basketball game?
What are your thoughts on dodgeball on the playground?

try again to put a link up . . . .

yes, we can

Maybe gonna start working on this again. For now, check this out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1yq0tMYPDJQ

why business casuals herald the downfall of western civilization, or vice versa

I simply could not choose between these two images. Feel free to debate on which one best represents the nebulous concept of "Business Casual."

Sometime during the 1990's, IBM relaxed its legendary dress code. Out with the dark pinstripe suit and white shirt, in with the khaki and button-down look.

That, my friends, was the beginning of the end. Symbolic, yes, but isn't the beginning of the end always so? And don't the people who are living in the period usually miss it, bigtime?

Well, I didn't. Took me a few years, but I'm pretty sure I've found the exact point of the downfall of the human race as we know it. IBM, and business casuals. I will now use a diverse series of analogies ranging from fat kids to Frank Purdue chicken to illustrate my point. It all comes together, I promise.

The Japanese have a concept/expression pronounced "dara dara." Loosely translated, dara dara means or symbolizes a few ideas:

--not taking care of one's personal appearance.

--not putting one's best foot forward.

--having a generally slovenly, slacker-y attitude.

Let me offer an image of an extreme example of dara dara:

An overweight high school kid with a hat on backwards, baggy sweatshirt and jeans hanging off him, big headphones blasting in his ears, dragging his untied Nike hightops along the sidewalk as he eats a candy bar and lets the wrapper drop in his wake. That is dara dara. Got it?

So. Onto Frank Purdue.

I remember growing up there was a Frank Purdue chicken commercial that had a song which began with the line, "It's the pride of this great country, that makes it the best it can be." (I can't recall how they went from there to chicken breasts, but I suppose it doesn't matter.) Anyway, I was a young kid watching TV with two sisters from England, friends of the family who had come over to visit. I remember one of them saying something like, "you would never hear something like that in a commercial in England." The images in the ad were of a wholesome, spotless farm somewhere in the midwest. Whitebread family, sunset over the paddock.

So, to segue, in a conversation I had recently, Buddy Evan said that the most common first impression of America from the international students he used to teach was that they couldn't believe how dirty this country was. The streets of New York. They'd grown up watching films and television shows featuring a clean America. Even the gritty, street-level gang flicks didn't really give a sense of the rubbish at your feet. They were shocked at the lack of care. Granted, many of them had come from places like Korea and Japan, where cleanliness is a national pastime, but even the Europeans were taken aback.

(As a little homework assignment, next time you're walking down a city street or even through someplace like a mall parking lot, mentally calculate the number of standard-sized trash bags you could fill up with the garbage on the pavement and along the curbs of any football field-ish sized area.)

There is a LOT of talk about the pride of this great country these days, and not just in Purdue chicken commercials. It's blowing from the politician's mouths straight on down to Average Joe at the watercooler dutifully supporting the troops. Everybody's a patriot. Right?

Well, if we care so much about our country, why can't we even keep it clean? I'm not talking Singapore Immaculate here, either. I'm talking, you know, tidy. Isn't it the least we can do?

There are a lot of major problems with our country and our government our world. They are so big and so pervasive that I have a hard time even identifying them (which is why I write on this blog; it helps me to organize my thoughts). In attempting to diagnose these problems, I try to look at obvious symptoms.

Trash on the streets is an obvious symptom.

Trash on the streets tells me that there are certain things about which we no longer care. And not just appearance things. This is not a campaign to recycle. It goes much, much deeper than that.

We have plundered the earth. Plundered the damn thing. Raped and pillaged. But this is not an indictment of oil companies and mining companies and big business. It is much more personal than that.

I think I can understand why the streets are not clean. People do think about oil companies pillaging the earth on some level. And they think, "if we're destroying the planet anyway, what is one more candy wrapper going to hurt?"

Maybe they don't think about big business on a conscious level when they're eating their Snickers, but I'm certain that it plays a part.

And you know what? Who can blame them? When I envision myself telling that kid not to throw his candy wrapper on the ground, you know what answer I envision getting back?

"Why should I give a shit?"

Hmm. Why should he give a shit? Any thoughts?

Another answer I envision:

"It's not my responsibility."

Hmm. Another good point. Whose responsibility is it?

I don't like pointing fingers, but I'm going to point some fingers.

The aging segment of the population grew up on a planet that, as far as they knew, was not yet decaying. Those under, say, 20, grew up in a world that was decaying no matter what we did about it.

But there's that middle ground there. The first Earth Day celebration in 1970 put the health and appearance of the planet into the national consciousness, made it a necessary plank in the platform of every politician worth a salt.

For all practical purposes, middle-aged America should be the most environmentally conscious group of people on the planet. And, to a large extent, we are. Clap clap clap.

But this brings us to business casuals and the downfall of western civilization.

Here's what probably happened there, with IBM:

Some HR guy somewhere analyzed some statistics and figured out that people would be more productive if they didn't have to wear a three-piece suit every day. Productivity increased, but the price was appearance.

For me this begs the question of how the guys who built IBM managed to be so darn productive despite their uncomfortable pinstripe suits. Are we that weak-minded that we actually think and work better in cotton rather than wool? How much more comfortable do we need to be? How soft are you, corporate America? Shall we go to work in our pj's? How high do our workplace environment standards need to be? Is this what our Unions are defending, the right to wear business casuals? Don't give me child labor laws. Don't give me big business abuse of the common worker. Those days are long gone. At the moment, it seems like a lot of people nitpicking because we live in a country where everyone is entitled to absolutely everything, including the right to wear Dockers and Old Navy in the office. What about the guys standing in the wind and rain on top of the skeleton framework of a new IBM office building in Dubuque. How much workplace comfort do you think they have? And we're bitching about wingtips?

Now, one could argue that those guys in the pinstripe suits had a lot to do with the plundering of the earth that I talked about above. They looked good, but they made the earth ugly in the name of making a profit. Fair enough.

But this is a post Earth Day world. We know how to make business and keep things relatively clean.

To me, the decision by IBM to soften the dress code is not the cause of the downfall of western civilization, it is merely a sign of it. A big sign. A sign that says that it's ok to be dara dara. It's ok not to be 100% all the time. It's ok not to look 100% all the time. It's ok to carry yourself with a little less panache.

I'm not going to try to figure out where it started, whether it started with the people on the street throwing their garbage on the ground or with big business sinking their wells into the earth. Whether it's trickle up or trickle down is irrelevant. What matters is that it has reached the middle class, the middle aged, the masses. You're always going to have diversity on the fringes. Fascists, communists, tree-huggers, moonshiners. But when any movement reaches the meat of a society, it has truly taken hold.

Dara dara has taken hold in middle America.

Let's get back to our fat kid dribbling his candy wrapper onto the street.

Me: "Why did you let your candy wrapper fall onto the street, young man?"

Kid: "Everybody else is doing it."

people who love bruce springsteen

hello, friends,

good pal and theater maker david bradley published this piece in the philadelphia daily news and it certainly bears a reprint here.

i was at the october 6th concert in philly (my 34th!) and will be attending the show on november 11th in DC. bradley's words resonate deeply...enjoy.

michele

Bruce Springsteen Sounds the Alarm

By David Bradley

The 2008 presidential campaign made a two-night stop at the Wachovia Center last weekend. Instead of a bevy of candidates there was a band of musicians. Instead of a smiling front-runner there was a strutting front-man. And instead of massaged messages, there was open talk of lies and lost liberties.

It wasn't Hillary or Barack or Rudy or Fred onstage. It was Bruce. Springsteen, that is, along with his comrades from the E Street Band. It was rock 'n roll not politics, but only someone who wasn't listening closely could say it was only rock 'n roll. And I liked it even more because it wasn't.

Springsteen mentioned no candidate, and, unlike the "Vote for Change" tour that backed John Kerry, offered no endorsements. Instead he used the metaphors and imagery of art to sound an alarm, singing in a new song, "Woke up Election Day, skies gunpowder and shades of gray." The song is called "Livin' in the Future," and you can tell Springsteen hopes this ominous forecast doesn't come true.

That number has a bright bounce to go with a sunny refrain: "Don't worry darlin'…none of this has happened yet." But it's a false shine, and that's the point. This song's about denial, about how we proclaim success in the face of defeat and impugn as doomsayers those who disagree.

He might not admit it, but Springsteen's framed the debate of the next year for us. It's all about telling the truth, counting the cost and living up to ideals. "Is there anybody alive out there?" screams his new song "Radio Nowhere," a tone-setter for his current tour. Saturday night, I heard it as a wake-up call to see the shadows surrounding us and hold our leaders, and ourselves, accountable.

Springsteen's music came of age alongside the betrayal of Watergate and the admission of American malaise from perhaps the last real truth-teller in the White House. But his characters didn't need a president to tell them things weren't working. They saw it in the factory and felt it behind the wheel as they raced towards a promised land fading from reach. Somehow, though, they still believed they'd get there.

If the music grew up in the dark night of the seventies, it flexed its muscle in the gleam of the eighties, against the glossy façade of Ronald Reagan's morning in America . Reagan tried to co-opt the grit of the Boss's "Born in the U.S.A. " in his 1984 campaign, blithely ignoring the cutting irony of the lyrics and embracing only the patriotic-sounding title. Springsteen's been on guard ever since, his songs less anthems of faith and more cautionary tales of surviving falsehood.

So there he was Saturday night, giving a shout-out to the Constitution in its hometown, pointing his telecaster and taking aim at the truth-twisting of those in power. But with his legendary knack for fusing rock 'n roll revival with a tent meeting for serious business, he enlarged the conversation past party or personality, which he never discussed.

Instead, he sang of a fallen soldier mourned by his buddies, a huckster illusionist ready to saw us in half and the "long walk home" between the choices we've made and the values we profess. He closed the show with " American Land ," a Seeger-esque tribute to "the hands that built the country" that are "still dyin' now." There was no mistaking the gap he sees between where we stand as a nation and where we could be.

A long time ago, the young rebels in Springsteen's songs had faith in spirits in the night, whose magic held forth the possibility of change, the idea of transformation. Saturday night, introducing the title song of his new album Magic by criticizing politicians who would turn truth into lie and lie into truth, Springsteen exposed the underside of the enchantment. "This ain't about magic," he stated, "it's about tricks."

Be warned, he seems to be saying. We're in the shadows of a precarious night, and it's an open question as to whether we can really change. Are we up for a fight or content with a show? In what will we put our faith--real transformation or hollow tricks?

Is there anybody alive out there?

David Bradley is a writer, theater artist and educator who lives in West Mount Airy

bulletproof glass

Michele just sent me an email about this blog which read:

update it.you have some things to say.say them.

Umm. Ok.

It's 1:00 AM Monday night. I just got back from an open mic at a bar called Fergie's, on 12th and Sansom in Philly. I played three songs accompanied by the drummer of the house band. We had never played together before, he had never heard the songs. But it went ok. Better than last week, my first performance since being back Stateside, which was less than stellar.

But the details of my music career are quite inconsequential.

Well, sort of.

I ride my bicycle through the streets a lot. I generally enjoy it. If I have my iPod in, I'm rocking out. If I don't, I'm usually either running through some of my songs, or thinking about riffs and lyrics and melodies for new ones.

So I've got an idea for a new song. It is called Bulletproof Glass. I conceived it waiting on line at the post office. A thought along the lines of "why the fuck is there fucking bulletproof fucking glass across the fucking counter at the fucking post office? Who the fuck is robbing the fucking post office?"

It was probably hot, I'd probably spent a frustrating day pounding the pavement looking for a job (speaking of, if anyone reading this would like to employ me in any capacity whatsoever, I am open) and running errands and trying to put a life together here in America. Easier said than done, and it's not even easy to say. Just looking at that sentence makes me cringe, makes me think about the DMV and other such sucky places.

So let's get back to the bike. I ride my bike.

In Sapporo, I also rode a bike. A heavy silver metal one with a basket like all the old Japanese ladies ride. I'd go blasting through the downtown area with the iPod on at all hours of day or night, in all states of consciousness, and never once worried about anything or anyone, ever. Period.

The other night I was riding along on my way to go eat Mexican food with my friends down in South Philly. I was heading into what was obviously a "rough" neighborhood. My bicycle is old, and creaky. When I've got the iPod in, I forget how much noise I'm cranking out as I barrel on and off the sidewalks. So anyway, I come up behind this black kid, probably a teenager. And I've got the earphones on but I must be making one hell of a racket, the old rusty frame straining against the tires, the pedals going round and round defying ten years beneath my parents' back deck.

So as I pass the kid, he turns, and swings. Closed fist. That is his instant, and natural, reaction. He does not hit me. He stops himself when he sees my face, when he sees that I am not . . . . I don't know who or what he thought I was. A threat, obviously. I mutter (or scream, probably, in order to hear the apology over Tupac, who I think was playing on shuffle at the time) an apology, pedal hard, and do not look back.

Moments later, I make a decision to get out of that neighborhood and onto Washington Avenue, a well-lit main drag.

Buddy Evan Young, a magazine editor and comic book writer and almost novelist, provides a startlingly accurate description of the smell of Philadelphia somewhere in the pages of his unfinished novel. I won't even attempt to reproduce it here.

The point, though, is that I would like to somehow figure out a way to describe how the streets of Philadelphia feel.

There are a great number of wonderful things about this city. Say what you want about the sports fans, but they are among the most knowledgeable in the country. The musicians at Fergie's pub on Monday nights, to a man (or woman), are kind, open, funny, welcoming. The art museum rocks, the traffic doesn't seem to bad, the skyline is well on its way.

But when I ride my bike through the city, day or night, I am afraid of almost everyone I encounter.

Perhaps I am a big pussy. Or perhaps my sense of what is safe is skewed. Perhaps I am misinterpreting multiculturalism for racism. Perhaps I have been living in Japan too long.

Let me ask a question. There is a lot of talk about rights these days. What we should be allowed to do as citizens, what our government should be allowed to do as a body. But in the year 2007, at the pinnacle of civilization and culture and technology and awareness of diversity, shouldn't everyone on the planet, and not just those in Japan and a few other countries around the world, have the basic right to walk outside of their home and go somewhere without having to worry about "rough" neighborhoods?

Travelers to foreign lands, historically, have always had to worry about safety. From the first hunter-gatherers all the way up. Fear of an unknown person or entity is a natural human reaction.

But there are very few unknowns anymore. At least not in America. We're all very well aware of whites and blacks and hispanics and Asians and other. We have a pretty good understanding of what each race is about, what they eat and how they interact with each other and how they get married. It's all right there in front of us everyday.

So why am I afraid riding my bicycle through the streets? Where does that energy come from?

Please don't tell me I've been away too long, that I don't know what "reality" is. And please don't tell me that it is only my perception of things because I've been out of the country for so many years. People who live and work in the city and have been here for a long time have told me which neighborhoods are safe and which ones are not. They've told me to watch my back, to be careful, to avoid talking to strangers. Somebody offered to buy me a can of mace, and somebody else told me that I should not be so "aggressively friendly".

I don't want to expand this into a broad comment about fear and anger and race in America, because not all the facts are in, and because I am not yet informed enough about these topics. I am simply talking about how I feel a lot of the time. And why there is bulletproof glass at Taco Bell, and at filling stations, and, as I said, at the post office. It has become, I suppose, necessary.

One final point. Living in a safe world is a basic human right. But often rights must come with responsibility.

In a word, the safety of our world is all of our responsibility. So, like, what are we going to do about it?

with no power, nothing to do

I have absolutely nothing in mind as I begin this post. No agenda, no theme. But I suppose I must start somewhere.

Michele hijacked back and posted a couple weeks ago to talk about the Senate debate on the war and to answer some of the questions I posed. I just read through that post and, once again, the part about Americans being a "cowering, inarticulate" people afraid to express any opinions for fear of pissing someone off struck me, as did the bit about America being another "failed political experiment."

Sobering thoughts indeed.

Has anyone read anything serious about the fall of the Roman Empire recently? Or the fall of any empire, really. I haven't, but I'm guessing that there are checkpoints along the way to the downfall of any political, economic, and cultural juggernaut, and I'm wondering how many of those America has passed. Perhaps someone could do some reading and enlighten us. Or maybe I'll do some myself.

As far as people being cowering and inarticulate goes, hmm. Obviously, I am not an expert on the current state of America (which is why I pose so many questions in this blog), but, at least from the things that I read and from the people who respond here, I don't think people are necessarily inarticulate. I think people genuinely don't know what to believe anymore. Let me explain.

Every once in a while, when I gain a flash of interest in politics, I do this little thing where I try to put myself in a vacuum, a vacuum free of all other thoughts and influences and prejudices. And then I think of issues. War. Abortion. Health care. Social services. Etc. Whatever's on my mind, whatever issues I think need to be addressed in any functioning society.

So I go into my little vacuum. Actually, wait. Just as I'm about to go into my little vacuum, I think about what will be my guiding light once inside, because that shit gets fucking dark. So my guiding lights are love and compassion, usually. Something along those lines. So I go into my vacuum and say to myself, "Right. So what's your stance on the war?"

Then I answer myself. "Love and compassion, love and compassion. Well, love and compassion would dictate that we supply all of our troops currently in Iraq with food, clothing, medical supplies, and building supplies. We send them out into the country and have them rebuild destroyed structures along the way. We then re-write the budget so that a chunk of the funds that have gone toward the war effort will now be distributed to those who have lost loved ones. In the meantime, George Bush and his entire staff, along with every member of Congress and every participant in the coalition of the willing, go to Iraq to publically apologize for the unexplained invasion. Once every building has been rebuilt and finances have been distributed evenly to all parties (which could take several years and several billion dollars, but then again, so will the ongoing war), we begin working on changing the hearts and minds of the people who have been hurt or wronged. We establish goodwill running both ways, perhaps we even form a communication system for the parents of dead American soldiers and the relatives of dead Iraqis. Anything to bridge the gaps of fear and hatred and distrust."

So. How does all that sound? Reasonable? No?

Why not? It's more than just love and compassion. It offers practical solutions to the problems. It has a financial component. We're spending all this money on the war anyway, why not redirect it to a more positive solution? It addresses the issues of health care and infrastructure in Iraq. And it will likely reduce terror. Everybody wins.

I like my vacuum.

But then reality sets in, and I start telling myself, "this is impossible. Nobody would go for it." Even you readers of this blog, you who are critical of the war and of the administration, you who are compassionate and free-thinking and "liberal", are no doubt thinking something like 'this guy is fucking nuts.' Or if you're not thinking that, you're thinking that it is impossible, that it will never work.

This, I think, is the problem. On some level, we all agree that my plan is crazy. But that is because we do not, at the moment, believe that something like that is possible. This, I think, is part of the reason why, like I said above, we don't know what we believe. Every ideal we have gets muddled and squashed down by world politics and Red States and Blue States and bureaucracy. Rather than thinking in our vacuums, we are thinking about everything in relation to everything else. Or, worse, we are thinking in terms of everything that runs against what we believe and hope in our hearts.

That, my friends, is fucking bullshit.

I am a believer in the politically-incorrect but aptly-named Great Man Theory. That people come along every so often, people with conviction who are willing to stick to their ideals at all cost, and dramatically change the course of human history. Sometimes they're good guys and gals, sometimes they're bad guys and gals. But they stick to what they see in their hearts in their own little vacuum, and they make it happen in reality.

Now, I realize that even the good guys and gals probably had casualties along the way. And I also realize that if there are 6 million idealists running around the planet bumping into each other, there will be as much conflict around the globe as there is right now.

However, you gotta start somewhere. Think about this question: what is your guiding light? What guides you when you are inside your vacuum thinking about issues that matter? Forget about reality for a second. Decide who you are and what you believe, regardless of whether it is practical or not. That's all for today, class dismissed.

an insight into your humble narrator, as expressed by hunter s. thompson

"At first I was tempted to laugh it off, to give him as hard a time as I could and let him do his worst. But I didn't, because I was not quite ready to pack up and move on again. I was getting a little too old to make powerful enemies when I held no cards at all, and had lost some of my old zeal that had led me, in the past, to do what I damn well felt like doing, with the certain knowledge that I could always flee the consequences. I was tired of fleeing, and tired of having no cards. It occurred to me one evening, as I sat by myself in Al's patio, that a man can live on his wits and his balls for only so long. I'd been doing it for ten years and I had a feeling that my reserve was running low."--The Rum Diary

Sorry to be so sporadic. More to come soon.

dead rock stars/condoleeza's rice

Well folks, utterly EPIC weekend. And I don’t throw that word around lightly. One for the ages, one reminiscent of the Bangkok days. Let’s get right into it.

Started off Thursday, actually. Me and Cowboy Rob Pinckney took our guitars up to local ex-pat watering hole TK6 for a short-notice set. The place was packed, people weren’t listening too much, but we steamrolled through some of my originals, some of his Johnny, Willie, and CCR covers, we did Brown Eyed Girl, and ended up with a half-assed version of Hotel California. I actually suggested we play Tequila Sunrise, but he was well into the intro before I got around to telling him it was the wrong song, and by then it was too late.

So I told myself that after the set, I’d have two beers, and then head home, as Saturday was the monthly Dead Rock Stars event (http://www.myspace.com/deadrockstarssapporo), an evening of five local bands organized by the gentleman spies. Jon and Andy of the spies asked me to do a couple solo acoustic sets between bands. It’s kind of a big thing in town, so I didn’t want to get too messed up Thursday night and lose my voice.

Movie cut: me banging along on the bartop at 3:30 AM as American Andrew blasts his iPod through the TK6 sound system rocking everything from Ray Charles to Zep to GN’f-in’R. Awesome night. Salsa dancing with this American girl who claimed to be a lesbian but I have my doubts. I ran screaming before I did anything remotely unfaithful to my special lady friend. Just throwing that out there. I am many things, but adulterous is not one of them.

At any rate. Slept in Friday, regrouped, hydrated, had an early one, home before 2:00.

A couple of the boys from my former place of employment, Hokkaido Outdoor Adventures (aka HOA) (http://www.rafting-hoa.co.jp/) were coming into town for the Dead Rock Stars and for the international party at a club called Mole later on. We started off with a few afternoon lukewarm ones at the beer garden in the park in the middle of town (more on that later, as well) before heading over to club 810 for the music.

First band was ok, my first set was ok. Video footage pending, perhaps.

The next act was an all girl band. Right away you could tell they were something special. HOA boy Jesse fell instantly in love with the drummer, HOA boy Jarad chose the guitar player. The singer was a chubby little thing in quasi Gothic Lolita attire, couldn’t have been more than four foot ten, but man did she hold the stage. Then on the last song, the guitar player, a hot little thing with perfectly straight, soft, smooth black hair flying everywhere, was rolling around on the floor Hendrix style, wailing, soloing, and doing a damn good job of it musically. I turned to Montana Jon, who was smoking a cigarette watching with a smile on his face waiting patiently to take the stage next, and said to him, “You have many things in your band, but what you do not have is hot Japanese girls rolling around on the floor playing lead guitar.”

The spies were good. Jon and Andy are both up around 6’5”, and their music is as towering as their stature. They went through a slick set of what Jarad referred to as “dirty rock”, closing with the ever-rousing “Conoleeza’s Rice”. Jon’s vocals are a little muffled on their myspace page, but check out the lyrics on all four songs (http://www.myspace.com/thegentlemanspies). There’s some good writin’ in there.

For my second set, spies drummer Makoto pulled up a tom-tom and played along with me. As the next band set up and I was tuning up behind the screen, I ran through the chords and changes and rhythms of the three songs I would play. Makoto and I had only met once before, and had never jammed. But man did he rock it. He was right there with me, picking up steam as we went. I was a little drunker, the crowd was a little drunker, when I got to the second half of my politically-charged “Miss America”, the sweat was pouring off of me and I was in the zone. People responded. Closed with “She’s So Lovely”, a song that is becoming so popular that it is asked for by name almost every time I pick up a guitar. My special lady friend, who put the “lovely” in “She’s So Lovely”, was almost as much in the spotlight as me. Great fun, great set.

The next band up was fronted by a heavyset Japanese dude with sweaty, straggly hair and big fuck-off pork chop sideburns. They were good, but, in retrospect, they were just a prelude to the final act.

I don’t know if I could quite describe these guys without accompanying video footage. When they opened, their lead singer, a five foot two, 110 pound Japanese guy in skintight red pants and a skintight red top with a butterfly collar, came out on stage and stood there smoking a cigarette, just staring at everybody. It was exciting. Cool, funny. Girl drummer, guys on bass and guitar.

Maybe we should skip to the last song. Red dude in the corner behind the amps screaming unintelligibly into the mic. Drummer holding steady. Bass player CROWD SURFING on the shoulders of two of the probably less than 50 people in the place. Guitar player has his axe laid across the metal bars in front of the stage, strings down, feedback screaming, and, in a very realistic fashion, making humping motions using the instrument as an extended phallus.

The place was electrified. All the way through, musically, they were absolutely tight, but loose and creative and jamming all at the same time. They did all originals, I think, but their sound ranged from power punk to modern rock to 60’s pop and everything in between. People in the crowd were screaming, jumping up and down, hugging each other. Cowboy Rob was just as into it as the little goth chick in the corner. The bass player was in a white suit with a floral button-down shirt. He would occasionally come to the front of the stage, stare directly into the lights with a murderously serious expression on his face, hold the beat with one hand, and open the jacket to reveal a mismatched floral pattern on the inside lining. He did it three or four times, and every time he did it, the place, inexplicably, erupted. The singer at one point went flat as a board and fell straight back, knocking over the guitar player and banging both of their heads into the PA. I swear people were comparing them to The Doors.

So they finally all threw down their instruments, and the three guys did this little quasi a capella thing at the end while the drummer kept a beat, and then they threw the microphones down and let feedback ring for a full minute or two before the sound guys cut the power.

Host Jon, ever gracious and humble, hopped up on stage, picked the mic off the floor, and delivered the only line that could have come after such a performance.

“People wonder why we don’t headline our own shows.”

You know, I was going to continue on with a recount of the events of the rave party we went to afterwards, and then of drinking at Rad Brother’s, Sapporo’s resident dirty foreigner bar, until 7:00 AM, and then getting up at 11:00 and going directly to the beer gardens for another 10 hour drinking session, but most of you have probably if not participated in such debauchery, heard stories about it. You didn’t even have to live in Bangkok.

I was also going to make some point about music being one of the two international languages that everyone can understand, but it’s Tuesday morning 9:30 AM, and I’m still sort of too hungover to think properly. But there is a point in there. I could understand very little of what little red dude in that closing band was saying, but it was just as powerful and moving as any set I’ve ever seen. Conversely, quite a few Japanese people were dancing along to my upbeat acoustic numbers and to the gentleman spies’ set, and both my music and theirs is very lyric-oriented and therefore would be almost unintelligible to even the sharpest of Japanese English speakers.

But, like I said, I’m just too hungover. I guess that’s what being 32 is all about. Two-day hangovers.

The other most effective international language, in my personal experience, and since you asked, is sports. Maybe more on that next time.

Speaking of next time, while I appreciate Michele's thoughts on the re-hijack, like I said, I'm in no condition to address them at the moment. But the dialogue is open, let's keep it up.

Rock out with the cock out, people! You might get hit by a bus today.