Good to read a fair bit of political analysis. Some great Suleiman (identifying)quotes to store. A couple of good reads, providing more source material. No music to speak of. Pat Brown posting as himself was almost as surprising as Brad's disturbing spittle (to take serious or no, sobriety doesn't always lead to a happier space).

Sadly, Mick is decidedly correct in outcome(details were sparse as I popped in late)), America is being intentionally deconstructed. Mind you, largely, the elite leadership will be just fine, corporate, union and governmental; but the broad mass of humanity within North America will broadly exhibit the worst in human nature, once they will no longer be able to divert their eyes from the paradigm shift of financial making wherein their immediate future has been stolen, and they have absolutely no recourse, the gate having been swung shut on the slowly constructed entitlement enclosure most have mistake for rights and liberties.

It has been a scientifically planned evolution, the social darwinist eugenicist types of yore having merely gone underground while repackaging their movement; as opposed to the accepted mythology that the leadership of their movement saw the errors of their ways, and shut it all down - fat chance).

Unfortunately, I expect we will find that TODAY will be the good ol days, in rather short order.

Sounds as if most of you are well, which is something more to be thankful for.

peaceably

Btw Pat, Triage is a brilliant album, one of the greats of all time, as it bled truth of the human condition(The Waiter was a little crazed, yet memorable and apt somehow). And arguably, the greatest dedication ever published(David's label did him no favors in not nixing that brazen bit of truth to power. Bad business move but such honest passion, BRAVO to David).

The iPad -though another tool* for dumbing down the masses- is a pretty fair piece of equipment** if you can stomach the mandatory 3G rate plan.

* without an external keyboard, I would argue it's not much of a productivity tool apart from it's mostly cumbersome PDA and email functions, excepting some uses of our own design. I would recommend holding out for the iPad 3 as its functionality will necessarily take a big leap forward and it looks like the rate plans will become more competitive. As the internet is headed to metered service, one will need be wealthy to do unrestricted surfing(another means of halting the free flow information revolution).

** assuming you want to consolidate how much equipment you carry.