I thought that Pulp’s Common People had been inescapable in the 90s, but a recent and brief personal survey corrected that perception. Â Here:
And if it’s not new to you, and it’s stayed in your playlist rotation as long as it has mine, you’ll find this examination of it more than a little brilliant:
In this scenario, Jarvis has the power and if the song continued in this vein it would be just a wittier, less misogynistic version of “silly little rich girl†Stones songs like Stupid Girl and Out of Time. But then she smiles and holds his hand and the whole song shockingly, brilliantly snaps in half.
A terrific way to describe it, really. It goes on:
It’s as if a trap door has opened up under Jarvis and his sudden sense of big-picture powerlessness wipes the smirk from his face. The rage that consumes the rest of the song is way out of proportion to anything the girl said: she’s the trigger, not the cause. His voice becomes ever more ragged and desperate, and his anger shreds his coherence.
I don’t like checking luggage. Â At all. Â And I don’t see why 90% of the people that do it, do it. Â No need to check a thing, with a bit of planning, willingness to absorb astronomical hotel laundry charges (or – my usual choice – do your own damn laundry), and purchase of quality clothes in the the first place. Â As my kitchen-sink packing friends can attest, I’m quite proud of multiple-continent-multiple-week trips accomplished with a laptop backpack and a medium duffel. Â So, all that out of the way, these guys are nuts:
In what is potentially the most minimal “technomadic” experiment ever, Rolf Potts (author of one of my favorite travel/lifestyle books Vagabonding) has set out on 6-week, 12-country, round-the-world trip without a single piece of luggage.
He’s also a great illustration of the tragedy of the commons – his carry-on antics squeeze out  folks who would just like to put their bags in the overhead.  On the other hand, if you’re flying Ryan Air, you’re just asking for this kind of company.
~
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how much you pack, but what you pack:
The Immigration Officer swiped my passport, glanced at his computer screen and almost immediately stamped me back into the country. But just before I started to walk away he asked, “So you went to Afghanistan and Pakistan. How was it?†The only reply that I could muster up was a quiet, “Very interesting.â€
He then called the next person in line and I turned away, relieved beyond belief at how well that had gone. Of course, that relief lasted a mere six seconds, right until the moment when a Customs Officer approached and asked me to step over to one of the inspection tables.
The following hour and a half of my life is a period of time that I will never forget and truthfully, never really want to endure ever again.
A long long time ago, I used to be a WorldMate user on my Palm Treo. Â At some point I decided it wasn’t worth upgrading, and stopped using it. Â I just gave it another look, in Android version, and wow. Â Good stuff. Â Recommended.
Just this week I was telling a friend about my lack of tolerance for being interrogated when I re-enter the United States (compare to my polite and honest answers when I’m entering other countries). Â Congrats to this guy for not being cowed by a pointless exercise of power. Â I particularly like his “takeaways”, including:
4. U.S. Citizens Have No Obligation To Answer Questions. Ultimately, the cops let me go, because there was nothing they could do. A returning U.S. citizen has an obligation to provide proof of citizenship, and the officer has legitimate reasons to investigate if she suspects the veracity of the citizenship claim. A U.S. citizen returning with goods also has an obligation to complete a written customs declaration. But that’s it. You don’t have to answer questions about where you went, why you went, who you saw, etc.
The fact that people in other countries don’t like Pakistan very much doesn’t change the humanity of those affected by the floods or their suffering. It is right and proper to take a critical view of Pakistani politicians, of their myopia and greed.
[ . . . ]
Pakistan has suffered from desperately poor moral leadership, but punishing the helpless and homeless millions of the 2010 floods is the worst possible way to express our rejection of the Pakistani elite and their duplicity and corruption. The poor, hungry, and homeless are not an ISI conspiracy to bilk you of your cash. They are a test of your humanity. Do not follow in the footsteps of the Pakistani elite by failing them. That would be immoral and inhumane. This is a time to ask only one question. And that question is: “How can I help?”
Here’s a start.  Take out your phone and SMS “FLOOD†to 27722 to contribute $10 (added to your phone bill) to the Pakistan Relief Fund (which is run by the US State Department).
