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Literature time, heathens...

E. A. Poe is, the contemporary wisdom runs, trite and tired. Played out, played over, and a cliche of a cliche. It's become the introductory reading material of choice for baby bats, and really offers little to the mature reader.

But, I wonder if beyond the macabre short tales, and the ballads,we've truly given Poe a chance lately?

Take a bow, you creepy fucker.

Today, you get that chance. Annabel Lee, one of the more obscure offerings by Edgar, is a masterpiece of understated gloom. Melancholy love, kids. Melancholy love.

It was many and many a year ago,
   In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
   By the name of ANNABEL LEE;--
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
   Than to love and be loved by me.
She was a child and I was a child,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love--
   I and my Annabel Lee--
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
   Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud by night
   Chilling my Annabel Lee;
So that her high-born kinsman came
   And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
   In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
   Went envying her and me:--
Yes! that was the reason (as all men know,
   In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of a cloud, chilling
   And killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
   Of those who were older than we--
   Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in Heaven above,
   Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:--

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
   In her sepulchre there by the sea--
   In her tomb by the side of the sea.

-E.A. Poe, 1884

My Public Plea for Constitutional Literacy...

Caveat: This may be the most legal-heavy post I've ever done here, but that's only because the stakes are so high. Carry on.

Just because it comes in your size doesn't mean you should wear it.

Case in point (and, ladies, you're welcome).

~~Stolen~~ Attributed to SodaHead.

That adage isn't just for clothing either...In fact, it is apropos on other occasions, such as reading. Just because you can read a thing, doesn't necessarily mean that you should read a thing (looking at you Robert Jordan!) or that you will understand said reading material (I took graduate classes in the Philosophy of Physics from Oxford professors...trust me on this one).

Bastard. Hardest. Bastard. Class. Ever. Bastard.

And, the adage absolutely is salient to an object of veneration, such as the Constitution of the United States, that brilliant flexible document from the Enlightenment. It should be taken with gravity, because it is weighty, it is important (especially Article III, really go read that one), and absolutely should not be read aloud by those who do not understand it, honor it, or care about the provisions it doesn't like (such as the XIVth Amendment) simply to score cheap political points.

But, that would be asking too much, wouldn't it? Per the BBC

Republicans have opened the second day of their rule in the House of Representatives with a full reading of the US Constitution, the first time the entire document has been read aloud in Congress.

The reading was prompted in part by Tea Party activists concerned that the document has been somewhat sidelined.

Representatives from both parties took turns reading different sections.

The fact that democrats went along with this political grandstanding was absolutely nauseating. Simply nauseating.

I am all for reading the Constitution. I think everyone should read it. My daughter read the entire thing, then paraphrased it in her own 9 year old vernacular. As a result, she's a better person, a better student and a better citizen. Everyone should have to do it. As an AP Government student, I didn't. Taking political science classes in college, I didn't. Hell, even in most law schools it's not required to read the entire thing (really, most people never even read the Public Lands clause until it's time to study for the bar).

So, rather than grandstand, I've decided to perform a public service, one that I hope you sincerely will take me up on.

1. Below is complete version of the Constitution. Every word, every amendment. Please read it.

The Constitution with Annotations	File Size and Format
Preamble	PDF 56K
Article I. Legislative Department (also see Supplements)	PDF 1.1M
Article II. Executive Department (also see Supplements)	PDF 640K
Article III. Judicial Department (also see Supplements)	PDF 836K
Article IV. States' Relations (also see Supplements)	PDF 249K
Article V. Mode of Amendment	PDF 112K
Article VI. Prior Debts, National Supremacy, Oaths of Office	PDF 164K
Article VII. Ratification	PDF 52K
Amendments to the Constitution	File Size and Format
First Through Tenth Amendments: Bill of Rights	PDF 96K
First Amendment--Religion and Expression (also see Supplements)	PDF 819K
Second Amendment--Bearing Arms	PDF 64K
Third Amendment--Quartering Soldiers	PDF 40K
Fourth Amendment--Search and Seizure (also see Supplements)	PDF 293K
Fifth Amendment--Rights of Persons (also see Supplements)	PDF 458K
Sixth Amendment--Rights of Accused in Criminal Prosecutions (also see Supplements)	PDF 220K
Seventh Amendment--Civil Trials	PDF 108K
Eighth Amendment--Further Guarantees in Criminal Cases (also see Supplements)	PDF 184K
Ninth Amendment--Unenumerated Rights	PDF 60K
Tenth Amendment--Reserved Powers	PDF 96K
Eleventh Amendment--Suits Against States (also see Supplements)	PDF 148K
Twelfth Amendment--Election of President	PDF 56K
Thirteenth Amendment--Slavery and Involuntary Servitude	PDF 76K
Fourteenth Amendment--Rights Guaranteed: Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship, Due Process, and Equal Protection (also see Supplements)	PDF 1.1M
Fifteenth Amendment--Rights of Citizens to Vote	PDF 140K
Sixteenth Amendment--Income Tax	PDF 96K
Seventeenth Amendment--Popular Election of Senators	PDF 80K
Eighteenth Amendment--Prohibition of Intoxicating Liquors	PDF 76K
Nineteenth Amendment--Women's Suffrage Rights	PDF 76K
Twentieth Amendment--Terms of President, Vice President, Members of Congress: Presidential Vacancy	PDF 68K
Twenty-First Amendment--Repeal of Eighteenth Amendment	PDF 88K
Twenty-Second Amendment--Presidential Tenure	PDF 56K
Twenty-Third Amendment--Presidential Electors for the District of Columbia	PDF 44K
Twenty-Fourth Amendment--Abolition of the Poll Tax Qualification in Federal Elections	PDF 56K
Twenty-Fifth Amendment--Presidential Vacancy, Disability, and Inability	PDF 56K
Twenty-Sixth Amendment--Reduction of Voting Age Qualification	PDF 40K
Twenty-Seventh Amendment--Congressional Pay Limitation	PDF 56K

Via the U.S. General Portal Access www.gpoaccess.gov.

2. That can be daunting, and sometimes thing pertaining to individual liberties, powers of the President, Administrative law as a shadow government and Congressional powers are absolutely inscrutable to the non-legal trained (and, even then, to us). So, if you find yourself befuddled by the language, try these helpful pointers to understanding the Constitution of the United States:

Read the history of how it was formed. A more fascinating story will never be told.
Check out the Amendments which were proposed, but never ratified by the States.
For those with no legal education, or for those who truly want to understand how things work, and do so in generally laymen's terms, you will absolutely do no better than Prof. Linder's Constitutional Interpretation site at the University of Missouri-KC, School of Law. This should be required reading for every senior in American High Schools and/or Freshmen in College.
For those with an advanced understanding, such as law students, poly sci folks, lawyers, and regular ole informed, educated citizens with a fascination for such, I highly recommend Jack Balkin's Balkinization blog. While this largely revolves around Executive powers and the interplay between politics and Constitutional law, the discussions are always lively, and more than well-researched.

Seriously. You owe it to yourself, and you owe it to your country.

You also need to find out who this Virginian is, one who bears a University named in his honor in that State, was the 4th President of the U.S., and absolutely dead-on about most things constitutional...since, you know, he wrote the fucking thing.

-d.s.

Shadowy Bookshelf: The Nine

Every so often, I whip it out for you guys.

Literary Critic, Spider Monkey, says "Put that away. You'll put your eye out".

By "it", I mean of course the latest book I've read, or one that I particularly enjoy/detest, and wish to share with you. Today brings us Jeffrey Toobin's "The Nine". I have read many legal nonfictions, as well as novels, particularly those emphasizing the High Court and the personalities which comprise the most powerful body in the world. I must say, however, that I don't think any of them captures the unique humanity of the Justices and the institution quite like Toobin's book does.

Now available in paperback, minions.

While the book technically addresses the "nine", it is much more a critical look at the crucial role that Justice O'Connor played as the all important swing vote, and politico on the Bench. Much treatment is given to waning days of Chief Justice Rehnquist's last years as well, including his administrative touch, the substance of his rulings, the Federalism revival which fell flat, and of course his death. The rest of the gang is here, as well: Souter's quiet discomfort as a 21st Century Jurist; Thomas' self-proclaimed victimhood and fringe ideology, Breyer's unique humor; Scalia's acerbic wit, etc. It is a great read for court-watchers, for dedicated law nerds, and for lay persons wanting a better understanding of how the seemingly-baffling pronouncements from on-high become governing law. There are some criticisms though, namely, the exceptional deference shown to the Chief, despite him being one of the most conservative, paleoconservatives since the Four Horsemen of FDR's era. Still, I can't complain too much.

Publisher's Review Thinks:

It's not laws or constitutional theory that rule the High Court, argues this absorbing group profile, but quirky men and women guided by political intuition. New Yorker legal writer Toobin (The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson) surveys the Court from the Reagan administration onward, as the justices wrestled with abortion, affirmative action, the death penalty, gay rights and church-state separation. * * * His savvy account puts the supposedly cloistered Court right in the thick of American life.

Not in the book, but did you know that a federal judge once made a ruling a la "Green Eggs and Ham?"

A Critic Digresses:

THE WRITER IS SO LIBERAL THAT HE THINK THAT IF THE "NINE" DO NOT AGREE AND DO AS HE THINK , THEY ARE BAD OR EVIL . FOR CONSERVATIVE IT IS A WEST OF TIME TO READ IT AND FOR LIBERAL IT IS WHAT YOU BELIVE IN NO METTER WHAT ...SO WHY READING THIS JUNK

Shadow's Take:

You could do far worse than this entry into the court-watcher catalogue. Author's undoubted liberalism will annoy some, but even moderates would have to agree that Justice Scalia is a bitter old hypocrite and Justice Thomas is a fringe idiot. Nice pace, nice mix of the personalities with the political saga playing out, especially in the religion and Bush v. Gore cases. All things considered, not a bad effort.

Three and half out of Five Spider Monkeys

-d.s.

READ MORE » Shadowy Bookshelf: The Nine

Shadowy Bookshelf: Looming Tower

Today's book du jour, is a powerful one...and a controversial one. The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright.

Is it REALLY about these 19 yokels?

This is not just your run-of-the-mill, Al Qaeda-are-bad, book. This takes a sweeping look at the 20th century foundations of the jihadist movement, beginning with the strict Bedouin Wahabbi philosophy, and then through the overarching tales of Egyptian scholar Qutb, John O'Neill, Iman Zawahiri, Dick Clarke and Osama Bin Laden, tries to make sense of the greater pan-Muslim movement. To call Lawrence's work ambitious in its breadth is a vast understatement.

Not really...it's more about this guy, and the historical axes in which we're currently operating.

NYT's Review, shall we:

The Looming Tower may be the most riveting, informative, and "heart-stopping account" yet of the men who shaped 9/11 (New York Times Book Review). The focus on individuals gives the book its emotional punch, but it is also a narrative bold in conception and historical sweep. Lawrence Wright conducted more than 500 interviews, from bin Laden's best friend in college to Richard A. Clarke, Saudi royalty, Afghan mujahideen, and reporters for Al Jazeera. The result, while evenhanded in its analysis of the complex motives, ideals, and power plays that led to 9/11, leaves few nefarious details uncovered. An abrupt ending did little to sway critics that Looming Tower is nothing less than "indispensable" reading (Cleveland Plain Dealer).

A Random Amazon Reader thinks:

It is Wright's objective to get inside, to the very core, of Al-Qaeda's chief figures and show us how they feel humiliated by the successes of the West, including Israel, and how this humiliation, plus a great deal of sexual repression, animates their obsession with becoming "martyrs for Allah." Lawrence Wright achieves his objective masterfully and leaves a terrifying, indelible imprint on the reader. Having read dozens of "9/11" books, I can say this is my favorite. The book succeeds for several reasons. First, it shows the failure of American imagination in dealing with terrorism. Second, Wright's narratives leading to 9/11 are effortlessly woven with concrete (never academic) psychological profiles of the seeds of Al-Qaeda: We see the fastidious, sexually repressed Egyptian anti-Semite religious scholar Sayyid Qutb as he navigates post World War II America. He is disgusted by our freedom and equality for women and his disgust radicalizes him so that he returns to Egypt to support a radical theocracy movement that thrives to this day. We see Bin Laden's number two man, Al-Zawahiri, one of Qutb's acolytes, a complex intellectual who consolidates all his brilliance and energies to become a cold-blooded killer. We see of course Bin Laden himself and the historical roots of his hatred for the West.

A complex, nuanced intelligent book, The Looming Tower does not demonize Islam. To the contrary, it shows that mainstream Islam has struggled against extremists spawned by the post World War II writings of militant Islam jihadist founder Sayyid Qutb.

What is most amazing about this book is that Wright's ability to get inside the head of a terrorist with the narrative speed of thriller novel allows us to comprehend the terrorist's motivations and to wake up from a deep sleep that has imperiled us.

Some Beg to Differ:

This book is overwritten. The actual content could be in an essay. There are pointless diversions, etc., etc.,and when it gets to actual facts it jumps around. It really needs an editor who knows the subject.

In reality, most of the critics spout some incredibly difficult to rationalize stuff...like this guy...only less sane.

Der Schatten thinks:

This book is ambitious, beautifully written, and -above all- human. If you want strict coffee table fare, this likely isn't for you, but if you want a psychic autopsy of the ideas, beliefs and humanity of the players, then definitely give it a try: the upbringing of the Bin Laden children, O'Neill's Shakespearean comi-tragic life, Richard Clarke's world-weary outsider, Zawahiri's denunciation of the medical/scholastic dynasty he stood to inherit, the ethereal Osama (far different from a mastermind), and above all the grim real politick of disgruntled, ill-educated, and underemployed young men in a part of the world that most of us refused to acknowledge before the late '90s. There is a reason this won the Pulitzer Prize. Engaging, painful, funny, and above all, one helluva ride, despite the (oft-noted) abrupt ending.

The Verdict?

Four out of Five Spider Monkeys.

Dorkdom Continues: LoTR Facebook Status

I've been collecting these for about a week from various site; most of them seem to have College Humor's watermark, so whether those clowns are responsible or not, let's just give 'em their due.

These are exceptionally funny, especially if you're a Tolkien-obsessed dork like me (and, for the record, Tolkien actually doesn't appear as a misspelled word, meaning that the Firefox programmers are that nerdy).

It's Narsil, dammit. Narsil!

Like elves have any sense of humor. Remember, they were cast out of Valinor, so they are glum creatures by nature...which is why that ridiculous coronation scene in RoTK still pisses me off! ARGH. They only weep over things like Feanor's treachery destroying the fabric of their society; not over a silly ass human.

This is funny as hell, because Merry probably does have a small penis; even by Hobbit standards.

More like strong ale and meat on the bone... and a couple million orcs, and a Balrog or two.

This is by far my favorite...and requires no explanation.

Literacy Time: Song of Solomon

This wonderful painting by Micheal Aviano is still available for auction...give him some money people.

The Song of Solomon, in case you've not read it, is one of the most sublime, sensual pieces of poetry written in antiquity. Some versions of the Bible do not carry it, but it does feature quite prominently in certain Jewish traditions. Estimated to be written in a Northern Hebrew dialect about 3000 years ago, there are many explanations for why this deliberately non-religious book wound up in holy texts. The worst one, but by far the most popular explanation, is that the short tale of unrequited love, courtship and consummation represents the relationship between god and man. I for one, however, do not buy it...

When I read the Song of Songs, I think of Lebanese beauty, Haifa...

Chapter 7: Song of Songs

How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.
Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.
Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.
Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.
Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.
How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.
I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;
And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.
I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.
Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.
Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.
The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

Pretty steamy, and beautiful, huh?

Free e-text of this entire, lovely duet can be found here.

.

Shadowy Bookshelf: Ice and Fire (again...)

Keep this shit up, George, and you'll live forever beside Tolkien (peace be unto Him).

High fantasy...can't top it when it's done well. Obviously, by well, I'm talking about Duggan, Tolkien (peace be unto Him), Cornwell's Arthurian tales, Moorcock, Hobbs. But, among the modern paragons, none is closer to my dark little heart than George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire books...

Yea, I left you out...this crap is the "Twilight" of epic fantasy...anti-climactic, rambling drivel with all the subtlety and intrigue of a particularly exciting episode of Bob the Builder.*

Which brings me to the brilliant, if not oft-delayed, Song of Fire and Ice series. If you like black and white characters, good guys that survive, a small universe of tight-knit characters going on some epic quest, then look elsewhere...there's plenty of that stuff out there. But, if you want a world populated with nations, and cultures; political intrigue, morally gray characters, slight magic, cynicism, dark humor and genuine "WTF? did that just happen?" then look no further.

This is your reaction about every 100 pages or so...

There are four (so far) tomes in the series, and they are rather long books. Game of Thrones introduces the many great houses, and sets up the conflicts and allegiances that are to endure throughout. Clash of Kings I've always termed the "bridge book", with a wealth of new faces and swordplay throughout. Storm of Swords is by far my favorite, with yet more characters, more intrigue, and so many WTF moments that you'll weep, gnash your teeth, grin and possibly piss yourself. The last, so far, Feast for Crows, starts to put the pieces all together, with a wealth of new POVs --although from familiar faces. Book 5, Dance with Dragons, has been in the works now for 5 years (and that since the rewrite). If I'm alive long enough, I may even get to see all 7 of them published.

Did I mention it has dragons? Not ironic, douchy dragons, but flesh-eating fear machines out of hell...

Reviewers think?

The third volume of the high fantasy saga that began with A Game of Thrones and continued in A Clash of Kings is one of the more rewarding examples of gigantism in contemporary fantasy. As Martin's richly imagined world slides closer to its 10-year winter, both the weather and the warfare worsen. In the north, King Joffrey of House Lannister sits uneasily on the Iron Throne. With the aid of a peasant wench, Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, escapes from jail in Riverrun. Jaime goes to the other youthful ruler, Robb Stark, to secure the release of Joffrey's prisoners, Robb's sisters Arya and Sansa Stark. Meanwhile, in the south, Queen Daenarys tries to assert her claim to the various thrones with an army of eunuchs, but discovers that she must choose between conquering more and ruling well what she has already taken. The complexity of characters such as Daenarys, Arya and the Kingslayer will keep readers turning even the vast number of pages contained in this volume, for the author, like Tolkien or Jordan, makes us care about their fates. Those two fantasy greats are also evoked by Martin's ability to convey such sensual experiences as the heat of wildfire, the chill of ice, the smell of the sea and the sheer gargantuan indigestibility of the medieval banquet at its most excessive.

Brilliant!!!

A critic digresses:

At the end of the second novel I could not wait for the next book. Now who cares? Martin has killed every character worth following in the series. By eliminating the vast majority of characters one feels attached to in the first 2 books he leaves the reader with an emptiness that I don't see being fufilled. The plot is now spread in so many directions that following a long complicated novel only to see who you cared for killed seems a waste of energy. This is not to say the thought, detail, and writing are bad, quite the opposite, which makes this book all the more disappointing. By killing or regulating the only people that one cares for to uninteresting circumstances Martin has destroyed the reason for reading the following installments. Normally at the end of a series one looks forward too and genuinely misses the characters, but why should I care about anyone whose left? It is a rare ability to make such a great series into something where I could stop reading right now and no longer care about the story.

Awww, moral ambiguity and people dying make emo reviewer sad....

Shadow's Verdict?

Joy, sorrow, bliss, treachery, betrayal, love, lust, madness, ambition, fear...these are the human condition, and Martin's ability to lushly convey the range of emotions in a believable world populated by believable, loveable, detestable characters is where the genius lies...

5 out of 5 Spider Monkeys

*Before the psycho Jordan fans start emailing me, please be aware that, yes, I realized he passed away. To the living one owes respect, to the dead one owes nothing but the truth...

Shadowy Bookshelf...Republican Gomorrah

I read quite a bit, and listen to a shit ton of Audible books as well. My primary interests are high fantasy (think Tolkien or GRR Martin, but not the ass-clown Robert Jordan); political history (any country, any time frame); historical fiction, especially barbaric fucks (Bernard Cornwell; Conn Iggulden); religion; and contemporary stuff on political theory and diplomatic wrangling.

A shit-ton is substantially more than an ass-load...

Pic absolutely unrelated.

Today's selection is what I'm listening to currently (since it's on my iPod for leisurely baths, drives, cooking and cleaning). Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Killed the Party by Max Blumenthal.

With a title this promising couldn't you find a picture of Pat Robertson applying nipple clamps to a goat or something?

What does Publisher's Weekly think?

Journalist Blumenthal documents the movement of conservative evangelicals from the political wings to center stage, delving into the psyches of those who now lead a Republican Party "fixated on abortion, homosexuality and abstinence education; resentful and angry." Guided by Eric Hoffer's 1951 cult classic The True Believer ("Faith in a holy cause, is to some extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves,") and Eric Fromm's 1941 psychoanalytical study of the Nazi movement (Escape from Freedom), Blumnthal suggests that childhood abuse has shaped the personalities of key leaders, including Focus on the Family guru James Dobson. Blumenthal is at his best examining these characters up close, including presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich and his born-again conversion; John Hagee, a Pentecostal pastor who lauded Hitler for "forcing the Jews to Israel"; Sarah Palin, whose political aspirations first came to her as part of a religious conversion; and evangelical pastor Ted Haggard, a self-proclaimed spiritual warrior caught in a relationship with a male prostitute. For those who enjoyed Jeff Sharlet's Capitol Hill exposé The Family, this makes a spicy follow-up.

What don't you understand about dropping the marginal tax rate?

Detractors Think:

Why would anyone give this radical liberal two cents for anything he decided to write down.

"The Republican Party is a Host Body for the Christian Right and the Radical Anti-Government Movement that's sprouting up around the country. They can cause a lot of damage. They can cause it by repeating what we saw during the 90's which was mass domestic terrorism. It's a campaign against the Government of the US by radical elements that want to change the nature of the Government." Max Blumenthal

This is clear hate speech against a political view and those that align themselves with smaller Government and anti-Government take over of private businesses such as the Insurance and Banking industries. It's one thing to give a contrary view but page after page is nothing but personal attacks against any one of a number of figures on the Right.

Amazon.com should jump further into the book to show how much hate Max Blumenthal clearly has for the Right with his personal attacks on Sarah Palin and others.

Shadow's Verdict?

Blumenthal's expose is a profoundly disturbing and illuminating look at the abusive, authoritarian personalities that have shaped movement conservatives, and the extreme violence inflicted upon them as children, and which they are in turn inflicting on the weaker of society. To borrow from Erich Fromme, the authoritarian personality is an inherently abusive and sadomasochistic one.
While engaging in occasional drivel bordering on psychosocial autopsy, it is nevertheless an important topic, an under-discussed one at that, and is an important read.

Good shit...four out of five spider monkeys.