"What does the billboard say?"

"Come and play;
come and play."

Things I saw after having lunch with my mother this afternoon:

The tallest people in the world, on what used to be the longest street in the world, doing their best to promote the so-called biggest bookstore in the world.

On the same side of the street, a throng of people march south; with their hoisted placards and raised voices, they draw attention to the fight against sexual abuse, particularly the crimes against children. Only a fool would oppose them. They occasionally address the prime minister directly, though they know he is nowhere near.

My mother, who was born in another country, watches the demonstration thoughtfully. "They can do this here," she remarks, proudly, which makes me proud as well, in many different ways.

TRACK LISTING: Rage Against the Machine, "Freedom"

[NOTE: The photo above highlights two photos by James Karales; the page shown is from a Rolling Stone compilation of articles from the Sixties.]