I went to sleep on July 4th amid constant booms, claps, sizzles, and bangs – the sounds of urchins and their happy-to-go-along parents setting off fireworks all over the neighborhood. And of course, their post-fireworks litter was all over the ground this morning as I headed downtown. On the train, in the library lobby, and … Continue reading Fireworks, Military Might, and Conspicuous Consumption