From the In Box: 'Tis the Season to Be... AWOL III
Sorry you had a bad flight experience. I know how it is -- once flying from DC to Minneapolis, I sat in the plane on the runway waiting for takeoff for four hours. Four hours when we were only 100 yards from the beer-serving terminal!

You asked what I'm up to, so here it goes...

I'm reading "Another World is Possible." Fantastic. I could do without some of the essays, but most make me feel like the world isn't as bad as I sometimes think. I particularly like the essay by hip-hop activist Danny Hoch.

Speaking of hip hop, this weekend I attended the Hip Hop as a Movement Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. Friggin' fantastic. Met some great people, including political prisoner Fred Hampton, Jr.; radio DJ and MTV personality Sway (who had brilliant thoughts on how to affect positive change by infiltrating mainstream media -- a position you seemed to take in your debate with Sander Hicks), and a whole slew of hip-hop activists at all levels. Totally blew my mind. The best sessions discussed the takeover of media by corporations and the how-to's and challenges of indie media. You would've loved it. -- Clint Schaff

Sounds like it!