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November 08, 2007
Freebies in the Temple of Capitalism
I'm sitting in the local Temple of Capitalism, recently renamed for its supposed ability to, after a massive expansion whose funding is somewhat unclear still, attract visitors from all over the world as if it were some sort of Las Vegas resort. Shameless self-promotion of this marvel of capitalistic wonder lines just about every available surface, hangs from every rafter and fills centers of aisles, perhpas as a way of disguising the spaces abandoned by purveryors who found the cost of tenancy too high and the consuming traffic too low. Never fear. The magic of growth, build-out and sheer unmitigated belief in the consumer ethic will prevail.
In the meantime, however, there are some delights to be had here. One of them is FREE wi-fi. I've gotten to the place where I celebrate any public free wi-fi. I've grown way weary of the appropriation of the airways for profit and the therefore restriction on the freedom of communication and access that the internet and its relations offer. More on that another time.
The second delight is to be sitting here before the official opening hour of the stores, and watching all the birds flying around the food court sitting area. Some are plump and some not so much, so swoop and dive and others scurry along the floor, looking for the crumbs the cleaning crew missed. Occasionally, the gather around where I'm sitting - on all sides, as if this little laptop will somehow begin dispensing morning nourishment.
I wonder about these indoor birds. How many of them were hatched inside this building? How many never make it to the outside air? What keeps them from multiplying to the point they take over the whole mall?
But for now, I am happy just to enjoy the happy sound of their chirping, and the tilts of their little heads as they look at me, and taking the moment to freely post these comments before moving on to the crop shop to civilize my appearance.
Posted by cageyer at 10:07 AM | Comments (1)