Let me be clear: this is not the statement of some pompous first year law student seeking to undeservedly congratulate himself (although admittedly, a walk through the Presidential Garden beats a walk through the Grease Truck parking lot.) This is the statement of a kid who was told by his high school guidance councilor that he was lucky to have been accepted by Rutgers University as an undergraduate, and who ended up at a top 20 law school in Washington DC. Undeniably, I owe this fact to my work with the Johnsonville Press, so if you’ll forgive my nostalgia, I’d like to take the opportunity to briefly reflect on that valuable endeavor.

What is the Johnsonville Press? I’m tempted to call it a publication, but to be honest, from convocation last May through the release of this issue, it could not even have been accurately called that. At best, it’s a loose association of a few Rutgers students and alumni, a network of young minds with diverse backgrounds and interests. We’re united only by the good fortune of having had attended Rutgers University—and by the assumption that we are all the masters of our own destiny, that the choice to do something worthwhile together is always better than the alternative of solitary practice or (what is worse) collective stagnation.

Perhaps the best analogy for the Johnsonville Press is a slow moving train, steadily rolling onward. While it’s in your station, with a little effort you can get on or get off; hesitate too long, however, and the opportunity to ride it somewhere will eventually have passed you by. We have only a short amount of time in the self-imposed limbo of academia, a time when we’re old enough to start deciding who we want to become and have enough free time to make it happen. How we use that time is up to us; if we use it wisely to hone our chosen skills, we reap the rewards at our next stop. Squander it, and we’re left wondering “What was the point?” For their part, Johnsons may not know where they want to go yet, but they certainly know how to get there…

As our first Editor in Chief Michael Stuzynski used to say, “every swinging dick is a Johnson.” This was not meant to suggest that the JVP is some kind of misogynistic, homoerotic club, but to stress that the potential for success lies in everyone. Through participation, all can better themselves.  All you have to do is do it. The Johnsonville Press was made by the doers, for the doers. When faced with the choice between getting in the fight and doing something, or sitting back and wallowing comfortably in mediocrity, a Johnson will run, stumble or, if necessary, crawl into battle. Was it a coincidence that the JVP was founded in one of the county’s recognized DIY capitals? Maybe so, maybe not; but if it was a coincidence, it certainly was a precipitous one.

A Johnson prefers pushing the limits of his own understanding of the world to tacitly accepting what he’s told. A Johnson would rather prove himself wrong and look foolish than sit back and avoid taking that risk altogether. A Johnson craves intellectual combat, because he knows that the reward—truth—is the only means of affecting his own reality. After the fight, a Johnson pats her opponents on the back, pours another glass of wine and laughs at the carnage it has wreaked on her own preconceptions. And a Johnson does it all for herself, and for no one else.

The benefits of working with the JVP are always going to be specific to the individual. What’s more, as with fate, these benefits will generally only become known in retrospect. Personally, the Johnsonville taught me how work with other opinionated people to reach common understandings. It taught me how to be comfortable with the sound of my own voice. It taught me the difference between actively striving to shape my own destiny and passively letting it become a reality, and how to use both to achieve my own purposes. Above all, it taught me how to avoid getting caught up in the minutia of everyday life, how to press on while keeping my goals in mind and to keep focused on the task at hand.

Would I be where I am now without the Johnsonville Press? Perhaps I would be. Will my present endeavors prove as successful as those of my past? Time will tell. But do I have the courage and the experience to seize upon them with confidence now? Thanks to the Johnsonville Press, I know I do.

I will always owe the Johnsonville a debt of gratitude for helping to make me who I am today and who I will become tomorrow. And I always pay what I owe. That’s why I will continue writing, maybe not as often as I’d like, but as often as I can afford. A Johnson never forgets where he comes from.

In the coming months, the Johnsonville is going to continue its slow and steady ride forward. The last remaining member of the original JVP staff, Matia Guardabascio, has graciously accepted the position of Editor in Chief (new writers, believe me, I know she can be nitpicky; don’t get frustrated—she will vastly improve your writing ability if you let her.) I have the utmost faith and confidence in her, and in the energy and resolve of the third generation staff, as should you. I know this train is bound for great things. I may not know where it’s going, but I do know that it’s time to get back on…

Johnsonville Press on my friends.

Alex Giannattasio

Johnsonville Press Founder and Second Editor in Chief

Today’s Submission: Alex Giannattasio

1. Challenge of the Day: Teach someone something they don’t already know today. If you manage to do it without getting called an asshole, you probably have what it takes to reverse America’s declining status as the world’s leader in education. Or you could always teach English in South Korea, or even better, Thailand! You can buy a pet monkey with all the money you’ll make over there!

2.  Recommendation of the Day: the band Radio Moscow–Recently, a friend introduced me to this three man rock group. Composed of one electric guitar, one bass guitar, and a rotating drummer, Radio Moscow plays a heavy, raw rock style reeking of psychedelia  and blues influences. Songs range from hard and fast to low and slow to “out there.” Listening to them, two acts come to my mind: Jimi Hendrix and the Black Keys.  Their second album, Brain Cycles, really hits the spot in the right context.

3.  Bonus Recommendation of the Day: the movie Heat–Al Pacino. Robert De Niro. Michael Mann. ‘Nough said.

Click here for an awesome clip. It’s a mild spoiler, but do you really care?

4.  Quote of the Day: “There are no facts, only interpretations.”

Friedrich Nietzsche, Notebooks, (Summer 1886 – Fall 1887)

(First results for Nietzsche on Wikiquote)

5. Fact of the Day: Friedrick Nietzsche’s WikiQuote page (above) has over 14,000 words, around 43 Word document pages. Jerry Garcia’s page holds 540 words, about 1 Word document page. Dick McCormick doesn’t have a WikiQuote page…

6. Discussion Topic of the Day: Why do you participate in the Johnsonville Press?

On the other hand, preparing your own food is not without its drawbacks. For one, unless you are a professional chef, the odds of you preparing an exceptionally delicious meal are slim to none. For another, if you are cooking for yourself, you will almost certainly have to buy more of several ingredients than you plan to use for any one dish, leaving you with less variety and more leftovers. But perhaps the worst thing about choosing to cook for yourself is having to start from scratch every time you’re hungry. Imagine coming home from a long day at work. Your boss has been riding you all day, your brain is fried, and you’ve just endured a stress-filled hour and a half commute standing up on a smelly, crowded rush hour commuter train. How much do you really feel like breaking out the measuring cups and preheating the oven? I’ll wager you don’t.

In times like these, I turn to one of the easiest meals I know how to make: the “poor man’s casserole”. It is exceedingly simple to make, but fresh, delicious, cheap, healthy, and quick. Here’s what you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (sorry, this step is unavoidable).
2. Grease an oven safe pan with olive oil.
3. Clean and dice a couple root vegetables (carrots, garlic, potatoes, onions, yams, etc.) and a couple links of sausage (any kind) into large, similarly sized chunks and mix them all together in the pan.
4. Sprinkle some more olive oil, salt, pepper, and a few pieces of fresh rosemary (if you’ve got it) over the top.
5. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes.

While the meal bakes, whip up a salad (for instance, Boston lettuce, Cannelloni beans and fried mushrooms), slice up a baguette and open a nice light red wine, a Pinot Noir if you’ve got it. This dish will leave you satisfied. It takes less than an hour to make. It’s healthy, hearty and extremely adaptable. And best of all, it requires nothing more complex than the ability to cut vegetables into big chunks. You can make it with things you have lying around your kitchen. If you’re not trying to be a chef Boyardee tonight, throw this dish together and marvel at how easy it is to make a good Irish meal. Cheers.

1. Recommendation of the Day:

Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations – If you like images of beautiful countryside, snarky New Jersey hosts and eating, why aren’t you watching this show right now? The most grounded and authentic travel series yet to hit the idiot box, No Reservations is a must watch for any lover of foreign food and travel. A new episode airs on the Travel Channel every Monday night at 10. The show willingly embraces travel to off the grid places often skipped over by the usual fluff shows, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, and of course, Tony’s home state of New Jersey to name a few. The host is approachable, his commentary (more or less) authentic, and his demeanor uncompromising. I recommend the Provence episode:

2. Two Picks from the Internet:

President Bush wipes his hand on President Clinton at a Haitian Aid benefit:

Wanderer Session with Via Audio from www.Pollifax.com:

3. Quote(s) of the Day: Four most recent “Bushisms” from politicalhumor.about.com:

“This is my maiden voyage. My first speech since I was the president of the United States and I couldn’t think of a better place to give it than Calgary, Canada.” –George W. Bush, as reported by the Associated Press, Calgary, Canada, March 17, 2009

“I’m going to put people in my place, so when the history of this administration is written at least there’s an authoritarian voice saying exactly what happened.” –George W. Bush, on what he hopes to accomplish with his memoir, as reported by the Associated Press, Calgary, Canada, March 17, 2009

“One of the very difficult parts of the decision I made on the financial crisis was to use hardworking people’s money to help prevent there to be a crisis.” –George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Jan. 12, 2009

“I’m telling you there’s an enemy that would like to attack America, Americans, again. There just is. That’s the reality of the world. And I wish him all the very best.” –George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Jan. 12, 2009

4. Famous New Brunswick Resident of the Day:

James P. Johnson (1891-1955), pianist, composer. One of the original stride piano masters.^[48]

5. Discussion Topic of the Day:

When, if ever, will the end of civilization occur? Of American society as a functional entity? Of the human race as a species?

Admittedly, long term goals have never been my strong point; in the past, I’ve tended to get by on barely-honed intellect and rugged good looks. I have rarely given a thought to the distant future; I harbor a deep distrust of structure and discipline, and abhor the prospect of being judged by an institution like a school or firm. Possibly, this is how I ended up at Rutgers. Almost certainly, it’s how I ended up “taking a year off” after graduation (a year off from what, exactly, I’m not so sure), burning through my savings at a rate woefully disproportionate to that of my income.  Maybe I could benefit from a “life plan”…?

The first thing to do when working out your life plan is to ask yourself “where you want to go not only in your professional life, but also your personal, and importantly, the type of individual you will be when you arrive.”  Questions like this are a lot easier asked than answered, one of the reasons I so thoroughly resent the idea of a “life councilor”. Still, when pushed to address it, I inevitably start off talking about my dream life, the life I would lead today, given the necessary capacity, intelligence and wisdom to make it a reality.

Picture Alex, age 50. I live in a not-too-remote wooded area, somewhere in the deciduous American North-East. I own a small but considerable, exceptionally fertile farm, where I grow and raise all manner of delicious and organic foodstuffs for the consumption and personal enjoyment of myself, my family, my friends, and the occasional neighbor. My farm is an experiment in self-sustaining environments, collecting its own water, generating its own energy, and allowing for all the bare necessities and comforts of modern living while maintaining minimal environmental impact and personal cost. My dream farm would have a full working wood shop and garage, ample event space for social gatherings and musical performances, and perhaps a small microbrewery on premise. Perhaps it could be a community-oriented space where people could meet and eat.

This is just the dream, and right now, I am certainly nowhere near living it. The funny thing about these idealized dream worlds is that the means of acquiring them often lay far outside the bounds of easy or even possible acquisition. But my dream does tell you something about me.

Try and hold back that inevitable feeling of nausea for a second while I talk about myself.  For starters, at heart, I’m a hippie. I crave conversation with likeminded individuals, but don’t really get off on the idea of spending my time with just anybody. I’m happiest when I’m using my hands and labor towards some productive, tangible end, hence the wood shop and the garage. Building things has long been my greatest pleasure, and I would relish the opportunity to build a farm, work a space of land, and produce cool stuff. I’m a craftsman at heart, and crave the opportunity to cultivate new productive skills. I love natural settings, this having been bred into me at a young age. I most value the simple things in life we can learn from nature…you can go ahead and vomit into your wastebasket now.

The problems start when we realize how far off the beaten path one must stray to accomplish this goal, and how far along that path one has already come. It takes a lot of courage to reject the standard societal values of an affluent life, a traditional family and a two car garage. It takes quite a bit more to change course midstream. And it is a lack of courage, more often than not, that prevents us from choosing the right path—that and unexpected pregnancy. That’s why I studied philosophy instead of, say, agriculture.

More often than not, we live life in the most comfortable way possible—not necessarily in the sense that we prefer a couch to a wooden chair, but in the sense that we naturally gravitate towards what we already know. In most cases, this entails the emulation of our heroes and role models, idealized in our minds for easy access. We imagine what they would do, and use that imagined idea to guide us in our actions. There’s nothing really wrong with this, except that it we often act on the assumption that we can know the minds of our idols, and it tends to produce new twists on past personalities, as opposed to people with genuinely original dreams and desires. A person who lives by the words and hopes of others should not be surprised to find, too late in life, that these were actually not his own, and that he is too far gone to step back and reverse the process.

But if you think about it, what is so different between this person and the person who lives within the confines of a life plan, lives “automatically” to quote the article? For that matter, who really knows what they want, let alone will want in years to come? Our desires and goals exist in a constant state of flux, shaped by our past, to be sure, but also by our future experiences. By picking a direction and sticking to it, we risk the possibility of never coming into contact with experiences that will reshape our desires in more profound and lasting ways. My answer, boring as it may be, is that we need a healthy dose of both: live by the goals you hold now, but leave yourself sufficiently open to new experiences that you have the ability to constantly reevaluate where you stand. One needs to be able to account for the possibility that what you think you know is entirely wrong, and guard against the turmoil which follows such realizations.

Taking the opportunity to consider my life going forward, I can see myself drifting not so slowly toward a life I do not really want for myself. Monetary wealth is not so much my end goal as peace of mind—and yet here I am on the verge of a three year law program set in a highly urban environment. Call it a quarter life crisis (if you must.) But I remain hopeful. I’m still very young, and if I can recognize my own position now, I can begin to take back the wheel and steer towards more fruitful pastures. Perhaps there is value in the contemplation of goals after all…

“Unfortunately, snow records are not lengthy or complete at most locations around the state, but I am confident in stating that most locations established new monthly snowfall records for any winter month in at least the past 130 years.” [2]

Then there was the rain. The Raritan River rose several feet, burying several acres of riverside park, and several tens of thousands of trees.  “Except for central and northern New Jersey, rivers across the Mid-Atlantic are back within their banks, ending the flooding.”[3] An interesting video of a flooded Raritan-side Exxon can be found posted to Moxietoday.com, here; draw your own conclusions. Power was cut to several businesses and buildings from George Street in New Brunswick to Route 27 in Edison and beyond.  My own place of employment, Legal Grounds, didn’t open for lack of electricity. It was a hell of a job to remove the perishables to a safe location. Even as I write, some businesses and houses still wait to regain power.

All of this poor weather comes out of nowhere. Certainly, this is an exceptionally difficult way to start the year. The implications of the loss in revenue workers and businesses have sustained as a result of inclement weather have yet to fully appear. I know I missed several days of work when I could have used the hours.

And it’s not over yet. As a result of the massive February snowfall, a huge amount of precipitation still lingers in the area. As we approach spring, that moister will continue to bounce around between the upper hemisphere and the ground. If you haven’t already, go out and buy a raincoat and an umbrella, before you wish you had.

New Jersey, facing a massive budget deficit and an equally massive impending government spending cut, was perhaps the state hit hardest by the bad weather, cutting deeper into Jersey’s infrastructure maintenance budget.  As President Obama completes his first term, rarely seen weather conditions have everyone’s minds on climate change. As people struggle with an unprecedented recession, an unusual number of shifts are lost. Peoples’ nerves are stretched to the breaking point…It is certainly an interesting time to be alive…

Below, you will find a  94 picture slide show, just some photos I snapped while walking around New Brunswick these past weeks and days. They are by no means professional. The first set deals with the snow. Notice how everyone was walking in the streets that day for lack of a sidewalk. The second set deals with the rain and flooding, while the third depicts some of its aftermath. Make sure you note the difference in the water levels of the Raritan. To enlarge the slide show to full screen, click the bottom left hand corner. You can also pause, play or scroll through the show. Enjoy.

[1] New Jersey State Climatologist of the Rutgers University Center for Environmental Prediction, and School of Environmental and Biological Sciences/NJAES

[2] http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim/?section=menu&%20target=feb10

[3] http://www.weather.com/newscenter/stormwatch/

1.  Recommendation of the Day – The Pizza Tapes; Jerry Garcia, David Grisman and Tony Rice. In certain circles, the infrequent and erratic collaborations of bluegrass mandolinist David Grisman and Grateful Dead founder Jerry Garcia have become the stuff of legend; theirs was truly a match made in heaven. Nowhere else is this more evident than in their album The Pizza Tapes (2000). The jam CD was recorded over the course of two nights in Grisman’s personal recording studio. It features such classic folk, blues and bluegrass tunes as “Man of Constant Sorrow,” “Long Black Veil” and “House of the Rising Sun,” along with Jerry’s only known recorded performance of “Amazing Grace.” The album title pays homage to an enterprising young pizza delivery boy who stole the tape from Garcia not long after its recording. It is a must have for any lover of music.

2.  Quote of the Day – “The eight-year presidential term of Bill Clinton, a personable, articulate graduate of Yale Law School, a Rhodes Scholar, and former governor of Arkansas, began with the hope that a bright, young person would bring to the country what he promised: “change.” But Clinton’s presidency ended with no chance that it would, as he had wished, make his mark in history as one of the nation’s great presidents.”

– A Peoples History of the United States (Chapter 24 Howard Zinn)

3.    Random Fact of the Day – In the 1940s, the FCC assigned television’s Channel 1 to Mobile Services (ex: two-way radios in taxicabs) but did not re-number the other channel assignments. That’s why your TV set has channels 2 and up, but no channel 1.
(http://www.randomfacts.org/tv-facts/)

4.    Top Picks from the Internet –

Clay Shirky’s TED talk on the difference between institutions and collaborations in the digital age…

Barack Obama, come to save the day!

5.    Discussion Topic – What is the difference between politicians and everyone else?  Discuss.

Okay, so maybe there are more than just two kinds of men out there. I myself stand somewhere in the middle, cautiously willing to engage in the weekend activities surrounding the sport with a grain of salt and a modicum of patience in mind. This year’s Super Bowl, the 44^th in history, found me curled up on the couch with a beer and one of my closest friends.  We laughed, we yelled, we got drunk, and in the end, we didn’t really care who won—the quintessential male bonding experience.

The 44^th Super Bowl saw Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints take on all star quarterback Peyton Manning and his Indianapolis Colts. The final score: 31-17 Saints. Quite the upset, the Colts having been tagged to win by at least six points, according to the spread. Manning, Double Stuf [Oreo] Racing League MVP, and by popular independent consensus, the best active quarterback in professional football, had his game face on to be sure. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Peyton, the all-American everyman of football, so stone faced and ready to play. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by his team’s dramatic failure. Poor guy.

The Colts came out strong, ending the first quarter with an early lead of 10-0. I don’t follow the Colts and I don’t watch Sports Center, but it is a testament to Peyton’s reputation that I had heard tell of his prowess on the field long before seeing him in action. His throws, as if shot from a canon, were exceedingly accurate and his ability to audible on a dime, based on conditions on the field, is impressive and unmatched. More than once, incomplete passes that could have changed the face of the game bounced off Colt hands (hooves?) and even helmets. Certainly, the weight of this loss does not lie on Peyton’s shoulders….

Brees’ performance, on the other hand, didn’t strike my admittedly inexperienced eye as groundbreaking. Surely, Brees is also one of the most highly regarded names in football today, but it is the Saints team as a whole, and by extension its coaching staff, that deserve credit for the win. A hardened D-line and superb special teams performance crafted an underdog victory against the toughest team and quarterback in the League. The drama climaxed with an unexpected onside kick from the Saints to start the second half. The dog pile/UFC-style brawl that followed strained emotional ligaments to the breaking point when Chris Reis of the Saints came up with the ball.

As the game wore on, I saw the energy of the Colts falter, even as the Saints continued to burn on a high octane level, and I think it was this that in the end spelled the final results. Ultimately, I saw the 44^th Super Bowl as a battle between an apparently tireless underdog and the will of football’s debatably all-time greatest quarterback. More hardened and experienced TV-yellers might disagree. As for me, I’ll score one for teamwork.

Of course, if you’re like me, there are more reasons to watch the Super Bowl than just football. Here I’m thinking of two things: the advertisements and the halftime show.

This year’s ads weren’t half bad, though I think (and have always thought) that they failed to live up to the hype over Super Bowl ads. Doritos and Anheuser-Busch were to my eye disproportionately represented, and while a couple good ads stood out (for example, “Play Nice” by Doritos and “Betty White” by Snickers) several were sheer disappointments (“The Boost Mobile Shuffling Crew” by Boost Mobile, Yet another Simpsons sellout by Coke, and the ubiquitous and shameless Go Daddy set). The most disappointing ad came in Will.I.Am’s video remix of the Who’s classic “My Generation”. The artist sets the song to a random mash-up of images ranging from the sixties to today. Images ranged from Nixon to Vietnam to 9/11 to Bush to Iraq to Obama to Afghanistan. What really got to me was the uncalled for edit made to the song, presumably by either  CBS or the FCC. I was singing along when it came time for Daltrey’s immortal line “I hope I die before I get old”. Imagine my surprise when, in stark contrast to my own singing, the television speakers replaced that line with “Don’t wanna die. Wanna get old”. Whaaaaaat!?  It was a sincere disappointment, only worsened by the irony of a pop-rapper selling the Who out for a mobile-media corporation.

The halftime show itself, performed by an aging Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, was also pretty tough to watch. Both musicians looked like they were fighting to stay on their feet, much less sing and play some of their own quintessential songs of the sixties. It saddened me to see such a pale reflection of the once great musical ensemble. Selections included “Baba O’Reilly”, “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me, Feel Me”. While I found their “Won’t Get Fooled Again” a wholly appropriate and well-timed selection, I thought taking two songs from Tommy, particularly its two biggest hits, was a strictly sellout move. Later, it was explained to me that these songs were selected in recognition of the CSI television franchise (produced by, you guessed it, CBS) use of the Who in their opening montages. I got the impression that Roger and Pete had a good idea of the underlying irony of their situation, and perhaps for that very reason they (rightly) avoided “My Generation,” but all the same, the show was a disappointment. Now, to be fair, I don’t want to pretend that I hold the authority to bash living legends like the Who; when choosing an act for the Super Bowl halftime show, you must keep in mind the exceedingly broad audience that will be listening in. The Who being an older, veteran group, CBS could all but guarantee a controlled performance that would mildly appeal to millions without getting too edgy. And what does the opinion of a fan born in the late 80’s really matter anyway? All the same, seeing the pale reflection of a band you love is never pleasant.  Certainly, the Who’s time has come and gone. At the very least, the lightshow was exceptionally well executed.

Perhaps the best thing about the Super Bowl is that it grants us the opportunity to criticize and pass judgment on a major cultural event among friends. As with the Johnsonville Press, it’s really not about Who’s right or wrong; it’s about talking about stuff with friends, food and sometimes, alcohol. I had fun watching the Super Bowl this year. It is my hope that this article persuades some of my more elitist friends to join me next year, or anytime, to chill out and talk shit.

This was my first Vonnegut novel, much to the consternation of my friends (yeah I hang out with people who read, what of it?). Even so, the man’s reputation as one of the undisputed gurus of 20th century American literature by now far precedes his work. In Cat’s Cradle (his fourth novel) Vonnegut produces many things: a blunt satire of modern man; prose that bounces along at such a vibrant pace it is nearly impossible to put down; a new religion, history of the world, and island in the Caribbean; characters that grow in subtlety up to the very last paragraph of the book; lots of ice; and one of the most compelling stories I’ve had the pleasure to read in a long while.

Vonnegut follows Jonah (birth name John), a no-name writer and journalist living in modern mid century America. While conducting research for a potential book about the fictional inventor behind the atomic bomb, Jonah is quickly swept up into the torrent of unavoidable, static human history. As a narrator, Jonah is an excellent choice. In no-nonsense prose that hardly ever leaves the reader in a state of uncertainty or doubt, he rationalizes, romps and records his way through the story, enlightening the reader as he himself is painfully enlightened, up to the very point of death. He never finishes that particular book on the atomic bomb, though by the end, the reader realizes that he has in fact succeeded in producing a book on perhaps what is a parallel topic, a “history of human stupidity.”

“Bokononism”, Vonnegut’s religious fantasy, pervades the story; each page drips with the sticky residue of destiny. Connections and coincidences become the norm, as the butterfly effects of human action manifest and re-manifest themselves over and over again. Bokonon, the relgion’s founder, is a fresh take on the modern prophet, unconventional in every sense of the word. Born Lionel Boyd Johnson (LBJ), Bokonon is independently wealthy, having inherited a pirate’s treasure chest from his family, and only adopts the identity of Bokonon after an ocean storm leaves him stranded on the unreal island of San Lorenzo. What distinguishes him and his word from the religions of an older era is the frankness with which he disregards and dismisses his own admitted deceits. As the story unfolds, the reader is casually thrown tidbits of tantalizing information, through Jonah, about the underlying philosophy of Bokononism which slowly enlighten as to what Bokononism is all about. Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that the discovery of Bokononism constitutes one of the novel’s major literary hooks; the prospect of learning more about Bokononism keeps the reader’s attention tightly glued to the pages. It is not a coincidence that Bokonon makes his first and only appearance in the last two pages of the book.

Cat’s Cradle deals with an extensive set of social and philosophical issues, far more than I would care to cover here. One of the more interesting of these has to do with the book’s namesake. Consider a cat’s cradle, the game children play with a piece of string. By manipulating the string between one’s fingers, a pattern emerges that resembles a small cradle, perhaps large enough to accommodate a small kitten. And yet, when you play the game, there is no real cradle, no real cat present. The game alludes to man’s ability to use to metaphors, and what is more, his ability to use metaphors to represent unrealities. Unrealities like those present in our personal rationalizations and justifications of behavior, for example, the justification for the use of the atomic bomb, or the teachings of the Book of Bokonon. We can manipulate our world in different ways by making use of these unrealities. The question then becomes, how should we use them? Vonnegut begins the book with an answer to that question out of the Book of Bokonon: “Live by the foma that makes you brave and kind and healthy and happy.” (foma: the Bokononist word for “harmless untruths”).Once you’ve read this book, you can’t help but see foma everywhere you look, in your life, in your relationships with others, and in the word at large. See the Cat? See the Cradle?

One mark of a good writer is the ability to relay complex ideas in as concise a space as possible, and here, the shear depth of thought, presented in minimalist prose, leaves little doubt of Vonnegut’s skill. The of the book’s major achievements is its readability, and so there really is no excuse for you not to pick it up immediately. At 287 big-print pages and 127 chapters, some no longer than a paragraph, the book moves along at a jaunty pace. It’s a light read, but so packed with deep and interesting ideas that it is nearly impossible to put down once you open it up. The lighthearted satire Vonnegut employs to explore these ideas is simply addicting. If you like satire, philosophy, post-apocalyptic fiction, or just good books, you will certainly not be disappointed with Cat’s Cradle. I recommend it to anyone with a brain.

In such a world, what is to become of the travel writer? One of the more pessimistic fears shared by many predicts that travel writing will, even as it begins to reach out to a broader readership, become a restrictively expensive privilege of the independently wealthy.  Others suspect that the travel writer’s love-hate relationship with tourist boards and “press trips” will continue to expand, for better and for worse. Whatever ends up happening, there is a general consensus among travel writers that the industry is and will continue to undergo sweeping changes in the immediate future.

As for me, I believe that the challenges travel writers currently face may not be as insurmountable as some members of the fold may currently believe. Consider the following:

In the past, one of the primary roles of a travel writer was to illuminate important or helpful information for readers traveling (or considering traveling) to a specific place. Today, that role is all but outdated. Travel writing, notwithstanding a few caveats, generally conveys the same kind of information one might expect from a local investigative, arts and culture, or human interest reporter: where to find the best food and lodging, how to get around, what the political climate of an area feels like on the ground, and what the people in that environment are thinking and feeling. Before the internet, a travel writer could provide valuable insight, flowing from firsthand experience, about a specific foreign or distant place. With the rise of the internet, however, the need for that primary function has largely dissipated, as local wisdom from local residents of an area is now freely and easily accessible by almost anyone at an ever-increasing rate. Travel writers are always trying to tell us how to “live like a local.” Why not just bypass the middleman and go directly to the source?

That said, the travel writer does have something to fall back on: the subjective experience. Good travel writers are experience mongers; they crave pure experience as one craves cold water on a hot day, incessantly and relentlessly seeking it out until an experience worthy of their words manifests itself. This must become the primary role of the travel writer: to bring a small reflection of those experiences back with them to share with their readership…for a small fee.

In such a context, the term “travel writer”, a writer who solely focuses on travel narratives, becomes something of an archaic misnomer. “Writer who travels” would be more accurate. Separated from “objective” and superfluous commentary about what hotels offer the best values and tidbits on how to make sure you make your flight, “travel writers” become “experience writers”, or what is to say, simply writers. To produce a piece of travel writing, all a writer has to do is, well, travel. Were Hemmingway, Orwell and Thompson “travel writers”? Don’t you dare answer “Yes.” They were writers that traveled—and coincidentally produced some of the best travel narratives available for purchase.

In fact, the only real difference between the travel writer and his locally–based counterpart is the subjective context of the travel writer’s research, an overall external environment that is wholly unique to him. Ultimately, this means that the driving force behind a piece of travel writing is the writer’s lack of understanding, and his consequent will to learn more about a new environment, a fact that has broad implications for the content he produces. This additional perspective, a perspective wholly attuned to comparison and critique, gives the author’s efforts value, though to what degree will vary greatly depending upon the skill and personality of the writer.

Considering all this, I would suggest that as the role of the “travel writer” transitions away from “objectivity” and towards subjectivity, so too will the traditional context of “traveler in a foreign land” begin to disappear. Such pieces quickly lose their originality in the presence of so much trite and predictable competition. One hardly need be a “professional traveler” to write a good travel piece; being an interesting person with a knack for writing will suffice.

It makes little sense for writers to box themselves into the “travel writer” genre, just as it makes little sense for a given publication to employ specific writers solely for travel writing, when any skillful writer could produce a worthy and interesting travel piece simply by taking a trip.  Such a trip can be taken in the context of exploring a wholly unrelated issue, goal or topic, a trip which a writer would have taken regardless of personal cost, an issue which a publication would have been looking to cover regardless of distance from home. Such a model, where travel already constitutes a sunken cost, could allow skilled writers to dabble in travel writing, make a little extra money, and save publications big bucks.

But what is more, editors and aspiring travel writers will need to get more creative in deciding how to go about a planning journey. You want to travel for free? Why not donate your time in the foreign country of your choosing? Either that, or make sure you pack a tent and your best hitchhiking  thumb. Want to find new and “otherly” experiences? Look for them closer to home. Maybe I’m just spoiled living in New Jersey, one of, if not the most diverse state in the Union, but I feel quite sure that if you drive 5 hours in any direction from anywhere, you are sure to find something new and uncomfortable to write about…

As a case in point, I refer you to three of the Johnsonville’s own “writers that travel”: Ilya Slavinski, Grace Hong and John Kropa. Ilya is currently at work on a travel series concerning time his spent in Peru while volunteering his labor and skills as a teacher, a perfect example of how one can gain foreign experiences (and share them with others) without having to pay for them. Similarly, Grace is spending the next six months teaching English in rural Korea and has been gracious enough (no pun intended) to share her experiences there with us. John, for his part, just finished a two part travel series on a recent journey up and down the Eastern Seaboard. John got by by sharing the costs and experiences of that journey with friends, taking refuge on the spare beds and coaches of willing acquaintances and strangers, and, when all else failed, crashing in his car. John’s articles demonstrate that when it comes to travel writing, it is not so much the destination as it is the journey, and the altered perspective that that journey fosters, that makes a good travel piece. Happy trails.

[2] Tom “is the author of two books: a travel memoir, Unquiet Days: At Home in Poland, and a collection of travel stories, A Way to See the World: From Texas to Transylvania with a Maverick Traveler. He was the travel editor of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel for 19 years, and his work has been included in “The Best American Travel Writing” 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2008.”

http://www.worldhum.com/features/tom-swick/traveling-and-writing-free-and-easy-20100114/