I hope readers notice your post because it's really lovely.

I'm a committed city dweller in a true old-fashioned neighborhood (i.e. we know everyone on our block by first name and often by last name, our kids tend to go to local schools together and meet up randomly in the playgrounds and parks on a regular basis, we have friendly acquaintance with the local coffee shop owner, auto mechanic, dry cleaner, etc etc...). We have daily interactions with rich and poor, educated and not, young and old. Problems and conflicts arise but if you're forthright you can get things solved or at least get them off your chest. It's an incredible rarity and privilege to be able to live like this these days. This is why, when we needed a bigger house, we moved out to a rental for a year, added a third story, then moved back in. We hope we never have to leave.

That said....I'm so sad for LW and so many other suburbanites who live like him, and I think Cary's insight that we take our cues from our built environment are absolutely true. Little things make a difference. Old-timers in our part of town say that before the advent of A/C, people knew each other even better because on hot summer days they hung out on their front stoops and talked. In nearby infill luxury townhouse developments with garages, neighbors often don't know each other because they go straight from their car to their garage to their kitchen....It turns out that one unexpected boon from having to park on the street is that you see the same faces day after day and at least learn to nod and smile at each other, if not develop actual friendships over time.

There is no human reason these two families, LW's and teenager's, should not at least have a nodding acquaintance with each other. There's no human reason why LW shouldn't feel comfortable going next door and asking politely if the kid could try to knock off the basketball around 6 or 6:30...that still gives him 2.5 to 3 hours of play. Instead there are all these artificial barriers that create unthinkingly disruptive behavior in one household and seething silence in the other.

I think ericab's story holds an important truth: it's easy to be colossally pissed off at total strangers, harder to hold onto that kind of hatred when you just speak one-on-one.

There is also some truth in "Faking it until you make it." LW, I think you should contemplate your own basketball days, then muster whatever faux civility and warmth you can, go over to the kid one afternoon around 4:30, and ask if he wouldn't mind shortening his practice sessions by an hour. Don't forget to mention your own love of the game. And don't neglect to tell him how the sound travels to your patio and really makes it tough to enjoy your dinner--but say this in a spirit of explanation rather than blame. He's a teenager, which means it probably just never even occurred to him. Do it with a big fat fake smile on your face and you may find yourself genuinely feeling happy to be talking to this ambitious and dedicated young person.

One other point--as a musician, I can absolutely understand why in a relatively quiet place, the sound of one basketball thumping for so many hours can be terrorizing. In more crowded areas, the high level of background noise tends to mask single sources.

Possibly the single wisest thing you've ever said, Cary, and you've said some very wise things. Thank you. I needed to hear exactly that today.

I didn't think I had any more laughter left in me, so thanks for the laughs.

I think she's awful, but I can see how from a different perspective her supporters are cheering right now. It hardly matters that she keeps redirecting, avoiding questions, shouting dimwitted slogans...she has that shallow, faux-folksy decisive quality that made the same sort of voter love W.

Biden had called Palin out when she talked about Obama voting 96 percent of the time with congressional Democrats...and countered with McCain's 95%-with-Bush voting record.

That said...he is really on top of his policy facts, and I only hope swing voters can see past Palin's ditzy "adorableness" (puke!) and listen to how much NOTHING she spouts. Did you see her actually WINK early on?

I'm so glad he said it. I don't know how sincerely he means it, but I'm just glad somebody fucking said it out loud & clear in primetime.

I doubt I have ever before so much as sniggered at your sobering posts, Glenn, but your paraphrase of "Andy Martin's" legal complaints against so-called Jew lawyers and Jew judges made me sputter my coffee all over the computer screen. The language itself...using "Jew" as an adjective instead of "Jewish," for example...it's all just so 1939. I was under the impression that rank bigots in the public sphere needed to be more coded and subtle these days, but I guess I was wrong.

It's nice to laugh once in a while in these dark days, even ruefully.

Thanks as always for your vigilance.

~Sandy Asirvatham

Great post. Your post helps me understand what may be going on in the minds of a few conservative-leaning yet very smart and principled friends...who seem awfully quiet this election season.