The high culture not only looks down upon the masses for its cultural inferiority; it excludes the masses via outrageous ticket and parking fees.

I'm not sure where havurah lives, but here in Los Angeles, while the top ticket price for an LA Philharmonic concert at Disney Hall may be $135, you can get a balcony seat for $39. When the Phil moves to the Hollywood Bowl for the summer season, ticket prices range from $122 down to $1. Or you could spend your money at the upcoming Police show in June at Dodger Stadium: ticket prices range from $410 to $50. Why are we assuming that "high culture" is expressing an elitist attitude towards the masses via its ticket pricing policy but not so for big touring pop acts?

Personally I'm entirely uninterested in the distinction between high, mid and lowbrow culture. I subscribe to both the LA Philharmonic and LA Opera seasons. Today when I drive home I'll be listening to Amy Winehouse or maybe Arcade Fire. Once home I'll definitely download the new John Doe track and later in the evening I may play along to a Cheap Trick or Nirvana song in Guitar Hero II on my Xbox. It's all entertainment to me...

Another excellent article from Mr. Greenwald, but could I suggest correcting this sentence: "The notion that Americans would backlash against Pelosi...". Backlash is a noun, not a verb. You can't "backlash" against something. It should probably read something more like: "The notion that there would be a backlash from the American people toward Pelosi...".

I'd never seen backlash used as a noun before, so I checked with Merriam-Webster (www.m-w.com):

Main Entry: back·lash

Pronunciation: 'bak-"lash

Function: noun

1 a : a sudden violent backward movement or reaction b : the play between adjacent movable parts (as in a series of gears); also : the jar caused by this when the parts are put into action

2 : a snarl in that part of a fishing line wound on the reel

3 : a strong adverse reaction (as to a recent political or social development)

- back·lash·er noun

But if the Random House Unabridged Dictionary says it can be used as a verb, I guess I'll have to yield. It still sounds a little awkward to me. Didn't mean to turn the letters thread into a discussion of grammar. My apologies.

Umm, maybe I am missing a note of sarcasm in the previous letters, but it is not the bandage hanging down between Mr. Sterne's legs that caused the uproar, but rather what appears to be protruding above his groin. That is the part of the photo that both People and the New York Post digitally obscured.

I, like everyone else it seems, came away a little annoyed when Sylar seemed to have survived being skewered by Hiro and disappeared down a conveniently located manhole. But then it occurred to me this morning that the blood trail leading to the manhole looked more like someone dragged the bloody body away than the blood trail that would be left by someone crawling away. I propose that there's someone who wanted Sylar's brain. The Organization? The really bad boogie man? Momma Petrelli???

"It's not intended to do anything other than to recognize that that is the best setting we know of since the beginning of recorded history for developing and nurturing the children of the next generation."

Marriage is not a gold star that the state gives out when a man and woman conceive a child as recognition of their success at creating "the best setting we know of since the beginning of recorded history for developing and nurturing the children of the next generation". It's a complex civil contract that confers specific rights and responsibilities to the couple that enters into it. Marriage laws are, as far as I can tell, blind to said couple's ability or fitness as parents. Mr. Romney's statement is, to be blunt, horseshit.

The wireless keyboard costs $79 if purchased separately, but it's only a $30 upgrade when you buy one of the new iMacs from Apple.

From Universal's press release:

Participants including Google, Wal-Mart, Best Buy Digital Music Store, Rhapsody, Transworld, Passalong Networks, Amazon.com and Puretracks, will offer downloads to consumers in the DRM-free audio format of their choice in a variety of bit rates. For the most part, the DRM free downloads will be offered at standard wholesale prices.

In addition, DRM-free downloads will also be available through artist and label-branded websites, including will.i.am.com, sum41.com, evefans.com, www.common-music.com, ryan-adams.com, blaqkaudio.com, dianakrall.com, sectionquartet.com, as well as defjam.com, islandrecords.com and classicsandjazz.co.uk, among many others.

I have yet to get any response to any of the inquiries to Microsoft about how they will refund me as they very publically stated months ago. I think it's a scam.

Microsoft made the "Warranty Coverage Expanded" announcement on July 5, about seven weeks ago. Their FAQ states customers can expect their refund in 10 to 12 weeks. That gives them another three to five weeks to make good on their promise...

No problem at my polling place. The poll worker there, noticing that I was listed as "nonpartisan" in the registration roll, actually asked me if I wanted to vote for the Democratic nomination. (You're still given a "nonpartisan" ballot but you then vote in one of the booths labeled "Democrat").