A beautiful article by Brian Doherty reminds us not to let the convention season suck the life out of us: The people who try to forge something newââ?¬â??whether an object, or a technology, or a way of lifeââ?¬â??will change and benefit the world far more directly than any conventioneer or politician is likely to, and probably have more fun doing so. As Alexander Cockburn recently and correctly noted, the quality of life of his (mostly lefty) readership in terms of coffee, bread, and vegetables has improved enormously in the past 30 years. And it was not thanks to any government initiative. And what we eat and drink everyday, in a healthy life, ought to mean much more to us than the machinations of those in Washington. Read the whole thing.