“I pick up a copy of Newsweek on the plane and immediately notice how biased, slanted, and opinionated all the U.S. newsmagazine articles are. Not that the Euro and British press aren't biased as well--they certainly are--but living in the United States we are led to believe, and are constantly reminded, that our press is fair and free of bias. After such a short time away, I am shocked at how obviously and blatantly this lie is revealed--there is the 'reporting' that is essentially parroting what the White House press secretary announces; the myriad built-in assumptions that one ceases to register after being somewhere else for a while. The myth of neutrality is an effective blanket for a host of biases.”

“According to the science writer Philip Ball, when it was pointed out to musicologist Deryck Cookethat Slavic and much Spanish music use minor keys for happy music, he claimed that their liveswere so hard that they didn’t really know what happiness was anyway.”

“I don't care how impossible it seems.”

“Why not invest in the future of music, instead of building fortresses to preserve its past?”

“I never listen to the radio unless I rent a car.”

“I don't listen to the radio very much, but that could be because I don't have a car.”

“I'm not suggesting people abandon musical instruments and start playing their cars and apartments, but I do think the reign of music as a commodity made only by professionals might be winding down.”

“There's a certain amount of freedom involved in cycling: you're self-propelled and decide exactly where to go. If you see something that catches your eye to the left, you can veer off there, which isn't so easy in a car, and you can't cover as much ground walking.”

“On a bike, being just slightly above pedestrian and car eye level, one gets a perfect view of the goings-on in one's own town.”

“You can know or not know how a car runs and still enjoy riding in a car.”

“Real beauty knocks you a little bit off kilter.”