As a child I honestly believed that pirates had a patch over one eye, a hook for a hand, and uttered "ARRRG!" every few breathes,  I wasn't real clear as to why any of this was the case, but I was convinced nevertheless.  After the last few weeks of media infused depictions and reporting, I am stunned that the visual which held me captive for so many years has been refreshed with a slender AKA  47 yielding Somalian!  My gosh, with out the gun, it looks like I could've "taken" one of those guys with a quick jab to the throat and spin lick to the GUT!! Strangely, the GUN made them look a lot tougher and the vass water made it all the more frightening.  Yet what really startled me, was that this has been an ongoing issue on the sea and we "land-lubbers" are just getting a glimpse of the genuine horror of the life of a merchant seaman!  Now, I find it hard to say "ARRG!" or "ahoy-there-Mate-es, walk -the-plank"  Contrast, I spent the weekend with a group of visitors  from London who were victims of the media as well.  The genius if David Simon has reached the UK in the form of "The WIRE" and now we have to hit the  "refresh" button again!  This enchanting pair of sisters whose dominant intention was to gain a crash course in all things HOOD and Baltimore were slightly bewildered as they drove through beautiful CHARM CITY.  Sure it has a festering sickness which has lingered since of the return of our servicemen from the Vietnam War in the guise of heroine addiction and an open air market liken to none other, so vividly depicted on HBO!  The biggest shock for these civic minded media hostages was  THE WIRE failed to show the clean streets, colossal Roland Park, Guilford, and Homeland community homes, the lovely tree-lined neighborhoods of Sequoia, Hanley Park, Northwood, Bolton Hill, Midtown, Mt Vernon, Mt. Washington, and The Alameda!  Neither had it shown in full spectrum the gentrified East Harbor with it's specialty shops. organic market and high end condominiums.  Before I knew it, I had to go in SEARCH of the microcosm that is "THE WIRE" and it was sickening , once there, all stomachs dropped!  What is that?  How is it possible that Charm City's polarities are so pronounced that it leaves you feeling "PUNK'd?"     I am no idealist, but I smell a set up, a disparity so great that it'll make you turn to sleuthing to satisfy the gap between what you see and what you know!    Or maybe someone needs to be held hostage until we can get results that level the playing field in the form of true drug rehabilitation and education as well as a city-wide sensibilty that sees the bastard child of Baltimore in the same lense as ANNIE and consciously commands the role of Daddy Warbucks!!!

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Meshelle
The Indie-Mom of Comedy