The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality

I highly recommend the fine book by the French philosopher, André Comte-Spoonville titled "The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality."
These engaging, wise, articulate, and diplomatic short essays were translated from the French by Nancy Huston (Penguin, 2007).  This 212 page gem consists of four chapters:  1. Can We Do Without Religion?; 2. Does God Exist?; 3. Can There Be an Atheist Spirituality; and 4.  Love and Truth. 

Professor Comte-Spoonville is a non-dogmatic atheist, respectful of the positive aspects of religions traditions (Western and Eastern), and tolerant of non-fanatic believers.  However, his carefully reasoned arguments for atheism are clear, strong, and convincing.  He tells us why he does not believe in God, an afterlife, divine intervention, creationism, or the heavenly triumph of good; but he does not take a more aggressive anti-religious tact like Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennent, Sam Harris, or Ayn Rand.  

The "atheist spirituality" he advocates is an appreciation for the wonder and beauty of the natural world and human consciousness at its best; and the cultivated or spontaneous mystical experiences characterized by silence, mystery, plenitude, oceanic feeling, immanensity, simplicity, unity, timelessness, serenity, self-evident truth, acceptance, independence, and love.  He advocates a fidelity to the best philosophy and traditions of Western civilization, starting with the Greeks. 
 
He tackles and clearly shows the weaknesses of the traditional arguments for the existence of God/Allah/Shiva.  He provides a well reasoned explanation of why there is weak or non-existent evidence for believing in the existence of God when he discusses the hidden nature of God, incomprehensibility, the excess of evil, human mediocrity, and resisting the lure of illusion (i.e., strongly believing in something simply because you really desire or want to believe).  

He provides convincing reasons for why we can live productive, dignified, respectful, cheerful, virtuous, intelligent, and courageous lives without religion.  

He draws on wide range of Western and Eastern philosopher, theologians, social, and psychological thinkers to bolster his arguments.  

If your public library has a book by the Reverend Billy Graham then it should have a copy of this book by Professor Comte-Spoonville.  

The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality  

Gateless Gate Koans Subject Index

In 1961, at age 15, I read three books that greatly influenced my thinking: The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant, Why I am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell, and Zen Flesh and Zen Bones by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki.  I read books from the Bandini Branch (two blocks from my home) of the County of Los Angeles Public Library, and from the old ELA Library Branch of CoLAPL near my Catholic elementary school, and later from the City of Commerce Public Library.

I still own copies of Zen Flesh and Zen Bones compiled by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki. It is the first Koan Collection I ever read.  I have studied many other "brief" spiritual stories/tests/sermons/koans collections for many decades since 1961.    

Zen Flesh and Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings. Translated and compiled by By Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki. Tuttle Publishing, Flaps edition, 1998. First published in 1957.  211 pages. The Gateless Gate (Mumonkan) was transcribed by Nyogen Senzaki (1876–1958) and Paul Reps (1895–1990) in 1934, and appeared in in "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, 1958" pp. 109-161. VSCL, hardbound and paperback. 101 Stories/Koans.

There are numerous published collections of brief Buddhist and Taoist stories, conversations, meetings, student and teacher exchanges, sermons, lessons, instructions, questions, tests and problems, confrontations, spiritual insights, biographies of Buddhist Saints and Heroes, enlightenment experiences, etc.  I call some of these "Koan Collections."

I decided I would first use a simple Excel spreadsheet to create a Subject Index to Koan Collections.  Then, I converted to using Microsoft Access Database for the Koan Database Project.  

The first book (Koan Collection) I indexed was:

GB The Gateless Gate: The Classic Book of Zen Koans.  Translated with commentary by Koun Yamada Roshi.  2004. 48 Koan Cases compiled around 1250 CE.  

Subject Index to Cases in the Gateless Barrier (GB). [48 Koans, Compiled around 1250 CE]

Alphabetical List of English Titles of the Gateless Gate (GB) Koans

List of Case in Numerical Order of the Gateless Gate (GB) Koans

Indexing by Michael P. Garofalo. First Draft on March 25, 2023.

Subject Index to Cases in Koan Collections. Indexed by Michael P. Garofalo.

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

  

The Sea Calls Me

 Karen and I have been dealing with surgeries and rehabilitation for a few months during the late winter of 2023. I have not been Yurt camping at the Oregon Coast, at Bandon, since January, 2023.  

In a few weeks I will be solo Yurt camping at Grayland Beach State Park, near Westport, in Washington.  YES!!!.  

Part I: Southwestern Washington

Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, Long Beach Peninsula, Lower Columbia River
A Traveler's Hypertext Notebooks, Guides, and Resources

Part II: Grayland Beach
A Beach Camper's Hypertext Notebook,
Studies, Readings, Activities, Seasons, and Tips 

Part III: Doing and Seeing   
Photographs, Blog Posts, and Reports from 2021-2024  

Part IV: Reflections of Beachcombers   
Poetry, Short Essays, Commentary, Quotations   

Southwestern Washington

 

Grays Harbor
 

Willapa Bay
 

Long Beach Peninsula
 

Lower Columbia River, North Side, from Ilwaco East to Washougal

Olympia south to Vancouver, Interstate 5 Corridor
 

Native Americans in the Area

Northwest Coastal Oregon: Astoria to Cape Lookout

 

Four Days in Grayland Homepage

 

“The waves broke and spread their waters swiftly over the shore. One after another they massed themselves and fell; the spray tossed itself back with the energy of their fall. The waves were steeped deep-blue save for a pattern of diamond-pointed light on their backs which rippled as the backs of great horses ripple with muscles as they move. The waves fell; withdrew and fell again, like the thud of a great beast stamping.”
-  Virginia Woolf, The Waves

Not many birds seen by
the cold low tide shore;
I thought I see many more.
Saw seagulls at the Westport docks,
Waiting for free fish guts,
Tossed potato chips or popcorn bits,
Tossed aside by fishermen
Laughing over old jokes and riddles,
Hoping for better weather
When the lingcod might bite better.

"The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; – on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanch’d land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in."
-  Matthew Arnold, Dover Beach, 1860

Four Days in Grayland
By Michael P. Garofalo

Planting Our Front Yard Vegetable Garden

Karen and I have maintained a summer vegetable garden for 50 years.  Here are some photos of our current vegetable garden in Vancouver, Washington.  It is located on the west side of our home, in the front yard, in a location with full sun.

We place seedlings and seeds into the veggie garden on May 1st in Vancouver.  

Plenty of space for a home garden

Lots of Onions coming along
Note: These beds were garbage compost bins
a few years ago.

No seeds up yet - just seedlings

Early May - Front of House

We had a much larger vegetable
garden in Red Bluff, CA, from
1998-2017.
We also planted over 100 fruit trees
on the 5 acres of land.

The Spirit of Gardening

Seasons and Months

More Weeding Work to be Done on Corner

Belushi's "Enough is Not Enough"

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 23

Belushi's "Enough is Not Enough"

More Drugs, More Sex, More Money, More Fame, More Euphoria!
Falling into false, evil, perverted, and selfish aims, goals, acts and choices! 
Vomit ... Face Yourself!  Don't Face Yourself ... Vomit!
Face Yourself and Don't Face Yourself ... Vomit!

A Student's Considerations:

Everyone's Big Problem: 
Knowing When to Stop!
Knowing When to Say No!  
Moderating and controlling one's greed, desires, wishes, and "needs" for More.
When to embrace moderation, restraint, conservation, simplicity?
Don't wear away your life too fast.
Learn about the Epicurean's view on pleasures and pains and peace of mind.
Limits, limits, limits ... do you understand "limits?"
Don't let others deceive, trick and mislead you.
Some bad habits will grab you by the neck and choke you to death.
If you have extra money, share it with others and good causes.
Your life is a model for others; don't let them down.
Please, Let Enough be Enough!
Stoics, Epicureans, and Buddhists all caution us about taking pleasures,
   attaching too much emphasis on pleasures, and preferring peace of 
   mind, wholesome human functioning, and tranquility.

By Hakuin Ekaku

 

Related Links, Resources, References

"Whiskey bottles, and brand new cars
Oak tree you're in my way
There's too much coke and too much smoke
Look what's going on inside you

Ooh that smell
Can't you smell that smell
Ooh that smell
The smell of death surrounds you."
- Lynyrd Skynyrd

John Belushi (1949-1982)

Classic Koans: Nothing on drug misuse found yet.  

Buddhist Precepts, Paramitas, Morals, Ethics, Yamas/Niyamas

Virtue Ethics

How to Live a Good Life: Advice From Wise Persons

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Dialogues.

The Daodejing by Laozi    Best? 

Pulling Onions  Over 1,043 One-line Sayings by Mike Garofalo

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Taoism

Buddhism

Fireplaces, Stoves, Campfires, Kitchens, Pots, Firewood

Chinese Art

Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong

Meditation Methods

Zen Koan Books I Use

Koan Database Project

Brief Spiritual Lessons Database Project: Subject Indexes

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

(This is an ongoing project for the Spring-Summer of 2023)

Sparks: Brief Spiritual Lessons and Stories

Matches to Start a Kindling of Insight
May the Light from Your Inner Fireplace Help All Beings
Taoist, Chan Buddhist, Zen Buddhist, Philosophers
Catching Phrases, Inspiring Verses, Koans, Meditations
Indexing, Bibliography, Quotations, Notes, Resources
Research by Michael P. Garofalo

The Fireplace Records
By Michael P. Garofalo

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

In the Early Morning Rain

In the Early Morning Rain
By Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)

Performed by Peter, Paul, and Mary

Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald  1979

By Gordon Lightfoot

Sundown   1974
By Gordon Lightfoot 

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

 

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

Indexing by Michael P. Garofalo
Fifth Draft, May 8, 2023, PDF
Green Way Research, Vancouver, Washington

PDF, 5/8/2023, 152 Pages

Blue Cliff Record 100 Koans (BCR)
Book of Serenity/Equanimity 100 Koans (BOS)
Dogen's Shinji Mana Shobogenzo 300 Koans (DSMS)
Entangling Vines 272 Koans (ENT)
Fireplace Records 25 Koans (TFR)
Flock of Fools: Parable Sutra 98 Koans (OHPS)
Gateless Gate 48 Koans (GB)
Iron Flute 100 Koans (IF)
Opening A Mountain 60 Koans (OM)
Record of Empty Hall 100 Koans (REH)
Record of Linji 40 Koans (LIN)
Transmission of Light: Keizan 53 Biographies (TOL)
Zen Echoes 43 Koans (ZE)

Brief Zen Buddhist Spiritual Stories, Koans, Dialogues
https://www.egreenway.com/buddhism/koans.htm

Koans Database Project Expected Completion 12/20/2023

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

 

  

Oregon Desert Road Trip

 

 

Suzuki Walks in the Fog

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 22

Suzuki Walks in the Fog

Shunryu Suzuki (1904-1971) lived in San Francisco for many years.  He was the Zen Master who was the founder of the Zen Centers in San Francisco and Carmel Valley.  Many of his students in California became influential Zen Buddhist teachers and authors.  

San Francisco often has heavy fog cover in the summer, and the Willamette Valley in Oregon has very heavy fog cover in the winter.  The Central Valleys of California can have very heavy Tule ground fog cover in the winter. Normally, clouds and rainfall come in the winter on the West Coast of the USA, and the summer's are dry and clear - a Mediterranean Climate.

Suzuki was a skillful teacher, working with a variety of students: monks and householders.  His Zen Centers also developed programs for end of life hospice care, AIDS help, food programs, retreats, Temple services, drug rehabilitation, monk training, etc.

A key to his success, besides in enlightened teaching and kindness, was his ability to be patient, stay the course, work day by day, be dedicated, and encourage others to persist in their spiritual practices.  Progress is patience, work, and letting go of attachments to "success" in your spiritual endeavors.  

"After you have practiced for awhile, you will realize that it is not possible to make rapid, extraordinary progress.  Even though you may try very hard, the progress you make is always little by little.  It is not like going out in a shower in which you know when you get wet.  In a fog, you do not know you are getting wet, but as you keep walking you get wet little by little.  If you mind has ideas of progress, you may say, "Oh, this pace is terrible!" But actually, it is not.  When you get wet in a fog it is very difficult to dry yourself.  So there is no need to worry about progress."
- Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, p. 41

A Student’s Considerations:

Learning to play a musical instrument, cook, garden, or whatever, requires
   patience, practice, and steady slow progress.
Don't Rush so often.  Slow down.  Lower your pace.
Tortoise and Hare: Slow/Fast, Jogging/Sprinting.
Be careful of your commitments in terms of available time.
Take a walk, safely, in the dense fog - in a world erased.
Be committed and soak up the wisdom of the Masters!
Just Do It!  Don't worry about progress.
Persist, struggle forward, persevere like the sturdy Carp swimming upstream
   through a waterfall, passing through the Dragon's Gate, and then becoming
   a Royal Dragon. We have watched salmon migrating upstream to their
   Original Home, and facing their Great Death that gives life to others.  

 

Related Links, Resources, References

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. By Shunryu Suzuki. Shambhala, 1970, 2020 50th Anniversary Edition, 176 pages. VSCL, Paperback.  36 Essays/Chapters.

Koans:

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Dialogues.

The Daodejing by Laozi    Best? 

Pulling Onions  Over 1,043 One-line Sayings by Mike Garofalo

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Taoism

Buddhism

Fireplaces, Stoves, Campfires, Kitchens, Pots, Firewood

Chinese Art

Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong

Meditation Methods

Zen Koan Books I Use

Koan Database Project

Brief Spiritual Lessons Database Project: Subject Indexes

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans
(This is an ongoing project in the Spring of 2023)

Sparks: Brief Spiritual Lessons and Stories

Matches to Start a Kindling of Insight
May the Light from Your Inner Fireplace Help All Beings
Taoist, Chan Buddhist, Zen Buddhist, Philosophers
Catching Phrases, Inspiring Verses, Koans, Meditations
Indexing, Bibliography, Quotations, Notes, Resources
Research by Michael P. Garofalo

The Fireplace Records
By Michael P. Garofalo

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

Subject Index to 621 Buddhist Koans

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

Indexing by Michael P. Garofalo
Fifth Draft, May 8, 2023, PDF
Green Way Research, Vancouver, Washington

PDF, 5/8/2023, 152 Pages

Blue Cliff Record 100 Koans (BCR)
Book of Serenity/Equanimity 100 Koans (BOS)
Dogen's Shinji Mana Shobogenzo 300 Koans (DSMS)
Entangling Vines 272 Koans (ENT)
Fireplace Records 25 Koans (TFR)
Flock of Fools: Parable Sutra 98 Koans (OHPS)
Gateless Gate 48 Koans (GB)
Iron Flute 100 Koans (IF)
Opening A Mountain 60 Koans (OM)
Record of Empty Hall 100 Koans (REH)
Record of Linji 40 Koans (LIN)
Transmission of Light: Keizan 53 Biographies (TOL)
Zen Echoes 43 Koans (ZE)

Brief Zen Buddhist Spiritual Stories, Koans, Dialogues
https://www.egreenway.com/buddhism/koans.htm

Koans Database Project Expected Completion 12/20/2023

Subject Index to 1,001 Zen Buddhist Koans

 

World Tai Chi Chuan Celebration Day

Tai Chi Chuan enthusiasts celebrated "World Tai Chi Chuan Day" in Vancouver, WA, on April 29th.

Over 100 Taiji players gathered together today at Clark Community College in downtown Vancouver.

I spent time talking with many people at the event.  

The Oldest Living Being

The Curse of the Methuselah Tree
The Oldest Tree on Earth, 4,800 Years Old
The Bristlecone Pines
White Mountains, 11,000 + Feet, California

Zen and Altered States of Consciousnes

 "It is often emphasized that the goal of Zen Buddhism is not some kind of altered states of consciousness.  On the contrary, the aim of Zen Buddhism is to become immune to being conditioned into altered states.  In this context, furthermore, "altered states" are defined more rigorously than in conventional psychological theory, from the perspective of the pure original mind rather from that of the local parameters of conventional consciousness.  Guishan (Isan), another great Chinese Zen master of the Tang dynasty, said, "The mind of people of the Way is straightforward and unartificial, neither ignoring or inclining, with no deceptive errant mind; at all time their perception is normal.  There are no further details.  Also, don't shut the eyes and ears; as long as the feelings don't stick to things, that is enough."

As suggested by this statement, Zen Buddhism does not teach escapism, chronic withdrawal, or denial of ordinary reality. The late Tang dynasty master Caoshan (Sozan) said, "There is no need to escape anything; just know about it. that's enough.  If you try to avoid it, it's still affecting you.  Just don't be changed or affected by things, and you will be free."

-  Rational Zen: The Mind of Dogen Zengi.  1993, p. 5-

Fred's Magic Strings

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 20

Fred’s Magic Strings

Fred lived along the Umatilla River at the eastern edge of the Blue Mountains in northeastern Oregon.  He had been a truck driver for decades between the Walla Walla, Tri-Cities, Hermiston, Boardman, Portland, and Pendleton areas.  He was retired now, and living in Pendleton.  He enjoyed the small town cowboy culture of Pendleton, the forests of the Blue Mountains, the vast wheat fields, the hardy local whiskeys, and the Indian powwow events. 

Years ago, Fred had taken up the hobby of using cotton string to create figures and shapes.  This activity of using the hands and fingers to manipulate a string can produce many interesting string figures.  Playing string figure games in the Winter months was popular among American Indian Tribes in the Northwest. It was a relaxing leisure time activity for old Fred.  

He had purchased a string figures book from the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute and Museum on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, practiced, and learned many string figures.  He shared his skills and art with others at various gatherings. 

Fred felt like he was creating something out of nothing.  The circle of string was pure potential, pure Yin.  The hands and fingers begin to move the string: twisting, turning, interchanging, grabbing, releasing, turning, looping, exchanging, dropping … Yang emerging. Then, suddenly, a figure appears: Four Stars, a Rabbit, a Butterfly, a Blanket, a Fly, a Lizard, Sunrise, Fisherman's Net, Fireplace Burning, ….

Yes, it is something from something, and also something from nothing.  Profane/Sacred, Ordinary/Holy, Skills/Art. 

Artists or writers facing a blank canvas or blank paper sense this moment: the state of the empty canvas before them, nothing done, a blank, the beginning.  Then, emerging from the Fingers Moving and the Mind/Ideas/Intentions Moving and the String, Paint Brush or Pen Moving … Something New Appears, or we just imagine that it appears.  For the Artist: Just Doing It, Making It, Creating It, Showing It, is the Great Challenge!

Young and old enjoyed watching Fred’s string figures skills and listening to his storytelling.

A hot summer's day in Pendleton

A Student’s Considerations:

What hobbies should one choose in their life?
Simple arts may bring great creative pleasures.
A Confucian gentleman cultivates and treasures the Arts.
Sharing the Magic: performing, entertaining, creating, doing.
Aesthetes, literati, scholars, artists, and writers are found amongst
    some Taoists, Buddhists, and Confucians.
How do pre-literate cultures differ from cultures with libraries?
What “Arts” are necessary in the Fireplace Nexus?

 

Related Links, Resources, References

String On Your Fingers  By Michael P. Garofalo. 
String figures, tricks, and knots from many lands. 
https://www.gardendigest.com/string/index.htm

Pendleton, Oregon and Umatilla Indian Reservation

Koans:

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Dialogues.

The Daodejing by Laozi    Best? 

Pulling Onions  Over 1,043 One-line Sayings by Mike Garofalo

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Taoism

Buddhism

Fireplaces, Stoves, Campfires, Kitchens, Pots, Firewood

Chinese Art

Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong

Meditation Methods

Zen Koan Books I Use

Koan Database Project

Brief Spiritual Lessons Database Project: Subject Indexes

Sparks: Brief Spiritual Lessons and Stories

Matches to Start a Kindling of Insight
May the Light from Your Inner Fireplace Help All Beings
Taoist, Chan Buddhist, Zen Buddhist, Philosophers
Catching Phrases, Inspiring Verses, Koans, Meditations
Indexing, Bibliography, Quotations, Notes, Resources
Research by Michael P. Garofalo

The Fireplace Records
By Michael P. Garofalo

 

 

The Roshi's Clapping Cell Phone

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 19

The Roshi's Clapping Cell Phone

"What is the sound of one hand clapping? asked Hakuin Ekaku in 1740.

Thousands of monks and householders have introspected this famous Zen Koan Case since 1740.  They pounded on tables with one hand, tapped their staff against the floor with one hand, and came up with many wordy replies to reveal the sound of one hand clapping.  

After years of study with Hakuin, after satisfactory revealing the spiritual and psychic impact of the koans, after achieving enlightenment, and after following the Dharma Path thereafter, Hakuin would award his close friend/student, his Dharma heir, with a painting of a whisk and dragon staff.

 

Of course, the mind does the clapping itself, patting ourselves on the back with one hand, cheering us on, applauding our daily efforts.
Bravo! With one hand or two hands clapping, no matter, show your respect and appreciation for all our good work.  

Haikuin painted with one hand, and applauded his student's efforts and achievements.   

My Roshi has a Apple cellphone.  His ring tone is the sound of clapping. Naturally, he holds the phone with one hand.  

I applaud his Dharma efforts!  He needs a pat on the back.  

A Student's Considerations:

Different centuries, different ideas and things at hand.
Applaud, clap for, cheer on the good efforts of everyone.  
Talking is the father of metaphors.
Practical realists would say that a single hand makes no clapping sound; but, poets and mystics favor playing with entangling expressions. And,
we all hear the sound and know the direct meaning of a pat on the back.
Occasionally, the wrong answer is revealing in new ways. 
Even if a pat on the back is not forthcoming, keeping working.      

Related Links, Resources, References

Koans:

Virtue Ethics

Gratitude

Time Movement Change Transformation Mortality

Process Philosophy

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Dialogues.

The Daodejing by Laozi    Best? 

Pulling Onions  Over 1,043 One-line Sayings by Mike Garofalo

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Taoism

Buddhism

Fireplaces, Stoves, Campfires, Kitchens, Pots, Firewood

Chinese Art

Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong

Meditation Methods

Zen Koan Books I Use

Koan Database Project

Brief Spiritual Lessons Database Project: Subject Indexes

Sparks: Brief Spiritual Lessons and Stories

Matches to Start a Kindling of Insight
May the Light from Your Inner Fireplace Help All Beings
Taoist, Chan Buddhist, Zen Buddhist, Philosophers
Catching Phrases, Inspiring Verses, Koans, Meditations
Indexing, Bibliography, Quotations, Notes, Resources
Research by Michael P. Garofalo

The Fireplace Records
By Michael P. Garofalo