Parochial Plea

[John Bailey]

Just wanted to say, as we catch this wave out of IV (7), that I can't
help but be personally saddened by the unmentioned reference to my
native land here. From what I can remember, Pynchon has referred to
Australia twice or perhaps thrice in his entire oeuvre, which puts the
place well below most other countries and indeed continents. IV's page
99 ref is just a kick in the guts: "In Australia once, a local surfer,
holding the biggest can of beer Flip had ever seen, had even sold him
a fragment of the True Board."

The biggest beer cans I've ever encountered have been in Germany and
Japan - at least four times the size of anything here. And P knows
those nations... I feel so abused.

/irony