walfredo_primavera

First of all, thank you so much for your service! You are a true American hero. In meeting your captor/captors, did you sense that you were able to find some peace or some closure in all of this? As a follow up question, was there ever a time in the period after you were released where you ever thought you would do something like you did in 1991? If not, how long did it take before you decided on that?

As a musician who spans from the times of "platinum status" albums, and the good 'ol days of Sam Goody etc, what is your take on streaming services like Spotify and the like? Have you seen a shift with the way record companies/"the studio system" have been in that time span? Finally, where is hip-hop at right now, in your estimation? A lot has changed, obviously. I'm more of a backpacker myself, and really maybe got into Wu-Tang but ultimately branched out and started listening to RJD2, Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock etc. Was Saul Williams right?

I read 'The End of Poverty' and I have to say, I am a huge fan of that book. I often cite your work to support ideas like that sweat-shops aren't necessarily the evil they're portrayed to be. Since the book, how much, in you eyes, has changed in the world? Do you feel like leaders sat up and took notice? Also, from your perspective, what is going well or not so well with the US economy?

I once considered joining up with MSF/DWB but I am a respiratory therapist and it appears that you don't hire RTs. Nevertheless, I am a huge supporter of your mission and your work. How does MSF decide to dispatch to a particular area of the world, and, when they do, how do they manage security expectations? I would imagine certain areas could be downright hostile.

I know I could do a quick calculation and figure out average speed, but what was your fastest speed/fastest leg of the trip? What mods were made to the vehicle you used to make the journey? Was there ever a time when you were doing this where you encountered something that would slow someone down like massive road construction? If so, what did you do to deal with that?