Home is nowhere near
So I step from the car
Not knowing what to expect
When I’ll be back here again it seems so far

The ones who drove came first
No one knew what was in store
There were more to come from flight
They were late due to the pour

Everyone was wondering
No one had a clue
Even the counselors were questioning
But Billy knew what to do

Billy showed us a video
Of his idol and friend
About a journey of connection and the ability to change
He said we’ll have that when our journey ends

From AIDS to Greenpeace
To pro-chose and pro-pot
To arguing with “Focus on the Family”
And conspiracy theories of when Kennedy was shot

Most say we did it all
I say that’s absurd
We must “own the tee-shirt” now
Which means Billy kept his word

During this journey
We all became close
Traveling America is one thing
But with friends it’s fun at its most

Naomi, Evan, Neal, and Hannah
The councilors on this trip
Made our journey full
With the jokes we would rip

Carlton is surely named Bus Driver of the Year
I’ll miss him and the bus which brought us together
He was there to pick us up
Where or whenever

To my new friends from Etgar 36
Laughter is what I think when I think of when I think of you
I’m sure Ariel won’t mind when I say
You are the brightest kids I’ve ever known too

But it’s time to turn over the spotlight
To the man of the hour
The reason we are here today
The one who gave us this feeling of power

But now we are back from this inspiring trip
We have reached the end
I will miss you all so very much
This is to my new friends

The past two days in Washington D.C. have been packed with a variety of meetings and activities. Saturday morning we started at The National Coalition for the Homeless. There, we spoke with the director of the program, Michael Stoops as well as a formerly homeless woman, Francine, and a man named John, who is currently living on the street. Their stories of struggle and hardship gave us the realization that the country we live in is not as fair and equal as it is made out to be. After everything that they have gone through their optimism and hope left everyone in the room feeling inspired and wanting to create change. When we confronted the fact that often times people are uncomfortable giving money to people on the streets by asking what we could do other than give money, Francine told us, “Whatever you give, it doesn’t have to be money, but give from your heart.” Hearing this made me think that it only takes a small gesture to make someone’s day or week just a little better, and since then I’ve noticed that when our group walks past someone homeless, a select few have gone out of their way to present food, money, or just conversation to those who most people look right through, and choose to ignore.

After going to the coalition, we approached The White House as we walked through Lafayette Park; we stopped and talked to all the different protesters on their positions and beliefs. The people we encountered in that park were some of the most driven many of us will ever meet; there were people on a hunger strike, a woman who has been protesting outside of The White House since 1981, and many others. This was one highlight of our time here in Washington because we had a chance to discuss and debate issues and our views with the protesters.

After about half of an hour we sat down under a tree where we discussed development. We spoke with Avi Rosenblit, who works for Jews United For Justice. We discussed gentrification, diversity, pros and cons of affordable housing and what we can do to help. After talking we returned to the bus that has become our home to take us to dinner; we went to Potbelly for delicious, warm sandwiches.

After that we headed towards Capitol Steps at the Lincoln Center where we would enjoy a night of fun political jokes. While we were sitting there, it occurred to me that had I seen that show prior to this trip, I wouldn’t have understood a fair number of the jokes. After a fun time watching Capitol Steps, we took things down a notch, and visited a few memorials; Billy told us that it was important to see some of the memorials at night because that was the way they were meant to be seen.

First we went to the Vietnam memorial were there was just a wall slowly ascending as you walk farther back, with a huge list of names of the men and women that died in the war. The wall getting taller symbolizes the war growing bigger and bigger, going from something that you can overlook and growing into something that surrounds you and you can’t escape it. Leaning against the wall was an occasional sheet with a picture and information about a man or woman listed on that panel. There were letters from friends and family sending their best to their deceased loved ones that were just heartbreaking. There was also a shirt on a cardboard square, signed by a few people and it said on it, ”All gave some, some gave all.” While I was walking along the wall, I stuck my hand out to feel the etched in names, it made it feel more tangible, and as I got to the tallest part of the wall, I stuck my hand straight up and the wall went way above where my hand could reach; this is when it became clear, the war was bigger than just one person, but each person mattered; that idea seemed to sum up our trip in a bit of a nutshell. It was extremely powerful.

Next was the Korean Memorial were there was another wall, but this one was a little different; this wall had no words, but it had faces and images from the Korean War. When facing the wall there was a reflection of a soldier, and I turned around to see a large area with differently positioned soldier sculptures from the war. Each one’s face portrayed something different, but they all had an element of fear, and the way that they were illuminated at night added the additional feeling of fear. At the end of the wall was a larger statue of a few men one of which had died, and there was a woman bracing him in her arms and this is when the full affect hit. It was yet another moving memorial.

We then headed towards the newest memorial, the World War II memorial that was finished two years ago. It had a plaque and a wreath for each state that were all lined up as a wall in a big circle. In the center of the circle was a large pool of water. In between the wall and the big pool of water on one side there was a small pool of water and the wall behind it said, “Here marks the price of freedom.” The whole wall was covered with metal stars, we were told that each star represented one thousand lives, and to look at the scale was just unbelievable.

Last but not least, we went to the Washington Memorial. Although it stands tall, beautiful, and strong, it didn’t do much for me. The one thing about it that I found to be incredible was that you could see every monument in the mall when standing next to it. Billy explained that it was like a big cross and he thought it was all strategically placed to do just that. After that we headed back to the hotel after a long and productive day for a nice sleep.

The next day we started the morning on a very serious note, at the Holocaust museum. All that I can say is that if you haven’t been there before, put it on a list of things to do before you die, it’s incredible. Although it is at times very upsetting and disturbing, it wakes you up and really makes you realize that when we say “never again” we really have to follow through. There is a room just filled with a pile of shoes that have all melded together to look gray from age, but imaging the shoes filled with human lives was very hard. At the end of the museum was a room for remembrance where you could light a candle to honor the memories of all that were killed and I went in there for about ten minutes and just meditated and really thought about where I was. As moving as it was, we had to proceed to the next museum.

At the Smithsonian American History Museum we were able to explore the cultural and political aspects of our nation’s history. We began with lunch and then were given time to tour the various exhibits. It was particularly interesting to see the exhibit about the different wars America has participated in. I noticed, that in the Vietnam section, I found myself feeling much more knowledgeable about the events that took place during the ten-year span of the war. For example, the student riots and the shootings that took place at Kent state was such a tremendous event in our past. When we were able to go to the university and experience the story first hand, it made seeing one of the actual riffles used in the museum much more real and harder hitting.

We then talked to David Smith who we had spoken with previously at Berkley. He had told us about his organization, Mobilize.org, that helps teens get involved in political issues. When we spoke to him in Berkley he told us about his story, and how he had come to make a difference, but this time was more about us being able to make our own differences. We all got Mobilizer’s Guidebooks and information about how we can get involved not only with Mobilize.org but also how we can do things independently. After we spoke with David Smith, he so generously let us use his office for our “wrap-up.”

This would be the last wrap-up for four of our friends, so it was a very important one. We all spoke about how we had seen everything come together in D.C. and how everything we learned had finally culminated in the past four days. We all went around and skipped the turns of those who were leaving, to save them for the end, but when it came to their turn, the first three all agreed on one thing, that these past five weeks had been five of the best weeks of their lives. The fourth to speak about his departure from Etgar 36 was Aaron Kessler, who so brilliantly stated, “These past five weeks are not the best five weeks of my life. That would be like saying the whistle is the best part of the race, or the green light is the best part of the drive.” That’s what this trip has been about, supplying us with the materials to continue on with our lives and be involved. We have now been given a car with a full tank of gas, and now with the end of Etgar comes the beginning of the long drive.

After our wrap-up we went to see “An Inconvenient Truth”, the new Al Gore movie which showed us what is really going on in the world with our earth, and while some fell asleep, others were changed, and I think that that is the most important thing. After that, we all agreed that something needed to be done, and we all wanted to help, but first, we needed sleep.

The next morning we went to The American Israeli Public Actions Committee (AIPAC). We discussed and debated with three very knowledgeable college interns. They shared some incredible insight and shined light on the situation in the Middle East. It was a subject most of us feel very strongly about and the interns gave us some different ways to be influential campus activists at our schools and determined activists in our Jewish communities. It was really a great meeting to end with considering the very real and overriding crisis between Israel and Lebanon that is occurring at this point it time.

After traveling for almost 5 weeks learning about political and social activism and how it ties into our American and Jewish identities, it is perfect that we end our journey in Washington DC, the home of our government. I believe that the theme of this city so far has been about us becoming a part of our basic democracy.

Our first experience in DC was a perfect example of this. We attended an Illinois constituent coffee in which Senators Richard Durbin and Barack Obama addressed any and all of our questions. Being able to speak with Senator Obama, a widely respected young leader of the Democratic party, definitely showed us that our authorities will listen to us.

Our day continued at a meeting with Kert Davies of the Greenpeace organization. I was ashamed of our country when he said that our “addiction to oil” was obvious when we look at the fact that 19 million barrels of oil go into our cars every day. We then went to Chinatown for lunch and then to the National Archives to look at the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Once again, basic democracy was demonstrated during this part of our day.

Next we spoke with Debi Kar who works with Jubilee USA. This organization advocates in order to alleviate debt in impoverished countries. Our day came to a close with a relaxing night in Georgetown.

Our second day in Washington DC was off to a good start. We met with Congressman John Lewis from Georgia. He was one of the people who spoke at the March on Washington led by Dr. Martin Luther King in 1963. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience considering that Congressman Lewis is the only person still alive who spoke at that rally. After being inspired by Congressman Lewis we spoke with Folabi Olagbaju the Director of Amnesty International. He said to us, “young people, you have power beyond your wildest imagination”. Because of democracy, the youth has a voice.

After Amnesty we met with Belinda Bulger from NARAL-Pro Choice America. Exactly one month ago we spoke with Operation Save America, a pro-life organization in Dallas. Comparing these two group’s arguments was very interesting. Following NARAL we spoke with Keith Stroup at NORML, the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws. Our country allows groups such as NORML to voice their opinions.

As the day came to an end, we met with Jon Lerner a political consultant for Republican candidates. We asked him our questions that we had accumulated over the course of the entire trip. Finally we attended an Orthodox service at Kesher Israel. At the end of the 2 hectic days, this was the ideal way to unwind.

We got to Philadelphia last night from Boston after a 6-hour drive. We went straight to South Street where we had time for dinner and looking around the unique area. I went to Jim Steaks for their famous Cheese Steaks. Then we went to our hotel, which was actually in New Jersey.

The next day we went to the National Constitution Center. At the Center we learned about the history of the Constitution and how it was drafted. I never realized how much debate went into the writing of the document. I just thought it was generally agreed upon. Then we walked to the Bourse, which was the old Currency Exchange. It now houses restaurants and shops. We had lunch there. After lunch we stopped by the buildings where they debated and wrote the Constitution and then went to see the Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell is a symbol of our freedom and it was really awesome. I learned a lot about its history and it’s travels. Billy tied in our Jewish identity with the bell, and America, by explaining how the inscription on the bell is from the book of Leviticus in the Torah. We ended our visit to Independence Mall by visiting Ben Franklin’s house and the museum that accompanies it. I had no idea he was such a prominent inventor. We got to watch someone play a glass harmonica that he invented.

On our way out of Philadelphia we went to the Philadelphia Art Museum where we ran up the steps just as native son Rocky did in the movie “Rocky”. Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, is a great American City steeped in history.

New York was a blast! From the minute we arrived we were so busy. First we went to talk with Ruth Messinger, the Director of the American Jewish World Service. She spoke about the work that AJWS does. They work with 31 countries and go to places and help groups and communities that are determined to change aspects of their community. The countries they work with are in the bottom 1/3 of the economic world. Right now they support about 230 groups. She also spoke about the work they do concerning the genocide in Darfur. It is horrible to think that people can be convinced to kill their fellow citizens. It is equally upsetting that it is done by governments. Ms. Messinger said that we need to change public policy and in order to do that we need to put pressure on our elected officials.

After this meeting we explored Times Square and saw the play “Avenue Q”. It was amazing! In addition to be hilarious, the show gave us perspective on how to live our lives to the fullest and how we are all connected. It was one of the best musicals I have ever seen.

The next day we went to Ellis Island. There we could research family members who came through Ellis Island and learn about their experience there. After Ellis Island, we walked to Wall Street. Billy explained how the world’s economy is tied into this one street. He also spoke to us about the concept of how in our pursuit of the American Dream (represented by Wall Street) we need to care about those who do not have access to the American Dream or tragic events, such as 9-11, will continue. Those in power need to realize that their lives are connected to the lives of the powerless. To truly illustrate this point we walked a block away from Wall Street and saw Ground Zero. It was incredibly emotional to see the place where so many innocent people died. We spent some time to walk around the area. I was shocked to see people selling merchandise related to the Twin Towers and other tourists smiling and taking pictures of each other laughing while in front of the tragic site. It was horrible that these people did not respect the thousands of people who died at the site.

After Ground Zero we attended Friday Night Shabbat services at Bnai Jeshurun. It was not like any service I have ever been to. There were 3 Rabbis accompanied by a band. During the service I would look around and see so many people consumed in the service. Some people even began to dance in the synagogue. I really enjoyed the service and the next time I am in New York I definitely want to attend another service there.

The next day we met with Jonah Lowenfeld who spoke about city design and urban planning. He discussed zoning issues and challenged us to look at architecture as a part of history. He really made what seemed like a boring subject come to life for us and many of us commented that we have not looked at buildings the same way since our talk.

After we met with Jonah we walked into Central Park where we spent some time relaxing by the pond. It was amazing. It was incredibly peaceful and it gave us a chance to reflect and just sit in the quiet. We also celebrated Moises 17th birthday with cupcakes. After an our in the park we took the subway to the Lower East Side where Billy showed us where and how our ancestors lived once they came to America. We also walked through Chinatown and Little Italy. We had a chance to compare and contrast the different lifestyles and cultures. It was really interesting to see the different sections of New York City.

After Little Italy we had time on Canal Street to bargain and shop like New Yorkers. It was an amazing experience. We ended our day with some time in the West side of Greenwich Village where once again we got to see a different aspect of New York.

Our stay in New York ended the next morning with a visit to the United Nations. We got to sit in many of the meeting rooms where they discuss world wide issues and that we see on the news. It was so cool to think that so many important people attend meetings in the rooms we were in. After the UN we left for Boston. New York is an amazing city and it is my favorite one in the country. It was so much fun and I can’t wait to go back.

Today we began by going to Kent State University where 4 students were killed by the National Guard on May 4, 1970. We met with Alan Canfora on the campus. He was a student protester who was shot in the wrist and survived by falling behind a tree. You may know him from the famous picture of him waving the black flag of anarchy in front of the National Guard. He walked us around campus and showed us exactly where the tragic events took place. There were 4 memorials in the parking lot of the school where the students died. Three of the students killed were Jewish. It was a powerful and moving experience to speak with Alan where his life, and the country, was changed.

We then made the one hour ride to Cleveland and watched the beginning of the “Blues Brothers” to get in the spirit for our visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum.

Music has played a large part of my life, so I was freaking out and running around the museum in a frenzy. Afterwards we had our first wrap up since the first half of our group left in San Francisco. Everyone has grown since the beginning of this journey. Our answers and questions are on a higher level and thought provoking. We have learned to think for ourselves and fight for what we believe in. In conclusion, “Cleveland Rocks!”

“Open your eyes to the world; then decide how to live your life”. This is one of the significant ideas that Bill Ayers conveyed to us in our meeting with him. However, before I talk about that, let me tell you a little on what we did in Chicago before we met with him. Chicago, known as the “Second City” due to its being sandwiched between New York and Los Angeles, has created a stylish and unique city and culture that Etgar 36 has been exploring.

The first stop in our stay in Chicago was the 103 storied Sears Tower. This is where we started to understand the nature of the big industrialized buildings. We all enjoyed the impressive view of the vast “Windy City”. After making our way back to the ground, we headed to Gino’s East for some authentic deep dish pizza. At first we thought we were headed to a normal pizza place. However, we were in for a surprise not only because the cheese was under the sauce, but it was also so thick and delicious.

When we got back on the bus we viewed the opening 20 minutes of a film called “The Weather Underground”. It was an introduction to our meeting with a member of the Weathermen, Bill Ayers. The Weathermen were a radical group who were against the Vietnam War and did not believe that the non-violent demonstrations were working to end the war so they decided to make a statement and blow up government buildings. From the movie, we formed an opinion on the actions of Bill Ayers and his actions. We were ready to confront him on the methods he and his group chose and as we waited for him to show, our tension mounted. As soon as Bill Ayers walked into the room, he put us at ease with a big smile and his ability to get to know each of us as he went around and got our names, our home towns and what questions we had for him. We realized we were not dealing with a monster but a really nice, talkative, and friendly guy. He proceeded to tell us about his upbringing in a small high school and his time at the University of Michigan where his political conscious was raised. His participation in anti-war protests led to his arrests and becoming an officer in the SDS (Student Democratic Society). He explained how excited and hopeful the students were when President Johnson decided not to run for President again in 1968 and how their hopes for peace were smashed by President Nixon. This outrage led to the decisions the Weathermen made. They felt of betrayed by their country and they didn’t think of their actions as violent, rather, as resisting violence. Bill did tell us that he does look back at his actions and feels that they were not correct to go to such extremes.

I came to the meeting very angry and upset with the actions of the Weathermen but left admiring the passion and commitment of Bill Ayers and think he is one of the most inspiring characters I know. He taught us to open our eyes to our own society and live a life that follows our values. He kept telling us that the future of our society is in our hands and we have to look around and, sometimes, go against the norm in order to repair the world and create Tikkun Olam.

After spending two and a half hours with Mr. Ayers, Billy decided to change our plans for the day. It was also 102 degrees outside and many of us were feeling the effects of the heat. So, we went back to the hotel for a two hour nap! Afterwards, we went to Panera Bread for dinner and then to see some Chicago Improv Comedy at the Improv Olympix. Afterwards, some if us walked around Wrigley Field to see the famous ball park.

The next day was a continuation of our study of the Vietnam era. We went to Grant Park where many young people came in 1968 to protest the Democratic Convention. The Mayor of Chicago sent the police to break up the protests and riots began. This made us think and discuss two ways to protest. One is to work from within the system to create change and the other is to protest from the outside. We concluded that both are very different but necessary. Billy then played us Bob Dylan’s classic, “The Times They Are A-Changin”. This was a very appropriate cone for this location and we truly understood the lyrics and message that Bob Dylan is teaching.

After Grant Park we went to the Chicago Art Institute. This was an awesome experience because of all the famous painters and paintings housed in the Musuem. We saw Renior, Cezzane, Monet, Van Gogh, and Magritte just to name a few. We also saw Seurat’s “Sunday in Grande Jatte”, Hopper’s “Nighthawks”, and Wood’s “American Gothic”. Afterwards we had some time to shop on Michigan Avenue and eat lunch in the Magnificent Mile.

We had a great time and all realized that Chicago is our kind of town!

Upon arriving in San Francisco, we traveled to the heart of the city where we found our hotel. The Mosser Hotel was unlike anything we stayed in so far. It is a European style hotel in which most of the rooms share a bathroom with the hall and the rooms are much smaller. But the hotel does have it’s advantages. One of which is it’s location. Since Carlton dropped us off and began driving to Chicago where he would meet us on Sunday, we had to navigate the city on our own, the hotel was centrally located to much of the city. Additionally, the feel of the hotel started to grow on all of us.

We went to dinner together at the Metreon and then we followed in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and the Beatniks by walking to City Lights Bookstore. City Lights was the first paperback bookstore in American and it is where many of the Beats wrote and sold their writings.

We began the next day by meeting with the San Francisco A.I.D.S. Foundation. They showed us a timeline of A.I.D.S. in America and we discussed the politics surrounding fighting the epidemic. We also discussed the possibility of if A.I.D.S. had originally impacted a different group of people would we have had a quicker response. This brought us back to our theme of California, power; who has it and who doesn’t.

After that meeting we caught the subway to Berkeley where we had free time to explore Telegraph Avenue, eat and shop. We then headed to the campus of UC Berkeley where we met with David Smith, the Founder and Director of Mobilize America’s Youth. We discussed the People’s Power Movement that originated on the steps we were sitting on. David also helped us explore ways in which we can become more politically active and make our voices count. Needless to say, after this meeting, many of us are inspired and eager to get involved in our communities.

After Berkeley, we went to Chinatown and explored their neighborhood as well as had dinner. We then went to what we assumed would be a typical Friday Night Service. But what many of us failed to realize was that nothing is ever typical on Etgar 36. We attended services at a neighborhood synagogue led by Rabbi Michael Lerner who is also affiliated with Tikkun Magazine. Rabbi Lerner began the service by leading a discussion on the current situation with Israel and Lebanon. Many of us were a little shocked to hear a Rabbi talk about the situation from such a left wing stance. Rabbi Lerner went back through history to talk about ways that Israelis may not have treated Palestinians so well and that has helped cause the current situation. We had a good give and take discussion and many of us agreed to disagree. We then began to pray together. We were encouraged to grab tambourines and other instruments as well as get up and dance during the prayers. Just when we were convinced that our experience could not get any more unique, we found ourselves dancing outside in the neighborhood streets with the Rabbi, a fully functioning band and a dozen of the regular congregants. Needless to say, it was the most fun I have had at a Friday Night Service.

The next day we walked from our hotel to the Public Library to meet with a man named Leon Veal. Leon learned to read at the age of 44. After hearing his moving and inspirational story, we all came to realize how extraordinary people can be. For example, the woman who devoted just one hour a week to teach Leon to read and write made such a difference in his life and in ours because now he is educating us as well as others.

After saying goodbye to Leon we went into the Castro District. The Castro is home to the largest Gay population in America. We had lunch at Pasta Pomodoro which closed down or us and then had time to look around the neighborhood. Then it was time to take a boat ride around the San Francisco Bay. We saw the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and some beautiful views of the city. Once we got off the boat, we walked through Fisherman’s Wharf and into Ghiradelli Square where we all got our chocolate fix.

Then it was time for our final wrap up as half the group was going home the next day. We sat in Yerba Buena Gardens park and each person got to discuss their feelings about what they had seen, witnessed and learned during the first 3 weeks. In the middle of our sharing, an older gentleman walked up to our circle and asked us who we were. He introduced himself to us as Osirus and began to recite poetry for us. His free form poetry really summed up our entire Etgar 36 journey. The Etgar 36 journey is not all about what we plan, rather, its about the unexpected events and the incredible people you meet while on the road!

Los Angeles was one of the more diverse stops on our summer journey. On the way to L.A. we stopped for lunch at a 1950s throwback diner called Peggy Sue’s. After a very tasty meal, we continued to Los Angeles. On the way, we watched the film “Crash” which introduced the theme of our visit to California, which was power. We learned about who had power, who doesn’t, and why people who have power should care about those who don’t have access to power. It is easy to allow injustice in the world to continue. To stomp out injustice, you have to care enough to challenge the majority.

This theme was especially compounded at our visit to the Museum of Tolerance. Mr. Walter Gertz, our guide at the museum, spoke to us about the importance of voicing your opinion in the face of opposition. The Museum contained many exhibits detailing the effects of the Holocaust along with other examples of injustice and intolerance in the world.

After the Museum of Tolerance, we went to Beit Teshuvah, a synagogue for recovering addicts. We spoke with Rabbi Borovitz, who has spent time in jail for illegal activities, as well as Doug and Evie, young Jews, who were addicts. We were all able to relate to their stories as we could see ourselves in them. Most agreed that this program was much more powerful than the usual anti-drug programs we get in school.

The next morning, we walked around Beverly Hills to see how the people with access to money and power live. We were able to compare and contrast this neighborhood with the next area we visited, South Central. Although, on the surface, South Central did not look terrible, our bus driver Carlton, who live in South Central, made us aware that looks could be deceiving. Just making the buildings look better did not fix the real socio-economic problems that exist in a neighborhood that does not have easy access to the American Dream. We noticed how the liquor stores, bail bonds and check cashing stores that dominate in South Central are not seen in Beverly Hills. This exposure to the grim reality of the separation of classes in America, created a melancholy on the bus as we went to University of Southern California for our next meeting.

At USC we met with Dr. Lewis, a teacher at USC, about how prevalent class issues impact us in today’s society. After a passionate talk, we returned to Beverly Hills to see the play “Tick, Tick, Boom” by Jonathan Larson. This was the play he wrote before he created the hit “Rent”. The play was about a struggling artist turning 30 years old and having to decide what is important in life, if he should abandon his real passion and dreams in order to make better money or should he remain true to who he is. We all enjoyed the play and then went to our hotel for a good night’s sleep.