Thank you, Kerala, for a delightful piece. I think you are on to something here: a block party is a great way to help neighbors break through the paranoid suburban alienation that afflicts most of us in the 'burbs, and to get people who share a neighborhood socializing with one another, face to face, just as they did in the (increasingly distant) past.

Moreover, block parties could be a great first step in actually organizing your neighborhood so that, rather than sequestering ourselves behind privacy walls, we actually get to know each other, and reciprocally lend each other a hand or teach one another new skills. It is best to get in the habit of hanging out with. and collaborating with each other now, of course, before it becomes necessary!