The life and times of a spoon 

How did this utensil come to be? One can understand a knife since human beings rarely have the teeth to slice through meat. One could also understand a fork; it’s just a knife with another blade really. If you are a hunter-gatherer, why would you think of scooping anything? Further, even if you were so inclined, what is there to scoop? Precious little, except for a few gourds here and there!!!

They say spoons are as old as civilization itself. They were probably made using shells in olden times and then gradually came to be made of wood chips and other material later. They also say that this evolution is rather innocuous and those who question it are unsound of brain and belong in an asylum.

That is what they say!

However, I think this spoon is the devil’s work!
I will present a few unassailable truths quite confirming this hypothesis and putting paid to this shell-wood chip nonsense!
1. Notice how beautiful is the curvature of the lever. Everything beautiful has some of the devil’s work in it since there is a desire for it in the minds of the populace. Desire, as we know leads to all sorts of grief.

2. We know that the spoon rapidly became a much used tool at that cradle of civilization; Mesopotamia. That is because grain farming became popular after the sons of Cain killed Abel and his progeny. There is no other good way to eat rice and porridge without a spoon. So you see, the spoon started our road to hell. I bet the devil came by a farmer’s house; gave him this device and told him to kill until the earth bleeds! Bleeds other people’s gold that is.

3. All empires have started out when the Gods (or was it the devil in disguise) demanded offering of oatmeal and rice. Someone has to feed them and the Egyptians were quite adept at it. We are still digging up all kinds of propitiatory spoons from the valley of kings.

4. The embrace of Christianity did not end the dreaded reign of the spoon. People started giving away christening spoons as opposed to keeping this demon’s spawn at bay. Th charlatan doctors would prescribe medicinal syrup to be taken out of a silver spoon since silver is antibacterial.

5. The silver spoons that were quite the rage in the Middle Ages had their silver mined in Potosí, the horrible mine that killed many native Quechua while mining for the Spaniards.

Now we use plastic spoons which are fashioned out of oil products…and the imperium of the spoon chugs smoothly on.

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When a Badshah is really needed 

What sad times we live in that we have to look to genius alone for inspiration. The misery of all those who live around the Durand Line is hard to see.

On the one hand are the murderous warlords who force people to grow poppy in some cases and sell it on at atrocious prices. On the other is the military might of the most powerful empire the world has known pushing them to stop such cultivation.

Add into the mix those thugs that pose as men of God, come to think of it, many so-called men of God have turned out to be thugs in disguise.

When will this end!! When will the Badshah come again, is the plaintive cry.

It is hard to understand that Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan actually lived in much rougher times in a very rough area of the world. This man fought the Brits as only a true "Mard" can; a battle of wills that left them pondering the hypocrisy of their empire.
This man used no guns, no virulent abuse, all he did as a Khudai Khidmatgar was help people. How can such men exist? If it is adversity that produces them, there should be 10 Badshah Khan's now.

My heart cries out for such great souls who by their mere being, make us all look good; even though they be tucked away in the musty pages of history.
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Renting versus Buying a home in Los Angeles 

There is so much fighting going on about renting or buying one's home in Los Angeles that one can take very extreme positions either way.

However this wonderful article in NY times explains things rather well and dispassionately.

A very worthy read, I think


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