Whitewash

Spencer Plaza, Madras, Tamil Nadu

What are all these white people doing here?

I'm serious, where do they all come from? And why are they all wearing baseball hats? Really,
back in the good old days three years ago, India used to be like that Richard Pryor joke about white tourists in Africa (total strangers waving desperately at each other from across the road). Now honkies are becoming commonplace (and dressed so poorly I am ashamed to consort with their likes). I think most of them are Christian missionaries. That would explain the lousy clothes.

Then again, missionary women are usually dutifully covered up in chaste churidars with chunni round their necks, as well they should be, particularly if they want to do any serious work here. Who are these lard-laden people in tank tops and tight-fitting shorts, trundling their shopping bags up and down the escaltors, shoulders red with sunburn? I suspect German tourists, but they look as though they came from a time tunnel straight from central Iowa. Well, the more there are of them, the less I will be hounded by rickshaw-bandits and touts ("Meddem! Meddem! Looking is free" - really? yeah well, looking is ALWAYS free) - they will head for less Indian looking victims.

There goes the neighborhood! (tsk)

Not necessarily the news

Excuses, excuses, excuses
Mylapore, Madras, Tamil Nadu

Fatigued, behind schedule and plagued with menstrual cramps. Again! didn't that just happen last month?? (impatient hands on hips). Time to ring up the team of ghost, er that's GUEST, writers...(then again, the Comments Posters have been pretty busy in my absence).

How to Prevent Household Monks
from Random Salad
It looks innocent enough, but what exactly is in the bowl? Ramen. But the other dude’s gonna shank you!
While monks may work and pray diligently for the sanctity of mankind, they can cause problems for homeowners. Whether they’re chanting in your pantry, worshipping in your family room, or repenting in the garage, an infestation of monks can seriously jeopardize your health, home, and property.
These are some of the more common dangers and health risks associated with various types of household monks:

1-Monks spend a lot of time hanging around lepers and others who are otherwise unclean and can bring these conditions with them into your home.

2-Children witnessing monks in the ecstasy of self-flagellation have been known to “experiment” by whipping themselves and others mercilessly.

3-Nonstop chanting can be noisy or, ironically, could lull you into unconsciousness in the tub, causing a drowning risk

4-Residue from monks’ porridge is difficult to scrub off the sides of aluminum pots.

5-Monks’ robes shedded during spring and summer could pile up and be tripped over.

6-Ascetics’ shirts woven from itchy human hair are a smelly fire hazard.

7-Monks who have taken a vow of silence but not learned sign language will point emphatically until the other monks figure out what he wants. It gets annoying.

Conducive Conditions
While the treatment of monks should generally be left to professionals, there are a few basics to monk prevention that every homeowner should know. Understanding and eliminating elements that attract monks is key to prevention. The following three elements are essential to monk survival, so they should be minimized or eliminated entirely in your home...full story here

Public Relations

For me? Really??

An increasing - alarming, even - number of otherwise unaffiliated Blogs are linking me- including one bona fide famous writer.
So I am returning the favour here - :

Bernie Quigley: Quigley In Exile
Broken Yogi
Route 486 (in Japanese)
Indiana 2 India
He-3 Is the Key
How Now Brown Pau? (Philippines)

Alejandro: I Want to Believe (in Spanish)

Blogshares, the fantasy Blog stock market,

has given me some kind of rating. I don't know what this means, if anything.

and of course my loyal friends, who still haven't disowned me, for some reason -

The Mumbai Marauder
Dreams Planet 2U
Brother Martin's Deep Green Perspective

Varanasi: Very Nasty

While I lay in my hotel room cramping, my friend Gary writes stream-of-UNconsciousness poetry from Varanasi. Bill Burroughs, eat your heart out.

Joy saw a dog playing with a human skull

roomboys deliver dirty platters sticky with old baked beans

narrow alleys dark after midnight full of cow mountains

drupad festival sublime despite crackly speakers

puppy half eaten by rats reclines in alley

books, darjeeling tea, snake charmer flute, bodhi leaves

still traveling light in dust

memsab memsab not this way

from jail cell student cafeteria at BHU

after the paintings of mystic eurolady

dreadlock white sadhu couples who
argue about 2 paise extra charge on the internet

babababababababababa

rupeerupeerupeerupee

In the stars

My horoscope for this week

My mouse hand is on strike - suffering from severe overwork. So I'm copping out today and posting someone else's work. (I am a Western astrological Scorpio, but a Vedic astrological Libran - so I get the worst of both worlds.)

Libra Horoscope for week of February 23, 2006
from Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology

If you have been experiencing some form of injustice, it's an excellent time to stage a protest, strike, or boycott. The astrological omens don't necessarily guarantee you'll get all your demands met, but they do make it likely you'll be able to harness your anger with maximum lucidity. For best results, don't just fight for your own rights, but for the rights of others as well. You should also make sure that in fighting the disrespect you've suffered that you yourself don't disrespect anyone.