<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<rss version="2.0"
 xmlns:blogChannel="http://backend.userland.com/blogChannelModule"
>

<channel>
<title>Bill the Butcher</title>
<link>http://dockbillin.multiply.com/</link>
<description>If I&#x27;m to put up one word to describe myself, it would be &#x22;writer&#x22;. Writing is compulsive with me. It&#x27;s what keeps me sane.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;If you&#x27;re one of the people looking for random friend additions on Multiply, I&#x27;m highly likely to reject your request. For some reason I keep getting invites from people I have never encountered and with whom I have nothing in common.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E; People who don&#x27;t think don&#x27;t belong with me. People with ultra-right wing views don&#x27;t belong with me. Nor do prudes or those with no sense of humour. &#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;I am, incidentally, far left wing in my political views, and an unreconstructed atheist. If you don&#x27;t like that, that&#x27;s your problem, not mine.

</description>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:05:29 -0000</pubDate>
<lastBuildDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:52:55 -0000</lastBuildDate>

<image>
<title>Bill the Butcher</title>
<url>http://images.dockbillin.multiply.com/logo</url>
<link>http://dockbillin.multiply.com</link>
<width>100</width>
<height>100</height>
</image>

<item>
<title>Let Kashmir Go</title>
<description>  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20080819/000802aa2f4d0a14d22d12.jpg&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;b style=&#x22;&#x22;&#x3E;There&#x2019;s an old story&#x3C;/b&#x3E; about a miser who had caused all his wealth to be converted into a chunk of gold. Every night he would take the gold out from where he had hid it in a hole in the garden and gloat over it. One day the inevitable happened &#x2013; a thief found the gold and stole it. The miser was weeping over the stolen gold when a sage happened by. He told the man &#x2013; &#x201C;Take a stone and put it in the hole and take it out every night and gloat over it, imagining it&#x2019;s your gold. It will do you precisely as much good as your gold which you put in the garden.&#x201D;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;I&#x2019;m reminded of this story each time I consider how the Incredible Democracy of India (IDI) treats that part of it which is called Kashmir. (It actually treats the states of the North East a good deal worse, but the difference is that the North East doesn&#x2019;t exist as far as the average &#x201C;mainstream&#x201D; Indian is concerned &#x2013; most of them have literally never heard of it.)&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;b style=&#x22;&#x22;&#x3E;A potted history of &#x3C;/b&#x3E;&#x3C;b style=&#x22;&#x22;&#x3E;Kashmir&#x3C;/b&#x3E;&#x3C;b style=&#x22;&#x22;&#x3E; since the 1930s&#x3C;/b&#x3E;: Kashmir actually compris...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1134/Let_Kashmir_Go</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:52:55 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Gays are Evil</title>
<description>&#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;(&#x3C;strong&#x3E;Anyone who doesn&#x27;t know me and is getting all set to blow a gasket about this is advised to research my actual attitude towards&#x26;nbsp;homosexuals before blowing&#x26;nbsp;a fuse...Bill&#x3C;/strong&#x3E;)&#x26;nbsp;&#x26;nbsp;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://images.dockbillin.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SLQkjwoKCn0AAFIPpRk1/gayrights.jpg?et=g1PjC4oaQWHOiq%2BQKZdfzw&#x26;#x26;nmid=0&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Gays are evil, don&#x2019;t you know the truth&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Servants of Satan, corrupters of youth.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;They want to destroy religion, society and all&#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://dockbillin.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SLQkjwoKCn0AAFIPpRk1&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;/a&#x3E;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;That they say so glibly holds us in thrall.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Gays are evil, believe it, now do&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Before they turn their evil eyes on you.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Gays will hurt you and cause you harm&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Hug you with hatred and keep you all warm.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Gays are evil, don&#x2019;t you all know&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;In the Devil&#x2019;s way they all do go&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Clever and friendly? It&#x2019;s a big lie&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;They&#x2019;ll make sure that in hell you&#x2019;ll fry.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Gays are evil, enemies of the race &#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Creative and friendly all to your face&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;They plot in secret &#x2013; your world they do hate&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;And have planned for it a terrible fate.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Gays want you to be gay &#x2013; that&#x2019;s what they need&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;More lesbians and homos to obey their creed&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Enemies of family and parenthood and such&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;As...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1133/Gays_are_Evil</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:44:19 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>The undisposable society</title>
<description>  &#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://images.dockbillin.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SLNsVQoKCn0AABlAcGs1/r210553-807967.jpg?et=PYLqxxE%2BOnu5CBACEyllhQ&#x26;#x26;nmid=0&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Sometime back I got one of those self-consciously &#x22;funny-but-makes-you-think&#x22; e-mail forwards. This one went something like this: &#x22;You&#x27;re a desi (ie Indian) if you...blah blah...save old jars and reuse them...blah blah blah...use old towels as dishcloths...blah blah.&#x22;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;I normally ignore this sort of stuff, but I was stricken by the fact that the reuse of jars and old towels seemed to be something the character who wrote this originally (almost certainly an Indian software engineer domiciled in the US) thought worthy of making fun of. And then I remembered that often - and even more often in recent days - I read in the papers right wing columnists and economists bemoaning the fact that Indians have yet to &#x22;develop a disposable culture&#x22;. You know the reason - those who save old jars and towels don&#x27;t buy custom-built jars and new dishcloths, etc, so the profits of the bastards are hit. But the way they present it, it&#x27;s as though it&#x27;s some kind of national disgrace that we don&#x27;t follow the...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1132/The_undisposable_society</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:37:33 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Burden of Heroes </title>
<description>&#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;b style=&#x22;mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;&#x22;&#x3E;T&#x3C;/b&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;his is a story of a hero and how he met a monster.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;The hero was a wandering adventurer, a rescuer of damsels, a seeker of fortune, a slayer of dragons, invincible on the battlefield, passionate in love, known throughout the Seven Kingdoms. His name he had long since thrown away as no longer useful. Now he was simply the Hero.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;The Hero rode a steed black as night, and he was clad in plate armour black as the depths of the sea where the sun never shone, and he carried on his back his mighty Sword, whose name was Ybore. His great triangular shield bore on it the Device of the Fifty Silver Stars, and he rode always alone.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;The Hero would find danger and rout it. He would seek out and destroy evil and punish the maleficent. It was a path not questioned; it was his Destiny. He would not rest till evil was gone from the earth.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E; &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22; style=&#x22;MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt;&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;When the Hero rode on his way, the earth smoked and the air seemed to burn, and the very waters turned red to mark his passage. Everyone kne...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1131/The_Burden_of_Heroes_</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:58:44 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Done writing the book!</title>
<description>&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;I&#x27;ve just finished writing Call Of The Khokkosh (originally titled Guardian At The Gate, which title I&#x27;ve retained for the first chapter only) - all 24 chapters of it.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;To remind you - the first six chapters are here for all readers, and the next five only for contacts, but only temporarily. Within 48 hours I intend to pull all except for the first three, so if you want to read any part of it but haven&#x27;t - read it now.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;I have been sending enquiries out to as many literary agents as possible, and so far three have asked me to send portions to them for reading. Let&#x27;s see how it turns out.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;In the meantime, I have sacrificed food and sleep to write this book. I began writing it on 29 July, so it&#x27;s rather less than a month since I started. I shall therefore be taking today off and not touch the computer till tomorrow evening.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Last night I almost didn&#x27;t sleep. When I dozed off I dreamt of a museum where, upstairs, monsters resembling Jabba the Hutt&#x27;s &#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://www.starwars.com/databank/creature/rancor/&#x22;&#x3E;pet rancor&#x3C;/a&#x3E; in Return Of The Jedi picked up hum...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1130/Done_writing_the_book</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:46:50 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Being stung reminded me of this</title>
<description>  &#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://www.clipartof.com/images/clipart/xsmall2/4131_male_beekeeper_checking_a_honeybee_apiary_bee_hives.jpg&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;I read in one of Carl Sagan&#x27;s books about a certain episode in 19th Century England. Beekeepers suddenly had a massive drop in their honey collections. So major was this problem that they finally got together and called in a biologist, a man called Charles Darwin (maybe some of you may vaguely recall having heard of him). &#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;This Darwin studied the situation and told the beekeepers that to remedy the situation they must...get more cats.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;The &#x27;keepers, fortunately, had the faith in science to accept this bizarre suggestion and acquired cats in greater numbers, after which the honey yield went right back up again.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Here&#x27;s how it worked. The bees fed primarily on the nectar of clover growing in the fields. A population of field mice also ate the clover. Now the field mice were going through a population explosion and gobbling up all the clover. Result - no nectar left over for the bees.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Now, imagine this happened in India, now, today. Let&#x27;s see the likely scenario:&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;1. Honey yields fall drastical...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1129/Being_stung_reminded_me_of_this</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:52:14 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Now you know.</title>
<description>&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Ever wondered why news is no longer &#x22;news&#x22; but has become &#x22;infotainment&#x22; - propaganda, in other words?&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Ever wondered why the &#x22;news&#x22; now resembles a plug for a political party or corporate entity?&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Well, there was a time when you were a &#x22;viewer&#x22; or a &#x22;reader&#x22; of news. &#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;No longer.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Now, you&#x27;re a &#x22;consumer&#x22;.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Any basic economics textbook will tell you in the first couple of chapters that any concern that wishes to stay afloat must give the consumers what they want. Therefore, you can&#x27;t have any real news any more, because it might turn off your consumers .&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;You can only have packaged, slanted garbage. And if they can&#x27;t twist the news to make packaged, slanted garbage, they&#x27;ll invent packaged, slanted garbage and pass it off as &#x22;news&#x22;.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;And so you can stop wondering why the news claims Georgia was attacked by Russia and why so much time is wasted on which Hollywood star is sleeping with whom. &#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1128/Now_you_know.</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:20:02 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>The Sting Operation</title>
<description>&#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://dockbillin.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SK1@TwoKCn0AABnRn6Q1&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://images.dockbillin.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SK1@TwoKCn0AABnRn6Q1/BumbleBee-OnPavement.jpg?et=z6CPTpxO%2ClfAhRWemiRwUw&#x26;#x26;nmid=0&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;/a&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Early yesterday morning, I got stung, in bizarre circumstances, by a bumblebee.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Hey, I didn&#x27;t know bumblebees could sting. And it was around dawn, and I didn&#x27;t know bumblebees could have enough body heat to be active at that hour.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;In any case, you&#x27;ll understand that I had no blame in the episode. I did not disturb the bee&#x26;nbsp; or try to grab it or anything.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;It happened this way:&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;A spider had, during the night, built a large and sticky web right across my garden path. In the dawn light, before sunrise, this web was well-nigh invisible. I walked right through the web.&#x26;nbsp; And the bumblebee  had been caught in the web and was struggling to be free.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;So, when I broke the web, the bumblebee, swinging on its thread, struck my right middle finger. I saw it at the last possible second and withdrew my hand in pure reflex action, but just too late. &#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;It was like fire exploding on the back of my finger.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;I don&#x27;t know much about bumblebee stings. Unlike wasps, which I have been stung by in the past, hone...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1127/The_Sting_Operation</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:40:41 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>He that pisseth against the wall</title>
<description>&#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://imgs13.stockmediaserver.com/th170/PhotoNonStop/622759.jpg&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;These days I sleep very little, and when I do, I generally have long, complicated, and multi-themed dreams, most of which vanish from my memory on waking.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;A bit of last night&#x27;s (or, to be precise, this morning&#x27;s) dream stuck in my mind, though.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;You&#x27;ve heard of the favela tours some Rio de Janeiro tour groups promote?&#x26;nbsp; Well, it was something like that.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Those of you who are Indian will know this; those who aren&#x27;t will probably have heard of this: the Great Indian Habit of urinating in public, behind every tree and against every wall.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;So in my dream there was this group of European tourists (assorted ages and of both sexes, but mostly young and male) who were being taken on a Pissing Tour of Indian cities. Yes, you got that right - a pissing tour of Indian cities, where they got to line up behind trees and pee in public against grey concrete walls. They looked pretty enthusiastic doing it too, queuing up for their turn. Liberated.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Well: tourists pay big money to visit foreign beaches and ...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1126/He_that_pisseth_against_the_wall</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:36:19 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>One way to really piss me off </title>
<description> &#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://dockbillin.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SKmzggoKCn0AAHr1t2U1&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://images.dockbillin.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SKmzggoKCn0AAHr1t2U1/WHATEVERWhat-Ever-Posters.jpg?et=ApBUIgOqeM6nAgZqd%2CYeyA&#x26;#x26;nmid=0&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;/a&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Just suppose you&#x27;ve made a statement that I consider to be of breathtaking stupidity, such as, for instance, &#x22;Russia attacked Georgia,&#x22; or &#x22;Saddam Hussein had WMDs&#x22;, or &#x22;evolution doesn&#x27;t exist&#x22;, or something. So you made the statement, which has irritated me enough that I spend the next few minutes marshalling my arguments and crushing yours to ultra-fine powder.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;And when I&#x27;m done, you say, &#x22;whatever,&#x22; and depart.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;See, I don&#x27;t mind if you&#x27;re unconvinced by my logic or my arguments. Even if I consider your views the depths of stupidity, you have a right to stick to them...so long as you aren&#x27;t adversely affecting anyone by inflicting those views on them.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;What you do not have the right to do is say &#x22;whatever&#x22; and yawn. It&#x27;s disrespectful of me as a human being, it&#x27;s disrespectful of logic as an analytical tool, and it&#x27;s disrespectful of those who may hold the same views as you but have at least some kind of arguments to back up their stand.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;What you can do, what you have the right to do, i...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1125/One_way_to_really_piss_me_off_</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:38:22 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Bull&#x27;s Tail: An Open letter to Abinav Bindra</title>
<description>   &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060729/spr-trib1.jpg&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Dear Abhinav Bindra&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Greetings, and congratulations. &#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;I&#x2019;m not dissing you, Abinav. I know you worked your ass off to earn an Olympic Gold Medal in the air rifle 10 metre event. And I respect the work you put in, and wish you all the best.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;I also appreciate the fact that, unlike virtually all your fellow-athletes, for instance the unbearably overhyped Sania Mirza, your success hasn&#x2019;t,&#x26;nbsp; yet, turned you into an instant know-it-all and chest thumper. Thank you for that.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;All right, let me get to the point now.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;You&#x2019;ve said a lot of things, and you&#x2019;ve said a lot of things unsaid. Let&#x2019;s talk about some of those things.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Now, of course, you allow it to be said that your gold medal is a victory &#x201C;for India.&#x201D; You know it isn&#x2019;t so. It isn&#x2019;t so for many, many reasons, but let me list just a few:&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;First, you won a gold medal in &#x3C;i style=&#x22;&#x22;&#x3E;shooting&#x3C;/i&#x3E;. I&#x2019;m sure I don&#x2019;t have to remind you that except for the military and the super-rich, no one shoots in India, let alone on a competition level. No one eve...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1124/Bulls_Tail_An_Open_letter_to_Abinav_Bindra</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:35:23 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Stone In My Shoe</title>
<description>   &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://images.dockbillin.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SKhRAQoKCn0AAAxkMgQ1/122129261-ebe9683b12.jpg?et=bd%2BCAjSJuoHFEzbnmCmMlw&#x26;#x26;nmid=0&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;It&#x2019;s odd the baggage we carry around, even when we know it&#x2019;s baggage.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Today when I was walking to work (I usually do on Sundays) I felt a stone in my shoe and memories came flooding back.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Many years ago, when I was about six or seven years old, I read one of the hundreds of stories churned out by the late queen of children&#x2019;s literature, &#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enid_Blyton&#x22;&#x3E;Enid Blyton&#x3C;/a&#x3E;. This particular story concerned a boy who went out one day and felt a stone in his shoe. On bending down to unlace his shoe and remove the stone, he saw a necklace in his path. Knowing whose necklace it was, he took it to her and was rewarded with a coin (or something). As he emerged from the gate of the woman&#x2019;s home he felt the stone in his shoe again and bent to take it out. And when he did this he saw a book in his path. Seeing the owner&#x2019;s name written on the first page, he took it to him and got a plate of hot cakes or something (I read this thirty years ago!) as reward. When he left his home, he felt again the stone in his shoe an...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1123/Stone_In_My_Shoe</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:25:54 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>My god is better than yours</title>
<description>  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://www.southasianconnection.com/content_images/passion1web1.jpg&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is a living god&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;And yours is a stone, so&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is better than yours.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is formless and everywhere&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Your god is in a body of base metal, so&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is better than yours.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;I venerate my god&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;While you nail yours to a tree, so&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is better than yours.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god has a heart and weeps&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Your god is a jealous god, so&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is better than yours.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god redeems my sins&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Your god condemns you to hellfire, so&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is better than yours.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god knows how to smile&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Your god only demands eternal praise, so&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is better than yours.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god was born of this land&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Your god is a foreign god, so&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is better than yours.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god made man in his image&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Your god has no shape, so&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is better than yours.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god counts the fall of every sparrow&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Your god sleeps with concubines, so&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is better than yours.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;&#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god will be my salvation&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Your god condemns you to rebirth, so&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;My god is better th...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1120/My_god_is_better_than_yours</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:19:59 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Fox News: 12 Year Old Girl Tells the Truth  about Georgia</title>
<description>Just watch how the Fox guy shuts the woman up twice, each time she gets stuck into the official version of events...two brave people there, and I don&#x27;t mean the</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/video/item/194/Fox_News_12_Year_Old_Girl_Tells_the_Truth_about_Georgia</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:29:42 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Delhi</title>
<description>&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Two men sit under a plastic sheet smoking something on tinfoil&#x3C;br&#x3E;Heroin? In broad daylight? On the street? &#x3C;br&#x3E;Yes.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Here, the bar now&#x3C;br&#x3E;With the hostess in the dark suit&#x3C;br&#x3E;Smiling from her exotic features&#x3C;br&#x3E;Not so exotic to me.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Clothing stores&#x3C;br&#x3E;With uniformed doormen&#x3C;br&#x3E;To keep out the poor and indigent&#x3C;br&#x3E;Who can&#x27;t afford those prices anyway.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Delhi,&#x3C;br&#x3E;Stand still in the street&#x3C;br&#x3E;And you&#x27;ll see the nation pass you by.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Slim girl in the capris and danging earrings&#x3C;br&#x3E;Fat man in safari suit&#x3C;br&#x3E;Bar hostess from my part of the world&#x3C;br&#x3E;Heat dust bustle&#x3C;br&#x3E;Two men smoking something under a plastic sheet&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Rust glitter and corrosion&#x3C;br&#x3E;Embodiment of a nation.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Delhi.&#x26;nbsp; &#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1119/Delhi</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:42:34 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>&#x22;Big Russian Bully! Help! Help!&#x22;</title>
<description>  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://media.monstersandcritics.com/galleries/1332948/0144031650085.jpg&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;There is an old tradition among kids: you&#x2019;re the teacher&#x2019;s pet and you want to get even with someone, say a bigger classmate, for something or other. You can&#x2019;t take him on directly. So what you do is wait till you see the teacher coming, and just before he sees you, you hit the character you want to get even with. And when, quite naturally, he retaliates, you fall on the ground, screaming and doing your best to show that you&#x2019;re dying.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Sounds familiar?&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;I guess I&#x2019;m not the only one to be amazed and more than a little shocked by the &#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/11/opinion/main4340027.shtml&#x22;&#x3E;media condemnation&#x3C;/a&#x3E; and slanted reporting of the Georgia-Russia war. All right, I know the media are scum, but when the BBC joins CNN in declaring Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia&#x2019;s &#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009085707&#x22;&#x3E;dictator&#x3C;/a&#x3E;, as some kind of latter-day democratic messiah, it&#x2019;s obvious someone is telling some mighty big whoppers.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Let&#x2019;s get to the point: Georgia &#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=13285&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;i style=&#x22;&#x22;&#x3E;picked, provoked, and began&#x3C;/i&#x3E;&#x3C;/a&#x3E; this fight. Georgia attacked South  Ossetia, bombed Russian peacekeepers and Russian citizens, and converte...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1118/Big_Russian_Bully_Help_Help</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:38:59 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Another memorable specimen</title>
<description>  &#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://images.dockbillin.multiply.com/image/25/photos/37/300x300/1/25112006.jpg?et=j7dQ6DN346c8SJgy4NJdAw&#x26;#x26;nmid=15356997&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;What do you do when a specimen (&#x22;patient&#x22;, for the uninitiated) accuses you of trying to drive her insane?&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;This creature turned up the day before yesterday. She was fairly young (24) and well-dressed. Also, and this is significant, she is an ethnic Khasi (while I&#x27;m Bengali).&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;She needed a filling in an upper wisdom tooth. I told her she needed a filling in an upper wisdom tooth. She said filling or otherwise treating an upper tooth, &#x22;everyone&#x22; had told her, makes people go insane or blind or both because it damages the brain. Great.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Beyond the standard explanations, I didn&#x27;t attempt to persuade her, knowing it was useless. She left saying she&#x27;d return &#x22;another day&#x22;. Well, I don&#x27;t think, I told my assistant.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Sure enough, an hour later I got a phone call from a dentist I know. This man, an ethnic Khasi as well, said that the female I&#x27;ve been telling you about had just visited him - and accused me of trying to make her blind or mad because she is, you guessed it, a Khasi and I&#x27;m Bengali.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;If t...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1117/Another_memorable_specimen</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:34:49 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Fair play? Don&#x27;t be such a dope: the story of Monika Devi</title>
<description>   &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://www.hinduonnet.com/gallery/0405/040504.jpg&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Sometimes I try not to be cynical. Sometimes I try to think that what &#x3C;i style=&#x22;&#x22;&#x3E;seems&#x3C;/i&#x3E; coincidence, &#x3C;i style=&#x22;&#x22;&#x3E;is&#x3C;/i&#x3E; coincidence, that what seems innocent, &#x3C;i style=&#x22;&#x22;&#x3E;is&#x3C;/i&#x3E; innocent, but sometimes it gets hard. I tell you, it gets hard.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Now, of course, we&#x2019;re all aware, aren&#x2019;t we (and the media are more than willing to remind us if we aren&#x2019;t) that the Beijing Olympics are on. And we&#x2019;re also aware that some countries are better at sports than others, and that some countries that don&#x2019;t do too well don&#x2019;t do too well for reasons, let&#x2019;s say, that have nothing much to do with sports at all.&#x3C;/font&#x3E;&#x3C;/p&#x3E;  &#x3C;p class=&#x22;MsoNormal&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;And among those nations that never do anything worth writing about on the international stage is India, which has a billion plus population but nary a medal to show for it (well, we did win one gold medal this time, in shooting, a sport that&#x2019;s within the reach of only the military and the super-rich and so shouldn&#x2019;t be called a representative sport at all). Elsewhere I&#x2019;ve discussed some of the reasons why, but if we really want to have a p...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1116/Fair_play_Dont_be_such_a_dope_the_story_of_Monika_Devi</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:16:41 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Georgia Attacks Russia</title>
<description>&#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://dockbillin.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SJyOxQoKCn0AAGb-1is1&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;img class=&#x22;alignmiddleb&#x22; src=&#x22;http://images.dockbillin.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SJyOxQoKCn0AAGb-1is1/capt.212a041f45e143a1b28e8d7e2bc65c8e.georgia-south-ossetia-mosb823.jpg?et=lBZgWbdQwMSzOMkTc9CDqw&#x26;#x26;nmid=0&#x22; border=&#x22;0&#x22;&#x3E;&#x3C;/a&#x3E;&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Today, US vassal Georgia &#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hV2N6fVKS5slf10A13Dj_uIdaZ4QD92E6BSO0&#x22;&#x3E;attacked&#x3C;/a&#x3E; Russian troops and citizens in South Ossetia.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;I did &#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1071/Its_in_the_Works&#x22;&#x3E;predict&#x3C;/a&#x3E; this a while ago. Now they&#x27;re going to whine about how the Russians are &#x22;targeting them.&#x22;&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Is it merely a coincidence that Condolences Rice &#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1009504.html&#x22;&#x3E;says&#x3C;/a&#x3E; the US can&#x27;t stop &#x22;Israel&#x22; from attacking Iran? Right, those &#x22;Israeli&#x22; planes are going to fly right round Gibraltar and round the Cape of Good Hope to come round and bomb Iran without overflying American-controlled airspace. Yes.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;And is it only a coincidence that all this is happening when the Beijing Olympics just began? I - um - don&#x27;t think so.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;If Russia can be successfully distracted by Georgia, with China already neutralised temporarily by the Olympics, I assume there will be an &#x22;Israeli&#x22; attack on Iran within the next few days.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;And since the price of oil has dropped to $116, they might be idiot enough to think the price won&#x27;t&#x26;nbsp; rise astronomically high even if the Straits of Hormuz are blocked. Anything&#x27;s possible from people who get messages dire...</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1113/Georgia_Attacks_Russia</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 8 Aug 2008 18:22:49 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>About &#x22;Guardian At The Gate&#x22;</title>
<description> &#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;From here on (Chapter 7) all chapters will be for contacts only. About future posts, I shall be asking some questions later to which I&#x27;d like some clear answers. But enough for tonight. I&#x27;m tired and ill (I have an infected leg) and I want to post and go to bed.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Happy reading, people.&#x26;nbsp; &#x26;nbsp; &#x26;nbsp;&#x26;nbsp;&#x26;nbsp; &#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1108/About_Guardian_At_The_Gate</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 4 Aug 2008 17:17:49 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>An Explanation (and apology, if you should want it)</title>
<description>&#x3C;font size=&#x22;3&#x22;&#x3E;Some of you may have noticed that I&#x27;m no longer visiting your pages as often as I used to.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;This is not because I&#x27;ve gone off you or something like that, and it is not because I&#x27;m not Multiplying, because I am.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;As some of you may also have noticed, I&#x27;m at work on a novel, with the working title (it&#x27;s not the final title, and for that I may invite suggestions) &#x3C;a href=&#x22;http://dockbillin.multiply.com/tag/guardian%20at%20the%20gate&#x22;&#x3E;Guardian At The Gate&#x3C;/a&#x3E;. I am trying to maintain my current rate of writing a chapter a day, and I hope I can finish it within the month. In order to concentrate only on it I&#x27;ve more or less put all other writing on hold for the duration. And because writing a chapter every evening doesn&#x27;t leave me much time for other pursuits, I&#x27;ve had to compensate by not visiting peoples&#x27; pages.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;There it is. All I can say is, thank you for reading what I write, and I shall be back on your pages soon enough.&#x3C;br&#x3E;&#x3C;br&#x3E;Just as soon as I&#x27;ve got this done. &#x26;nbsp; &#x26;nbsp; &#x26;nbsp;&#x3C;/font&#x3E;</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/journal/item/1107/An_Explanation_and_apology_if_you_should_want_it</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 3 Aug 2008 16:31:05 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Caterpillar D 11 N</title>
<description>At 104 tons, yeah, 104 tons, you wouldn&#x27;t actually go for a Sunday afternoon joyride on one of these machines. But I wish I could drive one down the street at rush hour. I could do some serious traffic</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/photos/album/256/Caterpillar_D_11_N</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:21:04 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>Priloza&#x27;s Blog</title>
<description>Priya D&#x27;Souza (Priloza here), a personal friend, no longer posts on Multiply. However, she regularly maintains her page on blogspot, with writing of an extremely high</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/links/item/61/Prilozas_Blog</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:52:51 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>TV Interview Part 3 and last: taken from the TV</title>
<description>If you&#x27;ve stuck with me so</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/video/item/193/TV_Interview_Part_3_and_last_taken_from_the_TV</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:32:01 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>TV Interview Part 2: taken from the TV</title>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/video/item/192/TV_Interview_Part_2_taken_from_the_TV</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:49:12 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>TV Interview Part I: taken from the TV</title>
<description>Since the interview was almost 25 minutes long, I chose to upload it in three segments, each shorter than 10 minutes. I am supposed to receive the original from the TV station, but until I do this will have to</description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://dockbillin.multiply.com/video/item/191/TV_Interview_Part_I_taken_from_the_TV</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:03:23 -0000</pubDate>
</item>

</channel>
</rss>