Contents to Date

In Notes on November 19, 2010 at 2:10 pm

Here’s a hyperlinked list of all the stories posted to date: just click on the title to read the story. ‘G’ indicates a graphic and ‘A’ an audio version—only one of these so far, but more will follow eventually. Check out the world map at the bottom of the page: since February 28th, 2010, readers from 165 countries and counting.

442. Rest In Peace, Kumud Rege (June 29, 1922 to October 5, 2019)

441. Mere Customers

440. Why this Fussing and Fighting?

439. Of Damp Squibs and Other Watery Slurs

438.“I never died,” says he

437. Wide Awake

436. Feel-good, feeling good

435. Wild Things

434. Friends from Way Back

433. No particular place to go

432. Zero-tolerance Policy

431. Y is for Youth

430.Walls

429. V is for Vigilante

428. Unalienable Rights

427. T is for Temporary Status

426. S is for Stranger

425. R is for Refugees

424. Q is for Quarantine

423. P is for Passport

422. One Love

421. N is for Nationalists and Nationalisms

420. M: Migrant Crisis

419. Three Ks: Kamala Markandaya, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Kamila Shamsie

418. J is for Journey

417. I is for “Internment”/Incarceration

416. H is for Homeland

415. G is for the Great Migration

414. F: Family Separation

413. E is for Emigrant, Expatriate, and Exile

412. D: Detention and Deportation

411. C is for Citizen[ship]

410. B is for Border

409. A is for Alien (also Arrival, Assimilation, and Asylum)

408. Every Light in the House Burnin’

407. Inner Light (G)

Of Piercings, Pain, and Authenticity (G)

405. Not So Grinchy (G)

404. Colo(u)rs (G)

403. Free from Thought (G)

402. Land Where Our Fathers Died (G)

401. More Than Enough (G)

400. Why Pay those Union Dues? (G)

399. East of What? (G)

398. This day . . . (G)

397. Why Should Not Old Women Be Mad? (G)

396. Missing Ted (G)

395. “Oh, Rob!” (G)

394. Scattergram, Spring 2017 (G)

393. Flying those Flags (G)

392. Pecking Order (G)

391. buying up the whole store (G)

390. When You’re Pulled Over (G)

389. Exposing Whose Perversity? (G)

It Wants To Be Found (G)

Not So Posh (G)

386. When the Law Breaks the Law (G)

385. On Two Girls Running (G)

384. Auntie Bette’s Litmus Test (G)

It’s a Process (G)

What’s Wrong with “Oriental”? (G)

Cousin Mischa (G)

Young People (G)

Xýpna / Ξύπνα (G)

Writing (G)

Verandas (G)

Unions (G)

Thrift Stores (G)

Singing (G)

Real Country (G)

Quirks (G)

Pre-dawn Raga (G)

the Outdoors (G)

368. Night (G)

367. Movement (G)

Lemons and Limes (G)

Kindred (G)

Jai Jagat! (G)

India (G)

362. Henion’s (G)

The Guardian (G)

360. Friends (G)

359. EastEnders (G)

358. Darjeeling (G)

357. Chillies and China (G)

Bookshops (G)

Accomplishment (G)

354. The Pursuit of Happiness (G)

353. Solapuris (G)

352. Parents Modeling Manners (G)

351. Slow Food from Way Back (G)

350. Lest We Forget (G)

349. A Chair for My Mother (G)

348. On Tap (G)

347. Free Speech: Goodbye to All That? (G)

346. Keeping Up with The Times (G)

345. Reaganomics 101 (G)

344. Tropical Botanicals (G)

343. European Border Crossings (G)

342. Inscriptions (G)

341. Unexpected Fruit (G)

340. Coastal Connections (G)

339. It’s the Way That You Do It (G)

338. Self-doubt (G)

337. Lessons from a Historian (G)

336. Time’s Wingèd Chariot (G)

335. Are you Black or White? (G)

334. Rockers (G)

333. Like Some Forgotten Dream (G)

332. Lost in the Supermarket (G)

331. No Rush (G)

330. Ruth Rendell: Dead-On (G)

329. Zapf, Zubaan, Zinc-etching, Zzzzz . . . (G)

328. Yellow Journalism (G)

327. x-Height (G)

326. Whetstone Press (G)

325. Verso (G)

324. Upper Case (and lower case) (G)

323. Tympan and Times Roman (G)

322. Stereotyping (G)

321. Recto (G)

320. Quoin that Phrase (G)

319. (Mind your) p’s and q’s (G)

318. Out of Sorts (G)

317. The Nick (G)

316. Of Matrices, Magazines, and Melting Pots (G)

315. Ligatures (G)

314. Kern(ing) (G)

313. Job Printers (G)

312. Impression/Imposition (Kiss or Bite?) (G)

311. The Hogarth Press (G)

310. Godine (G)

309. Folding, Flying, Bleeding, Pieing. . . (G)

308. Ems, Ens, and Endpapers (G)

307. Deadline (G)

306. Composition (G)

305. Bed (G)

304. Against the Grain (G)

303. Use Proper English You’re Regarded as a Freak* (G)

302. Brooding* (G)

301. Babysitting (G)

300. Mistrusting My Inner Voice (G)

299. Time Travel (Birthdays and Birthday Books) (G)

298. On TP Rolls and Responsibility (G)

297. Metamorphosis? (G)

296. The Hundred-Foot Journey after Charlie Hebdo (G)

295. Changes (G)

294. Without Whom (G)

293. All the World’s a Stage (G)

292. No Returns (G)

291. Stone Root Lane (G)

290. Krishna’s Butterball (G)

289. Only So Much (G)

288. Bless Them (G)

287. Anywhere, anywhere (G)

286. Foxfire (G)

285. Sometimes a Coincidence (G)

284. Step by Step (G)

283. Categories or Continuums? (G)

282. It’s Only Temporary (G)

281. Invasion of the Potato Beetles (G)

280. My Love Affair with Penguins (G)

279. Raking, or In Praise of Puttering (G)

278. Going Back, Coming Home (G)

277. Waiting for Some Time (G)

276. India: Day 5 (G)

275. Doing it Themselves (G)

274. In the Dark (G)

273. Everyday Use (G)

272. Zindagi (G)

271. Yellowcake and other Euphemisms (G)

270. The Challenge of X (G)

269. Walls (G)

268. Variations, Variety, Vocab (G)

267. U and Non-U (G)
A visit to Sandringham

266. Tea (G)

265. Swagmen (G)

264. Railways, Real and Imagined (G)

263. Quiet (G)

262. Oh, to be in England (G)

261. Nostalgia (G)

260. Monuments (G)

259. London without Lily (G)

258. Kuchen (G)

257. (Leaving on a) Jet Plane (G)

256. Interior Design (G)

255. Holidays (G)

254. (On not knowing) German (G)

253. Food, Bremen-style (G)

252. In the Eurozone (G)

251. Deutschland (or Germany?) (G)

250. Culture (G)

249. Baggage (G)

248. Air Travel (G)
The start of a monthlong journey and also the A-to-Z April challenge

247. Gauri Deshpande: A Distinctive Voice (G)
A tribute to the late Gauri Deshpande (1942-2003)

246. On Not Knowing the Signs (G)

245. Welcome Home (G)

244. A Chip off the Old Block? If Only. (G)

243. On Making Things Up (G)

242. Gratitude (G)
On hearing of Pete Seeger’s death

241. People, Not Personalities (G)

240. Heaven’s Gate: Two Degrees of Separation (G)

239. No, It’s Not Political Incorrectness (G)

238. The Diabolical Idea of the Sale (G)

237. Turning Towards the Light (G)

236. Living Language: Changing, Impure (G)

235. December 5^th, 2013 (G)
Remembering the global influence of Nelson Mandela on the sad occasion of his death

234. “Ah, bitter chill it was!” (G)

233. Rest In Peace, Doris Lessing (G)

232. Before Interstates, Before Automobiles (G)

231. Festivals of Light (G)

230. Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later than You Think) (G)

229. The Saga of the Sage-Green Couch (G)

228. The Mistress-Servant Relationship (G)

227. The Commanding Self (G)

226. Consider the lilies of the field (G)

225. Audit Alert! (G)

224. Play-Acting (G)

223. Darn It! (G)
No, Brave New World, mending is better than ending!

222. Dropping In (G)

221. Dressing for Others (G)

220. How’s Your GK? (G)
As in General Knowledge: obsession with (India, 1960’s), lack thereof (US, 2010’s)

219. Palimpsest (G)
Reflections on layer upon layer of this fascinating word, delicious to roll around on the tongue; postcolonial theory

218. No Baby No Cry* (G)
Did you go to your baby when it cried?

217. Regularity (G)

216. The Third Age

215. Remembering Mrs. Metzger (G)
Tribute to an exceptional English teacher at Brookline High School

214. A Moment in Time (G)

213. Censorship at Bedtime (G)

212. ¡Viva La Literatura! (G)
Mexico Olympics, Tlatelolco Massacre (October 2, 1968), Black Power Salute/Human Rights Protest, 1968 Olympics, Howl Festival, New York (Mexico/USA/UK)

211. Bad Behavior on the Bus (G)

210. The Potters’ Tale (G)
Serendipity and synchronicity

209. Retreat (G)

208. Zee, Zed, Go to Bed (G)

207. The Yonghy-Bonghy-Bò (G)

206. Xenophobia (G)

205. Weeping Willow (G)

204. Victory V’s (G)
In my youth the slogan for the Victory V lozenge was, “It’s got a kick like a mule!” One look at the ingredients shows why.

203. Ultra (G)

202. Tennessee Stud (G)

201. Screaming Women (G)
Prime-time TV

200. Roots, Rock, Reggae (G)
The rise of reggae music, 1960s/1970s (UK/USA)

199. Quest (G)
Reflection on a word, and on its perversion

198. The Post Office (G)
Efficiency, importance, defunding, and decline of the Post Office 19th Century, 1950s/1960s/1980s/2010s (UK/USA)

197. O, Oh, and The Wonderful O (G)

196. Never No More (G)

195. Marathon (G)

194. London, My London (G)

193. Kindling (G)

192. Jam Today (G)
Anti-nuclear movement, 1970s/1980s (USA)

191. The Iliad at Bedtime (G)
When my son was little, I got it into my head that I was going to read him the epics of the world at bedtime.

190. Hobson-Jobson (G)

189. Goodness Gracious Me! (G)
British Asian community, TV comedy, 1990s (UK)

188. Finn Family Moomintroll (G)

187. Emil and the Detectives (G)

186. Drive-ins (G)
Culture, decline of an institution 1970s/1980s/2000s (USA)

185. Common Sense (G)

184. Brevity (G)

183. Autoantonyms (G)

182. Hot Cross Buns (G)

181. The Silver Hairpin (G)

180. The Magic of Found Objects (G)
Is anything ever lost?
Bicentennial of American Revolution, People’s Bicentennial Commission, Concord 1976 (USA)

179. And he laughing said to me (G)

178. Talkin’ ’bout My Generation (G)
Culture, values of 1950s-born generation (India/UK/USA)

177. The Sugar Snow (G)
Maple-syruping, 1960s/1980/s/90’s (India/USA)

176. The Haircut (G)

175. Make It So! (G)

174. Con Men, Card Sharks, and Playing a Different Game (G)
Con-men, Richard Canfield, The Sting, Paul Newman and Robert Redford (USA)

173. Multi-Timing (G)

172. Balancing My Three Halves (G)

171. Dashing Away with the Smoothing Iron (G)

170. Sighting in New Mexico (G)
UFOs, Roswell Incident 1947, Area 51, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Stealth Bomber 1970s (USA)

169. At the Gates of Dawn (G)

168. The Fast-Wind Backwards (G)

167. Diary-keeping (G)

166. In the Bleak Midwinter (G)

165. What’s in a Name? (G)

164. Pheasants and Apple Chutney (G)

163. Servants, or Cleaning My Own D*** House! (G)

162. “Heuch, Heuch!” (and other family lingo) (G)

161. Watching the River Flow (G)

160. Dogfight (G)
Indo-Pak War of 1967 (India)

159. Ordinary People (G)

158. The Pagli and the Tramp
Two rare experiences of difference being accepted, one in India, the other in the U.S.

157. The Day Mick Jagger Called (G)

156. Just Empty your Mind

155. Saving my Bacon (G)

154. Saraswati and Sari-wearing (G)

153. Piecing It All Together (G)

152. No Swaddling, Please! (G)

151. Correspondences and Convergence (“Chicks Can’t Dig!”) (G)

150. The Phenomenon (G)

149. Get Me to the Church on Time (G)

148. Avoiding the Plague (G)
Plague outbreak Ratnagiri 1939/40, Vaccination, diphtheria, smallpox, polio (India/UK/USA/Greece)

147. Hollyhocks and Hornworms (G)

146. Life on the Low Wire (G)

145. Just a little is enough (G)

144. The Blab-Off (G)

143. Waste Not, Want Not (G)

142. Route 66 (G)
Traveling that historic route 1970s, 2000s (USA)

141. The Yogi of Beals Street (G)
Yoga, Indian immigrant, 1970s (USA)

140. Music Alone Shall Live (G)

139. Sealed with a Kiss (G)
Changing practices, Valentine’s Day, 1960s/1990s (India/Greece/USA)

138. Learning How (Not) to See (G)

137. A Victorian Frame of Mind (G)
Old-school pedagogy, 1970s (USA)

136. The Shame of Self-Censorship (G)
Dangerous Reading, Harry Potter, The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie, 1980s/1990s/2010s (UK/USA, India)

135. Doris Lessing and Me (G)
Tribute from an unabashed fan of the great DL

134. Darshan, or You Never Can Tell (G)
Fonteyn & Nureyev, Athens 1962, Halley’s Comet 1986, Edward Said 1999 (Greece/USA)

133. So Many Things Have Disappeared (G)
Disappearing cultural practices, trades, institutions 1930s/1960s/1990s (India)

132. My Muddle (G)

131. Across the Miles (G)
Declining practice of sending Christmas/New Year cards, 1960s, 2010s (India/UK/USA)

130. Orwellian Jingles (G)

129. Good Morning, Rainy Day (G)

128. The Kurta Joke G)

127. Going Up the Country (G)
Back-to-the-land movement 1970s/1980s (USA)

126. Word Choice: Does it Matter? (G)

125. My Autograph Book (G)
Autograph books, history and use, 1960s (India/UK)

124. A Meditation on Money (G)

123. That Funny Accent (G)

122. The Land of the Free—Really? (G)

121. The Taste of Home (G)

120. I once was lost (and wish I still were) (G)

119. Top of the Pops, 1968-69 (G)
Top of the Pops, BBC television, pop music charts,1960s (UK)

118. Racist Bracist (G)

117. Personal Space, Indian-Style (G)

116. Medicinal Herbs (G)

115. An Immigrant’s Reflections on Independence Day (G)
Meanings and practice of Independence Day, Indian, Indian American, American 1960s/1980s/2010s (India/USA)

114. Food for People , Not for Profit (G)
The Food Cooperative Movement, 1970s (USA)

113. Riding Like the Wind (G)
Bicycles & bicycle culture, 1950s/1960s (India)

112. Хоттабыч in India (G)
Russian books in India, Soviet Era, 1960s (India)

111. Strawberry-Picking Camp (G)
Student farm camp, NUS 1940s (UK)

110. The Party (G)

109 Hindi Lessons (G)
Hindi, post-Independence (India)

108. Climb Over the Wall! (G)

107. Kalo Paska (G)

106. Slow: Salamander Crossing (G)

105. My Garden of Forking Paths (G)

104. Untangling (G)

103. Holi, Water Play, Rites of Spring (G)

102. No Nuclear News (G)
Anti-nuclear movement 1970s/1980s (USA)

101. The Japan Syndrome (G)
Fukushima 2011, Chernobyl 1986, Three Mile Island 1979, Vermont Yankee 2011 (Japan/Ukraine/USA)

100. My American Epiphany

99. Paharganj, January 1984
1984 massacre of Sikhs, Delhi (India)

98. Oral Culture (so to speak) (G)

97. Sick in Bed (G)

96. Learning to Swim (G)

95. Sail On, Silver Girl

94. My Uncrowned Queens (G)
Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation, 1953, Royal Weddings 1981, 2011 (UK)

93. Snowed In (G)

92. Cookbooks, Immigrants, and Improvisation (G)
Indian Americans, Indian immigrants, 1970s (USA)

91. Tunneling (G)

90. “Almost a Dude” (G)

89. Make Love, Not Clockwork Devil-Doggery (G)

88. Sisters, Pick Up Your Sisters (G)
Women’s Movement, hitchhiking, 1970s (USA)

87. Thanda Thanda Pani or, You Never Miss Your Water… (G)
Daily rituals, water use, 1960s/1990s (India)

86. Bottled Sunshine (G)

85. St. Nicholas’ Day (G)

84. Feasting or Fasting? (G)
November 26, 1970, Native American National Day of Mourning, Thanksgiving (USA)

83. A Clear, Cold New England Day

82. What’s Your Bag? (G)

81. St. Catherine’s and Miss Tutte (G)

80. Who Are You? (G)

79. Baths, Bathing, and Hot Water Bottles (G)
Cultural history of baths & bathing (UK/India)

78. October Rains (G)

77. The Tea Tasting (G)

76. Say it Again (G)

75. The Long Journey (G)
Traveling to Ratnagiri, 1950s/1960s (India)

74. Three Towers, Three Coincidences
Remembering World Trade Center Attacks, 9/11/01 (USA)

73. Trouble (G)

72. Learnin’ the Blues (G)

71. Simply Paying Attention

70. Party Pieces (G)
Self-entertainment vs. goggling the TV (UK/India/US)

69. Wonders in the Woods (G)

68. Frittered!

67. Fiasco on the 715 (G)

66. The Mango Room (G)

65. Curb Your Enthusiasm: A Bedtime Story (G)

64. Concert Collage (G)

63. Secrecy and Velvet Bugs (G)
Communication, pre-electronic media, 1960s (India)

62. Regulation Underwear (G)
Educational reform, primary schools 1960s (UK)

61. Burma-Shave Signs (G)
Anti-nuclear protest, 1970s (USA)

60. Cod-Liver Oil and Malt (G)

59. Childhood Scars

58. Southbound

57. Toughening Up

56. International Arrivals (G)

55. Quick-Change Artist

54. Flash

53. Sucking Lemons and Quoting Shaw (G)
My parents in 1930s England, 1930s/1940s India

52. Himalaya (G)

51. Getting Out of Silver City (G)

50. Learning How to Fold (G)

49. Making Sense of the Movies (G)

48. Jaggery Coconut, Nectar of the Gods (G)

47. The Paper Round (G)

46. My Ink-Smudged Youth (G)
Writing with fountain pens, 1960s

45. A Macabre Imagination?

44. Greece in the 60s: Expats and Other Animals (G)
Expatriate life in Athens, 1960s, Doxiadis (Greece)

43. From a Railway Carriage (G)
Train travel in the 1960s, 1990s (India)

42. The Times Tables (G)
Old and new methods for learning the multiplication tables 1920s/1960s/1990s (India/USA)

41. Eating for Four (G)

40. send my roots rain (G)

39. Two at a Time (G)

38. Study Halls and Cinchona (G)

37. Grandpa Victor and the Story of the Tomatoes
Ukrainian immigration to New York, bringing tomatoes to the Old World, 1890s/early 1900s (USA/Ukraine)

36. My Grandmother

35. The Nation (G)
Nation/nationalism 1960s, Tribals, land rights (India)

34. His Master’s Voice (G)

33. A Nice Bit of Spanish (G)

32. My Wrestling Career

31. Gas-Station Shirts (G)

30. Land of Enchantment (G)

29. Incident at the Donner Pass (G)
Donner Pass 1977, Donner Party 1846, Living Love Center Berkeley (USA)

28. Pre-dawn Adventures (G)

27. Rumpelstiltskin (G)

26. Dolls I Have Loved (and Lost) (G)

25. British TV, Fall of ‘63 (G)
British TV: adverts, The Beatles, Assassination of JFK, Dr. Who