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Sounds of the Night
For the night is not all calmness and tranquility. While humans sleep, the night awakes—not just to hushed whispers and muted murmurs; but to chirps, yowls, and screeches! Sounds buried in the din of day ring clear and true. Its a journey of rediscovery as my ears acquaint me with the passing sounds of the…
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The Circle of Life—a Balcony View.
Its February. The bare branches of the Indian cork trees stretch heavenwards pleading for fresh garments to cover their nakedness. Beyond them, usually shielded by their thick foliage, the grey and white tower block too stands exposed to curious eyes. Life is astir behind the concrete facade—a blur of images on a TV screen where…
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A knotty piece of string
Anyone who has ever knitted, crocheted, quilted, embroidered or otherwise worked with a length of yarn has witnessed this miracle. A perfectly innocuous, straightforward length of yarn mysteriously ties itself into a convoluted knot. As though tired of running in an endless track, it decides to curl up on itself for a cosy nap. Called…
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Dangerous creatures—megafauna to microbes
Our prehistoric ancestors were brave. Small bands of them stepped out of their caves into the wilderness to hunt, armed with only wooden spears, clubs, and roughly sharpened stones. They hunted no ordinary creatures—they stalked megafauna—menacing monsters several times their size and several hundred times their weight. Dangerous beasts which could kill with a sideways…
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Planetary alignments
I wasn’t a believer. But the day dawned when the planetary alignments declared I had power to influence world peace. Had I but known earlier……As things were, my sphere of influence extended over the limited 1200 square feet of my own home. But I consoled myself—peace, like charity, must begin at home. Deeply impressed that…
