Flex Mentallo

That is still speculation at this point. Jimbo said he had not sold the book, and it was still with him.

Until this thread was merged, we were posting comments only seconds apart. Jimbo can retreive the situation - it's not too late, as there were numerous points raised in the discussion for him to reflect on, not all of which concur with each other, some of which - like a couple of mine - don't even concur with themselves! I think that if Jimbo takes another day to weigh all of the counsel he's received, and comes to the conclusion that he made an error, in which case he might think he owes the buyer an apology, and should honor the deal, I for one would willingly welcome him back into our motley fold. In similar circumstances I too would hope for understanding and forgiveness. It seems to me that the key to unblocking a damaging situation is the willingness to acknowledge to oneself and others that one has made a a mistake. Regardless of us, that is a measure of personal growth. No-one is ever beyond redemption. How else to encourage jimbo to honor the deal?

He's a monster. Don't look directly in his eyes or you'll be lucky to escape with the clothes on your back. I can verify that his monster gaze is not phased by oceans in between. Oceans aside, tomorrow night I will post comic #1....I know you all can hardly wait I have to go pee.

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. Martin Luther King, Jr. Beyond Rajabazaar, the spheres are also in motion. Thanks to Purnabha I have direct and constant access to the Internet via his home computer, and I start to post here on these boards while still in Kolkata. It feels quite different, to be posting even in an abbreviated way about day to day events. A bit like reporting from the front line. From fellow boardies reactions, I see that this has a more immediate impact on my readers as well. I send a number of p.m.'s, one of which leads to a spontaneous offer of a donation to help Roshni maintain and improve their web site. This in turn has a positive impact on Shahina and her group. Having today been inside some of these tiny homes, and heard Shahina describe to me the kind of urgent interventions she regularly has to make, often in the middle of the night (say, if a woman is being beaten by her husband), I realize that something radical is going to be needed. I share this thought with Purnabha, and he suggests that we take Shahina and Tahsina back to his and Lucina's apartment for a summit meeting. (There will be another such summit towards the end of my trip, though I cannot foresee that at this moment.) Distances are large, so we use Uber to ferry them back and forth, as there isn't really anywhere private to have a meeting in Rajabazaar, including Roshni's base itself The idea I propose to them is actually in part also inspired by this apartment. It is the one that I resourced for Lucina so she could focus on her PhD without the constant family pressures on her back home in Mir Para. After their marriage, she and Purnabha have held on to it. At present Roshni is operating from a tiny space - far smaller than photos suggest. Roshni had lost their former base back in March, and the group was at risk of losing cohesion and headway without one, so even this small space we were able to finance was crucial to them. But while it works fairly well as a space for the children, it offers no refuge for the abused women Shahina and Tahsina are supporting. Shahina is being pressured out of the family home, even though her parents are tremendously supportive and always present whenever Roshni holds an event, because one of her brothers is about to get married. The bride will move into the family home, which is already overcrowded. Rita and Phil Holland had met me just before I traveled to offer a significant donation to Roshni which would meet their budgetary requirements for next year. But it would leave no room for growth or significant development. So, I put to them a radical idea. Rita and Phil's donation combined with some funds I had earmarked for a trip with my adopted family to the Sundarbans, might be enough to enable Roshni to move to a bigger base. This could be outside Rajabazaar, within reasonable traveling distance. Being bigger, it would double as a teaching centre and a women's refuge. It would need to be managed on site, so Shahina could be resident, a practical advantage, since she conducts most of the advocacy herself. True, this would leave me to figure out how to replenish the coffers so that Roshni would have an operating budget for projects and events. But if nothing else these could perhaps be managed anecdotally. They were immediately enthusiastic, though they were concerned about what would happen a year on, when a further year's rent would be needed. I said there was no guarantee, but I felt Roshni had nothing to lose. By taking one courageous step, they might become an organization others would want to fund. I told them that my own organization had faced a similar struggle every year, yet we had managed to overcome it each year for more than twenty years. So they agreed. They are presently trying to find an apartment, struggling a little because rents are significantly higher than we'd been advised. But meanwhile the current base is still in operation and paid up until the end of March, so there is yet time to find a solution...