Flex Mentallo

We go out into the narrow sunlit lanes, the camera slipping fluidly from hand to hand. From me to Mehzabeen, to her sister Farheen and back to me. While I see endless fascination in the flow of life around me, of which they are an inseperable part, I hope their photos will help me see Rajabazaar through their eyes. Mostly, they photograph me, and I realize this too will have its uses, switching the POV in a cinematic way. Space and time spin about this little camera as we journey on.

Friday 18th November 2016. I've been here a week, and it has passed much too quickly. The purpose of this trip is very specific - to find any means possible to bootstrap Roshni so the group can flourish on their own terms. That is far more about observation and reflection than action. For the moment, I am content with that - and I accepted when I committed to the trip that I might come up with nothing helpful. So first, do no harm! The well-staged events have given me a lot of insight into Roshni's capabilities. They are powerfully motivated, have solid values, a true purpose, and the necessary skills. They are hard working and committed. Most importantly, they have that something extra that makes a person, a group or an organization special. They inspire by example. At the same time they are sincerely humble about themselves. Whatever personal ambitions they have are subordinated to their aspirations for Roshni, and Rajabazaar's women and children. There are no detectable interpersonal tensions, power struggles, or ego clashes. They are remarkable, and inwardly as well as outwardly, they are beautiful. One week in, after several in-depth conversations, I begin to get a glimmer of an idea - or rather, a raft of ideas - that might be worth suggesting to them. They don't come all at once, and none of them are yet clear. I need more data, so on the 18th, I ask them to take me round Rajabazaar, to visit homes, and the neighborhood that gives the place its name. I also make it a charm offensive. Whenever I see groups of men frowning warily at me, I go up and introduce myself, shake hands, take photos, use my limited Bengali words. But above all, I smile, no matter what confronts me. The goal I am aiming for is to become so familiar to them that they start to take me for granted... ...by the end of today I will have had one 'big' idea to share with Roshni for their consideration...

You're blowing it off? Oh, the humanity!

There might be another way for ComCav get the deal done. Richard are you volunteering No one offered me a book. so you do have a price There are a couple of books I've never owned - Action 1 and Detective 27. I think most of us would consider it for one or the other of them. For some of us it would depend on the condition...

There might be another way for ComCav get the deal done. Richard are you volunteering

There might be another way for ComCav get the deal done.

An' then - AN' THEN, see, there's also Runaway Train by Soul Asylum! It seems no one can help me now I'm in too deep There's no way out This time I have really led myself astray Runaway train never going back Wrong way on a one way track Seems like I should be getting somewhere Somehow I'm neither here nor there

me - ME! The runaway train T'was in the year of '89 on that old Great Western line, When the winter wind was blowin' shrill, The rails were froze, the wheels were cold, then the air brakes wouldn't hold, And Number 9 came roaring down the hill -- oh! The runaway train came down the track and she blew, The runaway train came down the track and she blew, The runaway train came down the track, her whistle wide and her throttle back, And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew. The runaway train went over the hill and she blew, The runaway train went over the hill and she blew, The runaway train went over the hill and the last we heard she was going still, And she blew, blew, blew, blew, blew.

savage rage monkeys I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna do it! You people can only push me so far!

What criteria need to be satisfied to make a thread a sticky topic? Does anyone agree with me that if any topic deserves to join those heading up the forum, it is this one? It seems to me that it is the very epitome of what the Gold Forum is about, and I'd be surprised if anyone disagreed. There are also more posts in this thread than all but two others, and it's one of only four with the flame denoting over 1 million posts. We haven't seen a post from BZ himself since March 2016, and I know we all think of him. Anyone care to weigh in?

savage rage monkeys