Monday 10 August, 2026

Wistfulness Quote of the Day ”War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.” Thomas Mann Musical alternative to the morning’s radio news Alison Krauss | Down To The River To Pray Link Long Read of the Day Threw away the boot Lovely memoir by Dilip D’Souza When I was younger, so much younger than today, family and friends began to notice that I stood a little awkwardly. Maybe I never needed anybody’s help in any way, I don’t know. But the awkwardness was most obvious in photographs, where I would invariably stand with one foot out to the side. They also found I ran a little oddly, even though I was active and loved playing outside. Eventually an older aunt and my mother lay me down and actually measured my legs. By a couple of inches, one was shorter than the other. My mother took me to a well-known Bombay doctor, who confirmed the difference in the lengths and said that I must have had a mild attack of polio. (Polio was, of course, much more prevalent and frightening then…