Ben East Books

Author: Ben East

  • Speaking of Tone-Lōc

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    Ben East
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    I haven’t thought about Tone-Lōc in years, but I woke up on Friday eager write about him. The next day, a horse called Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby. It so happens I’m also studying synchronicity right now. Here in Mumbai we’re living through our own Tone-Lōc moment, a sort of Tone-Lōc-down. It’s déjà vu…

  • The Longest Monday

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    Ben East
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    With all its cold, dark hours and lingering gloom at the start of the year, January might be called The Monday of Months. This year, many of our democratic traditions will be reflected in major events taking place during this long month of Mondays. The 117th U.S. Congress is sworn in today. A vote in…

  • Christmas Cream Cheese

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    Ben East
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    Candy cane cream cheese did not exist before today. Google the concept and see for yourself. The phrase turns up false narratives, like cream cheese cookies shaped like candy canes, or a candy cane-shaped Danish with cream cheese and cherry filling. Delicious, yes. But candy cane cream cheese? For a bagel? Nosir. Here’s our recipe.…

  • An Indian King from the East

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    Ben East
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    Every year brings new challenges to our myths. This year, astronomers turn our attention to the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn low in the night sky, an event said to have occurred two thousand and twenty years ago at the birth of Jesus Christ. The three wise men, we are made to understand, found…

  • Poe’s Pigeon: “Poop Galore”

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    Ben East
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    My son asks how my satire of The Raven is coming along. It’s stalled, I say, and explain the problem. The first seven stanzas, more than a third of the poem, have nothing to do with the bird. Yet the inspiration to write this satire flaps all around me, every day, unavoidable reminders of their own absurdity:…

  • Thanksgiving Hike

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    Ben East
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    We shook off the lingering Thanksgiving weekend with a sturdy hike today, climbing 1,100 feet to reach Karnala Fort. The climb passes through the Karnala Bird Sanctuary off highway 66 in Raigad, Maharashtra, home to some two hundred species of birds. We also spotted wood spiders, carpenter bees, termites, dragon flies, and cicadas, and saw…

  • Don Turkey & Key Lime Pie

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    Ben East
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    Me bloggy familiars: recognize this? We made such pies a few years back. And we ate those discs of lemony lime so again Kodachrome the tarty goodness in oven-baked form. After Don Turkey loses his head we’ll top ‘em with cream. Whipping it first! (Did I say, Don Turkey, THE Donald Turkey? Pardon me, pardon…

  • Lost

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    Ben East
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    Nothing in 2020 was immune to the pandemic. Even my hard drive crashed by June, shelved for months before a fix could be found. Well before my laptop’s demise, the year had already presented its share of challenges. Travel to Bhopal in January to support American blues performers at an international music festival. February dedicated…

  • Diwali. Art. Humanity.

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    Ben East
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    Rangoli beside our door means one thing. Diwali! Colored powders, various beans, and a few candles set around the entry welcome our visitors. Our virtual visitors. Welcome, virtual visitors! See who has already come? The purple-footed Lakshmi tip-toeing around the fern. A confession: I’m no fan of rangoli. They irk me so. Such beautiful creations,…

  • Captain’s Blog…

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    Ben East
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    Raw eggs hurtle toward earth. Our lunar descent vehicles promise soft landings. Of course, we lose a few  good eggs along the way. Big Red Dan was the first to go. Never even made it out of the living room. One short drop from shoulder height in his 12-straw craft, plus inner capsule, pushed his insides…