Spice Wars Study Guide
“He who controls the spice controls the universe.” — Frank Herbert, Dune (1965) It came to me in a flash last summer . Why the United States of America had spent the past two decades trying to control Afghanistan. Why Big Pharma was pushing the vaccines. It was the spice. The opium of the poppy fields. The opioids of Big Pharma. Everything was about controlling the spice. And always had been. Once upon a time, there was a Silk Road. You’ve heard of it I’m sure. The caravan road across the middle of the great Eurasian continent, linking the treasures of the Orient with the markets of the West. Except throughout the Middle Ages, the markets in the West weren’t much to speak of. A few Italian city-states. A few burghers in the north. Back in high school, I did a presentation about the fairs where they sold their spices. I even wore a costume—a hat that I got at the Renaissance Faire north of Houston, the autumn before I started college there...
Dear Fencing Bear,
ReplyDeleteI read this post yesterday, and the result was that I dreamed about the Baby Dragon last night :)
I was walking her on the street and in the park, but she was pulling so hard on her leash I had a hard time holding it. I do not know if there is any Freudian material in there!
Oh, definitely! The Baby Dragon is also having to practice sitting with strong emotion, in her case, the desire to chase after every rabbit and squirrel that she sees in the park. I am working on teaching her not to "bate" even as I practice taming my own falcon-heart.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Joy, your brother Chance. PS: Looking Good
ReplyDeleteHi, Chance! Happy Birthday to you, too! I got an Angry Birds Pig. What did you get?
ReplyDelete--Dragon Baby, a.k.a. Joy
Hi Dragon Baby, I got a new Bully Stick chew that I devoured immediately!
ReplyDeleteChance