It is interesting how the mind plays tricks and connects two rather awkwardly placed facts. Samir brought my attention to the fact that the Hippo is the most dangerous animal to encounter in the wilds of Africa if you are a human being, if you are anything else, run like hell when you see homo sapiens. But, I digress. Have we ever wondered why the male hippo is so aggressive? The aggression can be carried to extremes when two males fight for supremacy over the bevy of beauties that they maintain in their haramain( plural of harem) of muddy pools liberally sprinkled , and delightfully scented by the dominant hippo's feces. Males have even been known to kill and eat their adversaries. An interesting version of long pig among this relative of whales. It is not only that females who seek to mate outside their pool so to speak, but other males that bear the brunt of the male hippos aggression.

How interesting are the parallels between that society and those among us who would create the same haramain and seek to control every aspect of a citizen's life, particularly if that citizen happens to be a woman! There was an article in the news about a judge in India putting forward a case to ban co-education for muslim girls until they reach the age of high school. Of course, it sounds ridiculous, but you can't stop the male hippos among us from giving a yawn(signifies "keep your distance or else..." ) now and then. The question in my mind is when to ignore such folks and when to charge? Where does one draw the line? One wonders....