Right, Suib. I had forgotten about the provenance of Davey's recorder and the quips surrounding it. I'm sure that a true English flute requires that it be made in Japan, of that ancient craft material, plastic. Been that way since the Celtic peoples first arrived in the islands many millennia ago.

Conrad is one of these unfortunate people who is obsessed with the idea that everyone in the world is out of step but him and he wants the whole world to conform to his wishes—which are eminently impractical if not downright impossible. He wants everyone to supply him with what he wants for no charge, conveniently ignoring the basic fact of life that everything has a price, if not in currency of the realm, then in someone's effort.

In the Garden, after Adam and Eve had eaten all the low-hanging apples, if they wanted any more, someone had to climb the friggin' tree to pick them. Early on, one person beats the bushes and harvests edible roots and berries, while someone else manages to spear a warthog. Then the exchange begins. "I'll trade you a couple of pork chops for a couple of tubers and a handful of those berries."

When this kind of barter became too cumbersome, our predecessors worked out a medium of exchange. "These cowry shells, although they're kinda pretty, ain't worth much in and of themselves. But let's use them as markers. A pork chop is worth two cowry shells. A handful of berries is worth one cowry shell. A cup of that weird, foamy water that formed in the bucket of wheat when it got left out in the rain and that makes you feel good while it also makes you sorta dizzy outta be worth at least four cowry shells. . . ."    And so money (and presumably, by accident, beer) was invented.

You help someone build a thatched hut and he gives you a handful of cowry shells that you can then exchange for whatever you might need or want. Now, we call that "wages."

Then along came the minstrels. "He sings kinda purty and the songs he sings tell good stories. Maybe we can get him to bring his lyre and sing for us if we offer him some cowry shells."

'Twas ever thus, Conrad. Sure, things have got more complicated, but the basic structure of exchange of things of value, both tangible and intangible, and the chits that represent them (these days, we call it "money") is as old as humanity.

Also, I'm a bit surprised that you seem to maintain that all these things should be free for the asking. "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." That smacks of Socialism.

And you say, up above, that you are a conservative Republican.

Is it possible that you are a bit confused?

Don Firth