Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Giving Anonymously
"Anyone who enjoys putting cash under a friends door or in their mailbox will often times not know if their friend actually got the gift and they cannot hear what it meant to them. So, Lionel Thompson came up with an idea to have a messaging line where recipients could call after receiving their gift. Take a look!"
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Monday, August 24, 2009
"Putpockets" give a little extra cash
LONDON (Reuters) – Visitors to London always have to be on the look out for pickpockets, but now there's another, more positive phenomenon on the loose -- putpockets.
Aware that people are suffering in the economic crisis, 20 former pickpockets have turned over a new leaf and are now trawling London's tourist sites slipping money back into unsuspecting pockets.
Anything from 5 pounds ($8) to 20 pound notes is being surreptitiously deposited in unguarded pockets or open handbags in Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and other busy spots.
The initiative, which runs until the end of August in London before being rolled out countrywide, is being funded by a broadbrand provider, which says it wants to brighten up people's lives in unusual ways.
"It feels good to give something back for a change -- and Britons certainly need it in the current economic climate," said Chris Fitch, a former pickpocket who now heads TalkTalk's putpocketing initiative.
"Every time I put money back in someone's pocket, I feel less guilty about the fact I spent many years taking it out."
London's police have been briefed about the plan, which will see at least 100,000 pounds given away.
(Reporting by Luke Baker; Editing by Kate Kelland)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
9 Tips To Be A Better Communicator
I thought I knew a lot about communication, thanks to years of courses with Landmark Education. However, the article below gave me a couple of tips that could help me some more.
Funky to Fabulous: 9 Tips To Be A Better Communicator
By eli.davidson
Created 03/04/2009 - 16:59
The bizarre exchange I had last night with my new hair wrangler highlighted how poorly American's listen to one another. Kelly and I chatted as she flat ironed my rebellious curly hair into the sleek submission that matches my book cover. (Audiences seem think I am the cousin of the author if I don't have straight hair...go figure.)
"So, your daughter is in high school? What's she interested in?" I asked.
"He married his assistant. The one he was having an affair with, now they are traveling everywhere together." she replied.
Nope. I am not making it up. That is a direct quote.
I asked her about her daughter not about the ex-husband that she had divorced ten years ago. What a perfect illustration of how many of us don't listen to one another. No wonder so many of our relationships are tangled up in misunderstandings.
Want to have a better day- fast? Listen up. One of the best ways to replenish yourself in the midst of a stressful situation (particularly if you are a woman) is through communication and connection. You can go from feeling funky to fabulous by actively engaging in listening. Paying attention to what you are hearing is a magnificent way to be a better communicator. Why? Because it demonstrates that you value the person with whom you are speaking.
In my coaching practice, I continually see that enhancing listening skills can help you whether you are leading a team of 1,000 or just trying to have a better relationship with that person sitting across from you drinking coffee.
1. Don't Let The Words Distract You
Numerous studies show that less than half of what is communicated is through spoken words. Some studies give words even less weight on the communication scale. Albert Mehrabian, Ph.D. conducted some of the most influential studies on the importance for the nonverbal components of communication. His landmark report rated 7% importance for words, 38% for tone and 55% for and body language for their effectiveness. Whether you dispute or agree with his percentages, they illustrate that you miss a great deal of content if you listen to words alone.
HOW someone says something is far more important than WHAT they say. Listen for infections, signs and coughs. These are unconscious body signals that 'highlight' a statement. They tell you that what was just said was important. For example if someone says, "I love working on that project." and then coughs or sighs it is likely that there is a part of them that doesn't believe the statement.
2. Oh, What A Difference A But Makes
Become a "but" watcher and you'll be dazzled at how much better your perception becomes. Pay attention to the word "but" in any sentence. It tells you, the listener, that everything said before the "but" might not be the truth. "I love my new position, but the hours drive me insane." The bigger truth in that sentence is that the speaker is drowning under their workload.
3. Don't Skip The End
Pay particular attention to what someone says at the end of a sentence. "I'd like to put together a presentation, except I don't know how." Often people make a preamble of what they think the listener would like you hear. Many save the most honest part of a statement for the end of a sentence.
4. Ask Is Not A Four Letter Word
Just because you speak the same language...don't assume you understand another person. The message sent is often not the message received. Masterful listeners ask, ask, ask. Any sales executive knows that the person asking the questions is the person in control of the conversation. An easy way to become an expert listener is to verify that your perception of what was said was what the speaker meant.
5. The "Should, Can't, Have To" Crystal Ball.
Each one of these words conveys a negative belief or perceived assessment of a situation. Watch the statement that follows "Should", "Can't, and "Have To." The listener is telling you that they really don't want to do what they are saying. Watch these words closely and folks around you will think you are plugged into the psychic hot line.
6. Yes, No...No Way
If you are asking a "Yes, No" question you are not giving your listener the room to communicate with depth. Why bother interacting if you don't want real information? We have gotten into the habit of speaking in sound bites. Power up your listening by adding more open-ended questions. (Questions that require something other than a yes or no answer.)
"What can I do to be a better _____ friend, partner, neighbor?"
(Add your own favorite here)
Use this courageous open-ended question to transform just about any situation or relationship.
7. Men Lay The Bricks and Women Toss The Salad
Do you feel misunderstood by the opposite sex? One of the reasons that we drive each other bonkers is that we expect that other gender to communicate the way we do. They don't. The Today Show just asked me to share some tips on the difference in male/female communication. Men tend to speak in succinct logical progression. Women mix it up. Here's an easy visual for gender communication styles.
Man Speak = Laying Bricks
Woman Speak = Tossing Salad.
I will be going into this more deeply in future posts.
8. Don't Throw A Brick In The Salad
Interrupting a speaker is a key signpost of lousy listening. Wait least four seconds after the person finishes speaking before you respond. This will help train you not to cut off the speaker until they are finished with an idea. Ladies, don't disturb a man laying bricks. Not interrupting men is key since they have a more linear communication style than women.
9. Don't Listen With Your Ears.
The University of Santa Monica has a revolutionary program of Spiritual Psychology. One of the skills they teach is Heart Centered Listening. Imagine that your heart had ears. If you listen with your heart you will hear the depth of the message any person is trying to convey.
So, close your mouth, open your heart and find out what that other astonishing human being has to share with you. It may surprise you.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Story writing contest ...
There was a contest in TCS to write a fictional story for 500 words max which would start with the line ” On a dark and foggy night, a small figure lay huddled on the railway tracks leading to the Chennai station “
This is what a guy wrote for the contest……. and surprisingly, it was adjudged the best short story
On a dark and foggy night, a small figure lay huddled on the railway tracks leading to the Chennai station. At once I was held back to see someone in that position during midnight with no one around. With curiosity taking the front seat, I went near the body and tried to investigate it. There was blood all over the body which was lying face down. It seemed that a ruthless blow by the last train could have caused the end of this body which seemed to be that of a guy of around my age. Amidst the gory blood flow, I could see a folded white envelope which was fluttering in the midnight wind. Carefully I took the blood stained envelope and was surprised to see the phrase “appraisal letter”on it. With curiosity rising every moment, I wasted no time in opening the envelope to see if I can find some details about the dead guy. The tag around the body’s neck and the jazzy appraisal cover gave me the hint that he might be a software engineer. I opened the envelope to find a shining paper on which the appraisal details where typed in flying colors. Thunders broke into my ears and lightening struck my heart when I saw the appraisal amount of the dead guy!!!!! My God, it was not even, as much as the cost of the letter on which the appraisal details were printed…. My heart poured out for the guy and huge calls were heard inside my mind saying “no wonder, this guy died such a miserable death”… As a fellow worker in the same industry, I thought I should mourn for him for the sake of respect and stood there with a heavy heart thinking of the shock that he would have experienced when his manager had placed the appraisal letter in his hand. I am sure his heart would have stopped and eyes would have gone blank for few seconds looking at the near to nothing increment in his salary.
While I mourned for him, for a second my hands froze to see the employee’s name in the appraisal letter… hey, what a strange co-incidence, this guy’s name is same as mine, including the initials. This was interesting. With some mental strength, I turned the body upside down and found myself fainted for a second. The guy not only had my name, but also looked exactly like me. Same looks, same built, same name…. it was me who was dead there!!!!!!! ! While I was lost in that shock, I felt someone patting on my shoulders. My heart stopped completely, I could not breathe and sprung in fear to see who was behind……… splash!!! Went the glass of water on my laptop screen as I came out of my wild dream to see my manager standing behind my chair patting on my shoulder saying, “wake up man? Come to meeting room number two. I have your appraisal letter ready”.
Monday, August 3, 2009
5-yr old feeds 17800 homeless people!
Found on Karmatube
"After seeing a person holding a cardboard sign begging for food, Phoebe wondered, "Why does that man look so sad, and why is he holding a sign in the street?" That question to her parents, during her daily ride to daycare, sparked an idea that has helped feed nearly 18,000 hungry San Franciscans. Oh, and Phoebe is five years old!"
"After seeing a person holding a cardboard sign begging for food, Phoebe wondered, "Why does that man look so sad, and why is he holding a sign in the street?" That question to her parents, during her daily ride to daycare, sparked an idea that has helped feed nearly 18,000 hungry San Franciscans. Oh, and Phoebe is five years old!"
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Homeless man donates $4 million to charity
"
Every day on NPR, listeners hear funding credits — or, in other words, very short, simple commercials.
A few weeks ago, a new one made it to air: "Support for NPR comes from the estate of Richard Leroy Walters, whose life was enriched by NPR, and whose bequest seeks to encourage others to discover public radio."
NPR's Robert Siegel wondered who Walters was. So Siegel Googled him.
An article in the online newsletter of a Catholic mission in Phoenix revealed that Walters died two years ago at the age of 76. He left an estate worth about $4 million. Along with the money he left for NPR, Walters also left money for the mission.
But something distinguished Walters from any number of solvent, well-to-do Americans with seven-figure estates: He was homeless."
Thursday, July 30, 2009
A nice mumbai train story
This can happen only in our Bombay....no where else. Read on.....
Only local train passengers in Bombay will know how helpful commuters
try to be...... Last week, a hapless victim fell prey to the over enthusiastic Bombay's local train commuters.
Our hero, a man from Pune, wanted to go to Matunga, but as luck and Trains would have it, boarded a fast train not halting at his destination. He panicked on realizing his mistake but by then the local had started moving. On seeing his plight, a sympathetic co-passenger decided to come to his rescue.
It seemed that he had been commuting by that particular train (6:03 pm Kasara Fast) for the past 6 years and had noticed that the train always slowed down just before Matunga station and crawled at a snail's pace while passing through it. He told the man to jump out of the running train as it slowed down and that with a little bit of fleet-footedness, he would make it safely on terra firma. However, knowing the man's inexperience, he added some words of caution:
"Keep running the moment you jump or you'll fall. Just keep running." He stressed the word "running" lest the man not know the laws of motion.
The train did slow down just before Matunga station and at the prompting of His mentor, our hero jumped out of the train and started running as if allHell had broken loose.
What he didn't realise, of course, was that he was running parallel to the train instead of running away from it. Meanwhile, the train slowed down further, so that the man was running faster than the train. In the process, he reached the door of the next compartment and the footboard commuters there pulled him in thinking he was trying to board the train!
To his agony, the train picked up speed and sped past Matunga and his new
co-passengers started to congratulate him on how lucky he had been, until he told them that they had actually undone what he had done with greatdifficulty.
Those standing at the door of his "ex-compartment" had witnessed the whole drama and just couldn't stop laughing at the poor man's situation, while he grinned sheepishly!! !
Ae dil, hai mushkil, jeena yahaan,
Zara hatke, zara bachke,
Yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Only local train passengers in Bombay will know how helpful commuters
try to be...... Last week, a hapless victim fell prey to the over enthusiastic Bombay's local train commuters.
Our hero, a man from Pune, wanted to go to Matunga, but as luck and Trains would have it, boarded a fast train not halting at his destination. He panicked on realizing his mistake but by then the local had started moving. On seeing his plight, a sympathetic co-passenger decided to come to his rescue.
It seemed that he had been commuting by that particular train (6:03 pm Kasara Fast) for the past 6 years and had noticed that the train always slowed down just before Matunga station and crawled at a snail's pace while passing through it. He told the man to jump out of the running train as it slowed down and that with a little bit of fleet-footedness, he would make it safely on terra firma. However, knowing the man's inexperience, he added some words of caution:
"Keep running the moment you jump or you'll fall. Just keep running." He stressed the word "running" lest the man not know the laws of motion.
The train did slow down just before Matunga station and at the prompting of His mentor, our hero jumped out of the train and started running as if allHell had broken loose.
What he didn't realise, of course, was that he was running parallel to the train instead of running away from it. Meanwhile, the train slowed down further, so that the man was running faster than the train. In the process, he reached the door of the next compartment and the footboard commuters there pulled him in thinking he was trying to board the train!
To his agony, the train picked up speed and sped past Matunga and his new
co-passengers started to congratulate him on how lucky he had been, until he told them that they had actually undone what he had done with greatdifficulty.
Those standing at the door of his "ex-compartment" had witnessed the whole drama and just couldn't stop laughing at the poor man's situation, while he grinned sheepishly!! !
Ae dil, hai mushkil, jeena yahaan,
Zara hatke, zara bachke,
Yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The creativity of excuses
"
Isn’t it remarkable, I thought, how the students whined and said it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject? But when they forged excuse notes, they were brilliant. The notes I had could be turned into an anthology of Great American Excuses. They were samples of talent never mentioned in song, story or study."
Read this brilliantly amusing story
Isn’t it remarkable, I thought, how the students whined and said it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject? But when they forged excuse notes, they were brilliant. The notes I had could be turned into an anthology of Great American Excuses. They were samples of talent never mentioned in song, story or study."
Read this brilliantly amusing story
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Kindness acts on sticky notes
When she read aloud the small story about a garbage collector's kindness, Katherine Cornthwaite's Grade 10 class went silent.
"It was an `Aha!' moment. Everyone's attention was on the story," says Cornthwaite, an English and family studies teacher at Clarke High School, near Newcastle.
Read this inspiring story
See all stickies of kindness
"It was an `Aha!' moment. Everyone's attention was on the story," says Cornthwaite, an English and family studies teacher at Clarke High School, near Newcastle.
Read this inspiring story
See all stickies of kindness
Become a More Effective Leader by Asking One Tough Question
This week's question for Ask the Coach:
What prevents us from making the changes we know will make us more effective leaders?
Read this whole article from Harvard Business Review
What prevents us from making the changes we know will make us more effective leaders?
Read this whole article from Harvard Business Review
Friday, July 24, 2009
100 Things Your Kids May Never Know About
100 Things Your Kids May Never Know About
* By Nathan Barry
* July 22, 2009
There are some things in this world that will never be forgotten, this week’s 40th anniversary of the moon landing for one. But Moore’s Law and our ever-increasing quest for simpler, smaller, faster and better widgets and thingamabobs will always ensure that some of the technology we grew up with will not be passed down the line to the next generation of geeks.
That is, of course, unless we tell them all about the good old days of modems and typewriters, slide rules and encyclopedias …
Audio-Visual Entertainment
1. Inserting a VHS tape into a VCR to watch a movie or to record something.
2. Super-8 movies and cine film of all kinds.
3. Playing music on an audio tape using a personal stereo. See what happens when you give a Walkman to today’s teenager.
4. The number of TV channels being a single digit. I remember it being a massive event when Britain got its fourth channel.
5. Standard-definition, CRT TVs filling up half your living room.
6. Rotary dial televisions with no remote control. You know, the ones where the kids were the remote control.
7. High-speed dubbing.
8. 8-track cartridges.
9. Vinyl records. Even today’s DJs are going laptop or CD.
10. Betamax tapes.
11. MiniDisc.
12. Laserdisc: the LP of DVD.
13. Scanning the radio dial and hearing static between stations. (Digital tuners + HD radio b0rk this concept.)
14. Shortwave radio.
15. 3-D movies meaning red-and-green glasses.
16. Watching TV when the networks say you should. Tivo and Sky+ are slowing killing this one.
17. That there was a time before ‘reality TV.’
Computers and Videogaming
18. Wires. OK, so they’re not gone yet, but it won’t be long
19. The scream of a modem connecting.
20. The buzz of a dot-matrix printer
21. 5- and 3-inch floppies, Zip Discs and countless other forms of data storage.
22. Using jumpers to set IRQs.
23. DOS.
24. Terminals accessing the mainframe.
25. Screens being just green (or orange) on black.
26. Tweaking the volume setting on your tape deck to get a computer game to load, and waiting ages for it to actually do it.
27. Daisy chaining your SCSI devices and making sure they’ve all got a different ID.
28. Counting in kilobytes.
29. Wondering if you can afford to buy a RAM upgrade.
30. Blowing the dust out of a NES cartridge in the hopes that it’ll load this time.
31. Turning a PlayStation on its end to try and get a game to load.
32. Joysticks.
33. Having to delete something to make room on your hard drive.
34. Booting your computer off of a floppy disk.
35. Recording a song in a studio.
The Internet
36. NCSA Mosaic.
37. Finding out information from an encyclopedia.
38. Using a road atlas to get from A to B.
39. Doing bank business only when the bank is open.
40. Shopping only during the day, Monday to Saturday.
41. Phone books and Yellow Pages.
42. Newspapers and magazines made from dead trees.
43. Actually being able to get a domain name consisting of real words.
44. Filling out an order form by hand, putting it in an envelope and posting it.
45. Not knowing exactly what all of your friends are doing and thinking at every moment.
46. Carrying on a correspondence with real letters, especially the handwritten kind.
47. Archie searches.
48. Gopher searches.
49. Concatenating and UUDecoding binaries from Usenet.
50. Privacy.
51. The fact that words generally don’t have num8er5 in them.
52. Correct spelling of phrases, rather than TLAs.
53. Waiting several minutes (or even hours!) to download something.
54. The time before botnets/security vulnerabilities due to always-on and always-connected PCs
55. The time before PC networks.
56. When Spam was just a meat product — or even a Monty Python sketch.
Gadgets
57. Typewriters.
58. Putting film in your camera: 35mm may have some life still, but what about APS or disk?
59. Sending that film away to be processed.
60. Having physical prints of photographs come back to you.
61. CB radios.
62. Getting lost. With GPS coming to more and more phones, your location is only a click away.
63. Rotary-dial telephones.
64. Answering machines.
65. Using a stick to point at information on a wallchart
66. Pay phones.
67. Phones with actual bells in them.
68. Fax machines.
69. Vacuum cleaners with bags in them.
Everything Else
70. Taking turns picking a radio station, or selecting a tape, for everyone to listen to during a long drive.
71. Remembering someone’s phone number.
72. Not knowing who was calling you on the phone.
73. Actually going down to a Blockbuster store to rent a movie.
74. Toys actually being suitable for the under-3s.
75. LEGO just being square blocks of various sizes, with the odd wheel, window or door.
76. Waiting for the television-network premiere to watch a movie after its run at the theater.
77. Relying on the 5-minute sport segment on the nightly news for baseball highlights.
78. Neat handwriting.
79. The days before the nanny state.
80. Starbuck being a man.
81. Han shoots first.
82. “Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.” But they’ve already seen episode III, so it’s no big surprise.
83. Kentucky Fried Chicken, as opposed to KFC.
84. Trig tables and log tables.
85. “Don’t know what a slide rule is for …”
86. Finding books in a card catalog at the library.
87. Swimming pools with diving boards.
88. Hershey bars in silver wrappers.
89. Sliding the paper outer wrapper off a Kit-Kat, placing it on the palm of your hand and clapping to make it bang loudly. Then sliding your finger down the silver foil to break off the first finger
90. A Marathon bar (what a Snickers used to be called in Britain).
91. Having to manually unlock a car door.
92. Writing a check.
93. Looking out the window during a long drive.
94. Roller skates, as opposed to blades.
95. Cash.
96. Libraries as a place to get books rather than a place to use the internet.
97. Spending your entire allowance at the arcade in the mall.
98. Omni Magazine
99. A physical dictionary — either for spelling or definitions.
100. When a ‘geek’ and a ‘nerd’ were one and the same.
* By Nathan Barry
* July 22, 2009
There are some things in this world that will never be forgotten, this week’s 40th anniversary of the moon landing for one. But Moore’s Law and our ever-increasing quest for simpler, smaller, faster and better widgets and thingamabobs will always ensure that some of the technology we grew up with will not be passed down the line to the next generation of geeks.
That is, of course, unless we tell them all about the good old days of modems and typewriters, slide rules and encyclopedias …
Audio-Visual Entertainment
1. Inserting a VHS tape into a VCR to watch a movie or to record something.
2. Super-8 movies and cine film of all kinds.
3. Playing music on an audio tape using a personal stereo. See what happens when you give a Walkman to today’s teenager.
4. The number of TV channels being a single digit. I remember it being a massive event when Britain got its fourth channel.
5. Standard-definition, CRT TVs filling up half your living room.
6. Rotary dial televisions with no remote control. You know, the ones where the kids were the remote control.
7. High-speed dubbing.
8. 8-track cartridges.
9. Vinyl records. Even today’s DJs are going laptop or CD.
10. Betamax tapes.
11. MiniDisc.
12. Laserdisc: the LP of DVD.
13. Scanning the radio dial and hearing static between stations. (Digital tuners + HD radio b0rk this concept.)
14. Shortwave radio.
15. 3-D movies meaning red-and-green glasses.
16. Watching TV when the networks say you should. Tivo and Sky+ are slowing killing this one.
17. That there was a time before ‘reality TV.’
Computers and Videogaming
18. Wires. OK, so they’re not gone yet, but it won’t be long
19. The scream of a modem connecting.
20. The buzz of a dot-matrix printer
21. 5- and 3-inch floppies, Zip Discs and countless other forms of data storage.
22. Using jumpers to set IRQs.
23. DOS.
24. Terminals accessing the mainframe.
25. Screens being just green (or orange) on black.
26. Tweaking the volume setting on your tape deck to get a computer game to load, and waiting ages for it to actually do it.
27. Daisy chaining your SCSI devices and making sure they’ve all got a different ID.
28. Counting in kilobytes.
29. Wondering if you can afford to buy a RAM upgrade.
30. Blowing the dust out of a NES cartridge in the hopes that it’ll load this time.
31. Turning a PlayStation on its end to try and get a game to load.
32. Joysticks.
33. Having to delete something to make room on your hard drive.
34. Booting your computer off of a floppy disk.
35. Recording a song in a studio.
The Internet
36. NCSA Mosaic.
37. Finding out information from an encyclopedia.
38. Using a road atlas to get from A to B.
39. Doing bank business only when the bank is open.
40. Shopping only during the day, Monday to Saturday.
41. Phone books and Yellow Pages.
42. Newspapers and magazines made from dead trees.
43. Actually being able to get a domain name consisting of real words.
44. Filling out an order form by hand, putting it in an envelope and posting it.
45. Not knowing exactly what all of your friends are doing and thinking at every moment.
46. Carrying on a correspondence with real letters, especially the handwritten kind.
47. Archie searches.
48. Gopher searches.
49. Concatenating and UUDecoding binaries from Usenet.
50. Privacy.
51. The fact that words generally don’t have num8er5 in them.
52. Correct spelling of phrases, rather than TLAs.
53. Waiting several minutes (or even hours!) to download something.
54. The time before botnets/security vulnerabilities due to always-on and always-connected PCs
55. The time before PC networks.
56. When Spam was just a meat product — or even a Monty Python sketch.
Gadgets
57. Typewriters.
58. Putting film in your camera: 35mm may have some life still, but what about APS or disk?
59. Sending that film away to be processed.
60. Having physical prints of photographs come back to you.
61. CB radios.
62. Getting lost. With GPS coming to more and more phones, your location is only a click away.
63. Rotary-dial telephones.
64. Answering machines.
65. Using a stick to point at information on a wallchart
66. Pay phones.
67. Phones with actual bells in them.
68. Fax machines.
69. Vacuum cleaners with bags in them.
Everything Else
70. Taking turns picking a radio station, or selecting a tape, for everyone to listen to during a long drive.
71. Remembering someone’s phone number.
72. Not knowing who was calling you on the phone.
73. Actually going down to a Blockbuster store to rent a movie.
74. Toys actually being suitable for the under-3s.
75. LEGO just being square blocks of various sizes, with the odd wheel, window or door.
76. Waiting for the television-network premiere to watch a movie after its run at the theater.
77. Relying on the 5-minute sport segment on the nightly news for baseball highlights.
78. Neat handwriting.
79. The days before the nanny state.
80. Starbuck being a man.
81. Han shoots first.
82. “Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.” But they’ve already seen episode III, so it’s no big surprise.
83. Kentucky Fried Chicken, as opposed to KFC.
84. Trig tables and log tables.
85. “Don’t know what a slide rule is for …”
86. Finding books in a card catalog at the library.
87. Swimming pools with diving boards.
88. Hershey bars in silver wrappers.
89. Sliding the paper outer wrapper off a Kit-Kat, placing it on the palm of your hand and clapping to make it bang loudly. Then sliding your finger down the silver foil to break off the first finger
90. A Marathon bar (what a Snickers used to be called in Britain).
91. Having to manually unlock a car door.
92. Writing a check.
93. Looking out the window during a long drive.
94. Roller skates, as opposed to blades.
95. Cash.
96. Libraries as a place to get books rather than a place to use the internet.
97. Spending your entire allowance at the arcade in the mall.
98. Omni Magazine
99. A physical dictionary — either for spelling or definitions.
100. When a ‘geek’ and a ‘nerd’ were one and the same.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Twitter intranet hacked and 310 corporate documents stolen
Twitter, one of the hottest companies in the world, was hacked recently and upto 310 company confidential documents were stolen.
Read this interesting description of how trivial was this deadly attack!
Read this interesting description of how trivial was this deadly attack!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Tracking Michelle Obama's slave roots
From cnn.com
Tracking Michelle Obama's slave roots
In many places across the South you can walk in the footsteps of slaves, and if you understand the history, it is not a happy journey. The same is true at Friendfield Plantation outside Georgetown, South Carolina.
It's not exactly "Gone With the Wind," but what makes this overgrown 3,300 acres of marsh and pine trees stand out is this: The family of first lady Michelle Obama believes her great-great grandfather was held as a slave here and labored in the mosquito-infested rice fields.
It makes Friendfield Plantation a symbol of something more than servitude. It's the symbol of something that's never happened before: One important segment of an American family's journey from the humiliation of slavery to the very top of the nation's ruling class.
CNN recently was the first television network allowed to visit the plantation and shoot video. It's not a museum. It's just private land, still with shadows of its past.
Friendfield's most distinctive historical feature, perhaps, is the dirt road known as Slave Street.
Six white-washed little shacks are all that remain of the slave quarters, even though rows of these houses once stood on the property. About 350 slaves lived here during the 19th century.
The houses are nothing special -- no plumbing, of course. The wooden walls are paper thin in places. It would have been hot and humid in summer, and most certainly cold in winter, although the shacks had fireplaces.
They would have been crowded: probably one or two families living in a space smaller than a modern-day garage.
The White House is some 472 miles from Georgetown, South Carolina. But long before Michelle Obama was born, her great-great grandfather, Jim Robinson, likely toiled in the fields here six days a week, from sunup to sundown.
The place he probably called home was a little white shack smaller than -- by comparison -- a Secret Service security shed on the grounds of the executive mansion at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
All told, hundreds of people lived like this, on this one plantation alone.
"Anywhere between 200 to 500 at different times," said Ed Carter, the property manager. "The older the plantation got, they kept adding on more cabins. [Some] cabins are 1847.
"There was some on the other street that were about probably 1820s. And when they added on, got a bit more wealthy, they just kept adding on more slaves, more cabins."
The shacks probably weren't much refuge from the vicious clouds of mosquitoes, chiggers, fire ants, and other pests that still impinge on a person's every move on the plantation. Then, consider the dangers of the alligators and snakes.
There was also the oppressive heat and humidity of South Carolina. And on the day CNN visited, the skies opened up in a violent rainstorm.
Add up all of these factors and you begin to get a picture of what life probably was, and was not, for the slaves on Friendfield Plantation. Workers on the rice plantation -- and Friendfield was one of the largest in these parts -- faced all these elements, plus the threat of disease, including malaria and yellow fever. And unlike the CNN crew, the slaves were not free to leave.
Even in death, the slaves stayed. Three cemeteries are on the Friendfield grounds. The one slave cemetery CNN visited had mostly unmarked graves, but Jim Robinson -- who was born into slavery and died a free man -- is believed to be buried there somewhere.
The cemetery clearly has been segregated from the rest of the property. Slave cemeteries were typically situated on land unsuitable for any other use.
Surrounded by trees, it might have been a beautiful place. Now, it is hard to tell that you are standing in a cemetery -- except for half a dozen grave markers, some made of wood, bearing no names.
All that's known about Jim Robinson's life comes from the few remaining records that mention him. Slaves weren't documented as individuals in the census, nor in life and death certificates. They were property, not people.
But Michelle Obama's great-great grandfather was a teenager when slavery was abolished, so as a free man, he started to leave a paper trail.
The 1880 census shows he was born about 1850, in South Carolina, and that his parents were born in South Carolina as well. He married a woman named Louiser, and in 1880 they already had three children, two boys and a girl, ages 1, 2, and 3.
The son that would become Michelle Obama's great grandfather was not born yet. The census lists Jim's occupation as a farmer, and Louiser's as "keeping house."
They are both recorded as unable to read or write. It's good fortune to uncover even this much information; the original handwritten census got wet, the ink ran and it is nearly illegible. Proof of life, nearly washed away.
There are a lot of unknowns concerning Michelle Obama's ancestry -- how many generations of slaves there were, or what route they took to this hemisphere.
The Obama election campaign commissioned a study of Michelle's genealogy by the research group Lowcountry Africana, but they couldn't make the link back to Africa. As with so many African-Americans' family histories, the paper trail runs dry.
"I don't think that that sort of information is available for anyone from Friendfield Plantation at this point," historian Tori Carrier, of Lowcountry Africana, said. "Very, very few, if any, of the Friendfield records actually survived except in public records: wills and estate inventories. ...
"There's not a real Friendfield Plantation records set, or plantation journals that have been preserved ... and there's certainly not a shred of documentary evidence right now which would even suggest to us what the African origins would be," Carrier said.
Back in Georgetown, South Carolina, Margretta Knox remembers attending the Bethel AME church with the first lady's grandparents -- Jim Robinson's grandson and his wife -- when she was a girl. The couple spent many of their years in Chicago, but returned back South after they retired.
"My father knew that Frasier Robinson's father sold newspapers," she recalled. "He made his kids read them. Mr. Robinson was very, very smart, he could recite poetry. ... Their grandfather could recite poetry and that kind of thing. ... Her grandfather and her grandmother, they were both very smart people."
But the family ties to the old plantation just got lost. "We let our parents die before we really thought about asking them questions," Knox said.
"We didn't think about it until much later, and then it was too late. They were already gone. So there was no history after that. ...
"Because we live here, we don't think about it. It's just like, you've been around it all of your life, it doesn't cross your mind. You're just living for today."
In that same way, it probably never crossed Jim Robinson's mind, as a slave in a white-washed cabin, that one day his great-great granddaughter would be living in a white house so very, very different from his own.
Tracking Michelle Obama's slave roots
In many places across the South you can walk in the footsteps of slaves, and if you understand the history, it is not a happy journey. The same is true at Friendfield Plantation outside Georgetown, South Carolina.
It's not exactly "Gone With the Wind," but what makes this overgrown 3,300 acres of marsh and pine trees stand out is this: The family of first lady Michelle Obama believes her great-great grandfather was held as a slave here and labored in the mosquito-infested rice fields.
It makes Friendfield Plantation a symbol of something more than servitude. It's the symbol of something that's never happened before: One important segment of an American family's journey from the humiliation of slavery to the very top of the nation's ruling class.
CNN recently was the first television network allowed to visit the plantation and shoot video. It's not a museum. It's just private land, still with shadows of its past.
Friendfield's most distinctive historical feature, perhaps, is the dirt road known as Slave Street.
Six white-washed little shacks are all that remain of the slave quarters, even though rows of these houses once stood on the property. About 350 slaves lived here during the 19th century.
The houses are nothing special -- no plumbing, of course. The wooden walls are paper thin in places. It would have been hot and humid in summer, and most certainly cold in winter, although the shacks had fireplaces.
They would have been crowded: probably one or two families living in a space smaller than a modern-day garage.
The White House is some 472 miles from Georgetown, South Carolina. But long before Michelle Obama was born, her great-great grandfather, Jim Robinson, likely toiled in the fields here six days a week, from sunup to sundown.
The place he probably called home was a little white shack smaller than -- by comparison -- a Secret Service security shed on the grounds of the executive mansion at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
All told, hundreds of people lived like this, on this one plantation alone.
"Anywhere between 200 to 500 at different times," said Ed Carter, the property manager. "The older the plantation got, they kept adding on more cabins. [Some] cabins are 1847.
"There was some on the other street that were about probably 1820s. And when they added on, got a bit more wealthy, they just kept adding on more slaves, more cabins."
The shacks probably weren't much refuge from the vicious clouds of mosquitoes, chiggers, fire ants, and other pests that still impinge on a person's every move on the plantation. Then, consider the dangers of the alligators and snakes.
There was also the oppressive heat and humidity of South Carolina. And on the day CNN visited, the skies opened up in a violent rainstorm.
Add up all of these factors and you begin to get a picture of what life probably was, and was not, for the slaves on Friendfield Plantation. Workers on the rice plantation -- and Friendfield was one of the largest in these parts -- faced all these elements, plus the threat of disease, including malaria and yellow fever. And unlike the CNN crew, the slaves were not free to leave.
Even in death, the slaves stayed. Three cemeteries are on the Friendfield grounds. The one slave cemetery CNN visited had mostly unmarked graves, but Jim Robinson -- who was born into slavery and died a free man -- is believed to be buried there somewhere.
The cemetery clearly has been segregated from the rest of the property. Slave cemeteries were typically situated on land unsuitable for any other use.
Surrounded by trees, it might have been a beautiful place. Now, it is hard to tell that you are standing in a cemetery -- except for half a dozen grave markers, some made of wood, bearing no names.
All that's known about Jim Robinson's life comes from the few remaining records that mention him. Slaves weren't documented as individuals in the census, nor in life and death certificates. They were property, not people.
But Michelle Obama's great-great grandfather was a teenager when slavery was abolished, so as a free man, he started to leave a paper trail.
The 1880 census shows he was born about 1850, in South Carolina, and that his parents were born in South Carolina as well. He married a woman named Louiser, and in 1880 they already had three children, two boys and a girl, ages 1, 2, and 3.
The son that would become Michelle Obama's great grandfather was not born yet. The census lists Jim's occupation as a farmer, and Louiser's as "keeping house."
They are both recorded as unable to read or write. It's good fortune to uncover even this much information; the original handwritten census got wet, the ink ran and it is nearly illegible. Proof of life, nearly washed away.
There are a lot of unknowns concerning Michelle Obama's ancestry -- how many generations of slaves there were, or what route they took to this hemisphere.
The Obama election campaign commissioned a study of Michelle's genealogy by the research group Lowcountry Africana, but they couldn't make the link back to Africa. As with so many African-Americans' family histories, the paper trail runs dry.
"I don't think that that sort of information is available for anyone from Friendfield Plantation at this point," historian Tori Carrier, of Lowcountry Africana, said. "Very, very few, if any, of the Friendfield records actually survived except in public records: wills and estate inventories. ...
"There's not a real Friendfield Plantation records set, or plantation journals that have been preserved ... and there's certainly not a shred of documentary evidence right now which would even suggest to us what the African origins would be," Carrier said.
Back in Georgetown, South Carolina, Margretta Knox remembers attending the Bethel AME church with the first lady's grandparents -- Jim Robinson's grandson and his wife -- when she was a girl. The couple spent many of their years in Chicago, but returned back South after they retired.
"My father knew that Frasier Robinson's father sold newspapers," she recalled. "He made his kids read them. Mr. Robinson was very, very smart, he could recite poetry. ... Their grandfather could recite poetry and that kind of thing. ... Her grandfather and her grandmother, they were both very smart people."
But the family ties to the old plantation just got lost. "We let our parents die before we really thought about asking them questions," Knox said.
"We didn't think about it until much later, and then it was too late. They were already gone. So there was no history after that. ...
"Because we live here, we don't think about it. It's just like, you've been around it all of your life, it doesn't cross your mind. You're just living for today."
In that same way, it probably never crossed Jim Robinson's mind, as a slave in a white-washed cabin, that one day his great-great granddaughter would be living in a white house so very, very different from his own.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Leadership lessons from Delta's CEO
"In the fast pace of today's organizations -- whether corporate, nonprofit, or government -- not many leaders cite patience as the most important lesson they have learned. Even fewer leaders likely hand-write a half-dozen thank-you notes every day. The NY Times shares highlights from an interview with Richard Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines, whose advice on careers is to "just focus on getting your job done and being a good colleague and a team player." Anderson expands on the key to issues ranging from being an effective communicator, running meetings, and hiring based on human factors like situational awareness and emotional intelligence. "
Read this wonderful interview about a human view of an executive's job
Read this wonderful interview about a human view of an executive's job
Inspiring Video - You don't ask, you give!
Beautiful Karmatube Video
"In many parts of the world, people are searching for alternatives to the cash economy. In Mali, one of the most cash poor nations in the world, "Dama" or the "Gift Economy" has been thriving for thousands of years. This system of exchange is not based on exchange or equivalence between the giver and the receiver, rather the receiver passes the gift on to someone else. The gift economy celebrates the value of life, putting human relationship over profit."
"In many parts of the world, people are searching for alternatives to the cash economy. In Mali, one of the most cash poor nations in the world, "Dama" or the "Gift Economy" has been thriving for thousands of years. This system of exchange is not based on exchange or equivalence between the giver and the receiver, rather the receiver passes the gift on to someone else. The gift economy celebrates the value of life, putting human relationship over profit."
Monday, July 13, 2009
George Carlin on age 102
IF YOU DON'T READ THIS TO THE VERY END, YOU HAVE LOST A DAY IN YOUR LIFE. AND WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED, DO AS I AM DOING AND SEND IT ON.
George Carlin's Views on Ageing
Do you realise that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about ageing that you think in fractions.
'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life ...... . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS
REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
George Carlin's Views on Ageing
Do you realise that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about ageing that you think in fractions.
'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life ...... . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them'
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS
REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
An 81-year old's plan for his $1 Billion
An inspiring view ...
"Ultimately, I decided to commit $1 billion to the Peter G. Peterson foundation—the vast majority of my net proceeds from Blackstone. Why so much? Kurt Vonnegut once told a story about seeing Joseph Heller at a wealthy hedge-fund manager's party at a beach house in the Hamptons. Casting his eye around the luxurious setting, Vonnegut said, "Joe, doesn't it bother you that this guy makes more in a day than you ever made from Catch-22?" "No, not really," Heller said. "I have something that he doesn't have: I know the meaning of enough." I have far more than enough."
Read this awesome story
"Ultimately, I decided to commit $1 billion to the Peter G. Peterson foundation—the vast majority of my net proceeds from Blackstone. Why so much? Kurt Vonnegut once told a story about seeing Joseph Heller at a wealthy hedge-fund manager's party at a beach house in the Hamptons. Casting his eye around the luxurious setting, Vonnegut said, "Joe, doesn't it bother you that this guy makes more in a day than you ever made from Catch-22?" "No, not really," Heller said. "I have something that he doesn't have: I know the meaning of enough." I have far more than enough."
Read this awesome story
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Hilarious Conundrum
This is from the James Stewart (character name Paul Biegler) movie "Anatomy of a Murder"
[Judge Weaver has stopped the testimony by Detective Sergeant James Durgo, State Police, and called the lawyers to his bench]
Judge Weaver: Mr. Biegler, you finally got your rape into the case, and I think all the details should now be made clear to the jury. What exactly was the undergarment just referred to?
Paul Biegler: Panties, Your Honor.
Judge Weaver: Do you expect this subject to come up again?
Paul Biegler: Yes, Sir.
Judge Weaver: There's a certain light connotation attached to the word "panties." Can we find another name for them?
Mitch Lodwick: I never heard my wife call 'em anything else.
Judge Weaver: Mr. Biegler?
Paul Biegler: I'm a bachelor, Your Honor.
Judge Weaver: That's a great help. Mr. Dancer?
Claude Dancer: When I was overseas during the war, Your Honor, I learned a French word. I'm afraid that might be slightly suggestive.
Judge Weaver: Most French words are.
Source
[Judge Weaver has stopped the testimony by Detective Sergeant James Durgo, State Police, and called the lawyers to his bench]
Judge Weaver: Mr. Biegler, you finally got your rape into the case, and I think all the details should now be made clear to the jury. What exactly was the undergarment just referred to?
Paul Biegler: Panties, Your Honor.
Judge Weaver: Do you expect this subject to come up again?
Paul Biegler: Yes, Sir.
Judge Weaver: There's a certain light connotation attached to the word "panties." Can we find another name for them?
Mitch Lodwick: I never heard my wife call 'em anything else.
Judge Weaver: Mr. Biegler?
Paul Biegler: I'm a bachelor, Your Honor.
Judge Weaver: That's a great help. Mr. Dancer?
Claude Dancer: When I was overseas during the war, Your Honor, I learned a French word. I'm afraid that might be slightly suggestive.
Judge Weaver: Most French words are.
Source
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Inspiring - Vegetable picker to top notch brain surgeon!
From Karmatube
"The life of Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa may sound like a movie script, but it is no fiction. Twenty years ago, he hopped a border fence from Mexico into the United States and became a migrant farmworker. From there, to community college to a UC Berkeley scholarship, to Harvard Medical School, 38-year-old Dr. Q, as he is known, is now a neurosurgeon and professor at Johns Hopkins University. His stated goal is to help cure brain cancer. Watch his amazing journey."
"The life of Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa may sound like a movie script, but it is no fiction. Twenty years ago, he hopped a border fence from Mexico into the United States and became a migrant farmworker. From there, to community college to a UC Berkeley scholarship, to Harvard Medical School, 38-year-old Dr. Q, as he is known, is now a neurosurgeon and professor at Johns Hopkins University. His stated goal is to help cure brain cancer. Watch his amazing journey."
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Jack Welch's brilliant mind
This is an interesting publicly broadcast, private consulting for Hertz on their new product called Hertz Connect by the one-and-only Jack Welch
Watch the video
Watch the video
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Should you get the iPhone 3GS?
Here's a neat little article on techcrunch that breaks down your options with the iPhone 3GS
Read on...
Read on...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Volunteering your time just got easier
"A coalition of non-profit organizations, technology developers, designers, marketers and others has unveiled the alpha version of a new Web service dubbed All for Good
in an effort to build some sort of ‘Craigslist for volunteer services’."
"All for Good basically lets you browse volunteer activities and find related events based on your geographical location and/or interests. The site brings together listings from organizations and local groups to help you find volunteer activities that fit your time and talent. "
Plan your next volunteering event here!!
Even Bangalore works as a search location for local activities :)
Read about this new cool approach to volunteering
No more excuses about volunteering!
in an effort to build some sort of ‘Craigslist for volunteer services’.""All for Good basically lets you browse volunteer activities and find related events based on your geographical location and/or interests. The site brings together listings from organizations and local groups to help you find volunteer activities that fit your time and talent. "
Plan your next volunteering event here!!
Even Bangalore works as a search location for local activities :)
Read about this new cool approach to volunteering
No more excuses about volunteering!
Paralyzed boy to gunman: 'I forgive you'
"The 12-year-old boy paralyzed by a robber's stray bullet as he was taking a piano lesson in Oakland last year had a message for the gunman Tuesday:
"I forgive you"
"
Read the whole inspiring story ...
"I forgive you"
"
Read the whole inspiring story ...
Help Others.org: A 10-Year Old Teacher Tips Us in Life -- A Kindness Story
This is a beautiful, short story
Help Others.org: A 10-Year Old Teacher Tips Us in Life -- A Kindness Story
Shared via AddThis
Help Others.org: A 10-Year Old Teacher Tips Us in Life -- A Kindness Story
Shared via AddThis
Indonesia's unique fight against corruption
"A country not known for its transparent practices in business, politics and many other areas, Indonesia is pressing ahead in its long-running anticorruption drive by opening up cashier-free “honesty cafes” across the archipelago."
Read the whole story of this inspiring transformation
Read the whole story of this inspiring transformation
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Pay-it-forward lessons from Auto-Rik Driver
From: CF-Bunch
"(Suvendu Roy of Titan Industries shares his inspirational encounter with a rickshaw driver in Mumbai)
Last Sunday, my wife, kid and I had to travel to Andheri from Bandra. When I waved at a passing auto rickshaw, little did I expect that this ride would be any different.
As we set off, my eyes fell on a few magazines (kept in an aircraft style pouch) behind the driver’s back rest. I looked in front and there was a small TV. The driver had put on the Doordarshan channel. My wife and I looked at each other with disbelief and amusement. In front of me was a small first-aid box with cotton, dettol and some medicines. This was enough for me to realise that I was in a special vehicle. Then I looked around again, and discovered more -there was a radio, fire extinguisher, wall clock, calendar, and pictures and symbols of all faiths – from Islam and Christianity to Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. There were also pictures of the heroes of 26/11- Kamte, Salaskar, Karkare and Unnikrishnan. I realised that not only my vehicle, but also my driver was special.
I started chatting with him and the initial sense of ridicule and disbelief gradually diminished. I gathered that he had been driving an auto rickshaw for the past 8-9 years; he had lost his job when his employer’s plastic company was shut down. He had two school-going children, and he drove from 8 in the morning till 10 at night. No break unless he was unwell. “Sahab, ghar mein baith ke TV dekh kar kya faida? Do paisa income karega toh future mein kaam aayega.” (Sir, what’s the use of simply sitting at home and watching TV? If I earn some income, then it will be useful in the future.)
We realised that we had come across a man who represents Mumbai – the spirit of work, the spirit of travel and the spirit of excelling in life. I asked him whether he does anything else as I figured that he did not have too much spare time. He said that he goes to an old age home for women in Andheri once a week or whenever he has some extra income, where he donates tooth brushes, toothpastes, soap, hair oil, and other items of daily use. He pointed out to a painted message below the meter that read: “25 per cent discount on metered fare for the handicapped. Free rides for blind passengers up to Rs50¡í. He also said that his auto was mentioned on Radio Mirchi twice by the station RJs. The Marathi press in Mumbai know about him and have written a few pieces on him and his vehicle.
My wife and I were struck with awe. The man was a HERO! A hero who deserves all our respect. I know that my son, once he grows up, will realise that we have met a genuine hero. He has put questions to me such as why should we help other people? I will try to keep this incident alive in his memory.
Our journey came to an end; 45 minutes of a lesson in humility, selflessness and of a hero-worshipping Mumbai – my temporary home. We disembarked, and all I could do was to pay him a tip that would hardly cover a free ride for a blind man.
(Its amazing there are ppl still alive like him in this world!
I hope, one day, you too have a chance to meet Mr Sandeep Bachhe in his auto rickshaw – MH-02-Z-8508)
http://avinashjoshi.co.in/2009/04/13/the-rikshaw-story/
(Check this link for pictures)"
"(Suvendu Roy of Titan Industries shares his inspirational encounter with a rickshaw driver in Mumbai)
Last Sunday, my wife, kid and I had to travel to Andheri from Bandra. When I waved at a passing auto rickshaw, little did I expect that this ride would be any different.
As we set off, my eyes fell on a few magazines (kept in an aircraft style pouch) behind the driver’s back rest. I looked in front and there was a small TV. The driver had put on the Doordarshan channel. My wife and I looked at each other with disbelief and amusement. In front of me was a small first-aid box with cotton, dettol and some medicines. This was enough for me to realise that I was in a special vehicle. Then I looked around again, and discovered more -there was a radio, fire extinguisher, wall clock, calendar, and pictures and symbols of all faiths – from Islam and Christianity to Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. There were also pictures of the heroes of 26/11- Kamte, Salaskar, Karkare and Unnikrishnan. I realised that not only my vehicle, but also my driver was special.
I started chatting with him and the initial sense of ridicule and disbelief gradually diminished. I gathered that he had been driving an auto rickshaw for the past 8-9 years; he had lost his job when his employer’s plastic company was shut down. He had two school-going children, and he drove from 8 in the morning till 10 at night. No break unless he was unwell. “Sahab, ghar mein baith ke TV dekh kar kya faida? Do paisa income karega toh future mein kaam aayega.” (Sir, what’s the use of simply sitting at home and watching TV? If I earn some income, then it will be useful in the future.)
We realised that we had come across a man who represents Mumbai – the spirit of work, the spirit of travel and the spirit of excelling in life. I asked him whether he does anything else as I figured that he did not have too much spare time. He said that he goes to an old age home for women in Andheri once a week or whenever he has some extra income, where he donates tooth brushes, toothpastes, soap, hair oil, and other items of daily use. He pointed out to a painted message below the meter that read: “25 per cent discount on metered fare for the handicapped. Free rides for blind passengers up to Rs50¡í. He also said that his auto was mentioned on Radio Mirchi twice by the station RJs. The Marathi press in Mumbai know about him and have written a few pieces on him and his vehicle.
My wife and I were struck with awe. The man was a HERO! A hero who deserves all our respect. I know that my son, once he grows up, will realise that we have met a genuine hero. He has put questions to me such as why should we help other people? I will try to keep this incident alive in his memory.
Our journey came to an end; 45 minutes of a lesson in humility, selflessness and of a hero-worshipping Mumbai – my temporary home. We disembarked, and all I could do was to pay him a tip that would hardly cover a free ride for a blind man.
(Its amazing there are ppl still alive like him in this world!
I hope, one day, you too have a chance to meet Mr Sandeep Bachhe in his auto rickshaw – MH-02-Z-8508)
http://avinashjoshi.co.in/2009/04/13/the-rikshaw-story/
(Check this link for pictures)"
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The best health advise
I love this Doctor
Q: Doctor, I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise.
Everything wears out eventually.. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer;
that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster.
Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn.
And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient
mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken.
Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable).
And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine,
that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more
of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one.
If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!
Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ..... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil.
In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger.
You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans ! Another vegetable!!!
It's the best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!
Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
And remember:
'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention
of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body,
but rather to skid in sideways
Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other -
body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and
screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride'
AND.....
For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health.
It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present.'
Q: Doctor, I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise.
Everything wears out eventually.. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer;
that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster.
Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn.
And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient
mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken.
Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable).
And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine,
that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more
of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one.
If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!
Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ..... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil.
In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger.
You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans ! Another vegetable!!!
It's the best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!
Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
And remember:
'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention
of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body,
but rather to skid in sideways
Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other -
body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and
screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride'
AND.....
For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health.
It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present.'
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Impermanence is Not Fragility, by Rachel Naomi Remen
"Anyone who has witnessed the recovery from such massive and invasive interventions as bone marrows transplant or open heart surgery comes away with a deep sense of respect, if not awe, for the ability of the body to survive. This is as true in age as it is in youth. There is a tenacity toward life which is present at the intracellular level without which even the most sophisticated of medical interventions would not succeed. The drive to live is strong even in the most tiny of human beings. "
Impermanence is Not Fragility, by Rachel Naomi Remen
Shared via AddThis
Impermanence is Not Fragility, by Rachel Naomi Remen
Shared via AddThis
Monday, June 22, 2009
iJourney: iJourney.org: An Inner Journey
"The more sophisticated my practice becomes, the more quickly I see this trap and return to experiencing the pain, the razor’s edge. And where I might once have stayed upset for two years, the upset shrinks to two months, two weeks, two minutes. Eventually I can experience an upset as it happens and stay right on the razor’s edge."
iJourney: iJourney.org: An Inner Journey
Shared via AddThis
iJourney: iJourney.org: An Inner Journey
Shared via AddThis
A 15 Year Old Invents the Future
"
At the tender age of 9, Javier Fernández-Han found his calling: design for the other 90 percent - help the world's poor meet their basic needs sustainably.
Several years of research and design have led to an innovative solution: The VERSATILE System - a mashup of new and adapted technology that treats waste, produces methane and bio-oil as fuel, produces food for humans and livestock, sequesters greenhouse gases, and produces oxygen.
What drives this complete energy resource system? Algae - the little organism that could.
For his work, Javier, 15, won the top prize in this year's Invent Your World Challenge, sponsored by Ashoka's Youth Venture and the Lemelson Foundation."
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
11-yr old gives up her birthday gifts for Tanzanian orphans
"Lily Gordon wanted a big 11th birthday party.
No, her parents told her. It would be too expensive to invite all her classmates from Prospect Sierra School in El Cerrito.
And that's how it all began. "
to
" "You are invited to Lily Gordon's Birthday Party"
"Saturday, April 30, 2005"
"Noon to 3:00 PM"
"I ask that everyone, instead of bringing a present, please bring a cash or check donation...which will be donated to the `Lily Gordon Scholarship' for HIV AIDS orphans in Nyamagongo, Tanzania, Africa."
To offset costs, Lily sought and received donations from Zachary's Pizza, Andronico's as well as from companies that provided a climbing wall, two jumping houses and the cake.
Lily had her big birthday party.
Dozens of children converged on Cedar Rose Park in Berkeley on that April day. And they brought money and checks.
The Lily Gordon Scholarship total: $1,300. "
Read this heartwarming story of how 11-year old kids in America are making a difference in Tanzania
No, her parents told her. It would be too expensive to invite all her classmates from Prospect Sierra School in El Cerrito.
And that's how it all began. "
to
" "You are invited to Lily Gordon's Birthday Party"
"Saturday, April 30, 2005"
"Noon to 3:00 PM"
"I ask that everyone, instead of bringing a present, please bring a cash or check donation...which will be donated to the `Lily Gordon Scholarship' for HIV AIDS orphans in Nyamagongo, Tanzania, Africa."
To offset costs, Lily sought and received donations from Zachary's Pizza, Andronico's as well as from companies that provided a climbing wall, two jumping houses and the cake.
Lily had her big birthday party.
Dozens of children converged on Cedar Rose Park in Berkeley on that April day. And they brought money and checks.
The Lily Gordon Scholarship total: $1,300. "
Read this heartwarming story of how 11-year old kids in America are making a difference in Tanzania
Monday, June 15, 2009
Claire Russell: 14-Year-Old Humane Educator
"I had the privilege of mentoring a young friend of mine, Claire Russell, on her 8th grade project. At Claire’s school, all 8th graders complete a project of their choice and present it to the entire school community at the end of the school year. Most of the kids learn a new skill or make something. Many have built furniture, created art, written books, or learned a craft like mime or welding. Claire chose to do something different. She wanted to be a humane educator and create a presentation that taught her audience about a pressing issue and how to solve it. A huge animal lover and the foster mom of dozens of kittens, Claire chose to teach the school community about pet overpopulation."
Read the whole story about this cute young girl and her "pet" project
Read the whole story about this cute young girl and her "pet" project
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Angel in queens -- an inspiring video
"Jorge Munoz is one of the most inspiring people you'll ever meet. A school bus driver by day and an angel by night. Every night for the past 5 years, he has gone home and cooked food for hundreds of people on his old stove. He then goes to a street corner in Queens, New York and feeds those that are hungry. He does this with his own money because "it's the right thing to do". He is a man that wants to help, and is the epitome of an everyday hero."
Watch the video
Als visit his website
Watch the video
Als visit his website
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Good humor at World Cup T20
"In other news, Preity Zinta was reportedly seen looking for Kings XI player James Hopes in the men's rooms at Lord's, since she had read in a newspaper headline that "Australian hopes had disappeared down the toilet."
Read the whole funny story
Read the whole funny story
Friday, June 12, 2009
A surprise for Ahmedabad cops
Publication: Times Of India Ahmedabad; Date: May 18, 2009; Section: Dance Of Democracy; Page: 4
Traffic cops get ‘jaadu ki jhappi’ from youth
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Ahmedabad: They stand for hours at a stretch in the sun, take in lots of carbon dioxide to make sure of smooth flow and sometimes face public ire. But, no one seemed to care until on Sunday, the traffic policemen got a pleasant surprise.
A group of young volunteers visited different traffic junctions in the city and gave the traffic cops and home guards, a ‘jaadu ki jhappi’ and a ‘Thank You’ card specially made for them.
Touched by the kind gesture, Bhupendra Parmar, a traffic cop at Paldi said, “It is really great to see that some people do care for us.”
“Such gestures will help in dissolving the general perception about police. Just a little bit of co-operation is all we need. When everyone can follow traffic rules in Delhi and Mumbai, then why can’t we follow it here in Ahmedabad?” added Parmar. This is part of a campaign called ‘Kindness Acts for Traffic Police’ by the Ahmedabad-based volunteer organisation YUVA Unstoppable on Sunday. On the initiative, core committee member of the organisation, Hardeep Pathak said, “Traffic policemen manning various junctions remain unsung heroes. We thought of appreciating their work through our initiative and the whole campaign was greatly supported by everyone.”
Traffic cops get ‘jaadu ki jhappi’ from youth
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Ahmedabad: They stand for hours at a stretch in the sun, take in lots of carbon dioxide to make sure of smooth flow and sometimes face public ire. But, no one seemed to care until on Sunday, the traffic policemen got a pleasant surprise.
A group of young volunteers visited different traffic junctions in the city and gave the traffic cops and home guards, a ‘jaadu ki jhappi’ and a ‘Thank You’ card specially made for them.
Touched by the kind gesture, Bhupendra Parmar, a traffic cop at Paldi said, “It is really great to see that some people do care for us.”
“Such gestures will help in dissolving the general perception about police. Just a little bit of co-operation is all we need. When everyone can follow traffic rules in Delhi and Mumbai, then why can’t we follow it here in Ahmedabad?” added Parmar. This is part of a campaign called ‘Kindness Acts for Traffic Police’ by the Ahmedabad-based volunteer organisation YUVA Unstoppable on Sunday. On the initiative, core committee member of the organisation, Hardeep Pathak said, “Traffic policemen manning various junctions remain unsung heroes. We thought of appreciating their work through our initiative and the whole campaign was greatly supported by everyone.”
A beautiful story of mutual human help
This is a beautiful story of two human beings afflicted in their body are around for each other
Help Others.org: In Flight From San Francisco -- A Kindness Story
Shared via AddThis
Help Others.org: In Flight From San Francisco -- A Kindness Story
Shared via AddThis
Thursday, June 11, 2009
A Tale of a Plastic Ship
"There’s a six-to-one ratio of plastic to plankton in certain areas like the gyres—there’s one off the coast of Japan, Antaractica, South Africa, and so on. Anywhere in our oceans where there’s a naturally forming gyre, you see a high concentration of plastics. There’s roughly 100 million tons of plastic in our oceans, which is shocking. The important point to convey is that it’s one body of water with huge concentrations of plastic across the entire oceans, not just in one area. It gets worse that chemicals flowing into our oceans are attracted to and absorbed by the plastic, which is ingested by the filter-feeders, the little guys who make it back into the food supply and back into you and me. When you start to see mothers not being able to breast-feed their children because of flame retardants in their breast milk, that’s a huge health issue. The gyre is not just about the marine mammals, it’s about us. And it’s tough to connect those things and communicate that we’re ultimately responsible and that we should care."
Read the whole interview
Read the whole interview
poverty is directly proportional to generosity
"The generosity of poor people isn't so much rare as rarely noticed, however. In fact, America's poor donate more, in percentage terms, than higher-income groups do, surveys of charitable giving show. What's more, their generosity declines less in hard times than the generosity of richer givers does."
Read this interesting and at the same time embarrassing discovery
Read this interesting and at the same time embarrassing discovery
Gotta do this atleast once in my life!
"...for 650 slots, almost 3000 folks apply every ten days. Lodging, food and everything else is paid for by some anonymous donor from a previous course; all you have to commit to doing is sit in silence for about thirteen hours of the day, per their schedule that starts at 4AM, and not read, write, or talk for the entire duration. "
Interested? Read all about this amazing activity.
Interested? Read all about this amazing activity.
Miami Dolphins' star goes from Drugs to Yoga!
Source http://ow.ly/aSsZ
"Dolphins' Ricky Williams keeps evolving at 32
Always interesting, mercurial Dolphin Williams gets wise at 32
Dave Hyde | Sports Columnist
He awakens by 6 a.m. each day and enters a room in his home set up just for this ritual. It's empty. It's quiet. He takes a seat and says a prayer, a simple prayer, often for the likes of good health and good friends.
"And that the linemen open holes," Ricky Williams says.
Amen.
He'll then concentrate on his surroundings — some noise outside, any spot on the wall — to begin clearing his head. Sometimes it takes a while. One night last week, for instance, he dreamed he had been cut by the Dolphins and couldn't chase the thought.
"That's my insecurity over turning 32," he said.
A focus on breathing comes next. Deep in. Cleansing out. Again. And again. And on his good mornings, as his mind relaxes, as his body follows, as his world fades into the next breath, Ricky enters a deep meditative state for 20, 30, even 60 minutes.
"That's my excitement these days," he says.
After all the years and all the stories, Ricky can laugh at himself. And still interest you. And surprise you. There's no one quite like him in sports. Maybe that's not a bad thing, either.
He has done it all. He led the league in rushing. He retired to a tent in Australia. He taught yoga in California under the Hindu name Rudra. He showed up at Dolphins camp wearing only white ("For purity," he said — and the next year said he was wearing anything but red (That's for a flashier personality than I am.")
Now, look, his calendar flipped to 32 last week.
"Older and wiser," he says, smiling softly.
Here's a story: Williams wanted a car for his birthday. A Dodge Challenger. Something about it appealed to him in the way his Ferrari and Hummer once did. But he resigned himself to the fact he wasn't getting it. No chance, he said. Why?
"My financial adviser says I can't," he said.
There's no getting around it: The player no one was sure would grow up is getting old by football standards. And no one seems to understand it better than him.
"Two more years," he says of his career.
Outside of Hollywood and Hogwarts, NFL running backs don't last past 35. Most don't last past 30. LaDainian Tomlinson, Jamal Lewis and Brian Westbrook are 30 now and seem like dinosaurs.
Only Warrick Dunn at 34, Fred Taylor at 33 and a two-months-older Sammy Morris have more mileage than Ricky and among the league's top 40 rushers (Ricky finished 33rd with 659 yards). You can say Williams is a young 32 because of injury and drug suspensions. But he carried offenses for years with a running style built on punishment.
"When I was younger, I got the benefit of the doubt from people because of my talent," he said. "Now, as I'm older, I won't get that. I don't deserve it. I never took a day off in practice, but now I make sure that I don't. I'm working hard. "
He likes it here, too. People always ask Williams if he's happy, as if that was his issue all those years. His story isn't complicated. Happiness was never the issue. Football was.
"I've been happy a lot in life, but the difference now is I'm happy in football," he said. "I fit in well here."
He talks of his respect for Tony Sparano, his friendship with Ronnie Brown, his first meeting Bill Parcells after a game in 2003 when Parcells, the Dallas coach, said, "I like the way you play."
His playing style was never the issue. His lifestyle was. Ask if he's still tempted by marijuana, and he answers the way most people with a problem do. "There's always temptation in life, and my life is no different," he said.
Ask how he's different now than a few years ago and he says, "Humility."
Ask what it's like to be 32, he says, "I know I've lived more in 32 years than many people live in their whole life."
Thankfully, the story line with Ricky has slowed some. But the story itself is just as interesting. Breathe in. Breathe out. Ricky, at 32, all grown up. It's something to meditate on."
"Dolphins' Ricky Williams keeps evolving at 32
Always interesting, mercurial Dolphin Williams gets wise at 32
Dave Hyde | Sports Columnist
He awakens by 6 a.m. each day and enters a room in his home set up just for this ritual. It's empty. It's quiet. He takes a seat and says a prayer, a simple prayer, often for the likes of good health and good friends.
"And that the linemen open holes," Ricky Williams says.
Amen.
He'll then concentrate on his surroundings — some noise outside, any spot on the wall — to begin clearing his head. Sometimes it takes a while. One night last week, for instance, he dreamed he had been cut by the Dolphins and couldn't chase the thought.
"That's my insecurity over turning 32," he said.
A focus on breathing comes next. Deep in. Cleansing out. Again. And again. And on his good mornings, as his mind relaxes, as his body follows, as his world fades into the next breath, Ricky enters a deep meditative state for 20, 30, even 60 minutes.
"That's my excitement these days," he says.
After all the years and all the stories, Ricky can laugh at himself. And still interest you. And surprise you. There's no one quite like him in sports. Maybe that's not a bad thing, either.
He has done it all. He led the league in rushing. He retired to a tent in Australia. He taught yoga in California under the Hindu name Rudra. He showed up at Dolphins camp wearing only white ("For purity," he said — and the next year said he was wearing anything but red (That's for a flashier personality than I am.")
Now, look, his calendar flipped to 32 last week.
"Older and wiser," he says, smiling softly.
Here's a story: Williams wanted a car for his birthday. A Dodge Challenger. Something about it appealed to him in the way his Ferrari and Hummer once did. But he resigned himself to the fact he wasn't getting it. No chance, he said. Why?
"My financial adviser says I can't," he said.
There's no getting around it: The player no one was sure would grow up is getting old by football standards. And no one seems to understand it better than him.
"Two more years," he says of his career.
Outside of Hollywood and Hogwarts, NFL running backs don't last past 35. Most don't last past 30. LaDainian Tomlinson, Jamal Lewis and Brian Westbrook are 30 now and seem like dinosaurs.
Only Warrick Dunn at 34, Fred Taylor at 33 and a two-months-older Sammy Morris have more mileage than Ricky and among the league's top 40 rushers (Ricky finished 33rd with 659 yards). You can say Williams is a young 32 because of injury and drug suspensions. But he carried offenses for years with a running style built on punishment.
"When I was younger, I got the benefit of the doubt from people because of my talent," he said. "Now, as I'm older, I won't get that. I don't deserve it. I never took a day off in practice, but now I make sure that I don't. I'm working hard. "
He likes it here, too. People always ask Williams if he's happy, as if that was his issue all those years. His story isn't complicated. Happiness was never the issue. Football was.
"I've been happy a lot in life, but the difference now is I'm happy in football," he said. "I fit in well here."
He talks of his respect for Tony Sparano, his friendship with Ronnie Brown, his first meeting Bill Parcells after a game in 2003 when Parcells, the Dallas coach, said, "I like the way you play."
His playing style was never the issue. His lifestyle was. Ask if he's still tempted by marijuana, and he answers the way most people with a problem do. "There's always temptation in life, and my life is no different," he said.
Ask how he's different now than a few years ago and he says, "Humility."
Ask what it's like to be 32, he says, "I know I've lived more in 32 years than many people live in their whole life."
Thankfully, the story line with Ricky has slowed some. But the story itself is just as interesting. Breathe in. Breathe out. Ricky, at 32, all grown up. It's something to meditate on."
80 Rupees of Kindness in Bangalore
A very beautiful story of kindness' victory over skepticism and selfishness ... and that too in our own aDDa!
read on ...
read on ...
Monday, June 8, 2009
Shocking! Rajeev Motwani - angel of google - dead at 47
Dr. Rajeev Motwani, a Professor at Stanford, whose work guided what became Google and a myriad other startups in the valley died in a 'freak' accident at his home yesterday.
Here is the Stanford tribute
Here is a tribute on Techcrunch
Here is his page on Stanford
Here is the Stanford tribute
Here is a tribute on Techcrunch
Here is his page on Stanford
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Expedition about hazards of Plastics
"There’s roughly 100 million tons of plastic in our oceans, which is shocking. The important point to convey is that it’s one body of water with huge concentrations of plastic across the entire oceans, not just in one area. It gets worse that chemicals flowing into our oceans are attracted to and absorbed by the plastic, which is ingested by the filter-feeders, the little guys who make it back into the food supply and back into you and me. When you start to see mothers not being able to breast-feed their children because of flame retardants in their breast milk, that’s a huge health issue."
Read this interesting interview
Read this interesting interview
Dog saved from certain death pays it forward
"A dog rescued in March at Blewett Pass, has now become a rescue dog. Dozens of people tried to rescue the black Lab this winter after he was seen huddling in the snow at the top of Blewett Pass for a week. Wary of strangers, the dog, named Blewett, accepted food and was finally adopted into a home. On Monday the canine survivor returned the favor and helped rescue another imperiled black Lab. Jay Smith said his wife was walking Blewett on a trail high above the Wenatchee River when Blewett started barking and raced down the steep bank to sniff out another animal close to the river's edge ..."
Read the whole story
Read the whole story
A Toddler, An Open Window And An Amazing Catch
This is a very awesome story
"Marvin Goldstein was a toddler in 1945 when he experienced a catch rivaling any you'd see at a baseball game.
"The windows at that time did not have window guards," Goldstein remembers. "I leaned out, and I had one hand on the window inside and the other hand I was leaning out. [I] let go and fell five stories."
Read the whole story
"Marvin Goldstein was a toddler in 1945 when he experienced a catch rivaling any you'd see at a baseball game.
"The windows at that time did not have window guards," Goldstein remembers. "I leaned out, and I had one hand on the window inside and the other hand I was leaning out. [I] let go and fell five stories."
Read the whole story
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The humble savior of life on Yangtze
"A burly Chinese man with binoculars slowly scans the centre span of the massive Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, looking intently at people standing along the walkway, searching for the telltale signs he has seen so many times.
The self-appointed guardian angel of the bridge, Chen Si has over the past five years coaxed – and sometimes physically wrestled – down no less than 153 people intent on leaping to a certain death in the murky waters 90 metres below."
Read the whole story
The self-appointed guardian angel of the bridge, Chen Si has over the past five years coaxed – and sometimes physically wrestled – down no less than 153 people intent on leaping to a certain death in the murky waters 90 metres below."
Read the whole story
Friday, May 29, 2009
A meeting with Uppi
"The moment Uppi came out of the Studios, the moment I saw him, the feeling was exactly similar to a person who would have done a penance for 9 years for God, and finally would have got darshan at the end of 9 years. I shook hands with him and told him, its me who spoke to him during the recording on phone. He was very happy to see me and he said, “ayyo allello idri, ille banbiTTideera eega!”. Kiran explained how i came so fast to the studio."
Read more about this amazing story and listen especially to the audio showcasing Uppi's amazing talents
Read more about this amazing story and listen especially to the audio showcasing Uppi's amazing talents
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Google latitude helps solve robbery
Watch this interesting video about how Google Latitude help track the thieves down
Friday, May 22, 2009
Bankrupt, and Yet Wealthy
"We've heard the Enrons of the world file for bankruptcy. Massachussets based Malden Mills did the same -- but for entirely different reasons. In 1995, when the Malden Mills caught fire, the CEO and owner of the family run business decided to continue to pay his thousands of idled workers for a full six months! It was a decision that ended up bankrupting the three generation old company, but Aaron Feuerstein, the CEO and owner, says: "Maybe on paper our company is worthless to Wall Street, but I can tell you it's worth more." Watch this inspiring video as Aaron shares his rationale for making the ethical choice."
Watch the video
Watch the video
The next iPhone ... the juice of it
"The new iPhone will feature a processor that will be more than 1.5 times faster than the current iPhone, according Gruber citing information from informed sources. While at first glance, that may not seem like a huge jump up, Gruber compares the speed bump to what it was like to upgrade an old 486 PC to a Pentium variety. In today’s world of computer upgrades, you’re usually upgrading from a processor that is already fast enough for most tasks, to one that is slightly faster — it’s the RAM, video cards and Bus speeds that seem to matter just as much. But back in the day those jumps processor specs alone were huge. And as someone who vividly remembers upgrading a 486 SX 33 to a Pentium, this potential iPhone jump greatly excites me."
Read the whole story
Read the whole story
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
5 minutes for mom and dad
Not that anyone needs yet another lecture on this ... that too from the Big B ...
but he has a very beautiful way of putting his thoughts across ...
read on ...
but he has a very beautiful way of putting his thoughts across ...
read on ...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Bill Gates' words of advise for your kid
EXTREMELY WELL SAID. WORDS FULL OF WISDOM
This should be posted in all schools and work places
Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this!This should be posted in all schools and work places
Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.
Rule 1:Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now.
They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of
your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time..
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
If you can read this - Thank a teacher!
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