Ruan's Corner

JOKE TIME - DOOR-TO-DOOR

2010-02-28T22:19:00.004+03:00

An enthusiastic door-to-door vacuum salesman goes to the first house in his new territory.

He knocks. A lady opens the door, and before she has a chance to say anything, he runs inside and dumps cow patties all over the carpet.

He says, "Lady, if this vacuum cleaner doesn't do wonders cleaning this up, I'll eat every chunk of it."

She turns to him with a smirk and says, "You want ketchup on that?"

The salesman says, "Why do you ask?"

She says, "We just moved in and we haven't got the electricity turned on yet!"

ja ja ja!!! yaiiikkk!!!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - BROKEN HEART

2010-02-27T21:12:00.001+03:00

"The greatest pain that comes from love
is loving someone you can never have."

Anonymous

DRAMA MAMA

2010-02-26T14:42:00.001+03:00

There's a saying that goes: "Save the drama for your mama." But in this case, the mama caused the drama that led to her sons not moving forward with marrying their fiancees. The saga began when the mother of the young men and the mother of the young women got into a heated argument over the color of the bridal gowns. The argument turned into a knock-down-drag-out between the two women. The daughters attempt to break up the fight only worsened the situation. Angry and disheveled, the mother of the young men went home and ordered them to call off the weddings.

In many parts of the world, a son might try to talk his mom out of the decision, or go to the father to get him to persuade mom to change her mind, but not here, mother's wishes are not be ignored; the sons immediately called off the wedding without question.

"Better a broken engagement today, than a broken home tomorrow!"

WHAT'S IN A WORD - EUREKA

2010-02-25T12:24:00.005+03:00

Archimedes

A cry of triumph!!!

"I have found it!" Archimedes, the ancient scientist of Syracuse, Sicily, is supposed to have run through the streets shouting, "Eureka, Eureka," after he had discovered a method of finding the exact amount of gold in a crown. This discovery led to the formulation of the principles of flotation. Eureka is a cry of triumph.

Appropriately, it is the motto of California where gold was once found in a different way.

OF CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

2010-02-24T18:03:00.000+03:00

What drives a person to commit heinous crime? How can someone take the life of another? There are probably many reasons for committing the act, but how they can do it is in their mental makeup. Would capital punishment handed down to law violators help solve human lawlessness? What could possibly be too cruel and unusual punishment for the gravest crime committed?

There is no question that punishment serves many purposes. For many reasons, the issue of punishment is of vital concern to civilized society, with the end in view of knowing the effects and the best way of carrying it out. We want to punish, but we also want to know that such punishment is justified.

FINGER POINTING

2010-02-23T17:51:00.001+03:00

A man asked his father-in-law, “Many people praised you for a successful marriage, could you please share with me your secret?”. The father-in-law answered in a smile, “Never criticize your wife for her shortcomings or when she does something wrong. Always bear in mind that because of her shortcomings and weaknesses, he could not find a better husband than you.”

We all look forward to being loved and respected. Many people are afraid of losing face. Generally when a person makes a mistake, he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at. This is the start of a war.

We should always remember than when we point one finger at a person, the other four fingers are pointing at ourselves. If we forgive the others, others will ignore our mistakes, too. Finger pointing doesn’t solve any problem. It normally leads in out of control, heated personal attacks, badmouthing, the end result is physical fighting.

A few rules should be set in place to maintain a level of civility.

WHAT'S IN A WORD - SERENDIPITY

2010-02-22T21:31:00.002+03:00

Serendip is a form of the old Arabic name of the island of Ceylon. In a letter written on January 28, 1754, Horace Walpole tells that he coined the word serendipity from the title of a story, "The Three Princess of Serendip," the heroes of which "were always making discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of." Hence, serendipity is the ability to make lucky finds, the gift or faculty of making unexpected and happy discoveries by accident.

SEXUAL RESPONSIBILITY

2010-02-21T12:34:00.002+03:00

Liking, loving, and sexual relationships form the human connection that expands the boundaries of self. The person who does not reach out for the hand of another, or whose extended hand is not grasped by another, is cut adrift. The isolated individual may become lonely or depressed. But the person whose life includes love and intimacy is a person whose life is enriched.

To promote a positive outlook on our own sexuality, we need to remember that sex is more than just a set of learned techniques, of pleasurable sensations. We need to accept our own body and the responsibility for someone else's. We must be willing to give and receive. But it is not enough to know what to do physically. For many, the most satisfactory sexual relationship takes place within a loving, caring relationship. If we want sex to reach its potential as a fulfilling human experience, we need to develop attitudes of trust and sharing. Sex strips us of our protective masks. It opens up our vulnerability. That is why it can be so frightening if misused and so glorious if filled with assurances of love and respect.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - EYE

2010-02-20T17:21:00.001+03:00

"The eye speaks with an eloquence
and truthfulness surpassing speech. It
is the window out of which the winged thoughts
often fly unwittingly. It is the tiny magic
mirror on whose crystal surface the
moods of feeling fitfully play, like
the sunlight and shadow on a
still stream."

Henry Theodore Tuckerman

WHAT'S IN A PHRASE - "MAKING WITH THE EYES"

2010-02-19T17:03:00.002+03:00

The "wool is being pulled over your eyes" when you allow yourself to be inveigled into something. Inveigle comes from aveugle, French for blind, which goes back to oculus, the Latin word for eye (ab + oculus, without the use of your eyes).

If you "make eyes at a girl" or "give her the eye" you are ogling her. Ogle comes from the Dutch word for eye and is related both to the German word auge and the Latin oculus. A supercillious person is one who arches his eyebrows and looks down his nose at you; in other words, "a high-brow" who "high-hats" you. Supercillious is made up of super (above or high) and cillia (eyelids or eyebrows). A person who is haughty (French haut, high) is just "uppity."

If you "close your eyes to" something that you know is going to happen you are guilty of conniving, the literal meaning of which is "winking along with."

ANIMAL WORLD - OKAPI

2010-02-18T17:40:00.001+03:00

The okapi wash its own ears with its fourteen-inch-long tongue. It also uses the tongue to flick flies from its withers, clean its face, and reach the tender shoots of tall shrubs and trees. The okapi has a shape reminiscent of giraffe. It is smaller and has a shorter neck. It is deep reddish brown with black-and-white zebra-striped legs.

ARE YOU A HYPOCHONDRIAC?

2010-02-17T18:44:00.001+03:00

I believe my work colleague is suffering from hypochondriasis. He worries excessively about his physical health, even when there is little or no evidence that anything is wrong with him. When one symptom goes away, another takes its place. Everyday he talks about his physical health; pains in the chest one day, stomach cramps the next, and headaches the third. These complaints do not usually follow any logical pattern. He browses the internet for hours about anything affecting his health hoping to find a magic cure for this pain, that pain, any pain.

Many of us experience the symptoms of hypochondriasis at one time or another. But the true hypochondriac usually sees these symptoms as evidence of deadly illnesses. They are preoccupied with health matters and have unrealistic fear of disease. A clean bill of health from various doctors may provide little reassurance. The hypochondriac either continues to believe that the illness is present or acquires another to take its place.

VALUE AND APPROPRIATENESS

2010-02-16T19:46:00.003+03:00

Originality in itself does not guarantee the creative spark. What we create must have value for either ourselves or others. We can work at a problem in many new ways, but if our answers are consistently wrong, originality means nothing. Creativity is always appropriate to the problems or situation. We can talk in gibberish, but if no one understands what we are saying, our originality is without value.

Value and appropriateness both characterize the creative products.

WHAT'S YOUR WIFE'S NAME?

2010-02-15T19:55:00.000+03:00

Strange Story

Does it need to be said that if you are going to get a divorce it helps to remember the name of your wife? Apparently so.

Sorry, Your Honor,
I forgot my wife's name!!!

A man in his 70s went to a local court seeking a divorce from his wife of 18 years. When the judge inconvenienced the man by asking him the name of his wife, the man couldn't remember and just gave the judge a few names to pick from--none of which turned out to be correct. The judge asked the man to come back after he had collected enough data about his wife.

Perhaps this gives an indication as to why the marriage failed; people like loved ones to remember their names!

SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY - LORD BYRON

2010-02-14T17:39:00.004+03:00

SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY

by
Lord Byron

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heavens to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow.
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

HAPPY HEART DAY TO ALL!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - ORIGINALITY

2010-02-13T23:09:00.001+03:00

"Originality exists in every individual
because each of us differs from the others.
We are all primary numbers divisible
only by ourselves."

Jean Guitton

A RECIPE OF CREATIVITY

2010-02-12T22:59:00.004+03:00

A cup of this ...
A teaspoon of that ...
A pinch of this ...
A slice of that ...

The process of being creative involves expressing one's thoughts or feelings in a new way. Familiar materials--words, paint, musical tones, mathematical data--are rearranged to produce a unique product that expresses the capabilities of a unique individual.

The creative process involves being unconventional--striking out on your own and doing something differently. If you copy another person's painting, not adding anything to the other person's idea, your work is not creative, no matter how skilled you are. But even a painting or a badly worded sentence can be creative, if it brings new insight and freshness to the topic. Novelty, unconventionality, and freshness are essential ingredients of creative process.

UPWARD AND DOWNWARD INFLECTION

2010-02-11T13:48:00.001+03:00

A student asked what inflection in voice is all about.

If we don't have inflection in our voice, we do not have vocal variation. Our voice sound monotone, which is comparable to listening to a boring professor giving a speech. Usually, downward inflection allows others to perceive that we are making a serious statement, but too much downward inflection can lead to a boring monotone conversation. Obviously, we do not want to bore the person we are talking to, so spice up speech with a little inflection.

Generally, our voice will have an upward inflection at the end of a sentence that is posed as a question. In this case, upward inflection is good; it shows curiosity. But if you use upward inflection with all your thoughts, soon you will sound as if you do not hold much certainty in your own statements. You will constantly appear to be asking for approval, even if that is not how you mean to sound, so be cautious at what points in your speech you make your voice go upward or downward.

TRIVIA - EVOLUTION

2010-02-10T13:36:00.002+03:00

Charles Darwin

Did you know that Charles Darwin rarely used the term "evolution." It was popularized by the English sociologist Herbert Spencer, who also popularized the phrase, "survival of the fittest."

Herbert Spencer

THE KILLER TORTOISE

2010-02-09T13:25:00.002+03:00

Aeschylus

The Greek playwright Aeschylus, according to some sources, was killed by a tortoise.

How did it happen?

The animal, it is said, was dropped from the claws of an eagle flying overhead, which mistook Aeschylus' bald head for a rock! uggghhh!!!

Baldy-baldy beware of eagle flying overhead!!!

JOKE TIME - THE GOLDFISH AND THE CAT

2010-02-08T20:58:00.000+03:00

Yummyyy!!!

Little Johnny was in the garden filling in a hole when his neighbor peered over the fence. Interested in what the cheeky-faced youngster was up to, he politely asked,

"What are you up to there, Little Johnny?"

"My goldfish died,"

replied Little Johnny tearfully, without looking up,

"and I've just buried him."

The neighbor was concerned,

"That's an awfully big hole for a goldfish, isn't it?"

As Little Johnny patted down the last heap of earth he then replied,

"That's because he's inside your cat!"

ARTICULATION

2010-02-07T22:45:00.001+03:00

Here's to my work colleague,
who speaks so fast like a parrot
that you can hardly understand
a word he says, ja ja ja!!!

Has anyone ever told you to enunciate better? If they have, they were referring to your articulation. If you tend to slur words and thoughts together, you may be viewed as having vague ideas or an uninterested or intolerant attitude to the one you are conversing with.

So that others realize you care about your thoughts and opinions, and that you have a clear mind, practice speaking more clearly. If you don't know how to say a word accurately, look it up in the dictionary, and discover how to pronounce it properly. Usually clear speech gets much more attention because others view you as being more serious and able to put together clear thoughts.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - FLOWERS

2010-02-06T23:24:00.001+03:00

"Where flowers bloom

so does hope."

Lady Bird Johnson

GREEN WORLD - YELLOW PRIMROSE

2010-02-05T23:13:00.001+03:00

Yellow primrose

The yellow evening primrose
opens only at dusk, and so swiftly
that it can be seen and heard.

The buds sound like popping
soap bubbles as they burst.

MYTH - FACT - MARGARINE

2010-02-04T21:58:00.005+03:00

Myth

Margarine has less fat than butter.

Fact

Blame this one on slick marketing. A teaspoon of butter and stick margarine have exactly the same amounts of fat (4 grams) and calories (35). The only difference is the kind of unhealthy fat: butter has saturated fat, the main cause of high cholesterol. Margarine contains trans fat, which is so insanely unhealthy.

Butter or margarine?

For baking and cooking, switch to soft tub or liquid margarine; many are now trans fat-free and reasonably low in saturated fat. For toast, use soft spreads or, even better, dip your bread into a little extra-virgin olive oil, one of the healthiest fats nature ever invented.

FUN WITH NUMBERS

2010-02-03T22:46:00.002+03:00

10 x 10 plus 11 x 11 plus 12 x 12 = 365

13 x 13 plus 14 x 14 = 365

The values 10 x 10 through 14 x 14 are the only consecutive products that give identical results when arranged as above. By coincidence, the results are the number of days in a year.

THE SEEKER OF TRUTH

2010-02-02T12:51:00.001+03:00

This is a story told by holy men in the East

A seeker after truth sought out a yoga master and begged him to help him achieve the enlightenment of perfect union with his true self. The master told him to go into a room and meditate on God for as long as he could.

After just two hours the seeker emerged distraught, saying that he could not concentrate, since his mind kept thinking about his much beloved bull he had left at home. The master then told him to return to the room and meditate on his bull. This time the would-be yoga entered the room and after two days had still not emerged. Finally the master called him to come out. From within the seeker replied, "I cannot; my horns are too wide to fit through the door."

The seeker had reached such a state of concentration that he had lost all sense of separation from his object of concentration.

PAGES FROM THE PAST - MARCO POLO

2010-01-31T12:50:00.003+03:00

If Marco Polo had not been captured by the Genoese and imprisoned for a year, the tales of his historic twenty-two year adventure in the Far and Middle East (at the end of the thirteenth century) might never have been collected and written down.

When he returned to Venice after his odyssey, he became a "gentleman commander" of a war vessel striving to hold off Genoese traders. In a battle off Curzold Island, his galley was captured and Marco was hauled off to Genoa and jailed. There he met a writer named Rustichello, who--hearing Marco's yams--insisted they be written down.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - GARDENING

2010-01-30T23:27:00.002+03:00

"When weeding, the best way to make sure
you are removing a weed and not a valuable
plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the
ground easily, it is a valuable plant."

Author Unknown

REAPING THE HARVEST

2010-01-29T13:07:00.006+03:00

At young age, we learned that planting a garden was important. It taught us a lot how plants grow and where we get our food from. We especially liked the planting process when we would dig up the dirt with a shovel and break it apart, to raking the dirt before planting the seeds, careful to follow the directions on the seed containers. It was a lot of work, but fun to watch the vegetables and flowers grow. We would have to care for it by watering it and hoeing around the plants to keep the weeds out. Then the produce could be gathered and eaten.

It is a share that many young people today, especially those in the city think that fruits and vegetables are made at the grocery store. We thank our parents for teaching us about how things grow and to reap the harvest.

A PRICELESS TREASURE

2010-01-28T23:13:00.002+03:00

Do you give freely and generously?

And why do you give, for reward or for love?

What is the best investment you can make with your life?

The gospel presents us with a paradox: we lose what we keep, and we gain what we give away. When we lose our lives for Jesus Christ, we gain a priceless treasure and an inheritance which last forever. Whatever we give to God comes back a hundredfold. Generosity flows from a heart full of gratitude for the abundant mercy and grace which God grants.

JOKE TIME - THE BLIND MAN

2010-01-27T13:05:00.005+03:00

A nun in the convent walked into the bathroom where mother superior was taking a shower.

"There is a blind man to see you," she says.

"Well, if he is a blind man, then it does not matter if I'm in the shower. Send him in."

The blind man walks into the bathroom, and mother superior starts to tell him how much she appreciates him working at the convent for them. She goes on and on and 10 minutes later the man interrupts: "That's nice and all, ma'am, but you can put your clothes on now. Where do you want me to put these blinds?

THE LATER YEARS

2010-01-26T18:43:00.004+03:00

Suffering in silence!

The number of unwanted parents who struggle alone without anyone to help is in the increase. Neglecting one's aged parents, whatever the reason, is wrong. However, it is a relief that there are, on the other hand, people who care for the elderly.

Older people sometimes see themselves as no longer being productive members of society. They often feel they have been moved aside to make way for others. They miss the job satisfaction they had, and the economic security that went with it. Parents whose families are grown feel less needed than they once were. Because the nuclear family (parents and children) has largely replaced the extended family (three or more generations living together), many of the links between generations are broken. The views of grandparents are no longer sought in family management and, in some cases, are refused. The loss of role of director or adviser is especially hard for some older people.

For a number of reasons, old people turn inward and attend increasingly to their personal needs. They no longer actively attempt to change their environment, but adopt a passive attitude toward it. As they grow older, the feeling of displacement sets in.

Some old people talk about the past a lot. The joys of their life are relived in memory. Enjoying through what others do also becomes important.

OF SAYNS EN SEMBOLS

2010-01-25T15:35:00.000+03:00

Made in China

... up and down you go, man!

... no... no... just before you get lost
file a missing person report at the police station!

... how dare you insult me, Screwdriver!

... der Gesang wird verboten!

... and fall down slowly!!!

... and keep the used tissue for memory's sake!

,.. preggy at 70?

???

... nothing big... just a little bump on the head!!!

... ja ja ja!!!

... and thank you for going!!!

... my pleasure to meet you, Mr. Products!

... and run for your life!!!

... better break the glass!!!

... they bite!!!

... sports and small people
with hairy feet section!!!

... you are welcome!!!

Q & A - HUSBAND AND WIFE

2010-01-24T19:40:00.005+03:00

WIFE

What would you do if I died?
Would you get married again?

HUSBAND

Definitely not!

WIFE

Why not--don't you like being married?

HUSBAND

Of course, I do!

WIFE

Then, why wouldn't you remarry?

HUSBAND

Okay, I'd get married again!

WIFE

You would? (with hurtful look on her face)!

HUSBAND

(Makes audible groan).

WIFE

Would you live in our house?

HUSBAND

Why not, it's a great house!

WIFE

Would you sleep with her in our bed?

HUSBAND

Where else would we sleep?

WIFE

Would you let her drive my car?

HUSBAND

Probably, it is almost new.

WIFE

Would you replace my pictures with hers?

HUSBAND

That would seem like the proper thing to do.

WIFE

Would she use my golf clubs?

HUSBAND

No, she's left-handed.

WIFE

-- silence --

HUSBAND

F. . k!!!

Women.... women....
they always expect men to read their minds!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - WORK

2010-01-23T22:58:00.001+03:00

"One machine can do the work
of 50 ordinary men. No machine can do
the work of one extraordinary man."

Anonymous

TO TELL OR NOT TO TELL

2010-01-22T21:52:00.002+03:00

Recently, I was assigned to report on the common abuses taking place in our workstation. It took me sometime to figure out what to do. To be caught in between two conflicting thoughts was not easy. It was either cover up for your work friends, or be loyal to the company' whether to tell or not to tell.

Defining and addressing the problems greatly affecting work colleagues are not an easy task, especially when personal interests are at stake. Problems are inevitable part of the workplace whether it has something to do with organizational policies, interpersonal conflicts or employer-employee relations.

An unpleasant workplace can be a cause of major stress and unhappiness for workers. In addition to making the workweek unbearable, the inevitable thought of Saturday creeping closer can certainly follow stressed workers home over the weekend and ruin relaxation time.

An organization to be efficient, problems must not be ignored, but solved and an effective solution is found and implemented so that they do not recur. Finding the easiest solutions are not the answers to the problems in the workstation, but getting to the root of the issue because a minor problem could be the first sign of a major crisis.

RICH MEN, POOR MEN ... in battle!!!

2010-01-21T21:09:00.002+03:00

Wealthy Roman armies

Even in the olden days in the battlefield, rich and poor were treated differently.

In the supreme Roman army--efficient, well trained, and usually well officered--equipment and role were one time determined by wealth. The richest men wore shield, breastplate, greaves (armor for the leg below the knee), helmet, and carried sword and spear. The less-wealthy men did not wear breastplates. Poor men were equipped with only a helmet. The poorest men had no armor at all, but carried spear and sword.

Poor Roman armies

WHERE WAS I?

2010-01-20T20:21:00.005+03:00

"It's on the tip of my tongue!"

"I can't seem to recall a thing!"

"Sorry, I have a very short memory!"

"Where was I?"

If there is one fact about memory that all of us know, it is that we do not remember everything. In fact, there are times when it seems we can't remember anything. People's names, appointments, material crammed for an exam, telephone numbers--all escape us just when we need them most. At the same time, we often remember other things that don't strike us as being very important. Research has been done on this problem and psychologists have several theories to explain how and why we seem to forget material we have learned.

One explanation why we forget is the interference theory. We have all had the embarrassing experience of being interrupted in the middle of a conversation and not being able to pick up where we left off. We completely forget what we were talking about. Often, the people we were talking with will help out by giving us a cue.

"Where was I?" phenomenon illustrates the role of interference. It refers to the fact that new material gets in the way of old material. This type of interference is called retroactive, we remember the new information but forget the old information. We have been interrupted and the new experience interfered with our memory of the earlier discussion. The new material overpowers the older learned material and becomes stronger and more dominant n our memory. It causes the other knowledge to be unlearned--we forget old material so that we may learn new material more readily. This view suggests that there is limit to the amount stored in memory at any one time. As new information arrives, it pushes out things that are already in readily available locations. If no additional information comes in, then no forgetting will occur.

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM AT ITS BEST

2010-01-19T23:32:00.003+03:00

Chrysanthemum is considered one of the most showy perennial flowering plants, but did you know that the flower requires an uninterrupted period of approximately hours of darkness of an autumn night before it will flower.

Commercial flower growers, in order to delay the blossoming for a more profitable market, illuminate the plants briefly at night to break up the dark period.

THEY TREAT THEM AS SLAVES

2010-01-18T19:25:00.001+03:00

This woman employer brutally abused her maid for a year and got 15 days jail sentence only! This is ridiculous. Is justice served right here? This employer should be given a dose of her own medicine by long years of incarceration. Where is the spirit of the law in this case? And this evil woman isn't even remorseful for her crime.

Thousands of other helpers have reported extensive maltreatment. There are three common types of psychological abuse that employers committed against domestic helpers: rejection, which could lead to isolation and depression; negative criticism; and the expectation of availability 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They treat workers like slaves. They do not consider them as humans.

There are some women not strong enough and would crack under such conditions, mostly if they are isolated from their families, which could lead to catastrophic results. A report on the treatment of domestic helpers revealed other forms of maltreatment, including sexual harassment, rape, withholding of wages, prolonged working hours and beatings, which sometimes led to death. When an employer does not want to pay his financial obligations, he claims the employee stole from him. When police discover she is an illegal resident, she gets deported without having the chance to claim her rights.

A domestic helper died from her injuries after she was thrown out of a balcony by her female employer. According to the employer, who is free on bail, she "fell from the balcony" after the two women fought over a mobile phone that belonged to the victim.

Each woman has a heart-wrenching story to tell. One said she has not been paid for months, another was physically assaulted and a third had her passports confiscated and was prevented from contacting her family.

Abuses, high or isolated should be addressed properly. Immediate and effective actions should be undertaken to alleviate the plights of these poor souls.

KNOWING YOURSELF

2010-01-17T18:52:00.001+03:00

One day you will discover that you are no longer a child who constantly holds on to your mother's skirt. For years you have traveled through life and now you are approaching adolescence. You ask many questions to enable you to fully know yourself. In fact, knowing yourself will help you discover what lies ahead of you.

The key to that discovery lies in your willingness to enter fully into experiences that can be positive forces to enhance the shaping of your vision--of yourself. To know and appreciate the kind of person that you are will be both an invitation and a challenge. It is an invitation for you to look deeply into yourself, to learn how gifted you are. It is a challenge to make a personal decision to enhance these gifts and do something about your shortcomings.

It is when you accept these invitation and challenge that you allow to expand your consciousness of your true being. Only then can you say, "I love and appreciate the person that I am."

Life is a journey!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - KEEP YOUR BALANCE

2010-01-16T18:58:00.003+03:00

"Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance, you must
keep moving."

Albert Einstein

2010-01-15T18:40:00.001+03:00

LAUGHING SONG

by
William Blake

When the green woods laughs with the voice of joy,
And the dimpling stream runs laughing by,
When the air does laugh with our merry wit,
And the green hill laughs with the noise of it;

When the meadows laugh with lively green,
The grasshopper laughs in the merry scene,
When Mary and Susan and Emily
With their sweet round mouths sing 'ha, ha he!'

When the painted birds laugh in the shade,
Where our table with cherries and nuts is spread:
Come live, and be merry, and join with me,
To sing the sweet chorus of 'ha, ha, he!'

TO ERROL

2010-01-14T22:13:00.001+03:00

To Errol

Take time in equal stride, never exuberantly happy,
never too depressed! Balance your life!

Young as you are, you can be a backbone of a progressive community. Your life-style should be one that would make you an asset to your community. You should not only be a catalyst but also an initiator that can lead your community to progress.

Collectively productive, responsible, and self-reliant citizens could help transform a poor, struggling community into a progressive one, too. It means that for a community to survive progress, it has to have people who work hard and are committed to achieve this. A nation may have all the wealth in the world, but if its people do not have self-reliance, that nation will have a difficult road to progress.

The commitment of individual and the wise use of time and opportunities are important factors that help build the foundation for a better tomorrow.

Stretch your mind to the year 2010. Are you laying the foundation and framework for a productive community by being dynamic on whatever endeavor your are in now? Is your present life-style the kind that can assure a better future for you and others?

TRIVIA - CLEAN-SHAVING

2010-01-13T20:30:00.001+03:00

Clean-shaving, when did it start? The custom of being clean-shaven is said to date back to Alexander the Great, who had a scanty beard in any case and set the fashion. He strongly encouraged the practice during his reign in the 4th century B.C. to avoid the dangerous beard-grabbing in combat. He also believed it looked tidier and neat.

Alexander the Great's
shaven image

A century later, shaving entered the Roman world in the West, and the Eastern world abandoned the custom.

WHAT'S IN A NAME SERIES

2010-01-12T19:57:00.001+03:00

Thespian

This is an overworked word meaning an actor. Thespis is often called the Father of Greek tragedy. Until his time (about 535 B.C.), dramatic presentations in Greece consisted of singing by a chorus. He is supposed to have invented the role of the first actor by having a member of the chorus step out and carry on a dialogue with the rest of the chorus.

Thespis, the first actor

THE OLD GIRLS PARTY

2010-01-11T22:32:00.002+03:00

Let's have some fun, ladies ...

Watch the hilarious, full of laughters
video of the

Old girls party!!!

Enjoy!!!

GREEN WORLD - DARWIN'S ORCHID

2010-01-11T19:18:00.001+03:00

Darwin's orchid

When Darwin visited Madagascar during his voyage on the Beagle, he was intrigued by a large waxy white orchid with a nectar spur almost a foot long. How could such a flower be pollinated? He did not have the opportunity to find out by observation, but he guessed--correctly-- by an insect with a foot long proboscis. His theory was ridiculed. Twenty years later, a nocturnal moth was collected that had a wingspread of only 5-1/2 inches but a proboscis a foot lo ng . In honor of the fact that its existence had been predicted, it was named Xantophan morganii praedicta.

Xantophan morganii praedicta

THE KILLER CLAM!

2010-01-10T18:29:00.003+03:00

Myth

The giant clam is a killer clam!

In the past, tridacna gigas, or traditionally, pa'ua, the largest living bivalve mollusk was known to have caused deaths.

Fact

Despite its reputation, the "man-eating" giant clam of the South Pacific Ocean, which grows to more than four feet across and can weigh a quarter-ton, feeds only on microscopic organisms that the tide washes into its maw.

Today, it is generally acknowledged that the giant clam is neither aggressive nor particularly dangerous.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - PATIENCE

2010-01-09T19:35:00.000+03:00

"Let him that hath no power of patience
retire within himself, though even there he
will have to put up with himself."

Baltasar Gracian

PATIENCE AND HUMILITY

2010-01-08T20:41:00.001+03:00

Patience will help us to keep calm in our troubles and difficulties. It will help us think more clearly. As a result, we shall find it easier to turn to God when we need Him.

"The sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us."

(Romans 8:18)

Humility will help us admit our weaknesses and nothingness. It will make us less irritable and resentful of our distasteful experiences.

These two virtues will us have peace in the middle of our troubles. Then with a definite plan in mind, we can proceed against our faults and conquer our temptations.

FUN WITH NUMBERS

2010-01-07T19:11:00.001+03:00

There is an infinite number of numbers that have the same value whether added or multiplied. They follow this pattern:

3 + 1-1/2 = 3 x 1-1/2 = 4-1/2

4 + 1-1/3 = 4 x 1-1/3 = 5-1/3
5 + 1-1/4 = 5 x 1-1/4 = 6-1/4
...

1000 + 1=1/999 = 1000 x 1-1/999 = 1001-1/999
etc.

However, there is only one integer that can be added to itself and multiplied with itself with the same result:

2 + 2 = 4 and 2 x 2 = 4

A REWARD FROM GOD

2010-01-06T22:56:00.002+03:00

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."

Matthew 6:19-20

Here is a young man, who is willing to donate his kidney for free to anyone who needs a kidney transplant. He said, he is unemployed but insisted that he does not want a financial reward for donating his kidney. His restricted financial situation has helped him realize that instead of being greedy, he should help those in need. The only reward he is seeking is God's blessing.

God is interested in our hearts, not just our actions. He promises to meet our needs and often rewards our generosity. However, he does not always reward us financially. Oftentimes, the refreshment He gives is spiritual--something much more precious than money.

NO BATH AT ALL?

2010-01-05T23:30:00.002+03:00

Can you last a day without taking a bath?

Well, I have some work colleagues who can last a week without taking a bath or shower. You really don't want to know how they smell! Suffice it to say that you just don't want to cross their paths ja ja ja!!!

But there was an era in the Middle Ages, which has been referred to as "1,000 years without a bath." Bathing was rare in Europe at that time, largely because the Christian Church considered it a sin to expose the body, even to oneself. It was not until 1641 that soap was manufactured in England. Religion had become less oppressive, but government harassment in the form of restrictions and taxes on the soapmaking industry caused the soap business to develop slowly.

OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS - SONGBIRDS

2010-01-04T12:14:00.003+03:00

Male bullfinch and Canary

Many songbirds learn to sing by listening to adult birds of the same species. If separated from the adults, they develop unintelligible warbles rather than normal song patterns. But if taught the song of another species, a bird often can pass the foreign language on to its offspring. In one experiment, a male bullfinch raised by a female canary learned the canary's song to perfection. When it was later mated to a female bullfinch, its children and later its grandchildren could sing like a canary.

MASTER OF LIFE

2010-01-03T20:20:00.000+03:00

What does the expression "serving two masters" and "being anxious" have in common? They both have the same root problem--being divided within oneself.

The root word for anxiety literally means being of two minds. An anxious person is often tossed to and fro and paralyzed by fear, indecision, and insecurity. Fear of some bad outcome cripples those afflicted with anxiety.

Who is the master in charge of your life? Our master is whatever governs our thought-life, shapes our ideals, and controls the desires of our heart and the values we choose to live by. We can be ruled by many different things--the love of money and possessions, the power of position and prestige, the glamor of wealth and fame, and the driving force of unruly passions, harmful desires, and addictive cravings. Ultimately, the choice of who is our master boils down to two: God or "mammon." What is mammon? Mammon stands for material wealth or possessions or whatever tends to control our appetites and desires.

Ref: Our Daily Bread

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - NEW LIFE

2010-01-02T19:30:00.003+03:00

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning,
but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

Maria Robinson

A NEW YEAR'S POEM

2009-12-31T12:59:00.000+03:00

In Memoriam
(Ring Out, Wild Bells)

By Lord Alfred Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

I-DON'T-CARE ATTITUDE

2009-12-30T21:37:00.004+03:00

Today, there seems to be an apparent struggle of extremes. This is most often observed from people's attitudes and reactions toward events or issues that concern the common good of all. One extreme is the isolation or I-don't-care attitude. As long as the issue is not and will not directly affect us and the family, it is not our concern. This negative attitude has been around since time immemorial.

Another extreme is the prejudice or bias attitude. It is an attitude that we totally believe only our opinion is right. Nobody can ever alter that belief. This attitude is always accompanied by ignorance, fear, or hatred. It always resists change even when evidence fails to support them or points to the contrary.

Such existing attitude not only widens the gap between and among people, but also creates tension and thus, rock the existing peace and tranquility of the environment. What happens is that nobody will work for the common good, but for personal aggrandizement.

ANIMAL WORLD - SURVIVAL

2009-12-29T21:57:00.000+03:00

The Koala of Australia is perfectly adapted to one specific tree. the eucalyptus, and doesn't need anything else, not even water. It is one of the few land animals that do not need water to supplement their food. If the eucalyptus tree were to become extinct, the koala would become extinct, too, for it eats nothing but eucalyptus leaves.

If the zebra population were to vanish overnight, African lions would decrease drastically in numbers.

Bees and numerous species of plants that depend on bees for cross-pollination would be wiped out as well.

A BIRTHDAY WISH TO MY BEST FRIEND!

2009-12-28T00:01:00.003+03:00

BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS

By Johanna Fuchs

Instead of counting candles,
Or tallying the years,
Contemplate your blessings now,
As your birthday nears.

Consider special people
Who love you, and who care,
And others who’ve enriched your life
Just by being there.

Think about the memories
Passing years can never mar,
Experiences great and small
That have made you who you are.

Another year is a happy gift,
So cut your cake, and say,
"Instead of counting birthdays,
I count blessings every day!"

A birthday greeting to my ever faithful, loving, best friend, Baby Jazmin, who is celebrating her nth birthday today!

TEACHER, MAY I GO OUT?

2009-12-27T19:05:00.000+03:00

My father? Oh, he had lived a happy full life. He was a very good provider, disciplinarian, and a dedicated teacher. I remember the days when he would summon me to his school to collect school documents. I recall the many nights when he would dictate his lesson plans to me. He was a very devoted educator, a quality that you would not see among the young breed of teachers today.

My youngest brother is a Mechanical Engineer, but chose to teach Mathematics and Physical Education in high school, and he is really enjoying every minute of it. He also coaches a high school chess team.

I had my share of teaching in college, too. I taught different business subjects. Here in Saudi Arabia, I conduct piano and voice lessons.

Many things have been written about teaching. It is considered the noblest of all professions, an article of faith to many. To be a teacher today, one must be a hero and an idealist. In hope and despair, one trusts only your own unshaken will and faith in the nobility of the profession. Teachers possess and pass on a far reaching power, the ultimate form of power--the command of ideas. They are the praetorian guards of democracy, for knowledge is the foundation of the love of freedom and the principles of human liberty.

Teaching job is intellectually challenging. If you're good at teaching, it is very interesting, fun, and fulfilling. Most importantly, teachers help in turning some lives around, empowering individuals, giving them confidence to explore new things and express their own ideas, helping them to reach important life goals.

Noblest as it seems, teaching is the most neglected of all professions. Compensation is not commensurate, effort and hard work are not properly recognized, making it one of the least preferred careers.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - TEACHER

2009-12-26T20:33:00.001+03:00

"A gifted teacher is as rare
as a gifted doctor, and makes
far less money."

Anonymous

A CHRISTMAS JOKE

2009-12-24T13:15:00.000+03:00

It was just before Christmas and the magistrate was in a happy mood. He asked the prisoner who was in the dock,

"What are you charged with?"

The prisoner replied,

"Doing my Christmas shopping too early!"

"That's no crime, said the magistrate.
Just how early were you doing this shopping?"

"Before the shop opened,"
answered the prisoner!

ja ja ja!!!

Happy Holidays !!!

WHAT IS SCHIZOKINESIS?

2009-12-23T15:02:00.000+03:00

Have you ever experienced being chased by a dog?

When a person is being chased by a dog he feels his heart pound and pulse race. The unconditioned stimulus signals danger and elicits an unconditioned response. Extra adrenalin is pumped through the person's system, helping him to get away. Later, his heart still beats wildly at the sight of a dog--even though it's quite friendly and shows no sign of giving chase. The danger has disappeared, but the adrenalin goes to work anyway.

Why does this rush of adrenalin take place? Apparently, this type of unconditioned response can remain with us in the form of a conditioned response. The conditioned response continues to operate even though it may not be necessary. The conditioned organ has learned too well, and there is little or no extinction.

This process is called schizokinesis. Schizo means divided or split. Kinesis means action. Schizokinesis is a body response that goes off in two directions. When it occurs, a given stimulus no longer causes a coordinated response between the organs that sense danger and those that are mobilized to take action. The original response was so useful that the action organs still get alarmed, even when the threat of danger is not longer real.

BALANCING WORK AND LIFE

2009-12-22T17:09:00.001+03:00

How to balance work and life has become increasingly difficult to achieve nowadays. It is in our hands to find the activities that are using much of our time. We need to learn how to prioritize tasks and seek resources and aids that will help us reduce the time spent on less important activities and devote more to our life's interests.

Most of the time, we are caught in between two important responsibilities both needing immediate attention. Equal distribution of time is just impossible. We end up wrangling and bickering over lack of time. Not being able to finish a task on time is very frustrating.

Work and fun can come together in life if we want them to. Devoting time in work and projects for a specific period and then taking time off for relaxation without any word of work will enable us to wind up.

I always remind my piano students to take things in equal stride; never too happy, never too depressed. To excel academically and be guaranteed excellent results, I advice them to manage their time wisely, study in advance, review their notes everyday, and never, never cram for exams.

We can always mix two similar activities. In this way, we can relish the moment and get both tasks completed. Identifying things that matter the most carefully and removing the trivialities out of our schedule will help us devote time and energy to more important things.

WHAT DO YOU COLLECT?

2009-12-21T21:37:00.003+03:00

I collect colorful items like soft drink bottle caps, cigarette pack covers, chocolate wrappers, candy wrappers, rubber bands, marbles, etc., and when I came to Saudi Arabia, I started collecting coins and paper money, stamps, sands, flight souvenir items, novelty items, cards, statuettes, crime magazines, mysteries of unexplained books, DVD movies, CD records of long-ago artists, grand opera productions on DVD, and anything that takes my fancy. It is fun and brings comfort and excitement to me. But I have a friend, who has an even more interesting hobby; collecting postcards.

Modern postcards are cheap to buy and can be collected according to theme, or subject. It might be hard to decide where to start, since there are plenty to choose from. Some of the older cards can be bought quite cheaply, too. Some will increase in value much quicker than others. A few varieties will never become collectible; they will only be valuable as personal souvenirs.

Postcards that show pictures of towns, villages, and landmarks as seen through the eyes of the camera are known as topographic postcards. If you go to a trade fair or antiques market in search of postcards, you will win respect among the dealers if you use the correct term, topography. Old views are expensive to buy. They are usually available in color or in black and white. While the colored cards are more attractive, the black and white pictures are often much clearer.

Part of the the fun collecting is in the search. If you collect anything and everything, you will simply be hoarding mountains of paper. So take your time, look around and choose carefully.

JOKE TIME 10 - CORRECT GRAMMAR

2009-12-20T13:24:00.001+03:00

On my 66th birthday, I got a gift certificate from my wife. The certificate paid for a visit to a medicine man living on a nearby reservation who was rumored to have a wonderful cure for erectile dysfunction.

After being persuaded, I drove to the reservation, handed my ticket to the medicine man and wondered what would happen next. The old man slowly, methodically produced a potion, handed it to me, and with a grip on my shoulder, warned,

"This is powerful medicine and it must be respected. You take only a teaspoonful and then say, '1-2-3.' when you do that you will become more manly than you have ever been in your life and you can perform as long as you want."

I was encouraged. As I walked way, I turned and asked,

"How do I stop the medicine from working?"

"Your partner must say, '1-2-3-4,' he responded.

"But when she does, the medicine will not work again until the next full moon."

I was very eager to see if it worked so I went home, showered, shaved, took a spoonful of the medicine, and then invited my wife to join me in the bedroom. When she came in, I took off my clothes and said,

"1-2-3!"

Immediately, I was the manliest of man. My wife was excited and began throwing off her clothes. And then she asked,

"what was the 1-2-3 for?"

And that boys and girls, is why we should never end our sentences with a preposition!

ONE COULD END UP
WITH A DANGLING PARTICIPLE!!!

ja ja ja!!!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - CHRISTMAS

2009-12-19T14:03:00.001+03:00

"So remember while December
brings the only Christmas day, in the
year let there be Christmas in the
things you do and say."

Anonymous

TRIVIA - BOOK OF MAPS

2009-12-18T22:06:00.004+03:00

A book of maps is called an atlas because the innovative sixteenth century Flemish geographer Gerardus Mecator's book of maps detailing various portions of Europe sported on its cover a picture of the Greek titan Atlas holding the world on his shoulders--and this book became known as the atlas.

Gerardus Mercator

WINTER IN SAHARA

2009-12-17T23:15:00.003+03:00

The Sahara is not the perpetual oven of baking sand, as many believe. It has the typical continental climate of alternating hot and cold seasons. Its high temperatures range up to the 136.4 deg F (58 deg C) recorded at Al-Aziziyah, Libya, and as low as 5 deg F (-15 deg C) in the Tibesti mountains in midwinter.

The Sahara's climate consists of basically two sub-climates, a dry subtropical climate in the north and a dry tropical climate in the south. The dry tropical climate is generally characterized by mild, dry winters, a hot dry season just before the rainy season, and an annual temperature cycle. The dry subtropical climate, however, is characterized by annually high temperature ranges, cold winters, hot summers and two rainy seasons. There is a narrow strip in the western portion of the Sahara, along the coast, which generally has cool temperatures compared to the rest of the Sahara because of the influence of cold Canary Current.

In living memory, it was not until February 18, 1979, that snow fell on the Sahara. A half-hour storm in southern Algeria stopped traffic. But within a few hours all the snow had melted.

A POEM - CHRISTMAS IN THE AIR

2009-12-16T22:57:00.001+03:00

CHRISTMAS IN THE AIR

by
Marie Williams

Listen to the sleigh-bells ring.
their tinkling sounds delight;
Both young and old gathered 'round
The Christmas square, tonight.

Sing of joy and peace on earth,
Good will to all mankind
Voices echo through the hills
Of precious love divine.

And, as the stars, in heav'n above,
Cast down their brilliant glow,
Angels sang, along with man,
While gazing down below.

Christmas time is in the air
And with it comes the hope;
A Savior born in Bethlehem,
So many years ago.

Let peace, now, reign in your heart
And joyful praise proclaim.
What wondrous gift the Father gave,
Emmanuel His Name!

HOW TO HIDE YOUR PASSWORD

2009-12-15T22:18:00.003+03:00

... no one can see your password
or whatever you are typing ...

... no one can see whatever you're typing
or which website you're surfing ...

... and the ultimate is ...

ja ja ja !!!

"a laugh a day drives your worries away!"

DON'T STOP LEARNING

2009-12-14T21:39:00.003+03:00

"I was not literate in computers at all,"
the sprightly nonagenarian said. "I was
completely self-taught as far as that
was concerned."

Learning is a continuing process, and it proves to be true for a 91-year old man, who received a law degree and finishing the six-year course more than a year ahead of schedule because he said, "time is of the essence." Learning how to use the internet was his biggest challenge in completing the degree.

True learning is a lifelong process of experience and exploration, and anytime we return to a classroom or any kind to learn something new, we are continuing our education. It helps us to become more knowledgeable, more aware, and able to help others by the information and experience we acquire through this learning process.

If you stop learning, you will travel one of the quickest paths to career obsolescence that you can find. When you stop learning, you stop growing both personally and professionally. We need to retool our knowledge base not once in a while, but on a continuous basis.

Learning is a whole life career, and absolutely not limited to in school.

THE DRUNKEN MONKEYS

2009-12-13T23:24:00.000+03:00

Strange News

Baboons are a common sight in the western region of Saudi Arabia, but what about drunken baboons?

A troop of monkeys went ape wild on a mountaintop near this village in the south, causing police to investigate. It turns out our simian friends happened upon a stash of distilled libations, and that's when the party started. They managed to get into those bottles with the magic of opposable thumbs. Authorities believe smugglers from the south hid the stash, though perhaps only the monkeys know for sure who the culprits really were.

Monkeys like beer, too!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - NO SMOKING PLEASE!

2009-12-12T23:13:00.003+03:00

"To quit smoking is the easiest
thing I ever did, I ought to know
because I've done it a thousand
times."

Mark Twain

MYTH - FACT - FILTERED/UNFILTERED

2009-12-11T22:58:00.003+03:00

Myth

Filtered cigarettes are less
dangerous than unfiltered ones.

Fact

The opposite would be the case: people who prefer filtered cigarettes are in danger of dying two to almost four years earlier than smokers of filterless cigarettes. Filters prevent the dilution of the smoke by oxygen so that the bloodstream builds up higher levels of carbon monoxide, in the form of carboxyhemoglobin. One of the effects is greater damage to the cardiovascular system, with the danger of strokes and heart attacks. Approximately 50 percent of deaths studied resulted from heart attacks and about 20 percent from cancer.

WOMEN DRIVERS AWARD 2009

2009-12-10T21:10:00.001+03:00

My buddy, Yusuf, insisted that I should post this one --

* * * Presenting * * *

The Top Ten Contestants
for the Women Drivers Award 2009

10th Place Goes To

9th Place Goes To

8th Place Goes To

7th Place Goes To

6th Place Goes To

5th Place Goes To

4th Place Goes To

3rd Place Goes To

The Silver Medal Winner

Her helmet is being worn backwards

... and finally, here is our

2009 Women Drivers Award

*** Gold Medal Winner ***

Wow!!! How the heck???

Ohhh.... never mind....

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

This concludes the
2009 Women Drivers Awards Ceremony

Thank you to all contestants for
giving us all a reason to laugh and smile!!!

THE BULL ACROBATS

2009-12-09T22:50:00.003+03:00

No one has ever explained the Minoan art depicting the bull acrobats of ancient Crete. If we can believe this art, an acrobat would face a charging bull, grasp its horns, and do a somersault over its back to the ground.

The problem is that the feat appears to be impossible. No daredevil has been reckless enough to attempt it, at least not in our time.

GREEN WORLD - THE MYSTERIOUS FLOWER

2009-12-08T22:18:00.002+03:00

It is sometimes called the "corpse flower" for its stomach-churning scent, or the "giant panda of the plant world" for its rarity. It has no stems or leaves and grows endoparasatically within the woody stems of its host. vine. It is a massive fleshy orb designed by nature to attract insects by mimicking the color and stench of rotting meat.

The bizarre bloom, which is now under threat from deforestation and harvesting for traditional medicine, is named after the famed British colonialist, the founder of the British colony of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles. He stumbled across one in Sumatra in 1818, with his friend, Dr. Joseph Arnold, after whom the largest of the species, is named.

The plant grows only on a specific jungle vine in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. It emerges as a small lump on the vine, and over about nine months, swells into a cabbage-like bud, which opens to reveal a massive five-petalled flower sometimes measuring more than a meter cross.

The bloom, colored a mottled red, pink or orange depending on the species is visible for just a few days, before turning black and rotting away. Not all varieties of Rafflesia have the distinctive stench, and even among those that do, the open bud has to be caught just at the right time.

Scientists agree on 24 as the total number of species, three of which are already extinct. The best known of these species is Rafflesia Arnoldii, which has the distinction of the being the world's largest individual flower and a magnificent bloom of the plant kingdom, reaching a diameter of about three feet.

Many thanks to the innovative Malaysian scheme, indigenous tribes who once gathered Rafflesia buds by the sackload are being trained as custodians of the rare flowers, and to act as guides for ecotourists.

FUN WITH NUMBERS

2009-12-07T23:21:00.002+03:00

123456787654321

is

11,111,111

multiplied by itself.

MOZART'S FAMOUS QUOTATION

2009-12-06T23:11:00.002+03:00

"As death, when we come to consider it closely,
is the true goal of our existence, I have formed during the
last few years such close relations with this best and truest
friend of mankind, that his image is not only no longer terrifying
to me, but is indeed very soothing and consoling! And I thank
my God for graciously granting me the opportunity of
learning that death is the key which unlocks
the door to our true happiness."

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

PAGES FROM THE PAST - MOZART

2009-12-05T23:46:00.003+03:00

Today marks the 218th death anniversary
of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

But did you know that the man who gave the world wonderful music to last forever died penniless, and only one person walked with his coffin from the church to the cemetery for its burial in an unmarked pauper's grave? His interment was a disgrace to all of Vienna. Thrown in a ditch with several other people, not even a bad inscription marked its location

Mozart come closest of all musicians to being the universal composer. During his short life time (he died at 35), he wrote operas and symphonies, chamber music and church music, solo and concert works for virtually every instrument--plus mechanical clocks and musical glasses.

Rossini once said, "Mozart is not the greatest, he is the only musician in the world." And to quote Schubert, "O Mozart, immortal Mozart! How many and what countless images of a brighter, better world hast though stamped on our souls."

MAKING FRIENDS

2009-12-04T22:12:00.007+03:00

Friendship is like a tree.
It takes time to grow and mature.

Oftentimes, we hear people say, "it's not easy for me to make friends." Even though we may enjoy and need to be alone now and then, we are basically social animals who need the company and cooperation of others. We need to make friends, to like and be liked, and to form loving relationships with at least a few people who are in some ways special to us. Maintaining the relationship is even harder. It requires more than similarity in nature and tastes.

We all have our flaws and imperfections, but as two people get to know more of each other, these shortcomings will not affect the relationship. Instead, they help strengthen the bond of friendship.

To understand the relationships that people form, it is important to realize that we are not focusing on individual behavior. Instead, we keep meaning to understand behavior between pairs of human beings and the reasons people like and love those they do.

LOVE IS THE PRODUCT OF LEARNING

2009-12-03T14:27:00.002+03:00

Love is so meaningful, yet so very difficult to define!

Is there an acceptable definition of love? Many poems have been written, many songs have been sung, many words have been uttered, many hearts have been broken, and truly tragedies abound all because of love. Unfortunately, no such definition exists because it is extremely general concept encompassing many kinds of interpersonal relationships.

The love that a parent feels for a child is not the love felt by brothers and sisters for each other or for their parents; nor is it he same as that experienced by husband and wife. In quite another way, we love ourselves. In still another sense, we "fall in love" with someone with whom we had no previous relationship, perhaps "at first sight." We speak of "spiritual love" and "sexual love." We "love" certain kinds of food. The term is used so often and in so many contexts that it has almost ceased to have meaning.

A psychologist has the following definition of love: "Love is the active concern for the life and growth of that which we love," and "when the satisfaction or the security of another person becomes as significant to one as is one's own satisfaction or security then the state of love exists."

Whatever the definition, many will agree that the ability to love, to care for others, and to engage in mature sexual behavior is a product of learning.

TRIVIA - SEMITIC ALPHABETS

2009-12-02T12:46:00.002+03:00

Did you know that all the world's
main alphabets have developed from
an alphabet invented 3,600 years ago
in the Middle East and known as
the North Semitic Alphabet.

The Semites

THE MONTH OF DECEMBER

2009-12-01T23:54:00.006+03:00

December is the twelfth and final month
of the Gregorian calendar and the first month
of winter. It derives it's name from the Latin word
decem, meaning ten, as December was the tenth
month of the oldest Roman calendar. The
Latin name is derived from Decima, the
middle Goddess of the Three Fates
who personifies the present.

JOKE TIME 9 - NEW SEAT BELT LAW

2009-11-30T12:56:00.001+03:00

New Seat Belt Law

This becomes effective January 01, 2010.

The National Highway Safety Council has done extensive testing on a newly designed seat belt. Results show that accidents can be reduced by as much as 95% when the belt is properly installed.

Correct installation is illustrated below...

Please pass on to family and friends.
This may help save a life.

This can really save lives and lower blood pressure by 40%.

(A shared joke!)

ABIDING PEACE

2009-11-29T09:37:00.003+03:00

No man safely enjoys life except the men whose conscience is clear. The wicked never have true joy nor real interior peace. They may say that they have peace and that they neither expect nor fear any harm from above. Either they are lying or they are fools.

A bad conscience is afraid and disturbed. A good conscience has peace even in time of hardship. The good man's glory lies in the testimony of good conscience. There is no freedom nor profitable joy without a clear conscience. The man with a dull conscience will find distractions and interests in many things, but he has not the abiding peace of those who live for Heaven.

Every person must have sufficient interior awareness so he can hear and follow his conscience. Conscience must be enlightened by faith so that persons and groups will turn aside from blind choices.

"Turn inward, brethren and in everything you do,

see God as your witness."

St. Augustine

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - POVERTY

2009-11-28T12:09:00.002+03:00

Mother Teresa

"When a poor person dies of hungers,
it has not happened because God did not
take care of him or her. It has happened because
neither you nor I wanted to give that person
what he or she needed."

POVERTY IS A RELATIVE THING

2009-11-27T11:42:00.002+03:00

Poverty Is A Relative Thing

By

Francis Duggan

It is true poverty is a relative thing
A poor bloke buys his girlfriend a ten dollar ring
But to a pauper one with ten dollars is not poor at all
What to one seems big to another seems small,
That poverty is a relative thing seems so true
You may well be poor but many poorer than you
There are millions of homeless on Poverty Street
Searching in rubbish bins to find something to eat
And there are millions who lay down
to rest hungry at night
And sleep in the open under the starlight
At least you have a roof over your head
and a bed on which to lie
And it will not be of malnutrition that you will die
And of those down on their luck the singer may sing
But poverty can be a relative thing.

WORST KIND OF POVERTY...

2009-11-26T13:57:00.008+03:00

True enough, poverty has a way of distorting one's sense of priorities sometimes even eroding it. Living in subhuman conditions always boils down to simply a matter of survival. The immediacy of food and shelter first, before the comforts of cleanliness. Poverty is a serious problem. It needs to be recognized, addressed, and resolved. It is found everywhere. Every country has its percentage of low-income earners, but some countries have many more people living in unfortunate circumstances than others do. Poverty is an area of concern as it brings with it a host of problems within the country, as well as on a global scale.

The worst kind of poverty is when people cannot get food and therefore they are thin and weak and many starve to death. Unfortunately, this is still happening in many parts of the world. The gap between the world's rich and poor has never been wider. Malnutrition, conflict, disease, and illiteracy are a daily reality for millions.

But it isn't chance or bad luck that keeps people trapped in bitter, unrelenting poverty. It's man-made factors like a glaringly unjust global trade system, a debt burden so great that it suffocates any chance of recovery and insufficient and ineffective aid. It doesn't have to be this way though.

JUVENILE CRIME

2009-11-25T13:21:00.005+03:00

Crime by adolescents has long been a problem. For years many social scientists used what might be called a socioeconomic explanation of juvenile crime. Most juvenile crime, they argued, was committed by young city males from low-income families. They explained that crime was a means of survival and a way to both increase self-respect among peers and fight back against the cruel society. Later, the social scientists added a psychological twist to their theory. They said, crime by adolescents from fatherless homes was especially high.

Both the poverty theory and the absent-father theory have supporters. But the many males from low-income families where the father is absent, who do not commit crimes indicate that the theories are incomplete. In addition, there have been increases in the juvenile crime rate in wealthy communities.

There are other ways to explain juvenile crime. One is alienation from the society in which they live. Alienation means being cut off from society and not accepting society's norms, or standards of behavior. Some social scientists see the main cause of crimes as coming from within the individuals who commit these crimes. Others find the main cause in society. Most include both social and psychological factors in explaining juvenile crime.

Some offer psychological explanations: "Some people have violent personalities." Others give social explanations: "We live in a violent society."

It is clear that explaining adolescent crime is difficult. Preventing it is even more difficult.

PAGES FROM THE PAST - HANDKERCHIEF

2009-11-24T22:38:00.002+03:00

A 15th - 17th century laced handkerchief

Among the classical heritage rediscovered during the Renaissance was the handkerchief. It had been used by the Roman, who ordinarily wore two handkerchiefs (sudarium): one on the left wrist and one tucked in at the waist or around the neck. In the fifteenth century, the handkerchief was for a time allowed only to the nobility; special laws were made to enforce this.

A Roman emperor wearing sudarium on his neck

LOVE IS A MIRACLE

2009-11-23T10:25:00.002+03:00

Love is the word we use to magnify the miraculous feeling within us. The word itself is the manifestation of God Himself. What in man corresponds most to God's being is his capacity to love. And we resemble God most by the manner we love.

Love, unfortunately, has become one of the most misunderstood and confused words in any language. Some want it to mean nothing more than the attraction between the sexes. Others want it to mean no more than desire and its satisfaction. And when others speak of it, it seems that love and sex are synonymous. It's all so sad because love understood as any of these is hardly love. It is confused: the wrapper is taken for the content.

Love is really like life, and life is a miracle. It is so vast in its meaning, so varied in its expressions and so rich in its manifestations that one has to be fully alive in order to understand it fully.

The measure of love, then, is not what our hearts dictate or what our desires lead us to. Love is very much greater than the urges we feel within. It is above all, the goodness that is within us that we must share with the goodness of other persons in communion that is stronger than death.

In this sense, love includes the goodness of a man seeking the goodness of a parent toward his or her child, the goodness of a friend seeking the goodness of another. Yes, love never dies because goodness never dies.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?

2009-11-22T23:09:00.000+03:00

No one can argue that we do not live merely to satisfy our bodily needs. We spend a lot of time and energy doing many things, such as working puzzles, reading, going to church, window shopping, visiting friends, internet browsing, blogging, and a host of other activities that serve no immediate biological purpose. Unlike biological drives, which are similar for all members of the species, psychological and social motives are much more variable and dependent on cultural learning. For example, many cultures encourage individual competition. Being a winner enhances self-esteem. In other cultures, competition is frowned upon. Needs for self-esteem are met, not by excelling individually, but by being a contributing member of the group.

What we will look at here are those motivations that pattern our lives. Some may be characteristics of our culture alone. Some may span cultures. Sometimes we are self-motivated by forces in our environment. Often the reasons why we do something may be interpreted in a number of ways. Only you know what makes you tick.

"Motivation is everything, you can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people."

Lee Iacocca

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - MOTIVATION

2009-11-21T23:13:00.002+03:00

"Everyone expects to go further than
his father went; everyone expects to be
better than he was born, and every generation
has one big impulse in its heart to exceed
all the other generations of the past in
all the things that make life
worth living."

William Allen White

WHAT'S IN A NAME? - SPOONERISM

2009-11-20T22:11:00.002+03:00

Spoonerism is a transposition
of usually initial sounds of two or more words.

Examples:

"tons of soil - sons of toil"

"know your blows - blow your nose"
"flutter by - butterfly"
"it's roaring with pain - it's pouring with rain"
"go help me sod - so help me God"

The Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930) was celebrated for his habit, accidental or cultivated, of transposing the first letters of words in phrases. It is reported that in conversation he referred to the well known two-wheeled vehicle as "a well boiled icicle" and to a friend's new cottage as a "nosey little cook." And they say that he would startle listeners at his sermons by referring to "tearful chidings" or assuring them that something was as easy as for a "a camel to go through the knee of an old idol."