Sunday, February 28, 2010

JOKE TIME - DOOR-TO-DOOR



A
n 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!!!


Saturday, February 27, 2010

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - BROKEN HEART



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

Anonymous



Friday, February 26, 2010

DRAMA MAMA



T
here'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!"


Thursday, February 25, 2010

WHAT'S IN A WORD - EUREKA





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.


Wednesday, February 24, 2010

OF CRIME AND PUNISHMENT



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.


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

FINGER POINTING



A
man asked his father-in-law, “Many peop
le 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.


Monday, February 22, 2010

WHAT'S IN A WORD - SERENDIPITY



S
erendip 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.


Sunday, February 21, 2010

SEXUAL RESPONSIBILITY



L
iking, 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.


T
o 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.



Saturday, February 20, 2010

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - EYE



"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 fi
tfully play, like
the sunlight and shadow on a
still stream."



Henry Theodore Tuckerman

Friday, February 19, 2010

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



T
he "
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."


Thursday, February 18, 2010

ANIMAL WORLD - OKAPI







T
he 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.



Wednesday, February 17, 2010

ARE YOU A HYPOCHONDRIAC?



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.


Tuesday, February 16, 2010

VALUE AND APPROPRIATENESS



O
riginality 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.



Monday, February 15, 2010

WHAT'S YOUR WIFE'S NAME?



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!


Sunday, February 14, 2010

SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY - LORD BYRON



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.


O
ne 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.


A
nd 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!


Saturday, February 13, 2010

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - ORIGINALITY



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



Jean Guitton


Friday, February 12, 2010

A RECIPE OF CREATIVITY



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.

T
he 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.



Thursday, February 11, 2010

UPWARD AND DOWNWARD INFLECTION



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.


Wednesday, February 10, 2010

TRIVIA - EVOLUTION





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


Tuesday, February 9, 2010

THE KILLER TORTOISE



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 cla
ws of an eagle flying overhead, which mistook Aeschylus' bald head for a rock! uggghhh!!!



Baldy-baldy beware of eagle flying overhead!!!