A Blue Valentine

For Aline

Monsignore,
Right Reverend Bishop Valentinus,
Sometime of Interamna, which is called Ferni,
Now of the delightful Court of Heaven,
I respectfully salute you,
I genuflect
And I kiss your episcopal ring.

It is not, Monsignore,
The fragrant memory of your holy life,
Nor that of your shining and joyous martyrdom,
Which causes me now to address you.
But since this is your august festival, Monsignore,
It seems appropriate to me to state
According to a venerable and agreeable custom,
That I love a beautiful lady.
Her eyes, Monsignore,
Are so blue that they put lovely little blue reflections
On everything that she looks at,
Such as a wall
Or the moon
Or my heart.
It is like the light coming through blue stained glass,
Yet not quite like it,
For the blueness is not transparent,
Only translucent.
Her soul's light shines through,
But her soul cannot be seen.
It is something elusive, whimsical, tender, wanton, infantile, wise
And noble.
She wears, Monsignore, a blue garment,
Made in the manner of the Japanese.
It is very blue-
I think that her eyes have made it more blue,
Sweetly staining it
As the pressure of her body has graciously given it form.
Loving her, Monsignore,
I love all her attributes;
But I believe
That even if I did not love her
I would love the blueness of her eyes,
And her blue garment, made in the manner of the Japanese.

Monsignore,
I have never before troubled you with a request.
The saints whose ears I chiefly worry with my pleas
are the most exquisite and maternal Brigid,
Gallant Saint Stephen, who puts fire in my blood,
And your brother bishop, my patron,
The generous and jovial Saint Nicholas of Bari.
But, of your courtesy, Monsignore,
Do me this favour:
When you this morning make your way
To the Ivory Throne that bursts into bloom with roses
because of her who sits upon it,
When you come to pay your devoir to Our Lady,
I beg you, say to her:
"Madame, a poor poet, one of your singing servants yet on earth,
Has asked me to say that at this moment he is especially grateful to you
For wearing a blue gown".

by Joyce Kilmer

A Dream Within A Dream

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow--

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand--

How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep--while I weep!

O God! can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

by Edgar Allan Poe

Before you fly

The fear of flights is a common syndrome. Frequent fliers may not be paying too much heed to pre-flight announcements and safety demonstrations but heaven knows how many of us our petrified when the smiling flight attendant politely points out how are chances of survival may be increased. And if you have recently read Arthur Hailey's 'Airport' or seen the movie, then it would be better to travel on tracks or on the road. Though the trend has not caught on in India, in many other places in-flight safety lectures and announcements are sometimes flavoured a little with humour and some amount of well meaning teasing. This often helps to lighten up the situation a bit. Here are a few classic examples of flight-wit; it is for you to decide how effective these are. § On a Continental Flight with a very “senior” flight attendant crew, the pilot said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants.” § “On landing, the stewardess said, “Please be sure to take all of you belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have.” § “There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane.” § “Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride.” § “After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, “Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as heck everything has shifted.” § From a Southwest Airlines employee: “Welcome aboard Southwest Flight 245 to Tampa. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised.” § “In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite.” § Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines.” § “Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments.” § “As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.”

Contributed by Batchmates member

Cup Holder

Tech Rep: "Yes, it is. How may I help you?"

Caller: "The cup holder on my PC is broken and I am within my warranty period. How do I go about getting that fixed?"

Tech Rep: "I'm sorry, but did you say a cup holder?"

Caller: "Yes, it's attached to the front of my computer."

Tech Rep: "Please excuse me if I seem a bit stumped, it's because I am. Did you receive this as part of a promotion, at a trade show? How did you get this cup holder? Does it have any trademark on it?"

Caller: "It came with my computer, I don't know anything about a promotion. It just has '4X' on it."

At this point the Tech Rep had to mute the caller, because he couldn't stand it.

The caller had been using the load drawer of the CD-ROM drive as a cup holder, and snapped it off the drive.

ATM

A new sign in the Bank Lobby reads:

"Please note that this Bank is installing new Drive-through ATM machines enabling customers to withdraw cash without leaving their vehicles. Customers using this new facility are requested to use the procedures outlined below when accessing their accounts.

After months of careful research, MALE and FEMALE procedures have been developed.

Please follow the appropriate steps for your gender:

MALE PROCEDURE

1. Drive up to the cash machine.
2. Put down your car window.
3. Insert card into machine and enter PIN.
4. Enter amount of cash required and withdraw.
5. Retrieve card, cash and receipt.
6. Put window up.
7. Drive off.

FEMALE PROCEDURE

1. Drive up to cash machine.
2. Reverse and back up the required amount to align car window with the machine.
3. Set parking brake, put the window down.
4. Find handbag, remove all contents on to passenger seat to locate card.
5. Tell person on cell phone you will call them back and hang up.
6. Attempt to insert card into machine.
7. Open car door to allow easier access to machine due to its excessive distance from the car.
8. Insert card.
9. Re-insert card the right way.
10. Dig through handbag to find diary with your PIN written on the inside back page.
11. Enter PIN.
12. Press cancel and re-enter correct PIN.
13. Enter amount of cash required.
14. Check makeup in rear view mirror.
15. Retrieve cash and receipt.
16. Empty handbag again to locate wallet and place cash inside.
17. Write debit amount in check register and place receipt in back of checkbook.
18. Re-check makeup.
19. Drive forward 2 feet.
20. Reverse back to cash machine.
21. Retrieve card.
22. Re-empty hand bag, locate card holder, and place card into the slot provided.
23. Give dirty look to irate male driver waiting behind you.
24. Restart stalled engine and pull off.
25. Redial person on cell phone.
26. Drive for 2 to 3 miles.
27. Release Parking Brake.

Just follow the Tracks

3 men are stranded in the middle of the Canadian Forest and they don't know where they are at. They decide that they have to find some food. So the first man leaves and tells the other 2 that he is going to get some food.

Several Hours later, he comes back with a deer over his shoulder. The other 2 are amazed and ask him how he got a deer with no weopans. He replies, " I find tracks, i follow tracks, i get deer". They both are slightly confused but let it go.

1 week later, they have eaten the deer, so they need to get more food. The second guy leaves and says that he is going to get food. He comes back a couple hours later with a elk over his shoulder. The other 2 ask how he got the elk. He simply replies, "I find tracks, i follow tracks, i get Elk".

5 days later, they have eaten the elk, so they need more food. The third guy, feeling very cocky, thinks to himslef, " This is going to be a piece of cake. The other guys got the other animals so easy. I'm going to get an animal better than their's put together!". So he leaves to get some food. They wait a couple hours... he doesn't come back. They wait another couple hours, he is still missing.

Finally, after 9 hours of waiting, they see him coming back. His clothes are torn rags, he is covered in dirt with scrapes and bruises all over his body. He is bleeding from different gashes in his arms and legs along with one on the side of head. They ask, " What happened!". He looks at them, wide-eyed and confused, and replies, " I find tracks, I follow tracks, i get hit my train".

The Most Embarrassing Moments Ever

Let’s face it – we’ve all had our share of embarrassing moments. Just be thankful that none of them were as humiliating (and hilarious!) as these:

"A mother was taking a shower when her2 year old son came into the bathroom and wrapped himself in toilet paper. Although he made a mess, he looked adorable, so she ran for my camera and took a few shots. They came out so well that she had copies made and included one with each of their Christmas cards. Days later, a relative called about the picture, laughing hysterically, and suggesting that she take a closer look. Puzzled, the mother stared at the photo and was shocked to discover that in addition to her son, she had captured her reflection in the mirror wearing nothing but a camera!"

"A woman and her sister were at the mall and passed by a store that sold a variety of nuts. As they were looking at the display case, the boy behind the counter asked if they needed any help. The woman replied, "No, I'm just looking at your nuts." The sister started to laugh hysterically, the boy grinned, and she turned beet red and walked away."

"A lady picked up several items at a discount store. When she finally got up to the checker, she learned that one of her items had no price tag. Imagine her embarrassment when the checker got on the intercom and boomed out for the entire store to hear, ‘PRICE CHECK ON LANE THIRTEEN, TAMPAX, SUPER SIZE." That was bad enough, but somebody at the rear of the store apparently misunderstood the word 'Tampax' for ‘THUMBTACKS.’ In a businesslike tone, a voice boomed back over the intercom: ‘DO YOU WANT THE KIND YOU PUSH IN WITH YOUR THUMB OR THE KIND YOU POUND IN WITH A HAMMER?’

An introvert went to bar and spots a pretty looking woman sitting on the stool. He mustered all his courage for long time, then timidly approached and asked her, "Ma’ am, would be OK if sit here and talk with you?" She was alert, suspecting this man, and responds by yelling, "No, I won't sleep with you tonight!" Customers in the bar started staring at them. The embarrassed guy quickly returns to his table dejected and ashamed. The young woman waits a little and then goes to the guy to apologize. With a smile on her face she says, "I am sorry if I embarrassed you. You see, I am a college student in psychiatry and I am putting together a thesis as to how people react to embarrassing moments." The cunning guy now yells loudly, "What do you mean by $500?"

8 lies of a mother

This story begins when I was a child: I was born poor. Often we hadn't enough to eat. Whenever we had some food, Mother often gave me her portion of rice. While she was transferring her rice into my bowl, she would say "Eat this rice, son! I'm not hungry."
This was Mother's First Lie.

As I grew, Mother gave up her spare time to fish in a river near our house; she hoped that from the fish she caught, she could give me a little bit more nutritious food for my growth. Once she had caught just two fish, she would make fish soup. While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat what was still left on the bone of the fish I had eaten; My heart was touched when I saw it. Once I gave the other fish to her on my chopstick but she immediately refused it and said, "Eat this fish, son! I don't really like fish."
This was Mother's Second Lie.

Then, in order to fund my education, Mother went to a Match Factory to bring home some used matchboxes which she filled with fresh matchsticks. . This helped her get some money to cover our needs. One wintry night I awoke to find Mother filling the matchboxes by candlelight. So I said, "Mother, go to sleep; it's late: you can continue working tomorrow morning." Mother smiled and said "Go to sleep, son! I'm not tired."
This was Mother's Third Lie

When I had to sit my Final Examination, Mother accompanied me.. After dawn, Mother waited for me for hours in the heat of the sun. When the bell rang, I ran to meet her.. Mother embraced me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared in a thermos. The tea was not as strong as my Mother's love, Seeing Mother covered with perspiration; I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too. Mother said "Drink, son! I'm not thirsty!".
This was Mother's Fourth Lie.

After Father's death, Mother had to play the role of a single parent. She held on to her former job; she had to fund our needs alone. Our family's life was more complicated. We suffered from starvation. Seeing our family's condition worsening, my kind Uncle who lived near my house came to help us solve our problems big and small.

Our other neighbours saw that we were poverty stricken so they often advised my mother to marry again. But Mother refused to remarry saying "I don't need love."
This was Mother's Fifth Lie.

After I had finished my studies and gotten a job, it was time for my old Mother to retire but she carried on going to the market every morning just to sell a few vegetables. I kept sending her money but she was steadfast and even sent the money back to me. She said, "I have enough money."
That was Mother's Sixth Lie.

I continued my part-time studies for my Master's Degree. Funded by the American Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in my studies. With a big jump in my salary, I decided to bring Mother to enjoy life in America but Mother didn't want to bother her son; she said to me "I'm not used to high living."
That was Mother's Seventh Lie

In her dotage, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be hospitalized. Now living far across the ocean, I went home to visit Mother who was bedridden after an operation. Mother tried to smile but I was heartbroken because she was so thin and feeble but Mother said, "Don't cry, son! I'm not in pain."
That was Mother's Eighth Lie.

Telling me this, her eighth lie, she died.
YES, MOTHER WAS AN ANGEL!

M - O - T - H - E - R

"M" is for the Million things she gave me,
"O" means Only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the Tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her Heart of gold,
"E" is for her Eyes with love-light shining in them,
R" means Right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER"

A word that means the world to me.

For those of you who are lucky to be still blessed with your Mom's presence on Earth, this story is beautiful. For those who aren't so blessed, this is even more beautiful.

Computer History of the World - A different perspective

In the beginning, God created the Bit and the Byte.


And from those he created the Word.



And there were two Bytes in the Word; and nothing else existed.

And God separated the One from the Zero;

and he saw it was good.



And God said - Let the Data be; And so it happened.

And God said - Let the Data go to their proper places.

And he created floppy disks and hard disks and compact disks.



And God said - Let the computers be, so there would be a place

to put floppy disks and hard disks and compact disks.

Thus God created computers and called them hardware.



And there was no Software yet. But God created programs;

small and big... And told them - Go and multiply yourselves

and fill all the Memory.



And God said - I will create the Programmer;

And the Programmer will make new programs and govern over

the computers and programs and Data.



And God created the Programmer; and put him at Data Center;

And God showed the Programmer the Catalog Tree and said

You can use all the volumes and subvolumes

but do not use Windows.



And God said - It is not good for the programmer to be alone.

He took a bone from the Programmer's body and created

a creature that would look up at the Programmer;

and admire the Programmer; and love the things

the Programmer does; And God called the creature:

the User.



And the Programmer and the User were left under

the DOS and it was Good.



But Bill was smarter than all the other creatures of God.

And Bill said to the User - Did God really tell you

not to run any programs?



And the User answered - God told us that we can use every

program and every piece of Data but told us not to run

Windows or we will die.



And Bill said to the User - How can you talk about something

you did not even try. The moment you run Windows

you will become GENIOUS. You will be able to create anything

you like by a simple click of your mouse.



And the User saw that the fruits of the Windows were nicer

and easier to use. And the User saw that any knowledge

was useless--since Windows could replace it.



So the User installed the Windows on his computer;

and said to the Programmer that it was good.



And the Programmer immediately started to look for new drivers.

And God asked him--What are you looking for?



And the Programmer answered

--I am looking for new drivers because I can not find them

in the DOS.



And God said - Who told you need drivers?

Did you run Windows?



And the Programmer said - It was Bill who told us to!



And God said to Bill - Because of what you did, you will be hated

by all the creatures. And the User will always be unhappy with you.

And you will always sell Windows.



And God said to the User - Because of what you did,

the Windows will disappoint you and eat up all your Resources;

and you will have to use lousy programs;

and you will always rely on the Programmers help.



And God said to the Programmer - Because you listened to

the User, you will never be happy. All your programs will have

errors and you will have to fix them and fix them to the end of time.



And God threw them out of the Data Center

and locked the door and secured it with a password

STRENGTH

We don't always have to be strong
sometimes our strength is expressed in
 being vulnerable.
Sometimes we need to fall apart to regroup
 and stay on track.

We all have days when we cannot push any header,
cannot hold back self-doubt,
cannot stop focusing on fear,
cannot be strong.

These are the days when we cannot focus on
 being responsible.
Occasionally, we don't want to get out of
 our pajamas.
Sometimes we cry in front of people.
We expose our tiredness, irritability, or anger.
Those days are okay. They are just okay.

Part of taking care of ourselves means
we give ourselves permission to "fall apart"
when we need to.
We do not need to be perpetual tower of strength.
We ARE strong.
We have proven that.

Our strength will continue if we allow ourselves
the courage to feel scared, weak, and vulnerable.
when we need to experience those feelings.

Today help me to know that is okay to
allow myself to be human.
Help me not to feel guilty or punish myself
when i need to "fall apart".

Interesting Facts

1. The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."















2. "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "MT"














3. Almonds are members of the peach family.














4. The symbol on the "pound" key (#) is called an octothorpe.














5. The dot over the letter 'I is called a tittle.














6. Ingrown toenails are hereditary.














7. The word "set" has more definitions than any other word in the English language.














8. "Underground" is the only word in the English language that begins and ends with the letters "und."














9. There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.














10. The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicros copicsilicovolca noconiosis.














11. The only other word with the same amount of letters is its plural: pneumonoultramicros copicsilicovolca noconiosesl.














12. The longest place-name still in use is Taumatawhakatangiha ngakoauauotamate aturipukakapikim aungahoronukup okaiwe-nuakit natahu, a New Zealand hill.














13. Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reinade Los Angeles de Porciuncula" and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size,L.A.














14. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.














15. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.














16. Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button. It was eliminated when he was sewn up after surgery.














17. Telly Savalas and Louis Armstrong died on their birthdays.














18. Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy.














19. The muzzle of a lion is like a fingerprint - no two lions have the same pattern of whiskers.














21. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.














23. There is a seven-letter word in the English language that contains ten words without rearranging any of its letters, "therein": the,there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, therein, herein.














24. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.














26. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.














27. It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.














28. Cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.














30. The letters KGB stand for Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti














31. 'Stewardesses' is the longest English word that is typed with only the left hand.














33. The combination "ough" can be pronounced in nine different ways; the following sentence contains them all: "A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed."














34. The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.














35. Facetious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct order, as does arsenious, meaning "containing arsenic."














36. Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the Australian seal for that reason.








37. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.








38. The word "Checkmate" in chess comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat," which means "the king is dead."








39. The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.

Honor This Day

Feel what a privilege it is to be alive today. Consider all
The possibilities available to you, right now.
 
See the wonder and the beauty all around you. Let yourself
Truly love who you are and where you are in this moment.
 
Sense the eagerness within you to get started, to make
Things happen, and to create value. That eagerness comes
From your genuine excitement about expressing yourself
Through your accomplishments.
 
Look at all the new ways that this day gives you to express
Who you are. Even the troubles, even the problems, and even
The obstacles give meaning to life because they give you
Something to build upon.
 
Life's many circumstances and situations give you a way to
Pull yourself up, and rise to a new level of being. Whatever
Comes your direction gives you a way to create value that
Will last beyond this day, value that will be with you
Always.
 
Honor this day, honor the possibilities in this day, honor
The love and the beauty in this day. Look around at all you
Have, and in this moment make it, in your own way, into
Something truly great.

~Ralph Marston~

GOD SAID............

If you never felt pain, then how would you know that I'm a Healer?
  
If you never went through difficulties, how would you know that I'm a
Deliverer? 
If you never had a trial, how could you call yourself an overcomer?
  
If you never felt sadness, how would you know that I'm a Comforter?
  
If you never made a mistake, how would you know that I'm forgiving?
 
 If you knew it all, how would you know that I will answer your questions?
 
If you never were in trouble, how would you know that I will come to your
Rescue?

 
If you never were broken, then how would you know that I can make you whole?

 
If you never had a problem, how would you know that I can solve them?


If you never had any suffering, then how would you know what Jesus went
Through?

If you never went through the fire, then how would you become pure?
  
If I gave you all things, how would you appreciate them?
 
If I never corrected you, how would you know that I love you?
 
If you had all power, then how would you learn to depend on me?

 
If your life was perfect, then what would you need Me for?

The way You Chooose To Live

Good fortune may sometimes bring success sooner than it otherwise would have come.

 And bad luck may sometimes cause a temporary setback.
In the long run, though, success in life is not much affected by luck or by accidents.

 It is based on the character with which you live from day to day, moment to moment.
In fact, success is not really defined by any particular point that you reach.

 It is much more a matter of the way that you live.

In order to be successful, you do not need any particular circumstance or set of events.

 Real success comes from living with purpose and meaning.

That's something that requires no one else's consent, assistance or permission.

 It's something you can begin to do right here and now.

Fortune can bring you a fleeting windfall or a momentary setback.

 The way you choose to live, though, is what brings true, lasting success.

~Ralph Marston~

Never Give Up

One day a young lady was driving along with her father.
They came upon a storm, and the young lady asked her father, What should I do?"
He said "keep driving".  Cars began to pull over to the side, the storm was
Getting worse.

"What should I do." The young lady asked?

"Keep driving," her father replied.

On up a few feet, she noticed that eighteen wheelers were also pulling over.
She told her dad, "I must pull over, I can barely see ahead.  It is
Terrible, and everyone is pulling over!"

Her father told her, "Don't give up, just keep driving!"


Now the storm was terrible, but she never stopped driving, and soon she
Could see a little more clearly. After a couple of miles she was again on
Dry land, and the sun came out.


Her father said, "Now you can pull over and get out."

She said "But why now?"

He said "When you get out, look back at all the people that gave up and are
Still in the storm, because you never gave up your storm is  now over.


This is a testimony for anyone who is going through "hard times".


Just because everyone else, even the strongest, gives up. You don't have
To...if you keep going, soon your storm will be over and the sun will shine
Upon your face again.


This story touched me! I hope it touched you, too !!!

Go Back

Sometimes the best way to move forward is to go back. Go back,
into the experience of your life, and remind yourself why.

Go back and remember why you're where you are, why you're doing
whatever you're doing. Go back and remember what truly matters
to you.

In your mind, go back to a time and a place when life felt positively magical.

 Realize that the magical feeling is still very much a part of you.

See that now, too, is magical. Understand that your best possibilities
are with you even now.

Go back and appreciate all the good things you have ever had.
From a deep and profound sense of gratitude, know that

in this very time is the potential for more joy than ever before.

Go back, and see that all the goodness that ever was, still is.

Now, carry all that goodness with you as you continue to move positively forward.

~Ralph Marston~

Mother

When you're a child she walks before you,
To set an example.
When you're a teenager she walks behind you
To be there should you need her.
When you're an adult she walks beside you
So that as two friends you can enjoy life together.. 

For those of us, whose Mom is no longer with us, a lovely poem

Your Mother Is Always With You...
Your mother is always with you...
She's the whisper of the leaves
as you walk down the street.
She's the cool hand on your brow
when you're not well.
Your mother lives inside your laughter.
She's crystallized in every tear drop.
She's the place you came from,
your first home...
She's the map you follow
with every step that you take.
She's your first love
and your first heart break...
and nothing on earth can separate you.
Not time, Not space...
Not even death...
will ever separate you
from your mother...
You carry her inside of you...

Socialism

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that
he had never failed a single student before but had once failed
an entire class.

That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one
would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment
in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and
everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail
and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

The students who studied hard were upset and the students
who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little
had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided
they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D!

No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
The scores never increased as bickering, blame and
name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one
would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them
that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the
reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when
government takes the reward away, no one will try or
want to succeed.
Could not be any simpler than that.

What a profound short little paragraph that says it all
"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the
wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without
working for, another person must work for without receiving.
The government cannot give to anybody anything that the
government does not first take from somebody else.
When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to
work because the other half is going to take care of them,
and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good
to work because somebody else is going to get what they
work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation.
You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

The Colors of Friendship

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed that they were the best; the most important, the most useful, the favorite

GREEN said:

“Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was
chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority.”

BLUE interrupted:
“You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the
water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing.”

YELLOW chuckled:
“You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun.”

ORANGE started next to blow her trumpet:
“I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don’t hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you.”

RED could stand it no longer, he shouted out:
“I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life’s blood! I bring fire into
the blood. I am willing to fight for a cause. I am the color of danger and of
bravery. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy.”

PURPLE rose up to his full height:
He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: “I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, cheifs, and bishops have always chosen me, for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey.”

Finally INDIGO spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: “Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace.”

So the colors went on boasting,
each convinced of his or her own superiority.
Their quarreling became louder and louder.
Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening.
Thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly.
The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.
In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak: “You foolish colors,
fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest.
Don’t you know that you were each made for a special purpose,
unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me.”

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.

The rain continued:
“From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace.

The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow.”

And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.

Slow Down

It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule.

Globalized processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results.. Therefore, we have come t!o posses a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.

1. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants. .
2. Stockholm has 500,000 people.
3. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, are some of its renowned companies. Volvo even supplies NASA.

The first time I was in Sweden , one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work).

The first day, I didn't say anything, neither the second or third days. One morning I asked him, "Do you have a fixed parking space?

I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot."

To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, don't you think that whoever gets in late will need a place closer to the door?" Imagine my face.

Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe named Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart, Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.

Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fuelled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being".

French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity driven up by 20%..

This slow attitude has come to the notice of USA , the pupils of the fast and "do it now" brigade.

This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity.
It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress.
It means re-establishing family values, friends, free and leisure time.. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous.
It means taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living.
It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive work place where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do.

It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence.

In the movie, 'Scent of a Woman', there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al Pacino responds, "A life is lived in an instant" . Then they dance the tango!

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious to live for the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists.

We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".