zindagi na milae

If death defined your life, you are blessed... For, you will always be on your toes trying to give your best. Sounds very philosophical and run of the mill statements. However, let me put it this way... If I were to die now!... Would I be storing passwords, would I be holding some secret possessions which I would have no control, whatsoever, after I have gone?

How sure am I about the span of my life? How sure of am I, of the people I meet everyday?

Zindagi na milae dubara... Make the most of it in a way that you wouldn't be ashamed of it when found out after you have left the stage.

How many times did we not feel the remorse for having got out in the police-thief game, early on? Seeing all others enjoying/expressing sorrow about the game while we are forced to sit on the sidelines! Life is also like that...

Before we realise, those whom we called uncles are no longer in the field and we are being addressed as such.

May be time to store more in the heart and less in the world.... More in spreading joy and less in acquiring it... More in giving rather than in seeking...

Zindagi....

Internet helps for Ganesha pooja

I went to this site and found the entire Ganesha pooja procedure. 
http://hindusphere.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Vinayaka-Vrata-Kalpam.pdf

While doing this, my father suddenly asked me to chant the matrapushpam. This was not there. I immediately googled it and found the entire mantrapushpam here.

http://www.vignanam.org/veda/lyrics/Mantra_Pushpam_Telugu.pdf

So, if anyone needs it, they can use this. :)

Mothers and children

Most often we find that those who are in the thick of it,hardly notice anything about it. Those who are outside a group notice what is happening in the group, of course, assuming they are 'observant observers' as pg Wodehouse would put it!

I have found people from my generation becoming mothers and fathers. Whatever we have been taught while we were children, we learnt together. How come, when it came to putting it into practice, only some have succeeded?

I realize that the answer to this question is very subjective and hence wouldn't expect any one else to corroborate with me.

I grew up learning about the avatars and Puranas through small stories- in the lap of my mother! How many mothers are well-versed or interested or even, have time to do that? Next best thing.... They can teach their children what they lack in knowledge, through technology. How many of them bring them up to date about the stories that depict our culture through cartoons or even, games?

There is no interest and hence there is no effort. I find no fault with the parents... I only am striving to understand what is it that they despised In our culture that they refuse to share it with their next generation, their own offspring, that has come into the world to glorify their name ?

I don't look favourably at chota bheem stories. But, they are an effort in the direction. Imagination is the best preserver of memory. If today we remember, it is because while they were being told, we had created our own imageries. They live with us till date, cherished! When a video is presented, the imagination is curtailed but the message is channelized. So, the memory goes along with it. The caricatures will live on, for them, in that format only. 

I am still not against that. I feel sorry when kids go visiting, they are asked about their studies and games they play. No one evinces interest in their knowledge of our culture....(May be  I am already losing the meager readers that visit this site... ;) ) however, it is we, who value our culture, who should promote. By not doing this, we are doing wrong to our next gen.

Let every parent take the kid in his / her lap and tell a story from the Puranas or from the ancient lore which they have inherited. If not, at least, take the matter seriously and start doing your googling. This helps in :

   Quality time between parents and children

   

    Knowledge sharing and enhancement of our own knowledge. The questions kids can ask are the most sincere and fundamental. If we are able to answer them, we have understood our religion well and if not, well, we still have google to support us and enhance our knowledge.

   The most important thing about this is the bonding. Tomorrow they will respect your word over their friends' or their acquaintances'.

The objective is to express my feelings and understand the feelings of those who are on the 'other side'. If this can help someone to be stimulated, I shall feel that I am doing right. 

Psst. Waiting for opinions and comments. ;)

Can love end hate

Ram leela is the movie.

The villain is always depicted to be capable of utmost heinous crimes. That way , when the hero vanquishes the villain, the greatness of the hero gets magnified. The love of the two warring clans is depicted to the zenith. 

However, the love that is the under current of the movie is not carnal but that of the heart. The love that is sustained in heart never has a defeat. The world for the bodies may end... But the effect of the love transforms the world....

In a more mundane terminology, the bomb may blast itself... But the path is made in the  heart of the mountain for the safe passage of the millaenium afterwards.

Fate plays a vital role in creating 'misfortunes' that bring out the best in the people for eons to emulate. In Romeo and Juliet, the fate of the lovers was not to spend a life of togetherness. But, what happened after that? No message... In Indian backdrop, the message is crystal clear. The love has no defeat. It has a goal that has a far reach than what meets the eye. 

Come to think of it, how many of us are treated by fate to its choicest dish of 'sufferings'? Not all. We assume more than what is doled out to us. Only those who can bear the pain, the wound is caused by fate. Those who endure, have a place in the drama called life! They are the chosen ones to spread the message of love! 

Their life had no 'joys' as we perceive. But, they had joys that sustained their grit. Even when the decision is doled out to annihilate the opposite clan, the lovers believe in the goodness of each other and can not bear to see the hatred triumph.  Fate Goaded them on to live a life of meaning, not for posterity..but, for themselves. They believed in the concept of love and have not deterred inspite of the vagaries that abound around them. A lesser mortal would have succumbed to the ordinary pattern deemed life. 

To see a pattern where there is none, it takes a visionary, nay, a lover!, for, he believes that the world was made in love and not of hatred. If so, how can, then, there be anything but love in this world?

Behind every admonishing that we receive by fate, there is an anguished lord pining for us to see HIS love and love the situation and through that, The Lord and HIS ways.

Symptomatic treatment? Good or bad

In most of the occasions, we tend to treat the symptom rather than the cause for the symptom. If a person does wrong, we are eager to set it right by punishing the person or through that act, bring awareness or fear of doing the wrong into the community.

While I agree that it is one of the approaches, I do not deny the existence of a more practical and positive approach. Show the person who has defaulted, the merit of adhering to the norms set by the community. This way, the person can choose whether to belong to that community or not. Let us not expel people from system / community just because the system is unable to accept the deviations of people in it. That way, in not a distant future, one would be left with a system bereft of people.

To show the person the norms set by the society, we need people who have adhered to the principles that the society professes to teach.... and appreciate them. We need people who have taken this vocation by choice and not as a last resort. A team of people who are dedicated in their commitment and motivated by their convictions. 

They alone can be the defenders and beacons of light for that community. Counseling, as some people would like to call it, by such people would give motivation to the new entrants and sustenance to the existing. 

While it may be a good idea to instill fear to stop the unwanted acts being perpetrated, it would be a better idea, in the interests of the the community, to start an awareness campaign by the motivated, within the community, simultaneously.

It is only ignorance of the concept behind a rule or law, that promotes deviation from it. Once we comprehend the concept or the fundamental feeling behind the origin of a rule or law, we can express ourselves better and the one listening or watching us would be more convinced to follow.

 Basically, a mode of life is derived by own conviction rather than external convicting.

Ashtadasha Punyakshetras and their location

I came across a very informative document regarding the famous mythological story where the body of Sati is cut asunder by the Sudarshan of Lord Vishnu and the various pieces of the body fell in and around India.

	Part of the body	Name of the deity	Place of Pilgrimage	State / Country
1	Kali gajjalu	Sri Sshnakari Devi	Trinkomali	Srilanka
2	Veepu	Kamakshi Devi	Kanchi	Tamil Nadu
3	Udaram	Shrunkhala Devi	Ganga Sagar	West Bengal
4	Tala Ventrukalu	Chamudeswari Devi	Mysore	Karnataka
5	Danta Pankti	Jogulamba Devi	Alampuram	Andhra Pradesh
6	Meda	Bhramarambika Devi	Sri Sailam	Andhra Pradesh
7	Moodu Kallu	Mahalakshmi Mata	Kolhapur	Maharashtra
8	Kudi Hastam	Eka Veerika Devi	Mahu	Maharashtra
9	Pai Pedavi	Sri Mahakali	Ujjaini	Madhya Pradesh
10	Yedama Hastam	Sri Puruhutika Devi	Pithapuram	Andhra Pradesh
11	Nabhi Bhagam	Sri Girija Devi	Jajipur	Orissa
12	Yedama Chekkili	Manikyamba Devi	Draksharamam	Andhra Pradesh
13	Yoni	Sri Kamaroopi Devi	Guwahati	Assam
14	Hastanguli	Sri Madhaveswari Devi	Prayaga	Uttar Pradesh
15	Sirassu	Sri Vaishnavi	Kangra	Himachal Pradesh
16	Vakshojalu	Sri Sarvamangala Devi	Gaya	Bihar
17	Manikarnika	Sri Visalakshi	Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh
18	Dakshina Hastam	Sri Saraswati	Kashmir	J&K

Cribbers Crib

As the title goes, The Cribbers (TC) have already decided that they are going to crib... mind you, not intentionally! They have it in their sub-conscious to crib.

They believe that anything in the world that comes in contact with them ( in the sense what they see or hear or even imagine!!) has something sinister to spring upon them.

Obviously!, you don't believe me!

If they hear that someone wants them to become good, they want THAT someone to practice first and then preach forgetting all the while icons in Mahatma gandhi, Lal, Bal and Pal! that had actually set a trend for them in the social strata or Ekalavya, Satya Harischandra in the realm of the spirit.

Pausing here can do us some good. Are TC actually interested in getting themselves on the path  (assuming that  there is one!) to goodness? If so, have they made any attempt towards practicing their ideals?

If they are not interested, TC would take the road largely traveled- gossip and slander. This would comfort them and assuage their fear of being the bad egg in the community!

Ultimately, losers are the ones who take TC seriously! Let them be... as the prayerful poem goes- " Lord God made them all.."

time to live

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down, don't dance so fast.

Time is short, the music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly?

When you ask “ How are you? Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed

with the next hundred chores running through your head?

You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast.

Time is short, the music won't last.

Ever told your child, we’ll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch and let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast.

Time is short, the music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere

you miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift....thrown away.

Life is not a race; do take it slower

Hear the music before the song is over.
                                      
                                        "Slow Dance" - David L Weatherford (1991)

Noteworthy facts about Lord Padmanabha swamy temple

As Sree Padmanbha Swamy temple's glittering gems are valued and tagged, it's not just the diamonds that shine but also the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore.
It's an ode to the family's unflinching devotion and integrity that not a penny has gone missing from the billions stored in the cellars of the centuries-old shrine administered by the royals.
Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, current head of the royal family, refuses to comment on the stock-taking exercise till the last paisa is counted. "Till then, only my eyes would speak," he insists.
What makes the family's story vis-a-vis the temple all the more compelling is that the rulers always knew of the riches, yet never touched them. "The riches are mentioned in the book "Pradhanapetta Mathilakom Records" (Important Mathilakom Records) compiled by acclaimed Malayalam poet Ulloor S Parameswara Iyer and published in 1941. They also figure in the "Kottaram" (Palace) manual which runs into 12 volumes," says noted historian M G Sasibhushan. "These records refer to the sacred cellars from which treasure is being dug out."
Observers talk of the symbolic significance of the practice of royal family members dusting sand off their feet when they emerge from the shrine. "It was meant to convey that the family members would not take home or misappropriate even a speck of sand belonging to Padmanabha," they say. In fact, the present head, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, religiously follows the rule of paying of Rs 151 and 55 paise to the temple if he fails to make it to the shrine on any day.
Unlike other royals, the Travancore family has stayed away from opulence with descendants more inclined towards art and culture.
"There was also a rule that the affairs of the palace should be run from the proceeds of its spice business and not with money from the state treasury," says Sasibhushan. This is followed even now. The present ruler's nephew Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma, next in line to head the family, runs the Aspinwall Company, which to this day supplies pepper to Buckingham Palace and many more European royals," Sasibhushan says.
Though the kingdom of Travancore lapsed in 1949 following the Instrument of Accession with the Union of India, the management of the temple remained with the royal family by virtue of a covenant.
Travancore extended from Kanyakumari (now in Tamil Nadu) in the south to Aluva (Ernakulam district) in the north. Padmanabhapuram (now in TN) was its first capital, but this was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram by Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma, better known as Dharma Raja, so called because he refused to let go of refugees who had fled Malabar following Tipu Sultan's onslaught. He succeeded Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, first ruler of Travancore, and is credited with formation of the state.
The family, which ruled over erstwhile Travancore, has had a long lineage of visionary rulers. In fact, it was a bold move by the first Marthanda Varma in 1750 that inextricably bonded the temple and the palace. The king donated the wealth of the kingdom to the deity Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu) and ruled the state as "Padmanabha Dasa" (servant of
Padmanabha).
Some important names in the family are Swathi Thirunal (1813-1846), legendary Carnatic musician, who promoted English education and the last king Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma (1912-1991), who abolished the death sentence making Travancore the first territory in India to do so. The last king issued the landmark Temple Entry Proclamation in 1936 doing away with the ban on "untouchables" entering temples. C P Ramaswami Iyer, then Diwan influenced the king's decisions.

Out of the Comfort Zone

R Gopalakrishnan, former Vice Chairman of Hindustan Unilever and currently Executive Director of Tata Sons in his book, The Case of the Bonsai Manager which shows how important it is for each one of us to get out of the comfort zone . . .

This story is about fish in Japan. And the message is relevant for individuals and corporate around the world.

It’s a classic problem-solution saga that the Japanese love to relate. As is well known, the Japanese love fresh fish. Such has been Japan’s fascination with eating fresh fish that, for many years now, there’s hardly any fish to be found in the waters off Japanese shores. So fishermen came up with a solution. They built bigger boats and went farther from the shore to catch fish. Unfortunately, this created another problem. The farther they went to fish, the longer it took them to get back to the shore. By the time they got back, the fish was stale. And the Japanese, well, they like their fish fresh.

To solve this problem, the fishermen came up with another solution. They installed refrigeration units on the boats. But the Japanese were clearly clever, discerning folks. They could tell the difference between frozen fish and fresh fish. And they wanted their fresh fish. Besides, frozen fish commanded lower prices, threatening the viability of the entire fishing business.

So the fishermen came up with another solution. They installed fish tanks on the boat ! they would catch fish from the sea and put them into the tank. So they could now take back fresh fish !

But that was not to be either. As the tank got stuffed with fish, the fish would flap around a bit, then get lazy and lie resigned to their fate. Motionless. Inactive. Dull. And the Japanese could tell the difference. They wanted fresh fish, not sluggish fish !

Even as a seemingly insurmountable crisis loomed over the Japanese fishing industry, the wise fisher folk came up with yet another innovative solution. They still had to sail out a long distance. And they still had the same boats and the same fish tanks. But there was one difference. In each tank, the fishermen put in a small shark. The shark kept the fish active, running around, busy. Sure, the shark ate a few fish but the threat of the shark kept the other fish active and healthy. The challenge ensured that none of them could afford to lie still. As a result, what eventually reached the shore was fresh, active fish. And the Japanese loved it !

Come to think of it, we are all like the fish too. We need that shark to stay sharp. To keep us out of the Comfort Zone . . .  In case any of us or our organization is slowly slipping into the comfort zone, it might be a good idea to bring in a shark.

If you are Coke, invent a Pepsi. Do what Steve Waugh, the former Australian Cricket Caption did constantly to himself and his team – get outta the comfort zone ! (in fact his autobiography is also called “Out of the Comfort Zone”)

Remember, the shark may eat some fish but that’s a small price to pay for keeping the rest of them active. Go get your shark – today !!!

Get out of the comfort zone – if there’s no enemy, create one.

Reaction vs. Response

This is an observation made by my senior and i wish to replicate it in toto.

Suddenly, a cockroach flew from somewhere and sat on a lady. I wondered if this was the cockroaches response to all the glory that was spoken about it!

She started screaming out of fear. With panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach. Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group got cranky to what was happening. The lady finally managed to push the cockroach to another lady in the group.

Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama. The waiter rushed forward to their rescue. In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behaviour of the cockroach on his shirt. When he was confident enough, he grabbed and threw it out with his fingers.

Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach responsible for their histrionic behaviour? If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed? He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos.


 It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach that disturbed the ladies.

I realised even in my case then, it is not the shouting of my father or my boss that disturbs me, but its my inability to handle the disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me. Its not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that disturbs me. More than the problem, its my reaction to the problem that hurts me.

The Take-Away : The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded.

We should not react in life, we should always respond. Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always intellectual

Tata Sky and Kalp

I am a subscriber to the Tata Sky DTH. I have recently changed over to Supreme pack. Then came to ICC fever (fervour to some). I was desperate to get the best out of the service. So, when the promotional call came from the Tata sky marketing personnel, i was about to nod my head for everything and punch-in the numbers that the pre-recorded message urged me to !

However, my friends prevented me from being the impulsive purchaser. So, discussed with them, convinced them that i would watch the entire series with them and not simply waste the money... blah.. blah. So, i called the Tata sky helpline and asked them to add the sports 3-pack to my list of subscribed channels. The person listened to me very patiently and then told me.- " Sir we shall do what you ask. However, there is a small benefit you might lose if we do this. You are already in the supreme pack. If you wish, we can add five sports channels at a cost of 20/- (instead of the 3 pack which would cost me 65/-) and upgrade you to Supreme sports pack. These 5 channels cover the 3 sports channels that you have requested for adding".

Needless to say, i went with his choice. Service DOES exist in the service sector.

In a film (Geetanjali) the heroin states in an off the cuff fashion- "This plant will die, this cot will die these stars will die.. so, what is the big deal in me dying?" Sant kabir's words reflect in a more profound way.

Dying is the ONLY certainty. Yet we do not plan for it. In a more mundane fashion, When retirement is a certainty, we all begin to plan for our "after retirement" days. Now-a-days, i keep getting requests about what to do and where to invest etc... and also to calculate and tell them as to how much they would be getting and how and what they should do to enhance the same.

In the beginning i used to wonder how we are digressing. Then i realised that my thinking was on a different line and that it should be more on the lines that would lead me to within. For example, there are innumerable facets / emotions / feelings in the Universe. However, we get to experience ONLY some emotions / feelings / situations at a given point in time. The reason being, all that happens to us is because of some element in us that draws only those elements to us from out of so many elements in the universe. In that light when i began to view, realised that i have not been planning for what i have come here for!

So, it is time that i began to work for what i have set out to do in this place. GOD works in 'mysterious' ways that we may traverse the 'right path' to HIM.

Personal Opinion

These are two words that are complementary to each other. If you wish to give weightage to one, other would diminish in its weightage.

If you value a person, you will alter your opinion to suit his taste.

If you value your opinion, you will compromise your relation to that person.

This is my personal opinion. :)

The Brick

                                                                                        THE BRICK


A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down

when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!

He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver     
then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against
  
a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money Why did you do it?' The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.'

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. 'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: 'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!' God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don 't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.



Thought for the Day:


If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.


If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.

He sends you flowers every spring.

He sends you a sunrise every morning Face it, friend - He is crazy about you!

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

Do we deserve our goals?

The story ascribed to laila and Majnu always intrigues me. The story goes like this:

Once, while travelling towards the palace of Laila, Majnu had to traverse through the hot sands of a desert. He was thinking of his union with his beloved and was literally running in that direction of the palace. It so happened that there was a mullah who was performing his mid-day prayers in the desert. Majnu, did not notice him and so, happened to kick the mullah in his absent minded state.

The Mullah was supposed to have got very upset and began to shout at Majnu and accused him of being blind. When Majnu still did not pay heed, the Mullah ran up to Majnu and catching hold of his robe demanded that he apologise for his "wanton" deed. The Mullah was surprised to see Majnu smiling. 

In clarification to the surprised Mullah, Majnu said: " I was so immersed in the prospective re union with my worldly beloved, that i did not even notice the wrong i have done to holy man like you. But, you were so (less) engrossed in your union with your heavenly beloved that you not only felt the affront but also decided to abandon the communion to chase me....."

Wither goest our determination to pursue our chosen goal(s) when we apparently are immersed in our daily prescribed / ascribed chores!!!

Esp. n the wake of the movie 2012

Just last night I watched the movie '2012' and the words 

'I Only hope we find God again before it is too late ! !'  gives me an eerie feeling :-)

I like the authors approach in this write up.


Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - Ben Stein

I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late ! !



The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday  Morning  Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish.  And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.  I don't feel threatened.  I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me.  I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto.  In fact, I kind of like it.  It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu .  If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians.  I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.  I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country.  I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?  I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.  But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different:  This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina)..  Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.  She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.  And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out.  How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.  I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.  Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school.  The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself.  And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide).  We said an expert should know what he's talking about.  And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.  I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.  Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.  Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.  Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did.  But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.



My Best Regards,  Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

God Bless You,

A fresh perspective to start your day ...]

The Challenge         The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the water close to Japan has not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring the fish. If the return trip took more time, the fish were not fresh. To solve this problem, fish companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish. And they did not like the taste of frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So, fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, they were tired, dull, and lost their fresh-fish taste. The fishing industry faced an impending crisis! But today, they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan . How did they manage? To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks but with a small shark. The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move. The challenge they face keeps them alive and fresh! Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired and dull? Basically in our lives, sharks are new challenges to keep us active. If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy. Your challenges keep you energized. Don't create success and revel in it in a state of inertia. You have the resources, skills and abilities to make a difference. Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!   "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character" - Albert Einstein

A leader knows - How to manage a failure

'A Leader Should Know How to Manage Failure'

(Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam at Wharton India Economic
forum , Philadelphia, March 22,2008)

Question: Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how
leaders should manage failure?

Kalam: Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the
project director of India's satellite launch vehicle program, commonly
called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India's "Rohini" satellite into
orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources -- but was told
clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space.
Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams
towards that goal.

By 1979 -- I think the month was August -- we thought we were ready.
As the project director, I went to the control center for the launch.
At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go
through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute
later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed
that some control components were not in order. My experts -- I had
four or five of them with me -- told me not to worry; they had done
their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed
the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the
first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem
developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket
system plunged into the Bay of Bengal. It was a big failure.

That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization,
Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at
7:00 am, and the press conference -- where journalists from around the
world were present -- was at 7:45 am at ISRO's satellite launch range
in Sriharikota [in Andhra Pradesh in southern India]. Prof. Dhawan,
the leader of the organization, conducted the press conference
himself. He took responsibility for the failure -- he said that the
team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological
support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would
definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it was my
failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the failure as
chairman of the organization.

The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite --
and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again,
there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told
me, "You conduct the press conference today."

I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the
leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he
gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not
come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.

Minimum wage details link

The details of minimum wages in India

http://www.paycheck.in/main/officialminimumwages

The details of minimum wages in Andhra Pradesh

http://www.paycheck.in/main/officialminimumwages/officialminimumwages/andhra-pradesh