I was mad that I lost some money in the stock market ( just like most people )...then I read this...just mad eme realize I am one lucky son of a....

I havent still got the Haloscan comments to work inspite of following the instructions exactly as said at their web site. When I find some time, I will try to fix this. Until then the shoutbox is the only way to comment.

Saw "Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction" and "Along came Polly". The first one was so gory, I told my wife to not enter the room I was watching in. Polly was a chick flick - but ok. Havent seen any Tamil movie in a long time. So busy with school and work...

History of Middle finger
I don't know about the accuracy of this explanation but it sounds good... XXX

Well, now......here's something I never knew before, and now that I know it, I feel compelled to send it on to my more intelligent friends in the hope that they, too, will feel edified. Isn't history more fun when you know something about it?

Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future.

This famous weapon was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as "plucking the yew" (or "pluck yew").

Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, "See, we can still pluck yew! "PLUCK YEW!"

Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodental fricative 'F', and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute! It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird."

And yew thought yew knew everything.

I am trying to move to Haloscan for comments. Let us see if this works...

Have been very busy with school work and office work ( finally working and not blogging ).

"When Sorenstam added Kraft to her sponsor list last year, her hat, shirt front and sleeve were already taken by other sponsors. All that was left was the shirt collar, but that spot also gets prime exposure, earning Sorenstam an extra $400,000 a year." - Golf Tour's top money earners...

Have been reading history books and related info of late...Israel-Palestine conflict...who to blame...


Not far in the future!

Operator : "Thank you for calling Pizza Hut. May I have your order?"
Customer: "Hello, can I order a ......"
Operator : ".........can I have your multi purpose card number first, sir?"
Customer: "It's eh..., hold on....6102049998-45-54610"
Operator : "OK... you're Mr. Sheehan and you're calling from 17 Meadow Drive. Your home number is 494-2366, your office 745-2302 and your mobile is 2662566. Would you like to have the delivery made to 17 Meadow Drive?
Customer: "Yes, but how did you get all my phone numbers?"
Operator : "We are connected to the system, sir"
Customer: "May I order your Seafood Pizza..."
Operator : "That's not a good idea, sir"
Customer: "How come?"
Operator : "According to your medical records, you have high blood pressure and even higher cholesterol level, sir"
Customer: "What? What do you recommend then?"
Operator : "Try our Low Fat Soybean Yogurt Pizza. You'll like it"
Customer: "How do you know for sure?"
Operator : "You borrowed a book entitled "Popular Soybean Yogurt Dishes" from the National Library last week, sir"
Customer: "OK, I give up... give me three family sized ones then, how much will that cost?
Operator : "That should be enough for your family of 10, sir. The total is $ 49.99
Customer: "Can I pay by credit card?"
Operator : "I'm afraid you have to pay us cash, sir. Your credit card is
over the limit and you're owing your bank $3720.55 since October last year." And that's not including the late payment charges on your housing loan, sir."
Customer: "I guess I'll run to the neighborhood ATM and withdraw some cash before your guy arrives."
Operator : "You can't do that, sir. Based on the records, you've reached your daily limit on machine withdrawal today"
Customer: "Never mind just send the pizzas, I'll have the cash ready. How long is it gonna take anyway?"
Operator : "About 45 minutes, sir, but if you can't wait you can always come and collect it on your motorcycle..."
Customer: " What the..?"
Operator : "According to the details in system, you own a Harley,...registration number E1123..."
Customer: "@#%/$@&?#"
Operator : "Better watch your language, sir. Remember on July 15, 1987 you were convicted of using abusive language to a policeman...
Customer: (Speechless)
Operator : "Is there anything else, sir?"
Customer: "Nothing... by the way... are you giving me the three free bottles of Pepsi as advertised?"
Operator : "We normally would, sir, but based on your records you're also diabetic."

CLICK..

People in the Boston area are spending half their time talking about the weather. I dont blame them. It is 40 below zero in the night. Never happenned in the past 50 years. I had to walk half-a-mile last night at school out in the cold. Oh..boy...it takes only 5-10 minutes to get frost-bites...i have no idea what that means...but I did feel that I was going to get one...because i could feel my nose for a few minutes. Hoping to survive till Sunday...

The next big thing in wireless...but this means an individual with a wireless device can potentially be traced anywhere in the world, if every lamppost has a wireless hub...


Zen Thoughts...

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
Some days you are the bug; some days you are the windshield.
Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.
Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

Here's Help In Understanding Democrats

If you don't understand the Democrats' version of tax cuts (and you are not
alone), this will explain it for you:

50,000 people go to a baseball game, but the game was rained out. A refund
was then due. The team was about to mail refunds when the Congressional
Democrats stopped them and suggested that they send out refund amounts based
on the Democrat National Committee's interpretation of fairness.

After all, if the refunds were made based on the price each person paid for
the tickets, most of the money would go to the wealthiest ticket holders.
That would be unconscionable.

The DNC plan says: People in the $10 seats will get back $15, because they
have less money to spend. Call it an "Earned" Income Ticket Credit". Persons
"earn" it by demonstrating little ambition, few skills and poor work habits,
thus keeping them at entry-level wages.

People in the $25 seats will get back $25, because that's only fair.

People in the $50 seats will get back $1, because they already make a lot of
money and don't need a refund. If they can afford a $50 ticket, then they
must not be paying enough taxes.

People in the $75 luxury seats will have to pay another $50, because they
have way too much to spend.

The people driving by the stadium who couldn't afford to watch the game will
get $10 each, even though they didn't pay anything in, because they need the
most help.

Now do you understand?

If not, contact your Democrat Party representative for assistance.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.

It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the
wall.

She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own
situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.

"Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."

Libya grants 170 million dollars for 170 dead in French airline crash...every victim gets 1000000 dollars...

Union Carbide ( Dow ) gives 470 million dollars for 15000 dead and 500000 sick for life in Bhopal Gas tragedy...every victim gets 350 dollars...

How bad can our politicians be ? Or is this the West threatening the underdeveloped countries of dire consequences if they dont pay up what is asked for ( Libya ) OR accept what is paid ( India ) ?

Hmmmm...maybe I shouldnt be reading such news...ignorance is bliss...deep breaths...say "Hummmmmmmm..."


HISTORY LESSON

In 1923, who was:
1. President of the largest steel company?
2. President of the largest gas company?
3. President of the New York Stock Exchange?
4. Greatest wheat speculator?
5. President of the Bank of International Settlement?
6. Great Bear of Wall Street?


These men were considered some of the world's most successful of their day.
Now, 80 years later, the history book asks us, if we know what ultimately became of them.

The answers:

1. The president of the largest steel company, Charles Schwab, died a pauper.
2. The president of the largest gas company, Edward Hopson, went insane.
3. The president of the NYSE, Richard Whitney, was released from prison to die at home.
4. The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cooger, died abroad, penniless.
5. The president of the Bank of International Settlement, shot himself.
6. The Great Bear of Wall Street, Cosabee Livermore, also committed suicide.


However, in that same year, 1923, the PGA Champion and the winner of the most important golf tournament, the US Open, was Gene Sarazen. What became of him?

He played golf until he was 92, died in 1999 at the age of 95. He was financially secure at the time of his death.

The moral:

Don't work. Play golf

It is going to be a bit cold the next 3 days and then get warm on Sunday. Sounds bearable. The highs are 12, 10, 13 and a warm 22 on Sunday. ( Fahrenheit ).

Why would somebody want to live in North Eastern America ? There is enough land down south to hold everybody. And most of natural gas spent by America is because of the NorthEast. Why is the government not encouraging businesses to move to the south ? You end up saving so much money and we use up much less of the available natural resources, and ofcourse, we stay warm most of the year. I have heard people from the South complain about the "sameness" they go through and how much they miss the snow.

This article is not for the timid...but this describes how it is living in a war zone...Am I lucky...Hope I stop cribbing about bad weather, traffic, my golf swing...ya, right....

Who in the current generation would not like to go to space just once...I do...

S.A.T. TESTING is back - I had some more Q&A left...so here we go...

Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? (e.g., abdomen.)
A: The body is consisted into three parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels, A, E, I, O and U.

Q: What is the Fibula?
A: A small lie.

Q: What does "varicose" mean?
A: Nearby.

Q: What is the most common form of birth control?
A: Most people prevent contraption by wearing a condominium.

What's behind the hatred of America ?...one line that stood out was..."people often are ill-informed or too lazy to do serious reading and thinking about subjects on which they're nonetheless willing to speak with certainty. "...

Indian politicians are impolite, uneducated, cheaters...I know...

One of the cool Flash game on the Net...Watch out: It is very addictive...My high score: 950...


Due to increasing products liability litigation, American liquor manufacturers have accepted the FDA's suggestion that the following warning labels be placed immediately on all varieties of alcohol containers:

WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may make you think you can logically converse with other members of the opposite sex without spitting.

WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not.

WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like a retard.

WARNING:
The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.


_____

Why celebrate Jan 1 as New Year's day ?

There is really no good reason for this day being the one given that every religion/culture have their own New Year day - And the reason Jan 1 is even celebrated is because "that was the date the Roman consuls took over their duties"...I would have preferred celebrating the discovery date of electricity or the light bulb or the telephone ( who is stopping me, u might ask ? )...Celebrating Valentine's, Mothers, Fathers day etc makes more sense to me - every human being can relate to this...New Years can make sense to businesses, as it could be end of quarter ( if it was profitable )...but to a common man ??? And that too the day when some lazy Romans finally decided to work...ah ha....now I get it...a Roman is going to work...that deserves a celebration. Switch on the neon lights, play some loud music, call your friends and yell "The Roman is off to work...let us celebrate..."


HAPPY NEW YEAR... ( I meant this for Tamil New year's on April 14th )...

Got this from some message board:

"Socialism is a remarkably wonderful economic system if you happen to be sick, lame or lazy. It also affords government bureaucrats a tremendously beneficial career at the expense of those who choose to work. People who have gumption, however, are inclined to leave the system and relocate to America where meritocracy still exists to a limited degree. "Something for nothing" has always appealed to the sick, lame and lazys of this world. Free prescription drugs has always been at the top of their wish list. Yes, we do have socialists in America, but they are largely confined to university faculties and Hollywood. What's even more interesting, is that people who can afford it tend to leave those socialist countries for the U.S., get rich, then go back to their homelands to retire as a member of the upper class. "....


Have been reading "Gangs of New York". Reminds me of India. But if one reads 10 pages of this book ( actually any 10 ) u will get the idea. Every chapter seems to be the same. Havent seen the movie yet...

Zen Thoughts...

* Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.
* Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
* If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
* Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
* If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
* Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

Saw "Kutti" couple of days back. This was a decent movie. I would rate this better than most tamil movies. Most characters had performed decently. Couple of Raja songs were really good. ( "Chinna maharani" , "Thangachi Thangachi" )

Saw "Love Actually". LOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG chick flick.

"Today, A centres constitute nearly 70 to 80 per cent of the collections, and B and C centres, once the backbone of the trade, are now becoming insignificant." -- from Hindu's article on the Tamil movie industry performance in 2003. And Ram Gopal Verma had some harsh things to say in his Time Asia interview about making films for the non-urban population - "With my films, I'm targeting the urban multiplexes, the sophisticated media-savvy young crowd. Frankly, I couldn't give a f--- for the villages."

And of the top ten Tamil movies of 2003, only one had a title using English words ( "Boys" )...Does anybody care about Viduthalai Siruthaigal...

This is vacation week. Had to take vacation - else I would have lost the vacation days. Having fun though...

"When I watched 'Kaadhal Kondaen', I felt that maybe I could have had such a climax for my 'Guna'" -- This is part of Kamal's speech praising Danush. There was a discussion not long back where I had mentioned that KK is a better Guna - many Kamal fans ( veriyan ? ) didnt like that. Does Kamal feel that he could have done something better in Guna to get it to the level of KK ??? :-)

I saw "Dil Se" and "Pithamagan". A Mani movie and a Bala movie. A bad ( jevvu ) movie and a decent movie. I dont want to compare the directors again, but Bala is definitely better than many ( most ). Especially the fight sequences in "Pithamagan" were impressive. And the story is very focussed. Although establishing the bond between Surya-Vikram's character was too quick. In a couple of not-so-convincing scenes they have become thick friends. Reminds me of Mamooty-Rajni stuff in "Dalapathy"...

I dont understand Indian movies and slapping characters. I feel like everybody in ( love stories or drama movies ) seem to be slapping everybody around and the reciever doesnt seem to mind much - sometimes even ignoring it and continues delivering lines. I have seen many emotional families in my life, but a slap is a "major" incident that is remembered/recalled over years. And usually people react immediately. Most side characters ( comedians or college friends ) seem to get slapped and dont react.

Saw "Jism". We stopped it after 30 minutes. Couldnt tolerate it. What a poor remake of "Body Heat" ? And Bipasha Basu, please stick to modelling...

"a Jet Li fight sequence has a "Dhool" song playing in the background, sausages become pav bhaji, and Jackie Chan receives an avichamuttai instead of a black eye" - ROFLOL - this Hindu column ENglish films, Tamilish style was a good read - seems television has eaten only into Indian movie profits...Hollywood has adapted to Indian audience too...

Saw "Bruce Almighty" twice last night. Not that the movie was great. It was ok. But the second time, I watched it with the director's commentary. And that was fun. So much of the movie is made in post-production. Also most of the movie was shot in LA ( Universal Studios ) whereas the story location is in Buffalo. I felt like almost 20% of the movie's scenes were done post-production. All this just with Photoshop and "After Effects".

Recently, when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen nuggets.
"We don't have half dozen nuggets," said the teenager at the counter.
"You don't?" I replied.
"We only have six, nine, or twelve," was the reply.
"So I can't order a half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?"
"That's right." So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets.

Just noticed that many brokerage firms ( T.D.Waterhouse, Ameritrade ) are offering free trading for a month or two. They have become so desperate to get people to trade stocks. Bad times to be offering such deals...no money to spend and it is the holiday season.

Terra Server allows you to get aerial pictures of almost any location ( street, house etc ) in the U.S. The pictures are old ( taken in the 1990s ) but it is pretty cool. This picture is where my house is located ( although it was still not constructed when this picture was taken ).

Sometimes one catches a cold and have no idea where this came from. I couldnt figure out why I had a running nose ( I used a tissue every 10 sec )...finally figured out that the house had gotten too dry after I had switched on the dehumidifier in the basement...switched on the humidifier last night and had 4 hours of peaceful sleep...This happens every year ( humidity issue ) and I forget it every year...

Exams are over today. Too many movies to watch: Lord of the Rings, Kakka Kakka, Thiruda Thirudi, Jeyam, Julie Ganapathy, Love Actually, Iyarkai, Pithamagan...

I feel bad for those in the Arab world who thought Saddam was fighting for their cause. How could he have surrendered and negotiated with the soldiers ??? Come on, I will bet that Osama will not do that...Saddam's daughters still support their dad, inspite of "hating" him...hmmmm....

Got an email - sent to wrong address but had a nice URL link...

Every one of the charges against Saddam is valid except the last one: "Saddam Hussein may also be put on trial for his possible role in the insurgency against the coalition troops in Iraq now"...Is it a crime to defend oneself ???

I think we are seeing the last of Ramesh and Balaji in international cricket. The Bombay team ( oops, Indian team ) seems to doing fine. Hope the two of them enjoy their stints as 12th men...

This is interesting. They dont seem to leave any place for placing ads. Look at my "Shout" box. Somebody has placed an ad...

Microsoft to cut Swastikas from Font...I dont get this - the article clearly says that this symbol is used in Buddhism..."A form of the swastika has been used in the Buddhist religion to symbolize the feet or footprints of the Buddha. The symbol, which was also used widely in the ancient world including Mesopotamia, Scandinavia, India and the Americas, became common in China and Japan with the spread of Buddhism."....Is it ok to get rid of specific words and symbols from a software ( used globally ) just because it means something bad to one religion but works in another religion ???? What about using this in kolam...havent Buddhism and Kolam been there much before the Nazi party was formed ????

Here is an interesting quiz: Programming language inventor OR serial killer

Disclaimer: These are not my jokes...

1. It is important that a woman keeps a clean home and has a job.
2. It is important that a woman makes you laugh.
3. It is important to find a woman you can count on and doesn't lie to you.
4. It is important that a woman is good in bed and loves making love to you.

And finally,

5. It is really important that these four women don't know each other

If somebody wants to contribute to the family or the cause of S.K.Dubey, here is the link...S.K.Dubey Foundation...