"Reflections" - Doctor Bruno's Blog

A Memo From The Young:

2010-01-29T19:48:00.000+05:30

Don't spoil me. I know quite well that I ought not to have all I ask for, I'm only testing you.

Don't be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it, it makes me feel secure.

Don't let me form bad habits. I have to rely on you to detect them in a early stage.

Don't make me feel smaller than I am. It only makes me behave stupidly "big"

Don't correct me in front of people, if you can help it. I`ll take much more notice if you talk quietly with me in private.

Don't make me feel that my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.

Don't protect me from consequences. I need to learn the painful way sometimes.

Don't be too upset when I say "I hate you". Sometimes it isn't you I hate but your power over me.

Don`t take too much notice of my ailments. Sometimes they get me attention I don't need.

Don`t nag. If you do, I shall have to protect myself by being deaf.

Don`t forget that I cannot explain myself as well as I should like. That's why I am not always accurate.

Don`t put me off when I ask questions. If you do you'll find that I stop asking and seek my information elsewhere.

Don`t be inconsistent. That completely confuses me and makes me lose faith in you.

Don`t tell me my fears are silly. They are terribly real and you can do much to reassure me if you try to understand.

Don`t ever suggest that you are perfect or infallible. It gives me too great a shock when I discover that your neither.

Don`t ever think that it is beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me surprisingly warm towards you.

Don`t forget I love experimenting. I couldn't get along without it, so please put up with it.

Don`t forget how quickly I am growing up. It must be difficult for you to keep pace with me, but please try to.

Don`t forget that I don't thrive without lots of love and understanding, but I don't need to tell you that do I?

PILOTS AND THEIR MECHANICS

2010-01-25T08:22:00.000+05:30

PILOTS AND THEIR MECHANICS

Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only a high school diploma and then some, to repair one. After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews, albeit they may lack a formal higher education, has ever lacked a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS ' pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.

By the way, UPS is the **only** major airline that has never, had an accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
*
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Probably because auto-land is not installed on this aircraft.
*
P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit
*
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
*
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode has a 200 ft. per min. descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
*
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
*
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
*
P: Friction locks, cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
*
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF _IS_ inoperative in OFF mode.
*
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
*
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.
*
P: Aircraft acting funny
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
*
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
*
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

And the best one for last
*
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like midget pounding on something with a hammer
S: Took hammer away from midget.

Butterfly's lesson

2010-01-02T01:12:00.000+05:30

”One day, a small opening appeared in a cocoon; a man sat and watched for the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Then, it seems to stop making any progress.
It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could not go any further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly: he took a pair of scissors and opened the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily.

But it had a withered body, it was tiny and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would open, enlarge and expand, to be able to support the butterfly’s body, and become firm.

Neither happened!

In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a withered body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and his goodwill did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening, were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life.
If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. Never been able to fly.

I asked for Strength...

and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom...

and God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity...

and God gave me a brain and brawn to work.

I asked for Courage…..

and God gave me obstacles to overcome.

I asked for Love...

and God gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors...

And God gave me Opportunities.

“I received nothing I wanted...

But I received everything I needed."

Live life without fear, confront all obstacles and know that you can overcome them.

WHAT IS A GRANDPARENT?

2009-12-29T18:52:00.000+05:30

(Taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds) You'll love it:

Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of their own. They like other people's.

A grandfather is a man, & a grandmother is a lady!

Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the shops and give us money.

When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.

They show us and talk to us about the colors of the flowers and also why we shouldn't step on 'cracks.'

They don't say, 'Hurry up.'

Usually grandmothers are fat but not too fat to tie your shoes.

They wear glasses and funny underwear.

They can take their teeth and gums out.

Grandparents don't have to be smart.

They have to answer questions like 'Why isn't God married?' and 'How come dogs chase cats?'

When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again.

Everybody should try to have a grandmother, espe cially if you don't have television because they are the only grownups who like to spend time with us.

They know we should have snack time before bed time, and they say prayers with us and kiss us even when we've acted bad.

A 6-YEAR-OLD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS GRANDMA LIVED. ''OH,'' HE SAID, ''SHE LIVES AT THE AIRPORT, AND WHEN WE WANT HER, WE JUST GO GET HER. THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE HAVING HER VISIT, WE TAKE HER BACK TO THE AIRPORT.''

GRANDPA IS THE SMARTEST MAN ON EARTH! HE TEACHES ME GOOD THINGS, BUT I DON'T GET TO SEE HIM ENOUGH TO GET AS SMART AS HIM!

It's funny when they bend over; you hear gas leaks, and they blame their dog.

Send this to other grandparents, almost grandparents, or heck, send it to everyone. It will make their day.

Frog and Golf

2009-12-24T23:48:00.001+05:30

The Frog and Golf

THIS IS HILARIOUS...! DO NOT SAVE - PASS ON

A man takes the day off work and decides to go out golfing.

He is on the second hole when he notices a frog sitting next to the green.
He thinks nothing of it and is about to shoot when he hears,
Ribbit 9 Iron.'
The man looks around and doesn't see anyone.
Again, he hears, 'Ribbit 9 Iron.'
He looks at the frog and decides to prove the frog wrong, puts the club away, and grabs a 9 iron.
Boom!
He hits it 10 inches from the cup.
He is shocked.
He says to the frog,
'Wow that's amazing.
You must be a lucky frog, eh?
The frog replies,
'Ribbit Lucky frog.'
The man decides to take the frog with him to the next hole.
'What do you think frog?'
The man asks.
'Ribbit 3 wood.'
The guy takes out a 3 wood and,
Boom! Hole in one..
The man is befuddled and doesn't know what to say.
By the end of the day, the man golfed the best game of golf in his life and asks the frog,
'OK where to next?'
The frog replies,
'Ribbit Las Vegas .
' They go to Las Vegas and the guy says,
'OK frog, now What?'
The frog says, 'Ribbit Roulette.'
Upon approaching the roulette table, The man asks,
'What do you think I should bet?'
The frog replies,
'Ribbit $3000, black 6.'
Now, this is a million-to-one shot to win, but after the golf game the man figures what the heck.
Boom!
Tons of cash come sliding back across the table
The man takes his winnings and buys the best room in the Hotel.
He sits the frog down and says, 'Frog, I don't know how to repay you.
You've won me all this money and I am forever grateful.'
The frog replies, 'Ribbit KissMe.'
He figures why not, Since after all the frog did for Him,
He deserves it.
With a kiss, the frog turns into a gorgeous 15-year-old girl.
'And that, your honor, is how the girl ended up in my room.
So help me God
Or my name is not William Jefferson Clinton.'
The origination of this letter is unknown, but it brings
Good luck to everyone who passes it on.
The one who breaks the Chain will have bad luck.
Do Not keep this.
Do not send money.
Just forward it to five of your Friends to whom you wish good luck.
You will see that something good Happens to you four MINUTES from now if the chain is not broken.

Right to payment of maternity benefits

2009-12-24T21:42:00.000+05:30

From http://blogs.siliconindia.com/immortaltouch/2clCAGYB44648679

Right to payment of maternity benefits

4[(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, every woman shall be entitled to, and her employer shall be liable for, the payment of maternity benefit at the rate of the average daily wage for the period of her actual absence, that is to say, the period immediately preceding the day of her delivery, the actual day of her delivery and any period immediately following that day.]
Explanation: For the purpose of this sub-section, the average daily wage means the average of the woman's wages payable to her for the days on which she has worked during the period of three calendar months immediately preceding the date from which she absents herself on account of maternity, 12[the minimum rate of wage fixed or revised under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (11 of 1948) or ten rupees, whichever is the highest].

(2) No woman shall be entitled to maternity benefit unless she has actually worked in an establishment of the employer from whom she claims maternity benefit, for a period of not less than 13[eighty days] in the twelve months immediately preceding the date of her expected delivery:

PROVIDED that the qualifying period of 13[eighty days] aforesaid shall not apply to a woman who has immigrated into the State of Assam and was pregnant at the time of the immigration.

Explanation : For the purpose of calculating under this sub-section the days on which a woman has actually worked in the establishment, 14[the days for which she has been laid off or was on holidays declared under any law for the time being in force to be holidays with wages] during the period of twelve months immediately preceding the date of her expected delivery shall be taken into account.

15[(3) The maximum period for which any woman shall be entitled to maternity benefit shall be twelve weeks of which not more than six weeks shall precede the date of her expected delivery:]

PROVIDED that where a woman dies during this period, the maternity benefit shall be payable only for the days up to and including the day of her death:

15[PROVIDED FURTHER that where a woman, having been delivered of a child, dies during her delivery or during the period immediately following the date of her delivery for which she is entitled for the maternity benefit, leaving behind in either case the child, the employer shall be liable for the maternity benefit for that entire period but if the child also dies during the said period, then, for the days up to and including the date of the death of the child.]

16[5A. Continuance of payment of maternity benefit in certain cases

Every woman entitled to the payment of maternity benefit under this Act shall, notwithstanding the application of the Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948 (34 of 1948), to the factory or other establishment in which she is employed, continue to be so entitled until she becomes qualified to claim maternity benefit under section 50 of that Act.]

15[5B. Payment of maternity benefit in certain cases

Every woman-

(a) who is employed in a factory or other establishment to which the provisions of the Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948 (34 of 1948), apply;

(b) whose wages (excluding remuneration for over-time work) for a month exceed the amount specified in sub-clause (b) of clause (9) of section 2 of that Act; and

(c) who fulfils the conditions specified in sub-section (2) of section 5,

shall be entitled to the payment of maternity benefit under this Act.]

Notice of claim for maternity benefit and payment thereof

(1) Any woman employed in an establishment and entitled to maternity benefit under the provisions of this Act may give notice in writing in such form as may be prescribed, to her employer, stating that her maternity benefit and any other amount to which she may be entitled under this Act may be paid to her or to such person as she may nominate in the notice and that she will not work in any establishment during the period for which she receives maternity benefit.

(2) In the case of a woman who is pregnant, such notice shall state the date from which she will be absent from work, not being a date earlier than six weeks from the date of her expected delivery.

(3) Any woman who has not given the notice when she was pregnant may give such notice as soon as possible after the delivery.

4[(4) On receipt of the notice, the employer shall permit such woman to absent herself from the establishment during the period for which she receives the maternity benefit.]

(5) The amount of maternity benefit for the period preceding the date of her expected delivery shall be paid in advance by the employer to the woman on production of such proof as may be prescribed that the woman is pregnant, and the amount due for the subsequent period shall be paid by the employer to the woman within forty-eight hours of production of such proof as may be prescribed that the woman has been delivered of a child.

(6) The failure to give notice under this section shall not disentitle a woman to maternity benefit or any other amount under this Act if she is otherwise entitled to such benefit or amount and in any such case an Inspector may either of his own motion or on an application made to him by the woman, order the payment of such benefit or amount within such period as may be specified in the order.

Average Indian spends just Rs 440 on food a month

2009-12-20T12:33:00.000+05:30

New Delhi: An Indian spends just Rs 440 or less than US $10 per month on food, says a government survey released here on Friday.

An Indian living in rural areas, however, spends even less—only Rs 363, while his urban counterpart Rs 517 per month, an official report here said on Friday.

"Average monthly per capita consumer expenditure was Rs 695 in rural India and Rs 1,312 in urban India," the National Sample Survey Organisation's (NSSO) report 'Household Consumer Expenditure in India-2006-07' said.

The findings of the NSSO, an agency of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, showed monthly per capita expenditure in rural India on food going up to Rs 363 in 2006-07 from Rs 333 in 2005-06, reports IANS.

In urban areas, an individual was found to be spending Rs 517 a month on food during the period under reference against Rs 468 in 2005-06.

"The increase in expenditure is negligible, with monthly per capita consumer expenditure going up to Rs 695 from Rs 625 in 2005-06, out of which only Rs 363 is spent on food," Rajesh Jaiswal, an associate fellow at the policy think tank National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), said.

"It is an alarming situation, which will lead to severe malnutrition, and will subsequently weaken human resources. The government must reorient its policies," Jaiswal said.

According to the National Family Health Survey-2005-06, India's 70 per cent children aged six to 59 months are anaemic, which is primarily linked to poor nutrition.

The NSSO data showed a rural Indian spending just Rs 12 per month on fruit, while his urban counterpart Rs 28. The monthly expenditure on cereals and cereal substitutes by a rural and urban Indian stands, respectively, at Rs 115 and Rs 119.

"It is a dismal scenario," said Jaiswal, whose area of research at NCAER is health and education.

NSSO survey results relate to July 2006 to June 2007, and findings are based on a randomly drawn sample, 63,729 households spread over 5,573 villages and 7,698 urban blocks countrywide.

Key findings of NSSO survey

Around 50.3 per cent of the Indian rural population's monthly per capita consumer expenditure (MPCE) is less than Rs 580.
About 50 per cent urban households' monthly per capita consumer expenditure is less than Rs 990.
Average quantity of cereals consumed per person per month in 2006-07 was 1,170 grams in rural areas and 960 grams in urban areas.
Per capita consumption of rice was 6,560 grams and 4,800 grams in rural and urban areas respectively, and the respective consumption of wheat was 3,970 grams and 4,430 grams per person per month.
About 22 per cent rural households lived in katcha (without concrete) structures, while 29 per cent lived in semi-pucca (permanent) structures.
In rural India, 75 per cent households depended on firewood and chips as major cooking fuel. Only nine per cent used liquefied petroleum gas.
About 56 per cent rural households used electricity for lighting while 42 per cent used kerosene.
Only 7.2 per cent rural males aged 15 or more got employments in public works in the last 365 days, and 3.5 per cent females.

Jharkhand primitive tribes on death trail, 20 die

2009-12-19T12:33:00.000+05:30

Ranchi: Deaths of atleast 20 primitive tribals in Jharkhand during last one month has triggered a controversy with the state government attributing the deaths due to food poisoning while social workers say malnutrition caused the deaths.

Eight members of Birhor tribe and nine of Baiga in Hindiyakala village of Chatra district alone have died early this month, officials said.

Two members of the Birhor tribe died in Koderma district in the last one week while one death has been reported from Dumka district.

"In Hindiyakala, the Birhor tribals died due to hunger. They were not getting food grain from the public distribution system (PDS) for a long time," an advisor to a panel appointed by the Supreme Court to supervise the food security schemes in the state, Balram said.

"The claim of government officials that the tribals died due to food poisoning is a white lie," Balram said.

The Jharkhand government last week constituted a three-member committee headed by Welfare Secretary UK Sangama to assess the situation in the three districts and probe the cause of the deaths.

"We will submit our report to the Chief Secretary on Friday," Sangama said.

Jharkhand has 30 tribes, of which nine have been declared as primitive tribes. Their population is just 0.80 per cent of the states' 26.90 million population. The state government runs 10 schemes for them, among others, to provide jobs to youth who complete their schooling, food and housing but despite this, the population of the primitive tribes is declining and hunger deaths are reported, officials admit.

"We plan the programmes and ensure funds, but the schemes have to be implemented by the district administration," Sangama said.

"We will ensure free foodgrain for the primitive tribes. All necessary steps will be taken to prevent malnutrition among them," Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren said.

Amazing English Words

2009-12-16T23:54:00.000+05:30

The longest English word:
The question of determining the longest English word inevitably boils down
to defining what is acceptable as a word, since prefixes/suffixes can be
adjoined to words to make longer words and because medical/chemical terms
can get arbitrarily long. Further, most contenders for the honor of being
the longest word are likely to be very rare in actual usage - so rare, in
fact that they could be considered nonce words. The most common candidates
for the crown, in my opinion, are antidisestablishmentarianism (28 letters),

floccinaucinihilipilification
(29 letters) and pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis (45 letters).

The first is the only one of the three that was not specifically constructed
for the purpose of being a very long word. It means opposition to the
separation of church and state. The second, meaning the estimation of
something as worthless, is the longest non-technical word in the OED. The
latter, supposedly a lung disease, appears to be a semi-serious concoction.
Lexically interesting words.

Longest word without a vowel:
symphysy. Runners-up: nymphly, rhythms, gypsyfy, gypsyry.
Excluding 'y': crwths.

Longest word with at most 1 vowel:
glycyphyllin, psychorhythm. Word with most vowels:
counterrevolutionaries. Word with most consecutive vowels (5):
cooeeing, miaoued, miaouing, queueing. (Euouae, consisting of nothing but 6
vowels, is of doubtful legitimacy.) Smallest word with all 5 vowels:
eulogia, miaoued, sequoia. Longest word with only 3 distinct alphabets:
seeresses. Longest word with only 4 distinct alphabets:
senselessness. Longest word with no repeated letter:
dermatoglyphics. Longest word with letters in alphabetical order:
aegilops. Longest word with letters in reverse alphabetical order:
trollied. Longest word that can be typed with the right hand alone
(on a qwerty keyboard): phyllophyllin. Longest word that can be typed with
the left hand alone
(on a qwerty keyboard): devertebrated. Longest word that can be typed using
the top row
(of a qwerty keyboard): rupturewort. Runners-up: peppertree, pepperwort,
perpetuity, proprietor, repertoire, tetterwort, typewriter.
Interesting words with the substring 'uu':
continuum, fatuus, menstruum, residiuum, vacuum. Word with the maximum
number of distinct alphabets (16):
blepharoconjunctivitis, formaldehydesulphoxylic, pneumoventriculography,
pseudolamellibranchiate, superacknowledgment. Word with most a's (6):
astragalocalcaneal, calcaneoastragalar, taramasalata. Word with most e's
(7):
electrotelethermometer. Word with most i's (6):
impossibilification, indistinguishability, indivisibility, minimifidianism,
pericardiomediastinitis. Word with most o's (6):
choledochoduodenostomy, duodenocholedochotomy, monogonoporous,
odontonosology, proctocolonoscopy, pseudomonocotyledonous,
zoologicoarchaeologist. Word with most u's (5):
untumultous. Words with four consecutive letters of the alphabet appearing
consecutively:

mnop: cremnophobia, gymnopaedic, gymnoplast, limnophile, somnopathy (and a
few others). rstu: overstudy, overstuff, understudy, afterstudy,
overstudious, superstuff, understuff.
Words with four consecutive letters of the alphabet appearing consecutively
in reverse order:
ponm: tamponment, weaponmaker. Words with 3 consecutive s's:
bossship, headmistressship, patronessship. The last word:
zyzzyva. TYPEWRITER (10 letters) can be typed using only the top row of keys
on a standard keyboard.
FICKLEHEADED and FIDDLEDEEDEE are the longest English words consisting only
of letters in the first half of the alphabet, each being 12 letters long.
PARADIGM was the word most frequently looked up in 1998 in the
Merriam-Webster online dictionary.
The words most likely to be misspelled (ratio of incorrect to correct
spelling) according to a study of Usenet traffic some years ago were
DUMBELL, OCCURRENCE, MEMENTO, FRUSTUM, COLLECTIBLE, AMATEUR, DAIQUIRI,
PASTIME, ACCIDENTALLY, PLAYWRIGHT, EMBARRASS, ACQUIT, HARASS, and
PRONUNCIATION.
HIRSCHSPRUNG'S (DISEASE) has seven consecutive consonants, as does
SCHTSCHUROWSKIA.
Beijing and Fiji have three dotted letters in a row.
The alphabetical sequence -RSTU- is contained in OVERSTUFF, OVERSTUDIOUS,
OVERSTUNK, UNDERSTUFF, UNDERSTUMBLE, SUPERSTUD, OVERSTUMBLE, SUPERSTUFF,
UNDERSTUDY, and BIERSTUBE.
The only other four-letter alphabetical sequence found in English is -MNOP-,
which is found, for example, in these words: CREMNOPHOBIA, GYMNOPAEDIC,
GYMNOPHOBIA, GYMNOPLAST, LIMNOPHILE, LIMNOPHORA, LIMNOPHORID, LIMNOPLANKTON,
SEMNOPITHECINE, SOMNOPATHY, and THAMNOPHILE.
If the alphabet is treated as a continuous loop, however, there is also
-YZAB- in ANALYZABLE.
Here are some examples words containing double letters, for each letter of
the alphabet: AARDVARK, ABBOT, ACCENT, ADD, FEED, OFF, EGG, WITHHOLD,
SKIING, AVIJJA, BOOKKEEPER, ILL, IMMUNE, ANNOY, HOOP, APPLE, HUQQA, ARRAY,
KISS, LITTLE, VACUUM, SAVVY, SLOWWORM, WAXXENN, CUBBYYEW, and DAZZLE.
HONORIFICABILITUDINITATIBUS is the longest word consisting entirely of
alternating vowels and consonants.
The longest common word without any of the five vowels is RHYTHMS.
The shortest word containing all five vowels exactly once is the six-letter
EUNOIA, meaning alertness of mind an will (and also the title of a book by
Canadian poet Christian Bok).
The shortest word with the five vowels occurring in alphabetical order is
AERIOUS (airy), which has seven letters. The longest such word is
PHRAGELLIORHYNCHUS (a protozoan) with 18 letters.
ULTRAREVOLUTIONARIES has each vowel exactly twice. The shortest such word is
CUBOIDEONAVICULARE, and the longest, USSOLZEWIECHINOGAMMARUS (a small
crustacean).
Some English words..................
Floccinaucinihilipilification = It means "the estimation of something as
worthless."
Examples: I loved him for nothing so much as his
floccinaucinihilipilification of money. --William Shenstone, Letters
Some more english words:
They must be taken with an air of contempt, a floccinaucinihilipilification
of all that can gratify the outward man. --Sir Walter Scott, Journal
The longest word in the dictionary containing no letter more than once is
"smiley." (There is a mile between the first and last letter.) AMAZING
ENGLISH WORDS The longest English word:
The question of determining the longest English word inevitably boils down
to defining what is acceptable as a word, since prefixes/suffixes can be
adjoined to words to make longer words and because medical/chemical terms
can get arbitrarily long. Further, most contenders for the honor of being
the longest word are likely to be very rare in actual usage - so rare, in
fact that they could be considered nonce words. The most common candidates
for the crown, in my opinion, are antidisestablishmentarianism (28 letters),

floccinaucinihilipilification
(29 letters) and pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis (45 letters).

The first is the only one of the three that was not specifically constructed
for the purpose of being a very long word. It means opposition to the
separation of church and state. The second, meaning the estimation of
something as worthless, is the longest non-technical word in the OED. The
latter, supposedly a lung disease, appears to be a semi-serious concoction.
Lexically interesting words. .
Longest word without a vowel:
symphysy. Runners-up: nymphly, rhythms, gypsyfy, gypsyry.
Excluding 'y': crwths.

Longest word with at most 1 vowel:
glycyphyllin, psychorhythm. Word with most vowels:
counterrevolutionaries.

Word with most consecutive vowels (5):
cooeeing, miaoued, miaouing, queueing. (Euouae, consisting of nothing but 6
vowels, is of doubtful legitimacy.)

Smallest word with all 5 vowels:
eulogia, miaoued, sequoia. Longest word with only 3 distinct alphabets:
seeresses.

Longest word with only 4 distinct alphabets:
senselessness.

Longest word with no repeated letter:
dermatoglyphics.

Longest word with letters in alphabetical order:
aegilops. Longest word with letters in reverse alphabetical order:
trollied.

Longest word that can be typed with the right hand alone
(on a qwerty keyboard): phyllophyllin. Longest word that can be typed with
the left hand alone
(on a qwerty keyboard): devertebrated. Longest word that can be typed using
the top row
(of a qwerty keyboard): rupturewort. Runners-up: peppertree, pepperwort,
perpetuity, proprietor, repertoire, tetterwort, typewriter.

Interesting words with the substring 'uu':
continuum, fatuus, menstruum, residiuum, vacuum.

Word with the maximum number of distinct alphabets (16):
blepharoconjunctivitis, formaldehydesulphoxylic, pneumoventriculography,
pseudolamellibranchiate, superacknowledgment. Word with most a's (6):
astragalocalcaneal, calcaneoastragalar, taramasalata.

Word with most e's (7): electrotelethermometer.
Word with most i's (6): impossibilification, indistinguishability, indivisibility, minimifidianism,pericardiomediastinitis.

Word with most o's (6): choledochoduodenostomy, duodenocholedochotomy, monogonoporous,odontonosology, proctocolonoscopy, pseudomonocotyledonous,
zoologicoarchaeologist.

Word with most u's (5):untumultous.

Words with four consecutive letters of the alphabet appearing
consecutively:
mnop: cremnophobia, gymnopaedic, gymnoplast, limnophile, somnopathy (and a
few others). rstu: overstudy, overstuff, understudy, afterstudy,
overstudious, superstuff, understuff.

Words with four consecutive letters of the alphabet appearing consecutively
in reverse order:
ponm: tamponment, weaponmaker. Words with 3 consecutive s's:
bossship, headmistressship, patronessship. The last word:
zyzzyva. TYPEWRITER (10 letters) can be typed using only the top row of keys
on a standard keyboard.

FICKLEHEADED and FIDDLEDEEDEE are the longest English words consisting only
of letters in the first half of the alphabet, each being 12 letters long.
PARADIGM was the word most frequently looked up in 1998 in the
Merriam-Webster online dictionary.

The words most likely to be misspelled (ratio of incorrect to correct
spelling) according to a study of Usenet traffic some years ago were
DUMBELL, OCCURRENCE, MEMENTO, FRUSTUM, COLLECTIBLE, AMATEUR, DAIQUIRI,
PASTIME, ACCIDENTALLY, PLAYWRIGHT, EMBARRASS, ACQUIT, HARASS, and
PRONUNCIATION.
HIRSCHSPRUNG'S (DISEASE) has seven consecutive consonants, as does
SCHTSCHUROWSKIA.

Beijing and Fiji have three dotted letters in a row.
The alphabetical sequence -RSTU- is contained in OVERSTUFF, OVERSTUDIOUS,
OVERSTUNK, UNDERSTUFF, UNDERSTUMBLE, SUPERSTUD, OVERSTUMBLE, SUPERSTUFF,
UNDERSTUDY, and BIERSTUBE.

The only other four-letter alphabetical sequence found in English is -MNOP-,
which is found, for example, in these words: CREMNOPHOBIA, GYMNOPAEDIC,
GYMNOPHOBIA, GYMNOPLAST, LIMNOPHILE, LIMNOPHORA, LIMNOPHORID, LIMNOPLANKTON,
SEMNOPITHECINE, SOMNOPATHY, and THAMNOPHILE.
If the alphabet is treated as a continuous loop, however, there is also
-YZAB- in ANALYZABLE.

Here are some examples words containing double letters, for each letter of
the alphabet: AARDVARK, ABBOT, ACCENT, ADD, FEED, OFF, EGG, WITHHOLD,
SKIING, AVIJJA, BOOKKEEPER, ILL, IMMUNE, ANNOY, HOOP, APPLE, HUQQA, ARRAY,
KISS, LITTLE, VACUUM, SAVVY, SLOWWORM, WAXXENN, CUBBYYEW, and DAZZLE.
HONORIFICABILITUDINITATIBUS is the longest word consisting entirely of
alternating vowels and consonants.

The longest common word without any of the five vowels is RHYTHMS.
The shortest word containing all five vowels exactly once is the six-letter
EUNOIA, meaning alertness of mind an will (and also the title of a book by
Canadian poet Christian Bok).

The shortest word with the five vowels occurring in alphabetical order is
AERIOUS (airy), which has seven letters. The longest such word is
PHRAGELLIORHYNCHUS (a protozoan) with 18 letters.
ULTRAREVOLUTIONARIES has each vowel exactly twice. The shortest such word is
CUBOIDEONAVICULARE, and the longest, USSOLZEWIECHINOGAMMARUS (a small
crustacean).

Some English words..................
Floccinaucinihilipilification = It means "the estimation of something as
worthless."

Examples: I loved him for nothing so much as his
floccinaucinihilipilification of money. --William Shenstone, Letters

Some more english words:
They must be taken with an air of contempt, a floccinaucinihilipilification
of all that can gratify the outward man. --Sir Walter Scott, Journal
The longest word in the dictionary containing no letter more than once is
"smiley." (There is a mile between the first and last letter.)

Change Your Thinking

2009-12-06T13:58:00.002+05:30

It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking..

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 colour 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 colour 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 details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months 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 besides 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 is why it is called The Present .'
The origin of this letter is unknown, but it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on.
Do not keep this letter.
I pray you will forward it to all your friends to whom you wish God's blessings.

e-Gov can bridge public-govt chasm: Governor

2009-12-01T14:55:00.000+05:30

Kohima: A robust IT infrastructure with good connectivity and offering of public service can greatly improve governance and bring government closer to people, Nagaland Governor K Sankaranarayanan said.

Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day Capacity Building Workshop on e-Governance here, the Governor said that technology has the potential to make interactions between governments and citizens a much more satisfying experience for the citizens.

Sankaranarayanan said that the Workshop would go a long way in making e-Governance a priority area for all government departments and ensuring that all departments take steps to improve their systems of public service delivery.

"e-Governance and IT applications will benefit people in Nagaland much more on account of the hilly terrain and general feeling of remoteness both with respect to mainland India as also within the state," he said.

He said that very often people of Mon and Tuensang feel that they are remote and cut off from Kohima and Dimapur also; this remoteness and distance can be bridged by use of technology.

State Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in his speech said that in the 21st Century, e-Governance has become synonymous with good governance.

Rio reiterated the Mission Statement of the State Government's IT Policy and said that in order to fulfill the objectives outlined by the IT Policy, the e-Governance road map has been framed.

He also outlined various strategies for e-Governance in the state along with the identified sectors. Rio mentioned that in order to facilitate growth of IT and ITeS industry in Nagaland, we need capacity building of the youth to equip them with skills that will help them in getting jobs in this sector.

As part of capacity building, Rio urged the Government of India to support training of youth in IT, ITeS and BPO skill training.

He said that the state was also in the process of establishing an IT park in Dimapur for which help and support from various quarters was needed to ensure that IT companies actually come forward with substantial investment in Nagaland.

Speaking on the occasion, the state Information Technology Secretary Abhishek Singh said that Nagaland was comparatively lacking on e-Governance and information technology when compared to the southern states which are much developed and have implemented various programme which we have to also initiate.

He added that it was the state policy to promote e-Governance and to make IT as a tool to bridge connectivity among all section of the people including the rural and remote places.

Child and Lion

2009-11-29T18:39:00.002+05:30

One day a goat with her small child went into forest for food.

Unfortunately, they forget their way back to home and was stuck in the forest at the night.

A Big lion came and saw the goat and her child.

The goat took her child nearer to her and thought that lion will definitely eat both of them.

Lion came nearer to them and put his hands on the child and pampered her and told that "No fear, My Dear. I don't have any sisters so now onwards you are my sister and I am your brother".

Then he gave chocolates, biscuits to the child and ask goat to come to his room with his husband for lunch and also ask her to celebrate raksha bandhan with him and gave her his visiting card and he promised the goat that "tell me if any one attack you or threaten you". Then he left the place with smiley face.

Finally the goat got surprised and told her child....
...
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
...
..
..
..
...
..

"I think Elections are coming...!!!!!"

farmer's donkey fell down into a well.

2009-11-18T19:19:00.000+05:30

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well.The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.
Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway;
it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him.
They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.
At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.
Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well.
He was astonished at what he saw.
With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.
He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal,
he would shake it off and take a step up.
Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey
stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

MORAL :

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt.
The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.
Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.
We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up!
Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happens.

3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less from people but more from God.

You have two choices...smile and close this page,
or pass this along to someone else to share the lesson ....... I did!!

GOD BLESS YOU....!

Few Sardarji Jokes

2009-11-13T01:25:00.000+05:30

Sardar: My mobile bill how much?
Call centre girl: sir, just dial 123to know current bill status
Sardar: Stupid, not CURRENT BILL my MOBILE BILL. ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =
Sardar: Miss, Did u call me on my mobile?
Teacher: Me? No, why?
Sardar: Yesterday I saw in my mobile- 1 Miss Call". ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ====
Judge: Don't U have shame? It is d 3rd time U R coming to court.
Sardar to judge: U R coming daily, don't U have shame? ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ======
Sir: What is difference between Orange and Apple?
Sardar: Color of Orange is orange, but color of Apple is not APPLE.
============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ======
Sardar in airplane going 2 Bombay .. While its landing he shouted: " Bombay ... Bombay "
Air hostess said: "B silent."
Sardar: "Ok. Ombay. Ombay"
============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =======
Sardar got a sms from his girl friend:
"I MISS YOU"
Sardarji replied:
"I Mr YOU" !!.
============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =======
Sardar: Doctor! My Son swallowed a key
Doctor: When?
Sardar: 3 Months Ago
Dr : Wat were u doing till now?
Sardar: We were using duplicate key
Dr: So why did you come today?
Sardar: We lost the duplicate key!!

Jack and Jill in todays TV Channels

2009-11-10T00:28:00.002+05:30

Received by Mail

Here’s how the Indian TV news channells would report the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme. All names (except those of Jack and Jill), are fictitious.

Prashant - TV Anchor
Two persons have been injured in a freak climbing accident. Jack and his companion Jill had gone up a hill to fetch a pail of water when Jack fell down and broke his crown. Jill came tumbling after. Live from the hill, our reporter, Amrita Shah, takes up the story.

Amrita Shah
Thank you Prashant. Well, as you say, two persons - Jack and Jill - had gone up a hill to fetch a pail of water. Suddenly, Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. Prashant.

Prashant
Thank you Amrita. What do we know about the hill?

Amrita
Not too much. Jack was going up the hill to fetch a pail of water when he fell down and broke his crown. Jill came tumbling after.

[Headline appears at the foot of the TV screen: “hill breaks crown of pail-boy Jack”]

Prashant
What news of Jack and Jill?

Amrita
Prashant, it seems that Jack had gone up the hill to fetch a pail of water. We know nothing about the pail, or how heavy it was but it seems that Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. I have here with me, an eyewitness to the accident, Mr Shahid
Trivedi. Mr Shahid, tell us what you saw.

Shahid Trivedi
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after.

[Headline appears at the foot of the TV screen: “Boy and girl tumble
down hill. Water spilled”]

Amrita
Jack and Jill. What do we know about them? Are they brother and sister? Are they married? Just what were they doing on the hill together?

Shahid Trivedi
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail a water.

Amrita
And what happened next?

Shahid Trivedi
Jack fell down and broke his crown

Amrita
Go on.

Shahid Trivedi
And Jill came tumbling after.

Amrita
Prashant, there you have it. Two people innocently going about their business to fetch a pail of water when one of them falls down, breaks his crown, and the other comes tumbling after. Back to you in the studio Prashant.

[Headline appears at the foot of the TV screen: “Water errand ends in tragedy”]

Prashant
I have with me in the studio now, Professor Chandrashekar Belagare from the Indian Institute of Applied Hill Sciences. Professor: a hill; Jack; Jill; a pail of water. A tragedy waiting to happen?

Professor
Well that depends on the hill, the two persons, the object they were carrying and the conditions underfoot. Let us look at the evidence so far.

Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down
And broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.

Clearly, one would suspect that if Jack’s fall was severe enough to break his crown then the surface of the hill must have been slippery or unstable. But I think we’re overlooking something quite fundamental here. Who was carrying the pail? Jack fell down and broke his crown and – this is the key – Jill came tumbling after. If Jack and Jill had been carrying the pail together, would they not have fallen at the same time? The fact that Jill came tumbling after suggests that Jack lost his footing first and perhaps knocked Jill over as he slipped.

Prashant
Professor thank you very much. So there we have it, two persons – Jack and Jill – went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. Later in the programme, Osama bin Laden captured in Afghanistan, President Bush
says rent-boy menage-a-trois was "just a brief lapse of judgement", and Pakistan launches nuclear warheads against key Indian cities. But next up, join us after the break for a studio discussion about hills,boys and girls and whether water-fetching trips should be supervised.
We’ll be right back...

"Why Women Are Strong But Cry Easy!"....An Article with Truth..

2009-11-02T19:15:00.000+05:30

One day, a young boy asked his Mom.
"Why are you crying?"
"Because I'm a woman" she told him.
"I don't understand," he said.
His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will, but that's okay."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does Mom seem to cry for no reason?"
"All women cry for no reason" was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.
Finally, he put in a call to God.
When God got back to him, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"
God answered, "When I made woman, I decided she had to be special.
I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet her arms gentle nough to give comfort.
I gave her the inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times will come, even from her own children.
I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going and take care of her family and friends, even when everyone else gives up, through sickness and fatigue, without complaining.
I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her badly. She has the very special power to make a child's boo-boo feel better and to quell a teenager's anxieties and fears.
I gave her strength to care for her husband, despite faults, and I fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.
I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.
For all of this hard work, I also gave her a tear to shed. It is hers to use whenever needed and is her only weakness."
"When you see her cry, tell her how much you love her and all she does for everyone. And even though she may still cry, you will have made her heart feel good."
"She is special!"

2009-11-01T13:55:00.000+05:30

Shimla: The Government of Himachal has finalised an action plan for total computerisation of the Rural Development Department which would cover all the 76 development blocks and 3,243 Gram Panchayats of the hilly Indian state.

Disclosing this at a meeting, Information Technology Secretary BK Aggarwal said that the block management information system (MIS), a computerised solution developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for maintenance of accounts and monitoring of construction works, will be implemented in all the 76 blocks.

He said that the software has been found very useful during trial run in Kandaghat block and added that the system works on double entry system of accounting and generates all mandatory reports on a click of mouse.

Aggarwal said that the financial transactions are captured directly from the vouchers and linked with development works being executed through Panchayats.

"Video conferencing facility will be created in each block with total expenditure of about Rs 4 crore. This facility will be used for providing training to functionaries at block level about various schemes of Rural Development," the IT Secretary said.

He said that it will also be used by the farmers for taking advice from the experts of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries departments and added that the network will be extended to the agriculture and horticulture universities also.

"The video conferencing between farmers and experts will be scheduled on fixed days at each block," Aggarwal said.

Rural Development Secretary Shrikant Baldi informed that to bring transparency in the implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), all the information like name of the works, money spent and names of the workers will be provided on the Internet.

He said that MIS Software called 'Swaraj' will be implemented in at least 100 Panchayats on pilot basis in the first phase and afterwards it will be rolled out in all the 3,243 Panchayats in the state.

"Swaraj is a comprehensive software covering almost all the functions of Panchayat like birth and death registration, maintenance of pariwar register, village baseline information and construction works management," Badli said.

Emergency Telephone Numbers

2009-10-29T18:37:00.002+05:30

These are more effective than 911
When -
You are sad, phone John 14
You have sinned, phone Psalm 51
You are facing danger, phone Psalm 91
People have failed you, phone Psalm 27
It feels as though God is far from you, phone Psalm 139
Your faith needs stimulation, phone Hebrews 11
You are alone and scared, phone Psalm 23
You are worried, phone Matthew 8:19-34
You are hurt and critical, phone 1 Corinthians 13
You wonder about Christianity, phone 2 Corinthians 5:15-18
You feel like an outcast, phone Romans 8:31-39
You are seeking peace, phone Matthew 11:25-30
It feels as if the world is b igger than God, phone Psalm 90
You need Christ like insurance, phone Romans 8:1-30
You are leaving home for a trip , phone Psalm 121
You are praying for yourself, phone Psalm 87
You require courage for a task, phone Joshua 1
Inflation's and investments are hogging your thoughts, phone Mark 10:17-31
You are depressive, phone Psalm 27
Your bank account is empty, phone Psalm 37
You lose faith in mankind, phone 1 Corinthians 13
It looks like people are unfriendly, phone John 15
You are losing hope, phone Psalm 126
You feel the world is small comp ared to you, phonePsalm 19
You want to carry fruit, phone John 15
Paul's secret for happiness, phone Colossians 3:12-17
With big opportunity/ discovery, phone Isaiah 55
To get along with other people, phone Romans 12

ALTERNATE NUMBERS
For dealing with fear, call Psalm 47
For security, call Psalm 121:3
For assurance, call Mark 8:35
For reassurance, call Psalm 145:18

ALL THESE NUMBERS MAY BE PHONED DIRECTLY.
NO OPERATOR ASSISTANCE IS NECESSARY.
ALL LINES TO HEAVEN ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY.
FEED YOUR FAITH, AND DOUBT WILL STARVE TO DEATH

World Habitat Da

2009-10-01T20:15:00.000+05:30

Hi again Mariano

There is less than one week left before the first Monday in October which the United Nations has chosen to be World Habitat Day. I hadn't heard back from you and I was really hoping you could help by posting about it on Reflections - Doctor Bruno's Blog. I've put together a blogger friendly press release with all sorts of goodies you can use:

http://worldhabitatdaynews.com

World Habitat Day is a day for everyone to stand up and let it be known that affordable, adequate housing should be a priority everywhere. Please let me know if you have any questions and if you are able to help by posting. Thanks so much.

Liza

--
Liza Peiffer,
On behalf of Habitat for Humanity
http://www.habitat.org

Spiritual Insights about God

2009-09-29T21:54:00.000+05:30

Most times we are most awake toward world when we are asleep toward god

Sometimes we are most awake toward God when we are asleep toward the world

When God is about to do something great, he starts with a difficulty. When he is about to do something truly magnificent, he starts with an impossibility

A smile is the lighting system of the face, the cooling system of the head and the heating system of the heart.

We treat sensible and present things as realities, and future and eternal things as fables: whereas the reverse should be our habit.

Satan, like a fisher, baits his hook according to the appetite of the fish

If someone listens, or stretches out a hand, or whispers a kind word of encouragement,

or attempts to understand a lonely person, extraordinary things begin to happen

When you come to Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your heart. Something

new is added to your life supernaturally. You are transformed by the renewing of your

mind. A new power, a new dimension, a new ability to love, a new joy, a new peace – the Holy Spirit comes in and lives the Christian life through you

Few Quotes about Christ and Christian Life

2009-09-26T21:54:00.000+05:30

Many a fellow is praying for rain with his tub the wrong side up

God often gives in one brief moment that which he has for a long time denied

God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame

The soul of one who loves God always swims in joy, always keeps holiday, and is always in the mood for singing.

In Christ Jesus heaven meets earth and earth ascends to heaven.

Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something

I have so many things to do today, I dare not ignore my time with God

Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides

Let us adore Jesus in our hearts, who spent thirty years out of thirty-three in silence; who began his public life by spending forty days in silence; who often retired alone to spend the night on a mountain in silence. He who spoke with authority, now spends his earthly life in silence. Let us adore Jesus in the Eucharistic silence

All Kerala government employees to get e-mail IDs

2009-09-26T20:52:00.000+05:30

Thiruvananthapuram: Taking a major step forward on the e-Governance front the Government of Kerala has launched an ambitious e-Mail to All Employees project.

The project was kicked off with the allocation of official e-mail IDs to over 4,000 employees, through a
web-based mail service using an open source software package, reports IANS.

"Over 475,000 employees will get the same in a phased manner," Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan said while launching the project.

Once this project is completed there would be an improvement in the efficiency of government functioning, Kerala's state IT Mission Director Rathan Kelkar said.

"We have already published a set of rules and policies regarding managing e-mails approved by the government based on the guidelines of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances," Kelkar said.

He further said that this project will save both—time in inter department communication and paperwork.

"Earlier notes were written on the file and it used to take a couple of days before some action could be taken, as the files had to be carried manually. But now all the information sharing will be done through e- mail which will make the system more efficient and speed up the governance process." he added.

He also said that as of now all the Secretaries from different departments have an official mail ID and in second phase all the Directors will have one. He expected that by next year all the government employees will get their official mail IDs.

The project was developed on a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) platform, configured and tested for hardware and software and finally rolled out by the state-owned Centre for the Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT).

The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.

2009-09-23T15:17:00.000+05:30

A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.

"Your son is here," she said to the old man.

She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.

He dimly saw the young uniformed Officer standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Officer wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.

The nurse brought a chair so that the Officer could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Officer sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Officer move away and rest awhile. He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Officer was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital.

Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.

Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Officer released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.

Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Officer interrupted her.

"Who was that man?" he asked.

The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.

"No, he wasn't," the Officer replied. "I never saw him before in my life.."

"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"

"I knew right away there had been a mistake,
but I also knew he needed his son, and his
son just wasn't here.

When I realized that he was too sick to tell
whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."

The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.

Life Explained

2009-09-22T17:40:00.006+05:30

Life Explained

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village.

A tourist complimented the local fishermen
on the quality of their fish and asked
how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long." they answered in unison.

"Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?"

The fishermen explained that their small catches were
sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.

"But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children,
and take siestas with our wives.
In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends,
have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs.

We have a full life."

The tourist interrupted,

"I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer every day.
You can then sell the extra fish you catch.
With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?"

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring,
you can buy a second one and a third one
and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.
Instead of selling your fish to a middle man,
you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants
and maybe even open your own plant.

You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City,
Los Angeles, or even New York City!

From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?"

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years." replied the tourist.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting,"
answered the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big,
you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the fishermen.

"After that you'll be able to retire,
live in a tiny village near the coast,
sleep late, play with your children,
catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife
and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

And the moral of this story is:

........ Know where you're going in life...
you may already be there!!

Greek Mythology Offers Clues About Ancient Neonatal Care

2009-09-22T15:00:00.000+05:30

A new analysis has determined that ancient Greeks may have had considerable knowledge about how to care for premature babies, evidence of which is present in Greek mythology that describes of the birth of the god Dionysus.

According to a report by Athens News Agency, the analysis was done by doctors from Agios Savvas oncological hospital in Athens, working in collaboration with private colleagues in Hania.

The results of the analysis were presented at the 15th Hellenic Conference on Perinatal Medicine taking place in Thessaloniki.

In an essay entitled "Mythological description of an incubator", the doctors said that the description given in ancient myths of the birth of the god Dionysus and how he was cared for very closely approximates the requirements for an incubator used in modern hospitals.

According to some versions of the myth, Dionysus was born prematurely in the eighth month of pregnancy and had a low birth weight.

He was carried by the god Hermes to Mount Nysa and delivered into the care of the Hyades, the nymphs of warm rain, that placed him in a cave having all the requirements of an incubator - an air filter, double lining and protection from draughts.

The ancient myth-makers did not, of course, describe technological appliances or fixtures but rather natural items that appear to serve an equivalent purpose.

The 'air filter' is a stand of pines planted by the Hyades at the entrance of the cave, the 'double lining' is formed by the branches of a virgin vine and the small god is protected from draughts by a covering of thick-leaved ivy.

Combined, these served to maintain a warm and slightly moist - in other words thermically neutral - environment for the newborn.

The above is all in the realm of myth and may only indicate a flight of the imagination by some bolder story-teller of antiquity, rather than evidence that the ancients knew how to care for premature babies.

According to the doctors, however, it would be a strange coincidence if the makers of the myth had hit upon the requirements needed without this knowledge having arisen from some specific experience or practice of the time.

Source-ANI