Lynching

After his debut as director in 2002, Denzel Washington goes on to direct his second movie, The Great Debaters in 2007. The movie uses the power of words.

The faulty assumption, classic fallacy. "The unemployed are starving" Mr Burgess is unemployed, but he is not starving.

The irony in the name Bethlehem Steel Corporation.
Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Bethlehem Steel Corp makes weapon of war.

Who is the judge?
The judge is God.
Why is he God?
Because he decides who wins or loses, not my opponent.
Who is your OPPONENT?
He does not exist.
Why doesn't he EXIST?
Because he is just a dissenting voice to the truth I speak.

When a hungry Negro steals a chicken, he goes to jail.
When a rich business man steal bonds, he goes to Congress.

The movie also mentioned "lynching" originated from Willie Lynch, a white slave owner and a mysterious 18th century businessman. He developed the process of breaking a slave, a technique for taming and subduing a man to behave like a slave similar to the process of taming a wild horse.

After Personal Computers

W.C. short for Water Closet has caught the attention of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

They are pledging US$42 millions dollars in grants to reinvent the toilet, giving the 2.6 billion people in Africa who don't have access to a WC, a safe place to go to.



Only a fraction of Africans, even in large cities, are "connected to sewers with a flush toilet."
"In cities, people use 'flying toilets,'" its director of water, sanitation and hygiene programs, Frank Rijsberman explained.

"They go on a plastic bag and then throw it in the street, which is not only gross but kids walk around and play, and come into contact with the poop and can develop chronic diarrhea, which kills more children under the age of five than HIV/AIDS and malaria."



After the PC, now for the WC.

Are You Connected ?

What is nepotism ?

It is favoritism shown to relatives and friends, especially in business or political appointments.




Francis Fukayama in his new book The Origins of Political Order looks at China's dynasties in terms of nepotism, which he calls "patrimony." He noted the Han Dynasty was vulnerable to "the hardwired human tendency to make ties of kinship the primary criterion for conferring wealth, power and status."

The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, meaning "nephew."

Nepotism gained its name in Italy after several popes elevated nephews and other relatives to the cardinalate. The practice was finally ended in 1692 when the Pope prohibited popes in all times from bestowing estates, offices, or revenues on any relative.



The new name for nepotism in today's internet age, is networking.


And what is cronyism ?

It is favoritism shown to old friends without regard for their qualifications, to political appointments.

The word is derived from Greek chronios meaning long term.



Both nepotism and cronyism are often at work when political parties recruit candidates for public office.
So what's the problem?

According to senior Fellow Judy Nadler and Communications Director Miriam Schulman of Santa Clara University, the issue is competence.

For cabinet level positions, an executive will probably be drawn to experienced, qualified candidates, but historically, the lower down the ladder, the more likely for someone's brother-in-law to be slipped into a job for which he is not qualified.

Phenomenon

Beatles Phenomenon
Brian Epstein manager of the Beatles got the group an audition at EMI on May 9, 1962. By October 1962 their first single, "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You," were worldwide hits.

Today 50 years on, no groups or song writers can match the unreachable level of the Beatles.


Bill Gates Phenomenon
In November 1976 Bill Gates and Allen Ballmer registered the trademark "Microsoft". Gates has given up his Harvard studies altogether. In December 1978 Microsoft's revenues exceed $1m. Three years on in 1981 Microsoft's revenues reach $16m. The company employs 128 people then.


Search Engine Phenomenon
Yahoo was originally built as a web directory by two Stanford graduates David Filo and Jerry Yang in January of 1994. They started it as a hobby. David Filo was born in 1966 in Wisconsin, while Jerry Yang was born Yang Chih-Yuan in Taiwan in 1968.


After earning her MBA in 1998, Susan Wojcicki bought 232 Santa Margarita Avenue for$600,000. She rented the garage to two Stanford students for $1,700 a month to help with the mortgage. The two were Larry Page and Sergey Brin who incubated Google right there.


Personal Computer Phenomenon
In 1983, 18-years old Michael Dell began selling upgraded PCs out of his dormitory room at the University of Texas.

Give Man his Tool

Give Man his tools and he will laugh his way to the bank.

Takamine

Fender

Gibson

Fender

To Your Good Health

1. High Blood Pressure is pysiological, not a disease. A forebearing heart will cure the symptom.

2. To protect your liver, get enough sleep, avoid anger and stay positive.

3. Leg cramp is caused by lack of calcium and electrolyte. Take milk, beans,and bananas.

4. If you maintain the six moods - Calm, Relax, Happy, Kind, Amicable, Joyful, you will be healthy and well.

5. Smokers should eat more red grapes to prevent lung cancer.

6. To prevent heart disease and stroke, eat more egg plant which is rich in anthocyanin.

7. Watermelon prevents prostate cancer. The lycopene lures cancer cells to self destruct.

8. Shiitake mushrooms help back pain.

9. The vitamins in chestnuts are good for lowering dementia risks.

Smart Crows and Dogs

University of Washington scientists carried out an experiment to explore whether crows can identify the face of someone who is a danger to them.

In the experiment the researchers donned rubber masks of cavemen to trap and then release the crows. Thereafter researchers walked along the college paths wearing the same caveman masks to observe how the flock of crows react.




They cawed and screeched, angrily flapped their wings and flicked their tail to warn of the danger. The researchers wore masks of Dick Cheney which elicited no response.




Dogs too displayed intelligence when they sense the appearance of dog catchers.



Dog catchers would park the van a distance from the vicinity and sneak up on the strays, as described in a poem by Cheryl Li.

The sound of tyres, an engine's hum
The dog catcher's van - they've come !
Run! Hide !
But alas, caught from the side