Here are two more from Rex Barker for your Sunday
Radheshyam
My Three Sons...
Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly Mother.
The first said, "I built a big house for our Mother."
The second said, "I sent her a Mercedes with a driver."
The third smiled and said, "I've got you both beat. You remember how Mom enjoyed reading the Bible? And you know she can't see very well any more. I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites the entire Bible. It took Elders in the church 12 years to teach him. He's one of a kind. Mama just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot recites it."
Soon thereafter, Mom sent out her letters of thanks: "Milton," she wrote one son, "the house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house."
"Gerald," she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel any more. My eyesight isn't what it used to be. I stay most of the time at home, so I rarely use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!"
"Dearest Donald," she wrote to her third son, "you have the good sense to know what your Mother likes. The chicken was delicious!"
Brave Captain Smith...
One fine day, Brave Captain Smith and his crew of sailors were sailing the ocean blue. Suddenly, on the horizon, there loomed a ship with a skull & crossbones raised on the mast.
The crew was frantic, seeking refuge and asking the captain what to do. Brave Captain Smith looked at the approaching ship for a moment and said "Bring me my red shirt."
The call was taken up at once by a cabin boy. As soon as Smith had the shirt in his possession, he ordered the man at the wheel to head straight for the pirate ship. In the ensuing fight, the pirate ship was all but destroyed.
The sailors were recounting their individual triumphs when someone asked Captain Smith why he had asked for his red shirt before the battle.
He responded "If I was wounded, I did not want your confidence to wane. This way, you would keep fighting no matter what happened to me."
The crew had a new found admiration for its captain, and the crew talked all night about his bravery. About a week later, there loomed on the horizon TEN pirate ships. Once again, the crew looked to its captain for leadership. Calmly, Captain Smith said "Bring me my brown pants."
Saturday, January 3, 2009
OUR UNSUNG HEROES
Here's saluting some Indian Idols of 2008
This 16-year-old's mission : Education
Babbar Ali is an unusual teenager. While his peers are immersed in their own lives, this Class XI student has decided to do his bit for others. After his classes get over, the 16-year-old turns the small courtyard of his house in Berhampore, West Bengal, into a makeshift school for nearly 600 children.
It's a mission that started when he was 11. Moved by the plight of some parents who couldn't afford to send their children to school, he took it on himself to teach them. His students come from nearby villages. Some even walk as much as four kms. to reach his house. Besides lessons, the children are drawn by the free rice distributed at the end of each month. "Attendance was falling drastically. That is when I hit upon this idea. As my school is not recognised by the government, I couln't have got free rice. But government officials helped me," says Ali.
Ali has big dreams for the future. "I dream that my school will grow and expand to other parts of the state and country where children want to but can't go to school." But for now, he will be content if his students get a proper classroom.
This 16-year-old's mission : Education
Babbar Ali is an unusual teenager. While his peers are immersed in their own lives, this Class XI student has decided to do his bit for others. After his classes get over, the 16-year-old turns the small courtyard of his house in Berhampore, West Bengal, into a makeshift school for nearly 600 children.
It's a mission that started when he was 11. Moved by the plight of some parents who couldn't afford to send their children to school, he took it on himself to teach them. His students come from nearby villages. Some even walk as much as four kms. to reach his house. Besides lessons, the children are drawn by the free rice distributed at the end of each month. "Attendance was falling drastically. That is when I hit upon this idea. As my school is not recognised by the government, I couln't have got free rice. But government officials helped me," says Ali.
Ali has big dreams for the future. "I dream that my school will grow and expand to other parts of the state and country where children want to but can't go to school." But for now, he will be content if his students get a proper classroom.
Fall of Kilinochichi
Tiger capital falls, bomber hits back
Colombo, Jan. 2: Sri Lankan troops today captured the Tamil Tigers’ headquarter town in one of the biggest setbacks for the rebels in years, but an hour later a suicide bomber killed three airmen in the capital Colombo.
Troops fought their way into Kilinochchi deep in the north, days after Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam chief Velupillai Prabhakaran declared the town would not fall. There was no immediate word on Prabhakaran, who is blamed for Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.
“A short while ago, our brave and heroic troops have fully captured Kilinochchi that was considered the main bastion of the LTTE,” President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in a televised address. “For the last time, I call upon the LTTE to lay down their arms and surrender.”
Across Colombo, people lit crackers, danced in the streets and waved Lankan flags.
But within an hour of Rajapaksa’s statement, a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber on a motorcycle struck near the air force headquarters in Colombo. Three airmen were killed and 37 people wounded.
Analysts said the fall of Kilinochchi, and other bases, could make the capital and the far south more vulnerable as the rebels move to guerrilla warfare.
“Particularly after the humiliating defeat at Kilinochchi they will try to use their striking capability outside the theatre of conflict in a bigger way,” said Iqbal Athas, an analyst with Jane’s Defence Weekly.
The Tigers could not be reached for comment but they have in the past vowed to fight on even if Kilinochchi, home to a parallel rebel-led administration with its own police, courts, prisons and taxes, falls.
Tamil Tiger political leader Balasingham Nadesan had said on Tuesday the rebels began as a guerrilla group and would be able to keep fighting even if they lost much of the territory they controlled in the north.
Pro-rebel website www.tamilnet.com said the Tigers had moved their headquarters further northeast before the town fell. “The Sri Lanka Army has entered a virtual ghost town,” it said.
Troops entered Kilinochchi this morning, said Lakshman Hulugalle, a military spokesman. Senior military officials said their forces met only minimal resistance once in the town.
Details of casualties from the fighting were not immediately available.
The army first captured Kilinochchi from the rebels in 1996, but lost it in 1998
The Tamilnadu politicians led by Karunanidhi have been crying hoarse and requesting the centre to intervene in Sri Lanka to halt the Srilankan offensive.
The centre should not listen to them.
Rajiv Gandhi and signed an agreement with President Jaywardne which was very favouarable to the Tamil aspirations. But Pirabhakaran did not recognize a good deed . All the Tamil politicians, including Karunanidhi clamoured for nulling of the agreement and withdrawal of the IPKF (Indian Peace keeping Force). The IPKF was withdrawn in disgrace from Sri Lanka.
AND POOR RAJEEV GANDHI WAS ASSASSINATED BY A TAMIL WOMAN HUMAN BOMBER.
No country would like to be dictated by outsiders on how it should treat it minority population, whether it be on the basis of language or religion.
We never like to be lectured by Pakistan or the US on how we should treat our minorities
Please let the Tamil population of Sri Lanka work out the way it would like to live with the majority Sinalese without external pressure.
With the removal of LTTE from the scene the other peace loving political parties can act more freely, without fear of being murdered by Pirabhakaran and his gang of bandits.
Radheshyam
Sufferings of Common People
Why? Girl asks Gurung
AVIJIT SINHA
Siliguri, Jan. 2: A schoolgirl whose “entire family” supp-orts the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha called up Bimal Gurung today and asked: “Why are you doing this?”
Prithika Pradhan’s voice trembled as she spoke to “Bimalji”, a man she had only seen from far or heard in speeches, but she went on. “My house was ransacked, the eatery my mother ran was burnt down in a senseless act of violence that we could not comprehend.
“Why should the Morcha target innocent people, burn their houses and their dreams, for the criminal acts of a few people?”
Over 100 Morcha supporters descended from Kurseong yesterday and ransacked homes in Rohini and set many of them ablaze.
Prithika lay awake last night, unable to understand the “madness”, the “frenzied screams of the mob as it went around setting fire to the homes”, especially because her family supported Gurung and his call for Gorkhaland.
This morning, Prithika told The Telegraph: “I had to have an answer to the mindless violence indulged in by a party that claims to believe in the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. They were the people we supported, so I was sure they would provide us with some answers.”
End of the day, she wasn’t sure if she had got the answers. But both Morcha president Gurung and secretary Roshan Giri “listened to me patiently”.
The Class XI student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sukna, got the phone numbers of the Morcha Top Two through friends and relatives. She tried Gurung’s first, but it was busy. So she dialled Giri.
He confirmed receiving the call. “I told her I didn’t know much about the inci- dent as I was in Delhi (for the tripartite talks), but I assured her that Rohini won’t face any problem in the future.”
Prithika got through to Gurung later. But he was not available for comment.
In any political agitation, the common people suffer.
Prithika should understand that. What she has suffered is nothing new.
The politician agitates for his own personal gain,
it has nothing to do with helping the people.
The politician always lights the match, ignites and fans the flames and
then runs away for the common man to suffer the consequence.
Later on, he comes back to reap the rewards.
The sooner the common man reads their motives and starts beating them up on sight, the better will it be for the nation.
Radheshyam
Friday, January 2, 2009
Msgs from Friends
Msg from Gillian Burch, Loreto
Good morning from the Northern Hemisphere, where it's snowing right now and there really is a fire in the fireplace.
It's always interesting to get your emails, a very different perspective on the world from those I normally encounter. Only question is - how did I get on your email list? I'm a Loreto alumna from years ago, but have never had any contact with your school.
Happy holidays to you and your family and all the best wishes for the new year.
Gillian Burch
Hello Gillian,
Thanks for your good wishes for me and my family.
I had sent a general mail wishing everybody on my mailing list.
Now, that we have come to know each other, I wish you and your family, again.
Thanks also for recreating the armosphere.
I'll tell you how you got on my list.
Some time back, we were having a discussion on our blog http://goethals1907-2007.blogspot.com/ on proselytising.
At that time, I had received a mail through my sir, Mr. Lobo, our class teacher from Goethals. His wife, Myrma, had taught in Loreto.
One of her ex-pupils Linda Moronha had sent her views to Myrna.
This was forwarded to me.
Now, since Linda had given her views to all of you, it was only fair that you should get other alternate view.
Hence, you came on my mailing list.
I had asked anybody not interested to inform me if they were not interested in my mails. I am pleased that you appreciate my mails.
They are just a attempt to bring all the hill schools of Darjeeling together.
In case you may not have read our blog, I have added the link above.
You will find many interesting articles.
God bless you and your family.
Best regards
Radheshyam Sharma
Msg from Henry Hulley 1953
Greetings Radheshyam,
I thoroughly enjoy your newsletters even though some times I disagree with you.
What a good tradition you have started and how good are the old boys to keep in touch after all these years.
To answer your question re Santa - In Australia he comes by sleigh pulled by 6 white boomers ( kangaroos ) don`t know about the other southern hemisphere countries. Would love to see snow, closest I have come was at school, perhaps 1951 I`m not sure, when we woke up 1 morning everything was a mass of white as it had hailed overnight. The only boys from my batch that I know about are KKChirimar in Kolkata and Clinton Dickie in the UK, Clinton is very ill at the moment so say a prayer for him all you old boys who may read this.
I enjoy looking at the photos of the school and how it has changed, in my days it was very basic but the spirit is unchanged. I take this opportunity to wish all current and old boys a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year...
Henry Hulley batch of 1953
Msg from Keith Hayward
Hello Radheshyam,
Can you please send me JK Ghosh's Email Address?
If JK sent me an Email(which I never recieved!!)I would have replied.
Was JK in our class? I started in Goethals from 54 to 57. I missed 58,when my older brother Richard shot me in my Left Eye,when we were on holidays(New Years Day 58).
My Cousin Hillary Tresham(Charles)was staying at our house in Hastings when it happened.
I schooled at St.Xaviers(58)I came back in(59/60.(Mum was afraid to send us back to Goethals,because of the 'Chinese Threat' so we finished our Schooling in Le'Martinere Calcutta(61/64) Then we came to England.
Bye for now,
Keith.
Hello Keith,
Yes, JK was in our class.
His e mail ID's are jayantaghosh65@gmail.com ani_ghosh77@yahoo.com.
He was there from 56 to 65, 10 years.
We are getting old and our memories have started fading.
He was good in studies and sports. Many of our boys left after the Chinese aggression as parents were not sure when the school would reopen for we had closed early.
That is happening again now.
With the Gorkhaland agitation boys from the plains have stopped going to Goethals
My son-in-law wanted to send his son but gave up the idea.
Well, bye for now.
Radheshyam
Msg from J K Ghosh
RS,
Thanks for having contacted Keith Hayward for me.
He has sent me a wonderful mail to which I've replied instantly.
He did not receive my earlier mail. It appears I had omitted the dot between his name.
Where is Bruce Wallace ?
He was so happy meeting us at the centenary celebration, I thought he would be more than enthusiastic in making contact with us.
Then Clifton D'Aubney seems to have lost his vigour in making contact with his school buddies after all his expatriation. He hasn't replied to the two mails that I sent him. Anyway, that's his choice, I suppose.
Received a mail from AK.
By the way, I'm having another e-mail address : jayanta_ghosh47@yahoo.com. The one that you had given to Keith was my son's address. The smog has cleared. It is a bit cold today. The temperature must have dropped to 8 or 9 degrees.
Good night.
JK
Msg from Charles Tresham
Hi Rad
SANTA CLAUS
It's Never a good time to write of Santa particularly this Christmas.
While most people in the world would recognise that it may be beyond their wildest dreams to expect JESUS to intervene in the present economic mess we're in, Santa Clause and his team of Secret Santas are offering some borderline companies a real lifeline in the survival game. As a last ditch effort to shore up the economies of some of major World Industrial Nations a plan is being put forward to introduce another 11 Christmases a year so we can spend spend spend our way out of trouble. Makes sense to me and much more enjoyable than watching our houses depreciate and our pensions evaporate!
CRICKET
After dodging the bullets at Mumbai our boys went back for the humbling experience of loosing 8-0 in the one dayers..could have been 10-0. and 2-0 in the test series. Why on earth is Yuvraj chucking pies at our poor captain? How much more can our England Captain (born in SA) take?
Have a very Happy Christmas and, hopefully, a prosperous 2009.
Letter sent by J K Ghosh to Times of India.
Incidently I swtiched over from Times of India to The Telegraph, just for the trash JK mentions
Sir,
I wish to draw your kind attention to a few drawbacks regarding your newspaper. The Times of India is a popular daily, there's no doubt about that. But it contains far too many articles and pictures (some very vulgar) of movie stars and models. I suggest that you publish a separate paper on movie stars and models which would be purchased by those who are interested in them. To me it is trash.
Instead, I suggest you bring out articles on the developmental works done in various states, as is done in The Hindu. It would increase the awareness of the readers and keep them abreast of what is going on in other states. I'm sure most of your readers would welcome it.
To verify and confirm what I've stated, please publish this mail and seek the opinion of your readers.
Jayanta Ghosh
Rani Bagh, Delhi
Msg sent by John Kingsley
Hi you all, Try this one out. JohnK. This is neat........ Place your mouse at the top of the photo. You will notice it is 6:10 PM. Bring the mouse down slowly over the photo.....Nighttime appears and the lights come on.....at 7:40 PM, it's dark! Photo Technology at its best! Don't hold button down, just move mouse slowly downward over photo.
PS: This does not work on the blog.
I have added it to my weekly mail.
Msg from Karanvir Mehta
Dear Radheshyam,
My very best wishes to you and your family for a very very happy 2009. Hope it will be a better year and you will have better news to give us.
Karan
Msg from Bhaskar Chakravorti, Sudan
My Wish For You
An Abundance of Success
Unlimited Fulfillment
Boundless Joy in 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Bhaskar Chakravorti
Micro Labs Ltd
Sudan
Msg from Ranjan Guha Mazumdar
Wishing all Ex-Goethalites and their families
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR
&
PROSPEROUS 2009
Please be informed that the luncheon meeting scheduled for 04-01-09 has been postponed because most boys will be away from Kolkata / Travelling in the early part of January 2008.
The new date has been tentatively fixed for 01-02-09. So please keep yourselves and please do not accaept any appointments / engagements for that day.
We will re-confirm the date once again to you later.
Meanwhile, be HAPPY and KEEP SMILING as all Ex-Goethalites should always do.
Msg from Brian Whiter
Hi Radheshyam
Thanks for bringing the Goethalites together and for the dedicated weekly news. Here's wishing you and your family and friends a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous new year ahead.
Kind regards
Brian Whiter
Msg from Salil Misra
Thank you.I reciprocate most heartily.
SALIL
Msg from Akash Kushwani
A very very happy new year to u as well and the entire GMS alumini
Msg from Anshuman Bhardwaj
Hi Sir, Wish u merry christmas & very happy new year ahead
Best RegardsAnshuman Bhardwaj
Msg from Ralph Reeves
Hari Om Bhai Saab!!
Thanks for your good wishes for the Holiday season.
I liked your comparison of Santa and Jesus.
I fully agree with you Radesh.
I had an email from JK Ghosh. I believe your batch from GMS. It was nice talking to him. He sent me some snaps of his granddaughter and is living in Delhi at the present. The lads from around here in Toronto had a second reunion as well but I could not attend as i was working on board the ship. I'm still working and stuck for Christmas. I normally get off for Christmas, but this year we have 5 Chief Engineers down for either medicals or quit, so people like us get screwed. We have recently had 4 snow storms worst since a long time hit us even before the winter season. -28 deg. C temperatures and snow squalls and snow upto 2 feet. In my absence, my wife had to blow the snow off our driveway (300ft) on our tractor. She can't wait for me to get back and finish the job. 3 months of winter, I am sure there will be a lot of snow to blow. I also normally help out with my neighbours driveways too. We all help one another anyway. So let it snow let it snow, let it snow!!! You are lucky to be enjoying the heat rather than the snow. So Radesh, may you and your family have the best Christmas ever, and a Very Happy & prosperous New Year in 2009.
God Bless
Ralph
Msg from Thondup
Dear Chief , This is to wish you and your family A ........................... VERY VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR...... MAY 2009 BLOOM WITH MORE PROSPERITY AND JOY THAN EVER BEFORE Affectionately thondup
Good morning from the Northern Hemisphere, where it's snowing right now and there really is a fire in the fireplace.
It's always interesting to get your emails, a very different perspective on the world from those I normally encounter. Only question is - how did I get on your email list? I'm a Loreto alumna from years ago, but have never had any contact with your school.
Happy holidays to you and your family and all the best wishes for the new year.
Gillian Burch
Hello Gillian,
Thanks for your good wishes for me and my family.
I had sent a general mail wishing everybody on my mailing list.
Now, that we have come to know each other, I wish you and your family, again.
Thanks also for recreating the armosphere.
I'll tell you how you got on my list.
Some time back, we were having a discussion on our blog http://goethals1907-2007.blogspot.com/ on proselytising.
At that time, I had received a mail through my sir, Mr. Lobo, our class teacher from Goethals. His wife, Myrma, had taught in Loreto.
One of her ex-pupils Linda Moronha had sent her views to Myrna.
This was forwarded to me.
Now, since Linda had given her views to all of you, it was only fair that you should get other alternate view.
Hence, you came on my mailing list.
I had asked anybody not interested to inform me if they were not interested in my mails. I am pleased that you appreciate my mails.
They are just a attempt to bring all the hill schools of Darjeeling together.
In case you may not have read our blog, I have added the link above.
You will find many interesting articles.
God bless you and your family.
Best regards
Radheshyam Sharma
Msg from Henry Hulley 1953
Greetings Radheshyam,
I thoroughly enjoy your newsletters even though some times I disagree with you.
What a good tradition you have started and how good are the old boys to keep in touch after all these years.
To answer your question re Santa - In Australia he comes by sleigh pulled by 6 white boomers ( kangaroos ) don`t know about the other southern hemisphere countries. Would love to see snow, closest I have come was at school, perhaps 1951 I`m not sure, when we woke up 1 morning everything was a mass of white as it had hailed overnight. The only boys from my batch that I know about are KKChirimar in Kolkata and Clinton Dickie in the UK, Clinton is very ill at the moment so say a prayer for him all you old boys who may read this.
I enjoy looking at the photos of the school and how it has changed, in my days it was very basic but the spirit is unchanged. I take this opportunity to wish all current and old boys a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year...
Henry Hulley batch of 1953
Msg from Keith Hayward
Hello Radheshyam,
Can you please send me JK Ghosh's Email Address?
If JK sent me an Email(which I never recieved!!)I would have replied.
Was JK in our class? I started in Goethals from 54 to 57. I missed 58,when my older brother Richard shot me in my Left Eye,when we were on holidays(New Years Day 58).
My Cousin Hillary Tresham(Charles)was staying at our house in Hastings when it happened.
I schooled at St.Xaviers(58)I came back in(59/60.(Mum was afraid to send us back to Goethals,because of the 'Chinese Threat' so we finished our Schooling in Le'Martinere Calcutta(61/64) Then we came to England.
Bye for now,
Keith.
Hello Keith,
Yes, JK was in our class.
His e mail ID's are jayantaghosh65@gmail.com ani_ghosh77@yahoo.com.
He was there from 56 to 65, 10 years.
We are getting old and our memories have started fading.
He was good in studies and sports. Many of our boys left after the Chinese aggression as parents were not sure when the school would reopen for we had closed early.
That is happening again now.
With the Gorkhaland agitation boys from the plains have stopped going to Goethals
My son-in-law wanted to send his son but gave up the idea.
Well, bye for now.
Radheshyam
Msg from J K Ghosh
RS,
Thanks for having contacted Keith Hayward for me.
He has sent me a wonderful mail to which I've replied instantly.
He did not receive my earlier mail. It appears I had omitted the dot between his name.
Where is Bruce Wallace ?
He was so happy meeting us at the centenary celebration, I thought he would be more than enthusiastic in making contact with us.
Then Clifton D'Aubney seems to have lost his vigour in making contact with his school buddies after all his expatriation. He hasn't replied to the two mails that I sent him. Anyway, that's his choice, I suppose.
Received a mail from AK.
By the way, I'm having another e-mail address : jayanta_ghosh47@yahoo.com. The one that you had given to Keith was my son's address. The smog has cleared. It is a bit cold today. The temperature must have dropped to 8 or 9 degrees.
Good night.
JK
Msg from Charles Tresham
Hi Rad
SANTA CLAUS
It's Never a good time to write of Santa particularly this Christmas.
While most people in the world would recognise that it may be beyond their wildest dreams to expect JESUS to intervene in the present economic mess we're in, Santa Clause and his team of Secret Santas are offering some borderline companies a real lifeline in the survival game. As a last ditch effort to shore up the economies of some of major World Industrial Nations a plan is being put forward to introduce another 11 Christmases a year so we can spend spend spend our way out of trouble. Makes sense to me and much more enjoyable than watching our houses depreciate and our pensions evaporate!
CRICKET
After dodging the bullets at Mumbai our boys went back for the humbling experience of loosing 8-0 in the one dayers..could have been 10-0. and 2-0 in the test series. Why on earth is Yuvraj chucking pies at our poor captain? How much more can our England Captain (born in SA) take?
Have a very Happy Christmas and, hopefully, a prosperous 2009.
Letter sent by J K Ghosh to Times of India.
Incidently I swtiched over from Times of India to The Telegraph, just for the trash JK mentions
Sir,
I wish to draw your kind attention to a few drawbacks regarding your newspaper. The Times of India is a popular daily, there's no doubt about that. But it contains far too many articles and pictures (some very vulgar) of movie stars and models. I suggest that you publish a separate paper on movie stars and models which would be purchased by those who are interested in them. To me it is trash.
Instead, I suggest you bring out articles on the developmental works done in various states, as is done in The Hindu. It would increase the awareness of the readers and keep them abreast of what is going on in other states. I'm sure most of your readers would welcome it.
To verify and confirm what I've stated, please publish this mail and seek the opinion of your readers.
Jayanta Ghosh
Rani Bagh, Delhi
Msg sent by John Kingsley
Hi you all, Try this one out. JohnK. This is neat........ Place your mouse at the top of the photo. You will notice it is 6:10 PM. Bring the mouse down slowly over the photo.....Nighttime appears and the lights come on.....at 7:40 PM, it's dark! Photo Technology at its best! Don't hold button down, just move mouse slowly downward over photo.
PS: This does not work on the blog.
I have added it to my weekly mail.
Msg from Karanvir Mehta
Dear Radheshyam,
My very best wishes to you and your family for a very very happy 2009. Hope it will be a better year and you will have better news to give us.
Karan
Msg from Bhaskar Chakravorti, Sudan
My Wish For You
An Abundance of Success
Unlimited Fulfillment
Boundless Joy in 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Bhaskar Chakravorti
Micro Labs Ltd
Sudan
Msg from Ranjan Guha Mazumdar
Wishing all Ex-Goethalites and their families
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR
&
PROSPEROUS 2009
Please be informed that the luncheon meeting scheduled for 04-01-09 has been postponed because most boys will be away from Kolkata / Travelling in the early part of January 2008.
The new date has been tentatively fixed for 01-02-09. So please keep yourselves and please do not accaept any appointments / engagements for that day.
We will re-confirm the date once again to you later.
Meanwhile, be HAPPY and KEEP SMILING as all Ex-Goethalites should always do.
Msg from Brian Whiter
Hi Radheshyam
Thanks for bringing the Goethalites together and for the dedicated weekly news. Here's wishing you and your family and friends a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous new year ahead.
Kind regards
Brian Whiter
Msg from Salil Misra
Thank you.I reciprocate most heartily.
SALIL
Msg from Akash Kushwani
A very very happy new year to u as well and the entire GMS alumini
Msg from Anshuman Bhardwaj
Hi Sir, Wish u merry christmas & very happy new year ahead
Best RegardsAnshuman Bhardwaj
Msg from Ralph Reeves
Hari Om Bhai Saab!!
Thanks for your good wishes for the Holiday season.
I liked your comparison of Santa and Jesus.
I fully agree with you Radesh.
I had an email from JK Ghosh. I believe your batch from GMS. It was nice talking to him. He sent me some snaps of his granddaughter and is living in Delhi at the present. The lads from around here in Toronto had a second reunion as well but I could not attend as i was working on board the ship. I'm still working and stuck for Christmas. I normally get off for Christmas, but this year we have 5 Chief Engineers down for either medicals or quit, so people like us get screwed. We have recently had 4 snow storms worst since a long time hit us even before the winter season. -28 deg. C temperatures and snow squalls and snow upto 2 feet. In my absence, my wife had to blow the snow off our driveway (300ft) on our tractor. She can't wait for me to get back and finish the job. 3 months of winter, I am sure there will be a lot of snow to blow. I also normally help out with my neighbours driveways too. We all help one another anyway. So let it snow let it snow, let it snow!!! You are lucky to be enjoying the heat rather than the snow. So Radesh, may you and your family have the best Christmas ever, and a Very Happy & prosperous New Year in 2009.
God Bless
Ralph
Msg from Thondup
Dear Chief , This is to wish you and your family A ........................... VERY VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR...... MAY 2009 BLOOM WITH MORE PROSPERITY AND JOY THAN EVER BEFORE Affectionately thondup
Happy Engineers Day
I don't know how 1at January is being celebrated as Engineers Day.
I received this from an office colleague. Being an engineer myself, I suppose I could not lose a chance of ego pumping. It made me see my profession in a new light with added halo!
Hello Engineers!!!!!
“Doctors save Life.....
Lawyers Defend Life..........
CAs Audit Life.......
But ENGINEERs is the ONLY ONE,
Who MAKES THE LIFE!!!!!!!!!! "
"HAPPY ENGINEER'S DAY"
Be proud to be one of those who makes the World.............
Wish You A Very Happy Engineers Day
Happy engineers' day
Top 20 Greatest Engineering Achievements of The 20th Century
1.Electrification
Widespread electrification gave us power for our cities, factories, farms, and homes, and forever changed our lives. Thousands of engineers made it happen, with innovative work in fuel sources, power-generating techniques, and transmission grids. From street lights to supercomputers, electric power makes our lives safer, healthier, and more convenient.
2.Automobiles
Even after Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz introduced their improved fourstroke internal combustion engine, automobiles were still poking along at a few miles an hour (a sizeable proportion of them still running on electricity or steam). They could boast no battery starter, roof, nor windows and were priced only for the rich. Then Henry Ford fine-tuned mass production and the world drove off into the age of affordable transportation—forever altering our notions of place, distance, and community.
3.Airplanes
Modern air travel transports goods and people quickly around the globe, facilitating our personal, cultural, and commercial interaction. Engineering innovations—from the Wright brothers to supersonic jets—have made it all possible.
4.Water Supply and Distribution
Today a simple turn of the tap provides clean water—a precious resource. Engineering advances in managing this resource—with water treatment, supply, and distribution systems—changed life profoundly, virtually eliminating waterborne diseases in developed nations and providing clean and abundant water for communities, farms, and industries.
5.Electronics
Electronics provide the basis for countless innovations. From vacuum tubes to transistors to integrated circuits, engineers have made electronics smaller, more powerful, and more efficient, paving the way for products that have improved the quality and convenience of modern life.
6.Radio and Television
Radio and television were major agents of social change, opening windows to other lives, to remote areas of the world, and to history in the making. From the wireless telegraph to today's advanced satellite systems, engineers have developed remarkable technologies that inform and entertain millions every day.
7.Agricultural Mechanization
The machinery of farms, such as tractors, cultivators, combines, and hundreds of others, dramatically increased farm efficiency and productivity. At the start of the century, four U.S. Farmers could feed about 10 people. By the end of the century, with the help of engineering innovation, a single farmer could feed more than 100 people.
8.Computers
The computer is a defining symbol of 20th century technology—a tool that has transformed businesses and lives around the world, increased productivity, and opened access to vast amounts of knowledge. Computers relieved the drudgery of simple tasks and brought new capabilities to complex ones. Engineering ingenuity fueled this revolution and continues to make computers faster, more powerful, and more affordable.
9.Telephones
The telephone is a cornerstone of modern life. Nearly instant connections—between friends, families, businesses, and nations—enable communications that enhance our lives, industries, and economies. With remarkable innovations, engineers have brought us from copper wire to fiber optics, from switchboards to satellites, and from party lines to the Internet.
10.Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
Air conditioning and refrigeration changed life immensely in the 20th century. Dozens of engineering innovations made it possible to transport and store fresh foods and to adapt the environment to human needs. Once luxuries, air conditioning and refrigeration are now common necessities that greatly enhance our quality of life.
11.Highways
Highways provide one of our most cherished assets—the freedom of personal mobility. Thousands of engineers built the roads, bridges, and tunnels that connect our communities, enable goods and services to reach remote areas, encourage growth, and facilitate commerce.
12.Spacecraft
From early test rockets to sophisticated satellites, the human expansion into space is perhaps the most amazing engineering feat. The development of the spacecraft has thrilled the world, expanded our knowledge base, and improved our capabilities. Thousands of useful products and services have resulted from the space program, including medical devices, improved weather forecasting, and wireless communications.
13.Internet
Initially a tool to link research center computers, the Internet has become a vital instrument of social change. Created through a series of engineering innovations, the Internet is changing business practices, educational pursuits, and personal communications. By providing global access to news, commerce, and vast stores of information, the Internet brings us together and adds convenience and efficiency to our lives.
14.Imaging
From tiny atoms to distant galaxies, imaging technologies have expanded the reach of our vision. Probing the human body, mapping ocean floors, tracking weather patterns—all are the result of engineering advances. Coupled with the computer, imaging gives us incredible new views, both within and beyond the human body and environment.
15.Household Appliances
Household appliances dramatically changed the 20th century lifestyle by eliminating much of the labor of everyday tasks. Engineering innovation produced a variety of devices, including ranges, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, and dryers. These and other products give us more free time, enable more people to work outside the home, and contribute significantly to our economy.
16.Health Technologies
Advances in medical technology have been astounding. Armed with only a few instruments in 1900, medical professionals now have an arsenal of diagnostic and treatment equipment at their disposal. Artificial organs, replacement joints, imaging technologies, and biomaterials are a few of the engineered products that improve the quality of life for millions.
17.Petroleum and Petrochemical Technologies
Petroleum has been a critical component of, providing fuel for cars, homes, and industries. Also critical, petrochemicals are used in products ranging from aspirin to zippers. Spurred on by engineering advances in oil exploration and processing, petroleum products have had an enormous effect on world economies, peoples, and politics.
18.Laser and Fiber Optics
Pulses of light from lasers are used in industrial tools, surgical devices, satellites, and other products. In communications, highly pure glass fibers now provide the infrastructure to carry information via laser-produced light—a revolutionary technical achievement. Today, a single fiber-optic cable can transmit tens of millions of phone calls, data files, and video images.
19.Nuclear Technologies
The harnessing of the atom changed the nature of war forever and astounded the world with its awesome power. Nuclear technologies also gave us a new source of electric power and new capabilities in medical research and imaging. Though controversial, the engineering achievements related to nuclear technologies remain among the most important.
20.High-Performance Materials
From the building blocks of iron and steel to the latest advances in polymers, ceramics, and composites, the 20th century has seen a revolution in materials. Engineers have tailored and enhanced material properties for uses in thousands of applications. In aircraft, medical devices, computers, and other products, high-performance materials have a great effect on our quality of life.
Please save environment - Save Life.
Always drive carefully road safety is important
Dream is not what you see in sleep
It is the thing which does not let you sleep.
I received this from an office colleague. Being an engineer myself, I suppose I could not lose a chance of ego pumping. It made me see my profession in a new light with added halo!
Hello Engineers!!!!!
“Doctors save Life.....
Lawyers Defend Life..........
CAs Audit Life.......
But ENGINEERs is the ONLY ONE,
Who MAKES THE LIFE!!!!!!!!!! "
"HAPPY ENGINEER'S DAY"
Be proud to be one of those who makes the World.............
Wish You A Very Happy Engineers Day
Happy engineers' day
Top 20 Greatest Engineering Achievements of The 20th Century
1.Electrification
Widespread electrification gave us power for our cities, factories, farms, and homes, and forever changed our lives. Thousands of engineers made it happen, with innovative work in fuel sources, power-generating techniques, and transmission grids. From street lights to supercomputers, electric power makes our lives safer, healthier, and more convenient.
2.Automobiles
Even after Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz introduced their improved fourstroke internal combustion engine, automobiles were still poking along at a few miles an hour (a sizeable proportion of them still running on electricity or steam). They could boast no battery starter, roof, nor windows and were priced only for the rich. Then Henry Ford fine-tuned mass production and the world drove off into the age of affordable transportation—forever altering our notions of place, distance, and community.
3.Airplanes
Modern air travel transports goods and people quickly around the globe, facilitating our personal, cultural, and commercial interaction. Engineering innovations—from the Wright brothers to supersonic jets—have made it all possible.
4.Water Supply and Distribution
Today a simple turn of the tap provides clean water—a precious resource. Engineering advances in managing this resource—with water treatment, supply, and distribution systems—changed life profoundly, virtually eliminating waterborne diseases in developed nations and providing clean and abundant water for communities, farms, and industries.
5.Electronics
Electronics provide the basis for countless innovations. From vacuum tubes to transistors to integrated circuits, engineers have made electronics smaller, more powerful, and more efficient, paving the way for products that have improved the quality and convenience of modern life.
6.Radio and Television
Radio and television were major agents of social change, opening windows to other lives, to remote areas of the world, and to history in the making. From the wireless telegraph to today's advanced satellite systems, engineers have developed remarkable technologies that inform and entertain millions every day.
7.Agricultural Mechanization
The machinery of farms, such as tractors, cultivators, combines, and hundreds of others, dramatically increased farm efficiency and productivity. At the start of the century, four U.S. Farmers could feed about 10 people. By the end of the century, with the help of engineering innovation, a single farmer could feed more than 100 people.
8.Computers
The computer is a defining symbol of 20th century technology—a tool that has transformed businesses and lives around the world, increased productivity, and opened access to vast amounts of knowledge. Computers relieved the drudgery of simple tasks and brought new capabilities to complex ones. Engineering ingenuity fueled this revolution and continues to make computers faster, more powerful, and more affordable.
9.Telephones
The telephone is a cornerstone of modern life. Nearly instant connections—between friends, families, businesses, and nations—enable communications that enhance our lives, industries, and economies. With remarkable innovations, engineers have brought us from copper wire to fiber optics, from switchboards to satellites, and from party lines to the Internet.
10.Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
Air conditioning and refrigeration changed life immensely in the 20th century. Dozens of engineering innovations made it possible to transport and store fresh foods and to adapt the environment to human needs. Once luxuries, air conditioning and refrigeration are now common necessities that greatly enhance our quality of life.
11.Highways
Highways provide one of our most cherished assets—the freedom of personal mobility. Thousands of engineers built the roads, bridges, and tunnels that connect our communities, enable goods and services to reach remote areas, encourage growth, and facilitate commerce.
12.Spacecraft
From early test rockets to sophisticated satellites, the human expansion into space is perhaps the most amazing engineering feat. The development of the spacecraft has thrilled the world, expanded our knowledge base, and improved our capabilities. Thousands of useful products and services have resulted from the space program, including medical devices, improved weather forecasting, and wireless communications.
13.Internet
Initially a tool to link research center computers, the Internet has become a vital instrument of social change. Created through a series of engineering innovations, the Internet is changing business practices, educational pursuits, and personal communications. By providing global access to news, commerce, and vast stores of information, the Internet brings us together and adds convenience and efficiency to our lives.
14.Imaging
From tiny atoms to distant galaxies, imaging technologies have expanded the reach of our vision. Probing the human body, mapping ocean floors, tracking weather patterns—all are the result of engineering advances. Coupled with the computer, imaging gives us incredible new views, both within and beyond the human body and environment.
15.Household Appliances
Household appliances dramatically changed the 20th century lifestyle by eliminating much of the labor of everyday tasks. Engineering innovation produced a variety of devices, including ranges, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, and dryers. These and other products give us more free time, enable more people to work outside the home, and contribute significantly to our economy.
16.Health Technologies
Advances in medical technology have been astounding. Armed with only a few instruments in 1900, medical professionals now have an arsenal of diagnostic and treatment equipment at their disposal. Artificial organs, replacement joints, imaging technologies, and biomaterials are a few of the engineered products that improve the quality of life for millions.
17.Petroleum and Petrochemical Technologies
Petroleum has been a critical component of, providing fuel for cars, homes, and industries. Also critical, petrochemicals are used in products ranging from aspirin to zippers. Spurred on by engineering advances in oil exploration and processing, petroleum products have had an enormous effect on world economies, peoples, and politics.
18.Laser and Fiber Optics
Pulses of light from lasers are used in industrial tools, surgical devices, satellites, and other products. In communications, highly pure glass fibers now provide the infrastructure to carry information via laser-produced light—a revolutionary technical achievement. Today, a single fiber-optic cable can transmit tens of millions of phone calls, data files, and video images.
19.Nuclear Technologies
The harnessing of the atom changed the nature of war forever and astounded the world with its awesome power. Nuclear technologies also gave us a new source of electric power and new capabilities in medical research and imaging. Though controversial, the engineering achievements related to nuclear technologies remain among the most important.
20.High-Performance Materials
From the building blocks of iron and steel to the latest advances in polymers, ceramics, and composites, the 20th century has seen a revolution in materials. Engineers have tailored and enhanced material properties for uses in thousands of applications. In aircraft, medical devices, computers, and other products, high-performance materials have a great effect on our quality of life.
Please save environment - Save Life.
Always drive carefully road safety is important
Dream is not what you see in sleep
It is the thing which does not let you sleep.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Shoes - What size?
New starlettes achieve fame by dropping their clothing, this we all know. But a man can become famous by dropping or rather aiming his shoes is new.
Muntadir has become famous just on this Act.
Many of our Indian politicians deserve the same treatment but our politicians are so shameless that they would collect those shoes and sell them to the poor.
I understand shoes is not a good way to start a new year blog, but then, not everyday does the President of the most powerful nation on earth has shoes thrown at him.
The following is from my Equitymaster Newsletter.
Muntadhir Al-Zaidi, the Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at President George Bush during Bush’s farewell trip to Iraq, is doing his bit to revive global demand. And creating a brand name for himself.
While there is a debate about where his shoes were manufactured (the claimants are China, Iraq, and Turkey) note how Indian shoe manufacturers have not put in their claim - yet more proof of the relative de-linking of India from the global economy. Another testament to quality - one that the advertisers will no doubt hide - is that Al-Zaidi’s brother confirmed that the reporter did not wear his "good" shoes and changed into the "other" shoes before he set out on his mission. Even anger has a cost - why waste good shoes on a bad person? So this can be the ad for the shoe manufacturer: "Not good enough for you to wear, but good enough for him!"
But the fact is that the Al-Zaidi shoes are in demand in the Middle East. Along with posters of President Bush. It will not be long before some bright entrepreneur reinvents the game of darts and creates a game called "Sho-ush" - shoes for Bush. Little plastic shoes made in China, priced in US Dollars, and packed neatly in different shades of green with a poster of Bush to hang on a nail.
Will it sell? Sure, the endorsers of "Sho-ush" are some pretty well connected people. CNN reports that Ayatollah Ahmad Janatti told his congregation in Tehran that "The shoe intifada (rebellion) in Iraq should not be overlooked easily. Well done to the Iraqi journalist for throwing the shoes at the U.S. president." Speaking to worshipers at Tehran University, Jannati labeled the shoes "more valuable than crowns, medals and signs" and believes they should be place in an Iraqi museum.
So London may boast of the Crown Jewels, and Iran can boast of the Al-Zaidi shoes.
Has the fever died down? Nope - not as yet. On December 26th, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps sponsored shoe-throwing events near Tehran University and the U.S. Embassy. CNN reported that "about 70 people stopped to toss their shoes as they walked to Friday prayer meetings on the main campus of Tehran University". This is not a dead cat bounce of a dead stock market: this is for real.
In fact, while the global art market - and the 3-kisses-on-the-cheek Indian art market - is heading for a collapse in volume and price (just like the stock markets and the unreal estate market in India) the Al-Zaidi shoes and gold are the only assets that seem to have any demand these days.
A Saudi gentleman reportedly was willing to buy the shoes for US$ 10 million. And, there have been offers for marriage made by shoe-struck fathers looking for a suitable match for their daughters.
While the Americans may not be as blunt as Al-Zaidi - they seem to have the same feelings about President-in-fade Bush. Seventy-five percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp survey released on December 26th (the same day the Iran Revolutionary Guards sponsored the Bush shoe-throw) said they're glad Bush is going; 23 percent indicated they'll miss him. "Earlier this year, Bush scored some of the lowest presidential approval ratings we've seen in half a century, so it's understandable that the public is eager for a new president to step in," said Keating Holland, CNN polling director. CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider added, "As President Bush prepares to leave office, the American public has a parting thought: Good riddance. At least that's the way the 75% feel."
The other 25% are probably working in the Wal-mart stores that will sell "Sho-ush" so they need Bush to be around - he is crucial to their jobs!
Muntadir has become famous just on this Act.
Many of our Indian politicians deserve the same treatment but our politicians are so shameless that they would collect those shoes and sell them to the poor.
I understand shoes is not a good way to start a new year blog, but then, not everyday does the President of the most powerful nation on earth has shoes thrown at him.
The following is from my Equitymaster Newsletter.
Muntadhir Al-Zaidi, the Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at President George Bush during Bush’s farewell trip to Iraq, is doing his bit to revive global demand. And creating a brand name for himself.
While there is a debate about where his shoes were manufactured (the claimants are China, Iraq, and Turkey) note how Indian shoe manufacturers have not put in their claim - yet more proof of the relative de-linking of India from the global economy. Another testament to quality - one that the advertisers will no doubt hide - is that Al-Zaidi’s brother confirmed that the reporter did not wear his "good" shoes and changed into the "other" shoes before he set out on his mission. Even anger has a cost - why waste good shoes on a bad person? So this can be the ad for the shoe manufacturer: "Not good enough for you to wear, but good enough for him!"
But the fact is that the Al-Zaidi shoes are in demand in the Middle East. Along with posters of President Bush. It will not be long before some bright entrepreneur reinvents the game of darts and creates a game called "Sho-ush" - shoes for Bush. Little plastic shoes made in China, priced in US Dollars, and packed neatly in different shades of green with a poster of Bush to hang on a nail.
Will it sell? Sure, the endorsers of "Sho-ush" are some pretty well connected people. CNN reports that Ayatollah Ahmad Janatti told his congregation in Tehran that "The shoe intifada (rebellion) in Iraq should not be overlooked easily. Well done to the Iraqi journalist for throwing the shoes at the U.S. president." Speaking to worshipers at Tehran University, Jannati labeled the shoes "more valuable than crowns, medals and signs" and believes they should be place in an Iraqi museum.
So London may boast of the Crown Jewels, and Iran can boast of the Al-Zaidi shoes.
Has the fever died down? Nope - not as yet. On December 26th, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps sponsored shoe-throwing events near Tehran University and the U.S. Embassy. CNN reported that "about 70 people stopped to toss their shoes as they walked to Friday prayer meetings on the main campus of Tehran University". This is not a dead cat bounce of a dead stock market: this is for real.
In fact, while the global art market - and the 3-kisses-on-the-cheek Indian art market - is heading for a collapse in volume and price (just like the stock markets and the unreal estate market in India) the Al-Zaidi shoes and gold are the only assets that seem to have any demand these days.
A Saudi gentleman reportedly was willing to buy the shoes for US$ 10 million. And, there have been offers for marriage made by shoe-struck fathers looking for a suitable match for their daughters.
While the Americans may not be as blunt as Al-Zaidi - they seem to have the same feelings about President-in-fade Bush. Seventy-five percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp survey released on December 26th (the same day the Iran Revolutionary Guards sponsored the Bush shoe-throw) said they're glad Bush is going; 23 percent indicated they'll miss him. "Earlier this year, Bush scored some of the lowest presidential approval ratings we've seen in half a century, so it's understandable that the public is eager for a new president to step in," said Keating Holland, CNN polling director. CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider added, "As President Bush prepares to leave office, the American public has a parting thought: Good riddance. At least that's the way the 75% feel."
The other 25% are probably working in the Wal-mart stores that will sell "Sho-ush" so they need Bush to be around - he is crucial to their jobs!
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