A Thought for Today-676: Thomas J. Watson

A man is known by the company he keeps. A company is known by the men it keeps - Thomas J. Watson

Facts and Figures-78: Tamil Nadu - Population

Population-wise, Tamil Nadu occupies the 7th place in India.

Self-Improvement-147: Kindness, Compassion and Love

Use your voice for kindness,
your ears for compassion,
your hands for charity,
your mind for truth,
and your heart for LOVE.

- Unknown

A Thought for Today-675: Unknown

Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations – Unknown

Facts and Figures-77: Herodotus, The Father of History

Herodotus, The Father of History

Herodotus was a Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus in the Persian Empire (modern-day Bodrum, Turkey) and lived in the fifth century BC (c. 484–c. 425 BC), a contemporary of Socrates. He is widely referred to as "The Father of History" (first conferred by Cicero); he was the first historian known to have broken from Homeric tradition to treat historical subjects as a method of investigation—specifically, by collecting his materials systematically and critically, and then arranging them into a historiographic narrative. The Histories is the only work which he is known to have produced, a record of his "inquiry" on the origins of the Greco-Persian Wars, including a wealth of geographical and ethnographical information. Some of his stories were fanciful and others inaccurate; yet he states that he was reporting only what he was told; a sizable portion of the information he provided was later confirmed by historians and archaeologists. Despite Herodotus' historical significance, little is known of his personal life and academic history.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia.

Self-Improvement-146: The Bravest, The Strongest and The Happiest

The first to apologize is THE BRAVEST.
The first to forgive is THE STRONGEST.
And the first to forget is THE HAPPIEST.

Courtesy: Top10HomeRemedies

A Thought for Today-674: Zig Ziglar

You were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success and endowed with the seeds of greatness – Zig Ziglar

A Thought for Today-673: An Inspired Approach

Step out into the world and explore your potential. You will never know what is waiting for you if you don’t go where you have not been – An Inspired Approach

Self-Improvement-145: Mary Tyler Moore

Take chances.
Make mistakes.
That is how you grow.
Pain nourishes your courage.
You have to fail in order to practice being brave.

A Thought for Today-672: Stephen Covey

Trust is equal parts character and competence. You can look at any leadership failure, and it is always a failure of one or the other - Stephen Covey

A Thought for Today-671: Cell Phones

Cell phones bring you closer to the person far from you. But take you away from the ones sitting next to you - Unknown

A Thought for Today-670: Desire, Decision and Determination

A desire changes nothing. A decision changes something. But a determination changes everything - Unknown

Self-Improvement-144: FOR STRESS-FREE LIFE

1. Accept your Fears
2. Find Happiness in Daily Life
3. Be Grateful
4. Exercise Regularly
5. Be Patient
6. Manage Your Time
7. Never Whine
8. Spend Time with Happy People
9. Respect Others

A Thought for Today-669: Zig Ziglar

If you have learnt from defeat, you have not really lost - Zig Ziglar

Facts and Figures-77: ATOMS IN A GRAIN OF SAND

It has been estimated that there are more stars in the Universe than there are grains of sand on earth, but there are more atoms in one grain of sand than there are stars in the Universe – Unusual Facts

Self-Improvement-143: William Arthur Ward

Before you speak, LISTEN.

Before you write, THINK.

Before you spend, EARN.

Before you invest, INVESTIGATE.

Before you criticize, WAIT.

Before you pray, FORGIVE.

Before you quit, TRY.

Before you retire, SAVE.

Before you die, GIVE.

- William Arthur Ward

A Thought for Today-668: Felix.H.

Every morning you have two choices: Continue to sleep with your dreams or wake up and chase them - Felix.H.

My Journal-7: CARING AND SHARING, an e-Mail Newsletter

I am posting below my new venture, an e-Mail Newsletter, which I started on Dec.1, 2015:

SURIS JOURNAL

CARING AND SHARING 

Suris Newsletter, Issue No.1, December 1, 2015

Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality – Dalai Lama

With profound apologies I commence this new weekly epistle of mine.  Yes, I already have a Tamil newsletter, ok-ok, a bilingual newsletter, PARIMAATRAM (EXCHANGE).  The problem is as most of the content is in Tamil, I think sending it to my non-Tamil and non-Tamil-knowing friends would be pointless, if not insulting.  Further, how could I let a segment of friends escape so easily?  Hence this idea of a new all-English newsletter.

The little feedback I got for my Tamil newsletter is only expected; yet it is a little disconcerting too. I will have to guess that nobody reads it, almost. Probably finding time in this hectic life of ours is not so easy, what with the torrents and cascades of information explosion. Then what is the point of this second newsletter? Well, you will have to ask my ego; I already did, but got no answer. 

Ok, it could be a sort of exercise, like the physical exercise I do now and then. Maybe at some distant future it may find a kindred, kind and sympathetic reader.  It is true that hope is the lost thing to lose. I can vouch for it from personal experience, after having lost almost everything else.

Further, the Lord’s assurance in the Gita is comforting: NO EFFORT IS EVER WASTED.  Also, He says: DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOUR

I got the inspiration for this from Jane Hirschfield: “I have to discover, to experiment, to expand the perimeters of who I am and what I might find out about this shared world, its utterly implausible shapes and unknowable unfolding”(Thanks to The Writers Almanac by Garrison Keillor, Newsletter for November 30, 2015)  Why not discover what a consummate ass I am and how stupider I can get and find out something more about the confusing, confounding and complicated world of ours. Further, like Jane, I am curious about the UNKNOWABLE UNFOLDINGS.

And now, may the Lord protect you all, for I am going to bombard you with this missile of mine every week. The only escape you have is to pray to the Lord, if you are a believer like me or ask me directly not to send it.  Sorry, there is no easier UNSUBSCRIBE option.  You have time, seven days to be precise, to prepare yourself.

As for the title of the newsletter, it is a proof that Tamil politicians have infected us all with this disease – weakness for rhyme, rhythm, alliteration and that sort of word-play. I shall not be surprised if some fellow Tamil sends a terse feedback like: CARING & SHARING,  BORING & SCARING!.

God bless you, bye!

SURI

Postscript

The Chennai Floods intervened and as all communication network got disrupted, I could not send this epistle as planned on Dec.1. 

Now, as for the floods, it was a harrowing and heartrending nightmare. Though personally we escaped most of the suffering and difficulties, vicariously we feel the agony and misery of other people who were actually affected, as we could see all that on TV and read in newspapers. It is well known that encroachment of waterbodies and poor planning were the major cause of this tragedy.  Inept handling of the situation by the civic administration  and their callous and careless attitude added greatly to the misery.  The role of voluntary organizations is praise-worthy and is the only silver lining in the cloud.  As for me, I can only pray for all the people affected by the floods here in Chennai and Cuddalore and also elsewhere in Tamil Nadu. I share their pain and agony.

Facts and Figures-76:

Half a lakh children out of school in Tamil Nadu, reports The Times of India Chennai.  Prevalance of child labour is the major reason.  For a detailed report: The Times of India, Chennai, Oct.24, 2014 issue, page number 5

Self-Improvement-142:

Want to let go? Quit holding on.

Want to be more focussed? Eliminate distractions.

Want to be empowered? Quit blaming.

Want to be heard? Start co,mmunicating.

Want to be more grateful? Stop complaining.

Want more trust? Speak the truth.

Want more love? Be more loving.