New words threat I learnt today

I always read books and most of the times I get lot of words that I don't know the exact meaning but can make out the implications of the word. couple of days ago I wanted to switch to the mode where I can get the exact meaning. Earlier I used to go to dictionary.com. But it was not up to mark, I started getting pop-ups and it started to get annoying. I started looking for desktop dictionary software. One of them is word web. I like this since now I can read any article online and get the meaning of any word immediately. I just have to press the combinational key presses to get the meaning. very simple and easy.
Anyway, with that, here are some words that I learnt today.

• manifesto: public declaration of intentions
  
• borough: One of the administrative divisions of a large city
• ablutions: The ritual washing of a priest's hands or of sacred vessels
• ensconced: fix firmly
• filibuster': one who gives long lectures in effort to delay legislation that one opposes
• 
  

Sankranti fun!!

Hello All, Happy Sankranti to all. Happy Pongal to all. For people who dont know what pongal/sankranti is, it is a festival celebrated in India, mostly southern parts of India to celebrate the harvest. It is one of the festivals that is not directly linked to any religious reasons. It is too much of fun, where girls mostly indulge themselves in coming up with interesting rangolis ( also called rangavallika, muggu etc. See the picture for an example) and guys fly kites. Lot of great food, general fun times. I love this festival.
Anyway, here is my celebrations for the year 2008. The muggu follows and then a poem that I wrote about Sankranti the next (actually I wrote the poem an year ago, just posting it now). For those people who think the poem doesnt make sense, it is in a language called Telugu :)


inTi mundu muggulu, andulO gobbemmalu,
inTilo muddu gummalu, vaaritO muddulaaTalu,
ningilO gaalipaTaalu, gunDelO anni aaSalu,
bayaTa haridaasula gaanaalu, lOpala pillala gOlalu,
avatala Du Du basavannala aaTalu, ivatala mana vaaLLa pEkaaTalu,
vanTinTlo raka rakaala vanTakaalu, inni viSEshaalu unnave sankrAnti sambaraalu.

Gold more than $800????

What the heck? Gold has gone wild. The last time I checked gold prices it was $600/oz. Today it is $800/oz. Thats a whooping 33% increase in just a matter of few months. Instead of searching for good stocks to invest on, it is good enough if we buy gold and hold it for a while. Whew! I missed the opportunity.
I was searching for gold prices since my mom told me to check them out and buy some gold if I can for my future marriage. I agreed to her wish since she was so nice in explaining the things that would go through while getting married. It made sense and I stood in to support her. I was totally surprised that gold jumped up like that to $800. No wonder the gold companies stock was going up like crazy. One of them is KGC. Some other companies in silver are also doing well. May be we should invest in such companies.
I read some reports about prices of silver going up to $25/oz from their current $16. It is time to rethink the strategy for investment. Real estate has lost its lustre, retail market is in downturn, financial sector is in crisis. The best option does seem to be precious metals.

100 questions!

I was reading this book called " How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day" by Michael J. Gelb. It starts off explaining the life of the best genius known to mankind, at least thats what the author thinks and I second the opinion. I don't think anyone has such a breadth of research topics and contributions thank Leonardo has. I have not finished the book yet, but one of the places he mentions about writing down 100 questions that come to your mind instantaneously. You should write it in one go, without stopping. Dont judge if the question is good or bad, just keep writing. I read a similar concept elsewhere. So I sat and wrote down the 100 questions that I got. Try your 100 questions and let me know. You can add in comments.

1. who invented a pen?
2. who started the internet business?
3. why do men have nipples?
4. why do women have such an urge to talk?
5. How is emotion different from feeling?
6. what makes a heart beat?
7. why should anyone care about others?
8. why do people act like they do?
9. what is conscience?
10. who develops rockets and missiles knowing that they are harmful?
11. why do humans fight?
12. should man mingle with nature?
13. why don't polar bears live at south pole?
14. why do seals live only at south pole?
15. why does carbon occur in so many forms?
16. who cares about what I think?
17. who started caste system?
18. Does God exist?
19. what does it mean by being divine?
20. what is the difference between being religious and having faith in God?
21. who invented eraser?
22. what prompted anyone to move to digital world?
23. why are X-rays named so?
24. How many sensors are there in a car?
25. why do people of different countries fight?
26. what is the solution to ever increasing traffic problems in India?
27. How to eliminate corruption ?
28. who would be next prime minister?
29. what does it mean by leftist in politics?
30. why do even educated men and women don't have common sense?
31. How come good education doesn't provide with good ethics?
32. why are students asked to rote?
33. why do students need to go through so many closed books exams while is real life it is never going to be a closed book exam?
34. How can I come up with a good caption for my website?
35. How can I generate extra money to have fun with my family?
36. How can I invest so that I can buy a house in a couple of years?
37. How much money should I have to retire at 35 or 40?
38. what is health insurance doing regarding my hands?
39. what are the major hurdles in achieving my goal?
40. How much importance should you give to your principles?
41. what if you and your would be one has total conflict of principles?
42. Can I ever keep a girl happy?
43. why do I feel most of the talks that my friends have is shallow?
44. How can I generate more revenue through bogging?
45. what makes a countries currency more valuable than others?
46. what's the single most thing that you would takeit you have take only one thing in a catastrophe?
47. why do few people achieve more them others?
48. How much percentage of any companies expenditureis on it's advertisement?
49. If the budget of a company is reduced who should get laid off first?
50. What is the role of HR in a company?
51. who would read this biog?
52. why do cockroaches don't go so easily?
53. During conflicts, who should have upperhand?Buyer or seller?
54. How much time does an average person spend on browsing every day?
55. If football players make more money thana Nobel Laureate who should get more recognition?
56. why is financial education not a part of mainstream education?
57. How can I help young college kids to have a better future?
58. How can I inspirethe people around me to excel in whatever they are doing?
59. How much importance should be given to a person who is close to you and double plays you?
60. How many types of teas one there?
61. If restaurant business is most operand andmost closed business, what is the reason?
62. why does America have so much of natural abundance?
63. Is it worth being in the US now?
64. what establishes the stock price of a company?
65. How are stock prices determined every minute?
66. why did Da Vinci research on so many thing?
67. why do most successful menhave bad personal life?
68. why are notmany girls ambitious?
69. will a girl baby pick up a doll with equal probability as she picks up a car, it she is given choice and no apriori knowledge?
70. What makes babies' smile so cute?
71. why do men in Africa have guns in their handseven though they don't have food to eat?
72. why does US go and screw with every country in the world?
73. why do only few people get so fat and not others?
74. what is the difference between intelligence and knowledge?
75. who is better: intelligent a Knowledgeable person?
76. when would my hands be better?
77. why are men more attracted towards gambling?
78. why do people get addicted to anything?
79. what are the origins of music?
80. why should human's do about anything if nature is going to select who is best to survive?
81. why are civilizations at loggerheads with each other?
82. what is the meaning of a meaningful life?
83. If animals have instincts to kill and survive why are humans not allowed to do so?
84. what is 1% of DNA that makes us so different from apes?
85. would it ever be possible to replace a humanmind with a computer?
86. How did the concept of shoes come in to existence?
87. what makes parents take care of their children?
88. why is stock market crashing?
89. why do American car maker still make crappy mileage cars?
90. why does America still endorse gas guzzlers?
91. why is drinking beer ok in western countries, but considered bad in eastern countries?
92. why did martial arts so famous in the oriental?
93. why does a smile from loved one light yourheart?
94. where did the concept of poetry came from?
95. why are there so many divorced people is theUS?
96. why does The girl always get alimony in adivorce case?
97. Why are sexual relations so open in U.S.?
98. why are people so paranoid in trusting their neighbors?
99. why is sound life becoming so popular?
100. why did I do this exercise?