Learn English (Part 1)

#1: Bikini

In July 1946, the United States detonated two nuclear bombs at the Bikini atoll, an island in the South Pacific, which of course was big news around the world.

A year later, a French fashion designer introduced a scanty two-piece bathing suit and named it the bikini.

Unable to find a model immodest enough to wear it, he debuted it on a stripper – and it too became big news.


#2: Denim

Denim, the all-American fabric, actually gets its name from the French words de Nĭmes meaning "of Nĭmes," because it was manufactured in the French city of Nĭmes.

The word jeans is also European in origin – the name comes from the city of Genoa (earlier known as Genes) because the pants were worn by sailors in the Genoese navy.



#3: Lesbian

Originally, lesbian simply meant "from Lesbos," the Greek island pictured here.

Its current sense comes from the ancient poet Sappho, who lived on Lesbos around 600 BC and wrote poems that dealt with the relationships – sometimes passionate – between women.



#4: Tuxedo

Sometimes called a "monkey suit," its origins involve the wolf. Here's why:

In the 1880s the village of Tuxedo Park, about 50 miles north of Manhattan, became a popular resort. It was here that some young men, disregarding the fashion of the day, began to wear dinner jackets without tails.

The new style was soon called the tuxedo.

And the name of the town? It comes from a Native American word meaning wolf.

#5: Marathon

After defeating the Persians at the battle of Marathon, a town in southern Greece, the Athenians sent a messenger to run the 25 miles back home.

According to legend, he delivered the news and then dropped dead.

Marathons became 26 miles, 385 yards at the 1908 Games in London when extra yards were added so the race would finish in front of the royal box.

#6: Tequila

Developed in Mexico in the 16th century, this was probably the first distilled alcoholic beverage created in North America.

It's made from the fermented juice of the Mexican agave plant.

Some of the best was – and still is – made in the town of Tequila.



#7: Badminton

A game with an upper-crust heritage.

Badminton House is the residence of the Duke of Beaufort in southwest England, and the sport is said to have been played there for the first time in 1873.

Originally it was known as "The Game of Badminton," but soon became plain old "badminton."

It's a combination of a children's game called "battledore and shuttlecock" and poona, which was played by British officers in India in the 1860s.

#8: Hamburger

Hamburger means of or from the city of Hamburg, Germany, where this preparation of meat, originally called "Hamburg Steak", originated. In the U.S., the name was applied to the sandwich as well.

Frankfurters, by the way, originated in Frankfurt, Germany, where they were often served in beer gardens. And wieners? Named for Vienna, Austria.

***
SOURCE:Merriam Webster Dictionary

***

Today's Thought

We unconsciously imitate what pleases us, and approximate to the characters we most admire.

-- Christian Nevell Bovee

Bayi Story: Need for Evidence

An Indian who had migrated to Australia goes into Woolsworth (a grocery store in Australia). He finds cat food at special prices. He picks a dozen cans of cat food and goes to check out. The Manager gets suspicious. He thinks that this guy cannot have a cat and will probably feed cat food to his kids. He asks the Indian to show him his cat before he could let him have cat food. The Indian goes home and returns with a cat and gets to buy the cat food.

Next week the Indian finds dog food at special prices. He picks a dozen cans of dog food and goes to check out. The Manager again gets suspicious. He thinks that this guy has a cat but he cannot have a dog and he will probably feed dog-food to his kids. He asks the Indian to bring and show him the dog before he can let him have dog food. The Sardar goes home and returns with a dog. He gets to buy the dog food.

Next week the Indian comes to Woolworths with a bag. He asks the manager to put his hand in the bag. The Manager puts his hand in the bag, feels some thing slimy and immediately takes it out. He shouts at the Indian, What the F*** is this? This is shit, you Idiot?

The Indian calmly replies, “Yes, and I want to buy toilet paper.”

***
Story by: BayiSingh

***

Quote for Today

God's plan will continue on God's schedule.

--- A.W. Tozer

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

--- Hebrews 11:1
The King James Version


You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be.

-- Dr. Wayne Dyer

STREAMYX screwed

Dear Sir,

My daughter wanted to download a 160MB program last night.
To our surprise it would take 7 days to do it.
The download speed was only 260B/s, almost 2000 times slower than it should be.
This internet speed is about 4000 times slower than in Singapore.
I am staying in Arang Road area in Kuching.
We complained almost every day; no help came.

Malaysia Boleh - We created another World Record!

Appreciate if you can become my YB to "Screw" somebody.
God bless me

Regards
tmc




Dear Telekom Malaysia,

Can you explain?

****












What Streamyx/Telekom claim to be:

Experience The Internet Like Never Before with Streamyx

Streamyx

Surf the internet with Malaysia’s premier broadband provider, Streamyx. Enjoy lightening-speed downloads of up to 4.0 Mbps and unlimited usage for a fixed rate so you can always stay online without worrying about any extra charges.

Judi Bola - akan datang ke tanah air!

Football betting and sports betting will be legalized soon in the Islamic country of Malaysia.

It is reported that Berjaya Corp Bhd may get the approval from the Islamic government of Malaysia to operate sports betting activities although it is unclear which betting system will be used.

Betting football is legalized in Singapore since 1999.

So far we have not heard any objections from Ibrahim Ali and Mahathir. PAS would surely object this approval.

I think Berjaya will surely put up a big notice board declaring: Judi adalah Haram untuk semua Muslim dan budak budak berumur 21 kebawah. Lain-lain kaum nak judi, semua yang sudah lebih 21 tahun ok! This way, it should be semua ok-lah.
***

Paradox of the rich and poor

The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not the age of the country.

This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt, that are more than 2000 years old and are poor.

On the other hand, Canada, Australia & New Zealand, that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries and are rich.

The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.

Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world largest economy. The country is like an immense floating factory, importing raw material from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.

Another example is Switzerland, which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate of the world. In its little territory they raise animals and plant the soil during 4 months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality. It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order & labor, which made it the world’s strong safe.

Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.

Race or skin color are never the criteria: immigrants labeled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries, America and many other countries such as Malaysia and Singapore .

What is the difference then?

The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by the education & the culture.

On analyzing the behavior of the people in rich & developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:

1. Ethics, as a basic principle
2. Integrity
3. Responsible as an individual
4. Respect to the laws & rules
5. Respect to the rights of other citizens
6. Work loving
7. Strive for saving & investment.
8. Will of super action.
9. Punctuality
10. Competitive & Entrepreneurial spirit.

In poor countries, only a minority ever adopted these basic principles in their life.

They are not poor because they lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to them.

They are poor because they lack the right attitude and behavior. They lack mental strength to compete with others. They lack the will to work hard and lack effort to make themselves successful. They do not lack envy, greed, jealousy, selfishness, laziness and sense of robbery. They would not comply with the core principles adopted by the rich communities. Most of all, they hate those who are successful and blame others for their own ineptness.

Goethe's Quote (Part 1)

"Against criticism a man can neither protest nor defend himself; he must act in spite of it, and then it will gradually yield to him"

"Divide and rule, a sound motto; unite and lead, a better one"

"Riches amassed in haste will diminish, but those collected by little and little will multiply."

"Some of our weaknesses are born in us, others are the result of education; it is a question which of the two gives us most trouble."

"I respect the man who knows distinctly what he wishes. The greater part of all the mischief in the world arises from the fact that men do not sufficiently understand their own aims. They have undertaken to build a tower, and spend no more labor on the foundation than would be necessary to erect a hut."

--- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

***

Thoughts for Today

If you truly love someone, let them breathe their own air, digest their own food, and walk by themselves. You can steady them, point the way, love and bless them, but you cannot walk their path for them.

Let them gain their own experiences.

-- John-Roger

Nietzsche's last prose (Part 2)

"The strength of the aggressor can be measured by the opposition which he needs; every increase of growth betrays itself by a seeking out of more formidable opponents. The task is not to overcome opponents in general, but only those opponents against whom one has to summon all one's strength, one's skill, and one's swordsmanship - in fact, opponents who are one's equals ... to be one's enemy's equal - this is the first condition of an honorable duel.

The Four principles of war tactics:

Firstly, I attack only things that are triumphant - if necessary I wait until they become triumphant.

Secondly, I attack only those things against which I find no allies, against which I stand alone - against which I compromise nobody but myself.

Thirdly, I never make personal attacks - I use a personality merely as a magnifying-glass, by means of which I render a general, but elusive and scarcely noticeable evil, more apparent.

Fourthly, I attack only those things from which all personal differences are excluded, in which any such thing as a background of disagreeable experiences is lacking.


--- Friedrich Nietzsche; ECCE HOMO - How One Becomes What One is.

***

Nietzsche's last prose (Part 1)

"On this perfect day, when everything is ripening, and not only the grapes are getting brown, a ray of sunshine ha fallen on my life: I looked behind me, I looked before me, and never have I seen so many good things all at once."

"If in anything at all, it was this that I became my own master."

"The knight of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies, but also to hate his friends."

"To regard one's self as a destiny, not to wish one's self different - this is sagacity itself."

"But the disparity which obtains between the greatness of my task and the smallness of my contemporaries, is revealed by the fact that people have neither heard me nor yet seen me."

--- Friedrich Nietzsche; ECCE HOMO - How One Becomes That One is.

***
Nur Lumpe sind bescheiden (Only nobodies are ever modest)

--- Goethe (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

Today's Thought

"You may be mistreated or ridiculed, but nothing will change what you believed is possible if you persistently pour your life's blood into what you want.

"Try the impossible. Don't start low down because that's where you are now. Climb those rungs quickly before they take the ladder away. If you're afraid, say a prayer, but carry on."

"Who changes the world? Only the Super-class!


--- Paulo Coelho; The Winner Stands Alone

Mugabe to turn Zimbabwe into the Malaysia of Southern Africa

Mugabe has not made secret his clearly improbable wish to turn Zimbabwe into the Malaysia of southern Africa. He has also regularly holidayed in the south-east Asian.

In January, Zimbabwean Government seized the Malaysian owned banana farm in Burma Valley in the eastern Manicaland province, claiming the property was allocated in 2006 to Retired major-general Edzai Chimonyo under Mugabe’s controversial land reform programme.

The banana farm is operated by Matanuska, a farming organisation owned by Malaysian investors and is protected under a bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement between Harare and Kuala Lumpur.

The seizure of private land has raised questions about Zimbabwe’s commitment to uphold property rights as well as agreements entered with other countries.

Mugabe’s land reforms were necessary to correct a colonial land ownership system.

However, critics said Mugabe’s cronies in his ZANU PF party and the security establishment – and not ordinary peasants – benefited the most from farm seizures with some of them ending up with as many as six farms each against the government’s stated one-man-one-farm policy.

******************
SOURCE: www.malaysianmirror.com
***

Ibrahim Ali: So what, if I do business for the Chinese?

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali said today he will continue to speak out against the dominance of the Chinese community in business despite being forced to acknowledge today that he was at one time a proxy of Chinese tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan in Dunham Bush (M) Bhd, a company controlled by Vincent Tan who is close companion of Lingham and Mahathir.

Ibrahim Ali did not reveal who was the Chinese man who had being funding him in his political career. He did not reveal who paid for his new Pajero and who was the Chinese guy who had assisted him financially. "So what?" Ibrahim asked. "I am talking about macro economy and issues in a bigger picture...even if I did business (and act as proxies) with lots of Chinese friends and have Chinese partners, so what?"

The independent Pasir Mas MP said that his position in the company controlled Vincent Tan did not mean that he was wrong about the fact that the Chinese community dominated the economy.

Ibrahim pointed out however that his views about the Chinese community were not wrong despite being funded by them.

Journey of Life - a last passage to completion

As we journey along the road to our destination we get nearer and nearer to that desired destination. And as you get nearer, you feel more excited and anxious. However, along this long and arduous journey, we now begin to pass through the lights of the dawn with our energy sapping and the body weakening in anticipation of the expectations. It is made worse by the presence of doubts and impatience emitted from others who travels with you. My energy is depleted and I had to deal with all those who lacks patience. I know we are about there; but I don't need additional weights. Either, we continue that last passage together, or, I will journey the last passage myself.

I am not doing this for myself; it's for those underprivileged who had prayed for help and I took this divine order to do it for the benefit of those deprived children of the land.

Will I also give up? Maybe, I guess I had to, because I don't need to do it. But, that's an order from above ... I am confused and uncertain of myself.

AG & MACC seek US Justice interference

Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail said he together with former chief justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamed and chief commissioner Abu Kassim went to Washington for the purpose of discussing with the American Justice Department officials about the drafting and implementation of a few laws applicable for Malaysia and the corruption agency.

As a follow-up of that meeting, six US Justice Department officials come to Malaysia last Thursday.

Perkasa and Umno Youth are not expected to object to this "interferences" from the Americans as they are invited by our government officials and should not be seen as interfering with our legal system. Equally, whatever opinion or suggestions from the Americans should not be construed as influencing or directing our Malaysian law.

The Americans are quite happy to note that Malaysian authorities are now more receptive to their suggestions and knowledge, and America can now look forward to participating in more such discussions and playing a more positive and active role towards helping Malaysia to develop the laws and assisting in improving Malaysia's justice system.

However, the Americans must take note that their knowledge and advices are only welcome when Malaysian authorities requested for it; and when not requested they should shut up and not comment about whatsoever that they think was wrong or not right.

Another note is that, Australian suggestion or advices are not required; until such time when our officials think they want it. So, Australian MPs should shut up and not interfere; otherwise there will be more protest and demonstrations at the Australian embassy.

Chinese Virtue: Chinese will not take what don't belong to them

Chinese will take over the country? Nah! They won't, and need not.

History bears evidence that Chinese were the first to discover America and China were trading with all South East Asian countries during the Ming Dynasty; yet they did not conquer any one of them. Portugal conquered Malacca; Dutch conquered and ruled Indonesia; British and Japanese ruled Malaysia; French ruled Vietnam; Britain ruled India; etc, etc. China? They remain what they were. China even betrothed their Princess to the Sultan of Malacca and sent Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat to protect the Sultan from Siamese.

Taking cock is easy for the fiascoes. The Malay Sultanate were subdued by the British and the Japanese and the Chinese remain what they are.To Chinese, integrity and honesty are paramount and they will not be as greedy as those others who defamed them. We have our honor and leave us alone for we work hard to earn our wealth and we keep them, save them and save them for our children future. We do not need NEP, AP or those other privileges which mentally handicap people need.

Moments in Life

As we journey through challenges, we faced insurmountable hurdles, often leading to despair and hopelessness.

Today, we journeyed a path of enlightening events and we should be reaching our objectives soon.

We are positively looking forward to better things to happen in the coming days.

Today's Thought

When someone is in trouble, he seeks help.

When he has lacking, he seeks help.

When he couldn't pay bills, he seeks help.

When he is sick, he seeks help to pay medical bills.

Thereafter, when he gets rich, will he remember the person who had helped him to achieve the riches?

I think so ... maybe!!! But then, greed and selfishness are human's inherent characteristics.

**********************
Quote from: Kiplings

**********************

Tiger Wood & Elin Nordegren reconciled

Tiger & Elin finally decided to forgive and forget.

Elin starts to learn to play golf!

Khir Toyo: Restless UMNO have No Road Map

Dr Khir Toyo believes Umno must take a radical leap outside its core Malay electorate to regain non-Malay support, if they hope to win back Selangor.

“Politically, Malays will continue to be spilt, so Umno needs to gain the support of non-Malays,” the former Selangor mentri besar told The Malaysian Insider recently.

He lamented that, two years after the polls, Umno appeared to lack a clear road map to win back the state.

“Umno members on the ground are restless and want to move but there’s no wave or road map for them,” he noted.