Document Actions
Brighter side of web - March 2007
Famous Epitaphs
· "My Jesus, mercy" Al Capone
· "The best is yet to come."
Frank Sinatra
· "This is the last of Earth! I am content!"
John Quincy Adams (1767 - 1848)
· "A tomb now suffices him for whom the world was not enough"
Alexander the Great
· "Well this was fun, let's do it again sometime."
Quniaron Bellthing (1930-2004)
· "Truth and History. 21 Men. The Boy Bandit King. He Died As He Lived. William H. Bonney 'Billy the Kid'"
Billy the Kid (unknown)
· "That's all, folks!"
Mel Blanc (the epitaph is the trademark line of cartoon character Porky Pig, whose voice was provided by Blanc for many years)
· "I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter."
Winston Churchill
· "She did it the hard way"
Bette Davis
· "Nothing's So Sacred As Honour And Nothing's So Loyal As Love"
Wyatt Earp
· "I had a lover's quarrel with the world"
Robert Frost
· "Cast a cold eye On life, on death. Horseman, pass by!"
W. B. Yeats
· "Hey Ram" (Translated "Oh, God")
Mahatma Gandhi
Photo from Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Magnolia Tree in blossom March 2007 outside Radcliffe Camera Square Oxford
“To the eyes of a miser a Guinea is more beautiful than the sun.
“The tree which moves some things to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a Green thing that stands in the way.”
The Stoning
Great comedy
A Man for all seasons is a thought provoking film that provides an intriguing portrayal of Thomas More and the testing of one man’s principles.
Paul Scofield rightly deserved an Oscar for his incomparable performance of Thomas More. He portrays both the great dignity and wit, with which he alone stood against the King. The film is not so much an examination of More’s religious principles; it is more about how men react to threats from those in authority.
The strength of the film lies in its beautifully crafted script. There are breath taking exchanges between More and Cromwell; it is like a verbal duel between the man of conscience (More) and Cromwell (the amoral bureaucrat). Through maintaining silence More resolutely and calmly sticks to his principles; using his knowledge as a lawyer, he makes it almost impossible for Cromwell to convict him on legal grounds.
Princess Diana
Much has been written about Princess Diana there seems little to add. Since her death her legacy seems to have been overshadowed by endless speculation about the nature of the car crash. It must have been on the front page of the Daily Mail more often than their beloved “House price crash imminent stories”. Anyway ignoring all the flotsam and jetsam Princess Diana did do much good work for charity she was definitely sincere in her aspiration to alleviate the suffering of even those who were marginalized by society.
The Game by Kedar Misani - Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
Quotes from Waldorf Salad
(American visitor) “5 hours from London to Torquay, couldn’t find the freeway, had to take a little backway called the M5”
(Basil Fawlty with heavy hint of sarcasm) “I’m sorry if it wasn’t wide enough, a lot of English cars have steering wheels”
“Do you have a waldorf salad? No I'm afraid we are out of waldorfs”
How Green was my Valley
“How Green was my valley” is set in a Welsh mining village during the beginning of the mining industry. It tells of how the people and community were irrevocably affected by the arrival of industrialisation. The story is told through the eyes of the Huw Morgan, the youngest brother of the Morgan family.
The film evokes a powerful imagery of the dignity, honesty and good nature of the mining communities. The atmosphere of the film is enhanced by the beautiful welsh choral singing. The music feels both spontaneous and soulful it becomes a poignant contrast to the harsh realities of mining life and is perhaps symbolic of the growing divide within the community.
- You are not expected to know the names of more than five colours.
- You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
- You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Some rather dubious Advantages of Being a Man
Other Links
Inline spell checker at Mozilla this is probably best feature of Mozilla. I am currently going through this website catching the odd spelling error.
Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July fifteen.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.
From: Funny Sayings from Court
by Po Chu-Yi
At dawn I sighed to see my hairs fall;
At dusk I sighed to see my hairs fall.
For I dreaded the time when the last lock should go...
They are all gone and I do not mind at all!
I have done with that cumbrous washing and getting dry;
My tiresome comb is forever laid aside.
Best of all, when the weather is hot and wet,
To have no top-knot weighing down on one's head!
I put aside my messy clothy wrap;
I have got rid of my dusty tasselled fringe.
In a silver jar I have stored a cold stream,
On my bald pate I trickle a ladle full.
Like on baptized with the Water of Buddha's Law,
I sit and receive this cool, cleansing joy.
Now I know why the priest who seeks Repose
Frees his heart by first shaving his head
World harmony Run in Spain
The World Harmony Run recently began in Portugal. It is currently passing through Spain and Portugal.
The World Harmony Run is founded by Sri Chinmoy it seeks to spread good will and harmony between people. There is a short description of last year's European World Harmony Run here
The photos were probably taken by Ondrej Vasilev, who is an excellent photographer.
An overprotected English princess seeks to escape the boredom and monotony of her Royal duties, by slipping away from her entourage, into the city of Rome. Lost in the eternal city and under the influence of a powerful sleeping pill, Princess Ann is taken in by an American journalist Joe Bradley (played by Gregory Peck). Temporarily free of her Royal duties the young princess takes the opportunity to spend a day pleasing herself.
On realising he has had the good fortune of stumbling on a princess Joe, with the help of photographer Eddie Albert, seek to make the day into a very profitable news story.
Tribute to American comic Johnny Carson
More: Johnny Carson video clip
Beautiful video and music by Russian Musician Boris Grebenshikov
Quotes Upperclass Twit
"Well it certainly looks as though we're in for a splendid afternoon's sport in this the 127th Upperclass Twit of the Year Show. Well the competitors will be off' in a moment so let me just identify for you. (camera zooms in on the competitors) Vivian Smith-Smythe-Smith has an O-level in chemo-hygiene. Simon-Zinc-Trumpet-Harris, married to a very attractive table lamp. Nigel Incubator-Jones, his best friend is a tree, and in his spare time he's a stockbroker."
If you like this you will definitely like this The Cheese Shop Sketch
Hail the Conquering Hero
"Hail the Conquering Hero" is a unique and fast moving tale of an unlikely Marine made hero under false pretences.
Woodrow is invalided from the Marines before he ever sees action. He is desolate at not being able to live up to the high ideals of his father, who was a decorated hero in the previous war. Feeling down on his look he bumps into some Marines who have lost all their money. Cheered by Woodrow’s charity they decide to befriend him and then proceed to cajole him into returning to his home town, with some fabricated excuses.
Woodrow really hates the idea of pretending to be a wounded hero but things seem to be out of his hands as the group of Marines push him out on to the station with a uniform and medals. The Marines are a great assortment of individuals led by the impressive Cpl. Candida (played by Jimmie Dundee). The town’s people (who have not seen any action in the war) love the idea of having a local hero to idolise. They pull out all the stops to welcome him back. They are so enamoured of Woodrow (and the tales of the Marines) they decide they want him to run for office.
The Scarlet and the Black tells the true story of Irish priest Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty who helped to save thousands of Allied POW and Jews during the German occupation of Rome 1943-44.
Monsignor O’Flaherty got to know British servicemen by visiting Italian POW camps. When Italy switched sides in 1943 many Allied servicemen fled to Rome, where they sought the help of O’Flaherty in the Vatican. The Gaestapo come to learn that there was a network dedicated to hiding Allied prisoners and sought to break the network. In particular the Gestapo chief Kappler, becomes obsessed with finding and capturing the priest at the centre of the huge operation.
"There's something afoot in the wind...the huddled masses yearning to be free..." "Baldric, have you been in the diesel oil again?"
I look forward to following the journey of Peter Foster as he travels down the River Ganges. The river Ganges is held to be sacred in India. Beginning high in the foothills of the Himalayas the Ganges is viewed as the personification of the deity Ganga. It is the Hindu belief that bathing in the Ganges can purify your sins.
Features blog and pictures by Heathcliff O'Malley
The picture of the Ganges in this blog entry is by Unmesh Swanson, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries.
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999)
Hawaii sunset
Molokai tells the true story of the Belgian Catholic missionary, Father Damien. As a young priest and missionary, Father Damien voluntarily agreed to go to the Leper Colony on Molokai and spend the rest of his life on the island caring for the forgotten victims of Leprosy. The film recalls his experiences in dealing with 100s of patients, who had effectively been left to die unaided. Before he arrived there was nothing in the way of law and order; the island was in a near state of anarchy, where the wealthiest and strongest got the little shelter there was. Father Damien had not only to fight against the terrible effects of leprosy but also the inaction and at times indifference of the civil and religious authorities. However with the meagre resources allocated to him Father Damien was instrumental in improving the material conditions and well being of the patients. After serving the Leprosy patients for several years Father Damien himself contracted the disease. Father Damien eventually died from leprosy, the disease that he had dedicated his life to mitigating its effects.
Daffodils in University Gardens.
Tulip Field in Iran
Spike Milligan and the Daleks
"How is Mr Banerjee?"
"He's not very well"
"Why's that?
"I exterminated him"
"O you shouldn't have done that."
Picture of Lion taken by Pranlobha Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
From the Goons Era
The Goons included Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe. They burst onto the radio with surreal storylines, absurd logic, puns, catchphrases and groundbreaking sound effects. They ridiculed the pomposity of those in authority and laughed at the stupidity of mankind.
The Goons had an important influence over Monty Python and the development of British Comedy
"He's fallen in the water!"
Short Aphorisms of Sri Chinmoy
Short Poems by Sri Chinmoy. From Seventy Seven Thousand Service Trees. Part 43
Photo by Kedar Misani from Zurich Switzerland, Sri Chinmoy Centre
The following concerns a question in a physics degree exam at the University of Copenhagen.
"Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer."
One student replied:
"You tie a long piece of string to the neck of the barometer, then lower the barometer from the roof of the skyscraper to the ground. The length of the string plus the length of the barometer will equal the height of the building."
This highly original answer so incensed the examiner that the student was failed. The student appealed on the grounds that his answer was indisputably correct, and the university appointed an independent arbiter to decide the case.
A great clip of the Beatles appearing on Morecambe and Wise. There is a great repartee between the Kings of Rock and the comic duo of Morecambe and Wise. Rare footage of the Beatles singing a number from "Eric's era". - although it is on the Beatles anthology
Photo by Dhananjaya of Sri Chinmoy Centre.
Comedy Links
- Funny Stretcher video I found this short video, it made me laugh.
- Weakest link - hip hop video - Just in case you missed it earlier, well worth watching.
The U.S. President (played by Peter Sellers) talks to the Russian President, as the world is on the verge of nuclear annihilation.
Peter Sellers - Comic Genius
Le Grand Voyage
Le grand Voyage is an interesting and thought provoking tale of an elderly devout Muslim making a pilgrimage to Mecca. To get to Mecca the elderly Father requires his youngest son, to drive him. Reda agrees only reluctantly, and this is only due to a sense of filial responsibility. There is a sharp divide between the two both in terms of age and outlook on life. Reda is secular a non-practising Muslim and frequently regrets having to drive his father some 3000 miles to Mecca. There is at times a painful separation between the two, as each struggles to reconcile their very different aspirations.
Windermere from Kirkstone Pass
Micheal Broadwidth is a good time triallist but is selling is bike to go on a round the world trip in a VW camper Van with his wife Helen. Good Luck! I look forward to seeing their photos as they cross the Asian subcontinent.
Visit site: Round the World 2007
Fawlty Towers Bloopers
I have seen most Fawlty Towers episodes several times, so its good to see some rare out-takes. I like the scene when Sybil shuts the door and the set nearly falls down.
1970s BBC British Comedy sets always seemed to be built on a shoestring, but it just shows that its not fancy sets which makes successful programmes...
More Fawlty Towers Clips
Young girl from Nepal
From: Photo gallery of Ranjit Swanson on a recent trip to Nepal at Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries.
Interesting blog entry here by Darren Rowse about why people unsubscribe from a blog RSS. Quite high up on the list is
- Too many posts
- Posts frequently go off topic.
With that in mind I won't be posting Economics in this blog any more. In case you do have an interest in the latest economic news you can visit by UK economics Blog
