SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY: Now 4 billion people know the joy of txt - The humble SMS is 20 years old

http://m.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/may/06/sms-text-messages-20th-birthday?cat=technology&type=article

HUMOR: A Joke For Pi Day

Here's a joke I heard back in high school for Pi Day. - OlderMusicGeek

There was the village that was far away in the mountains. And in this village, they had a young boy who was very gifted, especially in math.

But his family had died in a tragic accident, and he lived with his poor grandfather and his nephew. So since no one in the town had ever gone to college, everyone in the village chipped in and sent him off.

The college was far away, and the young man could not afford to visit his home. When he finally got his Ph.D., he went back to his home village.

There was a big celebration in the village with a parade and fireworks. Then the town asked for a speech.

The man was rather shy. "I don't know what to say!"

Someone shouted, "Tell us something you learned in college!"

The man said the first thing that came to mind - "Pi r square."

Everyone looked disappointed and slowly walked away. The only two people to remain were his grandfather and nephew.

"What did I say wrong?"

The grandfather looked at him and said, "Everybody know pie are round!"

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Thank God I Was A Racist

A fellow former Peace Corps volunteer sent me a link to this story.

It's not quite the same experience I had. The country I lived in was next door to South Africa, but had a long history of North American and European volunteers helping them out. So they were used to white people living among them.

But it's similiar enough for me to want to put it here. - OlderMusicGeek

Stories - Allow Rating/Comments Social
Thank God I Was a Racist

February 17, 2009 Hits: 22627 0

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Pen Name

Bruce Muzik

I pulled up to my new home and felt terror in the pit of my stomach. But, I knew I had to go through with this. I saw the same fear in Dad’s eyes. “Are you sure you really want to do this?” he asked. I nodded and got out of the car. Next door, two people sat on empty beer crates, drinking beer, on the otherwise deserted street. I wanted to move into my new home quietly, with time to adjust to my new surroundings. But it was too late. The beer drinkers came over to find out why Dad and I were unloading boxes from my truck.

Another local arrived to watch, and within minutes, twenty-five staring people surrounded us, faces as black as night. One of them, a woman, came forward, “Umlungu (‘white man,’ in the Xhosa tongue), what you doing?”

“I’m moving in,” I told her warily as I pointed toward the dilapidated “shantytown” house that was my home for the next thirty days. I sensed her confusion as she turned to the others and translated what I’d said into Xhosa, their native language. As if in slow motion, the looks upon their faces turned from curiosity to disbelief. The crowd murmured in unison as they grappled with the concept of a white man moving into their black community in the township of Guguletu, the African equivalent of a ghetto or shantytown. Unsure of my real motives, the woman introduced herself to me as Maureen, my new neighbor. “What do you mean you are moving in?” Maureen asked.

I decided to tell the truth, as difficult as it was for me to admit. “I recently discovered that I’m a racist,” I told her boldly, not wanting her to know how terrified I was, “and I’m moving into Guguletu to learn about your culture and conquer my fear of black people.” A look of shock crossed their faces....

Maureen looked visibly shocked to hear my admission of being a racist. She translated to the now-baffled and suspicious locals who, after a few seconds of silence, proceeded to laugh as if this was the funniest joke they had ever heard. I later found out that some of them suspected I was a part of a secret police operation sent to infiltrate and spy on them....

The next morning, I woke up with a familiar feeling growing in the pit of my stomach. The reality of my circumstance sunk in, and I wanted to hide away in bed all day. I forced myself to go outside and eat my breakfast sitting on the front steps of my house. As I watched the locals scurry off to work, a small child, dressed in a school uniform, walked past me. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me, obviously shocked to see a white face eating breakfast in his township. “Do you live here?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

He looked away, paused for a second, then turned to me and said with wisdom beyond his years “Welcome home.” He turned away and continued his walk to school. Tears rolled down my cheeks as thirty years of racial prejudice evaporated in that instant. I was home...

A link to the complete piece

HUMOR: Christmas Comics And Videos

Below are links to bunny rabbits doing 30 second reactments of the following Christmas movies...
Christmas Story
Christmas Vacation
It's A Wonderful Life

Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you're celebrating!
MY CHRISTMAS INTERNET RADIO STATIONS
OlderMusicGeek Radio - Christmas Edition
OlderMusicGeek Radio - Christmas Rock and Punk Edition
OlderMusicGeek's Christmas QuickMix

powered by PANDORA
But if you don't have Pandora, you can hear some of songs at http://www.playlist.com/oldermusicgeek

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Spreading Cheer

I found this on Yahoo. - OlderMusicGeek

Secret Santas in 3 states spread cheer, $100 bills

ST. LOUIS December 5, 2008, 09:15 pm ET · At a suburban Goodwill store on Friday, Theresa Settles selected a large, black comforter to warm her family until she can raise the money to turn the gas heat back on. A petite woman approached, her face obscured by dark sunglasses and a wrapped winter scarf, and handed Settles two $100 bills stamped with the words "secret Santa." "The only condition," she said, "is that you do something nice for someone. Pass it on."

"I will," Settles said, the only words she could get out of her mouth.

The secret Santa was a protege of Kansas City's undercover gift giver, Larry Stewart, who died of cancer nearly two years ago. Stewart roamed city streets each December doling out $100 bills to anyone who looked like they might need a lift.

Before his death in January 2007, Stewart told a friend how much he would miss his 26 years of anonymous streetside giving, during which he gave away about $1.3 million. Stewart, from the city suburb of Lee's Summit, made millions in cable television and long-distance telephone service.

The friend promised Stewart he would be a secret Santa the next year. "He squeezed my hand and that was it," said the Kansas City Santa, who would say only that he was an area businessman and investor. "I honored a promise."

Two secret Santas, one from the Kansas City area and the other from the St. Louis area, descended on thrift stores, a health clinic, convenience store and small auto repair shop to dole out $20,000 in $100 bills, hugs and words of encouragement to unsuspecting souls in need.

In this economy, they weren't hard to find.

Cynthia Brown, 40, was laid off three weeks ago from her food service job. Santa found her at the St. Louis County health clinic and gave her $100, exactly what she had asked to borrow from her mother a night ago to buy food.

"I have three daughters, and I can't get unemployment yet. I was down in food," she said.

Leotta Burbank, 50, of West Frankfurt, Ill., was at a thrift store Friday to buy decorations for her sister-in-law's room at a St. Louis hospice, where she is dying of pancreatic cancer.

When Santa gave her money, Burbank collapsed into his arms and wouldn't stop hugging him.

"God provides," she said. "This is real emotional for me."

For the secret Santas, it's not about keeping Stewart's memory alive as much as the meaning behind his legacy.

"It's not about the man, it's not about the money, it's about the message," the Kansas City Santa said. "Anyone can be a secret Santa with a kind word, gesture, a helping hand."

He said the money is given without judgment, but on the condition that the receiver pass along a kindness to someone else. Stewart began his holiday tradition at a restaurant in December 1979, after he had just been fired. He gave a waitress $20 and told her to keep the change and was struck by her gratitude.

Stewart also gave money to community causes in Kansas City and his hometown of Bruce, Miss.

The secret Santas want to expand their operation to every state, but so far only nine givers operate in Charlotte, N.C., Phoenix, St. Louis and Kansas City. They plan to start giving in Detroit this holiday season.

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On the Net:

Secret Santa World, http://secretsantaworld.net

A link to all my Christmas posts

Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you're celebrating!
MY CHRISTMAS INTERNET RADIO STATIONS
OlderMusicGeek Radio - Christmas Edition
OlderMusicGeek Radio - Christmas Rock and Punk Edition
OlderMusicGeek's Christmas QuickMix

powered by PANDORA
But if you don't have Pandora, you can hear some of songs at http://www.playlist.com/oldermusicgeek

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Memories Of Mandela On His 90th Birthday

This is from me, not some reprinted piece. - OlderMusicGeek

Well, Mr Madiba, Nelson Mandela, turned 90 last Friday.

It was kind of interesting for me when I was in Africa. I lived next door to South Africa in a country that was over 99% black.

When I went there, Nelson Mandela had been in prison for over 20 years. Everybody assumed he would die in prison. It looked like South Africa would head to civil war sooner or later.

When I left, Nelson Mandela was president of South Africa. - When I mentioned to a friend that Mandela was in prison when I arrived and was now president as I was leaving, he quipped, "Well, I guess our work is done!"

I remember hearing stories about how they were talking about releasing him, but I paid no heed. Even when they said it was in a matters of days, not years.

Then I remember catching a glance of a magazine. It looked like Mandela. And De Klerk, the then white president of South Africa! My radio had died and I hadn't a chance to buy a new one at the time.

And plastered across the bottom of the magazine was "RELEASED"!

I talked to the girl selling magazines, but she didn't speak English. So using my rudimentary knowledge of her language, I managed somehow to ask if Mandela was free. I think I asked something along the lines of "Mandela went away from the prison?"

She assured me that he had gone away from the prison.

Fortunately, at the time of the elections, I did have a radio and lived next door to someone with a tv. I have 10 cassette tapes of news broadcasts from various networks - British Broadcasting Corporation/BBC, Voice of America/VOA, South Africa Broadcasting Corporation plus other local networks.

And my neighbor invited me to come over and watch as much of the election coverage as I wanted. I was pretty much over there most of those 2 days.

Unfortunately, I wasn't near a tv when Mandela was sworn in office. I kicked myself in the head for that. That would have been a great moment to have seen.

So anyway, those of my memories of Mr Madiba, spokesman for understanding and tolerance and our "secular saint". My friend's and my work is done, and now unfortunately, Mandela seems ready to rest. But considering how much he's done, he deserves it.

Mandela's birthday message to the world...

“There are many people in South Africa who are rich and who can share those riches with those not so fortunate who have not been able to conquer poverty. Poverty has gripped our people. If you are poor, you are not likely to live long.”

A link to The Nelson Mandela Foundation