Thursday, December 21, 2006

famous christmas quotes, xmas sayings

Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.
Dale Evans

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home.
Carol Nelso

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.
Burton Hillis

Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.
Margaret Thatcher, former british PM

  • More Famous Christmas Quotes, Xmas Sayings
  • Famous Christmas Quotes, Xmas Sayings

    Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.
    Dale Evans

    Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home.
    Carol Nelso

    The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.
    Burton Hillis

    Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.
    Margaret Thatcher, former british PM

  • More Famous Christmas Quotes, Xmas Sayings
  • Monday, December 18, 2006

    christmas poems, xmasy sayings

    Famous christmas poems, xmas sayings and christian poems to share with family and friends this season.

    At Christmas I no more desire a rose
    Than wish a snow in May's newfangled mirth;
    But life of each thing that in season grows.
    William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost

    The means to gain happiness
    is to throw out from oneself,
    like a spider,
    in all directions
    an adhesive web of love,
    and to catch in it
    all that comes.
    Leo Tolstoy
  • More Famous Christmas Poems, Xmas Sayings
  • christmas poems and xmas sayings

    Famous christmas poems, xmas sayings and christian poems to share with family and friends this season.

    At Christmas I no more desire a rose
    Than wish a snow in May's newfangled mirth;
    But life of each thing that in season grows.
    William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost

    The means to gain happiness
    is to throw out from oneself,
    like a spider,
    in all directions
    an adhesive web of love,
    and to catch in it
    all that comes.
    Leo Tolstoy
  • More Famous Christmas Poems, Xmas Sayings
  • christmas poems and xmas sayings

    Famous christmas poems, xmas sayings and christian poems to share with family and friends this season.

    At Christmas I no more desire a rose
    Than wish a snow in May's newfangled mirth;
    But life of each thing that in season grows.
    William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost

    The means to gain happiness
    is to throw out from oneself,
    like a spider,
    in all directions
    an adhesive web of love,
    and to catch in it
    all that comes.
    Leo Tolstoy
  • More Famous Christmas Poems, Xmas Sayings
  • Sunday, December 17, 2006

    christmas songs, xmas carols

    Cute Christmas songs and carols to share with family and friends this season.

    Love came down at Christmas,
    Love all lovely, Love Divine;
    Love was born at Christmas;
    Star and angels gave the sign.
    Christina Rossetti

    The earth has grown old with its burden of care
    But at Christmas it always is young,
    The heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair
    And its soul full of music breaks the air,
    When the song of angels is sung.
    Phillips Brooks

    More famous songs and carols
  • Famous Christmas Carols, Xmas Songs
  • christmas songs, xmas carols

    Cute Christmas songs and carols to share with family and friends this season.


    Love came down at Christmas,
    Love all lovely, Love Divine;
    Love was born at Christmas;
    Star and angels gave the sign.
    Christina Rossetti

    The earth has grown old with its burden of care
    But at Christmas it always is young,
    The heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair
    And its soul full of music breaks the air,
    When the song of angels is sung.
    Phillips Brooks


  • More Famous Christmas Carols, Xmas Songs
  • christmas songs, xmas carols

    Cute Christmas songs and carols to share with family and friends this season.

    Love came down at Christmas,
    Love all lovely, Love Divine;
    Love was born at Christmas;
    Star and angels gave the sign.
    Christina Rossetti

    The earth has grown old with its burden of care
    But at Christmas it always is young,
    The heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair
    And its soul full of music breaks the air,
    When the song of angels is sung.
    Phillips Brooks

  • More Famous Christmas Carols, Xmas Songs
  • christmas songs, xmas carols

    Cute Christmas songs and carols to share with family and friends this season.

    Love came down at Christmas,
    Love all lovely, Love Divine;
    Love was born at Christmas;
    Star and angels gave the sign.
    Christina Rossetti

    The earth has grown old with its burden of care
    But at Christmas it always is young,
    The heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair
    And its soul full of music breaks the air,
    When the song of angels is sung.
    Phillips Brooks

  • More Famous Christmas Carols, Xmas Songs
  • Saturday, December 16, 2006

    madly in love

    If people are truly, madly, deeply in love with each other, they will find a way.
    Anonymous

    learn to give love

    The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.
    Morrie Schwartz

    Christmas gift ideas

    Christmas gift suggestions:
    To your enemy, forgiveness.
    To an opponent, tolerance.
    To a friend, your heart.
    To a customer, service.
    To all, charity.
    To every child,
    a good example.
    To yourself, respect.
    Oren Arnold

    Thursday, December 14, 2006

    happy man not in love

    A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.
    Oscar Wilde

    forgive enemies quote

    Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
    Oscar Wilde

    Wednesday, December 13, 2006

    love is kind

    Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
    1 Corinthians 13:4-7

    cute love quote

    Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.
    Robert Frost

    inspiring jesus quote

    A thousand years, before Thee, are like yesterday which was gone or like a vigil in the night. Psalm 90

    Monday, December 11, 2006

    reward of love

    The reward of love is not that you get loved back. The reward of love is that you get to love.

    future comes soon enough

    I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.
    Albert Einstein

    Tuesday, December 5, 2006

    importance of kissing

    Kiss me and you will see how important I am.
    Sylvia Plath

    Life's not that hard

    We all have these terrible stories to get over, and...
    That's not true. Some of us have great stories, pretty stories, that take place at lakes with boats and friends and noodle salad. Just no one in this car. But a lot of people, that's their story: good times, noodle salad. What makes it so hard is not that you had it bad, but that you're that pissed that so many others had it good.
    Jack Nicholsan in As Good as it Gets

    life's good if you're not serious

    Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.
    Elbert Hubbard

    Sunday, December 3, 2006

    cute love quotes

    One man all by himself is nothing. Two people who belong together make a world.

    Hans Margolius

    christmas songs, xmas carols

    Love came down at Christmas,
    Love all lovely, Love Divine;
    Love was born at Christmas;
    Star and angels gave the sign.
    Christina Rossetti

    Here Comes Santa Claus

    Here comes Santa Claus!
    Here comes Santa Claus!
    Right down Santa Claus Lane!
    Vixen and Blitzen and all his reindeer
    are pulling on the reins.
    Bells are ringing, children singing;
    All is merry and bright.
    Hang your stockings and say your prayers,
    'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.

    Here comes Santa Claus!
    Here comes Santa Claus!
    Right down Santa Claus Lane!
    He's got a bag that is filled with toys
    for the boys and girls again.
    Hear those sleigh bells jingle jangle,
    What a beautiful sight.
    Jump in bed, cover up your head,
    'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight
    Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman


    The Twelve Days of Christmas

    On the first day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    A partridge in a pear tree.

    On the second day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    Two turtle doves
    And a Partridge in a pear tree.

    On the third day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    Three French Hens,
    Two turtle doves
    And a Partridge in a pear tree.

    On the fourth day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    Four calling birds,
    Three French Hens,
    Two turtle doves
    And a Partridge in a pear tree.

    On the fifth day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    Five golden rings,
    Four calling birds,
    Three French Hens,
    Two turtle doves
    And a Partridge in a pear tree.

    On the sixth day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    Six geese a laying,
    Five golden rings,
    Four calling birds,
    Three French Hens,
    Two turtle doves
    And a Partridge in a pear tree.

    On the seventh day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    Seven swans a swimming,
    Six geese a laying,
    Five golden rings,
    Four calling birds,
    Three French Hens,
    Two turtle doves
    And a Partridge in a pear tree.

    On the eighth day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    Eight maids a milking,
    Seven swans a swimming,
    Six geese a laying,
    Five golden rings,
    Four calling birds,
    Three French Hens,
    Two turtle doves
    And a Partridge in a pear tree.

    On the ninth day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    Nine ladies dancing,
    Eight maids a milking,
    Seven swans a swimming,
    Six geese a laying,
    Five golden rings,
    Four calling birds,
    Three French Hens,
    Two turtle doves
    And a Partridge in a pear tree.

    On the tenth day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    Ten lords a leaping,
    Nine ladies dancing,
    Eight maids a milking,
    Seven swans a swimming,
    Six geese a laying,
    Five golden rings,
    Four calling birds,
    Three French Hens,
    Two turtle doves
    And a Partridge in a pear tree.

    On the eleventh day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    Eleven pipers piping,
    Ten lords a leaping,
    Nine ladies dancing,
    Eight maids a milking,
    Seven swans a swimming,
    Six geese a laying,
    Five golden rings,
    Four calling birds,
    Three French Hens,
    Two turtle doves
    And a Partridge in a pear tree.

    On the twelfth day of Christmas
    my true love sent to me:
    Twelve drummers drumming,
    Eleven pipers piping,
    Ten lords a leaping,
    Nine ladies dancing,
    Eight maids a milking,
    Seven swans a swimming,
    Six geese a laying,
    Five golden rings,
    Four calling birds,
    Three French Hens,
    Two turtle doves
    And a Partridge in a pear tree.


    I'll Be Home For Christmas

    I'll be home for Christmas
    You can count on me
    Please have snow and mistletoe
    and presents on the tree

    Christmas Eve will find me
    Where the love light gleams
    I'll be home for Christmas
    If only in my dreams
    Kim Gannon, Walter Kent


    Funny xmas melody

    O Christmas Tree

    O Gravity, O Gravity,
    All Newton's theories crowning,
    Where e'er we be, land, air, or sea,
    We're subject to your "downing"
    F equals G, m-one, m-two,
    All over R squared, yes, it's true.
    O Gravity, O Gravity,
    We cannot flee, you guarantee!
    Iona Prep, Christmas carol melodies


    A Baby Just Like You

    The season is upon us now
    A time for gifts and giving
    And as the year draws to its close
    I think about my living

    The Christmas time when I was young,
    The magic and the wonder,
    But colors dull and candles dim,
    And dark my standing under

    O little Zachary, shining light
    You've set my soul to dreaming
    You've given back my joy in life
    And filled me with new meaning

    A Savior King was born that day,
    A baby just like you,
    And as the Magi came with gifts,
    I come with my gift too

    That peace on Earth fills up your time,
    That brotherhood surrounds you.
    That you may know the warmth of love,
    And wrap it all around you

    It's just a wish, a dream I'm told
    From days when I was young
    Merry Christmas, little Zachary
    Merry Christmas, everyone
    Merry Christmas, little Zachary
    Merry Christmas, everyone
    John Denver, J. Henry


    Frosty the Snow Man

    Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul,
    With a corncob pipe and a button nose
    and two eyes made out of coal.
    Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale, they say,
    He was made of snow but the children
    know how he came to life one day.
    There must have been some magic in that
    old silk hat they found.
    For when they placed it on his head
    he began to dance around.
    O, Frosty the snowman
    was alive as he could be,
    And the children say he could laugh
    and play just the same as you and me.
    Thumpetty thump thump,
    thumpety thump thump,
    Look at Frosty go.
    Thumpetty thump thump,
    thumpety thump thump,
    Over the hills of snow.

    Frosty the snowman knew
    the sun was hot that day,
    So he said, "Let's run and
    we'll have some fun
    now before I melt away."
    Down to the village,
    with a broomstick in his hand,
    Running here and there all
    around the square saying,
    Catch me if you can.
    He led them down the streets of town
    right to the traffic cop.
    And he only paused a moment when
    he heard him holler "Stop!"
    For Frosty the snow man
    had to hurry on his way,
    But he waved goodbye saying,
    "Don't you cry,
    I'll be back again some day."
    Thumpetty thump thump,
    thumpety thump thump,
    Look at Frosty go.
    Thumpetty thump thump,
    thumpety thump thump,
    Over the hills of snow.
    Anonymous

    Christmas Dinner

    And it came to pass on a Christmas evening
    While all the doors were shuttered tight
    Outside standing, lonely boy-child
    Cold and shivering in the night

    On the street, every window
    Save but one, was gleaming bright
    And to this window walked the boy-child
    Peeking in saw, candle light

    Through other windows he had looked at turkeys
    Ducks and geese, cherry pies
    But through this window saw a grey-haired lady
    Table bare and tears in her eyes

    Into his coat reached the boy-child
    Knowing well there was little there
    He took from his pocket,
    his own Christmas dinner
    A bit of cheese, some bread to share

    His outstretched hands
    held the food and they trembled
    As the door, it opened wide
    Said he, Would you share with me Christmas dinner
    Gently said she, Come inside

    The grey-haired lady brought forth to the table
    Glasses two and her last drop of wine
    Said she, Here's a toast to everyone's Christmas
    and especially, yours and mine

    And it came to pass on that Christmas evening
    While all the doors were shuttered tight
    That in that town, the happiest Christmas
    Was shared by candle light
    Paul Stookey


    Holly Jolly Christmas

    Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
    It's the best time of the year
    I don't know if there'll be snow,
    but have a cup of cheer.
    Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
    And when you walk down the street
    Say Hello to friends you know
    and everyone you meet.

    Oh, ho, the mistletoe
    hung where you can see;
    Somebody waits for you;
    Kiss her once for me.
    Have a holly jolly Christmas,
    and in case you didn't hear,
    Oh by golly, have a holly,
    jolly Christmas this year.
    Johnny Marks


    God rest you merry, gentlemen,
    Let nothing you dismay,
    For Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
    Was born upon this day,
    To save us all from Satan's power
    When we were gone astray.
    O tidings of comfort and joy!
    For Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
    Was born on Christmas Day.
    Dinah Maria Mulock Craik in the God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen

    The earth has grown old with its burden of care
    But at Christmas it always is young,
    The heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair
    And its soul full of music breaks the air,
    When the song of angels is sung.
    Phillips Brooks

    In the old days,
    it was not called the Holiday Season;
    the Christians called it 'Christmas'
    and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukka'
    and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank.
    People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!'
    or 'Happy Hanukka!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!'"
    Dave Barry in Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide

    christmas carols, xmas songs, christmas lyrics

    love for the best things in life

    I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.
    Oscar Wilde

    funny quotes, humorous words

    Those who can - do.
    Those who can't - teach.
    H.L. Mencken

    It is by the fortune of God that, in this country, we have three
    benefits: freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and the wisdom never
    to use either.
    Mark Twain

    Friday, December 1, 2006

    worthy love quote by kahlil gibran

    And think not you can guide the course of love. For love, if it finds you worthy, shall guide your course.
    Kahil Gibran

    afraid of saying i love you

    Nearly all of us have the a bit fear and are appehensive while saying I Love You. Just came across this cute quote.
    He's a beautiful, wonderful man.

    The problem is that I just cannot tell him I love him. I feel it in my heart, and he knows that, but I am afraid to say the words. I always thought people threw the term around very loosely and I am not one who likes to say things she doesn't mean.
    I am always very honest with him, but the closest thing I can get out of my mouth is "you know how I feel about you."
    Cecilie

    developing faith and courage

    He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.
    B. C. Forbes

    Thursday, November 30, 2006

    worthiness of love

    In loving someone, I want myself to be better so as to be worthy of his love for me.
    Solomon

    no limits for women to succeed

    I think the key is for women not to set any limits.
    Martina Navratilova

    Wednesday, November 29, 2006

    love onself and romance

    To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
    Oscar Wilde

    love for god

    I believe in God like I believe in the sun, not because I can see it, but because of it all things are seen.
    CS Lewis

    self belief leads to success

    The pressure is on for people to perform at their best,
    so there has never been a greater need for effective coaching.
    Everybody’s a coach in some aspect of life.
    Regardless of whether you have an official title,
    there are people out there who need your help.

    Ken Blanchard

    Friday, November 24, 2006

    Solution for Children's School Going Problem

    Here are a few things parents need to know about school going children.

    "He can't keep up with the rest," is a common complaint. Although it needn't be taken too seriously, it must be investigated into. On the physical side, it may be due to poor eyesight, illness or fatigue. Otherwise it may mean fears, relationship problems, parental stress on studies, 'tough' teachers or any trouble en route to school.

    The physical aspects Chronic illness in some children leaves them tired with little concentration on what's being taught, sometimes poor eyesight causes a child to lag behind in taking down notes from the board. Loss of hearing or lack of concentration are also common problems with school-going children.

    Slow Memory Development
    Surprisingly some children write 'p' for 'q' even at later stages of schooling. Words that are reversed also create problems. Ten for net. This isn't a major problem and should be handled with care by teachers and parents. Do not make the child feel inadequate because of this. Train him better. It's not that he is dull or unintelligent. You need to speak to the language teacher and get your child special attention. At home spend time with him teaching him better spelling. Unattended, these children may turn out be poor sellers, often misspelling even five letter words.

    Fear of Going to School
    One the gravest errors parents make is to threaten erring children. "I'll inform your teacher. She'll give you nicely." This creates hatred for the teacher and ensures just the opposite of what you're trying to accomplish. 'Strict' teachers too add to this. Sometimes an accident or illness that originated at school creates fear , and the child will refuse to go to school. At other times a 'bully' at school may be eating his lunch every day and threatening to box him if the teacher is informed. Kids who hate physical training periods may fuss on certain days, even refusing to eat breakfast. Or feigning illness. Take this matter of factly and get him going. Don't give into all these or soon you'll find him testing your nerves.

    Points to ponder
    1> Children walk to school, but run to home.
    2> Nearly all children exhibit starting problem.
    3> Its not always something to do with studies.
    4> Loss of hearing, poor eyesight and chronic illness could be the cause.
    5> Don't guess, talk to the child to identify the root cause.
    6> Its painful for children to hold the pencil at first.
    7> Make it a point to meet the class teacher regularly.

    Tuesday, November 21, 2006

    Oscar Wilde Quotes Quotations

    Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we generally dislike.

    Oscar Wilde

    Monday, November 20, 2006

    My heart is with you

    My heart to you is given:
    Oh, do give yours to me;
    We'll lock them up together,
    And throw away the key.
    Frederick Saunders

    Mark Twain Quote Quotations

    Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
    Autobiography of Mark Twain

    Thanksgiving Quotes

    As you have your holiday feast remember to thank God and every soul for all the good given to you. Read the World's best Thanksgiving Quotes from my www.inspirationalquote.blogspot.com blog

  • Famous Thanksgiving Quotes
  • Thanksgiving Quotes

    As you have your holiday feast remember to thank God and every soul for all the good given to you.

    Sunday, November 19, 2006

    First Love Unforgettable

    How on Earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?
    Albert Einstein

    Love Poem for Wife

    HYMN TO LOVE

    We are thine, O Love, being in thee and made of thee,
    As thóu, Lóve, were the déep thóught
    And we the speech of the thought; yea, spoken are we,
    Thy fires of thought out-spoken:
    But burn'd not through us thy imagining
    Like fiérce móod in a sóng cáught,
    We were as clamour'd words a fool may fling,
    Loose words, of meaning broken.
    For what more like the brainless speech of a fool,--
    The lives travelling dark fears,
    And as a boy throws pebbles in a pool
    Thrown down abysmal places?
    Hazardous are the stars, yet is our birth
    And our journeying time theirs;
    As words of air, life makes of starry earth
    Sweet soul-delighted faces;
    As voices are we in the worldly wind;
    The great wind of the world's fate
    Is turned, as air to a shapen sound, to mind
    And marvellous desires.
    But not in the world as voices storm-shatter'd,
    Not borne down by the wind's weight;
    The rushing time rings with our splendid word
    Like darkness filled with fires.
    For Love doth use us for a sound of song,
    And Love's meaning our life wields,
    Making our souls like syllables to throng
    His tunes of exultation.
    Down the blind speed of a fatal world we fly,
    As rain blown along earth's fields;
    Yet are we god-desiring liturgy,
    Sung joys of adoration;
    Yea, made of chance and all a labouring strife,
    We go charged with a strong flame;
    For as a language Love hath seized on life
    His burning heart to story.
    Yea, Love, we are thine, the liturgy of thee.
    Thy thought's golden and glad name,
    The mortal conscience of immortal glee,
    Love's zeal in Love's own glory.

    Lascelles Abercrombie

    Famous quote on building reputation

    Driving past a McDonald’s one day, he (Warren Buffett) told his son Howie, “It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you’ll do things differently.
    Warren Buffett, America's most famous investor

    Saturday, November 18, 2006

    Love between a couple

    Between husband and wife there should be no secrets from one another. I have a very high opinion of the marriage tie. I hold that husband and wife merge in each other. They are one in two or two in one.

    Mahatma Gandhi

    Thursday, November 16, 2006

    Christmas in the heart

    He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.
    Roy L. Smith

    Wednesday, November 15, 2006

    Thanksgiving Quotes, Famous Thanksgiving Sayings, Happy Gratitude Quotes


    As you have your holiday feast remember to thank God and every soul for all the good given to you.

    If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.
    Meister Eckhart

    Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
    William Arthur Ward

    We give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
    Ritual Chant

    Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.
    Anonymous

    No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.
    Anonymous

    Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.
    Seneca

    Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.
    Anonymous

    Got no checkbooks, got no banks.
    Still I'd like to express my thanks -
    I got the sun in the mornin' and the moon at night.
    Irving Berlin

    Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.
    Estonian proverb

    On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence.
    William Jennings Bryan

    When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.
    Chinese Proverb

    It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.
    Psalm 92:1

    God gave us our relatives; thank God we can choose our friends.
    Ethel Watts Mumford

    We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
    Cynthia Ozick

    God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?"
    William A. Ward

    O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.

    The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.
    H.U. Westermayer

    The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!
    Henry Ward Beecher

    It is therefore recommended … to set apart Thursday the eighteenth day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise, that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor ..
    Samuel Adams , Father of the American Revolution, November 1, 1777

    William Shakespeare, playwright

    Without Thy sunshine and Thy rain
    We could not have the golden grain;
    Without Thy love we'd not be fed;
    We thank Thee for our daily bread.
    Anonymous

    Some people complain because God put thorns on roses,
    while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns.
    Anonymous

    He who thanks but with the lips
    Thanks but in part;
    The full, the true Thanksgiving
    Comes from the heart.J.A. Shedd



    To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude.”
    - Albert Schweitzer

    Praise God even when you don’t understand what He is doing.
    Henry Jacobsen

    To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.
    Johannes A. Gaertner

    Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.
    Cicero

    Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live.
    Jackie Windspear

    Gratitude ... goes beyond the "mine" and "thine" and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.
    Henri J. M. Nouwen

    Thanksgiving is an important ingredient in praying...If all we do is ask, and never thank God for His gifts, we are selfish. Sincere gratitude to God is one of the best ways to put fervor into our praying.
    Warren Wiersbe

    How wonderful it would be if we could help our children and grandchildren to learn thanksgiving at an early age. Thanksgiving opens the doors. It changes a child's personality. A child is resentful, negative—or thankful. Thankful children want to give, they radiate happiness, they draw people.
    Sir John Templeton

    On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence.
    William Jennings Bryan

    The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.
    H.U. Westermayer

    As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
    John Fitzgerald Kennedy

    Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.
    E.P. Powell

    Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.
    Erma Bombeck

    Thank God every day when you get up that you have something to do that day which must be done whether you like it or not. Being forced to work and forced to do your best will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues, which the idle will never know.
    Basil Carpenter

    Sunday, November 12, 2006

    Sunday, October 22, 2006

    Halloween Spooky Poems

    HALLOWEEN MAGIC

    A bald-headed ghost
    Drank some witches' brew
    And on top of his head
    A strange thing grew.

    It was pointed and tall
    And black as a bat
    With stringy long hair
    Where his head was flat.

    The sad little ghost
    Didn't want any hair
    Or a black pointed hat
    So he said, "Witch beware!"
    Then he chanted some words
    With a spell-casting switch
    And gave Halloween Night
    A bald-headed witch!!

    Barbara M. Hales

    Halloween Witches

    The witches fly
    Across the sky,
    The owls go, "Who? Who? Who?"
    The black cats yowl
    And green ghosts howl,
    "Scary Halloween to you!"

    Nina Willis Walter

    Halloween Bible Quote

    These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

    John 16:33

    Tuesday, October 17, 2006

    Halloween Vampire Quotes

    Heh Heh Heh! Lisa! Vampires are make believe, just like elves
    and gremlins and eskimos!

    Guys are always patting my bald head for luck, pinching my
    belly to hear my girlish laugh...

    Alright Brain, you don't like me, and I don't like you. But lets
    just do this, and I can get back to killing you with beer.

    Monday, October 16, 2006

    Spooky Halloween Greetings

    The witches fly
    Across the sky,
    The owls go, "Who? Who? Who?"
    The black cats yowl
    And green ghosts howl,
    "Scary Halloween to you!"

    Nina Willis Walter


    Eat, Drink, and Be Scary
    Monster mash
    My other car is a broom
    Scaring up some fun
    Boo from the crew OR The Boo Crew
    Mind Your "Mummy"

    Tomb It May Concern . . .
    Broom Parking - 5 Cents
    Creepy Characters
    Ghosts Have Real Spirit
    Chills and Thrills
    Me and My Ghoul Friends
    Which Witch is Which?!??
    Too Cute to Spook!
    Ghouls just want to have fun!
    Witchful Thinking!

    Funny Halloween Sayings

    True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about but few have seen.

    Have a fang-tastic night.

    Blood donors needed. See the Count.

    Just hanging out with my ghoul friends.

    Which witch are you?

    That's witchful thinking.

    Living in a nudist colony takes the fun out of Halloween.

    Saturday, October 14, 2006

    Orhan Pamuk Quotes, Nobel Literature Prize Author 2006

    I haven't been given any prizes in Turkey since the age of 35. I started to get harsh and envious criticism and I now don't expect to get good reviews any more.
    Orhan Pamuk Nobel Literature Prize Author 2006 about the criticism back home.

    When an English writer writes about a love affair he writes about humanity's love affair, but when I write about a love affair I am only talking about a Turk's love affair.
    upset over the discrimination between western writers and him

    I grew up in Istanbul ... among society people. I wanted to be like the Europeans. I couldn't see how I could reconcile my becoming a European with a God who required women to wrap themselves in scarves.

    Turkey is made in such a way that the country's culture is also made of two spirits not essentially fighting with each other but trying to find ways of combining. . . . In that sense, I'm slightly schizophrenic, slightly.

    I read a book one day and my whole life was changed.
    Opening line in The New Life

    The sexy thing about this book is that I broke the taboo in Western civilization where there's an invented evil person called 'an Islamic fundamentalist.

    I talk and talk too much.

    I am a writer who believes in Tolstoy's dictum: If the character is too bad, make him good.

    I was as surprised as anyone about my sales.
    Orhan Pamuk on witnessing sales go up in Turkey

    'Thirty thousand Kurds and a million Armenians were killed in Turkey. Almost no one dares speak but me, and the nationalists hate me for that.
    in a one-line interview to Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger

    I'm not saying, look, here are bad guys, here are good guys. I'm not taking sides. In fact, it's more a crying out for happiness: Life is short, enjoy it, take your girl and run away..
    Talking about his award winning book.

    But sometimes I think - am I losing my naiveness? Is the child in me - who wants to write novels - dying as I get more and more involved in politics? I don't think so - I will get out of this with dignity, soon

    The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2006 is awarded to the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk:

    "who in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures".

    Pamuk wanted to become a painter, and when he was sixteen set himself the task of copying Persian miniatures. He once said that he wanted to paint Istanbul just as Pissarro and Utrillo would have done. He now paints through words, working assiduously, seven days a week. He writes slowly, with a pen, not a computer, and has never done another job, except be a writer.
    Georgia Brown

    These are the words of a fifty-year-old writer who is trying to shape the chaotic thoughts of a long-ago adolescent.
    Orhan Pamuk on his writing

    A sword won't cut without inspiration from the pen.
    Turkish Saying

    Thursday, October 12, 2006

    Halloween Witches Horror Song

    Have witches gone the way of wonders,
    Asterisks of yesterday?
    Life restores what reason sunders,
    Lest we lose our mind for play.
    Once we knew that what we knew
    Was like a ship upon a sea.
    Evil spirits wandered through
    Eternity, and what was true
    Never tainted what might be.

    Max Reger

    Tuesday, October 10, 2006

    Happy Mind, full of Love

    A sound mind in a sound body is a short but full description of a happy state in this world.
    John Locke

    Halloween Love Greeting

    True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about but few have seen.

    Author Unknown

    Friday, October 6, 2006

    Halloween spooky scary ideas, jokes, quotes


    A collection of the best Halloween scary Quotes, Spooky Greetings and Jokes. Fearful, spooky, funny and fearful Halloween stuff you can mail friends.
    'Tis now the very witching time of night,When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes outContagion to this world.
    William Shakespeare

    Ghosts, like ladies, never speak till spoken to.
    Richard Harris Barham

    On Halloween the thing
    you must do
    Is pretend that nothing
    can frighten you
    An' if somethin' scares you
    and you want to run
    Jus' let on like
    it's Hallowe'en fun.
    19C Halloween Postcard

    The witches fly
    Across the sky,
    The owls go, "Who? Who? Who?"
    The black cats yowl And green ghosts howl,
    Scary Halloween to you!
    Nina Willis Walter

    Eye of new, and toe of frog,
    Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
    Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
    Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,
    For a charm of powerful trouble,
    Like a hell-broth boi and bubble.
    William Shakespeare in Macbeth

    Come with me
    All Hallow's night
    We'll frighten everyone in sight
    Such pranks for ince,are justified
    And fun and frolic amplified.
    A 19 C Halloween Postcard

    If the thoughts of witches and goblins
    Make you nervous and fill you with fear,
    Tie two horseshoes with a lovers knot,
    And think of one that’s most dear.
    Vintage Greeting

    Just a little witch
    on high
    She'll tell you that
    your love is nigh
    Your fortune on Hallowe'en
    when told
    My secret will the witch unfold.
    a 19th Century Hallowe'en Postcard

    What fearful shapes and shadows beset his path, amidst the dim and ghastly glare of a snowy night! With what wistful look did he eye every trembling ray of light streaming across the waste fields from some distant window! How often was he appalled by some shrub covered with snow, which, like a sheeted spectre, beset his very path! How often did he shrink with curdling awe at the sound of his own steps on the frosty crust beneath his feet; and dread to look over his shoulder, lest he should behold some uncouth being tramping close behind him! and how often was he thrown into complete dismay by some rushing blast, howling among the trees, in the idea that it was the Galloping Hessian on one of his nightly scourings!
    Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleep Hollow

    Shadows of a thousand years
    rise again unseen,
    Voices whisper in the trees,
    "Tonight is Halloween!"
    Dexter Kozen

    By the pricking of my thumbs
    Something wicked this way comes.
    William Shakespeare

    Where there is no imagination,there is no horror.
    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes

    Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.
    Lindsay Lohan, Mean Girls

    Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble.
    William Shakespeare


    Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble
    William Shakespeare

    Tis the night - the night
    Of the grave's delight,
    And the warlocks are at their play;
    Ye think that without
    The wild winds shout,
    But no, it is they - it is they
    Arthur Cleveland Coxe

    One need not be a chamber to be haunted;
    One need not be a house;
    The brain has corridors surpassing
    Material place.
    Emily Dickinson

    At first cock-crow the ghosts must go
    Back to their quiet graves below.
    Theodosia Garrison

    Outside the ring of dancing warriors with spears and axes stood wolves at a respectful distance, watching and waiting.
    JRR. Tolkien

    From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!
    Old Scottish Saying

    Just like a ghost,
    you've been a-hauntin' my dreams,
    So I'll propose on Halloween.
    Love is kinda crazy
    with a spooky little girl like you.
    Classics IV

    Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
    Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
    Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
    Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,
    For a charm of powerful trouble,
    Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
    William Shakespeare

    Halloween Humor Epitaphs on Tombstones

    Come blooming youths, as you pass by , And on these lines do cast an eye. As you are now, so once was I; As I am now, so must you be; Prepare for death and follow me

    Beneath this stone, a lump of clay lies
    ARABELLY YOUNG
    Who on the twenty-fourth of May
    Began to hold her tongue

    Nothing on Earth (is) so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night.
    Steve Almond

    It's strange, because I remember the biggest point of my childhood was one Halloween when I was trick or treating and ended up at Henry Winkler's house and he answered the door. So I got to meet The Fonz. That was cool.
    Brian Austin Green

    Some Halloween jokes

    Q: Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?
    A: He had no guts.
    Q: What do ghosts love to have for desert?
    A: Iced screams
    Q: What is a monster's favourite bean?
    A: A human bean
    Q: What do you call a nervous witch?
    A: A twitch

    Halloween is a scary event but something we look forward to. Hope you enjoyed the spooky greetings and quotes. Feel free to share them with friends and family.


    Halloween Poem for children


    Let the Children Be


    'Twas Halloween night and all through the sky,

    The clouds hid the moon as the bats glided by.

    I was dressed all in white in my mama's old sheet,

    Walking with friends down the ghost-haunted street.


    All the kids were dressed in bright costumed array,

    While flashlights and street lights guided our way.

    We giggled and laughed as we hurried to each door,

    Ringing or knocking, then laughing some more.


    There were pumpkins aglow and skeletons dangling,

    Scarecrows and shadows and silver chains clanging.

    Grownups in masked faces opened doors in greeting,

    As we stood with our bags and waited for treating.


    Some people say that we should not have this night,

    That too many kids are harmed by the sights or the fright -

    But it's the one time a year when we can pretend to be

    Someone else for a while, not you - not even me.

    Let them celebrate now, as the bats glide on by,

    For childhood is brief, like the blink of an eye.

    Listen to their laughter and let the children be

    Someone else for a while, not you and not even me.

    Judith A. Lindberg

    Thursday, September 28, 2006

    Improving Customer Service Processes

    People, processes and problems in service

    I get a call from a call centre customer executive that there is a problem with my payment against my credit card. This is the beginning of the numerous calls, mails, personal visits which will be carried out by me in the next few days to resolve the problem. Different parts of the bank are handling different things for the same customer that’s me. Poor me I am told to do different things by different people. Poor customer executives of the call centre, they get bombarded by me for nothing they can do. They just are following a process. They cannot solve problems

    We are getting letters from the DPs asking us to present ourselves in person with our PAN cards for verification as per SEBI guidelines. Now, my friend is overseas. I ask the bank executive what do we do in his case. He has no clue. His manager, ditto.

    The cell companies are worse. Wrong bills, wrong addresses, the small enterprise of ours has faced all these problems. Account manager, account executive, Collection executive, Call centre executives, no no one has resolved the problems. They occur month after month.

    Mails come with the standard reply – “This is an automated response. Your complaint id is 420. You will be contacted shortly” How short is the shortly supposed to be. Is anyone tracking the duration fo the shortly.

    Calls from the call centres are a gem in customer service, the starting and the end that is. Starting – “Welcome to One-more-cell-company, what can I do for you Sir?”. The ending – “Is there anything else I can do for you Sir? Have a good day Sir.” Everything between the start and the end is a mess.

    Problems are remaining problems. I feel things are getting worse as far as service to customers are concerned.

    The main reason for all this is a mess up between processes and people. We are failing to differentiate the two. The purposes, advantages, capabilities and limitations of people and processes are confused.

    Processes are met to ensure the policies, initiatives are carried out in a manner where there is least amount of problem to the customers.
    Yet problems will occur.
    People should be meant to solve these problems which come inspite of processes.

    If we expect processes to take care of problems too it will not happen. That’s where the trouble starts.

    The main reason for all the problems in poor customer service is that there is little harmony in the engine supposed to serve and earn business.

    First, the processes are not in place. We are used to announcements on policies first. New initiatives are announced. No process is in place. This is a day to day affair across organisations, public and corporates. It is easy to announce new products, initiatives, policies, but without the processes in place they don’t take off or create a mess. Worst affected by this callous attitude of “policy first, process later” are the executives who are directly facing the customers. They are flooded with all sorts of queries. But they have no clue about these. They are not told what is happening. They do not know how to answer the queries of the customers.

    Second, the processes which are created are not dynamic. If there is any change in the assumptions or the environment, and it will be there, the process is not able to take care. Response required to make the changes in the processes are slow. Again the people at the customer end are left to face the tune.

    Third, the people who are facing the customers are not quipped to solve problems, provide solutions. They have between trained to speak courteous words and give data. No, they are not problem solvers. You ask them anything beyond data and how you need to resolve your problem and all they can do is record your problem and someone will in their opinion get back.

    Problems will occur. Organisations should build the assumption that processes will not suffice. There will special situations, special individual cases which will not be common and not foreseen. However, these will have to be handled and for this we need people who are equipped with good knowledge and holistic view of the processes, good analytical and problem solving skills and empowered to take decisions and make exceptions.

    Fourth, let us keep room for face to face interaction. Smiles, eye contacts, discussions go a long way in resolving problems than the emails and phone calls (different people at different times for the same issue).

    Processes should ensure problems are minimal. People should be able to solve the minimal problems when they come up.

    Here are some suggestions:

    1. Let us have a moratorium on new policies, products and initiatives till we know that the existing ones are working fine.
    2. New policies, initiatives, products should be announced only after the process is in place. In fact when announcing the policies, products and initiatives, the process should be announced.
    3. The date of roll out for the customers should be only after all staff at the customer level is fully equipped about the process and procedures related.
    4. We should have a certain percentage of executives/managers at different places who are specialists empowered problem solvers. Like what we have in the police. The normal policemen are meant to ensure law & order. But to handle special situations there are specialists trained personnel.
    5. We should have contact centres at different locations where people can walk into. Even the distance learning universities/institutes/centres have contact centres to ensure there is this personal touch and contact. Where there is service, personal touch cannot be done away with.

    Longing for Love

    Three passions ... have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and the unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.

    Bertrand Russell

    Lessons from Life

    Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
    Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

    Author Unknown

    Monday, September 25, 2006

    Best Friendship Quotes

    Do not save your loving speeches
    for your friends till they are dead;
    Do not write them on their tombstones,
    speak them rather now instead.


    Anna Cummins


    How to Save a Life lyrics

    Step one you say we need to talk
    he walks you say sit down it's just a talk
    he smiles politely back at you
    you stare politely right on through
    some sort of window to your right
    as he goes left and you stay right
    between the lines of fear and blame
    and you begin to wonder why you came
     
    Where did i go wrong, i lost a friend
    somewhere along in the bitterness
    and i would have stayed up with you all night
    had i known how to save a life
     
    Let him know that you know best
    cause after all you do know best
    try to slip past his defense
    without granting innocence
    lay down a list of what is wrong
    the things you've told him all along
    and pray to god he hears you
     
    Where did i go wrong, i lost a friend
    somewhere along in the bitterness
    and i would have stayed up with you all night
    had i known how to save a life
     
    As he begins to raise his voice
    you lower yours and grant him one last choice
    drive until you lose the road
    or break with the ones you've followed
    he will do one of two things
    he will admit to everything
    or he'll say he's just not the same
    and you'll begin to wonder why you came
     
    Where did i go wrong, i lost a friend
    somewhere along in the bitterness
    and i would have stayed up with you all night
    had i known how to save a life
     
    Artist: The Fray
     

    Sunday, September 24, 2006

    Hope of Tomorrow

    It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.

    Author Unknown

    Saturday, September 23, 2006

    Quotable Quotes by Famous People

    We know what we are, but not what we may be.

    Shakespeare

    In the end, will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.

    Martin Luther King, JR.

    The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.

    Anonymous

    Romantic Sayings and Love Sayings


    Sayings about Romance abound in history, literature and life. Read this collection of an author in love with life.



    The love we give away is the only love we keep.



    Elbert Hubbard




    Love is to great not to be shared.




    Author unknown



    When you're in love you never really know.




    Natalie Clifford Barney




    I have nothing more to give you than my heart.




    Love does much, money does everything.




    Love will find a way.




    Spanish sayings




    Where there is love there is life.




    Mahatma Gandhi




    Small streams of caring become large pools of love.




    Love is happeiness in a box and trust is the key.




    Anonymous love sayings




    The supreme happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved.




    Victor Hugo, French author, Les Misrables




    To love is nothing.... to be loved is something... to love, and be loved is everything.




    Anonymous



    The course of true love never did run smooth




    William Shakespeare




    Here is my heart, guard it well.




    French saying




    Special people know how to give good hugs, but people in love give backrubs.




    Motto




    The truly important things in life - love, beauty, and one's own uniqueness - are
    constantly being overlooked.




    Pablo Casals




    Whom the gods love die young.




    Spanish saying




    It is when we earn love least that we need it the most.




    Anonymous




    Of all pains, the greatest pain, is to love, but love in vain.




    Spanish saying



    Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.




    There are no goodbye's in any love, just a time till you see or talk to the love again.




    To love abundantly is to live abundantly.




    Henry Drummond



    To love someone deeply gives you strength.




    Lao Tzu



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  • Friday, September 22, 2006

    Right People are the Resouces to Take Companies Forward

    Enterprises, associates and employees

    We keep hearing this – people are our biggest asset. It is clichéd. I don’t think people mean or meant it so much as it was propogated. Maybe people were trying to believe in it, internalize it by saying and hearing this more and more.

    Nevertheless, I have had the experience of experiencing this first hand. Enterprises are made of two kinds of people – associates and employees. There is a lot of difference in the two.

    Starting an enterprise has taught be many more things than I had learnt before, not the least of which was about myself. Biggest learning about an enterprise was the need for quality people. Enterprises are not about capital, ideas, plans, other resources. It is all about having the right people. The capacity of the organisation or enterprise is purely based on the people we have. I could have a great idea, kicked up with exciting innovations, I could find people ready to fund (this is easy to find these days), could draw a great business plan, but if I do not have the right people nothing will take off. In fact I have dealt with failed plans for lack of people to run with me to carry it forward. Some of my ideas have remained just that for the same reason.

    I come to believe that getting the right people is the starting point for an enterprise. If you have the right people you can accomplish what you want. If you do not have them, you cannot achieve the best of plans. Today I am wiser in that sense. No point is crying and getting frustrated that I am not able to progress. I have to calibrate my plans and aspirations based on the people around me and people I can find.

    Get me a business plan and to know whether it is going to work or not, I will ask who are the people who are going to carry out the plan, what are their capabilities – not necessarily “have done it before” experience. If you think you have the right people, rest is not necessary. You can be sure it will take off. If you do not have the right people, you can skip the plan totally. It will not take off. Period.

    Now the biggest issue is finding these “good”, “right” people. People who share a common spirit and attitude to a cause, but an uncommon and not common approaches and capabilities. These people can then be able to put their different mental make-ups to create, execute, operate, run, manage the enterprise.

    These people are what I call associates. Because they need to get associated to the cause.

    Getting these people are the biggest challenge. These cannot be hired or recruited. They have to get associated. Hiring or recruiting is a professional process where skills are deployed for a task. Association is an engagement where the heart and the soul are in it for a cause. Tasks come to an end. Causes do not. Hiring/deployment is an impersonal process. Association is a personal process. Hiring is about tasks, association is about relationships.

    Yes, associates cannot be many. But the few will make all the difference. The rest, apart from the few are employees, employed to perform tasks. Not everyone in an enterprise can be associates. But without a certain critical mass of association organisations cannot take off. If there are enough number of associates, you can always hire for tasks. But hiring for tasks without enough associates will not take off.

    Did you say enterprise? Ok, where are your associates?

    Thursday, September 21, 2006

    Do People Change or Adapt Their Attitudes

    People do not change, people adapt. I look at so many people I know around me. Childhood friends, school mates, college mates, colleagues from career, family members and so on. I find most of the people have not changed. Their basic attitudes remain the same, their strengths and weaknesses remain the same, their likes and dislikes have remained the same. What then has happened to them? What is different in them? They have been adapting; adapting to changes in life. They have been adapting to changes in their phase of life, from student to work life, one job to another, one career to another, bachelorhood to family life. Things that come with age, time, and phases of life. They have been adapting, learning to manage using their basic inherent qualities and do things differently and different things.

    This is fundamental difference. People do not change, people adapt. Change is a long drawn process and is influenced by strong factors over time. Adaptation is natural to human beings.

    This difference is critical for human resources professional. We are expected to be change managers, we are expected to bring change in people, change in organisation. We maybe should be taking a different approach where we do not focus on change but on adaptation.

    Let us take the case of training. There is so much of effort which is put on training people. HR professionals are asked why don’t you design a training programme for this and that. Essentially we are told why don’t you change this person. But is it possible? Is there a better way of handling this – improving performance to meet certain objectives?

    I think instead of asking how do we bring a difference in people by way of training them, we should focus on how do we use people strengths. How do we help people adapt to different perspectives? How do we sharpen the skills in the contexts of the business. Some of the ways in which we need to do is, change people’s roles/ assignments to suit their natural characteristic, traits. Give people different roles where they can try and see if they are able to adapt and grow. For example giving change in function, assignments, roles etc. This is what we call exposure, perspective etc. This is not something new. We need to do more of this and make it a core of people development.

    Basic skills ability to solve problems, analytical skills, ability to perceive situations, eye for detail, emotional intelligence, natural instinct for numbers, people, creativity, innovation, interests in people, tasks, social skills, remain what they are. Yes they may get sharpened, or accentuated.
    What changes are newer technologies, using new tools, ability to handle greater level of complexity, risk taking, judgment, These again cannot be taught, but are leant with facilitation from the outside.

    When two people are tough to drive a car, they learn how to drive using the various tools in the car like the gears, clutch, brake etc. With some practice, they both become conversant in driving the car with ease, make judgments while they drive. But then how they really drive the car is based on the difference in the mental make up. For example the speed, apitite for driving long distance, etc. differ.

    There is a difference between teaching and learning. Training is more an external process, driven from the outside. Whereas learning is an internal process driven from the inside. The focus has to be on learning. It is wrong to emphasise on training. It will just not help. Look at the countless training programs people go to. They remain that - programs. What do we people learn from these programs? How much change does it bring in them?

    People should be allowed to exercise their natural abilities, adapt themselves to newer contexts learning through their natural inherent process. Organisations should facilitate the adaptation, and use the natural abilities and create environment for sharpening the skills and tools.

    Somewhere along changes in jobs, careers etc are linked to this aspect of change and adapt. It may be worthwhile to ponder into this aspect.

    People want to handle newer things, greater level of complexity and something they see as meaningful and truthful to them

    Disgruntlement crops us when these seem either unfulfilled or they are eroded. One of the reasons most HR people are frustrated are when they see that they are doing things which are meaningful or truthful. They know they are doing things which are not adding value. They are unable to do things in the manner they would prefer to. Executives after some point get frustrated when they feel that their organisation is not willing to change, take risks, adapt. Executives get disgruntled when they are not able to handle complexity in terms of business, technical problems etc.

    Only two of the HR guys in my reasonably big circle of HR guys say they are happy. Most of the others are “looking out”. Both of them are handling roles and doing things they have not done before. That’s what makes sense and gives them the excitement. They are seeing global areas, greater level of complexity, making a difference to the business etc.

    At the same time we also have to bear the fact that the organisation wants to accomplish more, wants to grow, wants people to take on more and do more, do differently. So on the one side we have a desire coupled with disgruntlement due to non fulfillment of the basic urges and on the other hand we have the organisations which are crying for capable resources. We need to be able to allow the natural process of adaptation to yield to both rather than focus on something unnatural a nd long drawn such as change to become the focus of attention.

    If we could make facilitation of adaptation the key then the what we will do and how we do in HR will be different

    In conclusion:
    We should focus on adaptation and not change. People do have an inherent nature and urge to adapt to higher level of things – complexity, newness, meaningfulness etc. HR should facilitate in the process of adaptation and not indulge in bringing change in people. They can do a lot in this direction which will thus be of more use to the organisation as well as the individual.

    Skills a Good Recruiter must Develop

    The other day someone in my team of recruiters wanted to know what it takes to be a good professional in recruitment. Here are my views:

    Competencies expected of a professional in recruitment

  • Communication
    Ability to write good mails which are clear, grammatically correct and formatted correctly
    Ability to speak in a manner which is polite courteous and appealing

    Multi tasking
    Ability to handle different tasks at the same time either through self or through others
    Ensuring adequate effort and progress is made on all activities

    Relationship
    Making calls, connecting to the client representative to clearly understand requirements
    Making calls even when it is not purely for a particular requirement
    Meeting personally the client representatives once in a while to build a personal rapport

    Organisation
    Being organized on mails, documents, spreadsheets etc. Having data and information on tips
    Using time effectively
    Using various tools very effectively including MS Outlook (contacts), Google desktop, messengers etc.

    Ownership
    Measure oneself against tasks and results achieved, for instance, closures to requirements, time to closures, closures to joinees
    Put the extra effort needed to fulfill the requirements
    Building database pro-actively so that it will be useful at a later point in time

    Collaboration
    Knowing the various clients and requirements which are being worked on by others in the organisation
    Giving help to others for their requirements
    Taking help from others

    Deadline focus
    Giving feedback when committed; if you say you will get back by certain time getting back by that time
    Following up with others to ensure the tasks are committed on time

    Innovation
    Bringing up new ideas to help in achieving higher levels of results
    Building awareness of what is happening outside this organization in the industry we are in

    Networking
    Build connections with newer people (not just candidates for current requirements) who could be HR people, potential candidates in different organisation, other consultants, other business leaders etc.

    Judgment
    Ability to make judgments based on past experiences of self and others to take decisions / risks which more often than not yield results
    Judgment on people – who will click, who will not etc.

    Influencing
    Ability to persuade people based on facts, perceptions to make decisions in your favour
    Ability to persuade client representatives to look at things in a different (your) perspective
    Being knowledgeable enough to make the other person listen to you
    Handling different people differently

    Listening
    Carefully attention to what is being communicated to you, picking up the facts and perceptions to act upon and make judgments on.

    Emotional intelligence
    Ability to handle negative emotions including anger, No, disappointments, stress
    Aggression, fire in the belly, aspiring, ability to push oneself
    Being open, transparent, inclusive

    Grip on numbers
    Have eye for details on numbers
    Chase numbers, like revenue, profitability, costs etc.
    Reasonably good in Excel
  • Muhammad Ali Quotes

    Muhammad Ali, the boxer's best quotations, quips, wits. Collected by me. I've met and interviewed him in 1990.

    I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

    Muhammad Ali, American boxing legend

    It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.

    Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.


    If the culprits are Muslim, they have twisted the teachings of Islam. Whoever performed, or is behind, the terrorist attacks in the United States of America does not represent Islam. God is not behind assassins. Anyone involved in this must pay for their evil.

    The American flag is a symbol of freedom and hope for citizens around the globe. It is a daily reminder of the values and liberties promised in our Constitution.

    My mother once told me that my confidence in myself made her believe in me. I thought that was funny, because it was her confidence in me that strengthened my belief in myself. I didn't realize it then, but from the very beginning, my parents were helping me build the foundation for my life.

    Muhammad Ali, quotation from his latest book Soul of a Butterfly.

    I am the greatest. It's not bragging if you can back it up.

    I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.

    It's lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believe in myself. The dignity of human beings and their direct connection with God, not labels and differences, was the central focus of his life.

    Muhammad Ali, American boxing legend, on the death of Pope John Paul II

    It is time to pass on the values, beliefs and principles that made me a champ to the next generation of champions. I believe that better nutrition and respect for the mind and body will give everybody today the opportunity to rise above and be the best they can be.

    I ain't got no quarrel with those Vietcong" and "no Vietcong ever called me nigger.

    I am America. I am the part you won't recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me.

    Women are not made to be hit in the breast, and face like that... the body's not made to be punched right here. Ali on women in boxing, pointing to his chest

    Athlete of the Century
    , Sports Illustrated

    Wednesday, September 20, 2006

    Even the nonbeliever is precious to God

    I mean, you don't have to believe in God to know that loving is better than hating. We are trying to remind them that all of us are fundamentally good. The aberration is the bad person. God is not upset that Gandhi was not a Christian, because God is not a Christian! All of God's children and their different faiths help us to realize the immensity of God. No faith contains the whole truth about God. And certainly Christians don't have a corner on God. All of us belong to God. Even the nonbeliever is precious to God. And one simply tries to remind them that they are made for transcendence. They are made for goodness.
    Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu

    Tuesday, September 19, 2006

    Points to Ponder in Children’s Behavior Problems

    Your child will learn a lot from your behavior, choose how you want him to grow up. Improving your personality has a bearing on the child. Set an example and the child will follow suit.

    Write down clearly how you’d want your son to be

    At home
    At work
    At social life

    Points to ponder

    Character and values are vital to happiness in life
    Attitude is key to success
    Relationships are critical

    Behavior problems - Never forget that
    1> Its unwise to confront the child with a behavior problem.
    2> First, confirm that he has made a mistake.
    3> You must first follow the rules.
    4> Threatening or spanking should be the last resort.
    5> Rewarding good behavior ensures repetition of the same.
    6> Children love to please their parents
    7> Love, care and understanding alone can help your child.
    8> Degrading your son in front of other children will only worsen your problem.
    9> Complaining to others will affect his self-esteem.

    Bernard Shaw Quotes on Life

    If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.

    The fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education.

    The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact
    that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.

    A fashion is nothing but an induced epidemic.

    A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

    Do you know what a pessimist is? A person who thinks everybody as nasty as himself, and hates them for it.

    I dread success. To have succeeded is to have finished one's business on earth, like the male spider, who is killed by the female the moment he has succeeded in his courtship. I like a state of continual becoming, with a goal in front and not behind.

    George Bernard Shaw

    A day's work is a day's work, neither more nor liess, and the man who does it needs a day's sustenance, a night's repose and due leisure, whether he be painter or ploughman.

    The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

    When two people are under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions, they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part.

    GB Shaw

    There is no satisfaction in hanging a man who does not object to it.
    Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it.

    There is no love sincerer than the love of food.

    There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it.

    He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.

    Marriage is popular because it combines the maximum of temptation with the maximum of opportunity.

    Silence is the perfect expression of scorn.

    A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it; it would be hell on earth.

    It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid.

    No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means.

    The only time my education was interrupted was when I was in school.

    The secret of success is to offend the greatest number of people.

    When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth.

    You use a glass mirror to see your face: you use works of art to see your soul.

    Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.

    What really flatters a man is that you think him worth flattering.

    If you have an apple and I have an apple, and we exchange apples, we both still only have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea, and we exchange ideas, we each now have two ideas.

    As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.

    G B Shaw on Women
    The fickleness of the women I love is only equaled by the infernal constancy of the women who love me.

    The test of a man or woman's breeding is how they behave in a quarrel.

    I don't want to talk grammar, I want to talk like a lady.

    Women upset everything. When you let them into your life, you find that the woman is driving at one thing and you're driving at another.

    George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright and critic

    Monday, September 18, 2006

    Keeping pace with socio-economic-techno trends

    The purpose of the blog is to explore how people learn and grow. This is based on:
    1. my experiences and observations in the HR function
    2. my experience from running a placement company wherein we get to interact with a cross section of employers and employees
    3. interest in exploring the changes which are taking place in the manner and behaviours related to learning which to me is a very wide field in itself; and can be viewed from so many different persepctives and is the key to the progress of the humankind.

    Without learning there is nothing, learning is everything.

    While learning is the key aspect, the environment which organisations create are essentially driven towards facilitating learning and growth. I believe the central theme of any organisation is creating such an environment.

    Therefore while exploring learning and growth, we need to also touch upon issues pertaining to the creation of such an environment in the organisations. This takes us to the domain of the function called HR. However, HR as is practised, more or less, in my view is from a very narrow perspective. Not that it is not important, but that it will need to go through a radical change. My idea of the blog is to ideate, put thoughts on aspects of HR (not from the narrow perspective but from the human behaviour perspective) which I believe should lead to the learning and growth of human beings.

    Let me now put on one such thought for discussion. One of my biggest grouses against HR in the manner it is practised today is that it has not kept pace with the socio-economic-techno trends of the external environment.

    Let us take some trends:
    . re-definition of loyalty, commitment
    . greater level of individualisation
    . dissipation of energy in various areas
    . availability and easy access to choices
    . increasing earnings and lowering of cost of life style and easy access to money
    . exponential reduction in speed of reaction/responses time
    . shorter spans of attention, shorter memories

    Let me take some time to explore each of these points.
    Re-definition of loyalty, commitment
    What do we expect people to be committed to? Is it commitment to

    Miss World Quotes

    The best Miss World quotes from the world's most beautiful and famous women.

    I don't think I'm the most beautiful girl in the world...I am the most beautiful girl here.

    Catharina Lodders, 1962 Miss World after winning the Miss world crown

    No, I did not. I was totally shocked when my name was announced as the name of Miss World 2005. In the weeks before the big final I knew that a few people considered me a favorite, including Global Beauties, but there is a huge gap between being a favorite and actually being the winner. But it was the most awesome and fulfilling surprise ever for me, I am enjoying every minute of it!

    Unnur Birna, Miss World 2005, on being asked if she expected to win.
    I always knew I would be successful. So there was no element of surprise.

    I'm just average woman with average concerns.

    I don't believe in proving a point to anybody. Nobody is that important.

    Life will take its toll on all of us. We get injured, we get old. It's really sad to try to run away from these harsh realities of life. Looks are not everything. I am not going to look beautiful all the time.

    Aishwarya, Miss World 1994

    I did not hear my name at first, I just heard it echo around the room. I only knew it was me because nobody else moved! Then it all came true “It is wonderful to know that so many people voted for me in the text vote and put me through to the top two in Northern Europe. I was pleased to win the title of Miss World Northern Europe. Then to win Miss World is incredible. I just feel wonderful. It came as a big shock but the feeling is incredible. I am numb.

    Favorite Quote:
    You are what you do or You are what you make.

    Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir, Miss World 2005

    The Miss World crown is an immense responsibility. I'm looking forward to every bit of it.

    Priyanka Chopra, 2000

    You also have to remember you know that you're a 'celebrity', for want of a better word, People don't have to care what you're doing or look up to you or want to emulate you, admire you or all of that. It is a tremendous gift and a privilege and I think that you have a responsibility if you find yourself in that position because, remember, you know you did a number of things to put yourself in that position. So having made your bed, you must now find a way to lie down in it. I believe that.

    Cindy Breakspeare, Jamaica, Miss World 1976

    I hope to represent the women of the world in a good way. I wish people in the world would be more respectful to each other.

    Azra Akin, Turkey, Miss World 2002

    I am so happy. It's a wonderful feeling and it’s indescribable ..… I have made history .. Black is beautiful.

    Agbani Darego, NIgeria, Miss World 2001

    I could see the amazed look on their faces when they announced my name.They were jumping up and down punching the air with joy. I don't know who was more happy - them or me.

    Rosanna Davison, Ireland, Miss World 2003, referring to the joy of her parents.

    The fact that I am the first Miss World to be decided by a global vote makes this award unbelievably precious. I will cherish the memories of tonight. Now that I have become a genuine world ambassador I intend to do everything in my power to promote the good causes that have been the driving force for Miss World for over half a century. I only hope that I can do the job with the dignity and panache that Rosanna Davison has done for the last year.

    Maria Julia Mantilla Garcia, Peru, Miss World 2004

    Sunday, September 17, 2006

    Friendship and Friends' Love

    A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.

    Elbert Hubbard

    Friends are God's way of taking care of us.

    Anonymous

    Friendship is one mind in two bodies.

    Mencius

    My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life.

    Lee Iacocca, one of America's corporate icons

    Wednesday, September 13, 2006

    Martin Luther King Speeches and Quotes

    The complete Inspiring Speech of Martin Luther King, rated as one of the most Famous and Inspirational Speeches in the history of mankind. A rare example of excellent public speaking skills. Read and be inspired.


    l am happy to join with you today in what will go down In history asthe greatest demonstration for freedom In the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whtue symbolic shadow westand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon of hope to millions of Negro slaves, whohad been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundred yeanlater, the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the Life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacle of segregation and the chains of discrimination.

    One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today todramatize a shameful condition.

    In a sense we have come to our Nation's Capital to cash a check. When the architects of our great republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing apromissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as whitemen, would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life liberty and thepursuit of happiness.

    It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory noteinsofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked "insufficient funds.

    "But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are Insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunityof this nation. So we have come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of thefierce urgency of Now. This is not time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.

    Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy.
    Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregationto the sunlit path of racial justice.

    Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injusticeto the solid rock of brotherhood.

    Now is the time to make justice a reality to all of God's children.

    It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the momentand to underestimate the determination of it's colored citizens. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass untilthere is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixtythreeis not an end but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.

    There will be neither rest nor tranquilily in America until the Negro isgranted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue toshake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

    But there is something that 1 must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must ever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of ourwhite brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom Is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

    And as we walk, we must make-the pledge that we shall always marchahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devoteesof civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied aslong as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs slating "for white only."We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of your trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by storms of persecutions and staggered by the winds of police brutality.

    You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

    Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina,go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our modern cities, knowing that somehow th is situation can and will be changed.

    Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow. Is still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

    I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

    I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of formerslaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit downtogether at the table of brotherhood.

    I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis offreedom and justice.

    I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by thecontent of their character.

    I have a dream today.

    I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interpositionand nullification; that one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

    I have a dream today.

    I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and every mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

    This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair astone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords ofour nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to climb up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

    This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to singwith new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee Ising. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from everymountainside, let freedom ring!"And if America is to be a great nation, this must became true.

    So let freedom ring from the hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring fromthe mighty mountains of New York.tet freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenles of Pennsylvania.Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

    Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that, let freedom, ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.Ut freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi and every mountainside.

    And when this happens, when we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black menand white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be ableto join hands and sing in the words of the old spiritual, "free at last, free at last.

    Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."Martin Luther King, Jr.