tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28714459477641624052024-02-06T21:47:45.721-08:00Meera Desai Shah: A Writer's BlogMeera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-13761986758803054882015-01-05T11:39:00.003-08:002015-01-05T11:39:48.168-08:00Harbour Bridge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello,<br />
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I hope everyone had wonderful holidays. Now we are ready to step into the New Year 2015. We are not leaving last year behind, we are taking the lessons learned in the previous years and adding to the new lessons from the year 2015.<br />
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That's enough of philosophy. During the winter vacation Sapna went to Australia to study the behavior of Marsupials for her biology class. She returned to the US and decided to learn robotics!<br />
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Happy New Year!<br />
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Meera <br />
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<b><u>Harbour Bridge</u></b></div>
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Sapna unpacked her bags and took a couple of postcards from her folder to her sixteen-year-old brother, Sagar.</div>
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"Bhaiya, I saw the most fantastic bridge in the world."</div>
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"Oh, yeah? Got any pictures? Photos?"</div>
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"I have some on my cell phone but the battery is down. I have these postcards."</div>
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"Cool, let's see them."</div>
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"The pictures are okay, but I want to tell you about Rosey and Sandy."</div>
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"Who are they?"</div>
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Sapna sat next to Sagar's chair, "They both weigh 25 Kilograms each and are grit blasting robots who are permanently employed to clean the bridge, an enormous job! We saw them, albeit from a distance."</div>
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"Wow, sounds interesting."</div>
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Sapna continued, "Well this Harbour Bridge in Sydney is 53000 tons of steel with so many joints. You can see the Sydney Opera House from there. It looks so pretty at night. Of course we didn't get to see an opera."</div>
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"I thought you were telling me about a bridge."</div>
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"Oh, yeah, it's also called an arch bridge has lots of joints and old paint and rust on it. It took so long to build it .. starting in 1923 and completing in 1932. Anyway, blasting off the lead paint and rust is hazardous to human health, so instead of using humans with masks and protective covering, they are using Sandy and Rosey to do the job."</div>
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"Wow!"</div>
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"These robots have two meter long arms that can bend, turn, extend and clean the rivet nuts and these robotic arms go around, behind the six million rivets to remove the rust and paint."</div>
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"It appears to be bigger than the Mississippi in Memphis."</div>
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"They say it's 60 Sports fields, two miles long. Is a sports field longer than a football field Bhaiya?"</div>
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"I don't know, we can Google it."</div>
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"Anyway I have decided that my field of study after High School will be Robotics -- that's it, robotics for me."</div>
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"That's great, learn Japanese and you'll be able to study robotics even better 'cause the Japanese use thousands of robots for a lot of chores."</div>
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"Okay, Sayonara, Bhaiya, I am going to finish my unpacking."</div>
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"Bye."</div>
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<b>The End</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">© 2015, Meera Desai Shah</span></div>
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-84277100083861370582014-12-22T13:03:00.002-08:002014-12-22T13:03:25.545-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello,<br />
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Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a very Joyous and Peaceful New Year!<br />
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Meera</div>
Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-1797008853955673472014-12-12T10:58:00.002-08:002015-01-03T14:30:36.047-08:00The Decision Maker<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The children in my weekly post are on vacation, so it's just my post, you and I.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Every week, about twenty of us get together and talk, then eat lunch -- always an important aspect of the meeting! We realized the six enemies of human beings are -- Lust, Anger, Ego, attachment, Greed and Jealousy. If we can get rid of them, the life becomes peaceful! A tough call but we can try.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Then earlier this month, a friend sent an E mail about a grandfather and his grandson. The senior man said that two wolves are at a constant battle within us. The first on is the Evil wolf represented by Anger, Jealousy, Greed, Resentment, Inferiority, Lies and Ego. While the second wolf is represented by Joy, Peace, Love, Hope, Humility, Kindness, Empathy and Truth. The curious young mind wanted to know who won! The grandfather quietly replied, "The one you feed."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As our lives go on, we hear, read about what and how we should live. Ultimately, the power to follow the right path rests upon us -- you are the decision maker of your life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Meera</span></div>
Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-16713973823213010472014-12-08T14:59:00.003-08:002014-12-08T14:59:21.885-08:00Heart to Heart<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The four siblings have a heart to heart talk in today's post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Meera</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Heart to heart</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The six-year-old twins brought a magazine to Sagar's room, "Bhaiya, tell us, what does this say about a blue whale? There's also a tennis ball with a hand around it."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar read the captions, "It says that a blue hale has the largest heart, weighing more than 1500 pounds and a hand squeezing a tennis ball is the ..." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"We weigh thirty six pounds each."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Girls, 1500 pounds is the weight of a whale's heart and the hand around a tennis ball says the heart works as heart as the energy it takes to squeeze a tennis ball."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Suchi said, "That's good, that's all about a heart, now tells us what is this about a choir?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Their brother laughed, "Okay, a Swedish Research team has discovered that when a choir sings their hearts synchronize--they beat at the same time."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Soori said, "What, again about a heart? Okay, what about these laughing children?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar nodded, "Well, when you laugh, 20% more blood flows through the body, relaxing the blood vessels, making the heart healthy."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"What? Again the heart? We don't want to read it." Suchi threw the magazine in Sapna's lap and the twins left the room."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna read on, "Bhaiya, don't you let some damsel break your heart, because that trauma will make your body release a stress hormone that will make your heart mimic a heart attack."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Okay, I'll remember that. What else does it say about the human heart?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna said, "Here's something about the first heart transplant."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Ha, I know that. Dr. Christian Barnard of South Africa did the first heart transplant and the patient lived for 18 days."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna nodded, "Right. This is really interesting, as long as a heart receives a blood supply, it keeps beating even outside the body with its own electric impulse! Cool, yeah?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar said, "Yeah, real cool. Now let's cut it short, give me just a couple of facts okay?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna, "Okay, okay, big boss... I could throw this paper at you and let you read it yourself. But I am being a good sister and a friend so I tell you a couple of things."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar made a face, "Thanks."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Okay then, number one, even the three thousand year old mummies had heart attacks...go figure their stress. And second fact, during one's lifetime a heart will pump enough blood to fill 200 train cars! And the last one, the heart spends enough energy pumping to make a truck drive 20 millions miles, equivalent of a distance to the moon and back!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar said, "Thank you Sapna, that was enlightening. I think the mummies had the stress of building their pyramids. Now, back to my homework."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna tossed the paper on his table, "Go to your homework stress free and in peace, dear Bhaiya."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">She left the room.</span><br />
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<b>The End</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span><br />
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-28987322790911684422014-12-05T12:30:00.005-08:002014-12-05T12:30:52.917-08:00Engineering Marvels<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello,<br />
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I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. Today's post is also about 'inventions', engineering marvels.<br />
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Meera<br />
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<b><u>Engineering Marvels</u></b></div>
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Twelve-year-old, Sapna brought the article about re-inventions back to her 16 year old brother, Sagar, "Bhaiya, only one more re-inventions seems cool, the rest are just okay."</div>
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Sagar asked, "Oh, yeah, which one did you like?"</div>
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"This one, it's about an LED light installed in the the socket cover it self! In the evening it senses the darkness and lights up! Look at this cool picture,"</div>
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Sagar said, "I know, I saw it, but see there are some engineering marvels."</div>
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The twins joined the older siblings, "Can we also see them? Please?"</div>
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"Absolutely, see. Here is the biggest Solar Power ship, and this is really cool, a bowl made of chocolate! You eat the bowl and the contents!"<br />
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Suchi said, "Didi, let's make this chocolate bowl!"<br />
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Sapna looked at the picture, "Yep, it's doable. But let's look at a couple more of these marvels.'<br />
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Sagar scrolled down the computer screen, "Here is a cool chopping board for mom's kitchen -- it can tell you if the vegetables are clean or not! It can give you the step-by-step recipes, weigh the correct amount and the works -- well, it does not cook the veggies. Oh, there is this one about a cool tree house and the solar public lights in India somewhere, and ah, this one is about the the best car there is, a dome car, see!"<br />
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"Wow, Bhaiya, will you drive this car?"<br />
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"Ha, not a chance. I am happy if I get mom's or dad's old car when I get my proper licence."<br />
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"Will you give us a ride?"<br />
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"Sure, everyday."<br />
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<b>The End</b><br />
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Meera<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span><br />
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-48551258265351901172014-11-18T15:10:00.003-08:002014-11-18T15:10:27.488-08:00Re-Iiventions <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It appears that science and technology come up with an invention almost every day. Some are worth waiting for while the others make you comment, 'oh, wow!' Often the wheel gets reinvented when the original invention gets tweaked and a better model comes. In this post some reinvented wheels are presented. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Meera </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>Re-inventions</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar smiled, "Oh, wow, this is cool."</span></div>
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His younger sister, twelve-year-old Sapna looked up from her homework and asked, "Bhaiya, don't you have any home work? Maybe you are impressed by the homework, I never find it worth saying 'oh, wow' in my homework.</div>
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"I haven't even started my homework yet, Dad left this interesting article on my desk, and all I can say is 'oh, wow.'<br />
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Sapna put her homework down and came to Sagar, "I want to see the article."<br />
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Sagar covered the article with his arms, "Wait, I want you to listen to it first and then see."<br />
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Sapna pulled a chair and sat by Sagar, "That's being rude, but okay, tell me."<br />
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"Rude or not, I have the article, my rules. You've seen a saw, right? It moves, back and forth and sometimes in a fraction of a second, an accident occurs, your nail or the tip of a finger or a leg or ..."<br />
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"Stop telling me all the body parts that get nipped, what's the invention?"<br />
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"Well, this saw can tell when your flesh is about to be nipped and it quickly moves away, preventing a chopped nail, a finger ... "<br />
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"Stop, I get it, the saw detects human flesh and moves away. Cool. Now show me the picture."<br />
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Sagar covered the picture, "Not just now, I am going to tell you about all the inventions and then show you. how the saw dips away."<br />
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Sagar shrugged, "OK, or I could just leave ... "<br />
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"You'll be the loser." Sagar said, "I am a good brother, I you to learn, come on, sit on your chair."<br />
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Sapna made a face, "Yes, big brother, I am all ears."<br />
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"The next one is something we could use, and the Europeans too who use bicycles to go to work. It's a helmet you don't see, until you are about to fall and hit your head, then it inflates."<br />
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"Ah, I like it, an invisible airbag helmet that inflates before the impact."<br />
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"Yeah, exactly, two Swedish design students came up with it."<br />
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"No pictures, huh?"<br />
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"Nope, later. The next one is, ah, this is good for all the places that don't have too much space or water for toilets."<br />
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"Studios apartments?"<br />
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"Yes, and then some. This hygienic toilet folds. It uses less water and it's is easier to clean around it. We could use such toilets in all the public places."<br />
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"Yeah, and what other invention?"<br />
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"It is a Revolution door, it opens or shuts with just a touch of a hand. and can be made from any material -- wood, plastic, glass etc."<br />
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"Hmm, not impressed. The next one?"<br />
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"This one is about water or any other liquid. You know how liquids stick to the surface of its container? Well, Liquiglide makes the surfaces hydrophobic keeping liquids glide instead of sticking to it. The bottle or container is made from a non-toxic material that hates liquids."<br />
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"You mean I won't have to bang on the bottom of my ketchup bottle to get the last drop out?"<br />
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"That's right."<br />
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"What else? The pictures?"<br />
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"Nope, Sapna, I better get to my homework, may be later."<br />
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"You are not the only one who can read and understand, give me the article."<br />
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"Okay, I am tired of reading and explaining to you, here, read it for yourself."<br />
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Sapna sat with the article and read, "Oh, neat, this is totally cool, oh, wow! I am going to show it to the twins. "<br />
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"Go, enjoy showing off, now let me study."<br />
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Sapna shrugged, and went to Suchi-Soori's room, "Hey, do you want to see something interesting? Find me the picture where the bike rider is about to fall!"<br />
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"Oh, I want to find him." They both stood by Sapna and peeked over her shoulders.<br />
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Sapna showed them the five pictures and talked about the inventions.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>The End</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><u> The Invisible Helmet</u></span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">™</span><br />
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-30026336145368622342014-11-07T08:32:00.002-08:002014-11-18T09:24:26.363-08:00Hiro and Tadashi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello,<br />
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Partial or complete automation is coming everywhere. From buying tickets for a railroad trip to surgery and flying into the space.<br />
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Japan has for long delved in robotics.<br />
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Meera<br />
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<b><u>Hiro and Tadashi</u></b></div>
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Eight-year-old twins, Suchi and Soori dashed into their older brother, Sagar's room.</div>
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"Bhaiya, take us to see this movie."</div>
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Suchi put a finger the picture of a robot hugging a little Asian boy. </div>
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Sagar said, "How do you even know if it's a movie? You don't even have the movie section of the newspaper in your hands!" </div>
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Soori said, "Yesterday we forgot to show you this sheet our teacher gave us."</div>
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Sapna joined the conversation, "Why would a teacher ask you to go to see a movie?"</div>
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Suchi said, "It's about a robot."</div>
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Soori added, "And the robots are going to take over the world."</div>
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Sagar said, "Are you two talking about the Disney film, Big Hero 6?"</div>
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Sapna said, "That's the one about a robot nurse who helps a 14-year-old feel better."</div>
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"Yep, that's the one when some bad people kill his brother."</div>
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Sagar took the sheet from one of twins and read, "See how a robotic nurse, Baymax helps 14-year-old, Hiro deal with the death of his older brother, Tadashi."</div>
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Sagar said, "You know Japan does not have as many people as India or China or even the USA. They have scientists who are making robots to help in stores, schools and even in hospitals. These robots sound and behave like humans. They sometimes show human emotions."</div>
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Sapna interrupted Sagar's lecture, "How can a robot show human emotions?" </div>
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"It's programmed in the robot computers. I guess certain words and actions by humans trigger the computers to make the robot show emotions. I don't really know much about it."</div>
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Soori said, "We don't care how the robots show emotions, we want to see Big Hero 6."</div>
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The other twin asked, "So when are we going?"</div>
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"After we take Mom 'n Dad's permission to let you see this movie."</div>
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"Maybe this evening when they go to their meeting."</div>
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The twins yelled, "Yippee...robot movie....here we come!"</div>
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<b>The End</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span></div>
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<a class="GCUXF0KCPB" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2871445947764162405#editor/target=post;postID=5224544463584093744;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=2;src=postname" style="border: 0px; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap; width: auto;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #eeeeee;">© 2014, Meerah</span></a></div>
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-85383698040210720512014-11-04T09:28:00.000-08:002014-11-05T11:15:48.746-08:00Boston is Venice?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Most of the earth is covered by water but the 'human world' is on land; we live, work and die on land, except for those who work with oceans and rivers and other water bodies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;">Scientist say that man's abuse of the environment is causing global warming which in turn is causing the snow on the mountains to melt, causing the sea levels to rise. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;">Today's story is about water from seas coming into towns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;">Meera</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Boston is Venice?</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar put his foot on one chair and leaned back on the other as he read his history book. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna came in waving a piece of paper, ""Bhaiya, on our next trip, let's go to Venice."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"To Italy? Why? It's way out in Europe."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Bhaiya, you are talking as if we never left the American shores."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Well, Sapna, I am reading the history of Boston's tea party and how all that tea was thrown away into the sea and..."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Bhaiya, you and I don't even drink tea, even if our parents drink c<i>hai </i>at least twice a day<i>.</i> What has that got to do with our traveling to Italy."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar looked up from his book, "Oh, I sound like a nut don't I? The American history is so interesting, how everyone fights the British." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Bhaiya, LISTEN, what has that got to do with going to Venice?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Venice? I don't know, it's a city of canals."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Exactly, and it's so pretty, look at these pictures, You don't go by car, you take a gondola -- a boat to go from place to place. And, I say, let's go to Europe next summer, especially to Italy."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Sapna, if you wait a few years, Boston and its canals would be much cheaper."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"What do you mean?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar looked down at his book, "The other day I read in the news that sea levels are rising, the land is sinking. It's going to become a big problem for some cities on the US East Coast. The Boston people are thinking of copying Venice and Amsterdam, and becoming a city of canals."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Huh?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Hurricane Sandy affected Boston area also and if had been high tide, the hurricane water in Boston would have joined with the high tide waters from the sea and the streets of Boston would have flooded."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Oh, who says that?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Scientists. They say that the sea-level will rise on the US east coast by up to six feet (2 m) by the end of the century."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"By the end of the century, the east coast will be flooded? I would be, let's see, I'd be a young lady of 96! I have no plan to live that long."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"The city planners and the architects are thinking of letting the water into the city instead of stopping it and turning the city into American Venice-Amsterdam."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"You din't hear me Bhaiya, I'll be 96! I don't care! I want to go to Venice next summer, when I'm still young."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Sapna, you should be thinking of your children and grandchildren!" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Bhaiya, have you lost your mind? I am only 12! Why would I think of Boston floods by the end of the century?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Right, you are right, let the Boston architects and city administrators think about Boston, I'll toss this article into trash and do my history work."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar tossed the piece of paper into the garbage bin. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna promptly picked it up, "Thanks Bhaiya, you just gave me material for my next science project." </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The End</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span></span></div>
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-902656423312470712014-10-29T20:32:00.001-07:002014-10-29T20:32:29.398-07:00He Let Go Seven Billion Dollars!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello,<br />
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If you have a G mail account, you'd know what today's post is going to be about. This particular disease has been in the news for some days now when the disease raised its head when children were not vaccinated, and became the losers due to the adults' ignorance.<br />
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Meera<br />
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<b><u>He Let Go Seven Billion Dollars!</u></b></div>
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Twelve-year-old, Sapna said, "Bhai, did you read the Google Doodle today?"</div>
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Her older brother, sixteen-year-old Sagar said, "Nope, not today, I am inundated with tons of Math and Biology homework."</div>
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"Well, lucky me! I'll tell you something about money and biology."</div>
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Sagar shut his laptop, "Really? What?"</div>
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Sapna said, "Have you heard of Jonas Salk?" </div>
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"The polio vaccine guy?</div>
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"Yep, the very same. Well, not just any old guy, he was an American medical researcher and a virologist. He came up with the polio vaccine."</div>
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"Okay, that's the biology part, where is the math?"</div>
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"Well, I found out that Salk did not patent this vaccine."</div>
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"Why not, he could have made millions!"</div>
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"Exactly. His response was 'could you patent the sun?' He rightfully thought that polio was such a debilitating disease that if children were not vaccinated, polio would cripple them for life. He gifted it to children world over."</div>
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"Nice, a tough disease."</div>
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"Exactly, vaccination in childhood is the key to staying without polio. The father of Biophysiology would have been richer by seven billion dollars had he patented it!"</div>
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"That's a lot of money."</div>
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"Salk thought the vaccine belonged to the people. And can you guess why-how the polio vaccine is given for free?"</div>
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"With the government help, with taxes?"</div>
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"Nope, the public voluntarily funded the vaccine by giving money to the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. An entire generation of scientists and microbiologists received funds from the foundation, even Watson and Crick received money for their DNA research."</div>
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"Huh? National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis?" </div>
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"That's renamed as the March of Dimes. You can donate a few cents to thousands, as much or as little as you wish, that's why the name."</div>
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"Oh, that's cool. Thanks for the biology and the math info, I am back to my homework."</div>
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"You are welcome, and let's see what other cool stuff's there."</div>
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<b>The End</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span></div>
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-21149269169863746582014-10-23T12:20:00.001-07:002014-10-23T12:20:12.177-07:00$30 Trillion Over the Next 30 Years!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today's blog-post is a conversation between sixteen year old, Sagar and his younger sister, twelve year old Sapna.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Meera</span></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; line-height: 32.4000015258789px;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">$30 Trillion Over the Next 30 Years</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 32.4000015258789px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar was reading a newspaper and making notes, "Oh, wow! That's a bummer."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 32.4000015258789px;">Sapna said, "Bhaiya, that's your fourth 'wow', what in the world are you reading?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I can't believe the money Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have made!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I know, I wish I could inherit a tenth of one of their fortunes -- I'd take holidays, travel, shop, buy a hug home...just fun, fun and fun.!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Yeah, I understand what you're saying, that's exactly why I am reading this article."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Are you figuring out how to put your hand on their fortune? Perhaps laying even a little finger would suffice." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"No, my dear sis, I am reading about the distribution of the money when they die?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"That's what I am saying, they could give a bit to us."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Go away, you don't deserve a penny of their fortune!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"And you do?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Sit down and listen to what I am reading, it's not what you are thinking."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Okay, I am sitting, now tell me, no wait, let me get an apple."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna took a bite of the apple as she pulled a chair to sit by Sagar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Warren Buffet is filthy wealthy, and has children."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Who will also be equally wealthy, from father to child."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Nope, Warren Buffet will give it to charity."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"All of it?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Yes, a negligible amount compared to his fortune, a million or two will go to each of his six children." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna wanted to know, "Is Bill Gates giving his money to his children?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Nope, and have you heard of Sting, the singer? Well, he also will not leave his fortune to his kids. These parents do not want their children to be lazy, they want the children to learn the value of money. They'll have to work hard and make their own money."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Uh, oh, how about their education? Clothing and food?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Oh, come on Sapna, they won't be left on streets without a penny to their name, they'll have money for education, housing etc but not to waste and spend as they please -- the way you want to </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">take holidays, travel, shop, buy a hug home...just fun, fun and fun!</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Bhaiya, hide the article quick, don't let mom and dad see it."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"My silly sister, mom is the one who gave it to me to read and make something on our own. I know dear sis, our parents are not Buffet and Gates!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Hmm...I guess I too better get back to my books."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Yep, you got it Sapna."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The End</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span></div>
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-87100105553852421242014-10-05T20:32:00.002-07:002014-10-06T18:10:12.197-07:00It Does Not Spin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This post is about how a black tie dinner impresses </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sagar</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Meera</span></div>
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<u><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It Does Not Spin</span></b></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Awac = Airborne early warning and control </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hawkeye = A Surveillance plane</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">One evening, sixteen year old, Sagar was going through his dad's closet. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">His sister, who was four years younger, came in there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Sapna, help me find a tie."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Why?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"I am going to a dinner this evening, it's a jacket and tie affair."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Eight year old twins, Suchi and Soori overheard the conversation. Suchi asked, "Don't you wear pants, just a tie and a jacket?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"No, silly, it's a formal dinner and he'll wear a tie, a jacket, pants and shoes, however no tennis shoes."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Why is he going to this special dinner?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"I have a friend whose dad is a big shot in the navy and he booked a table for ten of us at this dinner, it's a fund raising for students who want to join the Navy."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Are you joining the Navy? Will you tell us how many boats you see there?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"No Navy for me. But I'll tell you about the boats, now you eat your dinner, do the homework, take a shower and go to sleep. Mom-dad will be home soon and tomorrow is a school day."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Okay, Bhaiya, but promise to tell us what you saw at this tie-jacket dinner, okay? Good night, didi, good night, bhaiya." The twins left.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Soon their parents were home; dad whistled when he saw Sagar in a formal attire, "Someone's looking awfully smart, a date?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mom said, "This afternoon he got a last minute invitation to this party." She told dad about the dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A friend of Sagar's picked him up and he left.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When Sagar returned home at nine, Sapna asked, "How was it?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Awesome! First of all, we walked under a swords-arch to the party hall, these navy men stood with their swords making an arch for us!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"That's a special honor!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Yeah, a real cool honor. Then I saw an at least 20' wide radar disc mounted on top of a cool plane that sits five; two, two and one at the back, he's the commander."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"What does this plane do?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"It's a reconnaissance plane that goes in advance of the other planes to see if the enemy on the ground is making a move, and where."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Wow!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"And Sapna, get this, there is bathroom of sorts on that plane, but you can only pee, and it goes straight out."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Straight out?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"I guess, it means it evaporates in the air."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"How gross!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Ha, where do you think the birds go? Remember once a bird pooped on one of us?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"You."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"I don't remember, but guess what, when the commander retires his name goes on the side of the plane, and the plane's name is also there."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"The plane must be full of all these names."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"No, to write the new name, they paint over the old name and then write the next name. And get this, they paint the whole plane at that time."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Wow, and how do you know all this? Did you ask someone?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Nooooooo. There was this old lady asking these silly questions, me and a friend of mine just stood aside, eating cheese and crackers and listening. It was funny. The guy, the captain or the commander was just answering her questions, politely, without a hint of a smile, just dead serious, but with lots of pride and enthusiasm."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"And then?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Well, she thanked the guy and when he left, she touched the plane's propellers upfront and whispered, "It doesn't spin."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Did she push the fan, the propeller with all her might?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"I couldn't tell, but guess what, I also tried to give it a push with one hand, it didn't even budge, it felt so heavy."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"What other planes did you see?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"A really, really cool one -- a bomber! It has only one pilot, no fan and can take off to bomb the heck out of enemies. The pilot alone handles all the computer systems and off he goes. The third plane I saw was from WWII, it looked so small and not at all powerful, painted yellow, it was sitting in the dinning area."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"It flew in there?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Nooooooo. I am sure they drove it or towed it there. It's propeller also did not spin."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"What will you tell the twins about the boats that you didn't see?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"I'll tell them that I saw airplanes that the Naval officers fly and sometimes they take off from a ship but not tonight."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Hmm...Bhaiya, I don't know about you but I am going to dream about flying one of those cool airplanes, good night."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Good night, Sapna."</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The End</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span></span></div>
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-60078643976390366402014-09-29T13:31:00.000-07:002014-10-08T21:08:51.686-07:00A Bit of This and a Bit of That <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.1;">Hello,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.1;">In today's post, the four siblings have a conversation about various news items that Sapna has worked on at school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.1;">M</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">eera</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A Bit of This and a Bit of That</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">An eighth-grade student, Sapna was looking at the newspaper that she brought home from her school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Eight year old, Suchi asked, "Didi, Mom said that you write this newspaper, do you?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"No, silly, I am just an editor."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Suchi's twin, Soori said, "She gets to read it before anyone else in the whole school, right?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Yes, in a way you are right. I am the editor. I decide on the stories that go in here."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Suchi said, "What is the best story today?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar did not wish to be left out of the conversation, "It's a monthly newspaper, it gets printed once every month."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Soori said, "Alright then, what did you print this month? Tell us about something interesting, okay?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Well, we wrote about how India sent a Mars probe into the orbit." Sapna put the newspaper aside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"What is special about that?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"It's a cheaper than the Gravity movie Hollywood made."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"So?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"It went into an orbit at the first try without a hitch and it costs less for it to travel per kilometer in space than a rickshaw in an Indian town </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">takes to travel on road</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Soori said, "You write only Indian stories?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna patted her head, "No, there are other stories too."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Suchi said, "Fair is fair, we don't want to know only the Indian stories, we are Americans."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar said, "You bet we are, even though I like <i>saag paneer</i> (spinach and cheese cooked in spices) and <i>parotha </i>(layered whole wheat flat bread)."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna said, "Once in a while we print a kid-friendly recipe also."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Soori said, "That's good, but this month's stories?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"One story was about ants; we wrote that even though there are one million ants per every human on this earth, the total weight of all the ants is the same as the weight of the entire human population, and an ant weighs one millionth as a human."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Suchi asked, "Did you count the red ants and the big ants and the carpenter ants and... "</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"All the ants from everywhere, in our homes and in the Amazon jungle, ten thousand types of them. Also, the next time you fight, remember that the ants have lived for many-many-many years </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and they are good at sharing.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> "</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Suchi asked, "Yeah, sure, we share. What other interesting story did you write?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"We wrote about the Ebola virus that is affecting West Africa and how dangerous it is."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Such and Soori held each other's hand, "Like a cold virus that mom talks about? Will it make us sick too?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"No, my dear sisters, it spreads through body fluids."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Body fluids?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"You know, spit, vomit, blood..." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Oh."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Suchi said, "How will this bad sickness get here?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna looked at the newspaper, "A traveler might bring it along, but the CDC doctors will know about it; they will keep the infected person in isolation."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar said, "Girls, you are safe here. Tell them some other story, Sapna,"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna said, "Here is one that I like, in Afghanistan, an army dog named Lucca saved 14 men from stepping on a hidden bomb." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Soori said, "That's a nice dog, but who hid the bomb? Who were these men?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Some bad people hid the bombs to hurt the American soldiers fighting a war there."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Suchi said, "They should not take a dog to a war place." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar said, "These are special dogs, trained to sniff out hidden bombs in a war zone. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If a soldier steps on it, he's blown up.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"That's a dangerous job for a dog."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Wasn't this dog afraid?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Nope. We wrote in the newspaper how this German shepherd was brave, unafraid and loyal to her handler. When she smelled a bomb, she tried to warn the soldiers, but I am sure, by mistake, she stepped on the hidden bomb herself ." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Did she die?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"No, she was injured and they amputated, cut off her one front leg. But you know guys, now she's back to her normal jumping and playing on three legs instead of four. She retrained herself. This happened in 2012."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"That's a smart dog, two thousand twelve makes it an old story, why did you print it now?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The other twin asked, "I want to know did a soldier cut off her leg?" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"No, just like doctors, veterinarians also go with the soldiers, they helped the dog. We printed Lucca's story just now because recently a book, Top Dog was published, a student read it and sent the story to us."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"What else is in your newspaper?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Well, when Bhaiya was an editor three years ago, he started a story about how the students need to study as well as exercise. We have continued with that, this month we printed some stretching exercises to do in ten minutes. And girls, we also reminded students about eating less sugar." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Soori asked, "What else?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sapna said, "Suchi-Soori, you know how to read, now you find out about it yourself, here is the newspaper, don't tear it. M</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">om's back and </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bhaiya is going for his soccer, I am going for a jog."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The older siblings took off while the twins spread out the newspaper, looked at the pictures and tried the stretches.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">p.s. On a sad note, Ebola has come to the US and everything is being done to keep it contained. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The End</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span></span></div>
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-89503677942782061522014-09-21T10:08:00.000-07:002014-09-22T20:19:30.471-07:00Education in Singapore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Education does not start nor end with literacy which is just one of the important rungs on the education ladder</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. A baby's education -- learning, starts the day it's born, along with the caregiver's. A prime example of learning is; crying brings food or a change of diaper or company!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If the child doesn't have the two fingers and a thumb grip, it's difficult to hold a crayon. If a teacher is not well trained, the child does not learn at its optimal ability. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In today's post Sagar and Sapna talk about education.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Meera </span></div>
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<u><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Education in Singapore</span></b></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Twelve year old Sapna found her sixteen year old brother, Sagar reading from an old newspaper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sapna asked, "Bhaiya, are you reading a Hindi newspaper? How much do you understand?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar, "I am trying to figure it out, and it's not Hindi, it's in Marathi!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"I didn't know Hindi and Marathi write the same way."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">"Yeah, they are both in the Devanagari script, the same as Sanskrit."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sapna said, "Oh, I get it, it's like English, Spanish, German and others that have the same letters but different pronunciation and vocabulary."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sagar said, "Right. But listen to this, when a student in Singapore writes the wrong answer to a question in the answer sheet, the teacher writes the correct answer before returning it to the student. The teachers get punished if a child fails to understand! And if you want to be a teacher, you have to be in the top one third in your twelfth grade."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sapna nodded, "That's cool, unless the teachers know, they can't teach."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sagar said, "That's all fine and dandy but the population of Singapore is just around five million! I wonder if it can be implemented in the US or India or anywhere else in the world!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sapna agreed, "I guess, it can't be done here." </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sagar said, "Hey, listen to this, the students get 'skill education', vocational education in different fields including, baking and </span><span style="color: #333333;">experiments in </span><span style="color: #333333;">farming</span><span style="color: #333333;">!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">"Experiments in farming?"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">"Yeah, there's no farming in Singapore. Also, if you want to study beyond the twelfth grade, you must take military education too. Now I like that. Of course the education after twelfth stresses research. Hmmm, now they want to invest in 'critical thinking'!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sapna said, "I am okay with all these points except the military education."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Suchi and Soori had joined their brother and sister by now. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Soori said, "Military means shooting, does the school you are talking about have guns?"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Suchi said, "That sounds neat, learning to use a gun, safely I guess."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sagar patted her head, "Dream on girl, you are not going to this school, it's in Singapore."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sapna asked, "What else does it say?"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sagar smiled, "Yeah, no exams in the first grade, board exam after the sixth grade. You get only letter grades. And you start school at age seven!" </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Soori said, "Start school at seven? That means, Suchi, we'd be in the first grade just now, and no exam for us!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sapna laughed, "Ha! Again, dream on girls, we are not going to Singapore. And, you'd be in second grade, you are eight."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sagar said, "But Suchi-Soori, you get four vacations for going to school from January to December.</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'd say t</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hat's a good deal, right Sapna?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sapna said, "Yep, four vacations -- study in Singapore."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Suchi said, "Okay, we'll pack our bags and go to Singapore."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Soori said, "Yeah, we'll go to Singapore, Bhaiya, you and didi will have to come with us because we need chaperons!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sagar said, "Okay, let's all go to Singapore, we'll have to study Tamil and Chinese along with English."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sapna said, "Girls, Bhaiya is just pulling your leg, let's do our homework, we all have a test tomorrow."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Suchi said, "I want to learn Chinese..."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Soori added, "And Tamil is fine with me. Let's go." </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Sapna, "Yes, sure, let's go to do homework."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>The End</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span><br />
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-57469643908656394482014-09-14T19:52:00.003-07:002014-09-14T19:52:58.603-07:00Seeing Underground<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello,<br />
<br />
I read an article about new computers the other day and was reminded of a story my father told me about his father, my grandfather, who passed away in 1969 at the age of 89. Hmmm, that means he was born in the eighteenth century and passed away in the nineteenth. That was more than a life time ago!<br />
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My father gave his dad a battery operated radio. When the first time he heard the radio, he was amazed to hear person talking from such a small device. At one point my grandfather said, 'What, what did you say?' It so happened that the announcer repeated the sentence! My grandfather was flabbergasted!<br />
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Technology has changed many, many folds since the days of my grandfather or even my father who came to the U.S. in the 1930's by a ship, from Mumbai to L.A.<br />
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Today'a story is about something new that's coming up in cell phones.<br />
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Meera<br />
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<b><u>Seeing Underground</u></b></div>
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Sagar removed his muddy shoes near the front door, "Mom, where's dad? I think our sprinkler system has a leak or something."</div>
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"Mom's in the shower, why do you say there's a leak?" Sagar's 12-year-old sister, Sapna folded the last piece of laundry in the den. "And, Bhaiya when you were investigating the broken pipes in the yard, I folded all the clothes. The next time you have to do all the folding."</div>
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Sagar said, "Yeah, sure, thanks, next time. But where's dad? We better fix the leak before it floods the house."</div>
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"Let's call a plumber, the guy Mom called last time when a pipe in the sink burst open and flooded the kitchen."</div>
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Sagar looked up from mom's list of telephone numbers on the bulletin board.</div>
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Mom joined their conversation, "Sagar, Dad is talking with our neighbor about detecting the leak." </div>
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Sapna said, "Are they discussing a plumber who will use a 'thermie' to detect the leak?"</div>
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Sagar put the phone back, "Thermie? What's that?"<br />
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Sapna said, "Let me read what it says here, 'using the infrared camera attached to the back of your iPhone, a picture of the heat emanating from body is taken.'"<br />
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Sagar snatched the paper from Sapna's hands, "Let me see it."<br />
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Sapna said, "Hey stop grabbing it, you are going to tear it."<br />
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Sagar read on, "Apple is opening a whole new way of looking at the world. Da...d..d..d and..." He read on, "It's like everything glows in its own light, warm things light up the iPhone while cold things are dark."<br />
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Sapna was back from putting the clothes away, "Yep, Bhaiya, two objects that differ by 1/5th of a degree of Fahrenheit, can be spotted."<br />
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Sagar continued to read, "Yeah, real neat, huh? Cool, you can see the footsteps on a carpet, or a brief heat trail left behind by a hand on the wall. Wow."<br />
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Sapna said, "I know it's real cool. Imagine the military has used this technology for years and now sailors, electricians, plumbers etc have started to use it."<br />
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"Plumbers? How much does it cost?"<br />
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"Ha, keep dreaming Bhaiya. It's for $995/. Wait till it comes on sale."<br />
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Sagar said, "Expensive. But how does it work? Hmmm, the resolution is low, only 80 X 60 pixels, or 4800 pixels. The iPhone's near camera is more than 1600 times sharper at 8 megapixels. Wait a minute, Apple stores sells FLIR One at $349. It has second camera that creates a faint overlay of object contours and the thermal image shows."<br />
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Mom joined them, "What are you discussing? Oh, I read the story. Thank goodness the camera picks up human skin as a blotchy image, like the hide of a giraffe."<br />
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Sagar said, "Yeah, Mom, It can spot heat leaking through insulation, invisible water leaks, wild life lurking in the forest. The article says that it is useful from gaming to medicine."<br />
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Mom said, "Children, Dad read it this morning and he went to the neighbor for some research."<br />
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Eight-year-old twins came in, "Mom, let's get out, house is going to be flooded... the yard is sopping wet."<br />
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Little Soham tracked his dirty shoes in the den, "Water, water everywhere... "<br />
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Dad also walked in with the neighbor, "Okay, we are going to turn off the water for an hour or two and trace the leak in the yard."<br />
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Sagar said, "Sapna, let's follow dad, twins, you stay with mom, take Soham with you."<br />
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<b>The End</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span><br />
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-15325135098720573812014-09-06T13:12:00.002-07:002014-09-08T11:29:27.249-07:00Adults Don't Bite <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello,<br />
<br />
Recently I heard that Memphis is very good for sports. This was deduced from the way we, (Yes, I live in Memphis, TN) support our basketball and football teams.<br />
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In this post, Sagar brings sports news from the computer and the youngest sibling Soham's sports experience together.<br />
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Meera<br />
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<b><u>Adults Don't Bite</u></b></div>
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Sapna called out, "Bhaiya, you were supposed to keep an eye on Soham, not just pick him up from his soccer practice."</div>
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Sagar kept on reading on the computer, "Huh, what? Yes, Soham was fine at soccer. Didn't go beyond picking grass on the field. I paid more attention to the game, well, sort of a game."<br />
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Sapna dragged Soham with her by grabbing his arm, "I know, that's how you missed this note that came from his coach."<br />
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Sagar shot up from the computer, "A note? What does it say?" He snatched the note out of Sapna's hand and read it. He frowned.<br />
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Suchi-Soori walked in with their art work.<br />
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Sapna complained, "And you didn't see it?"<br />
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Sagar held Sohams' right arm and looked at it, "Hmm, the coach says the skin didn't break, so no action taken."<br />
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Suchi asked, "What are you looking at?"<br />
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"Bite marks."<br />
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Soori said, "Soham bit his own arm?"<br />
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Sapna said, "N...O.... some other kid bit him. Thankfully it left just bite marks, no bleeding."<br />
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Suchi said, "What did Soham do to the guy to bite him? Soori, remember that time when in preschool a kid bit you and he was put in timeout?"<br />
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Soori said, "Silly, it wasn't me, YOU were bit by Tommy in our preschool. And he had to sit on the thinking chair for four minutes."<br />
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Sagar said, "The biters have their own hidden reasons for biting."<br />
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Sapna said, "I guess they bite because that's how they deal with their frustrations. And in your school, you got a timeout according to your age. Four years, four minutes' timeout.""<br />
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Sagar said, "Yeah, unless you are an adult then you get thrown out."<br />
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Suchi said, "Adults don't bite."<br />
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Soori asked, "Thrown out of what? School? Grownups go to work... "<br />
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Suchi added, "And you can't get thrown out of work."<br />
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Sapna said, "But you can get fired."<br />
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Sagar picked up Soham, "Guys, come on down to the computer. I was reading a story about a grownup biting another grownup?"<br />
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Sapna-Suchi-Soori screamed, "WHAT?"<br />
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All five gathered around the computer.<br />
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Sagar opened a page to soccer, "Yep, this is an old news about a game between Uruguay and Italy during World Cup Soccer (Football)."<br />
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Suchi wondered, "What kind of cup was it? It has to be big if it's a world cup."<br />
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Soori said, "Silly, it must be a huge cup for the winners, not for the whole world."<br />
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"Oh, like the ones we get after our games."<br />
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Sagar said, "Girls, listen to what happened. There's Uruguay team's striker, Luis Suarez. He bit the Italian defender, Giorgio Chiellini. This is the third time he bit."<br />
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Suchi said, "The Italian guy should learn to keep away from him if he was bitten twice before by this Luis guy."<br />
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Sapna said, "Silly, he didn't bite the same guy three times. He bit three people on three different occasions."<br />
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One twin asked, "Did he get thrown out of the game?"<br />
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The other twin said, "He must have been put on a bench, how old was he? It must have been lots of minutes' timeout."<br />
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Sagar got up, "Girls, stop letting your minds go wild. He was banished from playing World Cup for four months."<br />
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"Four months?"<br />
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"Yeah, that's a lot of minutes."<br />
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Sagar and Sapna shook their heads.<br />
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Soham raised four fingers, " I am four."<br />
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Everyone laughed.<br />
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<b>The End</b><br />
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-66681056544850028552014-09-03T14:27:00.002-07:002014-09-03T14:33:42.018-07:00What We Value the Most<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello,</div>
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My apologies for skipping writing a post and a delay in this post. </div>
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Children as well as adults lose things that they value -- a special book, a toy, or a piece of jewelry. No everything can go in a bank vault, some things have to stay in a bag, in your home or in your pocket!</div>
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The following conversation occurs between two siblings, ages 12 and 16. </div>
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Meera</div>
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<b><u>What We Value the Most</u></b></div>
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Sapna sat in the den with her eight-year-old twins, playing a game of dominos. She looked up from their game.</div>
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Their brother Sagar entered the den with a very red face. He threw one shin-guard in the hallway along with his soccer shoes. He said, "Again, my one shin guard went missing at the soccer field."</div>
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His sister asked, "You played without a shin guard? Isn't that dangerous?" </div>
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"Not dangerous, just not very good for my shins, and yes, my leg could get seriously hurt."</div>
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Sapna retorted, "Then why don't you take care of your shoes, socks and the shin guards? You are not our four-year-old brother, Soham. Someone always has to keep an eye on him and his belongings."</div>
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"Yeah, sure. Thats easier said than done." </div>
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Sapna got up from her game, "Okay, my big Bhaiya, I am going to tell you a story mom told me about losing my friends."</div>
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"A story from our mom? She's always telling us lessons in life."</div>
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Sapna said, "This one may help you save something."</div>
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"Okay. What was the story?"</div>
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"Here it is. There was a guy who got tired of misplacing the pen or just losing it. He learned to keep only a cheap pen in his pocket. He got tired of his carelessness."</div>
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"So? He should not carry a pen."</div>
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Sapna shook her head, "And when he needs a pen? He did not like to borrow."</div>
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"Oh."</div>
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Sapna continued, "A friend suggested he should carry only the most expensive pen in his pocket. And so the man bought a 22 carat gold Cross pen."</div>
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Sagar said, "And he didn't lose the pen.?</div>
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Sapna said, "You guessed it bhaiya. The lesson is, if you value something, you take care of it."</div>
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"Hmmm."</div>
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"Bhaiya, if you really value your game of soccer, you'll take care of your things. Mom told me this evening that if you lose one more shin guard, that's the last game you play."</div>
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Sagar said, "If I don't wear shin guards, I don't get to play. Guess what? I did not throw away the second shin guard the last time I lost its pair. I value playing soccer, I will take care of my shin guards."</div>
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Sapna smiled, "Good for you. Or Bhaiya, you find a game where you don't need any extra equipment!"</div>
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Sagar came over to his younger sister and patted her on her head, "Yes, my wise sister, the lesson will be remembered. What I want to know is how in the world do you lose a friend? "</div>
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Sapna smiled, "I used to lose them by getting my feelings hurt at what they did. I learned to value my friends by letting small things go."</div>
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"Good for you, sis."<br />
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<b>The End</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span><br />
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If we value our health, we are careful about what we eat.<br />
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If we value our friends, we treat them with respect.<br />
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If w value money, we take care of our spending.<br />
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If we value time, we don't waste it.<br />
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If we value relationship, we don't break it.<br />
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-69885550275339172472014-08-18T16:11:00.004-07:002014-09-04T10:53:00.437-07:00The Hottest Time of the Day <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello,<br />
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I wanted to get this post out before hot summer turned into cool autumn.<br />
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Sometimes we tend to skip a column because we know the answers, we don't care, it is what it is, it goes too deep in math and science, any excuse to avoid reading.<br />
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Sagar generally reads it.<br />
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Meera <br />
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<b><u>Hottest Time of the Day</u></b></div>
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Twelve-year-old, Sapna, stirred the batter for the cake she wanted to bake for her eight-year-old, twins sisters' birthday. She figured out a way to make it an ice cream cake. The summer temperatures kept rising.</div>
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Her sixteen-year-old, brother, Sagar walked in, "Do little Soham and I get to lick the batter spoon and the ice cream scoop after you are done?"</div>
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Sapna scrunched up her nose, "How can I give you free licks? I waited till four so I could bake it in a cooler weather. I wish I could wear Audrey Hepburn's Tiffany sunglasses to avoid this heat. "</div>
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Sagar laughed, "Don't be silly about the sunglasses. Okay then, no licks but four is not cooler than noon, infact, it is the hottest part of the day in our part of the country."</div>
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"Says who?"</div>
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Sagar sat down and dipped a finger in the batter, "Marilyn vos Savant, the lady with the highest IQ."</div>
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Sapna gave a tap on Sagar's hand, "Hey, stop that, you'll get a piece of the cake. Tell me why four in the afternoon is not cooler than noon?"</div>
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Sagar licked his finger, "Mmm...tastes good. Well, she said that even though the Ultra Violet radiation of earth and air peaks at noon, the surface temperatures keep climbing for hours."</div>
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Sapna covered the batter with cellophane, "Well, I need the cake for tomorrow evening, I can't do it tomorrow at noon."</div>
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Sagar rinsed the spoons without licking them, "Well, the delayed heating is called thermal response and often it's the hottest around four p. m."</div>
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Sapna put the bowl in the refrigerator, "In that case I will make the cake at seven when it is definitely cooler."</div>
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Sagar said, "I'll help you then, Soham and the twins will be getting ready to sleep. Mom and dad won't be back till after midnight."</div>
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"Thanks, that would help. I need someone to wash the pots." She gave a sly smile.</div>
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Sagar shrugged it off, "No problem. Sapna, do you know recently Bill Gates poured a whole bucket of ice on himself?"</div>
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"Why? Was he feeling too hot in his mansion? Ice is cold at any time of the day or night."</div>
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Sagar said, "He did it to raise money for Lou Gehrig's Disease, ALS. I think it's a disease where progressive degeneration of motor neurons occurs."</div>
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Sapna nodded, "I feel like the twins, too many big words."<br />
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Sagar said, "The neat thing is, no one poured the ice on him."<br />
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"Huh?"<br />
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"That's right. He came up with this gadget that poured it on him."<br />
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Sapna shrugged, "Ha, big deal for a guy who thinks up these fancy computer things!" </div>
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"Ha to you. Never mind, do you want to look it up on the computer and understand it better?"</div>
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Sapna took off her apron, "Okay, I have nothing to do except kill some time."</div>
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Sagar said, "Did you know that Monaco has the most packed population per square mile and Mongolia has only five people per square mile?"</div>
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Sapna shook her head, "Why in the world do you keep learning these useless facts?"</div>
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Sagar laughed, "Maybe, one day I'll go on Jeopardy."</div>
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Sapana also laughed, "Sure and then I'll bake you a cake. But tell me how many people does Monaco have per square mile?"</div>
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"Ha, you are curious too, Monaco has 42000. and the US has 87."</div>
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Sapna smiled, "Now we can both go on Jeopardy."<br />
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Sagar said, "While we are getting ready for Jeopardy, might as well tell you that in the 12th-century China, judges wore dark quartz lenses to hide their emotions in court. The lenses came to the US in 1929, and plastic giant Sam Foster sold the first pairs of mass-produce shades in Atlantic City."<br />
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Sapna put her fingers in her ears, "La.. la..la...la... I don't want to hear any more of your factoids."<br />
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Sagar waited till she had her fingers out and said, "And they are going to map the oceans just the way Google has done with earth."<br />
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Sapna put her fingers back in her ears, "La...la...la.. you are so annoying...la...la...la..."<br />
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Sagar laughed again and they turned on the computer.<br />
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<b>The End</b><br />
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-80337964406983853702014-08-11T07:36:00.003-07:002014-08-11T11:32:26.799-07:00It's All About You, Dr. Randy Pausch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today's post is a conversation that the mother has with her older children, Sagar, 16 years and Sapna, 12 years.<br />
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In 2008 a writer, philosopher, Dr. Randy Pausch died of pancreatic cancer. His book, The Last Lecture, was a bestseller. I have taken his thoughts from the letter he left behind to his three children and wife.</div>
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Meera</div>
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<b><u>It's All About You</u></b></div>
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Sixteen-year-old, Sagar came home from a jog on a Saturday morning.The exercise and the summer heat left him sweaty and breathless.<br />
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His sister Sapna was sitting in the kitchen with their twin sisters, eight-year-old, Suchi and Soori, eating cereal and milk.</div>
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Suchi covered her nose with a napkin, "Yuck, Bhaiya, you stink."</div>
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Soori also covered her nose.</div>
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Sapna said, "I don't know why you overdo it."</div>
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Sagar mopped his arms and neck and patted his belly, "Yeah, sure, you see this pot? I want to lose it in three weeks, before the school starts."</div>
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Sapna shrugged, "Maybe you should set a limit or something on your running."</div>
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Mom walked in with the four-year-old, Soham, trailing behind her. "Sapna is right. Dr. Rand Pausch, a philosopher, said, Don't over-do, keep your limits."</div>
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Still wiping his face, Sagar sat down, "Randy Pausch? Never heard of him."</div>
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Mom said, "He wrote some very valuable advice."</div>
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Suchi-Soori looked at each other, "Let's rearrange our desks, sorry mom, we are outta here." And they left before anyone could stop them.</div>
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Sapna got up, "Shall I grab them back? Why do they always get away? I hated it last week also, they ran away when it was their turn to empty the dishwasher, and also... "</div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Mom </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">said</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">, "No, let them be. Their time will come. Forget the issues of the past, they will ruin your present. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Sagar said, "Yeah, Sapna stop hating your sisters. I don't hate anyone, but I am envious of these three girls who are so skinny."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Mom laughed, "They will also gain weight if they don't watch out about exercising but You Sir, stop being envious, you are in charge of your happiness. Envy is a waste of time."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Sagar rolled his eyes and plopped down with a bowl for cereal, "Sure, next you are going to say, you are here to learn." </span><b><br /></b><br />
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Mom said, "That's right son, don't take yourself too seriously, no one else does."</div>
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Sagar frowned and Sapna smiled. Sagar made a face at his sister, "Yeah, mom, next you are going to say, don't compare yourself with your sisters, You don't know what their journey is about."</div>
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Mom smiled and patted his shoulders, "That's right son, you got it, smile and laugh more. Invest your energy in the positive present moment." </div>
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Sapna pushed her chair back, "That's right Bhaiya, get rid of your negative thoughts about things you can't control. That's just me saying," She pushed her chair back to put her cereal-bowl in the sink.</div>
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Sagar leaned to pull Sapna's long braid, Sapna laughed and moved out of his reach.<br />
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Soham sat by Sagar to eat his cereal. Sagar put an arm around Soham, "Come on buddy, you are the only friend I have left in this wide world."<br />
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Soham smiled and they continued with their breakfast.<br />
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Mom also smiled and sat at the table to finish her work.<br />
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<b>The End</b><br />
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-90748006982668747482014-08-04T09:55:00.001-07:002014-08-11T07:35:19.333-07:00Counting in India, part, II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello,<br />
Last week the siblings, Sagar, eight-years-old, and Sapna, four-years-old, went with their Grandmother in India for vegetables-fruits shopping at the local market.<br />
They continued their counting, from where they left off.<br />
Meera<br />
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<b><u>Counting in India, part II</u></b> </div>
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Lorry = truck. Accepted in most Indian languages<o:p></o:p></div>
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Baer = a little fruit with an oblong or a round pit, depending on the variety<o:p></o:p></div>
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Chiku = a fleshy sweet fruit with brown skin</div>
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<b>SIX</b> women sat on the sidewalk with huge cane baskets.</div>
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One woman sold big squash-like papayas. She cut one open and offered a bright colored orange piece to Sapna. The girl shook her head and moved on. Mummy had said: don’t accept food from strangers or ever eat an unwashed fruit, and in especially in India, never eat uncooked food.</div>
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The second lady separated guavas from an oblong as well as round fruits called <i>baer</i>.</div>
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The third woman offered a kiwi like fruit with a smooth-skin to Sagar. “Take, take, very sweet <i>chiku</i>, for you.” Sagar hid behind Granny and pulled Sapna with him.</div>
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The fourth woman had ripe mangos. Sapna stood by the basket and sniffed. “Granny, can we buy some mangos?”</div>
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“Absolutely, summer's the mango season.” They bought one dozen mangoes. </div>
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Sagar whispered to Granny, “What, no custard apples?” </div>
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Granny smiled and answered before moving on, “They come only in winter.” </div>
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Sagar frowned. "Oh, too bad, I love those.” </div>
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The fifth lady was rolling newspaper sheets to make packets of salted peanuts, roasted chickpeas and crispy rice, all mixed together.</div>
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The sixth lady sat with a basket full of bright marigolds, fragrant roses and jasmine. She strung them in garlands for women to wear in their hair.</div>
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<b>SEVEN</b> kinds of vegetables sat in neat piles in an old, beaten cart.<br />
fresh, fresh, very fresh vegetables, just for you,” a man shouted.</div>
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Sagar and Sapna helped Granny pick some green beans, okra, sweet potatoes, carrots, eggplant and bunch of leafy coriander and spinach.</div>
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"Hey, Sagar, check out those ladies in beautiful <i>saris</i>.”</div>
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“Sorries? Oh, saris.”</div>
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<b>EIGHT</b> women wore colorful <i>saris.</i></div>
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"But Mummy rarely wears one.” Sapna whispered to Sagar. </div>
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“I think she finds shirts ‘n slacks more comfortable.”</div>
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“I guess so.”</div>
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At last they were out of the market. Sagar grinned and touched the two mangos in his shopping bag. Sapna had some vegetables in a bigger bag while Granny carried the biggest bag with the rest of the items.</div>
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Granny sighed, “Oh my, it’s hot and the bags are getting heavier by the minute.” She wiped her brows with her sari. “Let’s take a rickshaw.”</div>
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“We love rickshaws.” Sagar and Sapna said together.</div>
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They walked past <b>NINE</b> yellow-black three wheelers and stepped into the first one. Sapna sat in the middle, Sagar and Granny took the sides.<br />
Once again the they weaved through the crazy traffic and reached near granny's bungalow. They stopped.<br />
Sapna opened her eyes wide, "Look at those fat, black cows, Bhaiya."<br />
Sagar laughed, "They are not cows, but Indian buffaloes. How about you count them?"<br />
Sapna counted <b>TEN </b>buffaloes that kept their rickshaw from entering the bungalow.</div>
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At last the rickshaw stopped in the porch. Granny paid the driver his charges and they went in the house. Granny put different sized stainless steel bowls on the dining table and they emptied their wares into the empty bowls.</div>
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Sapna looked up at her grandmother, “That was so much fun. I can’t wait till tomorrow to go out and count some more things.”<br />
<b><br /></b><b>The End</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">7: seven: saat: सात: ७ O O O O O O O</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">8: eight: aath: आठ: ८ O O O O O O O O</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">9: nine: nou: नौ: ९ O O O O O O O O O</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">10: ten: </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">das:</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">दस: १० O O O O O O O O O O</span></div>
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-56918241648854838622014-07-25T10:33:00.000-07:002014-08-11T07:32:53.842-07:00Going To an Indian Market <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<u><span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></u>
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<u><span style="line-height: 200%;"><u style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">A Walk to an Indian Market</span></u></span></u></div>
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Sari = a wrap around
dress for women aroma = smell</div>
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Bhaiya = older
brother (Hindi) sniff = to smell</div>
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Rupees = Indian
currency offensive = not liked</div>
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Footpath = sidewalk biodegradable = able to rot </div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">“Come on kids, grab a bag, we’re marching to
the market.” Granny said as she stuffed some </span><i style="line-height: 200%;">Rupees</i><span style="line-height: 200%;"> in her bag. </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">Four-year-old Sapna complained, </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">“This minute? Why? We just ate our breakfast!” </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">Her eight-year-old, brother Sagar said, </span>“Yep, if Granny says we go, we
go. Don on your cotton clothes for the muggy and hot Pune.” </div>
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“Okay, okay, got it <i>Bhaiya</i>, but why do we have to take our own
bag? We don't carry bags at our home in the U.S.” </div>
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“’cause the Indian
veggie-vendors don’t give us plastic
bags.” </div>
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Granny said, "Hey, children, wait and watch, even your US shops will stop giving the plastic bags. It just adds to the pollution."</div>
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Sagar said, "Granny, in California you have to take your own bags, it started some time back, and the rest of the country is following."</div>
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Sapana asked, "No more bags from the grocery store, then what will mom use for garbage?"</div>
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"She'll use the biodegradable bags."</div>
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"Oh, good. How about paper bags? They rot."</div>
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"Yep, my smart sis, paper bags work too."</div>
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Sagar and
Sapna were visiting their grandparents in Pune, India. They changed their clothes, each picked up a cloth-bag, stepped out the bungalow and headed for the
market with Granny. They waited on the <i>footpath</i> to cross the road. </div>
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<b>ONE</b> bullock cart filled with potatoes and onions, moved at a
snail’s pace. Bells fastened around the oxen’s neck warned people to keep out
of its path. A shiny sports-car trailed behind.</div>
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Sapna’s mouth fell open when she
saw people weaving in and around a traffic of zigzagging bikes, motorbikes,
rickshaws and cars. </div>
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“Bhaiya, wow! So many people!” </div>
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“Yep, India is the most
populated country in the world, well, almost, we compete with China.”</div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">“Oh.”</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Sapna nodded and held her brother’s
hand tight as they reached a busy square.</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
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<b>TWO
</b><i>lorries</i> were going to the market with goods. Black coal filled the
open one, and pieces </div>
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of hay
stuck out from the other. </div>
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The trio covered their nose to
escape the smoke-smell that spewed from the <i>lorries</i>.
A sparkling black limousine crawled behind the trucks. </div>
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<b>THREE</b>
buses, two red city buses and another smaller one plodded along as they waited
with Granny in a queue at the bus stop. <span style="line-height: 200%;">“What do the writings on the bus
say?”</span></div>
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"It says, <i>educate your children</i> and <i>keep
your city clean</i>.”</div>
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Sapna pointed to the pictures
on the third one, “And that one’s about computers.” </div>
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"Yeah, it takes people to their
work.” </div>
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The line from behind, nudged the
trio ahead to get onto the bus. Sitting by the window, Sapna couldn’t
separate the people’s chatter from the din of bicycle bells, car and truck
horns, barking dogs and other sounds. <span style="line-height: 200%;">Sh</span><span style="line-height: 200%;">e pointed to </span><b style="line-height: 200%;">FOUR</b><span style="line-height: 200%;"> boys with heavy bags swinging on
their bicycles.</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
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“Where’re they all going dressed alike?” Sapna asked. <br />
<span style="line-height: 200%;">“To school.”</span></div>
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“Don’t
they have any vacation?” </div>
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“Sure they do, at a different
time than us, because India's seasons don't happen at the same time as the US seasons.”</div>
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“Oh.” </div>
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They got off at the market. She
pulled Sagar's shirt and shouted, “Look!”</div>
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<b>FIVE</b>
two-wheelers were parked along the sidewalk. Sagar read the names of the
motorcycles: <i>Vespa, Bajaj</i>, <i>Lambretta,</i> <i>Hero-Honda</i> and <i>Royal
Enfield</i>.</div>
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“I wish I could ride ’em.” </div>
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“Dream on kiddo until you
are older.” Sagar patted Sapna’s head. </div>
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“Bhaiya, what's this smell?”
Sapna wrinkled her nose.</div>
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“That’s the aroma of fresh
fruits, vegetables and fresh flowers mixed with the smell of smoke, sweat along
with the fish smell from the meat market nearby. Which whiff do you find
offensive?”</div>
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“Yuck, all of them. I can’t tell the fresh ones.” Sapna covered
her nose with her shirt-sleeve.<br />
Granny walked on ahead. The duo ran to catch
up with her.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"><b>contd.</b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">Meera</span></div>
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1: one: ek: <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; line-height: normal;">एक: १ O</span><br />
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2: two: doe: <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; line-height: normal;">दो: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; line-height: normal;">२ O O </span><br />
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3: three: teen: <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; line-height: normal;">तीन: ३ O O O</span><br />
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4: four: chaar: <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; line-height: normal;">चार: ४</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; line-height: normal;"> O O O O</span><br />
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5: five: panch: <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; line-height: normal;">पांच: ५ O O O O O</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span></div>
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-77374729595609005232014-07-18T12:28:00.001-07:002014-07-26T15:13:01.294-07:00You Need it in Peace but Not in War<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello, </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The English language is funny; not funny as in ha-ha funny, but different; not different as in you are different than I am, but it makes no sense; again, makes no sense does not mean it has no meaning but it's different. Do you get it? No...I am not giving you anything but do you understand?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">That's how this language is and yet it has so many rules, and it is often spoken without following the rules completely or partially. Some rules are easy to forget if you are not a native speaker and did not start with English in your preschool, but you say you think in English. Well, if someone throws water at your sleeping body in the middle of the night, and the first words that fall out of your mouth are in English, then you think in English!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Ha, today's blogpost is not about the rules in English at all, but just a little quiz, solved after the first sentence by 99% of readers.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Meera</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u>You Need it in Peace but Not in War</u></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Thirteen-year-old, Sagar was doing his homework and his five-year-old, twin sisters, Suchi and Soori walked in.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Suchi said, "Bhaiya, what is p...u...t?"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sagar said, "Put, as in put this book away."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Soori said, "Okay, what is b...u...t?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sagar said, ""But, as in but I want you to eat this food right now and not later."</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The twins pouted, "Awww..., he has heard these before. Let's get back to our room."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The twins left. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sagar smiled and welcomed his sister, nine-year-old, Sapna.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Hey, sis, what is present in peace and not in war?"</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sapna said, "That's easy, it's happiness that's missing in war but found in peace."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Nope. Try this. What's once in hell but twice in heaven?"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sapna shrugged.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sagar tapped his paper in hand, "Okay try this. Without it there would be no live, love, life, hope or friends."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sapna crinkled her nose, "What is it, some sort of feeling? A letter? An emotion?"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sagar said, "Feeling and emotion are the same, but yeah, something like that, you said it."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sapna mumbled, "Feeling, emotion, a letter? I got it!"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">"What?"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Ask me more and I'll tell you."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sagar looked at his paper, ""Okay, here it is, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">all emotional relations like Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, W</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ife & F</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">riends</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> don't make sense without it."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sapna smile, "Ha! I knew it. It's the letter 'E'"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sagar smile, ""Right. You got it, sis."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sapna said, "And I will tell you this... see</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hear, smell, or taste as well as eye, ear, nose & tongue are </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">lost and incomplete without an 'e'."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sagar said, "Sapna, </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">you are as smart as I am, </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">now let me get back to my work. I give you an advice 'Go' without an 'e'."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sapna also got up "Yeah, Bhaiya, your Eminence, I leave all the 'Ego' with you, I will just 'go'."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sapna left.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>The End</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span></div>
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-8586088665165148842014-07-02T12:33:00.004-07:002014-07-02T12:33:38.119-07:00Things to Make Life Easier. Easier?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello,<br />
<br />
Every now and then I come across a column that tell me how to live or how to behave and so on. When I read some, I tell myself, that makes sense, I have read it before or I better remember this. Recently, I came across something about speaking, that made me feel, hmmm, this is nice and worth following. One person who read the points given here, commented, following these would kill some cultures!<br />
<br />
Meera<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Things to Make Life Easier. Easier?</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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Sixteen-year-old, Sagar, picked up an apple from the kitchen and brought it to the den along with the sheets of paper and sat in a comfortable chair. He started to read them.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Twelve-year-old, Sapna, walked into the den with the eight-year-old, twins, "Bhaiya, help me get these girls settled in a game or something."</div>
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Soori said, "Not a something,..."</div>
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Her twin Suchi added, "Yeah, forget the something, play a game with us."</div>
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Sagar looked up, "Guys, let me finish this that mom left on my desk."</div>
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Sapna asked, "What is it?"</div>
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The twins asked, "A plan for a game?"</div>
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Sagar shook his head, "Guys, sit down, and listen. I can make it simpler for you, these are seven rules of speaking."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Suchi said, "Speaking what?"</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Her twin said, "We know the rules about not cheating and not stealing and..."</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Sagar said, "Stop! Listen!"</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"You don't have to scream at us, just tell us nicely."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sapna sat between the two, "Girls, be quiet."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sagar said, "Thank you, Sapna. The first one is, give up dogmatism."</div>
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Soori said, "We don't have a dog..."</div>
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Sagar glared at her.</div>
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Sapna said, "Girls, go to your room, I'll tell you the rules once I learn them." </div>
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The twins left.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Sapna asked Sagar, "Bhaiya, even I don't know what dogmatism is. Are they going to be more and more difficult as you read the seven rules?"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"No, sis, I started with the seventh, the rest are easy, dogmatism is being rigid, stubborn, especially in an argument."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sapna said, "Okay, I will try not to be stubborn."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"The sixth is not lying."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sapna nodded, "Easy, mom and dad always tell us not to tell a lie."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Actually, the fourth and the fifth go together. The fourth one is don't complain, and then making excuses is the fifth one."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sapna scrunched up her nose, "I guess I just have to do my homework without complaints or excuses."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sagar said, "Right, do not tell why you couldn't do it or complain about it, just do it The one before that is give up negativity."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sapna made a face, "Uh...uh... negativity?"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Yep, don't be pessimistic, I guess it means be enthusiastic when you talk. The one before that is stop judging."</div>
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Sapna raised her eyebrows, "Huh?"</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sagar laughed, "It means don't be excessively critical of your brother, don't tell him he's doing this or that wrong," He smiled, "And also don't be critical of your friends and others."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Again, Sapna scrunched up her nose.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sagar said, "And the first one is do not gossip, don't spend your time speaking about others<i>.</i>"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sapna said,, "Hmm...I guess I'll have to find a way to remember the seven about what to speak and what not to speak. Do you remember them Bhaiya? Let's see, what are the seven to avoid? Hmmm...<i>Gossip, Judgement, Negativity, Complaints, Excuses, Lying and Dogmatism."</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sagar gave her a high-five, "Sapana, you already remember them! I sort of do too. The hard part is following them."</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Sapna nodded, "Right. I wonder how much of this the twins will understand." She took the paper from Sagar's hand and went towards the twins' room.</div>
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<b>The End</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span></div>
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-42362275156852091152014-06-12T14:36:00.002-07:002014-06-12T14:36:46.974-07:00Father's Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello,<br />
<br />
This post is coming your way a couple of days early to get it out before the Father's Day.<br />
<br />
The first Father's day celebration was sponsored on June 19, 1910.<br />
<br />
Today I honor my father by mentioning the two phrases he always used, <i>If you made the bed, you sleep in it </i>and <i>You can take a horse to water, can't make him drink it</i>. The simple translation is, follow up your decisions and no one can make you do something you don't want to do.<br />
<br />
Of course, I can always find excuses for not following them!<br />
<br />
Happy Father's Day!<br />
<br />
Meera<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Father's Day</u></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The eight-year-old twins, Suchi and Soori were talking while working on their art in the den.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Suchi said, "Bhaiya and Didi turned last weekend into a mother's day!"<br />
<br />
Soori said, "No--- they cooked a special meal for us and made it into a twin's day!"<br />
<br />
Suchi replied, "Yeah, a twins' day!"<br />
<br />
Sapna chimed in, "Suchi-Soori, how about we do something for the Father's Day?"<br />
<br />
Sagar joined in the conversation, "That's right, we can do something special."<br />
<br />
The twins screamed, "Yeah, let's celebrate the Father's Day."<br />
<br />
Sagar said, "Before that, I am going to tell you a story about the Father's Day."<br />
<br />
The twins frowned, "Are you going to give us another one of your history lessons?"<br />
<br />
Sapna said, "Shhh..listening ears, girls."<br />
<br />
The twins pretended to zip their mouth and sat quietly with their hands in lap.<br />
<br />
Sagar went on, "Sonora Smart Dodd, an Arkansas woman, thought of honoring her father, William Smart, a farmer, after she heard a sermon honoring the mothers."<br />
<br />
Sapna said, "Then?"<br />
<br />
Sagar smiled, "Suchi-Soori, it is an interesting story. Well, William Smart's wife died in her sixth childbirth."<br />
<br />
Suchi said, "Thank God, we are only five."<br />
<br />
Sorri added, "I don't want anything happening to Mom."<br />
<br />
Sapna said, "Kiddos, Bhaiya is talking about Sonora' mom, not our mom."<br />
<br />
Sagar patted the twins heads, "Now listen. Sonora saw her father raise six children all by himself."<br />
<br />
Suchi asked, "Didn't she help?"<br />
<br />
Sagar said, "Yes, like your Didi, she was a wise girl." He smiled at Sapna, "Since Sonora was the only daughter, she helped her dad to raise her brothers."<br />
<br />
Soori said, "Good for her."<br />
<br />
"She felt her dad was special and should be recognised."<br />
<br />
"Hooray for dads."<br />
<br />
Sagar continued, "Anyway, in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson issued a proclamation recognizing the third Sunday of each June as Father's Day. Then in 1972, President Nixon signed the bill into law."<br />
<br />
Sapna wondered, " "And when was it proposed?"<br />
<br />
"1910."<br />
<br />
"Two questions: Why did it take so long? Did Sonora Dodd ever see her dream come true?"<br />
<br />
Sagar smiled, "Two answers. The proposal faded after 1910, until she sought help from several menswear manufacturers to promote the idea. Congress thought it was too commercial. But ultimately she did see her dream come to life because she lived till 1978."<br />
<br />
"It's good that she didn't give it up." "<br />
<br />
Soori asked, "So how do we honor our Dad?"<br />
<br />
Suchi said, "We can mow the lawn."<br />
<br />
Sapna said, "Bhaiya does that anyway. Nothing special there."<br />
<br />
Sagar said, "Let's think of something, however little, that we can do throughout the year!"<br />
<br />
Suchi said, "Let's ask Mom."<br />
<br />
Soori said, "Good idea, let's ask her."<br />
<br />
The twins rushed to Mom's room while the two older siblings made a list of things they could do to honor dad.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The End</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span><br />
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-9312091889771207122014-06-09T17:15:00.001-07:002014-06-25T20:51:30.564-07:00Mom is Sick, Let's Make Soup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
Hello,<br />
<br />
Today's post is about the culinary skills of two older children, Sagar and Sapna who take care of the lunch for the siblings and hopefully the dinner too, in Mom and Dad's absence from the kitchen.<br />
<br />
Meera<br />
<br />
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u>Mom is Sick, Let's Make Soup</u></b><br />
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Sapna asked her sixteen-year-old brother, "Bhaiya, do you really want to try your hand in the kitchen?"</div>
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Sagar scratched his head, "Not really, but Dad is gone for the weekend and Mom is not feeling too great."</div>
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<br />
"What's wrong with her?"</div>
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<br />
"We better keep the twins out of her room, she has a fever, it's at 103 degrees."</div>
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<br />
"Shouldn't we call a doctor?"<br />
<br />
"It's a weekend and she emphatically said not to call a doc. She asked for a couple of fever reducing tablets and told me to give her two every four hours."<br />
<br />
With a tearful voice Sapna said, "I wish Dad was here."<br />
<br />
"Me too. I talked with him on the phone and he said he's cutting his trip short and will be here later tonight."<br />
<br />
Eight-year-old twins, Suchi and Soori came to the den. "Where's Mom? We are hungry."<br />
<br />
Sapna said, "Mom's sick, so Bhaiya and I are in charge. We're going to eat tomato-soup and a cheese-veggie-sandwich for lunch."<br />
<br />
The twins' faces fell, "Will it take long?"<br />
<br />
Sagar said, "Not too long. Do something until the both hands on the clock are on twelve."<br />
<br />
Sapna added, "That will be twelve noon and your lunch will be ready."<br />
<br />
"Promise?" The twins asked.<br />
<br />
"Yes, that's a promiset."<br />
<br />
"Didi, we know how to tell time." Suchi said.<br />
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Soori added, "That's right. The minute and the hour hands are on twelve, so it's twelve in the afternoon. It can twelve at night also, but it's daytime just now."<br />
<br />
Sapna gave a pat to her sisters, "Okay, okay, I'm glad you can tell time. Now if you want lunch, come later. Go..."<br />
<br />
The twins made a face at their sister and left.<br />
<br />
"Sapna, can you handle the sandwiches? Peel the cucumbers, slice the tomatoes and defrost the mint chutney from the freezer, and then get the loaf of bread and cheese-slices out."<br />
<br />
Sapna tied an apron around her waist, "Yes, sir, you're the boss."<br />
<br />
"And I am going to look for Mom's tomato soup recipe." He shuffled through the recipe index cards. "Here it is. Let's see what it says."<br />
<br />
Sapna came over to take a look, "Bhaiya, I can read the recipe, you get the things."<br />
<br />
"Thanks, sounds great."<br />
<br />
Sapna read the following recipe.</div>
</div>
<br />
<u><i>"Tomato soup</i></u><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>4 roma tomato--take seeds out</i><br />
<i>1/2 big onion-cut in strips</i><br />
<i>1/2 red bell pepper</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>3 garlic cloves</i><br />
<i>3-4 fresh thyme</i><br />
<i>salt and pepper</i><br />
<i>olive oil</i><br />
<i>balsamic vinegar</i><br />
<i>grilled at 400C</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Remove thyme twigs, pury in a blender</i><br />
<i>and make a vegetable stock."</i><br />
<br />
Sapna interrupted her reading, "Hey, I know Mom keeps the vegetable stock frozen in different sized containers, she labels everything that goes in the freezer with the date of preparation." She peeked into the freezer and took out one of the containers of the stock.<br />
<br />
"Thanks Sis, that saves us time, the twins are going to barge in at any moment." He started the chopping and cooking of vegetables.<br />
<br />
Sapna said, "No problem, they can set the table for lunch."<br />
<br />
Sagar said, "Sapna, please let's see what went in the veggie stock."<br />
<br />
"Here it is."<br />
<br />
Sapna read it. <br />
<br />
<i>"Vegetable stock:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>2 C water + one small potato + 1/2 onion + 2 garlic cloves + 1 bay leaf + ginger + 3 cloves</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Boil simmer for 15 minutes</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Strain the vegetable stock and add to the soup-tomatoes."</i><br />
<br />
Sagar looked at his watch, "I'm glad Mom keeps the stock ready. It's already 12:15 PM, where are the twins?"<br />
<br />
Sapna peered into the freezer again, "Did you know Bhaiya that she also keeps containers of frozen <i>daals </i>(beans)? Let's see, she also has..."<br />
<br />
The twins sauntered in, "We are ready for lunch."<br />
<br />
Sapna closed the freezer and said, "You'll get the lunch as soon as you set the table for soup and sandwiches."<br />
<br />
"What do we need? A plate? A fork and ..."<br />
<br />
Sagar said, "Kiddos, your call, you know what we are eating." He whispered to Sapna, "I am going to check on Mom, be back in two minutes."<br />
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The twins set bowls, forks, plates and napkins, they consulted with each other and asked, "Can we have croutons too?"<br />
<br />
Sapna served the soup in bowls, "Sure. Girls, how are you going to eat the soup with a fork?"<br />
<br />
Suchi and Soori placed the soup spoons by the bowls, "Can we pour the croutons by ourselves?"<br />
<br />
"Sure, go for it. Remember, you spill, you clean."<br />
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<b>The End</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span><br />
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Meera Desai Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011636839511899411noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871445947764162405.post-84551476863436914282014-06-02T12:03:00.002-07:002014-06-02T12:03:32.553-07:00Keep Your Limits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello,<br />
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Whenever a person stumbles in life, he/she looks for the reasons why it happened, whom to blame, makes excuses, keeps thinking about it and kicks self or just forget about it, saying that it happens.<br />
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Frequently I come across quotes that make me say, hmmm, that makes sense. I must remember that. I am afraid, it lasts a couple of days and then I see something else and say, oh, I knew that, I read it before.<br />
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Here is a little conversation between two siblings about what the younger one wants to do and why.<br />
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Meera<br />
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<b><u>Keep Your Limits</u></b></div>
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Sagar called Sapna to help him move a dresser so he could reach for the things like coins, pens, pencils and such that dropped behind it. Sapna did not come, she did not even give an answer. </div>
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Sagar called again. No response. He took off his gloves, which he thought gave him a great edge in lifting weights at the age of seventeen. Of course, he gave up lifting weights in favor of Karate but did not part with the gloves. </div>
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Sagar went to Sapna's room. </div>
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She slumped at her desk. Her teary face and a bunch of tissues in the waste basket told a story that Sagar wanted to investigate. </div>
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"Sis, what's up? How about helping me push my dresser a few inches to get my stuff out."<br />
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Sapna pouted, "I don't want to leave my room. Go away."<br />
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"Okay, I'll leave, after you tell me why you are so upset."<br />
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Sapna sulked and played with some tissue.<br />
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"Come on, sis, I am your friend." Sagar moved some tissue aside and sat on her desk.<br />
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"Mom says I can not take gymnastics, modeling and art."<br />
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Sagar frowned, "Oh, you want to drop your soccer?"<br />
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'Nooooo, I want to play soccer and take these classes too. All my friends are doing it."<br />
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"Hmm, that is tough. They all sound interesting. Let's see if we can sort it out."<br />
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Sapna looked up, "What's there to sort out? I want to take these and Mom says no, keep only two."<br />
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Sagar went hmmm again and said, "Well, you are going in the ninth grade after summer. That's high school, you'll be getting tons of homework."<br />
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"So?"<br />
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"Let's see a day has 24 hours. About ten go to sleep, two for eating, eight in school and that leaves four hours for soccer, gymnastics, modeling and art And your schoolwork."<br />
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"I don't need ten hours of sleep and I don't have all the classes everyday."<br />
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Sagar nodded, "True. Sapna, from what I know of high school, we do get tons of reading and lots of homework," He made a face, "And all that takes time. Maybe you'll have to rethink your choices."<br />
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Sagar jumped off the desk, "I'm going to let you think about it and move my dresser later."<br />
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Before Sagar stepped out of her room, Sapan said, "Bhaiya, I decided."<br />
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Sagar turned to face his sister, "And?"<br />
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"Well, I'll just keep soccer for physical exercise and art for relaxation and the school courses. I did so want to do modeling, I could have learnt so much about fashion and stuff."<br />
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Sagar smiled, "Fashion and stuff? Anyway, you made good choices. Randy Pausch said, 'Don't over-do, keep your limits.'"<br />
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Sapna wrinkled her nose, "<span style="font-size: 13px;">Never heard of him, w</span><span style="font-size: 13px;">ho is Randy Pausch? "</span><br />
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"A writer. He also said, 'No one is in charge of your happiness except you.'"<br />
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"He sounds sensible."<br />
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"Yes, he also said, 'Smile and laugh more' and ..."<br />
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"Have you memorised all his quotes?"<br />
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" No, just some. He also said, 'You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.'"<br />
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"Huh? That does not make sense."<br />
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"Never mind, think about it and listen to this, 'Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.' Forget about fashion and gymnastics."<br />
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Sapna shook her head, "Are you for real, Bhaiya? Throwing all these quotes at me! I still like gymnastics and I'll learn about fashion from magazines and stuff." <br />
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Sagar said, "Go for it, dear sis." <span style="font-size: 13px;">He smiled as he left her room.</span><br />
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<b>The End</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">© 2014, Meera Desai Shah</span><br />
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