Sometimes it DOES take a Rocket Scientist!! (true story).

email from Sunil Liyanage

Scientists at Rolls Royce built a gun specifically to launch dead chickens at the windshields of airliners and military jets all travelling at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields. American engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the Windshields of their new high speed trains. Arrangements were made, and a gun was sent to the American engineers. When the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control console, snapped the engineer's back-rest in two and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin like an arrow shot from a bow.. The horrified Yanks sent Rolls Royce the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield and begged the British scientists for suggestions. Rolls Royce responded with a one-line memo: "Defrost the chicken."

email from Lawrence Ratnam

When I was young, my intention was to go to medical school. The entrance exam included several questions that would determine eligibility. One of the questions was "Rearrange the letters "PSNEI"to spell out an
important part of the human body that is more useful when it is erect."
Those who spelled "SPINE" became Doctors. The rest ended up in Politics.

Email from Chitra Gallege - Old Ceylon.

Subject: FROM LORD VETERAN DUDLEY JAYASEKKERA - Fw: Life of Sri Lankans, more than 100 years ago on YouTube.
Click on the web-link below with internet connection on:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pCtjnhxXfw

Finished and Complete - Meaning of the words, email from Kamalini Kanapathippilla

Finished and Complete: No English dictionary has been able to explain adequately the difference between the two words.

In a recently held linguistic competition held in London, England attended by the best in the world, Samsundar Balgobin, a Guyanese man from Bachelors Adventure, was the clear winner with a standing ovation lasting over 5 minutes.

Here is his answer which made him receive an invitation to dine with the Queen who decided to call him after the contest. He won a trip to travel the world in style and a case of 25 year old Eldorado rum for his answer.

His final question was this.... How to explain the difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED in a way that is easy to understand. Some people say there is no difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED .

Here is his astute answer ....
When you marry the right woman, you are COMPLETE. And when you marry the wrong woman, you are FINISHED.
And when the right one catches you with the wrong one, you are COMPLETELY FINISHED!

The 'Middle Wife' by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher - email from Chitra Gallage.

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.

She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'

'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.

'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)

'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)

'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there.'

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest.. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle Wife' comes along.

Are you getting old? I am sure you are.

Signs of getting old. Click on link below:-

http://news.discovery.com/human/aging-parents-elder-care-121121.html#mkcpgn=emnws1

email from Lesley Sirimanne

A Standing Ovation at  Carnegie Hall for a performer of unlimited skills at making a simple harmonica sound philharmonic!
 It took the William Tell Overture to bring them to their  feet.
I am betting you have never heard a harmonica played like this  before.
This gentleman is  fabulous.
Turn  up your speakers and enjoy.

Click  below:
  Http://www.wimp.com/harmonicacarnegie/

email from Chitra Gallege

Subject: Awesome Quotes

Old photos of Ceylon - emailed by Sujeeva

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=ba401bc17d&view=att&th=13b1bc5f310f6772&attid=0.1.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P8lv1F-OkV9EeTlcR_Pg3Qw&sadet=1353416861502&sads=cTma_jVR3goOyQYkd0gmyA7Qqi0&sadssc=1

email from Susiri Weerasekara

Dear P….,
Thanks.
I sent those photos and comments pertaining to the period soon after the war ended, not for my glory, but as just a wee tiny part of a huge collection services given by all, Sri Lankans and foreigners, foreign governments included.

The young generation  in this country, of all communities have a  mind set, with  little ethnic base that would bother us. This has not yet been quite realized.
Do the ‘diaspora’ of all communities  believe that about us locals?

Now we are a new country as I observe in my travels.

We may not outdo tiny Singapore ever in terms of money, but within a few years we will be better off than them in quality of life.

P.S.
Been to Ampara last week fitting 68 limbs. Took the opportunity to visit ancient( 3rd C,  B.C)  Buddhist site at Deegavapi, 20 Km away, sparsely populated,.

The first civilian village massacre  of 30 people occurred in 1987. One woman escaped. That village with 17 families on that day  is called Colony 36 but I did not visit that place. Since 1987 villagers gathered at the nearest temple by 4pm, guarded by the army all the years. Now there is total peace.

 Oh I nearly forgot, Ampara Arantalawa temple too faced a massacre of priests.

In contrast, The present state of peace is not just around there, but all over the country.
That is why the poor people give solid support to those responsible for this result. The north is burgeoning.

Actually, we, my family, too were close to annihilation on the Colombo roads on three occasions in the last 25 years. We are yet around with luck.
Those who got caught are forgotten.
I shall not forget that, just as much as the violence created by a very few people in the 1980s that led to nearly 90,000 dying, possibly three times that number maimed.    Never again!

Susiri

Three emails

Butterfly - email from Kamalini Kanapathippillai

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=13b13e0090510d0f&mt=application/vnd.ms-powerpoint&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/0/?ui%3D2%26ik%3Dba401bc17d%26view%3Datt%26th%3D13b13e0090510d0f%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dsafe%26zw&sig=AHIEtbS2jDacBhJCiPW22vkLwfws_a7EhA

Birds fashion show - email from Chithra Gallege 
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=13b1199f2102414e&mt=application/vnd.ms-powerpoint&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/0/?ui%3D2%26ik%3Df9f9290c98%26view%3Datt%26th%3D13b1199f2102414e%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dsafe%26zw&sig=AHIEtbQMbzHpvUIYukZCcYxupnX3g7YHsA
 
Magic - email from Sunil Liyanage
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=sKns1uatyNg&vq=medium