Thursday, December 27, 2007

பணம் பணமறிய அவா!

கொடுவாயூர்: ஜாஃபர் சாதிக், பாகவி

அன்னை தேசத்து
அகதிகள் நாம்
எண்ணெய் தேசங்களில்
எரிந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறோம்!

அடி வயிற்றில் பதிந்த
வறுமைக் கோடுகளின்
மர்மக் கரங்கள்
அறித்தெறிந்து வீசிய
ஜீவனுள்ள மாமிசத்
துண்டுகள் நாம்!

கண் தெரியா தேசத்தில் விழுந்து
காயங்கள் தலை சாய்த்துக்
கண்ணீர் வடிக்கிறோம்!

மொத்தக் குடும்பத்தையும்
முதுகில் சுமந்து
இன்னும் தீர்மானிக்கப்படாத்
திசைகளில் தொடர்கிறது
நம் பயணம்!

ஒவ்வொரு முறையும்
நலம் நலமறிய அவா
என்றுதான் கடிதம் எழுதுகிறோம்!
பணம் பணமறிய அவா
என்றல்லவா பதில் வருகிறது!

நமக்கு மட்டும் ஏன்
பணம் பந்த பாசங்களின்
சமாதியாகி விட்டது!

ஒரு டெலிபோன் கார்டிலும்
ஒரு பொட்டலம் பிரியாணியிலும்
முற்றுப்பெற்று விடுகிறது
நம் பெருநாட்கள் ஒவ்வொன்றும்...

உயிரை பிழிந்து பிழிந்து
பாசத்தால் ஒத்தடம் தந்த
உறவுகளைப் பிரிந்து
இன்னும் எத்தனை நாட்கள்
இந்த ஏகாந்த வாழ்க்கை?

கலவரத்தில்
கைக் குழந்தையைத் தொலைத்த
தாயின் பதற்றத்தைப்போல்தான்
ஒவ்வொரு முறையும் போன் பேசிய
பின்னால் அடையும் அவஸ்தைகள்...

நம்மில் பலருக்கு
தாம்பத்திய வாழ்க்கைகூட
தவணை முறையில்தான்
தட்டுப்படுகிறது...

தொலைபேசியிலும்
தபாலிலும்
கொஞ்சலும், சிணுங்கலுமாய்
இன்ஸ்டால்மெண்டில்
இல்லறம் நடக்கிறது...

மனைவியின் மூச்சுக்காற்று தந்த சுகம் கூட
இந்த ஏசி காற்று தருவதில்லை!

குடும்ப விளக்குகளை
கும்மிருட்டில் தவிக்கவிட்டு விட்டு
தீக்குச்சிகள் நாம்
தன்னந்தனியாய்
இந்தத் தீவுகளில்...

வீடுகூடும் நிஜம் தொலைத்து
ஒரு வீடு கட்டும் கனாவில்
இன்னும் எத்தனை ஆண்டுகள்
இந்த பாலைப் பிரதேசங்களில்?..

உயிரோடு இருக்கும்
பெற்ற குழந்தைக்கு
புகைப் படத்தில்
தான்கொடுக்க முடிகிறது
செல்ல முத்தங்கள்!

என்ன இருந்தாலும்
காகிதங்கள் உணருமா
பாசத்தின் ருசி

ஒவ்வொரு முறையும்
ஊர் சென்று திரும்பும்போது
மறக்காமல் எல்லாவற்றையும்
எடுத்து வர முடிகிறது
மனசைத் தவிர...

காலத்தின்
இந்த பசை தடவல்கள்
நம்மைக் கட்டிப் போடாமல்
வெறும் கடிதம் போடத்தானா?

பாலைவன ஜீவன்கள் நாம்
தாகத்தோடு காத்திருக்கின்றோம்
தண்ணீருக்காக அல்ல
தபால்களுக்காக...

வாழ்க்கையின் பாதி
விரக்தியிலும் விரகத்தீயிலும்
எரிந்துபோகும் நம் வாலிப வாழ்க்கை
கடைசியில் நரம்புகள் அறுந்துபோய்
முகாரி பாடும் வீணைகளாய்...

என்ன சொல்லி
என்ன பயன்
தண்ணீரில் மீன் அழுதால்
கண்ணீரை யார் அறிவார்?

சுட்ட இடம் : www.pottalputhur.com

Google Transliterate

This is a great service from google...I've planned to use this for posting data in Tamil letters...
http://www.google.com/transliterate/indic/Tamil

Monday, December 24, 2007

A letter to the teacher


This is a letter the late American president Abraham Lincoln once wrote to his son’s teacher. A good example for parents.

He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just, all men are not true, but teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero, that for every selfish politician there is a dedicated leader. Teach him that for every enemy there is a friend.
It will take time I know, but teach him if you can that a dollar earned is far more value than five found, teach him to lose and also to enjoy winning. Steer him away from envy. If you can, teach him the secret of quiet laughter. Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest to lick. Teach him if you can the wonder of books. But also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a green hillside.
In the school teach him it’s far more honorable to fail than to cheat. Teach him to have faith in his own ideas even if everyone tells him they are wrong. Teach him to be gentle with gentle people and tough with the tough.
Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting on the bandwagon. Teach him to listen to all men, but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth and take only the good that comes through. Teach him if you can how to laugh when he is sad. Teach him that there is no shame in tears.
Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness. Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders, but never to put a price tag on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob and to stand and fight if he thinks he is right.
Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him because only the test of fire makes fine steel. Let him have the courage to be impatient… let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in mankind.
That’s a big order, but see what you can do because he’s a fine little fellow, my son.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

The skills you need to succeed


By Bill Gates


One of the most important changes of the last 30 years is that digital technology has transformed almost everyone into an information worker.
In almost every job now, people use software and work with information to enable their organization to operate more effectively.
That is true for everyone from the retail store worker who uses a handheld scanner to track inventory to the chief executive who uses business intelligence software to analyze critical market trends.
So if you look at how progress is made and where competitive advantage is created,
There is no doubt that the ability to use software tools effectively is critical to succeed in today’s global knowledge economy.
The solid working knowledge of productivity software and other IT tools has become a basic foundation for success in virtually any career.
Beyond that however, I don’t think you can overemphasize the importance of having a good background in Maths and Science.
If you look at the most interesting things that have emerged in the last decade whether it is cool things like portable music devices and video games or more practical things like smart phones and medical technology - they all come from the realm of Science and engineering.
Today and in the future, many of the jobs with the greatest impact will be related to software whether it is developing software working for a company like Microsoft or helping other organization use information technology tools to be successful.
Communication skills and the ability to work well with different types of people are very important too.
A lot of people assume hat creating software is purely a solitary activity where you sit in an office with the door closed all day and write lots of code.
This isn’t true at all. Software innovation, like almost every other kind of innovation, requires the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other people and to sit down and talk with customers and get their feedback and understand their needs.
I also place a high value on having a passion for ongoing learning. When I was pretty young, I picked up the habit of reading lots of books.
It’s great to read widely about a broad range of subjects. Of course today, it’s far easier to go online and find information about any topic that interests you.
Having that kind of curiosity about the world helps anyone succeed, no matter what kind of work they decide to pursue.

(Bill Gates is chairman, chief software architect and one of the founders of Microsoft, the world’s largest software company. From July 2008 he will end his day-today involvement in the company and focus on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and its global health and education work)

Top 10 IT Stories of 2007

Top ten IT stories of 2007

Friday, December 21, 2007

The Shepherd of Hermas

The Shepherd was a book written by Hermas between 88 and 97 A.D at Patmos, near Ephesus. Like the Gospel of Barnabas, it affirmed the Divine Unity, and it was for this reason that concerted efforts were made to destroy it, once the doctrine of Trinity had become firmly rooted in the established Pauline Church. It was one of the books which were banned as a result of the decisions made by the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D.
Up until the Council of Nicea, the book was accepted and widely used by the earlier followers of Jesus, who regarded Hermas as a prophet. Towards the end of the second century A.D., it was accepted as part of the New Testament by Clement of Alexandria. Origen (185-254 A.D.) also accepted it as a revealed book, and it was placed at the end of the Codex Sinaticus which was in use in the middle of the fourth century A.D.
The Shepherd was a book which obviously could not be ignored and which was accepted as a revealed book by the majority of early Christian thinkers and lovers of God. It was written when the movement to ‘Hellenise’ the teachings of Jesus was in its infancy, and at a time when many of those who followed Jesus were still aware that Jesus had come to restore and expand the teaching which Moses had brought to the Jews. Like Jesus, they were practicing Jews whose understanding of what they were doing was illuminated by the knowledge Jesus had brought. They still believed in and followed the writings of the Old Testament and since The Shepherd affirmed what they already knew, they accepted Hermas’s book into their body of Scriptures.
It was found that the Greek used by Hermas was a simple vernacular. The language could be understood by the common people and it is clear that the book was written for everyone and not for an intellectual elite. His style was frank and informal and he possessed an originality of expression which made the book easy to read.
Hermas begins by telling four visions he experienced, the last of which he calls revelation since on this occasion an angle visited him dressed as a shepherd. The angel informed Hermas that he had been sent by the “most reverend angel” (that is the angel Gabriel) to live with Hermas for the rest of the days of his life.
The angel then ordered Hermas to write down all “the Commands and the Parables.” Since these were dictated to him by the angel, who only related what he was to say by the “most reverend angel” it was accepted as a revealed book by the earlier Christians.
The commands he was told to write down were these:

I. First of all believe that God is One and that He created all things and organized them and out of what did not exist made all things to be, and He contains all things but Alone is Himself uncontained. Trust him therefore and fear Him and, fearing Him be self controlled. Keep this command and you will cast away from yourself all wickedness, put on every virtue of uprightness, and you will live to god if you keep this commandment.

II. Be sincere and simple minded. Speak evil of nobody and do not enjoy hearing anyone do so. Do right and give generously.

III. Love truth.

IV. Observe purity. Be pure not only in action but also in thinking.

V. Be patient and understanding. The Lord dwells in patience, but the devil in ill-temper.

VI. Trust what is right and do not trust what is wrong. Uprightness has a straight and level way, but wrongdoing is a crooked one. There are two angels with men, one of uprightness and one of wickedness.

VII. Fear the lord and keep God’s commands.

VIII. Be self-controlled about what is wrong and do not wrong. But do not be self-controlled about what is right, but do what is right. Restrain yourself from all evil and follow the right path.

IX. Cast off doubt from yourself. Ask the lord without doubting, and you will receive everything. God is not like men who hold grudges, but He is forgiving and feels pity for what He had made. So cleanse your heart of all vanities of this world.
X. Put sadness away from you, for it is the sister of doubt and bad temper.

XI. A man who consults a false prophet is an idolater and void of the truth.
Hermas asked the angel how to distinguish a true prophet from a false. The angel replied that in the first place the man who has the spirit that is from above is gentle, quiet and humble. He abstains from all wickedness and the futile desires of the world… (He) does not speak by himself… but speaks when God wishes him to speak… but all power belongs to the Lord.

A false prophet exalts himself and wants to have a front seat. He is bold, shameless, and talkative, lives in great luxury and accepts pay for his prophesying. Can a divine spirit accept pay for prophesying? The false prophet avoids upright men and attaches himself to those who are doubtful and vain; and he says everything to them falsely in line with their desires. An empty vessel put among empty ones does not break, but they harmonize with one another. Take a stone and throw it up to heaven; see if you can reach it. The earthly things are impotent and weak. On the other hand, take the power that comes from above. Hail is a very small grain, yet when it falls on a man’s head what pain it causes! Or again, take a drop of water which falls on the ground from the roof and makes a hole in the stone. So divine Power that comes from above is mighty.

XII. Cast off from yourself every evil desire and clothe yourself in good and holy desires. God created the world for man’s sake and made his whole creation subject to man, and gave him complete authority to have dominion over all things under heaven. A man who has the Lord in his heart is able to master all things.
Behave as a slave of God. The devil cannot get control of the slaves of God. The devil can wrestle, but cannot throw them.

Source: “The Apostolic Fathers, Edgar J. Goodspeed”, from the book “Jesus Prophet of Islam by Muhammad Ata Ur Rahim”