Number of words: 772 The historical root of swearing in English and many other language is, oddly enough, religion. We see this in the third commandment, in the popularity of  hell, damn, God, and Jesus Christ, and in many of the terms for taboo language  itself: profanity (that which is not, sacred), blasphemy (literally “evil … Read more

Number of words: 299 I am from the village of Parra in Goa, hence we are called Parrikars. My village is famous for its watermelons. When I was a child, the farmers would organise a watermelon-eating contest at the end of the harvest season in May. All the kids would be invited to eat as … Read more

Number of words: 1,750 The “old design”—the creation of artifacts for consumption—has traditionally been managed in the form of individual projects. This is most obvious when a consultant works with a client. The typical engagement works like this: A client—often a large corporation—identifies a problem that requires design skills. The client assigns a budget and … Read more

Number of words: 907 How many times have you taken a flight at midnight or even at 3 am, spent the rest of the night sitting uncomfortably in an economy class seat, and reached your destination bleary eyed and sleep deprived? And what about those living close to airports in metros, who complain that the … Read more

Number of words: 1,116 The last months to stomp on Earth lived on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean. This isolated population lived for thousands of years after most mammoths were gone, but when extinction finally came, it happened quickly. New evidence may finally explain what happened to these stubborn holdouts. Chemical analysis suggests the … Read more

Number of words: 1,260 Sales in the auto sector and in related industries have fallen considerably in India. Maruti-Suzuki, the country’s leading car manufacturer, has reported a 32.7% decline in its total vehicle sales. There is a similar situation across the sector, including the two-wheeler industry. The sector has already lost over 300,000 jobs. What explains the massive slowdown … Read more

Number of words: 239 This is being sent only to those who are  believed to have the mental capacity to comprehend the meaning of these statements.  It requires a moderately deep thinker to grasp these most important facts of life. *9 Points to Ponder* *Number 9* – Death is the number 1 killer in the … Read more

Number of words: 561 Spiders have no wings, but they can take to the air nonetheless. They’ll climb to an exposed point, raise their abdomens to the sky, extrude strands of silk, and float away. This behavior is called ballooning. It might carry spiders away from predators and competitors, or toward new lands with abundant … Read more

Number of words: 873 On October 31, 1832, a young naturalist named Charles Darwin walked onto the deck of the HMS Beagle and realized that the ship had been boarded by thousands of intruders. Tiny red spiders, each a millimeter wide, were everywhere. The ship was 60 miles offshore, so the creatures must have floated over from … Read more

Number of words: 75 There is the story of the Romanian whore who decided to go straight and became engaged to be married. On the eve of her wedding her conscience began to worry her and she went to a Rabbi to ask whether she should tell her fiancé about her past. Yes, said sage, … Read more