You "Gotta" Love Those Barristers

These are thing actually people said in court, word for word, recorded and published by court reporters trying to put on a straight face while these exchanges were taking place.

Q: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
A: Yes.
Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
A: I forget.
Q: You forget? Can you give us an example of something that you have forgotten?

Q: How old is your son, the one living with you?
A: Thirty - eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
Q: How long has he lived with you?
A: Forty-five years.

"The Last Lecture"

How many of us have heard of talks titled “The Last Lecture”. Probably very few of us have. What is “The Last Lecture”? It is a lecture series where Professors are asked to contemplate their mortality, to reflect on matters most important to them and the legacy they would like to leave behind. In short, what can they impart to the world if they know they will soon become the dearly departed? The last lecture is a common and popular feature in US colleges and universities campus.

This accompanying story is both poignant and significant. It is in reality the last lecture for a very young and brilliant professor, Randy Pausch. With a terminal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer (as he called it “the elephant in the room”) and given three to six months “of good health left”, he was asked to give “The Last Lecture”. He delivered a very uplifting and upbeat talk titled “The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon. It became very popular on Youtube and a book called “The Last Lecture” co-authored by him became the New York Times best-seller.

Many would have thought being his last lecture he would showcase his brilliance and his worldly achievements. To the surprise of many, his reminiscences are over the realization of his childhood dreams and enabling the dreams of others. He talks about the importance of family and friendships. As he concludes, what is important is “It’s about how to live your life”. Most of us are so caught up with the business of living that it seems we are born to exist and not live as it should be, forgetting that life is so fleeting.

Watch his Youtube “The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” in this link. The length of the video is about one and half hours. Or if you prefer reading, read his book “The Last Lecture”.

Who is Randy Pausch?

Randy Pausch is a Professor of Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University. An award-winning teacher and researcher, he has worked with Adobe, Google, Electronic Arts (EA) and Walt Disney Imagineering and pioneered an innovative 3-D computer program that teaches programming to people through storytelling and inter-active game-playing, a non profit “Alice” Project.

When Insults Had Class

Glorious insults from an era before the English Language became crude, vulgar and uncouth when people started spicing their lack of verbal skills with 4-letter words:

The exchange between Sir Winston Churchill and Lady Astor:

She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison."

He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.

Winston Churchill

The exchange between George Bernard Shaw and Sir Winston Churchill:

George Bernard Shaw: "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one."

Sir Winston Churchill: "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second .... if there is one."

A brief profile for those too young to remember or who hate history

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill a.k.a “the Bulldog” (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965), was a British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the great wartime leaders. He served as Prime Minister twice (1940–45 and 1951–55). Known for his wit and sharp tongue, a noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer, and an artist. To date, he is the only British prime minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and he was the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the United States. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)