Desire: Simple meaning of desire is to crave for worldly pleasures of all kinds. But in philosophy, "Desire" has been identified as a philosophical problem since Antiquity. As per Plato, individual desires must be postponed in the name of the higher ideal.
As per the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddhism), craving is said to be the cause of all suffering that one experiences in human existence. The extinction of this craving leads one to ultimate happiness, or Nirvana. Nirvana means "cessation", "extinction" of suffering. It is also known as "Awakening" or "Enlightenment". As per the teaching of Gautama Buddha, suffering is an inevitable part of life as we know it & the cause of this suffering is attachment to, or craving for worldly pleasures of all kinds. The suffering ends when the craving and desire ends, or one is freed from all desires.
In "Bhagwat Gita" Arjuna asks "Lord Krishna" a very pertinent question,“What makes a person do the wrong thing, even when he/she knows, it’s wrong and don’t want to do it?”
Lord Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that: It is Desire & Lust only which makes a person do the wrong thing, even when he/she knows, it’s wrong and don’t want to do it.
When we desire something then we are empowered by a powerful emotion to get it which clouds our reasoning. Our passionate desires clouds our mind and senses & it distorts our perception and reasoning. It is our relentless passionate desire to enjoy the material pleasures that it leads us to commit Sin. Desire covers our reasoning like smoke covers fire, or dust covers a mirror. Due to this blurred reasoning & our passionate hankering for desires, we do commit Sin in our life.
Below are verses of "Bhagwat Gita" in which "Arjuna" asks "Lord Krishna" about the same:
"arjuna uvacha
atha kena prayukto ’yam
papam charati purushah
anicchann api varsneya
balad iva niyojitah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 36)
"Arjuna said: O Sri Krishna, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?"
"sri-bhagavan uvacha
kama esa krodha esa
rajo-guna-samudbhavah
mahasano maha-papma
viddhy enam iha vairinam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 37)
"Sri Krishna said: It is desire & lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world."
"dhumenavriyate vahnir
yathadarso malena cha
yatholbenavrto garbhas
tatha tenedam avrtam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 38)
"Sri Krishna said: As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the embryo is covered by the womb, the living entity is similarly covered by different degrees of this lust."
"avrtam jnanam etena
jnanino nitya-vairina
kama-rupena kaunteya
duspurenanalena cha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 39)
"Sri Krishna said: Thus the wise living entity’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire."
"tasmat tvam indriyany adau
niyamya bharatarsabha
papmanam prajahi hy enam
jnana-vijnana-nasanam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 41)
"Sri Krishna said: Therefore, O Arjuna, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin (lust) by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization."
"evam buddheh param buddhva
samstabhyatmanam atmana
jahi satrum maha-baho
kama-rupam durasadam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 43)
"Sri Krishna said: Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to the material senses, mind and intelligence, O Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence and thus—by spiritual strength—conquer the desires & lust which is the insatiable enemy."
From the above verses of "Bhagwat Gita" it is very clear that it is the individual's Desire, Lust & constant feeding of one's senses that a person commits sinful activities. Due to such constant craving for desires, one's intelligence gets covered with ignorance, just like a mirror is covered by the dust & one is not able to see the things in right perspective. So we should not constantly hanker to satisfy our desires, rather we should control these desires.
Labels: arjuna, Bhagwad Gita, Buddhism, Chapter 3, desire, Gautama, Krishna, Lord Krishna, lust, Siddhartha
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Wedding Ring
Why should the wedding ring be worn on the fourth finger?
There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese Legend...
Thumb represents your Parents
Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings
Middle finger represents your-Self
Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner
& the Last (Little) finger represents your children
Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together - back to back secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb - tip to tip.
Now, try to separate your thumbs (representing the parents)..., they will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong, and have to leave you sooner or later.
Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)...., they will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.
Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers (representing your children)... ., they will open too, because the children also will get married and settle down on their own some day.
Finally, join your little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse).
You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT....., because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick and thin!!
Please try this out.....
ISN'T THIS A LOVELY THEORY?
There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese Legend...
Thumb represents your Parents
Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings
Middle finger represents your-Self
Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner
& the Last (Little) finger represents your children
Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together - back to back secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb - tip to tip.
Now, try to separate your thumbs (representing the parents)..., they will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong, and have to leave you sooner or later.
Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)...., they will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.
Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers (representing your children)... ., they will open too, because the children also will get married and settle down on their own some day.
Finally, join your little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse).
You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT....., because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick and thin!!
Please try this out.....
ISN'T THIS A LOVELY THEORY?
Monday, December 22, 2008
mother
This story begins when I was a child. I was born poor. Often we hadn't enough to eat. Whenever we had some food, Mother often gave me her portion of rice. While she was transferring her rice into my bowl, she would say 'Eat this rice, son! I'm not hungry.' This was my mother's first lie.
As I grew, mother gave up her spare time to cultivate vegetables on a small patch of land near our home. She hoped that she could give me some nutritious food for my growth. She would make delicious soups from the best of the seasonal crops she was able to grow.
While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat what was still left in the bowl. My heart was touched when I saw it. Once I gave her half my share but she immediately refused it and said, 'Please eat this soup, son! I don't really like soup so much.' This was my mother's second lie.
Then, in order to fund my education, mother went to a match factory to bring home some used matchboxes, which she filled with fresh matchsticks. This helped her get some money to cover our needs. One wintry night, I awoke to find mother filling the matchboxes by candlelight. So I said, 'Mother, go to sleep; it's late, you can continue working tomorrow morning.' Mother smiled and said, 'Go to sleep, son! I'm not tired.' This was my mother's third lie.
When I had to sit for my final examination, mother accompanied me. After dawn, mother waited for me for hours in the heat of the Sun. When the bell rang, I ran to meet her… Mother embraced me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared in a thermos. The tea was not as strong as my mother's love. Seeing mother covered with perspiration, I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too. Mother said 'Drink, son! I'm not thirsty!' This was my mother's fourth lie.
After my father's death, mother had to play the role of a single parent. She held on to her former job and somehow had to make ends meet alone. Our family's status was precarious and many a time we suffered from starvation. Seeing our family's condition worsening, my kind Uncle, who lived near my house, offered to help us solve our problems, big and small. Our other neighbors saw that we were poverty stricken, so they often advised my mother to marry again. But mother refused to remarry saying, 'I don't need love.' This was my mother's fifth lie.
After I had finished my studies and found a job, it was time for my old mother to retire, but she carried on going to the market every morning just to sell a few vegetables. I kept sending her money, but she was steadfast and even sent the amount back to me! She said, 'I have enough money.' That was my mother's sixth lie.
I continued my part-time studies for my master's degree. Funded by the American Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in my studies. With a big jump in my salary, I decided to bring mother to enjoy life in America. But mother didn't want to bother her son; she said to me: ‘I don’t want a comfortable life.' That was my mother's seventh lie.
In her dotage, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be hospitalized. Now, living far across the ocean, I went home to visit mother who was bedridden after an operation. Mother tried to smile, but I was heartbroken because she was so thin and feeble. But mother said, 'Don't cry, son! I'm not in any pain.' That was my mother's eighth lie!
Telling me this, her eighth lie, she died. Yes, my mother was an angel!
It is for this reason that they define Mother this way –
M - O - T - H - E - R
'M' is for the Million things she gave me;
'O' means she became Old as she gave her life for me;
'T' is for the Tears she shed to save me;
'H' is for her Heart of gold;
'E' is for her Eyes with love-light shining in them;
‘R' means the Righteous and exemplary life she lead.
Put them all together, they spell 'MOTHER' - a word that means the world to me.
The author of this story in unknown, but it can be anybody on this Earth who has had the fortune of being brought up by their mother. For those, who have been blessed with their mother’s presence in their lives, this story is surely beautiful. For those who aren't so lucky, this is even more beautiful!
Bhagavan Baba has time and gain exhorted everyone to adore their mother as their first God. During the Ladies Day celebration on November 19, 1999, Bhagavan started his Divine Discourse with this moving poem:
More fragrant than the sweet-smelling flowers
like the Jasmine and the Champak,
Softer than the cheese and the butter,
More beautiful than eye of the peacock,
More pleasant than the moonlight,
Is the love of the mother!
Again, on the occasion of Easwaramma Day on May 6, 2006, He said, “There is no love greater than mother’s love in this world. It is imbued with immense power... Love your mother. Then you will be loved by all… It is the foremost duty of children to fulfill the wishes of their mother and make her happy.”
Curtsey by unknown
As I grew, mother gave up her spare time to cultivate vegetables on a small patch of land near our home. She hoped that she could give me some nutritious food for my growth. She would make delicious soups from the best of the seasonal crops she was able to grow.
While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat what was still left in the bowl. My heart was touched when I saw it. Once I gave her half my share but she immediately refused it and said, 'Please eat this soup, son! I don't really like soup so much.' This was my mother's second lie.
Then, in order to fund my education, mother went to a match factory to bring home some used matchboxes, which she filled with fresh matchsticks. This helped her get some money to cover our needs. One wintry night, I awoke to find mother filling the matchboxes by candlelight. So I said, 'Mother, go to sleep; it's late, you can continue working tomorrow morning.' Mother smiled and said, 'Go to sleep, son! I'm not tired.' This was my mother's third lie.
When I had to sit for my final examination, mother accompanied me. After dawn, mother waited for me for hours in the heat of the Sun. When the bell rang, I ran to meet her… Mother embraced me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared in a thermos. The tea was not as strong as my mother's love. Seeing mother covered with perspiration, I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too. Mother said 'Drink, son! I'm not thirsty!' This was my mother's fourth lie.
After my father's death, mother had to play the role of a single parent. She held on to her former job and somehow had to make ends meet alone. Our family's status was precarious and many a time we suffered from starvation. Seeing our family's condition worsening, my kind Uncle, who lived near my house, offered to help us solve our problems, big and small. Our other neighbors saw that we were poverty stricken, so they often advised my mother to marry again. But mother refused to remarry saying, 'I don't need love.' This was my mother's fifth lie.
After I had finished my studies and found a job, it was time for my old mother to retire, but she carried on going to the market every morning just to sell a few vegetables. I kept sending her money, but she was steadfast and even sent the amount back to me! She said, 'I have enough money.' That was my mother's sixth lie.
I continued my part-time studies for my master's degree. Funded by the American Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in my studies. With a big jump in my salary, I decided to bring mother to enjoy life in America. But mother didn't want to bother her son; she said to me: ‘I don’t want a comfortable life.' That was my mother's seventh lie.
In her dotage, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be hospitalized. Now, living far across the ocean, I went home to visit mother who was bedridden after an operation. Mother tried to smile, but I was heartbroken because she was so thin and feeble. But mother said, 'Don't cry, son! I'm not in any pain.' That was my mother's eighth lie!
Telling me this, her eighth lie, she died. Yes, my mother was an angel!
It is for this reason that they define Mother this way –
M - O - T - H - E - R
'M' is for the Million things she gave me;
'O' means she became Old as she gave her life for me;
'T' is for the Tears she shed to save me;
'H' is for her Heart of gold;
'E' is for her Eyes with love-light shining in them;
‘R' means the Righteous and exemplary life she lead.
Put them all together, they spell 'MOTHER' - a word that means the world to me.
The author of this story in unknown, but it can be anybody on this Earth who has had the fortune of being brought up by their mother. For those, who have been blessed with their mother’s presence in their lives, this story is surely beautiful. For those who aren't so lucky, this is even more beautiful!
Bhagavan Baba has time and gain exhorted everyone to adore their mother as their first God. During the Ladies Day celebration on November 19, 1999, Bhagavan started his Divine Discourse with this moving poem:
More fragrant than the sweet-smelling flowers
like the Jasmine and the Champak,
Softer than the cheese and the butter,
More beautiful than eye of the peacock,
More pleasant than the moonlight,
Is the love of the mother!
Again, on the occasion of Easwaramma Day on May 6, 2006, He said, “There is no love greater than mother’s love in this world. It is imbued with immense power... Love your mother. Then you will be loved by all… It is the foremost duty of children to fulfill the wishes of their mother and make her happy.”
Curtsey by unknown
The First Temple
Christmas, the most special time of the year, is when we remind ourselves of the birth of Lord Jesus into the world. Christ brought with Him a new dispensation of Light and Truth to humanity through His Love and Teachings. Possibly His most profound, yet unheeded, divine teaching is ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.’ Jesus urged us to look within ourselves for the inherent divinity in us and experience the beauty of a heaven nestled within our hearts. We often spend time concentrating on a God as an entity separate from ourselves when in reality He can’t get any closer than where He always resides.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, God asked one of His chosen saints to find a suitable place where He could build the First Temple. God stipulated that the local people should be virtuous and good, and that they should be in contemplation of the divinity within themselves, thereby, keeping the temple sacrosanct.
The saint did not search for long when he found a village where all seemed peaceful. The place was immaculate, the well was clean, people were polite and civil to one another, and the beggars received enough to eat from kind strangers. It seemed the perfect place to build the first temple. The disciple went to the Lord to say that he found a place, after all.
Ofcourse, the Omniscient Lord knew what was missing in the seemingly perfect place, but He wanted to teach a lesson to His devotee. God lovingly told his disciple, “Look closely, child, can you not see that there is an absence of love in that small village? Though everything seems fine on the surface, I find no love within the hearts of those villagers.”
And sure enough, when the disciple returned and made a deeper inspection, he heard arguments from behind closed doors, saw that the cleanliness of the place was more due to fear of punishment than real care, and that beggars existed only because of broken families and an obvious lack of empathy.
God asked the saint to continue his search relentlessly for the ideal place. And so, the disciple wandered from pillar to post, trying to find that elusive sublime quality of love blossoming within the hearts of the people. His search took him to places far and wide, but it was all in vain. There wasn’t a single place in sight that exuded pure love, compassion, and generosity.
After several weeks of futile attempts, the disciple began to become quite despondent. He did come across people speaking nicely to one another and practicing charity where needed, yet there was no evidence of that spontaneous, absolutely magical presence of selfless love, no signs of joy, not a single trace of humility anywhere, no witness of hearts aflame with devotion.
He was about to give up, and then, one day he came upon a quiet farm nestled in a serene valley. The two farmers there looked like brothers and they seemed to move about with a sparkle in their eyes and a spring in their steps for no apparent reason at all. They wore the warmest of smiles, and seemed to revel in their chores. The disciple was certainly curious now, and needed to know the secret of the spectacle of bliss.
The devotee approached the brothers and asked them why they appeared so joyful. “Oh, he’s my good brother who looks after me so well. There is no need of mine that is uncared for, I have so much to be grateful for and happy about,” effusively replied the one who seemed to be the older brother. Almost immediately, the younger brother looking on gushed, “My brother takes wonderful care of me day in and day out. I couldn’t ask for more from life! Please do come in and share a meal with us, for you must have walked many a mile and must be weary by now.”
The disciple soon realized he had found the place indeed. Here he was in the company of two brothers who knew nothing other than perfect harmony, love, graciousness, noble spirit, caring, sharing, and peace, and if that’s not enough, they even had the time and inclination to welcome a passing stranger in their midst and treat him with utmost warmth and hospitality. It was nothing short of heaven in those moments.
After a few hours of spending time in the delightful company of the two blessed brothers, the disciple decided to take leave of them to go back to God with the wondrous discovery. He couldn’t wait to ask God if his find was the right choice. The Lord was indeed very pleased and congratulated His disciple on finding the correct place to build the first temple. “Yes, you have come to the place. This is the place I wanted you to see. Let me tell you a touching tale about those two loving brothers.”
God began the beautiful story. “You must have observed that they work on a common piece of land and share the produce equally. Well, the older brother has no family of his own, whilst the younger brother has a wife and children.
“One day, the older brother thought to himself, ‘I live alone and my needs are few. Whilst I have only myself to feed, my brother has a family to take care of. Surely, he must live with great difficulty. It is unfair on my part to claim equal share of the produce.’ With this thought, he decided to secretly transfer some of the grains from his stock to his brother's storehouse. He carried out his plan every night when everyone in the house was asleep. It made him immensely happy at the thought of his younger brother having enough for his family.”
“About the same time, the younger brother suddenly realised that his older brother was getting old, and thought to himself, ‘I have my sons to look after me when I grow old. Who is there really for my elder brother? There will be no one to support him when he grows old . He can’t work forever to feed himself; there will come a day when he can’t carry out the tasks of the day.’ So, he decided to secretly transfer each night some stock of grain to his older brother's granary.”
“This went on for some time till one night they came face to face, sacks of grain on their shoulders, on their way to the other’s granary. As a result of their comical but startling encounter, they confessed to each other about their similar surreptitious transfers. Overwhelmed by their mutual unconditional love, tears flowed down their cheeks. They embraced each other in the dead of the night in quiet acknowledgement for what they received from each other. The bond that had tied them together over the years became known to them in those few minutes.”
God went on, “This rare scene moved me deeply.”
God, then, looked at His disciple, beaming a radiant smile, and said to him with untold joy, “Yes, this is where we shall build the First Temple for they have already built the Kingdom of God within themselves. They alone can preserve the sanctity of the new House of God. Now, get some stones and wood together. It is time to start!
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, God asked one of His chosen saints to find a suitable place where He could build the First Temple. God stipulated that the local people should be virtuous and good, and that they should be in contemplation of the divinity within themselves, thereby, keeping the temple sacrosanct.
The saint did not search for long when he found a village where all seemed peaceful. The place was immaculate, the well was clean, people were polite and civil to one another, and the beggars received enough to eat from kind strangers. It seemed the perfect place to build the first temple. The disciple went to the Lord to say that he found a place, after all.
Ofcourse, the Omniscient Lord knew what was missing in the seemingly perfect place, but He wanted to teach a lesson to His devotee. God lovingly told his disciple, “Look closely, child, can you not see that there is an absence of love in that small village? Though everything seems fine on the surface, I find no love within the hearts of those villagers.”
And sure enough, when the disciple returned and made a deeper inspection, he heard arguments from behind closed doors, saw that the cleanliness of the place was more due to fear of punishment than real care, and that beggars existed only because of broken families and an obvious lack of empathy.
God asked the saint to continue his search relentlessly for the ideal place. And so, the disciple wandered from pillar to post, trying to find that elusive sublime quality of love blossoming within the hearts of the people. His search took him to places far and wide, but it was all in vain. There wasn’t a single place in sight that exuded pure love, compassion, and generosity.
After several weeks of futile attempts, the disciple began to become quite despondent. He did come across people speaking nicely to one another and practicing charity where needed, yet there was no evidence of that spontaneous, absolutely magical presence of selfless love, no signs of joy, not a single trace of humility anywhere, no witness of hearts aflame with devotion.
He was about to give up, and then, one day he came upon a quiet farm nestled in a serene valley. The two farmers there looked like brothers and they seemed to move about with a sparkle in their eyes and a spring in their steps for no apparent reason at all. They wore the warmest of smiles, and seemed to revel in their chores. The disciple was certainly curious now, and needed to know the secret of the spectacle of bliss.
The devotee approached the brothers and asked them why they appeared so joyful. “Oh, he’s my good brother who looks after me so well. There is no need of mine that is uncared for, I have so much to be grateful for and happy about,” effusively replied the one who seemed to be the older brother. Almost immediately, the younger brother looking on gushed, “My brother takes wonderful care of me day in and day out. I couldn’t ask for more from life! Please do come in and share a meal with us, for you must have walked many a mile and must be weary by now.”
The disciple soon realized he had found the place indeed. Here he was in the company of two brothers who knew nothing other than perfect harmony, love, graciousness, noble spirit, caring, sharing, and peace, and if that’s not enough, they even had the time and inclination to welcome a passing stranger in their midst and treat him with utmost warmth and hospitality. It was nothing short of heaven in those moments.
After a few hours of spending time in the delightful company of the two blessed brothers, the disciple decided to take leave of them to go back to God with the wondrous discovery. He couldn’t wait to ask God if his find was the right choice. The Lord was indeed very pleased and congratulated His disciple on finding the correct place to build the first temple. “Yes, you have come to the place. This is the place I wanted you to see. Let me tell you a touching tale about those two loving brothers.”
God began the beautiful story. “You must have observed that they work on a common piece of land and share the produce equally. Well, the older brother has no family of his own, whilst the younger brother has a wife and children.
“One day, the older brother thought to himself, ‘I live alone and my needs are few. Whilst I have only myself to feed, my brother has a family to take care of. Surely, he must live with great difficulty. It is unfair on my part to claim equal share of the produce.’ With this thought, he decided to secretly transfer some of the grains from his stock to his brother's storehouse. He carried out his plan every night when everyone in the house was asleep. It made him immensely happy at the thought of his younger brother having enough for his family.”
“About the same time, the younger brother suddenly realised that his older brother was getting old, and thought to himself, ‘I have my sons to look after me when I grow old. Who is there really for my elder brother? There will be no one to support him when he grows old . He can’t work forever to feed himself; there will come a day when he can’t carry out the tasks of the day.’ So, he decided to secretly transfer each night some stock of grain to his older brother's granary.”
“This went on for some time till one night they came face to face, sacks of grain on their shoulders, on their way to the other’s granary. As a result of their comical but startling encounter, they confessed to each other about their similar surreptitious transfers. Overwhelmed by their mutual unconditional love, tears flowed down their cheeks. They embraced each other in the dead of the night in quiet acknowledgement for what they received from each other. The bond that had tied them together over the years became known to them in those few minutes.”
God went on, “This rare scene moved me deeply.”
God, then, looked at His disciple, beaming a radiant smile, and said to him with untold joy, “Yes, this is where we shall build the First Temple for they have already built the Kingdom of God within themselves. They alone can preserve the sanctity of the new House of God. Now, get some stones and wood together. It is time to start!
'Most Recent Common Ancestor' Of All Living Humans Surprisingly Recent
ScienceDaily (2004-09-30) -- In this week's issue of Nature, a Yale mathematician presents models showing that the most recent person who was a direct ancestor of all humans currently alive may have lived just a few thousand years ago.
"While we may not all be 'brothers,' the models suggest we are all hundredth cousins or so," said Joseph T. Chang, professor in the Department of Statistics at Yale University and senior author on the paper.
Chang established the basis of this research in a previous publication with an intentionally simplified model that ignored such complexities as geography and migration. Those precise mathematical results showed that in a world obeying the simplified assumptions, the most recent common ancestor would have lived less than 1,000 years ago. He also introduced the "identical ancestors point," the most recent time -- less than 2,000 years ago in the simplified model -- when each person was an ancestor to all or ancestor to none of the people alive today.
The current paper presents more realistic mathematical and computer models. It incorporates factors such as socially driven mating, physical barriers of geography and migration, and recorded historical events. Although such complexities make pure mathematical analysis difficult, it was possible to integrate them into an elaborate computer simulation model. The computer repeatedly simulated history under varying assumptions, tracking the lives, movements, and reproduction of all people who lived within the last 20,000 years.
These more realistic models estimate that the most recent common ancestor of mankind lived as recently as about 3,000 years ago, and the identical ancestors point was as recent as several thousand years ago. The paper suggests, "No matter the languages we speak or the color of our skin, we share ancestors who planted rice on the banks of the Yangtze, who first domesticated horses on the steppes of the Ukraine, who hunted giant sloths in the forests of North and South America, and who labored to build the Great Pyramid of Khufu."
The results can also work backwards, into the future. According to Chang, "Within two thousand years, it is likely that everyone on earth will be descended from most of us."
###
Other authors are Douglas L.T. Rhode of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Steve Olson of Bethesda, MD. The National Institutes of Health supported this research.
Citation: Nature 431: (September 30, 2004). For solicited commentary on this paper, see News & Views and supplementary material in the same issue.
"While we may not all be 'brothers,' the models suggest we are all hundredth cousins or so," said Joseph T. Chang, professor in the Department of Statistics at Yale University and senior author on the paper.
Chang established the basis of this research in a previous publication with an intentionally simplified model that ignored such complexities as geography and migration. Those precise mathematical results showed that in a world obeying the simplified assumptions, the most recent common ancestor would have lived less than 1,000 years ago. He also introduced the "identical ancestors point," the most recent time -- less than 2,000 years ago in the simplified model -- when each person was an ancestor to all or ancestor to none of the people alive today.
The current paper presents more realistic mathematical and computer models. It incorporates factors such as socially driven mating, physical barriers of geography and migration, and recorded historical events. Although such complexities make pure mathematical analysis difficult, it was possible to integrate them into an elaborate computer simulation model. The computer repeatedly simulated history under varying assumptions, tracking the lives, movements, and reproduction of all people who lived within the last 20,000 years.
These more realistic models estimate that the most recent common ancestor of mankind lived as recently as about 3,000 years ago, and the identical ancestors point was as recent as several thousand years ago. The paper suggests, "No matter the languages we speak or the color of our skin, we share ancestors who planted rice on the banks of the Yangtze, who first domesticated horses on the steppes of the Ukraine, who hunted giant sloths in the forests of North and South America, and who labored to build the Great Pyramid of Khufu."
The results can also work backwards, into the future. According to Chang, "Within two thousand years, it is likely that everyone on earth will be descended from most of us."
###
Other authors are Douglas L.T. Rhode of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Steve Olson of Bethesda, MD. The National Institutes of Health supported this research.
Citation: Nature 431: (September 30, 2004). For solicited commentary on this paper, see News & Views and supplementary material in the same issue.
Friday, December 19, 2008
God, is that You
A young man once went to an evening Bible study class. In the course of the meeting, the pastor spoke at length about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young man could not help but wonder, “Does God still speak to people?”
Now that was an interesting proposition. And when the young man went out with his friends for coffee and snacks after the Study, they discussed the pastor’s message. Some of his friends even shared amazing experiences of how God had guided them at different stages in their lives.
It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home, full of wonder whether God might speak to him. Was it possible? Sitting in his car, he began to pray, “God, if you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.” He said this prayer earnestly and repeated it over and over…
As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk.
He stopped his car and said out loud, “God is that You?” No response.
“Weird,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and resumed his journey homewards. Hardly had he driven a few yards than the thought ‘Buy a gallon of milk’ filled his mind once more. This time, the thought was overpowering.
“Okay, God, in case that is You, I will buy the milk.” It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. So the young man stopped his car, purchased a one-gallon can of milk and started off towards home.
As he passed by a street, the seventh in a row of streets, he felt the urge, 'Turn down that street.'
”This is crazy,” he thought, and drove on past the intersection.
But then again, he felt the compelling impulse to turn down Seventh Street.
“Okay, God, I will,” he said aloud, half-jokingly.
At the next intersection, he veered his car, back to Seventh Street.
He drove past several blocks when, suddenly, he felt that he should stop. So the young man pulled his car up to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-urbanized area of the town. It wasn't the best of neighbourhoods, but it wasn't the worst of them either. The shops were closed, and in most of the houses, the lights had been put out for the day.
Again, he sensed a voice that said, “Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.” The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked as if the inmates of the house were either out, or were already asleep.
The young man started to open the door of the car, but slumped back in his seat.
”Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad at me, and I will look stupid.” But the feeling to deliver the can of milk would not go away.
”Okay God,” the young man said finally, “If this is You, I will go to that house and hand over this can of milk. If You want me to look like a dingbat, it is Your wish. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something. But if they don't answer right away, I’m outta here.”
He walked across the street and rang the doorbell. He could hear the shuffling of feet within. A man bellowed from inside, “Who is it? What do you want?” Sensing the unfriendliness in the voice, the young man turned around to leave, but the door had opened.
A man was standing there in a rumpled t-shirt and jeans. He looked like he had just got out of bed, and not too happy to have some stranger standing at his doorstep. “What is it?” the man asked testily.
The young man thrust out the can of milk, “Here, I brought this for you.” The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway calling out, “Hey honey, look at this!”
Immediately, a woman came out, carrying the milk and a baby. The little one was crying. The man followed his wife out to where the young man stood. Tears streaming down his face, the man began half-speaking and half-crying, “We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk even for our baby. We were just calling out to Him and asking God to show us a way.”
The lady of the house continued, her voice choked with gratitude, “I asked Him to send an angel with some milk. Are you an angel?”
The young man reached into his wallet, pulled out all the money he had with him, and put in the man's hand. Then, he turned and walked back toward his car, tears streaming down his face.
He knew that God still answers prayers. And he knew that obeying God’s voice had the most beautiful results – beyond all imagination.
Sometimes it's the simplest things that God asks us to do. If we pay heed to His call, we can actually hear His voice clearer than ever.
God is always speaking to us. But to listen to Him clearly, we need to shut out the sounds of the world, put our egos aside and make ourselves pure of heart. For, as Bhagavan Baba puts it –
“It is in the depths of silence that the voice of God can be heard.”
One devotee had such an experience of inner-hearing on Akhand Bhajan day in Prasanthi Nilayam a few days ago. This happened on November 9, 2008, mid-morning time. Swami had gone out of the ashram in the car and there were many possible routes for Him to enter His residence. Walking with his baby daughter he was yearning for a darshan of Swami together with his new-born as looking after his little one had not allowed him many opportunities to see Bhagavan Baba.
But, how to catch a glimpse of Swami? He could return via the back gate and move around the ashram; or come through the school children’s entrance; or go straight into the Mandir from the road. At that point of wondering and yearning, he clearly heard the words within “Go to the Shirdi Baba Temple.” This lay near the main road and he felt it was a sign to go to the road there after having darshan of the Shirdi Sai statue. He quickly made the 10 minute journey from the north buildings lawn, trusting that this was a sure sign from His Lord - or maybe His ministering angels!
Arriving at the shrine of Shirdi Baba he made a prayer and then straight away made his way to the road which lay 100 metres away. Just at that very moment Swami came by. He did not even have to wait a minute! He was overjoyed with Bhagavan’s precious darshan, while holding his three weeks old daughter!
This is just one instance of inner guidance by the Lord. There are, of course, many thousands of such prayers which are simultaneously fulfilled, all over the world every day. These touch our hearts, heal our bodies and connect us within to the Omnipresent One.
All we have to do is to fill our hearts with love and keep a prayer always on our lips; His voice will resound within louder than anything else in this world. We can then truly become His angels and our lives will revolve in harmony.
Now that was an interesting proposition. And when the young man went out with his friends for coffee and snacks after the Study, they discussed the pastor’s message. Some of his friends even shared amazing experiences of how God had guided them at different stages in their lives.
It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home, full of wonder whether God might speak to him. Was it possible? Sitting in his car, he began to pray, “God, if you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.” He said this prayer earnestly and repeated it over and over…
As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk.
He stopped his car and said out loud, “God is that You?” No response.
“Weird,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and resumed his journey homewards. Hardly had he driven a few yards than the thought ‘Buy a gallon of milk’ filled his mind once more. This time, the thought was overpowering.
“Okay, God, in case that is You, I will buy the milk.” It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. So the young man stopped his car, purchased a one-gallon can of milk and started off towards home.
As he passed by a street, the seventh in a row of streets, he felt the urge, 'Turn down that street.'
”This is crazy,” he thought, and drove on past the intersection.
But then again, he felt the compelling impulse to turn down Seventh Street.
“Okay, God, I will,” he said aloud, half-jokingly.
At the next intersection, he veered his car, back to Seventh Street.
He drove past several blocks when, suddenly, he felt that he should stop. So the young man pulled his car up to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-urbanized area of the town. It wasn't the best of neighbourhoods, but it wasn't the worst of them either. The shops were closed, and in most of the houses, the lights had been put out for the day.
Again, he sensed a voice that said, “Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.” The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked as if the inmates of the house were either out, or were already asleep.
The young man started to open the door of the car, but slumped back in his seat.
”Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad at me, and I will look stupid.” But the feeling to deliver the can of milk would not go away.
”Okay God,” the young man said finally, “If this is You, I will go to that house and hand over this can of milk. If You want me to look like a dingbat, it is Your wish. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something. But if they don't answer right away, I’m outta here.”
He walked across the street and rang the doorbell. He could hear the shuffling of feet within. A man bellowed from inside, “Who is it? What do you want?” Sensing the unfriendliness in the voice, the young man turned around to leave, but the door had opened.
A man was standing there in a rumpled t-shirt and jeans. He looked like he had just got out of bed, and not too happy to have some stranger standing at his doorstep. “What is it?” the man asked testily.
The young man thrust out the can of milk, “Here, I brought this for you.” The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway calling out, “Hey honey, look at this!”
Immediately, a woman came out, carrying the milk and a baby. The little one was crying. The man followed his wife out to where the young man stood. Tears streaming down his face, the man began half-speaking and half-crying, “We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk even for our baby. We were just calling out to Him and asking God to show us a way.”
The lady of the house continued, her voice choked with gratitude, “I asked Him to send an angel with some milk. Are you an angel?”
The young man reached into his wallet, pulled out all the money he had with him, and put in the man's hand. Then, he turned and walked back toward his car, tears streaming down his face.
He knew that God still answers prayers. And he knew that obeying God’s voice had the most beautiful results – beyond all imagination.
Sometimes it's the simplest things that God asks us to do. If we pay heed to His call, we can actually hear His voice clearer than ever.
God is always speaking to us. But to listen to Him clearly, we need to shut out the sounds of the world, put our egos aside and make ourselves pure of heart. For, as Bhagavan Baba puts it –
“It is in the depths of silence that the voice of God can be heard.”
One devotee had such an experience of inner-hearing on Akhand Bhajan day in Prasanthi Nilayam a few days ago. This happened on November 9, 2008, mid-morning time. Swami had gone out of the ashram in the car and there were many possible routes for Him to enter His residence. Walking with his baby daughter he was yearning for a darshan of Swami together with his new-born as looking after his little one had not allowed him many opportunities to see Bhagavan Baba.
But, how to catch a glimpse of Swami? He could return via the back gate and move around the ashram; or come through the school children’s entrance; or go straight into the Mandir from the road. At that point of wondering and yearning, he clearly heard the words within “Go to the Shirdi Baba Temple.” This lay near the main road and he felt it was a sign to go to the road there after having darshan of the Shirdi Sai statue. He quickly made the 10 minute journey from the north buildings lawn, trusting that this was a sure sign from His Lord - or maybe His ministering angels!
Arriving at the shrine of Shirdi Baba he made a prayer and then straight away made his way to the road which lay 100 metres away. Just at that very moment Swami came by. He did not even have to wait a minute! He was overjoyed with Bhagavan’s precious darshan, while holding his three weeks old daughter!
This is just one instance of inner guidance by the Lord. There are, of course, many thousands of such prayers which are simultaneously fulfilled, all over the world every day. These touch our hearts, heal our bodies and connect us within to the Omnipresent One.
All we have to do is to fill our hearts with love and keep a prayer always on our lips; His voice will resound within louder than anything else in this world. We can then truly become His angels and our lives will revolve in harmony.
The Billionaire's Black Sheep
What's it like when your grandpa is the richest man in the world? For Nicole Buffett, it means forgoing cable TV and health insurance and making do on $40,000 a year. Here, she dishes on her upbringing and why her grandfather Warren Buffett disowned her.
Nicole Buffett is at home among the neo-hippies who shuffle along the laid-back, tree-lined streets of Berkeley, CA. At an elfin 5 feet tall, clad in a flowing peasant dress and sandals adorned with peace signs, her long hair cascading in ropy dreadlocks to her waist, the 32-year-old abstract painter is just another of the city's free-thinking, granola-crunching denizens. And yet, she's a walking oddity. "The first thing most people think of when they hear my last name is money," she laughs.
Not just money — gobs of it. Nicole Buffett's grandfather is the legendary investor Warren Buffett, whose $58 billion fortune made him the richest man on the planet, a mantle he seized from Bill Gates last fall. So deep are Buffett's pockets that when the financial markets cratered in September, the so-called Oracle of Omaha single-handedly buoyed Wall Street (at least for a day) by plunking down $5 billion on troubled investment bank Goldman Sachs. ("Canonize Warren Buffett," cried one headline on CNBC's Website.) But there's a bitter irony to Buffett's beneficence. Wall Street's white knight is also an unforgiving hardhead when it comes to his own granddaughter, whom he cut off two years ago after a falling-out. "For him to discard me like that was devastating," Nicole says matter-of-factly. "It permanently divided our family."
When Nicole was 4, her singer-songwriter mother married Warren Buffett's youngest child, Peter, a composer for commercials and films. He later adopted Nicole and her identical twin sister, who were embraced as kin by the larger Buffett family — especially Susan, Warren's first wife, an avid music lover and cabaret performer. "A lot of people don't realize that my family is full of artists," says Nicole. (Susan Buffett, who died in 2004, was an early buyer of Nicole's art and named Nicole one of "my adored grandchildren" in her will.)
As a child, Nicole made regular visits to "Grandpa's" modest home in Omaha, where he still lives, purchased in 1958 for $31,500. Despite the humble digs, Nicole remembers the occasional spoils of Buffett's wealth. At Christmas, when she was 5, he gave her a crisp $100 bill from his wallet. Once, she was invited on a private tour of the See's Candies factory he owned. And twice yearly, Peter Buffett packed up his brood for a vacation at his father's compound in Laguna Beach. Nicole also remembers once tiptoeing into her grandfather's study to fetch something, careful not to disturb him while he read the Wall Street Journal. Just as she turned to slip out, Buffett cleared his throat and said, "Nicole, I just want you to know that your grandmother and I are very proud of all that you've accomplished as an artist." "It's a really big deal for him to communicate on such an emotional level," says Nicole, her eyes welling. "So it was a big deal for me."
Nicole was clueless about the scope of the Buffett fortune until she was 17, when her grandfather appeared on the cover of Forbes for having topped the magazine's annual list of the richest Americans. Her classmates nearly stampeded her at school with the news. "I called my dad, and he said, 'Yeah, Grandpa is going to be getting a lot more press, and we're going to have to get used to that. But we'll be living our lives the same way and doing what we always do,'" Nicole says.
In fact, the national media debut only intensified Buffett's efforts to preserve his unaffected lifestyle. Aware of the unfairness of what he calls "the ovarian lottery," Buffett made clear to the family that there'd be no handouts. "For most people, your life is largely determined by the wealth you were — or weren't — born into," Nicole explains. "But our family was supposed to be a meritocracy." That philosophy translated into a near-fanatical devotion to living like regular Joes. Buffett's kids went to public schools and, when they were old enough to drive, shared the family car. "You wouldn't guess it, but I grew up in a household with my parents saying, 'If you're fortunate enough to find something you love, then do it,'" says Peter Buffett.
Committed to instilling those homespun values in his grandkids, Buffett agreed to pay for their college educations — and nothing more. He picked up the six-figure tab for Nicole's art school tuition. Once, Nicole called her grandfather's office to ask if he'd help her buy a futon when she moved to an off-campus apartment. "You know what the rules are: school expenses only," his secretary told her.
Four years ago, following Susan's death, Buffett showed up for his family's annual Christmas gathering clad in a garishly over-the-top red tracksuit and Santa hat, a gift from "Arnie" (California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger). Everyone laughed at the absurdity of it all. When the holiday ended, Nicole raced into Buffett's arms. "We're not a touchy-feely family, so when I did it, the rest of the family seemed a little surprised," Nicole says, beaming. "But he gave me this great big hug back."
It was the last time the pair would share an embrace. Two years later, Nicole agreed to appear in The One Percent, a documentary by Johnson & Johnson heir Jamie Johnson about the gap between rich and poor in America. "I've been very blessed to have my education taken care of, and I have had my living expenses taken care of while I'm in school," she states on camera. None of the Buffetts, a famously press-averse bunch, had ever before appeared in so public a forum to dish about their upbringing. Though Nicole informed her father of her role in the film and he had no objections, she failed to give her grandfather a heads-up. Asked in the film how he'd react to her interview, Nicole responds, "I definitely fear judgment. Money is the spoke in my grandfather's wheel of life."
Nicole concedes that the remarks may have sounded brusque. "I meant that my grandfather is like a Formula One driver who only wants to race — he just loves the game and wants to be the best," she says. But Buffett was galled. He had for some time felt ambivalent about Nicole and her sister's claim to his fortune — though Peter had legally adopted them, he divorced their mother in 1993 and remarried three years later. To make matters worse, while plugging the film on Oprah, Nicole confessed, "It would be nice to be involved with creating things for others with that money and to be involved in it. I feel completely excluded from it."
The perceived sense of entitlement and Nicole's self-appointed role as family spokesperson prompted Buffett to tell Peter that he'd renounce her. A month later, the mega-billionaire mailed Nicole a letter in which he cautioned her about the pitfalls of the Buffett name: "People will react to you based on that 'fact' rather than who you are or what you have accomplished." He punctuated the letter by declaring, "I have not emotionally or legally adopted you as a grandchild, nor have the rest of my family adopted you as a niece or a cousin." Nicole was devastated. "He signed the letter 'Warren,'" she says. "I have a card from him just a year earlier that's signed 'Grandpa.'"
But Buffett's decision was irrevocable. "I don't have an easy answer for where my father is coming from," says Peter Buffett, who speaks to Nicole regularly. "But I know I can't change the spots on a leopard." Jamie Johnson convinced Nicole to tape a follow-up interview, which he added as an emotional postscript to his film. "To pretend like we don't have a familial relationship is not based in reality. I've spent years of my life at his home in Omaha. I'm shocked and hurt," Nicole says.
Now, despite her sterling surname, Buffett is getting by on $40,000 or so a year, largely on the sale of her paintings (collectors include Shirley Temple's daughter Lori Black and Hollywood special-effects guru Scott Ross). There's no denying that the Buffett name piques interest in the art world, where Nicole's pieces have fetched as much as $8000. One of her techniques is to leave unfinished works outside, exposed to the elements. "I like to see what happens," she says, hovering over canvases mottled with sunbursts of color.
Nicole supplements her income by working at a San Francisco boutique, but still can't afford cable or health insurance. Since their falling-out, Buffett has begun mailing sizable Christmas checks to his grandchildren, despite his no-freebies rule. Even so, Nicole vigorously insists that she has no regrets. "I think it shows he's trying to reach out to his grandkids in a more personal way," she says, before pausing. "And probably he's rewarding them for behaving."
In the two years since they last spoke, Nicole has been besieged by her grandfather's image. "I can't turn on the TV or read the paper without seeing him," she says, referring to his role in the Wall Street bailout and as Barack Obama's adviser during his presidential bid. She dreams about a reconciliation, however unlikely. Still, she says she'll never stop being a Buffett. "I will always be self-reliant," she says, curled up on her couch, her dreadlocks draping her body like a quilt. "Grandpa taught me that, and it has set the tone for my life."
Leah McGrath Goodman is editor-at-large for Trader Monthly and is working on a book about the traders who built the global oil market, due out in 2010.
Nicole Buffett is at home among the neo-hippies who shuffle along the laid-back, tree-lined streets of Berkeley, CA. At an elfin 5 feet tall, clad in a flowing peasant dress and sandals adorned with peace signs, her long hair cascading in ropy dreadlocks to her waist, the 32-year-old abstract painter is just another of the city's free-thinking, granola-crunching denizens. And yet, she's a walking oddity. "The first thing most people think of when they hear my last name is money," she laughs.
Not just money — gobs of it. Nicole Buffett's grandfather is the legendary investor Warren Buffett, whose $58 billion fortune made him the richest man on the planet, a mantle he seized from Bill Gates last fall. So deep are Buffett's pockets that when the financial markets cratered in September, the so-called Oracle of Omaha single-handedly buoyed Wall Street (at least for a day) by plunking down $5 billion on troubled investment bank Goldman Sachs. ("Canonize Warren Buffett," cried one headline on CNBC's Website.) But there's a bitter irony to Buffett's beneficence. Wall Street's white knight is also an unforgiving hardhead when it comes to his own granddaughter, whom he cut off two years ago after a falling-out. "For him to discard me like that was devastating," Nicole says matter-of-factly. "It permanently divided our family."
When Nicole was 4, her singer-songwriter mother married Warren Buffett's youngest child, Peter, a composer for commercials and films. He later adopted Nicole and her identical twin sister, who were embraced as kin by the larger Buffett family — especially Susan, Warren's first wife, an avid music lover and cabaret performer. "A lot of people don't realize that my family is full of artists," says Nicole. (Susan Buffett, who died in 2004, was an early buyer of Nicole's art and named Nicole one of "my adored grandchildren" in her will.)
As a child, Nicole made regular visits to "Grandpa's" modest home in Omaha, where he still lives, purchased in 1958 for $31,500. Despite the humble digs, Nicole remembers the occasional spoils of Buffett's wealth. At Christmas, when she was 5, he gave her a crisp $100 bill from his wallet. Once, she was invited on a private tour of the See's Candies factory he owned. And twice yearly, Peter Buffett packed up his brood for a vacation at his father's compound in Laguna Beach. Nicole also remembers once tiptoeing into her grandfather's study to fetch something, careful not to disturb him while he read the Wall Street Journal. Just as she turned to slip out, Buffett cleared his throat and said, "Nicole, I just want you to know that your grandmother and I are very proud of all that you've accomplished as an artist." "It's a really big deal for him to communicate on such an emotional level," says Nicole, her eyes welling. "So it was a big deal for me."
Nicole was clueless about the scope of the Buffett fortune until she was 17, when her grandfather appeared on the cover of Forbes for having topped the magazine's annual list of the richest Americans. Her classmates nearly stampeded her at school with the news. "I called my dad, and he said, 'Yeah, Grandpa is going to be getting a lot more press, and we're going to have to get used to that. But we'll be living our lives the same way and doing what we always do,'" Nicole says.
In fact, the national media debut only intensified Buffett's efforts to preserve his unaffected lifestyle. Aware of the unfairness of what he calls "the ovarian lottery," Buffett made clear to the family that there'd be no handouts. "For most people, your life is largely determined by the wealth you were — or weren't — born into," Nicole explains. "But our family was supposed to be a meritocracy." That philosophy translated into a near-fanatical devotion to living like regular Joes. Buffett's kids went to public schools and, when they were old enough to drive, shared the family car. "You wouldn't guess it, but I grew up in a household with my parents saying, 'If you're fortunate enough to find something you love, then do it,'" says Peter Buffett.
Committed to instilling those homespun values in his grandkids, Buffett agreed to pay for their college educations — and nothing more. He picked up the six-figure tab for Nicole's art school tuition. Once, Nicole called her grandfather's office to ask if he'd help her buy a futon when she moved to an off-campus apartment. "You know what the rules are: school expenses only," his secretary told her.
Four years ago, following Susan's death, Buffett showed up for his family's annual Christmas gathering clad in a garishly over-the-top red tracksuit and Santa hat, a gift from "Arnie" (California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger). Everyone laughed at the absurdity of it all. When the holiday ended, Nicole raced into Buffett's arms. "We're not a touchy-feely family, so when I did it, the rest of the family seemed a little surprised," Nicole says, beaming. "But he gave me this great big hug back."
It was the last time the pair would share an embrace. Two years later, Nicole agreed to appear in The One Percent, a documentary by Johnson & Johnson heir Jamie Johnson about the gap between rich and poor in America. "I've been very blessed to have my education taken care of, and I have had my living expenses taken care of while I'm in school," she states on camera. None of the Buffetts, a famously press-averse bunch, had ever before appeared in so public a forum to dish about their upbringing. Though Nicole informed her father of her role in the film and he had no objections, she failed to give her grandfather a heads-up. Asked in the film how he'd react to her interview, Nicole responds, "I definitely fear judgment. Money is the spoke in my grandfather's wheel of life."
Nicole concedes that the remarks may have sounded brusque. "I meant that my grandfather is like a Formula One driver who only wants to race — he just loves the game and wants to be the best," she says. But Buffett was galled. He had for some time felt ambivalent about Nicole and her sister's claim to his fortune — though Peter had legally adopted them, he divorced their mother in 1993 and remarried three years later. To make matters worse, while plugging the film on Oprah, Nicole confessed, "It would be nice to be involved with creating things for others with that money and to be involved in it. I feel completely excluded from it."
The perceived sense of entitlement and Nicole's self-appointed role as family spokesperson prompted Buffett to tell Peter that he'd renounce her. A month later, the mega-billionaire mailed Nicole a letter in which he cautioned her about the pitfalls of the Buffett name: "People will react to you based on that 'fact' rather than who you are or what you have accomplished." He punctuated the letter by declaring, "I have not emotionally or legally adopted you as a grandchild, nor have the rest of my family adopted you as a niece or a cousin." Nicole was devastated. "He signed the letter 'Warren,'" she says. "I have a card from him just a year earlier that's signed 'Grandpa.'"
But Buffett's decision was irrevocable. "I don't have an easy answer for where my father is coming from," says Peter Buffett, who speaks to Nicole regularly. "But I know I can't change the spots on a leopard." Jamie Johnson convinced Nicole to tape a follow-up interview, which he added as an emotional postscript to his film. "To pretend like we don't have a familial relationship is not based in reality. I've spent years of my life at his home in Omaha. I'm shocked and hurt," Nicole says.
Now, despite her sterling surname, Buffett is getting by on $40,000 or so a year, largely on the sale of her paintings (collectors include Shirley Temple's daughter Lori Black and Hollywood special-effects guru Scott Ross). There's no denying that the Buffett name piques interest in the art world, where Nicole's pieces have fetched as much as $8000. One of her techniques is to leave unfinished works outside, exposed to the elements. "I like to see what happens," she says, hovering over canvases mottled with sunbursts of color.
Nicole supplements her income by working at a San Francisco boutique, but still can't afford cable or health insurance. Since their falling-out, Buffett has begun mailing sizable Christmas checks to his grandchildren, despite his no-freebies rule. Even so, Nicole vigorously insists that she has no regrets. "I think it shows he's trying to reach out to his grandkids in a more personal way," she says, before pausing. "And probably he's rewarding them for behaving."
In the two years since they last spoke, Nicole has been besieged by her grandfather's image. "I can't turn on the TV or read the paper without seeing him," she says, referring to his role in the Wall Street bailout and as Barack Obama's adviser during his presidential bid. She dreams about a reconciliation, however unlikely. Still, she says she'll never stop being a Buffett. "I will always be self-reliant," she says, curled up on her couch, her dreadlocks draping her body like a quilt. "Grandpa taught me that, and it has set the tone for my life."
Leah McGrath Goodman is editor-at-large for Trader Monthly and is working on a book about the traders who built the global oil market, due out in 2010.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
12 tips for a safe Christmas
While traditional Christmas music such as "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" evoke thoughts of holidays past and present, Reno Fire Department would like you to consider the following 12 Tips for a safe Christmas future:
1. Make Sure your home is equipped with at least one working smoke
detector on each level of your home. Have your family implement and practice an emergency home fire escape plan.
2. Ensure that your home heating appliances, such as the furnace,
gas fireplaces, wood burning appliances, chimneys, etc., are all in good clean, working condition.
3. Carbon monoxide is a silent and deadly killer; know how to
identify the symptoms and install a carbon monoxide detector in your home.
4. With the joyous season upon us again, use sound judgment when
installing your Christmas lights. Make sure you only use lights approved by a testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
Do not overload circuits and make sure all cords and outlets are in good condition.
5. When choosing a fresh Christmas tree, ensure that it does not
have any loose needles or brown spots. Keep it as fresh as possible by re-cutting the base at an angle before placing it in the stand. Check the water level daily to ensure it its well watered. Fresh trees are highly combustible, especially when they are dry, so keep it away from any open flame or heat sources. If you use an artificial tree, ensure that it has had a flame-retardant treatment.
6. Gift wrapping paper and Christmas gift boxes are highly
combustible. Make sure all such materials are at least three feet away from heat sources such as fireplaces, candles, portable heaters, lamps, wood burning appliances and heater vents. Wrapping paper is highly flammable and burns at extremely high temperatures because of the additives in the paper. All wrapping paper and boxes should be discarded in the garbage or recycles. Do not burn them in the fireplace or wood heating appliances.
7. Use candles with extreme care; never leave lighted candles
unattended, especially with children present. Place candles in non-tip and noncombustible holders and ensure they are well away from the Christmas tree, Christmas decorations or other combustible materials such as draperies or curtains.
8. When cooking for the holiday season, practice kitchen fire
safety with your family. Do not leave cooking food unattended, especially when cooking with oil or fat. If grease or oil ignites, remember to cover the container with a lid and turn the heat source off.
You should have an ABC rated fire extinguisher available in your home.
Report any fire immediately.
9. Careless smoking remains a serious holiday fire hazard. Ensure
that all cigarettes and matches are completely extinguished before discarding. Place all butts and matches in a metal container or dampen with water before discarding. Before going to sleep, check all furniture and garbage for smoldering embers.
10. Dispose of fireplace ashes in a metal can with a tight fitting
lid, and store the can outdoors, away from your home. Never discard fireplace ashes in cardboard boxes, plastic containers or plastic trash bags.
11. Outdoor Christmas lights are exactly for outdoors use only. Do
not use them in your residence, especially on your Christmas tree or near any combustible materials. These lights generate too much heat for indoor use.
12. Prior to going out or going to sleep, make sure that you shut
off all indoor electrical decorations. This will minimize the potential for fire to occur.
Courtesy MSNBC
1. Make Sure your home is equipped with at least one working smoke
detector on each level of your home. Have your family implement and practice an emergency home fire escape plan.
2. Ensure that your home heating appliances, such as the furnace,
gas fireplaces, wood burning appliances, chimneys, etc., are all in good clean, working condition.
3. Carbon monoxide is a silent and deadly killer; know how to
identify the symptoms and install a carbon monoxide detector in your home.
4. With the joyous season upon us again, use sound judgment when
installing your Christmas lights. Make sure you only use lights approved by a testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
Do not overload circuits and make sure all cords and outlets are in good condition.
5. When choosing a fresh Christmas tree, ensure that it does not
have any loose needles or brown spots. Keep it as fresh as possible by re-cutting the base at an angle before placing it in the stand. Check the water level daily to ensure it its well watered. Fresh trees are highly combustible, especially when they are dry, so keep it away from any open flame or heat sources. If you use an artificial tree, ensure that it has had a flame-retardant treatment.
6. Gift wrapping paper and Christmas gift boxes are highly
combustible. Make sure all such materials are at least three feet away from heat sources such as fireplaces, candles, portable heaters, lamps, wood burning appliances and heater vents. Wrapping paper is highly flammable and burns at extremely high temperatures because of the additives in the paper. All wrapping paper and boxes should be discarded in the garbage or recycles. Do not burn them in the fireplace or wood heating appliances.
7. Use candles with extreme care; never leave lighted candles
unattended, especially with children present. Place candles in non-tip and noncombustible holders and ensure they are well away from the Christmas tree, Christmas decorations or other combustible materials such as draperies or curtains.
8. When cooking for the holiday season, practice kitchen fire
safety with your family. Do not leave cooking food unattended, especially when cooking with oil or fat. If grease or oil ignites, remember to cover the container with a lid and turn the heat source off.
You should have an ABC rated fire extinguisher available in your home.
Report any fire immediately.
9. Careless smoking remains a serious holiday fire hazard. Ensure
that all cigarettes and matches are completely extinguished before discarding. Place all butts and matches in a metal container or dampen with water before discarding. Before going to sleep, check all furniture and garbage for smoldering embers.
10. Dispose of fireplace ashes in a metal can with a tight fitting
lid, and store the can outdoors, away from your home. Never discard fireplace ashes in cardboard boxes, plastic containers or plastic trash bags.
11. Outdoor Christmas lights are exactly for outdoors use only. Do
not use them in your residence, especially on your Christmas tree or near any combustible materials. These lights generate too much heat for indoor use.
12. Prior to going out or going to sleep, make sure that you shut
off all indoor electrical decorations. This will minimize the potential for fire to occur.
Courtesy MSNBC
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
సువార్త
అన్నా! మా ఊర్ల సువార్త
సబలుబెట్టిన్రు.... వత్తావా?!
ఆల్లరిత్తే...
చెవుల్ల తుప్పొదిలిపోవాల
ఆల్లు ఇంగిలీసు యాసల తమాసగ మాట్టాడితే...
కడుబ్బట్టుకు నవ్వాల
"నువ్వుత్తముండ"వని దేవున్ని
తిగడతన్నరో పొగడతన్నరో ...
దెలియక అయోమయంలబడాల
"మీ పిల్లలని బండకేసి బాదుడి" అంటే
పిచ్చినాయాల అన్నంతపనీ
జేత్తాడని అనుమానంగలగాల
అయినా నాకు తెలియకడుగుత అన్నా -
"అసలు ఏసయ్య బూమ్మీదుండగా
ఎన్నడైన ఇంత లొల్లి జేసిండంటవ?
ఏవోలే... సదువురానోల్లం
మనకేందెలుసని ఇనయంగుండాల
ఆల్లుబెట్టిన రొట్టెలు దినాల
ఆల్లిచ్చిన మెడతాల్లట్టుకెల్లి
ఇంటో దండెంగట్టాల
మడిసే సువార్తగుండాలని
ఈ పెద్దోల్లకెప్పుడుదెలియాల?!
(సువార్తలంటూ ఉపన్యాసాలు ఆంగ్లయాసలో దంచేసి, అర్ధంపర్ధం లేని అనువాదాలతో కడుపుబ్బ నవ్వించే క్రైస్తవ సోదరులకు కాలంతోపాటు మారమని సూచిస్తూ, వారే జీవమున్న సువార్తలైన మనుషులకు ఈ సువార్త అంకితం)
సబలుబెట్టిన్రు.... వత్తావా?!
ఆల్లరిత్తే...
చెవుల్ల తుప్పొదిలిపోవాల
ఆల్లు ఇంగిలీసు యాసల తమాసగ మాట్టాడితే...
కడుబ్బట్టుకు నవ్వాల
"నువ్వుత్తముండ"వని దేవున్ని
తిగడతన్నరో పొగడతన్నరో ...
దెలియక అయోమయంలబడాల
"మీ పిల్లలని బండకేసి బాదుడి" అంటే
పిచ్చినాయాల అన్నంతపనీ
జేత్తాడని అనుమానంగలగాల
అయినా నాకు తెలియకడుగుత అన్నా -
"అసలు ఏసయ్య బూమ్మీదుండగా
ఎన్నడైన ఇంత లొల్లి జేసిండంటవ?
ఏవోలే... సదువురానోల్లం
మనకేందెలుసని ఇనయంగుండాల
ఆల్లుబెట్టిన రొట్టెలు దినాల
ఆల్లిచ్చిన మెడతాల్లట్టుకెల్లి
ఇంటో దండెంగట్టాల
మడిసే సువార్తగుండాలని
ఈ పెద్దోల్లకెప్పుడుదెలియాల?!
(సువార్తలంటూ ఉపన్యాసాలు ఆంగ్లయాసలో దంచేసి, అర్ధంపర్ధం లేని అనువాదాలతో కడుపుబ్బ నవ్వించే క్రైస్తవ సోదరులకు కాలంతోపాటు మారమని సూచిస్తూ, వారే జీవమున్న సువార్తలైన మనుషులకు ఈ సువార్త అంకితం)
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A Career Option for Bernie Madoff?
Bernard L. Madoff is not a young man, and if he is convicted of the crimes of which he stands accused, he may spend the rest of his life in prison.
But on the off chance he doesn’t, he may wish to consider Sam Antar, of Crazy Eddie fame, as a future role model.
Do you remember Crazy Eddie? A New York electronics chain known for its “insanely low prices” and its omnipresent TV ads, it was also a big piggy bank for the Antar family, who used all sorts of fraudulent bookkeeping to enrich themselves.
It ended quite badly for them. But here’s what Sam Antar is up to these days:
I will make myself available to speak to any individual or group for no compensation or cost. I will pay for all travel and lodging costs out of my own pocket. Any individual is welcome to ask me questions personally. I will make myself available by phone or e-mail at sam@whitecollarfraud.com.
My subject matter of my public appearances includes chilling straight talk about the mind, motivations, manipulations, and techniques of a fraudster. There are no self apologies, self pity, and self promotion. That is not my purpose. My purpose is to place you into my mean-spirited mindset [of] 20 years ago and show how vulnerable things still are today, even with the changes that have been made. You will leave with a completely different perspective on how to combat white-collar fraud.
I hope that by publicly exposing my own past criminal misdeeds that others will learn positively from them and use them as an example of how to avoid future frauds. I hope that others will volunteer and join me in this project.
I will not accept anything in return for any help I provide anyone — no thank-you letters, nothing. Contact me today for more information and to schedule a lecture.
Here is a list of Antar’s upcoming lectures:
* January 15, 2009: Institute of Internal Auditors in Long Beach, California
* February 9, 2009: Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey
* February 20, 2009: Institute of Management Accountants (Greenville, South Carolina Chapter) in South Carolina
* March 5, 2009: Stanford Law School and Stanford Business School in Stanford, California
* March 20, 2009: Institute of Internal Auditors at New York University in New York, New York
* April 13, 2009: Institute of Internal Auditors (Central Florida Chapter) in Orlando, Florida
* April 23, 2009: Louisiana Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA) in Natchez, Mississippi
* June 2, 2009: International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI) at the Seven Springs Resort outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* June 26, 2009: Accounting Information Systems Educator Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado
* November 4, 2009: Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois
And here is Antar’s recipe for fighting white-collar crime — “A Powerful Punch 5 P’s” he calls it:
1. Prevention: Strong internal controls reviewed by competent and independent external auditors. Strong internal controls are barriers to crime for criminals. Internal controls help businesses operate more efficiently and effectively too.
2. Power: Legislation like Sarbanes-Oxley and standards issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
3. Professionalism: A better educated, skilled, trained, experienced, and independent accounting profession. All efforts at prevention, any legislation, and any standards issued will not be fully effective unless the accounting profession addresses its educational issues.
4. Prosecution: Aggressive prosecution of white-collar criminals. Such criminals must know that they will be prosecuted for their actions.
5. Prison: Strong punishment and accountability for those convicted of white-collar crimes. Such criminals must be held fully accountable for their actions.
Antar’s prescriptions might seem like boilerplate material, but if you look at this recent Madoff article, there’s a passage that shows how some rudimentary safeguards were indeed flouted:
As investors from Palm Beach to New York to London counted their losses on Friday in what Mr. Madoff himself described as a $50 billion fraud, federal authorities took control of what remained of his firm and began to pore over its books.
“But some investors said they had questioned Mr. Madoff’s supposed investment prowess years ago, pointing to his unnaturally steady returns, his vague investment strategy, and the obscure accounting firm that audited his books.”
Considering the nature of Madoff’s alleged crimes, however, and the depth of anger and betrayal that his victims must feel, I doubt he could do what Antar is doing without some serious armed security.
For former fraudsters who do want to follow in Antar’s footsteps and who, unlike Antar, might wish to make a few dollars in the process, there’s always Pros and Cons, a speakers bureau run by Gary Zeune, which has a slate of convicted embezzlers and other white-collar criminals. Given the nature of this economic maelstrom, I am guessing that Zeune’s business will be strong for quite some time to come.
Courtesy from NY times
But on the off chance he doesn’t, he may wish to consider Sam Antar, of Crazy Eddie fame, as a future role model.
Do you remember Crazy Eddie? A New York electronics chain known for its “insanely low prices” and its omnipresent TV ads, it was also a big piggy bank for the Antar family, who used all sorts of fraudulent bookkeeping to enrich themselves.
It ended quite badly for them. But here’s what Sam Antar is up to these days:
I will make myself available to speak to any individual or group for no compensation or cost. I will pay for all travel and lodging costs out of my own pocket. Any individual is welcome to ask me questions personally. I will make myself available by phone or e-mail at sam@whitecollarfraud.com.
My subject matter of my public appearances includes chilling straight talk about the mind, motivations, manipulations, and techniques of a fraudster. There are no self apologies, self pity, and self promotion. That is not my purpose. My purpose is to place you into my mean-spirited mindset [of] 20 years ago and show how vulnerable things still are today, even with the changes that have been made. You will leave with a completely different perspective on how to combat white-collar fraud.
I hope that by publicly exposing my own past criminal misdeeds that others will learn positively from them and use them as an example of how to avoid future frauds. I hope that others will volunteer and join me in this project.
I will not accept anything in return for any help I provide anyone — no thank-you letters, nothing. Contact me today for more information and to schedule a lecture.
Here is a list of Antar’s upcoming lectures:
* January 15, 2009: Institute of Internal Auditors in Long Beach, California
* February 9, 2009: Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey
* February 20, 2009: Institute of Management Accountants (Greenville, South Carolina Chapter) in South Carolina
* March 5, 2009: Stanford Law School and Stanford Business School in Stanford, California
* March 20, 2009: Institute of Internal Auditors at New York University in New York, New York
* April 13, 2009: Institute of Internal Auditors (Central Florida Chapter) in Orlando, Florida
* April 23, 2009: Louisiana Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA) in Natchez, Mississippi
* June 2, 2009: International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI) at the Seven Springs Resort outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* June 26, 2009: Accounting Information Systems Educator Conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado
* November 4, 2009: Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois
And here is Antar’s recipe for fighting white-collar crime — “A Powerful Punch 5 P’s” he calls it:
1. Prevention: Strong internal controls reviewed by competent and independent external auditors. Strong internal controls are barriers to crime for criminals. Internal controls help businesses operate more efficiently and effectively too.
2. Power: Legislation like Sarbanes-Oxley and standards issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
3. Professionalism: A better educated, skilled, trained, experienced, and independent accounting profession. All efforts at prevention, any legislation, and any standards issued will not be fully effective unless the accounting profession addresses its educational issues.
4. Prosecution: Aggressive prosecution of white-collar criminals. Such criminals must know that they will be prosecuted for their actions.
5. Prison: Strong punishment and accountability for those convicted of white-collar crimes. Such criminals must be held fully accountable for their actions.
Antar’s prescriptions might seem like boilerplate material, but if you look at this recent Madoff article, there’s a passage that shows how some rudimentary safeguards were indeed flouted:
As investors from Palm Beach to New York to London counted their losses on Friday in what Mr. Madoff himself described as a $50 billion fraud, federal authorities took control of what remained of his firm and began to pore over its books.
“But some investors said they had questioned Mr. Madoff’s supposed investment prowess years ago, pointing to his unnaturally steady returns, his vague investment strategy, and the obscure accounting firm that audited his books.”
Considering the nature of Madoff’s alleged crimes, however, and the depth of anger and betrayal that his victims must feel, I doubt he could do what Antar is doing without some serious armed security.
For former fraudsters who do want to follow in Antar’s footsteps and who, unlike Antar, might wish to make a few dollars in the process, there’s always Pros and Cons, a speakers bureau run by Gary Zeune, which has a slate of convicted embezzlers and other white-collar criminals. Given the nature of this economic maelstrom, I am guessing that Zeune’s business will be strong for quite some time to come.
Courtesy from NY times
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