LAWYER, n. One skilled in circumvention of the law. - Ambrose Bierce
Without further ado, let me introduce you to an Indian who has found his way into life, or, there and back again.
HALBINDIANER MICHAEL (PDF; ~351KB)
Archive for June, 2008
(Fortune Magazine) — Let me tell you about Bill Gates. He is different from you and me. First off, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft has always been something of a utopian. In his mind, even the world’s knottiest problems can be solved if you apply enough IQ. Accordingly, Gates, who has been spotted on Seattle freeways reading a book while driving himself to the office, covets knowledge. It’s as if he’s still trying to make up for dropping out of Harvard, as he spends just about any spare waking minute reading, studying science texts, or watching university courses on DVD.
Some say his wealth and famous opportunism are reminiscent of the robber barons of yore. Yet here is a man who has set a goal to eradicate malaria. Rich as he is - his net worth is an estimated $50 billion - you can’t call the man greedy when he has pledged to give back to humanity all but a tiny fraction of 1% of that fortune. …
– Continue reading: Fortune Magazine
Sons Of The Pioneers
Tumbling Tumbleweeds
I’m a roaming cowboy riding all day long,
Tumbleweeds around me sing their lonely song.
Nights underneath the prairie moon,
I ride along and sing this tune.
See them tumbling down
Pledging their love to the ground
Lonely but free I’ll be found
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds.
Cares of the past are behind
Nowhere to go but I’ll find
Just where the trail will wind
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds.
I know when night has gone
That a new world’s born at dawn.
I’ll keep rolling along
Deep in my heart is a song
Here on the range I belong
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds.
I just found this funny review of The Incredible Hulk in The Guardian. The critic Peter Bradshaw captures the experience most people must have had when watching this not-so-good movie:
“Hulk. Smash!” Yes. Hulk. Smash. Yes. Smash. Big Hulk smash. Smash cars. Buildings. Army tanks. Hulk not just smash. Hulk also go rarrr! Then smash again. Smash important, obviously. Smash Hulk’s USP. What Hulk smash most? Hulk smash all hope of interesting time in cinema. Hulk take all effort of cinema, effort getting babysitter, effort finding parking, and Hulk put great green fist right through it. Hulk crush all hopes of entertainment. Hulk in boring film. Film co-written by star. Edward Norton. Norton in it. Norton write it. Norton not need gamma-radiation poisoning to get big head. Thing is: Hulk head weirdly small. Compared with rest of big green body. …
Wow, it’s been 1 year and 4 days since the smoky/glass blog got started… I somehow managed to miss its birthday last week! But no distress, I’ll have a nice birthday present handy soon. A new design, that is. Then I will also update the blog software to its latest version, add interesting features and plug-ins, and and and… See you around for more next week! 
Udo Lindenberg
Hoch im Norden
Hoch im Norden, hinter den Deichen bin ich geboren.
immer nur Wasser, ganz viele Fische,
Mövengeschrei und Meeresrauschen in meinen Ohren.
und mein Vater war Schipper, der fluchte wenn Sturm war,
dann konnt` er nicht raus auf See.
dann ging er zu Herrn Hansen, der der Chef vom Leuchtturm war
und der sagte: keine Panik auf der Titanic,
jetzt trinken wir erst mal einen Rum mit Tee
Und ich verbrachte meine Tage am Nordseedünenstrand,
bin jahrelang tagtäglich am Deich entlang gerannt.
und meine Mutter brachte jeden Tag und freitags ganz besonders
Muschelzeug und Fisch auf den Tisch.
Ja es war ja auch ganz schön und das Klima ist gesund
und doch hab ich mir gedacht:
hier wirst Du auf die Dauer, nur Schipper oder Bauer,
hier kommt man ganz allmählich auf den Seehund.
und als ich so um 16 war, da hatte ich genug,
da nahm ich den nächstbesten nach Süden fahrenden Zug
Nun sitz ich hier im Süden und so toll ist es hier auch nicht.
und eine viel zu heiße Sonne, knallt mir ins Gesicht.
nein das Gelbe ist es auch nicht
und ich muß so schrecklich schwitzen.
ach wie gern würde ich mal wieder
auf einer Nordseedüne sitzen.
