One day on the corner of 8th Avenue and 53rd Street in New York City there stood on the curb, waiting to cross the avenue, an older woman with thick white growths over both eyes, a white cane, and a patient expression on her face. I said, “May I help you cross the street?” She…
What was it like to live in South Africa during apartheid?
I was born in 1972. I am a 5th generation South African of Indian descent. From then till 1990, I lived in an all Indian neighborhood, with no prospects for jobs or tertiary education. My home town is Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. It is a university town with a beautiful campus. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi... ) It used…
What is the most soul-satisfying thing you have ever done in your life?
Last week I drove from Ulan Bator, Mongolia north through the border of Russia and into Ulan-Ude, Siberia. From there, I took the Trans-Siberian Railway to Moscow. There was no first class cabins being offered, only 2nd and lower. In 2nd class, imagine in one railway car having seven berths or “cabins”. Each berth had…
Will airplane windows ever become more than just a small little circle?
Actually, the passenger windows in commercial airliners used to be much bigger. Here is the interior of a Ford Trimotor from the late 1920s: The Douglas DC-3 of the late 1930s also had relatively large passenger windows: By the late 1940s, larger piston-engined propeller-driven airliners had pressurized cabins, which allowed them to fly at higher…
Is North Korea actually a threat to the world? If so, why?
North Korea is the belligerent guy who lives down the block, nursing a grudge against my end of the street. His neighbors felt a little bit the same way due to the circumstances that led to the grudge, so they didn’t mind too much when he started strutting around in his yard yelling about what…
What goes on in an autistic person’s mind?
Extra synapses The first thing to consider is that people with autism have a surplus of synapses in the brain. Normally during the early development your brain will go through a “pruning process”, where the excess of synapses are removed to essentially streamline the neurological network. In people with autism this pruning process is diminished,…
If someone gave you $20 because “you’re ugly,” would you take the money?
Here's a story: Some bullies used to walk up to a poor kid every day and make him an offer. They would hold out a dime and a nickel, and ask the kid which one he’d prefer. The kid would always take the nickel, and assuming he took it because it was larger than the…
Do you believe all forms of autism are serious conditions?
I have autism myself, classic autism. And I've always find it a it a bit strange when other people with autism say "I have a mild form of autism'. Or if people tell me: "Oh, you probably have a mild form of autism". If my autism was 'mild', or hardly noticeable I would never have…
Everybody works hard, so why doesn’t everybody become billionaires?
Everybody works hard, so why doesn’t everybody become billionaires?Answer by Ali AlShamsi:Simple statistical difference.The ordinary hard worker:Serves ONE client.Has ONE source of income.A billionaire or millionaire for all that matter:Serves MANY clients.Has MANY sources of income.Compounds his/her wealth.Uses revenue multipliers.Everybody works hard, so why doesn’t everybody become billionaires?
What are the best photos that made the whole world smile?
The waiter who made someone smile and got something expected in return An Applebees waiter was handed a huge tip as a reward for his random act of kindness in a supermarket 24 hours earlier. A Texan waiter by the name of Kasey Simmons had been at a supermarket earlier in the day when he…
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