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Don't try to be consciously pro- or not-pro government ever. It will show. And a smart examiner will not like it, if it's overdone.RatherBe correct technically - Irrespective of what the question is, your answer must be laden with right facts to make it look-feel-sound genuine and not opinionated. This automatically, and starkly, reduces the chances of personal biases of examiners harming you. So, when animals are put into a race that burns them out, kills some of them, and that's been the case for centuries, in today's times it does not sound like too humane a custom. Use polite, neutral language in controversial issues - Most issues are usually non-controversial. But the few you feel are, be very cautious about using polite language. That takes the potential sting out of a dangerous situation. It makes you sound very soft! Criticism can be very pleasing if the right words are used. Try doing that.Avoid personal biases - We all have our likes and hatreds, our passions and derangements. Keep them out of the examination process because they have this unique ability to make even the most intelligent of people look completely idiotic, at times. They can cloud your otherwise normally functioning brain, and all that you'll sputter out is junk laced with passionate personalised arguments. Pointless. The government isn't interested. Go become a politician if you're serious. So if voicing your opinion freely matters a lot to you, but can endanger the nation by inviting terrorists attention to potential recruits, in today's environment of global mayhem (economic and otherwise), it's soundly unsound to stick to the "I want a completely free internet" pole.Try supporting the Supreme Court's perspectives - If a matter has ended up in the SC, and the verdict is out, chances are that some of the best minds have already been applied to it, and all the facts have been examined thoroughly. There is little point - except when you're personally involved - in arguing to the contrary. Try seeing sense in what the SC said in some case. You'll not only stay out of controversy (as an examinee) but you'll also be forced to read up facts that'll further help you make informed opinions. So, if the SC has junked some amendment trying to fundamentally change the way judges are appointed, try not to criticise the SC's immediate decision. Rather, speak of delays in justice delivery and indirectly make your assertion. Don't criticise the government either (in this example), as that'll surely seal your fate!Avoid extremes as much as possible - No one, remember, no one likes an extreme intellectual. Because governments do not run on extremes. They run on the golden middle road. As a civil servant, even the execution of justice delivery locally will require tact and diplomacy far higher than you'd imagine now.I hope most of this clears the air.The worst situation would be when you prepare yourself (i.e. your answers) as per the government in power, and the elections throw up a new government altogether! It'd be catastrophic for your preparation!So stay technically correct, on the middle path, avoiding extremes, respecting the Judiciary, and do it politely. You'll rock!

Firstly, the important fact you should know that Chinese can be nationalism sometimes to balance our “century of humiliation”. So we feel very proud if our people and culture rooted overseas. We see every Chinese-looking face in a subtle warming feeling like they are our brothers and sisters who were lost long ago. So when we learn that this feeling is not always mutual, we can get hurt. That is the very reason why Chinese nationalists are very harsh to pro-independence Taiwanese and Hongkongers.I was told Singaporeans are 中国人 Chinese when I was a little boy. When I was old enough to surf o...

Pressumably, the question asks about the 1857 Mutiny. Unknown fact on this so called first rebellion was that it was NOT the first rebellion at all. It was perhaps the first rebellion in the Ganga-Yamuna belt, but not the first rebellion in the area we now know as India.British rule over entire India started in 1845 after the capture of Sikh kingdom in Punjab and the defeat of the last free natives in the First Anglo-Sikh War.Between 1845 and 1857, the following revolts happened, which may be termed as First Wars of Independence:Sikhs rose in revolt in 1848–49, which was a direct revolt against the British Governor of Punjab by the Sikh forcesA Major Bhil revolt in 1846Even before 1845; there were many local rebellions in India; primary among them being farmer revolts which are bundled as minor uprisings[1][2] :Peasant Revolt[3]Indigo Revolt[4]Tribal Uprisings including Bhil Uprising from 1817[5] , right upto 1846[6]Polygar Wars - 1799 to 1805[7]Revolt by Puli Thevar[8]Revolt by Pazhassi Raja[9] in KeralaThe Paika Rebellion[10]The Vellore Mutiny[11]Thus, what most people dont realise is that there were many such uprisings throught the country before 1857.Question arises whether the 1857 revolt was a local revolt or was widespread: Like the other local revolts, 1857 Mutiny was also not widespread across India but was confined to North India, limited to UP (United Provinces of Agra and Oudh), Delhi and a very miniscule portion of Central Provinces (Jhansi). South, East and West India were not involved in the revolt. The British had in 1850s three armies in India - a) Bengal Army, b) Madras Army and c) Bombay Army. The revolt was limited to just a small part of the Bengal Army.In light of the above, it seems that the term ‘Mutiny’ for the localised 1857 uprising seems more appropriate for the so-called first war of independence. I tend to concur with historian R.C. Majumdar who has written that“the revolt was neither the first, nor was it national, nor was it a war of independence”Which was the first real war of independence? The first princely state of India to rebel against the British after complete capture of India, was Punjab and the war was fought from 18 April 1848 – 30 March 1849, which can be termed as the first real War for Independence. IT was fought in Punjab by the Sikh Army against the British Bengal Army (comprising Mangal Pandey’s 34th Bengal Infantry) of the British East India Company. This war is known officially as the Second Anglo Sikh War[1] . The Sikhs lost this war and the Sikh kingdom was annexed by the British, thus ending the first rebellion.Footnotes[1] THE 1857 REBELLION: A PRE-HISTORY[2] Kulveer Singh (कुलवीर सिंह)'s answer to Why is the Revolt of 1857 also known as the Sepoy Mutiny?[3] Peasant movement - Wikipedia[4] Indigo revolt - Wikipedia[5] Tribal revolts in India before Indian independence - Wikipedia[6] THE 1857 REBELLION: A PRE-HISTORY[7] Polygar Wars - Wikipedia[8] Puli Thevar : The Ultimate Rebel Warrior[9] Pazhassi Raja - Wikipedia[10] Paika Rebellion - Wikipedia[11] Vellore mutiny - Wikipedia

I think it's time Americans wake up.This right here. This is the agenda. Virtually everything else pales before it. And Americans have been in denial about it for decades now.This is a hard Quora answer to write. To discuss all the laws, policies and programs that have brought us to this point would take a book written over months, not something I can type here in a few minutes on my phone. I won’t be able to credit every source or detail every point. But I'll attempt to touch on some broad factors. Forgive me for nutshelling it this way.tbpFirst, realize that today's Republican party is in no way “Conservative.”Today's Republican Party does NOT want to “keep things the same.” No. Even as they purport to embrace a past era of prosperity, they actually want to reverse the very policies and practices that brought that American standard of living about.Did everyone achieve The American Dream? Well, obviously not. There were still poor Americans, and women and minorities were locked out by design. And yet, as a rising tide lifts all boats, household incomes did increase among all demographics. Quality of life did improve. Most Americans looked to the future with hope.Let's be clear. In developing the New Deal; creating Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Disability insurance; setting a minimum wage; legislating civil rights in housing, employment and education; regulating environmental, worker and consumer protections; subsidizing home ownership and higher education via the GI Bill and Pell Grants; investing in highways, airports, schools, national parks and science exploration; and promoting a positive image of America abroad, past Presidential administrations, including GOP ones, were more ideologically Progressive than the Trump Administration is now.Let’s look back. In the 1930s and 1940s, Communism —and Fascism disguised as Socialism — were actual, tangible threats to American freedom. Does anyone remember that?And some people did, in fact, condemn the policies above as pink or even red.Nevertheless, even then, most Americans, Republicans and Democrats, agreed that a certain level of suffering and in America was unacceptable. The reality of abject poverty, particularly of the elderly, children and low-wage workers, had come to light during the Progressive era, and shocked Americans. Americans wanted to be better than that.En Masse, Americans agreed there was a need to ensure that people who worked should have basic food, clothing, shelter and medicine.Contrary to today's narrative, minimum wage was not created as starting pay for teenagers’ part-time jobs. Set in 1938, minimum wage was intended to be a floor at which a full-time worker could achieve sustenance.In advocating for a minimum wage in 1933, Roosevelt said:No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. … and by living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level — I mean the wages of decent living.The fight for a minimum wage was intense and long. But it succeeded, in 1938. Having a “bottom floor” for wages didn't only impact those at the very bottom. Wages of all workers continued to rise.The fight for programs to protect those who could not work was also intense and long, but also won. In 1935, with the passage of the Social Security Act, Roosevelt said:Today, a hope of many years’ standing is in large part fulfilled… We have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age.”Some decried its passage. But what was its impact? Well, one measure is the substantial decrease in poverty among one of the most vulnerable populations, elderly women:Those who recognized the need to maintain and expand such policies during the 1950s and 1960s didn't have to fall into the “extreme leftist” camp. Among other things, President Dwight Eisenhower expanded both Social Security by signing SSDI (Disability) into law. In 1954, he wrote to his brother Edgar:I oppose (too much government control). But to attain any success it is quite clear that the Federal government cannot avoid or escape responsibilities which the mass of the people firmly believe should be undertaken by…. This is what I mean by my constant insistence upon "moderation" in government. Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history.Eisenhower was also clear publically, as he said at Lincoln Day box supper in February 1954:Republicans come forward with programs in which there are such words as "balanced budgets," and "cutting expenditures," and all the kind of thing that means this economy must be conservative, it must be solvent.But they also come forward and say we are concerned with every American's health, with a decent house for him, we are concerned that he will have a chance for health, and his children for education.Dwight Eisenhower was not a liberal. But he emphatically believed that Americans’ quality of life was a priority, and warned in 1953 that the country must never prize military might above general welfare:Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.As a reminder, Eisenhower had a long Military career , and was speaking in the middle of the Cold War , when Americans feared Communism and Fascism in a way that was much more tangible than now.Yet most Americans didn't see valuing the public good as a dangerous left-wing idea. Later, President Richard Nixon — also not a liberal — favoredcomprehensive health insurance protection to millions who cannot now obtain it or afford it, with improved protection against catastrophic illnesses. No American will miss basic medical care by inability to pay.…And attempted to pass a negative income tax, advocating a Guaranteed Basic Income — an idea floated by Milton Friedman , also not a liberal.Friedman also supported an Individual Mandate for health insurance, which had been introduced in 1986 by the Conservative Heritage Foundation to discourage “free riders” on the system and promote personal responsibility. Taxpayers, after all, get stuck with the bill for unpaid catastrophic health care.Lots of things happened between then and now. Eventually, the economy did falter, for many reasons too numerous to name. At this time there was a shift in Conservative thought. It clicked in 1980 with the election of Ronald Reagan.While Conservatives had always been for less government and cautious spending, Reagan famously said in his 1980 inaugural address: “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” (Later, Grover Norquist would say, “Our goal is to shrink government to the size where we can drown it in a bathtub.”)Now, policies and laws and budgets and regulations began to go in reverse. The narrative began to change. Education and social program budgets began to shrink, and as their quality fell, public support for funding them fell, allowing further cuts that further eroded quality (“Starving the Beast”).Moreover, while Reagan actually raised taxes 11 times during his presidency, he famously slashed tax rates for the wealthy, ostensibly so wealth could “trickle down” to everyone else.Here's what happened:This was known as Supply Side Economics. Its chief architect in the Reagan Administration was Bruce Bartlett. Since then, Bartlett has recognized Reaganomics as a disaster that destroyed the middle class, and since then has been warning against such policies:| I helped create the GOP tax myth. Trump is wrong: Tax cuts don’t equal growth.So, what did happen after Reagan's tax cuts? Well, this:…and this ……and this ……and this……and this.In words, the wealthy have become much wealthier, while the average American worker has barely seen a raise in purchasing power since 1980.In the meantime, the costs of housing, health care and college have increased exponentially. In no state can a full-time worker at minimum wage afford even an apartment, much less food, clothing, medicine and transportation. And it is now literally impossible for a student to “work his way through college.”Instead, they now graduate into the workforce hampered with decades of debt, needing to hold off marriage and home ownership. Meanwhile, tens of millions of Americans are approaching retirement with little or nothing saved.*Meanwhile, the Beast has been starved. The quality of public programs have fallen, as has the quality of life, education, and health care and economic mobility relative to the rest of the world. Even charitable donations have fallen, as a low tax environment makes donations less beneficial to donors.It's into this reality that the Trump Administration, including Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, are opposing protections for preexisting conditions in health care … advocating privatization of Social Security and Medicare … appealing for slashes in Medicaid … withholding payments to insurance companies to provide affordable health care … turning back regulations that protect average consumers in a market crash … dialing back protections on the environment … abolishing a minimum wage … busting unions … increasing penalties for students in college loan debt … making bankruptcy harder for the average American … explode military spending to a level never seen before … and successfully passed a tax plan that renders Reaganomics a permanent trajectory of wealth inequality into Kingdom Come.This is not “Conservative,” people. It's radical. Reckless. Dangerous. And entirely unnecessary, as the massive tax relief to the richest people in the history of the world, during a time of economic expansion, was unnecessary.It's lunacy.Wake up.

I hope you all feel betrayed by the media and the political puppeteers when you hear the truth:Because the other 17 school shootings didn’t happen. Rather, they only happened if you play fast and loose with the word “school” and the word “shooting.” More fast and loose than any of those schools would accept in a homework assignment, because it’s dishonest, plain and simple. Long story short, they deceitfully counted every discharge of a firearm on a school owned property, including crimes committed on weekends, non-student suicides near abandoned schools, and shots fired into the air by adults in empty parking lots at colleges.I’ve worked in high school and college administration, been a Principal, been a teacher, and have taught in the inner city, and have friends in all those circles. One of which is on the list of the 18 school shootings. He told me the administration was collectively dumbfounded trying to figure out what school shooting apparently happened at their school. Maybe it’s a neighboring school? Maybe it’s the kid who brought a knife and the media was exaggerating? No one could figure it out, but all that continually popped up on the news was that they were one of the “18 school shootings.” But no such thing happened. Wull, now that I google it, something happened, but it wasn’t something any of them thought of, which is a sign that the phrase “18 school shootings” is a political lie.Across the media-bias aisle, that number has been mocked and debunked. But it’s still “the number.” SeeWashington Post: No, there haven’t been 18 School Shootings in 2018. That number is Flat Wrong.Politifact: Comparison of school shootings in US, world lacks supportCNBC: A gun control group counted 18 school shootings in 2018. That's now disputed — here's whyThe unrelated Washington Examiner’s No, there have not been 18 school shootings so far in 2018NPR, now with even more adjectives! https://www.npr.org/2018/02/15/5...So what’s the scoop? The list of 18 included accidental discharges with no injuries, suicides with no other injuries, and nine shootings where there were zero injuries at all.Here’s the original sensationalist gun-control activist’s list (“The long, shameful list of school shootings in America”), with some asterices from politifact above:Jan. 3, East Olive Elementary, St. Johns, Mich., Man committed suicide in parking lot. No other injuries. The building was not being used as a school, as East Olive had been shut down more than six months earlier.Jan. 4, New Start High, Seattle, Unidentified shooter fired shots into building. No injuries.Jan. 10, Grayson College, Denison, Texas, Student unintentionally fired a bullet from gun legally possessed by an instructor that struck a wall. No injuries.Jan. 10, Coronado Elementary, Sierra Vista, Ariz., Student committed suicide in bathroom. No other injuries.Jan. 10, California State University, San Bernardino, Gunshots, most likely fired from off campus, hit a campus building window. No injuries.Jan. 15, Wiley College, Marshall, Texas, Shots fired from car in parking lot, with one shot hitting window of residence hall. No injuries.Jan. 20, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C., One student wounds another student during argument at sorority party.Jan. 22, Italy High, Italy, Texas, Student opens fire in cafeteria, wounding one student before firing at another student and missing.Jan. 22, NET Charter High, Gentilly, La., Unknown person fired shots at students standing in parking lot. No injuries from gunshots.Jan. 23, Marshall County High, Benton, Ky., 2 students left dead in mass shooting by student. More than a dozen students injured.Jan. 25, Murphy High, Mobile, Ala., Student fired into the air outside school after argument in school. No injuries.Jan. 26, Dearborn High, Dearborn, Mich., Individual ejected from game for fighting was shot at in parking lot. No injuries.Jan. 31, Lincoln High, Philadelphia, Man fatally wounded in fight in parking lot.Feb. 1, Salvador B. Castro Middle, Los Angeles, Student unintentionally fires gun in classroom, wounds two students.Feb. 5, Oxon Hill High, Oxon Hill, Md., Student wounded in parking lot during apparent robbery.Feb. 5, Harmony Learning K-12, Maplewood, Minn., Student pressed trigger on school liaison officer’s gun. No injuries.Feb. 8, Metropolitan High, New York, N.Y., Student fired gun into floor in classroom. No injuries.Feb. 14, Stoneman Douglas High, Parkland, Fla., Ex-student allegedly commits mass shooting; 17 deaths.So go back and count: how many of those pass your sniff test? How many of those could you sleep at night after calling them “school shootings” without an explanation or disclaimer? And which media sources told you such without explanation or disclaimer? Maybe they didn’t know, maybe those anchors and late night talk show hosts are just reading cue cards—but someone wrote those cue cards; someone was either too negligent to be called a journalist or lying to you. Rinse and repeat and you have the echo chamber of “the unquestionable integrity of the fourth estate.”The truth is, 27 kids died in school shootings in 2017. Yes, that’s 27 too many, but out of 150,000 schools and 60,000,000 students… I’m not being callous, but that may indeed within the threshold of statistical zero. Again, not saying there aren’t things we should change or that 27 is acceptable, just that those running around with their hair on fire and those attempting to light your hair on fire may not be the most genuine of voices.I personally am not a purist in either direction about guns. But I am part of a generation that sees the news media primarily as a political machine, with no signNow history of telling the truth. We call them a crucial part of the democratic process for their responsibility to fight information asymmetry, but as such, the people need to spend as much effort holding them accountable as they claim to spend holding the politicians accountable.

Thanks to Dharun Senthilkumar (தருண் செந்தில்குமார்) for the question,What do you think of the Malayalam film Urumi (2011)? Is the story in that film true based on Vasco Da Gama's visit to Kerala?Well, the 2011 release Urumi was definitely a movie that defined Mollywood’s coming-out-of-the-age. It was one of the biggest movies made in Malayalam till then with huge sets and jaw-drop-in-the-awe kind of scenes for Malayalees.English Subtitled version of Original Urumi (Malayalam)Urumi’s Telugu dubbed versionEk Soor Veer- the Hindi dubbed version of UrumiDefinitely, its one of the most recommended movies for history lovers of Mollywood and 2011 was a defining period for Mollywood with many new genres of movies started popping up and inspiring Malayalees to visit theatres again. And definitely, apart from the sets, the huge star cast was one of its kind with Prithviraj and Genelia D'Souza on the leads, ably supported by Nitya Menen, Prabhu Deva, Amol Gupta, Jagathy Sreekumar, Alexx O'Nell and Robin Pratt, co-supported by Vidya Balan, Tabu and Arya on extended cameos. The visuals were of top class in nature, so as its songs.Essentially it was indeed a Pro-Nationalistic movie by taking the perspective of Indians against the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama and Portuguese Indian Empire.Untill the release of the movie, generally, Malayalees always considered Vasco Da Gama as a heroic character. Like Goa, many places in Kerala is named after Vasco Da Gama and Fort Kochi which was the original capital of Portuguese India Empire before Goa always had a soft-corner towards Portuguese Empire. So one of the intentions of the movie was to portray Vasco Da Gama as a villain and push a nationalist fervour which indeed was successful to some extent.Specific to the question,Was the movie truly based on the history of Vasco Da Gama’s visit to Kerala?Well, its 50% true and 50% fiction.The scriptwriter Shanker Ramakrishnan was aiming to make a movie similar to Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha style by converting the entire exact sequence of events into another perspective, so as to make a hero look, villain. But I must say, he has failed in many ways, as a lot of fiction came in between actual sequences of events for cinematic reasons, due to which it lost the classic-concept of retelling the story as employed for Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha.The most accurate part of the movie is essentially the opening scene, the ie discovery of Sea-route from Lisbon to Calicut by Vasco-Da Gama in 1498 and he became the first European explorer of that period to step on Indian soil which marked the official start of European Colonization of India. It was the pinnacle moment in the Age of Discovery as it helped to understand the world wasn’t flat at all.The movie is primarily all about Kerala politics in 1500–1530 AD Period and a fictionalized plot of assassinating Vasco Da Gama when he visited India in 1524 AD (the actual year he died in Kochi). The movie primarily showcases court politics of Kolathiri (Ruler of Kannur region/North Malabar) and Arakkal Fort (Muslim Royal family of Kannur city and Lakshadweep islands) and how European colonialism affected these kingdoms and their feuds.Portuguese Subtitled version of the classic opening scene of Urumi which shows the arrival of Vasco Da Gama in Kozhikode on May 20th 1498.Map of Political Kerala in 1498 prior to Vasco Da Gama’s visit, to understand the political concepts which I will be discussing here in the below part.Some of the historical inaccuracies in the movie are;The wrong LOCATION of the key plotThe movie’s basic inaccuracy starts from it's rooting the plot in Kolathunadu (Northern Malabar) and trying to place its protagonist character- Kelu Nayanar (the 15th century character which Prithiviraj plays) who was plotting to assassinate Vasco Da Gama out of his personal revenge, as a commander of Kolathiri’s army (ruler of Kolathunadu). In the movie, the Kolathiri (brilliantly played by Marathi actor/writer- Amole Gupte) was encouraging Kelu Nayanar to take his revenge upon Vasco Da Gama. But the movie doesn’t make any valid justification, why Kolathiri was against Portuguese or Gama other than some tit-bits here and there. There is no sense of clear justification for Kolathiri to encourage someone who is plotting against Portuguese.And this is a HUGE HISTORICAL INACCURACY. In historical reality, Kolathiri was one of the most staunch allies of Portuguese in Kerala. Kolathiri offered Portuguese to build a fort in Kannur (St. Angelo Fort) which was the second European Fort in India after Fort Immanuel (Fort Kochi in the Cochin Kingdom). Yes, Kolathiri had some issues with Portuguese in the 1500s, primarily because Portuguese was favouring more with the Kochi Kingdom for its Pepper supplies instead of Kolathunadu which had the best quality pepper (the world-famous Tellicherry Pepper). So as he had some issues with Portuguese over rights over the Arabian Sea, but none of these were key issues as Kolathiri remained one of the strongest supporters of Portuguese untill the end of 16th century. So it makes no sense to root the key plot of the movie in Kannur region which never had any issue with Portuguese or Vasco-Da-Gama at the very first place.Non-Protrayal of the rivalry of Portuguese-ZamorinAcross India, the biggest enemy of Portuguese wasn’t any other colonial power. Rather it was Zamorin of Kozhikode.Whenever we study Kerala history, the only reason why Zamorins are so highly revered in Kerala was because of his tirelessly attempt to end Portuguese hegemony in Malabar coast, even at cost of reducing his military prowess.Zamorin was the only Indian king who kept on challenging Portuguese growth in India. Perhaps, he directly/indirectly played a key role in limiting Portuguese to just a small portion of India- Goa and played a huge role in ending Portuguese hegemony in Kerala.It must be noted, Zamorin was so serious in ending Portuguese growth in India that, he formed a grand alliance comprising of Gujarat Sultanate, Egyptian Mamluk Kingdom and even secured strong funding from the Venetian Republic and made a combined attack over Portuguese fort in Diu in the famous Battle of Diu. Though he and his allies failed to break Portuguese hegemony, this battle played a key role that restricted Portuguese to pockets of Daman-Diu and Goa without the ability to expand in the West coast of India.How the Battle of Diu Changed World History!Battle of Diu (1509) - WikipediaSo when you have a King in Malabar coast who is historically so famous for his personal rivalry against Portuguese, I don’t understand why the movie makers ignored him completely. Across the movie, only in the opening scene, you see Zamorin who receives Vasco Da Gama to Kerala. After that, there is no worth mentioning of Zamorin at all. It doesn’t make any sense for the protagonist who goes to an ally of Portuguese (Kolathiri) to take his revenge against Vasco Da Gama when one of the arch-rivals of Portuguese- Zamorins existed barely 100 kms down of Kannur.Its the most glaring Historical inaccuracy of the movie.Inaccurate portraying of Kolathiri-Arakkal relationshipThe worst criticism against the movie could be its horrible portrayal of Kolathiri-Arakkal relationship. Arakkal Kingdom (which owned the modern Kannur Town and Lakshadweep Islands) was the only Muslim Royal Family in Kerala and its linked with Kolathiri’s family. Kolathiris always considered Arakkal as one of its branches as that Muslim Dynasty started because one of the daughters of Kolathiri married to a Muslim commoner and he was elevated to the ranks of a King as fitting for Kolathiri princess who now became the matriarch of Arakkal Royal family (Ali Beevi). I explained that in detailed in another postArun Mohan (അരുൺ മോഹൻ)'s answer to What are the historical reasons of high concentration of Muslim population in Lakshadweep (96%) in India? Why is it even more than J&K (68%)?Kolathiri and Arakkal always had a very cordial relationship including today.The recent coronation of Arakkal Beevi, a few months back where a representative of Kolathiri family was seen in the ritualistic accession of the throne of the Arakkal. This signifies the intense personal relationships between the two familiesBut the movie simply distorted to the worst levels and something that never happened or could ever happen. In the movie, Kolathiri under influence of his screamingly cunning minister- Chenicheri Kurup (Jagathy Sreekumar) had personal grudges with Arakkal Beevi, decided to use Protonogist- Kelu Nayanar for a special covert operation to kidnap the Arakkal Queen and her stepdaughters including the warrior heroine- Arakkal Ayesha (Genelia D’Souza) and dragged them to Kolathiri court. The queen of Arakkal and her other daughters thrown in prison while Arakkal Ayesha being dragged to his son’s personal bedroom for sex which she valiantly counter-attack. For this, she was dragged like an animal and ordered to be sold as a slave from where the protagonist- Kelu Nayanar rescues.This part is indeed the most distorted portion of history ever made. Arakkal was one of the most powerful Kingdoms in Kerala. It used to be said, the Arakkal King enjoyed personal protection of 1000 best Afro-Arab slave warriors (Kapris as said locally) who were ferocious in nature and even Portuguese do fear them. Arakkal fort is strategically located in Kannur, hardly impossible for anyone to make a covert attack and take the entire royal family on hostage. It directly opens to the sea and easily the royal family can escape via ships as the fort has its own dockyard. Secondly, Arakkal was one of the strongest supporters of Portuguese in India. Its one of the most ironic part of the history to see Portuguese (who were generally Anti-Muslims to the core) supporting the Muslim Kingdom, primarily because they realized they need some Muslim support to counter the rising attacks of Kozhikode Mapplias against them, especially the famous Kunhali Marakkar, the celebrated Admirals of Kozhikode who dedicated their lives to end Portuguese hegemony in Malabar. So Arakkal was seen as a perfect antidote against Marakkars by Portuguese and they offered strong protection (which is shown in the movie as 100 Portuguese cannons placed in front of the Fort). After all, the St. Angelo Fort in Kannur is less than 1 Km from Arakkal Fort and has direct visibility to each other. So in no way, any other kingdoms could attack Arakkal with such huge support.It is because of this support, Arakkal grew so wealthy as Portuguese gave multiple privileges and concessions over the Arabian sea which otherwise denied to other Muslim-Arab traders of Malabar.So as there is no justification why Kolathiri has to attack Arakkal in the first place in the movie. Yes, in history, there were some skirmishes and differences of opinion (primarily because Arakkal had unfettered access over the sea due to Portuguese support while Kolathiri had restricted access over maritime trade). But at no point of history, an attack of this scale happened against Arakkal, simply because Arakkal is always part of the Kolathiri family.Inaccurate portraying of events at Miri ShipThe key narrative which sparked the revenge factor on the minds of Kelu was the events happened in the Pilgrim ship returning back to Kozhikode from Mecca.This is a real event that happened in 1502 AD. The second visit of Vasco Da Gama was more of the military in nature as prior to that, Arabs in Kozhikode market attacked Portuguese factors stationed in Kozhikode. More than 1500 Portuguese factors/agents/officials were burned alive by the Arabs/Mappillas with the covert support of Zamorin and Hindu officials of the royal court as Arabs weren’t liking the presence of Portuguese in Kozhikode. This affects their profits in the spice trade as they make huge profits primarily by acting as middlemen in the spice trade between Kerala and Europe. And Portuguese had a traditional rivalry with Muslims after the liberation of Iberia peninsula from the Moors (Afro-Muslims).Vasco Da Gama’s ship bombing Miri ship and drowning it with more than 380 innocent Malabari Pilgrims which lead Admiralty of Kozhikode launching a counter-attack against Portuguese Armada.Vasco Da Gama was enraged in the incident of burning Portuguese citizens in Kozhikode and lack of an affirmative treaty with Zamorin over concessions in the Spice trade. So this time, he decided to hold Kozhikode on ransom by hijacking a pilgrim ship registered in Kozhikode which was sailing under Zamorin’s flag. This pilgrim ship carrying around 380 men, women and children who were returning back to Kozhikode from Mecca got caught between Zamorin-Gama’s political rivalry. The intention of Gama was to bring Zamorin on a negotiating table and force him to sign a concessionaire agreement in exchange of the ship which mostly has affluent Mappillas of Kozhikode who were dearer to Zamorin. But Zamorin didn’t bulge to the threats as he saw Gama more like a Pirate and it was against the traditions for the King to interact with a pirate. So for negotiations, he sent the high priest of Thali temple of Kozhikode (Talappanna Nampoothirpad) to the ship. But Gama took that as an insult and ordered to cut his tongue and ears (typical punishments meted to spies and infiltrators in Portugual of that era ) and as to offend him, stitched his dog’s severed tongue and ears on the priest. That was an extreme insult to the Zamorin and the Admiralty of Kozhikode (Marakkars) immediately launched a maritime assault operation against the invading Portuguese Armada. And Portuguese ships immediately bombarded the Miri ship, killing every innocent pilgrim and the Portuguese vessels moved down to South to signNow Kochi, the then-their capital city.On the warpath4th Portuguese India Armada (Gama, 1502) - WikipediaNavrang India: Vasco Da Gama's horrid massacre on the high seas off the coast of MalabarNational 'heroes' that were actually real pieces of ****This incident is shown in the movie, but loads of inaccuracies.The first inaccuracy in the movie was the negotiations were happening between Kolathiri and Gama, not Zamorin. It's true, the ship was captured in the waters closer to Kolathiri’s capital- Ezhimala (where the Indian Naval Academy is situated today). But Kolathiri had no role in this matter as it was a case between Zamorin and Portuguese and he refrained meddling into it. But in the movie, its shown that Kolathiri carried out the negotiations and asked his Kothuval (commander) (as portrayed by Arya) to deal with it. In the movie, Kothuval sents a Brahmin priest along with his son (Kelu Nayanar) to negotiate and Gama attacks the priest and was about the kill Kelu, when Kothuval and his team launched attacks over Portuguese ship. And in that process, Kothuval gets captured and killed by Gama, which sparks the revenge in the minds of young Kelu.Again this inaccuracy happened because the movie’s basic plot was set up in Kolathunadu, not Kozhikode. That inaccuracy had its spillover in this case too.The second inaccuracy was, young Kelu retrieving the gold ornaments of the deceased from Miri Ship and converted the gold into his Urumi (the flexible sword) which he reserved to kill Vasco Da Gama. There is a scene in the movie when pilgrims offering the gold to the Portuguese in return of safety, which was denied, so the gold ended up with the pilgrims at the time of their death. This is inaccurate, as the gold offered by pilgrims was taken by Portuguese. It was so huge that, Gama even reportedly said, it can waive one year’s taxation in his home city-Sines in Portugal. So in no way, Kelu could get gold to make his Urumi….The wrong portrayal of arrest and torture of Estêvão da GamaThe movie shows that Vasco Da Gama’s son- Estevao (acted by Alex O Neil) visited Kannur, probably in the 1510s as the Vice-Rei’s Son (Viceroy in English /Pisroyi in Malayalam) of Estados India (Portuguese India) to supervise the execution of a Mappilla rebel. It's here, the protagonist Kelu Nayanar captures Estevao and bring him to Kolathiri as a prisoner, as a bait to attract Vasco Da Gama again to Kerala.This is also absolutely wrong. There is no account of Estevao being prisoned anywhere in Kerala and absolutely not in Kolathunadu as the latter being a Portuguese ally. Secondly, Vasco Da Gama didn’t become Viceroy of Portuguese India in the 1510s. He became Portuguese Viceroy of India just for 3 months from Sept 1524 to Dec 1524. So as his son- Estevao didn’t become Viceroy in that period, rather in 1540, almost 2 decades after the death of Vasco Da Gama nor held any posts of importance in the 1510s as said in the movie..Thirdly there was a huge outcry against Vasco Da Gama for his alleged brutality over Miri Ship and many other instances in Africa in Lisbon, which resulted in the loss of favour for him by Portuguese Emperor- King Manuel. So when he returned back to Lisbon in 1503, much of the special privileges were taken away. For nearly 2 decades, he and his sons were unwelcome in Lisbon’s imperial court. It was only in the 1520s, the Gama family got some support from the Portuguese Royal house when Gama threatened to shift their loyalties to Spanish Crown.So essentially in the said period of the movie Estevao never came to Kerala nor held any key position both in Kerala or in Goa or in Portugal. So as even Gama never lived anywhere in Kerala or Africa in this said period as shown in the movie. They were almost living like outcasts in Portugal at that time and didn’t have any privileges unlike shown in the movie.The wrong portrayal of Perumpadappu’s invasion into KolathunaduIn the movie, the protagonist got a taste of his success when he along with his team of commoners (now formed as a rebel army) could successfully thwart a combined operation of Perumpadappu (Kochi Kingdom) and Portuguese to release Estevao from Kolathiri’s prison.A special team of commandos of Kochi Kingdom and Portuguese secretly tried to enter into Kolathunadu at night, which Kelu Nayanar and his team defeats.This is absolutely wrong. There was no case of covert operations/special operations in that era. First and foremost, Kerala’s royal topography was such, hardly any secret operation could be planned. The moment any King plans something against another, the latter would know, thanks to rampant espionage system. So hardly any covert operations exist, rather it was all in the day time.It's also stupidity to think, a force from Kochi entering into Kannur without passing thro’ Zamorin’s Kozhikode. Zamorin and Kochi, as well as Portuguese, were arch-rivals and in no way, they could sneak thro’ Kozhikode Kingdom to signNow Kannur. It's impossible to cross via seas, as Admiralty of Kozhikode would be blocking such attempts. So how did Kochi forces entered Kannur without being detected by Zamorin’s forces? No clue at all.Lack of understanding of Firepower/gunsIn the movie, its shown as if no Malayalees of that era saw a Gun at all. Infact when the Kolathiri princess (played by Nitya Menon) being attacked by dacoits with a stolen Portuguese gun, the Princess doesn’t know even a term to address it. She says- Thee Thuppi (fire-spitter) and later Thuppaki (Tamil word for Gun). In the movie, most of the forces in Kerala, be it Kolathiri, be it Arakkal etc don’t have any guns or cannons, rather relay on swords only; while Portuguese having guns and cannons.It's absolutely wrong. Kerala had exposure to guns and cannons much longer, even before guns were seen in North India. In our North Indian centric history books, its often said- Barber of Mughal Empire brought guns to India in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526. But its absolute wrong. Kerala got exposure with fire-power thro’ Chinese merchants who introduced guns to Kerala. But they never shared technology, so hardly anyone knew to make it.But the Arabs indeed shared Cannons with Kerala, especially Turkish cannons. The only issue with Turkish cannons was that its too heavy and can’t be used in seas, rather only in forts over land-based war-fare. It's not at all mobile, hence cannons were of limited use, mostly in forts etc. There are records how Kozhikode army fired its 120 cannons back against Vasco’s Armada when the latter bombed Kozhikode. It definitely missed the target, but essentially it does exist. Once Zamorin realized the importance of mobile cannons, he even asked his ambassadors in Istanbul and Venice to help Kozhikode in designing modern mobile cannons and Venice helped Kozhikode to build light artillery which can be transported and fitted in ships etc. This was used in the Battle of Kochi in 1504 and well recorded as the city of Kochi was engulfed in fires within a single day, thanks to these kinds of cannons. Due to this, Malayalam did have a word for Gun- Thokku and for Cannon- Pirangi (meaning foreigner- Firangi in Persian/Hindi, but in Malayalam, it means Cannon which was called foreign gun then).So essentially there was no lack of understanding about the gun in that period unlike whats shown in the movie.The absolute wrong portrayal of relationships.This is not just a problem of this movie alone, rather many Malayalam movies of recent times.Malayalam scriptwriters often confuse today’s Paternal relationship pattern as something that existed even in past. Kerala’s power structures weren’t based on Patillineal relationships, rather based on Matrilineal relationships (Marumakathayam). This means the King’s successor will never be his son, rather his nephews/niece. The father-son relationship has NO MEANING in that era as there was no concept of fatherhood/husband-wife relationship in that era atleast among Nairs and Royal houses.In the movie, we see constantly, the father-son relationship as a key part of the narrative. Kelu Nayanar’s anger against Vasco Da Gama was primarily because the latter killed his father- Kothuval of Kolathiri (Arya). His intention to kill Gama was to solely take revenge against the injustice done to his father. But it must be noted, Kelu carries his caste name Nayanar (Nair as said in Malabar) and for Nairs, they never had any relationship with their father at all. This was the concept of untill the 1900s. Their relationship was always with their Mother and Mother’s brother- Uncle. Infact, the majority of Nairs never bothered much about their fathers. Even today, Nairs don’t have any mourning period (Pela) or ritualistic limitations if someone from their father’s family dies, including father’s own mother or sister. Whereas if anyone dies in Mother’s family, it will end up in Pela period for Nairs. That shows the lack of connection between the Father-Son relationship historically in the Nair community.This movie completely disrespects that part. How come Kolathiri’s son Prince Bhanu aspire for becoming the next Kolathiri? In the movie, Bhanu kills his own father for the sake of the throne. But in reality, Kolathiri’s son won’t be a prince at the very first place, forget about the crown or successorship. The King’s sons/daughters aren’t princes/princess in Kerala concept due to Matrillineal law as they are identified as members of their mother’s family. So the character which Bhanu and Nitya Menon do have no meaning at all.So as in the opening scene, Prithviraj’s modern age character (Krishnadas) tries to claim his land which apparently belongs to the Kolathiri family. He is shown as modern-day descendent of Kelu Nayanar. How come a descendent of Nayanar (Nair) be a successor/legal heir of Kolathiri Royal house which is of Samantha Kshatriyas? How come Krishnadas claim to be a Royal just because his father is supposed to be a Varma? In caste rules of Kerala, even today, a son/daughter inherits his/her mother’s caste not father’s caste among Nairs/Kshatriyas etc.Another minor mistake was the character- Harabichi Beevi shown as Arakkal Beevi (Queen). In the dialogue between her and Ayesha, its said, Ali Raja (the Arakkal King) married her and brought to the palace and its by this virtue, she became the Beevi after the King’s death. This is absolutely wrong. Like Nairs, Arakkal Family follows the Matrilineal system (as like any Mappilas of that era), which means the wife of the King will never be the queen. Only the senior lady (sister of the King) will officially be the Beevi. No outsider to the family (anyone brought to the house after marriage- which was not possible in that era) will never become the matriarch of the family.Absolutely inaccurate to the core.The cunning minister- Chenichery Kurup (played by Jagathy)’s intention isn’t well established. For what, he was playing these double games? Nothing is shown in the movie. Secondly, such a character did exist in history. When Vasco Da Gama returned to Lisbon in 1500 AD after his first visit, he forcibly took 3 Malayalee Nairs along with him. These Nairs eventually became Malayalee Ambassadors in the Imperial court of Emperor Manuel of Portugal. But it wasn’t from Kolathunadu, rather from Kochi. Effectively one of these Nairs returned back to Kerala and became the key translator between Kochi King and Portuguese in Kochi. I feel this fictional character is moulded from that real history. But it doesn’t make any sense for Chenichery Kurup’s intentions as he isn’t likely to get any benefits at all.Another mistake shown in the movie was the status of Lakshadweep. In one scene, Chenichery Kurup was offered the rights of Lakshadweep as its administrator by Vasco Da Gama which he outrightly rejects. But Lakshadweep never came under Portuguese control in any part of the history. If so, it would have a history much like Goa. Lakshadweep remained as property of Arakkal Kingdom and they managed it untill they gave it to the Mysore Kingdom during Tipu Sultan’s era and with the defeat of Tipu, Britishers got the island under their control. So it makes absolute nonsense to see Portuguese bargaining with Lakshadweep which never happened.The wrong portrayal of dress/fashion of Arakkal Princess. Arrakkal Princess were Muslims and they never wore such skimpy dress as Genelia wears in the movie. Yes, there were many warrior princesses in that family, but it doesn’t mean they need to be shown in that way.In 1524, the third visit of Vasco-Da Gama, he didn’t visit Kolathanadu as shown in the movie. In 1515 Goa became the capital of Portuguese India and most of the Portuguese viceroys started visiting and living in Goa. Kochi was their second capital and hence several factors and agents visit there. In 1524’s Gama’s visit, he first visited Goa and later thought to visit Kochi as invited by Kochi King for the Christmas Party. Gama signNowed Kochi on Dec 23rd 1524 and died on next day due to Malaria. Vasco Da Gama was so fragile by 1524, that one blow from a person like Kelu Nayar’s kind of person would kill him. Yet we were shown that Vasco fighting with a powerful hunk like Kelu in full vigour. And the story is not clear whether he killed or not…The wrong portrayal of Palaces of Kolathunadu. Much of the movie is shot in Lonavala in Maharashtra and it is the famous Karla Buddha Caves shown as Kolathiri Palace which is too odd for any Malayalee. It doesn’t give any feel of olden Kerala as we never had stone-based structures at all, rather always had wood-based structures as our Palaces.And the last- the wrong usage of the word- Chirakkal. In the movie, the word Kolathunadu is rarely used, rather its the word Chirakkal frequently being used. Chirakkal is a place in Kolathunadu which became capital of the Kingdom only in 17th century. The word Chirakkal became popular after construction of the Chira/Temple pond. Prior that, it was always known as MADAYI. The recorded capital city of Kolathunadu before Chirakkal was in Ezhimala. The Kingdom was always known as Kolathunadu and its ruler- Kolathiri. The word Chirakkal became popular much later.These are the key inaccuracies with the movie- Urumi.However, these inaccuracies affect only someone who knows the history part as for others its just plain entertainment.The makers of Urumi seems not much bothered about the history of Kerala then. The makers focused on much larger production values, a wholesome entertainment package and highlighting Kerala’s role in Indian History as its often ignored at the national level.Its director- Santhosh Shivan approached the movie in the same way he made the Hindi movie- Asoka. Even the costumes were more similar, thus losing the typical Malayalee feel. It could be bit intentional the aim could be releasing dubbed versions in other languages and it might be for this reason such pan-India level stars were casted for the movie.Had these historical inaccuracies were sorted out, Urumi would have a classic movie, something recommended for history students to study it. Unfortunately its not!!!!

Here is one example:I was with A-401, IVG Corps Mobile Strike Force, B-40, C-4, 5th Special Forces Group (Green Berets). We would deploy out of our small A-site to conduct combat operations usually in the Seven Mountains area. Each Mike Force company of indigenous personal were commanded by two Special Forces NCOs. SSG Greg Skougland and I were in command of 43rd Company made up of 112 Cambodians and 29 Chinese Nungs. The intent of our 30 operation was to find, fix and destroy NVA units. After two weeks in the field the work chopper landed to drop off supplies that were ordered in paragraph 9 of the nightly SITREP (situation report), in addition to the resupply our detachment commander hopped off the HUEY to spend a few days with us. He was not there to command but just observe. Two nights later we were hit by a sizable force of NVA Infantry. Greg went to one side of the perimeter and I the opposite side. The NVA were charging on line like the Japanese did in WWII. Our Cambodians don’t run. When I arrived a few seconds after the initial contact was made by one of our LP/OP (listening post/observation post) all the Cambodians were laying down automatic fire. The M-60 gunner had the trigger engaged firing a steady stream of 7.62 rounds. Normally the 60 gunner will fire 3 round burst otherwise the barrel will overheat and warp. I immediately called in an artillery strike using TRP’s (target reference points) the Army uses a numbering sequence but that takes to long to convey so we used objects. I remember calling in, “ White blossom this is pebble symbol, (two word callsigns which is shortened after the initial call) fire mission, tree house, rock; fire for effect, danger close, I will adjust, over”. Within a few minutes the 105 artillery rounds started landing. We always had a 60mm Mortar that I called for illumination with parachute flairs. They were located in the center of the perimeter with 3 fighting positions (foxholes). An air force gunship called me and said, ‘give me a grid corordinate ( used to indicate a point on the map) I inquired who the f**k are you the voice came back give me a grid square then sit back your war is over. Shortly after that Greg the A-Team medic (today 18D) ran past me with no weapon nor any equipment. His interpreter stopped next to me. I shouted, “where the f**k is Greg going?” He responded, “LP/OP wounded Greg go save. I’m like, sh*t I’m alone especially if he gets hit. I told his interpreter that I wanted six men. In no time I had 6 Cambodians standing in front of me. I told the interpreter to tell the men to follow me for I was going to form a firing line to insure that Greg returned unharmed. I observed Greg returning with the soldier in a fireman’s carry. I took the 6 men back inside of the perimeter. Greg dropped the soldier and started working on him. Will I was exposed about 80 feet beyond the perimeter firing my M-16, my stomach went weak and my knees buckled, it was at that moment I pissed in my pants. Shortly after that the NVA retreated. I was like, “hey, dudes your initial plan isn’t working you better go to plan B; but they had no plan B. In Special Forces we always have three COA’s (courses of action) so if plan A fails we would quickly initiate Plan B.After the three hour battle everything was quiet. I looked at Greg and asked, “BTW, Greg where is the captain?”. He replied “I don’t know” as the conversation continued a head popped out of one of the 60mm foxholes. It was a moonless night and I asked, “Captain bXXXXXX, is that you.” He replied, “yes” I then said “it’s OK now you can come out of the foxhole”. He hid the entire time we were being attacked. It was OK with Greg and I because he was not the best officer and he would have mucked up the battle.I was in the B-Team for some administration paperwork because they were closing A-401 and I was being sent to A-404 the Airboat camp. Greg showed me a DA Form 638, used for writing up someone for an awards or valor. I read the form which contained the narrative of what I had done during the battle. I smiled and told Greg that was a nice gesture. With a sour look he said read the name. Our hero-not Captain had whited out my name and inserted his. MAJ Bridgewater had put both Greg and I in for the Silver Star and left for the States the week before. I told Greg shit he hid the entire time. He said, I know but it needs two signature and that he had already signed. I protested to the new B-Team commander and he ordered me to sign.Both awards were downgraded to Bronze Stars with V device (V-valor) OK, I’ll sign. 24 years later I was able to get in touch with MAJ Bridgewater and he asked about the award that he had submitted on my behalf. I told him no, that CPT BXXXXXXX changed the name on the form and he received the BS/V. Bridgewater was so pissed remarking, “there is nothing more contemptible than someone stealing the valor of another. He took the time to submit the paperwork once again through the Senator office. About 7 months later I received the award.So the short answer, it depends on who witnesses the cowardly act.Taken the morning after the battle.The Cambodians of 43rd Company.

Yes. Here is how it happened.I had just purchased several dry cleaners. I bought the businesses but the delivery van was not included in the deal. The delivery van is integral to the whole business because clothes must be delivered to the main plant for cleaning and then delivered back to the stores for customer pick up. As part of the agreement, James, the seller, allowed me to borrow his delivery van for a couple of weeks until I could buy my own. I had just spent all my available cash buying five dry cleaners so I was strapped for cash to buy a new vehicle. I had been shopping for a used van and found a white Ford Econoline van which I could configure with the clothing rods. On a Wednesday in Feb of 2002, I was driving down Miramar Road, in San Diego, just talking to God, praying out loud for $14,700 for a white delivery van (reference Acts 16:25) just as the phone rings my cell phone and it's a young man named David. David once lived down the street for me in Spring Valley and a couple of times we played laser tag together in the street. His laser tag equipment was faulty, and he could not be “killed” while any light in any direction seemed to set my vest alarm off, so the game lacked equity, and hence, lacked fun. What told him was that if he ever got new equipment, I’d play again. Years went by, he moved, I moved, and years later, David calls me interrupting my talk to God.I asked this teenager for $14,700, which obviously he didn’t have, but he quickly said “Talk to my mom”. So I asked her for 14,700, as I realized that she had lost her home to a foreclosure and she and her husband and five kids moved to a mobile home on an Indian reservation. I didn’t says why don't have it talk to my mom talk to her she's the one who just texted me on Facebook that I haven't seen in 10 years and she said well remember what we had to move out of the neighborhood because we lost her home in foreclosure and they moved with their five kids and was mobile home caught on the Barona Indian reservation so they didn't have it either but she said let me talk to you I'll talk to my mom and she might cosign a loan for you well I know her mom and I sure didn't expect the mom to cosign alone for me so I said no thanks. Never mind. I'm sorry I mentioned that I know of a few days later I've this is must have been on a Wednesday a few daysSo I went in the back door sunny day and as I'm walking out the back I heard somebody at the front counter mention my name but you always your ears always perk up when you hear your name so I looked over him and you can to get Aggie after well somebody to do walking with the claim check into watching it with a big load of dirty laundry heating had anything just his car keys so I walked up him and thought he was there with the complaint that we didn't get his creases right, or too many creases or not enough. He asked if I was John Thompson and if I was looking for a van. He pointed outside to the illegally parked white Ford van outside at the street. It was almost exactly what I was looking for, just with a little more wear. He was asking 9K, I offered 6K, he accepted, and then after some short negotiating agreed to 3k now and 3K a month later. I told him that I needed it right away and he said it would be mine as soon as I drove him home. When I spoke with Autumn the day prior, I didn’t tell her that I owned 5 stores, not after she had lost her home, I just told her about one. I was in that store only for a few minutes, which were exactly the same few minutes that the minister was there.I had my van, just a day after asking for it. Now all that was left was to finalize the paperwork and configure some clothing rods. What happened next defies all probability.As I drove the minister to his home, I learned that and he used to transport his "congregation". He was not a minister in the traditional church sense, but he took in guys that were just out of jail, gave them a cot and a meal and had them to chores on his ranch until they got back on their feet.So we went back to the Barona Indian reservation, to his upstairs study and there on his old mechanical typewriter, I typed out a bill of sale purchase agreement. It took a while on that old typewriter. If it was good enough for him to type his sermons then it would bpicking up for me so about that time you send me setting and he invited me to go downstairs and had dinner with “the men”. Who could turn down an invitation to have dinner with the men? I did feel a bit out of place because I had not been in a room full of guys that he just got out of jail and I was still dress like a stockbroker. I found one big guy that liked immediately. He was a great big burly contractor. In and talking to him I found that he was qualified as an electrician, foreman, painter and plumber. He had built custom homes and commercial developments. I learned that this guy could do anything, he was just now down on his luck and needed a break.I was talking to this big meaty hands contractor and he said he just needed a break. I asked him if he could install a sink, as I had a sink, faucets and all the parts on the Friars road store. Actually, as I thought out loud, I need a toilet installed there as well. While I could do the plumbing, I knew it would take me all weekend and three trips to Home Depot to get the job done. He said he could do it all and agreed to do it for $75. Just then the dinner triangle rang everybody joined hands in a big circle in the chow hall and the minister blessed the big pot of chicken soup. Then I heard the meaty hands contractor to the ministers left contribute to the blessing. Then I felt the meaty hand squeeze my hand, and, quickly becoming aware of their traditions, realized it was my turn to speak.One problem. I was at a total loss for words.So was my turn to speak and not having had any plan time to gather any thoughts I just spoke for my heart. I let out a stream of consciousness without any filtering or forethought. I went on to thank the Lord for the delivery van that I had prayed to God for the day before and then stuttered and put in a good word for my meaty hands friend, that he would get a good job and soon, and that he was going to install my sink in one store, and he would install a toilet too, and oh yeah, I have the sink already, but don’t have the toilet, so Lord, help me find a toilet, and ah…. “It was about then that I realized that God knew this already, but the other people in the room had all just been freed from a place that ONLY had a toilet. Hence, my public prayer, with them, may have seemed a bit, inappropriate.The more I spoke the stupider I felt. It's so I shut up and squeezed the hand to my left, kept my head down and eyes shut because I was so embarrassed about my prayer request.I slurped down some good chicken soup for my soul, jumped in my “new” delivery van and I headed home. I spent the rest that night putting rods in for hanging clothes.The next morning, I was back as a stockbroker, I just happened to be standing behind the cleaners main store, in the alley. The inside of the store, had the loud sound of two air compressors and the very loud Mariachi music that I was growing tired of. I went outside to find some peace and tranquility. I was standing out in the back alley behind the cleaners with my two cell phones. Usually, one was for stockbroker issues and the other for dry cleaner issues, but this particular day, I had each to an ear. On one ear, I was answering questions for a client and on the other ear, Joanne, my office administrator, was looking up the questions and giving me answers that I was repeating for to the client in the other ear. I didn't want my investment clients to think I'd abandon them to go into dry cleaning business.As I'm standing there in that alley, across the way I’m looking at Dr. Floss dental clinic. Dr. Floss had his back doors open and some contractors at work. I could see two workers moving all the furniture out from the waiting room, including the chairs and tables and then came the book cases and then rolls of carpet and then more office equipment and sinks and doodads and eventually all that far side of the alley was getting full of stuff, and the workers started bringing stuff over to my side of the alley.Eventually, one guy, unshaven, ball cap on backwards, Marlboro cigarette hanging out of his mouth, set a toilet at my right foot.He looked at me and said, “Hey mister, do you want to toilet?”My mind was on my two simultaneous phone conversations. I’m a busy stockbroker and business operator, and don’t have time for idle chat with smokers.“What did you say?”“Mister, do you want a toilet?”Disbelieving, I asked, “What’s wrong with it?”“Nothing, the dentist is just getting rid of it. He wants a new low-flow one with seashells in it. This one’s fine, want it?”At that point I realize that the night before I had prayed for a toilet holding hands with a group of guys did just got out of the jail cell and the dawned on me what was happening. I looked down at this guy with his ball cap on backwards, a few teeth still in his head, the stubble on his face .And I did what every stockbroker in any alley would do when they are offered a toilet from and Angel smoking a Marlboro.I cried.I got down on one knee, so as not to damage my wool suit, and cried.The worker stood up walked away, muttered something like “Gee, it’s just a toilet”.While I'm there hugging my toilet out in the alley, Mr. Song, delivery man Mr. Song, pulls out of my loading dock into the alley for the first trip with the new Daisy delivery van. I waved at him to stop and I pointed down at the toilet and said “Friars Road”. He acknowledged me and ran back into the store, leaving the van running and me with my toilet.A few minutes later, he came out with two cardboard boxes. He handed me one and said “OK OK”. I watch with wonder as he broke his box down and flattened it and shaped it, then placed it on the passenger seat. Then he took my box and did the same, placing it on the back of the passenger seat. Then he pointed to the toilet and said, “OK-OK”. Together we lifted it up, strapped it in with a seat belt and shoulder harness and off went my new van, a load of clothes and a toilet.Later I was to learn a customer was there to help him off load the toilet. Meaty Hands installed it all on Saturday and was paid out of the register.At this point, I believed that God was on my side and the Dry Cleaning business was right for me.A short time later, I quit the job I loved as an Investment guy to spend all day every day at the Dry Cleaners. If ever there was a sign from God, this was it. Within a 72 hour window, I had prayed for a delivery van, it was delivered to me, I prayed for a toilet and one was placed at my feet by an Angel smoking a Marlboro.