velligasm

Then out spake brave Horatius, the Captain of the Gate: “To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late. And how can a man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his Gods.” — Lord Macaulay

GDP (or GSDP state) is a poor standalone measure of how ordinary people actually live, especially in a heavily populated country or state with massive wealth gap between rich and poor. For ex, India is world’s 4th largest economy, but that doesnt mean people are doing well.

~Axis My India 🤣😂

WB has had 3 CMs in last 49 years. Remarkable.

@Gaddafi4X If AIADMK is losing to congress in Coimbatore, I don't know what is more shocking that will be unfolded on may 4.

@TheVelligasm WTF

This exit poll predicts a Congress victory in two Coimbatore urban seats-- Kauvundampalayam and Singanallur.

King Charles III during his visit to the US renewed my belief in human dignity, human intelligence, and the English language. Long live the King!

Watching King Charles and Trump together this week was a reminder of just how many things the US inherited from the UK. The state banquet covered maybe ten of them. The actual list is a little longer: 🇬🇧➡️🇺🇸 The English language The Latin alphabet English spelling (pre-Webster) English grammar The common law system Trial by jury Habeas corpus The presumption of innocence Due process The right to a fair trial The adversarial court system Judges in robes The gavel Legal precedent Stare decisis Property law Contract law Tort law Estate law Wills Power of attorney Land titles Deeds The Magna Carta tradition The Bill of Rights concept Parliamentary procedure Robert's Rules of Order Bicameral legislatures The Senate (modelled on the House of Lords) The Speaker of the House role The filibuster Committees Hansard-style records The loyal opposition concept Separation of powers (via Locke and Montesquieu, but English tradition) The Westminster system as a starting point Christianity as the dominant faith The Protestant work ethic The King James Bible Methodism Quakerism Baptism Anglicanism (became the Episcopal Church) Presbyterianism Congregationalism Puritanism Sunday as a day of rest Church weddings Christian burial traditions Christmas Easter Christmas trees (via Germany via Victoria, but arrived through Britain) Christmas carols Mince pies Christmas pudding (mostly forgotten but exists) Father Christmas (became Santa Claus) Easter eggs Hot cross buns Wedding rings White wedding dresses (Victoria again) The bouquet toss The wedding cake Bridesmaids Best man Funeral wreaths Tombstones The handshake Saying "please" and "thank you" Standing for elders Holding doors open Queueing (badly) "How do you do" as a greeting First names and surnames in that order The "Junior" and "III" naming convention Titles like Mr, Mrs, Miss Doctor as a title Reverend Honourable The handshake on a deal Signing contracts Witnesses on documents Notaries Public schools (the concept) Universities Colleges Harvard (founded by Cambridge graduates) Yale, Princeton, Columbia (all British colonial) Caps and gowns at graduation Mortarboards Honorary degrees The PhD Fraternities and sororities (Greek, but via Oxbridge clubs) Boarding schools House systems in schools School uniforms Class prefects (residual) The three-term academic year Recess Detention Spelling bees (British origin) Reading, writing, arithmetic The blackboard Cursive handwriting Letter writing The postal service Stamps Mailboxes Addresses with house numbers Streets named after things Pubs (became bars and taverns) Inns Tea Coffee houses (originally a London thing) Beer Ale Whisky tradition (Scottish/Irish) Gin Cider Pub games Darts Billiards Snooker (kind of) Pool tables Card games Whist Bridge Poker (debatable but English roots) Chess (via Britain) Cricket (briefly, before baseball ate it) Baseball (descended from rounders and cricket) Football (the rugby version, which became American football) Rugby Soccer (the word and the game) Tennis Golf Horse racing Foxhunting (briefly) Boxing (Queensberry rules) Wrestling Rowing Sailing Yachting Pigeon racing Dog shows Crufts-style breed standards Most dog breeds Sheepdogs Foxhounds Beagles Bulldogs Most cat breeds Horse breeds Thoroughbreds The Derby Sunday roast Roast beef Roast chicken Roast potatoes Yorkshire pudding (vanished) Gravy Stuffing Pies (the savoury kind, mostly mutated) Pot pie Shepherd's pie Apple pie (English originally) Pumpkin pie (English roots, American twist) Mince pies Custard Trifle Pudding (the word) Cookies (called biscuits) Cakes Sponge cake Pound cake Fruit cake Sandwiches The Earl of Sandwich Toast Marmalade Jam Preserves Pickles (via Britain) Mustard Worcestershire sauce HP sauce (limited) Salt and vinegar (chips) Fish and chips (became "fish fry") Chips (became fries) Crisps (became chips) Bacon Sausages Black pudding (vanished) Bangers and mash (vanished) Bread and butter pudding Porridge (became oatmeal) The English breakfast (became "American breakfast" in modified form) Scones (became biscuits) Muffins (became English muffins) Crumpets (sort of) Tea cakes Buns Loaves Sourdough (English roots, not just San Francisco) The pub Sunday lunch concept Fish on Friday Bank holidays (became federal holidays) Sunday trading laws (residual blue laws) Thanksgiving (Puritan harvest festival) Halloween (Celtic via Britain via Ireland) Bonfire night (vanished) Guy Fawkes (vanished but the V mask remains) May Day (residual) Boxing Day (vanished) New Year's Eve traditions Auld Lang Syne (Scottish) Mother's Day (English origin, US adaptation) Father's Day (similar) Valentine's Day (English custom) April Fool's Day Saint Patrick's Day (Irish via UK union) The pound (as a weight) The mile The foot The inch The yard The acre The gallon (different gallon, but inherited) Fahrenheit (German via Britain) The 12-hour clock with AM/PM Common time signatures in music Sheet music notation The piano (via Europe via Britain) Brass bands Marching bands Christmas carols Hymns Folk music tradition Ballads Sea shanties Nursery rhymes Mother Goose Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Mary Had a Little Lamb Humpty Dumpty Jack and Jill London Bridge Ring a Ring o' Roses Fairy tales Robin Hood King Arthur Beowulf (academic) Shakespeare Chaucer Dickens The novel as a form The detective novel (Conan Doyle) Sherlock Holmes The English country house mystery The school story The adventure novel Treasure Island Robinson Crusoe Gulliver's Travels Alice in Wonderland Peter Pan The Wind in the Willows Winnie the Pooh Mary Poppins Christopher Robin Beatrix Potter Roald Dahl (post-WWII but huge) The pantomime tradition (vanished mostly) Music hall (became vaudeville) Vaudeville (Anglo-French) The variety show Stand-up comedy roots The sitcom format Punch magazine humour Political cartoons The cartoon strip The newspaper The broadsheet The tabloid Editorial pages Letters to the editor Op-eds Crossword puzzles (American invention but English wordplay roots) The Times-style serif typography Garamond, Times New Roman, Caslon — English/European typefaces The hardcover book The paperback Public libraries The Dewey Decimal System (American but library tradition is English) Bookstores The university press Academic journals Peer review The scientific method (English/European) The Royal Society tradition (became American Philosophical Society etc) Most named scientific units (Newton, Watt, Kelvin, Faraday) Newton's laws Darwin's theory of evolution Most basic chemistry nomenclature Most basic physics nomenclature The metric system rejection (uniquely shared with Britain… until Britain switched) Engineering tradition The steam engine (became railroads) Railroads The locomotive The train station The platform The ticket inspector Steamships Ocean liners The merchant navy concept Lighthouses Lifeboats Coastguards The Royal Navy tradition (became US Navy structure) Naval ranks Army ranks Military uniforms (red coats aside) The salute The drill sergeant Boot camp concept West Point modelled on Sandhurst Annapolis modelled on naval colleges Military bands Bagpipes (in some regiments) The bugle call Reveille Taps (American but British camp roots) The 21-gun salute Trooping the colour (residual ceremonial) The Marine Corps tradition Most ranks: Private, Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Colonel, General Court-martial Articles of war The Geneva Convention adherence The chain of command Saluting the flag The flag itself (Stars and Stripes — derived from British East India Company flag, debated) Pledges of allegiance National anthems sung at events (To Anacreon in Heaven was a London tune) The Star Spangled Banner's tune is English "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)" uses "God Save the King" The Boy Scouts (Baden-Powell) The Girl Guides (became Girl Scouts) The Salvation Army The YMCA (English origin) The YWCA Rotary Clubs (American but masonic English roots) Freemasonry The Order of Odd Fellows Banking (modern banking is English/Italian via Britain) The bank cheque Promissory notes Stock exchanges The corporation Limited liability Joint stock companies Insurance (Lloyd's of London) Marine insurance Life insurance The mortgage Rent Leases Tenancies Landlords Real estate The auction Estate agents (became realtors) Auctioneers Stock tickers (American but City of London style) Banker's hours Double-entry bookkeeping (Italian but via Britain) Audit Chartered accountants The financial year Tax law structure Income tax (British invention, 1799) Tariffs Customs Excise Stamp duty The cabinet system The Speaker of the House The Lord Speaker → Senate President pro tempore The Whip system Cabinet ministers Departments of state The Treasury The Foreign Office (became State Department) The Home Office concept The civil service The bureaucracy The mayor The town council The county The sheriff The constable The bailiff The coroner The magistrate The justice of the peace The grand jury The petit jury Indictments Subpoenas Warrants Habeas corpus The bench The bar Barristers and solicitors merged into "lawyers" or "attorneys" Wigs (briefly, then dropped) The black robe The witness stand Swearing on the Bible "I do solemnly swear" Marriage vows "I do" The honeymoon The bridal veil The bouquet The garter toss Horseshoes for luck Throwing rice Tying cans to cars Saying "I love you" Greeting cards Christmas cards (English invention, 1843) Birthday cards Get well cards Postcards The fountain pen The ballpoint (Hungarian via Britain) The typewriter (American but English keyboard layout) QWERTY (American actually, but for English) The dictionary (Johnson's, then Webster's adaptation) The encyclopedia (Britannica) The thesaurus (Roget) Grammar textbooks Spelling rules Cursive script Italics Bold type Punctuation conventions The semicolon The colon The full stop (period) Quotation marks Apostrophes Most idioms in American English "Raining cats and dogs" "Spill the beans" "Bite the bullet" "Break the ice" "Cost an arm and a leg" "Once in a blue moon" Most proverbs Most riddles Most jokes structures Knock-knock jokes (English origin) Most card game vocabulary Most pub vocabulary The word "OK" (debated, but English roots) The phrase "All right" Cheers as a toast The toast tradition itself Champagne for celebrations (French via England) Wine traditions Port and sherry (gone) Sundowners (gone, mostly) The cocktail (English/American hybrid) The cocktail party The dinner party The hostess The toastmaster Speeches at events Eulogies The wake Mourning clothes Black at funerals White at weddings Confetti The bouquet Bunting at parties Streamers Balloons (rubber tech, but party use is British) Fireworks (Chinese, but British public use) 4th of July fireworks (replaced Bonfire Night) The parade tradition Marching bands The Mayor's parade Floats The town hall meeting The village green concept (became "the commons") The town square The courthouse on the square The clock tower Church steeples Sunday morning church bells The wedding peal The funeral toll The vicarage (became parsonage) The parish system (residual) Sunday school Bible study groups Hymn books Pews Pulpits Stained glass windows Gothic architecture in churches Neoclassical architecture (via Britain via Greece/Rome) Georgian architecture Victorian architecture The white picket fence (English garden tradition) The lawn The hedge The garden Garden parties The greenhouse Allotments (residual, "community gardens") Lawnmowers Garden gnomes (German via Britain) Hedge mazes Topiary Ivy on walls Ivy League itself (the ivy tradition) The college campus quadrangle The cloister The chapel The dining hall The refectory High table (vanished) College colours College mottos in Latin The class ring tradition The tassel The valedictorian The salutatorian "Pomp and Circumstance" (Elgar) at graduations Most ceremonial music "Auld Lang Syne" at New Year "Happy Birthday" derivatives Most lullabies Most folk dances Square dancing (English country dancing) Maypole dancing (vanished) Morris dancing (vanished) The waltz (Austrian via Britain) Ballet (French/Italian via Britain) Opera (Italian via Britain) The orchestra The conductor The string quartet The choir The choirmaster The organist Cathedral music tradition Boys' choirs Hymn singing Congregational singing The Christmas carol service Lessons and carols The advent calendar (German via Britain) Advent wreaths The Christmas stocking Mistletoe Holly and ivy The Yule log Father Christmas (Santa via Coca-Cola but English roots) Christmas pudding Christmas crackers (vanished mostly) Pulling crackers (vanished) The paper crown (vanished) Cracker jokes (vanished) The Queen's Speech (vanished, replaced by State of the Union) Trooping the Colour (replaced by July 4 parades) Most parliamentary terminology Most legal terminology Most academic terminology Most ceremonial terminology Most aristocratic terminology (residual in some Southern states) The plantation system (English colonial) Slavery's legal framework (English colonial law) Indentured servitude The land grant The patent system Copyright (Statute of Anne, 1710) Trademark law Intellectual property concept The press freedom principle The free speech tradition Freedom of religion (Puritan dissent) Freedom of assembly The right to petition The right to bear arms (English Bill of Rights 1689) Trial by peers "Innocent until proven guilty" Burden of proof Reasonable doubt The Miranda warning structure (American but rights are English) The arrest The booking The mugshot The fingerprint (English science) Forensics (British origin) Sherlock Holmes-style detection Scotland Yard imitations (FBI, etc.) Police forces themselves (Robert Peel) "Cops" (from "coppers", British slang) The beat The patrol The night watch The constable The detective Plain-clothes officers The detective novel The thriller The spy novel (le Carré, Fleming) James Bond Most spy tradecraft language "MI6"-style intelligence framing (CIA modelled partly) The Special Relationship itself NATO membership tradition The United Nations (Anglo-American framework) The League of Nations before it International law tradition Diplomatic protocol Embassies Ambassadors Consuls Diplomatic immunity The State visit The 21-gun salute The red carpet The receiving line The official photograph The official portrait The Oval Office desk (Resolute desk, gift from Queen Victoria) White House architecture (Georgian) Capitol Hill architecture (neoclassical) The Supreme Court building (neoclassical) The Lincoln Memorial style (Greek revival via Britain) The Washington Monument (obelisk, via Britain via Egypt) Most monumental architecture before 1930 Cathedrals modelled on English ones The cemetery as a park (Victorian invention) Gravestones in English style Latin epitaphs Stone angels The mausoleum The crypt The grave plot The funeral procession The hearse Black ribbons Half-mast flags Memorial services The eulogy The 21-gun salute at military funerals "Taps" at military funerals (American melody, British practice) The folded flag presentation The white glove tradition The dress uniform The medal The ribbon bar Knighthoods (rejected) → Medal of Honor (kept the spirit) The Order of the Bath → Presidential Medal of Freedom structure Decorations and citations Battlefield commissions "For valour" inscriptions The Victoria Cross influenced the Medal of Honor Most military ceremonial You're welcome.

"He praised NATO in front of its loudest critic. He championed climate action in front of a climate denier. He called for interfaith dialogue during an administration that has banned citizens from Muslim-majority countries. He praised checks and balances on executive power to a room full of lawmakers who have been unable to exercise them. He referenced the Middle East crisis that is currently straining the alliance he was there to celebrate. He defended the Royal Navy after Trump publicly insulted it. And he did all of this while receiving standing ovations, bipartisan laughter, and a dinner invitation." - Dan Qayyum writes on X

King Charles III's address at the US Congress will go down in history as the most important speech ever delivered in this century and will be taught in schools and universities in coming years. GOD SAVE THE KING.

However you feel about the King, his speeches, both in Congress and at the dinner, are worth a listen. He was giving them a vicious roasting. I doubt many of them understood some of the references, but Canada, Ukraine, France, and NATO did. Maybe this visit WAS worth it.

Though I am not a fan of NTK, I respect their oratory and can't help but feel bad for them. They've been growing slowly for 15 yrs. Then suddenly, the ground shifted under their feet. Like a Walmart opening in front of a quaint mom and pop store. Brutal.

Can you imagine going back to 1776 and telling the Founding Father's that in 250 years, the King of England would be standing in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol lecturing American lawmakers about the importance of democratic norms? That's the timeline we're living.

Yesterday, King Charles reminded us that English is meant to be spoken in complete sentences. How refreshing.

🚨 CONFUSING Tamilnadu Exit Polls AIADMK VICTORY -- JVC SPICK MEDIA VOTE VIBE DMK VICTORY -- PMarq Matrize People's Pulse TVK AHEAD -- Axis My India

I did this interesting analysis comparing 2026 exit polls vs 2021 exit polls and 2021 exit polls actuals /percentage of accuracy. The top 3 firms in terms of accuracy have given advantage to NDA/ AIADMK @sreeramjvc @jvidyasagar @sansbarrier @chnmharish @Spick_Media @CNN #exitpolls2026 #tnelectionswithvikatan

Perhaps the finest passive aggressive backhand compliment in the history of barbed backhand compliments.

This one will take Trump the rest of his miserable existence to work out.

Breaking: Both NDTV and Republic’s exit polls project a DMK lead. If past trends hold, this points to an ADMK victory.   DMK has consistently won exit polls only to lose the final count. The fear factor surrounding pollsters evidently continues.   The one consolation is TVK’s failure to gain traction.