Issac Newton’s mother– “But did you wash the apple before eating it?”
Thomas Edison’s mother– Of course I am proud that you invented the electric bulb. Now turn it off and get to bed !!!”
Abraham Lincoln’s mother– “Now that you have become President for heaven’s sake get rid of that shabby tailcoat and stovepipe hat, and buy yourself a decent outfit.”
James Watt’s mother– “If you just keep watching that damn lid lifting and dropping, rice will be burnt. Turn off the stove now.”
Alexander Graham Bell’s mother– “You have installed this new silly thing in the house alright, but I do not want girls calling you at odd hours.”
Galileo Galilei’s mother– “What use is seeing that goddamn moon with your telescope if it does not help me to see my mother in Milano.”
Samuel Morse’s mother– “Make sure your school report card doesn’t have only dashes and dots.”
Mona Lisa’s mother– “After all that money your father and I spent on your braces, is that the best smile you can give us ?”
Michelangelo’s mother– “Can’t you paint on walls like other children? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that stuff off the ceiling?”
Albert Einstein’s mother– “Can’t you do something about your hair? Use styling gel or something?”
Danial Fahrenheit’s mother– “Stop playing with boiling water and let me make tea.”
Georg Ohm’s mother– “I don’t like you resisting everything I say.”
Robert Boyle’s mother– “If your volume is really inversely proportional to pressure, you must be having a constipation. Take a laxative.”
Christopher Columbus’ mother– “I don’t care what you were busy discovering and where, you could still have dropped a two line letter!”
We are currently in a state of war between the US and Israel on one side and Iran and its allies on the other.
The Straight of Hormuz is a key global sea route that has been blocked by Iran. This is hurting supply chains all over the world, including India.
After peace talks, Iran said it is not possible to declare the Strait of Hormuz safe because it has no record of where all the mines are, or how many there are!
Minesweeper is a computer based game where players have to guess where the mines are. If they accidentally step on even one mine, the game ends.
Jim Hacker: Humphrey, we have to do something about Iran.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Prime Minister, the government is already doing a great deal.
Jim Hacker: Such as?
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Monitoring developments, coordinating with allies, reviewing contingency plans and expressing concern.
Jim Hacker: That all sounds like nothing, Humphrey.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: On the contrary, Prime Minister. In diplomacy it is vital to appear active without becoming involved.
Jim Hacker: The Americans are bombing things, the Iranians are firing missiles, the Strait of Hormuz is practically closed and we’re… appearing active?
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Precisely.
Jim Hacker: Innocent people are dying, Humphrey!
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Yes, Prime Minister. That is why the Foreign Office is drafting a very strongly worded statement about it.
Jim Hacker: A statement won’t stop a war.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: No, Prime Minister, but it will ensure that we are on record as having been extremely concerned while it was happening.
Bernard Woolley: If I may, Prime Minister — the Cabinet Office has identified six possible courses of action.
Jim Hacker: Good! What are they?
Bernard Woolley: We can condemn the escalation, call for restraint, urge negotiations, support our allies, assist defensive operations or participate directly.
Jim Hacker: And what do they recommend?
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Supporting our allies.
Jim Hacker: That sounds suspiciously like participating.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Oh no, Prime Minister. Participating means fighting. Supporting merely means allowing others to fight from places that technically belong to us.
Jim Hacker: Humphrey, if Iranian missiles hit one of our bases, we’ll be in the war anyway!
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Yes, Prime Minister, but we shall have entered it with the invaluable diplomatic advantage of being surprised.
Bernard Woolley: It’s generally considered the safest way to enter a war, Prime Minister.
Jim Hacker: How on earth can that be safe?
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Because if the war goes badly, we can say we never meant to join it. And if it goes well, we can say we were there all along.
