Cigars & Arson

THIS IS THE BEST LAWYER STORY OF THE YEAR, DECADE AND PROBABLY THE CENTURY.

A Charlotte, NC lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against fire, among other things.
Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy, the lawyer filed claim against the insurance company.In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires." 

The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion.The lawyer sued... And WON!

(Stay with me.)

After the lawyer cashed the cheque, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!!With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.

This is a true story and was the First Place winner in the recent Criminal Lawyers Award Contest.


Courtsey Suraj Janardhanan, Sydney

An attempt with trepidation

"It is some time since I began to pen ( in fact type on the Lap top key board), my thoughts, feelings, emotions, rejections, revulsions, hope, apprehensions, experiences, reactions, likes, dislikes, so on and so forth. And soon enough became a blogger too.

The activity gives me immense and much comfort and an open door to exhale myself. Sometimes blogging something others may not have the patience and understanding to accept, but still gives me a way to express and talk to my alter ego, that is comforting.

This morning I sat and brought them out in words, some feelings that went through me. And with a bit of trepidation I found it was something in verses. So here they are- my first attempt in years at putting something that came to mind into verses".

Lay me to your bosom

I wait with excite, for her to wade in

Take me in her arms, lay me to her bosom.

And let the beauty of her dark countenance sooth my heart.

I close my eyes at her fondle

fall back again into peace within;

till she departs with her dark flowing hair,

gently caressing my face!

As the flecks of dawn wakes me from

the wonderland that she held me through, and the paradise;

Walking by her side, in bliss and delight

in peace and calm

I lay with yearning for her to be back

to caress me back into the wonderland

of darkness and clam.

SHE

Love is a lesser word; gratitude , too mean a word

I grope in the dark and day, and cannot find a way

to thank her for her ways.

In moments of torment and in days of tempest,

She holds by my side, fiercer than the rock in tempest.

Moments when I detest, my helpless state at its worst.

But still to tell her with an embrace be by my side

lest I slip aside into the nether world and be torn asunder.

"I wish I was wrong"

I m certain that if not all, many of us might at some point or other times, long and pleadingly wish that what we feel and fear about another person  and his or her character is not true and are misplaced.

How would it be if we are proved wrong and it is revealed that our judgment about the person was wrong, mercifully? Would not such a state be like the air jetting out from an inflated balloon? And in some other case the reality when it dawns, or say revealed will be very hurting within us.

On the contrary how would it be if our opinion or judgment of the person is proved to be true and correct? It can sometimes be a vindication that would give us comfort. And can also be the revelations of the feared judgment come true.

Which one of these situations would we like to be?

If it is the former well then we might have to spend some time introspecting ourselves and ruing our hasty and ill conceived or unwise judgment. Nevertheless if this is the case we still have time and opportunity to make amends with the victim of our intemperate judgment, and move on in life. There cannot be anything piquant and bad about a situation where we may have to retract and confess an apology. The word ‘sorry’ has the power to soothe feelings, hurt ego and pride. And I presume, being in the wrong by ourselves in judging some one and not letting our conceited mind accept its mistake is more wrong on our part.

The later situation of us being vindicated is a comforting state. Because we may have before hand done the needful to confront such an eventuality..

But how I wish at times, that it turns out that I judged wrong!