Showing posts with label Cool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cool. Show all posts

Monday, April 11, 2011

The Power of Words

I know it's a commercial but still a great message.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Explorer by Rudyard Kipling

"There's no sense in going further -- 
it's the edge of cultivation,"
So they said, and I believed it -- 
broke my land and sowed my crop --
Built my barns and strung my fences 
in the little border station
Tucked away below the foothills 
where the trails run out and stop.

Till a voice, as bad as Conscience, 
rang interminable changes
In one everlasting Whisper 
day and night repeated -- so:
"Something hidden. Go and find it. 
Go and look behind the Ranges --
Something lost behind the Ranges. 
Lost and waiting for you. Go!"

So I went, worn out of patience; 
never told my nearest neighbours --
Stole away with pack and ponies -- 
left 'em drinking in the town;
And the faith that moveth mountains 
didn't seem to help my labours
As I faced the sheer main-ranges, 
whipping up and leading down.

March by march I puzzled through 'em, 
turning flanks and dodging shoulders,
Hurried on in hope of water, 
headed back for lack of grass;
Till I camped above the tree-line -- 
drifted snow and naked boulders --
Felt free air astir to windward -- 
knew I'd stumbled on the Pass.

'Thought to name it for the finder; 
but that night the Norther found me --
Froze and killed the plains-bred ponies; 
so I called the camp Despair.
(It's the Railway Cap today, though.) 
Then my whisper waked to hound me:
"Something lost behind the Ranges. 
Over yonder! Go you there!"

Then I knew, the while I doubted -- 
knew His Hand was certain o'er me.
Still -- it might be self-delusion -- 
scores of better men had died --
I could reach the township living, 
but ... He knows what terrors tore me ...
But I didn't ... but I didn't. 
I went down the other side.

Till the snow ran out in flowers, 
and the flowers turned to aloes,
And the aloes sprung to thickets 
and a brimming stream ran by;
But the thickets dwined to thorn-scrub, 
and the water drained to shallows,
And I dropped again on 
desert-blasted earth and blasting sky ...

I remember lighting fires; 
I remember sitting by them;
I remember seeing faces, 
hearing voices through the smoke;
I remember they were fancy -- 
for I threw a stone to try 'em.
"Something lost behind the Ranges" 
was the only word they spoke.

I remember going crazy. 
I remember that I knew it
When I heard myself hallooing 
to the funny folk I saw.
Very full of dreams that desert; 
but my two legs took me through it ...
And I used to watch 'em moving 
with the toes all black and raw.

But at last the country altered -- 
White Man's country past disputing --
Rolling grass and open timber, 
with a hint of hills behind --
There I found me food and water, 
and I lay a week recruiting,
Got my strength and lost my nightmares. 
Then I entered on my find.

Thence I ran my first rough survey -- 
chose my trees and blazed and ringed 'em --
Week by week I pried and sampled -- 
week by week my findings grew.
Saul, he went to look for donkeys, 
and by God he found a kingdom!
But by God, who sent His Whisper, 
I had struck the worth of two!

Up along the hostile mountains, 
where the hair-poised snowslide shivers --
Down and through the big fat marshes 
that the virgin ore-bed stains,
Till I heard the mild-wide mutterings 
of unimagined rivers,
And beyond the nameless timber 
saw illimitable plains!

Plotted sites of future cities, 
traced the easy grades between 'em;
Watched unharnessed rapids wasting 
fifty thousand head an hour;
Counted leagues of water frontage 
through the axe-ripe woods that screen 'em --
Saw the plant to feed a people -- 
up and waiting for the power!

Well, I know who'll take the credit -- 
all the clever chaps that followed --
Came a dozen men together -- 
never knew my desert fears;
Tracked me by the camps I'd quitted, 
used the water holes I'd hollowed.
They'll go back and do the talking. 
They'll be called the Pioneers!

They will find my sites of townships -- 
not the cities that I set there.
They will rediscover rivers -- 
not my rivers heard at night.
By my own old marks and bearings 
they will show me how to get there,
By the lonely cairns I builded 
they will guide my feet aright.

Have I named one single river: 
Have I claimed one single acre?
Have I kept one single nugget -- 
(barring samples?) No, not I!
Because my price was paid me 
ten times over by my Maker.
But you wouldn't understand it. 
You go up and occupy.

Ores you'll find there; wood and cattle; 
water-transit sure and steady,
(That should keep the railway rates down;) 
coal and iron at your doors.
God took care to hide that country 
till He judged His people ready,
Then He chose me for His Whisper, 
and I've found it, and it's yours!

Yes, your "never-never country" -- 
yes, your "edge of cultivation"
And "no sense in going further" -- 
till I crossed the range to see.
God forgive me! No, I didn't. 
It's God's present to our nation.
Anybody might have found it -- 
but His Whisper came to Me!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

A quote...

A human being is part of the whole, called by us ‘universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
-Albert Einstein, 1921

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Possible cancer cure found in blushwood shrub

From news.com.au

Peter Michael

February 04, 2010 11:00pm

CANCER patients are offering themselves as human guinea pigs as researchers investigate a possible cure for cancer found in north Queensland rainforests.

Scientists have identified a compound in the fruit of the native blushwood shrub that appears to "liquefy and destroy cancer with no side-effects", according to latest research.

Found deep in the remnants of a 130 million-year-old rainforest, the fruit extract may yet hold the secret antidote to Australia's No.1 killer disease.

Victoria Gordon, of EcoBiotics, an Atherton Tableland-based company, said they hoped to go to human clinical trials later this year.

Dr Gordon said a single dose injection of the extract, known as EBC-46, had been effective in 50 critically ill dogs and about a dozen cats and horses.

"This is proving to be something exceptional," she said.

"The tumour literally liquefies.

"There is a rapid knock-down of the tumour, it disintegrates within 24 hours and we have a rapid healing response.

"The biggest tumour we treated was the size of a Coke can in a dog, and that animal is fully healed and healthy."

Dr Gordon said it had worked on skin cancers, such as carcinomas and melanomas, and bone cancer, and was a possible treatment for breast, colon and prostate cancer.

But she warned wannabe human guinea pigs against seeking under-the-table treatment.

She said it was "immoral, illegal, and unscientific" to seek to be administered the drug before approval, likely to take up to seven years, by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

"We have been inundated with calls – it shows there is such a need for a breakthrough in anti-cancer treatment," she said. "Most people understand when we explain the situation."

Former breast cancer sufferer Mena Crew, 65, said many dying of cancer would "do anything for a miracle cure".

"We would all like a magic cure, that would be wonderful, and I hope in my lifetime we find it," the breast cancer support volunteer said.

She has worked with more than 200 sufferers and some victims in her role with the Cancer Council Queensland.

"I don't want to kill the enthusiasm of all the wonderful research, but until it is proven it will do the job, we recommend they go with proven and conventional treatments," she said.

"It is good, however, to think the secret antidote may be growing in the jungle above Cairns."

Sunday, October 4, 2009

I remember watching the Americans beat the Soviets in the Olympics almost 30 years ago. Hard to believe but still one of the most amazing stories in sports history. This little guy below captures the essence of Kurt Russell's portrayal as the American coach pretty well I think. Enjoy!


Saturday, October 3, 2009

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Why I Carry A Gun

I got this from a friend of mine not too long ago:

My old grandpa said to me, "Son, there comes a time in every man's life when he stops busting knuckles and starts busting caps and usually it's when he becomes too old to take an ass whooping."

I don't carry a gun to kill people. I carry a gun to keep from being killed.

I don't carry a gun to scare people. I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.

I con't carry a gun because I'm paranoid. I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I'm evil. I carry a gun because I have lived long enought to see the evil in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I hate the government. I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of the government.

I don't carry a gun because I'm angry. I carry a gun so I that I don't have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.

I don't carry a gun because I want to shoot someone. I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.

I don't carry a gun because I'm a cowboy. I carry a gun because when I die and go to Heaven, I want to be a cowboy.

I don't carry a gun to make me feel like a man. I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.

I don't carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.

I don't carry a gun because I love it. I carry a gun because I love life and and the people who make it meaningful to me.

"Police Protection" is an oxymoron. Free citizens must protect themselves. Police do not protect you from crime; they usually just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.

Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take an ass whooping.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Homer Simpson's Words of Wisdom

From funny2.com

Ah, beer. The cause of and the solution to all of life's problems.

Who are you? Why am I here? I want answers now or I want them eventually!

Because they're stupid, that's why. That's why everybody does everything!

That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college!

You know those balls that they put on car antennas so you can find them in the parking lot? Those should be on every car!

Marge, I'm going to miss you so much. And it's not just the sex! It's also the food preparation.

When I look at the smiles on all the children's faces, I just know they're about to jab me with something.

America's health care system is second only to Japan, Canada, Sweden, Great Britain, well...all of Europe. But you can thank your lucky stars we don't live in Paraguay!

It's like something out of that "twilighty" show about that zone.

Whenever Marge turns on one of her "non-violent" programs, I take a walk. I go to a bar, I pound a few, then I stumble home in the mood for love...

It's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to fit in eight hours of TV a day.

English? Who needs that? I'm never going to England!

Oh no! What have I done? I smashed open my little boy's piggy bank, and for what? A few measly cents, not even enough to buy one beer. Wait a minute, lemme count and make sure...not even close!

Or what? You'll release the dogs? Or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouth and when they bark they shoot bees at you?

You're saying butt-kisser like it's a bad thing!

Well, let's just call them, uh, Mr. X and Mrs. Y. So anyway, Mr. X would say, 'Marge, if this doesn't get your motor running, my name isn't Homer J. Simpson.'

I know what you're saying, Bart. When I was young, I wanted an electric football machine more than anything else in the world, and my parents bought it for me, and it was the happiest day of my life. Well, goodnight!

Apu, you got any Skittle Brau? Never mind, just give me some Duff and a pack of Skittles.

You'll have to speak up, I'm wearing a towel.

Mmmmmm - 52 slices of American cheese.

Hey, I asked for ketchup - I'm eatin' salad here!

When I first heard that Marge was joining the police academy, I thought it would be fun and zany, you know like that movie... "Spaceballs". But instead it was dark and disturbing, like that movie "Police Academy".

I think Mr. Smithers picked me for my motivational skills. Everyone always says they have to work twice as hard when I'm around!

Marge, it takes two to lie. One to lie, and one to listen.

Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand!

I'm trying to fix your mother's camera. Easy, easy - Hmmm. I think I need a bigger drill.

You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is 'never try'.

Oh, everything's too damned expensive these days. Like this Bible. It cost 15 bucks! And talk about a preachy book! Everybody's a sinner! Except this guy.

Here's to alcohol - the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.

God bless those pagans.

Don't let Krusty's death get you down, boy. People die all the time, just like that. Why, you could wake up dead tomorrow! Well, good night!

If you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now, quiet, they're about to announce the lottery numbers!

You couldn't fool your mother on the foolingest day of your life if you had an electrified fooling machine.

Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy.

I'm a white male, age 18 to 49. Everyone listens to me, no matter how dumb my suggestions are.

All right, let's not panic. I'll make the money by selling one of my livers. I can get by with one.

Woo hoo! 350 dollars! Now I can buy 70 transcripts of Nightline!

Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything. 14% of people know that.

You know boys, a nuclear reactor is a lot like women. You just have to read the manual and press the right button.

I hope I didn't brain my damage!

We'll die together, like a father and son should.

Let us celebrate this agreement with the adding of chocolate to milk.

We're gonna get a new TV. Twenty-one inch screen, realistic flesh tones, and a little cart so we can wheel it into the dining room on holidays!

First you don't want me to get the pony, then you want me to take it back. Make up your mind!

Son, a woman is a lot like a... a refrigerator! They're about six feet tall, 300 pounds. They make ice, and... um... Oh, wait a minute. Actually, a woman is more like a beer.

Now what is a wedding? Well, Webster's dictionary describes a wedding as the process of removing weeds from one's garden.

Now, Marge, don't discourage the boy. Weaseling out of things is what separates us from the animals. Except the weasel.

You can't go wrong with cocktail weenies. They look as good as they taste. And they come in this delicious red sauce. It looks like ketchup, it tastes like ketchup, but brother, it ain't ketchup!

I saw this movie about a bus that had to SPEED around a city, keeping its SPEED over fifty, and if its SPEED dropped, it would explode! I think it was called "The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down."

I don't have to be careful, I've got a gun!

I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me, Superman!

Oh, they have Internet on computers now.

Marge I swear, I never thought that you would find out.

Shut up, brain, or I'll stab you with a Q-Tip!

I am so smart, I am so smart, S M R T, I mean S M A R T.

I'm not gonna lie to you, Marge. See ya soon!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Firefighter stories on Yahoo!

Pretty cool. Check it out now though; I don't know how long it will be posted.
GO!

Monday, October 22, 2007

Researchers Knock Out HIV!

ScienceDaily (Oct. 21, 2007) — With the latest advances in treatment, doctors have discovered that they can successfully neutralise the HIV virus. The so-called ‘combination therapy’ prevents the HIV virus from mutating and spreading, allowing patients to rebuild their immune system to the same levels as the rest of the population.

CONTINUED...