The Gettysburg Address (the best speech in the world)

The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the best-known speeches in United States history.^[1] It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of theConfederacy at the decisive Battle of Gettysburg.

“

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

”

The Bixby letter

The Bixby letter is a letter sent from the United States President Abraham Lincoln to a bereaved mother of five sons who were thought to have died while fighting for the Union in the American Civil War. The brief, consoling message was written in November 1864 to Lydia Bixby, a widow living in Boston, following a request from Massachusetts Governor John Albion Andrew. The text has been widely praised as one of Lincoln's finest works of writing alongside the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural address.^[1]

Executive Mansion,
Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln’s letter to his son’s Head Master

Respected Teacher,

My son will have to learn I know that all men are not just, all men are not true. But teach him also that for ever scoundrel there is a hero; that for every selfish politician, there is a dedicated leader. Teach him that for every enemy there is a friend.

It will take time, I know; but teach him, if you can, that a dollar earned is far more valuable than five found.

Teach him to learn to lose and also to enjoy winning.

Steer him away from envy, if you can.

Teach him the secret of quite laughter. Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest to tick.

Teach him, if you can, the wonder of books.. but also give him quiet time to ponder over the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun, and flowers on a green hill –side.

In school teach him it is far more honourable to fail than to cheat.

Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if every one tells him they are wrong.

Teach him to be gentle with gentle people and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when every one is getting on the bandwagon.

Teach him to listen to all men but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth and take only the good that comes through.

Teach him, if you can, how to laugh when he is sad. Teach him there is no shame in tears. Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness.

Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders; but never to put a price tag on his heart and soul.

Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob… and to stand and fight if he thinks he’s right.

Treat him gently; but do not cuddle him because only the test of fire makes fine steel.

Let him have the courage to be impatient, let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself because then he will always have sublime faith in mankind.

This is a big order; but see what you can do. He is such a fine little fellow, my son.


Abraham Lincoln.

Give and it will come back to you

(its a fiction, not a real one)
It's a story that had happened in 1892 at Stanford University, but the morale is still relevant today.

A young, 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. He was an orphan, and not know*ing where to turn for money, he came up with a bright idea. A friend and he decided to host a musical concert on campus to raise money for their education.

They reached out to the great pianist Ignacy J. Paderewski - who was quite a superstar those days. His manager demanded a guaranteed fee of $2000 for the piano recital. A deal was struck. And the boys began to work to make the concert a success.

The big day arrived. Paderewski performed at Stanford. But unfortunately, they had not managed to sell enough tickets. The total col*lection was only $1600. Disappointed, they went up to Paderewski and explained their plight. They gave him the entire $1600, plus a cheque for the balance $400. They promised to honour the cheque soonest possible.

"No way!" said Paderewski. "This is just not acceptable!" He tore up the cheque, returned the $1600 and told the two boys "Here's the $1600. Please deduct whatever expenses you have incurred. Keep the money you need for your fees. And just give me whatever is left!" The boys were surprised, and quite overjoyed. They thanked him profusely.

It was a small act of kindness. But it clearly marked out Paderewski as a great human being. Someone special. He would have been within his rights to demand his "guaranteed money". And why should he help two people he did not even know?

We all come across situations like these in our lives. Times when other people need our help. And most of us only think "If I help them, what would hap*pen to me?" The truly great people think, "If I don't help them, what will happen to them?"

We only think of ourselves, the loss we might incur, the trouble we might have to go through and the sacrifice we need to make. The great guys don't think of themselves. They think of the difference it could make to other people. And that's what drives their actions.

They help not because someone else is watching, or because it will look good when the world comes to know about it. They don't do it expecting something in return. They do it because they feel it's the right thing to do.

It may not surprise you to know that Paderewski went on to become the Prime Minister of Poland. He was a great leader, but unfortunately when the World War began, Poland was ravaged. There were over 1.5 mil*lion people starving in his country, and no money to feed them. Paderewski did not know where to turn for help. He reached out to the US Food and Relief Administration for help.

The head there was a man called Herbert Hoover - who later went on to become the US President. Hoover agreed to help and quickly shipped tons of food grains to feed the starving Polish people. A calamity was averted.

Paderewski was relieved! He decided to go across to meet Hoover and person*ally thank him. When Paderewski began to thank Hoover for his noble gesture, Hoover quickly interjected and said, "You shouldn't be thanking me Mr. Prime Minister. You may not remember this, but several years ago, you helped two young students go through college in the US. I was one of them."

Make it a habit to help others. It is rightly said that you can achieve everything you want in life if only you help other people achieve what they want in their lives.
Do something selfish today. Help some*one! Just do it. And don't expect anything in return. The world is a wonderful place. What goes around usually comes around.

'Do Not Track' Coming to Firefox 4

Hard on the heels of Microsoft's decision to offer "do not track" functionality in its upcoming Internet Explorer 9 browser comes word that Mozilla is planning a similar move for its Firefox 4.

"Technology that supports something like a 'Do Not Track' button is needed and we will deliver in the first part of next year," Mozilla chief executive Gary Kovacs reportedly toldAgence France-Presse while demonstrating Firefox 4 recently at Mozilla headquarters. "The user needs to be in control."

While acknowledging that the issue is a complex one that will require balancing the needs of users and advertisers, "I fundamentally believe that the balance is tipped too far," Kovacs said. "You can't tell me the delivery of a piece of content is going to be that much better if you know everything about my life."

In short, "It's all about moderation," he added.

The PEBKAC Factor

Microsoft's announcemen two weeks ago came soon after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's proposal that consumers be allowed to subscribe to a "do not track" system similar to the "do not call" lists used to block telemarketers.

Microsoft's new feature is expected in the release candidate version of Internet Explorer 9 that's due early next year. To put the feature to work, users will turn it on and select a list of sites to block.

Of course, like so many software features, how well it works depends largely on how well users understand it and make it work for them. As my PCWorld colleague Tony Bradley recently pointed out, user error could play a significant role.

Problems could exist, in other words, between the keyboard and the chair (PEBKAC).

Opting Out by Default

Over at Mozilla, meanwhile, discussions have actually been going on since May of this year about the possibility of allowing third-party cookies only until a Firefox session is closed. Effectively, that would mean that the user opts out of online tracking by default.

That feature apparently didn't get implemented, but now -- in the wake of the FTC-inspired discussions -- the sentiment has been revived.

It's not yet clear what form Firefox's feature will take or how it will work, and Mozilla didn't get back to me in time for this post. What is clear, however, is that "do not track" capabilities are going to take center stage in the browser arena next year.

Awesome Sunshine Wallpapers

Awesome Sunshine Wallpapers

Astonishing Trees

Astonishing Trees ~!~

Unbelievable Art with Buttons And Pins

Unbelievable Art with Buttons And Pins

hail attack

hail attack

When nature decides to shoot it all to smithereens it uses giant ice bullets. Extreme hail is probably the most dangerous and life-threating weather event for those unlucky enough to be in the open. It leaves fist-sized dents in the sheet metal, destroys windshields and comes down with a force that some compare with hand grenades, or an artillery attack.

A murderous hailstorm in the Middle East, which decimated livestock and seemed to particularly dislike SUVs:

(photos credit: bankny)

Guo Huang sent us photographs, documenting the process and aftermath of one such crazy "drum-solo" from hell:

(photo credit: noaa.gov)

(image credit: wigley.us)

Larger hailstones (bigger than 4 inches) usually have rings, which are visible if you split them in the middle:

The growing ice-crystals are fusing together, which results in irregular shape for the giant hail:

Airplanes are significantly damaged by hailstorms sometimes, as well. Here is an EasyJet Boeing 737-300: