A cosmic god had a horse. The horse was beautiful and also it had many good qualities. But it wanted to be more perfect in every way. It especially wanted to become beauty unparalleled.

One day the horse said to the cosmic god, “0 Lord, you have given me beauty. You have given me other good qualities. I am so grateful to you. But how I wish you could make me more beautiful. I would be extremely, extremely grateful if you could make me more beautiful.”

Rev. David Wilkerson, founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City and author of the well-known book The Cross and the Switchblade, was killed Wednesday in a head-on collision in Texas. He was 79.

"It is with deepest of sadness that we have to inform you of the sudden passing of Reverend David Wilkerson, our founding pastor," Times Square Church Senior Pastor Carter Conlon said in a statement on the church website.

Conlon added that details of the family's wishes and a memorial service would be provided as information became available.

Somewhere.

A place. Human cannot even imagine. In like a dream, but real.

Dark. Darker than any darkness. A pitch dark.

Cold. The absence of heat. The cold caused by the absence of life. The cold of death.

The realm of death.

"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written by English poet and clergyman John Newton (1725–1807), published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God, "Amazing Grace" is one of the most recognizable songs in the English-speaking world.

Newton wrote the words from personal experience. He grew up without any particular religious conviction but his life's path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by his recalcitrant insubordination. He was pressed into the Royal Navy and became a sailor, eventually participating in the slave trade. One night a terrible storm battered his vessel so severely that he became frightened enough to call out to God for mercy, a moment that marked the beginning of his spiritual conversion. His career in slave trading lasted a few years more until he quit going to sea altogether and began studying theology.

13 Assassins (十三人の刺客) is a 2010 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Takashi Miike, known for his ultra-violent work in the horror genre.

A samurai epic based on a true incident, the film was produced by Japanese producer Toshiaki Nakazawa, who won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for Departures. It was executive-produced by Jeremy Thomas, a British producer with a reputation for breaking Asian titles into the international market, most notably Bernardo Bertolucci's nine-time Oscar winner The Last Emperor, Nagisa Ôshima's Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence and Takeshi Kitano's Brother.

The film is a remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 black-and-white Japanese film of the same name, Jûsan-nin no shikaku. The screenplay was written by Daisuke Tengan.

For many years, coffee was considered a vice,  linked with sleepless nights and cigarettes.

But  scientists have discovered that coffee contains potent  antioxidants that can fight numerous ailments, including  heart disease and diabetes.  According to the  American Coffee Association, 54 percent of Americans drink  coffee on a daily basis, and they drink, on average, over  three cups each.

Masih teringat jelas di pikiran saya ketika papa saya membeli sebuah kaset lagu dengan label bertulisan "Top of the Tops, Volume 1" pada suatu hari di tahun 1976, ketika saya masih duduk di bangku SMP kelas 1.

Kaset itu segera menjadi kaset favorit saya karena kompilasi lagu yang ada di dalamnya di susun dengan demikian indahnya. Saya masih ingat dengan lagu pembuka dari album itu, yaitu "Fly, Robin Fly" dan diikuti dengan "That's the Way I Like It" yang keduanya bernuansa disco, sebuah irama yang mewarnai tahun tahun itu hingga dekade 80 an.

Dan ada sebuah lagu yang amat saya sukai dari album kaset tersebut, sebuah lagu yang dinyanyikan oleh penyanyi Inggris yang bernama Lyn Paul, dengan judul yang relatif pendek, hanya satu kata, yaitu: "Love".

A group of neighborhood children would gather frequently and share what was happening in their lives. The friendship among the children was beautiful to behold and surprising knowledge flowed from these young minds.

The mother of one of the children would occasionally join the gathering and tell stories to the group. When she spoke of her “jewel box,” which was her most prized possession, she could send the children’s imaginations soaring.

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it.
He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, “How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns? Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and just before it was ready to bloom… it died.

A boy who did not know what an echo was cried across a valley, “Who is there?”
The echo answered, “Who is there?”

The child could not see who spoke those words and he asked, “Who are you?”
Back came the words, “Who are you?”

The boy thought someone was trying to tease him. So he shouted, “Please stop it!”
The echo repeated, “Please stop it!”

Just as the child was becoming bewildered by the echo, his mother explained to him that no one was trying to tease him, that it was only an echo of his own voice that came back to him. The child thought about this for a moment, then cried out, “I love you!” Back came the words, “I love you!”

A Christian monk earnestly prayed that a vision of Jesus Christ might be revealed to him. After praying for many hours, the monk heard a voice telling him the visionwould occur the next morning at daybreak. Before the first rays of dawn appeared the following morning, the monk was on his knees at the altar.

A fierce storm was brewing, but the monk paid it no heed. He watched and prayed and waited for the vision. As the storm broke in great fury, a soft knock came at the door. Interrupted in his devotions, the monk turned away from the altar to open the door. He knew some poor wayfarer was seeking shelter from the raging storm. As he turned toward the door, he caught a glimpse of the vision for which he had prayed.

One day I told my daughters that one of my favorite song is "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel. My daughters are 17 and 15 years old.

And they said that Billy Joel's song is not cool enough. For them Bruno Marz's is much better.

I fought back, I told them that Billy Joel's is the best. And they insisted that Marz is the coolest.

And I smile every time I remember it. I was in high school when Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" became hit. It was in 1979. Long before my daughters were born. I haven't got married yet.

About ten years ago, a young and very successful executive named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.

He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out and – WHUMP! – it smashed Into the Jag’s shiny black side door! SCREECH..!!!! Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown.

Take an Oscar-nominated 16-year-old, give her super assassin skills, and place her into a Bourne Identity-style plot and you will end up with the basic idea for Hanna. Although the action movie formula seems easy, serious action films are hard to come by. Hanna is a good attempt at creating an action film with some soul, but it also falls short in some respects.

Patrick is a remarkable young man who was born without eyes and without the ability to fully straighten his arms and legs, making him unable to walk.  Additionally, two steel rods were surgically attached to Patrick's spine to correct scoliosis.

Despite circumstances that may seem overwhelming, Patrick has overcome these physical issues to excel as a musician, student, performer and public speaker.  Patrick started playing the piano at the age of only nine months, and also plays the trumpet and sings.

There were once 2 brothers who lived on the 80th level. On coming home one day, they realized to their dismay that the lifts were not working and that they have to climb the stairs home.

After struggling to the 20th level, panting and tired, they decided to abandon their bags and come back for them the next day. They left their bags then and climbed on. When they have struggled to the 40th level, the younger brother started to grumble and both of them began to quarrel. They continued to climb the flights of steps, quarreling all the way to the 60th floor.

Di sebuah negeri, hiduplah dua orang pengrajin yang tinggal bersebelahan. Seorang diantaranya, adalah pengrajin emas, sedang yang lainnya pengrajin kuningan. Keduanya telah lama menjalani pekerjaan ini, sebab, ini adalah pekerjaan yang diwariskan secara turun-temurun. Telah banyak pula barang yang dihasilkan dari pekerjaan ini. Cincin, kalung, gelang, dan untaian rantai penghias, adalah beberapa dari hasil kerajinan mereka.

The Navy will eventually use the software, but its available now in the Dangerous Waters computer game as well as a free online download.

The Department of Defense (DOD) has developed simulation technology to help the Navy track enemy submarines that it's testing through integration into commercial computer-gaming software.

The Defense Advanced Research Project Arm's Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) software simulates evasive maneuvers by submarines and challenges players to successfully track them. It's been developed by the agency as a precursor to actually adding autonomous software for tracking submarines to the ACTUV program's computers, according to the agency.

Sidney Lumet, a director who preferred the streets of New York to the back lots of Hollywood and whose stories of conscience - "12 Angry Men," "Serpico," "Dog Day Afternoon," "The Verdict," "Network" - became modern American film classics, died Saturday morning at his home in Manhattan. He was 86.

His stepdaughter, Leslie Gimbel, said the cause was lymphoma.

"While the goal of all movies is to entertain," Mr. Lumet once wrote, "the kind of film in which I believe goes one step further. It compels the spectator to examine one facet or another of his own conscience. It stimulates thought and sets the mental juices flowing."

A turtle family went on a picnic. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outings. Finally the Turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found it. For about six months they cleaned up the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements.

Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell.

Italian archaeologists are planning to dig up the remains of a rich silk merchant's wife believed to be the model for the Mona Lisa.

A team of researchers will begin excavations later this month to search for the tomb beneath a convent in Florence, the suspected burial place of Lisa Gherardini.

Most scholars believe that the Florentine woman was the model for Leonardo's famously enigmatic portrait. The archaeologists' ultimate aim is to find enough skull fragments to enable them to reconstruct her face, so a direct comparison can be made with the Mona Lisa.

7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes Japan of the coast of Miyagi, agency says.
http://on.cnn.com/hTIHnB
--------
Source: @cnnbrk (CNN Breaking News) April7, 2011 - 21:47


Powered by Telkomsel BlackBerry®

6.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Veracruz, Mexico; reports of buildings swaying 250 miles away in Mexico City http://1.usa.gov/fGIxWh
---------
Source: @breakingnews - April 7, 2011 - 20:23


Powered by Telkomsel BlackBerry®

Click the image for full size

The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento ("Sixth Element" in italian) is a two-seater, V10 high-performance concept car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini, debuted at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

The Sesto Elemento is equipped with a 6-speed paddle-shifted manual transmission and all-wheel-drive system, mated to a 5.2-litre V10 engine borrowed from the Lamborghini Gallardo, generating 570 horsepower and 398 ft-lb of torque. The chassis, body, driveshaft and suspension components are made of carbon fiber, reducing the overall weight to a mere 2,202 lbs, making it the lightest car Lamborghini has ever produced. Perspired air is released through 10 distinctive hexagonal holes in the engine cover, while two intakes funnel cool air into the mid-mounted engine compartment.

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with cupcakes, several cans of root beer and started on his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he saw an elderly woman. She was sitting on a park bench watching the pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed the lady looked hungry so he offered her a cupcake. She gratefully accepted and smiled at him.

Her smile was so wonderful that he wanted to see it again, so he offered a root beer as well. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted!

One morning I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge feather cross my back terrace. Several times it was confronted by obstacles in its path and after a momentary pause it would make the necessary detour.

At one point the ant had to negotiate a crack in the concrete about 10mm wide. After brief contemplation the ant laid the feather over the crack, walked across it and picked up the feather on the other side then continued on its way. I was fascinated by the ingenuity of this ant, one of God’s smallest creatures. It served to reinforce the miracle of creation. Here was a minute insect, lacking in size yet equipped with a brain to reason, explore, discover and overcome. But this ant, like the two-legged co-residents of this planet, also share human failings.

No matter how much planning and preparation you do, something will not turn out the way you wanted it to be. Yet even when those inevitable disappointments do indeed come, you can adapt and make the very most of them.

Life is not perfect and yet it can be perfectly wonderful. It’s great to aim for perfection, and even better to achieve excellence in spite of the imperfections you encounter. When people and situations refuse to cooperate, you can be amazingly adaptable. You can move toward excellence even in the most distressing, imperfect scenarios.

Sardar Tenzing Norgay, right, and Edmund Hillary at the British Embassy in Katmandu, capital of Nepal, on June 26, 1953.

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953 he scaled the highest mountain then known to man-29,000 feet straight up. He was knighted for his efforts.

He even made American Express card commercials because of it! However, until we read his book, High Adventure, we don’t understand that Hillary had to grow into this success.

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always.

He started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various subjects. suddenly, they touched the subject of God.

The barber said: “Look man, I don’t believe that God exists as you say so”