Videos, Audio, Poetry, Paintings etc., that send a message

My heart nearly stops! Brilliant song & video.
Knopfler plays one of the finest guitars.
It seems that he's instrument have a voice and a soul!

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US man arrested for feeding homeless
Police in the United States city of Florida have arrested an activist for feeding the homeless in downtown Orlando. According to police, Food Not Bombs charity group spokesman Eric Montanez was charged with violating a controversial law against feeding large groups of destitute people in the city centre.

Mr Montanez was filmed by undercover officers on Wednesday as he served "30 unidentified persons food from a large pot utilising a ladle," an arrest affidavit said.

The Orlando area is home to Disney World and Universal Studios Florida. The Orlando law, which is supported by local business owners who say the homeless drive away customers, has been challenged in court by civil rights groups.

It allows charities to feed more than 25 people at a time within 3.2 kilometres of the Orlando City Hall only if they have a special permit. They are able to receive two permits a year. Police have collected a vial of the stew Mr Montanez was serving as evidence.

Police spokeswoman Barbara Jones says it is the first time anyone had been arrested under the feeding ban. Mr Montanez has been charged with a misdemeanour.

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Pope airs views on evolution ..By Rafael Epstein

Pope Benedict has expressed his views on evolution for the first time in his papacy, saying evolution and religion can coexist.

The Pope has made the comments in a new book titled Creation and Evolution.

The Pope has not endorsed the religion-based theory 'intelligent design' which has been criticised for being another version of Creationism.

He had been thought of as endorsing that view after a recent book written by a former close adviser.

But the Pope also says the Darwinian theory of evolution is not completely provable because mutations over hundreds of thousands of years cannot be reproduced in a laboratory.

He says the evolution debate is about one of the great fundamental questions of philosophy - where man and the world came from and where they are going.

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Xenophanes (zĕnŏf`ənēz), c.570–c.480 B.C., pre-Socratic Greek philosopher of Colophon. Although thought by some to be the founder of the Eleatic school Eleatic school, his thought is only superficially similar to that of Parmenides Parmenides . Xenophanes opposed the anthropomorphic representation of the gods common to the Greeks since Homer and Hesiod. Instead he asserted there is only one god, eternal and immutable but intimately connected with the world. Although interpretations of his thought vary, it was probably a form of pantheism. He was a singer of elegies, a poet, and a satirist who exhorted his hearers to virtue.

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And this put me in mind that I wanted many things notwithstanding all that I had amassed together; and of these, ink was one; as also a spade, pickaxe, and shovel, to dig or remove the earth; needles, pins, and thread; as for linen, I soon learned to want that without much difficulty.

This want of tools made every work I did go on heavily; and it was near a whole year before I had entirely finished my little pale, or surrounded my habitation. The piles, or stakes, which were as heavy as I could well lift, were a long time in cutting and preparing in the woods, and more, by far, in bringing home; so that I spent sometimes two days in cutting and bringing home one of those posts, and a third day in driving it into the ground; for which purpose I got a heavy piece of wood at first, but at last bethought myself of one of the iron crows; which, however, though I found it, made driving those posts or piles very laborious and tedious work. But what need I have been concerned at the tediousness of anything I had to do, seeing I had time enough to do it in? nor had I any other employment, if that had been over, at least that I could foresee, except the ranging the island to seek for food, which I did, more or less, every day.

I now began to consider seriously my condition, and the circumstances I was reduced to; and I drew up the state of my affairs in writing, not so much to leave them to any that were to come after me—for I was likely to have but few heirs—as to deliver my thoughts from daily poring over them, and afflicting my mind; and as my reason began now to master my despondency, I began to comfort myself as well as I could, and to set the good against the evil, that I might have something to distinguish my case from worse; and I stated very impartially, like debtor and creditor, the comforts I enjoyed against the miseries I suffered, thus:—

Evil: I am cast upon a horrible, desolate island, void of all hope of recovery.
Good: But I am alive; and not drowned, as all my ship’s company were.

Evil: I am singled out and separated, as it were, from all the world, to be miserable.
Good: But I am singled out, too, from all the ship’s crew, to be spared from death; and He that miraculously saved me from death can deliver me from this condition.

Evil: I am divided from mankind—a solitaire; one banished from human society.
Good: But I am not starved, and perishing on a barren place, affording no sustenance.

Evil: I have no clothes to cover me.
Good: But I am in a hot climate, where, if I had clothes, I could hardly wear them.

Evil: I am without any defence, or means to resist any violence of man or beast.
Good: But I am cast on an island where I see no wild beasts to hurt me, as I saw on the coast of Africa; and what if I had been shipwrecked there?

Evil: I have no soul to speak to or relieve me.
Good: But God wonderfully sent the ship in near enough to the shore, that I have got out as many necessary things as will either supply my wants or enable me to supply myself, even as long as I live.

Upon the whole, here was an undoubted testimony that there was scarce any condition in the world so miserable but there was something negative or something positive to be thankful for in it; and let this stand as a direction from the experience of the most miserable of all conditions in this world: that we may always find in it something to comfort ourselves from, and to set, in the description of good and evil, on the credit side of the account.

Having now brought my mind a little to relish my condition, and given over looking out to sea, to see if I could spy a ship—I say, giving over these things, I begun to apply myself to arrange my way of living, and to make things as easy to me as I could.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yul_brynner Yul Brynner (July 11, 1915[1] – October 10, 1985) was a Russian-born Broadway and Academy Award-winning Hollywood actor. ... During WWII (1942-D-Day) Brynner worked as a French speaking radio announcer and commentator for the US Office of War Information, broadcasting propaganda to occupied France........

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Personal life
Yul Brynner was married four times, of which the first three ended in divorce. He had three children and adopted two others.

His first wife, Virginia Gilmore (1944–1960), was an actress. They had one child, Yul Brynner II (b. December 23, 1946), nicknamed when he was six "Rock" by his father in honor of boxer Rocky Graziano, who won the middleweight title in 1947. Rock is a historian, novelist and university history lecturer [2].
Lark Brynner (b. 1958) was born out of wedlock and raised by her mother.
His second wife, Doris Kleiner (1960 – 1967), was a Chilean model, whom he married on the set during shooting of The Magnificent Seven in 1960.[3] They had one child, Victoria Brynner (b. November 1962), whose godmother is Audrey Hepburn.
His third wife, Jacqueline de Croisset (1971 – 1981), was a French socialite. She was the widow of Philippe de Croisset, a publishing executive. Yul and Jacqueline adopted two Vietnamese children: Mia (1974), and Melody (1975).
His fourth wife, Kathy Lee, was an Asian dancer in The King and I shows.[4] They married in 1983.
Brynner also had an affair with Marlene Dietrich in the early 1950s.

Death. Brynner died on October 10, 1985 (the same day as Orson Welles, his costar in The Battle of Neretva) in New York City. The cause of death was lung cancer brought on by smoking. Throughout his life, Brynner was always seen with a cigarette in his hand. In January 1985, nine months before his death, he gave an interview on Good Morning America, expressing his desire to make an anti-smoking commercial.[5] A clip from that interview was made into just such a public service announcement by the American Cancer Society, and released after his death; it includes the warning "Now that I'm gone, I tell you, don't smoke." This advertisement now features in the Body Worlds exhibition.

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http://quotations.about.com/cs/weddingtoasts/a/bls_wed_toasts.htm
1. Wedding Toast, to the Bride and Groom
My Greatest wish for the two of you is that through the years your love for each other will so deepen and grow, that years from now you will look back on this day, your wedding day, as the day you loved each other the least.
(and from there it went downhill lol)

2. It don't matter where you get your appetite, as long as you eat at home! (just as long as there's plenty of dessert , and not too much humble pie - and go easy , the way you are looking at each other- you'll both have indigestion tomorrow )

3. Wedding Toast, to the Bride and Groom
May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future. (wow - you mean better than the day Makybe Diva came in at 8 to 1 !!! - hey Fred!!, we're off to the races every Saturday from now on , yippeee!)

4. Wedding Toast, From the Bride to the Groom or From the Groom to the Bride
Here's to the prettiest, here's to the wittiest, Here's to the truest of all who are true, Here's to the neatest one, here's to the sweetest one, Here's to them, all in one - here's to you. (and here's to the others birds I had once or twice too)

5. Wedding Toast, to the Groom
Here's to the groom, a man who keeps his head though he loses his heart. (yep - and I've always told her never to marry a loser)

6. Wedding Toast, to the Bridesmaids
A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Here's to these beautiful bridesmaids. (I'm sure they'll be screwing late into the night. - what's that ? ohh sorry - I mean twisting)

7. Wedding Toast, to the Bridesmaids
We admire them for their beauty, respect them for their intelligence, adore them for their virtues, and love them because we can't help it. (just like I can't help scratching myself every now and again ,,,, hmmmmmm)

8. Wedding Toast, to the Bride and Groom
Marriage: A community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves - making in all, two. (until the kids turn up , and then there can be anything up to 30 - depends if they work out what causes em)

9. Wedding Toast, to the Bride and Groom
May the roof above you never fall in and may you both never fall out. (and I receommend a King size bed if you're gonna experiment)

10. Wedding Toast, to the Bride and Groom
To the lamp of love - may it burn brightest in the darkest hours and never flicker in the winds of trial. (and btw, never pass wind near a lamp !!)

11. Wedding Toast, to the Bride
May she share everything with her husband, including the housework. (and saying you're allergic to dust just wont pass muster!!)

12. Wedding Toast, to the Bride and Groom
May 'for better or worse' be far better than worse. (and may for richer or poorer be at least enough to cover the bloody champagne we're about to toast).

13. Wedding Toast, From the Groom to the Bride
She knows all about me and loves me just the same. (and you guys in the footy team can keep your bludy lips sealed about that weekend tournament in Wagga Wagga).

14. Wedding Toast, to the Bride and Groom
The man or woman you really love will never grow old to you. Through the wrinkles of time, through the bowed frame of years, You will always see the dear face and feel The warm heart union of your eternal love. (and watch out for the warm heart of onions as well - fatal prior to a 69 for instance)

15. Wedding Toast, From the parents of the Bride and Groom
It is written: when children find true love, parents find true joy,
Here's to your joy and ours, from this day forward.. (and as Confuscius say, "True love is a gland experience",
and please raise your glasses to lots of jokes!!! and lots of joys !!! - you all ready then?? ok, "Here's to JOKES JOYS"!)

16. Wedding Toast, to the Bride and Groom
May you have many children and may they grow mature in taste and healthy in color and as sought after as the contents of the glass. (and may their colour be some sorta blend of the two of you at least -
and reminds me , the contents of my glass are getting a bit low here WAITER!)

17. Wedding Toast, to the gathering
Let us toast the health of the bride; Let us toast the health of the groom, Let us toast the person that tied; Let us toast every guest in the room. (and no jokes please about the cannibal who toasted his mother in law for the wedding breakfast)

18. Wedding Toast, to the Bride and Groom
Look down you gods, and on this couple drop a blessed crown. (ok bill throw in the fake polystyrene brick lol)

19. Wedding Toast, to the Bride and Groom
Remember that if you ever put your marital problems on the back burner they are sure to boil over. (and then you get to kiss and make up over this great caramel toffee).

20. Wedding Toast, to the Bride and Groom
Happy marriages begin when we marry the one we love, and they blossom when we love the one we married. (and they sorta go droopy when you have a coupla cases of champagne)

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Caring Quotes
Inspirational quotes & stories from The Foundation for a Better Life.
www.forbetterlife.org

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Feel the city breakin'
And ev'rybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Well now, I get low and I get high
And if I can't get either I really try.
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose.
You know it's all right, it's O.K.
I'll live to see another day.
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man.

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Thabo Mbeki when power and greed hadn't corrupted his soul.
Now, where is this African? He denies HIV. He has watched over the destruction of Zimbabwe. Shame on you Mbeki!

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Less than 20 years ago in South Africa, a black person needed a permit to travel from one town to another. But Ladysmith Black Mambazo had something more powerful than paper. The group that sang a new version of the old music of men who worked the mines of South Africa had the heavenly harmonies of their voices.

So when they would arrive in a new town and the police would ask for a permit they didn't have, Ladysmith Black Mambazo would start singing. Softly at first. And as their voices floated and mingled like soft clouds in the blue sky, the vocal textures would grow louder and thicker, until they formed a musical heaven of hope.

"Wow," Mazibuko recalls the police saying. "That is beautiful."

And then the police would let Ladysmith Black Mambazo into a new town, where the group would sing its songs of hope and freedom for black audiences.

One day, a big-city magistrate who heard Ladysmith Black Mambazo told the group that what they were doing was so beautiful, they should sing throughout the country - without permits.

"We were the first blacks to go everywhere," says Mazibuko, who's been with the Grammy Award-winning group since 1969. Then he uses a phrase he repeats several times during his interview with the Times Herald-Record: "That was the power of our music."

That music reached black men and women behind bars and in exile - men and women like Nelson Mandela, the South African leader who was imprisoned for fighting against apartheid. You see, Ladysmith Black Mambazo's lyrics encouraged blacks to stay together, to fight for their freedom. And most white people didn't even know what they were singing.

"Because we sang in our language, Zulu," says Mazibuko.

And when Ladysmith Black Mambazo finally met Mandela at his inauguration as the first black president of South Africa, the Nobel Peace Prize-winner told them something that will forever mean more than appearing on TV or singing with rock stars:

"Your music gave me hope when I was in prison."

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New Zealand TV3 news report on the out of control murder, rape and crime in the new South Africa.

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As executions rose, the murder rate declined through the 1990s. In 2002 the Supreme Court ruled that the mentally retarded cannot be executed and that only juries can impose the death penalty -- two rulings that affected nearly a quarter of death-row inmates...

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On April 25th 2007, Television history was made when Celine Dion brought back and sang with the dead. Her and Elvis Presley Duet the song If I Can Dream. Elvis is digitally placed onto the stage, shadow and all, to make this a stunningly spectacular show.

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Garuda found negligent over activist's poisoning death
An Indonesian court has found national carrier Garuda and one of its pilots guilty of negligence in the death of a leading rights campaigner.

Munir Thalib, known for his critical views on the military, was poisoned when he was on his way to the Netherlands for postgraduate studies in 2004.

In October, the Supreme Court overturned a guilty verdict on off-duty pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto in the murder case, saying there was not enough evidence and no witness.

The acquittal put pressure on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who had vowed to get to the bottom of the case when he took office in late 2004.

Today's judgement came in a civil case brought against Garuda and its pilot by Mr Munir's widow.

The chief judge hearing the case said the pilot of flight GA 974 failed to take necessary action when Mr Munir fell sick before he died on the way to Amsterdam following a transit at Singapore's Changi airport.

"According to international flight regulations, in the event of an emergency involving a passenger, the pilot must consult a purser or doctor on the ground and if necessary, land at the nearest airport," judge Andriani Nurdin said.

The court ordered Garuda and the pilot to pay a fine of more than $88,000. The lawsuit filed in October had sought almost $1.7 million.

Garuda's former president director, Indra Setiawan, and another senior airline official have been arrested in connection with the issuing of a fake document that allowed Mr Priyanto to be on board under the pretence of a security assignment. ... etc

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