http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sh ... 377257.ece

OMG this womans song brought tears to my eyes. a friend told me about this but i hadn't seen it until today and i wanted to share it. First the people are laughing and kinda heckling her, then she opens her mouth and OMG she is fabulous. the judges literally sat there with their mouths open in shock and then the people started standing up and cheering. not only did she get 3 yesses, it was the best performance they HAVE EVER SEEN! i hope she has a great future and becomes famous, she's a sweet personality with a little sass thrown in, what a love, i hope all her dreams come true. She was brave to go out there, then to face the rudeness and then bring them to their feet....tears started rolling down it was so beautiful. ENJOY

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... space.html

STUNNING, the photos are amazing, scroll down to the one that looks like an eye.

i thought this article was very interesting and thanks to everybody on the forum for being part of my "happy connections" (((big hug))

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal ... index.html

*We want a nudge toward happiness, a little magic to open the pressure valve of everyday life -- the sublime thrill of transcendence to be found in a Mendelssohn symphony or a Turner landscape, in a perfect kiss or perfect morning jog, in time spent with our families and friends. And then we want to hit Forward on that feeling: because the more we share it, the stronger it grows.

But a yen for uplift isn't just a sentimental reflex (grumps and pessimists, stick with us!). The physiology that makes McElwain-brand exhilaration possible is also the bedrock of our instincts for compassion, caretaking, and connection. The capacity for uplift is part of what makes us essentially, euphorically human.

According to a growing body of scientific research, it's critical to our health and well-being. And luckily, lifting our spirits doesn't depend on finding YouTube miracles in our in-box. (Well, not entirely.) For the most part, it's up to us

his view, human happiness derives neither from external validation nor solely from within, but from "between": through the relationships created by love, work, and "something larger than yourself

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,521138,00.html

the Army soldier in eastern Afghanistan who drew media attention this month after rushing to defend his post from attack while wearing pink boxer shorts and flip-flops isn't in trouble. i don't know why this made me smile but pink iloveNY shorts on the front lines....made his mom happy when she saw him on the front of the NY paper.

That's dedication! I want them boxer shorts!

We're not exactly known for standing on ceremony?

"I can only wonder about the impact on the Taliban. Just imagine seeing that: a guy in pink boxers and flip-flops has you in his cross-hairs. What an incredible innovation in psychological warfare," he said.

It sound's like a much better alternative to water boarding?



It makes me think of Donald Sutherland's character in "Kelly's Heros", if anyone remembers that movie? I was really young when I saw it, but I remember really liking that film.

You think in the future he will remember to separate his red T shirt from his white boxers or will that be is new trademark.

sailorgirl wrote:You think in the future he will remember to separate his red T shirt from his white boxers or will that be is new trademark.

You're on to him aren't you? What I like is that a young guy didn't think of his own self and obviously just sprang to action for the benefit of others. And now we have a sweet tush on the frontline!

yes and i'm sure his mom was thinking "did the shirt have to be red"....talk about a target.

vote: should he go in the valor thread?

bbb wrote:yes and i'm sure his mom was thinking "did the shirt have to be red"....talk about a target.

vote: should he go in the valor thread?

Absolutely!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... r-war.html

some stories are just past amazing and into miracle territory.

*quote
*When prisoner of war George Gidney collapsed on the brink of death in 1945 after being force-marched hundreds of miles through blizzards by German soldiers, his last wish was to return his prized logbook to his family.

I happen to believe, and forgive the sentimentalism, that for everyone who's been asked to go beyond the level of humanity and accomplished amazing silent feats that a memory is recorded somewhere in the universe, for the love they showed to humankind. You catch glimpses sometimes, like divine winks, of the extraordinary having been encoded in the air we breathe and visiting some special places. May not one ever be forgotten really.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/200 ... -21386595/

susan boyle WOWWED them again, and on to the final! YEA sus

some happy news for madameconcorde, and while i understand it won't be the same concorde, it's still exciting.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/06/18/su ... index.html

*It's been 40 years since Concorde's maiden flight and nine years since one of the planes crashed in Paris, France, after takeoff, killing 113 people.

Air France and British Airways introduced the supersonic commercial service in 1976, but the disaster, combined with high maintenance costs and falling passenger numbers, led both airlines to retire the Concorde fleet in 2003.

*The stunning planes with their signature droop noses now sit on display in museums, but the notion of commercial supersonic flight is far from shelved.

The next generation of passenger air travel at speeds faster than sound may start as soon as 2015, with business jets leading the way, said Peter Coen, principal investigator for NASA's supersonic fundamental aeronautics program.

A small supersonic airliner capable of transporting 75 people might follow in 2025 and a larger one could arrive five years later, he added

Happy 4th of July! i know its early but we're starting our weekend right now! too hot to be outside (thank you lawd for a/c) some friends coming over later.

its my favorite holiday after thankgiving and halloween. cook out at my cousins, friends playing music, good food, fireworks FREEDOM what's not to love.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/07/03/in ... pstoryview

*To global Yanks, it's just as important -- if not more so -- to throw an Independence Day party that feels just like home.

From Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Rome, Italy, Fourth of July soirees are happening on Saturday in nearly every corner of the world. So if your globetrotting lands you in one of these cities over the weekend, consider squeezing an Independence Day celebration into your itinerary

*Canada Day occurs a mere three days before the Fourth, and our neighbor to the north lights up the sky for both.

1776 - Declaration of Independence-US gains independence from Britain

1796 - 1st Independence Day celebration is held

1831 - "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)" is 1st sung in Boston

1845 - Texas Congress votes for annexation to US

1884 - Statue of Liberty presented to US in Paris

1895 - Katherine Lee Bates publishes "America the Beautiful"

3 presidents have died on the 4th, 2 of our greatest on the same day
1826 - John Adams, 2nd president (1797-1801), dies at 90
1826 - Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president (1801-09), dies at 83 ( it was also the United States' 50th anniversary)
1831 - James Monroe, 5th president (1817-25), dies at 73

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzL_BY39vf0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independen ... ted_States)

*Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:

“ The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.[5] ”

Adams' prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.[6]

This is a personal Happy Things posting. Tonight I premiere an excellent artist who also happens to be a good human being. Without seeing her work up front, in the last six months, I have worked with her and organized her first ever launch in Toronto. Her art was the subject of a museum 20 year retrospective; she was a child prodigy and at 35, already had 20 years under her belt. She's in the private collections of Dali collectors, of friends of Andy Warhol. I'm thrilled as I sit here hours before tonights event. Her name is Marie "Mady" Bourdages. Wish us luck!

GOOD LUCK how wonderful, i'm really excited for her CHEERS (clink clink)

Good luck LouLou!!!! keep us posted.

Loulou wrote:This is a personal Happy Things posting. Tonight I premiere an excellent artist who also happens to be a good human being. Without seeing her work up front, in the last six months, I have worked with her and organized her first ever launch in Toronto. Her art was the subject of a museum 20 year retrospective; she was a child prodigy and at 35, already had 20 years under her belt. She's in the private collections of Dali collectors, of friends of Andy Warhol. I'm thrilled as I sit here hours before tonights event. Her name is Marie "Mady" Bourdages. Wish us luck!

Good luck loulou!

It's good to hear about good human beings--I think I have not been a very good one lately.

Maybe you can post some of her work here for us or share a little more about her with us since you have the inside scoop!

I wish you both a lot of success!

Here is some of Marie "Mady" Bourdages work

Marie Bourdages

MADY AND THE SEA