A Positive Life is A Choice

I was surfing around the internet today, and I found a story on Upbeat.net that captures the essence of living a happy and positive life. Choices.

Whenever something bad happens to us in life, we have a CHOICE of how we'll react. Will we get mad or depressed and lash out, or will we decide to learn from the situation and keep a positive attitude?

Check out this story from Upbeat.net and see how one man chooses to see the bright side of a bad situation.

VIDEO: Rachel and Chariot - Together For Over 540,000 Miles and Still Kicking

Here's something you don't see on the road every day. Rachel has been driving the same car with the same engine in it for over 540,000 miles. And, she legally carries a concealed weapon, so don't even think about trying to carjack her. :)

Make it a great day!

Clay Dyer - The Most Inspirational Fisherman Ever

You know, all of us have bad days. We all feel like nothing's going right. Well, after watching this video, I think you'll agree, that there's nothing in our life that we can't handle if Clay can do what he's doing with what he has. Make it a great day!

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent - Amazing Performance - Never Judge A Book By It's Cover

If you've ever wanted proof that you can't judge a book by it's cover, check out Susan Boyle's performance from Britain's Got Talent. Unbelievable performance. Happy Easter everyone!

Husband Leaves $10 Million Lottery Ticket For His Widow

We all want to win the lottery, but this is probably not the way we'd want to win it. A Connecticut man surprised his widow by leaving behind a lottery ticket worth $10 million. Here's the details from Blogs.USAToday.com:

On the day he died, Donald Peters bought his wife a lottery ticket.

Charlotte Peters, 78, later learned the odd numbers on that slip of paper were worth $10 million.

"I'm numb," Peters told the Associated Press after claiming the jackpot.

The News-Times says Peters has to choose between a lump sum and annual payments.

"I've always wanted a Corvette, but I don't think I'll buy one. I'll stick to a small car. I might go to Mohegan Sun," she tells the wire service, referring to a local casino. "I'm going to go home and sit and think."

Article Source: Blogs.USAToday.com

A Southern Redneck, Two Kentucky Boys, A Hyper Kid, A Couple More Rookies and A Few Veterans Helped The U.S. Win The 2008 Ryder Cup

Whether you are a golf fan or not, if you missed watching the Ryder Cup this past weekend, you missed one of the best sporting events in the history of golf. The last time the U.S. won the Ryder Cup was 1999 when Justin Leonard made an incredible putt from about 45 feet.

This time, even without the world's greatest player Tiger Woods, the United States beat the European squad convincingly 16 1/2 - 11 1/2. It was an incredible three days. All of the U.S. players contributed to the win, but one player really made a name for himself. His name is Boo Weekley, and if you're not familiar with him, you need to get to know Boo. Boo's a self-described redneck from Milton, FL who loves to hunt and fish more than play golf. But, he does enjoy playing golf, and he's one heck of a good player.

In this year's win, Boo became the unofficial mascot, spokesman, cheerleader and comedian for the American team. From the beginning, he started egging on the crowd, and by the end, he had won over not only his teammates, but everyone in attendance at the event.

Here's a video I found online that will give you a look at who Boo Weekley really is. One thing you'll hear Boo say in this video is he's never met a stranger. I think this is a great lesson we all can learn from him. He treats everybody with respect and enjoys hearing their story.


One moment that the camera's and microphones caught during the matches that really stuck in my head was right after Boo had just won his singles match yesterday. As his wife came over to congratulate him and was hugging him and saying how great he played, etc., Boo quietly said, "Thanks, now we gotta go pull everyone else through." That's a team player. That's the type of person I want on my team whether it's work or play.

Congratulations again to the U.S. team for a job well done!

Until later, make it a great day.

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Mugger Picks The Wrong Person To Rob

In this story from Gimundo.com, a young thief snatched a purse from the wrong person. A young female snatched 78-year old Pearline Williamson's purse while she was shopping in London. But, Pearline chased the woman down and confronted her. The girl tried to act like she hadn't taken it, so Pearline "shook the life out of her", and the woman gave the purse back. Now that's one tough grandma. To read the full story, go to this page on Gimundo.com.

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Kansas City Chiefs' TE Gonzalez Saves Man's Life In Restaurant

Do you know the Heimlich maneuver? I know how to do it, but after reading this story, I'm going to brush up on the technique.

Last Thursday night, Kansas City Chiefs' tight end Tony Gonzalez was having dinner in a restaurant with his family when a man sitting directly behind him started choking on a piece of meat. Everybody else in the restaurant was just starring at the guy, but Tony jumped up and performed the Heimlich maneuver and dislodged the piece of meat as the man was turning blue.

Everything turned out fine for the man, and Tony is being praised as a hero. To read the complete story, please go to this page on Yahoo.com.

Make it a great day and brush up on life-saving techniques...

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The Celtics Success This Year Can Be Attributed In-Part To A Brave Blind Boy And His Father's Dogged Determination

While browsing ESPN's website today and reading about how the Boston Celtics are going to the NBA Finals to play the Los Angeles Lakers, which happens to be one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, and one that the youth of today have never known, I found an article that caught my attention. The article tells the story of how a blind boy is one of the main reasons why the Celtics are back in the spotlight.

It all started in California back in 1992, when Campbell Grousbeck was born. Campbell is blind, and he happens to be the son of Wycliffe "Wyc" Grousbeck, who is the chief executive officer of the Boston Celtics. Wyc and his wife Corrine wanted to give Campbell the best life possible, which is what led them all the way across the country to New England to the Perkins School, which is one of the leading school's in the country for blind people, and became famous for education Hellen Keller.

Once arriving in the Boston area in 1995, Wyc found work with an investment capital firm that later would lead to him leading a group to buy the Boston Celtics in 2002. It really is a cool story how one child's challenges led to an amazing turnaround for a basketball team.

To read this entire story that goes into detail of how this all came about, visit this page on ESPN.com.

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Getting To Know The Real John McCain

The other day, a friend emailed me an article from the WSJ.com entitled, Getting To Know John McCain. I found it to be a very interesting and enlightening article. Until I read this article, I really didn't know that much about Senator McCain other than he was a prisoner-of-war, and he's definitely more liberal than the average Republican. But, here are some of the interesting things I learned about him from this article:

Col. Bud Day, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, fighter pilot, Vietnam POW and roommate of John McCain at the Hanoi Hilton relayed this story about John McCain to the author:

Mr. Day relayed to me one of the stories Americans should hear. It involves what happened to him after escaping from a North Vietnamese prison during the war. When he was recaptured, a Vietnamese captor broke his arm and said, "I told you I would make you a cripple."

The break was designed to shatter Mr. Day's will. He had survived in prison on the hope that one day he would return to the United States and be able to fly again. To kill that hope, the Vietnamese left part of a bone sticking out of his arm, and put him in a misshapen cast. This was done so that the arm would heal at "a goofy angle," as Mr. Day explained. Had it done so, he never would have flown again.

But it didn't heal that way because of John McCain. Risking severe punishment, Messrs. McCain and Day collected pieces of bamboo in the prison courtyard to use as a splint. Mr. McCain put Mr. Day on the floor of their cell and, using his foot, jerked the broken bone into place. Then, using strips from the bandage on his own wounded leg and the bamboo, he put Mr. Day's splint in place.

Years later, Air Force surgeons examined Mr. Day and complimented the treatment he'd gotten from his captors. Mr. Day corrected them. It was Dr. McCain who deserved the credit. Mr. Day went on to fly again.

Later in the story:

Another McCain story, somewhat better known, is about the Vietnamese practice of torturing him by tying his head between his ankles with his arms behind him, and then leaving him for hours. The torture so badly busted up his shoulders that to this day Mr. McCain can't raise his arms over his head.

One night, a Vietnamese guard loosened his bonds, returning at the end of his watch to tighten them again so no one would notice. Shortly after, on Christmas Day, the same guard stood beside Mr. McCain in the prison yard and drew a cross in the sand before erasing it. Mr. McCain later said that when he returned to Vietnam for the first time after the war, the only person he really wanted to meet was that guard.

And, one other story:

For example, in 1991 Cindy McCain was visiting Mother Teresa's orphanage in Bangladesh when a dying infant was thrust into her hands. The orphanage could not provide the medical care needed to save her life, so Mrs. McCain brought the child home to America with her. She was met at the airport by her husband, who asked what all this was about.

Mrs. McCain replied that the child desperately needed surgery and years of rehabilitation. "I hope she can stay with us," she told her husband. Mr. McCain agreed. Today that child is their teenage daughter Bridget.

I was aware of this story. What I did not know, and what I learned from Doris, is that there was a second infant Mrs. McCain brought back. She ended up being adopted by a young McCain aide and his wife.

"We were called at midnight by Cindy," Wes Gullett remembers, and "five days later we met our new daughter Nicki at the L.A. airport wearing the only clothing Cindy could find on the trip back, a 7-Up T-shirt she bought in the Bangkok airport." Today, Nicki is a high school sophomore. Mr. Gullett told me, "I never saw a hospital bill" for her care.

To read this story in it's entirety, please visit this page on WSJ.com.

Also, if you'd like to read another story written by a P.O.W. who was in the same prison as John McCain, visit this page on WSJ.com. It's definitely worth the read.

I'm posting this article today not necessarily to influence you to vote for John McCain for President, but rather to give you some insight into his character and resolve. It appears that the election will be between McCain and Senator Obama. Both men have a lot of strengths and weaknesses. And, as in most Presidential elections, the deciding factor many times comes down to character. Who has the stronger character? I'll let you decide.

Make it a great day!

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Want To Be Successful? Make Your Momma Proud!

For those of you who are golf fans or used to watch the Masters golf tournament years ago, then you recognize the name Ken Venturi. Mr. Venturi was CBS' lead golf analyst for years, and he was a very successful golfer himself, winning the US Open, and almost winning the Masters as an amateur.

I was reading an article about him this morning in GolfWeek magazine, and one statement he made really made an impression on me. He said that the key to his success is always making sure that whatever he does would make his mother and father proud. As I thought about it, it made even more sense. If you're doing something that you know your mother and father would not approve of, then no matter how much success you have, something will always be missing.

Obviously, this is just another way of saying, you need to do the right thing, but it's a very creative and powerful way to live your life. And, hey, there's nothing better than knowing that you've made your mom or dad proud, right?

Good luck and make it a great day!

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14-Year Old Girl Helps Passengers Escape Burning Plane

From Gimundo.com - When a jetliner leaving the Congo last week crashed through a fence and into a market while trying to takeoff, April Mosier, a 14-year old passenger saved the day. Because of the nature of the crash, the exits were blocked, but April and another passenger managed to open up a crack in the plane enough for April to get out and open an escape route from the plane.

She saved the lives of many passengers including her parents and adopted little brother. She truly is a modern day hero. To read the full story of how April's quick thinking saved lives, go to this page on Gimundo.com

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Stephen Wiltshire Draws Rome From Memory After Just One Helicopter Ride

This is truly amazing. Enjoy!

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101-Year-Old Man Plans to Run Marathon

From Gimundo.com - Wow, the next time I complain about going to the gym, I'll remember this guy.

At one hundred and one years of age, Buster Martin sports a bushy white beard, and more than a few wrinkles. But while most men of his age would content themselves with afternoon naps, Early Bird dinners, and the occasional game of Bingo at the nursing home, Martin has considerably more on his plate.

The former Army physical trainer has just entered the London Marathon, a grueling 42.195 km (26 miles and 385 yards) annual event, and one of the world's top international races. Martin's goal may sound like wishful thinking, but don't be so sure: He recently completed a half-marathon in a little over five hours – not bad at all for an athlete who could be the grandfather of most of his competitors (and he just might be - the man has 17 children!).

That's impressive to say the least. To read the entire story, please go to this page on Gimundo.com.

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14-Year Old Starts "No Cussing Club"

I was eating lunch the other day at a restaurant, and I was sitting in a booth adjacent to a group of teenagers who looked to be around 14 or 15 years old. I was startled when I kept over-hearing them repeatedly use profanity. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to me considering most of today's teenagers' role models from TV and music routinely use profanity every chance they get.

That's why this video I saw today was so encouraging. A 14-year old from California started a "No Cussing Club" about a year ago, and it has now spread to his entire town, where the mayor has declared a "No Cussing Week". What a great story. One of my favorite quotes from this interview is when the host asks the boy why he thinks teenagers, and adults for that matter, shouldn't cuss. His response, "Well, first of all, it makes you sound really unintelligent and it just lessons you." Well said.

If you're prone to cussing on a regular basis, why not give it a try. Try not cussing for a day and see how you feel.

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Nubs The Dog Travels 70 Miles To Reunite With Soldier In Iraq

This has to be one of the best stories I've heard out of Iraq in quite some time. A Marine named Major Dennis rescued a dog in Iraq who had been severely mistreated (his ears had been cut off and he had been stabbed with a screw driver by his Iraqi owners). Major Dennis nursed him back to health as best he could, but his troop was ordered to leave the area where they were, and they couldn't take Nubs with them. (He named him Nubs because of his ears.)

They traveled 70 miles away through the desert, and miraculously, Nubs found them. By the time Nubs found them, he was in bad shape again having traveled 70 miles in very treacherous terrain.

This time, Major Dennis knew he had to get Nubs out of Iraq. He started an email campaign and raised over $3,000 to get Nubs out of Iraq and to San Diego to stay with some friends until he can be reunited with him when he returns from Iraq himself. Nubs is supposed to be landing here in the U.S. any day now. I'll keep you updated as soon as I know he's here.

Here's the remarkable story.

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The Danes - The Happiest People On Earth - Why?

60 Minutes had a segment this past Sunday featuring the Danish people who are considered to be the happiest people on earth. Find out why in this segment.

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Other Amazing Videos: Funny Videos - Tennis Videos - Country Music Videos

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Soldier Surprises His 6-Year Old Son In Class The Instant He Returns To The US

This is a cool video from NBC News of a soldier surprising his little boy in school the moment he got home from Iraq. Enjoy!

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Other Amazing Videos: Funny Videos - Tennis Videos - Country Music Videos

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Denzel Washington - A True AMERICAN Actor

I received an email today regarding Denzel Washington. As with all emails, I first checked it's validity on Snopes.com, and it appears this story is mostly true. Here is the email in it's entirety, and below it are some clarifications about the some statements in the email:

Don't know whether you heard about this but Denzel Washington and his family visited the troups at Brook Army Medical Center, in San Antonio,Texas (BAMC) the other day. This is where soldiers that have been evacuated from Germany come to be hospitalized in the States, especially burn victims. They have buildings there called Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is a hotel where soldiers' families can stay, for little or no charge, while their soldier is staying in the hospital. BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base but as you can imagine, they are almost completely filled most of the time.

While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. He took his check book out and wrote a check for the full amount right there on the spot. The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to get the word out to the American public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it.

The question I have is why does Alec Baldwin, Madonna, Sean Penn and other Hollywood types make front page news with their anti-everything America crap and this doesn't even make page 3 in the Metro section of any newspaper except the base newspaper in San Antonio.

As I mentioned earlier, the basics of this email are true. Denzel did make a substantial contribution, but he didn't take out his checkbook and write a check on the spot. He actually made a contribution a few months later. But, for the most part, the story is accurate. His visit was back in 2004.

It is funny to me how news like this doesn't get picked up by the mainstream media, but at least there are sites like this one that are trying to spread the good news.

Good luck and make it a great day!

P.S. If you'd like to help out the soldiers at Fort Sam Houston, you can make a contribution on their website at www.fortsamhoustonmwr.com.

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At Least One "Hilton" Family Member Is Doing Something For The Good Of Man-Kind

While Paris Hilton seems intent on spending every dime of the Hilton fortune, her grandfather, Barron Hilton is intent on giving it all away...to charity that is...

Barron has more than $2.3 billion to his name, thanks to a large inheritance from his father, Hilton Hotel founder, Conrad Hilton. And, he's pledged to donate almost all of his fortune to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, which is a charity created by his father that provides funding for education, clean water, housing, and other causes.

To read the complete article about Barron's incredible good deed, please go to this page on BusinessWire.com.

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