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Search the web , It's an hour long yet man, it hits home in so many ways!
That book changed my life.
"A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?
When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living."
FASHION - Who was the snazziest beach-going President ever? Richard Nixon!
[Because dress slacks and dress shoes on the beach just says 'relaxation!']
That photo was taken at Trestles, which is one of the best surfing beaches in Southern California. It's below Nixon's Western White House in San Clemente. (Trestles is listed in Surfin USA by the Beach Boys. Who had only one surfer in the group but I digress...) The Secret Service wanted to close Trestles when Nixon was in residence. To his credit, Nixon insisted the beach be kept open.
That's his casual look. He sometimes wore a suit while he walked on the beach and talked with the surfers. He also wore a suit to Angels baseball games. Dick had a hard time loosening up.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Albert_The_Crocodile
For some reason I can't find a Youtube clip, but the Gettysburg Address by that Lincoln fellow is pretty hard to beat.
Well, actually, there is a good clip of Charles Laughton reciting it. I've never gotten through it without tearing up. Churchill puts up some stiff competition, but this is arguably the greatest speech in American history.
Lots of great ones mentioned:
Patrick Henry (Give Me Liberty)
Lincoln (Gettysburg)
Churchill
Eisenhower (Military industrial complex)
MLK (I Have a Dream)
In regards to the historical depictions on Hollywood I wanted to add that one thing that turns me off to most Hollywood 'historical' depictions is the pandering musical build up for effect. I often wonder what it felt like to those actually in a field of battle or a political debate in a community hall et. al., when such great speeches / oratory was given. For instance, I'd find it fascinating to listen to say Leonidas actual words to those who stood in the pass at Thermopylae or what Ghenghis Khan (Temajin) actually said as he prepared the hordes before their conquering raids.
Lincolns speech does put up some good pointer though just because it was such a crucial point in history.
For me Martin Luther King's I have a Dream easily beats the Gettysburg address. MLK's speech was bold, passionate and with out any fine print attatched to it.
Meanwhile, Lincoln's address contained alot of fine print attatchments. Namely, it only freed slaves being held by disloyal owners. The slaves of politically loyal owners in the USA, occupied CSA, DC or Indian territory, no matter how nominal their loyalty was, were exempt from the Order.
For me Martin Luther King's I have a Dream easily beats the Gettysburg address. MLK's speech was bold, passionate and with out any fine print attatched to it.
Meanwhile, Lincoln's address contained alot of fine print attatchments. Namely, it only freed slaves being held by disloyal owners. The slaves of politically loyal owners in the USA, occupied CSA, DC or Indian territory, no matter how nominal their loyalty was, were exempt from the Order.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mensaguy
The Gettysburg Address didn't free any slaves.
Not directly. But the aim, somewhat successful, was to encourage slave flight to behind Union lines where they were free. Many fought for the Union. Also, there was a chunk of Virginia north of the modern Chesapeake Bay Bridge that did not secede. They may have been freed as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation, albeit not by the Gettysburg Address.
That photo was taken at Trestles, which is one of the best surfing beaches in Southern California. It's below Nixon's Western White House in San Clemente. (Trestles is listed in Surfin USA by the Beach Boys. Who had only one surfer in the group but I digress...) The Secret Service wanted to close Trestles when Nixon was in residence. To his credit, Nixon insisted the beach be kept open.
That's his casual look. He sometimes wore a suit while he walked on the beach and talked with the surfers. He also wore a suit to Angels baseball games. Dick had a hard time loosening up.
Well, I liked some of those Nixon photos Unsettomatti posted, I think you guys are wrong about Nixon being overdressed for the beach. Look closely, you can plainly see that the top button of his shirt is unbuttoned, and HE DOES NOT HAVE A TIE ON !!! The man must feel absolutely naked. I really need to throw my suit in the back seat and take a road trip to San Clemente and Yorba Linda to see this place Nixon called home, and go visit the presidential library.
Another speech comes to mind that was very important, and I have great respect for President Ford in his wisdom for "nipping it in the bud". I'm sure Unsetti will come along with a joke about Ford pardoning a turkey like Nixon was doing in the photo he posted earlier, HA HA, now that I have diffused that near certainty, let's listen to the reasoning Ford uses in this speech. Ford was right, and this was for the best. It allowed the nation to heal and move on from the turmoil of Watergate.
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