Waabaabiinyag | The 7th Fire

In a utopian world, we would be 100% self-sufficient. We would have enough food, enough water, enough power, and enough fuel, and perhaps most important, enough money to live a well-rounded, healthy and comfortable life. We would have to work hard, yes, but at the end of the day we would have the satisfaction of being able to take care of ourselves without selling out to greedsters or taking a handout from the government.
10 Simple Steps Toward Self-Sufficiency, 10/7/12

If you answered yes to more than five of the 32 questions above, you might be a conspiracy theorist. You also may be on the government’s terror watch list. Be very alarmed and report it to the authorities immediately should you discover your neighbors engaged in such uncivilized thought.
You Know You Are A Conspiracy Theorist If..., 9/24/12

Records are made to be broken, and a bunch of students at the University of Maryland are smashing the ones they just set earlier this summer. They're so close to winning the crazy-hard American Helicopter Society's Igor I. Sikorsky Human-Powered Helicopter competition — watch an amazing eight-foot flight past the jump.
U. of Maryland Student Hovers 8 Feet High in Human-Powered Helicopter, 8/30/12

In 95% of cases natural talent does not determine who will be an expert at something. So what does it take to become the best? 10,000 Hours of Deliberate Practice.
What It Takes To Become An Expert At Anything, 8/27/12

Six years ago, Grigori Perelman shocked the world of mathematics: first by solving an unsolvable problem, and then by running from the fame and fortune that went with it. Where did he go?
Searching For Russia's Reclusive Math Genius, 8/22/12

Back when I was in high school, a mentor of mine gave me a copy of a small book that I’ve read and re-read several times over the years. The Art of Worldly Wisdom or The Pocket Oracle and the Art of Prudence, is a book of 300 maxims and commentary written by a 17th century Jesuit priest named Baltasar Gracián. Considered by many to be Machiavelli’s better in strategy and insight, Gracian’s maxims give advice on how to flourish and thrive in a cutthroat world filled with cunning, duplicity, and power struggles, all while still maintaining your dignity, honor, and self-respect. In many ways, The Art of Worldly Wisdom is a how-to book on fulfilling Christ’s admonition to his apostles to be “cunning as serpents and as innocent as doves.” Philosophers Schopenhauer and Nietzsche both admired Gracian for his insight, subtlety, and the depth with which he understood the human condition.
While Gracian’s maxims were directed to men trying to gain favor in the dog-eat-dog world of 17th century Spanish court life, they’re just as applicable to a 21st century man trying to both succeed in a hyper-competitive globalized economy and develop an upright, heroic character. Taken together, Gracian’s frank, incisive maxims are reminders of the power of living with sprezzatura and that practical wisdom–the ability to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason—is essential to success in life. Below I highlight a few of my favorite Gracian maxims. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of his book with all 300 nuggets of wisdom and keep it on your nightstand. It’s a great little book to flip through and read in spare moments. You’ll be a better man for it.
Cunning as a Serpent, Innocent as a Dove: The Art of Worldly Wisdom, 7/8/12

There's no official world record for the lowest-ever round. But Shane Bacon of CBS Sports says it's either 55 or 56, and a bit of googling seems to confirm that.
Aspiring PGA Golfer Might Have Shot the Lowest Round in the History of Golf Last Weekend, 5/17/12

On March 21, 2012 the PIMA Air & Space Museum launched the great paper airplane into history. This video is our first glimpse into the dramatic, historic flight.
Giant 45-foot paper plane launched over Arizona desert, 3/22/12

Here are nine tips for how to learn to speak Spanish.
Painless Spanish, 3/1/12

I once was told by an emergency room nurse that you can tell how someone lived by how they die. She told me that those who did not live out their dreams would cry in agony at their lost chance. Those who lived out their dreams passed on in deep peace.
No matter what your station in life, try to avoid these regrets. Unless the Buddhists are correct, we only live once. Don’t waste your chance.
Avoiding the Top 5 Deathbed Regrets, 2/7/12

Two weeks ago, a janitor at the Passau State Library in Germany was making her typical rounds when she came across an unassuming jewelry box.
But when 43-year-old Tanja Hols decided to open the wooden chest she was stunned to find a bounty of gold and silver coins that had been left there for more than 200 years.
A German Janitor just made the Discovery of the Century, 12/13/11

It is often reported that around 80% of American citizens do not have a passport. Therefore, the great majority of Americans have never traveled outside of the country. Consequently, these citizens have a limited scope of understanding when it comes to life outside of and, perhaps even, inside America.
10 Things You May Notice About America When Travelling Abroad, 11/24/11

Vonnegut’s two-dozen novels and story collections spoke to the human condition and humorously showed some of the absurdities of post-war America. Vonnegut was shaped by two key experiences in his 20s: his mother’s suicide, and surviving the bombing of Dresden as a prisoner of war.
Biographer Charles Shields, who previously told the story of Harper Lee in “Mockingbird,” describes his subject, whom he got to know well, as a “disenchanted American.”
The author of the authorized ‘And So It Goes — Kurt Vonnegut: A Life’ spoke to Reuters about the author’s personality and legacy.
Biographer discusses the life of Kurt Vonnegut, 'a disenchanted American', 11/10/11

A 100-year-old runner became the oldest person to complete a full-distance marathon when he finished the race in Toronto on Sunday.
Fauja Singh earned a spot in the Guinness World Records for his accomplishment.
It took Singh more than eight hours to cross the finish line — more than six hours after Kenya's Kenneth Mungara won the event for the fourth straight year — and he was the last competitor to complete the course.
But his time wasn't nearly as remarkable as the accomplishment.
100-year-old marathoner finishes race, 10/17/11

First an eBay seller stepped forward to tell the world he had a photo from around 1870 of a man from Bristol, Tennessee, who looks exactly like 47-year-old actor Nicolas Cage.
Then it emerged another man was trying to sell a 1860s picture of a man who spookily looked like John Travolta.
Now it seems there are plenty of Hollywood stars who may just be reincarnations of characters from around the time of the Civil War.
After Nicolas Cage and John Travolta... here are the OTHER amazing Civil War celebrity doppelgangers, 10/1/11

"No shoes, no shirt, no service" is a sign you see in a lot of US stores. In San Francisco, restaurateurs might soon have to add "no pants" to the list, as a row flares over nudism in the vibrant heart of the city's gay community.
On a sunny September day, Woody Miller strolls through the district, known as Castro. He's tall and fit, with a long grey beard and heavy silver nose ring -- and wearing nothing more than sneakers, a baseball cap and a watch.
"I go naked on a nice day because I like the feel of the sun and the air on my skin," says Miller, 55, who is one of the city's growing number of public nudists, popularly known as Naked Guys.
SF tests its limits on public nudism, 9/25/11

This piece is very interesting and let us assume it is real. The subject woman is bulkily dressed and could plausibly be carrying equipment under all that clothing. Except no hardware in 1928 was even slightly portable. Thus that speculation is a complete waste of effort.
The woman is convincingly speaking into a cell phone circa from now on into our immediate future. I can imagine no other object from 1928 that a person would hold up to their head in that manner. Even the body language is right.
It certainly was no hoax of the time which is not plausible anyway and the woman did turn into the camera on noticing it. All of which speaks to the authenticity of this snippet. Thirty years ago we would not have understood what is apparent here.
Charlie Chaplin's Time Traveller, 9/20/11

A treasure trove of gold and silver jewelry, coins and precious stones said to be worth billions of dollars has been found in a Hindu temple in southern India, officials said on Saturday. The valuables have an estimated preliminary worth of over 500 billion rupees ($11.2 billion), said Kerala Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar, catapulting the temple into the league of India's richest temples. The thousands of necklaces, coins and precious stones have been kept in at least five underground vaults at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple which is renowned for its intricate sculptures. "We are yet to open one more secret chamber which has not been opened for nearly 140 years," Jayakumar told AFP.
'Billions worth' of treasure found in Indian temple, 7/2/11

There’s a telling moment at the end of the credits of the new YouTube documentary, Life in a Day, released in cinemas this week. The penultimate credit reads, “Directed by Kevin Macdonald and”; the final credit has several hundred names – all amateurs who sent in footage to YouTube of what they were up to on July 24, 2010.
Thousands of hours of their footage was edited down to a chronological sweep through the day, and around the world. And the terrifying thing for Hollywood is that the amateur results are far more compelling than a hundred lowest common denominator blockbuster feature films, whether they’re Marvel Comic movies, gross-out films or romcoms – now Hollywood’s staple diet.
Real life is much more compelling than fictional life – except on the rare occasions when the best film-makers add something to reality through their skill; more often than not, a director and his actors cheapen, commercialise or standardise reality through their lack of talent, or because of the commercial imperatives of the studio.
In Life in a Day, the truth comes through utterly unvarnished – and, with the quality of modern amateur cameras, and even cameraphones, you no longer need the might of the studio to capture that truth in full Technicolor.
Life In A Day - YouTube film that will have Hollywood quaking in its boots, 6/21/11

This article is a collection of some of the most inspirational quotes I have come across. These inspirational quotes for difficult times may change your perspective towards life and give you strength to deal with these times. Read some of the greatest inspirational quotes ever and charge up yourself again!
Inspirational Quotes For Difficult Times

After a short illness, he slipped away in complete peace. We are asking for those who loved him to hold a synchronized vigil and/or ceremony on his behalf at 12-noon (Pacific daylight time) on March 25, Solar Moon 19, Kin 91. Send him your prayers, light and blessings to continue his spirit journey – and also visualize the rainbow bridge and the Return of Light.
Jose Arguelles Passes On, 3/23/11

In Oktapodi, these two cuties help each other escape the clutches of a tyrannical restaurant cook. But, even once theyre out of the kitchen, their battle to stay together is not over
Oktapodi (2007) - Oscar 2009 Animated Short Film, 2/24/9

If you haven’t heard of Banksy or Basquiat – You are probably not into art. But… Banksy has done something incredible that even art lovers should know about.
In a world were consumerism is King, Banksy is a producer. His work is found in the raw setting of the urban jungle; on walls, billboards, and decaying buildings. Finding his art is akin to a scavenger hunt.
Though Banksy’s art can go for as much as $100,000.00 at auction, he practically gives it away. By painting near worthless walls, and surfaces… Bansky turns them into gold, merely by the genius of his craft, and people are fighting over who can get there first and cash in!
I am not only a huge fan and admirer (as you can tell) but cannot help notice the Free Market application from results of his work. Banksy has not only created something out of nothing… BUT, though his brilliant campaign of Guerrilla marketing, and the careful manipulation of his image (no one really knows who he is… he works at night and in secret, only surfaces in a mask…) But he has bypassed the Illuminati distribution Cartels, and created a value that did not currently exist.
He has also made a para political Statement to the world in doing so!
BANKSY: The most exciting Street Artist since Basquiat – Demonstrates Power of the Free Market as a Peace Tool, 3/1/11

Having a difficult day? Need a laugh? This baby will put a smile on your face!
video, 3/1/11

Wanna see the best commercial ever made?
Sapporo Beer

Kinetic sculptor and artist Theo Jansen builds 'strandbeests' from yellow plastic tubing that is readily available in his native Holland. The graceful creatures evolve over time as Theo adapts their designs to harness the wind more efficiently. They are powered only by the wind and even store some of the wind's energy in plastic bottle 'stomachs' to be used when there is no wind.
Theo Jansen's Strandbeests, 11/3/10

A compilation of awesome people doing incredible things.
People Are Awesome, 10/25/10

In this action-packed big screen promo showing exclusively in Regal Cinemas, Conan shows the world how to be a complete bad ass.
Conan O'Brien Drives an Explosives-Packed Car Off A Cliff!, 10/13/10

Canon Rock - the Original. Pachelbel interpreted as you've never seen seen and heard before.
JerryC

larry griswold world's greatest comedy diver co-inventor of the trampoline - from November 13, 1951
Larry Griswold, 6/3/9

Antwerpen Centraal gaat uit zijn dak want Op zoek naar Maria komt er aan! Bekijk hier hoe meer dan 200 dansers en danseressen het station op zijn kop zetten op het klanken van de Sound of Music!
Centraal Station Antwerpen gaat uit zijn dak!, 3/23/9

Choir uses hands to simulate storm. Performed live at Vocal Extravaganza 2008, a concert spectacle of vocal jazz and popular music.
Rains in Africa

Nestling in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy, 30 miles from the ancient city of Turin, lies the valley of Valchiusella. Peppered with medieval villages, the hillside scenery is certainly picturesque. But it is deep underground, buried into the ancient rock, that the region's greatest wonders are concealed.
8th Wonder of the World, 11/22/7

A String of White Pearls