Sunday, April 26, 2009
Very Interesting
April 25: General Interest
1983 : Andropov writes to U.S. student
On this day in 1983, the Soviet Union releases a letter that Russian leader Yuri Andropov wrote to Samantha Smith, an American fifth-grader from Manchester, Maine, inviting her to visit his country. Andropov's letter came in response to a note Smith had sent him in December 1982, asking if the Soviets were planning to start a nuclear war. At the time, the United States and Soviet Union were Cold War enemies. President Ronald Reagan, a passionate anti-communist, had dubbed the Soviet Union the "evil empire" and called for massive increases in U.S. defense spending to meet the perceived Soviet threat.
In his public relations duel with Reagan, known as the "Great Communicator," Andropov, who had succeeded longtime Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in 1982, assumed a folksy, almost grandfatherly approach that was incongruous with the negative image most Americans had of the Soviets. Andropov's letter said that Russian people wanted to "live in peace, to trade and cooperate with all our neighbors on the globe, no matter how close or far away they are, and, certainly, with such a great country as the United States of America." In response to Smith's question about whether the Soviet Union wished to prevent nuclear war, Andropov declared, "Yes, Samantha, we in the Soviet Union are endeavoring and doing everything so that there will be no war between our two countries, so that there will be no war at all on earth." Andropov also complimented Smith, comparing her to the spunky character Becky Thatcher from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain.
Smith, born June 29, 1972, accepted Andropov's invitation and flew to the Soviet Union with her parents for a visit. Afterward, she became an international celebrity and peace ambassador, making speeches, writing a book and even landing a role on an American television series.
In February 1984, Yuri Andropov died from kidney failure and was succeeded by Konstantin Chernenko. The following year, in August 1985, Samantha Smith died tragically in a plane crash at age 13. Source..
A True American Hero
Nathan W. Talbot
Escaped as POW in the Philippines
WESTBORO, Mass. - Nathan W. Talbot, 89, died Wednesday, April 22, 2009, at UMass Memorial Health Care.
He was born in Winchester.
He leaves his wife of 64 years, Irene M. (Sherr) Talbot of Westboro, Mass.; two sons, Gil Talbot and his wife, Donna, of Pembroke, and Seth Talbot and his wife, Bonnie, of West Lynn, Ore.; a daughter-in-law, Marilyn Talbot of Westboro, Mass.; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Carl and Joyce Sherr of Worcester, Mass.; six grandchildren, Ian, Heather, Andrew, Reed, Melissa and Sydney; and his nieces and nephews, Edward, Resa, Gary, Andre and Jennifer.
He was an Air Force lieutenant and a prisoner of war for more than three years in Luzon, Philippines. During a typhoon when his cage was blown over and ruptured, he escaped with some comrades and became a member of the Philippine guerilla forces as a radioman. He was a survivor of the Bataan Death March. He contacted Australian forces by radio and they arranged for a submarine to rescue him off the island. He was the one who created the plans for General MacArthur's return to the Philippines.
For many years, he was an engineer for the Federal Aviation Administration, and he retired from the FAA in Nashua, whereupon he moved to Lake Worth, Fla.
He was a member of the Congregation B'Nai Shalom of Westboro, Mass., and was a past president of The Exchange Clubs, both in Nashua and Lake Worth. He was a member of the MetroWest Jewish War Veterans and the Disabled American War Veterans. He was an avid amateur ham radio operator and his call letters were W1NXP. He was a former member of the Nashua Country Club, and he enjoyed golf and curling.
Great Deal For My Love
Thursday, April 23, 2009
How to Stop “Victim Thinking” in Kids
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Be In Better Shape With Kettlebell Workout

Wow! Unbelievable
Fil-AM Hosted GMA Shows

Fil-Am Krista Kleiner better known for her Filipino stage name Krissa Mae Arrieta has already co-hosted on the GMA–7 show GoBingo and has a supporting role in the GMA-7 show Gagambino.
The 19-year-old Fil-Am is trying to make it in the world of Philippine show business. And so far she is on the cusp of stardom. source..
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Flowers Blooming In The Spring

Friday, April 03, 2009
Missing Pieces A Bit

Top 2 BAR Exam From MSU
Wow! So proud from my beloved Alma Matter, rank as second who passed the bar examinations!
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 5) A total of 1,310 have passed the 2008 bar examinations, the Supreme Court announced Friday.
Judy Lardizabal of San Sebastian College topped examinations with a rating of 85.70 percent.
Mylene Amerol-Macumbal, of the Mindanao State University, came second with an average score of 85.65 percent.
The number of those who passed the exams represented 20.58 percent of the 6,364 law graduates who took and finished the four-Sunday examinations in September last year, Justice Dante Tinga, who chaired the 2008 Committee on Bar Examinations, said. Source...
Lighting Up The Night

Right Place
They were in the right place, on the wrong day. Or so it would seem.
The Dayspring Chorale, a traveling high school singing group, arrived at a nursing home for a Thursday concert. However, the folks at the home were expecting them on Friday. But they said if the group could get set up fast, they could sing for 20 minutes. Then they’d have to stop for a memorial service for one of the residents.
The chorale hurriedly got ready and sang, and as they did, the son of the man who had died heard them. When they were done, he asked if they could sing at his dad’s service. They gladly agreed and ministered hope and truth to all who attended. God used these young people in a special way — all because of a secretarial error. But was it a mistake?
We carefully make schedules so we can be where we think we should be. But we always need to keep in mind the words of Solomon, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Prov. 16:9).
Do we seek ministry in life’s unplanned schedule changes? Do we turn detours into guided tours of what He wants to do through us? If we’re doing God’s will, we’ll be in the right place. Then, wherever we are, we can point people to Him. — Dave Branon
Sometimes our plan does not unfold
The way we thought it would;
But God is always in control
To use it for our good. — Sper