I have learned . . .

WHAT OTHERS HAVE LEARNED

I've learned that you can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of
milk. Age 6

I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we
sing"Silent Night". Age 7

I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back. Age 9

I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom
makes me clean it up. Age 12

I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up. Age 13

I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly
glad my parents are strict with me. Age 15

I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice. Age 24

I've learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great
pleasures. Age 25

I've learned that wherever I go, the worlds worst drivers have
followed me there. Age 29

I've learned...that if someone says something unkind about me,I must live so that no one will believe it. Age 39

I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but just
don't know how to show it. Age 41

I've learned that you can make someone's day by simply sending them a little card. Age 44

I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the
greater his need to cast blame on others. Age 45

I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies.
Age 46

I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for
hours. Age 49

I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away
from the phone. Age 50

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he
handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. Age 52

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your
parents, you miss them terribly after they die. Age 53

I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life. Age 58

I've learned that if you want to do something positive for your
children, try to improve your marriage. Age 61

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. Age
62

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers
mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. Age 64

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But
if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work,
meeting new people, and doing the very best you can,happiness will find you. Age 65

I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I
usually make the right decision. Age 66

I've learned that everyone can use a prayer. Age 72

I've learned that it pays to believe in miracles. And to tell the
truth, I've seen several. Age 73

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
Age 82

I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch
someone. People love that human touch--holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. Age 85

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. Age 92

Sweet Little Ol' Texas Lady . .

One day, a very gentle Texas lady was driving across a high bridge in Austin . As she neared the top of the bridge, she noticed a young man fixin' (means “getting ready to” in the south) to jump. She stopped her car, rolled down the window, and said, "Please don't jump. Think of your dear mother and father."

He replied, "My mom and dad are both dead; I'm going to jump."
She said, "Well, think of your sweet wife and precious children."
He replied, "I'm not married, and I don't have any kids."
She said, "Well, then you just remember the Alamo ."
He replied, ''What's the Alamo ?''
She replied, ''Well bless your heart; just go ahead and jump you little Yankee bastard!''

Buggah!

Here's a funny Toyota pickup commercial from Australia. Makes you realize how boring our ads are...we tend to like trucks plowing through water or hauling a rock

Impossible Cycling Work

Not only an amazing show by a talented cyclist, but a wide variety of scenes from Bonnie Scotland . . .

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj6ho1-G6tw

Where Else But America . . .

Things that I found helpful by living this long. The purpose of fighting is to win.
The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more important than either ... The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.

1. Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'lljust kill you.

2.. If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.

3. I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy.

4. When seconds count, the cops are just minutes away.

5. A reporter did a human-interest piece on the Texas Rangers. The reporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and asked him 'Why do you carry a 45?' The Ranger responded, 'Because they don't make a 46.'

6. The old sheriff was attending an awards dinner when a lady commented on his wearing his sidearm 'Sheriff, I see you have your pistol. Are you expecting trouble?' 'No Ma'am. If I were expecting trouble, I would have brought my shotgun.'

7. Beware the man who only carries one gun. HE PROBABLY KNOWS HOW TO USE IT!

I was once asked by a lady visiting if I had a gun in the house. I said I did. She said 'Well I certainly hope it isn't loaded!' To which I said, of course it is loaded, it can't work without bullets!' She then asked, 'Are you that afraid of someone evil coming into your house?' My reply was, "No not at all. I am not afraid of the house catching fire either, but I have fire extinguishers around, and they are all loaded too".

One Lucky Marine . . .

6/23/2010 By Sgt Mark Fayloga, Regimental Combat Team 7

SOUTHERN SHORSURAK, HELMAND PROVINCE, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan -

Cpl. Matt Garst should be dead.

Few people survive stepping on an improvised explosive device. Even fewer walk away the same day after directly absorbing the force of the blast, but Garst did just that.

A squad leader with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Garst was leading his squad on a patrol in Southern Shorsurak, Afghanistan, June 23 to establish a vehicle checkpoint in support of Operation New Dawn.

The men were four miles from Company L's newly established observation post when they approached an abandoned compound close to where they needed to set up their checkpoint. It would serve well as an operating base - a place for the squad to set up communications and rotate Marines in and out of. But first, it had to be secured.

As they swept the area with a metal detector, the IED registered no warning on the device. The bomb was buried too deep and its metallic signature too weak. Two men walked over it without it detonating.

At six feet, two inches tall and 260 pounds with all his gear on, Garst is easily the largest man in his squad by 30 or 40 pounds - just enough extra weight to trigger the IED buried deep in hard-packed soil.

Lance Cpl. Edgar Jones, a combat engineer with the squad, found a pressure plate inside the compound and hollered to Garst, asking what he should do with it. Garst turned around to answer the Marine and stepped on the bomb.

"I can just barely remember the boom," Garst said. "I remember the start of a loud noise and then I blacked out."

Since Garst's improbable run-in with the IED, his tale has spread through the rest of the battalion, and as often happens in combat units, the story mutates, the tale becoming more and more extraordinary about what happened next: He held onto his rifle the whole time . He actually landed on his feet . He remained unmoved, absorbing the impact like he was muffling a fart in a crowded elevator .

What really happened even eludes Garst. All went black after the earth uppercut him. When he came to, he was standing on his feet holding his weapon, turning to see the remnants of the blast and wondering why his squad had a look on their faces as if they'd seen a ghost.

Marines in Company L think Garst is the luckiest guy in the battalion, and while that may seem a fair assessment, it was the enemy's shoddy work that left Garst standing. The three-liters of homemade explosive only partially detonated.

Marines who witnessed the event from inside the compound caught glimpses of Garst's feet flailing through the air just above the other side of the building's eight-foot walls. The explosion knocked him at least fifteen feet away where he landed on his limp head and shoulders before immediately standing back up.

Not quite sure of what had just happened, Garst turned back toward the blast, now nothing but a column of dirt and smoke rising toward the sun.

"My first thought was, 'Oh s---, I just hit an IED,'" he said. "Then I thought, 'Well I'm standing. That's good.'"

Garst's squad stared at him in disbelief. The square-jawed Marine has a tendency to be short-tempered, and the realization that the blast was meant to kill him spiked his adrenaline and anger.

"It pissed me off," he said.

He directed his men to establish a security perimeter while letting them know in his own way that he was OK.

"What the f--- are you looking at?" he said. "Get on the cordon!"

Garst quickly radioed back to base, calling an explosive ordnance disposal team and quick reaction force.

"I called them and said, 'hey, I just got blown up. Get ready,'" he said.

"The guy thought I was joking at first. 'You got blown up? You're not calling me. Get out of here.'"

Once EOD cleared the area, Garst led his squad the four miles back to their observation post - just hours after being ragdolled by an IED blast.

"I wasn't going to let anybody else take my squad back after they'd been there for me," he said. "That's my job."

The next day Garst awoke with a pounding headache and was as sore as he'd ever been in his life.

"Just getting up from trying to sleep was painful," he said.

But he saw no reason being sore should slow him down. He popped some ibuprofen and after a day of rest, Garst was back out on patrol, showing his Marines and the enemy that just like his resolve - Cpl Matt Garst is unbreakable.

Submarine Torpedoes Ship

This is the Australian Submarine Navy doing a live torpedo practice shot on one of their decommissioned ships.



They used a Mk 48 torpedo developed in the USA . It is non nuclear and not a contact weapon.



It is designed to go off directly underneath the ship at about 50 feet under the keel.



The effect is devastating as you can see from the video.