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At the height of the Great Depression, the showman of a renowned circus leads his troupe through the devastated American landscape, lifting the spirits of audiences along the way. During their travels they discover a man without limbs at a carnival sideshow, but after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed.
You will not regret the 20 minutes you invest in this film.
Thanks To Brent at Worshiply
On Sunday, October 25th U2 performed live at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, CA. They simulcasted that concert live on YouTube and it is still available to watch. The concert is 2 hours and 21 minutes long, but it is all there for you to enjoy. It includes some backstage footage as well as the show.
Click the image above to be taken to the site. You can see the set list for this show at SetList.fm.
Thanks To Keith at BagOfNothing
Over the past month in Afghanistan it became clear that a Presidential runoff vote between President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah would need to take place. The Obama administration continued to deliberate on whether to commit further troops to the conflict, and at least 46 U.S. service members were killed, including 14 in two separate helicopter crashes today. A recent U.N. report recorded 1,500 Afghan civilian deaths in the first six months of 2009 alone, describing this as the deadliest year for civilians in Afghanistan since the start of the U.S.-led war against Taliban eight years ago. Collected here are some images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan. (43 photos total)
Click the image to see the full collection.
I love Texas A&M. My time there was some of the most enjoyable years of my life. I really love the traditions that are part of the core of being an Aggie. Things like saying 'Howdy' when you pass someone, taking your hat off when in the Memorial Student Center (MSC), yell practice, Silver Taps, etc. (see list here: Aggie Traditions).
One of my favorite traditions was bonfire. There was no way I could explain it to friends and family, but there was something incredible about working on that stack of logs. I really wish my nephews were able to experience bonfire at Texas A&M.
The November, 2009 edition of Texas Monthly has an article on this revered tradition. It uses the words of those that worked on Bonfire to capture some of the magic of building bonfire, but it also captures the tragedy of what happened on November 18, 1999. I could have quoted 90% entire text here, but it would be easier for you to just read the article.
"Five thousand logs, cut by hand. Five thousand logs! The center pole alone was a hundred feet tall. When you stood on top of stack, it felt like you were on top of the world. We lit it around Thanksgiving, and when we got back from Christmas break, it was still smoldering."
"Most people just came to see it burn. But the way my buddies and I looked at it, burning it was the least important part. We didn’t build it to burn it; we burned it to get it out of the way, so we could do it again."
"Suddenly, in some unforeseeable twist of fate, my life changed, and the life of every Aggie who came before and after me changed. Texas A&M changed."
"Twenty-seven students were injured in the collapse. Forty-two hours after the accident, Tim Kerlee, who was seventeen years old, became the twelfth, and last, student to die. The number resonated with the Aggie community because of the long-standing Twelfth Man tradition, which began with E. King Gill, a student who suited up and stood ready to help his team during a hard-fought football game in 1922. Ever since then Aggies have stood for the duration of their football games to show their willingness to support the eleven players on the field."
Click on the image above to read the article.
Thanks to Rob Adams for making me aware of the article.
This past weekend Mary and I had the opportunity to experience something that did not happen back when we were in High School. Our nephew's high school physics class was given the task of building and then racing a cardboard boat. Now, when we were in school I think we would have been smart enough to know that water and paper don't mix, but today's youth just aren't that bright. They took the assignment and ran, I mean rowed, with it. Watch the video below to see the start of the race. Click on either image to see other pictures.
