The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back: he should shake it off and step up! This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up... shake it off and step up... shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up!
You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him.
All because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While the story above does make us smile, it does have wisdom in it. How we handle adversity determines our success in life. One of my favorite quotes on adversity is, "Adversity is a fact of life. It can't be controlled. What we can control is how we react to it."
When faced with adversity we can give up and adopt the poor me attitude. Or we can look at adversity as an opportunity to find other ways to do things. We can be determined, persistent and persevere. It all comes down to your choice - and it is a choice of attitude!
While reflecting on this story consider the following quotes on adversity:
Adversity causes some men to break, others to break records. William A. Ward
Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Napoleon Hill
Obstacles can't stop you. Problems can't stop you. Most of all other people can't stop you. Only you can stop you. Jeffrey Gitomer
Adversity precedes growth. Rosemarie Rossett
Prosperity is a great teacher; Adversity is a greater. Hazlitt
Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity. Lou Holtz
There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.
Friday, 3 August 2007
The Farmer and The Old Mule-STORY
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8/03/2007 08:14:00 am
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MINNEAPOLIS TRAGEDY-CONTINUES WITH BROKEN BONES
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Divers searched for victims submerged in the swirling, murky waters of the Mississippi River on Thursday in what authorities said would be a slow and dangerous recovery operation after the worst U.S. bridge collapse in more than 20 years.
Working carefully in fast-flowing eddies created by crumpled steel and concrete, divers with only a foot of visibility had located some of the vehicles that were hurled into the river when the 40-year-old bridge gave way during Wednesday's evening rush hour in Minneapolis.
"There are more than 10 vehicles in the river," Fire Chief Jim Clack said, without indicating whether there were victims inside.
Four people were confirmed dead and authorities said the toll was certain to rise from the unexplained collapse of the 500-foot (150-meter) span.
"A bridge in America just shouldn't fall down," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat.
More than 50 vehicles plunged 65 feet into the river and onto debris from Interstate 35W as the bridge collapsed in a plume of dust, smoke and screams.
More than 60 people were hurt, many suffering broken bones, head and spinal injuries.
Federal authorities quickly ruled out terrorism as a cause, but state and federal safety officials said the bridge's inspection record did not indicate it was unsafe.
Specifically, the collapse raised questions about work being done to patch and resurface the bridge.
"What caused this unbelievable, almost incomprehensible tragedy?" added Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota. "We need to understand that to make sure that this type of tragedy never happens ever again."
The contractor on the project said state engineers were closely supervising the work that included pouring a fresh layer of concrete on the deck.
Mike McGray, owner of Progressive Contracting Co., said he had "no idea" what may have caused the bridge to give way. One of his workers was missing and presumed dead.
PEOPLE CRUSHED
"People were pinned. People were partly crushed, talking to rescue workers ... telling them to tell their families goodbye" before they died, Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan said.
"It is still a tremendously dangerous scene," he said.
A Minnesota state senator, Satveer Chaudhry, said he drove over the bridge minutes before it collapsed and returned in his boat to help. He gave a ride to a volunteer rescuer who told Chaudhry "he saw (from a boat) stacks of cars submerged under water."
Cory Swingen, 32, watched the disaster unfold from a tour boat. "I heard a loud rumbling sound, like a semi (trailer truck) running into a concrete wall ... the whole collapse took about 10 to 15 seconds," he said.
When the dust cleared Swingen was relieved to see dazed people sitting or walking on the collapsed roadway.
People watched the recovery operation from grassy banks and the steps of the Guthrie Theater beside the river.
"These are horrible images but within each of those images is a story," Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said. "That car you see tangled in the wreckage is someone's cousin, brother or husband. ... Thank God this wasn't worse."
City officials said the search and subsequent clean-up would take several days. Searchers used sonar and engineers lowered the river level to aid the effort.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark Rosenker said investigators planned to rebuild the bridge piece by piece off-site to try to reconstruct what happened.
The bridge had passed inspections the past two years, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said, though it was among thousands of bridges across the country deemed to be "structurally deficient" in a 2005 U.S. government report.
"(The rating) was by no means an indication that the bridge was not safe," U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said.
She said it was the first time since 1983 that a bridge had collapsed without an outside trigger, such as an earthquake or collision. In that year, three people were killed in Connecticut in a bridge collapse on Interstate 95, the major U.S. East Coast highway.
The administration pledged $5 million for initial clean-up efforts in Minneapolis.
(Additional reporting by Benno Groeneveld in Minneapolis, David Morgan and Doina Chiacu in Washington and Carey Gillam in Kansas City)
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8/03/2007 07:58:00 am
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Thursday, 2 August 2007
SHANKAR DADA ZINDA/MURDA A ---------BAD

Camera: Chota K Naidu
Dialogues: Paruchuri brothers
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh
Story: Raju Hirani
Screenplay - direction: Prabhudeva
Producer: Gemini Film Circuit
Release date: 27 July 2007
ANALYSIS
THE BOX OFFICE COLLECTIONS OF SDZ IS NOT SO ENCOURAGING THROUGH OUT THE STATE THIS IS THE NEWS(MAY BE A RUMOUR) SPREADING,MAY BE TRUE?
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS
IS CHIRU ?
NOT AT ALL WHY BCZ CHIRU MAY BE MEGASTAR ,BUT HE IS ALSO A ACTOR ,ACTOR HAVE TO DO THE CHARECTER WHICH EVER GIVE SOME INTERNAL MESSAGE LIKE GANDHIGIRI ,HE DID 100% JUSTICE FOR THAT .
HEROINE,KARISHMA KOTAK?
THOUGH A NEW GIRL ,THAT TO FROM BOMBAY WITH OUT KNOWING LANGUAGE,SHE DID 150% JUSTICE FOR HER CHARECTER.
GEMINI FILIM CIRCUIT?
I DONT KNOW WHY ,THOUGH THE CIRCUIT AITHOURITY SPENDED 12 CRORES OF RUPEES FOR SOUTH INDIAN RIGHTS FOR LAGE RAHO ,WHY THEY CONT SOME MORE TO HAVE A NICE AND CUTE HEROINE
OPPOSITE TO CHIRU ,I DONT KNOW WHAT THE CIRCUIT FILMS LIKED IN THAT AUNTY(KARISHMA KOTAK).
DIRECTOR?
EVEN THOUG PRABHU DEVA ,WAS HE DID A SPLENDID JOB ?,ISINT HIS JOB TO SELECT A NICE HEROINE OPPOSITE TO A MEGA HERO LIKE CHIRU WHEN HE DIRECTING FOR THE FIRST TIME,MAY BE DEVA ALSO LIKED THE SAME THING IN THE AUNTY WHAT THE GEMINI CIRCUIT LIKED
AUDIENCE?
AUDIENCE LIKE CHIRU TO DANCE WELL ,FIGHT WELL ,ALL WAYS ROARING AT VILLAINS ,WHY IS CHIRU ONLY MEGA STAR OF FIGHTINGS ,DANCING ? HEARING SOME NEWS THAT FANS IT SELF SPREADING NEGETIVE NEWS SO FANS DONT DO THIS.
FINALLY
A SMALL SUGGESTION TO CHIRU
CHIRU YOU ARE NOT A ORDINORY PERSON ,YOU ARE HAVING GREAT IMAGE AND FOWLLOWING IN THE HEARTS OF FANS ,SO YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN THAT POSITION FOR EVER ,WHAT I MEAN TO SAY IS "YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN SOME PHYSIQUE " WHY BCZ FANS ALWAYS EXPECTS HERO WITH HEROIC PERSONALITY ,DAYS ARE CHANGED ,NOT LIKE THOSE DAYS AS HERO WITH FAT BODY ,WHAT EVER THEY DO, PEOPLE CLAPPING AT THEM.SO FOLLOW SOME HEALTH TIPS TO MAINTAIN YOUR HEROIC FAME FOR EVER.THE POSITION NOW YOU ARE HAVING WOULDNT BE GIVEN TO ANYBODY IN THE FUTURE ,SO YOU ARE THE LAST PERSON ,WHO HAVE TO MAINTAIN THIS FOR LONGLSATING.
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8/02/2007 07:57:00 am
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MINNEPOLIS ,BRIDGE COLLAPSES


MINNEAPOLIS - The entire span of an interstate bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River during evening rush hour Wednesday, sending vehicles, tons of concrete and twisted metal crashing into the water.
The Interstate 35W bridge, which stretches between Minneapolis and St. Paul, was in the midst of being repaired when it broke into several huge sections.
The Homeland Security Department had received no indications Wednesday night that the collapse was related to an act of terrorism, department spokesman Russ Knocke said in Washington.
"We continue to monitor the situation. At this time, there's no indication of a nexus to terrorism," Knocke said.
It was not clear how many people were injured. WCCO-AM reported that one body was seen being pulled from the area, covered with a blue sheet.
A burning truck and a school bus clung to one slanted slab, while at least eight cars and a truck were submerged in the river.
The bus had just crossed the bridge before it crumpled into pieces, and broadcast reports indicated the children on the bus exited out the back door.
Ramon Houge told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he was on his way home from work on the bridge when heard a rumbling noise, saw the ground collapse and cars go down.
Traffic was bumper to bumper and hundreds of people would have been involved, he said. He said cars backed up as best they could and he parked in a construction zone and was finally able to turn around and drive off the bridge. "It didn't seem like it was real," he said.
Dozens of vehicles were scattered and stacked on top of each other amid the rubble. Some people were stranded on parts of the bridge that aren't completely in the water.
Local television stations captured video of injured people being carried up the riverbank. There was no official word on injuries, but dozens of rescue vehicles were there. Divers were also in the water.
Gregory Wernick Sr., Rockford, Ill., drove over the bridge shortly before the collapse. He stopped to get a drink nearby and heard commotion so he went back.
"I figure I crossed about 10 minutes before it happened," he said. "That's just too close to call."
He was standing about 200 feet away on top of a parking ramp with large group of people.
"I've never seen anything like this," he said.
The Homeland Security Department had received no indications Wednesday night that the collapse was an act of terrorism, department spokesman Russ Knocke said in Washington.
"We continue to monitor the situation. At this time, there's no indication of a nexus to terrorism," Knocke said.
The arched bridge, which was built in 1967, rises about 64 feet above the river. Workers have been repairing the 40-year-old bridge's surface as part of improvements along that stretch of the interstate, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported on its Web site.
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8/02/2007 06:55:00 am
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INSPIRATION
The Hospital Window 
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.
It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."
Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present.
MY BEST FRIEND
My best friend is always there.
When I am sick, he is by my side.
When something good happens he is there to share it.
He is there when I wake up, there when I go to sleep.
When I eat, he eats too. When I watch TV he tags along.
When I talk on the phone, he listens in.
When I have friends over, he is there to greet them at the door.
When I am afraid he is there to protect me.
When I am angry, he stays out of the way.
Oh, did I mention my best friend is my dog?
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8/02/2007 12:45:00 am
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