Fascinating Stories: Are We Changing Planet Earth?

Are We Changing Planet Earth?

The global warming documentary Are We Changing Planet Earth? was released on May 24, 2006 on the BBC and The Discovery Channel as the first of a two-part series, the other entitled, Can We Save Planet Earth? will appear in a future post.

The documentary is presented by acclaimed filmmaker David Attenborough as he discusses the science and implications of climate change. [2006, Length: 57:52]

Laugh of the Day

Today’s laugh is from my friend Manish:

One dark night in the small town of Garfield, NJ, a fire started inside the local sausage factory. In a blink the building was engulfed in flames. The alarm went out to all the fire departments for miles around.

When the first volunteer fire fighters appeared on the scene, the sausage company president rushed to the fire chief and said, “All of our secret sausage recipes are in the vault in the center of the plant. They must be saved. I will donate $50,000 to the fire department that brings them out and delivers them to me.”

But the roaring flames held the firefighters off. Soon more fire departments had to be called in because the situation became desperate. As the firemen arrived, the president shouted out that the offer to extricate the secret recipes was now $100,000 to the fire department that could save them.

Suddenly from up the road, a lone siren was heard as another fire truck came into sight. It was the fire engine of the nearby Lodi, NJ volunteer fire department composed mainly of Italian firefighters over the age of 65.

To everyone’s amazement, the little run-down fire engine, operated by these Italian firefighters, passed fire engines parked outside the plant, and drove straight into the middle of the inferno. Outside, the other firemen watched in amazement as the Italian old timers jumped off and began to fight the fire with a performance that was as if they were fighting to save their own lives. Within a short time, the Lodi old timers had extinguished the fire and saved the secret recipes.

The grateful sausage company president joyfully announced that for such a superhuman accomplishment he was upping the reward to $200,000, and walked over to personally thank each of the brave elderly Italian firefighters.

A TV news crew rushed in after capturing the event on film. The ‘on camera’ reporter asked the Italian fire chief, “What are you going to do with all that money?”

“Wella,” said Chief Pasquale De Luccinellavanti, the 70-year-old fire chief, “de fursta tinga we gonnna do isza fixa uppa de brakes on dat f***inna truck!!”

Photo of the Day

This remarkably beautiful photo was sent to me in an email that read, when God paints he uses all His colors. There were a total of nine wonderful photos included—I’ll post each one in the following days (this is photo #7). If anyone knows anything about these photos, please leave a comment as I would love to credit the photographer. Thanks!

Today's Words: quasar, quotidian

quasar
quotidian

quasar: \kwā'zär', -sär', -zər, -sər\; an extremely distant, and thus old, celestial object whose power output is several thousand times that of our entire galaxy; a starlike object that may send out radio waves and other forms of energy; many have large red shifts.

quotidian: \kwō-tĭd'ē-ən\; everyday; commonplace; recurring daily.