Romanized Mandarin Tones in Unicode

00E0	à	ā	0101
00E1	á	ă	0103
00E8	è	ē	0113
00E9	é	ĕ	0115
00EC	ì	ī	012B
00ED	í	ĭ	012D
00F2	ò	ō	014D
00F3	ó	ŏ	014F
00F9	ù	ū	016B
00FA	ú	ŭ	016D

Use the codes with in html like this: ú displays ú

Use the codes with in javascript like this: alert('\u00FA'); displays alert('ú');

Book of Mormon Characters

phrases with mark in it

question mark
exclamation mark
punctiation mark
failing mark
remark
quotation mark
trademark
book mark
lexmark
benchmark
accent mark
check mark
postmark
make your mark
halfway mark
mark my words
indelible mark
Deutschmark
target mark
marker
marquis
cinemark
market
markdown
dittomark
markup
highwater mark
watermark
on your marks
miss the mark
earmark
hallmark
hoofmark
denmark
landmark

Book of mormon plates - summary

Canadian Universities Eligible for US 529 ESP Plan Distributions

The following canadian universities and colleges are eligible for US 529 ESP (education savings plan) College Savings plan distributions.

They also constitute the list of canadian institutions which may be eligible for US Federal aid for US citizens.

By Province
---------------------------------
[British Columbia]

EMILY CARR UNIVERSITY OF ART AND DE
1399 JOHNSTON STREET
VANCOUVER, BC
Federal School Code: G23388

KWANTLEN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
12666 72ND AVENUE
SURREY, BC
Federal School Code: G33325

MONASH UNIVERSITY
WELLINGTON ROAD CLAYTON
VICTORIA, BC
Federal School Code: G10914

SAFA, UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA
3800 FINNERTY ROAD
VICTORIA, BC
Federal School Code: G08370

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
8888 UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD
BURNABY, BC
Federal School Code: G08444

TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY
7600 GLOVER ROAD
LANGLEY, BC
Federal School Code: G09486

UNIV OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
3333 UNIVERSITY WAY
PRINCE GEORGE, BC
Federal School Code: G36133

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
2075 WESBROOK MALL
VANCOUVER, BC
Federal School Code: G08369

---------------------------------
[Alberta]

THE KING'S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
9125 50 STREET
EDMONTON, AB
Federal School Code: G26119

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
7128 ADA BOULEVARD NW
EDMONTON, AB
Federal School Code: G25938

TAYLOR UNIVERSITY COLLEGE AND SEMIN
11525-23 AVENUE
EDMONTON, AB
Federal School Code: G21957

CANADIAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
5415 COLLEGE AVENUE
LACOMBE, AB
Federal School Code: G33354

CANDIAN NAZARENE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
610 833-4TH AVENUE SW
CALGARY, AB
Federal School Code: G34083

UNIVERSITY AT CALGARY (THE)
2500 UNIVERSITY DRIVE NW
CALGARY, AB
Federal School Code: G07874

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA (THE)
UNIVERSITY CAMPUS ADMINISTRATI
EDMONTON, AB
Federal School Code: G08362

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE
4401 UNIVERSITY DRIVE
LETHBRIDGE, AB
Federal School Code: G10703

-----------------------------
[Saskatchewan]

UNIVERSITY OF REGINA
3737 WASCANA PARKWAY
REGINA, SA
Federal School Code: G08448

UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE & AWARDS
SASKATOON, SA
Federal School Code: G22192

-----------------------------
[Manitoba]

BRANDON UNIVERSITY
270-18TH STREET
BRANDON, MB
Federal School Code: G09421

CANADIAN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY
500 SHAFTESBURY BOULEVARD
WINNIPEG, MB
Federal School Code: G36444

UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA
ROOM 201 ADMINISTRATION BUILD
WINNIPEG, MB
Federal School Code: G06684

UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG
515 PORTAGE AVENUE
WINNIPEG, MB
Federal School Code: G08148

-----------------------------
[Ontario]

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA
550 CUMBERLAND
OTTAWA, ON
Federal School Code: G06686

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
27 KING'S COLLEGE CIRCLE
TORONTO, ON
Federal School Code: G06688

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
200 UNIVERSITY AVENUE WEST
WATERLOO, ON
Federal School Code: G08526

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY
75 UNIVERSITY AVENUE WEST
WATERLOO, ON
Federal School Code: G08582

CARLETON UNIVERSITY
1125 COLONEL BY DRIVE
OTTAWA, ON
Federal School Code: G08368

SAINT PAUL UNIVERSITY
223 MAIN STREET
OTTAWA, ON
Federal School Code: G10221

LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY
955 OLIVER ROAD
THUNDER BAY, ON
Federal School Code: G08913

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY AT KINGSTON
99 UNIVERSITY AVE
KINGSTON, ON
Federal School Code: G06679

RYERSON UNIVERSITY
350 VICTORIA STREET
TORONTO, ON
Federal School Code: G10720

TRENT UNIVERSITY
1600 WESTBANK
PETERBOROUGH, ON
Federal School Code: G09505

-----------------------------
[Nova Scotia]

DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY
6299 SOUTH STREET RM 133
HALIFAX, NS
Federal School Code: G06838

MCMASTER UNIVERSITY
1280 MAIN STREET WEST
HAMILTON, NS
Federal School Code: G06853

MOUNT SAINT VINCENT UNIVERSITY
166 BEDFORD HIGHWAY
HALIFAX, NS
Federal School Code: G08363

SAINT MARY'S UNIVERSITY
923 ROBIE STREET
HALIFAX, NS
Federal School Code: G08364

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF CAPE BRETON
POB 5300 - SYDNEY
SYDNEY, NS
Federal School Code: G30338

UNIVERSITY OF KING'S COLLEGE
6350 COBURG ROAD
HALIFAX, NS
Federal School Code: G09501

-----------------------------
[New Brunswick]

ST THOMAS UNIVERSITY
POB 4569
FREDERICTON, NB
Federal School Code: G06682

ST. STEPHENS UNIVERSITY
8 MAIN STREET
ST. STEPHEN, NB
Federal School Code: G33393

UNIVERSITE DE MONCTON
UNIVERSITE' DE MONCTON CAMPUS
MONCTON, NB
Federal School Code: G09119

UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK (THE)
13 BAILEY DRIVE
FREDERICTION, NB
Federal School Code: G06685

------------------------------
[Quebec]

BISHOP'S UNIVERSITY SHERBROOKE
2600 COLLEGE STREET
SHERBROOKE, QC
Federal School Code: G06852

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY - SIR GEORGE W
1455 DE MAISONNEUVE WEST
MONTREAL, QC
Federal School Code: G08365

MCGILL UNIVERSITY
845 SHERBROOKE STREET WEST
MONTREAL, QC
Federal School Code: G06677

UNIVERSITE DE MONTREAL
2900 EDOURD-MONTPETIT BOULVARD
MONTREAL, QC
Federal School Code: G08366

UNIVERSITE LAVAL
CITE UNIVERSITAIRE
QUEBEC, QC
Federal School Code: G06837

------------------------------
* The list was obtained from (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov) on Dec 22, 2008.
* Federal School Codes are the code in the USA federal aid program.

Common Cold

Why are common colds more common in the winter time?

"Again, it is not the temperature that is the culprit. Air conditioners can remove moisture from the air which, in turn, can dry the mucous on the nasal membrane. Without a sufficient mucous layer covering these membranes, the nose becomes more susceptible to viruses that cause the common cold." - http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/diseases/common_cold.html

For water to exist as liquid it must be between 0 Celsius and 100 Celsius. For it to exist as water vapor, it must be over 100 Celsius. Humidity = water vapor = particles of water over 100 Celsius. So, when it gets cold, and especially in dry climates it gets drier because there exists less water over 100 Celsius, so there is less water vapor, which means we are more susceptible to the common cold.

So cold air tends to be drier air, then by the same logic as the air conditioner, when it gets colder and it gets drier people can catch the common cold more because of a decrease in mucous layer covering their nasal membrane.

Hatchbacks made for the USA market

Hatchbacks made for the USA market:
Chevrolet Malibu Maxx LT
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Chevrolet Aveo
Dodge Caliber

Honda Fit
Hyundai Accent Hatchback

Kia Spectra5

Mazda3 Hatchback
Mazda Protege5

Nissan Versa Hatchback

Pontiac Vibe

Scion xA
Subaru Impreza 2.5i Hatchback
Subaru Impreza Sport
Subaru Impreza WRX
Subaru Outback Sport Impreza
Suzuki Aerio
Suzuki Reno
Suzuki SX4 AWD

Toyota Echo
Toyota Matrix
Toyota Yaris

Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen GTI

Principles of Personal Finance

Saving money- denying what you want now, for something you want even more, later on.
Communication- to budget in a family is for the mother and father to communicate to come to agreement on how money is to be used
Living within your means- learning how to avoid debt by planning out how to using finite economic resources to satisfy all needs and some wants.
Self control- we gain power as we set limits over our wants and desires and live by them.
Goal Setting- to budget is to set a goal, work towards it with smaller accomplishable goals to achieve a larger goal

Watch NFB of canada filmc

I found this link to watch national film board of canada short films:

[click here] for nfb.ca short films

On the list, I've only seen:
The Sweater
Blackfly
Canada Vignettes: Log Driver's Waltz

These are classics.

Some of these used to be on youtube but had been removed do to copyright violation.

Response to Al Gore, Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth was a privately made propoganda film. Like bowling for columbine, or fahrenheit 911. It is a film devoted to creating panic, and swaying the public opinion for a private agenda.

The problem with these films is that they do not tell both sides of the story and they leave impressionable minds with deep impressions. I am not qualified to argue the other side of the story, but here are a few things I've read about which point to the other side.

1. Al Gore credibility
Al Gore's energy use is through the roof: "In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006."
[about.com: al gore]

His zinc mine, he makes $20,000 per month off of polluting nashville.
"The issue here is not simply Gore's hypocrisy; it's a question of credibility. If he genuinely believes the apocalyptic vision he has put forth and calls for radical changes in the way other people live, why hasn't he made any radical change in his life? Giving up the zinc mine or one of his homes is not asking much, given that he wants the rest of us to radically change our lives."
[usatoday.com: al gore]

2. Global temperature: hockey stick or cyclical?
Effects of CO2 emissions are not in doubt by the media, but are among certain groups of scientists. You see there is the problem with the hockey stick effect. People assume the global temperature will continue to increase indefinately, because we only have solid data from the past 150 years of climate data. If we were to graph global temperatures, and then extrapolate into the future, the appearance would be that of a hockey stick (being relatively flat for a while, and then ever increasing). That brings us to the Medieval warm period which hints towards 800 year climate cycles.
[realclimate.org]

Note: I went to wikipedia's [wikipedia: medieval warm period] page and someone stuck in a graph that ended in 2000 that showed a strong hockey stick extrapolation to forward someone's agenda. However I also saw info talking about Alaska's well documented cycles: "Alaska experienced three time intervals of comparable warmth: A.D. 1–300, 850–1200, and post-1800." hinting towards the 400 years of hot followed by 400 years of cold cycle.

3. Medieval Warm Period
[bioone.org: academic paper]
Temperatures back from 900-1300 AD were as high as they are today. In my history class we discussed that idea that global climate is cyclical over hundreds of centuries (400 years of warmth followed by 400 of cold). After 1300 AD historians say europe went through a little ice age (it is well documented). While information is seemingly limited they are able to use all kinds of data to estimate climate from back them, tree rings, solar activity analysis, ice core chemical analysis, and many other things. One climate analysis we discussed in my history class was the well documented growing seasons for vineyards. Look at this map I found showing vineyards in europe: [vinatique.com: image]. You can see that england and many nordic countries are currently too cold to grow grapes, yet England and the others are proud of their medeival warm period vineyards.

I guess what I'm trying to say is:
There are two sides to every story, people who watch 'Inconvenient Truth' should watch it with a grain of salt, considering the other side of the story too. To not look at the other side of any story is non-academic. I hope i never attend a court of law where the jury only hears the prosecution.

Global warming seems to be to be a big band wagon that the liberal media likes everyone to jump into. Over-regulation of industrial production results in companies that can't afford to pay their bills and then they have to lay everyone off, and then the media will get mad at them again for layoffs. I personally have mixed feelings on global warming. I think there is risk potential and I am neither an advocate nor an opponent.

Western industrialized countries have come a long way. Where I live in the USA if my car pollutes too much I can't register it or drive it (I have to get an annual emissions check). Technology has always been improving with regards to vehicle emissions: I don't think anyone wants to drive a gas guzzler these days especially with increasing gas prices. People don't mind having lower electricity bills, and people don't mind switching to compact fluorescent bulbs, they pay for themselves.

I think rather than focusing on all of our efforts on emissions of western countries, we need to focus more on environmental issues in developing countries like china and india. The USA government has made huge strides over the last 30 years towards environment protection, setting up numerous agencies, regulating the industry and even devotes huge sums of money towards reclamation, and forcing offending parties to participant in reclamation [wikipedia.org: CERCLA] and [wikipedia.org: env law].

At this time, countries like China are polluting to the max. Their government doesn't care about pollution as long as industries are helping the economy. I talked to a woman from china and she told me that if you walk around in her city, your collar would get black from air pollution and air particulate.

Canada, the USA, Australia and other western countries have all made environmental mistakes as they have learned about the environment and science has developed over the last century. Their role at this time needs to be to educate ministers of developing countries including china and india and show them how poor environmental regulation is far more costly in the long run (see usa's superfund[wikipedia.org: superfund]).

Sydney Ward: Chinese

In sydney australia there is a chinese lds ward that meets at 1:30pm

Address:
Ashfield (Chinese) Ward
2nd Level, Connaught Building
185 Liverpool Street
Sydney 2000

SICK: I have Mono

I'm looking for a shirt that says "Kiss Me I Have Mono"

LIST: 9 Ways to say lets get outta here

lets make like a baby and head out
lets make like a tree and leaf
lets make like a sandwich and jam
lets make like a rock and roll
lets make like a storm, and blow
lets make like a library and book
lets make like a pantyhose and run
lets make like a hippie and blow this joint
lets make like horse manure and hit the trail

INFO: Worldwide fertility rate for 2005

I selected a number of countries from the source list. It is interesting to notice that the worldwide fertility rate for 2005 was ranked at 104 with 2.6 kids/family.

Most european and westernized countries have low ratios. Whereas 'developing' countries seem to have a lot of children born to each mother in comparison. Some correlate poverty with family size, but at least in western countries where the number of children you have is largely a personal (our a couple's) choice this does not hold. In largely agricultural societies it may be true that the more children you have the more work you can do so the more likely your family is to survive, despite having a few more mouths to feed.

	Rank Country Fertility Rate 1. Niger  7.55  5. Uganda  6.74  10. Angola  6.42  20. Guinea  5.83  30. Eritrea  5.2  40. Gabon  4.77  49. Iraq  4.28  54. Saudi Arabia  4.05  77. Philippines  3.16  80. Malaysia  3.07  89. Egypt  2.88  110. Mexico  2.45  112. Israel  2.44  131. United States  2.08  143. Brazil  1.93  165. Australia  1.76  155. France  1.85  157. Iran  1.82  160. New Zealand  1.79  174. China  1.72  179. United Kingdom  1.66  186. Canada  1.61  188. Taiwan  1.57  193. European Union  1.47  198. Germany  1.39  200. Japan  1.39  206. Greece  1.33  215. Russia  1.27  216. Korea, South  1.26  224. Singapore  1.05  226. Hong Kong  0.93

* rates estimated for 2005 according to source

Source:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html

OPINION: On Being Busy and Being Happy

When someone who is single gets busy there is never someone there with firsthand knowledge of their life to help keep that person in check.

In our lives, we are all at different stages of being busy. When we are young and we move from one phase of our lives into the next, we step into a new stage of being busy. At first we say "I've never been so busy before", then we grow used to being that busy, and wonder what we did with our spare time before. Then when holidays come or we have spare time, we don't sit and relax like we used to, we find new and creative ways to be busy during our holidays, like repair work around the house, writing letters to people, writing in our journal or we create projects for ourselves.

When we are busy, we get so caught up in what keeps us busy that we start to neglect other things. At first it is okay, we neglect 'expendable' things, like spare time. Then we see just how much time we're wasting in a day, and decide to take more hours at work, take an extra class at school or whatever. For some reason we think that "only if I could make more money" or "only if I could take one more class" would I be happier.

Then we lose more of our spare time, and the only non-busy time we have is spent being busy for ourselves, like going grocery shopping, doing laundry, and eating. Life becomes stressful and not very much fun. Then you hit the point of terminal busy-ness, when you don't have time to do things for yourself anymore, laundry and eating become burdens. At this point you have officially sold your soul to your work or school or whatever is keeping you busy.

The biggest problem with being busy is that you neglect others. You no longer have free time to visit a friend in need. You rush around in traffic cutting people off, forgetting that others are more important than you. You don't have time to bring someone soup who is sick, or write a letter to someone dealing with pain. You don't have time to put others before yourself.

You also stop giving yourself time to develop your potential in areas with no immediate redeeming value. You stop excercising, playing instruments or doing other hobbies. You stop having fun, and at some point you stopped being happy.

While having too much time on your hands can be bad too, I struggle most with being too busy. I think it is hard to find a balance between myself, others, work, and school, spare time and play. I am young and I need to play more, but I've tried to grow up so fast that I maybe have forgotten how to play. Instead of being the random nut I used to be now I come across as busy, boring and often selfish.

My real goal along with everyone else is to be happier. I take more hours at work, or take that extra class because I think it will make me happier. I get caught in the "I can't wait until .... only then will I be happy" syndrome. I know I can be happy now if I just put others before myself.

Final thought: Is it selfish to put others before yourself for your own happiness?

INFO: License Plates of Canada

Provincial license plates are issued to cars depending on which province you register your vehicle in. In some ways license plates act like flags, as symbols of a country, province or state. These are the license plates of the provinces of Canada.















License plates available thanks to: http://www.members.shaw.ca/kcic1/

INFO: Abolition of Slavery

I have some American friends who seem to think that the USA has always been a leader in the area of human rights. In school, I seem to remember reading stories about how the Underground Railroad was a way to help slaves escape from the USA to countries free of slavery like Canada and Mexico.

I was curious to see exactly when each major country abolished slavery, so I made the below table to answer my curiousity.

In 1807 Britain passed an anti-slave act, followed by an 1833 Abolition of Slavery act. This of course was applied to the whole of the british empire, including Canada. According to my reading though, it seems that this was merely an official end to slavery of people of african descent. Most european empires did not believe that the countries they occupied were civilized and capable of self-government unless they had a predominant proportion of europeans like in North America. This meant that in British colonies, the colonists were always first-class citizens, and the native people of the country were second-class citizens. Though 1833 was meant to bring the end of slavery in the British empire, it is likely that some forms of slavery or extreme servantry were perpetuated for years.

Also of note, France and its colonies abolished slavery in 1794 due to the French Revolution, but it was re-established later in 1796 when Napoleon gained control.

	Haiti  1791  Spain (+colonies except Cuba)  1811  Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Venezuela  1821  Chile  1823  Mexico  1829  United Kingdom (+colonies)  1833  Sweden  1843  France and (+colonies)  1848  Denmark (+colonies)  1848  Russia  1861  The Netherlands (+colonies)  1863  USA  1865  Puerto Rico  1873  Cuba  1886  Brazil  1888  China  1910

Further Reading:
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/freedom/viewTheme.cfm/theme/timeline
http://www.zum.de/whkmla/period/m19/abolition.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abolition_of_slavery

HUMOR: Follow the Instructions - Exam

Instructions:
Use a blank sheet of paper to take this test for each person taking this exam, you can compare answers when all have finished.
Read everything before doing anything but work as fast as you can.

1. Write your full name on the upper right hand corner.

2. Write the name of the place where you live.

3. Draw a circle around the answer to question 2.

4. Write the name of your birthplace.

5. Write the name of your favorite superstar (sports, film, etc.).

6. Draw a triangle on the lower left hand corner.

7. Underline the answer to question 5.

8. Write down your age in months.

9. State whether you are married or single.

10. Multiply your age in years by 8 and write down the product.

11. Draw an equilateral triangle on the upper left hand corner.

12. Draw an X inside this equilateral triangle.

13. When you reach this point, shout "I have!"

14. Call out loud your first name.

15. Put your hand on top of your head, close your eyes and count out loud from 10 to 1.

16. Keep your hand on top of your head and write down your favorite number.

17. Now that you have read everything before doing anything, do only question 1. Then put down your pen or pencil and if others are taking this test with you, wait for the others to finish. Do not talk!

CULTURE: The Cremation of Sam McGee

This poem is culturally significant to my family, and has to do with the hardships of the northern climate.

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.
Why he left his home in the South to roam ‘round the Pole, God only knows.
He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;
Though he’d often say in his homely way that “he’d sooner live in hell.”

On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka’s fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we’d close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn’t see;
It wasn’t much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.

And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,
And the dogs were fed, and the stars o’erhead were dancing heel and toe,
He turned to me, and “Cap,” says he, “I’ll cash in this trip, I guess;
And if I do, I’m asking that you won’t refuse my last request.”

Well, he seemed so low that I couldn’t say no; then he says with a sort of moan:
“It’s the cursed cold, and it’s got right hold till I’m chilled clean through to the bone.
Yet ‘taint being dead--it’s my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;
So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you’ll cremate my last remains.”

A pal’s last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;
And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.
He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;
And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee.

There wasn’t a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,
With a corpse half hid that I couldn’t get rid, because of a promise given;
It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say:“You may tax your brawn and brains,
But you promised true, and it’s up to you to cremate those last remains.”

Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.
In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load.
In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,
Howled out their woes to the homeless snows—O God! how I loathed the thing.

And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;
And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;
The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;
And I’d often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.

Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;
It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the “Alice May.”
And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;
Then “Here,” said I, with a sudden cry, “is my cre-ma-tor-eum.”

Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared, and the furnace roared—such a blaze you seldom see;
And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.

Then I made a hike, for I didn’t like to hear him sizzle so;
And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.
It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don’t know why;
And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.

I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;
But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near;
I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: “I’ll just take a peep inside.
I guess he’s cooked, and it’s time I looked;” . . . then the door I opened wide.

And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: “Please close that door.
It’s fine in here, but I greatly fear you’ll let in the cold and storm—
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it’s the first time I’ve been warm.”

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

by Robert W. Service

"Robert W. Service, a Canadian poet and novelist, was known for his ballads of the Yukon. He wrote this narrative poem which is presented here because it is an outstanding example of how sensory stimuli are emphasized and it has a surprise ending.

Robert William Service was born in Preston, England, on January 16, 1874. He emigrated to Canada at the age of twenty, in 1894, and settled for a short time on Vancouver Island. He was employed by the Canadian Bank of Commerce in Victoria, B.C., and was later transferred to Whitehorse and then to Dawson in the Yukon. In all, he spent eight years in the Yukon and saw and experienced the difficult times of the miners, trappers, and hunters that he has presented to us in verse.

During the Balkan War of 1912-13, Service was a war correspondent to the Toronto Star. He served this paper in the same capacity during World War I, also serving two years as an ambulance driver in the Canadian Army medical corps. He returned to Victoria for a time during World War II, but later lived in retirement on the French Riviera, where he died on September 14, 1958, in Monte Carlo.

Sam McGee was a real person, a customer at the Bank of Commerce where Service worked. The Alice May was a real boat, the Olive May, a derelict on Lake Laberge.

Anyone who has experienced the bitterness of cold weather and what it can do to a man will empathize with Sam McGee’s feelings as expressed by Robert Service in this poem." - http://www.wordfocus.com/wordactcremation.html

MOTIVATIONAL: Buttprints in the Sand

I heard this from a friend once.

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.

But then some strange prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord, they are too big for feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you along.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt."

"Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand."

-Anonymous