<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786766178298340269</id><updated>2024-08-29T18:44:54.440-07:00</updated><category term="Helen Keller"/><category term="Igor Plotnikov"/><category term="Jason McElwain"/><category term="John Wood"/><category term="cris carrier"/><category term="hee ah lee"/><category term="michael weisskopf"/><category term="warren buffet"/><category term="wilma rudolf"/><title type='text'>Source Of Inspirational Stories</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>L1W4</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03579480680093693412</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>10</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786766178298340269.post-3785599620706966546</id><published>2008-06-01T06:32:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-06-01T10:26:03.732-07:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="cris carrier"/><title type='text'>Cris Carrier (The Power Of Forgiveness)</title><content type='html'>In 1976, one day before Christmas holiday, Cris Carrier young (10 years old) was walking to his home when suddenly a guy came to him and asked Cris to follow him. Cris followed that guy because Cris thought that guy is his father&#39;s friend.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What Cris didn&#39;t know was that guy got fired because always drank when he still became a caregiver for Cris&#39; family. That day, that guy was planned to take a vengeance for what Cris&#39; family did to him. That guy shot Cris in his head and left Cris alone among the scrub. Cris unconscious for six days before he was found by someone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2 weeks after that accident, Cris tried to description the guy that already shot Cris but Cris couldn&#39;t do that because still trauma.  That guy  was released because police don&#39;t have any proof. That guy already made Cris&#39; left eye became blind, the miracle is Cris didn&#39;t have any serious injured in his head. With the care, love and support from his family, Cris tried go back to his school and his life again.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Almost for 3 years Cris couldn&#39;t sleep alone and always sleep with his parents because he felt like there was someone stow to his room.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On September 1996, Major Charles Schere from Coral Gables Corp told Cris that he already found the guy who shot him. Cris went to old folks home and met that guy, Cris became pity because that guy lived alone there and blind because glaucoma.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When he met Cris, he sorry for what he already done. Cris said that he already forgive him a long time ago. Cris always visited that guy and gave a family care to that guy until that guy died.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Valuable things that we can learn :&lt;br /&gt;1. Cris can forgive that guy who already makes him blind because Cris know that Jesus can forgive him and why he can&#39;t forgive that guy.&lt;br /&gt;2. Jesus&#39; miracle is so amazing, how can a boy that is shot in his head can still life. Only miracle!&lt;br /&gt;3. Jesus&#39; plan is wonderful at Jesus&#39; time. Just believe HIM!</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/feeds/3785599620706966546/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/7786766178298340269/3785599620706966546' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/3785599620706966546'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/3785599620706966546'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/2008/06/cris-carrier-power-of-forgiveness.html' title='Cris Carrier (The Power Of Forgiveness)'/><author><name>L1W4</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03579480680093693412</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786766178298340269.post-5059215788177202997</id><published>2008-05-13T23:16:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-12T23:39:03.833-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="michael weisskopf"/><title type='text'>Michael Weisskopf</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzos9qN48MI90bLgyQJfCogzrhYnRsUq0VMxGeKXvyKiiJRgYOaHdTaL6SJGh3HvNNbAGlkgfHxxHIT3_M9O5DW4CraDCLQBkbUIK9qrivEUi1i4FYDdHGLGbYAl1ByAx94LOr23FVlfz/s200/michael+weisskopf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200114444213972690&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Michael Weisskopf (59 years old) is a journalist that have been working for 20 years at The Washington Post. In 1997,  he is join at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1538664,00.html&quot;&gt;TIME&lt;/a&gt; magazine. One of the duty that he must take as a journalist is to make a report of US soldier in Iraq War on December 10, 2003.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This tragedy was happened when he was riding in the back of an open humvee along with TIME photographer James Nachtwey and two young soldiers, Private Orion Jenks and Private First Class Jim Beverly. No one of them realized there was something that was thrown away to their car, but Michael knew it. Michael rose halfway, leaned to the right, and cupped the object. He might as well have plucked volcanic lava from a crater. He could feel the flesh of my palm liquefying. Pain bolted up my arm like an electric current. In one fluid motion, I raised my right arm and started to throw the mass over the side of the vehicle, a short backhand toss. Then everything went dark.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After he was conscious, he shocked because he lost his right hand.  That was make Michael so desperate. Fortunately, there was nurse that encouraged him and so proud of Michael because he already saved a lot of lives by threw away the bomb even it was injured himself, he was a hero.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To reduce Michael&#39;s trauma, he was sent to hospital in German that specialize to handle trauma. After that, Michael was sent to military hospital Ward 57 at Walter Reed, Washington. This hospital was specialize to take care soldier that lost part of his body. In this hospital, Michael saw and struggle with other patient pain. Not just physical pain but also depression.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAj5Uq22JU3n2KH3R_4KlnKdwD8oJ9Ikx9kX0mBcyllHRHTasjrVbXs7Uy0Gp9-3FKc1jgy6kxmVVPDY6qhjBx2eEb9Rdt_mbwWxb4pViTS1j7pwJRBkmVkC5TO7AkQWPCzYx2_Tz4I-YZ/s1600-h/blood+brothers.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAj5Uq22JU3n2KH3R_4KlnKdwD8oJ9Ikx9kX0mBcyllHRHTasjrVbXs7Uy0Gp9-3FKc1jgy6kxmVVPDY6qhjBx2eEb9Rdt_mbwWxb4pViTS1j7pwJRBkmVkC5TO7AkQWPCzYx2_Tz4I-YZ/s200/blood+brothers.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200143418063351522&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;From that Michael came up from his trauma and write his experience in to book. His book title is Blood Brothers : Among the Soldiers of Ward 57. His book is released on October 2006.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Because his brave, Michael Weisskopf has received the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Polk_Award&quot; class=&quot;mw-redirect&quot; title=&quot;George Polk Award&quot;&gt;George Polk Award&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goldsmith_Award_for_Investigative_Reporting&amp;amp;action=edit&amp;amp;redlink=1&quot; class=&quot;new&quot; title=&quot;Goldsmith Award for Investigative Reporting (page does not exist)&quot;&gt;Goldsmith Award for Investigative Reporting&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Headliners_Award&amp;amp;action=edit&amp;amp;redlink=1&quot; class=&quot;new&quot; title=&quot;National Headliners Award (page does not exist)&quot;&gt;National Headliners Award&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Daniel_Pearl_Award_for_Courage_and_Integrity_in_Journalism&amp;amp;action=edit&amp;amp;redlink=1&quot; class=&quot;new&quot; title=&quot;Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism (page does not exist)&quot;&gt;Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism&lt;/a&gt; the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Army&quot; class=&quot;mw-redirect&quot; title=&quot;U.S. Army&quot;&gt;U.S. Army&lt;/a&gt;&#39;s &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fourth_Estate_Award&amp;amp;action=edit&amp;amp;redlink=1&quot; class=&quot;new&quot; title=&quot;Fourth Estate Award (page does not exist)&quot;&gt;Fourth Estate Award&lt;/a&gt; and the Urbino Press Award 2007 (Italy).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;Life that not maximal is not because on what you don&#39;t have, but it is because you don&#39;t maximal what you have now&quot;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/feeds/5059215788177202997/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/7786766178298340269/5059215788177202997' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/5059215788177202997'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/5059215788177202997'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/2008/05/michael-weisskopf.html' title='Michael Weisskopf'/><author><name>L1W4</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03579480680093693412</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzos9qN48MI90bLgyQJfCogzrhYnRsUq0VMxGeKXvyKiiJRgYOaHdTaL6SJGh3HvNNbAGlkgfHxxHIT3_M9O5DW4CraDCLQBkbUIK9qrivEUi1i4FYDdHGLGbYAl1ByAx94LOr23FVlfz/s72-c/michael+weisskopf.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786766178298340269.post-638414773153540723</id><published>2008-04-13T06:33:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-12T23:39:04.190-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="warren buffet"/><title type='text'>Warren Buffet</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxphnmA2jS8e0a7yt5Vk67siQliTmMxvnXvyUSS4U9mBOqJwvWhPwQh6QPwl06Cp7RYu80SLmRbZ9TaBBxrM7WmmFTcg3NQ0fj_Y5GCsamzmJrC905Sz3PXPWL72jlKy5nFwf2-4N8qh0/s1600-h/warren+buffet.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxphnmA2jS8e0a7yt5Vk67siQliTmMxvnXvyUSS4U9mBOqJwvWhPwQh6QPwl06Cp7RYu80SLmRbZ9TaBBxrM7WmmFTcg3NQ0fj_Y5GCsamzmJrC905Sz3PXPWL72jlKy5nFwf2-4N8qh0/s200/warren+buffet.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188730226094407618&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;Warren Edward Buffett&lt;/b&gt; (born &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_30&quot; title=&quot;August 30&quot;&gt;August 30&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1930&quot; title=&quot;1930&quot;&gt;1930&lt;/a&gt;, in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha%2C_Nebraska&quot; title=&quot;Omaha, Nebraska&quot;&gt;Omaha&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska&quot; title=&quot;Nebraska&quot;&gt;Nebraska&lt;/a&gt;) is an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States&quot; title=&quot;United States&quot;&gt;American&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investor&quot; title=&quot;Investor&quot;&gt;investor&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Businessman&quot; class=&quot;mw-redirect&quot; title=&quot;Businessman&quot;&gt;businessman&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philanthropist&quot; class=&quot;mw-redirect&quot; title=&quot;Philanthropist&quot;&gt;philanthropist&lt;/a&gt;. He is regarded as one of the world&#39;s greatest &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_market&quot; title=&quot;Stock market&quot;&gt;stock market&lt;/a&gt; investors, and is the largest &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareholder&quot; title=&quot;Shareholder&quot;&gt;shareholder&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_executive_officer&quot; title=&quot;Chief executive officer&quot;&gt;CEO&lt;/a&gt; of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkshire_Hathaway&quot; title=&quot;Berkshire Hathaway&quot;&gt;Berkshire Hathaway&lt;/a&gt;. With an estimated &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_worth&quot; title=&quot;Net worth&quot;&gt;net worth&lt;/a&gt; of around &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_dollar&quot; title=&quot;United States dollar&quot;&gt;US$&lt;/a&gt;62 billion, he was ranked by &lt;i&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes&quot; title=&quot;Forbes&quot;&gt;Forbes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt; as the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_billionaires_%282008%29&quot; class=&quot;mw-redirect&quot; title=&quot;List of billionaires (2008)&quot;&gt;richest person in the world&lt;/a&gt; as of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_5&quot; title=&quot;March 5&quot;&gt;March 5&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008&quot; title=&quot;2008&quot;&gt;2008&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There was a one-hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity. Here are some very      interesting aspects of his life:&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;He bought his first share      at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;He bought a small farm at      age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha, that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;He drives his own car      everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;He never travel by private      jet, although he owns the world’s largest private jet company.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis. He has given his CEO’s only two rules:&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Rule number 1: do not lose      any of your shareholder’s money.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Rule number 2: do not      forget rule number 1.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch television.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Bill Gates, the world’s richest man met him for the first time only 5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Warren Buffet does not      carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;His advice to young people:      “Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself and remember:&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Money doesn’t create man      but it is the man who created money.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Live your life as simple as      you are.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Don’t do what others say,      just listen to them, but do what you feel good.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Don’t go on brand name;      just wear those things in which you feel comfortable.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Don’t waste your money on      unnecessary things; just spend on them who really in need rather.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;After all it’s your life      then why give chance to others to rule our life.”&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;I like and very respect with Warren Buffet because he is smart and low profile eventough he is the richest person in the world. Nobody can be like him.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/feeds/638414773153540723/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/7786766178298340269/638414773153540723' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/638414773153540723'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/638414773153540723'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/2008/04/warren-buffet.html' title='Warren Buffet'/><author><name>L1W4</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03579480680093693412</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxphnmA2jS8e0a7yt5Vk67siQliTmMxvnXvyUSS4U9mBOqJwvWhPwQh6QPwl06Cp7RYu80SLmRbZ9TaBBxrM7WmmFTcg3NQ0fj_Y5GCsamzmJrC905Sz3PXPWL72jlKy5nFwf2-4N8qh0/s72-c/warren+buffet.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786766178298340269.post-6463687724200612685</id><published>2008-04-08T09:32:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-12T23:39:04.445-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="wilma rudolf"/><title type='text'>Wilma Rudolf : Sport Hero</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVA4m6I_hG5yS5F0ZZAb8mAF3K0b3GHbmu6beDjJq6TIaBym_ouSoxMojAYE9At3GockX1Y32N0pIB-shTIfwpcX0x84lzqgJYXhM5tx58hZGH5M16YrPLUt0o8YkWnQb6eOyV2y46uUz/s1600-h/wilma+rudolf.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVA4m6I_hG5yS5F0ZZAb8mAF3K0b3GHbmu6beDjJq6TIaBym_ouSoxMojAYE9At3GockX1Y32N0pIB-shTIfwpcX0x84lzqgJYXhM5tx58hZGH5M16YrPLUt0o8YkWnQb6eOyV2y46uUz/s200/wilma+rudolf.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186916382474323378&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Wilma Rudolph was an exceptional American track and field athlete who overcame debilitating childhood illnesses and went on to become the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wilma Rudolph was born in 1940 in Bethlehem, Tenn. The twentieth of 22 children, she was born with polio and suffered from serious bouts of pneumonia and scarlet fever as a young child. All these ailments contributed to a bad leg that some said would prevent her from ever walking. But Wilma had a loving and devoted family who made sure she got medical attention and who provided physical therapy themselves four times a day. She wore a leg brace from the time she was five until she was 11 years old. Then, one Sunday, she removed it and walked down the aisle of her church.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When Wilma was 13, she got involved in organized sports at school, including basketball and track. Soon she was running and winning races. She was invited to a training camp at Tennessee State University by coach Ed Temple, who coached numerous track and field athletes and became Wilma&#39;s most important professional influence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In 1956, when she was still a sophomore in high school, she participated in the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. She lost the 200 meter race, but her relay team took home the bronze medal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wilma became more determined than ever. In 1958, she began college at Tennessee State University and became a member of Ed Temple&#39;s &quot;Tigerbelles&quot; track team. In 1960, she set a world record for the 200 meter dash during the Olympic trials. Then during the Olympic games in Rome, she became the first American woman to win three gold medals in the 100 meter dash, the 200 meter dash and the 400 meter relay. When she returned to Tennessee, she was honored with her hometown&#39;s first racially integrated parade.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The next year she received a Sullivan Award, which is given annually to the top amateur athlete in the United States. Subsequent honors included the Black Sports Hall of Fame, the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and the National Women&#39;s Hall of Fame. In 1993, she became the first recipient of President Clinton&#39;s National Sports Award.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wilma had worked her way through school and later became a coach and teacher. Her autobiography, &quot;Wilma Rudolph on Track&quot;, was a bestseller, and in 1977 it became a television movie, starring Cicely Tyson. Wilma&#39;s greatest pride was her four children.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On Nov. 12, 1994, Wilma Rudolph died of a brain tumor at the age of 54. The Olympic flag covered her casket at her funeral. She will always be remembered for her inspirational determination to overcome her physical disabilities. Through the love of her family and her religious convictions she rose above the racism and segregation of her time. She recognized the importance of good teachers in her own life, and later became a teacher herself. Wilma Rudolph was not only a sports hero, she was also a family hero and a teacher hero.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Written by Nancy Nickerson</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/feeds/6463687724200612685/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/7786766178298340269/6463687724200612685' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/6463687724200612685'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/6463687724200612685'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/2008/04/wilma-rudolf-sport-hero.html' title='Wilma Rudolf : Sport Hero'/><author><name>L1W4</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03579480680093693412</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVA4m6I_hG5yS5F0ZZAb8mAF3K0b3GHbmu6beDjJq6TIaBym_ouSoxMojAYE9At3GockX1Y32N0pIB-shTIfwpcX0x84lzqgJYXhM5tx58hZGH5M16YrPLUt0o8YkWnQb6eOyV2y46uUz/s72-c/wilma+rudolf.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786766178298340269.post-3896338149294466123</id><published>2008-03-31T06:46:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-12T23:39:04.702-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="John Wood"/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUUtAq0-nj3QI1ptD0kQ4EP6X7MeFhWWSHjDKV7RnLHTVv41NNslyeVrrnd3PeGUwV2kCuxy65P2Ud6L_JvLtz6BCAW-3tjGw4LfCfhIm4qW5hPqdijJT0ITptz-xVNg1Uq-SVKFmbLDp/s1600-h/john+wood.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUUtAq0-nj3QI1ptD0kQ4EP6X7MeFhWWSHjDKV7RnLHTVv41NNslyeVrrnd3PeGUwV2kCuxy65P2Ud6L_JvLtz6BCAW-3tjGw4LfCfhIm4qW5hPqdijJT0ITptz-xVNg1Uq-SVKFmbLDp/s200/john+wood.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183902878800627026&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Few individuals choose to walk away at the height of their corporate career to dedicate their   life to a social cause.   &lt;p&gt;   At age 35, John Wood did just that - quitting his position as Microsoft&#39;s Director of Business   Development for the Greater China Region in order to found Room to Read. He has never looked   back. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;   John&#39;s career at Microsoft spanned 1991 to 1999, where he ran significant parts of Microsoft&#39;s   international business, as the Director of Marketing for the Asia-Pacific Division, Director   of the Internet Customer Unit for Microsoft Australia, and Director of Marketing for Microsoft   Australia. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;   In 1998, John took a vacation that changed his life. Trekking through a remote Himalayan   village, he struck up conversation with a schoolteacher, who invited John to visit his school.   There, John discovered that the few books available were so precious that they were kept under   lock and key - to protect them from the children! Fewer than 20 books, all backpacker   cast-aways, were available for more than 450 students. &lt;/p&gt; What started with a simple email requesting friends donate used books has grown into Room to   Read, an award winning non-profit that over the past eight years has established over 5,160   libraries, donated and published 4.3 million books, built 442 schools, and funded over 4,036   long-term scholarships for girls - impacting the lives of over 1.7 million students worldwide.  &lt;p&gt;   John strives to bring the lessons of the corporate world to the non-profit sector. Room to   Read combines his passion with the discipline of a well-run global company. He has been   described by Fast Company Magazine as &quot;all heart, all business.&quot; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;   John has received countless honors for his work, including recognition as a &quot;Young Global   Leader&quot; by the World Economic Forum and as one of Time Magazine&#39;s &quot;Asian   Heroes.&quot; Room to Read is a five-time winner of Fast Company Magazine&#39;s Social Capitalist   Award, a recipient of the Skoll Foundation Award for Social Innovation, and a recipient of   Draper Richards Fellowship for social entrepreneurs. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;   John holds a Bachelors of Science, &lt;em&gt;magna cum laude&lt;/em&gt;, from the University of Colorado,   and a Masters of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at   Northwestern University. He lives and works in San Francisco, CA. &lt;/p&gt;Source : www.leavingmicrosoftbook.com/author.html</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/feeds/3896338149294466123/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/7786766178298340269/3896338149294466123' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/3896338149294466123'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/3896338149294466123'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/2008/03/few-individuals-choose-to-walk-away-at.html' title=''/><author><name>L1W4</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03579480680093693412</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUUtAq0-nj3QI1ptD0kQ4EP6X7MeFhWWSHjDKV7RnLHTVv41NNslyeVrrnd3PeGUwV2kCuxy65P2Ud6L_JvLtz6BCAW-3tjGw4LfCfhIm4qW5hPqdijJT0ITptz-xVNg1Uq-SVKFmbLDp/s72-c/john+wood.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786766178298340269.post-3216693762963231174</id><published>2008-03-15T09:12:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2008-12-12T23:39:04.897-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="hee ah lee"/><title type='text'>He Ah Lee - Four Fingered Pianist</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiettvFZHhz1hFuId0ZGWgKUkqc4OqN33-i66RiJp6aKUwacfaWEx4sqEIlme4WmpuV-lbx3nrnje8Jr10XOHqWkhxXWMsx7Wtck7hkZ5G7s_Bw0nPWndXKCdwZ1pF0ZNf061PpJyyMAv81/s1600-h/hee+ah+lee.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiettvFZHhz1hFuId0ZGWgKUkqc4OqN33-i66RiJp6aKUwacfaWEx4sqEIlme4WmpuV-lbx3nrnje8Jr10XOHqWkhxXWMsx7Wtck7hkZ5G7s_Bw0nPWndXKCdwZ1pF0ZNf061PpJyyMAv81/s200/hee+ah+lee.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178003432024899138&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Lee Hee-ah, 20, a disabled pianist who is making a deep impression on many  people around the world by playing the piano despite having only four fingers,  will release her first album. &lt;p&gt;Her album entitled &quot;Hee-ah, a Pianist with Four Fingers&quot; will hit  the market around June 20.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The album will feature Lee&#39;s favorite classical numbers, such as &quot;Fantaisie  Impromptu in C sharp minor, op. 66&quot; and &quot;Waltz No. 10&quot; by Frederic  Francois Chopin, &quot;Hungarian Dance&quot; by Johannes Brahms, &quot;Plaisir  d&#39;Amour&quot; by Giovanni Battista Martini, &quot;Serenade&quot; by Franz Peter  Schubert, and &quot;Piano Concerto No. 21 -- the Second Movement&quot; by Wolfgang  Amadeus Mozart.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The album also features &quot;Amazing Grace,&quot; sung by Lee, and &quot;Hee-ah&#39;s  Song&quot; written by Stephen Moon (Korean name Moon So-yon), a graduate of  Seoul National University&#39;s Department of Composition who was in charge of producing  the album. The recording began three years ago. Only &quot;Hee-ah&#39;s Song&quot;  was recorded recently, but most of the other numbers, including &quot;Fantaisie  Impromptu in C sharp minor, op. 66,&quot; were recorded around 2002.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Lee&#39;s mother, Woo Kap-sun, 50, said she had originally intended to record  her daughter&#39;s music in an album not to be sold, but to be kept in Lee&#39;s personal  archive.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&quot;In fact, I was concerned very much about the sales of the album, because  Hee-ah&#39;s performing skills naturally fall behind those of normal professional  pianists. The album was not designed for my daughter to play music for somebody  else, but to represent her inner spiritual world,&quot; said Lee&#39;s mother.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Lee played with the Thames Philharmonic Orchestra in Britain on June 12.  According to her mother, Lee received a standing ovation after playing &quot;Hee-ah&#39;s  Song&quot; as an encore performance in Britain.&lt;/p&gt;Taken from www.english.kbs.co.kr/society/news/1354631_11773.html</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/feeds/3216693762963231174/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/7786766178298340269/3216693762963231174' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/3216693762963231174'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/3216693762963231174'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/2008/03/he-ah-lee-four-fingered-pianist.html' title='He Ah Lee - Four Fingered Pianist'/><author><name>L1W4</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03579480680093693412</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiettvFZHhz1hFuId0ZGWgKUkqc4OqN33-i66RiJp6aKUwacfaWEx4sqEIlme4WmpuV-lbx3nrnje8Jr10XOHqWkhxXWMsx7Wtck7hkZ5G7s_Bw0nPWndXKCdwZ1pF0ZNf061PpJyyMAv81/s72-c/hee+ah+lee.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786766178298340269.post-8367449058008198910</id><published>2008-02-24T07:16:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2008-12-12T23:39:05.217-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Igor Plotnikov"/><title type='text'>Igor Plotnikov</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZqUW3AXsEWPSvMzvyHCBh7Pk8yaTRGOjqMzBImDkJyW3gqlrEGDdTx1cGQuFbwpVR9Gp45OPTFR0ZGI9dcD8BH1YI78w2AYS6kau9pUO77-jZi1SZLCGlHEK2e-Dk8lJBSyzD4s5bDIr/s1600-h/igorplotnikov.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZqUW3AXsEWPSvMzvyHCBh7Pk8yaTRGOjqMzBImDkJyW3gqlrEGDdTx1cGQuFbwpVR9Gp45OPTFR0ZGI9dcD8BH1YI78w2AYS6kau9pUO77-jZi1SZLCGlHEK2e-Dk8lJBSyzD4s5bDIr/s200/igorplotnikov.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170566764060657378&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Disabilities maybe makes a lot of people become shame and feel inferior. They become person that don&#39;t have spirit and hope again in their live.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Disabilities have no bearing on how much a person can achieve in life. Take for example Igor Plotnikov, Russian swimmer, who set a world record for the 50m Butterfly swimming event with a time of 32.52 seconds at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now, if someone were to ask how you thought a swimmer without arms would do in a contest against athletes who’s arms were intact I’ll bet you’d guess wrong.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don&#39;t blame yourself and other people because your disabilities.  Don&#39;t become shame and feel inferior person. You must accept whatever you are because Jesus never wrong to create you. Try to make your weakness to become your strong point.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/feeds/8367449058008198910/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/7786766178298340269/8367449058008198910' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/8367449058008198910'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/8367449058008198910'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/2008/02/igor-plotnikov.html' title='Igor Plotnikov'/><author><name>L1W4</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03579480680093693412</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZqUW3AXsEWPSvMzvyHCBh7Pk8yaTRGOjqMzBImDkJyW3gqlrEGDdTx1cGQuFbwpVR9Gp45OPTFR0ZGI9dcD8BH1YI78w2AYS6kau9pUO77-jZi1SZLCGlHEK2e-Dk8lJBSyzD4s5bDIr/s72-c/igorplotnikov.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786766178298340269.post-2683207471774913133</id><published>2008-02-01T11:03:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2008-04-16T11:05:02.252-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Privacy Policy</title><content type='html'>If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at h3av3ns_g1rl82@yahoo.com.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At www.1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by www.1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com and how it is used.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Log Files&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Like many other Web sites, www.1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Cookies and Web Beacons&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;www.1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com does not use cookies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some of our advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site. Our advertising partners include Google Adsense,           . &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on www.1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;www.1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. www.1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com&#39;s privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers&#39; respective websites.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/feeds/2683207471774913133/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/7786766178298340269/2683207471774913133' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/2683207471774913133'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/2683207471774913133'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/2008/02/privacy-policy.html' title='Privacy Policy'/><author><name>L1W4</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03579480680093693412</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786766178298340269.post-136467253049423225</id><published>2008-01-22T08:07:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2008-12-12T23:39:05.536-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Jason McElwain"/><title type='text'>Autistic Teen&#39;s Hoop Dreams Come True</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ezTDYHJuEl_u6LaYyo8PZj_zO5kJ5OcIDE4XxSoReOUUtbAPMqLk9eVrnlqBCk43LrYAouds_NkeAbM8KChqOJvg0XydaK-5mzHoMPyqTxegIwzhtadp2bpgTTUB4xIX8vDWX1ITvnyx/s1600-h/Jason+McElwain.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ezTDYHJuEl_u6LaYyo8PZj_zO5kJ5OcIDE4XxSoReOUUtbAPMqLk9eVrnlqBCk43LrYAouds_NkeAbM8KChqOJvg0XydaK-5mzHoMPyqTxegIwzhtadp2bpgTTUB4xIX8vDWX1ITvnyx/s200/Jason+McElwain.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158336199113158626&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Senior Jason McElwain had been the manager of the varsity basketball team of Greece Athena High School in Rochester, N.Y.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;McElwain, who&#39;s autistic, was added to the roster by coach Jim Johnson so he could be given a jersey and get to sit on the bench in the team&#39;s last game of the year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Johnson hoped the situation would even enable him to get McElwain onto the floor a little playing time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;He got the chance, with Greece Athena up by double-digits with four minutes go to.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And, in his first action of the year, McElwain missed his first two shots, but then &lt;a href=&quot;javascript:void(0);&quot; onclick=&quot;playVid(&#39;1339327n&#39;, &#39;all&#39;); return false&quot; class=&quot;link&quot;&gt;sank six three-pointers and another shot (video)&lt;/a&gt;, for a total of 20 points in three minutes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;My first shot was an air ball (missing the hoop), by a lot, then I missed a lay-up,&quot; McElwain recalls. &quot;As the first shot went in, and then the second shot, as soon as that went in, I just started to catch fire.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;I&#39;ve had a lot of thrills in coaching,&quot; Johnson says. &quot;I&#39;ve coached a lot of wonderful kids. But I&#39;ve never experienced such a thrill.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The crowd went wild, and his teammates carried the excited McElwain off the court.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;I felt like a celebrity!&quot; he beamed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;McElwain&#39;s mother sees it as a milestone for her son.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;This is the first moment Jason has ever succeeded (and could be) proud of himself,&quot; reflects Debbie McElwain. &quot;I look at autism as the Berlin Wall, and he cracked it.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;His teammates couldn&#39;t be happier.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;He&#39;s a cool kid,&quot; says guard Levar Goff. &quot;You just get to know him, get used to being around him. A couple of weeks ago, he missed practice because he was sick. You feel different when he&#39;s not around. He brings humor and life to the team.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jason&#39;s next goal: to graduate.&lt;!-- sphereit end --&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;storyCopyright legal&quot;&gt;©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/feeds/136467253049423225/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/7786766178298340269/136467253049423225' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/136467253049423225'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/136467253049423225'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/2008/01/autistic-teens-hoop-dreams-come-true.html' title='Autistic Teen&#39;s Hoop Dreams Come True'/><author><name>L1W4</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03579480680093693412</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ezTDYHJuEl_u6LaYyo8PZj_zO5kJ5OcIDE4XxSoReOUUtbAPMqLk9eVrnlqBCk43LrYAouds_NkeAbM8KChqOJvg0XydaK-5mzHoMPyqTxegIwzhtadp2bpgTTUB4xIX8vDWX1ITvnyx/s72-c/Jason+McElwain.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786766178298340269.post-4792100272898823003</id><published>2008-01-09T21:50:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2008-12-12T23:39:06.117-08:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Helen Keller"/><title type='text'>Helen Adams Keller</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-eqQOIG-976IZKVaGq3j_gq55CXXeSHoYvMB5_KmoBJE3tevnt3IbfMD4M5BqBn1TCvEE3UXZbKv-eehHSeA9v_AQT6HIfaxqvD-lISnmbwU5nX74jpc9LNgvhQrp1JHGvHZwyxXKpFg/s1600-h/Helen+Adams+Keller.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-eqQOIG-976IZKVaGq3j_gq55CXXeSHoYvMB5_KmoBJE3tevnt3IbfMD4M5BqBn1TCvEE3UXZbKv-eehHSeA9v_AQT6HIfaxqvD-lISnmbwU5nX74jpc9LNgvhQrp1JHGvHZwyxXKpFg/s200/Helen+Adams+Keller.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153729030644412274&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;Helen Adams Keller&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_27&quot; title=&quot;June 27&quot;&gt;June 27&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1880&quot; title=&quot;1880&quot;&gt;1880&lt;/a&gt; – &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_1&quot; title=&quot;June 1&quot;&gt;June 1&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968&quot; title=&quot;1968&quot;&gt;1968&lt;/a&gt;) was an &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States&quot; title=&quot;United States&quot;&gt;American&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Author&quot; title=&quot;Author&quot;&gt;author&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activist&quot; title=&quot;Activist&quot;&gt;activist&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lecturer&quot; title=&quot;Lecturer&quot;&gt;lecturer&lt;/a&gt;. She was the first &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deafblindness&quot; title=&quot;Deafblindness&quot;&gt;deafblind&lt;/a&gt; person to graduate from college. The story of how a remarkable teacher broke through the isolation that a lack of language had imposed on the child, who blossomed as she learned to communicate, is a staple of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_folklore&quot; title=&quot;American folklore&quot;&gt;American folklore&lt;/a&gt; and has become known worldwide. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;What is less well known is how Keller&#39;s life developed after she completed her education. She was a prolific author, was well traveled, and campaigned for &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workers%27_rights&quot; title=&quot;Workers&#39; rights&quot;&gt;workers&#39; rights&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage&quot; title=&quot;Women&#39;s suffrage&quot;&gt;women&#39;s suffrage&lt;/a&gt;, and many other progressive causes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;mw-headline&quot;&gt;Early childhood and illness&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKJWoZzQcxsDnOitEwavCfHounP1jyW0lg5FHbRvQ_Zy5qV-ZyS_N4RO0zWyQ3aP6m6mcDp5Zpn1r0rA8bt9bHbHPgm2S75saE3NqfoNLAIwg_D4_01webZycJGJOu8ockIeSchTZ2U4u/s1600-h/Helen+Keller+age+7.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKJWoZzQcxsDnOitEwavCfHounP1jyW0lg5FHbRvQ_Zy5qV-ZyS_N4RO0zWyQ3aP6m6mcDp5Zpn1r0rA8bt9bHbHPgm2S75saE3NqfoNLAIwg_D4_01webZycJGJOu8ockIeSchTZ2U4u/s200/Helen+Keller+age+7.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153729881047936898&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Helen Keller was born at an estate called &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Green&quot; title=&quot;Ivy Green&quot;&gt;Ivy Green&lt;/a&gt;&lt;sup id=&quot;_ref-0&quot; class=&quot;reference&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller#_note-0&quot; title=&quot;&quot;&gt;[1]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt; in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuscumbia%2C_Alabama&quot; title=&quot;Tuscumbia, Alabama&quot;&gt;Tuscumbia, Alabama&lt;/a&gt;, on &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_27&quot; title=&quot;June 27&quot;&gt;June 27&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1880&quot; title=&quot;1880&quot;&gt;1880&lt;/a&gt;, to Captain Arthur H. Keller, a former officer of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_Army&quot; title=&quot;Confederate Army&quot;&gt;Confederate Army&lt;/a&gt;, and Kate Adams Keller, a cousin of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee&quot; title=&quot;Robert E. Lee&quot;&gt;Robert E. Lee&lt;/a&gt; and daughter of Charles W. Adams, a former Confederate general&lt;sup id=&quot;_ref-1&quot; class=&quot;reference&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller#_note-1&quot; title=&quot;&quot;&gt;[2]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;. The Keller family originates from &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany&quot; title=&quot;Germany&quot;&gt;Germany&lt;/a&gt;, and at least one source claims her father was of Swiss descent.&lt;sup id=&quot;_ref-2&quot; class=&quot;reference&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller#_note-2&quot; title=&quot;&quot;&gt;[3]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/sup&gt; She was not born blind and deaf; it was not until nineteen months of age that she came down with an illness described by doctors as &quot;an acute congestion of the stomach and the brain&quot;, which could have possibly been &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_fever&quot; title=&quot;Scarlet fever&quot;&gt;scarlet fever&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meningitis&quot; title=&quot;Meningitis&quot;&gt;meningitis&lt;/a&gt;. The illness did not last for a particularly long time, but it left her deaf and blind. At that time her only communication partner was Martha Washington, the six-year-old daughter of the family cook, who was able to create a &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_language&quot; title=&quot;Sign language&quot;&gt;sign language&lt;/a&gt; with her; by age seven, she had over 60 &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_sign&quot; title=&quot;Home sign&quot;&gt;home signs&lt;/a&gt; to communicate with her family.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt; In his &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctorate&quot; title=&quot;Doctorate&quot;&gt;doctoral&lt;/a&gt; dissertation, &quot;Deaf-blind Children (psychological development in a process of education)&quot; (1971, Moscow Defectology Institute), &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet&quot; title=&quot;Soviet&quot;&gt;Soviet&lt;/a&gt; blind-deaf psychologist Meshcheryakov asserted that Washington&#39;s friendship and teaching was crucial for Keller&#39;s later developments.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;h2 style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;a onblur=&quot;try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}&quot; href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-i5ksviiF1yUqASCBlB1k8JDh0RtVwivF7X8Sc98eClvfEnO4HMiTD9APUJLNOx5aFbXsVBvVtCF1fKO92FWYu7bsag8iInniYOBlAUYAfS0_6XOilelr-rJ7ENfT18tVy4-sRc0i7Oo/s1600-h/Helen+Keller+and+Anne+Sullivan.jpg&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-i5ksviiF1yUqASCBlB1k8JDh0RtVwivF7X8Sc98eClvfEnO4HMiTD9APUJLNOx5aFbXsVBvVtCF1fKO92FWYu7bsag8iInniYOBlAUYAfS0_6XOilelr-rJ7ENfT18tVy4-sRc0i7Oo/s200/Helen+Keller+and+Anne+Sullivan.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153730525293031314&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt; n 1886, her mother was inspired by an account in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens&quot; title=&quot;Charles Dickens&quot;&gt;Charles Dickens&lt;/a&gt;&#39; &lt;i&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Notes&quot; title=&quot;American Notes&quot;&gt;American Notes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt; of the successful education of another deafblind child, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Bridgman&quot; title=&quot;Laura Bridgman&quot;&gt;Laura Bridgman&lt;/a&gt;, and traveled to a specialist doctor in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore%2C_Maryland&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore, Maryland&quot;&gt;Baltimore&lt;/a&gt; for advice. He put her in touch with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Graham_Bell&quot; title=&quot;Alexander Graham Bell&quot;&gt;Alexander Graham Bell&lt;/a&gt;, who was working with deaf children at the time. Bell advised the couple to contact the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkins_Institute_for_the_Blind&quot; title=&quot;Perkins Institute for the Blind&quot;&gt;Perkins Institute for the Blind&lt;/a&gt;, the school where Bridgman had been educated, which was then located in &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Boston%2C_Boston%2C_Massachusetts&quot; title=&quot;South Boston, Boston, Massachusetts&quot;&gt;South Boston&lt;/a&gt;. The school delegated teacher and former student &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Sullivan&quot; title=&quot;Anne Sullivan&quot;&gt;Anne Sullivan&lt;/a&gt;, herself visually impaired and then only 20 years old, to become Keller&#39;s instructor. It was the beginning of a 49-year-long relationship, eventually evolving into &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governess&quot; title=&quot;Governess&quot;&gt;governess&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady%27s_companion&quot; title=&quot;Lady&#39;s companion&quot;&gt;companion&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;Sullivan got permission from Keller&#39;s father to isolate the girl from the rest of the family in a little house in their garden. Her first task was to instill discipline in the spoiled girl. Keller&#39;s big breakthrough in communication came one day when she realized that the motions her teacher was making on her palm, while running cool water over her hand, symbolized the idea of &quot;water&quot;; she then nearly exhausted Sullivan demanding the names of all the other familiar objects in her world (including her prized doll). In 1890, ten-year-old Helen Keller was introduced to the story of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnhild_K%C3%A5ta&quot; title=&quot;Ragnhild Kåta&quot;&gt;Ragnhild Kåta&lt;/a&gt;, a deafblind &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway&quot; title=&quot;Norway&quot;&gt;Norwegian&lt;/a&gt; girl who had learned to speak. Kåta&#39;s success inspired Keller to want to learn to speak as well. Sullivan taught her charge to speak using the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadoma&quot; title=&quot;Tadoma&quot;&gt;Tadoma&lt;/a&gt; method of touching the lips and throat of others as they speak, combined with &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerspelling&quot; title=&quot;Fingerspelling&quot;&gt;fingerspelling&lt;/a&gt; letters on the palm of the child&#39;s hand. Later Keller learned &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille&quot; title=&quot;Braille&quot;&gt;Braille&lt;/a&gt;, and used it to read not only &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language&quot; title=&quot;English language&quot;&gt;English&lt;/a&gt; but also &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language&quot; title=&quot;French language&quot;&gt;French&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_language&quot; title=&quot;German language&quot;&gt;German&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language&quot; title=&quot;Greek language&quot;&gt;Greek&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin&quot; title=&quot;Latin&quot;&gt;Latin&lt;/a&gt;. (&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller&quot;&gt;Read more...&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/feeds/4792100272898823003/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment/fullpage/post/7786766178298340269/4792100272898823003' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/4792100272898823003'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7786766178298340269/posts/default/4792100272898823003'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://1st-inspirationalstories.blogspot.com/2008/01/helen-adams-keller.html' title='Helen Adams Keller'/><author><name>L1W4</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/03579480680093693412</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='https://img1.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-eqQOIG-976IZKVaGq3j_gq55CXXeSHoYvMB5_KmoBJE3tevnt3IbfMD4M5BqBn1TCvEE3UXZbKv-eehHSeA9v_AQT6HIfaxqvD-lISnmbwU5nX74jpc9LNgvhQrp1JHGvHZwyxXKpFg/s72-c/Helen+Adams+Keller.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>