Alphin C. Tom

"Of all the forces that make for a better world, none is so indispensable, none so powerful, as hope. Without hope men are only half alive. With hope they dream and think and work."

"By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong."

vicissitude \vih-SIS-ih-tood; -tyood\, noun: 1. Regular change or succession from one thing to another; alternation; mutual succession; interchange. 2. Irregular change; revolution; mutation. 3. A change in condition or fortune; an instance of mutability in life or nature (especially successive alternation from one condition to another).

Christmas tree The ancient Egyptians, Hebrews, and Chinese used evergreen trees and wreaths as symbols of eternal life. In the Middle Ages, the Christmas tree was first used in Germany and originally decorated with candles and wafers. In the same room, during the Christmas season, was the Christmas pyramid, a triangular construction of wood, with shelves to hold Christmas figurines, decorated with evergreens, candles, and a star. By the 16th century, the Christmas pyramid and tree had merged, becoming the Christmas tree. In the 19th century, the Christmas tree was used throughout Europe and the United States.

1. A long exposure is used in this photograph to smooth the flow of water from the waterfall and to create a sense of peace and tranquility. 2. A photograph with an exposure time of 25 seconds 3. A photograph of a night-time sky with an exposure time of 8 seconds 4. A two second exposure of a fire poi ball dance 5. Long exposures can create very interesting photos. 6. Shutter Speed in Greenwich

Fib is an experimental Western poetry form, bearing similarities to haiku, but based on the Fibonacci sequence. That is, the typical fib and one version of the contemporary Western haiku both follow a strict structure. The typical fib is a six line, 20 syllable poem with a syllable count by line of 1/1/2/3/5/8 - with as many syllables per line as the line's corresponding place in the Fibonacci sequence;[1] the specific form of contemporary Western haiku uses three (or fewer) lines of no more than 17 syllables in total. The only restriction on a Fib is that the syllable count follow the Fibonacci sequence. An example of a typical fib: “ One Small, Precise, Poetic, Spiraling mixture: Math plus poetry yields the Fib. „ Fibonacci Poetry “ This new style of poetry, better than haiku? Just different and interesting. „ Tree Of Knowledge “ …and this is tree of knowledge where its sweet fruits, not of apples, as many believed are forbidden, not for the birds, but for man

tarradiddle \tair-uh-DID-uhl\, noun: 1. A petty falsehood; a fib. 2. Pretentious nonsense.

Jingle Bells Jingle Bells, the song was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, was originally called One Horse Open Sleigh.

"Everybody believes in something and everybody, by virtue of the fact that they believe in something, use that something to support their own existence."

"'A Date Which Will Live in Infamy'" The attack on Pearl Harbor was a pre-emptive military strike on the United States Pacific Fleet base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by the Empire of Japan's Imperial Japanese Navy, on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941 that made the United States enter World War II. Two aerial attack waves, totalling 350 aircraft, were launched from six aircraft carriers with the intent to destroy the United States Pacific Fleet. The attack wrecked two U.S. Navy battleships, one minelayer, and two destroyers beyond repair, and destroyed 188 aircraft; personnel losses were 2,333 killed and 1,139 wounded. Damaged warships included three cruisers, a destroyer, and six battleships (one deliberately grounded, later refloated and repaired; two sunk at their berths, later raised, repaired, and restored to Fleet service late in the war). Vital fuel storage, shipyards, and submarine facilities were not hit. Japanese losses were minimal,

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see."

pari passu \PAIR-ee-PASS-oo; PAIR-ih-PASS-oo\ , adverb: At an equal pace or rate.

Earth's movement The Earth moves 250 km or 155 miles per second - pretty fast! But being on the Earth is like being on a smooth elevator. The only way you would know it is moving if it slowed down or sped up. Since it moves smoothly at the same speed all the time, you really don't feel it moving.

I Feared UNTIL .......!!! I feared being alone Until I learned to like Myself . I feared failure Until I realized that I only Fail when I don't try. I feared success Until I realized that I had to try in order to be happy with myself. ************************************************************ I feared people's opinions Until I learned that people would have opinions about me anyway. I feared rejection Until I learned to have faith in myself . I feared pain Until I learned that it's necessary for growth **************************************************************** I feared the truth Until I saw the ugliness in lies. I feared life Until I experienced its beauty . I feared death Until I realized that it's not an end, but a beginning. ********************************************* I feared my destiny , Until I realized that I had the power to change my life. I feared hate Until I saw that it was nothing more than ignorance . I feared love Until it touched