Recovery Corner: November 2012

Tuesday, 27 November 2012

An Awesome Thanksgiving Gift

"This movie does for health what THE SECRET did for wealth."

Nykki - Holistic health practitioner

LIMITED TIME ONLY

With regards to my last post on the movie "The Cure Is ....", I have received an urgent email from the filmmaker - details below:

"My name is David Scharps, filmmaker of the The Cure Is… (You!).

In case you missed my Thanksgiving gift to you, your friends and loved ones, I’m again enclosing a link for the film (below). It’s for you to share with everyone you care about—to offer something that cannot be valued: the gift of health. You can cut and paste it, give it to anyone you wish and they can also do the same.

WE FORGOT TO TELL YOU THIS: ANYONE YOU SHARE THIS WITH CAN GIFT IT TOO! There is no charge or obligation to buy anything. It’s simply a gift from my team to the world!

The incredible feedback I have received from sharing my film with friends, loved ones and colleagues, for free, has been nothing short of overwhelming in the most wonderful way. It continues to spark something deep within those who watch it. For people to be able to pass along this powerful message to those who need it most makes every minute of the two years I took to make The Cure Is… such a humbling and worthwhile journey.

Why do we want to share it for free? Because it has the potential to change lives—of people you know—in incredible ways. So, Please join us in spreading this powerful message: that we are all responsible for our own good health, or lack of it.

So, now YOU can help spread health around the globe. Please share this with anyone and let them know they are most welcomes to share it too!

Yours in gratitude and wellness,

David Scharps

Filmmaker"

For your complimentary link: SIGN UP HERE

One hour could change your life forever so I urge you to sign up for a free 72 hour screening of this lfechanging movie and .........

A transformational film about how every human body is brilliantly designed for vitality and longevity. Why then is our health and life expectancy declining? Have we lost our connection to our natural way of living? Is it possible there is a powerful and effective means to address our health and disease, which can assist in tapping into our natural healing capacity of our profoundly powerful human body?

THE CURE IS... unveils one of the most profound, ancient health formulas to be released in over a century. Amazing true stories, woven with testimonials from top scientists, doctors and evolutionary leaders creates a mind-blowing journey of self-discovery that will radically shift the way you look at health and disease forever.

It is time for us look beyond the band-aid approach of medicine in our Western culture and deeper into the unlimited healing capacity of the human body.

THE CURE IS... Join the revolution to health and happiness!

FEATURED EXPERTS

Dr. Bernie Siegel, M.D.

"Absolutely everything that happens in our lives has a spiritual cause. Mental, emotional and physical events are only effects. Your body has a healing order of priority, and the spiritual always comes first. Your body stores your life's memories. When you focus on what is wrong you wound your body and empower your enemy. When you focus on life and living, miracles happen."

Bernie's writings in the 12 books he has published so far reflect his passion to reach people struggling with all of life's challengesâ€”not just the physical onesâ€”so that each person can live life fully with the understanding that, as Bernie reminds us, "We only have today". Believing that we are all here to love one another, Bernie has crafted eternal truths and the timeless wisdom of the ages into his reflections on the true stories of his patients in much of his work.

In May 2011, Bernie was honored by the Watkins Review of London, England, as one of the Top 20 Spiritually Influential Living People on the Planet.

Marianne Williamson

"We know there are people who were told they are going to die within a week who live for another 30 or 40 more years. We do have documented cases where there is a seemingly miraculous cessation of symptoms. And we know these things happen. We know that there are people who were told that they are going to die within a week who live for another 30 or 40 more years. So I think sometimes we think about and study a little bit too much the places where it goes the way we have heard about going in many people, and perhaps we don't study enough: What happened in that place where a miracle occurred?"

Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed author and lecturer. Six of her ten published books have been New York Times Best Sellers. Four of these have been #1 New York Times Best Sellers. A Return to Love is considered a must-read of The New Spirituality.

A paragraph from that book, begins, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure". Williamson speaks often on the subject of how shifts in thinking from fear to love make all the difference in how we live and how we feel. Learning to think differently to stand psychologically and emotionally.

Gregg Braden

"Now to many people when we think of the heart, we think simply of a pump that moves blood through our bodies and while that is an important function, what the studies are showing is that it may be the least of what our hearts do."

Gregg Braden, is a rare blend of "scientist, visionary and scholar with the ability to speak to our minds while touching the wisdom of our hearts".

He is a New York Times best-selling author and internationally renowned as a pioneer in bridging science and spirituality. His work is featured on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and NBC.

Bruce H. Lipton Phd

How much do genes contribute to the diseases in our world? It turns out far less than 10 per cent. Probably even less than five percent. So wait, if genes are only responsible for five, at most 10 per cent of the illness on our planet, what about the other 90 per cent of the illness? And the answer is that it has nothing to do with genes and has everything to do with..."

Bruce Lipton is an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit. One of the first to conduct stem cell research, a biologist, best-selling author of The Biology of Belief and recipient of the 2009 Goi Peace Award, he has been a guest speaker on hundreds of TV and radio shows, as well as keynote presenter for national and international conference.

His discoveries, which ran counter to the established scientific view that life is controlled by the genes, presaged one of today’s most important fields of study, the science of epigenetics. Two major scientific publications derived from these studies defined the molecular pathways connecting the mind and body. Many subsequent papers by other researchers have since validated his concepts and ideas.

His deepened understanding of cell biology highlighted the mechanisms by which the mind controls bodily functions.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman M.D.

"We put our finger on the primary factors that creates the disease but people have the right to know it."

"I have spent almost all my waking hours reading everything from the site of literature on human nutrition, probably read over 20,000 medical journal articles. And the bottom line is you don't have to have a heart attack, you don't have to have strokes, you don't have to get demented when you get older and yes we can even win the war against cancer."

Joel Fuhrman, M.D. is a board-certified family physician, and nutritional researcher, who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. He is the author of seven books including a New York Times best-seller. As one of the country's leading experts in nutritional and natural healing, Dr. Fuhrman's articles, case studies, and advice are widely published, from medical journals such as the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Orthopedics and Nutrition Journal, to consumer publications. He has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows including: ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, Today, Good Morning America, the Discovery Channel, TV Food Network, and the Dr. Oz Show.

Dr. Sue Morter

"If you are not... as healthy as you would like to be, there is a reason. And it always stems from a basic core belief system. We have limited what is possible for us and what is not possible for us based upon past experiences that we have had. And it is all stored at the subconscious level."

Dr. Sue Morter is an internationally recognized authority on bridging science, spirit and human possibility. Her high-energy platform presence ignites passion, imparts knowledge, and affects audiences around the globe through her keynote addresses, workshops and programs.

Dr. Sue Morter is a leading authority and master of the Bio Energetic Synchronization Technique (B.E.S.T.), a neuro-emotional process that addresses the mind, body, and spirit and their integrated influence on health.

Paul Chek

"It's safe to say that human beings are moving approximately 90 per cent less than they did 40 years ago, yet we maintain the same biology, the same genes, and the same requirements that human beings have had throughout their evolution in nature. If we do not get adequate enough movement we do not pump the body, clean the body and therefore we cannot maintain vitality. A lack of movement is a disease in and of itself and it is easy to cure."

For over 25 years, Chek's unique, holistic approach to treatment and education has changed the lives of thousands of people worldwide. By treating the body as a whole system and finding the root cause of a problem, Paul has been successful where traditional approaches have consistently failed. Paul is the founder of the C.H.E.K (Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology) Institute, based in California.

Tony Horton

"We usually exercise for every reason from the neck down, but in reality when you do exercise, what it ends up doing is affecting everything from the neck up."

Tony Horton, the master behind the best-selling fitness program in America P90XÂ®. Tony helps people get fit all over the world by keeping them motivated in health, physique, and lifestyle. Over the last 17 years Tony has acquired, perfected, and shared his fitness expertise with countless individuals across America. From professional athletes, sports teams, television and major movie stars, recording artists to the average American, Tony has helped people turn their lives around with the perfect mix of encouragement, humor, discipline and fun.

"THIS FILM WILL TRANSFORM YOUR HEALTH”

Laurie Faulkner – Cancer Survivor

Friday, 23 November 2012

The Cure Is ......

"This movie does for health what THE SECRET did for wealth."

Nykki - Holistic health practitioner

It is time for us look beyond the band-aid approach of medicine in our Western culture and deeper into the unlimited healing capacity of the human body.

THE CURE IS... Join the revolution to health and happiness!

FEATURED EXPERTS

Dr. Bernie Siegel, M.D.

In May 2011, Bernie was honored by the Watkins Review of London, England, as one of the Top 20 Spiritually Influential Living People on the Planet.

Marianne Williamson

Gregg Braden

Gregg Braden, is a rare blend of "scientist, visionary and scholar with the ability to speak to our minds while touching the wisdom of our hearts".

He is a New York Times best-selling author and internationally renowned as a pioneer in bridging science and spirituality. His work is featured on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and NBC.

Bruce H. Lipton Phd

His deepened understanding of cell biology highlighted the mechanisms by which the mind controls bodily functions.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman M.D.

"We put our finger on the primary factors that creates the disease but people have the right to know it."

Dr. Sue Morter

Paul Chek

Tony Horton

"We usually exercise for every reason from the neck down, but in reality when you do exercise, what it ends up doing is affecting everything from the neck up."

TRAILER

Please spread the word by tweeting or sharing THE CURE IS .... on social media. Should you buy the DVD or rent the movie, I will get a small commission. Thanking you in advance.

"THIS FILM WILL TRANSFORM YOUR HEALTH”

Laurie Faulkner – Cancer Survivor

Thursday, 22 November 2012

Happy Thanksgiving America

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.

Johannes A. Gaertner

Happy Thanksgiving to all my online friends in America. We do not celebrate Thanksgiving here in South Africa but it is a reminder for me to live daily with an attitude of gratitude.

A year ago I wrote a post on Thanksgiving and so much has happened since then. So to add to that list, I am thankful for:

Challenges to keep me writing

The opportunity to meet other bloggers from around the world

Posts to read that share knowledge, sincerity and love

The chance to make a difference in a crazy world

My contribution to your celebrations is a little thanksgiving prayer and a video:

For forests tall and oceans deep

For canyons wide and mountains steep

For sunset skies of pink and gold

For every sunrise we behold

For Winter's snow and springtime's thaw

For Summer's warmth and Autumn's awe

For roofs that keep the rain away

For walls that hold it all at bay

For work that puts food on the table

For health and rest to keep us able

For friends and family around us

For years to come, may they surround us

For soldiers fighting for our peace

For days to come when wars may cease

For hope, so burdens won't enslave us

For thy forgiveness which will save us

For feast, and those with whom we share it

For loving hands that did prepare it

For all that makes this life worth living

We take this time on this Thanksgiving

To bow our heads and bend a knee

And pause to look around and see

For all that was, is, and shall be

We have none to thank, Oh Lord, but thee.

Amen.

Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.

Robert Caspar Lintner

Monday, 12 November 2012

Today Is World Pneumonia Day

World Pneumonia Day seeks to raise awareness of pneumonia as a public health issue and help prevent the millions of avoidable child deaths from pneumonia that occur each year. It is organized by the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia (a network of international, government, non-governmental and community-based organizations, research and academic institutions, foundations, and individuals) to bring much-needed attention to pneumonia among donors, policy makers, health care professionals, and the general public.

Pneumonia is a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs. The lungs are made up of small sacs called alveoli, which fill with air when a healthy person breathes. When an individual has pneumonia, the alveoli are filled with pus and fluid, which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake.

Pneumonia is the single largest cause of death in children worldwide. Every year, it kills an estimated 1.2 million children under the age of five years, accounting for 18% of all deaths of children under five years old worldwide. Pneumonia affects children and families everywhere, but is most prevalent in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Children can be protected from Pneumonia. It can be prevented with simple interventions, and treated with low-cost, low-tech medication and care.

Causes

Pneumonia is caused by a number of infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria and fungi. The most common are:

Ø Streptococcus pneumoniae – the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia in children;

Ø Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) – the second most common cause of bacterial pneumonia;

Ø respiratory syncytial virus is the most common viral cause of pneumonia;

Ø in infants infected with HIV, Pneumocystis jiroveci is one of the commonest causes of pneumonia, responsible for at least one quarter of all pneumonia deaths in HIV-infected infants.

Transmission

Pneumonia can be spread in a number of ways. The viruses and bacteria that are commonly found in a child's nose or throat, can infect the lungs if they are inhaled. They may also spread via air-borne droplets from a cough or sneeze. In addition, pneumonia may spread through blood, especially during and shortly after birth. More research needs to be done on the different pathogens causing pneumonia and the ways they are transmitted, as this has critical importance for treatment and prevention.

Symptoms

The symptoms of viral and bacterial pneumonia are similar. However, the symptoms of viral pneumonia may be more numerous than the symptoms of bacterial pneumonia.

The symptoms of pneumonia include:

· rapid or difficult breathing

· cough

· fever

· chills

· loss of appetite

· wheezing (more common in viral infections).

When pneumonia becomes severe, children may experience lower chest wall indrawing, where their chests move in or retract during inhalation (in a healthy person, the chest expands during inhalation). Very severely ill infants may be unable to feed or drink and may also experience unconsciousness, hypothermia and convulsions.

Risk factors

While most healthy children can fight the infection with their natural defences, children whose immune systems are compromised are at higher risk of developing pneumonia. A child's immune system may be weakened by malnutrition or undernourishment, especially in infants who are not exclusively breastfed.

Pre-existing illnesses, such as symptomatic HIV infections and measles, also increase a child's risk of contracting pneumonia.

The following environmental factors also increase a child's susceptibility to pneumonia:

· indoor air pollution caused by cooking and heating with biomass fuels (such as wood or dung)

· living in crowded homes

· parental smoking.

Treatment

Pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics. These are usually prescribed at a health centre or hospital, but the vast majority of cases of childhood pneumonia can be administered managed effectively within the home. Hospitalization is recommended in infants aged two months and younger, and also in very severe cases.

Prevention

Preventing pneumonia in children is an essential component of a strategy to reduce child mortality. Immunization against Hib, pneumococcus, measles and whooping cough (pertussis) is the most effective way to prevent pneumonia.

Adequate nutrition is key to improving children's natural defences, starting with exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. In addition to being effective in preventing pneumonia, it also helps to reduce the length of the illness if a child does become ill.

Addressing environmental factors such as indoor air pollution (by providing affordable clean indoor stoves, for example) and encouraging good hygiene in crowded homes also reduces the number of children who fall ill with pneumonia.

In children infected with HIV, the antibiotic cotrimoxazole is given daily to decrease the risk of contracting pneumonia.

Economic costs

Research has shown that prevention and proper treatment of pneumonia could avert one million deaths in children every year. With proper treatment alone, 600 000 deaths could be avoided.

The cost of antibiotic treatment for all children with pneumonia in 42 of the world's poorest countries is estimated at around US$ 600 million per year. Treating pneumonia in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa – which account for 85% of deaths – would cost a third of this total, at around US$ 200 million. The price includes the antibiotics themselves, as well as the cost of training health workers, which strengthens the health systems as a whole.

World Health Organisation response

In 2009, WHO and UNICEF launched the Global action plan for the prevention and control of pneumonia (GAPP). The aim is to accelerate pneumonia control with a combination of interventions to protect, prevent, and treat pneumonia in children with actions to:

Ø protect children from pneumonia include promoting exclusive breastfeeding and hand washing, and reducing indoor air pollution;

Ø prevent pneumonia with vaccinations;

Ø treat pneumonia are focused on making sure that every sick child has access to the right kind of care -- either from a community-based health worker, or in a health facility if the disease is severe -- and can get the antibiotics and oxygen they need to get well.

For more information:

World Pneumonia Day blog

Friday, 9 November 2012

Hope for America?

“Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward.

It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.

Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.”

Barak Obama – acceptance speech election 2012

I am from South Africa and I sat up the whole night watching the Unites States elections. Why? Because what happens to the USA affects me and the rest of the world. When Obama was re-elected and I read the resentful and nasty remarks on Social Media, I decided to look into what he actually has accomplished and whether he deserves another four years as the President. My conclusion was what I had believed in the first place.

Too bad the American public still thinks Obama hasn’t accomplished anything. Measured in sheer legislative tonnage, what Obama got done in his first two years is stunning. He’s done more in four years than any president in decades:

· Passed Health Care Reform: After five presidents over a century failed to create universal health insurance, signed the Affordable Care Act (2010).

· Passed the Stimulus: Signed $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 to spur economic growth amid greatest recession since the Great Depression.

· Passed Wall Street Reform: Signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010) to re-regulate the financial sector after its practices caused the Great Recession.

· Ended the War in Iraq: Ordered all U.S. military forces out of the country. Last troops left on December 18, 2011.

· Began Drawdown of War in Afghanistan: From a peak of 101,000 troops in June 2011, U.S. forces are now down to 91,000, with 23,000 slated to leave by the end of summer 2012. According to Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta, the combat mission there will be over by next year.

· Eliminated Osama bin laden: In 2011, ordered special forces raid of secret compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in which the terrorist leader was killed and a trove of al-Qaeda documents was discovered.

· Recapitalized Banks: In the midst of financial crisis, approved controversial Treasury Department plan to lure private capital into the country’s largest banks via “stress tests” of their balance sheets and a public-private fund to buy their “toxic” assets. Got banks back on their feet at essentially zero cost to the government.

· Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”: Ended 1990s-era restriction and formalized new policy allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military for the first time.

· Toppled Moammar Gaddafi: In March 2011, joined a coalition of European and Arab governments in military action, including air power and naval blockade, against Gaddafi regime to defend Libyan civilians and support rebel troops. Gaddafi’s forty-two-year rule ended when the dictator was overthrown and killed by rebels on October 20, 2011. No American lives were lost.

· Told Mubarak to Go: On February 1, 2011, publicly called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to accept reform or step down, thus weakening the dictator’s position and putting America on the right side of the Arab Spring. Mubarak ended thirty-year rule when overthrown on February 11.

· Reversed Bush Torture Policies: Two days after taking office, nullified Bush-era rulings that had allowed detainees in U.S. custody to undergo certain “enhanced” interrogation techniques considered inhumane under the Geneva Conventions. He also released the secret Bush legal rulings supporting the use of these techniques.

· Improved America’s Image Abroad: With new policies, diplomacy, and rhetoric, reversed a sharp decline in world opinion toward the U.S. (and the corresponding loss of “soft power”) during the Bush years. From 2008 to 2011, favourable opinion toward the United States rose in ten of fifteen countries surveyed by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, with an average increase of 26 %.

· Coordinated International Response to Financial Crisis: To keep world economy out of recession in 2009 and 2010, helped secure from G-20 nations more than $500 billion for the IMF to provide lines of credit and other support to emerging market countries, which kept them liquid and avoided crises with their currencies.

· Increased Support for Veterans: With so many soldiers coming home from Iraq and Iran with serious physical and mental health problems, yet facing long waits for services, increased 2010 Department of Veterans Affairs budget by 16 % and 2011 budget by 10 %. Also signed new GI bill offering $78 billion in tuition assistance over a decade, and provided multiple tax credits to encourage businesses to hire veterans.

· Tightened Sanctions on Iran: In effort to deter Iran’s nuclear program, signed Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (2010) to punish firms and individuals who aid Iran’s petroleum sector. In late 2011 and early 2012, coordinated with other major Western powers to impose sanctions aimed at Iran’s banks and with Japan, South Korea, and China to shift their oil purchases away from Iran.

· Passed Credit Card Reforms: Signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act (2009), which prohibits credit card companies from raising rates without advance notification, mandates a grace period on interest rate increases, and strictly limits overdraft and other fees.

· Achieved New START Treaty: Signed with Russia (2010) and won ratification in Congress (2011) of treaty that limits each country to 1,550 strategic warheads (down from 2,200) and 700 launchers (down from more than 1,400), and re-established and strengthened a monitoring and transparency program that had lapsed in 2009, through which each country can monitor the other.

· Expanded Wilderness and Watershed Protection: Signed Omnibus Public Lands Management Act (2009), which designated more than 2 million acres as wilderness, created thousands of miles of recreational and historic trails, and protected more than 1,000 miles of rivers.

· Pushed Federal Agencies to Be Green Leaders: Issued executive order in 2009 requiring all federal agencies to make plans to soften their environmental impacts by 2020.

· Began Post-Post-9/11 Military Builddown: After winning agreement from congressional Republicans and Democrats in summer 2011 budget deal to reduce projected defence spending by $450 billion, proposed new DoD budget this year with cuts of that size and a new national defence strategy that would shrink ground forces from 570,000 to 490,000 over the next ten years while increasing programs in intelligence gathering and cyber warfare.

· Expanded Hate Crimes Protections: Signed Hate Crimes Prevention Act (2009), which expands existing hate crime protections to include crimes based on a victim’s sexual orientation, gender, or disability, in addition to race, colour, religion, or national origin.

· Avoided Scandal: As of November 2011, served longer than any president in decades without a scandal.

· Expanded Health Coverage for Children: Signed 2009 Children’s Health Insurance Authorization Act, which allows the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to cover health care for 4 million more children, paid for by a tax increase on tobacco products.

· Helped South Sudan Declare Independence: Helped South Sudan Declare Independence: Appointed two envoys to Sudan and personally attended a special UN meeting on the area. Through U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, helped negotiate a peaceful split in 2011.

· Killed the F-22: In 2009, ended further purchases of Lockheed Martin single-seat, twin-engine, fighter aircraft, which cost $358 million apiece. Though the military had 187 built, the plane has never flown a single combat mission. Eliminating it saved $4 billion.

· And more: In this article from the Washington Monthly

That Obama has done all this while also steering the country out of what might have been a second Great Depression would seem to have made him already, just three years into his first term, a serious candidate for greatness.

And yet a solid majority of Americans nevertheless thinks the president has not accomplished much. Why? There are plenty of possible explanations. The most obvious is the economy. People are measuring Obama’s actions against the actual conditions of their lives and livelihoods, which, over the past four years, have not gotten materially better.

In negotiations, he came off to Democrats as naïvely trusting, and to Republicans as obstinately partisan, leaving the impression that he could have achieved more if only he had been less conciliatory—or more so, depending on your point of view. And for such an obviously gifted orator, he has been surprisingly inept at explaining to average Americans what he’s fighting for or trumpeting what he’s achieved.

In short, when judging Obama’s record so far, conservatives measure him against their fears, liberals against their hopes, and the rest of us against our pocketbooks. But if you measure Obama against other presidents—arguably the more relevant yardstick—a couple of things come to light. But the effects of some of those achievements have yet to be felt by most Americans, often by design. Here, too, Obama is in good historical company.

So please American citizens, although we have problems in the world, there are global situations that even the President of the USA cannot change. Try to be less resentful and put more faith in your leader’s closing words:

“And together with your help and God's grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States."

“I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. I'm not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the side lines or shirk from a fight. I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.”

Barak Obama – acceptance speech election 2012

Source References:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_2012/features/obamas_top_50_accomplishments035755.php?page=1

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_2012/features/the_incomplete_greatness_of_ba035754.php

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/07/transcript-obama-reelection-speech/