BlackBerry outage blamed on 'extremely critical' network failure

Millions of BlackBerry users remained without service on Wednesday as a three-day network outage spread to North America, causing massive frustrations for people who rely on these smartphones for business and personal communications.

"BlackBerry subscribers in the Americas may be experiencing intermittent service delays this morning," Research in Motion, maker of BlackBerry smartphones, said in a statement. "We are working to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and we apologize to our customers for any inconvenience. We will provide a further update as soon as more information is available."

The outage now impacts people on nearly every continent, according to the company's statements.

An "extremely critical issue" on the BlackBerry network caused the outage, Stephen Bates, RIM's managing director in the U.K., told CNN's Richard Quest. He added: "We're putting all of our focus with all of our engineers and all of our network specialists on trying to understand the nature of why this backup system didn't work as it should have ..."

The service outage started on Monday with customers in the Middle East, Europe and Africa, before spreading to South America and Asia on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning it appeared to hit the United States and Canada. The outage appears primarily to affect text messaging and Internet access from the mobile phones, not necessarily their ability to place calls.

No customer e-mails have been completely lost, and they will be delivered eventually, RIM said in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, according to CNNMoney's Julianne Pepitone.

In a statement released Tuesday, the company said the "messaging and browsing delays being experienced by BlackBerry users in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Brazil, Chile and Argentina were caused by a core switch failure within RIM's infrastructure. Although the system is designed to failover to a back-up switch, the failover did not function as previously tested."

The company said it is working "around the clock" to fix the problem.

"A large backlog of data was generated and we are now working to clear that backlog and restore normal service as quickly as possible," the Tuesday statement said. "We apologize for any inconvenience and we will continue to keep you informed."

There are about 70 million BlackBerry users worldwide. RIM has not commented on how many users are affected, but reports suggest the number of users without some sort of service has climbed into the millions.

BlackBerry users, many of whom use the devices primarily for business purposes, were angered by the outage.

Overheard on CNN.com: BlackBerry outage not all bad

Many people took to Twitter to both complain about lost productivity and to make light of the situation.

"COME ONNNN. Sort it out #blackberry. This is ridiculous in this day and age," a Twitter user named @Suzy__G wrote.

"OK, this #Blackberry business is now SERIOUSLY pissing me off," CNN's Piers Morgan tweeted.

Later, he said: "One positive of the #Blackberry crisis - my personal trainer can't get hold of me. #OrderingBurgers."

"#DearBlackberry I can't work, I can't study, please, please come back from that coma!" @marianaae wrote.

"What did the one #Blackberry user say to the other?..........nothing....," said another Twitter user, @giselewaymes.

"And iPhone users everywhere smile smugly and search for the 'I Told You So' app," wrote another.

A website called isblackberrystillbroken.com popped up to track developments.

People who visited the site on Wednesday afternoon were greeted with a red screen and a giant word: "Yes."

This is not the first time RIM has faced a major service outage.

"I have been an analyst for 25 years and have watched RIM wrestle with this same outage problem time after time. Every few years we get pinched by yet another major problem," tech analyst Jeff Kagan said in a statement.

Is the outage affecting you?

This outage, however, comes at a particularly bad time for RIM, since it faces increasing competition in the smarpthone market, Kagan says. Apple's iPhone and phones on the Google Android operating system have been gaining ground, and the new iPhone 4S goes on sale Friday.

The tech blog Electronista wrote:

"RIM's outage is now one of its largest in recent memory and is now edging even closer to the iPhone 4S launch than before, leading to a possible temptation for those already looking to upgrade their phones. Commentary on Twitter has shifted gradually from frustrated patience to open anger and has led some to remark that they're now likely to switch to the iPhone, Android, or another platform."

Remembering Matthew Shepard: 13 Years Later

October is LGBT History Month. It's also the month that we remember the life and tragic death of a young man that brought hate crimes into sharp focus for a nation that, at the time, didn't want to talk about the subject. Thirteen years ago, on Oct. 12, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard died after a brutal attack in Laramie, Wyo. In the words of his parents, who started the Matthew Shepard Foundation in his memory:

The story of Matthew Shepard began on December 1, 1976 when he was born to Judy and Dennis Shepard in Casper, Wyoming. He went to public school in Casper until his junior year of high school when he moved with his family to Saudi Arabia. Matt had to finish his high school education at The American School in Switzerland because there were no American high schools in Saudi Arabia at the time. In both high schools, he was elected by his peers to be a peer counselor. He was easy to talk to, made friends easily and actively fought for the acceptance of all people. Matt had a great passion for equality. His experiences abroad fueled his love for travel and gave him the chance to make many new friends from around the world. Matt's college career eventually took him back to Wyoming where he studied political science, foreign relations and languages at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

The horrific events that took place shortly after midnight on October 7, 1998 went against everything that Matt embodied. Two men, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, led him to a remote area east of Laramie, Wyoming. He was tied to a split-rail fence where the two men severely assaulted him. He was beaten and left to die in the cold of the night. Almost 18 hours later, he was found by a bicyclist who initially mistook him for a scarecrow. Matt died on October 12 at 12:53 a.m. at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado with his family by his side. His memorial service was attended by friends and family from around the world and garnered immense media attention that brought Matt's story to the forefront of the fight against bigotry and hate. The life and death of Matthew Shepard changed the way we talk about, and deal with, hate in America. Since his death, Matt's legacy has challenged and inspired millions of individuals to erase hate in all its forms. Although Matt's life was short, his story continues to have a great impact on young and old alike. His legacy lives on in thousands of people like you who actively fight to replace hate with understanding, compassion and acceptance.

The violent death of this young man catapulted LGBT-based hate crimes into the national dialogue and international spotlight. For the first time, many in our country and around the world saw the very real danger gay people faced from bias-motivated crimes. The public also got its first good look at odious organizations like Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church, who protested Matthew Shepard's funeral and the trial. The horrific reactions and protestations of people like Phelps put a public and televised face on pure hatred and bigotry, which really changed the dialogue around LGBT people. They saw what pure anti-gay hatred looked like, and it changed the debate about hate crimes and gay rights forever.

But the response against the brutal murder was also history-making. Hours after the death of Matthew Shepard, President Bill Clinton went onto the White House lawn to tell reporters: "In our shock and grief one thing must remain clear: hate and prejudice are not American values."

The senseless murder of a young man, combined with unprecedented media attention and an energized LGBT community, truly changed the course of the equality movement. The nation had a face to put on the nameless numbers and statistics about LGBT-based hate crimes and also had the opposition, and their incendiary rhetoric, thrust into their face on the nightly news and in newspapers around the country. It led to more attention to LGBT issues, including media attention to other hate crimes like the murder of Gwen Araujo for being transgender, or the shooting of 15-year-old Lawrence King for his sexual orientation and gender expression.

The effect of Shepard's life and his family's activism came into sharp focus on Oct. 22, 2009, when the United States Congress passed The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, adding gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to existing hate crimes laws. On Oct. 28, 2009, President Obama signed the act, the first ever piece of pro-LGBT federal legislation, into law.

On a personal note, the murder of Matthew Shepard was a defining moment for many LGBT people of my generation. As a young gay man, I looked at the pictures of his face and could see my own. His life and death inspired me, as I'm sure it did many others, to become involved in the fight against hate, bigotry and inequality.

It is important that we as a movement and as a society look back at our history, even dark times like the murder of Matthew Shepard. Learning from our past, seeing how keeping a memory alive can effect such dramatic change, and how a life can inspire generations are important moments for reflection.

What To Buy For Coming Black Friday And Holiday Seasonal Bargain

Slow economy cannot slow down the shopping season's coming, having covered Black Friday extensively for the past three years, the bargain finders at theblackfridaybargain.com are in a better position than anyone else to offer shopping previews for Black Friday 2011...

Note: Read More About Black Friday Deals and Black Friday 2011

Online Black Friday Shopping Tips

Shopping online has become successful over these highly crowded . Whether it is an Xbox games console, newly released Amazon Kindle, or Apple iPad, one will discover anything at good prices on Black Friday. Butyou have to be very careful, due to the fact “Everything that glittersisn’t gold”. So, below are great tips and Ideas for Online Black Friday Shopping.

List Research:

Make a list for those items for which you would like to purchase. Then, just put important items at the top of list.And then, list-up famous online retailers like Amazon and Macy’s where those listeditems are available. As a result your online shopping simpler and less time-consuming.

Examine Costs:

Compare costs of items with the help of various price comparison sites like Bizrate and PriceGrabber. This can be one of the better advantages of shopping online – one has not to rush in the crowd or on stores to evaluate prices of a item.

Weekly Ads:

Continue to keep a watch at weekly advertising or online catalogs. Many online stores provide good discounts on some hand-picked products displayedinside their catalogs.

Online Coupon codes:

Online codes act as a cherry on cake on Black Friday. During christmas season manyonline retailers provide discount rates in order to attract as many customers as is possible. Using these special discount codes and promotional coupons,it’s possible to save more money on already discounted deals. Online codes have always been an awesome method for saving big during any season and event of the season.

Find Consumer Consideration:

Customer service may be the utmost importantsection of internet shopping just because it solves your concerns in a moment. Don’t be afraid to call at customer servicewhen you have any queries about the product or payment policies. It is usually a much better choice tomake your queries answered beforeputting in an order, rather than leaving all at God.

UseBank Cards:

Some stores provide unique cost savings while doing paymentsusing a particular visa or mastercard like American Express or Master Card.Wish to use one credit card while doing online shopping, so that you may know which credit card was used for doing payments for the online stores.

Some other notable findings about Black Friday deal-seeking include:

• The number of visitors to coupon sites on Black Friday grew 4 percent versus year ago to 3.6 million visitors, while the total number of visits to the category increased 16 percent to 7.4 million.
• BlackFriday.info was the most visited coupon site on Black Friday with 630,000 unique visitors, followed by CouponCabin.com (543,000), RetailMeNot.com (332,000 visitors) and Groupon.com (332,000).
• ShopLocal.com ranked as the most visited comparison shopping site on Black Friday with 2.1 million visitors, up 45 percent versus year ago.

Read More >> Black Friday Deals, Black Friday 2011

dealnews Unveils its 2011 Black Friday Predictions Report

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Sep 21, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- With only 65 days left until Black Friday, dealnews.com, the premier year-round resource for the best deals on consumer electronics, gadgets, computers, apparel, and more, today released its 2011 Black Friday Predictions report, which is intended to help consumers get the deal of a lifetime by shopping online this holiday season. High-end products such as tablets, HDTVs, laptops, eBook readers and select Apple products can be purchased for less than $250, while many more desirable items, such as Blu-ray players, tech accessories and apparel are expected to be priced up to 50 percent off.

"This year's holiday shopping season is a buyers' market, as technology innovation and growing competition among product manufacturers and retailers alike will drive Black Friday prices down to historic lows," said Daniel de Grandpre, editor in chief, dealnews.

These findings and more are part of dealnews' annual Black Friday Predictions report, an invaluable resource that outlines anticipated deals for a wide variety of the season's hottest consumer electronics and more. To date, the report has successfully projected the price for eight out of every 10 predictions made for many of the holiday's most popular product categories. Some of the findings from this year's report include the following:

Apple Products

-- For the fourth consecutive year, Apple's rumored Black Friday sale will generate significant media hype, but will disappoint shoppers with actual discounts reaching only five to 10 percent off.

-- Consumers wanting to purchase iPads, MacBooks and iPhones should avoid Apple stores, both physical and online. Instead, shopping online through authorized resellers like Amazon, MacConnection and MacMall will offer discounts that are up to two times better.

Tablets

-- Consumers can expect to see all-time low prices on popular tablet brands, even new models.

-- Tablets such as the Motorola XOOM and the 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab are predicted to cost $319 and $239, respectively. What's more, generic Android tablets are likely to fall to $75 this holiday season.

HDTVs

-- Retailers are predicted to slash prices for various sizes of 1080p LCD HDTVs, some as much as 50 percent off compared to sales offered during Black Friday 2010.

-- Shoppers in search of smaller HDTVs to furnish bedrooms, game rooms or dens will be in luck--prices for 32" 1080p LCD models are expected to fall to $199. Those looking for larger displays can also save hundreds of dollars, as 60" 1080p LCD sets may drop to just $699.

eBook Readers

-- This holiday season, eBook readers will be discounted more heavily than in years past. Shoppers will be able to take advantage of bundle deals offered by retailers, such as $25 book credits.

-- The Kindle 3 WiFi Reader is expected to drop to just $99 on Black Friday, while the NOOK Color Reader will be offered for as low as $179.

Laptops

-- While laptops may appear to be overshadowed by the high market demand for tablets, they remain one of the most popular gifts and will be offered at historically low prices this holiday season.

-- 16" dual-core processor systems, with basic features and functionality for the average consumer, will be on sale for just $189.

"Instead of battling long lines, rowdy crowds and sleep deprivation to get in-store deals, we're encouraging consumers to start new Black Friday traditions," de Grandpre continued. "Shopping online from home will result in discounts that match, if not exceed, in-store reductions, plus the ability to compare prices before buying. Our Black Friday Predictions essentially puts the retailers' playbook in shoppers hands, giving them the foresight needed to determine what and when to buy online to stretch their shopping budgets."

The dealnews 2011 Black Friday Predictions report also includes buying advice, shopping tips and other projected deals on Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, external hard drives, solid state drives (SSDs), apparel, and other must-have items to help consumers save money.

Methodology

For its Black Friday predictions, dealnews uses up to three years of historical data based on deals listed on dealnews.com. Using that data, dealnews extrapolates expected sales for Black Friday by applying current trends to historical Black Friday price drops. In so doing, the company corrects for anomalies such as outliers, floor effects, and disruptive new technologies that influence pricing trends.

SOURCE: dealnews.com, Inc

 

Read More >> Black Friday Deals, Black Friday Ads

Film Review: Bodyguard

Yet another South Indian-inspired masala film, but this one crashes fast.

Just when we were beginning to admire the progress in narratives, style and technique in recent Hindi cinema, there comes along a sucker punch like Bodyguard to push us backwards several steps. South Indian director Siddique holds the distinction of making the same film four times. When his original Malayali film of the same name became a massive hit, Siddique then decided to remake it in Tamil as Kaavalan, in Hindi as Bodyguard, and the upcoming Telugu version titled Ganga. While the Malayalam and Tamil versions garnered significant box office and critical success, the Hindi remake – starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor – is an exercise in redundancy. Bodyguard tries to build on the current resurgence of the full on masala film that has been doing surprisingly well lately. But it ends up simply as an exhausting experience, offering painfully little by way of entertainment, plot or performances. Or anything else you might expect from a film.

For a film that has the biggest of India’s film factories clamoring  for remake rights, you would naturally go in expecting some sort of novel experience and plot. But the story is predictable from the start and resorts to every possible stereotype and plot device that has been used umpteen times. There’s a fearless (and feared) one-man juggernaut, Lovely Singh (Salman Khan), who beats up evil goons for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then there’s an omnipotent wealthy man Sartaj Rana (Raj Babbar) whose daughter Divya (Kareena Kapoor) faces some sort of vague danger. We are never told why. But this seems enough for the scared father to call in the brawny nice guy to look after his little girl as she moves to college.

In a bid to loosen up the robotically loyal bodyguard, Divya begins prank-calling him pretending to be a long lost girlfriend. Surely enough, the prank backfires and Divya falls for her bodyguard, while he falls for the non-existent girlfriend he’s been speaking to on the phone. And a gimmicky move to use Karisma Kapoor’s voice for Divya’s alter-ego on the phone oddly results in the older Kapoor sister having more interesting speaking parts than the actual female lead in the film, Kareena.

Such seemingly hasty moves define Bodyguard as it unravels, one dud slapstick joke after another. The film also checks off every cringeworthy stereotype in what becomes a desperate move to evoke laughter. At any cost. There’s an obese sidekick named Tsunami Singh who grunts, makes weird noises and is a bumbling, overacting fool. A dwarf character is thrown in just so Lovely Singh can make some flat jokes about a “half human” who needs to drink Complan. And when a flamboyantly gay man (wearing all pink) flirts with the hero, he gets scared and avoids any sort of contact as if a mere touch would bring on the “gay disease.”

To his credit, Siddique employs some of the requisite elements of a masala film. Khan’s introduction – grand song sequence, silly-cool dance moves and an afterthought appearance by Katrina Kaif – is engineered for mass appeal. The fight sequences are creative, to say the least, and the anticipated climax scene where Khan must inevitably lose his shirt as he readies for one last smack down is actually funny in its outlandishness. However, the film suffers overall from bad dialogues, a sorely punctured script, and half-hearted performances.

Khan tries hard to revisit his Chulbul Pandey of Dabanng but fails to do much in Bodyguard. His expressions and dialogue delivery both remain monotone throughout. There are a few moments when he successfully moves beyond his usual range of histrionics; for example, the scene where he is nervous about meeting his telephonic girlfriend in person is suitably executed. But for the most part, Khan hardly moves his lips to mouth the dialogues and then resorts to overacting when a scene demands some level of intensity.

Kapoor, while she looks radiant, offers shockingly little in terms of substance. Perhaps more at fault is the writing, which makes her an incredibly mundane character that could have been played by absolutely anyone. Yes, a masala film heroine is usually a mere trophy, but even Sonakshi Sinha had depth in Dabanng. Here, the be all and end all of the Divya character is Lovely Singh. She is first angry with him, then she teases him, then plays a prank, then falls in love with him. She has no other purpose in her life besides doing something related to Lovely.

The villains – special appearances by Mahesh Manjrekar and Aditya Pancholi – seem unnecessary since we never know exactly what they want or what their motives are. The songs aren’t exciting enough and are forcefully inserted without much regard to the plot or visual themes.

With Bodyguard, Khan hopes to continue his winning streak at delivering successful masala films after Wanted, Dabanng and Ready. However, this film by Siddique goes wrong in numerous places, most of all in the script. The best dramatic point in the film only comes at the end, which is when the film finally begins to get interesting. If only the same innovative dramatic streaks ran throughout the film, Bodyguard would have veered away from becoming the bumbling, unfunny and bland film that it is. This bodyguard won’t save anyone!

Read More >> Latest Baraking News, Latest India News

Memorial Day Quotes, SMS

On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty nation!  ~Thomas William Parsons

Although no sculptured marble should rise to their memory, nor engraved stone bear record of their deeds, yet will their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored.  ~Daniel Webster

With the tears a Land hath shed
Their graves should ever be green.
~Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Are they dead that yet speak louder than we can speak, and a more universal language?  Are they dead that yet act?  Are they dead that yet move upon society and inspire the people with nobler motives and more heroic patriotism?  ~Henry Ward Beecher

Green sods are all their monuments; and yet it tells
A nobler history than pillared piles,
Or the eternal pyramids.
~James Gates Percival

Is't death to fall for Freedom's right?
He's dead alone who lacks her light!
~Thomas Campbell

For love of country they accepted death...  ~James A. Garfield

They fell, but o'er their glorious grave
Floats free the banner of the cause they died to save.
~Francis Marion Crawford

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.  ~From a headstone in Ireland

Blow out, you bugles, over the rich Dead!
There's none of these so lonely and poor of old,
But, dying, has made us rarer gifts than gold.
~Rupert Brooke

The brave die never, though they sleep in dust:
Their courage nerves a thousand living men.
~Minot J. Savage

The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.  ~Benjamin Disraeli

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

They are dead; but they live in each Patriot's breast,
And their names are engraven on honor's bright crest.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Peace to each manly soul that sleepeth;
Rest to each faithful eye that weepeth...
~Thomas Moore

But the freedom that they fought for, and the country grand they wrought for,
Is their monument to-day, and for aye.
~Thomas Dunn English

And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier's tomb, and beauty weeps the brave.  ~Joseph Drake

Perform, then, this one act of remembrance before this Day passes - Remember there is an army of defense and advance that never dies and never surrenders, but is increasingly recruited from the eternal sources of the American spirit and from the generations of American youth.  ~W.J. Cameron

How sleep the brave, who sink to rest,
By all their country's wishes blest!
When Spring, with dewy fingers cold,
Returns to deck their hallow'd mould,
She there shall dress a sweeter sod
Than Fancy's feet have ever trod.
By fairy hands their knell is rung,
There Honour comes, a pilgrim gray,
To bless the turf that wraps their clay;
And Freedom shall awhile repair,
To dwell, a weeping hermit, there.
~William Collins

The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree.  ~Thomas Campbell

Decoration Day is the most beautiful of our national holidays.... The grim cannon have turned into palm branches, and the shell and shrapnel into peach blossoms.  ~Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Better than honor and glory, and History's iron pen,
Was the thought of duty done and the love of his fellow-men.
~Richard Watson Gilder

We who are left how shall we look again
Happily on the sun or feel the rain
Without remembering how they who went
Ungrudgingly and spent
Their lives for us loved, too, the sun and rain?
~Wilfred Wilson Gibson

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.  ~Joseph Campbell

Who kept the faith and fought the fight;
The glory theirs, the duty ours.
~Wallace Bruce

I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day.  I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it.  We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did.  ~Benjamin Harrison

Cover them over with beautiful flowers,
Deck them with garlands, those brothers of ours,
Lying so silent by night and by day
Sleeping the years of their manhood away.
Give them the meed they have won in the past;
Give them the honors their future forcast;
Give them the chaplets they won in the strife;
Give them the laurels they lost with their life.
~Will Carleton

Life hangs as nothing in the scale against dear Liberty!  ~Lucy Larcom

All we have of freedom, all we use or know -
This our fathers bought for us long and long ago.
~Rudyard Kipling, The Old Issue, 1899

Our battle-fields, safe in the keeping
Of Nature's kind, fostering care,
Are blooming, - our heroes are sleeping, -
And peace broods perennial there.
~John H. Jewett

These heroes are dead.  They died for liberty - they died for us.  They are at rest.  They sleep in the land they made free, under the flag they rendered stainless, under the solemn pines, the sad hemlocks, the tearful willows, and the embracing vines.  They sleep beneath the shadows of the clouds, careless alike of sunshine or of storm, each in the windowless Place of Rest.  Earth may run red with other wars - they are at peace.  In the midst of battle, in the roar of conflict, they found the serenity of death.  I have one sentiment for soldiers living and dead:  cheers for the living; tears for the dead.  ~Robert G. Ingersoll

Their silent wounds have speech
More eloquent than men;
Their tones can deeper reach
Than human voice or pen.
~William Woodman

Their own souls rose and cried
Alarum when they heard the sudden wail
Of stricken freedom and along the gale
Saw her eternal banner quivering wide.
~John LeGay Brereton

The dead soldier's silence sings our national anthem.  ~Aaron Kilbourn

Our cheer goes back to them, the valiant dead!
Laurels and roses on their graves to-day,
Lilies and laurels over them we lay,
And violets o'er each unforgotten head.
~Richard Hovey

But fame is theirs - and future days
On pillar'd brass shall tell their praise;
Shall tell - when cold neglect is dead -
"These for their country fought and bled."
~Philip Freneau

Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations, that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of a free and undivided Republic.  ~John A. Logan

Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers;
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The story of America's quest for freedom is inscribed on her history in the blood of her patriots.  ~Randy Vader

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Alas, how can we help but mourn
When hero bosoms yield their breath!
A century itself may bear
But once the flower of such a death.
~S. Weir Mitchell

They hover as a cloud of witnesses above this Nation.  ~Henry Ward Beecher

These martyrs of patriotism gave their lives for an idea.  ~Schuyler Colfax

They saw their injured country's woe;
The flaming town, the wasted field;
Then rushed to meet the insulting foe;
They took the spear, - but left the shield.
~Philip Freneau

For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity.  ~William Penn

Ah! never shall the land forget
How gushed the life-blood of her brave -
~William Cullen Bryant

"Dead upon the field of glory,"
Hero fit for song and story.
~John Randolph Thompason

Knights of the spirit; warriors in the cause
Of justice absolute 'twixt man and man.
~Richard Watson Gilder

Fold him in his country's stars.
Roll the drum and fire the volley!
What to him are all our wars,
What but death bemocking folly?
~George Henry Boker

The Flag still floats unblotted with defeat!
But ah the blood that keeps its ripples red,
The starry lives that keep its field alight.
~Rupert Hughes

The hero dead cannot expire:
The dead still play their part.
~Charles Sangster

We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.  ~Francis A. Walker

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!  ~Maya Angelou