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Davis and White win ice-dancing worlds, first ever for U.S.
For the first time in American ice dancing history, the U.S. can boast a champion. Meryl Davis and Charlie White won the gold medal at the world figure skating championships in Moscow on Saturday, beating out friends and training partners Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir from Canada and Maia and Alex Shibutani from the U.S.

Virtue and Moir had a small lead over Davis and White after the short dance. The Canadians skated first, delivering an energetic and passionate dance that was quite a departure from the routine that won the pair Olympic gold in 2010. They earned high marks on their lifts, turns and twizzles, and garnering a score of 107.5. That put them 11 points ahead of the Shibutanis with just the American champions left to skate.
Davis and White needed to score their season's best to wrest the gold from the Canadians, and they delivered
and their twizzles drew huge cheers from the Russian crowds. This dance was athletic and showed off Davis and White's speed and close connection on the ice.  Every turn was in unison, wowing the fans. The judges agreed, awarding Davis and White a score of 111.51 and the gold medal.
Davis was emotional after winning the gold, finally beating Virtue and Moir and becoming the first Americans to win ice-dancing gold.
"It's been a triumph of all of our efforts. We're really honored to be the team," Davis said to the ice-side reporter.

Watch their gold-medal winning routine here.  

Watch this video to see that every lift was perfect 

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The crowd in Rome and in capitals around the world erupted in cheers, tears and applause as an enormous photo of a young, smiling John Paul was unveiled over the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica and a choir launched into hymn long associated with the Polish-born pope.
"He restored to Christianity its true face as a religion of hope," Benedict said in his homily, referring to John Paul's decisive role in helping bring down communism. Benedict dotted his remarks with personal recollections of a man he came to "revere" during their near-quarter century working together.

Beatification is the first major milestone on the path to possible sainthood, one of the Catholic Church's highest honors. A second miracle attributed to John Paul's intercession is needed for him to be canonized.
The beatification, the fastest in modern times, is a morale boost for a church scarred by the sex abuse crisis, but it has also triggered a new wave of anger from victims because the scandal occurred under John Paul's 27-year watch.
Police placed wide swaths of Rome even miles (kilometers) from the Vatican off limits to private cars to ensure security for the estimated 16 heads of state, eight prime ministers and five members of European royal houses attending.
Helicopters flew overhead, police boats patrolled the nearby Tiber River and some 5,000 uniformed troops manned police barricades to ensure priests, official delegations and those with coveted VIP passes could get to their places amid the throngs of pilgrims.
Spain's Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia, wearing a black lace "mantilla," mingled with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, Poland's historic Solidarity leader and former President Lech Walesa and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who sidestepped an EU travel ban to attend.
"He went all over the world," said Bishop Jean Zerbo of Bamako, Mali, who came to Rome for the ceremony. "Today, we're coming to him."
Vendors hawked John Paul trinkets: bottle openers, key chains, cushions, calendars and T-shirts.
Benedict put John Paul on the fast-track for possible sainthood when he dispensed with the traditional five-year waiting period and allowed the beatification process to begin weeks after his April 2, 2005, death. Benedict was responding to chants of "Santo Subito!" or "Sainthood Immediately" which erupted during John Paul's funeral.
On Sunday, a group of pilgrims from Krakow affixed a banner to a fence outside the square that said "Santo Subito," evidence that for many of the faithful, John Paul already is a saint.

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B-52 Crash Site 


President Obama: Notre Dame Commencement



Bono Delivers Penn's Commencement Address 



Alig harvard commencement speech


Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address


Dolly Parton Delivers Commencement Address at the University of Tennessee 2009


Will Ferrell at Harvard


J..K. Rowling at Harvard


Beatification of John Paul II
Pope's beatification Today in Rome, John Paul II receives one of the highest honors in Catholicism — beatification. His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, will oversee proceedings that are expected to draw pilgrims from all over the world. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims will attend a special mass in St Peter's Square in Rome this morning to mark the formal beatification of Pope John Paul II.
 Find out more about the former pontiff and the deeds that helped him earn his reverent nickname.

Background of John Paul II
Birth: John Paul II (what was his given name?) was born in 1920 in Central Europe.
School: He studied philosophy in college until 1939 
Priesthood: The future pontiff was ordained as a priest in 1946 and became the youngest bishop in his homeland.
Death: At the time of his death in 2005, he’d held the second longest papal reign in history 
Solidarity Movement in Poland
Many believe Pope John Paul II helped create Poland’s Solidarity Movement in 1980. That movement also sparked a landmark political change

His pastoral visits
Pope John Paul II made more official visits to foreign countries than any other pope. He notably visited both Muslim and Jewish places of worship.

His act of forgiveness
In 1981, John Paul II survived an assassination attempt. Though he was critically wounded , he quickly forgave his shooter and later paid him a visit.

World Youth Day
In 1984, the Pope founded an event to bring Catholic youth from around the world to celebrate together. His mobilization of younger members of the faith earned him this nickname.

Apologizes for the Catholic Church
During his pontificate, John Paul II made a series of formal apologies for past acts of the Catholic Church. He asked the forgiveness of a wide range of groups, including Africans, Jews and women.

Divine Mercy Sunday
in 2000, John Paul II officially instituted The Feast of the Divine Mercy. The day acknowledges the Catholic devotion attributed to a famous nun he canonized.

The pope’s miracle
To be considered for beatification, one miracle must be attributed to an individual after death. John Paul II has been credited with the miraculous cure of a French nun  who suffered from a degenerative disorder.  Find out how she said she was healed.

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Famous commencement speeches
 Famous Graduation Speakers The world of academia is abuzz over one university's decision to pay a big fee for a reality TV celebrity over a renowned author to headline their 2011 graduation. Celebrity commencement speeches have become commonplace. The fad can be traced to the infamous "sunscreen speech." Check out the most interesting commencements in academic history.


Toni Morrison
At a 2004 liberal arts graduation, the prolific writer said:
 "You are your own stories and therefore free to imagine and experience what it means to be human without wealth. What it feels like to be human without domination over others, without reckless arrogance, without fear of others unlike you, without rotating, rehearsing and reinventing the hatreds you learned in the sandbox." 
entire speech.
Steve Jobs
Apple chief Jobs offered no-nonsense advice to the 2005 Stanford grads. His health issues may have added weight to his speech.
 "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice." 
Parton spoke to 2009 University of Tennessee grads about brains, dreams and breasts.
 "I think people will remember us for who we were, not how many records we sell, or how much money we make. Because I have always said that I have always counted my blessings far more often than I've counted my money." 
When the U2 front man spoke to 2004 University of Pennsylvania grads, he used humor to lead into a vital topic.
 "Wishing for the end to AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa is like wishing that gravity didn't make things so damn heavy. We can wish it, but what the hell can we do about it? Well, more than we think. We can't fix every problem … but the ones we can, we must." 
entire speech.
Will Ferrell
Ferrell delivered a hilarious speech at Harvard in 2003.
 "One of the challenges you will be faced with is finding a job in our depressed economy.  In fact, the chances of landing a decent job are about as good as finding weapons of mass destruction in the Iraqi desert.  Slim and none.  And Slim just left the building." 
Watch the speech.
Sacha Baron Cohen
Baron Cohen, who graduated from a top university, produced hilarity and provoked security at Harvard as his Ali G persona.
"What did Lincoln give American, apart from the Town Car?" 
Watch the speech.
 J.K. Rowling
The "Harry Potter" author spoke candidly and topically to Harvard grads in 2008.
 "We do not need magic to change the world; we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: We have the power to imagine better."
 Watch the speech.
President Barack Obama
President Obama took some heat for his view on a big issue prior to this 2009 Notre Dame speech.
 "You are about to enter the next phase of your life at a time of great uncertainty. You will be called upon to help restore a free market that is also fair to all who are willing to work; to seek new sources of energy that can save our planet; to give future generations the same chance that you had to receive an extraordinary education." 
Watch the speech
President Kennedy got down to the basics during his rousing speech at American University in 1963.
 "For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's futures, and we are all mortal."
Watch the speech.
Ellen DeGeneres
The multi-Emmy winner returned to her hometown to give the Class of 2009 some real-world advice.
"Life is like one big Mardi Gras, but instead of showing your boobs, show people your brain, and if they like what they see, you'll have more beads than you know what do with."
 Watch the speech.
Conan O'Brien
O'Brien reminisced at his alma mater in 2000 and gave grads a wake-up call.
 "As you leave these gates and re-enter society, one thing is certain: Everyone out there is going to hate you."
Watch the speech.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
The Tibetan spiritual leader comprised the importance of education with a compassionate worldview in his 1998 speech at Emory University.
 "A good person means someone with a good heart, a sense of caring for the welfare of others, a sense of commitment, a sense of responsibility. Education and the warm heart, the compassion heart—if you combine these two, then your education and knowledge will be constructive. Then you are yourself on the way to becoming a happy person." 

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