Here New Yorkers drown out Terry Jones' message of hate with The Beatles 'All You Need is Love'. I was in Manhattan on 9/11. The city completely came together and we all leaned on one another. Even though it's a city full of transience - people coming and going - that city has heart and soul and will forever mean love and family to me. Maybe it's the circles I keep, but the only hate I saw the days and months after 9/11 came from outsiders. It's safe to say that all of us are against terrorism. But some have not gotten the memo that not all Muslims are terrorists.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Love vs. Bigotry
Here New Yorkers drown out Terry Jones' message of hate with The Beatles 'All You Need is Love'. I was in Manhattan on 9/11. The city completely came together and we all leaned on one another. Even though it's a city full of transience - people coming and going - that city has heart and soul and will forever mean love and family to me. Maybe it's the circles I keep, but the only hate I saw the days and months after 9/11 came from outsiders. It's safe to say that all of us are against terrorism. But some have not gotten the memo that not all Muslims are terrorists.
Ex-Jihadis Reintegrate Into Society
The story of Mahmudi Haryono, once an extremist in Indonesia, now working in a restaurant founded by another reformed radical.
Read here on NPR: An Indonesian Extremist Trades Rifle For Spatula
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Just Do It!
I love this video because this young woman, Candace, reminds us all to just get out there and try something new. Sometimes we get negative stories in our head, of what we can't do or won't be, and it gets stuck on a loop. We start to believe it. We forget that that a story is just a story. Don't be afraid to stretch and grow. Don't be afraid to share something with the rest of us. Share your song, your art, your story, gift, whatever it is. Don't worry about failure or fame or being the best ever. Just do it because it makes you happy, and you never know, it may make someone else feel the same!
Street Compliments
We often forget to tell people what they mean to us. I've spent the last year or so trying to mindful of this and to say out loud how wonderful it is to have the people I love in my life.
SoulPancake
Monday, February 18, 2013
A Life Defined Not By Disabiltiy, But By Love
Definitely give a listen to this touching interview between a developmentally-disabled mother, Bonnie Brown, and her teenage daughter, Myra.
Read and listen here on NPR: A Life Not Defined By Disability.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Pilot Dreams of a Magic Schoolbus
An inspirational interview with Barrington Irving, the first African-American to fly solo around the world, and also the youngest to do so; he was 23 years old and took off with only $30 in his pocket.
Today, at 29, Mr. Irving has become an educator, seeking to inspire American youth to take up long neglected STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
Listen to his story on NPR: African-Americans Fly High With Math and Science
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Videos of Everyday Heroism
This is what people do for each other. They rush into burning buildings. They jump on train tracks. They work together to lift a car off of an injured person. They save people's lives. These things may not be recommended by the authorities because they are extremely dangerous, but it is truly amazing how selfless people can be.
See video here:
8 Amazing Videos of Everyday People Turned Unsung Heroes from The Huffington Post.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
30 French Imams Visit Holocaust Memorial Outside Paris
30 French Imams visit the Holocaust Memorial near Paris at a time when tensions are running high between France's Muslim and Jewish communities.
Memorial director, Jacques Fredj, had this to say:
“I get the feeling that there
is a growing number of French Muslims standing up to denounce, publicly
and collectively, anti-Semitism in France.Today’s visit is not only a message to their own community that
hatred is not the Muslim way, it is also a message to the rest of the
country that most French Muslims are not radicals.”
Read more about the visit here at France24.com
Brian Greene: Exploring the Unknown Universe
Columbia University professor, Brian Greene, discusses with the BBC the thrill of exploring our universe, the progress we have made in understanding it, and the concept he most wants to understand- the essence of Time.
Click here to view the roughly 5 minute video. Truly fascinating stuff.
Senegal: 427 communities end FGM & child marriage
Girls Not Brides, the global partnership to end child marriage, has announced 427 Senegalese communities have publicly declared to end the practices of child marriage and female genital mutilation.
What a great day for women and girls in these communities!
Please check out the other excellent work being done by Tostan, the community-led development NGO that helped make this all possible.
Monday, February 4, 2013
The Edge Of The Universe
I'm fascinated by all things dealing with space and time. I found this stunning documentary, Journey to the Edge of the Universe, on YouTube. You never know how long it will be available there so if you missed it, I apologize.
As the narrator says at the end of this clip, "Our family tree begins here."
A Sweet Read: Just One Thing
I've been reading this book, Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time by Rick Hanson, on and off for the past year and I have to say I love it. The reason why I say "off and on" is because it's full of these fantastic lessons on life and mindfulness and I've found I like to sit with a couple lessons and incorporate them into my life before moving on. I highly recommend it.
Amazon summary:
You’ve heard the expression, “It’s the little
things that count.” Research has shown that little daily practices can
change the way your brain works, too. This book offers simple
brain-training practices you can do every day to protect against stress,
lift your mood, and find greater emotional resilience. Just One Thing
is a treasure chest of over fifty practices created specifically to
deepen your sense of well-being and unconditional happiness.
Just one practice each day can help you:
Just one practice each day can help you:
- Be good to yourself
- Enjoy life as it is
- Build on your strengths
- Be more effective at home and work
- Make peace with your emotions
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Ears open! Maya Angelou
"Ears open!" is what I always used to say to my class when we started a new lesson. I've realized that lessons don't only come to us as children, or in a classroom, or in the workplace. They come to us from everywhere and from everyone. They come from our children. They come from silence.
If there is one person who always makes me do "Ears open!" whenever she speaks, it is the great Maya Angelou. And the lesson above is one I try to remember daily, particularly on those days when I hear negativity coming from within. What this quote means to me is that we shouldn't stop believing in ourselves or in something we love to do because we are afraid of not being the best, afraid that someone else will do it louder and better. We should believe in what we have to offer because it is the offering that holds the meaning and value. That book you are writing? It may not be a best-seller. It may not get rave reviews. It may not get any reviews at all. Write it anyway because it is your song.
What does Ms. Angelou's quote mean to you?
Everyday Heroes: CNN Heroes 2012
Pushpa Basnet, one of CNN Heroes of 2012. Read about her amazing work with the children of prisoners in Nepal, as well as the works of the other amazing 2012 CNN Heroes here.
Do you know someone who is going above and beyond? Nominate them!
It's Their World, Too: NatGeo Wildlife -Best of January 2013
Sometimes it's nice to remember that it's not all about us on this planet.
See more at: National Geographic
Natural Beauty: The Transition Back to Natural Hair
The New York Times profiles Zina Saro-Wiwa, who invites us to witness her journey from chemically-straightened to natural hair. In the process she finds a different, deeper beauty in herself, and a community of women doing the same. Like Nana, a character from one of my daughter's favorite books, says, "there is more than one way to be beautiful."
Football Team Protects Bullied Student
The football team protects bullied student, Chy Johnson. It's nice to see young people step up and do what they know is right.
YouTube
High School Community Grants Hoop Dreams
The 2006 story of Jason McElwain and the school community that rallied behind him. They aren't all bullies!
YouTube
Welcome
I'm a news junkie. I like to be informed about what is going on in the world, what we are doing to the world and to each other.
But so often everything we read is so negative and you start to think that negative is all there is. There is great beauty in this world. There are great people doing great things for their neighbors and friends, and fellow global citizens.
We are all lucky to be here to enjoy each other and this day. Make the most of it.
But so often everything we read is so negative and you start to think that negative is all there is. There is great beauty in this world. There are great people doing great things for their neighbors and friends, and fellow global citizens.
We are all lucky to be here to enjoy each other and this day. Make the most of it.
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