"....the act of humanity.........."

Flying Solo: A Transgender Widow Fights Discrimination from Lambda Legal on Vimeo.

At 92, Robina Asti, a WWII veteran and pilot, tells her story of living as a transgender woman since 1976 and her fight to be treated like any other widow.

Learn more about Lambda Legal's resources for trans people and advocates at lambdalegal.org/kyr/trans.

Music: "Candlelight" by Jahzzar

Bill & Melinda Gates - Philanthropy

Published on Apr 2, 2014

n 1993, Bill and Melinda Gates—then engaged—took a walk on a beach in Zanzibar, and made a bold decision on how they would make sure that their wealth from Microsoft went back into society. In a conversation with Chris Anderson, the couple talks about their work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as about their marriage, their children, their failures and the satisfaction of giving most of their wealth away.

Away to Play and Learn

     I have spent the last three days in an art workshop in Oregon.  I've learned a lot; also that the amount that could be learned seems infinite.  It is SO wonderful to be able to ask question after question and to receive substantive answers.  I'm swimming in new found knowledge (note- Not drowning).

     After this, I will be focusing for a time on improving my drawing skills!

     At this workshop, however, I have learned about composition, design, values, etc.  Wow---good paintings are not spontaneous creations by geniuses.  Rather, they are the result of a lot of hard work --- starting with the process of designing a composition.....focused on the interplay of dark and light values,  interesting shapes, the use of lines, etc to create drama and tension or whatever feeling the artist is trying to convey! That is a new point in itself for me!  The artist seeks to share the scene as he/she saw it and the feelings that accompanied it!  He/she wishes to draw the viewer in to explore the whole of it.

     It has been a wonderful 3 days.  I am so grateful to have had this time!

For Henry....

I Carry Your Heart from Grigoryev Gleb on Vimeo.

I Carry Your Heart

from Grigoryev Gleb PLUS 4 months ago ALL AUDIENCES

Filmed & Edited by Gleb Grigorev
Shot on Gh2 in Thailand and Cambodia during vacation
The poem by E.E. Cummings was read by Tom O'Bedlam, you can checkout other reading at his Youtube Channelyoutube.com/user/SpokenVerse
Music by Rhian Sheehan

Poem - ".....to cool in the peppermint wind........."

Where the Sidewalk Ends from Rodrigo Riedel on Vimeo.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

from Rodrigo Riedel 9 months ago NOT YET RATED

I'm having fun playing with my Canon T3i and recording my daughter.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Music: Hope by Tony Anderson
VO: Tom O'Bedlam (youtube.com/spokenverse)

All the Way - Poem

Directed, filmed and edited by Willem Martinot
Based on the poem "Roll The Dice" by Charles Bukowski
Voice: Tom O'Bedlam
Music: Tony Anderson
Shot in Andalusia, Spain
Actor and assistant: Imre Tigchelaar
Inspired by Salomon Ligthelm

limestonepictures.nl

All The Way - a Charles Bukowski poem from Willem Martinot on Vimeo.

From National Geographic Your Shot Blog

Behind the Edit: The Power of a Smile

Marie McGrory is an assistant photo editor for Your Shot and the curator of the Power of a Smile story.

As you might assume, this edit was a joy— sifting through smiles and happy scenes for a month came with many laughs and wonderful moments at work. The end, as with most things in life, is the hardest part. Getting the edit down to the last 60 or so and having to start saying goodbye to some of the smiles I learned to love over the month is not an easy thing to do.  As an editor you must decide what works best for the story, the final curated group.  It is what makes our jobs beautiful and challenging.

Below I decided to follow in the footsteps of photo editor Sarah Polger, editor for the I Heart My Citystory, and share some selects along with the near frame. As Sarah says,  “So, what ‘near frames’ hit the floor and missed the final layout? See below. Let me know what you think, because storytelling is a subjective path, and we all wander down it with our own points of view.”

The Select: 

Photograph by Angie Hart

The near frame: These smiles are irresistible. With tight crops, they are the focus of the image. In the near frame, the separate strands of wet hair fit with the separated teeth wonderfully, as if they were made to match. Both captures are loose and fun, but ultimately the bubbles won me over. 

Photograph by Danielle F.

The select:

Photograph by Heavyrain Ijioma

The near frame: I loved the silhouettes. They give enough information to have an idea of what’s going on but leave enough mystery for you to integrate your own life experiences. These mothers have such a strong and joyful bond with their children. I love the tongue of the young girl sticking out, and I wonder what they are playing with. The top frame for me was a stronger composition. The light on the babies face and the glowing window behind the mother are beautiful.

Photograph by Miikka Samuel Luotio

The select:

Photograph by Oscar Medina

The near frame:  The moments where we can relate to another species’ emotions are  delightful. The perspective on the dog, Ruby, lets you see her big brown eyes as she raises her eyebrows much the way we do when we laugh. The shallow depth of field allows you to focus on the face and turns the street into a soft gray backdrop. I chose the horse because I love the frame- it has more depth and more of a story, the colt’s smile is sweet and innocent as it finds comfort in a cuddle.

Photograph by Kyle Behrend

The select:

Photograph by Steven Nestor

The near frame: This story made me think about how much power our smiles really do have and how hard it must be when your face can’t express the emotions you wish to share. The shot of the young girl in the chair is amusing, and I can relate to the moment.  The way she is pointing to her mouth is playful and really made me love the shot. The select was such a unique view. It is the position you are always in as a patient but never see. I could feel the bright light in my eyes and hear the dentist saying “Open a bit wider!” The image really forces the viewer into the scene, and I love that.

Photograph by Jen Bilodeau

The select:

Photograph by Isabel Deleuran

The near frame: As I narrowed down the edit over and over every few days, I would always stop and giggle at these two images. I figured it would get old after the first few passes, but they never did.  Without a doubt both photos are silly moments that I could not help but smile at with each look. The bathtub scene made the cut because I noticed something new every time I looked at it.  Between the various haircuts and goggle shapes, head tilts and hand positions, there was always something new to look at, always a reason to spend some more time with the image. 

Photograph by Tansy Harkin

Article source:

http://yourshotblog.nationalgeographic.com/post/90770168779/behind-the-edit-the-power-of-a-smile?

Gossip

WHO AM I?

I have no respect for justice.
I maim without killing.
I break hearts and ruin lives.
I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age.
The more I am quoted the more I am believed.
I flourish at every level of society.
My victims are helpless; they cannot protect
themselves against me because I have no name and no face.
To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become.
I am nobody's friend.
Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same.
I topple governments and ruin marriages.
I end ministries set up by God.
I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartache and indigestion.
I spawn suspicion and generate grief.
I make headlines, headaches and heartaches
I make innocent people cry in their pillows.
Even my name hisses.

---Author unknown

Why do people gossip?

The person who is laughing out loud, capturing the attention of everyone in the room while gossiping about someone is not as happy as he seems.

From the outside he seems strong, popular, interesting and in control but if you peaked inside his mind at the time he was gossiping you would have found things that you would have never expected to find.

You would have found low self esteem,jealousy,frustration,anger and weakness. Does this sound serious? Then read this article to know the truth about gossiping.

I couldn’t do it there so I will do it here

Sam was treated badly by a guy he barely knows but he couldn’t reply back or do something about it right away. Sam went home frustrated, angry and eager to revenge.

Since Sam didn’t have the courage to settle this problem face to face with that person he decided to go out with his friends to change his mood and when he arrived there he started gossiping about him!!

Do you know why Sam was gossiping? Because he couldn’t take revenge directly and so he
was trying to take it indirectly. Yes Sam was feeling weak and frustrated and this was the main reason behind his gossiping.

I am worthy, believe me!!

People who judge others, who try to put them down or who gossip sometimes have the goal of making themselves appear more worthy. What does a phrase like: "Did you see that guy,
he can’t even do anything right" mean?

It means, "Did you see that guy? He is nothing compared to me, I can do everything right while he can’t, i am worthy!!"

Sadly when people feel less worthy than others or when they feel inferior they start gossiping about others in order to feel good about themselves. After all if everyone become incompetent then surely they will become better than them all!!

I am jealous

Sometimes the main reason behind gossiping is jealousy. When someone feels jealous of someone else he might gossip about him in order to let people hate him.

Sadly jealousy stems from lack of self confidence and gossiping about someone because you are jealous of him only means that you need to fix your self confidence.

Accept me, please, I beg you

Lovers buy gifts for each other in order to strengthen their love and this is a very good thing but can someone give a big gift to a stranger in order to be accepted by him?

Yes it happens, people who feel worthless can do such a thing. By sacrificing some of their core principals and by gossiping about someone in front of a person they just met they hope to get one thing from that new friend which is acceptance.

Going down on your kneels and telling that person "Accept me, i beg you" is the same as scarifying your principles just to get a sign of acceptance as tiny as a smile.

No, its not related to boredom

Some people might try to defend gossiping by saying that its the result of boredom but this is incorrect. The truth is that boredom will lead to gossiping if the person is weak, frustrated, feeling inferior, lacking confidence or jealous.

However if the person was free of psychological weaknesses he won’t gossip even if he was bored simply because gossiping won’t be an option.

If you still gossip then its time to stop, be strong.

Source:

http://www.2knowmyself.com/Why_do_people_gossip

My Opinion:

    When someone knowingly sets out to harm another through gossip, I believe the victim should also consider whether their own behavior (conscious or not) has spurred this result.  If possible, a direct discussion would be good though somewhat unlikely,

    Ultimately, you are who you are, regardless of what other people think of you and perhaps the strongest response you can have is to remember that.
It seems the most empowering thought I can find at the moment,  Though, also, one should aim to be a little bit more conscious of one's own behavior and the impact that may have on others.

Expanding Perception: The Power of Vulnerability

"Human connection is what gives meaning to our lives," according to Brene Brown.

 In order to form connection, we have to allow ourselves to be truly seen. People who have a strong sense of love and belonging have a strong sense of worthiness. People who have an underlying sense of not being worthy also tend to struggle with their sense of belonging. The "whole-hearted," as Brene refers to them, understand that in order to fully connect, we must allow ourselves to be fully vulnerable. Most of us, in some form or another, attempt to numb our vulnerability. It is when we accept ourselves as vulnerable, that we begin to truly live with compassion for ourselves and, in turn, for others. 

Personally, I struggle a lot with my sense of belonging......thankfully, not in my marriage or with people I allow myself to be vulnerable with. With those people, I can be my imperfect self and know that I am accepted. As trust is very difficult for me, I create "fortress walls" around myself as protection. This certainly doesn't help in my efforts to expand human connection. It basically conflicts with the "spirit" of the person I wish myself to be.

This talk by Brene Brown is one of the best I have listened to.


 Uploaded on Jan 3, 2011 http://www.ted.com Brene Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk at TEDxHouston, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.




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