NYTimes Magazine: “Portraits From a Job-Starved City”.
Category Archives: Friends, Family, Life
Show up. Be present.
Two from Roz Duffy that should be passed along; “here and now”, and “my community story”.
Show up. Be present. Probably my greatest personal struggles.
But I’m finding that breathing helps. So does getting back to somethings I had set aside for too long, like my guitar, which provides a kind of mindfulness training in and of itself. So does coding when in a flow. Or most clearly, watching my daughter dance and sing or hearing Richelle’s voice on the phone. I probably will never as attentive to the world I’m in as when I’m in the moment like that. And sometimes, far too often for my taste, I allow anxieties about the future or frets about the past to distract from even those times. But I know that is a challenge we all face, and in that challenge is everything.
Wisdom in 7 minutes from 40 movies
YouTube: “Reel Wisdom: Lessons from 40 Films in 7 Minutes”:
via Laughing Squid, via Dave Rogers
“whatever we count is always an underestimate”
YouTube: “Volunteers count homeless in SEPTA concourse “:
Story at newsworks.org.
Must reading about Kensington at Philly.com
The Inquirer recently wrapped up a series about the struggles faced in Kensington and Philadelphia’s First Congressional District – the 2nd hungriest in the nation: “Hunger in the First”:
- Alfred Lubrano: “Inquirer spotlight on hunger spurs acts of generosity”
- Alfred Lubrano: “A struggle to make an honest living”
- Alfred Lubrano: “Nutritional challenges in a supermarket desert”
- Alfred Lubrano: “The Drugs Dilemma”
- Alfred Lubrano: “Scarred by violence, moved to take action”
- Alfred Lubrano: “Planting seeds of hope”
- Alfred Lubrano: “Hunger in Philadelphia: The Safety Net Is Torn”
- Alfred Lubrano: “Food that’s as poor as the family”
- Alfred Lubrano: “A Portrait of Hunger”
Following this series, no doubt brought on by the horror of the Kensington strangler, was a greater spotlight cast by the papers on the neighborhood that included a great set of independent articles:
- David Gambacorta: “No simple solution for prostitution, cops say”
- Jan Ransom & Natalie Pompilio: “In Kensington, residents united in fear”
- Daniella Wexler and Mohana Ravindranath: “Kensington neighborhood fends for itself after the snow”
- Hayden Mitman: “Beyond ‘Strangler’ panic, Kensington looks to long-term ills”
- David Gambacorta: “Kensington vigil draws a crowd in support of victims’ families”
All are worth reading.
An article that introduces us to a new news effort coming *from* Kensington deserves a special shout out because it is efforts like this that point us towards the future or news and maybe the neighborhood itself: “Philadelphia duo bring Internet attention to Kensington’s woes”. That duo is Richie Antipuna and Heather Barton and their video series can be found on Blip.tv.
I just had to round up these articles and post them to one page since the subject matter was so related. Now if there was a place to discuss these stories collectively. Reddit’s Philadelphia sub-reddit perhaps? That feels wrong. The stories need an official home someplace where people from the neighborhood and outside the neighborhood can discuss them collectively. Why do I care about that? Because when people connect over subject matter that is when ideas can take shape and action can take place.
Queen and Heroism
slacktivist: “The terror of knowing what this world is about”:
Nothing new here — nothing novel or innovative or unusual. But worth repeating, I think. In any case, it was something I needed to repeat after firing up the computer this morning to find that the artists and the saints had conspired against me, teaming up to remind me what this world is about.
Love dares you. Mm ba ba de.
Related:
Greater Good: Philip Zimbardo: “What Makes a Hero?”
Both good reads.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2011
Emma came home from school with a pamphlet and homework assignment on Dr. King the other day and it gave me the opportunity to speak a little about someone I consider a hero and what he challenged us to do.
Wish I was well enough to take part in Martin Luther King Jr. volunteer efforts tomorrow, but at least I can root them on. Kick ass tomorrow folks and have fun.
Via dangerousmeta.com came the following clip of Robert Kennedy announcing the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
YouTube: “Robert Kennedy Announcing the Assasination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Indiana 1968”:
The Twelve Doctors of Christmas
Tor.com ran a great series of essays on each of the Doctors titled “The Twelve Doctors of Christmas” that has some good reads.
My favorite essays out of the bunch:
3, 4, 5, and 9. Pretty much coincide with my favorite Doctors as well. No offense all of you out there.
“Born to be an Alien” quotes an essay that was passed along a while back that is still a good read, “How Doctor Who Made Me A Liberal”. Sometimes I feel like I should write a version of this essay wrapping in Star Blazers, Star Trek, early Star Wars, and the Muppets because they, along with Doctor Who, left some similar imprints on me growing up.
The stories we are told as kids stay with us in some interesting, and powerful, ways.
As the series summarizes:
Until next time, remember: Bananas are good, Daleks are bad, try reversing the polarity, and intellect and romance should always triumph over brute force and cycnicism.
Two talks from TED to watch *today*
TEDXToronto: “Neil Pasricha: The 3 A’s of awesome”:
TEDXHouston: “Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability”:
Related:
Presentation Zen: “We don’t seek your perfection, only your authenticity”
This post brought to you by Dave Rogers whose latest post over the shooting in Tucson is a must read.
David Shenk: “Our abilities are not set in genetic stone.”
BBC: David Shenk: “Is there a genius in all of us?”:
It would be folly to suggest that anyone can literally do or become anything. But the new science tells us that it’s equally foolish to think that mediocrity is built into most of us, or that any of us can know our true limits before we’ve applied enormous resources and invested vast amounts of time.
Our abilities are not set in genetic stone. They are soft and sculptable, far into adulthood. With humility, with hope, and with extraordinary determination, greatness is something to which any kid – of any age – can aspire.