Via TED, dancer Ananda Shankar Jayant speaks tenderly and vulnerably about her experience battling cancer with a positive mind, body and spirit. Her story touches in on the fear we all face when confronted with adversity, what she names an “unwelcome, uninvited, new, life partner.”
Jayant goes on to tell, with extraordinary grace, how she made the choice to stay determined and how she found her anchor in dance. The video is lengthier than most internet clips, but completely riveting — you won’t be able to stop listening to Jayant’s powerful eloquence and watching her equally powerful performance.
This clip from the new film Evolution of Dad pays tribute to the impact a compassionate father can have on a child’s life. Visit the film’s official site for the official trailer, parenting resources and more!
The generosity of one person rarely catches the attention of national news, but Verna Oller’s generosity is definitely a top story. A savvy, self-taught investor, Oller made millions from her simple, hourly wages, and gave all of it all away to her community.
She requested not to have a funeral or even an obituary, but her generosity and modesty has become a surprise sensation, and her legacy of giving is an inspiration to us all.
As posted today by the truly uplifting Daily Good, The Story of the Brick is an inspiring reflection on art as a means of effective, positive change.
When a piece of art consisting of a porcelain brick arrived on the desk of key government officials during what is now known as the “California Water Wars” nobody knew it would change the course of environmental history. Years later, one of those officials, then head of California’s Resource Agency, recounted how a gift of artwork moved his heart, and rippled out to move the hearts of the people of California. Ultimately the landmark legal case to protect the Sierra’s Mono Lake prevailed and set important precedent for protection of natural resources. But how many people know the behind-the-scenes story of the brick that turned the tides when hope could not be found? Behold, the power of art! Read the full story at Daily Good.
The porcelain brick created by artist Deborah Small and received by Huey D. Johnson, and many other public officials, in the 1970s. Photo courtesy of Daily Good.
“Both Huey’s essay and Deborah’s artwork exemplify the role of environmental art, generosity and service as a catalyst for effective change. It’s where our culture needs to head. Art as service. Art with a job to do. A gift that continues to give…”
Being man’s best friend isn’t a job strictly limited to the canine species. In fact, animals may play a much larger role in our health and wellbeing than we realize. My pets may laze away their days on the couch, but many animals spend their lives working as test subjects in laboratories. Luckily, these animals now have a good retirement home on their horizon.
Sustained by donations and the generosity of others, Dr. Karen Straight and Matt Farwell of Wyoming offer these animals a sanctuary for the help they have provided medical students and researchers.
This recipe for a simple, solar-powered oven is, quite literally, the hottest thing since sliced bread. Hot enough to cook casseroles, bake bread and boil water.
The cardboard box oven, aka “The Kyoto Box,” was designed by John Bohmer, one of over 300 participants in the FT Climate Change Challenge, a contest aimed at identifying and publicizing the most innovative and practical solution to climate change. As reported for CNN by Saeed Ahmed, Bohmer wasn’t attempting to make a world-changing scientific breakthrough when he entered the contest, but he also didn’t realize he would solve one of the world’s biggest problems with just $6 USD worth of simple materials.
While it may not be a day-to-day reality for us, it is estimated that about 3 billion people in developing countries cut down trees for firewood. This adds to global warming by way of deforestation. The solar-powered oven eliminates the need of rural communities to cut down trees to cook and most fundamentally, to boil water, which could potentially save millions of children who would otherwise drink contaminated water.
Read more about Bohmer’s environmental MacGyvering here.
Remember paint-by-numbers? Contemporary artists Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher have reinvented that strategy of art-making with their project Learning To Love You More. Anyone and everyone is invited to act as an artist and contribute by completing numbered assignments and posting photo, video and journal reports of their experience online. July and Fletcher built their assignments to simply “guide people towards their own experience,” such as:
#2. Make a neighborhood field recording.
#15. Hang a windchime on a tree in a parking lot.
#30. Take a picture of strangers holding hands.
#36. Grow a garden in an unexpected spot.
Not only does this project directly insert mindfulness and personal reflection into our busy and distracted lives, many assignments ask us to engage positively with others, and overall it uniquely yields a community of viewers who are also artists. Some assignments are delightful, some are contemplative, and some are remarkably meaningful.
This clip shows Miranda July working with the 8-12 year olds at 826LA East to complete assignment #62: Make an educational public plaque. Topics chosen by students include, “How to dance”, “How to Be Optimistic,” and “How to feed a dog.” Their educational plaques were then posted on Sunset Boulevard.
The only bad news in all of this good happening: After 8 years and over 8,000 participants, LTLYM has finally closed it’s website to submissions. The assignment now (with all their inspiration as a guide) is up to you!
Photo courtesy of anandashankarjayant.com
