Public places and art - what a perfect way to send a unifying, positive message to the public and break down the invisible wall that exists between us. At Antwerp’s Central Station, a promotional stunt lead to a group song (Do Re Mi from The Sound of Music.)
As the song builds, the participation grows until it seems like everyone in the train station joined in.
The Sound of Music in Belgium (Watch now!)
New Zealander Nadya Vessey is a real-life mermaid.
She lost both of her legs due to a childhood illness and several years ago, approached Weta Workshop who designed a one-of-a-kind apparatus that would allow her to swim.
The tail is made of wetsuit fabric and plastic mold in addition to digitally-imaged effects which allow Nadya to swim quite effectively, though it took some getting used to (Hey, even mermaids have learning curves!)
Nadya Vessey's prosthetic tail is mostly constructed from wetsuit fabric and plastic molds, and covered in a digitally printed sock.
What is it about the small, annoying things in life that can really unearth our positivity? From the baby crying at your quiet, little restaurant to the easily-triggered car alarm on your neighbor’s vehicle to the bank teller’s bad attitude, these seemingly little things can really rock our world.
Here are 3 steps to help you not sweat the small stuff:
1. Breathe. Sure I’ve said it before. Countless times. But your body’s response to a stressful situation is to breathe rapidly and shallowly. By focusing on a few deep breaths as the man in front of you drives 20 mph in a 40 mph zone, you “trick” your body into a sense of relaxation.
2.POV Switch. Change your perspective. Remember the man driving 20 mph under the speed limit? Perhaps he’s older and had an accident recently that shook him up. Or maybe the child screaming is really venting the way you need to! It’s tough to do, but it stems from compassion - feeling or imagining what someone else is going through.
3. Cry. Ah, this is tough for many. But when you find yourself increasingly testy, it’s usually because you’re hurting inside. It’s not that extra long red light. It may be your ailing mother or the troubled relationship you find yourself in. Crying is a quick and easy way to dispel some of the deeper pain. You’ll notice that little stuff isn’t nearly as annoying. If you are an avid “non-cryer” then try journaling or talking to a friend.
Annoyed or Annoyer?
Perhaps you haven’t heard of him but Trajanov is a real powerhouse opera singer in Macedonia who spearheaded a massive green project. Last year, he launched an initiative to plant 2 million trees throughout the country’s mountains, one for each citizen of Macedonia.
“Our goal is to make Macedonia “greener” and make people more aware of the needs of this planet”, said Macedonian opera singer Boris Trajanov, who initiated the Tree Day project.
The main goal of this green campaign was to replant Macedonia’s forests after extensive wild fires over the past two summers.
A citizen helps out
Marcus Marcus, Young Founder of Save the Sharks
As Marcus Marcus puts it so well on his Save the Sharks website:
“One day last autumn I had a day off from day school and went to the water museum, Aquaria, with my mum. Right then there was a school group on a study trip and I sneaked in to listen to the guide.
The school children were mostly giggly and fighting but I stood near the guide so I could hear properly. He explained how a sickening number of sharks are captured to have their fins cut off to make shark fin soup.
I got really angry. On the boat back from Djurgården I decided to save the sharks.
My dad is a web designer and he has helped me make this website.
Here, I want to collect members for a really big shark club called “Save the sharks”. Everyone who wants to protest about the killing of sharks and the eating of shark fin soup should send in their name to my club.
Soon to be translated into a fourth language, the site contains a page where people can add their name to an already 20,000-strong list of protesters from 58 different countries. His recently launched facebook group has also gathered over 1,000 members.
So what are you waiting for? Help the kid realize he can make a difference and, most importantly, help the sharks!
To add your name to the petition contact: Marcus Marcus, President, savethesharks.info@gmail.com, Save The Sharks Club, www.savethesharks.se
There have been several articles in major publications as of late showing the increase of people cooking at home and a decrease in going out to restaurants for a meal. Obviously, this is tied into our recent economic woes but is positive news nonetheless.
Why? Because a home-cooked meal will always be better for your overall health in my opinion. When you create a meal with your own hands, you become part of your meal. It is an extension of you.
Now of course, what you make counts: a premade dinner that you nuke in a microwave doesn’t count. Nor does a box of macaroni and cheese. Your meal needs to consist of more basic ingredients (vegetables, fish, poultry, etc.) and grow from there.
Ideally, the closer you can move toward organic ingredients, the better. If you can’t afford those ingredients, then learn how to read labels thoroughly and wash your produce very well.
If you’re one of the people bemoaning that you just don’t cook, stop fooling yourself! Everyone knows how to cook. It really isn’t brain surgery. And because of the wide, wide world of the Internet, simple, easy recipes are literally at your fingertips.
Cooking is a very therapeautic process, in addition to a money saver. Get in touch with your meals agan. Ultimately, it means getting in touch with yourself!
During a time when layoffs or the threat of layoffs loom in the air, what can be done to improve your attitude in the workplace? And additionally, how can you apply these same tenets to your life? Forcing positivity is never the answer. Making subtle changes to your patterns of thought seems far more effective.
Here’s some advice from Washington Post columnist Lily Garcia:
Catch the happiness virus. Just as you can catch the “negativity virus,” you can also be infected by happiness. You may find that the morale of your workplace is suffering because of a layoff, and you may have little choice but to associate with gloomy coworkers. But you do have a choice about who you spend time with in your personal life. According to a study published in the British Medical Journal in December, knowing someone who is happy increases your chances of being happy by 15.3 percent.
When you are unhappy at work, it can help talk about it and establish solidarity with other people who are going through the same thing. But beware of dwelling on your problems. As much as you can, surround yourself with people who are optimistic and positive.
It’s a fine line, between commiserating and wallowing. Sharing your ails is essential and needed in order to move forward. But too much of it and you can almost physically feel yourself getting stuck in the quicksand of negativity.
Barack Obama’s administration took a green step forward several days ago by declaring carbon dioxide is a danger to human health and welfare and more stringent greenhouse gas emissions regulation is needed in the near future.
This declaration alone clears the path for the US Environmental Protection Agency to regulate emissions under existing air pollution laws without the need for brand new legislation. In addition, it increases public notice and pressure on Congress to pass global warming-related laws.
And this isn’t just grandstanding or rhetoric: the US President has a deadline in place. He wants marked progress before the United Nations climate change talks in Copenhagen in December to signal the US commitment to change and encourage other countries, particularly China and India, to make much needed alterations.
This talk will undoubted cause a huge uproar by lobbying groups who stand much to lose.
Bill Kovacs, vice-president of the US Chamber of Commerce, said business will react very poorly to any attempt to “let the EPA run the economy.” He also said using the threat of EPA action to coerce Congress was “the worst possible way to make policy.”
So an upswell of bipartisanship arguing will no doubt ensue. But Obama’s declaration is movement on a front that desperately needs immediate, national and international attention. For all of us, as global citizens, this is indeed positive news.
There are moments when we all want to shun our computer and all of its deleterious effects. Has it sucked the life and soul right out of us? Do we still know how to run, laugh, live life without it? It’s easy to see the negative impact of hours in front of the computer but the perks can be equally astounding.
Take this group of transcontinental people who gathered at Carnegie Hall. The auditions were held online, on YouTube. The winners included a marimba player from Japan, a clarinetist from Costa Rica a poker-playing California cellist and 93 other musicians who joined together in New York City to make beautiful cyber-based and created music.
Meeting in New York for the first time five days ago, the “YouTube symphony” practiced up to 12 hours a day for Wednesday night’s performance.
“It’s been like a summit conference and a scout jamboree, with elements of speed dating,” said Grammy Award-winning conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who directed the concert.
The orchestra was picked from more than 3,000 videotaped auditions uploaded on YouTube in December and January. Judges from the world’s most elite orchestras whittled the number down to 200, and the final winners were chosen by millions of YouTube viewers.
The group received wild applause after playing “Internet Symphony No. 1, Eroica,” written especially for the event by Oscar-winning Chinese composer Tan Dun.
- by Beth Mann
Source: NY Daily News
Chuck Forbes had only once obstacle in his way last week, as he headed from his home in Wyoming to a Denver hospital for a liver transplant - and that was Mother Nature herself. The roads were blocked with snow. According to his wife, Ruth, who frantically called 911:
“The operator said ‘The road is closed, we’ve been forecasting this storm all week…Then she said ‘Hang on, I’ll get a patrolman to come talk to you.’”
Trooper Chuck Bloom arrived at the scene, talked to the couple and then returned to his patrol car.
“He came back to our car and said, ‘If you wait right here, the area boss for WYDOT (Wyoming Department of Transportation) will be right here,’” Ruth Forbes said. “In a matter of 10 minutes, we had a convoy of plow trucks.”
The couple followed nearly on the bumper of a plow truck in whiteout conditions.
Other trucks joined their caravan to plow a wider path. In Cheyenne, one plow led them through the city. South of the city, another snowplow driver got them to the state line.
In all, the escort involved eight snowplows and covered some 80 miles.
Forbes made it to the hospital in time. His surgery was performed the following morning.
“I hope those WYDOT (Wyoming Department of Transportation) guys know they performed a miracle,” Ruth Forbes said.
Source: CNN