Month: January 2014

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

A Love of Music:

Monday of this week Pete Seeger died at the age of 94.  He was the embodiment of American music and its spirit.

Here are 10 quotes for nearly 10 poignant decades…

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2014/01/28/pete_seeger_10_quotes.html

A Love of Art:

Wednesday, as long time partners of Arts and Culture in San Diego at the kickoff event of Mission Federal ArtWalk 2014, the Mayor of San Diego, Todd Gloria proclaimed it Mission Federal ArtWalk Day!

As the theme this year is CREATIVITY CONNECTS: CELEBRATING 30 YEARS for Mission Federal ArtWalk @ Little Italy:  April 26 & 27, 2014

I decided to borrow from Pete’s songbook and created an “Art-Felt” Tribute to Pete Seeger 2014 using Where Have All the Flowers Gone…

While Pete’s narrative as part of the anti-war movement took us from Flowers to Young Girls to Husbands to Soldiers to Graveyards and back to Flowers this 2014 rendition applied the same sentiment to art and its rightful place in society and critical importance with respect to the betterment of culture. This time around, we go from Artists to Scientists to the Promise of Progress to false and real Profits& Prophets thru Redemption then back to Artists.

There is an artist in every one of us and quoting Pete Seeger, “There is no such thing as a wrong note,” he liked to say when leading group renditions of songs like Amazing Grace, “just as long as you’re singing along.”

Where Have All the Artists Gone?

Where have all the artists gone, long time passing?
Where have all the artists gone, long time ago?
Where have all the artists gone?
Scientists displaced them everyone.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all the scientists gone, long time passing?
Where have all the scientists gone, long time ago?
Where have all the scientists gone?
Used up for progress everyone
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where’s the promise of progress gone, long time passing?
Where’s the promise of progress gone, long time ago?
Where’s the promise of progress gone?
Sold to profit everyone
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all our prophets gone, long time passing?
Where have all our prophets gone, long time ago?
Where have all our prophets gone?
Seeking redemption, everyone.
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

When will our redemption come, long time waiting?
When we’ll sing redemption song, not long ago…
When will freedom be re-won?
Right when artists live this song!
When will we ever learn?
Can, will we ever learn?

If you are local, YOU can help ARTREACH bring art education into elementary schools countywide:  www.artreachsandiego.org

A Love of Language:

“Lexophile” is the word used to describe those that have a love for words, such as “you can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish”, or “to write with a broken pencil is pointless.”

A competition to see who can come up with the best of these is held every year.

This year’s winning submission is posted at the very end.

Enjoy the word play!

.. When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.

.. A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
.. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.

.. The batteries were given out free of charge.
.. A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
.. A will is a dead giveaway.
.. With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
.. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
.. When you’ve seen one shopping Center you’ve seen a mall.

.. Police were called to a day care center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
.. Did you hear about the fellow whose whole left side was cut off? He’s all right now.
.. A bicycle can’t stand alone; it is two tired.
.. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
.. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered.
.. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.

.. When she saw her first strands of grey hair she thought she’d dye.
.. Acupuncture is a jab well done. That’s the point of it.
And the cream of the crop:
.. Those who get too big for their pants will be exposed in the end.

A Love of Life:

Being Soul Filled means feeling fully, living passionately and even dying graciously

In a culture with no real language for communicating the nuances of the inevitable for all of us, this piece struck a rich deep bass chord with the remarkable way this family reflects on death, dying and growth…

http://storycorps.org/listen/debra-and-lionel-dluna-and-adrienne-dluna-directo/

A Love of Learning: Don’t believe everything you think!

3 Myths That Block Progress For The Poor by Bill and Melinda Gates: http://annualletter.gatesfoundation.org/

A Love of Nature (Inner and Out):

Click here!

Thanks this week go to Pete Seeger, Sandi C and Mission Fed ArtWalk, NPR, Stan S and Larry H.

Love Life!

Neville

PS. IF SFF is resonating for you, would you leave me a comment?

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is life, fight for it.”

— Mother Teresa

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week:

Good listening, decoding in a world of “coders”, putting it all on the line, the power of practice and persistence and timing is everything…

Did anyone tell you how important you are in their lives today?

Well I just did!

Know Thy Audience!

A disappointed salesman of Coca-Cola returned from his assignment to Saudi Arabia.
A friend asked, “Why weren’t you successful with the Saudis?”
The salesman explained, “When I got posted, I was very confident I would make a good sales pitch. But I had a problem. I didn’t know how to speak Arabic. So I planned to convey the message through three posters.

First poster: A man lying in the hot desert sand totally exhausted and fainting.
Second poster: The man is drinking Coca-Cola.
Third poster: Our man is now totally refreshed. 

And then these posters were posted all over the place.

“Terrific! That should have worked” said the friend.
“The he** it should have!” said the salesman. “No one told me they read from right to left.”

40 Amazing Maps:

In a world of Coders, good communicators are De-Coders.

These remarkable info-graphics help us make sense of our world in a whole new way

Which one was the most interesting for you? (visualizing population density, highest paid public employees by state, earthquakes since 1898, different writing systems, economic center of gravity since 1AD, reversed map of Southern Hemisphere at top because North is arbitrary?)

http://twistedsifter.com/2013/08/maps-that-will-help-you-make-sense-of-the-world/

Putting it ALL on the Line:

PARDOS PUSH – This is what radical collaboration is ALL about!

All gave some, some gave all…

Nothing in Life is Permanent:

Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes Perfect

What 1 Man did over 4 years with this Tree Trunk will Blow you Mind!

One tree, four years of work and an indescribable amount of talent: that’s what it took to create this incredible masterpiece.

A famous Chinese wood carver chopped down a single tree and tirelessly worked on it for over four years to make this piece.

Your jaw will hit the floor when you see what he created.

It all started out with a simple tree trunk…

Then Zheng Chunhui, a famous wood carver, spent over four years creating this masterpiece.

The carving is based on the famous Chinese painting “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.” The original artwork was created over 1,000 years ago.

The piece won the Guinness World Record for the longest wooden carving and measures over 40ft (specifically, it is 12.286 meters long, is 3.075 meters tall at it highest point, and is also 2.401 meters wide).

The intricate carvings of daily life in ancient China are so detailed and perfect, they could drop your jaw.

It’s no surprise that this incredible work of art is drawing so much attention. It’s amazing, but not just because it’s so big, but also because it’s so incredibly detailed.

That was 8,760 hours well spent. Share this awesome work with others.

Timing is EVERYTHING!

http://www.viralnovelty.com/21-absolutely-timed-photos-must-see/

Thanks this week go to Popeh Z, Scott B-L, Larry H and Ron M.

Love and Happiness!
Neville

“Logic will get you from A to B.
Imagination will take you everywhere.”
— Albert Einstein

Happy Soul Food Friday!

This week change your outlook and the world will change:

What Sport, Sacrifice and being a World Class Athlete is all about:

Now this is a class act!

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=263105247&m=263123785

5 Thoughts That Will Make You Instantly Happier

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11890/5-thoughts-that-will-make-you-instantly-happier.html

New Year’s Social Resolutions:

Enjoy this new year’s social resolution about mindfulness and social action
www.csrwire.com/blog/posts/1179-a-new-year-s-social-resolution

A personality survey for an 11-month-old is a pretty tall order:

When one dad was faced with the task of filling in a questionnaire sent home by his daughter’s daycare, he did something any parent with a wicked sense of humor will appreciate…

Click here: Dad Is (Mostly) Totally Honest On 11-Month-Old Daughter’s Daycare Questionnaire

To My Friends: A Humbling Slide Deck

Click here 

Pictures Worth A Gazillion Words:

Please wait until the pictures load. It is worth your time!

Click here! 

Thanks this week go to Scott H, Ron S, Jeff B, Larry H & Binaifer K! 

Pals for life?

Love your enemies, then you won’t have any…

Neville

The collective wisdom of the ages teaches that the whole point of life is not what we get, but what we give… And that we have total control over

Happy Soul Food Friday! 

Duck and Cover!

I just found out that Soul Foodies are growing…

WordPress sent me a note, sharing that Soul Food Friday was viewed 7,200 times in 2013, so let’s keep reflecting and refracting the light in our communities and families and keep inspiring (breathing life into) ourselves, as we can’t give away what we don’t have.

That which is most Personal, is most Universal!

After spending the Winter Holiday in India for the first time in 16 years, I met people who were receiving and reading SFF that I have never met in my life. They might be thousands of miles away but are sharing the same intentions and commitment to leaving our world a little bit better than we found it.
Let’s not underestimate the impact each one of us can make…

It IS a small world after all. My new BFF Dr. Alan Daly, Chair of UCSD Educational Studies who is doing transformative work with respect to education outcomes- including but not limited to with the Vista Unified School District where we spent yesterday morning together- has rarified my thinking from the conventional “you are judged by the company you keep” and ‘It is not what you know, but who you know’, to more accurately, “Who you know defines what you know”.

Choosing what we focus on and who we invest our time with in 2014- with intentionality- will make this the best year ever!

This little blue planet is getting smaller.

Are we getting Blinded by Progress?

This is worth a read… 

BLINDED BY PROGRESS IS HERE!

Blinded by Progress walks us smack into tough questions about our survival on this planet … and finds possibilities within our reach!

More and more of us are daring to ask: Why do we Americans praise lifestyles and growth economics that require five planets? Why does this five-planet illusion grip us so tightly even though it defies commonsense? Why do we continue to pursue economic growth as if it is economic health when we know it is ecologically suicidal? Are we that sinister? unconscious? Is it blind faith in technology? Are we simply addicted to “More?”

Blinded by Progress takes us into the ring to tussle with these urgent, life-defying questions … and come out empowered with new thoughts and actions. A whole new worldview is spelled out. Reading it releases that “ah-hah” feeling we get when truth breaks in on us and breaks us out of illusion. Read it alone or discuss it in a group.

The author discloses how he unwittingly came under the spell of MultiEarth living and then, as his consciousness shifted, how he began reshaping his life to OneEarth living—a project in process. Readers will follow along with the personal quest of the author, and come to new, life-giving decisions about their own MultiEarth vs. OneEarth choices.

Blinded by Progress makes special contributions to the global conversation on sustainability now underway. The author clearly delineates the contrasts between MultiEarth and OneEarth worldviews. The chapter on the religious devotion given to MultiEarth economics and practices contains perspectives and content typically left out of conversations on the themes treated in this book. The power that myth has to keep us practicing the illusionary MultiEarth worldview is revealed by using John Steinbeck’s magnum opus, East of Eden. That novel’s use of the Cain and Abel myth provides bold guidance for our own MultiEarth-OneEarth choices. The concluding distinction between MultiEarth and OneEarth progress shows us how we got into our illusionary bubble and leaves no doubt that we have the power to choose differently. The personal journey of the author weaves in and out of the chapters, serving to illustrate the book’s themes, the subtleties by which MultiEarth progress blinds us, and the power to choose OneEarth’s satisfying ways.

Lee Van Ham has been working on ecological economics since 2000. This work follows on three decades of experience in leading congregations where his writing and teaching gifts developed. In 2009, he met Michael Johnson; the two came together around their common interest in creating books and film on themes of ecology and economics. Johnson is an Emmy-award winning filmmaker who has begun work on a related documentary. Out of their relationship the OneEarth Project was born.

What Others Are Saying

Blinded by Progress is a work of keen observation, a great deal of scholarship and an abiding care for living beings. There were many paths that we might have taken in the past that would have led to a better world than the one we inhabit. Lee Van Ham’s writing delineates a path going forward that does not repeat the illusions of progress. I hope it opens many eyes.

—Paul Hawken, entrepreneur, environmentalist, and author of Blessed Unrest and Natural Capitalism 

Lee has written a book that is a hair-on-fire call to action to free ourselves from our folly of only looking at Me and moving us to We…Pronto.

—Will Marre’, Founder, The American Dream Project 

“’El mundo que queremos es uno donde quepan muchos mundos’ – ‘We want a world where many worlds can coexist.’ These words spoken by the Maya Indigenous people in resistance add color and meaning to the important and timely message of this book…. This book is a must read for people and communities committed to collectively raise

consciousness. It is a guide in creating concrete steps toward being responsible citizens of one earth.”

— Marco Tavanti, PhD, International Sustainable Development Prof., DePaul University, Chicago; Pres. of World Engagement Institute (WEI).

Blinded by Progress is an eye-opening look at our current economic and social system that is both heart-centered and intellectually accurate. It’s one-of-a-kind perspective, based on deep research as well as  first-hand experience, takes the reader quickly to the very foundation of what is wrong with our current world situation in order to fix it.

—Nikki Lyn Pugh, published author and journalist and 2011 USD Women Peacemaker Project Selected Peace Writer

In Blinded by Progress Van Ham creates a work of great integrity—an integrity that comes from his bringing sound theological and economic thinking together with visionary consciousness, deep commitment, and illusion-breaking stories.  The result is a clear and powerful message that the author does not dilute with checklists of minor feel-good actions we can take on our own.  Instead, Van Ham dares to call us all to nothing less than a radical change of consciousness, breaking through the illusions of our dominant MultiEarth economy in order to embrace the alternative OneEarthism.  And contrary to what many claim, there are real alternatives.  There is much truth and wisdom to be found in these pages.    — Barry Shelley, PhD, Political economist; Global Agriculture and Climate Change Advisor, Oxfam America

For more information Contact: Lee Van Ham

lee@jubilee-economics.org

619-528-8075

If you are local, do join us for the San Diego Direct Marketing Association (SDDMA)

Click here

If you are Global, enjoy these Pics:

Click here!

Need a Humor Break?

Enjoy…

Click this.

Thanks this week go to Michael J and Lee Van Ham, Ron M and Victoria C, Larry H and the thousands of you that take it in and pay it forward!

Love,

Neville

“The collective wisdom of the ages teaches that the whole point of life is not what we get, but what we give… And that we have total control over”

Happy Soul Food Friday and Happy 2014!

If the New Year brings personal resolution to remain a life-long learner, to push the envelope on what you can do soulfully, or to serve as a pillar of support in your community, these should give you both pause and a chuckle…

Start This Moment with a Stunning Video from the BBC!

What a Wonderful World…

I’ve Learned… by Andy Rooney

If you will take the time to read these, I am pretty sure they will touch your soul, as the subjects he covers affect us all on a daily  basis:

They’re  written by Andy Rooney , a man with the  gift of saying so much with so few words.  Enjoy…….

I’ve  learned…. That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of  an elderly  person.

I’ve  learned…. That when you’re in love, it  shows.

I’ve  learned…. That just one person saying to me, ‘You’ve made my  day!’ makes my  day.

I’ve  learned…. That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the  world.

I’ve  learned…. That being kind is more important than being  right.

I’ve  learned…. That you should never say no to a gift from a  child.

I’ve  learned…. That I can always pray for someone when I don’t have  the strength to help him in some other  way.

I’ve  learned…. That no matter how serious your life requires you to  be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy  with.

I’ve  learned…. That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold  and a heart to understand.

I’ve  learned…. That simple walks with my father around the block on  summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an  adult.

I’ve  learned…. That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer  it gets to the end, the faster it  goes.

I’ve  learned…. That we should be glad God doesn’t give us everything  we ask  for.

I’ve  learned…. That money doesn’t buy  class.

I’ve  learned…. That it’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I’ve  learned… That under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants  to be appreciated and  loved.

I’ve  learned…. That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I’ve  learned…. That when you plan to get even with someone, you are  only letting that person continue to hurt  you.

I’ve  learned…. That love, not time, heals all  wounds.

I’ve  learned…. That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to  surround myself with people smarter than I  am.

I’ve  learned… That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a  smile.

I’ve  learned…. That no one is perfect until you fall in love with  them.

I’ve  learned… That life is tough, but I’m  tougher.

I’ve  learned…. That opportunities are never lost; someone will take  the ones you  miss.

I’ve  learned…. That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock  elsewhere.

I’ve  learned…. That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her  one more time before she passed  away.

I’ve  learned…. That one should keep his words both soft and tender,  because tomorrow he may have to eat  them.

I’ve  learned…. That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your  looks.

I’ve  learned…. That when your newly born grandchild holds your little  finger in his little fist, that you’re hooked for  life.

I’ve  learned…. That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain,  but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing  it.

I’ve  learned…. That the less time I have to work with, the more  things I get  done.

Facing Your Fears:

Here is the consummate example of facing your fears and feeling the unequivocal liberation released on the other side through sheer stick-to-it-ive ness & personal courage…

Christopher’s life will never be the same

May we all be as brave…

Just a Typewriter
This is amazing..!!!!!
He lived at Rose Haven Nursing
Home ( Roseburg , OR ) for years.

Paul Smith, the man with extra ordinary talent was born
on September 21, 1921, with severe cerebral palsy.

Not only had Paul beaten the odds of a life with spastic
cerebral palsy, a disability that impeded his speech and
mobility but also taught himself to become a master artist
as well as a terrific chess player even after being devoid
of a formal education as a child.

“When typing, Paul used his left hand to steady his right one.
Since he couldn’t press two keys at the same time,
he almost always locked the shift key down and
made his pictures using the symbols at the top
of the number keys.

In other words, his pictures were based on these
characters ….. @ # $ % ^ & * ( )_ . Across seven decades,
Paul created hundreds of pictures.

He often gave the originals away.
Sometimes, but not always, he kept
or received a copy for his own records.

As his mastery of the typewriter grew,
he developed techniques to create
shadings, colors, and textures that made his
work resemble pencil or charcoal drawings.”

This great man passed away on June 25, 2009,
but left behind a collection of his amazing
artwork that will be an inspiration for many.

You know that saying about
“When life closes a door,
God opens a window”?

Well, I think God just helped this
man build a whole new house.

This is Typewriter Art……..
Can you believe this art
was created using a typewriter?

Click here!

“I Shall Look At
The World Through Tears.
Perhaps I Shall See Things That,
Dry-Eyed, I Could Not See”
–Nicholas Wolterstorff.

Having fun with statues:

Click here!

Thanks to Binny K, Larry H, Heidi D and Soul Food fans in so many lands

Much Love, and a very Happy New Year to you and Yours!

Let’s Make 2014 the Year of Paying it Forward…

Neville

“We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact

that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery.”

—H. G. Wells